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MILLINGTON, TN – Good news for sailors who don't like to run. The Navy 's fitness program recently introduced the option of using elliptical trainers or stationary bikes as new ways for sailors to complete the cardiovascular portion of the Physical Readiness Test (PRT).
The elliptical and cycle tests are both 12-minute, fixed-timed tests with a direct correlation to the 1.5-mile run. The goal is to burn as many calories as possible.
Once the user obtains their caloric output from the elliptical or stationary bike, they can input these results into a calculator located on the PRT website at
www.npc.navy.mil/CommandSupport/PhysicalReadiness/. This calculates a run time that can be compared to the 1.5-mile run section of the PRT instruction.
"We are trying to encourage the culture of fitness concept by giving sailors the option to test like they train. These new options, when allowed by the command, give sailors the chance to work out on a regular basis on equipment they can use to complete the run portion of the PRT," says Lt. Cmdr. Lisa Finlayson, the Navy's program manager for physiology and fitness.
The culture of fitness encourages sailors to exercise more frequently and get rid of the "three-mile club," those sailors who only exercise when the PRT comes around, according to a recent Navy report.
"This also helps deployed commands complete their PRT on time and gives deployed sailors more options to stay in shape," says Finlayson.
If using these options for the PRT, command fitness leaders (CFL) must ensure sailors train on the machine and know the safety, setup/start/stop and testing procedures for that machine prior to testing day.
CFLs must obtain authorization from their commanding officer to use the elliptical and stationary bike for a PRT. CFLs and sailors should read NAVADMIN 11/07 at www.npc.navy.mil to get a list of the correct model numbers of authorized machines that are required to take the test.


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ld specials
Major Section: OTHER
Examples: (reset-ld-specials t) (reset-ld-specials nil)
Roughly speaking, the
ld specials are certain state global
variables, such as
ld-prompt, and
ld-pre-eval-filter, which are managed by
ld as though they were
local variables. These variables determine the channels on which
reads and prints and control many options of
ld. See ld for
the details on what the
ld specials are.
This function,
reset-ld-specials, takes one Boolean argument,
The function resets all of the
ld specials to their initial,
top-level values, except for the three channel variables,
standard-co, and
proofs-co, which are reset to their
initial values only if
flg is non-
nil. Of course, if you are in a
recursive call of
ld, then when you exit that call, the
ld specials
will be restored to the values they had at the time
ld was called
recursively. To see what the initial values are, inspect the value
of the constant

subset: commoncrawl


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PNE's proposed plants are the first to come out of the agreement. The company said it will start the official planning process for two sites in Perth & Kinross and one site in Argyll and Bute, in tandem with the FCS. The company said it is unable to reveal the size of the individual projects.
A spokesperson for the FCS said: "Developments on the national forest estate will always be carried out in a manner sensitive to the environment and all projects will go through the full planning process.
"There is plenty of potential to develop wind energy projects on the national forest estate and a key aim is to ensure that communities across Scotland benefit too."
On the issuing of the lots in 2011, the companies agreed to pay £5,000 per MW of installed capacity per year to a fund for the benefit of communities near to any developments.
The areas are:
- Lot 1 - South-west Scotland covering Dumfries & Galloway and Arran - ScottishPower Renewables.
- Lot 2 - Central Scotland, covering Stirlingshire, Cowal, the Trossachs and Tayside - PNE Wind UK.
- Lots 3 and 5 - West and North-west Scotland, covering West Argyll, Lochaber, Invernesshire, and the Northern Highlands - E.ON Climate & Renewables UK Developments Ltd.
- Lot 4 - North-east, covering the Grampian area - Fred Olsen Renewables.


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ReleasesBack to
Ron Carter
Part of an explosion of solo albums Wayne Shorter recorded just after he joined Miles Davis' band, The Soothsayer wasn't released until the late '70s. Listening to the album, it is hard to believe because it ranks with the best of his works from this incredibly fertile period. Shorter has been called Davis' "idea man," and the creativity and thoughtfulness that earned him that moniker are quite evident here. The album's five originals and one arrangement (of Sibelius' Valse Triste) show a multi-layered complexity that seems effortless even as it weaves together contributions from a very strong, stylistic sextet. Of particular interest is the interplay of the three horn players, including altoist James Spaulding and trumpeter Freddie Hubbard. As a performer, Shorter also shows a lot of strength, with fluid, at times subtly evocative, solos that bloom with energy without ever seeming frantic or harsh. The title track shows Shorter at his most forceful and is one of the most passionate moments on the album, but even here, beauty seems to come first, while his low-key standard "Lady Day" embodies grace and calmness in every moment. "Angola" that features some crisp playing by McCoy Tyner, as well as an energetic solo by Shorter. On this CD the alternate take is sequenced immediately following the take of "Angola" included in the original LP.] ~ Stacia Proefrock


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Biographical Materials
- Illustrations for the Monthly Serialisation of Thomas Hardy's The Return of the Native
- "Didst ever know a man that no woman would marry?"
- "She lifted her hand"
- "The reddleman re-reads an old love letter"
- "I wish all good women were as good as I!"
- "If there is any difference, Grandfer is younger"
- "Tie a rope round him; it is dangerous!"
- "The stakes were won by Wildeve"
- "Unconscious of her presence, he still went on singing"
- "Something was wrong with her foot"
- "He brought the tray to the front of the couch"
- "Tis not from the window. That's a gig-lamp, to the best of my belief"
- "All that remained of the desperate and unfortunate Eustacia"
- Illustrations for the Monthly Serialisation of The Atonement of Leam Dundas
- Illustration for the Monthly Serialisation of Kit — A Memory
Last modified 6 June 2012


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by Michael Otey, [email protected]
The recently released SQL Server 2005 Express with Advanced Services might cause a dilemma for existing SQL Server 2005 Express users. The new upgrade is a superset of SQL Server Express that provides new functionality. SQL Server Express with Advanced Services and SQL Server Express share the same database engine and client components and tools, such as SQL Server Configuration Manager and SQL Server Surface Area Configuration tools. However, SQL Server Express with Advanced Services adds Reporting Services, full-text search, and SQL Server Management Studio for Express--the new graphical management tool.
So how do you decide whether you want to download the upgrade with Advanced Services? If you're using SQL Server Express as a simple back-end database for a single user application, you probably don't need the new features in the advanced services release. However, if you're using SQL Server Express as a database back end for a multiuser database application and you want to add Web-based reporting or the ability to perform full-text search, then you'll want to download SQL Server Express with Advanced Services.
Before jumping right into the upgrade process, you need to either uninstall the existing SQL Server Express installation or delete all the template database files from the SQL Server Template Data directory and then perform an in-place upgrade. If you've been using SQL Server Express as a production database, you'll probably want to delete your existing template database files because that technique is quicker than uninstalling SQL Server Express. In addition, all of your databases will automatically be attached at the end of the upgrade process. If you first uninstall SQL Server Express and then install SQL Server Express with Advanced Services, you'll have to manually attach all your user databases.
For those of you upgrading production systems to advanced service, you might wonder if you need to delete the Template Data directory. The Template Data directory contains the templates for all of the SQL Server system databases--by default, the directory path is C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL.1\MSSQL\Template Data. As a safety measure, Microsoft recommends that you back up the template files before you delete them. Probably the best way to do so is to use Windows Explorer, then navigate to the Template Data directory, and select all 10 of the files in the directory. Right-click and select "Send To, Compressed (zipped) folder," to create a zipped file named tempdb.zip that contains all the old .mdf and .ldf files. Copy the tempdb.zip file to another directory and delete all the files in the Template Data directory.
To perform the in-place upgrade first download SQL Server Express with Advanced Services from http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/express/sql/download . Then run the SQLEXPR_ADV.EXE setup program to install SQL Server Express with Advanced Services. After accepting the End User License Agreement (ELUA) the installation will copy the native SQL Server Client along with the prerequisite setup files to your system. Next, a system configuration check will run. If your system passed this check when you installed SQL Server Express, it should pass again. Click Next to display the Registration Information window and uncheck the "Hide advanced configuration options" box. Then, click Next. To make sure you get all the new SQL Server Express with Advanced Services features, select Client Components and choose the "Entire feature will be installed on local hard drive" option. In the Installed Instances dialog box, select the instance to upgrade--by default this is the SQLEXPRESS named instance. Click Next and on the Existing Components screen, check the SQL Server Database Services and Workstation components and development tools boxes. Click through the remaining dialog boxes to start the upgrade process. Depending on the speed of your PC, the upgrade should take 10 minutes or less and there's no need to reboot your PC.
SQL Server Express Jump Start
Using the Query Editor
by Michael Otey
If you've been following some of my previous Jump Start columns, you'll know that we've covered the basics of creating databases, tables, and columns by using the various SQL Server 2005 Express data types. In the process, I've shown you some of the T-SQL code required to create these databases and database objects. In the next issue, I'll continue to expand on our example of building up a media collection database. But, in this issue, let's take a short detour and discuss how to create and execute a T-SQL script.
The short answer is Query Editor. Query Editor is included with SQL Server Management Studio Express (SSMSE). You could also use the text-oriented SQLCMD tools, but if you're like me, you'll prefer the graphical editing environment that SSMSE and Query Editor offer. Although SSMSE was a Community Technology Preview (CTP) for quite some time, you can download the recently released finished version as a part of SQL Server 2005 Express Advanced Services or as a standalone tool. You can find both at http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/express/sql/download.
However, if you happen to be running SQL Server Express on an x64 OS (like I am), for some inexplicable reason, SSMSE won't install on the x64 OS even though SQL Server Express can be running in the WOW64 layer.
Once you've downloaded and installed SSMSE, you can start Query Editor by using the Start, All Programs, Microsoft SQL Server 2005, SQL Server Management Studio Express option. When the program starts, enter your database connection information. To begin running the T-SQL code, click the New Query button to start Query Editor. Enter the T-SQL code in the blank editing window, then click Execute or press F5 to run the code. Be aware that the current database is displayed in a drop-down menu in the left part of the toolbar. You can change the current database by using that drop-down menu or entering and running the USE
USE adventureworks
Check It Out
Visual Studio Express is Free
by Michael Otey
On April 19, 2006, Microsoft announced that all Visual Studio Express products would be free. Originally, Microsoft announced that this product line would be free for a limited introductory period that was originally scheduled to end November 2006. This news probably isn't a tremendous surprise considering the effect that free, open-source tools are having on the market, but it's still a cool bonus for beginner and hobbyist developers.
Don't be fooled by the free price tag--Visual Studio Express products are powerful development systems. More than 5 million copies of the Visual Studio Express products have been downloaded from the Microsoft site. Check out the free Visual Studio Express products.
New Product
Manage Your Entire Database With One Tool
by Blake Eno
Teratrax announced Database Manager 4, a database administration tool for all SQL Server editions, including SQL Server 2005 Express. Database Manager lets you locate database objects by providing object filtering and text-based code searching. Database Manager's Intellisense query editor provides you with built-in T-SQL reference and lets you query and edit data. You can then save results in Microsoft Excel, HTML, and XML formats. The product also lets you schedule SQL database jobs and perform backups and restores. Additional features include one-click indexing of tables, individual indexes, and individual primary keys. For more information, contact Teratrax at [email protected] or [email protected].


text:
Find News
News Databases
Use the following news databases to access full-text articles in local, national, and international newspapers; find transcripts of radio and TV news programs; find AP photographs and audio clips; and search network news broadcasts.
LexisNexis Academic - News search
Full-text national, international, and business news and transcripts from radio and television news programs.
Newspaper Source
Full-text for 28 major US and international newspapers.
Chronicle of Higher Education
The primary news source for higher education.
Current Newspapers
We subscribe to the print edition of Christian Science Monitor, Columbus Dispatch, Jeffersonian (Cambridge), Manchester Guardian, New York Review of Books, New York Times, Plain Dealer (Cleveland), Times-Recorder (Zanesville), USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post. Copies are kept for one month. Contact Connie Burke if you would like a specific issue of a newspaper.
Black & Magenta
The Library has most editions of the Black & Magenta from 1902-1980 and 1989-2014, many of which are bound. These issues are currently located in the Dentzer Reading Room. The Library also has the Black & Magenta on microfilm from 1910 to 1969. A print index covering 1919-1969 is shelved next to the bound volumes. Use the online index (PDF 545 KB) for articles appearing in issues published in 1970 to Spring 1992; 2000; and Fall 2002 to Spring 2007.
Not sure how to get started on your research? Need help? There are many ways to ask us questions. We're here to help you!


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On July 6th and 7th, MBDA hosted a meeting of leaders in the minority business community, including program directors and advocates, to review and benchmark progress regarding the state of minority businesses. The goal of the meeting was to establish a blueprint for minority business development programs that can be implemented by the public and private sectors in the future.
From the meeting, common themes emerged from the conversations. MBDA is opening the discussion to include a variety of stakeholders in minority business success- we welcome your comments and suggestions.
The question that was asked is this:
Given the current court challenges to programs targeted for minority-owned businesses, what actions can be put in place to support the growth and expansion of minority-owned businesses in the 21st century?
Below you will find the themes for the topic of "Legal Landscape:"
Communicate the White House and Administration's commitment to minority business growth and competitiveness.
Develop criteria for minority business contracting goals on the federal, state and local levels, and establish and enforce these goals.
Develop a streamlined and effective federal certification process for minority businesses (HUB Zone, 8(a), and SDB should not exist separately).
Implement a national research study to discover current barriers to success for minority businesses.
Develop a national disparity study which demonstrate barriers and gaps in access to government contracts.
Build a record of evidence of discrimination and barriers into the congressional and legislative record.
Establish formalized mentoring programs for entrepreneurship starting at the college level and lasting throughout the business lifecycle.
Create educational programs that focus specifically on procurement within the government contracting arena.
Consolidate the number of minority business advocacy organizations into one centralized organization which will then partner with MBDA. Create an agenda for all minorities to speak with one voice.
We would appreciate your comments and suggestions on the topic, to see participants specific comments per topic, please click here.
**This post contains the comments provided by participants at the Minority Business Development Agency Summit held on July 6 – 7, 2009 at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill. Participants provided input on strategy, enforcement mechanisms, and legislation that may assist minority entrepreneurs in the future. Note-takers memorialized the comments made at each of the tables. These materials are being provided in raw data format and are for informational purposes only. The views expressed herein are those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect those of MBDA or of the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Posted at 8:00 PM


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Celebrating illustration, design, cartoon and comic art of the mid-20th century.
Tuesday, March 02, 2010
Barbara Bradley: A Female Illustrator You Should Know
With that in mind, I have just created a companion blog to Today's Inspiration called (surprise!) Female Illustrators of the Mid-20th Century.
And who could be a better first subject for this new blog than Barbara Bradley? Its been nearly two years since Barbara passed away. When she was still with us a week rarely went by when I wasn't blessed with an email or two from her. She wrote with rare insight, offered thoughtful, informed analysis, and always, words of encouragement. Barbara was a remarkable person. I still miss her. (The image above, scanned from the original art, was a very thoughtful gift I received from Barbara's family not long after her passing. I absolutely treasure it and feel very privileged to share it with you today.)
*Update* TI list member Heather David sent me a note yesterday. When she received her TI email containing the scan of Barbara's gouache comp she recognized it as the precursor to this finished illustration, for a Bank of America ad! Many thanks Heather... this gives us the rare opportunity to see the beginning and the conclusion of a Barbara Bradley ad art assignment!
In the next few days (and on other occasions in the future) I'll be featuring female artists of the mid-20th century here on Today's Inspiration - some whom I've featured before, some for the first time. In each case, everything about these artists will be collected and reposted on Female Illustrators of the Mid-20th Century.
Multi-part posts previously presented on TI will be collected and "reprinted" as single, full-length posts. In this way, I hope FIotM-20C will become a valuable resource for those specifically interested in finding artwork examples and documentation on the careers of female illustrators from the '40s, '50s and '60s.
7 comments:
Leif, it's about time you created another blog. We were getting awfully sick and tired of you resting on your laurels. After all, you can't sleep and watch TV all day long, can you?ReplyDelete
Heh, yes, I was getting bored with all this spare time on my hands, David. Thank goodness I'll have one more thing to keep me from sitting around watching the paint peel!ReplyDelete
Here Drawing the Clothed figure book is a must have for artists. It is so nice to see it holding down the fort in Barnes and Noble in the sea of horrible how to draw manga books!ReplyDelete
Thanks for another beautiful and thoughtful post. FlotM-20C is an instant add to my feeds!ReplyDelete
Leif, I think Barbara must have been quite pleased with the Bank of America Illustration. While I was a student in her class, we asked her to show us an example of her work, and she brought in the finished illustration for the B of A ad you posted, which I believe she had just finished. B of A's headquarters were located in S.F., so that would make sense that she did that job while teaching at the Academy of Art in S.F. Anyway, we were quite impressed with her skill in using gouache and her charming stylized realism. She pointed out the emphasis on capturing just the right attitude and expression of determination, and she had fun deciding on what he would take with him. Much to my disappointment, she rarely showed us her samples.. a very modest lady, indeed.ReplyDelete
We were planning to meet at a "Geezers" annual picnic in Marin County, after 50 years of not seeing each other, but she died just a few months before the picnic.. a very sad turn of events. I also miss her extraordinary personality and positive nature, that was so evident in her emails. Her book on drawing is one of the very best that is in print today. She really put her all into it, and it shows her complete dedication to teaching.
Tom Watson
Terrific idea, Leif. And likewise the samples shown. Sigh, as one of Barbara's students, like Tom, I scratch my head in bewilderment when I think back to just how little of her own work she shared. Modesty incarnate, but the power of her teaching certainly helped overcome that lack. She mentioned that she thought "we wouldn't be interested". Now I marvel at her work, using it as a great teaching tool, and celebrate her memory every time I start to draw.ReplyDelete


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Green toys used to mean a recycling truck here or there…or a paper maker, but now there are many toys that are either manufactured with a green mandate or promote a positive green message to kids. The biggest trend are dolls made from organic materials–not all created equal in our book. Green shouldn't have to mean scratchy or boring in design or color. Happily we received many that found the right blend of green and whimsy! The other big category — trucks…many made of recycled materials – were a real draw to our testers. Then there are the throw back toys–my personal favorite, the wind-up FM Radio.
Here's the list of our Top Green Toys for 2009. Complete reviews on our our site, www.toyportfolio.com. Click on the toy name to read our rating/review.
Playmobil Recycling Truck (Playmobil)
PushAlong Hybrid Car (ImagiPLAY)
Plan Toys Build 'n Spin (Plan Toys)
Dolls and Dollhouse
Plan Toys Green Dollhouse (Plan Toys)
Other Green Toys of Interest
Crayola Crayon Maker (Crayola)
Ecotronics Radio (International Playthings)
Ecotronics Mr. Robot Head (International Playthings)


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"The Frozen Lake" Season 5 Episode 10
Pictured: LL COOL J (Special Agent Sam Hanna) and Chris O'Donnell (Special Agent G. Callen). Callen and Sam enlist the help of a Gurkha, an elite Nepali soldier specializing in knife fighting, to retreive a missing thumb drive. Meanwhile, Kensi and Deeks struggle to find a balance in their partnership, on NCIS: LOS ANGELES, Tuesday, Nov. 26 (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Photo: Monty Brinton/CBS ©2013 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.


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An unplanned swim
by, May 7th, 2013 at 08:19 PM (808 Views)
Today's workout was short on yardage but long on gratitude. I flew down to Atlanta early Monday morning for a visit with my mom and aunt in southeast Alabama. Upon landing I had a voicemail from my sister. It turned out that my 93-year-old aunt had been admitted to the hospital late Sunday night for chest pains. So I drove directly to the hospital in Dothan, about 3.5 hours away, and have been here staying with her ever since. My aunt is doing better, and I'm hopeful she'll be kicked loose in the next few days. Meanwhile, I'm glad that I'm able to be here to help out, which lets my mom at least go back home to sleep at night. It can be hard being a plane flight instead of a drive away when emergencies happen with my family, so at least this time I was already on my way south when things started going south.
I'm very lucky that the hospital is within a couple miles of the only pool available for lap swimming in these parts. I was able to get in a lunchtime workout at the Westgate Recreation Center, an 8-lane 25y indoor pool. There were no lane lines, no clock, and only one set of backstroke flags, but the side panels of the building were partly open on this warm sunny day, and I chose an empty end lane to swim in because it was the most light-filled patch of water. After a day spent traveling and sitting in a hospital room, plus night spent on a hospital room couch, it felt so very good to stretch out and move around in the water. Here's what I did:
1000 warmup (400s, 200k, 200p, 200 RIM d/s by 25)
10 x 100 FR: 2@ 1:40, 2@ 1:35, . . . 2@ 1:20
100 IM kick
5 x 100 IM desc. @ 1:45
Before I left the city I had a good diving practice Sunday night. Our team added a second weekly practice a few weeks ago, on Sundays from 6-7:45pm, and this was the first opportunity I'd had to take advantage of it. I love being at the beautiful Flushing Meadows facility, with its wall of glass that faces the park, when it's still light out (our other weekly workout is from 8-10 on a weeknight). I love even more getting home at a reasonable hour. My commute to and from the pool takes about an hour to an hour and a half each way, depending on whether there's express trains running. Nights when there are Mets games are great, because Citifield is at the same subway stop at the pool, and the MTA runs special express trains back into the city after games.
My goal Sunday was to learn a front flip with a half twist off the 1m. We had a group viewing of an instructional diving video last Wednesday, and I was intrigued by the twisting dives. I'd learned a simple straight forward dive with a half twist last January, but I don't have a lot of confidence in that dive, and I wanted to learn another twister for what will be my eventual dive list for IGLA. Plus, I just wanted to feel what rotating in two different planes at the same time felt like. When watching the video, I could imagine doing the various somersaulting dives, but it was tough to get my brain around how the twisting dives actually worked. I wanted to feel it for myself so that I could understand the motion better.
I started off by doing front flips in an open pike position, then added a half twist in the middle. The movement feels very much like a round-off, only without putting your hands down on anything. I was able to hit the dive in the first try, but need to work on getting more height. My instinct when I try new stuff is to start small, and be timid in my approach and jump off the board. I know this instinct is absolutely wrongheaded--it would be both easier and safer if I approached the dive with conviction and get a bigger bounce off the board--but it's tough to change that natural inclination to start small then build up when trying new skills.


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I was hoping to riff directly off Tuesday's State of the Union address, but since President Obama mentioned my pet peeve only once in passing, there's not enough to say. In his words:
That's why, working with this Congress, I will reform our surveillance programs because the vital work of our intelligence community depends on public confidence, here and abroad, that privacy of ordinary people is not being violated.
Dude, you need new advisers. That ship sailed, hit an iceberg, and sank. That four-piece ensemble playing the strings while Leonardo DiCaprio froze to death? That was our personal privacy. When Obama's policies address reality, then I can skewer him. For now, he has serious catching up to do -- maybe start here.
[ Also on InfoWorld: Cringely peers into the crystal ball and comes up with 10 crazy tech predictions for 2014. | Can we talk? Send your tech war story to firstname.lastname@example.com and get a $50 AmEx gift cheque if InfoWorld publishes it. We're all ears! ]
I already complained a couple of times when it came out that the NSA had little gnome mages running around World of Warcraft looking for al-Qaida fanatics holding secret online meetings beneath the Bridge of Souls. Now it's out that our multi-billion-dollar intelligence community has been raiding Angry Birds to find out where you're playing, whom you're playing with, and what their contact information might be, as well as when and how often you talk to them on your secure-as-Swiss-cheese mobile device.
Part of the story includes the British version of the NSA. Apparently the folks going through the reams of documents that Edward Snowden leaked to the world have finally dug deep enough to find evidence of Smurfgate.
Big Brother is smurfing you
According to Snowden's docs analyzed by the Guardian, when the British spy techs who work for the GCHQ (Britain's NSA equivalent) come up with new recipes for hacking into our private lives, they give them cute Smurf names -- probably because they hate everything American, especially Disney, which means dwarf names are out. Instead, when they come up with a new hack tool, like a hyper-accurate geo-locator that knows when and where you're on the throne, they'll call it something like Tracker Smurf. For Warcraft, it's probably Frodo Smurf, and for Angry Birds it's likely Birdy Smurf or Ha Ha We're Screwing You Smurf.
All this is, of course, blindingly ironic coming out at pretty much the same time as Data Privacy Day -- and the 40th anniversary of Dungeons & Dragons, for that matter. Forget that part where I said you might want to think before accessing your bank account from your mobile device. Instead, take the damn thing in the backyard and light it on fire. Then get a Blackphone, though that's probably a red herring secretly funded by the NSA and sharing information with a litany of three-letter acronyms, including the CIA, the IRS, and TMZ.
Really, that's too simple an explanation. I don't think that's what they're doing at all. Wherever the NSA's vaunted hacker battalion is festering, it's undoubtedly several floors of a warehouse-sized office building covered in grayed-out windows, powered by massive generators, decorated with action figures, littered with Jolt cans and zit cream, and equipped with enough parsed bandwidth even a Ritalin-deprived flibbertigibbet wouldn't complain. That's a gamer's paradise.


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'The Voice' Coaches Goof Off on Rolling Stone Cover
The second season of 'The Voice' kicks off on Feb. 5, right after the Super Bowl. After year of high ratings, press, promotion, hype and hanging out while seated in high-backed red space chairs, the coaches have come together for round two and they are celebrating with a Rolling Stone cover.
Cee Lo Green, Adam Levine, Christina Aguilera and Blake Shelton pose for the cover, but it's not really posed. It looks like the cameras caught them goofing around on set. That's how natural and genuine the affinity and respect among these constantly sparring coaches is. It's a far cry from "feels scripted" bickering between Simon Cowell and L.A. Reid and the fired mentors on 'X Factor!'
Aguilera is the lone female at this sausage party, and she's the first thing you see on the cover, with her rocker leather jacket, leggings and blinged out heels. She's cavorting with Levine as they 'Move Like Jagger,' to borrow a phrase from their smash song.
Cee Lo is having a chuckle, while Shelton looks like he is about to utter one of his sarcastic comments. "You have to be a pretty strong girl to stay up in the mix with the guys," Xtina said. "It's a lot. It's a crazy locker-room kind of situation." If anyone can handle it, it's our gal Xtina.
The cover story addresses the rapport of four people from different genres, lifestyles and worlds.
"Just look at the four of us. It's just so wrong and so amazing" is how Levine labeled it. Match point, sir!
The story also reveals that Shelton and Levine attended Aguilera's bday bash in Hollywood; Green was in absentia because he was out of town. All those rumors of her bigger salary, her diva-like demands? They don't seem to be tainting the relationship between the coaches at this cover shoot and interview.
Levine joked that while Shelton, a major star in his genre, is the subject of "hick" jokes, he still has a measure of cool. "Blake can say anything or do anything," Levine revealed. "If I was like, 'I'm drunk at 4:00!' I'd be attacked. He's like, 'It's cool, f— you, I just shot a f—ing moose, kiss my a—!' He can say whatever he wants."
Cee Lo, on the other hand, can do whatever he wants, including commit what most of us, like Levine, consider a fashion faux pax. "He can wear white socks with sandals and still have it be f—ng cool," says Levine. "If I did that, Blake would make fun of me."
The issue lands on stands Feb. 3


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GourmetCruelty.com is a coalition dedicated to exposing the cruelty of the foie gras industry. Just two companies are responsible for the barbaric practice of foie gras production in the United States—Hudson Valley Foie Gras in New York and Sonoma Foie Gras in California.
Over the course of many months, the coalition conducted a nationwide investigation into the domestic foie gras industry. GourmetCruelty.com uncovered filthy, crowded conditions and documented an industry standard of disregard for the pain and suffering inherent to foie gras production.
Investigators took undercover footage of the immensely traumatic forced-feeding process, and rescued fifteen of these long-suffering ducks.
Delicacy of Despair, an undercover documentary about our investigation and rescue is now available on VHS and DVD through this website.For information about current anti-foie gras campaigns, new undercover investigations, and how you can help, please visit StopForceFeeding.com.
Request a free Vegetarian Starter Guide.


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1. If Eli Manning stopped playing football today, would he be a Hall of Famer?
I don't think so. Well, not yet at least. Eli had a phenomenal season winning his 2nd Super Bowl MVP and breaking many season and Super Bowl records in the process, but I think he needs to be more consistent in multiple seasons in order to be inducted with the greats. This is the only season in his career in which he was able to carry the Giants on his back and be that game changer. In previous seasons, he has only been mediocre. I mean, he did throw like 20 plus picks two seasons ago. If he can continue to be the difference maker for the Giants and show more consistency in his numbers, then yes, he will be a Hall of Famer regardless if he ever wins another Super Bowl or not.
2. The New England Patriots haven't won a Super Bowl since spy gate. Would you consider their previous three titles tainted?
I've been hearing this on the radio for the past couple of hours and I don't believe New England's past two Super Bowl losses to New York will hurt their legacy at all. Even though they haven't won the big game since 2004, there have made two more Super Bowl appearances. Many other teams wouldn't hesitate to be in that kind of position. This is a franchise that also went 16-0 in the regular season in '07. I think they are doing something right, don't you think? People can hate about the Patriots and spy gate all they want, but in the end it came down to execution and New England flat out won.
3. Does the loss of Super Bowl XLVI fall on Wes Welker or Tom Brady's shoulder?
This has been the story of the day as everyone continues to point the finger, but I don't think it's either of their faults. People criticize Brady's throw, but he put the ball where it had to be. There were three DBs in the area and he had to make sure he threw the ball away from safety Kenny Philips. Wes just couldn't make the play. What can I say? He's human. But besides that, the Patriots as a team didn't make enough play to win. I think the biggest factor was the inability for NE to force any turnovers. The Giants put the ball on the turf three times, but the Pats were unable to recover any of them. The ball just didn't fall their way that is why they lost. To go out and blame Wes Welker and call him the "Bill Buckner" of football is just absurd. His stats speak for himself.
4. Who is the better Manning?
Although Eli has one more ring compared to Peyton, I still don't believe Eli is in his field yet. Peyton has done this for many of seasons. This is the first time in Eli's career he can call himself an elite quarterback. Peyton's been elite for years. I think the fact that Eli has one more Super Bowl than Peyton is because of his supporting cast. Until this season, Eli has never been successful of putting an entire team on his shoulders. Peyton's been doing that for who knows how long. Just look at the Colts now. They can barley win a game without the guy. Peyton's a type of quarterback that comes around every decade. He hasn't had the type of rough seasons Eli has had. I still think Eli has a ways to go if he wants to be the best quarterback in the family.
5. Did Tom Brady play in his last Super Bowl?
Tom still has a lot of football left, therefore no. He's been playing at the highest level for multiple seasons and I don't see him slowing down, barring injury. He once again put up MVP like numbers this season. He was even able to his team to the Super Bowl that lacked a defense, running game, and receivers (except Welker). If he can do that, then there's no telling what he can do with a complete team. This being said, the Pats are already Super Bowl favorites for next season. Before Tom's career is over, I think he will win one more matching Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw.
What are your five answers?


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When living or travelling outside the EU, you might sometimes need help from your embassy or consulate, e.g. in case you have lost all your belongings or have been victim of a crime.
But what happens if your country has no diplomatic or consular representation in the country where you are?
Under EU law, as an "unrepresented EU citizen", you're entitled to help from any other EU Member State's embassy or consulate - under the same conditions as this EU country helps its own nationals.
This website aims to provide you with general information about the right of unrepresented EU citizens to consular protection in third countries under the same conditions as the nationals of that EU country. It also helps you to find out whether your national state has an embassy or consulate in a given third country or territory. If you do not have an embassy or consulate in the country or territory where you are, it provides you with the contact details of embassies and consulates of other Member States that you might wish to contact to seek assistance.


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Arts on the Green
Saturday, September 22, 2012 - 10:00am to 2:00pm
Campus Green
In conjunction with Fall Festival the Bethany Fine Arts Division will host its annual Arts on the Green event inviting the Bethany community as well as the general public to experience the arts in the fresh air of early autumn. The event is free and the public is welcome. There will be musical entertainment as well as hands-on art activities. Food vendors will also be available.


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Neighbors at Bedford retirement community film oral history project on World War II
When friends gather over a meal at Carleton-Willard Village, telling "war stories'' isn't just a figure of speech. A look around the table reflects a range of roles during World War II. One repaired battleships. Another flew for the Royal Air Force. Here sits a former Red Cross nurse; there a younger sister who saw her elder brother for the last time as he departed in uniform. The residents of this Bedford continuing care community, now in their 80s and 90s, were young men and women in the days of the war — yet memories of their experiences are as sharp as they were seven decades ago.
As Allan Sloan recalls, he recognized as soon as he and his wife moved to Carleton-Willard that there was something distinctive about their new neighbors.
"As we began meeting people, it quickly became apparent to me that we were joining a generation of people who were college students and young adults during World War II,'' said Sloan. "At dinner, we'd start sharing little snippets of conversation, but no one had a chance to envelop the whole story. Eventually, some of us started talking amongst ourselves, saying 'Shouldn't these stories be preserved? Shouldn't we be keeping some record of what we had all lived through?' ''
The Sloans, along with Esther Braun, Mary Welch, and five other interested residents
formed a committee that set as its mission to videotape an oral history of World War II. The first step was to send out a questionnaire asking members of the Carleton-Willard community about their World War II experiences. Sixty people responded.
What was particularly interesting about the response, Sloan said, was the range of roles that the men and women around him had filled. Yes, there were men who had seen active duty. But there were also women who worked in governmental offices decoding secret messages. There were brides left at home to maintain the household while their new husbands headed overseas. One resident had been on the Red Cross Recreation Committee, offering refreshments and amusement to members of the armed forces. One was stationed on a repair ship in Scotland, providing maintenance for ships damaged by submarines or bombs.
Mary Welch was a college student traveling through Europe in the summer of 1939, and realized only in retrospect that the seeds of war had been sprouting all around her. "We had been all through Norway, Sweden, and Denmark that summer, and had no premonition of anything being amiss until we ran into a German student in Lund who did a 'Heil Hitler' salute to us, thinking we were German,'' Welch recalled. "Later, I learned that all that winter, Scandinavia took the brunt of shelling. Some of the towns we'd just traveled through were reduced to ashes.''
The village committee decided to start conducting formal interviews to capture people's experiences, and began looking for some technical support to help turn the results into a video that others could see. "We knew how to do interviews,'' Braun said, "but who would film and edit them?''
They spoke with Stephanie Smith, director of public relations for Carleton-Willard Village, who reached out to Bedford Historical Society president Jan van Steenwijk.
"Coincidentally enough, he said the Bedford Historical Society just happens to have a hole in its archives around the World War II era, and that he would definitely be interested in helping us out,'' Smith said. "He also had access to the video equipment at our local TV station, and he knew how to do videography.''
"It's an absolutely wonderful project,'' said van Steenwijk. "The stories are so diverse. From the housewife at home while the husband went abroad to nurses in Europe helping save wounded soldiers to bombardiers on flying missions. . . . I'm very pleased that now it's preserved on DVD and can be shown on local TV.''
Not all of the voices represent American involvement in the war. One of the first interview subjects was German-born Erasmus Belden, who was barely 20 and living in Berlin when war broke out in his homeland. He recalls helping a man named Eberhard Helmrich, a Schindler-type figure who smuggled Jews to safety, saving them from concentration camps. Another subject with a gripping story to tell was Englishman Derek Till, a member of Britain's Royal Air Force.
Eventually, the project became too large for van Steenwijk to manage as a volunteer; in stepped professional videographer Leslie Wittman, who has contributed immeasurably to the project, according to the committee members, by adding artistic elements such as maps and historical photos to supplement the interview footage.
But Wittman, a generation younger than the project participants, said that she reaped an unanticipated reward through her participation in the effort.
"My parents are Jews from Hungary. They were children during the war. Their parents and families were killed. World War II was not something we talked about in our family; it was too painful for them. And it was never something I wanted to get involved in before.
"But I'm so happy I took on this project, because through meeting these people and hearing their stories, I've become so thankful and grateful for what people from this country have done. They saved what was left of my family and millions of other people,'' Wittman said.
The project remains a work in progress. The committee has started offering monthly screenings in the Carleton-Willard Village's auditorium, one interview at a time; after the first month or two, they regularly attracted a full house, and now the footage airs weekly on Bedford TV, the town's community-access station.
A special guest earlier this fall provided a shot of adrenaline; thanks to a personal connection with a Carleton-Willard resident, the filmmaker known for his PBS documentaries
stopped by to talk with the group. "Ken Burns emphasized to us that we were doing a service by putting out these stories,'' said committee member Don Manion. "He helped us to see that there are now generations of Americans with no conception of World War II — not so much in terms of the historical circumstances, but in terms of the attitudes of the American populace.
"Without stories like ours, people don't understand the extent to which nearly every American jumped into the harness and pulled in the same direction. We were not well-prepared to fight this war. But through spirit and tremendous effort, we were able to assist the countries of Europe and later, after the Pearl Harbor attack, to engage on our own behalf,'' Manion said.
"We just want people now to realize that they have a darn good life as a result of having won this war,'' said Sloan. "That's the thing some younger people sort of forget. They've had a pretty easy time because they didn't have to put up with a fascist government telling them what to do. And that's thanks to World War II.''


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GroupMe, Ditto, LocalMind & some other cool apps you may not have heard of
Icaught a fair chunk of the Where 2.0 conference yesterday in Santa Clara, Calif., plus part of Tuesday's sessions. I think it's fair to say this is the best annual gathering of thought leaders in the mobile space — people from the future who beam in to bring us up to speed on where this whole mobile revolution is taking us.
Here's my modest Flickr photo set of 14 images.
I got to spend some time with two of the rock stars of the mobile world: Di-Ann Eisnor, VP Community of the cool beat-traffic-jams app Waze, and DJ Patil (another initial guy), former chief scientist of LinkedIn and now chief product officer of the hot startup Color, which recently raked in $41 million in venture backing.
I'm always impressed by the visual eye candy at Where 2.0 and this gathering was no exception. Check out the 90-second clip above, Waze Presents: An LA Traffic Story (music), which visually represents a 24-hour time lapse of traffic congestion, accidents, police activity and more in Los Angeles, based on the automatic GPS tracking in the Waze app as well as reports by Waze members. Fun!
Some other highlights from Where 2.0
Alexa Andrzejewski of Foodspotting, Jyri Engestrom of Ditto, Di-Ann Eisnor of Waze.
I didn't get to all the sessions I wanted to, but here are a few other highlights and takeaways:
• Good to meet the folks behind SeeClickFix, a site that lets people report community problems to local government, and one that I've admired for some time.
— Jyri Engeström, Ditto
• My favorite new toy: the GroupMe app, a group messaging service for ad hoc groups of friends, family, co-workers, college buddies. Says co-founder Steve Martocci: "It's like a it's like a reply all chat room on your phone. … This is a very intimate tool that'll buzz everyone's pocket." Yowza!
• 40 percent of ratings on Yelp is coming in through mobile devices. Yelp now has 50 million unique visits per month in eight countries.
• One out of every 10 Israelis (not just drivers) uses Waze.
• Localmind is a new service that allows you to send questions and receive answers about what is going on — right now — at places you care about. If it scales, this would be an awesome service.
• Loved this quote from Jyri Engeström of Ditto (just downloaded the app: "Looking to hang out? Find out what your friends are up to, have a conversation, or get a group together. Ditto makes it easy to get recommendations about restaurants, movies and things to do."):
"A lot of the conversation that goes on at conferences like Where 2.0 is based on the assumption that we're talking about places and buildings. But the resolution of social objects is getting higher and higher so we're getting to the things scale and person scale, with almost everything being able to have a unique identifier associated with it — even plants and animals. Then the whole conversation changes."
• Raffi Krikorian of Twitter: "People want to say 'I'm in Vegas, baby!' without giving away their exact location." His hourlong talk about the different tiers of "local" was fascinating. I was also digging terms like "geohash." And: "The holy grail of geo-location is to use some kind of GPS triangulation." Follow him on Twitter at @raffi.
• Jack Abraham, Director of Local at eBay: "Any product that can be digitally distributed, will be." He noted there were 465 million active IP addresses in 2009 and that number continues to balloon. Also: ecommerce still makes up only 5 percent of all commerce in the United States. Continue reading


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Availability: Out of StockStock Level: LowPlatforms: PS4Publisher: XSEED GamesDevelopers: XSEEDGenre: Casual , RPGESRB: M - MatureUPC: 853466001728Region Free: YesProduct was added to our catalog on Thursday 07 August, 2014.
Akihabara. "Akiba," for short.
This suburban Tokyo ward's seen it all, from Japan's post-war reconstruction to the economic bubblegum crisis of the '80s. Always on the cutting edge of progress, with a little something to offer even the most fetishistic of appetites, it was almost inevitable that this singular technocracy of indulgence would give birth to a whole new kind of appetite altogether.
Enter, the "Synthisters" – vampires who prey upon the life energy of the town's unsuspecting figurine-chasers, maid café connoisseurs and cosplayers. Those victimized by Synthisters take on the properties of their attackers while also withdrawing from society and becoming veritable shut-ins due to their newfound fatal weakness to sunlight.
AKIBA'S TRIP tells the story of one such unfortunate soul: a young man named Nanashi who was lured into a trap by the promise of rare character goods and transformed into one of the walking undead. He, however, was spared the worst of his fate by the bloody kiss of a mysterious Synthister hunter named Shizuku. Together with the rest of his companions in an organization unofficially dubbed the "Akiba Freedom Fighters," Nanashi and Shizuku must uncover the truth behind the Synthister plague and save Akiba from being overrun by violent, antisocial energy vampires.
And of course, the best way to fight vampires is to strip them down to their skivvies so they melt in the noonday sun…
AKIBA'S TRIP: Undead & Undressed is an open-world action RPG in which players undertake numerous missions in a virtual recreation of Akihabara, Tokyo's popular "Electric Town" district. The player's goal is to identify vampires called "Synthisters" with the help of an in-game smartphone app, then engage them in battle to strip their clothes off so their bodies are fully exposed to sunlight. Boasting a unique combat system in which everyday objects become weapons, multiple story routes, a varied cast of characters based on common anime and video game tropes and a narrative dripping with social satire and subtle nods to Japanese pop culture, AKIBA'S TRIP is a present-day supernatural adventure for the gamer in all of us.
Faithful Recreation of Japan's Electronics Mecca
Like a virtual tour of Tokyo's Akihabara ward, all major outdoor locations from the town have been painfully recreated, with over 130 real-life shops accurately represented.
Unique and Customizable Brawler-Style Combat
Anything can be a weapon, from baseball bats to comics to motherboards, and individual clothing items may be targeted, stripped and added to the player's own inventory.
Satirical Story with Divergent Paths and Multiple Endings
Playing off common anime and video game tropes for social satire, the player's choices determine how the story progresses, leading to one of many unique endings.
Modern Day Setting Enhances Gameplay Options and Adds Pop Culture Feel
The in-game smartphone is used to check email, read comments on "Pitter," take side quests, catalog ad flyers, launch apps to identify the undead and much, much more.


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mullet 0.0.3
It's like Mustache but the variables are in HTML attributes. * Extremely simple variable syntax is incapable of expressing logic in the templates. * Templates are clean HTML which your HTML authoring tool and browser can display correctly. You can use the templates as a static HTML prototype for your user interface.


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Just got this email, unbelievable
United States District Court # CR 11 00807
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA vs MICHAEL BRAVIN
"While an officer of Arri Camera, Michael Bravin admitted that he intentionally accessed the computer used in interstate commerce belonging to Band Pro in violation of the law." He pleaded guilty today to criminal charges in Federal Court. Emails from several industry companies were included in the hacked files.
"On or about January 19, 2010, in Los Angeles County, California, defendant intentionally accessed the computer used in interstate commerce belonging to Band Pro Film & Digital, Inc. ("Band Pro"), without authorization, and obtained information from that computer. Defendant obtained the user name and password for the Band Pro email account for Amnon Band, President and Chief Executive Officer of Band Pro, during defendant's employment with Band Pro. Defendant resigned from Band Pro in December 2009, and began to work for another company. After resigning from Band Pro, from approximately December 2009, through June 2010, including on January 19, 2010, defendant accessed, without authorization, Amnon Band's email account and thereby read Band's emails. The total loss to Band Pro from defendant's unauthorized accesses totaled at least $5,001."


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I had the cahnce to try the brand new Monaro V4 this weekend. i am currently riding with the North 2012.
I was stoked to see how easy it was to go fast with the board !
upwind wind leg was more complicated. because the 2 boards works differently.
for the moment I am struggled for switching from north to airush !


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Apple Martini
That's right, I'm putting away my man card for the week and doing the Apple Martini. Certainly they must be tasty.
Okay, now that the intro sentence has scared away all the hardcore cocktail aficionados I can tell you the truth. I've had an Apple Martini or seven in my time and I kinda like them. Granted it's in the same category of like where I lump Twinkies and Slim Jims, but still, there is fondness. My biggest gripes have always been that they can be overly sweet at times and that they can taste rather artificial. So, this week I'm going to see if I can't ferret out an Apple Martini that isn't overly sweet, isn't artificial tasting and still packs a sufficient 'tini punch. I'll start as I usually do with the Joy of Mixology recipe.
Apple Martini (Joy of Mixology)
2 oz Gin or Vodka 1 oz Green-Apple Schnapps
1) Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass
And finally to get you prepped and ready, J.D. on the Appletini.


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The New Bern Farmers Market is a busy place on Saturdays, and on Tuesdays as well during the summer months. If you�ve never visited the Market, or haven�t been for a long time, you may be surprised by the enthusiastic crowds and the variety of goods the Market has to offer.
The New Bern Farmers Market is a busy place on Saturdays, and on Tuesdays as well during the summer months. If you�ve never visited the Market, or haven�t been for a long time, you may be surprised by the enthusiastic crowds and the variety of goods the Market has to offer.
Given the importance of the Farmers Market to downtown New Bern and Craven County, we�re pleased that a group of Extension Master Gardener volunteers has had the opportunity through the years to maintain a butterfly and herb garden on a small corner of the property. Recently I had a chance to visit with Sue Schrenk, a 2010 graduate of our program and the leader of this project for the past three years.
Current members of Schrenk�s team include Sue and Bob Blair, Judi Lloyd, Betty Orsega, Karen Pethybridge, Betty Rovins, Barbara Smith and Jean Smith.
Carol and Frank Gross, long time volunteers who are still active in the Master Gardener program, preceded Schrenk in the management of the garden.
Schrenk says that with the Bear Town Bear in place, and the later addition of a flagpole, there was a need to make the garden as accessible and user friendly as possible. For example, heavy vegetation around the Bear would be a problem because so many visitors like to have their pictures taken in that spot.
Familiar plants I noted on my visit in early July included �Blue Chip� butterfly-bush and a white cultivar of Angelonia, both excellent choices for Craven County landscapes with limited space. Unfamiliar plants included an entirely new group for me, the various scented geraniums. Both lemon geranium (Pelargonium crispum) and rose geranium (P. graveolens) were labeled in the garden.
In his Manual of Annuals, Biennials, and half-Hardy Perennials (2001) Allan Armitage of the University of Georgia writes of the scented geraniums, �The leaves are seldom as ornamental as those of the more popular garden species, and if the leaves don�t turn you on, the flowers won�t either.� So the aesthetics may not be earthshaking, but the fragrances do make this fascinating group of plants well worth exploring in your own garden.
Consider planting scented geraniums in containers for enhanced drainage, and try to avoid all-day full sun. Armitage listed seven different species and numerous cultivars in 2001 and there are probably more to choose from today. So if you get pulled in by this group of plants, you may end up needing a lot of containers.
The New Bern Farmers Market is open on Saturdays year round, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., and on Tuesdays during the summer from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Visit www.newbernfarmersmarket.org to learn more.
It�s not too early to mention that the Market will be one of two sites hosting Farm City Day activities later this year, the other being the nearby N.C. History Center. Farm City Day is scheduled for Saturday Nov. 2, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. We�ll have more to say about this event as the date draws closer.
Tom Glasgow is the Craven County Extension director. Contact him at email@example.com.


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Cleveland Beats Twins 8-7
CLEVELAND (AP) — Michael Bourn had three hits and three RBIs to help Corey Kluber win his third consecutive start as the Cleveland Indians won their fourth straight with an 8-7 victory against the Minnesota Twins on Saturday night.
Cleveland took advantage of five first-inning walks to score six runs. Jason Kipnis added three hits to pace the Indians, who are 8-2 since losing eight in a row.
Kluber (6-4) gave up three runs in 5 2-3 innings. The right-hander has allowed four earned runs in 21 2-3 innings in his last three starts.
Minnesota starter P.J. Walters (2-3) walked five of the nine batters he faced, hit one and didn't get through the first inning when Cleveland had only two hits. Kipnis and Bourn both had two-run singles while Jason Giambi and Drew Stubbs drew bases-loaded walks.
Joe Mauer hit a two-run homer in the first for Minnesota, which has homered in seven straight games. Oswaldo Arcia added a solo shot in the fourth while Chris Parmelee homered to lead off the eighth.
Minnesota cut the lead to 8-5 in the eighth and had the tying run at the plate with one out but Rich Hill struck out Mauer and Ryan Doumit.
Vinnie Pestano allowed two runs in the ninth, including Parmelee's second homer of the game but struck out pinch-hitter Josh Willingham on a 3-2 pitch with the tying run on first for his third save.
Walters' problems began when he walked Bourn and hit Mike Aviles to start the first. Kipnis' double into the left corner tied the score. After Michael Brantley flied out, Carlos Santana and Mark Reynolds walked to load the bases. Walters then walked Giambi, who was batting .180, to force in a run.
Lonnie Chisenhall flied out but a walk to Stubbs made it 4-2 and ended Walters' night. Bourn greeted Anthony Swarzak with single to center and Cleveland led 6-2. Walters threw 46 pitches, only 18 of which were strikes in two-thirds of an inning. He failed to pitch into the sixth inning for the first time in six starts this season.
Minnesota jumped ahead 2-0 when Mauer homered to right-center on Kluber's first pitch following Clete Thomas' single.
Arcia homered to lead off the fourth.
Kluber ended the Indians' eight-game slide when he held Texas to one run in eight innings on June 11. He followed that with eight shutout innings against Washington on June 16. Kluber, who threw 100 pitches Saturday, gave up eight hits, struck out four and walked one.
Stubbs and Bourn added RBI singles in the fifth off Ryan Pressly. Kipnis, who singled, doubled and tripled, is batting .379 (25-for-66) in 19 games in June.
Trevor Plouffe added an RBI single for the Twins in the seventh.
Minnesota came to town riding a three-game sweep of the Chicago White Sox but lost to the Indians 5-1 on Friday. The Twins are 13-7 against Cleveland since June 2, 2012.
Indians first baseman Nick Swisher, who has missed six games with a sore left shoulder, will probably return for Sunday's series finale or Monday when the Indians open a series in Baltimore. Swisher, who is in a 6-for-55 slump. took batting practice Saturday.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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In an ideal world, a unit test should only test a small piece of code, should be repeatable, and be independent of external dependencies such as application servers and databases. However, because of legacy code constraints and budgeting concerns (among other reasons), it's not always possible to write ideal tests. Code that depends on databases can be especially difficult to test because of the time it takes to mock and test. On the other hand, if real database code is used in the test, it is often difficult to make test runs repeatable due to the nature of real-world data.
Writing coarse-grained tests is an option. One benefit of coarse-grained tests is that they can test the integration points of dependant components. For instance, Java-based enterprise applications typically use Enterprise Java Bean (EJB) technology. Most EJB components depend either directly or indirectly on the database to complete processing. Such components can be difficult to test because it takes time to write, build, deploy, and see verify that the code works correctly. In this article I show how you can write coarse-grained repeatable unit tests for such components using OpenEJB and DBUnit. The complete source code and related files are available The complete source code and related files are available here.
An Example
To examine coarse-grained testing, I use the example of a spaceship ticket booking application. Blue Star Galactic is a small spaceship company that transports people from one place to another place within our galaxy. Being a transportation company, it requires ticket booking software. The requirements for the software are straightforward: Since the spaceships are small, they can only transport five passengers at a time. Consequently, the booking engine should limit five ticket bookings for the same destination. And since only one person can travel with the same name from one place to another, the application should not allow the same passenger to book more than one ticket in the same name for the same source and destination.
All the tickets need to get stored somewhere. I chose MySQL database since it is open source and straightforward to setup. You can use any database you want with few minor changes in JDBC properties. After installing MySQL, I created a database called "spaceship". Then I created a table called "Ticket" to store the ticket bookings with columns as in Figure 1.
That's all the app requires from the database setup side. Scripts to create the database and table are also included in the project under db-scripts folder (available here.). While this app is simple, it scales to larger, more complex projects. Finally, I use the Eclipse IDE but without installing any additional plug-ins. Figure 2 depicts the key components of the application.


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American Airlines announced today that it has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, making it the final large U.S. full-fare airline to seek court protection from creditors. One of the primary reasons? American is at a disadvantage because of high labor costs, proving that in a competitive economy, unions can't do much for their members without sending companies into bankruptcy.
American had struggled after 9/11 to avoid heading to bankruptcy as its rivals did in the hopes of securing favorable contract agreements with labor unions. The unions though, had other ideas. Among their demands: Pilots wanted a 10 percent signing bonus followed by 7 percent raises in each of the next three years–massive raises in the midst of a miserable economy.
Meanwhile, Delta, United, and US Airways are all operating with huge concessions on wages, benefits and work rules for pilots, flight attendants, mechanics and ground workers won through bankruptcy proceedings, as The Wall Street Journal reports.
In the most recent negotiations, American offered job protection, signing bonuses, and pay raises to the tune of a 3.21 percent raise in the first year—taken as a lump sum, a structural rate increase, or a combination—followed by three annual boosts of 1 percent each. In turn, American asked for changes to pension benefits and increased productivity. But that wasn't enough. As Bloomberg reports, union negotiators sought not to help keep the company afloat but to win back earlier concessions:
American was embroiled in negotiations with unions for all of its major work groups as far back as 2006, seeking to boost employee productivity and erase part of what it said was an $800 million labor-cost disadvantage to other carriers.
The airline's pilots, flight attendants, mechanics and baggage handlers wanted to use the contract talks to regain some of the $1.6 billion in annual concessions they gave in 2003 to help the company avoid bankruptcy.
In the end, American's efforts didn't work. Last year, it was the only major U.S. airline to lose money—$471 million in net losses—whereas Delta had net earnings of $593 million and United earned $854 million, according to the Journal. Now, because American couldn't cut labor costs and remain competitive with other airlines, it has no choice but to enter bankruptcy protection. In short, labor leaders ultimately forced American's hand, and their behavior—and the resulting consequences—are entirely consistent with how unions work. Heritage's James Sherk explains:
Unions function as labor cartels. A labor cartel restricts the number of workers in a company or industry to drive up the remaining workers' wages, just as the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries attempts to cut the supply of oil to raise its price. Companies pass on those higher wages to consumers through higher prices, and often they also earn lower profits … [but a] cartel can charge higher prices only as long as it remains a monopoly. If consumers can buy elsewhere, a company must cut its prices or go out of business.… With competition, the union cartel breaks down, and unions cannot force consumers to pay higher prices or capture higher wages for their members.
In this case, American's unsustainable losses forced bankruptcy, which in turn could have a negative impact on creditors, employees, retirees, shareholders, and consumers. And though American may emerge stronger after bankruptcy, it will not be without a steep price paid by all parties involved.


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Last Sunday I got together with my stitching friends for one of our fun get-togethers, what I thought was a normal get-together ~ an awesome potluck lunch and afternoon spent showing and sharing all our crafting finishes and WIP's, lots of fun and laughs. But to my great surprise, this past Sunday's get-together was actually a Granny Shower....for me!
It seems like the 7 of them have been planning this for months, since shortly after I announced my 2 girls' pregnancies. They busily started scheming and planning to make handmade baby gifts for all of my new grandbabies, and then were as surprised as everyone else to find out that Carrie was having twins which meant....another baby gift! And they managed to do it (although Clare has given me an IOU LOL) and presented me with some absolutely spectacular baby gifts - all made, decorated and embellished by their incredibly gifted and nimble fingers!
I was incredibly surprised by the shower and the wonderful gifts made by these amazingly talented and warm-hearted friends.
Here are some pics~
Ann (of Knowledge & Needles)
Marsha and Clare (on the mantle of the fireplace, you can see Anita's newly finished and framed Mother's Bliss)
Nancy, Anita and Marg
Three beautiful sweaters for the babies knitted by Nancy.
Two wonderfully cozy hooded towels made by Marg.
A sweet, supersoft sweater knitted by Clare. Sweater #2 is on her needles and she showed us the gorgeous pink yarn for sweater #3!
Two knitted faceclothes by Marj, 3 sweet cross stitched bibs by Anita, 2 Baby is Sleeping cross stiched hangers by Marj and another lovely Baby Sleeping pillow by Ann. Ann took back her 3 baby bibs to wait until the births so she can stitch the babies' names on them.
Three sweet 'onesies' embellished with a zebra, lion and elephant, stitched by Marsha.
And me in the Granny Rocking Chair! I wish I was wearing my Granny Shawl that Marg knitted for me....in my favourite colour ~ purple!
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
My Granny Shower
Last Sunday I got together with my stitching friends for one of our fun get-togethers, what I thought was a normal get-together ~ an awesome potluck lunch and afternoon spent showing and sharing all our crafting finishes and WIP's, lots of fun and laughs. But to my great surprise, this past Sunday's get-together was actually a Granny Shower....for me!
9 comments:
- Lee said...
You have such kind and thoughtful friends! I have to tuck this idea away for the future...
- 6:48 pm
- Vonna said...
HOW AWESOME is that Wendy!
A Granny and one of twins to boot...busy, busy....well both new Mommy's will be busy, but one in particular with twins...I know from experience ;o)
- 11:40 pm
- Anonymous said...
What a fabulous surpsise, and such sweet, beautiful and thoughtful gifts. You are blessed to have such friends!! And did I do my sums right... 3(!) grandchildren in the making??? You'll have your work cut out for you... LOL!!
- 12:59 am
- Solstitches said...
Congratulations on your expanding family!
What a lovely thing your friends did for you.
All of their handmade gifts are really special.
- 2:11 am
- Lynn said...
This is the first Granny shower I've heard of and I think it's a wonderful idea! What inventive friends you have!
Love all of their special gifts.
- 8:23 am
- Hazel said...
What a great idea to have a Granny Shower. Showers are not something that is common in the UK although I have heard a few people starting to have them. Lovely idea and saves all the stress after the baby is born. x
- 5:32 pm
- Siobhan said...
That is so neat!! What a great idea to do a granny shower. I love all the wonderful gifts--I know three babies who are going to be fabulously spoiled. :)
- 6:05 am
- Anonymous said...
What a wonderful selection of gifts - sounds like you had a wonderful day with great generous friends :)
- 8:34 pm
- Dani - tkdchick said...
What an awesome thing for the girls to do for you! I bet you just can't wait for the first babies to put in an appearance!!
- 10:15 am


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My Yahoo! Movies column, first published here.
Having looked at heroes, heroines and character actors of new films in this column, we change track this week and look at the producer. This is an easy thing to do since the producer is as articulate, good-looking and glamourous as some of the stars in Bollywood. And we look at just that… the times Karan Johar was in front of the camera instead of being behind it.
Karan Johar's acting career started on television, in a series called Indradhanush. He used his chubby, goofy looks to great effect in a comic role among a bunch of teenagers. The TV series was a sci-fi story where a precocious youngster started out to build a computer and ended up with a time machine instead. Karan played a schoolboy who offered potato wafers when 'chips' were required for the computer and landed up in pre-independence India thanks to the time machine.
Karan Johar's big-screen debut was not only auspicious but explosive. His name is part of the acting credits of the longest-running film in Bollywood history. Unofficially, he was also an assistant to the director Aditya Chopra in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge though he got noticed as SRK's bumbling friend, Rocky. Wearing geek glasses and a mop of unruly hair, he did a fab job in that standard Bollywood role of 'hero's friend'. He did an even better job of convincing SRK to act in his directorial debut.
The 'Karan Johar film' has become the new touchstone of success in Bollywood and having been in one assures sure-shot stardom and regular presence in Page 3 parties.
Vivek Oberoi played a newspaper columnist-cum-screenwriter in Sujoy Ghosh's Home Delivery (Aapko… Ghar Tak), who was trying to write a script for a Karan Johar film – a Holy Grail that would take him to success and – maybe – happiness.
As Vivek Oberoi juggled his many priorities and whooshing deadlines, Karan kept popping up at regular intervals enquiring about the script (or not).
It went one step better in Salaam-e-Ishq.
Here Priyanka Chopra played 'item girl' Kamini who was looking to hit big-time with a role in a Karan Johar film. To do it, she did what starlets in Bollywood keep on doing… created a fictional affair. She claimed to be madly in love with a fictional character called Rahul, hoping the furore over her affair would cause the director to notice her. What she hadn't bargained for a real Rahul landing up at her doorstep and proposing to her at the exact moment when she received a call from Karan Johar.
You could say this entry is a bit of a cheating since K Jo never 'appeared' but was only heard on the phone.
As time went by, the star aspiring for a role in a Karan Johar film became bigger and bigger.
In Luck By Chance, Hrithik Roshan played Zafar Khan – the star who wanted to become a superstar with a K Jo film. To do the role, Zafar did a series of shady moves to wriggle out of a film he was committed to do – leaving a producer (Rishi Kapoor) in the lurch. Towards the end of the film, Karan Johar appeared as himself – as something like the voice of conscience – and told how his machinations had left the door open for a young competitor (Farhan Akhtar) to come in.
After being the aspirational director in so many films, Karan Johar appeared on-screen as his other popular avatar – the awards show host.
In Farah Khan's Om Shanti Om, he was the presenter at the Filmfare Awards ceremony and delivered a cool pun to kick off the proceedings: "Kehte hain heere ki kadar johri karta hai. Par hero ki kadar toh Johar hi karta hai." As the laughter died away, he announced the nominees for the Best Actor category and then introduced Subhash Ghai and Rishi Kapoor to give away the prize. Just like real life.
And just like real life, his favourite actor won the prize!
It looks like his biggest role is going to be Anurag Kashyap's Bombay Velvet. In this saga about how Bombay became Mumbai, Karan Johar is playing a Parsi tabloid editor said to be based on the flamboyant Rusi Karanjia of Blitz. The much-touted character supposedly has negative shades or is an out-and-out negative one, depending on which site you read about it. Having lost ten kilos and charged only eleven rupees for the role, Karan has completed one schedule of the film and fans are looking forward to the film's December 2014 release.


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"Sex Assault"
He was taken into custody Friday, partly because authorities at the school had contacted him in the past after he was reported to be acting suspiciously and touching female students, said Cmdr. Barry Aninag of the Irvine Police Department.
The assault occurred Thursday night, Aninag said.
The 18-year-old woman had met Alireza Hashemi that day on campus, but did not know him before, Aninag said.
The two were having a conversation, Aninag said, when Hashemi forced the woman into the back seat of his vehicle.
"She was able to escape from his control," Aninag said.
The woman ran away and reported the attack to police, he said.
The woman's description matched that of Hashemi, who had been stopped by authorities before when women on campus had been touched inappropriately, Aninag said.
No arrest was made in those incidents, he said.
Hashemi was being held at Men's Central Jail on suspicion of sexual assault.


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I do wonder if anyone knows anything about the long-term effects of the high level of Protein in EVO.
For what it's worth, my vet didn't want our two very old bitches (13 and 14yo) on EVO because of the high protein. She was concerned about the strain on their kidneys, I believe, from the protein--especially for the girl who is on daily rimadyl for arthritis.


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Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Two Days In . . .
Sunday was quite something, getting up at 4:45am to catch a 7am flight for Vancouver, then connecting flight to Victoria. Watched The Taking of Pelham 123 and Julie/Julia (which I'd already seen). Pelham 123 was actually quite a lot of fun, John Travolta was ridiculous.
Got into Victoria, got to the hotel, and slept for a few hours, before getting up to go for a walk around downtown. Not sure if you've ever been, but the place is beautiful, even in this rainy cold weather. Stopped into Munro's bookshop, signed some books and chatted with one of the employees there, Ellen. Was great, and the bookshop is GORGEOUS:
On the way to meet with my friends Doug and Lynn Scott, I passed Darth Vader playing the violin on the street. Just fyi.
Had dinner with Doug and Lynn (SUCH good food, omg) and another friend of theirs, and then was back to the hotel to SLEEP.
Monday was the start of the tour. 3 school groups and one evening talk:
Central Middle School
Sidney/North Saanich Branch Library
Cordova Bay Elementary
Victoria Children's Literature Roundtable
Let me tell you guys, the kids on Vancouver Island are AWESOME. Enthusiastic, kind of nutty (like me!) and very smart. It's been crazy fun, and today was no different.
Oh, and also I've been provided several lunches, and I think the residents of Vancouver Island must take a mandatory sandwich making class in school, because I've never had such good sandwiches. Odd to say, but the truth.
Went back to Cordova Bay Elementary today after going to Torquay elementary (both awesome again). And then I ferried over to Salt Spring Island which is absolutely gorgeous. Spoke at a school there, to a group of just 29 but with the enthusiasm of three times as many. Signed paper. Signed journals. Signed bags and shoes. Arms and faces. I'm so sorry parental units, they made me!
And now I am in Nanaimo, getting the evening off.
Couple of points. Really having a lovely time with the guy who organised the whole trip and who is also my lovely chauffeur - Lee. He is a former forest fire firefighter turned librarian, which I think is awesome and I think you may find someday a character in one of my books with a similar story . . . Poor guy's had to sit through the same presentation many many times over now, but he does it with a smile. Also it's been raining almost non-stop since I've been here. I don't really mind, but everyone here keeps apologising to me for it. I've tried to explain to them that I'm the variable, that if anything, I ought to be the one saying I'm sorry. But they refuse to hear it.
People on this island are just way too nice.
I've also been canvassing for votes for the Red Cedar award, for which "Alex and the Ironic Gentleman" has been nominated. The Red Cedar is voted on by kids in BC (so cool), and I've got some serious competition - Jean Little, Gordon Korman etc. So I need to take advantage of this situation. And I mean, come on! Those other authors have already won like tons of awards, so I think it's only fair that it's my turn! So kids of BC . . . we can do it! Yes we can!
[To be perfectly honest, I'm just having fun hanging out with the kids, I'm no politician, but it's fun to pretend . . . :) ]
And that's it for now! Here are some pics of Salt Spring Island for your enjoyment!
3 comments:
- Jacquie said...
Hi Adrienne. I'm a former Vancouver Islander (although, once an islander always an islander), so enjoyed reading about your visit. I was hoping to start with the audio version of your first book, but so far haven't been able to find it in Canada (audible.com has it, if anyone in the US is interested, but apparently they can't sell it to anyone in Canada). Do you know if/when it will be available here? (Ironically, I can order the newest book from Audible now.)
Best wishes!
- Adrienne said...
Hey Jacquie! Thanks for stopping by, and your interest in my books!
I'm not sure exactly what's up with the audio books, but I did just go to Amazon.ca, and it looks like the audio version of "Alex" is available through them. Let me know if this works for you, if not, I'll look into it further!
- Jacquie said...
Thanks, Adrienne. I guess I just checked the downloadable audio sites (must be some copyright issue that differentiates between downloadable audio and audio on CD...hmm..). Anyway, good to know it's available.
And good to hear your island tour went well!


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Scientific Expert in "Ho'i Hou" S4 E18
In this Fan-Built episode, Five-0 investigates when, during Chin's high school reunion, the daughter of a macadamia nut tycoon is murdered and the weapon is a stiletto heel, on HAWAII FIVE-0, Friday, April 4 (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Pictured: Alex O'Loughlin, left, Masi Oka, right. Photo: Norman Shapiro/CBS ©2014 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved