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Quick Links
Toshiko Takenaka
On April 23, 1996, the Supreme Court affirmed the Federal Circuit en banc decision of Markman v. Westview Instruments, Inc. (discussed in the 1995 Spring issue of this newsletter), and unanimously held that "the construction of terms of art within its claim, is exclusively within the province of the court." To examine the jury trial rights in patent infringement litigation, the Court asked "whether infringement cases either were tried at law at the time of the Founding or are at least analo gous to a cause of action that was." When this question was affirmatively answered, the Court examined "whether the particular trial issue (here a patent claim's construction) is necessarily a jury issue."
After finding no direct antecedent of modern claim construction in the historical sources, the Court examined existing precedent, the relative interpretive skills of judges and juries, and statutory policy considerations of claim interpretation, concludin g that the allocation of patent claim construction issue was to the court. The Court found that precedent indicates that patent construction should be determined by the court, because a judge is more likely to properly interpret claims than a jury. Finally, the Court found that the need for uniformity in the treatment of a given patent also supports the court's power to determine the meaning of patent claims.
This case has great significance, not only to patent practitioners but also to other legal professions, in interpreting the Seventh Amendment right to trial by jury. In the past, most jury trial right cases were solved through historical analysis. In Markman, after finding historical analysis unhelpful because of the lack of a direct antecedent to modern claim construction, the Court ruled that existing precedent, relative function of the jury and the judge, and policy considerations must be considered when any historical analysis fai ls to reveal the allocation of a particular issue between the jury and the court. In examining these sources, the Court relied on the expertise of Justice Curtis, a former patent practitioner.
Interestingly, Justice Souter's opinion for a unanimous Court, touched upon the issue of infringement under the doctrine of equivalents, which is now up to the Supreme Court for review (Hilton Davis Chemical Company Inc. v. Warner-Jenkinson Co., 62 F.3d 1512, USPQ2d 1641 (Fed.Cir. 1995)).
Justice Souter wrote that the claim defines the protection and functions to prevent not only the exact copies of an invention, but "products that go to 'the heart of the invention but avoid the literal language of the claim by making a noncritical change' [citation omitted]." By stating so, he indirectly affirmed the presence of the doctrine of equivalents in patent law.
In Bio-Technology General Corp. v. Genentech., 38 USPQ2d 1321 (Fed.Cir. 1996), the Federal Circuit interpreted the terms of 35 USC Section 271(g) for the first time since the provision was introduced by the Process Patents Amendments Acts (PPAA); s pecifically, the court interpreted "A product which is made by a process patented in the United States." The Federal Circuit affirmed the district court's grant of a preliminary injunction, and held that the defendant's human growth hormone (hGH) was a p roduct made by the plaintiff's patented process for making a plasmid, even through the plasmid resulting from the patented process and hGH were entirely different materials.
Bio-Technology General involved patents directed to a method for directly expressing a human growth hormone. Conventional processes using rDNA technology yielded not only hGH, but also a leader sequence which rendered the resulting product biologi cally inactive. Genentech developed a method which did not yield the leader sequence and expressed only hGH. Bio-Technology General (BTG), which manufactured hGH in Israel, sought a declaratory judgment that Genentech's patents were invalid, unenforceab le and not infringed by BTG's hGH (which BTG planned to import to the United States). Genentech counterclaimed for infringement, and moved for a preliminary injunction to prevent BTG's hGH importation. The district court found for Genentech, finding tha t the BTG's importation of its hGH would infringe Genentech's patents under 35 USC Section 271(g).
In appeal, with respect to Genentech's patent directed to a method for reproducing hGH, BTG argued that its process did not infringe Genentech's process because Genentech's patent should not have been read to include BTG's new patented process (which was not disclosed in the specification of the Genentech patent). The court rejected this argument, stating that the existence of one's own patent does not constitute a defense to infringement of someone else's patent.
BTG also argued that its product did not fall within the literal scope of the disputed claim, because the conversion of the 192 amino acid "met-hGH" into hGH before importation into the United States materially changed the product made by the patented pro cess and, thus, the exception in Section 271(g)(1) had to apply. The court rejected BTG's argument, citing Novo Nordisk of N. Am., Inc. v. Genentech, 77 F.3d 1364 (Fed.Cir. 1995), another case which decided infringement on the same hGH reproduction process claim.
To apply the "materially changed" exception, a real difference must exist between the product imported, offered for sale, sold or used in the United States, and the products produced by the patented process. Since the disputed claim was not limited to a met-hGH production, no such difference existed between BTG's hGH product and the expression product resulting from Genentech's patented process.
With respect to another Genentech patent directed to a method for producing a replicable cloning vehicle (e.g. a plasmid), BTG argued that it did not infringe Genentech's patents because BTG made the plasmid only once in Israel in 1983, before enactment o f Section 271(g). The Federal Circuit rejected this argument, stating that the statute only requires that importation occur during the term of the process patent and after the enactment of the PPAA.
In deciding whether BTG's hGH fell within the product made by the patented process directed to the production of plasmids, the court answered affirmatively, because the claimed process of making the plasmid constituted an essential part of the overall pro cess of making hGH (although the court admitted that the plasmid and hGH were entirely different materials). Moreover, the particular fact situation in this case was precisely anticipated in the legislative history of the Act. The legislature expressed an intent that infringement of a process for making a plasmid was not to be avoided by using the resulting plasmid as part of the overall process (such as a process for making hGH).
After reviewing all BTG's defense arguments, the court found no error in the district court's analysis and affirmed its grant of a preliminary injunction.
This case reflects a typical factual background involving basic inventions and their improvements. BTG's hGH production process using a new purification step was a selection invention of Genentech's process. Under Japanese and German patent law, BTG's pa tent would constitute a dependent patent on Genentech's patent, since BTG's process was patented but within the literal scope of Genentech's process. This would have enabled BTG to request a compulsory license, provided certain public interest requiremen ts were met (for a discussion on case law development on compulsory licensing in Europe, see Michael Kern's report in this issue.)
A more interesting point is the Federal Circuit's interpretation of "product made by patented process." Unlike the United States, which recently extended the exclusive rights of process patents to the resulting product, patent laws in most European and E ast Asian countries have long extended the exclusive right of process patents to their resulting products. Scholars and patent professionals have extensively debated whether the exclusive right extends to products which are materially changed by a subseq uent process, particularly with respect to the coverage of process patents for making chemical intermediates.
In Japan, the process patent's exclusive right extends to products which are materially changed by a subsequent step, because the statute does not limit the product to those directly made by the products. In Europe, the term "directly" is inserted in Com munity Patent Convention Article 25(c) to exclude the products materially changed by a subsequent step. Considering such long standing debates, Japanese and European scholars would have read the "materially changed" exception to exclude the situation in volved in this case. The legislative history record, however, completely removed such a possible interpretation in the United States.
Can failures of others give a suggestion or motivation to destroy nonobviousness of a later successful invention? The Federal Circuit answered affirmatively in Lamb-Weston Inc. v. McCain Foods, Inc. 78 F.3d 540 (Fed.Cir. 1995), upholding the dist rict court's finding of invalidity with respect to a patent for lattice-shaped french fries called "waffle fries." Although the "waffle fries" had long existed in prior art, the patentee was the first to successfully manufacture waffle fries by partiall y frying and freezing sliced potatoes. The claims included detailed dimensions of the shape and size of parfried slice potatoes.
The district court focused on a prior art analysis -- whether information available only to the inventor could constitute prior art which would make the patented invention obvious -- because the court found a suggestion to combine prior art references from potato slice machines that had been confidentially disclosed to the inventor. These ma chines, previously offered to the patentee, were rejected because the patentee found that the machines made too many unusable slices. Thus, the patentee decided to develop its own machine; subsequently, the patentee filed a patent application on its waff le fries, the slicing apparatus, and the process for making the fries. The disputed patent on the waffle fries was divided from the original application.
In appeal, unlike the district court, the Federal Circuit paid little attention to the machines. Instead, the Federal Circuit found that the potato fries made by using the confidentially disclosed machines gave a suggestion to combine the shape and thick ness of the potato products obtained from the new process, so as to fit into the conventional "parfrying" process (because potato products were outside of confidential agreement and publicly available). Since prior art suggested a motivation to make pota to products of various shapes using a parfry process, and the products made by the confidentially disclosed slice machines taught the appropriate size and shape of waffle fries for a known parfry process, the Federal Circuit found the suggestion to combin e a known parfry process and the shape and size made by the machines; the court then determined that it would have been obvious to one skilled in the art to conceive of the particular shape and size of patented potato products.
In establishing prima facie nonobviousness by combining plural references, explicit or implicit suggestion and motivation must be found in one of the references. In a number of past cases, the Federal Circuit struck down the Patent Office's reject ion of patent grants and district courts' findings of invalidity. According to Professor Chisum, the trend favoring patentees and applicants may be changing. More and more cases are coming down in which the Federal Circuit is upholding findings of obviousness. This case reflects the tre nd.
This case also reminds us of the time when the courts often used legal terms such as "mere combination of old elements" to strike down patentability for obviousness. These terms are now being replaced with "suggestion or motivation in prior art." Profes sor Chisum suggested that courts' change of legal terms sometimes reflects the change of attitude to patentees. Courts may also change the attitude while maintaining the same legal term. In any event, one should learn these terms to effectively communic ate with courts.
In applying a comparative law analysis, the same legal term to strike patentability for lack of inventive step can be seen in the "would vs. could" question. A European Patent Office examiner must establish that one skilled in the art would have combined the various elements in the prior art to reach the invention if he or she reject an application for lack of inventive step. It is not sufficient that one skilled in the art could have done so. Knowledge of some solutions to the problem in the prior art may give rise to the level of "could have," but without a suggestion or motivation to select the solution of the invention, one "would not have" been able to combine the closest prior art with another reference to reach the invention. It is the role of the comparative law specialist to explain the correspondence between different legal terms and differences between the same legal terms.
An interesting point for non-U.S. patent professionals in this case is the discussion of prior art. In the district court, the parties extensively disputed whether information was confidentially disclosed to the inventor. This is because United States p atent law has a complicated definition of prior art, discriminating between the inventors' knowledge and activities and the publicly available information. In other countries, the slice machines could not constitute the state of art regardless of the sou rce of information.
It is important to avoid hindsight in evaluating an invention resulting from the combination of old product and process because, if the product is as common and as long-lived as the potato product in this case, people assume that production by adopting a well known process would not involve any effort. However, as Judge Newman pointed out in her dissenting opinion, the difficulty was well-indicated by the failure of the confidential slice machines.
Although the Federal Circuit does not intend to remove the "suggestion or motivation" requirement, the meaning of the requirement may have slightly changed, and may reflect a trend unfavorable to patentees in which obviousness will be more readily found.
© Copyright 2015, All Rights Reserved University of Washington School of Law
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Abby Grace Drake
Teaching Professor of Biology
Department of Biology
Dana Science Center
Skidmore College
Saratoga Springs, New York 12866
(508) 981-2783
Courses Taught:
Biostatistics (BI 235)
Ecology (BI 241)
Evolution (BI 324)
Topics: Evolutionary Biology (BI 252)
Biological Sciences I (BI 105)
Senior Capstone in Biology (BI 377 & BI 378)
Research Methods in Biology (BI 385)
Quantitative Reasoning (MA 100)
Research Interests:
What evolutionary and developmental processes are involved in creating morphological variation? Is selection responsible for molding the diversity of life? Or does developmental bias via drive and constraint arbitrate organismal phenotypes? I am interested in the processes that produce macroevolution and dictate which phenotypes evolve and which do not. In particular, how do species evolve? What mechanisms produce enough morphological or behavioural change to ensure reproductive isolation on the population level? To this end, I study developmental processes that lead to large modifications of morphology such as heterochrony, morphological integration and modularity.
To investigate these questions I study shape variation in vertebrate skulls. I use three-dimensional data in the form of x, y, z coordinates from landmark points taken with a Microscribe Digitizer to capture each specimen's three-dimensional geometry. This type of data allows us to look at the shape of the skull holistically using a sophisticated shape analysis called geometric morphometrics.
While my early research focused on canids I now also work on cetaceans, dinosaurs, owls and primates. I'm open to suggestions of other research topics as well!
Recent Publications:
Drake, A. G. 2015. Move It or Lose It: Species Respond to a Warming World. EcoEd Digital Library, http://ecoed.esa.org/index.php?P=FullRecord&ID=560 (EcoEd is an online, peer-reviewed journal)
Drake, A. G., Coquerelle, M., & Colombeau, G. 2015. 3D morphometric analysis of fossil canid skulls contradicts the suggested domestication of dogs during the late Paleolithic. Scientific reports, 5. http://www.nature.com/srep/2015/150205/srep08299/full/srep08299.html **The supplemental information has 3D pdf figures. Download and open the figures with Adobe Reader 9 or higher you can rotate and magnify the skulls and the 3D scatterplots.
Drake, A.G. 2011. Dispelling Dog Dogma: an investigation of heterochrony in dogs using 3D geometric morphometric analysis of skull shape. Evolution & Development 13(2): 204-213.dogheterochrony **If you download and open this pdf with Adobe Reader 9 or higher you can rotate and magnify the skulls in the figures.
Kilshaw, K., Drake, A.G., Macdonald, D.W. and Kitchener, A.C. 2010. The Scottish wildcat: a comparison of genetic and pelage characteristics. Scottish Natural Heritage Commissioned Report No.356. http://www.snh.org.uk/pdfs/publications/commissioned_reports/356.pdf
Drake, A. G. & C. P. Klingenberg. 2010. Large-scale diversification of skull shape in domestic dogs: Disparity and modularity. American Naturalist 175: 289301. http://flywings.org.uk/PDF%20files/AmNat2010.pdf
Drake, A. G. & C. P. Klingenberg. 2008. The pace of morphological change: Historical transformation of skull shape in St Bernard dogs. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, Biological Sciences 275: 7176 http://flywings.org.uk/PDF%20files/ProcRSoc2008.pdf

subset: commoncrawl


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See All Contributors »
By looking at our numbers, here's what I've gathered. You all tell me if I'm right, wrong, etc. This is your site and I don't want to waste my time by producing content that you don't want.
1) You like quick hitting, often times opinionated, blogs.
2) A notebooks, camp report, more quick hitting blog is better than a long feature.
3) Podcasts are being listened to two to three times more than they used to be. Keep doing those?
4) In general, you like written content more than videos.
Anything anybody else would like to add? Those points are what our numbers indicate. Thanks!
Twitter: @ChrisMWilliams
Facebook: Cyclone Fanatic
"There are five real good recruits in the state. We got three of them. One couldnt get into school, and the other went to (the University of) Iowa...which is about the same thing." - Coach Johnny Orr
Videos are nice when I've got time to sit down, but right now they often are the same content that Cyclones.TV has, just from a different camera angle. Blogs and long form written stuff is where CF brings unique info and viewpoints. Plus I can read a blog on my phone, or while I'm sitting in a meeting at work. Videos require me to devote more attention and be somewhere where I can put on headphones.
And I'd keep up the podcasts. They are nice to have on in the background while driving.
Originally Posted by Judoka
Videos are nice when I've got time to sit down, but right now they often are the same content that Cyclones.TV has, just from a different camera angle. Blogs and long form written stuff is where CF brings unique info and viewpoints. Plus I can read a blog on my phone, or while I'm sitting in a meeting at work. Videos require me to devote more attention and be somewhere where I can put on headphones.
Kind of my theory too. Plus, videos take forever to upload, edit, etc. I had a video intern bail on me at the last minute this year so I'm still kind of working on getting that back into the mix. Thanks for the input.
Yeah, I read rather than watch videos, as 75% of my time on site is via phone. I do watch the videos from my computer
The opinions and humor of the writers for the site are great, keep it coming. I prefer longer features but the main reason I come to this website is for news about ISU athletics so the camp reports/tidbits are good IMO as well.
Don't listen to podcasts or watch videos, but I don't really do that for any site I use, not because of anything you're doing/not doing with them.
I prefer the articles, rarely click on a video link unless it's something I really want to see. Podcasts are nice, I listen occasionally to them if I have free time. Most of my surfing is done on couch next to wife when she is watching her stupid shows. Anything that has audio attached to it rocks the boat to much.
That rug really tied the room together, did it not dude?
Follow me unplugged on twitter @fatkid1974
I definitely prefer written content to video altho how wordy it is makes little difference to me. If it is long and interesting I will keep reading and if it is long and not interesting, I won't.
I also prefer the written stuff because I am usually reading it at work or on my phone sitting on the couch. Length or wordiness doesn't matter to me because I read everything that CF puts on this site.
I have never watched the videos. The rest of the content I definitely pay attention to, but sitting down to watch a video just doesn't fit with how I consume the site.
Your analysis is pretty spot on IMO. I like the videos and features, problem is both are tough to read/watch while at work(where 90% of time on CF is spent). Podcasts and things like the Jottings or Musings stories are perfect for work.
"But lets see if the Cyclones can give everyone a nice big ****burger to eat. Opportunity awaits." -Brent Blum
"I am the one who knocks" -Walter White
I've been to sites that have video, with a link to the written content. I rarely watch videos and like the option to read.
I mostly idle on the site during the day at work, and check things out in between carrying out work tasks. I greatly prefer written articles over audio/video media.
Also, you left out the most important thing: COUPONS.
Originally Posted by CMC
last year proves anyone can play in the Big Ten West and win games. But if you want to play real football we are the midwest option in the Big 12.
Originally Posted by ChrisMWilliams
--- The new forums will have a version of CyBookie!
I love it all, but the short articles and podcasts are best. Short articles are good for a quick break at work and I usually listen to music which I would much rather replace with a podcast once or twice through.
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Carrie Underwood to attend People's Choice Awards
Carrie Underwood (Associated Press photo)
Oklahoma native Carrie Underwood is among the stars expected to attend the Jan. 6 People's Choice Awards. The awards show will be broadcast live from the Nokia Theater L.A. Live in Los Angeles from 8 to 10 p.m. Jan. 6 on CBS.
A star-studded selection of talent from film, TV and music including Sandra Bullock, Colbie Caillat, Mariah Carey, Steve Carell, Jackie Chan, Chevy Chase, Kaley Cuoco, Ellen DeGeneres, Jenna Elfman, Johnny Galecki, Ginnifer Goodwin, Tim Gunn, Taraji P. Henson, Josh Holloway, LL COOL J, Hugh Jackman, Ashton Kutcher, Hugh Laurie, Taylor Lautner, George Lopez, Kellan Lutz, Kathryn Morris, Jim Parsons, Paula Patton, Ryan Reynolds, Nicole Scherzinger, Keith Urban, Sofia Vergara and Kate Walsh also are scheduled to attend the show, according to a news release.
The awards show will kick-off with an all-star musical number with host Queen Latifah and surprise guests and later will feature a dynamic performance by Mary J. Blige.
The People's Choice Award winners are determined by the fans, and the 2010 show already has logged in a record-breaking 60 million votes. The categories of Favorite New TV Comedy and Drama will remain open at www.peopleschoice.com until Jan. 6. For Favorite New TV Comedy, fans can vote for "Accidentally On Purpose," "The Cleveland Show," "Cougartown," "Glee" and "Modern Family." For Favorite New TV Drama, the nominees are "Flash Forward," "The Good Wife," "NCIS: LOS ANGELES," "V" and "The Vampire Diaries."


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White paper
IBM FastBack provides extensive data protection for small business servers. The Tivoli field guide
describes how the software is configured when used in conjunction with the Imation RDX A8 storage
enclosure. The A8 provides functionality that allows the removal of disk drives and therefore the ability
to take offsite copies of periodic backups. This field guide will demonstrate how this media can be used
and controlled by system administrators.
Original publication date


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- Color
- #101 Flirty Rosy
101 - Flirty Rosy
The first volume & firmness lipstick enriched with the BY TERRY exclusive and anti-aging Lumilip® Technology to rejuvenate and embellish every smile with silky colors. An extra-comfort and push-up lip elixir, wrapped in its satin bag for a beauty touch-up at any time.
A Lumilip Technology®, exclusive to BY TERRY:
© By Terry
|Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Ozokerite, Dimethicone, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Squalane, Castor Isostearate Beeswax Succinate, Jojoba Esters, Phenyl Trimethicone, Polybutene, Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Diisostearyl Malate, Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate, VP/Eicosene Copolymer, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Stearalkonium Hectorite, Propylene Carbonate, Cetearyl Ethylhexanoate, Sorbitan Isostearate, Portulaca Pilosa Extract, Aqua/Water, Sucrose Cocoate, Alcohol, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38, Tocopheryl Acetate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter/ Shea Butter, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Silica Dimethyl Silylate, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Trihydroxypalmitamidohydroxypropyl Myristyl Ether, Silica, Talc, Parfum/Fragrance, Citronellol, Linalool, Geraniol, Hexylene Glycol, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Benzophenone-3, Tocopherol, May Contain (+/-):, [CI 77891/Titanium Dioxide, CI 19140/Yellow 5 Lake, CI 77019/Mica, CI 77492/Iron Oxides, CI 15850/Red 7 Lake, CI 15850/Red 6, CI 77491/Iron Oxides, CI 42090/Blue 1 Lake, CI 73360/Red 30 Lake, CI 45380/Red 22 Lake, CI 45410/Red 27 Lake, CI 77861/Tin Oxide], [T0322/A]
Apply directly with a lip brush (Lip Definer Brush Precision 3).
For perfectly drawn lips, outline their contours with Crayon Onctueux.
For a glossy, high care result, apply Baume De Rose to the center of the lips and blend with Precision Brush 3.
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He made caricatures for several publications in the Belgian press. He was the honourable guest at festivals in Saint Just Le Martel, Dubai, Orlando, Porto, Tokyo, Las Vegas
His most important publications are four caricature books: Bekketrekkers uit Belgenland (1989), Het Laatste Testament der Belgen (1993), De Kunst van de Karikatuur (1996 - published in Dutch and French and translated into Korean and Chinese), Famous Corpses (2006).
You can visit this exhibition in the European Cartoon Center Kruishoutem-Belgium, every sunday from the 21th of March till the 15th of June, from 10 till 12AM and from 2 till 5PM.
Caricatures of Jan Op De Beeck
From the 21th of March till the 15th of June the European Cartoon Center presents the exhibition Geperste Koppen. The famous caricaturist Jan Op De Beeck shows more than hundred caricatures of national and international known personalities, artists, politicians, sportsmen ...
Op De Beeck was born in Congo in 1958 and moved into Belgium in 1960. He obtained a mastership in 1979 at Sint-Thomas in Brussels and graduated in model drawing at the Royal Academy in Mechelen. He started teaching arts in 1979 at the Coloma Institute in Mechelen.
He won several awards in Belgium, France, Poland, Portugal and Iran and was elected in 2003 as 'World's Best Caricaturist' by the Professional cartoonists in Iran. At the National Caricaturist Network Convention in Orlando in 2006 he won two first prizes: "Portfolio of the year" and "Master of the year"... In 2007 he won the first prize at the NCN convention: "Portfolio of the year".


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Wishhood – A social network about Wishes
Wishes, things that we dream of and we hold on to. It could be hope, could be joy or sadness. There are many kind of wishes and those who are close to use they sometime cheer our wishes. Wishhood.com is a website to maintain all of your wishes. Well it's not only that but Wishhood.com has taken it to the next level, now you can have your wishlist and you can share your wishes around the world. It's a simple and quite easy to use website.
soZiety social networking of language
soZiety is a place to meet some new people, learn a new language and in between the process earn some money out of it. It's a new concept and idea of introduce and learn new language. It requires SkyPe to be installed on the system. Skype is a voip software enables you to make free PC to PC phone calls for free with a great voice quality and streaming. you can build your own network of online friends, rate them, talk to them live with Skype and you can search by the language you want to learn. 1 click call possible to do within the search result. People can send you money if they were happy to learned something from you. In short you can say its the language-learning social network based on Skype.
HerFabLife – Trendy womens social networking
HerFabLife is a lifestyle destination site that targets hip and trendy women from 18 to 34 years old and covers fashion, style, new restaurants, bars, spas, salons, events in and around where they live. It's concept comes with a social networking style so it's easy to communicate with members and exchange ideas, places, get to know new beauty shops or spas etc.
Plan2Spend – keep a track of spending and incomes
Plan2Spend is an interesting site which helps you to keep track of your income, expenses, bills and budgets in one place. Very simple and self explained interface so it's easy to keep a detailed online account of your own and keep an eye on it so you will know whats happening when and how much you spend for what purpose. Signup is free and fast. Get it today and Keep list of your expenses and be in charge of your balance. Plan wise your future expenses along with your daily needs.
ProfessionalOntheweb – professionals online porfolio site
ProfessionalOntheweb is a site for the professionals and freelancers to put up their profiles and websites, its possible to include the project details. Each profiles are powered by popular tags which makes it easier to browse.


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All branches will be closed Monday, May 30 in observance of Memorial Day.
CyFair College Library will close at 4:30 PM on Friday, May 27 and will be closed through Monday, May 30.
All branches will reopen on Tuesday, May 31 for regular business.
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Aug. 26, 2005
NEW ORLEANS, La. -
After taking a 1-0 lead just after halftime, three goals from Alabama's Libby Probst proved to be too much to overcome for the Tulane women's soccer team as the Wave dropped its season opener, 4-1, in the opening round of the Tulane Tournament on Friday night.
The Green Wave looked strong during the first half, and headed to the locker room in a scoreless tie with the Crimson Tide.
Tulane took a 1-0 advantage nine minutes into the second period, senior Jessica Mendez flicked the ball to Jessica Traver. Traver then promptly spotted Kali Miller open at the front of the net for Tulane's first goal of the game and of the season.
"The goal was really a team effort getting on attack with Jessica Mendez's passing and Kali finishing," Tulane head coach Betsy Anderson said. "That gave us the momentum, and that's when we needed to come right back at them."
It did not take long, however, for Alabama to respond with a goal of its own. Kylie Boyd's goal at the 59 minute mark sparked a Crimson Tide offense that would tally three more goals on the evening, all by Libby Probst. Probst's first goal came from 20 yards out at the 72 minute mark, and was followed by another goal five minutes later. Probst ended her evening with a hat trick, scoring her third goal with seven and half minutes remaining.
Tulane held a slight edge with eight shots to the Tide's seven for the game, but each of Alabama's four shots in the second half found the back of the net.
"This was like the tale of two halves, we dominated play in the first half," Anderson said. "At halftime I talked to the team about momentum, and that's what this game was all about. We had the momentum at the start of the second half, and when they scored we lost the momentum. After that we had a few more breakdowns.
"They have some good individual players and if you give a team like that an opportunity, they will put the ball in the back of the net. It's disappointing to lose to a team that we played well against. The score is definitely not indicative of the way we played."
In the tournament's first game, the North Dakota State Bison shutout Troy, 2-0.
Tulane returns to the field on Sunday at 2:30 p.m., taking on Troy in the Tulane Tournament at the Westfeldt Facility. Following the game the team will participate in the annual Fan Day, a free event for fans to meet the Green Wave student-athletes.


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All of Dublin's League games may be played at Croker next season
Dublin may be forced to play all their National League games next season in Croke Park due to capacity issues at Parnell Park.
As the weather gets cold it is hard to remember the (limited) warmth of the Irish summer, so watching some inter-county football seems a long way away. But with the pre-season tournaments set to start in early January, it won't be long before we have some actual games to talk about.
But the big opener to the year will be the meeting of Dublin and Cork on Saturday, February 2. As it stands, there is no agreement on where this game will be played, though in previous years the GAA has always taken the chance to launch the season with some glitz and glamour at Croke Park.
However, Dublin may be forced to play all their League engagements at Croker due to work going on at regular home, Parnell Park. A recent report by the Central Competition Controls Committee reduced the capacity at the northside venue to just 7,300, one of the smallest in the country. And while todays Indo carries quotes from Dublin chairman Andy Kettle saying they may be able to get it up to 8,000 by the time the season starts, that will surely not be enough for the size of the Dublin support.
With Mayo, Tyrone and Down also on the home agenda for Dublin next year, all would be appealing, especially if an attractive hurling game, or Kildare –another county with home ground capacity issues – could be added to the ticket for the day.
The Spring Series as we know it may not happen, but some very tasty double-headers at HQ might.


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Over the years, estate planning attorneys have drafted documents for same sex couples (legally married, civil union, or domestic partnership) without knowledge of whether the couple's relationship would ever receive federal recognition. Only couples living in a state which recognizes these relationships will benefit from these rights. In contrast, the federal "Defense of Marriage Act"… Read more →
Articles By: Marc Soss
Proper Use of a Qualified Disability Trusts Can Provide Income Tax Savings Opportunities
The use of a "Special Needs Trust" ("Trust") has become an important component in planning for a special needs individual and enabling them gain eligibility for government benefits (Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), or public housing). Proper utilization of the Trust can remove funds from being considered an available resource of the beneficiary while enabling… Read more →
How A Personal Represenative Must Deal With Federal Tax Issues
It can be either a blessing or a curse to be appointed as the Personal Representative of an estate or Trustee of a trust (collectively a "Fiduciary"). One of the most over looked aspects of the job is the fact that the U.S. Government has a "general tax lien" on all estate and trust property… Read more →
The Importance of Discussing Your Estate Plan
Many individuals resist planning (creating a Will or Trust) for the eventual disposal of their financial assets (home, stocks, bonds, etc.) upon their death. Individuals that fail to plan will have their assets administered pursuant to state statutes and under court supervision. Those individuals that do not desire to have others making personal decisions for… Read more →


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New York's teacher reserve pays educators not to work
In New York City public schools, more than 1,000 teachers who have lost their teaching positions still receive their salaries. According to a new agreement between the teachers union and the NYC department of education, they are even getting a raise and retroactive pay.
By a 3-to-1 margin, public school teachers approved a contract raising salaries for the most experienced teachers from the current $100,049 to $119,471 in 2018. Other teachers will receive similar increases—with salaries starting at $56,709—and that includes those in what is called the Absent Teacher Reserve (ATR), a program where New York teachers who find themselves without a job can still be paid.
Several years ago, New York schools received much attention regarding their "rubber room" policy. Reassignment centers, otherwise known as "rubber rooms," were places where the city sent teachers accused of incompetence or misconduct. Even though these teachers were not teaching, they received their salaries while their cases were reviewed. Administrators abolished rubber rooms in 2010, but "the ATR is a little bit like the holdover of the rubber room," said Daniel DiSalvo, Manhattan Institute senior fellow.
Teachers charged with incompetence now complete administrative work while their case is heard, but those who lose their classroom positions because of budget cuts or a smaller student body can enter the ATR and still receive their salaries while going to a different school in the district each week. They substitute when possible, but if no subs are needed, the reserve teachers don't work. DiSalvo said it's highly unlikely all will be needed as subs, so they are essentially being "paid their salary not to work." The estimated cost of the reserve teachers is "as high as $144 million a year," he said.
Some reserve teachers have applied for new positions and principals have chosen not to hire them. Others are not actively seeking full-time positions. The new contract seems to try to get teachers out of the reserve, but DiSalvo called the new measures "mostly a cosmetic change," and said it's not clear whether reserve teachers will have indefinite job rights.
The contract says if two different principals discharge a reserve teacher for "problematic behavior," the teacher will be disciplined "up to and including discharge." But what constitutes "problematic behavior" is extremely vague. The contract defines it as "behavior that is inconsistent with the expectations established for professionals working in schools." The contract's vague language, according to DiSalvo, "is the kind of thing that could be litigated with grievances."


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Religion letters to the editor - 4/1/04
Our readers write:
Acknowledge God's love
I love this forum. Much more than a mere spiritual soapbox, there is often real saving truth contained within. The kind of heart-quickening truth that has led some North County Times readers to a saving relationship with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. There has never been a more noble or productive use of the fourth estate.
That being said, I would add this truth. No one goes to hell for their sins, or to heaven for their goodness. Nothing we can do by our own nature, good or bad, can add to or subtract from what Jesus Christ has already done for us.
From the womb of Calvary, and the birth pains of the Crucifixion, were born God's greatest and most enduring expression of love for all mankind, our salvation.
But like any gift, however precious it is, it's of no value to you if you do not acknowledge and accept it. The gift of salvation is acknowledged by admission of, sorrow for and turning from your sin. It is accepted by placing all of your faith and trust in the provider of the gift, Jesus Christ.
Are you going to heaven? Find out for sure by e-mailing me at email@example.com for a free video and Bible.
Scripps Ranch
Debating the evolution issue
For the past dozen months Dr. Carey Carpenter has railed against creationism when creation has not been the subject. He is intuitively correct that the only other alternative is creation, but that is in his mind and his problem and not the subject.
It is not anti-evolutionists' obligation to defend creation, but it is their obligation to defend evolution if they want us to believe that it is scientific. My position is that it is not a fact of science but a dogma arising from atheism. Evolution is just materialism clothed as science and as a philosophical construct has no basis in fact.
Defending evolution as fact from atheistic materialism is an invalid argument.
Offering a bacterium that degrades PCP for a carbon source means nothing evolutionary, just as antibiotics do not evolve different bacteria by increasing their resistance, or that information transfer makes a different bacterium. There is no evolution to a higher form, but evolutionary verbiage for the unwary.
Calling us deceitful, ignorant, liars, unprincipled, arrogant, psychosclerotic creationists is hardly argument from logic.
One flesh under God
The recent wave of same-sex marriages causes one to fear and wonder where we as a free and moral country are headed. Those who are advocating same-sex marriage contend that it's about their rights. However, matrimony is not about one's rights. It is about an institution, an institution that was created by God in Genesis 2:24: "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh." How does a married couple become one flesh? They become one flesh through the procreation of children, who in turn ensure that humankind continues to populate and inhabit the Earth.
If same-sex proponents have a beef about their rights, it is with God. The laws that currently exist regarding marriage (including incest, adultery, etc.) were enacted by God to protect and safeguard society. Therefore, I am compelled to ask if someone decides to disregard those laws, where do you draw the line?
Marriage is about a boy being taught by his father how to be a man. It is about a girl being taught by her mother how to be a woman. I therefore submit to you that this cannot happen in a home where there are two people of the same gender.


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Crazy Comparison! Sony NEX-3 vs Olympus E-P2 vs Leica X1 (JPEGS) Pt.1
It's Saturday and I was a bit bored this morning so I wandered out back in my Pajamas for some fun camera comparisons. It's been a while since I have done one of these and since I had all three cameras on hand I decided to give this a whirl. This will be Part one of this comparison with low ISO and in daylight with the Sony NEX-3 w/16mm, Olympus E-P2 1/17mm and the Leica X1 w its built in 24mm. I set each camera to its base ISO. For the NEX-3 that was ISO 200, for the Olympus E-P2 it was 200 and for the Leica X1 it was 100. I then set each lens to f/2.8 and tried to set the color to the same on each.
These are just for fun, nothing crazy scientific but I wanted to see how each camera would do with plain JPEG output. NO sharpening has been applied here. These are out of camera JPEGS, none are from RAW. NO Processing!
There is not really much RAW support for the Sony yet and only the Sony software and Silkypix will convert them at this time, and I have neither.
So here is ROUND 1: Daylight, low ISO
FIRST UP – SONY NEX-3 – f/2.8 – 16mm Lens = 24mm – ISO 200 (base ISO) – OOC JPEG
NEXT – OLYMPUS E-P2 – f/2.8 – 17mm lens = 36mm – ISO 200 (base ISO) – OOC JPEG
FINALLY…THE LEICA X1 – f/2.8 – 24mm lens = 36mm – ISO 100 (base ISO) – OOC JPEG
What I see here is the Sony appears different mainly due to the wider lens. I only had the 16mm available so the FOV is different than the other two. These are OOC JPEGS, at each cameras base ISO. I also see some speckled noise in the Sony full size shot, a little in the Oly shot and the X1 is the smoothest.
One more example with the same camera settings. This time I will provide a 100% crop of each…
and the crops
All three look good with the Sony lens giving the most distortion. IQ wise, at low ISO and in daylight, any of these cameras can provide great image quality. But what about in low light? I will be posting PART 2 of this test with low light/high ISO samples tomorrow, so be sure to check back! UPDATE, PART 2 IS NOW UP HERE.
BTW, Olympus just released the E-P2 in SILVER, and it shows in stock at B&H :)
58 Responses to "Crazy Comparison! Sony NEX-3 vs Olympus E-P2 vs Leica X1 (JPEGS) Pt.1"
[…] отличий в картинке не нашел. Обсудим? =) http://www.stevehuffphoto.com/2010/07/03/crazy-comparison-sony-nex-3-vs-olympus-e-p2-vs-leica-x1-jpegs/ […]
Olympus seems a better choice because it has a better image quality and m4/3 is an open format so you can expect a lot more lens available, plus there are already Panasonic and Olympus making bodies. But besides all that, it seems to me Olympus images looks the best here. Just my 2 cents.
I guess these cameras are aimed at those who currently use point and shot and want to upgrade, but are scared of SLR systems for some reasons. I've been there a while back, thinking at some camera to upgrade my P&S but there were no options back then so I picked an E-420 and I totally LOVE MIRRORS now :). So a DSLR is still better for reliability, especially as it takes less battery and you got more options, plus an E-420 or any SLR in that range is not that big anyway, so I quess that's the market of these mirrorless systems; those who want an upgrade but are scared of SLR's.
Each camera's price justifies it's quality. Nevertheless, all cameras will perform excellent on broad daylight. I prefer to be using my time to shoot rather than cropping each of my images to see how of a quality freak i am.
Curious Steve- the electronic viewfinder is an additional accessory for the Olympus and you use it in the comparison to evaluate the enjoyment factor. The Leica can be fitted with a Leica or Voigtländer optical viewfinder, equally extra to the electronic one with the Olympus, but you leave that out of the comparison. Both would have that viewfinder advantage over the Sony, and one would be an optical experience (which I believe you prefer based on your rangefinder praise) vs. the live view in the Olympus's electronic one.
I agree with above. If anyone has worked in a dark room, then you know a print is never a direct representation of a negative. You have to massage it with dodging and burning, determine the amount and type of contrast, and maybe even tone the print.
Same thing is true in digital form as film… But, direct results or straight out of the camera results do reflect the amount of work that is required in post processing. If a file is closer to your preferences directly out of the camera, then perhaps you have to work less with the file.
So maybe comments should be like this… I prefer this file more because I will have to work less on it in the future!
I enjoy your reviews, but one thing bothers me. You, and many others, seem to take pride in not having touched the images produced by the cameras. It seems to me that only those least interested in photography would be served by that. The fallacy of that position is that every manufacturer provides processing that is different for each camera. Straight out the camera is not an even benchmark. It makes no sense to comment on the color balance, contrast or crispness of images from a camera when one manufacturer, for example, sharpens its images so that there are haloes around every high contrast object and while another maker does not. I would rather see the best image that you could get out of each camera with your best post processing skills, which is what someone with the camera who was interested in the best image would do. That would actually provide helpful information. Not meant as a criticism, just as something to think about.
[…] y sus sistemas Cuatro Tercios y Micro Cuatro Tercios no es ninguna excepción. No te pierdas la comparativa […]
[…] auch dabei. Für Interessenten die noch unschlüssig sind ist das sehr lesenswert. Hier geht es zu Teil 1 und hier zu Teil 2 des […]
[…] première comparaison est à retrouver ici et la seconde ici […]
[…] Huff: Steve Huff just published the first part of the Sony NEX-3 vs Olympus E-P2 vs Leica […]
looking at those three images seperate from anything else id pick the oly combo, but i think the oly is ugly but thats a personal thing. The leica though is beautiful.
Interesting comparison. But please note that the X1 lens is a 36mm equivalent lens.
This is exactly why I asked Steve to look into the impact of different factors affecting the quality of the final image: lens, sensor (size), in-camera processing, etc.
Maybe he misunderstood.
The NEX really needs some decent lens as both the kit lens, pancake and zoom is pretty crappy. Will we see some premium Zeiss lens in the future?
I got the 16/2.8. I actually like it. Nothing crappy as far as I see it.
Maybe crappy is too strong a word, but compared to the other lens available for other similar cameras, it does not do so well.
There will definitely be some Zeiss lenses in the future. They have already announced there would be lenses for the NEX system but we just don't know what they'll be and when they'll be released.
[…] Journée comparaison folle: NEX Sony-3 vs Olympus E-P2 Leica X1 vs (JPEG), Pt. 1 […]
In terms of enjoyment, would you consider using an optical viewfinder on the X1? If so, would you get the Leica 36mm Brightline for the camera or the Voigtländer 35mm Brightline rounded metal viewfinder (in silver or black)?
It's a hotly contested issue since the Voigtländer is half the price, metal instead of plastic, and some say better optical quality. But it doesn't stick out as far from the back of the camera and isn't the exact same focal length equivalent. Thanks.
You can't blame Steve for posting boring comparisons… The X1 image does look a bit pinkish though…
Dear Steve thank you for posting this.
But: there's definitely something wrong with the colorcast of the OOF ground parts. Take a good look at the colors in those parts. The leica is really pinkish the oly is somewhat pink and the sony is gray. What was the tru color of it? Be honest please.
Also the exact focal points are NOT the same in the 3 pics. The entire zone of OOF is completely different for all three shots. Making this comparison a bit of a goose hunt. The framing and focus of the shots does nothing to reveal the tru IQ of the 3 cams. With this shots you can not compare the IQ of the cam or lenses connected. If its just for fun it's oke, I think.
If its only for crazy comparison points you win! However, many posters seem to take it serious.Am I missing something?
seriously though:
the leica looks great,
the sony pic doesn't look natural to me,
on the basis of the other two shots, I prefer the rendering of the Olly over the Leica – but maybe that's down to the difference in focal length,
but as the title says, it is a crazy comparison – and not to be taken seriously (?)
If you are looking for a camera to mount a bootload of legacy lenses on, the winner is clear: SONY NEX. (Mounts virtually everything and has less crop factor than Micro Four Thirds).
This is the main reason to get a mirrorless camera anyway. For everything else, any cheap DSLR is just fine.
Is anyone going to talk about the fact that the NEX 16mm lens is a 24mm equivalent? I realise that as it's the only prime available thus far for the system these tests are reasonable, but surely it must be qualified when critiquing 'distortion' that this lens sits at the beginning of 'super-wide' territory, where barrel distortion becomes a feature rather than a fault. From a small comparison suggestion I have read on another forum (looking at technical performance figures rather than real world use unfortunately) it seems that the NEX lens performs pretty well against even leica lenses of this feld of view. More testing please!
Nice camparison Steve!
I still can't get over how good the X1 looks. I know it is "too expensive" but Leica can make such beautiful cameras that I am still considering buying one. (Yes, build and looks count too.) Too bad I just got married and bought a house so money is a bit tight.
The worst part is that I now have a choice of saving up for an X1 or maybe an M6 classic. Never thought I would even consider shooting film, but learning about film M cameras on this site has opened my eyes to a different way of shooting that I am dying to try out. :)
Nice comparison. For high ISO, turn off DRO on Sony for high ISO. That introduces more shadow noise.
What a great job and great comparison.
This is a fun and typical 'Steve comparison'. Great stuff. Tnx!
These few images already show the different DOF from the lens/sensor combo's too.
I'm looking forward to the high(er) ISO comparison. I have a hunch which way that'll be heading. Will there be a RAW comparison at some point too? With a JPEG comparison you're looking almost as much at the JPEG processing engine as you are looking at the lens/sensor. The Oly is known for its great OOC JPEG output while this is not the strongest point of the X1. However, the cards turn significantly in RAW. I'll be interesting to see how the Sony does too.
The exif on the Sony images shows f/3.2 not 2.8 as stated.
only one your missing is the Samsung and Panasonic. Now there would be a crazy comparison.
[…] Huff: Sony NEX-3 vs Olympus E-P2 vs Leica X1 July 3, 2010 reviews Write a comment Steve Huff just published the first part of the Sony NEX-3 vs Olympus E-P2 vs Leica […]
It appears a hanging jury has returned it's verdict on the Nex 3…
You have to wonder what the thinking behind its design was. A p&s with a big sensor? What consumer target group is that?
That's a great question. I really don't see a PS crowd wanting to buy something like a Nex. Or even m4/3. IMO, mirrorless cameras are better targeted towards the SLR and enthusiasts who want something smaller to compliment their "bigger" gear. I think most PS users like the flexibility of a zoom lens in a small package. Stick a zoom less (even a collapsible one like the Oly 14-42) on a mirrorless camera, and it's almost as big as any Rebel. Just my 2 cents.
Actually in an interview with the head of Sony's alpha division, he said that the camera is marketed towards point and shoot users who want to step up to a camera like this. I think we'll see a more advanced camera (nex 7 perhaps?) for photo enthusiasts sometime around when photokina arrives.
You don't need a "more advanced" model, you need a better model. Would there be a market for a "big" sensored mirrorless small camera, interchangeable lenses of high quality, no frills, simple menu, don't need all the childish options?
That would be the X1 with interchangeable lenses and an optical viewer…
Well all opinions aside, it is selling very well in the market so I guess there is a market for this type of camera and I'm sure there would be people that this camera is perfectly suited for and I'm sure a "better model" will come out to suit other people's (photographer enthusiasts) needs too.
Armanius said:
"Stick a zoom less (even a collapsible one like the Oly 14-42) on a mirrorless camera, and it's almost as big as any Rebel. Just my 2 cents."
Agee, my thinking too. And the m4/3 won't match it on IQ, speed and versatility.
Steve, did you get a chance to shoot the Sony in RAW?
I am now using a combination of the Oly EPL-1 and 2 lenses, the Panasonic 20/1.7 and a Voigtlander 40/1.4, and I couldn't be happier. Makes a small kit with an equivalent of 40 and 80 lenses. I just started using the Voigtlander and to me it is a dream lens at a great price! Some day, after Steve pushes me to spend my hard earned money on a Leica, I will have a starter lens to use on the darned thing. For now, I love being able to use the M mount lenses on my Oly.
I bought the NEX 5 a few days ago with the two lenses kit. I chose it over the GF1 mainly for the large sensor and some of its automations (I own an M8.2 and a a couple of film M's, so I wanted a small camera for those times where I need to use autofocus, fast panoramas, full auto mode and a few minutes of video). I havent used a Leica X1 but I've used the GF1 with the 20mm f1.7 lens. I agree with your results, the Sony 16mm lens quality is below my expectations (the same goes for the 18-55), and there's is some heavy distortion also. They cannot take advantage of the largest sensor, so I find the results to be inferior to the GF1 / 20mm lens combo. I also wait for the leica lenses adaptor to see how my Leica lenses will be on the Sony NEX. The menu is really annoying, I have improvised a couple of tricks to work faster but the lack of manual control of modes is frustrating. Finally, I hope that an electronic viewfinder will eventually appear, the LCD is wonderful even in bright sunlight but it's not a viewfinder, I really think it was a mistake not to offer that choice from the start. As you've stated, its IQ is much better than a P&S but at least the pancake lens coud be better (also the 24mm equivalent is too wide for everyday use, a 35mm equivalent would be welcome).
Sony's OOF rendering is very unpleasant, almost giving me a headache.
I see how soft it is now!
Wonder how Nex performance with adaptor and Leica or other lens too.
Hope to see in your review in the future.
@Steve, apart from sensor size, pixel count and in-camera processing, the glass you're using also has a big impact.
The Elmarit is obviously a very good lens (it had better be 'cause you can't choose another one).
The 17mm Zuiko is certainly inferior to the 20mm Lumix I'm using on my E-P2.
I'm not familiar with the glass Sony uses.
I wonder if you could elaborate a little in your upcoming posts on the effect the lens quality has, in combination with the other factors mentioned, on the quality of the final (Jpeg) image.
Great little comparison article and no need for techno babble, the pics do the talking. Looking forward to seeing some other shots to find the low light champion of the trio ;-) This could sway my decision for a smaller digi… thanks Steve
I suspect the oly will lag by 1 stop noise-wise based on pixel pitch and sensor size. Could you post more photos comparing the size of the cameras: front, side, back, 3/4 front views? Thanks.
[…] and was great bang for the buck. I think that's pretty spot on. Here's part one of his comparison Crazy Comparison! Sony NEX-3 vs Olympus E-P2 vs Leica X1 (JPEGS) Pt.1 | STEVE HUFF PHOTOS __________________ – Edward Trying to learn and improve.. latest shots […]
Looks like you were already one step ahead of my forum request. Thanks Steve!


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House Energy/Commerce Committee: HHS knew all along #obamacare was failing.
Oh, this should provide hours of amusement. House Energy and Commerce Committee leaders today unveiled a series of documents provided by the Department of Health and Human Services from July 2013 that reveal the administration internally voicing serious concerns about the progress of the HealthCare.gov website. Among the concerns raised by senior officials was the ability to meet the October 1 launch date and the | Read More »


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Newcomer Crystal Sanders Picks Up A Pair Of School Records In Her Debut At Badger Track Classic
Jan. 13, 2003
Chicago, Ill. - Sophomore transfer Crystal Sanders set a pair of school records in her first ever meet as a member of the University of Illinois at Chicago women's track and field team at the Badger Track Classic on Saturday afternoon.
Sanders set a school-record in the 60-meter hurdles with a second-place finish of 9.31 as well as a third-place record in the long jump with a leap of 17-feet, 3 ? inches.
"I'm very excited about her performance," UIC head coach Jim Knoedel said. "This is a performance that she can build on for better things down the road.
"It was the best start she could possibly have."
Newcomer Korinne Krych was equally as impressive as the Plainfield, Ill., captured the victory in her heat in the 400-meter heat with a mark of 62.85.
Senior sprinter Monieka Thompson took third in her heat of the 400-meter dash, crossing the finish line at 59.65.
Junior Danielle Simpson picked up a runner-up performance in the weight throw with a heave of 42-feet, 11-inches.
Senior distance runner Jessica Streit was third in her heat of the 1-mile run with a time of 5:41.53.
UIC will be back in action on Saturday, January 18th, as the Flames will travel to Charleston, Ill., to participate in the Eastern Illinois Open at 9:00 a.m.


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Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Is it really even close?
Let me explain.
No regular season among the four sports is worse than the NHL's.
It just drags on and on (it didn't this season because of the lockout; instead
it was great because it was so short) as our teams all slog through 82 games
that seem to run into one another.
The NFL's regular season is great because with only 16 games each one is
The NBA plays too many games, too, but each one has a winner. No overtime ties.
And no confusion whether or not your team got a point or lost a point.
And baseball is baseball. We're used to 162 games and it carries us through the
summer and into the fall.
But when it comes time for the playoffs, is anything better than the NHL?
The goonery all but stops and the guys paid to fight during the regular season
are now paid to sit in the press box and watch the guys with actual skills play
the game.
And, best of all, where you finished during the regular season doesn't matter a
whit. Just get in and you have a chance - a real chance.
Just look back to last year at what the Los Angeles Kings did. They made the
postseason as the eighth and final seed out of the Western Conference and won
the Stanley Cup. To top it off, on their road to eventually beating the New
Jersey Devils in six games for the Cup, the Kings beat the top three seeds in
the Western Conference. Phenomenal.
No other team in North American history had ever been seeded that low and won
everything. But you had to figure it would happen first in ice hockey because
it's so wide open.
The best teams during the regular season, especially in the NBA, usually end up
playing for the title. But ice hockey, not so much.
Now, when you look at the current playoffs, one team jumps out at you - the
Chicago Blackhawks.
They smoked their way through the regular season thanks to an unreal start -
the Chicago Blackhawks opened up with a 21-0-3 mark before finally losing - and
are the favorites to win the franchise's fifth Stanley Cup and second in four
But, it's never easy in the NHL. Just consider where we are now - in the
opening round of the playoffs.
There are eight series going on as we speak and in only half of them did one
team win the first two games.
That in itself is wacky. Teams play all season for home ice advantage in the
postseason and that advantage can be gone in an instant. Just go back again to
the Kings last year. They had a 10-0 stretch of road wins during their run.
Crazy, but true.
So, where does all of this leave us now?
The playoffs have just started, but who will be hoisting the Stanley Cup next
The easy pick would be the Blackhawks. They're young, really good, and showed
how dominant they could be over the 48-game regular season.
But, as we said, the regular season doesn't count for much. That's why I can't
go Chicago's way.
I'd like to pick the Bruins because of all that Boston has gone through with
the Boston Marathon tragedy, but I can't see that happening.
As for the Kings, repeating as champs is really hard to do and they won't be
doing it.
The team that will win their first Stanley Cup is the Washington Capitals. The
Caps soared through the end of the season and went from playoff afternoon
thought to division champ.
Alex Ovechkin remains on fire and he is going to lead the way as the Caps knock
off the St. Louis Blues in six games.
We'll revisit this in a few weeks and see where we stand.
Until then, just enjoy the show because the NHL does the playoffs better than
the rest.
The Sports Network


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This Week In Golf: Sergio García Wins AT&T Byron Nelson In PlayoffSergio García, possibly the best golfer without a major, takes the AT&T Byron Nelson for his first PGA Tour win since 2012.
CBS Sports Golf Analyst Nick Faldo On Who To Watch At Pebble BeachCBS Sports golf analyst Nick Faldo discusses this week's AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, the rise of Justin Thomas and Brooks Koepka and the suddenly longer-hitting Charles Howell III.
CBS Sports Golf Analyst Ian Baker-Finch On Tiger And Phil's Chances At Torrey PinesCBS Sports golf analyst Ian Baker-Finch discusses the chances of the old guard and the seemingly ever-increasing number of talented young guns at this week's Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines.
CBS Sports Analyst Peter Kostis Previews The Phoenix OpenBefore this weekend's Waste Management Phoenix Open, Peter Kostis sat down with us to talk about the tournament, one of the first in the 2015 PGA season.
Liguori: Martin Kaymer Dominates Wire-To-Wire To Win U.S. OpenKaymer ran away with the U.S. Open title this weekend, showing off an impressive all-around game, clutch putting, poise and composure.


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Interest Level
Grades 3 - 5
Reading Level
Grade level Equivalent: 3.6
Lexile® Measure: 700L
Guided Reading: M
- Westward Exploration and Expansion
About This Book
Read about one of the most exciting times in American history--the California Gold Rush. The Scholastic History Readers series was created especially to bring history to life for beginning readers.
Beginning with the discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill, this book traces the phenomenon that came to be called the Gold Rush. Readers learn what the phrase "gold fever" means, and who the "forty-niners" were. Various ways of traveling to the gold fields are described, as are various ways of mining or panning for gold.
Mining towns sprang up overnight, with businesses that addressed the miners' every need. When the Gold Rush faded, the history of California had been changed forever.
Items Added to Cart:
1 Paperback
2 Hardcover
1 Teacher's Edition
$48.99 Subtotal


text: I got my cheapo Hong Kong knockoff LED torch in the mail today and it's pretty sweet, but the $2 bike mounting clip I ordered with it is a complete piece of junk. What's a good way to mount a flashlight securely to a flatbar? I'm looking for some solution that I can buy and/or put together without waiting for something to ship from an online store, if possible.


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You probably don't want to run into a gang in a dark alley but if you do, you will want this gang to be your side: Savannah Howard, Nicholas Kaim, and Levi, Nathaniel and Hannah Brinkman are an imposing group as they pose in their Dojo (training studio) Tuesday night.
State Attorney General Pam Bondi was in Cedar Key recently with her fiancé, Greg Henderson. They stopped by Kona Joe's Island Café on State Road 24 for something to eat and a chance to be photographed with Joe Sterople and Edie Zaprir on the wrap around porch of their new location. When she is not working in Tallahassee, Bondi commutes to Tampa and the couple flew up to Cedar Key for the day for a few hours of rest and relaxation.
By MOLLY COWART
The Cedar Key Lighthouse on Seahorse Key is situated on the top of a steep hill looking out over the Gulf of Mexico with a view that is nothing short of breathtaking. The lighthouse is only open to the public three days during the year: the Saturday following July 4 and the two days of the annual Cedar Key Seafood Festival. The weather this past Saturday was beautiful; the short boat trip to the island quite pleasant.
"...And bring a flannel shirt." Those were the words of Anne's son earlier this week.
The Cedar Lions Club is inviting all residents to participate in October Vision Awareness Month by bringing in used eyeglasses for recycling to the Lions Club Sweet Corn and Soda booth at the Oct. 15 and 16 Seafood Festival. Proceeds from sale of corn and sodas will be in support of our vision program which helps those in need obtain eye exams and glasses, while assisting with eye surgeries for qualified applicants.
The collective hearts of many men and a couple women in Cedar Key went pitter-pat on Friday when they realized that the Marina parking lot behind the fire house was full of about 50 pristine, restored vintage cars.
Alcoholics Anonymous
- Keep It Simple, Wednesdays and Saturdays, 7:30 p.m., Christ Episcopal Church, SR 24 and 5th Street (open/no smoking)
- Cedar Key Step Meeting, Mondays, 7 p.m., Cedar Key Library, upstairs meeting room (open/no smoking)
Chamber of Commerce Meeting
Cedar Key Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors meets monthly on the third Thursday at 8:30 a.m. All Chamber members and those interested in becoming members are encouraged to attend. Please call 543-5600 to confirm the location.
Copyright © 2016
The Cedar Key Beacon is your source for local news, sports, events, and information in Levy County and Cedar Key Florida, and the surrounding area.


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I have the following table storing data about images:
- id (int)
- sample_1_1 (int)
- sample_1_2 (int)
- sample_1_3 (int)
- sample_2_1 (int)
- sample_2_2 (int)
- sample_2_3 (int)
- ... # Up until sample_25_3
The task is to calcuate the distance between the collected data. Currently, I am using a 75-dimensional (that's right, 3 * 25 = 75) euclid distance calculation programmed as stored procedures into the database:
CREATE DEFINER=`root`@`localhost`
FUNCTION `distanceBetween`(compareId INT, toId INT) RETURNS double
DECLARE distance DOUBLE;
SELECT euclidDistance(
i1.sample_1_1, i1.sample_1_2, i1.sample_1_3,
i2.sample_1_1, i2.sample_1_2, i2.sample_1_3,
) INTO distance
FROM images i1, (SELECT * FROM images WHERE id = toId) i2
WHERE i1.id = compareId;
RETURN distance;
With another subroutine calculating the actual distance between 2 75-dim. vectors:
CREATE DEFINER=`root`@`localhost`
FUNCTION `euclidDistance`(
img1_sample1_1 INT, img1_sample1_2 INT, img1_sample1_3 INT,
img2_sample1_1 INT, img2_sample1_2 INT, img2_sample1_3 INT,
) RETURNS double
quadDiff(img1_sample1_1, img2_sample1_1)
+ quadDiff(img1_sample1_2, img2_sample1_2)
+ quadDiff(img1_sample1_3, img2_sample1_3)
+ ...
And another subroutine to calculate the squared difference between two values:
CREATE DEFINER=`root`@`localhost`
FUNCTION `quadDiff`(var1 INT, var2 INT) RETURNS int(11)
RETURN POW(var1 - var2, 2)
The functions itself are perfectly fine and return deterministic results that are both mathematically and logically correct.
The problem comes when I want to get the "closest" images to a given image - meaning the images that have the least distance to any given image. To do so, I use another procedure:
CREATE DEFINER=`root`@`localhost`
PROCEDURE `getSimilarImages`(imageId INT, `limit` INT)
SELECT i2.id, i2.filename, distanceBetween(i1.id, i2.id) distance
FROM images i1, (SELECT * FROM images WHERE id != imageId AND duplicateImageId IS NULL) i2
WHERE i1.id = imageId
ORDER BY distance
The database currently features around 30.000 images. This means that a
CALL getSimilarImages(123, 10); takes about 12 seconds to finish. This is way too long for any application, be it web or application based.
So, I want to speed things up. What are my options? Do you see any potential to optimize the process of image comparing or calculating the distances?
I thought about caching the result of the procedure, but I have no clue how to do so. I could also compare every image to every other image as soon as new images are added, but that will adding images a very long process, which is also not acceptable.
I can provide more information on the system setup if it helps, but I appreciate any pointers you can provide. The current situation is not good and I really need to do something, because the image database will only grow with every hour the system is up.


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« So You Think You Can Dance? – Big Guys Can, But Big Girls Can't | Home | American Idol 5 Auditions Start in August »
Fox Announces XQUEST, A New Reality Show Based on Life in Space
July 28, 2005 06:24 PM by Joe Blackmon
FOX goes beyond the fourth wall, into the fourth dimension, with the new adventure competition series "XQUEST" (working title), from Imagine Entertainment's Ron Howard, Brian Grazer and David Nevins; Spectrum MediaWorks' Jim Banister and Alexander Seropian, executive producer of the innovative, best-selling video game "Halo"; and Emmy Award-winning producers Brady Connell and Jim Jusko of Base Camp Films. The groundbreaking series combines scripted, unscripted and gaming genres to create a revolutionary new program.
Over multiple episodes, two teams of contestants will be pushed past their physical skills, mental acuity, emotional boundaries and the limits of their imaginations as they leave behind the world as we know it. They will literally enter a new realm as they live and work aboard state-of-the-art "biocrafts," which will provide the experience of space travel. Over the course of a month, the contestants' perceptions will become reality as they are immersed in every sensorial way possible – sights, sounds, motion and environmental on a 24/7 and 360-degree basis – to take them on a fantastic outer-space mission never before experienced.
XQUEST combines high-tech computer graphics, physical effects and game technologies to allow contestants to experience space travel and compete in challenges over an extended period of time. The ambitious project will require as much as a year of pre-production to create the necessary biocrafts, facilities and programs. The biocrafts' interiors are designed with technologically advanced functionality complete with living quarters, bathrooms and cooking facilities. The interiors are also rigged with multiple 24-hour cameras and microphones. The contestants will never come into contact with camera crews. In fact, with the exception of limited communication with Mission Control, they will be completely cut off from planet Earth.
While immersed in this environment, the teams will compete on missions, which will take their respective biocrafts to intergalactic locales. Periodically, the teams will be forced to jettison a crew member, until – at the end of a month of complete immersion – a winner returns to Earth.
XQUEST is created by Jim Banister and Alexander Seropian of Spectrum MediaWorks, who will also serve as executive producers. Brian Grazer, Ron Howard and David Nevins of Imagine Entertainment and Brady Connell and Jim Jusko of Base Camp Films are executive producers.
Topics: XQUEST |
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6 Responses to "Fox Announces XQUEST, A New Reality Show Based on Life in Space"
alan beiler Says:
September 21st, 2005 at 1:42 pm
Amish Reality Show-"Vie Bisht"
I wanna give you a little bit about my background. I was born in Brooklyn but
I was adopted by an Amish-Mennonite family when I was very young. Along the way I learned how to speak the Amish language Pennsylvania Dutch. I grew up having alot of Amish friends, which really comes in handy now because they want to help me with my show. Normally, Amish people wouldn't go on camera but because I have alot of friends and know their language, I have plenty of Amish who will do it. Some freak out so much that I'm this black guy that speaks Dutch, they can't help but get involved. So here are some of my show ideas.
1. Interview Amish about current affairs, sports, war, gas prices, etc.
2. Ask them about secular things for ex.
-What does drop it like it's hot mean to you?
-What does ghetto fab mean to you?
-Would you put 20″ rims on your buggy?
(These are just a few of the questions on my list. We interviewed this Amish guy who, when we asked him the " drop it like it's hot question", said, "Does it mean that if you're holding a piece of hot coal and it's too hot you drop it?")
3. Amish have different bands that play. I'd like to follow the band around and document it. I also want a segment sort of like Making the Band. Have them audition to be in a band.
4. Have a segment where they freestyle rap. Have them battle eachother also.
5. English vs. Amish kids. Compare/ contrast their toys, behavior and way of life.
6. Amish Idol. Have people compete.
7. Film Amish parties- their night life
8. Pimp My Buggy- Put spinners on the wheels, install tv's, install sound systems, put hydraulics, make a drop-top roof.
9. Hottest Amish rides. Have the bikes, cars, trucks, and suv's that the young Amish drive. Some of the Amish kids drive Escalades with spinners and so forth.
10. Follow Amish sports- hockey, baseball, football, donkey-baseball (this is like baseball but instead of running around the bases, you have to ride on a donkey.)
11. Have celebrities interview the Amish. It would be funny to see Snoop Dogg doing a segment called "Ask the Amish".
12. Do a segment where an English family (means non-Amish) would live with an Amish family and adapt to their ways.
13.Have regular people live in a house and dress amish and obey there rules.
14.We have reagular people live in a house like amish,no electic no tv ect.They also must drive buggys.Basicly live exactly like amish people. These are just some of my ideas.There are alot of different ideas for each point thank you and i hope to hear from you asap Alan Beiler firstname.lastname@example.com
Thank You
michael Says:
October 2nd, 2005 at 8:17 pm
ive been waiting for the auditions for xquest, i would be a great contender, im in great shape, healthy, and passionate about space, i have good leadership skills, and i cant wait to try out for the show
Kathleen Says:
April 9th, 2007 at 10:15 pm
If you did a reality TV show where kids of today (who just don't get how hard things can be) had to dress, live and earn their keep like Amish children do, that would be great. They need to learn the value of hard work, the price of lazyness and what respect really means.
I would have a perfect kid for your show, if you had such a show. She wears brand name clothes, shoes and has to have a cell phone, brand name bag (prada is her latest) and mp3 player on her at all times. Not to mention she thinks Amish are "cute", she doesn't truely understand their values. She also has shown me that respect is something kids of today just don't have.
Ebika Says:
May 13th, 2007 at 3:37 am
Looking for skilled producers to judge our proposals:General public welcome to give their comment too…
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www.lake-shore.co.uk Says:
October 11th, 2007 at 10:24 am
Looking for skilled producers to judge our proposals:General public welcome to give their comment too…
Drew Says:
March 3rd, 2013 at 10:30 pm
I farted.


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UMass Men's Basketball Media Day A Big Success At Mullins
Nov. 3, 2008
AMHERST, Mass. - The UMass men's basketball team held its local media day in Amherst at the Mullins Center on Monday afternoon as the team prepares for Wednesday's exhibition game against Dowling. There was great media coverage as NESN was on hand for an "All-Access" day with Coach Derek Kellogg. The Boston Globe and Herald also staffed the event along with the locals from CBS3, ABC40, the Springfield Republican and Daily Hampshire Gazette.
Of note from the media day, NESN spent much of the day with Coach Kellogg following him from his morning preparation to a quick lunch at Antonio's to a guest speaking appearance in a sports law class before a special photo shoot with the Boston Globe. After Kellogg's shoot at Kellogg Ave. in Amherst, the coach went to work on the court at the Mullins Center where the media looked on. The NESN feature is expected to run next week when UMass opens its season.
After practice, Kellogg and his players met with the media. Among the tidbits we can tell you about, the Boston Herald's Steve Buckley, a UMass alum, was on hand to write a column for his paper. Marty Dobrow of the Boston Globe will have a profile of Kellogg in the coming days. Matt Vautour of the Daily Hampshire Gazette, Ron Chimelis of the Springfield Republican, Jerry Radding from the Associated Press and Howard Herman of the Berkshire Eagle will all have stories on Tuesday.
All of the papers had photographers on hand for up-to-date coverage.
In the television world, in addition to NESN, CBS3's Amy Lynn Stanley and ABC4-'s Nick Defelice put together packages on the team.
On Masslive.com, Erik Gallant and his staff shot many videos which will appear in the coming days.
The Daily Collegian had three writers on hand for the student paper's coverage.
Check Just Take A Minute for the latest on the media day on Tuesday.
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NEW DELHI: Barely recovering from Climategate, IPCC's credibility has come under a cloud yet again in the wake of Glaciergate. After vociferously dismissing a report, two months ago, by India's senior-most glaciologist V K Raina that questioned IPCC's claim as voodoo science, the R K Pachauri-led panel went into damage control mode on Wednesday.
The UN panel was forced to acknowledge that it had erred on the Himalayan glaciers and not Dr Raina. Fearing that a delay would only further undermine its standing, after days of prevarication, IPCC issued a statement expressing regret. The panel acknowledged that its 'finding' was based on "poorly substantiated estimates of rate of recession and date for the disappearance of Himalayan glaciers."


text:
Few toys are more basic for sitting up and crawling babies than a fabric ball. Great for motivating them to use their big muscles and for first social games of roly poly. This bright tiger face ball has a nice jingle sound, multiple textured, stitched features and is easy to grab by its crinkle sounding ears or its be-ribboned whiskers. 6 months & up.
Age: Infants. Review Published: 2014-04-08 05:47:56.
Oppenheim Toy Portfolio - All Rights Reserved. Oppenheim Toy Portfolio, Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award, and Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Blue Chip Award are Registered Trademarks of the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio.
Instructions for submitting product to the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio for review.
Contact the Toyportfolio by phone at (212) 598-0502 or by email at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Copyright 1995-2015
Products reviewed by the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio are provided by the manufacturer at their cost. The Oppenheim Toy Portfolio does not require or accept fees for reviewing products.


text:
Edmond S. Murphy
Edmond S. Murphy, 93, of Fredericksburg, died Monday, Aug. 12, 2013.
A memorial service will be held Thursday, Aug. 29, at 10 a.m. at Memorial Presbyterian Church.
Arrangements and cremation are under the direction of Fredericksburg Funeral Home.
Murphy was born Dec. 5, 1919, in Fall River, Mass., the son of Edward James Murphy and Harriet Slade Murphy.
Murphy went to work for Pan American Airlines, and later, when World War II began and Pan-Am turned their planes into military planes, he joined the U.S. Army Air Corps.
He had no immediate survivors.
Memorials may be made to Memorial Presbyterian Church or the charity of choice.


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New York Comic Con (NYCC) starts next weekend, which means it's that time of the year when all of the East Coast fanboys and geek girls go to gather, hang out, and meet new people who love comics just as much as they do. While I can't sew or make elaborate costumes, I still like to dress up and will crochet or knit accessories to coordinate for outfits to wear at conventions.
So you could say I'm more of a yarn nerd than a comics nerd. However you are never a nerd once a year, and after all four days of NYCC are over how can you express yourself the other 361 days?
Here are some patterns which you can wear and use regularly so that "every day is a nerdy day:"
Have you knitted or crocheted anything nerdy for yourself or for others? Or are you just a self-proclaimed crochet geek or knit nerd?
Note: To access any Ravelry patterns, remember to sign up for a free account.
Posted in Pattern Recommendations | 3 Comments » Comments


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Bill And Ted's Bogus Remake
By Josh Tyler 2008-04-03 03:00:15 comments
After years of waiting, it looks like Bill and Ted are at last about to have another excellent adventure. Unfortunately its not going to be an adventure any actual Bill & Ted fan will want to see. Its a remake. Bogus.
The news comes from Moviehole, where they say the new movie picks up long after the adventures in Bill & Teds Bogus Journey. The original Bill & Ted and the Wyld Stallions, are retired. The Restart is about two new high-school kids on the verge of failing who discover a way to travel through time using the phone. They meet historical figures like Gandhi (their new short dead dude?) and form a rock group called Atomic Gorillas. Its the original movie with probably a cell phone instead of a much cooler phone booth, and two new idiots instead of the old, infinitely superior idiots played by Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves. Most heinous, there will almost certainly be no sign of Rufus.
Basically, everything is different, but the same... things are more moderner than before... bigger, and yet smaller its computers. San Dimas High School football rules!
Not excellent. Im up for a new Bill & Ted, but not a remake. The only good news here is that MH seems to think that since its being done by the bunch of medieval dickweeds at MGM, it may end up being another one of those crummy direct to DVD sequels, which will make it easier for all of us to party on and pretend it doesnt exist.
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04/26/2012, Miles = 578
We stopped in the marina at Fernandina Beach to clean up and to prepare for an overnight passage. After looking at all the charts and talking to several people, it seems best to not go through Georgia on the ICW. Apparently congress has not given Georgia any Corps of Engineers funding since 2005, so there is very little dredging or other maintenance being done. Some areas are only passable at high tide, which really restricts travel time.
The knotmeter is working, but registering 20% low, so the indicated miles are off. I'll put in a compensation factor, but will eventually have to pull it again to see what is wound up in the paddlewheel.
Fernandina Beach, at the north end of Amelia Island, is an old and quaint town that is changing into an upscale resort destination. But shrimpers still use the waterfront, and there are two cranes for container shipping. There is a paper mill, but somehow it does not produce the aroma that we came to know so well in Longview.
We will leave Fenandina about 4 PM today to make an overnight run to Port Royal Sound in South Carolina. This timing puts us on a flood tide and should make going in easier. The weather looks OK with 15 to 20 knots of wind from the SSW. I'll put up the riding sail again to see if it helps at all.
Once we get to Beaufort (prounce "Bew furt" as opposed to the North Carolina town pronounce "Bow fort") we'll probably take a day to see the town before moving on.
|Florida and the Bahamas
We have now completed 2 days on the ICW. The knotmeter did not work today...I pulled it and discovered that the diver had not cleaned it. Not everyone does good work.
The waterway is an interesting passage with constantly changing sights, but the channel is narrow and at times more shallow than the charts indicate. You have to pay attention all the time, and I'm discovering how glad I am to have a forward scan sonar.
We may make a shorter day tomorrow to stop in St. Augustine for a walk and maybe some dinner. Only a few more days until we are out of Florida!! I put the St. Augustine picture with this post, since it was really quite pretty swinging on a mooring off the city front.
|Florida and the Bahamas
We decided to wait one more day before starting north. This gave us the opportunity to walk into "downtown" Ft. Pierce yesterday afternoon, and to be reminded again of how much we want to leave Florida. With the extra day I was able to arrange to have the bottom cleaned. Although I had cleaned the waterline, there was still a lot of moss and growth from our time up the New River. Barnacles had also started to appear, so it was worth having a diver clean and check everything.
Once again thunderstorms are predicted for late this afternoon and evening, so a secure marina slip will give us a much better night's sleep.
The current plan is to move north at whatever pace seems comfortable, stopping for a day if there is something of interest to see. Once we get to Fernandina Beach at the Georgia state line, we will decide whether to jump offshore (saving about 45 miles) or whether to stay on the waterway. Either way we are expecting to be in Charleston around May first.
I've uploaded a few Bahamas pictures to the gallery.
|Florida and the Bahamas
04/20/2012, Miles = 432
We certainly enjoyed Hopetown, but our Bahamas visit had to be short because of all of the time lost with the engine rebuild. We left Hopetown on 4/16 with overcast skies and 15-20 knots of wind, traveling to Great Guana Cay for the night.We had drinks at Nippers overlooking the Atlantic reefs, the walked through The Settlement and bought some home grown vegetables from Milo. The next morning the wind was down, so we went through the Whale Cay passage then back inside, heading west. We had originally planned to take 2 additional days to return to Florida, but the weather patterns suggested that we should move on. After a long day we anchored at Great Sale Cay for the night
The next morning we pulled anchor and were under way bt 0330. By 1030 we left the Little Abaco Bank and began our crossing of the gulf stream. Once again it was very impressive to see the effect of so much water in motion. By the time we approached the mainland the wind was up to 20 knots and the seas were very confused. The Ft. Pierce inlet was a welcome transit to the "inside" where we took a slip at the Harbortown Marina.
We spent much of the 19th clearing back into the U.S., and today we did re-provisioning and cleanup.
Major thunderstorms rolled through this evening...we were glad to be in a marina and will wait to see what the weather does before starting north.
|Florida and the Bahamas
The newly rebuilt Hopetown Marina was having a grand opening and offering half price slip fees, so we decided to stay a few days. This gave us the opportunity to visit the Hopetown Lighthouse for an evening tour by Sam the keeper. This is one of three remaining mechanically powered kerosene mantle lighthouses in the world, and has been operating for over 150 years. The kerosene is hand pump pressurized, the Fresnel lens stucture rides on a circular tank of mercury that keeps it absolutely level and allows it to rotate with very little friction. Every two hours the keeper or his assistant has to crank up the mechanism, like winding a grandfather clock. The kerosene mantle is like a giant Coleman lantern, generating enough light to be seen 17 miles out to sea. A unique glimpse of history.
Today we enjoyed the Hopetown museum, walked through town, and stopped to buy a loaf of freshly baked bread right out of the oven. On returning to the marina, we attended the "all you can eat" buffet at poolside. Construction is almost complete on the new Hopetown Marina Inn, which looks like it will be a first class facility. However, the internet connection is marginal, so I will have to wait until later to upload pictures
We will probably stay here another day or two, then will have to turn back northwest and await our opportunity to cross back to the U.S., probably at Fort Pierce.
|Florida and the Bahamas
04/13/2012, Miles = 237
Leaving Green Turtle Cay, we had an easy passage around Whale Cay and then back in the cut. We chose to bypass Great Guana, since we will likely stop there on the way back. We anchored off Man-o-War Cay and took the dinghy into town. Loyalists from New England established the settlement at the end of the Revolutionary War, and for many years the community chose to limit interaction with the outside world. The people all have a certain similarity, as well as there own unique accent. From the anchorage we took the dinghy over to the Fowl Cay marine reserve and snorkled the reef.
A weather front was again forecast, so we moved over to Marsh Harbor and anchored for the next 2 days. Marsh Harbor is the third largest town in the Bahamas, with a population of 5,000, but very little to recommend it as a cruising destination. The front came through with wind, but not much rain, so we decided to cross over to Hopetown on Elbow Cay.
|Florida and the Bahamas