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Best iOS apps this week
Twenty-second in a series. It was Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) this week and as expected the company took the wraps off OS X 10.10 ('Yosemite') and iOS 8.
New features in the next iteration of the mobile OS include interactive notifications, HealthKit, Family Sharing, improved chatting, a better keyboard, and iCloud Drive. It will be released sometime in the fall.
New app releases and updates this week include an excellent jousting game from Gameloft, a recipe app packed with tasty vegetarian food, a tense stealth game, an opinion app from the New York Times, and an addictive game from the makers of Candy Crush Saga.
As always, if I miss an app that you think should have been included, let me know in the comments below, or drop me an email.
Here is my selection for this week.
Paid App of the Week
Green Kitchen -- Healthy Vegetarian Recipes ($4.99)
I'm not a vegetarian, but I do follow "Meat Free Monday". Finding tasty recipes without meat in them has never been much of a problem, but the overhauled version of this app will certainly help.
Vegetarian recipes on offer are organic and tasty with the minimum of gluten, sugar and dairy ingredients.
Recipes can be printed over AirPrint and shared over AirDrop.
If you like this app you might well also be interested in Healthy Deserts -- by Green Kitchen ($2.99).
Free App of the Week
Offers in-app purchases.
Gameloft used to sell games at a premium price, but have long since switched to freemium for a lot of releases. Rival Knights is free to play, but with in-app purchases.
The aim of the game is to take on your rivals in a jousting competition and ride your way to glory. As you'd expect from a Gameloft game, it looks great and plays well. There are five leagues and countless events, and you can unlock over 120 mounts, lances, armor, helms and so on.
You can recruit team mates, form clans, and battle other players in asynchronous multiplayer mode.
Other Apps
Offers in-app purchases.
From the New York Times, NYT Opinion is described as the first digital product to offer a standalone subscription to all of The Times's opinion coverage, along with a continuous feed of commentary from The NYTimes and other reputable web sources.
The app is free, but you'll need to subscribe to NYT Opinion which costs $5.99 every four weeks.
Offers in-app purchases.
From King, the makers of Candy Crush Saga (which I hate because I'm stuck on level 165), comes the sequel to… well, I'm sure you can guess. Travel the land bursting bubbles, win new levels and free Witch Country piece by piece.
Back to celebrate its 10 year anniversary, this classic arcade shoot-'em-up offers attractive graphics, challenging boss fights, and a powerful upgrade system that lets you improve your shields, weaponry and more.
There are weekly tournaments against other players on new levels.
Offers in-app purchases.
An action packed free-running adventure set on Firefly Island. The aim of the game is to help Switch rescue his captured firefly friends by running, flying, and shooting. There are three areas to explore -- The Rolling Countryside, The Forbidden Forest, and The Crystal Caves.
Apple's App of the Week
Offers in-app purchases.
Apple's free app this week is a cracking game that I've personally spent a long time playing. Republique is a stealth action game set in an oppressive dystopian world. Sneak about looking for ways to escape and places to hide, making strategic choices and solving puzzles.
The graphics are excellent and the story really drags you in.
Republique is an episodic game, so if you enjoy part one you'll need to be prepared to spend money on the following four episodes. Part two has just been released and will set you back $4.99.


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International Edition
September 20, 2017
About Us
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China Steel's pricing shows market stabilizing: analysts
CNA Sunday, July 20, 2014, 12:00 am TWN
TAIPEI--A move by China Steel Corp. (中鋼), Taiwan's largest steel maker, to leave its domestic wholesale product prices unchanged showed the market has been stabilizing, analysts said Saturday.
In a pricing meeting held a day earlier, China Steel decided to maintain its domestic wholesale product prices for September contracts after a 1.64 percent cut for the July-August delivery, citing an economic recovery at home and abroad.
Analysts said the latest pricing indicated China Steel has turned more upbeat about the market outlook for the second half of this year, adding that the steel industry could have a better second half than first.
After a decision to leave its domestic wholesale prices intact for September, China Steel issued a statement explaining its move.
It said that while the U.S. Federal Reserve will continue to wind down its monthly bond buying program, the country's economy is on the way to recovery and the pace is accelerating.
Meanwhile, the European Central Bank has maintained ample liquidity by cutting its deposit rates to negative since early last month to give another boost to the eurozone's economy, China Steel said.
As a result, steel demand from the U.S. has been on the rise, which has reinforced the attempt by steel makers in the U.S. to raise prices. And with steel prices in the European market having fallen to a record low, there is little room for prices to trend lower there, the Taiwanese company said.
China, one of largest steel buyers in the world, was also a reason for optimism. Its recent measures to stimulate the economy and strengthen infrastructure construction have paid off, with its gross domestic product up 7.5 percent year-on-year, beating an earlier market estimate of 7.4 percent.
The Taiwanese firm said confidence in the demand for steel in China's market is improving as wholesale product prices have bottomed out.
Meanwhile, China Steel said it posted NT$11.69 billion (US$390 million) in pretax profit for the first half of this year, down 4.23 percent from a year earlier. Its earnings per share before tax for the six-month period stood at NT$0.76, down from NT$0.8 recorded a year ago.
In June alone, the company's pretax profit rose 48.53 percent from a year earlier to NT$2.33 billion.
In the first half of the year, China Steel sold about 4.8 million metric tons of carbon steel with 64 percent of the products shipped to the local market, the company said.
Double warnings expected as storm Talim bears down on Taiwan
Universiade athletes are loving this Taiwanese treat
Taiwanese weightlifter Kuo Hsing-chun breaks world record
The story behind the new premier William Lai
Conductor left behind by bullet train in Taiwan
Premier resigns, Cabinet reshuffle slated for Thursday
Universiade mascot is looking for a job
'Heroes parade' draws tens of thousands
FISU, athletes heap praise on Universiade host city
Making history: Taiwan sets new Asian javelin record

subset: commoncrawl


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I have a cake due for a volunteer firefighter who is 16. The only request is that flames are incorporated into the design somehow. Any ideas of how to make flames? I don't know if I should use fondant or buttercream and what tip to use for buttercream or how to make fondant flames! This one has me stumped!
Thanks in advance....I have asked my cake decorating friends and they have no help for me so I turn to all of you.
I was going to say that pulled sugar flames would look great, but I don't know how experienced you are,
so if you were going to do buttercream flames I say use red, yellow and orange buttercream, and pipe it with a leaf tip, you can see the effect on this wilton chart,
Or if you were going to use fondant, make the fondant like a loose "tie dye" colour of red, yellow and orange and cut flame shapes out of it.
There are many ways you can incorporate flames into your cake. They can be a stand up flame or around the sides of your cake (like if you were making round layers). I recently made some flames by cutting out flame shapes from Fruit Roll-Ups. Not the solid red ones, but when you look at the dizzying array of different kinds in the store. there's like a red tie-dye or red fiesta name. It's a red and orange mix which is perfect for flames! And highly edible! They will adhere perfectly to buttercream and I'm sure you could put a drop of water on fondant if you were using fondant to stick the flame.
Also if you put any candles in the cake, push them in deep (or within some other element of your cake) so when they are lit it all you will see is the fire!
I have made a few cakes with flames, my husband is a firefighter. Here are the links to mine. HTH
I have also made them out of melted Jolly Ranchers, but I haven't uploaded that picture yet.
Tho I have made at least half a dozen of them I can only find this one in my gallery.
I put orange, red, and yellow b'cream icing in one bag w/a big leaf tip (68 maybe?) and just make pull up stripes of icing aorund the sides of the cake.


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Pop into your weekend with Pop-kies for National Popcorn Day
Fri, 17 Jan 2014 14:21:21 GMT —
Sunday is National Popcorn Day so in celebration, Pop-Kie's Gourmet Popcorn stopped by with lots of fun flavors you may not have even known you could get.
Pop-Kie's has different flavors like Salt and Vinegar, Garlic Parmesan, and of course butter, caramel, and cheese.
Whatever you like, enjoy an excuse to indulge on National Popcorn Day! Pop-kie's is located on Front Street in Traverse City.


text:
26 September 2017
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The mission of WHO is the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health.
Vacancy Notice No:
Technical Officer
Contract type:
Temporary appointment
Duration of contract:
1 year
2 April 2014
Application Deadline:
23 April 2014
Vacancy Filled
Duty Station:
Kobe, Japan
Organization unit:
HQ/WKC -- WHO Centre for Health Development (Kobe)
The WHO Centre for Health Development (WHO Kobe Centre, WKC) conducts research on health in development with a focus on how social, economic, and environmental change and its implications for health policies. The Centre, established in 1995, supports technical cooperation, capacity building and the exchange of information on science and best practices with a focus on urbanization as a key driver of health outcomes, as well as on innovation for ageing populations.The Urban Health team builds on a decade long focus within the Centre on studying the impacts of urbanization on health and health equity, and providing WHO Member States with evidence and tools to support decision-making. Within the Urban Health team there are five major sub-areas of research:
(i) health metrics;
(ii) healthy ageing and urbanization;
(iii) intersectoral action for health;
(iv) healthy urban planning; and
(v) emergency management.
While these are distinct areas of work, they are closely interlinked and the team works to maximise the synergies between the different areas.
Description of duties:
1. Coordinate the process for publication of the second WHO-UN HABITAT joint report:
a. develop a time frame and workplan for the writing and publishing process for the joint report with a targeted publication date of October 2015;
b. develop terms of reference for key stakeholders, including the selection of a technical writer, and ensure the timely contribution of technical content to the report;
c. liaise with relevant partners for the report and organize meetings of the steering committee when necessary;
d. ensure the timely publication and high quality of content of the joint report in coordination with key WKC partners;
2. Support the development of Urban HEART ver 2.0:
a. document and synthesize comments and critiques of the current version of Urban HEART from experts, local and national policy-makers, and international agencies;
b. support the technical and production process of the new version of Urban HEART including writing the new version, following up on contractual processes etc.;
c. conduct applied research to collect and synthesize potential indicators for integration in Urban HEART 2.0;
d. provide technical assistance to cities and countries that choose to use or scale up Urban HEART in their contexts;
3. Support the process of piloting and developing a WHO tool for monitoring age-friendliness of cities:
a. follow up with cities that are piloting the current version of the monitoring tool and document their feedback, and comments from other stakeholders;
b. support the technical and production process of the monitoring tool including writing the new version, liaising with key stakeholders etc.;
4. Other relevant duties as necessary and appropriate.
Main achievements include:
1. Publication of second joint WHO-UN HABITAT report in 2015;
2. Updated version of WHO's Urban HEART (ver 2.0);
3. New WHO Tool for monitoring age-friendliness of cities.
University first level degree in social science, public health or related subject. *For WHO staff please see e-manual III.4.1, para 220.
An advanced-level degree in any of the above-mentioned fields of studies.
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At least five years of experience in public health or related field, of which at least two years should be at the international level. Experience in training and working with national and local government officials. Experience in conducting public health or related research. Experience in writing scientific or technical reports.
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text:
|2010-11-19, 03:33
|Link #7882
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2008
Let us review.
1. Britannia has just revealed it has a massively powerful weapon that just wiped out tons of people, alot of their own, and Tohdou frantically informs Lelouch that they need to retreat now and figure out a plan or they're all dead. Lelouch just tells them to ignore that and futilely search for a dead girl who's worthless to them in any way now. That's basically ordering them to their deaths. Naturally they ignore it. Afterwards they wonder what to do about this new powerful weapon and want to discuss it with their fearless leader, but Lelouch broods in his room and ignores their attempts to call him about this, seemingly confirming their suspcions that Lelouch didn't really care about anybody in the Black Knights aside from maybe Kallen. And no him being upset about Nunnally is not something they should give him a pass for, because Nunnally is pointless to the Black Knights and is an enemy at that.
2. Now the Black Knights confront him armed. There is absolutely nothing to indicate (beyond people thinking the best of Lelouch and the worst of the Knights) they planned on harming him at all provided he gave them a decent answer to the evidence raised against him and his previous suspcious behavior. They held him at gunpoint because quite frankly when dealing with a possibly hostile Lelouch you should do that and more, because he's very dangerous and they wanted to take precautions. Which were totally justified because he'd planned on Geassing them until he noticed their back up and realized he'd never get away with it. Since Lelouch is suicidal at this point anyway he basically tells them "Mwa ha, yep chumps I played you like a harp from hell, you mean nothing to me." Which further pisses them off, and confirms he's no longer on their side, if he ever truely was. Therefore they shoot at him.
3. The Black Knights chase him because Lelouch had seemingly betrayed them at the least, and been using them as his own personal army for the throne at worst. Remember he had previously started acting without the others knowledge, and started keeping two notable Britannians as company instead. One of said Britannians rescued him after their failed attempt to kill him, suggesting he'd been expecting a betrayal at some point. And they'd had a large pile of evidence suggesting he'd been playing them all along which he'd outright admitted to. Of course they'd persue him. He'd openly made them an enemy.
In conclusion, the Black Knights were perfectly justified in turning on him. He'd had evidence against him, been acting very suspicously, proved unreliable, and outright told them to their faces he was playing them. What exactly should they have done in that situation that wasn't giving him a high amount of trust he could have easily used against them? Trust he frankly didn't deserve to get from them.
|2010-11-19, 03:47
|Link #7884
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2008
|2010-11-19, 03:52
|Link #7885
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2008
You're not remembering that scene properly. The first thing they do is demand an explaination. After Lelouch tells them off, they all sadden (Tamaki even cries in despair) and that is when they start yelling at Kallen to get out of the way.
The whole worried about Kallen being Geassed part is from the council meeting part in ep 22.
There's no evidence they planned to shoot on sight. Their reactions to his "explanation" suggest the complete opposite. If they just planning on killing him beforehand why even ask at all?
And again Schnizel notably didn't blow them up right away, but came to talk civilly. So they'd want to listen to what he had to say.
|2010-11-19, 04:01
|Link #7887
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2008
I'm suggesting they didn't plan to just outright kill him regardless whatever he'd said or done. They asked for an explaination and assuming he'd defended himself adequately, they'd have let him go.
Confronting him unarmed would be foolish, since if they were correct in their assumptions he'd just Geass them to kill themselves or whatever. And he hadn't shown them the faith needed to trust him not do that.
|2010-11-19, 04:08
|Link #7888
Haters. Gonna. Hate
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: UK
Age: 26
Which is why I don't see how number one makes any sense. They already witnessed Lelouch make a monumental cock up at the end of season one but still ended up following him again because they knew they still needed him. And even if it does prove that he doesn't care about them it shouldn't be enough to convince them to believe that he has supernatural powers and could kill them all easily as the default position. When Kallen defended him they automatically assumed she was under a geass, and didn't take her argument into account. Now how is that logical?
Last edited by Haak; 2010-11-19 at 04:20.
|2010-11-19, 04:11
|Link #7889
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2008
Why not? All of his "miracles" from season 1 on that they couldn't explain, (like all the enemy equipment that fell into their hands, and how someone on the field would suddenly do something counterproductive to give them a massive field advantage) and just took for granted would suddenly make sense if he had mind control powers. They'd probably noticed all the convienient explosions that happened for them throughout the series.
|2010-11-19, 04:13
|Link #7890
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2008
You're remembering things out of order. Zero has yet to say a word, and they're all "It's all over!" "We know all about your Geass!" "How dare you use us!" Kallen jumps in to defend Zero calling the whole thing one-sided and demands that they hear his side. The Black Knights however are all "You're in our way, Kallen!" and "Are you under control of his Geass, too?" That's no empty threat. And to top it all off, Lelouch spots Schneizel and immediately figures out that it was all his plan and that he always has everything covered, so he knows he's doomed.
And Schneizel uses diplomacy as a tool and a front, this time to cause the Black Knights to turn on their leader. (And not without a couple of seedy tricks of his own in place from the Kururugi Shrine meeting between Lelouch and Suzaku that he and Kanon sabotaged.) He already had a reputation for this throughout the series, like when he called a ceasefire against France or one of the other nations. He's a master of the Xanatos Gambit. He'll use any trick he can get away with, or play any game where he comes out ahead somehow.
|2010-11-19, 04:14
|Link #7891
Haters. Gonna. Hate
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: UK
Age: 26
I really don't think "Why not?" is the best perspective in considering supernatural powers.
|2010-11-19, 21:42
|Link #7892
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2008
I know, I'm bringing up Oghi again, but it was because of him that that whole horrible turn of events happened. And in an additional rebuttal to Aquaman OS' comments, the main thing about Oghi was his moralizing about it all, even as he acted contrary and/or was at fault for a few of the same things he called Lelouch out for. And on top of all that, he and the rest of the Black Knights were completely passive-aggressive about the whole thing. If they had issues, why didn't they press him about it a bit more earlier on and/or not as drastically instead of putting him at gunpoint? I know, they got played by Schneizel, but even there they should have known a little better.
As such it's not because "he's cooler" or anything that I'm defending Lelouch here, but rather because he was a Cosmic Plaything even when he was trying his best. And Oghi was actually an Ensemble Darkhorse up until Villetta started screwing with his judgment, starting with the season finale, when he let his guard down, not thinking she regained her memories, and she shot him during the Black Rebellion. I mean, if they were to be suspicious of Lelouch about why he wanted Nunnally, then what about Oghi and Villetta? Somehow Villetta's Plot Armor rubbed off on Oghi.
Last edited by azul120; 2010-11-19 at 22:10.
|2010-11-19, 23:59
|Link #7893
Puppet Master
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Behind You
you can rationalize their betrayal all you want, but the fact is that the BKs are assholes for betraying Zero.
Lelouch was no Angel, and he definitely contributed to the mistrust of the BKs, but almost all of the leadership owed him their lives in one way or another.
|2010-11-20, 00:38
|Link #7894
Lord Knight of SYTOM
Join Date: Feb 2010
I think the main reason people are on Oghi's case so strongly is that they hate Viletta for being such a disgusting Smug Snake throughout the entire series, and it carries over to Oghi in their minds. Remember how when she discovered Zero's identity, she was all "BAHAHAHA They'll make me a noble for this!" Maybe if she hadn't thought about her own status she'd be a bit more worthy of respect.
That's not to say he's not guilty of what he is accused of, but if he had gone over to a more popular female, they might go easier on him.
In any case, I think this might be a good compromise between the two sides of the argument:
In principle, Lelouch deserved more consideration, however because of Geass they could not afford to go easy on him, lest he press his advantage. It was not a time for half measures.
|2010-11-20, 01:13
|Link #7895
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2008
It wasn't because it was Villetta, though you are right about her being a Smug Snake. It was about Oghi being unconscientious, from willing to ditch the BKs to meet Villetta, when he knew she wanted to kill him, to believing what she and Schneizel had been saying about Geass, and being the one responsible for the Black Knights' decision to betray. In other words, he was the big Swiss Messenger, and those invariably end up assuming Scrappy status.
And their fear of Geass didn't fly for the following reasons: they wouldn't be able to turn on him if Lelouch had been abusing it, and even if they assumed he had been giving singular commands (which he couldn't really do to that extent because of the It Only Works Once rule), they could have used protective eyeshades or something.
|2010-11-20, 01:41
|Link #7897
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2008
He didn't know much at all about Geass, but it did give him liberty to draw his own insinuations. He basically Quote Mined Lelouch's false confession to Suzaku about deliberately ordering Euphie to kill the Japanese to the Black Knights. He also suggested that even he could be under the control of geass and not even know it in order to stir up some paranoia.
Aside from that, he and Kanon told them that Lelouch never told them that he had been informed about FLEIJA by Suzaku, yet another cleverly manipulated bit. They set it all up by sabotaging the meeting, and goading Suzaku into carrying FLEIJA into battle, knowing that Lelouch wouldn't believe him if he were to warn him because of the perceived betrayal.
|2010-12-05, 04:36
|Link #7898
Crazy Devout Fanboy
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: 1st Ra Cailum-class battleship Ra Cailum, port-side officer's bunks
A little heads up here:
For those who've heard of Tales of Graces F for the PS3 (and even for those who haven't), there's an interesting little thing on the homepage for the game. Go to Systems on the top bar and then go to Doanload. (Download is written in Japanese though; it's the bottom-right button in the set of buttons that appears near the top-right of the page after you click on System)
So what's the heads up here?
No I'm not kidding. The main character Asbel gets Suzaku's Knight of 7 costume (no surprise there; Asbel has Suzaku's voice actor), while the heroine Sophie dresses like C.C. (), with Sheria as Karen, and Richard as Zero.
|2010-12-11, 07:04
|Link #7899
comfortably awesome.
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: europe.
Age: 28
Just a heads up, the final volume of the Geass manga has been released -
It has quite a few differences that you are able to read and see here :
(you have to be a registered member)
In case you are not a member there, I can at least copy/paste a few differences that were noted. ( full credit goes to leizelann from LiveJournal. )
Spoiler for general notes about last volume, not detailed:
|Thread Tools


text:
Solano and Contra Costa counties are in the national spot light for their work and collaboration to reduce poverty.
The counties have been jointly recognized by the National Association of Counties for the 2013 Achievement Award in the area of Community and Economic Development for their "Roadmap to Cut Poverty" campaign.
"Solano and Contra Costa counties are leading the Bay Area in working with United Way to cut poverty in half over the next decade," said Solano County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Linda Seifert, in a press release. "We are so pleased that this ground-breaking work is receiving national recognition, and hope others can use what we've learned to grow prosperity in their communities."
The National Association of Counties established the annual Achievement Award program for counties in 1970 as a way to recognize innovative county government programs. Awards are given in 21 different categories, including children and youth, criminal justice, county administration, environmental protection, information technology, community/economic development and health. Awardees will be honored at a luncheon on July 21 at the national organization's 2013 County Solutions and Idea Marketplace conference in Tarrant County, Texas.
"It's a huge compliment and we're thrilled about it," said Kari Rader, program director for Community Action Partnership of Solano. "But we're more excited about the partnerships that have been created."
Rader explained that the public and private partnerships help people connect with resources as well as figuring out how to be more efficient in providing services.
First 5 Executive Director Christina Arrostuto said receiving the award is just the beginning.
"It gets other counties thinking," she said. "It shows that we have the tools and we want to share what we've learned and that helps the whole movement grow."
The "Roadmap to Cut Poverty" framework was developed under the leadership of United Way of the Bay Area. More than 100 businesses and local agencies have pledged endorsements to the 10-year anti-poverty campaign.
Both Contra Costa and Solano counties have been holding "Safety Net Summit" meetings during the past two years, aimed at growing public understanding and awareness of local poverty issues, and developing activities that help individuals and families increase their income and stability.
"A movement begins when diverse partners come together around a collective goal to improve people's lives," said Contra Costa County Supervisor John Gioia, who has been active both in the local county anti-poverty work and as Co-Chairman of a seven-County United Way-sponsored steering council devoted to targeting jobs and education as primary anti-poverty strategies. "We have mobilized business, government, philanthropy, schools, non-profits, the faith community and many others to carry out the work that must be done to move 220,000 Bay Area families out of poverty in the next few years."
Solano County has held two "Opportunity Conferences," bringing together 150 low-income residents with community volunteers who act as informal mentors.
In Contra Costa County, a "Safety Net Innovation Network" is established with 18 work groups focused on different aspects of poverty reduction.
Both counties are working with United Way to sponsor income and asset development programs, including Earn It! Keep It! Save It!, helping qualified workers to access the Earned Income Tax Credit, and Sparkpoint Centers, where families can gain financial skills and seek education and job training.
For more information about the "Roadmap to Cut Poverty," visit www.makeitbe.org, or contact Arrostuto at 784-1340, email@example.com; or Contra Costa's Paul Buddenhagen at (925) 671-4514, firstname.lastname@example.com.
Follow Staff Writer Melissa Murphy at Twitter.com/ReporterMMurphy.


text:
They say two heads are better than one, and this adage has rung true for two yoga teachers who have joined forces to open a new studio.
North London Yoga Studios in Vera Avenue, Grange Park, was launched this month by duo Jackie Lee and Indira Das-Guptia.
The pair have been teaching the discipline for more than 20 years and Ms Lee admitted that their new venture was a "dream come true."
She said: "I have been teaching yoga for 20 years and it is a dream come true to open my own studio with Indira.
"I have always wanted to have a studio that I can call home because, as most instructors will know, you're often carrying around equipment to different studios every week, it's not easy."
Not only will it be a base for the new business partners but they will be offering other instructors a discounted rate to hold their own classes.
Ms Lee added: "We have never run a business before but it is a very exciting venture. From my experience, studio rates are extortionate which can be disheartening. That is why we are offering a discount to other trainers.
"So far is has been quite hectic and we didn't know what to expect. We hope this can be a successful and enjoyable business."


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Malcolm Gladwell
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* Teaser ad campaign in the GUARDIAN (Guide), THE TIMES (Play) and INDEPENDENT (Information) plus London Underground escalator poster campaign * Ad/competition in CAMPAIGN * Review coverage in the national press * Author interviews (down the line) and online * Online activity linked to www.gladwell.com * Submitted for trade promotions * Reading copies available
Malcolm Gladwell is a writer for the NEW YORKER. This is his first book.
This book, which features the Law of the Few and people called Connectors and Mavens, sounds like pop psychology, but it's written by a New Yorker writer, so there's obviously more to it. Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.
Hip and hopeful, THE TIPPING POINT is like the idea it describes: concise, elegant but packed with social power. A book for anyone who cares about how society works and how we can make it better George Stephanopoulos A wonderful page-turner about a fascinating idea that should affect the way every thinking person thinks about the world around him Michael Lewis, author of LIAR'S POKER Genuinely fascinating and frequently startling ... The kind of book from which you'll be regaling your friends with intriguing snippets for weeks to come SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY A wonderfully offbeat study of that little-understood phenomenon, the social epidemic DAILY TELEGRAPH
The premise of this facile piece of pop sociology has built-in appeal: little changes can have big effects; when small numbers of people start behaving differently, that behavior can ripple outward until a critical mass or "tipping point" is reached, changing the world. Gladwell's thesis that ideas, products, messages and behaviors "spread just like viruses do" remains a metaphor as he follows the growth of "word-of-mouth epidemics" triggered with the help of three pivotal types. These are Connectors, sociable personalities who bring people together; Mavens, who like to pass along knowledge; and Salesmen, adept at persuading the unenlightened. (Paul Revere, for example, was a Maven and a Connector). Gladwell's applications of his "tipping point" concept to current phenomena--such as the drop in violent crime in New York, the rebirth of Hush Puppies suede shoes as a suburban mall favorite, teenage suicide patterns and the efficiency of small work units--may arouse controversy. For example, many parents may be alarmed at his advice on drugs: since teenagers' experimentation with drugs, including cocaine, seldom leads to hardcore use, he contends, "We have to stop fighting this kind of experimentation. We have to accept it and even embrace it." While it offers a smorgasbord of intriguing snippets summarizing research on topics such as conversational patterns, infants' crib talk, judging other people's character, cheating habits in schoolchildren, memory sharing among families or couples, and the dehumanizing effects of prisons, this volume betrays its roots as a series of articles for the New Yorker, where Gladwell is a staff writer: his trendy material feels bloated and insubstantial in book form. Agent, Tina Bennett of Janklow & Nesbit. Major ad/promo. (Mar.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.
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text:
Slow Death By Cubicle
Hey wild things,
I'm curious how it came to be seen as normal for adult humans to be held captive in itty bitty work cubicles for eight+ hours a day. Do such bizarre conditions really promote workscapes conducive to thoughtful or innovative work?
So, I decided to look into the history of cubicles. Invented by Robert Propst in 1964, these human fattening bins turned fortysomething in 2010. Ironically, Mr. Propst never intended for them to be used to warehouse folks all day. He created them as part of a sleek, artsy "action office" that addressed the horrors of previous open office configurations, the kind where your bossed stared down at you all day from a glass office. It was angled with low partitions to provide some privacy but still had a feeling of openness. The chairs were ergonomically correct and tables adjustable for sitting or standing.
In the 80's, the cubicle became more enclosed. Workers looked at high ugly tweed walls all day. Something akin to madness began to take place inside. Mr. Propst didn't like his name being associated with the resulting cubicle. In fact he called them, "monolithic insanity."
I started to go insane in my cubicle. Eventually, my design books and other items to keep me from losing it started to spill out into the hallway. Layoffs in my row enabled me to "bust" through the wall and obtain a "double-wide." You can imagine the rumors that started circulating around that real estate acquisition. Although the new space didn't stop my spiritual death by cubicle, it slowed it down considerably. You no longer need to wonder why a lot of working stiffs appear to be on the verge of nervous breakdowns …
It's also interesting how our government and corporations run around saying we need to be more productive, then house workers in little insanity-breeding asylums. Why don't they put their money where their mouths are and create office environments that promote creativity and collaboration and ingenuity.
Maybe then, we'd be able to come up with new ideas to move the US out of its recession of small-minded thinking. Forcing white-collared folks to work longer hours doing repetitive tasks in smaller cubicles with less chances to see sunlight during the day (adult recess) cannot possibly create a positive economic outcome.
I'm beginning to understand the real reason schools are being encouraged to eradicate recess. Makes the transition to a veal fattening work bin that much easier. If you can't remember running around free, how can you miss it?
Got any stories from the cubicle trenches?
Muse thx, Giulietta
p.s. Another plug for my essay writing class. Please check it out if you want your blogs, biz writing or essays to hold together better with a theme …


text:
Yield: 6 servings
Prep Time: 10 min
This is better than what you get at one of those popular smoothie places. LOVE the mix of the lemon flavor with blueberries!
2 pints lemon sherbet, softened
1 1/2 cups milk, cold
2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
1. Combine all ingredients in blender or food processor. Blend until smooth.
2. Serve immediately in frosty glasses.
Source: RecipeGirl.com


text:
The Health Resources Services Administration defines telehealth as the use of electronic information and telecommunications technologies to support long-distance clinical health care, patient and professional health-related education, public health and health administration. Technologies include videoconferencing, the internet, store-and-forward imaging, streaming media, and terrestrial and wireless communications.
Telehealth is different from telemedicine because it refers to a broader scope of remote healthcare services than telemedicine. While telemedicine refers specifically to remote clinical services, telehealth can refer to remote non-clinical services, such as provider training, administrative meetings, and continuing medical education, in addition to clinical services.
Most telemonitoring systems wirelessly capture vital sign information and transmit the data to a center which has trained health care professionals. The system captures any or all vital signs depending on the individual's needs such as blood pressure & glucose levels, weight, SpO2 & temperature. The individual's caregiver, physician or family members can access the information remotely at any time, and are alerted when any levels are outside the individual's predetermined parameters and personal care plan. Telemonitoring systems are like having a doctor watching over the individual in the comfort of his or her own home.
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text:
"I found this on the internet several years ago by Hiroyuki Sato on the Tokyo Food Page. Try it with a bit of chopped apple slices; you might be surprised how well it tastes. The versatilty of this salad makes it very easy to eat: At parties served as is or with crackers; I often eat it as a sandwich on hearty breads for lunch or a snack. For my non-meat eating friends, I just omit the slices of ham and it still tastes great! If you do have access to the asian market, try the Japanese Kewpie Brand Mayo; it's in a clear squeezable plastic bottle with a red cap with a picture of the Kewpie doll on the plastic wrap. This condiment adds a special bit of zing; if not accessible, Miracle Whip could also substitute (though I grew up on Best Foods/Hellman's, this is one time the mayo may make a difference...)"
Japanese Potato Salad (With Apple!)
0 recipe photos
READY IN:1hr 40mins
Ingredients Nutrition
- 1 lb russet potato
- 1⁄2 cucumber, thinly sliced in a teaspoon of salt (see directions)
- 1⁄2 small sweet onion, thinly sliced (see directions)
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard (a touch of Dijon mustard is also nice)
- 3 ham slices, cut into small squares (sandwich meat slices)
- 1⁄2 cup mayonnaise (I use Kewpie brand or Miracle Whip)
- 1 -2 slice fuji apple (about 1/8 inch slices)
- Boil the unpeeled potatoes. Meanwhile, cut the cucumber lengthwise and remove the seeds (or use english cucumbers and skip this step.)
- Cut the cucumber into thin slices and place them in a small bowl. Add one teaspoon salt and mix well; set aside.
- Cut the onion into paper thin slices and soak them in cold water until you're ready to use them.
- When the potatoes are done, remove the skins and cut the potatoes lenghtwise, then cut them into pieces about 1 inch wide.
- Wash the cucumber with water and squeeze out the water out. Also squeeze water from the onion. Place the potatoes, cucumber and onion slices, ham and the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Optional: Add julienned carrots for more color.


text:
Today Governor John R. Kasich asked President Barack Obama to issue a Presidential Disaster Declaration for Clermont County so that the maximum level of federal relief can quickly begin flowing to families hard-hit by last Friday's storms.
Kasich asked the President to approve the request by Monday, or at the same time as the requests from other states impacted by the storm, so that relief can begin flowing as soon as possible. Kasich wrote that if the President didn't decide by Monday that, in order to see relief flowing as soon as possible, he would have to withdraw his request and resubmit a request for disaster assistance from the Small Business Administration. SBA relief is less generous than that provided through a Presidential Disaster Declaration, but Ohio's degree of damage likely already qualifies for it so it could begin flowing relatively quickly.
In his letter, Kasich wrote:
"While the level of damage sustained in this disaster may fall below the levels sustained by Kentucky and Indiana, the significant shortage of housing alternatives creates a unique need that cannot be solved without supplemental Federal assistance. This need is, in fact, so acute that I ask you to approve Ohio's request as quickly as possible in order for impacted families to begin receiving Federal aid as quickly as possible.
"If an answer to my request cannot be made by Monday, March 12, or on the same timeframe as requests from other states impacted by this storm, out of a desire to see impacted families begin receiving essential assistance as quickly as possible, I will withdraw this request and, instead, seek other Federal assistance, such as that available from the Small Business Administration, for which I believe Ohio already qualifies. Though less significant, assistance from SBA programs would be able to be provided relatively quickly.
"Hopefully your response to my request will be positive. If not, however, I hope that you and your Administration will still consider the concern I raised to U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano by phone on Saturday and again on Tuesday that every effort needed to be made--outside of the lines of existing Federal programs if necessary--to find alternative, innovative ways to meet Clermont County's severe housing crisis. There is always a way to solve a problem if we put our heads together and are willing to think outside the box."If the President issues a federal disaster declaration for Ohio, disaster assistance loans and grants would be available to eligible individuals. On Saturday Kasich inspected the damage in Southern Ohio and declared a State of Emergency in Clermont County, which allowed Ohio Department of Transportation clean-up crews to assist local officials with debris removal. On Monday Kasich called in the Ohio National Guard to assist with clean-up to expedite the recovery, and asked for federal
inspectors to determine if families were available for additional federal disaster relief benefits. On Tuesday Kasich activated state relief funds for low-income families and local governments.


text:
Honors Program Mission and Goals
The Georgetown College Honors Program strives to encourage the intellectual growth of the college community by giving highly motivated students at all levels the opportunity to pursue challenging and stimulating academic experiences.
In fulfilling its mission, the Georgetown College Honors Program strives to help motivated students reach their fullest academic potential by
- challenging them throughout their college careers
- promoting a high level of intellectual discourse
- helping them broaden their cultural experiences
fostering academic research
Prospective students who earned an ACT score of 27 or higher and a high school GPA of 3.5 or higher are encouraged to apply. Currently enrolled and transfer students with a college GPA of 3.5 or better are also eligible for admission. Students planning to enroll at Georgetown College for in the fall of 2017 should submit their application by April 1, 2017.
To graduate from the Georgetown College Honors Program, students must complete 21 hours of honors credit, including:
- Honors 300 (Seminar) or three sections of Honors 170 (Reading Group)
- Honors 440 (Senior Thesis)
For more information, please email the program director, Dr. Barbara J. Burch


text:
Kenny Kerner
Randy DeFord learned the hard way that the life of a rock
& roller just wasn't for him. One of his best friends, Michael Lee Thomas,
played guitar with country acts Sawyer Brown and Reba McEntire. So DeFord
heard all the stories about the rip-offs and the glory from 1977-1991,
the year Thomas and most of Reba's band were killed when their plane
"Michael went
down to Nashville in 1977," recalled DeFord, "with no money in his pocket,
determined to work hard and pay his dues to get somewhere. I was real
active with what was going on during that period because he was one
of my best friends. I lived out all that stuff through him. I also saw
the bad side of the business but I didn't want that for me."
DeFord was
a late bloomer, as it were, starting to write songs in his early twenties.
Always a talented musician, DeFord, like so many others of us, found
it very difficult to put together the right serious-minded people to
do any kind of recording. So, he did what came naturally--he learned
how to play all of the instruments by himself. And once he discovered
multi-track recording, he didn't need anyone ever again! DeFord went
multi-track and with no more hurdles to overcome, got real focused about
his career as a vocal and instrumental songwriter.
As Randy continued
to hone his craft as a songwriter, he soon came to another startling
realization: "I discovered that there was so much competition with vocal
music and that instrumental music just didn't sell. So I looked to fill
a musical niche that I could do well. I really like movie background
music--the kind that guys like Jerry Goldsmith, Michael Kamen and Danny
Elfman do. So I sent some of my music into Mix Magazine and Guitar Player
and they did a piece on me. But they also told me that I was in the
wrong place; they told me that to be successful, I'd have to move to
Los Angeles, New York or Nashville. Nothing much was going on in Indiana,
but had a good career as a product engineer that I liked and didn't
want to lose, so I just kept on writing my songs."
Living in Monticello,
Indiana, Randy can appreciate the connection he's made to the music industry.
He especially likes the critiques he gets back in the mail. "I really
take the TAXI critiques seriously," he told us by phone, "because they
point out both my strengths and weaknesses in the songs. They're not all
just negative. I'm sitting here in the arm pit of America and I never
ever had anything even close to TAXI before. So even though some of my
songs weren't getting to the next step, I was still being critiqued on
how to improve them. The critiques also made me search out more and different
sounds from the recording equipment I have."
Slowly and deliberately,
Randy began to send in material for the listings until one day his song
was forwarded for the very first time. Here's how Randy recalls it: "When
I received word that one of my tunes was forwarded, I was thrilled--because
that told me that my song was appropriate for the listing; that told me
that somebody might consider it. It finally gave me some credibility.
Getting forwarded also made me feel like the more tapes I send in, the
better chance I have. I was sending in one song for one listing at a time.
But now I feel like I need to send in more songs to better my chances.
You just gotta keep hacking at it. If I got my music used as background
music in just one film, I would feel successful."
For Randy DeFord,
TAXI is clearly the best thing that ever happened to him, and his advice
to others is nothing to sneeze at: "Unless you're living in a giant metropolitan
area where the music scene is going on, what other venue do you have other
than TAXI? Especially for someone like me living in Nowhere, USA."
Well, Randy,
you might reside in Nowhere,USA, but as long as you stick with TAXI you
can never be called a Nowhere man! Keep pluggin' away.


text:
2" Bore Round Double Acting Air Cylinder 6" Stroke
SPEEDAIRE| Zoro #: G1483736| Mfr #: 5ZEG6
Zoro #: G1483736Mfr. Part #: 5ZEG6
$95.67 /ea
This item ships free. DetailsStandard ground shipping
Technical Specifications
|Zoro #: G1483736 Mfr #: 5ZEG6
|End Cap Material: Aluminum
|Item: Air Cylinder
|Features: Non-Switch Ready
|Body Material: Stainless steel
|Dimension Cb: 0.75"
|Piston Material: Aluminum
|Temp. Range: -10 Degrees to 165 Degrees F
|Single Acting/Double Acting: Double Acting
|Port Size: 1/4" FNPT
|Finish: Silver
|Bore Dia.: 2"
|Nose Mount Thread: 1-1/4"-12
|Rod Thread Size: 1/2-20 UNF
|Tube Material: Stainless Steel
|Magnetic Piston: No
|Dimension N1: 1-1/4"-12
|Stroke: 6"
|Piston Rod Material: Chrome Plated Steel
|Dimension L: 0.56"
|Overall Length: 12.94"
|Rod Thread Length: 0.88"
|Max. Pressure: 250 psi
|Mount: Nose and Pivot
|Pivot Hole Dia.: 0.376"
|Rod Dia.: 0.625"
|Dimension B: 1.374"
|Dimension Kk: 1/2"-20 UNF
|Dimension E: 0.75"
|Cylinder Type: Round Non-Repairable
|Dimension Cd: 0.376"
|Dimension D: 0.50"
|Cushion Type: None
|Dimension Cc: 0.625"
|Dimension A: 0.88"
|Country of Origin (subject to change): United States
Product Description
Air Cylinder, Double Acting, Round Non-Repairable, Bore Dia. 2 In., 6 In. Stroke, Nose and Pivot Mount, 1/4 In. FNPT Port Size, 250 psi Max. Pressure, Cushion Type None, -10 Degrees to 165 Degrees F Temp. Range, 12.94 In. Overall Length, Aluminum Piston Material, Stainless Steel Body Material, Silver Finish, Aluminum End Cap Material, Chrome Plated Steel Piston Rod Material, Magnetic Piston No, Tube Material Stainless Steel, Nose Mount Thread 1-1/4 In.-12, 0.625 In. Rod Dia.
Restrictions and Compliance
- *1 : California Proposition 65 : This product contains a chemical known to the State of California to cause birth defects or other reproductive harm.
- *2 : California Proposition 65 : This product contains a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer.


text:
Linux Database Server CPU Comparisonby Johan De Gelas on June 17, 2005 12:05 AM EST
- Posted in
- IT Computing
Words of thanksA lot of people gave us assistance with this project, and we like to thank them of course:
David Van Dromme, Iwill Benelux Helpdesk (http://www.iwill-benelux.com)
Ilona van Poppel, MSI Netherlands (http://www.msi-computer.nl)
Frank Balzer, IBM DB2/SUSE Linux Expert
Jasmin Ul-Haque, Novell Corporate Communications - SUSE LINUX
Matty Bakkeren, Intel Netherlands
Trevor E. Lawless, Intel US
Larry.D. Gray, Intel US
Markus Weingartner, Intel Germany
Nick Leman, MySQL expert
Bert Van Petegem, DB2 Expert
Ruben Demuynck, Vtune and OS X expert
Yves Van Steen, developer Dbconn
Damon Muzny, AMD US
I would also like to thank Lode De Geyter, Manager of the PIH, for letting us use the infrastructure of the Technical University of Kortrijk in which to test the database servers.
Benchmark configurationTo ensure that our databases were stable and reliable, we followed the guidelines of SUSE and IBM. For example, DB2 is only certified to run on the SLES versions of SUSE Linux - you cannot run it - in theory - on any Linux distribution. We also used the MySQL version (4.0.18) that came with the SUSE SLES9 CD's, which was certified to work on our OS.
Network performance wasn't an issue. We used a direct Gigabit Ethernet link between client and server. On average, the server received 4 Mbit/s and sent 19 Mbit/s of data, with a peak of 140 Mbit/s, way below the limits of Gigabit. The disk system wasn't overly challenged either: up to 600 KB of reads and at most 23 KB/s writes. You can read more about our MySQL and DB2 test methods.
Software:IBM DB2 Enterprise Server Edition 8.2 (DB2ESE), 32 bit and 64 bit
MySQL 4.0.18, 32 en 64 bit, MyISAM and InnoDB engine SUSE SLES 9 (SUSE Entreprise Edition) , Linux kernel 2.6.5, 64 bit.
HardwareWe'll discuss the different servers that we tested in more detail below. Here is the list of the different configurations:
Intel Server 1:
Dual Intel Nocona 3.6 GHz 1 MB L2-cache, 800 MHz FSB - Lindenhurst Chipset
Dual Intel Irwindale 3.6 GHz 2 MB L2-cache, 800 MHz FSB - Lindenhurst Chipset
Intel® Server Board SE7520AF2
8 GB (8x1024 MB) Micron Registered DDR-II PC2-3200R, 400 MHz CAS 3, ECC enabled
NIC: Dual Intel® PRO/1000 Server NIC (Intel® 82546GB controller)
Intel Server 2:
Dual Xeon DP 3.06 GHz 1 MB L3-cache, Dual Xeon 3.2 GHz 2MB L3-cache
Dual Xeon 3.2 GHz
Intel SE7505VB2 board - Dual DDR266
2 GB (4x512 MB) Crucial PC2100R - 250033R, 266 MHz CAS 2.5 (2.5-3-3-6)
NIC: 1 Gb Intel RC82540EM - Intel E1000 driver.
Intel Server 3:
Pentium-D EE 840
Intel SE7505VB2 board - Dual DDR266
2 GB (4x512 MB) Crucial PC2100R - 250033R, 266 MHz CAS 2.5 (2.5-3-3-6)
NIC: 1 Gb Intel RC82540EM - Intel E1000 driver.
Opteron Server 1: Dual Core Opteron 875 (2.2 GHz), Dual/ Single Opteron 850, Dual/Single Opteron 848
Iwill DK8ES Bios version 1.20
4 GB: 4x1GB MB Transcend (Hynix 503A) DDR400 - (3-3-3-6)
NIC: Broadcom BCM5721 (PCI-E)
Quad Opteron Server 2: Iwill H4103: Quad Opteron 844, 848
Iwill H4103
4-8 GB: 4-8x1GB MB Transcend (Hynix 503A) DDR400 - (3-3-3-6)
NIC: Intel 82546EB (PCI-E)
Opteron Server 3: Dual Core Opteron 875 (2.2 GHz), Dual/ Single Opteron 848
MSI K8N Master2-FAR
4 GB: 4x1GB MB Transcend (Hynix 503A) DDR400 - (3-3-3-6)
NIC: Broadcom BCM5721 (PCI-E)
Opteron Server 4: AMD Quartet: Dual Opteron 848, Quad 848
Quartet motherboard, Zildjian personality board, Tobias backplane board and Rivera power distribution board.
Quad configurations: 4 GB: 8x512 MB infineon PC2700 Registered, ECC enabled
Dual configurations: 2 GB: 4x512 MB infineon PC2700 Registered, ECC enabled
NIC: Broadcom NetExtreme Gigabit
Client Configuration: Dual Opteron 850
MSI K8T Master1-FAR
4x512 MB infineon PC2700 Registered, ECC enabled
NIC: Broadcom 5705
Shared Components
1 Seagate Cheetah 36 GB - 15000 RPM - 320 MB/s
Maxtor 120 GB DiamondMax Plus 9 (7200 RPM, ATA-100/133, 8 MB cache)
SoftwareVtune for Windows version 7.2, Vtune for Linux remote agent 3.0
Code Analyst for Linux 3.4.8
Code Analyst for Windows 2.3.4
More about the servers in this testAlthough our main focus is the database server performance of the different AMD and Intel platforms, allow me to introduce some of the motherboards and server barebones that we used in this test.
Iwill H4103The amount of power that the Iwill H4103 can pack in a 1U rack mounted case is nothing short of amazing. As you can see, there are no less than 4 Opterons in this pizza box, which also allows you to put up to 32 GB of DDR RAM in there. Even more impressive is the inclusion of two redundant 700 Watt power supplies.
The preferred habitat of such a beast is, of course, a HPC (High Performance Computing) environment, but it can also be used as a database server. The single problem is that the only disk interface available is the old and (especially for server applications) slow P-ATA interface. It is possible to cram two disks and a slim CDROM in there, but P-ATA disks are not a decent solution for a server. So, why show this quad CPU monster be in a database server review?
First of all, the H4103 is equipped with 4 Gigabit Ethernet ports, courtesy of a Intel 82546EB dual-channel GbE LAN controller, connected to the PCI-X bus. This allows you to connect to a NAS devices at Gigabit speeds. The integration of the Intel Gigabit Ethernet chip is a very good move: Intel's Gigabit chips are capable of reaching up to 900 Mbit/s at CPU's loads of less than 20% (measured with an Opteron 248).
The second option is to use the PCI-X 64bit 133/100/66MHz expansion slot with riser card (what we did) and connect Direct Attached Storage (DAS) externally such as an array of SCSI disks. It is pretty clear that when it comes to saving rack space, the Iwill H4103 is a very interesting option.
What about cooling? Well, this is a server of course and a whole battery of 10,000 RPM fans keep the copper heat sinks cool. In our poorly cooled lab, temperatures rose easily to 30°C and higher, but the Iwill H4103 heat sinks hardly became warm under full load. According to Iwill, you should be able to use dual core Opterons in this pizza box, but we haven't been able to verify this as the necessary BIOS version still had yet to arrive.
The H4103 left a very stable and highly performing impression upon us. The only thing left that would make this ultra compact quad Opteron machine complete is the integration of a SCSI controller or at least a very good SATA controller.
Iwill DK8ESThe Iwill DK8ES is a server board, based on NVIDIA's nForce 4 2200 Professional chipset, which includes two x16 PCI Express slots. The board also integrates an ATI RageXL VGA controller, 2 x PCI-Express x16 expansion slots (one in PCI-Express x2 mode), 3 PCI-X 64bit 133/100/66MHz expansion slots and 4 SATA ports. Two Broadcom BCM5721PCI-E Gigabit Ethernet Controllers are connected to a PCI-E port.
The interesting thing about the Iwill board is the high quality components that have been used on the board, such as tantalum capacitors and high end Digital VRMs.
The digital VRMs allow a very precise voltage regulation, increasing the stability of the server.
The board has proven to be fully stable during 6 weeks of heavy database server testing. The only problem was that Linux didn't like running Dual core Opterons on this board. A BIOS update (to 1.20) made the Opteron 275 and 875 run stable on this board, but Linux (kernel 2.6.12) still didn't use both cores. Both cores were reported, but only one was used. We suspect that Iwill may have to work out a BIOS issue, or that some of the NVIDIA Linux drivers still need some tuning.
MSI's K8Master-FAR2MSI sent us a completely different, relatively cheap workstation board that should enable very compact quad core (two dual cores) Opteron machines. The MSI K8Master-Far2 is based on the NVIDIA nForce 4 Pro chipset.
In order to get two Opteron sockets, one 32-bit/33 MHz PCI slot, one PCI Express x4 slot and two PCI Express x16 slots (SLI mode supported) on a standard ATX board, MSI didn't give the second CPU local memory. Despite this limitation, the MSI K8Master-FAR2 proved to be an excellent performer in our database server tests.
Six memory slots allow up to 12 GB of RAM, not bad for such a compact board.
We weren't very happy with the Gigabit Marvell 88E1111 PHY interface, which consumes more than 60% CPU power (Opteron 248) easily and delivers only 500 Mbit/s. Luckily for our tests, we could use the second gigabit Ethernet chip, the Broadcom BCM5788 (800 Mbit at 30%). We also would like to see the fan on the NVIDIA chipset replaced by a decent heat sink. Four SATA-II (300 MB/s) connections are available.
But at the end of the tests, the MSI K8Master-FAR2 (BIOS version 1.0) proved to be a very capable board. Supported by our Vantec 470W power supply, it had no trouble at all with two 875 Opterons running heavy database server tests for more than 3 weeks.
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Guspaz - Friday, June 17, 2005 - linkWhy are there no graphs like other Anandtech articles? Why is everything in hard to read tables with broken formatting? This one seems a bit rough around the edges compared to the usual Anandtech quality. Reply
juhl - Friday, June 17, 2005 - linkI find it quite odd that you claim to be testing with a 2.6.12 Linux kernel despite the fact that that kernel has not yet been released in a final version.
If you are using one of the pre-release kernels you should explicitly say so, and tell us which one.
The latest stable kernel at the time I write this is 188.8.131.52, the latest development kernels are 2.6.12-rc6, 2.6.12-rc6-git8 & 2.6.12-rc6-mm1 . There's also the question of wether or not you used a stock kernel.org kernel or a "patched to hell-and-back with crap" gentoo kernel...
So, what were you really using?
sinisterDei - Friday, June 17, 2005 - link#20
Correct me if I'm wrong, but would not the query cache positively affect the scores of both vendor's chips?
I suppose I don't have a pair of database machines just sitting around to test it out, but I'd imagine that if query cache was enabled the Opteron would experience similar performance boosts to the Xeon- if not more of a boost thanks to the higher-performing memory subsystem.
Just my $.02 to counteract the fear-monger :) Reply
Viditor - Friday, June 17, 2005 - link"Translation: We didn't want our beloved AMD to lose, so we doctored the test"
Translation of the translation...
Shoot the messenger! :-) Reply
michaelpatrick33 - Friday, June 17, 2005 - link#20 Ah yes the conspiracy theories begin. Just like AMD with Tomshardware. The server results here appear pretty consistent with every other server test I have seen on review sites but who knows.
# 19. Intel is only at 90nm but do have 300mm wafers. That is why Fab36 is so important for AMD. 300mm wafers and 65nm by Q2 of 2006 should put them pretty equal with Intel's fabrication level. Production level is still way, way in favor of Intel though.
Pricing, as I said before the Opteron dualcore chips are way cheaper than Intel dualcore server chips because Intel doesn't have any. Reply
Questar - Friday, June 17, 2005 - link"The " query cache" was off, as we wanted to test worst case performance. In some cases, the query cache was able to push a single Xeon to 1000 queries per second, and the CPU was still capable of doing more, as the CPU load was at 50% - 70%. "
Translation: We didn't want our beloved AMD to lose, so we doctored the test. Reply
thegagman - Friday, June 17, 2005 - linkBTW guys, one reason why AMD may be pricing its chips mihc higher is the MFG process. Unless I am mistaken (and someone correct me if I am wrong), they are still using 200mm wafers on a 90 or 110 process. Intel is using 300mm at 65 nm...this results in a huge difference in throuhput. Since AMD is already pricing its CPUs very agressively to gain market share, and the die of those dual-cores is much bigger (anybody know the real %?) then it is to be anticipated that their dual-cores are much more exspensive. They are probably gambling on selling dual-core Opterons at high-margins via Sun and other OEMs first,which will probably take most of their wafers. This is why their Desktop parts are coming later I would bet...
thegagman Reply
nserra - Friday, June 17, 2005 - link#17 Good answers but, "Depends on the applications you run. On single threaded code, the faster single core will run your code faster."
Doesn't explain what I was meaning, so for you is OK to pay more for a single core processor, because runs faster some times (may run slower other times), how will you know what it will happen? (Supposing that you don't know shit about your software requirements).
. AMD don't have this problem so why would amd for example release an 4200+ processor at the same price of the 3500+ ? If the performance is equal or superior?
I think amd have made they right decisions, like intel have made his.
They all play with what they have, and not with they haven't.
fitten - Friday, June 17, 2005 - link"Explain me something:
- how do you explain or how Intel will explain that their single core processor cost more than the dual core ones? "
Because Intel sets the prices of their chips. They want to push dual-core to the masses so they price them accordingly.
"- Why should you buy a single core over a dual core if it cost more? "
Depends on the applications you run. On single threaded code, the faster single core will run your code faster.
"- How good is this Intel market decision (marketing). "
Probably pretty good. Considering you have to buy a new motherboard to use the dual-core Intel parts, they dropped the price so that the CPU + motherboard cost is about the same (or less than still) the cost of just the dual-core CPU from AMD. Sounds like a good strategy to me.
michaelpatrick33 - Friday, June 17, 2005 - linkI also think it is safe to say that Amd's dualcore Opterons will be cheaper than any Intel dualcore server chip for the next six to eight months since there aren't any Intel dualcore server chips. IDC just released market research that showed AMD with 30% of the 4way server sales in Q1 '05. That is what AMD is after. The 64bit performance difference is surprising to say the least. Reply


text:
For many people starting on the net, they may dream of making their own fortune – quitting their job and working from home operating their own online business empire…
But there's a GIANT step first isn't there?
Before you can go on to make your fortune with your own online marketing business, you need to get started – in other words, you need to make your first $1,000!
For some people, $1K each month would be their ticket out of debt, would alleviate them from a very desparate situation, allow them to pay their rent or mortgage so they don't have to reduce their current lifestyle.
I've been there in the past – over 10-years ago I was in deep debt – the kind of debt that you can't see your way out of no matter how positive your mindset. Sometimes that kind of situation leads to desparation which often leads to bad judgement which in turn, attracts more bad stuff into your life.
Enough with the self-pity – that was a long time ago and debt is a thing of the past. My online marketing business was a big part of getting out of that debt hole, regaining a sense of self-respect, confidence and control in my life resulting in better decisions with strong momentum and great things happening in my life.
You see, it all starts with making your first dollars online.
So how do you do it?
Here are 3 ways to make $1,000 in 1-month. Let me start by saying this is not an income claim, and of course, not guaranteed – since you know as well as I that putting ideas and techniques into action is the basis of turning a fantasy into reality.
1. Create a report or ebook around a hot selling niche market. Once you have this report or ebook you can make money from it in a few ways. You could create your own website/blog driving traffic to your sales page and sell your products for profit. To make $1,000 in a month, you need roughly 38 sales of a $27 report or ebook, just 22 sales of a $47 ebook. You could also market resell rights to a limited number of people for say $197 – only need 5 of these to reach your $1K goal. The great part of this approach is that you put the work into product development once, and you get to profit for months/years with no extra work. In other words, your first month is $1K, you can pretty much bank on $1K (typically even more) each month after assuming you keep up the same level of marketing and perhaps take into account any seasonal impact on your topic.
To get a headstart on creating hot selling information products – here are a few resources you can tap into:
1. Information Marketer's Success Articles – On making money with information products
2. Fast-track private members site with inside information, tools, interviews, templates and private coaching forum
3. Winner's Information Product Marketing Success Package – Full Course
2. Generate Content and Sell It. Another great way to earn some quick income is to select a hot topic such as weight loss, personal development, finance…and so on – generate a package of 500-800 word articles which you can then sell as PLR (Private Label Rights) content. Webmasters, bloggers, affiliate marketers, and information product entrepreneurs are all looking for more content on their site to help drive search engine attention and ranking. So, they look for related content they can use. By pre-developing this content for them – you can market a limited number of licenses (say 100) to your PLR articles on a given topic and quickly earn $1,000K. You may want to consider continuing witht his business model, or simply use it to fund other outsource work such as website development, marketing or product development to build another business model.
3. List Building and Affiliate Marketing. If you are just starting out in a given niche market, then begin by building what I call a "spider web" – a very strategic, content-based website desiged to draw traffic into your web of opt-in list building forms and/or affiliate product promotion.
No matter what business you intend to start online, begin by building this "spider web" site where you begin to build authority, credibility, a list with subsriber loyalty and soon you will see direct revenue from marketing affiliate products which can then lead to your own product ideas and sales.
Making your first $1,000 online should be a MAJOR short-term goal for all of you who have been wanting to build your own online empire, but can't seem to get started.
Once you get things rolling, momentum has a way of attracting more revenue and profits your way.


text:
HOLIDAY — Perhaps it's time for west Pasco to dream big.
That slice of the county has the highest concentration of businesses and residents. Its 10 percent foreclosure rate is also the county's highest. Its housing stock was built for retirees who have moved on and many neighborhoods lack a defining feature that creates a sense of place.
"It was very poor foresight in development," said Michael Fallon, a 76-year-old retired transportation manager from New York City.
That's what county growth management chief Richard Gehring is trying to fix. That's why he wants to dream big.
"People will ultimately create the community they want," he said Tuesday night during a community meeting to outline strategies to redevelop west Pasco. "The plan has to be big enough to be motivational."
County planners will hold three more meetings over the next month to gather more feedback on their ideas. Other stops include New Port Richey, Port Richey and Hudson.
Ideas include reconfiguring some stretches of U.S. 19, improving access to parks along the Gulf of Mexico and creating central gathering points in neighborhoods that give people a sense of civic pride.
The riverwalk idea
The dozen or so residents who attended Tuesday's meeting largely liked what they heard. One popular idea is creating a river walk between downtown New Port Richey and a new discernible downtown Port Richey at the mouth of Miller's Bayou.
"The river walk is a great idea," said Jon Hyland, a Realtor at Coldwell Banker in New Port Richey. "The more we can utilize the coast, the better chance of bringing money into the area."
Hyland said building community support for the ideas is key to finding the money to pay for pricey redevelopment costs.
Gehring's staff split west Pasco into a dozen areas to come up with plans for each one.
Take the so-called Embassy District, a residential epicenter east of U.S. 19 between Ridge Road and State Road 52. It's the most densely populated part in the county with more than seven people per acre.
One goal is to realign some streets into a grid pattern to improve traffic flow and encourage walking. The area could also see more small neighborhood parks like Lake Lisa Park.
Or consider what officials have dubbed Anclote West, a small area that includes a Progress Energy power plant and three parks. (Most of Holiday's neighborhoods are grouped in a separate area.)
The county wants to improve access to the parks. One idea is to run ferries to Anclote Key Preserve State Park so residents don't have to head to Tarpon Springs.
Another idea is to divert a planned $1 billion for three Pinellas-style overpasses at major intersections on U.S. 19. Instead, the county wants to ask the state Department of Transportation to use that money to create a "multi-way boulevard" at key points. Lanes in the center would be for longer trips while access roads would handle local traffic.
Cutting down on traffic
Under that plan, buildings would hug sidewalks and parking would be concentrated in garages and lots away from main roads. That would encourage people to walk to shops and create a more pleasant streetscape.
"The county should not be wasting that money on the overpasses," said Jack Murphy, a 71-year-old retiree from Holiday. "It could be much better used."
Murphy acknowledges that retirees like him no longer dominate west Pasco. Younger families have moved in, and many are struggling because of the Great Recession.
"People living here, some of them just can't afford cars," he said, calling for expanded bus service. "I watch these people in our neighborhood, and they're just hanging on."
Lee Logan can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com or (727) 869-6236.


text:
AMSTERDAM (Jul. 1)
Dr. Isaac Maurits Kolthoff, chief of the division of analytical chemistry at the University of Minnesota, has been awarded an honorary doctor's degree by the University of Gronigen. Prof. Kolthoff, who was born in Holland, was honored on the occasion of the 350th anniversary of the university. The ceremony was attended by Queen Juliana.


text:
STARmeterTop 5000
Down 103 this week
Bruce Dern (I)
Actor | Producer | Soundtrack
Bruce Dern was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Jean (MacLeish) and John Dern, an attorney and utility chief. His paternal grandfather, George Henry Dern, served as Governor of Utah (1925-1933) and then U.S. Secretary of War (1933-1936). His ancestry includes German, English, Scottish, and Dutch. Bruce Dern had established himself as the movies' ... See full bio »
Born:in Chicago, Illinois, USA
More at IMDbPro » Contact Info: View agent, manager, publicist and company


text:
READERS have been sharing more memories of Northwich's former Regal cinema.
Hartford man Victor Boyle told the Guardian that his dad had a pivotal role to play in its history.
Sgt William Boyle was the policeman who rescued staff from the Regal during the Great Flood of 1946.
Victor said: "He was the sergeant on duty at the time the manager was trapped inside the cinema.
"He saw this boat floating past, grabbed it and rowed in to get him out.
"I was 16 or 17 at the time and lived in Queensgate, in Castle.
"I was going to go to work and was coming down Castle Hill on my bike to go to the train station when I got to the bottom and thought 'what's this?'.
"So I had to turn round and go to Hartford Station and I didn't know anything about it until I got home and everyone was talking about what he'd done.
"I thought he was having me on."
Victor said his dad never boasted about his daring rescue.
"He hardly spoke of it," he said, "He just told us after it happened and never really mentioned it again."
Former Lostock Gralam man Steve Thompson also wrote to the Guardian from South Africa after hearing about the Regal's demolition.
He remembers falling in love with film when he went to see Jaws at the London Road cinema aged 12.
"I moved away from Cheshire in the mid-1980s but returned to the town and the cinema when I could, my last visit to The Regal was to see Casino Royale not long before the final showing of Grease, which I would dearly love to have attended.
"Reading many of the words written about The Regal I smiled as I was reminded of the girls selling ice cream, the small bar in the foyer, the sweets counter just up the steps from the box office and of course the mural, which became a wall of movie posters (which I loved).
"For the last two years I have worked and lived in South Africa, and as I approach 50 I still remember, with a seemingly endless affection, my many years of visiting The Regal. "
• An author and historian is writing a book about Northwich's much-loved Regal cinema and is keen to hear from people with memories and memorabilia to share.
Michael Leigh, from Winsford, said: "I have a lot of information from people who worked there but I still need a bit more.
"I grew up living in Navigation Road, which is only a stones throw away from the Regal, and it holds such an amazing place in my heart, especially now the place that I grew up in has changed dramatically over the last few years, with more buildings being pulled down than ever before.
"I hope you can help me so that I am able to keep the Regal alive for my children and future generations who will forget if its not marked in history.
"There is so many fasinating stories based around the regal and the surrounding areas and it would be great to hear more."
To contact Michael email email@example.com.


text:
State Sen. Mike Fasano, a New Port Richey Republican who has become one of Tampa Bay's most powerful lawmakers, on Thursday got a new job in the Senate: president pro tempore.
That appointment makes him top chief to incoming president Jeff Atwater.
"It was unexpected, and I was honored to get the call from President Atwater," Fasano said Thursday. "Of course, I didn't hesitate."
Atwater, R-Palm Beach, announced the appointment in a news release calling Fasano "one of the hardest working individuals in the Florida Senate."
Fasano said his new duties include pushing Atwater's agenda and working with other senators to come up with bi-partisan solutions to an array of problems, including the budget deficit.
That sounds like a change of pace for Fasano, who has chaired powerful transportation and economic development committees and developed a reputation for catering to Pasco constituents and bringing home big bucks.
But Fasano said he thinks the position will be a good challenge, especially during difficult times.
"I'm a Republican, but the bottom line is we need to work together," he said.
He also has prospects of another plum assignment. He said Atwater told him he would also head up a committee, though he does not know yet which one.
Last session, Sen. Lisa Carlton served both as pro tem and as chairwoman of the all-important Senate Budget Committee.
Fasano served in the House for eight years before joining the Senate in 2002.
He served as majority leader in the House and as majority whip in the Senate.
Though he said he's proud of his leadership positions, he said he hasn't been interested in merely puffing up his resume.
"My goal was to always be in a position that would help our Senate district out," he said.
Jodie Tillman can be reached at email@example.com or (727) 869-6247.


text:
In addition to the galleries, the MIA has a number of places where you can explore, learn, relax, and dine.
The MIA also makes available a number of spaces for private rental.
Minneapolis Institute of Art
2400 Third Avenue South
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55404
(808) MIA-ARTS (642-2787) (Toll Free)
Tickets: (612) 870-3000 or email email@example.com


text:
Steven Soderbergh's latest, "The Informant!," comes off like the smartest, funniest kid in the class — a wiz at everything he does from physics to basketball, but somehow friendless.
His sin lies in being too clever for his own good and too self-satisfied to hide it. Kids like him would be better suited to living in a monarchical dictatorship, with him running the show top-down. If you don't get his jokes, hurled with precise aim from the depths of a brain geared permanently at warp speed, then go live in a democracy where there's a safety net for the slow and unsharp. Or so the film seems to say.
The title and opening credits are rife with smarmy wit; what's with the exclamation mark anyway, the 1960s color scheme and squiggly font copped from the "Yellow Submarine" album jacket?
|out of 5
|Steven Soderbergh
|Run Time
|108 minutes
|Opens Dec. 5, 2009
Soderbergh is deliberately misleading us since the story (based on a true-to-life corporate scandal) happens in the early 1990s — a not-so-auspicious decade that looking back seems intoxicated with its own, innocuous cluelessness. Certainly that seems to be the case with protagonist Mark Whitacre (played by a toupeed Matt Damon, who reportedly put on 15 kg for the role).
Mark is a successful biochemist working for agribusiness colossus Archer Daniels Midland — only 32 years old and he's already building stables next to his huge home in Decatur, Illinois (close to the company headquarters), married to the antiseptic Ginger (Melanie Lynskey) and father of three kids, two of whom are adopted.
Soderbergh wastes no time getting the audience acquainted with Mark, which means engineering a huge urge within us to become unacquainted with the guy as soon as possible. Mark is set up here as the caricature of the deadly boring '90s guy with his big-shouldered suits and bigger trench coats, his nondescript and beefy face inspiring business trust but not much more. It's no wonder Ginger looks as if she's stifling a yawn whenever he's around, a mug of coffee clasped in her hand. One "hi honey!" uttered by her husband at a wrong moment could likely send her into a coma.
Maybe Mark knows this, because he's always trying to make up for his dull-as-prairie-mud persona with dramatic lies. At first, it's a relatively harmless fib (in his mind, at least): He tells his boss (Tom Papa) that an executive from a Japanese food company has placed a spy in Archer Midlands to screw up their hot, new food additive. The Japanese executive will back off for a price, and has picked Mark as the go-between. The lie snowballs into something bigger when the boss calls in the FBI to tap Mark's home phone as a defense measure. To extricate himself from the tangle of concocted BS, Mark cuts a deal with the FBI and agrees to wear a wire for the purpose of nailing Archer-Midland's (at the time, nonexistent) price-fixing conspiracy. There's Mark, secretly setting up microphones in conference rooms from Honolulu to Hamburg, and there's the infinitely patient FBI agent, Brian Shepard (Scott Bakula), holed up in a dark room somewhere in the building, listening in. Both are completely serious. Brian even carries around a photo of Mark and his family, just to "remind myself that this man has a family, has people who depend on him" and therefore, he, Brian, must protect his informant at all costs.
In the meantime, Mark is wondering inwardly whether to call Brian "Bri" — because, afterall, they have more than a business relationship, don't they?
"The Informant!" is hilarious and fascinating, the laughs accelerated by the fact that Mark Whitacre is so excessively unlikable. He's less human than crustacean, encased in an impenetrable shell concealing a colossal smugness and an infinite capacity for self-deceit under which bubbles a polluted wellspring of insecurity. You just don't want to KNOW Mark, but it's hard not to listen to him, if only to see how far he goes. To make sure no one ever sympathizes with the guy, Soderbergh delivers an inconclusive conclusion that goes off like a bad dinner joke told at some second-rate country club, somewhere in the U.S. Midwest.


text:
Pau-Wa-Lu students spell their way to state bee
January 23, 2013
Pau-Wa-Lu Middle School produced two spelling champs on Tuesday, but it wasn't easy.
Certain words during the Douglas County School District's seventh- and eighth-grade finals seemed plucked from obscurity, dredged from esoteric corners of the lexicon, such as "ocarina," a small, often ceramic wind instrument, or "nonagenarian," a person between 90 and 100 years old.
Other words had a distinct, shall we say, flavor, like "chalupa," and "tamale."
Pau-Wa-Lu librarian and event moderator Susan Bullard explained that the spelling bee word list is varied and relies on "the luck of the draw." Some spellers may know every word except the one they receive, and vice versa, she said.
Round one of the seventh-grade competition was a testament to this conundrum. Six out of eight students were eliminated in one sweep with misspellings on "macabre," "parquet," "nautilus," and "lariat," among others.
Only Ian Ozolins from Carson Valley Middle School and Grace McNalley from Pau-Wa-Lu advanced. They went head-to-head in the next two rounds, during which neither were able to spell their respective words, including "parody," "malignant," "ocarina" and "maelstrom."
Recommended Stories For You
In round four, Ian missed a vowel in "reversible," and Grace nailed "narrate" and then "wrestling," clinching the seventh-grade title.
"It's scary but really cool at the same time," she said of her victory. "I'm really proud of myself. Some words were really easy, but others, I had no clue."
Grace said good spelling runs in her family, at least on one side.
"I get if from my mom," she said.
Her parents were in the audience.
"It's exciting," said Jules McNalley-Byington, the champion's mother. "She competed last year at the spelling bee, but her nerves got the best of her. It's fun to see here mature and be able to handle her nerves. She seemed calmer today."
When asked about her daughter's comment on genetics, she made a joke about the other side of the family:
"It definitely does not come from her dad," she said.
Bill McNalley, the father, accepted this statement with a grin:
"I love spell check," he said.
The eighth-grade competition lasted longer. The first round shed four participants with misspellings on "panache," "nonagenarian," "mademoiselle," and "omniscient."
The remaining four participants missed every word in the second round, from "metastasize" to "obstetrician," thus returning to round three as if nothing had happened.
Two of them, however, soon lost on "nutritiously" and "rupee," while Pau-Wa-Lu's Connor Brown advanced with "ingenious," and Luke Heinrichs from CVMS advanced with "clapboard."
Luke almost pulled out in round four after Connor misspelled "physique." Luke sounded out "chalupa" with no problem but missed "juggernaut" in the follow-up.
In round five, he missed "pistachio," and Connor took the advantage with the correct spelling of "tamale." Conner's follow-up word was "lethargy," which he proceeded to spell out correctly, taking the eighth-grade title in the process.
"I think it means you're almost like a vegetable – lazy," Connor said of his winning word. "It's kind of unreal. I wasn't expecting to win. I just did this for fun, to pass the time."
He was likewise nonchalant about the origin of his talent.
"Maybe I'm a little above average in spelling," he said. "I did a little studying before. But I read a lot."
Both champions said they're excited to attend the state spelling bee in Las Vegas on March 2.


text: Hi, hoping some of you with Phatboxes can advise me: It concerns the "beep/blurp" tones as confirmation that the Phatbox has gone back into "track" mode following a selection/choice. For example, I switch to artist mode, i hear "maroon 5" announced, then the song begins to play for about a second, then the song mutes and i get a "beep/blurp" confirming the system is no longer in "select" mode and has gone into track mode. I'm not sure if I've described it very well, but hopefully someone knows what I mean! I'd far rather not have the song commence playing for a second or so longer, instead of beep; song; mute; beep; song. GRRRRHHH !!! Can it be sorted?


text:
Aug 01, 2009
Many things can impact litter size in the bitch. These include number of eggs released from the ovary during a given heat cycle; presence of adequate numbers of normal spermatozoa to fertilize those eggs; presence of a normal reproductive tract in the bitch to permit implantation of developing embryos, absence of disease; and persistent secretion of progesterone. This paper will not include information about pathologic causes of lack of conception, such as uterine infection or poor semen quality, or causes of pregnancy loss, such as canine brucellosis or premature decline in progesterone production. This paper also will not include information about methods for enhancing number of eggs ovulated, or superovulation. That technique works best in animals that ovulate few eggs with each heat cycle, such as cows and ewes, and has not been proven to work in species that ovulate numerous eggs with each cycle, including bitches. Instead, this paper will focus on proven causes for decline in litter size in bitches, to help you and your veterinarian best determine when a pathologic cause for decreasing litter size may be present.
Breeding management
Dogs ovulate eggs (ova) that are immature, incapable of being fertilized. It takes, on average, 48 hours for the majority of those ova to mature to the point where they can be fertilized. After that period, ova survive for a variable number of days, with presumed decline in viability as they age. Therefore, optimal breeding day in dogs, for natural service or insemination with fresh or chilled semen, is two days after ovulation. Optimal breeding day with frozen semen is three to four days after ovulation; once thawed, spermatozoa that had been frozen live only a matter of hours so insemination must be performed when all ova are known to have matured completely. It has been well demonstrated that litter size is optimized by breeding on optimal breeding day in bitches. Determination of optimal breeding day is best done by measurement of progesterone in blood. Litter size can be maximized by inseminating twice during a given heat cycle; most often breedings are accomplished two and four days after ovulation with natural service, fresh or chilled semen, and three and four days after ovulation with frozen-thawed semen.Type of semen used – site of insemination
According to records from the American Kennel Club (AKC), natural service produced larger litters than did artificial insemination, with a 15% decrease in those litters produced from fresh or chilled semen and a 25% decrease in those litters produced from frozen-thawed semen. Scandinavian researchers reported a 30.5% decrease in litter size in bitches inseminated with frozen-thawed semen compared to bitches inseminated with fresh semen.
In general, litter size is increased with any type of semen if it is deposited directly into the uterus; in a Scandinavian study, litter size averaged 4.0 pups for vaginal insemination compared to 5.4 pups with intrauterine insemination. Intrauterine insemination is particularly important when using frozen-thawed semen; in one study, transcervical intrauterine insemination (TCI) yielded average litters of 6.0 pups while vaginal insemination yielded litters of 4.0 pups.
Intrauterine insemination can be accomplished surgically or by TCI. No good studies directly comparing these two techniques have been published. Advantages of surgical insemination are that the reproductive tract can be observed directly and the technique is successful in all attempts. Disadvantages of surgical insemination are the need for general anesthesia and only one opportunity for performance of the technique during a given heat cycle. Reported average litter size with surgical insemination of German Shepherd dogs was 7.0 pups in one study. Advantages of TCI include lack of anesthesia and ability to perform the procedure multiple times during a given heat. The primary disadvantage is that the technique is not possible in all dogs. Dr. Marian Wilson, who developed the TCI technique, reported an average litter size of 5.0 pups from TCI of 46 bitches of various breeds.


text:
The Gaels finish the year with a 10-8-2 overall mark and 1-6-1 West Coast Conference record. Brigham Young improves to 11-5-3, 5-2-1 WCC and will wait to see if it makes the NCAA Tournament as an at-large selection.
Daelyn Paul scored her second goal of the year on a double assist from Vicki Shimkus and Jordan Marada. The assist was Marada's 12th of the year, tying the single-season school record (Monika Larsson, 1994). Marada's 30 points in 2011 is the eighth highest single-season mark at SMC.
BYU got off to a quick start with goals in the 9th and 13 minute. Carlee Payne and Jessica Ringwood scored the goals to give the Cougars a 2-0 edge. In the 28th minute, Niki Fernandes scored on a cross from five yards out to give BYU a 3-0 lead. After Payne scored the first goal, she had assists on the next two for BYU.
Saint Mary's scored its goal in the 37th minute as Daelyn Paul got the ball in close range after passes from Shimkus and Marada. SMC trailed 3-1 at the break.
In the first-half, the squads were tied with seven shots apiece and one corner kick each. Fouls were 3-3 in the first-half.
Both teams attempted several shots in the second-half, 18 by the Cougars and eight by the Gaels. BYU got the only goal of the second-half as Rachel Manning scored off a rebound on a free kick by Lindsi Lisonbee.
For the match, BYU outshot SMC 25-15 as Kate Brenot had eight saves and McKinzie Olson had seven saves. SMC held a 7-5 advantage on corner kicks and BYU committed nine fouls compared to seven by the Gaels.
Marada led SMC with six shots while Kaytlyn Steele fired off three shots. Paul and Kreuz took two shots apiece.
For BYU, Niki Fernandes and Jaiden Thornock took five shots each.
Before the opening kickoff, Saint Mary's held a Senior Day Ceremony for Alyssa Stearns and Ashley Soro, both playing in their final collegiate matches. Stearns and Soro both played the entire 90 minutes for the Gaels.