text:
Tag: voting
|Post Title
|Polling vs Voting
|10 months ago
|Gary Fletcher
Tag: voting
|Post Title
|Polling vs Voting
|10 months ago
|Gary Fletcher
Latest Post: Workbook Table two - hitters question two Our newest member: Mishaelneent Recent Posts Unread Posts Tags
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Warning — this is an almost gleefully filthy slack chat. So don't say we didn't warn you.
T: Hey J, what were Carlin's seven dirty words?
J: George Carlin's seven were shit, piss, fuck, cunt, cocksucker, motherfucker, and tits. That would have an effect on my vocabulary.
T: Yeah, it would cut it by about a third.
J: Not to mention shortening these chats significantly.
Plus no squirrel pics.
T: Are the Carlin's Seven still in effect?
J: I think the …
T: Hey J, did you know "llamba growing" is an anagram for "global warming"?
J: That doesn't make any sense. What's a llamba?
T: I'd tell you, but it would offend the Twitter-verse.
J: Why would that stop you?
T: You are right; the Twitter-verse is to being offended what Beeker is to nervous lab assistants.
J: Got one for climate change?
T: Um ….
How about "tea chime clang"?
J: That sounds like a rap group I'm about to characterize with a wildly racist stereotype.
T: I dare you.
J: No way. I get enough GOP junk mail as it is.
T: That wasn't racist.
J: No, but it was …
The slack chats are the brainchild of yammering subversives Johnny "Cake" Hunter and Terry "Insert Nickname Here" Vent. It was inevitable that they would combine their two favorite things — yammering and slacking — into an art form. Plus they stole the idea from Nate Silver's FiveThirtyEight.
These guys have been off the grid for decades. I assumed they were still traveling the Pacific Rim, trading inflatable Strom Thurmond dolls to the natives for Polynesian weed, but a cursory google search found them hiding in the witness protection program, where they had been since they testified in the infamous "we can't believe it's not butter" truth in advertising scandal that took down Orville Redenbacher.
I think one's in a cult and the other one sells insurance, but I can never remember which one of these jokers sold his soul to an evil demagogue and which one sells flowers at the airport. They call themselves radical centrists, which (I think) means they hate everybody.
Their voting record is all over the map. Both have, at times, cast ballots for chronic losers in the major parties, third parties and once (allegedly) for a Care Bear. Neither one of them voted for Trump, but they think Ivanka is super hot.
Enjoy the madness.
D.B. Cooper (shhh … )
Her name was fake, but the ink-stained wretch in the monogrammed bloomers was real. Let's face it; she had to be. Her tale fails miserably as a work of fiction. It's too pat, too perfect. No self-respecting publisher would buy it. Nellie Bly was thrust into poverty at an early age, during a period in […]
I think our current state of evolution might best be described as early adolescence. In my way of thinking the beginning of domestication, with the resulting push towards civilization, symbolizes the time when a child would begin school. The Industrial Revolution symbolizes the beginning of puberty, and our current state of high technology and power […]
I think the reason I am in college now is related to Nietzsche's principles. I decided that I wanted to do one more hard thing before I got too old; I decided that hard thing was to go back to college. Many of my long-time friends have gradually faded out of my life in the […]
I think life itself is the prize for living. Moments of pleasure, like spending time with family and friends, eating a good meal, seeing a good movie, even something as banal as the satisfaction we feel when we cut off a toenail are small prizes for living. I also think life's meaning is everywhere, but maybe we […]
How many people does it take to need a government? I see attention as the key. In pairs, each member can give virtually full attention to the other. Nobody is ever more careful to act in the larger interest than someone who feels as if he or she is being watched. The need for governing […]
Copyright © 2019 THE BARSTOOL


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A fox cub had to be rescued in the early hours of Sunday morning (August 16) after it got wedged in a tiny gap between a garage and a house.
"The RSPCA was called just before 2am after a member of the public heard the wild animal screaming in pain," said a spokeswoman from the charity.
She said they found the six month-old fox trapped in a three-inch gap at a home in Saltdean, near Brighton, and called the fire brigade for assistance.
RSPCA inspector Marie Stevens said: "It was touch-and-go whether this little animal was going to survive this mishap, due to how severely he was wedged into that tiny space.
"He was completely pinned by his head, shoulders and hips. We don't know how he got himself so stuck, but there was no way he was getting out by himself.
"The team from Rottingdean fire and rescue did a fantastic job. They spent more than an hour bashing through the garage wall to reach him unscathed. They had to remove bits of concrete, as the fox couldn't be reached at all.
"I was so relieved when we got to him, and found him uninjured. We checked him over, and gave him some food and water, and were then able to release him back into the wild to live another day, seemingly unperturbed by the whole middle-of-the-night adventure."
Don't miss out on all the latest breaking news where you live.
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1) Make our website your homepage
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subset: commoncrawl


text: Stir up happy memories of sunny days in childhood with the Bike Ride Stamp Set. Cheerful images in this builder set will put you in a good mood even if you're not exactly feeling the wind in your hair right this moment.Photopolymer stamps* Are totally transparent for perfect image placement.* Have just enough give to create a perfectly stamped image every time. * Cling like crazy to our clear blocks so you don't have to worry about slipping.* Save space—you need only one set of blocks for all your photopolymer stamps (blocks sold separately). * Come packaged in cases with images on the spine for easy storage and quick reference.Quantity: 24 photopolymer stampsSuggested clear blocks (sold separately): a, b, c


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UBS CEO Sergio Ermotti told CNBC that the company's radical restructuring is working, after the company swung back to profit in the first quarter.
"Overall, the strategy is working and we are starting to see the benefits," Ermotti told CNBC on Tuesday.
UBS easily beat expectations by reporting a first-quarter net profit of 988 million Swiss francs versus forecasts of 510 million Swiss francs, swinging back to a profit after a 1.9 billion Swiss francs loss in the fourth-quarter after heavy Libor-related charges and restructuring costs.
Revenues increased to 8 billion Swiss francs from 6.6 billion Swiss francs from a year ago, driven by a favorable market environment which led to higher client activity in its flagship wealth management unit and strong revenues in the investment bank.
Additionally, restructuring costs and own debt charges were lower than analysts had forecast.
(Read More: UBS Chairman: We're Seeing a Hands-Off Period in the Market)
Asked whether he regrets exiting some units in the investment bank, CEO Sergio Ermotti said: Not really. If you look at our biz model it's good for us. We are two-third less capital year on year. We have very good return on attributed equity. So there is no regret we do what is right for our shareholders."
"We are comfortable with the changes we have made and how the business is being executed," he added.


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Transfer news: PSG say Thiago Silva and Zlatan Ibrahimovic are not for sale
PSG chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi has again reiterated that Thiago Silva and Zlatan Ibrahimovic are not for sale.
Last Updated: 17/07/13 12:33pm
Brazil defender Silva, who joined from AC Milan last summer, has been attracting the interest of Spanish giants Barcelona in recent weeks.
Ibrahimovic was also a big-money arrival from Milan in 2012, costing in the region of €20million (£17.2million), but has been linked with a swift return to Serie A.
The Ligue 1 champions are certainly under no financial pressure to sell thanks to the backing of owners the Qatar Investment Authority.
They yet again demonstrated their muscle in the transfer market by completing a reported £55million deal for Napoli striker Edinson Cavani on Tuesday.
Al-Khelaifi says that deal highlights their determination to build a side capable of winning the Champions League and is not entertaining the thought of selling key players.
He told L'Equipe: "Will Thiago Silva and Zlatan Ibrahimovic stay? I already told you: Yes. Thiago's agent has been very clear. It is the same for Ibra. The project will go on.
"People talk about our credibility but we have just signed Edinson Cavani, one of the best forwards in the world.
"A lot of clubs wanted him but he signed at PSG. Our objectives remain the same: Win the Champions League within four years."


text:
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In an education environment that is increasingly fast-forward and future-focused, yet subject to current constraints and real-time concerns, embarking on a school project of any size can be daunting. The Neenan Company has almost 100 completed school projects and 20+ master plans in the books, and is poised to partner with your school district and your community to champion a project that inspires the enthusiasm of everyone involved. By helping you to enroll, engage and educate stakeholders throughout, Neenan uses our hallmark collaborative approach to Archistruction to address issues from budgets to board support to bond measures. The outcome: the ability to teach today's students with tomorrow's technology and techniques, and to break ground sooner on the groundbreaking facilities that your community envisions.


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ProgDVB download for free
What is ProgDVB?
ProgDVB is a computer program used to view television programs.
ProgDVB is a program of the Freeware software category, program you can download for free through our website by clicking on the link free download which is below in this page.
Using ProgDVB, you can view the TV channels on your computer if you have a TV tuner.
More useful information about the program ProgDVB and a link to download for free this program you will find clicking ProgDVB details »»
ProgDVB is used primarily to control the TV tuner, but can also be used to view Internet TV channels.
In addition, ProgDVB offers different customization and configuration tools.
ProgDVB is a program to watch online TV channels specially designed to be used by any user.
To download for free the software ProgDVB and to see what options are to download, go to the download page: Download for free ProgDVB »»
|| License: Freeware || Size: 20.00 mb || Developer's website: ProgDVB ||
How to use ProgDVB?
ProgDVB is an easy to use and install program, the ProgDVB program does not consume many system resources and does not take up much space on the hard disk.
For more information about using the program ProgDVB, use the Help function, which is on the toolbar.
ProgDVB has a simple and intuitive interface from which anyone can use the program without any problem.
ProgDVB is a very good application of the category "TV software", a software that deserves to have it installed on your computer.
How to install ProgDVB?
The installation of the program ProgDVB is easy to achieve, if the program is compressed in one of known formats (usually .rar or .zip) unzip the file first and then find the installer should be something like "instal.exe" or something with the extension ".exe" (usually there is only one icon, which is the installer and you have only to double click on).
From here is very simple just follow the installer instructions and accept the terms and conditions of use of the program.
The program is installed when the screen shows a window with the message of the end of the installation.
That I have described here is generally the way how to install a program, the installation may depend of other factors, but the most programs are installed following the above steps.
What operating systems are compatible and which are the minimum requirements for running the program ProgDVB?
ProgDVB works with Windows operating systems - Windows XP / Windows Vista / Windows 7 / Windows 8 / Windows 8.1 / Windows 10 - works very well with Windows 10 and Windows 8.1.
Compatible with smartphones / mobile devices: Android.
* For use ProgDVB need a minimum:
Processor: 1 GHz Pentium|| Memory: 512 Mb of RAM|| Free disk space: 500 MB|| Broadband Internet||
* It is recommended:
Processor: 2,4 GHz Pentium|| Memory: 2 Gb of RAM|| Free disk space: 4 GB|| Broadband Internet||
What can you do with this program and what are the main features of ProgDVB?
The main features of ProgDVB are:
- Watch TV channels;
- Play radio channels;
- Different configuration tools;
- Different customization tools;
- Simple and intuitive interface;
- ProgDVB is an application easy to use;
- Support in different languages;
- Manual Update;
- Support install / uninstall, etc.
How can you download and where to download ProgDVB?
To download the newest version of ProgDVB there are more possibilities.
The first and easiest method to download for free ProgDVB is to click on the download link of this page.
If you follow the download link you get to the download web page of the author, it is recommended that each time you download a program it is better to be downloaded from the official author website.
Just so you are sure you download the latest version of the program and going to download the original program and not a virus or another program that will endanger your computer and the information that is on the computer.
If the link does not work, you can use the author page link of the top of the description, or the information links of this page, so in this way you will get the latest version of ProgDVB.
For free download ProgDVB click on this link: Download ProgDVB for free »»
0 Comments
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If you are a user of the ProgDVB program, experienced or inexperienced, and you want to leave your opinion about ProgDVB, this is the place to leave it!
Here you can evaluate, criticize or comment about anything that you think about the application.
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If you have problems with ProgDVB, of any kind, download, installation or use, ask for help!
Detailing well the problems that you find, do not forget to specify details about the computer - operating system, processor, memory - and from where you have downloaded ProgDVB, all details provided may be very useful for those who will try to help.
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But if you have experience with using of the ProgDVB application or you are an user who ProgDVB disappointed, if expecting more from this application and believe that the information on this page is insufficient, write a review, positive or critical, arguing your point of view, collaborating in this way with us and the users of this website to provide information that is more complete and more conformable with the reality.
ProgDVB - improvements:
If you find spelling, grammar or expression errors - we are not native speakers of English, erroneous or incomplete information, or several other mistakes, please point them to improve the quality of this page!
All comments will be manually reviewed before being published!
Thank you in advance for your cooperation!
ProgDVB help and troubleshooting we offer online help to install, uninstall, how and where you can download ProgDVB how to use and for it used ProgDVB.
We also offer solutions and online help if you have questions about any issues that may occur during the installation or use of ProgDVB, for this go and leave a comment on our blog, where clearly explain the problems encountered, with all possible details, we will try to respond as quickly as possible.: ProgDVB help and troubleshooting.
k77.eu is not responsible for how you will use the information from this description, or how you will be using this program. k77.eu informs that ProgDVB should be used in compliance with laws and intellectual property rules and the current Penal Code. We leave it to your discretion to determine whether this product or how you plan to use is legal. Do not approve or encourage in any way the use of any software in contravention with the laws in force. The purpose and intent of the site k77.eu are limited only to provide information to users and nothing else.


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Product 11/23
Size 184 x 124cm approximately
DESCRIPTION: World famous name Hereke cannot be considered as a rug, but as a piece of art. The surfaces of the silk show an amazing colour change according to the light reflections. With up to 1 million knots per square metre it is considered to be one of the most difficult handmade rugs to make. The sheer beauty of this rug enables it to be used both on the floor or as a wall hanging, this Chinese silk prayer rug will be in style for many centuries to come.


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Applicability to All HHS/OS Web Content
HHS Web standards are developed by the Digital Communications Division. Standards and/or amendments may be submitted through email@example.com.
Approved Web standards apply to all HHS/OS managed or funded Web sites —including all Staff Division and Secretarial Priority websites, whether aimed at internal or external audiences, and attached files, including Internet, intranet, extranet (password protected) sites, and sites operating under a domain waiver, whether created in-house or by a contractor, and whether hosted by HHS or by another party. These standards may be followed or adopted by OPDIVs.
HHS standards also apply to:
- Cross-agency Web sites created and/or managed by HHS/OS.
- Cooperative agreement Web sites.
- Partnership Web sites.
Standards are forward-looking. This means that they are to be applied as new pages/sites are developed and as old pages/sites are redesigned or updated. It is not normally necessary to revise existing content solely for the purpose of applying new standards or amendments to standards.
Offices or programs with Web sites in development at the time a standard or amendment is approved should make a best-faith effort, within the confines of any affected contract, to apply the new or revised standard.
Should it be necessary to apply a standard or amendment retroactively, that exception will be made clear, will be widely publicized, and a timeframe for compliance will be provided.All sites under development, no matter what stage of development they may be in, must meet standards or amendments that are to be applied retroactively.


text:
A brief look at topical issues in contract
Deekshitha Swarna
Posts by: Deekshitha Swarna
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5 FREE Fun Things to Do at Beaches in Northland
The beaches of the Far North are a major attraction and many activities are FREE and available for all. The list below includes some of the best ways to experience New Zealand!
To really experience the beauty, fun and wholesome life of Northland, these are some free and fun things to do all the family can enjoy.
Gather a FREE meal of Tuatuas
Nothing tastes as good as your own food caught or gathered. Check out the tide times and head 4.2km down Tokerau Beach and gather tuatuas, very tasty shellfish which are plentiful and fun to gather. Walk into the water about shin deep and twist your foot until you feel something hard. Reach down and tug on the green tipped shell and you have your first free food. You can gather half a bucket and take them home, heat up on the Barbie or mince into fritters! Yum!
Check out Coca Cola Lake
This is a local name for the lake behind the sandhills near Ramp Road, Tokerau Beach because this peat laden fresh water lake looks like you are swimming in coca cola! Refreshing after a day in the salt water!
Catch a Fish off the Rocks
There are plenty of fish in the waters of Doubtless Bay and one of the best rock fishing places is right in front of Golden Sand Beachfront Apartments. Take a bucket, some bait and a hand line and have a quiet time watching the sun set waiting for that biggie to take hold. You will find it very peaceful and with any luck rewarding too.
Dam the River
Many a young man – and some not so young -have worked at damming the small creek in front of Golden Sand Beachfront Apartments at Cable Bay, Northland. Loads of fun and a sense of achievement for budding digger drivers or engineers!
Body Surf in the Waves
Often the waves are too good to resist. Judging the right time to set off is often tricky but practise makes perfect. The trick is to time floating ashore for when a sizable wave is about to break. Then launch yourself head down, into the sea, kick hard and let the wave's momentum take you to the shore. Exhilarating – but be sure to swim with the crowd and of course you will need to be able to swim.
These are just a few of the fun FREE things people who live in the Far North take for granted. When you visit Northland, you can enjoy them too.
Artículo de
Golden Sand Beachfront Accommodation
Beach front holiday accommodation at Cable Bay, Northland. Two apartments with 2 bedrooms, plus two honeymoon suites on the waterfront at pink sandy Cable Bay. Vacation rentals available year round. Self contained beach front holiday rentals.


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#7 Parodius Deluxe Pack (Sega Saturn)
I started blogging on this topic with a shmup and here's 2 more. The 1st two games in this great and criminally ceased series are on this disk. This landed on my doormat this week - however I'm still gaining ground on covering my collection as this is a bit of an indulgence. I already have a PAL copy of this for my PAL Saturn but this Japanese copy is for my white Japanese Saturn. With an Action Replay 5-in-1 I can play the PAL version on my white Saturn but its nice to have the true 60Hz version - the intro sequence is slightly different but the main reason is the rumours that extended use of an AR 5in1 damages the Saturn expansion port as the PCB is too thick.
These are 2 great games - the first one is showing its age now but the second game is still an auditory and visual overload. Parodius is a spoof or parody of the Gradius games - the gameplay is the same but the graphics look drug inspired and the music is made up of weird remixes of classical and other well known tunes. I posted a fairly hefty review of this series on the original AA site which can still be found there as the staff here have kept that up. Here's the link : http://www.armchairarcade.com/aamain/forum_viewtopic.php?7.8391
Being shmups they suit the middle-aged gamer on a time budget and the kids like this series too due to the visuals but also the large array of characters you can choose to play with. I'm still chasing the 1 credit kill on these though - I find these games just as tough as the Gradius originals but somehow they aren't as annoying due to the overall oddness of these titles and the obscure Japanese cultural references they are stuffed with.
These games are also available on lots of other platforms including the SNES, PSP, PC Engine and PS1 (there's even a GameBoy port) - but I stick with the Saturn versions as it has a better reputation for handling 2D.
Looking at these games and considering my age I sometimes wonder if I'll ever really grow up.
The weather is extremely hot this week. Don't dare to turn on the pc as it will melt.lol Reading this on the new 32gb IPod.
Just read this article and re-read your older reviews and it really makes me want to go back to playing those on the Saturn. But first the weather has to calm down a little. It was over 37 celcius and humid.


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Knit hats
Newberg VitaFelt Traveller HatHiking hat anthracite€179.00Tax incl., plus shipping
Delivery time: 2-3 Tagebrowngray
Newberg VitaFelt Traveller HatHiking hat anthracite€179.00Tax incl., plus shipping
Delivery time: 2-3 Tage
Knit hats with style woven in
Knit hats with small peaks have been an absolute hit in winter sports for many years. With these hats, you are protected from the cold and the sunlight when you are on the slope. Trendy beanies are popular amongst young people and make for great headwear on mild summer days too, thanks to skilful processing. Cosy alpaca wool or precious merino wool are amazingly suitable for the making of stylish knit hats from Stetson. The product range even includes flat caps. This special style of headwear is also made by knitting and high-quality cotton and exclusive leather make knit hats amongst the most precious in Stetson's range. As women and men cannot get enough of the range of products and designs, it is no surprise that knit hats are amongst the ultimate bestsellers from the house of Stetson.
159 products


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We mentioned just a few hours ago that Nokia would be bringing the video of Deadmau5 event from yesterday to the masses and they delivered. Heck, it's more than just the live stream too as it's been edited with details of the event, new shots and new angles to really bring a new feel to it. (We bet some editors were up all night cranking this thing out).
Best part you can even watch it in 1080P if your computer can handle it. So enjoy and congrats to Nokia to making some history.


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Friday August 23, 2019; 05:22 pm EDT
You'll welcome the light after two dark hours
Nostalgic for mudslinging yet? If so, you must see Colonial Players' production of Sunlight, a thoughtful and well-acted tale of academic and family discord over post 9/11 foreign policy.
In essence, Matthew (Timothy Sayles), a university president, abhors the government's stance on torture of political prisoners as interpreted and taught by the dean of his law school, Vincent (Jeff Sprague), his protégé and son-in-law. So enraged that Matthew allegedly breaks into Vincent's office, à la Watergate, committing unspeakable acts of vandalism. Now the campus and family are in turmoil over a seemingly irreparable rift that has adults brawling like schoolboys.
It's a bit hard to follow Sharr White's award-winning play, what with the abrupt drop into profanity-laced shouting matches and vague references to unexplained past events. But if you are attentive and patient, the plot unfolds like a news story.
When the newspaper hits the stoop, you see the headline: President faces no-confidence vote. Then you unfold it to read a detailed account. Your appetite whetted by the scatological specifics, you turn to the Style section for personal comments from loved ones: Charlotte (Chelsea Langley-Kolbe), who is both Matthew's daughter and Vincent's estranged wife, and Maryanne (Millie Ferrara), Matthew's special assistant. There are also overheard truths direct from the four characters as they tangle onstage, disclosing their real actions and motives.
Then you realize there is more to the sensational story — and its participants — than meets the eye.
Matthew calls himself "the last progressive American idealist." Yet this liberal lion, like Nixon, McCarthy and Hoover, keeps disloyalty lists and bullies the faculty. A widower, a dated rebel and aging academic now dependent on Maryanne and Charlotte to fill the void his wife left by dying, he has aged into loneliness and jealousy.
Maryanne cooks for him, nags and helps him on with his shoes while simultaneously trying to preserve his papers for posterity, "warts and all." Faced with their probable retirement, she swings from sympathy to anger and efficiency to dereliction, mentally preparing herself for the next step in her disillusioned life. A big part of her current problem, though, is the usurper Charlotte, negotiating a deal for her father with the Board of Regents.
Charlotte is a "superwoman spoiling for a fight." Profane and pushy, she's a frigid dominatrix in pinstripes who feels compelled to side with her father against her estranged husband, that "smug prick." A thoroughly hateful woman, she gains sympathy late in the play when Vincent discloses how the 9/11 attacks affected her.
Vincent, the conservative terrorism and torture expert, comes across as the most sympathetic character. He is doing his sad duty in standing up to his bullying boss, yet he clearly loves his wife and misses his old place in the family. A lawyer playing a lawyer, Sprague is a natural as Vincent.
This smart production directed by Terry Averill looks just right, from plush presidential home office to wardrobe. But more could have been done technically to ramp up the crisis. The mood is so somber it's serene, at least when no one is yelling.
"Sunlight is the best disinfectant," says Vincent, and when the truth comes out at the end of the show, it reveals a roomful of people missing each other.
Two hours of infighting proved too much for some of the audience on this night, but I found this play to be a worthwhile commentary on "the new, impermanent reality in which we live."
Playing thru Nov. 17, Th-Sa 8pm, Su 2pm @ Colonial Players, 108 East St. Annapolis. $20 with discounts; rsvp 410-268-7373; www.thecolonialplayers.org.


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I hope it don't be minding but I'd like to start a new thread for my works specifically.
I'v gotten the hang a bit more on the iterations that can generate the fractal patterns and have started to create a lot more unique images. (Other than the similar ones from earlier)
I'll be uploading all my workings in the following directory
It's a raw directory right now, but I'll make it a proper page gallery later.
Please view at your own pleasure and comment if you have anything to say.
I'll be uploading new ones as I make them, so hopefully they'll get more elaborate as time goes on.
Note: Some pictures might take some time to load, due to resolution. Don't worry, took my computer time to iterate the big pics too!


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Date: 20100414
I looked at linux source code but the available usb drivers are provided by the manufacturers as binary modules. However I found "eGalaxTouch Software Programming Guide Version 2.0" and "SmartSet Touchscreen Controller Family Technical Reference Manual Manual Version 1.0" which descibe the serial protocols in detail.
There is some linux glue source code but the exact mapping of the serial protocols to usb vendor control transfers for output and to usb interrupt transfers for input is still unclear.
I am now studying the Touch Display Device Driver in the Input/Output Device Driver Reference for OS/2 and the associated source code to find out how to interface to the mouse.sys device driver.
From: Wim Brul
Date: 20100411
I have looked into the matter and gathered some information on touch screens and digitizing tablets. There are two ways I think to support these touch screens. One way is to produce emulated mouse events into the mouse.sys device driver (see touch.txt attached). The other way is to provide finger touch locator and pressure information from another pendd.sys like driver and would support Pen for OS/2.
The custom usb protocols have of course to be determined and requires someone who owns such a touch screen to exercise SnoopyPro on windows.
Code: Select all
Requirement to support usb touch screen devices.
These devices fall into two different categories:
1. standard hid class conforming touch screens.
2. non standard vendor specific touch screens.
Support for 1. may be provided by writing a new device driver like USBMOUSE.SYS
which interfaces with USBHID.SYS and MOUSE.SYS and which translates touch events
into mouse events to be processed by PM applications.
Support for 2. may be provided by writing a new device driver like USBMOUSE.SYS
which interfaces with USBD.SYS and MOUSE.SYS and which translates touch events
into mouse events to be processed by PM applications.
Writing device drivers is however not sufficient. These touch devices need to
be calibrated and a calibration program needs to be provided as well. One might
be tempted to try to use the existing CALIBRAT.EXE program but then an extra
interface from the new device driver with TOUCH.SYS must be provided.
This extra interface to TOUCH.SYS would have the advantage that existing non PM
applications (using xPM and xWPM touch function calls) would be supported too.
The disadvantage of course is that this may result into a lot of problems too.
Current xPM and xWPM mouse function calls.
MOUCALLS.DLL - 16 bit API (device independent)
There is a DOS INT 13 API from VMOUSE.SYS
There is no 32 bit API for mouse events
Current xPM and xWPM touch function calls.
TDICALLS.DLL - 16 bit API (device independent)
TDDCALLS.DLL - 16 bit API (device dependent)
TOUCALLS.DLL - 16 bit API (device dependent)
There is a DOS INT 7F API from VTOUCH.SYS
There is no 32 bit API for touch events


text: This fun and sassy stamp set is sure to dazzle you as it features a pocket which is the perfect size for giftcards, cash, or other treasures. You'll love this as much as the jingle jangle sound of coins in your pockets!Photopolymer stamps* Are totally transparent for perfect image placement.* Have just enough give to create a perfectly stamped image every time. * Cling like crazy to our clear blocks so you don't have to worry about slipping.* Save space—you need only one set of blocks for all your photopolymer stamps (blocks sold separately). * Come packaged in cases with images on the spine for easy storage and quick reference.Quantity: 20 photopolymer stampsSuggested clear blocks (sold separately): a, d, e


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Yesterday Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, released his magnum opus on for-profit colleges, the culmination of two years of excoriating, browbeating, shaming, and generally demagoguing that fast-growing but relatively small sector of American higher education. His report is everything you'd expect from a crusade characterized by an almost complete unwillingness to address the central role of the federal government in creating pervasive rot not just in for-profit higher education, but the entire Ivory Tower.
The for-profit college sector is certainly raking in lots of cash and producing very little for it, with big revenues but very low completion rates. It's probably not as bad as Harkin would have us believe—I've chronicled much of the exaggeration and misrepresentation that has punctuated his attack—but there's little question that lots of students drag heaps of taxpayer dough into for-profit schools and get little of value for it.
The thing is, that happens across higher education, including the profit-taking.
As I've cited ad nauseum, completion rates throughout higher education are abominable. Looking at first-time, full-time students—an imperfect sample, yes, but the best we've got—the top completion rate is for bachelor's students at private not-for-profit schools. But that's only 65.4 percent completing within six years. The worst is at public two-year institutions—community colleges—which see only 20.4 percent finish their programs within 150 percent of normal time. That's just one-in-five!
Surprisingly, Harkin's report mentions the atrocious completion rates at community colleges. But only very briefly, and mainly to assert that "the cost of for-profit programs makes those programs more risky for students and Federal taxpayers." That proviso is technically correct, but as misleading as much of the behavior for which Harkin condemns for-profit schools. Community colleges are cheaper to students in large part because they get direct taxpayer subsidies, and while those don't come mainly from Washington they do come from taxpayers, just at the state and local level. In the 2009-10 school year, state and local appropriations to community colleges totaled $5,412 per pupil. Meanwhile, public four-year schools—with six-year graduation rates of just 56 percent—received almost $8,000 per student in federal, state, and local appropriations. And, of course, all "not-for-profit" schools get favored tax status, paying no taxes on most of their revenue and benefiting from tax deductible largess of donors.
But don't think those schools aren't profiting. Harkin's report blows off the possibility that putatively not-for-profit schools make profits simply by stating that "by definition" such schools "do not retain any revenue as profit." But as Vance Fried illustrated in his 2011 policy analysis, most public and not-for-profit private colleges make thousands of dollars per-undergraduate beyond the cost of educating them. They just use the money to reward the people in the school, or to pay for things that often make the school more bloated, instead of distributing the profits to investors.
Putting the for-profit sector in the context of all of higher education, it's clear the witch hunt has been on. But there's also been major scapegoating: by enabling students to pay for school with other people's money, and with almost no regard for their ability to do college work, it is federal student aid that largely causes the rot in higher ed, quashing both school and student incentives to economize, and student incentives to think critically about consuming higher ed. By demonizing institutions that dare admittedly make profits, politicians like Sen. Harkin shift the blame from where it belongs—themselves—to those who do what the politicians want: "educate" people regardless of their ability. It's exactly like housing: the politicians demand that everyone be able to buy a home, condemn anyone who might fail to furnish the uncreditworthy with mortgages, then blame the lenders when things go horribly wrong. They seem to want the votes—their profits—but no blame when things go south.
Sen. Harkin, the fault for what ails not just for-profit higher education, but the entire Ivory Tower, sits largely with you and your colleagues. Please quit shifting blame and do what must be done: phase out student aid and make all schools earn their money.


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The Camby man is coming back to New York. In a sign and trade deal with the Houston Rockets, the Knicks have acquired veteran center Marcus Camby in exchange for Toney Douglas, Josh Harrellson, Jerome Jordan and second round picks in 2014 and 2015. Camby's contract is worth $13.2 million over three seasons. Today, the Knicks also retained sharpshooter Steve Novak on a $15 million contract spanning four seasons in length.
First, lets discuss Camby. I think Marcus Camby is an excellent fit with this Knicks team as currently constructed. If he was 5 years younger, he is 38 years old currently, I think Camby would have been a perfect fit. Even at this advanced stage of his career, Camby is an excellent defender and rebounder. A technician on defense, Camby uses his veteran experience and grit to make up for deficiencies he may have due to his age and decreased athleticism. He's not Tyson Chandler, but he's a rock solid defender in the low post area. Offensively, he's a great fit next to Amar'e Stoudemire. Not only can Camby help Stoudemire on the defensive end, but he can help open up the offense for the Knick power forward. Unlike Chandler, Camby has the ability to step out and hit an 18 foot jump shot. Last season he posted very solid shooting stats from the floor. According to Hoopdata, Camby shot 42.9% from shots 10-15 feet and 44% from shots 16-23 feet. Barring injury to Chandler (knock on wood), Camby will be coming off the bench which likely means he'll be playing many minutes next to Stoudemire. I think that is a front court duo that can work. With Camby's offensive spacing, Stoudemire will have a better opportunity to return to superstar form; which is bigger than any free agent signing the Knicks can make.
I have no problem with the package the Knicks sent to Houston in the sign and trade for Camby. They rid themselves of 1) Toney Douglas himself and 2) Toney Douglas' $2 million contract. Douglas wasn't going to have a ton of opportunity to make himself useful with the current backcourt as constructed and he was just dead money sitting on the bench. I like TD, I think he's a good guy and I wish him the best. I'm sad to see Jorts Harrellson go, as I think he'll be a solid player in the league for a few years. However, he's another guy who was never going to be more than average and he wouldn't have had much of a role on this team with Camby in the mix. Jerome Jordan was cool, but he also had no role other than to wave his arms like a wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube man when the Knicks were blowing out an opponent or getting blown out.
The two second round picks the Knicks sent to Houston are interesting to me. I haven't seen it hinted at anywhere in the media, but I wonder if the Knicks are trying to help the Rockets land Dwight Howard. It is no secret that Houston has been trying to stockpile assets to move to Orlando for Howard. It is also no secret that Brooklyn wants Howard and is working tirelessly to put a
17 team 4 team package together to get a trade done. Two second round picks sound minute, but every little bit helps. It'll be interesting to see if anything comes to fruition from this. The Knicks were smart to also not include Dan Gadzuric's $2 million non-guaranteed contract in the trade, as they can now potentially move him in another sign and trade for another piece.
Now onto Novak. Like the Camby deal, I have no problem with the Knicks signing Novak to a 4 year $15 million deal. Is it a lot to pay for a shooter? Probably. But the Knicks are trying to get to a championship. They don't have any shooting. Owner James Dolan has money to spend and evidentially will be satisfied paying the luxury tax. So why not overpay? They keep Novak and they keep the best outside shooter in the NBA. This isn't Eddy Curry where they paid him ludicrous money. Novak's contract will average out to about $3.75 million a year, which is not a ridiculous salary to give a guy who shot 47.2% from downtown last season.
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The biggest challenge when teaching writing to Gr. 4-12 new learners of English is that many of them develop their text in their native language and then try to translate into English. This translated writing is full of inaccurate verb tenses and unintelligible sentences. There are so many errors that editing becomes problematic for teachers. I feel strongly that it is better to help students avoid writing in English through the filter of their native language.What problems do our students face when learning to write in English? First, their vocabulary is restricted and they limit themselves to words they know how to spell. Let's examine the work of a 5th grade newcomer, Yimin, who wrote the following text in her mainstream classroom in response to the prompt: "If you were an animal, what animal would you like to be and why?"
"I like be eagle becas eagle birds king and he fly very up. They scard. When they baby, they take off they feather and they squek they claw.
How do we avoid the garbled writing that Yimin produced? I am convinced that English language learners write better if they begin with non-fiction reading and writing. Graphic organizers such as story maps, T-charts, and Venn diagrams help scaffold writing and provide students with language chunks that can be used in their text. If topics are developed orally, non-fiction vocabulary expanded and charted, and correct sentence structure modeled, student writing will improve dramatically. One way to achieve this is to teach non-fiction writing during writing workshop and to modify writing process steps for beginning English language learners. The topics used during this lesson should be taken from the students' subject area content. I recommend the following steps :
Prewriting: You will need to spend a lot of time in this stage with new learners of English.
- As a follow-up to non-fiction reading, brainstorm and chart facts about the topic in sentence form. Have them read the facts from your chart orally. Strengthen the link between oral and written language.
- Keep a running list of content vocabulary. Review and practice the vocabulary every day. Speak and write facts in full sentences.
- Use graphic organizers to help students arrange ideas. ELLs will usually find it difficult to go from phrases to comprehensible sentences so complete the organizer with sentences, not phrases. Your students may not value this strategy if they have not used organizers to write in their native language so you will need to insist on it.
Writing: Have students practice writing from a story map, Venn diagram or other type of graphic organizer. Provide them with an organizer that you have written together on the non-fiction topic. This gives a beginning writer the language and structure that they need. Show clearly what should be covered in the writing and how it should be organized.
Editing: Don't expect students who are not fluent in English to self-edit. They will not usually find their own mistakes. You will have to be more hands-on with the editing of non-native speakers and conference with them on a regular basis to discuss their works–in- progress. If you have your students peer-edit, they may be reluctant to share their work with native speakers. You may want to group beginners with more fluent native speakers. Give pairs a specific item to check. For example "Check the 's' at the end of a verb if you are talking about one other person." You may need to teach a mini-lesson about the item you want edited.
Revising: English language learners will not remember what to revise unless changes are clearly marked on their papers. Instead of writing "Add more information here," write more specifically "Tell what eagles eat here." If students are a part of the editing process, the revisions will be more meaningful to them.
Publishing: This is an important step. Help students develop a sense of audience by encouraging students to share their writing with classmates and family. Display work in the classroom and hallway or make classroom books.
I see my students take giant steps when non-fiction writing is introduced to beginners in writing workshop and steps are modified as shown above. Yimin wrote this piece on a forest animal in her ESL classroom.
"Eagle are carnivores. They live in forest. They eat small mammal, fish and snakes. They use eyes to see prey. They catch food with sharp talon. They are diurnal because they hunt in the day."


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A recent U.S. study linking instant noodle consumption by South Koreans to some risks for heart disease has prompted a passionate response throughout Asia, where the noodles are not just a cheap treat but an essential part of life. Some comments from noodle lovers across Asia:
"Eating instant noodles is like smoking cigarettes," said Han Seung-youn, a 36-year-old photographer and daily instant noodle eater in South Korea. "Everyone knows that cigarettes are bad for you, but some smokers live to be 100 while others die at 30. ... I think it's worse to have hamburgers and pizza as your daily meals like in the United States."
Yang Lu, a college student in the northeast Chinese city of Daqing, said her residence hall bans cookware, but instant noodles only need hot water — making them a food of convenience for students.
"Our dining hall has delicious food, but whenever we are lazy, everyone in the dormitory gets the instant noodles and seeps them in hot water," Yang said. "We are too lazy to go downstairs."
Yang says she loves instant noodles but only eats them about once a week, partly because of health concerns. "They are not good for your liver," Yang said.
"Sometimes I eat it every day. It's tasty and convenient to cook. I don't need my wife to help me make it," said Cho Hwang-ho, a 70-year-old retiree who was shopping for instant noodles with his wife in Seoul.
The health study didn't worry him. "Don't I look fit?" he asked. "Instant noodles every once in a while won't kill you."
"The kids love it, but I have to admit that I feel guilty that I'm feeding them unhealthy stuff," Park Hyung-ki, 42, said in a park along Seoul's Han River as he wound instant noodles around his chopsticks and fed his son, who opened his mouth wide like a baby bird in a nest.
But, he added, "The price is so cheap; tonight's dinner costs less than 10,000 won ($10) for all four of us."
Copyright (2014) Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


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Two things are vital to the future of the Central Ohio Transit Authority, according to Cleve Ricksecker: "We need to grow the system. We need to capture new riders."
Two things are vital to the future of the Central Ohio Transit Authority, according to Cleve Ricksecker:
"We need to grow the system. We need to capture new riders."
Ricksecker, a member of the COTA board of directors, was the guest speaker at last week's Clintonville Area Chamber of Commerce luncheon.
Appropriately, he took the bus to the Clintonville Woman's Club from his office downtown, where he is executive director of both the Capital Crossroads and Discovery special improvement districts.
"I love riding the bus," Ricksecker told his chamber audience. "I'm a big proponent of transit."
Ricksecker, who has been on the board for about a year, offered some historical background about the Central Ohio Transit Authority and discussed why it's important for the region to have a healthy public-transit system.
COTA, which actually started as a private service operated by Columbus Southern Power, is funded by a permanent 0.25-percent sales tax and, since 2006, another 0.25-percent sales tax that's due to expire in 2016, Ricksecker said.
About 80 percent of COTA's funding comes from the half-cent sales tax, the other 20 percent from fares, he said.
In 1950, the Columbus Transit Co., which was owned by AEP's predecessor because the buses ran along the old electric trolley lines, had 80 million riders at a time when the city's population was but a shadow of what is today, he said.
"We hadn't spread out at that point," Ricksecker said.
Along came the interstate highway system, nationally and in central Ohio, and things began to spread out rapidly, he said. Owning a car became more and more important as people moved farther and farther away from the core of the city to area served by interstates 70 and 71.
By 1973, as a result of extensive loss of ridership, the Columbus Transit Co. was out of business, Ricksecker said.
Voters approved public funding for transit service the following year, and COTA came into being.
Today, COTA's service area encompasses 560 square miles, including all of Franklin County and small parts of Delaware and Licking counties. The authority operates 333 buses on 67 lines and has 28 park-and-ride locations. Additionally, COTA service includes 64 paratransit vehicles offering rides to people with disabilities who live within three-quarters of a mile of a fixed route.
"I'm very impressed with the level of sensitivity to ethical issues this company has," Ricksecker said. "Financially, it's managed extremely well."
He complimented COTA executives for seeking ways to save money by entering into partnerships with other governmental agencies, including a compressed natural gas fueling station on McKinley Avenue shared with the city of Columbus.
Having a viable, thriving transit system is important, Ricksecker said, because downtown Columbus is in "big trouble." It has lots of vacant office space, but no parking, he added.
"People haven't relearned how to take the buses to work," Ricksecker said. "We need to embrace transit as a culture again."
COTA officials are in the process of conducting a major review of entire system, one that might see the elimination of some little-used and far-flung routes in order to boost service to areas with heavier use.
"We have a system that needs to be tweaked," Ricksecker said. "COTA's taking an absolutely fresh look at the system. It's going to be really interesting to see what they come up with."
Ricksecker, who said he favors the models that emphasize ridership over extending service to a wider area, added he would be interested to observe public response as the review process moves along.
The transit system review is scheduled to be completed in September.


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This kit contains 6 individually-packed phosphopeptides at 10 ug each. These phosphopeptides can be used for the characterization of affinity purified phosphorylated peptides in liquid chromatography / mass spectrometry. FQ-pS-EEQQQTEDELQDK MW: 2062.0 (Bovine ß-Casein, monophospho) DLDVPIPGRFDRRV-pS-VAAE MW: 2192.4 (PKA Regulatory Subunit II Substrate) KRP-pS-QRHGSKY-NH2 MW: 1422.5 (UOM9, Phosphorylated PKC Substrate-3) SFVLNPTNIGM-pS-KSSQGHVTK MW: 2312.6 (DAM1 [221-241] peptide) TRDIYETD-pY-YRK MW: 1702.8 (Kinase Domain of Insulin Receptor) TRDI-pY-ETD-pY-pY-RK MW: 1862.8 (Kinase Domain of Insulin Receptor)


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A joint creative connection between Hard Rock Park and legendary guitarist Jimmy Page, "Led Zeppelin—The Ride" was conceived to give Led Zeppelin fans the ultimate amusement park experience.
"Led Zeppelin – The Ride," named by Page, will also feature the Zeppelin smash-hit "Whole Lotta Love" which was selected for the ride by Page himself. The band's hit will be pumped out on the coasters powerful 64 speakers, generating 1,200 watts of music as the coaster hurtles the screaming rider down its mile long track at speeds hitting 65 mph.
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WOODSTOCK, Ga. - Authorities say thieves cut the locks on a trailer belonging to a nonprofit group in Woodstock, stealing five baby cribs that were intended to go to new mothers.
An employee of The Hope Center noticed the trailer was gone when she arrived at work Wednesday morning. Monti Price tells CBS Atlanta (http://bit.ly/Sg3pXp) that she drove up, saw the trailer was missing and "my heart just sank."
The nonprofit has been in operation for more than 20 years. Price used the trailer to pick up big items like cribs and strollers for mothers in need.
Price said the organization can't afford to buy a new trailer.
Woodstock is about 30 miles north of Atlanta.


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This lovely pink dessert table created by One Girl Cookies was created for a Martha Stewart event. Cupcakes, macarons, whoopie pies and other girly treats were served for this wedding event.
Green Wedding Shoes for more yummy photos.
Images: Mel Barlow
Dessert Table: Perfectly Pink
Filed: cookies, cupcakes, dessert table, meringues, pink, whoopie pies
5 comments:
- Sweetly Sweet said...
Wonderful! Love those coordinated boxes!
- April 14, 2010 at 10:51 AM
- Smitten Sugar said...
beautiful! love it
- April 14, 2010 at 11:45 AM
- Simply Stunning Ideas said...
oh my! What a gorgeous table setting! Very girl and very pretty!
- April 14, 2010 at 9:10 PM
- Madame Sucre said...
very classy !! elegant and I cant really stop looking at it!
- April 15, 2010 at 4:46 AM
- Sarah (Snippets of Thyme) said...
- May 5, 2011 at 7:09 PM
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AlbertoG, Ago 2015 tripadvisor | |
"Fun for every season"
We have been aware and summer with all included as off-season without the all inclusive, every time I keep remembering good experience, in summer the good thing is the variety of activities on offer including the water park, the negative It is the multitude of people, autumn still retain many activities although not surprisingly the water park is closed but not having all inclusive can take advantage and get out to see the surroundings even know the city of Malaga which is a few kilometers.
PinderCadiz, Sep 2015 tripadvisor | |
"I love"
Q hotel we love the whole family, the rooms nice and big. We have already been on several occasions and we have seen different types of rooms and all well. The varied and quality food without lining and with excellent service, very attentive to the children special food spectacular common areas for the children
The truth is q recommend
My only niggle q is not free wifi
Pedro, Mayo 2015 booking | |
"Appropriate place for kids and adults break"
The beach club, the food and the friendly staff, super operative. I read several comments about the cleanliness of the hotel, while it is true and make it clear on several brochures intended to be so let ecological change of towels and other customer choice. In my case I did not ask and even then they moved me from day one everything.
Perhaps what I liked least was the coffee ... To say something
PhotoVideoSpain, Oct 2014 tripadvisor | |
"A proper all inclusive"
Hotel on the Costa del Sol, 15 minutes from the airport, the all inclusive package includes breakfast, mid-morning snacks, lunch, snack, dinner.......it also includes beer, soft drinks, juices, coffee and wine........the rooms were large and modern........the interior decor was fabulous, lots of Polynesian details........TAKE YOUR CAMERA!!!
The spa isn't included in the price but it only costs 4€ an hour, and that's with a spa circuit.
If you want to go to the beach or the hotel's own water park (which is free) take the hotel's shuttle bus. It comes every 5 minutes.
If you're travelling with babies, there is a nursery with professional carers available for a great price. There's also a free cinema which has films in different languages. The buffet meals were delicious, especially the Mexican food.......it was fantastic.
I don't know what it would be like in summer, but it was really calm in October. The temperature was around 25 degrees which was very comfortable: not too hot, not too cold..........ahhhhh and there are free drinks until 2am.
Carmen V, Oct. 2014 tripadvisor | |
"Excellent" ... We stayed in a suite with jacuzzi. It was amazing!
The buffet was extremely varied and high quality. The facilities were fantastic! It's just as good, if not better, than the all inclusive deals at Punta Cana and Mexico.
We went on the couple's relaxation plan, but it's also suitable for families as there's lots of different kinds of entertainment, animals and swimming pools. I loved it!
Rafa Alvarez, Sept. 2014 facebook | |
"Holiday of a lifetime"
My family and I stayed in Holiday Polynesia for 8 days. It wasn't our first time at this wonderful hotel, as we had also visited the year before.
The facilities are spectacular, the staff are so friendly, especially the entertainment team, the buffet and themed meals were perfect every day. There's always a surprise. Everyone can find something they like to eat.
We were able to enjoy the amazing fiesta blanca.
I would definitely recommend this hotel to anyone or any family who wants to have a great holiday.
Thank you for letting us enjoy one of the best weeks of our lives. We'll definitely be back. Regards.
Alfonso, Mayo 2014 booking | |
"Everything was good"
"In general everything was good"... If I compare it with other similar hotels, it's probably at the same level or slightly lower. Staff were nice and always helpful. We spent a week at the hotel with no problems.
If I had to say something negative, it's that the hotel is probably aimed too much towards foreign tourists (opening times and meal types)
They should filter some of the bad reviews before putting them on the web. For example, one said: "A lot of noise from the train when it passed the hotel". This is completely untrue. Yes, the train goes past the hotel, but you can barely notice the noise. I read another bad review that said they ran out of food or that it wasn't clean... After being in this hotel, I would have to say those reviews can't be truthful.


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Scott names five new members to University Board of Governors
Florida Gov. Rick Scott reshaped the state university governing board Thursday, stacking it with five like-minded Republicans whom he expects to heed his opposition to new tuition increases.
Overnight, the 17-member Board of Governors became a clearer extension of Scott's philosophy that raising tuition is too big a burden for middle-class families.
Scott has made opposition to higher university tuition a line-in-the-sand issue as he embarks on a quest for reelection in 2014.
"I'm going to appoint people who believe the way I do, that we've got to look at every way we can to figure out how to keep tuition as low as possible," Scott said in a recent interview.
Most of the appointees received seven-year terms, meaning they will be setting higher education policy after Scott leaves office, even if he's reelected.
Scott's choices include three men from Naples, where he has a home, and the son of one of his biggest campaign contributors. They are:
• Harry Wayne Huizenga Jr., 51, of Delray Beach, president of Rybovich Boat Co. and Huizenga Holdings, the firm founded by his father, former Miami Dolphins owner H. Wayne Huizenga. The elder Huizenga in May gave $250,000 to the governor's reelection campaign in addition to $200,000 in 2010.
• Ned Lautenbach, 68, of Naples, retired partner in a New York equity firm and for 30 years before that an IBM executive who holds an MBA from Harvard. Lautenbach and his wife, Cindy, were members of Scott's inaugural committee and donated $25,000, the maximum allowed; he also gave $15,000 to Scott's reelection committee, Let's Get to Work, in April in addition to $40,000 to the Republican Party. Lautenbach's term is for six years because he is filling the unexpired term of a former board member.
• Wendy Sartory Link, 48, of Palm Beach Gardens, an attorney and managing partner of Ackerman, Link & Sartory and chair of the Florida Healthy Kids Corp.
• Edward Morton, 65, of Naples, a former healthcare executive with NCH Healthcare Systems. He has a master's degree from Florida Gulf Coast University and an MBA from the University of Miami.
• Alan Levine, 45, of Naples, senior vice president of Hospital Management Services of Florida and former secretary of health for Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal. Levine, who once worked in Pasco County for the hospital chain Scott founded, holds a bachelor's and two master's degrees from the University of Florida, where he serves as a trustee.
Levine last year voted in favor of a 9 percent tuition hike for UF students, and said that tuition there has been a "bargain" in Florida. But from now on, he will follow Scott's lead, he said.
"The governor made it very clear to me. He does not want to see tuition go up," said Levine, who has a child at UF. "He's the governor. It would be inappropriate for me to veer very far from that."
Sartory Link, a Scott appointee to the Palm Beach State College board of trustees, said she voted last year not to raise its tuition and shares Scott's views.
"I don't know enough yet about the basis for what the universities would need tuition increases for, but my inclination is tuition needs to be as low as it possibly can," she said.
A native Floridian, she is a graduate of the University of North Carolina and Duke University law school. She said UNC's in-state tuition was very low when she attended in the 1980s, a time when the school's reputation for excellence grew.
"I don't think there's a direct correlation between the amount of tuition and the quality of education you get," she said.
Tuition at Florida's 12 state universities has risen steadily in recent years, but remains on average among the lowest in the nation. University presidents have cited a decline in state support — including a $300 million cut in funding last year — that they say, coupled with low tuition, has made it harder to compete against other states to hire top academic talent.
The university presidents last month promised they would not seek new tuition hikes if the Legislature allocates $118 million more based on a series of performance goals.
The new members can begin serving immediately, and the board's next meeting is Jan. 16-17 in Gainesville. All of the appointments require state Senate confirmation.
Scott, who appoints 14 of the Board of Governors' 17 members, still has one opening to fill. Left unresolved is the seat held by Norman Tripp, 74, a Fort Lauderdale lawyer and the only one of four lame-duck board members who sought a new term.


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Office Therapy: It's All in the Details/ SF Film Society
In the latest installment of the Cathers show (does it ever end?), SFFS's Director of Operations Sarah Cathers discusses making your workspace a place you like to be. (Using her own office as an example, of course.) Roll over for her commentary!
When your office is a converted basement closet, things can get weird pretty quickly. This is one of a series of paintings I created for the SFIFF55 Festival Lounge decor. I have it right across from my desk so I can stare at it. I find this to be one of the happiest color combinations I can think of. It really helps fight of the Seasonal Affective Disorder you can get from lack of sunlight down here in basement land.
Every spring, an arts space in the mission called The Lab holds an art auction. I 've been working on that auction with them for a number of years and its impossible not to bid on a few pieces myself. Hanging them in my office helps ease the artwork over-crowding that is happening in my home.
This is another one of my personal paintings. I made it to go in my old office (RIP). To the left of it is my "filing cabinet" I decided I needed to pare down my paper files and class them up a bit. We get a lot of furniture left overs when other businesses move out of our building. I snagged this guy and found some boxes that fit perfectly. I am pretty sure they fit because it's all Ikea stuff and it's supposed too. You can't look a gift horse in the mouth!
This is a detail of the legs on my desk. The sides of my desk are rubbed graphite. The legs are old 4x4's that we used to build the bar in the SFIFF55 Festival Lounge. I sanded them down and then rubbed graphite on them as well. I am a sucker for wood grain so I wanted to make sure some of that shone through. I think they turned out pretty sexy. Sexy legs!
This is the standing portion of my desk. I have it set up so I can either sit and work or stand when my butt starts going numb. I am hoping it will keep me from shrinking. I put some hooks on there (inspired by every bar in SF) so I could hang my coat and bag. I can jam music out of my speakers or listen to headphones. Music is also key for concentrating. Especially when I'm doing spreadsheet stuff. My chiropractor (yes I am serious about not wanting to shrink) said my monitor should be at eye level, so I asked my friend to keep his eyes peeled for a wooden wine box (he buys all the wine for A16) my laptop is now the perfect height.
This is a detail of my back wall sculpture (lol). These steel frames were actually the under carriage of the countertops used to make my desk. We pried those out with a crow bar and they have been sitting in my studio ever since. I've been daydreaming about what to do with them and had to clean my studio out so I figured I could turn them into a decorative element until I know what I want to make with them. There's just enough space between them and the wall that I can put one of my staff in "jail" if they are misbehaving.
Well, you've got the prison to the left there. On top is my gym bag. A good buddy of mine has been "simplifying his life." He asked if I wanted this bag, and since I am the youngest of 5 and have survived on hand-me-downs my entire life, I of course said YES! Now, if I ever DO make it down to the gym on my lunch break, I'm already packed and ready to go. Underneath it are all my potions. I am trying to trick myself into not drinking coffee by having tons of tea on hand. It's only kind of working.
Also of note on that shelf is my vitamin D so I don't go bonkers in the basement. I keep a bottle of apple cider vinegar to mix with sparkling water to make the poor mans kombucha. It's a nice punch in the face in the morning. The box underneath has all my office supplies so I can use my desk for important things like creating floor plans for events! Below that is all of the contracts and official paperwork needed to do my job. It looks a hell of a lot better than having three ring binders all over the place.


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Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement that began as a loose association of Paris-based artists whose independent exhibitions brought them to prominence in the 1870s and 1880s. The name of the movement is derived from the title of a Claude Monet work, Impression, Sunrise (Impression, soleil levant), which provoked the critic Louis Leroy to coin the term in a satiric review published in Le Charivari.
Impressionism, both in context and in style, was an art of industrialized, urbanized Paris. As such, it furthered some of the concerns of the preceding movement, Realism, and was resolutely an art of its time. But whereas Realism focused on the present, Impressionism focused even more acutely on a single moment.
Characteristics of Impressionist paintings include relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on the accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage of time), ordinary subject matter, the inclusion of movement as a crucial element of human perception and experience, and unusual visual angles. The emergence of Impressionism in the visual arts was soon followed by analogous movements in other media which became known as Impressionist music and Impressionist literature.
Radicals in their time, early Impressionists broke the rules of academic painting. They began by giving colours, freely brushed, primacy over line, drawing inspiration from the work of painters such as Eugène Delacroix. They also took the act of painting out of the studio and into the modern world. Previously, still lifes and portraits as well as landscapes had usually been painted indoors. The Impressionists found that they could capture the momentary and transient effects of sunlight by painting en plein air. Painting realistic scenes of modern life, they portrayed overall visual effects instead of details. They used short "broken" brush strokes of mixed and pure unmixed colour, not smoothly blended or shaded, as was customary, in order to achieve the effect of intense colour vibration.
Although the rise of Impressionism in France happened at a time when a number of other painters, including the Italian artists known as the Macchiaioli, and Winslow Homer in the United States, were also exploring plein-air painting, the Impressionists developed new techniques that were specific to the movement. Encompassing what its adherents argued was a different way of seeing, it was an art of immediacy and movement, of candid poses and compositions, of the play of light expressed in a bright and varied use of colour.
The public, at first hostile, gradually came to believe that the Impressionists had captured a fresh and original vision, even if it did not receive the approval of the art critics and establishment.
Impressionists used contemporary scientific research into the physics of color, including work carried out by Eugène Chevreul, to achieve a more exact representation of color and tone. By re-creating the sensation in the eye that views the subject, rather than recreating the subject, and by creating a welter of techniques and forms, Impressionism became a precursor seminal to various movements in painting which would follow, including Neo-Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Fauvism, and Cubism.
In an atmosphere of change as Emperor Napoleon III rebuilt Paris and waged war, the Académie des Beaux-Arts dominated the French art scene in the middle of the 19th century. The Académie was the upholder of traditional standards for French painting, both in content and style. Historical subjects, religious themes, and portraits were valued (landscape and still life were not), and the Académie preferred carefully finished images which mirrored reality when examined closely. Color was somber and conservative, and the traces of brush strokes were suppressed, concealing the artist's personality, emotions, and working techniques.
The Académie held an annual, juried art show, the Salon de Paris, and artists whose work displayed in the show won prizes, garnered commissions, and enhanced their prestige. The standards of the juries reflected the values of the Académie, represented by the highly polished works of such artists as Jean-Léon Gérômeand Alexandre Cabanel. Some younger artists painted in a lighter and brighter manner than painters of the preceding generation, extending further the realism of Gustave Courbet and the Barbizon school. They were more interested in painting landscape and contemporary life than in recreating scenes from history. Each year, they submitted their art to the Salon, only to see the juries reject their best efforts in favour of trivial works by artists working in the approved style. A core group of young realists, Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Alfred Sisley, and Frédéric Bazille, who had studied under Charles Gleyre, became friends and often painted together. They soon were joined by Camille Pissarro, Paul Cézanne, and Armand Guillaumin.
In 1863, the jury rejected Le Déjeuner sur l'Herbe (The Luncheon on the Grass) by Édouard Manet primarily because it depicted a nude woman with two clothed men at a picnic. While nudes were routinely accepted by the Salon when featured in historical and allegorical paintings, the jury condemned Manet for placing a realistic nude in a contemporary setting. The jury's sharply worded rejection of Manet's painting, as well as the unusually large number of rejected works that year, set off a firestorm among French artists. Manet was admired by Monet and his friends, and led the discussions at Café Guerbois where the group of artists frequently met.
After seeing the rejected works in 1863, Emperor Napoleon III decreed that the public be allowed to judge the work themselves, and the Salon des Refusés (Salon of the Refused) was organized. While many viewers came only to laugh, the Salon des Refusés drew attention to the existence of a new tendency in art and attracted more visitors than the regular Salon.
Artists' petitions requesting a new Salon des Refusés in 1867, and again in 1872, were denied. In the latter part of 1873, Monet, Renoir, Pissarro, and Sisley organized the Société Anonyme Coopérative des Artistes Peintres, Sculpteurs, Graveurs ("Cooperative and Anonymous Association of Painters, Sculptors, and Engravers") for the purpose of exhibiting their artworks independently. Members of the association, which soon included Cézanne, Berthe Morisot, and Edgar Degas, were expected to forswear participation in the Salon. The organizers invited a number of other progressive artists to join them in their inaugural exhibition, including the older Eugène Boudin, whose example had first persuaded Monet to take up plein air painting years before. Another painter who greatly influenced Monet and his friends, Johan Jongkind, declined to participate, as did Manet. In total, thirty artists participated in their first exhibition, held in April 1874 at the studio of the photographer Nadar.
The critical response was mixed, with Monet and Cézanne bearing the harshest attacks. Critic and humorist Louis Leroy wrote a scathing review in the Le Charivari newspaper in which, making wordplay with the title of Claude Monet's Impression, Sunrise (Impression, soleil levant), he gave the artists the name by which they would become known. Derisively titling his article The Exhibition of the Impressionists, Leroy declared that Monet's painting was at most, a sketch, and could hardly be termed a finished work.
He wrote, in the form of a dialog between viewers:
"Impression—I was certain of it. I was just telling myself that, since I was impressed, there had to be some impression in it … and what freedom, what ease of workmanship! Wallpaper in its embryonic state is more finished than that seascape."
The term "Impressionists" quickly gained favour with the public. It was also accepted by the artists themselves, even though they were a diverse group in style and temperament, unified primarily by their spirit of independence and rebellion. They exhibited together—albeit with shifting membership—eight times between 1874 and 1886.
Monet, Sisley, Morisot, and Pissarro may be considered the "purest" Impressionists, in their consistent pursuit of an art of spontaneity, sunlight, and colour. Degas rejected much of this, as he believed in the primacy of drawing over colour and belittled the practice of painting outdoors. Renoir turned against Impressionism for a time in the 1880s, and never entirely regained his commitment to its ideas. Édouard Manet, despite his role as a leader to the group, never abandoned his liberal use of black as a colour, and never participated in the Impressionist exhibitions. He continued to submit his works to the Salon, where his Spanish Singer had won a 2nd class medal in 1861, and he urged the others to do likewise, arguing that "the Salon is the real field of battle" where a reputation could be made.
Among the artists of the core group (minus Bazille, who had died in the Franco-Prussian War in 1870), defections occurred as Cézanne, followed later by Renoir, Sisley, and Monet, abstained from the group exhibitions in order to submit their works to the Salon. Disagreements arose from issues such as Guillaumin's membership in the group, championed by Pissarro and Cézanne against opposition from Monet and Degas, who thought him unworthy. Degas invited Mary Cassatt to display her work in the 1879 exhibition, but he also caused dissension by insisting on the inclusion of Jean-François Raffaëlli, Ludovic Lepic, and other realists who did not represent Impressionist practices, leading Monet in 1880 to accuse the Impressionists of "opening doors to first-come daubers". The group divided over the invitation of Signac and Seurat to exhibit with them in 1886. Pissarro was the only artist to show at all eight Impressionist exhibitions.
The individual artists saw few financial rewards from the Impressionist exhibitions, but their art gradually won a degree of public acceptance and support. Their dealer, Durand-Ruel, played a major role in this as he kept their work before the public and arranged shows for them in London and New York. Although Sisley would die in poverty in 1899, Renoir had a great Salon success in 1879. Financial security came to Monet in the early 1880s and to Pissarro by the early 1890s. By this time the methods of Impressionist painting, in a diluted form, had become commonplace in Salon art.
Some of the other influences on the Impressionists were the newly industrialized and bourgeoise urbanisme of Paris. Most of the Impressionists depicted scenes in and around Paris, where industrialization and urbanization had their greatest impact. Monet's Saint-Lazare Train Station depicts a dominant aspect of Parisian life. The expanding railway network had made travel more convenient, bringing throngs of people into Paris. Saint-Lazare was centrally located, adjacent to the Grands Boulevards, a bustling, fashionable commercial area. Monet captured the area's energy and vitality; the train, emerging from the steam and smoke it emits, comes into the station. the tall buildings that were becoming a major component of the Parisian landscape are just visible through the background haze. Monet's agitated paint application contributes to the sense of energy and conveys the atmosphere of urban life.
Other Impressionists represented facets of city life. Gustave Caillebotte depicted yet another scene in Paris: A Rainy Day. His setting is a junction of spacious boulevards that resulted from the redesigning of Paris begun in 1852. The city's population had reached close to 1.5 million by mid-century, and to accommodate the congregation of humanity, Emperor Napoleon III ordered the city rebuilt. Napoleon was also interested in making an imperial statement through his redesign of Paris and in facilitating the movement of troops in the event of another revolution. the emperor names Baron Georges Haussmann, a city superintendent, to oversee the project; consequently, this process became known as "Haussmannization." In addition to new water and sewer systems, street lighting, and new residential and commercial buildings, a major component of the new Paris was the creation of wide, open boulevards. These great avenues, whose construction caused the demolition of thousands of ancient buildings and streets, transformed medieval Paris into the present modern city, with its superb vistas and wide uninterrupted arteries for the flow of vehicular and pedestrian traffic. Caillebotte chose to focus on these markers of the city's rapid urbanization.
Although Caillebotte did not dissolve his image into the broken color and brushwork characteristic of Impressionism, he did use an informal and asymmetrical composition. The figures seem randomly placed, with the frame cropping them arbitrarily, suggesting the transitory nature of the scene. The picture captures the artist's overall "impression" of the urban city.
Leisure, recreation, and lively nightlife were also common themes for Impressionists. Scenes of dining, dancing, the café-concerts, the opera, the ballet, and other forms of entertainment were mainstays of Impressionism. Although seemingly unrelated to industrialization, these activities were facilitated by it. With the advent of set working hours, people's schedules became more regimented, allowing them to plan their favorite pastimes, such as the dance hall scene from Renoir above. One of the most famous Impressionist paintings is Édouard Manet's A Bar at the Folies-Bergère, 1882. The Folies-Bergère was a popular Parisin café-concert (a café with music-hall performances). These cafés were fashionable gathering places for throngs of revelers, and many of the Impressionists frequented these establishments.


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If your firm is looking to tighten operational governance, strengthen vendor oversight or re-evaluate your service provider relationships, Accenture's new Back-Office Toolkit for Asset Managers is for you. In this Q&A, Accenture's Mike Kerrigan examines the common challenges and critical success factors for selected back-office transformation efforts, and reveals how the Accenture toolkit could help.
Why is back-office transformation such a hot topic right now?
A confluence of factors has put back-office transformation on many asset managers' radars. First, we're seeing firms more aggressively pursue opportunities to scale their core operations functions. Second, new regulations have made operational oversight and risk management more important than ever. Finally, emerging technologies are creating opportunities to reduce costs and increase operational efficiency in ways that were not previously possible.
What types of benefits could back-office transformation provide?
It really depends on what type of back-office transformation you pursue. A change in service providers, for example, has the potential to help improve firm capabilities, reduce operational costs and realign processes and systems that have diverged over time. Something on a smaller scale, like the creation of new service-level agreements, could increase transparency and accountability, improve incentives for stakeholders and ultimately increase your operational efficiency. Either of those actions might prompt you to consider implementing a risk-based oversight model, which could help free staff to focus on higher-value activities.
What are the most common pain points that organizations face?
In the same way that the potential benefits of back-office transformation are numerous and varied, so too are the challenges. In the end, it often comes down to organizations being willing (or unwilling) to dedicate the time and resources required for planning, requirements gathering and execution. What does that look like? Well it might take the form of a rushed due diligence process or a poor definition on the targeted end state, inadequate funding/staffing or unreasonable timelines, unresolved stakeholder tensions or a lack of leadership at the top. This often results in missed deadlines, budget overruns and internal strife.
How can asset managers avoid these pitfalls?
Broadly speaking, by planning a back-office transformation that makes sense for their specific organization, and then devoting the time and resources required to execute that plan. It could help to have a partner like Accenture that is experienced in this area and has developed formal frameworks and methodologies for capturing business requirements, managing projects and establishing program governance.
If an asset manager is considering back-office transformation, where's the best place to start?
Accenture recently pulled together some of its best thought leadership on back-office transformation into a comprehensive toolkit. In it, asset managers will find a series of four short papers that cover some of the most common questions we hear time and again: What are the pros and cons of a centralized project/program management office? Is it time we switched to a risk-based oversight model? What steps can I take to prepare for a vendor conversion? How do I develop service-level agreements that work for me? The toolkit will get you thinking about back-office transformation and asking the right questions. When you're ready to get started, we can help you take it from there.


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|Image via Wikipedia
The Home Office has lost a key legal battle over the right to send asylum seekers back to the first European country they enter. The European court of justice ruled on Wednesday that asylum seekers cannot be removed to other EU countries if they risk being treated "inhumanely" there.
The man at the centre of the test case, known only as NS, claimed asylum in the UK in 2009 after travelling through Greece. Under an EU law known as the Dublin regulation, asylum seekers must apply in the first EU country they enter and can be sent back there if they travel to other countries. But removals to Greece have been suspended across much of Europe since January, when the European court of human rights judged that conditions for asylum seekers there were inhumane and degrading.
The Home Office argued it should be able to assume that all EU countries operate an asylum system that protects individuals' rights. But the judgment says no government can make this presumption. It says member states may not transfer asylum seekers when there are "substantial grounds for believing that the asylum seeker would face a real risk of being subjected to inhuman or degrading treatment".
Sonal Ghelani from Islington Law Centre, who has been representing NS, said:
"Around 90% of people trying to get [overland] into the EU came through Greece and they couldn't cope. The UK government knew that there was a massive problem, it can't be said they were unaware. And now we know that once they are aware, they have to apply the EU fundamental charter of human rights."But asylum seekers would have to show very serious failings in the EU countries to which they were being sent. "They are EU countries so the presumption is strong that they will respect fundamental rights. It would have to be shown that there is a systemic failure, something quite significant."
A Home Office statement said:
"We will consider the detail of this judgment carefully, but we are pleased that the decision supports the operation of the Dublin regulation as a simple way of determining which state is responsible for asylum seekers in Europe."The case is one of a series of legal challenges to the Dublin system in courts across Europe. A high court decision on the removal of asylum seekers to Italy from the UK was deferred pending Wednesday's verdict.
In October, the Guardian reported that asylum seekers returned to Italy from the UK were sleeping rough on the streets of Rome. The Italian immigration minister, Sonia Viale, said other EU countries were not giving her country enough support. Italy, Greece and Malta have been pushing at the European council for a suspension mechanism in the Dublin law for times when migrant flows increase into particular countries.
Disagreement over reform of the Dublin regulations is holding up progress towards a common European asylum policy, due by the end of 2012. The policy is intended to create minimum standards for processing claims across the EU. The UK has so far opted out of all binding elements of the law.
Cecilia Malmström, the European commissioner for home affairs, told the Guardian that reforming Dublin was proving challenging and that countries had blocked a suspension mechanism.
"It is one of the key elements in the asylum package but it has turned out to be one of the most difficult ones. We have been struggling with it for some time. "The commission proposed a suspension mechanism and we worked for a year to see if we could formulate that, but it has no support in the council."The UK has been leading resistance to such reforms. The council is now looking at a compromise to send money and technical support to countries that are under pressure. The council is meeting in January to discuss the issue.
Malmström said she still believed a deal could be agreed, but it would be difficult.
"In my business you have to be optimistic, but the challenges are so bad, the issues are emotional and full of controversy," she said.
"We have witnessed dramatic changes in our neighbourhood, with people asking for justice and democracy. We can't say 'it's great you threw out your dictator but stay where you are'. And this clashes with the biggest economic crisis in Europe for a generation. Times are difficult and the mood in member states is focused on other priorities."


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In the Science and Environmental Policy Project's The Week That Was, Ken Haapala writes:
As the global climate refuses to obey the global climate models, advocates of the position that human emissions of carbon dioxide are the principal cause of late 20th century warming are attacking skeptics as anti-science. In effect, they are writing that the skeptics are nihilists – denying that scientific knowledge is possible. These alarmists are misrepresenting the position of most skeptics, namely that climate science as articulated by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) fails to meet the standards of rigor required by modern science. …
The IPCC has failed to establish a strong link between changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations and changes in temperatures; contrary to the claims of Al Gore, Antarctic ice cores reveal that B (changes in temperatures) comes before A (changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations.)
The first two assessment reports of the IPCC contained the temperature variation of the past 1000 years derived from the best available data. These included the Medieval Warm Period and a Little Ice Age. The Third Assessment Report (AR3) replaced the historic data with the infamous "hockey-stick," without explanation. The Forth Assessment Report (AR4) dropped the "hockey-stick" without explanation and limited the scope to the past 50 years. This is terribly misleading and clearly indicates the models on which AR4 relies cannot explain historic temperature variation. An examination of the best available data on temperature variation for the past 20,000 years (from Greenland ice cores backed up by other data) shows wild variation unrelated to atmospheric carbon dioxide, which the IPCC ignores.
As pointed out by Nir Shaviv and others, actual temperatures are significantly diverging from model projections. Warming alarmists are trying to explain away this divergence with irrelevant claims, such as 2011 was the ninth warmest year on (the instrument) record. But as reader Don Rapp points out, it was also the ninth coldest year in the last 13. What the IPCC does in its next assessment report is difficult to guess, but one can expect a clever effort to avoid rigorous science in establishing the relationship between atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations and temperature changes.
However, in the interim, those accusing the skeptics of being anti-science are actually finding fault with skeptics because the skeptics are applying the principles of science far more rigorously than the IPCC applies them. Given the divergence between model projections and actual temperatures, any studies based on IPCC model projections are pure speculation.


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Tutoring for Elementary Kids
Tuesday, December 184:00—6:00 PMFirst Floor Kids Area Sherborn Library at the Sherborn Community Center3 Sanger St. , Sherborn , MA, 01770
Stop by the Library for free tutoring on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 4-6 PM during the school year. This is a Gold Award Project for Girl Scouts run by Lizzie Goldstein and Grace Qian to help elementary schoolers improve their math and science skills! It is completely free of cost, all you have to do is show up!
No Registration Required