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Message Queue includes support for Java clients to communicate with a message broker by means of the HTTP or secure HTTP (HTTPS) transport protocols, rather than through a direct TCP connection. (HTTP/HTTPS support is not available for C clients.) Because HTTP/HTTPS connections are normally allowed through firewalls, this allows client applications to be separated from the broker by a firewall.
This appendix describes the architecture used to enable HTTP/HTTPS support and explains the setup work needed to allow Message Queue clients to use such connections. It has the following sections:
Message Queue's support architecture is very similar for both HTTP and HTTPS support, as shown in Figure C–1:
On the client side, an HTTP or HTTPS transport driver (part of the Message Queue client runtime) encapsulates each message into an HTTP request and makes sure that these requests are transmitted in the correct sequence.
If necessary, the client can use an HTTP proxy server to communicate with the broker. The proxy's address is specified using command line options when starting the client; seeUsing an HTTP Proxy for more information.
An HTTP or HTTPS tunnel servlet (both bundled with Message Queue) is loaded into an application server or Web server on the broker side and used to pull payload messages from client HTTP requests before forwarding them to the broker. The tunnel servlet also sends broker messages back to the client in response to the client's HTTP requests. A single tunnel servlet can be used to access multiple brokers.
On the broker side, the httpjms or httpsjms connection service unwraps and demultiplexes incoming messages from the corresponding tunnel servlet.
The main difference between HTTP and HTTPS connections is that in the HTTPS case (httpsjms connection service), the tunnel servlet has a secure connection to both the client application and the broker. The secure connection to the broker is established by means of the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protocol. Message Queue's SSL-enabled HTTPS tunnel servlet passes a self-signed certificate to any broker requesting a connection. The broker uses the certificate to establish an encrypted connection to the tunnel servlet. Once this connection is established, a secure connection between the client application and the tunnel servlet can be negotiated by the client application and the application server or Web server.
The procedures for enabling HTTP and HTTPS support are essentially the same for both protocols, although a few extra steps are required in the HTTPS case to generate and access the needed encryption keys and certificates. The steps are as follows. (For HTTPS, start with step 1; for non-secure HTTP, start with step 4.)
(HTTPS only) Generate a self-signed certificate for the HTTPS tunnel servlet.
(HTTPS only) Modify the deployment descriptor in the tunnel servlet's .war file to specify the location and password of the certificate key store.
(HTTPS only) Validate the Web or application server's self-signed certificate and install it in the client application's trust store.
(HTTP and HTTPS) Deploy the HTTP or HTTPS tunnel servlet.
(HTTP and HTTPS) Configure the broker's httpjms or httpsjms connection service and start the broker.
(HTTP and HTTPS) Configure an HTTP or HTTPS connection.
The following subsections describe each of these steps in greater detail, using Sun JavaTM System Application Server as an example for purposes of illustration. If you are using a different application server or Web server (such as Sun Java System Web Server), the procedures will be substantially similar but may differ in detail; see your server product's own documentation for specifics.
Message Queue's SSL support is oriented toward securing on-the-wire data, on the assumption that the client is communicating with a known and trusted server. Therefore, SSL is implemented using only self-signed server certificates. Before establishing an HTTPS connection, you must obtain such a certificate. (This step is not needed for ordinary, non-secure HTTP connections.)
Run the Message Queue Key Tool utility (imqkeytool) to generate a self-signed certificate for the tunnel servlet. (On UNIX systems, you may need to run the utility as the root user in order to have permission to create the key store.) Enter the following at the command prompt:
imqkeytool -servlet keyStoreLocation
where keyStoreLocation is the location of Message Queue's key store file.
The Key Tool utility prompts you for a key store password:
Enter keystore password:
After you have entered a valid password, the utility prompts you for identifying information from which to construct an X.500 distinguished name. Table C–1 shows the prompts and the values to be provided for each prompt. Values are case-insensitive and can include spaces.Table C–1 Distinguished Name Information Required for a Self-Signed Certificate
X.500 Attribute
What is your first and last name?
commonName (CN)
Fully qualified name of server running the broker
What is the name of your organizational unit?
organizationalUnit (OU)
Name of department or division
What is the name of your organization?
organizationName (ON)
Name of larger organization, such as a company or government entity
Acme Widgets, Inc.
What is the name of your city or locality?
localityName (L)
Name of city or locality
San Francisco
What is the name of your state or province?
stateName (ST)
Full (unabbreviated) name of state or province
What is the two-letter country code for this unit?
country (C)
Standard two-letter country code
When you have entered the information, the Key Tool utility displays it for confirmation: for example,
Is CN=mqserver.sun.com, OU=purchasing, ON=Acme Widgets, Inc., L=San Francisco, ST=California, C=US correct?
To accept the current values and proceed, enter yes; to reenter values, accept the default or enter no. After you confirm, the utility pauses while it generates a key pair.
Next, the utility asks for a password to lock the key pair (key password). Press Return in response to this prompt to use the same password for both the key password and the key store password.
Be sure to remember the password you specify. You must provide this password later to the tunnel servlet so it can open the key store.
The Key Tool utility generates a self-signed certificate and places it in Message Queue's key store file at the location you specified for the keyStoreLocation argument.
The HTTPS tunnel servlet must be able to see the key store. Be sure to move or copy the generated key store from the location specified by keyStoreLocation to one accessible to the tunnel servlet (see Step 4 (HTTP and HTTPS): Deploying the Tunnel Servlet).
The tunnel servlet's Web archive (.war) file includes a deployment descriptor, an XML file containing the basic configuration information needed by the application server or Web server to load and run the servlet. Before deploying the .war file for the HTTPS tunnel servlet, you must edit the deployment descriptor to specify the location and password of the certificate key store. (This step is not needed for ordinary, non-secure HTTP connections.)
Copy the .war file to a temporary directory:
The location of the HTTPS tunnel servlet's .war file varies, depending on your platform (see Appendix A, Platform-Specific Locations of Message Queue Data):
Solaris: cp /usr/share/lib/imq/imqhttps.war /tmp
Linux: cp /opt/sun/mq/share/lib/imqhttps.war /tmp
Windows: cp IMQ_HOME\lib\imqhttps.war \tmp
Make the temporary directory your current directory.
cd /tmp
Extract the contents of the .war file.
jar xvf imqhttps.war
List the .war file's deployment descriptor.
Enter the command
ls -l WEB-INF/web.xml
to confirm that the deployment descriptor file (WEB-INF/web.xml) was successfully extracted.
Edit the deployment descriptor to specify the key store location and password.
Edit the web.xml file to provide appropriate values for the keystoreLocation and keystorePassword elements (as well as servletPort and servletHost, if necessary): for example,
<init-param> <param-name>keystoreLocation</param-name> <param-value>/local/tmp/imqhttps/keystore</param-value> </init-param> <init-param> <param-name>keystorePassword</param-name> <param-value>shazam</param-value> </init-param> <init-param> <param-name>servletHost</param-name> <param-value>localhost</param-value> </init-param> <init-param> <param-name>servletPort</param-name> <param-value>7674</param-value> </init-param>
If you are concerned about exposure of the key store password, you can use file-system permissions to restrict access to the imqhttps.war file.)
Reassemble the contents of the .war file.
jar uvf imqhttps.war WEB-INF/web.xml
In order for a client application to communicate with the Web or application server, you must validate the server's self-signed certificate and install it in the application's trust store. The following procedure shows how:
Validate the server's certificate.
By default, the Sun Java System Application Server generates a self-signed certificate and stores it in a key store file at the location
where appServerRoot is the root directory in which the Application Server is installed.
If necessary, you can use the JDK Key Tool utility to generate a key store of your own and use it in place of the default key store. For more information, see the section "Establishing a Secure Connection Using SSL" in Chapter 28, "Introduction to Security in Java EE," of the Java EE 5 Tutorial at
Make the directory containing the key store file your current directory.
For example, to use the Application Server's default key store file (as shown above), navigate to its directory with the command
cd appServerRoot/glassfish/domains/domain1/config
where appServerRoot is, again, the root directory in which the Application Server is installed.
List the contents of the key store file.
The Key Tool utility's -list option lists the contents of a specified key store file. For example, the following command lists the Application Server's default key store file (keystore.jks):
keytool -list -keystore keystore.jks -v
The -v option tells the Key Tool utility to display certificate fingerprints in human-readable form.
Enter the key store password.
The Key Tool utility prompts you for the key store file's password:
Enter keystore password:
By default, the key store password is set to changeit; you can use the Key Tool utility's -storepasswd option to change it to something more secure. After you have entered a valid password, the Key Tool utility will respond with output like the following:
Verify the certificate's fingerprints.
Obtain the correct fingerprints for the Application Server's self-signed certificate by independent means (such as by telephone) and compare them with the fingerprints displayed by the keytool -list command. Do not accept the certificate and install it in your application's trust store unless the fingerprints match.
Export the Application Server's certificate to a certificate file.
Use the Key Tool utility's -export option to export the certificate from the Application Server's key store to a separate certificate file, from which you can then import it into your application's trust store. For example, the following command exports the certificate shown above, whose alias is slas, from the Application Server's default key store (keystore.jks) to a certificate file named slas.cer:
keytool -export -keystore keystore.jks -storepass changeit -alias slas -file slas.cer
The Key Tool utility responds with the output
Certificate stored in file <slas.cer>
Verify the contents of the certificate file.
If you wish, you can double-check the contents of the certificate file to make sure it contains the correct certificate:
List the contents of the certificate file.
The Key Tool utility's -printcert option lists the contents of a specified certificate file. For example, the following command lists the certificate file slas.cer that was created in the preceding step:
keytool -printcert -file slas.cer -v
Once again, the -v option tells the Key Tool utility to display the certificate's fingerprints in human-readable form. The resulting output looks like the following:
Confirm the certificate's contents.
Examine the output from the keytool -printcert command to make sure that the certificate is correct.
Import the certificate into your application's trust store.
The Key Tool utility's -import option installs a certificate from a certificate file in a specified trust store. For example, if your client application's trust store is kept in the file /local/tmp/imqhttps/appKeyStore, the following command will install the certificate from the file slas.cer created above:
keytool -import -file slas.cer -keystore "/local/tmp/imqhttps/appKeyStore"
You can deploy the HTTP or HTTPS tunnel servlet on Sun Java System Application Server either from the command line or by using the Application Server's Web-based administration GUI. In either case, you must then modify the Application Server's security policy file to grant permissions for the tunnel servlet.
To deploy the tunnel servlet from the command line, use the deploy subcommand of the Application Server administration utility (asadmin): for example,
asadmin deploy --user admin --passwordfile pfile.txt --force=true /local/tmp/imqhttps/imqhttps.war
The procedure below shows how to use the Web-based GUI to deploy the servlet.
After deploying the tunnel servlet (whether from the command line or with the Web-based GUI), proceed to Modifying the Application Server's Security Policy File for instructions on how to grant it the appropriate permissions.
Deploy the tunnel servlet:
Specify the .war file location:
Enter the location of the tunnel servlet's Web archive file (imqhttp.war or imqhttps.war) in the File Path text field.
The file is located in the Message Queue installation directory containing .jar, .war, and .rar files, depending on your operating system platform (see Appendix A, Platform-Specific Locations of Message Queue Data).
Click the OK button.
Specify the context root directory:
Enter the /contextRoot portion of the tunnel servlet's URL.
The URL has the form
For example, if the URL for the tunnel servlet is
the value you enter would be
Click the OK button.
A confirmation screen appears, showing that the tunnel servlet has been successfully deployed and is enabled by default. The servlet is now available at the URL
where contextRoot is the context root directory you specified in step a above. Clients can now use this URL to connect to the message service using an HTTP or HTTPS connection.
Modify the server's security policy file
Once you have deployed the HTTP or HTTPS tunnel servlet, you must grant it the appropriate permissions by modifying the Application Server's security policy file, as described in the next procedure.
Each Application Server instance has a security policy file specifying its security policies or rules. Unless modified, the default security policies would prevent the HTTP or HTTPS tunnel servlet from accepting connections from the Message Queue message broker. In order for the broker to connect to the tunnel servlet, you must add an additional entry to this policy file:
Open the security policy file.
The file is named server.policy and resides at a location that varies depending on your operating system platform. On the Solaris platform, for example, the policy file for server jeeves would be located at
where appServerRoot is the root directory in which Sun Java System Application Server is installed.
Add the following entry to the file:
grant codeBase "file:appServerRoot/glassfish/domains/domain1/jeeves /applications/j2ee-modules/imqhttps/- { permission java.net.SocketPermission "*","connect,accept,resolve"; };
Save and close the security policy file.
HTTP/HTTPS support is not activated for a broker by default, so before connecting using these protocols, you need to reconfigure the broker to activate the httpjms or httpsjms connection service. Table C–2 shows broker configuration properties pertaining specifically to these two connection services. Once reconfigured, the broker can be started normally, as described under Starting Brokers.Table C–2 Broker Configuration Properties for the httpjms and httpsjms Connection Services
Default Value
Host name or IP address of (local or remote) host running tunnel servlet
httpjms: 7675httpsjms: 7674
Port number of tunnel servlet
Interval, in seconds, between client HTTP/HTTPS requests
If zero or negative, the client will keep one request pending at all times.
Tunnel servlet timeout interval
Open the broker's instance configuration file.
The instance configuration file is named config.properties and is located in a directory identified by the name of the broker instance to which it belongs:
(See Appendix A, Platform-Specific Locations of Message Queue Data for the location of the instances directory.)
Add httpjms or httpsjms to the list of active connection services.
Add the value httpjms or httpsjms to the imq.service.activelist property: for example,
Set any other HTTP/HTTPS-related configuration properties as needed.
At startup, the broker looks for an application server or Web server and an HTTP or HTTPS tunnel servlet running on its local host machine. If necessary, you can reconfigure the broker to access a remote tunnel servlet instead, by setting the servletHost and servletPort properties appropriately (see Table C–2): for example,
imq.httpjms.http.servletHost=helios imq.httpjms.http.servletPort=7675
You can also improve performance by reconfiguring the connection service's pullPeriod property. This specifies the interval, in seconds, at which each client issues HTTP/HTTPS requests to pull messages from the broker. With the default value of -1, the client will keep one such request pending at all times, ready to pull messages as fast as possible. With a large number of clients, this can cause a heavy drain on server resources, causing the server to become unresponsive. Setting the pullPeriod property to a positive value configures the client's HTTP/HTTPS transport driver to wait that many seconds between pull requests, conserving server resources at the expense of increased response times to clients.
The connectionTimeout property specifies the interval, in seconds, that the client runtime waits for a response from the HTTP/HTTPS tunnel servlet before throwing an exception, as well as the time the broker waits after communicating with the tunnel servlet before freeing a connection. (A timeout is necessary in this case because the broker and the tunnel servlet have no way of knowing if a client that is accessing the tunnel servlet has terminated abnormally.)
To make HTTP/HTTPS connections to a broker, a client application needs an appropriately configured connection factory administered object. Before configuring the connection factory, clients wishing to use secure HTTPS connections must also have access to SSL libraries provided by the Java Secure Socket Extension (JSSE) and must obtain a trusted root certificate.
If the root certificate of the certification authority (CA) that signed your application server's (or Web server's) certificate is not in the trust store by default, or if you are using a proprietary application server or Web server certificate, you must install the root certificate in the trust store. (This step is not needed for ordinary, non-secure HTTP connections, or if the CA's root certificate is already in the trust store by default.)
Import the root certificate.
Execute the command
JRE_HOME/bin/keytool -import -trustcacerts -alias certAlias -file certFile -keystore trustStoreFile
where certFile is the file containing the root certificate, certAlias is the alias representing the certificate, and trustStoreFile is the file containing your trust store.
Confirm that you trust the certificate.
Answer YES to the question Trust this certificate?
Identify the trust store to the client application.
In the command that launches the client application, use the -D option to specify the following properties:
javax.net.ssl.trustStore=trustStoreFile javax.net.ssl.trustStorePassword=trustStorePassword
To enable HTTP/HTTPS support, you need to set the connection factory's imqAddressList attribute to the URL of the HTTP/HTTPS tunnel servlet. The URL has the form
where hostName:portNumber is the host name and port number of the application server or Web server hosting the tunnel servlet and contextRoot is the context root directory you specified when deploying the tunnel servlet on the server, as described above under Step 4 (HTTP and HTTPS): Deploying the Tunnel Servlet.
You can set the imqAddressList attribute in any of the following ways:
Use the -o option to the imqobjmgr command that creates the connection factory administered object (see Adding a Connection Factory).
Set the attribute when creating the connection factory administered object using the Administration Console (imqadmin).
Use the -D option to the command that launches the client application.
Use an API call to set the attributes of the connection factory after you create it programmatically in client application code (see the Message Queue Developer's Guide for Java Clients).
It is not necessary to configure multiple application or Web servers and tunnel servlets in order to access multiple brokers; you can share a single server instance and tunnel servlet among them. To do this, you must configure the imqAddressList connection factory attribute as follows:
where brokerHostName is the broker instance host name and instanceName is the name of the specific broker instance you want your client to access.
To check that you have entered the correct values for brokerHostName and instanceName, generate a status report for the HTTP/HTTPS tunnel servlet by accessing the servlet URL from a browser:
The report lists all brokers being accessed by the servlet, as shown in Example C–1.
To use an HTTP proxy to access the HTTPS tunnel servlet, set the system properties http.proxyHost and http.proxyPort to the proxy server's host name and port number. You can set these properties using the -D option to the command that launches the client application.
This section describes possible problems with an HTTP or HTTPS connection and provides guidance on how to handle them.
The consequences of a server or broker failure in an (HTTP or HTTPS) connection vary depending on the specific component that has failed:
If the application server or Web server fails and is restarted, all existing connections are restored with no effect on clients.
If the broker fails and is restarted, an exception is thrown and clients must reestablish their connections.
In the unlikely event that both the broker and the application server or Web server fail and the broker is not restarted, the application server or Web server will restore client connections and continue waiting for a broker connection without notifying clients. To avoid this situation, always restart the broker after a failure.
If an HTTPS client cannot connect to the broker through the tunnel servlet, do the following:
Start the tunnel servlet and the broker.
Use a browser to access the servlet manually through the tunnel servlet URL.
Use the following administrative commands to pause and resume the connection:
imqcmd pause svc -n httpsjms -u admin imqcmd resume svc -n httpsjms -u admin
When the service resumes, an HTTPS client should be able to connect to the broker through the tunnel servlet.


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Game 1: Baruch - 6, Farmingdale State - 5 (8 innings)
Game 2: Farmingdale State - 11, Baruch - 3 (5 innings)
Farmingdale, N.Y. – The Farmingdale State softball team fell 6-5 in extra-innings in game one of today's non-conference doubleheader against Baruch College (6-10), before posting an 11-3 run-rule victory in game two. The Rams are now 15-7 overall.
Baruch's freshman third baseman Toniann Donde (Shirley, N.Y.) homered in the second inning to give her team the 1-0 lead, but the Rams went ahead in the fourth with three runs on three straight extra-base hits to left field - from senior left fielder Rebecca Richman (West Islip, N.Y.), junior third baseman Kristen Flint (Brentwood, N.Y.) and junior second baseman Jennifer Jarczynski (West Babylon, N.Y.).
The Bearcats tied it 3-3 in the sixth on two hits and two errors, before Farmingdale went ahead by one in the bottom of the inning with a double over the left fielders head, scoring freshman center fielder Michelle Mongiello (Elmont, N.Y.) from second. The inning ended on a questionable call at the plate as Richman tried to score on a fly out to right.
In the seventh, Baruch took back the 5-4 lead with a two RBI single by senior shortstop Melanie Pellegrino (Brooklyn, N.Y.). The Rams tied the game on a bunt single by freshman designated hitter Patricia Johnson (Patchogue, N.Y.), which moved sophomore pinch runner Kelly O'Brien (Center Moriches, N.Y.) to third and she came around to score on a throwing error, forcing the game into extra-innings .
Baruch junior pitcher Nicole Flint (Brentwood, N.Y.) knocked in the game-winning run in the 8th with a single to left to score senior catcher Carmen Pagan-Colon (Ponce, P.R.) from second base to go up 6-5. The Rams had two runners on in the bottom of the inning, but were not able to capitalize, falling to 14-7 overall.
Flint allowed nine hits for the win, while striking out five. Farmingdale freshman Taylor Tedeschi (Levittown, N.Y.) struck out five in defeat, surrendering just two earned runs.
In the second game of the day, the Rams scored in every inning and would take the win 11-3, ending the game in the bottom of the fifth, two outs, on an RBI single to left by Richman.
Sophomore shortstop Hillary Genova (Brentwood, N.Y.) led for Farmingdale going 3-for-4 with three RBI's and three runs scored. Jarczynski finished 2-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBI's, while Johnson was 2-for-2 with two runs scored. Freshman pitcher Chelsea La Marca improved to 4-2 overall, allowing six hits and three earned runs with no walks and two strikeouts.
The Rams will host John Jay tomorrow, Wednesday, April 4 at 3:00 p.m. in another non-conference doubleheader.

subset: commoncrawl


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Leed's Jotters & Journals
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MONTPELIER, Vt. — U.S. Rep. Peter Welch said Monday he is co-sponsoring a bill that would require the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Defense Department to find a better way to share health information so veterans can have better access to their military health records.
Delays in accessing the records can sometimes cause delays in getting VA benefits, said Welch, a Vermont Democrat.
"This bill would put into legislation, what the Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs have agreed to do and have been trying to do for 15 years," Welch said. "And that is, make a seamless, one-stop-shopping medical record for all of our veterans."
He announced his support for the 21st Century Health Care for Heroes Act at a Montpelier news conference.
Under the current system, active duty military personnel get a medical record, Welch said. When they leave the service, the Veterans Administration has a difficult time getting the records needed to provide vets with their entitled benefits.
"The notion that you don't have a seamless medical record is really a head scratcher for people across this country," Welch said.
Welch said the Health Care for Heroes Act has dozens of sponsors from both political parties.
The main sponsor of the bill is U.S. Rep. Chris Gibson, R-N.Y., a 24-year military veteran.
In a letter to House colleagues seeking support for the legislation, Gibson said the Defense Department and VA had been working since 1998 to exchange patient health information electronically. But in February the two departments announced they would focus on integrating their existing systems by next year. He said legislation is needed to require the two groups to achieve that goal.
"I have seen far too often veterans in my district facing unacceptable wait times for their VA claims," Gibson said in a statement Monday. "We have been promised an integrated system for far too long, and this legislation — supported by a bipartisan group of members, including other veterans and doctors — is commonsense."
Enabling the two departments to work together will lead to doctors and patients being able to access the information anytime and from anywhere, Acting Under Secretary of Defense Jessica Wright and Assistant Secretary of Defense Jonathan Woodson said in a joint statement to two House committees earlier this month.
"Our service members, veterans, retirees, and eligible family members deserve nothing less than the best possible care and service our two Departments can provide. Successfully achieving the goals articulated by Congress and the President is fundamental to delivering on our promise to them and we are fully committed to doing so," they said.
Welch was joined Monday by advocates for Vermont veterans. Richard Reed, director of the Vermont office of Veterans Affairs, said his office had seen a number of cases of veterans discharged in the last decade having their benefits delayed because of problems in getting access to records.
Reed said claims stemming from combat wounds are rarely delayed because they're obvious.
"What's more common is the soldier has injured their knees. In Afghanistan the soil is awful, it's rocky; their carrying heavy weights on their backs, they wear their knees out, they hurt their backs," Reed said. "Hidden injuries are much harder to adjudicate without those records."
Vt.'s US Rep. says vets need better health records
MONTPELIER, Vt. — U.S. Rep. Peter Welch said Monday he is co-sponsoring a bill that would require the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Defense Department to find a better way to share health information so veterans can have better access to their military health records.


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Punters' Playground
Our author's 12-year-old son is a gamer – you name it, Minecraft, Fifa, Wizard, board or PC, he plays it. Las Vegas is his dream destination. Mom finally agrees to take him. But is a trip to the capital of crazy such a great idea?
"Welcome to the city of sin," the taxi driver at the airport yells. Then his grin slips. He sees I'm not alone. "Your kid?" he asks, pointing to the little man behind me. I nod. He's aghast. "Why bring him to Las Vegas?"
Good question. Why take one's son to a den of iniquity? Why, for heaven's sake? Well, Las Vegas is a big playground and each hotel is a cosmos. It just has to be exciting for a kid. Venice, New York and Rome rub shoulders, the pyramids beam their light into the sky, choreographed fountains dance to string orchestras.
The craziest of cities just has to have fun on call, not just some, but lots, always and everywhere. Isn't that what Vegas is all about? And isn't childhood meant to be fun, because you haven't yet grasped that life is a serious business.
But the truth is also that my 12-year-old son, Paul, is a gamer. His phone is not for making calls, his PC not for homework. He uses them to play Minecraft, Wizard, Geography Trivia, Ship Battles and Fifa. He dreamed of going to Las Vegas, the gamers' paradise. Well, okay then. The things moms do for their kids!
There is a problem, though. On our first evening in Vegas, we plan to grab some hot dogs from the casino food court and then admire the croupiers' deft fingers at work, but a member of staff pushes us out the door – gently enough, but firmly.
Minors are not allowed in the casinos. If you are under 21, you may walk through the lobby in the company of your parents, past Black Jack, poker and slot machines, but you must keep moving. No standing, no watching allowed, just straight on to your room or, as in our case, to the exit. I knew about the rule but not about how strictly and resolutely it is enforced.
At least we're wide awake next morning. Bright-eyed, with no dark rings, we stroll down Las Vegas Boulevard, aka the Strip, that lies deserted before us. The punters are still sleeping off their hangovers if they lost, or their elation if they had a run of luck.
Thanks to being barred from gaming fun, we now have the Strip almost to ourselves, except for Chewbacca, dozing under a palm tree and a little further down, an accordionist playing to himself, a tin at his feet with a "God Bless You" sign. For Vegas, that's average freak ranking at best. Suddenly, a woman in stiletto heels and a sequin dress minces in our direction: "Pia, fantastic you could make it!"
Paul looks awestruck. "You know her?" No, Cuddles is a showgirl, and she's leading the scavenger hunt we've signed up for. If they don't want us in the casinos, we'll just have to escape reality some other way.
Skip the nighttime gaming fun and you have the Strip almost to yourself in the morning
With a bunch of other tourists, we follow her into a restaurant, where she explains the story: Cuddles' ex-boyfriend robbed a casino and we have to find the hidden suitcase of poker chips. And so we scour the Strip, where a pantomime artist with an alcohol problem, a conspiracy theorist and Smokie, who looks like Uncle Sam and is actually a tobacconist, murmur clues in our ear and send us off through backyards, into restaurants and crazy shops.
Hollywood couldn't have done a better job of dreaming this up. It's not easy, either, distinguishing the actors involved in the charade from all the ordinary crazy people here. Is Superman over there in on the game? And what about the Playmates at the front, there? The game's over and here we are beneath neon signs. Paul has just handed over the suitcase.
He says, "Casinos, hotels, bars and more casinos, that's all there is here. Everyone loses all the time – except for the casinos. They get all the money and then they use it to build another casino. Or a hotel. Or a bar." He has been carefully taking in the city of his dreams and this is his appraisal. It's bang on.
In 2015, the casinos on the Strip alone earned 6.4 million dollars. A good 42 million vacationers brought their cash to the desert city, many come in hopes of winning the jackpot and having an unforgettable time. "Going to the casino is a bit like telling Santa what you would like for Christmas," I say, proffering maternal wisdom. "You can try, but it usually doesn't work out, and at some point you discover that Father Christmas's real name is Mom and that the world isn't quite the way you'd like it to be." Wham!
Trip on the Strip: Kids' fun in Vegas
Late afternoon, the sun is blazing down. We're at the Neon Museum, a dusty place on the edge of downtown. The city's discarded neon signs are lovingly curated and exhibited here.
Edgar, our guide, explains that Vegas wasn't always about the quest for money and happiness. "Hard to imagine now, but the first building here, back in 1855, was the Mormon mission; the Mormons wanted to convert the Paiutes to Christianity," he says.
It wasn't until the 1930s and 1940s that the gangsters, the mafia, came from Chicago and turned Las Vegas into the great, gaudy, greedy place it is now. The Neon Museum acts as the city's memory and highlights the same point Paul made earlier: Las Vegas is always just the present, never the past. The casinos are built, renamed, refurbished, sold and demolished; a new one is built on the same spot, the old one disappears without trace – or would, if it weren't for the museum.
We are standing in front of a huge skull. It belonged to Treasure Island, a pirate-themed hotel casino. "It was built in 1993 when Las Vegas wanted to attract more families," Edgar explains, "but then they discovered that families don't sit inside casinos spending money, and stopped again." In 2013, the Treasure Island pirate show closed and a new shopping mall went up on the site.
Back to the Strip, the glitz and the glitter – billboards, store fronts, cars,and the eyes of people counting dollars and crowding around slot machines. We don't see many children.
At Starbucks a woman in a black-and-gold top with red-lipstick lips approaches Paul. "You're not American," she says, "American kids are still in bed at this time. You're not. You're cool." She high-fives him, then melts into the crowd.
Through window fronts, we see lone punters pulling levers. "You know what strikes me," says Paul, frowning, "you can play on your own, but if you want to have fun, you need friends to play with." So let's have some real fun – that's our motto for the following day. We visit the Atomic Testing Museum, the only one in the USA, and press lots of buttons. We sit in the Linq Theater and applaud Mat Franco for his almost too-perfect card tricks.
Circling over Las Vegas in a helicopter, we see the incessant flashing of city lights below us, like a colossal one-armed bandit, or a street vendor plying his wares: Fun! Fun! Come and get it! And we do, but it's exhausting.
"We have to do something that's totally mad and only happens in Vegas," Paul insists in the evening. "But what?" I ask, weary. "Say you're a 21-year-old with stunted growth and sneak into the casino?"
No, not a chance. Instead, we sit at one of the Mirage's swimming pools and hold out a canvas toward the water. Our painter's name is Osborne. He's a dolphin. A dolphin in the desert sounds like the opening line of a bad joke. It's not natural, but who hasn't let their kid talk them into something crazy?
Animal trainer Ashley has put a kind of football in his mouth with a slit for a paintbrush. "We always know which dolphin painted which picture. They each have their own style." she says. Osborne swims to Paul's canvas and slaps on some paint with a flick of his head.
"Does the dolphin enjoy this?" Paul asks. Ashley explains that dolphins are playful and need to be kept busy. They don't do shows here, but collaborate with universities in Nevada, Texas and Ohio on studies of dolphin reproduction and behavior. At some point, the painting is finished. It's pretty crazy.
"I'm surprised he didn't talk," I say, as we take our paintings. Paul laughs out loud. On the sidewalk, we count five Elvises, a Stormtrooper, a Marylin Monroe, three Playmates and a preacher wearing a sign: "Today is the day of deliverance." Deliverance from what? From sin? From Las Vegas? From nonstop entertainment? The freaks?
"Paul, I'm bushed," I moan. We switch roles momentarily. On arrival, the taxi driver should maybe have asked why my son brought me along! We escape into the Mojave Desert in a Jeep. The Valley of Fire is all rugged, red rocks; some have colorful stripes, deposits from past geological eras. There's a slight wind, otherwise perfect, almost overwhelming silence. I look at Paul, he looks at me. "It's just as colorful as in the city," he says slowly, "only without all the show. Pretty cool.
Sin-free fun addresses in Vegas
Flight acrobatics
Pirouettes and loops in an airplane – and you're at the joystick!
Dizzy heights
There are freefall towers at other funfairs – but none quite like this one.
18 holes on 1200 square meters, all in KISS hard-rock design.
Earth moving
A dream come true for kids and dads: bulldozing sand and earth.


text:
Do Interoperability Technologies Help or Hurt KDE Development?
In a recent story at Kuro5hin.org, the author considers the implications of some recent developments announced on the dot -- namely, XParts and QGtkWidget. These projects permit non-KDE programs -- particularly Gtk applications -- to be used within KDE applications. The author opines that these projects will end up hurting KDE development. In particular, the author wonders why a Linux developer would now develop for KDE when they can write for Gtk and have the application work both under KDE and GNOME. What do you think, will these projects encourage Gtk development at the expense of KDE/Qt development? Even if so, does it nevertheless make KDE stronger as a competitor against proprietary desktops? Is it important for KDE developers to create projects that would make KDE apps work inside GNOME apps (such as a KParts container that works with Bonobo) or with Gtk widgets (essentially a GtkQtWidget)?
oh no!
Looks like this is starting to be a flamewar about Gnome again.
Re: Do Interoperability Technologies Help or Hurt KDE Developmen
It may hurt commercially, but who cares?
PLEEEAAAASE don't Slashdot this article!!!!
Re: NO SLASHDOT!!!!!!
Please behave yourself too ;-)
By GlowStars at Mon, 2001/01/01 - 6:00am
Re: Do Interoperability Technologies Help or Hurt KDE Developmen
I'm surprised (and kind of disappointed) that dot.kde.org picked up this article. Anyway...
Personally I think it's good for KDE. But that's not really the point. This is Open Source, ladies and gentlemens. If we take QGtkWidget for example: There wasn't some KDE focus group somewhere that sat down and discussed "hmm, KDE really needs the possibility to include gtk widgets". No, a guy (in this case bero at redhat) wanted to create QGtkWidget for whatever reason, and so he did. Fine. That's the nature of Open Source -- if you want to create something for it, feel free.
By matt at Mon, 2001/01/01 - 6:00am
Re: Do Interoperability Technologies Help or Hurt KDE Developmen
Amen to that.
By caatje at Tue, 2001/01/02 - 6:00am
Re: Do Interoperability Technologies Help or Hurt KDE Developmen
I believe it's good to have interoperability.
Personally, I think most opensource developers
What you can do for the users is to make Gnome
Best regards,
By Eric Veltman at Mon, 2001/01/01 - 6:00am
Re: Do Interoperability Technologies Help or Hurt KDE Developmen
Since most Gnome and KDE apps are still developed by hackers in their sparetime, XParts and QGtkWidget wont hurt KDE, as nothing in the hackers eyes have changed. The reason why people code for KDE is because they like it. They don't care about market share and all that crap. Coding for Qt/KDE is still easier and more fun than coding for Gtk/Gnome and that's what matters.
All in all this mostly good news for KDE not for Gnome. This gives more options and possibilities for Qt/KDE developers as well as KDE users.
By Erik Engheim at Mon, 2001/01/01 - 6:00am
Re: Do Interoperability Technologies Help or Hurt KDE Developmen
"Do Interoperability Technologies Help or Hurt KDE Development?"
This is in fact what we can consider as a MAJOR FEATURE of KDE environment.
Just have a look at XPart example: this does not only mean your are able to play with the HTML
More globaly, this means Interoperability Technologies is very important for KDE, not from a
Happy new year,
By Nicolas at Mon, 2001/01/01 - 6:00am
The same problem happened about OS2 wich was able to use windows 3.1 programs, resulting in more programs and users for windows due to the fact that OS2 users would anyway be able to use windows user's work
By renaud at Mon, 2001/01/01 - 6:00am
Re: OS2/windows
That is completely different! This is the open source world!
FreeBSD is able to run Linux binaries.
By ac at Mon, 2001/01/01 - 6:00am
Re: OS2/windows
The real problem about OS2 was its lack of win95-compatibility. We had to use the new versions of the standard-software-packages (like Corel Draw and Office). Many users prefered the 0S/2-Desktop, but they were forced to use Windows95 because of OS/2s missing compatibility.
By wmueskens at Thu, 2001/01/04 - 6:00am
Stop This HATRED!
This is really stupid of you to have hatred toward other programmers work! How could you people be so cruel? Instead of helping each other we tend to fight...why?
Remember "Cooperate We Survive, Fight we Die!".
Hatred is not the Answer...
By Asif Ali Rizwaan at Mon, 2001/01/01 - 6:00am
PR Gag
Hey Folks, do you relly think that this PR Gag about Bonobo-components used in KDE-apps has some relevance?
How would you for instance use an evolution-calendar component in a KDE app which doesn't know about the evolution-API? Or a red carped-component?
I think you should all go home and do your homework. Read some bonobo-code etc... Making a quick hack to embed a bonobo-component indo a KDE app and use it as PR is one thing. Actually use a bonobo-component is another.
Wake up!!!!!
Jacob R. Kreutzfeld
By Jacob R. Kreutzfeld at Mon, 2001/01/01 - 6:00am
Re: PR Gag
They wrap a Bonobo component using an XPart "component" with it's own API.
By TrollKiller at Mon, 2001/01/01 - 6:00am
Re: Do Interoperability Technologies Help or Hurt KDE Developmen
I am really tired of this media attitude that GNOME and KDE are competing! Listen up : KDE AND GNOME DO NOT COMPETE! The whole concept of trying to get people to use KDE instead of GNOME is stupid in this sort of system. Why? Because we have the same goal! Our goal is : "Make Open Source Software userfriendly and powerful". The only reason there are 2 projects in the first place is partially because of liscensing problems, but mostly because of programmer preference! Interoperability technologies help because they encourage more programmers and users to use Open Source! Also, these sort of interoperability technologies might eventually lead to a project merge, which would be great for everyone! Great for the users because now they have twice the developers working hard on their software, and great for the developers because they can use either of 2 APIs and still have a result thats compatible with developers who prefer the other API! I fail to see any sort of downside here, other then hightened memory and CPU requirements.
By Carbon at Mon, 2001/01/01 - 6:00am
Re: Do Interoperability Technologies Help or Hurt KDE Developmen
GNOME is a comercial desktop, even though it's
By _ at Tue, 2001/01/02 - 6:00am
Re: Do Interoperability Technologies Help or Hurt KDE Developmen
Dang! Seeing posts like this on /. is rare. But you, you are really funny! I don't know what you smoked, but you did make me laugh! Thanks!
By Anonymous at Tue, 2001/01/02 - 6:00am
GNOME companies totally commited to free software
Unlike the companies involved with KDE, the main GNOME companies are committed to only releasing free software. It was only the growing success of GNOME that forced Trolltech to first open source the unix version of QT, and then to GPL it. The Kompany, Caldera, etc sell proprietary software. Not that there is anything necessarily wrong with this, but I find the attitude of the GNOME companies much more admirable (and certainly much more advantageous to the free software movement.) In fact, the GNOME project as a whole seems much more idealistic than that of KDE. Certainly, in the past, they've taken a stand on principles, rather than doing that which is merely convenient. This seems to be a consistent differance between the two projects.
By Nexus at Tue, 2001/01/02 - 6:00am
Re: GNOME companies totally commited to free software
Have you looked at the business model that Helixcode and Eazel have? I have, and I find it amazing that at least Helixcode is projecting $120 Million in revenue per year starting this year based on subscription services. Advertising has to be part of this model, how many people have to be paying them $5 per month to make that kind of money? At least with my company we are doing valuable open source work that everyone can take advantage of, we have a model for making money that we are clear about and we do our best to work with the community to make sure that what we are doing is acceptable. What piece of proprietary software do we, or Caldera sell? As far as I know Caldera doesn't, and neither do we. I love people talking about theKompany, but I do wish you would have your facts straight. If you have a question about what we are doing, you are always free to ask, I respond to every piece of email I receive.
By Shawn Gordon at Tue, 2001/01/02 - 6:00am
Re: GNOME companies totally commited to free software
Caldera recently bought out SCO's unix business. This is what they said about why they wouldn't open source it: "Ownership [of code] is not a bad thing; it's actually a good thing," said Love. "It protects [code] quality."
Of course, as a company heavily involved in free software, I wish you success, even if one day you may have to change the fourth letter of your company's name. ;)
By Nexus at Wed, 2001/01/03 - 6:00am
Hello troll!
Just came back from Slashdot?
And how do you know Miguel is more interested in making money?
By TrollKiller at Tue, 2001/01/02 - 6:00am
Re: Do Interoperability Technologies Help or Hurt KDE Developmen
Boihh, how does it feel to be controlled by paranoia? I knew that smoking crack is bad for you mental state, but I didn't expect to be that terrible.
Jacob R. Kreutzfeld
By Jacob R. Kreutzfeld at Tue, 2001/01/02 - 6:00am
Re: Do Interoperability Technologies Help or Hurt
But what about Motif. It´s possible to use this on most linux computers. Perhaps that is the best alternative.
By roger at Fri, 2001/01/12 - 6:00am
Re: Do Interoperability Technologies Help or Hurt KDE Developmen
On on Sunday December 31, @11:46AM, Dre asked:
> In a recent story at Kuro5hin.org, the author considers the implications of some recent
In my opinion the only way this would hurt KDE development if it included the need to make the code structure worse - something I cannot see at all.
The only way to harm the KDE project is making KDE worse, not making KDE even more open-minded and able to cooperate with other projects.
> In particular, the author wonders why a Linux developer would now develop for KDE when they
Shouldn't this be the decision of the developer herself/himself?
There is no way to prevent a developer from choosing FLTK or GNOME or whatever they like - and I am glad about this!
Anybody contributing to Free Software should have the right to choose his/her favorite toolkit/desktop environment/window manager... right?
If the chance to use Bonobo components from insite KDE results in a developer deciding to code Bonobo components now, what it wrong then?
There is an increasing number of some hundreds HIGHLY motivated developers loving Qt and KDE - continuously contributing many good ideas and a lot of very good code.
> What do you think, will these projects encourage Gtk development at the expense of KDE/Qt development?
Perhaps a few people, perhaps. Perhaps nobody at all, perhaps...
Please consider that for somebody being attracted by the idea of converting from Qt and KDE development to GNOME development there must be meet one very important requirement:
A skilled software developer would only decide to start GTK development and forget about Qt in case she or her is convinced to like GTK more than Qt.
Considering this simple question those of you knowing both toolkits (as I do) will surely admit there really is no need for any handcuffs. ;)
> Even if so, does it nevertheless make KDE stronger as a competitor against proprietary
KDE is that much appreciated because of its superior quality, its many skilled contributors, its great developer-documentation, easy to use toolkit...
Being more open will be another advantage for KDE: since there is no magic in the way Bonobo components can be plugged now. Everything is open and IMO very fair. This cannot be compared to idiotic ways a 'pseudo marked-leader' in the proprietary software world would act - nothing about hiding interfaces or surpressing open standards - the contrary is true: KDEs new ability supports interoperation at its best and both the GNOME and the KDE team should be happy about this.
Karl-Heinz Keep coding...
By Karl-Heinz Zimmer at Tue, 2001/01/02 - 6:00am
Re: Do Interoperability Technologies Help or Hurt KDE Developmen
Hi there,
I think interoperability is one step in the right direction. I really dislike the gnome/KDE flame wars. Personally I believe that the two projects joining their powers and developing together the *perfect* environment would be best but I guess the barriers for that are to big. Either side wouldn't see enough of their code and development in the combined thing. Plus competition might not be that bad, since both sides put a lot of effort in the development to try to be better than the other.
Personally I prefere KDE2 over gnome. But I guess that's just because when I compared the two gnome was in a very early stage and just looking like a childrens toy with huge icons. This is not the case anymore I know but I got used to KDE and thats the main point. It's the same with distributions. In my early days I tried Slackware, Debian, DLD, Suse and Redhat not in that particular order but RedHat was the last and because distributions got better every increase in version number it would be unfair to compare an older distribution with another newer. Since some years I only use RedHat because I got to know their setup and got used to it. I think that's all there is. You get used to something get to like it, get to know it and then you just don't want to change.
I admit, I've never written a line of GTK/Gnome code but I started to develop with QT and KDE just because it's KDE I'm using. Both QT and KDE-Libs are easy to learn and extremely powerfull. In addition to that they are very good looking (my oppinion).
Interoperability would bring more apps to each of the both sides as long as either side would provide such a support. This can only be a good thing. Not perhaps for one side or the other but for Linux as a whole. People will have the ability to choose and get all the apps of both sides. Developpers can chose the environment they like and provide apps for both sides. Since I believe Linux will never be theoperating system for the dumb user who isn't interested in what's going on within the system you will always have a userbase that is at least a little skilled and at least as skilled enough to be able to use both app-types at the same time. And if you had let's say drag and drop or other things working cross environment wouldn't this be just very nice?
So putting it all in one phrase, I'd say go interoperability!
Greetings and happy new year,
By Richard Stevens at Tue, 2001/01/02 - 6:00am
We use computers for applications first.
Use the better KDE GUI and run that Gnome application you must use.
Wouldn't you love to use Linux, but run Microsoft Word or Excel ??? Same thing.
By KDE2 Man at Tue, 2001/01/02 - 6:00am
Re: Do Interoperability Technologies Help or Hurt KDE Developmen
...or use the better Gnome GUI and run KDE programs you must use.
By ac at Wed, 2001/01/03 - 6:00am
Re: Do Interoperability Technologies Help or Hurt KDE Developmen
ac wrote:
> ...or use the better Gnome GUI and run KDE programs you must use.
Dear aonymous, I got an even better idea:
Why not send all trolls to jail and continue coding in peace?
By Karl-Heinz Zimmer at Wed, 2001/01/03 - 6:00am
Do Interoperability Tech.s Help or Hurt KDE use?
Do Interoperability Technologies Help or Hurt KDE use? would be a much better question, with a simpler answer: They help!
Come on people, what do you want? To rule the world? Yeah, that would be nice, but I just want good apps as a user and a possibilities as a developer and interoperability just helps on both counts.
Interoperability is a Good Thing.
By Luis Coelho at Wed, 2001/01/03 - 6:00am
World domination?
This wasn't intended to be a flame, i just hope that some people will keep this in mind when they develop new concepts and that hopefully everyone stays away from thoughts like "how can we force the people to use our software" as the parent article implied...
Disclaimer: I feel that my english wasn't the best and i had to guess a few times. I hope everything was understandable. Well.. and i always forgot to write capital I instead of i. ;)
By Spark at Thu, 2001/01/04 - 6:00am
Re: World domination?
Wow! You're the 1st person who consider KDE apps "bloat"!
By ac at Thu, 2001/01/04 - 6:00am
Re: World domination?
But it's true. Especially if you don't use the KDE Environment. They are very well designed and most of them make sense. But the KDE libs are still bloat for a calculator. ;) Qt itself does almost the same, but without the overhead.
By Spark at Thu, 2001/01/04 - 6:00am
Re: World domination?
Believe it or not, but I also switch from KDE to IceWM. For some reason I couldn't get KDE to compile, IceWM on the other hand was up and running in no time. Also, for the very seem reason as mention above, I don't use anything that is desktop depenent, it just doesn't look as good without the desktop environment.
By Dave Kok at Fri, 2005/07/15 - 5:00am
Re: World domination?
I hope you are aware that 1) KDE is a *D*esktop *E*nvironment while IceWM is a *W*indow *M*anager (KDE's window manager is Kwin) and 2) you are replying to a four years old flaimbait.
By ac at Sat, 2005/07/16 - 5:00am
I was under the impression that...
.. KDE doesn't really want to crush Gnome, but take market share from Windows/Mac.
Both KDE and Gnome should have the policy of helping interoperability(both ways).
If KDEs goal was to crush Gnome, I would stop using KDE.. fortunately I think both camps think bigger (and more noble).
A merging of the two projects are close to impossible, but interoperability is possible, and should not be hurt by fear of loosing the battle.
By Gaute Lindkvist at Thu, 2001/01/04 - 6:00am
KDE vs. GNOME?!
Why does this war exists? I'm tired of listenning KDE fans saying KDE/Qt programming is easier, KDE2 is faster, Konqueror is the best browser for Linux, ... while on the other side GNOME fans say GTK/Gnome/ libs are more powerfull, GNOME is faster, Nautilus and Evolution are better and so on. I think programs from one side sould run on the other side so that when people could benefit from both projects. The ideal was that both projects could merge into one and end this wasting of resources in competition between them after all both share the same enemy M$
By Paulo Jorge at Thu, 2001/01/04 - 6:00am
What about childish us and them debates?
I think this thread does more damage.
Face it, kde isn't something you can or should personify.
It doesn't have opinions, it can't be harmed.
Its nothing "official" nor important.
Like gnome it is just a pile of source code.
On the other hand, the people using, developing, promoting and debating it are (on the whole) the ones who have opinions and who may consider themselves affected by what happens to kde.
Perhaps the question they really meant is "will it harm me?" because it certainly won't harm kde whether you embed gtk or not. Maybe you should question their fears?
By Michael at Fri, 2001/01/05 - 6:00am
Re: Do Interoperability Technologies Help or Hurt KDE Developmen
The replies to this can be simply summarized: way too many people have their political, ethical, or other senses bothered by the fact that somebody sat down and instead of doing mouthwork did codework.
Creativity is about being free to express yourself.
Open Source and Free Software is about being free to use whatever you want and need to accomplish your task.
Freedom of Speech is about being free to say whatever hell you want to.
Common Sense is about using the freedom productively. Get a cold shower, pals.
If discussions like this will be dominated by the people who don't have a clue what they're talking about, prospective open-source developers will eventually get scared off... I'm starting to get scared-off, as nobody knows what kind of the war the code I'll develop may start.
By Kuba Ober at Mon, 2001/01/08 - 6:00am


text:
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Evening Meals (two or three courses, with tea or coffee) and Packed Lunches are available. These require advance notice, usually 24 hours. We are Vegetarians, but can and do cater for Vegans and the more usual meat-eaters. We prefer to be advised in advance if there are any special dietary requirements needed by our guests.
|Double/Twin/Triple (Shared Bathroom)
|£22.50 Per person per night (breakfast inc.)
|Single (Shared Bathroom)
|£30 Per person per night (breakfast inc.)
Note: Prices are a guide only and may change on a daily basis.


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Control Arms - Red or Blk
Tubular with hardware
Reg. $189.95 Sale $149.95
Fit 1979-2005 Mustangs


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The Senate Chancellery is managed by the Secretary General who represents the Chancellery outwards and is responsible for the functioning of the whole institution.
The Senate Chancellery is divided into two sectors - the Senate Sector and the Financial and Administrative Sector.
Departments of the Senate Chancellery
Secretary General
- Secretariat of the Secretary General
- Cybersecurity Department
- Legislative Department
- Independent Personnel Unit
- Independent Legal Unit
- Independent Protocol Unit
- Internal Auditor Office
Senate Division
- Procedure and Agenda Department
Archive and Documents Office
- Foreign Relations Department
Foreign Relations Unit
European Union Unit
- External Relations and Services Department
Public Relations Unit
Senate Services Unit
Financial and Administrative Division
- Financial Department
Accounting Unit
Budget Unit
- Technical Services Department
Property Administration Unit
Transport Services Unit
- Catering Services Department
Food Preparation Unit
Operational Unit
- IT Department


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Zetia is the brand name for ezetimibe, a drug that lowers LDL cholesterol levels by reducing cholesterol absorption in the small intestine.
LDL ("bad") cholesterol builds up in the walls of arteries and forms plaque, which narrows arteries and can lead to heart disease. High LDL cholesterol levels are a major cause of heart attacks and stroke.
Zetia is often prescribed along with a low-fat diet. It may be used by itself or in conjunction with a statin to reduce cholesterol. Zetia may increase LDL-cholesterol uptake into cells and decrease levels of LDL in blood plasma.
One clinical study showed that adding Zetia to statin medicine reduced LDL levels by an average of an additional 25 percent. It may take two weeks before cholesterol levels improve, so patients should continue to take Zetia as prescribed, on a daily basis.
Reducing LDL cholesterol may not always reduce atherosclerosis (plaque build-up in the arteries). Trials found that Zetia, in combination with statins, may not be as effective as Zetia by itself. More studies are needed to evaluate this.
Your doctor needs to know about any allergies you have, and about all the medications you take, whether prescription or over-the-counter, vitamins, illegal or recreational drugs, and dietary or herbal supplements, as they can affect how Zetia works, and vice-versa.
It's also important to tell your health-care provider whether you have liver problems or thyroid disorder; are using steroids or hormones; or experience unwanted muscle pains or weakness.
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant or are breastfeeding.
Rarely, Zetia can cause a breakdown in skeletal muscle tissue, which can lead to kidney failure.
Less serious side effects of Zetia include:
More serious side effects of Zetia may demand immediate emergency medical attention and include:
Zetia should not be taken at the same time as some cholesterol medicines. Wait four hours before taking:
Care should be taken when combining warfarin (Coumadin) and Zetia. It may increase your risk of bleeding.
Gemfibrozil (Lopid) or cyclosporine (Neoral) can increase blood levels of Zetia, so watch for side effects if taken together.
Zetia may be taken at the same time as statin drugs. It may take up to two weeks before cholesterol levels improve.
Because Zetia is designed to lower your cholesterol, it works best with a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet.
Zetia is available in 10-milligram tablets, and the usual dose is one tablet daily. The medication can be taken with or without a meal.
An overdose of Zetia should not produce life-threatening symptoms, but seek emergency medical help if you think you have overdosed.
If you miss a dose, take it as soon as you remember. Skip the dose if it is almost time for your next dose. Do not take extra medicine to make up for a missed dose. Do not take more than one dose of Zetia a day.
A: Zetia is used to help lower the cholesterol in your system to help prevent this from building up in your arteries. As long as you have not had any side effects, them you should not stop taking this medication without first consulting with your health care providers. New information on cholesterol medications come out all the time, and you should ask your provider about these when you see him. Go to //www.everydayhealth.com/drugs/zetia for more information.
A: Zocor can cause problems with liver enzymes, and as a consequence, very few prescribers will continue to prescribe anything in the same class for cholesterol. Zetia only focuses on the cholesterol that you eat and decreases what is absorbed in the intestine. Unfortunately, it does very little for the amount of cholesterol that your liver produces. You may also find helpful information on Zetia at //www.everydayhealth.com/drugs/zetia. Matt Curley, PharmD
A: Numbness and pinprick-like pain could be a side effect of Zetia (Ezetimibe), which you are taking. If you are experiencing any strange or unusual feelings, you should contact your Health Care Providers and tell them of your symptoms. You know how you feel the best and they want to know about any symptoms so they may give you the best possible treatment. For more information, can go to //www.everydayhealth.com/drugs/zetia Gerald R. Levy,R.Ph.
A: Zetia (ezetimibe) is a drug designed to block the absorption of cholesterol. Zetia may be used alone or in combination with other cholesterol-lowering drugs. Zetia may not be as effective as statin drugs (lovastatin, simvastatin, pravastatin, and others) in lowering cholesterol.
A: Zetia (ezetimibe) is a medication used in the treatment of high cholesterol. Zetia can be used alone or in combination with other cholesterol medications, such as statins or fenofibrate. Zetia in addition to diet has been shown to help decrease total cholesterol and LDL (bad) cholesterol. High levels of LDL cholesterol are a major cause of heart disease and also one of the causes of stroke. Zetia works by inhibiting the absorption of cholesterol by the small intestine. According to the prescribing information, Zetia does not help people lose weight. However, while taking Zetia, a person should continue to follow a cholesterol-lowering diet as directed by their doctor. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), losing weight can help lower LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, while increasing HDL (good) cholesterol. Even a small change in weight can help protect your heart. Zetia should be taken once daily, preferably the same time every day. Taking a medication the same time every day may help a person to remember their dose by establishing a routine. Some of the side effects that can occur with Zetia include diarrhea, fatigue, and joint pain. Zetia may increase the risk for certain muscle conditions, especially when Zetia is added to statin therapy. Any unexplained muscle pains or aches, tenderness, or weakness should be reported to a health care provider as soon as possible, as these may be signs of a rare, but serious condition known as rhabdomyolysis.
A: Cholesterol comes from two main sources, dietary cholesterol in the food that we eat and the cholesterol that is produced by our bodies. Statins are cholesterol-lowering medications that work by blocking the production of cholesterol in the body. Zetia (ezetimibe) is not a statin. Zetia works by reducing the amount of cholesterol absorbed by the body. It is used to treat high cholesterol, either alone or in combination with other cholesterol-lowering medications. Brand name prescription drugs are protected under patent. When the patent expires, other drug companies can start manufacturing and selling a generic form of the drug. These generic products are considered to be equivalent to the brand name product once evaluated and approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA requires manufacturers of generic products to show that their product meets specifications for identity, strength, purity, quality and potency. Generic drug products are usually less expensive than their brand name equivalents. A search of the FDA's Web site shows that the patent for Zetia will not expire until 2013. Therefore, no generic form is currently available. Other medications may be available to treat your condition. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you are having trouble paying for your medication. There may be programs available to assist you. For more specific information, consult with your doctor or local pharmacist for guidance based on your health status and current medications, particularly before taking any action. Sarah Lewis, Phar
A: Zetia (ezetimibe) is used to reduce cholesterol that the body absorbs from the diet. Zetia is indicated for high cholesterol levels along with a low fat, cholesterol diet. Common side effects with Zetia include headache, stomach pain and diarrhea, cough, and feeling tired. Other side effects may include back or joint pain, numbness and tingling. All patients taking Zetia should be advised of the risk of myopathy and report any unexplained muscle pain, tenderness and weakness. Liver tests should be performed especially when Zetia is added to a statin therapy. Consult with the healthcare if there is any concerns about taking Zetia. This is not a complete list of the side effects associated with Zetia. According to the prescribing information for Zetia, its effect for the prevention of heart attacks has not been determined. For more specific information, consult with your doctor or pharmacist for guidance based on your health status and current medications, particularly before taking any action. Kimberly Hotz, PharmD
By Don Wall | Medically Reviewed by Sherry Brooks, MD
Latest Update: 2014-10-28
Copyright © 2014 Everyday Health Media, LLC


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Whether Our Lady appears to you in the wilderness guiding you to the underground spring of holy water, or you're making shoes from a vision in your head, Miracles happen every day (at least they do here at Fluevog). Designed with delicate swooping curves upon a hand carved wooden last, The Lourdes boot was one of those magical styles that make you think God was guiding John's pencil. Made in a Peruvian factory that has a reputation for outstanding quality and craftsmanship, the Lourdes knee-high boot features 3" wrapped heels, delicious soft Peruvian suedes or leathers with patent trims, on a foot molding leather sole that would ensure you always shine in the guiding light.
I was pleased to find that these babies fit great right out of the box when they arrived (with thick socks). I needed very little break-in time before wearing these out on the street. The width is great for me - my foot doesn't feel squeezed at all. They were a little tight across the instep at first, but the leather is buttery soft and loosens quickly. Not much in the way of arch support, and I'm thinking about getting a shallow insert for that. The leg circ. in this size is approx. 14", and it's probably 13-ish in smaller sizes.
I get compliments on them all the time, and I smile every time I open my closet and see them! They're essentials, in my book.


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Solid Jet Black Bamboo Pantyliners
Regular price $ 42.00 CAD
Includes 3 pantyliners designed for your light days or daily wear.
-ultra-soft, smooth bamboo velour top (70% bamboo rayon, 28% organic cotton, 2% polyester)
-Wind Pro® breathable, water repellent fleece backing
-Measures 7" long by approximately 2.5" wide
-Snapping wings to help hold the pad to your underwear
-Machine wash and dry: More care instructions
Would you like to have an additional snap added for narrower underwear? Tell us in the comment box in the shopping cart.
For every pad sold Tree Hugger Cloth Pads® will plant one tree on your behalf.


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Remote Conductor Turns Your iPad into a much Better Magic Trackpad
If you own an iPad and want to get an Apple Magic Trackpad, I will tell you to save that US$69 as M3ME just released the awesome app, Remote Conductor (US$9.99), that turns your iPad into something more of a magical trackpad.
So how does it work? According to M3ME, your iPad communicates with your Mac over Wi-Fi with a free server program called Conductor Server and the program can be installed on as many Macs you like. Once connected, you can use the Remote Conductor app as a trackpad in its track mode; an app switcher in its switcher mode; and an app launcher for all your apps on the Mac.
I tried this app out and found the following awesome features:
- the track mode features more multi-touch gestures than the Apple Trackpad;
- in the track mode, the app can even call up Expose, Spaces and the Dashboard;
- in the switch mode, all open apps are displayed in a mini window views and you can switch between open apps easily and even in Spaces; and
- my favourite lies with the launch mode where all apps installed (usually found in your Applications folder) are displayed in the native iPad pages view where you can flip through them the way you flip through iPad app pages andyour dock is pinned in the bottom part of the iPad screen.
These are all just some of the cool features of Remote Conductor, to have a taste of what's it like, take a look at the following video.
Trust me, this is definitely the app for the year and it's only first week of January.
Source – M3ME
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Micro Milk
A South Royalton company envisions a rebirth of Vermont dairy through small-scale pasteurization
Written onJune 01 , 2011
Local food and slow food frequently mean small food: small farms, small producers, small quantities. The English language happens to provide a nice term for very small: micro. So it follows that the antidote to a huge, consolidated milk production system might be a micro dairy.
If not exactly an industry term, the phrase "micro dairy" is being used with increasing regularity. A Google search on it yielded two producers of small processing equipment and several news stories about small farms and their products, from across the country and the world.
And several times in that Google search, Bob-White Systems, a company based in South Royalton, appeared.
He may not have coined the term, but Steven Judge, Bob-White's founder, uses "micro dairy" to refer to a dairy farm with six or fewer cows that sells all its products—such as milk, yogurt, cheese, and butter—directly from the farm.
"It's becoming an industry term," Judge says. "It wasn't even a term 10 years ago. Having only three or four cows was inconceivable." Judge should know. He's been in and out of the dairy business for "about 40 years," and has seen a lot of farms fold in that time. He believes that micro dairy pasteurization will help individual farmers regain control of the dairy industry after years of consolidation.
Judge's vision is this: hundreds of micro dairies throughout Vermont, each with a handful of cows providing fresh, "gently pasteurized" milk directly to neighbors. According to company calculations, a four-cow dairy selling milk at $7 per gallon—a theoretical price based on the going rate for raw milk—could net almost $21,000 annually. That's not enough to make a living, Judge concedes, but enough to supplement another income stream from the farm, like a CSA, or an off-the-farm job. Milking four cows, and pasteurizing their milk, takes only an hour or two a day, Judge claims, leaving plenty of time for other endeavors.
The key to this vision is Bob-White's low-impact, small-scale pasteurizer designed specifically for micro dairies. Although the company has yet to sell a single one—their system hasn't met all the conditions necessary for state approval—Bob-White staff are hard at work promoting the benefits that small-scale pasteurization could bring to Vermont agriculture.
Currently, consumers can buy raw (unpasteurized) milk directly from dairy farmers. But not all consumers want to drink raw milk. Customers wanting pasteurized milk from local farms have few choices. Only Strafford Organic Creamery in Strafford, Monument Farms Dairy in Weybridge, Thomas Dairy in Rutland, and Oak Knoll Dairy in Windsor bottle exclusively Vermont milk for retail sale throughout the state.
What's more, small farms wanting to sell pasteurized Vermont milk can't easily do so. Over the years, the consolidation of the milk industry has made small-scale bottling a thing of the past. Bottling equipment is hard to find, tricky to repair, and, due to its relative scarcity, often expensive.
In a sunny storefront that was once a video rental store, Bob-White Systems (the company is named after the northern bobwhite quail, a game bird common in the small North American dairy pastures of yesteryear) sells new and used small-scale dairy equipment and cheese making supplies—and demonstrates a prototype of the company's low-impact, small-scale pasteurizer.
Pasteurization, which has been used on commercial milk since the early 1900s, involves heating milk to a certain temperature—at least 161°F for fluid milk—long enough to kill potential disease-causing bacteria. Most large-scale and commercial pasteurization use a system called "HTST," which stands for high temperature, short time. In HTST systems, milk enters the pasteurization unit through a tube, is heated to the required temperature, and is held in a loop for the necessary time, usually less than 30 seconds. The milk then exits the unit through another tube to another bulk tank.
Large commercial dairies pasteurize hundreds or thousands of gallons a minute. Monument Farms, which milks 450 cows, uses an HTST system to pasteurize 16 gallons a minute; the HTST system at Strafford Organic Creamery, which milks around 50 cows, uses an Israeli-designed system that pasteurizes slightly more than two gallons a minute. Bob-White's system could pasteurize one gallon per minute.
HTST pasteurization differs from vat pasteurization, which is the small-scale system most commonly used by small cheesemakers. In vat pasteurization, the milk is poured into the tank, heated, and held at the required temperature for the required time, usually 10–15 minutes for milk, longer for butter, cheese, and yogurt. Vat pasteurization is a longer process and is "harsher on the milk," according to Judge—thus the Bob-White claim that their system is "low impact" and retains the milk's delicate, farm-fresh flavor.
Rather than shrink an existing HTST system, Bob-White chose to take the essential HTST concepts and apply them to a small, farmstead-scale machine. Consequently, current pasteurization regulations, written for large commercial equipment, don't apply to its system. Bob-White engineers met with the FDA about their prototype and are incorporating the FDA's feedback into their design process. Once the redesign is complete, the company will seek approval from the Vermont Agency of Agriculture for the unit.
The unit isn't designed for milk that's going to cross state lines, Judge says, so the company will seek approval from individual states, rather than try to comply with the federal pasteurized milk ordinance (PMO). Judge hopes the unit will be ready for state inspection in late summer.
But are there farms interested in selling bottled pasteurized milk? Judge gets calls from small farmers across the nation interested in doing just that. Bob-White's modeling theorizes that Vermont could support roughly 1,000 micro dairies each bottling about 20 gallons a day—enough to provide milk to approximately 60 families—although the market for farm-bottled, pasteurized milk is mostly untested.
One small Vermont farm currently bottling milk on the micro scale is Farm and Wilderness in Plymouth. Chantal Deojay milks three cows and uses a 35-gallon vat pasteurizer to pasteurize milk four times a week. She sells the non-homogenized milk for about $7/gallon at the Rutland and Shrewsbury co-ops and the Woodstock Farmers' Market store.
Her small-scale equipment—which fills only one bottle at a time—wasn't cheap, Deojay concedes; she estimates that she paid or so $30,000 for all the components. But the milk sells well. "People love it," she says.
It's hard to know if Judge's vision of 1,000 such micro dairies producing fluid milk could become reality. Diane Bothfeld, Vermont's deputy secretary of agriculture, notes that "Vermont already produces more milk than it can drink," shipping most of what's produced here out of state. Even so, "small dairy is really booming" in Vermont, according to Dan Scruton, dairy and energy Chief of the Division of Food Safety and Consumer Protection at the Agency of Agriculture. He notes that a number of licenses are pending for small-dairy producers.
Judge also sees potential customers for his small-scale pasteurizer among Vermont's small-scale producers of cheese, butter, and yogurt. Turkey Hill Farm in Randolph Center is one of those small-scale producers. Owners Stuart and Margaret Osha sell raw milk directly from their farm and will continue to do so, but they recently purchased a 45-gallon vat pasteurization system in order to make yogurt from the milk of their five cows.
"The vat is designed so you can do 45 gallons or 4 gallons," Margaret explained. In addition to yogurt, the Oshas will likely also pasteurize milk for soft cheeses. "We like the versatility," she added. "You never know when we're going to have the next idea."
The Oshas purchased their small vat pasteurizer from MicroDairy Designs in Maryland for $20,000. The unit includes a chiller and a filler/bottler unit, and if they so chose, the Oshas could adapt it to bottle fluid milk and cream as well as yogurt, although they aren't currently planning to do so.
The Bob-White system, which Judge anticipates will retail for approximately $25,000, is equally versatile, able to process any amount of milk. Bob-White is also working on developing a filler/bottler to use with the pasteurizer, so that farmers can meet federal Grade A dairy regulations. Grade A dairy products, which include fluid milk and yogurt, can't be touched by human hands. Thus, any farmer wanting to sell Grade A dairy products across state lines must also purchase a filler, a machine that fills and seals the container.
Judge thinks that doesn't make sense. He'd like to see small-scale milk processors avoid the need to purchase expensive automated fillers; efficient, small-scale fillers can cost as much as $20,000, he estimates. So he's been talking with the Vermont House and Senate agriculture committees, exploring the feasibility of regulating small dairy farms less like huge milk producers and more like delis and restaurants. "In a commercial kitchen, you're allowed to have raw food and cooked food in the same place," he notes. "You're allowed to fill containers by hand if you're wearing gloves and a hairnet.
That's essentially how raw milk producers are allowed to sell."
While the conversations have yet to yield action, "I feel optimistic because it would make sense," Judge says. "You should be able to trust a farmer to produce a good, clean product as much as you can trust a pizzeria or a deli."
So Judge soldiers on. A veteran of the dairy industry—he was a founding member of Vermont Family Farms in the 1990s and spent time managing the Woodstock Water Buffalo Farm—he appears to have the tenacity to stick with a good idea. And after years of milking a larger herd, he can personally confirm the smaller workload of a micro dairy. His own farm, just a few miles up the road from the Bob-White store, serves as the company's applied research site; he milks four Jerseys to develop best practices for the equipment.
Since its founding in 2006, the company has raised almost $1 million in private investment to finance the development of the low-impact pasteurization system. Seven engineers have been involved in its design. Even if, for some unforeseen reason, the equipment isn't approved in the U.S., Judge is confident that it can be marketed overseas. "The rest of the world has reasonable regulation," he says.
Small-scale pasteurizers can also be used for products other than milk, such as juice and tea, so the equipment will have a market beyond dairy processors. Judge knows that demand exists for small-scale equipment, as Bob-White routinely stocks vat pasteurizers and 30–80 gallon bulk tanks from Slovenia.
"We're selling [these] to small-scale farms that are selling raw milk, and some are pasteurizing and making butter or cheese," Judge notes. Many of these farms call for advice, and Bob-White provides consulting services to farms looking to establish a micro dairy business.
In addition to sustaining small-scale agriculture, Judge thinks there's another reason why micro dairies are an attractive idea. "Genetically, people like to work the land," he comments. "And there are people saying they want local milk and they want an alternative to raw milk. The dairy industry is collapsing. This could reinvigorate it."
Photo courtesy of Bob-White Systems


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Maras, Pamela, Moon, Amy ORCID: 0000-0001-5795-3206 and Zhu, Liqi (2012) Chinese and British adolescents' academic self-concept, social identity and behaviour in schools. BJEP Monograph Series II: Psychology and Antisocial Behaviour in Schools, 9. pp. 93-122. ISSN 1476-9808


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| 15.4°C Dublin
FOUR-TIME 250cc world champion Max Biaggi has announced his retirement from motorcycle racing.
The 41-year-old Italian, who also won the World Superbike Championship twice, made the announcement at a press conference organised at Rome's Vallelunga circuit, where he began his career.
Quoted in the Corriere dello Sport, Biaggi said: "I've chosen to quit and, unlike others, it's not because of physical issues or because I haven't found a competitive bike.
"I've turned down a contract with Aprilia that was identical to the one I had this year, with the same bike, for the same money.
"I believe I've missed enough time with my children and my partner already, and I think it's right that I dedicate myself to them because time flies and I can't stop that.
"I'm not some old politician, attached to my chair, it's only fair that I make way for the youngsters."
This morning, Biaggi pre-empted his media briefing by taking to his official Twitter account.
He tweeted: "It is a new dawn for me today, nothing will be like it was before. Onwards and upwards, though!"
Known as 'The Roman Emperor', Biaggi rode his first grand prix season at the age of 20 in 1992, winning 29 races and four straight titles in the quarter-litre category with Aprilia and Honda.
Biaggi's rivalry with countryman Valentino Rossi raised the popularity of the premier 500cc category from 1998, as the two Italians beckoned in the MotoGP era.
Forced to sit out the whole 2006 season as Dani Pedrosa took his position, Biaggi soon switched to the World Superbike Championship and won on his debut in Qatar, for Alstare Suzuki.
Biaggi returned to Aprilia to claim a single win in 2009, before taking his first WSBK title in 2010 and wrestling the crown back from Carlos Checa at Magny-Cours last month.
The search is now on for a new team-mate for Aprilia's Eugene Laverty, with the 2013 season starting at Phillip Island in February.


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Thursday, March 5, 2009
Uncle Jim
Last year Uncle Jim, his dear and devoted wife Ruth and my mother all went to Europe with a bunch of other antique car enthusiasts. He had one of his favorite automobiles shipped over by boat, where it was waiting for the three of them upon arrival, and off they went with their other car buddies, all driving in old fashioned high style throughout Europe.
I am so happy that they were able to take that final trip. My heart goes out to my Aunt Ruth who loved him so deeply. And I take comfort in imagining my Uncle Jim and my Father together again, for they were so close, and Uncle Jim had a very hard time with my Father's passing 6 years ago. Cancer took these brothers from us way too soon, each only in their late 60's, and both with much more living left to do.
And on that sad note, I ask you in honor of my Uncle Jim and in honor of all the ones that you each have loved and lost, let's each be sure to hug a family member or friend today, and to tell them how much they mean to us.
Also, please except my apologies for not keeping up with everyones blogs lately... please know that you all are important to me. I value the friendship, loving support, encouragement and creativity that we all share and I promise to visit soon. xo Victoria
15 comments:
- picciolo said...
A big hug to you Victoria at this sad time, and best wishes to your family
: )
- March 5, 2009 at 3:27 AM
- Janis said...
Oh Victoria. I am so sorry for your hurt. Such a beautiful story of that special European trip. I'm glad you all have that memory, knowing that he lived life to the fullest.
You have my prayers for you and your family in these difficult days. God bless.
- March 5, 2009 at 6:33 AM
- Michelle Engel Bencsko said...
You painted a very handsome portrait of your uncle. I'm sorry for your heartache. Peace to you and your family, Victoria.
- March 5, 2009 at 6:50 AM
- Hey Harriet said...
I'm so sorry that your uncle Jim passed away. I do love the story of Jim, Ruth and your mum driving around Europe in a cool antique car. Now that's classy! I so wish that a cure for cancer could be found. It takes far too many lives. I will do as you suggest in honor of your uncle Jim and for others, and I'll hug like crazy. I like huggin so I'm happy to hug-it-up for a worthy cause. I wish you were within hugging range so I could give you one right now. Take care Victoria, and again, I'm sorry about your uncle. xox
- March 5, 2009 at 6:55 AM
- High Desert Diva said...
I cannot believe he shipped the car over to toodle around Europe in! How cool was that? Hugs to you and your family!
- March 5, 2009 at 8:12 AM
- Colleen MacDonald said...
Oh honey. It's so hard to lose our loved ones, and especially when they're so young. I will be sending you good energy, and will hug everyone I love today. Thanks for the reminder.
- March 5, 2009 at 11:06 AM
Victoria, I'm sorry to hear about your loss. Sorry to hear about your father too.
As I won't see anybody today I send you all my hugs and love! Take care.
It's good to know your uncle Jim had such a wonderful time in Europe last year.
- March 5, 2009 at 11:20 AM
- MichelleB said...
My deepest sympathies to you and your family.
- March 5, 2009 at 11:23 AM
- Lindsey said...
So sorry about Uncle Jim...so hard to lose a loved one...Yes big hug for the whole family are in order. Thanks for the reminder.
- March 5, 2009 at 1:33 PM
- Victoria Bennett Beyer said...
So sorry, dear. Hugs to you.
- March 5, 2009 at 2:36 PM
- Unknown said...
What a lovely tribute to your uncle. I'm so sorry for your loss, but am glad I stumbled into your blog today.
Thank you for sharing this.
- March 5, 2009 at 5:02 PM
- littlebyrd said...
That was a really wonderful post and tribute to your Uncle Jim. I am sorry to hear of his passing. How great that he was able to go on that trip - what good memories for the family!
- March 5, 2009 at 7:05 PM
- Fer said...
I'm so sorry.
Big hugs to you. :o)
- March 5, 2009 at 8:52 PM
- Dorrie said...
Victoria, I'm very sorry for your loss and especially so for your aunt. Peace be, and enjoy the memories.
- March 5, 2009 at 10:24 PM
- Bascom Hogue said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- March 6, 2009 at 10:24 PM