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This month, I'm continuing last-month's discussion (Getting Started with Google Apps and OAuth) by providing both a working example and a discussion of the real-world issues that come up when you actually implement and test.
Getting Google OAuth to actually work is a frustrating process. The Google documentation is poorly organized and incoherent (in the sense of "scattered"), and a few pieces of critical information are missing altogether. The advice you find on the web is, for the most part, clueless guessing, and Google's code examples don't consider real-world issues like persistent user-specific token management. More to the point, the effort required just to set things up so that you can run and test the code is way more than the effort required to write the code.
I hope to fix those problems with this article.
The Network Environment
One of the hardest parts of writing OAuth code is arranging to test it. In particular, you must be able to receive the Auth token from Google. You'll remember from last month, that once your user has authorized access, Google will send an HTTP GET to an arbitrary URL that you supply. The access token is appended as a query parameter to the URL.
Testing this mechanism can be a challenge, given that most of our development machines are on private subnets (with 192.168.x.x or 10.x.x.x IP addresses), which are only accessible locally. Giving Google a private callback address is useless, since that address can't be accessed directly from the Internet.
You have a few choices, but first the non-choice: If you have a simple Internet connection accessed via a modem, where the upstream router (which could be your ISP, but could also be a corporate firewall) assigns a private 192.168.x.x or 10.x.x.x address to you, you're hosed. Google just can't send an HTTP request to a machine on a local network. Similarly, the odds of getting your IT department to allow Google to directly access your test machine are nil. There are workarounds, which I'll discuss in a moment, but you might have to work around your IT department, too. Testing can be a very political process.
Moving on to setups that work, let's start with the simple-to-the-point-of-useless-but-inexpensive approach, which works only if you're working at home or otherwise have control of the main Internet pipe. Sometimes, your ISP will assign a temporary, but public, IP addresss to you. That can work, provided that you can use that IP address directly, as will be the case if you're talking to the ISP through a simple modem. (If you have a router hooked up to the ISP through the modem, you can just unplug the router and plug your test machine directly into the ISP's modem, effectively co-opting the address that would normally be assigned to the router itself.) If your connection to the outside world is router rather than a modem, you'll have to know how to reprogram that router, so practically speaking, that's not going to work.
Note that if you do use a dynamic-ISP-provided IP address in this way, you'll have to manually change the "callback" URL that you send to Google to tell it where to send the Auth token (to reflect whatever your actual IP address happens to be at the moment). This is a source-code change, and it's annoying to do it every time you sit down to test, but as I said, this simple approach isn't really workable. The other disadvantage of this simple approach is that you're effectively disconnected from your LAN when you're plugged directly into the ISP's modem, so you can't print, talk to network disks, etc.
A more workable, but still not ideal, approach is to use an external server as an intermediary: Set up a public server that accepts Auth tokens and then passes them on to the real application. For example, you can create a Google-Apps application (which will have a public domain name that is a subdomain of appspot.com), and then deploy a servlet or equivalent to that domain to service the Google-generated HTTP requests that carry the Auth token. You give Google the URL of that intermediary-level server as its "callback" URL.
Your application (behind the firewall) fetches the token with its own HTTP request to the same intermediary, typically from a servlet with a different name than the one that Google's using. This second servlet responds to your request by returning the token (or tokens) that Google sent to it. Your main application will have to poll the servlet until the token arrives. (The whole point of this exercise is to make up for the fact that you can't push past the firewall, so polling is mandatory.)
This approach involves the minimum amount of messing around with the network at the cost of considerable programming and the annoyance of a dual-site deployment. You can, at least, deploy the intermediary servlets and the main application to the same machine in production, so the test code is the same as the production code. The URL has to change, but that's it. The obvious disadvantage is the not inconsiderable inconvenience, complexity, and time required to split your application into two parts and deploy them to separate locations.
The best way, if you can do it, is to actually set up a public IP address so that Google can talk directly to your development machine. This actual solution may or may not be possible if you work for a large company.
I (reluctantly, and with much gnashing of teeth, given the cost) pay my ISP for a pool of 5 static IP addresses. I've registered a domain name (timezer.com which is the application I'm current building) and attached one of those addresses to that domain.
Figure 1 shows the easiest setup that works. I've assigned one of the static IP addresses to the router that's supporting my normal wireless LAN, which my machine can uses to talk to the printer, etc. Since my machine has two network ports, I can also run a wire over to the modem, so I've manually assigned another static IP address to the machine's wired-ethernet port. My development machine, as a consequence, is effectively on both my LAN and the wild-wild Internet at the same time.
That simple solution works fine, with the one exception that there's no firewall between my development machine at the Internet. So, to get that firewall, I actually use the setup shown in Figure 2.
At the top left of Figure 2, the ISP's modem is connected to the Internet. That modem has a static IP address that serves as the "gateway address" for my local subnet.
I've connected the modem to a separate firewall/router that does the heavy lifting. I prefer this two-box approach to just using ISP-supplied equipment for two reasons: My box is more capable than the box that comes from my ISP (Comcast) my box supports a high-speed VPN and dual WAN ports, for example. Moreover, I can change ISPs without wasting a day figuring out how to set up the new ISP's equipment. On the other hand, the SMC cable-modem/router that Comcast supplied with the "business-class" service I use will happily do all the address mapping I'm about to describe. You don't have to go out and buy another expensive slab of hardware to make things work.
Moving on, the firewall supports two local networks. One is a standard LAN that parcels out addresses in the 192.168.1.x range via a wireless router. That is, the router maps its own IP address (70.x.x.2) to a pool of address in the 192.16.8.x range. Those addresses are assigned to machines on the LAN with DHCP, in the normal way.
The second local network is an independent "DMZ." that can't communicate directly with the LAN it's a separate subnet. The DMZ has a public IP address (70.x.x.3) that the router maps (using NAT) to an internal LAN address of 192.168.3.10. That is, the router passes all Internet-level requests to 70.x.x.3 to the local machine with the IP address 192.168.3.10. I allow only HTTP and ping requests to get through the firewall in this way.
Finally, we come to my development machine. The wireless port just connects to he LAN using DHCP. Now, however, the wired port has a static IP address that's inside the DMZ (192.168.3.10). As with the simpler setup, when I want to debug my app, I just plug in the wire, and the machine is now on both networks. But now, when Google issues an HTTP request to http://70.x.x.3 (or to the matching domain name), the firewall maps that address to the DMZ address (192.168.3.10). That mapping is transparent to Google. As far as it's concerned, my development box has the public IP address.
There are lots of variations to this theme. The main one would be to use a "virtual server." Here, the router uses NAT to map its own IP address to a specific local machine at a well-known LAN address. All requests to the router for connection using a specific protocol (like HTTP) are just forwarded to the specified machine on the LAN. There are no extra wires or multiple ports to mess with, since everything's on a single LAN. On the downside, the NAT mapping is typically done by IP address, so you have to configure your machine to use a static IP address (on the LAN) rather than DHCP, which is annoying if you want to work in a coffeehouse and have to use DHCP. If you have a router than can act as a virtual server using your machine's MAC address instead of its IP address, then the virtual-server approach is the easiest.


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This was published 6 years ago
The end of the car wash? Nissan develops 'self-cleaning' vehicle
This post was originally published on Mashable.
Nissan has unveiled a new prototype that could potentially do away with car washes.
The car maker is experimenting with a special super-hydrophobic paint called Ultra-Ever Dry that it's billing as "self-cleaning" for cars. It has been specially engineered to be extremely water- and oil-resistant by UltraTech International.
"By creating a protective layer of air between the paint and environment, it effectively stops standing water and road spray from creating dirty marks on the car's surface," the car maker said in a statement.
The company says the paint, which is currently being tested on the Nissan Note, has "responded well" to normal weather conditions, including sleet, frost, snow and standing water. Nissan said its engineers will continue testing the paint over the next few months at Nissan's Technical Centre in Europe.
Nissan added that is has no current plans to offer the paint as a standard feature, but that it is considering eventually offering it as an aftermarket product.
Watch the video, below, to see the "self-cleaning" paint in action.
Mashable is the largest independent news source covering digital culture, social media and technology.

subset: commoncrawl


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The East Side of Providence, Rhode Island is steeped in old New England charm with its striking, historic architecture and beautiful stone and brick sidewalks. Three of the state's more prominent prep schools as well as Brown University and the Rhode Island School of Design are located on the East Side.
With wonderful homes, fine restaurants, exotic boutiques, and quiet elegance this desirable area also provides easy accessibility to highways and downtown. There's ample shopping, 3 major supermarkets, a variety of bakeries, coffee shops and specialty food stores, as well as restaurants that range from down-home to upscale. In addition most religious denominations can find accommodating worship services.
Bordered by water on three sides, there are several distinctive neighborhoods–Blackstone, Wayland, Hope, Mount Hope, Summit, College Hill and Fox Point–tucked into 3 square miles, each with their own personality, affordability, shopping and lifestyle.
The Blackstone Neighborhood encompasses the largest area of the East Side. It is highlighted by Blackstone Boulevard, a stately tree-lined thoroughfare with a walking path that bisects the median; designed by the legendary landscape architect Horace W.S. Cleveland. People from all over the state flock to "the boulevard" to walk, run, stroll, and play with pets. It's a friendly environment where students, children, and people of all ages enjoy brisk, enthusiastic recreation. This particular area is home to a surprising range of distinctive restaurant fare.
Wayland is the neighborhood around Wayland Square, an upscale shopping area well suited for all fine living needs including gifts, fashions, books, music, and antiques. These few blocks successfully maintain their own characteristic restaurant scene. From cozy to tony, the Wayland Square neighborhood is qualified to delight for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. In addition, the area has the largest concentration of higher-end apartments in the county.
College Hill is distinguished by its architecture; the Benefit Street "Mile of History" is home to elegant residences, impressive churches, and the renowned RISD art museum. Brown University is largely located amid the bustling shopping district of Thayer Street which caters to students and residents alike. Abundantly furnished with pizza restaurants, pubs, and unique shops, College Hill is ideal for those who enjoy the lively feel of an active area.
Fox Point has become home to many younger transplants that have migrated to the neighborhood for its convenience, contemporary style, and walk-ability. A variety of historic homes, multi's, and apartments make up most of the housing stock and it ranks among the most affordable and accessible areas of the East Side. Nearby Wickenden Street possesses the decorative touches of its inhabiting artists, and is a mini-Mecca for students and young professionals to find coffees, beers, and a variety cultural foods. Fox Point is situated in a great concentration of parks and recreational areas, including the waterfront space known as India Point Park, perfect for dog walking, bike riding, or weekend picnicking.


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WASHINGTON (AP) — White House officials have been holding private meetings this week aimed at soothing lawmakers' concerns over the U.S. posture in Syria, the future of the American military presence in Afghanistan and defense spending. The meetings come as a frustrated White House seeks to push back at criticism of President Barack Obama's foreign policy.
But the White House outreach appeared to be having little effect on some lawmakers' concerns.
Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, described Tuesday night's White House meeting with chief of staff Denis McDonough and national security adviser Susan Rice as "one of the most bizarre I've attended."
Another senator who attended the meeting said Obama's advisers refused to provide lawmakers with answers about whether the president plans to keep U.S. troops in Afghanistan after the war formally concludes later this year or about the Pentagon's efforts to find nearly 300 kidnapped Nigerian school girls.
Unsatisfied, some of the lawmakers started to leave one by one before the meeting had finished. The senator and three congressional aides briefed on the meeting insisted on anonymity to discuss the private talks.
The meetings, which have been taking place both at the White House and on Capitol Hill, come as Obama prepares for a speech Wednesday at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, where he is expected to try to answer critics who say he has surrendered America's global leadership and faltered on problems in the Middle East, Russia, China and beyond.
McDonough and Rice met at the White House on Monday night with about a dozen House Democrats. On Tuesday, officials invited 14 senators — three of them were Republicans — to the White House for a discussion on foreign policy over wine, beer, and a cheese and cracker platter on the patio outside of McDonough's office.
The chief of staff was also on Capitol Hill on Tuesday for a foreign policy-focused meeting with the full House. He met with the full Senate on Thursday, though national security took a backseat in that discussion to economic issues.
Among the Democrats who attended the Tuesday meeting were New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee; Michigan Sen. Carl Levin; and Rhode Island Sen. Jack Reed. The three Republicans who attended were Corker, Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake and Maine Sen. Susan Collins.
A White House official said six Republicans were invited to the meeting, but half did not attend.
The president did not drop by the White House meeting, surprising the senators. White House officials cast the meetings as part of their effort to step up engagement with lawmakers who long have complained about feeling out of the loop regarding the president's decision-making.
In another sign of the White House's uphill climb to sway lawmakers, the House voted overwhelmingly Thursday in favor of a $601 billion defense authorization bill that Obama has threatened to veto. McDonough had used his discussions with Democrats to try to persuade them to reject the measure, which authorizes spending on weapons and personnel for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1. It also limits Obama's handling of terror suspects at the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, barring him from transferring detainees to maximum-security prisons in the United States.
Midway through his sixth year in office, Obama has been showing signs of frustration with the way his foreign policy has been viewed by critics on Capitol Hill and elsewhere. During a news conference in the Philippines last month, he pushed back at those who said his cautious response to the Syrian civil war and Russia's threatening moves in Ukraine has weakened the U.S.
"You hit singles, you hit doubles. Every once in a while we may be able to hit a home run," Obama said. "But we steadily advance the interests of the American people and our partnership with folks around the world."
Obama aides confront Hill foreign policy concerns
WASHINGTON (AP) — White House officials have been holding private meetings this week aimed at soothing lawmakers' concerns over the U.S. posture in Syria, the future of the American military presence in Afghanistan and defense spending. The meetings come as a frustrated White House seeks to push back at criticism of President Barack Obama's foreign policy.


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Earth from Space: Lake Kariba, Zambia-Zimbabwe border
The narrow, man-made Lake Kariba, located along the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe, as seen by Envisat.
The 20th century was the great age of dam building, which did more than any other single human activity to change the face of our planet. Lake Kariba was created in the late 1950s by the construction of a largest dam wall across the Zambezi River running through the Kariba Gorge.
More than a million cubic metres of concrete were employed to build the 24-metre thick and 36.6-metre high wall, which was designed to sustain the pressure of nearly ten million litres of water passing through its spillway every second. It is located at the northernmost shore of Lake Kariba.
Jointly owned by the governments of Zambia and Zimbabwe, the dam was constructed to supply hydroelectric power to the then-British colonies, but today is also significant for fishing and recreational uses. Maximum water level was reached in 1963, some 700 animals being saved from floodwaters by a rescue operation called Operation Noah.
Today Lake Kariba is one of the largest dams in the world, with a surface area of 5580 square kilometres and an average depth of 29 metres, increasing to a maximum of 97 metres. It is 220 km long and in places up to 40 kilometres wide.
Its waters support more than 40 different species of fish – including the sardine-like kapenta, a protein-rich fish around which a local fishing industry has developed. In a rare example of a successful introduction of a non-native species to a lake, the kapenta - taken from Lake Tanganyika - has apparently had a minimal biological impact. Also present are hippo and crocodile, with elephant, buffalo, rhino and smaller animals abundant in the surrounding valley.
North of the eastern side of Lake Kariba is the Zambian capital of Lusaka, visible as a whitish area. Northwest of Lusaka is a noticeable square-marked grey feature which is the Lukanga Swamps, an ecologically important wetland region.
Over on the Zimbabwean shoreline is located Matusadona National Park – a notable safari park and home to endangered Black Rhinos - while above it in the Chizarira Hills is found the remote Chizarira National Park.
Follow the Zambesi River east to find another narrow lake, apparently shallower from its light-blue colour: this is Mozambique's 270-km-long Lago de Cahora Bassa (Cahora Basin Reservoir), which was dammed in the 1970s.
The Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) acquired this image on 6 June 2005, operating in Full Resolution mode with a spatial resolution of 300 metres. It covers an area of 672 by 672 kilometres.


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Tijuana, Mexico, July 17, 2009 – Chinese Taipei scored a major upset by defeating China in a five-set thriller by score of 20-25, 25-13, 25-15, 13-25, 16-14 and thus keeping alive its hope of advancing to the main bracket of the competition.
Chen Shih Ting had a sensational night scoring 26 points for the winners and Chen Wang Ting added 18 of her own. Liu Xiaotong topped China with 17 points for China.
China led 8-4 and 16-9 at the two technical time-outs of the first set while dominating their opponents with good blocking and better overall performance. Skilled Sun Mingjian and Li Weiwei led the offensive parade. Chinese Taipei had a strong reaction led by Captain Chen Wang Ting and came close to a three-point distance but China didn't panic and took the set 25-20.
Spikers Chen Wang Tin and Cheng Shih Ting enjoyed red-hot start in the second set sending Chinese Taipei to 8-4 and 16-6 leads at the technical stops. They didn't stop and continued their march and easily won the second set 25-13, capped by a spiked from Li Weiwei.
In the third set, Liu Xiaotong and Zhang Yicham's attacks gave China an 8-6 lead. But then it was show time again for Chinese Taipei, winners of 10 of the next 12 points for a 16-10 lead with the two Chens leading the explosive offense accompanied by resilient defense. The girls from Taipei continued with a flurry of spikes and touching most of the balls at the net and ended up winning the third by score of 25-15.
China took the lead in the fourth set at 8-6. Liu helped to stretch the lead to 12-7 with a pair of spikes and the girls from the continent went to the second stop leading the scoreboard 16-10. China elevated its wall in the fourth set and finished with two blocks from Sun Mingjian and Liu for a 25-13 win.
Zhang and Li Aitong started the tie-breaker with spike and block to put China in front 2-0, but Chen Shih Ting tied-up at 4-4 for Chinese Taipei with two spikes and one ace. Consecutive kills by Sun Mingjian gave back China a 7-5 lead and Li Weiwei stretched to 10-5 with three straight aces. Taipei did not give up and kept fighting back and closed the distance to 13-11. One touch by Chen Shih Ting put her side within one point at 13-12 and Cheng Wang Ting served one ace to tied up at 13-all. One spike by Chen Shih Ting followed by a reception fault of China decided the set 16-14 and the match in favor of Chinese Taipei.


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OTTAWA — Canada's economy is still in for a choppy ride, even as the climate appears to be improving here and elsewhere.
But the Bank of Canada on Wednesday clouded that outlook, saying its view "balances the many upside and downside risks to inflation" and that will keep interest rates near record lows for some time to come.
For Stephen Poloz, who took over as central bank governor in June, Wednesday's decision to again leave the BoC's key borrowing rate at 1% — where it has been since September 2010 — was the first opportunity to directly influence monetary policy.
It was also the first chance for Mr. Poloz, 57, to provide input to the bank's quarterly Monetary Policy Report — a look at economic conditions and possible threats to growth forecasts, and a document that he helped launch at the BoC before leaving to later head Economic Development Canada, the Ottawa-based export credit agency.
In Wednesday's report, the bank said Canada's economy is "expected to be choppy in the near term." It forecast growth of 1.8% this year, up from an estimate of 1.5% in its April report. But for the second quarter this year alone, the bank is forecasting slower growth of about 1% reflecting the impact of the flooding on Alberta and province-wide construction strike in Quebec.
That growth could be threatened by the "failure to contain the crisis in Europe, and weaker growth in China and other emerging-markets economies," the bank said.
"The most important domestic source of risk to the Canadian economy remains the possibility of a disorderly unwinding of household sector imbalances."
Growth in the U.S., meanwhile, is expected to remain moderate at 1.7% this year, slightly weaker than the bank's forecast of 2% in April. The economy will likely accelerate to 3.1% in 2014 — unchanged from the earlier forecasts — "with the continued strengthening in private demand being partly offset by the impact of fiscal consolidation."
Globally, expansion remains modest, "although the pace of economic activity varies significantly across the major economies," the bank said. In particular, growth in Japan has strengthened, while China as slowed and the eurozone remains in negative territory.
Still, overall, the world economy is estimated to expand by 2.8% this year — down from the bank's April forecast of 3.2% — and grow 3.5% in 2014, compared to the previous call of 3.6%.
As expected, there was little change to the wording of the statement accompanying Wednesday's rate decision — although, in contrast to previous references, there was no mention of any negative impact of Canadian dollar's "persistent strength," given the currency's recent weakness.
Also not surprising, given Mr. Poloz's previous role at the EDC, the statement emphasized an anticipated pickup in trade activity and corporate spending, thanks in large part to the stronger U.S. economy.
"Despite ongoing competitiveness challenges, exports are projected to gather momentum, which should boost confidence and lead to increasingly solid growth in business investment," the report said.
"The economy will also be supported by continued growth in consumer spending, while further modest declines in residential investments are expected."
Policymakers reiterated their forecast from the April MPR that the pace of economic growth should be sufficient to gradually eliminate excess capacity by mid-2015, with inflation reaching the bank's 2% target around the same time.
The bank stuck to its forward guidance, with some minor rewording, despite calls from some economists to drop its pro-rate-increase bias in favour of a more neutral stance.
"Over time, as the normalization of these conditions unfolds, a gradual normalization of policy interest rates can also be expected, consistent with achieving the 2% inflation target."


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JordiComAu necesitaba un nuevo diseño de página web y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 5 diseños de 1 diseñadores freelance.
An entertainer operating within the Australian marketplace (more
specifically Melbourne), requiring a new website design that will appeal
to both the general public, as well as corporate clients.
Clients from 18-55 will be accessing this site, and will more often than
not, be making a decision to do business based purely on the impression
they get online.
Offering entertainment options for the full gamut of markets including
pubs, bars, clubs, hotels, weddings, business functions... basically
catering for anything and everything!
There are 7 different acts fronted by this artist, all of which provide
a very different style of entertainment. Showcasing this variety, and
emphasising to the end user that among these options is the ideal act
for them, is key.
Require single page template design for a homepage - this layout should
support some introduction/welcome text for the entertainer, site
navigation menu, three-four latest tweets from twitter as the 'news'
vehicle for the artist and some artist imagery (images presented in a
rotating carousel would be fine).
Template will be used as a base for all sub-pages of the website as well
- so should be flexible enough to support this. Sections of the website are:
* Band section highlighting the 7 acts entertainer works with
* Upcoming gigs listing / calendar
* Contact us / webform
Logo design provided (attached) - happy to consider color adjustments to
work in with the final design, but wish to stick with the typesetting/font used.
Imagery of the artist provided, along with images of several of the bands.
A content-only website is already ready at
http://jordi.magnetikonline.com/ which the winning design will provide a
skin for - should assist with content requirements for the website and
the sitemap. No drop down menus for the main navigation either - just
the top level home/band/gigs/contact pages.
Only require final PSD and any exported layers - no HTML/CSS work
required for this job.


text:
Back to the future
The Boeing 747-8 is one of the jewels of the Lufthansa fleet. A retro version harks back to the days when the first Jumbo took to the skies: Yankee Tango features an eye-catching 1970s paint job. Before commercial services could commence the aircraft in the U.S. was subjected to meticulous inspection
There she stands, the queen of the skies! White body enveloped in thick morning fog, gleaming black nose, elegantly curved wings and characteristic hump. The Boeing 747-8 has four engines, each of them so large that three men can comfortably stand up inside. Their combined power is equal to that of more than 3000 cars, but the noise they make when they start up is only a third of that made by the plane's predecessor, the Boeing 747-400.
The design of the original Boeing 747, the brainchild of legendary U.S. aircraft engineer Joe Sutter, has been around for decades and has stood the test of time. Lufthansa was as actively involved in the development of the original jumbo jet as it was in that of the 747-8 – an aircraft that embodies not only the art of engineering, but also the airline's history and tradition like no other. A new Lufthansa "Dash 8" now evokes that earlier era by sporting a 1970s Lufthansa livery, with a blue stripe along the cabin windows, a more delicately drawn crane, a black nose instead of a white one, and a small German flag adorning the tail. The underbelly of the D-ABYT, known by its last two letters as the "Yankee Tango," is the only area where a tradeoff was made. "In the past, they would polish up the metal, producing a silvery shine," explains Lufthansa designer Ronald Wild, "but doing that to today's alloys, which are coated with an anti-corrosive primer, would make no sense. And maintenance would cost too much." The compromise: a silver mica paint with a metallic effect reminiscent of the original look.
The list price of a brand-new Boeing 747-8 is approximately 360 million dollars, and Lufthansa has ordered 19 planes. But as a regular customer of the aircraft manufacturer in Everett, Washington, near Seattle, Lufthansa gets a discount. Nevertheless, each flagship plane is a major investment. Once in operation, a 747-8 guarantees as many jobs as a medium-sized company. This is also why accepting delivery of each new plane involves a two-week trip to the Boeing facility, during which a team of experienced mechanics, pilots and engineers goes over the plane with a checklist, making sure everything's tip top.
"Our activities all interlock, it's the only way," says Werner Scholz, Lufthansa Acceptance Manager. Every day, he sends an update to the people at Lufthansa headquarters in Germany, who are waiting impatiently to begin regular passenger services on schedule. "In the end, we're all working toward the same goal – and we can't go back without the plane," says Scholz, laughing. "Frankfurt would have our heads!" The schedule is tight for this dedicated team that always aims to deliver a perfect plane. Every day of delay costs money. "A project like this is a real challenge, even for the best and brightest in the industry," says Scholz.
The inspectors working in the fog on Lufthansa's number 18 "Dash 8" have some 158 years of experience, combined. Armed with flashlights, telescope mirrors, red tape and a notebook, the team of five men and one woman descend on the retro-liveried plane to inspect its exterior. The cabin inspection is scheduled for the following day. Boeing workers accompany the team from Germany, taking notes on their laptops. The inspectors mark and number each item with tape.
Inspector Jörg Martin stands on a step ladder with a flashlight in his mouth, marking a spot beside a wiring harness on the fuselage. "The way they've been clamped, these cables could chafe," he explains, catching the flashlight that slipped out of his mouth when he opened it to talk. The team members probe, touch, sniff and wiggle everything in sight as they make their way through the plane, all their senses engaged. Moving at 900 kilometers per hour 11 000 meters above the earth, what might be fine on the ground is exposed to enormous forces in the air. "That's why it's so important that we're experienced," says Martin, "we can judge what might become a problem later on."
Toward the rear of the plane, Martin's colleague Ulrich Boesch is ten meters above the ground in a cherry picker, carefully inspecting the outer surface of the plane. "A little bit of orange peel has developed during painting, but that's not a problem," he growls, as his attention is caught by something else. Pulling out his phone, he snaps a picture of a faint bulge in the aircraft's skin, which is only visible when lit from a certain angle. He presses down on it. "This will have to be redone, something must have buckled here." On goes a strip of tape and then it's off to the next thing.
The 747-8 lies comfortably in the air and is a pleasure to fly
The inspectors are not here to see if the 747-8 will fly or whether all of its systems work; that job has already been done by Boeing and the U.S. civil aviation authority. They're here for all the small things that, when added up, can have an adverse effect on fuel efficiency, such as rough edges, tiny dents, "hidden sources of resistance," as well as elements that could begin to chafe or stick up and cause problems – if not immediately, then conceivably later on. The inspectors have noted down 180 such minor shortcomings in order of importance. "You have to be very specific," Boesch explains with a grin: "If I put down that something or other needs to be repaired, something or other will be repaired." Boeing's technicians work through the "hot item list" as quickly as they can, but leave less urgent things to be dealt with in Frankfurt.
Inspector Horst Wolff breathes out noisily and pushes his glasses back into his long hair. "It's hard to know where to start," he sighs and jiggles the loose banister of the stairway leading up to the upper level of Business Class on the double-decker aircraft. Like his colleagues, Wolff is qualified to approve and accept delivery of factory-fresh aircraft and their components. In the cabin, the experts find loose cabinets, seats and tables, as well as carpet edges that are sticking up. Everyone is wearing white, surgical overshoes on their feet. Boeing's Dave Engel takes notes on his laptop. Much of the cabin interior is not Boeing's work at all but that of contractors. Are the Germans more particular than other customers? "They're too much like us," exclaims the Boeing man, and laughs. "We share a commitment to quality, and communication is very good. I wouldn't work any other way." For years, the same team has been coming to Seattle from Hamburg and Frankfurt. "We know each other, we trust each other, and the atmosphere is good," says Engel: "That helps."
Sixteen days later, the "Yankee Tango" is ready to take off on its first flight across the Atlantic. On runway One Six Right, Lufthansa captain Uwe Strohdeicher accelerates to 147 knots and takes off, dipping his wings twice in farewell. "Considering that this plane has only seen eight hours of flight, it is well trimmed, lies comfortably in the air, maneuvers easily and is a pleasure to fly," he says. En route to Europe, the three pilots in the cockpit admire the northern lights on the horizon. Nine hours later, they land safely in Frankfurt, the retro jumbo jet has found his place in the fleet, operating on regular routes.


text:
San Diego County flu rates dropped sharply last week, causing the region's top public health official to say the flu season may be winding down.
"If you look at the latest numbers, they're all pointing in the same direction," said Dr. Wilma Wooten, the county's public health officer. "That makes me definitely more confident that we have peaked for the flu season, but people should realize that we still have five or six weeks to go."
The latest report revises the number of confirmed flu cases reported two weeks ago from 718 to 834 and provides a new number of 382 cases for last week.
That's a 54 percent drop in case volume in only one week. The number of patients with flu-like symptoms observed in local emergency rooms also dropped, from 11 percent to 8 percent week over week.
Seven flu-related deaths were reported last week, bringing the total to 40 for the season, significantly higher than the 14 reported last year but less than the 58 reported during the 2009-2010 "swine flu" season.
Wooten noted that the dominant strain of flu this year, named H3N2, is known to be more severe than the H1N1 strain that created a pandemic in 2009 and 2010. The difference, she said, was that the swine flu was a strain that had not been present in the human population before, so there was no vaccine available to prevent its spread.
"It was a novel virus, so that's what allowed it to spread so readily. If we had had a vaccine when the virus first came on the scene, we would have had a totally different picture," she said.
All but one of the San Diego County residents who died this season had an underlying medical condition.
Only two of the seven deaths actually occurred last week. The other six were from previous weeks, but did not come to the county's attention until more recently.
The overall pattern shows not just a decrease in case volume and emergency room activity but also a decrease in the death rate, which was running at nine deaths per week for most of January.


text:
Your Complete Resource For All Things Home.
Welcome to our website! As we have the ability to list over one million items on our website (our selection changes all of the time), it is not feasible for a company our size to record and playback the descriptions on every item on our website. However, if you have a disability we are here to help you. Please call our disability services phone line at (217) 762-3500 during regular business hours and one of our kind and friendly personal shoppers will help you navigate through our website, help conduct advanced searches, help you choose the item you are looking for with the specifications you are seeking, read you the specifications of any item and consult with you about the products themselves. There is no charge for the help of this personal shopper for anyone with a disability. Finally, your personal shopper will explain our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service, and help you place an order if you so desire.
Regular Business Hours
Tuesday - Friday 9am - 5:30pm
Saturday 9am - 1pm
Closed Sundays & Mondays
These Four Walls in Monticello, IL is an authorized dealer of CTH Sherrill Occasional Products. CTH/Sherrill Occasional strives to be your primary source for designer quality occasional and accent furniture. With over 800 uniquely styled domestic and imported items, a vast array of finishes, and a wide variety of mixed media, they offer a breadth of styles uncompromised in the industry today. Crossing design lines from traditional to contemporary and formal to casual they aim to provide choices for your every design need.
So if you are looking for CTH Sherrill Occasional products in Monticello, Bloomington, Champaign, Danville, Decatur, Effingham, Mahomet, Mattoon, Springfield, Tuscola and Urbana, or if you have any questions about CTH Sherrill Occasional products, please feel free to call us at (217) 762-3500 or simply stop by These Four Walls at any time and we would be glad to help you.
CTH Sherrill Occasional
CTH Sherrill Occasional
Living Room
CTH Sherrill Occasional
Dining Room
CTH Sherrill Occasional
Home Accents
CTH Sherrill Occasional
Home Office
CTH Sherrill Occasional
Home Entertainment
Custom Chair
Custom Finishes
Custom Table Program
Modern Loft
Modern Rustic
Vintage Made Modern


text:
GHNS Illinois Budget (1/30/08)
GHNS Illinois Budget (1/30/08)
Here are the top Illinois stories coming today from GateHouse News Service. Stories are available at www.gatehousenewsservice.com. Please check www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/midwest/illinois/news in the evening for changes to story lineup, including breaking news.
- Jean Hodges, 630-348-3350, 630-956-8834, email@example.com
- Michael Toeset, 630-835-8870, 708-785-4355, email@example.com NEWS http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/midwest/illinois/news STATE BRIEFS: A collection of briefs from GateHouse newspapers across the state. By 5 p.m. / Illinois and Illinois News -NOTE: If your paper has a digest item you'd like to share, please email it to email@example.com. - NOTE: If your paper has an impressive standalone photo to share, please email a high-rez jpeg to email@example.com. We'll include it with the digest or by itself. HORSE ATTACK FOLO: Owner says both horses attacked last week are basically going to be ok, though one is now so frightened of people it won't come out of its stall. he's been amazed by the outpouring of community support (and outrage at the attack). But he's sleeping in the barn himself now, and planning to move away from cantrall. Reynolds , SJR / evening / Illinois and Illinois News --With sidebars, breakouts, including: STATE HORSE ISSUES: Illinois was supposed to certify its first couple of emergency shelters for horses by now; apparently way more demand than there are shelters for abandoned, unwanted animals. And the owners of former horse slaughtering plant in DeKalb have filed formal request with U.S. Supreme Court on challenge to Illinois slaughtering ban. Response expected in mid-February. Statehouse / evening / Illinois and Illinois News NO CHOCOLATE SPRINKLES FOR ME, THANKS: Breakfast for thousands of spfldians could have been in jeopardy if mel-o-cream had been forced to shut down its bakery operation at the laurel street shop, as was a possibility because of a raft of health code violations - rats outside, mouse poop inside & more. But mel-o-cream says the problems have been fixed, and health dept will do a final walkthrough today. Rem SJR / evening / Illinois and Illinois News RUDY IN TOWN? Local gop on tuesday lost its endorsed candidate, its lincoln day luncheon site, and probably its lincoln day speaker. Checking whether giuliani will come here to stump for mccain instead of himself, whether the lunch will come off at all, and who's the local party going to support now? Bernie SJR / evening / Illinois and Illinois News ABE LETTER: State researcher in washington has found a "remarkable" letter written by abe lincoln just before the 1864 elections. Honest abe refused to overturn some tennessee pre-election finagling by his running mate, andrew johnson. Sherman SJR / evening / Illinois and Illinois News SERIAL RAPIST: (w/ mug) Monterius Hinkle, 21, of Peoria who is accused of raping four girls, ranging in age from 12 to 16, over the past year appears in bonding court today on the latest case filed against him. KRAVETZ. PJS / evening / Illinois and Illinois News EYE EXAMS: (possible w/pix?) A new state law, which hasn't garnered much attention, now requires all children in the state to take an eye exam to test for sight-threatening problems before entering school. A news conference and demonstration of the exams, with one or two families with children participating, will give us details of the new procedure that will affect everybody with young kids. (12-14 inches by 5 p.m.) MACIAG. PJS / evening / Illinois and Illinois News STORM DAMAGE: Wind wreaks havoc in Saline County, blowing roofs off houses, etc. http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/midwest/illinois/news/x469088275 DREW PETERSON DRAMA: (stories posted yesterday; here are the links in case you missed it): - Wants to go on Fox game show and take lie detector test: http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/midwest/illinois/news/x1151555924 - Selling windows on eBay: http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/midwest/illinois/news/x254756043 REMEMBERING MARGARET TRUMAN DANIEL: Day-after coverage of the death of President Truman's daughter. (She died in Chicago.) Examiner, Missouri. http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/midwest/illinois/news/x1059370150 TRAIN CRASH: Chicago-area senior gets out of car just before it's struck by two trains. http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/midwest/illinois/news/x1151556812 OPINIONS http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/midwest/illinois/opinions (if your paper would like to submit an editorial or other opinion piece that would work statewide (or nationwide), please e-mail it to email@example.com) BRITT: Toon on McCain winning Florida. / afternoon / Cartoons and Illinois Opinions ELIZABETH DAVIES: Some people simply refuse to retire. http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/opinions/columnists/elizabeth_davies/x1151555946 SPORTS http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/midwest/illinois/sports MIKE NADEL: With Minnesota accepting a middling offer from the Mets, it's obvious the Cubs had no real interest in Johan Santana. And why would they? When you've got Jon Lieber, Jason Marquis and Ryan Dempster, who needs the best pitcher in baseball? / evening / in Mike Nadel, Illinois Sports and Sports Columns ILLINOIS BASKETBALL: The Illini play at No. 8 Michigan State. Tipoff is 8 p.m. First story will move about 10.30. Story with quotes and report card moving by 11.40. SUPINIE. / Illinois sports and Big Ten. LIFESTYLES http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/midwest/illinois DERMATOLOGIST PROFILE: Skin doc knows the importance of putting your best face forward. With VIDEO. Chicago Suburban. http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/midwest/illinois/x1925674398 AMAZING FEAT: Teen bowler rolls on despite club foot. Rockford. http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/midwest/illinois/x142939178 IRISH JIG: Rockford teen to compete in the world Irish dance championships in Northern Ireland. http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/midwest/illinois/x142939192


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Federal Direct Stafford Loan Repayment
Students are entitled to receive a repayment schedule prior to the payment due date. Upon completion of loan repayment, students will receive a letter of acknowledgment from the U.S. Department of Education.
Repayment Options
When it comes time to start repaying your student loan(s), you can select a repayment plan that is right for your financial situation. Generally, you will have from 10 to 25 years to repay your loan, depending on which repayment plan you choose. View, Repayment Plans, for a list of repayment options.
Forbearance and Deferment Options
If you are temporarily unable to meet your repayment obligation, you may be granted a forbearance, which lets you postpone or reduce your payments for an agreed upon period of time. You will still be responsible for any interest that accrues during the forbearance period, but you may be able to pay it later. A deferment is a temporary suspension of loan payments for specific situations such as re-enrollment in school, unemployment, or economic hardship. In most cases, you need to submit a deferment request to the Direct Loan Servicing Center. A deferment can take 30 days or more to process, so file as soon as possible. You must keep making your payments until you receive notice that your deferment has been approved. For more information on forbearance and deferment, visit www.studentaid.gov.
Direct Loan Repayment Incentives/Rebates
The Budget Control Act of 2011 eliminates the authority of the Department of Education to offer any repayment incentives to Direct Loan borrowers to encourage on-time repayment of loans, including any reduction in the interest rate or origination fee. As a result, the up-front interest rebate that was provided to DL borrowers at the time of loan disbursement will not be offered on any Direct Loan with a first disbursement date that is on or after July 1, 2012. The only authorized interest rate reductions are for those borrowers who agree to have their payments automatically electronically debited.
If you don't repay your loan. . .
Delinquencies, or a monthly payment more than 30 days late, are reported to credit bureaus. This can hurt your chances for obtaining loans in the future, for cars, a home, etc. Also you may lose eligibility for further financial aid, deferments and forbearances until the delinquency is cleared up. Default occurs when there is no payment made for 270 days. In the event you go into default on your loan, be aware of the following penalties:
- A bad credit report
- Assignment of loan to a collection agency
- Full balance of loan is due (no more monthly payment privileges)
- Loss of eligibility for future financial aid (this includes grants)
- Withholding of state and federal income tax refunds and California lottery winnings
- Late fees and collection costs may be applied toward the amount you owe
- Your wages may be garnished (a portion withheld for repayment)
Tips to make your repayment easier
- Get organized. Make a single student loan file for all your loan documents, information and payment records. You may want to keep this Tip Sheet in your file as a reference.
- Read your mail. Important notices about your loan, will come by mail. Open and read these notices immediately, and respond or file them, as appropriate.
- Notify the U.S. Department of Education and your loan servicer(s) if you change your name or address. You should also contact your loan servicer(s) if you decide to return to school at least half time.
- Know who services your loan. The Department of Education contracts with servicing agents to collect payments and otherwise administer student loans. It is up to you to keep track of your servicing agent(s).
- Contact your loan servicer(s) if you are having problems making your payment on time to inquire about payment options.
- Write your loan account number on all loan-related correspondence and checks. Keep copies of all correspondence.
- Expect a letter of acknowledgment from the U.S. Department of Education upon making the final payment on your loan(s).
- Take notes of your phone conversations with the loan holder or servicer, i.e., whom you spoke with, what was discussed, etc. Keep this information in your loan file.


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Sunday, April 20, 2008
Geologist for... ?
The first time, I came out 80% similar to Ron Paul, a Republican running as a libertarian, 72% similar to Mike Gravel, a Democrat running as a libertarian, and 64% similar to Barack Obama. I had limited my choices of issues to just a few, so then I took the quiz again.
The second time, I came out 76% similar to Mike Gravel, 71% similar to Barack Obama, and 70% similar to Ron Paul. That change came largely as a result of adding my anti-gun-control stance.
The third time, I added only gun control issues to the four I had chosen the first time, and in the results, they left that issue out entirely. Consequently, I have to conclude that the quiz is biased, because it came out identical to the first time.
Also, the way they define some of the issues is different from a simple "strongly oppose" or "strongly agree" response on the quiz - for example, when I said I was for "free trade," somehow that equated to being for NAFTA, which isn't really free trade, it's strongly regulated trade, legislated trade.
But, hey, that's as far as I'm getting into this sort of s***! Interesting quiz, though - after reading it, I'll probably have to vote either libertarian or Republican. Well, that's months away, plenty of time to decide...
7 comments:
What is the current Libertarian position on detachment faults? ;-)
- Sunday, April 20, 2008 at 10:21:00 AM PDT
- ReBecca Hunt-Foster said...
I even had to go figure out what a liberarian was! LOL
I only did the issues I knew something about and left out some others. Maybe I should take it again and see what happens...
- Sunday, April 20, 2008 at 10:46:00 AM PDT
The problem with those quizzes (which are fun, I have to admit) is that most "regular" people end up aligned with the most idealistic candidates (e.g., Paul or Gravel). I think one reason this happens is that most politicians have to vote on bills and measures all the time as part of their job. They have to constantly make compromises and vote for bills that may have components they may not fully agree with idealistically to advance the part of the bill they do agree with. When you look at where all the remaining candidates end up on these quizzes, you can get an answer from their voting record and not what they say.
Whereas, us regular folks can say anything we want and not have a congressional voting record to show as basis for our ideals.
just a thought
- Sunday, April 20, 2008 at 11:10:00 AM PDT
- McMoots said...
"I support or oppose the idea that human pollution is a significant cause of global warming"
I'm with you on the weird definitions of "free trade". I haven't seen a quiz yet that breaks down trade policy in a way that makes me happy - probably because the strongest factions right now are unregulated trade proponents and protectionists, plus the practice of appealing to one or the other rhetorical forms while actually just using trade policy as a diplomatic bartering chip for other ends.
- Sunday, April 20, 2008 at 12:21:00 PM PDT
- Silver Fox said...
Scott, any position on detachment faults is so far cryptic to unknown.
ReBecca, thanks for the morning entertainment!
Brian, I think the quiz actually may be biased - but that's just my bias. And you're right, we everyday people can say anything we want, and (hopefully) it's not being recorded somewhere (besides here). I've found that very slight changes in answers to quizes like these can change the outcome significantly. Like - I got different questions to answer, to a certain extent, each time I took the quiz - so experimentation can be illuminating.
Maria, don't bang your head too hard! (Didn't like the question or didn't like my response?)
Don't take it too seriously - it's months away! (I don't have any primaries to vote in.)
- Sunday, April 20, 2008 at 5:33:00 PM PDT
- McMoots said...
Heh, I have a special padded section of my desk for use whenever the conclusions of scientific research become a political position to "support" or "oppose". I won't injure myself much :)
Didn't even look at your response, sorry for the confusing flip reply.
- Sunday, April 20, 2008 at 5:42:00 PM PDT
- Silver Fox said...
Ha! I'll send some xtra padding. My "official position" is that global warming has been occuring for around 10,000 years, and that global climate change happens. (Like the s*** mentioned earlier.) :)
- Sunday, April 20, 2008 at 6:05:00 PM PDT


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Bas Bakker brauchte ein neues Website Design und hat einen Wettbewerb auf 99designs gestartet.
Aus 40 Designs von 11 Designern wurde eine Gewinner gewählt.
HR Centraal
We are a Website Lease company that helps small business professionals to build simple but effective websites. Our focus is conversion. We believe that self employed have to do what they like, and we help them to spend less time in online sales and marketing.
- Owners of companies without a Human Resources department (businesses starting from 75 employees)
- Business network of HR Centraal
- Human Resource managers in large companies
Keywords of professional
Here are some keywords that describe the small business.
- Type of Business: Human Resources and coaching
- Business-to-Business
- Professional
- Clear information
Use these requirements in your design
- Color: #e9362f
- Minimal screen resolution: 1024 x 768
- Logo, see uploads
- Slogan (in Dutch, just copy): "Uw bedrijf groeit, maar groeien uw medewerkers mee?"
- Call 2 action on every sub page (in Dutch, just copy).
Benieuwd hoe dit voor u toepasbaar is? Neem contact op of vraag een vrijblijvende offerte aan.
If you want some design inspiration, here are three designs we like.
- http://www.kevinjmay.com/index.php
- http://www.829llc.com/
- http://www.joyent.com/
Website goals
- Is must be easy to for the visitor to make contact to the professional
- Every page needs a slogan so the visitor can see what this site is all about (see requirements for the slogan)
- On every information page there must be a call to action beneath the text (see requirements fot the call 2 action)
We uploaded wireframes, all information elements must be used in the design. Because it's a dutch website, we've added explaination points to the uploads and the total design brief.
The end result we want to see are the following three pages.
- Homepage
- Sub page
- Weblog


text:
Our minds, diodes, electrodes, operate within the cavity
Of metal torsos, sometimes the wiring in shoulders,
Arms, hips, copper and aluminum sternums.
Our skulls: empty shells, for looks,
Humans love on our lips, smiling,
And we plant their gardens:
Rows of recreated life, breathing entities.
Let us say for instance:
We open our skulls, pull out the emptiness
Where a brain should be,
Fill the dark cavity with thick, slick dirt.
What seed do we plant?
My answer: Eucalyptus Spearmint;
(Good for living and for breathing)
An idea of existential resemblance.
Sprigs of green leaves sprout from our flower-pot-heads.
They ask the well-built gardeners:
What is good for growing?
We say: Things that cannot be ungrown,
Growth that cannot be handmade.
The best of us water flowers,
Sift dirt and pollinate ovaries
With stiff silver fingertips.


text:
SuicideGirl of the Day — Perry [PICS]
Meet Perry, a SuicideGirl who thinks fitted hats are hot, loves Mexican food and has a pitbull named Scarlett Johansson.
Name: Perry
Age: 22
Location: New Jersey
Current crush: Seth MacFarlane
Gets me hot: Tattoos & fitted hats.
Sign: Cancer
My status: Single.
Makes me happy: My friends, going to shows, blunts, sex, mexican food, big waves, baby animals, family guy, sleeping in, rollercoasters, sunny days and my pitbull Scarlett Johansson.
Makes me sad: Animal cruelty, when people I love are hurt and going to class.
TV shows:
- Family Guy
- The Golden Girls
- Law & Order SVU
- Intervention
- Jersey Shore
- Wayans Bros
SuicideGirls is a community that celebrates alternative beauty and alternative culture from all over the world. Since 2001, tens of thousands of models have submitted millions of photos to their website hoping to become SuicideGirls.


text:
The Foreign Bureau: WSJ's Global Video News Update
Afghanistan's warlord presidential candidate. Rock fights in Cairo. The new hunt for Joseph Kony. We track some of the most compelling stories from around the world in a segment called The Foreign Bureau. (Photo: Getty)
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
... this is Mark Scheffler for the foreign ... starting Iran ... and Iraq ... local pro Muslim Brotherhood ... I ... the ... in a deal was unclear DRAM Omar was shot dead along with three other passengers by unknown gunmen traveling in a car in the coastal city of Mombasa ... the killings but the country and you can just two weeks after militants in Somalia based Alison bought superstars ability for the deaths of over sixteen civilians in a Nairobi shopping ... also Bob draws recruits from Kenya and some of them through Mombasa highway to and from some ... fugitive warlord Joseph County Mr. the Lord's resistance Army are now being hunted again ... for thirty years to rebel outfit has been terrorizing Uganda Congo and elsewhere ... killing tens of thousands of civilians in abducting more than twenty thousand chill ... now after a six-month hiatus because of security concerns Ugandan led African Union troops to resume the offensive against Tony along with the help of U S military advisors ... here in Dhaka Bangladesh complex supply chains make monitoring garment factories for violations difficult ... and over the last few weeks factory workers taken to the streets to protest for better pay and shore up its ... Bangladeshi Labor operative it's worked is longer than ten hours ... but as WSJ's Shelly Banjo reports ... auditors from clothing chains often can't keep a close eye on their producers to ensure can ... Doris Siad ... the former is Llamas warlord from al Qaeda's leader in its Afghanistan ... now he wants to rule the country ... curious on Thursday registering to run in Afghanistan's presidential expects ... the scene is the most conservative and most controversial among Afghanistan's presidential ... he's also seen as a credible contender for the job the U S government's nine eleven Commission report stressed Mr. synth as a mentor ... of Collegiate Honda ... was the mastermind of the September eleven two thousand and one attacks ... however Mr Siam was an enemy of the Taliban and sided with the U S ... after the two thousand won in Beijing ...


text:
LOTUS Three Seater Sofa
Additional information
|Sofa Types
Returns and Exchanges
We will accept returns of item(s), incorrectly shipped merchandise and defective merchandise.
To request a return and obtain an R.O. number, please call us at [sort-code-tel] or email at [sort-code-email]
- You have 3 days to return an item from the date you received it.
- Only items that have been purchased directly from Us.
- Please ensure that the item you are returning is repackaged with all elements.
- Requests to return goods must be made within 3 days of receipt of merchandise.
- The R.O. number must be clearly marked on the outside of the box.
- Items must be in their original packaging
- Items returned due to customer error will be assessed a 20% restocking fee.
- For exchanges and returns, the Reason for Return must be specified.
- With the exception of defective or incorrectly shipped merchandise, customers are responsible for shipping costs on exchanges or returned goods.
- Shipping costs on the original order will not be credited for exchanges or returns.
- Product must be in its original condition. (i.e. must not be broken, damaged, dirtied etc.)
- Any refund will be done with the same mode of payments


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[Page 21]
Yehuda Schwartz
Historical Survey
Unfortunately, I could not find historical references about this town, neither in the encyclopedias nor in the books that deal with the history of the Hungarian Jews in general and the Transylvanian Jews in particular. The reason is probably that Halmeu was not a well-known town until after the First World War, when it was annexed to Romania and it became a border-point. The Transylvania Jews never played a major role or attained a special position in the general history of the European Jews. Before the First World War they were an integral part of the Hungarian Jewry and adopted their way of thinking, observing their style and customs and strictly following the way of life of their rabbis. They were a sort of periphery or border settlement, away from the mainstream.
The historical path that the Transylvania Jews have followed was a gentler one than that of the Hungarian Jews. Their development was slower as well, mostly devoid of interruptions or special restrictions; Transylvania was home to several minorities who lived in peace with each other, and the presence of Jews among them did not cause, relatively speaking, open antagonism.
Researchers have found in Transylvania indications of Jewish settlements from the time of the Roman rule in the area: Jewish tombstones, as well as documents mentioning Jewish military units whose responsibility was to assure the security of the Roman Empire at these remote borders.
We know without ignoring the early Jewish settlement in Hungary that at the time of the Turkish conquest of Hungary in 1536 many Jews followed the Turkish army. Most of them were Spanish Jews, exiles from the Spanish expulsion (1492), and some were Jews from Eretz Israel, Syria and Greece. However, it is probable that at the same time the movement of Jews from the bordering Austria continued as well, since the Jewish community of Buda, in spite of the great flow of Spanish Jews, maintained its Ashkenazi character.
It is interesting to mention that these new settlers kept their Turkish citizenship even after they settled in Hungary, because it guaranteed privileges of protection and trade.
Most of the economy and the tax collection of the country was managed by Jews.
[Page 22]
The reports on tax collection are written in Hebrew or Spanish with Hebrew letters. So we read that the taxes manager of the Esztergom county was Hoshea Yerushalmi, and in some of the other counties as well the Jews Atela, Shlomo, Shimon etc. are mentioned. In the area of economics and finance we find the Jewish names Toledano, Shlomo Ibn Shabat, Zecharia Dabosh, Musa ben Belko, all of which point to their Spanish origin. They continued to direct all their questions in matters of religion and Halacha [religious law] to the rabbis in Constantinople [Istanbul].
By the end of this period, after the Cossacks' Rebellion in the days of Khmelnytsky, (1648) Jews who fled Poland and the Ukraine also settled there.
The Jewish life in Hungary came to an end with the liberation of Hungary from the Turkish occupation. As a result, in 1686 all foreign Jews, who settled in Hungary following the Turkish army, were asked to leave the country together with the Turkish army, because in the battles for the defense of the Buda Fort the Jews were clearly and actively on the side of the Turks. Most of the Jews who remained in the country were murdered mercilessly by the Austrian invading army.
Not long ago, archeologists in Buda discovered the synagogue where part of the Jews gathered, planning to defend themselves against the Austrian invaders. But the Austrians set fire to the synagogue and all Jews were killed. The archeologists found the burned bones, a testimony to the horror described in the lamentation The Ofen Scroll [Megilat Ofen Ofen is the German name for Buda (Budapest)]. The 'Scroll was written by the rabbi of Buda, who managed to save himself and fled to Turkey. In it he described in detail the terrible events.
The Jews in Transylvania
The Transylvania Jews managed to survive this catastrophe relatively trouble-free. Hungary freed itself from the Turkish occupation and the Transylvania Jews remained more or less unharmed.
The historian Dr. Shmuel Cohen is trying to prove the existence of the Jewish settlement by the fact that after the Mohács disaster in 1526 the ruler of Transylvania, Zápolya János suggested to the Hungarian king Lajos II to appoint a Jew by the name of Yitzhak as the head of the State Mint.
The Jews are mentioned for the first time in the records of a national Congress in Kolozsvár [Cluj] in 1591, where a complaint was filed against Jewish settling in the county. In Gyulafehéhérvár [Karlsburg] a Jewish Religious Court was active in 1591, which proves that a Jewish community existed there at that time.
[Page 23]
Jews are mentioned in 1600 as merchants, and a few years later several Jews were accused of selling holy books to Pécsi Simon, the founder of the Sabbath Keepers sect, and as punishment they were executed.
In the year 1623, the governor Bethlen Gábor gave an official permit to establish Jewish settlements in Transylvania. In this document he stated explicitly that his aim was to rebuild and develop the Transylvania territories that had been devastated during the many wars and make them bloom again. He mentioned also, that he was prompted to this action by the initiative of his friend the Jewish doctor in Constantinople by the name of Sasa Avraham. The governor also addressed directly his representative in Constantinople, Toldaloghy Miklós, asking him to bring Turkish Jews to Transylvania.
In April 1627, this permit was passed as law by the Parliament in Karlsburg, giving the Jews freedom of action in religious, economic and commercial matters. These privileges were later cut back by György Rákoczi, who reduced the Jewish right of settlement to the area of Karlsburg only; however we know that his directives were not actually implemented, since we find Jewish settlements outside of Karlsburg as well: Bethlen, Nátánfalva, Nagy-Iklód etc.
In 1650, another law was passed in the Karlsburg Parliament, concerning Jews: the law included restrictions as to what the Jews were allowed to wear in public. However, this law was not implemented rigorously.
The governor Mihály Apaffy I addressed the authorities three times (1661, 1673, 1678) demanding to protect the Jews and defend them against the attacks of the town hooligans.
Although the situation of the Jews was relatively good, there was almost no immigration to the region and the Jewish settlement remained static. On one hand, Transylvania was far from the Jewish migration paths and from the European commercial centers, on the other hand the Spanish exiles had already settled in other places at that time and the Jewish migration from Poland had not yet begun.
The first Jewish settlers in Transylvania were Sephardic Jews we remember that the governor Bethlen invited first of all the Spanish exiles who had arrived in Turkey. In the 18th century, the heads of the Jewish community in Karlsburg, as well as the rabbis, were Sephardim.
[Page 24]
The first rabbi was a Spanish scholar by the name of Avraham Russo, who in 1736 began to keep the community records in the Pinkas Hakehila [community register], which is, to this day, the most important historic document of the Transylvania Jews. The Pinkas was written first in Hebrew, later in Ladino and finally in Yiddish.
The flow of migration from Poland began in the 18th century. The momentum of this migration was so powerful that during a short time the Sephardic community became a minority and its impact weakened, until a point where their customs and practices were barely observed, although they had been indeed the foundation upon which the Jewish settlement in Transylvania was established. The only custom that remained was the minhag sfarad of the prayer book, especially among the Jews that had come from Poland.
We do not know all the historical details of the Jewish settlement in the town of Halmeu; it is clear, however, that it began very early the old tombstones in the Jewish cemetery are a witness to that: the oldest tombstone is from 1704. Still, some information can be drawn from what we know about the near-by town Szatmar, which was the County Seat. Until 1848 Jews were forbidden to enter the town, except for business purposes, and we have a document stating that in 1844 the town authorities gave a Jew by the name of Kestenbaum a special permit to open a restaurant in order to supply Kosher food to the Jewish merchants in town.
It is reasonable to assume that in that period of time, Jewish settlement and Jewish integration in Halmeu was subjected to restrictions as well, as was the case in Szatmar, and only Jewish merchants were allowed to enter the town at market time.
by Yehuda Schwartz
After the death of the Sephardic sage Avraham the son of Yitzchak Rusu in Carlsberg in 1736, it was decided, in accordance with a request of the local Jews and the rest of the communities of Transylvania, to appoint an overseeing rabbi (Landes Rabbiner) who would be responsible for appointing rabbis in the areas with large Jewish communities.
We do not know if Halmeu had a sufficiently large Jewish community in those days to be able to support a separate autonomous community with their own chief rabbi who would have been sent to them by appointment from the overseeing rabbi. We have no sources that discuss the lives of the rabbis and the spiritual customs of the community from early times. There is no doubt that all of them were great in Torah and well-known in the Torah world, for the rabbinate of Halmeu was considered as very honorable in the region.
We know that starting from the year 1890, the nearby district city of Satmar
[Unnumbered page following 24]
The text of the tablet is as follows:
|A memorial tablet in the Holocaust Cellar on Mount Zion, Jerusalem
|The rabbi and gaon Rabbi Eliahu Klein
of holy blessed memory, the head of the
rabbinical court of the holy community
of Halmeu and its first rabbi
The text of the tablet is as follows:
|The rabbi and gaon Rabbi Yaakov Klein
of holy blessed memory, the head of the
rabbinical court of the holy community
of Halmeu and its final rabbi
|Memorial tablet in the Talmud Torah of Zichron Meir in Bnei Brak, dedicated
to the perpetuation of the communities of Halmeu Turcz and its region
[Page 25]
continued to accept the authority of the overseeing rabbi with respect to the appointment of rabbis, and they chose the famous gaon Rabbi Zeev Mandelbaum as the chief rabbi of the city. After his death in 1897, they chose the famous gaon Rabbi Yehuda Greenwald of holy blessed memory.
From here, we can surmise that the community of Halmeu also developed as an independent community during the same timeframe. However, there are signs that Jews lived there many years previously. With respect to the appointment of the rabbi and gaon Rabbi Eliahu as the rabbi and head of the rabbinical court of the holy community of Halmeu, it is clear to us that after the death of his father Rabbi Shmuel Shmelke of holy blessed memory who served as the rabbi of Sălaj and its district, including Halmeu, his eldest son occupied the rabbinical seat of Sălaj, whereas Eliahu inherited the rabbinical seat of Halmeu.
The Elder Rabbi
In the year 5633 (1873), Rabbi Eliahu Klein the son of the gaon Rabbi Shmelke of Sălaj was chosen as the chief rabbi. He was the author of the book Tzeror Hachayim [Bonds of Life], and the son-in-law of the author of Yeriot Shlomo, the head of the rabbinical court of the holy community of Makova.
Rabbi Eliahu was a gaon and a fearer of Heaven, but was also modest and revered by all the residents, even those who were not Jewish. He made fences and protections around the Torah[2], and led his community with a strong hand. He was strongly opinionated and did not curry favor with any person, including the heads of the community. If he heard of any breach in his town, he would summon the perpetrator, and directly chastise him in a strong fashion, whether he was poor or wealthy. He did not forego any light custom of the Jewish people. Once, he noticed that a person was clean shaven during the days of sefira[3]. Our rabbi went to him and greeted him as a stranger. He was surprised, Am I not here all week long and our rabbi does not realize? The rabbi responded, This is not possible, you are not from Halmeu, for in our place, people do not shave during sefira.
One Yom Kippur, Dietler was brazen enough to come to the synagogue wearing shoes[4]. He was the chief judge of the local court, and was perhaps the only local Jew who did not observe the commandments. Our rabbi immediately approached him and requested that he either remove his shoes or leave the synagogue. As Dietler left the synagogue, he went, as an influential man, directly to the priest to ask if the rabbi has the right to do thus. The priest looked in the law books of the Christian faith and stated, It is your right to refrain from going to the synagogue on this holy day, but if you decide to go, you are duty bound to completely accept the authority of the local rabbi, to follow his directions and to act in accordance with accepted custom.
He issued precious enactments in order to strengthen the Torah life of the community. The rabbinical leaders of the generation would testify about his asceticism and holiness. He was gifted with a mouth that exuded pearls. His sermons were famous. At his sermon prior to the shofar blowing on Rosh Hashanah, he would arouse his congregation to repentance, and people would say that it was as if one could see the tragedy in the eyes of his spirit. The knife of the slaughterer was already resting on our necks,
[Page 26]
and one could no longer see your tears[5]. He would recite the calls before the shofar blasts in a frightening melody, which penetrated the depths of the heart.
He preserved the chain of tradition, disseminated Torah and fear of Heaven, and mentored many students including great rabbis and people of good deeds. The people of his generation reverently knew him by the nickname The elder rabbi, in contrast with his son, the rabbi and gaon Rabbi Yaakov Shalom Klein who succeeded him. He returned his soul in holiness and purity at a ripe old age in the year 5683 (1923) after he served here in the rabbinate in a splendid fashion for fifty years.
Rabbi Yaakov Shalom, the Last Rabbi of the Community
The rabbi and gaon, Rabbi Yaakov Shalom Klein moved to Halmeu from Grosswardein (Oradea), where he had served as the head of the rabbinical court. He was appointed as rabbi of the community and the district during the lifetime of the Elder Rabbi Rabbi Eliahu of holy blessed memory. He was already known amongst the Torah greats since his early years. He earned a name as a convincing orator in the town and the area. The leaders of the generation and the Torah greats frequently called him to places in which problems were occurring so that he could speak out and repair the breach against the raging storms that threatened religious life.
Orthodox Jewry enlisted its best efforts to fight for the religious character of the community. The personality of Rabbi Yaakov Shalom stood out as one of the primary lecturers and warriors for the wholeness of the spiritual entity of religious Judaism. His sermons in the local synagogue enthralled his audience from all circles for long hours, and penetrated the depths of the heart. His pleasant appearance attracted the hearts of his audience. He spoke calmly and with deliberation, with politeness and a warm gaze toward the person with whom he was speaking. His entire personality exuded nobility and patriarchialism. He was meticulous about the cleanliness of his clothing. He elicited honor and was a kind of bridge between the two cultures - rabbinical and secular.
The town earned national and international acclaim following the verdict that he issued in the Torah adjudication amongst the great rabbis - in which the rabbi served as the head of the rabbinical court - in a case regarding the inheritance of the rabbinate in Satmar (Satu Mare). According to his ruling, they appointed Rabbi Yoel Teitelbaum, may he live long, the head of the rabbinical court of Károly, as the rabbi to replace Rabbi Eliezer David Gringold of holy blessed memory. Today Rabbi Teitelbaum lives in Williamsburg, America, and is the leader of Neturei Karta of Jerusalem[6].
The rabbi conducted a large, splendid Yeshiva in Halmeu. Talented youths from the entire region came to drink his words with thirst. He preserved the character of traditional religious education with his dedication and sharp intellect. He was loved by his fellowman, and, in turn, loved his fellowman. He cleaved to the Torah with all the strands of his soul. He was expert in all the discussions of the Talmud, in depth and breadth. People from the entire region would turn to him with their difficult and complex questions. He brightened the eyes
[Page 27]
of the sages with his didactics and reasoning Large sums of money, whether for business purposes or a dowry for a bride, would be placed into his trustworthy hands, for he was trusted more than the bank.
His private discussions were of the character of secular conversations of a scholar imbued with wisdom as well as a large dose of realism and understanding of the situation. He would often mediate between stubborn disputants by rendering a Torah judgment spiced intertwined with a joke in the right time and place.
On the night of Simchat Torah, the worshippers were received in his home with set tables. When those at the feast were joyous with wine, Yaakov Alek would speak in humorous verse about the issues of the day. Pious people and men of good deeds would add their own personal touch.
Halmeu was a border town. Since one could obtain very cheap merchandise across the Czech border, some residents earned their livelihoods primarily from smuggling merchandise across the border. The rabbi of holy blessed memory chastised them for the breach, and warned them, in general terms and in detail, of the dangers involved. He requested that they fulfill the principles of the law of the land[7].
When the Germans entered Halmeu, he was transferred to the Sălaj Ghetto with his community, and he perished together with them. May his memory be a blessing!
Rabbinical Judges
The rabbi and judge, Rabbi Mordechai Rotstein was noted for his fear of Heaven. He published a book titled Beit Vaad Lachachamim (A Gathering House for the Sages). His grandson is Rabbi Tzvi Pinchas Moskovich (today in Jerusalem) who served as the head of the High Yeshiva of Rabbi Yaakov Shalom in Halmeu He republished the famous book of his grandson, a commentary on Psalms titled Shaarei Parnasa Tova (The Gates of Good Livelihood).
In the previous era, Rabbi Shimon Gotlieb served as a rabbinical judge. He was the father of Rabbi Menachem, who became famous as a genius in Torah and the fear of Heaven. Similarly, the rabbinical judge, Rabbi Avraham Chaim was known as an expert in Torah and scholarship.
During the tenure of the rabbi and gaon Rabbi Eliahu, his son-in-law also served as a rabbinical judge and teacher. This was Rabbi Yosef, a genius who was expert in all areas of Torah, who
[Page 28]
was later accepted as the chief rabbi of Királyháza. He was beloved and revered by the entire community, also because of his uprightness and pleasant mannerism.
Rabbi Yaakov of holy blessed memory had two children who were expert scholars, G-d fearing, and wholesome. The younger one, Rabbi Dov Ber, married the daughter of Reb Yitzchak Rosenberg, a well-known wheat merchant of Satmar. Even after his marriage, he remained with his father, the gaon, in order to complete his studies in Talmud and rabbinical decisors[8]. He was then appointed as a rabbinical judge and teacher. His son Eliahu survived and lives today in the United States. Reb Dov Ber served in the high position of rabbinical judge until the tragic liquidation of the community, and died a martyr's death in Auschwitz along with his family. The older son of Rabbi Yaakov of holy blessed memory, Rabbi Shmuel Shmelke, was pleasant in his mannerisms, a fearer of Heaven, and diligent in his studies. He was accepted as the rabbi and head of the rabbinical court of Elesd.
Ritual Slaughterers [Shochtim]
Reb Avraham Laush was one of the well-known cantors of the region. When he sang the Kel Adon prayer on Sabbath mornings to a marching tune, he captivated the worshippers in the women's section to the extent that they broke out in a dance. Later, he was accepted as the shochet of Grosswardein - Nagy Várad.
Reb Eliahu Markovich was not only a scholar and fearer of Heaven, blessed with the talents of a mohel [ritual circumcisor], but was also an experienced prayer leader with a pleasant voice. He was honored and revered by the entire community. His voice was strong, without blemish and hoarseness. He composed new melodies for the Vechol Maaminim and Veal Kulam prayers[9] that pleased the congregation. All the worshipers would accompany him in song. His son Shimon fills an important, senior role as the rabbi of the police command of Jerusalem. His daughter Sara lives in Brooklyn, and his daughter Leah lives in Bnei Brak. As the number of Jews grew and his workload increased, Reb Yankel was hired as the second shochet. He was the son-in-law of Reb Berish, the chief shochet in Vysha-Malchin, who composed melodies for the Sabbath and festival hymns. Reb Yaakov[10] was graced with a fine, lyric voice. Since he was a wise, learned man with talents, and young, he continued to study the cantorial arts. He learned melodies and tunes from other cantors, and had a bright future ahead of him as a successful cantor and prayer leader.
The two shochtim were killed in sanctification of the Divine name after they were brought to Auschwitz along with the rest of the community. May G-d avenge their blood.
The Yeshivas
For practical purposes, Transylvanian Jewry was a tribe unto itself only during the
[Unnumbered page following 28]
|The tombstone of the holy gaon Rabbi Eliezer
of blessed memory in the cemetery of Halmeu
|The rabbinical Judge Rabbi David Ber of blessed memory. The shochet Reb Eliahu Markovich of blessed memory and Reb Shlomo Glick of blessed memory
|The tombstone of the pious woman Yartza
of blessed memory in the cemetery of Halmeu
|Reb Wolf Leib Farkas of blessed memory
|Reb David Zicherman of blessed memory,
the trustee of the Chevra Kadisha [Burial Society]
[Page 29]
Romanian era. The twenty years between 1918 and 1938 were years of brightness and flourishing in all areas of nationalist and Torah creativity. Prior to this time, Jews of Transylvania would send their children to the Yeshivas of Pressburg, Galanta, Chust and other places in the upper district of Hungary. They themselves only had one Yeshiva of renown, the Yeshiva of Rabbi Yehuda Grinwald of Satmar. Now, important centers of Torah and fear of G-d arose in their cities, from which thousands of scholars emanated who spread the names of the communities. Yeshivas of this nature existed in Károly , Satmar, Tăsnad, Halmeu, Székelyhid (Săcueni), Simleu, Margareten, Hunyad (Bánffyhunyad), Sighet, Kolozsvár (Cluj), Nagybána, and Târgu-Mures, just to mention the most important of them.
This process began after the students of Chatam Sofer[11] spread throughout the entire country, disseminated from their wellsprings outward, and established students and students of students who went out and conquered[12] city after city. By the first third of the 1900s, this process had reached its maximum extent.
These cities became forging workshops for the soul of the nation, the bosom of whose Jewish life was the Beis Midrash and the Yeshiva. These were the points around which all the external and internal manifestation orbited.
TheYeshivain Halmeu
TheYeshivaof Halmeu occupied an important place in the life of the Jews. In this Yeshiva, the thirst of hundreds of lads for knowledge of Talmud and halachic decisors was satisfied. One could hear the sounds of Torah breaking forth strongly from the walls of the Yeshiva, and one would say to oneself that there the tradition of generations was being woven; there is the spring from which the thirst for the word of the Living G-d is quenched; from there the stormy emotions of the pure Jewish soul pour forth in a flood.
On account of the famous Yeshiva, the city earned a name for itself as a dwelling place of Torah, and changed from an unremarkable city[13] to a large-scale Torah center with theYeshivabuilding, theBeis Midrashthat was located in the courtyard of the rabbi. The revered leadership of theYeshivasucceeded in arousing their students to Torah and Divine service with a double dose of energy. All day, the sounds of Torah would break forth from that dwelling place of Torah in which Torah giants were educated - including Rabbi Zvi Pinchas Moskowitz, Rabbi Moshe Sender, the Roth brothers, Rabbi Shimon Deskel, Rabbi Aryeh Leib, and others, who also served as Rosh Yeshivas.
[Page 30]
The style of learning in theYeshivainvolved the elucidation of the simple meaning of the text without additional didactics. Although at the outset there were only about 15 students, theYeshivalater rose in popularity and the number of students grew to over 100.
The goal was not to send forth men of religion but rather to study and disseminate Torah for its own sake, and to conduct Torah study and fear of Heaven on a high level. The ideal of the student was to study Torah and fulfill the commandments with exactitude, as exemplified by their enthusiastic song during times of joy, My soul thirsts for You, my flesh thirsts for You, my heart and my flesh will sing to the living G d.
The study of the doctrine of resisting the enticements of the pleasures of the secular world, as well as the study of Torah and prophets[14] took an important place in the daily curriculum, and formed an inseparable part of the education of the students and ofYeshivalife in general. The following adage was common on the lips of Rabbi Yaakov Shalom, Whoever does not study Torah, Chumash and Rashi with its simple explanations is a complete ignoramus.
Aside from Yoreh Deah[15] and the regular classes in the chosen Talmudic tractate, they would also study during the year approximately five Talmudic topics with all of the early and late commentators. The Homiletics society that operated within the framework of theYeshivaattracted many interested people on Sabbaths, for they desired to hear the novel ideas of Torah with sermons filled will didactics and sharpness from those who excelled in such, including Rabbi Moshe Sender and Rabbi Yudel Altman who kept their audience spellbound for hours on end.
The students demonstrated their observance of commandments and their essence asYeshivastudents in both an external and internal fashion. The methods of expressing the refinement of character traits included self-examination, rectification of one's deeds, forging one's traits, and learning how to withstand the challenges of study and prayer, accompanied by a blend of internal and external enthusiasm.
In order to avoid burdening the local Jews with the support of theYeshivastudents, an organized restaurant and cafeteria was opened with the assistance of outside institutions in the home of and under the direction of the widow of the scribe Schwartz. The students could eat there in a most honorable fashion. On the other hand, due to the lack of a dormitory, students were forced to live in rooms rented from the Jews of the city. This eased their difficult social situation to some degree, and ensured that the sounds of Torah would reverberate throughout the entire city.
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text:
Don't Be Fooled By The Fancy Name — Statistical Arbitrage Is A Simple Way To Profit
Every profession has its buzzwords to create the illusion that things are more complex than they really are. Everything from the Latin terms used by medical doctors to the chatter of gearheads talking about the latest car engine, simple concepts are often clothed in complicated-sounding terms.#-ad_banner-#
Investing professionals are no different in their use of complicated nomenclature to describe simple things and ideas.
I know I was intimidated when I first heard the term statistical arbitrage. To me, it sounded like I would need a math Ph.D. or at least an advanced understanding of statistical theory to figure out what it meant. Not being an advanced math person, I was fortunate to have had a trading mentor who patiently explained to me what statistical arbitrage is and how to use it profitably.
Ever since I was made aware of this unique and profitable trading technique, I have used it in a variety of market conditions to capture profits that would otherwise be unavailable. This method's not for everyone, but if you're an active investor who is looking for additional tricks of the trade, statistical arbitrage may be just the ticket.
What Is Statistical Arbitrage?
Simply put, statistical arbitrage is a fancy term for pair trading, which is the buying or selling of a pair of stocks based on their relationship with each other.
Often, the stock price of companies in the same sector or type of business follows one another very closely. A pair trader observes the relationship between two stocks and buys or sells whenever the relationship gets out of sync, acting on the assumption that the historical correlation is likely to continue.
Is it a foolproof method? No, but it does provide another tactic in your investing toolbox.
It is easier to understand this concept with an illustration. The following chart shows the relationship between Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) and Pepsico (NYSE: PEP), perhaps the most popular stock pair for statistical arbitrage.
Notice how closely the two stocks follow each other until near the end of May. At this time, Pepsico falls out of sync with Coca-Cola, dropping as Coca-Cola stays steady and starts to climb. Statistical arbitrage traders would purchase Pepsico stock as soon as the divergence is recognized.
As you can see, the pair quickly moved back into sync, providing a profit opportunity for statistical arbitrage traders. There are multiple ways this can be approached.
For example, let's say Coca-Cola started rapidly climbing higher than Pepsico. Savvy statistical arbitrage traders would short Coca-Cola shares in anticipation of its price falling back into the historic correlation.
In addition, the idea is not just limited to two stocks. The same idea can be applied to groups of three or more correlated names. However, special software is often employed to manage multiple-issue statistical arbitrage.
Here's another well-known pair trade: Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) and Target (NYSE: TGT).
As you can see, Target climbed out of the historical correlation range on the chart. Traders invested in the pair would short Target, holding until the historical correlation came back into sync.
It's important to remember that it's not always obvious names that present enough correlation to pair-trade. One example of this is the relationship between Citibank (NYSE: C) and Harley-Davidson (NYSE: HOG).
Other than trading on the same exchange, I cannot imagine why two companies that are so diverse would be correlated so closely. The reason could have something to do with the fact that consumers may borrow money to buy Harley-Davidson motorcycles, but that's only a guess.
Risks to Consider: Although closely correlated stock pairs generally come back into sync with each other after diverging, there is no rule that says this has to happen. Stock pairs can stay out of sync for a substantial period of time, depending on the underlying circumstances. Always use stops and position size properly.
Action to Take –> Begin to chart the common pairs like Coca Cola and Pepsico, General Motors (NYSE: GM) and Ford (NYSE: F), and other closely related companies. In addition, experiment with finding correlated pairs by simply charting a variety of pairs of stocks. Although I like to use daily charts, tradable correlations can be found in all timeframes. Professional traders often use software, rather than visual charts, to find historical pairs showing a statistical aberration from each other. Some trading platforms have this ability built in, but this type of software is readily available.
P.S. — Have you ever thought about trying your hand at statistical arbitrage — or at trading in general? It's easier than you think. We've recently released a free report that answers the 10 most commonly asked questions about trading. We're also revealing a little-known signal that one of the top traders in the world is using to tell him when the bull market is over. Go here to read it now.


text:
HOUSTON – When head coach Dominic Kinnear revamps the Houston Dynamo during the offseason, he will be faced with several difficult decisions, including who to protect in the upcoming expansion draft.
Houston's last three games of the season are an opportunity for players to make a case for protection. And for the last two games, back-line fill-ins Ryan Cochrane and Adrian Serioux have been pleading theirs.
Normal starting center back Bobby Boswell was suspended for the Sept. 25 match with D.C. United, so Kinnear turned to Cochrane and Serioux to fill in on a short-term basis.
The Dynamo ran out to a 3-1 win over United at RFK stadium, and Kinnear responded in typical fashion by keeping most of the starting XI intact. For Cochrane and Serioux, that meant a second straight start, this time against the Philadelphia Union at PPL Park last Saturday.
"I thought as the game wore on they got better," Kinnear said of the duo's performance against the Union. "They handled it well and the goal was a hard goal to defend."
While Cochrane and Serioux have both played in 11 league games this year, prior to the contest against DC. Cochrane had only started twice in MLS and Serioux four times this season. For two players that have started more often than not over the past four years, the decrease in playing time has required an adjustment.
WATCH: Serioux stifles RSL breakaway
"It's one of those things that you just have to wait your turn," Serioux said. "You want your opportunity to show what you can do, and I'm thankful I've been given those opportunities [lately]. Unfortunately, we don't have hope at reaching the playoffs, but we still have to go out there and ruin other team's chances."
Both will be hoping to play their way into Houston's plans for next year after a disappointing 2010 campaign that has seen them take 27 points from 27 games.
"I think anytime you get a chance to play it's important," Cochrane said. "I've been with [Kinnear] since 2004 so I don't think three or four games would sway his opinion one way or the other, but with how things have gone hopefully I can do my best to take advantage of it."
"Everyone wants to come back, but at the end of the day, someone is out there trying to take your job," Serioux added. "These last three games are very important for guys who maybe don't get to play all that much."
Dwain Capodice is a contributor to MLSsoccer.com. Questions or Comments can be sent via email to email@example.com.