text:
I am using myInfoToGo 2.1.0. I really don't know what I did, if anything, but one day the in-message format toolbar dissapeared, so that I can no longer, say, change the typeface or size of the font I am using when composing a message.
I have gone through the menus and through the myinfo.ini (equivalent to barca.ini) file trying to see if there is anyplace where I can set this back to "ON", but I cannot find it, not for lack of trying.
Anyone knows how can I fix this?


text:
|« Previous MessageNext Message »
|Kent Boortz
|October 24 2013 12:57pm
|MySQL Connector/ODBC 5.3.0 alpha has been released
|View as plain text
Dear MySQL users, MySQL Connector/ODBC 5.3.0 alpha, a new version of the ODBC driver for the MySQL database management system, has been released. The available downloads include both a Unicode driver and an ANSI driver within the same package. Server-side prepared statements are enabled by default. It is suitable for use with any MySQL version since 4.1 (It will not work with 4.0 or earlier releases.) This is first MySQL ODBC driver conforming to the ODBC 3.8 specification. We did the minimally required implementation of the standard with key 3.8 feature, in this release being output stream parameters supported for binary types only. Also Connector/ODBC 5.3 introduces a GTK+-based setup library providing GUI DSN setup dialog on some Unix based systems, currently included in the Oracle Linux 6 and Debian 6 binary packages. Other new features in the 5.3 driver are FileDSN and Bookmarks support. Keep in mind that this is a alpha release, and as with any other pre-production release, caution should be taken when installing on production level systems or systems with critical data. Not all of the features planned for the final Connector/ODBC 5.3 release are implemented. The release is now available in source and binary form for a number of platforms from our download pages at http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/connector/odbc/5.3.html For information on installing, please see the documentation at http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.6/en/connector-odbc-installation.html Enjoy! The MySQL Connectors team at Oracle ============================================================================== Functionality added or changed, and bugs fixed: * Support for File Data Sources. (WL#6583, Bug# 11746219/24581) * Bookmark support added in myodbc (WL#7039) * Added new variable in cmake config files ODBCCP32_LIB for odbccpp32.lib path, and MYSQLCLIENT_LIB_NAME for linking mysqlclient statically or dynamically by specifying mysqlclient library (libmysql.*, mysqlclient.*, libmysqlclient_r.*, libmysqlclient.*) to be used. Mysql CPP linkage for mysql version >= 5.6.4 (wl#6738) * Added a new test module for crash bugs (my_crash.c) * Added GUI dialog for Linux * Support of ODBC 3.8 standard - driver self identification, input/output stream parameters (WL#6584) Bugs fixed: * With utf8 byte string for mysql server version < 5.5.3, insert fails with error message "Server does not support 4-byte encoded UTF8 characters." (Bug# 14838690) * Driver use the char ';' as separator in attributes string instead of the '\0' (Bug# 15940689/66548) * DSN connection parameters override those specified in the connection string (Bug# 11760574/52996) * Non-compliant behavior of SQLMoreResults (Bug# 16101282/67920) * MSSQL linked server connected to MySQL 5.1.9 driver causes hard crash (Bug# 16604346/63386) * MySQL ODBC drivers incorrectly returns TIME columns, where value > '99:59:59' (Bug# 16176981/67793) * Conversion of Time field data to Timestamp type may produce incorrect result (Bug# 17016839/69545) * Need to add a lock to access connections member in ENV structure (Bug# 17240611/69864) * Visual Studio 2010 crashes when reading rows from any table in Server Explorer (Bug# 17304031/69950) * Corrected MYSQL_NUM_VERSION calculation error in FindMysql.cmake. MYSQL_LIB_DIR, MYSQL_INCLUDE_DIR, MYSQL_LINK_FLAGS and MYSQL_CXXFLAGS will be obtained from mysql_config only when they are not provided using cmake options. * Memory leak in SQLPrepare with queries that use parameters (Bug# 17400483/70113) * Valgrind error, simple loop fix (Bug# 17397596/64105) * Wrong pointer type can cause crash in convert_c_type2str() (Bug# 17421620/69733) * Memory leak in SQLMoreResults() as deallocation of result_bind buffer required before calling mysql_stmt_free_result() (Bug# 17441296) * FileDSN is created even if the connection credentials are wrong (Bug# 17508006) * Error with iodbc in SQLAllocHandle with handle type SQL_HANDLE_DBC as odbc_ver is unset. Built against the MySQL server 5.6.14 client library. -- Kent Boortz, Release Staff engineer Oracle, The MySQL Team
|• MySQL Connector/ODBC 5.3.0 alpha has been released
|Kent Boortz
|24 Oct

subset: commoncrawl


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Değişiklik 1.4 (2020-05-10)
Hakkında: Share Album is a piwigo plugin to enable albums share via a simple URL.
For any private album, you can generate a unique URL that you can share with the users you trust in enough to browse an album.
Use the new Share function available on private albums (for administrator users only).
From this function, you can :
* Create a new share
* Copy share URL to clipboard
* Regenerate the unique URL
* Cancel an active share
Değişiklikler: Small update to support default Modus theme (CSS fix)
Değişiklik 0.2.d (2018-06-21)
Hakkında: This is a simple modification of Piwigo photo gallery Virtualize plugin by plg. Original Virtualize plugin converts ALL physical albums (located under "galleries" folder) to virtual (under "upload" folder) at once. For galleries with big amount of photos and complicated structure this procedure could be too hard.
This plugin moves all your photos from ONE album with given Id from "galleries" (added with the synchronization process) to "upload" and mark this category as virtual. This will allow to virtualize (in Piwigo terms) your gallery in steps, not at once.
Make sure you have a backup of your "galleries" directory and a dump of your database.
Once category is virtual, you can move it the way you want, which is not possible for physical category. And you can change freely the structure of you gallery created, for example, during automatic conversion from Gallery2 to Piwigo.
Plugin was checked for
Piwigo version: 2.9.3
PHP version: 7.0.27-0+deb9u1
MySQL version: 5.7.21-20
Değişiklikler: admin_base_url fix, sorry
Değişiklik 2.03 (2018-02-08)
Hakkında: The problem with using physical albums is that if a photo file is moved to a different folder, the next synchronization process will delete the original file info from the database and re-create it in the new location. This means all of the metadata associated with the item (tags, description, etc.) are lost and have to be entered again.
Physical Photo Move (PPM) is an extension that allows an existing item (photo, video, or album) in a physical folder (i.e., not in the upload folder and linked into a virtual album) to be moved to another folder, preserving all metadata.
Değişiklikler: Enhancement:
* option to move album to root folder
Değişiklik 0.1.3 (2017-09-09)
Hakkında: Displays your albums on a world map with your itinerary.
Değişiklikler: Fix bug about wrong category id on the picture links and use permalinks when availables
Değişiklik 1.2.c (2017-09-09)
Hakkında: Pour mettre à jour plusieurs (ou toutes les) photos d'un album donné sans perdre les données Piwigo associées.
- sélectionner l'album à mettre à jour
- sélectionner les images source sur votre ordinateur
- mettre à jour
Permet aussi d'ajouter des photos à l'album
Değişiklikler: + Option to get added photos in Caddie


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BLAINE, Minn. â The 3M Championship is not just about the men this year.
Three of the top women's golfers in history are scheduled to play in an event that's part of the Champions Tour stop at the TPC Twin Cities July 29-Aug. 4.
Annika Sorenstam, Nancy Lopez and Pat Bradley will comprise the first women's team in the Greats of Golf Challenge associated with the event.
"We always try to do new and different things," Hollis Cavner, the tournament's executive director, said in making the announcement Monday. "Annika is excited to come here, Nancy is working on her game and Pat is just thrilled."
Sorenstam won 72 LPGA tournaments, including 10 majors; Lopez has 48 career LPGA wins, including three majors; and Bradley has won 31 LPGA events, including six majors.
The women will compete on Aug. 3 against a pair of men's teams. One will be comprised of Lee Trevino, David Graham and Bill Rodgers and the other will be Johnny Miller, Dave Stockton and player Cavner said is "somebody that everybody's going to love." Arnold Palmer is scheduled to captain the women's team while Billy Casper and Don January will serve as men's team captains.
"We think Saturday will be a special deal," Cavner said.
Cavner said 28 of the top 30 Champions Tour players are scheduled to participate in the tournament, including Minnesota native Tom Lehman. However, defending champion Bernhard Langer will miss the tournament due to a business commitment in Europe. Among the scheduled first-time players are Colin Montgomerie, Rocco Mediate and Steve Elkington.
Admission to the tournament will again be free.
"We want to grow the game and have a lot of fun with it," Cavner said.


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Though his celebratory parade in Towson represented a finale to Michael Phelps' post-Olympic blitz of public appearances, the swimmer is just beginning his quest to become an enduring marketing force.
"We couldn't fully comprehend the impact of his performance combined with the nightly prime-time coverage," said Phelps' longtime agent, Peter Carlisle. "That's still blowing us away, the effect. He's at a point now where he can make a difference in so many ways if he has the energy to do it and the commitment to do it."
There are three planned phases to the Phelps business plan. He wrapped up the initial phase, in which he cemented his international superstardom by appearing on The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Saturday Night Live. He is in the middle of Phase 2, a national tour to introduce his new foundation and charitable efforts. Finally, he'll seek to broaden and deepen his relationships with existing sponsors such as Visa and AT&T; and to sign a few more sponsorship deals with high-end companies. He announced a pact with Kellogg's, and AT&T; recently debuted a new ad campaign in which Phelps loses a race to get on the Internet because he is using a non-AT&T; wireless card.
Phelps will take a far more active hand in these affairs than ever before because for the next few months, he'll barely jump in a pool. "This is really his first opportunity to put this as a real priority," Carlisle said. "Now, let's do some really cool things, some big things."
Phelps has simple criteria when considering a business relationship.
"When I am looking for a new sponsor, when Peter and I are talking about something, I have to feel comfortable with it, but I also feel like it has to relate to me," he said. "I feel like it has to fit in my life. I really honestly do mean it when I say that Kellogg's has always been a part of my life. Growing up, I remember eating a bowl of cereal, a bowl of Frosted Flakes, on the way to workouts in the morning. It's always been a part of me, and it's why I feel comfortable with the relationship."
He added that he isn't trying to imitate Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods or any of the celebrity athletes who have risen during his lifetime.
"No, right now, I just think we're trying to do something that no one has ever done before," he said. "So we're just trying new things and seeing where it takes us."
Sports marketing analysts approve of Phelps' direction so far.
"Certainly, getting him on Saturday Night Live was a coup," said Bob Dorfman, who studies the marketing of Olympic athletes at San Francisco-based Baker Street Partners. "I think they've done as well as they could so far with a nice mix of corporate stuff and charitable stuff. I'd say stay the course."
Some believe Phelps will suffer the dip in attention that afflicts most Olympians between Games. His experience after the 2004 Games demonstrates that possibility. According to Marketing Evaluations Inc., the company that devises Q scores to measure celebrity appeal, Phelps' familiarity fell from 54 percent in March 2005 to 49 percent the next two years to 39 percent this March.
But Carlisle isn't buying it. "I think what he did transcended that," the agent said. "The only question is how much."
Phelps has visited cities across the country to unveil his Dream, Plan, Reach program to kids. He has already spoken to youth groups in Orlando, Fla., New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Cleveland and Atlanta. Though his schedule will be lighter from now on, his agents said he'll continue to meet with children when opportunities arise.
Going into the Olympics, Phelps talked of changing his sport. Though it's still not entirely clear what he means, he has said he wants to use his fame to get more kids into the pool. Phelps then hopes to teach them about chasing long-term dreams by setting day-to-day goals.
Phelps is the perfect person to teach such lessons, Carlisle said, because he endured so many days of unglamorous practice to reach a grand goal years ahead of him.
"Every kid should be encouraged to dream, but they also have to learn to plan," Carlisle said. "The training, the recovery, the nutrition. It's not something Michael just understood naturally. Bob Bowman had to explain it to him."
He added that Phelps is a desirable enough commodity that he can ask his corporate partners to help with his causes. When Phelps signed a memorabilia deal with Grandstand Sports, for example, he did so in part because of the company's extensive involvement with charity auctions. Kellogg's donated $250,000 to his foundation. Speedo gave $200,000.
"Instead of just transacting a deal, he can say to companies, 'I want a broader reach, some real depth,' " Carlisle said. " 'How can you help me with my causes?' "
Don't expect Phelps to leap at many of the deals being flashed at him. "There's a feeding frenzy like nothing I've ever seen before," Carlisle said. "But you can expect to see Michael take a more deliberate, conservative approach."
Athletes such as Jordan and Woods did not become marketing titans by appearing in as many commercials as possible. They forged lasting relationships with a few heavyweights that built creative campaigns around them.
Though Phelps has worked with Speedo for years and is happy with the relationship, Carlisle says to expect major sports apparel companies to come calling. Nike seemed to signal that it was out of the Phelps sweepstakes when the company announced recently that it would no longer focus on developing high-end swimwear. But when asked whether shoe companies have made plays for Phelps, Carlisle said, "I would imagine most sportswear companies have some interest in working for Michael."
Beyond traditional endorsement deals, Phelps could be a hot commodity in the ever-expanding world of reality television. Though Carlisle wouldn't discuss specific ideas, he said he keeps a Phelps-related file on his computer titled "weird offers."
He isn't sure about Phelps the television star. "He's not going to do something for the sole reason of getting publicity," Carlisle said.
The swimmer echoed that sentiment when asked about television, saying: "I have no idea. I don't know. I'm just going from town to town right now. I really haven't thought too much about anything."
Phelps was thrilled, however, to see that the interest in Olympic swimming prompted NBC to add events such as the FINA world championships to its broadcast plans. Carlisle said he could imagine those plans expanding to a series of match races.
"The personalities could really come into play," Carlisle said. "I'd love to see something like that. You've got to change the packaging somehow, to give people access they don't normally get so it feels relevant beyond the Olympics. That could bring it more in line with the way people are interested in other sports."
Carlisle said such a tour is a wish more than a tangible plan because Phelps isn't even thinking about competing for the time being.
Whenever Phelps does get back to it, the North Baltimore Aquatic Club and its home off Falls Road will be the base for his efforts. Phelps trained at the club until 2004, and Bowman has taken over as CEO. Whether Phelps will buy the Meadowbrook facility where NBAC operates - as he indicated at the Olympics that he might - remains uncertain. But he will be the chief public face of a club that began its Olympic legacy before he ever dipped in the pool.
"Any involvement he can have there, that can be a great platform for him to discuss all these things he's interested in," Carlisle said.
Baltimore Sun reporter Kevin Van Valkenburg contributed to this article.


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Bill Darnell, 66, is the environmental movement's version of royalty — he was among the original founders of Greenpeace. He was a member of the 12-man crew that in 1971 sailed to Amchitka Island, Alaska, to protest the underground testing of a five-megaton nuclear warhead there.
It was also Darnell who, inadvertently, coined the name "Greenpeace." Before that famous voyage, the fledgling movement was known as the Don't Make A Wave Committee. It was a mouthful that didn't fit well into a headline. During a meeting at the Unitarian Church on Oak Street, one organizer finished his speech by making the two-fingered V sign and saying "Peace." (Those were more earnest days then.) Darnell made history when, inspired, he added: "Make it a green peace."
Those two words perfectly encapsulated the movement's primary goals: Welded together, they formed B.C.'s most famous brand name. The 85-foot Greenpeace — the actual name of which was the Phyllis Cormack — sailed toward Amchitka and into the global consciousness.
This month, Darnell made another journey in the name of environmentalism: He came to Vancouver from his home in Vernon and spoke Wednesday at the National Energy Board's hearings on the Northern Gateway pipeline.
At that hearing, Darnell spoke of Amchitka, and the eventual cancellation of the five remaining tests by the U.S. government. He reminded the three-member NEB panel that since that time, B.C. has had a history of civil disobedience to protect its environment. He said they could expect more.
"At present," he said, "the struggle to stop the pipelines and oil tankers is still at the stage of hearings, petitions and demonstrations. But it will not stop there ... .There is a history in this province of people acting together to physically protect the environment that supports us all."
(You would have thought the panel would be interested in this part of his speech, given the implication Darnell was making that Enbridge could expect to see civil disobedience if they built the line, especially from the First Nations along the route. But it was at that point that panel member Hans Matthews, a geologist and, ironically, himself a First Nations member from Ontario, stopped the soft-spoken Darnell and said "the references to civil disobedience do not really help" the panel and would he stay on subject. At that moment, I felt the great urge, not acted upon, to throw my notebook at Matthews.)
After Darnell finished speaking, we talked. I asked him how he got down to Vancouver from Vernon.
He drove, he said.
"A Honda Fit," Darnell said, seeing where the conversation was going. "A compromise. I don't like to drive, but I thought I should get the smallest car I could with the best mileage."
It's an oft-heard retort of those who would silence anti-pipeline sentiments that protesters are being hypocritical by refusing to acknowledge their own dependence on oil. It's a facile retort, I think — a kind of semi-truism meant to absolve us all of our environmental sins. But I put it to Darnell.
Wasn't his compromise compromising his environmentalism?
Well, yes and no, he replied. There is a difference between personal activism and societal change. On a personal level, Darnell bikes everywhere he can, recycles all he can and lives in an environmentally designed house with a green roof and no carpeting or vinyl (which release environmentally unfriendly gases). But his personal activism can only go so far. He recognizes he lives within the framework of a society based on oil.
"Look, we're not telling people to go cold turkey, but we're asking people to step away gradually from the use of fossilized fuel in an organized way. I think many individuals have already done, or are beginning to do, what they can in that regard — composting, using less energy in their homes, recycling. But we need to do this as a culture. What we're really talking about is the foundation of our economy and culture, and how in the last 300 years we've become dependent on fossil fuels. So it's a huge adjustment to move away from that.
"We were all born into this carbon-based economy, so nobody's to blame. The question is, in which direction as a society are we moving?"
Nobody's to blame: We all are to blame. Forty years on, stopping the underground testing of nuclear weapons now seems easy in retrospect: Stopping the flow of oil that comes out of the ground will take a billion compromises, and we've only begun to debate if we should, or are even willing, to make them.
On another oil note, in an earlier column about how Metro Vancouverites have lived for 40 years with the threat of oil spills from U.S. tankers heading to the nearby Cherry Point refinery at Ferndale, Wash., Sun environmental reporter Larry Pynn reminded me that in 1985, the oil tanker ARCO Anchorage ran aground in Anacortes harbour and spilled 239,000 gallons of crude oil there. Also, in 1991, the Texaco refinery at Anacortes released 130,000 gallons of crude oil into the bay.
The oil industry points out that new safeguards, such as the advent of double-hulled ships, followed those incidents and others like them. But those spills deserve mention here.


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where design drives you crazy
Canadian designer Keith Baker has design the Armada House at Victoria, BC, Canada.
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text:
John Henson cracked a smile as he headed down the court after his desperate turnaround splashed through the net.
It was that kind of night for Milwaukee.
Henson had 25 points, 14 rebounds and six blocked shots, and the Bucks beat the Chicago Bulls 78-74 on Tuesday in a matchup of slumping teams racked by injuries.
"We just kept fighting," Henson said. "Man, we just kept fighting. As a young team, a scrappy team out here, that's what we got to do."
Brandon Knight added 19 points and 10 boards for Milwaukee, which had dropped three of four. O.J. Mayo was just 2 for 12 from the field, but had seven assists and made a couple of big plays in the fourth quarter.
Milwaukee only used nine players due to injuries, and Miroslav Raduljica logged all of 83 seconds. Chicago went with an eight-man rotation after Joakim Noah was sidelined by a bruised right thigh.
"It doesn't matter," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. "Everyone who's called upon is capable of doing their job. Eighteen turnovers hurt us. In the first half we had great ball movement with 14 assists. In the second half, we have to do better."
Mike Dunleavy scored 18 of his 24 points in the second quarter, but the Bulls struggled on offense in the latter part of their fourth loss in five games. Carlos Boozer, the only starter from the season opener at Miami, had 21 points and 12 rebounds.
The Bucks trailed by seven at halftime, but cut the deficit to two heading to the fourth quarter, and then opened the final period with a 10-2 run. Henson's dunk over Tony Snell off a pass from Mayo made it 65-59 with 8:30 to go.
Chicago had a chance after Dunleavy made a 3 to trim Milwaukee's lead to 73-72 with 1:59 remaining. But Henson responded with a long turnaround jumper as the shot clock expired, prompting the wide grin as he headed back to play defense.
"I guess the basketball gods were with us tonight," Bucks coach Larry Drew said. "It was a hope and a prayer. It went in."
Ekpe Udoh then blocked Snell's 3-point attempt, and the Bucks held on for their third road win of the season.
Thibodeau said Noah aggravated the injury during the morning shootaround. He said he thinks the big man will be able to travel to New York for Wednesday's game against the Knicks.
Luol Deng (left calf tightness) and Jimmy Butler (sprained right big toe) were ruled out earlier in the day. Derrick Rose is likely out for the season after right knee surgery.
"They're missing guys. We're missing guys," Knight said. "But at the end of the day, that's how it's going to be (in) NBA basketball. You're never going to have all your guys, more than likely."
It was the same problem on the other side for Milwaukee, which was without reserve guard Gary Neal due to plantar fasciitis in his left foot. Neal, who played seven minutes in the Bucks' 90-82 loss to Brooklyn on Saturday, did not make the trip to Chicago.
Center Zaza Pachulia broke his right foot in last week's 105-98 loss to Detroit, and the Bucks also are playing without injured starters Larry Sanders (thumb) and Caron Butler (knee).
All those injuries took a toll on both teams, especially early on. The Bulls shot 25 percent (6 for 24) in the first quarter, and the Bucks struggled to 33 percent (7 for 21) in the second quarter.
Dunleavy helped Chicago find its stride after the sloppy start. He had 10 points in a 12-2 spurt that gave Chicago a 40-31 lead with 2:44 left in the first half.
Dunleavy was 7 for 7 from the field and 3 for 4 at the line in the second quarter. Snell had nine first-half points as the Bulls carried a 42-35 lead into the break.
Shorthanded Bulls Fall to Bucks
John Henson cracked a smile as he headed down the court after his desperate turnaround splashed through the net.


text:
THIS WEEK�S SCRIPTURE: �Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone.� �- 1 Corinthians 12:4-6
THIS WEEK�S SCRIPTURE: �Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone.� �- 1 Corinthians 12:4-6
Perhaps you have seen the internet teaser for an upcoming feature-length documentary called �Landfill Harmonic.� It is about a �remarkable orchestra from a remote village in Paraguay, where its young musicians play with instruments made from trash� (www.landfillharmonicmovie.com).
In her Dec. 19, 2012, blog, Anastasia Tsioulcas, co-host of NPR�s �Deceptive Cadence,� describes the �Recycled Orchestra�:
The young musicians all come from Cateura, a slum that�s built upon a landfill; the 2,500 families who live there survive by separating garbage for recycling. A 2010 UNICEF report about this slum notes that more than 1,500 tons of solid waste arrives each day. Illiteracy is rampant there, and Cateura�s youngest inhabitants are often the ones responsible for collecting and reselling the garbage. The water supply is very dangerously polluted; on rainy days, the town floods with contaminated water. �A violin is worth more than a house here,� says Favio Chavez, the orchestra�s director and founder.
In the midst of such an existence, these musicians have created something both special and truly awe-inspiring. �My life would be worthless without music,� says one girl in pigtails. �People realize that we shouldn�t throw away trash carelessly,� says Chavez. �Well, we shouldn�t throw away people either.�
The Apostle Paul begins chapter 12 of 1 Corinthians by reminding us of our life apart from Christ in which we �were enticed and led astray to idols that could not speak� (v. 2). Our new life in Christ is inspired by the Holy Spirit as our spiritual landfill is transformed to a place where individually and corporately we are enabled to embody God�s presence in a variety of ways, but always pointing to the truth that Jesus is Lord.
There is diversity both of people and of gifts, none of which should be elevated to a position of supreme importance above the others and none of which should be thrown away carelessly. Paul affirms the value of diversity as a resource to be utilized rather than an obstacle to be overcome.
However, as valuable as diversity is to the body of Christ, diversity is not the purpose of spiritual gifts. Paul writes, �To each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good� (v. 7). Again and again, Paul brings us back to the good of the community in which Jesus Christ is ever-present and uniquely expressing himself in and to the world.
Tracy Jessup is vice president for Christian Life and Service and senior minister to the university at Gardner-Webb University.
THIS WEEK�S PRAYER: Lord, my life would be worthless without you. Use the gifts you have given me to enrich the faith of others and bring honor and glory to your name.


text:
XINYU, China (AP) — China on Monday put on trial three activists from a group that used protest banners and dinner parties to urge citizens to embrace their constitutional rights, underscoring the Communist Party's intolerance of any semblance of organized political challenge.
XINYU, China (AP) — China on Monday put on trial three activists from a group that used protest banners and dinner parties to urge citizens to embrace their constitutional rights, underscoring the Communist Party's intolerance of any semblance of organized political challenge.
The trial of grassroots rights advocates Liu Ping, Wei Zhongping and Li Sihua at a district court in Xinyu city in eastern Jiangxi province was held under tight security.
It adjourned Monday with an unexpected development: After defense lawyers lost a gambit to declare the judges unfit, the judges prevented the lawyers from speaking further and the activists declared they wanted to hire new attorneys. The court did not say when the proceedings would resume.
Police used crowd-control barriers to keep the public, journalists — and diplomats from the United States, the European Union and Canada — about a few hundred meters (yards) away from the courthouse.
"The United States urges the Chinese government to respect internationally recognized human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the freedoms of expression and assembly," said Daniel Delk, the U.S. Embassy's political officer.
The three activists are part of the New Citizens Movement, a loose network of campaigners who have lobbied for officials to declare their assets to help curb corruption. Participants have held small, peaceful demonstrations and organized dinner parties.
Some two dozen members of the group have either been arrested or briefly detained since March, according to other members who have been keeping track. The three campaigners in Xinyu city are the first among them to be tried and other activists say authorities will use it to gauge their support.
"They want to know how many people care enough about the case to travel to a small city," said veteran rights activist Hu Jia. "Will diplomats try to attend trial? Will the foreign media be there?"
The three activists are accused of "illegal assembly" — a charge their lawyer says stems from a photo of them holding signs calling for the release of other protesters. Liu and Wei face an additional public order charge and of "using an evil cult to undermine law enforcement" related to an online post Liu wrote last year about a trial of Falun Gong petitioners.
Defense lawyers called the charges absurd and argued that the judges, who allowed authorities to detain the trio longer than they were legally allowed to, were unfit to rule in the case, said Zhang Xuezhong, one of the attorneys.
But the judges rejected that and appeared to retaliate against the lawyers by preventing them from speaking any further, Zhang said. This made the defendants fear that they would get virtually no hearing for their defense arguments with the current lawyers, so they declared they wanted new ones, he said.
"It's the most rational thing to do to best protect their legal rights," he said after the trial was adjourned to an as-yet unannounced date.
The crackdown on the New Citizens Movement has ensnared a number of prominent activists around the country, including Beijing rights lawyer Xu Zhiyong and a key supporter, the wealthy businessman Wang Gongquan.


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Depleted by a stream of realignment departures, the Southern Conference took steps toward more stability Thursday by adding East Tennessee State and Mercer as future members.
Virginia Military Institute also was extended an invitation to join the league and is expected to accept today, pending ratification from its board of visitors.
The trio of schools will come onboard the Southern Conference in July 2014. East Tennessee State and VMI, both former longtime members of the league, are making return moves.
�We�re very happy,� conference commissioner John Iamarino said Thursday from the league�s spring meetings in Hilton Head, S.C. �The addition of these three schools, I think, solidifies our membership.�
The Southern Conference has been impacted by a cycle of change during the last six months, with College of Charleston (leaving for the Colonial Athletic Association in 2013), Appalachian State (leaving for the Sun Belt in 2014), Georgia Southern (leaving for the Sun Belt in 2014), Davidson (leaving for the Atlantic 10 in 2014) and Elon University (leaving for the CAA in 2014) announcing plans to exit the league.
Bringing in East Tennessee State, Mercer, and VMI will put the Southern Conference at 10 members. Last week, when Elon revealed its intention to depart, the Southern Conference had been reduced to seven schools for the 2014-15 academic year.
Iamarino said combining the three additions with the league�s remaining members � Chattanooga, Furman, Samford, The Citadel, UNC Greensboro, Western Carolina and Wofford � provides the conference with a committed group for the future and an opportunity to �rebrand� itself.
�We don�t have that cloud hanging over our head now,� Iamarino said, referring to the departure rumors that have persisted during the last calendar year. �There�s a lot of opportunity for us. These schools are clear that they want to be together. They want to be in the Southern Conference.�
This ends what was a deliberate expansion process.
Iamarino and the representatives of the Southern Conference�s site committee took campus visits during the past month, touring East Tennessee State, Mercer and VMI and meeting with leaders on those institutions � while Davidson and Elon became the latest to negotiate with other leagues and leave.
EastTennessee Statewas in the Southern Conference from 1978-2005, before jumping to the Atlantic Sun. The Buccaneers, who discontinued their football program at the end of the 2003 season, citing financial burdens, are scheduled to restart football in 2015. Iamarino said East Tennessee State is projected to participate in a full Southern Conference football schedule in 2016.
Mercer has been in the Atlantic Sun since 1978, when it joined as a charter member of the league. The Bears are adding women�s track and field and resurrecting their football program, which last played a game in 1941. Mercer will play football in the non-scholarship Pioneer League this fall before tackling a full Southern Conference schedule in 2014.
VMI was a Southern Conference member for nearly 80 years, from 1924-2003, until leaving for the Big South � a move down that allowed Elon to climb into the Southern Conference. Iamarino spoke Thursday about the valued tradition and history that VMI brings back to the Southern Conference.
The league should benefit, the commissioner said, from maintaining a presence in Georgia � Mercer is located in Macon, Ga. � and reopening a foothold in Virginia.
EastTennessee State�s return figures to reinvigorate an in-state rivalry with league member Chattanooga. The Southern Conference arrivals of East Tennessee State and Mercer also should be of geographic help to league member Samford, which is in Birmingham, Ala.
�Our membership is excited about rekindling old rivalries and re-establishing new ones,� Iamarino said. �Most importantly, we�ve been able to grow while not extending our geographic footprint to an extreme extent.�


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"Oh, that game must be good, because even [some person] likes it". Bravely Default is that game, and I am that person.
I am Jason's worst enemy. I am a casual JRPG player. It's not that I despise the genre. I am instead just incredibly picky about it. I don't care much for the core systems (combat, levelling, etc), and most JRPG's settings/characters don't do much for me, so most games in the genre pass me by. I liked Ni No Kuni for the animation, not the combat. I liked Lost Odyssey for the voice acting, not the short stories. I love Persona games because they're about being a high school kid, not because you have to grind levels.
I like Final Fantasy XII. Yeah. I'm that guy.
So while a JRPG fanatic like Jason can dissect the game and break down the nuances of its combat and level progression, and even the game's producer Tomoya Asano says Bravely Default "is definitely suited for a certain market" that likes "rather old game mechanics", I can tell you that I'm having a blast in spite of all that.
Why? It's a beautiful game! The background art is gorgeous, and the elaborate cities are a joy to simply wander around inside. The characters look childish at first glance, but soon take on a cartoonish charm of their own, which suits the children's storybook art style perfectly.If you play games to look at pretty art, this is a very pretty game.
It also sounds fantastic! Kirk touched on this last week, but if you're not playing this with the headphones on and the volume turned up, you're missing out.
Best of all, though, if you just want to play a game to have an adventure, then Bravely Default is willing to get out of your way and let you catch it. As mentioned in the review, you can skip random battles entirely if you want. Another nice touch is that a lot of the really drawn-out chit-chat between your party members - little of it really necessary for the main story - is segregated into a mode you need to consciously activate to take part in. So those super into it can catch up on all the inane banter between the characters, while those short on time/patience can skip right by, eliminating one of the more alienating aspects of the genre.
What I find really interesting about this game is that, in spite of its accessibility for players like me, it's not a compromise. This isn't a game that was designed for JRPG newcomers, or Westerners put off by the genre's stubborn traditions. Producer Tomoya Asano told us that the game was designed for a traditional Japanese audience and the Western version we're playing (or that Europeans and Australians have been playing) hasn't been changed a bit.
Which really puts the arguments about hardcore vs accesible, Japanese vs Western in a new light. Here's a game that through deft design and a few key sliders (as a sports gamer I wish AI/difficulty sliders were in every game) can be everything at once. A JRPG for Jason, and an adventure for me. That's one hell of an achievement, whether the game's creators were actually trying to do that or not.


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1861 $1 MS65 Certification #81226399, PCGS #6951
Owner's Comments
Completely original with moderate to thick toning over near perfect surfaces.
Expert Comments
Q. David BowersThe following narrative, with minor editing, is from my "Silver Dollars & Trade Dollars of the United States: A Complete Encyclopedia" (Wolfeboro, NH: Bowers and Merena Galleries, Inc., 1993).
Coinage Context
Status of the dollar: After spring 1853 the silver dollar no longer circulated at par as it had a bullion value greater than its face value. In his 1861 Annual Report of the Director of the Mint (quoted at length below) James Pollock said that he sold silver dollars in small lots at 108 cents, specifically:
The silver dollar, as it now is, actually has three values:
1. It is a dollar simply, or 100 units or cents;
2. By the Mint price of silver it is 103-948/1000 cents, which is its true commercial value as compared with gold.
3. It has an interior, or Mint value, which is determined by its relation to silver in the half dollar, which makes it 107-27/ 64 cents, for which reason single pieces are paid out at the Mint, at the even price of 108 cents.
After early 1853, and continuing to at least 1860, the vast majority of Liberty Seated dollars were shipped to Chinese ports, where they were used to pay for merchandise. They were not an advantageous trade coin for American exporters who had to buy them at a premium from banks and bullion dealers, and once they reached China they sold at a discount in comparison to the heavier Mexican silver dollars. For this reason, the United States made special trade dollars of heavier weight beginning in 1873.
As Liberty Seated dollars were accepted by the Chinese by weight, not by sight, few were counter-stamped for further use. Rather, most were shipped in bulk to melters and refiners and foreign mints.
A change in emphasis: Beginning in 1861, emphasis in silver dollar distribution was not primarily export to China. Rather, in this year some pieces were sent beyond the borders of the United States, but for the first year in nearly a decade, many remained stateside. R.W. Julian relates that in one instance in 1861 a quantity amounting to 40,000 silver dollars went to the melting pot to provide silver for subsidiary coins.
Numismatic Information
Circulated grades: When it comes to 1861 dollars, rarity is the order of the day. While Proofs are occasionally seen on the market, circulation strikes in all degrees are very elusive. The relative degree of circulation strikes of all Philadelphia Mint Liberty Seated dollars of the early 1860s is difficult to calculate. Proofs come on the market with regularity, as noted, but these are more visible than circulation strikes and tend to be included in auctions more often than VF and EF coins.
The circulated circulation strikes of the early 1860s furnish an area of intense interest to Liberty Seated specialists, and in my business and research correspondence I receive more inquiries on these than on any others of the design, with the Carson City coins running a close second.
The acquisition of a nice Very Fine, Extremely Fine, or AU 1861 dollar is an occasion for pride. Fortunately, catalogue valuations do not at all reflect the true rarity of such coins, especially in relation to the rarity of later, more publicized higher priced rarities such as the 1893-S Morgan dollar.
Mint State grades: Although the 1861 is very rare in circulation strike form, it is not in the very top echelon of rarity in Mint State. Still, specimens are rare, and when they come on the market they attract attention, deservedly so. Uncirculated coins, when found, are just as apt to be MS-63 or MS-64 than in a lower Mint State grade.
Quality of striking: Many 1861 circulation strike dollars show areas of light striking. Indeed, this is a hallmark of this particular date.
Circulation strikes:
1. Arrowheads touch: Breen-5467. Obverse: Apparently the die described below for Proofs. Reverse: With 2nd and 3rd arrowheads touching, as in former years.
2. Arrowheads apart: Obverse: As No. 1. Reverse:
Arrowheads spaced distinctly apart, as in later years. Seven obverse and eight reverse dies were made for 1862; probably most were not used.
Dies prepared: Obverse: 7; Reverse: 8
Circulation strike mintage: 77,500; Delivery figures by day: January 24: 21,000; January 28: 12,000; February 26: 17,000; March 8: 6,000; March 12: 7,000; March 19: 9,000; June 25: 5,500.
Estimated quantity melted: Unknown Approximate population MS-65 or better: 4 to 8 (URS-3)
Characteristics of striking: Many have areas of weak striking, but well struck pieces exist.
Known hoards of Mint State coins: None
A new reverse die with claws and arrowheads more delicate than earlier years was first employed in 1861; however, the differences between the old and new dies are very subtle.
Additional Information
The Status of the Silver Dollar
In the Annual Report of the Director of the Mint for 1861 the director, ex-Governor of Pennsylvania James Pollock, made the following observations in reference to the status of gold dollars and silver dollars:
"The gold dollar of the United States, conforming in standard value and decimal character to all the gold and silver coinage of the country, except the silver dollar, has been properly selected and should be retained as the standard of value for all coins used or employed in commercial or governmental transactions with other nations. The silver dollar of the United States, differing as it does in commercial and decimal value from the other silver coins of the country, cannot, without disturbing our decimal system and producing confusion in the relative value of our gold dollar is 412-1/2 grains; or two half-dollars, or other component fractions of the dollar, 384 grains-a difference of 28-1/2 grains.
"The silver dollar as it now is has actually three values:
"1st. It is by law a dollar simply, or 100 units or cents.
"2nd. By the Mint-price of silver it is 103.98 cents, which is its true commercial value, as compared with gold.
"3d. It has an interior or Mint-value, which is determined by its relation to the silver contained in the half-dollar, which makes it 107-26/64 cents; for which reason single pieces are paid out at the Mint at the even price of 108 cents. (A very significant comment which states that the government would not payout its own silver dollars at face value. Nor had it done so since spring 1853. For this reason, the denomination did not circulate. This and the first two valuations follow his predecessor's policy.)
"As the dollar, which is the unit of our money, is represented in gold coin, it would seem desirable not to have another dollar in another metal; but if this is inadmissible, and the silver dollar should be retained, then it should be reduced to eight-tenths of an ounce, to be in true relation to our other silver coins.
"Two reasons seem to have influenced Congress in retaining the silver dollar at its present anomalous terms: First, that it preserves the old dollar, known from the beginning of our coinage, and often exactly stipulated for in deeds of rent charge, mortgage, and other moneyed securities. To this it may be successfully replied that such payments are now always made in gold, because it is the legal and usual tender for all sums exceeding five dollars, and because silver dollars are no longer to be had, or are very rare. (Another very significant comment. The director of the Mint called recent silver dollars very rare or unavailable despite melting at least 40,000 in this same year.) In the second place, it was supposed to be needed for our China and East India trade. But our consular advices are to the effect that our silver dollars are very reluctantly taken at the ports, and not at all in the interior of China. (Liberty Seated dollars were shipped in quantity to China, where they were indeed used in certain port cities. They were accepted by weight and soon melted. However, the quantity of American dollars was small in comparison to the vast numbers of Mexican dollars sent to the Orient.)
They are believed by the Chinese to be of less value than they really are. The reasons for its retention having ceased, either we should cease to coin the silver dollar or it should be made to conform in weight and value to our lesser silver coins."
What Might Have Been (Part III)
Dies were shipped to New Orleans for an 1861-O coinage of silver dollars, but they never went into use, so far as anyone knows.
The American Journal of Numismatics, July 1876, page 11, printed a submission by William Sumner Appleton, who quoted William E. DuBois, curator of the Mint Collection at Philadelphia, on the subject of which varieties of dollars had been struck at New Orleans. DuBois stated that dollars had been coined in 1846,1850,1859,1860, and 1861. As no 1861-O dollars are known, it is presumed that none of this date was made; however, it is possible that certain 1860-O dies were used in the 1861 calendar year. It is also possible that the aforementioned 1861-O dies were used, but if so, DuBois died with the knowledge of where remaining specimens were located. Apropos of the following, extant 1861-O records by both Union and rebel authorities, though they specify extensive coinages of half dollars and double eagles, say nothing about silver dollars.
Prime's Book
In 1861, W.C. Prime's Coins, Medals, and Seals was published by Harper & Brothers and intended for children. The author, like most other numismatists of his era, was a person of many interests. The title page of his 1861 work noted that he was also author of Boat Life in Egypt and Nubia, Tent Life in the Holy Land, "etc., etc., etc.," all of the etceteras indicating that the volumes mentioned were but a fraction of his output.
Coins, Medals, and Seals appeared at a time when there were very few books available to guide the coin collector. Prime gave values for silver dollars, grades not indicated, as follows: 1794 $7.50; and 1795 to 1803, $1.25 each.
For Liberty Seated dollars the following were priced at $1.25 each: 1840, 1841, 1842, 1843, 1844, 1845, and 1846, while 1847 was priced at $1.50, 1848 at $1.75, 1849 and 1850 $1.25 each, 1851 and 1852 at $15 each, 1853 at $1.25, the scarce 1854 at $3, the 1855 through 1857 at $1.25 each, 1858 $5, and 1859 at $1.25.
This listing indicates several things:
First, it reflects that at this early time (the manuscript was undoubtedly written in 1859 and 1860) it was well recognized that silver dollars of 1851 and 1852 had significant value, reason enough, so it seemed, for Mint employees to make restrikes. The difference between the market value of $15 for such a dollar and the face value of $1 was $14, or more than two weeks' pay for the average laborer at the time! Further, the 1858, barely a couple of years old when the book came out, was priced at $5, also making it an attractive candidate for restriking.
In his narrative, Prime had this to say concerning the dollar denomination:
The dollar of 1794-the first silver dollar of the series-is now very rare, and commands a large premium. It is worth, in ordinary condition, from $4 to $5, and in Fine condition much more. The dollars from 1794 to 1804 [sic] are not worth any premium above the weight of the silver, unless in Extra Fine condition. One variety of 1798-that with the eagle on the reverse like the eagle of 1797-is rare, and worth about $2.
The dollar of 1804 is very rare-so rare that not more than two or three specimens are known. It has even been doubted whether these are not manufactured coins; but this suspicion is groundless. The dies are in existence at the Mint, (This is stated matter-of-factly; perhaps a Mint official openly told this to the author. By then the 1804 dies were locked in the director's vault; the date 1827 must have been a coverup.) and it is stated that these two specimens were struck from them about 1827.
The dollars of 1836, 1838, and 1839 are but pattern pieces, with a flying eagle on the reverse, never issued in circulation. They are rare in the order of their dates, the last being most rare. They command prices varying from $6 to $18, according to date and condition.
The dollar of 1848 is becoming scarce. In 1851 and 1852 no dollars were issued for circulation, and the specimens struck at the Mint are of the highest degree of rarity. They command $15 to $18 each at auction sales.
The dollar of 1854 is becoming very rare. (The dollar of 1854, somewhat overlooked by a later generation of collectors, was recognized as a rarity by many texts in the second half of the 19th century.) That of 1858 was never issued for circulation, and the Mint Proofs command a price from $4 to $5.
With the foregoing exceptions, the dollars may be easily procured. It should be borne in mind, however, that they are worth a premium of 6% to 7% over the coins of smaller denomination since 1853, and they are therefore seldom found in circulation, and usually go to the silversmiths. Hence they are fast disappearing, and in a few years all the dates will be very rare. The same is true of all the silver coinage prior to July 1853.
Christian Gobrecht
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Read: Grace Notes
By Brian Doyle (ACTA Publications, 2011)
Brian Doyle must have been listening intently when poet Mary Oliver proclaimed, "Attentiveness is the beginning of all prayer." In this collection of 37 essays, Doyle, whom readers will recognize as a frequent contributor to this magazine, dives into the odd and ordinary moments of daily life, plumbing their spiritual depths. "I lucked into work that has everything to do with listening and hearing stories and catching stories," Doyle writes. "[A]t age 50 I conclude that I was born and made for stories."
Doyle's first piece, about a tense moment between father and son, begins, "Committed a sin yesterday, in the hallway, at noon." The searing honesty of that line has stayed with me since I first read it, years ago, in Portland Magazine, which Doyle edits. The book goes on to visit "sons, shrines, silence, marriage, homework," and a host of other stops on this wild ride. The author's wit, his humility, and the joy he takes in words shine through on every page.
In the foreword, Doyle lays out his commitment to American Catholicism, warts and all (personified, perhaps, by the warty Argentinian tree frog gracing the book's cover). Despite our having been "seared with fury over rape, denial, and lies about rapists among us," he also insists that "the genius of Catholicism is that Christ is us—inside each of us is the extraordinary key to the substance of things hoped for."
Hence his tales of life turn on joy, grief, and most of all hope. "The saddest word I've heard wrapped around divorce like a tattered blanket is tired, as in we were just both tired, because tired seems so utterly normal to me," he writes, "so much the rug always bunching in that one spot no matter what you do, the slightly worn dish rack, the flashlight in the pantry which has never had batteries and never will, that the thought of tired being both your daily bread and grounds for divorce gives me the willies."
This article appeared in the April 2012 issue of U.S. Catholic (Vol. 77, No. 4, pages 42-43.)


text:
FBI search widens for Jimmy Hoffa's body in Michigan field
FBI agents in suburban Detroit widened their search of an overgrown field Tuesday for the remains of former Teamsters union boss Jimmy Hoffa, who disappeared nearly 38 years ago and is thought to have been murdered by mobsters.
The search for Hoffa along with a dig at the former home of late New York mobster Jimmy Burke, the suspected mastermind of the 1978 Lufthansa cargo heist, and the trial of Boston gang leader James "Whitey" Bulger made Tuesday especially notable for followers of U.S. organized crime cases of the 1970s and '80s.
FBI agents have been digging for Hoffa's remains since Monday when a backhoe was driven onto a field in Oakland County, about 20 miles north of the Machus Red Fox restaurant where Hoffa was last seen alive. The FBI opened the search after a tip from reputed mobster Anthony Zerilli.
They broke for the night and resumed Tuesday morning. FBI officials said the search had been widened but gave no further details.
Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard told reporters on Tuesday the search of the 40- to 50-square-yard (33- to 40-square meter) area would continue at least another 48 hours. He said police and FBI officials remain optimistic but that nothing had been sent for lab analysis so far.
The FBI brought in forensic anthropologists from Michigan State University and a cadaver-sniffing dog from Michigan state police to help search a half-acre (0.20 hectare) of the site, according to a person close to the investigation who asked not to be identified.
Curious bystanders gathered on Tuesday near the field, which was blocked off by Oakland County sheriff deputies, and peered through wavy grass and trees to see agents digging and the backhoe at work.
The search for Hoffa, who was 62 when he disappeared in 1975, has spawned many theories about his final resting place, ranging from under an end zone in Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, to the General Motors Co headquarters in downtown Detroit and the Everglades in Florida.
In Michigan, law enforcement officials decided to comb the lot after Zerilli, 85, told the FBI that Hoffa was buried there. Zerilli's attorney, David Chasnick, told reporters the FBI spoke to his client over the past seven or eight months and the agency believes "100 percent" Hoffa is buried there.
"This was a guy who was intimately involved with some of the players who would be well informed as to where the body would be placed," Chasnick said.
According to a 21-page manuscript that Zerilli wrote and is selling online, Hoffa was dragged out of a car, bound and gagged, hit with a shovel and buried alive under a cement slab in a barn on the property.
FBI officials had no comment on Zerilli's assertions.
Hoffa, the father of current Teamsters President James Hoffa, led the union from 1957 to 1971 and was imprisoned for fraud and jury tampering in his final years. He was released in late 1971, when President Richard Nixon commuted his sentence.
Authorities have long thought Hoffa was ordered killed by organized crime figures to prevent him from regaining control of the Teamsters.
Investigators have checked thousands of leads over the years. In September 2012, police took a soil sample from behind a private home in Roseville, Michigan, after receiving a tip he might be buried there.
At the Oakland field on Tuesday, Terry Moore, 60, of nearby Shelby Township came to watch the activity. While he didn't expect Hoffa's remains to be found in the latest search, he wanted to see for himself. "This is sort of history," he said.
In Boston, James 'Whitey' Bulger is standing trial on accusations he committed or ordered 19 murders while running Boston's Winter Hill Gang in the 1970s and '80s.
In New York, the FBI was digging inside Burke's former home looking for human remains, a source familiar with the search said. Burke, also known as "Jimmy the Gent," died in prison in 1996 while serving time for the murder of a drug dealer.
Actor Robert De Niro played a character inspired by Burke in Martin Scorsese's 1990 hit movie "Goodfellas," which featured the famed robbery at John F. Kennedy International Airport, which netted almost $6 million. Jack Nicholson played Hoffa in 1992's "Hoffa."
(Additional reporting by Ben Klayman and Bernie Woodall in Detroit, and Ellen Wulfhorst in New York; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)


text:
We Heart Valentine's Day
Forget roses and chocolate. Give me pretty paper, impossibly glamorous pillar candles and aphrodisiac tea on Valentine's Day. Wait. Give me those every day! xoxo –Bets
You couldn't pay me to be a teenager again, but Maybelline Baby Lips ($4) tinted balms take me right back to passing time and after-school dances.
Anything Kate Spade loves, I want. Including this girly coffee table book ($40) and most definitely that striped settee.
Grown-up hair ties two ways: Rock Solid studded hair elastics by Ban.Do ($20 each) . . .
. . . and sweet heart elastics by Emi-Jay ($6.50/set)
Oh sweet, sweet Sugar Paper, you're killing me softly with this darling gold embossed confetti card ($6).


text:
Calling All Brothers – Have you paid your dues for the year?
Please do so by going to Support The Hall.
St. Anthony Hall's Epsilon Chapter is located in Hartford, Connecticut, and has been in continuous existence since 1850. The Hall's membership is composed largely, but not exclusively, of approximately 1,000 men and women who are undergraduates and graduates of Trinity College. Hall members conduct and encourage educational, charitable, and literary activities amongst themselves and other members of the Trinity community.
The St. Anthony Trust of Hartford (SATH), a privately-funded organization, directs the affairs of St. Anthony Hall, and owns the building and property located at 340 Summit Street. The organization that became SATH was chartered by act of the Connecticut General Assembly (State Legislature) in 1873. The Hall's building was constructed in 1878, and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. St. Anthony Hall members raised funds for the construction of adjacent Ogilby Hall in 1941, which provides residential and dining facilities for undergraduate Hall members.
The men and women of St. Anthony Hall are active in business, government, medicine, education, and the arts, among other fields. Fourteen Hall members from Trinity have fallen in the service of their country in the Civil War, World Wars One and Two, and other conflicts. Hall members have served and continue to serve Trinity as members of the Faculty and the Administration, while current Hall undergraduates are involved in numerous college academic, artistic, student government, and athletic pursuits.
Although an independent entity, St. Anthony Hall has enjoyed a long and mutually beneficial relationship with Trinity College. Members of the Hall have been active in college affairs since the Hall's founding, to include leading efforts to establish the Trinity Alumni Association in the 1920s. The College's longest continuing popular performance group, the Trinity Pipes, was founded by four members of St. Anthony Hall in 1937. The Hall currently funds the St. Anthony professorship in Art History, as well as prizes for Trinity students in athletics and community service. Among other events open to the public, the Hall sponsors the annual Clement lecture, named for distinguished Trinity alumnus and Hall member, Martin W. Clement, Class of 1901.


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Many youth with challenges have been refused by Scout Programs, and many others have never tried to join a Scout Program, believing that being a Scout was out of their reach. Understandably, no one wants to be ridiculed or singled out, and their parents, meaning the best, do not want to place their youth in a position where they will be hurt or rejected.
Many time parents have been frustrated because they were promised their child would be accepted by a particular Scout Program and treated like an equal, just to have their child come home with a broken heart again.
We know there are many youth who want to be a Scout and have been told they are not good enough, and many parents who want their children to experience the adventure of Scouts but are fed up with other Scout Programs.
We Believe Every Youth Can Be a Scout
The Scout Programs of Adventure Scouts USA are dedicated to bringing the experience of being a Scout to all. It does not matter if a Scout is physically, mentally, or emotionally challenged, we find a way to include every youth with a desire to be a Scout. Every person and every Scout can improve, can make progress, can acquire new knowledge, and can make friends and memories that last a lifetime.
All our Scouts participate. If additional equipment is necessary for a Scout with challenges to participate, we make sure it is sought. We make sure all our Scouts get the opportunity to participate and build confidence. Our Scouts get the opportunity for shared experiences with other Scouts who may be different from themselves.
Differences in Ability
Although we are a co-ed Scout Program, in which everyone enjoys equal opportunities, we do recognize there are differences in abilities. An example of which is that some people run faster than others do. Consequently, we have chosen to have our athletic activities focus on encouraging everyone reaching the finish line, rather than who came in first, while still fostering our Scouts' competitive spirit. We appreciate there are differences in abilities, and recognize there are different needs. We encourage each of our Scouts to value their differences and the things they have in common with others, while inspiring them to reach their own potential. The only time a youth would not be part of a particular team is if their challenge made it impossible for the team to function. Depending upon the challenge, they can also participate on a different team or as an Outpost Scout.
Helping Our Scouts Become Whole People
As, our Scouts progress, we pair up our Scouts with Mentors in their chosen profession. Because we want our Scouts to have the necessarily skills to go out into the world and be successful, and our Scout with challenges are no different. It can more difficult for young people with challenges to find employment; therefore it is even more important for our Scout with challenges to find Mentors and to receive help in their chosen profession. We provide all our Scouts with opportunities to interact with experts in their chosen fields. We want to be involved and be of service in our Scouts' entire lives.
We are Member-Oriented
We aspire to be the foremost member service oriented Program of any type in the United States. Our goal is to serve every child, every family, everywhere. If you are a parent of a challenged youth, or you are a challenged youth yourself, and you want to be a Scout, our Scout Programs are eager for you to join the adventure! We believe telling anyone they are not good enough to be a Scout is quite simply not good enough.


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I don't have theories or hard data to offer on human pattern recognition skills. All I can offer here are some anecdotes.
Some time ago, I had read a story about rangers decrypting a secure radio transmission by just getting accustomed to it. (This was a fascinating story, and I lost track of where I read this story. If you have a pointer, let me know in the comments.) The secure radio transmission system had some peculiarities when encrypting, maybe the encryption was taking tad bit longer when encrypting certain wovels. Now the rangers, with not much else to do, were listening to that channel continuously, and their ears started to pick up on these peculiarities. And soon they were able to decrypt the secure transmissions in real time. (Here is a more modern and advanced version of that attack, using software doing essentially the same thing.)
The auditory pattern recognition can go a long way in the extremes. Did you know that humans can learn to echolocate? Fricking Dare Devil stuff here.
My point with these examples is that humans are skilled at performing advanced pattern recognition feats. These skills are hardwired in our brains, and we rely on them as toddlers to pick up on spoken language, a distinctive human feature.
Using audio to debugMy examples were about audio pattern recognition, which is where I want to lead your attention. Sound is a multidimensional phenomenon, consisting of pitch, loudness, and timbre. Sound is also an ambient technology. These make sound a viable alternative and complement to the visual sensing modalities.
Since sound is so fundamental and important for human perception, sound has been employed by several professions as a means of debugging and identifying problems. For many decades doctors and mechanics have been listening for abnormal noises for troubleshooting sickness and problems. Last week, I found myself intrigued with the question of whether we can use sound for software debugging. In other words, can we design a stethoscope analog tool for software debugging?
In order to do that, we should first figure out a way to transform data to sound. This process would be an analog of data visualization. I didn't know the correct term for this, so my initial Google searches where unproductive. Then, I came across the correct term, when I searched for "sound analog of visualization". Aha, sonification!
Armed with the correct terminology, all sorts of literature opened up on this process. A primitive and popular example of sonification is the Geiger counter. Radar is another basic example. Recently with SETI project, sonification became an interesting venue also in exploring space. This TED talk shows how Wanda Diaz, a blind astronomer, listens to the stars using sonification.
In the digital systems domain, there are also good examples of sonification. You must have seen this sonification of sorting algorithms. It is simple but brilliant. There has also been more advanced attempts at sonification. This work employs sonification for overviewing git conflicts.
These work employ sonification for business process monitoring. And these research papers explore how to employ sonification for understanding and debugging software
([1], [2], [3], [4]).
Sonification for distributed systemsWhat I was thinking was to use sonification for monitoring and debugging of distributed systems. Distributed systems are notoriously difficult to monitor and debug. Can we get any type of additional help or slight advantage through the sonification approach? Each type of message transmission can be assigned to a certain piano tone. Loudness may be used for sonifying the size of the message. The duration of computation or message transmission would naturally show up as the rhythm of the system. (Of course going at the millisecond scale won't work for human perception. The sonification software should be doing some slicing/sampling and slowing things down to provide the human with what he can cope with.) For datacenter monitoring, you may give each software system/service a different timbre, and assign each one to a different musical instrument. Then you may listen to your datacenter as if listening to an orchestra performing a symphony. Maybe your large map reduce deployment would go "da da da dum!".
Last night, my PhD students Aleksey and Ailidani surprised me with sonification related to projects they are working on. I had mentioned them about this idea on Thursday. When we met on Skype to catch up on their projects, the first thing they demonstrated to me was how their projects sounded. It was exciting to listen to the sonification of distributed systems. The Voldemort server operation certainly has a peculiar music/rythym. And I bet it is different from how Cassandra would sound --I haven't listened to that yet. The classic Paxos algorithm had a bluegrass like rhythm, at least in Ailidani's sonification. I bet other Paxos flavors, such as ePaxos, Raft, and Mencious will sound different than the classic Paxos. And certainly the faults and failures will sound quite abnormal and would be noticeable as off-tunes and disruptions in the rhythmic sonification of these systems.
Sonification for monitoring and debugging distributed systems may become a thing in a decade or so. What if you couple sonification with a virtual reality (VR) headset for visualization. Sonification could be a good complement to the VR headset. VR gives you total immersion. Sonification provides an ambient way for you to notice an anomaly (something slightly off-tune) in the first place. With VR you can go deep and investigate. With a good VR interface, maybe like guitar hero, dance dance revolution like interface, it is possible to look at the different nodes executing in parallel, crossing roads and diverging again. This blog post does a good job of reviewing how VR equipment can help in debugging.


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International Students
October University for Modern Sciences and Arts (MSA) has been renowned not only as a world class academic establishment but also as the regional first choice university. The most important factor among many of others is the fact that it provides the Best of British Higher Education in Egypt. MSA University is the continuation of the extensive network of Dar El Tarbiah language schools where Dr. Nawal El Degwi (President of the Board of Trustees) was profoundly keen on introducing the British certificate of IGCSE and generating opportunities for individuals to fulfill their potentials.
MSA has always attracted students from all sectors of society locally as well as Internationally.
MSA's professional, highly qualified and dedicated staff is able to compete and excel in an ever changing dynamic world and to stand on equal footing with their peers from other international universities. The excellence in curricula, facilities and highly equipped classes and labs added to that attraction. MSA did not confine its contribution in the total advancement and growth of the community where it exists, but also went far beyond the local community to the outer world and all the Arab countries as it hosts international students to cherish and guide them on equal footing with their brothers and sisters in Egypt. All MSA students will enjoy several channels for students' feedback such as the board of study, open door policy and online Module evaluation besides the International students' support committee that bonds all students both local and international in one family. MSA also attracts international students because of the dual degree that is granted to the graduates; one from Egypt and the other from either University of Greenwich or Bedfordshire University according to the academic major.
MSA Campus does not offer accommodation yet. But 6th of October City where MSA campus is located is full of lodges, apartment buildings and flats. The area is safe, has all kinds of transportation, in addition to MSA university buses which gather students from all over Greater Cairo. In reference to the cost of living in Egypt, if two or three students live together in one apartment it would cost them on averages EGP 2500 - 3000 per month.
Validated by:
MSA University Campus Map
Main Office - 6th Oct. Campus
26 July Mehwar Road intersection with Wahat Road, 6th October City. Egypt.
Tel. : 3837-1113
Tel. : 3837-1115
Tel. : 3837-1516
Fax : (+202) 3837-1543
Hotline : 16672
ICT Manager: Eng. Amr Attia
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com


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Nikki Lissoni
Nikki Lissoni® - the Dutch jewellery brand is renowned for its high standard of craftsmanship, quality and design. The new collection introduces daring strokes of style for its architectural designs, as it unveils new hammered bangles and luck inspired charms.
The coin library grows to include new styles such as winter sun and crosses whilst hearts and peacock pieces awaken us using colourful stones.
Easily stamped as the 'most charming' collection to date, adornments take on a spirited direction with 'Lucky Shark Tooth' and 'Wishbone' that hold symbolic meaning. Made to be worn in an a-symmetric way, bracelets call to be sported whilst stacked with charms of varying sizes to catch the eye and steal the heart.
Whether it is an elegantly classic design or a statement piece with gorgeous gem stones adorned in Swarovski crystals, Nikki Lissoni offers something for everyone. Spoil yourself today with Nikki Lissoni jewellery.


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Hey, you like Half Man Half Biscuit, right? I know, dead random name! They've got a song called 'All I Want For Christmas Is A Dukla Prague Away Kit'. You probably mention the title a lot on the rivals.net messageboard you post to when it looks like your team are going into Europe. You'll be happy to discover that CSI: Ambleside, HMHB's eleventh studio album, contains plenty of wackiness, jokes about d-list celebrities (including a voiced desire to shoot Carols Vorderman and Smilie along with the boy Llewellyn-Bowen), and some wacky lines you can quote en masse to your friends out of context ("If you look carefully in the background of _The Scream / The couple on the bridge are both Robson Green"_). Go out and buy it now, you'll eat it up for breakfast. I'll be here when you come back.
Right, they've gone. Now I'm talking to the rest of you, those of you who either a) actually 'get' Nigel Blackwell's career output to date or b) haven't yet been introduced to the joys of Half Man. There's an argument to be made that Half Man Half Biscuit are the best English band in history. This isn't the place to make it. This is the place to explain to you that CSI: Ambleside is one of the peaks in an already unimpeachable back catalogue because it sticks to what makes HMHB such a great band. Not the crowd-pleasing stuff dude in the first paragraph is into, the reciting of song titles in funniest track names discussions or mainstream media articles based on the thesis that Hey, Dead John Peel liked some WEIRD music when he wasn't hosting _Home Truths. No, _CSI: Ambleside is strictly one for the purists, based around what's drawn me and hopefully you to this band over the past 20 years: a knack for appreciating and poeticising the mundanities of everyday modern British life, a knack for observation and characterisation, and above all a sense of intelligence. There's no celebrity kufi-smackings like 'Breaking News' or 'You're Hard' on this album, just compressed-as-haiku bursts of truth like "Not long now before lollipop men are called Darren". It's a lot more Bill Cosby than Perez Hilton, and infinitely the better for it.
'Hardest man on the Isle of White Andy Kershaw once referred to HMHB as "the most authentic English folk act since The Clash". Which is wrong of course, because HMHB are infinitely more authentic voices of folkdom than some Levi Jeans-shilling posh boys. But he was onto something. HMHB are a folk act in very much the same way that Leadbelly or Woody Guthrie was, every song is a piece of writing: an essay, a short story, a piece of invective. The music is there as canvas, so it's kept simple: 'Petty Sessions' here is just 'The Hokey Cokey' with an added guitar solo, while 'Lord Hereford's Knob' has a wonderfully meta ending where after Nigel shouts "All of our songs sound the same", and he proves as much by singing the choruses to old-school HMHB tracks 'Keeping Two Chevrons Apart' and '(You're The Reason Why) Paradise Lost', without a beat being missed or changed.
So yeah, it's about the words. And they're great words: "Deep Blue, in 1997 I voted for you, as Sports Personality of The Year"._ "I gave up hope ironically for Lent". It's hard to think of anyone since Big Pun who has been so confident and comfortable at just stringing words together like this, and when paired up with characterisation you get the feeling the Nigel Blackwell is in a class of one when it comes to lyricists in this day and age. The painting of bored, boring small-town men throughout this album is perfect, from the man who rings Dial-A-Pizza to say "That's not how I would spell Hawaiian", to the protagonist of 'Little In The Way Of Sunshine', who apropos of nothing lets you know that _The Shawshank Redemption is on sale at HMV, figures instantly recognisable to anyone who's lived in a town that isn't on rail mainline.
Everything that makes HMHB great is here, from the sing-along chorus of 'Bad Losers On Yahoo Chess' to the ability to turn seemingly random lists of words into something pleasing to the ear ("Facebook Mum, Youtube Dad / Seabass, manbag, £50 to Chad",_ "There's a man with a mullet going mad with a mallet in Millets"). It all ends with 'National Shite Day', a seemingly deliberately hark back to HMHB's masterpiece, 'A Country Practice_', a near-seven-minute descent into gradual and ongoing disgust at the world, as he walks into town and tries to cope with a world of bus replacement services and Primark FM, before contemplating an old friend who enjoyed harassing 1980s impressionist Phil Cool. This isn't the greatest album of HMHB's career, but it's certainly the album that best illustrates what makes them great.
9Dom Passantino's Score


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Browsing Conference papers by Author "Salling Pedersen, Allan"
Now showing items 1-1 of 1
Salling Pedersen, Allan; Bjørn-Andersen, Niels (Frederiksberg, 2011)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: ITIL has been proposed and indeed adopted by many as a framework for solving the problem of IT Service Management. It has been available for organizations for more than 10 years and initial adoption has been high. However, consultancy surveys of ITIL adoption, implementation and institutionalization show that there are only few complete and institutionalized ITIL implementations. This paper presents work in progress on a comprehensive ITIL literature review, focussing on critical success factors and benefits documented in scientific literature about ITIL implementation. Based on this, the paper presents a draft framework aiming at assisting organizations during their decisions regarding ITIL adoption, implementation and institutionalization. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8431
Files in this item: 1Allan_Salling_Pedersen_NBAndersen.pdf (1.096Mb)
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Curiosity café
The upside-down catfish is the most hideous fish I have ever seen. That it's been welcome on the mini-reef at Café Sperlhof for the past 17 years is down to the spirit of the place. There's no need to be rich, cool or beautiful here or to have a predilection for ugly fish – the aquarium is far too unobtrusive for that. The only things that stand out are the towers of over 1100 board games stacked 2.5 meters high in places. They include classics – Parcheesi ludo, chess and Monopoly – but most are unknowns. Or has anyone heard of "Baksheesh," "Bazaar" or "Therapy"? The latter involves pushing psychiatrists' couches onto spaces like "Hysteria," "Nightmare" or "Phobia."
We are in Vienna. In this city, time generally moves at a slightly slower pace, but at Café Sperlhof it evidently came to a standstill decades ago. It has no Internet, but there's a mountain of books guests are free to add to or deplete by leaving their novels here or taking some home, free of charge, but with a right of return. Credit cards are not accepted, but you can still pay with Austrian shillings if you run out of euros. And before I forget: Six pool tables, two foosball tables and one ping-pong table are dotted about the café's labyrinth of side and back rooms. Live music wafts from some corner or other – bass, clarinet, guitar, and a keyboard instrument. The musicians play well, but they're not hired, just neighbors who are not able to practice at home because things soon get too loud. The upside-down catfish couldn't care less.
Helge Timmerberg
Our columnist, Helge Timmerberg, an irrepressible globetrotter since 1969, writes travel books and contributes monthly to our magazine.


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Over the past year, small gnomes started springing up all around Oakland, Calif. The elfin creatures are hand-painted on wooden boards; each is about 6 inches tall, with red hat, brown boots and white beard. They're bits of urban folk art from an anonymous painter who surreptitiously screws them onto the base of utility poles.
The local utility — Pacific Gas and Electric — balked, and vowed to remove all of the gnomes. That's until recently, after a surge of popular gnome support caused PG&E to have a change of heart. Melissa Block, host of All Things Considered, talked to the gnome's creator about the project. NPR has agreed to preserve his anonymity.
If you've spotted one of the gnomes in Oakland, we want to see your photos. Upload your images to Twitter, Tumblr or Instagram and use the hashtag #nprgnome.
Over the last year, small whimsical creatures have been springing up all around Oakland, California. They're gnomes hand-painted on wooden boards. Really cute little guys about six inches high with red hats, brown boots and white beards. They're bits of urban folk art from an anonymous painter who surreptitiously screws them onto the base of utility poles.
Well, Pacific Gas and Electric decided that was a bad idea. The company vowed to remove the gnomes. But this week after a surge of popular gnome support, PG&E had a change of heart and that's great news for the gnomes' creator. We've agreed to preserve his anonymity for this conversation. He joins us from Oakland. And I'll just call you the gnome representative for this conversation. Why don't you explain, first of all, why you want to remain anonymous.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Because I really think that this is so much more than about an individual. It's not so much a concern about my own anonymity as it is I don't really want anybody associated with the gnomes. As I've gone through this project, it really is an Oakland thing. I feel like they're not my gnomes, they're Oakland's gnomes. It gives people the opportunity to tell their own stories about them and see them as they are.
BLOCK: Why did you start with gnomes? How did this all come about?
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: I had the book. I think most people had that wonderful book from the Dutch (unintelligible).
BLOCK: Oh, "The Book of Gnomes."
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Yes, from the '70s and had that as a child. I was just sitting around thinking one day what could I do to make my little community a little better.
BLOCK: And you started with one?
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: I started with one, and I did my entire street in front of my house. And then I just started hearing these wonderful stories of what people thought of them. And from there it just dawned on me that it wasn't about my street, it needed to be about my neighborhood. Well, once I was done with my neighborhood, it suddenly turned into about my city as a whole.
BLOCK: What were you hearing from people when they were talking about the gnomes?
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Well, you know, the best is - I have a small preschool across the street from me. And I would hear them as they would walk up and down the street and they had made names up for each of the gnomes. But then there would be stories that they would be telling each other about the gnomes. And then this one particular day, there was this girl who was walking home and her father, it became apparent to me that he had come to pick her up at the school for the very first time. And she was so excited. And the main thing that she was excited about was taking him to each of the gnomes and explaining to him about why each of them was there.
BLOCK: But it's not just the kids who are really enchanted by them, it sounds like. I was reading a blog from a guy who noted that the gnomes that are at higher elevations in Oakland are wearing kilts. So he says they're plainly Highlanders, a big of dry humor...
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Oh, they most certainly are.
BLOCK: ...we heartily appreciate. And he's named the one that he took a picture of. He says, I call him Angus.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Yes, I've seen Angus. And Angus is an earlier home gnome and he's really excited. But there's a little controversy going on there, because some are in royal Stewart and some are in the Black Watch. So they kind of have the 1745 going on in the hills of Oakland as well.
BLOCK: So you're trying to put in little changes in them that you hope people will notice.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: It goes beyond that, I'd like to think a little bit, because it has to relate with the community as a whole. Down on 3rd Avenue, there's a tattoo shop. The gnomes in front of that shop, one has an anchor tattooed on his arm, one has a heart tattooed on his arm. There's a section down by the water, each of the gnomes there are in Bermuda shorts with tattoos as well.
BLOCK: Well, I don't want you to have to reveal your trade secrets here, but how do you manage to install all these gnomes, screw them onto these utility poles without people noticing what you're doing?
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Well, it's a night kind of thing because I go out late at night with my terrier. She provides some cover because I can always yell at her if anybody's walking around. But I get to walk the streets of Oakland at 11:00, 12:00, 1:00 in the morning and see the houses and see the gardens and see the paintings that people are doing.
BLOCK: But nobody ever noticed what you're doing when you're out there?
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: When I'm out there I have not been caught once, no. If something's going on, you stop, you pull out a little bag, pretend like you're picking up something, a gift that the terrier left behind. You play the part. It's part of the joy of actually interacting with the community, not with individuals.
BLOCK: Well, it's been so nice to have something to take a little break from the dark and dreary news that we've had this week. So thanks so much for talking to us about your gnome project.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Melissa, thank you so much for your time. And thank you for taking some interest in Oakland, not just the gnomes, but in Oakland itself.
BLOCK: That's the creator of the Oakland gnomes. We've agreed to preserve his anonymity.
You're listening to ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


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Customize Your 2015 Cadillac Escalade
Cadillac Reveals Escalade Color, Trim & Wheel Options
Cadillac has introduced a website where you can customize a virtual 2015 Cadillac Escalade while learning more about the interior, exterior, technology, performance, specifications, and color package details of this all-new fullsize luxury SUV. Three trim levels, each building on the previous, will be available for the classy Escalade: Standard, Luxury, and Premium.
The Standard trim Cadillac Escalade equips you with a 420hp, 460 lbs/ft of torque, 6.2L V8 with adaptive remote start, Magnetic Ride Control, LED headlamps and taillamps, 20" 7-spoke chrome plated aluminum wheels, rear vision camera, front and rear park assist, power liftgate, CUE infotainment with Bose audio system and integrated Navigation, 12" reconfigurable instrument cluster, leather seating surfaces with 12-way power driver and front passenger seats, heated and cooled front seating and heated second-row seating, power, fold-flat third row seats, heated, leather-wrapped steering wheel, and more. The exterior color portfolio includes seven appealing options: Dark Granite Metallic, Radiant Silver Metallic, Black Raven, White Diamond Tricoat, Silver Coast Metallic, Crystal Red Tintcoat, and Majestic Plum Metallic. Interior options include Shale with Cocoa Accents and Jet Black with Jet Black Accents.
The Luxury trim Cadillac Escalade upgrades you to 22" dual 7-spoke premium painted wheels with chrome inserts or ultra-bright machined finish, the Driver Awareness Package (which includes Safety Alert Seat, Lane Departure Warning, and Forward Collision Alert), several other alerts and assists, IntelliBeam headlamps, sunroof, full-color Head-Up Display (HUD) and more. You can now add Kona Brown with Jet Black Accents as an interior option.
The Premium trim Cadillac Escalade includes all the bells and whistles of the Standard and Luxury offerings, plus the Driver Assist Package (which includes Front Automatic Braking, Rear Automatic Braking, Automatic Collision Preparation, and Full-Speed Adaptive Cruise Control), illuminated exterior door handles, and a rear-seat entertainment system with a 9" overhead screen.
What did we build? Utilizing the website's colorizer tool, a Premium 2015 Cadillac Escalade covered in White Diamond Tricoat with the Kona Brown interior, rolling on machine-finish 22's, satisfies our appetite – or virtual appetite, at least.
What would you build? Knock yourself out by clicking here and then selecting the Colors & Packages tab.


text: As our global population reaches 7 billion people, it is more important than ever to take action to conserve and protect our waterways. Going "green" isn't about changing your entire lifestyle all at once. A sustainable lifestyle is achieved by making a series of Thoughtful Choices. Each week, on Thursdays, we will share a simple tip for how we can all help keep our planet healthy. Our Choice Our Harbor Market Kitchen cafe switched from compostable serveware to reusable serveware made from sustainable bamboo. Your Choice Swap out something disposable you use every day: take a travel mug to the coffee shop, pack your lunch items in washable containers instead of plastic bags, or use rags rather than paper towels to wipe up spills. Together we can make a difference! Learn more about the National Aquarium's conservation efforts and how you can help! Tags: Conservation, green-tips Categories: Conservation Previous Post Next Post


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Sosta Palmizi AssociationPrivate Company active 8 years, 3 months ago
Compagnia Sosta Palmizi split in 1990' yet it retained part of its heritage by becoming under artistic directors Raffaella Giordano and Giorgio Rossi' the Sosta Palmizi Association' first based in Turin' but since 1995 in Cortona' Tuscany.
The Association not only promotes and supports the choreographic work of its two directors' but also acts as a reference point in the field of creative contemporary dance. The Association is particularly concerned with the quality of the artistic experience' and the training and guidance of new generations of dancers.
Over the years' Raffaella Giordano and Giorgio Rossi have brought together in an organic and authentic way many people from different artistic backgrounds' developing a stable core of Associated Artists who share a similar historical and artistic perspective. Performers' creators and collaborators involved in the productions and supported as they pursue their individual paths' who have contributed and continue to contribute to the growth and development of the art of dance in Italy's cultural scene.
By vocation and inclination' Sosta Palmizi has forged an identity as a creative centre for the performing arts' a domain for reference and dialogue; a bridging space in the construction of a practicable future path.
2004 saw the start of LAB 52042 at Sosta Palmizi headquarters' a project that allows young artists to test their work in progress before a limited audience. From 2004 to 2006' Sosta Palmizi formed a partnership with the Junge Hunde network' a project financed by the European Union for the promotion' mobility and training of emerging artists involved in contemporary European creative arts.
The Association is seriously engaged in training at its headquarters in Cortona' where Raffaella Giordano and Giorgio Rossi hold regular advanced and specialised workshops for dancers and actors from all over Italy and abroad' offering two annual scholarships for free' year−long participation in the seminars. In addition to these activities' the Association is responsible for a wider teaching programme' both within the province and at a national and international level' through the provision of external workshops in collaboration with theatre companies and other organisations' as well as performances in schools and universities.
This is a private company. To join you must be a registered member and send request to join it.