text:
Let's look at how this principal plays out in the context of a few simple tests. (None of the code from the past few months has needed anything particularly sophisticated by way of tests). All these tests are based on JUnit, which has been around long enough that I don't feel to compelled to explain it, here. If you've never used JUnit (or an equivalent testing framework), then you should start immediately. Get JUnit from junit.org. The main things you'll need to know are that four annotations determines how the test suite runs:
|Called once, before any tests run
|Called once, after all tests run
|Called before each test is run
|Called after each test is run
|Indicates a test method that's called automatically by the "test-runner" application. You won't call this method explicitly.
The rest of JUnit is made up of various self-explanatory "assert" variants that will cause the test to fail if the argument is false. Both Eclipse and IntelliJ IDEA recognize the earlier annotations and let you run the tests from inside the development system.
The tests also use two mocking frameworks in a very lightweight way: Mockito and PowerMock. PowerMock is really a Mockito (and EasyMock) extension that adds the ability to mock
static and
private things. I'll discuss both of these frameworks in depth next month, but here's the essentials:
A mocking framework gives you the ability to do two things:
- When you "mock" an interface, the framework essentially creates a class for you that implements the interface. The created methods typically behave simplistically, but are good enough for most uses. If you need to, you can replace the machine-generated method with one of your own. If you mock a class, as compared to an interface, the mock is actually an instance of a derived class that's created by the framework at runtime. The machine-generated derived class overrides all the public base-class methods with mock versions. Traditional Test-Driven Development folks frown on mocking classes, but TDD and mocking are not synonymous. There are perfectly good reasons to mock a class. We'll see some examples next month.
- When you "spy" on an existing object, you essentially wrap (rather than extend) the object. The "spy" (the wrapper) methods typically just call the methods with the same name in the wrapped object (the thing you're spying on), but record things like how many times the method was called and what the arguments were. This way, you can surround the object under test with real clients while being able to monitor how the object under test interacts with those clients.
I'll show you examples of how all this is done, below.
Locations and
Places class from my Java Apps article is tested by
LocationsAndPlacesTest in the code sample LocationsAndPlacesTest.java.
The class is annotated with the following lines:
@RunWith(PowerMockRunner.class) @PowerMockIgnore("org.apache.log4j.*") @PrepareForTest({Places.class, LocationsSupport.class})
RunWith is a JUnit annotation that tells the system to use a special
PowerMockRunner class to run the tests instead of using the default JUnit test runner. PowerMock has to do a bit of quite complicated magic to override
static methods (it has to get hold of the class-loading process and dynamically create a wrapper around the real class at load time), and the special runner performs that magic. The
PowerMockIgnore annotation tells the custom runner that it shouldn't provide a wrapper around any of the log4j classes, which get very confused if they're wrapped. (You end up with two versions of the
Logger class, one loaded by the default Java class loader and the other loaded by the PowerMock loader. This just doesn't work.) The
PrepareForTest statement tells the PowerMock loader which classes it has to wrap. That is, it specifies the classes that contain
static methods that we want to mock.
The actual mocking is done in the test methods. Here's a sample (I've added comments to explain what's going on):
@Test public void testInitializationFromSystemProperty() { // Tell PowerMock that we will be spying on the System class. PowerMock will // provide a transparent wrapper around System, and we'll be able to control // the behavior of the wrapper methods. If we don't do anything in particular, // then the wrapper method calls the default System-class method. // spy( System.class ); // Tell the transparent wrapper to return the String "/tmp" whenevner // someone calls System.getProperty("HOME"); // when(System.getProperty("HOME")).thenReturn("/tmp"); // Tell the transparent wrapper to return the String "/tmp" whenevner // someone calls System.getenv("HOME"); // when(System.getenv("HOME")).thenReturn(null); // Now actually run the test. assertEquals() is a JUnit method that causes the test to // fails if the arguments aren't equal. assertEquals( new File("/tmp"), Places.HOME.directory() ); }
When this code runs, the
Places.HOME.directory() method runs in the normal way. That method normally gets the HOME directory, first by looking for a -D JVM-command-line argument (returned by
System.getProperty()), and if that property isn't found, by looking for an environment variable called
HOME. In the current test, however,
Places.HOME will call our mock methods (of the
System class) rather than calling the real
System-class methods, and our mocks return
/tmp. That is, rather than requiring us to set up an environment variable before running the test, the test supplies it's own values for
System variables. That way the test doesn't require any prior setup (which can easily go wrong), particularly in an automated-build environment. This way of working where the tests do all their own setup work make it vastly easier to do things like continuous integration, since the scripts run by the integration system (which would otherwise need to set up the test environment) are both simpler, and don't have to be modified if we add or modify tests.
Now, thinking back to the first part of the current article, notice how the
Places object is being tested as a black box. I'm modifying the behavior of the immediate neighbors of the object that I'm testing (
System), asking the object to do something (
Places.HOME.directory()) and then observing the behavior of the object (it's return the expected value when asked). I don't look at the internal state of the object under test at all. In fact, the object under test doesn't even know it's being tested. It certainly doesn't know that I've changed the way the
System object works.
Most of the other tests work in the same way.
The next thing to notice are the tests at the bottom of the file, which all test that the
Places fails correctly when something's wrong. It's never sufficient simply to test that things work as expected; we also need to test that things fail when expected. For example, the following test method succeeds when an
IllegalStateException is thrown. The test is setting up a failure condition: It creates a temporary file, then, using mocks, it tells the System object to return the name of that temporary file when
Places requests the
TMP environment. The call to
Places.TMP.directory(); should now fail because TMP references a file, not a directory. The
@Test(expected=IllegalStateException.class) tells JUnit to treat that exception toss as a success.
// Should fail because we the name is in use for a file. @Test(expected=IllegalStateException.class) public void testExistsButNotDirectory() throws IOException { File temp = File.createTempFile("test", "tmp", new File("/tmp") ); temp.deleteOnExit(); spy( System.class ); when(System.getProperty("TMP")).thenReturn( LocationsSupport.asString(temp) ); when(System.getenv ("TMP")).thenReturn( LocationsSupport.asString(temp) ); Places.TMP.directory(); }


text:
United Airlines matched 1 million miles Tuesday for the Make-A-Wish Mileathon.
United's Mileage Plus members will donate 1 million miles to raise frequent flier miles to help grant wishes to local children with serious illnesses.
United is committed to use their resources to help make a positive difference in the lives of the community Manager Director of Corporate and Community Affair Sonya Jackson, said in a statement.
United has been a supporter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation for more than 15 years and have donated more than 440 million miles. These donations have granted more than 2,500 wishes for sick children and their families.
Make-A-Wish Foundation partnered with NBC Chicago through its Wishes in Flight program to help raise charity miles used to arrange travel for children and their families to reach their wish destinations.
During this one-day event NBC Chicago viewers and Make-A-Wish Foundation asked viewers to donate to the organization to help accomplish their goal of reaching 800 Illinois children this year.
For more information on how to donate follow this link to the Make-A-Wish website.
United Airlines Matches 1 Million For Make-A-Wish
United is going the distance to make childrens' wishes come true
United Airlines matched 1 million miles Tuesday for the Make-A-Wish Mileathon.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
February 12, 2014
Contact:Larry Ragonese (609) 292-2994
Lawrence Hajna (609) 984-1795
Bob Considine (609) 984-1795
(14/P11) TRENTON – The annual Governor's Surf Fishing Tournament, which has long been an October staple at the Jersey Shore, will move to May starting this year, with the event now planned for Sunday, May 18, at Island Beach State Park.
The date for this year's 23rd Annual Governor's Surf Fishing Tournament was changed by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to get a jumpstart on the summer tourism season and allow for increased participation in the event, which faced competition each October from a host of autumn outdoor festivals and weekend school sporting events.
"We invite everyone to come out to our beautiful state park for a great day of fishing, whether to casually cast your line in our clean ocean waters or battle it out for the biggest fish to win Governor's Cup Award,'' said DEP Commissioner Bob Martin. "There's no better way to kick-off the summer Shore season, especially with an event that also raises money for some very worthwhile causes.''
"We're anticipating some improved surf fishing opportunities in the spring and a bigger crowd of anglers, including many families and youths who will be able to participate in this fun event,'' said the DEP's Director of Fish and Wildlife Dave Chanda. "I encourage anglers of all ages and experience to come out to Island Beach and enjoy a great day of fishing, with a shot at some nice striped bass and bluefish, right here at the Jersey Shore."
The pre-registration fee for the tournament is $15 for ages 18 and up and the registration fee on tournament day is $20. The registration fee for ages 13-17 is $5 and registration is free for ages 12 and under.
Anglers planning on participating in the tournament should register early to save $5 on adult registration, and will be eligible for special prizes the day of the tournament. The early entry incentive ends April 21, 2014. After this date, anglers will be required to register at the tournament.
All funds raised by the tournament go toward a variety of good causes, including the purchase of specialized wheelchairs that provide the disabled and elderly beach access, construction of access ramps for disabled saltwater anglers, surf fishing instruction programs and equipment, plus marine education and restoration projects.
The individual who catches the overall largest fish wins the "Governor's Award" and will have his/her name engraved on the Governor's Cup which is permanently displayed at the park. Fishing equipment is awarded to winners who catch the largest fish in a variety of species and age group categories.
For more information or to download a registration form visit www.njfishandwildlife.com/gsft.htm.
The Governor's Surf Fishing Tournament is sponsored by the NJ DEP Division of Fish and Wildlife and Division of Parks and Forestry, the New Jersey State Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs, Jersey Coast Anglers Association, and the New Jersey Beach Buggy Association.
Tournament anglers may be asked to verify their compliance with the NJ Saltwater Recreational Registry Program. If not already registered for 2014 please do so before hitting the beach the day of the tournament. Registration is quick, easy and free. Anglers simply need to log on to www.nj.gov/dep/saltwaterregistry/ and follow the instructions on the page.
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Jersey, 1996-2019
Last Updated:
February 6, 2014


text: The Cobo Center, home to the Detroit Auto Show, provides approximately $600 million annually to the local economies, with much of that money coming from the show itself. With that in mind, state and local officials are working on a plan to spend $595 million to expand and renovate the center. This change would include adding an additional 120,000 square feet, which would create room for even more automakers (C'mon Tata, show us your Nanos). We're supportive of the idea, if only to create space for more surprise Chinese test drives and booth babes. [AP via MLive]


text:
Stockton, CA
Michael Fredrick Reilly
March 5, 1959 - March 19, 2013
Michael Fredrick Reilly, of Stockton, California, passed away peacefully on March 19, 2013 at
the age of 54. Born March 5, 1959, Michael lived his whole life in Stockton. A longtime member of the Carpenters Union he worked for F & H Construction and was involved in building of many schools in Stockton. In 2001, he was diagnosed with Astrocytoma, a terminal type of brain cancer. A patient of UCSF, Michael received cutting edge, experimental treatment, which helped UCSF staff in their cancer research. After 12 years, the cancer overtook him.
Michael spent his final years as he lived his life, collecting toys like Harley's, scooters, RC planes and boats. An avid cook, he enjoyed BBQing for his family and spending time with his grandchildren.
Michael, son of Terry L. Reilly and Diane M. Reilly (deceased) is
survived by his wife of 30 years,
Susan Reilly, and his two children Justin Welch and Charliece Fruguglietti, 5 grandchildren: Ella and Sophie Fruguglietti, Vanesa, Ashley, Levi, and Allie Welch,
his brothers Shaun P. Reilly
(deceased), Terry W. Reilly and Shannon D. Reilly.
The Family will be celebrating his life at a private service. The family would appreciate donations be made to the Cancer Society.


text:
Product 300/539
Vulcanized -"Vulc" shoes are light, flexible and break in quickly. The sole consists of several layers of rubber, glued together then attached to the upper with rubber foxing tape. Vulcanized soles don't provide as much foot protection or support as cupsoles, but they are preferred if you're looking for good board feel in a shoe with less weight and bulk.Details
Herringbone Tread -This outsole pattern is used on Select Lakai styles and provides optimal performance both on and off the board.


text:
Merge Ahead
This story appears in the October 1997 issue of Entrepreneur. Subscribe »
The business pages lately have been filled with announcements of heavily monied mergers--from MCI and British Telecom to aerospace giant Lockheed Martin-Northrop Grumman. Massive, multibillion-dollar corporations are becoming the norm, leaving an entrepreneur to wonder whether a merger ought to be in his or her plans, too.
But be warned: For every merger that works, there are others that fail, and the entrepreneur who rushes into a merger may just be stepping into despair. Software company Novell Inc., for instance, never successfully digested WordPerfect (it was spun out last year to Corel Corp., another software firm); The Quaker Oats Co. couldn't swallow Snapple (which was divested earlier this year); and Japanese electronics giant Matsushita Electronics Corp. threw up its hands after several years and disposed of Hollywood entertainment giant MCA Inc.
Why do mergers go wrong? A large but rarely discussed reason is that when business marriages are hurried into, sometimes the result is a loud clash of styles, say corporate culture experts Jacalyn Sherriton and Jim Stern. "[Business owners] focus on the financials and usually ignore the potential cultural incompatibilities when considering a merger," says Sherriton. "But when troubles arise, often the root is in culture clashes."
The good news is that when the importance of culture is recognized--and steps are taken to avoid clashes--"even companies with very different cultures can successfully merge," says Stern. President and vice president, respectively, of two management consulting firms--Corporate Management Developers in Reston, Virginia, and Health Management Consultants in Hollywood, Florida--Sherriton and Stern are also the authors of Corporate Culture/Team Culture (Amacom Books). Their consulting clients include IBM, Bristol-Myers Squibb Ltd. and Mobil Corp.
Entrepreneur: Why do companies consider embarking on mergers?
Jacalyn Sherriton: Many companies see merging as a way to compete. In today's global business environment, companies may have to grow to survive, and one of the best ways to grow is by merging with another company or acquiring other companies.
Jim Stern: But the problem is that as good an idea as merging may be, most business owners typically don't consider culture as a reason not to merge. In looking at potential merger partners, you've got to weigh potential culture clashes along with the financial aspects of any proposed deal. When cultures clash, you may not enjoy all--or even most--of the benefits you'd hoped for in a merger. Look at failed mergers, and you'll see the companies never reached a point where they could work well together--that is, the cultures clashed and nobody found a way to get them to mesh.
Entrepreneur: What are examples of mergers that failed because of culture clashes?
Stern: The Matsushita and MCA merger clearly shows the clash of cultures. On the one hand, [Matsushita] was a staid, nonrisk-taking Japanese company. MCA, by contrast, was entrepreneurial and Joe Hollywood in its mindset. And the merger didn't work. Matsushita divested itself of MCA, which was picked up by Seagram Co., and, so far, that seems to be a better fit.
Entrepreneur: Let's back up a step. Exactly what is corporate culture?
Sherriton: People think it's esoteric, but it's quite concrete.Corporate culture means the values, beliefs and patterns of behavior that are ingrained in an organization. It amounts to the norms about how things are done. The corporate culture is the personality, so to speak, of the company, and different companies have very different personalities and cultures.
Entrepreneur: Do business owners realize how deeply ingrained a business's culture is and how hard it is to change?
Stern: We've administered a survey to top executives for the past several years. It shows that they have heard about culture but are not doing anything to manage it. In fact, 75 percent admit they have no plan to manage cultural change associated with mergers and acquisitions. Seventy percent say their business has not assessed its culture. As much as the majority felt that mergers and acquisitions were viable strategies, they also admit they don't have a plan for addressing cultural issues that might arise in a merger. This is very troubling data.
Entrepreneur: How can a business owner get a feel for a potential merger partner's culture and where troubles might crop up?
Sherriton: You can sense the culture when you first walk in the door.Is there tight security, or are things loosey-goosey? Do people smile at you?
Another tactic is to ask employees questions:
- What's encouraged here?
- What's forbidden?
- What's really valued?
- What are employees held accountable for?
- What are people rewarded for?
By asking questions, gradually you determine the organization's culture.For many [business owners], doing this is revelatory. They have never dissected their culture--the underlying beliefs and values--in the ways we're describing.
Entrepreneur: Culture can doom a merger, but can potential clashes be anticipated and addressed before they hurt the new business?
Stern: We're engaged now in a real success story. Our client is Universal Health Services (UHS) Inc., a hospital management company.They recently acquired George Washington University (GWU) hospital in Washington, DC. GWU had been a not-for-profit hospital in a university setting, while UHS is a for-profit management company. From the start, UHS recognized the potential for culture clashes and has taken steps to prevent it. As I speak, there are training classes for all GWU employees to acclimate them to the new corporate culture. All companies involved in mergers should be taking the same steps--conducting culture audits, anticipating where clashes may arise and training employees.
Sherriton: But they're not. We'd be hard pressed to give you the names of more than a handful of companies that are tackling these issues. Many companies seem to think that just by being next to each other, the cultures will get together. They won't--not without a vision and a plan to pull the two cultures together.
Entrepreneur: What are the steps for creating successful cultural change in relation to mergers?
Stern: Our program follows these steps:
1. Conduct a culture audit on both businesses. Ask questions.Discover the companies' personalities.
2. Assess the differences--in terms of systems and processes, management style, and values.
3. Identify where potential clashes will occur.
4. "Assess and agree"--as we call it in our program--where you get the two parties together and ask "Can this work?" If the answer is yes, the companies move toward integrating the cultures. That means addressing the changes--what parts of the old cultures need to be discarded?--that may be necessary to make the new, merged company viable.
Sherriton: You also want to get a feel for the cultures' flexibility. The Japanese management style, for instance, is so different from a Hollywood studio's. So ask "How much flexibility is there on each side? How much can they change to avoid major clashes?" If the answer is not much, maybe that's when you decide to walk away from the deal.
Stern: This process forces the powers that be to confront their cultures and to recognize the potential blocks to making the new business work. If companies can recognize and agree on the front end that there are issues that need addressing in regard to cultural differences, they can be successful.It's when they don't recognize they have culture issues or they see them but feel they can force through change anyway that these mergers are unsuccessful.
Entrepreneur: What are the components of a plan for changing a business's culture so that a merger will work?
Sherriton: There are six areas that need to be addressed here:
- Clear direction from the senior-most leaders: Why are we doing this? What do we expect to achieve?
- What is the new culture we're striving for? What do we want to be?
- What systems, procedures and policies need to be changed?
- How will we change them?
- How will we roll out all of these changes? What's our plan?
- How do we get everybody in the company involved and action-planning to achieve these changes?
Stern: At GWU, for example, every employee has put together a personal plan about the behaviors and styles they need to change to integrate into the new culture. And they will be held accountable for meeting those action plans.
Sherriton: The opposite example, if press reports are accurate, is Disney-ABC, where the senior-most executives are coming together to plan how to create synergy between the companies. But they haven't, according to the press, gotten lower-level employees actively involved in creating synergy.And the merger may not be producing all the hoped-for results.
Entrepreneur: Isn't resistance to a merger usually centered in mid- and lower-level employees who want to know what's in it for them but aren't getting answers?
Sherriton: Employees often have strong emotional reactions to mergers and proposed mergers. There are anxieties, and misinformation can spread.A case in point: When the proposed Office Depot and Staples merger fell through, Office Depot employees held a celebration. Why? They had heard about distinct differences--real or not--between their culture and Staples'. You want to manage these human impacts and emotions.Remember, too, that your best employees are the most marketable, and if they don't feel secure that their needs will be addressed in the merger, you are likely to lose them.
Entrepreneur: An issue in the minds of many entrepreneurs contemplating mergers is "How do we build in safeguards for our present employees? Can we?"
Sherriton: Yes and no. The first step is not to get blinded by the financial upside; look at the cultures, and see what's realistic and workable. Make an informed decision about whether to go forward. Beyond that, safeguard your employees by preparing them for the cultural changes that will occur after the merger. It's very important that you tell them there is no guarantee that things will stay the same and help them develop a new frame of mind about what will be expected of them.
Stern: You want to get them to participate in this cultural alignment. The way to do this is to involve your employees in meetings with employees of the other company. Help them feel they have input in the changes that will occur. Another step you need to consider for some employees is discipline and termination. And, frankly, there typically is a small percentage of employees who feel they cannot be compatible with the new culture, and they need to find positions in other companies where they will be happier.
Sherriton: You cannot safeguard your employees' future. But you can prepare them mentally for the changes that are coming.
Contact Sources
Corporate Management Developers/Health Management Consultants Inc., (954) 961-1663


text:
Livingston Parish CVB
30340 Catholic Hall Rd.,
Hammond, LA 70401
225-567-7899 | 888-317-7899 | Fax
Website | Email
Website | Email
Property Description
Welcome to Livingston Parish! Each year, thousands of visitors discover the wonder of southeast Louisiana. From first-class golfing, endless waterways and shopping to strolling through quiet antique boutiques Livingston Parish offers something for everyone.
Convenient to I-12, I-10 or I-55, Livingston Parish is 10 minutes from Baton Rouge and 45 minutes from New Orleans. You'll find excellent hotels and delicious restaurants coupled with a friendly, down home atmosphere. Come visit soon.
I-12 Exit 32 Albany/Springfield
Disabled Traveler Information
- Handicapped Accessible
Facility Amenities
- Bus Parking
General Information
- Dates closed: Major Holidays
Guest Information
- Family Friendly
- Meeting/Tour groups welcome
Information/Services Provided
- Area Information
- Maps Available
- Printed guides available
- Restaurant Guide
Service Type
- Associations
- Travel Website


text:
"Why study meteorology at the University of South Alabama?"
The University of South Alabama is a state university consisting of ten schools and colleges. Established in 1963, USA has steadily grown to an enrollment of approximately 15,000 students and nearly 800 faculty.
The meteorology program began in 1991 as a "Concentration in Geography" and graduated its first student in 1995. In 1999, the Alabama Commission on Higher Education officially granted a "Bachelor of Science in Meteorology." Meteorology is taught in the College of Arts and Sciences and is part of the Department of Earth Sciences, which also includes the disciplines of geography and geology.
Why study meteorology at the University of South Alabama?
Well, take a look at what we have to offer:
A Sound Curriculum
The University of South Alabama offers a curriculum designed to provide each student with a thorough understanding of the laws of atmospheric behavior. Each student is exposed to the latest techniques in weather forecasting and atmospheric remote sensing. As a preparation for a career in forecasting, the procedures and importance of disseminating weather information to the public and industry are stressed. Because of close ties with the National Weather Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Keesler Air Force Base, and major area industries, students have the opportunity to visit and observe meteorologists in the field and discuss the importance of weather with those who depend on accurate and timely weather information.
Students completing the meteorology curriculum will have a Bachelor of Science Degree in Meteorology. In order to prepare students for the many diverse areas of meteorological employment and future study, several tracks of study are offered that enable students to specialize in such areas as professional forecasting, broadcast, and graduate school preparation. (See our page on the MET Curriculum.)
Small Classes and Individual Attention
Although the University of South Alabama has grown tremendously since its inception in 1963, classes remain small and, contrary to many other universities, are taught only by the faculty. The small class size makes it possible for the faculty to provide individual attention. Students are closely advised and counseled as they progress through their meteorology curriculum with an emphasis on post graduate employment. This close supervision enables the faculty to direct each student toward an appropriate position in what has become a field with a promising job market. With the focus on global warming, our fragile environment, and the escalating costs of adverse and severe weather, meteorologists will play an important role in the scientific community over the next few decades.
For example, meteorologists are now found in many areas including the National Weather Service, the military, private and governmental research centers, teaching, county and state environmental agencies, private weather services, and the media.
Unique On-Campus Weather Forecasting Center
Established in January 1988, the Coastal Weather Research Center was designed to promote and support meteorological education and research through:
Meteorology workshops and seminars
A climatological and hurricane data archive
Research on the interaction of coastal and oceanic environments
The operation of a weather laboratory and information center
Through the interest and support of local and regional industry and the University community, the Weather Center has been able to effectively pursue its objectives.
A strong and active part of the Weather Center's operation is a state-of-the-art information center and weather laboratory. A variety of weather information, such as forecasts, severe weather alerts, and climate data is provided to businesses, industries, and municipal governments in Alabama, Florida, and Mississippi. The Computerized Weather Information Service transmits Weather Center and National Weather Service information to businesses 24 hours daily.
The Coastal Weather Research Center is located in the Mitchell Center on the main campus of the University of South Alabama. The Weather Center is a fully-operational weather forecast center, a unique facility for any college in the nation. It plays a key role in the meteorology program by providing a nucleus for students and faculty to gather and discuss weather and engage in research projects.
The presence of the Coastal Weather Research Center on the campus provides the meteorology student with the opportunity to experience weather forecasting and industrial meteorology first hand. An array of equipment and workstations allows each student meteorologist to have access to the same radar, satellite, and alphanumeric data that are used by the forecasting staff. In addition, students will have the chance to work at the Weather Center where they can combine classroom theory with actual weather forecasting applications.
Gulf Coast Weather: Experiencing a Natural Laboratory
The Mobile area and the Alabama Gulf Coast is a virtual weather laboratory where students can experience many of the weather phenomena studied in the classroom. What could be better than to study meteorology in Mobile, one of the wettest major cities in the United States with one of the highest thunderstorm frequencies in the nation! Then in the summer and fall, all eyes focus on the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean as hurricane season unfolds. Although direct hurricane landfalls on the Mobile area are rare, the region often receives fringe effects of Gulf hurricanes as far away as Texas. Because of this threat, hurricanes are taken seriously by the local residents and the business community and thus are given special attention in the meteorology curriculum, as are all forms of severe weather.
Air Force ROTC
The Air Force ROTC needs meteorologists! The mission of Air Force ROTC is to educate
and prepare college graduates to be Air Force officers, not only to fly sophisticated
aircraft, but also to operate high speed weather computers, and to serve as
meteorologists. The Air Force's demand for trained meteorologists is among the highest in the nation. The meteorology program at USA was created in part to help satisfy the Air Force's demand.
Through your meteorology studies and Air Force ROTC training at USA, you'll receive
the initial training
required to assume positions of increasing responsibility in today's high-tech environment. There
are presently outstanding scholarship opportunities for high school students and university students
studying meteorology. Scholarships up to 4 years are available on a competitive basis to high school
seniors and students currently enrolled may compete for 2 or 3 year scholarships. When students graduate,
they will be commissioned a second lieutenant in the Air Force. Call Air Force ROTC at (251) 460-7211
for more information or to begin the application process.
Interested in Meteorology?
Feel free to contact the Meteorology Program.


text:
Months later, State College of Florida trustees still couldn't resist talking about the Escalade.
The luxury vehicle that former president Lars Hafner had requested months before his October departure — the car that had become a symbol of overindulgence and taxpayer money — crept into the conversation Monday when trustees finalized a contract for new president Carol Probtsfeld that specifically caps some of her benefits and ties a portion of her compensation to performance goals.
But for the board, all of whom have been appointed by Gov. Rick Scott in the past two years, the big hold-up was still what car she would drive.
"I'm not talking about an Escalade," said new trustee Rick Hager, as the board debated whether the SCF president should continue the tradition of driving a college vehicle. "For 50 years, this college owned a car for the president, and it was never a problem because it was never an extravagant car."
Others, like trustee Eric Robinson — who joked about receiving photographs of Escalades in the mail when he was named to the board — said he felt that the college should turn away from the practice.
In the end, trustees allowed for both.
Probstfeld will use the 2008 Lexus RX 400 currently owned by the college, and can later opt for a monthly automobile allowance of $1,500 to drive her personal car.
Other measures in the contract approved Monday indicated a desire to be fiscally conservative in the wake of the departure of Hafner, who left SCF in October with a $363,000 settlement deal after months of butting heads with trustees about the costs of college projects.
Probstfeld will earn a $235,000 base salary, an increase from the $147,000 she earned as the vice president of business and administrative services.
But she will receive no severance pay if she is fired with cause — for breaking the law or failing to perform in the eyes of the board — or if she quits voluntarily.
Otherwise, she is eligible for the 20 weeks of severance pay that state statutes allow for.
The contract also caps the college's contributions to her retirement benefits at $30,000. Though Probstfeld can earn additional money for a tax annuity plan by meeting seven specific performance goals, she cannot be awarded more than $25,000.
Probstfeld has previously said she is fine with having to meet goals such as increasing student enrollment by 2 percent next fall and improving community partnerships in order to receive more retirement money.
Board Chairman Carlos Beruff advocated a simple process for monitoring Probstfeld's progress. The new president's entire contract will be evaluated in 12 months, when trustees could tweak or update her performance goals, he said.
"This is 'Here we are. What did we do? What didn't we do?'" Beruff said.
Probstfeld will receive $20,000 to move to Manatee or Sarasota counties from her current home in Pinellas County, as well as $1,000 of extra income for expenses she incurs as president.
No Escalade in college president's contract
Months later, State College of Florida trustees still couldn't resist talking about the Escalade.


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Congress thrives on the political tug of war that dominates the slow process of reform.
Politics as usual is shaping reform of the American health-care system.
Republicans hate the specter of Big Brother forcing Americans to buy health insurance, the so-called individual mandate, preferring that Americans retain the right to "just say no" to health insurance. Democrats, who never saw a problem they could not afford to solve, scream at the injustice of 32 million Americans suffering from poor health partly because they do not have health insurance. This political battle pits the evils of Big Brother against the benefits of the Nanny State.
Unable to repeal the Affordable Care Act, also called Obamacare, Republicans challenged its constitutionality. The paradoxical Supreme Court decision made both parties squint their eyes, scratch their heads, and ask, "Really?" According to Paul Starr, Princeton professor of sociology and public affairs, the ruling admits that under the Commerce Clause, government cannot mandate a commercial enterprise like health insurance; however, according to this Supreme Court, Congress can force individuals to buy health insurance because this unique mandate is a tax that Congress has a right to levy.
This gave Republicans ammunition to label Democrats as tax-and-spend liberals. It forced Democrats to explain how taxing the wealthy, employer fines and excise taxes on medical devices are not taxes, assuming that Democrats agree with the majority opinion. The Supreme Court further ruled that states could not be forced to expand Medicaid. This gave Republicans, states' right champions, cause for joy, but placed financial burdens on Obama to pay for Medicaid expansion.
Following the money sharpens the political divide in the battle to provide affordable health care to all Americans against the affordability of mandatory health insurance. Republicans espouse free-market solutions, believing that competition keeps costs down and government intervention stifles competition. But it may be difficult to explain why competitive markets never contained prescription drug costs, neither before nor after a Republican president signed the Medicare prescription drug program into law. Democrats believe competition has resulted in inequities leaving millions uninsured.
Efforts to satisfy everyone litter the road to health-care reform. Neither party considered scrapping the current system because both parties guard victories from past battles that established and modified Medicare and Medicaid. According to Beaufort B. Longest, University of Pittsburgh professor of health policy and management, reforms must satisfy the politics of existing programs. They must stimulate Congress' desire to test the political consequences of incremental reform without committing to the unknown consequences of an entirely different health-care system, regardless of how dysfunctional the system becomes.
Vested interests protect the current system. Private insurers protect profits by retaining their freedom to define benefits and establish rates based on demographics, lifestyle and pre-existing conditions. Republicans fear economic collapse if the insurance industry is dismantled. Democrats fear that starting over would be a major setback making future compromise impossible.
And so, political tinkering continues to drive health-care reform. Obama's insurance compromise is health insurance exchanges and premium subsidies allowing insurers to expand their business, but they must operate under new rules of rate restrictions and elimination of pre-existing conditions. This compromise leaves both parties pondering the consequences, with Democrats unwilling to trust insurers to provide comprehensive benefits, while Republicans fear declining profits will bankrupt insurers.
The politics of the public-private insurance debate is fueled by emotional rhetoric. Republicans characterize Obama's panel of medical experts, who evaluate the medical effectiveness of services and evidence-based outcomes, as care-rationing "death panels". Obama, politically savvy after Clinton's health care reform defeat, is reluctant to attack insurers by pointing out that these evaluations are currently made by insurers' boards of directors who ration benefits based on profits. Other interest groups that Republicans embrace are providers, concerned with reduced reimbursements, who may opt out of the system, and employers who may cut benefits or lay off employees.
Compromise surrounds the contraception and religious-freedom issue. Republicans believe that forcing Catholic institutions to pay for contraception violates religious freedom. Democrats do not want to be labeled as infringing on religious freedom. Obama's compromise is to force the insurer, not the religious employer, to pay for contraception for employees who request it.
Republican math still adds up to a Catholic employer paying for products that include contraception. This thorny issue for both parties has some Republicans divided over the championing of a religious right issue, believing this has been their Achilles heel at election time. Obama can rely on the popular politics of free contraception, which includes many Catholics, to guide his conscience.
Obamacare is as if Congress supplied the parts to rebuild our old truck's transmission but neither party is certain how those parts connect. Most Americans simply hope that their health insurance and their old Chevy truck will provide a safe trip that is affordable to their doctors of choice.
Congress thrives on the political tug of war that dominates the slow process of reform. Democrats see Obamacare as a stepping stone to universal coverage. Republicans see Obamacare as a wealth redistribution program that will break Obama's piggy bank. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that Obamacare will cost almost $1 trillion over the next decade, but will reduce the federal budget deficit.
Obamacare's imprint on the healthcare system and the economy will be monumental, and future opposition and compromise will force constant adjustment of the nuts and bolts of Obamacare.There is one certainty: Politics will continue shaping reform of the health-care system.
Dr. James C. Paladino has practiced general dentistry in Gainesville since 1976 and is president-elect of the Alachua County Dental Association.


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April 7, 2018 9:00 am
So WHAT is a Beach Day?! KORE's activities revolve around a one-Saturday-a-month Beach Day at Black Pot Beach in Hanalei (right between the pier and river mouth). We assist people of all ages, shapes, sizes and ability levels to access the beach and safely get back into the ocean with the help of highly skilled and trained volunteers.
There are no charges or costs; no renting of equipment. Just bring your sun screen, a beach chair, and an enthusiastic & open-to-possibilities attitude! Come enjoy a day at the beach. Typically a Beach Day goes like this… 8:30 to 9am Beach Set-up and sign-in, 9am to 1pm SURFIN'! After that, small kine break down and clean up.
We humbly encourage people to bring snacks to share and we provide lunch.
Kauai Ocean Recreation Experience, or KORE, is designed to help both Kauai residents and their families who are physically challenged and/or have special needs, to get back into the ocean with the assistance of trained professionals.
Info email@example.com


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Premiering this weekend on HBO was last year's "Zookeeper", starring Kevin James, Rosario Dawson, Leslie Bibb, and a host of celebrities lending voices to animals, including Nick Nolte, Adam Sandler, Sylvester Stallone and Cher.
This movie would have had the distinction of being the first movie I'd reviewed during its theatrical run and then again when it hit premium cable, except I skipped it in theatres, running a "review" that simply said, "Yeah, right. I'd rather get poked in the eye."
I did, however, view it as part of my "research" for the MAJOR Awards. It was a strong contender for a "Worst Picture" nomination. It didn't wind up in the field though… Does that mean I actually liked it?


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Acrylic On Board Portrait For A Mural: Cowboys 10
Acrylic portrait, part of a large mural commission that includes more than 40 portraits of cowboys and indians for a private collector in Valentine, NE. This is part of the cowboy section of the mural.
Work in progress, 2013
All boards are 3' x 8' Some include 2 portraits and others five portraits in one board. The prices listed are per portrait.
Here you can see Matt's drawing for the portrait prior to the painting stage. His drawings are requested as pieces of art themselves by people who prefer that medium.
For an extensive photo gallery of this collection, go to Matt's Flickr photo gallery through the link in his Custom Made profile and come back here to contact him with your portrait ideas. He'd love to work on a piece of art for you.


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Fiona's got a nasty 'flu', so I'm attempting to restore her spirits with another of those movie scenes that infuses you with optimism, like steam inhalation for the soul.
Pure frug-ing euphoria from Bob Fosse's SWEET CHARITY, his remake of Fellini's NIGHTS OF CABIRIA, book by Neil Simon. A modest floor-show in the Fellini, visible for just a few seconds, is here inflated into a gigantic number with Suzanne Charney (and Ben Vereen!) This is the second euphoric clip in two days where a woman makes remarkable shapes with her body. S.C. is utterly incredible. Women want to be her.
Men want to be on her.
Neil Simon and Bob Fosse were great friends and contemporaries: Fosse was only two days older than Simon. He used to say, "During those two days when I was on this earth and you weren't… I had more girls than you will have in the entire rest of your life."
Another writer friend was Paddy Chayefsky (NETWORK, ALTERED STATES). When Fosse was about to go in for open-heart surgery he asked Paddy to sign his will as a witness. Chayefksy asked to read it.
'Well, that's not really nec-'
'I don't sign anything I don't read,' snapped Chayefsky.
He scanned the document, then: 'Well, this all seems — I say "SEEMS", mind you — to be in order. But I don't see my name anywhere.'
'Well, that's true. I mean, you know I love you like a brother and everything, Paddy, but you're not actually a beneficiary.'
Chayefsky throws the will back at his sick friend. 'Screw you then — LIVE!'
Fosse's surgery is gorily recreated in ALL THAT JAZZ, his penultimate film. He gives himself the best lines in that one. To first wife: 'If I don't make it, I'm sorry for all the things I did to you.' To new girlfriend: 'And if I DO make it, I'm sorry for all the things I'm GONNA do to YOU.'
Style note: Fosse cuts rather a lot for a choreographer/director. His editing is very stylish and rhythmic, but sometimes it takes over from the dancers, makes it impossible for us to follow the WHOLE SCENE. True, it's a cinematic effect instead of a theatrical one, but when the dancing is this good, sometimes simplicity might be better? My main reason for fretting over this is the horrible state of filmed dance in the mainstream media today.
In CHICAGO we get a modern director imitating Fosse's approach, but with many more cuts, the MTV tradition. The dance becomes totally incoherent, and what people remember is the editing: "Wasn't the editing great?" Well, no. It wasn't.
I still love Fosse though. Like a lot of theatre directors, he embraced the unique qualities of film with insane enthusiasm. His films are all about montage, juxtaposition, cross-cutting different kinds of fictional reality, performance and life clashing head-on.
If I ran a series of clips of Cinema That Makes You Want to Gnaw Your Own Brain Off, Fosse's skin-crawling work with Eric Roberts in STAR 80 would have to be Clip One. Amazing stuff.
Footnote: just watched this again and don't find it at all over-edited. Maybe there's too much cutting in other sequences, but not here.


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Implanted defibrillators could be a target for hacking, a new report warns. More than 130,000 were implanted in patients in the U.S. in 2009.
It sounds like a scenario out of a James Bond movie: a villain spots his quarry and uses a small device to hack into the official's heart defibrillator, sending a signal for mayhem. There's chest grabbing, and a collapse, and alarms, but the bad guy walks free because there's no gun, knife, poison dart -- no evidence at all a murder has been committed.
According to a recent report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), a non-partisan agency that works for Congress, not only is such a scenario possible, there's a growing danger that grandpa's heart rhythm device, or, say, a child's insulin pump – any implantable device that can be accessed remotely -- could be susceptible to hacking.
But the GAO report suggests that the Food and Drug Administration, which approves and regulates such devices, has been behind the curve when it comes to security and now is calling for the agency to set guidelines for manufacturers to help combat the threat of hacking.
According to the report, which had been requested by members of Congress in light of tests by researchers revealing the vulnerability of the medical technology, "there have been four separate demonstrations in controlled settings showing that the intentional exploitation of vulnerabilities in certain medical devices is possible." The report stressed that there have been no proven cases of anybody actually doing this for nefarious purposes.
Still, when he released the GAO report, Congressman Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), one of the requesting legislators, issued a statement saying that "wireless medical devices are susceptible to increasingly advanced hacking techniques that could threaten patient health."
The susceptibility stems largely from their wireless communications abilities, explained Nathanael Paul, chief scientist at the Center for Trustworthy Embedded Systems at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. In 2010, Paul and a colleague demonstrated they could hack into an insulin pump, like the one Paul himself wears to treat his Type 1 diabetes.
Thanks to wireless communication, doctors can download diagnostic information and health status from the device to a computer and make changes in the performance of a device without surgery. For example, defibrillators can be programmed using a wand that communicates with the device inside a patient's chest.
But as anybody who has experienced neighborhood confusion over garage door openers operating the wrong doors can attest, that can leave devices vulnerable to attack or simple accident.
"This year, for example, a young lady in the Salt Lake City airport asked TSA if she should walk through a security device," Paul recalled by way of illustration. "TSA said yes, basing that on the experience of thousands of people with insulin pumps. She walked through and her pump responded in an unanticipated way that could have threatened her life."
Causing a device to misfire intentionally to cause harm takes technical sophistication, but it's certainly do-able, he said. And there are a lot of potential targets. According to a 2011 report from the World Society of Arrhythmias, in just one year, 2009, 133,262 defibrillators were implanted in patients in the United States -- 434 devices for every million people -- and that's just one device for one condition.
Preventing potential hacking it might seem as simple as requiring a password for access. Another strategy could be to limit the distance devices can send information back and forth. The tests demonstrating vulnerability showed the range of some devices could be up to 300 feet. Paul has been exploring that possibility. Software changes are another avenue.
But enhancing security of a vital medical device isn't as simple as it sounds. The primary purpose of any medical device is to preserve health, not keep out bad guys. Installing security software could put more demand on battery life, for example. And suppose a patient has a defibrillator, his doctor's office is closed, and he feels chest pains? He could go to an emergency room, but, panicky, could easily forget the password. The ER doctors then could not get access to whatever the device has to tell them.
Whatever solutions are to be found, the onus for making sure manufacturers implement them has now fallen mainly on the FDA.
The GAO recommended the FDA make security risks part of premarket approval just like FDA's more traditional criteria, safety and effectiveness. It also suggested FDA begin working with other federal agencies whose primary duties focus more on cyber security, make the issue one of the things it monitors during postmarket review, and "establish specific milestones for completing this review and implementing these changes."
Markey, through his office, told NBC that FDA must place "renewed emphasis" on the security of the devices under its purview. "I look forward to hearing from the FDA on progress to address this risk," he said.
The agency does seem to be gearing up to take a more aggressive stance. In its response to the GAO report, the FDA noted that it has recently begun collaborating with the Department of Homeland Security, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the Department of Defense, and law enforcement. The FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health has also a National Postmarket Surveillance Plan to better track adverse events related to devices.
"FDA concurs with GAO that the agency continuously develop and implement new strategies designed to assist the agency in its medical device premarket review and postmarket surveillance efforts relative to information security," agency spokesperson Michelle Bolek told NBC.
The agency is studying the ways other industries are battling cyber security threats for any strategies manufacturers can incorporate into the devices. That's where researchers like Paul come in.
The FDA and industry have begun consulting with him and others, he said, and he's optimistic about progress. "I think they are doing a large amount of work. They are responding, and so are manufacturers," said Paul, who doesn't personally profit from such consulting.
He also argued that the potential risk to the security of medical devices is far outweighed by the benefits of the devices.
In other words, don't panic.
Brian Alexander is co-author, with Larry Young Ph.D., of "The Chemistry Between Us: Love, Sex and the Science of Attraction," now on sale.
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text: NASDAQ:BRYBerry Petroleum Price Target & Analyst Ratings Adding Choose a watchlist: Adding You have already added five stocks to your watchlist. Upgrade to MarketBeat Daily Premium to add more stocks to your watchlist. Adding Berry Petroleum Company LLC Please log in to your account or sign up in order to add this asset to your watchlist. Log In and Add $5.64 +0.84 (+17.50 %) (As of 06/5/2020 04:00 PM ET) Add Compare Share Today's Range$4.93Now: $5.64▼$5.6750-Day Range$2.19MA: $3.57▼$4.8052-Week Range$1.82Now: $5.64▼$11.72Volume848,027 shsAverage Volume544,748 shsMarket Capitalization$449.85 millionP/E RatioN/ADividend Yield8.51%Beta3.03 ProfileAnalyst RatingsAdvanced ChartCompetitorsDividendEarningsFinancialsInsider TradesInstitutional OwnershipHeadlinesSEC FilingsSocial Media Analyst Ratings Berry Petroleum (NASDAQ:BRY) Price Target and Consensus RatingMarketBeat calculates consensus analyst ratings for stocks using the most recent rating from each Wall Street analyst that has rated a stock within the last twelve months. Each analyst's rating is normalized to a standardized rating score of 1 (sell), 2 (hold), 3 (buy) or 4 (strong buy). Analyst consensus ratings scores are calculated using the mean average of the number of normalized sell, hold, buy and strong buy ratings from Wall Street analysts. Each stock's consensus analyst rating is derived from its calculated consensus ratings score (0-1.5 = Sell, 1.5-2.5 = Hold, 2.5-3.5 = Buy, >3.5 = Strong Buy). MarketBeat's consensus price targets are a mean average of the most recent available price targets set by each analyst that has set a price target for the stock in the last twelve months. MarketBeat's consensus ratings and consensus price targets may differ from those calculated by other firms due to differences in methodology and available data.8 Wall Street analysts have issued ratings and price targets for Berry Petroleum in the last 12 months. Their average twelve-month price target is $7.21, suggesting that the stock has a possible upside of 27.91%. The high price target for BRY is $12.00 and the low price target for BRY is $2.00. There are currently 7 hold ratings and 1 buy rating for the stock, resulting in a consensus rating of "Hold." Today30 Days Ago90 Days Ago180 Days AgoConsensus Rating: HoldHoldHoldHoldConsensus Rating Score: 126.96.36.199.22Ratings Breakdown: 0 Sell Rating(s)7 Hold Rating(s)1 Buy Rating(s)0 Strong Buy Rating(s)0 Sell Rating(s)7 Hold Rating(s)2 Buy Rating(s)0 Strong Buy Rating(s)0 Sell Rating(s)7 Hold Rating(s)2 Buy Rating(s)0 Strong Buy Rating(s)1 Sell Rating(s)5 Hold Rating(s)3 Buy Rating(s)0 Strong Buy Rating(s)Consensus Price Target: $7.21$7.21$9.71$10.64Price Target Upside: 27.91% upside223.51% upside83.98% upside25.06% upsideBerry Petroleum (NASDAQ:BRY) Consensus Price Target HistoryAverage Share Price and Price Target by MonthThe chart below shows how a company's share price and consensus price target have changed over time. The dark blue line represents the company's actual price. The lighter blue line represents the stock's consensus price target. The even lighter blue range in the background of the two lines represents the low price target and the high price target for each stock. Berry Petroleum (NASDAQ:BRY) Analyst Ratings History Show: Only the Most Recent Rating From Each Brokerage All Ratings For This Stock DateBrokerageActionRatingPrice TargetImpact on Share PriceDetails5/14/2020Wells Fargo & CoReiterated RatingHoldLow3/31/2020UBS GroupLower Price TargetBuy$12.00 ➝ $4.50Medium3/9/2020Piper SandlerDowngradeOverweight ➝ Neutral$4.50Low2/6/2020KeyCorpUpgradeUnderweight ➝ Sector WeightMedium11/27/2019BMO Capital MarketsDowngradeOutperform ➝ Market Perform$13.00 ➝ $10.00Low11/20/2019Evercore ISIInitiated CoverageHold$12.00Low11/20/2019Tudor PickeringDowngradeBuy ➝ Hold$11.00High11/19/2019Johnson RiceDowngradeBuy ➝ AccumulateHigh5/23/2019Capital One FinancialUpgradeEqual Weight ➝ OverweightHigh1/30/2019Piper Jaffray CompaniesReiterated RatingBuy$12.00Low8/20/2018Goldman Sachs GroupInitiated CoverageBuy$20.00Medium(Data available from 6/7/2018 forward) This page was last updated on 6/7/2020 by MarketBeat.com Staff Receive Analysts' Upgrades and Downgrades Daily Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of analysts' upgrades, downgrades and new coverage with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.


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Top 10 tips for staying motivated.
Are you finding it difficult to get out of bed in the morning for your daily walk and making up excuses to skip the gym on the way home? Even the most dedicated exercisers occasionally get bored with their routine. Waning motivation, cutting short and not having your old enthusiasm are signs of a stale exercise regimen. But that doesn't mean you can't re-energize your routine. The American Council on Exercise (ACE) and Club Industry magazine offer the following 10 tips for staying motivated to stay active.
1) Vary your routine or change your scenery. A new variation on your favorite activity - such as cardio kickboxing instead of Step aerobics, or power yoga instead of working on machines - may be enough to reinvigorate a stale routine. If you've always exercised indoors, move your workout outside for a welcome change of scenery.
2) Try something entirely new. Especially something you never thought you'd do. If you've always stuck to solitary pursuits, sign up for a team sport. Or tackle something you've always shied away from, such as a rock-climbing class.
3) Find a workout buddy. Exercise companions add a social element to any routine. Ask a friend to be your workout partner - you won't skip a workout if someone is waiting for you.
4) Set a new goal. Working out to stay in shape is fine, but setting a goal, such as finishing a 10K race or completing a rough-water swim, will give your daily workouts more meaning.
5) Treat yourself to a workout gadget or accessory. Heart-rate monitors, aquatic toys and other exercise gadgets can make your workouts more fun and challenging.
6) Keep an exercise log to track your progress. Unsure if you're making progress toward your goals? Then keep a workout log, which allows you to keep track of your goals, monitor your progress and adjust your routine as necessary.
7) Don't berate yourself if you miss a workout. Life is full of obstacles, and unexpected appointments, illness and setbacks are bound to happen sooner or later. Don't let a few missed workouts turn into a month of unfulfilled resolutions.
8) Reward yourself. Reaching a fitness goal or milestone is a great excuse to treat yourself to something new. A massage, an evening out, or other "indulgence" may be the key to staying motivated.
9) Focus on how good exercise makes you look and feel. You know that incredibly satisfied and healthy feeling you get immediately after a workout? Remember it! And use it to motivate yourself the next time you're thinking about blowing off your next workout.
10) If all else fails, take a break from exercise. Sometimes a lack of motivation is your body's way of telling you to take a break. If anything hurts, or if your energy is running low, take a break for a few days before resuming your workouts. A little "R and R" may be just what your body needs to renew your motivation.


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In response to a number of high-profile breaches (including LinkedIn, Last.fm, and the Apple UDIDs), we've provided LastPass users with tools to check if their data is on the leaked lists, and have notified users directly as we've discovered their compromised data. We wanted to take this a step further, and partnered with a company dedicated to finding and aggregating all leaks as they're occurring, to provide a much more comprehensive service.
Today we're excited to announce our partnership with PwnedList to offer LastPass Sentry, a new feature that will help LastPass users be more proactive about their online security.
With LastPass Sentry, we'll use PwnedLists's comprehensive (and growing) database of 24 million publicly leaked usernames and passwords to perform daily "checks" against LastPass account email addresses to look for positive matches.
How it works:
- Sentry performs daily checks, with the latest updates to the PwnedList database, to see if LastPass account email addresses are on the list.
- If a match is found, an email notification is sent to the LastPass user, notifying them of the domain that was breached and the potential risk.
- Users can then run the LastPass Security Challenge to verify if the password for the breached site is used elsewhere.
- We then recommend updating the password for the affected account, and any other accounts using that password, using LastPass to generate a new, strong password.
The feature is available for all free and Premium users, as well as corporate Enterprise users, and is currently opt-out via the email notifications. In the case of Enterprise users, both the Enterprise administrator and the affected employee will receive notifications that a match has been found.
We're excited that the feature has already generated positive feedback. LastPass Enterprise customer Matthew Wittkin of MoreVisibility commented, "LastPass already helps us to better control and protect our digital assets. With this new feature, our administrators and employees know immediately if any company passwords have been compromised, allowing us to update them within seconds. We hope nothing like this will ever come to pass, but it gives me extra peace of mind knowing that, with LastPass, I'll be the first to know!"
We have plans to further integrate the service into the LastPass security challenge, so we can check not only the email address that you use for your LastPass account itself, but perform a local check of the entirety of your stored data. We also plan to increase the frequency of our database checks to work towards real-time notifications.
What do you think of LastPass Sentry? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!


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Arya Samaj Panditji Lucknow
Welcome to Arya Samaj Panditji Lucknow. Here we have all the facilities for your Arya Samaj panditji other useful resources. You can book Arya Samaj Panditji in Lucknow for Puja, Havan, 16 Sanskars, Arya Samaj Marriage Lucknow, Grih Pravesh and last rites by Arya Samaj.
Contact us for Arya Samaj Pandit for Havan, Pandit for puja in Lucknow. Book an Arya Samaj Pandit for marriage in Lucknow, Shanti Yagna, Antyesti Sanskar or any of the 16 Sanskars, etc. Book Arya Samaj Pandit for Jaap Sanskar, Tilak ceremony, mundan puja in Lucknow, birthday puja, janeu puja, Bhoomi pujan in Lucknow, Shanti homa, Vastu shanti, opening ceremonies, etc. Please call our helpline. Or you can also Book an Arya Samaj Lucknow with filling "Booking Form".
Contact Arya Samaj Panditji Lucknow: 8488880607
Arya samaj panditji: Services in Lucknow
Contact for Arya Samaj Pandit for Havan, puja in Lucknow
According to the Vedas, havan is one of the most sacred ways of worshipping. And we can help you arrange an Arya Samaj Pandit for havan in Lucknow.
The time required for a havan is approximately 1 to 1:30 hours. It is a divine method to purify the atmosphere and the mind of the performer. The holy offerings into the fire and the smoke rising from the Yagna has a calming and purifying effect on human beings.
The main ingredient for the Havan is cow's ghee. And you can book an Arya Samaj pandit for performing yagna. Even though there is no specific time constraint for a Havan, it is advisable to perform it in the morning.
How can I arrange for the offerings and other requirements for havan?
When you book an Arya Samaj pandit for performing havan in Lucknow, we will provide you with a list of all the necessary ingredients. In most cases, you will need to arrange for pure cow's ghee and fresh flowers. Mostly all other arrangements are made by the Arya Samaj panditji.
Arya samaj panditji for Griha Pravesh in Lucknow
Griha Pravesh or house warming is one of the most common ceremonies you must have heard of. When moving to a new house, it is advisable to perform a religious puja. The griha pravesh puja is a prayer to seek the blessing of the gods.
Book Arya samaj pandit for griha pravesh in Lucknow. Also, you can also book an Arya Samaj pandit for Jaap or Sanskar.
Aryasamaj pandit for marriage in Lucknow
According to the Arya Samaj marriage rules:
- The age of the girl should be more than 18
- And the age of the boy should be more than 21
To know about the Arya Samaj marriage cost you can call – 8488880607. And this Arya Samaj marriage cost also includes the issue of an Arya Samaj wedding certificate.
The Arya Samaj marriage services include love marriage, inter-caste marriages, inter-religious marriages, court marriage, arranged marriage, etc.
Arya Samaj marriage documents & legal validity
The certificate issued by the Arya Samaj temple is legal according to the Hindu Marriage Act 1937.
Arya Samaj wedding is preferred by all class of people in India and other parts of the world. It is popular for its simplicity and authenticity.
The marriage in Arya Samaj Mandir is solemnized under the Arya Samaj Validation Act 1937 (Section 19) and Hindu Marriage Act 1955. So it is legally valid and universally recognized.
These two acts allow any Arya Samaj Mandir to solemnize love marriage, inter-caste marriage, an inter-religion marriage. Therefore this person as per his consent is passed through Vedic purification rituals. And then he becomes eligible for Arya Samaj marriage.
There is also legislation in place equivalent to Court Marriage Act 1954 that justifies the marriages solemnized in Arya Samaj Mandir. Therefore, once the Arya Samaj wedding is complete, you must take the certificate issued by Arya Samaj for government registration to the local municipal corporation. This is an important part of legalization. However, many Arya Samaj also facilitates the registration of the government.
Consent of parents for the Arya Samaj marriage, and its confidentiality
Many of our readers ask – Is the consent of the parents to get married in Arya Samaj temple or not?
Parental consent is not necessary for marriage at Arya Samaj Temple. However, if the parents are not attending the marriage, then you must provide an affidavit. More information regarding your Arya samaj marriage call 8488880607. Or you can use the contact form to get in touch with us or send inquiries.
We also assure the confidentiality of your personal information. Therefore, all the information related to your Arya Samaj wedding is protected. Information related to your marriage is shared only for the legal processes and only after your consent/request.
Arya Samaj wedding time duration: 1 to 1:30 hours
Arya Samaj wedding certificate
Is any notice sent to the prospect's home, while the marriages process in the Arya Samaj?
No notice is sent to your home in the process of such marriage. However, it is now mandatory to send a new order based on the new orders of the High Court, in which you will have to seek prior information.
List of documents required for Arya Samaj wedding
You will need to be present with the following documents for Arya Samaj marriage procedure:
- Birth time of the Groom 21+ and the bride 18+
- Identity proof of the Groom & bride (Aadhar card, election card, passport)
- Birth proof of the Groom and bride (birth certificate, school leaving certificate)
- If any of them have had a marriage before and then separated, then the legal documents related to them has to be deposited
- 6 passport size color photographs of the bride as well as the groom
- Two witnesses each side
- And the identity proof of the witnesses
Book an Arya Samaj Pandit for wedding in Lucknow
To book a marriage in the Arya Samaj, you must first finalize a date. So if you are confused with the date, you can call us and we can help you pick a suitable date for your marriage.
Generally, Arya Samaj pandit in Lucknow will be available on your fixed date. But if for some reasons the date is occupied and pandit is not available, we can settle on another date.
You can click the "Book a pandit" button on the top of this page to book Arya samaj panditji for the wedding in Lucknow, or call us.
Arya Samaj marriage process/Lagana vidhi
The process of marriage in the Arya Samaj temple according to Hindu Rituals and Vedic methods.
In Hindu society, two forms of marriage are popular. On the basis of the first Puran. This method is called the Paurananik vidhi. And the other one is on the basis of Vedas. This is called the Vedic marriage vidhi. The Arya Samaj marriage is done according to the law given on the basis of the Vedas.
For your wedding according to the Arya Samaj mandir marriage rules, you will have to bring two varmalas, fresh flowers, 2.5 meters of pink or white cloth, 500 grams sweets, Sindoor and Mangalasutra, on the day of marriage.
Under the process of Vedic marriage, there are methods such as procession welcome, Varmala exchange, etc. Besides, there are other processes like Madhupark, Kanyadan, Gaudan, Agnipujan, Panigrahaan, Shilarohana, Saptapadi, Sindoor and Mangalasutra, and blessings ceremony. These processes are a part of your Arya samaj marriage.
Arya Samaj panditji Lucknow for Shanti Yagna
As the name suggests, the Shanti Yagna is for Shanti or peace. Therefore, it is a special yagna that purifies the atmosphere and clarifies the mind. And it includes chanting mantras and making an offering to the havan kund fire.
You can book Arya samaj pandit for Shanti havan in Lucknow by clicking the "Book a pandit" or call on 8488880607.
Arya Samaj Pandit for Last Rites in Lucknow
You can book a Arya Samaj Last Rites Lucknow for Antim Sanskar Vidhi in Lucknow. Arya Samaj Panditji is available for Agni sanskar vidhi, Vedic Antyesti sanskar, suddhi havan, etc.
Last Rites Antim Sanskar process by Arya Samaj Last Rites Lucknow
The Last Rites Antim Sanskar process of the Arya Samaj consists of four days. And the Agni Sanskar of the dead body is done by the Vedic rites on the first day.
On the second and third day, Shanti Havan is performed at 4 to 6 pm. Here, the family members make offerings and pray for the Shanti, Sadgati, and Mukti of the divine soul.
Pandit Ji offers sacrifices in Havan to the Divine Mantras from the Vedas. So these Mantras and offerings are infact a prayer for the peace and liberation of the Divine Spirit. And this entire process lasts for 4 days and Brahm bhojan also happens on this day.
What about the requirements for the Antim sanskar vidhi by Arya samaj?
When you book an Arya Samaj Last Rites Lucknow for Last rites, Antim sanskar, Vedic Antyeshti Sanskar, Shuddhi Hawan, we will provide you with a list of required materials. So you can get them while the panditji will arrange for the rest of the samagris.
According to Hindu vidhis, there are two alternatives of performing the last rituals:
Vedic and Purans.
Puranic rituals: The whole process of last rituals according to the puranic methods takes 13 days. And this method is spiritual, lengthy and costs more than Vedic.
The Vedic rites: The antim sanskar rites according to the Vedas is 4 days long. This is based on a spiritual as well as scientific perspective, without any social hurdle. Moreover, the process by Arya Samaj costs lesser than the Puranas.
Arya Samaj panditji Lucknow for 16 Sanskar Services in Lucknow
These are the 16 Sanskars from birth to death according to Hindu mythology
Garbhaadhan Sanskar
Sanskar to bear progeny, to keep the dynasty or kul running
Punsavana Sanskar
This sanskar is about the intellectual development of a heir in the womb
Simantonnayana Sanskar
On the 4th, 6th or 8th month of pregnancy when the mother starts educating the baby.
Jaatakarma Sanskar
For the good health and long age of the child.
Namkaran Sanskar (Naming Ceremony)
Done on the 11th day after the baby's birth, this ceremony is to decide the name of the baby.
Nishkraman Sanskar
Done on the 4th month after the birth -Earth, Fire, Air, Water, Ether.
Annaprashana Sanskar
When you start feeding the child during the teething process.
Mundan Sanskar
The ritual to remove the hair on the head to increase intellectual power.
Karnavedh Sanskar
The ritual to pierce the ears
This sanskar determines the start of the education of a child
Upanayana Sanskar(Thread Ceremony)
Also known as the Yagyopaveet vidhi, here you introduce the child to a guru or a teacher.
Vedarambha Sanskar
This signifies the starting of the study of the Vedas.
Samavartana Sanskar
This marks the return of the child from the gurukula back in society.
Vivah Sanskar
By marrying the child
Vanaprastha, Sanyasa
Retiring from the social life
Antyeshti Sanskar
This is the Antim Sanskar or Last Rites after the death.
We provide the best and Famous online Arya Samaj Pandit. So, you can book your Sanskar Services online now through Arya Samaj Panditji Lucknow and other areas.
Arya Samaj Panditji for Mantra jaaps and other ceremonies
We are also available to book for Maha Mrityunjaya Jaap or Tryambakam mantra. This jaap or the Tryambakam jaap is great for your mental, emotional, and physical purification and well being. Because it is the mantra of moksha that bestows longevity and immortality.
Book Arya samaj pandit for Maha Mrityunjay jaap in Lucknow using the "Book a pandit" button.
You can also book an Arya Samaj pandit for Gayatri Hawan or Gayatri Mantra Jaap.
Other services by Arya Samaj Panditji Lucknow
Grih Pravesh Havan, Gayatri Havan, Birth Day Havan, Marriage Anniversary Havan
We specialize in conducting religious pujas –
- Namakaran puja: Naming ceremony by Vedic rituals by Arya Samaj pandit
- Mundan puja by Arya Samaj panditji in Lucknow
- Birthday Ceremony puja, Shanti yagna, etc in Lucknow by Arya samaj panditji
- Janeu(Sacred Thread) puja by Arya samaj pandit ji
- Griha Pravesh puja in Lucknow by Arya samaj pandit
- Bhoomi Puja to honour and pay respects being to the land. Bhumi pujan in Lucknow, by Aryasamaj panditji
- Shanti Puja in Lucknow by Arya samaj pandit
- Vastu Shanti Pooja, puja for New Business, Opening Ceremony puja by Arya samaj
- Tilak Ceremony, Shagun Ceremony, Chura Ceremony by Aryasamaj panditji
- Arya Samaj panditji for Vivah puja, Vaidik Marriage vidhi, Arya Samaj Marriage Rituals, Engagement puja
Book a pandit, Arya samaj Lucknow Uttar Pradesh
With Aryasamaj panditji you can book an Arya samaj pandit for Arya samaj marriage, Arya samaj marriage documents, and certificates, Aryasamaj marriage in Lucknow or any other city in India, havan vidhi at home or offices, Grih pravesh puja in Lucknow or any other city. Therefore, you can book a well-experienced Panditji with samagri and knowledge to perform Vedic vidhis at affordable prices. Just click "Book a pandit" to register our services for Arya Samaj pandit in Lucknow.
We have the best services for Arya Samaj pandit for Vedic rites in Lucknow, Arya Samaj Pandit for havan in Lucknow, and Arya samaj panditji for marriage in Lucknow, or Arya Samaj Panditji for any other similar services.
We specialize in conducting religious puja at your place of convenience in Lucknow. So if you are located in any other region, you can still call us at 8488880607, and we will arrange an Arya Samaj pandit for you if possible.
Contact us for more services
If the service you are looking for is not mentioned here, don't hesitate to reach us at [email protected] Or you can call us on 8488880607. Or use this contact form to reach us with your questions.


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Smoking Vehicle Program 1-800-453-SMOG
Report a Smoking Vehicle (Or Report a Smoking Vehicle in Spanish) For Vehicles Registered in Texas Only
To report a smoking vehicle in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, which includes Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Erath, Hood, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Navarro, Palo Pinto, Parker, Rockwall, Somervell, Tarrant, and Wise Counties, go to the North Central Texas Regional Smoking Vehicle Program Web Site.
- The Problem
- How Reporting Works
- Does this Apply to Diesel Vehicles?
- What Causes Tailpipe Smoke?
- To Report a Smoking Vehicle
- Can Out of State Vehicles be Reported?
- What Happens After a Vehicle is Reported?
- What to Do if Your Vehicle is Reported
- Voluntary Response Form
- Other Steps For Cleaner Air
The Problem
How often have you been caught in traffic behind a car, truck, or bus that is emitting smoke? You smell the fumes, roll up your window, close the vents, and look for your first chance to pass. It makes you angry.
Not surprisingly, a large percentage of the air pollution in Texas comes from the more than 17 million motor vehicles registered in the state. Each vehicle has the potential to be a source of air pollution. However, poorly-maintained vehicles are the biggest contributors to the pollution problem.
How Reporting Works
You can help the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) get the word to owners of smoking vehicles in Texas. The next time you see a car, truck, or bus anywhere in Texas with dirty smoke coming from its exhaust for more than 10 consecutive seconds, write down the license number, date, time, and city where you saw the smoking vehicle.
Report the smoking vehicle, within 30 days, by using the online reporting form (or the online reporting form in Spanish) or by calling 1-800-453-SMOG (7664). You do not have to give your name, and the report is free.
The TCEQ will then notify the owner that his or her vehicle may be contributing to air pollution by smoking excessively. The TCEQ will also provide the owner with information about how car maintenance will improve the vehicle's performance.
Does this Apply to Diesel Vehicles?
Yes, diesels are affected. The TCEQ is aware that some diesel-powered motor vehicles may emit brief puffs of smoke when first started, or while under a heavy load, such as passing or climbing a steep hill pulling a trailer. However, according to state regulations, no motor vehicle should produce visible exhaust emissions for more than ten consecutive seconds. This law applies to all vehicles regardless of fuel type.
What Causes Tailpipe Smoke?
Tailpipe smoke is a result of incomplete fuel combustion, which is usually caused by improper engine operation in both gasoline- and diesel-powered vehicles. When a vehicle and its engine are not properly maintained, the likelihood of engine problems and smoke increases.
Although the smoke, as a whole, is problematic, its color can be helpful in indicating the potential source of the vehicle's problems.
To Report a Smoking Vehicle
(1) Upon observing a smoking vehicle, please make note of the following information:
- Texas license plate number
- Date observed
- Time (AM/PM)
- City
(2) Report the information to the TCEQ, within 30 days, by one of the following methods:
- Report a smoking vehicle online (English)
- Report a smoking vehicle online (Spanish)
- Call 1-800-453-SMOG (7664)
- Send a fax to 512/239-5687
- Mail the information to:
- Smoking Vehicle Program, MC-206
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
P.O. Box 13087
Austin, Texas 78711-3087
- Smoking Vehicle Program, MC-206
Can Out of State Vehicles be Reported?
The TCEQ's Smoking Vehicle Program is not designed to accept reports on vehicles that are registered outside of Texas. The TCEQ does not have the resources or the authority to retrieve data on vehicle owners from other states.
However, state law prohibits any person from operating a motor vehicle emitting visible smoke for 10 seconds or longer on Texas roadways. Therefore, law enforcement authorities statewide do have the authority to issue citations to the drivers of out-of-state vehicles if they are observed violating this law.
What Happens After a Vehicle is Reported?
The TCEQ's smoking vehicle program is designed as a public outreach strategy to encourage the citizens of Texas to voluntarily maintain and repair their cars, trucks, and buses and to promote public awareness regarding the harmful emissions and air pollution caused by smoking vehicles. Because smoking vehicle reports are submitted anonymously, the TCEQ does not investigate reported sightings nor issue any enforcement actions for alleged violations.
The extent of the action taken by the TCEQ regarding smoking vehicle reports is the mailing of a notification letter to the registered owners of the reported vehicles. The letter notifies them their vehicles were reported to be observed emitting excessive visible exhaust emissions. It also encourages them to make repairs, if needed.
Although the smoking vehicle program is not a TCEQ enforcement program, the smoking vehicle notification letters inform vehicle owners that they can be ticketed for operating a smoking vehicle on Texas roadways. State law under Section 547.605 of the Texas Transportation Code prohibits motor vehicles with excessive visible smoke emissions from operating on Texas roadways. Law enforcement authorities statewide may issue citations, punishable by a fine of not more than $350, to the owner of "a vehicle that emits visible smoke for 10 seconds or longer."
What to Do if Your Vehicle is Reported
If you receive a letter from the TCEQ notifying you that your vehicle was observed emitting excessive exhaust smoke, please examine your vehicle's exhaust for dirty or excessive smoke. The TCEQ encourages you to correct the problem if the smoke persists for more than ten consecutive seconds.
If your vehicle was reported erroneously, please do not be concerned. Because the smoking vehicle reports are submitted anonymously, the TCEQ does not investigate reported sightings nor issue any enforcement actions for alleged violations based on the reports received. The TCEQ does not keep records of the reported vehicles nor any personal information regarding the registered owners.
If you no longer own the reported vehicle, you can notify the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV) that you are not the current owner by submitting a Texas Motor Vehicle Transfer Notification Form to the TxDMV's Vehicle Titles and Registration Division. The TxDMV will keep the form on file to record the date that the vehicle was transferred to the buyer and the name and address of the buyer.
You can submit the form online at the TxDMV Web site. However, the TxDMV will not remove your name from this vehicle's title records until a new Texas Certificate of Title has been issued with the name of the new owner.
If you have further questions about the vehicle title and registration process, please call the TxDMV's Vehicle Titles and Registration Division at 888/368-4689.
Voluntary Response Form
The TCEQ appreciates the voluntary cooperation of Texans to help ensure cleaner air in Texas. If you have received a smoking vehicle notification letter from the TCEQ, please complete the Voluntary Response Form (English) or the Voluntary Response Form (Spanish) to help the TCEQ determine the effectiveness of the Smoking Vehicle Program.
Other Steps For Cleaner Air
By reporting smoking vehicles, you can do your share for cleaner air. You can also help out by taking the following steps:
- Carpool or ride the bus
- Bicycle to work
- Don't let your engine idle unnecessarily
- Drive smoothly — avoid jack-rabbit starts/stops
- Plan ahead to combine trips
- Refuel your vehicle late in the evening or after dark
- Don't top off your tank
- Make sure your tires are properly inflated
- Keep your car or truck maintained
- Have your automobile inspected


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Milk frother, manual
Från (Inklusive moms):
Create foam for your favorite coffeehouse beverage in the comfort of your own home. With a manual frother, milk isn't broken down by steam resulting in a denser. That leads to a more flavorful foam.
• To use: quickly pump plunger until milk doubles in size (about 30-45 seconds)
• Made of borosilicate glass that will not interfere with taste and can resist high temperatures
• Dishwasher and microwave safe glass beaker