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Field Guide: The Great Fables Crossover
Fables #83Life itself is the most wonderful fairytale of all. —Hans Christian Andersen
Beginning this week, the Great Fables Crossover will see the very existence of the universe threatened by the most powerful creature of all.
The storyteller.
After all, if it's true that, as Shakespeare once said, all the world's a stage and all the men and women merely players, then we're all in a lot of trouble if the guy writing the story decides to erase everything and start over.
Combing the forces of the Fables and Jack of Fables characters – as well as the talents of writers Bill Willingham and Matt Sturges – the nine-part Great Fables Crossover will explore what happens when the immortal beings called the Literals, the physical embodiments of literary ideas, have a family squabble that may cause a rewrite of the universe.
The crossover will take place in three comics a month for three months, starting in Fables #83 this week, followed next week by Jack of Fables #33. Then on April 29th, readers will get The Literals #1, the beginning of a special three-issue mini-series that weaves into the nine-part story.
Newsarama talked to Willingham and Sturges to find out more about the crossover and why the life of a poor, defenseless bug is depending on its success.
Jack of Fables #33Newsarama: Let's start by alleviating some fears of readers who haven't been reading both Fables and Jack of Fables. As we start the Fables crossover, will readers get an introduction to the concepts behind this whole thing, even if they haven't been reading these books?
Bill Willingham: Anyone who comes into this blind is going to get enough to fully appreciate the crossover story. We've seeded enough information in there for anyone to come in and know what's going on. At the same time, those people who have been following it from the get-go are going to get a little more context.
Now I don't think we have any character just turning to the reader and saying, "Here's what's going on; here's what's at stake," although that might be nice. We did that in the middle of one of the Jack episodes, didn't we Matt?
Matt Sturges: [laughs] Yeah, we quite literally did. That's why we couldn't do it this time. But we have things equally as ridiculous throughout the crossover itself.
NRAMA: Then let's talk about the basic premise here. Who is Kevin Thorn, and what is he up to? That's who the big adversary is for this crossover, right?
BW: For this story, yes. Kevin Thorn is the second of all the Literals, who are physical embodiments of literary ideas or concepts. The first, of course, is a character that Matt brought with him into Jack of Fables, which is Gary the Pathetic Fallacy. And he embodies the whole idea of giving life to inanimate objects. At some point, it occurred to us that that is pretty much the real basic rudiments of storytelling.
So the next generation is more formal storytelling. So we have Gary's son, Kevin Thorn, who is the embodiment of storytelling, including the writer. And he is the guy who, with a proper pen in hand, quite possibly wrote the universe into existence and can write it out of existence.
Fables #84NRAMA: So what's his problem? Why's he messing things up? He's done a pretty good job so far, hasn't he?
MS: It's arguable how good of a job he's done. I think he has come to believe that things aren't as he'd intended, and so he's got a bone to pick with the universe. And part of the crossover is explaining what that bone is that he's got to pick, and what he intends to do about it – one of his options being to destroy the universe.
BW: Having never been written out of existence, the good guys in this story aren't certain what will happen and how much power he wields. His son, Revise, is the next level of storytelling, which is the people who come along and say "no no no you're doing that wrong; let me fix it." So you have to understand that Kevin Thorn may have, as you said, written a pretty good universe, but the problem is that some time ago, possibly a long time ago, his son clobbered him and gave him a temporary lobotomy, so that his son Revise could take over the stories and fix things his way.
During this time – Revise being less powerful and skillful than he thought – much of the universe has been left to its own, with people writing their own destinies. When Kevin Thorn finally woke up, which happened in recent issues of Jack of Fables, he looks at what happened to his story and says, "This is crap! This is not what I wanted to do!!" But this guy – this son of his, this Revise, who's sort of the embodiment of all editors – just ruined it.
MS: It's not any editor in particular. [laughs]
BW: No, it's not any editor in particular. But you know, what I think this entire crossover is, it's a love letter to the editing process in general.
Jack of Fables #34MS: [laughs] Make sure you copy Shelly Bond on that one.
BW: Sure. And not just editors; publishers too. As long as we're going to bite the hand that feeds us, we should bite all the hands.
NRAMA: When looking at some of the solicitations coming up, it looks like Bigby is going to be affected by all this in a bad way, with him appearing as a monkey on one cover. Is it right to assume that Kevin Thorn is rewriting some of the actual characters?
BW: Kevin Thorn is a writer, and as some famous writer mentioned, all writing is rewriting. So yeah, he's doing a little rewriting. He's trying to get back in that groove. You have to understand, he hasn't been writing since... how long has he been out of touch, Matt?
MS: I think it's been at least 300 years since he's done anything of marginal significance. You know, you get rusty. So it's very likely that Kevin would start with a few smaller projects before moving on to the big, new universe.
BW: And unfortunately, Bigby seems to be one of his smaller practice sessions. And he's not going to enjoy it.
You know, one of the things we want to crow about with this crossover, when you mention most crossovers, characters don't really cross over. They mention the other characters, but they don't actually leave their books. But damnit, we really have characters cross over. We have Jack leaving his book for Fables, and we have Bigby and Snow leaving their book – they get exiled to Jack's book for awhile. There is actual crossing over taking place.
NRAMA: Last we saw the characters in Jack's book, they were marching to Fabletown. Yet as Fables readers know, the Fables had to leave Fabletown because of the foreboding presence of Mr. Dark. Will Mr. Dark play a part in the crossover?
MS: Everyone has his or her part to play in the crossover.
NRAMA: Will we see Jack with Rose Red? She's not exactly having a good time lately in the Fables series.
Fables #85BW: Jack is going to have an interesting conversation with Rose Red. She is, as you mentioned, not going through a great time. She has had a couple of bad things happen to her and around her, and she has come to grips with the fact that she's just screwed up some vast aspects of her life. She was always the kind of screw-up of the two sisters, or at least felt she was, and played that out to the hilt for awhile, but when she took over the Farm, she was starting to get her act together and was becoming kind of a capable, interesting, reliable person until this stuff started happening, some real body blows. She's not doing well right now.
Luckily, Jack, when he comes to the Farm, is so noble of spirit that he would never, never do anything...
MS: He would never dream of taking advantage of that.
BW: No, Jack would never take advantage of a woman at her most vulnerable moment. Luckily there's the fact that Jack kind of embodies the idea of chivalry and manners and doing what's right. Otherwise, Rose Red could be in a little trouble, couldn't she?
NRAMA: You know, we probably should have guessed all along that Jack had a little of Prince Charming's blood in him. Just the scoundrel gene, you know?
BW: They were very much alike, although Jack is a more vulgar version. Prince Charming had style. They're both womanizers. They're both kind of rogues. But Prince Charming had that panache that made up for it.
MS: The panache was on a different chromosome, I guess.
NRAMA: There's another problem with Jack coming back to the other Fables. Beast made it clear that Jack was to stay out, so what's it like for this character to just come marching back?
BW: What should happen is that Beast would arrest him and have a quick court trial, and Jack would get his head knocked off. In a good universe, a just universe, that's exactly what would happen. But Jack is like a force of chaos. Things that should happen to and around Jack don't always work out that way.
MS: Jack takes some of his Jack-ness with him when he returns to Fables.
BW: He does, but I think he left some behind too, because what Bigby goes through is something I don't think would have happened if he'd stayed in the Fables book. When they're stuck in Jack's crazy book, this is the kind of crap that happens in Jack's book, so Bigby really gets put through the ringer.
NRAMA: Let's talk about that, because the tone of these two books is different. Jack's book is a little more wacky, and Jack is the narrator, while Fables plays it a little straighter. How's that going to work in the crossover?
BW: It will all cross over.
Jack of Fables #35MS: Yeah. Everything crosses over. The characters cross over, the tone crosses over, and then it all gets mixed up very sweetly in the Literals mini-series, which is sort of the best of all possible worlds in terms of the tones and the characters and all our favorite bits.
BW: Even the artists cross over. When Jack quits his book, he takes his, to quote him, favorite artist with him.
NRAMA: Let's talk about this Literals mini-series. You've mentioned the Pathetic Fallacy and Kevin Thorn and Revise, but the Literals aren't just those three. We've had another family member, Bookburner, who made his own trouble recently, right?
BW: Yes. Bookburner is Revise's brother who doesn't think Revise goes far enough.
MS: Bookburner was trying to take things to the logical conclusion of getting rid of the stories and sticking with real life, but that didn't work out too well for Bookburner.
NRAMA: With the Literals, are we going to see a lot more of the family?
BW: A lot more Literals. And you know, we just found out that Jack is half-Literal.
NRAMA: So he actually is half-Literal? It's hard to tell who's telling the truth in this comic sometimes.
BW: He actually is.
MS: Although... is Wicked John half-Literal?
BW: Technically, Wicked John is half-Literal and Jack is a copy.
In any case, Jack's a half-Literal; we have Gary the Pathetic Fallacy; we have Kevin Thorn the storyteller; we have Revise the editor; we have his daughters, the Page sisters, who are the embodiment of organizing and codifying this stuff (of course, their way of organizing is to capture them and put them in concentration camps, but that's a form of organization); there's the four walls; and we have introduced Dex. There is a new Literal introduced – he's not new in the sense that he's existed as long as the other Literals have – but he's a very important Literal that Kevin Thorn is going to interact with in ways that he possibly wishes he didn't. And we will have him interact with some other Literals who are his nieces and nephews.
MS: It's a big family.
NRAMA: Well, in the last issue of Jack of Fables, Revise mentioned Onomatopoeia, and he mentions Foreshadowing and says, "although we'll have some advance notice if she gets involved." Are we going to see them?
MS: I don't know if that's been properly foreshadowed. [laughs]
There are a number of Literals that we'll run into who are all of a breed and who will come to Kevin's aid during the course of the crossover.
BW: We would even challenge the readers. If they have notions of literary concepts that should be embodied, there's a very good chance that they'll see them in this series.
NRAMA: Are they all helping Kevin? Or are some going to be a problem for him?
BW: It's a family squabble. Some are helping Kevin. Some are not.
NRAMA: And you mentioned Dex, but for those who are not familiar with that character, who is he?
MS: Well, Dex is the literal embodiment of Deus Ex Machina who showed up at the end of the Turning Pages arc to save the day at the very last minute, although one of the things he says about himself is that he can't get used very often because he gets old really quick. So he really has to pick his battles, which means that it's questionable whether he's going to be effective in the crossover at the last minute.
NRAMA: As you've been working on this, have you just pulled the lid off the bottle in terms of what can be done, since Kevin is able to rewrite anything? Is it just going to be kind of kooky?
MS: With this whole Great Fables Crossover, what we wanted to do is take all this stuff that we've had going on with the Literals for years now and just sort of bring it to a head and see what happens. And what happens is other madness.
BW: There will indeed be some kookiness involved. There will also be some drama. And personally, I think the comedy sets up the drama to come as a surprise. And the drama sets up the comedy to come as a surprise. So ideally, you have a healthy mix of both.
As kooky as it gets, the results of this will absolutely matter to the two Fables series that continue on from there.
NRAMA: It's good to hear you say two series, because it was a little alarming to see the solicitation where Jack said he was quitting his series. Some wondered if that would be the end of the Jack of Fables series.
BW: Well, if Kevin Thorn isn't stopped, then he will undo the universe, in which case we don't have to continue the two series, do we?
MS: That's true. A lot less work for us.
And you know, Jack may not be the star of Jack of Fables. Who knows?
BW: I'm hoping it's Gary that inherits the title, because I think the cute little fella deserves something.
MS: I think it should be Babe. All Babe, all the time.
NRAMA: Is Babe going to show up in Fables?
MS: Mmmmmm... no comment.
NRAMA: Surely Babe will be part of the story, right?
MS: Babe's participation in this story is top secret.
NRAMA: OK, then let's talk about the overall theme you're exploring here. As storytellers yourself, when you came up with this concept of a Literal who wrote the universe named Kevin Thorn, were you identifying with this person?
MS: Yeah, in very concrete ways. When we were thinking about what Kevin Thorn was up to and what his problems were, we really did, somewhat playfully but a little seriously, think about how, as writers, they are the kinds of problems you have and the kinds of problems you have to overcome. We sort of took those things and symbolically, or in some ways actually, made those things Kevin Thorn's problems. So in some ways, Kevin Thorn is us. But also, in a lot of ways, not.
NRAMA: Is there anything else you want to tell people about the Fables crossover?
MS: One thing I want to say is that the whole Fables and Jack of Fables team has been working very hard on this crossover. A lot of different artists passing back and forth different art references, and everyone's been working really, really hard to get the trains there on time.
BW: And, arguably, I think, producing the best work of their career. Some of this stuff is absolutely maniacal, the level of the art being handed in by Tony [Akins], by Russ Braun, by Mark Buckingham. And there was a little concern, as there always is, when massively coordinated projects like this happen, about will they ship on time?
With this series, it's very important that they be read in order, otherwise what little sense we've injected into it will make no sense at all. So everyone from the inkers to the colorists to the letterers have done heroic last-minute work at times to make sure these are done and will come out on time. And they should all be applauded.
Plus, for some reason beyond my understanding, Matt, whose enthusiasm gets away with him sometimes, has volunteered that if they don't ship on time, every time, during this crossover, he's going to eat a live bug and post it on Youtube.
MS: I was volunteered. I did not volunteer.
BW: I don't know what motivated him to make such a promise.
MS: [laughs] Your understanding of causation is deeply flawed in this.
BW: Here's the thing...
MS: I ain't eatin' no bug.
BW: Either you get a great crossover, a wonderful story, all on time, in order and perfectly told. Or you get to see Matt eat a bug on Youtube. It's a win-win situation! There's no lose here!
NRAMA: I'm trying to decide whether it's worth it for something to ship late just so we can see Matt eat the bug.
BW: I know! The temptation to screw up and cause everything to go late just because I forgot to send script pages in is pretty vast, because I would love to see Matt eat a bug. At the same time, I pity the poor bug, because being eaten by Matt is not a good way to end it all.
MS: I ain't eatin' no bug.
BW: All I'm saying is, a lot of the people working on this crossover are working to save that poor bug.
In any case, those readers who have been following Fables and Jack of Fables will enjoy the story. Those who will use this event as an opportunity to try it out for the first time, we hope they'll feel more than welcome to do so, and we'll try not to waste their time.


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WALTHAM, Mass. — Rajon Rondo's rehab continues.
And now it will take place in live NBA games.
The Boston Celtics' point guard, who has not played since tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee last Jan. 25, is scheduled to return on Friday night. Coach Brad Stevens and general manager Danny Ainge both said Rondo would return for the game against the Los Angeles Lakers "barring any setbacks."
"I don't think we can expect him to be the Game 7 Rajon Rondo tomorrow," Stevens said before practice on Thursday. "This is part of the process to getting back to full-go."
Rondo did not speak with reporters on Thursday, but he worked out with his teammates at the team's practice facility. Stevens said Rondo will probably play 18-20 minutes at first, and Ainge said he would probably be limited to five minutes per quarter.
"He is our starting point guard," Stevens said. "We want to figure out the right minutes for him so he doesn't get too stiff on the bench."
Said Ainge: "And, knowing Rondo, he's going to be complaining about that and probably checking himself back into the game. That's who he is."
Ainge said he wasn't sure what to expect, especially since the ACL injury tends to leave players tentative about making quick moves.
"He hasn't played for a year," Ainge said. "What I've seen is the ACL injury is something that every player has to overcome, coming back mentally, not just physically."
On Wednesday, Rondo scrimmaged at the practice facility for about an hour with the Celtics' NBA Development League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws; afterward, he took the minor leaguers out to dinner.
"I think the guys had a fun time also," Ainge said.
Rondo had developed into one of the top point guards in the NBA, averaging career-highs of 13.7 points and 5.6 rebounds to go with his 11.1 assists per game in 2012-13 before he was hurt. He played almost 45 minutes and recorded a triple-double in a double-overtime loss to Atlanta on Jan. 25, then was diagnosed with a torn ACL two days later.
Ainge said he expected to see that player again.
"I think he will get there. I don't know how long it will take," he said. "He has to get back on the court and try it. Now is as good a time as any."
The Celtics could use the boost. They lost nine consecutive games before beating Toronto on Wednesday night, falling into fourth place in the woeful Atlantic Division.
Stevens, in his first year with the team after leaving Butler, said he is glad he will finally have his point guard on the floor.
"There's all kinds of thoughts going through my mind right now," he said, noting that the pre-injury Rondo was a savvy floor leader who could see things on the court and get the ball to places that only a few others can.
Ideally, that will return quickly.
"The one thing he could do, even when he wasn't playing, was think," Stevens said.

subset: commoncrawl


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Zodiac Signs & Dates
'Zodiac' stems from the Greek word 'zoon', or 'animal'. It is an imaginary belt in the sky both sides of the Sun's apparent path. There are several ways of finding a birth or sun sign. The birth sign shows how we most naturally express ourselves. Here we have used the most commonly used dates and meanings. For people born on the cusp (dates bordering the next sign), we recommend you check with the recipient beforehand. There are also 'Birthstones' associated with the birth signs, again they vary depending on which charts are used.
Aries: 21 March - 20 April
A fire sign, the symbol of Aries is the ram. This sign is also associated with spring, a time of growth and energy. Aries people can be courageous, enthusiastic and assertive.
Taurus: 21 April - 21 May
An earth sign, the symbol of Taurus is the bull. Taureans are generally sensual, practical and reliable, but with a stubborn streak.
Gemini: 22 May - 21 June
An Air sign, the symbol of Gemini is the twins. People under this sign are versatile, quick-witted and communicative, but also changeable.
Cancer: 22 June - 22 July
A Water sign, the symbol of Cancer is the crab. Cancerians will retreat into themselves if upset as they are sensitive home loving people.
Leo: 23 July - 23 August
A Fire sign, the symbol of Leo is the lion. Positivity is a Leo trait, along with a loyal and generous nature. A powerful personality makes them want to be the centre of attention.
Virgo: 24 August - 23 September
An Earth sign, the symbol of Virgo is the virgin. Virgoans pay great attention to detail so tend to be quite practical and well prepared. They can also be cautious and private people.
Libra: 24 september - 23 October
An Air sign, the symbol of Libra is the scales. The indications are that fairness and justice are important. Librans need harmony.
Scorpio: 24 October - 22 November
A Water sign, the symbol of Scorpio is the scorpion. Loving mystery and secrets, they are quite intense and passionate, reacting strongly when threatened.
Sagittarius: 23 November - 21 December
A Fire sign, the symbol of Sagittarius is the archer. Sagittarians have a great need for freedom and can become restless if life becomes routine.
Capricorn: 22 December - 20 January
An Earth sign, the symbol of Capricorn is the goat. They are disciplined, cautious and hard working with an urge to succeed. Preferring the tried and tested they will resist change.
Aquarius: 21 January - 19 February
An Air sign, the symbol of Aquarius is water. Dogmatic in their opinions and individualistic, they tend to be independent but with a reformist streak.
Pisces: 20 February - 20 March
A Water sign, the symbol of Pisces is a fish, which reflects the slippery and changeable nature of this sign. Compassion and imagination are very typical of a Pisces.


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The Prinze has arrived!
Today, a rep for Sarah Michelle Gellar announced that the star recently gave birth to a baby boy.
"Sarah Michelle and Freddie Prinze, Jr . are thrilled to announce that they welcomed a baby son into the world this past week," the rep told Us Weekly. "Mother and baby are doing great."
This is the second child for the couple, who celebrated their 10-year wedding anniversary on September 1. The baby boy, who has yet to be named, will join their 3-year-old daughter Charlotte Grace.
What do you think the couple will name the baby boy?


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Story highlights
- "Bud is ... expected to reach the coast of Mexico as a hurricane," an agency says
- Hurricane and tropical storm warnings are in effect for parts of Mexico's coast
- Maximum sustained winds are near 110 mph, the National Hurricane Center says
- Bud is the second named storm of the East Pacific hurricane season
The Mexican government has issued a hurricane warning for part of its western coast due to a powerful storm that could get even stronger in the coming hours, the National Hurricane Center said.
Earlier Thursday, the Miami-based weather agency reported that Hurricane Bud had grown to become a Category 2 storm. A new advisory at 5 p.m. (8 p.m. ET), indicated that the hurricane continued to pack sustained winds of around 110 mph.
"Slight strengthening is possible (Thursday night) or Friday morning, and Bud could become a major hurricane before weakening begins by Friday afternoon," the center said. "Bud is still expected to reach the coast of Mexico as a hurricane."
A hurricane warning has been issued for Manzanillo northwest to Cabo Corrientes, where winds are expected to exceed 39 mph within the next 36 hours and eventually top 74 mph. There are hurricane and tropical storm watches and warnings in effect for larger swaths of the country, including San Blas and Punta San Telmo, the hurricane center said.
As of early Thursday evening, the system's center was located about 200 miles (325 kilometers) south-southwest of Manzanillo and 260 miles south of Cabo Corrientes. It was moving northeast at a rate of about 9 mph.
Whereas it was once unclear if the storm would make landfall in Mexico, the latest forecast has Bud's center moving over the Latin American nation's mainland "along the Mexican coast late Friday."
"Hurricane conditions are expected to reach the coast within the hurricane warning area by Friday afternoon," the hurricane center said in its advisory.
By Thursday night, meanwhile, the winds should already be strong -- in excess of 39 mph -- "making outside preparations difficult or dangerous. Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion," said the center.
Bud is the second named tropical storm of the East Pacific hurricane season.
The National Hurricane Center warned that Bud is expected to bring 4 to 6 inches of rain along Mexico's southwestern coast, with possible isolated amounts of 10 inches.
"These rainfall amounts could produce life-threatening flash floods and mudslides," added the U.S. agency.
Swells generated by Bud had already begun to affect some coastal areas on Mexico's southern and southwestern coasts Thursday, and "are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions," the hurricane center said.
Is there severe weather in your area? Share your experience, photos and videos with us on CNN iReport.


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I had an idea how to design a "quantum computer":
How about designing interference-experiments where the design of the experiments itself represents algorithmical or mathematical problems that are coded in a way that the solution to that problem is interference = "true" and no interference = "false" as a result?
These results would be acquired instantaneously because the algorithm would not be processed step by step as with classical computers. If the design was changed on the run - thereby representing another problem - the solution would even be acquired faster than the quanta going through the apparatus as predicted by "delayed choice"-experiments.
Are there already such ideas for "quantum computers" of this kind? They would not have the problem of decoherence but on the contrary decoherence vs. no-decoherence would be their solution set of the problems represented by the (flexible) experimental design.
Does this make sense?
EDIT: Perhaps my question is not formulated well - perhaps I shouldn't call it "quantum computer". My point is that any configuration with these double slit experiments - no matter how complicated - instantly shows an interference pattern when there is any chance of determining the way the photons took. My idea is to encode some kind of calculation or logical problem in this configuration and instantly find the answer by looking at the outcome: interference = "yes" and no interference = "no" –


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Traditions are very important. They help us remember where we've been and how things have changed. From what I've been told since I didn't live in Berthoud 61 years ago, they used to be able to wrestle pigs in the mud. OK, that is one tradition I'm not even interested in bringing back.
We have kept several traditions and one is the old fashioned Base Ball game. That is where they play with no mitts and use a larger ball. That will be at 1 p.m. at the Ivy Stockwell school grounds. It's free to come and watch. They even provide bales of hay for your "stadium seating."
The day begins with the boy scout fundraiser pancake breakfast from 6:30 - 11 a.m. at the Depot in Railroad Park. It is all you can eat at $7 for adults and $4 for kids 12 and under.
Berthoud Habitat for Humanity will have their 5K run that begins at Fickel Park at 8 am. You will need to sign up in advance at www.BerthudHabitat.org/Race.
There is also a free 1K for the kids.
Our well-known Berthoud Day parade begins at 11 a.m. If you are interested, we ask that you fill out a registration form which can be found on our website at www.BerthoudColorado.com; News & Events; Berthoud Day. It starts on 2nd Street and goes west down Mountain Ave. to 8th Street and turns north. This is definitely one of those traditions I mentioned earlier. It's a great parade.
At Town Park the rest of the festivities begin after the parade. We have lots of vendors for kids through adults. (We still have room for more vendors.) The Berthoud Community Fire District will be having free drawings for a boy's BMX bike and a girl's bike. They will also have a "helmet blitz" where they are giving away bike helmets.
Our bands this year are as follows:
12:30 - 1:30 p.m. 101st Army Dixieland Band
1:30 - 2:30 p.m. local talent on our Community Stage
2:30 - 3:45 p.m. Woody Procell & the Snowy River Band (Country)
3:45 - 4:15 p.m. local talent on our Community Stage
4:15 - 5:30 Woody Process & the Snowy Rive Band
5:30 - 6:30 p.m. Berthoud's Got Talent on the Community Stage
6:30 - 9:00 p.m. Steve Thomas Band (80s Cover Band)
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to give us a call at the chamber office 970-532-4200. We hope to see you there.
Free Admission.


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Does anyone think it is even remotely possible that Hasbro did all this work and that these figures won't ever see the light of day? I regret now not buying them on ebay when they were cheaper, but I still can't believe that at some point in time in whatever the current packaging is, that these figures will get released. Am I crazy? No wait.... strike that... I know that much, but the real question is: does it even seem possible that these won't one day get produced?
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The Parent Trap–2010
I'm quite sure that parenting has become an impossible job.
The other day I went to the dentist and while sifting through the pile of two year old National Geographic and Women's Weekly magazines, something caught my eye. It was a newspaper called "Tot's To Teens—For Parents Focused on Raising Children Aged 0-12 Years." There was a big red sticker that said "FREE," so I didn't have any qualms about helping myself.
I took the paper home and read it. And that's when I realized how challenging it is to be a parent. One of the headline articles was "First Day of School—Are You Ready?" It was about preparing a 5 year old for his or her real first day of school.
To be honest I don't remember my first day of school but I'm pretty sure I was traumatized. Now I know why. My mother hadn't read "Tots to Teens!"
The article was broken into four basic categories with a checklist sort of thing in each category. One category was "Toilet training." One of the items was "Does she know not to pull down her knickers until she has closed the door to the cubicle?"
If you were a parent and answered that question "No," what would your next steps be?
How Could I Have Forgotten That??
Or how about the "Lunchbox" section: "If you bought a new lunch box, does your child know how to open it?" I pictured the headline: Kindergartner Can't Open Lunch Box—Starves to Death."
There is a list of contingencies for which you should give your kid an action plan. One contingency to be prepared for: "The child they usually play with is off sick and she has to make new friends?"
Who is thinking up this stuff? Moon mission pre-launch checklists are less complicated. And the trouble is that buried in all this stuff is important advice like "don't take candy from strangers."
But it gets worse. There is advertising. Lots of it. For example, a kindergarten is selling their programme for 4 and a half to 5 year olds with the statement:
Highly qualified and motivated teachers encourage and nurture our children to be risk-takers, enquirers, thinkers, communicators, reflective, knowledgeable, caring, open-minded and balanced.
How do you do that for five year olds?
You see what I mean about the challenges of being a parent? You are not only supposed to make sure your kid can open his or her lunchbox and know how to cope with fluid social situations. They must also be a risk-taker, creative, reflective, knowledgeable and caring. Good luck with that.
But it gets even worse when you look at the advertisements, which are conveniently put at the end of the magazine in something called the "Directory." There are 52 playing card sized ads for various goods and services.
Two of the ads stand out. One is for a clothing store that sells "Designer Childrenswear." The other is for an organisation called "Kids Love Gifts." What do they do? The ad explains: "Needing gift ideas or too busy to get to the shop? Kids Love Gifts can do all the work for you . . ."
Here, in the midst of the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, you can find advertised in a free magazine, designer clothing for (growing) children and you can also hire someone to buy their gifts for them because you as a parent are too busy, or don't communicate enough with your kids to know what they might want. I knew they had a service like this for busy adults, but I didn't know parents need it to manage their kids.
But one kind of service seemed to predominate in the directory. So I counted them up and found that 31% of the ads are for party services. (Second place is for products like bedwetting mattress protectors and photographers).
I don't remember any of my birthdays or birthday parties, but today's parents are under the gun to make each birthday "The Birthday of a Lifetime" for your caring, reflective, open-minded and balanced child. But don't worry. You can hire a service to handle it all for you.
The top of the line service (and let's face it, why settle for second best) includes "Party Planning, Entertainers, Catering and Event Creche."
Can anyone help me out with the concept of an "Event Creche?" As far as I understand it, a creche is where you put little kids. I'm assuming you don't spring for a party for your kid and then put the kid in the crèche while you enjoy the magic show. So I'm guessing this is for younger siblings who may not be ready to party hardy. I don't get it.
There are a lot of things I don't get. Like why kids attending birthday parties today expect a "goody bag." This is another service that can be provided. I would have thought ice cream and cake would be sufficient reward.
But no. And neither is socializing apparently. The parties have to be themed and there are companies that specialize in various themes such as magic, fairies, sports, clowns, laser tag, bowling, rock star, and the worrisome "Tarzan Tree Adventures." I don't know about you, but I don't want to know.
It sort of makes you wonder what these kids are going to expect for their 16th birthdays.
October 4, 2010 6:28 am
When I came across a copy of the monthly The American Cheerleader, I realized that the magazine market is simply out of control. I do, however, admire the creativity it takes to keep filling gazillions of insipid publications with useless information.


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Mayor signs legislation for Brooklyn development
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A vacant, 11-acre plot of land nestled between Riverside Avenue and Park Street in the Brooklyn neighborhood of downtown Jacksonville is now officially on its way to sprouting a major development project expected to create 247 jobs while revamping aging public infrastructure and netting an estimated $10 million in ad valorem revenues over the next 20 years for the city of Jacksonville.
Mayor Alvin Brown signed legislation Wednesday authorizing the city to move forward with public investment to support Pope & Land Jax Riverside LP. The developer has plans to erase blight in the city's Brooklyn neighborhood by creating 300 housing units and 65,000 square feet of retail space. The mayor was joined by Council President Bill Bishop, Councilman Warren Jones, who represents the Brooklyn area, and other Brooklyn-area commercial residents at the project site for the signing.
"This project represents a major opportunity for investment that will add to the momentum we're already experiencing in the downtown area," Brown said. "Beyond creating jobs and developing high-end real estate, this project will refine a major city corridor to give future investors yet another reason to feel confident about Jacksonville."
Private investment in the project ranges up to $50.5 million. Per the legislation, the city would contribute $1.8 million to improve infrastructure near the project site and would authorize $5.15 million in Recapture Enhanced Value Grant tax reimbursements.
The project would generate nearly $17.8 million in new tax revenue, which would more than cover the cost of debt service and Rev Grants to gain $10 million in new revenue for the city.
"The mutually beneficial public-private partnership with the city of Jacksonville, combined with the property's exceptional location, make us quite optimistic about the future of this project," said Tom Barranco, of Pope & Land.
The expected benefits of the project are numerous:
- The city projects a net gain of ad valorem revenue of $10 million over 20 years while improving 11 acres in a blighted area, increasing property values and enhancing the urban core.
- The private investment is expected to create 247 jobs at the housing and retail complexes, along with numerous other temporary contracting jobs through project construction.
- The residential portion of the project will provide attractive housing options for employees working in the Riverside Avenue corridor.
- Stormwater infrastructure improvements are expected to prevent flooding and pollution into McCoy's Creek and the St. Johns River from the project area.
Riverside Park would become a neighbor to the 220 Riverside project, a $30 million investment that broke ground in November at Riverside Avenue and Jackson Street. Developer Hallmark Partners is working with the help of $4.9 million in Rev Grant reimbursements on plans to build 294 residential units ranging between 600 and 1,200 square feet along with 16,500 square feet of retail space.
An adjacent public park about the size of a football field will be the adequate size to program festival-style entertainment or provide enough green space to accommodate roughly 1,000 people.
Copyright 2012 by News4Jax.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Ever wondered what island life would be like on "Lost" without the cast of characters viewers have come to know and love (or loathe)? Well, Tuesday night's episode offered a peak into that very scenario as the familiar castaways took a break and made room for a whole lot of "Lost" backstory.
Oh, sure, there were a couple of oh-so-important familiar faces, but when the tale began, they hadn't even been born.
Evidently, long before Oceanic Flight 815 crashed on the island, and ... well, long before Oceanic Airlines or strange flying machines called planes even existed, a different group of survivors shipwrecked ashore. Among them was Claudia, a pregnant woman who somehow became separated from the others.
U.S. & World
Luckily — or very unluckily, as it would soon turn out — Claudia met the island's sole inhabitant just before she went into labor. She had a lot of questions for her would-be midwife, but as if to directly address all those oh-so-curious fans who may not be satisfied in the info-bomb of answers they were about to receive, the midwife delivered this bon mot: "Every question I answer will simply lead to another question."
Ha! In other words, sit back and take the answers you're given. If they only lead to more questions, then tough noogies! And by the way, they will most certainly lead to more questions.
As for the delivery, the midwife eased Claudia through the birth of her son Jacob, as well as the unexpected arrival of a second son for whom she never picked out a name — and never would.
The midwife had her heart set on adopting the newborns, so she killed Claudia before the young woman could even hold her babes. Thus Jacob, swaddled in a light-colored cloth and the Baby in Black, swaddled in dark cloth, had a brand new, somewhat homicidal mom.
It was an appropriately dramatic start for what later turns into such dysfunctional brotherly relations. But that was still a long ways off.
As New Mom raised her sons, she treated Jacob as the good boy, the one who could never tell a lie. But it was her other son, the clever one, whom she favored. That hint meant a lot to this little family, as Mom was full of surprises.
The biggest surprise came in the form of her legacy. One day, one of her little men would have to protect the island. After the Boy in Black spied a group of men on the other side of the island, the matriarch explained the all-important role.
See, people are bad. People hurt each other. But Jacob and the Boy in Black were good and couldn't hurt each other. Why? She made it that way. How? Don't know. Tough noogies.
Mom did reveal why the island needed protecting in the first place, and it had nothing to do with corking in the forces of evil, as Jacob explained in an earlier episode. No, the island housed a bright glowing light and no one could ever be allowed to find it.
"Because a little bit of this very same light is inside every man, but they always want more," Mom said.
This would appear to be the same bright spot that Locke found so many seasons ago when he exclaimed, "I looked into the eye of the island and what I saw was beautiful." And it was.
While it would be easy to assume the Boy in Black would be Mom's top pick for island protector, future history dictates otherwise, and soon the story revealed why.
One day, while playing one of many rounds of sticks and (black and white) stones with brother Jacob, the Boy in Black had a vision. It was Claudia. She told him she was their mother and how she died. She also explained that the others on the island came from her shipwreck — as did the boys — and that their true home was off the island.
The Boy in Black relayed it all to Jacob, who didn't want to believe it. In fact, he attacked his brother for even suggesting it. Guess, Mom's "can't hurt each other" mojo doesn't always work.
Jacob became a believer soon enough when Mom confessed all. He remained by her side, but his brother went off to live with the others.
Years passed, and Jacob continued to meet the now Man in Black for their favorite sticks and stones game, but Mom kept her distance. That is until she learned that her wayward son found a way to leave the island.
She visited the Man in Black in his underground escape pit. At some point, he and his village pals discovered the island's wonky electromagnetism and built a bunker of sorts just on the other side of the glowing center. By utilizing a giant wheel (the one Ben and Locke both used much later) to combine the light with water, somehow he would be able to leave the island.
That crazy plan sounded like it just might work, so his mother knocked him out, filled his pit and killed everyone in his camp. She also handed over her island-protector status to Jacob, as long as he promised to never go into the glowing light. It was, after all, a fate worse than death.
Hey, for those expecting some sort of parallel to the biblical tale of Jacob and his twin, Esau, you just got it. The Man in Black's birthright went to Jacob.
Not that it mattered to the man who just lost everything. He had some revenge to exact. So while Jacob was off being to the new No. 1, the Man in Black killed their mom. Jacob didn't approve, and in his first act as head honcho, he threw his brother into the island's bright light.
The smoke monster erupted from one end of the light and the Man in Black's body came out the other. Again, that "can't hurt each other" thing is kind of spotty.
Devastated, Jacob laid his brother's body inside a nook within the cave they once called home. He placed their adopted mother next to Man in Black's body, along with the black and white stones from their game.
That, of course, set the stage for the skeletons of the Adam and Eve that the Oceanic gang found in the very first season.
Ree Hines appreciates the big reveals, but she'd also appreciate it if someone would go rescue Desmond. Seriously, he's still in a well! Follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/ReeHines and tell her which plot points you're waiting on.


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teardrop studs - blush and gold dipped
$25.00 On sale
Normal RRP $39 - on sale for a limited time.
My signature teardrop shape in a dainty stud.
These dainty teardrop shaped earrings are filled with a pretty Japanese print paper and set under glass. They measure 10mm x 14mm
I have hand soldered on a stainless steel post, machine tumbled and then hand patina'd for an aged vintage look to the metal.
A range of ombre colors available - I'm always up for making custom colors if you are seeking something for a specific outfit or bridesmaid jewellery.
The last picture is not the pair pictured but intended for size reference on a model.


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St. Petersburg, FL
St. Petersburg, FL
Your purchase directly benefits our Women's Ministry.
When God's people work together and give of themselves in whatever capacity we feel led, we can see miracles happen.Below are just a few ways you can get involved and help women in our community. Click here for more info.Donate Resources Volunteer
Each clay piece is made by many hands, numbered and finished with a mustard seed of faith that you pass forward. Register your piece. Share your testimony. Witness the healing. Pass it on.


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Fill in the correct verbs, paying close attention to spelling. Any spelling error will make the whole word wrong. If there are two words, there will be a space between them. ** verbs are extra credit. (Do not use "yo" in the blank for any extra credit ones.)
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DeCosters plead guilty in food safety case
An egg industry titan, his son and the Iowa company they ran have pleaded guilty to federal food safety violations stemming from a salmonella outbreak in 2010.
Austin "Jack" DeCoster and his son, Peter DeCoster, pleaded guilty Tuesday to misdemeanor charges of introducing adulterated food into interstate commerce.
A federal judge will decide later on their sentences. They could face up to a year in jail.
Their company, Quality Egg LLC, pleaded guilty to charges of bribing a U.S. Department of Agriculture inspector, selling misbranded food and introducing adulterated food into interstate commerce.
The company has agreed to pay a $6.8 million fine under a plea deal that the judge is considering.
The outbreak sickened thousands and ruined the egg production empire that DeCoster built from scratch.


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MILTON KEYNESUnit 33 Xscape, Milton KeynesBuckinghamshire, MK9 3XSMon - Sat / 10:00AM - 6:00PMSun / 11:00AM - 5:00PM01908 239396WELLINGBOROUGH1D High Street, WellingboroughNorthamptonshire, NN8 4HXMon - Sat / 09:30AM - 5:30PMWed / 9:30AM - 5:00PM01933 227837
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Unit Types Single Family
Total # Of Units 5
Byram Ridge Estates is a new subdivision located in Armonk, New York. Built by respected, local builder, each residence features open floor plans and a pool site.
The featured residence, 58 Byram Ridge Road, will be ready for occupancy in 2018. This four bedroom Colonial is sited with a stately elegant approach, boasts 10 ft ceilings, an open layout and office/bedroom on the first floor. A private Master bedroom suite with two walk-in-closets features 9 ft ceilings. Three more bedrooms, two additional bathrooms and a bonus/guest room complete the second floor. The lower level will be finished with a full bathroom.
Byram Ridge Estates is a mile from Armonk Square for shopping, dining, close to Rt 684, Metro North and Westchester airport.
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Education of Book Conservators
Recently, we've been posting our thoughts on the future of the book. Check out this blog post from Jeff Peachey outlining the 2011 Annual Meeting of the Book and Paper Group, Library Collections Conservation Discussion Group, and the Models for Educating Library and Archives Conservators. Held last Thursday, the panel of representatives from three art conservation programs including Margaret Holben Ellis, New York University Institute of Fine Arts and the Morgan Library and Museum, Lois Price, the University of Delaware—Winterthur, and Judy Walsh, Buffalo State, discussed the future of the book through their ideas on the education of future book conservators. The panel discussed new education programs, curriculum, and opportunities various organizations are offering to facilitate and encourage those interested in becoming book and library conservators.
Click here to read more!


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Check out the latest RPG news | Podcasts | Twitch Streams
I still want a Vita. Seeing my brother having it, but never playing it makes me childishly jealous. But I still got my good ol' PSP.
I remember reading that the AC4 people thought Asia was too boring, even though they could've set it around one of the China/Japan disputes, had pirates and actual assassins (ninjas) but still have naval battles since people liked those a lot.I'd like to see them do the French revolution since their main studio is french canadian.
Every time someone links this "character" my wish for it to die in fire grows.
"PlayStation 4, like PlayStation 3, PS Vita, and PSP before it, will not be region-locked.Sony Computer Entertainment public relations confirmed the information to Brad Douglas, who works at Sony Japan."SCEI PR tells me 'no region locking'," he said on Twitter.PlayStation 4 is due out this holiday for $399."Source: Gematsu
Apparently the PS4 camera is not included and costs $59. I guess that's part of the reason they were able to hit that $399 price point. Oh well, still cheaper than the Xbox One even with the camera and this way if you don't want it...you don't have to get it.The funny thing is they haven't shown off a single game that actually uses it yet...
yosp: "And yes, PS4's HDD is upgradable like PS3 <3" -- Twitter
Asia too boring? They don't have an equally long and interesting history as the West no sirree it's all Samurai and uh, Emperors over there. Seriously, that is bullshit. You have Zheng He and the treasure fleets which gives access to all of Indo-China. You have England meeting China or America opening up Japan with the Blackships which has that West meets East thing. And then you'd still have ships and it could be about the Assassin's trying to establish connections in Japan since the East is mostly Templar. You have the Boxer rebellion with interesting politicking going on. You have Japans invasion of Korea. You could have the other important artifacts that they seem to have forgot about and set it earlier than the first AC and then you have access to anything. Well that was a rant, but yeah I asked for the French Revolution when I heard AC3 was going to be further in the future than the others. It is much more interesting than the American Revolution. Plus they ruined their chance to have the Battle of Montreal in AC3 so clearly they don't care.


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North Americans are creating outdoor spaces to enjoy good times with family and friends. People power up to keep their property in beautiful shape. That's why it's important to be safe when using any type of outdoor power equipment. Whether you are a new or existing owner, it is vital that you know and review the safety rules for the equipment you're using at the beginning of each season.
Lawn Mower Safety
North Americans enjoy their backyards and good times with the family and friends. From lawn mowers to weed trimmers, people power up to keep their lawns in beautiful shape. That's why it is vital people know the rules of their lawn - how to use outdoor power equipment responsibly, especially riding lawn mowers.
Snow Thrower Safety
MTD Products wants you and your family to be safe using snow throwers. New and existing owners of snow throwers realize how this piece of powered equipment can assist in rapid snow removal. You and your family should review our safe snow throwing suggestions at the beginning of each snow season.


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No announcement yet.
Looking to set up Energy Drink Bar
new posts
Looking to set up Energy Drink BarFirst of all please excuse me if this is an inappropriate place to post this thread. I am new to these boards and I apologize in advance for that
I am starting an all ages music venue in Northwest Arkansas (specifically Springdale) where the sale of alcohol is not permitted in the building. That is not a big deal though because my target audience is junior high/ high school kids.
As I'm sure you all know, that age group breaths energy drinks. I am looking sell all kinds of energy drinks at my shows but don't want go to to Sam's Club to pick up the 24 pack of the 3 brands they have.
I can move a large volume of drinks and am willing to put up advertisiments for the energy drink companies. Is my best option to try to work out a deal with a distributor? If so, how would I go about doing that?
Thank you for your help, everyone!
From my experience, energy drink sponsorship of a business is few and far between. It is purely a numbers game, i.e. how many people will see their product compared to other marketing venues. Plus if for some reason you were the perfect fit, the energy drink company might ask to be an exclusive, and that doesn't sound like something you would want.
You can buy drinks from distributors and sometimes direct if there is not a distributor available. If you visit the website of a particular energy drink there is a good chance you can find their list of distributors, or if you contact them they can tell you the best option.
From the perspective of a small company like ours with low margins, the big trick is going to be the shipping. As an example, a case of RootJack weighs approximately 33 lbs. That is a pretty hefty thing to ship Many times the only way to get a decent price on shipping is to buy larger quantities like a full pallet (~60 cases). That is why it can be far more convenient to buy from a distributor since they are taking the bulk purchase hit, and you only need buy the number of cases you need at the time.
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I was hoping that if I allow the companies to advertise they would give me a better deal on the product, right?
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stock up on
Monster and Red Bull for the most part. Teens seem drawn to these brands because it is "Cool" A few might want to be adventurous but most will not.
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The best thing to do is talk to the companies, my question to you is how are you going to benefit from it if you are promoting their products and not recieving anything in return besides you bringing more business to them.
Matrix Juice
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If you could play a video game with any celebrity, who would it be? A recent survey conducted by Weekly Reader Research reveals that boys aged 8-17 want to get their game on with President Obama. Who did girls pick?
President Barack Obama better start boning up on his Wii Bowling skills. The survey, commissioned by video game retailer Game Crazy, polled 1,005 boys and girls between the ages of 8 and 17, asking them what celebrity they'd like to take on in a video game battle. President Obama took the top spot in the boys' list, with 25% of male respondents choosing him as their ideal opponent. The President triumphed over New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, who scored 14% of the vote, as well as actor Seth Rogen, aquaman Michael Phelps, and the Jonas Brothers, each tied for third place with 12%.
The President didn't fare quite as well with females, taking second place with 13%, losing to Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers, both garnering 23% of the vote. Lady Gaga took third with 9%, while Tomb Raider Angelina Jolie brought up the rear with 7%. I've an odd feeling that Angelina would have scored much higher with the 18-35 year-old male demographic.
The survey also asked kids which famous rivalries they'd like to see settled by video game competitions. 43% of boys picked the NBA's LeBron James versus Kobe Bryant, while 34% of girls played the Twilight card, calling for a duel between Edward Cullen and Jacob Black for Belle's love, proving once again that there is something seriously wrong with the majority of girls aged 8-17.


text: For use in the exciting "Skill Stop" electronic slot machines, this is a refill of 300 tokens. Solid stamped metal, these tokens feature various designs and are about the size of a United States quarter. 24mm Hit the jackpot and listen to hundreds of these tokens chime in the money collector!


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Gail Roper replaces former CIO Pete Collins in Austin.
Gail Roper, a past recipient of Government Technology's Top 25 Doers, Dreamers and Drivers award, has been named the CIO of Austin, Texas, the city announced Jan. 7.
Roper is currently the CIO of Raleigh, N.C., and will begin her job in Austin on Feb 17.
Roper formerly worked as an information technology division manager for Austin in the 1990s. She has worked for more than 25 years' experience in the public and private sectors in information systems management. She was also the CIO of Kansas City, Mo.
"In some ways, I feel I've come full circle in my career. I'm still very interested in how technology can enable people to do their jobs better, be more informed and have information that aids in their quality of life. And the development of the Internet creates even more opportunities to add value," Roper wrote last year in an essay in Government Technology's Public CIO magazine
Roper is the permanent replacement for former Austin CIO Pete Collins, who resigned in August 2008 amid an administrative review of improper use of city resources.
"Roper understands new technologies and how those may be applied to the city's business of serving its citizens," City Manager Marc Ott said in a press release. "She brings leadership and innovation to enhancing customer services."


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A Chicago man was charged Tuesday with aggravated domestic battery after posting a photo on his wall of his one-year-old daughter bound with duct tape and a caption reading, "This is wut happens wen my baby hits me back. ;)"
Andre Curry, 21, was charged after someone reported the photo on Dec. 14. The photo, which has been distributed on various websites and The Smoking Gun, showed the toddler on the floor with her ankles and wrists bound with duct tape, and another piece covering her mouth. The photo appeared on Curry's Facebook profile and has since been taken down, but it was unknown if it was by Facebook or Curry, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
The Department of Child and Family Services is also investigating allegations of abuse, according to police.
U.S. & World
News from around the country and around the globe
A Facebook friend of Curry told The Smoking Gun that Curry was just "playing around" and wouldn't harm anyone.
Obviously "playing around" can mean something very different to several people, but it shouldn't mean duct-taping a toddler. Worse, Curry seemed to think it was entertaining to place such a photo on Facebook for the world to see. We're just happy that at least it makes it easier to report child abuse.


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Archive for the '.NET' Category
TF#I Friday #7 Part 2 : In which it still isn't Friday
Looking at how to call F# from C#, I thought I should share this link. I have 2 projects in one solution (one in F# and one in C#.) The C# project (a console application) references the F# project (a library) and that works. Doesn't do anything useful yet, but one step at a time…
TF#I Friday #7 : In which it isn't really Friday but there is some F#
After my simple start to an anagram solver in C#, I have a simple equivalent in F#:
let generateKey (chars : char[]) = new string(chars)
let lookup = words |> Seq.groupBy(fun x -> generateKey(x.ToCharArray() |> Array.sort))
The lookup function expects a list of strings. It works – although I've only tried it with fairly short lists of words. Next exercise is to try calling this (or something like it) from C#.
TF#I Friday #6 : In which I write no F# at all
I've been spending a little time recently writing a simple Windows Phone 7 app and I've been impressed with how easy it has been. I've been thinking of writing an anagram solver as an exercise in F# – and it might make for another simple phone app – so I thought I'd start with a few simple steps.
The first step is to try (part of) a potential solution – given a list of words, group the words by the constituent letters (so that, for instance, horse and shore would be grouped together.) That way, I won't have to try every single combination of letters and compare against a list of words. My intention this week was to write a simple program in C# to do this. Here's the method that does the work:
private Dictionary<string, List<string>> ProcessWordList(string[] words)
Dictionary<string, List<string>> result = new Dictionary<string, List<string>>();
foreach (string word in words)
IOrderedEnumerable<char> ordered = from char a in word.ToCharArray()
orderby a
select a;
string orderedString = new string(ordered.ToArray());
if (result.ContainsKey(orderedString))
List<string> list = new List<string>();
result.Add(orderedString, list);
return result;
Next exercise is either to extend the program towards solving anagrams or to write the method above in F#.
TF#I Friday #5 : In which I return to C# for a bit
In my last post I counted some words using F#, which turned out to require a single, simple line of F#. When I'd done the same thing before in C# i had iterated over the words and kept a count as I went, which is a typically imperative approach. So, I wondered if you could apply the functional approach to C# – perhaps using LINQ. Turns out you can.
Firstly, it's helpful to have some words to count. Here's a simple approach:
string test = "The cat sat on the mat.";
string[] words = test.Split(' ');
(In F# I populated a list of words directly, so there's an extra line of C# here – largely because I started with my previous C# code.) Right, now to the counting in one line:
var result = from word in words
let strippedWord = StripPunctuation(word).ToLower()
where strippedWord.Length > 0
group word by strippedWord into grouped
select new { Word = grouped.Key, Count = grouped.Count() };
You may have noticed a call to StripPunctuation – a utility function I had in my previous C# code. Here it is (declared static as I was running it in a console application:
private static string StripPunctuation(string word)
string result = word;
if (result.Length > 0)
if (char.IsPunctuation(result[0]))
result = result.TrimStart(result[0]);
if (result.Length > 0)
if (char.IsPunctuation(result[result.Length - 1]))
result = result.TrimEnd(result[result.Length - 1]);
return result;
And now, with a little sprinkling of dynamic capability, outputting the results to the console:
foreach (dynamic entry in result)
Console.WriteLine("{0}\t{1}", entry.Word, entry.Count);
So it is possible to apply the more functional approach courtesy of LINQ, although there's still more code than I had in F#. The C# is doing a couple of extra things (it strips out punctuation and is case insensitive) – but the point isn't really the comparison between the two examples so much as the fact that by grasping some functional concepts can result in a change to your C# – which is a good reason to learn some F#.
TF#I Friday #4 : In which I count some words
For a recent MSDN Flash article I wrote some simple code to calculate word frequency in C#. As I get to grips with F#, I'm learning that the most rewarding but also the most difficult aspect is to think in a more functional way. To count words in an imperative style (as I did in my C# example) I would iterate through a collection of words and keep a running count. And, of course, you could write code in F# to do that. But what would be the point? How about approaching it in a different fashion? So, with those questions in mind, I fired up Visual Studio and went about trying to bend my brain into a more F# like shape. One of the things I like about F# is F# Interactive – a REPL which makes trying out and learning F# (as well as prototyping) easy – so that was where I started. First thing I needed to do was to create a list of words (since at this stage I'm concerned simply with calculating frequency and not reading files or strings.) It's fairly simple to do that in F#:
let words = ["the"; "cat"; "sat"; "on"; "the"; "mat"];;
(the double semicolons are signal to F# Interactive the completion of a statement.) After reading a bit about processing sequences in F#, I spotted that there is a function to count elements in a list – it can easily be used against the whole list like this:
let count = words |> Seq.countBy(fun x -> x);;
The countBy function takes a function to generate a key – in this case we can use each individual word. To see if that has worked, we can print out the contents of the result:
printfn "%A" count;;
And in this case, I got the following result:
seq [("the", 2); ("cat", 1); ("sat", 1); ("on", 1); …]
val it : unit = ()
Which means it worked as intended. There's work to be done to make it the equivalent of the C# code, but the core counting is implemented in one line of code.
TF#I Friday #3 : Still getting started
After mentioning in my last post that my initial exposure to F# was negative, I've just had a similar reaction looking around the web. I think that's because there's two things to learn – the functional paradigm and a new syntax – and many of he posts out there assume that you're familiar with at least one of the two. Which is why of the two books I mentioned before, I prefer Functional Programming – it gives examples in both C# and F#, which means you can separate the paradigm from the syntax and still learn about both.
TF#I Friday #2 : Getting started
My initial introduction to F# was effective. Unfortunately, the effect it had was to convince me that I should never learn F#. And so I stayed away from the language for a couple of years until its inclusion in Visual Studio 2010 reawakened my interest. I'm glad I've gone back to learning about F#, but it does make you realise that the first few minutes with a new language or technology are crucial.
So, this time around, I decided to go back to my tried and trusted method which consists simply of reading and experimenting. In support of which I bought a couple of books: Programming F# and Functional Programming. Other books are available. As for online resources, I tend to read articles that are suggested via the maelstrom of near real time social online noise-makers or search for relevant stuff. However, there's a few links worth noting as good starting places:
Of course, you'll find your own places and resources as I'm sure I will as the journey continues.


text:
Having spent a little time in the chest pain unit of the hospital not too long ago, I've been losing some weight. And after tonight's practice it sort of hit me that zazen seems a little easier in a way now.
This thing we do is in large part a physical discipline, so it makes sense that being less obese might be helpful. Anyone have thoughts either way on this?


text:
March 15th, 2013. Arkansas raw milk bill fails before House panel. The Associated Press.
"A proposal to allow Arkansas farmers to sell unpasteurized milk failed to clear a House committee Friday.
Lawmakers on the House Agriculture Committee voted 9-8 against the bill, which would have permitted the sale of "raw" goat and cow milk at the farms where it's produced. Farmers would have been allowed to sell up to 500 gallons per month on average.
Supporters of the measure included conservative lawmakers interested in reducing government regulation on farmers and food enthusiasts who said they wanted access to locally produced and, in their view, better-tasting milk.
Rep. Randy Alexander, R-Fayetteville, said government should not stand in the way of farmers wanting to sell the raw milk they produce. He said any safety concerns were minimal.
"Safety's not the only question or, in my mind, even the most important question that we have to consider here," Alexander said. "In my view, diluting the God-given freedom of our people is what constitutes an unacceptable risk. That erosion of our rights is clear and present danger to our citizens and even to our way of life."
Lee Richardson, an award-winning Little Rock chef, told lawmakers that it is important to allow the sale of raw milk on farms to promote locally produced food.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not allow the sale of unpasteurized milk across state lines, but as of last year, at least 30 states have allowed the practice within their own borders, according to the National Conference for State Legislatures. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tells consumers to avoid raw milk because it can carry harmful bacteria and other germs.
Opponents of the measure echoed those concerns at the hearing Friday.
"There is little question in my mind that drinking raw milk is risky," said Dr. Glen Baker, a former University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences professor who directs the state's Public Health Laboratory. "There is no question that pathogenic organisms are present in raw milk and that they are removed partially or completely destroyed by pasteurization."
Mike Flagg, the general manager of Highland Dairy in Little Rock who serves on the Milk Stabilization Board, said if raw milk were legalized and a consumer became sick, the incident would result in negative publicity for all milk producers.
"Accidents will happen," he said. "We're afraid this is going to hurt the dairy industry."
Alexander, the bill's sponsor, said after Friday's vote that he planned to ask the committee to consider the measure again before the end of the session. He said he wasn't sure if he would make any changes to the proposal."
March 16, 2013. Why Did Raw Milk Curdle in House Committee? Nic Horton, thearkansasproject.com
"Before the bill was defeated on a roll call vote, it was ruled passed on a voice vote by Vice Chair Rep. Nate Steel. What happened?
Rep. Bob Ballinger, a freshman, conservative legislator from Hindsville, requested a roll call vote and it was seconded. But Rep. Ballinger has already proven himself to be a friend of liberty in the Arkansas House. Why did he request a roll call vote and leave the bill vulnerable to defeat? In a brief interview with The Arkansas Project, Ballinger said it was simply a mistake:
"The bill passed on a voice vote and I thought I heard the chair rule that the nays had it. What I thought was to help the bill I called for a roll call. I was mistaken and the roll call vote did not have enough votes to pass the bill. I made a big mistake, when I thought I was helping my friend Rep. Alexander and a good bill. According to Rep. Alexander, he is bringing the bill back to be heard again."
Rest of the article is available to read here: http://www.thearkansasproject.com/why-did-raw-milk-curdle-in-house-committee/


text:
via press release:
Network Posts Week-to-Week Growth
"Criminal Minds" Is the Night's Top Drama and Up Over Last Week in Viewers and Adults 18-49
The Penultimate Episode of "Survivor: Philippines" Sweeps Time Period in Viewers, Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49
"CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" Places First in Viewers and Demos at 10:00 PM
CBS won Wednesday in viewers and key demographics as CRIMINAL MINDS posted week-to-week growth in viewers and adults 18-49 and SURVIVOR and CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION both swept their time periods, according to Nielsen preliminary live plus same day ratings for Dec. 12.
SURVIVOR: PHILIPPINES was first in households (6.3/10), viewers (10.21m), adults 25-54 (3.8/10) and adults 18-49 (2.8/08). The two-hour SURVIVOR: PHILIPPINES finale will be broadcast Sunday (8:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT), followed by the reunion show hosted by Jeff Probst.
CRIMINAL MINDS was first in households (7.4/11) and viewers (11.92m) and was second in adults 25-54 (3.8/09, -0.1 behind ABC) and adults 18-49 (3.1/08, -0.1 behind ABC). Compared to last week, CRIMINAL MINDS was up +4% in households (from 7.1/11), +3% in adults 18-49 (from 3.0/08) and added +590,000 viewers (from 11.33m, +5%).
At 10:00 PM, CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION was first in households (6.1/10), viewers (9.52m), adults 25-54 (2.9/07) and adults 18-49 (2.2/08).
For the night, CBS was first in households (6.6/10), viewers (10.55m), adults 25-54 (3.5/07) and adults 18-49 (2.7/07). CBS won Wednesday for the 10th time in 12 weeks, winning for the fifth time in six weeks in adults 25-54 and the third time in four weeks in adults 18-49.
Compared to last week, CBS was up +16% in viewers, +8% in adults 18-49 and +6% in adults 25-54.
Updated Wednesday ratings will be available later today.


text:
Elahi pleads guilty in Chew murder
Eighteen-year-old Idris Elahi pleaded guilty Wednesday to fatally stabbing Matthew Chew on a New London street in October 2010, a crime that shocked the community because it appeared motivated only by teenage boredom.
Elahi, deemed by the state to be the main player in the random jumping and killing of Chew, a 25-year-old artist and pizza cook, is the first of six teenagers to resolve his criminal case in New London Superior Court.
Elahi pleaded guilty to murder and will be sentenced on May 23 to 35 years in prison, 25 of which are mandatory under state law. He had faced up to 60 years in prison if he was convicted at trial.
His parents, Damita and Muneer Elahi, and several family members were in the courtroom when he was brought out in his green prison jumpsuit to face the judge Wednesday. His mother, who was allowed to stand with him during his initial court appearances because he was only 17, now had to watch from the gallery as her son admitted he is guilty of murder.
Chew's parents, Marilyn and Rick Chew, live in California and were not in the courtroom to hear Elahi say he had killed their son. Prosecutor Stephen M. Carney and victim advocate Beth Ann Hess had discussed the state's plea offer with family members.
"I am not in a position to state that the family endorses the agreement," Carney said. "In fact, quite the opposite."
Chew's mother, who could not be reached to comment Wednesday, said in a recent email to The Day that she and her husband were aware of the way the case was progressing and may be in Connecticut this spring. Chew's family members will have the option of addressing the court at Elahi's sentencing.
Elahi pleaded guilty under the Alford Doctrine because he disagrees with the state's contention that he intentionally murdered Chew. However, defense attorney Bruce A. McIntyre said Elahi understands the state had enough information to prove intent at a trial.
Elahi and five other local teenagers went out that night looking to jump somebody because they were bored, according to earlier court testimony. Chew, who grew up in Ledyard, had moved to New London and established himself as a member of the city's arts community. He worked as a pizza cook at 2Wives restaurant and deejayed at local nightclubs. He was walking home from work on Huntington Street on Oct. 29, 2010, when he was accosted by Elahi and five others, according to court testimony.
Shaun Smalley, who was walking in the area, had found Chew lying in the street and called 911. Chew was able to tell Smalley he had been jumped and stabbed but lost consciousness and succumbed to his wounds several hours later at Yale-New Haven Hospital.
New London police launched an intensive investigation and within a month arrested six teens: Elahi, Marquis Singleton, Brian Rabell, Matias Perry, Rahshad Perry and Tyree Bundy.
According to testimony at an earlier hearing in the case, the teens had gathered at Elahi's house on Home Street at 8 or 9 p.m. that night. Elahi's bedroom was on the third floor and had a separate entrance.
Something they saw on TV got them "hyped," and they decided to go out and jump a random victim. Rahshad Perry dared Elahi to stab somebody, and the two gave each other "dap," a type of handshake, according to testimony.
The group headed downtown in search of a victim, giving up on the first man they chose when he got into his car. They spotted Chew wearing a tan baseball cap and walking alone on Huntington Street. Chew lived less than a tenth of a mile away from 2Wives on Washington Street. The teens split up in case Chew attempted to run. Matias Perry asked him if he had a lighter, then hit Chew in the face when Chew reached into his pocket, according to testimony.
The others joined in the attack. Chew attempted to break loose and run away and asked why he was being attacked, according to the teens' testimony. They said Elahi ran up and started striking Chew in the abdomen. He then handed the knife off to one of the others.
In the courtroom Wednesday, Judge Patrick J. Clifford asked Elahi a series of questions to ensure that he understood he was giving up his right to a trial. Elahi, who several months ago started wearing dark-framed glasses to his court appearances, held his hand over his mouth for much of the proceeding but stood tall and answered, "Yes, sir," and "No, sir" at the appropriate times.
"At a trial, the state would have had to prove that with the intent to cause the death of another person, you caused the death of another person," Clifford explained.
Though Elahi disputes that intent, he conceded that he probably would have been convicted if he went to trial. Now that his case has been resolved, the state will attempt to negotiate plea agreements with the other defendants, all of whom remain incarcerated.
The police had initially said Singleton also had stabbed Chew. Carney said he could not comment on whether the state would pursue that charge or would treat him, like the others, as an accessory to Chew's murder.
Matthew Chew murder timeline
Oct. 29. 2010: Matthew C. Chew, 25, an artist, DJ and cook who grew up in Ledyard and moved to New London as a young adult, is fatally stabbed as he walks home from his job at 2Wives restaurant on Huntington Street.
Oct. 30, 2010: Friends of Matthew Chew who had been planning to attend his Halloween party find themselves instead at a vigil in his memory.
Nov. 1, 2010: The state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner says that Chew died as a result of multiple stab wounds and deems his death a homicide.
Nov. 5, 2010: Friends and family of Chew gather in the sanctuary of All Souls Unitarian Universalist Congregation to mourn his death and celebrate his life. Chew was buried earlier in the day at Dean Cemetery in Canterbury.
Dec. 1, 2010: Six teens, Idris Elahi, Marquis Singleton, Brian Rabell, Matias Perry, Rahshad Perry and Tyree Bundy, are arraigned in the Matthew Chew murder case.
Dec. 13, 2010: Idris Elahi makes his first appearance in the New London court where major crimes are heard.
Jan. 5, 2011: The New London Anti-Violence group and Citizens on Patrol hold their second joint anti-crime walk, passing by the corner of Huntington and Washington, where Chew had been stabbed.
Jan. 10, 2011: Chew's voice is heard on a 911 call the night he was murdered, with Chew relaying that he had been jumped and stabbed, according to an arrest warrant affidavit unsealed.
Feb. 18, 2011: Six New London teenagers were sitting around playing Xbox and watching a cop show on television on the last Friday in October when they decided to go out and jump somebody, according to details revealed in a probable causing hearing
Feb. 28, 2011: Judge Patrick J. Clifford rules that the state has presented enough evidence to prosecute Elahi for murder. Elahi has been charged with fatally stabbing Chew with a folding knife.
Oct. 30, 2011: Friends, family and community members gather at Bean & Leaf coffee shop to remember Chew. His friends show up in costume as a tribute to Chew's love of Halloween.
Jan. 18, 2012: Elahi receives an offer from the state that would include him pleading guilty to the stabbing death of Chew in exchange for a sentence of 35 years in prison.
Feb. 22, 2012: Elahi pleads guilty to murdering Matthew Chew and will be sentenced May 23 to 35 years in prison.
Keselowski wins Coca-Cola 60012:42 am
UPDATED: Three hurt in crash involving two motorcycles in Groton
Millstone's positive COVID-19 cases include control room operators


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Blackness Castle
See for yourself why this mighty fortress is known as 'the ship that never sailed' – with its pointed stem, square stern and tall mast.
Bothwell Castle
Delve into a site that saw a great deal of action during the Wars of Independence with England. Bothwell Castle, built on a grand scale in the late 1200s, was hotly fought over.
Craigmillar Castle
Step inside Edinburgh's 'other castle', once a rural retreat from Scotland's capital.
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Discover the last of the grand medieval castles, set high on a cliff edge and featuring a massive curtain wall.


text:
Mexican Tacos With Homemade Seasoning
Please refer here.
(1) arrange taco shells into a standing position.
(2) for base, place in cabbage coleslaw.
(3) then add on taco fillings, tomato cubes and shredded parmesan cheese.
Ingredients for tacos seasoning :
3 tspn chili powder
1 tspn paprika powder
1 tspn coriander powder
1 tspn cumin powder
1/2 tspn cayenne pepper
1/2 tspn oregano powder
1 tspn garlic powder
1 tspn onion powder (optional)
1 tspn salt
1 tbsp maize flour (corn flour)
2 tspn brown sugar
(combine all ingredients and mix well)


text:
Red Hat released updated openoffice.org packages to correct a security issue are now available for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.
OpenOffice.org is an office productivity suite that includes desktop applications such as a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation manager, formula editor, and drawing program.
Sean Larsson found a heap overflow flaw in the OpenOffice memory allocator. If a carefully crafted file was opened by a victim, an attacker could use the flaw to crash OpenOffice.org or, possibly, execute arbitrary code.
It was discovered that certain libraries in the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3 and 4 openoffice.org packages had an insecure relative RPATH (runtime library search path) set in the ELF (Executable and Linking Format) header. A local user able to convince another user to run OpenOffice in an attacker-controlled directory, could run arbitrary code with the privileges of the victim.
All users of openoffice.org are advised to upgrade to these updated packages, which contain backported fixes which correct these issues.
How do I patch openoffice.org productivity suite ?
Simply type the following command at a shell prompt:
# yum update


text:
A venue with a ballroom can be a perfect choice for your wedding. There are different wedding venues with a ballroom to choose from in Idaho. Ballrooms can offer a very sophisticated setting to celebrate the beginning of your married life. The good news is that there are 15 in Idaho.
There are several advantages to hosting your wedding in a ballroom setting. The space and set up of a ballroom can make it perfect to have a dance party. A ballroom can take away a lot of the stress when planning your wedding since you won't need to worry about the weather in any way. Holding your wedding reception in a ballroom can make you wedding very special, as ballrooms might not be a setting that you and your guests are used to.
Every wedding venue with a ballroom is different and our database is based on the data entered by the vendor. Please confirm all the details directly with the vendor before making a decision.


text:
Preschool: 15 in 1 Kids Pack
15 IN ONE! - Incredible value! Must have for all kids.. Ranked 2 in USA appstore, Ranked 1 in more than 10 countries, Ranked 3 in Australia, ranked 4 in UK and so on.... 100% rating (5/5) ------ Review ------- *****kidsbestipadapps.com rated this app 4/5 and said "For the preschooler who likes a variety of simple, fun activities, "Preschool: 15 in 1 Kids Pack" is an app that will keep them busy and make them happy. The activities include drawing, writing letters and numbers, identifying animals and playing games like matching and hangman, and all are done using colorful graphics and animation." ***** ------------------------ What a fantastic app! As a mom of a 3 yr old and a 6 yr old, I love it because they can both use it and it's full of great games and educational stuff. "Belinda Hollander " Used by several preschools in US for education ***** FEATURES ***** - 15 apps to learn - Kids under 2-7 age groups - Dozens of sounds and voice recordings of animals, letters, numbers, colors, and more. - 100 words to learn and play using them. - Learn to write the alphabets and number - Alphabets and numbers sound identification. - Two games to play: Memory match and Hangman. - Addition, subtraction, division and multiplication test - Learn to draw freely. - Sketching - More than 50 animals sounds - Days of the week - Months of the year ------------------- Customer's Review ------------------- "My daughter loves it. It's the only game she plays now" A.Sharif "My first review to express the joy i get after looking at my 3 year old daughter It has been a week now and she cant enough of this app Loves animal sounds, learns word, alphabets, draw and play too, maths is still difficult for her. I see my first word app on appstore of 1.99 to 4.99$ and this app give much more than that at unbelievable price" Learn Alphabets - A to Z with the 3 words for each alphabet having voice. Learn to write alphabets with choice for color, voice for alphabets and the word for each. Preschool is a powerful educational tool for the toddlers, approved by teachers, parents and toddlers; it's a great tool for learning that help kids to explore different words, letter, animals, sounds, colors, etc in a funny and exciting way. It provides hours of fun, laughter and learning. Toddlers can play and learn without the need for any extra help Join Preschool for learning ABCs, 123s, animal's sound, sketch, words, math, colors, shapes and two challenging games (Hangman & Match 2) and more! ***** 15 Games/Apps ***** - Learn Alphabets: A to Z with the 3 words for each alphabet having voice. - Learn Number: Kids learn about number with pictures - Learn to write alphabets and number with choice for color, voice for alphabets and the word for each. - Animal Kingdom: More than 50 animals sound, redesigned for kids to have more fun and learn which animal makes the sound -Drag and match all jumbled alphabets and numbers, learn to recognize and spell each while you drag and play with it. - FIRST WORDS: More than 100 words now. Look at the picture and try to name by dragging the letters into their specific place. Learn to identify and match letters to make words. - MATHS. This is toughest exam for your kids. Manage to solve the quiz based on addition, subtraction, division and multiplication. Get your kids score card at the end of the exam. - SKECTH BOOK: Every kids delight is to draw or sketch. Choose out of variety of brush sizes to draw, six fun images to color it, Select any image from the photos library to paint, Save the photos which your kids make in your photo library. - HANGMAN, MATCH 2, FUN EXAM are three games Please feel free to contact us with any questions/feedback. Advice us to make this application better and we promise that we will keep updating it according to your feedback. firstname.lastname@example.com more +
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You are currently browsing the tag archive for the 'Intel' tag.
VMmark is a virtualization throughput benchmark developed by VMware to test its products' performance on compatible hardware configurations. Its job is to stress the CPU/memory subsystem of a server hosting virtual machines and index its performance at its maximum acceptable workload. Vendors document VMmark tests with VMware products (normally ESX) on a given hardware/software configuration and submit the results to VMware, who publishes them on a web site.
VMmark came out of beta with version 1.0 in July 2007. To date, Dell, HP, IBM, and Sun have submitted results that have been published by VMware. The results cover the AMD Opteron and Intel Xeon server platforms, which all four server vendors now provide to varying degrees. It's been a useful resource for me, since the competition between AMD and Intel the last few years has resulted in each vendor taking turns leading in virtualization performance in the 2-socket and 4-socket x86 server spaces. Regardless of which vendor submits a VMmark result for a particular processor/memory/chipset combination, the result can usually be inferred to be similar to what would be obtained on another vendor's implementation of that combination. Based on a recent conversation I had with HP, they expect that customers will make that inference. I had approached them twice about HP's lack of up-to-date VMmark results for their flagship virtualization platforms, and was told that they hadn't submitted recent benchmarks due to their reluctance to publish results with non-production VMware ESX builds and/or hardware that wasn't yet available to customers. Because other vendors were publishing results on current or upcoming platforms sooner, HP apparently didn't see much return on going though the trouble and cost of performing and documenting VMmarks on their implemenation of similar platforms.
Note that when I described VMmark, I mentioned compatible, not supported, hardware configurations; that's because VMware has published results from vendors that used pre-release, unsupported software and/or hardware. I think this is the most likely reason Dell was the first to release a quad-core-Opteron-based VMmark. If you look at the disclosure for that submission, you'll see that it was run on a PowerEdge R905 with 2.5GHz quad-core Opterons (model 8360 SE), a processor model that isn't available for purchase in that server today. The fastest available R905 today has model 8356 (2.3GHz) processors. Dell's submitted results for their PowerEdge R900 with Xeon 7350 processors used a beta version of VMware ESX Server v3.5, build 62773, and was tested on November 16, 2007: a few weeks before the production release of ESX 3.5, build 64607, on December 10th. In fact, of the 16 total VMmark results published as of today, the only vendor who submitted results with hardware or software unavailable at the time of publishing is Dell.
To better reflect the version and status of hardware and software used to obtain the published results, I think VMware should:
- refuse to publish results that use pre-release hardware and/or software
- clearly state the availability and/or versions of the tested hardware and software in the system descriptions on the results page
That would allow customers like me to better determine the veracity of a published score without having to be a detective. As VMmark evolves and future SPEC-sanctioned virtualization benchmarks come to market, it would be nice to be able to see more, relevant benchmarks from more vendors rather than gamed, dubious benchmarks from a few.