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The anaerobic bacteria that cause bad breath feast on the amino acids cysteine and methionine (the building blocks of the proteins that are found in mucus, phlegm, and dairy foods). In fact, many people notice that when they drink too much milk or eat too much cheese they end up with more mucus/phlegm in their throat. This is a natural reaction for many people and unfortunately, ends up causing more bad breath and awful tastes.
If you still have your tonsils, you may be harboring a higher number of the bacteria which can lead to a very misunderstood phenomenon called tonsilloliths. They are tonsil stones produced by the conglomeration of mucus draining down the back of the throat and the volatile sulfur compounds created by the bacteria which easily end up in the nooks and crannies of the tonsils every time one swallows. Countless times my patients told me that their dentists misdiagnosed these and told them that these were merely food particles. This couldn't be further from the truth! For more information, see our article about Tonsil Stones. If you suffer from excess mucus, sinus congestion and post nasal drip there are essentially only a few different routes that you can take: 1. Use medication and or drugs to dry up the sinuses and prevent mucus buildup - all the while being careful to avoid a dry mouth, a likely side-effect of virtually all antihistamines. Dry mouth is the most common initiator of bad breath because it mimics an anaerobic environment, perfect for the bacteria to pump out volatile sulfur compounds. You should be careful about using any antihistamine frequently - many are habit forming! 2. Use nasal/sinus drops. By squeezing 3-4 drops into each nostril (and then lightly inhaling to move the potent formula through the sinuses) twice daily, most people can finally experience that fresh breath and taste feeling by eliminating the production of sulfur compounds created by the reaction of mucus and the anaerobic sulfur producing bacteria. 3. For chronic sinus problems, many patients will find relief by using an effective nasal-sinus irrigator, designed by an Ear Nose & Throat specialist) to flush the sinuses. 4. Minimize the amount of post-nasal drip in your throat and sinuses, and address the #1 side effect of excess mucus, bad breath, by using oxygenating oral care products. Other medication and drugs may help prevent post-nasal drip, but at what cost?
There are dozens of different over-the counter nasal decongestants and antihistamines that you can use to help relieve congestion and dry up excess mucus. Some of them do what their manufacturers claim they can do, but most of them perform the job too well! They create an extremely dry mouth, which exacerbates bad breath. Even in cases where the dry mouth side effect is minimal, when you stop taking that medication, the problem often comes back even worse! This is because in some cases your body will actually develop a resistance to any antihistamines or nasal decongestants, especially nasal sprays (but not all of them--TheraBreath isn't)!
The solution to the problem is to use a Nasal-Irrigator.
Nasal Irrigation is probably the most effective method of eliminating post-nasal drip and helping to control sinus infections. The unique pulsatile irrigation helps to restore ciliary function and relieve post nasal drip. A short period of regular use can stimulate the cilia (the tiny hair-like fibers in the nasal sinus passages) to restore their natural protective "sweeping & cleansing" action.
When you feel a sinus condition come about, or feel that you have persistent post-nasal drip and excess mucus, consistent daily use for 10 days should result in a clearing of the condition. For best results, we recommend a combination of this easy-to-use home instrument with an oxygenating solution. Stop Bad Breath Associated with Post-Nasal Drip, Excess Mucus, and Sinus Problems
For people who don't really have sinus problems, just "off and on" or seasonal post-nasal drip, then an alternative (and better) solution might be to minimize the amount of excess mucus in the back of the throat and more importantly to make sure to neutralize the odor caused by this excess mucus.
The proteins in mucus make an excellent food source for the anaerobic bacteria that cause bad breath. The bacteria feed off the amino acids, methionine and cysteine, and create extremely odorous and awful tasting volatile sulfur compounds as byproducts, which are the odors and awful tastes found in the medical condition 'halitosis,' which is more commonly known as bad breath. Keep in mind that we always recommend using an oxygenating oral rinse and toothpaste as the primary ingredients of any breath treatment program. Nasal-Sinus Drops alleviate odor from the sinuses, and these drops are highly effective at cleansing the sinuses (a very hard-to-reach area) of the volatile sulfur compounds that cause bad breath.


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While the Board of Supervisors today considers placing a measure on the fall ballot that would slow market rate housing projects when affordable housing development drops below 30 percent of total production, it is also slated to quietly approve another item showing San Franciscans actually need more than double that amount of housing.
The 30 percent ballot measure by Sup. Jane Kim is covered by the San Francisco Chronicle this morning, an article that includes Chicken Little quotes from developers and their biggest cheerleaders, who fear the sky will fall if the current flood of luxury housing development is slowed even a little bit.
But those fears are unlikely to materialize given that Kim seems to have steadily weakened her measure since its introduction last month, responding to allies who deceptively warn of a "housing civil war." The measure doesn't create the moratorium that many affordable housing advocates have called for, simply a bit more paperwork for developers, and even then it exempts projects with less than 25 units and those bigger developers who file applications by the end of this year.
That sort of tepid approach to building the housing that current San Franciscans actually need belies the official city policy of seeking to build more than 60 percent of new housing for those earning 120 percent of the area median income or below, as spelled out in the Housing Element of the city's General Plan.
Ironically, the board is scheduled to re-adopt the 2009 version of that plan today. Its approval of that plan in June 2011 was challenged in court by neighborhood groups, and in December the court ruled that the city needed to shore up its analysis of alternatives to comply with the California Environmental Quality Act. That work is now done, so the board today will repeal its 2011 action and re-approve the 2009 Housing Element.
The changes weren't terribly significant — and besides, the city seems to essentially ignore its Housing Element anyway, even though cities and counties are required by state law to complete them and build their fair share of the affordable housing needed in their region. In rare cases, cities and counties can be fined by the state for not doing so, as was the case with Folsom many years ago when it built only market rate housing.
"Plan for the full range of housing needs in the City and County of San Francisco, especially affordable housing," reads Policy 1.1 of the Housing Element.
Later in the plan, it spells out just how much housing that should be in San Francisco, based on the Regional Housing Needs Assessment done by the Association of Bay Area Governments: "A total of about 18,880 units, or 61 percent of the RHNA target, must be affordable to households making 120 percent of the area media income (AMI) of less."
So the supervisors probably shouldn't stretch too far in patting themselves on the back for a loophole-ridden half-step toward meeting its affordable housing obligations, although we're happy to see at least some progress in the right direction.

subset: commoncrawl


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WASHINGTON, DC - The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) welcomed President Obama's announcement that his commitment to comprehensive immigration reform is unwavering and that he would proceed with an overhaul of the immigration system this year if he could attract necessary Republican support. After meeting with Senator Charles E. Schumer, Democrat of New York, and Senator Lindsey Graham Republican of South Carolina yesterday afternoon, the President stated that he will continue to be their partner in trying to move forward a proposal to fix our broken immigration system. "AILA is heartened to learn that the President is fully committed to pass immigration reform," said Bernie Wolfsdorf, President of AILA. "As it stands now, the country's immigration problem severely undermines our national interests by slowing economic growth, forestalling family unification, and subverting strategic foreign policy objectives."
AILA believes any effective, long-term solution to the immigration problem must: 1) require the undocumented population to come out of the shadows and earn legal status; 2) ensure that American businesses are able to hire the workers they need to help grow our economy while protecting U.S. workers from unfair competition; 3) reduce the unreasonable and counterproductive backlogs in family-based and employment-based immigration by reforming the permanent immigration system; and 4) protect our national security and the rule of law while preserving and restoring fundamental principles of due process and equal protection.
"(AILA hopes that yesterday's meeting serves as a springboard to a renewed bipartisan effort and emphasis on solving America's broken immigration system.) We recognize that there are other challenges currently facing our nation's leaders, such as healthcare, and for comprehensive immigration reform to move forward the President and Congress need to provide a more specific plan that will gain the support of the public and AILA looks forward to reviewing that plan," Wolfsdorf added.
The American Immigration Lawyers Association is the national association of immigration lawyers established to promote justice, advocate for fair and reasonable immigration law and policy, advance the quality of immigration and nationality law and practice, and enhance the professional development of its members.
Friday, March12, 2010
George Tzamaras


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Thinning Arctic Ice Allows Plankton Bloom
Scientific American
June 8, 2012
Scientists who traveled to the Arctic on a NASA research cruise last summer were looking for signs of climate change. What they found was a secret world hidden beneath the region's cap of sea ice.
During their travels through the Chukchi Sea off the coast of Alaska, they were stunned to find massive blooms of phytoplankton under the ice -- in water so teeming with the microscopic plant life that it turned an opaque, vivid green. The discovery upends the notion that the sea ice that forms in autumn ushers in a cold, dark and nearly lifeless season for the ocean below.
"This is what you live for as a scientist," said Don Perovich, a sea ice expert at Dartmouth and co-author of the study, published yesterday in the journal Science. "It's unexpected. It's pure discovery."
Lead author Kevin Arrigo, a biological oceanographer at Stanford University, said the findings amount to "a fundamental shift in our understanding of Arctic ecosystems."
"Clearly there are parts of the Arctic Ocean that are much more biologically productive than we thought," he said.
The scientists believe the blooms are a result of changes in the region's sea ice, which is receding and thinning as the climate warms.
"Decades ago, there would have been thick multiyear ice in this area, maybe 3 meters thick -- 9 to 10 feet," Arrigo said. "No way there would have been sunlight getting through ice that thick to have a bloom like this."
But these days, the portion of the Chukchi Sea the scientists studied is covered with 3-foot-thick "first year" sea ice that forms in the fall and melts in the spring.
More sunlight = phytoplankton bloom
More sunlight is able to penetrate that thinner ice, an effect compounded by declines in snowfall and a proliferation of melt ponds on the ice surface.
Those ponds "are windows from the sky to the ocean," Perovich said. "They transmit about 50 percent of the sunlight that's visible on the surface."
And that light, combined with nutrient-rich waters under the ice, is a recipe for a phytoplankton explosion.


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Home » Sauce Digital Limited
Space Balls Review
Space Balls by Sauce Digital is a new physics puzzle title where you'll have to bounce balls around space in order to capture your foes the 'Cuboids' before they escape with your sacred Ultramegasphere. Despite the lack of creativity in the title, Space Balls is a seriously challenging and unique experience that plays much like a whacky version of trick-shot snooker. Players are given the ability to select between a variety of different orbs, each with their own unique properties, to…Watch The Video Review
Nano Rally Review
Nano Rally is a racing game where players take control of a miniature racecar and race around a number of tracks and areas around a house. Players must navigate, adjust car specs and race through in the quickest time possible. The track scores are all added up to a grand total, your goal is to complete all the tracks while slowly grinding down your overall race time. You control your car by using the buttons in the lower part of the screen. Gas, brakes and steering are all controlled…Watch The Video Review


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Liliane Loya is the Deputy Director at the Foundation's Mexico Office, where she works in the two programs that operate in Mexico: Human Rights and Justice, and Population and Reproductive Health.
Liliane has worked in the areas of regional migration, development, and human rights. Her professional experience includes work with government, the UN system, and civil society organizations in Mexico and the United States, including Sin Fronteras, a leading migration advocacy organization in Mexico. Before joining the Foundation, Liliane worked as Labor Affairs Attaché at the Mexican Embassy in Ottawa, overseeing implementation of the Canada-Mexico Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program. Liliane holds a MA degree in Social Change and Development from Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies, and a BA in International Relations from Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM).


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The Grand Californian and the Paradise Pier are now accepting room reservations. The group rate is $202 for single/double at the Grand Californian. For those wishing to stay at the Paradise Pier, located across the street from the Grand Californian, the room rate is $168.00 single/double. A very limited block of U.S. military/government rooms has been reserved at the Paradise Pier Hotel, for active U.S. military/government employees at a rate of $122.00. Reservations for both hotels can be made by calling 1-714-520-5005 or online at https://resweb.passkey.com/go/GCSI12A. When booking your reservation please indicate that you are with Society of Experimental Test Pilots and mention group code gcsi12a.
The cut-off-date for reservations is Tuesday, 4 September 2012. Reservations after the cut-off-date are subject to availability.
The Society of Experimental Test Pilots is pleased to announce the 28th East Coast Symposium, to be held on 13 April 2012 at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland. The symposium is being held in conjunction with the USNTPS Reunion. This year's event chairman is CDR Klas Ohman, USN (Ret.) (M).
Please click HERE for more information and to register for this symposium.
The Society of Experimental Test Pilots
44814 North Elm Avenue
Lancaster, California, 93534 USA
Phone 661.942.9574
Fax 661.940.0398


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Spanish singer Julio Iglesias was on UK television with British TV host Anne Diamond.
He used the word "manana" (pronounced "man-yana"). Diamond asked him to explain what it meant.
He said that the term means: "Maybe the job will be done tomorrow; Maybe the next day; Maybe the day after that; Or perhaps next week; Next month; Next year. Who really cares?"
The host turned to Albert Yatapingu from the Gumbaingeri Tribe (Australian aboriginal) who was also on the show. She asked him if there was an equivalent term in his native language.
"Nah" he replied. "In Australia we don't have a word to describe that degree of urgency"


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Here are a handful of sketches and designs that I haven't posted, in all the flurry over the last several months that we've so lovingly called "Izzy." They are design explorations, that ended up not being chosen for finals...but they were valuable, because they helped us get where we needed to go.
Anyway, have a look. Hope you enjoy!
And above, some quick screen grabs of the models that our tech team is putting together.
For now, time for bed...
Soon, some new sketches--hopefully.
Monday, April 6, 2009
What Might have been...
Posted by Anthony Holden at 11:34 PM 18 comments
Labels: Character Design, izzy, rhinos
Izzy Learns a Life Lesson
Hopscotch from Anthony Holden on Vimeo.
Some more animation tests for our senior film.
Posted by Anthony Holden at 11:20 PM 16 comments
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The Illustrious and Illustrative Sketch Adventure Lifestyle of Anthony Holden. Cartoons, Sketches, Character Designs, Storyboards, Comics, Illustration, Animation, Silly thoughts, Intermittent Posting, and Arbitrary Capitalization by American animation artist, Anthony Holden. Thanks for stopping by and taking a look!
All content on this page copyright 2007-2011 Anthony L. Holden. Do not use without permission, except for purposes of review.
All content on this page copyright 2007-2011 Anthony L. Holden. Do not use without permission, except for purposes of review.


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Cree is LED Lighting
At Cree, we've revolutionized the lighting industry with high-quality, energy-efficient LED lighting.
From retail and hospitality to commercial and industrial, Cree LED lighting is saving energy and creating beautifully-lit spaces around the world.
Cree is leading the LED Revolution.
Cree Is Driving LED Lighting
Cree leads the industry in brightness and reliability for power LEDs with its XLamp LED family. Through XLamp LEDs, Cree is enabling the lighting industry with efficient, environmentally friendly LED light.
Cree LED Modules provide a simple solution for lighting designers and manufacturers to adopt best-in-class LED lighting.
Cree's advantage is in the materials we use. Cree has unparalleled expertise working with two high-performance materials, silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN). Find out more about our highly-efficient chips and materials.
Revolutionizing the Power Electronics Industry
Cree's SiC devices deliver the best possible system efficiencies while simplifying thermal design. Find out how you can use Cree power devices to re-invent and revolutionize the power industry.
Cree RF Devices Are Driving High-Power Communications
Cree is a leading supplier of silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) wafers and devices for RF communications. When you need best-in-class performance, look to Cree's GaN HEMTs and MMICs.
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Clean CARFAX. CARFAX One-Owner. Ruby Flare Pearl 2019 Toyota C-HR LE FWD CVT 2.0L I4 DOHC 16V Bluetooth Wireless, Backup Camera, C-HR LE, 4D Sport Utility, 2.0L I4 DOHC 16V, CVT, FWD.
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Experience Toyota Vallejo.
At Toyota Vallejo, we are proud to offer the most genuine customer service to drivers from all over Vallejo, and the most comprehensive selection of quality Toyota automobiles available today.
Click through our website to see the inventory we have in stock now, and you'll see that there really is something for everyone. You can also schedule appointments with any of our departments, find and order genuine Toyota parts, and apply for credit, all through our easy and user-friendly web services. And be sure to check in often because our online specials tend not to last very long!
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Any candidate or issue that is to appear on a ballot must be certified by the appropriate election office. To become certified, candidates must file paperwork with the County Clerk and Recorder or the Secretary of State, depending on the office that is being sought. Typical paperwork that is required includes a petition that must be signed by a certain number of eligible voters to qualify the candidate for participation in the election. Similarly, petitions may be circulated in order to place special issues on the ballot.
All signatures submitted on petitions for candidates or issues must be verified against the Statewide Colorado Voter Registration Database (SCORE). If enough signatures are verified to qualify the candidate or issue for an election, the petition is deemed "sufficient" and the candidate/issue is referred to the ballot.
During this phase of election preparation, critical election information is input into various software programs.
First, the specifics of the election, including the offices up for election, the candidates for those offices, the office boundaries, and eligible electors are programmed into the SCORE system. This system is used by all Colorado counties to maintain a single list of Colorado's registered voters as well as to assist in administering elections in Colorado.
The Denver Elections Division uploads the information contained in SCORE into software called EED (Election Event Designer). The Denver Elections Division then uses EED to lay out the graphic design of the ballot.
Third, a file is exported from EED and imported into a ballot tallying software program called ICC, or Image Cast Central. This program is used to collect the election results from each individual counting machine and produce a single cumulative tally.
The content of the ballot is dictated by federal, state, and local laws. These laws dictate which races will appear on the ballot and the order in which those races will appear. Federal laws also mandate that in the City and County of Denver, all ballots must be produced in both English and Spanish.
Ballot design is the layout of the ballot content and is dependent upon the judgment of the local election office running the election. In preparation of the November 2008 General Election, the Denver Elections Division performed a complete overhaul of Denver's ballot design using best practices established at the national level by experts in ballot readability. The new design included: 1) a new, more readable masthead, 2) numbered instructions provided in a larger font and accompanied by a demonstrative picture of how to fill out the ballot, 3) a change from one to three columns in the body of the ballot, 4) the use of shading to separate categories of races, and 5) a change in the location of candidate names.
These changes increased clarity, simplicity, and white space in the design which enhanced readability for the voter. The new design was highly effective and reduced incidents of voter error by approximately 50 percent.
In addition to the look of a ballot, proper ballot design also involves accurate data entry and proofing of the content of the ballot. This process is highly complex because it involves data entry of multiple candidates and races on a large number of ballot faces.
Because there are 346 precincts in the City and County of Denver, there are 346 different ballot faces for a general election. For primary elections, each party has a different ballot face in each precinct. Thus, any precinct may have up to four ballot faces and the county as whole may have as many as 1,029 ballot faces. Each of these ballot faces must be accurately proofed before ballot production can begin.6
In addition to the design of paper ballots, electronic ballots must also be designed, produced, and proofed to be used on electronic voting machines. And finally, electronic voting machines also contain audio ballots that must be recorded onto the machines.
Prior to and after every election, the equipment used to record, tabulate, and report votes must be tested according to state laws and regulations. Three types of voting system tests must be performed: a Hardware Diagnostic Test, a Logic and Accuracy Test, and a Post-Election Audit Test.
The Hardware Diagnostic test is performed to verify that mechanical components of each electronic voting device are working correctly. After the successful completion of the test for each device, the devices are sealed. Documentation of the sealed information and all testing records for each device are maintained by the Denver Elections Division.
The Logic and Accuracy Test is a step by step documented review of the Elections Division's ability to produce accurate results on voter choices for the candidates and ballot issues in an election. It is performed by Elections Division staff and an appointed testing board, consisting of at least one representative from each major political party, and it is open to the public and the media. In preparation for the Logic and Accuracy Test, the Elections Division staff prepares a test deck of ballots sufficient in number so that it includes every ballot style and allows for election staff to vote a position for every candidate on every race including write-in candidates, overvotes, and undervotes for each race. This test deck is run on the Elections Divisions high speed ballot scanners and the results are compared to a hand tally of those same ballots.
The official Logic and Accuracy Test begins when the Testing Board is provided with blank ballots identical to those that are used in the election. The members of the Testing Board secretly cast votes on both paper ballots and ballot marking devices. The ballots are then tallied by hand by a ballot tabulation team. Once tabulated, the ballots are run through high speed ballot scanners. Then the results from the scanners are compared to the results of the hand tally. Any discrepancies are reported, addressed, and reconciled. As a last step, the Test Board signs a Public Logic and Accuracy Testing Certification document verifying that all required testing was completed in a satisfactory manner.
After Election Day, the Post-Election Audit takes place when the Secretary of State randomly selects which election machinery is to be audited and then notifies the Denver Elections Division of their choice. The machinery selected includes five percent of the ballot marking devices and at least one of the high speed ballot scanners.
During the post-election audit, election officials randomly select five percent but not more than five hundred actual ballots that were tabulated on the selected ballot scanner during the election. A report is then generated and the ballots are hand-tallied and compared to the report.
The Post-Election Audit Testing is observed by at least two members of the Canvass Board. In the event any discrepancies are discovered during the testing, the members of the Canvass Board verify the results as many times as necessary and check for possible voter error, such as stray marks, to clear up the discrepancies. Once the testing is complete, the Denver Elections Division will submit a report to the Secretary of State that includes the results of the audit, including the specific machines tested and their serial numbers.
Ballot production includes both the printing of paper ballots and the insertion of those ballots into mail ballot packets. Ballot printers print ballots using strict requirements from the Elections Division such as the proper paper weight as well as the registration of the ballot image on the paper. With such strict requirements, only certain certified printers are able to print ballots in Denver.
Once the ballots are printed, they are inserted into a generic ballot packet and then an individual voter's name and barcode are sprayed onto the outside envelope. This process is extremely complex and requires the precise use of computer generated databases and expensive insertion machinery because every voter must be sent a ballot that corresponds to their correct precinct and ballot face.
In the spring of 2009, the Denver Elections Division solicited proposals from certified ballot printers from around the country in an attempt to save taxpayer dollars on printing costs. A total of six companies responded with competing bids and ProVote Solutions was awarded the contract. The new contract has benefited Denver's citizens by saving thousands of dollars in printing costs and by requiring that Denver's ballots be printed locally. In addition to benefiting Denver's taxpayers, the local printing requirement benefits the Elections Division because election officials can now directly supervise the printing and assembly of mail ballot packets on a more regular basis without having to travel out of state.
Previously in Denver, once ballots were printed and delivered to the Post Office the status of those ballots were unknown to election officials and to voters. Now, the Denver Elections Division utilizes Ballot TRACE (Ballot Tracking, Reporting, and Communications Engine). Ballot TRACE allows Denver election officials and Denver voters to track mail ballots from the Denver Elections Division's ballot printer to the Denver bulk mail facility, to a local postal carrier, and back again through the postal system to the Denver Elections Division. Election officials receive daily reports about the status of all mail ballots while voters can choose to receive ballot tracking messages by email or by text message about the status of their individual ballot. Consequently, the Elections Division encourages voters to sign up for this optional service before ballots are delivered to the United States Postal Service.
The Denver Elections Division sends ballots to voters through the United States Postal Service. In mail ballot elections, ballots are sent between 22 and 18 days before Election Day and are automatically sent to all voters designated by Colorado election law as "active" voters.
The mailing process begins at the printer where the ballots are packaged in trays and on pallets. These packages are then weighed by U.S.P.S. representatives on location at the printer. The ballots are then transferred in secured trucks to the General Mail Facility in Denver. Once the ballot shipment arrives at the General Mail Facility, the postal inspector and representatives from the Denver Elections Division are present to meet the shipment and perform an inspection to ensure the correct quantity has arrived. Once the inspection is complete, the mail ballots are then scanned into the Post Office mail tracking system and sorted into postal routes for delivery to the Denver voters.
After Denver's ballots are delivered to the General Mail Facility in Denver, the ballots are processed and delivered to individual postal carriers. The postal carriers then deliver the ballots to the voters. If you have had a recent address change, please visit www.govotecolorado.com to look up your address on file and make sure it is current. The deadline to make changes to your voter record and have a ballot delivered via mail is 8 days before Election Day. After that a voter may visit any Voter Service and Polling Center to vote in person or obtain a mail ballot.
Voted ballots may be returned by voters through the United States Postal Service or any other delivery service a voter might choose. To return a voted ballot by mail, the voter must affix the correct amount of postage. However, the Denver Elections Division will not refuse ballots that do not have the proper postage affixed.
Once the Post Office receives a voted ballot, it is scanned into the Post Office's mail tracking system and then delivered in bulk to the Denver Elections Division on a daily basis.
Alternatively, a voter may return a voted ballot by dropping it off in person or having another person deliver it for them to any ballot drop-off location or Voter Service and Polling Center (VSPC). Colorado law restricts any one voter from dropping off more than 10 ballots in any election.
All VSPCs have drive-up ballot drop-offs provided outside of the site. Voting site locations can be found by visiting www.DenverVotes.org. The Denver Elections Division will have 24 secure 24-hour ballot drop-off boxes throughout the city which will available to voters during the election period through 7 p.m. on Election Day.
Additional services available at VSPCs include ballot replacement for lost or spoiled ballots, emergency registration, party affiliation for unaffiliated voters in a Primary Election, and ADA compliant voting machines.
All voted ballots must be in the possession of the Denver Elections Division by 7 p.m. on Election Day in order to be counted.
Voter Service and Polling Centers ("VSPCs") are opened 8-15 days prior to Election Day depending on the type of election. .
Services provided at VSPCs include:
Voted ballots are received at the Elections Division in the Ballot Receiving Room. Mail ballots are delivered from the Post Office and by Elections Division staff from Voter Service and Polling Centers located throughout the City. All activities in this room can be witnessed by the public through a viewing window that opens to a public space.
For security, the Ballot Receiving Room is card keyed and has cameras on it 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In addition, every election worker in this room must wear a navy blue vest, an identification badge, and a party affiliation button.
In this room, ballot boxes and mail trays are weighed and logged into the Elections Division's Ballot Tracking System so that the Division is able to measure exactly where and when voters have delivered their ballots. Ballots are then logged into the Elections Division's Ballot Tracking System. From here, the ballots are transferred by a ballot security team to the Ballot Verification Room.
Ballots from the Ballot Receiving Room are delivered to the Ballot Verification Room by a ballot security team. All activities in this room can be witnessed by the public through a viewing window that opens to a public space. For security, the Ballot Verification Room is card keyed and has cameras on it 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In addition, every election worker in this room must wear a royal blue vest, an identification badge, and a party affiliation button. Workers in this room are also trained by a Certified Document Examiner.
Ballots are run through the Bell and Howell Elevate Criterion which date and time stamps the ballot, removes the secrecy tab with a laser, compares the barcode on the envelope to data from State of Colorado's SCORE voter registration database, and captures the signature image of all eligible voters' signatures. Ballots returned from other counties, or voters who are ineligible to participate, are sorted and processed by a bipartisan team. Voters who are eligible have their signatures reviewed by bipartisan election judges. If the signature matches, the ballot is accepted and the voter's SCORE record is updated to show that a ballot was verified. If the signature does not match, a bipartisan team of two election workers compare signatures. The ballots are run through the Bell and Howell Elevate Criterion once more and sorted by accepted ballots and rejected ballots. Accepted ballots are sent to the Ballot Preparation Room and voters with rejected ballots due to non-matching or missing signatures are sent a letter asking them to submit a Signature Affidavit Form. The voter must also submit a copy of an approved identification with the Signature Affidavit Form.
Ballots from the Ballot Verification Room are delivered to the Ballot Preparation Room by a bipartisan ballot security team. All activities in this room can be witnessed by the public through a viewing window that opens to a public space. For security, the Ballot Preparation Room is card keyed and has cameras on it 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In addition, every election worker in this room must wear a green vest, an identification badge, and a party affiliation button.
In this room, batches of ballots are logged into the Elections Division's Ballot Tracking System. Mail ballot envelopes are then sliced open with an Opex high speed envelope opener/extractor desk to remove the ballot inside the secrecy sleeve and then a bipartisan team of two people work together to:
It should be noted that a voter's privacy is always maintained because one member of the team separates the secrecy sleeve from the ballot envelope (with the voter's name on it) and the second member of the team removes the ballot from the secrecy sleeve. The empty envelopes and tabs are placed in storage boxes to be stored in vault storage for 25 months and the ballots are transferred by a ballot security team to the Ballot Counting Room.
Ballots from the Ballot Preparation Room are delivered to the Ballot Counting Room by a ballot security team. All activities in this room can be witnessed by the public through a viewing window that opens to a public space. For security, the Ballot Counting Room is card keyed and has cameras on it 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In addition, every election worker in this room must wear a red vest, an identification badge, and a party affiliation button.
In this room, election judges receive ballot transfer cases and log them into the Elections Division's Ballot Tracking System. A unique number will be imprinted onto every ballot card to determine the number of ballots in each batch, then an election judge processes the ballots through high speed ballot scanners. The scanners read the marks on the ballots indicating a voter's choice for candidates and issues. The scanners do not tabulate the results at this time, they simply read the scans and pass the results to a tabulation computer. Ballots that are successfully scanned are sealed in a ballot transfer case and logged into the Elections Division's Ballot Tracking System and then they are sent to the Ballot Storage Room and they will be stored for 25 months and then destroyed.
In the rare instance that a scanner cannot read a ballot, a bipartisan ballot resolution team examines the ballot and sends the appropriate ballots to the Ballot Duplication Team to be duplicated. A bipartisan duplication team then examines the damaged ballot to determine the voter's intent and then correctly makes a duplicate by marking a blank ballot. The duplication teams keep a journal with important information about each ballot that is duplicated. All original and duplicated ballots are numbered with the same number so that they can be identified at a later time if necessary. The duplicated ballots are returned to the Ballot Counting Room to be counted. The damaged ballots are sealed in a ballot transfer case and sent to the Ballot Storage Room where they will be stored for 25 months and then destroyed.
Ballot Adjudication
If a ballot has improper marks, over/under votes, or the voter intent is not clear then the ballot is sent electronically to an Adjudication Team. The Adjudication Team is a bipartisan team of two election judges that review the ballot and determine voter intent based on a Voter Intent Guide provided by the Secretary of State. The Adjudication Team marks the ballot digitally and a log of their decisions is attached to the ballot.
Ballot tabulation takes place on a ballot tabulation computer that is located in the Ballot Counting Room. All activities in this room can be witnessed by the public through a viewing window that opens to a public space. For security, this room is card keyed and has cameras on it 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Tabulation of the ballots is accomplished by collecting the scanned vote results from twelve high speed ballot scanners and the paper ballots from ballot marking devices. The results from the scanning machines are sent to the ballot tabulation computer through an isolated secure network that has no ties to any other network or the internet.
The tabulation computer collects and compiles all results using RTR, or Results Tally Reporting. From this system, the results are printed and also downloaded to a USB memory stick so that they can be uploaded to the Elections Division's website.
On Election Night, unofficial election results are posted at the Elections Division and on its website ( www.denvervotes.org). Results are posted beginning at 7 p.m. and are updated every one and a half hours until all counting is completed. These unofficial election results are also provided to local news organizations and the Associated Press.
After Election Day, various post-election activities occur prior to the official canvass of election and certification of results. These activities include: processing provisional ballots, reconciling voter credit from forms used at the Voter Service and Polling Centers, sending and receiving signature discrepancy letters, sending and receiving identification letters, processing voters who come into the office to sign their unsigned ballots, processing ballots that are received within eight days of the election from overseas electors, and processing any late ballots that are received in by the Division after 7 p.m. on election night.
First, Elections Division staff collects all forms that were used at the voting sites and provisional ballot envelopes. Each form is verified and scanned into the corresponding voter record. In addition, Elections Division staff verifies that voter credit was issued to each voter correctly. Finally, bipartisan teams process and review each provisional ballot using a detailed checklist and process to determine the voter's eligibility. All provisional ballots must by verified and counted within 10 days after the election, and 14 days after a General Election.
Another post-election process includes processing no signature letters, signature discrepancy letters, and identification requirement letters. During the signature verification process as required by state law, a voter's signature on the official return envelopes is compared to the signature on file in the statewide voter registration system. If a voter did not sign the official return envelope, a letter is sent requesting that the voter come into the Elections Division to sign their ballot within eight days after the election. If a voter comes in to sign their ballot, the ballot will be counted and included in the official election results. In addition, during the signature verification process, if a voter's signature is present on the envelope but does not match the signature on file, a letter is sent requesting that the voter complete the Signature Affidavit Form and return it to the Elections Division. The voter must also provide a copy of an approved form of identification. Voters have eight days to return this form to the Elections Division to ensure that their ballot is counted and included in the official results.
Lastly, some voters who did not satisfy the identification requirements to register to vote may be required to provide identification with their mail ballot packet. If a voter did not provide a copy of their identification with their mail ballot, they have eight days after the election to do so.
The final step in the post-election process is to process all ballots from absent overseas electors that are returned to the Elections Division after 7 p.m. on election night. Under state law, these ballots must be received and processed within eight days following the election. After these ballots are verified, they are counted and included in the official election results. Secondly, some mail ballots are received from regular voters at the Elections Division after 7 p.m. on election night. These ballots are processed by Elections Division staff and marked as "Rejected-Received after 7 p.m. on Election Day" and are not counted.
A risk-limiting audit uses statistical analysis to allow election officials to review only a few of all ballots cast in an election to double-check outcomes. Risk-limiting audits are now required for all Colorado elections. These audits use a random number seed and a computer algorithm to select specific random ballots to check against tabulation software results. The benefit of a risk limiting audit is that only a tiny fraction of ballots must be checked to ensure strong statistical confidence in election outcomes - so only a tiny fraction of work and time compared to traditional methods of a full hand recount of ballots.
For statewide coordinated and federal elections, the Secretary of State will determine the races used to determine the risk limit. In a public meeting, randomly selected observers will roll 20 different ten-sided dice to create a random seed used to designate which ballot cards will be audited.
Once a list of required ballots is determined, Elections Division staff gets to work. The previously saved image file of each selected ballot is printed on goldenrod sheets to act as placeholders in the batches. Officials re-open the sealed ballot transfer cases, find the appropriate ballot batch, and double check the selected ballot against the printed image. If the imprinted number matches, officials know they have properly tracked the correct ballot. The goldenrod ballot image is put in the spot of the original ballot to make the return process faster and provide a second check to ensure the right ballot goes back in the correct spot. As the ballots for the audit are pulled, the Audit Board begins the process of the actual audit.
The canvass of an election is the process by which the unofficial results of an election are thoroughly examined and then certified. The canvass is conducted by the Denver Canvass Board. This board consists of one or more appointees from the two major political parties and the Denver Clerk & Recorder or designee which is normally the Director of Elections. The Canvass Board reconciles the ballots cast in an election to confirm that the number of ballots counted in that election does not exceed the number of ballots cast in that election. The board also reconciles the ballots cast in each precinct to confirm that the number of ballots cast does not exceed the number of registered electors in the precinct.
In doing its job, the Canvass Board usually inspects documents that have been produced by the Elections Division and presented to the Canvass Board during a meeting conducted approximately two weeks after the election. However, the Canvass Board can examine any election documents it desires and may be present to inspect any pre- or post-election activities.
No later than the thirteenth day after a primary election and no later than the seventeenth day after any other election coordinated by the county Clerk and Recorder, the Canvass Board completes its duties by certifying the abstract of votes cast in the election and by transmitting the certification of election results to the Secretary of State, the City and County of Denver, and/or any other political subdivisions involved in the election.
If a recount is held and the vote result changes, the Canvass Board will prepare and certify an amended official abstract of votes cast. If the vote result does not change after the recount, the Canvass Board will include a statement to that effect in the official abstract of votes cast.


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The entertainment industry is not for the faint-of-heart. Xian Tian (Alan To) is a tyrannical boss of a talent agency who demands the impossible from his stars and works his employees into the ground. Meng Tiao (Lara) is a young aspiring director who wants nothing to do with the man because of his reputation as a monster. But the two are thrown together when Zhang Jia Bao (Ambrose Hui), a Hong Kong gangster, comes to Taiwan looking for Meng Tiao to pay him back for money he lost on the Internet to her little brother. A kidnapping and an opportunity for Jia Bao to impersonate a top star named Young bring Xian Tian and Meng Tiao together in unexpected ways. "Engagement for Love" is a 2006 Taiwanese drama series.
- Original title
- 愛情經紀約
- Romanized title
- Ai Qing Jing Ji Yue
- Volunteer Team
- Engagement for Love Volunteer Team
- Broadcast Network
- Broadcast Period
- 11-18-2006 to 03-10-2007
- Rating
This show does not have any episodes


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FreeCast Inc, the Global Intertainment Company behind SelectTV, Rabbit TV Plus, and other services powered by the company's SmartGuide technology is not affiliated with the purveyors of a live video streaming device also known as Freecast Live. FreeCast Inc's attorneys have reached out to the other firm, and both parties' legal representation have settled on an amicable resolution.
The makers of the Kickstarter-funded streaming device agree to re-brand and cease using the Freecast name, and will be allowed one month to phase out use of the trademarked term. This will include development of a new brand identity, informing current customers and business partners of the new name, and developing new marketing assets to reflect the updated branding.
The term 'FreeCast' is a trademark of FreeCast Inc, registered in 2015, and in use since 2011. The company opposes all unauthorized use of its trademarks with other products and services.
Media Contact
Company Name: FreeCast Inc.
Contact Person: Kevin Speedy
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Phone: (407) 374-1603
Address:5850 TG Lee Blvd. Suite 350
City: Orlando
State: Florida
Country: United States
Website: http://SelectTV.com


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YouTube Play is an exhibition that YouTube and the Guggenheim Museum in NYC are calling "a Biennial of Creative Video" and which you can submit or nominate your own non-commercial work to (open till the 31st of July). Director Johnny Kelly produced an amazing video for the exhibition. Be sure to check out the making of to see how it was done. Read more about it here..
Making of
via motionographer


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IT seems man's best friend has now become our travelling companion.
According to a recent survey, the nation's eight million pooches have become quite the seasoned travellers with nine out of 10 pet owners choosing to take their dog on holiday with them last year.
But it's not always easy to find a destination that will welcome our four-legged friends.
Just a dog-friendly 45-minute ferry ride away, the Isle of Wight is becoming a hot spot for pet owners keen to find a holiday haven that can be enjoyed by both man and his dog. Continued at Get Hampshire
For the Full Article on Get Hampshire
DogFriendly.com's United Kingdom Listings


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VolkswagenU-Weld Front RollCage Kit
This cage kit welded to an Autopower roll bar makes a race legal 6 mounting point roll cage. Autopower will choose tubing size when you place your order.
Most Kits Include:
- 2 forward support brace tubes.
- Top windshield cross tube.
- 4 door guards.
- Under dash bar.
- 4 top corner gussets.
- All necessary installation and mounting hardware with back-up plates included.
Paint FinishMost steel products are sprayed with an industrial grade gloss black cover for rust protection. EXPECT some paint damage during shipping. You may want to refinish products before final installation. It is best to check fit and Drill all holes before you repaint. There is NO paint finish guarantee.
Roll Bars and Cages are made to order. Allow 3-6 weeks for build time. For a fee, your cage will ship without paint in 5 to 8 business days.
Your cage is shipped from San Diego (92110) in the fastest, most economical method, UPS or truck freight. Air freight is available at your request. Cages are sent freight collect unless prior arrangements have been made.
Autopower products are guaranteed to be free of defects due to workmanship or materials. Their products will fit in an unmodified version of the vehicle which it was designed for. Liability is limited to repair or replacement of a defective part.
No warranty of any kind, express or implied, is made respecting the products sold. Buyer assumes all risk and liability whatsoever resulting from the use of said product. Some reasonably foreseeable impact may exceed the product's capability to protect against injury. There are limitations to the severity of impact that the product sold herein can withstand and the products are not a substitute for safe and careful driving.


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2009: Year of the Gorilla
Photo by minipixel
Hello there fellow Gorillas: I hope everyone's holiday was wonderful and relaxing. It was one year ago on a train home for the holidays that I made the plan to start a blog for creatives and creators. I launched it in February 2008. And now, I finally feel like I'm gaining momentum. I have started to post more and I have been growing into my writing style.
So, what's in store for next year?
- I am launching a photo based iPhone application in a couple months.
- Simple online portfolio, Contrast, is in development and coming along quite nicely.
- The Greyscalegorilla/Coudal Best and Worst contest ends on January 2nd. Show us your worst, we'll give you our best.
- Make sure to sign up for the new Greyscale Mail Newsletter. The first one will be coming out soon with details on new contests and ideas for creative projects.
- Passionate about Creativity? Come hear me talk about "How to be creative and get paid" on January 21st at Columbia.
Thanks for visiting. Happy New Year!


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The Best Internet Radio. The Future of Talk Radio. It's Web Talk Radio.
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Disclaimer: The opinions expressed on these programs are those of the hosts and participants and are not intended to and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of WebTalk Radio Network its owners and agents. All listeners are advised that neither WebTalk Radio Network, nor its owners and agents shall be held liable for the content of programs, including any advice given. All listeners are advised to make their own decisions after appropriate consultation with professionals who have had an opportunity to consider completely each listener's circumstances, and not in reliance upon the content of WebTalk Radio Network programs.
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Be Creative! I-Spy
January 2 - January 31, ALL MONTHMain Library
Type: I Spy
Age: Children, Elementary 6-11 Years, Family, Pre-K 3-5 Years, Toddler 18-36 Months, Tweens 10-12 Years
Topic: Art & Design, DIY, I Spy
January is International Creativity Month! Search the Children's Department for images related to creativity. Once you have found all the pictures, turn in your game sheet at the desk and choose a prize from our treasure chest!
Contact Email: email@example.com


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…that global warming is deflected:
1. Hope for the Rain Forests
California, as part of its effort to curtail global warming, could allow companies to pay for projects that preserve Brazilian and Indonesian rain forests, according to Bloomberg. The agreement was described as "pioneering" and goes a long way toward tackling the "other" cause of carbon emissions (other than burning fossil fuels) – destroying forests. Indonesia and Brazil are among the world's top carbon polluters (No. 3 and No. 4, respectively, behind China and the United States) largely because their forests are disappearing so quickly. This agreement could help stop the 20% of global carbon emissions that come from deforestation.
Indonesia, meanwhile, plans to plant 100 million trees in 2009, according to Reuters. Indonesia has already lost 70% of its original forests, and loses enough forest every year to cover Connecticut and Rhode Island (and then some), but it still retains a forest about the size of Texas and Oklahoma combined.
2. Britain Goes All In
Britain became the first nation in the world to set binding limits on greenhouse gas emissions that match U.N. targets. The law requires the government to slash emissions 80% below 1990 levels by 2050, according to Agence-France Presse. Under the law, Britain will have to meet new carbon-reduction targets every five years.
3. Coal Is on the Defensive
For years, the norm in environmental litigation has been something like this:
– i. Polluting industry proposes polluting
– ii. Government agencies agree
– iii. Environmental groups sue
– iv. Courts side with environmentalists
Well, there's a new chapter. In Kansas, where the Democratic Gov. (and one-time purported vice presidential possibility for Obama) Kathleen Sebelius stopped the construction of a coal plant because of the greenhouse gas emissions it would pump into the atmosphere, Sunflower Electric is taking her and her environmental agency to court. The company's complaint? That its civil rights were violated by the governor's decision.
4. The U.S. Can Cut Energy Use 20%
A new report lays out a framework for U.S. states to dramatically cut energy use — 20% by 2025. The proposed investments in energy efficiency would save $500 billion over 20 years, cut the need for new energy sources by 50% and reduce greenhouse gas emissions dramatically.
So who produced this report? Some radical left-wing conspiracy of economy-killing tree huggers? Nope. Try Bush Administration. The Department of Energy and The Environmental Protection Agency released the report, National Action Plan Vision for 2025: A Framework for Change.
"Change" … Now where have we heard that word recently …?
5. Obama
In a speech delivered via video to a bipartisan climate summit in California, Obama pledged to take strong action to combat global warming. Here's what he had to say:
– those reasons from 19th November '08. There's also the news from 20th November that an environmentally-progressive US Congressman has upended the formerly oil- and Detroit-friendly leadership of the influential Energy Committee. Which is good for Obama's agenda, and better for the wider world. Even if it does foster the end of the car-manufacturing machine as we know it. Too bad. So long and thanks for all the (dead) fish.


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Know anyone in Katrina's wake?
Sinclair: "I had friends down there. I met them eight years ago when I went to Mardi Gras. This reminds me of Sodom and Gomorrah, all that stuff that was going on down there. But it's sad that all those people died."
Janaki Hillyard: "Someone I worked with. She has 20 people living with her now, but her husband's father stayed behind with his boat in Biloxi. They haven't heard from him."
Andrew Hersey: "I have an Internet friend who I think lives in Louisiana. I haven't been in touch, so I don't know."


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Who do Leeds need to sign this January?
19 Dec 2017 03:59 pm, by YorkshireSquare
According to Phil Hay in the Yorkshire Post, Leeds boss, Thomas Christiansen, said that "an influx of new signings in January is not a must"; but we beg to differ. Here's a list of players that we think United need to sign to be sure of a place in the Championship...
Aleandro Rossi
While the new boss signed 13 players on permanent contracts and three players on loan deals, we still have a glaring weakness on the left side of defence. With this in mind, it makes sense that out of all the players linked to a move to Elland Road, Genoa's Aleandro Rossi is arguably both the most-needed and the most-exciting prospect.
Leeds have failed to find a first-choice left-back all season, with loan player Cameron Borthwick-Johnson not really working out. 30-year-old Rossi is an attack-minded defender with the flair Leeds need at the back. He's also out of contract at the end of the season, so Genoa may be tempted to cut their losses, rather than letting him go on a free transfer.
Yosuke Ideguchi
The BBC's Sports section is known to be very reliable, so having reported that central midfielder Yosuke Ideguchi is on his way to Leeds from Gamba Osaka, a move here seems certain.
After the 2-1 home defeat to Sheffield United at the end of October, Christiansen pointed to a creative weakness in midfield in defence of striker Pierre-Michel Lasogga, who had a frustrating match.
The 21-year-old is a box-to-box midfielder with the proven ability to open up defensive blocks with incisive, pinpoint passes.
The Japan international also likes to play as part of a two-man midfield in a 4-2-3-1 formation, so he should fit in well at Leeds. If you fancy a punt, go on the Bet and Skill website to find attractive bonuses. Then put your free bets on Ideguchi to make his way to Elland Road – in this case, it's surely money for nothing!
Andrés Guardado
At 31, Andrés Guardado is a veteran with first-hand knowledge of what it takes to recover from relegation. Indeed, having suffered the drop from La Liga with Deportivo La Coruña in 2010/11, the midfielder then helped the Spanish club return immediately to the top flight. While at PSV Eindhoven, Guardado was the playmaker at the heart of the side which made stars of Georginio and Memphis Depay. Best of all, he also drove PSV to beat Manchester United in the Champions League back in 2014.
With the ability to cover many different positions, the Mexican's versatility could prove useful to Christiansen, even if Ideguchi makes his likely switch and becomes the main playmaker.
Leonardo Ulloa
Striker Lasogga is yet to return from injury after missing several matches, while Caleb Ekuban is also injured with a broken foot and won't be back for at least six weeks. Now, we only have Kemar Roofe and the much-maligned Jon-Jay Grot to provide cover up front. The solution could lie at Leicester City, where Leonardo Ulloa's future remains uncertain. Ulloa would inject much-needed pace into our forward line, as well as providing hold-up play that could give the midfield more time and space in the final third.


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Boy, between RaphaëlTS, SHA-1, and Haeckel, I've been releasing an awful lot of TypeScript/JavaScript libraries lately, haven't I? Anyway, here's another!
Pictish takes advantage of canvas elements and Typed Arrays to provide fast routines for processing raster image data. Here is a rundown of the currently available functions:
- createImageData()
- fromFile()
- fromHTMLImage()
- crop()
- flipX()
- flipY()
- scaleDown()
- quarter()
- silhouettize()
All of these functions have been tested and optimized. More information is available in the documentation at the BitBucket site. Note that since canvas elements and Typed Arrays are based on more recent specifications, not all browsers support it. (For what it's worth, I've been testing in Chrome.)
(The sharp-eyed may notice that last function and wonder if it might have something to do with another project of mine. The answer is yes.)
Next planned step is to create a PNG file encoder — that could take a while, though.


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So, this will be my second blog in a row where I review a product. I hope that doesn't alienate any of my faithful readers. But it begs the question- do I actually have any faithful readers? Better yet- why in the hell do I have faithful readers? Strange. Anyhow. Today's item is something that is taking the vegan world by storm. I've been reading about it on every vegan blog and webzine out there so I had to check out the hype for myself. Here goes….
I first heard about Dr. Cow's Tree Nut Cheese in one of my issues of VegNews magazine. Tree nut cheese is exactly what is sounds like- cheese made from tree nuts. But wait- there's more. It's raw, too. *in annoying Monica Gellar voice* I know!!
When I visited their website, I discovered they made a product called 'cashew cream cheese.' My heart leapt with joy. I checked out all the sites they claimed carried their products and none of them carried the cashew cream cheese. My heart sank. Plus, the one place I found that carried the regular cheese did not have any in stock. I was wicked bummed but I put myself on their mailing list to hear about when they got it in stock again. That happened about two weeks ago and pictured above is what I recieved via UPS last week. On the left is aged cashew and on the right is aged cashew with blue green algae. (I hear it's good for you, that's why I picked that one.) So, with shipping, these two little tiny itty bitty wheels of cheese were about $23. Ouch. The verdict? Worth every penny.
I tried each separately, then each on top of a cracker. I didn't like the one with the blue green algae as much as I loved the one without it, and the opposite was true for my friend who was also tasting both, kind of like my wingman if I decided I wanted to cut and run the hell away from this stuff. There was no need for that, however. The plain cashew cheese was smooth and creamy, with no gritty texture at all, which surprised me. The cashew with the blue green algae was also smooth and creamy, but with a certain tang at the finish. These were very delicious indeed.
Now, I want you take a couple things into consideration. First, I make a killer macaroni and cheese using pureed cashews as my 'cheese' sauce and it's my favorite thing on the planet. So yes, this was right up my proverbial alley. Also, these little wheels are meant to be used as an artisinal cheese, not something you grate and put onto your tempeh tacos. Plus, it's fairly pricey and in these uncertain economic times, you're better off waiting until your Whole Foods carries it, or whatever your local health food store is. If you're insistent, here's where I got it from. It's worth mentioning that I did not opt for the cold packs to be shipped with the cheese because when I ordered it, it was subzero outside my house. Naturally, when they arrived, it was seventy degrees out. It doesn't seem to have adversely affected the cheese, or maybe it has and I just don't know any better. Regardless, it's yummy.
Thanks for reading and next time, a delicious recipe for coconut chocolate cupcakes with coffee buttercream! Yum!


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Jolt Finalist: The Joy of Clojure: Thinking the Clojure Way, by Michael Fogus and Chris Houser
I consider myself more of a Scala person than a Clojure person, but this book persuaded me to become an even bigger fan of Clojure, the new Lisp-like language that runs on the JVM. Authors Michael Fogus and Chris Houser, both contributing members to the Clojure language project, have crafted a Clojure book unlike any other Clojure title I have read. Rather than pursue the plain path of a language reference, The Joy of Clojure examines the language from a deeper perspective. As such, it expands the reader's thinking with the possibilities (and some limitations) that the current 1.2 release has to offer.
The book is delivered in five parts. The first, Foundations, covers the Clojure philosophy and sets the stage of the tone and topics to come. The basic constructs like scalars, collections, functions, vars, loops, blocks, quoting, exceptions, and namespaces are also discussed. Part II, Data Types, goes deeper into understanding how to best utilize scalars and composite data types in Clojure by considering symbolic resolution, regular expressions, persistence, complexity, queues, and sequential evaluations. Part III explores the hot topic of functional programming, a category that Clojure excels and made its name in. While only two chapters long, the working lazy quick sort and pathfinding examples do the job of showcasing Clojure's power in the functional programming space.
Part IV features another top strength of Clojure: large-scale design. This scaling need is truly why languages like Scala and Clojure exist, and the authors do an excellent job of distilling their knowledge of the subject into four chapters. This section is also the heart of the book and covers the use of macros to control, combine and change forms and manage resources, using the "Universal Design Pattern" with Clojure's multimethods and the Java-Clojure. Chapter 11 on Mutation is a must-read, filled with best practices on the use of agents, atoms, futures, locks, promises, refs, vars and dynamic binding. There's a lot to digest in this chapter and will prove invaluable toward advancing your Clojure experience.
The last part of the book, titled Tangential Considerations, contains chapters on performance issues (type hints, transients, chunking, memoization, and coercion) and a final catch-all chapter on the design considerations behind DSL's, testing, design patterns, error handling, and debugging. It's hard to believe that Fogus and Houser were able to pack so much excellent advice into a 350+ page book.
Readers unfamiliar with the mechanics of the language should first read the other basic tutorial Clojure books on the market, play with the language, and port a few simple programs to it before checking out this book. And while the book's Web page assures that no Lisp experience is necessary, I disagree. Readers who will get the most out of the book and Clojure itself need to have some awareness of Lisp due to Clojure's reliance on that language's main principles. So while it may not be necessary to have Lisp experience, the philosophy and principles expounded upon in The Joy of Clojure will take Lisp (and other functional programming-aware developers) readers further and resonate more deeply with this background experience at the ready.
Additionally, while the book can certainly provide insights to the first-time Clojure student, it will be best appreciated by those who have gained some appreciation for (and frustration with) using the language. It is a book crafted for intermediate Clojure developers seeking to hone their skills and reveal the more graceful subtleties the language has to offer. So while I am still likely to remain a Scala user by day, reading this book has made me a Clojure convert by night.
Mike Riley


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Out from Little-Brown!
Think you know our nearest star? Think again no other astronomical object influences our often mundane daily lives like our Sun. Think about it; the fuel in our cars, the energy in that Twinkie you had for breakfast (admit it) and the very power in the electrons that propel this blog can all be traced back the fusion force coming from our nearest star. As Bob Berman points out in his latest book, The Suns Heartbeat, and Other Stories from the Life of the Star that Powers out Planet, all Earthbound energy with the exception of nuclear fission can be traced back to our Sun. Fans of Astronomy magazine (which JUST finally joined the ranks of the digital, winning back at least one more subscriber!) will be familiar with Mr. Bermans Dave Barry-meets-Carl Sagan style of writing from his monthly column. [Read more...]