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Discuss the merits of the many competing desktop Linux distributions out there, and you could fill several hours with heated debate. Turn the conversation to enterprise server distros, however, and the room can become quiet very quickly.
The fact is, those on the hunt for the best or easiest or cheapest enterprise Linux distro have far fewer choices. You might think that a smaller hit list would make the job of choosing the ideal Linux server distro easier, but that's often not the case.
Which is the best distro for your enterprise servers? To some extent, the answer is in the eye of the beholder. For that reason, LinuxInsider sought the advice of a team of, well, Linux insiders.
No one server distro fits everyone's enterprise situation, of course. Still, there are some key factors to keep in mind as you assess the options. Remember why you use Linux instead of those other guys — it all comes down to choices and the freedom to choose what works best for you.
Know the Options
No two Linux server distros are exactly the same. They do, however, share very similar components and functionality, noted Marty Wesley, senior principal product marketing manager for Red Hat.
"The reason for this is that they all pull from the same upstream sources," Wesley explained. "When you consider that Linux is actually a collection of many packages (as many as several thousand, depending on the distribution), you begin to notice that a particular Linux distribution, and the version of that distribution, is truly a huge packaging exercise," Wesley told LinuxInsider.
For example, all Linux distributions start with a kernel from the upstream Linux kernel project led by Linux creator Linus Torvalds. They differ in that each pulls from the upstream project at a different point in time and each has different engineering, testing and QA processes. That creates a fluid design that navigates the Linux stream in two directions.
The first leads to temporary differences in the distributions that are rectified with each new pull from the upstream sources. The second situation leads to more permanent differences in the various Linux distributions, Wesley noted.
Decide on a Framework
The differences in Linux server distros come down to Linux is Linux. There are advantages and disadvantages for each Linux server choice. For instance, scaling capabilities that you get with the Power architecture Linux server distro are not available with the x86 Linux server distros, according to Jim Wasko, director of IBM's Linux Technology Center.
The same is true for the mainframe Linux distro. Differences among distros for the same platform or architecture often come down to the differences in the versions. They tend to leapfrog one another, Wasko noted.
"On the surface, if you are trying to run a database on top of any Linux distro, the core performance is the same," Wasko told LinuxInsider.
Some companies develop what Wasko calls "roll your own" where they build their own internal distribution. Such companies get the same benefit as they would from any Linux distro regarding the Linux kernel, he said.
Get Community-Cozy
Among Linux server distros, the particular developer community forms a big piece of the distinguishing differences. In this realm, distros are decidedly different, but not as wide-ranging as Linux desktop distros are, noted Kerry Kim, director of Linux markets for Suse.
"Much more evident with Linux server distros is how they target overall business goals and objectives," Kim told LinuxInsider. "Also a factor is how they are designed for specific user markets."
All core server functionality is developed in the open source community just as it is for the desktop distros. Live DVD versions are available. The real difference is in ecosystems, support and functionality, he said.
Make Family Connections
"Probably fewer practical server OS distros exist," Kim said. "Most of the companies have specific needs and want the full paid support targeted to what they want to accomplish. They also want to pay for guarantees that the hardware and software certifications for that server product are maintained for the hardware and software they use."
Users can choose between the free community-support server versions and the for-subscription support in the enterprise version. All of the server distros are distributed under similar open source licenses. Free versions have their fee-based versions, he said.
Regardless of hardware and distro differences, an essential consideration in picking a Linux server distro is the life expectancy of mission-critical software you may have developed in-house.
"What is its expected life cycle? You do not want to deploy an application that will be around for five years on a distribution that changes every six months," Wesley advised. "You'll spend all your time rebuilding and testing the application with each new Linux server distribution change."
Make a Plan
Perhaps the best starting point is to check the requirements of the distros you consider. Hardware and software configurations you want to use may not be compatible. Different server distros may cater to certain architectures.
For example, the IBM server line for Linux supports x86 and Power architectures for mainframes. These contain the same kernel and same packages within the distributions. IBM supports two commercial enterprise editions from Red Hat and Suse, noted Wasko. [*Correction – Jan. 16, 2014]
Companies tend to select a Linux server distro based on the developer's reputation and support quality, Kim noted. Essential to this is the server distro's certifications to run on specific hardware and software combinations.
"It is a lot of work for any server developer," he explained. "Any changes in the coding require new testing to maintain certifications are valid."
Be Prepared
Look at the organizations that are behind each Linux server distribution that you consider, Wesley suggested. Assess their track record in regards to the computing environment and workload you are running.
Overall, potential users should consider the environment and workload in which the server they select will run, suggested Wesley. The first decision should be: Is this running in an environment where it requires support, maintenance, security patches, updates, etc.?
Also important is to make sure the expertise is available to help you with whatever problems you might have. This last point is important because it highlights that it's not just about the bits that are delivered. It's also about the companies that stand behind those bits, said Wesley.
Count Your Costs
Factor in the cost and success of in-house IT care versus outside server services. Free Linux server distros are not much of a bargain if your operation requires high maintenance because the in-house staff is inadequate.
This is a common situation. If it's the case for you, then you really need to look for a Linux server distribution that is supported by a commercial vendor, according to Wesley.
"Free Linux server distributions might be fine for use in less important environments," he explained. "But if the system must be maintained and supported, then you need to have someone to turn to for help with support and maintenance. You do not want to spend your time searching for answers or building fixes yourself."
Weigh Design Factors
Engineering differences show up in the packages and technologies that are chosen by default. These differences include how the various technologies are assembled and how they are maintained. Examples of this include the choice of using the Red Hat installer (Anaconda) versus the Suse Linux installer (Yast), noted Wesley.
"The meaningful differences really come down to the engineering, testing and QA processes," he said.
It is also important when selecting a Linux server distro to consider the top-level applications like the LAMP stack. Figure out what you are going to run at the top level and what your overall goals are for the server. Then see which distro lines up better with your enterprise strategy, added Wasko.
Modular or Integrated
Oracle began its enterprise server entry with a copycat version of Red Hat. Now Oracle has its own version tweaked to work with its other Linux database and business products, Kim pointed out.
Suse's primary emphasis is on building out its ecosystem and hardening it packages, Kim added. One key difference between it and Red Hat is how integration works all in one package. This attracts customers who prefer to have an integrated product line. To that end, Suse partners with other developers for add-on components.
This modular approach can help control resources and save money by not having to replace the entire Linux stack. This also helps performance and mediate vendor lock-in.
Avoid Vendor Lock-in
If an enterprise server OS is developed to support mostly the community's own products, a form of vendor lock-in can occur even though the supplier is an open source dealer, noted Kim.
"Even with open source servers, choices you make can be limiting," he cautioned.
The big difference is in approach. Potential users of one server distro over another should know if the server OS design favors integration or best of breed, according to Wasko.
The modular approach has the advantage of letting users build in their own level of customization. The integrated-stack approach builds in a dedicated software line that takes advantage of vendor specialty software.
Wasko finds that user companies tend to standardize on one server distribution or another. Often they base the decision on what is offered from that vendor. For example, does the distro have its own server stream and update mechanism?
Don't Assume Bigger Is Better
The mainstream Linux server OSes are Red Hat (60 percent market share), Suse (30 percent market share), Oracle (5 to 8 percent market share) and Ubuntu (less than 4 percent), according to Kim. Other Linux server distros include Mandriva, Xandros, Slackware, Debian and CentOS — but this is far from an exhaustive list.
The question of bigger or smaller being better is no longer valid when it comes to Linux enterprise-grade servers, Wasko believes. Over time, the answer to "bigger or smaller" has merged into whether you should consider a pure server distro or a server service company.
That is because many Linux distro developers have grown up since the early 1990s, when they started. Today they align well with the larger server hardware manufacturers. They understand the need for life cycles and extended support, and they provide this in a global market rather than a regional setting.
Be Goal-Oriented
What is more significant than the bigger-or-smaller question is the "mainstream Linux server versus lesser-known Linux community distro" question, Wasko noted. The answer to that question depends on what you are trying to accomplish.
For example, server systems in an environment that requires support and maintenance or runs commercial applications on common hardware probably are best suited to a mainstream Linux company, he explained.
Niche systems or those using custom development on unique hardware or specific application development for a narrow target audience might get better support in a smaller Linux community, he added.
"The challenge," Wasko concluded, "is that often those smaller Linux server communities might limit your ability to address a wider market or utilize industry-standard hardware and software."
*ECT News Network editor's note – Jan. 16, 2014: Our original published version of this story mistakenly named Cisco as one of two commercial enterprise editions supported by IBM, according to Jim Wasko, director of the company's Linux Technology Center. Wasko actually named Red Hat and Suse — not Red Hat and Cisco. We regret the error.


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via Artnet News, Feb. 13, 2007 : {links courtesy of RGL}
What exactly has 52nd Venice Biennale artistic director Robert Storr been up to with those multiple curatorial sojourns to Africa? It turns out that "Check List," an exhibition of African contemporary art, is anchoring the Biennale's focus on Africa in the festival's Arsenale space. According to the Biennale press office, works are being selected from the Sindika Dokolo African Collection of Contemporary Art, an institution based in Luanda, Angola, that encompasses some 500 works by 140 artists from 28 different African nations.
Storr has selected an ace team of experts to pick the most representative artworks for the African affair: Ethiopian curator Meskerem Assegued, Ghanaian journalist Ekow Eshun, American-born artist Lyle Ashton Harris, Yale prof Kellie Jones and Nigerian curator Bisi Silva. "Check List" is curated by Camaroonian art critic Simon Njami, along with Angolan artist -- and Sindika Dokolo Collection co-founder -- Fernando Alvim.
...After searching for more info on Storr's "multiple curatorial sojourns to Africa" I came across this letter on ASAI; (is this about a curatorial/cultural power struggle or what?):
[This letter was initially written {by Olu Oguibe, October 2006} in response to a letter from Salah Hassan and Okwui Enwezor to Robert Storr, Artistic Director of the Venice Biennale. It was copied by the writer to interested parties and is reproduced here with his permission.]
To Dr. Salah Hassan
Forum for African ArtsSeptember 19, 2006
Dear Salah,
Thanks for your email of September 1 regarding the response from yourself and Okwui Enwezor to artistic director Robert Storr's open call for proposals for the African Pavilion at the 2007 Venice Biennale (letter attached below). I had hoped that you would call to discuss this on the phone as your promised, failing which I felt that I should send you my thoughts on the matter as well as share those thoughts with other concerned parties.
I would like to say that I do not share the views that you and Enwezor have expressed in your letter to Robert Storr regarding the issue at hand. I do not share the view that it is wrong for Mr. Storr or the Venice Biennale Foundation to make an open call for proposals that allows other parties in Africa or elsewhere the opportunity to put forward their ideas and visions for an African exhibition in Venice. On the contrary, I happen to think that Mr. Storr's decision to establish an African pavilion as an official part of the Biennale is, at least in the interim, a very positive and commendable development. And as a firm and consistent believer in open processes, I also think that Storr and the Venice Biennale Foundation have done the right thing by making the proposal process an open one that anyone with a good idea and the resources should be able to participate in. I do not accept or share your view or Enwezor's that under no circumstance should the process be opened to wider participation or that the Forum for African Arts should exercise a perpetual monopoly over African participation in the Venice Biennale outside the main exhibition.
As I understand it, what you and I have struggled for all these years is that more Africans should have the opportunity to present their work and ideas to the contemporary art world, be they artists, curators, historians or critics. That is why we established the Forum for African Arts. I believe that Robert Storr's idea of an open call fits this ideal while the present call by you and Enwezor to close the process and preserve it for a privileged few runs contrary to it. [read on...]

subset: commoncrawl


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We like to support as many conventions as we can. Convention organizers can either send your information using the form below or call our office, Monday thru Friday, 9:00 am to 6:30 pm EST; (734)721-2900 OR FAX at (734)721-1238, ask for Alex, but anyone should be able to help or take a message.
When sending us information about your convention, we would appreciate the following information:
We love to see flyers promoting the convention and appreciate getting a copy of your Convention Program Book. Please send to:
Palladium Books®, Inc.
Attn: Convention Support
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If you would like Kevin Siembieda to be a guest at your convention, just ask. If his schedule will allow it, he'll consider attending.
Kevin and the Palladium Crew are very busy, so availability is limited, but we love getting out to meet our fans. Kevin tries to squeeze in at least one or two convention guest appearances every year.
What you get. In the case of Kevin Siembieda, he likes to be accessible to the convention organizers and the gamers attending the convention. He'll chat and sign autographs for hours. The more events he can participate in at the convention, the better. As a guest, Kevin's goal is to be there for you, and to help make the convention a fun success. He enjoys talking, has a million stories and is happy to host question and answer sessions and participate in panel talks (by himself or as a member of larger panels with other guests). In fact, he'll do 2-5 panels a day (depending on the length of time), and can handle panels that run 2-3 hours at a time. He's usually willing to run a role-playing game or two over the weekend and help in any other way he can (help judge costume contests, art shows, etc.).
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Send us the information listed under Convention Support, above, and let us know your intentions.
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Click on the link below to submit your request. There is a category called Conventions. Please choose that when submitting your request. Remember, Kevin Siembieda is insanely busy and only does 1-2 convention guest appearances a year (sometimes not even that!), so do not feel slighted if he can't make it.
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Related links:
Mercury's Orbital Resonance
It takes Mercury about 59 Earth days to spin once on its axis (the rotation period), and about 88 Earth days to complete one orbit about the Sun. However, the length of the day on Mercury (sunrise to sunrise) is 176 Earth days. How can this happen? The figure shows the path of Mercury about the Sun with a mark indicating the same spot on the surface of the planet at different times in the orbit. A point initially pointing toward the Sun will point in the same direction after one rotation (59 days or 2/3 of the orbital period), but that point will no longer be directed toward the Sun. It takes three rotations of the planet during two orbits of the planet about the Sun, or 88 x 2=176 days, for the mark to get back to the same position.


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My Experience Local BC, a visual tour
Accent Inn's, Pam Chung likes to Experience Local and is not only known for her friendly smile but also for her keen eye.
Pam has kindly shared some of her visual experiences, captured on film (or sd card..) of her local travels around Victoria, Vancouver and more.
Remember to enter the Experience Local contest (Aug 5 – 31, 2013) and add your own suggestions to the site.


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In the U.S., most Latino children begin school without some of the basic skills necessary to do well in the classroom. Some never catch up. But as NPR's Claudio Sanchez reports, a recent study found that many of these kids also have unique strengths that could help them make up the difference.
CLAUDIO SANCHEZ, BYLINE: By the time Rolling Terrace Elementary at Tacoma Park, Maryland, opened its doors this particular morning, dozens of parents and their children had already been hovering, shivering outside in the frigid winter air. About 60 percent of the kids at this school are Latino.
LESVIA SALAZAR: (Foreign language spoken)
SANCHEZ: Lesvia Salazar, 27, is from Guatemala. She has two daughters, a kindergartner and a preschooler.
SALAZAR: (Foreign language spoken)
SANCHEZ: She says that before her daughters started school, she tried really hard to prepare them, playing word games, teaching them the colors and numbers, reading to them.
Mrs. Salazar is typical of the mostly working-class Latino moms who gather for coffee at the school every morning. They don't speak English, but they're constantly checking in on their kids who seem to be doing fine. Researchers say they're the exception, not the rule. Most Latino children start school at least seven months behind when compared to white children. Their vocabulary is smaller. Their familiarity with text and math concepts is weaker. Claudia Galindo is a sociologist at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
CLAUDIA GALINDO: We're talking about preschoolers, so being able to identify shapes, classifying, identifying, counting, like when you set the table, for example, how many people are in the family, OK, how many plates do we need, all these very basic things.
SANCHEZ: Galindo was part of a team of researchers who recently finished a groundbreaking study led by UCLA and UC Berkeley. They tracked 4,700 working-class Latino parents with children ages 2 to 5, wanting to know how parents were preparing their kids for school. But here's what was startling, says Galindo.
GALINDO: We found that Latino kids bring to school strong emotional skills and strong social skills, which means they know how to share with their peers. They know how to follow instructions. They know how to listen. And one other thing that we found is that these kids are being raised in very supportive and warm family environments.
SANCHEZ: Galindo says these kids' remarkable emotional maturity and social agility have been the missing link when devising strategies to help Latino children catch up academically, because when teachers take into account these kids' eagerness to learn and get along, it's much easier for them to adapt to the classroom quickly and learn English quickly. So there's no reason why they can't succeed academically just as quickly, says Galindo, unless teachers assume that Latino children can't and parents can't help.
GALINDO: Not all schools are open to really understanding where families are coming from.
SANCHEZ: Schools' definition of readiness, says Galindo, is too narrow and often rooted in the view that Latino children are deficient, too slow, too far behind, so they need to be coddled rather than challenged. The research now shows that's a big mistake, says Bruce Fuller, one of the main authors of the UCLA-UC Berkeley study.
BRUCE FULLER: We've got to move education policymakers away from the assumption that we need to fix these kids, we need to fix the parenting skills, not simply assume that they have weaknesses that need to be tinkered with and corrected.
SANCHEZ: The big question is: Can these findings change both teachers' expectations and how they teach Latino children? Researchers say yes, first, because research is now driving some important changes in teaching and learning and more importantly because it's urgent. Claudio Sanchez, NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


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Why Does Popcorn Cost So Much at the Movies?
Movie theaters are notorious for charging consumers top dollar for concession items such as popcorn, soda, and candy. Are moviegoers just being gouged?
New research from Stanford and the University of California, Santa Cruz suggests that there is a method to theaters' madness--and one that in fact benefits the viewing public. By charging high prices on concessions, exhibition houses are able to keep ticket prices lower, which allows more people to enjoy the silver-screen experience.
The findings empirically answer the age-old question of whether it's better to charge more for a primary product (in this case, the movie ticket) or a secondary product (the popcorn). Putting the premium on the "frill" items, it turns out, indeed opens up the possibility for price-sensitive people to see films. That means more customers coming to theaters in general, and a nice profit from those who are willing to fork it over for the Gummy Bears.
Indeed, movie exhibition houses rely on concession sales to keep their businesses viable. Although concessions account for only about 20 percent of gross revenues, they represent some 40 percent of theaters' profits. That's because while ticket revenues must be shared with movie distributors, 100 percent of concessions go straight into an exhibitor's coffers.
Looking at detailed revenue data for a chain of movie theaters in Spain, Wesley Hartmann, associate professor of marketing at the Graduate School of Business, and Ricard Gil, assistant professor in economics at University of California, Santa Cruz, proved that pricing concessions on the high side in relation to admission tickets makes sense.
They compared concession purchases in weeks with low and high movie attendance.
The fact that concession sales were proportionately higher during low-attendance periods suggested the presence of "die-hard" moviegoers willing to see any kind of film, good or bad--and willing to purchase high-priced popcorn to boot. "The logic is that if they're willing to pay, say, $10 for a bad movie, they would be willing to pay even more for a good movie," said Hartmann. "This is underscored by the fact that they do pay more, even for a bad movie, as is seen in their concession buying. So for the times they're in the theater seeing good or popular movies, they're actually getting more quality than they would have needed to show up. That means that, essentially, you could have charged them a higher price for the ticket."
Should theaters flirt with raising their ticket prices then? No, says Hartmann. The die-hard group does not represent the average movie viewer. While the film-o-philes might be willing to pay, say, $15 for a movie ticket, a theater that tried such a pricing tactic would soon find itself closing its doors.
"The fact that the people who show up only for good or popular movies consume a lot less popcorn means that the total they pay is substantially less than that of people who will come to see anything. If you want to bring more consumers into the market, you need to keep ticket prices lower to attract them." Theaters wisely make up the margin, he says, by transferring it to the person willing to buy the $5 popcorn bucket.
The work of Hartmann and Gil substantiates what movie exhibitors have intuited all along. "The argument that pricing secondary goods higher than primary goods can benefit consumers has been circulating for decades, but until now, no one has looked at hard data to see whether it's true or not," says Hartmann.
In another study examining Spanish theaters, the researchers discovered: Moviegoers who purchase their tickets over the internet also tend to buy more concession items than those who purchase them at the door, by phone, at kiosks, or at ATMs (the latter option has not yet hit the United States). More research is needed to figure out why, but for now this suggests that theaters may want to be sure to partner with an internet service to make such ticketing available--or even take the function in-house.
People who come to the movies in groups also tend to buy more popcorn, soda, and candy, Hartmann and Gil found. While this, too, merits more investigation, it may be that such groups comprise families or teenagers. "If that turns out to be the case, it may be that theaters will want to run more family- or adolescent-oriented movies to attract a more concession-buying crowd," Hartmann says.
Analyzing data along the lines suggested by Hartmann and Gil can also support other pricing schemes for businesses that sell concessions, such as baseball parks. Taking the kids to a ball game can be a pricey proposition for many families, once you take into account all the hotdogs and memorabilia. "If we found the current pricing scheme turns away such a group, theory suggests that the firm might want to throw in a free baseball cap or bat," Hartmann says. "That raises the quality of the experience and provides an incentive for families to show up."
Source: University of California, Santa Cruz


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More miles from Premier Hotels, Accord Hotels and Compass Hotels!
From now on Panorama Club Program members can earn even more miles for each night at any of Premier Hotels, Accord Hotels and Compass Hotels. We are pleased to introduce new Program Partners: Palazzo Premier Hotel (Poltava), Art-hotel Cosmopolit (Kharkiv), Compass Hotel Kherson and Compass Hotel Yagodyn. Also we increased the amount of bonus miles for accommodation in Kharkiv Palace Hotel (Kharkiv) and Yunost Accord Hotel (Odesa).
You can now earn 1,000 bonus miles at Kharkiv Palace Hotel (Kharkiv), 500 bonus miles atArt-hotel Cosmopolit (Kharkiv), 250 bonus miles at Palazzo Premier Hotel (Poltava) and Yunost Accord Hotel (Odesa), 150bonus miles at Compass Hotel Kherson and Compass Hotel Yagodyn for each night paid at public rates* upon presenting your Panorama Club card at check-in.
* Booking must be done directly at the hotel's booking office or on the hotel's official website.


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On October 25-26, 2012, the newly constituted U.S. Census Bureau National Advisory Committee on Racial, Ethnic and Other Populations will be holding its first meeting in its role of assisting the Census Bureau in producing more accurate statistics about our diverse nation. This meeting is open to the public at the U.S. Census Bureau headquarters in Suitland, Maryland, and will begin to discuss the Census Bureau's proposal to add "Latino" and "Hispanic" to the list of government-defined races on its decennial population survey questionnaire, amongst other issues. This proposal has the potential to significantly hinder the demographic count of Latinos of African ancestry and should be rejected.
In the last census Hispanic was part of a separate ethnicity question rather than being listed as an option in the "what race are you" question. Such a two-part formulation in 2010 enabled Latinos to indicate their ethnic origin as "Hispanics" and simultaneously indicate their racial identity as white, black, Asian or Native American. Given the racial diversity of Latinos in the U.S., the pre-existing census form seems quite logical and should be retained. For instance, with the current questionnaire structure the count of Afro-Latinos is not subsumed and made invisible within a simple count of persons of Hispanic origin. In contrast, the proposed census reform will hinder an ability to collect the statistical data that concretely demonstrates the subordinated status of Afro-Latinos that is distinctive from broader Hispanic ethnic groups. Because census racial data is principally used to enforce the civil rights mandates against discrimination in employment, in the sale and rental of homes and in the allocation of mortgages, it would be a disservice to this country's pursuit of racial equality to institute a census change that would mask the civil rights harms perpetrated against Latinos with visible African ancestry.
Why then is the Census Bureau considering the reformulation of Hispanic ancestry into a racial category? The proposed reform arises from the fact that in the 2010 census like many prior census years, an average of 36% of Latinos chose the "Some Other Race" racial option, despite the ability to select a specific racial category after indicating their Hispanic ethnic origin. Because non-Latinos only select the "Some Other Race" option at approximately a 3% rate, it is presumed that unique "Latino" perspectives about racial identity cause the difference. To be precise, the frequent explanation for the 36% Latino rate of selecting "Some Other Race" is considered to be the Latino cultural inability to view race in binary black and white terms and a Latino preference for expressing racial mixture. What this presumed explanation obscures is the greater extent to which Latinos actually do choose specific racial categories and how.
For instance, if cultural identities rooted in racial mixture were the primary driving force for the "Some Other Race" Latino selection phenomenon, then one would expect to see more Latinos exercising the census questionnaire option to "mark one or more boxes." Instead, only six percent of Latinos on the 2010 census chose to select "two or more races." Indeed, the racial category of choice for Latinos on the 2010 census and census forms from prior decades has been the white racial category at a rate of 53 percent. Such a pattern suggests that Latino census responses are not primarily a consequence of a particular Latino identification with racial mixture.
When survey instruments such as the 2003 New Immigrant Survey omit a "Some Other Race" option, Latino immigrants overwhelmingly select the white racial category at a rate of 79% regardless of what their actual skin color is. And it is this preference for whiteness that is a more accurate reflection of any presumed "Latino" cultural expression on the census form. Indeed, census data from Latin American countries show the same proclivity for the white racial category regardless of actual skin color in response to the Latin American disdain for African and indigenous ancestry. Once Latin American immigrants become "Americanized" in the United States along with their U.S. born descendants, the shift to the ambiguity of a "Some Other Race" option may very well reflect not only the sense of exclusion from a U.S. category of whiteness that stigmatizes Latino ancestry, but also a preference for distancing oneself from U.S. blackness. For instance, the New Immigrant Study also found that Latinos who were most integrated into U.S. society were more likely than recent immigrants to completely opt out of a specific racial category despite the ability to select multiple racial categories to express racial mixture. In short, while interpreting Latino census responses may be a complex matter, the complexity will not necessarily be appropriately resolved with the proposed census reform of making "Hispanic" a racial category.
Thus far, the empirical data demonstrates that Latinos do have racial identities separate and apart from their national origin and pan-ethnic Latino identities, and that the "Some Other Race" phenomenon is not a consequence of incomprehension of the racial categories or a preference for the expression of racial mixture. Latin American census experiences suggest that the "Some Other Race" selection may instead be an outgrowth of the preference for whiteness and its companion disdain for indigeneity and blackness. U.S. Census Bureau officials should reject the proposed reform lest the Hispanic racial category change become another mechanism for refusing to officially acknowledge indigenous and African ancestry within the Latino community. It would be a shame to facilitate the invisibility of indigenous and Afro-Latinos in the United States, at the very moment that indigenous and Afro-Latino communities in Latin America itself are gaining recognition and demanding social inclusion.
Tanya Katerí Hernández is a professor at Fordham Law School and author of "Racial Subordination in Latin America: The Role of the State, Customary Law, and the New Civil Rights Response" Cambridge University Press, https://sites.google.com/site/racismlatam/


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I recently tried to connect my iPhone to the built in bluetooth on a Range Rover Sport and whilst the phone could see the car's bluetooth and start pairing I was being prompted for a PIN number which I didn't know.
On iDrive equipped BMW's you pick your own code to enter on the phone, say 1234 and then the car asks you to confirm this code on the iDrive.
On much older Nokia car kits the code was written on a sticker on the hardware so you had to make note of it but all the recent Nokia kits just use 0000 as the code.
I tried 1234, 0000 and some other defaults to connect my phone to the Range Rover Bluetooth and it didn't accept them. I have since discovered (in the manual but obviously couldn't check this easily) that the bluetooth PIN for all Range Rovers and Land Rovers is 2121.
[This blog entry is merely a reminder for me of the PIN for the future but it may come in useful to others]


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Create a Website Account - Manage notification subscriptions, save form progress and more.
The Park Forest Public Library offers an array of programs to meet the needs of the community. The library has an extensive collection of books, audiovisual materials, and computer resources. Library staff is available to assist patrons in using all areas of the library, including the electronic information sources and online public access catalog (OPAC) to locate materials at the library or in other Reaching Across Illinois Library System libraries.
Visit the Park Forest Public Library for a more detailed look inside.


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Note: I am aware of the question Analog to the Chinese Remainder Theorem in groups other than Z_n.
For an abelian group $A$, every transitive $A$-set $M$ is of course isomorphic, as an $A$-set, to a quotient group $A/H$, by picking a point $m\in M$ and letting $H = Stab(m)$. Note that stabiliser groups of different points are conjugate, hence equal.
For a pair of transitive $A$-sets, $N,M$, their product $M\times N$ is an $A$-set by the diagonal action $(m,n) \stackrel{a}{\mapsto} (am,an)$. This is not in general a transitive $A$-set, but is the disjoint union of transitive $A$-sets. An easy result is that
$$ Stab(m,n) = Stab(m)\cap Stab(n) $$
The Chinese remainder theorem is precisely the statement
$$ \mathbb{Z}/(k)\times\mathbb{Z}/(l) \simeq \mathbb{Z}/((k)\cap (l)) \simeq \mathbb{Z}/(kl) $$
for coprime $k$ and $l$ (and generalised to more than two factors) and so the product of transitive $\mathbb{Z}$-sets is a transitive $\mathbb{Z}$-set. There is also the version where one has to consider the gcd of the factors, and this is when things get a bit more interesting, and break away from the ring-theoretic approach - the disjoint union of rings is not a ring!
Describing the structure of $A/H \times A/K$ for subgroups $H, K \lt A$ is only mildly interesting - it is a disjoint union of a number of copies of isomorphic transitive $A$-sets. This is not what my question is about, but there may be some combinatorial interest in the case of finite $A$. Consider instead a finite nonabelian group $G$ - not necessarily nilpotent! - and a pair of subgroups $H, K \lt G$. Fairly elementary observations show that
$$ G/H\cap K \hookrightarrow G/H\times H/K $$
and that generally the orbits look like $G/(H\cap gKg^{-1})$. This seems to me to be an interesting combinatorial/group-theoretic problem, enumerating/classifying the various subgroups $H\cap gKg^{-1} \lt G$, and the number of orbits in the product.
My question is: has anyone done any work on something like this?
Postscript: people know know me might wonder why I was thinking about this. Well, the general problem of determining the structure of the product $G/H\times H/K$ came up thinking about proper-class-sized $G$ with set-sized $G/H$, $G/K$. It quickly became apparent that this would be nontrivial even for finite $G$!


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Special On-line Edition for the Appearance Day of
Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Vamana Gosvami Maharaja
śrī śrī guru gaurāṅga jayataḥ!
Year-1 Special On-line Edition
Posted: 21 December 2008
Dedicated to
nitya-līlā praviṣṭa oṁ viṣṇupāda
Śrī Śrīmad Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī Mahārāja
Inspired by and under the guidance of
Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja
The Deep Meaning of Akhanda Guru-tattva
A letter written by Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Vamana Gosvami Maharaja
Translated into English for the first time
Sri Sri Guru-Gauranga Jayatah
Sri Goloka-ganja Gaudiya Matha
Goloka-ganja, (Dhubadi)
6th June 1972
[The name of the recipient did not appear in the published Bengali letter]
Affectionate greetings.
Sri Guru, the Vaisnavas and Sri Bhagavan - these three are antaryami. In other words, they are the internal witnesses and know our heart. They see the Truth and speak the Truth. They extend their causeless compassion to the conditioned souls of this world in ways that are unnoticed by mortal intelligence and inconceivable to it. Truly nothing in this world can compare to their compassion. Only a soul who possesses sufficient spiritual merit can fathom something of their unsurpassed compassion.
Sri Guru and Bhagavan see into the core of our hearts. Longing to see the innermost love and devotion of the sadhakas and sadhikas blossom, Sri Guru and Sri Bhagavan fulfil their desires in ways that are at times obvious and at others unseen. In this way they secure the sadhakas' and sadhikas' conviction in sadhana-bhajana. Without becoming exclusively dedicated to bhajana, how else can one reap any genuine results?
"Uttama haiya apanare mane trna-adhama – a person who is truly situated on an advanced stage of bhakti deems himself more insignificant than a piece of straw." This mentality is the sole requisite and the metre of one's eligibility to obtain the mercy of Sri Guru and Bhagavan. If the deep passion to engage in devotion, the bhakti-vrtti, fails to rise in one's heart, do you think it is possible for one to receive causeless mercy? Causeless mercy, of course, does not depend on any condition, and yet it will escape the reach of one bereft of bhakti.
"Yogyata vicare kichu nahi pai, tomara karuna sara – when I look for my own eligibility, I find that I have none; your compassion is the essence of everything I have" ("Gurudeva, krpa-bindhu diya"). Every sadhaka or sadhika expresses his or her feelings of humility with such heartfelt prayer. Despite being established in the rightful eligibility to receive the grace of Sri Guru and Bhagavan, it is the devotee's innate propensity to express such humility. That alone is his real merit and the wealth of his sadhana; that humility is really his heroic glory.
Causeless mercy is something that escapes the appreciation of someone beset by mundane conceit and egotism. In a state of such egotism, a person's impetus and longing to serve cannot fully flourish, and he fails to perceive the omniscience of Sri Guru and Bhagavan. Gripped by mundane vanity, the conditioned soul is locked into foolish arrogance, similar to that of a bloated, puffing frog that disparages the ocean on the assumption that nothing surpasses his dingy water-hole – only because he has been forever stuck in it. He even thinks that he can slight the whole earth.
Those who have found shelter, however, surpass all obstacles and hurdles on the strength of their bhakti and become illuminated with the divine, unsurpassable compassion of Sri Guru and Bhagavan.
asoka-abhaya-amrta-adhara tomara carana-dvaya
tahate ekhona visrama labhiya chadinu bhavera bhaya
from Saranagati
by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura
Your two feet are the foundation of immortal existence free from sorrow and fear. Finding solace in their shelter, I have now shed my mortal terror of material existence.
The above verse represents the ardent prayers of devotees who are resolute in loving service.
sri guru-vaisnava-bhagavan – tinera smarana
tinera smarane haya vighna-vinasana
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila (1.121)
Sri Guru, the Vaisnavas, and Bhagavan – even remembrance of these three obliterates all obstacles.
By extolling their qualities the heart is cleansed and the multitude of vices (anarthas) and impediments to the process of bhajana are cast far away. No vanity or egotism can survive in a heart that is honestly rapt in hearing, chanting and remembering the glories of Sri Guru and Bhagavan. Such persons have been initiated into the religion of honouring all others, with no expectation of receiving respect in return. They have already abandoned all such adversities to bhajana. This indeed is the undeniable and conclusive truth.
"Vaisnavera guna-gana karile jivera trana – if the soul sings of the Vaisnavas' glories he will obtain deliverance." According to this statement, it is essential to offer prayers, praises and hymns to Sri Guru and Vaisnavas, even though they are in fact equipoised, being satisfied in the bliss of their own bhajana and completely aloof from any external gain.
Those who have taken shelter at the feet of a genuine guru have already deserted ill-suited company. Only by establishing themselves in sadacara, or respectable and ideal conduct, could they have proceeded to accept a guru. Once strong conviction (nistha) in bhajana develops in a person, he abandons asat-sanga, the company of all types of persons who are detrimental to his bhajana – no matter how near and dear those persons are – knowing them to be enemies playing the role of his relatives.
If you are to walk the path of bhajana, you must certainly be wary of offences. That does not mean that when one is unable to do so, one retreats, or withdraws, from the path.
aparadha-sunya haiya laha krsna-nama
from "Nadiya-Godrume"
by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura
Free yourself from offence and just chant the holy name of Sri Krsna. This is the instruction of Sriman Mahaprabhu.
niraparadhe nama laile paya prema-dhana
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta (Antya-lila, 4.71)
If one utters the holy name without offence, one attains the wealth of divine love.
prema-dhana vina vyartha daridra jivana
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta (Antya-lila, 20.37)
Without the wealth of divine love, the life of a poor person like me is without use.
For such reasons, it is instructed that one remain distant from any blasphemy of the sadhus, of the scriptures, and of Sri Guru. Although in the preliminary stages one may make some offence while chanting the holy name, by the grace of Sri Nama Prabhu all such offences will be dispelled.
"Guru mata, guru pita, guru hana pati – Sri Guru is our mother, Sri Guru is our father, Sri Guru is our husband and master." This statement of the mahajanas is in no way opposed to the conclusive truth, nor flawed by any improper sentiment.
Sri Guru is asraya-vigraha, the form and abode of divine love. He is a beloved maidservant of Sri Bhagavan. Sri Guru-tattva is the sakti of the Absolute, or in other words, its transcendental feminine aspect. Teaching others to serve Sri Bhagavan is Sri Guru's constitutional function. He is a gopi, a legitimate maidservant under the direction of the sakhis. As such he is a dearly beloved servant-girl, adept in the art of serving in the pastimes of Sri Bhagavan, that supreme enjoyer and object of all loving relationships.
"Chodata purusa abhimana, kinkari hailu aji kana | varaja-vipine sakhi-satha, sevana karabu radhanatha – O Kana, by abandoning the ego that I am the enjoyer, today I have become Your maidservant. O Radhanatha, in the forest of Vraja, in the company of the sakhis, I will serve You." This is the true nature (svarupa) of perfected souls. Although they are garbed in male form in this world, they have achieved the transcendental nature (bhava) of gopis, either as sakhis or dasis. Facilitating the love sports of the transcendental, ever-fresh Cupid is their sole preoccupation.
One must also know Sri Gurudeva to be bhagavat-svarupa – he who, in nature, personifies Sri Bhagavan. There is a difference, however, when Sri Bhagavan Himself descends and assumes the role of guru. At that time, He is established in the identity of the visaya-vigraha (the object of all love). Though He performs the function of the asraya-vigraha (the abode of love) He is in truth the Absolute Enjoyer, the supreme objective of all service. In that case, would it be wrong to address guru as pati, meaning the husband, or master, of one's life?
Guru is a single indivisible principle, which reveals varying specialities and astonishing traits when deliberated upon. Guru-tattva can be understood according to various considerations and perspectives in each of its divisions: the Supersoul (antaryami), Sri Guru within the heart (caittya-guru), and Sri Guru manifest directly before our vision (mahanta-guru). For one who understands the indivisible principle of guru-tattva in its totality, there is no fault in addressing visaya-vigraha purusottama Sri Krsnacandra as one's pati (meaning "husband" or "the master of one's life") during the time in which He assumes the role of asraya-vigraha and manifests His pastimes accordingly. Only after deliberating upon all such aspects of guru-tattva have the Vaisnava mahajanas written the afore-mentioned couplet, which states Sri Guru to be one's pati.
Furthermore, the nurturing and affection a mother or father gives their child differs vastly from the love shared by a husband and wife. No matter how old a son or daughter gets, in the eyes of a mother and father they will always be the beneficiary of their affection – in a subordinate position. A husband and wife, however, are equals.
Even amongst friends (sakhya-bhava), although they share an intimacy as one soul and one life, their equality with each other retains feelings of seniority or juniority to others. In vatsalya-bhava, children (juniors) are always the dependents, while parents (seniors) are the providers. But in conjugal love no such distinction exists, although some obligations and restrictions are imposed.
sevya-sevaka sambhoge dvayor-bhedah kuto bhavet?
vipralambhe tu sarvasya bhedah sada vartate
from Sri Radha-vinodbihari tatvastakam (2)
by Sri Srimad Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja
In the utter union of the servant with the served, from whence comes the distinction between the two? But in the utter separation of these lovers, the full range of their distinction expands forever.
This verse substantiates that intimacy and equality exists between husband and wife. It is solely for this reason that when we offer tulasi leaves at the feet of sri radha-alingita-vigraha, the form of Sri Krsna embraced by and united with that of Sri Radharani, [or in other words the form of Sriman Mahaprabhu], we are in fact offering tulasi at Her feet also. But when Their forms manifest separately, Sri Radha cannot accept tulasi leaves at Her feet.
Think yet again, though: in this mundane world, the designations and distinctions of male and female exist. But in Goloka-Vrndavana, Purusottama Sri Krsna is the only purusa (enjoyer), and all others are His potencies (sakti), or His 'female' servants. The Bhagavad-gita states that the jiva is sakti, and therefore a real entity in the form of a quality; that is, she is one of Sri Bhagavan's characteristics or capacities. Hence, it is not ever possible for the jiva to be the enjoyer.
In the material realm, a woman experiences three phases of life – as a daughter, as a wedded wife, and as a mother. Specialities and differences exist in and between all three phases. As a daughter and mother, a woman experiences both sides of the affection exchanged between a parent and child. As a wedded wife, however, she experiences the arousal of conjugal love within her. Each variety of love, as a servant, a friend, a parent or a lover, bears the mood of servitude, yet expresses its own unique speciality.
So, relating all this to akhanda-purna guru-tattva, the indivisible, complete principle of Sri Guru, if one were to use the word pati in reference to Sri Guru, it would be directed towards the visaya-vigraha aspect of divinity, which is also related to and included in guru-tattva.
Atma-samarpana, or full submission of the self, is the sole goal of every sadhaka and sadhika. If this completeness, or entirety, does not come in one's sadhana, Sri Bhagavan will remain at a great distance. Evidence of this is Draupadi as well as the Vraja-kumaris.*
* In both these examples, Krsna remained at a distance until the devotees fully surrendered themselves to Him.
With this I shall conclude.
Your ever-well-wisher,
Sri Bhaktivedanta Vamana
Translated from the compilation of letters (Patravali) of
Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Vamana Gosvami Maharaja
by the Rays of The Harmonist team


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Bridge Collapses at Hampi World Heritage Site (India)
On 22 January 2009, the Anegundi Bridge at the World Heritage Group of Monuments at Hampi collapsed, killing eight construction workers. The unfinished bridge over the Tungabhadra River gave way under the weight of the additional concrete used to complete its construction, only weeks after resumption of the works which had been halted over 9 years ago.
The Group of Monuments at Hampi was inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger in 1999 in part because of the construction of two bridges, one of them the Anegundi Bridge. This suspension bridge, only partially completed at the time, dominated the natural environment in the core archaeological area of the site. It threatened the integrity of the World Heritage site due to the visual impact of the bridge as well as through the heavy vehicular traffic in the protected area that the bridge would engender.
UNESCO and ICOMOS had recommended in 2000 that an alternative site for the bridge be identified during the elaboration of the site Master Plan. In recognition of the need to complete the bridge as a temporary means to facilitate the river crossing, efforts to mitigate the threats to the site through constructing a bypass road and other control measures were proposed and executed between 2003 and 2006.
In 2006, the World Heritage Committee removed Hampi from the Danger List requesting the State Party, at the same time to "reconsider and adapt the design and dimensions of the Anegundi Bridge... respecting the visual integrity of the property" and to address the long-term concerns over the impact of the bridge on traffic and undesirable construction activities.
The spectacular site of Hampi was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1986 as a testimony of the last capital of the great Hindu Kingdom of Vijayanagar. The vestiges of the fabulous temples and palaces, as well as the galleries of markets which once won the admiration of travellers between the 14th and 16th centuries, remain to this day in the awesome natural setting characterized by gigantic granite boulders and the Tungabhadra River.
The staff of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre express their condolences for the lives lost in this tragic event.


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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne today announced more than $57.9 million in grants to 23 states and one territory to support conservation planning and acquisition of vital habitat for threatened and endangered fish, wildlife and plants. (a list of states receiving grants is included below) The grants, awarded through the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund, will benefit numerous species ranging from the red-cockaded woodpecker to the Lake Erie watersnake.
"These grants build long-term partnerships with landowners who help to conserve our nation's imperiled species," said Secretary Kempthorne. "They are important tools that empower landowners and communities to safeguard habitat and foster conservation stewardship efforts for future generations."
Authorized by Section 6 of the Endangered Species Act, the grants enable States to work with private landowners, conservation groups and other agencies to initiate conservation planning efforts and acquire and protect habitat to support the conservation of threatened and endangered species.
This year, the cooperative endangered species fund provides $8.6 million through the Habitat Conservation Planning Assistance Grants Program, $35.3 million through the Habitat Conservation Plan Land Acquisition Grants Program and $14 million through the Recovery Land Acquisition Grants Program, which includes approximately $1.5 million of funds carried over from previous years or recovered from previous projects. The three programs were established to help avoid potential conflicts between the conservation of threatened and endangered species and land development and use.
Habitat Conservation Plans (HCPs) are agreements between a landowner and the Service, allowing a landowner to undertake otherwise lawful activities on their property that may result in the death, injury or harassment of a listed species, when that landowner agrees to conservation measures designed to minimize and mitigate the impact of those actions. HCPs may also be developed by a county or state to cover certain activities of all landowners within their own jurisdiction and may address multiple species. There are more than 675 HCPs currently in effect covering nearly 600 species on approximately 42 million acres.
Under the HCP Land Acquisition Program, the Service provides grants to states or territories for land acquisition associated with approved HCPs. The grants are targeted to help landowners who volunteer to conserve imperiled species on their lands. Among recipients of today's HCP Land Acquisition grants is the state of Georgia, which is receiving a $2,000,000 grant to acquire 8,430 acres of mature pine habitat in Decatur County to benefit the red-cockaded woodpecker. The land will be protected in perpetuity as a State Heritage Preserve and will be managed as a State Wildlife Management Area. This project ensures permanent conservation for lands that provide connecting habitat for red-cockaded woodpeckers in this area. This grant also benefits the wood stork, Eastern indigo snake, Flatwoods salamander and state protected species including the gopher tortoise and southern hognose snake.
The HCP Planning Assistance Program provides grants to states and territories to support the development of HCPs through funding of baseline surveys and inventories, document preparation, outreach and similar planning activities. For example, the states of Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee, and Virginia will receive $3,007,270 to assist in the development of a landscape level, multi-species HCP covering a 15,500-mile planning area. The HCP will cover 6.4 million acres of land that has the potential to affect 74 federally listed species habitat in a total of 17 states. The NiSource HCP will be designed to avoid and minimize impacts to endangered and threatened species associated with construction, operation and maintenance of its natural gas transmission lines and ancillary facilities running from Louisiana to Indiana, and Ohio and throughout the northeast to Maine. NiSource will work in collaboration with The Conservation Fund, who will lead a strategic conservation planning process that focuses on integrating species needs with potential habitat mitigation across the landscape, providing multiple species benefits and addressing needs in a cumulative and comprehensive fashion. Species expected to benefit from the NiSource HCP include the Indiana bat, copperbelly watersnake and numerous species of federally listed freshwater mussels.
The Recovery Land Acquisition Grants Program provides funds to states and territories to acquire habitat for endangered and threatened species with approved recovery plans. Habitat acquisition to secure long term protection is often an essential element of a comprehensive recovery effort for a listed species. One of this year's grants will provide $1,471,500 to acquire a conservation easement over 654 acres of high-priority private forestland in the Kootenai Valley of northern Idaho. The property provides a critical link between the higher elevation public lands of the Selkirk Mountains and more than 2,000 acres of low-elevation protected areas owned by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, Vital Ground Foundation and the Owens Foundation for Wildlife Conservation. The protection of this property will contribute to the recovery of grizzly bear, mountain caribou, bull trout, Canada lynx, and gray wolf.
Below is a list of the states that received funding and the amount awarded for species conservation.
Individual States | ||
Arkansas | $ 225,500 | |
California | 17,945,231 | |
Florida | 1,134,605 | |
Georgia | 2,717,772 | |
Hawaii | 2,101,196 | |
Idaho | 1,471,500 | |
Michigan | 689,305 | |
Montana | 6,515,319 | |
Nebraska | 385,911 | |
Ohio | 1,835,000 | |
Oklahoma | 186,000 | |
Oregon | 306,000 | |
Puerto Rico | 1,500,000 | |
Tennessee | 1,763,450 | |
Texas | 6,324,500 | |
Utah | 458,080 | |
Virginia | 704,000 | |
Washington | 8,435,081 | |
Wisconsin | 88,355 | |
Multi-state grants | ||
Tennessee and Kentucky | $129,150 | |
Kentucky, Louisiana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee, and Virginia |
$3,007,270 |
For a complete list of the 2008 grant awards for these programs (Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number 15.615), see the Service's Endangered Species Grants home page at http://endangered.fws.gov/grants/section6/index.html.


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How a 30 Person IT Team Uses Quip to Manage Over 60 Auto Dealerships
Starting as a single automotive dealership in 1979, the Larry H. Miller Holdings Group has expanded to over 80 businesses operating across 46 states. These enterprises include over 60 automotive dealerships, several sports teams including the Utah Jazz, various retail properties, movie theaters, as well as holdings in the financial, insurance, and real estate spaces.
With over 4,900 employees, the Larry Miller automotive division has substantial IT needs to keep the rubber on the road. They use Quip to keep their 30 person IT team connected across seven states. The team originally adopted Quip as a replacement for Evernote Business, but their usage of Quip has expanded to encompass everything from project management to team communication to a central team knowledge base.
Like many IT teams, LHM automotive IT group is made up of several teams, each with a specific area of expertise. It's a huge organizational undertaking to ensure that all the members of each team are organized, available on call, and assigned to the correct tasks in order to fulfill the needs of all 60+ dealerships — this is the job of the IT Project Managers.
We chatted with two of these Project Managers, Bobbie Jensen and Emily Griggs. They explained how they use Quip as a central hub to facilitate fluid communication between all parts of the IT team both generally and for specific projects like a recent, massive company-wide email domain migration.
Quip as the Hub
The LHM team has been using Quip as a company intranet and communication platform for about a year. Before Quip, most documentation was created and stored in Evernote Business and communication was primarily through email. Quip has enabled the group to reduce the number of tools they use, and centralize communication throughout the lifecycle of the projects they work on. Emily explains, "Quip has really allowed us to collaborate. It's been a knowledge base for us. It helps us create task lists, calendars, how-to guides. We have over 60 dealerships that we manage so we keep all of our detailed information in there about on-site contacts, circuits, network equipment, etc."
The organization of the LHM IT intranet starts with a single shared folder that includes sub-folders for each team:
Everything the IT team has worked on for the last year is carefully organized. It enables them to have a complete archival knowledge base for all the projects they have worked on, any past SEVs and issues they have debugged, as well as basic information for every dealership.
Quip is also an essential tool for onboarding new members of the IT team. Field techs and project managers collaborate on how-to and troubleshooting guides that are used to train new hires. "Field techs will throw together some screenshots and describe how to fix something that you run into," explains Emily. "It helps when we have new people come into the team to learn. If they run into something, we tell them to just search for it in Quip first." New hires not only read the document itself, but also all of the messages about a particular project. Previously, that communication would have remained in everyone's email inboxes. Now, new hires have full access to the history and context of the work that has been done.
Quip also serves as the central information repository for each dealership:
Each dealership and site has its own folder inside the main "dealership and site info folder". Emily describes the typical contents of a dealership folder "We have the website, company numbers, router information, site contact information, and who our field tech is."
Folders also contain photos of the network set up for each location. This makes it easy for field techs to reference the correct layout of the servers and routers for each location.
These photos and instructions make troubleshooting much easier. Field techs can see what each set up looks like, and can talk through problems with a dealership employee over the phone.
Quip as a Project Management Tool
The LHM IT team not only uses Quip as a central wiki, but also as their primary project management tool for assigning tasks and communicating between teams. Bobbie and Emily use Quip as a central repository to manage everything from weekly task lists and processes to large-scale operations like a company-wide email domain migration.
Standard weekly processes
Quip is used to manage weekly operations like the change control procedure and IT on-call process. For example, the people on-call for a given week, dubbed "firefighters", work from a Quip document that includes a list of what they have to tackle on a given week and the severity of each project — everything from minor bugs to server fixes that are crucial to the operation of the business. From the task list, conversations can happen throughout the week so everyone can collaborate and contribute to solving the company's IT needs.
A calendar document is used to track who is on-call for a given week and what projects are coming up:
Another important procedure that now takes place in Quip is the change control process — the method of managing important operations like server updates or infrastructure upgrades. These requests are often crucial to the operation of a dealership and were previously conducted over email. With Quip, they are visible to the entire group which creates greater transparency about what is happening and any potential issues. Bobbie describes how a change request and approval works: "A field tech will make a request that says, 'Here's what I want to do. Here's what it's going to affect. Here's the store or stores that it's going to affect. Here's my back up plan.'" She continues, "The change request provides all of the information that you would need to perform these big changes and then they either look at it and say, 'Yes, go ahead and do that tonight,' or 'No, don't do that,'" This approval process reduces the chances of complications because everyone involved has visibility. Quip has created a simple place for complete transparency, so everyone is always on the same page.
Large-scale project management
The company-wide domain migration is an example of a large-scale project that was a huge undertaking for the entire IT team, particularly the project managers. The operation was a multi-phase process that lasted for over six months. It included migrating emails and user accounts for between 500 to 900 employees per week.
Email migrations are particularly complicated because email addresses are the main personal identifier for multiple other systems, so mistakes can cause an employee to be locked out of everything from their computer to internal databases. Additionally, there was a limited amount of time to conduct the migrations. Real-time communication was essential for each phase of the migration — enabling the team to communicate the status of each user and PC throughout the process.
Before Quip, this process would have been coordinated over email. The team learned that email caused a breakdown in communication because key people were left off threads by accident or someone would forget to reply to everyone. With Quip, Emily and Bobbie were able to facilitate clear communication from the beginning. They set up the foundational documents in Quip and had calls with every dealership to ensure that everyone was prepared for the migration.
The team also used Quip to keep track of all the hardware that needed to be switched over. Bobbie explains, "We kept track of all our PC's. Every PC had to be touched in each dealership, and it was very helpful to have the spreadsheets in there so that when a PC was done, the field tech could just go in and check it off and say, 'Yep, this one is finished. I've checked all of these things.' rather than communicating through email".
Continuing the Conversation
Managing the IT needs of a large company is already extremely complicated and spreading it out over 7 states and 60 sites only multiplies the complexity. For the Larry Miller IT team, simplicity and centralization are essential. Quip has enabled them to reduce the number of tools they use and ensure that everyone is on the same page. "Quip has completely changed how we work together and how we manage the team," Emily summarized.
If you want to find out more about how your team can use Quip, request a demo. We also love hearing from you on Twitter and Facebook.


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Girls Water Polo (30-1)
Makenzie Fischer scored five goals and had five steals to help power Laguna Beach past Newport Harbor 10-7 to capture the CIF's top tier Division I girls water polo title Saturday at Irvine's Woollett Center.
Cara Borkovec added three goals and Bella Baldridge two to round out Laguna's scoring. Newport played their best match of the season and took full advantage of a number of favorable calls. Breakers had plenty of good shots that just missed.
Newport scored first after an exclusion was called on Mia Salvini but the Breakers came right back with goals by Borkovec and a penalty shot by Fischer. Newport tied the contest in the final minute of the period to end the scoring at 2-2.
The Breakers asserted themselves in the second period with three goals as Fischer scored twice and Borkovec added her second off a great pass from Aria Fischer. Newport scored in the closing seconds of the first half to cut the Laguna lead to two – the last time the Sailors would be that close. By late in the third period it was 9-4 Laguna.
Girls water polo joins girls tennis, girls volleyball, and boys yolleyball in capturing top honors in Southern California. The Division 1 title is Laguna's 10th at the highest level and the 38th Southern Section crown for the school's sports program.
For 2015, the squad only loses field player Cara Borkovec who has been the team's sprinter and a solid all-round field player. Borkovec transferred from Illinois where she was a two-time, first team all-state player and an all-American selection. Also graduating is Jenna Knott a solid goalkeeper who split duties with sophomore Holly Parker this season.


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Roast the poblanos over an open flame or 4 inches below a broiler, turning regularly until blistered and blackened all over, about 5 minutes for an open flame, 10 minutes for the broiler. Place in a bowl, cover with a kitchen towel and let cool. Rub off the blackened skin and pull out the stems and seed pods. Cut into 1/4-inch strips.
Set a large (10-inch) skillet over medium. Add the chorizo and cook, breaking up large chunks, until the chorizo is beginning to brown and is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Scrape on to a plate lined with paper towels and let cool. Return the skillet to medium heat, measure in the oil and add the onion. Cook, stirring frequently until it begins to brown, 7 or 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic and poblano and cook for 2 minutes. Taste and season with salt, usually about 1/2 teaspoon. Scrape the rajas into a bowl and cover to keep warm.
In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, the cooled chorizo, the chipotles and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Mix thoroughly but lightly (to keep from turning out an overly compact texture). Divide into 4 portions, lightly pressing them into patties the size of your buns.
Heat a gas grill to medium-high on one side, medium on the other; or light a charcoal fire and let it burn until the charcoal is covered with white ash (and still quite hot), then bank the coals to one side.
Lay the hamburger patties on the hottest side of the grill and cook until the grill grates have seared beautiful marks on one side, about 2 minutes if your grill is quite hot, then flip and cook until the hamburger is a little less done than you like (usually a couple of minutes longer for rare to medium rare). Move the burgers to the cooler side of the grill. Lay one piece of cheese on top of each burger, top with a portion of the warm rajas and then another piece of cheese. Close the lid and continue cooking until the cheese has melted, about 1 minute. Remove from the grill and place on a toasted bun. Serve immediately.


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Do I need a blog?FSB's Anne Fisher helps small-business owners get answers to these questions.(FSB Magazine) -- Dear FSB: I own a personnel firm that recruits engineering and technical professionals, mostly for government contractors. I spend most of my time counseling both corporate clients looking to hire people and candidates who need help with r�sum�s, job interviewing skills, etc., and I find myself repeating the same advice over and over. So I'm thinking of starting a blog and posting some of this stuff where everyone can read it. Should I set up a blog as part of my current Web site, or separately? --Michael Prencipe, HR Staffing Solutions, Springfield, Va. firstname.lastname@example.com Dear Michael: It makes sense to combine your blog and your Web site because there is software available, including a free open-source tool called WordPress, that can handle both. "It's convenient and cheap, and you get a very professional look and feel without having to hire a Web designer," says Andy Wibbels, a Chicago consultant (GoBlogWild.com) whose book you might want to check out: "Blogwild! A Guide for Small Business Blogging" (Portfolio, $19.95). Ask FSB
Get small-business intelligence from the experts. Here's a chance for YOU to ask your pressing small-business questions, and FSB editors will help you get answers from the appropriate experts.
Using a blog to avoid endlessly repeating yourself is wise, according to Wibbels. "Blog entries are archived, so people can look up past topics that you've addressed," he says. "One of the best uses of a blog is to explain things you'd like people to know before they sit down to talk with you." As a bonus, don't be surprised if your Web site draws a lot more traffic once you've added a blog to it. One of Wibbels's clients, a tiny outfit, Teach Me Teamwork (teachmeteamwork.com), which makes teamwork software, started blogging and "jumped from No. 75 on Google's search page [for teamwork coach] to No. 1." Sweet. Do you own a business? Got a question about financing, technology, taxes, team management or any other topic related to launching or owning your own firm? Ask the editors of Fortune Small Business, and they'll help you get answers from the appropriate experts. Will Marketers' Filthy Lucre Corrupt the Blogosphere? Growing in the Shadow of Google To write a note to the editor about this article, click here. |


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Vanotti, Matias | |
Szogi, Ariel | |
Hunt, Patrick |
Submitted to: Meeting Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings Publication Acceptance Date: 3/26/2013 Publication Date: 4/1/2013 Citation: Vanotti, M.B., Szogi, A.A., Hunt, P.G. 2013. Ammonia recovery from livestock wastewater with gas permeable membranes. In: Proceedings of the International Symposium on Agricultural and Agroindustrial Waste Management, March 12-14, 2013, Sao Pedro, SP, Brazil. Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: This presentation shows new methods and systems being developed for reducing ammonia emissions from livestock waste and recovering concentrated liquid nitrogen that could be sold as fertilizer. These systems use gas-permeable membranes as components of new processes to capture and recover the ammonia in liquid manures. The process includes the passage of gaseous ammonia contained in the liquid manure through a microporous hydrophobic membrane and capture and concentration with circulating diluted acid on the other side of the membrane. The membranes can be assembled in modules or manifolds. For liquid manure applications, the membrane manifolds are submerged in the liquid and the ammonia is removed from the liquid matrix in barn pits or storage tanks before it goes into the air. The concept was successfully tested using concentrated swine and dairy manure effluents. The results obtained showed that the new technology could be an effective approach to recover ammonia from livestock wastewater. The new technology could help change on-farm nitrogen management: Livestock producers could use the technology to help meet air-quality regulations, save fuel, protect the health of livestock and their human caretakers, improve livestock productivity, and recover concentrated liquid nitrogen that can be sold for fertilizer. |


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UPDATED (May 24, 2013)
Rhode Island has become the first state to adopt the Next Generation Science Standards, after its state board of education on Thursday voted unanimously to approve them.
It is one of the 26 "lead state partners" that helped to develop the standards in collaboration with several national organizations. At least two other states, Kentucky and Maine, have signaled that they would likely vote on adoption this spring, and many more may well follow suit later this year, including California and Kansas.
"Rhode Island is proud to be the first to forge a new path for science education as both a leading state in the development and the first state to adopt the Next Generation Science Standards," said the state's education commissioner, Deborah Gist, in a statement today. "The new standards will make sure our students are exposed to rigorous science content and that they learn critical and contextual thinking skills needed to be prepared for college, career and life in the 21st century global economy."
The K-12 standards, more than three years in the making, went through two rounds of public comment before they were issued in final form last month. Two of the central tenets of the standards are providing a greater emphasis on depth over breadth in science education and asking students to apply their learning through the practices of scientific inquiry and engineering design.
Peter McLaren, a science and technology specialist at the Rhode Island department of education, emphasized his state's deep involvement in crafting the standards from day one.
"First of all, we were part of it from the beginning," he told me. "We were part of the development. Being a lead state partner was not a passive role. We had a strong voice."
His state's 36-member review team provided detailed feedback on multiple versions of the standards. That team included many K-12 teachers and school administrators, as well as college professors in science and education, and even representatives from a zoo and the state chapter of the Audubon Society.
McLaren, who was himself a member of the 41-member writing team for the standards, said he sees great value in states having common standards in science, especially with the ability to team up and share resources.
"Right now, there are 50 sets of standards, each of them unique," he said. "There is real power in being able to talk the same talk across states. That is huge."
However, the standards are not being universally welcomed. Some critics, for instance, say the priority they place on science and engineering practices risks overshadowing the core content students should learn. Also, the standards' treatment of climate change has drawn criticism from some conservatives.
Last week, in fact, a state Senate Republican in Kansas inserted a provision into a budget bill that would have prevented the use of state dollars to implement the science standards (as well as the common core), but budget negotiators have since stripped out that language). Also, the chairman of the Senate education committee in Kentucky (another lead state) yesterday published an Op-Ed raising concerns about how the standards treat evolution and climate change.
How many states ultimately choose to adopt the standards remains to be seen, of course. Most, if not all, of the lead states in crafting them seem likely to do so. In addition, some other states tracked the development of the standards closely, and may eventually sign on as well.
Meanwhile, back in Rhode Island, the focus now turns to the daunting task of implementing the standards. In fact, Rhode Island and others have already begun laying the ground work, as I reported recently.
McLaren said his state will move slowly and deliberately.
"We are going to go with a four-year timeline," he said. "All of the systems are going to be affected by this: professional development, instruction, curriculum, assessment, preservice [education], materials and resources. ... Nobody wants to rush in."