text:
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
The Architecture of Mailinator
This became ridiculously handy for things like signing up for websites that send you one confirmation
email, then save or sell or spam your email address forever. And of course, it *is* very handy for users. But think about it from mailinator's side. Its basically signing up to receive spam for that address forever. That's a tall order and one that seems to have the possibility of a terrible demise. Someday, enough email could come in that will simply smush Mailinator. But, as of this writing, that day isn't today.
I have in that 3.5 years received hundreds of "thank you" emails, a pile of "it doesn't work" emails, a radio interview, articles in the Washington Post, New York Times, and Delta Skymiles magazine, 1 call from both
Scotland Yard and the LAPD, and a total of 4 subpoenas (1 of those being a Federal Grand Jury subpoena issued by the FBI).
At this point, Mailinator averages approximately 2.5million emails per day. I have seen hourly spikes that would result in about 5million in a day. In addition, the system also services several thousand web users and several thousand RSS users per day.
In the world of email services, this probably isn't all that much. The most interesting part to me is that the complete set of hardware that mailinator uses is one little server. Just one. A very modest machine with an AMD 2Ghz Athlon processor, 1G of ram (although it really doesn't need that much), and a boring (IDE , low-performance) 80G hard drive. And honestly, its really not very busy at all. I've read the blogs of some copycat services of Mailinator where their owners were upgrading their servers to some big iron. This was really the impetus for me writing down this document - to share a different point of view.
Mailinator easily handling a few million emails a day wasn't always the case. The initial mailinator system was quite busy. And in fact, got overwhelmed about a year ago when email traffic started topping 800,000 a day (that's my recollection anyway). In an effort to squeeze life out of the
server and as an exercise in putting together some principles I always championed about server development, I rewrote the system from scratch. I have no idea what the current limit of the existing system is, but at 2.5million a day, its not even breaking a sweat.
If you don't know what Mailinator is, take a small tour through the (rather funny) FAQ.
Lossy lossie lossee
There is a very important point to note about the Mailinator service. And that is, that it is indeed - free. Although it might not seem like it, it has an immense impact on the design (as you'll see). This allowed me to favor performance across the board of the design. This fact influenced decisions from how I dealt with detecting spam all the way down to how I synchronized some code blocks. No kidding.
The basic tenet is that I do not have to provide perfect service. In order to do that, my hardware requirements would be much higher. Now that would all be fine and dandy if people were paying for the service. I could then provide support and guarantees. But given its free I instead went for, in order, these two design decisions:
1) Design a system that values survival above all else even users (as of course, if its down, users aren't really getting much out of it)
2) Provide 99.99% uptime and accuracy for users.
If you wonder what I mean about "survival" in the first line, it basically means that Mailinator is attacked on literally a daily basis. I wanted to make a system that could survive the large majority of those attacks. Note - I'm not interested in it surviving all of them. Because again, if some zombie network decided to Denial-of-service me - I really have no chance of thwarting it without some serious hardware. The good news is that if someone goes to all the trouble of smashing Mailinator (again referencing the fact we're lossy), I really don't lose much sleep over it. It sucks for my users - but there really isn't anything I can do anyway. I'm not trying to be cavalier about this - I went to great lengths to handle attacks, I'm just saying its a cold reality that I simply cannot stop them all. Thus I accept them as part of the game.
The platform
The original Mailinator used a relatively standard
unix stack of applications including a Java based web application running in Tomcat. Mailinator is and was of course, always just a hobby. I had a day job (or 2) so months of development just was never an option. I chose Java for no other reason than I knew Java better than anything else. For email, it used sendmail with a special rule that directed any incoming email to mailinator.com to one single mailbox.
Sendmail --> disk --> Mailinator <-- Tomcat Servlet Engine
The Java based mailinator app then grabbed the emails using IMAP and/or POP (it changed over time) and deleted them. I should have used an mbox interface but I never got around to implementing that. The system then loaded all emails into memory and let them sit there. Mailinator only allowed about 20000 emails to reside in memory at once. So when a new one came, the oldest one got pushed out.
The FAQ advertises that emails stick around for "a couple of hours." And that was true, but exactly how long mattered on the rate of incoming emails. You'll also note an interesting side effect that since all emails lived in memory, if the server came down - all emails were lost! Talk about exploiting the fact that my service was free huh? This may seem dubious but the code was really quite stable and ran for weeks and months without downtime.
I thought about saving emails into a database of course but honestly, all this bought me was emails that stuck around longer. And, that in and of itself sort of went against my intent for mailinator. The ideas was, sign-up for something, goto Mailinator, click the link, and forget about it. If you want a
where emails last a few days, thats fine, but there are many other alternatives out there - that's not what Mailinator is about. I forgot the database idea and now shoot for mails that last somewhere around 3-4 hours.
This all worked fabulously for awhile. It pretty much filled up all 1G of ram of the server. Finally when the incoming email rate started surpassing 800,000 a day, the system started to break down. I believe it was primarily the disk contention between unix mail apps and the Java app locking mailboxes. Regardless, there were many issues with that system that bugged me for a long time. The root of most of those problems really boiled down to one thing - the disk. The disk activity of sendmail, procmail, logging and whatever else was a silly bottleneck. And it needed to go.
More than a year ago now I did a full rewrite. Much of the anti-spam code that I'll describe later was already in this code-base but was improved and extended for the new system.
Synchronous vs. Asynchronous I/O
I've read a fair number of articles on the wonders of asynchronous I/O (java's NIO library). I don't doubt them but I decided against using it. Primarily, again, because I did a great deal of work in multithreaded environments and knew that area well. I figured if I had performance issues later, I could always switch over to NIO as a learning experience.
The biggest thing I knew I needed to do with Mailinator was to remove the unix application components. Mailinator needed to stop outsourcing its email receipt and do it itself. This basically meant I needed to write my own SMTP server. Or at least, a subset of one. Firstly, Mailinator has never had the ability to send email so I didn't need to code that part up. Second, I had really different needs for receiving email. I wanted to get it as fast as possible -or- refuse it as fast as possible.
SMTP has a rich dialog for errors but I chose to only support one error message. And that error is, appropriately enough - "User Unknown". That's a touch ironic since Mailinator accepts any user at all. Simply said, if you do anything that the Mailinator server doesn't like - you'll get a user unknown error. Even if you haven't sent it the username yet.
I looked at Apache James as a base which is a pure java SMTP server but it was way too comprehensive for my needs. I really just found some code examples and the SMTP specs and wrote things basically from scratch. From there, I was able to get an email, parse it, and put it right into memory. This bypassed the old system's step of writing it to disk all the way. From wire to user, mailinator mail never touches the disk. In fact, the Mailinator server's
disk is pretty darn idle all things considered.
Now to address persistence concerns right away - Mailinator doesn't run diskless, but it does run very asynchronously with regards to the disk. Emails are not written to disk EVER unless the system is coming down and is instructed to write them first (so it can reload them upon reboot). This little fact has been very handy when I've been subpoenaed. I simply do not have access to any emails that were sent to Mailinator in the past. If it is possible that I can get an email - so can you just by checking that inbox. If you can't get it then that means its long deleted from memory and nothing is going to get it back.
Mailinator also used to do logging (again, shut-off because of pesky subpoenas). But it did it very "batchy". It wrote several thousand logs lines to memory before doing one disk write. In effect we never want to have contention based on the incredibly slow disk.
Now if this all sounds a bit shaky, as in we might just lose an email now and then - you're right. But remember, our goal is 99.99% accuracy. Not 100%. That's an important distinction. The latest incarnation of Mailinator literally runs for months unattended. We do lose emails once in awhile - but its rare and usually involves a server crash. We accept the loss and by far most users never encounter it.
The system now is one unit. The web application, the email server, and all email storage run in one JVM.
The system uses under 300 threads. I can increase that number but haven't seen a need as of yet. When an email arrives (or attempts to arrive) it must pass a strong set of filters that are described below. If it gets past those filters it is then stored in memory - however, it is first compressed to save in-memory space. Over 99% of emails that arrive are never looked at, so we only ever decompress an email if someone actually "looks" at them.
Because of this, I am able to store many more emails than the original system's 20000. The current mailinator stores about 80000 emails and uses under 300M or ram. I probably should increase this number as plenty of ram is just sitting around. The average email lifespan is about 3-4 hours with this pool. The amount of incoming email has gone way up, so even by increasing this pool, we're largely staying steady as far as email lifespan. I could probably kick that up to 200,000 or so and increase the lifespan accordingly but I haven't seen a great need yet.
Another inherent limit that the system imposes is on mailboxes themselves. Popular mailboxes such as email@example.com and firstname.lastname@example.com get much more email than average. Every inbox is limited to only 10 emails. Thus, popular boxes inherently limit themselves on the amount of email they can occupy in the pool. Use of popular inboxes is discouraged anyway and generally become the creme de la cesspool of spam.
Two more
memory conserving issues is that no incoming email can be over 100k and all attachments are immediately discarded. That latter feature was in years ago but obviously really ruins this whole new wave of image spam (if you see a few seemingly "empty" emails in some popular boxes, they might have been image spam that got their images thrown away).
Spam and Survival
I'd like to emphasize here that Mailinator's mission is NOT to filter spam. If you want penis enlargement or sheep-of-the-month club emails, that's pretty much what Mailinator is good for. We are clear in the FAQ. Mailinator provides pretty good anonymity - but we do NOT guarantee it. We also do NOT guarantee ANY privacy. Its really easier that way for us. Still, it does a pretty damn good job even so. We might log you (used to and it might get turned on again someday, never know) and we DO respond to subpoenas (that whole "jail" thing is a strong motivator).
So, in essence I have no real interest in filtering out spam. I do however, have a great deal of interest in keeping Mailinator alive. And spammers have this nasty habit of sending Mailinator so much crap that this can be an issue. So - Mailinator has a simple rule. If you do anything (spammer or not) that starts affecting the system - your emails will be refused and you may be locked out.
In the new system I created a data structure I call an AgingHashmap. It is, as it indicates a hashmap (String->int) that has elements that "age".
The first type of spammer I encountered was one machine blasting me with thousands of emails. So, now, every time an email arrives, its senders IP is put into an AgingHashmap with a counter of 1. If that IP does not send us anymore email for (let's say) a minute, then that entry automatically leaves the AgingHashmap. But, let's say that IP address sends us another email 2 seconds later. We then find the first entry in the AgingHashmap and increase that counter to 2. If we see another email from that IP, it goes to 3 and so on. Eventually, when that counter reaches some threshold we ban all emails from that IP for some amount of time.
We can put this in words as so (values are examples):
If any IP address sends us 20 emails in 2 minutes, we will ban all email from that IP address for 5 minutes. Or more precisely, we will ban all email from that IP until it stops trying to send to us for at least 5 minutes.
This is really what the AgingHashmap is good for. We can setup some parameters and detect frequency of some input, then cause a ban on that input. If some IP address sends us email every second for 100 days straight, we'll ban (or throw away) every last email after the first 20.
Here's a graph of an average 24 hours of banned IP address emails. Notice at 10am and 11am some joker (i.e., some single IP address) sent us over 19000 emails per hour.
I do have some code that has Java talk back to unix's iptables system to do very hard blocking of IP addresses but its not on right now. Partially because there's no need (yet) and partially because I like to see the stats.
The funny part of this is the error Mailinator gives. Remember the "User Unknown"? Once an IP address is banned and then it tries to open a new connection it will send the SMTP greeting of "HELO". Mailinator will then reply "User Unknown" and close the connection. Of course, it didn't even get the username yet.
The next problem came from zombie
networks. Now we were getting spam from thousands of different IPs all sending the same message. We could no longer key in on IP address. As a layer of defense past IP we created an AgingHashmap based on subjects. That is, if we get (again, example numbers) something like 20 emails with the same subject within 2 minutes, all emails with that subject are then banned for 1 hour.
Here's a similar graph. Keep in mind these emails got past the IP filter - so basically they are "same subject" emails from many disparate sources.
You could argue we should ban them forever, but then we'd have to keep track of them and the Mailinator system is inherently transient. Forgetting is core to what it does. This blocking is more expensive than IPs as comparing subjects can be costly. And of course, we have to have enough of a conversation with the sending server to actually get the subject.
Finally, we ran into some issues on emails that just weren't cool. As I said, I'm far more interested in keeping Mailinator alive than blocking out your favorite porn newsletter. But, some unhappy people used Mailinator for some really not happy purposes. Simply put, as a last layer, subjects are searched for words that indicate hate or crimes or just downright nastiness.
Another major influx that happened early on was a plethora of bounce messages. Now thats sort of odd isn't it? I mean Mailinator doesn't send email. In fact, it CAN'T send email so how could it get bounce messages? Well, some spammy type folks thought it'd be neat to send out spam from their servers using forged Mailinator addresses as a return address. Thus when those emails bounced, the bounce came here.
What's worse, is I still get email from people who think Mailinator sent them
spam. Its very frustrating to defend myself against people who are ignorant of how email works ready to crucify me for sending them spam (especially ironic is that I run a free, anti-spam website). As I've said in my FAQ - please feel free to add mailinator.com to the tippy tippy tippy top of your spam blacklists. If you EVER get an email from mailinator.com, its a forged spam.
The good news is that bounces are very easy to detect, and are really the first line of our defense. Bouncing SMTP servers aren't particularly evil, they're just doing their job so when I say "user unknown" they believe me and go away.
On an abstract level, here is what happens to an email as it enters the system.
(and to be fair, there might just be another layer or two thats not on that diagram!)
Anti-Spam revolt
There are 2 more, somewhat conflicting features of the Mailinator server that should be noted. For one, its a clear fact that when we're busy, we're busy. An easy DoS against us would be to open a socket to our server and leave it open. This is an inherent vulnerability in any server (maybe especially multithreaded servers). So, as a basic idea Mailinator closes all connections if they are silent for more than a second or two. Actually, the amount of time is variable (read below). Clearly, we are DoS'able by sending us many many connections, but this blocks at least one trivial way of bringing us down.
Secondly, although we demand servers talking to us are very speedy. We reserve the right to be very NOT speedy. Here's the logic. When Mailinator is not terribly busy, we still demand responses quickly, but we give responses slowly. In fact, the less busy we are, the slower we give responses. It is possible that sending an email into the Mailinator SMTP server could take a very long time (like 10 or 20 or 30 seconds) even for a very small amount of data.
Why? Well.. think about it. Let's say you're spamming. You want to send out a zillion emails as fast as possible. You want every receiving SMTP server to get your email, deliver it to the poor sod who wants (or doesn't want) weener enlargement and then close the connection so you can go on to the next. If you encounter some darn SMTP server that takes 20 seconds to receive your email, the speed at which you can send out your emails diminishes. You might just even think about avoiding such SMTP servers.
It might be a pipe dream to think this is slowing down any spammers, but this does tend to keep my quieter times lasting longer. And it doesn't really hurt me - or my users. And if we eventually get terribly busy, those delays are scaled down to make sure we don't lose any emails.
Sites will ban it
Every time I read some comment about Mailinator, someone always points out something like "Yeah, well sites will start banning any email addressed to Mailinator and then it will be worthless". Guys. Its been 3 years. A handful of sites have indeed blocked Mailinator, but my user base and the number of read emails has only gone up. Clearly, people are finding Mailinator more useful than ever.
I have added at times additional domains (like sogetthis.com and fakeinformation.com) that point to mailinator. Often if a site bans mailinator.com proper, you can use one of those to same effect.
Many copycat sites have appeared over the years which is pretty reasonable. This idea itself is obvious. The only real hurdle was that it seemed impossible to do given the amount of useless email you'd get. But the copycats had the advantage of seeing that Mailinator actually does work, so they knew what to shoot for. Only a few post their daily email numbers but I've yet to see any that come close to mailinator's incoming email (not that this is necessarily a good thing). I also see that many are using an architecture similar to Mailinator's original which is just fine so long as they either don't get any massive increases in email or are happy to keep buying bigger hardware.
Overall, Mailinator has been a great experience. It was a terribly fun exercise in optimization, security, and generally making things work. Thousands of people use it everyday and its amazing how many people know about it when it comes up in conversation. I've thought many times about how to make a business around it, and there is always an angle, but I've just been to busy with other things.
My hope is that its useful for you and that you tell your friends.
Note: Eternal thanks to Jack Lawrence of Syracuse, NY who, in a drunken stupor gave me the core idea (story here), Nicci Gabriel of www.sideofsauce.com for the seriously cool web design, and to Brian Pipa of www.candyaddict.com who, as a big fan of Mailinator, added the very cool "Spam Map" and the RSS feeds.
13 comments:
- open source reader said...
Great post Paul !
Thanks for sharing your architecture.
Enjoy your day (without spam)
I should say, i have heard of similar services, but never thought about what it would take to implement it.
Really clever, smart, cute and a realistic architecture !
I'm thrilled, i ever read your post :) - Mailinator, fully justifies your tag "Entrepreneur trapped in an engineer's body" :)
Thanks for sharing it with us !
- Dai Conrad said...
Amazing! I never would have had the gumption to forgo a database. In fact, I don't think I would have even thought of it. I mean, you have to have a database, right?
As I read the article, I kept wondering if compressing the emails would be too expensive, and I was thinking about having another thread that would get them out of the pool, compress them, and put them back. It wouldn't matter if it ran behind, because it wouldn't need to keep up (the pool would be able to deal with a mix of compressed and uncompressed messages), but any savings it would add would just be gravy.
Then I read that you're already compressing them all. I wonder, though, if my idea would be good for some other things that might be too expensive to do on every message as it comes in, like filtering for the same message body received many times over, not just subjects, or even Bayesian filtering.
I was also curious if WeakReference or WeakHashMap plays into how it works, or if it's strictly a matter of removing the oldest entries, like LinkedHashMap's removeEldestEntry feature.
In any case, I've been an on-again-off-again user of mailinator for some time now. Thanks for the service, and thanks for this fascinating peek behind the scenes at how it works.
Dave Conrad
Excellent Post!!
on a related note, you might be interested to know that no data can be received before the smtp banner, and that many spammers WILL send you data before they receive it to minimize the time to send an email.
What I am doing in an antispam server I've written, is delay the smtp banner by 2 seconds and then checking whether there is data ready to be read. If there's data, you can safely drop the connection right away. I'm stopping around 300 spam emails daily (keep in mind that my server is by no means a high-traffic site) with this small optimization that requires only a few lines of code.
Anyway, thanks for mailinator and for the post.
Juanjo (juanjo not at gutierrezdequevedo.com)
- Chad said...
I actually just stumbled up your blog and wanted to say thanks for sharing that. I've used mailinator many times.
Years ago I had created something similar to mailinator but for my personal use only, but I created it in a very non-creative way.
I basically just created a catch-all mail domain and had sendmail feed off incoming email for that domain to a perl script I wrote to parse the message and store parts of it in a mysql database.
It got the job done but very inefficiently, but when I first came across mailinator I have to admit I was wondering how many servers it took to handle that much email, under the assumption that it was similar in design to what I had created.
So needless to say reading this post gave me an "aha!". I eventually went a somewhat similar route by coding a somewhat "light" smtp server using berkeley sockets API to accept, process, and then discard each email without storing to disk. It made a world of difference.
Thanks for mailinator and thanks for sharing that information and getting me thinking.
- Dave said...
Paul wrote:
Every time I read some comment about Mailinator, someone always points out something like "Yeah, well sites will start banning any email from Mailinator and then it will be worthless". Guys. Its been 3 years. A handful of sites have indeed blocked email from Mailinator...
Nice article, Paul, but in the above section you meant to write "to Mailinator" rather than "from Mailinator."
Dave Burton
dave at burtonsys dot com but please no spam
Thanks for the service!
I've used it for a few years now. :)
Paul, your service ROCKs! I don't think I will be able to fit all the adjectives that describe Mailinator into this post. The sweet revenge I can take on spammers using your service is simply beyond words!
You not only have an awesome service, but are funny and HILARIOUS, to boot! For example, in your FAQ:
"This sounds pretty insecure, what if I want to send important emails with sensitive super-secret information in them to Mailinator?
Then you are a stupid-head. That isn't what this is for.
So Mailinator solves the Spam problem?
Heck no. If it solved the spam problem it would probably be called IBMinator or MICROSOFTinator or something even catchier cuz we would have sold it and we'd be zillionaires off pursuing our real dream of helping nice people like Dr. Bahutu of Nigeria who keeps emailing us asking for our help transferring some funds."
ROTFL! hahahahahahaha! I wish all FAQs were this funny! I _love_ a non-comedy website that uses humor to make our lives more pleasant! hahahahaha...
Keep it up! I have a link to your site at mine.
I also forgot this part until my brother (who visited your site on my suggestion) wrote me a mail pointing it out - he is also rolling on the floor laughing. This is what he said:
"I like the FAQ. Esp:
'So if the government issued a subpeona to Mailinator to divulge emails or logs, you'd rat me out?
Holy crap, yes. I'm not going to jail for you, I have a boyish face and very (very) supple skin.'"
- tarocchi said...
i really appreciated reading your article, your blog is full of interesting informations... i ll add it to my favourits and share it to my friends...
- Zakir Hemraj said...
It's hard to imagine life without Mailinator. Thank you for sharing!
Nice job Saint Paul !
Thanks a lot from the bottom of my heart.
from Tehran,Iran
I don't know another way to say "Thank you" to you, so i'm putting it here. I have bookmarked Mailinator.com and tagged it as: intelligent, funny, useful, tool


text:
Fresh bulk gardenia flowers are scented and romantic creamy white blooms with swirled petals. These gardenias are shipped with a backing of green fabric leaves (you can easily discard these if not needed). Fresh gardenia flowers are oh-so-pretty! Take advantage of Free Shipping on your wholesale gardenias.
Gardenia Flowers
Regular Price: $137.00
Special Price: $118.00

subset: commoncrawl


text:
On the heels of the success of "Want U Back," Cher Lloyd just released her new music video for "Oath." An ode to her girlfriends, the song celebrates friendship through thick and thin.
The Dr. Luke-produced track features Becky G. on guest vocals and is from Lloyd's debut album Sticks + Stones, released in the US earlier this week.
At the video's start Cher is stuck in detention. Passing notes between her best friend, the two get through it together. Flash forward to the end of the school day and Cher can be found singing atop a red convertible in a pink bikini at the beach.
In an interview with Pop Crush Cher explained that she was uncertain about wearing the bikini.
"I took many risks with this one," she said. "I wore a bathing suit for the first time . . . It is a daring thing to do! I know some people might have a certain reaction to it, and I don't really care about that. It was a big stepping stone in my life to get over confidence issues and body issues and just to say, 'Ya know what? I am what I am, and I am gonna wear a bathing suit in my video, because why not?'"
"Wherever you go/ Just always remember/ You're never alone/ We're birds of a feather/ And we'll never change no matter the weather/ This is my oath to you," Cher sings.
With her girlfriends by her side, Cher makes a trip to the laundry mat even look fun.
"You complete me and that's no lie/ You are my tuxedo and I'm your bow tie . . . In my eyes you can do no wrong," Becky G raps along.
"Oath" is an anthem for girlfriends everywhere and as school lets out and the girls head to the beach the sunny, feel good song reminds us just how much we need our friends, especially in detention.
-Annie Reuter, CBS Local


text:
Married women have more protections under current gun laws than those who are dating or single.
But new legislation authored by Rep. Lois Capps, D-Santa Barbara/Ventura, seeks to rectify the inequality.
The Domestic Violence Survivors Protection Act (H.R. 1177) would extend federal firearms prohibitions on individuals subject to a domestic violence restraining order for dating partners. Currently, the law makes a distinction between protections from an abusive spouse and protections from an abusive dating partner.
Capps' legislation would extend the Lautenberg Amendment to dating partners, which would prohibit an individual convicted of a domestic violence misdemeanor from purchasing a gun.
Intimate partner homicides account for nearly half of the women killed every year, according to federal statistics. More than half of these women are killed with firearms.
"This bill would provide greater security for domestic violence survivors by protecting them during the time when they are most at risk, in the minutes, hours and days immediately after leaving a violent partner," said Capps, in a media release. "An abusive ex-boyfriend with a gun is no less lethal than an abusive ex-husband with a gun. It is time for federal law to join 18 states in recognizing that reality by passing the Domestic Violence Survivors Protection Act."
California has one of the stricter gun laws concerning spousal protection, requiring that anyone served with a temporary protective order within 24 hours to turn over any weapons to local law enforcement or sell them to licensed gun dealers.
Assemblyman Jeff Gorell, R-Camarillo, will be co-hosting a symposium in Thousand Oaks, March 26-28, which will focus on the civilian use of UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles). The symposium is hosted by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and is being sponsored by numerous industry leaders.
Gorell recently co-authored two bills on the growing UAV industry. Assembly Bill 1326 is designed to attract drone manufacturing to California by exempting drone makers from having to pay state sales and use taxes, among other exemptions and tax credits. The other bill, Assembly Bill 1327, is designed to protect the privacy rights of Californians.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently released a request for a proposal allowing regions to compete for selection as one of six future national UAV testing and integration sites. The FAA has estimated that the UAV industry could generate nearly $90 billion in worldwide economic activity in the next decade, and Gorell has been emphasizing the importance for California, and specifically Ventura County, to be at the forefront of this growing industry.
"As a state, we must unify and marshal all resources to compete and ensure that California is a successful applicant or we will lose an opportunity to create jobs and spur innovation," stated Gorell.
Rep. Julia Brownley, D-Oak Park, has been busy during her first few months in office working on legislation concerning veterans. Last week Brownley announced a bipartisan resolution that demands help for veterans as they transition back to civilian life and seek employment when they complete their service.
"The fact that so many of our veterans are unemployed is unacceptable," said Brownley. "It is up to Congress to honor the sacrifice of our service members and their families by making it easier for businesses to hire veterans who acquired high-level technical and leadership skills while serving our country."
The resolution states that the Department of Defense should work with state governments and industry to provide transferable credentials and licenses to veterans for skills they developed while on active duty.
This resolution comes on the heels of Brownley's first bill in Congress, which seeks to secure adequate funding for veterans' health care programs.


text:
Andrew Humber
NVIDIA Corporation
(408) 486 8138
SANTA CLARA, CA—APRIL 20, 2009—NVIDIA Corporation, the inventor of the GPU, today announced the release of its OpenCL™ driver and software development kit (SDK) to developers participating in its OpenCL™ Early Access Program. NVIDIA is providing this release to solicit early feedback in advance of a beta release which will be made available to all GPU Computing Registered Developers in the coming months.
"The OpenCL standard was developed on NVIDIA GPUs and NVIDIA was the first company to demonstrate OpenCL code running on a GPU," said Tony Tamasi, senior vice president of technology and content at NVIDIA. "Being the first to release an OpenCL driver to developers cements NVIDIA's leadership in GPU Computing and is another key milestone in our ongoing strategy to make the GPU the soul of the modern PC."
At the core of NVIDIA®'s GPU Computing strategy is the massively parallel CUDA™ architecture that NVIDIA pioneered and has been shipping since 2006. Accessible today through familiar industry standard programming environments such as C, Java, Fortran and Python, the CUDA architecture supports all manner of computational interfaces and, as such, is a perfect complement to OpenCL. Enabled on over 100 million NVIDIA GPUs, the CUDA architecture is enabling developers to innovate with the GPU and unleash never before seen performance across a wide range of applications.
Developers can apply to become a GPU Computing Registered Developer at: www.nvidia.com/opencl
About NVIDIA
NVIDIA is the world leader in visual computing technologies and the inventor of the GPU, a high-performance processor which generates breathtaking, interactive graphics on workstations, personal computers, game consoles, and mobile devices. NVIDIA serves the entertainment and consumer market with its GeForce® graphics products, the professional design and visualization market with its Quadro® graphics products, and the high-performance computing market with its Tesla™ computing solutions products. NVIDIA is headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif. and has offices throughout Asia, Europe, and the Americas. For more information, visit www.nvidia.com.
Certain statements in this press release including, but not limited to, statements as to: the benefits, features, impact, and capabilities of the OpenCL driver and CUDA architecture; and our strategies, are forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause results to be materially different than expectations. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include: development of more efficient or faster technology; adoption of the CPU for parallel processing; design, manufacturing or software defects; the impact of technological development and competition; changes in consumer preferences and demands; customer adoption of different standards or our competitor's products; changes in industry standards and interfaces; unexpected loss of performance of our products or technologies when integrated into systems; changes in our strategies as well as other factors detailed from time to time in the reports NVIDIA files with the Securities and Exchange Commission including its Form 10-K for the fiscal period ended January 25, 2009. Copies of reports filed with the SEC are posted on our website and are available from NVIDIA without charge. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and speak only as of the date hereof, and, except as required by law, NVIDIA disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances.
# # #
© 2009 2009 NVIDIA Corporation. All rights reserved. NVIDIA, the NVIDIA logo, CUDA, GeForce, Quadro, and Tesla are trademarks or registered trademarks of NVIDIA Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. OpenCL is trademark of Apple Inc. used under license to the Khronos Group Inc. Other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated. Features, pricing, availability, and specifications are subject to change without notice.
Copyright© 2016 NVIDIA Corporation. All rights reserved. All company and/or product names may be trade names, trademarks, and/or registered trademarks of the respective owners with which they are associated. Features, pricing, availability, and specifications are subject to change without notice.
Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on NVIDIA, please visit the NVIDIA Press Room at http://www.nvidia.com/page/press_room.html


text:
With thousands of journalists being laid off and newspapers ceasing publication every month, many have undoubtedly questioned the future of journalism. As Nation writers Robert McChesney and John Nichols argue, the future rests in the hands of the government. On Chicago Newsroom with host Ken Davis, Nichols and McChesney discuss their new book, The Death and Life of American Journalism, and suggest government subsidies for the Fourth Estate–an idea established by the founders, who believed in a thriving press.
Although the future journalism market may support different scenarios–pay walls, web ads, pay per story–the result will be nowhere near sufficient, they say. "It will leave us a huge gap of uncovered communities, uncovered government, uncovered elections, uncovered politics and we can't survive in that situation," says McChesney. Among many arguments, they debunk the claim that advertising-driven journalism will still work.
"Can we really have a serious journalism in communities across the country underserved, neglected communities–communities that the mainstream media did a rotten job of covering," asks Nichols. "Can we do it? And, what we're finding is when we go to those communities, as well as speak to top experts in the field, is no. It's not going to happen."
–Clarissa Leon


text:
Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM Lens
The Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM Lens is an extremely versatile lens for everyday situations covering a range from wide to medium telephoto. It sports the high-precision optics you'd expect in an L series lens inside dust and moisture-resistant construction. It is designed for hand-held shooting with stabilization that gives you up to 3 stops of slower shutter settings without increased image blur. These features make this lens a go-to for event and travel photographers. It can be paired with both full frame sensor cameras, such as the Canon 5D Mark III, and with crop frame sensor cameras, such as the Canon 7D Mark II. The focal length equivalent on crop frame sensors is 38.4.6-168mm, still a great range for most subjects including landscapes, portraits, and street photography. If you are looking for a similar lens that forgoes the IS in favor of a faster maximum aperture, check out the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM II Lens.


text:
Jenise wrote:I was reminded of another cold favorite: leftover corn on the cob. Straight out of the fridge, unseasoned.
oh golly, you reminded me of cold corn on the cob. Love it. We had corn on cob for dinner tonight, tomorrow one cob will be my lunch along with some sliced tomatoes.


text:
Best Buyout?
With recent reports indicating Best Buy Founder and former Chairman Richard Schulze is not expected to present a buyout option to the board in the immediate future, some of the buzz about the iconic electronics retailer has died down. But the handwringing and public speculation about Best Buy's future has me thinking about what will—or perhaps, should—come next for the brand.
Without question, Best Buy is facing some significant challenges. But, that's been the case for some time now. Not much has changed today from three months ago. Yet, a spotlight is on them now, with talks about this possible buyout. The whole issue of downsizing has been out there since they announced earlier this year their plans to close 50 stores by the end of 2012. The resignation of CEO Brian Dunn and a $1.7 billion loss last quarter have only added to the impression that the electronics giant is on shaky ground. Best Buy has been repositioning to the extent that they can with the rollout of 100 Best Buy Mobile locations, but I'm not the only one who thinks that repositioning and downsizing to that extent isn't going to be easy. The changes in executive personnel and a still fragile economic landscape only add to the difficulties. So, maybe it's the realization that the brand will be harder to reposition—both from a merchandise standpoint and a real estate standpoint—than they originally anticipated that really has people taking note.
I don't think they're done exploring a potential private buyout. That move might reduce the public scrutiny and give Best Buy a little bit more flexibility, but would it make the chain more viable? That's a tougher question. Another good question is whether there is anyone willing to bankroll the move and take them private. It seems to me to be a risky step for any financial institution, particularly to take on a brand that has posted declines in same-store sales in 7 of the last 8 quarters. The criticism I've heard from some that Best Buy has been slow to adapt and react is a fair one: I agree that they have been a little sluggish and may have been resting on their laurels to some extent.
It's difficult to avoid drawing comparisons between what is happening to Best Buy in the wake of Circuit City's demise and similar dynamics that transpired with other market-leading duos like Borders and Barnes & Noble, and Linens 'n Things and Bed Bath & Beyond. Did Circuit City's bankruptcy just delay the inevitable for Best Buy, or will they successfully adapt and thrive as Bed Bath & Beyond has done? What makes these comparisons difficult is that electronics is so price sensitive, which means that the margins just aren't there. What used to be a high-margin business has actually become a low-margin business: these days, electronics have changed from special, high-profile signature items, to everyday must-have commodities, and the industry is going to have to evolve accordingly. All of which leads to an even bigger question: Do we really need an all-in-one store anymore?
I don't have all the answers, but I do think one key ingredient to any recipe for a successful turnaround is that there must be less brick-and-mortar square footage. And while there are lots of complex considerations involved regarding leases and locations, the biggest question to be answered is, "What is the optimal store size?" To answer the last one, Best Buy will need to look carefully at price points in every department. At a time when consumer electronics continue to get smaller, appliances, which take up a ton of space and are not particularly profitable, might have to go. I've mentioned in the past that I like the new 1,200-square-foot Best Buy Mobile stores. But, the rollout for those will need to be fast to have any kind of real impact, and that concept faces significant competition from familiar names like Apple and Radio Shack.
Ultimately, the only truly sustainable long-term solution is that Best Buy is going to have to be best-in-class: best products, lowest price, best service. That's a tall order, especially when you basically can't beat the pricing of online vendors who are paying no overhead. Whether or not Best Buy becomes a "best buyout" will be fascinating to watch.
What do you think? Will there be a buyout for Best Buy? Can they turn things around or is it too late? Please make a public comment below or feel free to e-mail me privately at [email protected].
Click here for past columns by Jeff Green.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
I don't think they're done exploring a potential private buyout.Chatrandom
Good information about how to do work in This information is so much useful for making future plan. Mike from
Well, This post is amazing ti about the founder of that company who work hard and achieve goals. Click here
Indeed... this seems to be a good business. property mallorca
Indeed... this seems to be a good business. property mallorca


text:
Find Your Perfect Home.
Richland Real Estate
Richland is located in Michigan. Richland, Michigan has a population of 786. Richland is less family-centric than the surrounding county with 27.9% of the households containing married families with children. The county average for households married with children is 30.15%.
The median household income in Richland, Michigan is $60,938. The median household income for the surrounding county is $46,356 compared to the national median of $53,482. The median age of people living in Richland is 44.6 years.
Richland Weather
The average high temperature in July is 83.3 degrees, with an average low temperature in January of 17.5 degrees. The average rainfall is approximately 37.9 inches per year, with inches of snow per year.
View Homes for Sale in Richland
Richland Map
Real Estate Near Richland
Nearby Cities
Nearby Cities Homes for Sale
Richland Zip Codes


text:
Ferrari HELE system adds a tinge of "green" to Ferrari redView gallery - 50 images
There's been a number of battery electric and hybrid supercar concepts on the stands at this year's Paris Motor Show. While the impressive performance stats of vehicles such as the Jaguar C-X75, the Lotus Elite GT and the Exagon Furtive eGT, shows automakers are closing the gap between the performance of electric vehicles and those powered by internal combustion engines (ICE), there's still a trade off in terms of performance. However, even supercar makers like Ferrari can't ignore the change in attitudes so, in an effort to add a tinge of green to its iconic red, the company showed a Ferrari California in Paris that is fitted with a new HELE (High Emotion Low Emissions) system designed to reduce the environmental impact of its supercars, while in fact boosting their performance.
At launch, the Ferrari California produced 299 g/km of CO2 on the combined ECE EUDC cycle but the addition of the HELE system sees that figure drop to 270 g/km. However, Ferrari says emissions fall by up to 23 percent in urban driving that better represents real-world driving.
HELE systemIn addition to the California's
The introduction of a brushless motor and continual fan speed control has allowed the Ferrari technicians to decrease current absorption and cut the system's weight by over 2 kg (4.4 lb) as well as reduce aerodynamic drag by 5 per cent at high speeds.
To limit demands on the alternator, the fuel pump capacity is controlled constantly by the engine CPU, while intelligent air-conditioning compressor displacement control slashes the amount of torque absorbed by the system by 35 percent and makes for more efficient and rapid cabin cooling. Ferrari says these refinements result in a boost in responsiveness as, under normal running conditions, the engine is able to avail itself of an extra 25 Nm of torque.
In automatic mode, the gearbox CPU automatically identifies the driving style being used and adapts the gear shifts to match. For example, if it recognizes the moderate torque at low engine speeds typical of city driving it optimizes the gear shifts to cut fuel consumption. However, if a sportier driving style is adopted, then gear shifting becomes more high performance. There is also a pedal map for each gear to ensure maximum responsiveness to even small amounts of pressure on the accelerator and precise torque delivery.
Still some way to goTo put things in perspective, a
There will obviously be a difference in emissions between a Ferrari, which is designed primarily for performance, and the bulk of cars on the road, which are increasingly being designed for efficiency and lower emissions. But these figures show just how large this difference is. So, even though the California could in no way be considered a "green" vehicle, Ferrari's efforts to reduce emissions are certainly welcome.
Want a cleaner, faster loading and ad free reading experience?
Try New Atlas Plus. Learn more


text:
Price each roller
12 per display box
There are no reviews yet.
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
Your review *
Name *
Email *
Notify me of new posts by email.
If you are interested in buying this product from one of our amazing retailers, please fill out the following form and we will let you know your nearest stockist or website.
sku: M0711014
sku: M0711017
sku: M0711036
sku: M0711052


text:
It's been a long time coming, but FINALLY I'm shifting the blog over to my new littlemiso website! I'm really excited to have both the blog and website together on the same responsive platform. This means it's mobile and tablet friendly.
Please check out (and bookmark) the new blog: www.littlemiso.com/blog
and have a look at the new website too!
Thank you for your kindness and support so far,


text:
US & Mexico Sign Agreement to Fight Illegal Trafficking of Cellphones
The world of illegal trafficking is dark, dangerous and consumed by the shady cross-border flow of contraband such as narcotics, human beings, firearms and …cellphones?
That's right, cellphones.
If your iPhone, Blackberry or even your non-smartphone gets stolen, there's a chance it might end up in the hands of someone in Ciudad Juárez, Reynosa or some other town south of the border.
To put a stop to cases of grand theft cellular, U.S. and Mexican officials signed a bilateral agreement earlier this week aimed at preventing the use of the use of stolen mobile telephones. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission and Mexico's Secretariat of Communications announced that they will begin to share databases of stolen phones to prevent reactivation in both countries.
"Today's announcement cracks down on the growing trend of stolen mobile devices," FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said, according to AFP. "US and Mexican collaboration to block reactivation of stolen mobile devices in both countries sends a clear message to thieves and criminal gangs -- this is a crime that does not pay."
Mobile phone theft is on the rise as the devices have become an integral part of people's lives. It is estimated that in U.S. cities such as New York and Washington, 40 percent of all robberies involve cellphones, with smartphones such as the iPhone being a particularly enticing target for crooks.
Many of the stolen phones end up on the black market in countries throughout Latin America, including Mexico, according to AFP.
"While the extent of organized crime's involvement in phone trafficking is likely limited, Mexican authorities say there appears to be a link between phone trafficking and crimes like extortion and kidnapping," wrote Laura Gómez of Insight Crime.
The bilateral agreement comes on the heels of the implementation by U.S. cellular carriers to block the reusing of mobile phones by sharing data on stolen goods.
Both U.S. and Mexican authorities are also participating in the international stolen device database, which will identify and deactivate a stolen devices.
Follow us on twitter.com/foxnewslatino
Like us at facebook.com/foxnewslatino


text:
(Newburyport News, April 27, 2012) Newburyport will host its first Jewish Film Festival next week with a screening of four topical and thought-provoking documentaries, as well as a movie classic. The festival will run Thursday, May 3, through Sunday, May 6, and is being sponsored by Congregation Ahavas Achim, North Shore Teen Initiative and Camp Menorah.
"Circumcise Me," about a Catholic convert to Judaism, will be the feature film on Saturday, May 5, at 8:45 p.m. at Congregation Ahavas Achim. The film features Yisrael Campbell, who has become a stand-up comedy star in Israel. Campbell's routine riffs on the fact that he converted to Judaism three times, once reform, once conservative and once orthodox.
For more information, visit www.ahavasachim.org


text:
Mark Stone, Santa Cruz Supervisor, has now been on the California Costal Commission for over two years and currently serves as Vice Chair.
During his short term he has been a strong advocate for protection of coastal resources. Mark voted against the proposed massive Monterey Bay Shores "Eco-Resort" that would have marred sensitive dune habitat near Monterey and ensured that the Commission would not give its blessing to test slant wells independent of a more thorough review of the controversial desalination proposal in Monterey County. Mark's thoughtful, law- and science-based approach to land use decisions has made him a well-respected leader on the Commission.
Since 2003 Mark Stone, endorsed by Sierra Club, has represented the San Lorenzo Valley, the City of Scotts Valley, and portions of the City of Santa Cruz on the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors. In his role as a Supervisor, Mark has fought for families and children and has been a strong voice for the environment.
Santa Cruz County now has a Commission on the Environment, and has bans on pesticide spraying by the County, genetically modified crops, Styrofoam containers, and single-use plastic bags because of Mark's leadership. A committed public servant, Mark has announced he will run for the newly redistricted and anticipated open State Assembly seat in 2012.
Mark is an avid open water swimmer, having conquered the English Channel in 2009. He lives in Scotts Valley with his wife, Kathy, and their two children.
< back to all issues
Proof of Access Ordinance Approved at the Planning Commission
July 2014
Santa Cruz unveils Climate Adaptation Plan
December 2011
Learn about Monarch butterflies
December 2011
Styrofoam ban a success
October 2011
Mark Stone represents the Central Coast
October 2011
Forum-- Methyl Iodide and Our Community--Learn the Facts
September 2011
Stop Methyl Iodide campaign ramps up
August 2011
Photo exhibit features chapter member's work
June 2011
Proposed County water pollution law lacks clear accountability
June 2011
Club members enjoy Año Nuevo geology walk with Jerry Weber
June 2011
Winning in a Walk
June 2011
Farmers markets are a great source of local, fresh foods
June 2011
Native orchid found in Monterey County
June 2011
Carmel Valley development ignores project conditions
April 2011
Proposed Carmel development to ax 104 large trees
February 2011
What your local Sierra Club has been doing
February 2011
Environmentalists continue fight to clean up Central Coast Water
February 2011
$5000 appeal fee puts a chill on the public process
February 2011
Intact riparian corridors necessary for healthy streams
February 2011
Car sharing's a Zip!
February 2011
Heron went a courting
February 2011
Wildflowers of Garland Ranch A Field Guide
February 2011
Pogonip hearing delayed
December 2010
Staying a Healthy Hiker
December 2010
Sempervirens Fund saves more redwoods
December 2010
Condos planned for Carmel Convalescent Hospital site
October 2010
A great way to save water
August 2010
Help designate an exquisite area in memory of Jeff Norman
August 2010
Long-toed salamander habitat up for review
August 2010
July 12 Groundbreaking for National Marine Sanctuary Center
June 2010
New website identifies local flowers
June 2010
Bike Week 2010 May 9-15
April 2010
Monterey feed lot gets renewed permit
February 2010
Sempervirens Fund purchases more redwood forest
February 2010
Why salmon are going extinct
Cumulative impacts devastating
December 2009
Coho Recovery Plan long overdue
December 2009
What Coho need to recover
December 2009
Ballot initiative could raise money for State Parks
December 2009
Parsons Slough project could restore tidal marsh
October 2009
The unraveling of Elkhorn Slough
October 2009
Our yard has been certified as wildlife habitat
October 2009
I won an energy audit
August 2009
Santa Cruz County and City adopt new programs to encourage energy independence
June 2009
How can Parsons Slough be restored?
June 2009
Catching some rays
April 2009
Kirk Smith, 1916 - 2009
April 2009
What happened to Freedom Lake?
April 2009
Investing in the future
April 2009
Monarch numbers declining
January 2009
North Monterey County development threatens Elkhorn Slough
December 2008
Sustainability gaining ground in Monterey County
October 2008
Developer seeks rezoning of former hospital site
May 2008
Carmel Valley artist publishes wildflower book
August 2008
Unfolding a Common Solution
Folding Bikes
March 2008
Jeff Norman warmly remembered
March 2008
Help monitor local creeks
March 2008
Open Space Alliance gets new director
January 2008
New ExCom seated
January 2008
Chapter Elections
December 2007
Santa Cruz Styrofoam ban
December 2007
Recycled Clothing
December 2007
Whaler's Cove Beach open again
August 2007
Superivors bypass CEQA
August 2007
What is a working forest?
August 2007
Energy-saving windows
August 2007
Sierra Club challenges September Ranch in court
February 2007
Feds affirm that local
coho are nativeJune 2006
Turning waste into warmth -
Grey Bears recycle 11,000 tons annuallyJune 2006
UCSC proposes unsustainable
Central Coast focus of
Marine Life Protection Act
Santa Cruz and Capitola are
cool cities
Offshore drilling
Santa Cruz County to
require recycling
LEED-certified means a green building
New Sierra Club film touts
benefits of locally-grown food
Local Program helps businesses
go green
Petitions block
Santa Cruz hotel project and parking complex
Green Acres Elementary School students
learn science through gardening
Settlement of multiple
lawsuits is major victory for Soquel Creek
Development deluge in
Monterey Co.
Santa Cruz recognized for smart growth
Club will fight for adoption of Community
General Plan for Monterey County
UCSC growth stresses carrying capacity of
City of Santa Cruz adds to its renewable
energy system
Rare Clover overlooked
GPU Community Forums receive tremendous
public support
Coastal guardians receive Sierra Club
national awards
A patch of oneªs own
Marching for womenªs lives and a sustainable
Local activists play key role in protecting
our coast
Book Review: Plan B. Rescuing a Planet
under Stress and a Civilization in Trouble
New wilderness area to get trash
savers collect rain for summer use
(SCMBC) Local "species at risk" list now


text:
Post by Stefan Van Eycken, Tokyo
We've already written about Fuji-Gotemba's 40th anniversary this year. Like many, we were wondering if any other special release would see the light of day - other than the high-priced celebratory release we wrote about a few months ago, that is. With the year approaching its end, we were about to give up hope but a few days ago – almost exactly 40 years after they fired up the stills there (Nov 27, 1973) – Kirin announced details of a new, exciting and much more reasonably priced anniversary release.
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Fuji-Gotemba Single Grain Whisky 40th Anniversary
2 comments:
Thank you for the info. Gotenba also have the single cask released now. I'm going to pick both of the whisk
y at weekend. Again, thanks for the info and just to share info.
- December 17, 2013 at 5:34 PM
- Stefan Van Eycken said...
Thanks very much for your comment, Ishihara-san. We haven't been able to go to Gotemba yet... too busy at the end of the year. Please let us know how the new single grain and the single cask bottlings are. Thanks again for getting in touch and for your kind words.
- December 20, 2013 at 10:54 PM
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
BAYBORO � Candidate interest is at a peak in the town of Oriental, but not so much for Arapahoe.
BAYBORO � Candidate interest is at a peak in the town of Oriental, but not so much for Arapahoe.
The Friday closing of Pamlico County�s eight municipal election filings for the Nov. 5 general election found 13 candidates for five Oriental commissioner seats and the county�s only contested mayor�s race.
But, in Arapahoe, the available seats fell one candidate short among commissioners and the Pamlico County Board of Elections has extended filing for that race until Friday at noon. If enough candidates are not on the ballot, the final board seat will go to a write-in candidate who is willing to accept the job.
The Arapahoe commissioner race is the only one receiving an extension.
A total of 23 filing candidates Thursday and Friday avoided extensions in some other towns.
On Friday, incumbent Arapahoe Mayor Terry Cannan filed for re-election.
Other than the contested races for Oriental commissioners and mayor, no other town has a contested race.
Incumbent Oriental Mayor Bill Sage filed Friday and will be opposed by Lori Wagner, a former commissioner who also worked at town hall.
Among the crowded field to take one of the five town board seats, the new candidates filing Thursday or Friday include Martha Good, retired Town Manager Bob Maxbauer, Charles Overcash, Benjamin Cox, Timothy Rogers and incumbent Barbara Venturi.
Filing candidates in Stonewall include Mayor Charles Alexander and commissioner candidates Maurice Benton, Lester Carey and James Wood.
Three Vandemere commissioner candidates filed in the past two days � David DeSalvo, Steven Lacy and Amanda Finch.
Alliance, where the top commissioner candidate vote-getter is elected mayor, completed its needed allotment of candidates with the filing of Frank Willis, Frank Cuthrell, Louis Daniels and Harry Brooks.
Minnesott Beach Mayor Josh Potter re-filed for election Thursday, as did Commissioner Charles Salter. On Friday, Carolyn Casey filed for the Minnesott board.
Elections Director Lisa Bennett said Oriental is the only town that has applied for and will have early One Stop voting this year. The elections board will determine at a later date if those ballots will be cast at the elections office in Bayboro or at a voting place in Oriental.
Grantsboro is the only Pamlico County town without an election this year, after its board approved four-year terms.
For information, call the Pamlico County Elections office at 745-4821.
Charlie Hall can be reached at 252-635-5667 or firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
a)If possible (depending on your inventory and
banking space) all items of worth and all gold gained during the service will
stay on your account, if it is not used for necessary skills or equipment.
b)Certainly we do not make use of cheats, bots or scripts! Our leveler is not
allowed to communicate with other players to prevent misunderstandings.
c)Important! We will change the password at the beginning oft he service and
will reset it when the service has been finished. This is for security reasons,
to prevent different ip′s appearing in the logfiles to rise safety of our


text:
Dutch gov't: suspects must decrypt computers
The Dutch government says it is planning to make it a crime for a suspect in a child sex abuse or terrorism case to refuse to help decrypt a computer when ordered to do so by prosecutors.
The legislation was prompted by a case in Amsterdam last year, in which a pedophile who abused more than 80 children and infants used sophisticated computer encryption software that slowed his investigation. Members of his network are still being caught.
In February, a U.S. appeals court found that forcing a suspect to surrender access to his computer can violate his constitutional rights not to incriminate himself.
Justice Minister Ivo Opstelten said Wednesday the real issue is obstruction of justice, and he said comparable laws exist in England and Sweden.
Explore further
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


text:
Two months into the new year, the pressure is still on for clubs to achieve higher revenue goals, get their members to spend more money and make up for the members they lost last year. Many of us wait all year for this opportunity that will either start the New Year on a strong note or, at the very least, make up for a weak finish to 2006. While January is our busiest and highest month in sales (and also stress), quieter February is a good time to look back at 2006.
Last year we saw many stressful changes in most marketplaces across the country. After speaking with hundreds of club owners and managers, we found that this past year was one in which many clubs felt stressed by all the change in their marketplace, by the amount of competition, by the lower volume of guest traffic, and by the ongoing challenge of increasing sales and retention of not only their members but also their top performing employees. Bottom line: It's becoming more challenging for independent club operators to compete.
The answer to relieving some business stress may lie in getting our businesses into better shape. Like people looking to improve their health, some can do it ourselves, but most of us need help or motivation from others. Just like members join our clubs to get healthy, seeking answers from others to help with our challenges is a smart move — not a sign of weakness. Club owners should turn to resources such as national and regional club associations and trade shows, where you not only learn from sought after experts, but you also develop relationships through networking with other operators. You can also take advantage of club management roundtables or hire consultants to help increase sales or improve retention. Make sure you find a qualified mentor though, not a part-time or recent expert who has worked with only a handful of clubs.
To find the best solutions, you first need to ask some hard questions and answer honestly. Is your business fit? Can you get the business into better shape? What changed in your marketplace? Are you willing to change? Do you have a plan? Where should you look for help in getting the most effective plan? Are you easy to do business with? Is your team friendly and well trained in customer service procedures? Does your staff exhibit the mentality that the customer is important and comes first, or do they spend their time gossiping and gabbing? Is your club clean and visually appealing? Do you offer enough classes and is your equipment well kept? Does your club provide a motivating environment?
Many of our clients are experiencing growth in challenging markets, and some are even experiencing new profit levels. Their secret is that they proactively seek to increase their knowledge, realizing that learning never stops. They then act on or execute that knowledge and consistently deliver value through their services and staff members with the goal of creating not just satisfied customers but also loyal customers.
Lastly, equip your team with the tools they need to properly do their jobs. Take advantage of training, invest in the ongoing development of your people, and help them succeed. I've worked with companies who invest a great deal in their employees and others who spend a bare minimum. The difference in their overall results is always significant.
Today's business environment is more challenging and competitive than ever before, which means you need to give people a clear reason to do business with you rather than someone else. It's time to get on track.
Ed Tock is a partner in Sales Makers, a marketing and sales training consulting firm that has worked with more than 1,000 clubs and won the IHRSA Associate of the Year. He can be reached at 800-428-3334 or email@example.com.


text:
Is Apple Taking Aim at Concert Tours with the iTunes Pass?
The 1980s Britpop band Depeche Mode has teamed with Apple to launch the first iTunes Pass, a sort of one-time subscription service to content that the band has and will create.
Although the blogosphere is wondering whether Apple is using the concept of the iTunes Pass to evolve into an optional subscription model, the Pass seems more akin to a sort of RSS feed. Users also buy the Depeche Mode iTunes Pass for a one-time fee of $18.99 that covers fifteen weeks of content, rather than subscribe to it with a recurring payment.
"With iTunes Pass, music fans can get new and exclusive singles, remixes, video and other content from their favorite artists over a set period of time, delivered to their libraries as soon as they're available," the Depeche Mode page says.
"The first iTunes Pass debuts today in conjunction with Depeche Mode's forthcoming 12th studio album, "Sounds of the Universe," to be released on April 21 in the US," the page adds. "Fans who sign up starting today get the alternative/dance pioneers' new single, "Wrong," as well as the Black Light Odyssey Dub Remix of the new track "Oh Well." They will also receive the new album on its street date plus great music and video exclusives before and after the album's release over the next fifteen weeks."
Naturally, one would assume that the concept of the iTunes Pass will be extended to other bands over other periods of time. So far, the deal simply covers studio releases and other additional material. But the period of time bit is interesting. How much new material can a band put out over a period of time, in addition to an album? Could this be the way that Apple cuts out Live Nation and offers consumers "bootleg" live tracks that they would normally have to attend a concert to get? All speculation, certainly, but some very interesting directions here.


text:
Mid Size Gel Seat /w Air-Flo 3D
No other motorcycle gel cushion delivers the cool comfort and vibration dampening of the SKWOOSH™ MID SIZE with AIR-FLO3D breathabl...$74.99 to $96.99
And we can't wait to show you how it's done!
Get notified of sales, clearance items, new products, news, and more!
Click Here »
Save on shipping! Will Call is available at our Southern California headquarters.


text:
Gingerlust05-Dec-07 6:15 PM by Ken Gagne
Filed under Reviews; 2 comments.
From Jack Kerouac to Matt Harding, the drive to escape the familiar and explore the world is a constant among generations — and with the growing scourge of corporate America possibly serving as a impetus, Generation X is travelling far more than Baby Boomers ever did. Each era brings a unique way to sate this wanderlust; for the team behind the documentary 10 MPH, that vehicle was the Segway.
A Segway, the upright scooter invented by Dean Kamen and prior to its release referred to as "Ginger" and "IT", carries one passenger at a top speed of ten miles per hour, with an average of ten miles per battery charge. A team of creative entrepreneurs funded the purchase of a pair of Segways and set out to drive one from Seattle to Boston, with Josh Caldwell on Segway and Hunter Weeks, Hunter's twin sister Gannon, and Alon Waisman as support, trailing in a van on the road's shoulder.
The resulting documentary is far better than I expected, as after watching the similar hitting-the-road film Parallel Lines, I worried that I'd be bored by amateur shots of whatever or whoever stepped in front of the camera. Instead, the 200 hours of footage has been pared down to a fun, novel, and fast-moving trip across America. Stunning vistas and an original soundtrack capture the mountains and valleys traversed by what's intended as an urban machine, with entire days or weeks passing in a blink that the team might better capture the journey's highlights.
More often than not, those memorable moments come not from places, but people. The strangers our pilgrims met along the way don't stay strangers for long, their curiosity and generosity affording the documentarians many meals, stories, and beds. A recurring theme is finding one's life passion, with pullquotes identifying those lucky few people's "things". It inspires the viewer to ask, what is my thing?
It's these third parties that best represent America, as the narrator's delivery is dry — though perhaps a more favorable interpretation would be "professional". But more often than not, the camera is better focused outward than inward. I'm sure the crew hoped everything would go flawlessly, which would've made for a better experience for both them and their viewers. But financial issues nearly brought the trial to an early close, and the causal internal conflicts and resulting desperation are a part of this documentary.
Just as the journey started with a personal investment in the Segway that its manufacturer refused to provide this team, the journey ended at great expense — but only because the team insisted on seeing the road to its end. One hundred days and 418 battery charges later, Caldwell, Weekses, and Waisman made their way to Boston and then further north to New Hampshire, home of the Segway.
During the resulting coverage on New England Cable News, Hunter indicated the documentary would be completed in 6-8 months. Two years later, it's available on DVD and online at a price of your choosing. The DVD comes in stereo sound and with an acceptable number of extras: the full eight-minute NECN interview, deleted scenes, "bloopers" (mostly people falling off Segways), and director commentary. It's an interesting mix of people, places, and dreams, edited together from scripted and unscripted scenes. The variety of elements combine into a slightly uneven package, but overall it works well to capture this adventure, entertain its audience, and motivate us to take our own first step.


text:
I just finished uploading this Condo for sale, 101 1169 Nelson Street, Vancouver, BC
Welcome to your completely renovated 1 bedroom ground floor corner unit at The Greenhorn. This property has it all: new carpets and tile through out, kitchen has quality cabinetry(soft close), quartz counter tops and all new SS appliances, bathroom has all new fixtures, plumbing and a beautiful shower, bedroom is large enough for a King size bed and more, bonus flex space can be used as an office or storage. This garden unit is very quite with a large private patio opening onto a common garden courtyard which allows you plenty of natural light in to the suite. Building is well maintained with proactive strata. Location is amazing with easy walking to all the amenities on Davie and Robson St, Yaletown, entertainment, seawall, beaches and all that downtown living has to offer plus its right across from Nelson park (perfect for dogs). 1 parking included. Call today for your private view or watch for our weekend open house.


text:
It turns out that a majority of workers believe that the grass really is greener somewhere else.
That's the finding of a new poll, which found that 55 percent of global workers were considering a career change because of the current economic situation.
An additional 30 percent of respondents said they would consider a change if they could find a better career.
In the United States, 56 percent of workers were trying to change careers, while in the United Kingdom, 62 percent of workers responded that they were actively trying to switch their career. Slightly more than half of workers in Mexico were also looking for a change.
"There are many types of career changes, with some people making a career 'sidestep,' moving into a new kind of role within their current industry, while others may be making a more radical change," Charles Purdy, Monster.com career expert, said. "Before considering a change, workers need to do thorough research, making sure they have realistic expectations and a concrete plan for filling their skills gaps."
[The Best Websites for Finding a Job]
Despite the overwhelming majority of workers looking for a change, 15 percent of global workers still feel that their career is not affected by economic uncertainty. Even though many workers are currently looking to make a change, Purdy thinks workers should always be focused on a career change, regardless of economic standing.
"People considering a career change should also reach out to their networks and consider conducting informational interviews," Purdy said. "All of us should be actively managing our careers and making sure we're on top of developments in our chosen industry. At the same time, employers can work to retain employees by offering incentives such as training and skills development."
The information in the Monster Global Poll was based on responses of Monster.com visitors. The poll was conducted over two weeks in February.


text:
fnajman avait besoin d'un nouveau design de logo et a lancé un concours sur 99designs.
Un gagnant a été sélectionné de 33 designs proposés par 6 designers freelance.
I am a french software developer and sport trainer .
I am actually working on a personal opensource project and need a Logo.
The goal of the project is to propose for free a large number of tools dedicated to the sport trainer and more generally to the people making sport and need tools for managing there sport discipline based on full library of widget
I need a same logo for the website and splash screen.
the logo have to illustrate in the same time "sport" specially focused on Running (commun sport for all discipline) , and "online tools" (as calculator) .. widgets tools in fact..
i like this logos style for example :
Actually there is no company , it's just a personal free and open source project for sport community.
later i will need icon for the web site interface
the brand name is " entraineur.fr "
the base line could be " the free sport tools solution" for the moment but should be change later and be editable.
you can write me on email@example.com for more informations.
- a logo that explain the project : sport and widgets on line tools
- full color
- web 2.0 style look and feel
- serious and fun but not corporate
- high definition
- source file .AI
- transparent background version in a .PNG
- Open brief, let your imagination run!
- too much corporate
- print style
- black and white
- flat
Savoir comment fonctionne un concours de design ou en savoir plus sur nos services de design de logo.


text:
- Publish date:
- Updated on
- Year
- 1820
Fur trader Manuel Lisa dies
Manuel Lisa, the first fur trader to develop the upper Missouri River territory explored by Lewis and Clark, dies in St. Louis.
The son of either Cuban or Spanish parents, Lisa was born in New Orleans in 1772. By the time he was a young man he had developed extensive trading interests along the Mississippi River, and in 1799 he chose St. Louis as the center of his growing business. When the explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark came to St. Louis in 1804, Lisa sold them many of the supplies required for their long journey to the Pacific.
When Lewis and Clark returned to St. Louis two years later, Lisa listened with interest to their reports of rich beaver and otter populations to be found in the upper Missouri River country. Lisa quickly began to organize a fur trading expedition, and in 1807, he headed up the river in a keelboat. Overcoming opposition from several Indian tribes along the way, Lisa managed to reach the confluence of the Big Horn and Yellowstone rivers in present-day Montana. There he established the Fort Raymond (later Fort Lisa) post and began providing Indians with manufactured goods in exchange for furs.
The potential for the upper-Missouri River fur trade was huge, and initially Lisa's business thrived. In 1809, several prominent St. Louis men (including Lewis and Clark) joined with Lisa to form the Missouri Fur Company. The company ran into trouble, however, with the Blackfeet Indians of Montana, who resented Lisa's challenge to their long-standing dominance of the area fur trade. The War of 1812 further undermined the business, and in 1814, the Missouri Fur Company dissolved.
Lisa continued to trade for furs on the Missouri, enjoying several successful years and establishing excellent relations with the Omaha tribe by marrying one of its women. Lisa made his final trip up the Missouri in 1819, but when he returned he was suffering from an unidentified ailment that eventually proved fatal. He died in St. Louis in 1820 at the age of 47. Though his life was cut short, he had already explored vast new areas of territory and established the basic methods that would be used by the fur trade for decades to come.


text:
Get the Flash Playerto see this player.
Short review: This is an open book test when it comes to navigation, there are no surprises, no sneaky essay questions, just click and go. Every set is presented with a fine and professional looking layout. Big Tits At School is offering some of the things that you look for in a site, the streaming and downloadable movies, ZIP format for the pictures and screen caps, episodes and full clips, you have to choose.
Content Amount: You'll be satisfied for at least a while with the numbers they offer for content amount, there are 123 sets, which holds episodes (about 30 min each), full length clips (4+ minutes), screen caps and posed shots. A nice list of bonus sites perk it up.


text:
A very BIG weil done to BOFA Team #9, Team Spirals 10th
Wow, I knew that #9 was lying in wait. Weil done Richy and Julie.
The other two teams
Richy and Fraser came 52nd,
Chris n Ian came in @ 57th.
Of course the main winners were Macmillan
Other results of note
Sean, 4x4 Disco, and Alun came in @ 7th
our own Grizzles came a very respectabuble 15th,
Roll on next years for sure
Ps. Did I mention that I missed doing this years event?


text:
You are currently browsing the tag archive for the 'dreams' tag.
"If you are persistent in a dream God has called you to, even failure will work for good." –Melissa Douglas, Artist
I love being in the studio.
over the past two weeks, I have been waking with a burning desire to be in the studio and pick up right where I left the day before. each morning, I find myself anxious to see how the paint from yesterday dried & add more layers to the canvases filling my studio loft.
I love it.
these days I am reworking & in most cases totally transforming paintings I did when I first started painting. it's a stewardship & necessity thing, but it is also a need for that early work to bear the markings of this new season of life & growth for me.
one nice surprise has been seeing the markings I considered mistakes or total bombs the first go round, be the very things that help to create just the right textures & foundations for what is being created now.
here is a glimpse…
click to view and purchase art by Lanecia HERE


text:
Another usage of containers used as a building construction model is home-purpose usage. Being manufactured with modern manufacturing system nowadays, container houses are highly preferred with its well insulated safe structure, short-time manufacturing, possibility of usage in four seasons, long service life, and also its price.
Containers that are manufactured in modern Karmod manufacturing facilities are manufactured as ready-to-use from doors to windows, from electric installation to water installation, from floor coverings to WC & shower units. Manufactured within a short-time and delivered as suitable to any climate condition, Karmod container houses are under warranty of Karmod's after-sale services against manufacturing and assembly faults.


text:
Our Parts & Accessories
My wife and I saved for some time to get the home theater we wanted. Alan came in and installed a system beyond what I expected. I knew it was good when my neighbor came over and wanted to know what I was watching cause he could feel it at his house! Mike Brownen - Owner of the Honest Plumber


text:
Hubble's Panoramic Portrait of a Vast Star-Forming Region
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has snapped a panoramic portrait of a vast, sculpted landscape of gas and dust where thousands of stars are being born. This fertile star-forming region, called the 30 Doradus Nebula, has a sparkling stellar centerpiece: the most spectacular cluster of massive stars in our cosmic neighborhood of about 25 galaxies. The mosaic picture shows that ultraviolet radiation and high-speed material unleashed by the stars in the cluster, called R136 [the large blue blob left of center], are weaving a tapestry of creation and destruction, triggering the collapse of looming gas and dust clouds and forming pillar-like structures that are incubators for nascent stars.
Vast Star-Forming Region 30 Doradus
Zoom into 30 Doradus
The 30 Doradus Nebula is the largest object of its kind in the Local Group of galaxies, which includes Andromeda (M31), Triangulum (M33), our Milky Way, and numerous smaller systems. The nebula is relatively nearby, located in a small satellite galaxy of the Milky Way called the Large Magellanic Cloud, 170,000 light-years from Earth. (A light-year is the distance light travels in one year at a speed of 186,000 miles per second, or about 6 trillion miles.)
Such nebulae, which astronomers call "ionized hydrogen regions," are the "signposts" of recent star birth. High-energy ultraviolet radiation from young, short-lived, massive, hot stars causes the surrounding gaseous material to glow by fluorescent processes. In keeping with its premier status, the most spectacular cluster of massive stars in the Local Group powers 30 Doradus. This compact cluster is called R136, so named because of its designation in an early catalogue of the brightest stars in the Magellanic Clouds, compiled at the Radcliffe Observatory in South Africa. Hubble telescope observations have shown that R136 contains several dozen of the most massive stars known, each about 100 times the mass of Sun and about 10 times as hot. The cluster also harbors many thousands of smaller stars. For many years it defied analysis from ground-based observations, and was once even suggested to be a single "superstar," about 3,000 times the mass of the Sun!
30 Doradus is a "Rosetta Stone" for understanding regions of intense star formation, because it is near enough to Earth for its stellar contents and nebular structures to be studied in detail by the Hubble telescope. Even larger clusters and nebulae, called starbursts, exist in the more distant universe, but they cannot be resolved in comparable detail. Such objects are vital contributors to the evolution of galaxies and even life, because massive stars synthesize many of the heavier chemical elements in their nuclear furnaces and final supernova explosions. The explosions disperse the heavy elements to the surrounding interstellar medium, where new stars and planetary systems form from the enriched material.
This image of 30 Doradus is a mosaic of five overlapping pointings taken by the Hubble Telescope's Wide Field Camera. Astronomers combined several color filters to display different stellar and nebular features. The picture covers a field of 200 by 150 light-years and for the first time shows the full structure of the inner 30 Doradus Nebula at Hubble's resolution.
The Hubble telescope has provided at least two major advances in our understanding of giant nebulae. First, it has shown that they are not uniformly filled with glowing gas as previously thought. Rather, the brightest emission occurs at narrow interfaces between a central cavity, where massive stars are propelling gas outward, and the surrounding dense dust and gas clouds. The radiation produced by massive stars is so intense that it blows off the stars' outer layers in "stellar winds." These winds, in turn, push surrounding gas outward from the stellar cluster, generating compression zones at the inner faces of the clouds. This pressure can trigger the collapse of parts of the clouds, producing a new generation of star formation around the original cluster's periphery.
The second Hubble telescope revelation about such regions is that this process of "triggered" star formation often, or perhaps always, involves massive dust and gas pillars oriented toward the central cluster. Such pillars form when a particularly dense dust and gas concentration shields material behind it from evaporation and dissipation by the energy coming from the stars. Observations at radio and infrared wavelengths, which can penetrate the dust, show that the same process creates new stars in the heads of the pillars. The new image of 30 Doradus reveals the full extent of the interfaces surrounding the central cluster and shows numerous dust and gas pillars oriented toward the cluster on or near the interfaces. Newborn stars within several of the pillars already have been discovered in images taken by the Hubble telescope's infrared camera, the Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer.
Hubble telescope observations of other nebulae, together with those of 30 Doradus, provide a time sequence of the gestation and birth of new stars within pillars surrounding the initial cluster. The story begins with the famous Eagle Nebula (M16) pillars. They contain few bright infrared sources, but radio astronomers subsequently discovered luminous sources in the heads of the pillars. These bright objects are almost certainly protostars, which are still too cool to emit at infrared wavelengths. But they will continue to collapse and heat up until they do. Hubble telescope images of NGC 3603, the largest optically visible nebula in the Milky Way, show two massive pillars pointing toward its central cluster. Although smaller, this cluster bears a striking resemblance to R136.
Observations by the Hubble telescope's infrared camera have found luminous infrared sources within several of the 30 Doradus pillars. Moreover, images taken by the Hubble telescope's Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 also reveal one young triple-stellar system that was just born by blowing off the top of its natal pillar with its own energetic radiation and winds. These new stars are probably just a few hundred thousand years old, whereas R136 is about 2 million years old. (For comparison, the Sun is 4.5 billion years old, and its total lifespan will be 10 billion years.)
Hubble telescope pictures of other objects also allow astronomers to trace the overall evolution of the giant nebulae, and on even larger scales, that of entire starburst galaxies, which are often composed of multiple giant nebulae and clusters. Central regions that are completely devoid of gas characterize a class of nebulae called giant shells. Only an older cluster – about 4 million years old – remains there. The most massive stars in this central cluster already have disappeared, since the lifetimes of stars are inversely related to their masses. The glowing gas is located around the periphery and is powered by a younger generation of more massive stars. An example is NGC 604 in M33.
It is easy to foresee that 30 Doradus will become a giant shell nebula in another 2 million years, when the most massive stars will be gone from the central cluster. However, the new generation of massive stars around the periphery will be in full bloom. Still later, all of the most massive stars and nebulosity will have disappeared from the region. Only older stellar clusters without nebulae will remain.
Moreover, Hubble telescope images of the global structure of starburst galaxies like NGC 4214 and the Antennae show that different regions within them are composed of giant nebulae and clusters of different ages, so that the temporal progression of star formation episodes can be traced throughout. But detailed studies of nearby objects, such as 30 Doradus, are essential to support such inferences about the more distant ones, in which individual stars and nebular structures cannot be resolved.
NASA, N. Walborn and J. Maíz-Apellániz (Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD), R. Barbá (La Plata Observatory, La Plata, Argentina)