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A few weeks ago, I had to write some code where several threads are
manipulating a single instance of some class. The synchronization problems were
pretty much self-solved, so the main issue I was facing, was: How can I know
when is it safe to delete that shared instance?
The obvious solution for this problem involves the usage of a reference
counting mechanism of some sort. This mechanism will make sure my object is
deleted if, and only if, the number of references to that object has reached
zero. As a keen C/C++ programmer, I have been (traditionally) reluctant to use
this kind of solution, since I was always concerned about the performance costs
of the underlying algorithms. Although Boost::shared_ptr
is a very good implementation, I couldn't use it, since my project is required
to compile without additional libraries.
So, I sat down to write my own smart pointer which will specifically
address the performance issue. When debugging was over, I took the resulting
class (named: AUTO_REF) to the test track, to go head to head with
other similar classes. The demo project attached to this article, is actually my
benchmarking application which I used for timing these classes. The results are
covered in the Benchmarks section of this article.
"Give me a break", I hear you say, "I just want to know how to integrate
AUTO_REF into my code". Well, here are the details. Let's assume
you have just written a class called MY_CLASS, which has a member
function called run(int x). Here's how to access
MY_CLASS objects via AUTO_REF pointers.
run(int x)
MY_CLASS* raw1 = new MY_CLASS(); // First object (obj1)
MY_CLASS* raw2 = new MY_CLASS(); // Second object (obj2)
AUTO_REF<MY_CLASS> p1 = raw1;
AUTO_REF<MY_CLASS> p2 = p1; // p1,p2 both point at obj1
AUTO_REF<MY_CLASS> p3 = raw2; // p3 points at obj2
p2 = p3; // p2,p3 both point at obj2
p1->run(5); //Invokes run(5) on obj1.
(*p1).run(5); // same thing
p2->run(3); //invokes run(3) on obj2
cout << "p1 is valid"; // p1 is dereferenceable
cout << "p2 is invalid"; // p2 is empty. Dereferencing
// is not allowed
AUTO_REF<MY_CLASS> pt1(raw1); // First pointer - no problem!
AUTO_REF<MY_CLASS> pt2(pt1); // Declaring an additional
// pointer thru an
// existing AUTO_REF pointer - ok!
AUTO_REF<MY_CLASS> pt3(raw1); // Declaring an additional pointer
// WITHOUT using the existing
// AUTO_REF pointer
// - Wrong !!!!
So what actually is a smart pointer? A smart pointer is a pointer which frees
the programmer of the need to call delete() to release the
pointed-to object. In a typical implementation, the smart pointer's constructor
increases the object's reference counter, while its destructor decreases it. The
destructor also destroys the object when the count reaches zero, thus allowing
the programmer to totally forget about releasing the object. Sounds wonderful?
Well, there is one pitfall: If your data structure has circular pointing
(A -> B -> C -> A), smart pointers will not work as
expected, but we will get to that later. For
the meantime, let's assume your data structure is circle free.
Before getting into the design of the AUTO_REF class, let's go
over some typical approaches for implementing smart pointers:
Ownership: Instead of using a reference counter, these smart pointers
keep track of which pointer instance has 'ownership' over the pointed to object.
When a pointer is copy constructed or copy assigned it 'takes' the ownership
from the other pointer, which virtually becomes invalid. If a pointer is
destroyed while owning an object, the object is destroyed along. For a
representing sample of this approach, take a look at STL's auto_ptr
class. This is a simple and robust approach with minimal (zero) memory overhead,
but it's not a real smart pointer, since you cannot have two pointers pointing
to the same object at a given time. This disadvantage makes it impossible to
store auto_ptr's in an STL container. (read
Inheritance: This kind of a smart pointers can point only at classes
which were derived from a dedicated base class (let's say:
SP_BASE). From the smart pointer's point of view, it points to an
instance of SP_BASE. While this keeps the implementation simple, it
has significant perfromance costs, due to the use of inheritance and virtual
functions (SP_BASE's destructor must be
virtual, for start).
Templates: The smart pointer class takes the type of the pointed-to
object as a template parameter, So the pointer is actually 'aware' of what type
of object it is pointing to. This design offers better performances (when
compared with the Inheritance design), but, on the other hand, it can lead to an
increased executable size. A typical example: Boost::shared_ptr
AUTO_REF's implementation attempts to meet the following
For those of you not familiar with the term "exception safety" here is a
short, intuitive (totally informal) definition: if an exception is thrown your
objects will remain in a stable state, with no unwanted side affects taking
place (e.g: memory leaks).
Throughout development, [GL-1] was the dominant requirement of the six. It
almost immediately implied using the template approach, and - in addition - I
decided to hold the raw pointer value at each AUTO_REF object. I
could have placed that pointer at the shared structure, along with the counter,
but that would have caused an extra memory access operation for each pointer
dereferencing. Taking the pointer off the shared structure, made dereferencing
faster, and reduced that shared structure to (merely) a single LONG
The next major call was to employ a custom memory allocator. Allocating the
counter (type: LONG) is the most frequent, time consuming step in
the AUTO_REF algorithm. Since all allocations are of the same size
it seemed like the perfect situation for using a memory manager customized for
allocating buffers of constant size. As before, I was not allowed to use boost, so reusing boost::pool
was out of the question. Hence, I supplied a similar allocator of my own.
The other requirements, [GL-3] to [GL-5] pretty much came along with code,
with just minimal effort. Making the code exception safe required some more
thought, but luckily, I have just read Herb Sutter's excellent book "Exceptional C++". By
following the book's suggestions it wasn't too hard to make
AUTO_REF comply with this requirement as well. As for the code size
- it turned out to be a mere 3,886 bytes.
So how does the code inside auto_ref.cpp/.h achieve all that?
The key is is in auto_ref.h. This file defines the
AUTO_REF class which does most of the work. When a new
AUTO_REF pointer is created it receives a pointer to an existing
class/struct (the 'raw' pointer) and stores it in the m_inst_p data
member. Then, the constructor allocates a small LONG sized buffer
for holding the reference counter. The counter initial value is set to 1 since
there is one AUTO_REF object pointing at the object.
When a new AUTO_REF object is initialized with an existing
AUTO_REF object (i.e: copy constructed), the new object takes the
raw pointer and the counter pointer from the existing one. Additionally, the
counter is increased by 1, since the newly created object is actually another
reference to the pointed-to object. Note that the code uses
InterlockedIncrement to make this operation safe even if two
threads create two new AUTO_REF instances simultaneously.
The destructor is similarly simpler: It decreases the counter (again, using
InterlockedDecrement), and - if the counter has reached zero - it
deletes both the pointed-to object and the reference counter.
Copy assignment: I could have used a code which combines the destructor with
the copy constructor. This would lead to something along these lines:
//Destruction starts here
if(!InterlockedDecrement(m_ref_p)) {
delete m_inst_p;
//Copy construction starts here
m_ref_p = other.m_ref_p;
m_inst_p = other.m_inst_p;
return *this;
Looks OK? Wrong! If self-assignment is performed, this code will decrease the
counter, delete the pointed-to object (assuming we started with a reference
count of one), and then increase the counter back to one. Thus,
m_inst_p becomes invalid, as it now holds a pointer to a deleted
object. This is certainly not a desirable outcome.
The common way to fix this problem, is to enclose this piece of code in an if
statement: if(this != &other) {...} return *this; . However,
there is another way:
if(this != &other) {...} return *this;
The creative way, requires the use of what Herb Sutter is calling "The
Canonical form of strongly exception-safe copy assignment". The book
("Exceptional C++") argues that if you provide a non throwing
swap() function, you can always write your copy assignment using
the following lines:
T &operator=(const T &rhs) {
T temp(rhs);
return *this;
This is neat, totally exception free and - as a special bonus - you get the
swap functionality. So - Herb - this assignemt operator is for you.
My code defines one more class: QUICK_MEM_MANAGER. This class
implements the custom allocator functionality to speed up memory manipulation
required by AUTO_REF. The algorithm goes like this:
QUICK_MEM_MANAGER uses C's standard malloc() to
allocate memory in chunks of several Kilobytes. It also keeps a LIFO list of
free buffers.
When QUICK_MEM_MANAGER::malloc() is called, it checks to see if
the free buffers list is empty. If not, it removes the first buffer from the
list and returns that buffer to the caller. Otherwise, it finds a new buffer on
the recently allocated chunk (A new chunck is allocated if needed). Since all
buffers are of the same size, we can be absolutely sure that the buffer we
remove form the free list, will meet the caller's requested size.
When the QUICK_MEM_MANAGER::free() function is called, the
specified buffer is placed on the free list, a simple operation which requires
O(1) time. The list is implemented as singly linked list where the pointers are
stored inside the free buffers themselves, thus, eliminating the need for
extra memory.
struct MY_CLASS {
AUTO_REF<MY_CLASS> next;
void demo_func() {
AUTO_REF<MY_CLASS> pa(new MY_CLASS); // object A
AUTO_REF<MY_CLASS> pb(new MY_CLASS); // object B
AUTO_REF<MY_CLASS> pb(new MY_CLASS); // object C
pa->next = pb;
pb->next = pc;
pc->next = pa;
Having executed this code, we created a circle of pointers:
When demo_func() returns, pa, pb and
pc go out of scope. Hence, the reference counters are decreased,
but no object gets deleted since all the counters go from 2 to 1. So, as far as
the AUTO_REF mechanism is concerned these objects are still in use.
On the other hand, at this point, there's no local/global/static pointer which
references either A, B or C. This means
that the code has no way to access/delete any of these objects. On the bottom
line - we have a leak since these 3 objects will never be released.
pa, pb
You should note that if we didn't make the last assignment
= pa;
Solving this problem (reference counters on circular data structures)
requires the employment of more sophisticated 'garbage collection' algorithms,
at the expense of simplicity and speed. This certainly is not what I had in
mind, so I decided to leave this issue open. The developer must be aware of this
limit, as it imposes restrictions on the usage of AUTO_REF pointers
in certain data structures.
To answer this intriguing question I wrote the test application. The program
creates N (set to 320,000) instances of a class, and store the pointers
to these objects in an STL vector. The code then goes into a loop, which
dereferences the (vector stored) pointers, and invokes a member function on the
pointed objects. This loop is repeated N*60 times.
The type of the pointer used by the code is determined by the
PTR_SWITCH preprocessor symbol, so the application can be
configured to use any of the following pointer types: AUTO_REF
pointers (AUTO), raw 'C' pointers (RAW), RefCountPtr (RCP),
idllib::smart_ptr (IDLLIB), and boost::shared_ptr
pointers (BOOST).
I measured average run time for each configuration when running on a 700MHz
Win2000 machine. The code was compiled with MSVC6 using STLport 4.5. I have
taken the result of the RAW configuration as 100%, and calculated speed in
percentage, relative to this result. When I modified the number of times the
main loop is performed (currently set to N*60), The difference between
RAW and the other pointers had changed, but the overall ranking remained the
same. You should bear in mind that although my application tries to simulate a
typical, 'real life' usage of pointers, the results are true for this specific
test only.
Configuration Run time (seconds) %
The table shows that AUTO_REF pointers performed very well:
AUTO_REF yielded performance reduction of only 13%, which is 10%
better than its nearest competitor (BOOST). The other two
configurations reduced performance by more than 45%.
So, when should you use AUTO_REF? The answer is simple: Whenever
you do not want to explicitly delete your pointers, but you still want to keep
your program as fast as possible.
This article has no explicit license attached to it but may contain usage terms in the article text or the download files themselves. If in doubt please contact the author via the discussion board below.
A list of licenses authors might use can be found here
Configuration Run time (seconds) %
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Use Ctrl+Left/Right to switch messages, Ctrl+Up/Down to switch threads, Ctrl+Shift+Left/Right to switch pages.


text:
RALEIGH � A bill to let a western North Carolina community continue use a live possum in its New Year's Eve celebration is going to Gov. Pat McCrory's desk.
The General Assembly gave its final approval Thursday to legislation responding to a judge's ruling that seemed to stop the organizer of the Brasstown Possum Drop from putting the animal in a clear plastic box each Dec. 31. The box is lowered to the ground at midnight.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals complained about the event. The bill makes clear the Wildlife Resources Commission can issue permits for such live-animal events.
Sen. Jim Davis of Macon County said the Possum Drop brings thousands to the small town each year.
The Senate gave its final passage by a vote of 41-2.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Powerful, Practical Strategies for Reaching "I Don't Care!" and Underperforming Students to Increase Their School Success (Grades 3-12)
Presented by MaryAnn Brittingham
Specifically Designed for Classroom Teachers, Special Education Staff, Title I Staff, Instructional Coaches, Behavior Intervention Specialists, Counselors, Instructional Assistants, School Psychologists, and Administrators Serving Grades 3 12
- Practical strategies for working with students who come to school with an "I don't care!" response to seemingly everything – learn what is really behind their words and how to respond in simple yet effective ways
- Begin to help students break their own self-destructive cycles with realistic and doable strategies
- Ideas to prevent power struggles, apathy and disruptive behaviors
- How to empower students to take responsibility rather than seeing themselves as victims
Practical Ideas and Strategies
Everyone wants to know how to reach their students who are unmotivated, underperforming and claim to not care about school. This innovative seminar will demonstrate successful strategies you can use in your classroom or school to make positive changes in these challenging students. Many of us are frustrated with the numerous students who have "checked out," are disengaged, unmotivated, and underperforming. We know the symptoms, but don't always know the solutions. The good news is that there is hope and there are strategies to begin to stop the cycle of helplessness these students experience.
Join behavior expert, MaryAnn Brittingham, in this one-day seminar that will cover practical ideas, strategies and techniques to help increase your success with these challenging students. She will give you numerous ideas and strategies to help you guide students toward making positive behavior changes.
Ten Key Benefits of Attending
- Practical Strategies and Ideas to Help You Work Successfully with "I Don't Care!" Attitudes
Practical, doable ways to respond and work with students who say "I don't care!" … What you can do to help these challenging students begin to develop the desire to work, be productive and put forth effort
- Break the Cycle of Discouragement in Students Who "Just Don't Care"
Practical strategies to begin to break the feeling of helplessness in students who insist they don't care about school … Guide students in reframing their negative thoughts and perceptions
- When and Why Contracts and Punishment Don't Work with Disruptive and Underperforming Students
Yes, there needs to be accountability, but punishment is not the answer … Learn new ways to get students to take responsibility for their actions
- Begin to Build Small Successes
Simple ways to respond to students to promote positive attitudes … Think differently about your underperforming students to better meet their needs … Help students become aware of their natural gifts, build on them and learn how to teach replacement behaviors
- Develop Positive Relationships with Underperforming Students
Gain new insights on how to establish productive relationships … Effectively deal with disrespectful behaviors while handling your own counter aggression … Proven methods to decrease disrespectful behaviors and effectively address them when they occur
- Effective Ways to Stay Emotionally Neutral and Objective
Don't let students entangle you and their classmates in negative behaviors … Discover how to stay objective so you can defuse challenging situations
- Practical Strategies to Empower Rather than Enable Students
In-class ideas to get more constructive and positive behavior from your unmotivated and underachieving students … Empower your students to see their potential and reach for it
- Learn the Four Functions of Students' Behaviors and How to Respond to Each
First, learn how to tell the difference, then discover specific responses you can use for each behavior … Understand the four functions of behavior so you can deal more productively with each
- Increase the Motivation of Your Underachieving Students
Practical strategies to use with your unmotivated, disinterested and defiant students … Help these students be more successful and motivated in your classroom
- Receive a Valuable and Extensive Resource Handbook
You will receive a detailed handbook filled with the strategies, techniques and activities discussed in the seminar that will become a well-used reference for you year after year!
Outstanding Strategies You Can Use Immediately
- Powerful strategies for working with students who consistently say, "I DON'T CARE!"
- Learn specific strategies to adjust your responses to help guide students toward their own behavior change
- When to ignore negative, self-destructive behaviors
- When and why contracts and rewards don't work with "I don't care!" students
- Pitfalls of behavior plans and how to revise them to work
- How to take yourself out of the conflict cycle when teaching underperforming and unmotivated students
- Learn the roles anxiety, depression and self-esteem play in your underachieving students
- Numerous relationship-building ideas you can easily incorporate
- Help students reframe their negative thoughts and perceptions
- How to encourage positive change in "I don't care!" students
- Practical methods to empower students who have given up
- Maintain your enthusiasm and energy while teaching apathetic students
- Discover ways to help your most challenging students develop the desire to learn and work to their personal potential
A Message From Your Seminar Leader
Dear Colleague:
As educators, we are under increased pressure to develop a repertoire of behavioral intervention skills that will allow us to meet the needs of all students, including students with serious behavioral problems, even though there is very limited training on what really works. The usual methods, such as sticker charts and emphasis on students' performance to gain rewards or sending students to the principal's office, usually fall flat with "I don't care" and underperforming students.
When working with "I don't care" and unmotivated students, it is critical to keep in mind that you cannot change anyone except yourself, but you can assist others to make their own changes. The good news is, with the right help, students can learn and change their behavior. This seminar will teach you strategies to inspire students to want to change their behavior. This approach focuses on internal encouragement rather than external rewards and punishment. I will walk you through all of the steps and provide dozens of examples as well as demonstrate sound techniques and activities that can enrich what you are already doing in the classroom.
This seminar is filled with concrete strategies for classroom teachers, behavior specialists and counselors. It provides detailed and helpful suggestions that support you in anticipating and addressing repeated and often overwhelming behaviors. You will learn realistic, research based strategies that will make a difference in how you view and respond to students.
I hope you will join me in this engaging, thought provoking seminar to explore new ways to deal effectively with your "I don't care" students.
MaryAnn Brittingham
P.S. The focus of this entire seminar will be on key, practical strategies to better work with your challenging students.
Who Should Attend
Educators serving grades 3-12: Classroom Teachers, Special Education Staff, Title I Staff, Instructional Coaches, Behavior Intervention Specialists, Counselors, Instructional Assistants, School Psychologists, and Administrators
Special Benefits of Attending
Extensive Resource Handbook
Each participant will receive an extensive resource handbook specifically designed for this seminar. The handbook includes:
- Effective verbal skills to help students reframe their negative thoughts and perceptions that keep them stuck
- Techniques to reduce and prevent power struggles, learned helplessness, apathy, and other disruptive behaviors
- How to help students give up the victim stance and take personal responsibility for their choices and actions
- Steps to create short-term and long-term strategies for working with these unmotivated and often disruptive students
Meet and Share
This seminar provides a great opportunity for participants to meet and share ideas with other educators interested in enhancing their skills in working with uninterested and underperforming students.
Consultation Available
MaryAnn Brittingham will be available at the seminar for consultation regarding your questions about unique ways to reach students who don't care about school or their achievement.
Semester Credit Option
Up to four Graduate level professional development credit are available with an additional fee and completion of follow up practicum activities. Details for direct enrollment with Brandman University, part of the Chapman University system, will be available at this BER program.
Meet Inservice Requirements
At the end of the program, each attendee will receive a certificate of participation that may be used to verify hours of participation in meeting continuing education requirements.
Can't Make it?
Related PD Resources
Audio Seminars
MOTIVATING THE UNMOTIVATED: Practical Strategies for Teaching the Hard-to-Reach Student
On Demand Video-Based Online Learning
Motivation, Mindset and Grit: Practical, Proven Strategies to Increase Learning, for Grades K-12


text:
Lauris Rae MacEwen, 75, passed away March 23, 2013. Lauris was born in Mantua, OH to the late Lawrence Ray and Esther (Gratz) Parker.
She has lived in Brimfield since 1964. Lauris was a sales manager with Prudential and a member of St. Peter of the Fields. She was a member and soloist of the Ravenna Community Choir, Lector, Cantor and choir member at St. Peter of the Fields. She volunteered with Sister Jordan at the Portage Jobs and Family Services giving her time to serve others at the Center of Hope, County Clothing Center, Kent Hot Meals. Lauris raised her children as a single parent. She loved to cook and host holiday gatherings. She was an animal lover and always had kitties or a dog and enjoyed watching birds.
She is survived by daughters, Danielle Martter of Tallmadge and Debbi Labbe of Cuyahoga Falls; sons, Scott MacEwen of Chicago, and Jack (Annette) MacEwen of Stow; sister, Nancy Sue (Lawrence) Parker Halvey of Florida; grandchildren, Joshua, Erik, Ian, Kaitlin, Cori, Dylan; great grandchildren, Emily and Owen; special aunt, Irene Gratz of Kirtland; cousin, Robert Gratz; she was known as aunt Doty to Connie, Michelle, Michael, Kelly, Wendy, and Jill.
Funeral services will be 11:00 a.m. Thursday, March 28, 2013 at St. Peter of the Fields, 3487 Old Forge Rd., Rootstown, OH 44272 with Rev. Fr. David Misbrener officiating.
Procession will form at the church.
Visitation will be 4 until 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 27, 2013 at the Donovan Funeral Home, 17 Southwest Ave. (On the Historic Tallmadge Circle) The Rosary will be said at 4 p.m., There will also be visitation one hour prior to the service at the church.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Portage County Animal Protective League, 8122 Infirmary Rd., Ravenna, OH 44266, St. Peters Building Fund, or the Brimfield Fire Department, 1333 Tallmadge Rd., Brimfield, OH 44240.
Donovan Funeral Home (330) 633-3350, RC 3-26, 27-2013)


text:
The VCL is an association of lawyers and judges whose members share strong misgivings about the wisdom and consequences of America's perpetual drug war. While favoring no specific drug control policies, the VCL seeks to promote, within and by the legal profession, informed discussion about the objectives of the drug war and its costs to our cherished institutions of liberty and justice. This is the view of one of our founders, former United States Attorney General, Elliot Richardson.
The VCL is modeled after a group of the same name which played a leading role in the repeal of the 18th Amendment in 1933. VCL members see in modern drug prohibition many of the same harmful and unintended consequences associated with alcohol prohibition. Like our predecessors, we seek to work quietly through bar association committees, encouraging study and discussion of drug policy, especially its impact on criminal justice and Constitutional law.
Please browse the rest of this site and sign the open letter from lawyers and judges, and urge your colleagues to do the same. We hope you will lend your support and participation.
Thank you.
Eric E. Sterling


text:
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text:
Center for Sustainability
The Center for Sustainability integrates Maryville's core values of civic engagement, ethical leadership, teaching and global awareness in support of environmental stewardship, social equality, and economic health.
Simply put, sustainability touches everything: from the food you eat to the company you work for. The Center collaborates with students, faculty, and staff from administrative, operational and academic units on campus to bring about sustainable changes at Maryville University and beyond. Students are empowered to lead their peers in community-based projects with other students, university personnel, and local community agencies.
Currently, the Center is working with Maryville community to use natural and energy resources responsibly by creating systems that enable individuals and groups to reduce, reuse, and recycle all resources used in our daily activities and to reduce our carbon footprint so that energy losses and corresponding costs can be reduced. The three spheres of sustainability: environment, economy, and society are explored through initiatives, critical thinking, research, challenges, and marketing projects


text:
chaaa necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 113 diseños de 28 diseñadores freelance.
hotel toshi is based in NYC and offers short-term, stylishly furnished apartment rentals with wi-fi, plasma tv from $100-$495/night. People can rent 1BR-5BR bedrooms and penthouses for their vacation stays.
hotel toshi
Looking for a clever play on words. We know the name sounds a little rigid, so we want to make it fun, friendly, and approachable.
What do we do? check us out at http://www.hoteltoshi.com
- 1...Something creative, smart, not corporate looking
- 2...Incorporates the current toshi face logo (http://www.toshifilm.com/exit.cfm)
- 3...People should know by looking at the logo that it has something to do with apartments, housing, hotel alternative
- 4...Catchy
- 5...Original
- 6...The following words should come to mind upon seeing logo: build, create, fun, easy to use, young, high design, friendly, clever, connector, service oriented, price conscious
- 7...Tasteful and exudes a feeling of high design and thought
- 8...Mixture of FUN, style, culture, architecture, art.
- 9...Must use toshi face logo as seen on http://www.hoteltoshi.com
- 10..If you reference a building in the logo, please base it off of: http://www.flickr.com/photos/toship…448620465/
- 8...Vector format of logo
- 9..."toshi" must be in all lowercase letters
- 1...Anything that looks super technical
- 2...Anything too corporate, dry, or boring
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.


text:
You are currently browsing the category archive for the 'Maia' category.
Meet my garden helpers, Chloë and Maia:
I'm sure they will be immensely helpful in the garden. Someday.
In the meantime: hello, gardening world, I'm back! Infrequently, probably, though my current plan involves scheduling gardening time at least twice a week so I can be sure to (a) get things planted and picked at least, and if possible tended as well, and (b) get the girls (and me) outside, especially Chloë. We'll see how that goes.
While I've been gone gestating and raising an infant, the USDA decided to sneak in a new zone map. I am now in zone 6. Hurrah! Not that this changes anything, but it makes me feel better about getting my seeds started and plants planted earlier than conventional zone-based wisdom has dictated. I'm not comfortable following my instincts. I like to be following the rules instead. (Pay no attention to the lack of tilling, weeding, proper support, soil testing, etc. previously recorded here…)
So Chloë and I have planted a few early seeds, mainly the ones I'm not sure are actually going to germinate–onions; leek; cotton; old kale, komatsuna, and choy sum; and some flowers. Some were "winter sown" (though I'm not sure that term actually applies with the mildness of the winter and the lateness of the date) and some started in Jiffy pots and put in the window. Chloë was intrigued by the process, particularly the "sprinkle seeds on the dirt" and "mix the dirt and seeds around with your fingers" bits, and when I came home today with more seeds immediately wanted to plant again. I sure hope some of the ones in the window sprout.
Today's seeds are from the Toledo Botanical Garden (actually Toledo GROWS, I think) Seed Swap, which was a hell of a thing. In previous years it was at the actual Toledo Botanical Garden and was fairly crowded, but this year it was at the Erie Street Market and it was a mob scene. They took a large room, and had a whole section just for kids to pet bunnies and look at chickens; there were the usual tables for corn, roots, greens, cucurbits, flowers, etc., plus some displays on native flowers and rain gardens and such; and there was also a corner for garden-related stuff for classrooms (I loved the straw-and-Saran-Wrap greenhouse and the five-plastic-bottle-and-rope seed starter with central water reservoir); a table of seed bombs; dozens of displays; tables from commercial farms, nurseries, and other less relevant businesses from the area; a silent auction; and probably more that I didn't catch because I thought I was just going to pick up a few seeds among a few gardeners, not fight my way among half the city.
The place was packed. I got there about forty-five minutes in (because I'd had to get the kids to naps first, and then get a bag of apples from the farmer's market and a new 9×13 pan from the Libbey Outlet) and the tables were two and three people deep, except for the legumes table where they'd run out of green beans. This was something I'd come for, but by the time I was getting ready to go later donations had shown up and I got some Chinese beans, which should be interesting, and some cowpeas. And I think I've got some Kentucky Wonders on the windowsill and I've still got Trionfo Violettos from a number of different recent years, so I think I'm fine. And I got some cucumbers and more carrots and a lettuce, which was all I'd really come for, plus some other interesting-looking stuff because why not? and I needed the crush of people to be worth it. I did recommend Russian Red kale to someone, and help someone else by pointing out the purple kohlrabi, and maybe the seeds I donated ended up with people who'll use and enjoy them.
Last year was a washout on gardening, by the by. I planted five tomato plants in pots, plus some green beans and some basil. The basil did fine, and we got a small number of grape tomatoes. But tomatoes in pots are clearly not a good idea without more care than I put into them–though cleanup was great. I did get the gardens covered in plastic to kill the weeds–and by "I got" I mean "Dad did it while he was here for Maia's birth"–but only got one uncovered last fall, so there's plenty of prep work to do once it decides to stop snowing/slushing/being ridiculously windy.
In summary: hello again! I'm going to be gardening this year. Some. With the dubious help of a toddler at times. (I'm considering growing a Mammoth sunflower "fort" for her.) Watch this space. But not with any assiduity or you'll probably be disappointed. But believe that I'm glad to be back.


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Washington College ICPMS Laboratory
We are a multidisciplinary group of faculty and students conducting research in environmental chemistry, geology and biology using inductively coupled plasma quadrupole mass spectrometry (ICPqMS) with a laser ablation system.
Our instrumentation is funded by a grant from the Major Research Instrumentation Program of the National Science Foundation. We have additional support from Maryland Sea Grant.
Current Projects
- Chester River Trace Metal Study
- Toxic Trace Metals and DNA repair (with Prof. Mindy Reynolds)
- Water and Sediment Survey of Radcliffe Creek
- Trace elements in lunar grains and lunar analogues
- Trace element sourcing of pre-colonial artifacts (with Prof. John Seidel)
- More environmentally benign synthesis of electroceramic materials (with Prof. Anne Marteel-Parrish)
News from the Attic
April 2014
- Dana Devore (Environmental Studies '14) is working with Dr. Krahforst to evaluate the role that switchgrass may play in BMPs for nutrient load management.
- Kodi Webb (Chemistry '14) is using the ICPMS to study the bioavailability of Sn, Cu and Zn from antifouling paints in sediments in the vicinity of recreational marinas. Stay tuned for reports on her interesting work.
- View recently acquired data from the Watershed-scale trace metal survey: Contaminants in the Sediment of the Chester River
March 2014
- Katherine Wares (Environmental Science '14) is looking at the effects of agricultural and roadside runoff on marbled salamander development. She used the ICPMS to quantify metal loads in both sediment and water samples from 6 vernal pools located on Chino Farms.
December 2013
- Sarah Winters (Physics '14) traveled with Dr. Kehm to the Fall American Geophysical Union Conference in San Francisco to present the results of summer research on digestion techniques. Read the full story here.
November 2013
- Matt Wilfong (Environmental Studies '15) began working in the Attic Laboratory as an assistant.
October 2013
- Sarah Winters (Physics '14) presented her summer research and experiences at Fall Family Weekend. Watch the full story here.
August 2013
- Drew Hobbs (Environmental Studies '15) is wrapping up his summer research work studying the water and sediments of Radcliffe Creek. Read the full story here.
July 2013
- The instrument move was successful, the lab is now operational and we officially have plasma!
June 2013
- We moved into our new Attic Lab in the Dunning Science Building at Washington College. Check out the summer 2013 research photo gallery for the latest views of the new lab.
ICPMS: Mass Spectrometer in the Attic Laboratory at Washington College in summer of 2013.
Memorizing auto sampler in action.
Clip of Peristaltic pump and Argon plasma.


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A 50th birthday party planned by Caplan Miller Events – The Appletini table had it's own cabana.
Last year, I wrote a story about my good friend's daughter – Courtney Caplan, a young entrepreneur in Austin, Texas who along Sarah Miller started a party planning business, Caplan Miller Events. CME has been a huge success – their parties are out of this world and every one who knows Courtney is so proud of her. One 50th birthday party CME planned was so divine that pictures of it were splashed all over the wedding/entertaining blogs. After the Cote de Texas story went online, Courtney was stunned to get a phone call the very next day from Southern Accents magazine. Karen Carroll, then editor-in-chief of SA, wanted to showcase the party planners in her magazine. To say everyone was thrilled would be an understatement.
CME is known for using furniture vignettes at their parties. At the 50th birthday party – lime green and zebra were used as theme colors.
A few months after that initial phone call and much preparation later, Southern Accents did come, photographers in tow to capture the lavish "faux" party Caplan Miller Events put on for the magazine. The story of that party was scheduled to run this spring - except what no one anticipated happening happened and now of course, Southern Accents is no more. What a shame for CME that all those party pictures will never be seen. But, graciously enough, in the last issue of SA, there is a storyline on Austin and a small blurb of the girls along with their picture was included on their web site HERE. Although extremely grateful to be included in the "Insiders Guide To Austin," it is still small potatoes next to actually being featured in the magazine. Courtney, the ultimate optimist and a the-glass-is-always-half-full kind of girl is just happy knowing what would have been. And so, since I feel somewhat responsible for the whole episode, I asked Courtney to share a few recent events she has planned so we could all enjoy them. As always, CME didn't disappoint and my jaw was hanging open while I gazed over the pictures Courtney sent. I'm sure you'll be impressed too!
Caplan Miller Events: Sarah Miller, Courtney Caplan, and Elisabeth Elias who heads up their new Destination Management and Corporate Events Division. Looking good girls!
The first wedding Courtney shares was an outdoor event held in the bride's parents backyard overlooking Lake Travis. The theme was yellow as you will see, for the Yellow Rose of Texas – a popular rose AND song! The flower girls wore adorable yellow tutus.
CME had to construct a large wooden floor over the lawn which was used for the ceremony. Yellow flowers by Petal Pushers of Austin were everywhere.
The wedding canopy overlooked the lake - so beautiful!
The programs continued the theme.
Of course the bridesmaids wore yellow and carried a mixture of gold and yellow flowers.
And naturally there was lemonade.
The bride wanted a candy bar – stocked with every kind of yellow candy...
And sucker – notice the darling yellow dotted ribbons!
The place cards were cleverly affixed to yellow ribbon with clothespins.
More yellow flowers were at each table.
I loved how they had fireside S'mores!
Even the beer Koozees were color coordinated. It's hard to imagine how much work goes into planning an event like this! All photos were taken by Diana M Lott Photography.
The next wedding Courtney shared was a beautiful indoor event, this time with an orange theme. In Austin, there are a lot of orange party themes since the local University of Texas' color is burnt orange. Here, reflected in a mirror is the flower-laden wedding canopy. The photographer is Jenn Lindberg Weddings and the floral designer is David Kurio Designs.
A close up of the corner of the wedding canopy.
After the ceremony, the canopy is placed over the favors.
During the cocktail hour, the lighting changed from orange to lilac. What a wedding!
The tablecloths were silk taffeta and Caplan Miller Events had mirrors made by Townsley Designs for all the table tops.
A close up of the table settings with their mirrored tops and glass chargers.
The cake was topped with orchids and in the background – I wonder if that is the groom's cake in the shape of a UT Longhorn????? Only in Texas!
This next wedding was a true Texas experience weekend. The rehearsal dinner was held in Luckenbach, Texas – a town of just a few residents which was made famous by a Waylon Jennings song.
The photographer for this weekend was Juxtapose. I love the wedding couple's initials spelled in flowers against all the rough woods!
The couple had a BBQ at the old Luckenbach Feed Lot for the Rehearsal Dinner.
Hook'em! Of course there had to be a Texas Longhorn. The couple actually met on 6th Street in Austin and the groom is fresh off his second deployment to Iraq.
The wedding ceremony was held in Fredericksburg at the Grape Creek Vineyard complete with a bagpiper.
Blue hydrangeas were placed all around the outside altar.
The reception was held at Hoffman Haus – a charming B&B in Fredericksburg.
The reception was held in a tent complete with chandeliers from Mexico and toile table cloths in blue and white to match the hydrangeas. Courtney made sure to tell me that these glasses weren't the ones she ordered! They were supposed to be cobalt blue cut crystal – but CME made do with what was sent. Courtney – it looks pretty nice to me!
Another view of the tables – so pretty!! Gorgeous flowers by David Kurio Designs and Draping by Townsley Designs.
Since the couple were married at a vineyard, wine corks held the place cards.
The tent from the outside looking in – so romantic looking.
Flip-flops in hydrangea blue were provided for dancing – the details are just amazing.
All the women wore hats to the wedding, so of course there was a Hat Check!
The candelabras held white orchids.
What a beautiful tent – I love the draping and the Mexican styled chandeliers.
There was even a late night buffet complete with donut holes and funnel cakes – yum!
Mini burgers at the Late Night Buffet.
And finally, just this past August, CME had another 50th Birthday bash – this time on 6th Street in Austin, photographed by Jerry Hayes.
Each guest's menu became their own place card. And yes – burnt orange was again used in honor of the UT Longhorns.
I adore this flower combination – green orchids and peach roses! So beautiful! The amazing flowers were by David Kurio Designs
Everyone was seated in one long table overlooking downtown Austin. Even the chair cushions matched the linens.
Outside, CME had all the furniture, provided by Townsley Designs, brought in for the event.
To see even more pictures of their events – be sure to visit Caplan Miller Events web site HERE. I tell Courtney and her mom I can't wait until Elisabeth gets married, I am going to hire CME to plan it – if they won't be all booked up that is!
I mean – if Courtney had been an event planner when Elisabeth had her Bat Mitzvah, I'm sure we would have ended up with this: a circus! Isn't this the cutest thing ever?? The Bat Mitzvah girl had her own Circus! Love it! Courtney, you are the BEST!!!!!!
In a bit of blogging news – The Skirted Table this week welcomed my blogging mentor, Jennifer Boles of The Peak of Chic. Be sure to listen as Jennifer discusses how she started her blog - it's an amazing story, and she also talks all about her new job at House Beautiful. To listen go HERE. As always, Linda, Megan and I so appreciate your listening and commenting. Be sure to leave us any ideas for upcoming shows you might have.


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Rating System:
**** : Excellent
*** : Good
** : Fair
* : Poor
Zero : Horse Shit
Doomwar #6 (of 6)
By Jonathan Maberry and Scot Eaton
The conclusion of Jonathan Maberry's excellent mini-series arrived this week and my LCS actually had a copy of it sitting on the shelf when I showed up this time, way to wait until the last issue to get your shit straight guys! Doomwar up to this point had been the best thing Marvel has put out this year, not that most people seemed to have noticed. Even Marvel seemed to have lost interest in this series after a few issues, their loss I guess. My biggest worry for this series is that the conclusion to the story would not live up to the setup. I mean, Doom is a major bad guy for any hero to handle and this time around old Doc Doom seemed to finally have the Black Panther and Wakanda's number, it wasn't looking good for T'Challa and the small band of heroes committed to stopping Doom.
Maberry does something interesting here to bring this series to an end. Early in this issue Doom's final plan for taking over the world has finally come to fruition and he becomes more powerful than he has ever been before. Now, I was expecting either some sort of 'Deus Ex Machina' to arrive that would stop Doom this time around, all of Earth's heroes show up to kick his ass or Mr. 'Deus Ex Machina' himself, Reed Richards, to invent some sort of secret weapon that would take him out. To my surprise Maberry has T'Challa make a very tough decision that will stop Doom's plans for world conquest, but at the same time forever change the economic and political future of Wakanda.
At first I was like… "WTF is Mayberry doing here? He's screwing Wakanda big time." But after I thought about it I can see where Maberry is coming from here. Vibranium has always been a double edged sword for Wakanda and T'Challa, it did bring the country a measure of world power and prosperity, but it also attracted guys like Doctor Doom and other threats. I look forward to seeing how Wakanda finds it way in the world as a country without most of it's Vibranium.
All in all, Jonathan Maberry brings this series to a surprising and satisfying end here, and I look forward to his future stories.
IronMuskrat's Rating: ****
J.'s Two Cents Worth:
Just like last month and the month before I can not for the life of me figure out why other review sites are so down on this book. Since I can't figure out where they are coming from I guess I should just take solace in the fact that we here at the CCW are not as ignorant as most.
What was it that turned other reviewers off about this book? Was it that it centers around the Black Panther and his sister Shuri? That Maberry uses boring ol' politics and diplomacy to help end a villain's tyranny? That it has superheroes acting like god damn HEROES for a change? That it has a large cast of strong, assertive, intelligent, ass kicking female characters?
This book has all of that and more. One other thing that this book has in spades is very well written and very strong dialog. The final speech that T'Challa gives to Doom right before metaphorically calling "checkmate" is something that a lot of comics as of late have been missing. It's filled with what T'Challa has learned about himself, his friends and his own country over the course of this series and he is not ashamed to tell Doom that is was Doom himself who taught him these things.
Two more reasons reviewers may not have liked Doomwar's conclusion was because
1. There is a perceived "Deus Ex Machina" used and 2. Nobody fucking died.
As for #1: well, it could been seen that way except that Maberry went into detail about what Shadow Physics is during the series. The plot device used to defeat Doom is not something that just appeared out of nowhere. It is something the theoretically had been discussed and is it really that hard to believe that T'Challa was ALWAYS one step ahead of Doom? That may be something that most fanboys just can not accept.
And #2: I guess now a days EVERY event has to have some sort of major, tragic death for the sake of tragedy, huh? Never mind that T'Challa DOES make a huge sacrifice but since it is one that is sort of intangible I guess it doesn't count to most people.
I would normally ask "What more can I say about this book?" but I am sure I will think of more to say next week when we review this on CCW TV.
J.'s Rating: ***½
Marvel Universe vs. The Punisher #1 (of 4)
By Jonathan Maberry and Goran Parlov
As the Doomwar mini-series ends, Jonathan Maberry brings us the first issue of his new Marvel limited series dealing with an end of the world scenario, staring everyone favorite vigilante, Frank Castle. As much as I enjoyed Mayberry's Doomwar, I found myself a bit disinterested in this new series, it sounded a little too much like a cross between Marvel Zombies and 28 Days Later and I just didn't see myself getting into another 'Zombie' story. Well, I was right and wrong.. I was right about this book being another story in the same vein of '28 Days Later' or 'I am Legend', Mayberry even try's to preempt people from pointing out these obvious similarities by having Reed Richards explain in the comic why the events in that are occurring are not at all like '28 Days Later' Nice try Jonathan! =)
This really a case of style over substance, there is nothing really new story wise. It's a pretty standard last man standing against hordes of zombies/infected people plot. The thing here is, Mayberry does a hell of a job writing this story, I still found myself getting drawn into this comic. The Punisher is the ultimate survivalist and it makes complete sense that he is still alive and kicking despite all of the super-powered crazies running around, and the plot twist about the origin of the plague is a nice touch that should lead to some awkward moments later on for the Punisher.
Goran Parlov's art fits nicely with the story. I like his take on Frank Castle and his version of Marvel heroes gone crazy.
I really enjoyed this first issue despite my initially misgivings, this should be a fun little mini-series and it's only four issues. Jonathan Mayberry is quickly moving up as one of my favorite writers at Marvel right now.
IM's Rating: ***
J.'s Two Cents Worth:
Just Like Doomwar #1, MU vs. The Punisher #1 succeeds in doing what every first issue of a mini should do and that is give the reader all the important information they need to enjoy the rest of the series from here on out. That's not to say that this first issue was not enjoyable but I think it's main purpose is to let the reader in on what this "alternate Marvel U" is all about. The issue gives you a lot of expository dialog in the form of the Punisher's "War Journal" but it never seems boring like most other book's uses of "info dumps".
Yes, this book is violent and yes, it does involve cannibalism but all of it was handled in a very mature and somewhat restrained way. It never felt gratuitous. Example: remember in Ultimatum when the Blob ate the Wasp? It was a full splash page and was one of the most unnecessary and vile things I had seen in a comic last year. In the first issue of MU vs. the Punisher, the Blob eats all of the patrons in a restaurant. That took up all of one panel and was drawn wonderfully subtle (as subtle a panel like that can be) by Goran Parlov. Showing the end result and leaving the actual carnage to the reader's imagination is almost always the best way to go.
The twist toward the end of the issue as to who was actually responsible for the release of the plague was interesting and adds an intriguing dimension to this story overall. This sort of personal character tragedy is done very well while not being, again, gratuitous or exploitative at all.
Elliott and I will also be taking a closer look at this book next week.
J's Rating: ***½
By Jonathan Hickman and Dustin Weaver
This is supposed to be a capsule review, so I won't even attempt to explain the overall plot of Jonathan Hickman's incredibly imaginative new series here. Just take my word for it that if your not reading this book right now, get off your ass and check it out, you won't be disappointed.
One of things I love the most about Hickman's writing here is the way he weaves real historical figures into his story of the origins of SHIELD. Issue number three switches from following Leonid and Leonardo da Vinci to focusing on the past and current leadership of SHIELD, especially Sir Isaac Newton's rise to become leader of SHIELD. Newton is a pretty determined guy in his quest for power in this book and Hickman does a great job of showing Newton doing anything he can gather knowledge, and I do mean anything, even banging a hideous troglodyte woman, to get what he wants. Needless to say, after spending a couple hundred years acquiring all type of knowledge, both scientific and magical, Newton is more than a little bit unbalanced and it's obvious that he is the reason that Night Machine and da Vinci have returned to destroy SHIELD.
I was worried that Hickman's story would suffer when he got more specific with plot details and got away from the grand visions of wonder he was presenting in the first two books, but Issac Newton is a fascinating and formidable bad guy here and I look forward to seeing a throw-down between Sir Isaac Newton and Leonardo di Vinci! Now how many times can to say you saw that in a comic book.. good stuff!
IM's Rating: ***
J.'s Two Cents:
I loved how on the variant cover for this issue Isaac Newton's name was spelled "Issac." Marvel editorial seriously needs to pulling their fucking heads out of their damn asses. It is just inexcusable and quite sad at this point.
J.'s Rating: ***
By Tony Bedard and Claude St. Aubin
I know a lot of folks on the CCW site are starting to give up on this book and I can't say I blame them. After the Starro invasion concluded the book seemed to drift around a bit trying to find a purpose. There was a lot of soap opera filler with people shacking up and generally a lot of bitching and complaining and not a lot of action. The book has righted itself in the last two issues and I think is heading back to what attracted people to this book in the first place, Brainiac! The last two issue have focused on this dysfunctional (murderous) family. Vril Dox is always at his best when he is running for his life and he gets that chance big time in this issue trying to keep both his father, Brainiac and his son, Lyrl, from killing him and enslaving Colu. The book ends with Vril making a deal with someone to save his ass that I think he will regret, but hey that never stopped Brainiac 2 before, has it.
I am still enjoying this book despite some rough patches in the past few months, but I do see the low sales figure for this title and I have to wonder how long this book will be around for.
IM's Rating: ***


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How to Shop for a Mattress
You spend a third of your life on your mattress. Choosing the right one for you can make a huge difference in your day to day activities. We know that mattress shopping can be confusing and stressful.
Want to shop the old way – in store?
Don't go anywhere without printing out our Smart Shopping Mattress Guide! It's a free download with a ton of information to make your shopping experience smoother. Even better, it has an easy to fill-in guide so that you can call us after you've tried out the different mattresses and we can match them up with our name brand mattress…at a lower cost with our 110% Low Price Guarantee! Save money and shop with confidence at US-Mattress!
Buying online has many advantages!
Most importantly, customer satisfaction! As a Internet Retailer Top 500 company, US-Mattress customers are four times more likely to be satisfied than typical industry standards. This is due in part to greater access to pertinent information, and helpful selection tools like our Comfort Scale and Durability Charts. By carrying all the major brands, we maintain our unbiased independence – focused solely on getting you the best night's sleep. Choosing the correct mattress online is much easier when you don't feel high pressure sales tactics. No pressure here, shop at your convenience and your pace….we're here to help!
There are several ways to shop, depending on what you need:
Completely new to mattress shopping or don't know where to start? Try our 1-2-3 Method.
The 1-2-3 way to find your perfect mattress
Select Size
This is probably the easiest of the decisions you'll need to make before your purchase. If you're comfortable with the size you currently have, stick with it. Try to account if you or the person you're purchasing the mattress for will be growing, moves a lot or has a confined space to work with.
Choose Your Model
Now you're just a few clicks away from choosing your model. It may be tempting to buy the cheaper "no name" mattress you saw on sale at your local store…but don't! Remember, you'll be spending a third of your next few years on this mattress. If you don't recognize the name, you can't know what's actually in the mattress. That's why we only carry time tested name brands.
If you use the links above to find your mattress, you'll be able to refine mattress search by materials, brands, price and more…so you can find exactly what you're looking for. Don't forget, if you're still having problems, don't worry! US-Mattress is a Yahoo Top Service retailer. This means our customers who have purchased from our store have rated us as "excellent!" Our sales assistants receive training several times a year from the nation's top mattress brands and they're ready to help you select the right mattress. Find out more about our guarantees and policies here.
Compare Mattresses within a Brand
When shopping in a store, it's impossible to see what's inside a mattress. But, here at US-Mattress we break down the specifications of each and every mattress so you know exactly what you're getting. Use our Easy View Compare Charts to find the foams and features that will make every night the best night of sleep you've ever gotten.
Sealy Comparison Charts: Firm, Plush, or PillowTop, EuroTop & BoxTop
Stearns & Foster Comparison Charts: Firm, Plush, or PillowTop & EuroTop
Simmons Beautyrest Comparison Charts: Firm, Plush-Firm, Plush, or Pillow Top & Summit Top
Simmons BackCare Comparison Charts: Firm, Plush, or Pillow Top
Serta Comparison Charts: Firm, Pillow Soft, or Pillow Top & Euro Top
When you buy your new mattress you will get three major components:
Upholstery layers (the padding)
An innerspring coil unit
The box spring or foundation
Let's take a look at them.
The upholstery layers account for the major portion of today's mattress cost. Twenty years ago, the average mattress height was nine inches thick. Today the average mattress height is fourteen inches thick. The coil unit itself hasn't gotten much taller, usually about six inches. However, the upholstery layers, commonly referred to as padding, are the reason for the thicker mattresses. Thru research, the mattress manufacturers have found that adding more quantity and better quality of comfort materials will provide a more comfortable sleeping surface and also a longer comfort life.
These layers can consist of man made materials, natural fibers, and a variety of foams. Every bed will have approximately 3-8 layers of padding, with each layer of padding being a different material. Looking at these three major components, the padding alone will cost more than the innerspring unit and foundation/box spring combined. Trusted name brand manufacturers will give you better padding and more of it as you spend more. Wool, cashmere, silk, memory foam, and latex foam are more commonly known and usually signal a better overall quality of padding. As with most items, these padding layers also come in different grades, so don't expect the wool in a $1,000 mattress to be as good as with a $3,000 model.
The innerspring coil unit is the base of your mattress. It allows for even distribution of your body mass while you are lying down. The innerspring, often called the coil, will hold its strength for many years. The coils are what offer support to your body where you need it most. Sealy, Serta, and Simmons offer three or four different grades of innerspring coil units in their lines, usually giving you more coils as you go up in price. Stearns & Foster does not alter coil count. They use the same high quality coil count throughout their entire line.
Many people ask if more coils are better. The answer is…it depends. More coils are better when the manufacturer spaces the same size and type of coils closer together providing more coils in the same size mattress. Trying to compare the quality of mattresses between brands based on coil count is not applicable. For example, of all the major brands we sell, Stearns and Foster mattresses have the fewest number of coils, but they also use the thickest wire. Even with less coils, the Stearns and Foster coil unit has more working steel in it than any other mattress we sell. Realistically, there are just too many variables in coil design, function, and durability for consumers to understand what they are getting without spending days on coil research. You can be assured that all of the premium line mattresses we sell have a good innerspring unit. So you can focus on selecting the right comfort feel and particular model for your needs.
You can also Learn about Latex and Visco learn about Latex and Visco foam mattresses.
Box spring or foundation?
Most of us know it as the box spring, but they can vary in design. Some manufacturers still use a true box spring that will have a coil or modular coil spring system within it. These coils act as little shock absorbers, so when force and weight are applied to the top of the mattress, the box spring will give slightly underneath. In many cases, a good box spring will extend the life of your mattress and help to prolong your investment. A working box spring has long been considered the best way to build a premium mattress set.
Recent technology changes have some mattress lines using a foundation. Framed in either wood or steel, foundations look like box springs but have no give or shock absorbing abilities. For example, the Simmons Beautyrest mattress sets are built on a foundation. The non-flexing base makes for a great "do not disturb" sleep that Beautyrest mattresses are known for. The base has no components to wear out, and provides a more rigid feel. The box spring has been around longer, but the change in today's mattress design allows for the use of a foundation in many applications.


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Nutrient Content Claims
Ever wonder what the difference is between fat free, saturated fat free, low fat, reduced and less fat?
The government has defined certain claims that can be used on food packaging. For example, you'll see the claim "less sodium" on some brands of chili with beans. This means the product has at least 25% less sodium than the regular version.
Some of the popular claims are listed here.
Claims for Calories
- Calories free: less than 5 calories per serving
- Low calorie: 40 calories or less per serving
Claims for Total, Saturated and Trans Fat
- Fat free: less than 0.5 g of fat
- Saturated fat free: less than 0.5 g of saturated fat
- Trans fat free: less than 0.5 grams trans fat
- Low fat: 3 g or less of total fat
- Low saturated fat: 1 g or less of saturated fat
- Reduced fat or less fat: at least 25% less fat than the regular version
Claims for Sodium
- Sodium free or salt free: less than 5 mg of sodium per serving
- Very low sodium: 35 mg of sodium or less
- Low sodium: 140 mg of sodium or less
- Reduced sodium or less sodium: at least 25% less sodium than the regular version
Claims for Cholesterol
- Cholesterol free: less than 2 mg per serving
- Low cholesterol: 20 mg or less
- Reduced cholesterol or less cholesterol: at least 25% less cholesterol than the regular version
Claims for Sugar
- Sugar free: less than 0.5 grams (g) of sugar per serving
- Reduced sugar: at least 25% less sugar per serving than the regular version
- No sugar added or Without added sugars: no sugar or sugar-containing ingredient is added during processing
Claims for Fiber
- High fiber: 5 g or more of fiber per serving
- Good source of fiber: 2.5 g to 4.9 g of fiber per serving


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A woman facing domestic violence may decide that her only choice is to leave. But a surprising number of people in such dangerous circumstances refrain from fleeing because they worry they cannot take a beloved pet with them.
Often, that is the case. Most homeless or emergency shelters, for example, will not accept pets along with their families. In 2006, many victims of Hurricane Katrina refused to vacate their homes because they could not assure the safety of the family dog or cat.
Blair Warner and Jessica Katz, friends and classmates from Catholic University Law School's Class of 2011, decided to do something about the situation.
Their solution was Safety Network for Abused Animals & People (SNAAP), founded by Warner in Washington, D.C. in January, 2011.
The nonprofit works with local domestic violence organizations to temporarily shelter pets of domestic violence survivors by placing them in confidential foster homes. The goal is to ensure that both the human and animal victims of domestic violence are safe from abuse.
More than 60% of American households have at least one pet, and nearly one in four women will experience domestic violence during her lifetime, there is an increasing need to accommodate pets.
The program stirred enough interest that Katz opened SNAAP's second branch nine months later in Chicago.
Pets are typically placed with temporary foster families for about a month. The organization is also working on establishing a Pet Crisis Hotline and increased community outreach and education.
"We've both been trying to balance SNAAP with day jobs, but right now I'm trying to raise the money to apply for incorporation and tax exemption so that we can apply for more substantial grants and possibly be able to focus on SNAAP full-time," Katz explains.


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In the U.S, the job market for speech and language therapists is projected to grow at a tremendous rate. Professionals in the field can make use of this wonderful opportunity and secure lucrative jobs according to their preferences.
Valuable Services Extended by Speech and Language Therapists
Speech-language therapists are expected to have excellent knowledge regarding human communication, normal development, functions of the human body and speech-language disorders. Speech and language therapists
o Identify problems in the areas of speech and voice; dysfluency; disorders in speech and language, articulation and sound production
o Evaluate and treat speech, communication, language and swallowing problems in individuals of all age groups, and enable them to improve their ability to communicate
o Formulate and implement treatment plans
o Monitor and document patients' progress
o Supervise speech-language therapy assistants and newly qualified therapists
o Advise and train the care providers on ways to support the patient at home
Minimum Requirements to Work as Speech and Language Therapist
To practice in the field of therapy as a licensed and certified speech and language therapist, one must have a master's degree and state certification/licensure in SLP (Speech Language Pathology), as well as a certificate of supervised clinical fellowship from ASHA (American Speech Language Hearing Association).
Currently, a wide range of challenging and exciting job opportunities exist in hospitals, rehab centers, long term acute care centers, nursing clinics, community centers, in-house treatment centers and other facilities in the healthcare sector. Qualified candidates can apply for these positions and embark on a rewarding career.
Excellent Benefits
Today, a qualified therapist can start a career with high-pay benefits, which include life insurance; excellent medical, vision and dental insurance; professional liability insurance; short term liability insurance; 401(k) retirement savings plan; paid housing; relocation expenses; immigration processing; additional licensure and travel allowance.
Contact Reliable Service Providers
Qualified candidates seeking therapist jobs in the United States can contact established staffing solution providers to avail of the best opportunities in ideal healthcare settings. To find interesting jobs, you can check out the database of the recruiting agencies, where they list all available vacancies for speech and language therapists.


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Should elected officials abide by campaign promises even if circumstances change?
A majority of respondents to this week's RBJ Daily Report Snap Poll believe those elected to public office should act based on conscience and judgment, no matter if that means not adhering to a pledge made during a political campaign.
This issue rose to the surface recently when former President George H.W. Bush defended his decision to raise taxes to help reduce the federal deficit even though in his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention in 1988 he had made the famous pledge: "Read my lips: no new taxes." Many political observers believe that promise helped Bush win the election.
In an interview, the former president defended his decision, saying "circumstances change, and you can't be wedded to some (pledge)." That prompted anti-tax activist Grover Norquist to assert that Bush "promised the American people he wouldn't raise their taxes. He lied to them."
Some Democrats similarly accuse President Barack Obama of breaking his 2008 campaign promise to end the Bush tax cuts for wealthy Americans. In late 2010, with the cuts slated to expire soon, Obama reached a compromise agreement with congressional Republicans to extend them for two years. Pointing to the fragile economic recovery, Obama said waging a political battle at that time to hike taxes on high earners "would be the wrong thing to do."
Fifty-eight percent of poll participants this week favor actions based on conscience and judgment. Among respondents who identified themselves as Democrats, 87 percent chose this answer; by contrast, 52 percent of Republicans think elected officials should abide by campaign promises even if circumstances change. Those who said they are not affiliated with a political party closely reflected the overall result, with 57 percent choosing "act based on conscience and judgment."
Roughly 475 readers participated in this week's poll, which was conducted Aug. 27 and 28.
When forced to choose between these two options, should elected officials abide by campaign promises or act based on their conscience and judgment?
Act based on conscience and judgment: 58%
Abide by campaign promises: 42%
What is your political affiliation?
Democrat: 24%
Republican: 37%
Non-affiliated: 34%
Other: 5%
The lesson is don't make promises you can't keep.
—Jeff Luellen
John Maynard Keynes is reputed to have said, "When my information changes, I alter my conclusions. What do you do, sir?" It applies here as well.
—Jim Haefner, Pittsford
We have an issue in our society where if you change your views on something it's considered flip-flopping, when sometimes it's really just more about learning.
—Eric Bourgeois, Rochester
One recent, local example that comes to mind from a few years ago: The Rochester "Chill The Fill" movement (referring to halting the city's then-plans to fill in the Rochester subway tunnel) had seemingly gained an ally in Bob Duffy when he was campaigning to become Rochester's mayor to replace Mayor (William) Johnson. He made a campaign promise not to fill the Rochester subway tunnel. And yet, just a few short years later, the Rochester subway tunnel was filled under his administration-against public wishes, protest and outcry.
—Christopher Burns, marketing strategy consultant
I don't believe politicians' promises.
—Deborah Cox
Candidates make promises the voters want to hear to try to win an election and generally without the information a sitting president has available. Making a promise without all the information is just as foolish as the voters who believe they will be able to keep the promise. Closing Gitmo was one; as an ex-military person I recognized it as a promise made by an uninformed person.
—Eric Muench, president, Genesistems Inc.
Although conscience ought to trump self-interest, it is a good habit to live up to one's promises. Unfortunately, it seems that conscience is a rare gift among politicians, so elected officials would be better off following their promises.
—Ken Maher
What would your mother tell you to do?
—Rich Calabrese Jr.
There are many other ways to get elected by telling the truth. You can outline the goals you have and tell people you will try to meet them and be honest with the realities of doing so by keeping them informed. Keep your goals simple and easy to account for. A promise is a personal contract. It's pretty simple: Don't make the promise if you have any inkling that you may have trouble keeping it. Otherwise, you would be what is known as a liar.
—Karl Schuler
Perhaps a better question is whether they should make any promises at all. The idea of a promise is that you can and that you are able to keep it. Voters are set up to think that some change will happen when really no one can guarantee that-sorta like how Western N.Y. approaches the Bills season every year.
—Brian Kane
If the promises are what got them elected, then not keeping them, or not trying to keep them, is a sham.
—Tom Walpole
Oath of office supersedes campaign promises when there is a change in facts and circumstances. The only pledge should be to uphold the Constitution.
—Nathan J. Robfogel
A promise is a promise from anyone and must be carried out under any circumstance. Otherwise you are considered an elected official.
—Daniel Mossien, architect
You can't say that everyone should keep their campaign promises as conditions change and ideas need to be altered. I believe they should introduce some meaningful legislation based on their promises and see where it goes. I believe, though, that they need to get closer to the people they represent and not follow the party line always. I've often said that politics attracts good-intentioned ambitious people and then turns them into crooks as they have to compromise themselves to give their legislation a chance or to be successful. It turns out to be a big power struggle with little compromise. As we have seen lately it did not matter what you said as the legislature has become ineffective and incompetent. They vote for waste and forget what we really need. When we logically point out savings to be made, they reject it along party lines. Bring on term limits, throw out the lobbyists, and let's get some representative for the people and not their ideology.
—Bob Stein
Although it would be ideal if an elected official were to at all times abide by campaign promises, in reality, it isn't feasible. Once in office, there are so many factors that change, including overall economic conditions, it isn't practical. With that being said, however, if we vote on the candidate best suited for the job and vote on his character, then we should trust them to act based on conscience and judgment. It appears that all too often, they forget about being true to this country and its people, and fall into the payback of the campaign funds by adding pork and nonsense to a bill when held over their heads, which is usually not in favor of the country and its citizens. This, I fear, is the reality of politics. I believe in my heart the majority of persons who run for office do so in the beginning to make a difference and then they get absorbed by politics. It is a pity that they fail to remember who put them in office and their campaign promises were voted in with the hope that those promises were their intention.
—Roberta Favitta
Although we elect officials based on their promises, using the word "always" may not be the most prudent thing to do in a changing environment. I can forgive this change when it is in the best interest of the citizens.
—J.A. DePaolis, Penfield
Politicians keeping their campaign promises??? You have to be kidding me!!! Why not use this space to poll serious opinion with questions related to: fracking, global warming, voter suppression or gun control.
—Al Carey
It's not so much about candidates keeping their promises. It should be about the electorate being educated and sufficiently knowledgeable to discern which promises are reasonable and necessary to keep and which only serve the interest of the particular voter rather than the common good. As for the choices you offer, the presumption is that the politician has conscience and judgment. The voters should worry about electing those who do.
—George Traikos
I object to the premise of the question. If I have read the question correctly, the elected official made a campaign promise that was in DIRECT conflict with their conscience or judgment. I would hope someone like this never gets elected in the first place.
—Debra Oppenheimer
The smart thing to do is not believe any campaign promise. It is incumbent on voters to judge a candidate on his or her past performance and honesty, not on their personality, affiliation or slick ad campaigns. Let the voter beware!
—Frank Orienter, Rochester
Expecting a politician to abide by campaign promises is like expecting your dog to guard the hamburgers at a picnic.
—Jim Weisbeck, Bloomfield
Campaign promises, realistically, cannot include tax cuts/no tax cuts. Same with spending—you cannot say you will not spend more when our country is in a war! A much better approach is to set goals, not promises. List your goals and their priority as well as how you plan to attain those goals. Campaign promises should be thought out and not made unless the candidate knows they can hold to those promises. This is what people are voting on. To not stick to what you promise does make you a liar. If you lie once you will lie again. How do you trust a liar?
—Kathy Keady
All political officials need to make their commitments on certain issues apparent, so "we the people" understand who we are voting for, but they need to also be pragmatic enough to work through the real situations that evolve. A promise is a promise, so maybe they need to speak to us differently, and we need to listen to them, and those who criticize them, differently.
—Jim Baker, Foundation Design P.C.
Only idiots and bone heads won't adjust his/her thinking in the face of irrefuteable information to the contrary.
—Pete Bonenfant
Am I supposed to actually believe a "campaign promise"? One, these are politicians. Two, it's a campaign. Isn't it common practice to tell people what they want to hear to win their vote? If that's too cynical, let's look at it this way: to actually enact a campaign promise requires your party to be in agreement, and in the majority. And for circumstances to remain the same so that the promise is still relevant. How likely is all of that? Not very. Perhaps we should interview for the "CEO" position of the U.S.A. and then put forth two candidates who are most viable to do the job of negotiating needs, circumstances and feasibility to enact change that's in the best interest of the population. The days of campaigns and two-party politics are over. It's time for a new way because promises don't hold up. They can't. The system doesn't support it.
—Kate Krueger
Elected officials should act based on their judgment and conscience. This is the primary reason I support Barack Obama's re-election—I trust his thoughtful, considered judgment when it comes to the hard choices and difficult decisions a president needs to make. Unlike his adversaries in Congress, notably Paul Ryan, Obama is willing to compromise to move the country forward. He was a breath of fresh air from the anti-science, "bring 'em on" days of George W. Bush. He is a moderate who has and will continue to take the long view, consider his conscience and use good judgment to guide his actions and policies.
—Michael L. Harf
Candidates should never make promises. There is a process called "Congress" and if they are not on the same page, in the same library, then you can kiss that promise goodbye. Specifically, for anyone going up against an incumbent, how can you make an informed decision when you have no clue what has really transpired within the current administration? What candidates should say is, "if I am elected, these are some of the issues that I would like to tackle for the American people." No matter the party affiliation, he/she would most likely have my vote barring no other detrimental concerns.
—Cyndy Gayden, Frontier Communications
I keep my promises. I expect you to keep your promises. Even to ask this question shows what shape our politicians are in and shows what shape we are in from our politicians.
—Jay Birnbaum
The leader needs to act on behalf all the citizens of the country and the globe for the good of all people—no matter what position they hold. Sensible, practical, compassionate, with a forward vision is leader that we need in every elected position. One who understands true democracy and what that implies for all. This is still my idealistic concept of what a true leader is. Of course we all know that it is cold hard cash, unbridled greed and ego, and the lust for power and domination that control the system.
—Eve Elzenga
Politicians should not make promises that they cannot keep nor should they pander to special "groups" by making promises they have no intention to keep. As chairman of the Ontario County Conservative Party, I work with my Executive Committee and other party committee members to interview candidates for elected office. We take our job seriously and the interviews are not "fluff"; many candidates dread facing my party's interview process. We do not waste their time on silly issues but actually interview them concerning real issues they face or they may face. Thus candidates for local offices, county clerk, councilmen, supervisors etc. don't get asked questions relating to national issues. The interviews are targeted to the office. That said, when a candidate is interviewed the questions asked relate to the platform they are running on and promises they are making. If my committee decides to endorse a candidate we base our decision upon their qualifications and our impression as to their character and principles. The individual voter is then left to decide if the candidate is to be trusted or not. The candidate once elected must then deliver upon their promises or face not being reelected in the future—if the voters keep watch over those they elect. My committee's job after the election is to observe the candidate. If he or she decides to violate their promises and fails to follow their core principles as they were described to the committee, then he or she may find getting any future party endorsements and support difficult at best. Elected officials must be kept to their promises. Promises to the voters should not be like a reeds in the wind bending in whichever way the wind blows; they must stand firm and like their principles honor their promises.
—Michael F. Kloppel, chairman, Ontario County Conservative Party
If they break a campaign promise they should acknowledge it and explain why they are doing it.
—Ken Carl
A campaign promise is a statement of "What I want to do." An executive or a politician quickly finds that "What I can do" is usually different, consequently they must not be so ideologically rigid that they cannot abandon a promise in favor of getting the job done.
—Wayne Donner, Rush
Gee, has this ever been attempted?
—Bill Lanigan
8/31/12 (c) 2012 Rochester Business Journal. To obtain permission to reprint this article, call 585-546-8303 or email firstname.lastname@example.com.


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If "Skyfall" is the new 50, James Bond is handling it remarkably well. Five decades after the first cinematic incarnation of 007, novelist Ian Fleming's agent provocateur, the spy-craft in the new film is sharper, the intrigue deeper, the beauties brighter (more brain, less bare).
And yet if I'm not mistaken, there are perilous emotional peaks and valleys along with all that bloody cheek. Daniel Craig's Bond is not quite as detached, his martini not quite as dry. Even the villain, a masterfully menacing Javier Bardem, is an emotional wreck whose angst is actually explored. Indeed the entire film is shrink-wrapped in self-examination that somehow manages not to dint, much less destroy, the explosive fun.
Just how does one get in touch with one's inner assassin — sanctioned or not? Try putting an introspective auteur in the director's chair. Sam Mendes, the maker of such suburban dysfunction as "American Beauty" and "Revolutionary Road," has upped the ante, the action and the artistry in "Skyfall" without losing all the defining traits we've come to expect — and need — from Bond. Not just the well-cut tux, so perfect for slipping into fashionable soirees that villains inhabit, but the most essential pillar of all things Bondian — that the very fate of the free world rides on one man's ability to beat impossible odds and save the day.
Mendes has a good blueprint to work with. Screenwriters John Logan, Neal Purvis and Robert Wade have Bond (Craig), M (Judi Dench) and the rest of MI6 facing a cold war being waged uncomfortably close to home. There is nothing more dangerous than the enemy within and M, in particular, is left dodging Parliament's salvos and new intelligence chief Gareth Mallory's questions (nicely downplayed by Ralph Fiennes).
There are a lot of dicey moves for M to make after the disaster of a mission in Turkey, which opens the film in fierce fashion (following another Bond touch, a particularly elegant graphic opening credit sequence accompanied by a sure-to-be-a-smash title song by Adele). A compromising list of secret agents has somehow gotten into the wrong hands. M wants it back at all costs. And the cost will be high — a shocking death and implications that will ripple through the film.
The splashy gadgets that are a Bond tradition are few. Instead, the film is framed by the high-tech age of satellite communication and cyber bullies. Agent Q (Ben Whishaw) is an electronics genius with plenty of nerdy quirks, intellectual arrogance chief among them. But he's a good ally in tracing the shadowy cyber trail of the film's arch archenemy, Silva (Bardem going bad bottle-blond for Bond). Silva's got a wicked sense of humor as well as a carefully refined sadistic streak that keeps the body count climbing. But it is what drives Silva to such deadly extremism that makes the movie interesting.
In a ties-that-bind twist that casts M in an entirely new light, "Skyfall" takes a good deal of time digging into her motives and methods. The decision, a good one, keeps Dench front and center, and M tart and tested, until the bitter end. Mendes proves quite facile in using the acting assets he has at his disposal to maximum effect. Bardem is easy to despise. Naomie Harris, as Bond's sometime partner Eve, provides a welcome bit of sass and Bérénice Marlohe as the beauty caught in the mess stops short of sliding into sex-object territory.
But the weight of carrying the film falls to Craig. The good news is that he's even more comfortably settled in than his first two outings — 2006's "Casino Royale" and 2008's "Quantum of Solace." Craig's always been a craggier Bond, more solid and serious than Sean Connery, who initially gave James a sly, wry elegance, a tone that was largely continued by the Bonds that would follow. Craig's shaken it up again here. His James is angrier and more haunted by indecision in "Skyfall." The emotional charges buried under all that stoicism add another layer of tension to an already teasingly tense film.
While many of the ideas are high-tech, much of the action, superbly shot by Roger Deakins, is anything but. Trains, of both the high-speed and metro type, are running through the film. Bond's classic Aston Martin turns up, as does his messy childhood. All that digging around in the past works flawlessly at times — as when an old father figure turns up in the form of Albert Finney — with the occasional bad patch quickly dispensed with.
Though "Skyfall" begins in Turkey and spends some quality time in Shanghai, most of the anxiety and action is unspooling on the home front — strategic London bombings, a beyond-belief subway ride and a country home in Scotland where everything (metaphorically at least) blows up. Scarier, and more to the point of things we have come to fear most, the bad guys are able to plot a path of destruction with extraordinary precision — and complete anonymity. It's a conspiracy of shadows using social media — a YouTube sensibility gone rogue where targets can be mocked and kills get their 15 minutes of fame.
In "Skyfall," Mendes has given us a thrilling new chapter in a franchise that by all rights should have been gasping for air — which really makes him the hero of this saga. Saving Bond, after all, is rather like saving the day.
MPAA rating: PG-13 for intense violent sequences throughout, some sexuality, language and smoking
Running time: 2 hours, 25 minutes
Playing: In general release


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United fails in attempt to raise fares
UPDATE: United Airlines' attempt to lead the first fare hike of the new year has failed, analysts say.
United spokeswoman Christen David confirmed Monday afternoon that the airline had rescinded the system-wide increase but kept a $10 one-way increase on flights to Alaska and Hawaii.
On Thursday, United and its partner Air Canada increased fares system-wide by $2 to $5 each way system-wide depending on the length of the flight.
Delta Air Lines matched the increase. But other airlines, most notably Southwest Airlines, did not. Typically, Southwest, which has the most number of domestic flights in the USA, has to match in order for a fare increase to stick.
"We would identify Southwest's inaction as the catalyst behind the industry's failure to raise fares," Jamie Baker, an airline analyst with JP Morgan, said in an e-mail early Monday morning.
ALSO ONLINE: Fliers pinched as airfares take off
Delta spokesman Anthony Black confirmed Monday morning that the carrier had backed off its increase.
Peter Fitzpatrick, a spokesman for Air Canada, said he could not comment on the carrier's fare increase but noted that "fares are dynamic and move up and down all the time in order that we remain competitive."
Baker said that "it often requires several attempts to reach industry consensus" on fare increases.
"Given continued industry supply discipline, particularly in the first half of 2013, we expect a continued inching up of domestic fares in coming months, accompanied by an overall reduction in promotional sale activity," Baker said.
ORIGINAL POST: Airfares will likely go up in the new year, and United Airlines became the first airline to attempt a fare increase.
The Chicago-based airline raised all of its domestic fares by $2 to $5 each way, United spokeswoman Christen David said.
Jamie Baker, an airline analyst at JPMorgan, says that the carrier raised short-haul fares for flights below 500 miles by $2, fares for flights between 500 and 1,000 miles by $3, and fares for long-haul domestic routes by $5.
Seaney says more than 1 million United fares increased. He also said that United partner Air Canada also raised fares.
ALSO ONLINE: Travelers hit with fees every step of the trip
READ MORE: Airports get into the fitness craze for stressed travelers
As of Thursday evening, only Delta Air Lines had matched the increase.
"American is still evaluating," Matt Miller, a spokesman for American Airlines, said early Thursday.
Typically, Southwest Airlines and other low-cost carriers have to match the increase in order for it to stick.
"Participation by Southwest is required to ensure widespread industry success, in our view," Baker wrote in an e-mail. "We are cautiously optimistic."
Southwest last made a broad-based effort to raise fares on Oct. 12. On Nov. 30, the airline raised fares just in the Florida market.
Last year, airlines made 15 attempts to raise fares, according to FareCompare.com. Only seven were successful.
Baker said that "it often requires several attempts to reach industry consensus, and no individual failure should be viewed as a 'lack of pricing power.'"
"We ascribe a reasonably high likelihood of industry success to United's latest effort, though we would anticipate rollbacks over the weekend should Southwest remain silent," Baker said.


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Prince Caspian Basics
Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian the game, like the movie, is geared toward a fairly young audience and thus finds itself to be lacking in any real complexity or depth. That being said, the few items you come across usually serve a single purpose. Here they are in no particular order.
Of particular prominence are a set number of treasure chests scattered throughout each level. When opened, each chest unlocks bonus content that can be accessed by pressing up on the level selection screen. The "upper" parts of the windows hold the bonus content, such as bonus levels, concept art and footage. Finding the chests is one thing, but opening them would be another matter because each chest requires a certain number of keys, which is usually indicated above the chest. Each chest opened contributes toward the elusive 100% completion. The level selection display keeps track of how many chests are left to be discovered out of a total possible found for that particular level.
What's a treasure chest without its keys? An unlocked chest, that is. (Har har.) But seriously, in Narnia you've got keys that open stuff, particularly locked treasure chests. Keys are relatively easy to come by and in great abundance throughout the levels. In fact, by popping in and out of areas the keys respawn in their same spots, so stack up on the keys if you ever run low.
Armor Pieces
As you collect more and more armor pieces, the more your armor grows, which then makes a difference in the amount of damage you sustain from a single blow. Although some direct hits tend to be more lethal than others, you can live quite a bit longer by strengthening your armor. You will often find silver, gold and sometimes blue pieces.
Health is replenished by picking up hearts from downed enemy soldiers. Prolong your own life at the expense of others.
Make use of each character's strengths
In each level, you usually have a team of characters with varying abilities under your command. The special skills range from shooting arrows to throwing a grappling hook to crawling through small spaces. Progression through the game hinges on utilizing each character's abilities at the right moment. For example, targets floating over an object usually indicate that the an arrow shot from either Susan's or Caspian's bow is required to reveal a path forward.
Destroy everything
That's right. When in doubt, destroy everything in your path. Much of the objects in this game can be destroyed with wild swings. Often times, you will find crucial quest objects beneath the rubble you destroy.
Bonus Content
As mentioned previously, the more chests unlocked means more bonus content, which can be accessed by pressing up on the level selection screen. The Bonus Levels offer miniature missions of sorts that-when completed successfully based on the conditions stipulated-more bonus content is unlocked. There are four Bonus Levels in total. The other bonus content include Game Clips, Bonus Footage and Concept Art.
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