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X264 developer says Google's new VP8 WebM codec is a messDespite the unbridled enthusiasm among bloggers for Google's newly announced free WebM codec, a digital video expert has reviewed the new VP8 specification and delivered a severely deflating technical analysis, noting that it decodes video slowly, is buggy, and copies H.264 closely enough to all but guarantee patent issues.
What could possibly go wrong?
The knee jerk reaction to Google's announcement was to ask whether Microsoft and Apple would immediately jump to support the new codec, given that the two companies offer the default choice in web browsers to nearly all desktop users, and given Apple's strong influence over mobile devices.
Speaking to journalists, Microsoft offered to "support" the new codec as long as users installed it themselves, leaving reporters to wonder aloud if Apple (which has not commented on the issue) would also allow its Mac users to install their own codecs, as it always has for the last twenty years. Mac users can already install Ogg Theora within QuickTime; it's just that Apple doesn't do this for them because doing so would open the company up to patent assault.
Ars even wondered in print if Google would take the "nuclear option" and cut off support for viewing H.264 videos in YouTube to force the world to use its new VP8, killing off all support for YouTube on existing mobile devices. The site also suggested that Apple was a major intellectual property holder in the MPEG H.264 patent pool, and therefore that it gets royalties from the use of H.264 that would prevent the company from being interested in free, open alternatives.
Apple is not a codec vendor
However, Apple has never been a major codec developer. While the ISO's MPEG-4 adopted Apple's QuickTime container file format as the basis for the standard MP4 container in 1998, that was a contribution by Apple, not something that could or has generated significant patent royalties.
If Apple had a bunch of proprietary codec technology to push, it wouldn't have made a splash about licensing the third party Sorenson codec for QuickTime 3.0 back in 1998, when that codec was among the world's most advanced. Apple continued to license subsequent Sorenson Video codecs through QuickTime 5 in 2001, in an effort to distinguish its media platform as the best way to present and view video.
But Apple then began to focus its resources on supporting the open development of the ISO's MPEG-4 codecs, leaving Sorenson to licenses its proprietary codecs to Macromedia's Flash. Macromedia also licensed On2's VP6, which became the preferred codec for Flash starting with version 8 in 2005. In contrast, Apple relegated the Sorenson codecs into a bin of legacy codecs within QuickTime, pushing MPEG-4's H.263 codec and later the more advanced H.264 in QuickTime 7.
The commercial development of video codecs was moving so quickly that Apple saw value in pooling the top technology company's video expertise together and licensing it all in one place from the ISO's MPEG LA, an independent entity with no bias toward any particular company.
With digital video playback standards having moved beyond the desktop computer and into embedded and mobile devices, video games, disc players and other applications, it was no longer in Apple's best interests to have an exclusive proprietary codec in QuickTime anymore. Instead, Apple prefers open standards in video codec technology, just as prefers open standards on the web, where proprietary encroachments like Adobe's Flash can only complicate its efforts to build its hardware products.
That means that while Apple is listed as a patent owner by the MPEG Licensing Authority, it is not primarily Apple's technology that is being licensed by any stretch of the imagination. The actual video technology comes from the hardware component and software makers that have always been part of MPEG, including Bosch, Dolby, Ericsson, Frauenhofer, Fujitsu, Hitachi, Philips, JVC, LG, Mitsubishi, Panasonic, Samsung, Sharp, Siemens, Sony, and Toshiba.
Even Microsoft, which has developed far more technology in the area of video encoding and decoding than Apple, says it earns about half as much from H.264 royalties compared to how much it pays to the MPEG LA in order to use the pool's technology. Apple is clearly not supporting H.264 because it is getting rich doing so. If there were some openly available, free alternative to the advanced video technology being collaboratively developed by all the world's advanced video experts, Apple would happily use that.
The problem is that the patents are already filed, and there isn't any acceptable, free technology that can be used that is not subject to respecting those patents. The only way to get the world's most advanced video technology is to pay for it.
Or you can steal it
After Apple began shifting its desktop computers and mobile devices toward the open (but not free) H.264 specification, it started to become apparent that alternative proprietary codecs were often simply open MPEG-4 specifications with some improvements made to them.
Sorenson Video 3 was revealed by an anonymous developer's reverse engineering to simply be a tweaked version of H.264, while Microsoft's competing Windows Media Codec, once published by the SMTPE under the name VC-1, was also revealed to be largely derived from MPEG standards, a revelation that limited Microsoft from substantially profiting from VC-1 royalties.
Now, Jason Garrett-Glaser (also known as Dark Shikari) an independent developer working on the x264 open source project (which encodes H.264 video) has discovered the same thing about Google's new VP8, branded as WebM. Garrett-Glaser says he "was able to acquire access to the VP8 spec, software, and source a good few days before the official release and so was able to perform a detailed technical analysis in time for the official release."
At issue are three points: how good is the VP8 specification (the published explanation how its technology is supposed to work), how good its its implementation (the code provided to actually do the work) and how likely is it that VP8 is really safe from patent issues.
On page 2 of 2: VP8 is a mess.


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WEIGHT: M 8.4 oz; W 7.0 oz
The Tempo 5 was a huge hit with our test team. One runner summed up his impressions as, "Not sure whether to call this shoe a race shoe that doubles as a trainer or a trainer that doubles as a racer, but the Tempo does both equally well." The fit was deemed excellent for lower volume feet, although perhaps a little too snug in the toes. The Continental sole provided noteworthy traction on a variety of surfaces. The shoe was found to be "light and snappy," despite the fairly large heel-toe differential, and the plush cushioning made it adequate on long runs, especially for forefoot strikers.
SIMILAR MODELS IN PERFORMANCE: adidas Mana 5, Mizuno Wave Ronin 4, Zoot Ovwa, Scott eRide Trainer 2, adidas adiZero Ace
SIMILAR MODELS IN FIT: New Balance MR1260, inov-8 X-Talon 190, Karhu Fast 3 Fulcrum Ride

subset: commoncrawl


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by Francine Stolz
The Blue Wall...Mexico
I was asked by a co-worker to paint this from a photo he took while on vacation in Mexico. He has it now and said he has received many compliments since hanging it up in his kitchen!
Click here to read or post comments
Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to ART GALLERY.
Apr 02, 20 07:43 AM
You're just going to love painting with acrylics! Take a look at the classes being offered and register today. Class size is limited!
Oct 28, 19 08:47 AM
Started painting at the age of 72, have never picked up a paintbrush before or even drawn with a pencil. Saw this sight on a visit to the Isle of Skye
May 19, 19 03:29 PM
A very comfortable and relaxing decorative painting studio and classroom catering to all painting levels.
Jun 05, 18 07:52 AM
Funny thing about a great doodle, you have to be making art while focusing on something entirely different! Doodle drawings make great art therapy!
Apr 21, 17 10:51 AM
Here are more delightful acrylic painting classes for you to choose from.


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I'm starting this post with a celebratory shot: me wearing my brand-spanking new Dirty Kanza 200 jersey that I purchased the day after finishing the race. Such a sweet reward!
Editor's Note: This blog post details my trip to the 2014 edition of Dirty Kanza 200 and the race itself. If you're interested in the gear I used, my training plan and my race fuel, read Dirty Kanza 200: The Gear, Training and Fuel That Got Me Through 203 Miles.
Two years ago, I had no idea what a gravel grinder was. My riding was limited to smooth roads and mountain bike trails. Cyclocross was on my radar, but I'd never lined up for a CX race. But racing on gravel roads? No one had told me it existed let alone why someone would choose to ride low- to no-maintenance dirt and gravel roads in far-flung, nowhere-near-civilization dots on a map that require riders to be self-sufficient.
My foray into the scene is just this simple: I stumbled into gravel grinding when I sought endurance races to train for the 2013 edition of 24 Hours in the Canyon. It all started with the Texas Chainring Massacre. Several races later, I might even prefer gravel grinding to any other form of cycling. Seriously. It's a blissful ride. I enjoy the sound of tires rolling across the gravel. The skills required for riding these routes are equal parts MTB and road; to ride gravel well you need to pick good lines, avoid rough spots, ride smart, "burn your matches" wisely, share the effort with fellow racers, alternate drafting and pulling. And, often, the scenery is beyond compare. These races are typically no-frills and camaraderie runs high.
Never content with doing the same races over and over again, I turned my sights toward finding the biggest, baddest gravel grinders in the country. There are two, clear top dogs — Trans Iowa and Dirty Kanza 200. The former covers 310-340 miles, and the latter is 200 miles. DK 200 seemed like the most reasonable next goal. So I signed up. And then I trained hard and assembled the necessary gear (reminder: you can read all about that here).
First things first: I must thank TPG for serving as a fantastic driver, cook, motivator, crew and all-purpose, kick-ass girlfriend. The trip and the race would have been a lot harder without her.
I'm going to be entirely honest here: driving to Dirty Kanza 200 might be the least enjoyable aspect of the entire experience. It's about a 7-hour drive on Interstate 35 from Dallas. There is very little to see or do en route to the northeast corner of Kansas. The stretch through Oklahoma is the most mind-numbing.
But there is one decent spot worth visiting: POPS' Soda Ranch in Arcadia, Okla. Every good road trip needs a side-trip detour, and this was our best option. Neither TPG or I picked up a soda, but it's not for a lack of options — more than 600 sodas. That's probably too many options, really. There's also a diner and gas station. We spent our afternoon at POPS making our lunch at a picnic table and making pictures.
At night, this 66-foot soda sculpture is a multicolored, LED tribute to fizzy drinks.
If you're interested in racing Dirty Kanza 200 (or the 100-mile Half Pint), you've got to be quick: registration fills up in a matter of days. Hotel rooms fill up even quicker. I searched high and low, and only the sketchiest hotels still had vacancies. I considered reserving a camping space at a nearby state park and searched for spots near Emporia. Neither option was ideal, mainly because they weren't convenient to the race site.
Enter Emporia State University! For the second year in a row, the home of the Hornets opened its dorms for Dirty Kanza riders. Our dorm room in the North Tower was a steal. A three-night stay (we actually arrived Friday) included a Friday brunch, Saturday breakfast and plenty of space for all the stuff we brought. It cost $245. Best of all, the campus is within easy walking distance of downtown Emporia, which is filled with nice shops, good food and drink (ate some dynamite pizza at Wheat State Pizza with TPG and Dat — maybe the best pizza we've ever had) and charm aplenty.
Speaking of charm, there's nothing more impressive in Emporia (save the verdant fields) than the Granada Theatre, the site of packet pickup and the Dirty Kanza start/finish line. The theater was dedicated in 1929 by Emporia's most famous native son, journalist/author William Allen White (his name is all over the city). Fast-forward a half-century or so, and the movie palace had fallen into disrepair. The good people of Emporia saved the theater from the wrecking ball and restored it into a pure gem.
Emporia is a charmer. The city's downtown was lined with about a dozen decorated pianos to promote Symphony in the Flint Hills.
In a perfect world, every rejuvenated downtown would have a bluegrass band playing outside its landmark theater. And get a load of that upright bass. It's aluminum, something I had never seen before; so I chatted with the bassist, who told me he found the Pfretschner. Apparently, that brand and Alcoa are the most common aluminum uprights. I love learning new things!
Race day started early — 4:15 a.m., plenty of time to eat a proper breakfast (coffee and oatmeal with peanut butter), check my gear and get focused before the race began at 6 a.m.
TPG and I walked to the start/finish; again, another benefit of staying in the dorm.
Racers get to choose their chutes based on how long they think it will take them to finish the race — 12, 14, 16 or 18 hours. Entering the race, I had a good feeling I could finish in less than 16 hours. I also thought it was very possible I could Race the Sun — finish the race in 14 hours and 41 minutes, before sunset at 8:42 p.m. I also knew that the race would be nuts for the first dozen or so miles — crashes and flat tires happen when hundreds of people jockey for position, take bad lines and make bad decisions to get an advantage early in a long-ass race. I wanted none of that. In fact, I wanted to start slowly. So I chose the 16-hour chute, opting to hang back and thinking I'd pass my fair share of racers throughout the day (this was a good idea).
A 16-hour race would be a very good showing, especially if I encountered a mechanical problem or a few flats.
MILES 1-50ish
Racing 200 miles isn't impossible; the trick is fooling yourself into believing that you're only racing 50 miles. So I started the race with the goal of finishing just a 50-mile race strong. Then I would finish just another 50-mile race strong. And then I would race another 50-mile race before racing a fourth 50-mile race. Breaking it up into four races makes 200 miles totally digestible and possible.
The 2014 edition of Dirty Kanza 200 began on a few paved roads, but we were on dirt within minutes. The beginning of the race wasn't incredibly frantic, and the first sections of gravel weren't entirely treacherous. That being said, there were plenty of frustrated riders repairing flat tires in the first 10 miles. Many of these riders were making their repairs shortly after turns on the course; my best guess is that they took the turns too quickly and/or sharply, pinch flatting tubes or worse, slashing their tires' sidewalls.
As the morning sun continued to rise, the plains were shrouded by a mix of fog and dust (peep this Adventure Monkey photo). It was eerie and difficult to determine where the fog ended and the dust began. Prerace, TPG wisely advised me to wear a bandanna over my mouth and nose to filter the amount of dust I would inhale. On the course, I looked like a Western movie-style bank-robbing bandit. But I was able to breathe OK.
The first 50 miles went by quickly. I chatted with a couple of riders, kept a good cadence and did my best to not race too hard, too fast.
Highlight of the first 50: The low-water crossing was just as awesome as I expected (another Adventure Monkey shot worth perusing). The water was deep, and the stream was moving at a decent pace. Some riders rode through it, but I did not. My main reasons: I didn't know what was at the bottom of the calf-high water and the hill coming out of the water was a slick, muddy mess. So I walked for a few hundred feet. It was the right call.
I reached the first checkpoint — Madison — in 3 hours 27 minutes and 10 seconds (14.7 mph). I promptly found TPG, talked with her about what I needed for the next leg of the race (more water, alligatorade, bananas, bars, gels, Endurolytes, etc.) and got off the bike to hit the restroom in a convenience store. I must thank the young woman who insisted I cut in front of her in the five-person deep line for the unisex toilet; she said, "You're in more of a hurry than I am." Yes, yes I was.
As planned, I spent 15 minutes at the first checkpoint. I told TPG I'd see her at the next checkpoint soon and confirmed that I'd want to follow the plan we discussed earlier — I would want lunch and a longer break, probably 30 minutes.
MILES 50-100ish
The second 50-mile segment started with an incredibly rude hill — Sandpipe Hill. It looks much steeper in this picture. I felt good. I knew I'd have no trouble keeping my pace. I stayed on top of my hydration and food.
The large packs of riders were starting to thin out, and there were fewer times where I had to maneuver to pass riders as we climbed up the rolling hills. About those beautiful, green hills — I didn't spend much time at all taking them in during the race. My eyes were focused on the road 90 percent of the time, evaluating the conditions, selecting good lines. Success at Dirty Kanza requires a rider to ride smart; if you stop thinking, you're opening yourself up to something bad happening — rolling over a sharp rock, dropping into a pothole, falling into a cattle guard with a tire-wide gap. The amount of mental energy needed to ride this course isn't as great as a twisty, technical MTB trail. But you can't just pedal carefree.
On the second leg, I saw one unlucky racer — bloody face and scraped to hell, he was being tended to by his crew who had come to rescue him. This scene on the side of the road was a reminder that riding gravel wasn't a piece of cake, walk in the park or whichever cliché you prefer. The "roads" were capable of inflicting major damage. Respect them.
Miles 50-100ish were uneventful for me. I rode smart and strong, working in pacelines to conserve energy on flats and breaking away on most ascents. The descents were long, fast rewards. I pedaled down a few, but I mostly dipped into my drops and got as low as possible so I could coast at 25-30 mph. Not every hill afforded me this luxury. Some were pockmarked with potholes and large, sharp sections of rock. I took my times on those descents. On several occasions I saw a racer changing a flat at the bottom of these hills; that was my sign to take it slow. It makes no sense to bomb a sketchy hill if it'll cost you 10 minutes when you have to fix a flat.
I reached Cassoday, the second checkpoint, in 3 hours 32 minutes and 48 seconds (14.22 mph). The parking lot situation was … well, not a parking lot. It was an overgrown field. TPG flagged me down at the checkpoint and led me to our piece of this haphazard plot of land. Several teams, who probably have done this race before, had large flags (countries, sports teams, bike company logos) flying high in the air at their sites, which made their spots easy to find. That's a smart move that I highly recommend for anyone who plans to race Kanza.
Again, TPG was a champ. Her crewing skills are elite. She knew where everything was and got everything I needed as soon as I asked. At each checkpoint, she had the Comfiest Camping Chair in the World set for me to sit. I, however, didn't use it. I was wary of getting too comfortable. Just getting off the saddle, standing and stretching my legs was good enough for me.
At this checkpoint, I ate more, drank iced coffee, visited the Porta-Potty and re-upped on chamois cream (critical to do this at every checkpoint). All told, I spent almost 30 minutes here.
MILES 100-150ish
The third leg of Dirty Kanza 200 would be a milestone for me — the longest distance I've ridden on my Salsa Vaya. I wasn't sure what 150 miles would feel like; my previous maximum distance — 133 miles of the Red River Riot route — felt tough. I started feeling very fatigued in the final 10 miles of that training ride. But the big difference then was that I was riding solo. At Kanza, I had hundreds of riders joining me, albeit even farther spread out at this juncture.
The first few miles of this section of the race was paved — a blessing (smooth!) and a curse (it was heating up!). Within this first few miles, I realized my bike's front derailleur was misfiring; I couldn't shift to the large chainring. I tried twice and dropped the chain. Not good because, for better or worse, I ride hard — always trying to mash the largest gear I can.
With 10 fewer gears, I knew this leg would be a challenge. To stay on pace, I had to spin at a higher cadence — an unnatural motion that led to slight pain in my right knee. To make matters worse, I was starting to cramp up — my right quad and hamstring taking turns griping about the effort. I never had to get off the bike to work out the muscles or give them a break. Instead, I growled through the pain, making inhuman noises that diminished the pain and made me feel stronger (and probably made nearby riders assume I had gone rabid).
Despite these setbacks, I kept riding as strong as I could. I continued to press forward, working in pacelines for a bit before zooming forward to the next rider or group of riders on the horizon.
I can't recall if this was the section of the race where free-range cattle were in-play. Regardless, you've never lived until you've ridden past unimpressed bovine that are a) not impressed with your kit or bike and b) at a moment's notice could stampede your ass into the dirt.
My slowest stage, I reached Cottonwood Falls, the third checkpoint, in 4 hours 4 minutes and 4 seconds (13.68 mph). I have to give it up for this town — the locals were super friendly and accommodating. TPG said that a town councilwoman used her power to keep the county courthouse open for riders after it was briefly closed. I greatly appreciated being able to wash up in the clean, spacious bathroom — a huge improvement over a convenience store john or a Porta-Potty.
During this checkpoint, I worked on my chain and derailleur as TPG refilled all of my stuff — more of everything! She was so encouraging, which I really needed. I was starting to have less fun, and doubt was seeping into my brain. I was pretty sure I could finish; but she was posi-friggin-lutely certain I would finish the race. Her enthusiasm was just what I needed. She reminded me that what I was doing was a major accomplishment and that there were just 50 miles remaining. I ride 50 miles all the time. No sweat.
MILES 150-200ish
After logging my slowest stage, I was fairly certain I couldn't finish the race before sunset. Fatigue was increasing — my legs were tired and my lower back was sore — and the wind was picking up, making every mile just that much more difficult. Also, there were fewer racers in front of me, so there were fewer opportunities to draft.
|Corky the Hornet
As I pedaled, there were signs that I was returning toward civilization. There were highway crossings and houses, glorious houses with families outside cheering on racers and offering cold water and "fat" Coke (none of that Diet Coke crap). I saluted each as I passed, declined offers of beverages and mustered a couple of howdys as my throat constricted — I was getting emotional.
The sun dropped lower and lower and 8:42 p.m. was getting closer. I managed to pull two other racers for a few miles at a 16 mph clip, when it was their turn to pull, I was exhausted. I couldn't keep pace and stay behind their wheels. I lost my final opportunity to draft.
And just like that, the sun had set and I flicked on my front and rear lights. I wasn't disappointed. It would have been nice to finish before sunset. But I was still very much thrilled that with every passing second I was approaching my goal — finishing the race. I could have a dozen flats and need to walk the bike for the remaining 6 miles. It wouldn't matter; I had plenty of time to finish.
Twenty-eight hours after this photo was snapped, I
rolled past this sign toward the finish line.
The final couple of miles were paved. I pedaled up a city street and turned onto a familiar road leading back to the Emporia State campus. I passed the dorm (and briefly daydreamed how sweet it would be to shower soon), rolled over the words of encouragement that students wrote on the sidewalks with chalk and passed clapping Emporia State staff and faculty as I approached the intersection leading to downtown.
The light turned green just as I approached the intersection. Volunteers on the other side cheered and yelled "just four blocks to go!"
I slammed my gear shifter to my biggest gear, stood on my pedals and mashed them as hard as I possibly could. I was flying inside and out. This long damn day — a fun one, to be sure — was almost over. On each side of the road, there were cars loaded up with bikes, cyclists and their crew hanging out, some cheering.
Three more blocks.
I blasted past familiar storefronts that line Commercial Street and avoided drivers that were haphazardly searching for parking spaces.
Two more blocks.
I could hear the cowbells. I could see the finishing chute. I could taste the sweet satisfaction of accomplishment bubbling up inside me. I could feel tears that were threatening to escape. I gave them permission to roll from my eyes as I rolled toward the finish.
One more block.
I entered the finisher's chute. The crowd clanged their cowbells and I threw my hands into the air, yelling "Yeah! … Yeah! … Yeah! …" It was an incredible feeling.
"Aaaaand … from Dallas, Texas … Rrrrroberrrrt Traaaaay-seeee!" the announcer said as I made it to the finish line. It. Was. Sweet.
I reached the finish line in Emporia in 3 hours 44 minutes and 8 seconds (13.54 mph). Total time for my first Dirty Kanza 200: I covered 203 miles in 14 hours 58 minutes and 54 seconds (13.54 mph), good for 210th of 469 finishers (31st of 66 in men ages 35-39).
Jim Cummins, executive director of Dirty Kanza, hands me the coveted Dirty Kanza 200 finisher's pint glass and details how to procure a free beer. I shook his hand, thanked him for one helluva race and smiled for the first time as a Dirty Kanza finisher.
TPG was quick to find me in the mess of bikes and bodies filling downtown Emporia. It was great to be off the bike but even better to hold her and kiss her. I could not have asked for a better partner in this adventure. Her support made it possible for me to finish. There's no doubt in my mind.
We soaked up the scene unfolding downtown. It was a party, but I was most enjoying the opportunity to sit down and relax. I wanted nothing to do with that free beer (TPG would tell you that's the first thing I told her when I saw her after finishing).
It was tempting to spend more time downtown, but I really wanted to be clean. I was gross, totally filthy — dirty, sweaty and stinky. Just like my bike.
That's a hardworking machine right there. I couldn't be happier with how my Salsa performed. It's going to be very difficult for me to choose another bike brand for the remainder of my years as a cyclist.
Proud of my feat and thrilled to be off that dirty bike, we drove back to the dorm, got clean and recapped our Dirty Kanza experiences before passing out from exhaustion.
We woke up in time to walk to the awards ceremony at White Auditorium. It was packed and the ceremony was great, even if the gushingly apologetic Kiwanis ran out of biscuits they served for breakfast. It was wonderful seeing all of the top riders accept their awards. The top riders shattered the course records; former pro racer Brian Jensen smashed the men's record (just under 12 hours) by finishing in 10 hours and 42 minutes. Remarkable!
Kansans' support for the race is INCREDIBLE. They realize they have something special; the Dirty Kanza is a premier cycling event that more and more cyclists add to their bucket lists each year. Emporia and the Flint Hills region are on the map. And these locals are proud, as well they should be. Thank you, volunteers, organizers, Emporia State University, local business owners and residents of the Emporia region. You made quite an impression. You have a charming city and a challenging race. I wouldn't hesitate to make the trip again to race Dirty Kanza again. And, for anyone on the fence about racing Kanza: Do it! You won't regret it.


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A 30-year-old city man suffered a gunshot wound to the leg early yesterday morning at an after-hours party, according to police.
Police were called to an apartment at 19 Seymour St. about 3 a.m. for a report of shots fired. When police arrived, the victim was apparently leaving the apartment with a gunshot wound, and was taken to an area hospital for treatment.
Authorities said the victim left the hospital before being fully treated.
Detectives learned there was an after-hours party inside the apartment, and that during the party, four shots were fired from a gun. Other ammunition was found inside the apartment, according to police.
Police investigating the shooting said they found Kandie O'Neil, 30, of 19 Seymour St., Apt. 2, hiding in the backyard. Police said she had a .380-caliber handgun on the ground near her.
She was arrested and charged with carrying a firearm without a license, but police said it does not appear the gun found outside was used in the shooting. Detectives continue to investigate.


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As discussed in Part One, the sticky boundaries of church and state are often blurred in the fervor to share yoga's benefits with schoolchildren. In fact, it's highly likely that the Encinitas yoga program is poised to render a beneficial effect on children, as preliminary research on yoga in school settings suggests. However, the potential efficacy and salutary benefits of a given practice cannot be the only consideration when the setting is a school. For instance, research has shown prayer to be a beneficial coping mechanism, but this does not render it suitable for school settings.
Parent legal representative Dean Broyles, president and chief counsel of the National Center for Law and Policy, a nonprofit law firm devoted to religious freedom and traditional marriage, argues that it would be the same "if we substituted for this program a charismatic Christian praise and worship physical education program." In yoga's defense, many practitioners claim the practice is either inclusive of all spiritual/religious orientations, or a purely secular fitness pursuit. Yet considering the nature of the granting organization, the Jois Foundation, Broyles may have a point.
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Although the yoga program in Encinitas has been secularized and scrubbed of any mention of mysticism or spirituality, the Jois Foundation promotes a form of yoga (Ashtanga) that is deeply rooted in traditional yogic philosophy. They are researching the program with scientists from UCSD and UVa; if shown effective in improving student wellbeing, there are hopes to offer it nationally.
To be fair, such goals are not the exclusive providence of the Jois Foundation. Other contemplative organizations have made quiet inroads into school settings, including MindUP, and YogaEd. These claim no affiliation to eastern spirituality or mysticism. Yet, while the practices are renamed, eradicated of contemplative philosophy, and reframed as valuable emotional skills training and wellness initiatives, their origins are indisputable.
In this case, protesting parents are hip to the Jois Foundation's traditional orientation, which is the primary source of controversy. If the grant were from a large, value-neutral organization to provide nutrition, character and fitness education, there would likely be no issue.
Cutting to the heart of the debate, Jois director Ruffin comments, "It's hard to know how to respond to someone who says if you touch your toes, you're inviting the devil into your soul." Yet, is yoga "just" touching your toes? Kids have been touching their toes in gym class for the better part of a century without sparking fears of devil worship. When we call something yoga, and adhere to a fairly traditional practice such as Ashtanga, can we say touching our toes is "just stretching"? Can we take the spiritual out of yoga, in such a context? Upset parents argue you cannot.
In the culture wars, prayer, Bibles, and intelligent design in school continue to spark progressive outrage. Objectively, yoga in schools is no different a cultural flashpoint. As pointed out recently, this debate has put conservatives in the position of arguing against God in schools—just a different form of God than their own.
If progressives find conservative ideology and practice in schools infuriating, those at the other end of the spectrum find yoga in the schools equally so. Despite yoga being more of a grey zone than, say, Christian prayer, there does currently seem to be a double standard. As much as I enjoy yoga and would love to see my kids take it in school, I also have to appreciate the nuanced complexity of this issue. We can't all have our cake—and eat it too.
Do you see yoga in public schools as a double standard?
This is Part Two of a two-part series. Read Part One here.


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Various lead instruments, percussion etc.
8 pages of 16×16 music sequencer matrix
Embedded Content Manager (Matrix/Net)
Adjustable Tempo
Alter the Scale & Key at any time
Customizable reverb & delay effects
Save and load your creations locally
Upload compositions to Matrix/Net
Rate other peoples compositions
Now you can share your creations online with Matrix/Net! An integrated cloud based sharing system.
Bring the Music Matrix community to life with Matrix/Net!
Share your songs with the press of a button.
How to use?
Tabbed controlled interface, simply Tab on the matrix to add notes, select different instruments (INS) and percussions (PERC) on the right hand side and let it all come together. Advanced options is where the FX / Key / Scale and tones can be changed. Just play with it and you'll see that it's very easy to use once you know how to use it.
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We attended the Rupert 4th of July Parade this year and enjoyed it. I thought it was interesting to attend the Minidoka County Centennial Celebration in conjunction with the festivities this year. I wonder what Aunt Fanny Ross Phibbs and Calvin Dickerson Phibbs thought when they arrived in the area on 21 March 1913 and witnessed the creation of Minidoka County that same year. Calvin would go on to become a Judge in Minidoka County in 1918 and served for over 10 years.
While the Ross Clan has been in and out of Minidoka County for the past 100 years, we have left our mark for good or ill.
My thoughts turned to my own involvement in the Rupert 4th of July parade. Here are a couple of the photos I could find.
Just for fun because I do not know when else I would share them, a couple of pictures from the old Paul, Idaho parade. I can still remember climbing up the ladder on the back of the pup to get into the trailer filled with gravel for us to stand on. I remember looking down out of the trailer for the photo below. This first photo has the Fenton Apartments in the back (still there and improved).


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A gentleman in Chicago had the carpets in his condominium cleaned two — sometimes three — times per year.
This might seem excessive; after all, he lived alone in a one-bedroom unit.
But, he was fussy about the carpets' appearance, and there were two other reasons he had the carpets cleaned so frequently.
First, they were white — not necessarily the best color choice for someone as fastidious as this fellow.
Second, and probably more to the heart of the matter, he had three cats.
Because of fur, occasional accidents and related animal problems, the carpets simply needed to be cleaned often.
The man was also fussy about the carpet cleaners hired to do the work, and he tried several different companies.
Never really satisfied, he looked for an established company and knew to ask if they had been certified by the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) and if they had experience working for owners with white carpets and cats.
Finally, someone suggested he should ask the carpet cleaning technicians whether they use hot water carpet extractors generating temperatures above 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
It had never occurred to him that this could be an issue, and sure enough, most of the companies he had worked with in the past used cold water machines.
Many of these technicians said hot water was not necessary to clean carpets; others disagreed.
The debate over whether or not heat is necessary spreads throughout the carpet cleaning industry.
It's time to find out who is right and put it to rest.
The Fundamentals
The easiest way to answer this question is to look at the four essentials of soil suspension, also known as the fundamentals of cleaning:
- Time
- Agitation
- Chemical
- Heat.
Cleaning consultant and industry author Bill Griffin frequently uses the example of washing dishes as a reason for employing a hot water carpet extractor.
He asks, "Would you wash your dishes in cold water?"
Let's face it: Dirty pots, pans and dishes can quickly become storehouses of bacteria and other contaminants.
Hot water, along with the other fundamentals necessary for cleaning, helps loosen, dissolve and remove soil.
How Heat Works
This may be obvious when it comes to washing dishes, but to understand the value of heat when cleaning carpets, we have to dig deeper.
Heat speeds up the molecular activity of the chemicals used to clean carpets.
In fact, studies going back more than 100 years reveal that the chemical action of cleaning chemicals is increased by a factor of two for every 18 degrees of temperature above 118 degrees Fahrenheit, a phenomenon first identified by Swedish physicist and chemist Svante Arrhenius.
So, heat improves the effectiveness of the cleaning chemicals, but what else is happening?
According to Dr. Michael Berry, author of the book Protecting the Built Environment: Cleaning for Health, "Heat also improves cleaning's effectiveness. Even without soap, small amounts of grease will dissolve in water, [but] the amount increases in hot water, sometimes ten-fold."
Berry goes on to say that, without heat, solubility — the ability of soils to dissolve — can remain in a state of stability.
However, heat essentially melts many of these soils, allowing "the soapy water to penetrate, detach and surround the unwanted matter."
The cleaning solution suspends the soil, which is then removed by the extractor.
An additional benefit Berry notes is that, because of the improved effectives of the cleaning chemicals and heat's ability to help dissolve soils, less chemical may be required.
This suggests that it can reduce cleaning's impact on the environment.
But, technicians should take note: When talking about heat and using a portable carpet extractor, the temperature of the solution suggested by the manufacturer may not necessarily be the temperature of the solution when it reaches the carpet.
Variables such as the length of the hose and climate conditions can be factors.
Users should look for extractors that measure the heat at the wand tip, which is where the cleaning action is.
Is Heat the Way to Go?
It appears that heat does improve cleaning, and for most customers, selecting a technician who uses a hot water extractor would prove beneficial.
Unfortunately, the case is not necessarily closed.
Sometimes it is advisable — even necessary — to use cold water to clean a carpet.
For instance, stains such as blood, eggs and gravy should be cleaned with cold water.
The high heat from a hot water extractor can actually "cook" these "protein stains" into the carpet, making them more difficult — if not impossible — to remove.
Similar problems can happen if the carpet is stained with crayons or candle wax, as their colors can spread, causing the stains to worsen.
However, once these stains have been removed, a heat generating extractor can be used.
Additionally, the type of carpet fiber can be a factor.
Although wool carpet is not as common as it once was, excessive heat may damage its appearance, according to some experts — damage that cannot be reversed.
However, "excessive" is the key word here, and many of these cautionary experts suggest that wool can be cleaned with hot water, but at a more moderate temperature — no hotter than 150 degrees Fahrenheit.
The Answer Is…
In most cases, a hot water extractor generating heat more than 200 degrees Fahrenheit will improve the effectiveness of the cleaning chemicals and help suspend or dissolve soils, resulting in better cleaning results and happier customers.
However, technicians should make sure two issues are addressed before going forward:
Most residential carpets today are made of nylon or other manmade materials, which can be cleaned with a hot water extractor.
However, and as referenced earlier, although wool is less popular today, it was the carpet of choice several years ago.
Because of this, technicians should watch for wool carpets, which they are more likely to encounter in older homes.
This is less of an issue in commercial facilities.
If the type of stain is not apparent by visual inspection, the easiest way to identify it is to simply ask the customer.
In most cases, the customer will know the source of the stain.
If this does not work, the IICRC teaches technicians several ways to identify carpet stains.


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By Letisia Marquez
Beneficiaries of the DREAM Act, a bill that would grant certain undocumented students and military service members permanent residency in the U.S. and provide a path to citizenship, could contribute trillions to the nation's economy over the next four decades, according to a new study by researchers at UCLA's North American Integration and Development Center.
The study estimates that if 825,000 undocumented youths obtain legal status under the legislation, they would generate $1.4 trillion in income over a 40-year period. If 2.1 million undocumented immigrants become legalized, they would contribute $3.6 trillion in income to the economy over the same period.
"No DREAMers Left Behind: The Economic Potential of DREAM Act Beneficiaries" uses data from an earlier report by the nonprofit Migration Policy Institute, which estimated that 825,000 undocumented youths were very likely to meet all the bill's requirements, which include stipulations that undocumented immigrants must have attended college or served in the military for a minimum of two years while maintaining good moral character.
Two million undocumented immigrants who are between the ages of 18 and 34 could eventually become eligible for the DREAM Act.
"This analysis shows that it is clearly in the nation's interest to enhance the possibilities that as many youth as possible take advantage of the DREAM Act and thus increase the potential benefit to the overall economy," the study's authors write.
"DREAMers make up a highly educated and potentially high-income earning group that can contribute billions of dollars to the U.S. economy across diverse industries," they add.
The report was authored by Raúl Hinojosa-Ojeda, the center's director and an associate professor of Chicano studies at UCLA; Paule Cruz Takash, the center's research director; and a group of undergraduate students and one alumna.
The full study can be found at
Source: http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/dream-act-beneficiaries-could-180175.aspx


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Levi Brown
Bison contains choline, a nutrient that may help keep stress at bay.
- Yield
- Makes 4 servings
- 4 ounces reduced or lowfat sharp cheddar, divided
- 1 pound lean ground bison
- 1 small jalapeño chile, finely diced
- 1 teaspoon grated lime zest, plus more for garnish
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Vegetable oil cooking spray
- 4 sourdough rolls, split
- Sliced red onion (optional)
- Lettuce (optional)
- Pickled jalapeño (optional)
- Light ranch dressing (optional)
- Cut 2 ounces cheddar into 1/4-inch dice; grate remaining 2 ounces cheddar. In a bowl, combine diced cheddar, bison, jalapeño, zest, chili powder, salt and pepper. Form bison mixture into four 3/4-inch-thick patties. Coat a grill rack or grill pan with cooking spray; heat over medium-high heat. Cook patties 5 minutes; flip and top each with 1/4 of grated cheddar; grill until internal temperature reaches 160°F, about 5 minutes. Place a patty on bottom of each roll. Garnish with zest and onion, lettuce, pickled jalapeño and ranch dressing, if desired. Top with other half of roll.
- *Can't find bison at your supermarket? Try Tony Little Body by Bison, available at HSN.com.
Per serving: 404 calories, 8 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 40 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber, 39 g protein


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Eric Zolt joined UCLA in 1985. Before joining UCLA, he was a partner in the Chicago law firm of Kirkland & Ellis, where he specialized in individual and corporate tax matters. Before practicing law, Eric was on the research staff of the Center for Policy Alternatives, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Eric teaches Introduction to Federal Income Taxation, Taxation of Business Entities, Taxation of International Transactions, Elements of Economic Organization (jointly offered with the UCLA Anderson School of Management), and seminars on Taxation and Democracy, Taxation and Development, and Comparative Tax Policy.
A successful teacher, Eric received the University's Distinguished Teaching Award in just his fourth year of teaching. He has also received the Law School's Rutter Award for Excellence in Teaching (1997). Eric has been twice been elected by the graduating class as Professor of the Year.
While on leave from UCLA, he served in the U.S. Department of the Treasury from 1989 through 1992. Eric served first as Deputy Tax Legislative Counsel in the Office of Tax Policy. In 1991, Eric then founded and served as the Director of the Treasury's Tax Advisory Program for Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union. Based at the U.S. Mission to the OECD in Paris, this program provided technical assistance to countries reforming their tax systems to be more compatible with a market economy. Eric later found out that Paris was not in Eastern Europe.
Eric continues to serve as a consultant to the Treasury Department, US AID, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. He has provided tax policy advice in over 30 countries. In 2016, Eric was appointed to the Eminent Expert Group on Tax Policies and Public Expenditure Management for Sustainable Development, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.
In 2002, Eric co-founded and served as the first Chair of the Executive Committee of the African Tax Institute, a training and research facility for tax policy and tax administration located at the University of Pretoria. In its first 15 years of operations, ATI has provided training to over 1,000 government tax officials from 20 different African countries.
Eric has been a visiting professor at California Institute of Technology (Winter 2012); Harvard Law School (William K. Jacobs, Jr. Visiting Professor of Law, Spring 2008 and John Harvey Gregory Lecturer on World Organization, Fall 2000 through Fall 2002); University of Toronto (Distinguished Visiting Professor, Fall 2007); Yale Law School (Jacquin D. Bierman Visiting Professor of Taxation, Fall 1997, Fall 1999, and Fall 2005); and at Sciences Po Aix (Spring 2009, Spring 2010, and Spring 2016). Eric also served as the Director of Harvard Law School's International Tax Program from June 2000 through June 2003.


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Cedar River Watershed Biodiversity
The Cedar River Watershed is a cross-section of habitat from the central Cascade Mountains crest to the Puget Sound lowlands. It provides protection to a rich biological diversity.
The watershed contains old-growth and second-growth forest, a variety of non-forested terrestrial habitats, and numerous streams and lakes.
Discover the watershed's biodiversity through a tour of our habitats.
The watershed provides a rare opportunity to preserve and restore biodiversity in western Washington. The City of Seattle is actively assessing and documenting its current biodiversity to serve as a regional benchmark and to help implement its habitat restoration activities under the Habitat Conservation Plan.
Watershed habitats and species:
Note: The Cedar River Watershed referred to in these web pages consists of the upper two-thirds of the hydrologic watershed, which is almost entirely under City of Seattle ownership. The lower third of the watershed, downstream of Landsburg, is largely under private ownership in unincorporated King County.


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A fine 1:8 large-scale collector's model of the Ferrari F2004 as raced in the San Marino Gran Prix, Imola. A Formula One racing car which Ferrari is used to win the 2004 Formula One World Championship, driven by Michael Schumacher to his seventh and final world title.
This model has been hand-crafted utilising the original CAD data supplied directly by Ferrari GES and has undergone strict scrutiny by both the design and engineering teams to ensure complete accuracy.
The F2004 has taken approximately 2500 hours to develop and each model has taken around 220 hours to hand-craft.
Beautifully packaged in an Amalgam Collection box - complete with certificate of authenticity.


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- 21 h 10
- 3 Comments
Anticlimax? Burda 114 11/2019 finished
Il y a 1 jour
I am Anne-Marie - A seamstress, passionate cyclist, runner, xcountry skier and house cook. I work in a university I love some where in Montreal. My time passed as a mother and a wife fills my life with lots of happyness as well. I love to be a busy sewing bee


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U.S. Manufacturing Up Against an Uneven Playing Field Globally12/04/2011
The last 10 years were indeed a "lost decade" for manufacturing employment in the Chicago region, as the Sun-Times reported last Sunday. But as the Sun-Times also noted, the country as a whole fared no better, shedding one-third of all factory jobs.
A national crisis demands a national response. Washington should not leave the states to fight among themselves for a slice of an ever-shrinking pie.
I am a strong believer in free markets, but the global economy in which American manufacturers compete is not a level playing field. Their foreign competitors often benefit from illegal trade practices and massive government intervention that gives them an unfair advantage.
Washington needs to fight such anti-competitive practices while also recognizing that government can play a constructive role in promoting American manufacturing's success within a free-market system. It can start by passing the Currency Reform for Fair Trade Act, H.R. 639, to make it easier to impose tariffs to combat China's currency manipulation, which has cost America countless jobs. Though this bill easily passed the House last year and similar legislation recently passed the Senate, House Republicans refuse to allow a vote on it.
A more proactive approach to enforcing existing laws to combat illegal trade practices by foreign countries would also help. What we do not need is more NAFTA-style trade agreements like the recently passed South Korea and Colombia trade deals, which President Obama pushed for and I voted against.
I understand that not everyone will agree with all of these prescriptions. But there are steps we can take to strengthen manufacturing that should be easy to agree to. One of them is passing the National Manufacturing Strategy Act, H.R. 1366, to develop a comprehensive, long-term strategy for revitalizing the manufacturing sector and sparking job creation. This is a simple bill, but one with the potential to have a major impact. It would require a board from the public and private sectors to conduct an in-depth analysis of U.S. manufacturing and then produce a wide-ranging plan for promoting its success. This process would be repeated every four years, keeping manufacturing on Washington's agenda.
Last year, not long after I introduced this bill, it passed the House 379-38. There is nothing in it to stop Congress from passing it in short order.
Some naysayers argue America simply cannot compete in manufacturing. They are wrong. Look at Germany. Like America, it's a high-wage country. But unlike the United States, it runs a trade surplus.
I also doubt that the pessimists fully grasp the ramifications of American manufacturing's decline. As a much-discussed article in the Harvard Business Review recently put it, "Decades of outsourcing manufacturing has left U.S. industry without the means to invent the next generation of high-tech products that are key to rebuilding its economy." For example, the offshoring of consumer electronics manufacturing allowed Asia to become an innovator in battery technology, which in turn gave manufacturers there a head start in developing hybrid and electric cars. Manufacturing is also critical to the defense of our nation.
America cannot afford another decade of manufacturing job losses. Washington owes it to the American people to implement a national manufacturing strategy.
U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski, a Democrat, represents the third congressional district from Illinois, which includes much of Chicago's Southwest Side and the southwest suburbs.


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Posted on 02 July 2013
Over the last couple of years, we seem to have been inundated in a swarm of new names for old things. Analog, digital, inbound, outbound, inside-out-upside-down-outboard marketing… enough already! How about… Marketing in a Plain Brown Wrapper "Marketing is marketing" is a statement that many have made, and there's a good deal of truth in […] Marketing: Why do we Try to Hide a Forest Among the Trees?
Posted on 07 September 2012
There's an old saying that says "You get what you pay for". Very few people will argue the logic of it, but very few give it any consideration when selecting service providers. Maybe they just feel lucky. The Economic Reality It's true that many of us need to save money whenever we can, and it's […] There ARE no Shortcuts!
Posted on 31 August 2012
Trying to wrap your mind around the term inbound marketing may give you a headache, so consider yourself warned. But to simplify it (a LOT), outbound marketing attempts to create a need or desire for what is offered, while inbound marketing attempts to satisfy an existing need or desire. Examples of Outbound Marketing: You're sitting […] Inbound Marketing? What Exactly IS That?
Posted on 31 August 2012
Like child-rearing and broccoli, if you ask 50 people what they consider to be the basic tenets of online professionalism, you're likely to get 50 different answers. But it should be safe to say that professionalism is less subjective than broccoli… or even child rearing, for that matter. Basic Decency There ought to be at […] What is Your Idea of Online Professionalism?
Posted on 21 May 2012
Responsive web design (RWD) is not a new concept, but it is finally receiving the attention it deserves due to the increasing number of handheld devices in use today. With the many different display sizes in use today, every website needs to cater to each specific device, in order to optimize the user experience. Users […] Responsive Web Design – HTML5+CSS3 or XHTML+RDFa?
Posted on 13 March 2012
Usability is most often defined as the quality of the user's interaction with a system or product. In the context of this article, we will be dealing specifically with website usability. Whether a website's primary purpose is to get the user to perform a desired function (conversion) or simply to impart information, the first step […] Usability in a Website Context
Posted on 13 June 2011
You have probably seen RDFa rich snippets, without realizing it, when using your favorite search engine. You were shown a series of listings with short summaries of what each listing contains. Increasingly, the SERPs are returning results containing these rich snippets, which provide a great deal more information to the users, to help them select […] RDFa Rich Snippets can Boost your Business
Comments Off on RDFa Rich Snippets can Boost your Business
Posted on 22 January 2011
A recent thread on Jill Whalen's forum sparked some controversial comments when she posted an anecdote regarding Google's indexing of site search pages on her site. There's nothing earth-shaking there, of course. What's interesting came from the comments and her responses to them. The first that caught my attention was: There's actually no use for […] Who Should We Believe? Jill, or Google?


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Throughout a week filled with heated confirmation hearings and a late-night vote-a-rama, one story continuously dogged Roll Call's Heard on the Hill reporter Alex Gangitano: some lawmakers kept taking down a controversial student painting in the Cannon tunnel. Watch the video for a play-by-play from Gangitano.
A tense House Judiciary Committee hearing was held Wednesday on the impeachment of IRS Commissioner John Koskinen, and it seems unlikely there will be a resolution this month. Koskinen fielded questions about a scandal -- that the agency applied extra scrutiny to conservative groups that applied for tax-exempt status -- that has badgered the IRS since before he became commissioner. How did this come about and what's expected to happen next in Congress?
Dollar bills rained onto the Senate floor Wednesday as protesters called on senators to reject a bill relating to labeling products with genetically modified organisms, or GMOs.
Alexis Baden-Mayer, political director of the Organic Consumers Association, and Adam Eidinger, a local activist and founder of "Occupy Monsanto," dropped more than $2,000 worth of dollar bills onto the floor around 4 p.m. to raise attention about large corporations' influence on the legislation.


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CYBERTK wrote:Hello All
Im 24 years old, I too wish to learn hacking..
I really getting tired of surfing the net all time searching for someone who can teach me this.
I hope im at the right place this time..
You are, as long as you are not expecting others to teach you. Teaching yourself is your very own responsibility. You can find all the resources needed for this on HTS. Good luck!


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Police investigating an alleged online GAA All-Ireland final ticketing scam have charged a man with fraud by false representation and theft.
The 30-year-old was arrested in the Belfast area in connection with a number of offences, including the alleged scam.
He is due to appear at Belfast Magistrates Court later today (Saturday, September 9).
As is normal procedure the case will be reviewed by the PPS.


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PHOTOSHOP MADNESS is where you practically go mad trying to find the most useful stuff for Photoshop out there among a jungle of bush-leagers, Rube Goldbergers, site scalpers, and domain kiters!
This month's quest for outstanding designing women brought us some rather extraordinary women in graphic arts. There seemed to be a theme that began to thread and weave its way through our discoveries -- attitude. As we learned in our talk about the "Guerrilla Girls" in this month's column -- there's a lot of attitude going on out there! So mingled in amongst the freebies and cool (other) Photoshop tutorials and stuff found, we're proud to present these Photoshopping Women with an attitude!
Always look out for broken links. I cannot believe how many people on the web allow their content links to go dead! Tsk, tsk, tsk. Anyway, if you hit a dead link in our Photoshop Madness series, please tell me about it! As always, we remind you, especially Windows users -- be careful what you click. There are malware, phishing stalker and predator links abundant in many of the replicated sites these days. Whatch those little popups in the text. Just stay on the tutorial / content paths and you'll be okay.
Grrrrrrrrrrrrr ....
Inspiration: Sarah Biebl Gestalt
Sarah Biebl is from Mannheim, Germany and has some real eye-candy of photography, illustration and digital art. She is currently working in an advertising agency.
Inspiration: Sarah Biebl Gestalt
Particles Pack - 25 Free Images
In case you haven't seen these, this resource pack includes 25 PNG images with transparent backgrounds of dirt, debris, and broken particles. All the PNG-s are around 3000 pixels wide at 300 dpi. Personal and commercial use is welcomed and encouraged! Jeya is one of the founders of Media Militia. (Reno, Nevada)
Particles Pack - 25 Free Images
Diamante Murru
Not much is known about Diamante artworks or Diamante Murru other than she has a remarkable eye for the bazaar, and she's really into blues and purples. She seems to have a marked propensity toward body perforations -- but then, we could be mistaken. Some of this stuff is startling ... all is wonderful
Diamante Murru
The Wisps Package -
While you're there, try putting some of these in a layer behind any graphic or 3D render. There are 10 images and all are around 3000px wide - 300 DPI. Also by Jeya.
The Wisps Package -
Ana Gomez: hard edged softness
Ana Gomez is an illustrator by choice, and a graphic designer by necessity. She got her start as a freelancer in Barcelona then moved to New York where she now focuses on illustration, graphic design, and drawing. Her work is remarkable, particularly for the amount of hard-edged detail mixed with softness. Don't miss her personal works on http://www.behance.net/Anenocena
Ana Gomez: hard edged softness
Elena Dolgova
Leave it to an Austrian to be just a little on the bawdy side! We love it. There's nothing bashful or reserved about Elena, and her art and design just sparkles heads above most others. You'll really like her "perverted playing cards" deck, which you can actually buy!
Elena Dolgova
Emily's self study in water
Emily Oldroyd, also from the United Kingdom claims to be a self-proclaimed genius. At age 19, I really don't think she's quite ready for that boast, but I'm firmly convinced that some day she will indeed achieve the honor. Others have recognized this raw talent too -- she has recently been commissioned to be the colourist for the comic Superhero Nation.
Amongst her art, you'll also find a gallery section called tutorials, where she shares her talents with you like how to paint hair in Photoshop. Outstanding. Her portfolio is not mature, but some of the pieces like her wonderful self study in water or Innocent and End of Humanatee speak to the viewer on a primal level.
Paree's Textures Photostream
Paree has always been interested in Photography and Design -- loves Photoshop - self taught, learns completely from online tutorials and fiddling. See pareeerica's photostream http://www.flickr.com/photos/8078381@N03/ and then feast your eyes on this Photostream!
Paree's Textures Photostream
Floral Brush Set by Jaaaiiro
This pretty good Floral Brush Set by Jaaaiiro includes five Floral Brushes for Photoshop in High Resolution ... and you can download it here:
Floral Brush Set by Jaaaiiro
Don't let Photoshop Madness get you down!
There are always lots of spectacular Photoshop images and visuals out there! Share them! We'll be back shortly with MORE Photoshop Madness ... and please -- BE CAREFUL WHERE YOU SURF ... but when you do find a great Photoshop practitioner, or a good Photoshop tutorial, please share it with us! If you create Photoshop Tutorials yourself, please post your info here so you can be considered for a Photoshop Fave!
Of course, some of our favorite editions of Photoshop Madness can be found in the legacy Photoshop Tips & Tricks web site!
See the last edition of Photoshop Madness
Thanks for reading
Don't forget ... we encourage you to share your discoveries and favorites with other readers. Just comment below, discuss it in the Design Cafe, send an email, or give me a tweet at Twitter/DTG_Magazine


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Big East M5: 12.07.12 EditionPosted by Dan Lyons on December 7th, 2012
- Some of the speculation circling the Big East's media contract negotiations sound fairly dire, but conference officials and commissioner Mike Aresco remain optimistic. While the league expected to sign off on a deal around $100 million in value, the major hits that the conference has taken in both school departures and in the restructuring of the football postseason system has left the Big East very solidly in the sixth spot, behind the other five power conferences. CBS Sports.com reported that the conference's deal may only come out to $60-$80 million, well short of original expectations. The Big East is now trying to add value by negotiating with multiple potential media partners, and discussing structures that would pit bigger name schools against each other more often in basketball: "The media companies really like that idea, and so do our basketball schools… It's the kind of thing that will strengthen our conference."
- In order to teach his team the value of defense, Rick Pitino dusted off some DVDs from all the way back in the mid-2000s and showed his team the play of past Cards such as Andre McGee, Earl Clark, and Terrence Williams. Pitino seems to be stressing the zone this year, which has been a trend throughout the Big East. Obviously, Syracuse has been playing nearly-exclusive zone since the mid-90s, but Louisville has started playing more of the defense over the years, and even Georgetown has added the 2-3 to its repertoire this year (to great success). Jim Boeheim has used his zone to give his team easy offensive opportunities for years, as well as to bait opposing teams into strings of bad possessions, and other programs are catching on. Of course, Pitino isn't the only coach adding some new weapons to the arsenal that other teams have featured. Boeheim put Syracuse in a Pitino-esque full court zone-press for virtually all of the team's game against Eastern Michigan. Just as one might assume these old coaches can't be taught new tricks, they steal one from their rival's bag.
- One of Connecticut's major struggles this year has been generating any kind of presence down low. Enter: Enosch Wolf. The 7'1″ German center had a breakout performance in the Huskies' loss to NC State at Madison Square Garden earlier this week, scoring 12 points and pulling down nine rebounds. While Tyler Olander and DeAndre Daniels continue to struggle, if the Huskies can get serious production out of Wolf, it takes a lot of pressure off of Shabazz Napier and Ryan Boatright, a duo who currently account for 47% of UConn's total offense.
- After only averaging 10.3 minutes per game in 2011-12, Michael Carter-Williams has emerged as a star for Syracuse, averaging 11.5 points and leading the nation with 9.5 assists per game this season. The rangy sophomore has flirted with a triple-double on a few occasions this year, coming one assist shy at Arkansas and three rebounds away against Eastern Michigan. "MCW" has four double-digit assist games, and also averages 3.7 steals per contest. When he was recruited, few knew much about the then-three star Carter-Williams, but he quickly shot up the recruiting boards to eventually become a McDonald's All-American, and at 6'6″, Syracuse fans salivated at the thought of him playing at the top of the zone. That potential seems to be coming to fruition, and if Carter-Williams can consistently knock down his jumper this season, he may develop into another high draft pick for Syracuse very soon.
- Coming off of a poor showing in an 82-49 loss to Florida, Marquette takes on in-state rival Wisconsin on Saturday. Wisconsin, which under Bo Ryan is known for the swing offense, has transitioned into more of a Princeton-offense style team this season, a switch which concerns the Marquette staff. The team was used to seeing the Badgers on a regular basis but will be fairly unfamiliar with how Wisconsin plays this season. They may be without Josh Gasser, but Buzz Williams still thinks that Wisconsin is an extremely dangerous team: "I think offensively, as they've figured out how to play without Josh and as they've become more accustomed to their new offensive system, I think they're getting better." Despite the change in system, Wisconsin still beats teams in the same ways: efficient, well-rounded shooting from three-point range, and aggressive man-to-man defense that prevents other teams from doing the same. A win in this rivalry game would really help take the bad taste from the Florida loss out of Golden Eagles fans' mouths.


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The Other Lamb
Most of the movie keeps up the narrative suspense against a gorgeous but bleak minimalistic backdrop of rainy, windswept mountains.
Most of the movie keeps up the narrative suspense against a gorgeous but bleak minimalistic backdrop of rainy, windswept mountains.
Rarely have I been more frustrated by a documentary production's formal choices and how they interfere with the engaging content of the story they're trying…
Roger Ebert on James Ivory's "Howards End".
"The Ballad of Narayama" is a Japanese film of great beauty and elegant artifice, telling a story of startling cruelty. What a space it opens…
Chaz Ebert essay about the cancellation of Ebertfest 2020 and presenting an exclusive video of Ebertfest 2019.
A whimsical ode to the comic book character She-Hulk, who will be receiving her own Disney+ series.
A video essay celebrating Richard Lester's maligned masterpiece, Juggernaut.
Chaz Ebert essay about the cancellation of Ebertfest 2020 and presenting an exclusive video of Ebertfest 2019.
A correspondent offers her advice on stuff to binge during the quarantine.
Recommendations from Far Flung Correspondent Seongyong Cho about films other than Parasite that represent the best in modern South Korean film.
An interview with Malgorzata Szumowska about her English-language debut, The Other Lamb.
An interview with show co-creator Dana Fox and director Jon M. Chu about the new AppleTV series, Home Before Dark.
"My mother just gets … impulsive. She has these ideas about things …"
That's 17-year-old Norman Bates (Freddie Highmore) in the premiere episode of "Bates Motel," explaining to his admiring new teacher, Miss Watson (Keegan Connor Tracy), why he's been bounced around to five different high schools. His mother Norma (Vera Farmiga) has just moved them from Arizona to White Pine Bay, a sleepy coastal Oregon town, following the tragic (accidental?) death of her second husband. Apparently Norma has valid reasons for her impulsive behavior. Either that, or … she just goes a little crazy sometimes.
We've heard that line before; it's from Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 horror/suspense classic "Psycho," in which motel owner Norman (now in his twenties and played by Anthony Perkins) is revealed to be a homicidal psychopath, driven to murder by an extreme case of split personality.
Inspired by Hitchcock's film (and to a lesser extent, Robert Bloch's 1959 novel, which describes Norman as a pudgy, bald 40-ear-old), "Bates Motel" is being billed as "a contemporary prequel," allowing an exploration of teenage Norman's unraveling psyche in a present-day setting. It's a savvy ploy by veteran TV showrunners Carlton Cuse ("Lost") and Kerry Ehrin ("Friday Night Lights"), combining pre-"Psycho" history with new twists and turns while catering to all the commercial obligations (pop song soundtracks, social-net promotions, etc.) of TV in the age of Facebook and Twitter.
Forget about those good-and-bad "Psycho" sequels and that ill-conceived "Bates Motel" TV movie from 1987; this "Bates Motel" is a stand-alone series with its own set of unsolved mysteries. Some of Hitchcock's iconic imagery remains: The 12-room motel and adjacent Gothic house (exterior sets that have been a centerpiece of the Universal Studios tour for decades) have been faithfully recreated, and the perfect casting of Highmore ("Finding Neverland") makes it easy to connect the troubled-teen Norman with Perkins' memorable original. We also get a hint of Norman's future hobby: taxidermy, another connection to Perkins' character.
A sampling of the first three episodes reveals a few other subtle nods to Hitchcock, and by lucky coincidence, Farmiga (especially with her blonde hair pulled back in a bun) is a physical match for the stuffed corpse that is shockingly revealed in the climax of "Psycho."
That we're familiar with Norma's fate adds another layer of spooky psychology to "Bates Motel." We know this story won't end well for Norman and his mother, but their "Psycho" destinies are still years in the future, and "Bates Motel" is subtly propelled by an underlying sense of dread and foreboding.
The show's original plot elements are more conventionally designed to appeal to TV's most coveted, young-skewing demographic, placing "Bates Motel" on a pop-cultural continuum with series created and/or produced by Kevin Williamson ("The Vampire Diaries"), Joss Whedon ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer") and Cuse's "Lost" partner J.J. Abrams ("Alias"). The high school setting is distinctly Whedon-esque, with popular, good-looking kids like Bradley Martin (Nicola Peltz) toting smartphones and playing nice with new-kid Norman while nerdy classmate Emma (Olivia Cooke) copes with Cystic Fibrosis (requiring constant use of an oxygen tank) and recruits kindred-spirit Norman in her quest to solve White Pine Bay's darkest mystery.
It's here that "Bates Motel" introduces plot elements that may (or may not) ensure its viability a an ongoing series. After a violent intrusion by the motel's disgruntled previous owner (who lost the property to foreclosure), Norma and Norman suddenly have a capital crime to conceal, just as the entire town is hiding secrets of its own. White Pine Bay is Oregon's answer to Humboldt County, California: its thriving economy is built on huge, carefully guarded pot-growing farms. And while Sheriff Romero (played by "Lost" alumnus Nestor Carbonell) pursues a possibly sinister agenda, Deputy Shelby (Mike Vogel) finds himself attracted to Norma -- and harbors a cellarful of secrets that give Buffalo Bill's (from "The Silence of the Lambs") a run for their money.
Add some underground sex trafficking — not to mention the unwelcome arrival of Norman's black-sheep half-brother Dylan (Max Theriot) — and you've got enough bad behavior to keep "Bates Motel" percolating for at least its debut season, but anything beyond that remains to be seen (or ordered). Directed by series coproducer Tucker Gates, the premier episode effectively introduces character dynamics that hold promise for revelations to come: Norman is clearly struggling with intensifying "mommy issues," and raging hormones only add to his bottled-up anxieties.
Norma has her own problems: She's a maternal menace, an overprotective manipulator with a martyr complex. When she's not guilt-tripping Norman as he yearns for high-school normalcy, she encourages intimacy with her boy that's too close for comfort. "We belong to each other," she reminds Norman, fueling the Oedipal complex that Hitchcock subtly alluded to in "Psycho."
The role hints at tantalizing possibilities, and it's safe bet that the fiercely talented Farmiga (an Oscar nominee who earned well-deserved praise for directing and starring in "Higher Ground") would not have signed on without assurances of sustainable quality. Based on its first three episodes, "Bates Motel" is off to a promising start. Whether it lasts until Norma's inevitable rendezvous with mortality is, at this point, anybody's guess.
This message came to me from a reader named Peter Svensland. He and a fr...
A review of the new miniseries Unorthodox, now playing on Netflix.
While the pandemic will pass, our awareness of each other should not.
A tribute to the late director, Stuart Gordon.


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All News Releases By Date
EPA Begins Effort to Reduce Children's Exposure to Lead Paint in New Haven, Conn. Area
Release Date: 04/07/2014
Contact Information: David Deegan, (617) 918-1017
BOSTON – In an effort to improve compliance with laws that protect children from lead paint poisoning, EPA is sending letters to approximately 200 home renovation and painting contractors, property management companies and landlords in and around New Haven, Conn. announcing a compliance assistance and enforcement initiative. The EPA letter outlines steps EPA is taking to increase compliance on the part of these entities with the federal lead-based paint Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) Rule under the Toxic Substances Control Act.
EPA's RRP Rule, which became effective in April 2010, is designed to prevent children's exposure to lead-based paint and/or lead-based paint hazards resulting from renovation, repair and repainting projects in residences, schools and other buildings where children are likely to be.
This Rule requires individual renovators and firms performing renovations to be trained and certified so that they follow lead safe work practices during renovations of pre-1978 housing and child-occupied facilities in order to protect children from lead poisoning.
The letter EPA is sending to New Haven-area contractors, landlords and property management companies invites these entities to an information session at the New Haven Health Department office, 54 Meadow Street, New Haven, on April 16, 2014 from 3 to 6 pm where EPA will provide an overview of the RRP Rule requirements, and introduce an expedited settlement offer for one violation of the RRP Rule. The letter also notifies the contractors that EPA will be inspecting a number of them in June 2014.
During April and May, EPA will offer compliance assistance on the RRP Rule to companies and the public in the New Haven area. In June, EPA lead inspectors will inspect numerous renovation, painting and property management companies in the New Haven area regarding their compliance with the RRP Rule. The inspections may be followed up with enforcement.
Besides increasing protection for children's health, EPA aims to ensure a "level playing field" for individuals and companies that are already complying with the RRP Rule. EPA is coordinating with many agencies, including the New Haven Health Department and the Connecticut Department of Public Health on this initiative.
EPA is doing this initiative in the New Haven area because public health records indicate that New Haven has one of the highest rates of childhood lead exposure in New England. Infants and children are especially vulnerable to lead paint exposure, which can cause lifelong impacts including developmental impairment, learning disabilities, impaired hearing, reduced attention span, hyperactivity and behavioral problems. Because New England has so much older housing stock, lead paint is still frequently present in buildings that were built before 1978, when lead paint was banned.
More information:
- Lead paint RRP Rule (https://www.epa.gov/lead/rrp/index.html)
- Why lead is a health hazard (https://www.epa.gov/lead/learn-about-lead.html)
# # #
Search this collection of releases | or search all news releases
View selected historical press releases from 1970 to 1998 in the EPA History website.


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Glittering Vices
A New Look at the Seven Deadly Sins and Their Remedies
- Format
- Paperback
- 9781587432323
- Dimensions
- 5.5 x 8.5
- Pub. Date
- Jun 2009
- $18.99
- Carton Quantity
- 30
- Number of pages
- 208
- Format
- Paperback
- 9781587434402
- Dimensions
- 6 x 9
- Pub. Date
- May 2020
- $21.99
- Carton Quantity
- 32
- Number of pages
- 288
- Format
- E-Book
- 9781441204271
- Pub. Date
- Jun 2009
- $18.99
- Format
- E-Book
- 9781493422166
- Pub. Date
- May 2020
- $21.99
Where to Purchase
Unfortunately, contemporary culture trivializes, psychologizes, or even dismisses the seven vices as if they have no serious moral or spiritual implications. Glittering Vices clears that misconception with a brief history of the vices and an informative chapter on each "deadly sin." Readers gain practical understanding of how the vices shape our culture and why gluttony, lust, sloth, and others are, in fact, incredibly destructive. Through this eye-opening book, readers will be able to correctly identify and eliminate the deeply rooted patterns of sin that are work in their lives.
Winsome and wise, Glittering Vices is intriguing for any reader interested in spiritual disciplines and character formation. Its rich content makes it useful in undergraduate and seminary ethics courses as well.
"This book is a treat for the mind and a tonic for the soul, recovering and refining riches in the Christian tradition almost lost from view. It is not often that one reads a work that is as intellectually deep and sharp as this one, but that is also intensely practical, helping its readers become the persons they were created to be."--C. Stephen Evans, Baylor University
"Glittering Vices is a lucid, historically informed, and well-illustrated exploration of the seven deadly vices. DeYoung's book will unquestionably help teachers, students, and laypersons toward the Socratic and Christian goal of self-examination. This is an invaluable guide for anyone seeking self-understanding, spiritual growth, and philosophical insight."--W. Jay Wood, Wheaton College
"Rebecca DeYoung here gives us an in-depth, informing, and frequently fascinating look at the vices and why they glitter. For the believer, reading her words will become, in and of itself, an act of spiritual formation."--Phyllis Tickle, author of Greed
"Rebecca DeYoung's Glittering Vices gives us the seven words we need to name the deep-rooted distortions of love of God and neighbor--both within ourselves and in our culture. This lively introduction to the Christian psychology behind the capital vices, or 'deadly sins,' engages contemporary film and fiction even as it sifts the wisdom of Aquinas, Gregory, and Cassian. In DeYoung, the rich tradition of self-examination through the lens of the capital vices has found a contemporary advocate, faithful and wise."--Robert B. Kruschwitz, director of the Center for Christian Ethics, Baylor University
The Author
Winner of a C. S. Lewis Book Prize
"A serious, scripturally based revisitation of the perils conservative Christians face from the traditional deadly sins. . . . Suitable for many [collections]."--Library Journal
"Christian readers and readers of other deistic faiths will benefit from the reminder that a divinity is offended by those who act in loveless and other destructive ways; agnostic and atheist readers will be edified by this exhaustive compendium of the ways in which 'vice' is glorified and even celebrated in media, literature, and contemporary life."--Virginia Konchan, ForeWord
"Glittering Vices is a felicitous blend of the scholarly and the hortatory. DeYoung is too sophisticated--and too much of a Thomist--to reduce sin to sociology or therapy. . . . This book is full of subtlety. DeYoung is very good at explaining why 'deadly' sins are not always the sins that threaten violence and danger."--Lawrence S. Cunningham, Commonweal
"Glittering Vices is an excellent and important contribution. . . . It offers a thoughtful, historically informed, and engaging account of the so-called 'seven deadly sins' or 'capital vices'--an account in which most readers are bound to catch glimpses of themselves and that can therefore be put to good use in a program of spiritual formation. . . . The discussion in these chapters draws heavily and fruitfully from various Christian thinkers of the past--particularly Thomas Aquinas--while also exhibiting a familiarity with the contemporary literature on its subject. The author also makes regular and effective use of illustrations from literature, music, and film. Given its accessibility, far-reaching scope, and 'glittering' subject matter, Glittering Vices is potentially useful in a wide range of contexts: from retreats, to small groups, to adult Christian education courses, to undergraduate academic courses in ethics or theology. . . . Glittering Vices is an impressive example of philosophy undertaken as 'soul care.' And, unlike many contemporary treatments of its subject matter, it makes good sense of, rather than obfuscates, why the traits in question have traditionally been regarded as posing a mortal threat to human flourishing."--Jason Baehr, Journal of Spiritual Formation & Soul Care
"The author's insights are trenchant and often convicting--the portraits of vice are drawn realistically enough to easily see one's self in them. Fortunately, DeYoung also details historical 'remedies' for each vice. These practices, along with some drawn from more recent sources or devised by the author herself, are practical and seemingly effective. DeYoung . . . writes like a true expert--her prose flows well and holds the attention while providing the perfect amount of background detail. . . . Glittering Vices is an excellent, concise treatment of a highly relevant subject. Its content and structure make it perfect for group study or personal reading. Even those already familiar with the traditional vices and virtues may find it a worthwhile read, either for the vice 'remedies' or for a solid recommendation for others interested in the topic."--Chase Roden, Englewood Review of Books
"An illuminating account of each of the vices, illustrated and explained in such a way that any thoughtful reader will inevitably find one or more chapters illuminating some previously unrecognized vicious inclination within his or her own soul. . . . The achievement of this book is the solid and straightforward recovery of the tradition of teaching about the vices as an essential but regrettably overlooked element of virtue theory today. The fact that DeYoung's illustrations are so illuminating, and that the language of the vices remains so foreign and unfamiliar to popular and specialist audiences alike, is proof that this recovery is not complete. DeYoung's work is a welcome reminder of the importance of the vices for any genuine virtue theory, and an effective starting-point for a more rigorous and systematic integration of the vices into virtue theory today."--Robert Barry, The Thomist
"A very readable, riveting, popular book about the seven deadly sins. . . . Having read numerous books on the seven deadly sins, I find Professor DeYoung's book to be in a category all its own. Pastors, please get a copy and read it, ponder it, and at some point preach on these enticing vices. . . . Because of Rebecca's saturated awareness of the Desert Fathers' and Mothers' writings on these capital sins, she writes with an informed biblical and historical depth to which I have never been exposed. . . . While Professor DeYoung instructs us with fine, gripping, historically-informed definitions of the principal vices, she does so with a readable prose that also describes our cultural challenges to live liberated from these sins. . . . With literary surgical precision [DeYoung] helps us open our hearts to God, helps us some see the stains we carry, and then helps us to begin practicing some ancient, tried and true remedies. . . . [An] excellent book."--John Frye, Jesus Creed blog


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Let our student Residential Maintenance staff help you.
The student Residential Maintenance staff provides emergency maintenance after normal business hours and on weekends. Typical calls include clogged toilets, sinks, showers or tubs, water leaks, malfunctioning smoke detectors, light-bulb replacement and heater problems.
Call campus dispatch at (360) 867-6832 if you have an emergency. Dispatch will need the basic information about your emergency and will contact the on-duty Resident Maintenance. Non-emergency work orders will be completed during normal business hours.
Non-emergency repairs
If you complete your work order online, you can keep track of your request.
Student staff are available to fix items that are furnished with your apartment/unit. Complete a work order online or call the work order line (360) 867-6764. You will need to supply your name, phone and room number, and details of the work needed.
Work orders are prioritized depending on the situation (overflowing toilets take priority over a burned out light).
By submitting a work order you give Housing staff permission to enter your room. You do not need to be present during the repair. Staff will leave a note on your door stating the status of work completed.
Please be as specific as possible when you submit your work order, e.g. rather than "my sink doesn't work," instead tell us "the left-hand bathroom sink isn't getting any cold water." Be sure to create work orders as they occur to keep our facilities in tip-top shape and to prevent any further damage that an issue may cause.


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Micromax PC Suite – Page From Androiderode.com!
Micromax is an India electronics manufacturer, they are doing awesome jobs in manufacturing both affordable and high-end devices. From androiderode.com, you have seen lots of articles about PC Suite and Drivers for each Micromax android devices. Some of you feel difficult to found them. So I created this page which has links to the articles about PC Suite.
Download Micromax PC Suite and Drivers
If you can't find your model here, then leave your model no. in below comment box!


text:
Browse All Academic Researcher Resources
- About SAS Analytics U BlogGet resources, tips, news and more about SAS technologies and the world of analytics in our blog specifically for university students and professors.
- About SAS Analytics U CommunityJoin our online, interactive community where you can get valuable resources for teaching and learning SAS, connect with fellow SAS users and more.
- Academic DiscountsPrepare for a career or advance your SAS knowledge for less by taking advantage of a variety of discounts offered to the academic community.
- SAS BooksFind the perfect book to help you learn SAS. You'll find books on a variety of topics pertinent to student interests at all levels – from beginner to advanced.
- SAS Certification for AcademicsGet SAS certified, and set yourself apart. Students, educators and other academic staff can get 50 percent off the standard certification exam fees.
- Free SAS e-LearningLearn SAS quickly and easily with free, hands-on e-learning courses that you can access wherever you have an internet connection.
- Free SAS How-To VideosLearn how to use SAS at your own pace by checking out our library of free video tutorials designed for students and professors.


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New York, July 10, 2014--Donor countries should bring diplomatic pressure on Burma's government and reconsider their economic support for the country following Thursday's sentencing of four journalists of a magazine and the publication's chief executive to 10 years of hard labor in prison, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
The five--reporters and editors Yazar Soe, Sithu Soe, Lu Maw Naing, and Paing Thet Kyaw, and chief executive Tint San--worked for the independent Yangon-based Unity weekly news journal, according to news reports. They were arrested in February and convicted under Burma's 1923 State Secrets Act, which forbids anyone from entering a prohibited place for any reason "prejudicial to the safety or interests of the state," reports said.
Formal hearings in the case began on March 17, according to reports. The group's lawyer said he would appeal the verdict.
"CPJ is alarmed that journalists were tried under a 100-year-old spying statute and slammed with an outrageously harsh sentence," said CPJ Asia Program Coordinator Bob Dietz. "This conviction should shatter any illusions that President Thein Sein's government grasps the role of a free press in a democracy. The international community should act quickly to not only get this decision reversed, but to impress upon the government that its anti-media stance will jeopardize future economic assistance."
The conviction stemmed from a January 25 story in the Unity that alleged the Burmese military was operating a secret weapons facility, which consisted of underground tunnels on more than 3,000 acres of land in Magwe Division. Local villagers cited in the report said Chinese technicians were frequently seen at the facility and that its workers told reporters they were producing chemical weapons. The magazine published denials from government officials about the claims.
Unity stopped appearing soon after the article was published.
Burma has often used repressive legislation to silence critical voices. Rights groups including CPJ have often expressed concern at the country's moves away from press freedom, including its use of state security charges to censor journalists. CPJ has cautioned against premature praise for Burma's pledge for media-related reforms after the country emerged from decades of international isolation in 2011.


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Duravit Starck 1 Round Washbowl
View Selection
Probably the best known and most successful of the New Design generation, Philippe Starck is synonymous with imagination and impeccable design. The Starck 1 collection is a streamlined ceramic and wood masterpiece. Since its launch in 1994, all products in the range – ceramic, furniture, baths and accessories – are hand-crafted using the same methods, consistently boasting Starck's hallmark of precise quality.
Delivery & Returns
For Online Orders
or return your order.
on price
any competitor quote
(on a like for like basis)


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If you've ever witnessed the cruelty life can dish out to the undeserving and wondered what it will take to change, wonder no more. If you've ever seen devastated bodies and souls and wished one person could make a difference, wish no more. If you've ever seen the suffering encircling this planet and wished there was something, anything, you could do to help, we present to you, TheGive5.
You can relieve human suffering by helping rescue a child from a brothel, by providing reconstructive surgery for female victims of intentional acid burn or war rape. You can help feed the hundreds of thousands in refugee camps, bring medical attention into the heart of a war zone, drill for water in a desert, combat disease, bring safety and love to a tiny, orphaned victim of the AIDS epidemic, or organize thousands of tons of food to get to the victims of the next disaster. TheGive5 - it's really many of us helping many in need.
Thank you for taking a few minutes to look over this site.


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There is clearly no embarrassment threshold at the Associated Press, aka the Administration's Press.
In a dispatch today, an unbylined AP report headlined "Romney: Benghazi a 'Terrorist Attack'" seems to act as if this is some kind of revelation to the GOP nominee even though everyone except Obama administration insiders desperately trying to bring life to the corpse formerly known as the Arab Spring have been saying that for well over a week. It gets much worse than that in the report's third paragraph:
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and President Barack Obama's top spokesman each have said the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi was a terrorist attack. Obama himself has not used that language.
Clearly, readers are supposed to believe that Mrs. Clinton, U.S. officials, and Obama spokespersons have been saying that all along. Of course they haven't been saying that at all until very, very recently.
On September 14, administration officials characterized a report in the UK Independent as "absolutely wrong." It was mostly if not absolutely right.
On September 16, five days after the Benghazi attack and several days after those with open eyes pretty much had it pegged as a terrorist attack ("current and former U.S. lawmakers, and others, claimed Wednesday that the attack looked like a coordinated strike"), UN Ambassador Susan Rice insisted to Fox News's Chris Wallace and Jake Tapper at ABC (HT Hot Air) that:
(to Wallace) "This was not a pre-planned, pre-meditated attack," she said on Fox News Sunday. "What happened initially was a spontaneous reaction to what had just transpired in Cairo as a consequence of the video.
(to Tapper) "Our current best assessment, based on the information that we have at present, is that, in fact, what this began as, it was a spontaneous – not a premeditated – response to what had transpired in Cairo," Rice told me this morning on "This Week."
The AP is clearly trying to flush all of the administration's embarrassing and disgraceful behavior last week down the memory hole. In the process, though the self-described Essential Global News Network thoroughly embarrasses itself with anyone who's closely following the news, it must think it's worth it to keep relatively disengaged readers uninformed and less inclined to abandon Dear Leader at the polling booth.
There is no way this kind of gloss-over would be happening if the presidential incumbent were a Republican or conservative.
Cross-posted at BizzyBlog.com.


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Graham Dudgeon, MathWorks
Modeling and simulation studies of a wind farm offer a means to mitigate technical and operational risk by enabling the engineering team to explore design trade-offs, assess control and management system operation, estimate achievable production with confidence, and perform fault studies in a safe and repeatable environment.
In this webinar, MathWorks engineers show how MATLAB and Simulink are used to model and simulate large-scale wind farms that contain hundreds of separate wind turbines. Simulink features such as block callbacks, model reference and parallel model reference build are used to provide a framework for efficient large-scale model development.
This webinar uses MathWorks Release R2012b.
Recorded: 5 Nov 2012