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Samsung Israel says Galaxy S II ICS update coming Mar. 15
Rumors of a March launch for the Samsung Galaxy S II's Android 4.0 upgrade have been circulating for a while, but now it seems we may have the first official word on when the update will land. Samsung Mobile Israel has today made a statement on its official Facebook page, saying it expects ICS for the Galaxy S II to roll out on unlocked and carrier-branded handsets in Israel from Mar. 15.
Roughly translated, the post reads --
We promised we were working on it. You waited patiently. And on 15 March it'll arrive: Android version 4, ICS, to tens of thousands of GALAXY S II devices purchased from cellular companies in the country or directly from us. We are very excited for the launch, hope you are too :)
While this is great news for Galaxy S II owners in Israel (as well as those with the unlocked international version upon which it's based), other territories may have a little longer to wait. We'd expect this to be particularly true for the U.S., where hardware differs from carrier to carrier.
So far, the steady trickle of leaked ICS ROMs for the Galaxy S II have shown Samsung making progress towards stable builds over the past couple of months. We'll keep you posted with any further announcements, while we cross our fingers for a Mar. 15 launch.
Source: Samsung Mobile Israel; Thanks, Orenium!


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Several new members have been elected to the Hope College Board of Trustees.
Newly elected to serve four-year terms on the board are Jeffrey S. Clark of Grand Rapids; Dan Gordon of Ada; Dean L. Overman of Washington, D.C.; Douglas C. Ruch of Zeeland; Beth A. Snyder of Arlington, Va.; Dr. Joanne L. Stewart of Holland; and the Rev. Jill Ver Steeg of Johnston, Iowa.
The board has also re-elected Dr. Kenneth G. Elzinga of Charlottesville, Va., and Theodore S. Etheridge III of West Olive to four-year terms.
Trustees concluding service on the board are Gary D. DeWitt of Holland; Lynne R. Hendricks of Holland; Peter H. Huizenga of Oak Brook, Ill.; Dr. Fred L. Johnson III of Holland; Mark A. Suwyn of Miamisburg, Ohio; and the Rev. Dr. Charles E. Van Engen of Glendora, Calif.
Joel G. Bouwens (pictured) is continuing to serve as chairperson, Brian W. Koop of Holland is continuing as vice-chairperson. Dr. David W. Lowry of Holland is continuing as secretary.
Clark is president and chief executive officer of National Heritage Academies. He and his wife, Kim, are both 1994 Hope graduates, and have been active in the life of the college in a variety of ways since graduation. They have four children at home.
° Dan Gordon is chief executive officer of Gordon Food Service. His community involvements include serving on the Helen DeVos Children's Hospital Foundation Board; Hope students support Helen DeVos Children's Hospital annually through Dance Marathon. His son Tommy graduated from Hope in 2008.
° Dean Overman is retired from serving as a senior partner with Winston & Strawn, and was partner-in-charge of the firm's Washington, D.C., office for many years. He is currently chairman of The Arbella Company Ltd. His active involvement in the life of the college has included presenting seminars for students participating in Hope's Washington Honors Semester, in addition to presenting the Commencement address in 1978 and the Opening Convocation address in 2003. A 1965 Hope graduate, he received a Distinguished Alumni Award from Hope in May.
° Douglas Ruch, a 1981 Hope graduate, is president and chief executive officer of the Fleetwood Group Inc. of Holland. He chaired the college's business and industry community campaign during 2008-09. He and his wife, Linda, have three sons: Dustin and Mitch, who graduated from Hope in 2007 and 2010 respectively, and Bryant, who will be a freshman at Hope this fall.
° Beth Snyder has worked for Exxon Mobil for nearly nine years, and in April became program officer for the corporation's U.S. educational and environmental contributions programs, for which she will relocate to Dallas, Texas, in September. A 1994 Hope graduate, she is a past member of the college's Alumni Association Board of Directors, of which she was president in 2005 and 2006.
° Dr. Joanne Stewart is a professor of chemistry at Hope, where she has taught since 1988. Her professional interests are in the scholarship of teaching and learning and in using emerging web technologies to build an international community of inorganic chemistry scholars. She is the director of Hope's Howard Hughes Medical Institute program, a 1.4 million dollar program that supports research, teaching, and outreach in the sciences.
° Rev. Jill Ver Steeg is a teaching pastor at Meredith Drive Reformed Church in Des Moines, Iowa. She holds her Master of Divinity degree from Western Theological Seminary, and was a chaplain at Hope from 2000 to 2003. Her husband, the Rev. Shane Ver Steeg, LISW, is a 1998 Hope graduate.

subset: commoncrawl


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A story... at someone else's expense.
From: David Lee Roberts
Dear Click & Clack,
A friend of mine sent me the following recently, and I immediately thought this would be someone you could identify with:
Being Retired
Working people frequently ask retired people what they do to make their days interesting. I went to the store the other day.
I was only in there for about 5 minutes. When I came out there was a city cop writing out a parking ticket.
I went up to him and said, "Come on, buddy, how about giving a senior a break?" He ignored me and continued writing the ticket.
I called him a Nazi. He glared at me and started writing another ticket for having worn tires.
So I called him a piece of horse *)$#. He finished the second ticket and put it on the windshield with the first.
Then he started writing a third ticket.This went on for about 20 minutes... the moreI abused him, the more ticket she wrote.
I didn't give a darn.
My car was parked around the corner.
I try to have a little fun each day now that I'm retired.
It's important at my age.


text:
IRS contribution limits increase for 2020
Is your future a priority? Taking action can pay off later
53% of Americans plan to live to age 100
We can help you Plan for 100SM during National Retirement Security Week, Oct 20-26.
AIG Plan for 100 Elder Financial Abuse Study
Read the key findings from our new research study on elder financial abuse.
How To Match An Annuity To A Retirement Need
Read more in an article from InsuranceNewsNet Magazine by AIG's Bryan Pinsky, Senior Vice President, Individual Retirement Products.
New FutureFIT University Enhancements
We've made some enhancements to FutureFIT University! Check out the new personalized playlist feature when you sign in to your account.
Honoring those who provide care in times of need.
National Nurses Week, May 6 – 12
Honoring teachers for making a difference.
Teacher Appreciation Week, May 6 – 10
More than half of Americans want to live to 100
AIG Life & Retirement kicks off Plan for 100 to educate Americans to prepare for increased longevity
National Retirement Planning Week, April 8 – 12
Plan for 100SM by saving for a longer life in retirement.
VALIC Rebrands to AIG Retirement Services
Our new name leverages strength, scale and brand of AIG.
Women Who Code Launches Local Houston Network
AIG Life & Retirement Hosted Launch Event on March 5


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Ms. Doofus: "Yes, I need to make an appointment to see Dr. Grumpy."
Mary: "Okay, let's see... We can see you tomorrow afternoon at 3:00?"
Ms. Doofus: "That won't work. I need mornings, before 9:00. I do a day-care center out of my house, and have about 20 kids until 6:00 p.m."
Mary: "Hmm, our mornings are filled until next week, how about next Monday at 8:00 a.m.?"
Ms. Doofus: "I'd really like to get in this week."
Mary: "I'm sorry, but afternoons are all we have left this week."
Ms. Doofus: "Well, I guess I can do tomorrow. There's only 20 kids, can I bring them and have your staff watch them for me?"


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Genealogist Richard Pope offers individual sessions tonight 6 to 8, space still available
Torrington >> Based on popular demand, the Register Citizen is offering a second night with Genealogist Richard Pope in February.
The second class will be tonight Feb. 19 from 6 to 8 p.m. and will follow the same 15-minute session format.
The class is for all levels of experience; if you are just starting your genealogy research, all you need are names and dates of relatives.
Pope has over 30 years experience in genealogy, with a strong grasp of American records, and a familiarity with Irish and German records. He is a member of the Connecticut Professional Genealogists Council, the New England Historic Genealogical Society, and local groups including the Torrington Historical Society.
The Register Citizen's Newsroom Cafe is equipped with two microfilm machines and has the newspaper on microfilm dating back to the Wolcottville Register in 1894, which are available for use on a first come, first serve basis during the class.
To register for any of the open sessions contact Jenny Golfin via email at firstname.lastname@example.com or call 860-489-3121, ext. 357.
For more information about Pope and his work, visit his Facebook page: Genealogy by Richard Pope at www.facebook.com/Richard.M.Pope.Genealogy.
Find an error in this story? Email firstname.lastname@example.com.


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When news broke last week that, according to Christian Concern, the Government was expected "to announce legislation for "Equal Civil Marriage" this week, I thought the timing quite deliberate. The run-up to Christmas would seem a good time, not exactly to "bury bad news" from the Government's perspective, but to push this highly controversial piece of legislation past the public consciousness when most people's minds are on the coming festivities.
Surely any debate on an "Equal Civil Marriage" Bill is too important to attempt to slide under the radar in this way? A cartoon by Adams in the Sunday Telegraph yesterday, 9th December, summed up the mood surrounding it in graphic fashion: on the left was a caricature of David Cameron in the House of Commons intoning the words, "If any of you here know of cause or just impediment…".On the right was a series of bubbles deafening him with their adversarial fury.
In the same newspaper came news that some senior Conservatives, including Boris Johnson, Michael Gove, Alastair Burt and Patrick McLoughlin (a Catholic), have set up a group, called "Freedom to Marry", "to campaign for same-sex couples to be allowed to get married in church." This runs counter to what David Cameron originally proposed. I have before me a letter from my MP, John Bercow of 1 May 2012, in response to a letter I had sent him on the subject, which states "I strongly support the Government's intention to legalise gay marriage, believing it to be right in principle and in practice." He enclosed a letter sent to him by David Cameron, dated 26th March 2012, in which Cameron had written, "As you are aware, the proposal the Government is consulting on, which I personally support, is to lift the ban on same-sex couples marrying in a civil ceremony." There is no mention or suggestion here of a church wedding.
But the issue runs much deeper than disputes as to where same-sex couples should be allowed to marry. The argument is not about venues (though the Churches have a legitimate concern that their authority to ban such events will be compromised); it is about the very nature of marriage. Former minister Nick Herbert, who is organising "Freedom to Marry", shows some acknowledgment of this in his article in yesterday's Sunday Telegraph, when he writes, "I appreciate that there are some who take a different view, including many who are not homophobic but have a profound religious conviction about the nature of marriage. We must conduct this debate in a spirit of mutual respect and understanding, and with regard to the special value for religious institutions."
Those who oppose the proposed new legislation would say that there has been no real "debate" on the subject at all and that the Government is determined (with the tacitly approved help of a Labour and Lib Dem three-line whip) to get a majority vote in the Commons when the issue is raised early in the new year. They seem not to realise the gravity of what is likely to be forced on the country. Anne Widdecombe has pointed out, in her very courageous speech at the last Conservative Party Conference, that the word "marriage" "appears over 3,000 times in UK legislation, the word "husband" 1,000 times, "wife" about 900 times and the phrase "husband and wife" 350 times. " She comments, "So any change is unlikely to be a simple matter." She also points out that legislation will not give "a single extra right to anybody."
Charles Moore, in an article in the Telegraph on Saturday, 8th December which discusses the Prime Minister's determination to be "modern", reinforces Anne Widdecombe's speech with his own argument: "Gay marriage may sound like an extension of general modern niceness, but roughly 98% of the population are straight: how, in hard times, does the Government support their marriages? How does gay marriage sound to the ethnic groups?…Indeed, is "modernity" a sort of code-word for being quite southern, quite posh and quite little affected by recession?" He adds, "Being modern is essentially a matter of style rather than content, so it does not provide detailed answers to difficult questions. The latest, on gay marriage, are "What counts as consummation in gay relationships?" (This has to be established in order to make it the grounds for gay divorce, as it is for straight) and "Should gay people be allowed to marry in church?"…Yesterday he decreed that churches should, indeed, go gay."
Today's Telegraph reports that former premier Sir John Major is also "modern"; he has told Conservative critics and Church leaders that "they must move on" because "we live in the 21st century."
Would it be possible to organise mass rallies in this country as occurred in France on November 17th? Sandro Magister of chiesa.expressonline.it, describes what happened in France as a result of their government's similar proposed legislation: "In Paris and in a dozen other cities, hundreds of thousands of people marched through the streets." The demonstrations were organised by Frigide Barjot, pseudonym for the spokeswoman of the "Collectif pour l'humanite durable", the socialist Laurence Tcheng of the association "La gauche pour le marriage republicaine" and Xavier Bongibault, an atheist and homosexual founder of "Plus gay sans marriage." Only Barjot is a Catholic and "no Church association hoisted its banners." This was a civil and secular demonstration in defence of an ancient and natural institution.
Is it possible to mobilise the same kind of peaceful protest over here?
This page is available to subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access.


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I was talking to a male friend of mine the other night about a number of different topics and something he said stayed with me. "Failure for me is not an option". He doesn't see anything ending in failure. He doesn't allow himself to even go there visually. What a great attitude to have. There is no point in starting anything if you already see yourself failing at it. A positive attitude and hard work ethic is the key to success in life as far as I am concerned.
What ever you set out in life to do there will always be someone who is better. Not being the best doesn't mean you failed. Just doing it is a part of succeeding. If you want to be the best you have to put in more than everyone else. Athletes are the perfect example of those who naturally visualize being the best. Competitive by nature they are born with the drive to win. We can all learn from those who are the best at what they do. It takes a lot of hard work and perseverance to achieve that title. If at first you do not succeed…try try again!
If what you are doing makes you unhappy each day at some point don't you ask yourself why you're doing it? Doesn't it makes sense to create change instead of just going through the motions! It's not always easy but nothing really worth while ever is. Sometimes baby steps are all we need to push us in the right direction.
There are also those who don't need or strive to be the best. They enjoy their life regardless of what they do or where they fit in. It's not always easy to reach for your goals or dreams. Sometimes life, responsibilities and obligations get in between our dreams and reality. As long as you wake up each day loving life, giving back and being a positive influence you are inspiring those around you. Have you ever met someone who makes you want to be a better person, that's what I'm talking about. We all have our role in life and as long as whatever you do you do your personal best we all benefit in a positive way. I've tried to teach both my kids that it's not what you do that matters as much as how well you do it. "If you can't be good, be good at it" has come out of my mouth on more than one occasion. Attitude, hard work, enthusiasm and passion can change everything. And don't forget to smile, they're contagious! 🙂
We make choices every single day. Some we need to think about in great depth and some feel right as soon as the thought crosses our mind. In the end a choice is made in order to move forward. Choices are part of life. We can choose to work towards a goal or dreams or we can let our life unfold in front of us making choices along the way. Sometimes it is not us who makes the choice that changes our direction in life.
Life is ever changing, you never really know your path until you are walking it, and still then it's not always your choice that changes its direction, most important is to just keep going! Tracy ~
Some of us know exactly what we want to do at an early age. A goal is set and steps are made to achieve it. Others take their time and change their path several times before they find what they are seeking. Believe me I know how hard choices can be. Since I was a very little girl I remember the struggle I had with choice. If I was given more than one I had such a difficult time deciding. Thankfully as we age we become much better at making choices. Life experience, wisdom and knowing who you are seems to help. I find too many thing in life interesting and worth exploring to be pressured to pick just one. I am working on it. 🙂 If I could just decide what I wanted…I'm certain I would get it! Oh and eenie meenie minie mo rarely works! lol


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I've been recording in the highest quality mode - 3 hrs eats up 32 gig. At some point I want to start getting these shows in a format that I can put on a DVD, etc. Am I wasting time and space recording in this mode? Just wondering if this it the video equivalent to taping in 24/96......Any advise would be great. Thanks, Dan
What software do you guys use to turn them into something DVD-able?
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|Earth observation (EO)
|1 Mar 2002
|Ariane 5/Kourou, French Guiana
|8100 kg
|Sun-synchronous, polar, 782 km
|100 minutes
|+ Largest Earth observation satellite ever flown +
The mission
Envisat provided continuous observation and monitoring of the Earth's land, atmosphere, oceans and ice caps. Due to its near-Earth polar orbit (782 km mean altitude) and fast cycle time (one orbit in 100 minutes), the mission presented unique challenges for ground communications and data delivery.
Envisat data continue to provide a wealth of information on processes of the Earth's systems, including insights into factors contributing to climate change. At one time, more than 2700 scientific projects worked with Envisat data as well as other operational users, who used data from Envisat for non-scientific activities on a routine, operational basis (e.g. earther services) or for commercial uses.
Just weeks after celebrating its tenth year in orbit, communication with Envisat was suddenly lost on 8 April 2012. Following rigorous attempts to re-establish contact and the investigation of failure scenarios, the mission was declared over on 9 May 2012.
Editor's note: This article will no longer be updated and contains some information that is now out of date.
The Envisat Flight Operations Control Centre (FOCC) was located at ESOC, Darmstadt, Germany.
The Flight Control Team
The Flight Control Team operates from the combined Earth observation Dedicated Control Room located at ESOC.
Spacecraft Operations Manager (SOM) Frank-Jürgen Diekmann, from Germany, manages the team, which was responsible for command and control, on-board software and database maintenance and mission planning for the satellite. "I joined the Envisat team in 1995 and have been SOM since 2006. Besides all the necessary technical and administrative obligations involved in managing the operations of an EO satellite, I am still enthusiastic about the complexity and the beauty of our blue planet," says Diekmann.
The team operated a 7-day-per-week on-call service for engineering and mission planning, ensuring a fast reaction in case of any on-board anomalies, ground segment problems or unforeseen re-planning requests from the Envisat user community.
Mission operations overview
Envisat was launched on Ariane-5 Flight V145 on 1 March 2002 from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. After a perfect launch and injection into its Sun-synchronous polar orbit, the critical LEOP (Launch and Early Orbit Phase) began with an autonomous sequence, including solar array deployment.
Launch and Early Orbit Phase
The solar array drive mechanism and reaction wheel release pyros were then fired and the Earth-pointing attitude was acquired as planned.
On Day 2, the satellite performed orbit control manoeuvres to start moving toward the planned orbit. On Days 3 and 4, the ASAR (Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar - the largest single instrument on Envisat) antenna was successfully deployed, marking the end of LEOP.
Commissioning Phase
The commissioning phase began with the Payload Switch-on and Data Acquisition Phase (SODAP) on 5 March 2002.
The Payload Module Computer was switched on first. During this phase, all operational modes of the Payload Equipment Bay (PEB) and the instruments were successfully exercised. The remaining payload deployments of the Ka-band antenna and instruments (GOMOS, MIPAS, SCIA) were performed. SODAP finished in mid-April 2002, at least for the majority of the instruments.
Cal/Val Phase
The second half of the commissioning phase, the so-called 'Cal/Val' (calibration and validation) activities, started next. In September 2002, the first calibration review occurred at ESA/ESTEC, confirming the promising scientific results already being received. A second validation review, to mark completion of the commissioning phase, took place in December 2002.
Routine operations
Since 1 January 2003, Envisat's flight operations and ground segment have operated in the 'routine operations' phase. After nine years in-orbit operations, the satellite has completed over 46 000 orbits, covering 2 billion km since launch. Over 280 gigabytes (GB) of science data are generated each day, contributing to the growing 750-terabyte (TB) database.
The Flight Control Team conducts orbit manoeuvres approximately every three to four weeks. These maintain the actual ground track within the required ± 1 km variation from the reference.
More than 2000 nominal and contingency procedures have been developed and tested by the Flight Control Team. As with any complex satellite, different types of anomalies of the satellite platform and payload have to be investigated and require ongoing meetings, training and reporting, as well as upgrading of operational procedures.
Mission planning systems at ESOC and ESRIN plan and schedule operations for the payload and the data management system on a routine basis. The planning cycles are about 5 days for nominal operations and less than two working days for emergency requests. Commands are uplinked to the on-board queue up to 24 hours before their execution. Up to 230 000 commands are transmitted to the satellite every month.
Mission extension
In June 2009, ESA Member States unanimously voted to extend the Envisat mission through to 2013.
The operational scenario for extending the mission had already been defined in 2008 and was based on altitude lowering and a new orbit control concept, allowing a continuation of the routine operations until the end of 2013. The orbit change became necessary, to avoid further fuel consumption (the main life= limiting resource onboard ENVISAT) for inclination manoeuvrers.
The Flight Control Team at ESOC was responsible to implement the orbit lowering manoeuvrers and resume nominal operations afterwards. These activities were carefully planned, tested and finally successfully executed in October and November 2-1-. After a series of manoeuvrers ENVISAT is now orbiting the Earth at an average altitude of 782 km with a repeat cycle of 30 days and a slowly drifting inclination.
The ground station
Kiruna, Svalbard
Envisat, following a Sun-synchronous low-Earth orbit of about 782 km altitude with a 30-day repeat cycle, presents unique challenges for telecommanding and data download.
For routine operations, mission controllers use the Kiruna ground station - part of ESA's ESTRACK global network - for command, control and tracking of the satellite during visible orbits. Additional capacity is provided by the Svalbard ground station and others. During blind orbits over Kiruna, engineers monitor the satellite using two Svalbard passes during the night.
Envisat also communicates using a direct Ka-band link to the advanced Artemis data-relay satellite. Data is relayed in space from Envisat to Artemis, and then downloaded to the payload data handling stations at ESA/ESRIN in Frascati, Italy.
This relay enables on-board instruments to continuously gather high-rate data (which cannot be stored on board) and permits engineers to optimally manage the satellite's solid-state memory.
Ground segment & mission control system
The Envisat ground segment at ESOC uses the SCOS-1b mission control system, based on ERS-2 heritage. The ground segment comprises:
- Flight Operations Segment (FOS): Responsible for command and control of the satellite
- Payload Data Segment (PDS): Responsible for exploitation of the instrument data
The FOS is responsible for:
- Command and control of the Envisat satellite
- Satellite operations planning - based on the observation plans prepared by the Payload Data Segment
- Mission planning interface with Artemis
- Uploading of operation schedules three times daily via the Kiruna and Svalbard ground stations
- Satellite configuration and performance monitoring
- Software maintenance
- Orbit prediction, restitution and maintenance
- Contingency and recovery operations, as necessary
The Flight Operations Control Centre hosts the following major subsystems:
- Mission Control System based on SCOS-1b
- Flight Dynamics System (FDS) - derived from the ORATOS system, already used on the ERS missions (the major upgrade was the addition of the star tracker control and performance monitoring)
- Mission Planning System (MPS) - schedules payload and data handling activities normally one week in advance, but new command schedules can be generated in less than 24 hours if necessary
- The Envisat satellite simulator - software that is as representative as possible of the on-board software for all aspects related to satellite control in all mission phases (LEOP, routine operations and contingencies); this simulator includes emulation of the flight software and simulations of other satellite subsystems, including the Instrument Control Units. The main objective is to permit rehearsals of all critical operations as well as to train operators in nominal and contingency procedures.
- Performance Archiving System (SPEVAL) - permits storage and retrieval of all satellite control and monitoring information through the complete mission lifetime, also via Internet access.
- Satellite Software Maintenance Facility - based on software maintenance tools delivered by the satellite and instrument manufacturers
- Satellite control database - includes libraries of 6000 commands, 25 000 telemetry parameters and over 2000 telecommand sequences
The platform and payload
The platform
Envisat's total mass is 8.1 tonnes including a payload mass of around 2.1 tonnes and around 314 kg of hydrazine thruster fuel (at beginning of life). A 14x5-metre solar array made of silicon cells and eight nickel-cadmium batteries supply an average power of 6 kilowatts in sunlight and 3 kilowatts during eclipse, of which on average 2 kilowatts is available for instruments.
Envisat's major system elements:
- a Service Module (SM) - accommodating most of the satellite support systems, including launcher interface, Attitude and Orbit Control (AOCS), Power Generation and Regulation, Thermal Control, Data Handling Sub-system (DHS) and S-band Communications
- a Payload Module (PLM) - on which the instruments are mounted and which houses payload support functions, also known as PEB, such as Payload Data Management including a dedicated Payload Management Computer (PMC), X- and Ka-band Communication Sub-systems for downlinking scientific data, and Thermal Control and Power Distribution
- a suite of 10 scientific instruments operating over a wide range of the electromagnetic spectrum from microwave to ultraviolet; this includes, among others, an Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar (ASAR) for high-resolution (30x30 metres) wide-swath radar images, several optical and IR instruments for monitoring the Earth's land areas, oceans and atmosphere and a precise orbit determination instrument
The solar array is pointed at the Sun using a solar-array drive mechanism. A hydrazine propulsion system provides the control torque for attitude acquisitions as well as the thrust required for orbit control manoeuvres. An independent safe mode electronics system is implemented on board; if there is a satellite emergency, this ensures that the satellite can acquire a safe attitude that allows the solar array to point to the Sun.
More than 50 on-board processors are available in a decentralised on-board architecture with different software packages maintained by the Flight Control Team when in orbit. For Telemetry (TM), Telecommand (TC) and Tracking, an S-band transponder with a TM bit rate of 4 kbps and a TC bit rate of 2000 bps is available. Science data can be stored on two solid-state recorders having 70 Gigabits of memory each. The data can then be downlinked either in X-band (2 x 100 Mbps) direct-to-ground or in Ka-band (2 x 100 Mbps) via Artemis.
The payload
Envisat's payload comprises:
An Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar (ASAR), operating at C-band, ASAR ensures continuity with the image mode (SAR) and the wave mode of the ERS-1/2 AMI.
MERIS is a programmable, medium-spectral resolution, imaging spectrometer operating in the solar reflective spectral range. Fifteen spectral bands can be selected by ground command, each of which has a programmable width and a programmable location in the 390 nm to 1040 nm spectral range.
The prime scientific objective of the Advanced Along Track Scanning Radiometer (AATSR) is to establish continuity of the ATSR-1 and ATSR-2 data sets of precise sea surface temperature (SST), thereby ensuring the production of a unique 10 year near-continuous data set at the levels of accuracy required (0.3 K or better) for climate research and for the community of operational as well as scientific users who have been developed through the ERS-1 and ERS-2 missions.
Radar Altimeter 2 (RA-2) is an instrument for determining the two-way delay of the radar echo from the Earth's surface to a very high precision: less than a nanosecond. It also measures the power and the shape of the reflected radar pulses.
The main objective of the microwave radiometer (MWR) is the measurement of the integrated atmospheric water vapour column and cloud liquid water content, as correction terms for the radar altimeter signal. In addition, MWR measurement data are useful for the determination of surface emissivity and soil moisture over land, for surface energy budget investigations to support atmospheric studies, and for ice characterisation.
GOMOS measures atmospheric constituents by spectral analysis of the spectral bands between 250 nm to 675 nm, 756 nm to 773 nm, and 926 nm to 952 nm. Additionally, two photometers operate in two spectral channels; between 470 nm to 520 nm and 650 nm to 700 nm, respectively.
The Michelson Interferometer for Passive Atmospheric Sounding (MIPAS) is a Fourier transform spectrometer for the measurement of high-resolution gaseous emission spectra at the Earth's limb. It operates in the near to mid infrared where many of the atmospheric trace-gases playing a major role in atmospheric chemistry have important emission features.
SCIAMACHY is an imaging spectrometer whose primary mission objective is to perform global measurements of trace gases in the troposphere and in the stratosphere.
The Doppler Orbitography and Radio-positioning Integrated by Satellite instrument is a microwave tracking system that can be utilised to determine the precise location of the ENVISAT satellite.
The LRR is a passive device which is used as a reflector by ground-based SLR stations using high-power pulsed lasers. In the case of Envisat, tracking using the LRR is principally accomplished by the International Laser Ranging Service (ILRS).


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Welcome to There Community!
There Community is a family oriented website that is dedicated to the members of There.com. If you have any problems please let us know.
Post all of your neighborhoods here. Selling a hood or promoting.
Looking for a nice peaceful...
Announce newly released developer products here.
Is there an item you'd like to buy? Have something you want to sell? Talk about it here.


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DES MOINES, Iowa--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE:WFC) reported today that the company had in place 803,456 active trial or completed mortgage modifications initiated since the beginning of 2009 as of Aug. 31, 2012. Approximately 84 percent of those, or 675,753 modifications, were done through proprietary programs and 127,703 were done through the federal government's Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP).
Between January 2009 and August 2012, Wells Fargo also provided nearly 6.7 million new low-rate loans to customers for the purchase of homes or to refinance existing mortgages. In addition, nearly 93 percent of Wells Fargo's home loan customers remained current on their mortgage payments in the second quarter of 2012 and fewer than 2 percent of the loans secured by owner-occupied properties in Wells Fargo's mortgage servicing portfolio have resulted in a foreclosure sale over the past 12 months.
About Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo Home Mortgage is the nation's leading mortgage lender and services one of every six mortgage loans in the nation. A division of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., it has a national presence in mortgage stores and banking stores, and also serves the home financing needs of customers nationwide through its call centers, Internet presence and third-party production channels. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. is an equal housing lender.
Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a nationwide, diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.3 trillion in assets. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance through more than 9,000 stores, 12,000 ATMs, the Internet (wellsfargo.com), and has offices in more than 35 countries to support the bank's customers who conduct business in the global economy. With approximately 265,000 full-time equivalent team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 26 on Fortune's 2012 rankings of America's largest corporations. Wells Fargo's vision is to satisfy all our customers' financial needs and help them succeed financially.
Wells Fargo & Company
Tom Goyda, 636-594-2259
Jim Rowe, 415-396-8216
Source: Wells Fargo & Company


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The Dolphin Research Center pod wishes you a SPOOKTACULAR HALLOWEE!
Friday, October 31, 2014
Happy Halloween!
Posted by The DRC Family at 12:04 PM 0 comments
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
Application Period for the College begins November 1st
Want to work with marine mammals, then the College of Marine Mammal Professions may be right for you!
The CMMP was established by Dolphin Research Center in 2012 in response to the limited availability of licensed professional educational programs that prepare individuals for careers regarding the behavior, care and training of marine mammals. Currently the CMMP offers an Associate of Science Degree in Marine Mammal Behavior, Care and Training, with the intention of expanding and offering other degrees within the field of marine mammal professions.
The College of Marine Mammal Professions is licensed by the Florida Commission for Independent Education, License No. 4766.
To apply, go to our website and check out the prerequisites and requirements. If you meet these, fill out an application and send it in between November 1st and December 31st.
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Our Middle Name
Research has always been an important part of DRC. After all, research is our middle name! DRC evolved out of the Institute for Delphinid Research. When DRC's founders took over the facility in 1984, research remained a high priority. We have since expanded our in-house research goals, and also worked with world-renowned scientists who have come to DRC to study our resident colony of dolphins. DRC's research program focuses on three main areas: Cognition, Behavior and Husbandry.
Here are some reasons why we do research:
- It provides our dolphins and sea lions with mental stimulation. What we call "cognitive research," the animals experience as "thinking games." They have a fantastic time thinking & figuring things out.
- It contributes to scientific knowledge of dolphins and of other animals. There's a lot we don't know about dolphins yet. For example, we know that dolphins are smart, but we don't yet know all the specifics of that - and those specifics are important. Dolphins have evolved within a completely different environment, different body plan, and different neuroanatomy from humans for a long time now [~ 90 to 95 million years]. We're different in a lot of ways. So when we find out that dolphins can do something, we also compare it to what other animals and people can do, so it tells us: (1) something about dolphins and (2) something about the ways in which intelligent behaviors evolve in general.
- The new knowledge that research generates can benefit the animals, both in human care and in the wild. The more we understand these animals, the better we will be able to meet their needs.
- Cognitive studies inspire conservation. For better or for worse, it is human nature to care more about animals that we view as intelligent. When guests visit DRC and see Talon doing math, or Tanner imitating in such a clever way, it invites a new kind of connection with the dolphins. This connection can inspire more care and compassion for dolphins and the environment they live in.
Friday, October 10, 2014
Open Enrollment for DolphinLab & Dolphin Camp!
Want to take part in a seven-day program that surveys a wide range of knowledge, theories and ongoing research concerning dolphins, the marine environment and related issues? Dolphin Research Center offers week long programs to meet those needs: Dolphin Camp (ages 10-14), Teen DolphinLab (ages 15-17) and Adult DolphinLab (18+)! Students meet DRC's resident dolphin population, learning to respect each dolphin as an individual through observation of their unique behavioral and physical characteristics. The courses also offer a combination of educational seminars, workshops, demonstrations, in water and hands-on learning activities with our dolphins, sea lions and staff family. All of Dolphin Research Center's Adult DolphinLab classes are fully college accredited.
Check out a video on what you can expect to do during your program:
Go to our website to learn more about these exciting opportunities!
Posted by The DRC Family at 10:08 AM 0 comments
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Holiday Photos Program Returns to Dolphin Research Center
|A unique holiday photo to share!
If a picture's worth a thousand words, imagine how friends and family will talk when they see a holiday photo picturing you and a dolphin! Now through December 19th, Dolphin Research Center is again giving guests the opportunity for a holiday photo. Visitors who participate in DRC's Meet the Dolphin program can bring their own Santa hats, reindeer antlers or other accessories to use while posing. DRC's experienced photographers will shoot the pictures using high-resolution digital cameras. For Meet the Dolphin guests go onto a floating dock to give backrubs and share a "flippershake" with a dolphin and have their photo taken. The program is offered several times each day on a walk-in basis and costs $25 per person in addition to general admission prices. The photos are supplied on a flash drive for $20 for one person and $35 for multiple people in the same shot. Quality prints are also available and print prices vary depending on number ordered. Group size is limited to four people.
Posted by The DRC Family at 3:42 PM 0 comments
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Hot Topics
|Facilities like Dolphin Research Center make it possible for us to interact with dolphins in an environment that is respectful and safe for both humans and animals.
Marine mammals fascinate people. They inspire us in countless ways and motivate us to be concerned about their welfare -- those in the wild as well as those in human care, such as the dolphins and sea lions that live at Dolphin Research Center. Sometimes people disagree and are passionate in their opinions. We understand. Dolphin Research Center is passionate about the wellbeing of marine mammals everywhere! It is the foundation of everything we do. In today's world, there are many debates and, unfortunately, a wealth of misleading, often deliberately incorrect information. This Hot Topics section is presented as a resource to learn about Dolphin Research Center's position on some of these debates and to share correct information.
Click here to check out our Hot Topics section on the Dolphin Research Center website.
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Hikes around Baeza
There are several relatively straightforward half-day hikes around Baeza – all with good birding potential – that let you make the most of its hillside location. The IGM 1:50,000 Baeza map is a good resource; you may also need rubber boots if it's been raining, as trails can get very muddy. To access the best local trails, start from the right-hand side of the church in the old town and take the road heading up through the pastureland. About 700m on, you'll reach a bridge at a fork in the path. If you continue right without crossing the bridge, you follow the Río Machángara up an increasingly thickly forested hill to the southwest. The left fork over the bridge takes you up to the mountain ridge overlooking Baeza. Roughly 1km later, this latter track splits again. The steep, muddy branch to the right leads up through lush forest to some antennas on top of the hill, affording spectacular views of Baeza and the Quijos valley. The other branch continues along the mountain ridge, also with great views, but further along the forest gets very dense and the trail hard to find, so if you attempt this route it's worthwhile seeking out a guide, which will cost around $20 a day; try Rodrigo Morales (t 06/2320467) or ask at Gina's restaurant in Baeza. You can loop down from the mountain ridge round on a trail leading back to Nueva Andalucía.
The northern Oriente
- Walks around Papallactachevron_right
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- Cocachevron_right
- East of Cocachevron_right
- Tenachevron_right
- Around Tenachevron_right
- Travel warning: the Colombian borderchevron_right
- Francisco de Orellana and the discovery of the Amazonchevron_right
- The Reserva Faunística Cuyabenochevron_right
The Oriente
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| 7.9°C Belfast
Martin O'Neill believes Robin van Persie could make the difference for Manchester United this season.
Van Persie scored his 15th goal of the campaign as United recorded a 3-1 win over Sunderland at Old Trafford to remain six points clear of Manchester City at the top of the Barclays Premier League.
"Robin van Persie was a great purchase," said O'Neill. "It means Manchester United are capable of scoring goals because Wayne Rooney is a top quality player as well.
"Whilst their main players stay fit Manchester United are capable of winning the league."
O'Neill certainly wished some of the criticisms that have been levelled against United could be said of his own team now that United will definitely be top on Christmas Day.
Tom Cleverley's first Premier League goal at Old Trafford was followed by Wayne Rooney's fifth in four games to put the hosts in control, before Frazier Campbell grabbed a consolation against his former club.
"People keep saying we are weak in midfield but these guys are very good players," said Sir Alex Ferguson.
"Sometimes it gives me a little problem selecting the right two, although today was simple because (Michael) Carrick and Cleverley deserved to play after their performance (against Manchester City) last week."
Cleverley is making an impact in the Paul Scholes role, with Ferguson admitting he should be scoring more often after taking his overall United tally to three.
"Tom has goals in him," said Ferguson. "As a younger player he always had a goal in him. He has got me three this season and I really do expect more from him because he is a nice finisher."


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Health Insurance Broker Sun City West, AZ
Best Health Plans in Sun City West, AZ
Call the number below to speak to a health insurance broker in Sun City West, AZ
Sun City West Health Insurance Brokers is the premier resource for personal service, health insurance quotes and side by side benefit comparisons of the most popular individual and family plans from Arizona's top health insurance companies.
If you have a qualifying life event, you may be eligible to sign up for Sun City West health insurance during a special enrollment period. This means you can enroll in a new plan or change your current plan outside the open enrollment period. Some of these life events include getting married, having or adopting a baby, or losing other coverage. For events that don't qualify for a special enrollment period, you'll need to wait for the next open enrollment period to sign up or shop for a new plan.
Family Health Insurance in Sun City West, AZ
Protecting the well being of your family is an important responsibility, and your family' s health insurance also needs to be affordable. Whether your family is big or small; young or mature, Sun City West Health Insurance Brokers have plans designed to fit your family's needs and budget.
If you're thinking of starting or expanding your family we have plans with maternity health insurance benefits that include coverage for pre-natal exams and delivery, as well as excellent coverage for well child exams and immunizations and maternity benefits.
Sun City West Health Insurance Brokers will work with you to understand what your priorities are and will then research plans from the top health insurance companies in Arizona to find the right plan for your family. Get a free personalized health insurance quote. we also offer health insurance in Sun City and Sun Lakes.
Health Insurance for Self Employed
Finding affordable health insurance benefits for your Sun City West business is getting tougher every year. Small business people make up over 80% of our clientele, so we understand the needs and challenges of sole proprietors, LLC's and corporations.
If your business has 2 or more employees and would like a group health insurance quote visit our group health insurance section. Small group health plans let the employer help subsidize the cost of the health insurance providing an important benefit to help your company attract and retain the best employees.
Sun City West, AZ Health Insurance Brokers also specializes in working with the self employed and small businesses that do not have group health insurance benefits and are looking for individual plan coverage.
Types of Health Insurance Available In Sun City West
There are basically three major types of Sun City West health insurance policies to choose from: consumer-directed, fee for service, and managed care. These health insurance plans help cover your medical, surgical, and hospital expenses. They may even cover dental expenses, mental health services, and prescription drugs, depending on the coverage you choose.
- Consumer-directed
A consumer-directed health plan (a.k.a. "consumer-driven" or "consumer choice") is a newer type of healthcare plan that's designed to give you more control. As part of the plan, you setup a health fund that can be used to cover medical expenses.
- Fee for Service
A fee for service plan is a more traditional healthcare plan. It means you pay a fee to your provider for every healthcare service you receive. The benefit of this type of health insurance plan is that it allows for a lot of flexibility when choosing a physician or healthcare provider.
- Managed Care
Members of managed care health plans generally enjoy more benefits like lower out-of-pocket costs. However, you can only receive treatment from physicians that participate in the managed care network. Typical managed care plans include health maintenance organizations (HMOs), preferred provider organizations (PPO), and point-of service (POS) plans.
Health Insurance Brokers in Sun City West, AZ
There are various reasons why people in Sun City West, AZ are looking for reliable health insurance. Whether it's because your employer or company does not offer health coverage, or you are self-employed, you may find yourself in a position where you need to seek your own Sun City West medical insurance policy.
Being that each Sun City West resident is different, it's only natural that we offer customizable Sun City West medical insurance plans in Sun City West, AZ. Just as we do for our for life insurance policies. At Insurance Master our dedicated agents take the time to work with you directly. We help you to create a policy that best suits your lifestyle and needs.
Call the number below to speak to a health insurance broker in Sun City West, AZ
Sun City West Health Insurance Broker Coverage Area:
Video Guide to Sun City West Health Plans:
We offer health plans in the following Sun City West zip codes: 85375, 85376


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South Africa's review board OKs Zuma painting
South Africa's Film and Publication Board Wednesday declassified a painting showing the genitals of President Jacob Zuma.
The board's spokesman, Prince Mlimandlela Ndamase, said that artist Brett Murray's "The Spear" - which outraged supporters of President Zuma when it was displayed early this year at Johannesburg's Goodman Gallery - is no longer deemed offensive to public taste.
The review board "has set aside the classification decision" after meeting about two weeks ago to review the painting, which was first displayed in May, said Ndamase.
The painting was condemned by the ruling ANC and Zuma himself said in court documents that the artwork undermined his constitutional right to dignity. But the gallery and the artist countered that freedom of expression was at stake, too.
The painting was later taken down after two men defaced it with paint, claiming they were acting independently of each other in defense of Zuma. It was not immediately possible to get a comment from the Goodman Gallery or Murray after the declassification decision.
The painting was widely seen by supporters of Zuma as a racist attack on his polygamous ways. But Murray, responding to a High Court case brought by Zuma, who sought to censor the artwork, said in an affidavit that it was part of a show criticizing the ANC for alleged greed and corruption. He also said that details of Zuma's sex life had become part of the public debate in South Africa.
"I am not a racist," Murray said in an affidavit. "I do not produce art with an intention to hurt, humiliate or insult."
Zuma, who is 70, has been married six times and currently has four wives, a practice that his Zulu culture allows. He has 21 children, and acknowledged in 2010 that he fathered a child that year with a woman who is not his wife.


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Physics Health & Safety: Induction Part 2 - Risk Assessment Briefing BeginnersPrerequisitesNew
This risk assessment briefing follows the basic departmental induction and is mandatory for all new staff, students or visitors who will be doing one or more of the following:
- running experiments
- providing technical support
- carrying out workshop or maintenance work
- managing other people's work
- running events
You may only attend this session if you have done Part 1 (see "prerequisites" below).
- Staff, students and visitors working at Physics who will be doing practical work or managing events or other people
- Further details regarding eligibility criteria are available
You will also need to BOOK AND ATTEND the Physics Induction Part 1 - this will take place immediately before this session
By the end of this session participants should be able to:
- Identify significant hazards in a basic risk assessment
- Evaluate risk levels
- Choose suitable measures to control the significant risks
- Find University guidance and forms for risk assessment
- Explain significant findings of a risk assessment to others
To provide information on the elements of risk assessment and how to do a basic assessment for work, events or work areas.
Presentation and short case studies
There will be a short quiz at the end of the session (please bring a pen).
This session follows approximately 10 minutes after the Departmental Induction Part 1: HS & HR induction briefing.
Exemption from this session will be granted if participants can provide clear (written) evidence of having:
- attended a similar session at the University of Cambridge or elsewhere,
- extensive experience of risk assessment in practice
One session of one hour
Twice a month
Events available


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BOSTON – Former New England Patriots quarterback Drew Bledsoe is joining an effort to convince lawmakers to end a ban on out-of-state shipments of wine to Massachusetts.
Bledsoe, who now operates a winery in Washington state, plans to be at the Statehouse on Thursday to help push for passage of a bill that would allow Massachusetts consumers to order wine from other states on the Internet and have it shipped directly to their homes.
State Rep. Ted Speliotis (Spel-ee-OH'-tis), a Danvers Democrat who is sponsoring the bill, says the Bay State is one of the last in the nation to ban direct shipments from vineyards.
Bledsoe, who also played for the Buffalo Bills and Dallas Cowboys, co-founded Doubleback Winery in Walla Walla after retiring from the NFL.


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We are in the moment of time sometimes known as the aftermath - what comes after a major event. Aftermath can be a time of opportunity as well as challenge.
We're in the aftermath of the Iraq War. Fast approaching the 2,000 mark of soldiers killed in Iraq and tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians dead, with dozens more dying each week. This past week it was five teachers. Hundreds of billions of tax dollars spent, including dollars, which may never be accounted for. Still no weapons of mass destruction found. Still no stable government. Still no exit plan or any idea of what marks will need to be in place for the world to judge the war's success or failure.
We're in the aftermath of two hurricanes, one of which devastated a whole region and forced the evacuation of a million people. But while Americans were forced to look at the fault lines of race and poverty revealed by the disaster, we, the citizens of the wealthiest nation in the world, seem already to be denying what we saw with our own eyes and seem to be moving on to the next news item without dealing with the twin evils of racism and classism found not only in New Orleans, but across the nation.
It's clear to us all now that not only was the federal government unable to respond quickly and effectively on behalf of its most vulnerable citizens, especially in New Orleans, but so, too, were the state and local governments. And the question remains of what will happen in the case of a terrorist attack or another natural disaster. Is it every citizen for him or herself? Will the disabled, the frail, the elderly, the children, the poor be left behind literally as well as figuratively?
Meanwhile, the Bush administration is making up for its unresponsiveness to Hurricane Katrina victims by spending millions, perhaps billions of dollars in the clean up, including many unbid contracts which seem to be going to those companies with well-connected Republican lobbyists. And there are reports that just before the White House procurement chief resigned and was subsequently arrested by the FBI, he made sure to add a provision into the legislation passed by Congress to help rebuild after Katrina, a provision that exponentially raised the dollar amounts for unbid contracts.
We're in the aftermath of two pieces of fiscal legislation passed by Congress. One gave deep tax cuts to the wealthiest of the wealthy and almost simultaneously made cuts in Medicaid funding for the sickest and poorest Americans. Thus, many of these patients, who can least afford it, just learned they will pay more for their health care, while many states are slashing them entirely from their rolls.
Meanwhile, the recently-passed transportation bill included hundreds of millions of dollars in Congressional pork barrel spending, including a bridge and /or highway to nowhere in Alaska and pet projects of many other Congresspersons.
We're in the aftermath of two decades of denial that we need a viable, focused, intentional alternative energy policy if we are serious about continuing to be the world's super power and if we are serious about protecting the environment. Moreover, some are beginning to wonder whether the increasing intensity of hurricanes might not be due to global warming, exacerbated by our nation's refusal to sign the Kyota protocols. It seems more than a little disingenuous for President Bush to all of a sudden suggest that Americans might conserve oil after the second hurricane hit the Gulf Coast, when he refused to do so after the attacks on 9/11 and when he still refuses to sign the Kyoto treaty.
We're in the aftermath of all of this. And what scares me is that because of all of these policies, we're in hock up to our eyeballs as a nation in order to pay for all of this and there seems to be no plan for how we're going to pay for it. Many Americans are totally unaware of how indebted we are to China, which continues to buy our treasury bonds. But if China ever changes its mind, or calls in its chips, this nation is very vulnerable.
What scares me is that our national debt is fast approaching $7 trillion and we have placed this incredible burden, which might be called a future tax, on the next generations so that our wealthiest might not pay taxes at all today. It would be like our family today buying new cars and fine houses without having to pay, expecting that our grandchildren would pay our debt. Where's the justice or the personal responsibility in that?
What scares me is that as a nation we have no idea when our soldiers will be able to return home to their families and, in the case of the National Guard, to their jobs. The Iraq of today is less peaceful, less secure, with no more public services than the Iraq of a year ago. As I understand it, all of our troops will have had two tours of duty in Iraq by next spring. Will we then require them to go to Iraq for the third time or will we have to institute the draft just to provide the soldiers we need?
What scares me is that our nation is held hostage to the OPEC oil cartel more today than we were a generation ago. And what scares me is that poor people and old people will freeze in unheated homes this winter as natural gas and oil prices soar.
Sometimes in the aftermath, things become clearer than they were in the midst of the storm. Maybe now we will use the words accountability and responsibility, not just when we talk about welfare reform, but when we talk about tax reform and legislative reform and government reform at its highest levels. Maybe, just maybe.
I think you have "Filtered HTML" turned on here. If you switch to "Full HTML," it will probably...
Black Star News has been producing stellar investigative journalism since 1997, including focusing on police brutality and other abuses targeting marginalized communities. We have broken several major stories. We welcome news tips to firstname.lastname@example.com and email@example.com
We need your advertising support to produce strong journalism, especially during periods of economic instability, so please contact email@example.com for advertising rates and long term packages.
Black Star News has been producing stellar investigative journalism since 1997, including focusing on police brutality and other abuses targeting marginalized communities. We have broken several major stories. We welcome news tips to firstname.lastname@example.com and firstname.lastname@example.com
We need your advertising support to produce strong journalism, especially during periods of economic instability, so please contact email@example.com for advertising rates and long term packages.


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Prompt(s) along with PushD and PopD
Let this post serve as a reminder to me (and you if you don't use it all the time) that PUSHD and POPD are available in Windows.
Certainly TAB AutoCompletion is a goodness (it KILLS me when I have to watch someone, especially on stage, type long dirs and files one char at a time) and folks often forget that you can even do more tricky things like:
C:\TEMP>type my*.ofx (now PRESS TAB)
and get:
C:\TEMP>type myfiledata.ofx
but you can also
C:\TEMP>pushd .
C:\TEMP>cd "\Documents and Settings\shanselm\Desktop"
C:\Documents and Settings\shanselm\Desktop>popd
Shawn Van Ness via Craig Andera make this tip even more useful when combined with their command PROMPT environment variable (Remember when "Customizing Your OS" consisted of 10-line long PROMPT statements in 4DOS? Ah, the good not-quite-old days.) From Craig's post:
Which, when I set it via either the prompt command or the PROMPT environment variable, gives me a command line that looks like this:
The plusses indicate that I'm two levels deep in pushd, and I like that the working directory appears on the line before, obliterating the problem of long paths making commands linewrap. Nice!
What a nice series of tips for a random Thursday. Thanks guys!
About Scott
Scott Hanselman is a former professor, former Chief Architect in finance, now speaker, consultant, father, diabetic, and Microsoft employee. He is a failed stand-up comic, a cornrower, and a book author.
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Organization teaches life-changing skills in the food industry
From tragedy to triumph: An organization dedicated helping young people learn life-changing skills in the food industry is basking in the success of one its own, while just weeks ago, Café Reconcile became the shoulder to lean on for those crippled in grief.
"We're going to be here to support young people when they succeed, but we're also here to support them when the floor falls out from under their feet." Said David Emond.
It's a dichotomy he knows all too well. Weeks ago, he and others stood in support of Andrea Samuels, an employee of Café Reconcile, whose 13-month-old daughter Londyn was murdered on Aug. 29 near Washington and South Saratoga in Central City.
"That really takes all the air out of our sails and makes it so hard, because we see all of the potential that has been lost," said Emond.
Potential that for Chris Okorie, was realized. A graduate of the program that teaches culinary skills to at-risk youth, Okorie received a scholarship, funded by world famous chef John Besh, to the International Culinary Center in New York. While there, he won Best Chef under 25. Now he's headed to Italy to study the country's cuisine.
"I really want something in life now. I really want to become a sous chef one day, an executive chef and own my own restaurant one day," said Okorie
That's a stark contrast from the Chris Okorie who came to Café Reconcile in 2010 having previously lost his mother during Hurricane Katrina and was lost himself.
"This homeless guy told us about Café Reconcile, and I was a little skeptical," said Okorie.
Still, he took the advice, and the rest as they say is gravy.
"When you see young people like that, that's all they are really looking for is opportunity," said Joron "Chef Joe" Smith of Café Reconcile.
"He's really showing all of these youth that are involved in our program now that the sky really is the limit for them. They can go as far as their desire really wants to take them," said Emond.
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Apple Store openings shrouded in secrecy
When Apple pulls the veil off of its newest store on Friday, New Yorkers will get their first glimpse at the classical architecture-meets-computers retail space inside Grand Central Terminal.
Behind a temporary black facade, which has teased commuters for weeks with "arriving soon" messages, Apple has been negotiating aggressively and stealthily with contractors and government agencies to quickly secure a favorable deal. The Grand Central outlet is just one of several high-profile stores the company has been readying with characteristic covertness.
Interviews with nearly two dozen people involved in the development of upcoming and recently opened U.S. Apple Stores, including the one in Grand Central, provide a look at Apple's unusually furtive way of doing business. These people say Apple sometimes employs uncommon legal tactics, refuses to name itself in public documents and hearings, and has sworn city government officials to secrecy.
Apple's shrewd negotiating tactics are well known in other parts of its business. Nondisclosure agreements are strictly enforced with employees, contractors and partners, and punishment for disloyalty is swift and unforgiving.
For example, employees who leak internal memos may be fired as soon as they are discovered. When prototype iPhones were lost in bars in two consecutive years, police officers searched the homes of people suspected of possessing them.
But retail chains, especially those that sell electronics, aren't typically associated with controversy. And retail industry executives say Apple's demands for absolute secrecy in its store-development process are peculiar and unjustified.
An Apple spokeswoman declined to comment for this story.
'Apple is not typical'
As buzz grew about work on a Grand Central Apple Store, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which controls the station, spurned many interview requests -- even months after the store was unveiled at a public meeting in July. A New York Times editorial published in August lamented that procuring any details about the project "was like trying to uncover a state secret."
When reached by phone in October, MTA spokeswoman Marjorie Anders told CNN in response to a question about the soon-to-open Apple Store, "We're not talking about that." Why? "Because Apple doesn't want us to."
Is this typical?
"No, but Apple is not typical," Anders said. Further questions, she said, would need to be submitted in a formal Freedom of Information request, a government process that can take months to yield documents.
Grand Central is a historic landmark, meaning each project must go through an approval process. Apple asked for its architects to deal directly with New York's State Historic Preservation Office -- a role that's supposed to be handled by the MTA -- so the process was completed promptly, said Beth Cumming, a director for New York's State Historic Preservation Office.
Similar maneuvers are being used at other stores. Officials in Berkeley, California, referred questions about a new Apple Store to the city's formal public-records division. They offered two brief reports, one of which Apple did not list its name on.
"We generally don't talk about our customers," said Berkeley spokeswoman Mary Kay Clunies-Ross in a phone interview in September. "We're obviously glad that Apple is here and hope they will stay for a long time."
At a shopping mall in the Seattle suburb of Bellevue, Washington, where Apple already has a store, the computer company is opening a new one on the floor above, where clothing and jewelry stores used to be, according to public documents.
The current Apple Store is near a Microsoft Store, which opened last year and has more floor space. Continuing the high-stakes game of one-upmanship, the new Apple Store is even larger, and from the balcony in front, customers can look down on Microsoft's shop.
There have been whispers about this brewing battle just miles from Microsoft's headquarters, but people involved in the project are not authorized to speak publicly about it. Jennifer Leavitt, an executive for Kemper Development Company, the Bellevue Collection mall developer, declined to comment.
The mysterious black barricade around the store's large perimeter says only that a new store is coming in the spring of next year.
Apple leverages success in retail
Apple Stores were conceived as a way for Apple to promote its entire smorgasbord of products and to control their presentation. Typically sleek and minimalistic with uncluttered display counters and no cash registers, each store is a representation of the Apple brand.
First opened in 2001, the stores have risen as a financial anomaly in the struggling physical-retail industry. In just a decade, Apple has opened 357 stores worldwide. In the U.S., its shops generate by far the highest sales per square foot -- a coveted statistic in retail -- with $5,626 on average, according to industry research firm RetailSails.
In a recent financial disclosure, Apple said it plans to spend about $900 million for retail facilities next year.
"Apple has enormous momentum, and nowhere is that more evident than in our retail stores," Apple CEO Tim Cook said during the first few minutes of an October news conference to unveil the iPhone 4S. "We will continue to invest in more and more stores, and raise the bar in retail."
In that speech, Cook emphasized Apple's growth in China. The Shanghai store that opened last year is a breathtaking glass cylinder. While in its planning phases, the late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs personally convinced the developer of the surrounding plaza to revise its own construction plans to make the Apple Store the centerpiece, the New York Times reported.
For that October article, architect Peter Bohlin spoke in depth with the Times about his work designing Apple Stores. He mentioned that he is working on several stores that will look like the one on New York's Upper West Side, which has a tall glass entrance that stretches up to an all-glass ceiling.
But when CNN reached out to Bohlin for comment shortly after the Times report, a spokeswoman for his firm, Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, said, "Apple has requested that we refrain from granting any additional interviews."
In many cases, Apple's secrecy and strong-arm negotiating has paid off. The increasingly mighty company has managed to secure leases without standard revenue-sharing provisions and has flown through some lengthy public-approval systems.
But that may have backfired last week, when the Grand Central Apple Store found its way into the spotlight for reasons other than its attractive layout.
Thomas DiNapoli, the state's comptroller, announced that his office would expedite an audit of the MTA's lease with Apple. Audits are common and can take at least two months, but DiNapoli moved up the review in response to a New York Post report about Apple being the only retailer in Grand Central that won't be paying a percentage of sales to the cash-strapped MTA, a comptroller official said.
MTA spokesman Aaron Donovan cited Apple's corporate policy, which says it will not cut revenue-sharing agreements for stores. What MTA got out of the deal is Apple's willingness to pay $5 million to buy out a struggling restaurant's lease for that space, and the company's agreement not to significantly modify the station's historic architecture, he said.
The new Apple Store, which employs 315 people, will inevitably drive new shoppers to neighboring retailers and to the MTA, which takes a percentage from everyone else's sales, Donovan said.
Apple's negotiators, along with most retail executives, are well aware of that fact. No doubt it was a powerful bargaining token.


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Main Content
Active Underground Coal Mine Permit Areas
The map below is a quick, visual reference of currently permitted active underground coal mining permits. It is updated quarterly by the Division of Reclamation. Some mining activities are currently in operation, others may be temporarily inactive.
It is intended to be used by oil and gas operators to determine whether a proposed oil or gas well location may be within the boundaries of the permit area for an underground coal mine.
Select your county of interest from the drop-down menu to zoom in to the area of proposed oil and gas interest. Follow the instructions under the "Tips" section to navigate around the map.
Click on the map location to view current status, mine production figures and land usage data for the underground coal mine permit.
Select the appropriate box to overlay the section, township, range boundary layer or to show the USGS topo maps as a background.
Follow the instructions contained in the Director's Memorandum 2009-1 to all oil and gas operators pertaining to requirements for coal seam protection. In addition to verifying whether your proposed oil or gas well location is within the boundary of an underground coal mine permit area, you will also need to contact the Division of Oil and Gas to determine whether a proposed well location is within a "mine plan area" designated by a coal owner or operator as provided under 312 IAC 16-5-4(b).


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COMMERCE CITY CO — The Colorado Rapids will host the first-ever World Cup Qualifier ever played in the state of Colorado on Wednesday November 19th at Dick's Sporting Goods Park.
The match will feature the US Men's National Team vs. Guatemala in a battle to claim spots in the road to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
The match kicks off at 6:00pm MT and will be televised live on both ESPN Classic and Galavision.
All fans are reminded to WEAR RED to the match!
Fans and supporters groups are also invited to attend a special pregame tailgate which will be held starting at 2:00pm in the VIP West Parking Lot (just south of the stadium Cantina). The Nike Snake Pit will be set up there as part of the festivities and the lot will open early to accomodate pregame tailgating.
Tickets for the U.S. Men's National Team's November 19 FIFA World Cup qualifier vs. Guatemala at Dick's Sporting Goods Park went on sale to the general public at 10am MT on Wednesday September 10.
Colorado Rapids full season ticket holders who renewed their season tickets for 2009 as well as Rapids partial season ticket holders who upgraded to full season tickets for 2009 on or before the deadline of Sept. 4 of this year all get to attend this US game for free.
This will be the sixth and final match for the U.S. in the semifinal round of qualifying that takes place from August to November.
"We are very excited about bringing the U.S. National Team to Dick's Sporting Goods Park for the first-ever World Cup qualifier in the state of Colorado said Bob Bradley Head Coach of the US Men's National Team.
"The stadium and the surrounding complex is one of the finest soccer facilities in the country and it seems appropriate that with the merging of youth amateur and professional soccer that takes place at Dick's Sporting Goods Park the great fans in Colorado will have the opportunity to see many of the potential future stars of the U.S. National Team."
Tickets ranging in price levels from $30 to $95 are now available online at TicketHorse.com by clicking here by phone at 1-866-461-6556 at the ticket kiosks in all Dick's Sporting Goods retail locations in Colorado and at the Dick's Sporting Goods Park ticket office (open Monday-Friday 10 am to 6 pm; Saturday 10 am to 3 pm).
Groups of 20 or more can obtain a group order form at ussoccer.com or by calling 312-528-1290. Ultimate Fan Tickets a special VIP package which includes a premium ticket a custom made official U.S. national team jersey with your name and number VIP access to the field before and after the game and other unique benefits are also available exclusively through ussoccer.com.
While Colorado has only held three matches involving the U.S. men they have provided enthusiastic and substantial support each time. The USA are 2-1-0 in Denver the most recent match coming in one of the team's final preparation matches before their historic quarterfinal run in the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
On April 3 2002 a strike by ex-Rapids player Clint Mathis secured a 1-0 US victory against Mexico before 48476 fans foreshadowing the USA's 2-0 victory against their regional rivals in the Round of 16 of the World Cup in Korea that summer.
Dick's Sporting Goods Park will host the team's first match in Colorado taking place outside of Denver and their first qualifier ever in the Rocky Mountain State.
The U.S. currently sit in first place of Group 1 in the Semifinal Round. In this round there are three groups of four teams each and the top two teams from each group will advance to the Final Round of qualifying that will be held in 2009.


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Duo interview: Inside the sweet harmony of the Civil Wars
In a way, Joy Williams and John Paul White owe their success to uncertainty. Williams had stepped away from her career as a Christian artist and White had seen his debut album for Capitol get hung up in record business purgatory when they met at a songwriting camp and found an unexpected connection in collaboration. In 2008, the pair began performing as the Civil Wars and broke through the next year when their song "Poison & Wine" appeared on the TV medical drama (and music placement kingmaker) Grey's Anatomy. The music hails from the darker side of Americana, but these shadows are offset by the loveliness of the duo's harmonies. The Hook recently had a chance to talk with both of them.
The Hook: Did either of you have plans to do collaborative work when you met?
John Paul White: We're both control freaks. It makes no sense. We should have repelled each other.
The Hook: Why is that?
Joy Williams: We joke often about the fact that I grew up singing in church, and John Paul cut his teeth singing in bars. I grew up on organic food, and John Paul grew up on fried chicken. John Paul grew up on Americana, country, folk music, and metal. I grew up listening to crooners and pop music, and even rap.
The Hook: What were the advantages of working without traditional label support?
John Paul White: As we grew as a band, we figured, 'Okay, what do we need to take this to the next level?' It might be a booking agent. We would hire that person. Now we need PR. Little by little, we assembled. Every time that a label would come calling, we would sit down and say, "What can they do for us that we cannot do for ourselves?" Some of those things are appealing. We don't need a big tour support budget to go out on the road. It's pretty much Joy and I. Our entourage is getting bigger, but we don't have to travel around with a big band and drums and amps and all that.
The Hook: So how do you write, particularly your vocal parts?
John Paul White: It by and large just falls out. You treat it as an instrument in the band. You add it where it needs to be added so that the song grows and where it can die and can grow again.
The Hook: Did you make a conscious decision to focus on death as a lyrical theme?
John Paul White: We won't lie; we lean toward songs with a little of the darker edge. Over the course of our lives, that's the songs that always stuck with us, that have always been the most powerful. We've got valleys and peaks in your life. Typically, the valleys are the ones that are deepest and the longest. There are people that are out there that sing [about] how good life is.
Joy Williams: We're just not those people.
John Paul White: And that makes us happy.
The Civil Wars perform at the Jefferson Theater on 12/07.Read more on: Civil Warsjefferson theater
3 comments
The second sentence confuses me. "Williams had stepped away from his career as a Christian artist and White had seen his debut album for Capitol get hung up in record business purgatory...:
How could they both be "his" when one is clearly a female?
Oops, mangled this during editing. It's fixed now; thanks for the catch.
yet another crap interview


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Imagine a transportation system where vehicles communicate directly with each other in real time, giving drivers warnings about traffic delays, allowing a single driver to control multiple vehicles or routing vehicles around hazardous road conditions. Those are all aspects of the "intelligent transportation" concept. And researchers have developed a model to improve the clarity of the vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) transmissions needed to make that concept a reality.
"The model helps us understand how the V2V signals are distorted," says Dr. Dan Stancil, head of North Carolina State University's Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and co-author of a paper on the work. "And understanding how the signal may be distorted allows you to design a signal that is less likely to become distorted in the first place.
"While there are smartphone apps that can tell you about traffic jams, there is a time lag between when the traffic jam begins and when the driver is notified," Stancil says. "One advantage of this sort of direct communication between vehicles is that it has very little time delay, and could warn you to apply the brakes in response to an event only hundreds of yards away."
V2V communication relies on transmitting data via radio frequencies in a specific band. But the transmission is complicated by the fact that both the transmitter and the receiver are in motion - and by the reflected radio waves, or radio echoes, that bounce off of passing objects. These variables can distort the signal, causing errors in the data.
The new model accounts for the motion of the transmitter and receiver, but previous models have done that as well. Previous models also addressed the problem of radio echoes in V2V communication by incorporating a uniform distribution of objects surrounding each vehicle. However, this approach does not accurately capture many real-world V2V communication scenarios. Other models use realistic distributions of objects, but require powerful computers to painstakingly calculate the contributions from each object.
The researchers recognized that most roads are lined with objects that run parallel to the road itself, such as trees, gas stations or parked cars. This means the objects that can reflect radio waves are not uniformly distributed in all directions. By accounting for this parallel distribution of objects, the researchers were able to create a model that more accurately describes how radio signals will be affected by their surroundings. That information can be used to adjust the transmission signal to improve the clarity of the data transmission. In addition, the model is relatively simple to calculate and does not require a powerful computer.
"We want to continue fine-tuning the model, but the next step is to incorporate this information into V2V technology to improve the reliability of V2V signals," Stancil says.
The paper, "A Roadside Scattering Model for the Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communication Channel," is published online in IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communication. Lead author of the study is Dr. Lin Cheng of Trinity College in Connecticut. The paper was co-authored by Dr. Fan Bai of the General Motors Research Center. The research was supported by General Motors.


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Solar and Lunar Eclipses , Online Eclipse Calendar, Astrology. Solar Eclipses and Lunar Eclipses Online Eclipse Calendar, Free Astrology.
Table of contents
- Yearly Horoscope | www.aristocrat-club.ru
- Full Moon for March 2020
- Full Moon for March 2020
- This Week's Features
This occurs in your community zone, so it may be wise to spend some more time late in the year socializing with your sweetheart and working together on a charity or community project that has captured your hearts and your attention. Expect the first phase of this energy to play out across the early months of , particularly once Mars, your ruling planet, shifts into your career zone in February.
In late March, Mars makes a series of conjunctions to Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto in your career zone, suggesting that this is a key time for you, Aries. In July, a backdrop of the Sun in opposition to the Jupiter-Saturn-Pluto trio makes life difficult for your work-life balance, again. Things are still tense in August too, as Mars squares up against Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto in turn, in Aries: This is where you may feel the effects of this energy very personally. Hold your fire. Get expert advice when handling large sums of money or potential legal matters.
A major Saturn-Pluto conjunction occurs in your philosophy zone on January 12, but this influence will remain in play for much of the year, challenging you to move beyond the truths you currently hold and into uncharted territory. You most certainly are, but your intellectual confidence may be fragile. Education or training could become key at work too, during the first half of Astrology shows that spiritual challenges are likely to develop during April and May, when both Pluto and Jupiter turn Retrograde in your philosophy zone, leaving you with far more questions than answers.
- 2020 Featured Eclipses.
- About Elsa.
- Full Moon for March The Full Worm Moon | The Old Farmer's Almanac;
- Astrological Events : Astrology & Horoscopes online (Astrology news);
This is a good time to develop meditation skills, or to focus on a prayerful practice of some kind. Fortunately, the second half of the year is much brighter, and you should feel your confidence return from August onward. In September, Saturn and Jupiter end their Retrograde motion and you should feel able to move forward in education, training and your career. The major Jupiter-Saturn conjunction in December provides a very positive boost for your working life, Taurus, giving you the chance to solidify and consolidate career progress toward a personally meaningful goal.
With Mars transiting your intimacy zone, there should be plenty of memorable moments early in the year — but watch out for jealousy there too; Taurus can be a very possessive zodiac sign. This might be a good time to look into joint regression therapy or perhaps some other means of exploring your past life links to one another.
Watch out for the Lunar Eclipse in your intimacy zone in early June.
Yearly Horoscope | www.aristocrat-club.ru
This could prompt a mini crisis, especially if your relationship has become tired or jaded. Venus transits your family zone in September, so this would be a good month to express togetherness within the family — or even to welcome a new family member! These are all good reasons to abandon caution in October and look for adventure! The end of looks set to have some lovely romantic influences for you too, Taurus.
During November and December, Venus transits your love zone, so this is the perfect time for a romantic break, a wedding or for renewing a long-term commitment. In mid-December, another Eclipse rocks your intimacy zone — a Solar Eclipse. The December eclipse is a reminder to keep on keeping on — and the arrival of Venus into your passion zone the following day will certainly help! To begin with, Saturn moves into your career zone in March, and then in late December Jupiter joins Saturn there.
Early in , the focus seems to be on increasing your income.
Full Moon for March 2020
With more work and greater responsibility comes a higher reward, of course, and April sees luxury-loving Venus shifting into your money zone. Venus attracts extra income but spends it too!
May could be a tricky month, with both Venus and Saturn turning Retrograde, in your money and career zones. Tighten your belt and hold your nerve. Use that financial caution that Taurus is famous for. This could be a temporary setback, so stay calm and just keep working your way through. A Lunar Eclipse in your resources zone in June could indicate that you have to suddenly repay a debt, or that you lose a client, or lose financial support in some way; again, this could lead to some difficult moments later in the year but keep the faith.
In late September, Saturn ends its Retrograde period and you can start to breathe easy again. Bountiful Jupiter makes the move into your career zone later in the month, and this should open up the gateway to abundance. An extremely fortuitous Jupiter-Saturn conjunction also occurs in your career zone, so the astrology suggests that your hard work blends with a stroke of luck to manifest a fantastic opportunity for The rare and powerful Saturn-Pluto conjunction falls in one of the most mysterious and complex zones of your chart, and this conjunction faces a series of challenges from other planets throughout the year.
Trust in yourself, trust in the eventual outcome, and trust in those you love. Moments of astrological drama or crisis may force you to act differently than how you imagined you would, and you may resent letting yourself down.
Here, forgiveness is key. The year begins with the Saturn-Pluto conjunction settling into place in January, along with a Lunar Eclipse in your values zone and warrior planet Mars transiting your relationship zone. A rocky beginning indeed, perhaps with plenty of angry outbursts.
- astrology papers in sri lanka.
- Full Moon for March The Full Worm Moon | The Old Farmer's Almanac?
- name numerology and date of birth 12 january.
With Mars putting you on war footing in February, Venus shifting into your privacy zone in March and Pluto turning Retrograde in your mysteries zone in April, this period is likely to be a heated and a somewhat tense time. Gemini needs downtime, now more than ever.
May continues this theme a bit, with Venus turning Retrograde in your own sign, damping down your natural sunniness, and Jupiter turning Retrograde in your mysteries zone, adding yet more intrigue and drama to the background undercurrent.
Full Moon for March 2020
June could be make-or-break time for a loving relationship, Gemini, which is challenged by two eclipses: A Solar Eclipse in your values zone and a Lunar Eclipse in your love zone. A tense July sees something of a stand-off in your personal life, as the Sun opposes the loose Jupiter-Saturn-Pluto conjunction, bringing your values and your love life into conflict once again, backed by another Lunar Eclipse. Hang in there, Gemini. From August onward, the tension will ease as sunny Venus slips into your values zone and spreads some calming, soothing balm.
Astrology shows that communication gets a lot easier in September, and in October Venus lends her light to your family zone, surrounding you with comfort and love. Your relationships are in the spotlight again in December, with a Solar Eclipse in your love zone. Once Jupiter shifts into your adventure zone in late December, a breath of fresh air enters your life. The rather wonderful Jupiter-Saturn conjunction in your adventure zone as the year ends suggests that new horizons are just around the corner for you.
The mysteries zone of your birth chart, where the important Jupiter-Pluto conjunction reigns all year, is also associated with sex, intimacy and passion, so Gemini, your love life in looks set to see some drama. Indeed, you may start the year on an argumentative note, as Mars transits your love zone. A lack of patience with your sweetheart is likely to lead to heated arguments and misunderstandings in January, but once Mars shifts into your intimacy zone in February, intense jealousy could become a problem too.
Relationships at this time could easily swing from one extreme to another, or you may find yourself in an intoxicating — but ultimately toxic — situation. In March, Venus makes a series of trines to Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto which highlight the mysterious and somewhat otherworldly nature of your relationships. Expect to feel a psychic connection to your partner, or perhaps to uncover hidden information about them, which will set your Gemini curiosity on fire.
This is neither good nor bad in itself; how you react to it will be key. Pluto turns Retrograde in your intimacy zone in April, but Venus arrives in your own zodiac sign. When Venus also turns Retrograde in May, you may struggle to maintain your composure or be easily upset. Indeed, the Lunar Eclipse in your love zone in June could be a healing event; it does not necessarily suggest the beginning of a problem. There is likely to be undeniable tension in your relationship through July, however. Astrology suggests that this is because the Sun forms a series of oppositions to the loose Jupiter-Saturn-Pluto linkup, pitting your own deeply-held values against your love life.
A Lunar Eclipse in your intimacy zone in July suggests someone is being under-handed.
This Week's Features
Tread carefully at this time. So, a somewhat tense start to the year it may be, but the last quarter of holds promising news for your love life, Gemini. In mid-October, Venus trines the Jupiter-Saturn-Pluto trio, suggesting that warmth and love from a family vibe will trump any underhanded nastiness, interference from others or misplaced jealousy. There is one last challenge on the horizon, in the shape of a Solar Eclipse in your love zone in December.
However, Venus at this point is smoothly sailing through the same area, so you should be able to end on a romantic high.