text:
Last night we stopped by Nielsen's Grove again and saw some new baby ducks. We have been to the park so many times this summer to see the ducks and I absolutely love it! They are so stinking cute.
I think these ones are a new batch of ducks, newer than that last big batch we saw.
Mckinley had so much fun in the swing and kept shaking her head "no" when we asked her if she wanted to get out.
Mckinley and I went to Seven Peaks twice this week and had a blast. She is loving the water so much more now. She loves to go walking in the wave pool all by herself. We also went down the big waterslide and the little waterslide in the kiddie pool that she loved. She loves taking baths too.
Speaking of babies, there is a bird's next in the corner of our covered parking, right by our car. We always felt so bad because when the mom was sitting on the eggs, we would always scare her away when we got in our car. Yesterday when we left I noticed she was standing on the ledge next to the nest, but not on the nest, and then I saw her feed her babies. I'm pretty sure they just hatched yesterday. When we got home last night, she was already gone, so Brandon got up high and took a picture of the two little baby birds. I love baby animals! Hopefully these birds don't get hurt when they try to fly, since if they fall out of their nest they will fall on the pavement instead of on grass. Probably not the smartest place for the mom to build her nest.
Today is moving day! I'm off to go pack up the whole house so we can move it tonight. I'm so excited for this change!
Friday, July 29, 2011
Last night we stopped by Nielsen's Grove again and saw some new baby ducks. We have been to the park so many times this summer to see the ducks and I absolutely love it! They are so stinking cute.
Posted by Stephanie Salmon at 8:16 AM 1 comments
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Camera is Here
Our new camera is here! So of course we had to get started right away videoing some of the adorable things Mckinley is doing these days.
Here's what she does after you put chapstick on her lips.
I finally went to seven peaks when it wasn't busy. Wahoo! You just gotta go first thing in the morning. Kristen, my mom, and Shellee came with me today which was awesome because for the first time I actually got to ride some rides. And there were NO lines. It was sweet. I even took Mckinley on one of the water slides with me. Our seven peaks trip was right during her first nap and she totally zonked out on the way home.
Isn't that precious?
This will be the last post from our first home as a family. We are moving in to my parents' house this Friday. We've moved a lot of stuff already and our house is looking SO empty! When we moved from Jason and Shannon's basement to this house our total move time was 30 minutes. This one will most definitely be longer but we are pretty darn prepared so I bet it will be quick.
Posted by Stephanie Salmon at 3:14 PM 2 comments
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
A new camera is on its way in the mail!!! Yay for online shopping. Gotta love it. I seriously can't wait till it gets here. These might be the last few pics from my sister's camera. We'll see.
Anyway, so I put on a Baby Einstein video for Mckinley the other day and then for fun I pulled out her old bouncer chair to let her sit in it. She loves sitting on anything that is her size. It was crazy to see how stinking big she is now. The front of the chair was touching the ground when she sat in it!
Here she is a year ago in the same chair watching a Baby Einstein video. I can't believe how much smaller she was, yet she just looks like the same Mckinley.
This picture is too cute not to post. Haley got Sam and Mckinley up on the piano bench with her and they were all playing. Adorable!
Brandon and I realized that the day we saw those 12 little baby ducks was probably the first day of their lives! They were even newer than we thought. We are a little obsessed and went back to the park 3 more times last week to try to see them. Some of them have died and the rest of them are so much bigger and braver and just swimming all over the pond. It's crazy to think that on Tuesday last week when we saw them they were all snuggling together and falling asleep on each other. They must have been so new and we feel so lucky to have been able to see and watch them that day.
Posted by Stephanie Salmon at 10:45 AM 3 comments
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
A Good Day
Yes, I am posting twice in one day. So sue me. There are two reasons why I just had to post. #1, I didn't want to end on such a negative note. #2. Look at these cute baby ducks we saw today!!!
Well, let's back up first to last night. Brandon and I took our leftover brownies to his parents house to share (aka get rid of so we didn't eat ourselves sick) with them. His dad decided to go on a little food run so we all hopped in the car and went to Sonic, Broiler Express, and Jamba. Can you say "yum?" This is Mckinley laying down on the couch before we left. She was so ready for bed!
So that was last night but now we come to today, which in my books has been a perfect day so far. Mckinley didn't wake us up this morning till 8:20 which was pretty awesome, so that was a good start to the day. I guess Brandon would argue that his day started at like 1 in the morning when Mckinley woke up crying for some strange reason. But being the awesome husband he is, he let me sleep and he went and got her. He brought her in bed with us and she fell asleep with her head on my stomach (double awesome) which she never does, so she slept with us for a bit before I brought her back to her bed. We are always wishing she would have the occasional sleepover with us in our bed but for some reason she won't fall asleep in there. So we enjoyed it while it lasted.
Anyway, moving on. So we had a good morning, ate breakfast, Brandon went to work. Mckinley napped while I blogged and wrote to Amy and cross stitched and stuff. Then as soon as she woke up I called Brandon and asked him if he wanted to have a picnic at Nelson's Grove. We were there sometime in June and saw all these ducks sitting on eggs underneath the rocks. So yesterday we were saying darn, we should have gone back so we could see the babies. I knew there would be babies but I didn't know how small they would still be. I wanted to go check it out so I decided I was going to bring Mckinley, even if I went by myself.
Brandon said he'd come though so he picked up some Subway and I brought a few things from home and we met in the park and had an awesome picnic and saw those adorable little ducks pictured above. There were 12 of them and 2 were pure, bright yellow. They were so perfect they looked fake. It was so fun to see them! Here's Mckinley pointing at the baby ducks.
Dad and Mckinley. It was a perfect day at the park too. A little overcast but still very warm. We practically had the whole giant park to ourselves.
We took Mckinley for a ride in the swing and trust me, she enjoyed it a lot more than this picture shows. :)
I think her favorite thing to do though is pick up handfuls of dirt (or wood chips) and throw them back down. She could do it forever.
Check out her cute smile. I love it! I never thought my kid would be able to smile on demand this early. I love it. The only trick is having a camera good enough to catch it! One good thing I will say about my sister's crappy camera: the screen is so tiny that after you've taken a picture, you really can't see it very well so it kind of brings you back to the old film camera days when it was a surprise to see what pictures you've got on there. When I load the pictures on to the computer, I get to really see them for the first time and see if they turned out or not.
Posted by Stephanie Salmon at 12:44 PM 4 comments
A not-so-great weekend
As much as I love weekends, they don't always turn out awesome.
This last weekend we started it a little early and went up to Park City to a timeshare Brandon's dad had reserved for the week. Brandon's mom was already up there so it was our little family along with her. Thursday and Friday were good, we went swimming, relaxed in the hotel watching old movies, went shopping at the outlets, went to dinner, and oh, lucky me, I got my first bladder infection in 2 and a half years. For any of you who know my history, I have had more than my fair share of bladder infections and 2 and a half years without them was nothing short of a miracle for me. Of course it sucks to get one when you're out of town. Luckily the second doctor's office I tried was willing to call me in a prescription. So that problem pretty much got taken care of.
Mckinley all ready to go swimming.
This is the reason I don't buy my child toys. She always finds the most interesting ways to entertain herself. She had fun putting each of the dice in this drawer, one by one. It kept her entertained for quite a while.
Mckinley enjoying a bath in the huge jacuzzi tub in our room.
So on to the next thing. Friday night we went to bed and at 4 in the morning I felt like I needed to throw up. It was pretty weird, I have no idea where I got sick from, but I threw up every half hour for the rest of the night. I had no idea how I was going to make the hour trip home without either needing to go to the bathroom or throw up. Brandon packed up all our stuff and the car and I surprised myself by being able to carry Mckinley all the way down the 5 stories to the car. I was so miserable!
Posted by Stephanie Salmon at 9:14 AM 3 comments
Thursday, July 7, 2011
4th of July
Life without a camera is hard. There are so many things Mckinley is doing that I want to get on video.
What do you call the opposite of a bird's eye view?
I love the coca cola balloon too.
We borrowed Melanee's cute little headress to see how Mckinley would like it.
Family picture.
We spent our afternoon and evening on the 4th up in Park City at a timeshare Brandon's dad booked for the week. Mckinley had her first taste of corn on the cob.
She LOVED it.
Posted by Stephanie Salmon at 7:55 AM 4 comments


text:
1. Prepare grill for direct heat cooking.
2. Grill peppers over hot coals 15 to 20 minutes, turning occasionally until all sides are blackened. Put peppers in paper bag, fold down top and allow to cool. Under running water, remove charred skin, seeds and ribs from peppers. Place on paper towel to dry. Sprinkle peppers with 1/2 teaspoon oregano and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Cut peppers into 1/4-inch strips. Set aside.
3. In small bowl combine turkey with remaining oregano, salt and pepper.
4. Unroll pizza dough and pat into rectangle, approximately 10x13-inches. Cut dough into 4 equal pieces. Spray grill with vegetable cooking spray. Place dough on grill over hot coals and grill 4 to 5 minutes or until dough is puffy and lightly browned. Turn dough over and grill 2 to 3 minutes or until dough is done.
5. Top each pizza with 1/4 each peppers, turkey and 2 tablespoons cheese. Cover grill and heat pizzas 5 to 10 minutes or until cheese melts. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.
-- Recipe provided by the National Turkey Federation.
*DISCLAIMER*: The information contained in or provided through this site section is intended for general consumer understanding and education only and is not intended to be and is not a substitute for professional advice. Use of this site section and any information contained on or provided through this site section is at your own risk and any information contained on or provided through this site section is provided on an "as is" basis without any representations or warranties.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
RICHLAND, Wash. -- Solar power remains a hard sell in the United States, but researchers in Washington have developed a way to harness the heat of the sun to boost the efficiency of conventional power plants.
The new technology allows a natural gas-fired plant to generate 25 percent more electricity from the same amount of fuel. And it also reduces greenhouse-gas emissions, says Robert Wegeng, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) engineer who's leading the project.
Wegeng and his colleagues are testing the system this summer on the PNNL campus near the Columbia River, where it's not uncommon for the blistering sun to drive temperatures into triple digits.
On a morning when the high was forecast to hit 100 degrees, team members gathered around their apparatus to explain how it operates.
"It will work best in a dry, sunny environment," Wegeng said. "In Eastern Washington our sun is pretty good."
The flashiest part of the device is a mirrored, parabolic dish that concentrates the sun's rays onto the business end of the operation: a sleek pod about 4 feet long crammed with wiring and machinery.
When the sun is shining, temperatures inside the pod approach 1,500 degrees -- hot enough, with an assist from a catalyst, to blast apart the chemical bonds in a mixture of natural gas and water. The result is another fuel, called syngas, which burns better and releases more energy than natural gas.
Climate-altering carbon dioxide emissions drop because a power plant equipped with a solar-booster wouldn't have to burn as much fuel.
"Of all the projects I've worked on at PNNL, this is probably the most economically viable," said systems engineer Rick Cameron. "No matter what the price (of natural gas) is, you can improve the energy value."
But as with all energy technologies, the system's commercial fate will hinge on cost and practicality, which have yet to be demonstrated.
"It's a development effort, and it's a stretch to get there," Wegeng said.
The PNNL approach builds on what's called solar thermal energy production. Instead of relying on photovoltaic cells to directly convert sunlight into energy, solar thermal plants use mirrored, parabolic troughs or dishes to concentrate sunlight and tap the resulting heat to drive steam turbines.
One complex in the Mojave Desert covers more than 1,600 acres and has a capacity of 350 megawatts. Another being built in the same area will have a capacity of 400 MW.
The PNNL system takes advantage of the solar heat to drive a chemical reaction instead of using it to create steam.
Wegeng and his colleagues estimate a 500-megawatt solar-gas hybrid plant -- with enough capacity to power about 350,000 homes -- would require about 3,000 mirrored dishes equipped with the podlike chemical reactors.
Cara Libby, project manager for environment and renewable energy at the Electric Power Research Institute, called the PNNL system "intriguing." But while the cost of photovoltaic cells has dropped sharply in recent years, the price of mirrored solar concentrators is still high, she pointed out.
That means a steep upfront investment for any new natural-gas plant that might consider the solar-booster technology. "You're adding cost by putting a solar component into the project," she said.
With natural-gas prices so low, operators aren't likely to spend that extra cash.
Solar-gas hybrids might make more sense in places, like Washington, that require utilities to include renewable power sources in their mix, Libby said.
"If a system like this can provide a more economic solar resource than a stand-alone solar project, then I think it would be attractive to utilities trying to meet those mandates," she said.
Another advantage over an all-solar plant is that a hybrid facility could continue operating when the sun isn't shining, by switching to natural gas.
Wegeng and his colleagues are working with industry and academic experts at Oregon State University to reduce the cost of their system and develop ways to mass-produce it. The challenge is to produce a system that's reliable, high-performing and economically competitive with natural gas.
"We think we really have a good shot at it," Wegeng said.
The project was launched with $750,000 in federal stimulus money. The experimental phase is funded with about $3.5 million from the Department of Energy's SunShot Initiative to advance solar technology, and $850,000 from industrial partner SolarThermoChemical LLC, which hopes to commercialize the technology.
By Sandi Doughton
The Seattle Times


text:
) -- The need for caring a wallet or pocketbook is growing less and less important as
get some traction.
Royal Bank of Scotland
(RBS) - Get Report
just introduced a mobile banking application in the U.K. that allows users to access cash at an ATM without a debit card. All a consumer has to do is request the transaction from their phone, input a six-digit transaction number provided by the bank at the ATM and scoop up their cash.
Consumers with smartphones may quickly find it replacing their card when it comes to getting cash.
For now, cash amounts are limited -- presumably to protect against I.D. fraud -- but users can use the cellphone app as many times they want in a day.
"We've heard countless stories from customers who've left their wallet behind, or parents who need a quick way to send money across to their children immediately," explains Ben Green, director of mobile banking at NatWest and RBS.
Back in the U.S., Duluth, Ga.-based
(NCR) - Get Report
announced a similar
program this week that enables a consumer to get cash from an ATM simply by scanning their debit card at the machine. The entire transaction takes 10 seconds and "removes PINS and debit cards" from the process, NCR says of its
NCR Mobile Cash Withdrawal
Consumers may warm up to the technology. The chip embedded in the software application doesn't contain personal financial information; it just identifies the ATM location and details of the transaction. An automatic receipt is generated after the transaction and sent to the user's smartphone.
"We live in a mobile world where the modern consumer expects to handle transactions using a variety of mediums," says Michael O'Laughlin, senior vice president at NCR Financial Services. "NCR Mobile Cash Withdrawal will help financial institutions meet their customers' expectations in the mobile channel and help them deliver a differentiated and faster converged-channel experience."
The technology should also cause headaches for so-called "skimmers" -- financial fraudsters who steal debit card numbers (often as the consumer is using the card at an ATM) and use the data to steal funds from the consumer's bank account.
NCR says the technology will be fully operational by this summer. It is recruiting major banks to include the service for their consumers.


text:
How to Calculate Share of Voice for Organic Search
In today's post, I am going to be tackling a classic marketing measurement: share of voice. Share of voice is a way of measuring an amount of advertising presence or strength for a particular brand or product, or essentially: how much is our brand or product talked about compared to our competitors? The beauty of the internet is that we have a way of measuring how much we are being talked about, or what percentage of our audience's attention we have.November 29, 2013 22 24


text:
(CNN) -- One of the most memorable moments in the Democratic presidential primaries came last year when a debate moderator asked Joe Biden about his reputation for talking too much.
Sen. Joe Biden credits his mother with teaching him to stand up for the little guy.
The moderator asked Biden, who was described by the Los Angeles Times as a "gaffe machine," if he could reassure voters that he would have enough verbal discipline needed for the world stage.
"Yes," Biden replied with a grin and a twinkle in his eyes.
The moderator, NBC anchorman Brian Williams, waited for Biden to elaborate, but a still-grinning Biden said nothing more. Nervous titters spread through the crowd until the audience erupted in laughter.
The Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama may be known for his eloquence. But Biden, his vice presidential running mate, can handle himself behind the podium as well. He is known for his ability to throw a verbal punch.
Biden, often called the "scrappy kid from Scranton," Pennsylvania, once described as "bulls**t" and "malarkey" President Bush's alleged implication that Obama wanted to appease terrorists by talking to nations that Washington considers terrorist states.
He delivered this savage putdown of former Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani: "There's only three things he mentions in a sentence: a noun, a verb and 9/11." See Biden campaign photos »
Yet Biden's frankness can end up hurting him more than his intended target. During the Democratic presidential primaries, he was widely criticized for describing Obama as "the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean."
More recently, Biden attracted attention for telling a crowd that Sen. Hillary Clinton "might have been a better pick" as Obama's running mate.
Biden has weathered plenty of public bruises during his 36 years as a politician. But his private battles have been even more dramatic. See timeline of Biden's life »
Jeffrey Rosen, writing for The New Republic magazine, said Biden's willingness to mix it up comes from his working-class upbringing in Scranton during the 1950s.
Biden's father managed a car dealership and lectured his son at the dinner table about the horrors of the Holocaust. His dad once quit his job when he saw his boss throw silver dollars on the floor and watched his employees scramble for them, Rosen said.
Biden's mother taught her son to stand up for the little guy as well, Rosen said, before highlighting a passage from Biden's autobiography, "Promises to Keep: On Life and Politics."
"The one thing my mother could not stand was meanness," Biden writes. "She once shipped my brother off with instructions to bloody the nose of a kid who was picking on smaller kids. Religious figures and authority figures got no exemption. They abuse their power, you bloody their nose."
Biden took that pugnacious attitude into the political arena. After earning a law degree from Syracuse University, he won a Senate seat at age 29 representing Delaware in 1972 -- in a surprise victory.
He eventually became the chairman of the powerful Judiciary and Foreign Relations committees, establishing himself as an authority on national security issues and the Supreme Court.
In the 1980s, Biden led the Judiciary Committee through the explosive hearing for controversial conservative Judge Robert Bork.
In 2005, one of Biden's distinctive moments on that committee came when he questioned Supreme Court chief justice nominee John Roberts during the confirmation hearings.
Roberts, who would eventually sail through the hearings, had told committee members that he was not an ideologue but more like a judicial umpire who called balls and strikes.
"As much as I respect your metaphor, it's not very apt, because you get to determine the strike zone," Biden told Roberts.
Biden first ran for president in 1988 but dropped out after charges of plagiarism in a stump speech.
He also ran for the Oval Office this year but dropped out after a poor showing in the Iowa caucuses. He's serving his sixth congressional term, making him Delaware's longest-serving senator.
Biden's private battles, though, have shaped him more profoundly than his political skirmishes.
He overcame a stuttering problem as a child. In 1988, he had surgery for a brain aneurysm. A Roman Catholic, Biden carries a rosary and kept one under his pillow during brain surgery, according to People magazine. Watch Biden's sister describe how he fought his stuttering »
His most wrenching private struggle took place at the beginning of his political career in 1972. His first wife and infant daughter were killed in a car wreck. In an interview with CNN's Abbie Boudreau, Biden said he even considered quitting politics after the loss of his wife and daughter.
Boudreau asked Biden to read a passage from his autobiography to explain how he moved on to marry his current spouse, Jill. Watch Biden's emotional reading from his book »
The passage recounts a moment when he asked his current wife, Jill, how she could marry him when she knew he had adored his first wife.
"She didn't hesitate," Biden said, reading from his book. "That's the reason I can marry you. Anybody that can love that deeply once can do it again."
Biden swallowed hard, cleared his throat and looked down after he read that passage. Then he looked up again, his eyes welling with tears. He told Boudreau that his wife "gave me permission to be me again."
"I know that sounds corny," Biden said. "But she really did. ... She brought me back."
Biden looked down again and said nothing more. For once, he was at a loss for words.
All About Joseph Biden • U.S. Presidential Election • Sarah Palin


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text:
2103 - Monitoring System Conditions
- Course Delivery: On Demand
The objective of this tape is to present concepts which are vital tools in the interpretation of system operating conditions. After study of this course and the associated workbook, the participant should be able to understand the following overall concepts and apply them to his/her day-to-day work activities. He/she will also be able to answer test questions on the following subjects: Function of current and voltage transformers, Effect of burden and saturation, CT performance ratings, VT connections, The coupling capacitor VT, Polarity, polarity test, Three phase circuit diagrams, Directional sensing for ground faults, Phasor diagrams, construction and interpretation, Phase rotation - sequence, Per unit calculations, Base voltage and base MVA, OHMIC impedance and per unit impedance, MVA fault capacity.
If you are taking this course for NERC credit, the following credits will be reported.
NERC CE HOURS: CE HOURS = 4.00 OPS Topics=4.00 Standards=0.00 Simulation=0.00 EO=4.00
Course Objectives
Learning Objectives:
- Trainees will be able to describe the roles that CTs and VTs play in monitoring system conditions and providing reliable input the various protection relays.
- Trainees will be able to describe the vital characteristics of CTs and VTs, paricularly as they relate to performance and accuracy.
- Trainees will be able to describe the conventions for polarity; that is the direction of current flow in instrument transformers.
- Trainees will be able to describe how the polarity of CTs and VTs can be determined, including both the interpretation of markings on the transformer terminals and some simple tests that can be made to determine polarity.
- Trainees will be able to describe the conventions applied to phasor diagrams, including phase rotation and phase sequence.
- Trainees will be able to explain how a phasor diagram can be constructed based on the information presented in a circuit connection diagram.
- Trainees will be able to describe the basics of the per unit impedance system of calculation, which is useful in the analysis of fault conditions.
- Trainees will be able to relate per unit impedances to ohmic values of impedance for basic equipment configurations.
End of Course Instructions
Congratulations on completing the course! Your credits earned on completion of this program will be reported to RCEP.net within 30 days of completion. Once we report your completion at RCEP.net, you will receive a certificate of completion provided by RCEP on the email address you have provided at the time of enrollment. Please keep the certificate for your record. You may be required to submit this certificate to the state to record your PDH or present it in case if you are audited. If you have any questions or concerns please contact customer service at http://www.360trainingsupport.com
Why Choose 360training.com?
- Fast and easy courses completion
- Get an education faster than at traditional colleges!
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text:
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Spatial Audio
autor: Francis Rumsey
liczba stron: 256
rok wydania: 2001
wydawca: Focal Press
dostêpno¶æ: NA ZAMÓWIENIE
Twój rabat: 20 %
Explores the principles and practical considerations of spatial sound recording and reproduction. Particular emphasis is given to the increasing importance of multichannel surround sound and 3D audio, including binaural approaches, without ignoring conventional stereo.
The enhancement of spatial quality is arguably the only remaining hurdle to be overcome in pursuit of high quality sound reproduction. The rise of increasingly sophisticated spatial sound systems presents an enormous challenge to audio engineers, many of whom are confused by the possibilities and unfamiliar with standards, formats, track allocations, monitoring configurations and recording techniques.
The author provides a comprehensive study of the current state of the art in spatial audio, concentrating on the most widely used approaches and configurations. Anyone wishing to expand their understanding of these cutting-edge technologies will want to own this book.
Keep up to date with the latest technology - 3D audio, surround sound and multichannel recording techniquesEnables you to cut through the common confusions and problems associated with the subjectFurther your knowledge with this comprehensive study of the very latest spatial audio technologies and techniques
The spatial dimensions in natural sound; Sound sources in space; Introduction to the spatial dimension in reproduced sound; From mono to surround sound and 3D audio - a brief resume; Applications of spatial audio; Sound source localisation; Distance and depth perception; Apparent source width; Envelopment and spaciousness; Naturalness; Some subjective experiments involving spatial attributes of reproduced sound; Cognitive issues in sound space perception; The source-receiver signal chain; Two-channel (2-0) stereo; Binaural sound and 3D audio systems; Three-channel (3-0) stereo; 4-channel surround (3-1 stereo); 5.1 channel surround (3-2 stereo); Other multichannel configurations; Surround sound systems; Matrixed surround sound systems; Digital surround sound formats; Ambisonics; Introduction to listening room acoustics; International guidelines for surround sound room acoustics; Loudspeakers for surround sound: placement and directivity; Monitor level alignment; Virtual control room acoustics and monitors; Science versus aesthetics in spatial recording; Two-channel microphone techniques; Spot microphones and two-channel panning laws; Three-channel techniques; Surround sound recording techniques; Multichannel panning techniques; Artificial reverberation and room simulation; Surround sound mixing aesthetics; Upmixing and downmixing; References
Recording Tips for Engineers
Get ahead in the business - be the engineer everyone wants to hire - achieve success with the very best recordings. Tim Crich's bestselling Recording Tips for Engineers provides the knowledge you need to rise to the top. From years of experience ...
Modern Recording Techniques, 8ed
We have entered an exciting age in audio production. Conventional limitations in recording have subsided or vanished entirely, making it possible to create and record your own music in ways that few ever dreamed possible. This expanded, ...
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text:
Wednesday 13th March – London – Heaven *SOLD OUT*
Wednesday 15th May – London – O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire
Wednesday 23rd January – With his London album launch show at Heaven having long since sold-out, JOHN GRANT has just announced news of a second London headline date at O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire in May. Tickets for O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire go on-sale on Friday morning and are available from www.livenation.co.uk or www.ticketmaster.co.uk. A full UK tour is currently being scheduled and will be announced soon.
No Ceremony /// have delivered an awesome remix of 'Pale Green Ghosts', the album's title track and new single. The remix is currently being premiered on the Guardian's website and can be heard HERE
After a breakthrough year that saw his exceptional solo debut "Queen Of Denmark" win MOJO's album of 2010 and countless other accolades John Grant hasn't rested on his laurels but created a follow-up that underlines his uncanny and charismatic talents. Recorded in Iceland and featuring Sinead O'Connor on guest vocals, the brilliant "Pale Green Ghosts" adds sublime notes of dark, gleaming electronica to the anticipated velvet ballads, calling on all of Grant's influences and tastes, presenting an artist at the peak of his powers…
Directed by regular Bella Union collaborator Alex Southam, the video to "Pale Green Ghosts" has had 39,000 hits and can be viewed HERE
Pale Green Ghosts will be released 11th March on Bella Union records. New John Grant bio below:
It's been an extraordinary journey for John Grant, from a point where he thought he would never make music again or escape a life of substance abuse to winning awards and accolades, collaborating with Sinead O'Connor, Rumer and Hercules & Love Affair and having his music featured in the award-winning film Weekend.
It's a journey that's taken him from his birthplace in Buchanan, Michigan to be raised in Parker, Colorado, studying languages in Germany and, after his band The Czars split up, basing himself in New York, London, Berlin and, most recently, Iceland, where the bulk of Pale Green Ghosts was recorded. It's also been a journey from The Czars' folk/country noir to the lush '70s FM alchemy of Queen Of Denmark to the astonishing fusion of sounds that lifts Pale Green Ghosts to even giddier heights.
As if to acknowledge his journey, Grant has named the album after the opening title track, which documents the drives that he'd regularly take through the '80s, from Parker to the nearby metropolis of Denver, to the new wave dance clubs that have inspired the electronic elements of Pale Green Ghosts, and later on to visit the boyfriend – the 'TC' of Queen Of Denmark's 'TC & Honeybear' – that inspired many of that album's heartbreaking scenarios.
"I'd take the I-25, between Denver and Boulder, which was lined with all these Russian olive trees, which are the pale green ghosts of the title: they have this tiny leaves with silver on the back, which glow in the moonlight," Grant explains. "The song is about wanting to get out of a small town, to go out into the world and become someone and made my mark."
That Grant has made his mark is blatantly clear from how Queen Of Denmark was rapturously received. "Like a couple of similarly intense classics before it – Antony & The Johnsons' I Am A Bird Now and Bon Iver's For Emma… Queen Of Denmark sounds like a record its creator has been waiting his whole life to make," MOJO concluded. Another measure of achievement, and the journey, is that one classic that Grant first heard in those new wave clubs was Sinead O'Connor's 'Mandinka'. Two decades later, O'Connor has not only covered the title track of 'Queen Of Denmark' on her latest album How About I Be Me (And You Be You)?, but supplies goose-bumping backing vocals on Pale Green Ghosts.
Sinead's presence is a surprise, but not compared to the album's portion of synthesisers and beats – unless you already know Grant's enduring love of vintage synth-pop and industrial dance, and more current electronic acts such as Trentemøller and Mock & Toof. "Electronica is a huge part of my personality and my influences, though I don't think many people see that fitting in to the John Grant image, whatever that is," he says. There were occasional electronic undertows to Czars songs and two tracks ('That's the Good News' and 'Supernatural Defibrillator"') on the deluxe edition of Queen Of Denmark were dance tracks.
One of those prime influences has even produced Pale Green Ghosts with Grant: Birgir Þórarinsson, a.k.a. Biggi Veira, of Iceland's electronic pioneers Gus Gus. Queen of Denmark had been recorded in Texas with fellow Bella Union mates Midlake as his backing band, and Grant intended to return there to record again with the band's rhythm section of McKenzie Smith and Paul Alexander. But a trip beforehand to see more of Iceland, after he'd first played the Iceland Airwaves festival in 2011, led to meeting Biggi, who invited Grant to his studio in Reykjavik. The two tracks the pair recorded – 'Pale Green Ghosts' and 'Black Belt' – convinced Grant he had to make the entire record there.
If Queen Of Denmark is Grant's '70s album, channeling the spirits of Karen Carpenter and Bread, then Pale Green Ghosts is his'80s album. Of the electronic tracks, the title track is a panoramic, brooding classic, while 'Sensitive New Age Guy' and 'Black Belt' are the tracks that you might dance to in new wave clubs. 'You Don't Have To' is a classic example of Grant's influences blending together, in a reworked arrangement of a track unveiled during concert tours in 2011. It also features the distinct spacey Moog sounds that are familiar to lovers of Queen Of Denmark, while McKenzie and Alexander play on 'Vietnam' and 'It Doesn't Matter To Him'. Grant's touring partner, keyboardist Chris Pemberton, plays the gorgeous piano coda on the album's tumultuous finale 'Glacier'.
Besides Biggi, the album features a range of Icelandic musicians, including saxophonist Óskar Gudjónsson on 'Ernest Borgine', named after the legendary American film/TV actor. On an album of typically caustic revelations and scabrous humour, including sex, sexuality and the pitfalls of growing up in an era, and a particularly religious environment, that ostracised gay men, 'Ernest Borgnine' combines all these strands with the admission that Grant is HIV positive.
Grant's frankness also led to being arguably the first person to announce such news in front of a live audience, as he did when appearing with Hercules And Love Affair at London's Meltdown festival in June 2012. HALA mainman Andy Butler had asked Grant to collaborate on a track ('I Tried To Talk To You', as yet unreleased) and requested that he, "dig deep," with his lyric. "It's what I wrote the song about so I thought I should talk about it there and then," Grant explains his public declaration. "I thought I shouldn't be afraid to talk about it, as there are lots of people in my situation, who feel like outcasts in society, people who had addiction problems, who feel ashamed and unlovable because of it. I want these people to know they have someone on a stage who is dealing with this too."
Grant has also never shied away from discussing depression, and Pale Green Ghosts is a show of strength and survival, of moving on with life, on what will continue to be an incredible journey. "Moving to Reykjavik, at the age of 43, was incredibly risky and scary," says Grant. "I didn't know anyone here, but I've built up a life here, and recorded an album I'm really proud of, that distils what I'm about down to its most essential components, better than ever before. And this was during the middle of health issues. It means I'm trying to take the bull by the horns, and to live."


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Our Crop Flower design (which is a crop circle that was discovered on July 19, 2007 at Martinsell Hill, Wiltshire, UK) will be embroidered on the front of your fitted hat. Please choose which panel you would like embroidered. Left or right when looking at the hat. Our GSD wings logo will be embroidered on the back of the hat, unless you specify you would like the words GET SHIT DONE written out on the back. You may also choose 2 thread colors for the design. Leave a note to seller at checkout. Thanks!
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Migrating From the XslTransform Class
The XSLT architecture was redesigned in the Visual Studio 2005 release. The XslTransform class was replaced by the XslCompiledTransform class.
The following sections describe some of the main differences between the XslCompiledTransform and the XslTransform classes.
The XslCompiledTransform class includes many performance improvements. The new XSLT processor compiles the XSLT style sheet down to a common intermediate format, similar to what the common language runtime (CLR) does for other programming languages. Once the style sheet is compiled, it can be cached and reused.
The XslCompiledTransform class also includes other optimizations that make it much faster than the XslTransform class.
Although the overall performance of the XslCompiledTransform class is better than the XslTransform class, the Load method of the XslCompiledTransform class might perform more slowly than the Load method of the XslTransform class the first time it is called on a transformation. This is because the XSLT file must be compiled before it is loaded. For more information, see the following blog post: XslCompiledTransform Slower than XslTransform?
By default, the XslCompiledTransform class disables support for the XSLT
document() function and embedded scripting. These features can be enabled by creating an XsltSettings object that has the features enabled and passing it to the Load method. The following example shows how to enable scripting and perform an XSLT transformation.
// Create the XsltSettings object with script enabled.
XsltSettings settings = new XsltSettings(false,true);
// Execute the transform.
XslCompiledTransform xslt = new XslCompiledTransform();
xslt.Load("calc.xsl", settings, new XmlUrlResolver());
xslt.Transform("books.xml", "books.html");
' Create the XsltSettings object with script enabled.
Dim settings As New XsltSettings(False, True)
' Execute the transform.
Dim xslt As New XslCompiledTransform()
xslt.Load("calc.xsl", settings, New XmlUrlResolver())
xslt.Transform("books.xml", "books.html")
For more information, see XSLT Security Considerations.
New Features
Temporary Files
Temporary files are sometimes generated during XSLT processing. If a style sheet contains script blocks, or if it is compiled with the debug setting set to true, temporary files may be created in the %TEMP% folder. There may be instances when some temporary files are not deleted due to timing issues. For example, if the files are in use by the current AppDomain or by the debugger, the finalizer of the TempFileCollection object will not be able to remove them.
The TemporaryFiles property can be used for additional cleanup to make sure that all temporary files are removed from the client.
Support for the xsl:output Element and XmlWriter
The XslTransform class ignored
xsl:output settings when the transform output was sent to an XmlWriter object. The XslCompiledTransform class has an OutputSettings property that returns an XmlWriterSettings object containing the output information derived from the
xsl:output element of the style sheet. The XmlWriterSettings object is used to create an XmlWriter object with the correct settings that can be passed to the Transform method. The following C# code illustrates this behavior:
// Create the XslTransform object and load the style sheet.
XslCompiledTransform xslt = new XslCompiledTransform();
// Load the file to transform.
XPathDocument doc = new XPathDocument(filename);
// Create the writer.
XmlWriter writer = XmlWriter.Create(Console.Out, xslt.OutputSettings);
// Transform the file and send the output to the console.
xslt.Transform(doc, writer);
Debug Option
The XslCompiledTransform class can generate debug information, which enables you to debug the style sheet with the Microsoft Visual Studio Debugger. See XslCompiledTransform(Boolean) for more information.
Behavioral Differences
Transforming to an XmlReader
The XslTransform class has several Transform overloads that return transformation results as an XmlReader object. These overloads can be used to load the transformation results into an in-memory representation (such as XmlDocument or XPathDocument) without incurring the overhead of serialization and deserialization of the resulting XML tree. The following C# code shows how to load the transformation results into an XmlDocument object.
// Load the style sheet
XslTransform xslt = new XslTransform();
// Transform input document to XmlDocument for additional processing
XmlDocument doc = new XmlDocument();
doc.Load(xslt.Transform(input, (XsltArgumentList)null));
The XslCompiledTransform class does not support transforming to an XmlReader object. However, you can do something similar by using the CreateNavigator method to load the resulting XML tree directly from an XmlWriter. The following C# code shows how to accomplish the same task using XslCompiledTransform.
// Transform input document to XmlDocument for additional processing
XmlDocument doc = new XmlDocument();
using (XmlWriter writer = doc.CreateNavigator().AppendChild()) {
xslt.Transform(input, (XsltArgumentList)null, writer);
Discretionary Behavior
The W3C XSL Transformations (XSLT) Version 1.0 Recommendation includes areas in which the implementation provider may decide how to handle a situation. These areas are considered to be discretionary behavior. There are several areas where the XslCompiledTransform behaves differently than the XslTransform class. For more information, see Recoverable XSLT Errors.
Extension Objects and Script Functions
XslCompiledTransform introduces two new restrictions on the use of script functions:
Only public methods may be called from XPath expressions.
Overloads are distinguishable from each other based on the number of arguments. If more than one overload has the same number of arguments, an exception will be raised.
In XslCompiledTransform, a binding (method name lookup) to script functions occurs at compile time, and style sheets that worked with XslTransform may cause an exception when they are loaded with XslCompiledTransform.
XslCompiledTransform supports having
msxsl:using and
msxsl:assembly child elements within the
msxsl:script element. The
msxsl:using and
msxsl:assembly elements are used to declare additional namespaces and assemblies for use in the script block. See Script Blocks Using msxsl:script for more information.
XslCompiledTransform prohibits extension objects that have multiple overloads with the same number of arguments.
MSXML Functions
Support for additional MSXML functions have been added to the XslCompiledTransform class. The following list describes new or improved functionality:
msxsl:node-set: XslTransform required the argument of the node-set Function function to be a result tree fragment. The XslCompiledTransform class does not have this requirement.
msxsl:version: This function is supported in XslCompiledTransform.
XPath extension functions: The ms:string-compare Function, ms:utc Function, ms:namespace-uri Function, ms:local-name Function, ms:number Function, ms:format-date Function, and ms:format-time Function functions are now supported.
Schema-related XPath extension functions: These functions are not supported natively by XslCompiledTransform. However, they can be implemented as extension functions.


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No designer's work has been more often imitated than that of Giambattista Bodoni. This is hardly surprising. Bodoni was a genius who created some of the most beautiful and majestic typefaces ever produced. Yet the designs of this 18th century master are also among the most difficult to accurately revive.
The reason for this difficulty is Bodoni's own prolific creativity. Bodoni cut so many typefaces, in so many sizes, that choosing a design source from which to work is problematic. Even experts disagree over which is the best foundation for a proper revival of Bodoni's work.
There's also the challenge of how to accurately represent Bodoni's incredibly rich stylistic palette. Bodoni cut over two hundred fonts, all in the same basic style, but varying in size, proportion and weight. Much of the strength and power of Bodoni's printing results from his ability to use the absolutely optimal design for any given application. In addition to impeccable taste, Bodoni always had exactly the font he wanted.
The first step was a trip to Parma, Italy, the city where Bodoni worked and where his punches are now stored. In Parma, recalls Sumner Stone, the project's art director, "the search for Bodoni took on a new dimension and meaning. We were there not only to look at old books and original metal punches. We traveled to Parma to find the spirit of Bodoni - the real Bodoni."
In addition to Stone, the Bodoni design team included Holly Goldsmith, Jim Parkinson and Janice Prescott Fishman. After Parma, the band of travelers returned home to draw letters, starting with the romans. The small size (based on the font Bodoni called "Filosofia") required a good deal of interpretation. The challenge here was to preserve the feeling and gesture of the original Bodoni letters, without making the type a mock-antique that incorporated every bump. The end result, according to Stone, "is grouchy, not photo-realistic."
Once preliminary sketches had been made for the foundational characters in the large and small fonts, the design team returned to Parma to confirm that the chosen design direction was the right one, using an original copy of Bodoni's 1818 Manuale Tipografico as a benchmark for accuracy. Subtle modifications were made on the spot, and the rewarding but arduous process of drawing the complete family began.
ITC Bodoni's middle weight was digitally interpolated from the large and small designs. In Stone's words, "After some trial and error, we produced a text size which has not only the right weight but also a distinct Bodoni flavor - a flavor every bit as strong as the rich porcini mushrooms in a Parma risotto." That a computer could make a new font for text sizes by "averaging" the very small and large sizes is testament to the strength and clarity of Bodoni's original vision, which he developed and maintained over many years.
The completed family consists of ITC Bodoni Six, designed for small captions and settings, ITC Bodoni Twelve, specifically for text copy, and ITC Bodoni Seventy-Two, for use in display applications. Each size-specific design comes in two weights: Book and Bold, with matching italics. ITC Bodoni Seventy-Two also includes two swash fonts for the italics.
Now the ITC Bodoni family is available as a suite of OpenType Pro fonts. Graphic communicators can now work with this versatile design while taking advantage of OpenType's capabilities, including the automatic insertion of old style figures, ligatures and small caps.
The new ITC Bodoni Pro fonts also offer an extended character set supporting most Central European and many Eastern European languages.


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CSB/SJU Magazine is published in the spring by CSB/SJU Office of Marketing and Communications.
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text: Published September 24, 2012 Updated September 24, 2012 Published September 24, 2012 This article was published more than 8 years ago. Some information in it may no longer be current. Comments Share Text Size Online automotive resource website Autobytel.com has announced its Top 10 Best Tailgating vehicles for football season Open this photo in gallery: 2012 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 "The ZR1's hand-built 638-horsepower 6.2-litre engine is an instant party, and with 22.4 cubic feet of cargo space, there's ample room for a Hibachi grill, cooler and folding chairs." General Motors 1 of 11 Open this photo in gallery: 2012 Chrysler Town & Country "Need to keep covered while tailgating? The Town & Country offers a set of third-row seats that flip and reverse so that you can sit in comfort, protected from the elements. With Uconnect Wi-Fi Internet service, this minivan provides a perfect platform for streaming live coverage." Frenak/Chrysler 2 of 11 Open this photo in gallery: 2012 Expedition EL "With 42.6 cubic feet of cargo space and the ability to carry eight people, the 2012 Ford Expedition EL is perfectly crafted to stow all of your tailgate gear while comfortably seating your fellow sports fans." Ford 3 of 11 Open this photo in gallery: 2012 Ford F-350 Super Duty "Nothing does tailgating better than a pickup truck. With a 110-volt/150-watt power inverter, the F-350 can supply enough juice to power that flat screen TV you hauled to the stadium." Ford 4 of 11 Story continues below advertisement Open this photo in gallery: 2013 Ford Flex "Tailgate in style with this seven passenger vehicle that sports rear bucket seats separated by a console equipped with a refrigerator." Ford 5 of 11 Open this photo in gallery: 2012 Honda Ridgeline "Seemingly built for tailgate parties, the Ridgeline's dual-action tailgate swings out to the side or folds down to extend the load surface. With an 8.5 cubic feet locking compartment with a drain hole under the cargo bed floor, you're completely set for storing ice and beverages." Honda 6 of 11 Open this photo in gallery: 2012 Jeep Patriot "Thanks to its optional Boston Acoustics audio system with articulating speakers built into the liftgate, the Patriot is a perfect tailgate vehicle for anyone seeking a mobile boom box." Chrysler 7 of 11 Open this photo in gallery: 2012 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited "With an array of options for the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, such as the Infinity sound system, Uconnect mobile Wi-Fi or an attached Mopar Trail Camper, this vehicle is a party both inside and out." Chrysler 8 of 11 Open this photo in gallery: 2013 Ram 1500 "With the ability to hold up to 280 cans of your favourite beverages, everyone will surround the Ram 1500 during a tailgate party. Don't forget, you can keep those drinks on ice with easy clean-up thanks to the drain plug." Chrysler 9 of 11 Open this photo in gallery: 2012 Toyota 4Runner "The 2012 Toyota 4Runner makes the perfect tailgate vehicle with its cargo floor tray that slides out to create a three-sided table for your tailgate party foods. Better yet, it holds up to 440 pounds which means, when the food is gone, you can sit down in the shade." Toyota 10 of 11 Open this photo in gallery: Report an error Editorial code of conduct


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NOTE: Your order may take longer than usual to arrive. Read more.
After years of development and painstaking research, Moss Classic Jaguar is pleased to introduce first-class reproductions of the ever-elusive Cheney-type hose clamps. Every effort was made to faithfully reproduce the original Cheney design in all respects, including materials, dimensions, construction and finish. These clamps were made to address the non-availability of original clamps, especially for Jaguar owners who seek the ultimate in authenticity.
These clamps are bright cadmium plated, just like the originals. Over time this cad plating will dull and turn darker. This is normal. Jaguar never used a bright zinc plated or stainless steel clamp. The less bright cad finish is correct.
Frankly speaking, the original Cheney clamps were not that great or as easy to install as modern stainless spring steel clamps. Some effort is required for good results. These clamps were cadmium plated in the open position so that all clamp surfaces would be completely and uniformly coated. Therefore, prior to installation you will have to close the clamps.
First, ensure that the clamp is completely round and that the leading edge of the clamp feeds directly into the mouth of the screw mechanism. This is most easily done, particularly on smaller clamps, by forming them over a circular template, such as a section of water pipe mounted in a vice. Gently tap the clamps round using a soft mallet or wooden hammer handle. Be sure that the leading edge of the clamp is feeding into the body at the correct angle.
Next, dab a bit of white grease or similar lubricant on the leading edge of the clamp, top and bottom and onto the receiving end of screw body. After plating, the clamps can be a bit tight and this will help ensure smooth operation.
Finally, run the clamps in and out a few times to spread the grease around. Wipe off the excess and install.
One fault of the Cheney clamps is that they require a good bit of effort to tighten. And since they can only be tightened with a flat-blade screwdriver, the clamp may feel tight on the hose when it is not. Tighten the clamp as much as possible using the biggest screwdriver possible, then start the car and look for leaks, tightening again as necessary. Once the hoses warm up and become a bit softer, tighten once more.
California Residents: Prop 65 Warning
WARNING: Cancer and Reproductive Harm
Visit: www.p65warnings.ca.gov
Note: This item replaces part number CO-2905/000.


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Earlier this week, a 10 second teaser trailer was released online in advance of the 90 second proper trailer for Twilight Eclipse. Yes, I'm confused too. But it speaks to the Twilight Nation's eagerness to eat up anything, to buy up anything, to shoot up anything related to their franchise. Eclipse opens on June 30 but Robert Pattinson's Remember Me opens this Friday. And both films come from the same studio. And since Pattinson's non-Twilight endeavours depend very much on Twilight fans, you see why this was their only move – to launch the trailer with the movie and hope that Twi-Hards will flock to see him get it on with Emilie de Ravin.
And they will, even though initial estimates have been conservative, they will. It's hard to imagine his faithful and horny not lining up over and over again pretending his dialogue is meant for Bella Swan. It also doesn't matter if the movie is good or not. Reviews have been largely dismal. I usually trust Variety'sTodd McCarthy. He doesn't like it much but he also doesn't hate it. (By the way, if you have never, you should really check out McCarthy's DVD commentary for His Girl Friday, one of my all time favourite movies. McCarthy's acknowledgement of Howard Hawks's portrayal of strong, independent women long before the official movement is nothing short of inspired.)
Entertainment Weekly's Lisa Schwarzbaum however had no time for Remember Me. Gave it a D+. And guess what happened? Of course they did. The Twi-Hards hit her hard. Click here for her review and the comments if you need a Twi-Hard laugh today.
But what you have to understand is that for Twi-Hards, quality is not important. Exhibit A: Twilight. Exhibit B: Twilight New Moon. And so when it comes to this Eclipse trailer, well, put it this way, it's not exactly Iron Man 2. What it is is what they want. Which is a lot of Pattinson and Kristen Stewart holding each other, and Taylor Lautner wanting to hold her, and some fancy music in between, and of course the elements that have become Twilight staples:
Pattinson's constipation face – check.
Taylor Lautner shirtless – check
Hideous wigs (this time on Stewart) – check
And the corniest fontrum dialogue EVER – check, check, check, check, check
Oh this sh-t is going to be fun.


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By Tessa Raebeck
A Sag Harbor man pled guilty Tuesday to charges that while driving drunk last July, he caused a collision that seriously injured a six-year-old boy, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office said in a press release.
William Hurley, 60, of Sag Harbor pled guilty to the seven-count indictment at a court conference in Central Islip. He was charged with two counts of vehicular assault in the second degree, assault in the second degree, assault in the third degree, two counts of Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) and reckless driving, according to the release issued by District Attorney Thomas Spota.
The charges maintain that while driving drunk on Route 114 in East Hampton Town last July 6, Hurley caused a head-on collision that left a six-year-old boy seriously injured and his mother hospitalized. Hurley was reportedly driving his Toyota pickup truck northbound at around 6:15 p.m. when he crossed the double yellow line and swerved into oncoming traffic where he collided head-on with a southbound BMW driven by Elizabeth Krimendahl, 53, of New York City, according to East Hampton Town Police. His blood alcohol content was .14; the legal limit is .08.
Krimendahl suffered a leg injury in the crash and was taken by helicopter to Stony Brook University Hospital. Her young son, Thaddeus, was in a car seat in the backseat and was seriously injured and hospitalized with a skull injury.
Hurley, the owner of Peconic Beverage East on Pantigo Place in East Hampton, was taken to Southampton Hospital and then transferred to Stony Brook at the time of the crash.
The cars collided in an area of Route 114 that is one of the road's rare straight stretches. According to police, Hurley's vehicle struck Krimendahl's close to the double yellow line and both cars ricocheted off one another to opposite sides of the road. The truck rolled over before stopping and the front of the BMW, a four-door sedan, was crushed.
"The defendant," said District Attorney Spota, "who was driving all over the highway crossing over the double yellow line several times prior to the crash, told East Hampton Town police officers that he was tired, and admitted at the scene that he consumed two drinks made of vodka and grapefruit juice, drinks that he described as 'strong ones.'"
Hurley, who was described by police as having "glassy, bloodshot eyes," and smelling of alcohol at the scene, said he thought he had fallen asleep at the wheel, according to Spota.
Following Hurley's plea of guilty, State Supreme Court Justice Fernando Camacho made a sentencing promise to sentence him to two years' incarceration and two years of post-release supervision.


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Dear Annie: I switched doctors six years ago - and my world fell apart. My new doctor insisted on all kinds of new tests, and I'm glad she did. Simple blood and urine tests let me know that there was a good possibility my kidneys weren't functioning well.
I didn't know that there are rarely any symptoms until the kidneys are failing. I didn't know that one in three American adults is at risk for kidney disease. I didn't know that high blood pressure and diabetes are two of the leading causes of this disease. But I learned quickly that early detection and proper treatment can slow its progress.
I learned so much in the following months: why I need to watch my weight, why regular exercise helps and why I need to make sure my high blood pressure is under control. I've been able to maintain the same degree of kidney function since being diagnosed, but not without lots of information and changes in my lifestyle.
March is National Kidney Month. March 13th is World Kidney Day. Won't you help me join the National Kidney Foundation in urging Americans to learn about the risk factors and simple blood and urine tests for kidney disease? There are many free kidney health screenings around the country. The National Kidney Foundation at kidney.org provides information about these screenings and about staying healthy. Thank you. - Gail Rae-Garwood, Glendale, Ariz.
Dear Gail Rae-Garwood: Thank you so much for sharing your story. We hope our readers will take your advice and check for screenings in their area or discuss their kidney health with their personal physicians. We are sure your letter will help many. Bless you.
Dear Annie: We are in our late 60s. We have four children, and between them, there are 10 grandchildren, ages 2-15. They all live far away, so we don't get to see them often.
For Christmas and birthdays, we spend quite a bit of time and money buying, ordering, wrapping and mailing presents. We never receive a thank-you note, even when we include a self-addressed envelope.
We know you've addressed this issue many times. We don't want to stop sending presents altogether. Should we send a check and stop spending so much energy on gifts? Should we discuss it with the parents, even though we suspect that would create problems? - Frustrated Grandparents
Dear Frustrated: It's perfectly OK to call the parents (and any grandchild) to ask whether your gift was received, saying you worried it was lost en route. Young children need to be taught to thank those who are kind enough to remember them with gifts, and you can try to instill this, even though it is really the parents' job. And if it would make you feel less put out to send a check, we doubt they would mind. But also suggest to the grandchildren that they acknowledge gifts via email or text. It may not be as proper as a handwritten note, but it is certainly better than nothing, and you are more likely to get a response.
Dear Annie: I think "Grandpa in South Dakota" could teach his voracious reader of a grandson cursive writing himself. I have heard of schools that have Cursive Clubs because it is no longer taught. It would be a fun project to do with a grandchild. - I Would
Dear Would: An excellent idea. Schools have only so many hours in a day and cannot cover everything. We are sorry to see cursive go, but we understand why and think it's a great idea to learn these skills outside of school.
Annie's Mailbox is written by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar, longtime editors of the Ann Landers column. Please email your questions to firstname.lastname@example.com, or write to: Annie's Mailbox, c/o Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254. To find out more about Annie's Mailbox and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.


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Veiled Freedom: A Novel
- Jeanette Windle Author
- 2009 16 Jun
EDITOR'S NOTE: The following is an excerpt from Veiled Freedom by Jeanette Windle (Tyndale House). Chapter One
Baghlan Province, Afghanistan
Present Day
A day from the past.
No, a day for the future.
The farmer stood proud, tall, as he shuffled down the crowd-lined drive. A switch in his hand urged forward the mule pulling a cart piled high with huge, swollen tubers. They looked like nothing edible, but their tough, brown hide held sweetness beyond the sucrose to be squeezed from their pulp. The firstfruits of Baghlan's revitalized sugar beet industry.
In a long-forgotten past, when the irrigated fields stretching to high, snow-capped mountains were not known best for land mines and opium, the farmer had worked his family's sugar beet crop. He'd earned his bride price stirring huge vats of syrup in the sugar factory, Afghanistan's only refinery and pride of the Baghlan community. Until the Soviets came and Baghlan became a war zone. For a generation of fighting, the sugar factory had been an abandoned shell.
But now past had become future.
The massive concrete structure gleamed with fresh paint, the conveyor belt shiny and unrusted, smokestacks once more breathing life. By the throngs packing both sides of the drive, the entire province had turned out to celebrate the factory's reopening. In front of the main entrance was a dais, destination of farmer and cart.
The token harvest followed on the stately tread of regional dignitaries making their way toward the dais. Students, neat in blue tunics, offered pink and white and red roses to the distinguished arrivals. Among them the farmer spotted his grandson. No smile, only the flicker of a glance, a further straightening of posture, conveyed his pride. Too many sons and brothers and kinsmen had died in the war years. But for his remaining grandson, this day presaged a very different future.
On the dais, the factory manager stood at a microphone. Behind him, chairs held the mayor, regional governor, officials arrived from Kabul for the inauguration ceremony. "The government has pledged purchase of all sugar beet. Our foreign partners pledge equipment to any farmer who will replace current crops. So why plant seed that produces harvests only of violence? On this day, I entreat you to choose the seed of peace, of a future for our community and our children."
The procession had now reached the dais. But it wasn't the dignitaries' arrival that broke off the factory manager's speech. The roar of a helicopter passing low overhead drew every eye upward. Circling around, the Soviet-made Mi-8 Hip descended until skids touched pavement. Crowds scattered back, first from the wind of its landing, then as the rotors shut down, to open passage.
The government minister who stepped out was followed by foreigners, the allies who'd funded the refinery project designed to entice Baghlan farmers from opium poppies to sugar beet. The newcomers leisurely moved through the parted crowd. The minister paused to speak to his foreign associates, then turned back toward the helicopter.
The explosion blasted through the factory, blowing out every window and door. A fireball erupting from the open entrance enveloped the dais. A panicked swerve of the mule placed the heavy cart between farmer and blast, saving his life but burying him in splinters of wood and beet. He could not breathe nor see nor hear. Only when the screams began did he realize he was still alive.
Pushing through the debris, he staggered to his feet. Shrapnel had ripped through the crowd where the fireball had not reached, and what lay between dais and shattered cart was a broken, bleeding chaos. Those uninjured enough to rise were scattering in panic. The farmer ran too but in the opposite direction. Ignoring moans and beseeching hands, he scrabbled through the rubble. Then with a cry of anguish he dropped to his knees.
The school uniform was still blue and clean, a single white rose fallen from an outflung hand. The farmer cradled the limp form, his wails rising to join the communal lament. For his grandson, for so many others, the future this day had promised would never come.
Kabul International Airport
"Oh, excuse me. I am so sorry."
Steve Wilson barely avoided treading on heels as the file of deplaned passengers ground to a sudden halt. A glance down the line identified the obstruction. In pausing to look around, a female passenger had knocked a briefcase flying.
The young woman was tall enough—five foot seven by Steve's calculation—to look down on her victim and attractive enough that the balding, overweight Western businessman waved away her apology. Platinum blonde hair spilled in a fine, straight curtain across her face as she scrambled for the briefcase. A T-shirt and jeans did nothing to disguise the tautly muscled, if definitely female, physique of a Scandinavian Olympic skier. Though that accent was 100 percent American.
Steve had already noted the woman several rows ahead of him on the plane. With only a handful of female passengers, all discreetly draped in head shawl or full-body chador, her bright head had been hard to miss, face glued to the window as the Ariana Airlines 727 descended through rugged brown foothills into the arid mountain basin that was Kabul.
Now as she handed the briefcase back, Steve caught his first clear glimpse of her features. It was a transparently open face, hazel eyes wide and interested under startlingly dark lashes and eyebrows. The candid interplay of eagerness, apprehension, and dismay as she turned again to take in her surroundings roused in Steve nothing but irritation. Wipe that look off your face or Afghanistan will do it for you.
As the line moved forward, Steve stepped out of it to make his own survey. Next to a small, dingy terminal, only one runway was in service. Down the runway, a red and white-striped concrete barrier cordoned off hangars and prefabricated buildings housing ISAF, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force. Dust gusted across the runway, filling Steve's nostrils, narrowing his gaze even behind wraparound sunglasses. He'd forgotten the choking, muddy taste of that dust.
The taste of Afghanistan.
Beyond the 727, a guard detail was loading passengers into a white and blue UN prop plane. Steve recognized the bear paw and rifle scope logo on their gear. Private security contractors. He'd done contracts for that company, and if he dug binoculars from his backpack, he'd likely spot guys he knew. But the wind was picking up, the other passengers disappearing inside the terminal, so instead Steve lengthened his stride.
He needn't have hurried. The immigration line was excruciatingly slow, the Afghan official scrutinizing each passport as though he'd never seen one before. The single baggage conveyor was broken, its handlers dumping suitcases onto the concrete floor with complete disregard for their contents. Air-conditioning was broken as well, the lighting dim enough Steve pushed sunglasses to his forehead.
But Steve had endured far worse. Besides, he was already on the company clock, so it wasn't his loss if he wasted half the morning in here. With a shrug, he peeled a trail mix bar from his pack and settled himself to wait.
"Worse than Nairobi, isn't it?"
Steve swung around on his heel. "Maybe. But it sure beats Sierra Leone."
The man offering a handshake sported the same safari-style clothing Steve was wearing. The resemblance ended there. Half a foot shorter and twice the circumference of Steve's own lean frame, he was bald, by razor rather than nature from the luxuriance of that graying red beard, a powerful build sagging to fat.
Though there was nothing soft in his grip. Nor in the small, shrewd eyes summing up Steve in turn. Cop's eyes. Steve could read their assessment. Caucasian male. Six foot one. Dark hair. Gray eyes. Tanned. Physically fit.
"Craig Laube, logistics manager, Condor Security. Call me Cougar. And you're Steve Wilson, security chief for our new PSD contract." The file with attached photo in his hand explained why his statement included no question mark. "If you'll come with me, our fixer's made arrangements to fast-track your team. The rest came in on the New Delhi flight. They've already left for the team house."
The fixer evidently referred to the Afghan in suit and tie who plucked Steve's passport from his hand, tucking a local currency note inside before moving to the front of the line. On the nearest wall, a sign advised passengers to report any requests for bribes to airport security. Not that Steve suffered any qualms of conscience at following on the fixer's heels. In his book, a bribe involved paying someone to break the law. Tipping local bureaucracy to speed up what they should be doing anyway was a survival tactic in every Third World country he'd known.
At least fast-track was no exaggeration. The line had barely inched forward when they left the security area, entry stamp in hand. The scene was repeated at customs, where Steve's two action packers and duffel bag were waved through without a glance. A grin tugged at Steve's mouth as he took in a bright head still far back in the first line. The woman from the plane looked frustrated, one small boot tapping impatiently, and only too conscious of the stares her wardrobe choices were attracting.
Dismissing the hapless blonde from thought, Steve followed Cougar across a parking area to a black armored Suburban. The Afghan driver already had the engine running. Though an unnecessary swarm of porters had accompanied the baggage trolley, Steve counted out a bill into each outstretched hand. "Tashakor."
Steve's thank you engendered beard-splitting grins as the porters scattered.
Pulling his head from inside the Suburban, Cougar raised bushy red eyebrows. "So you speak Dari. I'd understood this was your first contract in Afghanistan."
"It is." Steve sliced into one of the action packers. The tactical vest he strapped on was not the screaming obvious black of a private security detail, where you wanted unfriendlies to know you were on alert, but a discreet utility vest style. "But I was in Kabul during liberation. And after. Picked up a fair amount of Dari and Pashto along the way. I assumed you knew that's why I pulled this contract."
"Sure, your bio says Special Forces. So you were Task Force Dagger, first boots on the ground, all that. That must have been a trip." Cougar studied his taller companion's clipped dark hair and deep tan. "Your coloring, I'll bet you pass as a native if you grow a beard. Gotta be useful in these parts. When did you make the jump to the private sector?"
"I was in Afghanistan about eighteen months. Got tired of being shot at and switched to a Blackwater private security detail. Then ArmorGroup embassy detail. Back to PSDs. Most recently Basra in southern Iraq. That was Condor Security, and when this came up, they gave me a call."
Steve could have added, "And you?" But his contact info had included a bio. Craig "Cougar" Laube had done an Army stint a lifetime ago, then put in twenty years with NYPD, more of them behind a desk than on the street. A second career as a security guard hadn't proved lucrative enough to support an ex-wife and three kids because he'd jumped at the post–9/11 boom in the private security industry.
Strapping on his own tactical vest, Cougar retrieved M4s and Glock 19 pistols for both from the back of the Suburban before handing Steve a manila envelope. So the guy had his priorities right.
The SUV's air-conditioned interior was a far more comfortable ride into Kabul than the dust and jolting of an Army convoy. As the Afghan driver eased past a mounted Soviet MiG fighter jet that marked the airport entrance, Steve rifled through the manila envelope. Mini Bradt Kabul guide. Dari-English phrase book. List of embassy-cleared restaurants and lodging. An invite to an open house Thursday evening at the UN guesthouse. It was a welcome packet! Underneath were some blueprints and a city map.
"The diagrams are your two primary security zones." Cougar carried his M4 unslung, looking out the double-paned windows as he spoke. "How much did they fill you in?"
Steve stuffed the material back into its envelope, retaining the blueprints and a personnel data printout. "Just that CS picked up a private security detail for some Afghan cabinet minister, and they want me to pull together a team ASAP. So who is this guy, and what's the big rush?"
"Our principal's the new minister of interior. He figures he's got a bull's-eye painted on his back. Which isn't such a stretch when you consider what happened to his predecessor."
"You're talking the sugar factory bombing." Steve straightened up with sudden alertness. Bombings had become a dime a dozen lately in Afghanistan, but that incident had been significant enough to make international news. Reopening a sugar factory in the northeastern province of Baghlan was the crown jewel in an alternative development program intended to soften the impact of the U.S. counternarcotics campaign against Afghanistan's proliferation of opium poppy. A number of dignitaries had been on hand when a bomb went off inside the factory. With more than fifty killed and hundreds wounded, it had been the largest single-incident civilian death toll since liberation.
"Sure, I saw the minister of interior on the list of VIP casualties. And weren't there Americans involved too? But that was more than two weeks ago."
"It's taken this long to get all the ducks in a row. There weren't any American casualties, but a helicopter load that included embassy and DEA reps had just touched down for the ribbon cutting when the bomb went off, one reason the incident got so much international press. In fact, the chopper belongs to the current minister. If he hadn't forgotten his briefcase in the chopper and just happened to turn back, there'd be two dead ministers instead of one.
"What makes this more interesting is that the late MOI had just been in office a couple of months himself, appointed when his predecessor was removed for gross corruption and incompetence. Only after plenty of pressure from the West, I might add. The MOI's by far the most powerful cabinet seat, just short of the president himself. It oversees the Afghan National Police, counternarcotics, the country's internal security, and provincial administration. Which includes appointing the governors and regional law enforcement officials."
Steve let out a low whistle. "So what's left for the president?"
"There's a reason they call our friend in the Presidential Palace the mayor of Kabul. Not that anyone really runs the provinces except the provinces themselves. A lot of people point to MOI for Afghanistan's current security failings. Not that there isn't plenty of blame to go around, but the Afghan National Police are a joke, and too many provincial officials are former warlords up to their own ears in drug trafficking. Our late MOI had made it his mission to clean house and rein in the regional warlords."
That drew Steve's sharp glance from the data sheets. "You don't think—"
"The sugar factory bombing could be payback—or just the local opium cartels trying to stamp out competition. But the new MOI's taking it personally. He asked for a personal security detail as soon as he nailed the promotion. No local bodyguards, either. They might be infiltrated. Western. And since Khalid's a former muj commander—"
"Khalid!" Steve interrupted. "Khalid Sayef?"
"That's right." Cougar looked at Steve. "Hey, come to think of it, Khalid was part of the coalition that took Kabul. Any chance you ran across him?"
"Yes," Steve responded. "Though when I left Afghanistan, Khalid was up to his neck in local politics, nothing like this."
"Sure, as a matter of fact, Khalid's still governor of his home territory up in Baghlan. But like most of the muj commanders, he picked up a cabinet seat when the new government was signed in. Minister of commerce, originally. But he's played his cards right, and when the minister of counternarcotics threw in the towel a couple years back, Khalid was in the right place and time to take over there. In fact, since counternarcotics is also the biggest department within the MOI itself, most locals figured Khalid would move up to minister of interior when his predecessor got the boot. But with the West screaming for a housecleaning, they brought in a complete outsider."
Cougar's shoulders hunched under his tactical vest. "Well, Khalid's got the job now, and it's our responsibility to keep the guy alive. The contract's a level one three-month renewable personal security detail. We should have on hand most equipment you'll need. Ditto, transport. Scrambling a team wasn't as easy on such short notice. But the bunch that flew in this morning are pretty decent. Their bios are in that packet. All Special Ops, all with security detail experience. Navy SEAL. Ranger. Delta. SAS."
Steve's attention shifted from data sheets to the windshield as the militarized airport zone gave way outside to bustling streets. Kabul had changed since he'd last passed this way—and it hadn't. Steve wasn't sure which was worse.
The biggest change was congestion. Vehicle traffic must have multiplied ten times over without a corresponding expansion of the street system. If there were traffic lanes or even sidewalks, no one was taking them seriously. Toyota Corollas, wood-framed trucks, motorcycles, and mule carts oozed through swarming pedestrians and street vendors. Late-model SUVs, mostly white, bore acronyms on doors and roofs. Agency vehicles of the numerous Western government and aid organizations now making Kabul their home.
"The two security zones are Khalid's personal residence and the Ministry of Interior," Cougar continued. "The residence's already in a high security district, but the MOI building's smack downtown."
City limits too now crawled much farther up the mountain flanks. Construction was still largely mud brick, but the glitter of Kabul's new business skyline thrust itself like misplaced jewels above a haze of dust and smog. The Mashal Business Center, all futuristic blue glass and chrome. The five-star Serena Hotel rising like a sultan's palace on a busy intersection. The Safi Landmark shopping mall where, according the welcome packet, any number of trendy restaurants offered foreign cuisine and forbidden alcohol.
Who in this dirt pile has disposable income to support this kind of infrastructure?
Cougar pointed at another new glass and brick department store. "Kabul isn't the hardship post you all rolled into. Anything you want, some Afghan will have started an import outlet. The expat social scene's pretty decent too. Mostly in what we call the green zone—Wazir Akbar Khan, Shahr-e Nau, and Sherpur districts—where security's tight enough you don't have to worry about locals crashing the party. Or some mullah screaming over Jack Daniels or bikinis. Stay here awhile with all those burqas, and you won't believe how good any woman in a bikini starts to look."
Steve grunted. Astonishingly, the burqas hadn't changed. He spotted numerous headscarves, many of them expatriates by their features, as well as the more enveloping black chador. But the burqa remained the female norm, flitting like silent white or pale blue ghosts through an overwhelmingly male pedestrian mob, the face panels thrown triumphantly back when he'd last been in these streets now firmly in place.
The commercial district wasn't the only construction boom. Steve counted the third rounded dome and tall minaret the SUV had passed in the space of five minutes. This one was a massive complex, gleaming with sparkling new mosaic tile. Behind it rose a series of five-story buildings Steve had assumed to be a housing development until he saw that the mosque's perimeter wall enclosed them.
Cougar caught his stare. "Really something, isn't it? That's a new Shiite madrassa built by Iran. Bigger than the university. New mosques have been going up all over Kabul, mostly donations from other Muslim governments."
"Useful outlay of aid funds," Steve commented sardonically.
Cougar shrugged. "We build malls; they build mosques."
For all the city's new infrastructure, the acute poverty Steve remembered seemed little diminished either. They'd passed miles of hovels clinging to hillsides like human-size termite cells. How did people live without running water, sewage, or electricity? As for that apartment complex mujahedeen rockets had ripped open, Steve could swear it hadn't been touched in all these years. Then he spotted plywood and plastic tacked down across a concrete cubicle, a burqa hauling a bucket up a shattered staircase. People were living in that ruin!
Beggars remained everywhere. Men missing limbs squatted on sidewalks or negotiated traffic on wheelchairs crafted from bicycle tires. Women in burqas exposed a cupped palm at intersections, small, ragged children at their skirts. Nor in the glut of automatic weapons and armed vehicles did Steve see any indication of a country at rest from war. It wasn't just the ISAF convoys with their armored Humvees and turret guns. A dozen different uniforms belonging to the Afghan police, army, or hired security firms roamed sidewalks, stood guard at intersections and outside buildings, and crouched behind sandbags on the tops of walls.
And I thought we'd freed this place.
Just what did those war victims in their wheelchairs and burqas scrabbling for a daily food ration, the shopkeepers and street vendors with their watchful eyes think of the new Afghanistan he'd helped create? or of the Westerners flooding their city with new cars and shining towers and shopping malls and restaurants few Afghans could ever afford to enter? for that matter, of those equally ostentatious new domes and minarets that did nothing to put food on their tables?
Steve felt a sudden weariness that was not from jet lag. Why did I come back here?
Because it's safer than Iraq, and the money's even better. I was tired of being shot at, remember? After all, who was Steve to sneer when his own latest contract would net him five times what he'd ever earned as a proud member of his nation's Special Operations Command?
From Veiled Freedom. Copyright © 2009 by Jeanette Windle. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.


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NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — The country's largest crafts chain may be the latest retailer hit by a security breach.
Michaels said Saturday that it learned recently of "possible fraudulent activity" on some of its customers' payment cards, suggesting there may have been a breach.
CEO Chuck Rubin said the company has not confirmed a breach, but wanted to alert customers.
"We are concerned there may have been a data security attack on Michaels that may have affected our customers' payment card information and we are taking aggressive action to determine the nature and scope of the issue," Rubin said in a statement.
The company gave no additional information on the possible breach, including how many customers may be involved, when those customers shopped at Michaels, and if the possible breach affected online or in-store shoppers.
In recent weeks Target and Neiman Marcus have each acknowledged breaches.
The attack on Target affected as many as 110 million customers, including 40 million credit and debit card shoppers at the height of the holiday shopping season.
Neiman Marcus said a three-month breach in the summer and fall affected 1.1 million customers.
Michaels says it operates more than 1,100 stores in the U.S. and Canada.


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Munich — The bookend at one end of the Porsche Panamera family is found in the form of the recently previewed Panamera S Hybrid. Sitting neatly at the other end is the new Panamera Turbo S. As is true of all cars that earn Porsche's S designation, the Turbo's S signifies a jump in power. It also earns a body kit — a new front clip, bolder side sills, a body-coloured rear spoiler, 20-inch wheels and some interior upgrades. The differentiation is, to anyone but a Porsche-phile, modest in the grand scheme of things.
The same cannot be said of the increase in power. In this case, it's down to new turbochargers — the exhaust turbines are now made from a titanium-aluminum alloy. This halves the mass of the regular turbine and reduces the lag time a whopping 30%. The other side is the engine's reworked operating logic. The net result sees the horsepower rise from the Panamera Turbo's 500 to a brisker 550 hp for the Turbo S. More importantly, the torque takes a healthy hike. It rises to 553 pound-feet, which is up from 516 lb-ft. However, in the "Sport" and "Sport Plus" modes (or whenever the driver nails the kickdown), the Turbo S goes into an overboost mode. This puts 590 lb-ft at the driver's beck and call, and it does so for a full 10 seconds!
The neat part is that the Turbo S has three distinctly different personalities. When driven in the Normal mode, the seven-speed twin-clutch transmission upshifts early for fuel economy reasons. It is such that, under modest acceleration, it is sixth gear by the time the Turbo S hits 60 kilometres an hour. This mode also makes the Turbo S seem almost docile as there are none of the hyper tendencies that define many supercars; unless, of course, the sport exhaust button is depressed — it amps up the exhaust's sweet siren noticeably.
Push the Sport button at 60 km/h and the box automatically drops to fourth gear and the throttle response becomes sharper. The Sport Plus mode, again at 60 km/h, automatically drops the transmission into third gear and the throttle response becomes even sharper. The Sport Plus mode also backs the intervention point of the electronic nanny out, which allows the driver to toss the rear end out. In an urban setting, this mode is almost too touchy; out on the autobahn, it comes into its own. Each gear is held to redline under hard acceleration, the speed of the shifts goes from fast to lightning fast and the active air suspension drops the ride height by 25 millimetres, which brings better stability.
The alacrity with which the Panamera Turbo S reacts to a healthy stab at the gas is, well, alarming — it takes but 3.8 seconds to put 100 km/h on its clock and it clips off the 80-to-120-km/h passing move in 2.6 seconds. Perhaps more impressive is that accelerating from 160 km/h to 200 km/h is as outrageously fast — nail the gas and the g-force that accompanies the acceleration drives the riders deep into their seats. I have driven some very quick cars —this one is as fast as any through the mid- and upper speed ranges.
To ensure the power at play is not wasted on unwanted wheelspin, the Turbo S arrives with all wheel-drive, Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control (PDCC) and Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus (PTV Plus). In a nutshell, PDCC uses active anti-roll bars to dial out all unwanted body roll, which keeps more of the tire in contact with the road — in this case, P255/40ZR20s up front and monster P295/35ZR20s at the back. The PTV Plus then splits the power sent to the rear wheels and overspeeds the outside wheel using a variable limited-slip differential clutch and a gentle dab of the inside rear brake. This action physically turns the big Porsche into the corner while reducing the amount of steering the driver needs to dial in. The other advantage is the speed of the process — it varies the left-to-right rear torque split in milliseconds and it does so on a continual basis throughout the corner.
That's the theory.
In practice, it works very well because, in spite of the power at play, the Turbo S is anything but twitchy. It literally hunkers down and obeys input as though it's riding on rails. Indeed, one tends to forget this is a full-bodied Grand Tourer and not a lithe speedster.
Having motivated 1,995 kilograms of leather-lined opulence to speed, the need to stop it becomes a pressing issue. To paraphrase Robin: Holy brakes, Batman! The test cars arrived with a set of ceramic composite rotors (optional in Canada) that were larger than the wheels on my original Mini — so big, in fact, that it requires the use of 20-inch rims to accommodate them. Massive six-piston calipers clamp down on the 410-mm front rotors, while four-piston calipers work at the back. The manner in which this system scrubs off speed is as remarkable as it is fade free.
If it isn't obvious by now, the Panamera Turbo S is one very serious yet equally delightful car. The extra power and sharper handling make a big difference to the overall driving dynamic without upsetting the Panamera's inherent balance. When it hits Canadian roads, it will arrive fully loaded — the ceramic brake package is the only significant option, and it will be priced at $198,100.


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Nightengale: Baseball union targets drug cheaters
- Some of baseball%27s stars are ripping their brethren for cheating the system
- Veterans are demanding harsher penalties
- Union chief told USA TODAY Sports players have been outspoken
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — For far too many years, there was only silence.
Players cheated, no one talked, management never balked and records dropped.
Now, there is anger.
Some of Major League Baseball's well-paid stars are ripping their brethren for cheating the system, infuriated there's more talk this spring about South Florida wellness clinics than Florida beaches. And they are furious at a system that suspended Melky Cabrera and Bartolo Colon for 50 games last summer before rewarding them this winter with raises.
Now, we are witnessing another pivotal moment in the relationship between major league players and the commissioner's office.
Players are telling union chief Michael Weiner they're sick of it. Veterans such as the Colorado Rockies' Michael Cuddyer and the Washington Nationals' Ryan Zimmerman are demanding harsher penalties. They are increasingly aggravated that their sport has the toughest testing policy of any North American league but can't shake the scrutiny the tainted minority attracts.
"It was so hush-hush," Zimmerman says of the game's doping culture. "If you want hardship penalties, I'm all for that. Nobody wants to watch cheaters. Those guys make those of us who don't cheat, don't use, look worse."
Zimmerman spoke Sunday morning, a day after Commissioner Bud Selig boldly said he would change everything about baseball's drug penalties and that the time had come for meaningful adjustments.
That Selig's call to arms was met with enthusiasm instead of obstruction gives him the hammer to enact the change he seeks.
Forget the current 50-game suspension for a first offense, 100 games for the second, then a lifetime ban.
Selig won't say it publicly, but he wants that first-time suspension doubled to 100 games. A second positive test? Banned forever from the game, just like Pete Rose.
Weiner told USA TODAY Sports players have been outspoken. He said the union would consider changes that could be implemented for 2014. This isn't idle chatter. In the union's history, there has been no stronger advocate for a drug-free sport than Weiner, and he's carrying his constituents' wishes, as he was when blood testing for human growth hormone and lab records for testosterone were added to the drug policy.
"Sometimes, the perception has been that the players don't want this," Nationals reliever Drew Storen says. " We want the game clean. It's not just the commissioner's office. This is a very player-driven thing."
There will be change, and perhaps the best idea comes from New York Mets reliever LaTroy Hawkins, a member of the union's executive board. Place morals clauses for performance-enhancing drugs in everyone's contract, Hawkins says. If a player cheats — and it's been proved it was done intentionally — the club has the right to void the contract.
"That," Hawkins says, "should shut the cheating down."
If nothing else, it would be the Nolan Ryan fastball of deterrents.


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Small 2 bedroom attic flat, open plan kitchen/living room available for rent or sale in a quiet location and near to the town centre. Can be sold / rented with furniture. Council tax band A.
PM for more information if interested.
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