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The slumping residential construction market is helping spur consolidation among downstream metal operations. For private equity firm Genstar Capital LLC, that spells one thing opportunity.
In April, the San Francisco-based company paid $228 million for International Aluminum Corp., a producer of residential and commercial building materials. The timing of the acquisition, which came in the midst of a 20-percent downturn in the residential building market in the first half of the year, was no accident, according to Genstar managing director Darren J. Gold.
"It was a good time in the cycle to buy," he said. "We believe in buying toward or at the bottom of a cycle and taking a long view with our portfolio companies. We're patient capital. We have the luxury of taking our time and working with our companies." Given that Genstar has held on to some of its acquisitions for as long as 12 years—although it sold others as soon as two years after buying them—it might well be in for the long haul.
Genstar saw International Aluminum as an undermanaged business in a sector with growth potential, Gold said. "We have a strong belief in the residential market, and companies going through tough times have tremendous potential. Our view of the residential sector is that we have hit bottom or near bottom, but the real question is, how long until it turns back up?"
Gold notes that 70 percent of International Aluminum's business is in the commercial building and construction market, which has flourished despite the residential downturn. "Building and construction is certainly not off on the commercial side, which has shown tremendous growth," he said.
Since taking control of Monterey, Calif.-based International Aluminum via a friendly buyout in April, Genstar has installed a new president and head of its extrusion business, as well as improving inventory management, customer service and manufacturing practices.
International Aluminum had revenue of $280.8 million in the fiscal year ended June 2006. The company, which employs about 1,600 people at 15 manufacturing facilities in North America, operates three main business lines. Its commercial division makes decorative entrance doors and store fronts; the residential division makes aluminum and vinyl windows and doors used mainly in remodeling and replacement applications; and the extrusion operations manufacture mill finish, anodized and painted aluminum products for both internal and external applications. The company is at least partially vertically integrated in that the extrusion division supplies the residential and commercial divisions.
Gold characterized the purchase of International Aluminum as a building products, rather than a commodity markets, play. The private equity company is already considering more acquisitions to expand its footprint in the building products sector, he said. "We are currently looking at a couple of complementary acquisitions for International."
While a focus on downstream aluminum assets could reduce exposure to commodity price risk, that does not mean Genstar is not interested in the wider metals business. But that interest might not be limited to the aluminum sector. "We've spent a little time looking at copper fabricators," Gold said.
As a former owner of Wolverine Tube Inc., a copper fabricator currently going through a restructuring, Genstar has prior expertise it can call on. "Wolverine was a very successful investment for us," Gold said. "We learned quite a bit about the copper industry."
Genstar divested its Wolverine stake in the mid-1990s and did not take any other interests in metals until the International Aluminum purchase, instead focusing primarily on such sectors as life sciences and health care services, industrial services, and business services and software.
But as upstream metal producers consolidate and shed more and more downstream operations, Genstar, which has $3 billion in committed capital under management, could be waiting to pounce. "With the consolidation among the majors and the potential for divestitures, we could be a buyer of choice," he said.
In a further indication of its interest in the metals business, the private equity player recently appointed George Haymaker, former chairman and chief executive officer of Kaiser Aluminum Corp., to its strategic advisory board. "He brings a whole host of experience in the aluminum business," Gold said. "International was a building products play, but we have a broader interest in metals, especially aluminum."
As the metals sector and downstream activities in particular continue to consolidate, Gold said Genstar believes there will be additional opportunities ahead. "There are still areas which are not consolidated or in which strategic buyers are not as logical. We normally buy companies within pretty fragmented industries so the companies can go out and make acquisitions themselves." This model could apply to International Aluminum, he added.
Genstar's latest fund is a $1.6-billion warchest targeted at, but not limited to, acquisitions in the $200-million to $400-million range. It plans to deploy the new capital over the next two to five years, noting that acquisitions can be opportunity driven. "Sometimes opportunities are more plentiful than others," Gold said. Any acquisitions are likely to have a North American focus, he added.
Flush with capital and the expertise of a former aluminum company chief, Genstar looks well positioned to take advantage of the restructuring in the aluminum industry if it so chooses.
"Private equity capital will continue to flow into every industry. Building products and metals are no exception," Gold said. "That makes it more necessary to have a unique perspective. Folks like Haymaker give us that perspective. We're always in the mode of adding great people to our team."
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I have been sexually active since I was 14. Actually I never had intercourse until I was 19, but at 14 I was initiated in the art of oral sex. In other words, I gave my first blowjob at that age.
Sucking cock was and has always been my passion when I'm with a guy. Just the feeling of a big hard throbbing cock in my mouth can actually make me orgasm. The longer the cock and the more cum that shoots out and down my throat the more intense of an orgasm I have.
Anyway, at 14 I gave my first one and taste cum for the first time with a friend of the family. He was 25 and separated from his wife at the time. I had caught him masterbating on the living room sofa where was spending a few nights.
For about 6 months I must have sucked him off at least 3 times a week. I never wanted anything in return sexually from him. Only the sucking him off and getting his hot sticky sweet/sour sperm down my throat. Wow just the taste and the thought of it got me high.
So over the next 5 years of my life I had lost count of how many cocks I had sucked, but I would have to say that I needed a steady diet of cock. Sometimes one a week and sometimes a couple a day. Depending on the mood.
I met my now husband when I turned 19. He loved my oral love making and let me have it anytime I wanted it. After we had dated for 5 or so months we ran off and got married.
Now I had told him of all my lifes adventures in sex. But, he didn't seem to mind.
"I think watching a woman make love to a hard cock is beautiful." He told me when he realized just how much I loved sucking cock.
"The only thing is, if you go out looking for someone elses cock to suck then you have to let me know and you have to bring him home with you so I can meet him. Is that a deal?" He asked as he pulled his 8" love snake from his pants for me to suck.
"Yes, it's a deal." I told him as the tip of his cock touched my lips. In seconds I had him to the base and he was shooting a huge load of wonderful cum in my mouth.
2 days later I told him of a couple guys at work that were making passes at me.
"Ok, so what do you want to do?" He asked me as he fondled my breast.
"I dont' want to fuck them. My pussy belongs only to you. But, I do have the desire to suck their cocks." I told him as he pulled my skirt up and began licking my clit.
Looking down at him I noticed a smile on his face as he knew he was bringing me close to orgasm. He stopped lick me and looked up.
"Bring them home tomorrow evening then." He said and went back to licking and sucking my clit.
I came instantly. A deep body shuttering orgasm.
After he was done with me I pulled him up onto me and took his cock into my mouth. He pulled it out just as he began to cum and aimed it at my opened mouth and shot all his load there.
"Yummy. You have the best cum I've ever tasted." I told him as I sucked the last drops out of his dick.
The night went by like most night with us. We fucked a couple times and I got every load the way I wanted it. My mind was busy thinking of how I was going to get them to come home with me. They were married and so was I. But, I know men. If there is a free blowjob involved then they don't seem to think very straight.
I did some flirting at the office the next day. Well, I do everyday, but this time is was more serious. Jody and Larry were the 2 guys that I wanted to get home with me.
Around lunch time they asked what I was doing for lunch.
"I'm eating here, but I sure do what I'd like to have for dinner." I told them both as they stood in front of me. All the while looking at there crotch area for some sign of life. And there was life there.
"Dang, girl. What times dinner?" He asked as he tried to hide his growing erection.
"6pm." I told him as I slowly licked my lips.
"Where's dinner at?" Larry asked as he too tried hiding his even larger erection.
"My house." I told them as I got up and walked between them. As I passed them I reached out with both hands and patted them both on their cocks as I walked by.
Their chins must have fell a good foot. Neither of them knew what to do or say, except stand there and be stunned.
The day went on and neither of them talked to me or even looked my way the rest of the day. I was thinking that they both were just all talk and no action. As I punched out for the evening at 5pm they met me at the elevator.
The 3 of us road down 4 flights to the parking garage.
"So why do we have to wait till we get to your place?" Larry asked as he almost seemed to reach for my arm.
"Well, because my husband wants to meet the guys I'm going to be sucking off before I do it." I told them, got into my car and drove away. Leaving them standing there in the gargage like they had been standing in the office earlier.
It was 5:30pm when I got home. My husband met me at the door.
"Hi." he said. "Are your guest coming over this evening?" He wondered.
"I don't know. If they don't then it's their loss." I said chuckling as we embraced in a long passionate kiss in the doorway.
Running upstairs as fast as I could to shower and get into something more reveiling for my guest, just in case they did decide to show. If not then my hubby was going to be a very happy man by nights end.
My shower didn't last as long as normal but I was after all in a hurry. Had to make myself up and put on some sexy outfit. After throwing clothes everywhere, I couldn't find anything to wear that I wanted. So I pulled my short terrycloth robe from the hanger and put it on. When I started down the stairs I could hear my husband having a conversation with someone. When I entered the living room there he was sitting on the couch with Larry and Jody.
Wow. What a sight. My husband sitting there with the 2 guys from work that I was soon to be sucking dry. Well, I was hoping for at least that much.
When I stopped in the doorway they all stood up with mouths open and eyes almost bugging out of their heads. I motioned for them to sit down and I took a seat on the love seat directly across from them.
My little robe didn't cover very much. But I could tell from the smile of my husband that I had picked the right thing to put on, or take off whichever the case.
Sitting back on the love seat my robe came up to just above the little trail of hair that I had left at the top of my very wet pussy. During my drive home and during the shower my mind was wondering of other things that could be done while the 3 of them were at my command, so to speak.
I pulled my legs up and put my heels on the edge of the love seat. Reached down with one hand and slightly spread my pussy lips to show the guys just how wet I was. My clit must have been swollen to 3 times the normal size. I could feel the heat from it.
My right index finger began to make little circles around my clit and I noticed as look of curiousity on my husbands face.
I gave him a little wink and the look vanished.
Our guest were sitting there, legs crossed, obviously hiding the raging hardons in there pants.
Without a word my husband, being the straight forward take charge kind of a guy he is, got up and walked across the room. Got down on his knees and began licking and sucking my very swollen clit.
I reached down and pulled him up to me. Gave him a kiss and then.......
"After I suck you all off, I want you all to fuck me anyway you want." I told him and pushed him back down to my soaked pussy.
I locked over at my 2 guest and motioned for them to show me there love sticks.
Larry was the first to respond. he stood and walked over to the love seat and slowly unzipped his pant. Took his time in pulling away the buckle on his belt and then unsnapped his pants.
In one motion he dropped his pants to his ankles. There before me was a nice looking bulge. he was wearing boxer briefs.
"Very funny. Let me see that thing you've been wanting me to look at for months." I told him as my first of soon to be many orgasms hit. My husbands face was a glazed over mess from the amount of pussy juice that was flowing from me.
Larry pulled down his brief and out sprung the biggest fattest cock I had seen since high school. It must have been 10" and as big as my wrist. All I could do was lick my lips.
Reaching out with one hand I began to fondle his balls. I kept the other on husbands head.
I looked over to Jody. He did the same. Jody was a little more shy about the whole thing, but with just a little lick at the tip of Larry monster cock hequickly pulled all his clothes off.
Jodies cock wasn't as big as Larrys, but was between my husbands size and larrys. Now I was going to have 3 nice cocks for the evening.
I noticed that Jody had the biggest set of balls of them all. This made me wonder if his load was going to be bigger. I sure hoped so.
Once Jody had joined us at the love seat I pushed my husband back away from my pussy. After 3 quick orgasms I need a little break down there. It sure was very sensitive for some reason.
I pulled the 3 of them hip to hip and aimed their cocks straight at my face. The heat was almost too hot to handle. I leaned forward and too my husbands cock into my mouth first. Sucking all the way until his balls hit my chin. After all, it was only fair that he got my mouth first.
I let his cock slip from my lips and leaned slightly to my left and took Jodys cock. I instantly loved the taste, size and shape of his. Then next was larry. I didn't know if I could take it all in, but the self challenge was on. i leaned into it, opened as wide as I could. sucked in a deep breath and pulled his ass forward until I felt the huge head of his cock against my throat. Pulling harder I managed to get almost all of it. There was only one finger between my lips and his stomach when I pulled back.
I know right then that the 3 of them were all mine and I was going to have a great time.
"Jody does your wife suck you like that?" I asked as I leaned back into him and took him to the hilt.
"No way." He moaned a response.
"How about you Larry?" I asked as I went from Jodys right to his and took him all the way down. I thought my throat was going to split but I had to do it at least once.
"OMG." He groaned. That was enough answer for me.
My husband stood there stroking his big dick and I could see the pre-cum oozing out the pee slit. I leaned over and licked it clean and then sucked him to the bottom. I pulled away from them.
"Let me know when you're going to cum." I told them and then went back sucking each of them for a few seconds each.
My husband was the first to let me know. As soon as he told me he was about to blow his load, I dropped the cock in my mouth and went right to work on him. About 5 good sucks later he unleashed the biggest load of creamy cum into my mouth that he had ever shot. I almost couldnt take it all, but I managed to swallow every drop. I looked up at him and he had the biggest grin on his face. I almost lost it in laughter, but I kept sucking him until he was completely finished.
I went back to Larry and then Jody. This went on for a few minutes. I kept looking at my husband sitting on the love seat next to me. He was smiling and I know he was happy with what was going on so far.
Larry said he was getting close. So I let Jody go and began to concentrate on Larrys mamoth cock. It took about 5 minutes of constant sucking and massaging of his balls before I felt him begin to swell in my mouth. His cock must have grown another inch. He grabbed my head and began fucking my mouth. I really enjoy this. After about 4 times he began shooting his load. It wasn't as big as my husbands but was just as tasty. I swallowed it all. It tasted different than my husbands but I liked it.
I had never sucked 2 cocks that tasted the same. The difference between the 2 loads was enough to send my pussy into its 4th orgasm.
Last but not least was Jody. His load was one that I actually had wanted to taste for months. Not even he knew it nor my husband.
I leaned into him and began to make love to his cock. My husband noticed the change in my attempt to bring him off, but never said a word, except.....
"I know you want his more so enjoy it." He leaned into my ear and whispered.
And boy did I enjoy it. Jody was the office nerd. Wasn't a very handsome guy but I could tell he had a nice cock and would have a huge load for me.
After about 5 or so minutes of sucking him in and out he began to stiffen up . I know he was about to explode. What happened next not even I was ready for.
His cock began to throb, but he didn't shoot his cum out like all the other guys. His cum oozed out like turning on a faucet slowly. He came and came. The absolute largest load of cum I had ever taken. It was very easy to swallow and has a tremendous taste to it. Why hadn't I'd done this months ago.
His cock juice came out for what seemed like 10 minutes but I know it wasn't that long. But there sure was alot of it. I could feel my stomach filling with his cum. Once he was done he almost passed out on the floor. And so did I.
"Damn. He came for almost 3 minutes." My husband whispered.
"Uh, huh." I moaned.
We sat around and talked for about 30 minutes. got some drinks and just made smalll talk.
"You guys in a hurry to go home?" My husband asked.
"I can stay about another hour or so." Larry said.
"I know I should be going, but I can stay awhile longer." Jody confided.
"Well, then I guess we don't want anyone to get into any trouble so we'd better get busy." I said as I reached out and too larrys and jodys cock into my hand and pulled them back into the living room. My husband followed behind.
When we got to the living room I pushed larry on the floor and got down and began licking his cock. He instantly got hard which was a pleasant surprise. Most big dicks take awhile.
Jody and my husband were standing behind me.
"Jody why don't you get a taste of her sweet pussy. I'll stand here and wait my turn." He told jody.
Jody went right to work. I knew he would have a talented tongue. He was getting me off faster than anyone before.
Larry was hard now, so I crawled up onto him and sat right down onto his massive dick. It sank right into me with no problem. My husband came around front of me and pushed his cock into my mouth.
"Jody, It looks like there's only one hole left buddy." My husband told him.
He must have spit on his hand because when he touched my ass his hand was wet. I had never done this before so I was prepared for some pain.
Just then I felt his cock head press against my hole. He slightly pushed forward and it went right in. I couldnt believe that there was nothing but pleasure. Larry and Jody began fucking me. One in my pussy and one in my ass, as hard as they c ould. My husband was fucking my face as hard as he could. We did this for a few minutes and then all 3 of them began cummin at once. My mouth was full, my pussy was full and my ass was full. My pussy and my body collaped in a heap on the floor.
Never had I enjoyed sex so much. And I can tell you none of them had either. We get together twice a week now..... but Jody gets a blowjob anytime he wants.


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... indistinguishable from magic
effing the ineffable since 1977
The reinvigoration of Classpath?
The reinvigoration of Classpath?
(Disclaimer: I'm just observing all this from the sidelines; my opinion is almost entirely derived from Planet Classpath and the Classpath mailing lists. If I'm wrong on some salient point, please comment and let me know!)
I'm very pleased to see that the Classpath project seems to be picking up some of the steam it lost on the announcement of OpenJDK. I have mixed feelings about OpenJDK itself: on the one hand, Sun did exactly the right thing by releasing the JDK under the best possible choice of license as we'd all wanted for years; on the other hand, I've seen at least two blog entries on Planet Classpath in the past week that were variations on "hooray, the trivial patch I submitted to OpenJDK the week it was released has been accepted a mere three months later!"
IcedTea appears to have picked up some of this slack and last I heard had built a mostly-working Java implementation by plugging in Classpath code to fill the holes in OpenJDK. Haven't heard much about it lately though - has development stalled or are people just not blogging about it?
However, part of me feels that IcedTea is approaching the problem from the wrong end. The code that the Classpath developers have labored over for ten years deserves a higher place than being used as filler to patch the holes in an inferior, ex-proprietary codebase. I'm not trying to argue that Sun's code is "bad" or that Classpath's code is perfect, but I do know that code developed in the bright light of public view, with no schedule pressures other than "when it's right", is invariably [UPDATED: Jeroen points out in the comments that this isn't so invariable after all] higher quality than code developed inside a large, bureaucratic organization with constant pressure to ship to a deadline. The fact that these things have historically affected Java's development is apparent in the public API: public members whose types are nonpublic, public RCSID fields, serialVersionUID fields defined on interfaces.
The difference is apparent in the sheer size of the codebases - the JDK is several times the size of Classpath, despite Classpath providing the vast majority of the same level of functionality. (I'm actually considering sticking with an older version of IKVM for this reason - file size matters when you're building an installer that's being shipped over the network). It's apparent in the fact that Classpath has a clean API for targeting multiple VMs including VMs for which native code is unnecessary, where the JDK's VM interface is internal and relies heavily on native code.
It seems to me that there would be a lot of value in approaching an OpenJDK / Classpath merge in the same way the libgcj and Kaffe merges were approached: compare the code on a class-by-class basis, bring in whichever implementation is best, and change it if necessary to account for things the other implementation did better. My gut instinct says a lot more Classpath code would survive that process than is surviving today in IcedTea - and the end result would be significantly smaller, cleaner, faster and bug-free-er.
I don't know whether the copyright ownership issues have been resolved yet to make it possible to actually pull OpenJDK code directly into Classpath though.
Regardless of what approach ends up being taken, though, it's good to see work happening on Classpath again, and a new release being contemplated. I guess it means I need to get those darn Japi runs happening again though!
Copyright © 2004-2006
Stuart Ballard


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Admission for Fall 2018 is now closed. For information about Fall 2019, please check back this November. Please note that the admissions information posted below was for Fall 2018. It will be updated for Fall 2019 admissions shortly and is subject to change.
A completed online application form.
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Applicants should also submit copies of their test scores with the online application.
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Ronny's Imperial Collection Home Office
Name: Ronny Grimm
Location: Dresden, Germany
Here's the latest reader submission shared via our Apartment Therapy Flickr page, hailing all the way from Dresden, Germany. Ronny's desk is a minimalist white and brushed aluminum affair, but with a surprising and impressive collection sourced from a "galaxy, far, far away", all just out of frame and revealed below...
Not only is Ronny a Mac addict, but as hinted by the Imperial Dropship Transport model on his desk, he also has an affinity for Legos as revealed above and below. There's several more photos of this Apple and Star Wars-phile's home office over at his Flickr page here.
(Images: Ronny Grimm)


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The community of Newtown, Conn., is in the thick of funerals and memorial services for the 26 children and adults killed Friday at an elementary school. A look at the services held Thursday:
Amid grim-faced mourners hurrying through a packed parking lot, a group of motorcycle-riding police officers from towns throughout the state formed an honor guard of sorts outside the doors of St. Rose of Lima Church to shield Hubbard's family as they entered for the funeral of 6-year-old Catherine Hubbard.
Throughout the service, a single bell repeatedly rang a sad, slow beat. Catherine's family said in her obituary that she would be remembered for her passion for animals and her constant smile.
Matthew and Jennifer Hubbard said they were "greatly saddened by the loss of our beautiful daughter, Catherine Violet." They asked for continued prayers for themselves and other families who had experienced a loss.
The family asked for anyone wishing to remember their daughter to make a donation to a local animal center, in lieu of flowers.
Friends and family cried and embraced outside Honan Funeral Home in Newtown at the private services for 6-year-old Jesse Lewis.
And it was only fitting that police on horseback mixed with officers on motorcycles as the crowd of about 400 gathered for the service. Jesse's family has a collection of animals he enjoyed playing with, and he had been taking horseback riding lessons.
Family friends Amanda Caroll and Erin Keaney shivered and sobbed as they talked about the "smiley" boy who loved horses, the Connecticut Post reported.
St. Mary of the Assumption Church in Katonah, N.Y., overflowed with people as Cardinal Timothy Dolan told mourners that the fallen teacher "brought together a community, a nation, a world, now awed by her own life and death."
Anne Murphy's father, Hugh McGowan, said he was told by authorities that his 52-year-old daughter died trying to protect her young students. He said her body was found covering a group of children's bodies, as if to shield them.
Dolan spoke about her sacrifice, saying: "''Like Jesus, Annie laid down her life for her friends. Like Jesus, Annie's life and death brings light, truth, goodness and love to a world often shrouded in darkness, evil, selfishness and death."
About 15 people arrived at the church in a yellow school bus with "Newtown" written on its side.
Friends wept on the altar of the First Congregational Church as they remembered Lauren Rousseau, the spirited, hardworking, sunny-natured young woman who loved children and animals, especially cats, and who had always wanted to be a teacher.
Mourners filled the ornate white-pillared in downtown Danbury, Conn., and the congregation in the packed church sang "Morning Has Broken" and "Let There Be Peace On Earth."
They spoke of how the 30-year-old brightened their lives with her silliness and gave them all nicknames.
The Rev. Pat Kriss told of how Rousseau was baptized in this church, at a font given by Comfort Starr in 1753, in memory of his three children who had died. "He, too, knew something about losing a child," she said.
She then sprinkled water from the font on Rousseau's urn.
Five uncles acted as pallbearers and about two dozen Boy Scout leaders lined the front pathway to Trinity Episcopal church on Main Street in downtown Newtown to honor Benjamin Wheeler, a former Cub Scout.
The 6-year-old was described as a lighthouse buff, budding musician and Beatles fan. His service included a rendition of "Here Comes The Sun" and the hymn "Amazing Grace."
The church was filled to capacity, and scores of mourners who couldn't get in milled outside.
Pablo Carmona, of Ridgefield, Conn., was one of several Boy Scouts from around the area to attend the service.
"It was hard to watch because he was so young," the 9-year-old said. "It was very sad."
Green balloons, the favorite color of 6-year-old Allie Wyatt, peppered the community of Southbury, where her funeral was held.
The Rev. Walter L. Pitman was the lone speaker at the funeral at Sacred Heart Church. He described Allie as a budding artist who covered her family's home in her paintings and drawings and the kind of child who smiled easily, the Danbury News Times reported.
Pitman said the girl loved to garden with her mother and was always outside, especially in the summer.
Pitman told those who knew the girl that they were a fortunate group, saying, "At some point over the last six years, Allie Wyatt got in your way and you are better for it."
Pitman described the little girl to the few hundred who attended as goofy and funny. He said she loved to read and loved math, and "that alone makes her a saint."
Emilie Parker's father struggled to maintain his composure at a memorial service for the 6-year-old in Ogden, Utah, where the family has roots.
"Even though this was a very personal and internal thing for us, I could see it touched everybody," Robbie Parker told the crowd at Ben Lomond High School, where he and his wife, Alissa, were high school sweethearts. "All of us feel connected to children."
Emilie's short life was celebrated in a slide show and brief remarks from family members. They recalled a girl full of love, compassion, charity and enthusiasm. Her father said she loved to pick flowers — "like a goat." He finally told her to limit the picking to dandelions.
"Emilie always wanted to help people feel better," said a family obituary released Thursday. "Her compassion and charity was exemplified with her hugs, the cards she would make, and her statement that, 'I wish everybody could just be happy.'"


text:
Wind of austerity chills Spain's turbine sector
July 20, 2013 by Jeff
Filed under Green Energy News
Wearing face masks and wielding sanders, two workers smooth the surface of a massive fan for a wind turbine at the Gamesa Corporacion Tecnologica SA factory in Aoiz, a town in Navarra, northern Spain.
Yet as the country experiences hard economic times, it will be winds in Finland, not Spain, that make the finished product spin.
Last year, the plant delivered a wind turbine park to Malaga in southern Spain and another to Burgos, in the north, factory manager Javier Trapiella said.
"Now we don't produce for Spain," he added. "It has all stopped."
For "green" energy producers, Spain has changed from a paradise with generous public support to a markedly less agreeable home.
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's conservative government is imposing an austerity regime to plug an accumulated energy sector deficit of 26 billion euros (US$34 billion).
On Friday, the horizon darkened further with the approval of reforms cutting annual state aid for renewable energies by more than 1 billion euros.
The change is enough to place at risk the huge strides made by the Spanish wind energy industry.
Spain ranks No. 4 globally in terms of installed wind energy, but has dropped to seventh place in terms of new projects, according to the Global Wind Energy Council.
"For Spain, wind energy has really been an energy revolution. In 20 years, we have gone from producing zero kilowatts to producing 20 percent of national demand today," said Heikki Willstedt Mesa, director of energy policy at the Spanish Wind Energy Association.
In the fourth-largest economy of the eurozone, wind is often the main source of electricity.
"Unfortunately, since 2009 the government has slowed the development of wind energy in Spain with various regulatory measures," he said.
The cutting of state aid by 35 percent, removal of subsidies for new turbines since the start of the year and the latest changes announced on Friday have hit the sector hit hard and manufacturers are the first to feel the pain.
In February, French group Alstom SA closed two factories in Spain and laid off 373 employees.
"The economic crisis and the absence of a stable regulatory framework have slowed domestic demand," the group said, stressing the lack of activity in its Spanish sites.
Spain's Gamesa, which is among the industry's world leaders, gave the same reasons as it laid off 606 of its 4,800 staff in Spain and closed two blade factories in recent months.
Gamesa notably pointed to the "regulatory uncertainty," the persistent economic crisis and financial problems in the sector, especially in southern Europe.
Making a wind turbine is almost a work of craftsmanship, Trapiella said.
"You need good hands," he said.
The fiberglass and carbon fiber blades measure 62.5m and weigh 15 tonnes each.
When finished they will leave by truck overnight for the port of Bilbao to be shipped by sea to Finland. About 40 blades are scheduled for delivery by February next year.
"If 90 percent of our sales were in Spain 10 years ago, it is the exact opposite today, with 90 percent of sales coming from abroad," Gamesa corporate managing director Jose Antonio Cortajarena said.
"We are in more than 50 countries," he said, citing Mexico, Brazil and India as key markets. "Even if our corporate headquarters are in Spain, the risk, our dependence on the Spanish market, is limited."


text:
Human wrist pain, illustration
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text:
All-Butter Pastry Dough
For a double crust 9-inch Pie
Active: 15 min
Chilling: 1 hr
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/3 cup plus 1 to 4 Tbsp ice water
Whisk together flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl (or pulse in a food processor). Blend in butter with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse) just until most of mixture resembles coarse meal with some roughly pea-size butter lumps. Drizzle 1/3 cup ice water over mixture and gently stir with a fork (or pulse) until incorporated.
Squeeze a small handful of dough: If it doesn't hold together, add more ice water 1 Tbsp at a time, stirring (or pulsing) until just incorporated, then test again. Do not overwork dough, or pastry will be tough.
Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 8 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather dough together, with a pastry scraper if you have one, and press into a ball. Divide in half and form into 2 disks. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least 1 hour.
Dough can be chilled up to 1 day. Let stand at room temperature 20 minutes before rolling out.
Recipe can be halved if making a single-crust pie. Use a rounded 1/4 tsp salt and start with 3 Tbsp water.
via Gourmet


text:
October 23, 2012
Survey Shows Solos Leading in Some Areas, Lagging in Others
Survey Shows Solos Leading in Some Areas, Lagging in Others
In law offices today, paper files have given way to paperless systems, slides and overhead projectors have been replaced by sophisticated trial presentation software and document cameras—and even phonebook ads are being supplanted by Facebook pages and Twitter accounts. Through all of this change, solo practitioners have a distinct advantage. They are both their firm's technology end-user and the primary decision maker. They have the flexibility and authority to choose what technology the firm will use—and when. It's a freedom lawyers at larger firms no doubt envy.
But there is good news and bad news for solos in the 2010 ABA Legal Technology Survey Report. Results show that while solos are leading the way in adopting newer technologies, they are falling behind in other areas.
For example, solos were more likely to use a non-Windows XP operating system than their peer group. And solo respondents reported using Mac OS on their primary computers at more than twice the rate of respondents as a whole—8 percent versus 3 percent respectively.
Likewise, approximately 11 percent of solo practitioners reported using Windows 7 versus just 8 percent of respondents overall.
Solos were also more likely to be in the cloud. When asked if they had ever used a Web-based software or service solution, 24 percent of solos responded affirmatively, compared to 20 percent overall.
Unfortunately, the differences in technology use between solo practitioners and other lawyers aren't always to the solos' benefit. In the 2010 survey, only 33 percent of solo practitioners reported that their firm budgets for technology, as opposed to 63 percent of respondents overall. More alarmingly, when asked if their firm had a backup strategy, 9 percent of solo practitioners responded negatively, versus just 3 percent of respondents overall.
One surprising difference between solo practitioners and lawyers in general is their use of smartphones. In the 2010 survey, 76 percent of all respondents reported using smartphones, while only 59 percent of solo practitioners reported using such devices.
And, in 2010, solos also hadn't quite broken the paper habit. When asked how they save incoming e-mail related to a case or client matter, 59 percent reported printing out hard copies, versus just 49 percent of respondents overall.
For more about the ABA Legal Technology Survey, visit www.abanet.org/tech/ltrc/survstat.html


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myIR, payments and more
Scheme providers will play a fundamental role in the KiwiSaver savings initiative, offering a range of superannuation products to help New Zealanders save for the future.
Organisations wanting to provide KiwiSaver schemes need to meet Inland Revenue certification and Financial Markets Authority registration requirements before registering a scheme.
Becoming a scheme provider
Running a KiwiSaver scheme


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WASHINGTON (AP) — When President Barack Obama stands before Congress and the nation Tuesday night, there will be little hint of the cram-it-in, squeeze-it-out, please-put-it-back dynamic that went into the making of his State of the Union address.
In the days and weeks before every State of the Union, Cabinet members, policy advocates and others suddenly find reasons to visit the speechwriting team's modest outpost in the White House basement, hoping for that all-important mention in the biggest presidential speech of the year.
"Nobody wants to get left out," said Bruce Reed, a veteran of both the Obama and Clinton White Houses who recently left government.
It's one reason the State of the Union is the address that presidential speechwriters love to hate.
One of George W. Bush's speechwriters once called this final stretch the "seven-day death march."
"It's not a nice, neat process, I can tell you that," said Jon Favreau, who led Obama's speechwriting team for more than four years before leaving government a year ago.
This year, with just days left before the big speech, Obama's chief speechwriter, Cody Keenan, already has gotten plenty of helpful (and not-so-helpful) advice.
He's sat through face-to-face meetings with nearly every Cabinet member and given all of them his email address.
"For that, he is saintly," Favreau said.
Piety's nice. But the ability to say no is essential.
For every sentence that's in the speech, there are a dozen pages that won't make the cut, said Bill McGurn, Bush's chief speechwriter for three years.
"This is the opportunity for every apparatchik in government to have their pet cause or the issue they're working on promoted by the president on national TV," he said. "They get disappointed if they only get a sentence, but it's better than not getting a sentence."
Bush himself was wary of the dreaded "cram-in" — that sentence that just seemed to stick out because someone insisted on wedging in a mention of this or that.
"I used to joke that I was installing a round keyboard in my office so everyone could type at once," said Michael Waldman, President Bill Clinton's chief speechwriter from 1995 to 1999.
For Obama's State of the Union, Favreau had a "pay-as-you-go" policy: For every word someone wanted to add to a draft, they had to find something else to cut.
He said Obama gives the speechwriting team plenty of leeway to push back against clutter by saying, "We're not going to do this just because someone random said that they need to get it in."
But if someone won't back down, the dispute may go up the chain of command to Obama.
With the final 72 hours of back-and-forth before the speech typically the most frantic time, Keenan's White House colleagues are helping him gird for the final stretch.
One made him energy cookies and another gave him an industrial-sized Keurig machine that is said to sound like a jackhammer when coffee's brewing.
Obama, like presidents past, starts each year vowing to keep the speech from turning into a laundry list. He's big on finding an organizing theme, such as "Built to Last" in 2012 or "Winning the Future" in 2011. (Sarah Palin called the latter a "WTF" moment.)
But every president, including Obama, inevitably succumbs to the pressure to cover a multitude of bases, lest he be criticized for slighting something important.
"Usually it begins pretty coherently for the first 10-15 minutes," said Jeff Sheshol, a former Clinton speechwriter. "But then it starts to devolve a little bit into a list of this, that and the other thing that all have to be mentioned."
Work on Obama's State of the Union begins in the fall, long before the speechwriters start filling up blank sheets of paper.
Cabinet members and leading policy people begin pulling together ideas for the coming year. It's not unusual for the White House to solicit fresh ideas from outsiders, including historians and academics. There's an early meeting with Obama, where the president lays out his thoughts on a theme and his main policy preferences.
Most ideas from outside the White House "die on the cutting room floor long before the speechwriter has to translate them into English," Reed said.
Some fail to find a friend within the White House, others are too contentious on Capitol Hill, still more sound great but there's no money to pay for them.
Sometimes the idea is fine; there's just not enough time to talk about it.
This year, coordination of the policy side of the speech has been a group effort involving Natalie Quillian, a senior adviser to chief of staff Denis McDonough who flitted between dozens of meetings right up until ducking out to have a baby earlier this month, as well as Obama aides Dan Pfeiffer and David Simas.
At some point, though, the speechwriters "just stop waiting for every policy decision to be made and start writing, because it can take right up until the end" to settle every policy question, said Favreau.
When Obama gets a first draft, he'll avoid line editing and focus on logic and structure. "It's the lawyer in him," said Favreau. The president also will make sure the speech has a strong theme, and make suggestions on policies to be emphasized more or played down.
Once the president has a draft he likes — "in the ballpark," in Obama's parlance — he'll edit to improve its rhythm, delete the expendable, insert blocks of copy and craft catchy lines.
He does it all in longhand, with arrows, inserts and tidy cursive comments in the margins.
"He's obviously a writer himself," said White House spokesman Jay Carney. "And on speeches like this, he really is the chief speechwriter."
For all of the effort that goes into the speech, its writers know these addresses tend to be little remembered and seldom quoted.
"It is, and always has been, at its best an eloquent laundry list," said Waldman. "But even a laundry list can be powerful if a president is bold."
Follow Nancy Benac at http://twitter.com/nbenac
Obama State of the Union address: http://www.whitehouse.gov/sotu


text:
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text:
Okla St lands 2 top WR prospects
Oklahoma State recruits asked coach Mike Gundy an obvious
question during the past few weeks – who will be the Cowboys'
offensive coordinator next football season?
Gundy didn't have an answer but used recent history to address
any concerns.
The Cowboys' high-flying offense didn't miss a beat when two
former coordinators, Larry Fedora and Dana Holgorsen, left for
Southern Mississippi and West Virginia, respectively. Gundy said
Wednesday he told recruits the same should be the case with whoever
replaces Todd Monken, who now is the head coach at Southern
That assurance helped the Cowboys land two top receiving
prospects from Dallas and a pair of running backs from Texas who
figure to see immediate playing time, Gundy said.
"One thing that is true is that our offensive philosophy has
not changed," Gundy said. "We're going to be spread and we're
going to run it and we're going to throw it and we're going to play
fast and we're going to be aggressive. We'll find somebody who can
coach quarterbacks and call plays that will run our system because
we feel good about it."
The Cowboys lost a pair of receiver prospects, but Gundy feels
good about the two they signed, both of them rated as four-star
prospects by the Rivals.com and Scout.com recruiting services.
Marcell Ateman had 84 catches for 1,584 yards and 27 touchdowns
as a senior at Wylie East High School. He's 6-foot-4 and 190 pounds
now and Gundy thinks he'll put on an extra 20 to 30 pounds by
working in the weight room. Ra'Shaad Samples of Skyline High School
had 65 catches for 1,369 yards and 19 touchdowns as a junior in
2011, then broke his ankle during the off-season. He recovered and
posted a strong senior season, catching 62 passes for 1,072 yards
and 23 touchdowns.
Oklahoma State's recent success in developing NFL receivers –
most notably Dez Bryant and Justin Blackmon – helped the Cowboys
land those two prospects, Gundy said.
"We were able to attract wide receivers from a much larger area
than we do some of the other positions," Gundy said. "At some
point, in the end, it can work against you a little bit, because
somebody will say, `You've already got 12 or 15 guys who can play.'
So for the most part it works for us and there's a little part of
it that scares some guys away in the end."
The Cowboys also signed two running backs after losing starter
Joseph Randle, who entered the NFL draft pool. Corion Webster, who
rushed for 1,786 yards at Atlanta, Texas, High School last season,
had long been committed to Oklahoma State and was rated as a
four-star prospect by ESPN.com.
When Randle announced his decision to forego his senior season,
that opened up a spot for another running back and Oklahoma State
offered a scholarship to Rennie Childs, who rushed for 1,945 yards
and 19 touchdowns last season for Cypress Ridge High School in
"We have always played our freshman running backs," Gundy
said. "So they're going to play."
With three returning quarterbacks – Clint Chelf, J.W. Walsh and
Wes Lunt – who each started at times last season, Oklahoma State
didn't sign anyone at that position as part of its 23-player
Gundy was particularly pleased with the quality of the Cowboys'
defensive-line signees. Oklahoma State brought in three defensive
tackles and three defensive ends, including a pair of
junior-college players who could see immediate action – 6-foot-2,
290-pound tackle Ofa Hautau of Snow (Utah) and 6-foot-3, 260-pound
end Sam Wren of Arizona Western.
Hautau was a first-team junior-college All-America pick and Wren
led all juco players last season, averaging 1.6 sacks per game.
"This will be the best class that we've brought in since I've
been here," Gundy said. "We have some meat in it. We have guys
coming in who are big and physical as we speak, and then they get
six months, 12 months, 18 months with (strength) coach (Rob)
The Cowboys also used a scholarship on a kicker, Ben Grogan of
Martin High School in Arlington, Texas. Grogan, who went 9-of-11 on
field-goal attempts in 2012 with a long of 56 yards, will be
groomed to replace the departed Quinn Sharp, a two-time Big 12
Conference special teams player of the year.
Oklahoma State signed only one Oklahoman – 6-foot-4 linebacker
Dawson Bassett of Tuttle. Bassett is the brother of former Oklahoma
State team captain Cooper Bassett. Gundy said he wished the Cowboys
had brought in more than one in-state prospect.


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text:
baby it's c o l d outside!Wednesday, January 08, 2014
There is nothing more than I love than a snow day. And one that is referred to as a polar vortex, where the kids are stuck in the house with me, was an added bonus.
So grateful to have a warm home with a day like this to remember.
13 comments
you were brave to go out there!ReplyDelete
So fun seeing all the freezing science projects that people are getting up to, but not fun to be out in temperatures that cold I am sure! Hope you are staying safe. xxReplyDelete
Oh Leslie, I was out to work and back yesterday when the NYC temp did not go above 9 F. Today was a day off, and I celebrated with an entire day indoors. Vitamin D can wait.ReplyDelete
I really love that bubble experiment. One of the local TV weather forecasters did a January experiment with a raw egg on the pavement ... c.f. July frying eggs on the pavement. The egg froze immediately...he scooped up the yolk and took a bite. Live TV before 8 am can be amazing.
I've luxuriated in my day off today, in my not quite so overheated apartment, knitting and plotting future knitting.
Always loved a snow day!ReplyDelete
Oooh! The bubbles look fun! We make ice candles when its cold enough and the kids are home from school. Then we eat dinner by candlelight and put them back outside to refreeze for the next night. The kids love it!ReplyDelete
Looks like you had a really great day! :) Hope you are ok, I've been seeing the images on our news in the UK, and it looks terrible over there! Stay warm :)ReplyDelete


text:
November 12. 2013 12:02AM
In Nashua, a 'beautiful day to remember our veterans'
By KIMBERLY HOUGHTON
Union Leader Correspondent
From 2 to 92, they came to thank veterans in Manchester
— The community came together on Monday to celebrate and honor those who have served in the armed forces, while also remembering the men and women who are still overseas protecting American freedoms.
"This is a beautiful day to remember our veterans," Mayor Donnalee Lozeau said before the kickoff of Monday's Veterans Day parade in Nashua.
There are 131,000 veterans in New Hampshire, according to Lozeau, who said that is about 10 percent of the Granite State's population.
"That is quite remarkable," said Lozeau.
Local bands, cheerleaders, veterans, city officials and Boy and Girl Scouts joined in the Veterans Day parade, which stepped off at Holman Stadium and traveled onto Main Street where people of all ages gathered to watch and celebrate New Hampshire's veterans.
"This is really a day of reflection," said Kitty Tyler, who served stateside during the Vietnam era. "I watched our soldiers who were ridiculed, attacked and criticized when they returned home. Today, we can fully appreciate these people who are finally getting the honor they deserve."Lozeau agreed, telling the veterans in attendance that they are highly respected for all of their service and that Monday's parade was a celebration just for them.The New Hampshire Regiment of the Revolutionary War Re-enactors marched in the festivities on Monday, dressed in old military uniforms with long coattails.
"It is important to stop and pay our honors, and to reflect on the history of the Revolutionary War," said Craig Fogg of Portsmouth. "Most of us are veterans, although some of us are not. We are here to honor all of those who have served, and to educate others about the Revolutionary War and its significance in American history."
Several members of the Rising Sun Lodge #39 were present to represent the Masonic Bodies in New Hampshire.
Veterans Day is about remembering the countless sacrifices of so many people that have enabled America to live in freedom, said Steve Bahsler of Nashua, master of the group.
The importance of Veterans Day seems to be drifting away, according to Treff Sage of Nashua, who said soldiers and their families deserve to be honored for their service — whether it was last week or decades ago.
"Veterans Day, to me, is about showing respect and honoring memories," said Sage.


text:
Oh, for those halcyon days when Bill Clinton was in the White House, Republicans controlled both houses of Congress, the economy was booming, unemployment was low, the peace dividend was working its magic and the federal budget was in surplus. (OK, so I omitted the tech bubble.)
If we could just restore those Clinton-era tax rates on top earners, why, happy days would be here again!
Not exactly. The $1.2 trillion of revenue President Barack Obama hopes to generate by raising taxes on the rich, revised from an initial $1.6 trillion, represents only a small down payment on a budget solution. By minimizing the real source of the problem, which is runaway growth in entitlements, especially health care, Obama isn't doing the country any favors.
Let's look at some of the numbers. In 1998, the first time the federal government ran a surplus in three decades, outlays totaled $1.65 trillion compared with receipts of $1.7 trillion. For fiscal 2012, which ended Sept. 30, the respective numbers were $3.5 trillion and $2.4 trillion.
Yes, tax receipts have been depressed as a result of five years of recession and slow growth. But even if they were to revert to their historical average of 18 percent of gross domestic product, the dollar amount would be $2.8 trillion, 14 percent more than actual 2012 revenue.
Meanwhile, spending has more than doubled since 1998, a result of two wars, new entitlements, the worst recession since the Great Depression, multiple bailouts and a White House occupied in succession by a compassionate conservative (Republican George W. Bush) and an even more compassionate liberal (Democrat Obama).
Looking at projections under what most analysts view as a draconian, recession-inducing scenario — the $600 billion fiscal cliff of automatic spending cuts and tax increases — total spending continues to rise, according to the Congressional Budget Office's 10-year budget outlook.
Even with $1.2 trillion of discretionary spending cuts over 10 years as mandated by the Budget Control Act of 2011, outlays would reach $5.5 trillion in 2022, 22.3 percent of GDP, the same result as Obama's proposed budget fix. If Congress were to extend all the Bush-era tax cuts and other special perks, government spending would hit $6 trillion in 2022.
Even someone following the budget negotiations closely might be surprised to learn that there are no real cuts on the table in the way normal people think of them. That goes for Republican proposals, too. For example, households may decide to reduce their holiday spending this year from $750 to $500 and forgo the summer family vacation because times are tough. Those are spending cuts.
Washington is the only place where a cut isn't a cut. Instead, so-called spending cuts are reductions in the growth rate of outlays as prescribed under current law. Nothing is cut.
Starting from current levels, if future spending were to grow at the rate of inflation plus the rate of population growth, 2022 outlays would be $4.8 trillion, according to Michael Tanner, a senior fellow at the libertarian Cato Institute in Washington. In other words, less than the feared fiscal-cliff outcome.
For all of Obama's insistence on raising top tax rates, the additional revenue he seeks doesn't begin to solve the nation's fiscal problems. By 2022, just three programs — Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security — will consume 54 percent of the federal budget, up from 44 percent now, Tanner said. And "the real explosion of entitlement costs takes place just outside the 10-year budget window."
The Democrats' talk of "cuts" to these programs, which provide a social safety net for many Americans, is also misleading. Again, these are cuts in the accelerating growth rate of these programs. And if the projected savings from Obamacare don't materialize, the outlook is even worse.
A glance at the historical budget tables published by the White House Office of Management and Budget puts all the talk about spending cuts in perspective. Nominal federal outlays fell by $61 billion, or 1.7 percent, in 2012, the first outright reduction since the huge post-World War II declines in 1946-1948. Inflation-adjusted spending has shown only a handful of year-to-year declines, all small, in the decades since the post-war demobilization.
As Tanner noted, inflation and population growth argue for nominal spending increases. But outlays topped 24 percent of GDP in each of the past four years, the highest since World War II and well above the 20 percent historical average.
Ever since the election, the president has campaigned to raise taxes on the rich, or families making more than $250,000 a year. He has encouraged audiences to write to their representative in Congress in support of what he says is his election mandate.
Obama needs to ask something more. First, he should explain that there's a wide gap between the benefits to which Americans have become accustomed, especially those for the elderly, and the tax revenue needed to pay for those services. In other words, Medicare as we know it isn't an option.
Then the president should ask the question: What do you want, and how much are you willing to pay for it? It's something Americans are going to have to decide in the not-too-distant future, so we better start thinking about it now.
Caroline Baum, author of "Just What I Said," is a Bloomberg View columnist. Her email address is firstname.lastname@example.com.
Even someone following the budget negotiations closely might be surprised to learn that there are no real cuts on the table in the way normal people think of them. That goes for Republican proposals, too. Washington is the only place where a cut isn't a cut. Instead, so-called spending cuts are reductions in the growth rate of outlays as prescribed under current law. Nothing is cut.


text:
Inga Batur has not received any gifts yet
Posted on February 13, 2013 at 4:30am 0 Comments 0 Likes
I was quite young when my parents started taking me to different museums and I always enjoyed them. My imagination would start getting wild. I am a firm believer that museums are a great family outing. They are a chance to spend some time together, exploring, learning about the past, present or the future, trying new…Continue
Posted on February 12, 2013 at 8:00am 0 Comments 0 Likes
I wanted to call this post I know best, but thought it might be a bit too presumptuous. So, I disguised myself as a Mother. Which I am. Since getting this honorary title, I have discovered it comes with so many responsibilities. The famous line of from J.F.K. comes to mind, somewhat altered though: "ask not what…Continue
Hi there and welcome from The Girlz Korner where you'll find light, witty and rather entertaining articles on every topic imaginable from beauty, health, fashion, parenting, recipes and everything else in between. So if you get a chance to kick back and exhale, if only for a brief moment, we'd love to have you. Hope you enjoy your stay :) http://www.thegirlzkorner.com


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How to Get Googlebot to "Teach You" Advanced SEO
I recently worked on an enterprise-level client's non-SEO related project where the goal was to confirm or deny that their new product:
1) Was not doing anything that could be considered black hat.
2) Was providing any SEO benefit for their clients.
The problems you face with projects like this is that Google doesn't provide enough information, and you cannot post corner-case questions like this in public Webmaster forums. To do so would violate your NDA, and potentially reveal your client's intellectual property. So, what option do you have left? Well, you set up a honeypot!
A honeypot is a term that comes from the information security industry. Honeypots are a set of files that, to an automated program, appear like regular files, but they allow for the monitoring and "capturing" of specific viruses, e-mail harvesters, etc. In our case, we set up a honeypot with the purpose of detecting and tracking search engine bot behavior in specific circumstances. We also wanted to track the outcome (positive, neutral or negative) in the search engine results pages (SERPs).
Let me walk you trough a few ways you can learn advanced SEO by using a honeypot. Read more


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TORONTO (AP) — A Palestinian man convicted of hijacking an airliner in Greece in 1968 has been deported from Canada 26 years after entering the country using an alias, the immigration minister said Monday.
Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said the case "made a mockery of Canada's generosity and our fair immigration system for two and a half decades."
Kenney said Mahmoud Mohammad Issa Mohammad made a false refugee claim in 1987. The government learned a year later that he was a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and had participated in a terrorist attack on an El Al Israeli plane in which an Israeli citizen was killed. Kenney said Mohammad and another man stormed a plane and threw grenades and fired live rounds at civilians.
Mohammad was convicted in Greece in 1970 of manslaughter and sentenced to 17 years in prison, but he was freed before completing his sentence as part of a deal to resolve another hijacking.
Kenney said Mohammad, 70, was deported to Lebanon on Saturday after living in southern Ontario since 1987. Kenney said Mohammad was deported to Lebanon because his wife is Lebanese and he has residence there.
Kenney called the case a "comedy of errors" and said Canada "will no longer be treated like suckers by terrorists."
He said under new immigration laws enacted by his Conservative government he would have never been allowed to stay in Canada for so long. Mohammad was able to use 12 or more appeals and loopholes under old laws to remain in Canada, he said.
"There were 26 years of considerations given to Mr. Mohammad and finally our legal system decided that he could be deported," Kenney said.
The Canadian government chartered a plane and a medical team went with Mohammad so he could not claim he was suffering from something like heart trouble and have the plane turn around, Kenney said. Mohammad has undisclosed health issues.


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View images from the glittering Harrogate Advertiser Series Business Awards 2014 ceremony.
Chief Executive of Welcome to Yorkshire Gary Verity won the Lifetime Achievement award, sponsored by Cicada Communications.
Accepting the award, Mr Verity recalled bringing General Director of the Tour de France Christian Prudhomme to Yorkshire in May 2012 as part of the Welcome to Yorkshire bid to bring the 2014 Grand Départ to the county.
Firms from across the district enjoyed the ceremony at Harrogate International Centre.
Click here for the list of winners
Click here to order these or any other published picture taken by our photographers


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Free lunch for all! 'Thriving' ride to Boston
June 21. 2014 7:50PM
Clearly, those of us who insist there is no such thing as a free lunch have been wrong all these years.
"Subsidy Ok'd for thriving bus line," read the Union Leader headline.
Why would something that is thriving need a subsidy? The Boston Express bus needs more taxpayer money because, the governor and Council were told last week, more people are riding its buses down I-93 and Route 3 to work in Boston.
And why wouldn't they? With taxpayers underwriting the comfortable and convenient (Wi-Fi included) ride, the most it costs a rider is $18 for a one-way ticket.
So if it is so popular with riders, why not just increase the fare to actual cost levels and leave the taxpayer alone?
"We don't want to stunt that growth with a fare increase," said Boston Express.
Right. If you charge what it really costs to operate a business and make a profit, the business might not be so "thriving."
The bus service subsidies are intended to get drivers out of their cars and onto some form of mass transit. The state chose bus service over commuter rail because the bus was far less expensive. One can only imagine what "thriving" commuter rail to Boston would cost the taxpayers.
If, as with this bus service, taxpayers pay to cart a small group of Granite Staters to jobs in Boston (or to fly out of Logan instead of Manchester), aren't we subsidizing Massachusetts' economy by doing so? If most commuters are going from New Hampshire to Massachusetts, and not the other way around, how does this create jobs in New Hampshire?


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THE WOODLANDS, Texas, Nov. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: LXRX) announced that data from the Phase 2b clinical trial of LX4211 are being presented today as a Clinical Sciences Special Report in the Emerging Therapeutics for Diabetes and Dyslipidemia section of the American Heart Association (AHA) Scientific Sessions Conference held in Los Angeles, California. The oral presentation is being delivered by Dr. Julio Rosenstock, Director of the Dallas Diabetes and Endocrine Center at Medical City, lead investigator in the recently completed study.
"The results from this trial demonstrate potential benefits of inhibiting SGLT1 in addition to the known effects of SGLT2 inhibition, not only in improving glycemic control, but also in achieving reductions in important cardiovascular risk factors such as blood pressure and body weight with an apparent favorable safety profile that will need confirmation by long-term controlled trials," said Dr. Rosenstock.
LX4211, an investigational, oral, dual inhibitor of sodium glucose co-transporters 1 and 2 (SGLT1 and SGLT2), reduces the amount of glucose that enters the bloodstream from the gastrointestinal (GI) tract by inhibiting SGLT1, the major transporter responsible for glucose absorption, and enhances glucose excretion in the urine by inhibiting SGLT2, the major transporter responsible for glucose reabsorption by the kidney. In the trial, LX4211 was tested in 299 patients with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes on metformin therapy. Patients were randomized to receive LX4211 at doses of 75 mg QD, 200 mg QD, 200 mg BID, 400 mg QD, or placebo for 12 weeks. New data presented today showed that maximal 24-hour urinary glucose excretion occurred at 200 mg QD dose, whereas maximal HbA1c reduction was obtained at the 400 mg QD dose. This suggests that dual inhibition of SGLT1 and SGLT2 offers the opportunity to achieve improved glycemic control with lower urinary glucose excretion relative to compounds that are selective for SGLT2. These findings are consistent with previous studies that indicate LX4211's inhibition of SGLT1 in the GI tract reduces post-prandial glucose levels, resulting in a lower glucose load to be filtered by the kidney.
"The HbA1c reduction combined with urinary glucose data presented at the AHA conference provide further evidence of the clinically meaningful and differentiating effects of SGLT1 inhibition achieved by LX4211," said Dr. Brian Zambrowicz, Lexicon's chief scientific officer. "The achievement of SGLT1-mediated improvements in glycemic control that do not rely on urinary glucose excretion has the potential to further differentiate LX4211 from SGLT2-selective drugs based on genitourinary safety, as well as offering opportunities in the treatment of patients whose impaired renal function compromises their ability to benefit from the SGLT2 mechanism. Importantly, the substantially greater reduction in HbA1c seen in the 400 mg QD group compared to the 200 mg group was not associated with an increased rate of gastrointestinal adverse events, an area of special interest for SGLT1 inhibition."
Consistent with previous reports, the primary efficacy endpoint of change from baseline to Week 12 in HbA1c was achieved; dose dependent changes from placebo were observed with statistically significant differences observed at each dose level and most notably at the higher doses with p-values < 0.001. Lexicon has also previously demonstrated that SGLT1 inhibition by LX4211 increases levels of GLP-1 and PYY, GI hormones associated with glycemic control and appetite. Lexicon is currently conducting clinical studies of LX4211 in type 2 diabetes patients with renal impairment and in patients with type 1 diabetes, and is making preparations for the planned commencement of Phase 3 clinical trials in type 2 diabetes in the first half of 2013.
About Lexicon
Lexicon is a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering breakthrough treatments for human disease. Lexicon currently has four drug programs in mid-stage development for diabetes, irritable bowel syndrome, carcinoid syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis, all of which were discovered by Lexicon's research team. Lexicon has used its proprietary gene knockout technology to identify more than 100 promising drug targets. Lexicon has focused drug discovery efforts on these biologically-validated targets to create its extensive pipeline of clinical and preclinical programs. For additional information about Lexicon and its programs, please visit www.lexpharma.com.
Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains "forward-looking statements," including statements relating to Lexicon's clinical development of LX4211, characterizations of the results of and projected timing of clinical trials, and the potential therapeutic and commercial potential of LX4211. This press release also contains forward-looking statements relating to Lexicon's growth and future operating results, discovery and development of products, strategic alliances and intellectual property, as well as other matters that are not historical facts or information. All forward-looking statements are based on management's current assumptions and expectations and involve risks, uncertainties and other important factors, specifically including those relating to Lexicon's ability to successfully conduct clinical development of LX4211 and preclinical and clinical development of its other potential drug candidates, advance additional candidates into preclinical and clinical development, obtain necessary regulatory approvals, achieve its operational objectives, obtain patent protection for its discoveries and establish strategic alliances, as well as additional factors relating to manufacturing, intellectual property rights, and the therapeutic or commercial value of its drug candidates, that may cause Lexicon's actual results to be materially different from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Unless specifically indicated otherwise, results reported as trends were not statistically significant. Information identifying such important factors is contained under "Risk Factors" in Lexicon's annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Lexicon undertakes no obligation to update or revise any such forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
SOURCE Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc.


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WOODSTOCK – It's something of a drag to have to start the process of appealing next year's property-tax bill when you're not even done paying this year's bill.
But assessments for the county's 17 townships are going to be published several months earlier this year, given the ever-increasing number of frustrated property owners who are appealing them.
Assessments for Richmond Township, typically the first to be finished, likely will be published the first week of June, McHenry County Supervisor of Assessments Robert Ross said. Richmond Township last year published in late July.
"This gives us more time and more opportunity to get our work done in light of the number of appeals and review requests," Ross said.
Greenwood Township's assessments also are done and likely will publish the second week in June; they published last year in late August.
The county last year fielded almost 10,000 assessment appeals for this year's tax bills. Property owners have broken consecutive records as property-tax bills have stayed the same or increased despite the fact that home values have plummeted.
By comparison a decade ago, the county received only 677 appeals.
Homeowners have 30 days from the date of publication to appeal their assessments, each of which is heard by a board of review. Tax bills cannot be mailed out until every hearing is finished and all parcels in the county have their assessments set.
Last year, the two largest townships by population, Algonquin and Grafton, did not publish until the end of October and mid-November, respectively. Those two townships make up almost half of the appeals that Ross' office has to process in any given year, which resulted in a last-minute deluge, he said.
A new state law that took effect this year gives county assessors a stick to move things along if needed. Should a township assessor miss the Oct. 15 deadline to turn in the assessments, the county assessor now has the option to seize the books and finish the job.
Ross said he does not anticipate having to use that tool. Twelve of the county's 17 townships hit the deadline last year.
"I think everyone – the township assessors, the Board of Review and our office – realize our need to step this up rather than face a time crunch," Ross said.
Assessments, or one-third of a property's value, determine a property owner's share of county, municipal, school, township and other taxing districts' extensions for property-tax bills due the next year.
The ironic main culprit for tax bills rising while property values fall is the tax cap law enacted more than 20 years ago to protect homeowners in the Chicago suburbs from out-of-control property-tax increases.
State lawmakers in 1991 enacted the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law on the collar counties, which limits the increase that taxing bodies can receive over the previous year to either 5 percent or the rate of inflation, whichever is less.
But the tax cap became governments' friend and taxpayers' foe with the bursting of the housing bubble. When home values decline – a possibility state lawmakers never envisioned – the tax cap ensures governments receive the inflationary rate of increase if they so choose.
While several governments intentionally kept their levies for this year's bills flat and spurned the inflationary increase, others raised their levies to ensure that they captured the extra 3 percent.
The rate of inflation taxing bodies will be able to use for next year's bills is 1.7 percent, according to the Illinois Department of Revenue.
Efforts have been made in recent years in the General Assembly by state Rep. Jack Franks, D-Marengo, to forbid taxing bodies from collecting an increase except by referendum if their total assessed values fall. His latest attempt failed in the House last month on a 43-65 vote.
Lobbying groups representing local taxing bodies, which pay their dues with taxpayer dollars, have fought the bill every time it has been tried.
A number of bills have been filed in this session aimed at freezing what taxing bodies can levy for the next three to five years. All of them are languishing in committee and are not expected to advance.
Because assessments determine a property owner's share of what taxing bodies receive, getting it lowered does not guarantee that the owner's bill will decrease as well.
Also, as successful appeals increase, so do the odds of the state slapping a multiplier on tax bills countywide. The state multiplier on this year's tax bills is 2.43 percent, meaning that everyone's assessments increased by that much regardless of what they did or did not do to their properties.
What it means
Townships have begun the annual process of publishing property-tax assessments for 2013 that will be used to calculate next year's property-tax bills.
The process is starting months earlier than in previous years to help deal with the ever-increasing number of homeowners who are appealing their assessments.
Assessments for Richmond and Greenwood townships are anticipated to be published in early June. Homeowners have 30 days from the day assessments are printed in a newspaper of record to file an appeal.
This year's bills
The deadlines to pay the two installments of this year's property-tax bills are June 5 and Sept. 5.


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Prey 2's disappearance from Bethesda's online portfolio is a result of the publisher not being ready to talk about the delayed action game, the firm has told Eurogamer.
"We announced the delay in April, and until we're ready to talk about the game more, the focus on the site is on our upcoming titles," explained a spokesperson for Bethesda.
Eurogamer speculates that the game's removal from the online portfolio suggests a release date some time after The Elder Scrolls Online in 2013, which in turn points to a possible next-generation release.


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Quote:I've done some searching and can't seem to find this topic anywhere else. Forgive me if this has been covered before.Why are there so many posts from *DO NOT DELETE*? The further one goes into archived threads the more frequently it appears.
Quote:Eventually I will go though the database and delete all those posts.


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I often like to watch movies made from books before reading their literary counterparts so that I can fully enjoy it without constant comparison. But if you try to watch Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban without a pretty thorough background, you'll be quite lost. Nevertheless, Potter fans will surely enjoy this latest frolic through the world of magic. All the elements are there, even if there is a twinge of disappointment and some of the real emotion lost to time constraints and making sure all the relevant plot twists were covered.
The Prisoner of Azkaban begins the summer before the kids' third year at Hogwarts. And, as Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) is now a teenager, his poltergeist-like tendencies pop up as he accidentally blows up his aunt at the dinner table. When he flees to The Leaky Cauldron, instead of the reprimand he expects, he is greeted with a message of caution from the Minister of Magic (Robert Hardy). Sirius Black (Gary Oldman), madman, murderer, and betrayer of Harry's parents, is on the loose and out to kill him. Dementors, the soul-sucking, evil guardians of the wizard prison Azkaban, are sent to guard Hogwarts, despite Headmaster Dumbledore's (Michael Gambon) protestations that dementors are no protectors at all. And several times, Harry is endangered by these beasts that are there, presumably, to keep him safe. The new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Lupin (David Thewlis) is well liked by the students, and helps Harry with some advance anti-dementor spells. Harry comes into possession of a couple new fun and useful magic toys and learns more about the people and mysteries surrounding his parents.
Make no mistake about it; the plot of Prisoner of Azkaban is very complicated. You may want to bring a cheat sheet and some paper for note-taking. But don't keep your eyes off the screen for too long lest you miss a key plot detail or a funny character building moment. And these 3 young, but quickly growing actors, excel at these. Their performances carry the very real awkwardness and hyper-emotion of being 13 (and magic). 2 scenes in particular highlighted their diverse abilities. A distraught but tough Hermione (Emma Watson) knocks a sniveling Draco (Tom Felton) to the ground in a moment that is both frustrating and triumphant. The other shows the Gryffindor boys in a moment of male bonding as they huddle around a bag of sound-producing candies. A very "boy will be boys" scene while still quite original, I found it very endearing. Even Ron (Rupert Grint) is beginning to come into his own and filling out a bit, though he is still quite bumbling at times.
The collaboration with director Alfonso Cuarón (of Y tu mamá también fame) was also engaging and productive. His occasional teetering on the edge of PG made plenty of amusing moments for adults and teens while going over the heads of the kids. It also made for convincing adolescent interactions. The supporting cast was also quite colorful. Gary Oldman as Sirius Black is both scary and intense, with enough mystery in his rabid eyes to know that something serious (no pun intended) is going on behind them. Flighty Professor Trelawney is played to perfection by the hugely bespectacled Emma Thompson; Dawn French is perfect as the "fat lady" portrait; and Alan Rickman continues to be the quintessential unforgiving and slightly skeevy Professor Snape.
While these recognizable and sincere characters keep the film very down to earth, magic continues to reign supreme in the world of Harry Potter. The screen is dominated by the awe of flying mythical animals, werewolf metamorphoses, and dark weightless dementors. If you happen to get lost in terms of the storyline, the atmosphere should be enough to keep you aloft. The music was subtle and complimentary and while Rowling's original story may be sentimental itself, the film never took it any farther over the top.
Unlike the first 2 installments, which are really whole stories unto themselves, Prisoner of Azkaban merely begins the tale of Harry's journey into adulthood, and the inevitable and continuous battles he must fight for the rest of the series. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban introduces a multitude of elements that will reappear in the films to come. It is here that the series begins to take on its true weight. It also leaves you wanting more. Once you've seen Prisoner of Azkaban you've become invested in seeing it through. For any Harry Potter fan it's a must see, but if you're not already interested, it might be a slightly confusing romp through the magic of special effects.


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Northern Tier Wrestling Sept 10 in Towanda, PA
Northern Tier Wrestling comes to the Headstrong Arena, 169 Sullivan St in Towanda, PA on Sunday, Sept 10 for "Disorderly Conduct". Doors open 2 pm, bell time 3 pm!
- WWE Cruiserweight Classic competitor SEAN MALUTA vs. "The Young Lion of the West" Mattick
- Lucha Underground's RICKY REYES vs. "King of Storms" Cloudy
- LJ Thomas vs. Venomous
- Mathias Glass vs. Chris Cayden
- TJ Marconi vs. Aaron Nasty
- Also featuring Rob Sweet, Jonny Kadillac, Jermey Jensen, Joe Perfect, Phil Stamper, and many more!
Also featuring a Ricky Reyes seminar 12-2 p.m. for just $25. RSVP at facebook.com/northerntierwrestling.
Tickets available online at facebook.com/northerntierwrestling or, day of, at The Headstrong Arena!
- Adult tickets: $15
- Student tickets: $10 Presale/day of show $12
Flyer: bit.ly/tier910


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Previous Episode | Next Episode
The Bare BearThe Bare Bear (1970) Season 1 Episode 106- Doctor Dolittle Cartoon Episode Guide
This page has been viewed 12 times this month, and 808 times total.
- 1970
- DePatie-Freleng Enterprises
- Doctor Dolittle Episode Guide
- Cartoon Characters: Dr. John Dolittle, Sam Scurvy, Cyclod, Tommy Stubbins, Mooncat, The Grasshoppers, Pushme-Pullyu, Dab-Dab the Duck, Jip-Jip the Dog, Montgomery.
- Vocal Talent: Bob Holt (Dr. John Dolittle), Lennie Weinrib (Sam Scurvy), Hal Smith (Tommy Stubbins), Don Messick (Mooncat); Annadell, Ronnie Fallon, Colin Julian, Mike Sherwood, Glyn Nelso (The Grasshoppers).
- Directed By Sid Marcus, Oscar Dufau.
- Produced By David H. DePatie, Isadore Freleng (as Friz Freleng).
Co-Producer: Walter S. Burr.
- Animated By Hal Ambro, Frank Andrina, Warren Batchelder, Robert Bentley, Steve Clark, John Gibbs, Manny Gould, Ken Muse, George Nicholas, Manny Perez, Bob Richardson, Phil Roman, Irv Spence, Robert Taylor, Don Williams.
- Written By Paul Harrison, Lennie Weinrib.
Based On The Original Book By: Hugh Lofting.
- Edited By Roger Donley, Todd McKay, Joe Siracusa.
Film Editing Supervised By: Lee Gunther.
- Title and Musical Sequences Directed By: Arthur Leonardi.
- Layout: Robert Givens, Dave Hanan, Lin Larsen, Martin Strudler, Dick Ung, Al Wilson, Tony Rivera.
- Background Supervised By: Richard H. Thomas.
- Backgrounds: Al Gmuer, Anthony Rizzo, Linda Grayson.
- Music Recording Engineer: Eric A. Tomlinson.
- Lyrics and Music, "Talk to the Animals" By: Leslie Bricusse.
- Music Score Conducted By: Eric Rogers.
- Production Supervision: Jim Foss.
- Production Coordinator: Harry Love.
- Camera: John Burton Jr., Ray Lee, Roger Sims.
- Sound By: Producers' Sound Service, Inc.
Created for Television by David H. DePatie, Friz Freleng
In Association with Lennie Weinrib, Paul Harrison
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Cartoon Summary:
Dr. Doolittle gets word that bears at the North Pole are freezing. He and his animal friends gather up a boatload of clothes and head for the North Pole. Since the grasshoppers are too small to help, they form a band and play music for the others. On the way,... (more)
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