text:
After's Discovery's Launch, What's Left For the Shuttle?
My guess is that the shuttle is probably going to go look for its precious's
(sorry.... couldn't resist)
It will.
Second, the Shuttle doesn't serve a useful role in any serious US space program. The only argument for it is ro provide "downmass" from the ISS (that is, returning mass from the ISS safely to Earth)
Downmass, assembly and supply capabilities not matched by existing or planned vehicles, reboost, etc... etc...
Downmass, assembly and supply capabilities not matched by existing or planned vehicles, reboost, etc... etc...
We don't need assembly. ISS is complete enough for our purposes. We have four vehicles (Progress, Soyuz, ATV, HTV) which already provide supply and will probably soon have a couple more (the COTS entries). Reboost just needs propellant which can be provided by supply vehicles. As I was saying the only thing that the Shuttle currently provides which cannot be provided by other means is significant downmass. Currently, Soyuz is the only other downmass provider. There are plans for the COTS entries to provide
The only argument for it is ro provide "downmass" from the ISS (that is, returning mass from the ISS safely to Earth). All those other fancy capabilities are near useless for what the Shuttle is used for.
Not even that. We could do that much more cheaply (not to mention be able to return much more mass) with an unmanned return craft launched with a heavy lifter.
How many iPads do you think they brought up?
Two for each crew member
This somehow invokes the image of Dr Strangelove standing up from his wheelchair - "Mein Fuhrer, I can walk!"
So, I guess I'm supposed to reply "depends for how many months they'll be up there" and then I get modded funny or something.
The iPad = feminine hygiene pad joke was lame and childish when it started, now it's just pathetic. Just like the childish jokes about the Nintendo Wii.
The iPad = feminine hygiene pad joke was lame and childish when it started, now it's just pathetic. Just like the childish jokes about the Nintendo Wii.
It's funny you brought that up, because the iPad can help you control your Wii, too.
Between 2.5 wars, a few major natural disasters, an economic mess, a heaping helping of social programs and agriculture subsidies, and the US's loss of the world tech leadership position....we just couldn't seem to find the time.
Busy and Lazy can have the same effect.
...Because we all know that the 1960s were just a happy time!
I guess you don't know the Apollo program was cut short due to Vietnam.
There were many more moon shots scheduled when the program was shut down in order to send more resources to Vietnam.
No, there weren't. There were exactly three more Apollo flights planned. Those are the three Saturn V lawn ornaments scattered around NASA centers. Those weren't models or mock-ups; they were fully operational, man-rated moon-rockets that could have been used with little additional expenditure. Nearly all of the funds that could have potentially been "saved" were already spent; the hardware was already bought and built.
The program was killed not to "free up money" for Vietnam, but to kill a program that nobody in power really wanted but couldn't eliminate until it succeeded without appearing to spit on JFK's grave.
It was also that medicare exploded during the early 1970s. Entitlements exploded, and the cost of the war exploded, and the price of oil exploded when the USA devalued its currency and dropped the gold standard.
Now, look at the fact that Obama is not reporting on countries that manipulate their money, of which the WORST is China (fixed at 7 yuans to 1 dollar for quite some time; Many economists think it should be anywhere from 3, or possibly 1, yuan to a dollar). Basically, America, the land of the free and brave, has losts its morals, and its way.
China's monetary policy would be a gift to any rational competitor who can print dollars. The US could just buy a massive amount of yuan (say a few hundred billion dollars worth or more) and close down this fixing scheme instantly (the US would exit the strategy by buying back dollars with the now more expensive yen, making a big profit). If China tries to print more yen to play the game, then sell yen to crash the market (alternately, provide your rival, more competitive yuan/dollar exchange). The dynamic
"Lets see, Coalition forces dead in both Iraq and Afghanistan total 6,411 in 2010. 58,159 died in Vietnam."
Looks like we forgot how to deal with unemployment...
Seriously, we have let our manufacturing base mostly disappear, outsourced many of our technical roles overseas, and chosen to let other countries take the lead. If our politicians of both parties could get on the same page instead of doing their utmost to do in the other we might be able to regain our role as innovators and leaders.
"but we, and the world, are a whole lot more stable now"
And there's the problem. Stability means demanding ever more TV channels to entertain us. Instability means working your butt off to make sure you're better than the other guy.
Or as Orson Welles' Harry Lime put it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dv1QDlWbS8g/ [youtube.com]
Except that the Swiss didn't invent the Cuckoo Clock, nor make them in any numbers.
I liked the mid to late 80s, loved the 90s, but this decade (2000-2010) sucked major ass! And just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, I'm proved wrong.
F%&K! If only there was something to be optimistic about. How about some innovation, motivation, revelation, even a positive revolution would be nice for a change.
The internet has progressed nicely in the 00s.
The borrowing to spend culture that the US has been in, in recent years is finally catching up - the money simply isn't there (never was, really) - but now money is getting more expensive to borrow due to others becoming more and more concerned that the US (and other european nations) may eventually default on their debt
You obviously were neither alive during the 1960s nor are a student of history.
Nah, that's just media drama. We went to the Moon because of the Red Scare, and to wow the world by doing something very difficult and impressive that had never been done before. The Vietnam War, the Counter-culture of the 1960s, racial inequality, bad schools, the relative decline of America, and natural disasters didn't stop us.
Now, what is the point of a return trip? Men on the Moon has been done. No one doubts we could do it again if we really wanted to. All sorts of health evaluations and experi
Now, what is the point of a return trip? Men on the Moon has been done. No one doubts we could do it again if we really wanted to.
I disagree. I don't think we could do it again. Others feel the same way. [nationalreview.com]
That article is just silly political posturing, not a factual argument. If you've got an actual reason behind your disagreement, I'd love to hear it.
we've lost the world's tech leadership position? Really? And who made the Internet?
Or, lets go the other direction...who would you put ahead of us, and for what? Linus came here for a reason, I'm pretty sure. We have most the patents, our problem is that many countries don't respect patents.
we've lost the world's tech leadership position? Really? And who made the Internet?
That was 40 years ago.
[..] We have most the patents, our problem is that many countries don't respect patents.
No (sane) country "respects" US patents unless forced by military or economic pressure. The US patent system (that had originally been introduced to protect inventors) has been completely subverted into legalized racketeering.
BTW: the patent mess is just a symptom of the real problem: big money has long since abandoned the idea of "making stuff" (i.e. creating value through work) in favor of "selling licenses" (i.e. collecting monopoly rent on imaginary property).
40 years ago wasn't the Internet. That would be like saying my grandmother gave birth to me.
Whether patents are abused is irrelevant to the point; the point is we're still the ones coming up with the crap in the first place, which is pretty much technological leadership.
You didn't say who you thought was ahead of us...
or, lets put it another way...
who cloned the first living animal?
if an AIDs vaccine is found, where will that most likely be?
Where was the Human Genome Project?
Where every newest generation phone designed (even the ones we don't have access to)?
Where was every major operating system in use on the planet designed? (even Linus came here to make Linux go from pet project to something real)
Where was almost every major computer hardware component originally designed and conceived (NICs, math processors, video pr
or, lets put it another way...
who cloned the first living animal?
if you mean the first mammal cloned [wikipedia.org]: British scientists?
if an AIDs vaccine is found, where will that most likely be?
NOT in the US. Big Pharma makes loads of money treating AIDS. A vaccine would destroy that lucrative market.
Where was the Human Genome Project?
In the US. And while the HGP (funded by taxpayer money) did not patent the resulting data, other people (Celera) did. After a short bubble, progress in the field of Biotechnology is now at a standstill due blanket patenting. (well, if you listen to the other side, it is at a standstill because patent profits are in danger)
Apropos "patenting gen
if you mean the first mammal cloned: British scientists?
If I had meant that, I would have said it. The man who cloned the first animal was here in the US, and died 13 years before Dolly was even cloned. Try again.
And so on for the rest of your post - half of it wasn't even disagreeing with me.
if you mean the first mammal cloned: British scientists?
If I had meant that, I would have said it. The man who cloned the first animal was here in the US, and died 13 years before Dolly was even cloned.
Again, you are citing "stuff somebody did long long ago" in order to support your "USA is #1" mantra, blithely ignoring the fact that this whole thread is about current events, namely the retirement of the space shuttle (and the implied loss of technological capability).
.. And so on for the rest of your post - half of it wasn't even disagreeing with me.
I'm getting the strong impression we aren't even on the same page here. You seem to define "technological leadership" in terms of "we have outpatented the rest of the world, now we can sit back and rake in the money".
How about a reality c
manufacturing isn't technological leadership.
Current events? Which is the only country to have ever had a successful mission on mars? And as a person who is highly involved in biotech (my wife was featured on the cover of Journal of Virology recently, for instance) I can promise you...not only are we not as far behind as you claim, we're ahead. We're
The last scheduled shuttle flight is also Discovery, so today's launch doesn't signify the end of anything.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STS-133 [wikipedia.org]
Sunk cost, go read up on it.
Although the Dems were able to muster votes to get their health care stuff through despite bitter republican opposition, they will ultimately, on lesser issues, talk turkey. Florida and Alabama will get to keep flying the Shuttle with some contracts for extending it, in exchange for support on any of the things Obama wants but needs the center-right in both parties on. For example, Obama might want an emissions deal, and, while, you would think Republicans would oppose it, Republicans are also heavy in th
They can vote as much as they like, extension in any sensible use of the word is impossible.
for example.
On July 16, 1969 Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Edwin A. "Buzz" Aldrin landed on the moon.
Michael Collins didn't.
And Armstrong and Aldrin didn't land until the 20th, either...
During that time all US manned space flights will be outsourced to Russia, China and possibly India at a cost far exceeding the current cost of the Space Shuttle.
A cost far exceeding the current cost of the Shuttle? I'd say that's far from certain...
Soyuz, Progress, ATV, HTV, plus soon Dragon and Cygnus are plenty big for that...
Since you don't see much point in manned space programme, you might indeed see ISS as just a wastefull science and political project...
But it's an exercise in space engineering, space dock and long term missions (for which the main difference would be lack of shielding from the magnetosphere, hence requiring artificial one, and propulsion system; both relativelly easy modelled)
BTW, there was quite a bit more science done than just the rovers...
It's amazing to think there could really be only three more space shuttle missions before the retirement of all the orbiter fleet. The current plan is to sell the orbiters to museums as soon as possible.
The United States is suspending manned spaceflight.
I wish that the final shuttle missions would be flown by the extended duration orbiter, Endeavor. I wish that the missions could be extended to even longer or that there were a plan in place to refit and refly the shuttles. But there is no plan to ke
After Discovery's Launch, What's Left For the Shuttle?
Discovery's landing, I should hope!
I'm amazed that they've missed the fact that the July flight of Endeavour is due to carry the $2B particle physics experiment, the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS), to the ISS.
Spearheaded by Nobel-prize winner, Sam Ting, and built and funded largely outside the normal peer review process, AMS is one of the most significant physics experiments of recent years, but as much for political and sociological reasons as scientific. If nothing else, without AMS and its friends in high places, there would only two shuttle flights left: this one was added by Bush and ratified by Obama completely over the head of NASA's normal process.
That all said, AMS recently moved from testing at CERN in Switzerland to ESA's ESTEC in the Netherlands for electromagnetic and thermal-vacuum testing, and is on a really (really) tight timeline to get to KSC in time for the July launch. There are good reasons to suspect that that flight will be delayed into August and perhaps even moved later in the year behind Discovery's last flight.
I was on a VIP trip to KSC very recently and was thrilled to be shown around the Orbiter Processing Facility where both Endeavour and Atlantis are be prepared for their last flights at present, while Discovery was out on the pad. Very special for a space geek to be literally inches from all of those tiles on the underside of Endeavour and (sorry NASA
Also deeply, deeply sad to think that this will all be over very soon: the shuttle programme has been an inspiration all the way back to the drop tests of the Enterprise back in 1977, even in the darkest hours. While I understand all the technical and financial arguments for stopping it now, psychologically it seems crazy to do so, particularly in the absence of any successor. End of an era. There were moments when I was pretty choked up on that OPF visit, I have to admit.
Sigmund Freud is alleged to have said that in the last analysis the entire field of psychology may reduce to biological electrochemistry.


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At the beginning of each season, every team has one thing in common: opportunity. And that holds true for the 2009 edition of the York College men's cross country team. The Green and White hold an opportunity to become one of the top teams in the Capital Athletic Conference during the 2009 campaign as they sport a squad full of exceptional runners. Following six consecutive seasons of finishing in third place at the annual CAC Championships, the Spartans are primed to push Salisbury and Mary Washington, teams who have had a stronghold on the league since its inception in 1991.
"We have a great group of student-athletes," Spartan head coach Rich Achtzehn said. "We really like our potential this season. If we put the work in and get better everyday, I believe that we have a shot to do some fantastic things in 2009."
Despite the departure of three-time all-conference runner Jesse Jaeger, who has since become an assistant with the Spartans, Achtzehn believes that this year's squad has in fact the most talented and deep roster in recent seasons.
"Up and down the lineup we have good runners," Achtzehn said. "Obviously they have to prove it on race day, but I like where we are at this point."
Headlining that talented and deep roster are a trio of 2008 all-conference performers. Senior Jason Hinkle, junior Bret Kilefner, and junior Matt Provonche each garnered second-team All-CAC accolades at last year's CAC Championships. Each of the three posted exceptional campaigns last year and will strive for even better seasons in 2009.
"Hinkle, Kilefner, and Provonche are very talented, quality runners," Achtzehn commented on his top three returners. "They are able to combine that talent with plenty of collegiate experience which will make each of them very dangerous come conference championships in November."
Joining Hinkle, Kilefner, and Provonche within the ranks of York's returning lettermen are Andrew Friesema, Paul Wallace, Patrick Lestrange, Joe Paraszczuk, Javier Skwara, Justing Severini, Kevin Snyder, and Matt Stripe. Each of York's retuners will look to step up this year in an effort to move the entire squad in the right direction.
"We believe that all of our returners have the opportunity to perform well this season," Achtzehn said. "Friesema, Wallace, and Lestrange are exceptional workers who have demonstrated, through last season's performances, that they could be ready to seriously challenge for all-conference honors. Paraszczuk, Skwara, Severini, Snyder, and Stripe have each made quality strides during their respective careers and will look to break into the upper portion of our squad this season."
Achtzehn is extremely pleased with York's newcomers in the 2009 season and believes that they could make an immediate impact on the collegiate level. The Spartans list six rookie cross country runners while they come with impressive resumes. Steven Childres is primed to be the top newcomer to the Green and White as he possesses the talent post top finishes right away. Childres, who hails from Mount Saint Joseph High School in Maryland, has incredible potential that could result in big things throughout his collegiate career. Ryan Janes, Steven Andrews, Greg Bivona, Tyler Quill, and Darine Howze will also seek to contribute to the Spartan effort in just their first cross country season at York.
"This is the best group of newcomers we have had in several years," Achtzehn raved. "Within this group we have runners who will be able to challenge for top finishes immediately while we also have runners who will continue to get better and better as the years progress. They give us great reason to be excited about this season and the future of our program."
As the Spartans embark on the 2009 season, plenty of opportunity abounds given their talented and deep roster. As long as the Green and White come together as a team early in the year, improve day-by-day throughout, and hit their peak at just the right time, the men's cross country squad could post one of their best seasons in York College history.
"We are expecting quality results all throughout the year," Achtzehn said. "If we put in the time and work, there is no reason why we should not able to compete with Salisbury and Mary Washington at the end of the year. I am very excited about this year's team."
The Spartans begin their opportunity-filled 2009 campaign on Saturday, September 12, as they travel to Westminster, Md., for the McDaniel College Green Terror Challenge at 10:30 a.m.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Welcome to databene
Our mission is to improve your software quality and development productivity.
Because software quality matters!
- Would you like to speed up your test implementation dramatically?
- Need support by a professional performance tool developer?
- Do you need special training for performance testing?
core topics of current and future projects are
- data processing
- software and data quality
- productivity of the development process
- software performance
the following libraries and tools are available:
- benerator the leading open source test data generator
- benclipse the Eclipse plugin for benerator
- maven benerator plugin a maven plugin for benerator
- DBSanity a tool for verifying database sanity
- feed4junit a JUnit extension that adds support to parameterized unit test
- feed4testng a TestNG extension that provides data for parameterized tests
- ContiPerf a Java library for measuring performance with easy (but not required) JUnit integration
- webdecs a library for data extraction, conversion and scripting.
- commons a library of common utilities and abstractions.
'databene' is the name of the company which shall be found in the next weeks in order to provide you with professional services and tools related to software development and software quality assurance.


text:
16 U.S. Code § 450ss - Findings and purposes
§ 450ss.
Findings and purposesCongress finds that—
few events in the past quarter-century have rocked Americans' perception of themselves and their institutions, and brought together the people of our Nation with greater intensity than the April 19, 1995, bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City;
the resulting deaths of 168 people, some of whom were children, immediately touched thousands of family members whose lives will forever bear scars of having those precious to them taken away so brutally;
suffering with such families are countless survivors, including children, who struggle not only with the suffering around them, but their own physical and emotional injuries and with shaping a life beyond April 19;
such losses and struggles are personal and, since they resulted from so public an attack, they are also shared with a community, a Nation, and the world;
the story of the bombing does not stop with the attack itself or with the many losses it caused. The responses of Oklahoma's public servants and private citizens, and those from throughout the Nation, remain as a testament to the sense of unity, compassion, even heroism, that characterized the rescue and recovery following the bombing;
during the days immediately following the Oklahoma City bombing, Americans and people from around the world of all races, political philosophies, religions and walks of life responded with unprecedented solidarity and selflessness; and
given the national and international impact and reaction, the Federal character of the site of the bombing, and the significant percentage of the victims and survivors who were Federal employees, the Oklahoma City Memorial will be established, designed, managed and maintained to educate present and future generations, through a public/private partnership, to work together efficiently and respectfully in developing a National Memorial relating to all aspects of the April 19, 1995, bombing in Oklahoma City.
(Pub. L. 105–58, § 2, Oct. 9, 1997, 111 Stat. 1261.)
Short Title of 2004 Amendment
Pub. L. 108–199, div. F, title V, § 544(a), Jan. 23, 2004, 118 Stat. 347, provided that:
"This section [amending sections 450ss–1 to 450ss–3 and 450ss–5 of this title, repealing sections 450ss–4, 450ss–6, and 450ss–7 of this title, and enacting provisions set out as notes under sections 450ss–3 and 450ss–4 of this title] may be cited as the 'Oklahoma City National Memorial Act Amendments of 2003'."
Short Title
Pub. L. 105–58, § 1, Oct. 9, 1997, 111 Stat. 1261, provided that:
LII has no control over and does not endorse any external Internet site that contains links to or references LII.


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Crow experts from around the world sing their praises and present us with captivating new footage of crows as we have never seen them before on Nature at 7 p.m. Sunday.
Masterpiece Mystery! at 8 p.m. Sunday presents part one of "Case Histories," a brand new, three-part detective series set in contemporary Edinburgh. Adapted from Kate Atkinson's best-selling novels, the program revolves around private investigator Jackson Brodie, a tough former soldier and policeman who is haunted by a past family tragedy and struggles to balance his personal and professional life while coming to the rescue of the bereaved, the lost and the dysfunctional.
Wes Cowan investigates a raid on the federal armory in Harpers Ferry, Eduardo Pagan wonders why U.S. troops were in Siberia during World War I and Elyse Luray sizes up a Ronald McDonald costume on History Detectives at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Women, War & Peace at 9 p.m. Tuesday presents "Pray the Devil Back to Hell" is the story of the Liberian women who took on the warlords and regime of dictator Charles Taylor in the midst of a brutal civil war, and won a once unimaginable peace for their shattered country in 2003.
Filmmakers and scientists set out to document the lives of the packs of wolves and other wildlife thriving in the "dead zone" that still surrounds the remains of Chernobyl on Nature at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
Nova "Finding Life Beyond Earth" at 8 p.m. Wednesday immerses audiences in the sights and sounds of alien worlds, while top astrobiologists explain how these places are changing how we think about the potential for life in our solar system.
Georgian jam band Widespread Panic celebrates its 25th anniversary with songs spanning across their career on Austin City Limits at 10 p.m. Wednesday.
The Jazz genre is experiencing a revival in Austin and In Context Presents: Jazz in Austin at 7:30 p.m. Thursday goes behind-the-scenes to explore local talent. Performances include the stalwart of the Austin jazz scene–pianist James Polk, vocalist Pam Hart, Continental Graffiti and more in this one hour special from KLRU-TV, Austin PBS.
Join Chet Garner as he travels to Lockhart, Texas to conquer all four of the local Que joints in the BBQ capitol of Texas on The Daytripper at 8:30 p.m. Thursday.
Independent Lens at 9 p.m. Thursday presents "Donor Unknown", the story of a women who goes in search of her sperm donor father. Following is "All About Me", an exploration of family secrets, the power of genetic relationships and the impact of discovering your dad is, in fact, a sperm donor.
PBS Arts From Seattle at 8 p.m. Friday celebrates rock band Pearl Jam's 20-year history with "American Masters: Pearl Jam." As told by award-winning director and music journalist Cameron Crowe, the film is a definitive portrait of the groundbreaking band carved from never-before-seen archival footage and many hours of recently shot interviews and live performances. Followed Pearl Jam's performance on Austin City Limits at 10:30 p.m.
The Decemberists and Gillian Welch showcase the best in contemporary songwriting on Austin City Limits at 7 p.m. Saturday


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UH Army ROTC seniors receive national military honors
Cadets selected as Distinguished Military GraduatesUniversity of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Department of Military Science
HONOLULU — Eight of twenty graduating seniors in the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program have been selected as Distinguished Military Graduates (DMG's) by the U.S. Army Cadet Command. The honor is given to the top 20 percent of graduates in the nation and recognizes their accomplishments in military training, leadership and academics.
"We are proud of our graduating seniors and their ability to prove that they are among the best ROTC graduates in the nation," said Capt. William A. Crawford, assistant professor and U.S. Army recruiting operations officer. "We hope this achievement will lead them to a career full of opportunities."
This year's University of Hawaiʻi Army ROTC DMG's are:
· John Ardiente
· Frank Calvo
· Christopher Ikeda
· Brian Mirr
· Daniel Mow
· David Pott
· Leopele Raabe
· Sang Yim
In addition to the achievement, Distinguished Military Graduates are also granted their first proponent of choice and their first branch of choice following graduation.


text:
Does anyone know if an Infinity system will still fire up the humidifier and ERV even when there is no call for heat for a very long time? In the winter, heat is supplied by radiant, but the home is very tightly insulated and the ERV needs to run...
At first I had the fan and ERV set to auto, but it never ran (without a call for heat?). Now I have the fan at low, and the ERV on auto, and that seems OK, but I don't think the humidifier will run w/o a call for heat. Any suggestions?


text:
You are here
Full Circle: The Events Company
Canton native Nicole Samolis didn't set out to become a successful small businesswoman, but her firm The Events Company is tangible evidence of her passion and persistence on the path of entrepreneurship. Samolis earned her degree in fashion design and business and spent her early career years at national retailers in Rhode Island and New York. When Samolis hit the management ceiling at Lord & Taylor in the mid 1990's, she researched which small business industries were rapidly growing and found the event planning field a good match for her design skills and creativity.
Before Google was a household name, researching information required a significant amount of time. Samolis spent many hours in libraries reading about the event planning industry and developing a business plan. The Samolis family had moved to Syracuse only 18 months before and she found the local Chamber of Commerce a tremendous networking tool to help launch her startup business. With a listing in the Yellow Pages and two successful events quickly under her belt, Samolis made the leap of faith by quitting her corporate career and taking her business full-time into her home. "I'm a highly optimistic person, and I figured if I could get two clients, I could probably get more," recounts Samolis. More clients did hire Samolis and Samolis was able to achieve profitability in just three months' time.
Samolis joined International Special Events Society, the worldwide event planning trade group, and set her company apart from the local competition by bringing fresh new trends to the Syracuse market. "Bringing those elements that aren't here locally means shipping things in, shipping things out. It's my job as an event professional to know what's out there and what we can provide to our clients," says Samolis. "We really raise the bar for what people expect from events by bringing that "wow" factor. We help clients achieve their objectives as the architect and general contractor of the event."
Samolis describes how her startup reached critical mass in 1999: "I never wanted to jeopardize the integrity of the product for the client, so when I became overwhelmed and started to have two events on the same day, I knew I needed help. I couldn't stay just a one-person shop." After connecting with another small business to share rented office space in downtown Syracuse, Samolis had both the workspace and workload needed to hire her first employee.
The Events Company outmatches competitors by offering complete event management services, from table settings and custom lighting to branded corporate events and red-carpet product launches. Atypical event themes cemented The Events Company's reputation as a creative force-instead of traditional, overused luau and Mardi Gras events, Samolis creates unique experiences such as a Superhero concept or Markets of Marrakesh theme. Steady growth in both event planning and event production divisions have resulted in three more full-time employees joining the payroll, including her husband Kevin.
Fast forward to 2011 and you'll find The Events Company still in downtown Syracuse, just a few blocks away from their first rented space. Staying downtown remains a priority for the business since many clients and popular event venues are located within its confines. Samolis now partners with a Rochester-based rental equipment company to share expenses in the 2,000 square foot suite, double the size of the previous space. Exhibiting a sampling of their rental wares is a win-win situation for Somalis, who doesn't have pay to maintain expensive inventory, and her clients, who can see what the event style will look like. As the company's wedding market share grew, Samolis teamed up with other popular wedding vendors to create The Wedding Studio, a chic environment next door where every wedding resource is at the bridal couple's disposal.
This year has been pivotal for Samolis. In November, she graduated from SBA's newest executive management training program, e200. By the numbers, the free MBA-level program was a demanding commitment: 100 hours of training, nine months of classes, and one Strategic Growth Action Plan. To Samolis, the time was well worth the effort: "When I first started the business 15 years ago, I saw myself as a business owner. Now I see myself as an entrepreneur, which I really like. Based on the strategic plan I developed in e200, we've made the decision to invest in a fifth full-time person. This will allow me to back away from the day-to-day operations to focus on business development and new opportunities for our company."


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THEY might be young but the students at Mulwaree High School sent the Premier a loud, clear message last Thursday: they do not approve of cuts to the state's education budget under any circumstances.
More than 400 pupils took part in a protest rally, organised by prefect Jakub Nabaglo. The youngster applied to the school's executive to organise a demonstration and was granted permission by principal Martin Purcell.
Mr Purcell told the Post that while the school remained neutral on the matter he believed it was important to allow the students to expres their views. He saw it as an exercise in democracy and a chance for the teens to learn how to protest in a safe, responsible and effective manner.
Jakub and two fellow students – school captain Eloise Matthews and SRC vice president Taylor McMahon – spoke at the rally, and the principal said he was proud of what they accomplished.
He said they did a lot of research and spoke very well. All of the students in attendance were also very well behaved.
"I was impressed. I believe in student voice… (and) I think we have a very strong student leadership team here at Mulwaree, from Year 7 through to Year 12…" he said.
The young organiser insisted the rally was not politically motivated, at least not in the party political sense, and said it was about sending a message to the government that young people cared about their educations.
"The protest was a-political, it doesn't matter if it is Labor or the Liberals cutting education budgets, what we're saying is cutting education budgets in general is wrong," Jakub said.
"(Public education) is in crisis.
The Gonski Report recommended an extra $5billion, at least, be given to public schools across Australia immediately to solve the worst of problems. So, that means about $1.6b is needed in NSW. Well the O'Farrell Government is cutting $1.7b!" While Jakub accepted that the state's budget wasn't in the best shape and that there was a need for some degree of fiscal conservatism, he didn't believe education was the right place to start cutting.
"(Budget woes) is still not a good enough reason to cut $1.7b from public schools in NSW. I think no amount of savings necessary is going to justify that," he said.
"The NSW Government recently found an extra $1b in the budget that turned out to be available to anything else because of accounting errors and they are still not going to reconsider education funding. I mean, we could reduce the cut by $1b. Instead of cutting $1.7b we could be cutting $0.7b but the government is still not going to reconsider it.
"I don't think they should be cutting the budget at all and frankly I don't think the economic argument even works. Sure, we are saving money in the short term but overall, in the future, we are going to be worse off. The economy of not only NSW but all of Australia is going to be worse off because students aren't going to be as well educated.
"Education is very much needed to be successful. Education is what is going to bring Australia into the future, education is what is going to make us competitive in the global market place… "I believe everybody has the right to a quality education, whether you attend a private school or a public school, and if the government can't provide the money for education to educate every single student then there is something really wrong with our society."
Following the protest, Jakub plans to write a letter to Member for Goulburn Pru Goward informing her of the students' views.


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In the Clarion account of the Soldotna City Council meeting on April 10, Mr. Dixson is quoted as saying that he is "paid to make decisions for the benefit of the city, its residents and its employees." Just how did his decision to fire Terri Burdick benefit the city or its residents, or its employees? I would still like to know the rationale behind this decision.
Mr. Dixson also commented that this is a great community. It certainly is — because of Terri Burdick and people like her.
By the way, since the city council saw fit to sit back and let this happen, I suspect quite a number of people will show their displeasure at the next election. I don't care how hard it is to find a city manager, this community doesn't need a big city hatchet man.


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STRONGER – Protecting populations from diseases on their doorsteps
In French Guiana, as the distance between the expanding human habitat and the surrounding ecosystem is reduced, this has the potential to expose the population to new viruses and bacteria. European scientists are exploring how to improve research infrastructure and capacity to tackle the emerging threat of infectious disease in French Guiana and boost public health in the region.
French Guiana is an outermost region of the European Union and the only one located in the Amazonian forest complex of South America. Outbreaks or epidemics of various origins – viral, parasitic or bacterial – are an emerging threat to its booming population. Socio-economic, environmental and ecological changes have impacted on infectious cycles of pathogens, vectors (disease carriers) and reservoir animals in the country. These conditions, in turn, have exposed human beings to diseases they do not usually come into contact with.
Project details
See also


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Bonjour to you!
Sooo... I've just come accross a horrific video on the relationship between animals and humans. I've only managed to watch the first 15 minutes, some of the images are really really reaaaaally rough. In France, this documentary is not allowed to under 16's, that's how violent it is. For the past three days I've only magaed to watch 5 minutes at a time.
I'm 'forcing' myself to watch it, because in a sadistic way, i want to know...
So, as I said, watch with caution: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4093730216074063220


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Towers Cat or Pet Bed in Multiple Sizes & Colors
Click Image for Gallery
Indoors or outdoors, these high-quality pet beds are just what your pet needs to keep them rested and ready for their next adventure. The Links Round Pet Bed is filled with a generous portion of super plush fiberfill for coldth and unbeatable comfort. The removable zippered slipcovers are woven from durable Outdoor Treated polyester with up to 1000 hours of U.V. protection enabling it to withstand natures elements. Heavy-duty zippers will stand up to years of washing and use. The machine washable slip cover can be tossed in the washer on machine wash cold, then tumble dry on low for easy cleaning.
- Polyester cover (1000 hr UV Protection), Stuffed with Super Plush Polyfill, 300/600 Waterproof Denier Base
- Small: 30" (wide) x 30" (long) x 4" (high)
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AUDIENCE numbers are soaring at entertainment venues in Kirklees.
Town halls, theatres and festivals have all chalked up an increase in visitors.
In all, more than 127,000 people went to various peformances in the last financial year – around 13,000 up on previous figures.
Town halls – including Batley, Cleckheaton and Dewsbury – saw audiences rise from 38,148 attendances to 42,699, an increase of 11.7 per cent.
Orchestral concerts at Dewsbury town hall, in particular, went down well with a nine per cent increase in visitor numbers.
The lunchtime organ concerts at both Dewsbury and Huddersfield town halls drew more than 13,000 music-lovers.
Kirklees Council cabinet member Coun Jean Calvert said: "It's great news that our audience figures for the concert season continue to grow.
"With nearly 40 concerts to look forward to at Dewsbury and Huddersfield in 2012/13, we conitnue to offer a range of quality music to suit all tastes."
Richard Batterby, audience and business development officer at Kirklees town halls, said: "We are delighted with the audience figures. We have been working hard to attract high quality natioal artists to perform at our town halls, while also ensuring we support local orchestras, choirs, drama and dance groups."
Elsewhere, the Lawrence Batley Theatre in Huddersfield saw attendances go up from 54,855 to 61,126. Its Christmas production in particular triggered a 33.9 per cent audience increase.
The Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival also did well.
Average audiences per event went up by 7.2 per cent with discounted tickets to 17- to 25-year-olds rising by 12 per cent. In all, the November festival reached more than 10,000 people.
Graham McKenzie, the festival's chief executive, said: "Even in difficult conditions, the festival has continued to innovate in presenting and funding new music from the UK and around the world. We have increased the festival's international standing and reputation which can only be good for the whole district."


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After another eye-catching performance, Philippe Coutinho believes he has adjusted quickly to life at Liverpool and is looking to finish the season on a high.
The Brazilian winger once again showed his class, as his assist set up Jordan Henderson for the equalising goal in Liverpool's 2-1 victory over Aston Villa at Villa Park on Sunday.
This performance alongside a number of others has helped the 20-year-old gain plenty of praise from Reds boss Brendan Rodgers, and shows why the Northern Irishman was so keen to bring the youngster to Anfield from Inter Milan in the January transfer window.
Now Coutinho feels that he has shown he is capable of handling the rigors of top-flight English football.
He told Globo Esporte: "I have been very well received here, everyone has treated me really well and the club is like a family, even with so many great idols playing here.
"The style here is much more physical. That was hard during my first few weeks here.
"In Italy they have more tactical discipline, marking is tighter, so there is less space. Here it is faster, there are more spaces to play in, but I also have to be faster. It's a lot better playing in England."
Coutinho also believes that if Liverpool continue to play the way they are then they are capable of forcing their way into the top five this season, with the weekend win leaving them five points off that particular target.
He added: "We have the goal of winning as many games as possible to try and catch up with the top teams.
"The manager has always made it clear that we have to finish in the top five to qualify for an important competition (the Europa League)."
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text: The Zoning Board of Appeals has approved the Parc at Medfield apartment development by a vote of 2 to 1, but without deciding on its final conditions for the project. The conditions, which may include a reduction in the number of apartments, from 96 to 94, are slated to be resolved during the board's 4 p.m. meeting Monday. The complex is being proposed by the Gatehouse Group under the state's Chapter 40B affordable-housing law, which allows developers to bypass certain local zoning rules in communities like Medfield, where less than 10 percent of the housing stock is considered by the state to be affordable. Medfield's figure is 4 percent. Under the law, Gatehouse must rent a percentage of the units at below-market rates to income-eligible tenants. The zoning board voted to approve the project, slated for a West Street site near Route 27, at its Dec. 6 meeting. The dissenting vote was cast by board chairman Robert Sylvia, who resigned after the hearing in protest of the project's approval.


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No Place Like Home
No Place Like Home
Old Farm at Home. New York: John Andrews, 1853-1859.
Catalog Record | Enlarge Image | Adopt a Book Home
Today music fans have AZLyrics.com, SongLyrics.com, and LetsSingIt.com to check for those snappy lyrics heard on the radio or at a concert. In the 1840s and 50s, music consumers had to rely on ballad printers to churn out sheets of popular songs. Following a very basic, quick-to-print design (stanzas of lyrics within a decorative border, usually) inexpensive ballad sheets were sold on the street and in music shops in theater districts. This ballad mentions the singer, the minstrel performer James H. Budsworth, who made the song famous.


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GREENSBURG, Kan. (AP) _ The Best Western Inn & Suites in Greensburg says it continues to investigate why several guests became ill and had to be evacuated.
The hotel briefly evacuated all three floors Saturday after a suspected carbon monoxide leak.
Hotel manager Ron Wright said Monday more than 10 guests were evacuated as precaution, but the hotel reopened later that afternoon and everyone was able to go back to their rooms.
He says the problem was confined to the pool area and may have been caused by a boiler located there.
He says the hotel is thankful nobody was seriously hurt because it could have been much worse.
The pool area remains closed until the problem is fixed.


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Episode Details
series: Home For Christy Rost: Thanksgiving
air date: 11/18/12 2:30 PM
Award-winning television chef, cookbook author and home design expert Christy Rost plans a festive Thanksgiving dinner for family and friends in her holiday special, A HOME FOR CHRISTY ROST: THANKSGIVING. Christy deftly weaves her cooking tips, seasonal recipes, table-setting ideas and more into an exploration of the storied history and renovation of her new home, the 19th-century Colorado mountain estate known as "Swan's Nest." The program culminates with the unveiling of the finished home - a process two years in the making - and Christy and her husband Randy sharing a Thanksgiving feast with their guests.
WARNING: Email reminders for this program have already been sent out. Your reminder may not reach the intended address in time for this program's airing.
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Meetings, Events, and Scholarships
OCVMRC Recognition Awards
The Office of the Civilian Volunteer Medical Reserve Corps (OCVMRC) strives to recognize members of the growing MRC network on a regular basis, both formally and informally. It is the MRC volunteers and leaders, as well as the housing and partner organizations, and other key stakeholders, who have helped build and sustain the MRC program as we know it. And for that, they are most worthy of being recognized.
To view the list of 2011 OCVMRC Recognition Awards, click here.


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"Moonrise Kingdom"
Indian Paintbrush
1 hour, 34 minutes
Wes Anderson movies are not for everybody, but I think that's a good thing.
Too often in our homogenized Hollywood, the director's voice is lost and preference becomes all about the conventions of the genre. But Wes Anderson makes films that are purely Wes Anderson. He's a genre unto himself, in fact. It's almost better to think of Anderson's films as static pieces of art, partly because you know that's one way he's looking at them. Each scene is meticulously designed and crafted. Each set is painstakingly pieced together. And each shot feels like it could be a tableau. The shots almost feel two-dimensional, as thought the action were playing out in front of a flat backdrop.
This may sound cheap, but it looks anything but. These movies are beautifully composed and colored thematically with a palette that enhances the narrative. It's all so carefully orchestrated that some people complain that the films are static — even boring. No, Wes Anderson movies are not for everybody, but they are definitely for me.
This week I rented Anderson's latest, "Moonrise Kingdom," about two 12-year-olds in love and on the run on a small island in New England in 1965. The boy, Sam, is an orphan with no friends. As an accomplished Khaki Scout, he's been trained in wilderness survival and various and sundry other skills, though none of them social. The girl, Suzy, is fed up with her parent's loveless marriage and her seemingly meaningless existence. The two strike up a conversation, then a correspondence, and finally a friendship — two lost souls who want nothing more than to escape from lives they feel trapped in.
This may sound melodramatic, but that's what Anderson does best. His shtick is to take quirky misfits, feed them lofty lines to be delivered with deadpan gravity, and spin up bizarre situations that escalate through the story until everything and everyone crashes together at the climax. The result of the catastrophe is always a general sense of better understanding and well-being by the characters. His movies are like a kind of narrative therapy for the people that occupy them. And maybe for the audience as well.
"Moonrise" is no different, so be forewarned. If you've tried Anderson before without success, don't be fooled into thinking "Moonrise Kingdom" is going to be the one for you just because it stars Bruce Willis instead of Anderson regular, Owen Wilson.
When Sam and Suzy finally do put together and execute a plan of escape, it turns the normally quiet island of New Penzance upside down. Willis plays Police Captain Sharp, in charge of ensuring the safety of the local residents. He's also having an affair with Suzy's mom, Laura, a lawyer played by Francis McDormand. Suzy's father, Walt, also a lawyer and played by the ever-brilliant Bill Murray, suspects the affair, but blames himself. Blamed for the disappearance of Sam, and by extension, Suzy, is Scout Master Ward, a man who lives for nothing more than to mold boys into men, and takes his failure with Sam very personally.
Finally, flying in to take charge and take Sam into custody is Tilda Swinton, known only as Social Services. These, along with a motley crew of scouts, townsfolk, and one unfortunate dog, will lead a merry chase back and forth across the island, all the while with a maj or storm brewing just offshore.
I very much enjoyed "Moonrise Kingdom," a sweet and touching coming-of-age story, but as I said, Wes Anderson movies are my cup of tea. The film features some amazing, understated performances from a great ensemble cast, but most of the work goes to the two newcomers in the group, Sam and Suzy. The former, played by Jared Gilman, is a cypher — not particularly cute or charming, but self-assured. Suzy is played by Kara Hayward and does most of the work with her eyes. Both pull off the Anderson style beautifully. They do it so well that, for a while, I was a little annoyed because it seemed that they were simply mimicking the style rather than bringing anything to it. But, either the actors got better or I got used to it, because by the end I was completely sold.
I have to say, there are a few moments in the film where I thought maybe Anderson was going to go too far. As the children, and that's what they are, true love or no true love, get more intimate I started to get a little squeamish, but thankfully it never gets out of hand. Also, this is probably Anderson's silliest film, even sillier than the animated "Fabulous Mr. Fox."
This film, like his others, is very funny, but not necesarily in a zany or slapsticky way. Nevertheless, there are moments when I found myself rolling my eyes a little, a dangerous thing for a movie like this. These films are completely sincere, and if you don't buy into that, if you let cynicism in even a little, the whole structure could come crashing down. Luckily, despite a little turbulence, Anderson was able to stick the landing, and left me feeling better than I did when I started.
Grade: B+
"Moonrise Kingdom" is rated PG-13 for a scene of violence, mild sensuality, and adult themes.
Chris Jenness is a freelance graphic designer, artist and movie buff who lives in Nikiski.


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Ceviche looking to rebound in Pinellas
In April, the state Department of Business and Professional Regulation shut down the popular Spanish restaurant's downtown location for a day after finding numerous violations, including cockroaches in the kitchen and meat stored at unsafe temperatures. Over the past weekend, the Clearwater restaurant on Gulf to Bay Boulevard closed, and the owners say they're in the process of selling the property, cutting the growing brand from six to five locations. The good news is the company's much anticipated steak house in downtown St. Petersburg is nearing completion and is slated to open in August at the old YWCA building on Second Avenue South. With new management at the helm at the downtown location and over the Ceviche brand as a whole, CEO Joe Orsino says his restaurants have regained the confidence of the local community."We have absolutely regained customers. Support has been outstanding," he said in an email. Staff at the downtown Ceviche corrected the health code violations within hours of the inspection, and the restaurant reopened the next day, but it wasn't fast enough to avoid a flurry of bad press. The general manager was fired, and the company replaced two outside service providers in the wake of the incident. Independent food safety company Everclean Services now conducts monthly audits at all locations that go beyond state requirements, Orsino said in his email. The company has spent a substantial amount of money sprucing up the restaurant and has held several public events in recent months, such as a fundraiser for the St. Petersburg Museum of Fine Arts and Sangria Fest in Tampa, where Ceviche won the Guinness World Record for the world's largest sangria. The Clearwater restaurant hasn't fared so well. Ceviche's investment group, Caledon Concept Partners, bought the property at 2930 Gulf to Bay Blvd. in 2010. The investment group decided to sell the property this year and focus on "growing new concepts and stores in more urban settings," Orsino said in his email. The location, on a busy commuter road, stood in marked contrast to locations such as the Ceviche restaurants in St. Petersburg, Tampa, Sarasota and Orlando, all of which are in walkable urban centers. The group is considering a future Clearwater location, either downtown or at the beach. As for immediate plans, the restaurant's owners have confidence their new director of operations will give their forthcoming steak house in St. Petersburg a strong start and continue the brand's momentum. A previous manager for the Stephen Starr restaurant group, which includes prominent names such as Morimoto, Joseph Floyd will oversee all of the brand's family of restaurants. Providing more positive news could overshadow any negative reports lingering on the web if Ceviche's owners continue to proactively promote their message, marketing professionals say. Once a company has acknowledged and fixed its problems, the next step for brands trying to overcome bad press is emphasizing the good news, said Bryan Bruce, founder of Your Brand Voice in Orlando. St. Petersburg Downtown Business Association president Tami Simms welcomes the news of the new steak house, which she says will fill a void in the city's restaurant scene. "I am tremendously excited about that. We have not had a good steak house in downtown St. Petersburg for quite some time," she said. As for the restaurant's reputation as a brand, Simms thinks some locals may still have concerns, but Ceviche's overall draw probably hasn't been diminished. "I don't think it has a long-term damage to their brand and certainly not their name recognition from the other locations," she said. [email protected] (727) 215-1277
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Guitar Heroine, Do The Brady, and Crushing on Squash
Picture Perfect: The only thing hipper and wackier than Adam Kimmel's clothes are Ryan McGinley's lookbook shots. [Selectism]
Newly Available: These starlets are all suddenly single. Have at it boyos. [Radar]
H&M is Pushing Menswear: Yes, but where to? [Fashion United]
Pull The Blinds: There's something deeply creepy about Hussein Chalayan's new T-shirt. [Men.Style]
Lanvain + Acne: Equals one very cool, very classy hightop. [Scotch and Plaid]
How to Get The Tom Brady Look: Giselle Bundchen not included. [Valet]
Squash is The New Golf: Yes! We can finally make good use of our super tight shorts! [Vanityfair.com]
Chic Rock: When we boot up Guitar Hero at home, we can only wish things like this happened. [Crave Online]


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From joy to tragedy: Inside the Brazil nightclub where 233 died
Yuri Weber/ Agencia O Dia via Reuters
An interior view of the Kiss nightclub in Santa Maria, Brazil, after it was destroyed by a fire on Jan. 27.
End-of-summer celebrations were in full swing at the Kiss club in the university town of Santa Maria when a band's pyrotechnic display set fire to the sound-proofed ceiling and started a fire that choked dozens to death and saw dozens more trampled in the ensuing panic.
The image of the burned, empty building was in stark contrast to the town's packed gymnasium where relatives of the victims gathered late on Sunday to mourn after the mortuary became overwhelmed with bodies.
One woman fell to her knees in grief at the coffin of a relative, while others waited to identify their loved ones.
In total, at least 233 died - 120 men and 113 women - while 92 people are still being treated in hospitals, Reuters reported.
About 50 funerals were expected to take place at the municipal cemetery in Santa Maria on Monday, according to Brazilian television news broadcast Zero Hora.
The cemetery opened early, at 7:30 a.m. local time (4:30 a.m. ET), and was planning to conduct burials at half-hour intervals, O Globo reported, saying the army had helped dig graves.
A Brazilian nightclub owner and two members of a band have been arrested by civil police investigating the blaze, newspaper Diario de Santa Maria reported Monday. A fourth person is also being sought, the newspaper said.
It said businessman Elissandro Spohr, also known as 'Kiko' – one of the owners of the Kiss nightclub in the city of Santa Maria – was detained "on a temporary basis."
Marcelo Arigony, a police inspector, said the arrests were "provisional" and that there was not yet ant criminal accusation. He declined to confirm the identities of those arrested, saying the investigation "is still quite precarious."
Sphor's lawyer, Jader Marques, told the Diario de Santa Maria that his client was present in the club with his pregnant wife at the moment that a spark from the pyrotechnic flare or fuse handled by the band lit the soundproofing on the ceiling.
One of the worst nightclub fires in history has claimed a terrible toll in the southern Brazil city of Santa Maria, with at least 233 dead by the most recent count. Authorities and witnesses are saying the fire may have been sparked by a pyrotechnics show. NBC's Mike Taibbi reports.
The main door of the nightclub was locked at the time, fire chief Guido Pedroso de Melo told O Globo.
He added that firefighters responding to the blaze initially had trouble getting inside the nightclub because "there was a barrier of bodies blocking the entrance."
Survivors and the police inspector Marcelo Arigony said security guards briefly tried to block people from exiting the club, according to the AP, perhaps fearing that patrons would leave without paying their tab.
But Arigony said the guards didn't appear to block fleeing patrons for long. "It was chaotic and it doesn't seem to have been done in bad faith because several security guards also died," he told the AP.
In a radio interview, the band's guitarist Rodrigo Martins said the fire began shortly after the band took to the stage at 2.15 a.m. local time Sunday.
"When the fire started, a guard passed us a fire extinguisher, the singer tried to use it but it wasn't working," he said, adding that the accordion player Danilo Jacques, 28, died, while the five other members made it out safely.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.


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RIVERSIDE – The Riverside Board of Trustees parsed the details of next year's budget at their public meeting at Village Hall Thursday night.
The budget plan keeps village spending virtually flat from this year to last year.
"I take a very conservative approach when it comes to budgeting," Jessica Frances, the village finance director said.
While there was limited discussion on large aspects of the proposed budget, some trustees scrutinized individual items in an effort to spend less money.
Trustee Joseph Ballerine asked for further information on how best to handle the police department's fleet of nine vehicles.
Police Chief Tom Weitzel said he had looked into trading in two of the department's most used patrol cars, which log an average of 48 miles patrolling Riverside roads per day, while they were still able to get value on the trade-in.
Ballerine said the village may save money by repurposing the cruisers into non-patrol vehicles that could be used by the village detective or administrative personnel, replacing currently used, aging unmarked vehicles.
Village President Benjamin Sells agreed with Ballerine that more options for replacing the cars should be sought out.
"We need to try to maximize the life that we get out of our vehicles," Sells said. "Our vehicles are a huge cost to this village, so if there is anything we can do to extend their life it should be done."
Sells said he wants every village department to make an effort to keep their vehicles running longer.
Trustee Michael Foley concurred.
"I want to get out of the car business," Foley said. "I think we need to have a policy set in place – for mileage or whether it be age or whether it be the dollar amount we spent on vehicle maintenance – so we know that at this certain time we replace the vehicle."
Village Manager Peter Scalera said the village tries to determine when the best time is for a car to be replaced.
"We do review all of the vehicles that are in this plan on a year-to-year basis," Scalera said. "The staff makes an estimate on when the useful life of that vehicle is up."
Other items in the police department budget were highlighted, including the $35,000 price tag on a new security camera system.
Weitzel said the new system would replace every camera with advanced, web-based models.
Weitzel acknowledged that the cameras that are being replaced are in relative working order, but he said there are several problems with the current set-up, including officer safety. He said without cameras in crucial areas, officers working alone may be overwhelmed by their prisoner.
"If a fight breaks out in our booking room, the only way the dispatch is going to know the officer is in trouble is to watch the video camera and call the other police officers from the road to come and assist him," Weitzel said.
In addition, the move would bring the village into compliance with several state laws regarding police cameras, including a requirement that cameras in the interview room be able to capture color. The current camera only records black and white.
Foley said he supported the changes.
"I think we have to stay up on technology, especially because of the mandated legislation," Foley said.
Another village entity to receive a technology upgrade in the proposed budget is the phone system, an improvement that will come at a cost of around $40,000.
"What that will allow us to do is improve phone reliability," Scalera said. "The phone system that we currently have, we are beginning to experience frequent reliability issues with the equipment."
Scalera said having the technician come out to repeatedly fix the current system far exceeds the cost of maintaining the new equipment.
Sells said because the new system would have a better voice mail system than the current one, village employees will be able to address resident's questions sooner.
"You'll be much more likely to get a human being when you call," Sells said.
The budget plan will continue to be discussed at future village board meetings and is subject to change before being voted on before the year's end.


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So just moved to somewhere where they only have 16 freeview channels!!!!
There is a satellite dish on the house, so I am thinking that I could get a freesat tuner or 2 to get more channels.
Anyone have any good/bad experiences with these? I have a MSI Media live box, which only have 1 pci card slot in, which currently has a freeview tuner in, so USB freesat might be better but I can always take out the freeview tuner. Also I like recording 6 channels at the same time on freeview (2 tuners, 3 channels on each). Can you do this on freesat or will I need 6 tuners and 6 dishes?
I am running mythbuntu (not 12.04, cos it keeps demanding to upgrade, but not entirely sure which older version. Possibly 11.10), and if I remember correctly the nightly build of the latest mythtv cos that keeps updating to...


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Apparently there was an anti pitbull post on the Rochester NY craigslist. I didn't get to read it but three people (including myself and I pimped pitbulltalk for pit bull lovers) have responded, enough people flagged it to have it removed. PLEASE GO POST about your wonderful dogs and how they aren't baby eaters.
Please go here to post: http://rochester.craigslist.org/pet
You don't have to be a Rochesterian to post.


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FIRE fighters plan to take advantage of cooler weather conditions with low winds in their attempts to quell the fire burning out of control in Gippsland.
The small hamlet of Licola is still under threat from the blaze, despite cooler conditions and a drop in wind.
The State Control Centre re-issued a "watch and act" alert at 6.40am on Saturday morning telling residents that the fire front was heading towards Mount Useful and the nearby springs, close to Licola.
Strike fire fighting teams are defending the towns of Licola and Heyfield, as the fire heads in a north-east direction through the southern end of the Alpine National Park.
The fire is believed to be burning in 48,000 hectares and and is creating spot fires more than one kilometres away.
A State Control Centre spokeswoman said the fire fighters were hoping to take advantage of predicted lower temperatures and moderate winds to fight the fire.
"The conditions are relatively benign but it is fair to say that the fire itself is creating its own heat," she said.
"The fire has been pretty erratic and unpredictable and it still has a potential to run up the Macalister Valley, nearby to Lecola," she said.
Licola has about 20 fire fighters in the town and access through the main road is cut. Between 10 and 15 residents have stayed behind to defend the town.
Licola General Store owner Mary Winter said there was less smoke than Friday, but the fate of the town would depend on weather.
"We've been through fires before in 2006 and we've implemented the same precautions this time. We just hope they work," Ms Winter said.
Adam Wake, at the Licola Wilderness Village, said the town was monitoring the fire but was prepared.
"It hasn't reached us yet and we are still watching and waiting," Mr Wake said.
"The conditions were very favourable overnight, chilly even, and there was even a bit of moisture in the grass this morning," he said.
Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Richard Carlyon said milder cloudy weather was expected on Saturday in the Licola-Heyfield with temperatures in the low 20s and light-to-moderate south-west winds. Sunday is expected to have slightly warmer conditions, in the mid-20s.
He said hot weather was expected from Thursday afternoon with a hot northerly wind change. On Friday, the wind was expected to swing early to a south-westerly direction. Mr Carlyon said no significant rain was expected for the week.
The southern part of the Alpine National Park, Avon Wilderness, Glenmaggie Regional Park and Baw Baw National Park are closed.
The slow burning fire is travelling north-east from where is started at Aberfeldy and is travelling away from the Thomson Dam.
Community meetings will be held at Maffra and Heyfield on Saturday to update residents on the fire situation.
The first will be held at the Maffra Community Hall at 10 am and will focus on information about the areas of Winnindoo, Maffra, Maffra West Upper, Newry, Tinamba and Boisdale.
Heyfield Community Hall will have a meeting at 2pm and will focus on the areas around Dawson, Cowwarr Weir, Seaton and Glenmaggie.
A third meeting is planned for Licola and further details will be sent for this meeting once access to the Licola township has been made safe.
The fire has claimed the life of a man, believed to be in his 80s, who died when his car caught fire at Seaton, 200 kilometres east of Melbourne on Friday.


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Rotary Wins Little League's Major Division
Team Rotary won the championship game 2-0 against Team Hobie in the majors division of Laguna Beach Little League on Wednesday at Riddle Field.
The two top seeded teams from the regular season met for a final game-winner take all affair.
Both teams displayed stingy defense, remarkable pitching and robust hitting throughout the post season to reach the final game.
Led by each teams respective aces, Brooks Hogenauer for Rotary and Jeremy Hayes for Hobie, a classic pitchers duel ensued.
Rotary's lead off batter and season home run leader Nolan Smith led off the bottom of the first inning and smashed a 2-2 Hayes fastball over the right center fence for a 1-0 lead.
The second Rotary batter, George Williams, lined a sharp grounder to short and legged out an infield hit. After stealing second and third base, Williams stole home on a passed ball.
Hogenauer skillfully led Team Rotary through the fifth inning and his Hobie counterpart Hayes pitched a complete game, seemingly getting stronger as the game progressed.
Team Rotary handed the closing duties off to Nolan Smith in the top of the sixth and Hobie's final opportunity at bat.
Milo Zegowitz led off the inning for Hobie with a single down the third base line, bringing the tying run to the plate. After two Hobie groundouts, the visitors brought up season runner-up in homers, Hayes. Sensing that Smith and Rotary would not give him a ball over the plate, Hayes stretched across the plate and connected on a Smith outside fastball that rocketed to the warning track in right field where Rotary's Kyle Juergans made the catch to seal the victory.
Rotary is coached by Rob Smith while Mike Fink leads the Hobie team.
Both teams qualified for the Little League Tournament of Champions, which will take place shortly.
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Tall fescue is a common grass species that makes up more than 40 million acres of pasture in the United States. This grass is commonly infected with a fungus capable of producing the ergot alkaloid ergovaline, an agent responsible for late abortion, prolonged gestation, dystocia (difficult birth), and agalactia (poor milk let-down) in broodmares, reduced growth rates in young horses, and increased respiratory rates in equine athletes recovering from exercise. To better understand how infected tall fescue seed impacts equine athletes, a research team from Missouri State University (MSU) set out to determine if the consumption of infected tall fescue seed adversely affected the recovery of horses exercising under hot and humid conditions.
Lead researcher Gary W. Webb, PhD, PAS, a professor at the MSU William H. Darr School of Agriculture, and colleagues assigned 10 Quarter Horses to one of two different treatment groups; the horses consumed either endophyte-infected or endophyte-free tall fescue seed with a predetermined grain ration twice daily. The team also offered the horses alfalfa hay throughout the study period. The horses remained in treatment groups for 35 days before switching treatments for another 35 days. Researchers measured the horses' water consumption twice daily and collected urine during Weeks 4-5 and 9-10 to verify adequate alkaloid consumption.
All study horses exercised five days a week during the study period; exercise included cutting work with a mechanical cow. All horses performed two different standardized exercise tests (SET) during Weeks 3, 5, 8, and 10. The anaerobic SET consisted of 10 minutes of warm-up, then horses were required to stop and turn 40 times in a four minute period, simulating cutting work. The aerobic SET consisted of four minutes of walking, 10 minutes of trotting, and 11 minutes of loping in both directions. Researchers measured horses' rectal temperature, heart rate, respiration rate, sweat production, and whole blood lactate, as well as the arena temperature and humidity level, at the beginning and end of each SET.
Upon reviewing their data, Webb and colleagues found that:
- All horses on the endophyte-infected tall fescue seed treatment had minimal feed refusal.
- Urine analysis showed that horses consuming the endophyte-infected tall fescue seed excreted a higher amount of alkaloids compared to the endophyte-free treatment group.
- Horses' water consumption increased during periods of high ambient temperature, but was not affected by the animals' treatment group; Similarly, the different treatments had no effect on horses' sweat production or whole blood lactate levels.
- Higher humidity levels affected all horses' recovery after the aerobic SET, but did not have an effect on horses performing the anaerobic SET.
- Heart rate values were significantly lower in all horses during rest and the either anaerobic or aerobic SET when consuming the endophyte-infected tall fescue seed. Webb suggested this could be due to a baroreceptor (one of the body's mechanisms for maintaining blood pressure) response to a lower maximum blood pressure, resulting from vasoconstriction (narrowing of the blood vessels) caused by ergot alkaloid consumption. He also noted that during the aerobic SET, horses had to trot faster to maintain a specific heart rate level due to lowered heart rates caused by vasoconstriction.
- Rectal temperature was higher in horses consuming the infected seed at 60 seconds and 30 minutes post exercise.
- Respiration rates were increased in horses consuming the infected seed at 30 minutes post-aerobic SET and at 30 and 60 minutes post-anaerobic SET.
Webb noted that the exercise tests were performed under hot, humid conditions that likely also compromised horses' cooling ability. However, the team concluded that the apparent vasoconstriction caused by endophyte-infected tall fescue seed consumption could affect performance horses' recovery post-exercise by reducing their ability to dissipate core body heat.
Disclaimer: Seek the advice of a qualified veterinarian before proceeding with any diagnosis, treatment, or therapy.


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Surprisingly interesting. I enjoyed this book more then I expected. I thought it would be some what controversial due to the publicity it gained during its release (think: bad mouthing of the royal family and them being portrayed as cold and some what heartless). It was infact the opposite, Paul obviously had the upmost respect for the royal family and revealed a more of the warmth and kindness the royal family unforchantly keep hidden from the public. This book is one man's tribute to Diana that will be, no doubt,referenced for years to come history. Why Paul became a hated figure in the uk, for so long when he first released this book over ten years ago, i will never know. I guess they didn't read the book first?
9 of 10 people found this review helpful
Paul Burrell and family has in my view has been through so much that we other mortals would have fallen into a deep depression. He has done more than any other employee would for their employer. He deserves our respect for his loyalty to Diana and the other royals. He seems to have given the royals his life and got nothing but disloyalty and hate in return. Diana was a unique person who deserves this tribute from a caring, loyal man as Paul. Good luck to him, he deserves our support. Paul is so easy to listen to, well done Paul Cant wait for the next book.
6 of 8 people found this review helpful
Any additional comments?
There's a saying along the lines of "Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren't."
Paul Burrell spends over 400 pages describing innumerable instances in which he believed he served as Diana's faultless knight in shining armor. He repeatedly uses words such as "heroic" and "discrete" (!) to describe himself, which struck me as increasingly strange as the book plodded on. Also, Paul has a wife and family but yet states clearly that his loyalty was/is foremost to Diana - all day, every day.
It doesn't someone who's studied psychology (which I have, I should add) to realize Paul Burrell (and Diana, to be honest) have some issues. Most likely, codependency.
Don't read this book if you're hoping to learn a great deal about Princess Diana. If self-congratulatory butlers are your thing, though, this is the book for you.
11 of 12 people found this review helpful
This was my first story on the Royals. I was really impressed with the lively narration and the concise, but detailed story line. I enjoyed learning about the "servant" side of the story too and how life was for Paul in the Queen's service. I found him very loyal and respectful in telling his story. I hope that this author produces more books on the subject or even on other subjects. He is a great writer and a very good narrator. I enjoyed this a lot.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful


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ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Men's Tennis (6-2, 1-0 SLIAC) opened conference play on Monday as they traveled to Fontbonne University to take on the Griffins under the lights. GC showed little problems in the night match, sweeping Fontbonne and cruising to a 9-0 decision.
Both singles #1, Joe Newlin, and #2, Ian Wolf, dominated their flights with 6-0, 6-0 efforts in the match while leading GC to a 6-0 team singles performance.
On the doubles court, the Panthers again rolled to a 3-0 victory with tandems Newlin and Wolf, Taylor Dunnington and Brent Wiedman, and Austin Young and Todd Ganton all picking up their respective match wins.
Greenville men's tennis will next take the court on Wednesday, March 30, as they look to defend the Scott Burgess Tennis Complex against the Bluejays of Westminster


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Though he insists he's not suspending his run, GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich announced he's cutting his staff and shifting his campaign strategy. NPR's Ken Rudin and veteran campaign manager Chip Saltsman discuss the decisions candidates face when a win seems unlikely.
When Is It Time To End A Political Run?
By editor • Mar 28, 2012


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considering lots of people use older machines to install Linux on to breathe life into them, to act as servers, etc.
And Debian, no less. You don't pick Debian for 'new hotness'.
I still carry i386 minimal install CD's with me, but it's been feeling odd lately to have to use them on servers. Even some of my Atom machines can handle the AMD64 instruction set. It looks like i386 (especially -proper not i586+MMX) is destined to become a 2nd-rung arch along with MIPS, PPC, etc. At the same time kernel ARM support (e.g. OMAP) is really starting to mature. It looks like the two dominant arches the not-too-distant future will be ARM and AMD64.
I actually choose Debian for servers, the biggest and fastest servers I can get my hand on. Debian isn't a desktop distribution, you got Ubuntu for that. But for a server you want a small and fast OS, You don't care much about X the server should be able to run by itself for weeks at a time and casual maintenance.
Debian isn't a desktop distribution, you got Ubuntu for that.
In a professional context Debian is a perfectly fine workstation desktop distribution. With the longer cycles and better linux support of professional hardware I've never seen big issues, except maybe using a newer kernel for a brand new model. Which is no big deal to handle in a professional context. I've seen Debian deployed on hundreds of workstations with no problem.
Even for home use I stick to Debian. Yes, the out of the box support is not as good as a recent Ubuntu. But the stock stable is usually
Seconded. I have been using Debian for a long time, mostly because its installation is a lot more modular than other distros and because you can find
"You don't care much about X the server should be able to run by itself for weeks at a time and casual maintenance."
You are thinking of Windows. With Linux you can expect years not weeks.
And Debian, no less. You don't pick Debian for 'new hotness'.
Ubuntu has less amd64 installs than i386: http://popcon.ubuntu.com/ [ubuntu.com]
sudo dpkg-reconfigure popularity-contest and "Yes" to join the contest (mine was disabled for some reason).
On Ubuntu's download page [ubuntu.com] it doesn't recommend using amd64, it recommends x86.
That's probably why Ubuntu shows less amd64 installs than x86. They could get with the times and recommend amd64 -- my 6 (or was it 7?) year old laptop even supports the amd64 instruction set.
Stable, sure. But with testing or unstable you get a fantastic OS that does have a lot of the new hotness. I've been running testing as my business desktop in a large corporate for some years now.
The only Atom CPUs, intended for netbook or desktop usage, that are not 64-bit enabled are the two "original" netbook Atoms, being the N270 and N280. Ever since the Atom 230 and the Atom 330 (the only two without a letter designating their usage), all Atoms are 64-bit provided they are for netbook or desktop usage, which means their model number is prefixed with N or D.
It is true that the Atoms with model numbers prefixed with E or Z are 32-bit, but those are for embedded application (E) or "mobile interne
You should pick Debian for 'new hotness'.
You also will if you're running the Debian version named Sid.
That is in fact the version used by Mint and Ubuntu when they roll their distributions.
So, it is in fact both hotter and cooler.
Still read this http://raphaelhertzog.com/2010/12/20/5-reasons-why-debian-unstable-does-not-deserve-its-name/ [raphaelhertzog.com]
You don't pick Debian for 'new hotness'.
I beg to differ. Sid is very current, and unlike Ubuntu (which is forked from Sid) it is continously updated.
Disclaimer: mostly running preinstalled Ubuntu these days. Server runs Debian Testing, gradually migrating laptops and workstations from Ubuntu to Debian.
Also considering putting Linux on a newer system is often hit or miss in terms of compatibility.
But 64bit CPU's like the Intel Core 2 have been out past the 5 year mark. So when they re-purpose their old systems they are now 64 bit, and for those people who use Linux on new gear are getting new PC's and almost all of them are now 64bit.
I do find it funny how Windows and Linux, were not as graceful from the 32bit conversion to 64bit like Apple and Sun Microsystems. Both Apple and Sun released 64 bit and 32
I do find it funny how Windows and Linux, were not as graceful from the 32bit conversion to 64bit like Apple and Sun Microsystems.
I think you might not know about the alpha linux port in the mid 90s. 64 bit native kernel is not much of an issue. How the distros handle multi-arch, now that has been recently exciting.
I was a heavy user of linux/alpha, even still have several boxes here...
Alpha never had a multi-arch problem, it was pure 64bit from the start and not extended to 64bit later. I was also a fairly heavy Sparc user, and the state of 64bit linux/sparc support was quite poor... We had a 64bit kernel, but the userland was all 32bit and you needed a separate sparc64 compiler to build the kernel.
Both Apple and Sun released 64 bit and 32 bit OS's and got very little of this you cant run this 32bit app in your 64bit OS.
Um, neither did Windows. I don't think I've seen a 32-bit app that won't run on 64 bit Windows.
(Drivers are another matter...)
"I don't think I've seen a 32-bit app that won't run on 64 bit Windows."
I have plenty here. Old apps for programming older integration software, Car ECM programming, etc.... All fail under Windows X86. I have a old laptop with windows 2000 installed on it for using these programs.
Probably something to do with file permissions, lazy programmers writing files where they shouldn't. Have you tried running them in compatibility mode?
I haven't seen 64-bit versions of Windows (Vista and 7) having any problem running 32-bit applications. What I have noticed is that a number of older applications utilize 16-bit installers which 64-bit versions of Windows won't run, but many times those will lay down 32-bit executables and libraries that the OS handles fine.
As an aside, I run the 64-bit version of Debian at home and I haven't had any issue running 32-bit applicaitons, assuming ia32-libs is installed (Wouldn't be a bad idea to inst
I have a couple of installs that are 32 bit, one that has been upgraded from a 333 MHz Mobile Pentium II (Thinkpad) to a Core 2 E7400, upgraded from Potato through squeeze. Only using 3GB of RAM so I haven't gone through the motions to move it to 64 bit yet.
Windows has no problem running 32bit apps on 64bit hosts, although 64bit windows came years later than 64bit linux...
Drivers ofcourse are a problem on windows, a lot of older hardware has no 64bit drivers and likely never will because the manufacturers have long since abandoned the hardware.
64bit linux has no problems running 32bit binaries either, however since most applications can easily be recompiled as 64bit native, the necessary libraries required for compatibility with 32bit applications are often no
I built some custo routers based on Via's Cyrix CPUs (Pentium 4 equivalents) earlier this year and greatly appreciated x86 Debian. There are still a lot of 32 bit processors out there, even in newer equipment.
Thing is, the last x86 worth a crap was the Pentium III, and that's a bit long in the tooth these days. The power consumption was great for its day (especially the mobile edition) but today it's a voracious consumer of watts compared to any of these tiny ARM-based machines. Pentium IV machines just aren't even worth running any more. Almost everything newer is 64 bit, except Atoms. But most netbooks don't have a lot of I/O, and no PC card or ExpressCard slot, so no way to get any. Most mobile P3 laptops hav
How far is multiarch support, i.e. being able to install 32 and 64 bit packages along side each other, and that not just on the Intel architecture but any CPUs which support both 32 and 64bits?
Have any other distros pulled this off?
How far is multiarch support, i.e. being able to install 32 and 64 bit packages along side each other, and that not just on the Intel architecture but any CPUs which support both 32 and 64bits?
It has started to actually work this year in Debian and *buntu distributions (on Debian use testing or unstable). Though you should be warned: You will likely end up with duplicates of all major libraries.
Are you kidding? It's worked for me for ages, running Wine for several releases (just recently started getting 64 bit wine, which is annoying). Yes you get duplicates of major libraries, because the processor won't run in protected/long mode both, won't switch between them without magic, and you need application-level translation to use a 32-bit library from a 64-bit code base and vice versa.
You need application-level translation that's fully aware of the implications between 32 and 64 bit, which means
Yellow Dog Linux for PPC. Some of the binaries are 64 bit, some are 32. Using rpmbuild to build your own rpm's makes a ppc64 one by default, but tarball source compiles are 32-bit by default.
m68k, as in Motorolla 68000 support? The same chip that went in to pretty much every mac until the power macs were released in 1992 or so? I've heard of m68 linux, but their repos hadn't been updated since 2003 or so. Or is there another popular 68k platform I'm forgetting...
m68k linux requires a PMMU so even many of the descendants of the 68000 won't run Linux, including some macs with 68040 processors because they used the 68040LC.
I played with m68k linux on an amiga fairly recently, and there does seem to be some active development going on...
Maybe now Canonical will finally recommend 64-bit. Not only because of this, but also because Ubuntu 12.10 uses Unity3D over LLVMpipe on computers without hardware 3D, and LLVMpipe is much more efficient on AMD64.
Going slightly off-topic, can Intel and AMD start deprecating i386, to save transistors? They could do it on stages.
First, release CPUs where half of the cores implement i386 on microcode, and the other half implement i386 in full speed; then, release CPUs where half of the cores implement i386 in
Maybe now Canonical will finally recommend 64-bit.
How is the web site supposed to know whether the computer on which the install disc will be run supports 64-bit? If it suggests 64-bit by default, people will complain that the install disc does not boot and that they wasted 700 MB of their monthly cap.
Canonical should recommend by default that you buy CD's from them
They provide that as an option [canonical.com] on the Ubuntu Desktop landing page [ubuntu.com].
since they can't know that you have a CD burner in your computer.
If a novice is trying to decide whether to download or buy, it's easy to tell whether or not the optical drive can burn CDs by looking for the CD-RW, DVD-RW, or DVD+RW logo on the disc tray. And even if not, a CD image can be turned into a bootable USB image; at least one of my machines got Ubuntu through UNetbootin. How can a novice easily determine whether a PC has a 64-bit CPU without opening the case?
Or just recommend that they'll sell you a whole new computer
They provide that as an option [ubuntu.com], thou
They provide that [cd's] as an option
By Default?
They provide that [buying computers] as an option
Again, By Default?
How can a novice easily determine whether a PC has a 64-bit CPU without opening the case?
The same way games require a DirectX 9 compatible sound card. The same way that the gas station makes sure you put the right type of fuel in their car. By requiring the user to take some responsibility for their own stuff.
The whole point of this is what Canonical offers as a default setting. If most use
Going slightly off-topic, can Intel and AMD start deprecating i386, to save transistors? They could do it on stages.
First, release CPUs where half of the cores implement i386 on microcode, and the other half implement i386 in full speed; then, release CPUs where half of the cores implement i386 in microcode, and the other half do not implement i386 at all; then, get rid of i386.
That's a horrible idea, for several reasons.
First, they already implement it "in microcode". They implement 16-bit and 64-bit in microcode as well - no modern (ie. post-2000) processor actually implements x86 in hardware. They all implement some secret RISC-like internal architecture, and translate x86 code into that on-the-fly. Gives you the benefits of CISC and the benefits of RISC, with relatively few drawbacks.
Second, you don't want to have different core implementations on different cores. That's just
This isn't the most massive surprise. I run 32-bit Linux on 64-bit processors in some cases. If the machine has 4 GB or less RAM (and in some cases, 64-bit machines have a maximum RAM capacity of 4 GB anyway), then there is no point in running a 64-bit distribution. Executable files are slightly larger and there is no speed gain.
Of course, if you have a 64-bit CPU and your machine has or can accept more than 4 GB RAM (and in the latter case, you plan to expand it to 8 GB or more at some point), it makes sense to start with 64-bit installs at the beginning. Yes, you could use a 32-bit install with a PAE kernel but it seems more sensible to me in that case to just use 64-bit Linux to begin with.
Also, the points made above that Debian is not bleeding edge and that people often run Linux on older hardware are absolutely valid.
I'm not the most current person, but my most modern two machines are an i7 and a Core 2 Quad. The latter is maxed out at 4 GB and so runs a 32-bit distro. The i7 has 8 GB so it runs a 64-bit. The server is an old PIII that is doing just fine on 32-bit, and the netbook is an N270 Atom so again, 32-bit.
Executable files are slightly larger and there is no speed gain.
That depends on what applications you are running. Things that are math heavy can run significantly faster in 64-bit mode. As an example, RSA requires modular exponentiation of very large numbers. Algorithms to do this are comprised of a number of multiplications of equally large numbers. Since these numbers are on the order of 2048 bits, they need to be chunked into machine size blocks in order to actually do the multiplication. Having a 64-bit integer size already gives you at least a 2x speedup here because you have half as many blocks. Multiplication algorithms are also not quite linear (close to n log(n)) so it really gives you a bit more speed than that.
Even if you are running a 32-bit OS on a machine with 4GB of RAM, you'll need to use a PAE kernel to take advantage of all the RAM. Some of the 4GB address space (usually around 400-500MB) will be reserved for things like PCI-Express so, 10% or more of your RAM is likely to be unaddressable for applications by a non-PAE kernel. This isn't an issue when you get down to 3GB or less though.
Estimates for performance improvements just from not having to deal with x86 range from 5 to 15%, so if you have any CPU-bound tasks you may well notice a significant difference. As well, data-shoveling tasks benefit from the increased word size.
The figures discussed in TFA are from popularity-contest. Debian gives you the option of whether or not to participate in that. If you do, certain information(including architecture) is sent back to the mothership. If not, it isn't.
I wonder how representative popularity-contest users are of debian users in general, and (to the degree that they aren't) what causes the non-representative behavior?
I know, just by way of example, that HP ships a bunch of thin clients based on their somewhat butchered version of
And AMD stock slips below $4 per share losing about half of its value in the last year. I've always been an AMD fan but never an ATi fan and I don't think they ever recovered after that tragic acquisition.
Yeah, and that would be favoring Intel over AMD.
Why? Because Intel's supposed to be the "default" and AMD is only just "compatible" with it?
In fact, AMD's the one who created AMD64, and Intel licensed it from them.
What I found more interesting is, if you look at the graphs, i386 installs are not decreasing. The rise of 64-bit installs appears to be coming either from new users or from other architectures. The level of i386 installs has remained fairly constant for the past several years. This suggests to me that people are no abandoning 32-bit builds.
My little headless Debian box has been running the same i386 installation since 2006, which is just as well since it's a 32-bit CPU. It's also just as well, since it usually never uses more than about 85 MB of memory. Viva la Debian!
amusing 64 bit PC computing only recently popular on desktop, and 64 bit clean also only recent in the realm of x86-64. I've been on 64 bit unix desktops since the mid 90s....
I run both 32-bit and 64-bit Debian systems and a couple of times in the last year I've encountered a problem with Large File Support on 32-bit. Not in core libs or apps but in libdca-utils (DTS audio decoder & tools) and normalize-audio (audio file volume normalizer). I reported the bugs and both are now fixed but it does show that even on a machine that doesn't have >4GB RAM it may be a good idea to run 64-bit if the hardware supports it and you expect to work with large files.
Am I reading that graph right that X86-64 is rising about as fast as ARM is falling? Most of the graph lines are holding fairly steady, with X86-64 rising and another brownish line (ARM? I'm having trouble reading the legend) falling at about the same rate. Considering that the Y-axis is marked in powers of 2 per increment I'm probably mis-interpreting this. On the other hand, it's certainly not stealing share from 32-bit X86. Hopefully it represents a bunch of new installs, and the year of the Linux d
Kill Ugly Processor Architectures - Karl Lehenbauer