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It's approaching the time of year when thoughts turns to shimmer and sparkle and we can't do much better than my picks for this week:
Givenchy Ondulations D'or – £38.50
You expect couture type make up from Givenchy and this new palette from their Xmas collection does not disappoint. The comfortable texture of this powder adapts to the delicate skin around the eyes as they were heated and pressed for longer yet lighter wear. The talc-free colours (in beautuiful packaging) can be worn in a varietu of ways. Blend the black and gold into a deep, dense bronze. They can also create contrast, one playing off the precious waves of the other.The golden hue will brighten up the upper lid. Applied beneath the eye or along the lash line, the black shade will amplify the vibrancy of the eyes.
Mariah Carey x OPI – £11.50
Mariah Carey by OPI is back for Xmas with 18 new sparkly and shimmery shades. The shades here are Baby Please Come Home and Kiss Me At Midnight and both contain new liquid sand technology for a textured matte finished, infused with reflective sparkle. It's a completely new formula that gives a unique look with a pebbled finish that lightly shimmers with fibre glitter particles. With no need for a top cat, Mariah was inspired by Xmas sparkle when creating her collection that ranges from frosted pink to sparkling graphite.
The Body Shop Radiance Range
As the summer holiday tan fades, it's tme to fake health and wellbeing with The Body Shop's radiance range. The colours have been formulated to suit those a range of skin types, including those darker skin tones. Simply follow these steps to conceal, illuminate and sculpt your complexion with a luminous glow:
Conceal with Lightening Touch Universal Highlighter- £14
Use this unique universal shade to illuminate eyes, cheekbones and brow bones with sheer and pearly iridescence. It's the magic wand to add light to any look and any skin tone.
Illuminate with Brush On – £14.
Sweep Brush On all over your face to illuminate with a sheer shimmering finish. It comes in three shades to suit every complexion: Brush On 'Sunlight' is perfect for medium skin tones. Try 'Radiance' for light skin tones and 'Bronze' for dark skin tones.
Sculpt with Shimmer Waves, RRP £16.
This compact of five shimmering shades is to give dimension to your face. Shimmer Waves Coral best suits medium skin tones. Shimmer Waves Blush is for lighter skin tones and Shimmer Waves Bronze for dark skin tones. Create shadow by using the darkest shades on the lower part of the cheeks and contour. Bring light by applying the lightest shades on the cheekbones and forehead.


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Obama goes prime time
The uphill fight to get Congress to approve a military strike on Syria is pushing President Barack Obama to embrace a brand of communication he's long resisted: the delivery of a prime-time address to the nation from the White House.
During his nearly five years in office, Obama has gone to extraordinary lengths to avoid high-stakes, nighttime White House speeches. His advisers have repeatedly denigrated the value of Oval Office addresses, accusing promoters of such talks as being out of touch with modern media realities.
Story Continued Below
Now the president is preparing to deliver precisely such a high-profile address Tuesday night, giving in to pressure from lawmakers demanding a no-holds-barred White House effort to sell the public on the wisdom of a military response to Syria's alleged chemical weapons use. And so a president who surged into the White House in no small part on the strength of his communication skills will need to turn in a particularly effective performance in a format that's never been among his most favored.
( PHOTOS: Syria: Where politicians stand)
"I doubt the White House really believes in this moment that an Oval Office or White House address will be transformative, but they need to use everything in their arsenal, including sheer repetition," said Jeff Shesol, a top speechwriter for President Bill Clinton.
"If you're asking members of Congress to get out on a limb and do something their constituents don't want them to do, then it means you have to try it…I don't think anyone believes in the mystical power of an Oval Office address or prime-time address. That power has been diminishing for a long time."
Former Obama speechwriting director Jon Favreau acknowledged that the White House has traditionally been eager to get the president out of the Oval Office to deliver speeches and in front of an audience wherever possible, but said this situation calls for a solo appearance.
"We have been reluctant to do the Oval," Favreau said in an interview. "I think this president is at his best when he's feeding off a crowd and has got an audience in front of him, but I think this is a different case…To do something like this in front of a crowd — that seems political. The Oval becomes the best option."
( WATCH: A look back at past Oval Office addresses)
Obama aides haven't said exactly where in the White House the president will speak from Tuesday. In a Twitter exchange earlier this summer, a top Obama aide suggested Oval Office addresses aren't all they're cracked up to be.
"This is an argument from the 80s," Obama senior advisor Dan Pfeiffer wrote during a back-and-forth about the prospect of a big speech on revelations about National Security Agency surveillance. "Ovals reach abt 1/3 the audience they did when Reagan did them."
However, Pfeiffer told POLITICO Saturday that he wasn't declaring Oval Office speeches worthless, just asking people to be realistic about their power.
"The point is that a nationally televised address is still the most powerful tool in the toolbox, but the audience size is greatly diminshed as media has changed. It is still a part of a strategy as opposed to a strategy in and of itself," Pfeiffer said. "I was just pushing back against the idea that a national address meant the whole country heard what you had to say. It's a tiny fraction nowadays. But that's very different than being against them."
Some experts agree the mystique of the Oval Office address is tired, and showing its age.
"In general, they've lost their wallop in terms of unifying the country around the strong voice of the commander in chief," said Doug Brinkley, a presidential historian at Rice University. "People that were going to watch that on TV probably will now channel surf to a cable show or sports or something else…When it was the big three [networks], you didn't have that luxury. It was shut off the TV or listen to the president."
If Obama does turn to the Oval Office for Tuesday night's speech — and officials so far have said only that he will speak from somewhere in the White House — it will be a true rarity. As president, he has delivered only two addresses to the nation from his office, both in 2010: a speech about the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and another about the end of combat in Iraq.
"I personally have never loved the Oval," Favreau added. "But I actually think it's pretty right for this one."
A more popular choice for high-wattage Obama White House speeches has been the East Room — where he announced the death of Osama bin Laden — which allows for a presidential walk to the podium and for an audience when desired, or the Cross Hall, which can allow the president to be flanked by advisors.
"You see the president in action, but when the president's in the Oval Office he's just sitting at his desk," said Martha Kumar, a Towson University professor who has spent decades studying presidents' communications operations. "Sometimes the desk looks like it's about to swallow up a president."
But Kumar noted that presidents have used the Oval Office before to announce limited military actions of the kind the Obama White House says it has in mind for Syria.

subset: commoncrawl


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DI Men?s Basketball Player of the Week - No. 9
Photo by Jim Smith
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Luke Thomas of MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) has been named the NAIA National Division I Men's Basketball Player of the Week, the national office announced Tuesday. Thomas, who is the final weekly honoree for the 2012-13 season, was selected based on his performances from Feb. 25 - March 3 and was chosen out of a pool of conference/independent/unaffiliated groupings.
Thomas, a 6-foot-8 forward, averaged 22 points and 9.0 rebounds while shooting 65.9 percent (27-of-41) from the field to lead MidAmerica Nazarene to three victories last week, including a pair of road wins at then-No. 9 Evangel (Mo.), 99-92, on Feb. 25 and at then-No. 22 Culver-Stockton (Mo.), 86-74, on March 2.
The junior from Raymore, Mo., began the week with a stellar performance against Evangel, finishing with 20 points and 13 rebounds. The double-double was Thomas' 14th of the season, which leads the Pioneers and ranks sixth nationally. Thomas followed that with 15 points, six rebounds and three assists in third-seeded MidAmerica Nazarene's Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) Tournament quarterfinal victory (69-68) against sixth seed Baker (Kan.) on Feb. 28. He ended the week with a season-high 31 points on 14-of-19 (73.7 percent) shooting from the field against Culver-Stockton in the HAAC Tournament semifinals.
Thomas ranks second nationally in defensive rebounds per game (6.7), fourth in total rebounds (288) and 10th in total rebounds per game (9.0)
For a complete listing of all the national statistical leaders, click here.
For the complete Player of the Week calendar, click here.
Nominees: Peter Smith, Concordia (Calif.); Daniel Armah, William Woods (Mo.); Jamar Briscoe, Pikeville (Ky.); David Rawlinson, West Virginia Tech; Terrale Clark, West Virginia Tech; Cyrille Sandjon, Faulkner (Ala.); Damarkus Lipscomb, Philander Smith (Ark.).
2012-13 Division I Men's Basketball Player of the Week
Week 1 (Jan. 8): Brandon Davis, LSU Shreveport (La.)
Week 2 (Jan. 15): Marcel Towns, Great Falls (Mont.)
Week 3 (Jan. 22): Anthony Dorsey, Truett-McConnell (Ga.)
Week 4 (Jan. 29): Jeremy Rodgers, Martin Methodist (Tenn.)
Week 5 (Feb. 5): Bryan Bock, Montana Tech
Week 6 (Feb. 13): Brandon Davis, LSU Shreveport (La.)
Week 7 (Feb. 19): Trevor Setty, Pikeville (Ky.)
Week 8 (Feb. 26): Peter Smith, Concordia (Calif.)
Week 9 (March 5): Luke Thomas, MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.)


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Reports have Ubaldo Jimenez fit and ready for Cleveland Indians camp
[media-credit name="Ronald Martinez, Getty Images" align="alignnone" width="495″][/media-credit]
What's up with Ubaldo Jimenez?
With spring training just days away and sunny Scottsdale beckoning, that questions been on my mind.
I really hope Jimenez rediscovers himself as a pitcher for the Indians. I'm guessing most Rockies fans feel the same away.
When Jimenez was on his fantastic run in 2010, he was one of the most exciting pitchers in the game. What's more, he's one of the nicest, most down-to-earth athletes I've ever covered. So I'm not going to hide my rooting interest here.
From everything I've read and been told, Jimenez worked extra hard at his home in the Dominican Republic this winter.
"Ubaldo felt that his season was sidetracked by a groin injury that affected his lower-body strength and his ability to consistently execute his delivery," Indians general manager Chris Antonetti told the Sporting News earlier this month. "To be sure he comes into camp with the best foundation for success, Ubaldo has worked diligently this winter with one of our strength and conditioning coaches on his core and lower half strength and flexibility. … "Sounds like he is primed to return to his 2010 form."
The Indians better hope so. After his trade from the Rockies, Jimenez posted a 5.10 ERA in 11 games with the Indians.


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The code simply creates an instance of
json::value and then assigns values to each key. For example, the following line assigns a
"Mobile" value to the
"Title" key. Notice that it is necessary to specify the type for the value.
obj[L"Title"] = json::value::string(U("Mobile"));
Then, the code creates an instance of
utility::stringstream_t (
stream) and passes it as an argument to the
serialize method of the
json::value instance (
obj). This way, the code writes the current JSON value to a stream with the native platform character width and then displays in the console.
utility::stringstream_t stream; obj.serialize(stream);
The resulting serialized JSON is:
{"Title":"Mobile","Subtitle":"Mobile Developer","Description":"Mobile feature articles","MainPage":"mobile","Items":null,"Id":"2"}
The following lines show another version of the
CreateAndDisplayJSONObject method that creates an array of items, adds an item to it, and then assigns it as the value for the
Items key of the group. As you will notice, creating arrays is really simplified.
void CreateAndDisplayJSONObject() { // Create a JSON object (the group) json::value group; group[L"Title"] = json::value::string(U("Mobile")); group[L"Subtitle"] = json::value::string(U("Mobile Developer")); group[L"Description"] = json::value::string(U("Mobile feature articles")); group[L"MainPage"] = json::value::string(U("mobile")); group[L"Id"] = json::value::string(U("2")); // Create a JSON object (the item) json::value item; item[L"Title"] = json::value::string(U("Developing Android Apps with Scala and Scaloid: Part 2")); item[L"Subtitle"] = json::value::string(U("Developing Android Apps with Scala and Scaloid: Part 2")); item[L"Description"] = json::value::string(U("Starting with templates, Android features can be added quickly with a single line of DSL code.")); item[L"MainPage"] = json::value::string(U("mobile/developing-android-apps-with-scala-and-s/240162204")); item[L"Id"] = json::value::string(U("240162204")); // Create the items array json::value items; items[0] = item; // Assign the items array as the value for the Items key group[L"Items"] = items; // Write the current JSON value to a stream with the native platform character width utility::stringstream_t stream; group.serialize(stream); // Display the string stream std::wcout &;t;&;t; stream.str(); }
Here is the resulting serialized JSON:
{"Title":"Mobile","Subtitle":"Mobile Developer","Description":"Mobile feature articles","MainPage":"mobile","Id":"2","Items":[{"Title":"Developing Android Apps with Scala and Scaloid: Part 2","Subtitle":"Developing Android Apps with Scala and Scaloid: Part 2","Description":"Starting with templates, Android features can be added quickly with a single line of DSL code.","MainPage":"mobile/developing-android-apps-with-scala-and-s/240162204","Id":"240162204"}]}
Figure 2 shows how you can inspect the values for the different variables of this method in the Locals window in Visual Studio 2013. It isn't as simple as you can debug with JavaScript when you create JSON content, but once you get used to the way the C++ REST SDK works, you can really boost your productivity in C++ compared with using C-based APIs.
[Click image to view at full size]
Working with Asynchronous Streams
The C++ standard library provides useful synchronous streams.The Microsoft C++ REST SDK provides asynchronous streams that resemble those included in the C++ standard template library (STL). It also includes specific Interop Streams that support interoperability between STL iostreams and C++ REST SDK asynchronous streams.
The following lines show a sample
HTTPReadInputStreamAsync method that retrieves a
concurrency::streams::istream to read the first 1,000 characters from it and displays the results in the console. The code retrieves the first 1,000 characters from
pplx::task<size_t> HTTPReadInputStreamAsync() { // I want to make the following HTTP GET: http://www.drdobbs.com/mobile http_client client(U("http://www.drdobbs.com")); // Manually build up an HTTP request http_request request(methods::GET); request.set_request_uri(U("mobile")); return client .request(request) // The following code executes when the response is available .then([](http_response response) -> pplx::task<size_t> { if (response.status_code() != status_codes::OK) { // Something went wrong and it is necessary to add some error handling code return pplx::task_from_result<size_t>(0); } istream bodyInputStream = response.body(); container_buffer<std::string> inputStringBuffer; return bodyInputStream.read(inputStringBuffer, 1000) // The following code executes after reading the 1000 characters .then([inputStringBuffer](size_t bytesRead) -> size_t { const std::string &readText = inputStringBuffer.collection(); std::wcout << readText.c_str(); return bytesRead; }); }); }
The following line shows a blocking call to the previous method that retrieves the number of bytes read from the response:
auto size = HTTPReadInputStreamAsync().get();
First, the
HTTPReadInputStreamAsync method creates a new instance of the
web::http::client:http_client class to maintain a connection with the base URI
http://www.drdobbs.com. Then, the method manually builds up an HTTP
GET request that sets the request URI to
mobile. This way, the HTTP
GET request will be made to
http_client client(U("http://www.drdobbs.com")); http_request request(methods::GET); request.set_request_uri(U("mobile"));
The following lines show the initial code that makes the request and returns the resulting
task instance that represents the asynchronous operation, as happened in the other examples. The
request method uses the previously built
http_request instance (
request) as an argument. The
then method adds a continuation
task to the
task that executes the request. This task receives an
http_response instance (
response) and returns a
pplx::task<size_t>, i.e., a
task that will return a
return client .request(request) .then([](http_response response) -> pplx::task<size_t> { ...
After the request is processed, the code after the
then continuation is going to be executed in a new task. If the status code of the response isn't OK, the code returns the task created with
pplx::task_from_result with
0 as an argument. Thus, the calling code will know that 0 bytes were read from the response. Naturally, additional error handling would be necessary.
return pplx::task_from_result<size_t>(0);
If the status code of the response is OK, the code calls the
response.body method that produces an input stream (a
concurrency::streams::istream instance named
bodyInputStream). Then, the code uses this input stream to retrieve data from the response in combination with a
concurrency::streams::container_buffer<std::string> (
inputStringBuffer). The
container_buffer serves as a memory-based stream buffer that supports either writing or reading. The code returns the
pplx::task<size_t> generated by the
bodyStream.read method. This method reads up to 1,000 characters and places them into the provided buffer (
inputStringBuffer). When the stream finishes reading the first 1,000 characters, a new task receives the input string buffer (
inputStringBuffer) and the number of bytes read (
bytesRead). The code in this task displays the input string buffer in the console and returns the number of bytes read (
.then([](http_response response) -> pplx::task<size_t> { if (response.status_code() != status_codes::OK) { return pplx::task_from_result<size_t>(0); } istream bodyInputStream = response.body(); container_buffer<std::string> inputStringBuffer; return bodyInputStream.read(inputStringBuffer, 1000) .then([inputStringBuffer](size_t bytesRead) -> size_t { const std::string &readText = inputStringBuffer.collection(); std::wcout << readText.c_str(); return bytesRead; });
The different chained asynchronous tasks are easy to understand by reading the code. You can read the code just as if you were working with synchronous methods.The C++ REST SDK makes smart use of C++ 11 features and the Microsoft Parallel Patterns Library. If you combine the C++ REST SDK with the Visual Studio 2013 async-aware debugging features, you can achieve great productivity levels accessing cloud services with C++. However, if you want to debug the asynchronous code that you write with the C++ REST SDK in previous Visual Studio versions, you won't enjoy the same benefits.
Gaston Hillar is a frequent contributor to Dr. Dobb's.


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Says the infamous adult programming company:
We started shooting in 3D this past summer, and have significantly invested to perfect 3D production quality. Consumer excitement for 3D content is high, and Penthouse is the one studio that can rely on its broad expertise to deliver 3D in a manner unmatched by any other branded entertainment company.
The Penthouse HD channel is available in 15 countries.


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Haley admits hacking errors; revenue chief resigns
Columbia | State officials did not do enough to prevent a cyber-attack at South Carolina's tax collection agency that exposed the personal data of nearly 4 million individual filers and 700,000 businesses, Gov. Nikki Haley said Tuesday.
Haley also said she accepted the resignation of Department of Revenue Director Jim Etter, effective Dec. 31.
"Could South Carolina have done a better job? Absolutely, or we would not be standing here," Haley said in releasing a report from Mandiant. The computer security firm was hired Oct. 12 to close the gap and determine what happened. That was two days after the Secret Service notified state officials of the breach.
The release of Mandiant's findings follow weeks of Haley saying no one was to blame and nothing differently could have been done.
Haley said Mandiant showed the revenue department's system was vulnerable because it did not require dual verification for someone trying to access tax returns and did not encrypt Social Security numbers. But the Republican governor blamed the debacle on antiquated state software and outdated IRS security guidelines.
"This is a new era in time," Haley said. "You can't work with 1970 equipment. You can't go with compliance standards of the federal government. Both are outdated."
The hacker stole data from returns filed electronically, as far back as 1998, but mostly since 2002. The cyber-thief took 3.3 million unencrypted bank account numbers, as well as 5,000 expired credit card numbers. The Social Security numbers of 1.9 million children on parents' returns were also compromised.
Haley said 3.8 million individual tax filers and 699,000 businesses should assume their entire reports were accessed.
The cyber-attack, believed to be the largest on a state tax agency in the nation's history, follows the theft of patient data from the state's Medicaid agency earlier this year. In that instance, an employee is accused of physically removing the data.
Last week, Haley ordered all of her 16 Cabinet agencies to use computer monitoring by the state information technology division. The revenue department has been criticized for previously turning down its free services. Haley is also transferring personnel to the state IT division, so that an employee can monitor Cabinet agencies' systems around the clock. All Cabinet agencies must also use a Mandiant service, dubbed "the hand," designed to shut down a computer if data is being improperly transferred.
Mandiant has identified precisely whose information was stolen, and those taxpayers will be notified by email or letter, Haley said.
The governor also added that Etter's resignation doesn't mean he is to blame.
"Jim and I came to an understanding," she said. "We need a new set of eyes at the Department of Revenue."
Bill Blume, executive director of the state's Public Employee Benefit Authority, will replace Etter. Blume's replacement has not been announced.
The cost of the state's response has exceeded $14 million. That includes $12 million to the Experian credit-monitoring agency to cover taxpayers who sign up – half of which is due next month – and nearly $800,000 for the extra security measures ordered last week.
The Revenue Department has estimated spending $500,000 for Mandiant, $100,000 for outside attorneys and $150,000 for a public relations firm. But those costs will depend on the total hours those firms eventually spend on the issue. The agency also expects to spend $740,000 to mail letters to an estimated 1.3 million out-of-state taxpayers.


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Top of the dirt and street line is the 100% Cr-Mo framed Fuse, super strong frame, full Cr-Mo fork and bars, full sealed 9T rear hub, 2-piece cranks and double wall rims, mean a light yet durable bike. Removable brake bosses, mean a clean looking ride. Ready to get serious on a super interesting paint job? Light the Fuse.
Needs Content


text:
Chambray Voile Yarn-Dyed Window Panels - Muted
Chambray Voile Yarn-Dyed Window Panels - Bright
Dots Grommet Window Panels
Crown Window Holdbacks
Metal Clips
Crown Window Rod Set
Home Decor
Our high-quality designs for the bedroom or playroom are constructed to handle everything kids throw their way—from headboards to bookshelves and seating to storage.
Embellished with embroidery and appliqué accents, our whimsical beanbag covers are a great way to give your kid's room a fresh new look. To make them extra-special each one can be personalized with a monogram.
Our wide assortment of wall hooks are both pretty and practical, keeping coats, robes, scarves and towels off the floor while adding a touch of fun to the bedroom, bath or playroom.
Wall art, table lamps, kids' rugs, kids' curtains and decorative pillows add personality and punch to a room while reflecting your kids' fun, fresh sense of style.


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Combine the soybeans and 1 teaspoon shoyu in a small bowl. Let sit several minutes, stirring the beans occasionally. Add enough water to the drained soybean liquid to equal 2 cups. In a heavy saucepan, bring the liquid to a boil. Blanch the snow peas for 30 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon. Place in a colander, and run under cold water. Set aside. Add the quinoa, sliced white scallion bulbs, garlic, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon shoyu to the boiling water. Cover and cook over medium heat until the quinoa is tender but still crunchy, about 20 minutes.
While the quinoa is cooking, thinly slice the snow peas and set them in a large serving bowl. Add the beans, red peppers, and sliced scallion greens. Toss in the cooked quinoa and drizzle on the sesame oils and rice vinegar. Add more shoyu, to taste, if desired. Serve warm over steamed kale or at room temperature on a bed of watercress or radicchio.
Per serving - 386 calories, 13 g fat (30% calories from fat), 19 g protein, 48 g carbohydrate, 21 g fiber, 0 mg cholesterol, 201 mg sodium


text:
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Take the Plant Hero Pledge and explore the site to learn more about the bad guys that threaten plants. Wanna do more? The first step in finding the bad guys is knowing where to look! Learn how to identify and then start mapping the trees in your neighborhood!


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In record time today, I wrote out the melody for here comes the sun. Enjoy!
Rock Island String Kollective of Vashon Island, Washington, is a string orchestra for all ages & skill levels that meets at our local coffee hang-out, most Tuesdays 3:15-4:15 at MInglement, the Vashon Coffee Roastery. Bring your Violin, Viola, Cello, Guitar, Ukulele, Mandolin, Banjo or Harp and learn Irish music, Klezmer, Cajun, and American Traditional Music in a supportive group setting. Newcomers welcome. $5/session or $40 per quarter. For more information, contact Kim Thal.
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Here comes the sun violin sheet music
Posted by Shane Jewell at 9:45 PM
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Subscribe To Lionsgate Brings In A Billion Dollars For The Second Straight Year Updates
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Hooray for money! Lionsgate released it's fourth quarter earnings recently and revealed that for the second straight year, they've crossed the billion dollar mark. Lionsgate films accounted for 10% of the annual industry gross domestically, and surpassed ten figures both stateside and abroad. The total figure is $2.252 billion, which should increase as their top money-maker, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, continues to perform. Currently, it's the second biggest movie of the year.
The first Hunger Games grossed $691 million worldwide, but this year their latest offering of the tales of Panem is expected to finish over $800 million globally alone. After that, it seemed like everything else would be gravy, particularly with two more films in the series coming up. However, the studio also grabbed another success in Now You See Me, which pulled in $354 million globally. A sequel to that film is being planned, though to be honest, it seems like it's going to be a chore remembering all those gratuitous plot twists.
They also got a lot of traction from Instructions Not Included which became the highest grossing Spanish-language film of all-time with $85 million in collected receipts. Concert film Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain is also cited in the Lionsgate report, having grossed $32 million despite a modest release. Other successes for the studio include Escape Plan, which generated $122 million in global gross despite performing quietly in America, and Warm Bodies, which registered a quietly-effective $116 million.
Lionsgate remains in the Tyler Perry business, and Tyler Perry's Temptation: Confessions Of A Marriage Counselor was the highest-grossing film by Perry that didn't feature his signature Madea character. And while A Madea Christmas registered one of the lowest Perry openings, it's sure to play strong through the holiday season. The studio also had mid-range successes with Snitch and Texas Chainsaw 3D, both of which came at a steep discount.
It wasn't all booming success, however. This is still the studio that released the roundly-ignored The Big Wedding, a black eye that only grossed $21 million. And while overseas fans remained enthusiastic, the studio expected more out of Red 2 as it grossed $142 million. And while you'd have to ask Lionsgate accounting about this, the $110-budgeted Ender's Game probably should have crossed nine figures by now. Next year, the studio returns with the third entries in the Hunger Games and Expendables, as well as I, Frankenstein, Divergent and Draft Day, so this could very easily be three years in a row of billion dollar grosses. Now would be a good time to make friends with a Lionsgate executive.


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The Model Driven Software Network
Raise your level of abstraction
Hello everybody,
just joined MDSN, looks like a lot of useful reading available.
Short self-introduction:
Computer science major, 20 years ago got into developing quite a few data-driven Applications with similar scenario, like:
one or more Enterprise data structures defined (branch, department,..., employee) and/or (warehouse, block,..., part) and/or (lists of processes, remunerations, customers, etc) which are were kept in the Database tables. There are CRUD operations defined on those related tables and there were some domain-specific operations too. Plus various reports. Pretty common and usual stuff.
I started with some generalization attempts: a business object consists of data container(a DB table), view(s) and form(s) and relations to other objects. It all could be expressed in plain text. CRUD operations could be executed in precompiled code - no actual generation here. UI of an object was interpreted by pre-written code again - no code generation here either. Relations one-to-many and many-to-many were again interpreted by run-time. Only custom logic has to be manually coded. So that how it started. I could elaborate if needed.
That approach evolved into something I cannot categorize and I'm looking for help and opinions here.
Today the highest level of abstraction is the same: a business object is a table, plus UI(s), plus CRUD operations, plus objects relations, plus API to implement custom Data processing. An application is a set of such objects and it is most likely might be expressed in UML or such. Although it is not.
There was some custom language before, today an App definition is hidden behind objects' Visual Properties Manager(s). An App definition contained in the Relational DB as set of text-based objects' definitions. There is a server side code waiting for client code to connect. That is how it works.
The client supplies credentials and if valid, receives back from the server an "entry" object's definition from the Database - usually the Main Menu (a table). The client interprets that definition and creates UI. Human user make a gesture (keyboard or mouse, touch interface is not supported yet) and activates one of that Menu's links. Another object loaded from the server and so on. Menus are immutable objects - they are easy. When mutable table loaded from the server, both a client(grids, views, forms) and a server(sessions, locks) support CRUD and custom operations (e.g. delete every odd record in the table) in ACID fashion. All clients are synchronized real-time - means all the content changes instantly propagated to all relevant sessions. There is a gesture language to visually define parameters of complex requests. SQL gets generated and executed by the server part and results passed to relevant client/sessions. There is Java API (architecture is language agnostic) which used on loaded objects on the client side only (!) by mimicking human gestures: "load object"/"edit object" and so on. The server is never restarted.
The client part contains Properties Manager code, which allows to define new objects and redefine new ones without leaving a live Application. Team development welcome.
There are client side processors which allows to link a table cell to Images, PDFs, some HTML. More processors - more data types could be supported. At last there are pure UI objects - with no data containers defined. They work pretty much like Java Canvas. After being loaded they call user code, which has access to other objects in the Database. That allows to create UIs beyond grids and forms - up to multiplayer games - with custom programming sure.
That thingy works in production environment for 3 years now. It is extremely productive and helpful. But I'm struggling to classify it. What is it? RAD RIA tool? It does generates some SQL, it allows live Apps design like Web CMSs, it is based on generalization of an SQL table... I'm more experimenting practitioner then academician.
Please help me define what that Datalator thing is. And what place could it hope to find in the computing world. Would be much obliged for reviews and opinions. Sorry for hasty prepared story.
The site where I try to describe/market the Datalator is well, www.datalator.com aka www.fancydata.com aka www.moderngroupware.com.
I'm no good with web sites, forgive me. Please comment.
Views: 1653
Hi Alex,
my personal view on the issues is like this: in software engineering we're experiencing a phase shift from 3GL, 3tier manual programming to some next level, which is not already reached and whose contour is only emerging slowly (it is likely model based, I guess). Unlike preceeding developments, say from no-tier to 3-tier or from procedural to OO, the present shift is a heavy one, very unlinear, complex. Maybe you can compare it to something like forming cells in biology based on cell ingredients - a transition which could not just take place, but required lots of crucial prerequisites to be available.
Same with software: no single engineering or development process improvement helps to get out of the local minimum we're in, the "big mess" of expensive, unfitting, slowly developed systems.
Many, many improvements have been introduced, many bright ideas, but - as my guess goes - a critical mass of them simultaneously is required to leapfrog the gap.
Worse: it is not only an improvement of all parts we are using, but some substantial refactoring of our core abstractions is required. Just to give one example, with SOA we have the problem, that our 3-tier bundles are rather worthless: eather you rip all the UI-tiers off, inegrate your services, and build new UIs on top of them, or you can only combine all the UIs in a very stupied fashion.
That said, to me it sounds that you have done some hard work on many fronts in this arena of development between 3GL-old-style and next-generation-new-style. Classification? I don't know. It has two sides, a marketing one, and anoher one of deeper understanding. The marketing part seems rather easy. Just look vaguely for the technologies you're using, and you might end up with something like model based agile social superflexible cloudcapable xy. The other part seems more difficult, and it might be the case that a really appropriate classification will only be possible retrospective by future software historicians :)
All best and good luck with your system,
Thank you Andreas,
>The marketing part seems rather easy
well, to me it is the most difficult part and not all that intersting. My particular combination of known technologies is available and useful today. My guess - the interesting part is long-term selection of big-scale software components (like chips or cells). Everything else is just to support lifecycle of those cells. That support system(IDE, messaging, UI, DB) is very lightweight and pretty simple, comparing to containers like EJB. The concept is proved and there are a lot of way of improvements, but that's a job not for a single developer. To build a company from scratch to promote and apply - will take a long time. Too long time. Just grew another company of it's infancy - 8yo transport firm (escadron.ca) That's said I'd rather "pass the flame" if somebody might be interested.
Much more interesting part is as you put it "to get out of the local minimum we're in". That's is my second favorite :-). Again being an experimentator did some work with "immersive programming". Starting from auto definition of the relevant modelling "slang", converting it into 3D shapes and manipulating them in 3D environment - objects and algorithms and data. A developers team would work in 3D goggles in virtual reality, creating objects-shapes, moving them around and building extensive soft-scapes. Dirfferent roles supported (architecht, linguist, coders...)
Haven't got far with implementation east of the curtain, doesn't look like I'm gona finish it here on the westside. No complains - just curious observation :-).
For a long time haven't had understanding people to speak with, thank you Ladies and Gentlemen for your attention. Have to do more reading here...
> the interesting part is long-term selection of big-scale software components (like chips or cells). Everything else is just to support lifecycle of those cells
In general I do agree, though I think it's not clear on which abstraction level those cells will exist. Around 1998 we started an inhouse initiative of something we called "well defined component" then. The idea was to gather all information that is needed to define a component that can be used in various contexts. We tried to realise it on 3GL (OO) level, as well as on container level (EJBs became famous). It failed, and it was clear we need to reach some modelling level. Until today, I still haven't seen such a complete spec, even on model level. But we're becoming closer. So I think that the old and powerful idea of truely pluggable parts will require a sound model driven infrastructure first. But that's all gut feeling, not a solid theory ;-)
Nice to see your story here, this was a surprise to me. Your system is a good instance of what I called model driven application (MDApp), or model driven information system (MDIS).
The key principle to achieve a MDApp is what I called model driven mechanism (MDM). Thus, in general, we have a new type or class of a system:
"For a system, if all of its functions and behaviors can be defined, controlled and changed through MDM in runtime, then it is a full model-driven system (MDS). In brief, MDS is a class of system that the main functions and behaviors are controlled or realized with MDM. (Yu 2005)"(from my presentation: Model-Driven Mechanism in Information Systems and Enterprise Engine...)
Note that there were some another usages for the phrase 'model driven information systems', that is, used it roughly to call the systems which were developed by such the MDA/MDD(tm) approachs, IMHO it was ambiguous and inappropriate: in fact we can also use any MDA/MDD approach to develop a MDS, although so far most of the systems developed by MDE/MDSD aooriachs (as you would see in the MDE community) were not a MDS.
This is a "cool" topic yet ;-)
I'm trying to write some thing to introduce this. Some related essays can be retrieved at http://thinkinmodels.wordpress.com/tag/mdapp/
Have a nice weekend!
Much agreed, see also comment above.
To some degree, code generation (M2T) serves just as a kind of intermediate technology used to climb up to the next abstraction level, since it allows easy experimentation. It has been served that purpose before (early assemblers and early OO precompilers were nothing else but code generators). To the other degree, I think for the current "phase shift" that will not be fully true, and CG will stay there for some parts.
When I got the primary idea in more than a dozen years ago and chose the 'model driven', the inspiration was from a so-called "table-driven" for app :-)
For 'model'.. the schemata are models, as well as the data. The point is what the models modeled (the business or your system? in black or white? and so on) and how the models work (MDA/MDD or MDM/MDS? design time or run time? etc., the difference is the key and huge.)
In general, UML is more or less apt for modelling everything you want, even a bubble sort, why not. But I think the key issue here is "abstraction level", i.e. why would you want to do that on a certain level, and how easy is it to do so.
One can distinguish at least these levels, from lowest ot highest:
- Relational DB level, where tables reside
- OO 3GL programming; RDB is abstracted away with help of an OORDB mapper, on OO level there are only Objects, including arrays, vectors etc., a Table is something like a collection of Objects, more or less; relations are typically modelled as navigable attributes, sometimes as objects as well
- Modelling Level I (typically technical models, often domain models too), where Objects are Objects, but relations are first class citizens; code traditionally has been treated here a little as a stepchild, which is partially a reason why so few "fully model generated" projects succeeded. The executable UML initiative tries to improve that by defining a standard for describing code on that level, but the computational model behind relies still on an object world where runtime classes correspond 1:1 to model classes (more or less)
- Modelling Level II, where code is not attached to classes anymore in such a 1:1 fashion, but code is devided into fine snippets, related to a set of contexts (e.g. BL instance context, factory context, possibly UI contexts, State contexts), corresponding more to business rules than to traditional code
Of course, the matter of code in conjunction with such levels is an ongoing debate, we're far from common agreement, not to mention standardisation. And of course in almost all practical projects there is to a certain percentage a need to break out of abstraction level and incorporate some dirty code from below.
Now what about "bubble-sorting"? This is something I would want to do at level OO 3GL, encapsulate it, and refer to such functionality in abstract forms from the higher levels. E.g., it might suffice to say that some relation is sorted according to atributes x, y, z, how it is done is a matter of the interpretation system (plus maybe some hints)
Mendix and OutSystems have evolved significantly in the recent years. The current versions abstract from tables. Instead, the user is modeling domain objects and relationships among them. There is no code with generic functionality attached to the objects. The code is derived from the context of domain objects. [this is a short and incomplete summary]
As for the "bubble-sorting" question, I absolutely agree with Andreas. I would like to add that it is not necessary to model everything: "bubble-sorting" is a well-known algorithm that is best implemented either in the interpreter or in the code generated from a model. What needs to be modeled is declaration that a data set be sorted by a particular algorithm.
Can you explain what you mean in your last question about MetaEdit+?
@Mountriver: sorry, I lost you... have to do more reading. Will do and respond.
>UML is more or less apt for modelling everything you want, even a bubble sort, why not
When I tried to play with well flow charts, trying to produce code from a schema of a say "buble-sort", I stopped dead because I could not work with variables. There are flow charts (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:LampFlowchart.svg) and there are dataflow diagrams(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Data_Flow_Diagram_Example.jpg)
I felt those are a trunk and a tail of an elephant and started looking for diagramming metaphor to feasibly represent the whole elephant. Bubble chart is ugly and less readable then the code it represents
The big idea was to build a visual tool(another discussion, why visual) which is general enough to represent itself. Like an IDE enables to work with its own code. Like a doctor must be healthy enough to treat patients :-).
I cannot find right now the statement that 2 basic shapes - if-block and directive-block - could represent any code of any program. Correct me if I'm not right - was in that territory a while ago. So we do have 2 amino-blocks of computer programs DNAs, we just do not know yet how to handle huge DNA dimentions. So we evolve methodologies: 3GL languages, OOP and now code generation :-). We apply different levels of abstractions - that is a way to appoach the problem too, right?
My belief is that we have to understand how to work with smaller blocks (bubble...) before generalizing further. I did produce first schemas for simple sorts with data and code and guess could express the tool in those terms. Haven't finish experiments though.
Why we create those abstraction levels in the first place? To deal with navigation inside a huge body of linear code, which is abstarct enough by itself. A program is not a linear one-dimentional set of code lines, right? But we stubbornly express it text. And after we create complex methodologies to deal with that non-optimal representation.
What if in the first place we express a program in 2D, 3D shapes on a surface or multi-tiered surfaces. Something like sim-sity game, only with basements and many stores buildings. With neighbourhoods (custom code), factories (DB engines) and communications between. And we put on top the Google bird eye :-) - may be all the problems with comprehending the whole picture, categorization issues, incapsulation, abstractions levels - they just go away, replaced by magnification level? I'm against flat diagramming - UML or not - although it is better then text-based coding. Telling that because I was playing with nice 3D softscapes and felt the difference... And human world is 3D, we percept 3D and think in 3D much more productive - evolution, right? "You may say I'm a dreamer..." :-). But that Datalator thing of mine is working fine - so I do produce some sober judgement. Sometimes. Hope.
Andreas wrote about the mess we are in above. I'd rather not tell you how to approach the problems you gentlemen working for decades on. But we cannot deny effects of overexposure too. It might not be the case and it might be :-) I'm a guy of practice. I'd rather build a 3D diagramming "Model-to-executable code" tool if somebody cared to hire me to do that :-). I'll do it anyways, but much slower without support - recreational style.
@Andriy: on MetaEdit: after learning such a tool exists I'm full of hopes to rebuild my humble Datalator. I know a lot of improvements to be made. I read it saves tons of time. And after looking into I do not feel it could help. I do not see it could deal with diagramming a lot of simple "bubble-sorts" which my program consists of. Am I right? I cannot afford to do the full set of diagramming and after pass it to my expert developer, which I am. Or I'm missing something here?
Mendix: by screens and examples I did not see how I can create a simple app to keep say my CRM efforts. I do need a table with events(calls, email, etc.) I need to keep names and categories of contacts. Call them object of tables - derive or attach code - I do not see that I can simply create a container for event and relate it to a container for categories of event. Without coding... Again, that is my first impression. Mistake?
Gentlemen, I deeply appreciate your input, just got excited - turns out the code generation is my second favorite for 3 decades :-). Probably have to keep it more academic way, right? Anyways, thank you.
Should I rephrase (at least for myself):
a) data and code on the same motherboard(playground, whatever)
b) ability to self-express is a must
c) 3D is better then flat
Back to my silvermines...
> ...may be all the problems [...] just go away, replaced by magnification level?
It is a matter of quality on different abstraction levels, not pure quantity and size (scale). Abstraction is the opposite of linear scaling, I'd say.
> ...nice 3D softscapes [...]"You may say I'm a dreamer..."
Not at all :-) I once (next to 20 years ago) dreamed the same dream (possibly you'll like it, Alex: CAP ) I'm convinced we will work like that one day, but it still may take some time.
Nevertheless: even in 3D abstraction levels are inevitable (compare real world)
> The big idea was to build a visual tool [...] general enough to represent itself.
We've recently done just that with our own tool, though it does not imply that we do all basic programming in the tool. Instead, we modelled a modeller, and both rely on some core library containing the "3GL implementation fundament" - no need to describe that on model level.
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Make sure to list the pattern number and maybe also add the pattern image and the size request.
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Headstone Lettering and Inscriptions
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Mike Passineau works the problem of getting new DNA across "the seven longest nanometers in nature" — the cell membrane.
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This bad-to-the-bone Barbie's getting inked up.
The virginal kiddie favorite, who will celebrate her 50th birthday this year, now comes with stick-on tattoos that mini rebels can use to give their dollies some edge.
"Totally Stylin' Tattoos" Barbie comes with a tattoo gun that allows kids to stamp on their favorite pictures -- or gang signs -- and more than 40 stickable designs that can go anywhere on Barbie's body.
The Mattel doll has already flown off the shelves in stores and on Mattel's Web site, but some parents say the tatted-up toy is too much for their kids.
"I think it's attracting kids too young that want to expose parts of body to show off tattoos," Sacramento, Calif. parent Jen Alcayaga told Sacramento's KVOR-TV.
Texas mother Lin Burress fumed on her parenting blog, Telling It Like It Is, that "Totally Pierced Barbie" would be next in line.
Mattel released a pregnant doll of Barbie's friend Midge in 2002 that was quickly yanked from shelves after parents protested. The 1999 "Butterfly Barbie" had a permanent tattoo on her stomach, and a 1997 Harley-Davidson Barbie gave the doll an engine-revving motorcycle and leather get-up.
Mattel said it had no plans to discontinue the "Totally Stylin' Tattoos" doll.


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PSE and MCS 30 multicolor switch with status display
The new multicolor illumination of the PSE and MCS 30 series is made easy using convenient color-coded wires in each of the illumination colors. Each color is given a specific voltage between 5 to 28 VDC. The constant brightness intensity is maintained regardless of applied voltage. The standard version is offered in red, green, and blue. Additional color options include yellow, cyan, magenta and white, which can be made through additive color mixing. As soon as the 2 or 3 wires are supplied with the applied voltage at the same time, the result is a mixed color. The traffic light colors of red, green and yellow (RGY) for status indication are also available as a standard version. No additive color mixing is required to produce the color yellow.
The new RGB multicolor illumination option greatly expands the application range of the PSE and MCS 30 button style switches. The PSE is available in 22 / 24 / 27 / 30 mm diameters; the MCS 30 is available with a 30 mm diameter. The PSE has an IP69K ingress protection rating. It has no moving actuator and is thus absolutely impervious to any leaks or accumulation of dirt underneath or around the switch surface. This technology is ideal for hygiene-related applications such as medical equipment, food processing equipment and outdoor applications subject to vandalism such as ticketing machines.
The MCS 30 is an alternative to the highly robust, solid state PSE. It is also designed for demanding applications, although it uses a tactile switch that provides a clear haptic feedback. It has a lifetime rating of one million actuations, as opposed to the PSE's 20 million operations. The switch contacts are sealed from the front and rated IP65.


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A quick mini shoot and trip with the ever darling, Jessie Darling <3
Jessie's fam has a trailer up north and what trailer park wouldn't be complete without the outdoor swimming pool. Got the chance to snap some cute portraits of her and some #OOTD snaps of me. Thanks again dollface ;)
<3 And now for some floral cutie <3
I adored this pool and the kitschy little patio attached. I think I'll have to make a second trip for more photos and maybe a dip :)


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Wed., Jan 9
by, January 9th, 2013 at 06:32 PM (1436 Views)
Warm up:
600 various
14 x 25 shooters w/fins @ :40
5 x (25 front scull + 25 torque drill w/agility paddles) @ :15 RI
Main sets:
8 x 25 burst + cruise @ 1:00
5 x (25 AFAP backstroke from blocks + 75 EZ) @ 3:00
-- went 12s, rolling on 59
-- 5 kicks to get going and 10 kicks to gradually angle up
10 x 25 AFAP dolphin kick w/board & fins @ 1:00
-- held 11 high-12 flat
8 x 50 DPS free w/agility paddles @ 1:00
Total: 3000
It appears that no amount of protein/sleep/foam rolling will replace the need for a recovery week. I'm still dragging so didn't do too much today. I think perhaps it was inadvisable to do drylands and a bungee cordz workout in the same day. I'll hit the gym tomorrow and then may be just resting until the meet. I may take the whole weekend off.
QBrain made my day today. I am heading to Barbados for spring break and had been worried that I'd be out of the pool the entire time -- not ideal with nationals a month away. He sent me a link with a lovely pool that even Patrick would be jealous of that is not far from our resort: http://users.sunbeach.net/bfit/comp2004.htm. I can't find any info on whether and when it's open to the public yet. I did send an email.
And my split request that had seemed to go missing has been found! So my official 50 back time this year will be .3 faster.


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Because a National Museum of the American Latino does not exist (yet), I try to find Latin American art and culture in all the museums we visit around DC. Here are a few of the most recent things I found.
As you know, we also made a visit to the National Museum of the American Indian. After I took a million photos of the Huichol art car, I made a stop at the gift shop. A friend has an upcoming birthday and the gift shop at the National Museum of the American Indian is the perfect place to find something for someone who loves Latin American culture. One display in the museum shop is dedicated just to Día de Los Muertos. I didn't end up buying this item, but here is a neat "calacas" toy from Peru.
Where do you find Latin American art and culture in your city?


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Another anniversary is here. We are reminded of what happened in New York and Washington, but not so much about Pennsylvania. Two years ago, Patti and I decided to take a trip to the Flight 93 National Memorial.
When we arrived, there was a delay for our entry into the Memorial area. What we didn't know, was that President Obama was meeting with the families of those that died 10 years earlier, on that sacred ground.
The presidential choppers took off from a near by field, and we were allowed in. We passed many family members leaving as we walked in. The press was there, of course, asking questions. but for many of us, it was a time to remember. Not necessarily for our family members, but for those who lost family on that day.
There are family members in the picture above.
Below, is the resting place for Flight 93. We would find out later, that our President put flowers on that sacred place.
The memorial was very plain, but appropriate. On this day, many people were taking pictures.
There were many stories, left behind.
Looking down the wall, which was the actual final flight path, beyond a wooden gate, was the mound of dirt, where the plane rested.
Of course the media was there, as you can tell by the satellite trucks on the hill
And the reporters ….
As with other memorial services, these bells were rung.
And motorcycles, many, many motorcycles, many with American Flags.
The entrance to the Memorial, with the wall just to the right of this picture.


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It doesn't matter if she holds concerts or appears in crappy commercials, Miku Hatsune is only virtual and certainly not some 12-year-old kid's mother.
Before Mother's Day, Japanese supermarkets have pieces of paper so children can draw pictures of their mothers. The drawings are then hung in the grocery store for everyone to see. (Note: the same is true for Father's Day.)
The top of this piece of paper says "the mother I love", and the space below it is reserved for a drawing of dear old mum. However, in the space where the children write their name, the kid wrote "Hatsune Miku". Next to that, the kid wrote "12" for his or her age. Kids, er mothers, er whatever these days!
[母の日] 大好きなお母さん、お名前「初音ミク」 [終わコン]


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The aci attribute has the following syntax:
aci: (target)(version 3.0; acl "name";permission bindRules;)
The following values are used in the ACI syntax:
Specifies the entry, attributes, or set of entries and attributes for which you want to control access. The target can be a distinguished name, one or more attributes, or a single LDAP filter. The target is optional. When a target is not specified, the ACI applies to the entry on which it is defined and its subtree. For information about targets, see ACI Targets.
A required string that identifies the ACI version.
A required string that identifies the ACI. Although there are no restrictions on the name, it is good practice to use unique, descriptive names for ACIs. Using unique names, will allow you to use Get Effective Rights to determine which ACI is in force.
States what rights you are allowing or denying. For information about permissions, see ACI Permissions.
Specifies the credentials and bind parameters that a user has to provide to be granted access. Bind rules can also be based on user membership, group membership, or connection properties of the client. For information about bind rules, see ACI Bind Rules.
The permission and bind rule portions of the ACI are set as a pair, also called an Access Control Rule (ACR). The specified permission to access the target is granted or denied depending on whether the accompanying bind rule is evaluated to be true or false.
Multiple targets and multiple permission-bind rule pairs can be used. This allows you to refine both the entry and attributes being targeted and efficiently set multiple access controls for a given target. The following example shows an ACI with multiple targets and multiple permission-bind rule pairs:
aci: (targetdefinition)...(targetdefinition)(version 3.0;acl "name"; permission bindRule; ...; permission bindRule;)
In the following example, the ACI states that bjensen has rights to modify all attributes in her own directory entry:
aci: (target="ldap:///uid=bjensen,dc=example,dc=com" (targetattr="*")(targetScope="subtree")(version 3.0; acl "example"; allow (write) userdn="ldap:///self";)
The following sections describe the syntax of targets, permissions and bind rules.


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Oops! So sorry for the delay in announcing the winners! I guess I've fallen right off the blog wagon… but I'm hopping back on! I have some fun cookies to share with you!
But first, here are the winners of the Wilton Summer Cookie Cutters:
This year was a lazy, hazy days of summer. Here in Texas we spent the summer trying to stay COOL. Glad you are back, we missed you
Jenn J
Did a little baking…using some supplies I order from y'all Enjoyed the time outdoors, grilling, hanging out with friends. Glad you're back and glad to year you enjoyed your summer like I did!
I spent most of my summer baking and decorating cookies lol!
Thanks for the great contest!
Sounds like you had a great summer!!! I worked and gardened all summer. Loved the gardening!!!!!Great to see your posts.
So excited to see your post again, Karen! This summer was the most exciting one for us (as parents) – my boys have gotten over the fear of water finally, and spent a lot of time in our friend's pool. I was jumping up and down with joy seeing them so eager to get into the water instead screaming and crying their hearts out! lol…
Congratulations ladies! I've sent all of you emails, so look for that, or email me your address to contact at karenscookies dot net.
Sounds like everybody had a good summer. I was so happy to hear from all of you, and enjoyed reading your comments! Thank you for welcoming me back (and sorry I disappeared again! I'll get the hang of this blog thing sooner or later!) Look for another post and giveaway SOON! 😀


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The conservation and management of Egypt's archaeological heritage is an important task. The overwhelming number of sites, monuments and artifacts scattered all over the country and the ever-increasing pace of urbanization around archaeological sites as well as environmental hazards add another dimension to the problem. The documentation, protection and restoration of sites for future gene
Egypt 19th and 20th Century offers a vast array of architectural styles that remain poorly documented. Egypt's heritage suffered tremendously of neglect. Until recently, no legislation protected these buildings from demolition and alterations, especially those less than a hundred years old, and certainly maintenance laws were not respected. Moreover, the Egyptian government has imposed some of the
The natural heritage is a multisciplinary project aiming at a computerized documentation, dissemination and communication of the data available on the natural heritage of Egypt.The heritage aims at:•Enhancing Egypt's capacity to conserve its natural heritage.•Promoting Egypt's potential as an ecotourism destination.•Providing decision makers, researchers and consultants
Preservation of the Arts Cultural Heritage is a persistent concern of every nation. The Arab Nation's Arts Heritage is a wealthy one which is considered to be a reference to the development of human civilization.Due to the progress of the information technology and especially in the field of Multimedia, it is becoming evident that using this technique will be of a great benefit in handling o
The photographic heritage program is an ambitious undertaking as it documents Egypt's intangible cultural heritage through photography. The program's primary activity is to digitize the archives of photographers [foreign and Egyptian] from the Nineteenth and early Twentieth-century. The collections of photographers work, gathered from local and international museums and private collectors, wil
The Folklore Heritage is characterized by its diversity and richness of knowledge, skills and traditions passing from one generation to another; this transfer, which carries a lot of social and economic values attracts the attention of communities in all countries, whether the developing or the advanced ones; thus understanding the intangible heritage of local communities helps to open dialogues b
The Manuscripts heritage includes the holdings of big libraries with the possibility of documenting some outstanding collections. The unit already has succeeded in documenting huge numbers in collaboration with other institutions such as the National Library of Egypt, Al-Azhar Library, and library of the Egyptian Ministry of Religious Endowments (Awqaf). Planning is done to work with all instituti
For over five thousand years, from the dawn of the pharaohs to the Islamic era, passing through both the Greco-Roman and the Coptic periods, Egyptian culture has evoked a sense of almost inexpressible awe. By the fifth century BC, as the Greek historian Herodotus wrote, Egypt had 'more wonders in it than any other country in the world,' and provided for the world 'more works that defy descrip
The Islamic civilization played an important role in enriching the cultural heritage of humanity. It represented the link between both the ancient and modern cultural heritage. Egypt had its share in advancing the cultural renaissance by virtue of being one of the most important centers of Islamic culture. Within CULTNAT efforts of ducumenting the cultural heritage; CULTNAT aims to document this
In the framework of documenting the several aspects of the Egyptian Culture, an essential need was to document the Coptic Culture parallel to with the on-going programs in Cultnat concerning the Ancient Egyptian, Islamic and Graeco-Roman Heritage. Cultnat starts with documenting Coptic sites and their distribution all over the country and digitizing Coptic manuscripts. The work is implemented
Ancient Egypt unit aims to document the tangible and intangible heritage topics starting from the Prehistory period , the Thinite period, the Old Kingdom period, the First Intermidiated period, the Middle Kingdom period, the Second Intermidiated period, the New kingdom period, the Third Intermidiated period and the Late period. It englobes the daily life, habitat, languages, education, Literature,


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You Write the Caption
Your new challenge: Feb. 9, 2015
Welcome to You Write the Caption, the Charlotte Observer cartoon caption contest, an opportunity to test your wit and win a prize. Each Monday, Observer editorial cartoonist Kevin Siers will post a political cartoon that needs a caption and invite readers to write one. Winner will receive the original (black and white) Siers artwork. To learn more about our contest and see our caption writing guidelines, please click here.
Please include your MAILING ADDRESS and daytime phone number. Entries without a mailing address can not be considered as finalists.
Deadline for entries is NOON, Wednesday, Feb. 11.
Enter as many times as you wish. To submit your caption on-line, just click here to e-mail us. (Or address your e-mail to email@example.com)
To mail your caption to the Observer, address it to You Write the Caption, Editorial Department, The Charlotte Observer, P.O. Box 30308, Charlotte, NC 28230-0308.
Winner will be announced Friday morning online and in the print newspaper Monday.


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|Bel Canto Design CD3t Disc Transport Review
|Tuesday, 29 November 2011
Page 1 of 3Bel Canto Design, out of Minneapolis, has an the envious reputation of making a full line of very well reviewed Class D amplifiers, preamps, DAC's, CD players, and transports. Their products have a unique and stunning appearance. They also have a loyal customer base, and their products are designed and manufactured in the USA. The company is small but manages to distribute its products through a nice sized dealer network domestically and in thirty five countries worldwide.
John Stronczer, Bel Canto's head honcho, founded the company in 1990. He has a serious technical background, having worked as a research scientist in some very high tech environments. Interestingly, when Stronczer founded Bel Canto, he was making tube amplifiers. Ironically they are best known for digital products and switching amplifiers. Switching amplifiers have several major advantages in that they are low noise, low heat, and are known for very low power consumption. Stronczer believes that his amplifiers are the most efficient way to power loudspeakers.
Bel Canto has a full line of DAC units and CD players as well. They are designed with amazing attention to detail, with the stated goals of attacking jitter, noise, and other flaws that can compromise sonic performance. They also, like Naim and just a few other companies, offer external power supply upgrades for their components. As noted, they also take their industrial design very seriously. Their products are even more attractive in person.
The only time I have heard Bel Canto products were in unfamiliar settings. However, I have a vivid memory of hearing a Bel Canto DAC at a speaker manufacturer's factory. It was one of the most convincing playback systems I have ever heard. So of course I was thrilled to receive for review a sample fresh off of the assembly line, the new Bel Canto CD3t (the "t" is for transport). The CD3t is a slot loading Redbook transport with no on board DAC or analog output stage, which means it must be connected to an outboard digital processor. The CD3t retails for $1495.
The CD3t is outfitted with two digital outputs on the rear panel: BNC and AES/EBU. There are no TOSlink optical or coaxial RCA connectors, usually seen on most CD players. But most, if not all, audio engineers will tell you this is a good thing. BNC, which often stands for British Naval Connector, is known for low noise and high bandwidth, and is common in recording studios and professional applications. AES/EBU stands for American Engineering Society/European Broadcasting Union. AES/EBU is usually used in professional applications as well, and utilizes the XLR connector. AES/EBU is also known for low noise and high bandwidth, and is considered by many to be the superior form of digital connection.
Since the Bryson BDA-1 DAC I use as my reference has both BNC and XLR connections, I was pretty well set up to run the CD3t through its paces. I did have to order an AES/EBU cable from DH Labs, whose TOSlink, coaxial and BNC digital cables I also use throughout my systems. The DH Labs cable arrived at the same time as the CD3t and, when I unpacked the transport, I was extremely impressed with the build quality and attention to detail. The rectangular shaped chassis was solid, with exemplary case work and a beautiful half-inch thick face plate on the front, with the Bel Canto logo engraved in.


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Consumer Reports has confirmed a reception issue on the new Verizon Wireless iPhone in weak signal conditions. The report feel like deja vu for Apple who had to deal with an onslaught of bad press after users reported similar issues when the iPhone 4 was first launched on AT&T. Apple addressed the perceived antenna issue by temporarily offering bumpers for the iPhone 4 which were said to correct the reception issue.
Like most smartphones Consumer Reports reviews, the Verizon iPhone 4 was taken through a series of standard tests so that it could be rated against other smartphones. In addition to these regular tests, a special test was also run (which was previously carried out on AT&T's iPhone 4) after the complaints about dropped calls. To offer a comparison other highly-rated Verizon smartphones were also put through the special test including the Samsung Fascinate, Motorola Droid 2 Global, HTC Droid Incredible, LG Ally and Motorola Droid X.
After the tests, only the Verizon iPhone 4 was found to lose reception based on finger placement. Consumer Reports stated:
With the iPhone 4, we placed a finger in contact with the lower-left-side gap. Reception typically dropped notably within 15 seconds or so of the gap being bridged. The iPhone eventually dropped calls when touched at very low signal strength—that is, at levels of around one bar in the phone's signal-strength meter.
CR did find that finger placement was no longer an issue when Apple's $29 iPhone Bumper was placed on the phone and it believes most cases offered for the iPhone 4 will offer the same protection. There has not been the same outpouring of criticism by Verizon iPhone owners that accompanied the launch of the iPhone 4 on AT&T's network so at this time there are no reported plans for Apple to offer free bumpers for Verizon customers.
As a result of Consumer Reports' tests, the Verizon iPhone 4 will not be included be included on the organization's list of recommended smartphones, despite its otherwise high rating.
Read more at Consumer Reports.
Brian's Opinion
In fairness to Verizon and Apple, Consumer Reports was clear in stating that the reception issue due to finger placement on the iPhone 4 was only in environments in which there was already a poor signal (one bar). One thing that shouldn't be taken away from this news is that this finger placement issue is expected to occur all the time. Still, it's a consideration that Verizon iPhone owners need to be aware of and address by getting a bumper or similar case.
What is a little surprising is that Apple and Verizon allowed a design flaw to remain from the original iPhone 4 model released on AT&T's network. After all the bad press from that experience, you would have thought that Apple and Verizon waited for the next model. Apparently, the two companies didn't think the issue was big enough to worry about.
I think Apple is going to get a pass when it comes to the reception issue with the Verizon iPhone. They are benefitting from the fact that Verizon subscribers are happy to even have the iPhone 4 in the first place, but I don't think AT&T/Verizon customers will be as forgiving if the next generation iPhone has the same signal attenuation issue.


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Placenta abruptio is the separation of the placenta from the uterus
before a baby is delivered, typically in the third trimester of pregnancy but
sometimes earlier. This can lead to preterm birth, low birth weight [at or
below 2500 g (5.5 lb)], and
major maternal blood loss.
Since the placenta delivers oxygen and nutrients from the mother's
bloodstream to the fetus and carries waste products away from the fetus,
placenta abruptio can be life-threatening for a mother (from severe bleeding),
her fetus, or both.
Separation of the placenta from the uterus may be partial or
complete. A partial separation may cause only minor bleeding and not endanger
the lives of the fetus or mother. In rare cases, a complete separation may lead
to fetal death and severe bleeding that can endanger the mother's life.
Symptoms of placenta abruptio can include light or heavy vaginal
bleeding, uterine tenderness or pain, or signs of preterm labor. A pregnant
woman with any of these symptoms must seek emergency medical attention.
Certain factors increase the risk of placenta abruptio, including
high blood pressure, a previous placenta abruptio, smoking or drug use while
pregnant, injury to the abdomen, multiple pregnancy, a blood-clotting disorder,
and a fibroid or scar tissue on the uterus where the placenta grows.
Last Revised:
February 3, 2012
Healthwise Staff
Medical Review:
Sarah Marshall, MD - Family Medicine & William Gilbert, MD - Maternal and Fetal Medicine
This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.
To learn more visit Healthwise.org
© 1995-2012 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated.


text: Baccarat, founded by a bishop in 1765, is known for its luxury crystal glassware. Its early designs of crystal paperweights and glass figurines have helped them flourish today into one of the finest and sought-after makers of crystal glass. From striking vases to meticulous animal figurines, there is a Baccarat piece for every corner of your home. Handcrafted Baccarat glasses, including a range of wine and American water glasses, decanters, serpentine and rectangular vases, among others, are featured in the dazzling collection. Browse through Neiman Marcus for a great selection of Baccarat vega tumblers, champagne flutes, frames, and more.


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As Aspen's only Forbes Five Star, AAA Five Diamond, ski-in, ski-out property, The Little Nell offers its guests a residential feel with a modern "Aspen Aesthetic" design. All of the 92 spacious guest rooms, which include 11 suites and three signature suites, feature Holly Hunt's exclusive Studio H Furnishings. Guests stay in the lap of luxury with sumptuous bedding, plentiful mini-bars, gas-burning fireplaces, luxurious baths and breathtaking views.
Both Element 47 and Ajax Tavern feature the finest locally sourced ingredients, expertly prepared by creative and conscientious chefs. Their wine cellar is a consistent winner of the Wine Spectator Grand Award and is presided over by renowned and knowledgeable sommeliers. Even après-ski is elevated to new heights at the Little Nell. Casual with a touch of refinement, Chair 9 is the perfect spot to belly up after a full and satisfying day on Aspen Mountain's slopes. DJs and live music abound at this new Aspen hotspot and will not disappoint those looking to "cut a rug". The menu features everything from freshly shucked oysters to signature cocktails, a wide variety of wines and champagnes and even a $4 "shot of the day."
The body and soul will find additional soothing comforts in the onsite fitness room, massage/facial treatment rooms, Jacuzzi and heated outdoor pool.
Guests looking for a little more privacy and room to spread out on their Aspen ski vacation should consider a stay at the exclusive Residences at The Little Nell. Located next to the Silver Queen Gondola, these 2, 3, and 4 bedroom, 2,500 to 4,450-square-foot residences offer unrivaled Aspen ski-in, ski-out access, plus all the comforts and conveniences you can expect from The Little Nell. Featuring custom furnishings and handcrafted interior finishes as well as large exterior decks and balconies, no details are overlooked at The Residences at The Little Nell.
The Aspen Alps features amenities that are first rate and focus on aspects of wellness. The property has 83 town-side or gondola-side condominiums, each individually furnished. Distinctive floorplans create a warm, inviting and relaxed ambiance. The Aspen Alps also boasts outstanding facilities like a small sports club, a terrific health spa and a staff that is second to none.
Take in the views from your private balcony or deck and enjoy unrivaled privacy and slopeside access when staying at The Residences at The Little Nell. Featuring all the conveniences and amenities entitled to The Little Nell guests, no details or service is overlooked at the ski in, ski out Residences at The Little Nell. Located next to the Silver Queen Gondola, these 2, 3, and 4 bedroom, 2,500 to 4,450-square-foot residences offer unrivaled Aspen ski access. Featuring gorgeous, mountain-style architecture and interior finishes, The Residences will delight those with a discerning eye and appreciation for luxurious ambiance. The Residences' guests can enjoy the onsite fitness room, massage/facial treatment rooms, Jacuzzi and heated outdoor pool. Other amenities include 24-hour desk service, concierge services, ski concierge service and complimentary access to the Audi Test Drive Program– to name a few.
The Ritz-Carlton Club is a full service facility, ideally situated right at the base of the Aspen Highlands Ski Area with true ski-in, ski-out access. Each unit features a gourmet kitchen, stone fireplace and washer/dryer. The Ritz Carlton is a benchmark for comfort and service. Additional Amenities include ski valet-lockers, underground parking, 24 hour transportation and bell service, high speed internet access, restaurant, outdoor heated pool and housekeeping is twice daily, morning and turndown.


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I Hate My Boss!
This story appears in the June 2000 issue of HomeOfficeMag.com. Subscribe »
Many of us leave our corporate jobs to get away from office politics, long hours and most of all, an unreasonable boss. Our newfound freedom, however, often leaves us working for a much tougher boss: ourselves. If you're tired of working for a jerk, these suggestions will help you enjoy working for yourself.
- Set designated work hours and keep them. The inability to stop working well past normal office hours is common when you're your own boss. Get in the habit of working from a specific time each morning until a certain time each evening. Of course, last minute deadlines will affect your hours, but overall, if you don't set limits, you'll work too much and burn out too quickly. You wouldn't ask an employee to work those hours, so give yourself a break.
- Keep your "to do" list reasonable. It's easy to make the mistake of scheduling several tasks to accomplish in one day when in reality, you have time for only a few. An overloaded list is daunting and an open invitation to procrastination. Rewrite your list at the end of each day or first thing each morning, and determine a realistic number of tasks to tackle that day. In your daily planner, set aside time for phone calls, marketing, correspondence and any other tasks you need to accomplish.
- Avoid working on the weekends. If your business allows it, limit your work days to Monday through Friday. Some clients will only be able to meet with you on Saturday or Sunday, but with those exceptions, schedule all other appointments during the week.
Home office expert Lisa Kanarek is the founder of HomeOfficeLife.com and the author of Organizing Your Home Office For Success (Blakely Press) and 101 Home Office Success Secrets (Career Press).
Give Yourself A Break
- Schedule at least one mini-vacation each year. When you worked for someone else, scheduling two weeks off was easy. When you work for yourself, finding two days to take off may seem impossible. At the beginning of each year, look at your calendar and block off one week or a four-day weekend and write the word "vacation" across those days. Even if you don't leave town, spend those days away from work relaxing.
Bad Boss Behavior: Bob Banks, owner of Banks Fine Art, a Dallas-based art appraisal and gallery business, travels for business, not pleasure. Whenever the topic of vacations came up between he and his wife, Maloree, he was adamant that he didn't have time to travel unless it was related to their business.
Turning Point: After working seven days a week, year after year, Bob realized his values needed to change. His kids were growing quickly, and he realized he would have only so many more years to spend with them before they went to college and wouldn't want to travel with him.
Good Guy Solution: Bob hired a director for his gallery, giving him more time to do what he enjoys most, appraising fine art. Each year, Bob and his family take at least one, one-week vacation and Bob has finally reconnected with his family. The surprising part for Bob was how well his business ran even when he wasn't there.
Reward Yourself For A Job Well Done
- Establish rewards for completing difficult tasks or accomplishing major milestones. A reward doesn't have to be expensive or elaborate. A walk around the block or a small shopping spree can serve as a motivator to get the job done.
Bad Boss Behavior: Tom Nevermann, president of The Moving Doctor, a Los-Angeles-based company offering moving management and professional organizing services, learned a very valuable lesson early on in his career. He found that he would expend too much energy during a project and not prepare himself for the completion.
Turning Point: After completing a particularly large project, Nevermann slipped into a major depression and found it difficult to work for weeks.
Good Guy Solution: Now after completing a project, Nevermann rewards himself with a little time off (when he can). He even invested in a time-share in Palm Springs, California, where he can go to relax. "Working for yourself is very difficult," says Nevermann. "We sacrifice our own 'selfs' to make sure our clients' needs are satisfied, but we also need to make sure our own needs are met."
Saying No-To Both Perfection And Too Much Work
- Don't always expect perfection. Before you retype a letter for the third time or make another change on a proposal, ask yourself why. Perfectionism is a dangerous trap. Before you know it, your standards become outrageously and unreasonably high. Instead of striving for perfection, strive for the quality your clients expect.
- Learn when to say no. When you're building a business, you want to do everything you can to get and keep clients. It's easy for others to take advantage of your start-up status, but if you set ground rules from the start, you'll place more value on yourself and your skills. Unless a client is willing to pay for extra work or for a project that you're not interested in, but are capable of doing, say no. Otherwise, by the time you finish the project, you'll resent your client when it was you who should have just turned it down.
Bad Boss Behavior: Lori Ryckert and Pam Schneider, co-owners of Pristine Commercial Cleaning, an Overland Park, Kansas, company offering final cleaning for commercial construction, couldn't say no. In the beginning, they did anything to build their business, reputation and income, and were afraid to turn down client requests. "We were willing to do anything, be flexible and handle any job without much advance notice," says Ryckert. "We wanted to do whatever it took to get business."
Turning Point: On one of their first jobs, a new outlet mall, they worked 22 hours straight . After emerging from the enormous mall at 4 a.m., they were delirious, exhausted and frustrated. They had been paid well, but they knew that if they kept up this pace, their health, sanity and family were going to suffer.
Good Guy Solution: After three years in a thriving business, they've finally decided to give themselves a break. They can afford to be picky because they have built a solid reputation. Now if a client calls the day before they need the cleaning service, asking Ryckert and Schneider to work from 5 a.m. until midnight, they're able to say no and still get the job. Plus they've added two more employees.
Passing The Buck
- Know when someone else is better suited to do the job. As entrepreneurs, we know we can do everything better than everyone else.or can we? You can easily fall into the old adage "jack of all trades, master of none" when you try to do everything yourself. If you're not particularly creative, outsource a graphic artist to create your marketing materials; he or she will probably have better ideas than yours and will be able to implement them faster and more efficiently. If bookkeeping isn't your strength, spend the extra money to hire an accountant, keeping your books straight and the IRS happy.
Bad Boss Behavior: "I've never felt comfortable talking about or collecting money from clients," says Lee Silber, San Diego-based author of Career Management For The Creative Person (Three Rivers Press, $15). He doesn't know why, but he still doesn't like to deal with that aspect of his business.
Turning Point: He finally got tired of asking for too little money and then being negotiated down to next to nothing.
Good Guy Solution: Now that he's an author and consultant, he has agents who deal with making bids, negotiating deals and collecting fees. He finds that even with their commissions, he still comes out ahead. "Now I make more money [because the agents are able to negotiate much higher fees than I would] and I'm able to concentrate on what I do best," says Silber.
When you take the time to step back and look objectively at your self-management style, you'll be able to make a few simple changes. Who knows? You may even enjoy working for the person who pays your salary...you.
Quiz: Are You A Jerk?
Answer these five questions to determine if you're a jerk. Don't worry, it's not too late to change.
1. Your spouse surprises you with a trip to celebrate the end of a large, profitable project. You:
a. Pack a swimsuit and sunscreen and leave as soon as
b. Pack your bags.with files, your laptop and cell phone for a little work away from the office.
c. Turn down the trip because you don't have the time to go away...ever.
2. Your alma mater is sponsoring an internship program and is eager to place interns directly related to your field. You:
a. Thank your college but decline because you don't want to
spend the time training someone who could ultimately save you
b. Participate in the intern program.
3. Your favorite hobby is:
a. One you've enjoyed for years, completely unrelated to
your work.
b. Working.
c. Watching television.
4. It's December, your kids are home from school and your business has naturally slowed down. You:
a. Continue working straight through Christmas Eve.
b. Cut back your hours for a few weeks, while still being available to your clients in case they need you.
c. Let your clients know you're spending an uninterrupted week with your family. Anything short of a full-scale client disaster can wait until December 27.
5. Your computer is painfully slow, you're in desperate need of new equipment and you've had a good year. You:
a. Refuse to invest in new equipment, not realizing the time you
would save.
b. Consider buying new equipment, make a well-meaning effort to go online and research equipment, but instead use the time to e-mail client prospects.
c. Research computer options and buy what you need.
Quiz Answers
1. a=10 points, b=5 points, c=0 points
2. a=0 points, b=10 points
3. a=10 points, b=0 points, c=5 points
4. a=0 points, b=5 points, c=10 points
5. a=0 points, b=5 points, c=10 points
If you scored 50 points, you're not a jerk after all. Give yourself an employee bonus, whether it's an extended weekend or just a new houseplant.
If you scored between 30 and 40 points, you're walking the fine line of jerkiness. Give yourself at least two hours per week to pursue a new or old hobby. Give your family twice that amount of time to pursue nothing at all, like basking in the summer sun, playing a board game, or having a long, conversation-filled, sit-down dinner with extended relatives.
If you scored 30 points or less, you need to give yourself a break and stop being a jerk. Your family, friends and especially you (eventually) will appreciate it. Evaluate your working style: Are you actually less efficient because you don't seek help when it takes a little effort in the beginning? Whether it's training an intern, learning a new software program or teaching your kids how to do their own laundry, take a look at the bigger picture and calculate how much time and effort will be saved in the long run. And contemplate these changes during a long weekend-probably the first vacation you've taken since you've been in business.


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OK, some genius has added every existing power to Living Tribunal. http://www.comicvine.com/living-tribunal/6811/
Is that really necessary? Wouldn't it be enough with just Divine Powers?
And even if he could do everything i cant remember LT ever demonstrating Super-Eating for example. Does it really count as a super-power if it's only assumed that a character can do something?