text:
Sunday, 15 January 2012
The "C++ renaissance"
Herb said this in his recent lecture Why C++? and other Microsoft employees from the Visual C++ team have called this prophecy the "C++ Renaissance".
Similar statements about the superior performance of C++ were commonplace over 15 years ago when Java was new and unproven but we now know they were almost entirely wrong. The world migrated from native to managed languages over 10 years ago and never looked back because their performance is more than adequate. Furthermore, the implementations of managed languages have improved substantially since then and even toy benchmarks now show them competing with or even beating native code. Furthermore, the difficulty of optimizing large code bases means that many real-world applications are substantially faster when written using modern tools. For example, we recently helped a client translate 10,000 lines of numerical C++ code into F# and were easily able to make it 10× faster than the original C++. This is typical because C++ is much more difficult to optimize, particularly in the context of multicore parallelism, and developers in the real-world rarely have the time to do it if they are still using C++.
So why would anyone be promoting C++ now when it has so many disadvantages. Several reasons, we believe. Firstly, C++0x was finally released as C++11 last year and Microsoft's Visual C++ team hope to ride a wave of hype following this. Secondly, Microsoft want to draw people back into C++ as a route to vendor lock-in. We have seen several big code bases written in "C++" using Microsoft's tools and none of them were remotely portable due to the extensive use of proprietary features. Ironically, Herb tries to play to portability in his preachings and even goes so far as to assert that C++ has the advantage of offering a single string type that is compatible with the operating systems. In addition, C++ is particularly bad for metaprogramming and, consequently, it is unusually difficult to translate code mechanically from C++ to other languages. Thirdly, what else do Microsoft's Visual C++ team have left to hype?
Fortunately, this recent hype from Microsoft seems to have been largely ignored...
Here is the current trend in the UK job market for C++ developers:
Is it about to change?
Herb Sutter responded to some of my tweets about this. His responses are remarkable.
Firstly, he states that "no way should you need barriers to get sequential consistency". This is an amazing statement because all mainstream languages (Java, .NET, C++) and all dominant CPU architectures (ARM, Intel, AMD, PowerPC) require barriers to achieve sequential consistency. This property is ubiquitous because it is required for latency hiding to work effectively. The paper "Realization And Performance Comparison Of Sequential And Weak Memory Consistency Models In Network-on-Chip Based Multi-Core Systems" found that performance is around 40% worse if sequential consistency is imposed. ARM's Principal Software Engineer even went so far as to call sequentially consistent memory models a "nostalgic fantasy".
In reality, ARM and PowerPC have weak memory models that allow many memory operations to be reordered and x86 has a stronger memory model that prohibits most reordering but still allows reads to be moved before independent writes and, consequently, is also not sequentially consistent. Note that Herb's dream of sequential consistency is at odds with the desire for more latency hiding that he expressed in his latest article.
Then he predicts that CPU vendors will adopt stronger memory models within 2 years. Perhaps Herb has inside knowledge of Microsoft leaning on ARM to adopt the x86 memory model to ease Microsoft's Windows 8 port. Only time will tell if Herb's prediction is accurate but two interesting observations can be made. Firstly, Apple have sold 10,000,000s of iPad 2's that are running the 500,000 apps on their AppStore without anyone having complained about bugs caused by the weak memory model of the multicore ARMs inside them. Secondly, Intel weakened the x86 memory model when they added SSE and, consequently, also added the LFENCE, SFENCE and MFENCE instructions. So Herb is predicting that Intel will do a U-turn and ARM will throw away one of their largest performance advantages.
Finally, Herb asserts that "x86 is the canonical example of a strong hardware memory model". Although many people can be seen asserting that the x86 has a strong memory model, many experts describe it as a weak memory model because it does reorder and does not provide sequential consistency. For example, computer science researchers in this field from the University of Cambridge describe x86 as having a weak memory model in their paper "x86-TSO: A Rigorous and Usable Programmer's Model for x86 Multiprocessors". And computer science researchers from the University of Oxford describe it as a weak memory model in their paper "Soundness of Data Flow Analyses for Weak Memory Models".
27 comments:
- Mike said...
+1 for You post. But what's the alternative in Your view? Isn't F# a MS lock-in as well. You even have to pay for Visual Studio 2010, no free Express Edition avail. BR
- 15 January 2012 at 03:54
- David said...
@Mike, well contrarily to C#, the F# compiler is open source, which means the mono team (or anyone) didn't have to rewrite it for you to be able to use it on linux.
For express, you can install the Visual Studio Integrated Shell + F# and you got a free environment. I'd actually rather use that than my own VS Pro licence.
- 15 January 2012 at 05:18
- Dean Wampler said...
I recently wrote a high-performance network traffic server in C and Ruby; C for the performance and Ruby for everything else. We considered using C++, but rejected the idea. IMHO, the modularity features of C++ don't justify the complexity of using the language. You're far better off writing performance critical code in C and glueing the app together with a scripting language that doesn't suck. If I had to pick one language and it had to compile natively, I would pick D or maybe Go before using C++ again.
- 15 January 2012 at 07:07
- Jon Harrop said...
@Mike: The utopian programming language they describe does not exist so there is no alternative but there is a whole zoo of languages out there and at least one will come closest to any given set of requirements. F# is a fantastic tool for a wide variety of problems but, as you say, it is not portable. You don't have to pay for Visual Studio 2010 to use it though, as David describes.
@David: F# being open source is a good thing but, in practice, I don't see anyone developing a production-quality implementation of the CLR so that benefit is academic for now.
@Dean Wampler: Absolutely. I'm expecting someone to develop something awesome using LLVM.
- 15 January 2012 at 09:10
- kripken said...
I agree with everything but this:
> Furthermore, the implementations of managed languages have improved substantially since then and even toy benchmarks now show them competing with or even beating native code.
Sure, on toy benchmarks. But the word "even" seems misplaced there - this isn't the case on any significant number of real-world projects I've seen.
As you say, managed languages are fast enough, and have gotten closer to C and C++. I'm open to being shown data otherwise, but AFAIK they aren't matching or exceeding them.
- 15 January 2012 at 12:38
- Jon Harrop said...
@kripken: The Successive Over-Relaxation benchmark from the SciMark2 suite is one place people have reported Java beating C/C++ (and I have verified it myself). The reason is that pointers in C and C++ make alias analysis practically impossible whereas managed languages make it trivial, so C and C++ compilers are forced to emit code containing many more memory accesses than are actually necessary. This is one of the big advantages of Fortran in the context of numerical loops.
In theory, the restrict keyword addresses the problem in C and C++ but I was not able to get competitive performance from them on that benchmark even using restrict.
There are several other places where managed languages can and do beat C and C++. Tail call elimination can provide substantial performance improvements between mutually recursive functions for which there is no equally-capable alternative in C or C++. Metaprogramming can provide huge performance improvements in, for example, regular expression engines thanks to run-time code generation and compilation which, again, vanilla C and C++ cannot do. I have tested vector code using my own HLVM project and got LLVM generating code 4× faster than C or C++ compiled with GCC. Again, there is no standard way to write SSE code in C or C++...
So there are plenty of places where managed languages can beat C and C++.
- 16 January 2012 at 08:57
- kripken said...
There are some places, sure. For example, as you mention, Fortran can outperform C and C++ because it has superior alias semantics. Some managed languages have that too, but it isn't a managed language feature (Fortran isn't managed). It's a problem with C and C++, not a benefit of managed languages.
There is no standard way to do SSE etc. in C and C++, true as well, but there are ways. This is an advantage of modern languages making it easier to do development I would say, and that includes managed languages, but it isn't a feature of their being managed - you can add intrinsic SSE-like support to a new non-managed language.
I'm not criticizing managed languages, I love them and use them. But I don't think they outperform C and C++ in all my experience, and when they do, it isn't because of their being a managed language.
- 16 January 2012 at 10:32
- Jon Harrop said...
@kripken: "...but it isn't a managed language feature". The point is that real managed languages do outperform C++ because pointer arithmetic is an impediment.
"it isn't a feature of their being managed - you can add intrinsic SSE-like support to a new non-managed language". They could have added vector intrinsics to C++ but the point is that they did not.
"I don't think they outperform C and C++ in all my experience". I just gave you several examples where you can see managed languages outperforming both C and C++ for yourself. Whether or not your experience covers it, the fact is that counter examples to their statements were already widely known.
- 17 January 2012 at 02:24
- kripken said...
Fair enough, my point though was that exceeding C/C++ in a few corner cases is different than matching C/C++ in performance in general.
I don't disagree that they outperform C/C++ in those very specific benchmarks - in fact, even JavaScript can outperform C/C++ in some (very contrived) benchmarks.
- 17 January 2012 at 19:43
- Jon Harrop said...
@kripken: "my point though was that exceeding C/C++ in a few corner cases is different than matching C/C++ in performance in general". Agreed but experience tells me that larger C++ projects are even less competitive.
I have worked on two separate million-line C++ projects over the past 3 years and obtained 100× speedup over C++ on the first and 10× on the second so far (and it is early days yet).
The first OCaml project I worked on, 8 years ago now, was 5× faster than the original C++. That was about 50kLOC.
I can believe that companies who employ elite developers and invest huge effort in optimization can attain excellent performance using C++ but I believe that is completely unrepresentative of the industry as a whole. The vast majority of C++ developers are (or were) non-experts with insufficient time to optimize significantly. In such cases, managed code makes it easier to see and use appropriate data structures and algorithms and, consequently, yields the most efficient outcome for them.
For example, our current client has 50,000 employees and run on tens of millions of lines of C++ code but, of the employees in the team I am working in, we have two Mathematica experts, one C# expert and no C++ experts.
I have consulted for many large companies over the years and I see this pattern repeated over and over. The single most important goal is simplicity and, therefore, C++ is a big step in the wrong direction.
- 18 January 2012 at 12:51
- kripken said...
I agree that for big projects with a typical dev team, C++ is a bad idea. It's too complicated, and too risky in terms of possible bugs.
For performance though, I don't agree based on my experience. I've seen very large C++ codebases be very fast. It can be easier to optimize simpler languages, but I've not seen a clear case where that meant serious optimizations (10X) were just not done in C++.
In general I recommend simpler languages, C++ has almost no place in new projects - except where speed is of the utmost importance, in which case it is the best option (which is why AAA game engines, web browsers, etc. are all in C++). But 99% of projects don't need that amount of speed, and C++'s complexity is just a burden.
I would love however to see a counterexample.
- 18 January 2012 at 19:29
- Jon Harrop said...
@kripken: "AAA game engines, web browsers". Games ok (although I'd also look at assembler) but web browsers would be much better written in managed code.
"I would love however to see a counterexample". The two big C++ projects I mentioned were a trading system and an insurance quotes system. The medium-size C++ project was a visualization library.
- 19 January 2012 at 01:16
- saynte said...
You left out (btw, how do you misquote a twitter post?) Herb Sutter's qualification that you should not require barriers on a load or read for SC.
The only thing that x86 can do is reorder the stores past loads. This is why it is stronger than ARM, as ARM can reorder independent memory operations in any way it wants. This means x86 only requires barriers on stores to prevent this reordering and attain sequential consistency; this is in line with what Herb said, and exactly what Intel and AMD do.
So, what is so remarkable that comment of Herb?
- 19 January 2012 at 05:52
- Jon Harrop said...
@Saynte: "Herb Sutter's qualification that you should not require barriers on a load or read for SC". That is nonsensical. There is no such thing as a barrier "on" a memory operation. Barriers go between memory operations, not "on" them.
"The only thing that x86 can do is reorder the stores past loads... This means x86 only requires barriers on stores to prevent this reordering and attain sequential consistency; this is in line with what Herb said, and exactly what Intel and AMD do.". That is incorrect. Ancient x86 required barriers between writes and reads to prevent them from being reordered in the way you describe. Since 1999, x86 performs more reordering including streaming instructions and accesses to write-combined memory and, consequently, has the LFENCE and MFENCE instructions mentioned in this blog post.
"So, what is so remarkable that comment of Herb?". His comments are remarkable because they are self-contradictory. His argument was originally all about performance but now he wants to sacrifice ARM's efficient memory model and restrict consideration to inefficient non-vectorized user code.
- 19 January 2012 at 12:15
- saynte said...
You're correct, barriers do go between, but did you really not understand Herb's statement enough that you edited it out of your quote? I feel it's not a huge error.
Maybe it's up for debate, but the fact that new instructions were included that have weaker guarantees doesn't mean that the memory model was weakened. How could it? The pre-SSE2 couldn't possibly describe the behaviour of instructions that didn't exist.
- 19 January 2012 at 14:16
- Jon Harrop said...
@Saynte: "the fact that new instructions were included that have weaker guarantees doesn't mean that the memory model was weakened". On the contrary, that is exactly what it means because the modern x86 instruction set (as a whole) provides far fewer guarantees than it used to.
- 19 January 2012 at 15:29
- saynte said...
The SSE2/x86 instruction provides all the same guarantees it used to, plus new guarantees for new instructions (with lfence/mfence to help out).
This is what I mean by debatable phrasing, you say it's weaker on the whole, but I don't consider that weaker, for my above reason.
Perhaps Herb doesn't either, but he definitely was not saying that Intel is SC without barriers, and his original phrasing that makes that clear. Are you going to restore his quote properly by the way?
- 19 January 2012 at 22:25
- Jules said...
Obviously Intel won't sacrifice backwards compatibility. That's 90% of the reason people buy their stuff. It was perfectly clear that he didn't mean that the memory model of the old subset of the instruction set was weakened.
- 21 January 2012 at 04:56
- tivadj said...
I do not quite share your optimism regarding managed languages.
What do you set off against stack allocation? Yes, you can nicely split job into subtasks with ITask derived library/compiler implementations. But somewhere deeper, you have to do a number cranching and having swarm of heap objects flying around is not efficient.
Also take c++ templates plus optimizers - whole clouds of performance critical code may be collapsed even across method calls. Jitters just have no time to do it.
I think that 70% of code can be written in some gluing language like F# or Go - but not numerical libraries.
PS If you are happy VS10 user, just try to open an average project in VS05 or VS08 and sense the difference. Perhaps you just get used to slowness of VS2010. And guess what was introduced in VS10 to cause such the degradation?
- 24 January 2012 at 15:50
- Jon Harrop said...
@Location: "What do you set off against stack allocation?". Managed languages can do stack allocation. You have some restrictions on interior pointers but, other than that, they are remarkably expressive.
"Also take c++ templates plus optimizers - whole clouds of performance critical code may be collapsed even across method calls. Jitters just have no time to do it". That is also possible in managed languages. In fact, this is the reason for inline in F#.
"I think that 70% of code can be written in some gluing language like F# or Go - but not numerical libraries". I see no reason to avoid managed languages for numerical libraries. You need the ability to remove most bounds checks and it must be possible to program without the run-time impeding throughput or latency significantly but that is already possible.
"And guess what was introduced in VS10 to cause such the degradation?". The is no evidence that managed languages caused that problem.
- 26 January 2012 at 12:30
- Tezka said...
I am interested to see some code examples of F# vs. C++, where the former beats the latter.
- 29 January 2012 at 18:49
- Tezka said...
from the perspective of a developer, investing time on learning C++ is probably more rewarding than Java or C#. I think part of the reason for declining number of jobs is the shortage of good C++ programmers. However, there are certain domains in which C++ remains the lingua franca, and the continually shrinking pool of competent candidates creates very attractive opportunities for those who have a decent command of C++ for many years to come. Just because a huge fleet of web companies and enterprise junk are using java and C# does not mean that companies with core competency in high performance applications are not doing well.
- 29 January 2012 at 18:56
- Serv said...
I just love your blog. What do you think about the language Nemerle? (http://nemerle.org/)
- 30 January 2012 at 14:38
- Jon Harrop said...
@Tezka: See F# vs Unmanaged C++ for parallel numerics for example.
@Serv: Nemerle was another interesting language because it pushed the envelope in new directions. There is so much to learn from such projects.
- 18 February 2012 at 07:28
- Unknown said...
Great article! However I ran into some problems reading it from my Java web browser, because it turns out my browser doesn't exist. Instead I was able to read it in a browser written in C++, which was called "every browser in use today."
However I am eager to reread it with a managed language based browser, because as I learned from your post, rewriting C++ into managed languages typically results in a 10x speedup. So I am sure it will be much faster!
That's good, because the labels on your graph are taking a long time to load for me.
- 16 June 2013 at 14:40
- dT/dZ said...
You should never use C++ alone nowadays!
C++ is *very* good for the processing-intensive part of your applications (bottlenecks, numerics, raw processing). C++ (and C) also has the higher number of libraries available, and you can develop code with lots of abstractions and layers *without* performance penalty.
For all other parts, you should use Python, the best practical language nowadays, and it binds very well to C++, thanks to Boost.Python.
- 16 June 2013 at 17:15
- Jon Harrop said...
@Chris Farley: The existence of legacy code written in old languages is a strawman argument. The only major development in web browsers over the past decade was to use process isolation as a poor man's alternative to a managed VM.
dT/dZ: C++ and Python both have awful support for parallel and concurrent programming.
- 17 June 2013 at 02:07


text:
"Just don't make it lame, okay?" That was the advice given to actress and producer Roma Downey by her teenage stepson when she announced that she and her husband Mark Burnett were going to adapt the main books of the Bible into an epic television series.
Downey, 49, laughs at the memory of his command, adding that she was glad to be brought back to earth by his plea to focus her efforts on the biggest task of all -- not to make the Bible look dumb on screen.
That simple suggestion also made the massive international scale of the project feel somehow less daunting, she says. It also reminded her that her task was to tell the story the Bible and to tell it well, to introduce it to a new generation.
Apparently she has succeeded. On Sunday The Bible pulled in a record breaking 14.8 million viewers, the History Channel's largest ever audience. The New York Times scoffed that the show was just a trip through a Christian theme park, but the public hasn't shared the paper's disdain.
In fact the audience numbers are only expected to rise as the series of five two-hour broadcasts moves toward its conclusion on Easter Sunday. So now that the astounding audience figures have been realized, it's a vindication of the hard work of Downey and Burnett.
"Last night we knew it was being received well because it was trending on Twitter, but whether that would translate to ratings we didn't know," Downey told the Irish Voice on Monday.
"We woke up this morning to learn it's a huge hit, it was the number one show of the night and it pulled in the History Channel's biggest ever audience. It's just so thrilling."
The show will be replayed on the Lifetime network. Other viewers will TiVo it or download it online.
These are already the kind of numbers that producers can only dream of. Downey credits their success to the approach they took to the whole project.
"It's not preachy. It's told in an engaging way. It's gritty and realistic and authentic," she says.
"These were our goals, you know? The bar is set so high for this young generation with what is possible in films thanks to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings and all these fantastic movies that are out there.
"We knew we had to acknowledge that as we made the series. So the best news we had last week was when one of our teenagers asked if we could take clips into high school."
Trying to convince Hollywood producers to back a series about the Bible cannot have been easy, but co-executive producers Downey and Burnett didn't back down.
"It was not easy, but thankfully my husband doesn't take no for an answer. He uses the phrase 'the next opportunity.' His skills at kicking the door down to get this on were phenomenal," she says.
"It helped that this wasn't just a job for us. This was a passion project that we felt called to do."
Burnett, Downey's husband of almost seven years, is the British-born mega-producer (and former soldier in Northern Ireland) of reality hits Survivor, The Voice, Shark Tank and many other smash TV series. He knows from experience what will have broad appeal.
But the truth is, The Bible was taking them in a completely new direction. So before they started they researched the show with audiences to find out how much the general public actually knew about the Bible, so as to decide how to tell the story.
What they discovered was that in the United States many people didn't know anything about the Bible at all. One person told them he thought Joan of Arc was Noah's wife. Absurd answers like that made Downey and Burnett certain there was a need for this work.
During preparation at one point, Downey reveals, she took photographs from iconic scenes from the Bible to an advertising agency in California when she was getting the project together. One photograph she brought illustrated the sacrifice of Abraham and Isaac.
"I did a little survey in the office and not one person there could identify the scene. So the value of this series is that it can educate people about the value of these stories," Downey says.
As well as producing the show, there were other major challenges for Downey, who also stars as Mother Mary in the series that covers the Old and New Testaments and tells some of the best-known stories from Genesis to Revelation.
"I think that one of the most exciting elements of this is how all corners of our Christian faiths have come together. The Bible has been endorsed by evangelicals and by Catholics. When does that happen?" Downey asks.
Although she co-produced The Bible, Downey is best known as an actress – she starred as Monica on the CBS hit Touched by an Angel for several years.
Playing the role of Mother Mary is one of the biggest challenges of her career, she says. "I have loved Mary my whole life. My own mother died when I was a little girl and I have always had such devotion to the Blessed Mother," she says.
"I have always found such comfort in loving her. It was a great privilege to step into the part."
In conversation, Downey reveals that she never planned to play the role herself.
"We had already cast a young actress to play her through the Nativity, but we needed an older actress to play her 30 years later. Eventually my husband said, 'Roma, I think you're missing the obvious here.'
"So I prayed about it and I decided to step in. I brought to it the heart of a mother. All I could do was to imagine what she must have felt like. Those scenes at the cross (which will be broadcast at Easter) were very demanding for everyone involved."
The nuns who taught her at her old school in Thornhill, Co. Derry would be happy with the result, she joked.
"I can't imagine they would have picked me as the girl most likely to make a series about the Bible. I don't know that that's the title I would have been given."
Although making The Bible was the biggest challenge of their careers, testing them professionally and personally in unexpected ways, Downey has no regrets about working so closely with her husband on it.
"I think our marriage has deepened from the experience of this. There have been a few moments along the way and we didn't always see eye to eye, but it has been an epic journey," Downey reveals.
"It was really exciting to wake up this morning and see the audience figures."
Downey and her husband are very conscious that the series is coming out at a particularly challenging time for the Catholic Church.
"I believe that there are no coincidences," she says. "The fact that our series debuted this particular weekend, the first weekend we find ourselves without a Pope, is amazing.
"I think God is moving in all of our lives. If nothing else, I think this series will get the conversation going, to get people reengaged in a new way."
The Bible also has a host of accomplished Irish actors on board, she boasts.
"I think the Irish community should know that our Moses is Irish and played by William Houston. St. Paul is played by Con O'Neill. And yours truly plays Mary. We're well represented! Get the word out!"

subset: commoncrawl


text: 10 Best Weezer Songs Today, yes today, is a very special day! Today we celebrate the birth of Rivers Cuomo, the front guy of Weezer. He's talented, smart, and sarcastic in all the best ways. So I figured I'd put together a list of 10 awesome Weezer songs to celebrate his awesomeness on his birthday! This is just a list I created so you might not agree and that's ok. It's not meant to be super serious, just fun. xo – CT 10) King of the World 9) Back to the shack 8) Surf Wax America 7) Perfect Situation 6) Buddy Holly 5) Beverly Hills 4) My Name is Jonas 3) Say it Ain't So 2) Hash Pipe 1)Undone – The Sweater Song Comments comments 10 best weezer songs Alt AZ best weezer songs birthday Christy Christy Taylor rivers birthday rivers cuomo Weezer 2016-06-13 Christy Taylor


text:
The SG Suave represents a higher state of relaxed laidback ness. It has everything you need to be able to attach the 'classic long pile rug' label on the lapel with a clear conscience: Simple and smart. As fine as this carpet is, it's the precision-spun polyester yarn strands that also make it one robust piece of floorwear. Add a diverse range of shades from the 18 most important colour ways - from subtle grey and beige tones to bright signal colours à la 'superlemon' - and you get clean, wholly stylish understatement. Complete perfection. Or, as we like to say, SG SUAVE.
|pile height
|approx. 42 mm
|total weight
|approx. 5400 g / m²
|acoustic behavior
|sound absorbing
|electrostatic behavior
|capability to restore
|suitable for tables and chairs; we recommend furniture glides.
|floor heating
|suitable for floor heating


text:
Search results
Search results
2020 Small Farm Conference & Trade Show
Sowing Seeds for Success Do own a few acres that you want to be productive but you're not sure what to do with it? Do you have a passion for farming and turning your piece of this wonderful earth into a food producing oasis? Do you own land or forest that ...
Great Lakes Scientist says, "If We Lose The EPA, We Lose Lake Erie"
At the 8 th Binational Meeting of the Lake Erie Millennium Network, 125 scientists gathered at the University of Windsor in Ontario to hear experts weigh-in on the health of the southernmost, warmest and shallowest of the Great Lakes: Lake Erie. One of t ...
Clones Help Famous Elm Tree Named Herbie Live On
A massive Elm tree nicknamed Herbie is long gone, but it is going to live on, thanks to cloned trees that are being made available to the public. Herbie was the tallest and oldest Elm in New England at 100 feet and 200 years. Click here to read more about ...
Is this the final word on WOTUS, or is the rule just being kicked downstream?
Blog Subscriptions ...
Aussie Firefighters Save World's Only Groves Of Prehistoric Wollemi Pines
Australian Firefighters save a grove of rare Wollemi Pines. Just 200 of the prehistoric tree are left in their natural environment within the canyons of Wollemi National Park. Read about the exquisite Wollemi Pines here ...
Dairy Service Unit Offers Youth Award and Scholarship
Each year the Wayne/Ashland County Dairy Service Unit announces a scholarship award winner and an outstanding dairy youth award winner at its annual meeting in March. The 2020 annual meeting is scheduled for the evening of March 19 at the Buckeye Agricul ...
Farm Bill ARC/PLC Decision
The Farm Bill ARC or PLC Commodity Program Decision The 2018 Farm Bill provides commodity crop producers with options to choose between enrolling in an Agricultural Risk Coverage (ARC) or a Price Loss Coverage (PLC) program. The farm bill all ...
Fertilizer Applicator Certification
Fertilizer Applicator Certification Training Senate Bill 150 requires fertilizer applicators to obtain certification if they apply commercial fertilizer (not manure) to more than 50 acres. Fertilizer applied through the planter box as a start ...
East Ohio Women in Agriculture Conference
OSU Extension to Host 7 th Annual East Ohio Women in Agriculture Conference Ohio State University (OSU) Extension, the outreach arm of the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) will host the 7th Annual East Ohio Women in Agricul ...
OSU Extension to Host 7th Annual East Ohio Women in Agriculture Conference
Ohio State University (OSU) Extension, the outreach arm of the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) will host the 7th Annual East Ohio Women in Agriculture Conference. This year's conference convenes on Thursday, March 19 from ...


text:
This site uses cookies. By using the site you accept our cookie policy.
New Citroen Cars
Berlingo, C ZERO, C1, C3, C3 Aircross SUV, C4 CACTUS, C4 Cactus Hatch, C4 SpaceTourer, C5 Aircross SUV, Grand C4 SpaceTourer, New Berlingo, SPACE TOURER, SpaceTourer, SpaceTourer Business
New Ford Cars
All-New Kuga, EcoSport, Fiesta, Focus, Galaxy, Kuga, Mondeo, New Puma, New Ranger, S-MAX, Tourneo Connect, Tourneo Courier
New Peugeot Cars
108, 2008 SUV, 208, 3008, 3008 SUV, 308, 308 SW, 5008 SUV, 508, 508 Fastback, 508 SW, Expert Combi, iOn, Partner Tepee, Rifter, Traveller, Traveller Business
New Vauxhall Cars
All-New Corsa, Combo Life, Crossland X, Grandland X, Insignia Grand Sport, New Astra, Vivaro Life
New Aston Martin Cars
DB11, DB11 AMR, DB11 Volante, DBS Superleggera, DBS Superleggera Volante, DBX, New Vantage, Valhalla, Valkyrie, Vanquish S, Vanquish S Volante, Vantage AMR
New Bentley Cars
Bentayga, Bentayga Diesel, Bentayga Hybrid, Bentayga Mulliner, Bentayga Speed, Bentayga V8, Continental Supersports Convertible, Flying Spur, Flying Spur V8, Flying Spur V8 S, Flying Spur W12 S, Mulsanne, Mulsanne Extended Wheelbase, Mulsanne Speed, Mulsanne W O Edition, New Continental GT, New Continental GT Convertible, New Continental GT V8, New Continental GT V8 Convertible, New Flying Spur
New Lamborghini Cars
Aventador S Coupe, Aventador S Roadster, Aventador SVJ Coupe, Aventador SVJ Roadster, Huracan AWD Coupe, Huracan AWD Spyder, Huracan EVO, Huracan EVO Spyder, Huracan Performante, Huracan Performante Spyder, Huracan RWD Coupe, Huracan RWD Spyder, Urus
New Land Rover Cars
Defender, DISCOVERY, Discovery Sport, New Discovery, New Range Rover, New Range Rover Evoque, New Range Rover Sport, RANGE ROVER, Range Rover Evoque, Range Rover Sport, Range Rover Velar
Home > Servicing > Book a Service
You can request a booking online. Simply fill in your details below making sure you complete all the mandatory fields (marked with an asterisk) and click "Make a booking now" at the bottom of the page. A Service department representative will contact you shortly to confirm your booking and answer any questions.
Cambria Automobiles plc, Swindon Motor Park, Dorcan Way, Swindon, SN3 3RA registered in England and Wales company registration number 05754547 VAT no GB 218 1290 83. Cambria Automobiles (South East) Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) - FRN 308872.
We are a credit broker not a lender; we will assess your needs and introduce you to a limited number of finance providers who offer a limited range of finance products. No fees are payable by you for our Finance & Insurance Services. In most cases we are paid a fee by the provider for introducing you to them.
Copyright © Cambria Automobiles plc 2008 - 2020
Website by Crasmundo


text:
MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. – Georgia College senior Whitney Okvist (Kennesaw, Ga.) tied the Peach Belt Conference (PBC) career record for stolen bases as the Bobcat softball team (19-5) extended its winning streak to six games with a pair of victories over non-conference No. 23 Barry University (15-6) and Newberry College (13-9) Saturday at the Peeler Complex. The Bobcats beat the Buccaneers 9-4 and the Wolves 2-0.
Okvist led off for Georgia College in the second game against Newberry with a single and proceeded to tie the PBC record for stolen bases with her 25th this season and 144th of her career. Okvist now shares the record with Danielle Peters (2004-06) of UNC Pembroke.
Sophomore Lacey Najafi (Suwanee, Ga.) hit her first career home run in the fourth inning for the winning score while going 3-for-3 at the plate. Najafi would also double in the sixth and be replaced on the bags with pinch-runner freshman Savannah Chapman (Cumming, Ga.). Chapman would score the insurance run off sophomore Kristen Brooks' (Brunswick, Ga.) single after stealing third.
Freshman Carly Lewis (Seymour, Tenn.) would get the shutout (7-2) going the distance with seven strikeouts, while allowing just five hits.
The Bobcats overcame a 3-0 deficit in the early game to Barry before winning 9-4. Freshman Danielle Bernstein (Cumming Ga.) and senior Emily Hammond (Gainesville, Ga.) led the way with a pair of hits, while sophomore Taylor Campbell (Warner Robins, Ga.), Najafi and Brooks all added a pair of RBI.
The Bobcats had a solid fourth inning tying the game at 3-3 with a pair of runs, but could have done more damage after leaving three on base to end the frame. Najafi's single scored Bernstein and Okvist's single scored Chapman, who pinch-ran for Najafi.
Georgia College would add another pair of runs in the fifth, compliments of a pair of Buccaneer errors. The Bobcats would only get a Hammond hit that inning, but Bernstein and Najafi would score to make it a 5-3 game.
Georgia College put the nail in the coffin with a four-run sixth inning after Barry had closed the gap to 5-4. Both Brooks and freshman Faith Flanders (Dublin, Ga.) doubled in the inning, while sophomore Abi LeRoy (Dublin, Ga.), junior Frankie Walls (Dahlonega, Ga.), Bernstein and junior Natalie Lampert (Marietta, Ga.) all scored runs in the inning.
The Bobcats used three pitchers, with Flanders earning the win (7-2) in three innings of work. She allowed just one run and three hits. Lewis added a save, her third, with a pair of scoreless innings.
Georgia College begins PBC play with a doubleheader at No. 10 University of North Georgia Wednesday, March 12 starting at 4 p.m.
The Georgia College Department of Athletics, two-time winners of the PBC Commissioner's Cup, sponsors 11 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. As a Division II program, Bobcat Athletics prides itself on balancing the life of the student-athlete, evidenced by the teams' multiple appearances in post-season competition as well as documented academic success and community-service involvement. Sign up at @GCBobcats on Twitter and Facebook for up-to-the-minute reports, and visit GCBobcats.PhotoReflect.com to purchase photo prints from home athletic contests.


text:
Tech professionals like most younger workers love city life, so how are Silicon Valley companies in the suburbs supposed to recruit them? According to a recent report, tech giants such as Apple and Facebook whose headquarters are centered in the Silicon Valley sprawl may be missing out on top talent who want a downtown experience.
The new Apple campus is a glass and steel ring of design innovation, but it's also in Cupertino, Calif. and a long way from San Francisco's cultural and arts scene, according to Wired. Because of this, Apple is finding it harder to recruit top talent who would rather work in the city.
Perhaps this is the reason that Google has begun to buy office space in San Francisco, to keep up with many other companies such as Dropbox, Square, Pinterest and Twitter that make San Francisco their homes. Wired also cites a recent report that of the 26 private tech startups valued at $1 billion or more, more than a third reside in San Francisco.
U.S. & World
News from around the country and around the globe
That said, it's not rocket science to assume a single 20-something is going to want to live in a big city rather than the suburbs filled with married couples and kids -- so is that enough reason why people won't be attracted to Apple? Likely not.
Apple and its platform can be something bordering on religion, and those that believe in it will find working at Apple the pinnacle of his or her career. Steve Jobs' legacy is more than just a building, but building a global and lucrative brand.


text:
RICHMOND, Va. – Two former VCU baseball players both signed minor league contracts with the Atlanta Braves over the past week. LHP Ian Thomas and infielder Sergio Miranda have both been assigned to the Rome Braves, the Class A affiliate.
Thomas, who finished his VCU career in 2009, was pitching for York Revolution an Independent League team at the time of his signing. The lefty has been converted into a reliever, and made nine appearances with the Revolution striking out 12 and had a 0.96 ERA in 9.1 innings. This is Thomas' first contract with a Major League organization
Miranda signed with Braves after being released by the Brewers organization earlier this year. Miranda now signs on with his third club after being drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 13th round in 2007. Last season he spent in Double A with the Huntsville Stars and hit .270 with 16 doubles and 39 RBI.
Miranda has already played in four games with the Rome Braves, with two doubles and two RBI's. Thomas, who signed on Sunday, has not made an appearance yet.
The two former Rams could play together as early as tonight when the Rome Braves face off against the Augusta Green Jackets.


text:
Now I tried using the first 1.6 version.
When I add (or remove) the -, then it does fit anymore and when I do fit it just goes back to where I started.
Any solution?
I also used 1.5 but the textures didn't show...
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 3 guests


text:
Alanis minus 20
Am so not feeling Alanis Morrissette in OK! Magazine gushing about her 20 pound weight loss. Can't put my finger on it but just isn't sitting right. Maybe it's because the styling is for sh-t. Who decided to put her in a long purple dress with those shoes? And those boots with the jeans are all wrong too.
I love Alanis. I just don't love Alanis selling cheese in a magazine. It's so … Tori Spelling. Goes without saying – Alanis is SO MUCH BETTER than Tori Spelling. So why? Why would she lower herself? Like Adrian Brody in Hello Magazine at his fake castle with his girlfriend.
More photos of Alanis in OK! Magazine click here.


text:
Certain laws, whether of the natural world or otherwise, never fail. Where there's road kill, there's vultures, and in the publishing world, where's there's an election, there's bound to be a book – or a dozen – attempting to destroy the candidate.
The latest in a string of books taking aim at Barack Obama hit bookshelves Tuesday and, writes New York Magazine, "it's likely to make Jodi Kantor's "The Obamas" … feel like a neighborly visit."
"The Amateur: Barack Obama in the White House" by former New York Times Magazine editor Edward Klein has barely been out two days and it's already creating a stir.
Among Klein's sometimes unsubstantiated claims: Barack and Michelle almost divorced after his crushing Congressional defeat in 2000, an Obama "friend" unsuccessfully attempted to stop the Rev. Jeremiah Wright from preaching until after the November election with a $150,000 bribe, an "unusually jealous" Michelle Obama orders women close to her husband watched lest he cheat on her, and Oprah and Michelle have an ongoing feud.
Obama and his advisers have "gone to elaborate lengths to hide his dark side," writes Klein, dubbing the President an "Amateur."
It's a bold claim, one perhaps made too easily in today's political publishing world, and one any responsible reader ought to examine more closely.
Thus far reviews suggest Klein's book is long on accusations, often caustic, and resoundingly short on specifics – or sources.
"The personal accusations – that Mr. Obama is aloof, that he has not learned from experience, that he has snubbed former supporters – are nasty but vague," writes Janet Maslin in a stinging critique in The New York Times. Earlier, she writes, "And although the book repeatedly calls him a failure and a disappointment with regard to domestic affairs, Mr. Klein has no capacity for explaining specifics."
A Tuesday New York Magazine blog post titled "There's a Glaring Factual Error on the First Page of Edward Klein's New Anti-Obama Book," found fault with "The Amateur" before the writer turned the first page. (He found fault with this line, "No American politician had attempted to usurp a sitting president of his own party since Ted Kennedy failed to unseat Jimmy Carter more than thirty years before." Pat Buchanan, Dan Amira, pointed out, attempted to unseat George H.W. Bush in 1992.)
What's more, Klein's book appears to suffer from a severe shortage of sourcing, a surprising oversight from a journalist who once edited The New York Times Magazine.
Certain accounts, like a supposed shoutfest between Bill and Hilary Clinton about the latter's campaign against Obama, have been roundly denied by all parties involved. Others are so thinly, or distantly, sourced, as to cast doubt on entire episodes in the book.
After quoting a particularly nasty tidbit Michelle supposedly said about Oprah, New York Magazine's Andre Tartar writes, "Though it should be mentioned that it is not entirely clear if this is coming straight from one of the First Lady's staff or if this is second-, third-, or even eighteenth-hand information."
(That reminds us of playing telephone in third grade with 18 other friends arranged in a circle passing around a phrase that eventually got so botched we dissolved in giggles when it was finally mouthed aloud at the end.)
Earlier, Tartar writes, "Some of Klein's past practices have been questionable at best, so please bring your oversize salt shaker." (This is the man, after all, "whose previous book alleged that Chelsea Clinton was conceived when Bill Clinton raped Hilary Clinton," another New York Magazine post reminds us.)
Indeed, the brash claims and past blunders were enough to cause The New York Times's Maslin to start her review with this zinger: " 'The Amateur' by Edward Klein is a book about an inept, arrogant ideologue who maintains an absurdly high opinion of his own talents even as he blatantly fails to achieve his goals. Oh, and President Obama is in this book too."
Who, exactly, is revealed to be an amateur in "The Amateur?" It may not be the man whom Klein has targeted.
Husna Haq is a Monitor correspondent.


text:
Inspirational Stories
This couple is turning ocean plastic into prosthetic hands
Chris and Laura Moriarty are turning plastic found in ocean waters into prosthetic hands for people around the world.
Amputee Runner Takes On #COMRADES2018 Marathon Using Crutches
Amputee runner, Xolani Luvuno is pursuing his dream to complete the 2018 Comrades Marathon on crutches today. Luvuno is a recovered drug addict and cancer survivor – has been given five extra hours to complete the race.
Teen Whose Father Ran Over His Leg with Lawn Mower Thriving 14 Years After Accident
Brett Bainter came home from work around 3:30 p.m. and found his almost-4-year-old, Jake, riding his green bike in circles in the family's driveway.
Jake's babysitter was still there and it was a nice day, so Brett decided to mow the lawn. Brett reached a dead-end at the side of the house, but when he reversed the mower to turn around, he felt a bump. He didn't know that Jake had gotten off his bike and followed him.
Brett accidentally ran over his son's leg. Now, 14 years later, Jake is thriving — and his family is reflecting on the split second that changed their lives.
Nurse with prosthetic leg starts amputee support group
Jan Abens is a pain management nurse at Baylor Scott & White Hillcrest in Waco. She's been a nurse for nearly four decades and has continued to dedicate her life to serving others even after losing her leg in a motorcycle accident six years ago.
The Voice's Aimee Hannan: 'I don't think I've had a life until this moment"
Aimee, who hails from Sydney, revealed that years of enduring chronic pain in her legs saw her become an amputee at age 22. "I was given two choices: keep my leg and die, or lose my leg and have a life," she said, before tearfully admitting, "It's been hard, but I don't think I've had a life until this moment."
Pilot and motivational speaker born without arms inspires thousands worldwide
Cox holds two Guinness World Records for being the first armless person in aviation history to become a certified pilot, and the first person without arms in the American Taekwondo Association to get a black belt.
U.S. Army veteran shares inspiring story at Amputee Awareness Day
The Lehigh Valley Amputee Support Group held its annual Amputee Awareness Day Saturday at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest. The event is a chance for amputees from across the region to connect and learn about new technology in the world of prosthetics.
2018 Paralympics: Former Navy SEAL wins six medals and other outstanding U.S. performances
Retired Navy SEAL Dan Cnossen finished the Paralympics in Pyeongchang with six medals, taking home a medal in every individual competition he entered in Nordic skiing.
Amputee is hoping to walk again for the first time in 20 years!
After Losing Almost 500 Lbs., Amputee Is Hoping to Walk Again for First Time in Over 20 Years. Following a dramatic weight loss, 42-year-old amputee Stanley Hollar is hoping to finally be able to walk again for the first time since 1996.
One-handed NFL prospect bench presses 20 reps!
NFL prospect Shaquem Griffin completed 20 reps on a bench press drill at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis on Saturday – all with just one hand. The do-it-all defender from the University of Central Florida was a late invitee to the combine and didn't expect to do what he did Saturday with his prosthetic left hand.
Alumna operates amputee foundation after accident
Mona Patel, a Texas State alumna, is hoping to help other amputees rebuild their lives through her organization, the San Antonio Amputee Foundation. Patel plans to continue building membership and awareness for her foundation. She wants to create an amputee youth program to support children with limb loss and their parents. Patel will continue exposing her members to opportunities for healthy lifestyles.
Empire State Building run is just another hurdle for double-amputee Rudy Garcia-Tolson, who will cli
When Rudy Garcia-Tolson starts the 1,576-stair climb up to the top of the Empire State Building on Feb. 7, he will be doing it as a double amputee, helping to raise money for the Challenged Athletes Foundation.
4-Year-Old Amputee Gets 3D-Printed Prosthetic Arm for Christmas: 'It's a Confidence Booster'
Hudson Borton, a congenital amputee, was given the gift of a new left arm on Wednesday after a group of students spent hours working on a 3D-printed prosthetic limb for the little boy.
Novi elementary school students making prosthetic limbs using 3-D printers
Fourth graders at Woods Elementary and Parkview Elementary in Novi have teamed up with members of the high school's robotics team, Novi Public Library staff and the community to build prosthetic hands and arms for children in need across the globe. The prosthetics are being distributed to e-Nable, a global non-profit that provides them to children free of charge. The non-profit is a network of volunteers that build the hands using 3-D printers.
Brave amputee sets sail around Canary Islands on tall ship
Samantha Middleton, who lost both her legs and most of her fingers in a battle with septicaemia in 2003, was thrilled to get the chance to join the crew of The Tenacious – one of only two tall ships in the world designed to be sailed by a crew with varied physical abilities
Despite losing leg to cancer, amputee continues running
Mark Barr didn't let the loss of his leg to cancer stop him from running or playing sports, the three 3-time Paralympian ran a half marathon in Houston to raise money for a local non-profit the helps physically challeged atheletes excel at sports.
Wheelchair-bound amputee comes to aid of car crash victims
A wheelchair-bound man rushed to the rescue of several victims trapped in a car after a bad accident in Arizona
Soccer on one leg carries crutches and a lot of heart
On a recent sunny afternoon, Hugo Carabes prepared for a training session with the Guerreros Aztecas (Aztec Warriors), the amputee soccer club that welcomed him after losing a leg in a motorcycle accident.
"I might not be Messi, but I can show you things that not many people can do with just one leg," said Carabes while planting one of his crutches on the pitch.
Embracing the uncharted life as an amputee – An Airman's story of resiliency
This started as a story about an Airman fighting cancer, overcoming the odds, and returning to active duty. Unfortunately, stories about cancer are rarely so simple, and just when the finish line is in site, new challenges can present themselves.
Such is the case for Maj. Stephanie Proellochs, a Medical Service Corps (MSC) officer, who after a year of treatment and the amputation of her left foot, thought she was cancer-free in November. She was not. Her cancer had spread, and will require additional treatment. While this story had to change as a result, and the ultimate outcome is still in doubt, a few things have not changed. Proellochs' drive to overcome her cancer, her commitment to rejoin her fellow Airmen, and her relentlessly sunny and positive attitude are all still present and stronger than ever.
Marine Amputee Finds Solace in Surfing, Makes Lasting Friendships in Clinic
Toran Gaal is a former infantry squad leader who now lives in Valley Center, California. He's participating in the Naval Medical Center San Diego's Surfing Clinic, which he said helps him to feel like himself again.
Oklahoma high schoolers wanting to donate prosthetic hands to community
The students at Dove Science Academy are actually creating hands for those in need. "We were sort of brainstorming what we could do to help the community and that's when we realized we could build prosthetic hands for kids and that's what got me really excited," Axel Castillo said. The high school students in this engineering class are making prosthetics using simple materials that all start with a 3D printer. The prosthetics are built in different sizes for different ages.
Bronx man with prosthetics competes as powerlifter
Diego Hernedez was severely disabled after being electrocuted as a child. Despite about 60 surgeries, burns to a majority of his body and the amputation of his arm, the 24-year-old recently competed in his first powerlifting competition. Hernedez trained at the Powerhouse Gym in the Bronx and used special arm attachments and a little creativity. People working out at the gym compliment him and say he has become an inspiration to everyone.
The story of a young amputee and his three-legged dog earned a windfall for animal shelter
A boy who lost his leg to cancer came to the Front Street Shelter in Sacramento one day in search of a dog with similar disabilities. He left with a large, slobbery canine amputee named Logan. Eight months later, the video story of their perfect match has captured the 2017 grand prize in a Petco Foundation contest about animal adoptions, besting 3,500 other entries and earning the city's shelter $100,000.
Double Amputee gives others a leg up
Jerry Tibs lost his legs due to medical complications with his heart, but he wouldn't let that stop him from helping others. He uses his life as a double amputee to show others that there is still life after limb loss and has worked with Illinois Agrability Unlimited, which assists farmers with various physical challenges remain on their farms and keep farming in addition to other support groups.
High-tech neuroprosthetic 'Luke' arm lets amputee touch and feel again
Kevin Walgamott lost most of his arm in an electrical accident 14 years ago, but last year he heard about work being done at the University of Utah on an expiremental robotic arm, that would be controlled by the amputee's nerves, which could give the sense of touch back to the wearer. Researchers dubbed it the "Luke" arm, after the legendary Jedi of Star Wars fame. It was developed by Dean Kamen, inventor of the Segway, with additional funding from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
Double Amputee Shares Her Story to Inspire Others
Despite losing her left arm and much of her left leg in a horrific crash on Medford's North Foothill Road two months ago, Klamath Falls resident Chelsea Gamble said she is working hard to focus on a positive outlook on life. Despite losing her left arm and much of her left leg in a horrific crash on Medford's North Foothill Road two months ago, Klamath Falls resident Chelsea Gamble said she is working hard to focus on a positive outlook on life.
Local man competes in triathlon after being double amputee
On Mother's Day 2016, Alex Hearn awoke to a day much like every other. But by the time he'd go to sleep that night, he would be battling for his life and soon would be without his legs.He lost his legs in a car accident and wasn't sure when he'd be walking again. Thanks to his physical therapist and The Scott Rigby Foundation, Alex was able to participate in a Half Ironman triathlon in August.
Child amputee to get surprise meeting with dog amputee
An Indiana boy who lost his legs due to severe burns is in store for a heartwarming surprise – a meeting with an amputee dog. Owen, 10, suffered burns across 98 percent of his body when he was 2 years old. The injuries caused him to have both his legs amputated this year. Chi Chi, a 3-year-old golden retriever, was rescued from horrible conditions and had all four legs amputated. Like Chi Chi, Owen was adopted after the scalding incident that caused his burns. Due to the incident, his biological mother lost custody of him.
Woman using amputation to help fellow amputees
Nikki's leg was amputated in Chicago, where she received support from other amputees. That support was vital to her recovery. But something was missing when she came back home to central Illinois. "When I got here all those peer visits stopped," says Nikki. "There were no longer people coming to see me whom had shared experience in amputation." When she discovered the peer support groups weren't around in central Illinois, she decided to start Central Illinois Amputees
Boston Green Beret amputee set for another tour
Not once after his right leg shattered in Afghanistan in 2013, during a year of surgeries and the months spent learning to walk on a prosthetic leg, did Sgt. 1st Class Nicholas Lavery consider settling for a medical discharge or ending his Army career behind a desk. In January, Lavery will deploy again — where, he can't say. But in the meantime, he's pursuing his master's degree at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology and spending time with his wife, Army Master Sgt. Toni Lavery, and their 6-month-old son, Dominic.
Golden Retriever Therapy Dog with Four Prosthetic Paws Can't Stop Spreading Smiles
Chi Chi, a three-and-a-half-year-old golden retriever living in Arizona, seems to be smiling in every picture. That's why it's so hard to believe all Chi Chi went through before finding her forever home with Elizabeth and her family in Phoenix. Chi Chi is originally from South Korea where she was found in a dumpster, apparently left for dead. Incredibly, a rescue group found her and got her to a vet who realized the only way to save her was to amputate all four of her legs.
Man Wants Fellow Amputees to Know They Can Live Full Lives
Former Beloiter Randy Garetson, 52, is spreading the message that amputees can live a full life, but that doesn't mean his life has been without struggles.
18 Year Old Makes Innovative Prosthetics from Recycled Plastic
Aaron Westbrook was born with only one hand. Several years ago, while a freshman at New Albany High School in Ohio, he tried out his first prosthetic. It didn't fit well, and cost about $40,000, a somewhat staggering sum, considering he would eventually outgrow it. So Westbrook, decided to make his own, using the 3D printer in his school's fab lab.
Veteran Amputee Plans to Rejoin Air Force Pararescue
August O'Neil was wounded in Afghanistan serving as a Air Force Para-Rescuer, a combat medic who jump out of aircraft to reach wounded personnel, he was shot in the leg while giving medical treatment to a wounded Marine. He lost his leg due to this injury.
August wasn't the type to let the loss of a limb stop him from doing his job, he gave himself a "ten minute boo hoo session" then started planning his return to duty.
Meet the grandma who crochets personalised dolls with missing limbs for amputee children
56-year-old Andrea Harrison. She's been bringing joy to children who have had limbs amputated by crocheting them personalised dolls with matching missing limbs, in a bid to help them feel more included. Andrea, who lost her own right leg to type 1 diabetes, started the project after coming across a Facebook post about an eight-year-old amputee, Ffion.
Pete the parrot is getting a prosthetic foot. Then he has to learn to live with it.
In September of 2016 Pete the Parrot was attacked by a fox. The attack left him scarred and without a leg, but that changed when his owner took him to the University of Pennsylvania's exotic animal hospital and they were able to create a 3D printed prosthetic leg for him!
Student pushes through challenges of being an amputee
Although he's not yet 13 years old, Braden Moriconi has already overcome a lot in his life. Nearly 10 years ago, a 3-year-old Moriconi was outside playing when he slipped on some grass and fell under a lawnmower, an injury that required amputating part of his left leg and his left foot. But the seventh-grade Northern Cambria Middle School student hasn't missed a beat as a member of the Northern Cambria junior high soccer team and the Northern Cambria High School marching band.
A Double-Amputee Marine is Training to Run 31 Marathons in 31 Days
Rob Jones loves a challenge. In 2012, he trained for the Paralympics in rowing—he'd never even been in a scull prior to this—and won a bronze medal. In 2013, he took a 5,180-mile bike ride from Maine to California. And now, he's trained to run 31 marathons in 31 days in major cities across the country.
How a state-of-the-art prosthetic leg helped this amputee win a silver medal at the Invictus Games
Retired master corporal Étienne Aubé's golf swing won him a silver medal at the Invictus Games, an accomplishment the Canadian veteran credits to his state-of-the-art prosthetic leg.
Prince Harry honours amputee who lost three limbs in Afghanistan after he wins silver at Invictus Ga
This week, Mark Ormrod, Britain's first triple amputee to survive the conflict, has been honoured by Prince Harry, as he picked up two silver medals in the Invictus Games; the final piece of a decade-long challenge to get his life back on track.
Colton Ward, an amputee, set for Rider varsity debut
Colton Ward has never shied from setting lofty goals for himself no matter the obstacles in his way. And few can claim to have overcome more than the Rider junior.
Marine veteran amputee climbs to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro for a good cause
Marine veteran, Cpl. Kionte Storey, who lost his leg in Afghanistan in 2010, climbed to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro for the #Give2Veterans campaign. Waking up around midnight on Aug. 25, Marine Cpl. Kionte Storey began his final trek up Mount Kilimanjaro, the culmination of months of rigorous training that led him to the top of Africa's highest peak.
Vietnam veteran builds prosthetics in war zones
Dave Evans' life didn't end the day he lost both his legs below the knees in Vietnam. But the explosive booby trap the Cabin Creek native stepped on along a rice paddy dike on Dec. 4, 1970, would determine the course of his life to come.
3-Year-Old Who Lost All Her Limbs to Meningitis Takes Her First Steps on Prosthetic Legs
Harmonie-Rose Allen, 3, lost her limbs after a difficult battle with meningitis when she was a baby. After two months of practicing on her prosthetic legs, she's finally walking independently.
Double amputee walks the beat in Suffolk
A Long Island war hero is walking the beat in Suffolk County on titanium legs as the police department's first double amputee.
Libertyville amputee running 5K to help get crutches to kids in need
Injuries prevented Patrick Scheibler from running the past several years, so the Libertyville resident has been on the sideline as a volunteer for his hometown's annual Twilight Shuffle 5K fundraiser. But on Sunday, Scheibler — now a self-described "one-legged man" — will be back in the field on crutches after a life-changing decision to have the lower part of his left leg removed.
This Badass Mom, Teacher, and Amputee is Redefining What "Real Beauty" Truly Means
Diana Wright is a wife, mother of two daughters, and school teacher who lost her leg in an accident a few years ago. But through her passion and strength, Wright has shown time and time again that while the accident may have changed her body, it did not shake her spirit. She's hit goal after goal when it comes to her recovery, not only learning how to walk again, but also to run; and her infectious positivity is nothing short of inspiring.
Amputee Charlie Lewis On The Freedom Running Gives Him
For Charlie Lewis, running is about far more than keeping fit or clearing his head. It's about the freedom to explore the world around him and challenging his body to achieve ever greater feats. Lewis knows better than most the benefits of running; he had to endure ten years without it after a snowboarding accident when he was teenager.
Amputee to Reattempt Lake Swim Friday
A Massachusetts man with a prosthetic leg will make another attempt at swimming the length of Lake Winnisquam on Friday. Mike Welsch, who has managed to swim every New Hampshire lake except for Winnisquam, planned to hit the waters on Aug. 17, until a medical emergency forced him to postpone his attempt at checking off the last one on his list.
Double-amputee golf enthusiast back on course
He may have lost both his legs, but Edward Urquhart's golf game is stronger than ever. The 28-year-old golf enthusiast lost his limbs in a motorcycle crash last year, but treatment at West Park Healthcare — one of the few in-patient centres in Canada that provides amputees with rehabilative care from start to finish — equipped him with a new outlook on life.
Kids getting Iron Man, Frozen, and Star Wars prosthetics
Iron Man is one of the coolest and most popular superheroes out there. But even Iron Man needs some cool tech to help him overcome the odds. Now, children with prosthetics have a chance to be part Iron Man as they overcome challenges of their own.
Alumni event set for amputee veterans
Bonds forged over games of softball will be rekindled in Branson as the city plays host to the inaugural Wounded Warriors Amputee Softball Team (WWAST) Alumni Kids Camp.
Bryant amputee finishes first Alaskaman Triathlon
Chris Madison lost his leg in a boating accident on July 25, 1985. Ten days before his 32nd anniversary of the accident, Madison finished the inaugural Alaskaman Extreme Triathlon.
Amputee Officer Competes in Olympics of Law Enforcement
Michael Crowe is not only an amputee, he is a police officer who competed in the 2017 LA World Police and Fire Games in Los Angeles. The 28-year old took part in both the dead lift and the bench press competitions competing against law enforcement athletes from around the world.
Former NFL linebacker, powerlifter inspire Louisville amputees
This week, competitive power lifer Ali McWeeny joined retired NFL linebacker David Vobora at the Amputee Coalition National Conference in Louisville for an adaptive training event that catered to amputees who were interested in remaining physically active.
Amputee Model Proves Her Many Doubters Wrong
Shaholly Ayers, a congenital amputee who was born without her lower right arm, has opened up living out her dream as a fashion model despite being told she'll never make it.
Family Raises Money, Awareness for Scholarships to Camp for Prosthetics, Limb Loss
More than 200 people came out to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders game on Tuesday to help raise money to send children with prosthetic and missing limbs to a special camp.
Florida university makes technology to help people with prosthetics to play video games
A university in Orlando, FL has developed technology that allows people without hands or arms to play video games
Students make 3D printed prosthetics for people in need
Local students are taking what they learned in the classroom and are using those skills to help others. Using 3D printing technology, students from Vertus High School printed and assembled hands and arms for children and people in need in Honduras and India.
Children call on their superhero powers to create fanciful prosthetics
Eight children born with different limbs — such as a hand not fully formed or legs that had portions missing — learned how to view their differences as superhero upgrades in a one-day design event called Superhero Cyborgs held at Canopy City, a co-working and incubator space in Somerville, and hosted by a Missouri-based nonprofit called Born Just Right and KIDmob, a design firm based in San Francisco. The event was sponsored by Helping Hands Foundation, and the children worked with volunteer designers.
Free program offers alternative to traditional prosthetic breasts
"Knitted Knockers are a soft, comfortable breast prosthetic that are hand-knitted or crocheted by local ladies," said Jacqui Engstrand, nurse navigator for the Breast Center at Adventist Health. The program began at the hospital last year; the knitted prosthetics are worn beneath a bra, much like traditional prosthetic breasts, but are said to be more lightweight and comfortable than the traditional gel option.
Stacy Paris Forges A New Modeling Career After Losing Her Legs
A woman who had both legs amputated after contracting a flesh-eating bug has overcome her condition to forge a career as a model. Stacy Paris, 30, from Bridge of Allan, Stirlingshire, is now backing plans to change employment laws to give disabled models more rights. The student, who is studying molecular biology at Glasgow University, is the first Scot to sign up to the Models of Diversity campaign, which wants the government to force agencies to represent one disabled model for every five able-bodied models.
Austin amputee on a path to 2020 Summer Paralympic Games
In the summer of 2015, everything seemed normal for Katie Jackson, she had a thriving dental practice, thinking of starting a family with her husband and in tip-top shape. She ran almost every day. Until, she felt an unusual mass behind her right knee.
High school track star with prosthetics topples more records
He was born with a congenital birth defect called fibular hemimelia that caused him to have both legs amputated from below the knee at just 11 months old. He was told that there was a chance he'd never be able to walk.But that hasn't stopped Hunter Woodhall from achieving his goals, in record-breaking fashion.
The Daniel Cloy story. Truley an inspiration.
TEDx– The Cloy Concept
Forged through personal hardship and crafted to help people of all backgrounds, Daniel Cloy created "The Cloy Concept" to guide people through their challenges and give them the tools to take control of their life.


text:
BOSTON -- Massachusetts has scrapped its hopes for a totally customized state-based health exchange under the Affordable Care Act, and will instead purchase an "off-the-shelf" solution that can be installed by the fall with the possibility of joining the federal exchange if all else fails.
The state announced Monday that it would contract with Virginia-based hCentive for health insurance exchange software that has been used to power online marketplaces Kentucky, Colorado, New York and other states.
Health and IT officials will simultaneously work to ready the state and its insurers to join the federal health exchange in case the hCentive software solution cannot be implemented in time for the next insurance open enrollment period that begins in November.
The state's new website is expected to look and function much like Colorado's connectforhealthco.com. The Patrick administration did not provide the cost of the new software.
"I've said all along that no option on the table would be perfect, and the dual track certainly has its benefits and its challenges," Sarah Iselin, the special assistant appointed by Gov. Deval Patrick to oversee the state's health exchange web fix, said in a statement.
She continued, "It does, however, solve for two realities: we need a reliable website to help people during the next open enrollment period, and we need to be in a position to achieve a fully integrated system in 2015."
Iselin, who took a leave of absence from Blue Cross Blue Shield to head up the project for the governor, plans to return to her job in early June. Patrick's deputy chief of staff Maydad Cohen has been appointed as Iselin's successor to oversee the implementation of the new online insurance marketplace.
Iselin and Optum Chief Information Officer John Santelli intend to present the final plan to the Health Connector Authority board on Thursday morning. Optum, who assisted the Obama administration with fixing healthcare.gov, was brought in by the state in February as an IT consultant.
The failed rollout of the state-based health exchange last fall complicated the enrollment process for hundreds of thousands of Bay State residents, forcing Connector staff to implement time-consuming, manual workarounds to process applications. Nearly 160,000 residents have been placed in temporary Medicaid plans while the exchange is being fixed, and another 101,000 subsidized Commonwealth Care members had their plans extended.
Since the botched rollout of online market in October, the state has severed ties with contractor CGI and explored a variety of options to fix the almost non-functioning website, including hiring a new firm to rebuild the existing site.
According to a Patrick administration official, Optum concluded that rebuilding the CGI components "is too costly and too risky from a timeline perspective."
Iselin, Administration and Finance Secretary Glen Shor and other state officials met with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service last week in Washington, D.C. to discuss their latest thinking.
Officials said through the hCentive solution consumers would be able to go online, apply for subsidized and unsubsidized insurance, learn their eligibility for different levels of subsidy, and select a plan. The state is hoping to customize the packaged software to accommodate for some state-specific billing and premium support programs, which might not be possible if Massachusetts is forced to join the federal exchange.
If the hCentive solution is not ready for the fall, Massachusetts could connect to the federal marketplace – healthcare.gov – for one year, officials said.
Joshua Archambault, director of health care policy at the Pioneer Institute, said the state at this point should focus on turning its exchange operations over to the federal government, and determining the "bare minimum" unique characteristic to the state that must be retained in the enrollment process.
"Hiring a new contractor is a complete waste of taxpayer money," Archambault said. "It doesn't look like a recipe for success to me."
Massachusetts has already received $174 million from the federal government for its exchange project, expending $57 million so far, including $17.3 million for CGI. The state is still negotiating a settlement with CGI for the remaining $69 million on the company's contract.
"The state has been planning the transition to a new ACA website since they received the first planning grant in 2010. They have spent or obligated almost $180 million, and yet think it is a wise decision in just over 5 months to try again on the taxpayers' dime. If this was the private sector, we would call this moral hazard," Archambault said.
State will go with off-the-shelf health insurance site
BOSTON -- Massachusetts has scrapped its hopes for a totally customized state-based health exchange under the Affordable Care Act, and will instead purchase an "off-the-shelf" solution that can be installed by the fall with the possibility of joining the federal exchange if all else fails.


text:
Etihad Business
It's time for an experience as individual as you are. Before your flight, take time for yourself in one of our lounges then fast-track to your seat with priority boarding. When it's time to rest on board, recline your chair to a fully-flat bed. Hungry? Dine any time you choose.
Anything but business as usual
On our A380 and B787 aircraft, get ready to sleep on fully-flat beds or relax with friends in The Lobby. With space that you can customise for every stage of your journey, you may not want to leave.
Etihad Chauffeur
We know that the little things can make a big difference. When you travel from the UAE, your journey starts with a chauffeur-driven Mercedes-Benz. A porter will then welcome you from your car, and assist you with your bags to dedicated Business Check-in.
Relax in the lounge
Each of our lounges is a unique place where you can enjoy exquisite international cuisine or simply relax with your choice of drink from the bar. Perhaps pamper yourself in our Six Senses Spa, chill out in the relaxation room or the family room, and even enjoy a refreshing shower.
Welcome on board
We know you want to work when you want, sleep when you need to and dine whenever you're ready. We'll welcome you on board with your choice of beverage – from a flute of champagne to a fresh juice, we'd like you to relax and settle in. The choice is always yours.
Time to rest
Your seat has an adjustable headrest, back support and cushion firmness functions: the height of comfort and space. If you're flying long haul on one of our widebody aircraft, your seat reclines into a fully-flat bed. On our shorter flights, your seat has a generous recline and lots of legroom, so you can switch off, sleep and arrive refreshed.
Your time, your terms
When you fly Business, you decide when you'd like to sleep, socialise or even sync your email.
Dine Anytime
Whether it's a 3-course meal or breakfast before you land, choose from our à la carte menu offering a choice of Emirati and destination-inspired cuisine, healthy options, light bites and even mocktails. We even have an all-day dining menu with our famous steak sandwich and sweet treats to keep you going. Our Food and Beverage Manager will always be happy to advise you, as well as invite you to taste their wine recommendations.
The Etihad A380
If you fly Business on our A380, you'll sit on the upper deck, where you'll also find The Lobby – a unique area to socialise and enjoy a drink with friends. At your seat, you'll find space to hang up your jacket, stretch out on your seat or recline it into a fully-flat bed. You'll have direct aisle access, and an adjustable seat divider for more privacy. The Etihad A380 currently flies to New York, Paris, London, Sydney and Seoul.
Inflight entertainment
Browse hundreds of movies, TV shows, live sports and more, and tune in with your noise-cancelling headset.
- Over 180 movies
- 350 TV shows
- Latest box sets
- Live sports and news
- On-demand music
- 14 radio channels
- Interactive games See what's on board
Onboard Wi-Fi
Keep up with work and the world with our onboard Wi-Fi. You can buy a voucher from our cabin crew or connect via or our onboard network.
Amenity kits
Complimentary ACQUA DI PARMA amenity kits – available on our long-haul flights – contain an eye mask, ear plugs, luxurious socks and a signature fresh fragrance. We can also provide a shaving kit and comb. Just ask.
Arrivals lounge
Business guests are welcome to use our Arrivals lounge in Abu Dhabi, so you'll be perfectly prepped for the boardroom or the beach.
The Lobby
Join friends for a drink, or catch a live sports game in The Lobby on the upper deck of the A380.
Upgrade with miles
Use your Etihad Guest Miles to upgrade to Business or First.


text:
|Wellesley, Mass.
|High School:
|Dana Hall School
Freshman • 2010
Received team's Most Improved Player award ... Played in 16 games, starting the final seven ... Registered three shots in season finale against Columbia (Nov. 6) ... Logged an assist at California (Oct. 10).
Before Harvard
Earned 13 varsity letters in four sports at Dana Hall School … Captained field hockey, tennis and squash teams as a senior and also played ice hockey … Recognized as school's best athlete and top letterwinner … League MVP and Boston Globe All-Scholastic in field hockey in 2009 … National Futures Championship selection in 2008 and 2009 … League-leading goal-scorer in 2008 and New England prep All-Star in 2007 … Three-time all-league pick and two-time league champion … Played in No. 1 position in tennis and squash for two years and named team MVP in both and all-league in tennis … Senior class president, honor roll member and winner of Fitzie Foundation Award and Senior Class Leadership Award.
Grandfather, Philip '57, lettered in baseball, basketball and football at Harvard.


text:
Red Sox - 000 000 010 1 - 2 7 1 Mariners - 001 000 000 0 - 1 4 0Dustin Pedroia tied the game with a solo home run in the eighth inning and pinch-hitter Ryan Kalish doubled and scored on David Ortiz's sacrifice fly in the tenth, as Boston salvaged a split with the Mariners.
With one out in the top of the tenth, Kalish batted for Brent Lillibridge and doubled high off the wall in right-center. He took third on Pedroia's line drive hit to right, and the Red Sox wisely did not test Ichiro Suzuki's arm. Ortiz look at two balls and then lofted a high fly to right-center that allowed Kalish to score the go-ahead run with ease.
Alfredo Aceves needed only five pitches to retire the top of the Mariners' order in the bottom half for his 19th save. It was Boston's first extra-inning victory of the season, in six opportunities.
Doubront (4.1-3-1-5-4, 103) never looked comfortable and set a season-high with five walks. Nonetheless, his performance was encouraging, as he battled into the fifth inning, allowing only one run. He did with the bases loaded and one out, however, but Matt Albers got Jesus Montero to ground into an inning-ending double play on the first pitch!
Albers issued a two-out walk to Dustin Ackley in the sixth, but he was caught stealing. Scott Atchison was perfect for two innings, not allowing the ball out of the infield. Vicente Padilla allowed a one-out double and a two-out walk in the eighth, but worked out of that spot of trouble.
Boston pitchers allowed only five runs in the four games (39 innings).
Pedroia was 2-for-5 (the dong was his first since May 10) with a stolen base, and Cody Ross had two singles and a walk. ... Will Middlebrooks left the game in the ninth with left hamstring tightness (suffered, possibly, on his steal of second in that inning).
The Red Sox (42-37) are 6.5 GB the Yankees, but only one-half game out of second place. They begin a three-game series in Oakland tomorrow night.
Mike Aviles is ill, so there is a new lineup.
Aviles, SSLillibridge, CF
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Ross, RF
Gonzalez, 1B
Middlebrooks, 3B
Nava, LF
Shoppach, C
Lillibridge, CFPunto, SS
The Mariners are batting .199/.276/.290 at home this season, and averaging 2.8 runs per game. It is inexcusable for the Red Sox to be fighting for a split of a four-game series this afternoon.


text:
OTTAWA (Reuters) - A deal by 191 nations to eliminate ozone-depleting substances 10 years ahead of schedule is a "pivotal moment" in the fight against global warming, Canadian Environment Minister John Baird said on Saturday.
Delegates at a U.N. conference in Montreal struck the deal late on Friday. The agreement will phase out production and use of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) for developed countries to 2020 from 2030 and to 2030 from 2040 for developing nations.
The United Nations also hailed the deal, saying it could cut billions of tones in greenhouse gas emissions.
Washington says the faster phase-out of HCFCs will be twice as effective as the Kyoto protocol in fighting climate change. The United States walked away from the protocol in 2001 and Canada says it cannot meet its Kyoto targets.
"It (the deal) ... will stand out as a pivotal moment in the international fight against global warming," Baird told a televised news conference in Montreal.
Baird said the fact that India, the United States and China — major countries not bound by firm Kyoto targets — had signed the deal was a promising sign ahead of talks designed to produce a climate change accord after 2012.
The U.N. Environment Program (UNEP) conference in Montreal marked the 20th anniversary of the Montreal protocol, which was designed to cut the use and output of chemicals found to harm the ozone layer.
Damage to the layer protecting the Earth from ultraviolet radiation has been linked to an increased risk of cancers and cataracts among humans. HCFCs are used in air conditioners and refrigerators.
"Governments had a golden opportunity to deal with the twin challenges of climate change and protecting the ozone layer and governments took it," Achim Steiner, UNEP's executive director, said in a statement.
"The precise and final savings in terms of greenhouse gas emissions could amount to several billions of tones."
White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said the agreement "represents one of the most significant new global actions to confront climate change by reducing the greenhouse gas profile of the phased-out substances."
Under the terms of the deal, all governments agreed to freeze HCFC production by 2013 compared to average production levels in 2009 and 2010.
Developed nations agreed to cut production and consumption by 75 percent by 2010 and by 90 percent by 2015 on the way to a full phase-out by 2020.
Developing nations committed to a 10-percent cut in production and consumption by 2015, a 35-percent cut by 2020, a 67.5-percent reduction by 2025 and a phase-out by 2030.
UNEP said that delegates had agreed to find enough money to provide financial and technical help to developing nations, but gave no details. The United States said before the talks that finding enough aid to satisfy China would be crucial.
Baird told Reuters he had been "stunned and really pleased" by what he called China's huge contribution during the talks.
UNEP said it has spent $2 billion U.S. since 1987 on helping developing nations curb the use and production of ozone-damaging substances.
A study group will now probe how much the accelerated elimination is likely to cost. It will report early next year.


text:
Fire Up Media necesitaba un nuevo diseño de página web y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 50 diseños de 15 diseñadores freelance.
We are not accepting new designers at the moment as we have an established direction with existing entries.
Please check back with us for our next contest. Thank you to everyone who has entered already, your designs were fantastic and provided a great selection to choose from.
Wanted: A professional looking web site design for a trade association representing independent grocers in California - Bonus Prize is Possible!
California Independent Grocers Association (CIGA) is the leading association for independently owned grocers and grocery markets, not corporate chains, for the state of California. CIGA strongly promotes small business retail grocery related outlets as a political advocate and provides programs and services to lower costs for stores. In a sense, CIGA fights for the "small guy" in a "big guy" dominated market within the state of California. California Independent Grocers Association dearly believes in their mission to give small grocers a fighting chance to compete with national or regional corporate chains.
CIGA is rebuilding their entire web site, from the design to the content. They are not a giant corporation, but need a professional look to convey an image of "strong enough to fight with the big guys".
California Independent Grocers Association
The design requested should be "light" in color. Blue is the primary color desired, but will need to be complimentary to CIGA's chrome/grey logo, which is provided. The layout of content items should be open and clean. The design should convey professionalism and trustworthiness.
Navigation links for the front page are:
- Home
- Government Relations
- Member Services
- New Membership Information
- Programs & Services
- CIGA Trade News
- "Local Guy" Radio Program
- Sponsorships
- About CIGA
- Grocers Insurance Fund
- California Coupon Redemption CenterOn the front page, there are some specific content items that will be present:
- List of upcoming events (ordered list from CMS)- List of recently posted news items (ordered list from CMS)- Link, Banner, or Button to "CIGA Member Resources"- Link, Banner, or Button to "Government Relations"- Link, Banner, or Button to "Grocers Insurance Fund"- Link, Banner, or Button to "Coupon Redemption"The content page will not need the above items from the front page, but will have main navigation links (roughly 15 links) similar to the front page.
Logos / Artwork can be found here
Bonus Prize
There will be separate sections of the web site that will need
individual but complimentary design/layouts. These designs could just
be the same as regular content pages but with separate header/banner
graphics. If these items are included, a $250 bonus will be offered.
- Government Relations- Grocers Insurance Fund- Coupon Redemption Center
- 1 Home/Front page layout
- 1 Content page layout
- All graphics files provided in layered PSD format
- Vector graphics formats provided if/when applicableRegarding stock photography - we will purchase and provide to designer for final files. Photography from iStockPhoto (http://www.istockphoto.com) or Crestock (http://www.crestock.com) is preferred, but depending on cost, we will accept other stock photography, but it should be approved of in advance if an alternative cannot be used.
- Logo cannot be changed


text:
Tall, slender stems of grass swish in the warm summer breezes, while coreopsis and coneflowers bob their heads, as if waving. They and dozens of other plants grow in a diverse garden planted on top of a garage in the middle of St. Louis, Missouri. If a person doesn't look up when walking or driving by, they'll miss seeing it.
The 20,300-square-foot green roof on Chicago's City Hall was installed in 2001, and has since been
saving $5,000 per year in energy costs. (Photo Credit: City of Chicago and greenroofs.com)
Green Roof Revolution
St. Louis is one of the more recent cities to jump up on the "green roof" bandwagon. Chicago has long been known as a green city, with many green roof installations, including one atop City Hall. Seattle and Toronto are also leaders in the field, with large numbers of residential green roofs. In the Central Midwest, with its hotter climate, the challenges of growing green roofs are greater. St. Louis has a strong community of landscape architects and engineers who are helping to fuel the trend in Missouri with their innovative variations in green roof design.
What's So Great About Green Roofs, Anyway?
A green roof completely covers this flat-roofed home in Thousand Islands, Ontario, Canada. (Photo Credit: Shim-Sutcliffe Architects and greenroofs.com)
City residents, along with landscape architects, are pushing the trend as they realize they can maximize their spaces. Some homeowners add decks and walkways in addition to plantings, to create a visually appealing setting to entertain or relax. Others add rooftop patio planters, where they can grow extra garden produce in pots.
But the benefits don't stop with creating a spot to kick back with a bottle of wine after a long day and some extra veggies on the table. Falling rain takes time to percolate through a green roof, resulting in city sewers that aren't overwhelmed. Rainwater may take several days to drip through, and can then be collected in barrels to water the yard, saving money in watering costs. A green roof lessens the urban heat island effect, too. Green roofs, once established, become ecological habitats for birds, butterflies and other insects. In some cities, enterprising owners have installed rooftop beehives and harvest their own green roof honey. One of the major benefits, felt in the pocketbook, is that the insulation effect of green roofs reduces a homeowner's direct costs of both heating and cooling a residence.
Daisies, Daffodils or Dianthus?
"Primarily what is different from green roofs in St. Louis compared to green roofs in other parts of the country is the plant palette," says Hunter Beckham, a St. Louis-based landscape architect with SWT Design (swtdesign.com), which has won awards for their green roof designs. "The structure and drainage of the roofs are the same, but different plants may be planted to stand up to our our higher temperatures and less humidity."
Beckham often chooses herbs such as thyme, lavender and yarrow, but also selects from a wide variety of prairie plants, including coneflower, black-eyed Susan, Missouri primrose, and even prickly pear. Additional plants might include drought tolerant sedums, creeping juniper, Allium, Astilbe, Crocus and other bulbs, and several types of grasses, among many choices available. "Green roofs are not a 'natural' landscape," he explains, "so it's not necessary to limit plant selection to local natives, though many natives work well in rooftop gardens." He adds that some plants that are usually avoided are tall trees, which might overwhelm a green roof, both in size and in weight, and plants with a long tap root.
Green Roof in Quilcene, Washington features mixed grasses and forbs, along with driftwood
as focal points. (Photo Credit: Hadj Design/Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, and greenroofs.com.)
Green Roof Components
Before a green roof can be added on a house, garage or shed, an engineer needs to look at the structure and make sure it is strong enough to support the added weight of soil and plants. Otherwise, the first step may mean additional construction to strengthen the framing. "Structure is critical," says Beckham.
Green roofs usually consist of five components. The first is a protection membrane, which prevents water from penetrating the roof. Additional components include drainage material, filter fabric, soil and plants.
Soil may be applied from 2 inches to 8 feet deep, though most installations have between 2 to 15 inches. The depth of the soil also helps determine which plants can be installed. "This is not typical garden soil," explains Beckham. "Green roof soils are lightweight, and are designed so that larger aggregate particles rise to the top to withstand winds and prevent the soil from blowing away. The lower inches of soil contain more nutrients for the plants."
A residential scale garage shows how a neighborhood can be improved. (Photo Credit: Hunter Beckham)
Installation and Maintenance
For a typical residence, it takes a month or more to install a green roof, in a typical five-layered system. Green roofs can also be installed as a modular system, with the modules pre-grown. These can be installed in a weekend, as long as the structural work has been done in advance and permits have been obtained.
Extra watering is needed while the plants become established, which is usually a year, perhaps two. By the third year, plants should be well acclimated. If installed and maintained properly, a green roof should last 40 to 60 years, far longer than the life of shingles typically found on roofs.
Maintenance consists of plucking out weed seeds that blow in, such as elm and maple seeds, and occasionally replacing a plant that has become too big.
A Versatile Spot
Once a green roof is established, owners will think up many more ways to use the space. Some may install a small terrace with outdoor seating, while others add a golf putting range, set up a sunbathing area, or install a small water garden or bubbler fountain. Large roof spaces may even include a basketball or tennis court among the plantings. Whatever the use, green roofs are a trend that is becoming more prevalent. Perhaps there's one already in a neighborhood near you.
Further Reading
For more information, obtain one of the books on green roofs by Ed Snodgrass, such as The Green Roof Manual: A Professional Guide to Design, Installation and Maintenance.


text:
Spring 2011 London Fashion Week: Twenty8Twelve
At Twenty8Twelve, a Child Star Is Born
At Twenty8Twelve, a Child Star Is Born
>> At Saturday's Twenty8Twelve show, Sienna Miller wasn't the biggest starlet in the room, despite the fact that she designs the collection with her sister, Savannah. Instead, it was Savannah's two-year-old daughter, Lyra, who took the runway in a striped sweater dress and tiny skinny jeans before the actual models began their parade, sparking applause and cheers from front rowers like Poppy Delevigne and Meredith Melling Burke (whose own daughter, Eloise, is four). Sienna did make an appearance with her sister for their final bow, but not before two security guards took their place at the end of the catwalk, in matching navy blue suits and pocket squares — she later said that the brand is the bestseller on Selfridges's third floor, with 70 percent sell-through. Meanwhile, Nylon reports the show was opened by 19-year-old London native Edie Campbell, a former face of Marc by Marc Jacobs and Burberry who's currently in the London press for dating Razorlight frontman Johnny Borrell (his last girlfriend was Kirsten Dunst).