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One common misperception is that State Senators run the various departments of the State of California. Wrong. They don't. The problem I've found is that I don't know if anyone is actually running this place.
The Board of Supervisors of California's counties have direct intervention with the department heads on a county's organizational chart. This is not the case for Sacramento legislators.
We can write bills to tell departments what they should be doing and we can hold a hearing once a year to ask department heads what they're accomplishing.
For example, Tuesday afternoon I participated in the Oversight Hearing of the Joint Legislative Audit Committee and the Senate Select Committee on Mental Health, titled "Mental Health Services Act: The State Could Better Ensure the Effective Use of Mental Health Services Act Funding."
It gave me a chance to ask Jennifer Kent, the Director of the California Department of Health Care Services, about the disappointing management report that resulted from the State Auditor's Report 2017-117 (see https://www.auditor.ca.gov/pdfs/reports/2017-117.pdf). . Observations of her department being ineffective and minimal in its oversight of the Mental Health Services Act needed to be addressed. The reverberations of this revenue source have been rattling Orange County as Judge David O. Carter keeps referring to it.
I informed those present about the Naked Capitalism piece, the first one below. It assumes that, by the readers contacting me, I can do something about an awkward hire to a very serious position with the California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS). Wrong. But, at least I can rattle the cages in hearings.
Let me explain why the piece below is worth forwarding to you. It shows that embellishment of one's resume is not a good idea. Someone may just do some fact checking. This was done by LA Times Columnist Michael Hiltzik. Mr. Hiltzik has enjoyed a long relationship with the LA Times. For proof, and a fun read down memory lane, go to MOORLACH UPDATE — LOOK BACKS — December 14, 2009.
Why this long introduction? To make an argument for Senate Bill 1297 (see http://district37.cssrc.us/content/senate-bill-1297-state-chief-operating-officer). This state needs better management and SB 1297 provides for a leadership position that can address matters of this nature. It will be heard in the Senate Governmental Organization Committee next Tuesday.
The second piece, from R Street, provides the details of the four pension bills that I will be presenting in the Senate Public Employment and Retirement Committee on Monday. They are SB 1031, 1032, 1033 and 1433 (also see MOORLACH UPDATE — City CAFR Rankings – Vol. 8 — February 22, 2018, MOORLACH UPDATE — City CAFR Rankings – Vol. 5 — February 14, 2018, MOORLACH UPDATE — City CAFR Rankings – Vol. 4 — February 12, 2018).
The third piece, from Fox & Hounds, addresses SB 1074, which will be heard in the Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee on Monday.
This week I presented SB 1363 successfully to the Senate Appropriations Committee and it is now on the agenda for a Senate Floor Session vote. SB 1463 in the Senate Environmental Quality Committee, not so good. Let the record show that I tried to address the global warming concerns with SB 1463. I would conclude that the state's efforts to truly address greenhouse gases are, at best, a joke, and at worst, a fraud. Not including the greenhouse gases generated by wildfires and not approving the provision of a simple way to address the hardening of electrical power lines is, in my opinion, legislative malpractice by the majority party.
SB 1325 died in the Senate Health Committee, thus not providing a protocol to address medical emergencies in a mature and cooperative manner for all of the residents of our state.
To give you the rest of my workload for next week and the details concerning the bills that I will be presenting, please see http://district37.cssrc.us/legislation.
SB 1159 will be heard in the Senate Appropriations Committee on Monday. SB 1099 will be heard in the Senate Public Safety Committee on Tuesday. SB 1049, 1395 and 1411 are scheduled to be heard in the Senate Governance & Finance Committee next Wednesday, although I may drop SB 1411 and try it again in the next Session.
I will also be back to the Senate Health Committee Wednesday afternoon to present SB 1206 (De Leon) to address forward movement on "No Place Like Home" initiative.
Presenting more than a dozen bills next week will probably make it the most crazy of the year.
BONUS: Today my third grandchild was born at Hoag Hospital. Welcome to my newest grandson, Koa Keitara Johannes!
Los Angeles Times Confirms Our Reporting on CalPERS CFO Charles Asubonten's Resume Misrepresentations; CalPERS Admits to Fabrications and Gets Defensive
by Yves Smith
The Los Angles Times' Pulitzer-Prize-winning reporter Mike Hiltzik confirmed our reporting on the misrepresentations and discrepancies in the resume of recently-hired CalPERS Chief Financial Officer Charles Asubonten and called on the board to investigate. If you managed to miss the series, you can find the links to them at the end of this post.
But what is particularly surprising about his article, Questions about new CalPERS CFO's background and experience should be taken seriously by the pension fund, is that the CEO Marcie Frost and Asubonten spoke together to Hilzik on the phone and yet did not deny any of the issues raised in our series (to be clear, talking around a problem does not amount to disproving or denying it). Hiltzik may have covered more points with them than he discussed in his article; I pinged Hiltzik to congratulate him on the piece and he mentioned not being able to cover certain discrepancies due to space constraints.
It is even more surprising that Frost decided to act as her own flack rather than get a professional involved when neither she nor Asubonten have disputed any of the facts presented in our series of articles (and bear in mind, they had more than a week between when I e-mailed the board with a detailed outline of most of the misrepresentations and when I launched the series.
I urge you strongly to read Hiltzik's article in full, but in case you are time pressed now, here are the high points.
Frost and Asubonten effectively admitted to resume discrepancies. Hiltzik's story focused on two of Asubonten's major claims. One was that he was responsible for what he stated was a 70% CAGR increase in the stock price of Palabora Mining Company. Hiltzik confirmed what we had found, that the stock price was in the upper 40s when Asubonten joined versus the 20s that he had put on his resume, and never fell that low the entire time he was there.
Hiltzik also questioned the premise that any mid-level manager could have the impact that Asubonten asserted that he had. He also mapped Palabora's stock price against the price of copper, showing that the commodity price moves alone largely explained changes in Palabora's stock price.
The second major claim that Hilzik investigated was one that both Asubonten and later CalPERS made, that he had been the managing director of a private equity firm. Frost in attempting to defend Asubonten admits that our assessment was accurate, that Asubonten was never a private equity professional, as in employed in an asset management firm that was investing money on a discretionary basis. Frost stated that Asubonten's company was a consulting firm.
As we pointed out more than once, consultants to investors, including very prestigious ones like McKinsey, BCG, and even ones whose business is primarily that of consulting to investors like Houlihan Lokey never call themselves private equity firms. Even worse, Frost said that per Hiltzik, "her understanding" was that Asubonten's firm was a consulting firm that advised international investors. That strongly suggests that even in the face of the controversy over Asutonten's truthfulness, Frost has made no effort to make any independent verification of the questionable claims on his resume, and on top of that, is trying to rationalize ones that clearly were misleading. Hiltzik observed that CalPERS' parroting of Asubonten's dodgy "private equity firm" claims would probably not pass muster with the SEC if CalPERS were a public company.
Asubonten made a new claim that does not match up against public information. Marcie Frost told JJ Jelinic that Asubonten admitted to a period of unemployment, which we had assumed was after he was terminated from Palabora Mining Company at the end of 2009 through at least the end of 2010, since according to the suit he filed against Palabora in South Africa, he was looking for a job then.
This is what Asubonten told Hiltzik:
He said the employment gap on his resume covered a period in which he was working with a consortium on an ultimately unsuccessful effort to buy the copper mining company.
That does not hold water. As you can see on the resume embedded at the end of the post, at the top of the second page, he depicts himself as having been involved in his private equity activities staring in 2010 to 2012. Asubonten told the Los Angeles Times that that "employment gap" was occupied by working with unsuccessful bidders to buy Palabora.
But Palabora was not put up for sale until early September 2011. Moreover, having participated in mergers and acquisitions at Goldman, later running a mergers and acquisitions business, and subsequently worked regularly with investors, typically on the buy side, it is clear that Palabora's majority owners Rio Tinto and Anglo American put the company up for auction, which is how companies are sold to get the best price.
Mind you, virtually all divisions of large companies are sold via auction. The only time a seller, particularly a seller that is a public company, might deviate from that practice is if a public sale could damage the value of the asset, if there were some critical senior executives who might bolt in the event of a public sale and would therefore have a major say on who the new company owners would be. or there were competitive considerations. None of these would apply to a relatively small, non-strategic operation like Palabora.
It is similarly inconceivable that Rio Tinto would have been engaged in any serious discussions with potential buyers prior to putting the company up for sale. It's too well demonstrated that auctions yield the best price for corporate seller to engage in a preliminary time-wasting exercise when a property eventually be sold publicly in a highly structured process. Similarly, any serious buyers would know they'd at best be setting up a public sale if they were to approach a possible seller. Thus, the usual practice among possible purchasers is simply to let a potential seller to be sure to include them in any future buyer solicitation rather than put any energy into putting together an offer.
Having said all of that, it is credible that Asubonten did get himself a consulting assignment with one of the groups that was kicking Palabora's tires. As a former CFO of the unit, Asubonten could present himself as having inside information about the operation and knowing its cost structure particularly well. But even with established clients (as in they know my price and terms and have accepted my standard agreement), I've never had it take less than a week and a half to firm up arrangements on an assignment. So charitably, the earliest Asubonten could have been engaged to work on a purchase of Palabora would have been mid September 2011. That leaves a full 20 1/2 months of unemployment in 2010 and 2011.
Hiltzik dings the board for behaving "childishly" and shirking its duties. From the close of his article:
…the board has shown itself to be one of our less impressive public bodies. Just a year ago, as I reported, the board was bogged down in intramural bickering and attacks on one of its most tough-minded members, J.J. Jelincic.
As recently as last month, this behavior surfaced again, when board President Priya Mathur locked board member Margaret Brown out of CalPERS premises over what appeared to be a minor infraction. Moreover, according to a letter sent to Mathur last Friday by James Moody, an attorney for Brown, and reported by Webber, Mathur or CalPERS staff under her direction have been diverting mail addressed to Brown at CalPERS—and apparently to other board members as well—and in at least some cases not sharing its contents with the addressee….
All this suggests that the CalPERS board members need to be given something serious to work on so they have less time to act childishly. A good place to start would be to inquire just how one of the system's most important executives was recruited and hired, and whether he's everything his CEO says he is.
Since as Hilzik points out, neither Marcie Frost nor the board seem inclined to ask the questions they ought to be asking about Asubonten, CalPERS beneficiaries and California taxpayers need to give them a nudge
Here are the members of the Senate Standing Committee on Public Employment and Retirement:
Senator Mike Morrell (Vice Chair)
Here are the members of the Assembly's Public Employees, Retirement, and Social Security Committee:
And here are the contact details for the two elected state officers who also sit on CalPERS' board:
Mr. John Chiang
California State Treasurer
Post Office Box 942809
Sacramento, CA 94209-0001
(916) 653-2995
Ms. Betty Yee
California State Controller
P.O. Box 942850
Sacramento, California 94250-5872
(916) 445-2636
Naked Capitalism reader have have an impact when snail or e-mailing California state officials on CalPERS matters. I hope you'll rise to the occasion again.
If any of the legislators above represent your district, I would write them expressing your concerns about governance at CalPERS. Or you could write all the members of both committees and tell them you have friends and family in their districts and plan to call their attention to the festering problems at CalPERS. If you are a CalPERS beneficiary, be sure to mention that.
If CalPERS can't respond properly to the LA Times saying that its CFO's resume doesn't add up, and is not even allowing board members to get its own mail (link to our post yesterday), how can it possibly be up to the challenge of handling its underfunding crisis? Tell them the board governance is so clearly inadequate that they need to create an inspector general for CalPERS to provide badly-needed supervision. Copy Yee and Chiang, who as statewide officials are also sensitive to constitutent letters.
Thanks so much for your interest and efforts!
Pension bills are common sense –
yet have little chance of passage in
Steven Greenhut
Western Region Director, State Affairs
The California Public Employees' Retirement System's report released last week touts all of the pension fund's good news, which it says "has built a solid path forward for the long-term future of the fund." But as longtime pension reporter Ed Mendel pointed out in his recent blog, the pension fund's future is still quite troubled. Apparently, myopia reigns at CalPERS.
Consider this fact, raised by Mendel: Despite earning more than double its predicted returns during a bull market last year, CalPERS' funding levels only increased by a blip, from 67 percent to a meager 71 percent of the funds needed to pay its future costs. Pension experts say that 50 percent funding is the likely point of no return – if a pension fund's assets fall below that level it will be nearly impossible to ever recover to a healthy funding level.
Meanwhile, California cities continue to struggle with service cutbacks as CalPERS wallops them with increasing fees. The term is "crowd out" as cities cut "core services, including higher education, social services, public assistance, welfare, recreation and libraries, health, public works, and in some cases, public safety" to pay their CalPERS bills, according to a Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research report last October.
CalPERS isn't facing the death spiral of, say, New Jersey's pension funds, which are funded at a frightening 31 percent. But the problem should not be taken lightly. The stock market is at record heights. If there's a downturn – and, as Gov. Jerry Brown likes to point out, there always are downturns – local budgets, the state budget and retiree earnings could all be at risk.
Enter state Sen. John Moorlach. The Costa Mesa Republican, best known for predicting the 1994 Orange County bankruptcy, has introduced four relatively modest pension reform bills that could help CalPERS get control of its liability problem. They are scheduled for an April 23 hearing in the Senate Public Employment and Retirement Committee. They have little realistic chance of passage in the Democratic-controlled, union-friendly Legislature – but it's still worth proposing sensible, constructive measures to highlight the extent of the state's pension problem. When the problems become too severe to ignore, at least CalPERS and legislators will know what approaches they have available to tackle the mess.
Senate Bill 1031 would "amend California Government Code to temporarily freeze cost of living adjustments (COLAs) when a public retirement system investment fund drops below an 80 percent funded status," according to the senator's office. That is a simple approach to ballooning pension costs. California public-employees already receive exceedingly generous pension benefits. It's absurd to keep giving them raises given the fiscal situation.
Senate Bill 1032 is more complex but potentially more significant. It should be called the Terminator bill because it would, well, terminate something known as the Terminated Agency Pool, or TAP. Currently, CalPERS invests all its retirement contributions in a general pool that has a predicted rate of return of 7 percent annually (down from 7.5 percent). The higher the predicted return, the lower the predicted funding problem. Most experts believe that return rate has been set too high over the long term despite the great returns from last year.
However, when a government agency shuts down, as something called LA Works has done, or chooses to exit CalPERS because it can no longer afford to make CalPERS' payments, the pension fund sticks them in a separate pool. That pool, the TAP, has a low-risk expected rate of return of 2 percent. In the general pool, taxpayers are on the hook for any shortfalls. When agencies unlock themselves from CalPERS' golden handcuffs, only CalPERS is responsible for paying them off.
So the fund assumes a return that is basically a risk-free return – and is more reflective of the realistic rates that would exist sans all those taxpayer subsidies. Moorlach wants to put an end to that shell game. It would be a significant reform because, by eliminating TAP, more local governments would feel free to pursue options outside CalPERS. Currently, they can't leave CalPERS because they'll be hit with an enormous financial penalty for doing so. For instance, Calimesa was able to start its own fire department (with a 401/k retirement plan rather than a defined-benefit pension) because it was not burdened by all those penalties.
Senate Bill 1033 requires agencies that contract with CalPERS "to bear full financial responsibility for actions that would increase actuarial liability for a member's pension contributions," according to the senator's statement. If they boost pension payments, they should bear the full costs of that decision. That's a simple matter of fiscal responsibility.
Finally, Senate Bill 1433 restricts counties or districts from newly participating in a Defined Retirement Option Plan, or DROP. DROPs are such a taxpayer giveaway that they were targeted by the governor's own pension-reform legislation in 2013. A DROP allows public employees to collect their full pension and receive their full salary, too, which they get in a lump sum upon their actual retirement. The existence of these programs is proof that the state's retirement systems are much too generous.
Police and firefighters can retire at age 50 with 90 percent of the average of their final years' pay. Many want to keep working and their agencies want them to keep working. But because the "3 percent at 50" retirement plan is so lush, they would be working for little or no pay if they stayed on the job past the young age of 50. Instead, they get paid almost double. These programs were supposed to be cost neutral, but have cost billions of dollars because they were underpriced.
Los Angeles' DROP program is particularly controversial. The program "received a flood of new enrollees in February," according to the Los Angeles Times. This "coincided with a Times investigation in February that found the program, which was created in 2002 to keep veteran officers and firefighters on the job, allows participants to file workers' compensation claims and then take extended injury leaves at nearly twice their usual pay." This has cost more than $1.6 billion, with the average participant walking away with an extra $434,000, per the Times.
Given the pension funds' fiscal condition, it's hard to understand any serious opposition to these modest measures. When the health of the system is on the line, why wouldn't the state want to clamp down on costs? Stay tuned for the hearing, even though the Legislature has yet to show any interest in reining in pension costs.
The Public Deserves Transparency of Pricing at the Pump
By Ronald SteinFounder of PTS Staffing Solutions, a technical staffing agency headquartered in Irvine
Fuel prices in California are among the highest in the country, as a result of some of the highest taxes in the country, plus the costs associated with compliance with various State environmental laws, which trickle down to the consumer, resulting in Californian's paying as much as $1 more per gallon than most folks in the country. A bill currently working its way through Sacramento is SB 1074 (Moorlach) "Transparency in fuel taxes".
Most everything that is bought, from clothes, computers, vehicles, etc., are based on price plus tax, except one item – transportation fuels, as the posted price includes everything.
Case in point was SB1 for Transportation Infrastructure funding that is targeted to raise $52 billion for infrastructure projects, added 12 cents to gasoline and 20 cents to diesel on November 1, 2016. With California already having some of the highest fuel taxes in the nation, the cost of those fuels did not change last November, but the posted price at the pump did change, but was not transparent to the public as to why fuel prices went up.
Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) compliance is getting tougher to meet each year as well as more costly each year. Today, the California Energy Commission (CEC) shows that the LCFS adds 10.1 cents per gallon for gasoline, and 6.8 cents for diesel. Those costs trickle down to the consumer and are hidden within the posted price of fuel at the pump.
The CEC also shows that Fuels Under the Cap (FUTC) i.e., the "boutique" fuel standards for gasoline and diesel required by the Federal Clean Air Act and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to meet the state's fuel blending requirements for reformulated gasoline standards accounts for 11.9 cents per gallon for gasoline, and 14.5 cents for diesel. Again, those costs trickle down to the consumer and are hidden within the posted price of fuel at the pump.
Cap & Trade revenues are funding the High Speed Bullet train as well as many other "green" projects. Within numerous state government agencies, there is a feeding frenzy on getting a piece of those lucrative cap and trade "fee" revenues for their projects. Again, those costs trickle down to the consumer and are hidden within the posted price of fuel at the pump.
The CEC shows that California fuel consumption is at the highest level since 2007. Fuels consumption for California's 35 million registered vehicles in 2016, of which more than 90% were not EV's, was 52 million gallons per DAY of gasoline and diesel. Sounds like a lot of fuel, but it's only about 1 plus gallons per day per vehicle, resulting in refueling requirements every week or two.
With numerous incentives, 50% of the EVs in the nation are in one state-California, but they only represent about 7% of the 35 million registered vehicles. With the other 49 states accounting for the other 50%, it appears that nationwide, they are not endeavored by the EVs.
On a go forward basis, internal combustion engines appears to be the choice of citizens. The California economy is heavily driven by affordable transportation. Yet, Californians pay more per gallon of gasoline and diesel due to costs that are not transparent to the public.
A Yes vote on SB 1074 would expand transparency at the pump by creating a Quick Read (QR) Code that directly links the consumer with updated costs of taxes and regulated costs associated with the production of each gallon of fuel purchased would demonstrate that our elected representatives favor transparency of the costs that are included on the posted prices for fuel at the pumps to show the public why Californians are paying as much as $1 more per gallon than the rest of the nation.
On the contrary, a No vote on SB 1074 would demonstrate that our elected officials do not want the public to know why our fuel costs are among the most expensive in the country.
This e-mail has been sent by California State Senator John M. W. Moorlach, 37th District. If you no longer wish to subscribe, just let me know by responding with a request to do so.


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Photo Credit: Thinkstock
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – Officials are on the scene of a garage fire in Washington Township.
It happened around 5:45 p.m. at commercial garage at Deerfield Farms in the 190-block of Black Road.
Initial reports indicate that there were no injuries or entrapments.
No word on what caused the fire.
Stay with KDKA for more information.
More Local News
More Police News

subset: commoncrawl


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Anne Frank: The Anne Frank House Authorized Graphic Biography by Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colon
Anne Frank's story of hiding in occupied Amsterdam from the Nazis has had several treatments in several different mediums (all based on the diary that she wrote while in hiding). I was excited to discover this graphic-novel treatment at my local library. While most versions focus on the time hiding in the attic, this book gives a full overview of Anne's life, starting with the marriage of her parents. The story moves at a good pace, describing their life in Germany, their flight to the Netherlands, their hiding from the Nazis in the attic of the father's business. The book also covers the period after their discovery, when the family is sent to the concentration camps where all but the father dies. The last ten pages tell the story of her father's discovery of the diary and how it became famous.
Anne's life story is well told. In addition to the overview of her life, the authors added some "snapshots" which are sidebars describing historic events (like the Nazi rise to power or Kristallnacht) or important information (like a world map showing the Allies, Axis, and neutral countries during World War II). I found this book compelling reading and definitely recommend it.


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PTF test for PI38376: A TCP connection can use the wrong maximum segment size (MSS) on V2R1
Part One
A test role here at Communications Server for z/OS involves more than just testing the latest and greatest code. Customers run into issues and fixes need to be made available for them, but not before they are internally tested. Today I describe my experience testing this PTF as a still relatively new member of the z/OS System test team. A lot of frustrations were had, but fortunately I still have all of my hair and had the chance to learn some new things.
Gathering Information - I know some stuff, maybe?
To start, I look at the PTF record and corresponding web pages in our internal source control tool to gather some initial information. I end up with a Notepad++ document full of haphazardly pasted notes from various resources to sift through and make some sense of. Fortunately there are a ton of details, which makes for a happy tester. I'll leave the majority of the nitty-gritty out and summarize the situation:
- A distributed DVIPA (DRVIPA) is defined for at least two systems in a sysplex: one being the primary distributor and the other a backup.
- If the backup stack is started before the primary distributor and takes over the DVIPA, an implicit (host) route from the backup to the primary distributor is created for that DRVIPA with an MTU size of 576 during the SYN stage of a TCP handshake. In the failing case the multipath routing algorithm is used, which chooses the smallest MTU value among all possible routes to the DRVIPA but ignores the default host route. Although OMPROUTE uses OSPF to advertise host routes with larger MTU sizes, the MTU for this particular route remains "stuck", resulting in an MSS (maximum segment size) of 536 for outbound TCP connection setup requests. No bueno.
"The problem occurs when an implicit host route for the DRVIPA is generated with the default MTU 576 instead of 65535 on a backup system. This is accomplished by starting the backup system first before the distributor."
To make matters a bit more convoluted, the conglomerate of notes inform me that I will not be able to view the incorrect MTU with a simple netstat route display. Instead, I'll have to dump the TCP/IP stack after recreating the scenario and scour through the raw memory. Staring at hexadecimal. Looking for something called an "RTE" in something else called an "RTOP."
Additionally, the customer's error description included steps to recreate the error:
1. Define DRVIPA to be used
-Backup definition must be defined without the MOVEABLE IMMED
2. Start TCPIP on a backup system without OMPROUTE
3. Start and stop the primary distributor without OMPROUTE to force the DRVIPA takeover on the backup stack
-At this point the host route for the DRVIPA with the MTU of 576 is created on the backup stack
4. Restart the primary distributor with OMPROUTE to takeback the DRVIPA
5. Start OMPROUTE on the backup so OSPF host routes will be learned from the distributor
-At this point the MTU value set at 576 will get "stuck"
6. If a connection is established from the backup to the DRVIPA on the distributor, a netstat display on this connection will show the MSS set to 536
7. Dump the TCP/IP address space
-Examine the dump to find the MTU value of 576 from RTOP in RTE
So far, I know our environment has, at least, bits and pieces of this customer configuration. The SVT environment has DVIPAs defined with their corresponding VIPADISTRIBUTE and VIPABACKUP definitions. Since these DVIPA definitions were built to be highly customizable to suit a customer's needs, the amount of options and parameters possible combined with ensuring correct syntax can be overwhelming at times. For this reason my preferred method is to take from example - there are already so many different kinds of configuration files saved over the years in our test environment that there is likely one I can use as a template for this test.
As a tester, however, I could have saved a decent amount of time if all of the test information I needed were in a single location, instead of a number of separate records/web pages. I had to dig around to find useful pieces of information, and the first place that I looked (the PTF test record directly assigned to me) did not contain detailed error recreation instructions.
Research - I figure out some stuff
Terms and concepts
From the information I've gathered so far, I need to define some acronyms and understand some concepts not previously encountered.
- RTOP: Google search didn't come up with anything, and neither did the two 'Terminology' bots on Sametime, so I went to the V2R1 Knowledge Center. A search gave me the RTOPTS, or run-time options for the language environment which doesn't seem related, so I asked a more experienced tester who wasn't familiar with the acronym either. Luckily I was eventually able to find someone who was familiar with it, and it turns out that RTOP is an identifier (an "eye catcher" as we call it) for a control block of a group of routes to a given IP address destination in a dump of the TCP/IP address. Internal stuff, so that's why it wasn't publicly searchable.
- RTE: Another hopeless Google search but 'RTE', turns out, is related to a TCPIPCS ROUTE report in IPCS. All of that happens to be in the Knowledge Center. Looking as a sample TCPIPCS ROUTE report gives me more clues - it looks like RTE is just a shortened name for the "Route" field in the report. RTOP has something to do with this report, but I don't quite see where it fits in just yet. Eventually, the same person who explained what RTOP was explained that RTE is an eye catcher for the route control block in a memory dump; there can be multiple RTE entries for a single RTOP.
- MOVEABLE IMMED parameter for VIPABACKUP definitions: sticking to Knowledge Center for this one, the MOVEABLE IMMEDIATE parameter refers to the behavior of a DVIPA in the case of stack takebacks. So, if the stack owned the DVIPA then went down, transfers ownership of that DVIPA to the backup stack defined, and then comes back up, the stack will regain control and all new connections for that DVIPA. In this test scenario, the customer does not have MOVEABLE IMMEDIATE defined, so I will need to ensure that it is also not defined on my test systems.
- Implicit host route/routing, and how to spot it: I thought way too hard about this one and should have just asked someone right away because, as it turns out, it is simply a host route or a route to an IP address on the HOME list (signified by the H flag in a netstat display). It appears that the term "implicit" is older language exclusive to the mainframe crowd. That happens quite a bit around here.
- Multipath, including where it's defined and how to tell that it is enabled: What I want to know is where and how multipath is defined on a stack or router, or at least how to tell that it is being used. Back at the Knowledge Center I came across the Routing section with an OSPF overview. Just as the name suggests, multipath allows for a routing table to contain multiple routes ("paths") to a destination. There is also an IPCONFIG MULTIPATH or NOMULTIPATH statement for the TCP/IP profile, which either enables or disables multipath routing for outbound traffic, respectively. When testing I will need to verify that the MULTIPATH statement is configured for the TCP/IP stack I will use; I can also confirm it is being used by looking at a routing table netstat display. If multiple routes exists for a single destination, multipath is in use, at least for inbound traffic.
- How to examine a dump of the TCP/IP address space to find the IP routing table that should show the DRVIPA implicit host route with MTU 576: I know this part is specific to our environment and what we already have set up, but to find the MTU value buried in raw hex could be a formidable undertaking.
Test procedure
The combined PTF records already provide a lot of information that will save me a significant amount of time by outlining steps for recreation with a good amount of detail - high quality test relies on the presence of as much relevant information as possible. The challenge at this point, however, is determining how I will mimic the customer's configuration and recreation steps in our own shared test environment.
For this test I will need at least two systems in the same sysplex. One as the primary distributor of the DRVIPA and one as a backup. Likewise, I'll need a method to "stop the distributor" which can be done using a few different ways such as forcing the stack to the leave the sysplex, or using a VARY DEACTIVATE command on the DRVIPA itself, or stopping the stack entirely. I'll need to define this DRVIPA similar to the customer's configuration and be able to access and modify TCP/IP profiles. Finally I'll need to be able to stop and start OMPROUTE on either stack.
At this point I think it's time to bring up some systems and see all of this for myself.
Stay tuned for Part Two where I dive in and actually do some testing!


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Engineering a Smarter Sydney – finalists show the way
Media release | Engineers Australia, Sydney Division |
Imagine a safe and energy efficient city without a towering power pole in sight, a city filled with affordable homes that can be constructed and ready to move into within a couple of days – sound too good to be true?
Welcome to the Sydney of the future, an intelligent city engineered by the minds behind award-nominated projects such as the Networked Infrastructure National Architecture (NINA) Access Pathway and TEKTUM SPACE 2.0. Both projects are finalists in the Engineering Excellence Awards, presented by Engineers Australia, Sydney Division.
The NINA Access Pathway and TEKTUM SPACE 2.0 showcase innovative design and ingenuity to address public needs, paving the way for the urban landscape of the future. In doing so, they demonstrate the possibility for Sydney to be a world-class smart city by harnessing potential within the existing environment to provide for the growing population whilst improving quality of life.
The NINA Access Pathway project provides an alternative for utility distribution in cities and urban environments – where more than half of the world's population lives, replacing the need for power poles by distributing services underground along street curbs.
Guy Dixon, ?Founder and Inventor at NINA says that Sydney's current focus on investment in the build and maintenance of power poles and wires is detrimental to the city's evolution.
"This focus creates an ugly and expensive problem for urban environments and is neither environmentally friendly nor energy-efficient.
"Rather than have power lines up poles, water under the road and telecommunications everywhere, the NINA Access Pathways solution, provides the way to install all utility distribution systems into the curb creating a "dig once" solution to infrastructure access needs."
Another future-proof project that is a finalist in the Engineering Excellence Awards Sydney is TEKTUM Ltd. Designed to provide a fully transportable build
ing solution, the SPACE 2.0 building platform by TEKTUM can be unfolded on a site and assembled within days, creating an immediate housing solution that is energy efficient, sustainable and affordable, whilst providing a real home for occupants.
Nicolas Perren, Joint Managing Director at TEKTUM says this solution not only operates affordably, but also retains the highest quality execution available in modular housing.
"SPACE 2.0 defines the way we will live tomorrow. It is architecturally-customisable and can be mass produced in a way that is sustainable by using renewable, recycled or recyclable materials."
The Engineering Excellence Awards Sydney will showcase these and other creative solutions to shape Sydney's future. The brightest, innovative ideas will battle it out to be crowned the winner at the Awards Gala Dinner, 20 September 2013, The Star Event Centre.
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Better Butter Chicken (in the CrockPot)
My sister dropped off sick kids this morning and left them to languish on my couch all day while W tried (mostly unsuccessfully) to rouse them and I tried (mostly unsuccessfully) to get stuff done. I had bought some skinless chicken thighs and drums to test a "faux fried chicken" recipe, but instead decreed that they should spend the day in the CrockPot becoming butter chicken.
So I threw it all in, the drumsticks partially frozen, even, without bothering to brown anything first. (Which isn't necessary, but does boost flavour.) At 5 I stuck a pot of brown rice on to boil, and stirred a bit of plain yogurt and a bit of cream into the finished chicken. After cooking all day the meat self destructed upon being stirred; I just plucked the bones out. You could start with skinless, boneless chicken, but any meat cooked on the bone has far more flavour.
This was good for a laugh today.
One Year Ago: Cinnamon Bun French Toast and Chocolate Cake


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U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) CV-22 Ospreys deployed to Southwest Asia, getting immediately into the fight even before reaching squadron strength, so footage of local training flights around AFSOC Headquarters at Hurlburt Field, Fla. is rare. Here, though, is some selected video of CV-22 Ospreys in action.
CV-22 Ospreys in Action
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Order of 1 is 1 o-ring.Oil Fill Riser to Valve Cover O-ring
Replacement oil seal o-ring for the oil fill tube. Replace the swollen and oil saturated Buna-N o-ring with a genuine Viton seal.
Simply unscrew the oil fill riser from the valve cover, remove and replace the o-ring.
Durometer Shore: Shore A: 75 Viton
SAE Specification: SAE J200
Item # 8-012
Order of 1 is 1 o-ring.


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Same-sex couples in Florida's Miami-Dade County got a welcome surprise Monday when a judge lifted a stay that allowed same-sex weddings to begin there a day earlier than expected.
Florida Circuit Judge Sarah Zabel lifted a stay she had placed on a July ruling that struck down the state's voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage. The move came hours before a stay in a separate federal ruling is expected to expire at midnight, allowing same-sex couples throughout the rest of the state to wed.
Zabel's courtroom erupted in joyful tears and cheers Monday morning as the judge made her announcement, said Catherina Pareto, 42, who was one of the lead plaintiffs in a lawsuit challenging the 2008 law and, along with longtime partner Karla Arguello, became one of the first two couples to be married Monday.
"There was not a dry eye in the courtroom," Pareto said. "It was a relief. It was a weight lifted off my shoulders."
Shortly after the ruling, dozens of couples rushed across the street to the county clerk's office to obtain their licenses, including Pareto and Arguello, who both had worn off-white dresses just in case.
County officials did not have new license applications, so Pareto filled her name in under "groom," and Arguello listed herself as "bride."
Once they had the piece of paper in hand, they ran back across the street, where they were married by Zabel in her chambers, along with another plaintiff couple.
The room was filled with reporters and well-wishers, Pareto said, but both of their parents were also there. A friend managed to chase down some red roses just before the impromptu ceremony began.
"It was just surreal," Pareto told The Times on Monday afternoon. "To have the privilege of being the first ones in the state to be married, and by the same judge that heard our case.... There was so much history leading up to that one moment."
Todd and Jeff Delmay, two other plaintiffs in the suit, were also married by Zabel on Monday. They say they have been preparing for this day for nearly 12 years. That's how long they've worn wedding rings on their right hands -- reserving their left ring fingers for the day they could marry.
On Monday, the couple switched their rings to their left hands. "It's kind of a minor shift, but what it signifies for us is so much more," said Todd Delmay, 43. He described the moment as "magical," and said he and Jeff planned to pick up their 4-year-old son early from school to share the news. "Our relationship is now valued and respected in the eyes of the law as any other family."
According to officials with the Miami-Dade County Clerk's Office, 26 same-sex couples received marriage licenses by 3 p.m. Monday. Three couples have been married at the courthouse, officials said.
Loud cheers went up as soon as the couples had their licenses in hand, said Sharon Kersten, a spokeswoman for Equality Florida, which sued to challenge the ban in Miami-Dade County.
Another couple that received licenses Monday, Vanessa and Melanie Alenier, were also plaintiffs in the suit.
"Having spent so much time with these couples through the past year and seeing how much they had to go through, it's a very emotionally charged moment," Kersten said. "It's just filled with joy."
In her 36-page ruling July 25, Zabel found the state ban, passed in 2008, was unconstitutional and violated the equal protection clause.
She compared the plight of same-sex couples to the struggle of other minorities to gain equal protections under the law.
"Notably absent from this protracted march towards social justice was any progress for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community until quite recently," Zabel wrote in the ruling. "However, as evidenced by the avalanche of court decisions unanimously favoring marriage equality, the dam that was denying justice on this front has been broken."
The decision to lift her stay came just 10 hours before same-sex marriages are expected to begin throughout the rest of the Sunshine State. A stay of a federal order from U.S. District Judge Robert L. Hinkle, which also struck down the ban on the grounds that it violated the constitution's equal protection clause, is set to expire at midnight, the Associated Press reported.
The Florida attorney general's office has appealed multiple rulings striking down the state ban and asked the U.S. Supreme Court to extend the stay on Hinkle's ruling to stop same-sex marriages from beginning there.
The Supreme Court denied that request last month.
Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi did not say whether she would drop an appeal pending in the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, though her office said in a statement last week that it would not stand in the way of clerks issuing licenses.
In a statement Monday, spokesman Whitney Ray said, "The judge has ruled, and we wish these couples the best."
In a New Year's Day ruling clarifying his order, Hinkle said county clerks in all of Florida's 67 counties were obligated to follow his ruling. Though clerks will be required to issue same-sex marriage licenses once Hinkle's ruling takes effect, some have said they will stop performing marriages altogether, the Associated Press reported.
It is now legal for same-sex couples to marry in more than 30 states and the District of Columbia.
Times staff writer James Queally contributed to this report.


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62″L X 40″W X 30″ (with both leaves extended) shown in Cherry wood with a Cherry finish. Other wood species are available.
This simple piece was first a custom piece, but has been made several times upon request. Dimension changes are possible. This table is shown with Hepplewhite legs with a scratch bead. The wood is cherry with a cherry stain.


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Box Elder Bugs
Box elder bugs feed principally by sucking juices from the box elder tree, but are sometimes found on plants. They do very little damage to the trees they attack, but at certain times of the year they can become a nuisance. Box elder bugs develop by gradual metamorphosis, from egg, to nymph, then to adult.
Box elder bugs are common over much of the United States. Adults are about 1/2 inch long. They are bright red or black with narrow reddish lines on the back.
When box elder bugs build up to large populations and invade a home they are usually pests only by their presence, although their piercing-sucking mouthparts can sometimes puncture skin, causing slight irritation. Adults will enter structures in the fall, seeking winter shelter. They seek shelter in protected places such as houses and other buildings, cracks or crevices in walls, doors, under windows and around foundations, particularly on south and west exposures. Box elder bugs can come out even during the dead of winter when it is cold outside and the sun is shining. They will then emerge in the spring to seek out host trees on which to feed and lay eggs.


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A crazy contradiction right?! How on earth is it possible to 'be still' and yet, continue 'moving forward'?
If you are in a place where you sense that God is asking you to 'be still', then I pray you will be encouraged, as you discover great movement in the stillness.
Growth Unseen
Fallow ground is a piece of land that has been ploughed and harrowed but left for a time without being sown. This period of rest is a necessity to restore fertility to tired, worn-out and overused land and is even quoted in the bible, (Lev 25:4) as an instruction to the Israelites.
Leaving the land fallow is the very last resort for modern day farmers as they aim to produce the very maximum they possibly can from the land. The same can also be true for you and I and rest often becomes the last resort, as we strive to keep up with the busyness of every day life. Its possible to keep going for so long until finally, we end up tired, infertile, exhausted and burnt out.
At first glance, fallow land appears to be dried up, weed ridden and wasted; however, incredible activity is taking place underneath the ground. Lost vitamins and minerals, vital to plant growth, are being restored to the soil during this period of rest.
To 'be still' may seem like there's not much happening on the surface but on the inside, God is restoring and revitalising you, ready to receive a huge harvest.
When too much is just TOO much
Ever heard of the saying, 'Too much of a good thing'?
This makes sense when it comes to overused ground. There are times when surplus production needs to be avoided, especially when it is fruitless.
It is possible for the potentially 'good' things in our lives to be completely unfruitful. God wants to prune us and cut away everything in our lives that does not bear fruit. This can feel as though there are hardly any branches left and we are caused to 'be still'. Be encouraged though because God is pruning you in order for you to bear more fruit.
I am and I will
The word 'still', found in this portion of scripture (Psalm 46:10) is a translation of the Hebrew word 'rapa'. This word can be translated as 'ceasing' or 'letting go'. Its in the midst of a battle, that the very best thing you can do is to stop your frantic activity, drop your weapons and 'be still'.
Exodus 14:14 The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.
You are an overcomer in the Lord and He will fight on your behalf. God will bring you through the trials or difficulties you are facing, you only need 'be still'. Drop your carnal weapons and allow God to intervene. Let the world see how God has brought you through the impossible. All the glory belongs to the Lord and He will be exalted through the victory He has given you.
We stand, He moves
When God asks us to 'be still', we do so in His presence. In God's presence there is fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11), even in times of great sadness and sorrow. In His presence we find peace that passes all understanding, (Phil 4:7) even when we are amidst great chaos and calamity.
God doesn't abandon us when He fights on our behalf, He stays with us and goes before us. (Deut 31:8) Our patience is being perfected as we wait for God's perfect timing. Our trust in God growing as we learn more and more to 'be still' and know that He alone is God.
To be still but remain in His presence is to continue moving forward. When we stand, He moves.
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Thinking Neutral: Small Towns Look to Renewables to Reduce Reliance on the Grid
The town of Fowler, Colo., (pop. 1,087) sits in a 150-mile corridor between Pueblo and the Kansas border that boasts about half a million head of cattle. A few years ago, Fowler, like much of the country, faced a difficult economy and rising energy prices.
Local government officials decided the cows and the energy weren't so unrelated as they seemed. They started thinking about how cattle – and the other features of the region – might help the town's fortunes.
Soon Fowler had become a standard-bearer for towns looking to become green town by going grid neutral, or producing as much or more power than it uses. They looked at a variety of renewable energy technologies, from putting the 2,400 tons of cow manure that are produced every day in Fowler into an anaerobic digester to make methane gas, to a wind farm to bedecking town buildings and grounds with solar panels.
Town leaders started exploring renewable energy first as a preserving the town coffers, according to Wayne Snider, a former executive with Grumman Aerospace, who was the town's administrator during this period. The economic development and environmental benefits were an added bonus.
"I think the impetus behind everything at first is to save money," Snider said in a recent interview. "Then they can see also that there's potential for creating jobs."
Fowler and a handful of small green towns and cities across America are on the vanguard looking to lower electricity costs, draw state and federal dollars or simply turn the community a nicer shade of green. But they face considerable challenges in realizing energy independence.
Big plans in Fowler
Snider's team sifted all of the options for renewable energy in Fowler. They installed an anemometer to measure the potential for wind power in the region and got to work on an initial solar project to get residents on board. That project included about 600 kilowatts of photovoltaic panels at seven sites around town on municipal property – from water pumping stations to a cemetery ("People thought that was weird," says Snider). Denver-based Vibrant Solar, Inc. built the $1.2 million project and sells the electricity back to Fowler at about half the rate of the current utility.
The efforts attracted notice from all over – they got help from Colorado State University, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and others. They celebrated the solar arrays' commissioning with a visit from then Gov. Bill Ritter.
To read the rest of this article, go to http://www.ecomagination.com/Neutral-towns-renewables-reliance-grid.
Category: Energy & Ecology, Featured Articles, People & Solutions


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Surgical eBooks
As a leader in dental education, Hu-Friedy aims to provide the most up-to-date information to clinicians to further their understanding and meet the needs for their practice and patients. The Global Dental Implants market is rapidly growing and raising the bar for dental practitioners everywhere. Hu-Friedy's Implant Fundamentals is a complete, three-part eBook series focused on the life cycle of a dental implant, and is now available as CE.
As each section of the eBook concludes, participants will have the opportunity to earn 1 complimentary CE credit by taking a post-test reflective of the content in that section.
In Part I of Implantology Fundamentals, participants will learn about how to best prepare for implant placement in order to achieve long term success. Key points of discussion include patient assessment and treatment planning as well as preservation of the implant site through atraumatic tooth extraction. The course also covers the use of surgical templates, grafting, and guided bone regeneration (GBR).
Part 1 of Implantology Fundamentals - Korean Translation
In Part II of Implant Fundamentals, participants will learn different surgical techniques for implant site preparation and review considerations and importance of implant abutment options. Requirements and types of connection designs and abutment types will also be covered.
Part 2 of Implantology Fundamentals - Korean Translation
In this final part of Implant Fundamentals, participants will learn about the appropriate care and maintenance that is necessary after an implant has been placed. This segment reviews the different instrumentation that may be required to maintain healthy implants, as well as the signs and symptoms of a failing implant that require replacement.
Part 3 of Implantology Fundamentals - Korean Translation
Additional Resources
- Crestal Sinus Lift Kit List
- Lateral Sinus Lift Kit List
- Ridge Augmentation Kit List
- Atraumatic Extraction Preservation Kit List
- Learn more about Sutures
- Learn more about our Black Line Implantology
- Minimally Invasive Extraction Techniques Webinar by Dr. Karl Koerner
- Dental Suturing for the Practitioner and Surgical Staff Webinar by Dr. Lee Silverstein


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StrafeRight - 404 Error Page (Missing Page)
The server has returned a 404-Error associated with this page, Its possible that its either been deleted or moved. You will be redirected to our homepage in 30 Seconds or you can Click Here to visit our homepage now. We apologize for the inconvenience.
-The StrafeRight Staff


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I have blogged about multiple wine tasting events but this is the first cocktail class! Enjoy the unique setting that the Oakleaf has to offer while learning about the art of farm to glass cocktails.
Oakleaf is a delicious farm to table restaurant located in Chatham Mills. It combines the rustic appeal of the mill and the fine dining influence of French and Italian cuisine for a unique and intimate dining experience. The chef, Brendan Cox, creates a menu that is constantly changing to best reflect the seasons and the fresh ingredients available. This sophisticated restaurant also caters to families with their kids menu. I have gone to the Oakleaf for business meetings, dates with my husband and family dinners to celebrate special events and it has been great for all occasions.
Farm to Glass Class
The summer season brings plentiful farmers' markets that have our familiar favorites and introduces us to new and intriguing produce. There have been plenty of times where I have picked something up, looked at it and thought what in the world would I do with this. The answer doesn't always have to end up on your plate, it can end up in your glass as a tasty cocktail! This class guides you towards some of those answers by taking produce from this weeks farmers' market to create refreshing seasonally appropriate cocktails.
This event takes place this Saturday, July 18th at 2:00pm.
It cost $45/person and includes cocktails, snacks from the kitchen, and recipes so that you may recreate the deliciousness at home.
Due to limited space, be sure to reserve your place for this event by calling (919) 533-6303.
Farmers' Markets
A big part of recreating these cocktails is the concept of doing "farm to glass". Chatham County has a great community that strongly supports local farmers. Just in case you aren't familiar with farmers' markets in our area, check out my blogs on two local farmers' markets – the Chatham Mills Farmers' Market and the Fearrington Farmers' Market. Each of those links provide the location, time, and vendors of each of the markets!
Please contact Lisa Skumpija and Sandy Savage for any questions about real estate in Fearrington Village in Pittsboro, NC. They are Fearrington Village experts on home sales in the area!


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I love Fall and I do love Halloween too. That's why today my card is with fall colours in Halloween theam.
I did made my card with adorable stamps Tilda on Broom and Spooky Moon. from Magnolia Rubber stamps. The images are coloured with Copics.
I would love to enter the following challenges:
CMC Copic Challenge Group #26 Fall or Halloween Themed
Simply Magnolia ~ Anything Goes
Just Magnolia and hAnglar & sTanglar Challenge Blog ~ Anything Goes with the option of adding Circles- the Moon is my Ccircle.
Inspire Me Fridays ~Anything Goes
Stamp R Us Challenge Blog ~Anything Goes
Magnolia Down Under Challenge # 112 Frame It!


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Regular price
Infuse your skin with the Anti-Oxidant powers of our Red Wine Intensive Mask. Blended with the enriching ingredients of Grape Stem Cells, helping to improve the skin's texture, tone, and elasticity, for glowing and more radiant appearance. Enhancing the suppleness of the skin with added moisture and nutrients, penetrating deep into the layers of the skin for visibly healthier and younger looking skin.
Cleanse and dry Application area. Spread an even layer onto areas being treated. Allow mask to dry for 15-20 minutes. Rinse with warm water. Follow up with Red Wine Intensive Cream. Minimum recommended use is once weekly but can be used more often as desired.


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Esra Mutlu, Ph.D., is a chemist in the Chemistry and ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion) Resources Group in the Program Operations Branch (POB) in the Division of the National Toxicology Program (NTP). Mutlu provides NTP with expertise in organic chemistry, analytical chemistry, and interpretation and application of mass spectrometry and serves on NTP study design teams to provide technical assistance in these areas of chemistry.
As a chemist, Mutlu is involved in the design, conduct, interpretation and reporting of NTP research and testing activities that investigate the toxicology of a variety of chemicals and complex mixtures including botanicals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, sunscreen ingredients, and phenolic benzotriazoles. Mutlu's research interests include using state-of-the-art mass spectrometric techniques to quantitate products of reactive metabolites of xenobiotics with DNA and other macromolecules. She is also interested in understanding the mode of action of chemicals and their metabolites in vivo.
Mutlu received her BSc (Honors) in Chemistry from Yildiz Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey in 2001 and her Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK in 2004. She joined University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as a Goldberg postdoctoral fellow in Curriculum of Toxicology, where she developed assays to quantitate DNA adducts of xenobiotics and/or their metabolites by mass spectrometric techniques which were applied to samples from in vivo and in vitro exposures. In 2011, she joined the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a postdoctoral fellow and was actively involved in research on chemistry, mutagenicity and mutagenic emission factors of particulate matters of diesel, biodiesel, and wood stove emissions. She worked as a research associate at University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health briefly prior to joining NTP in 2014 as a chemist.


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The term "Spring Cleaning" refers to the practice of thoroughly cleaning your home in the spring time. It's really used interchangeably with any effort of deep or heavy duty cleaning in all or part of the home. The tradition has
Read more
Need help moving in and out? We can help.
Moving in and out can be a big job. In fact, many people say that moving is one of the most stressful and exhausting life experiences. Getting your things in order, changing
You need an End Of Lease Cleaning team!
Moving out of your rental property or selling your house? Just the thought of moving is stressful enough, all the planning, mental & physical stress vacating a premises come with, can be overwhelming
Professional Home Cleaning Services in Brisbane
Finding trustworthy professionals for your housekeeping needs is not always an easy task. Clean4u Brisbane house cleaning services address every client's biggest concerns when bringing a company into their home:
Our clients know they can expect
Do you need carpet cleaning service?
You may not notice how dirty your carpets have become in your home when you look at them day after. with all of the wear and tear they receive, carpets will become very dingy and
538 warrigal rd. Eight mile plains QLD4113
Phone: 0430 456 242Email: email@example.com


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What is binaural recording?
What we hear is determined by the way that sound is transmitted around the head, the position of the ears, the shape of the ears, and the shape of our ear canals. Binaural recordings achieve realistic three-dimensional audio by using microphones in a configuration that approximates the characteristics of the human head. So called dummy head microphones have been designed with the same shape and acoustic characteristics of a human head in order to achieve what's know as binaural recording. Sounds can be located around, above and below the head. When played on speakers, the effect is not so great due to crosstalk from the speakers. With headphones, each ear can only hear the sound recorded on that side of the head, while speakers spread the sound, and spill the sound meant for the left ear to the right ear, and vice versa. This seriously muddies the three-dimensional imaging.
When listening to a binaural recording with headphones, you experience a sense of being positioned within an acoustic space. It's a technique that can immerse your listener in the amazing sounds of everyday life, cars passing as pedestrians wait for the crosswalk signal to change, monks chanting inside a temple, the busy activity at lunchtime in a city square, etc. Binaural recording don't always work well on conventional stereo speakers unless you turn the speakers in and sit between them, otherwise you don't experience the sound localization you'd get with headphones. On the other hand, when processed with a surround matrix decoder, binaural recording provides excellent surround channel sound.
Four examples of binaural recordings
- The Missing Voice: Case Study B (Janet Cardiff, 1999), you can download the entire audio walk from Soundcloud.
- A Large Slow River (Janet Cardiff, 2000)
- A Short Binaural Thunderstorm Recorded with the Neumann KU-81i by thefritzfiles, YouTube
- Taipei Market Walk-Through by Matthew Lien, YouTube
Two professional binaural recording options
Professional dummy head microphones with a polar response pattern resembling human hearing are available, however, they are quite expensive. The Neumann KU 100 sells for $8,000. This microphone has two tiny omnidirectional condensers mics mounted at the position of the ear drums with special equalization to correct for the double traversal of the ear canal (first in recording and again in playback). This preserves what are called the Head Related Transfer Functions or HRTFs. These devices provide an efficient approach to binaural audio recording with very low noise along with three-dimensional imagery and field perception.
When recording in windy conditions, you'll need to use a custom windscreen made for this microphone.
A less expensive option for binaural recording is the 3Dio Space Pro II microphone ($2,000). This system combines a pair of matched DPA 4060 microphone capsules mounted at the opening of ear canals. They are suitable for both studio recording and field recording as well. The microphone provides balanced stereo XLR outputs that support phantom power. The microphone also sports a stereo mini-jack output that is powered by an internal 9V battery.
Under windy conditions you'll need to use a pair of Windy Ear Muffs made specifically for this microphone.
Two low-budget pseudo-binaural recording options
There's a low-budget indie media maker's alternative for creating binaural recordings that may not be quite as good as using a dummy head, however, it is far more affordable with surprisingly good results. A reasonably good binaural effect can be achieved by clipping lavaliere microphones to the left and right side of a pair of headphones or a baseball cap (if you're monitoring with earbuds) for what may be called pseudo-binaural recording.
This approach takes advantage of the acoustic characteristics of your head and the separation of the microphones resembles the separation of your ears, however, it does not take advantage of the shape of your ear lobes or ear canal. In spite of this limitation, your listener will experience much of the binaural recording effect at a fraction of the cost. In addition, with this technique you can be far more inconspicuous while recording.
A versatile and affordable option for a pair of lavaliere microphones is the Giant Squid Audio Lab stereo omnidirectional microphone, a pair of electret condenser microphones terminating in a 3.5mm stereo mini-plug that works with plug-in power. Combined with a pair of headphones or tight-fitting earbuds for monitoring, you're all set to go.
Another affordable option is the Roland CS-10EM. This all-in-one design combines ear buds for monitoring combined with electret condenser microphones you wear in your ears that place the microphones in a better position. The device terminates on two 3.5mm stereo mini-plug, one for the mic, the other for the monitors. This provides a all-in-one solution for binaural recording and monitoring and includes foam windscreens.
Since the phase changes introduced by the shape of the ear lobes contributes to the spatial perception of sound, these will sound a little better than the approach described above, yet still not quite as good as using a professional dummy head but again, they will provide surprisingly good results (here are always tradeoffs).
There are two major differences you'll notice between professional microphones and consumer products. The first is the level of background noise inherent in the microphone. Professionals are willing to pay more for the lower noise floor. And second, professional gear sports balanced connections with XLR connectors because balanced lines (which use two conductors for the signal and one for the ground with special circuitry on each end to filter out noise) are much less susceptible to noise from sources of electromagnetic radiation. I often encounter noise problems with consumer gear that I don't encounter when using my professional gear.
Some gaffer tape (never use duct tape or other sticky tapes on production gear) may be needed to dress the cable to avoid cable rustling sounds. Surgical tape should be used when taping cables to skin, since gaffer tape does not adhere to skin very well.
When working in windy conditions, a lavaliere windjammer will be necessary. The foam windscreens are only effective in very light wind. Lavaliere windjammers are essential for outdoor shooting and should be paired with any lavaliere microphone you have in your location sound recording kit.


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Contributions for Habitats Mitigation and the Relationship with Community Infrastructure Levy Payments
This guide describes a new arrangement under which NFDC will deal with its obligations under the Habitats Regulations for considering whether the impact of additional residential development can be adequately mitigated. This requirement is described in policies DM2 & DM3 of the adopted Local Plan Part 2 (April 2014) and the adopted Supplementary Planning Document on Mitigation (Mitigation Strategy for European Sites; June 2014).
Previously this issue was resolved through a combination of using the Community Infrastructure Levy to fund mitigation related infrastructure and the entering of a Section 106 agreement before planning permission was granted to secure non-infrastructure related mitigation measures. This approach has now changed.
New Arrangement
Under the new arrangement the assessment about whether a new residential development can be adequately mitigated will generally be considered under a Grampian planning condition which will be imposed on most residential planning permissions in which additional units of accommodation are proposed. This condition will state:-
"No development shall be carried out until proposals for the mitigation of the impact of the development on the New Forest and Solent Coast European Nature Conservation Sites have been submitted to and approved in writing by the local planning authority, and the local planning authority has confirmed in writing that the provision of the proposed mitigation has been secured. Such proposals must:
Provide for mitigation in accordance with the New Forest District Council Mitigation Strategy for European Sites SPD, adopted in June 2014 (or any amendment to or replacement for this document in force at the time), or for mitigation to at least an equivalent effect;
Provide details of the manner in which the proposed mitigation is to be secured. Details to be submitted shall include arrangements for the ongoing maintenance and monitoring of any Suitable Alternative Natural Green Spaces which form part of the proposed mitigation measures together with arrangements for permanent public access thereto.
The development shall be carried out in accordance with and subject to the approved proposals."
The Council is satisfied that it is reasonable to use this condition because there will always be a solution to the issue of adequate mitigation because of the detailed consideration of this matter in its Mitigation Strategy for European Sites, Supplementary Planning Document, June 2014. That is not to say that other arrangements cannot be put forward but if they are they will be considered on their own merits and subject to the process of appropriate assessment.
Discharge of the Condition
If the Local Planning Authority is minded to grant planning permission, you will need to secure the provision of appropriate habitat mitigation measures before the condition can be discharged. There are two ways in which you will be able to do this. You can either;
i) contribute to funding the Council's suite of mitigation projects, or
ii) provide your own mitigation project to mitigate the impact of the proposal.
i) Mitigation through contributing to the Council's suite of mitigation projects:
This is achieved in one of the following ways:
For schemes of less than 50 dwellings on sites smaller than 0.5 ha, by entering into a Section 106 agreement with the Council following the grant of planning permission to pay the contributions necessary to fully fund the mitigation projects as set out in the Council's Mitigation Strategy, in proportion to the number and size of dwellings you are proposing. Part of your mitigation relies on the payment of your Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) which will contribute in part or fully towards funding the SANGS and recreational route proposals of the Habitat Mitigation SPD. The amount you pay for CIL will not be settled until after the planning permission has been issued and may need to be supplemented through an additional payment if your CIL amount has been reduced through the application of reliefs or exemptions. A clause will be included in your Section 106 agreement to this effect.
Please note that from 1 April 2019 the contributions towards access management will change following the publication of the Solent Mitigation Strategy which can be seen at https://solent.birdaware.org/strategy. Details of the changes can be found here: Solent Recreation Mitigation Partnership Contributions [223kb]
For schemes of less than 50 dwellings but on sites larger than 0.5ha where a minimum on-site SANGS provision is incorporated into the development, by entering into a Section 106 agreement with the Council following the grant of planning permission to secure the contributions necessary to fund the access & visitor management measures and monitoring measures for each additional dwelling (£550 per dwelling). A further Section 106 agreement will be necessary prior to the grant of planning permission to ensure the on-site open space is publicly accessible and to pay a contribution for the future maintenance of the open space. It is not possible for you to secure all your mitigation in one Section 106 agreement because part of your mitigation relies on the payment of your Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL). The amount you pay for CIL will not be settled until after the planning permission has been issued and may need to be supplemented through an additional payment if your CIL amount has been reduced through the application of reliefs or exemptions. A clause will be included in your post planning permission Section 106 agreement to this effect.
For schemes of 50 or more dwellings where SANGS are incorporated into the development, the condition will not normally need to be imposed because arrangements to secure the necessary mitigation are able to be put in place prior to the granting of planning permission. Developments over 50 dwellings will have to provide mitigation land on site. Here is a helpful calculator to give an indication of the likely size of this space: http://forms.newforest.gov.uk/ufs/ufsmain?formid=POS_ANRG
The Council's solicitors will draft a Section 106 agreement for you, for which a fee will be charged, whether or not the agreement is completed and whether or not planning permission is granted. In circumstances where you require two Section 106 agreements to be completed in connection with the same application, your second Section 106 agreement will not incur any legal fees from the Council except for disbursements.
ii) Mitigation through your own mitigation project:
This is achieved by providing your own alternative mitigation project or proposal for mitigating the potentially harmful effects of your development on European designated nature conservation sites which will be evaluated on its own merits. Such evaluation will need to take account of the precautionary principle applying to such judgements and will be subject to a Habitat Regulations assessment by the local planning authority. Any alternative proposal would need to mitigate the impact of the development to no less a degree as would be achieved by the Council's Mitigation Strategy. The Council would require the proposal to be robustly justified with evidence and you are strongly encouraged to seek professional advice from a habitat expert in order to support your proposal and to allow sufficient time for you to undertake any necessary research and for the Local Planning Authority to consider your alternative proposal. You would need to submit your scheme to us following the grant of planning permission and ensure that your alternative proposal was implemented before the condition could be discharged.


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Thursday, November 20, 2008
On the Road Again
Posted by Angie at 3:11 PM 4 comments
Monday, November 17, 2008
Happy Birthday Kimi
A year ago, our little angel berner was born! Remember this...the first day at our house...11 pounds of fuzzy preciousness!!!
And today - 70 pounds of fuzzy preciousness!!!
Happy Birthday Kimi!
Posted by Angie at 1:17 PM 0 comments
The Otto Story
So now, in hindsight, this story doesn't seem as funny as it did when it happened but since I mentioned it I now have to tell it. As you know from my previous post, we were only in Munich for one and a half days. We flew out of Denver on Saturday morning, arriving Munich Sunday mid-morning and we left Munich Tuesday morning. So we were there for 5 meals. Sunday we had lunch at a nice local place near the Marienplatz (yummy schnitzel & I had chicken curry), Sunday night was dinner at another local place, this one near our hotel (more chicken for me and pork for Dick). Tuesday morning breakfast was a croissant for Dick and a big, steaming latte for me and lunch was another fun local restaurant (pumpkin soup for me and I think more schnitzel or something like that for Dick).
By the time Monday evening rolled around, we had been shopping all day and were really ready to kick back, relax and have a nice, romantic last night in Munich meal. Which, by the way, had to include apple streudel because despite our mission to have it, neither the right moment nor the right streudel had arrived. We had packed our bags and didn't have a early flight on Tuesday so we were really planning on making a night of it. We didn't know where we were going to go but we decided to head out near the Opera because it was such a nice area.
First we ended up in this really fun Weinstube (small, homey restaurants known for their wine and food). It's very similar to a beer garden...communal tables and a really fun atmosphere. So, there we are enjoying our wine...chatting over what a great trip it had been and just having a really good time. Soon we were starting to get hungry and decided to venture out to a nicer restaurant for dinner. At this point, I noticed that someone had left a pair of eyeglasses on the table next to us. I mentioned it to Dick then we headed outside. We immediately ran into a couple who I recognized from the table with the eyeglasses. They were out talking and smoking with an older, traditionally dressed German gentleman. Well, Dick speaks pretty fluent German so he asked if anyone had left their eyeglasses on the table.
This is where it got kind of weird. Dick was positive that he was asking the question correctly and even repeated it....explaining it in more detail. The younger couple who had been sitting at that table "acted" like they didn't understand what he was saying. The older gentleman however, immediately latched onto the face that we were American and started speaking to us in mixed German/English. He seemed like a nice fellow....asking about Obama and how we were enjoying our trip. Then he asked if we had gone to dinner and we told him that we were heading out to do that right now. So he then proceeds to tell us that he'd love to show us a little of the real Munich and show us to a nice restaurant. Well, there was really no way to say no because he kind of just latched onto us and started out to the sidewalk. At this point the other couple made a beeline for the Weinstube again....in retrospect, not surprising! So we are realizing now that the three of them were not together....hmmmmm....ugh oh!
Well, Otto...yep, his name was Otto....pointed out a few interesting facts along our walk and then we ended up at a restaurant (can't even remember the name) that we had considered for dinner so we all popped inside. Okay, at this point, I expected one of two things to happen:
1. Otto knew the restaurant (and people), was a regular and was going to introduce us as his friends (apparently that was too much to ask) or
2. He was going to drop us off, tell us to enjoy our dinner and be on his way.
You can probably figure out that neither of those things happened. And....duh...the waitress was much quicker to catch onto the fact that perhaps he was a little inebriated. So, we all sit down at a table....and Otto proceeds to talk about the U.S., his family living here, and a whole lotta things that were depressing and going downhill....AND to make it worse, he and Dick were talking in German/English so I couldn't understand half of what was said. I could tell that the subject matter was not pleasant and was none too happy that my nice romantic dinner with my husband had been so rudely interrupted by a drunk German.
Luckily, alot of Germans still smoke, so it was just a matter of time before he had to go outside. Dick and I agreed (with plenty of pressure from me)...to order appetizers and a glass of wine and get the heck out of there. Ugh...even that took forever...3 Otto smoke breaks to be exact. With him coming back every single time saying "in 15 minutes, I will be on my way home and you can eat your dinner." And to be truthful, every time he went out for a smoke break, I tried to convince Dick that we should run out the back door!!!!
Never happened...finally, I had to say "I don't feel well, we have an early flight and we really need to get back to the hotel." So, there we went...leaving him still nursing his beer at the table. By this time, we were stuffed from the wine and appetizers that weren't even that great! We trecked back to the restaurant where we had lunch because they had a really, nice cozy interior and I just wanted something cozy and romantice. We finally got our apple streudel and yes, another bottle of wine. So all in all...not the night I was expecting but an evening that ends with apple streudel can't be all bad!!
In retrospect, Otto was a very sad, lonely man and I suspect, just wanted someone to talk to. Dick, being the generous sweet soul that he is, was much more patient than I and speaks German so could communicate so much better.
So, that's it...that's my Otto story!
Posted by Angie at 10:57 AM 2 comments
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
A Weekend in Munich
I know it comes as no surprise to anyone who has known me and Dick for any length of time that we would fly to Munich for the weekend! And what a fun weekend it was. We left Denver on Saturday - a perfectly on time flight to Chicago where we connected to Munich. We got one upgrade to business class and Dick was sweet enough to take the coach seat and let me have the business class seat. As with all of our Europe trips, I had dinner and went straight to sleep. When I woke up, we were in Germany!
During the 1972 Olympics, BMW branding was removed from the buildings to prevent undesirable product placement.
Part of the second construction phase of the New Town Hall, it dates from 1908. Every day at 11 a.m. (as well as 12 p.m. and 5 p.m. in summer) it chimes and re-enacts two stories from the 16th century to the amusement of mass crowds of tourists and locals. It consists of 43 bells and 32 life-sized figures. The top half of the Glockenspiel tells the story of the marriage of the local Duke Wilhelm V (who also founded the world famous Hofbrauhaus) to Renata of Lothringen. In honour of the happy couple there is a joust with life-sized knights on horseback representing Bavaria (in white and blue) and Lothringen (in red and white). The Bavarian Knight wins every time of course. This is then followed by the bottom half and second story: Schäfflerstanz (the coopers' dance). In the 16th century a particularly bad period of the plague hit town and everyone went into hiding. The first people to dare go back onto the streets were barrel makers who performed a big dance to show that it was okay to come out again. The Duke of Bavaria was so happy about this that he actually ordered them to re-enact this every seven years, a custom which continues to this day. The dance can be seen during Fasching (German Carnival) but the next one is not until 2012. The whole show lasts somewhere between 12 and 15 minutes long depending on which tune it plays that day. At the very end a very small golden bird at the top of the Glockenspiel chirps three times, marking the end of the spectacle.
Posted by Angie at 3:53 PM 4 comments
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
The Exciting Life of a Stay At Home Dog Mom
To my loyal followers (all 2 of you)...I apologize for not being around for the last week. Truth be told, if I got on my computer in the morning, I wouldn't get off until afternoon so I'm trying not to spend too much time on here. Maybe once the winter finally shows up here and the days are short, I might have more time to hang out. Life here is about the same...we went to dinner Saturday night with Randy & Meri then spent a disappointing afternoon at the Broncos game on Sunday. Monday I went to the movies with Sally and her mom. We saw "The Secret Life of Bees". Cute movie...for a $5.50 matinee...it was okay. More importantly, I saw the trailer for "Marley & Me". I can't wait for that to come out at Christmas. I loved the book and movie looks hilarious!!!
Oh, I have been cooking since I stopped working...okay, I cooked twice. Friday night for Halloween I made Dick's favorite: pot roast with potatoes and carrots in my crock pot. It was delicious if I say so myself. Tonight I made myself a big pot of chili...it's my "go to" winter food...so easy to throw together and so good for you. Speaking of food, I have to give a shout out to Rachel from my book club...she made some awesome snacks for our monthly book club: the tastiest pumpkin soup I have ever had, delish cranberry relish and a double yummy blue cheese and nut hot dip...I'm sure I ate half the dish!!!! And then she sent me home with yummy spiced roasted pumpkin seeds. I've been munching on those seeds all week and just dreaming about that dip!!!
My little boy is getting big...I am just so in love...he's so adorable and snuggly!!!
Posted by Angie at 5:17 PM 1 comments


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Most of us would probably imagine that one type of sand is very much like another, with no major differences between them, but this is actually not the case. Knowing the difference between the types may not be of great interest to the majority of people, but when it comes to the use of equestrian sand, getting it wrong could result in severe injuries for both horse and rider.
Choosing the Wrong Sand
Some sand consists of round particles, which slip and slide between each other, creating a surface that is never truly stable. Moreover, small particles allow silt and dust to become trapped just below the surface, which, when subjected to periods of rain and heat, fuse together to form a hard rock-like structure. Landing on this following a fall from your horse would be similar to landing on tarmac. Equestrian sand, however, utilises silica sand which behaves very differently; in particular, angular particles create greater stability by allowing the grains to interlock, unlike rounded sands.
Silica Sand Means Quality Control
You can find horse arena sand for sale from numerous suppliers around the UK. Choosing a reputable supplier is important, as they will hold all the necessary documentation to show where the sand originates and its appropriate grading.
Silica sand is quarried, graded and washed to ensure that it can be used for an appropriate purpose. Even silica sand quarried from the same area can be markedly different in size and quality, so the sand is carefully sieved and graded to ensure that the buyer achieves the results that they require. Equestrian surface suppliers then check that the sand they choose is fit for purpose and graded especially for equestrian use. Despite the many varieties of silica sand available, only a select few are considered appropriate for use as equestrian arena surfacing.
As trusted sellers of equine sand, Day Equestrian recommends that it should never be used on its own. Combining it with other materials such as stabilising fibres, rubber chippings or a combination of both ensures a good stable surface that just needs to be dampened regularly to keep it in tip-top condition. Alternatively, you can take advantage of our pre-mixed equestrian surfaces, which offer optimum ease of installation. For information on how to install a pre-mixed surface, please refer to our information guide.


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Born and raised in the Grand Rapids area. I have dedicated my career to providing legal assistance to individuals and families in north-central Minnesota since 1978.
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