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Anatomy of a takedown
Part of an occasional series on the hottest races of the 2014 midterm election.
OXFORD, Miss. — As Sen. Thad Cochran faces a potentially career-ending primary challenge, his strategy for victory is straightforward: Stress his decades of bringing home federal largesse and his long relationships with home-state Republicans; tap Washington rainmakers to fill his campaign account; and bring in Mississippi political legends like Haley Barbour and Trent Lott to help seal the deal.
Story Continued Below
Cochran's opponent in the June 3 showdown, state Sen. Chris McDaniel, is practically salivating over the contrast that it represents.
As the 2014 election cycle begins to accelerate, perhaps no race presents a sharper difference of views on what it means to be a Republican or offer a sharper microcosm of the ongoing GOP civil war than the race in Mississippi.
( On the Ground: POLITICO covers the hottest races of 2014)
And as other GOP primary challengers around the country have faltered, no candidate has emerged as a greater intraparty threat to a sitting senator than McDaniel, a fast-talking 41-year-old litigator who explicitly promises to shatter the status quo of Mississippi's relationship with Washington. The brash state lawmaker trashes Cochran's record as an appropriator for their poor home state as a travesty of spending and debt. He has vacuumed up cash from out-of-state conservative groups and names as inspirations both Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Utah Sen. Mike Lee, a pair of neophyte tea party heroes with whom McDaniel says he has conferred about the race.
"If we're able to defeat Thad Cochran in this primary race — he's been there 41 years — do you know the shock waves it'll send through the system?" McDaniel asked a hushed audience of more than 100 in a cavernous atrium at the University of Mississippi on Thursday. "We have to shake the establishment."
McDaniel's bid to topple Cochran has stirred intense passions here in the Deep South state that has prized longevity in its politicians for generations, relying on the pipeline of federal dollars that only senior appropriators like Cochran can ensure. The state has elected only five senators since World War II; since 1978, Cochran has been one of them.
The senator and his allies proudly tout Cochran-backed legislation that delivers for Mississippi, like the recent five-year farm bill that hard-right national groups opposed. An old-school Senate power broker, Cochran shrugged to a local TV interviewer this week: "The tea party, you know, is something I don't really know a lot about."
( PHOTOS: Senators up for election in 2014)
The early skirmishes in the race have been bitter enough that state and national Democrats have wondered if they could be looking at a repeat of the 2012 Indiana Senate race, when a hard-edged challenger turned out longtime GOP Sen. Dick Lugar only to lose the general election. The Mississippi Democratic Party, which has struggled to field competitive statewide candidates in any race in recent years, intends to poll the contest this month. Former Congressman Travis Childers is in talks with national Democrats about entering before the March 1 deadline.
Anatomy of a takedown
Among the conservative activists challenging incumbent U.S. senators in 2014, McDaniel is the only one to receive the unanimous support of all the powerful outside groups that fuel campaigns on the right. When he announced last October, he won instant endorsements from the Club for Growth, the Senate Conservatives Fund and the Madison project; FreedomWorks and the Tea Party Patriots followed only a little while later.
It didn't happen by accident.
As early as the start of last summer, McDaniel was reaching out to national conservative groups — including SCF, FreedomWorks and the Club — to ascertain their interest in a challenge to Cochran. The operatives who met with him came away wowed and heard from local activists who had urged McDaniel as early as 2012 to consider a challenge to Cochran.
( PHOTOS: 10 tough Senate races for Democrats)
"We heard he was looking into running for [the] House. We looked into him and heard so many good things about him that we pushed him to run for Senate," said Daniel Horowitz, a strategist for the Madison Project.
McDaniel's early outreach paid off handsomely. As of last week, the Club and the SCF had routed approximately $310,000 into McDaniel's coffers, according to the two groups. (As of Dec. 31, McDaniel reported raising a total of $461,000 for his campaign.) He has hired the same consulting firm, Cold Spark Media, that is advising Kentucky activist Matt Bevin's primary challenge to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Sitting down after his Ole Miss speech at a restaurant a few blocks from campus, McDaniel described the outside spenders on the right as "absolute blessings to us." He spoke admiringly of Cruz and Lee, explaining that he had spoken with both men and met several times with Lee. Asked what kind of advice he got from the upstart duo, McDaniel said it was much "the same type of advice I gave those students tonight."
"Just that the country is worth defending, the country is worth saving and that it takes courage to do that," McDaniel said. "That's the message of our movement."
(A Cruz spokeswoman did not respond to a request for comment. Lee's spokesman said the senator's conversations with McDaniel were "news to me.")
An equal and opposite reaction
Once McDaniel announced, it took Cochran more than a month to confirm that he would run for reelection. In Mississippi, there was considerable speculation that after 41 years on the job — with legislative gridlock getting only worse — the stately incumbent had had enough.
That changed on Dec. 6, when Cochran confirmed he would seek another term. Since then, the Mississippi establishment and key parts of the national GOP apparatus have kicked into gear. A super PAC, dubbed Mississippi Conservatives, has formed to support him under the leadership of Henry Barbour, the Republican National Committee member and nephew of the former governor. Next month, sitting Gov. Phil Bryant, Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves and other top state officials will toast Cochran at a party banquet in heavily Republican Rankin County.
With at least some of the Republicans involved, there's a level of indignation at what they see as opportunism on McDaniel's part.
At a small, private super PAC event in Jackson earlier this month, Haley Barbour laced into McDaniel, deriding him as a conventional politician who arrived in Jackson with his finger in the wind and lurched right to exploit the tea party.
Lott, a longtime Senate colleague and sometime Cochran rival, said the senator's campaign had reached out to ask whether he would record an ad to run in coastal Mississippi.
The former Senate GOP leader expects the state to reward Cochran for his contributions — which include harnessing federal funding for a dazzling array of research centers and academic buildings, helping pass the five-year farm bill that cleared the Senate in early February and, perhaps most important, the $10.5 billion hurricane relief measure enacted swiftly after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.


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The body is fully stress-relieved ductile cast iron, with a sole that is flat and square to the sides. An adjustable throat plate allows a wide range of mouth adjustment. Our unique stop-screw retains mouth settings while preventing blade damage when removing and replacing blades.
The bevel-up blade configuration results in a plane that is versatile and straightforward to use. The 12° bed angle, coupled with the 25° blade bevel, creates an effective cutting angle of 37°. Simply increasing the blade bevel results in higher cutting angles for improved performance in more difficult-grained woods.
Includes a lapped 3/16" (0.187") thick blade, 2-1/4" wide, in your choice of A2, O1 or PM-V11® tool steel. For working difficult grain, lapped 38° and 50° blades and a toothed A2 blade are available.
B. Veritas® Bevel-Up Jointer Fence The Veritas low-angle jointer fence enables you to shoot consistent and accurate square or bevelled edges with your Veritas bevel-up jointer. The 11" long anodized aluminum fence can be attached to either side of the plane with the brass thumbscrews provided; a set screw can be adjusted to square the fence to the sole.
As supplied, the 2" tall guiding face can be used to plane edges perfectly square to the face of your workpiece. It can also be used to shoot angles less than 90° when a bevelled wooden guide is attached to the inside face of the fence.
Made in Canada.

subset: commoncrawl


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Development & Construction
Plans & Reports
Bayshore Corridor Strategy
Bayshore Corridor Strategy
The Bayshore Corridor Strategy is a collaborative planning effort for the ten-mile long Grand Traverse Bay shore corridor (US-31, M-72, M-37, M-22) linking the communities of Acme, East Bay, Traverse City and Elmwood. This process joins planning commissions together along with others to improve the entire corridor, a critical part of the region's landscape and transportation system.
The strategy process is facilitated by Grand Traverse County and includes
Acme Township
East Bay Charter Township
City of Traverse City
, and
Elmwood Charter Township
Staff representatives from each community:
Acme Township: Shawn Winter, Zoning Administrator; John Iacoangeli (Beckett & Raeder), Planner
East Bay Township: Rick Brown, Township Planner; Leslie Couturier, Zoning Administrator
City of Traverse City: Russ Soyring, Planning Director
Elmwood Township: Sara Kopriva, Zoning Administrator; John Iacoangeli (Beckett & Raeder), Planner
Grand Traverse County: John Sych, Planning Director
The Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Recommended Practice,
Designing Walkable Urban Thoroughfares: A Context Sensitive Approach
, advances the successful use of context sensitive solutions (CSS) in the planning and design of major urban thoroughfares for walkable communities. It provides guidance and demonstrates for practitioners how CSS concepts and principles may be applied in roadway improvement projects in places where community objectives support walkable communities-compact development, mixed land uses, and support for pedestrians and bicyclists, whether it already exists or is a goal for the future. The document was produced in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency and in partnership with the Congress for the New Urbanism.
Documents: Notes, Resolutions, Maps, Strategies
Planning Commission Resolutions of Support - 2014
SUMMARY of Phase I Report - May, 2014
Master Plan
Bayshore Corridor Strategy
Capital Improvement Plan (CIP)
Department Annual Reports
Housing Inventory & Strategy
Housing Target Market Analsyis
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Learn how to contact each ARDA department.
Click here to view ARDA's staff by name.
By Howard Nusbaum
Every year at ARDA World—where I am surrounded by thousands
of energetic people who work to make our industry so vibrant—I am reminded why
I love this industry. Listening to the presenters, panelists and CEOs talk
about key innovations that meet customer demand and exceed owner expectations
at resorts around the globe is yet another example of our industry greatness.
Since the introduction of timeshare in Europe in the late
1960s, developers and resort operators have continually sought to make the
product better. Our satisfied owner population domestically has grown over the
years to more than 9.1 million U.S. households and is now expanding to the next
generation of vacationers—the Millennial generation. This success in
targeting and marketing to this new generation underscored much of the content
and conversation at ARDA World.
The energy and buzz at Convention was also fueled by our
phenomenal keynote speaker, Jay Baer, a renowned smart marketer, customer
experience expert, New York Times best-selling author and timeshare
owner. Jay talked about the concept of "youtility"—giving away information and
resources for free—as an engine for driving smart marketing and how to be
effective in a world cluttered with content. In today's digital world, with
24/7 information at our fingertips, effective marketing is harder today than
ever. At the same time, technology has enabled customer experience and
marketing to intersect. Fact: Sixty-seven percent of a buyer's journey is done
digitally. People make on average 28 visits to travel sites before booking a
trip. And, by 2020, customer experience will overtake price as a key brand
In our industry, using technology has enabled our resorts to
communicate directly with and encourage engagement from our owners. Technology
is also changing the way customers are introduced to vacation products. From
ARDA's AIF data, we know that new owners are more knowledgeable about the
product before entering a sales discussion. This is facilitated by the
great information and learning about the product and resorts easily accessible
online. With more and more purchases of timeshare products coming from younger
populations, we are evolving our means to reach and communicate with them
As Jay told us, the key to having a successful marketing
strategy is being useful and providing help. If you sell something, you make a
customer today—but if you genuinely help someone, you create a customer for
life. Words to live by!
More to come at www.arda.org/convention, where you can
download the "best-of" photos and PPTs from sessions and re-live all the
awesome moments of ARDA World 2015…
Copyright 2014. American Resort Development Assoc. All rights reserved.


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Trying to remember a film that I watched around 2003 about this boy who lived with his step-father and crept in his cart and watched him kill and cremate the body? Anyone know what it is called? I alse remember something about a baseball bat!
The police do not believe him, but his father tells the killer that his son never lies to him. The killer stabs his victim in the car while his step-son hiding in the car sees. He then burns him in a small crematoriom.


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Find us on:
This fact sheet presents frequently asked questions about winter weather. Answers include information on hypothermia, the warning signs of frostbite, the best clothing to wear during cold weather, and more.
Review Date: Wednesday, January 25, 2017
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - CDCU.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Winter weather can knock out heat and power and communications services to your home or office, cause traffic accidents on icy roads, and lead to hypothermia from prolonged exposure to cold. It is important to be prepared for winter weather before it strikes.
Review Date: Wednesday, November 26, 2014
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Hypothermia occurs when a person's body temperature drops below normal and stays low for a prolonged period of time. With advancing age, the body's ability to endure long periods of exposure to cold is reduced. Find tips here to help prevent hypothermia.
Review Date: Tuesday, January 19, 2016
NIH National Institute on Aging Information Center
Exposure to cold temperatures can cause other serious or life-threatening health problems, particularly to infants and the elderly. This consumer health education brochure provides advice on what to do to ensure the safety of yourself and your family in the event of a cold-weather health emergency.
Review Date: Friday, January 27, 2017
National Center for Environmental Health - NCEHCenters for Disease Control and Prevention
This fact sheet offers tips on how to prevent, detect and treat cold-related illnesses such as frostbite and hypothermia.
Review Date: Tuesday, March 31, 2015
National Safety Council
When the temperature drops, older adults run a high risk of health problems related to the cold-including hypothermia (dangerously low body temperature), frostbite, falls in ice and snow, and injuries. This document offers tips on preventing hypothermia and other winter hazards.
Review Date: Monday, June 18, 2012
AGS Foundation for Health in Aging
This page provides preparation information about winter weather, including house and car checklists, emergency supplies, indoor and outdoor safety, and travel.
Review Date: Monday, March 11, 2013
Note: Documents in PDF format require the Adobe Acrobat Reader®. If you experience problems with PDF documents, please download the latest version of the Reader®.
Language Assistance Available


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Create glittering and shimmery eye-catching make-up for enticing and dazzling eyes. Get eyes that sparkle like diamonds in different lighting for a cool "bling bling" effect. Now you can express different moods with your eyes: mysterious, romantic, cute or fun, make sure you get noticed at every occasion!
Use each colour on its own or mix and match the 3 colours to create amazing eye make-up looks. Waterproof, smudge-proof formula dries easily and gives long-lasting high-definition colour for shimmery, lustrous eye make-up.
Capacity: 4.5 g x 3
Key Ingredients:
Distilled Water, Carbomer, Triethanolamine, Polyoxyethylene (20) Sorbitan Monostearate, Propylene Glycol, Methylparaben, Styrene/Acrylates/Ammonium Methacrylate Copolymer.
How to Use:
Wash your face. Apply powder eyeshadow, followed by dark pencil eyeliner. Do not use liquid eyeliner for this step or else the glitter eyeliner will smear it. Draw a single stroke of glitter eyeliner. Begin on the eyelid near the inner and outer eye corners. Then wing or flick the brush up slightly towards the end of your eyebrow for a subtle cat eye look. Avoid both corners of your eyes, as these are the areas most likely to get irritated or itch from the glitter.
1. Avoid applying on damaged or injured skin.
2. If any skin redness or sensitivity problem occurs after use, please stop using immediately and consult a doctor if necessary.
3. Should you suffer from skin allergies, we recommend you to perform a skin patch test before use. Apply a small amount on the skin behind your ears and wait 10–15 min to see if there is any allergic reaction.
4. Store product in a well-ventilated place away from direct heat and sunlight.
Consumer Advice
Beauty Bistro is the official distributor for DOT DOT products sold in Singapore. Products have been registered with HSA to ensure their safety and compliance with the ASEAN Cosmetic Directive. We strongly advise our customers to purchase only from our list of approved retailers, as we will not undertake any responsibility for products purchased from unauthorized retailers.


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Our Community
At Boston Children's Hospital, our commitment to helping children stay healthy and safe goes far beyond our walls. We believe that for children to be healthy, our community must be healthy too.
We also believe that communication is a key factor in developing a healthy relationship with our patients and our neighboring communities.
Access to care
As a community hospital for children, we're responsible for making sure that all children have access to physical and mental health care. Children's believes that no child in the state should be turned away due to the inability to pay. In fact, we are the largest provider of medical care to low-income children in Massachusetts -- a third of the children who come to us are uninsured or have public coverage.
Children's also provides, or supports others who provide, those vital, hospital-subsidized services that are either not available elsewhere or are only available in limited capacity, such as primary care, mental health services, dental care and child protection.
In 2009, Children's provided more than:
- 524,780 outpatient visits
- 24,971 inpatient and observation visits
- 61,631 emergency room visits
- 25,719 inpatient and day surgical procedures
Community team work
We also recognize and support the many other health care providers in the community -- including community health centers -- that have an enormous impact on keeping our community healthy. In addition to owning and operating the Martha Eliot Health Center in Boston's Jamaica Plain neighborhood, Children's provides $1 million annually to 11 Boston community health centers.
Through schools, community health centers and community-based organizations, Children's is reaching an estimated 15,000 children, youth, parents and caregivers. We're also helping other groups throughout Boston that strive to provide a wide range of services to children and families in need. Since 2000, Children's has supported more than 100 organizations through financial and in-kind contributions.
We're focusing our attention on four major health issues that affect children in our city:
- asthma
- mental health
- obesity
- injury prevention
To do this, we partner with and support the work of health centers, schools and community groups. Visit the Community Benefits website to learn more about our partnerships.
Major health areas of concentration
Asthma is the leading cause of hospitalization at Children's. We're working to keep children with asthma healthy and active by giving them access to asthma-friendly activities, and providing case management and home visits to help families identify triggers.
Mental Health
One out of five children will develop a mental health concern, and only one of every five children who develop a concern will receive help. It can also be difficult for families to find and access culturally and linguistically appropriate care.
To meet the growing need for easy-to-access and culturally appropriate care, Children's is providing services where children need them most -- in their schools and communities. We're providing counseling to students and supporting teachers and school staff, as well as placing bilingual and bicultural psychiatrists in health centers where families feel most comfortable.
Injuries are one of the leading causes of death for children in Massachusetts. To help prevent them, Children's trains home visitors to help families identify injury risks, and provides education and distributes bike helmets and car seats to encourage regular and proper use.
We also provide specialized care for people who may be victims of abuse or neglect. To address the issue of violence, Children's committed nearly $1 million in 2006 to provide summer jobs for youth, increase access to recreational programs and support violence prevention efforts at health centers.
Children struggling with obesity or being overweight need access to specialty medical services, nutrition education and recreational opportunities. Children's is providing treatment, as well as offering prevention programs and supporting health centers and recreational programs, to engage children in culturally competent learning opportunities about good nutrition and fitness.
Influencing public policy
Influencing public policy to improve child health is also an important aspect of Children's commitment to community health. The hospital advocates for several matters that affect children's health, such as improving asthma care, promoting proper school nutrition and making quality mental health care more available.
Children's is an influential and outspoken advocate for children in Boston and Massachusetts. We've been a leading supporter of enrollment activities that reach low-income children, as well as cultural and linguistic minorities. We've also worked with advocacy groups over the past decade to assure affordability and broaden the health services available in local communities.
It's been a key part of Children's mission for more than 130 years to improve community health through partnerships and innovative programs. In the years ahead, we'll continue to pursue our vision of healthy children, healthy communities, ensuring that all children can access health care and supporting community efforts, so children can grow up healthy.
Find a job at Boston Children's Hospital


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Lindt Raises the Bar for Chocolate With Limited Edition Chocolate Bar
Premium chocolatier Lindt USA, Stratham, N.H., introduces Lindt Mocha Coconut, a limited-edition dark chocolate bar featuring a unique coffee flavor with toasted coconut pieces. It was selected as the winner of The Lindt Excellence Recipe Challenge: Raising the Bar in Chocolate Creation, a student scholarship contest launched in 2012 in partnership with The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) that challenges CIA students to develop a dark chocolate bar recipe.
Ten student finalists were selected and Meredith Walter, a CIA Baking and Pastry Arts student from East Northport, N.Y., was the grand prize winner. She developed the concept for the recipe after pairing mocha and coconut to create a special birthday cake for her mother and her uncle. As the grand prize winner, her recipe was adapted and produced by Lindt. She also received a $5,000 scholarship.
The new bar has a suggested retail price of $3.85 and is available exclusively at Lindt.com and select Lindt Chocolate Shops, while supplies last. In addition, Lindt is furthering its commitment to culinary education by donating $1 to CIA for every Lindt Mocha Coconut bar purchased.


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The linkages between gender and mitigation might be less intuitive than is the case with adaptation, but understanding this relationship is imperative as it offers a unique platform to move away from the notion that women are victims, to an understanding that women are agents of change – capable of significantly strengthening our efforts on climate change.
This was the message of Lorena Aguilar, IUCN Senior Global Gender Adviser to participants at an IUCN Learning Opportunity convened at the 2011 Climate Investment Funds Partnership Forum held in Cape Town South Africa, recently.
"We need to think outside the box when addressing the issue of gender and mitigation," Aguilar urged. "To do so, however, we have to be creative and establish alliances with new sectors and stakeholders with whom perhaps we have traditionally not engaged or worked with." Aguilar formed part of a high level panel of speakers that also included senior officials from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and the United Nations Development Program.
Many efforts to mainstream gender have too often been confined to simplistic ad-hoc and short-term technical interventions that have failed to challenge inequitable power structures and therefore also have failed to ensure optimal implementation. Gender disparities remain among the deepest and most pervasive of all inequalities and, in fact, hinder the best of development efforts profoundly.
The event, convened by IUCN and co-hosted by the German government (BMZ) and the Global Gender Climate Alliance (GGCA), therefore sought to provide some insights into how the IUCN Gender Office linked gender and mitigation to enhance implementation on sustainable development at in-country level, emanating from IUCN's work with governments on national strategies on gender and climate change in Mozambique, Central America, Jordan, Egypt and the Arab League of States.
"We need to highlight the need for the four 'I's when discussing gender and climate change: impact, improve (quality of life for women), increase (sustainability), and involve (women)," said Aguilar.
Further examples highlighted by Aguilar included reducing household energy consumption by making efficient appliances available through the establishment of a financial mechanism for women, incorporating gender criteria in processes relating to reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) in Central America, and building awareness of transportation and gender issues in Egypt through an innovative transportation system on the Nile River that will be run by women and as suggested by stakeholders at a workshop in Cairo recently.
"The CIF have the opportunity to move from good intentions to solutions," concluded Aguilar. "At present some countries are already advancing in the mainstreaming of gender in relation to mitigation. These provide excellent opportunities to create synergies among CIF initiatives, mitigation efforts and to advance gender equality."


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"Lovers in the Snow (Prospect Park)" by Chad Gayle 20x24 inch art print printed on Moab Entrada Fine Art paper or 15x18 inch art print printed on Epson Ultrasmooth Fine Art paper.
Our art prints are printed on high end Epson Pro Stylus printers in small batches using the highest quality Epson brand inks. If you are not satisfied with the quality of your prints, return them within 14 days of delivery and we will issue a full refund of the purchase cost.
This image is protected by copyright and cannot be reproduced without permission.
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Hey all - got some teaching work for anyone interested...
We will have two evening classes in one week and one class has 1.5 hours. The classes will continue about 3 months and we will pay RMB 300 for every one class. The classes will be in our branch ( China Service International Yangzhou ), we have classrooms here and about 30 students. WESTSIDE YZ
Anyone interested email me at bnoforeignaffairs@yahoo with the subject line - PT Teaching YZ


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For a list of available units Click HERE!
Proudly serving the residential rental needs of the citizens of Goldsboro,
Wayne County, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, and the surrounding area
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(919) 736-1414 • (919) 583-0803 (fax)


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Books you MUST read
Come to think of it, most of the required readings in high school had really valuable themes... I'd recommend any of those books to be honest.
ᕙ(͡°‿ ͡°)ᕗ
The Art of War - Sun Tzu.
The Unabridged Tales of the Bothers Grimm.
The Night Angel Trilogy - Brent Weeks.
20,000 Leagues under the sea - Jules Verne.
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde - Robert Louis Stevenson.
Frakenstein - Mary Shelley.
War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy.
Those are just a random few, as I have too much of a collection in my study.
Dead Poets Society
ただいまみんなさん。僕は帰った…いつも :)
Almost anything by Haruki Murakami. I read Norwegian Wood, but I still have as of yet to read 1Q84. I know it's going to be fantastic, though.
The Bible
Jane Eyre
People read too much fluff.
A narrative has power, even when its hero is a dirty rodent carrying the plague.
The Collector -- John Fowles
drink the wine and take my hand, and fly....
I love when people are proud of their reading habits...then you see their collection. Twilight, Fifty Shades of Grey, Vampire Diaries, Harry Potter, Superman comics, Manga, etc...
Status Message?
Spoiler Alert! Click to show or hide
Love the authors on this list and especially love Angela Carter, although The Bloody Chamber is my favorite of hers, probably followed by Love.
Spoiler Alert! Click to show or hide
inu_baka wrote:
The Art of War - Sun Tzu.
The Unabridged Tales of the Bothers Grimm.
The Night Angel Trilogy - Brent Weeks.
20,000 Leagues under the sea - Jules Verne.
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde - Robert Louis Stevenson.
Frakenstein - Mary Shelley.
War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy.
Those are just a random few, as I have too much of a collection in my study.
And I love this list as well, but I'm biased because I've read most of them and enjoyed them all. Haven't read The Night Angel Trilogy but it sounds really good. You must have an awesome library.
This kind of thread is always so nice because I get ideas of what to read from other folks, but it's hard because it's more like the 10,001 books that "must" be read and 9, 900 remaining that I have yet to get to, with time being the rate-limiting factor. And I'm a slow reader. Anyway, my random list is skewed toward American and European books because that's mostly what I've read, and it might include:
The Bible
Any complete Shakespeare
Any complete Grimm's Fairy Tales
Oedipus Rex, Sophocles
These four make great reading on their own, but they also make interpreting other works and numerous cultural references easier.
A Wrinkle In Time, Madeleine L'Engle
Being and Nothingness, Jean-Paul Sartre
Divine Comedy, Dante
Dracula, Bram Stoker
East of Eden, John Steinbeck (his whole collection, actually)
Le Morte d'Arthur, Sir Thomas Mallory
Love In the Time of Cholera, Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Neuromancer, William Gibson
On the Origin of Species, Charles Darwin
Songs of Innocence and Experience, William Blake
Stranger In a Strange Land, Robert A. Heinlein
The Art of War, Sun Tzu
The Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis
The Foundation Trilogy, Isaac Asimov
The Left Hand of Darkness, Ursula Le Guin (and her other stuff)
The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, J.R. R. Tolkien
The Stranger, Albert Camus
The Tale of Genji, Murasaki Shikibu
War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
And I agree that the required middle and high school literature is actually really good. Others have already mentioned these so I won't get into it here. There are some authors where I can't list individual works because their whole oeuvre is amazing and constitutes self-imposed "must read:" H.P. Lovecraft, Angela Carter, Italo Calvino, Charles Dickens, Edgar Allen Poe, E. M. Forster, Sigmund Freud, Neil Jordan, Ernest Hemingway, Hunter S. Thompson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Carson McCullers, Charles Bukowski, Maurice Sendak, William Carlos Williams, Jane Austen, all the Brontes, Aldous Huxley, D.H. Lawrence, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Joyce Carol Oates, Margaret Atwood, Neal Stephenson, Neil Gaiman...oh, it's endless so I'll stop. And I can't even get started on the poets.
And yes, I have these things right alongside my smut, Spawn comics, and manga. Even the don't-know-when-I'm-gonna-read Twilight box set that someone got for me because they thought if I like Dracula and "The Lady of the House of Love" from The Bloody Chamber, then I must be dying to read Twilight. Maybe someday.
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand.
Wolves don't worry about the opinions of sheep
Not my usual taste, but don't let me go is pretty impressive.
Vice searching for Virtue
The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara
About the Battle of Gettysburgh, first book that ever made me cry.
Gets across the horror of war better than any other book I've ever read.
The graveyard book-Niel Gaiman
God this book is so damn good!
Any of Hideyuki Kikuchi's books...
Yoshimi <3 <3 <3


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Room Description
Our single rooms feature one queen-sized bed, each recently updated to include new, ultra-fine linens, memory foam pillows, and plush, designer bedding. Because of our no-pet policy, as well as our attention to detail providing only the finest quality bedding with protected mattresses, Nordic Inn and Suites is able to consistently deliver on our promise to provide a clean, allergy-friendly, enjoyable lodging experience for all guests. Please note rates for summer months may be slightly higher than advertised. For additional details please review the list of room inclusions and motel amenities, provided below:
Starting at
$80-150Per night + tax
Room Amenities
- recently updated decor
- plush, designer linens and bedding
- memory foam pillows
- Comcast high-speed wireless Internet
- flat-screen HD TVs
- cable TV with 150+ channels
- HBO, Showtime, ESPN and more
- (DVD players have been removed)
- non-smoking rooms available
- daily maid service
- ironing boards
- microwave and refrigerator
- hair dryers
- shampoo and conditioner
- allergy-friendly, no-pet policy*
- *service animals are allowed
- 24 hr front desk
- free gourmet coffee*, 7:00-10:00 AM
- *pastries, fresh fruit also available
- fax and copy services
- secure, lighted parking lot
- minutes to downtown and PDX airport
- customer-friendly cancellation policy
- non-smoking rooms available


text:
Gothic Miss
You guys keep asking for 'em, so who am I to deprive you of some rich schadenfreude?
What the bride wanted:
Personally I think the dripping ganache thing looks a little Sylar-esque, but it turns out that's intentional; the happy couple planned to use a Corpse Bride topper, and so wanted an elegant Gothic vibe.
Instead, they got more of a dumpy glazed-doughnut vibe:
[snickering] I'm sorry, but I think I'm in love with this photo. As you scroll down, first you see the incredulous expression on the bride's face (she's the one in green), and then...THE WRECK. Hah! Hoo boy, that's good stuff. In fact, I've been amusing myself by picturing a little thought bubble over her head, and filling in the blanks*. Hehheheh.
Fortunately she didn't let it ruin her big day, though: you can read the bride's account of everything on her blog here.
And here's a better view of the Wreckage:
Niiiice. That chocolate looks positively...crinkly. On the (literal) bright side, though, the blindingly reflective "rose leaves" prevented any of the guests from looking directly at the cake. See, Christiana M.? There's a silver lining to everything!
*But why should I have all the fun? Give me your best caption in the comments. The one that makes John giggle 'til he snorts wins!


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Cisco® Unified Communications Solutions unify voice, video, data, and mobile applications on fixed and mobile networks, enabling easy collaboration every time from any workspace.
Product Overview
Cisco Unified Communications Manager (UCM) is the powerful call-processing component of the Cisco Unified Communications Solution. It is a scalable, distributable, and highly available enterprise call-processing solution.
New with Cisco Unified Communications Manager Version 8.6
Cisco Unified Communications Manager Version 8.6 builds on TCO and video capability of Version 8.5 by enhancing scalability on the core call processing platform, computer telephony integration (CTI), and Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP); bringing in important upgrades to the base OS; and adding support for Windows 7 and 64-bit Windows clients. This release emphasizes unified call control by natively supporting the Cisco TelePresence® System EX60 and EX90 models on Cisco Unified Communications Manager and expanding the feature set on the E20, with some important features such as Binary Floor Control Protocol (BFCP), video encryption, and support for the Cisco TelePresence MCU as an impromptu conferencing resource. Table 1 illustrates the major features that were added to Cisco Unified Communications Manager Version 8.6.
Table 1. New Features on Cisco UCM 8.6
Platform Enhancements
• OS upgrade to Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 5.5
• Upgrade process enhancements to support refresh upgrade to accommodate RHEL OS version change
• SE Linux for replacement of CSA
• Java Telephony Application Programming Interface (JTAPI) Native x64 Client
• Cisco Unified Communications client support for Windows 7 x64
• Cisco UCM support in VMware on third-party server (HP and IBM)
• Up to 10,000 users per server pair (33% increase) CTI for every user on the cluster
• Up to 10,000 CTI-enabled users per server pair (100% increase)
• Increased TFTP scalability
• Directory scale enhancements ~ 160,000 users
Cisco EnergyWise™ Technology
• You can configure the phone power save schedule (Cisco UCM)
• The switch is informed of power consumption for each power save state
• The power save plus mode switch wakes the phone at a specified schedule
• New phone models (Cisco Unified IP Phones 9900, 8900, and 6900 models) manually wake phone using the Select key (lit by LED)
• Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) presentation share (BFCP)
• SIP video encryption support for 32- and 80-bit encryption negotiation
• Cisco TelePresence MCU (rendezvous, conference button, and barge)
• Additional SIP wideband audio codecs (AAC-LATM and G.722.1)
• Expanded E20 features and more native endpoints - EX60 and EX90
• Support for Cisco Integrated Services Routers Generation 2 (ISR G2) Video Conference Bridge
• Differentiated services code point (DSCP) for telepresence calls
• Single registration for Wi-Fi and cellular data for feature consistency
• Least cost routing (LCR)-enabled hand-off, using Dial via Office (DVO) for out-calling
• Multisite -enabled hand-off : Different Forced Authorization Codes (FAC) at different sites for cost savings
• Provisioning enhancements: End-user page enhancements
Hosted Environments
• IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) integration support
• Remote upgrades for monitoring and patching: Upgrade orchestration
• Reduced virtual high-definition (HD) footprint
• Support for higher CPU oversubscription
• IMS P-Charging Vector
• IP Multimedia Subsystem ISC compatibility
• Dial-plan enhancements
• Scriptable voicemail instance cloning
Other Call-Processing Features
• Call completion on busy and no answer for analog endpoints through VGXX gateways
• Real Time Monitoring Tool Windows 7 support
• E20 and Cisco Unified IP Phone 8940 phone interoperability with ISR video
• Directory enhancements through Unified Data Sharing Services
New with Cisco Unified Communications Manager Version 8.5
Feature Highlights and Benefits
As collaboration needs evolve, Cisco Unified Communications Manager continues to evolve to meet those needs. Cisco Unified Communications Manager Version 8.5 aims to lower the TCO) for organizations and improve the communications experience for end users as well as system administrators. Some of the important features of the recent release follow:
● Cisco Unified Communications Manager Session Management Edition: Cisco Unified Communications Manager Session Management Edition support is greatly enhanced in Version 8.5 with features such as Cisco SIP Early Offer and SIP Normalization and Transparency. Cisco Unified Communications Manager Session Management Edition allows for centralized SIP trunking and routing to help simplify complex networks and reduce costs by consolidating trunking. Cisco Unified Communications Manager Session Management Edition can also aggregate voice applications and policy control.
● HD video interoperability: Cisco Unified Communications Manager now supports interworking among Cisco clients including IP phones and Client Services Framework (CSF)-based clients, Cisco TelePresence endpoints, and third-party video endpoints. This support is for the H.264 video standard and takes advantage of the Cisco Media Experience Engine. Now Communications Manager supports calls in HD resolutions among those endpoints. Cisco Cius™ support: Cisco Unified Communications Manager 7.1(5), 8.5, and later support the Cisco Cius business tablet for mobile collaboration. You can increase productivity for mobile and office workers through access to multiple collaboration applications from Cisco and the Android marketplace.
● Native mobile unified communications client support: Cisco Unified Communications Manager 8.5 adds native support for our suite of mobile unified communications clients, allowing customers to greatly simplify mobile unified communications deployments by eliminating the need for mobile proxy servers and directly connect those clients to the Cisco Unified Communications Manager. DVO and LCR enhancements have also been added for mobile unified communications clients in Cisco Unified Communications Manager 8.5. Contact center enhancements and native support for Whisper Coaching and Agent Greeting have been added to Cisco Unified Communications Manager 8.5. Announcement and monitoring triggers are exposed through CTI (J/TAPI) for Cisco and third-party interactive-voice-response (IVR) solutions, enabling the contact center to use Cisco Unified Communications Manager 8.5 to provide an enhanced, more consistent customer experience while providing better information to agents and supervisors.
● Single Sign On (SSO) for unified communications: Cisco Unified Communications Manager 8.5 extends the utility of SSO solutions into the unified communications environment. An integrated Windows log-in is supported with Communications Manager User Pages, CTI Manager, and CSF-based clients. This open, standards-based implementation of SSO provides a scalable and secure solution to which additional application support will be added in future releases.
Table 2 lists the new features included in Cisco Unified Communications Manager Version 8.5.
Table 2. New Features in Cisco Unified Communications Manager 8.5
Session Management Edition Enhancements
• Incremental feature support includes:
◦ SIP early offer
◦ Q.SIG support over SIP trunk
◦ SIP Normalization and Transparency
◦ OPTIONS ping
◦ SIP ladder diagrams
◦ Static routing enhancements
◦ Performance enhancements
HD Video Interoperability
• HD video (720p/1080p) resolution interworking among Cisco Unified Communications hard phones and clients, Cisco TelePresence endpoints, and third-party HD video endpoints in standard H.264 codec
• Native video endpoint support for simplified registration and provisioning including E20
• End-to-end solution testing including Cisco TelePresence Video Communications Server (Cisco VCS)
• Support for multiple H.264 payload negotiation for optimal resolution
• Support for mid-call video codec parameter changes and consolidation
Serviceability Enhancements
• Clarity and consistency of alarm and events
• New performance-monitoring counters (external call control, Cisco Service Advertisement Framework (SAF) Client, and Cisco Unified Intelligent Contact Management Enterprise, Cisco Intercompany Media Engine link
• Changes in Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) MIBs
• Administrative XML (AXL) serviceability application-programming-interface (API) cipher support
• VMware support
Simplified Administration and Upgrades
• User phone add page with default, hidden, and read-only check boxes
• Template-based phone add page
• Bridged upgrade
• SIP preconditions: End-to-end Resource Reservation Protocol (RSVP)
• Application ID
Extension Mobility Enhancements
• Extension Mobility Cross Cluster
• Extension Mobility PIN change through phone
• Secure HTTP (HTTPS) for phone services, including Extension Mobility and Extension Mobility Cross Cluster
Mobility Features
• Dialed Number Identification Services pool of direct-inward-dialing (DID) numbers
• LCR policy for DVO R/F
• DVO support without Cisco Unified Mobility Advantage
• Mobility On/Off with SIP interface
• Send Call to Mobile feature for Blackberry
API Enhancements
• External Call Control (ECC) service and Cisco Unified Routing Rules Interface (URRI)
• CTI with hunt list and call pickup
• CTI support for call forward
• AXL enhancements: AXL interface automated to support all the database fields supported by Admin interfaces
• Next-generation Telephony Application Programming Interface (TAPI) and Wave Driver
Telephony Feature Enhancements
• Caller ID on Media Gateway Control Protocol (MGCP) foreign exchange office (FXO)
• Delivery Status Notification (DSN) hotline feature for tactical deployments in the military and government communication-system space
• Unified capabilities requirements for 2007 (UCR2007) private branch exchange 1 (PBX1) requirements as outlined for military and government systems
◦ Multilevel precedence and preemption (MLPP) on E1 Primary Rate Interface (PRI) circuits
◦ MLPP support services + Cancel call waiting
• HTTPS phone services: Extension Mobility, Extension Mobility Cross Cluster, Cisco IP Manager Assistant (IPMA), Cisco Unified Communications Manager IP Phone Services (Unified MCIP), Cisco Unified Communications Manager Personal Directory, and change credentials
• Secure recording and monitoring
• Annunciator support for SIP phones
Endpoint Support
• HTTP-based downloads - Firmware and configuration
• Support for Cisco Unified IP Phone 6901, 6911, 6921, 6941, and 6961 models
• Support for Cisco Unified IP Phone 8961, 9951, and 9971 models
• Key Expansion Module support
• Dialed number capacity on SIP phones (56 lines for Cisco Unified IP Phone 7902 and 7905 phones
• USB video camera module
Cisco UCM Infrastructure Enhancements
• Serial Data Input (SDI) trace reduction reduced; improved overall Cisco UCM performance by reducing I/O wait caused by redundant trace
• Updated Cisco Security Agent Version 6.0.1
• AXL enhancements (changes to AXL versioning, partial response, list of APIs improvements, member associations, and schema improvements)
• Tool for Auto-Registered Phones Support (TAPS) support for Linux-based Cisco Unified Contact Center Express (Unified CCX)
Session Management Edition Support
• Continued support for Session Management Edition introduced in Version 7.1(3) with value-add with new Cisco UCM features: Intercompany Media Engine; SAF; and RSVP
PBX Interoperability and Migration
• Parsing of large incoming Q.SIG messages
• Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) filtering: Ability to create multiple, custom LDAP filters that can be assigned to one or more synchronous agreements
• Cisco Unified Computing System ™ (8.5(2)) (Cisco UCS ®) B200 M1: Blade server; based on market-leading VMware vSphere 4 (ESXi 4.0)
• Cisco UCS (8.5(2)) C210 M1: 2-rack-unit (2RU) rack server; based on market-leading VMware vSphere 4 (ESXi 4.0)
• Cisco MCS 7800 Series Media Convergence Servers, including the Cisco MCS 7816, MCS 7825, MCS 7828, MCS 7835, and MCS 7845
• Software-only options for both HP and IBM
Product Specifications
● Cisco MCS 7800 Series Media Convergence Servers, including the Cisco MCS 7816, MCS 7825, MCS 7828, MCS 7835, and MCS 7845
● Starting with Cisco Unified Communications Manager 8.5(2), Cisco UCS B200 M1 - blade server and Cisco UCS C210 M1 - 2RU rack server; based on market-leading VMware vSphere 4 (ESXi 4.0)
● Selected third-party servers: For details, visit: http://www.cisco.com/go/swonly
● Cisco Unified Communications Manager Business Edition: For details, visit: http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps7273/index.html
The appliance model provides a platform for call processing with the software preloaded on a Cisco MCS platform; the software is optionally available as a DVD kit for equivalent customer-provided servers. The appliance comes with a single firmware image that includes the underlying operating system as well as the Cisco Unified Communications Manager application. The appliance is accessed through a GUI, and a command-line interface (CLI) has been added to facilitate diagnostics and basic system management, such as the starting or stopping of services and rebooting of the appliance. No access to the underlying operating system is necessary. All system management activities - for example, disk-space monitoring, system monitoring, and upgrades - are controlled through the GUI. Because onboard agents are no longer supported on the appliance, all Cisco Unified Communications Manager management interfaces are enhanced to allow tight integration with third-party applications.
Starting with Cisco Unified Communications Manager 8.5(2), Cisco will support Cisco Unified Communications Manager running on VMware vSphere 4 (ESXi 4.0). This support will allow Cisco UCM to run on the Cisco Unified Computing System platform. Thus Cisco Unified Communications Manager administrators will have more flexibility in how and where they implement Cisco Unified Communications Manager to meet the needs of their enterprise. Initial support will be on the Cisco UCS B200 M1 and UCS C210 M1 platforms.
Additionally, the SNMP interface has added an overall syslog performance MIB. The serviceability interface has instrumented, appliance-specific counters. The programming interface has added the capability to run insert, update, and delete database commands. To further enhance security, Cisco Security Agent for Cisco Unified Communications Manager comes preloaded on the appliance.
Bundled Software
● Cisco Unified Communications Manager Version 8.5, a call-processing and call-control application, is included.
● The Cisco Unified Communications Manager Version 8.5 configuration database contains system and device-configuration information, including the dial plan.
● Cisco Unified Communications Manager administration software is included.
● Cisco Unified Mobility service is included.
● The Cisco Unified Communications Manager CDR Analysis and Reporting Tool (CAR) provides reports for calls based on call detail records (CDRs) that include calls on a user basis, calls through gateways, simplified call quality, and a CDR search mechanism. The tool also provides limited database administration - for example, deletion of records based on database size.
● The Cisco Unified Communications Manager Bulk Administration Tool (BAT) allows administrators to perform bulk insert, delete, and update operations for devices and users. The application was enhanced in Version 6 to provide export and import of database information, including calling search space, device pool, and Cisco Survivable Remote Site Telephony (SRST). Version 8.5 further enhances the solution by adding many other features, among them hunt and pilot lists, CTI route groups, transformation patterns, presence groups, message waiting, and mobility information.
● The Cisco Unified Communications Manager Attendant Console application is no longer bundled nor supported with Cisco Unified Communications Manager.
● The Cisco Unified Communications Manager RTMT monitors real-time behavior of the components in a Cisco Unified Communications Manager cluster. With Cisco Unified Communications Manager 8.5, RTMT functions include Analysis Manager, which allows diagnostic support of Cisco Unified Communications Manager, Cisco Unified Communications Manager Business Edition, Cisco Unified Customer Voice Portal, Cisco Unified Intelligent Contact Management Enterprise, Cisco Unified Contact Center Express, Cisco IOS® Gateway devices and Cisco IOS ACS, Cisco Unified Expert Advisor, and Cisco Unified Contact Center Enterprise. Cisco Unified Communications Manager RTMT uses HTTP and TCP to monitor device status, system performance, device discovery, and CTI applications. It also provides trace and log file-management capabilities, including download scheduling of all trace and log files, user-defined events in trace and log files, and real-time monitoring of trace and log files. You can upload trace files to a Cisco TAC FTP server and save preferences. Cisco Unified Communications Manager RTMT can send email and page alerts when problems are detected. It connects directly to devices by using HTTP for troubleshooting system problems.
● The Cisco Conference Bridge application provides software conference-bridge resources that Cisco Unified Communications Manager can use.
● The Cisco Unified IP Phone Address Book Synchronizer allows you to synchronize Microsoft Outlook or Outlook Express address books with Cisco Personal Address Book. After installing and configuring Cisco Personal Address Book, you can access this feature from the Cisco Unified IP Phone Configuration website.
● The Cisco Unified Communications Manager Locale Installer provides user and network locales for Cisco Unified Communications Manager, adding support for languages other than English. Locales allow you to view translated text, receive country-specific phone tones, and receive TAPS prompts in a chosen language when working with supported interfaces. You can download this application from the Cisco website as needed.
● The Cisco Dialed Number Analyzer is a serviceability tool that analyzes the dialing plan for specific numbers.
● Cisco Unified Communications Manager Assistant provides call-routing and display capabilities required by busy administrative assistants and their managers in a business environment. By combining a PC-based console application and various soft keys and display panes on Cisco Unified IP Phones, Cisco Unified Communications Manager Assistant can offer you job-specific tools to more efficiently manage calls in this environment. This function is also available as an XML service on the phone.
● The Cisco Unified Communications Manager JTAPI plug-in is installed on all computers that host applications that interact with Cisco Unified Communications Manager with the JTAPI. JTAPI reference documentation and sample code are included.
● Cisco Telephony Service Provider contains the Cisco TAPI service provider (TSP) and the Cisco WAV drivers that TAPI applications use to make and receive calls on the Cisco Unified Communications System.
SIP support is available in Cisco Unified Communications Manager with support for line-side devices, including IETF RFC 3261-compliant devices available from Cisco and other manufacturers. Cisco SIP-compliant devices include the Cisco Unified IP Phone 7905G, 7912G, 7940G, and 7960G models. SIP is also available on the Cisco Unified IP Phone 7906G, 7911G, 7931G, 7941G, 7941G-GE, 7942G, 7945G, 7961G, 7961G-GE, 7962G, 7965G, 7970G, 7971G, 7975G, 8961, 9951, and 9971 models, as well as on the Cisco Unified IP Phone Expansion Module 7914 and Cisco Unified IP Color Key Expansion Module.
The SIP trunk interface is available and conforms to RFC 3261, allowing support of video calls over the SIP trunk and improving conferencing and application support experiences when used with Cisco Unity® and Cisco Unified MeetingPlace® solutions.
CAC helps ensure that voice quality of service (QoS) is maintained across constricted WAN links, and it automatically diverts calls to alternate public-switched-telephone-network (PSTN) routes when WAN bandwidth is not available. A web interface to the configuration database allows remote device and system configuration. HTML‑based online help is available for users and administrators.
Cisco Unified Communications Manager supports RSVP agent capability. The RSVP agent on a Cisco router extends CAC capability beyond a hub-and-spoke topology within or between clusters. Now a call can be routed directly between two locations in different clusters without having to traverse the hub, allowing alternative network topologies and more efficient use of networks. RSVP now supports application ID, which associates RSVP reservation with a specific application and sub-application. Initially voice and video are supported.
SNMP is available to manage Cisco Unified Communications Manager, allowing managers to set and report traps on conditions that could affect service and send them to remote-monitoring systems.
System Capabilities Summary
● Alternate automatic routing (AAR)
● Analysis Manager: Capabilities are listed in Table 1; Analysis Manager supports the following products:
- Cisco Unified Communications Manager
- Cisco Unified Communications Manager Business Edition
- Cisco Unified Customer Voice Portal
- Cisco Unified Intelligent Contact Management Enterprise
- Cisco Unified Contact Center Express
- Cisco IOS Gateway devices and Cisco IOS ACS
- Cisco Unified Expert Advisor
- Cisco Unified Contact Center Enterprise
● Annunciator support for Skinny Client Control Protocol (SCCP) and SIP
● Audio message-waiting indicator (AMWI)
● Automated bandwidth selection
● Automatic route selection (ARS)
● AXL Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) API with performance and real-time information
● Basic Rate Interface (BRI) endpoint support: Registers BRI endpoints as SCCP devices
- Static modeling using locations-based Call Admission Control
- Dynamic admission control using RSVP intercluster and intracluster Application ID for voice and video CAC differentiation
● Call coverage
- Forwarding based on internal and external calls
- Forwarding out of a coverage path
- Timer for maximum time in coverage path
- Time of day
● Call display restrictions
● Call preservation - redundancy and automated failover - on call-processing failure
● Call recording for encrypted and nonencrypted calls
● Codec support for automated bandwidth selection: G.711 (mu-law and a-law), G.722, G.722.1, G.723.1, G.728, G.729A/B, Global System for Mobile-Enhanced Full Rate (GSM-EFR), Global System for Mobile-Full Rate (GSM-FR) Internet Low Bitrate Codec (iLBC), iSAC, wideband audio (proprietary 16-bit resolution; 16‑kHz sampled audio), and Advanced Audio codec (AAC) for use with Cisco TelePresence devices
● Digit analysis and call treatment (digit-string insertion, deletion, stripping, dial access codes, digit-string translation, and dial-pattern transformation)
● Database resiliency to increase feature availability for the following:
- Extension Mobility
- Call forward all
- Privacy
- Device mobility
- Do not disturb
- End-user and Application User Certificate Authority Proxy Function (CAPF) for CTI
- Monitoring
- Hunt groups
● Device mobility changes in the location-specific information when a device moves within the cluster
● Dial-plan partitioning
● Distributed call processing
- Deployment of devices and applications across an IP network
- Virtual clusters of up to eight Cisco Unified Communications Manager servers for scalability, redundancy, and load balancing
- Maximum of 7500 Cisco Unified IP Phones per Cisco Unified Communications Manager server and 30,000 per server cluster (configuration dependent)
- Maximum of 100,000 busy-hour call completions (BHCCs) per Cisco Unified Communications Manager server and 250,000 per server cluster (configuration dependent)
- Intercluster scalability to more than 100 sites or clusters through H.323 gatekeeper
- Intracluster feature and management transparency
● Divert calls to voicemail (iDivert)
● External Call Control, which provides an API (Routing Rules Interface) that allows routing decisions to be made outside of Cisco Unified Communications Manager
● Fax over IP: G.711 pass-through and Cisco Fax Relay
● Forced authorization codes and client matter codes (account codes)
● H.323 interface to selected devices
● H.323 FastStart (inbound and outbound)
● Hotline and private-line automated ringdown (PLAR)
● Hunt groups: broadcast; circular; longest idle; and linear, login, and logout
● Cisco Intercompany Media Engine support for intercompany business-to-business communication
● Interface-to-H.323 gatekeeper for scalability, CAC, and redundancy
● IPv4
● Language support for client-user interfaces (languages specified separately)
● Multilocation: Dial-plan partition
● Multiple ISDN protocol support
● Multiple remote Cisco Unified Communications Manager platform administration and debug utilities
- Prepackaged alerts, monitor views, and historical reports with RTMT
- Real-time and historical application performance monitoring through operating system tools and SNMP
- Monitored data-collection service
- Remote terminal service for off-net system monitoring and alerting
- Real-time event monitoring and presentation to common syslog
- Trace setting and collection utility
- Browse to onboard device statistics
- Clusterwide trace-setting tool
- Trace collection tool
● Multisite (cross-WAN) capability with intersite CAC
● Off-premises extension (OPX)
● Outbound call blocking
● Out-of-band dual-tone multifrequency (DTMF)
● Programmable line keys
● PSTN failover on route no availability: AAR
- Alerting name specified in ISO 13868 as part of the Connected Name Identification Presentation (SS‑CONP)
- Basic call
- ID services
- General function procedures
- Call back: ISO/IEC 13870: 2nd Edition, 2001-07 (completion of calls to busy subscriber [CCBS] and call completion on no reply [CCNR])
- Call diversion: SS-CFB (busy), SS-CFNR (no answer), and SS-CFU (unconditional); service ISO/IEC 13872 and ISO/IEC 13873, first edition 1995 - call diversion by forward switching and by rerouting
- Call transfer by join
- H.323 Annex M.1 (Q.SIG over H.323) - ITU recommendation for Annex M.1
- Identification restriction (Calling Name Identification Restriction [CNIR], Connected Line Identification Restriction [COLR], and Connected Name Identification Restriction [CONR])
- Loop prevention, diversion counter and reason, loop detection, diverted-to number, diverting number, original called name and number, original diversion reason, and redirecting name
- Path replacement ISO/IEC 13863: 2nd Ed. 1998, and ISO/IEC 13974: 2nd Ed. 1999
● Station through trunk (MGCP gateways)
- JTAPI and TAPI applications enabled with automated failover and automatic update
- Triple Cisco Unified Communications Manager redundancy per device (phones, gateway, and applications) with automated failover and recovery
- Trunk groups
- MGCP BRI support (ETSI BRI basic-net3 user-side only)
● Security
- Secure conferencing is available to all members of the conference
- Configurable operation modes: Nonsecure or secure modes can be configured
- Device authentication: New model phones have an embedded X.509v3 certificate; a CAPF is used to install a locally significant certificate in the phones
- Data integrity: The Transport Layer Security (TLS) cipher NULL-SHA is supported; messages are appended with the SHA1 hash of the message to help ensure that they are not altered on the wire and can be trusted
- Cisco Unified Communications Manager offers secure HTTP support for Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration, Cisco Unified Communications Manager Serviceability, Cisco Unified Communications Manager User Pages, and Cisco Unified Communications Manager CDR Analysis and Reporting Tool
- Privacy: Signaling and media are encrypted, including Cisco Unified IP Phone 7906G, 7911G, 7921G, 7940G, 7931G, 7941G, 7941G-GE, 7942G, 7945G, 7960G, 7961G, 7961G-GE, 7962G, 7965G, 7970G, 7971G, and 7975G models; Cisco Unified SRST; and MGCP gateways
- Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) for directory: Supported applications include Cisco Unified Communications Manager Bulk Administration Tool (BAT), Cisco Unified Communications Manager CDR Analysis and Reporting Tool, Cisco Unified Communications Manager Admin User Pages, Cisco Unified Communications Manager Assistant Admin Pages, Cisco Unified IP Phone Options Pages, Cisco Conference Connection, Cisco CTI Manager, Cisco Unified Communications Manager Extension Mobility, and Cisco Unified Communications Manager Assistant
- A USB eToken containing a Cisco rooted X.509v3 certificate is used to generate a Certificate of Trust List (CTL) file for the phones and to configure the security mode of the cluster
- Phone security: TFTP files (configuration and firmware loads) are signed with the self-signed certificate of the TFTP server; the Cisco Unified Communications Manager system administrator can disable HTTP and Telnet on IP phones
- SIP trunk (RFC 3261) and line side (RFC 3261-based services) are supported
- Cisco Unified SRST is supported
● Service Advertisement Framework - Call Control Discovery
● Shared resource and application management and configuration
- Transcoder resource
- Conference bridge resource
- Topological association of shared resource devices (conference bridge, music-on-hold [MoH] sources, and transcoders)
- Media termination point (MTP): Support for SIP trunk and RFC 2833
- Annunciator
● Silence suppression and voice activity detection (VAD)
● Silent monitoring
● Simplified North American Numbering Plan (NANP) and non-NANP support
● SIP routing (centralized) with Session Management Edition
● SIP trunk Call Admission Control (SIP CAC)
● T.38 fax support (H.323, MGCP, and SIP)
● Third-party applications support
- Broadcast paging: Through foreign exchange station (FXS)
- Simple Messaging Desktop Interface (SMDI) for MWI
- Hook-flash feature support on selected FXS gateways
● Support for hunt lists, call pickup, and call forward
- JTAPI 2.0 service provider interface
● Support for hunt lists, call pickup, and call forward
- Billing and call statistics
- Configuration database API (Cisco AXL)
● Time-of-day, day-of-week, and day-of-year routing and restrictions
● Toll restriction: Dial-plan partition
● Toll-fraud prevention
- Prevent trunk-to-trunk transfer
- Drop conference call when originator hangs up
- Require forced-authorization codes
● Unified device and system configuration
● Unified dial plan
● Video codecs: H.261, H.263, H.264, and Cisco Wideband Video Codec (Cisco Unified Video Advantage)
● Video telephony (SCCP, H.323, and SIP)
Summary of User Features
Note: Asterisks (*) in this list indicate SIP support for Cisco Unified Communications Manager 7.0.
● *Abbreviated dial
● *Answer and answer release
● *Auto answer and intercom
● *Callback busy and no reply to station
● *Call connection
● *Call coverage
● *Call forward: All (off net and on net), busy, no answer, no bandwidth, and not registered
● *Call hold and retrieve
● Call join
● *Call park and pickup
● *Call pickup group: Universal
● *Call pickup notification (audible or visual)
● *Call status per line (state, duration, and number)
● *Call waiting and retrieve (with configurable audible alerting)
● *Calling line identification (CLID) and calling party name identification (CNID)
● Calling line identification restriction (CLIR) call by call
● *Conference barge
● *Conference chaining
● *Conference list and drop any party (impromptu conference)
● *Dialed-number display
● *Direct inward dialing (DID) and direct outward dialing (DOD)
● *Directed call park with busy lamp field (BLF)
● *Directory dial from phone: Corporate and personal
● *Directories: Missed, placed, and received calls list stored on selected IP phones
● *Distinctive ring for on- and off-net status, per-line appearance, and per phone
● *Do not disturb (do not ring and call reject)
● *Drop last conference party (impromptu conferences)
● *Extension Mobility
● *Extension Mobility Cross Cluster
● *Extension Mobility PIN change from phone
● *Hands-free, full-duplex speakerphone
● *HTML help access from phone
● *HTTPS for phone services; for example, Extension Mobility
● *Hold reversion
● *Immediate divert to voicemail
● *Intercom with whisper
● *Join across lines
● *Last-number redial (on and off net)
● *Log in and log out of hunt groups
● Malicious-caller ID and trace
● *Manager-assistant service (Cisco Unified Communications Manager Assistant application) proxy line support
- Manager features: Immediate divert or transfer, do not disturb, divert all calls, call intercept, call filtering on CLID, intercom, and speed dials
- Assistant features: Intercom, immediate divert or transfer, divert all calls, and manager call handling through assistant console application
● *Manager-assistant service (Cisco Unified Communications Manager Assistant application) shared-line support
- Manager features: Immediate divert or transfer, do not disturb, intercom, speed dials, barge, direct transfer, and join
- Assistant features: Handle calls for managers; view manager status and calls; create speed dials for frequently used numbers; search for people in directory; handle calls on their own lines; immediate divert or transfer, intercom, barge, privacy, multiple calls per line, direct transfer, and join; send DTMF digits from console; and determine MWI status of manager phone
● *Manager-assistant service (Cisco Unified Communications Manager Assistant application) system capabilities: Multiple managers per assistant (up to 33 lines) and redundant service
● *Manager-assistant service now available on a Cisco Unified IP Phone with Cisco Unified Communications Manager 6.0
● *MWI (visual and audio)
● *Multiparty conference: Impromptu with add-on meet-me features
● *Multiple calls per line appearance
● *Multiple line appearances per phone
● *MoH
● *Mute capability from speakerphone and handset
● *On-hook dialing
● *Original calling party information on transfer from voicemail
● *Privacy
● *Real-time QoS statistics through HTTP browser to phone
● *Recent dial list: Calls to phone, calls from phone, autodial, and edit dial
● *Service URL: Single-button access to IP phone service
● *Single-button barge
● *Single-directory number and multiple phones: Bridged line appearances
● *Speed dial: Multiple speed dials per phone
● *Station volume controls (audio and ringer)
● *Transfer: Blind, consultative, and direct transfer of two parties on a line
● *User-configured speed dial and call forward through web access
● *Video (SCCP, H.323, and SIP)
● VPN client on IP Phone
● *Web services access from phone
● *Web dialer: Click to dial
● *Wideband audio codec support: Proprietary 16-bit resolution; 16-kHz sampling rate codec
Cisco Unified Mobility
The Cisco Unified Mobility service helps mobile workers direct their inbound business calls to their IP phone number and initiate outbound business calls as if they were at their Cisco Unified IP phone - all from their mobile phone (or other remote phone destination). They can answer incoming calls on the desk phone or mobile phone, pick up calls between the desk phone and mobile phone without losing the connection, and originate enterprise calls from a mobile or other remote phone. Cisco Unified Mobility is included in Cisco Unified Communications Manager 8.5 and provides the following features:
● Allowed and blocked call filters
● Caller identification
● Call screening and call divert
● Call tracing
● Cisco Mobile Voice access
● Desktop pickup
- Pick up through DTMF in 8.5
- Pick up calls directly to mobile phone
● Directed call park through DTMF
● Mobile call pickup
● New mobility device model type
● Remote on and off control
● Reverse callback to nonmobile number
● Security and privacy for Cisco Unified Mobility calls
● Single enterprise voice mailbox
● Simultaneous desktop ringing
● System administrator-controllable user profile access
● Voice-based access with user identification and personal identification number protection
Summary of Administrative Features
● Application discovery and registration to SNMP manager
● AXL SOAP API with performance and real-time information
● Cisco Unified Communications Manager BAT (including new import and export capabilities)
● Call detail records (CDRs)
● Cisco Unified Communications Manager CDR Analysis and Reporting Tool
● Call-forward reason-code delivery
● Centralized, replicated configuration database and distributed web-based management reports
● Configurable and default ringer WAV files per phone
● Configurable call-forward display
● Database automated change notification
● Date and time display format configurable per phone
● Debug information to common syslog file
● Device addition through wizards
● Device-downloadable feature upgrades: Phones, hardware transcoder resource, hardware conference bridge resource, and voice-over-IP (VoIP) gateway resource
● Device groups and pools for large-system management
● Device mapping tool: IP address to MAC address
● Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) block IP assignment: Phones and gateways
● Dialed Number Analyzer (DNA)
● Dialed-number translation table (inbound and outbound translation)
● Dialed-number identification service (DNIS)
● Enhanced 911 service
● H.323-compliant interface to H.323 clients, gateways, and gatekeepers
● LDAP Version 3 directory interface to selected vendors' LDAP directories: Active Directory and Netscape Directory Server
- LDAP filtering: Ability to create multiple, custom LDAP filters that can be assigned to one or more synchronization agreements
● MGCP signaling and control to selected Cisco VoIP gateways
- Caller ID for PRI and FXO
● Native supplementary services support to Cisco H.323 gateways
● Paperless phone DNIS: Display-directed button labels on phones
● Performance-monitoring SNMP statistics from applications to SNMP manager or to operating system performance monitor
● QoS statistics recorded per call
● Redirected DNIS (RDNIS) inbound and outbound (to H.323 devices)
● Select specified line appearance to ring
● Ability to select specified phone to ring
● Single CDR per cluster
● Single-point system and device configuration
● Sortable component inventory list by device, user, or line
● System event reporting to common syslog or operating system event viewer
● Time zone-configurable per phone
● Cisco Unity software user integration
● XML API for IP phones
● Zero-cost automated phone moves
● Zero-cost phone adds
● Data migration assistant
● Log partition monitor
● Disaster-recovery framework
● Cisco Security Agent for Cisco Unified Communications Manager
● IP Security (IPsec) and certificate management
● CDR delivery manager
● Enhanced remote access through serial, console, and Secure Shell (SSH) Protocol
● Scheduled provisioning with Cisco Unified Communications Manager BAT
● Scheduled trace collection
● User-defined events
● Real-time trace monitoring
● Enhanced upgrade process to minimize service downtime
● Enhanced upgrade process to allow upgrades when old hardware is not compatible with new release
● Enhanced installation process to minimize install time
● Installation answer file for no-touch installation
● Syslog-to-SNMP trap MIB
● Enhanced AXL SOAP API to modify the database
SIP Trunk and Endpoint Support
SIP trunk and endpoint support provides enhancements to support SIP and host SIP phones, improving interoperability and opening ways to develop innovative applications. Cisco Unified Communications Manager supports coexistence of SCCP and SIP phones, allowing migration to SIP while protecting investments in existing devices. Cisco Unified Communications Manager includes the following major SIP functions:
● Native support of SIP devices
● CTI for Internet-service-provider (ISP) phones
● Presence information for SIP devices, including support for PUBLISH
● Fault, configuration, accounting, performance, and security (FCAPS) enhancements to support SIP
● SIP trunk enhancements for external applications, such as conferencing and presence
● Third-party SIP devices supporting RFC 3261
● SIP line-side RFCs: RFCs 3261, 3262, 3264, 3265, 3311, 3515, and 3842
● SIP trunk RFC support: RFCs 2833, 2976, 3261, 3262, 3264, 3265, 3311, 3323, 3325, 3515, 3842, 3856, and 3891
Application and phone software licenses are enforced. The system manages the maximum number of devices that can be provisioned.
● Each device (Cisco Unified IP Phones, soft phones, third-party devices, and video devices) provisioned in the system corresponds to a number of device license units (DLUs), depending on its capabilities. The total number of units is managed in Cisco Unified Communications Manager to determine capacity.
● DLUs must be purchased to cover the number of devices connected to Cisco Unified Communications Manager.
● Third-party SIP devices require DLUs for operation with Cisco Unified Communications Manager.
Cisco Unified Workspace Licensing
This product is a part of Cisco Unified Workspace Licensing (UWL). Please visit http://www.cisco.com/go/workspace_licensing for more information and to determine whether Cisco Unified Workspace Licensing is appropriate for your customer.
The following user locales (languages) are supported: Arabic, Bulgarian, Catalan, Chinese (Hong Kong), Chinese (simplified), Chinese (traditional), Croatian, Czechoslovakian, Danish, Dutch, Estonian, Finnish, French, French (Canadian), German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latvian, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Portuguese (Brazilian), Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Spanish (Latin American), Swedish, Thai, and Turkish.
The following network locales (tones and cadences) are supported: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Korea Republic, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe.
Ordering Information
Software Upgrades
You can order Cisco Unified Communications Manager 8.5 installation CDs and DVDs for existing systems.
Customers with a Cisco Unified Communications Software Subscription running Cisco Unified Communications Manager 4.1 to 7.0 who want to upgrade to Cisco Unified Communications Manager 8.5 can order upgrades using the Product Upgrade Tool located at: http://www.cisco.com/upgrade.
If you are planning an upgrade to Cisco Unified Communications Manager Version 8.5, please refer to the upgrade program for supported servers at: http://www.cisco.com/go/swonly.
Hard disk capacity of 72 GB or greater and 2 GB of RAM are required.
Cisco Unified Communications Services
Cisco Unified Communications Services allows you to accelerate cost savings and productivity gains associated with deploying a secure, resilient Cisco Unified Communications Solution. Delivered by Cisco and our certified partners, our portfolio of services is based on proven methodologies for unifying voice, video, data, and mobile applications on fixed and mobile networks. Our unique lifecycle approach to services can enhance your technology experience to accelerate true business advantage.
For More Information
For more information about Cisco Unified Communications Manager, please visit http://www.cisco.com/go/unifiedcm or contact your local Cisco account representative.


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Joke's On You, Facebook - That's A Testicle Tree
from the nipple-bulge deptA few years back, we wrote about the brouhaha concerning Facebook banning photos of women breast feeding their babies, under a strict "no female boobs" rule. Rather than learn from that mess, and realize that not all images of breasts are created equal, Facebook seems to have become even more ridiculous over time. Witness the hilarity of the situation that The New Yorker's cartoonists were put in -- when Facebook blocked one of their cartoons by Mick Stevens:
Naked 'private parts' including female nipple bulges and naked butt cracks; male nipples are ok.Yeah. So, as the folks at The New Yorker pointed out, it appears that this (zoomed in) part of their image (according to Facebook, NSFW, but according to pretty much everyone else, probably fine) is "the problem":
Now, we could have fought the ruling on technical grounds, because, let's face it, these female nips, by any stretch of the imagination, no matter how prurient, are just not bulging...Now, this is all just a bit of a humorous reaction* to silly overblocking by Facebook, but it does actually raise some legitimate concerns, considering how central Facebook has become in our lives. For many people it is a key platform for expression, and as such, it takes on greater meaning and importance. Yes, as a private company, they have every right to set the rules that they want to set, no matter how arbitrary or asinine. But, you begin to worry about so many people relying on Facebook as the most important way in which they communicate, when they can run afoul of such obviously ridiculous "rules."
But rather than fight the battle of the bulge, let's point out, that while female nipple bulging, or F.N.B. for short, is a potentially serious problem, with as yet no known cure, it also has no known victims. That is, unless you count freedom of expression, common sense, and humor.
* Random aside: a few months back I got to see three New Yorker cartoonists host a discussion/speed drawing contest, in which they talked about what life was like as a New Yorker cartoonist, and it may have been one of the funniest things I've ever seen -- by far beating most, if not all, of the stand up comedy acts I've seen over the years. If you ever have a chance to see these guys speak, do not miss it.
Filed Under: adam and eve, breasts, cartoons, censorship, new yorker, nipple bulge, nipples
Companies: facebook


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2 boneless top loin pork chops, cubed 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil 15 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained 2 14.5 oz. cans chicken broth 2 Tbsp. dried minced onions 15 oz. can northern beans 8 oz. fresh spinach leaves, torn
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Whilst I was researching Leonard Norman and his photography/picture framing business at 28-30 Montague Road in the 1890s and possibly later at 51 Montague Road, I came across another small story about a former occupant of number 51. It comes again from the Leicester Chronicle, this time the 5th May 1894 (so as Leonard was just settling in to 28 Montague Road).
Harriet Wills was fined ten shillings for being drunk and disorderly in Montague Road the previous Saturday night. And she a married woman in her fifties too! That can't have been much fun to live down with the neighbours, most of whom were no doubt very respectable. Clarendon Park did have a reputation as a drunken place. There is a fantastic cartoon displayed at the Abbey Pumping Station museum called 'Last Tram Back to Clarendon Park' or something very similar, depicting a tram overflowing with drunken, dazed or fighting people. I wonder if the last 44a has the same reputation today? Regards, Elizabeth.


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Environmental Clean Technologies (ECT) is a public company listed on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX: ECT).
Based in Melbourne, Australia, ECT is in the business of commercialising leading-edge coal and iron-making technologies, which are capable of delivering both financial and environmental benefits.
Our core competencies in process development, applied research, business development and corporate governance underpin our strategic-partnering business model, which leverages industry expertise to drive technology development and mitigate risk while maintaining the agility necessary to navigate often-uncertain political, social and economic conditions.


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We are currently recruiting medical personnel for positions in Ireland, the UK, US, but as the demands of the market changes, so shall we. We have offices operating in Ireland, and Portugal to provide a special assistance to our candidates. Focusing our business exclusively in the Healthcare Industry, we feel this alone gives BPL a distinct advantage over our competitors, providing us with crucial in-depth industry knowledge at all times.
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Our team at BPL has a balanced mix of both recruitment and industry knowledge, which ensures all of our Clients receive the best possible service available. We offer a tailored service adapting our proven structured approach and processes to accommodate the unique requirements of our individual Client's needs. BPL aim to provide our Clients with a high quality, professional value added service, second to none. Our approach is geared towards which we believe is a vital component in achieving our vision.
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Every week, a DIY expert spares us a trip to the grocery store and shows us how to make small batches of great foods at home.Cara Eisenpress is the blogger behind Big Girls, Small Kitchen and the co-author of In the Small Kitchen, published by William Morrow.
People have accused me of having a love affair with salt. My retort (which I usually keep inside my head) is that I just like things with flavor.A preference for food with, you know, lots of flavor, has led me to seek out dishes that have the absolute most taste per square millimeter, and that search has led to making sun-dried tomatoes -- concentrated little morsels of tomatoes' sweet-and-savory-ness -- at home. Summer's abundant tomato harvest begs to be preserved, and once you've exhausted tomato sauce, salsa, and tomato jam, sun-dried tomatoes are a brilliant solution.I took a longing look through White on Rice's post about actually sun-drying tomatoes with sun over the course of a couple of days. Then I took a long look at my apartment, with its shady fire escape and dusty windowsill, and I decided that my oven was going to be the vehicle for turning my fresh plum tomato slices into their chewy "sun-dried" alter egos.It was a fine choice, though you might argue that gas heat lacks the romance of sunshine.
By slowly cooking sliced tomatoes at a low temperature, you zap them of their moisture, leaving raisin-like remains a third the size of the slice you started out with, and containing all of the original flavors. You don't add any olive oil, as you would when you're simply roasting tomatoes until they burst, but you do add herbs and my one true love, coarse salt.I start with plum tomatoes, cut into thirds. We all adore a big ugly heirloom or petite cherry tomato, but both have a bit too much water to make them practical for drying. In fact, I extract some moisture from the plum tomatoes before I even put them in the oven, using the same method as for sliced eggplant about to be roasted: salting, resting, and blotting.
An important trick is drying the tomatoes on a rack, instead of right on the baking sheet. This way, hot air surrounds the fruit from all sides, preventing it from basking in its own juices, which could risk a loss of sweetness or a burn from the oven.And since you're taking the long route and making these treats from scratch, you don't have to rely on an antipasti bar's selection to make key taste decisions for you. If you like slightly plumper sun-dried tomatoes, remove them from the oven sooner; chewier, go longer. If you're always cursing the copious amounts of olive oil in your sun-dried tomato jar, you can skip the oil all together and store the cooled tomatoes dry, in a container in the fridge. I've steeped garlic in my oil to season it, but you can add hot pepper, oregano, or other dried herbs.The one place I didn't go was canning. It's hard to can food that's not very acidic in oil, and I didn't want to risk a bad outcome. Since these keep so well in the fridge, in oil or not, I skipped the canning conundrum completely. If you know the best way to can sun-dried tomatoes in oil, share in the comments! (The downside is that your oil, if you use it, will solidify in the fridge. But that never bothers me when I'm scooping it out to flavor salad dressing or pesto.)
Sun-Dried TomatoesMakes one 8-ounce jar
1 pound plum tomatoesA few pinches coarse salt4 sprigs fresh thyme1/2 cup olive oil (optional)1 clove garlic, minced (optional)
Preheat oven to 200°F. Place a metal rack on a baking sheet. Cut each tomato in thirds lengthwise. Each slice should be about 1/3-inch thick.Sprinkle salt on the cut sides of the tomatoes -- not more than you'd want to eat though! Line a cutting board with a dish towel or paper towels and place the tomatoes on top. Top with another dish towel and another cutting board. Weight with a heavy cookbook or two. The Food52 Cookbook or The Essential New York Times Cookbook are good options. Leave for 20 minutes. This helps get some of the tomatoes' juices out early, before they go in the oven.Remove the tomatoes from the cutting board sandwich, dusting off any salt that hasn't dissolved, and place them on the rack, with at least 1 inch in between. Sprinkle with the fresh thyme.
Bake for about 5 hours, until the tomatoes are dry to the touch and have wrinkled around the edges. You can really decide how dry you want them -- as dry as raisins? Or do you want to leave a little plumpness? Watch them (and try them) as they cook, and decide for yourself. When done, remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature.
If you're going to be storing your tomatoes in olive oil, place the olive oil and garlic in a small jar while the tomatoes are cooking, and let the garlic steep to flavor the oil.When the tomatoes are cool, add them to the oil. If you're not using oil, store them in an airtight container in the fridge.
Save and print the recipe here.
Cara will be answering questions about sun-dried tomatoes on the Hotline for those of you who want to take on this project at home. For the quickest response, go to her recipe and ask a question from there -- we'll email her your question right away!
Don't miss next week's Small Batch, in which Cannelle et Vanille's Aran Goyoaga will show us how to make crisp, delicate ice cream cones at home.
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