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March 20 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. stocks rose, snapping a three- day decline in the Standard & Poor's 500 Index, as the Federal Reserve will keep up its bond buying to stimulate the economy and euro-area leaders weighed options for Cyprus.
Adobe Systems Inc. climbed 4.2 percent as the software maker reported sales and profit that exceeded analysts' estimates. BlackBerry added 8.5 percent after Morgan Stanley raised its rating on the Canadian smartphone maker. Lennar Corp. gained 5.7 percent after posting first-quarter earnings that beat projections. FedEx Corp. slumped 6.9 percent as it lowered its 2013 earnings forecast amid a widening customer shift to cheaper overseas shipments.
The S&P 500 advanced 0.7 percent to 1,559.46 at 3:16 p.m. in New York, trading within six points of its record reached in 2007. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 68.82 points, or 0.5 percent, to 14,524.64. Trading in S&P 500 stocks was 6.6 percent below the 30-day average during this time of day.
"The Fed essentially did what's to be expected, which is to reinforce that the economy still needs support," Hank Herrmann, Overland Park, Kansas-based chief executive officer of Waddell & Reed Investment Management Co., said in a phone interview. His firm manages $103 billion. "Cyprus just reminds us all the fragility of the economic circumstances in Europe. As you look at the economic data, pretty much everywhere outside the U.S. has been equally unconvincing in terms of any kind of expansion."
More than three years into the expansion, the central bank led by Chairman Ben S. Bernanke is pressing on with open-ended purchases of Treasury and mortgage securities to boost the pace of growth and heal a labor market still scarred by the deepest recession since the Great Depression.
Bull Market
The S&P 500 has surged 131 percent from a 12-year low in 2009 as companies reported better-than-estimated earnings and the Fed embarked on three rounds of bond purchases to stimulate the economy. The benchmark index rose to within two points of its 2007 record last week while the Dow hit an all-time high.
The Federal Open Market Committee, at the conclusion of a two-day meeting in Washington, left unchanged its statement that it plans to hold its target interest rate near zero as long as unemployment remains above 6.5 percent and inflation is projected to be no more than 2.5 percent.
Policy makers lowered their expectations for the unemployment rate at the end of the year to a range of 7.3 percent to 7.5 percent, from a previous forecast of 7.4 percent to 7.7 percent. The economy will expand 2.3 percent to 2.8 percent this year, they estimate, compared with their earlier forecast of 2.3 percent to 3 percent growth.
Cyprus Rejection
Stocks rallied earlier today as euro-area leaders weighed options for Cyprus. Investors speculated that the European Central Bank will continue to support the country's banks until next week after lawmakers in the Mediterranean nation rejected an unprecedented levy on bank deposits.
"In a lot of ways what's happening in Cyprus only serves to reinforce the Fed's current policy," Richard Helm, a portfolio manager at New York-based Cohen & Steers, which oversees more than $40 billion, said in a phone interview. "It puts to bed that the Fed might raise rates sooner than later if you do have issues re-emerging in Europe."
Nine of 10 S&P 500 groups gained as consumer companies climbed the most, rising at least 1.1 percent. The Chicago Board Options Exchange Volatility Index, which measures the cost of using options as insurance against declines in the S&P 500, slid 14 percent to 12.33, after a 27 percent jump over two days. The gauge, known as the VIX, is down 32 percent this year.
Adobe Gains
Adobe gained 4.2 percent to $42.44, as the maker of Photoshop software reported sales for the quarter ended March 1 of $1.01 billion, beating the average analyst estimate of $985.8 million. Profit excluding some items was 35 cents a share, exceeding the average analyst projection of 31 cents.
BlackBerry, formerly Research In Motion Ltd., surged 8.5 percent to $16.31. Morgan Stanley raised its rating on the Canadian-based phone company to overweight from underweight. The BlackBerry 10 device may boost gross margins and average selling prices, Morgan Stanley analyst Ehud Gelblum said in a note.
Family Dollar Stores Inc. rallied 3.8 percent to $60.35, pacing gains among discount retailers. Dollar Tree Inc. advanced 3.7 percent to $46.01, while Dollar General Corp. rose 3.5 percent to $49.42.
Homebuilders Rally
An S&P index of homebuilders climbed 4.2 percent to the highest level since July 2007. Lennar jumped 5.7 percent to $43.78. The third-biggest U.S. homebuilder by revenue said earnings rose in the fiscal first quarter as prices and sales increased amid a broadening national housing recovery. First- quarter earnings climbed to 26 cents a share, exceeding the average analyst projection of 15 cents.
Toll Brothers Inc., the largest U.S. luxury-home builder, added 6.1 percent to $36.62. Orders are up 49 percent for the spring, Chief Executive Officer Douglas Yearley said today on Bloomberg Television.
FedEx fell 6.9 percent to $99.11. The operator of the world's largest cargo airline said profit in the fiscal year through May will be $6 to $6.20 a share, down from an earlier forecast of as much as $6.60. Both the projection and fiscal third-quarter profit trailed analysts estimates.
The company, an economic bellwether because it moves goods as varied as medical supplies and auto parts, is in the midst of a $1.7 billion restructuring to compensate for customers moving away from the fastest, most lucrative deliveries. Starting in April, it will decrease capacity to and from Asia and put low- yielding shipments in less expensive networks, Chief Executive Officer Fred Smith said.
Cintas Corp. dropped 6.8 percent to $42.82 after the provider of restroom supplies and entrance mats said it expects full-year earnings per share of $2.50 to $2.54. That compares with a previous forecast of $2.50 to $2.58.
--With assistance from Namitha Jagadeesh in London and Jeff Kearns and Joshua Zumbrun in Washington. Editor: Jeff Sutherland
To contact the reporters on this story: Lu Wang in New York at [email protected]; Sarah Pringle in New York at [email protected]
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Lynn Thomasson at [email protected]
Nutrient Reduction -- Grassroots Effort to Hold Regulation at Bay
Chinese Soybean Crusher Plans to Cancel Brazil Order


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The Only Reason to Go to Taco Bell is Gone
It has been 9 years since Taco Bell aired their famous "Yo Quiero Taco Bell!" ads, so many of us have probably forgotten how much we loved them.
Sad news has befallen the world of canine actors, as Gidget, the Chihuahuan star of the Taco Bell ads has recently passed away at age 15. [ Continue Reading ]

subset: commoncrawl


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Ooi, Cinly and Bullmore, Edward and Wink, Alle-Meije and Sendur, Levent and Barnes, Anna and Achard, Sophie and Aspden, John and Abbott, Sanja and Yue, Shigang and Kitzbichler, Manfred and Meunier, David and Maxim, Voichita and Salvador, Raymond and Henty, Julian and Tait, Roger and Subramaniam, Naresh and Suckling, John (2009) CamBAfx: workflow design, implementation and application for neuroimaging. Frontiers in Neuroinformatics, 3 . pp. 1-10. ISSN 1662-5196
Pavlou, M. and Allinson, Nigel M. (2009) Automated encoding of footwear patterns for fast indexing. Image and Vision Computing, 27 (4). pp. 402-409. ISSN 0262-8856
Pavlou, Maria and Allinson, Nigel (2009) LS footwear database - evaluating automated footwear pattern analysis. In: 19th International Conference on Artificial Neural Networks, ICANN 2009, September 14-17 2009, Limassol, Cyprus.
Peltason, Julia and Lütkebohle, Ingo and Wrede, Britta and Hanheide, Marc (2009) Mixed initiative in interactive robotic learning. In: Mixed Initiative Workshop on Improving Human-Robot Communication with Mixed-Initiative and Context-Awareness at the 18th IEEE International Symposium on Robot and Human Interactive Communication, Sept. 27 2009-Oct. 2 2009, Toyama International Conference Center, Japan.
Peltason, Julia and Siepmann, F. H. K. and Spexard, T. P. and Wrede, Britta and Hanheide, Marc and Topp, E. A. (2009) Mixed-initiative in human augmented mapping. In: IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation., May 12-17, 2009, Kobe International Conference Center.
Peters, Annika and Spexard, Thorsten P. and Weiß, Petra and Hanheide, Marc (2009) Make room for me: a spatial and situational movement concept in HRI. In: Workshop on Behavior Monitoring and Interpretation - Well Being, 15-18 September 2009, Paderborn, Germany.
Peters, Annika and Weiss, Petra and Hanheide, Marc (2009) Avoid me: a spatial movement concept in human-robot interaction. Cognitive Processing, 10 (S2). pp. 177-178. ISSN 1612-4782
Pulido Fentanes, Jaime and Marcos Pablos, Samuel and Dominguez Quijada, Salvador and Zalama, Eduardo and Garcia-Bermejo, Jaime and UNSPECIFIED (2009) A mobile robot for on-line registration of indoor 3D models. In: ISR'09 40th International Symposium on Robotics, 10 - 13 March 2009, Barcelona, Spain.
Rabie, A. and Wrede, B. and Vogt, T. and Hanheide, M. (2009) Evaluation and discussion of multi-modal emotion recognition. In: ICCEE '09. Second International Conference on Computer and Electrical Engineering, 28-30 Dec. 2009, Dubai.
Rolf, Matthias and Hanheide, Marc and Rohfling, Katharina J. (2009) Attention via synchrony: making use of multimodal cues in social learning. Autonomous Mental Development, IEEE Transactions on, 1 (1). pp. 55-67. ISSN 1943-0604
Rolf, Matthias and Hanheide, Marc and Rohlfing, Katharina J. (2009) The use of synchrony in parent-child interaction can be measured on a signal-level. In: SRCD 2009 Biennial Meeting, April 2-4 2009, Denver, Colorado.
Rowland, Duncan and Flintham, M. and Oppermann, L. and Marshall, J. and Chamberlain, A. and Koleva, B. and Benford, S. and Perez, C. (2009) Ubikequitous computing: designing interactive experiences for cyclists. In: Conference of Living in a world as colorful as you - 11th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices and Services, MobileHCI 2009, 15-18 September 2009, Bonn, Germany.
Shaker, Marwan and Yue, Shigang and Duckett, Tom (2009) Vision-based reinforcement learning using approximate policy iteration. In: 14th International Conference on Advanced Robotics (ICAR), June 22th to 26th, 2009, Munich, Germany..
Song, Ran and Szymanski, John (2009) Well-distributed SIFT features. Electronics Letters, 45 (6). pp. 308-310. ISSN 0013-5194
Spexard, Thorsten P. and Hanheide, Marc (2009) System integration supporting evolutionary development and design. In: Human centered robot systems: cognition, interaction, technology. Cognitive Systems Monographs (6). Springer Berlin Heidelberg, pp. 1-9. ISBN 9783642104022
Spexard, Thorsten P. and Hanheide, Marc (2009) System integration supporting evolutionary development and design. In: Conference on Human Centered Robotic Systems, November 19-20, 2009, Bielefeld University, Germany.
Srivastava, S. and Melouki, A. and Al-Hashimi, B. M. (2009) Defect tolerance in hybrid nano/CMOS architecture using tagging mechanism. In: Nanoscale Architectures, 2009. NANOARCH '09. IEEE/ACM International Symposium on, 30-31 July 2009, San Francisco, CA.
Srivastava, S. and Melouki, A. and Al-Hashimi, B. M. (2009) Repair techniques for hybrid Nano/CMOS computational architecture. In: Nanotechnology, 2009. IEEE-NANO 2009. 9th IEEE Conference on, 26-30 July 2009, Genoa.
Srivastava, S. and Sarkar, S. and Bhanja, S. (2009) Estimation of upper bound of power dissipation in QCA circuits. Nanotechnology, IEEE Transactions on, 8 (1). pp. 116-127. ISSN 1536-125X
Svab, Jan and Krajnik, Tomas and Faigl, Jan and Preucil, Libor (2009) FPGA based speeded up robust features. In: IEEE International Conference on Technologies for Practical Robot Applications (TePRA 2009), 9-10 November 2009, Woburn, MA, USA.
Tzimiropoulos, G. and Mitianoudis, N. and Stathaki, T. (2009) A unifying approach to moment-based shape orientation and symmetry classification. IEEE Transactions on Image Processing, 18 (1). pp. 125-139. ISSN 1057-7149
Tzimiropoulos, Georgios and Argyriou, V. and Stathaki, T. (2009) FFT-based estimation of large motions in images: a robust gradient-based approach. In: ICASSP, IEEE International Conference on Acoustics, Speech and Signal Processing, 19 - 24 April 2009, Taipei.
Wang, Ching-Wei and Hunter, Andrew (2009) A low variance error boosting algorithm. Applied Intelligence, 33 (3). ISSN 0924-669X
Wei Wang, Ching and Hunter, Andrew (2009) Real time pose recognition of covered human for diagnosis of sleep apnoea. Computerized Medical Imaging and Graphics, 34 (6). pp. 523-533. ISSN 0895-6111
Wetzel, Richard and Waern, Annika and Jonsson, Staffan and Lindt, Irma and Ljungstrand, Peter and Ãkesson, Karl-Petter (2009) Boxed pervasive games: an experience with user-created pervasive games. In: Pervasive computing. Lecture Notes in Computer Science (5538). Springer Berlin Heidelberg, pp. 220-237. ISBN 9783642015168, 9783642015151
Winston, Brian (2009) 'A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma': Wiseman and public television',. Studies in Documentary Film, 3 (2). pp. 95-111. ISSN 1750-3280
Wrede, Britte and Rohlfing, Katharina J. and Hanheide, Marc and Sagerer, Gerhard (2009) Towards learning by interacting. In: Creating brain-like intelligence: from basic principles to complex intelligent systems. Lecture Notes in Computer Science (5436). Springer. ISBN 9783642006166
Ye, Xujiong and Lin, Xinyu and Dehmeshki, Jamshid and Slabaugh, Greg and Beddoe, Gareth (2009) Shape based computer-aided detection of lung nodules in thoracic computed tomography images. IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, 56 (7). pp. 1810-1820. ISSN 0018-9294
Ye, Xujiong and Siddique, Musib and Beddoe, Gareth and Slabaugh, Greg (2009) Shape-based CT lung nodule segmentation using five-dimensional mean shift clustering and MEM with shape information. In: IEEE International Symposium on Biomedical Imaging: From Nano to Macro ISBI'09, June 28 - July 1 2009, Boston, MA, USA.
Yu, Miao and Naqvi, Syed Mohsen and Chambers, Jonathan (2009) Fall detection in the elderly by head-tracking. In: Statistical Signal Processing, 2009, 31 Aug.-3 Sept. 2009, Cardiff.
Yuan, Fang and Swadzba, Agnes and Philippsen, Roland and Engin, Orhan and Hanheide, Marc and Wachsmuth, Sven (2009) Laser-based navigation enhanced with 3D time-of-flight data. In: Conference of 2009 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, ICRA '09, 12-17 May 2009, Kobe International Conference Center, Kobe, Japan.
Yue, Shigang and Rind, F. Claire (2009) Near range path navigation using LGMD visual neural networks. In: 2009 2nd IEEE International Conference on Computer Science and Information Technology, 2009, August, Beijing, China.


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California Anchorwoman Paula Lopez Safe at Home After Missing Persons Scare
(SANTA CRUZ, Calif.) -- Paula Lopez, an anchorwoman for ABC News affiliate KEYT-TV in Santa Barbara, Calif., was safe back at her home after a missing persons scare, family members told KEYT.
Lopez's family earlier had called authorities to say the 48-year-old was missing just after 10 a.m., the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department said.
"Her last known location was at her home located near Cathedral Oaks Road and North San Marcos Road," the sheriff's department said in a news release this evening. "No foul play is suspected but her family is concerned about her welfare."
It was not immediately clear why her family reported her missing so quickly after she last was seen.
The report prompted a search that was assisted by K-9 units and a Santa Barbara County Air Support Unit helicopter, the sheriff's department said.
It also prompted a written statement by Mark Danielson, general manager of KEYT, who called Lopez, who anchored the 11 p.m. news, "a beloved member of the KEYT family."
"We have been in touch with her family and know they, as well as local authorities, are doing everything possible to find her safe and sound," the statement said. "It is clearly a difficult time for her family and our own family at KEYT. All of us at KEYT stand ready to assist in any way we can."
Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio


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RUNAWAY BAY, TX – A man in Texas found what he believes to be a chupacabra on a golf course!
Tony Potter was on the Runaway Bay golf course when he noticed something lying near hole 14. Upon closer inspection, it was a dead, unknown creature!
It is a brown, hairless animal with inch-long toes, curved claws, long hind legs and oversize canine teeth.
"This is a weird little critter," Potter said. "This is not a coyote. This is not a dog."
It has none of the accompanying lesions that occur with mange, the usual explanation for debunking chupacabra findings. Unsure of what it was, he took it to a veterinarian, who also was unable to identify it.
Chupacabra sightings generally occur in the States in Texas. Potter believes this specimen is a juvenile male.
[Image credit: WC Messenger]


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What is the "fiduciary standard of care?" The fiduciary standard of care requires that a financial adviser act solely in the client's best interest when offering personalized financial advice. Who follows the fiduciary standard? Under federal law, in particular the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, investment advisers are regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) or appropriate state authorities and are required to provide services to their customers under the fiduciary standard. CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professionals providing financial planning services also must abide by the fiduciary standard, as defined by CFP Board.
Broker-dealers are also regulated under federal law, including under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, but are not required to provide services to their clients under the fiduciary standard of care. Instead, broker-dealers provide services under the "suitability standard of care," which generally requires only the broker-dealer's reasonable belief that any recommendation is suitable for the client. It is important to recognize that a financial recommendation that is "suitable" for a client (as legally required for broker-dealers) may or may not be a financial recommendation that is in the client's best interest (as legally required for investment advisers).
Why is the fiduciary standard of care an issue of concern? Consumers are harmed by the absence of a uniform fiduciary standard that applies to all financial professionals who provide personalized investment advice, from paying excessive fees and commissions to receiving substandard performance. Consumers are exposed to even greater and unnecessary risks from products that may be deemed suitable for them but are inferior to other available options and not necessarily in their best interests.
Section 913 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (Dodd–Frank Act) directed the SEC to evaluate gaps in existing regulations for investment advisers and broker-dealers when providing personalized advice to consumers. Today, more than four years since Congress passed the Dodd-Frank Act, the SEC continues to evaluate whether or not to move forward with fiduciary rulemaking.
What needs to be done?
CFP board is working with the Financial Planning Coalition to urge the SEC to adopt a uniform fiduciary standard, for both investment advisers and broker-dealers, which is no less stringent than the existing fiduciary standard for investment advisers.
What would the adoption of the fiduciary standard mean for moderate- and low-income consumers?
Adoption of a uniform fiduciary standard will bring substantial practical benefits and additional investor protections for consumers of all incomes. This will ensure that the personalized advice consumers receive is, first and foremost, in their best interest. Adoption of a fiduciary standard of care will not negatively affect the availability of investment advice or the range of products for moderate- and low-income consumers.
Wouldn't the adoption of a uniform fiduciary standard create additional costs for broker-dealers?
Research shows that the costs to broker-dealers to implement a fiduciary standard would be minimal, and that broker-dealers and investment advisers who provide financial services under a fiduciary standard experience stronger asset and revenue growth than those under a suitability standard.
CFP Board, the Financial Planning Association®, and the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors are working together as the Financial Planning Coalition to pursue consumer protection and industry reform.
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Deadpool (2016)
Feb 09, 2016 108 min Watch Trailer
overview : Deadpool tells the origin story of former Special Forces operative turned mercenary Wade Wilson, who after being subjected to a rogue experiment that leaves him with accelerated healing powers, adopts the alter ego Deadpool. Armed with his new abilities and a dark, twisted sense of humor, Deadpool hunts down the man who nearly destroyed his life.
Genres : Action, Adventure, Comedy
Tags : anti hero, mercenary, superhero, based on comic, breaking the fourth wall, aftercreditsstinger, duringcreditsstinger, self healing
Ryan ReynoldsWade Wilson / Deadpool
Morena BaccarinVanessa Carlysle
Ed SkreinFrancis Freeman / Ajax
T.J. MillerJack Hammer / Weasel
Gina CaranoChristina / Angel Dust
Brianna HildebrandEllie Phimister / Negasonic Teenage Warhead
Stefan KapičićPiotr Rasputin / Colossus (voice)
Andre TricoteuxPiotr Rasputin / Colossus (stand-in)
Leslie UggamsBlind Al
Karan SoniDopinder
Jed ReesRecruiter
Stan LeeStrip Club Emcee
Rob LiefeldWeasel's Bar Patron
Rob HayterBob
Randal ReederBuck
Isaac C. Singleton Jr.Boothe


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Pressure cooker bolognese sauce
- Prep 0:10
- Cook 0:30
Love this recipe? Click save recipe to create an online cookbook
Cooking bolognese sauce in the pressure cooker gives it that full depth of flavour you can only get by simmering it on the stove-top for hours. It's great for when you need a delicious sauce quickly for dinner, or to make other dishes like lasagne or pasta bake.
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 kg beef mince
- 2 onions, peeled and finely diced
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1/2 cup tomato paste
- 1/2 cup Massel Beef Style Liquid Stock
- 2 tbsp Italian dried herbs
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 800g tin crushed tomatoes
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1In the pressure cooker base, heat the olive oil and brown the mince.
2Add the garlic and onions and saute for 5 mins.
3Pour in the beef stock and tomato paste and cook for 3 mins.
4Add in the crushed tomatoes, herbs, salt, pepper and balsamic vinegar.
5Bring to the boil and put the pressure cooker lid on.
6Bring to full pressure and reduce heat to stabilise. Cook for 15 to 25 minutes.
- This created a really smooth sauce that tasted just like it had been simmering all day.
- I think you could fit a double batch of this into a 6 litre pressure cooker.
- If you find that the sauce is runny, you can simmer it with the lid off for 10 minutes after cooking.
- This recipe was created by Jennifer Cheung for Kidspot, Australia's best recipe finder.


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Grab a glass of chilled white wine, find an English cottage garden to relax in (preferably your own) and enjoy reading reading this lovely, lovely book.
'Summer of Love' is, quite possibly, the perfect summer read. Set in a quiet, rural community and with plenty of cups of tea, homemade cakes and clinking of wine glasses thrown in for good measure it really is a book to savour.
The main character Sian, is a thirty-something single mum. She has recently moved from the city to the English countryside to find a better school for her little boy Rory and a new life for herself and her furniture restoration business. From the very first lines of the book when Sian's neighbour Fiona, a stalwart widow and divorcee in her fifties, welcomes her to the village with a jam jar full of flowers, a bottle of wine and a no-nonsense attitude to life, you know you are in for a treat.
Although on the outside her new life appears idyllic, Sian is anxious – about how Rory will fit in at his new school, about the annoying Melissa who is trying to buy the house she is now renting, and about her feelings for Richard – perfect husband material, if only she could make herself fall in love with him. And then, to complicate matters even further, Fiona's son Angus arrives back from his latest travels and sends Sian into a spin – Sian has met 'Gus' before: he is the father of her son.
From this point in the book, we are taken on a delightful romantic romp through the English countryside as Sian and Gus try to deny their inevitable feelings for each other while Sian tries to discover her true feelings for dependable Richard. When Sian mistakenly assumes Gus is sleeping with the dreadful Melissa, she finally decides to make a go of things with Richard and his huge mansion. Unknown to Sian, Gus is left devastated.
The characters in 'Summer of Love' are brilliantly written – they are 'real' people who are easy to identify with and to like instantly. There are so many books written with characters who are far-fetched and stretch our realms of belief and reality, but there is something very compelling about Katie's characters who have real problems like what underwear is appropriate for a dinner date which may lead to something else or whether to have white or red with dinner! Her characters have problems and make mistakes and sort it all out over the kitchen table with a mug of tea and/or a bottle of wine.
Katie's trademark wry humour is present throughout the book and there are some laugh out loud scenes with the sub-plot of Fiona and her disastrous attempts at internet dating. The scene in the garden centre when she is trying to escape from creepy Evan is comedy gold. Fiona's romantic liaisons with book shop owner James are excellently written and portray a more mature woman's outlook on romantic encounters brilliantly.
There is plenty to keep the reader guessing throughout the book as we are never entirely sure what Gus's intentions are or what Melissa is really up to or whether Sian will ever tell Gus that Rory is his son.
This is far from just a breezy summer read. It is a well-crafted, intelligently written book which delivers a satisfying, happy ending. I would definitely recommend this book for the beach, although I can't help feeling it would be best enjoyed lazing around in a sunlit garden with the bees buzzing around and fairy lights in the trees at dusk.
This is a book you will be recommending to your sisters, friends, aunts and mum so get the kettle on, cut an extra large slice of cake, put your feet up and start reading.
I spoke to Katie about 'Summer of Love' and her writing life.
When did you start writing – and why? I started writing when my youngest daughter was two. I had wanted to write for a while but had assumed I'd have to wait until my children were bigger. My mother had other ideas and gave me a writing kit for Christmas. Paper, dictionaries, Tippex, it was all packed into a box file. I started in the new year.
With so many successful titles behind you, how do you keep yourself motivated to write – do you ever struggle to come up with ideas, or does it all come naturally? Keeping motivated isn't often a problem. I love my work and so far, fingers crossed, I have lots more books I want to write. That said, we all have days when we don't want to work. Usually when I've got started I wonder why I messed around so long.
What is the most amusing comment you've ever received about one of your novels? I can't think of anything particularly funny but someone did once accuse me of stalking her and writing her life, although she knew we'd never met.
Yikes! So, what is the best part of life as a writer – or is it really a terribly lonely existence in a fusty old attic with cold cups of coffee for company? The best part is meeting readers at events and festivals – although it's more fun than glam. The loneliness of writers has been hugely helped by Twitter and organisations like the RNA (Romantic Novelists Association) which has newsgroups for writers so you don't feel so alone.
What is the strangest 'research' experience you've ever had for a book? Going on a Ray Mears bushcraft course for 'Summer of Love' was definitely the strangest thing I've done to research a book. I also went up in a helicopter which I knew would terrify me – it did! I was going to make a heroine a bee keeper, but when I went with a friend to look at his bees, that scared me too. I made my heroine's friend the apiarist.
Which three words best describe your writing style? Quirky, upbeat, romantic. Very hard to think how to describe my writing in just three words!
Other than your own novels, which book would you love to have written? I'd love to have written a really sweeping novel, with a heartbreaking romance (but happy ending) that everyone would remember. I don't think I'll ever manage it though. I'd be very happy to have written any of Georgette Heyer's novels.
Have you ever spotted anyone famous reading one of your novels? I have never spotted anyone, famous or otherwise, reading my books, although my friends tell me they have. I long to see someone reading one! I would most like to see a celebrity who wants to star in a book reading one, so they could get it made into a TV programme.
Are you working on your next novel and if so, can you tell us anything about it? I am working on my next novel. It's based round a television cookery competition.
Thank you to Katie for her time in answering my questions. 'Summer of Love' is published by Century priced £14.99'. You can contact Katie at www.katiefforde.com or on Twitter @KatieFforde


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Installed 0.3.8 @work
Want to make connection from home with PuTTY
Connection OK
Freesco asks for login -> no problem
Freesco asks for password -> password + enter -> cursor to next row and then nothing
My freesco is behind a speedtouch dsl modem/router which hands out local IP to Freesco. SSH port is forwarded to Freesco.
Freesco is the heart of the local network.


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Updated 24 Aug 2016
Snapshot: This indoor wireless IP camera has HD image quality. It detects motion and can be remotely accessed on iOS and Android devices and from the internet. But how good is the picture?
Unlock all of Consumer from just $12 a month
(No obvious bad points.)
Overall score includes:
Image quality (60%), Ease of use (40%)
Image quality
When assessing how well an IP camera performs we look at its image quality in daylight and low-light conditions. We look at the clarity of the images, the contrast at close range (2m) and a moderate distance (4m). We look at how well they show a person, objects and graphics/text for reading any signage on vehicles or name badges.
Ease of use
Assesses the set-up and use of the camera, including installation, ease of recording and motion detection. We also look at how easy it is to receive alerts when motion is detected. A camera scored higher if it sent an email with a screenshot, but any email or push notification to a mobile was considered good. We also scored cameras on how easy it is to automatically and manually take photos or recordings, irrespective of whether a notification was sent, and how easy it is to store footage to cloud storage.
Available online at cbay.co.nz
Unlock all of Consumer from just $12 a month


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Booker's Father Dead at 76
Newark mayor Cory Booker's father, Cary, died Thursday morning at the age of 76. He had suffered from Parkinson's disease and recently had a stroke. He died in Las Vegas.
Mr. Booker, who is running in a special election Wednesday for an open U.S. Senate seat, canceled afternoon campaign events Thursday, his campaign confirmed. The Democrat was scheduled to attend an afternoon rally with Monmouth County members of the party and state Sen. Barbara Buono, who is running for governor.


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African Studies collections at UC Berkeley comprise over 200,000 volumes.The Main (Gardner) Stacks of the Doe Library are the principal location for social science and humanities titles covering Africana. Titles are also located in over 20 subject specialty, affiliated libraries and other units.
Summary information about these holdings can be found under Africana Library Collections: A Guide. UC Berkeley's African Studies Collections cover sub-Saharan countries and include many publications from adjacent islands. The Library's Islamica Collections embrace materials from North Africa.
What books do you need for your research? Use the Purchase Recommendation form to submit your suggestion.


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GSA Drives Innovative, Job-Creating Sustainable Industries
February 8, 2011
On the one year anniversary of GSA Administrator Martha N. Johnson's swearing in, GSA continues support of green industries essential to the country's economic prosperity.
WASHINGTON – This week marks one year since Martha N. Johnson was sworn in as Administrator of the U.S. General Services Administration. In the past year, GSA has contributed to the nation's economic recovery and energy-savings by investing in sustainable, innovative technologies.
In 2011 under Johnson's leadership, GSA will continue to expand its support of sustainable industries that will set the foundation for future prosperity.
"GSA stands at the crossroads of government and industry. We are uniquely positioned to help spur growth in the clean-energy economy that is absolutely essential to our country's economic prosperity," Johnson said. "From high-performance green buildings, to advanced technology vehicles, to more efficient procurements, GSA will continue to pursue job-creating, innovative, industry-growing, green initiatives."
High Performance Green Buildings
"Over the past year we've been hard at work making federal buildings more sustainable. Not only have we put thousands of people to work at construction sites and innovative companies around the country learning new, valuable skills, we've also invested in technologies that form the backbone of the country's emerging green economy," Johnson said. "That investment is already paying off. We are seeing small, innovative businesses grow and create jobs while we are decreasing energy bills at federal buildings around the country saving taxpayers millions of dollars."
GSA's modernization projects and new construction use the best and latest in sustainable technologies. Externally, the buildings are being fitted with cutting-edge technologies, including green and reflective roofs; solar panels; temperature-adjusting envelopes; and high-insulation, high-performance windows. Internally, GSA is investing in smart, localized metering, energy-saving heating and cooling systems, and low-flow plumbing. These innovations will immediately improve the performance of federal buildings and save millions of taxpayer dollars in the long term.
"We're just getting started," Johnson continued. "We are going to continue to make our federal buildings more sustainable and higher performing to ensure that we can meet the president's goal of reducing the federal government's greenhouse gas pollution by 28 percent by 2020."
Advanced Technology Vehicles
In 2010, GSA purchased 23,000 more fuel-efficient vehicles for the federal fleet, including almost 9,000 hybrid-electric cars. This year, the agency will continue to make investments in fuel-efficient vehicles, including the first purchase of 100 plug-in electric vehicles for the federal fleet.
"The president set an ambitious goal of putting 1 million advanced technology vehicles on the road by 2015 – to put us on a path to reducing oil consumption by 785 million barrels by 2030," Johnson said. "This year, we will build on those investments by purchasing even more fuel-efficient cars – including at least 100 plug-in electric vehicles. This investment will help spur growth in the emerging domestic plug-in market."
More Efficient Procurements
In 2010, GSA launched the GreenGov Supply Chain Partnership and Small Business Pilot, a collaboration project between the federal government and its suppliers to create a greener, more efficient supply chain. This partnership will leverage the federal government's purchasing power to incentivize private-sector innovation of sustainable products and services. Federal suppliers that join the partnership agree to voluntarily measure and report their organization's greenhouse gas emissions, allowing the federal government to better understand its full environmental footprint while eliminating inefficiencies in the companies' operations. Small businesses that have enrolled in the pilot will receive technical assistance and support through GSA to measure, report, and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.
"The primary goal of the partnership is to work with industry to develop a phased, incentive-based approach to move government purchases toward sustainable products and companies, in order to reduce our environmental footprint and more effectively use taxpayer dollars," Johnson said.
GSA, which serves as the federal government's landlord, is responsible for more than 360 million square feet of space and purchases more than two-thirds of the federal fleet, and roughly $95 billion in federal procurements pass through GSA and GSA procurement tools each year.
As the federal government's workplace solutions provider, the U.S. General Services Administration works to foster an effective, sustainable and transparent government for the American people. GSA's expertise in government workplace solutions include:
• Effective management of government assets including more than 9,600 government-owned or leased buildings and 215,000 vehicles in the federal fleet, and preservation of historic federal properties;
• Leveraging the government's buying power through responsible acquisition of products and services making up approximately 14 percent of the government's total procurement dollars;
• Providing innovative technology solutions to enhance government efficiency and increase citizen engagement; and,
• Promoting responsible use of federal resources through development of governmentwide policies ranging from federal travel to property and management practices.


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Earlier this month, we reported RIM introduced the BlackBerry Bold 9788 officially. The BlackBerry Bold 9788 will be available exclusively for China Mobile. While most of us will never see this device in person, this video does make the Bold 97xx series look awesome. With rumors of the BlackBerry Bold 9790 coming soon, we know there are ton of you that see this video and wish you could get your hands on one. We'll keep waiting for it.
- What do you think about China Mobile getting an OS 6 BlackBerry Bold 9788?


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Angels' offseason wish list down to a starting pitcher
Third base has been addressed, the bullpen has been shored up, cost-controlled pitching has been added and the Mark Trumbo void has been filled.
Now, less than a week away from Christmas, the Angels' offseason shopping list is down to just one item: A free-agent starting pitcher.
Third base has been addressed, the bullpen has been shored up, cost-controlled pitching has been added and the Mark Trumbo void has been filled.
Now, less than a week away from Christmas, the Angels' offseason shopping list is down to just one item: A free-agent starting pitcher.
The Angels agreed to terms on a one-year, $2.75 million, incentive-laden contract with 41-year-old designated hitter Raul Ibanez on Wednesday and are expected to venture into the free-agent market to round out a staff that currently includes Jered Weaver, C.J. Wilson, Garrett Richards, Hector Santiago and Tyler Skaggs.
When Ibanez is officially in the books -- he's slated to take his physical at some point next week -- the Angels will have roughly $15 million to spend on a starting pitcher before hitting the luxury-tax threshold of $189 million, and that's plenty given the names that are left and the desires that they have.
They still aren't expected to go after anyone tied to Draft pick compensation, thus eliminating Ervin Santana and Ubaldo Jimenez. They'd love to get their hands on A.J. Burnett, but he's unlikely to want to pitch on the West Coast. And though they covet Masahiro Tanaka, the Japanese right-hander remains a long shot because: 1. He may not get posted, and, 2. If he is, every team that puts in the maximum bid of $20 million can negotiate with him, making it difficult for an Angels team that wants to stay below the luxury tax and has Mike Trout's big payday looming.
So, with Santana and Jimenez out of the question, Burnett hardly an option and Tanaka still a pipe dream, who's left?
Here's a look at some of the Angels' top candidates:
Matt Garza: He has been priority No. 1 for the Angels since Jason Vargas slipped from their grasp, agreeing to a four-year, $32 million contract with the Royals. The Angels weren't willing to go four years with Vargas. They probably would for Garza, but perhaps no more than that. He's 30 years old, has been solid over the last six years -- 3.76 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and an average of 175 innings -- and isn't tied to Draft pick compensation. But there are some red flags, too. Garza had a 4.38 ERA with the Rangers down the stretch last year, and he's been on the disabled list each of the last three seasons due to arm-related injuries.
Bronson Arroyo: He's six years older than Garza and isn't as good, but Arroyo would come cheaper and is about as durable as they come. Over the last nine years, Arroyo has pitched at least 200 innings eight times -- eight! -- and ranks third in the Majors with 1,895 2/3 innings over that span, trailing only CC Sabathia and Dan Haren. Since 2006, while pitching mostly at the hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park, Arroyo has compiled a 4.05 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP despite easily leading the Majors in homers allowed (252) and striking out only 5.9 batters per nine innings. He's a better version of Joe Blanton, essentially, which is why the Angels aren't willing to overpay.
Jason Hammel: The Angels haven't really been linked to Hammel but could turn to him if Garza and Arroyo (and Tanaka) sign elsewhere. On Hammel, they'd be buying low, preferably on an incentive-laden contract. The 31-year-old right-hander missed seven weeks with a flexor strain in his pitching elbow with the Orioles last year and finished with a 4.97 ERA, a 1.46 WHIP and a 2.0 strikeout-to-walk ratio. But he throws pretty hard (he had an average fastball velocity of 92.7 mph last year) and was solid despite knee surgery in 2012, posting a 3.43 ERA in 20 starts.
Chris Capuano: The 35-year-old lefty spent 40 days on the disabled list with groin and left shoulder injuries with the Dodgers last year, finishing the season with a 4.26 ERA, a career-high 10.6 hits per nine innings, the lowest strikeout rate since his shortened rookie season (6.9) and a lost September. Strangely, though, the Tommy John product's average fastball velocity was the highest of his career, jumping from 86.7 mph to 88.4 mph from one year to the next. The Dodgers declined their half of an $8 million mutual option with Capuano at season's end, giving him a $1 million buyout.
Paul Maholm: He doesn't strike many people out (5.8 per nine innings in his career) and doesn't throw very hard (average fastball velocity of 87.5 mph last year), but the 31-year-old left-hander gets a lot of ground balls. He has a career ground-ball percentage of .521 and has been pretty durable, averaging 181 innings per season since 2006. Last year, though, Maholm was limited to 153 innings with a wrist sprain and elbow inflammation. His ERA jumped to 4.41 -- it was 3.66 the previous two years -- and the Braves replaced him in the rotation with Freddy Garcia for the playoffs. The American League may not be very friendly to someone like Maholm.
Scott Baker: The 32-year-old right-hander had a 3.98 ERA with the Twins from 2007-11, then spent 15 months recovering from Tommy John surgery -- from April 2012 to July 2013. He was missing a couple ticks off his fastball upon returning, too. With more time, though, you figure Baker will regain his low-90s fastball. He posted a 5.46 ERA in eight rehab starts in the Cubs' system, then a 3.60 ERA in three Major League starts in September. He's another arm who makes sense on an incentive-laden deal.
Alden Gonzalez is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Gonzo and "The Show", and follow him on Twitter @Alden_Gonzalez.


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LITTLE ROCK — Fishing for a reason to avoid the obvious in a bowl-picking contest, a plea for help went out to an alum of the University of Central Florida.
Multi-talented journalist Chris Kane not only talked me out of Baylor as the easiest winner of the 35 bowl games, but he almost sold me on UCF winning the Fiesta Bowl outright. In this competition, the participant starts with the most likely winner — worth 35 points — and works backward to the shakiest of picks worth one point.
Research is minimal for the no-risk, no-reward contest. Selections are based on an opinion of SEC teams and the wagering line, the latter because the wiseguys in Las Vegas know about Marshall vs. Maryland and Buffalo vs. San Diego State and I am oblivious about the Thundering Herd, Terrapins, Bulls and Aztecs.
Only seven teams are double-digit favorites in the bowl games and the spread is the largest in the Fiesta, where Baylor is the choice by almost 17 points.
Kane recited the history of UCF football, including the move to Division I less than 20 years ago, and even provided an illustration of the school's original mascot — something called a Citronaut which would intimidate only those with a phobia about a leather helmet-wearing, smiling face atop a plump orange. Kane was there when the school couldn't give away tickets to games in 60,000-plus seat Citrus Stadium and he witnessed the change in the climate when UCF began playing in a new, 45,000-seat stadium on campus in 2007.
More to the point, there are a couple of hundred Division I football players in Florida, Orlando is a couple of hours or less from several major cities, and Florida, Florida State and Miami can only sign a total of 75 per year. This year, the Knights won at Penn State, rallied from far behind on the road to hand Louisville its only loss, clobbered the Rutgers team that beat Arkansas and lost only to South Carolina, 28-25, after leading 10-0 at the half.
Kane closed his argument by citing the throwing and running of Blake Bortles, a 6-foot-4, 230-pound junior who could be the No. 2 quarterback selected if he chooses to enter the NFL draft.
Convinced, Baylor over UCF drops from No. 35 on my list to No. 15, where there is much doubt about the outcome. There is even less confidence that Florida State can stop Auburn's running game, but the pick at No. 10 is FSU in a high-scoring contest. In other BCS games, Stanford and Ohio State are equally iffy selections.
With Baylor out of the way, Alabama over Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl is the choice for 35 points. Quarterback A.J. McCarron will not leave Tuscaloosa on a two-game losing streak. Although Louisville is only a slight favorite over Miami in Orlando, I have the same confidence in Teddy Bridgewater and Charlie Strong that I do in McCarron and Nick Saban and the Cardinals are No. 34.
Next is Oregon over Texas, where coaching rumors abound; Notre Dame over Rutgers, loser of five of its last seven; Arizona State over Texas Tech, loser of five straight; and East Carolina over Ohio, outscored 123-16 in a three-game stretch.
Counting down from No. 29, confidence levels in bowl-bound SEC teams:
• Texas A&M over Duke, too much Johnny Manziel.
• Rice over Mississippi State, an underdog excited about Memphis.
• LSU over Iowa, Anthony Jennings plays four quarters.
• Underdog South Carolina over Wisconsin, Connor Shaw's good-bye.
• Georgia over Nebraska, maturation of Hutson Mason continues.
• Georgia Tech over Ole Miss, triple option prevails.
• Missouri over Oklahoma State, least disappointed of the two.
• Vanderbilt over Houston, the James Franklin factor.
Now, the task is to fill in the blanks and submit the contest entry before Friday.


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BLIP Highlights
New Library
The largest building campaign in San Francisco Public Library history is in full swing. We are now seeing the results of the $105.9 million bond measure passed in November 2000. The Branch Library Improvement Program (BLIP), a partnership between the Library and the Department of Public Works (DPW), calls for 16 branches to be renovated, four leased facilities to be replaced with City-owned buildings, three branches to be replaced with new buildings, and the construction of the Mission Bay branch, the first new branch in 40 years.
Building better libraries for stronger communities


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Pixel Power Haus offers a versatile, easy-to-use
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Pixel Power Haus designs, creates and hosts websites ranging from online sales tools for small businesses to full-service sites for newspapers. Mobile applications also are available for media sites.
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Edie Couture, Finance Director, Travis For Kansas


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Interop London
June 16, 2015 - June 18, 2015
Interop London is the official, flagship event of London Technology Week dedicated to the IT and tech community. Experience global trends and vendor solutions in IT infrastructure, cloud computing, mobility, cyber security, data-defined business intelligence and software applications via a dynamic range of demonstrations, education and hands-on tech. Serving tomorrow's enterprise IT leaders, Interop London will feature a world-class education programme and hundreds of solution providers demonstrating how emerging technologies and innovation are reshaping the enterprise. The event will also showcase leading innovations from within the London tech scene and start-up community through our Future of Tech programme and the London Technology Week Arena.
Location: London, UK


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Upon graduating, Claus relocated to Hanover in 2006. Since then his work has been on show at numerous fairs and exhibitions in Germany and abroad. Claus's main passion has been pushing the boundaries of Calligraphy; he is considered to be among Germany's top league calligraphers.
He combines his distinguished writing with many facets of life and art: he writes and illustrates poetry and texts, combines silkscreen print, painting and writing to multi-layered unique tableaus and works with anything and everything that can be written upon towards installation pieces.
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Ask any artist you know, and they will all tell you the same thing; animation creation can be an expensive hobby! Equipment such as programs, computers, and drawing tablets can cost a fortune. And yet, animations are a powerful marketing tool and can be used for advertisements, presentations, online Youtube videos and TV to grab your audience's attention, communicate your messages and create a lasting impression.
The good news is that some of this software is free to use! We've saved you the hassle of hunting these down and have pooled together some of the best free animation softwares on the market.
2D Best Free Animation Software
Choosing the right animation software to suit your project needs can be a tricky process. It's important to note that there are two distinctive types of animation softwares in the market, 2D and 3D. The type of software you choose will often depend on your animation skill level, whether you are beginner or advanced user as well as your specific animation needs.
If you're just starting out, it may be best to familiarise yourself with 2D animation as it can be an easier software to run. Working in 2D will also help you learn concepts such as storyboarding, which can be a great foundation for 3D animation. Listed below are some of the best free animation software programs we could find, available now to use.
1. Pencil
Source: Pencil
Pencil is a free and open-source vector drawing program for Mac OS X, Windows, and Linux that allows you to produce your own digital comics. The program is based on traditionally hand-drawn animation techniques that anyone can experiment with. Pencil is perfect for beginners who are looking to learn basic cartoon animation principles.
The key function provided in Pencil is the timeline feature, which allows you to add four different types of layers: sound, bitmap images, camera and vector images. The layers are arranged on top of the other by setting keyframes. For example, your characters can be sketched using your pencil tool in bitmap format and then inked out by adding a vector layer and using the pen and fill tool.
The interface is much more straightforward than that of Adobe Flash and provides a clean and clear platform. Good quality drawings can be produced using a graphics tablet. The program also exports to a .FLV file - a great bonus!
2. Tupi
Source: Tupi - Maefloresta
Tupi is a free 2D animation software that is developed by an open community. This open-source program combines the traditional frame-by-frame animation technique with tweening to produce animation. This software is ideal for amateurs looking to create 2D animation and can even be used by children aged 8 and over.
Tupi's features include basic illustration tools (such as Pencil, Ellipse and Polyline), an exposure sheet, tweening tools (such as scale, position, rotation, opacity and color), a preview player and a video exportation module (AVI, MOV and MPEG). The software also features an objects library (JPG, PNG, SVG, GIF) and a Stopmotion Module.
This program is easy to use for amateur or beginner animators and can be run on Linux, Mac OS X and Windows operating systems.
3. Synfig Studio
Source: Synfig
Synfig studios is a 2D animation software that supports a multitude of layers, allowing you to apply gradients, filters, geometric, distortions, fractal and transformation to your animations. The program includes a full - featured bone system that allows you to produce cut out animations with bitmap images or vector artwork.
A great included feature is the Synfig Studio's sounds support that allows you to sync your animations with soundtrack using a Sound layer. If you're a Linux user, you will also receive full - featured audio editors via JACK integration.
The software is also open-source and cross platform, so that it can run on Windows, Mac, and Linux.
4. Plastic Animation Paper
Source: Animation Paper
Plastic Animation Paper is a 2D animation software characterised by fast responsiveness for drawing, flipping and doing just about anything you need to! The software is built on high speed and high resolution input of your tablet so that you can draw quality lines.
The program features small to large format frames, a light table, realtime smooth rotation and zooming, cutouts (co you can easily reposition, scale and rotate), paint, play scenes in sequences and import videos or frame stacks. Plastic Animation Paper also features a customizable tool bar and a quick select marking menu so that you can easily apply your favourite functions.
The software is currently available to Windows PC and MAC OS X users and has plans to be available for Linux, Android and IPad Pro (with pencil).
5. PowToon
Source: Powtoon
Creating animated videos and presentations has never been easier with PowToon. With over three million registered users, Powtoon has been used by companies worldwide such as Coca Cola, Costco, Ebay, Pfizer and Starbucks.
Powtoon is a web based animation software, that allows you to create presentations by using pre-created objects, imported images, voice overs and music. Powtoon is the tool to use when you can't afford to be ignored, by engaging your audience with animated explanatory videos.
Anyone can use Powtoon, even if you don't know the difference between a pixel and a proxy server! This user friendly animation software is ideal for creating short videos and provides them with a professional look and feel. The program is also available on the Google Chrome store and as an application on Edmodo.com.
Best Free Animation Software - 3D
Creating 3D animations can be a great way to bring your ideas to life and create quality and customizable animations. In comparison to 2D or traditional animation, 3D animation has much more depth and appears more realistic.
Are you interested in 3D animation? We've aimed to help! Below are a few of the best free animation programs if you're looking for a user friendly and free 3D software to get you started!
1. Blender
Source: Blender
Blender is an open source and free 3D creation suite that supports the 3D pipeline for functions such as modeling, simulation, rendering, rigging, compositing, animation and motion tracking. The program also allows you to edit your videos and even create games.
For animators who want complete and total control of what they are making, Blender is the software for you. The program features a built-in, unbiased path tracer engine, offering ultra realistic rendering, modeling tools to create, transform and edit your models, VFX, animation and rigging.
The software has come a long way since first launching and the makers are still updating it regularly. The program can be run on Windows, OS X and Linux.
2. Autodesk Maya
Source: Autodesk
Used in most large studios, Autodesk Maya is the industry standard 3D software made specifically for animators. With Autodesk Maya, you can learn to animate with the industry leader in visual effects and animation with no experience needed.
Navigating Maya is easy with a step by step animation course, helping you learn the basics. Maya is used to create interactive 3D applications such as animated film, video games, TV series and visual effects.
Maya is free for students and educators, but don't worry, if you don't fall into these categories Maya also offers a free trial. The program can be run on Windows, OS X, RHEL and Fedora.
Source: K-3D
K-3D is a free 3D animation and modelling software, featuring a plugin oriented procedural engine for its content. The program supports polygonal modelling and features basic tools for patches, animation, NURVS and curves.
K-3D also features procedures and parametric work flows and properties can be altered interactively. The animation software can be run on Windows, OS X, Linux and FreeBSD.
Are you looking to create an animation?
Creating animations can be a great way to bring your ideas and designs to life, whether it be an animated advertisement for Facebook or twitter, character animation, animated infographics, 2D or 3D animation.
If you're looking for an affordable, reliable and innovative animator engaging a freelance animation specialist is a brilliant way to create dramatic results for your next campaign. Whether you're using an animation for fundraising for a startup, launching a product, promoting a service or to simply promote your brand, your animation will sell, tell, explain and train in a dramatic way.
So what are you waiting for? Simply post a project on Freelancer and you'll receive bids from our talented experts in just seconds!


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Video Title: Lineage II Trailer
Game Title: Lineage II
Publisher: NCsoft
Developer: NCsoft
Platform: PC
Category: MMORPG
About: In Lineage II, what you see on the screen is in real time. Therefore, it is critical to make an appropriate decision quickly for every situation you get in. Lineage II pursues both strategic features and action-oriented features by offering client-server synchronization and production of a client's battle at the same time.
You will battle monsters with superior AI, use skills that need to be selected according to each particular situation, overcome situations through teamwork with other clan members, and experience action that is always thrilling, even when you kill a single monster.
Tags: Lineage, Lineage II, MMORPG, NCsoft, PC, Trailers


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We only supply the tire. If there is a rim shown in the picture, it is for display purposes only.The picture serves only representation purposes
This describes the sidewall appearance. Examples include Black Sidewall, White Sidewall, and White Letters.
The load index (LI) is a 2 or 3 digit number that corrolates to the maximum amount of weight
the tire can carry. For example, a tire with a load index of 87 indicates that the tire can carry
a maximim load of 1,201 lbs. In the case of our example the 87 identifies the tires ability to
carry a maximum of 1,201 lbs. So 4 tires will carry a maximum of 4,804 lbs. Refer to your
vehicle owner's manual for the recommended minimim Load Index. It is not recommended
to install tires with a lower Load Index. By doing so, this could cause your tires to be
overloaded thus potentially causing a blowout.
Speed Ratings (SR) are based on laboratory tests and indicates the maximum speed the tire
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How to Use
the Readings
Inquiry Question
Reading 3: Chatham as Hospital
In the aftermath of the Battle of Fredericksburg, hundreds of wounded Union soldiers poured back across the icy Rappahannock River to receive medical attention in tents and buildings. Chatham served as one of many hospitals where overworked surgeons and volunteers attended to what seemed like endless streams of injured soldiers. Clara Barton and Walt Whitman were two of the volunteers to come to Chatham. Of what she witnessed in the field hospital at Chatham, Barton wrote, "...men were crowded into the Lacy House which contained but twelve rooms. They covered every foot of the floors and porticos and even lay on the stair landings!"
Barton, who later founded the American Red Cross, was eager to get to Fredericksburg before the battle. She had already experienced the horrors of the makeshift hospitals on the battlefield at Antietam in September of 1862, and she knew how much her help was needed. She quickly organized a routine for the treatment of the wounded at Chatham, as well as for those wounded who were taken to houses and churches in the town. In one letter home she described being hindered in her movements inside Chatham by her long skirts, which became heavy as they were soaked with blood.
The poet Walt Whitman came to Chatham searching for his brother who had been reported severely wounded during the battle. Relieved to find his brother had suffered only slight wounds, Whitman decided to remain to help those soldiers more seriously injured. He recorded many of his observations in diaries, letters, and books:
[I] spent a good part of the day in a large brick mansion on the banks of the Rappahannock, immediately opposite Fredericksburg. It is used as a hospital since the battle, and seems to have received only the worst cases. Outdoors, at the foot of a tree, within ten yards of the front of the house, I notice a heap of amputated feet, legs, arms, hands, etc.--about a load for a one-horse cart. Several dead bodies lie near, each covered with its own brown woolen blanket.1
Many of the wounded were eventually transported north to Washington, D.C., to recuperate in that city's hospitals. Whitman also journeyed there and continued to nurse soldiers. Sadly, however, some soldiers never left Chatham. They succumbed to their injuries and were laid to rest in the trampled gardens around the old house. Many other houses and buildings closer to the fighting at Chancellorsville, Wilderness, and Spotsylvania Court House were used as field hospitals by the armies. Chatham no longer sheltered the suffering casualties.
When the Fredericksburg National Cemetery was established following the Civil War, Union soldiers were moved there from original burial sites on the battlefields and nearby field hospitals. Burial details disinterred nearly 100 soldiers from the grounds surrounding Chatham and reburied them alongside 15,000 other soldiers in the cemetery. The National Cemetery is now a part of Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park.
Questions for Reading 3
1. Why do you think Chatham was used as a hospital?
2. What happened to the bodies of the soldiers who died of their injuries at Chatham?
3. Why would the army surgeons have welcomed help from civilians like Clara Barton and Walt Whitman to attend to the wounded?
4. What purpose does the American Red Cross serve today? Do you think Clara Barton's experiences in the Civil War influenced the founding of the American Red Cross? Why?
Reading 3 is excerpted from Ronald W. Johnson, "Chatham Preliminary Historic Resource Study," National Park Service, Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park, 1982.
1Richard M. Buck, ed., Walt Whitman, The Wound Dresser: Letters Written to His Mother from Hospitals in Washington During the Civil War (New York: Bodley Press, 1949), 22-23.
1Richard M. Buck, ed., Walt Whitman, The Wound Dresser: Letters Written to His Mother from Hospitals in Washington During the Civil War (New York: Bodley Press, 1949), 22-23.


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I received some new stamps from Stampotique this week and couldn't way to play with them!!! This is a cute stamp from Janet Klein called Fleurfly. This would make a great baby card as well for a little girl.
On the background I used the Honeycomb background stamp.
For more details on the card, please visit my blog Basement Stamper.
You still have until Tuesday evening to join us over at Stampotique Designers Challenge for our challenge to use a Spring theme.