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French Taper - Page 2
The course runs alongside the Weisse Lutschine River as it heads into Lauterbrunnen. Photo by Chris Hunter.
I took myself back to a little less than a week earlier, sitting in the front seat of an airport van headed from Geneva, Switzerland, to Chamonix, France, taking liberties with the driver's iPod until I found something familiar—the Arctic Monkeys. I cranked up the volume so we could hear the music over the rolled-down windows that let in cool, humid air. Gina was slumped down in the backseat, nearly asleep.
"How'd you end up in Chamonix? What do you do? Where are you from? How did you get roped into picking us up at the airport?" Rather than casual small-talk, I interrogated our driver.
The Berkshire, England, native was wearing baggy pants, an old sweat-stained T-shirt and a black beanie, haphazardly thrown on sideways over a growing-out, flopped-over Mohawk.
To his benefit, my ability to converse quickly waned and jet lag took over. I rested my head on my seat-belt shoulder strap and peered out the window. Lush farmland and thick foliage extended up the green, sloping fields. Valley walls rose nearly vertical. As we neared Chamonix (at just over 3000 feet), Mont Blanc came into view and my vision tunneled.
Mont Blanc, known as "the rooftop of Europe," is the highest mountain in the Alps, rising to 15,782 feet. I was instantly mesmerized by the sharp, dagger-like granite spires—the Chamonix Aiguilles—that stood juxtaposed against the enormous Mont Blanc glacier that spilled in apron folds down the mountain. Pillow clouds congregated near the summit, adding to the mystique.
I was here to crew Rory Bosio, 28, of Truckee, California, during her first-ever international ultra—the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB), arguably the most competitive and challenging footrace in Europe. The 166-kilometer course circumnavigates Mont Blanc and climbs a staggering 32,000 feet. To add to the race's difficulty, it always starts in the evening, meaning everyone has to run technical mountain terrain in the dark.
Rory works nights as a nurse and seemed fine with pulling an all-nighter on the trails. "I'm used to staying up all night so it didn't bother me," she said. "It was weird, though, to lie around all day and then go race. … Too much time to kill … I was going stir crazy."
This year alone, which served as the race's 10th anniversary, "There were 50 people who could have finished in the top five based on their international racing experience and over 200 people who could have come in the top 20," said race director Katherine Correra.
Problem was, since our arrival the weather had progressively deteriorated. What started as mist had turned to dense fog in the valley and deep snow and high winds on the mountain passes. Race morning, unsafe weather forced organizers to come up with a plan B for a third consecutive year. The premiere European event had been reduced to a 100K.
The race, which normally goes through Italy, France and Switzerland, would be run solely in France. For the leaders, that meant a race run entirely in the dark, through a cold, steady, miserable rain. Some runners seemed OK, taking the change in stride because of past years, while others complained they'd trained too long and hard for 166 kilometers to be forced to run a shorter distance. Others dropped out entirely.
"We all know we need to respect the weather conditions. Our ultimate goal, of course, is to get around the mountain and stay safe," Jezz Brag of the UK, winner of the 2010 UTMB, said before the race. This was important to remember as I contemplated my job as crew in such inclement conditions. My task was to give Rory fresh gels and food at every crew-accessible checkpoint and, above all else, keep her spirits high.
At 6 p.m., I waded into the packed streets of Chamonix to cheer Rory off. Spectators crammed between late 18th- and early 19th-century buildings nestled aside cobbled walks and narrow lanes sandwiched between towering Mont Blanc and the opposing Aiguilles Rouges, a ridge of reddish, rocky peaks. The smell of baking cheese and eggs and buttery breads wafted out of ubiquitous pâtisseries.
Dozens of dark bars had their doors open wide; the stale smell of beer and cigarette smoke seeped onto the streets. The start was lined for a half mile with people holding their iPhones high, filming and snapping photos of the giant start arch.
Fog settled low in the valley, drifting into dark alleys as if the organizers had used a fog machine to evoke a sense of doom. Adding to the ambiance, the soundtrack of The Last of the Mohicans blasted around town. While some runners might have found this motivational, it made me laugh. "I feel like we're here sending these people off to war," I yelled over the crowd to Chris Hunter, a photographer friend of mine who was along to document the trip.
"This is insane!" Chris responded, from his perch on some nearby scaffolding. Chris wasn't actually on the platform, though, as it was crammed with people. Instead, he hung by one arm over the crowd in the hopes of a clear view of the race start.
A three, two, one countdown … and the field took off. A giant wave of runners started with the front of the pack moving along at a sub 6:30-per-mile clip while the back of the packers were already walking.
I met up with my crewmates and we hurried off to the first checkpoint. It was dark and cold, and I was already tired when the frontrunners began to funnel through. A long espresso-filled, sleepless night awaited.


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Tuesday's thoughts...
posted on: Tuesday, 13 November 2012
This facade that I apply; it's not that it takes much time or even has that much effect (many would think I don't even wear make-up, it's that subtle) but the fact is I would never not do it. Something in me is hard-wired. I observe others who don't and wonder where the difference lies. When I have written about this before - these self-imposed base levels of how we present ourselves to others - a very wise friend of mine commented. She said (and this was in relation to clothes) that sometimes women just lose their way and they are not even sure they have until it's pointed out to them. I remember that resonating with me, as I think all of my efforts to stay 'together' visually (hair colouring, make-up, outfits) is to stop that 'loss' of oneself. I suppose it is also to do with getting older and not looking quite so fresh as when I was 25...
I think about ageing in a different way now, now that I have L'Apothecary. We spend time (a lot lately) researching and perfecting natural, chemical-free versions of products that claim to slow down the ageing process (new range ready in a matter of weeks I promise!) To me, looking young is not about ceasing to age; it's about looking the best you can for your age. This is all about skin. Having good, healthy, plumped skin is just about the main beauty wish I have.
The same wise friend, Simone who I speak of, has had a recent furore of activity on her blog. It stemmed from a rather scathing article written by a well-known journalist about blogging. That wise approach shines through in Simone's well-mannered response, where she outlines why she writes a blog. She is a voice for all of those who blog, so thank you Simone for putting our side so eloquently :-)
5 comments :
It's funny...I ran out of the house this morning in a rather disheveled manner, but I did stop to put my hair up and put a swipe of lip gloss on. I don't think it's a matter of caring how other people see me, but rather feeling good about myself. It impacts how I feel heading into the day. I could certainly do more (oh my goodness I could!), but I guess everybody has their own minimum level of put-togetherness. :-)ReplyDelete
Simone's post was wonderful, and I am still somewhat shocked by Liz Jones's article. Even though I'm not able to keep it up as much, I am still as positive as ever about blogging.
I must admit when I gave up work a number of years ago I promised I would not let myself go and wear track suits every day and not wear makup. Of course I do wear track suits and go makeup free but I do like to felled groomed in a more casual way because it makes me feel better.ReplyDelete
I had already read Simones article and I agreed so much with it. I blog for me and in many ways it is the scrapbook of my interests and experiences and I enjoy the comments from blogging friends from all over the world.
I have joined the ranks of going out with no make-up ~ but I do need to do something with my hair ~ and I do think it is age. I will never forget the time that I moved into a new apartment ~ I needed a curtain rod and took off to get one ~ quick trip to the mall after a couple of hours of lugging, lifting and unpacking = sweating and not looking real pretty. I ran into an old friend who I had not seen in years and I thought to myself on the way home ~ she must think that I have let myself go and look like this all the time!! It's always those moments.ReplyDelete
Simone's response to the article was pure Simone ~ eloquent. I am afraid I may not have been as diplomatic if I was in her shoes but she rose to the occasion and I am so proud of her and the popularity of her blog.
I so agree with you about Simone's article. I perhaps might not have been so diplomatic, so in fear of offending or starting a war I may not have had the guts to respond.ReplyDelete
As for the dashing out the house with make-up and hair done.........ditto xx
Just discovered your beautiful blog! This is a really great quote, it's definitely getting pinned. Kate xoReplyDelete

subset: commoncrawl


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HD View & Deep Zoom Photoshop Plugin
This page describes a Photoshop import-export plugin available for the Windows OS. This plugin is a tool that exports an image (8, 16, or 32 bit/channel; RGB or Grayscale) from Photoshop to a tiled image set, xml manifest and example web page. The plugin is available from the Microsoft Research download page here (32 bit) or here (64 bit). The same installation package also installs the hdmake tool. A forum for community based support of the Photoshop plugin is available here.
In order to use the plugin you will need to manually copy it to the appropriate folder. The installation package will place HDView_x86.8be or HDView_x64.8be (the plugin) in the folder indicated during the installation. You will then need to copy it to the Plug-Ins\Import-Export folder for your version of Photoshop, e.g. C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4\Plug-Ins\Import-Export or C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-Ins\Import-Export.
Once installed you should see "HDView & Deep Zoom..." in the Photoshop File:Export menu (if Export is not available - make sure to click "Show All Menu Items" at the bottom of the File menu). Invoking this option will give you the following dialog:
The dialog UI is described here:
|Folder ...
|Use this to choose the folder where the output files will be created.
|Base File Name:
|The exporter will generate a folder of tiles, xml manifests for use with HDView and Deep Zoom, and an example web page. The Base File Name will be used for each of these items. For example in the above screen shot, the the tiles folder will be named SpaceNeedle_files, the Deep Zoom xml manifest SpaceNeedle.xml, the HD View xml manifest SpaceNeedle_hdv.xml, and the web page SpaceNeedle.htm.
|Compression Quality
|A number from 1 to 100 indicating
compression quality. Larger numbers generate higher
quality images but larger file sizes. Smaller numbers have
more compression artifacts but smaller file sizes. Note
that Quality '100' indicates lossless compression and will
result in 'png' rather than 'jpg' output tiles.
|By default the files are output into a .zip archive, which can be previewed by HD View (but not HD View SL). To not zip the files and instead have them written directly to the file system, just uncheck the "zip" check box.
|Split to Size (MB)
|If the zip checkbox is selected, then this field is used to optionally split into multiple archives each of maximum size specified here.
|Use this to indicate a 'flat' image,
'spherical' (also known as equirectangular) image or
'cylindrical' image. A flat image is one that hasn't been
warped by an image stitching program. For flat images it
is not necessary to supply a field of view or the
horizontal/vertical extents. Flat images will just result
in a simple translation effect when viewed in HD View. You
will not see a surround viewer effect for flat images.
Spherical and cylindrical images are produced by image stitching applications, for example Photoshop, PTGui, Autopano and Windows Live Photo Gallery. If you select one of these projections then you will also need to supply either a horizontal or vertical field of view or horizontal/vertical extents. Selecting Center Image indicates to center the image either horizontally or vertically, in this case only a horizontal or vertical field of view need be specified.
Most stitching programs produce centered output. Windows Live Photo Gallery and Autopano both store projection metadata in stitched image files. The plugin will automatically read this metadata and initialize the dialog fields. If the metadata is not present or no longer matches the image size (due to cropping and/or resizing of the image) the projection data must be provided. For example see how to take the PTGui UI and fill out this field here.
|The exporter can generate either Silverlight Deep Zoom or HD View output or both ('Automatic'). Under Deep Zoom the 'Projection' options will be disabled as only flat images are supported. Also Deep Zoom and Automatic will not be options for 16bit/channel or 32bit/channel sources. Selecting HD View will always result in 'wdp' output tiles. Selecting Silverlight Deep Zoom will generate a web page that uses the HD View SL Silverlight program. More information on HD View SL is available here.
|Web Page Options
|You can control the generated web page via
these options. Full Screen means that a page that uses
most of the page real-estate for your image will be generated.
Fixed Size lets you indicate the size of the HD
View control on the generated page.
Selecting Open Web Page After Export will launch the system's default web browser on the newly generated page.


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Meet the blue-(cheese)-blooded Giacomini family, of Port Reyes, California.
Sunny's red, white and blue mashed potatoes feature bacon and blue cheese.
Try this delicious mango dessert that is fun and easy to make.
Michael makes his wife this fondue when he's in "trouble," it's that good!
Bison, bacon and blue cheese earn this triple-threat burger a solid A-plus.
Michael's salad of peaches and blue cheese is a perfect side dish to steak.
Make the ultimate gourmet snack from Yukon gold potatoes and blue cheese.
Garlic and blue cheese perfectly complement each other (and these burgers).
Bal blends a medley of spices as a crust for her grilled rib-eye steaks.
Melissa shares updated Waldorf salad and spicy Caribbean wrap recipes.
Get Cooking Channel on your TV.


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Legislature still has inequities to fix
To the editor:
In the last legislative session the DFL took over majorities in the House and Senate; combined with a DFL governor they set to work to repair the damage done to the state in the last 12 years. They had to deal with a $627 million deficit along with over $800 million in lOU's to the state's K-12 schools. By the session's conclusion (which adjourned on time!) the legislature delivered a fair and structurally-balanced budget to finally put the state's fiscal house in order.
A $735 million investment is being made in education that pays for all day every day kindergarten, freezes tuition hikes at our universities and colleges after years of double digit increases, and ensures that the $2.4 billion borrowed from the schools will be paid back on time. Property tax relief was a priority with $441 million going to remedy the failed policies of the past decade. This includes a local government aid formula that will aid cities, townships and counties.
To make this possible the tax system needed changes to make it fairer for all Minnesotans. The changes will make the tax system more equitable – taxing those who can most afford to pay, and who have not been carrying the load fairly, by increasing taxes for the top 2 percent. These most wealthy of Minnesota citizens, are still very lucky. In addition to having an abundance of wealth, these taxpayers, even with the increased income tax, pay less as a percentage of their income in state and local taxes than does the average Minnesotan.
In real dollars a taxpayer with an income of $30,000 will see an increase of $45 in all state taxes. Someone making over $250,000 will be paying $3,500 more in taxes. According to recent data this would include 88 people in Redwood County, 110 people in Brown County, and 109 people in Renville County, around one percent of the taxpayers in our area.
It was not possible to turn around a decade of fiscal neglect in one session; more needs to be done. Our roads will not repair themselves. To maintain a 21st century infrastructure improvements must be made. Also many hardworking people struggle with sub-standard wages. Making these changes and working for the future we deserve will take legislators willing to work for our interests, not political party ideology. We should have legislators who look to make our government's rules fair and that give our area of the state its fair share.
James Kanne
2012 DFL Candidate for State
Representative in 16B


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The 2013 calendar year is flying by at what seems to be warp speed. Seeing that it is now officially November, this means that the weather outside is getting colder as we quickly approach the winter months. Therefore, many people are busy closing the house down and sealing the windows up to keep the heat in.
Due to the changing weather outside, so do to comes a changing in what scents people purchase their products in. For some reason, during the colder months, people tend to sway their buying habits to more heavy like scents such as spice and food type aromas. Now, this is not always the case, especially when it comes to duplication scents. Those types of fragrance oils are always popular year round. In fact, sometimes with unique scent blends, some fragrances cross all seasonal barriers.
To help you correlate the needs of supply and demand in your products, we feel that we should tell you what the top selling fragrance oils are in the fall. So, with due diligence we at Natures Garden have compiled a list of these fragrance oils just for you.
So, without further adieu, here are the top 20 selling fragrance oils for the colder months of the fall season.
Please Note: These fragrance oils are in no particular order.
Pumpkin Crunch Cake Fragrance Oil– Oh, you're gonna love this fragrance oil by Natures Garden! The aroma of one of our favorite desserts. The aroma of creamy pumpkin pie filling with rich eagle brand milk; surrounded with freshly baked yellow cake, melted butter, pecans, and hints of spice. A Best Seller! An NG Original fragrance.
Pumpkin Pie Spice Fragrance Oil-This fragrance oil by Natures Garden is the aroma of sweet cream pumpkin, complimented with nuances of nutmeg, cinnamon, clove, and ginger; rounded out with buttery vanilla notes. A Best Seller!
Sweet Potato and Brown Sugar Fragrance Oil– This fragrance oil by Natures Garden is Yummy! Who doesn't love delicious sweet potatoes and brown sugar drizzled with honey.
Oatmeal Milk-n-Honey Fragrance Oil– This fragrance oil by Natures Garden is the wonderful fresh aroma of hawthorne, with nuances of creamy French vanilla, soy milk and a base note of nutty almond. A Best Seller!
Christmas Cabin Fragrance Oil– This fragrance oil by Natures Garden is a wonderful blend of bayberries and cranberries with a top note of freshly crushed cinnamon bark with hints of orange zests. An NG Original Fragrance! A Best Seller!
Cinnamon Sticks Fragrance Oil– This fragrance oil by Natures Garden is the aroma of freshly ground cinnamon bark. A Best Seller!
Apple Cinnamon Original Fragrance Oil– This fragrance oil by Natures Garden is our original Apple Cinnamon fragrance. If you're looking for a wonderful blend of apples and cinnamon without an overkill of bakery base notes, our apple cinnamon fragrance oil is just for you! The aroma of a red juicy McIntosh apple, sprinkled with fresh ground cinnamon sticks. An NG Original Scent! A Best Seller!
Classical Sweetness/Fruity Fun Category-
Mulberry Fragrance Oil– This fragrance oil by Natures Garden is a classic mulberry enhanced by cinnamon stick, wild berries and bitter orange peels. A Best Seller!
Black Raspberry Vanilla Fragrance Oil– This fragrance oil by Natures Garden is an enticing blend of blackberries and raspberries, with middle notes of white floral greenery, and bottom notes of musk and vanilla. Highly requested fragrance! A Best Seller!
Monkey Farts Fragrance Oil–Oh what a treat with this fragrance oil by Natures Garden! We know you are expecting to read a disgusting description, but this unique complex fragrance is anything but disgusting! This unique fragrance begins with top notes of fresh bananas and juicy grapefruit, middle notes of kiwi, juicy bubblegum, and strawberries; and a hint of vanilla as a base note. Sure to attract new customers! A Best Seller!
KringleBerry Fragrance Oil– A very-merry-festive fragrance oil by Natures Garden with the aroma of fresh cut evergreens, and juicy apples, delicate white winter florals, sprigs of bright-and-cheery hollyberry, and fruity cranberries and red currants. An NG Original!
Sweet Orange Chili Pepper Fragrance Oil– This fragrance oil by Natures Garden is the sassy, saucy combination of Valencia Orange, Sparkling Bergamot, Tangerine Zest, Tart Cassis, Orange Juice, Neroli, Ground Pepper, Fiery Chili Pepper, and Sheer Musk.
Peppermint Fluff Fragrance Oil– A fabulous blend of fresh essential oil of peppermint and huckleberries, hints of violet and white florals, with creamy base notes of vanilla marshmallow. Due to the peppermint essential oil in this blend, your skin will be provided with a slight cool sensation when using in soap or bath products. Very fun! NG Original Scent!
Vanilla Bean Fragrance Oil– This fragrance oil by Natures Garden is a sweet, sugary aroma of fresh vanilla beans.
Autumn Woods Fragrance Oil– This fragrance oil by Natures Garden is a walk in the woods with the smell of crisp leaves under foot and fresh pine with berries falling off the trees.
Christmas Tree Fragrance Oil– This fragrance oil by Natures Garden will have you ready to start decorating for the Christmas season. Why not decorate your home with the scent of fresh Christmas tree? Christmas tree fragrance begins with top notes of pine and fresh lime; with middle notes of cardamom and pepper; with a base note of Scotch pine. An NG Original Fragrance! A Best Seller!
NG Aqua di Gio Type Fragrance Oil– If you have not had the pleasure of smelling this unbelievable scent, it is described as such: A sexy, fresh, aquatic aroma with bergamot, neroli, and tangerine; flowing into mid notes of rosemary, jasmine, and persimmon; all sitting on a woodsy base note of essential oil of patchouli.
Pink Sugar Type Fragrance Oil– This fragrance oil by Natures Garden is a rendition of Pink Sugar Type. A fruity blend of cotton candy, lemon drops, caramel and raspberry jam on a dry down of musks. A Best Seller!
NG Loving Spell Fragrance Oil– An absolutely tantalizing fragrance oil by Natures Garden composed of sweet bouquet of mandarin orange, bergamot, and tangerine enhanced by hints of fresh peaches, strawberries, and raspberries on an undertone of white musk. Imaginative and very complex! A Best Seller!
The Perfect Man Fragrance Oil– The Perfect Man fragrance begins with fresh, daring notes of Japanese grapefruit, bergamot, and lemon; followed by middle notes of peppercorn, ginger, jasmine, aquatic marine notes, and a hint of peppermint; sitting on expensive base notes of natural patchouli, cedar, vetiver, labdanum, and frankincense. Now this is The Perfect Man! An NG Original Scent!


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A report by People For the American Way Foundation
In January 2001, a remarkably broad coalition of civil rights and other public interest organizations opposed the confirmation of John Ashcroft as U.S. Attorney General. People For the American Way helped lead that effort, and produced more than 80 pages of reports analyzing John Ashcroft's long public record. Those reports documented a career notable for its commitment to right-wing ideology, its lack of demonstrated commitment to fairness and equal opportunity, and its insensitivity to the rights of women and minorities.
One year later, Ashcroft has done much to ensure his legacy as a right-wing ideologue who is willing to bend the Constitution and laws to his worldview, disregard the constitutional principle of checks and balances, and endanger Americans' basic rights and freedoms. This People For the American Way Foundation report reviews his actions both before and after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks that have an impact on a range of civil rights and civil liberties.
Grassroots opposition to Ashcroft's confirmation and the "no" votes of 42 senators were based on Ashcroft's public record as U.S. Senator and as Missouri state attorney general and governor. His 25-year record demonstrated clearly that Ashcroft was the wrong person to lead the Department of Justice. Today his public record is one year longer and the evidence is even stronger. John Ashcroft's tenure as attorney general threatens to reverse the nation's progress toward the goal of equal justice under the law and usher in a new era of civil liberties restrictions and civil rights abuses.
The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks were a watershed for the nation in many ways, and for John Ashcroft as well. Ashcroft's response to those attacks has been marked by a troubling willingness to amend our laws and Constitution by executive fiat and by a consistent disrespect for the role of the Congress and the courts in reviewing executive branch actions. He proposed legislation to grant extraordinary new powers to federal agencies and attempted to stifle congressional consideration of its impact. He then initiated or supported executive branch orders, without consulting Congress, that expanded executive branch powers even beyond those granted in the sweeping anti-terrorism legislation.
With the powers he was granted, and those he has asserted, Ashcroft has overseen, for example, the detention of more than 1,200 individuals, many for extended periods of time, while stubbornly resisting the release of significant information about detainees to the public or the Congress. Such actions have drawn criticism from across the political spectrum, and from former FBI officials with experience in fighting terrorists. A number of former officials, including William Webster, a Missouri Republican who led both the FBI and CIA under President Ronald Reagan, have suggested that Ashcroft's policies are not only endangering civil liberties but are also threatening effective law enforcement infiltration of terrorist organizations.1
Also damaging has been Ashcroft's intolerance of criticism and his willingness to engage in the politics of intimidation. He attempted to bully Congress into swift passage of the administration's proposals by publicly insinuating that members of Congress were making America susceptible to future attacks. After the anti-terrorism bill had become law, he stated in congressional testimony that people who raise concerns about the impact of his actions on civil liberties "aid terrorists" and "give ammunition to America's enemies." That kind of statement is meant to silence critics and is particularly disturbing coming from the man charged with upholding Americans' constitutional rights, including the right to dissent.
Ashcroft's responses to Sept. 11 have not been the only troubling aspects of his first year; indeed his actions throughout the year on a range of issues have also been disturbing. Well before September, Ashcroft's actions in office were having an impact on a broad range of issues, including selecting judicial nominees, freedom of speech, religious liberty, reproductive choice, equal opportunity, gun control, and more. In his first weeks and months as attorney general, for example, Ashcroft led Bush administration efforts to fill key Justice Department and White House legal jobs with right-wing activists affiliated with the Federalist Society. That team (see Appendix A) affects legal policies and decisions on a wide range of issues, including positions staked out by the federal government in critical cases coming before the federal appeals courts and the Supreme Court, such as upcoming cases on private school vouchers and affirmative action in higher education.
Ashcroft and the rest of the administration's right-wing dream team, which has been called the most conservative in modern history, are now playing a central role in efforts to seat enough right-wing judges to complete a decades-long campaign by the far right to achieve complete ideological dominance in the federal judiciary. If that campaign is successful, we will witness the federal judiciary turning back the clock on seven decades of legal and social justice progress, dramatically affecting the daily lives of all Americans, their children, and their grandchildren.
|Download this report in PDF format


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The Writing Contests, Grants & Awards database includes details about the creative writing contests—including poetry contests, short story competitions, essay contests, awards for novels, and more—that we've published in Poets & Writers Magazine during the past year. We carefully review the practices and policies of each contest before including it. Ours is the most trusted resource for legitimate writing contests available anywhere.
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The Writer's Center
McLaughlin-Esstman-Stearns First Novel Prize
A prize of $500 is given annually for a first novel by a U.S. author published during the previous year. Authors, publishers, and agents may submit three copies of a novel published in 2016 by March 11....


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New DVD's for Kids
Wreck it Ralph : For decades, Ralph has played the bad guy in his popular video game. In a bold move, he embarks on an action-packed adventure and sets out to prove to everyone that he is a true hero with a big heart. As he explores exciting new worlds, he teams up with some unlikely new friends including feisty misfit Vanellope von Schweetz. Then, when an evil army threatens their world, Ralph realizes he holds the fate of the entire arcade in his massive hands.
Amazing Racer : After the sudden death of her father leaves a teenage girl without a family, she becomes lost in her own anger and sadness. Her family doctor informs her that her father had a secret, that the mother she never knew was alive and well. When she travels to meet her, she befriends a horse trainer and discovers that in caring for the horse, she is able to overcome her hardships and emotional trauma. Through the victories and new friendships she forms, she learns to find her way back to happiness.
Angelina Ballerina the Mouseling Mysteries : Something suspicious is going on in Chipping Cheddar: Gracie fears Roquefort Hall is haunted when she hears strange sounds, Marco's music goes missing, and Mr. Chippyface disappears while Angelina is bird sitting for Ms. Mimi! Can Angelina and her friends stay en pointe and follow the clues to solve these mysteries.
Barbie in the Pink Shoes : Dance your way to a magical adventure with Barbie as Kristyn, a ballerina with big dreams! When she tries on a pair of sparkling pink shoes, she and her best friend, Hailey, are whisked away to a fantastical ballet world. There, Kristyn discovers she must dance in her favorite ballets in order to defeat an evil Snow Queen. With performances to the legendary Giselle and Swan Lake ballets, it's a wonderful journey where if you dance with your heart, dreams come true!
Cinderella : Once Upon a Time in the West : Once upon a time In the west there was a pigtailed cowgirl who worked day and night for her wicked stepmother and evil stepsisters in their dusty frontier town. But this is not your typical Cinderella story: When the mother of handsome Prince Vladimir is kidnapped by high-flying desert pirates Cinderella - with the help of her magical native spiritualist - takes off on an action-packed quest to rescue the Duchess claim the missing tooth she lost at the ball and capture the Prince's heart to become a real princess. --Container.
Cirque du Soleil : Worlds Away : Visionary filmmakers James Cameron and Andrew Adamson invite viewers on a spectacular adventure unlike anything seen before. Leap, soar, swim and dance with the legendary performers of Cirque du Soleil as they transport a young couple on a 'magical journey' worlds away and beyond imagination.
Curious George Swings into Spring : George is so excited about spring that he wants Hundley to have Spring Fever too. But even blooming flowers, baby animals and canoe rides cannot make Hundley love spring. Even worse, Hundley gets lost in the country. Searching for his lost friend, George accidentally launches the hot air balloon rally and sails over the countryside. Luckily he manages to grab Hundley from a hilltop along the way. Together they return triumphantly to the city.
Little Hercules : Everybody knows the legend of Hercules, the mighty Greek warrior strong enough to lift up a corner of the Parthenon with one hand if he wants to sweep beneath it. At age 12, Hercules has big dreams. So despite opposition from his father, Zeus, young Hercules decides to leave Mt. Olympus and descends to Earth to experience life as a 'real' boy. He lands in present-day Burbank, California where his time-leaping sparks a chain of culture-clashing misadventures of Olympic proportions.
My Lucky Elephant : In a far away land of jungles and wild animals, there lived a little orphan boy who was all alone in the world. But he knew that no matter how hard life can be, it's always better if you can share it with a friend. This is the story of how he found one, an elephant named Lucky. Together they face a changing world, but always manage to triumph. After a series of humorous challenges, they discover the Academy of Art, where elephants learn to paint. And Lucky becomes a celebrity.
Rise of the Guardians : When an evil spirit known as Pitch lays down the gauntlet to take over the world, the immortal Guardians must join forces for the first time to protect the hopes, beliefs, and imagination of children all over the world.
Sofia the First : Once Upon a Princess : Set in the storybook world of Enchancia, we meet Sofia, an average girl whose life suddenly transforms when her mother marries the king and she becomes a princess. Sofia must learn to navigate the extraordinary life of royalty while holding onto her own hopes and dreams. Her journey to be the best she can be also paves the way for those around her to realize how special they each are. Cinderella makes an appearance to offer Sofia some words of wisdom, princess to princess. Sofia is helped on her journey by three headmistresses of Royal Prep Academy - Fauna, Flora and Merryweather, and the royal steward Baileywick, as well as a group of cute woodland creatures led by a wise-talking rabbit, Clover.
Thor, Legend of the Magical Hammer : An over confident teen, Thor, the son of a god, with a magical weapon and a handful of imperfect gods join forces against an evil queen and her army of giants.
Toys in the Attic : A visual feast combining multiple forms of animation into an enchanting and fantastic adventure for the entire family. When the lovely Buttercup is kidnapped and held prisoner by The Head, it is up to her friends-a teddy bear, a mechanical mouse and a marionette puppet to cross the international boundary and attempt their daring rescue.
Yo Gabba Gabba : The Dancey Dance Bunch : Join DJ Lance Rock and his friends Brobee, Plex, Muno, and the rest, as they teach kids simple life lessons in a magical world filled with colorful puppets. Playing and dancing with friends is always a blast, but it's also important to respect each other. You're invited to a party in your tummy and learn to give new foods a try. It's time to dance, so move to the left, to the right, up and down and all around. Friends come in all shapes, sizes and colors and hugs make friends happy.
And lots more! Including new Spring DVD's featuring Angelina Ballerina, Barney, The Berenstain Bears, Max & Ruby, Thomas & more!


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Launch SRP S$119
Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover for iPad mini
The Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover can be flipped around to reveal its built-in Bluetooth EasyType keyboard that offers a traditional typing layout in a small 7-inch form factor, and iPad mini function shortcut keys. It also doubles up as a hands-free view stand, and includes an instant On/Off feature.
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Get creative with these eight soup stock ideas.
With a chill in the air and colds aplenty, tasty soups are a wonderful treat that are simple to make when you have homemade stock on hand to use. My last post covered some�tips for preparing stock�and in this post, we�ll dive into some tasty combinations for stock that run from the basic to the gourmet. The best part about making stock? No exact measurements required!
Here are eight variations that should fit most of your stock needs.�CLICK HERE TO READ MORE.
Brought to you by: Spry Living


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Here's how RW members rated this race in the past (303 votes).
In short: Worth looking forward tooIn full: As expected, great fun. Every aspect from the parking, catering, baggage, photos, finish, PA system, marshals, etc, etc extremely well organised (and so it should be for the cost). And above all, the course was good - with plenty of muddy puddles, mud pools and obstacles to remind us this is no ordinary hack through the woods.My only complaint is that there were too many people pushing their way to the front of the start, only to be walking within 500 yards, then complaining with people barging past them. Otherwise difficult to find fault. Date of review: December 6, 2011
In short: This is classIn full: First time ive done the grim it will not be the last amazing so much fun no one taking it to seriously just down right dirty fun the trails the puddles the mud pools and cargo net was great with everyone cheering as people feel in top class marshals, announcer organisers baggage etc etc etc etc 110% recomend this for and end of year bit of fun only a t shirt but who cares you shouldnt get medals for 8 milers anyway. ENTER THIS NOW!!!!Date of review: December 6, 2011
In short: Fantastic, again. Is it next year yet?In full: Fantastic but I do agree with the observation on about the T Shirt. I do wear mine but it would be nice to have one to run in.Date of review: December 5, 2011
In short: 5th year, still love itIn full: The new sections this year were excellent, the old "1 mile to go" joke has gone, the goody bag is still not that great. Still one of my favourite races.Date of review: December 5, 2011
In short: almost the complete package !In full: Back for my 4th grim ! loved it , great new course, fantastic atmosphere, excellent marshalls and very well organised.so nearly the full package, in the past mant runners including myself have moaned on our race reviews about the last 3 miles being boring and it was nice to see that the organisers have listened and the new route was much tougher but more fun.however the let down is when you finish after surviving a race like this you want to be rewarded and a tatty green cotton t-shirt is not my sort of reward ! it was the same with the hellrunner race but they listened to last years reviews and last sunday we got a great technical t-shirt AND a super medal, so come on grim oranisers at £25 entry a cotton t-shirt to throw up in the loft with the previous 3 is not want we want. Date of review: December 5, 2011
In short: Muddy FunIn full: Ok, this is a fun event. Key word being Fun as its not a route that lends itself to anything other than a mad dash and splash through some pretty cold water, under cargo nets and through some extra sticky mud. Great laugh to run as a group, would run this again next year.Date of review: August 30, 2011
In short: Good laugh, must do doneDate of review: December 12, 2009
In short: Had promise but I expected more.In full: Essentially a trail run with a couple of ponds and river crossings thrown in. Definately overpriced, and a poor goody bag for finishing. Salomon TurboX series are much better. Date of review: December 12, 2009
In short: Over-priced, but great funIn full: Value-for-money should be improved (eg improve goodie-bag at end)Could also add a few more fun obstacles (eg to climb).But nevertheless a great, fun event, worth doing.Good catering, too.Warm showers afterwards would be a dream come true, but not sure how they could be provided !Date of review: December 11, 2009
In short: Tough but no Tough Guy!In full: Start was very congested and bottlenecks for the 1st 3 miles at least. Saw people walking after only 400 metres (surely you did some training?!?) A lot of mud and water. Saw a load of people going around the water but as i had paid for it, I though I would run straight through! After 5 miles, there was the oppurtunity to get some decent running in as the "puddles" were less frequent. Expecting the finish after 8 miles but was more like 9 ( according to the garmin 8,74!!!). Went into what i thought was the last corner only to see another loop before the finish! Demoralising was not the word i said at the time. Managed to finish in 1hr 12 so not too bad. did not realy want a T-Shirt but still, maybe a pices of mud attached to a ribbon would have been more apt...Date of review: December 10, 2009
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New York Power Authority Trustees Honor Jefferson Resident – Lynn H. Hait
Maura Balaban
(914) 390-8171
May 10, 2012
NORTH BLENHEIM—Long-time New York Power Authority (NYPA) employee Lynn H. Hait, NYPA's regional manager for Central New York, was honored recently by the NYPA Trustees in recognition of his earning the State Academy for Public Administration's (SAPA) 2012 Public Service Excellence Award. Hait received the SAPA award at a ceremony held on May 9, in Albany, N.Y.
John S. Dyson, vice chairman, NYPA Board of Trustees, presented Hait with a special Certificate of Recognition at the meeting of the NYPA Board of Trustees on April 24. The Trustees honored Hait for receiving the SAPA Award for Public Service which recognized Hait for his more than 35 years of outstanding and dedicated service to the Power Authority, and with special commendation for his oversight of the emergency management operations at NYPA's Blenheim-Gilboa Pumped Storage Power Project during last summer's tropical storm.
"NYPA's success in responding to the emergency last summer would not have been possible without your heroic efforts, professionalism and dedication. You have made us all exceptionally proud of you in every way," said Dyson as he presented Hait with the certificate.
In late August 2011, Tropical Storm Irene devastated several upstate communities surrounding the B-G project, including areas where many Power Authority employees live. Hait was instrumental in directing NYPA's effective emergency response operations to manage record water inflows to the B-G project during the storm. As NYPA's ranking executive in the region Hait was also the primary liaison, interacting with first responders in the communities surrounding the plant both during the storm and its aftermath.
Hait has served the Power Authority for more than 35 years in positions of escalating responsibility. In his current position, Hait is responsible for the overall operation and maintenance of NYPA's B-G project in North Blenheim, and its Crescent, Vischer Ferry and Ashokan small hydro plants. In October 2011, NYPA Trustees honored several employees who, under Hait's leadership and direction, responded to the threats to project operations caused by the storm conditions.
Hait is a lifelong resident of Schoharie County. He currently resides in the Town of Jefferson, where he and his wife, Theresa, have raised five children.
About NYPA:
■ The New York Power Authority uses no tax money or state credit. It finances its operations through the sale of bonds and revenues earned in large part through sales of electricity. ■ NYPA is a leader in promoting energy efficiency, new energy technologies and electric transportation initiatives. ■ It is the nation's largest state public power organization, with 17 generating facilities in various parts of New York State and more than 1,400 circuit-miles of transmission lines. ■ Approximately 80 percent of the electricity it produces is clean renewable hydropower. Its lower-cost power production and electricity purchases support hundreds of thousands of jobs throughout the state. ■For more information, www.nypa.gov.


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A Win, Win, Win…Recycle, Network, Learn!
Post by Tiffany Paine: Flower City Habitat's Manager of Outside Constituent Groups, lover of the Thousand Islands, Rochester Community activist, and goes by the new nick name, wifey.
Last night Flower City Habitat for Humanity's ReStore hosted a fantastic event with the Upstate Green Business Network (UGBN) called Green Drinks. And while the drinks were really different colors (red and white being among the most popular), the mindset of those attending was quite the same: Recycle, Network, Learn!
We're all interested in helping the environment, meeting new people and learning how to do both more effectively… especially as young professionals.
UGBN is part of the Center for Environmental Information which is a great resource for anyone interested in making tangible strides in changing the business practices towards 'green' behaviors. CEI's goals are to reduce company waste, conserve water, save energy and build a more sustainable workplace. Professionals of any age should be interested in this.
For the 70 or so people who attended last night's event there was a good showing of #RocYPs there. Which is good news, since we're either homeowners, or potential home owners… If you haven't been to the ReStore yet, it's like what Marshalls is to Macy's for Home Depot (my avid shoppers will understand this). We get Home Depot, Lowes and other hardware store's inventory from 'last season', even though it's still perfectly usable, and sell it at a discounted rate to support the efforts of our local Habitat for Humanity.
One of the things that we celebrated last night was the ReStore's five year anniversary, and the fact that in the process of being open we've saved 500 tons (that's 1,000,000 pounds) of possible waste from the solid waste stream!
Thanks to all who braved this horrible winter weather to join us last night, YP or otherwise. We're open today and there's still sake left over, so come on down to the ReStore and be sure to check out UGBN to see how your business can be more green at http://www.ceinfo.org/.


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Manduca sexta
Manduca sexta is a moth of the family Sphingidae present through much of the American continent. Commonly known as the tobacco hornworm, it is closely related to and often confused with the very similar tomato hornworm (Manduca quinquemaculata); the larvae of both feed on the foliage of various plants from the family Solanaceae. The tobacco hornworm can be distinguished by its seven diagonal lines on its sides; tomato hornworms have eight V-shaped markings.[2] A mnemonic to remember the markings is tobacco hornworms have straight white lines like cigarettes, while tomato hornworms have V-shaped markings (as in "vine-ripened" tomatoes). M. sexta has mechanisms for selectively sequestering and secreting the neurotoxin nicotine present in tobacco.
M. sexta is a common model organism, especially in neurobiology, due to its easily accessible nervous system and short life cycle. It is used in a variety of biomedical and biological scientific experiments. It can be easily raised on a wheat-germ based diet. The larva is large and thus relatively easy to dissect and isolate organs from.
- Manduca sexta sexta (from Massachusetts west across southern Michigan to Minnesota, central Colorado, and northern California, south to Florida, the Gulf Coast, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and southern California and then further south through Mexico, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and the West Indies to Argentina)
- Manduca sexta caestri (Blanchard, 1854) (Chile)
- Manduca sexta jamaicensis (Butler, 1875) (Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, St. Lucia, Guadeloupe and throughout the Antilles)
- Manduca sexta leucoptera (Rothschild & Jordan, 1903) (Galapagos Islands)
- Manduca sexta paphus (Cramer, 1779) (Surinam and Venezuela to Brazil, Argentina and Bolivia)
- Manduca sexta saliensis (Kernbach, 1964) (Argentina)
Life cycle
M. sexta have a short life cycle, lasting about 30 to 50 days. In most areas, M. sexta have about two generations per year, but they can have about three or four generations per year in Florida.[3]
M. sexta eggs are spherical, approximately 1 millimeter in diameter, and translucent green in color. They typically hatch 2–4 days after they are laid. Eggs are normally found on the underside of foliage, but can also be found on the upper surface.
M. sexta larvae are green in color and grow up to 70 millimeters in length. Under laboratory conditions, while fed a wheat-germ based diet, larvae are turquoise due to a lack of pigments in their diet. M. sexta blood contains the blue-colored protein insecticyanin. When the larva feeds on plants it ingests pigmentacious carotenoid proteins. Carotenoids are primarily yellow in hue. When bound together, the protein complex is green.
During the larval stage, M. sexta caterpillars feed on plants of the family Solanaceae, principally tobacco, tomatoes and members of the Datura genus. Near the end of this stage, the caterpillar seeks a location for pupation, burrows underground, and pupates. The searching behaviour is known as "wandering." The instinct of wandering can be visually confirmed by spotting the heart (aorta) which is a long, pulsating vein running along the length of the caterpillar's dorsal side. The heart appears just as the caterpillar is reaching the end of the final instar. M. sexta has five larval instars which are separated by ecdysis (molting), but may add larval instars when nutrient conditions are poor.
A common biological control for hornworms is the parasitic braconid wasp, Cotesia, which lays its eggs in the bodies of tobacco hornworms. The wasp larvae feed internally, and emerge from the body to spin their cocoons. Parasitized tobacco hornworms are often seen covered with multiple white, cottony wasp cocoons, which are often mistaken for large eggs.
Before the larva pupates, it goes through a stage called the pre-pupa, where its shrinks considerably and prepares to pupate. Often, people mistake this stage as a dead, or dying, caterpillar.
The pupal stage lasts approximately 18 days under laboratory conditions (17 hours light, 7 hours dark, 27°C). When reared on a short-day photoperiod (12 hours light, 12 hours dark), pupae enter a state of diapause that can last several months. During the pupal stage, structures of the adult moth form within the pupal case which is shed during eclosion (adult emergence).
Adult M. sexta are known as Carolina Sphinx moths. M. sexta moths are nectarivorous and feed on flowers, demonstrating a remarkable ability to hover.
Adult males and females are sexually dimorphic. Males are identifiable by their broader antennae and the presence of claspers at the end of the abdomen. Female moths are typically ready to mate one week after eclosion, and do so only once. Males may mate many times. Mating generally occurs on a vertical surface at night, and can last several hours, with the male and female facing in opposite positions, their posterior ends touching. After mating, females deposit their fertilized eggs on foliage, usually on the underside of leaves.
Laboratory Rearing
Like drosophila melanogaster, Manduca sexta is commonly used as a model organism for experiments. M. sexta are frequently studied in the laboratory due to their large size and relative ease of rearing. They may be reared on host plants, such as tobacco and tobacco relatives, tomato plants, or wheat germ based artificial diet. Their rearing is straightforward, as long as they receive a "long day" (i.e., 14 hour) daylight cycle during development to prevent diapause.
Eggs are rinsed for one to five minutes in diluted household bleach, at Binghamton University .05% Clorox is used.
Eggs are placed on diet cubes or host plants. The eggs hatch and develop at different speeds depending on temperature. The Manduca are moved to fresh diet or leaves as their food spoils or is consumed. When the Manduca "wanders" (non-stop walking) it is about to pupate and is placed in a pupation chamber. Pupation chambers are holes drilled into a wood board. The Manduca larvae is sealed in the chamber using a stopper, and allowed to pupate. After pupation the pupae is placed in a breeding or colony chamber to eclose. Providing a cup of sugar water and a tobacco (or related plant) will allow mated females to ovaposit fertile eggs, which can then be reared.
When fed an artificial diet Manduca larvae do not consume the Xanthophyll needed to produce their green coloration, instead they appear blue. On some diets the Manduca have very little pigment and pigment precursors, so the Manduca larvae are a very pale blue-white. As vitamin A and other carotenoids are necessary for the visual pigments (rhodopsin,) it is worth noting that an artificial diet-reared manduca may have poor vision due to lack of carotenoids in the diet.[citation needed]
Hornworm Moth Variety
- ^ CATE Creating a Taxonomic eScience - Sphingidae
- ^ Villanueva, R. (2007). "Tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta (Linnaeus). Featured Creatures". http://entomology.ifas.ufl.edu/creatures/field/hornworm.htm. Retrieved July 24, 2008.
- ^ Eichman, Aaron; Weston Tripp, Matt Edwards (2000). "Manduca sexta "Carolina sphinx"". http://bugs.clemson.edu/museum/moths/local/moth1.htm. Retrieved October 21, 2006.


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Missing letter mars long-awaited honor
An unfortunate error will result in new certificates being issued.
By CRISTINA SILVA
Published July 15, 2007
ST. PETERSBURG - When Freddie Lee Crawford heard that he and 11 other former St. Petersburg police officers were finally going to be honored, he donned his best suit, rounded up his grandchildren and prepared for the night of his life.
Nearly 42 years earlier, Crawford and 11 fellow African-American police officers sued the city for the right to do their job. At the time, the officers were not allowed to arrest white criminals and could only patrol black neighborhoods.
The lawsuit, the first in the nation under the 1964 Civil Rights Act, paved the way for racial equality for future generations of black officers and set a precedent for other work discrimination cases.
So at a ceremony in June to honor the black patrolmen, Crawford was expecting to be made proud.
He smiled when St. Petersburg police Chief Charles Harmon presented the officers with a commemorative police patch and a certificate explaining its significance, later showing it off to his family and friends.
His 7-year-old grandson was the only one to catch the typo:
"The patch features an American eagle which represents the courage of our police officers ..." the certificate reads. It "reminds the officers that they are currently in the pubic eye."
That's right. Someone left out the "L" in "public."
"It is sort of ironic to get this certificate after all this time," said Crawford, who now lives in Miami. "Probably some secretary is going to get chewed out over it."
The misspelled word is not a big deal, the honored officers agree, but they wouldn't mind a new certificate. After putting themselves on the line and summoning up the guts to stand up to their bosses, it is the least the Police Department can do for them, they said.
"It would be appropriate, but it is up to them," said Leon Jackson, one of the officers. "I'm not upset over it, because I know it wasn't intentional."
Robert Keys, another plaintiff, hadn't even noticed the error until a reporter pointed it out to him.
"Oh, I see now, it says pubic eye," he said. "Well, I hadn't paid attention to that. I showed it to all my friends and family. No one noticed."
The certificates were bestowed to the officers, most of whom are now retired, after a recent Neighborhood Times article detailed the patrolmen's struggle against the city's discriminatory policy during the civil rights era.
Harmon said the typo was an accident. Police patches and certificates are regularly presented to various dignitaries, he said.
"My staff and marketing folks just missed it," Harmon said of the unaccounted for "L." He said the officers will receive new certificates soon.
In the meantime, Crawford said he is keeping the certificate as a "conversation piece."
"I won't put it up and show it to anyone," he said. "But it is still an honor."
Cristina Silva can be reached at 727 893-8846 or firstname.lastname@example.com.


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A "New" Integrated Marketing Communication Approach for a New Marketplace
July 23, 2008
Often referred to as the "Father of Integrated Marketing," Northwestern University's Don Schultz has authored 13 books on marketing, including the ANA's Measuring Brand Communications ROI. In this presentation, he introduced new analytical methodologies to help marketers catch up to the integrated world that their customers are already living in.
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First day of the [IBM System Storage Technical University 2011] started with some keynote sessions.
- Maria Boonie
Maria Boonie is the IBM Director for IBM Worldwide Training and Technical Conferences. She indicated that there were 1500 attendees this week crossing both the System Storage and System x conferences at this hotel. There are 35 vendors that have sponsored this event, and they will be at the "Solutions Center" being held Monday through Wednesday this week.
She took this opportunity to plug IBM's latest education offerings, including Guaranteed-to-Run implementation classes, and Instructor-Led Online (ILO) technical classes.
- Brian Truskowski
Brian Truskowski is IBM General Manager for System Storage and Networking. I used to directly report to him in a previous role, and a few years ago he used to be the IBM CIO that helped with IBM's internal IT transformation.
Brian indicates that the previous approach to growth was to "Just Buy More", but this has some unintended consequences. He argued that companies need to adopt one or more of the following approaches to growth:
- Stop storing so much - reduce data footprint using storage efficiency capabilities like data deduplication and compression
- Store more with what is already on the floor - improve storage utilization with technologies like storage virtualization and thin provisioning
- Move data to the right place - implement automated tiering, such as "Flash & Stash" between Solid-state drives and spinning disk, and/or Information Lifecycle Management (ILM) between disk and tape. Studies at some clients have found over 70 percent of data has not beed touched in the last 90 days
This time of dramatic change is the result of a "perfect storm" of influences, including the rising costs and risks associated with losing data, the increased need to index and search data, the desire for "Business Analytics", and the expectation for 100 percent up-time. This is driving IBM to offer hyper-efficient backup, Continuous Data Availability, and Smart Archive solutions.
The case study of SPRINT is a good example. SPRINT is a Telecommunications provider for cell phone users. They were challenged with 35 percent utilization, 165 storage arrays from six different vendors, and an expected 100 percent increase in their IT maintenance costs. After implementing IBM SAN Volume Controller (SVC) and Tivoli Storage Productivity Center (TPC) to manager 2.9 PB of data, SPRINT increased their utilization to 82 percent, reduced down to 70 storage arrays from only three vendors, and reduced their maintenance costs by 57 percent. Today, SPRINT now manages over 5 PB of data with SVC and TPC, have reduced their power and cooling by 3.5 million KWh, representing $320,000 USD in savings.
He covered the latest XIV Gen3 announcement, including the amazing boost in performance that I covered in detail in last week's post [IBM Announcements for July 2011 - XIV Gen 3, and more].
- Roland Hagan
Roland Hagan is the IBM Vice President for the System x server platform. He talked about the "IT Conundrum" that represents a vicious cycle of "IT Sprawl", "Untrusted Data" and "Inflexible IT" that seem to feed each other. IBM is trying to change behavior, from thinking and dealing with physical boxes representing servers, storage and network gear, to a more holistic view focused on workloads, shared resource pools, independent scaling, and automated management.
IBM is leading the server marketplace, in part because of clever things IBM is doing, especially in developing the eX5 chipset that surrounds x86 commondity processors, and in part because of actions or decisions the competition have taken:
- It doesn't break IBM's heart that Oracle decided to drop software support of their database on Itanium, which focued entirley against HP. Oracle runs on IBM servers better than Oracle/Sun or HP servers today, so it does not impact us, other than IBM has had a lot of people leaving HP to switch over to IBM.
- HP has taken on a new CEO and reduced their R&D budget, causing them to be late-to-market on some of their offerings.
- Dell continues to focus on the small and medium sized customer, and have not really broken into the "Enterprise".
- Newcomer Cisco has some great technology that only seems to be adoptable in "Green Field" situations, as it does not integrate well with existing data center infrastructures.
The combination of ex5 chip-set architecture, Max5 memory expansion capabilities and Virtual Network Interface Cards (NICs), provide for a very VM-aware platform. For those who are not ready to fully adopt an integrated stack like IBM CloudBurst, IBM offers the Tivoli Service Automation software on its own, and a new [IBM BladeCenter Foundation for Cloud] as stepping stones to get there.
There are certainly more attendees here than last year, which reflects either the change in location (Orlando, Florida rather than Washington DC) as well as the economic recovery. I'm looking forward to an excellent week!
technorati tags: IBM, Storage University, Brian Truskowski, Roland Hagan, keynote sessions, SPRINT, SVC, TPC, conundrum, vicious cycle, XIV Gen3, ex5, Max5, CloudBurst, BladeCenter


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Brother Original Drum DR241CL Black
Ensure best results and professional quality with Brother
Print in Black, Cyan, Magenta and Yellow Colour with Brother's DR-241CL laser toner cartridge. Ideal to refill your DCP, HL or MFC range printer.
€117,59 incl. VAT
Ensure your documents have the print quality they deserve with high quality, fadeless ink from Brother. Present sharp, clear text, crisp graphics and realistic images with a refill cartridge designed to work with and optimise your printer's capabilities.
Brother's quick-dry ink produces smudge resistant results that last the test of time.
Enjoy the reliability of a cartridge specifically designed to function at top quality throughout its life cycle.
Realise the potential of your DCP, HL or MFC range printer with a DR-241CL cartridge specifically designed for its systems.
These cartridges feature flawless Black ink.
Viking No. 5080910 EAN/UPC 4977766718523 Included in Delivery Black, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow Drum Manufacturer Part No. DR241CL Original or Compatible Original Page Yield (Approx.) 15000 Print Colour Black, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow Short Cartridge Reference Number DR-241CL
Free delivery
Delivery costs
An order of 49,00 €* (excl. VAT) or higher is delivered free. Orders below this value will have a delivery charge added of 2,95 € (excl. VAT). The insurance charge of 1,95 € (excl. VAT) is added to each order independently from the order amount.
For partial deliveries the delivery charge is also calculated based on the total amount (excl. VAT) of your order.
*Postage stamps are exempt from free delivery limit.
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We have non-macca song....none macca album....why not NPC musician of the day!
Give us your Musican of the day....and tell us why he or she gets your nod.
Cliff Williams, Bassman for AC-DC is my Musician of the day.
His bass playing compliments his rhythm section perfectly.
His sound is very warm and adds plenty of personality to songs like Sin City and Love Hungry Man
I immediatly start playing air-bass when a hear a catchy Cliff Williams bass line.
Cliff Williams. NPC Musician of the Day.


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Posts Tagged 'Skeletor'
Who is Smarter, Smiling Mike or Bea Arthur? (or A Few Belated Comments on the Hiring of Coach Kiffin)
Alright, I admit I have been a little absent and not just a little bent out of shape over the fact that I have been completely unable to post anything of substance lately due to my "real" job as an evidence manipulation specialist (lawyer). Hence my last post. What's more, this has been a very exciting week for fans of the Big Orange, as Tennessee named Lane Kiffin its new head football coach. Despite all of the fanfare, I spent my week in a courtroom, and failed to get a single decent comment out in a timely fashion.
Again, hence my last post…
That said, after watching a few video clips, most notably the one below, I am feeling much more relaxed and much happier. Why? Because, I am beginning to think that maybe Smiling Mike has done it again.
Lane Kiffin's First Press Conference as Tennessee Head Football Coach
I'll be the first to admit, Lane Kiffin wasn't the number one name on my list—but make no mistake he was on it. Still, in the back of my mind I wondered "is Mike Hamilton rushing into things? I just don't know if I would have been in such a rush."
Then I remembered two key things:
- I picked the Auburn Tigers to win the SEC West and the Tennessee Volunteers to finish second in the SEC East this year; and
- Bruce Pearl.
Those two realizations gave me a moment of pause and suddenly gave me real confidence in the decision to hire Lane Kiffin as the head football coach at Tennessee.
The first point reminded me that I am a moron and that my skills as a prognosticator and student of college football are about as reliable as Eric Locke was as a receiver (or kick returner, or cheerleader, or ditch digger, or…). Furthermore, it reminded me that there is an awful lot of guesswork in the business or picking coaches. Which led me to point number two.
As I wrote some time ago while serving as a stand-in guest writer over at Joel's venerable pillar of the Fifth Estate, on the day Bruce Pearl was introduced as Men's Basketball coach the first thing I asked myself was "who the hell is Bruce Pearl?" Well, suffice it to say that I now know who Bruce Pearl is, and I'm pretty sure the rest of the basketball loving inhabitants of the country do now as well. The point is this: love him or hate him, over the last few years Mike Hamilton has shown an uncanny ability to find coaches about as well as anyone in the world of college sports, and as a result, I'm willing to trust his decision.
I think Hamilton has earned that.
Furthermore, what I have seen so far from Coach Kiffin (does kind of have a nice ring to it, doesn't it?) has thoroughly impressed me. The video above was especially telling for me. Why? Because Kiffin does not talk about "the passion of Tennessee's fans" or "the tradition they have here." No, instead—about ten minutes after he was named head coach—he comments on "the passion of our fans" and "the tradition we have here."
I know, I know, I'm sure the folks in the Sports Information office reminded him to project that message, but you know what, it seemed pretty sincere to me…
I realize taking "ownership" verbally is a small detail—one which can be overstated—but it impressed me. I honestly expected the typical "NFL-style" quasi-corporate speech about future, direction, and leadership. I expected his opening foray with the press to be far less personal than it was. Given my concerns that the "family" aspect of Tennessee football might fade away with the departure of the Great Punkin, this really did my heart good. It also made it clear that Coach Kiffin understands that we happy few, we band of brothers, who wear the Orange are sort of "into" that whole "Tradition" thing.
All I can say is that I first looked at the hiring of Coach Kiffin with a lot of hope and expectation, and a near equal amount of concern and reticence. After seeing how he has handled himself so far, it's fair to say that I have been impressed.
Yeah, I've got me a great big pitcher of the proverbial Kool-Aid, and I'm chugging it down through a garden hose…
I guess that is why I felt led to say hello to Coach Kiffin visually—in the header here at the Gate—rather than simply saying "Oh, um, yeah we got us a coach."
No matter what I may have thought about the past, I am pretty convinced that Coach Kiffin is the the right man to guide Tennessee into the future.
Which leads me to the seemingly inane title of this post.
I will be the first to admit that I am not a huge fan of professional sports and while I typically follow the NFL playoffs in a limited sense, I can hardly be said to keep up with the league. There are a lot of reasons for this, but the end result is that I am often less than informed when it comes to the guys that play on Sunday. Thus, the only real understanding I had when it came to Coach Kiffin was that he had been fired as head coach of the Los Angeles … err … Oakland … Los Ang … Los Oaklesland Raiders mid-season. I didn't really hold this against him, because I realize how fickle NFL owners can be. Furthermore, I hardly felt like I had enough background knowledge to really even understand why he was fired (I had to check just to confirm whether the Raiders were in Los Angeles or Oakland this year).
Still, I knew that something hadn't worked out the way it had been planned…
Then, I stumbled upon this little jewel:
Al Davis on the Firing of Lane Kiffin
This video really confirmed a few things for me:
- Skeletor is real;
- The Raiders will never win much of anything until that nut-job of an owner they have gives it up;
- Anytime a coach is fired and respected journalists write things like this, it's probably not the coach's fault the team is sucking the tubes:
Al Davis' once-proud franchise has won 19 games since appearing in the 2002 Super Bowl (or one more than the Patriots won in 2007) and better days seemed even more remote in January. That's when the modest momentum built under new head coach Lane Kiffin in 2007 was flushed when it was learned Davis wanted Kiffin gone because Kiffin wanted to, ya know, coach the team…
- Coach Kiffin's record as an NFL head coach is of little concern to me considering the situation he inherited; and
- Bea Arthur really should stop wearing those silly black leather jackets and sweatshirts when giving press conferences.
So, is Betty White currently the defensive coordinator for the Raiders, or is it one of the other Golden Girls?
Anyway, the point of this rambling post is simply to say, that I am thrilled to have Lane Kiffin on board as the newest member of the Tennessee family. So far, I have been amazingly impressed with the way he has jumped in headfirst at Tennessee. Most of all, however, I am happy with how he seems to really want be at Tennessee as opposed to simply biding his time.
Of course, I realize that he has not yet completed his first full week as head coach. Still, all I can say is that—so far—it seems like Smiling Mike Hamilton may have gotten it right…again!
Either way, Coach Kiffin, I mean it sincerely when I say "Welcome to the Family!"
Oh yeah, and, Go Vols!


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Anywho, so I added the above picture to my Wedding Board on Pinterest and just after a couple days, my wonderful Aunt June brought me a box that kind of looked like a suitcase. It has awesome handles and it's the perfect color, she said she couldn't find a suitcase but she found that, crazy!
It isn't finished yet, I think I'm going to do a map collage on the inside, not too sure yet though. Maybe pictures of us? Hmmm... I'll have to think this one over.


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Category: Credits
Examples of Credits
Foreign Tax Credit (Form 1116)
The foreign tax credit is intended to reduce the double tax burden that would otherwise arise when foreign source income is taxed by both the United States and the foreign country from which the income is derived. Generally, only income taxes paid or accrued to a foreign country or a U.S. possession, or taxes paid or accrued to a foreign country or U.S. possession in lieu of an income tax, will qualify for the foreign tax credit. Qualified foreign taxes do not include taxes that are refundable to you or taxes paid to countries whose government is not recognized by the United States.
For more information about the Foreign Tax Credit, Click here.
Child Care Credit (Form 2441)
This is a non-refundable credit. If you have NO tax liability, then you will not receive the Child Care Credit. If the Filing Status is Married Filing Joint both the Taxpayer and Spouse must have Earned Income to be eligible for the Child Care Credit.
For more information about the Child Care Credit, please Click here.
Education Credits (Form 8863)
Expenses that qualify are tuition and fees required for enrollment or attendance at any college, vocational school, or other post-secondary educational institution eligible to participate in the student aid programs administered by the Department of Education.
For more information about Education Credits, please Click here.
Retirement Savings Credit (Form 8880)
You may be able to take a credit if you, or your spouse if filing jointly, made eligible contributions (other than rollover contributions) to:
* Traditional or ROTH IRA
* Elective deferrals to a 401(k), 403(b), governmental 457, SEP, or SIMPLE plan
* Voluntary employee contributions to a qualified retirement plan as defined in section 4974(c) (including the federal Thrift Savings Plan) or
* Contributions to a 501(c)(18)(D) plan
The Retirement Savings Contributions Credit applies to individuals with incomes up to $30,750 ($46,125 for head of household) and married couples, filing jointly, with incomes up to $61,500. You must also be at least age 18 (born before January 2, 1998), not a full-time student*, and not claimed as a dependent on another person's return. The credit is a percentage of the qualifying contribution amount, with the highest rate for taxpayers with the least income.
*You were a student if during any part of 5 calendar months of 2016 you:
* Were enrolled as a full-time student at a school, or
* Took a full-time, on-farm training course given by a school or a state, county, or local government agency.
A school includes technical, trade, and mechanical schools. It does not include on-the-job training courses, correspondence schools, or schools offering courses only through the Internet.
For additional information, please see Form 8880 and instructions by clicking Here.
Adoption Credit (Form 8839)
You may be able to take a tax credit of up to $13,460 for qualifying expenses paid to adopt an eligible child (including a child with special needs). The adoption credit is an amount subtracted from your tax liability. The adoption credit is not available for any reimbursed expense. Qualifying expenses include reasonable and necessary adoption fees, court costs, attorney fees, traveling expenses (including amounts spent for meals and lodging while away from home), and other expenses directly related to and for which the principal purpose is the legal adoption of an eligible child. This credit is no longer a refundable credit, meaning that you will not be able to claim it if you owe no tax. For 2016, the credit will phase out if your modified adjusted gross income is in excess of $ 241,920. Click Here for more information regarding your prior year carryforward.
For more information, please see the instructions for Form 8839 on the IRS website Here.
DC First-Time Homebuyers Credit (Form 8859)
You may be able to claim a one-time tax credit of up to $5,000 ($2,500 if married filing separately) if you buy a main home in the District of Columbia. You must reduce the basis of your home by the amount of the credit you claim. Only purchases after August 4, 1997 qualify for this credit. The credit is not allowed if you acquired your home from certain related persons or by gift or inheritance.
*This credit is no longer available for 2016. There is a carryforward that can be continued in 2016 if you have claimed this credit in previous years.
Child Tax Credit
In many cases, you can receive a credit of up to $1,000 per dependent listed on your return who is under the age of 17. TaxSlayer will automatically calculate this credit for you based on the dependents and other information you enter into your return. For more information on this credit, Click here.


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...About a week ago, I started a Caputo 00 biga following pftaylor's instructions, which included the addition of a small amount of IDY to the basic flour and water mixture... ... and a second one with another Caputo 00 biga I started recently using only the Caputo 00 flour and water. And no commercial yeast. Peter


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My opinion is, for the average shooter, probably not. Handgun ammo comes in many different loadings within caliber. High-velocity ammunition varieties (often referred to as "+P") come with higher combustion pressures and more sophisticated bullet designs.
Reduced Recoil Ammo
No Shame in Using Low Recoil Ammo
Stop beating yourself up. New reduced recoil ammunition from Hornady joins other popular offerings from Remington and Federal to make shooting fun. In fact, even lightweights like me can handle it.


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new and delicious potato flour 15% added to AP 5 roses flour 12% protein, crispy outer with airy moist crumb
wow Matt that looks delicious , is semolina rimacinata same as semolina flour or wheat flour for atta bread, I use a blend of 5 roses or ceresota unbleached preffered and wheat flour when I make bread, delicious flavor and open crumb 65% hydration, what is your hydration on the focaccia, your pic b-4 baking looks exactly like mine at 75-80ish hydration the potato flour is very thirsty I just pour right into my blk pan after mixing and raise for 5 hours, the starter takes its time, comoldoli is still good . Phil


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Bradley Cooper Gossip
Bradley Cooper gossip, latest news, photos, and video.
Suki, Coop, and a Bear
Mirrorpix/ Splash
In the royal box at Wimbledon. As post time, the marquee match is still happening. Roger Federer brings out a lot of stars, and Anna Wintour. Does Suki Waterhouse seem…kinda overdressed? I mean, deliberately dressed. To be photographed. Rolling my eyes now. Suki and Bradley Cooper were seated next to Bear Grylls. Full Story
Keira, Bradley & Suki at the summer party
Wenn, FameFlynet
Very strong turnout at the Serpentine Gallery Summer Party last night in London. I do love the British star system. It gets super low classy at times but at least it's robust – they make celebrities out of randoms who get super famous there, but only there. And those are the people who serve as carpet fillers whenever there's an event. Full Story
Bradley Cooper at Glastonbury
Samir Hussein /Redferns via Getty Images
Bradley Cooper spent the weekend at Glastonbury without Suki Waterhouse who was working. Instead, he partied backstage with Michael Fassbender and some other celebrities. Glastonbury is high profile. Lots of photographers around, not a good place to indulge in temptations. So I'm sure Coop was just there to enjoy the music, keeping it all safely wrapped. Full Story
Guardians of the Galaxy: The best idea
Back when Marvel first announced their intention to adapt obscure-even-by-nerd-standards Guardians of the Galaxy and everyone went "What? WHO?" there was some not-so-quiet snickering throughout the industry. The prevailing attitude among rival studios and development teams was, Finally. Full Story
Bradley Cooper's short shorts
FameFlynet, Splash, Pacific Coast News
Bradley Cooper was photographed yesterday in super tight super short shorts on the set of American Sniper directed by Clint Eastwood. At one point, he and all the other army actors had to get on the ground and do drills. Then some dude came around and sprayed them with water. Are we shooting a fireman calendar here? This might be the best job he's ever had. Full Story
Hooked on a feeling
Guardians of the Galaxy has always been described as Marvel's biggest risk to date, which is really saying something when you consider they bet their studio's future against Iron Man's success back when RDJ was still uninsurable. But making what amounts to the Marvel version of Spaceballs trumps even that risk, which means there are a lot of nerves from a lot of different directions surrounding Guardians. Full Story
Bradley Cooper: mean, cold, arrogant, and a master manipulator?
Jennifer Esposito wrote a book. Who? She's an actress. She used to be married to Bradley Cooper. From December 2006 to May 2007. Lots of rumours about why they broke up. Some say they had a volatile relationship. It wasn't…a very stable time in his life. Anyway, Esposito's had some career setbacks. Full Story
Bradley Cooper: MET Beefcake
Larry Busacca /John Lamparski /Dimitrios Kambouris /Getty Images, Alberto Reyes /Andres Otero /WENN
Remember when I said last week that I wasn't feeling the new Bradley Cooper, all jacked up and thick? Click here for a refresher. He's put on 40 lbs of muscle for a role and, well, it doesn't work in a tuxedo. Do you see a neck? Now, for some reason, he reminds me of an older Zac Efron. Full Story
Bradley Cooper, beefcake
4CRNS /Bruce /GALLO /FAMEFLYNET PICTURES
Bradley Cooper's put on almost 40 lbs of muscle for his upcoming role in American Sniper. You can tell. Check him out in Beverly Hills yesterday going on Henry Cavill in his t-shirt. Everywhere. He's jacked up everywhere. The chest, the arms, even the neck, look at the thickness of his neck, and the face too. Full Story
Bradley Cooper & Suki Waterhouse are still together
FameFlynet, Splash
What low grade magazine reported that it was over? Well, it's not over. It can't be over if they spent the weekend in Paris. They do like the Paris. They've been in Paris several times together. Paris is their mini-break destination. You go to the cottage/cabin. For Bradley Cooper and Suki Waterhouse it's Paris. Full Story
Indiana Jones Redux
Lainey doesn't know the can of worms she just opened. You think I'm a geek for comic books, superheroes and Star Wars? Well, Indiana Jones predates all of it. The first comic books I ever read were serials based on Raiders of the Lost Ark. I first watched Star Wars because oh hey, that's Indiana Jones in a spaceship. Full Story


text: Hi Wale, while Nokia has been a leader worldwide for its mobile phones, it really never gained a strong footing in the US market. Perhaps the Win-Nok deal will help re-energize Nokia, but it will be a struggle to catch up to Android and iOS devices. Nokia did make some nice devices and it would be good to see some more innovative mobile devices come out soon.


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Creating the Franklin County Legislature
There are three candidates running for the Franklin County Legislature from our district; Barb Rice, Ed Randig and Curt Reynolds, with a fairly compact area to cover.
The Franklin County legislative District No. 7, representing our region includes the towns of Harrietstown and Franklin. But pity the person running in District #5, the largest in the county, which includes the Towns of Moria, Brighton, Santa Clara, Waverly and a small part of Bellmont. District No. 6 includes Tupper Lake and Santa Clara. Other districts are also spilt up to meet the population fairness. District No. 1, for instance, includes the Towns of Bombay, Fort Covington and Westville while District No. 2 has a piece of Bellmont, Burke, Chateaugay, Constable and Malone.
I think it's worth examining how the legislature was created so here is some of what I wrote on that issue in 2003, more than 10 years ago.
Every ten years when the census is completed, all the voting districts in the United States have to be checked to see that the so-called one-man, one-vote decision by the United States Supreme Court back in the late 1960's is being followed. That decision said that as closely as possible, an equal number of citizens of the United States must be represented by their elected officials, be it in the Congress or in the county legislatures.
We can use Essex County as an example of the way things worked prior to that Supreme Court decision and the way it worked in every county in New York State. All town supervisors made up the county board, as is still the form of government in Essex County. W hen the Supervisor of Newcomb, who represented 700 residents and the Supervisor of North Elba who represented 4,000 residents, voted on any issue they each had one vote. Essex County now has weighted voting so North Elba has 481 votes to 39 for Newcomb.
Franklin County was ordered to establish a Board of Legislators by State Supreme Court Judge Harold Soden. Franklin was divided into seven districts and an election was held for those new positions.
[I have to make a comment here. One used to hear how tough Judge Soden was; a former Marine, District Attorney and Town Supervisor but when I worked for him in the 1980's, I can tell you he was one of the nicest men I ever met.]
I ran for that position that first year, as a Democrat, and lost to Bill Mansion who was then the Chairman of the Board of Supervisors. A few years later Republican County Legislator Jim Finn, who was retiring from that position came to me and said: "If you want to run this year we won't run anyone against you". I chose not to run, but, wow, how politics has changed.
There are 62 counties in New York state. There are 57 counties outside of New York City, and 17 of those [at least that was so 10 years ago] are still represented by Boards of Supervisors.
The infighting really gets tough when the voting districts are redrawn for state and federal elected offices. The new district maps are drawn by the political party in power and they try to form those new districts which will favor their party by stretching the lines to include more of their constituents. The term gerrymandering is the one word often used to describe this district scrambling of lines. That word was coined when one Gerry Mander was running for Parliament in England many years ago when they probably used a rubber band to outline his district.
So, as our states lose population we lose seats in the House of Representatives. There are always 100 seats in the U.S. Senate, two to a state. But the strange thing brought about by population statistics is that Alaska and Vermont have more elected officials in the Senate than in the House where they each have 1. Each state is guaranteed one seat in the House by the U.S. Constitution, regardless of population.
Here are some of the latest populations figures for the top four states from 2006; California with 36,457,549 residents have 53 seats in the House; Texas with 23,507,783 residents have 32 seats in the House; New York State with 19,306,183 residents have 29 seats in the House and Florida with 18,089,888 residents have 25 seats in the House.
One of George Washington's famous quotes was, 'influence is not government". Well, that was easy for him to say; can you remember who ran against him for President in 1789 and 1792? No one did, he ran unopposed.
(Last week at the end of this column I said I would tell you about a person who had roosters to give away, but the sign on their mailbox worked – Rooster – Free. They had one for dinner and gave the other three away.)


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The copyright surveillance machine known as the Copyright Alert System (CAS) — or more commonly the "six strikes" program — is an agreement between major media companies and five large Internet service providers (ISPs) to monitor peer-to-peer traffic and introduce penalties to subscribers accused of infringing. ISPs have each implemented the program in different ways, but they share some common features: the first several notifications are supposed to be informational, and later strikes include "mitigation measures" that range from browser-blocking windows to connections throttled down to dial-up speed. The entire campaign is packed with warning signs that it will not go well.
The media companies and the ISPs agreed to terms of the "six strikes" deal in the summer of 2011 — without, of course, input from the actual Internet users it would affect. Just six months later, everybody got a chance to see how Internet users felt about expansive copyright policies, as the blackout protests around the proposed Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) sent the unequivocal message to lawmakers that enough is enough. But because the agreement that set up "six strikes" was a private deal, the participants continued its development. After a year and a half of waiting and many missed deadlines, the program went into effect in February 2013.
It's bad enough that the agreement was reached without a hint of transparency, and without giving Internet users a voice. But the problems with the resulting agreement are even worse. The media companies have insisted that running a program like the Copyright Alert System requires monitoring individuals on peer-to-peer networks — a layer of tracking that makes many Internet users uncomfortable.
And beyond the privacy complaints, the program's documentation reflects a skewed understanding of copyright law, which is a real problem for a campaign that purports to be about education. It also forgoes any idea of due process, counting accusations as infringements by default and charging users a $35 up-front fee to appeal. When users appeal, they can select only from a closed set of six options, a gross simplification of copyright law that will lead to people wrongfully accused having little recourse.
We've urged the ISPs and media companies to push the reset button on this copyright surveillance machine altogether, but still it lumbers forward.


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Please Note: Baits and Jigheads not included.
A deadly way to target suspending bass, stripers and other gamefish feeding on baitfish, the BOSS Silicone Head Compact Swimbait Harness Rig is designed to actually simulate a school of baitfish. Often referred to as an umbrella-rig, it provides you with the potential of catching a limit with a single cast, and it can even be fished with a stouter, standard rod. Shrink wrap covers the crimped wires below the eyelet, and it features five durable wires with swivels that allow you to easily attach your choice of swimbaits, grubs, spinnerbaits or jigs. All four encompassing wires measure 3.5" while the fifth centering wire extends to 4". The Silicone Head Compact Swimbait Harness Rig is multifunctional. Slide the lifelike/durable silicone head towards the line tie when in use. Retract the silicone head to collapse all 5 wires for easy storage.
**Don't forget to check your State's fish and game rules and regulations - a fully rigged umbrella rig is illegal in some States.
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Customer Reviews
Comments: I bought a few of these to throw in shallow water. I ended up using them on deep water as well, when the bite was slow. They can't handle alot 3-4+ pound bass. I went through 3 of them in 2 weekends. I never lost a fish, but once in the boat the wire would fall out. Thay are half price compared to others that are the same size, so I still use them. The compact nature is great in some situations, but you might go through a few in the process.
From: Adam: LA
Comments: This rig is very small. The wires are very short and thin. I would consider this rig a finese or ultralight umbrella rig. This one is nothing like the other Boss compact all wire rig. The other compact all wire rig is much sturdier built. This one is only suitable for small swimbaits or jigs. It would probably be good for crappie only. Also, since it is so small the head looks unusually large on such a small wire frame. I took the head off and replaced it with a small tube jig. Looks much better. I would not recommend it for bass. Would be good for small fish only.
From: Pao: Boiling Springs, SC


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Sterling Silver Curve Bar Fashion Necklace - 18 Inch
Many in stock
Add simple elegance to your most distinguished outfits with this curved bar necklace. Finely crafted with 925 Sterling Silver this pendant is rhodium plated for an imperial look and better tarnish resistance. Polished to a brilliant shine, this bar suspends centered along an 18 inch diamond cut cable chain that secures with a lobster lock clasp. This fashion necklace comes in a complementary gift box.
Returns Policy
Jewelry Affairs offers a 30-day return policy on jewelry. If you are not happy with your jewelry purchase within 30 days of receipt, you may return UNUSED merchandise that has not been engraved or customized for a refund, credit or exchange. Jewelry returned must be in original condition and credit is subject to merchandise being reviewed by our Quality Assurance Specialists. Merchandise that is damaged or altered in any way by a jeweler other than Jewelry Affairs cannot be returned. Some estate jewelry and designer jewelry may be fragile and cannot be returned if damaged. A merchandise credit will be issued if merchandise received as a gift is returned by the recipient. Items that have been personalized cannot be returned. Custom made jewelry are not refundable. With the above-mentioned provisions, a refund will be issued as soon as the item is received.


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DrupalDownUnder 2012 will be held in Melbourne Australia 13-15 January. A great event, I've been to several of its predecessors. People there don't care an awful lot for databases, but they do realise that sometimes it's important to either learn more about it or talk to someone specialised in that field. And when discussing general infrastructure, resilience is quite relevant. Clients want a site to remain up, but keep costs low.
I will teach pre-conference training sessions on the Friday at DDU:
- MySQL Query Design ($220 half-day)
- MySQL Server Tuning ($220 half-day)
The material is made specific to Drupal developers and users. The query design skills, for instance, will help you with module development and designing Drupal Views. The two half-days can also be booked as a MySQL Training Pack for $395.
On Saturday afternoon in the main conference, I have a session Scaling out your Drupal and Database Infrastructure, Affordably covering the topics of resilience, ease of maintenance, and scaling.
I'm honoured to have been selected to do these sessions, I know there were plenty of submissions from excellent speakers. As with all Drupal conferences, attendees also vote on which submissions they would like to see.
After DDU I'm travelling on to Ballarat for LinuxConfAU 2012, where I'm not speaking in the main program this year, but will have sessions in the "High Availability and Storage" and "Business of Open Source" miniconfs. I'll do another post on the former – the latter is not related to Open Query.