text:
This page was exported from Almost-Daily Diary
[ http://www.chainreactionblogs.com/diary ]
Export date: Sat May 26 19:17:47 2018 / +0000 GMT
Appropriate for Chain Reaction or retail "noise"?
Behold the appearance of part of Chain Reaction Redwood City. What is that attached to the wall near our dressing rooms? Decoration? Something to add character? Does it belong in the modern retail environment? Is it appropriate or just something we think is cool? (Click on the photo to read the T-shirt's text.)
OK, what is it? It's a t-shirt I got from Versus network a few years back, when the prior year's Tour de France had been rocked by scandal (has there been one that wasn't?) and people were making noises that bike racing wasn't worth watching because the winners are all dopers and that somehow makes it not a legitimate sport (just like baseball, football, and, good gosh, golf even!). I put a link on our website to their Tour de France page, and in return, I got a T-shirt (hey, all Charlie Brown got was a rock, I'm not complaining).
So what does it mean when someone sees that t-shirt hanging on a wall outside the dressing rooms? Do they actually read what it says and think about it, or does it just look like an old orange t-shirt badly in need of dusting off? Does it somehow add desirable "character" to the shop, or does it add to the background noise level, a distraction from what is supposed to look like a professionally-run retail business?
It's tough, this idea of bringing up our retail presentation and standards to modern expectations. Whose expectations? I mean, isn't part of being in business for yourself an act of independence from "The Man", an almost-defiant act of putting your own stamp on things, so that you're mistaken for neither the hapless *Mart nor the sterile Nordstrom experience? Bikes aren't lingerie, or car batteries. They're something everyone on our staff really enjoys riding. To us, they're a lifestyle, and that's what this character or attitude stuff is all about. We want to promote that we're cool. We see stuff that separates us from the rest of the retail experience. We're hip.
Which is all well and good for those coming in who have already bought into the lifestyle and are looking for that casually-hip & trendy experience. But if Chain Reaction Bicycles were to have to pay the bills on just that crowd, we'd be broke. If we were to play the music that most of our younger staff would get into, rather than "Classic Vinyl" (Channel 46 on Sirius Radio), we'd alienate a lot of our core base of customers. In short, if we don't, at times, accept a lowest-common-denominator (but modern and well-implemented) approach to retail, we could become just another asterisk of the Internet, a place that people remember, a few people very fondly, some people not. We cannot afford to be a place that people would avoid coming back to because we've got too much attitude, too much badness factor. We need to deliver an exceptional and welcoming experience to all manner of people who make the effort to come and see us. Don't get put off by my "lowest common denominator" remark... I mean that in the best-possible way; that we need to seek a common ground with all who come in. It's not "lowering" anything really... rather, it's raising our ability to deliver the message that bikes are the most-wonderful thing on the planet to as many as possible.
This business, Chain Reaction Bicycles, has to be more than the combination of my employee's and my own view of what's personally cool about bikes. We have to excel at retail, delivering an experience that's friendly and efficient each and every time. We have to look at all the "cool" stuff on the walls and question whether that means anything to the average customer or if it's just noise, and one thing the world absolutely has too much of is noise. We have to recognize that what's really cool is getting as many people as possible to enjoy cycling as much as possible. That's great for cycling and great for business.
But my wife thinks I'm crazy to listen to retail experts who come in and tell me that that shirt needs to come down from the wall. The interesting thing here is that she's all too aware of my propensity for clutter & noise at home, and would love to see me adopt a "cleaner" (figuratively & literally) attitude around the house. The problem at the business, I think, is that what it is today represents a little bit of this, a little bit of that, that we've all contributed to over the years. It's "us" if you will, and to some extent (I think) we can't see the forest for the trees. What do you think? --Mike--
Post date: 2011-04-28 18:59:43
Post date GMT: 2011-04-29 01:59:43
Post modified date: 2011-08-24 12:32:25
Post modified date GMT: 2011-08-24 19:32:25
|Powered by [ Universal Post Manager ] plugin. HTML saving format developed by gVectors Team www.gVectors.com


text:
Just Living
What Would Judy Say?™
Too Soft on Kids?
Have you read Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mom, and, if so, do you think we are pushing our children hard enough to succeed? Many countries will begin to outpace our children academically. Is it wrong to let our kids just be kids? —Concerned Parent in Fort Myers
I am familiar with the book, but have not read it. I believe the answer to your question should focus on two issues: First, parents should identify and encourage the strengths of their children. Success builds character. Raising children who have a sense of self-worth creates a happy child and a successful adult. My parents supported my strengths, and while they did not dismiss a C in math, they cheered at the A in debate.
Second, your children have enough friends. You be a parent. Life has rules, and so should children. We all must exist within a basic framework of responsibility, respect for each other and empathy for those around us.
If you can teach those lessons to your children, you are a parent to be proud of, and the rest will fall into place.
Married to Mommy
When a son husbands his mother, how is he able to maintain a healthy partnership with his wife?
—Bewildered Bride in Naples
If your husband's relationship to his mother is one of love, affection and respect, that is reasonable and laudable. However, if your man puts his mother's agenda ahead of yours, that is a problem.
In any family, there can be only one queen bee. Few women are content in a marriage where another female is the priority. Perhaps a frank discussion with your mate will work. You can emphasize that he and his feelings are your priority, and you want yours to be his.
I have always believed that marriage creates the unit. All other family members support and are supported by the unit. Parents, children, brothers and sisters can either enhance or detract from the unit. But the unit should be the backbone of the family.
Pursuing Divorce
I am 24 and still legally married (I've been separated for three years) because it's so hard and so expensive to get a divorce. I got married when I was 18. I wanted it to last, but the relationship turned abusive. He currently lives in Mexico and is not allowed to return because he came here illegally. I sent him the divorce papers, but his lawyer ripped them up. Is there an easier way to do this divorce without having to pay $1,000 to a lawyer for a divorce that should be simple (no kids or property together)? I don't understand how they make it so easy to get married but so difficult to get a divorce. —Desiring Divorce in Naples
Unfortunately, it is easier to say "I do" than "I don't." It takes three minutes to exchange vows and often a lifetime to untangle the mess.
The valuable life lesson was taught to me by my grandmother. She said, "10 times measure, one time cut." It's an old tailor's expression, but if we approach life's important decisions with it in mind we would make fewer mistakes. Once you cut the cloth, it's cut forever. You may be able to sew it together, but that takes time.
You are a young woman just starting your life. You should do everything possible to stabilize your future by divorcing an abusive husband. Save your money, hire a lawyer and obtain a divorce. Call the local bar association for a referral, if you should need assistance.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
felt my anger rising and hung up since I could no longer say anything else.
Back to Joy's question about the hunting-it was bow season for deer. During Day 2 of my visit, Sib #2 got a doe. He was able to go to a family lunch the next day. I got a private visit with him and his family, so all went well. Sib 3 does not participate in bow season-he waits for shotgun season which would have been after the visit. Hunting season or not, a relative who raised us is in ill health. She lives in a nursing home. She almost passed away last year but has since rebounded a little. Therefore visiting this person was a priority that all the family could agree on.We hope family peace continues.
Page created in 0.236 seconds with 17 queries.


text:
Any investor worried about the fiscal cliff or fretting about the sovereign debt of failing European countries should take comfort in the fact that it is not all doom and gloom.
For those in search of a silver lining, we give you the undiscovered world of emerging-markets corporate debt. Now you may be thinking, "I'm already investing in emerging markets." But this is different. We see that U.S. investors, on average, are investing approximately 2%-3% of their portfolio in EM stocks and almost no allocation to EM corporate debt.
Most of the developed economy's real gross domestic product (GDP) is still below the levels experienced in 2007, while the emerging economies have increased over 20% during that same period of time. It is our opinion that investors are missing out on these opportunities, with low or no allocation to EM corporate bonds.
The EM corporate-debt space is where the largest opportunities exist for investors to gain excess return, where the yields tend to be higher than U.S. corporate bonds and lower debt levels with relatively solid credit quality given its low debt:GDP ratios.
Historically, sovereign debt has been the main focus for investors seeking exposure to global bonds, but that universe of bonds seems to be shrinking compared to the market value of corporate debt.
EM debt has come a long way since the 1990s when the market value of EM corporate debt was approximately 20% that of sovereign debt. Jump forward to 2012, and the market value of dollar-denominated corporate debt is twice that of sovereign debt. Based on these statistics, you would think that everyone would be in this space, but it still is very much under the radar for most U.S. investors.
It would be natural for investors to fret about increased default risk with EM corporate bonds, but the risks may not be as great as one might think. With the globalization of our economies, the more established corporations rely on the financial infrastructure and reporting requirements of U.S. companies. It is very common for EM corporate debt to be issued in U.S. dollars and have bondholder protections that are backed by hard assets or personal guarantees by the owners, which is very good when compared to U.S. bondholder protections.
The crisis in Europe has many investors concerned about an increased default risk in global bonds. Most investors likely assume that emerging-market bonds would be in a worse situation, but we believe the opposite is true. Many emerging economies are in much better fiscal shape than economies in developed countries with emerging-market debt maturing into a more diverse market.
Investors can invest in this area via exchange-traded funds (ETFs) which helps avoid liquidity issues that individual EM corporate bonds may have. Examples of ETFs like this include SPDR BofA Merrill Lynch Emerging Markets Corporate Bond ETF (EMCD), WisdomTree Emerging Markets Corporate Bond ETF (EMCB) and iShares Emerging Markets Corporate Bond ETF (CEMB). Most of the underlying bonds are IG quality and when you combine this with the fact that EM countries have smaller deficits and lower debt than its developed counterparts, ETFs are fiscally sound for the investor.
There are an increasing number of portfolio managers in the mutual fund space who are focusing on this asset class, and this is a great way to gain exposure to the world of emerging-market corporate debt.
The information in this article does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any specific security. CIC Wealth Management recommends that you consult with your financial advisor prior to making any investment decision.


text:
Original URL: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/08/02/moaning_moose/
Moaning moose cows provoke punch-ups among bulls
Alaskan wilderness just like Newcastle on a Friday night
Posted in Science, 2nd August 2011 14:19 GMT
Researchers from Idaho State University have proved that moose mating rituals follow a similar pattern to that displayed among humans in Newcastle pubs on a Friday night – that females moaning about sexual advances by inadequate males increases the chance of bloke-on-bloke violence.
Scientists already knew that a female moose will "protest moan" when approached by an amorous stud during the autumn rutting season, when the chaps battle it out for the chance to mate with picky girls. While a male might couple with various partners, the polygynous nature of moose society means the ladies take just one partner, and are evidently keen to hook up with the right beau.
Dr Terry Bowyer and his team ventured into Alaska's Denali National Park and Preserve and observed that Alces alces gigas females actually moaned more when approached by smaller males, to "reduce harassment" and "assure a mating opportunity with the most dominant male".
Regarding the immediate result of this whining, Bowyer explained to the BBC: "Male aggression was more common when females gave protest moans than when they did not, indicating that this vocalisation incited male-male aggression."
The researchers conclude in their abstract in Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology: "Such a subtle mechanism of indirect mate choice by females may occur in other vertebrates in which choice is limited by a mating system in which male-male combat and male dominance over females reduces opportunities for female choice. The importance of female choice may be undervalued in studies of sexual selection in mammals." ®


text:
To read all comments associated with this story, please click here.
Indeed, it is not clear at all, and I agree with nt_jerkface that the GPL is far to ambiguous in this respect. Even if you believe that dynamic linking does not form a derivative work (which effectively makes the GPL a badly-worded LGPL). What if headers contain a significant amount of macros that do become part of your compiled program? What about C++ templates? And if C++ templates create a derivative work, isn't that weird (create an instantiation in the library and you are safe, create one in your code, and you are not)?
As many have come to find out, the GPL is a legal minefield. Sure, it has advantages if you embrace FLOSS ideals, want to force contribution of changes, or to give competitors an advantage they can run with (well, arguably only the AGPL helps fully). But it's a hell of a complicated license, and it's not strange companies want too touch it as little as possible.
Edited 2010-09-08 11:03 UTC


text:
$1 million rehabilitation project scheduled for lake in central Louisiana
July 29, 2011 – The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Foundation (LWFF) in cooperation with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) and the City of Eunice plan to launch a project to rehabilitate Eunice City Lake after a Union Pacific Railroad explosion in May 2000 potentially released hazardous materials and chemicals into the surrounding area.
Thirty-three of the 113 cars making up an eastbound Union Pacific Railroad train derailed northwest of Eunice, Louisiana. The derailment occurred on a bridge crossing an unnamed tributary to Bayou Des Cannes. Fifteen of the derailed cars contained a variety of hazardous materials and chemicals, and two rail cars exploded, potentially sending their contents into the surrounding area, including Eunice City Lake.
The total amount for environmental rehabilitation projects that will be executed by the LWFF and LDWF exceeds $1 million. After all claimants had been paid following the incident, residual funds were left in the account. The Honorable Richard T. Haik of the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, the presiding Judge overseeing the train derailment litigation, awarded the monies to the LWFF to fund the improvement projects on the lake.
Although it was determined that there were no health risks involved in eating fish from the lake, concerns about fish contamination discouraged recreational use of the lake. Improvement projects will include draining the lake, removing the existing fish population and restocking the lake with bass, bluegill, redear sunfish and sac-a-lait.
Existing facilities will also be revitalized to accommodate those seeking an outdoor recreational refuge within the community. A large pavilion will be constructed as a revenue generating space available to the community for private outdoor events.
Other site improvements include the construction of a deck and pier, restroom facility, picnic pavilions, nature walk, welcome center and asphalt road and parking. Repairs will be made to the existing fishing and boat dock, boat slip and the existing lake control structure will be replaced.
The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Foundation was formed to provide a means for individuals and corporations to become partners with the Department and Commission in the challenge of conserving Louisiana's wildlife and fish resources.
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is charged with managing and protecting Louisiana's abundant natural resources. For more information, visit us at www.wlf.louisiana.gov on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ldwffb or follow us on Twitter @LDWF.
For press inquiries, contact Ashley Wethey at email@example.com (225) 765-5113.


text:
Honda Motor Co is recalling 304,000 vehicles globally for air-bags that may inflate with too much pressure in a crash, send metal and plastic pieces flying and cause injuries or deaths.
Honda said there have been 20 accidents so far related to this problem, including two deaths in the US in 2009.
The Japanese automaker announced the recall yesterday, which affects the Accord, Civic, Odyssey, Pilot, CR-V and other models, manufactured in 2001 and 2002.
The recall spans 273,000 vehicles in the US, about 27,000 in Canada, nearly 2,000 vehicles in Japan and another 2,000 in other countries.
The latest recall is an expansion of recalls for the same problem in 2008, and again carried out in 2009, as well as last year. The recall now covers about 2 million vehicles worldwide, according to Tokyo-based Honda.
Honda spokesman Hajime Kaneko said the cause was the use of incorrect material in the chemical used to deploy air bags.
However, that problem was found later to affect more vehicles than initially estimated, and the recall had to be expanded, he said. Honda is expecting no more recalls linked to this problem, he said.
Also included in the latest recall are 912 air-bag service parts sold for installation in vehicles for collision repair and other reasons, Honda said.


text:
Princess Brody seems to be permanently hungry these days. She empties her bowl of Felix straight away would probably repeat the process again given the chance! She also has a side order of Go Cat biscuits and numerous treats hidden in her "palace".
She seems healthy and happy so I am not unduly concerned - I will be giving her a worming tablet soon but wondered if anyone had any experience of this


text:
Browse our Catalogues
A: acts, advent amos, anabaptists, anecdotes, anglican, anglicanism, apostles, aramaic, atheism, aquinas, assembly, assemblies, atonement, augustine,
B: baptism, baptist, baptists, benedictines, bereavement, benedictines, bible, biblical, bibles, brethren,
C: calvin, calvinism, carmelites, carols, catholic, catholicism, chaldee, charismatics, christ, christmas, christology, chronicles, church, churches, cistercians, colossians, commandments, commentaries, communion, concordances, congregational, congregationalism, coptic, corinthians, counseling, counselling, creation, crucifixion,
D: decons, death, deuteronomy, diaconate, dialogue, disciples, discipleship, dominicans, dying,
E: easter, ecclesiology, ecclesiastes, ecumenical, ecumenism, epistles, ephesians, eschatology, essenes, eternity, ethics, eucharist, evangelicalism, evangelism, evil, evolution, exodus, ezekiel, ezra,
F: fathers, feminism, feminist, franciscans, fundamentalism,
G: galatians, genesis, geography, gnosticism, gnostics, gospels,
H: habakkuk, haggai, hagiography, healing, heaven, hebraica, hebrew, hell, heresy, hermeneutics, hindu, hinduism, holocaust, homiletics, hosea, hymnals, hymnody, hymnology, hymns,
Click here for a more comprehensive list.
Item moved. Please use our search function to find the item.Usually one or two keywords is enough to find the item.


text:
I woke up this morning to yet another snowstorm. Schools are cancelled as is my ice-fishing trip. Most anglers look forward to every open water fishing season with lots of excitement and anticipation, but it seems the open water fishing season of 2010 has even more excitement associated with it.
That's great: We should be excited about the opportunity to go fishing. Fishing is a wonderful thing to experience by yourself or with someone. With the way things have been the past couple of years, all of us need something to look forward to.
Fishing is different things to different people. Some anglers like to go fishing in the competitive arena, but most of us prefer to chase whatever specie of fish is biting on the day we go. We start fishing whenever, and we quit fishing whenever. No early morning blast-offs or mid-afternoon check-ins, just a nice day on the water on our own schedule.
Article Photos
Nothing beats taking a kid fishing as evidenced by this youngster's big smile!
Photo by Bob Jensen
If we're after bass but a pike eats our bait, that's a bonus, not an unwanted waste of time reeling in a fish that doesn't count on the tournament scoreboard.
Here in the Midwest, we have all sorts of outstanding fishing opportunities close to where we live. I would guess it's the same in most parts of the country. You can hook the boat up and be on the water pretty quickly.
But it isn't always necessary to hook the boat up to go fishing. There are lots of ponds, lakes, and rivers that can provide very good fishing. One of my most memorable days of fishing was for smallmouth bass on a river near my home many years ago.
Waders, a spinning rod and a couple of jigs were all I needed to catch a nice bunch of bass. You can do the same thing wherever you live.
You don't always need to catch a bunch of fish to enjoy your fishing. Don't get me wrong, when I go fishing I want to catch some fish, and more is better. But there's more to fishing than just reeling in fish.
It's spending time in some pretty nice places, sometimes by yourself, sometimes with a friend or family member. That's important stuff too.
Last year when we were traveling around the Midwest making television shows, we noticed a lot more people fishing. Some were out in boats, but lots were fishing off docks and from the shoreline. And they were having fun.
Probably some of those folks were experiencing difficult times with employment or around the house, but fishing was helping them escape those problems, even if for just a short period of time.
You don't need to have a bunch of equipment to enjoy fishing. You need a place to go and a couple of hours. Most of us can come up with those. This year, when you get the time, go fishing. If you can't get the time, make the time.


text:
The Institute communicates its scientific and educational information in a number of ways. One major outlet is peer-reviewed publications and reports. Cary Institute staff regularly publish in the best-rated journals in their respective fields.
Export 1 results:Sort by: Author [ Title] Type Year
Filters: First Letter Of Title is O and Author is Thomas, R.Q. [Clear All Filters]
Occurrence and toxicity of the cyanobacterium Gloeotrichia echinulata in low-nutrient lakes in the northeastern United States", Aquatic Ecology, vol. 46, no. 4, p. 395 - 409, 2012., "


text:
Jose Mourinho has moved to distance himself from comparisons with Tottenham manger Andre Villas-Boas - but admitted he still follows the career of his former colleague 'closely'.
Villas-Boas worked under Mourinho at Chelsea and Inter Milan before branching out into a managerial career of his own.
Both managers tasted European success at Porto - Mourinho won the Champions League in 2004 while Villas-Boas claimed the Europa League as part of a historic quadruple in 2011- before heading to England to take charge of Chelsea.
Despite the similarities, Mourinho, now in charge of Real Madrid, says he isn't cut from the same cloth as the Tottenham boss.
I don't see anything of myself in André Villas-Boas. He has accessed places others couldn't. I follow his career regularly," Mourinho told RTP1.
"I know there is a José Mourinho effect in the young Portuguese [population]. There is a lot of young people who dream about being a coach. Twenty years ago the youngsters wanted to be players, not coaches."
The pair's careers have taken different courses since they both left Chelsea, with Villas-Boas re-establishing his reputation at White Hart Lane following his disastrous 8-month spell in west London, while Mourinho went on to claim the Champions League with Inter Milan in 2010 after leaving Stamford Bridge.
Mourinho may leave Real Madrid this summer despite the fact they could end the season winning the Champions League and the Copa del Rey, with Chelsea reportedly keen on securing his services once more alongside Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City.
The "Special One" has been vocal about his desire to return to England in the past, and says he would only ever leave Madrid to work in one of Europe's major leagues.
"I don't see myself managing outside Spain, England, Italy or France," he said.
Do YOU want to write for GiveMeSport? Get started today by signing-up and submitting an article HERE: https://www.givemesport.com/writeforgms


text:
Baseball announced the 40 players immediately after the Tournament of
Stars that it will take to the next step in its trials process. They
will eventually whittle that down to a 20 player roster to take to
Seoul, South Korea August 30-September 8 for the IBAF 18U World
the list of the 40 players, follow this link to the USA Baseball site.
Baseball's "40-Man Roster" has a couple of obvious omissions
that are likely the result of players not being able make the huge
time commitment in August and September after school has started,
with Justin Williams and Kevin Franklin being the most notable. For
the purposes of this exercise, though, I will assume that everyone
who was in Cary, North Carolina this past week is available.
20 man "Team" below is not a top prospect list from the event,
although almost all the players listed would make a top prospect list
from the event. It's the group of players, separated from the
numerous political and real world issues that USA Baseball has to
face in selecting a team, that I feel would give the USA the best
chance to bring home the gold.
Ryan Boldt: Boldt doesn't quite have the overall tool package
of Colorado Rockies 2012 first round pick David Dahl but the
resemblance is unmistakable. Not only was the Minnesota left hander
the fastest runner at the TOS (6.60), he also owned the left
centerfield gap on offense.
Christian Arroyo: Arroyo might be the best present hitter in
the 2013 class. He squares up everything and squares it up hard.
His run/throw tools will not excite scouts but if you want to win
games against the best 18 year olds in the world, you want him in
your line up.
John Sternagel: Sternagel looks and plays like a big leaguer
both offensively and defensively. He's very skilled and mature in
all areas, performs and has the tools as well. He's just a very
solid overall talent.
Justin Williams: Williams was the top prospect at the Tournament
of Stars from a draft perspective and showed that he had
game/performance skills as well as huge physical tools. His at bat
against top 2014 LHP Carson Sands and his play in right field on
defense were two areas that resonated. I didn't get to see his BP
home run over the batter's eye in straight way (400')
Pete Alonso: This was one of the hardest decisions on the
roster, as C/1B Zach Collins has big power from the left side, but
Alonso was superb in Cary and in addition to his powerful bat is an
outstanding first baseman who will impact games on defense as well
as on offense.
Jeremy Martinez: Martinez is going to make the team, as he
played on last year's 18U team and was one of the top offensive
performers at the TOS. He doesn't have the defensive tools and
skills of the team's other two catchers but he is an offensive
Reese McGuire: McGuire and Chris Okey (see below) are very
similar players, outstanding defensive players who have surprising
pop in their bats. McGuire's being a left handed hitter gives him
a platoon advantage but otherwise you're splitting hairs to
determine who is the better player/prospect.
Kevin Franklin: Franklin hit the hardest ball I've seen in
years, virtually undressing 3B Gasuke Katoh Charlie Brown-style with
a rocket that must have been 110 mph off the bat. There is a
pronounced lack of outfielders in this group of 144 players and
Franklin is a primary third baseman who has the athleticism to play
left. It was no coincidence, I'm sure, that another regular
infielder, Cavan Biggio (see below), played left field later in the
event as the USA Baseball staff realized the same thing.
Connor Heady: Get used to hearing Heady's name. Not only does
he have top of the line physical tools at shortstop, he can really
play both offensively and defensively. He's a personal favorite of
Cavan Biggio: Biggio continued to hit in Cary the same way he
hit in Minneapolis at the PG National Showcase and one can only
conclude that's how he hits; line drives all the time. He could be
a platoon DH with Martinez or play left field.
Nicholas Gordon: One of two 2014s on the team, Gordon and fellow
RHP/SS Chris Rivera fill an important role on a short-rostered team
in that they are legitimate high level pitchers to go with their
abilities in the middle of the field.
Chris Okey: Okey, along with McGuire, are athletic enough to
play all over the field and it wouldn't be surprising, especially
with three catchers on the roster, to see them working out in left
field and at third base.
Chris Rivera: You could make a convincing argument for Rivera as
the team's starting shortstop. He played very well in Cary and is
smooth and confident on defense. He might serve as the team's
closer on the mound.
Ian Clarkin: Clarkin was a revelation in Cary after not pitching
well in the Metrodome the week before. He was 90-93 in his starting
appearance and pitched to the bottom of the zone with command and
Kevin Davis: Davis can get up to 94 mph and perhaps more when
trying to light up the guns but is a much more effective pitcher at
90-92 and using his off-speed pitches, which is exactly what he did
in Cary.
Dustin Driver: Driver and Davis are similar talents, strong
armed right handers with big fastballs when they need them but the
ability to mix in quality off-speed stuff and pitch as starters.
Robert Kaminsky: Kaminsky is the staff ace, the one you want to
set the rotation to have pitch against Cuba. His curveball is the
best single pitch the USA team has to offer and his fastball and
command are pluses as well. He also seems to have that "New
Jersey" attitude on the mound that indicates he's not going to be
Carson Sands: Sands is going to be one of the top prospects in
the 2014 class and he might as well get on the big stage right away.
He tops out at 91 and has a maturity beyond his years in using his
slider and especially his change up, which has almost screwball type
movement at times.
Keegan Thompson: Thompson is a polished right hander with a full
array of off-speed pitches he can and will throw at any time in a
count, although he does pitch in the 89-91 mph area with his
Garrett Williams: Williams' curveball is just a small notch
behind Kaminsky's and he sits at 90 mph with command. He can also
be the team's backup first baseman if that need arises.


text:
Bayonne's municipal election race heated up last week as anti-administration groups filed petition signatures for a ballot referendum in the May election to approve an elected school board and to restore rent control.
Michael Alonso, who has spearheaded the elected school board initiative, took to local TV for a week with an appeal that enabled the effort to get the necessary signatures.
How many of the signatures are valid remains for the city clerk to determine.
If successful, the two referenda might help the efforts of James Davis in his attempt to unseat Mayor Mark Smith.
While neither referendum is directly connected to the Davis campaign, Davis has endorsed both, and his supporters believe the referenda will bring anti-Smith voters to the polls.
Anthony Zanowic, also running for mayor, could benefit as well.
Bayonne has not had an elected school board since the 1970s.
The lack of a teachers' contract has many educators blaming Smith, who appoints the board. Smith people have replied that the mayor has no control over the contract, except to raise taxes if the school board meets teachers' demands.
Davis has his suspicions about dirty tricks in the campaign against him.
"I was supposed to meet with the teachers last Monday," he said. "I rented a room at Saint Andrews. Someone called the Archdiocese and complained, and rather than make trouble for people in St. Andrews, I canceled the meeting."
But he said he has met with some teachers in his office, or talked to others on the phone.
"I hope some of them will put signs on their lawn for me, but there is a fear factor," he said. "Some real retaliation."
He said he hopes to begin his walking campaign shortly.
Davis clarified one persistent question about his state campaign election reports.
"I opened my account in November, which means that my next due date isn't until April 11," he said. "Had I opened the account in October, I would have had to report sooner."
Meanwhile, the Smith campaign has issued its first re-election TV ad.
The ad, "Five Years," will begin airing on cable. Delivered to camera by Mayor Smith, the ad encapsulates his campaign's main themes of getting Bayonne back on the right track. With Bayonne on the verge of bankruptcy at the time he took office, the mayor and his team say he reduced city debt by over 40 percent, attracted new development, created jobs, and fights every day to keep Bayonne moving forward.
Midnight flyers again?
Insiders in the Davis campaign flatly denied any responsibility for the issuing of two negative flyers on Feb. 2.
One flyer blasted Smith for allegedly having numerous family members on the municipal and school payroll.
The second was a nasty attack on Business Administrator Steve Gallo – the claims were so horrendous and clearly untrue that no one in Davis camp would defend against them.
"We agree with the information about the family members," said one source close to Davis. "But we didn't distribute it and we don't know who did."
As for the Gallo piece, the insiders said they would not waste their time or conduct an attack of that kind on Gallo.
"Gallo isn't running for office; Smith is," these insiders said. "We're going after Smith. But we haven't started yet. We're just getting ready to send out our first mailer."
Davis also said he is not responsible for either flyer.
"I saw the one about the jobs," he said. "Someone had dumped about 15 of them where I live."
As for the second anti-Gallo flyer, Davis said his parents live in the neighborhood where they were supposedly distributed.
"I would never do anything like that," he said. "Politics is politics. No one should be attacked personally. I'm running against Mark on his record."
But Davis' opponents fail to be convinced. Sources on the Smith side believe Davis' campaign is responsible for the mud.
Smith people also disputed the claims made in the flyer that Smith's family members were on the payroll. Smith family members are involved in various areas of public service, especially the school district. But they do not earn the exorbitant salaries the flyer claimed. Nearly all of them were hired before Smith became mayor.
"Mark was eight years old when his brother Leo got hired into the school district," one prominent Smith person said.
DeCosmis to seek council seat in Weehawken
One-time hero cop Richard DeCosmis said he will run for the 2nd Ward council seat in Weehawken in May, challenging Councilwoman Rosemary J. Lavagnino.
Lavagnino is expected to run for reelection on a ticket headed by Mayor Richard Turner.
DeCosmis and Turner have been at odds for years after DeCosmis (according to his own version of the story) backed a freeholder candidate Turner didn't support.
DeCosmis said he is not running with a ticket.
"I'm going it alone, with lots of help," he said. "Tough to get people to come forward and run. I'm born and raised in my ward, and I think I have a really good shot."
The race for Weehawken Board of Education features four candidates for four seats: Julian Brian Mera, John Cannata, Mark Denfeld and Noel Berto-Sanchez. Three positions are for three year terms, and one seat will be for a two year unexpired term.
Secaucus Board of Education candidates filed this week as well, with only one incumbent, Joseph Lewis, seeking reelection. Not running for reelection are Lisa Snedeker and Dora Marra.
The North Bergen Board of Education race looks to be a horse race, with incumbents Luis Diaz, Elaine Nicoliello, and Kanaiyalal Patel being challenged by nine candidates: Odemaris Ramirez, Juana Maria Dilone, Veronica Carterillon, Luis Gutierrez, Arnold Hernandez, Carmine McKinney, Mary Luz Munoz, Joel Nail and Jenny Tellenez.
Four freeholder seats in dispute
The Hudson County Board of Elections has confirmed the new freeholder redistricting with nearly all of the changes taking place in Jersey City.
The biggest impact will be on the Hoboken/Jersey City seat currently occupied by Anthony Romano, who is expected to be challenged by Perry Belfiore and Phil Cohen. A fourth possible candidate may emerge out of the Jersey Heights again.
Romano is one of four possible contested freeholder races this year that include Anthony Vainieri and Henry Marrero in North Bergen, Freeholder Jose Munoz and WNY Commission Caridad Rodriguez in WNY/Weehawken, and Freeholder Jeff Dublin and Gerard Balmir Jr. in Jersey City.
John Minella apparently dispelled rumors last week that he intended to challenge Freeholder Doreen DiDominco in Bayonne.
Al Sullivan may be reached at email@example.com.


text:
Panel recommends HIV testing for all teens and adults
|Author: Ranjana. R
Date: Tuesday, April 30th, 2013
Panel recommends HIV testing for all teens and adults
By Rachael Rettner
Published April 30, 2013
All teens and adults ages 15 to 65 should be tested for HIV, regardless of their risk of contracting the virus, according to new recommendations from an expert panel.
In addition, all pregnant women should be tested for HIV — even those who are in labor, if they have not previously been tested for the virus during that pregnancy, according to the recommendations, from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.
Previously, the task force had recommended HIV screening for adults and teens at increased risk for HIV — such as those who have unprotected sex with multiple partners and men who have had sex with men — as well as pregnant women.
The new guidelines expand the screening recommendations to include teens and adults who are not known to be at increased risk for HIV infection.
The task force based its recommendations on results from recent studies that found that early treatment for HIV (before patients show symptoms) lowers the risk of adverse health outcomes, including death, and reduces the risk of virus transmission during sex.
There are about 1.1 million people in the United States living with HIV infection, and about 20 percent of them don't know they have the disease, according to estimates made by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2008.
The HIV screening tests, which include a blood test and a saliva test, are highly accurate, and results can be ready quickly.
HIV screening should be voluntary, and before screening, patients should be informed about the implications of a positive or negative test, the task force said. The group agrees with the CDC that HIV screening should be an opt-out screening test — that is, one that is performed unless patients decline.
The task force did not recommend an interval for when patients should return for HIV testing, but said that a reasonable approach would be to screen all teens and adults once to identify those who are HIV-positive, and repeat the screenings for those at increased risk for HIV. It may be reasonable to screen people at very high risk (such as men who have sex with men) yearly. Women should be screened during every pregnancy.
People younger than 15 or older than 65 should be screened only if they are at increased risk of HIV (for instance, if they have a new sexual partner).
The recommendations are published April 29 in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/04/30/hiv-testing-recommended-for-all-teens-and-adults/#ixzz2RxX13kB7
Tobacco control efforts are having a major impact on Americans' health, a new analysis of lung-cancer data suggests.
How does one ditch a dependence on soda? Here are five tips for kicking your soda habit for good.
Are artificial sweeteners used in soft drinks and foods safe? Will they make us fat? How much is too much? Science doesn't have all the answers yet, but researchers have some clues.
How does one ditch a dependence on soda? Here are five tips for kicking your soda habit for good.
Are artificial sweeteners used in soft drinks and foods safe? Will they make us fat? How much is too much? Science doesn't have all the answers yet, but researchers have some clues.
Note: documents in Portable Document Format (PDF) require Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0 or higher to view,
download Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Note: documents in Excel format (XLS) require Microsoft Viewer,
download excel.
Note: documents in Word format (DOC) require Microsoft Viewer,
download word.
Note: documents in Powerpoint format (PPT) require Microsoft Viewer,
download powerpoint.
Note: documents in Quicktime Movie format [MOV] require Apple Quicktime,
download quicktime.


text:
ESTHERVILLE - Funeral services for Beverly Foster, 77, of Estherville will be held at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013, at First Christian Church in Estherville with Pastor Doug Burton officiating. Visitation will be 5-7 p.m. Tuesday at Henry-Olson Funeral Chapel in Estherville. Interment will be at Oak Hill Cemetery in Estherville.
She died Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, at the Avera Holy Family Hospital in Estherville.
Beverly Faye (Marsh) Foster, the daughter of Charles and Edna (Dailey) Marsh, was born Nov. 4, 1935, in Spencer.
Article Photos
Beverly Foster
She received her education in the Mallard and Estherville schools.
On Aug. 23, 1953, she was united in marriage to Jack Foster in Jackson, Minn. After their marriage, the couple made their home in several rural communities in Northwest Iowa. While raising their four children, in Sherburn, Minn., they started a family roofing business, Foster and Son Roofing. In 1982, they moved to Estherville, purchasing the Skyline Motel and Bev worked at Good Samaritan Society for 16 years as a caring CNA. She especially enjoyed working in the Memory Care Unit at Good Samaritan. She retired from Good Samaritan in 1998. Bev also worked for Emmet County Public Health until her retirement in 2008. Jack passed away on Feb. 6, 2004. In her leisure time Bev enjoyed sewing, crocheting, playing cards and goofing around with her family. Her biggest enjoyments in life were having family dinners on Sundays and spending time with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Bev was a member of the First Christian Church in Estherville. She enjoyed crocheting, flowers and especially spending time with her family.
Left to cherish Bev's memory are her four children, Rodney Foster and his wife, Kathy, of Armstrong, Terry Foster of Estherville, Cliff Foster and his wife, Cathy, of Chelsea and Kay Besaw and her husband, Dave, of Estherville; 12 grandchildren; 16 great-grandchildren; one brother, Robert Marsh, and his wife, Marge, of Brainerd, Minn.; sisters-in-law, Betty Marsh and Betty Foster and many nieces, nephews and friends.
She has been preceded in death by her parents; husband; brother, Lavon "Bud" Marsh; two sisters, Maxine Trenary and Marguerite Reetz and other extended family members.
Online condolences may be sent to www.henryolsonfuneral.com.


text:
Cheese Grits & Sausage Breakfast Casserole Recipe
I can't resist this breakfast casserole. It brings all of my favorites into one dish: creamy grits, tangy cheese, rich eggs and flavorful sausage. It's the perfect alternative to traditional breakfast casseroles. —Mandy Rivers, Lexington, South Carolina
Recommended: 31 Casserole Recipes for January
VERIFIED BY Taste of Home Test Kitchen
Popular Videos
- 2 pounds Johnsonville® Ground Mild Italian sausage
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1-1/4 cups quick-cooking grits
- 1 pound sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 cup 2% milk
- 1-1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon rubbed sage
- 6 large eggs, beaten
- Paprika, optional
- In a large skillet, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink; drain.
- In a large saucepan, bring the water, broth and salt to a boil. Slowly stir in grits. Reduce heat; cook and stir for 5-7 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat. Add the cheese, milk, garlic powder and sage, stirring until cheese is melted. Stir in sausage and eggs. Transfer to a greased 13x9-in. baking dish; sprinkle with paprika if desired.
- Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Yield: 12 servings.
Originally published as Cheese Grits & Sausage Breakfast Casserole in Taste of Home's Holiday & Celebrations Cookbook Annual 2012, p31
Reviews forCheese Grits & Sausage Breakfast Casserole
My Review
Click stars to rate
Any changes to your rating or review will appear where you originally posted your review


text:
Also available in print! http://www.redbubble.com/people/cstaats/works/8604866-voice
But I don't mind if people use it on their computer for private use, just don't go printing it elsewhere. The quality on redbubble is from a 7500x5000 pixel original so you won't get anywhere near as good with this one and through redbubble I get a percentage which goes towards future paintings. Enjoy and drop me a comment / friend invite!


text:
UVM Students, Alumni Receive Fulbright Fellowships
- 05-11-2012
- By Britten Elaine Chase
Three University of Vermont students and two recent alumni have been awarded Fulbright U.S. Student Program Scholarships. The prestigious awards are fully funded, year-long academic fellowships which enable seniors, recent graduates and graduate students who have an outstanding academic record to live abroad and conduct research or teach English as part of an intellectual and cultural exchange.
"The Fulbright competition has become one of our most successful national fellowship competitions in the past few years," notes Lisa Schnell, associate dean of the Honors College. "Brit Chase, our Fellowships Coordinator who recruits and advises students interested in the Fulbright competition, has effectively tapped into the rich vein of excellence and commitment to global issues on campus. Year after year, the campus Fulbright committee, which interviews all applicants in the fall, is truly impressed by the depth of the applicant pool." Schnell also remarked, "We had eleven very deserving finalists this year, and we wish all of them had won Fulbrights, but we're just thrilled for the five students who did — it's a very tough competition, and this is a wonderful result."
James Dopp '10 has been awarded a Fulbright research grant to China for the 2012-2013 academic year. Dopp will be investigating the role of local forest guards in the conservation of black snub-nosed monkeys at Baimaxueshan National Nature Reserve in Yunnan, China. His work will lead to a deeper understanding in Chinese cultural and societal values and how they relate toward conservation policies for endangered species. He will leave for China in October and will be working closely with researchers at the Yunnan Institute of Geography as well as the Yunnan Green Environmental Development Fund.
Dopp is a Chinese major with a strong anthropological background and significant experience in the study of wildlife conservation. After studying abroad on UVM's Yunnan, China program in the spring of 2009, Dopp returned to UVM and was inspired by an anthropology course on non-human primates. He then took as many anthropology classes as he could until he graduated, and after he completed his coursework he went on to pursue several fieldwork opportunities. In the past couple years Dopp, a Bethesda, Md. native, has returned to China to work with Central Washington University as well as with the San Diego Zoo. During his more recent trips, he has carried out surveys of Guizhou snub-nosed monkey ecology at the Fanjingshan National Nature Reserve in Guizhou province, and he also conducted research on the relationship between tourism and Tibetan macaque behavior in Huangshan, China.
Dopp credits his success in the classroom as well as in the field to the mix of anthropology and Chinese language mentors he had at UVM. He says Professors Deborah Blom and Jeanne Shea in the anthropology department were close mentors as he began combining his interest in anthropology with his expertise in China and his passion for wildlife conservation. He also credits Professors John Yin and Diana Sun in the Chinese department, who he says deeply influenced his love of Chinese language and writing. Dopp says Professor Eric Esselstrom in the history department also enabled him to gain a much more fair and sensitive view to Chinese and Japanese history and society.
After he completes his Fulbright research, Dopp plans to attend graduate school for anthropology, where he hopes to continue to research primates and conservation in China and their relation to human culture.
Ryan Peterson '12 has been awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to Germany for the 2012-2013 academic year. He will teach English as well as American government, history and civics, and he will also serve as an adviser to German teachers who teach English.
A Weathersfield, Conn. native, Peterson has a strong affinity for languages. While French has always been his main language of interest (Peterson is a French major, and he spent time in high school and college studying in France), he became curious about the German language and started taking the language during his freshman year at UVM. An outstanding student and a patient teacher (Peterson has tutored refugees and other English language learners in the Burlington area), he decided to pursue Fulbright's teaching assistantship so he could perfect his language skills while also helping German students get a deeper sense of the English language, American history and culture.
Peterson credits professors Helga Schrekenberger, Adrianna Borra, Lia Cravedi and Jenny Prue for pushing him academically and intellectually while at UVM, as well as supporting him as he applied for the Fulbright this past fall. As a Fulbright Scholar, Peterson will continue to advance his language and cultural competencies, and when he returns to the U.S., he aspires to work in international affairs.
University of Vermont graduate student Mark Russell has also been awarded a Fulbright English teaching assistantship to Germany for the 2012-2013 academic year. He will also teach English as well as American government, history and civics.
Teaching has always been a passion for Russell; he graduated magna cum laude from Shenandoah University in 2008 with a bachelor's degree in music education. But during his time at Shenandoah he became passionate about Germany and learning the German language. He ultimately decided that he saw himself as a language teacher, which led him to enroll in UVM's graduate German program. As a graduate student he is focusing his master's thesis on studying how music impacts German culture.
Russell is originally from Winchester, Va., and he credits Professor Dennis Mahoney in the German department for pushing and encouraging him to thrive in his language studies and his master's thesis. As a Fulbright Scholar, Russell will have the chance to perfect his German as well as his teaching, and when he returns to the U.S. he plans to become a German teacher.
Katie Sacks '11 was awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to Austria for the 2012-2013 academic year. She has been placed in Linz and will be teaching students at both the Peuerbach Bundesgymnasium und Bundesrealgymnasium and Kollegium Petrinum.
Sacks is originally from Ottawa, Canada, and she was an English and Holocaust studies major while at UVM. She credits history professors Alan Steinweis, Jonathan Huener and Francis Nicosia, English professor Lokangaka Losambe and German professor Theresia Hoeck for all the guidance and inspiration they provided while she worked on her application. When she returns from Austria she plans to continue her studies by pursuing a master's degree in Holocaust studies.
Robyn Suarez '12 has been awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to Malaysia for the 2012-2013 academic year. She will leave the U.S. in January to teach English in either a primary or secondary school in the states of Terengganu, Pahang, and Johor, and will most likely be placed in a small town or rural area.
Suarez is a Williston, Vt., native, a Patrick Scholar and an Honors College student. Suarez has also been deeply involved in the deaf community in Vermont; she is fluent in American Sign Language (ASL) and has received recognition from the UVM and local community for the work she's done as a tutor for hearing-impaired refugee populations. This experience has made learning about different countries' sign language an important goal for Suarez. After studying abroad in Ireland (where she exchanged lessons in ASL for lessons in Irish Sign Language), Suarez returned to UVM to write her English honors thesis on the social influences of Irish Sign Language. While in Malaysia Suarez also plans to study Malaysian Sign Language (called Bahasa Isyarat Malaysia) as well as how the Malaysian education system accommodates deaf students.
When Suarez returns from Malaysia she aspires to receive a master's in deaf education. With this degree, she plans to work in a hearing-impaired classroom as an English teacher. She is especially interested in working with a diverse group of students, including immigrant and refugee students who are deaf and need extra help in assimilating to the American school system.
Dopp, Peterson, Russell, Sacks and Suarez are five of more than 1,500 U.S. citizens who will travel abroad for the 2012-2013 academic year through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. The primary source of funding for the Fulbright Program is an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations and foundations in foreign countries and in the United States also provide direct and indirect support. Recipients of Fulbright grants are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields. The program operates in more than 155 countries worldwide.
In addition to the Fulbright Scholarship winners, UVM students or recent alumni this year have also won a Truman Scholarship, a Goldwater Scholarship, a Udall Scholarship, a Boren Scholarship, five Gilman Scholarships, and four Critical Language Scholarships. UVM also had two Truman Scholarship finalists, two students given Honorable Mention recognition in the Goldwater Scholarship competition, two other students who were finalists in the Boren Scholarship competition, and four alternates and three other Fulbright finalists, in addition to the five winners.
Since 2005, when the university put a centralized fellowship outreach and support program in place, 92 UVM students have won or been finalists in the country's most prestigious and competitive competitions, including the Fulbright, Rhodes, Goldwater, Marshall, Udall, Truman, Madison, Gilman and Boren Overseas scholarships.


text: Robert Siegel talks to authors Dave Barry and Alan Zweibel about their comic novel Lunatics. It tells the story through the voices of the two main characters: Philip Horkman is a happy man — the owner of a pet store called The Wine Shop, and on Sundays, he's a referee for kids' soccer. Jeffrey Peckerman is the sole sane person in a world filled with jerks and morons, and he's having a really bad day. The two of them are about to collide in a swiftly escalating series of events that will send them running for their lives — pursued by the police, soldiers, terrorists, subversives, bears and a man dressed as Chuck E. Cheese.


text:
One of the dating services for meeting local people is Mexico speed dating. Based on a series of short planned introductions Mexico speed dating allow singles to quickly meet people face to face in a safe and fun environment. Imagine meeting people online in a similar fashion through matchmaker.com'sinnovative new Cupid feature which emails you introductions of singles in the Mexico speed dating area without ever having to leave your home.
MexicoJoin Now Free!
Mexico Girls | Mexico Men | Mexico Gay | Mexico Lesbians
More Mexico Links:
Mexico Dating | Mexico Personals | Mexico Chat | Mexico Singles | Mexico Love
Senior Dating | Catholic Dating | Christian Dating | Muslim Dating
Black Singles | Asian Singles | Latin Dating
Meet people from all different backgrounds and lifestyles around the world or someone in the local Mexico neighborhood at matchmaker.com. There are thousands of singles from the around the world looking for a long term relationship. Find love and romance with a Mexico speed dating style of matchmaking.


text:
Moving smaller "non-essential" aircraft to the Gold or Sunshine Coast airports, improving arrivals and departures technology and building a second runway have been raised as the options most likely reduce delays at Brisbane Airport.
The proposals outlined to Fairfax Media on Wednesday followed the release of figures showing the airport had the worst delays for incoming flights in the country, with only 69.2 per cent of arriving flights in December landing within 15 minutes of their scheduled time.
But a new runway – the most urgent, and expensive, remedy – will not be a reality for at least another seven years, according to the Brisbane Airport Corporation which is unsure who will pay for the $1.3 billion strip.
Though BAC had the capital to complete work on phase one of a new runway by the end of this financial year, spokeswoman Leonie Vandeven said there uncertainty about who would fund the work from stage two onwards.
Much of that uncertaintly stems from a standoff between the airport and airlines that exploded last year when Qantas chairman Alan Joyce publicly refused to pay in advance for the runway.
Ms Vandeven said BAC's conversations with Qantas and other airlines "were ongoing", but she had "no idea" when there would be an outcome.
"Prefunding is a necessity," she said. "We expect 75 per cent will be covered by shareholders, with just 25 per cent through passenger movement charges.
"My understanding is that [airlines pay for those charges] through the ticket price."
But a Qantas spokesman said the airline's position remained unchanged.
"Qantas has made it clear that we will not be pre-funding the construction of the runway, particularly when our aircraft will not be using it for another eight years," he said.
"We have never been asked to pre-fund a piece of infrastructure like this.
"We support measures to ease capacity constraints at the airport, including the construction of the new runway, however we don't think airline customers should pay for this until the runway is operational."
In the meantime, Ms Vandeven said BAC would implement "a suite of improvements" to ensure flight delays were mitigated, even against rising demand.
Those improvements would include a new runway management system which capped the amount of scheduled flights between peak times to 50 per hour and reopening a smaller runway, which had been closed for maintenance, in February.
However placing limitations on flights is a sign the airport is struggling, according to leading aeronautical expert and Head of Aviation at Central Queensland University, Ron Bishop.
Mr Bishop said airports grappling with infrastructure constraints amid significant growth had to "get creative" until they got the extra space.
"If you've got airlines having to pay more to use the airport, or facing restrictions around landing, those costs will likely be passed on to customers," he said.
"Not forgetting the costs associated with delays - and when you consider how many craft are moving through the airport every day and that's only going to grow over the years - you see that's a lot of people and businesses [affected]."
According to BAC figures, Brisbane Airport saw about 210,000 aircraft movements in 2012, which puts it just behind London's Gatwick Airport (236,000) as the second-busiest single-runway airport in the world.
Such figures justifed the creation of a second runway at Brisbane Airport, argued Chief Executive Officer of Aviation Aerospace Australia Jim Carden.
BAC also needs to do something to reduce the number of "non -essential", smaller aircraft which currently use the runway Mr Carden said, raising the option of moving them to the Archerfield, Gold and Sunshine Coast airports
"It's probably not a great thought," Mr Carden said. "Though the fact is, if you're sitting on aircraft, waiting to leave, that little aircraft in front of you is taking up more room on the runway than your big commercial flight is.
"Everyone has to stop and wait for the turbulence and the wind and all the other conditions to be right."
But Mr Bishop said so much was already occurring, and with the Gold and Sunshine Coast airports also seeing more international movement, there wasn't much more room to move.
"What is for certain is that things aren't going to get better any time soon," he said.


text:
A&T Bowling Earns Second Seed After Day One
CHESAPEAKE, Va. – The North Carolina A&T bowling team posted a 3-2 record in five traditional team games on Friday to earn the second seed heading into Saturday's best-of-seven baker matches at AMF Lanes.
No. 13 A&T (75-32 overall) finished with a pinfall of 4,636 to earn the second seed behind the defending MEAC champions, No. 3 UMES who went 5-0 on Friday and tabbed a pinfall of 4,834 to claim the top seed.
The Aggies were led by 2014 MEAC Bowler of the Year, sophomore Emily Strombeck who pinned a 194 average. A&T defeated Morgan State 992-793 where freshman MacKenzie Robinson finished with a game-high 233. In its second match A&T defeated Delaware State, 912-841 behind Robinson's 202 and Strombeck's 200.
UMES and A&T battled in the third match but the Hawks got away with a 963-960 win. Strombeck led the Aggies with a 233. The Aggies responded with an 888-727 victory over Coppin State but fell 888-884 to Bethune-Cookman where sophomore Najah Owens posted a 201.
Robinson pinned the eighth-highest average (192.75) behind Strombeck while Owens finished in the top 10 with a 188.60 average out of 56 bowlers.
The Aggies will meet seventh seed, Morgan State in Saturday's first match beginning at 8:30 a.m.


text:
FREEPORT (WIFR) --The Highland Community College Foundation distributed approximately $300,000 to Highland students for the 2012-2013 academic year with over 300 people in attendance at its annual Scholarship Awards Ceremony on September 30. Approximately $5.7 million has been distributed to Highland students since the Foundation was formed. Some scholarships are based on merit and financial need; others are awarded to students based on where they attended high school and what major they are studying.
The following scholarship recipients were recognized:
BAILEYVILLE: Emily Bardell, Clarence W. Chapman
BRAMPTON, Ontario: Camar Parkes, Larry Kahl Athletic
BYRON: Tyler Nelson, Margaret and Clarence Mitchell
CEDARVILLE: Scott Armstrong, Kathleen A. Reed and Leonard C. Ferguson Memorial
CHICAGO: Demetrius Tolliver, Larry Kahl Athletic
DAKOTA: Nicholas Gimple, Jim Sacia and Leonard C. Ferguson Memorial; Lance McCauley, James A. Davis Memorial; Brady Schlueter, Joey Stott
DAVIS: Kyle Benning, Marion L. Byram; Brandon Holliday, Robert & Lois Harlan; Jennifer Lane, Dr. and Mrs. Ozro Hill; Amy Martinez, Todd Engelkens Memorial; Mark Neuzil, Ennenga/Holm Memorial; Evan Russell, Fredrick and Alice Kirkman Memorial
ELIZABETH: Donna Marcotte, Betty and Ray Stamm; Matthew Steele, Wid Hance Automotive; Austin Wachter, Harold Lee Offenheiser Ecology-Biology
FERNDALE, Michigan: Patrick Onwenu, Larry Kahl Athletic
FORRESTON: Matthew Gors, H.G. Kable Memorial
FREEPORT: Mandi Armstrong, Ken and Marien Stein; Kasie Beach, Eunice O'Malia; Chelsea Boddie, Edna Hayden Johnson Memorial and Harry A. Warthen; Mikayla Boettner, Harold Lee Offenheiser Ecology-Biology; Jennifer Bookman, Marilyn Casey Nursing; Joseph Caldwell, James Padfield Memorial; Megan Carus, Joey Stott; Aaron Cummins, Raymond A. Klee Trustmark; Dustin Dach, Philip Gordon Memorial; Gloria Dandridge, Walker Mortuary, Ltd.; Brittany Davenport, Joey Stott; Tabitha Dowman, Dr. and Mrs. Orzo Hill; Alexandria Downs, Harold D. Walkup; Louise Flannery, United Presbyterian Church; Patrick Flannery, Joey Stott; Sherry Freitag, Maureen Baldwin Cosmetology; Elizabet Garcia, Ray and Betty Stamm; Jose Garcia, Betty J. and Lyle F. Gillespie Memorial-Nursing; Amoni Grayson, Edna Hayden Johnson Memorial; Cammie Haffele, Illinois Health Improvement Association; Michelle Hail-Harris, Krug-Phillips Memorial; Courtney Hickey, Joey Stott; Douglas Janicke, Thomas E. Wallmo Memorial; Tysheldin Johnson, Betty J. and Lyle F. Gillespie Memorial-Upward Bound; Anna Jungles, Charlotte A. Zartman and Opal Wade Memorial; Robyn Maxey, Harold D. Walkup; Kyle McKenna, Betty J. and Lyle F. Gillespie Memorial-Business; Laura Miller, Harry A. Warthen; Laura Mills, Joey Stott; Ryan Moeller, Betty J. and Lyle F. Gillespie Memorial-Athletics and Ronald Norman Memorial; Beth Newman, Marion L. Byram; Jennifer Nielsen, Joey Stott; Kendra Ostendorf, 1st Farm Credit Services Agriculture, and Betty J. and Lyle F. Gillespie Memorial-Athletics; Sabrina Parker, Anita S. Murray Memorial and Edna Hayden Johnson Memorial; Kate Peterson, Walker Mortuary, Ltd.; Michelle Queckboerner, Joseph S. and Bettye J. Mihina-Nursing; Kathleen Raia, American Business Women's Assoc.-TLC Chapter; Samantha Reeser, Edna Hayden Johnson Memorial, Jim Sacia, and Mary Gregory Warthen; Erin Rice, Illinois Health Improvement Association; Tonya Robinson, Richard Kerkhoff Veterans Memorial; Elena Rodriguez, Dr. and Mrs. Ozro Hill; Cody Rogers, Betty J. and Lyle F. Gillespie Memorial-Computer Science, and Dr. and Mrs. Spencer K. Phillips; Emily Shaw, Sarah (Sally) Dupee Memorial; Timothy Urquhart, Marilyn Casey Nursing; Zachary Vick, Rawson Engineering; Nicole Walsh, R. C. Miller Agriculture; Alice Webb, Betty J. and Lyle F. Gillespie Memorial-Upward Bound; Kathrine Zellweger, Louis Fauser/Bankers Mutual Life
GERMAN VALLEY: Samantha Bender, Joey Stott and Leonard C. Ferguson Memorial; Hannah Curry, Kutz Family; Skyler Hayunga, James Schneiderman Memorial; Laurie Vincent, Joey Stott
LANARK: Abbey Grisham, Whitetails Unlimited; Samantha Kane, Harold D. Walkup; Jenna Simpson, Steve Mihina Mathematics-Science; Megan Woolcock, Mr. and Mrs. Robert P. Wurtzel
LEAF RIVER: Mikaela Rinehart, Ennenga/Holm Memorial
LENA: Jenny Farmer, Betty J. and Lyle F. Gillespie Memorial-Business, Charles Endress Memorial, Dr. and Mrs. Spencer K. Phillips; Tyler Huttenlocher, Sarah (Sally) Dupee Memorial; Brittany Rothenbuehler, Joey Stott; Adam Troxell, Betty J. and Lyle F. Gillespie Memorial-Computer Science
MADISON, Wisconsin: Kiana Burnette, Larry Kahl Athletic
MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin: Iesha Barkley, Larry Kahl Athletic
MT. CARROLL: Ryan Kerr, James A. Davis Memorial
MT. MORRIS: James Barton, Davis/Balluff; Angela Glessner, Davis/Balluff
ORANGEVILLE: Kendra Love, Roger A. Hutmacher Memorial; Carrie Scherer, Jessica Theena Memorial Teacher Education; Kassandra Wells, Dr. and Mrs. Ozro Hill
PEARL CITY: Stephanie Ferguson, Louis Fauser/Bankers Mutual Life; Lydia Graves, Fehr-Graham & Associates; Katlyn Heinrich, Betty and Ray Stamm
PECATONICA: Samantha Ferguson, Virginia Ames Cosmetology; Dale Kemp, Jim Sacia
RIDOTT: Steve Hasselman, R.C. Miller Agriculture; Alex Larson, Northwest Illinois Deer Collectors Club
ROCK CITY: Katie Clark, Larry Kahl Athletic; Luke Franzen, Joey Stott
ROCKFORD: Nikole Steffenhagen, Margaret and Clarence Mitchell
SAVANNA: Jelena Runions, American Business Women's Assoc.-TLC Chapter
SHANNON: Brittany Barr, Betty J. And Lyle F. Gillespie Memorial-Nursing; Faith Stoner, Harold Lee Offenheiser Ecology-Biology
STOCKTON: Jacob Eden, Dr. Neal and Flo Chapin Wind Turbine Technology; Alesha Norton, Irma Dittmar Ames Memorial; Makenzie Finn, Ada Mook Memorial; Keeley Schulz, Betty and Roger Dornink Memorial
WARREN: Emily Ortman, Harold D. Walkup
WINSLOW: Stephanie Zimmerman, Leonard C. Ferguson Memorial


text:
Senate Bill No. 171
(By Senators Miller, Foster, Helmick, Plymale, Hall, Unger, Jenkins, Stollings and Wills)
[Introduced January 13, 2012; referred to the Committee on Health and Human Resources; and then to the Committee on the Judiciary.]
A BILL to amend and reenact §16-5P-6 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, relating to clarifying the duties of the Commissioner of the Bureau of Senior Services as executive and administrative head of the Bureau of Senior Services; and requiring the Bureau of Senior Services to develop and maintain an in-home direct care worker registry.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That §16-5P-6 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended and reenacted to read as follows:
§16-5P-6. Powers and duties generally.
The commissioner shall be is the executive and administrative head of the bureau and shall have has the power and duty to:
(a) Exercise general supervision of the bureau;
(b) Propose legislative rules for the effective and expeditious performance and discharge of the duties and responsibilities placed upon the commissioner by law;
(c) Conduct and coordinate studies of the problems of the state's older people;
(d) Encourage and promote the establishment of local programs and services for the aging;
(e) Conduct programs of public education on the problems of the aging;
(f) Review state programs for the aging and annually make recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature;
(g) Encourage and assist governmental and private agencies to coordinate effective efforts on behalf of the aging;
(h) Coordinate statewide local and voluntary efforts to serve the aging and develop programs at the local level;
(i) Supervise fiscal management and responsibilities of the bureau;
(j) Keep an accurate and complete record of all bureau proceedings, record and file all bonds and contracts and assume responsibility for the custody and preservation of all papers and documents of the bureau;
(k) Submit an annual report to the Governor on the condition, operation and functioning of the bureau;
(l) Invoke any legal or special remedy for the enforcement of orders or the provisions of this chapter;
(m) Standardize administration, expedite bureau business, revise rules and promote the efficiency of the service;
(n) Provide a program of continuing professional, technical and specialized instruction for the personnel of the bureau and local service providers; and
(o) Receive on behalf of the state any grant or gift and accept the same, so that the title shall pass to the state. All moneys from grants or gifts shall be deposited with the State Treasurer in a special fund and shall be used for the purposes set forth in the grant or gift.
(p) Create and maintain a registry of certified in-home direct care workers that details qualifications and experience of in-home direct care workers in West Virginia. The bureau shall propose rules for legislative approval in accordance with the provisions of article three, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code, to establish eligibility criteria for inclusion in this registry, including educational and certification requirements and the completion of a criminal background check.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to create an in-home direct care workforce registry to detail qualifications and experience of in-home direct care workers in West Virginia.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from the present law, and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.


text:
Item # 277115
Stash Points: 1,798(?)
Break out the boat shoes and rub on the sunscreen because the Channel Sport tank top from DGK will have you craving to hit the open waters. A red, navy blue and white striped tank features "DGK SPORT" in navy blue text with "FROM NOTHING" in smaller white text across the chest and finished off with a rounded high low bottom hem for the classically clean look you've been craving.
|More Details
The quantity of an item has been updated based on available inventory at the selected store.


text: Don't know if I'm doing something wrong, not finding the right tab or what! But when I log on from my desk top I just go to "new posts" when I'm on my DROID or Galaxy tab 2, this icon is not visible. Do I need to purchase something so I will begin to see this button?


text:
Texas veterans parade train crash Dallas NTSB
DALLAS — A freight train slammed into a parade float carrying wounded veterans on Thursday, killing four people and injuring 17 others as the float drove through a West Texas railroad crossing on its way to an honorary banquet, authorities said.
The eastbound train was sounding its horn before it hit the float around 4:40 p.m. in Midland, Union Pacific spokesman Tom Lange said. A preliminary investigation indicates the crossing gate and lights were working at the time, Lange said, though he didn't know if the train crew saw the float approaching.
Two people died at the scene of the crash, while two others died at Midland Memorial Hospital, City of Midland spokesman Ryan Stout said. Seven of those injured are in critical condition, while the 10 others are in stable condition, he said.
"There is going to be a very thorough investigation," Lange said. "It's obviously a very tragic incident."
Photos of the float taken during the parade show about two dozen people seated in chairs set up on the back of a flatbed tractor-trailer decorated with American flags and signs identifying each veteran. A banner across the truck's front bumper reads, "Heroes on Board."
The float was among two flat-bed trucks carrying veterans and their spouses, police said. The first truck safely crossed the railroad tracks, but the second truck's trailer was hit by the train. Police said some of the people on the second trailer were able to evacuate before the crash.
The parade was to end at a "Hunt for Heroes" banquet honoring the veterans. The wounded service members were then going to be treated to a deer-hunting trip this weekend. The events have been canceled.
Lange said Union Pacific is offering help to the community and victims' families, as well as peer-to-peer counseling for the train crew, who did not sustain any injuries.
"It's pretty traumatic for them," he said.
The National Transportation Safety Board also is investigating, NTSB spokesman Peter Knudson said.


text:
Today on Cum Fiesta we have the sexiest creampie video I have ever seen. I mean, the video we showed yesterday was super-hot, but this one takes things up a notch, and then blows that notch out of the water! I really love to watch this naked chick squirm with pleasure whenever a rock-hard cock enters deep into her pussy, and I especially love to watch this chick's huge tits bounce up and down as she's being fucked. You are just going to love this creampie video, so check it out today!
It will just cost you $1 to watch this hot porn video today!


text:
Because I substitute in all grades from Kinder to 6th, I rarely notice repetition in worksheets of a specific lesson from one year to the next.
There is one, though that seems to come up every spring with 5th graders. It's the reading comprehension worksheet that is a companion to the book "Bud, Not Buddy" by Christopher Paul Curtis.
This book seems to be a popular one for many of the 5th grades in the district. The main character is a kid named Bud (not "Buddy") a 10-year-old orphan on the run from abusive foster homes and Hoovervilles in 1930s
The planned reading lesson is to have the kids read aloud the next couple of chapters in the book and then work on that section of the worksheet. The kids are supposed to look up and write the definitions of various words found in those chapters. The only reason I recognize this particular worksheet it that I get asked the same identical question several times each time this particular worksheet is used.
"What's a "crapper"? It isn't in the dictionary!"
They are right. The sanitized classroom dictionaries do not list rude, vulgar, or potentially "bad words" for young minds to dwell over. A mistake in my opinion but what the hell, I'm just a substitute teacher.
The first time this situation came up a couple years ago, I simply told them the answer: "It's American slang for toilet".
Last year I entertained the thought of having them look up definitions on classroom computers but previous experience, especially with the word "crapper", suggested this might not be the best idea. I surely didn't need the distraction of seeing something like "Uncle Bogger's Bumper Dumper" on the computer screens when the school principal might pop in at any moment.
So last Friday afternoon, I responded to question by asking the class:
Me: This word is not in the class dictionaries because it is a slang term for something. How many syllables are there in the word "CRAPPER"?
Class: Two!
Me: …and what is the first syllable?
Class: (mostly silence and a lot a giggling")
Me: That's right. It's where is that stuff is supposed to "GO"! Now where is that?
Kid near the back row: A toilet?
Me: You got it! Crapper is slang for "a toilet"
This way I don't have to answer the usual follow up question: Why does Bud call it a "crapper"?


text:
Senior manager for product marketing Xavier Lauwaert stated that the QA engineers did this to make the systems more resilient against malicious code.
If they don't like Windows XP they can say so. Calling it malicious code will piss off Microsoft no end.
Will it make your Sony laptop more resistant to Sony rootkits?
Nope. That shipped built in.
What did you THINK was eventually going to form Skynet anyways?
There are a few proof-of-concept rootkits that work by installing a thin hypervisor in hyperprivileged mode
No, there is one that the creators claim to operate like this.
This is virtually undetectable to the OS
No, it's claimed to be undetectable, but when challenged [zdnet.com], the creators won't let anyone examine it to see. [zdnet.com]
Sony and MS working together. This cannot end well.
Throw in Steve Jobs to the mix and they'll be able to create an evil legion that will surely take over the world. Even Superman won't be able to save us.
Even Superman won't be able to save us.
But Chuck Norris can!
It's not like they've got a long history depicting a care for their customers, rootkits being only 1 example.
lately, sony is the posterboy for 'do evil and lie about it'.
but they weren't always this way. 20 yrs ago they were the pinnacle of mid-fi consumer electronics. sometimes they even made high-end items but mostly they were comfortable making GOOD gear at an ok price.
fast forward to when sony got 'confused' about what business they are in: is it music software (and movies) or hardware that lets you w
Trying to characterize the modern Sony in any meaningfully consistent way is an exercise in futility. Sony, like any major Japanese company, has always existed in a number of fairly distinct units or "silos," but in their present incarnation, they are spread across such a wide variety of markets that it's almost a coincidence they bear the same brand name.
Sony BMG, obviously, is the most consumer-unfriendly, as well as the least market-savvy. The rootkit debacle of four years ago has stayed with the tech co
They probably want to protect their customers from Rootkits that some manufacturers put on their CDs: http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/10/31/2016223
In other news, Sony has decided to disable the second core in many of its dual-core models. Senior douchebag Joe Schmo defended the decision, saying "Often the second core just allows people to run malware in the background without noticing it."
Um, no thanks, Sony. How about you let your customers decide whether they want to turn off processor features?
hey, my mother was a douche bag, you insensitive clod.
Um, no thanks, Sony. How about you let your customers decide whether they want to turn off processor features?
Surely, if their customers wanted it, Sony would give them the option. That's meant to be what's so good about our laissez-faire capitalist system!
The only possible conclusion is that Sony customers must not want choice.
Since DOS died the BIOS has been little more than a glorified POST. So why can't the OS just enable any features that the BIOS doesn't? Its not like any modern OS uses the BIOS once its up and running anyway - just some information the BIOS may have provided which the OS can double check for itself anyway.
Since DOS died the BIOS has been little more than a glorified POST. So why can't the OS just enable any features that the BIOS doesn't? Its not like any modern OS uses the BIOS once its up and running anyway - just some information the BIOS may have provided which the OS can double check for itself anyway.
IIRC the BIOS sets the CPU VT flag on powerup (ie, disabled) - once flag is set, it can't be cleared until next cold boot. However, I have an SZ series, there are tools out there to modify the bios settings to not set the flag (it works), I've successfully got linux KVM running
Yeah I was going to say, this sounds like a job for a hex editor, 10 minutes, and a guy who understands basic x86 assembly code.
It matters because the way the VT tech works is that its disabled by default in the CPU, and is (usually) enabled by the BIOS. The reason you cant (usually) turn it on after the OS has booted is because the register used to turn it on (the MSR) has a lock-bit, which once set prevents any changes to the VT status until power is removed from the CPU.
BIOS's that simply ignore the VT enable stuff are less of a problem, because its possible to set the VT tech on, and lock it on (by writing 5 to register 3A) within the OS using
BIOS's that deliberately disable VT will set the register to 1 (vt off, lock on), turning off, and locking off the VT stuff. There is no way I know of to defeat this situation (short of disassembling the BIOS and 'fixing' it).
Some BIOS's even have the code to turn it on, but it is only triggered if a CMOS register is set to a certain value and there is no UI on these BIOS's to set that CMOS register. I believe some Sony BIOSs are like this, but am unsure.
The best ones of course allow you to turn it on in the BIOS - which is why Sony are talking BS when they say its for security. They only need to ship it turned off, and allow the users to turn it on at their own risk.
I understand that it IS a genuine risk (bluepill?) in that a hypervisor can install itself UNDER the OS layer, and then filter what the OS sees, invisible to the user (otherwise the virtualization is broken).
Thats why.
ps. apple ignored a bug report I made about the way the Mac Pro works... i guess its kinda understandable because it seems all MacOS virtualization products just turn it on using the MSR as needed.
::Sony BIOS SCREEN::
Virtualization: Disabled
Complimentary Rootkits: Enabled
...because we already know Sony is evil as hell and we don't buy their laptops.
And anybody who went and forgot that lesson deserves whatever abuse Sony heaps on 'em.
Were they intentionally crippled, or just disabled by default? There's a big difference.
VT extensions work with my T60p, though it's of course disabled by default in the BIOS (that is the sane default...)
It'd be lame as hell if T400's really couldn't enable it.
Are you sure? My T400 (bought year ago) have VT switch in BIOS from day one. My earlier z61t hadn't, and required over a year of email exchange to get VT toggle in new BIOS.
I can't explain why some people with T400's have VT extensions enabled.
Most of them can be re-enabled:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=345282 [notebookreview.com]
Just an fyi, the LinuxBIOS project was renamed Coreboot [coreboot.org].
"Senior manager for product marketing Xavier Lauwaert stated that the QA engineers did this to make the systems more profitable by creating an artificial differentiation we can use to charge more money for basically the same thing."
Sounds like, if you want to use VT, they will sell you a "different" laptop model, for probably 25-50% higher price, which is the exact same laptop with a BIOS that doesn't disable this feature.
anyone who buys a COMPUTER from sony deserves what they get.
what I'm guessing is that they locked the virtualization so that THEIR process is the root and all the user stuff is below that, not even knowing they are inside a VM.
sony is expert at rootkits. this all makes sense, in a disturbed sony kind of way.
"friends don't let friends buy sony". its never been more true.
You don't understand. They aren't protecting against a fault in the hardware; they're protecting against a feature in it. And this feature is not something that would only exist on a few machines. It exists on all modern Intel CPUs. The security community is concerned about this feature because it would allow rootkits/botnets to install in such a way that their detection is impossible via software. PoC code for such malware has been published, but we've yet to see it widely-used in the wild. That's only a m
Only 6 out of 11 of the 45nm Core2 duo chips support VT according to info on intel.com. That's not "virtually every".
Not nitpicking for the sake of it, just don't want people to assume that the Core2 they're intending to buy supports VT. Best to check.
Thanks for posting this, it's too bad it's not higher up the page. There will be a big backlash when people figure out Intel has been using this as a price point and only the premium laptop chips can run XP Mode. "Sorry, you only spent $800 on your laptop? Buh-bye."
Actually, it isn't hard to get a Vt-x enabled chip for $800 or less - for instance, as of this moment a Gateway M-6750 is $440 according to Pricewatch and has a T5550 (a Vt supporting CPU according to wiki [wikipedia.org]), but it also has integrated graphics and I'm not sure if the motherboard used supports virtualization (if the graphical chipset matches the motherboard chipset, then no). I've found in general, for machines under $1000 you get an either or choice with Intel - either a Vt-x enabled CPU and integrated gra
And in fact Sony did make Z series laptops with VT incompatible C2D chips (I know since my cousin has one) plus in some cases they used chipsets that do not support VT (or at least not easily with clever SMI hacking). I bet another concern is that buggy hardware on some of the Z series is made to work with System Management Mode (SMM) code in the BIOS, stuff that was never tested with VT.
Back in 2000, when Win2K was out and happy but the proles were stuck with Win98/ME, I decided I wanted a laptop.
There was a cheap Sony laptop with Win98/ME on it that looked good to me and was on sale. I checked, there was a version of the same laptop with Win2K available, but it was a few hundred dollars more if you could FIND it, and the UC CS dept had a site liscence/arrangement for Win2K.
So I figured, why not? Buy it at fry's, reinstall with a remotely tolerable Windows OS, be happy.
Get the laptop, blow away the Win98/ME crap, put on Win2K, only to find out that Sony locks all the drivers with BIOS strings and the like so the drivers from the Win2K version won't install on any other notebook, even when the chipsets and everything are identical!
Fortunately, Fry's had a good return policy. So rather than going hunting for manufacturer sites for drivers, I said, screw it, popped in the reimage disk, and restored it and returned it.
A few weeks later, I bought an IBM notebook off a friend with PowerBook envy, much prefering the IBM site wher you put in the model # on the bottom and you get every driver for every OS variant, including Linux, in a nice neat grid...
But even nearly a decade ago, Sony was gimping their laptops badly. Glad to see they are keeping THAT tradition alive...
disclaimer: I used to work for Sony.
That said, NEVER, EVER buy a Sony laptop.
They intentionally make it difficult/impossible to change the operating system. while they could never get away with building machines that die after 3 years, they do essentially this by forcing you to buy a new machine when a new OS ships. and good luck finding up-tp-date drivers for the various built-in devices.
a typical conversation I've had about this:
THEM: look at this new Sony laptop, it's so shiny! should i get it?
ME: no
Lots of cheap Intel processors don't even have Intel VT, while most of the AMD processors in the same price range have it enabled. While I like the fact that some of the new Pentium processors run really cool, I would never consider buying a new processor without virtualization support. Yet most of the current cheap machines (laptops and boxen) that come with Intel use processors without virtualization. Kinda limits your choices. But then again I always liked AMD better.
Toshiba does this on some of their laptops, too, including mine, as I discovered recently. It's there as a bios option, but no way to change it from "disabled".
I hope Toshiba decides to provide an update to re-enable the VT, but so far they haven't made a statement about it at all, AFAIK.
Perhaps there is already some hypervisor running that we don't know about?
As a Z owner who is planning on upgrading to Windows 7, this pisses me off. That machine was nearly as expensive as my mac... my mac!
It's worth noting that, scarily enough, it *was* still cheaper than my MBP, and the MBP has all sorts of issues running Windows. Sadly, the one ideal computer to run all OS's is actually three and a roll of duct tape.
Even models that are supposed to support this mode. Why take the chance?
If Sony is disabling features to make their laptops more resiliant against malware attacks, can we expect them to offer support and resolution to malware attacks that occur because of their hardware/BIOS?
I bet not. So why not leave alone that which you are not willing to fully support anyways?
On another note, Intel (amd probably AMD) mess with the VT features, scattering them all over the processor product lines. You need a frakking CPA to work through the permutations and find the processor(s) that have all the features and performance you want or will pay for. !Simple. !Friendly. Evil.
Each new user of a new system uncovers a new class of bugs. -- Kernighan


text:
School News
Area classes resume Monday, August 26
- Details
- Category: School News
- Published on 18 August 2013
- Written by Mount Vernon Optic-Herald
Classes will resume at area schools including Mount Vernon, Saltillo, Sulphur Bluff, and Winfield on Monday, Aug. 26. Each school has set their own schedules for preparing their teachers and new staff.
Mount Vernon ISD's new teachers reported today, Thursday, Aug. 15 and returning staff will report Monday, Aug. 19 to begin their in-service training schedule.Teachers at Saltillo ISD will begin in-service Wednesday, Aug. 21. Teachers at Winfield ISD will report on Monday, Aug. 19 to prepare for the new year. For more information, see the Aug. 15 edition of the Mount Vernon Optic-Herald.


text:
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Foiled Again
This will be the extent of my posting for the day. I'm too heartbroken after having my plans to distract myself from my miserable existence on this cold, wet, rainy planet foiled by the cold, wet, rainy weather that has manifested itself to transform powder into frozen granules of sh*t. Err, I mean snow.
at 12:18 PM
Labels: snowboarding
1 comment:
Pappillon welcomes your comments and encourages your participation. However, in commenting, you agree that you will not:1) Post material that infringes on the rights of any third party, including intellectual property, privacy or publicity rights. 2) Post material that is unlawful, obscene, defamatory, threatening, harassing, abusive, slanderous, hateful, or embarrassing to any other person or entity as determined by Pappillon in its sole discretion. 3) Impersonate another person.
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
David Krejci provided the game-winning goal with under two minutes remaining, as the Boston Bruins defeated the Carolina Hurricanes, 5-3, on Monday at PNC Arena.
Zdeno Chara tallied a goal and two assists, while Nathan Horton and Tyler Seguin each registered a goal and an assist for the Bruins, who have opened a season with points in each of their first five games, going 4-0-1, for the first time since 1990-91.
Anton Khudobin made his first start of the season and turned away 29 shots in the victory.
Eric Staal recorded a goal and an assist and Jamie McBain and Jeff Skinner each scored once for the Hurricanes, who were coming off back-to-back wins against Buffalo.
"We did some good things, but obviously not enough to try and salvage at least a point in this game," Staal said.
Cam Ward was charged for four goals on 37 shots in the setback.
After an evenly played opening 40 minutes found the teams locked at 3-3, Boston dominated the third period, outshooting Carolina 18-8. The Bruins were unable to break through until the closing minutes.
With just under two minutes left, Horton ripped a shot from below the right circle that found iron. The rebound bounced into the right circle, where Dougie Hamilton slid a cross-ice pass to Krejci waiting in the left circle.
Krejci then one-timed a blast past a sprawling Ward to make it 4-3 at the 18:10 mark.
Seguin added an empty-net, power-play tally with eight seconds left.
"We just kept pushing and it came right down to the end," Horton said. "Twenty minutes for a win and that's what happened."
Boston's special teams staked it to a 2-0 lead in the first period, with Chara having a hand in both goals.
The first came shorthanded at the 3:16 mark when Brad Marchand accepted a pass in the right circle from Chara at the left point and one-timed the puck past Ward for a 1-0 edge.
Chara then doubled the advantage while on the power play just under three minutes later when he wristed a shot from the point that sailed through a screen and past Ward for a 2-0 lead at the 6:15 mark.
Staal then helped the Hurricanes trim the margin in half at the 14:50 mark when he flipped a pass from outside the right circle toward the slot where a cutting McBain was able to get his stick on the puck and redirect it past Khudobin.
Boston restored its two-goal lead late in the second when Horton danced past a defender at the blue line before ripping a wrister high over the stacked pads of Ward at the 15:52 mark, but the Hurricanes answered with a pair of goals just 50 seconds apart to send the game into the final frame locked at 3-3.
Skinner registered the first goal with a backhand tally at the 17:55 mark before Alexander Semin came up with a steal deep in Boston's zone and slid a pass into the slot for Staal, who slipped a shot through the five-hole of Khudobin to knot the game at the 18:45 mark.
Game Notes
Boston killed all six Carolina power plays and is now 23-for-23 on the penalty kill this season ... Boston went 2-for-4 on the power play ... Semin finished with two assists ... Carolina had won four straight against the Bruins.


text:
Critic Cites Revenge of the Sith As "Generation's Greatest Work of Art 376
eldavojohn writes "Art critic and University Professor of Humanities and Media Studies at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia Camille Paglia has written a book that not only claims George Lucas is the 'World's Greatest Living Artist' but also that 'Revenge of the Sith' is our generation's greatest work of art. That's right: Titian, Bernini, Monet, Picasso, Jackson Pollock and ... George Lucas. If you thought you understood art but you hated Episode III, it might be difficult to understand how her book 'Glittering Images: A Journey Through Art from Egypt to Star Wars' ends with 'Revenge of the Sith.' There is a possibility that the art world remembers this generation by examining that movie."