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In This Issue:
- The Astronomy Analogy for Software Development
- Book Review: How to Measure Anything
- Hot Links
The Astronomy Analogy for Software Development
One of the difficulties of helping organizations improve the way that they work is that the people who are asked to change are often unwilling to do so. Sure, they recognize that the existing process isn't perfect and they have some suggestions for ways to improve things, but many people will hold to the mistaken belief that the underlying principles of their approach are solid. When I explain the basics of agile software development they're often surprised that the agile community has abandoned many strategies that traditionalists believe to be "best practices". In their shock and dismay they'll exclaim that surely the laws of physics must still apply as they retreat back into the comfort of their traditional shells. Yes, the IT laws of physics apply regardless of the development paradigm, but the point that I want to make in this update is that it's doubtful that we know what those laws actually are. So I'd like to share what I call the astronomy analogy for software development to explain how our understanding of the laws of IT physics is clearly still evolving.
Consider how our understanding of astronomy has changed over time. Around 500 BC Pythogoras posited that the sun, moon, other planets, and stars revolved around the Earth on crystalline spheres. This theory was comforting to people, it made sense because it was easily observable because we could see how things moved through the sky, and surely no one could question that the Earth was the center of the universe.
Two millennia later, around 1540, Copernicus published his theory that the planets revolved around the sun. The man was clearly a heretic and the traditional astronomical community scoffed at his ideas. Then in the 1600s another heretic by the name of Galileo came along and extended Copernicus' new paradigm. To address this challenge the Catholic church subjected Galileo to the Inquisition, it was far easier to deny the evidence before them than it was to change their way of thinking, and Galileo was locked up for spreading his ideas. Astronomy had a new paradigm, albeit one not adopted by everyone, that showed that with the exception of the moon everything that pretty much mattered revolved around the sun and not the Earth. Our understanding of the astronomical laws of physics had undergone a major paradigm shift.
Then a few decades later yet another heretic came along, Isaac Newton, who in 1687 published his laws of motion in Principia Mathematica which explained, amongst other things, the fundamentals of how moving bodies interact with one another. At that point is was very clear that the universe didn't revolve around the sun but instead that all bodies affected one another through gravitational forces. Our paradigm had shifted yet again. Then in the early 1900s Albert Einstein introduced us to the laws of relativity, tweaking our understanding even more, and even today astronomers are still exploring the fundamental laws of the universe.
Now consider the history of IT. In the 1960s, at the prompting of the U.S, military, we decided that software development needed to be an engineering discipline. The theory was that building a software-based system was just like building a bridge, or perhaps a sky-scraper or some other impressive building, and therefore we needed to adopt processes which were similar to those in other engineering disciplines. This theory was comfortable to people, it made sense because it was easily observable that software development was as hard if not harder than building bridges, and no one could question that we couldn't benefit from greater engineering rigor. Just as the ancient Greeks had decided that everything revolved around the Earth we had decided that everything would revolve around engineering practices.
Then in the 1980s the heretic Barry Boehm introduced us to the Spiral model of software development, an iterative and incremental paradigm for development which was clearly different than the serial engineering model. The 1990s saw the introduction of other iterative methods, including Rational Unified Process (RUP), Scrum, Dynamic System Development Method (DSDM), the Object-Oriented Software Process (OOSP), and Extreme Programming (XP). 2001 saw the publication of the Agile Manifesto which marked the official beginning of the Agile movement, although unofficially it had started years earlier. The second major software development paradigm, iterative/agile, was upon us. Just like Renaissance Europeans had decided that most things revolved around the sun, modern developers have decided that software development projects should revolve around them.
The point is that even with the agile software development paradigm we still haven't gotten it right. The first paradigm, the traditional serial software engineering strategy, clearly didn't fulfilled its promise. Traditional strategies have resulted in low quality silo applications, one merely has to look at legacy code and legacy data sources to see this. The iterative/agile paradigm has fared a bit better, the greater level of discipline and focus on quality techniques such as regression testing and refactoring have produced higher quality applications, albeit ones that are more often than not silo applications. Just like our understanding of astronomy moved beyond the belief that everything must revolve around the sun, our understanding of effective IT must move beyond the belief that everything revolves around developers.
The third IT paradigm, which I suspect we may not see in our lifetimes, should be based on taking a disciplined enterprise view which takes the full range of issues into account. Although the traditional community arguably has a better understanding of issues surrounding enterprise architecture and portfolio management, they don't seem to have a viable strategy for acting on this understanding. The command-and-control, bureaucracy-heavy approaches of traditional enterprise methods simply don't reflect the complexities of the intellectual work inherent within IT. The agile community certainly doesn't understand these issues, being too wrapped up in low-level programming techniques, XP machoism, and ethically questionable although very lucrative certification efforts. Agilists have become better at delivering systems, even ones which extend existing legacy assets, but their general disdain for architecture and the required coordination to address enterprise-level issues limits their ability to deliver high-quality, enterprise-class systems which fit well into the overall organizational environment.
It's great that we can deliver high-quality applications which meet the needs of stakeholders in a cost-effective and efficient manner. It's not so great that we're putting yet another stand-alone database into production containing data which already exists in numerous other production databases. It's not so great that the system uses yet another new technology which the operations department now needs to support. It's not so great that the application implements business rules which have already been implemented by other existing applications, and worse yet that the implementation of some of those rules is inconsistent with previous implementations. As IT professionals we need to do better and scale agile approaches to the enterprise level.
So, what should this new paradigm shift look like? We should clearly keep the discipline and flexibility inherent in agile approaches, but need to extend them to address the full system lifecycle from cradle-to-grave, including initial "iteration -1" planning as well as operations and support, instead of just the "sexy parts" of the development lifecycle. Furthermore, we need a multi-system IT lifecycle, not just a single system lifecycle, because we work in organizations with a multitude of systems which affect one another. To address cross-system technical issues we need effective approaches to enterprise architecture and reuse which enables teams to easily leverage existing assets and to integrate easily into the overall infrastructure. To address cross-system business issues we need effective approached to portfolio management and to business modeling so that we can invest in the right projects and then govern those projects effectively so that we continue to invest in the right projects and abandon the projects which prove otherwise. To run our systems effectively we need effective approaches to operations and enterprise administration which enhance development efforts instead of hinder them, and vice versa. In the real world, there's a bit more to being successful at IT than just banging out working software on a regular basis.
The good news is that a few years ago Mike Vizdos, of Implementing Scrum fame, fleshed out my earlier work on the Enterprise Unified Process (EUP) to address exactly these sorts of issues. It extends iterative/agile processes such as RUP, Scrum, and XP to address the full lifecycle of systems as well as enterprise issues in a disciplined, collaborative manner. EUP takes the best of traditional enterprise thinking, iterative/agile thinking, but abandons the command-and-control bureaucratic strategies of the traditional world. My points are that it is possible to address these issues effectively if you choose to do so, and that we have an existing "reference process" to leverage if so.
The bad news is that the disciplined enterprise strategy of the EUP requires greater process maturity than most organizations are currently capable of. This need for greater maturity, an issue for any enterprise-level strategy and not just the EUP, is why I fear we're not going to see this next paradigm shift within our lifetimes. Just like it took astronomers decades to understand adopt the Newtonian paradigm, it will take the IT community decades to recognize the need for, and the fundamentals of, a disciplined enterprise IT paradigm. I hope that I'm right that we'll eventually make this paradigm shift, but I hope that I'm wrong about how long it will take us to do so. Time will tell.
Book Review: How to Measure Anything
How to Measure Anything: Finding the Value of Intangibles in Business
Douglas W. Hubbard
John Wiley & Sons, 2007
One of the primary challenges with managing and governing IT effectively is that many of the questions that we need to answer are difficult to measure. What is the expected value of a new software project? What is the chance of success? How long will the project take? What architectural strategy is best? How effective is a development technique? What is our level of quality? How good is our production data? And so on.
Although these questions are hard to answer, luckily Doug Hubbard provides in How to Measure Anything some proven advice for easily taking measures that enable us to improve our decision making.
To understand the value, and ease of, taking presumably difficult measures, in Chapter 2 Hubbard works through examples from past of great thinkers who didn't give up in the face of the "impossible". For example, around 200 BC Eratothenes estimated the circumference of the Earth by observing the lengths of shadows, Enrico Fermi estimated the power of the first atomic bomb by observing the distance that it blew confetti, and at the age of nine Emily Rosa (who became the youngest person to publish in a scientific journal at the age of 11) measured the ability (or more accurately lack there of) of people claiming to have the ability of therapeutic touch. Chapter 3 goes on to discuss the illusion of intangibles, motivating you to abandon the self-defeating belief that some things are just too hard to measure. Chapter 4 clarifies the measurement problem, focusing on uncertainty and risk, putting you in a better position to effectively reduce business risk through relatively simple measurement.
Chapters 5 through 7 describe more of the fundamentals behind measurements and the value of improved information, and chapters 8 through 10 describe strategies for doing measurements. Being a firm believer in strategies which reflect human behavior, I was particularly interested in chapters 11 through 14 which cover the human issues around measurement, making a hard science soft again.
If you're tasked with improving your internal metrics program, improving your governance strategy, or simply want to learn about strategies to find out what the heck is actually going on within your organization or industry then this book will prove to be a good idea. Hubbard uses straightforward, easy to understand examples throughout the book, thereby simplifying many complex ideas for the reader.
Hot Links
Gene Smith's A Brief History of Astronomy is a wonderful summary of the history of astronomy.
Agile Model Driven Development (AMDD) best practices describe strategies for effective modeling and documentation on agile projects, key aspects for scaling agile development.
The Enterprise Unified Process (EUP) describes how to extend the software development lifecycle to address the full lifecycle of a system and how to apply agile strategies to enterprise-level issues.
The Implementing Scrum site includes great articles and an online forum for discussing Scrum in an open manner. This is a great resource for anyone interesting in applying Scrum in a realistic manner.
My September 2008 column, Iteration Negative One, describes the portfolio management efforts which occur before the "start" of a software development project to select the right projects and get initial funding for them.
Agile Enterprise Architecture describes strategies for how enterprise architects can interact with, and effectively support, agile software development teams.
My [email protected] blog is here.
Editor's Note
Please note that with this installment, the title of Scott Ambler's monthly newsletter is changing to "Dr. Dobb's Agile Update." Only the name is changing. The content will continue to be the great insight that Scott brings to the software development community. We apologize in advance for any confusion that might result. If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected].


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State considers an energy auction
"What do I hear for this old-fashioned, utility-dependent homeowner? What about the hundreds of thousands of his brothers and sisters in similar straits? I need a bid -- energy companies, what are they worth to you?"
That's the auction being envisioned in the state for the years ahead. The state wants to sell the rights to more than 808,000 residential customers who have not signed up to buy energy from one of the independent suppliers selling electricity.
If the plan succeeds, the state's coffers could see as much as $80 million in new revenue.
Dennis Schain, spokesman for the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, said Monday that the DEEP and officials from Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's office are talking about to best proceed.
Elin Swanson Katz, the state's consumer counsel, said the General Assembly would have to pass legislation to allow such auctions.
Katz said her office has testified about the plan. She said her office wants to make sure all consumers have the right to opt out of any agreement and choose their own energy company -- including the two major utilities -- as they see fit.
"We're keeping a very close eye on it," Katz said.
Schain said the basic plan is to auction off blocs of residential customers who now get their energy from the two utilities -- Connecticut Light & Power Co. or United Illuminating -- to one of the energy suppliers. The winning bidders would then pay the state for the right to supply energy to that bloc of customers.
By doing so, Schain said Monday, the state would get more consumers involved in the energy marketplace. The more competition, the lower the prices people will pay for electricity and the lower their rates, he said.
Schain said, proceeds from the auctions would go directly into the General Fund, providing new revenue.
One area leader, Ridgefield First Selectman Rudy Marconi, expressed some incredulity about the entire proceeding.
"What right does the state have to tell me who I have to buy my energy from?" asked Marconi, who does buy his electricity from one of the alternative suppliers. "What if I want to buy it from CL&P? It seems to me there's something inherently distasteful about this."
Roger Dietz, director of sales for Direct Power of Shelton -- one of the companies that may get involved in the bidding should it ever take place -- also asked how the system might work.
Dietz said any system like this would have to give people the flexibility to opt out of any arrangement they don't like.
"There's still a lot of work that will have to be done on this," Dietz said.
In testimony before the General Assembly on March 4, Jay Fletcher, director of regulatory policy for Northeast Utilities and CL&P, stopped short of opposing the idea but said the utility has "deep concerns that adequate consumer protections and choice options" remain in the legislation.
Schain, asked whether the state could legally hold such an auction, did not hesitate.
"Yes. It has been researched," he said.
Katz agreed that her office would not consider an auction illegal if it is sanctioned by legislation passed by the General Assembly.
The plans has its roots in the decision by the state to deregulate the state's energy markets in 2000.
Under the old system, the utilities produced energy, then shipped it along power lines to people's homes.
After deregulation, the utilities were only in business of transmitting energy. Other companies now make the power, or act as brokers, buying the electricity, then selling it to consumers.
When a consumer signs up with a different energy supplier, the utilities just accept that price. The monthly bills tell customers from whom they're buying electricity.
If consumers don't sign up with other companies, the utilities provide them with electricity set at a standard rate determined by the state Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, or PURA.
After more than 10 years, less than half the homes in the state have made the switch, even though doing so could save them money because many of the companies supplying electricity sell it at lower rates than the utilities. For a list of those companies, go to www.ctenergyinfo.com.
Schain said it's understandable, given the chaos of people's daily lives, that they've never switched.
"It may feel a little daunting," he said.
People who grew up buying power from their utility may be happy doing that, he said.
By now, many people who have made the switch have forgotten the details. Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton said earlier this month that he can't remember the exact name of the company that provides his home with electricity.
But he remembers where he switched.
"At the Bridgewater State Fair," Boughton said. "I signed up there."
firstname.lastname@example.com; 203-731-3345

subset: commoncrawl


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Receive our free 18-page Guide to Bookkeeping Concepts (PDF) when you subscribe to our free newsletter.
See not sufficient funds (NSF) check.
Harold Averkamp (CPA, MBA) has worked as a university accounting instructor, accountant, and consultant for more than 25 years. He is the sole author of all the materials on AccountingCoach.com


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There are a number of organizations dedicated to providing information and support to people living with Fabry disease and other genetic disorders. Note that the opinions expressed by the organizations below do not necessarily reflect the views of Sanofi Genzyme. Sanofi Genzyme does not maintain and is not responsible for the content of communications for the listed organizations or their websites, with the exception of www.fabrycommunity.com and www.registrynxt.com, which are websites developed and maintained by Sanofi Genzyme.
Fabry Community
A Sanofi Genzyme-sponsored website with extensive information on Fabry disease.
Fabry Registry
Information for patients and practitioners on this Sanofi Genzyme-sponsored patient registry.
FSIG – Fabry Support & Information Group
FSIG is a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness and providing support to Fabry patients and caregivers.
National Fabry Disease Foundation
The NFDF supports the Fabry community through education, assistance, identification, research, and advocacy.
Genetic Alliance
The Genetic Alliance is the world's leading nonprofit health advocacy organization committed to transforming health through genetics.
National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD)
NORD is a nonprofit federation of health organizations dedicated to helping people with rare "orphan" diseases and assisting the organizations that serve them.
Fabrazyme® (agalsidase beta) is used to treat patients with Fabry disease. Fabrazyme lowers the amount of a substance called globotriaosylceramide (GL-3), which builds up in cells lining the blood vessels of the kidney and certain other cells. The lowering of GL-3 suggests that Fabrazyme may improve how Fabry disease affects your body; however a relationship of lower GL-3 to specific signs and symptoms of Fabry disease has not been proven.
Life-threatening severe allergic (anaphylactic) reactions have been seen in patients during Fabrazyme infusions. Approximately 1% of patients who have received Fabrazyme either during a clinical study or after Fabrazyme was approved have experienced anaphylactic or severe allergic reactions during their infusion. These reactions have included: localized swelling of the face, mouth and throat, narrowing of breathing airways, low blood pressure, hives, difficulty swallowing, rash, trouble breathing, flushing, chest discomfort, itching and nasal congestion. People who have experienced these reactions have required treatment including heart/lung resuscitation, oxygen, fluids given through the vein, hospitalization, and have needed treatment with inhaled drugs called beta-adrenergic agonists to help open the breathing airways, antihistamines, epinephrine (also known as adrenalin), and a medication given through the vein called a corticosteroid (or steroid) which helps to decrease the body's allergic reaction by decreasing inflammation. If you experience a severe allergic or anaphylactic reaction, your healthcare professional will immediately stop the infusion of Fabrazyme and provide you the necessary emergency medical treatment. Because of the possibility that severe allergic reactions may occur, appropriate medical support should be available during your Fabrazyme infusion.
Providing Fabrazyme to patients who have experienced severe or serious allergic reactions to Fabrazyme should only be done after carefully considering the risks and benefits of continuing the treatment, and only under the direct supervision of a qualified healthcare professional and with appropriate medical support readily available.
The most common side effects reported with Fabrazyme are infusion reactions, some of which were severe. When Fabrazyme was tested in clinical studies, infusion reactions occurred in approximately 50-55% of patients. Serious and/or frequently occurring side effects (occurring in 5% or more of the patients) thought to be related to Fabrazyme have included one or more of the following: chills, fever, feeling hot or cold, trouble breathing, nausea, flushing of the skin, headache, vomiting, burning and/or tingling sensation, fatigue, itching, pain in the hands and feet, high blood pressure, chest pain, throat tightness, abdominal pain, dizziness, rapid heart rate, nasal congestion, diarrhea, swelling in the legs, muscle pain, back pain, paleness of the skin, slow heart rate, hives, low blood pressure, face swelling, rash and sleepiness.
People with advanced Fabry disease may have heart problems, which may put them at a higher risk for severe complications from infusion reactions, and these patients should be watched closely during their infusion if the decision is made to give them Fabrazyme.
Other serious side effects that were seen in the clinical studies included stroke, pain, lack of muscle coordination, slow or irregular heartbeat, stopping of the heartbeat, decreased blood pumped by the heart, dizziness, hearing loss, and kidney problems resulting in too much protein leaving the body in the urine (nephrotic syndrome). These side effects also occur as part of Fabry disease.
Severe and serious infusion reactions have been reported since Fabrazyme has been approved, some of which were life threatening including anaphylactic shock (a severe allergic reaction). In addition to the above side effects, the following have been reported since Fabrazyme has been approved: joint pain, lack of strength or energy, redness of the skin, increased sweating, reactions at the place where the catheter to give the infusion is placed, increased tearing from the eyes, allergic inflammation of blood vessels, enlarged lymph nodes, decreased sensitivity to touch or pressure, decreased sensitivity of the mouth, sensations of an abnormal heartbeat, runny nose, low oxygen (in general), and low oxygen levels reaching different parts of the body.
Since Fabrazyme has been approved, there have been side effects that resulted in death that may or may not be related to the use of Fabrazyme. These included: the heart and/or lungs stop working (known as cardiorespiratory arrest, respiratory failure, and/or cardiac failure), life-threatening infection in the blood stream (known as sepsis), stroke, heart attack, kidney failure, and pneumonia. Some of these side effects were reported in Fabry disease patients with significant underlying disease.
The safety and effectiveness of Fabrazyme in patients younger than 8 years of age have not been studied.
Most patients taking Fabrazyme who develop IgG antibodies, which are commonly produced by your immune system in response to things it does not recognize as naturally being part of your body, do so within the first three months of taking the medication. In children, the development of these IgG antibodies was associated with Fabrazyme staying in the body for a longer time (prolonged half-life), which was rarely seen in adult patients.
In the clinical studies, a few patients developed IgE antibodies or a reaction to an allergy skin test specific to Fabrazyme. IgE antibodies are usually produced by the body's immune system during an allergic reaction. Your doctor should consider testing for IgE antibodies if you experience suspected allergic reactions and consider the risks and benefits of continued treatment with Fabrazyme if you have IgE antibodies against Fabrazyme.
Fabrazyme is available by prescription only. To report adverse events you may contact Sanofi Genzyme at 1-800-745-4447, option 2. To learn more, please see the full prescribing information (PDF) or contact Sanofi Genzyme at 1-800-745-4447.
This site is intended for United States residents only.
© 2017 Genzyme Corporation. All rights reserved.
Fabrazyme, Sanofi and Genzyme are registered in U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Last Updated: 09/18


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New Jersey Standard Licensing Package: Life & Health
- Course Delivery: On Demand
At last! A Life and Health licensing curriculum presented in a plain-English, no-nonsense manner designed with one objective in mind, a passing score on the State Insurance Licensing Exam. This state-of-the-art learning resource introduces you to the required information in a logical, progressive sequence.
You begin with the definition of risk and are then guided step-by-step through the most intricate issues of Variable Universal Life and Equity Indexed Annuities. You will enjoy the crisp, conversational style that practically eliminates the tedium of learning, and you will appreciate the use of important interactive strategies that help adults understand and remember.
What Is Included?
Let's be candid the most expensive mistake some students make is to shortcut their preparation, fail by one point and then have to pay the full cost of retaking the exam. The Premium Licensing Package helps avoid all that by providing all the essential tools that will enable you to pass the State Licensing Exam on your first attempt.
A. Online Prep Course
B. Resource Guide
A. Online Prep Course features:
The Online Prep Course will allow you to learn and remember the critical insurance vocabulary, concepts and products that will be tested on your State Licensing Exam. You'll find no fluff, no nice-to-know, no war stories just the essential information that you will need to obtain your license. This crucial knowledge is presented in easy to read, user-friendly language that is devoid of legal complexities and legislative mumbo-jumbo. We've even taken care to clearly define the insurance terms before we use them.
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· Interim quizzes in the format of your state exam so that you may monitor your progress easily
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Mac serves as Editor-in-Chief for Sagamore. Mac has authored four insurance textbooks that have been highly acclaimed from coast to coast. He has served as a subject matter expert on National and State test development committees and worked as an educational design consultant for some of the largest companies in the insurance business. More than 200,000 students have participated in Mac's insurance licensing workshops invariably leaving the classroom with a smile on their face and departing the testing facility with a passing score in their hands.
Mac's team of editors includes classroom instructors, insurance company trainers and testing engineers who have actually built insurance exams for use across the country. The Sagamore editorial team has as its motto, 'Dull is a 4 letter word.'
Needless to say, we are proud of the expertise and reputation that 360Training.com and Sagamore Training Systems bring to the table in building a superior Insurance Licensing Course to aid you in your first important step into the insurance business.
B. Resource Guide features:
The Resource Guide mirrors the content, sequence and style of the Online Course. It fleshes out the subject matter, serves as a useful reference and provides a format that can be easily highlighted to organize and reduce the tedium of note taking. Our team of editors includes classroom instructors, insurance company trainers and testing engineers who have actually built insurance exams for use across the country. The Sagamore editorial team has as its motto, "Dull is a 4 letter word."
Online Course Outline:
Your state insurance regulators built an Exam Content Outline which dictates the information which we must include in the Online Course. Parts I through III of the Course make up the 'national core' portion (useful in any state). Part IV is the State Law section of your course.
Part I: Introduction to Life & Health Insurance
· Chapter 1 Purpose of Insurance
· Chapter 2 Contract Law
· Chapter 3 Underwriting and the Application
Part II: Life Insurance
· Chapter 4 Traditional Life Policies
· Chapter 5 Flexible Feature Life Policies
· Chapter 6 Policy Provisions
· Chapter 7 Policy Options
· Chapter 8 Policy Riders
· Chapter 9 Annuities and Retirement Plans
· Chapter 10 Business and Group Life
· Chapter 11 Social Security
Part III: Accident and Health
· Chapter 12 Health Foundations
· Chapter 13 Medical Expense Policies
· Chapter 14 Disability Income Policies
· Chapter 15 Uniform Individual Health Policy Provisions
· Chapter 16 Group Health Insurance
· Chapter 17 Medicare and Medicaid
· Chapter 18 Limited Health Insurance Policies
Part IV: State Insurance Laws
· Chapter 19 General State Insurance Law
· Chapter 20 State Life Insurance Law
· Chapter 21 State Health Insurance Law
Online Access Period:
A. Online Prep Course:
· You have 90 days from the date of purchase to access the Online Prep Course.
· 360training.com, Inc. will provide a one-time extension of 90 additional days for a nominal fee of $29.95. Please contact our enrollment advisors for more details at 888-360-8764.
Buyer's Right to Cancel:
360training.com, Inc. offers a reasonable return policy to our customers. Please read the information below to understand your options.
· As long as the Online Prep Course has NOT been completed, you have 3 business days from the date of purchase to request a full refund minus a $15 non refundable processing fee. Please send an email request to firstname.lastname@example.com or call customer support at 800-442-1149 to initiate a refund.
Customer Support:
Please visit our support website for additional information at www.360trainingsupport.com
The Following Courses Are Included In This Package:
|Course Name
|Course Delivery
|Life and Health Insurance License Prep Course
|Insurance Education
|Life and Health Insurance License Prep Course (New Jersey)
|Insurance Education
|Life and Health Insurance License Final Exam (New Jersey)
|Insurance Education
|New Jersey Resource Guide: Life and Health
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The National Hockey League's ambitious expansion into the Sun Belt during the 1990s took its first backward step Tuesday with news that the 11-year-old Atlanta Thrashers are set to move to Winnipeg – one of the Canadian cities that lost its team to that southern binge 15 years ago.
Now, with other franchises in sunny climes struggling, the question facing the league is whether the Winnipeg move marks the beginning of a great retrenchment, with professional hockey moving closer to its northern roots, or whether this is merely a one-off event.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman warned against broader interpretations of the Winnipeg move, which will become official only if approved by the NHL board of governors on June 21. "We will continue to resist moving franchises, and other communities shouldn't be reading anything into what's happening here into any other situation," he said.
Yet to many fans, the return to Winnipeg – which saw its Jets move to Phoenix in 1996 and become the Coyotes – marks a necessary shift of the sport's center of gravity northward.
"Hockey is back where it matters and is important," former Calgary Flames general manager Craig Button told the NHL Network's "NHL On The Fly." "And there's no better time to come back to place where hockey has been important."
Southward shift
In the 1990s, the NHL sought to grow the sport by expanding the game into to new cities in the South, the home of many northern expats, burgeoning populations, and large media markets. New or relocated franchises in Florida, North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Arizona, and Texas marked the future of the sport, the thinking went. At last, the ice-free South would cotton on to the gladiatorial aspects of the fast-paced sport.
On the ice, at least, the switch has worked. Among the teams that have won a Stanley Cup in the 18 years since the last Canadian champion: Tampa Bay, Dallas, Anaheim, Denver, and Carolina (Raleigh, N.C.).
Off the ice, however, the financial reasons for the shift have largely evaporated. The 2004-05 lockout resulted in a strong league salary cap that has held down costs, allowing well-run teams in small markets like Winnipeg to compete. Moreover, the Canadian dollar has strengthened, meaning that Canadian teams are no longer taking in money in weak Canadian dollars and then paying it out to players in strong US currency.
Indeed, Winnipeg now offers something that Atlanta decidedly doesn't: Local buzz and a sold-out arena. The six Canadian teams in the NHL each sold at least 99.3 percent of their available seats this season – despite the fact that two of the teams, the Ottawa Senators and Edmonton Oilers, were among the worst five teams in the league. Atlanta, by contrast, sold only 72.6 percent of its seats – the third-worst figure in the NHL – despite being in the playoff hunt for much of the season.
The $170 million deal was met with elation and spontaneous street hockey games in Winnipeg. In Atlanta, it was a bitter end to a team stymied by problems on the ice and constant ownership troubles. The Thrashers made the playoffs only once, and were promptly swept in the first round by the New York Rangers.
More moves ahead?
The Thrashers move immediately raised hopes, especially in Quebec City, of scoring another Canadian NHL franchise to replace the Nordiques, which relocated to Denver in 1995 and immediately won a Stanley Cup. Ironically, it is Winnipeg's former team, the Phoenix Coyotes, that looks most likely to move. The team has been administered by the league since entering bankruptcy in 2009.
While the Florida Panthers, based in Miami, continue to have difficulty building a fan base, there have been notable success stories in the South. Carolina has capitalized on the success of its cup-winning team, in part by promoting local traditions like tailgating. In addition, the prospects the league more broadly are rising: The NHL just inked a major 10-year TV deal with NBC Sports, and both gate receipts and TV viewership are up.
The Winnipeg move is simply a part of the league looking to build from a stronger position, says David Carter, director of the Sports Business Institute at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.
"I don't know whether it's a retrenchment to the north – it's more an understanding that the league has had franchises in unsustainable markets for several years, which suggests the the league needs to recalibrate and make sure that franchises are in the most appropriate markets," he says.
For Atlanta, however, the news set off a bit of sports soul-searching. "Is Atlanta a lousy sports city?" Atlanta Journal-Constitution beat writer Mark Bradley asked. The city has now lost two NHL franchises, the first one being the Atlanta Flames in 1980, which headed north to Calgary.
"The reality is, passionate sports towns do not allow this to happen," writes Thrashers fan Todd Galucki on AJC.com.
Commenter Dawg Tired saw it another way: "Hockey belongs in Canada, or, at least, above the Mason-Dixon Line."


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Position: Outfielder
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Age: 24
Height: 6' 1"
Weight: 205 lb.
Joe Benson was a two-sport high school athlete. Attending Joliet Catholic Academy in Illinois, football recruitment began as early as his sophomore year. A long summer of baseball following his junior year saw him choosing to pursue baseball instead of football, and he ended up signing a letter of intent to play baseball for Purdue. (1)However, when the Twins selected him in the second round of the 2006 Rule IV draft on June 6, Benson wasted no time. He signed with the Twins on June 10th, receiving a $575,000 signing bonus.(2)
Benson debuted with Minnesota's Rookie League affiliate, the Elizabethton Twins, on June 20, 2006 against the Billings Mustangs. The game saw him collect his first professional hit, a single, as well as his first walk, run-batted-in, stolen base, and strikeout. His first multi-hit game and extra-base hit would come the following day, with his first home run coming on July 10. Benson stayed with Elizabethton for most of the 2006 season, enjoying good success in that first professional season with a .260/.335/.444 triple-slash line. At the end of the year, he was promoted to the Beloit Snappers, receiving a paltry 19 plate appearances in Low-A ball before the season ended.(3)
As a high school draftee, Benson followed the same slow development track that so many high school draftees follow. He remained with Beloit for all of 2007 and 2008, though missed the second half of 2008 with a stress fracture in his back. Regardless, Minnesota promoted him to High-A Fort Myers to begin the 2009 season. Joe suffered a hand fracture after punching a wall in early May, causing him to miss almost two months. (2) (4) He finished out the year in High-A, and began 2010 in Double-A.
Benson hit a meager .169 in April of 2010, a slow start to his Double-A career. Although he picked it up in May, Minnesota sent him back down to High-A for 21 games and then promoted him back up to New Britain.(5) He would finish the year there, putting up an impressive triple-slash of .251/.336/.527. Despite this, the Twins had him repeat 2011 in Double-A.
2011 was a mixed bag for Benson. He reduced his K-rate to 23.1% from 27.2% the year before and bumped his walk rate by 2.7%, making more contact and increasing his average. However, his slugging percentage fell 32 points to .495 and he was forced to have meniscus surgery in July, missing a month. (2)
Whether it was his increased patience and contact, his decreased strikeout rate, or his age and the Twins' general woes, Minnesota saw fit to give Joe Benson the call to The Show on September 6, 2011 against the Chicago White Sox. He drew a full count walk in his first plate appearance and collected his first hit against Max Scherzer in Detroit on the 10th. (1) (3)
While Benson's September call-up was hardly impressive, the 74 plate appearances should not be seen as indicative of anything. He is currently listed as a the third overall Twins' prospect by Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus. (6) The Rochester Red Wings, Minnesota's Triple-A affiliate, are currently enjoying his services. He's well regarded as a plus-defensive outfielder with good range, a great arm, and good power. His strikeout rate remains high, but a supporting walk rate with the power makes it a tolerable flaw.
As of this writing, Benson has 62 accumulated plate appearances in 15 games for the Red Wings. His triple-slash line sits at .180/.323/.240, with all of the usual Small Sample Size Theater warnings applied. (7)
- http://www.twinkieto...with-joe-benson
- http://www.baseballp...rd.php?id=50078
- http://www.fangraphs...=OF&season=2006
- http://www.aaronglee...465046810802091
- http://aarongleeman....011-10-9-8-7-6/
- http://www.baseballp...articleid=15393
- http://www.fangraphs...845&position=OF
Edited by Jontler, 24 April 2012 - 06:39 AM.


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The NEC VR4100 series of CPUs are based on the MIPS R4000 core.
The VR4121, which is a high-performance 64-/32-bit microprocessor employing the RISC (reduced instruction set computer) architecture developed by MIPS, is one of the RISC microprocessor VR-Series products manufactured by NEC.
The VR4121 consists of the ultra-low-power consumption VR4120™ CPU core with cache memory, high-speed product-sum operation unit, and address management unit. It also has interface units for the peripheral circuits, such as DMA, software modem interface, serial interface, keyboard interface, IrDA interface, touch panel interface, real-time clock, A/D converter, and D/A converter required for the battery-driven portable information equipment. The external bus width of this device can be selected between 32 bits and 16 bits and supports external devices that require the performance level of a color LCD controller.
This processor supports instruction set architecture (ISA) of MIPS I, MIPS II, MIPS III, and MIPS16. It does not support LL, LLD, SC, SCD, and floating point instructions.
Note that this processor does not incorporate a secondary cache, multi-processor processing function, or floating point arithmetic function.
The NEC VR4133 is a 200 Mhz processor with 16 KB of Primary Instruction cache and 16 KB of Primary Data cache. It has 32 TLB entries. The primary data cache line size is 32 bytes and the primary instruction cache line size is 32 bytes. Currently, this processor is fully supported in Linux versions 2.4 and 2.6.
The VR4181A (µPD30181A) is a 131 MHz 64-bit MIPS CPU that roughly implements the (MIPS III ISA, (without FPU, LL, and SC instructions) and MIPS16), plus interfaces for TFT/STN LCD display, dual CompactFlash, 3 UARTs, IrDA, I2C, 64 parallel I/O, RTC, watchdog timer, keyboard, USB, touch, audio I/O, and ISA-subset expansion bus.
Datasheets are available from NEC Electronics search page.
External links
- http://www.linuxdevices.com/products/PD2831532191.html More on the VR4181A
- http://www.necel.com/micro/english/product/vr/vr4100series/index.html Overview over the NEC VR4100 series
- http://www.eu.necel.com/docuweb/ NEC Document database


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March 13, 2012
Lawrence author Louise Krug is pictured with her 6-month-old daughter Olive. Krug's memoir, "Louise: Amended," chronicles the struggles both she and her family experienced after a cavernous angioma was removed from her brain stem in 2005.
Stories this photo appears in:
Lawrence resident, 29, chronicles life-changing brain injury in new book
Six years ago, at age 22, Louise Krug suffered from a brain bleed that caused weakness, dizziness, headaches and difficulty with hearing and vision.
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The Island of Romance
From grand to private, the Catalina Island Company has the wedding venue that's perfect for you. Let your dreams come true at one of our three incredible properties in Avalon: The Catalina Country Club, the Descanso Beach Club, or the landmark Catalina Casino. Visit Two Harbors Venues for more information about weddings in Two Harbors.
Catalina Casino - Grand, Glamorous & One of a Kind
Epitomizing glamour and romance, Catalina Island's Casino is a one-of-a-kind venue. From the Ballroom's 50-foot ceilings with exquisite art deco chandeliers and 360-degree views of Avalon Bay to the beautiful Art Deco Avalon Theatre, the Catalina Casino is perfect for wedding ceremonies and receptions.
Guest Capacity: 1,200
Location Types: Avalon Theatre, Casino Ballroom, Ballroom Balcony
Descanso Beach Club - Beachside Romance
Down a palm-lined path lies Catalina Island's only private beach club, the Descanso Beach Club. Situated in a pristine cove, this premier location is picture-perfect for a beach side wedding, whether it is a ceremony in the sand or a reception on our terraced lawn.
Guest Capacity: 1.200
Location Types: Terrace Lawn, Cabana Area, Patio, Waterfront
Catalina Country Club - A Romantic Oasis
Only five minutes from the center of town, the Catalina Country Club feels a world away. The Club's expansive layout gives multiple options for ceremonies and receptions, all surrounded by Catalina Island's beautiful history.
Guest Capacity: 200
Location Types: Patio, Pub, Dining Room


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In a large nonreactive mixing bowl combine the bread, mayonnaise, egg yolks, 2 tablespoons of the parsley, chive, mustard, hot red pepper sauce, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Let rest for about 15 minutes to soften the bread. With a spatula gently fold in the crabmeat so as not to break up the meat.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Using your hands form the cakes about 6 ounces each. Do not form them too tightly or they will not bake properly.
Brush a baking tray with butter or spray with a nonstick cooking spray. Place the crab cakes, evenly spaced on the tray. Melt the butter and combine with the crab boil seasoning. Brush the tops of the cakes with half the spiced butter and bake on the top shelf of oven for about 12 minutes or until an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
Using a mandolin slice the fennel very thin. Combine with the lemon juice, olive oil, remaining 2 tablespoons of parsley, salt, and pepper. Spread the fennel salad on a large platter and place the crab cakes on top. Serve with the second half of the spiced butter on the side for dipping.


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University Classification
Students entering the University of North Florida as freshmen will not be classified within a department or division but will be assigned to an academic advisor in the First Year Advising Office (formerly ACE). Students must declare a major after they have completed 48 credit hours.
After completion of 60 credit hours, students must be admitted to an upper-level college and must establish an official program of study. When junior-level students are admitted to UNF, they enter a department within one of its academic units: the Brooks College of Health; the Coggin College of Business; the College of Arts and Sciences; the College of Computing, Engineering and Construction; or the College of Education and Human Services. Association with an academic unit effectively classifies the student, facilitates advisement and career planning and enables the development of an appropriate program of study. This program of study may be amended to accommodate waivers and/or substitutions of courses, as well as additional courses. The programs in this catalog show the generally accepted courses necessary for completion of basic requirements for each degree program.
If your academic objectives change, please visit your advisor to apply for a change of major.
Upon recommendation of the faculty and the chair of a department, the dean may deny a student's continued registration in the department.


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PlayStation™Vue is not currently available in zip code .
To get an idea of what's available on PlayStation™Vue, we'll show you plans and pricing available in New York City.
PlayStation™Vue provides the most extraordinary streaming experience in live TV. Enjoy the channels you love with a powerful cloud DVR and streaming on multiple devices,* all without an annual contract or hidden fees.
*Restrictions apply. See FAQs.
Watch local channels, sports, news, and more with multi-channel plans. Add premium channels or subscribe to them individually. With no contract, you can easily switch your plan or cancel at any time.
*Taxes may apply. Restrictions apply. See FAQs.
*Restrictions apply. See FAQs.
Enjoy PlayStation™Vue on your favorite devices - you don't even need a PlayStation® console. Watch with Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku® players and TVs, and even your mobile device. Stream on up to five devices at once* so you never miss your favorite show.
*Restrictions apply. See FAQs.
Enjoy PlayStation™Vue on more supported devices than ever before.*
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Download PlayStation™Vue to watch live TV on your favorite mobile phones and tablets.*
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Robust broadband internet connection and compatible viewing device required. Channels, content, device availability, features, programming, and prices subject to change. Channels and pricing vary by zip code and plan. Features and content availability may vary by device and location. Live streaming for select networks may vary by location. Some sports events and other programming subject to blackouts. Other terms and conditions apply.
One free trial per customer is available for your first subscription to one of the Access, Core, or Elite plans, and your first subscription to an add-on channel. The Ultra plan does not have a free trial. One free trial per customer is available for each individual channel subscription. Credit card required to redeem free trial. Free trials can be cancelled at any time during the free trial period. You will not be charged for your multi-channel plan or individual channel subscription during the free trial period. To avoid being charged for your subscription, you must cancel before the end of the free trial period. If you do not cancel before the end of the last day of the trial, you automatically begin your monthly subscription, and you will be charged a monthly fee every 30 days based on your chosen plan until you cancel. If you cancel your multi-channel plan subscription, your add-on channel subscription will also be cancelled. To cancel: on PS4 and PS3 consoles, go to 'Settings' in the PlayStation Vue app, select 'Subscription', and click 'Unsubscribe'; or login to psvue.com/subscription and click 'Cancel Subscription' under 'Subscription Summary'; or call 877-883-7669. There are no penalties for cancellation and you may cancel at any time. Upon cancellation, you retain access for the rest of the month already paid for.
Simultaneous streaming and mobile restrictions apply.
DVR for select networks may vary by location and channel.
If you purchase an individual channel subscription(s) as a PlayStation®Plus member and subsequently cancel your PlayStation®Plus subscription, your PlayStation®Plus discount is valid until the end of that billing cycle, at which point your subscription to the channel(s) will be cancelled. You may resubscribe to the channel(s) at the full price or renew your PS Plus subscription to subscribe to the channel(s) at the discounted price.
Sports games airing on broadcast channels (ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC) are only available on the local live broadcast versions of these channels. Not all locations have all broadcast channels available live; some locations have On Demand versions. On Demand versions of these channels do not air live sports games nor do they display the live scores feature. Check which broadcast channels are available live or On Demand in your area by entering your zip code at psvue.com/plans. See psvue.com/football-help for football schedule and alternate viewing options. Some live sports events are subject to area and mobile blackouts.
Live scores not available on mobile, AppleTV®, or Roku® steaming devices. Live scores feature can be turned off in each device in the PlayStation™Vue "Settings" menu.
Live local broadcast channels are unavailable in some service areas. See psvue.com/faqs for specific services in your area.
Regional Sports Networks may be available in your zip code. Please sign up for a free trial to see the full channel lineups offered in your zip code.
10mpbs internet bandwidth recommended for the first stream, with 5mbps per each additional stream. Multi-view only available on PS4™ consoles; live programming only. Availability of local and regional sports programming will vary by location and zip code.
Android and Chromecast are trademarks of Google Inc. The Android robot is reproduced or modified from work created and shared by Google and used according to terms described in the Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution License.
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HBO®, HBO On Demand®, and related channels and service marks are the property of Home Box Office, Inc. HBO NOW® is only accessible in the U.S. and certain U.S. territories where a high speed broadband connection is available. Minimum 3G connection is required for viewing on mobile devices. HBO NOW® is available through participating partners. Prices may vary for participating partners. © 2016 Home Box Office, Inc. All Rights Reserved. HBO®, HBO NOW®, and related channels and service marks are the property of Home Box Office, Inc. All devices, titles and related trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
ROKU and the ROKU logo are the registered trademarks of Roku, Inc.


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(c) Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, Deerfield MA. All rights reserved.
Contact us for information about using this image.
The census of 1900 shows that Franklin County, Massachusetts, towns could be divided into four types: Some towns with mostly manufacturing centers, some with mainly agricultural but with some manufacturing, some towns agricultural but with other advantages, and the last group the hill towns. The hill towns lost population steadily since the end of the civil war. The land was not well-suited to farming and manufacturing and railway lines were not accessible. Manufacturing caused Greenfield and Orange to grow dramatically at the end of the 19th century, and Montague too had various industries. The Gazette & Courier was the newspaper in Greenfield, Massachusetts, from July 20, 1841 until June 24, 1932. Before 1841 the newspaper's name changed quite frequently, with Gazette a frequent part of the title.
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"Census of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts: 1895" Volume V
"History of Massachusetts Industries Their Inception, Growth and Success" Vol. I
"Immigrants in Industries, Part 24: Recent Immigrants in Agriculture" from Reports of
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Explore Our Hotel
Make sleek Holiday Inn Express Shenzhen Luohu your good-value choice close to Shenzhen's business and shopping districts.
Arriving at Holiday Inn Express Shenzhen Luohu is easy. We're just 38km from Shenzhen International Airport and 3km from Luohu train station. Our modern high-rise hotel is also close to Dajuyuan metro station, where trains speed you to the Central Business District in just 10 minutes. Complimentary wireless Internet in your stylish Guest room keeps you connected.
Invite colleagues to Holiday Inn Express Shenzhen Luohu for a conference in our high-tech meeting room. You can print agendas and check email in the 24-hour self-service Business Centre, and it's just 4 metro stops to events at Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Centre. Train services from Luohu station take just 1 hour to reach Hong Kong.
It's 3.5km from the hotel to buzzing Huaqiangbei, the place to shop for the very latest in computer and electronic gadgetry. Pick up stylish outfits and leather handbags in huge MixC Shopping Mall, one of the biggest in China, or hop in a taxi to haggle for bargains in the shoppers' paradise of Dongmen district and Luohu Commercial City.
Chinese congee porridge is served alongside western choices like poached eggs and toast at Holiday Inn Express Shenzhen Luohu 's complimentary breakfast buffet. Relax on the sofas in our vibrant Great Room, and enjoy a beer with friends.
- Black-out Shades
- In-room Safe
- Separate Hanging Closet
- In-Room Heating and A/C Controls
- Sofa Bed/Sleeper Couch
Bathroom/Personal Care
- Private Bathroom
- Bathroom Amenities Available
- Hair Dryer
- Separate/Walk-in Shower
In-Room Features
- Mini Refrigerator
- Flat-screen TV
- Work Desk with Lamp
- Desk-level Electrical Outlet
- Free Local Calls
- Cable/Satellite
- Stereo/Radio
- Direct-dial Phone
- Phone with Voicemail
- Separate Phone Bills for Separate Lines
- Power Converter Available
- Electrical Adapters Available
- Windows Open by Guest
Added Value
- Connecting Rooms Available
- Slippers
- Complimentary Coffee/Tea Supplies
- Complimentary Bottled Water
- Breakfast Buffet Included
- Kids Eat Free
Hotel Restaurants
Choose from continental breads and poached eggs or Chinese delicacies like congee porridge at the complimentary breakfast buffet in our sociable Great Room. Snack on fried noodles for lunch and dinner and relax with friends over a beer in the sofa area. WIFI access.
Location: Level 2
Serves: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Hours of Operation: : 6:30 AM-9:30 PM
Business Services
- 1 Meeting Room(s) Available
- On-Site Business Center
- Copier
- Scanner
- Office supplies available
Internet Access
- Free High-Speed Internet in all Rooms
- Wireless Internet service is free for all IHG® Rewards Club members
Health & Fitness
Last Renovation of Fitness Center Equipment: 2018
Housekeeping & Laundry
- Daily Housekeeping
- On-site Guest Self-Laundry Facilities
- Hours of Operation: 8:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Added Value
- Language Interpretation
- Wake Up Calls
- Foreign Currency Exchange
Hotel Details
No.6,Guiyuan North Road, Luohu District
Shenzhen, GD 518001
Mainland China
Check In: 2:00 PM
Check Out: 12:00 PM
Check-in Age: 18
Parking + -
- Complimentary Self Parking Available
Accessibility + -
- Public Entrance
- Guest Rooms
- Elevators
- Public Restrooms
Accessible Hotel Areas
- Ramp Access
- Visual Alarm/Alert in Guest Rooms
- Visual Alarm/Alert in Public Spaces
Provided by Hotel
Facility + -
- Number of Floors: 19
- Total Number of Rooms: 318
- Number of Non-Smoking Rooms: 261
- Number of Accessible Rooms: 3
- Connecting Rooms Available
- Current Renovation: 23-July-2018 To 31-January-2019
- Changed all in room carpat,wall paper,curtain,furnitures,lightings.Upgraded bath room facilities.
- Public Spaces Renovated in: 2018
Languages + -
Languages Spoken by Staff
- Chinese
- English
Credit Cards + -
- American Express
- Visa
- MasterCard
- China Union Pay


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100 percent of the profits to benefit Mission Bay High School.
In addition to artisans, food and organic produce, the Seaside Farmers Market will be unique in that a community section will be featured for all local Pacific Beach cluster schools to fundraise, perform and spread awareness.
The Seaside Farmers Market was created by MBHS alumni Cori (Smith) Meara, who also is the MBHS Alumni Association vice president. Meara has been active in the Pacific Beach public schools for more than 13 years, with two children currently enrolled.
"I have been fundraising for so many years for our schools," Meara said. "It has always been a dream of mine to develop a consistent, substantial revenue-generating source for MBHS, so we can really make a difference."
For more information, email firstname.lastname@example.com, or visit www.facebook.com/seasidefarmersmarketmbhs?fref=ts.


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The last two threads were bad.
Don't ask why they just were.
So let's actually think it this time, I've created a survey for everyone to fill out here.
You can vote for up to ten games, you can also vote more than once but since it's a requirement to use your brikwars name I'll just not count the extras.


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Rays fans excited once again
SUN PHOTO BY CHRISTY FEINBERG, firstname.lastname@example.com
Tampa Bay Rays player Ben Zobrist talks to fan Pat Eberhardt, of Englewood.
Tampa Bay Rays fan Pat Eberhardt, of Englewood, holds a ball she has had autographed by several players including Evan Longoria and Manager Joe Maddon.
By CHRISTY FEINBERG
Senior Writer
Pat Eberhardt spent Valentine's Day morning with a bunch of good-looking, athletic, young, single men. And her husband didn't mind at all.
"He said, 'Go and have fun,'" said Eberhardt, of Englewood.


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Find a Favorite Bream Fishing Hole at Nearby PFA
By Georgia DNR, Wildlife Resources Division
Published: May 26, 2011
How can you make family memories that will last a lifetime? For many anglers, fond childhood memories involve a family fishing trip and a stringer of bream. So, don't delay – take them fishing today! Where to go? Visit a nearby public fishing area.
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources' Wildlife Resources Division currently operates and manages ten PFAs across the state in an effort to provide the best possible fishing and access for family-friendly outings. Bluegill and redear sunfish (shellcrackers), both part of the bream family, are stocked on nearly every PFA pond or lake.
"This time of year is a great time to try bream fishing because these species move into shallow water and become more active and easier to catch," says John Biagi, Wildlife Resources Division chief of Fisheries Management. "They also put up a good fight and even better, are good on a dinner plate."
This time of year brings bream towards shallow waters (less than five feet deep) as they search for places to spawn. This includes the backs of major creeks, downstream end of sandbars, small coves and points off the main lake. Bream are attracted to natural shoreline cover (fallen trees, stumps, rocks and vegetation) and artificial cover (boat docks, fish attractors). Look for bream beds – plate-sized, bowl-shaped depressions in shallow water where adult fish will stay for extended periods of time.
The Wildlife Resources Division recommends targeting the following PFAs for bream: Rocky Mountain PFA in Floyd County, McDuffie PFA in McDuffie County, Big Lazer PFA in Talbot County, Marben PFA at the Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center in Newton and Jasper counties, Hugh Gillis PFA in Laurens County and Flat Creek PFA in Houston County.
In addition to PFAs, other bream hot spots include, James "Sloppy" Floyd State Park lakes near Summerville, Lake Richard B. Russell in northeast Georgia, Lake Rabun near Clayton in northeast Georgia, Lake Oliver and Goat Rock Lake near Columbus, High Falls Lake just north of Forsyth, Lake Juliette, near Macon, Lake Jackson in central Georgia, Lake Hamburg, located north of Sandersville on the Little Ogeechee River at Hamburg State Park, Lake Blackshear in southwest Georgia near Cordele, Lake Seminole in southwest Georgia, and the Satilla, St. Marys, Altamaha, Ocholcknee, Flint and Ocmulgee rivers.
Beginner bream anglers should start out with simple and easy to use equipment, such as light to medium rods with light spin-cast reels or medium size open-face spinning gear with six to eight-pound test line. Cane or fiberglass poles with small hooks (size 8-10), small split shot and a float also work well.
Baits and lures to consider are small spinners, small 1/16 to 1/8-ounce jigs, beetle spins and live bait (crickets, meal worms and earth worms) fished under a small float.
If using fly rods, popping bugs, wet flies and small spinner-fly combinations are effective. One especially effective fly rod lure is a small (size 10) sponge rubber spider with rubber band legs. It is best to fish bait on the bottom for shellcrackers while bluegill prefer bait suspended off the bottom.
For more information on fishing in Georgia, visit http://www.gofishgeorgia.com .


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How to Flatiron Wavy Hair, Avoid Damage and Create a Sleek Finish
I don't have straight hair, and I don't have curly hair--I'm sort of at this weird, fuzzy in between texture. My hair responds really well to smoothing products and a flatiron, but it also can get a lot of texture and movement with the right products and diffusing.
That said, I typically wear my hair straight--and as flat as possible. When it comes to flatironing my hair, I have a tendency to go over the same section over and over and over again to get the smooth, sleek look I SO desperately desire.
"There's no reason to do that, it takes more time, muscle memory and compromises hair," says Sam Villa, founding partner of the Sam Villa brand and Education Artistic Director for Redken 5th Avenue. "Let the heat, compression and tension work for YOU," he adds.
As hairdressers, you use your straightening iron on a daily basis, but do you truly understand the principles of a flatiron and how to use it for optimal results? In this video Sam Villa demonstrates the three principles of a flatiron and how to achieve smooth, sleek, straight hair using a comb and an iron; he also shows how to use a round brush and flatiron to create a beautiful beveled finish.
• Heat: Pass is the movement of a thermal tool through a section. The slower the pass, the more heat applied, the faster the pass, the less heat.
• Compression: The closer hands are positioned to the iron plates, the more intense the compression, the farther the hands, the less compression.
• Tension: The more hair needs to be reshaped or manipulated, the more tension is needed, regardless of whether or not it is being straightened or texturized.
To achieve a sleek, smooth, silky finish with a flatiron, Villa suggests spraying horizontal sections with with a thermal protectant that will also help hold the style in place. Then, use the wide teeth of a comb to grab the section (teeth facing up), position the flatiron about one-inch from the scalp and begin to move slowly down the hair strand and compress--let the heat and tension manipulate the hair.
To flatiron hair at the scalp without creating volume at the root, apply a thermal protectant and place the fine teeth of a comb into a section at the scalp area, with the teeth facing down and toward you. Position the outside of the iron on top of the teeth of the comb and slowly comb through the section with the edge of the iron on top of the comb. The minimal amount of heat emanating from the edge of the iron smoothes hair close to the scalp area without fear of burning. Remember to move the iron slowly, it's all about the slow pass.
To learn more, and to check outmore of Villa's videos, visit samvilla.com.


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This short video (~2 minutes) explains how a raindrop falls through the atmosphere and why a more accurate look at raindrops can improve estimates of global precipitation. This information is important to scientists working on the Global... (View More) Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission - understanding the micro world of raindrops provides insight to scientists about the macro world of storms. (View Less)
Materials Cost: Free
Students create a physical model illustrating soil water balance using drinking glasses to represent the soil column, and explain how the model can be used to interpret data and form predictions. Using data from the GLOBE Data Server, they calculate... (View More) the potential evapotranspiration, average monthly temperatures and precipitation for their model. This is a learning activity associated with the GLOBE hydrology investigations and is supported by the Hydrology chapter of the GLOBE Teacher's Guide. (View Less)
Materials Cost: $1 - $5 per group of students


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Champfleury, pseudonym of Jules-françois-félix Husson, (born Sept. 17, 1821, Laon, Fr.—died Dec. 6, 1889, Sèvres), French novelist and journalist, theoretician of the Realist movement, which he analyzed in Le Réalisme (1857). Although his reputation has declined, he was an influential figure whose writings helped to popularize the work of the painter Gustave Courbet, then controversial for his frank portrayal of scenes from common life.
After an interrupted education, Champfleury went to Paris and lived a bohemian existence in a literary group that included the poet Charles Baudelaire. One of his best-known works, in which he tried to realize his theory that novels should be "daguerreotypes" of everyday life, is Chien-Caillou (1847), the story of an unhappy love affair. His massive output also included a history of caricature. A discriminating collector of pottery and popular engravings, he was appointed curator in 1872 of the porcelain collections in the Sèvres Museum.


text: In Berlin, Germany, officials from Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and Imperial Japan sign the ten-year Tripartite Pact (the Three-Power Agreement), a military alliance. The pact sealed cooperation among the three nations (Axis powers) in waging World War II. This footage comes from "The Nazi Plan," a film produced and used by the United States in the prosecution at the Nuremberg trials.


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Dog-Whistling Dixie
When Reagan said "states' rights," he was talking about race.
An academic journal would seem a more likely place than the New York Times op-ed page for a pitched debate about a 27-year-old political speech. But the speech that David Brooks, Bob Herbert, Paul Krugman, and guest contributor Lou Cannon have been arguing about for the last two weeks deserves the broader airing it's getting.
The bone of contention, as readers of "Chatterbox" know, is Ronald Reagan's 1980 endorsement of "states' rights" at the Neshoba County Fair in Mississippi, close to the site of the ruthless 1964 murder of three civil rights workers. This matters because Reagan's election to the presidency that year hinged on bringing into the GOP fold several new groups—including the rank and file of white Southerners, the bulk of whom, for generations after the Civil War, wouldn't dare check a Republican name on a national ballot. Ever since, Dixie, once "solidly" Democratic, has been more or less solidly Republican.
The current row is about interpreting Reagan's defense of "states' rights" and his choice of venue. Was this language, in this place, an endorsement of the white South's wish to reverse the 20-year-old trend of using federal laws (and troops when necessary) to protect the rights of African-Americans? Or was Reagan's remark just an expression of his well-known disdain for "big government"—and his choice of Neshoba County an unhappy blunder? In the ambiguity lies the answer.
The first point to emphasize is that the claim that Reagan was not personally bigoted—the linchpin, for example, of Cannon's defense of the man whose life he has chronicled five times—isn't central. Personal prejudice is far from the only or most pernicious kind of racism, and politicians who don't think ill of blacks can still exploit racist aspects of our society for their own gain.
You have to understand that point to understand the conservative movement's triumph. After all, by 1980 or so, the civil rights movement had for the most part established racial equality as an undisputed good. Only in the farthest reaches of American political culture did public figures dare to make nakedly racist appeals anymore. Even segregationist standard-bearer George Wallace famously renounced his racist past in 1982 en route to re-election as governor of Alabama. These new social norms left no room for the rank white supremacism that once flowed easily from the mouths of many Southern (and non-Southern) leaders.
That doesn't mean, however, that America had attained "the end of racism," as right-wing polemicist Dinesh D'Souza claimed in a 1995 book. For one thing, bigotry continued to fester privately, in sentiments and stereotypes that people were loath to share with reporters or pollsters. Even more important, though, racial inequities had become intricately woven into many policies and structures of American life—from housing patterns to popular notions about crime and welfare—and any discussion of these issues invariably carried a racial subtext. It's against this matrix of racialized social policy that Reagan's rhetoric and ideology, and that of the conservative movement more generally, has to be seen.
In histories of the contemporary right, as historian Michael Kimmage has noted, a dichotomy exists. The conservative movement, which is highly self-conscious about its own history, has generated a library of triumphalist in-house chronicles, most of which deny that racism played a significant role in the success of Reagan or the right. In their telling, ascent stems from "ideas" such as small government, individual freedom, and anti-communism. This account, it should be noted, ignores that conservatives defined the first two of those ideas (if not the third) in ways that, intentionally or not, served to countenance racism. Conservatives spoke of "individual freedom," for instance, but they approached the concept from the perspective of a white businessman, not a black job-seeker.
On the flip side, academic historians have put race at the center of their explanations of the right's rise. These histories tend to stress the migration of the white South from the Democratic Party to the GOP. Such history sometimes shortchanges the role of the Cold War, the Great Society, and the loosening of social mores—as well as factors like the evolution of Dixie's economy. The focus is on Republican opposition first to the civil rights movement and then to later, more controversial efforts to achieve racial equality like busing and affirmative action. At its most tendentious, the argument comes close to stating that Reagan came to power because America, or at least the South, is racist at heart.
Both accounts, obviously, are overdrawn. But there are a few more nuanced histories out there, including Chain Reaction by Tom and Mary Edsall (which Krugman cites in his latest column) and In Search of Another Country by Emory University historian Joe Crespino (who has weighed in on the Reagan-in-1980 controversy here). These credit the way that race has worked as an unspoken subtext in unlikely places. The key to the argument is that Reagan's successhinged on forging messages to Americans—not just Southern whites, incidentally, but also Catholic blue-collar workers and neoconservative intellectuals—that eschewed explicit racism while still tapping into sublimated resentments of blacks or anger at racially fraught policies like busing, welfare, and crime.
In its simplest form, this multitiered message relied on code words. No one who used the phrase "states' rights" in living memory of the massive resistance movement against forced desegregation could be unaware of the message of solidarity it sent to Southern whites about civil rights. (The phrase, of course, had been bound up with racism at least since John Calhoun championed it in his defense of slavery in the 1830s.) But because the term also connoted a general opposition to the growth of the federal government's role in economic life, nonracist whites could comfort themselves that politicians like Nixon and Reagan were using it innocently—and thus shrug off any guilt they might feel for being complicit in racist campaigning. It was a dog whistle to segregationists. In the same vein, Reagan's use of phrases linked to insidious racial stereotypes—his talk of Cadillac-driving welfare queens, or "young bucks" buying T-bone steaks with food stamps—pandered to bigots while making sure not to alienate voters whom starker language would have scared away.
More important, even where code words weren't at work, Reagan's very ideology contained a strong dose of racial conservatism. On one issue after another, Reagan's image and appeal was shot through with a hostility to assisting minorities with positive measures—affirmative action, legal protections for criminal defendants, welfare programs (which mainly helped whites but were perceived as mainly helping blacks). As a standard-bearer of the conservative movement, the Edsalls have written, Reagan in 1980 "revived the sharply polarized racial images of the two parties … with racial conservatism contributing decisively to the GOP advantage."
As Crespino notes, the triumph of the civil rights movement and its assumptions about racial equality forced conservative Southerners to find other issues with which to galvanize voters. On these fronts, too, racial politics nonetheless shaped the debate. Southern candidates created private religious schools, for example, that could escape court-ordered integration, thus recasting the fight as one of religious freedom. In my own research, I've found that today's right-wing attacks on the "liberal media" have roots in George Wallace's relentless war in the early 1960s against the national news agencies whose reporters, he and other Southern whites believed, distorted the terms of their struggle to maintain Jim Crow.
The upshot was that by 1980, race and ideology had become so commingled that one's stand on racial issues served as a proxy for one's partisan preference. Previously, economic issues had been the chief dividing line between the parties. By 1980, though, according to the Edsalls, the changes that followed the civil rights movement had crystallized, and racial politics figured just as strongly. Almost 69 percent of the public, for example, thought the Democrats were likely to aid minorities, compared with just about 11 percent who thought the same of the Republicans. Conversely, roughly 66 percent thought the GOP "unlikely" to aid minorities, while about 12 percent said the same of the Democrats. Even talking about domestic government spending carried a tacit racial message, since public opposition to spending was highest and most intense when it came to programs devoted to the needy and to blacks. By contrast, support for government spending on Social Security, education, health care, and the environment remained robust even during the heyday of Reaganism.
Building on the efforts of Barry Goldwater and Richard Nixon before him, as well as of a generation of Southern Republican leaders, Reagan succeeded in altering the terms of political debate when it came to race. Stripping away the crude bigotry that had cost the white South the rest of nation's sympathy in the 1950s and 1960s, he and other conservative political leaders fashioned an ideology in which racial politics were implicit, and yet still powerful. Ever since, their followers have been able to indignantly claim that any allegations of racism are smears and slurs—and discredit the entire discussion by making it about personal prejudice rather than public policy.


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(F1) Radish Seed
Product ID: 664
Product Images
Extra early radish.
Rover is extra early, holds well in the field, and has less of a tendency to produce oval radishes under heat stress than other varieties. The smooth, dark red roots are extremely uniform and attractive with crisp white flesh. Very widely adapted. Rover is our best round red radish. Avg. 45,600 seeds/lb. Packet: 250 seeds.
Additional Information
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Raphanus sativus
CULTURE: Radishes require friable, well-drained soils with a pH range of 5.8–6.8. Sow at any time during the season, beginning in early spring. Use 2–3" wide bands, seeds about 3/4–1" apart (about 35 seeds/ft. except 10 seeds/ft. for 624 Red Meat and 616 Nero Tondo), 1/2" deep, rows 1' apart, or any row or bedding scheme that will eliminate unplanted ground to discourage weeds. Radishes are adversely affected by hot, dry weather. They remain in prime condition only a few days and should be grown rapidly with plenty of moisture to be mild, tender, and attractive. If growth is checked, roots may become tough, pithy, and too spicy.
INSECT PESTS: Use floating row covers at time of planting to control flea beetles and cabbage root maggots.
HARVEST AND STORAGE: Harvest promptly to avoid pithiness, beginning at about 3-4 weeks when roots are the size of a large marble. Bunch or top, hydrocool, and refrigerate. Topped radishes will keep 3–4 weeks in good, crisp condition if kept at 32°F (0°C), 95% relative humidity, and in breathable packaging. See product descriptions for longer storage of specialty types.
AVG. DIRECT SEEDING RATE: 1 oz./70', 14 oz./1,000', 21 lb./acre at 35 seeds/ft. in rows 18" apart, or 31 lb./acre in rows 12" apart.
SIZED SEEDS: Round red varieties only.
SEED SPECS: SEEDS/LB.: 36,500–61,200 (avg. 47,800).
PACKET: 250 seeds, sows 7'.
Johnny's is committed to your success, every step of the way.
We want you, our customer, to be 100% satisfied with all of our seeds, tools, and supplies.
If anything you purchase from us proves unsatisfactory, we will either replace the item or refund the purchase price.
Quick Facts
- Latin Name
- Raphanus sativus
- Days To Maturity
Average number of days from seeding date to harvest, within a specific crop group. If a transplanted crop: average number of days from transplant date. Not sure if crop is direct-seeded or transplanted? Check the Growing Information box for details. If crop can be both direct-seeded or transplanted, days to maturity refers to direct seeding. Days to maturity for all flowers and herbs is calculated from seeding date.
- 21 Days
Life Cycle
Plants can be Annuals (single growing season), Perennials (grow year after year), Tender Perennials (grow year after year in warmer climates; and in some cases when given special protection in colder climates), or Biennials (require two years to mature).
- Annual
Hybrid Status
Hybrid: The offspring of a cross between two or more distinct parent lines, usually of same species, and selected for improved traits.
Open-pollinated: A non-hybrid variety that can reproduce itself in kind, demonstrating relatively stable traits from one generation to the next.
- Hybrid (F1)
Product Features
- Variety is easy-to-grow.
- Heat Tolerant


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Your source for the latest in fashion fabric from your favorite designers. We feature fashion forward novelty fabric for seamstresses and crafters looking for prints and patterns that are often unavailable in traditional outlets.
We specialize in premium fashion forward Designer Fabric, Novelty Fabric, and Sewing Patterns. We carry the latest top Fabric Designers and Fabric Manufacturers such as Amy Butler, Anna Griffin, Anna Maria Horner, Patricia Bravo, Patty Young, Sarah Jane, Alexander Henry Fabrics, Art Gallery, David Textiles, Free Spirit, Kokka, Michael Miller, Moda, Robert Kaufman, and Windham just to name a few.
Shopping for the perfect fashion fabric here is easy too. You can spend hours browsing the latest patterns and getting inspired, or you can find exactly what you want using the navigational tools—shop fabric by theme if you're looking for something specific or shop by manufacturer or designer if you have a favorite. You can also view special fabric collections from the trendiest names or just browse our new arrivals. We also sell remnants and notions.
Read More


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EmbodyArts necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 136 diseños de 44 diseñadores freelance.
Embody Arts
My name is Stephanie, and I am a Remedial Massage Therapist, and Yoga/Pilates instructor. My business name, Embody Arts, attempts to encompass all the various aspects of my work, where I encourage clients to come back into to their body in order to find their own way towards optimum health. I offer massage therapy and Yogalates (fusion of Yoga and Pilates) classes at a Chiropractic centre in a town of 300,000 people on the East coast of Australia. While it is quite a small and simple business for the moment, my goal is to gradually expand to have a centre of my own, with a range of merchandise carrying the Embody Arts name and logo.
In my business I try to offer my clients a superior service, where the ambience is just as important as the quality of the treatment or class. I also embrace environmental values, and have chosen environmentally conscious yoga equipment. My class sizes are small in order to provide clients with a greater level of care and attention.
My target audience is interested in their health and wellbeing. They are primarily women aged 20-60, but I would also like men to feel welcome and comfortable when seeing the logo, so nothing too feminine. Their values range from conservative to quite alternative, so the logo needs to appeal to a wide range of people.
I need a logo that can be used on business cards, stationary, signage, promotional material, on a website, and on products. More specifically I'm looking for an icon/avatar image that can sit on it's own as a representation of the business, and also sit alongside the business name, so show me both if possible.
The logo needs to:
~ be Simple
~ be Creative
~ Have a sense of flow or softness
~ Ideally make some reference to the physical body, though this can be quite abstract so play with it!
~ Convey some sense of being fully present within ones own body, and then using ones own inner strength to expand out into the universe...
~ One colour - it will be used in colour, black or white on a coloured backgroud depending on the media. The main colour for the business is a deep magenta similar to: http://www.colorcombos.com/9C1C6B-hex-color
I require an editable vector file format like Adobe Illustrator (.AI), with both
RGB and CMYK versions of the logo.
Please, no lotus flowers - too many in use these days.
Good luck!
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.


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"Change is easy. Results are hard." -One of the many slogans from the Presidential Campaign of 2008
It's over ... FINALLY! Barack Obama is our 44th President and oh what a story. Though I pegged him to win it all back in this very space back on December 31, 2007 (just search my blog and see), I still can't believe he won - beating both Hillary Clinton and John McCain, two gigantic political stalwarts of our time. A first time senator from Illinois with minimal name recognition throws his hat into the ring and wins it all. Is this a great country or what?
[Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States of America.]
But now the campaign hoopla is over; now it's time to get down to it. Though President Obama's inauguration is still three months away, we can't afford to wait - strategies need to be drawn up to address not only a host of current issues (the wreckage on Wall Street, the home mortgage meltdown) but many future ones as well (an Iran armed with nuclear weapons, energy security, the federal deficit).
Now comes the really hard part - making the tough choices change demands, so we as a nation can achieve results. This isn't going to be pretty, either - despite Democratic control of both the Executive Branch and Congress, I fully expect a tremendous amount of infighting to occur as we get down to the brass tacks.
Trucking is going to be largely on the back burner as the new Democratic administration gets rolling in 2009 - but don't you worry, this industry is going to feel a major impact from the many decisions that'll be made by the Obama White House in the months and years to come.
I don't for a moment pretend to know what's being discussed within Obama's inner circle in terms of policy initiatives - but I am going to take a stab at this anyway. We'll see for ourselves what's going to be pushed by his administration soon enough.
More alternative energy, far less pollution: This is a big one because Obama made specific commitments in this area in his campaign - proposing to invest $150 billion in renewable energy over the next 10 years, while requiring that 10% of the U.S.'s energy come from renewable source by 2013. By 2020, Obama wants to reduce the nation's demand for electricity by 15% and also backs a "cap and trade" auction system to reduce the emissions of so-called greenhouse gases - reinvesting the money raised from such a system into further research and development of "green energy" technologies, especially solar- and wind-based power generation By 2050, Obama wants to reduce carbon emissions to a level 80% below where they were in 1990.
Lower income taxes: This is a tough one to pull through on, simply because the federal deficit is poised to grow well beyond $11 trillion by next year - largely due to commitments made to shore up the U.S. financial sector ($700 billion is the initial outlay, not including the $123 billion lent to re-insurance giant AIG along with a $25 billion rescue package for U.S. automakers, among others). He says he wants to keep President Bush's tax cuts of 2001 and 2003 in place, while also lowering taxes for lower- and middle-income filers in the U.S. but that's simply impossible. I think he'll rescind the Bush tax cuts, defer his other promised tax breaks, and start raising more money by making wholesale changes to Social Security (raising the retirement age and cutting benefits - disallowing checks for those with substantial investment income) while gutting farm subsidies, reducing defense spending, and beefing up fees paid by corporations for a variety of things (FDIC fees paid by banks are already climbing).
Higher fuel taxes: To boost his alternative energy plans, I believe Obama's administration is going to seriously increase gasoline and diesel taxes - making those fuels more expensive, thus giving alternatives such as biodiesel a more competitive edge. That'll also fatten federal and state coffers in lieu of tolls and highway privatization efforts.
Boost infrastructure spending: Instead of more stimulus checks, I think Obama's administration will instead beef up highway and bridge construction efforts, along with expanding mass transit. That'll create jobs, address long-standing infrastructure needs, and help improve America's competitiveness in terms of attracting more manufacturing concerns from Europe and other places (even Asia). I'm betting he'll move on that pretty quick.
Healthcare reform: A major theme of Obama's candidacy hinged on top-to-bottom reform of healthcare in the U.S. ... but he's been very vague about how he'll do it. He wants to build on the current employer-based healthcare system already in place -- forgoing a nationalized healthcare system proposed by Hillary Clinton in the primaries - but there's not much detail beyond that. There's the idea of a subsidy for low-income families that can't afford healthcare coverage, but it lacks specifics - as does his wish to make sure all children in the U.S, get healthcare coverage. How that'll be fleshed out remains to be seen.
Highway safety: Trucking comes into Obama's sights around 2010, when I believe things like mandating "Black Boxes" to automatically record hours of service (HOS) information as well as crash data (similar to what's found on commercial jetliners) get put on the table. A stake will be driven through the heart of the Mexican truck issue for good in the name of safety as well. But that won't come to the fore until current issues - such as the meltdowns in the financial sector meltdown and home mortgage market are addressed.
That's what I think we'll see from President Obama in the coming months. Whether any of these predictions become true, though, is anyone's guess.


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Rare celestial phenomenon to light up the night sky in 2018
Trump's first state of the union address comes amid Russia investigation
Who is Don McGahn?
Trump firing Mueller would 'be the end of his presidency,' senate republican says
The full 'secret society' text between FBI agents: Was it meant in jest?
Trump speaks at Davos: 'America is the place to do business'
Opponents in high court wedding cake case differ over terms
Death of Canadian billionaire couple ruled murder
Report: Dozens of women claim Billionaire Steve Wynn demonstrated a pattern of sexual misconduct
Time-lapse video of Canadian man building log cabin by himself
Sister survivors: Nassar accusers share their harrowing stories of abuse
Actresses get extra leg, hand in Photoshop fail
How to limit the risk of flu in your home
Mom watches on phone as son hides from 2 men who broke into her home


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EagleRock needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 77 designs submitted by 15 freelance designers.
Eagle Rock Retail
Eagle Rock Retail is a start-up shopping center development and leasing company. Let me explain... Maybe you've noticed a new restaurant or store open in your town. Behind ever new store, restaurant, or shopping center is a company like Eagle Rock Retail that makes the deal happen sort of like the broker who rents an apartment we rent storefronts and in some cases, build new buildings for stores. We are a group of 3 people with a dream to build our own company helping stores to expand their businesses.
Our target market includes many groups:
1. Retailers that would be searching on our website to find available storefronts or that might pick up our business card or brochure and consider calling us about expansion opportunities.
2. Landlords that own shopping centers and hire us to help them rent their space.
3. Banks or investors that will lend us money to build new stores.
These people are all professionals, generally over 30 but rarely over 65. Men out number women 2:1. The retail industry is considered a fun industry.
We liked the name Eagle Rock Retail because it sounds limitless and resilient.
In our industry most companies have very simple logos either built into their name or just as a slight accent to their name. We want you to come up with a logo that willl incorporate our name OR show us how to position it next to our name (and how the name should accompany it).
We are real estate people, not creative people so whatever logo we choose that you design will dictate the look and feel of our website, business cards, staitionary, garage office, and more. Thank you!
We want a logo that is both vibrant and professional.
-Please do not include dollar signs.
-Any way you can think to incorporate an image that relates to a storefront would be interesting but not at all a requirement
-Please avoid using an image of an eagle unless you really think it works.
Thank you in advance for your hard work and creativity!
Please send along any questions you may have.
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


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I spent the past few weeks evaluating a lot of things, both personal (my budget, my garden, my clutter) and professional (my school blog, my lessons/collaboration for January, my presentations, my blog), as many people do this time of year. After thinking about why I blog, new ideas for the blog, and when to blog, I made some new goals I'd like to share with you.
A Goal to Heaven
1. Redesign Archipelago. I am currently working on a new look in WordPress. I hope to have it all done by the end of January. I want to make it easier to read on different browsers, and I want to give it a cleaner look. Anyone have any tips in what to look for in a WordPress theme?
2. Diversify the perspective and the dialog. I want to attract guest bloggers. Would you like to be one? Some are already in the works with seeds planted and minds pondering. I also want to encourage more collaboration through enticing more people to comment on the blog, and therefore I need to start more interesting conversations.
3. Find a schedule. In order to make the blog fun and not a burden, I need a schedule of minimum posts. So, my goal is to write at least one new post every two weeks.
4. Increase visibility and readership while maintaining balance. This one will be difficult, but is most crucial. I enjoy being part of the blogging librarian community, but I do not want it to take over my life - I am a working mom and I do have other hobbies! I think the word balance will be my mantra.
This month is going to be very busy with teaching Diigo for the first time, working with the whole 8th grade on a research project with new technology components, two presentations at another school, a presentation to the faculty, and I am sure more adventures will surface. I am apprehensive about how busy I will be and I hope to tackle reflecting on the projects in my next posts.