text:
I've been a fan of the news portion of this site for some time now, and after a few 'bumps in the road' trying to register, with the help of the sysop/webmistress, I am now a member. Looking forward to interesting and educational discussions, as well as meeting some new friends here.
A little background: I am 'middle aged' (hate that term, but it fits), very interested in a number of topics, but at the forefront has to be my passion for british history, anything pre-Tudor, but particularly pre-history.
My other interests include VC++ programming, astronomy, science, guitar, hockey, and ferrets (hence the nick).


text:
Wise women
Throughout the ancient and medieval periods, ordinary people in Europe who could not afford the services of a university-trained physician turned to popular healers. These were often so-called 'wise' women who possessed knowledge, passed down through generations, of traditional or folk medicine. They dealt with all kinds of illnesses and medical conditions, including childbirth and, in some cases, abortion - though their knowledge and skills were by no means restricted to women's health. Their methods of diagnosis and treatment were based on the belief that all human life was linked to the rest of creation and that this was made clear in the doctrine of signatures. However, wise women also used many practical herbal remedies, drawing on plants and the rest of the natural environment, which they knew well.
Wise women and their medicines were often scoffed at by professionally trained doctors, nearly always male, who were anxious to protect their professional status. However, more recently the herbal remedies of folk medicine have been found to include many naturally occurring ingredients that are medically useful. The concept of signatures on which they relied also underpins modern practices in homeopathy, a prominent branch of alternative medicine.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Working well shouldn't be difficult. Make a list of things to do; tell yourself that you will do a, b and c before lunch; apply posterior to chair; do a, b and c. But most of us know what actually happens: in the absence of a boss to enforce when and where we produce a piece of work, bad habits come into play and we (I) play Spider Solitaire, go on Twitter, answer social emails, pay bills, make more coffee, dust behind the fridge…
That was me, until May 2011. Years of self-employment and working from home had created appallingly chaotic working habits. I got the work done – never missed a deadline yet – but it felt unhappily ill-disciplined, ineffective, pathetic. Social, domestic and work tasks were mixed up; the hours spent at my desk were too long and ineffective; real writing seemed to come last, if at all. Work-life not so much balance as collapsed in a heap of tangled intentions.
In May that changed. Now, if I say "shed", you'll roll your eyes and want to switch off, but I promise this is not about getting a writing shed. It's about stimulus generalisation, as I now realise, thanks to my clinical psychologist friend who nodded wisely when I told her how my working habits changed instantly, the day I got a shed. Stimulus generalisation is something psychologists harness when dealing with addictions and negative habits, she said. Hmmm, sounds like me. Does it sound like you?
I'll briefly explain the relevant aspects of stimulus generalisation but then, more importantly, unpick the elements of what I accidentally did, in order to make suggestions that anyone can use to alter poor working habits, including internet addiction. (Disclosure: I'm not a trained psychologist, though some of my work involves a degree of understanding of how our brains work; I'm just making sense of what happened to me and what might help others.)
Stimulus generalisation is akin to a Pavlovian response, although reflexes are not necessarily involved. Behaviour (leading to habits) is conditioned subconsciously by stimuli around us. So, if you tend to have a glass of wine while cooking the evening meal, cooking the evening meal becomes part of the set of triggers to have a glass of wine. Aspects of cooking the evening meal are the general stimuli around you: the clock saying 7pm, the light falling, the sound of a partner coming home, your own body clock, the smells in the kitchen, all the cues to anticipation of a relaxing evening. Together, these stimuli subconsciously reinforce a habit; and breaking the habit will be very hard if you don't break the stimuli. In theory, you could just say, "I won't have a glass of wine," but the stimuli play heavily on your desires and behaviours and you are pretty likely to have that glass of wine. Thus speaks the voice of experience.
So, let's unpick what happened with my shed. Effectively, I had suddenly changed almost all the stimuli around me, in one go. This made my existing desire to change working habits much easier; it enabled an immediate fresh slate, allowing new stimuli to create new habits. In the same way, an addict is encouraged, as part of therapy, to remove all physical aspects of the situations in which previously he took the addictive substance. Move house; throw away posters, furniture, possessions; avoid the friends who accompanied the addictive behaviour; take up new activities; change as much about your life and environs as possible. Every repeated stimulus has a hold on the person, each one like a strand within a rope.
Let's move away from the specific shed example and generalise the conditions which may make new behaviours possible, conditions which any of us could replicate if we wanted to break undesired working habits.
1. Desire to change. We need to know what we want to change, and to want it strongly enough that we will make effort and think positively about the outcome. Part of this may involve feeling sufficiently negative about the current situation.
2. Planning ahead. Making detailed advance decisions about the changes, and setting a date on which the changes will start, help prime the mind to activate those changes.
3. Investment. It makes sense that if we have invested time, money and/or effort in the changes, this will help motivation.
4. Rising anticipation. If we have to wait eagerly for the start date, this is likely to help.
5. Support from others. Support from partner, family or friends, and their own investment in your success, are likely to have a positive effect.
6. Out with the old and in with the new. The tendency of the brain towards stimulus generalisation means that the more physical surroundings you can change, the better. You may not be able to afford a whole new room, or to replace all the furniture in it, but the more you can alter the physical surroundings, the better.
7. The use of all the senses. Our brains learn best when several senses are used.
Based on those principles, there follow some specific suggestions to help change working habits. Some are small and may seem trivial but your brain will notice more than you think. Some of the larger things won't be practical for everyone and I'm not suggesting anyone does them all: pick a few that suit your situation; plan when to instigate the new regime; then do them all at once. Remember: once you have selected your new stimuli, make sure you apply them to your working hours, not your social or domestic hours. The point is to use a specific setting to teach your brain that it is supposed to be working, not doing social or domestic tasks. Or playing Spider Solitaire… The new environment will perform the role of a boss.
o Move your work-space to a different room.
o Rearrange the furniture in your work-space, including the position of your desk and your view.
o Redecorate with new colours, changing as much as possible.
o Choose new furniture, particularly chair and desk and whatever is in your range of sight while working.
o Create a time-table for arriving and leaving work; leave your office door open if just taking a break, but close it (lock it?) when your working day ends. Make sure you take everything you will need during the evening, just as if you worked away from home; use a briefcase?!
o Have a separate in-tray for domestic/social tasks, and only deal with them outside working hours.
o Even something small can help, such as using a specific mug during working hours, or a particular pen or notebook for "real" writing.
o Anything separate for "work" use will help: stationery, clothes, shelves, diary, etc. Make use of the visual element: eg if you use blue files for work docs, have only the blue files in front of you during work hours or in your work space.
o Use all the senses. The suggestions above are all about what you can see but consider the following: you might play music when working (or when not working); you might harness the sense of smell by lighting a scented candle when doing writing work, or enjoy the smell and taste of real coffee; and yes, you have my permission to eat chocolate to herald the start of a writing session… Anything that you can commit to doing every time you start what is supposed to be a proper working (or writing) session.
The more we can change, the more coherently we plan the changes and the more simultaneously we effect them all, the easier it is for our brain to break old habits and allow new behaviours.
But you've got to want to, as much as I wanted that shed, and you've got to keep wanting it. Old habits not only die hard, they can return. Be vigilant!


text:
June 28, 2007
By Booyeon Lee, Los Angeles Business Journal
Title: Arden Realty chair and professor of finance at UCLA Anderson School of Management; director of the university's Richard S. Ziman Center for Real Estate
Born: 1953, Sacramento
Education: Bachelor's, Master's and Ph.D. in economics from the University of California, Berkeley
Career Turning Point: Served on the staff of the Federal Reserve Board in Washington, D.C., and was responsible for analysis of forecasting domestic housing markets
Hobbies: Cycling, running, reading and travel
Personal: Married with two grown sons
Stuart Gabriel is an eminent figure in local real estate. He was the longtime leader in USC's real estate department until he decided to move across town to be director of UCLA's Richard S. Ziman Center for Real Estate, a post he took earlier this month. He is also a professor of finance at UCLA Anderson School of Management. A lover of nature and an avid cyclist who biked 100 miles round trip to Big Bear two weeks ago, Gabriel characterizes himself as a child of the '70s whose interest in social justice and urban renewal got him interested in housing issues. Gabriel believes that given the strength in L.A.'s demographics, with no indication of a weakening labor market, the fundamentals of the L.A. housing market are robust. However, he said it could take years before L.A.'s current real estate swoon recovers completely. With three degrees from University of California, Berkeley, Gabriel says he knows whom he'll be rooting for during the football season and seemed relieved that he wouldn't have to choose between the Trojans and the Bruins.
Question: What has it been like to transition to a competing university after 17 years at USC? What was the main impetus for your move?
Answer: The Anderson School of Management has been extremely gracious and welcoming. The primary impetus was that the kind people of Anderson school came and found me and kind of clobbered me over the head. I wasn't looking for work, but the leadership of Anderson made a very compelling case, a very attractive case to me.
Q: You've been a Trojan for years. Now that you're a Bruin, what will you do during the football season?
A: I have three degrees from the University of California, Berkeley. That's my answer.
Q: Real estate is the lifeblood of Los Angeles. How has it evolved in recent years?
A: The story with L.A. in a nutshell is that transportation costs are getting significantly higher over time and will continue to move up both in terms of the out-of-pocket cost of commuting as well as the time cost of commuting. Our freeways are terribly congested, and given limitations on state and federal funding, the likelihood of building major rapid transit systems or freeways is very low. This forces people to live closer in and commute shorter distances. This means L.A. is densifying. We're going to see more vertical constructions and less in the way of old school tract single-family subdivision developments in far-flung areas of suburbia.
Q: Is "Urban L.A." finally being born? What will L.A. look like in the next decade?
A: Urban L.A. is being born. It's been born downtown, born in Westwood, born all over Westside. L.A. of tomorrow will have a lot of condo high-rises and rental high-rise properties that are closer in. L.A. in a decade from now will look like an older East Coast city or a European city in terms of a very densely populated vertical core. It will be pedestrian-friendly with much more reliance on public transportation. I myself prefer a bicycle. My aspiration is to commute by bike some day.
Q: You see this taking shape on Wilshire Boulevard, where the tallest residential buildings proposed are anchored by MTA stations, right?
A: That actually follows an explicit policy for the city of Los Angeles to encourage mixed-use development, including residential, retail and office space, within direct proximity to transit station. This is a play out of the playbook of the highly esteemed international cities. If you go to Tokyo, for instance, and you go around the city on the JR line, you see that every transit stop is packed with development that goes many stories up and below the surface. You see this in Paris or London and yes, this will be the future of L.A.
Q: How will this shape the surrounding areas of Wilshire Boulevard, such as Koreatown, in the future?
A: Koreatown is blessed with a profoundly advantageous location. It's really at the core of the L.A. metropolitan area. And Koreatown, like its neighbors south of the Santa Monica Freeway, have for decades been undervalued. If you look again at the commute constraints and where employment is being developed, there's no doubt in my mind that there's a very bright future for real estate in and around Koreatown as well as the real estate in South L.A.
Q: How has the mortgage market changed with regards to the exotic loans that have been eliminated since the subprime meltdown?
A: One way of describing the subprime sector is to think about a pendulum that has swung really hard from one end of its rotation to the other. If you turn the clock back four years, we had an extraordinarily accommodating monetary policy on the part of the Fed, generational lows in mortgage interest rates, and the introduction of innovative mortgage designs, including many subprime, negatively amortizing interest-only types of instruments. Now the pendulum has swung to the opposite extreme. Regulation has tightened significantly. Underwriting has tightened. Certain instruments will no longer be purchased by the secondary market. The Fed has tightened monetary policy very significantly, making mortgages expensive. All those factors together have made for a very different mortgage environment.
Q: The L.A. market continues to swoon. When do you expect it to recover?
A: Over the mid- to long run, given the strength in demographics, and unlike prior situations with no observable weakening of labor markets, we will definitely get through this. It's not this quarter; it's not next quarter. The metric is one of years rather than months. These things tend to persist longer than we hope for. We have a metropolitan area that's growing, subject to population and income growth as well as employment growth. All of these fundamentals look pretty healthy. What doesn't look healthy is affordability, in terms of the availability of credit and the cost of credit. Because the Fed brought the short term rates up by more than 400 basis points from a low level of 1 percent to the current 5.25 percent, all the adjustable rate mortgages originated in recent years are going to ratchet up. It's anticipated that the typical adjustment in payment is going to be 25 percent, which is going to be difficult for most households to cope with.
Q: With all this institutional knowledge, have you cashed out in the real estate market? Where do you live?
A: No, I haven't cashed out. I live in the Conejo Valley in the Westlake Village area, and I've been living in the same house for 15 years. This is the house where my kids grew up in a very pleasant community with very good public schools.
Q: That's sounds like a long commute.
A: It's the kind of thing you do for your kids, right?
Q: What do you think of these $35 million super-expensive homes? Is this healthy for L.A.?
A: This is the market talking. And those homes wouldn't be there if there wasn't a demand for those homes. This is an indication that here in L.A., like in New York or London or Paris, there is a non-trivial class of individuals who are extremely wealthy and they like to live in nice houses. It's a submarket and we have lots of different submarkets.
Q: In terms of analysis and forecasts, USC has been portrayed as booster-ish, while UCLA has been seen as bearish. Where do you fit in?
A: I know the economic forecasters in both places really well and I would say that there clearly is room for differences of opinion. Their crystal ball gets awfully murky at times even with the best data and the best econometric models and we are all trying to do our best to cull insights out of those models and data.
Q: How did you decide to get into the study of real estate?
A: My grandfather was a homebuilder and my father is a civil engineer. That's one way to answer the question. The other is that as an undergraduate at Berkeley, I spent a year working for a housing research group in Washington D.C. run by Ralph Nader, way back in the days of Nader's Raiders. This kicked in an initial interest in real estate. As a graduate student in economics, I became very interested in public and social policy and social issues. I grew up in the '70s when there was a lot of social turbulence. A lot of those problems focused on urban problems. Cities were burning. There was great racial strife in cities and downtowns were being emptied out as the populations flooded to the suburbs. And it was my interest in urban issues that made me focus my Ph.D. in economics on urban housing markets. I then moved on to the Fed where I did macroeconomics of real estate markets and finally back to academia with continued focus in real estate financing.
Q: When was the most memorable time in your childhood?
A: I spent some of my high school years in Israel, because my father took a sabbatical there as a professor of engineering. Because I traveled a fair amount in Europe and in the Middle East, I got a taste for different cultures and lifestyles and issues at a fairly young age. I also lived through a war or two in Israel that taught me a few lessons of life at a fairly young age.
Q: Which wars did you live through?
A: I was there during the 1973 Yom Kippur War and also during the Lebanon War in the early 1980s.
Q: What was the toughest stretch of your career?
A: I think that like many households, probably the toughest time was as a young assistant professor with young children and lack of job security, seeking to attain tenure and to do right in my fathering activities and obviously, with the constraints of university-based incomes.
Q: What is your favorite part of job?
A: I really enjoy all the different parts of my job. I enjoy that my job changes every day and sometimes every hour. I never get bored. You have a lot of discretion as to what you teach and how you teach. You have a lot of autonomy as to what you get to do research on. There's a lot of creativity and dynamic in both of those activities. My job, as in many jobs in today's world, require a lot hours. It helps if you enjoy what you do.
Q: What do you do on your free time?
A: Like many people my age, not every piece of my knee is still intact. I've been a runner for about 30 years, but recently I've taken up cycling and I've met some friends who have encouraged me to join them in their escapades. The latest one was this past Saturday where we rode up to Big Bear and back.
Q: How long was the journey?
A: It took about eight hours, including about an hour of rest stops. We started at 6:30 a.m. and got in at 3:30 p.m. We drove out to the Inland Empire and parked near University of Redlands, and from there went up the hill to Big Bear, around the lake and back down the hill. Altogether it was about 100 miles.
Q: What do you like the best about being on a bike?
A: I like riding and hiking both because you're in nature and you have a lot of scenery often times beautiful and changing because you're moving. At the same time, you're getting a high-level physical activity that's fun and challenging. It's usually done with friends so I enjoy just kind of shooting the breeze and having fun.
Q: What kind of legacy do you want to leave behind? What would you like your tombstone to say, for example?
A: I'd want it to say that I helped to create some higher levels of understanding and respect and love in the activities that I engaged in and somehow they added up to some dimension of goodness.
Q: Is that how do you measure your success?
A: Partially. I also have to publish a lot, or else. (Laughing.)
Q: What is your favorite piece of real estate in LA?
A: This is actually pretty easy. It's the Santa Monica Mountains. And it's the glorious vistas of the Pacific and it's the oak trees and the pine trees and the wonderful nature of that environment.
About UCLA Anderson School of Management
UCLA Anderson School of Management, established in 1935, is regarded among the very best business schools in the world. UCLA Anderson faculty are ranked #1 in "intellectual capital" by BusinessWeek and are renowned for their teaching excellence and research in advancing management thinking. Each year, UCLA Anderson provides management education to more than 1,600 students enrolled in MBA, Executive MBA, Fully-Employed MBA and doctoral programs, and to more than 2,000 professional managers through executive education programs. Combining highly selective admissions, varied and innovative learning programs, and a world-wide network of 35,000 alumni, UCLA Anderson develops and prepares global leaders.


text:
Offensive performance by position (and the closely related topic of positional adjustments) has always interested me, and so each year I like to examine the most recent season's totals. I believe that offensive positional averages can be an important tool for approximating the defensive value of each position, but they are certainly not a magic bullet and need to include more than one year of data if they are to be utilized in that capacity. So the discussion that follows is not rigorous and focuses on 2009 only.
The first obvious thing to look at is the positional totals for 2009, with the data coming from Baseball-Reference.com. "MLB" is the overall total for MLB, which is not the same as the sum of all the positions here, as pinch-hitters and runners are not included in those. "POS" is the MLB totals minus the pitcher totals, yielding the composite performance by non-pitchers. "PADJ" is the position adjustment, which is the position RG divided by the position (non-pitcher) average. "LPADJ" is the long-term positional adjustment that I used, based on 1992-2001 data. The rows "79" and "3D" are the combined corner outfield and 1B/DH totals, respectively:
I will refrain from commenting, since any drawing any conclusions based on one year of data would be inappropriate.
Next, let's look at NL pitchers' hitting by team. I'm not even going to snark about this, at least not this year. The teams are ranked by RAA above an average pitching staff, which as you can see in the chart above created .28 runs per game. RG is based on just the basic offensive stats plus SB and CS, so sacrifices, which I don't have to tell you are quite frequent for pitchers, play no part in the estimate:
For the second consecutive season, Cubs pitchers were the most productive, but they did drop from +18 to +9. St. Louis, second last year at +8, dropped to +5 but still finished a respectable third. As a group, major league pitchers created runs at just 6% of the overall average, which is about as low as it ever has been.
For the second consecutive season, Toronto pitchers failed to reach base (by hit or walk) in 20 PA, bringing their two year total to 36 PA without reaching. Assuming that they had a true OBA talent of just .150, the probability of this is 1 in 347. Cleveland, Texas, and Minnesota pitchers all failed to collect a hit in their limited chances, but Toronto stood alone in failing to reach base.
Now, let's take a look at the teams with the highest and lowest RAA at each position. RAA is figured using the 2009 positional averages only, without distinguishing between leagues, which means that AL and NL teams will not sum to zero. This is a little distracting but doesn't do much to change the rank order as the opportunities for each team position are relatively equal. Left and right fielders are considered together to figure their baseline (but not first baseman and DHs). The figures have been park-adjusted.
I will not bother running a chart for highest RAA, as it is not exactly surprising that Minnesota catchers or St. Louis first baseman were standouts. It is the trailing teams that are more interesting to investigate. A simple list of the leading teams will suffice:
It is interesting that Dodger left fielders and Met center fielders managed to lead the way despite missing their flagship players for significant portions of the season. The Dodgers had Manny (944 OPS in 418 PA) and Juan Pierre (778 in 308) in left almost exclusively (only 4 PA went to other hitters), and it is obvious that their first place showing was mostly Manny's doing. Carlos Beltran was the main force behind the Met performance (930 OPS in 342 PA), but Angel Pagan (818 in 264) helped the cause as well, and 109 PA came from four other players.
Now, the worst performances, along with the player who led the team in games played at the position:
AL teams do not fare well, but it's more of a coincidence than a systematic bias--AL position players (not including pinch-hitters) combined to hit .268/.333/.430 while their NL counterparts hit .267/.336/.425, essentially the same level of production. It just so happened that Kansas City and Seattle punted on getting offensive out of two positions each.
Let me conclude by looking at the RAA for each position, with negative performances in red and those +/- 20 runs bolded (an arbitrary cutoff, to be sure). The teams are grouped by division and sorted by the sum of RAA across all listed positions:
The Phillies led the NL with six above average positions. Strangely, first base, manned by perennial MVP candidate Ryan Howard, was only their fourth-most productive spot. At least the Mets can't blame their star players for team shortcomings this year, although I'm sure someone will try. As you already knew, Washington's offense wasn't really that bad, but in this division that leaves them at the bottom.
Milwaukee picked up the Mets' banner for a star-driven offense this year, leading the NL with three +20 RAA positions, although second base has to be considered a surprise. They led the NL in infield and corner (1B, 3B, LF, and RF) RAA. On the other hand, the Cards were operating on the one star plan. The Pirates had just one above average position, tied for the fewest in the NL, and were last in the NL in infield and corner RAA, but still beat out the Reds, the only NL team with four -20 positions and the owners of the worst outfield production in the circuit. It's a good thing they got rid of Adam Dunn (*) and signed Willy Taveras, obviously.
(*) I'm not making any statement on Dunn's fielding or his contract, just the amazing ability of some Reds fans to scapegoat him for everything, including his offense.
Los Angeles boasted baseball's most productive outfield, but was just +2 total at the other positions. For the second straight season, the Padres got surprising production out of center field; last year it was Jody Gerut and Scott Hairston who manned the position. This year, Hairston was great in 146 PA and 378 PA from Tony Gwynn Jr. were good enough. Arizona and San Francisco both have offenses filled with black holes, but the DBacks had five above average performers while only the Giants third baseman (read: Sandoval) were above average.
Another entry in the obvious department: the Yankee offense was good. They led the AL in above average positions (8), infield RAA, and corner RAA. All four infield positions were +20 or better, and their center fielders just missed breaking even. Boston had the AL's top outfield RAA, with solid performances everywhere except shortstop.
Minnesota did their best to balance out Joe Mauer's amazing season with a disastrous second base performance, while Cleveland joined the Angels and Pirates as the only teams in baseball with no positions +/- 20 runs. The Pirates were bad overall, the Indians average, and the Angels good. Detroit and Kansas City were the only teams in the AL with just two positive positions, but Chicago wasn't far behind as none of their four above average positions were better than +4. The Royals had four -20 positions and the worst outfield RAA in the majors.
I didn't make any attempt to measure it formally, but the Angles probably had the most balanced positional offense in baseball, with all positions in the -6 to +19 range. Ranger first baseman had the lowest RAA of any position. Oakland had the majors' lowest infield and corner RAA, largely driven by their first baseman, who were almost as bad as those of the Rangers. Seattle was worse overall, despite a good performance from Ichiro in right, as they had three black holes.
Yuniesky Betancourt deserves a special mention, as he helped lead the Royals to the lowest RAA at short in the majors and the Mariners to second worst. He didn't do it all alone, however; shockingly, in both stints he had a higher OPS at short than his teammates did. Taking 39% of the Mariners SS PA, he had a 609 OPS vs. 587 for his teammates, and in 43% of the Royals SS PA he OPSed 642 to his teammates 517. And that's just sad.
Here is a link to a spreadsheet with each team's performance by position.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Hitting by Position, 2009
Offensive performance by position (and the closely related topic of positional adjustments) has always interested me, and so each year I like to examine the most recent season's totals. I believe that offensive positional averages can be an important tool for approximating the defensive value of each position, but they are certainly not a magic bullet and need to include more than one year of data if they are to be utilized in that capacity. So the discussion that follows is not rigorous and focuses on 2009 only.
2 comments:
- terpsfan101March 6, 2010 at 5:41 AM
Batting by position for every season (1871-2009):ReplyDelete
Years that are not estimates show pinch hitting and pinch running. For the estimates I multiplied the players batting stats by the percentage of estimated innings he played at each position. Here's an example:
500 100 150 30 5 30 100 90
2400 800 800
I also included league breakdowns for starting/relief pitching. Unfortunately, I couldn't think of a good way to estimate starting/relief stats for years where Retrosheet doesn't have boxscores.
Good stuff. I've published some historical positional data in the past, but it was based solely on primary position rather than splitting by defensive innings.ReplyDelete
I don't have any ideas on the starter/reliever conundrum you're facing, especially with the way that bullpen usage has been in flux throughout the history of the game.
Comments are moderated, so there will be a lag between your post and it actually appearing. I reserve the right to reject any comment for any reason.


text:
One in five of China's athletes lie about their age
Is anyone shocked by this news?
An x-ray analysis of the bones of competitors in the Youth Games in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong discovered that 3,000 of the 15,000 athletes, or 20 per cent, had misrepresented their age.Steps are being taken to prevent a repeat at next year's Asia games. What happened in Beijing has so tainted Chinese sports, its going to be awfully hard to accept anyone's word that age shenanigans won't be happening there also.
Two thousand of them were too old to be eligible for youth competition, while one offender was seven years older than he claimed.
Suspicions of age-faking have dogged Chinese sport and caused embarrassment for China during last year's Olympic Games in Beijing. He Kexin, a gold medal-winning gymnast was investigated by the International Olympic Committee after being accused of being only 14 years old and ineligible.
Although Miss He was eventually cleared by the IOC, suspicions linger on and Bruno Grandi, the president of the International Gymnastics Federation recently gave an interview to the German press in which he said that there was "strong circumstantial evidence" of age falsification by the Chinese.


text:
Here is your chance to order one of the 100 copies of the gold vinyl version of Monnos. Conan's new masterpiece that will be unleashed upon the world in a few weeks time. The pre-order is up now over here in our store. And you'll get a T-shirt with that order as well. Don't like colored vinyl? There's always the possibility of buying one on black wax.
If you don't know what album we are talking about, head on over to Metal Hammer UK. They will stream the Conan album for the whole week.
Some press quotes on Monnos:
"Conan are comprised almost exclusively of sonic devastation. They exist as a kind of touchstone, a comparison point of tone-worship taken to a new extreme – you hear another band trying to be really, really heavy, and you ask yourself, "Well, okay, but is it as heavy as Conan?" The answer will nearly always be no. "
"A band who just wrapped what's sure to be one of 2012's best records"
" I shutter to think where they might go from here, and I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if several bands set sail in this album's massive wake. Something this bold is bound to be influential." The Obelisk
"This album should hopefully launch CONAN on the international stage in a big way. As these guys deserve it. They have been doing this for a long while and now its time for the world to open their eyes to CONAN."
"MONNOS is a genre-defining classic in the making. Simply Superb." Sludgelord


text:
Sorry, this article won't be online until May 28, 2018. In the meantime, why not subscribe to the magazine? You'll be able to read articles before InTheseTimes.com readers and receive content that never appears online.
At the University of Montana, You Must Pass an Anti-Rape Test Before You Register
After Jon Krakauer exposed a rape epidemic, the university embarked on a radical experiment in stopping sexual assault.
By Gabriel Furshong


text: 18 Dec 2013 10:30 As part of its growing commitment to the African market, Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates has appointed Joan Mwanki as its new General Manager based in Nairobi, Kenya. With a strong track record of working in a commercial aviation environment, Joan's key responsibilities will be to increase awareness of the Etihad Airways brand and develop and further grow the relationships with the key travel trade and corporate customers across East Africa. Prior to joining Etihad Airways, Joan held key positions with codeshare partner, Kenya Airways, where she spent seven years developing an in-depth understanding of the business and leisure travel markets on the carrier's African network, including Mozambique, Zimbabwe and most recently in Tanzania, covering mainland Tanzania and the island of Zanzibar. Danny Barranger, Etihad Airways' Vice President - Global Sales, said: "Joan's experience and extensive contacts within the East and Southern African travel industry will be invaluable as she continues to strengthen our presence in this market. I am confident that she will make a significant contribution in serving the growing numbers of guests travelling from across the region, through Nairobi to the UAE and beyond." Etihad Airways launched its daily service from Abu Dhabi to Nairobi in April 2012 and currently operates a two-class A320 aircraft on this route, configured to carry 16 passengers in Pearl Business and 120 passengers in Coral Economy class. 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


text:
Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen
~John Steinbeck
I have been in a total writers block for quite some time. I haven't felt like writing anything whether it be a blog post, a short story, or a poem. Nothing has been coming to my brain. Then two of my friends from my Arizona Writer's Round Table started chatting about NaNoWriMo on Facebook. This was something that I had never heard of before. For those who don't know, NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month and it occurs every November since 1999. As the picture above kind of demonstrates you have 30 days to write 50,000 words! There are no cash prizes or fancy plaques at the end of it. Winning is reaching the goal. Self satisfaction in completing the task.
The concept intrigued me and the more I read statuses between my friends I was drawn in. So without really knowing what I was getting into I decided to give it a try. This was what I needed to get back into writing and it recharged my brain. I got more out of this experience than a manuscript.
1. Writing is not the solitary activity I had always thought it to be. I didn't partake in any of the regional events that occur, but perhaps next year I will. I did play around on the forums, but that isn't a medium I really enjoy and honestly, forums confuse me. I did have the support and encouragement from the two friends who got me involved, as well as family and other friends. I also got to hang out with Marlene who is one of my writing buddies and I haven't spent 4 hours in a coffee shop bouncing ideas off someone in a long time; having that feedback was so amazing! I don't know if any of those supporters know how important that cheering was to me getting through this month.
2. Kevin can put
up with my flights of fancy even when it means the apartment isn't cleaned for a month and still love me even if it completely frustrates him and he doesn't fully understand how I can zone out while writing and not hear him when he's less than two feet away from me.
3. The dry spell of writing may finally be over! (Thanks to Cyndi for being the muse that got me into this entire process)
4. I can do amazing things when I put my mind to it. Ten years ago I had a goal of 500 words a day to finish Dragonchild and I've already rewritten it completely once, with Kalahtaya I averaged 1,881 words. I still haven't a conclusion to the book and it drives me crazy because it is not my usual style of writing and to me feels like its dragging but is actually building to something. I just wish I knew what that something is.
5. My friends are incredibly patient with me posting my updates. I used my facebook profile as an accountability meter. I would post my daily progress with the day count and the total. I clarified that it was my intention because I realized it could be taken as incredibly arrogant. In this process though, I did realize how they way you look at things makes a world of difference. I recorded where I was in the process. For example:
Day 22: 1,311 wordsTotal: 42,579 words
I focused on how far I had come instead of how much was left. (In case my friend reads this, please know I am just pointing out an observation and not critiquing.) Instead of saying: 7421 words to go. For me I think the second statement would have felt insurmountable. This was a huge step for me. I am horrible at positive thinking and this month inadvertently showed me the difference in perception and made me feel confidant and happy in each days works. Even days that yielded a mere 200 words I didn't get down on myself.
6. I have habits in my writing. Groups of three and names that end in ah or eh sounds are incredibly prominent. I purposely changed names just to try and get away from this, but the power of three is very strong in my writing. My heroine in Dragonchild traveled with two companions the entire book, even when the original ones bowed out they were replaced to keep with the threes, oh and her name is Eva. In this story the town is Kalahtaya, the main character is Kitra and her granddaughter is Marlea. I have also rewritten the mythology of the first book which means continuity is going to be hard pressed to streamline. This was also the first time I've written an entire story with a character name that I am really disliking, but feel at this point changing it might be wrong even if I don't feel he owns the name or if it's just because it ends in ah and I want to break pattern.
7. I am terrified of editing this since it was so insane writing this and I can't say for sure what I wrote. Maybe I do need to back off and start editing in the hopes that a conclusion will occur. Especially since this went a complete opposite direction of what I had hoped. Originally, Marlea was the main character, but Kitra elbowed her way into the spotlight.
7. I am terrified of editing this since it was so insane writing this and I can't say for sure what I wrote. Maybe I do need to back off and start editing in the hopes that a conclusion will occur. Especially since this went a complete opposite direction of what I had hoped. Originally, Marlea was the main character, but Kitra elbowed her way into the spotlight.
PS: I'm sorry the formatting is crappy, I'm having trouble with things working together properly.


text:
10 Lessons from Our Breakfast Engagement
With a few days to reflect, review, and receive feedback, one thing is pretty clear: Monday's "Breakfast Engagement" event was just the beginning of a very necessary conversation. What advertisers and publishers measure, and what matters to audiences is still evolving rapidly.
If we're going to be stuck with a few simple metrics, let's make sure they support quality on the web, says @arctictony #EngageIWNY
— Sean Blanchfield (@seanblanchfield) May 19, 2014
Big Questions
When we dived into producing this event, we were convinced that—just as the conversation about new ways of measuring engagement was coming to a head—there were still few good answers about what the shift toward measuring engagement versus measuring clicks or pageviews means. And publishers were at a loss as to how they can take advantage of it.
As much as it pains us, we still live in a pageview world. The majority of the web's advertising infrastructure is set up to work that way, and that's what advertisers and agencies are familiar with. At the end of the day, as much as the problems with the model are obvious—click farms and fraudulent clicks, low user engagement, and so on—it's a model that scales impressively.
At the same time, many people are troubled by the way that advertising is moving: More publishers are launching non-standard ad units, native advertising, and so on. The pressing questions for publishers and advertisers are simply about how to make an honest buck.
More aspirationally, how does the industry move from cramming as many ads as possible as quickly as possible in front of people toward something that is fundamentally more honest. In other words, how do we avoid pissing off the people we're trying to reach, while continuing to recognize the fact that, for the most part, advertisers continue to pay for a large share of content that is produced and consumed every day. That's what we wanted to grapple with.
The Experiment
So where does that leave things? Well, as far as we can see, most people are saying "it's the advertising industry's job to change" if the model is broken. But that's not happening yet.
So we set out to ask:
- What can we do to bring more attention to these questions and challenges?
- Who's actually doing great work already? Who's taking action? Who are the role models?
- And, if it's not an issue of technology anymore—that is, the technology is there. We've got the tools! We've got the experience!—why isn't change happening more quickly?
Those questions in hand, we set out to advance the conversation. To do that, we brought more than 100 people together for three hours of discussion in the heart of Silicon Alley. In addition to the lineup of smart folks we gathered from Union Square Ventures, Disqus, Chartbeat, Quartz, Mashable, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Etsy, Sunday Dinner, and Comedy Central, we also had a room full of industry representatives: Edelman, NBC, Martha Stewart, Huffington Post, Conde Nast, Business Insider, Quantcast, Mediacom, Digitas, Harvard, The Guardian, CUNY Journalism, and the IAB, to name just a few.
10 Lessons
Starting with the evocative Fred Wilson interview and concluding with the incredibly informative head-to-head with Tony Haile and Jay Lauff, here were my key takeaways:
- Paywalls vs. user engagement. Fred Wilson doesn't believe they can co-exist. This played out as one of the more interesting dynamics that was debated that morning.
- When you've got engagement nailed, you're able to tell a story that's meaningful and users don't have a shitty experience.
- If we can put a new focus on what the goal is for everybody, maybe we can get away from the unproductive debates about new forms of advertising, like native ads or branded content, and get to work experimenting instead.
- A person's "attention" is definitely one of the more valuable measurements we have. Let's start sharing that story with advertisers.
- However, on the flip side, measuring attention isn't easy! As Tony asked "What's worth more: when a user views all of short video, or half of a long one?" Each publisher is going to need to figure that out.
- Resolving the tension between "viewed ads" (the ideal) and "delivered ads" (currently measured) also isn't easy. There's only so much above-the-fold real estate to go around.
- More publishers are finding that it's not about the amount of time someone spends during one visit to their site but, instead, the total attention captured over time. Getting people to come back has to be part of the equation, and part of what's pitched to advertisers.
- Premium quality content works when you get the right audience & their attention, and impact their experience.
- We too often confuse user engagement with social sharing. We need to define good engagement: it should be memorable, relevant, and eventually drive some kind of action.
- As several people mentioned during the event, clicks can't possibly measure the reach of a good campaign with thoughtful and engaging creative. The same goes for good content.
Steve Roy, VP of Marketing at Disqus has also done a good summary of the event, which includes videos from the Fred Wilson interview, and the Tony Haile and Jay Lauf debate. If you were there, let me know your key takeaways in the comments below or on Twitter.
What's Next
Looking back—if I were to do it again—I would push to invest a lot more time getting the folks who were not on stage actually wrestling with the questions we were hoping to shed light on.
We started with the mandate of "No. Boring. Panels!" and I think we achieved that to a degree. We heard from the people in the audience frequently and repeatedly, and their questions and analysis were bang-on. What I really longed for was to have the people in that room talking to each other, trying to figure out some solutions.
I'm more convinced than ever that we've just touched the surface of this conversation. I'm convinced that there are solutions within reach. I'm confident that we just need to get the right people in the room one or two more times to see this conversation move forward with some impressive momentum.
And a key lesson for me, gleaned in those anxiety-ridden moments of creative constraint—as the clock ticked toward 9:30 a.m., realizing that Christina Warren our star interviewer was still stuck in traffic—we ran through the options in the case we needed to start without Christina. In seconds it was clear what the best option would have been if we had to choose: let the people in the room lead the interview.
That will be the core of our next event, which we hope to announce soon, as we continue to try to close the gap between publishers, advertisers, platforms, and people, by actually bringing them together to get their hands dirty. If that's appealing to you, please stay in touch.
Phillip Smith is a veteran digital publishing consultant, online advocacy specialist, and strategic convener. You can find him on Twitter and at www.phillipadsmith.com


text:
This is the Fairy Tea Party Cake I made for the Washington State Cake Show. The theme of the show was 'Decorated to a Tea'. I entered it in the advanced catagory and won Best of Category! The cake also won the Best of Theme award!
Recent Posts
Copyright © 2009 Whimsical by Design, Powered by Blogger
CSS designed by Mohd Huzairy from MentariWorks
Blogger Templates created by Deluxe Templates


text:
DELAND, FLA. – Stetson University connected on 22-of-30 free throws, including 12-of-14 in overtime, to slip past the Lipscomb University Bisons 85-81.
It was the third overtime loss of the year for the Bisons.
Michael Lusk led the Bisons with a career high 22 points, including 13 in overtime. Adnan Hodzic (17) and Josh Slater (14) also scored in double-figures for the seventh consecutive game.
Lipscomb scored their first eight points in the lane and took an early 8-4 lead just three minutes in. Stetson quickly evened the game at eight.
The Bisons went up 24-23 with 6:44 left in the first when Slater scored a fastbreak layup off turnover by Stetson's Sheldon Oliver.
It would be the last field goal for Lipscomb until Lusk connected on a 3-pointer with 2:05 left to end a 15-1 run by the Hatters.
Lusk's three started an 8-2 run to cut Stetson's lead to seven (40-33) at the half.
Slater drained a 3-pointer as time expired on the shot clock to open the second half for the Bisons. Lipscomb opened the period on a 9-2 run with Slater scoring seven of those points.
Hodzic scored a three-point play with 14:18 left to give the Bisons a 47-44 lead.
Lipscomb took a four-point lead, their largest of the half, on two free throws by Josh Slater with 11:42 remaining.
Stetson's Garfield Blair converted four consecutive free throws to knot the game at 53 with 9:58 on the clock and then A.J. Smith put Stetson up two on a layup off a Michael Lusk turnover.
Eric Diaz capped the 8-0 run for the Hatters with a jumper at the 9:03 mark following another Lipscomb turnover.
Lipscomb responded with a 6-0 run off two layups by Adnan Hodzic and a layup by Thomas Pfaff to go up 59-57 with 5:32 remaining.
Blair tied the game at 59 with two free throws on the next possession. Hodzic gave the Bisons a two point lead with two free throws with 4:07 remaining.
Neither team scored until Kris Thomas gave the Hatters a 62-61 lead with 1:12 left on a 3-pointer. The Bisons turned the ball over three times during the scoring drought.
A.J. Smith nailed two free throws with 11 seconds remaining put Stetson up three (63-61).
Lusk sent the game to overtime with a three with seven seconds left.
Lipscomb took their only lead of overtime when Lusk nailed a jumper on the first possession to go up 66-64.
Stetson went on a 7-0 run to go up 71-66 with 2:04 left. Brian Wright ended the run with a 3-pointer with 1:54 remaining.
Stetson stretched their lead to six before Lusk connected on another three with 40 seconds left to make it 76-73.
Stetson connected on four more free throws before Lusk nailed another three nine seconds later to bring the Bisons within four.
Kris Thomas gave Stetson a five point lead before Lusk hit two free throws to make it an 81-78 game with 22 seconds remaining.
Smith hit two more free throws for the Hatters to bring their lead back to five. Lusk missed a 3-pointer on the other end, but Josh Slater got the offensive rebound and passed it two Lusk who connected on his third three of overtime to make it a two point game (83-81) with eight seconds left.
Blair hit two free throws to give Stetson an 85-81 lead with 5.5 ticks on the clock.
Blair led Stetson with 26 points and 10 rebounds. He was 10-of-10 from the free throw line. A.J. Smith scored 22 for the Hatters. He was seven-of-eight from the free throw line.
Lipscomb shot 31-of-66 (47 percent) from the field. Stetson was 28-of-60 (47.8 percent).
Lipscomb was 10-of-22 (45.5 percent) from the 3-point line, including four-of-nine in the extra period. Stetson finished 7-of-23 (30.4 percent) from downtown after making five attempts in a row over seven minutes in the first half.
Lipscomb was 9-of-13 (69.2 percent) from the free throw line. Stetson was 22-of-30 (73.3 percent) for the game and 21-of-25 in the second period and overtime.
Lipscomb falls to 0-5 on the year when making fewer free throws than their opponent.
The Bisons held a 37-34 advantage on the boards. Slater led Lipscomb with nine boards. Four were in overtime.
Slater, Lusk, and Jimmy Oden each had three assists.
Lipscomb turned the ball over 19 times. Stetson had seven steals.
Stetson turned the ball over 13 times while Slater had three of Lipscomb's seven steals.
Lipscomb drops to 8-12, 4-7 in the A-Sun. Stetson is 9-11, 6-6 in the A-Sun.
Lipscomb and Stetson's coaching staffs wore tennis shoes during the game as part of Coaches vs. Cancer's campaign to leverage the strength, community leadership and the celebrity of basketball coaches to raise awareness and in turn, reduce cancer risk through education programs while raising funds for the fight against cancer.
Coaches vs. Cancer is a collaboration between the National Basketball Coaches Association and the American Cancer Society. For more information, please visit www.cancer.org/coaches/.
The Bisons continue their road trip Monday evening against Florida Gulf Coast in Fort Myers. Game time is 6 p.m.
Jonathan Seamon and Benjamin Seamon will be on the call for the Lipscomb Sports Network. Free online audio streaming is available at www.LipscombSports.com/sportsnetwork/.
Article by Trevor Garrett of the Lipscomb Athletic Office of Media Relations


text:
Back In Stock Beetle Parts Beetles BMW Parts Cars Jaguar XF Manufacturers New Products Out of Stock XF Repairs XF Service Generator Spares Generators Pressure Washers Auto Care Building and DIY Air Compressors Air Tools and Fixings Allen Key, Torx and Hex Sets Axes Axle Stands Battery Chargers Bench Grinders and Accessories Blades for Power Tools Bolt Cutters Boxed Consumables Bricklayers Tools Buliders Tools Cable Ties Car Accessories Carpenters Tools Chain Breaker and Riveting Tools Chisels and Punches Circlip Pliers Sets Circular Saw Tct Cutting Blades Clamps Contcrete Breakers Corded Tools Core Drill Bits and Accessories Cutting and Grinding Discs for Power Tools Drill Accessories Drill Bits, Wood, Metal and Masonary Electricians Tools Engineering Measuring Tools Extension and Wobble Bars Extension Lead and Plugs 240v and 100v Farming Machinery Fencing and Screening Files and Finishing Tools Folding Trolleys Garage Equipment Garden and Farm Machinery Generator Sets Gloves for Gardening, Building and DIY Grease Guns Hammers, Sledges, Lump, Claw Health and Safety Heaters Hobbyist Tools Hoists and Block and Tackles Hole Cutting Kits Home Decorating Hooks Picks and Scrapers Invertors DC to AC Jerry and Petrol Cans Jump Packs and Jump Leads Ladders and Steps Lubrication and Greasing Tools Measuring Equipment Miscellaneous Tools Multi-Purpose Tools Multimeters and Testers Must Haves for the Garage Painting and Decorating Parts Washer Petrol/diesel Powered Tools Pick-up Tools Pipe Benders Pliers and Side Cutters Pliers, Side Cutters and Vice Gr Plumbers Tools Polishing Set Power Tools Power Tools Accessories Presses and Heavy Machinery Pressure Washers Pry Bars and Tyre Levers Pumps and Extractors Ramps Ratchet and Tie Down Straps Ratchets Standard and Specialist Replacement Blades Rivet Guns Rope Router Bits Sack Trucks Sanding Discs, Pads and Paper Sash Clamps Saws Scrapers Screwdrivers Screws for Wood and Metal Security Security Padlocks and Hasps Sharpening Tools Slide Hammers Socket and Ratchet Sets Soldering Tools and Equipment Spanner Sets Spray Guns Electric and Air Stamps Staplers and Staples Stilsons and Pipe Wrenches Stud And Screw Extractors Suction Pads, Cups and Pullers Tap and Die Sets Tarpaulins Tool and Storage Boxes Toolboxes Torque Wrenchs Torx, Spline and Allen Key Sets Vices, Engineering and Woodwork Water Pumps Welding Equipment Wheel and Tyre Tools Wheels and Castors Winches and Pullers Windshield Repair Tools Wiring Terminals Wood Drill Bits and Blades Wood Working Tools Work Wear Workbenches Workshop Lighting and Inspection Tools Wrecking Bars Camping, Caravans Christmas Clearance Electronics End of Line Gardening Giftware Health and Beauty Household Leisure Mobile Accessories Pest Control Pets Corner Post and Packing Smokers Delights Toys Travel and Holiday Water Dispensers
Tell someone you know about this product.
Use keywords to find the product you are looking for.Advanced Search
Contact UsDropship WebsitesFrequently Asked QuestionsJobs at DropshiponlineLegal & Privacy NoticeTerms and ConditionsPostage & CouriersWhat is Dropshipping?Warranty & ReturnsWholesale DropshipWholesale
A professional quality set of 16 extra long combination spanners presented in a practical and durable Red plastic storage case for protection in transit.
The spanners are made of drop forged, heat treated chrome carbon steel. Their high polished finish resists corrosion and helps retain their original lustre.
Each spanner has its size engraved into it, making it easy to select the correct spanner for any job.
They feature precision machined open and boxed ends.
The strong case allows each spanner to be displayed in its own labelled section. This enables easy access and helps you find exactly the spanner you need to complete any job easily and quickly. The case has a strong handle allowing you to hang it on the wall for easy access and also to carry it wherever you might need it.
The case also features two secure opening doors helping to protect the spanners and keep them clean. This also ensures they remain in their own section within the case until you want to use them.
0 items
UK PoundEuroAustralian DollarYen
Notify me of updates to 16 Piece Extra Long Combination Spanner Set 10 - 32 mm 52041C *Out of Stock*


text:
I'm back! Well, mostly. Thank you for all of the wonderful prayers and well-wishes over the course of the last week during which I have been recovering from the emergency appendectomy I had last Thursday. Our holiday plans were certainly thrown for a loop, but I am so thankful that this happened at home rather than in New York, where I was the night before I got appendicitis, or in Kansas City, where we were supposed to go for Christmas. I am incredibly grateful for my wonderful husband who has not left my side as well as my amazing surgeon. I really have the best doctors!
Can you believe it is the end of the year? It's been a very challenging year for us in many ways, my health included, so I am ready to say goodbye to 2012 and ring in 2013 with the hope that I won't be needing any surgeries next year! The final "fabulous room" of the year is this lovely bedroom by Miles Redd. I've spent a lot of time in bed over the past week, so I know the value of a beautiful and cozy bed. This bedroom is chic and stylish in a very classic way—from the embroidered linens and blue palette to the campaign bed and wallpaper. This room is traditional done the Miles Redd way—with the volume turned up! I predict that "pretty" and "traditional" will be quite big in 2013. Stay tuned because next week, I will be sharing the predictions of several respected members of the design community regarding what will be big in 2013 and what we should leave behind in 2012. For more on Miles Redd, check out the amazing interview and tour of Miles' fabulous townhouse on my dear friend, Mark D. Sikes' blog!


text:
Life insurance customers are demanding more from their carriers than ever before, comparing them to other companies, such as Apple, Amazon or many banks, that offer rich and rewarding customer experiences. Life insurers understand these rising expectations, but are hobbled by aging technology platforms that limit their ability to deliver customer-centric products and services.
Accenture offers life insurers a clear road to customer-centricity, helping them modernize their technology platforms without the danger of escalating budgets and timelines, reductions in service levels and the very real possibility of failure that has prevented many insurers from moving to a new platform.
Our industry-leading Accenture Life Insurance & Annuity Platform (ALIP), combines decades of Accenture life insurance experience in a feature-rich, flexible system that is easily customized to your business needs. The affordable platform includes illustrations, eApps, powerful underwriting and rating engines and a complete policy administration system. All products are housed on the single platform, providing a customer-centric view of your business.
When coupled with Accenture's Distribution and Marketing Services, our clients are able to seize the opportunities that true multichannel customer interactions provide. ALIP can be easily configured to support advanced analytics that helps identify leads and directs them to the most appropriate channel—agent, call center, online or mobile—to improve sales outcomes.
Insurers can outsource some or all of the new platform development to Accenture, ensuring your service and new business goals remain untouched throughout the development process. When it's time to migrate to the fully configured and tested ALIP platform, the Accenture Insurance Data Migration Factory can populate the new system without undue burden on your workforce or any drop in service levels.


text:
Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) House Democrats have reserved more than $32 million in ad time in districts across the country, giving an early sketch of the race for control of the House.
Broadly, the ad reservations show that House Democrats will try to regain control of the chamber in many of the same states President Barack Obama must win to get re-elected in November.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's reservation includes congressional districts in 14 states, heavily concentrated on presidential swing states. It includes more than $8 million in Florida, $3 million in Ohio and about $2 million in Colorado.
In total, 26 targeted seats are held by Republicans, seven by vulnerable Democrats and three seats are open. Democrats need 25 seats to take back the House.
Jennifer Crider, a spokeswoman for the House Democratic campaign committee, characterized the buy as "early" and "aggressive" and said it "puts House Republicans on notice. Democrats are on offense and positioned to win."
This is the earliest that the DCCC has reserved ad time in an election cycle.
Republicans called the buy a sign of desperation.
"The Democrats just pushed a $32 million panic button," said Andrea Bozek, spokeswoman for the National Republican Congressional Committee. "Already having to invest resources into defending members who supported President Obama's job-destroying policies isn't a good sign for (House Democratic leader) Nancy Pelosi's desire to get back into the speaker's chair."
The House Democratic ads would begin airing after Labor Day, when the fall campaign traditionally begins in earnest. The total amount spent and the districts being targeted could change, but the reservation is an early sign of the Democrats' election game plan.
Democrats said the reservation is for an initial wave of advertising and that spending would likely increase.
Notably, the ad buy announced Wednesday did not include time in California, where Democrats have high hopes of picking up seats in November. It also includes limited spending in Illinois, another state where Democrats see pick-up opportunities. Neither state is considered in play in the presidential race.
Democrats said one reason for the early ad reservation is the expectation that rates in hotly contested presidential states will soar in the fall as Obama, GOP nominee-in-waiting Mitt Romney and third-party groups flood the airwaves.
The buy offers the clearest indication yet of what Democrats see as their most plausible path to power.
The party believes it has good opportunities in Florida, where millions of dollars in ad time has been reserved in Orlando, Tampa, West Palm Beach, Tallahassee and Miami markets; Ohio; Pennsylvania, where $3.5 million alone has been set aside for a cluster of Philadelphia area house seats; and Nevada, where $1.8 million in ad time is being reserved for two House seats.
Many of the targeted members are freshmen closely aligned with the tea party movement, including Reps. Allen West, R-Fla., Bobby Schilling, R-Ill., and Scott Tipton, R-Colo. Among the veteran lawmakers is Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, a staunch conservative who saw more Democrats and independents added to his district during redistricting. King faces a strong challenge from Christy Vilsack, the wife of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and a former first lady of Iowa.
The reserved air time also shows where Democrats think they'll play defense. Air time has been reserved in the districts of two veteran Iowa congressmen, Leonard Boswell and Dave Loebsack; Denver-area Rep. Ed Perlmutter, North Carolina Reps. Mike McIntyre and Larry Kissell and Pennsylvania Reps. Jason Altmire and Mark Critz.
The GOP has yet to announce any districts where it plans to spend money in the fall. The NRCC has about $27.1 million in the bank, compared to $22.8 million for the DCCC.


text:
On July 1, Gov. Jay Inslee invited aviation representatives from around the state to attend a presentation that commemorated June 2014 as General Aviation Appreciation Month in Washington.
The July event took place at the governor's office in Olympia with representatives from the Washington State Department of Transportation, Washington Airport Management Association, Washington State Community Airports Association, Washington Pilots Association, Airport Owners and Pilots Association and Alliance of Aviation Across America in attendance.
In May, Inslee signed a proclamation naming June as General Aviation Appreciation Month. During the July presentation, Inslee highlighted the importance of general aviation to the state's economy and transportation system, and lauded the efforts of WSDOT and the various aviation associations to preserve the state's system of airports.
"We appreciate Gov. Inslee highlighting just how crucial an asset our aviation system is to our state," said Tristan Atkins, WSDOT director of aviation. "Even though General Aviation Appreciation Month is now over, we are confident that people will continue to recognize the value and benefits that airports bring to us all."
Washington is home to 134 public-use airports. The state's aviation system supports 248,500 jobs, $15.3 billion in wages and $50.9 billion in economic activity annually. The proclamation highlights how general aviation, aerospace, aircraft manufacturing and other aviation activities contribute to Washington's economic health and vitality.


text:
Fixing A Major Engine Problem:
A while back my 1999 GMC Jimmy developed a connecting rod knock. The car was too valuable to send to the boneyard, but with a book value of $3,000, it wasn't worth enough to justify a remanufactured engine. And a used engine from a salvage yard seemed risky.
So I yanked out the engine and rebuilt it myself, installing a new crankshaft, bearings, piston rings, and a lot more parts. My cost, including special tools: About $1,350.
Also See: Index of Engine Repair Articles | Archives
Changing the oil and cleaning the spark plug are important maintenance procedures that should be done every 25 hours of operation...
Keep the mower running longer by changing the oil, lubricating the front axle, cleaning the air filter and checking the spark plug.
Changing the ATF is just as important as changing the oil... the main difference is the service interval.
Transmission service isn't difficult: Just drop the pan, swap the filter, install the pan with a new gasket and add new fluid. But read the whole story first...
Rear End Maintenance:
It doesn't need to be done very often, but the heavy gear oil in the differential should be drained and refilled every few years.
Actually, it's a good idea to remove the battery every year or two and clean it.
A dirty battery can drain itself down over time. Dirt and oil on the battery case can let a small electric current flow between the positive and negative terminals that can slowly discharge a battery.
Also See: Outdoor Power Equipment Articles
New Front Brakes:
GM Full-Size Truck/SUV...
New Back Brakes:
GM Full-Size Truck/SUV...
When shocks leak oil or let the vehicle bounce excessively on bumps, it's time to replace them.
Also See: Index of Brake Repairs | Archives
The wheel bearings on GM's light trucks are similar to front-wheel-drive cars, and the bearings are sealed inside a hub assembly which must be replaced.
The trick to this repair is buying a really big socket for the really big nut on the front axle.
To fix a broken gear shift detent mechanism, the valve body needs to be removed. I found the cause of the problem and fixed it for nothing more than the price of a fluid change.
Charge Light On:
When the electrical system voltage measures only 12 volts with the car running, it's a sure sign of alternator failure. A properly-functioning alternator should produce around 14 volts.
Fixing A Coolant Leak:
After 155,000 miles the water pump seal finally started to leak. Read about the difficulties of working on this tightly-packed engine, and a tip on making the pump installation go more smoothly, such as moving the air conditioning compressor.
This 1996 GMC Yukon wouldn't start whenever the weather was damp and the engine was cold. Warming up the distributor cap with a heat gun would get the engine to start, but the proper fix was to just replace the worn-out distributor cap and rotor.
Also See: Index of Cooling System Repairs| Archives
Car Stuff Worth Reading:
Brian Early - Loose Nut Behind The Wheel


text:
New 2019 HondaInsight LX Sedan
- Stock: 8007181
- Fuel Economy
- 55.0/49.0 mpg City/Hwy
- Exterior Color
- Crystal Black Pearl
- Interior Color
- black
- Body/Seating
- Sedan/5 seats
- Transmission
- continuously variable automatic
- Drivetrain
- front-wheel
- Engine
- 1.5L I-4 cyl
Highlighted Features
- Lane departure
- Speed limit sign recognition
- Distance pacing cruise control
- Automatic temperature control
- Wireless phone connectivity
- Exterior parking camera rear
- Auto high-beam headlights
- Remote keyless entry
Detailed Specifications
Dealer Notes
Black 2019 Honda Insight LX 55/49 City/Highway MPG
www.corwinhonda.com Excellent selection of New and Used Vehicles, Financing Options, Serving the communities of Fargo, Cass County, Clay County, Moorhead, West Fargo, Dilworth, Glyndon, Casselton, Valley City, Harwood, Hillsboro, Horace, Wahpeton, Grand Forks, Jamestown, Fergus Falls, Detroit Lake, Hawley, Lake Park, North Dakota, Minneapolis, St. Cloud, Alexandria and surrounding area.
KBB.com Consumer Reviews
- 5.0
Hi rod extraordinaire,
By Nickelectro on Monday, May 13, 2019I bought this car because I'm trying to be a better consumer by using less gas and polluting the air less. Owning a hybrid forces a driver to relearn how to drive. If you accelerate on a hill, this car has plenty of power to allow you to do that, but your gas mileage will not be as great. I bought the Touring model, and at first I was getting around 43 mpg, below the rated 47-51. But a slight adjustment in my driving style has allowed me to improve to an average of 52 mpg. And on some trips I'm getting even better mileage. And the Touring has all the bells and whistles that are usually missing in other hybrids. It is fun to drive, handles corners with stability, and has a ton of safety features. If I use them all, I can literally remove my hands from the steering wheel and the car stays perfectly in the center of the lane. Just a great car.
- 5.0
Great Vehicle!
By TOMVON on Tuesday, June 11, 2019I drove one of the early Insight models years ago while in Hawaii and I thought it was great, this one is even better! The only thing I would have added was a heads-up display. Other than that, I am very happy with my 2019 Insight. Love the interior, enjoy the tech, plenty of room. My wife bought the Clarity on the same day and when we need to transport the three boys (10, 13, 15), we tend to use her car. However, we can all still fit in the Insight for short jaunts. I will say, the estimated mileage numbers may be a bit off...As hard as I try at hypermiling, I have yet to see 55 mpg city. I did hit 53 mpg on one tank of gas, but I average around 52 mpg city.
- 5.0
No Regrets
By NYCtoPHX on Thursday, April 11, 2019After test driving multiple hybrid cars, I found both the price, options, and overall look of my new 2019 Insight to be a no contest winner. Friends and family are always commenting on it's attractive features and are surprised to find out the price for the Touring model.
Prices shown are manufacturer suggested retail prices only and do not include taxes, license, doc fee, or destination charge. Manufacturer vehicle accessory costs, labor and installation vary. Please contact us with any questions.
**Based on 2014 EPA mileage ratings. Use for comparison purposes only. Your mileage will vary depending on driving conditions, how you drive and maintain your vehicle, battery-pack age/condition and other factors. For Fit EV Models, 132 city/105 highway/118 combined miles per gallon of gasoline-equivalent (MPGe) rating; 82 mile combined (city/highway) driving range rating (adjusted). Ratings determined by EPA. Use for comparison purposes only. Your MPGe and range will vary depending on driving conditions, how you drive and maintain your vehicle, lithium-ion battery age/condition, and other factors. For additional information about EPA ratings, visit http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/label/learn-more-electric-label.shtml.
For 2014 Honda Accord Plug-In Hybrid, 115 combined miles per gallon of gasoline-equivalent (MPGe) electric rating; 47 city/46 highway/46 combined MPG gasoline only rating. 13 mile maximum EV mode driving range rating. 570 mile combined gas-electric driving range rating. Based on 2014 EPA mileage and driving range ratings. Use for comparison purposes only. Your MPGe/MPG and driving range will vary depending on driving conditions, how you drive and maintain your vehicle, lithium-ion battery age/condition, and other factors. For additional information about EPA ratings, visit http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/label/learn-more-PHEV-label.shtml.


text:
The lobby of the Judy Bayley auditorium on the UNLV campus is overflowing with road cases shipped in from Seoul. They push into all corners of the theater and even spill out into portable storage containers that Brackley Frayer, head of UNLV's theater program and executive director of the Nevada Conservatory Theatre, brought in to handle the excess.
The American Idiot production team might be using its time at UNLV to shrink the show into a smaller stage footprint so it can tour more theaters, but don't tell that to the designers, who are using the retooling opportunity to jam even more intensity into what is already one of the most in-your-face musicals ever to hit Broadway.
"We reduced some of the overhead rigging," says Rhys Williams, technical supervisor on American Idiot, explaining that the show's flying sequence has been taken out. But rigging's loss is lighting's gain, as suddenly Kevin Adams, who won a Tony for his lighting on Idiot, now has even more space to add lighting gear, and he's using the show's two-week UNLV encampment to take full advantage of it. "Every scene is being looked at and improved," says Williams, mentioning that the projection, costumes, choreography and a host of other elements are being revisited and upgraded—which has translated into a great opportunity for Frayer and the UNLV students.
"Students get the experience, networking and résumé-building effects," Frayer says. "They have 15 crew people here, and the various heads of departments—lighting, scenic, audio, video—just seeing the immense amount of equipment [and work that goes into a show], that's what the students need to see."
Students have been on the front lines of the changeover, fixing and prepping the old gear to go back out on the road and making sure it plays nicely with the new gear.
"They've been working from 7 in the morning to 7 or 8 at night," Frayer says. "For them it's huge, and it's huge for us, too." In exchange for use of the theater, the producers are donating two benefit performances this weekend at Judy Bayley, all proceeds going to support the Nevada Conservatory Theatre. "It's really a win-win situation," Frayer says, "and the roller coaster is still going." He reaches for his ringing cell phone, already heading back into the theater for more work.
American Idiot November 8, 7:30 p.m.; November 9, 2 p.m.; $25-$50. UNLV's Judy Bayley Theatre, 895-2787.


text:
Asphalt & Concrete Paving & Construction | Indiana & Michigan
The asphalt and concrete contractors at Rieth-Riley Construction Co., Inc. proudly remain dedicated to moving forward. It's the way we think, the way we act — the way we approach every asphalt, concrete and construction project.
Through innovative new processes, state-of-the-art technologies and advanced techniques, Rieth-Riley's forward-thinking approach ensures that your next project will be completed on time, on spec and on budget — yielding superior results.
As an industry leader in asphalt and concrete paving, site preparation and excavation, bridge construction and underground utility installation, Rieth-Riley transforms quality aggregates and materials into exceptional completed projects combining design, function and durability to stand the test of time.
From our dedication to asphalt and concrete recycling to our employees' continued contributions to the communities we serve, Rieth-Riley Construction Co., Inc. — a 100% employee-owned company — sets the standard throughout Michigan and Indiana for doing things well, doing things right and delivering quality down to the smallest detail.
Our asphalt and concrete professionals take pride in each project we accept, striving to deliver quality results through open and timely communication, dependable long-term performance and the high-level of durability our customers demand.
For more information about asphalt paving, concrete construction and paving or any of our other services and products at Rieth-Riley, or to inquire about your next Michigan or Indiana construction project, contact us here or request a quote.


text:
You're about to switch to our dst country Shopping Experience. If you currently have items in your shopping cart, it will be emptied. Do you want to continue ?
Only on our official online store you can find the largest Diesel assortment and everyday new arrivals.
Don't love it? Return on orders over € 190 it's free within 15 days from the delivery date. Simply use the provided pre-paid label.


text:
The new Aveo doesn't just look good, it also offers advanced safety features, innovative technology and a fun to drive 1.6L engine. With its eye-catching design and intuitive driving experience, the Aveo is truly a car unlike any other.
(R) Replace (C) Clean (T) Top up (I) Inspect
All prices are inclusive of Value Added Tax ("VAT") per local regulations.
When it comes to outright style, the Aveo has you covered. The updated design features a new hood and front fascia with dual-port grille. No matter what your style is, the Aveo lets you be you.
Aveo is like a magician's hat; you can fit in more than you'd think. The Aveo offers 60/40 split-folding rear seats with ample cargo space with the rear seats fold down to carry all of your favorite possessions. This means you can create a setup that works for you.
The 1.6L DOHC engine offers up 115HP, whilst the 6-speed automatic transmission gives you the perfect combination of efficiency and power to make the most out of every outing.
You and your phone are pretty much joined at the hip. Now you can strengthen your connection with Apple CarPlay ™ compatibility. You can use your iPhone ® to make calls, listen to Apple Music™, get directions and more on the 7-inch diagonal touch-screen display.
*Vehicle user interface is a product of Apple and its terms and privacy statements apply. Requires compatible iPhone and data plan rates apply. Apple CarPlay and iPhone and Apple Music are registered trademarks of Apple Inc.
Aveo has your back when it comes to safety by providing features like 2 standard air bags and StabiliTrak®. These features work seamlessly with the high-strength steel safety cage to provide you and your passengers with safety throughout the journey.
* Air bag inflation can cause severe injury or death to anyone too close to the air bag when it deploys. Be sure every occupant is properly restrained with seat belts. See the Owner's Manual for more air bag information.
Rear Park Assist
Parking is simplified with the Rear Park Assist, which alerts you to any obstacles within range while reverse parking.
* Safety features are no substitute for the driver's responsibility to operate the vehicle in a safe manner. The driver should remain attentive to traffic, surroundings and road conditions at all times. Read the Vehicle Owner's Manual for more important safety information.


text:
Renewable Portfolio StandardSection 129 - Renewable Energy Portfolio Standards
The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) issued a final study on Connecticut's existing Renewable Portfolio Standard on April 26, 2013. This analysis was called for in the milestone energy legislation, Public Act 11-80, passed in June of 2011. Section 129 of this Act requires that DEEP analyze options for minimizing the cost to electric ratepayers of procuring renewable resources and the feasibility of increasing the renewable energy portfolio standards. Public Act 11-80 (2011) further called for DEEP to analyze the impacts, costs and benefits of expanding the definition of Class I renewable resources to include hydropower and other technologies that do not use nuclear or fossil fuels.
Related legislation is also being pursued in the 2013 legislative session. For more information, see An Act Concerning Connecticut's Clean Energy Goals, S.B. 1138 (2013).
Final RPS Study - issued April 26, 2013
Appendix A - Comments
Appendix B-1 - Compliance Cost Sensitivities
Appendix B-2 - Additional Compliance Cost Sensitivities
Appendix I - Large Scale Hydro White Paper
Appendix II - Eligibility Issues and Options
Draft RPS Study - issued March 18, 2013
RPS Executive Summary
Appendix 1 - Large Scale Hydro White Paper
Appendix 2 - Eligibility Issues and Options White Paper
View all RPS Study Documents/Comments
Reference Materials
RPS Compliance Cost Scenario Analysis
Renewable Energy Training 101This draft study was offered for public comment. All comments were considered in the preparation of the final study. Technical Meeting and Public Hearing
Notice of Request for Written Comments and Notice of Technical Meeting and Public Hearing
Technical Meeting AgendaApril 4, 2013, at 9:00 a.m. and April 8, 2013, at 9:00 a.m., if necessaryPhoenix Auditorium, DEEPs Hartford Office79 Elm Street, Hartford, CT
Public Hearing
April 11, 2013, at 1:00 p.m.Phoenix Auditorium, DEEPs Hartford Office79 Elm Street, Hartford, CT
Written Comments
Written comments were accepted via the DEEP electronic filing system or email on or before April 19, 2013, by 4:00 p.m.
To view filings select the link below:
DEEP Energy Web Filings
Any questions on the above-referenced process should be addressed to email@example.com.
Content Last Updated April 26, 2013


text:
Photoshop CS5: Replace The Entire Color In An Image With Photoshop
I have been working on a WordPress site for a client of mine and typically use the same theme called Mandigo which offers seven different color schemes. In this specific case my client wanted a color theme outside of the seven color schemes that are offered by default so I needed to modify each of the icons to reflect the requested color scheme by the client. Below are instructions on how to modify all of a specific color in an image to a new color using Adobe Photoshop CS5.


text:
1. Many people feel that memoir is a compelling genre because real life is sometimes stranger than fiction. Were you
interested in Jenny Sanford's memoir because of the wellpublicized events it chronicles? Did the book satisfy your
hope for details about how she dealt with this difficult time in her life?
2. Staying True chronicles the long span of the Sanford marriage— more than twenty years from the day they met—
yet Jenny Sanford chose to begin and end the book with events from the summer of 2009. Do you feel this drew you into the story? Kept you in suspense? Or dealt up- front with what many people already knew about Mrs. Sanford? How did the author's storytelling decisions affect your reading experience?
3. Jenny Sanford has said that she hopes that telling her story will help other readers who are in the throes of a difficult
time in their lives, and that the book will help others stay true to their deepest-held values in order to make decisions that are right for them; it is not meant to be prescriptive. Still, did you learn anything from Mrs. Sanford? Do you feel that you might better be able to weather your personal storms for having read about the way she dealt with her own?
4. Deep religious faith gave Jenny Sanford great comfort throughout the marital ordeal described in this book and
has been a guiding force throughout her life. Has your own faith provided you similar comfort in trying times? How do
you think Jenny's experience would have been different without this central anchor in her life?
5. When faced with the decision to stay or to leave after discovering a husband's infidelity, so many women feel trapped by their circumstances. For some it's a financial issue, for others, the needs of their children or families complicate their decision. What do you think trapped Jenny Sanford in place?
6. In late 2009, Jenny Sanford filed for divorce and in early 2010, the divorce was granted. Because she felt that she had given Mark Sanford every opportunity to do right by their marriage and because she did not act rashly when she first learned of his betrayal, she felt great peace in making the decision to divorce. Does the news of the Sanford divorce surprise you? Do you think you would have ultimately come to the same decision?
7. Being a mother has made Jenny Sanford's life richer than she could have imagined, but being a mother also complicated things when she was forced to confront the problems in her marriage; she very much wanted to teach her children about both forgiveness and acting with dignity, two things that were, at times, hard to reconcile. Do you think she has provided a good role model for her sons in this regard?
8. If you are a mother, do you think that role colors your ability to make decisions and/or complicates your idea of right and wrong?
9. Consider the different ways that the Sanfords nurtured or deflected friendships in their lives and the way that they then leaned on or isolated themselves from friends during this difficult time. Do their experiences help you see your own friendships more clearly and/or encourage you to be more or less appreciative of your friends?
10. Jenny Sanford provides an up- close perspective on gubernatorial and congressional politics. What do you think of politics and politicians in light of what she reveals?
11. Do you feel that the ego stroking and lack of privacy that come with being a political figure contributed to Mark Sanford's actions? How do you think political stresses affected Jenny and the marriage in general?
12. Which aspects of Jenny Sanford's personality do you identify with most? With which do you identify with the least?
13. How has Staying True impacted you? Do Jenny Sanford's choices and decisions change the way you think about your own life story?


text:
Living Columns & Blogs
From The Beacon: Get caught reading these new books
May is Get Caught Reading Month. It's a national campaign to celebrate how much fun reading can be. Here are a few books to be released this month. Which ones will you get caught reading?
"Caleb's Crossing" By Geraldine Brooks (Tuesday)
Brooks has an incredible talent for bringing the past to life by combining fictional characters with real historical events. Loosely based on the first American Indian to graduate from Harvard College, "Caleb's Crossing" takes us back to Martha's Vineyard in the 1660s. Bethia Mayfield, the daughter of a Puritan minister, often slips away to explore the island and observe the nearby Wampanoag. On one such expedition, she secretly befriends Caleb Cheeshahteaumuck, the son of the chieftain. As part of his goal to convert the neighboring American Indians, the minister decides to educate Caleb and Bethia eavesdrops on the lessons in order to attain her own education. When Caleb then travels to Cambridge to attend Harvard College, Bethia follows and witnesses Caleb's bridging of two cultures.
"In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin" By Erik Larson (May 10)
The esteemed author of "The Devil In the White City" and "Thunderstruck" presents a gripping portrayal of William E. Dodd, the first American ambassador to Hitler's Germany. In 1933, Dodd, a mild-mannered professor from Chicago, uproots his wife and children and settles in Berlin. Focusing on Dodd and his free-spirited daughter Martha, Larson illustrates how they are initially entranced by the glamour and glitz of the Third Reich. But as their year in Germany progresses, the true horrors perpetuated by the Nazi regime are revealed.
"Buried Prey" By John Sanford (May 10)
Lucas Davenport is back in the 21st "Prey" mystery, and this time his past has caught up to him. In 1985, Davenport was a young, reckless cop who made his mark by solving a case involving two missing girls. Only now the bodies have been found and it is apparent that the crime was pinned on the wrong person. Determined to right his wrong, Lucas uses all his resources and influence to solve the case correctly. Publisher's Weekly has called this entry in the series "outstanding" and "one of Sanford's best."
"Summer In the South" By Cathy Holton (May 24)
Following a personal tragedy, Chicago writer Ava Dabrowski quits her job and accepts the invitation of her old college friend Will Fraser to spend the summer with him and his two elderly aunts at their estate in Woodburn, Tenn. Expecting a quiet place where she can work on her novel, Ava is soon fascinated by the tragic history of the Fraser family and delves into the mysteries buried in their past, where she learns that some secrets are better left hidden.
"Dreams of Joy" By Lisa See (May 31)
In her new novel, See continues the story of Pearl and May from "Shanghai Girls." In 1957, Pearl's strong-willed 19-year-old daughter, Joy, leaves Los Angeles when she learns the truth about her parentage and runs away to Shanghai to find her biological father, Z.G. Li. While in China, Pearl throws herself into the Communist cause and travels with her father to the countryside to teach art to peasants. Meanwhile, Pearl searches for Joy and faces her own personal challenges as she seeks to reconcile with her daughter. The converging storylines bring a new perspective on China's turbulent history.
Halle Eisenman is the reference manager for the Hilton Head Island Branch of the Beaufort County Public Library, at 11 Beach City Road.


text:
Dan Walters
Dan Walters: Family connections loom large in California politics
Ralph Dills served in the California Legislature for 42 years, and during part of that time, his brother Clayton was also a legislator.
Such a familial connection in the Capitol was very unusual until about two decades ago, when legislative term limits kicked in.
Term limits, coupled with the evolution of well-oiled political machines in metropolitan areas, had the unintended consequence of fostering political dynasties.
Politicians staked out territorial franchises and when forced to vacate offices would often bequeath them to sons, daughters, brothers, spouses or other relatives. And the syndrome has not been confined to the Legislature.
Just the other day, for instance, a 20-something man named Sebastian Ridley-Thomas was elected to the Legislature in a sparsely patronized special election because his father, Mark Ridley-Thomas, a former legislator and current Los Angeles County supervisor, cleared the path for him.
He will join a slightly older Ian Calderon, the scion of another Los Angeles County political family, in the Assembly. The Calderon clan includes uncle Ron Calderon, a state senator now under federal investigation, and Ron's two brothers, including Ian's father, who are former legislators.
One Calderon or another has represented the San Gabriel Valley for three decades and could be in office for at least another decade.
The familial pipelines saturate the state's politics, starting with Gov. Jerry Brown, who probably would not have been elected to his first stint as governor had he not been the son of a former governor, Pat Brown. Sister Kathleen was state treasurer and ran for governor herself.
Several other members of the Legislature are the offspring of former members, such as Sens. Anthony Cannella, Tom Berryhill and Steve Knight and Assemblymen Kevin Mullin and Brian Nestande. However, unlike Ridley-Thomas or Calderon, all came to the Legislature years after their fathers had left.
While Ted Gaines serves in the Senate, wife Beth Gaines occupies his former seat in the Assembly.
And so forth.
There's nothing wrong, per se, with relatives of politicians seeking political office, but it's also evident that in many cases – the Calderons, most obviously – family connections are the beginning and end of qualifications.
Does anyone doubt that Ian Calderon or Sebastian Ridley-Thomas, both scarcely out of college and with scant real-world experience, would not have been elected to the Legislature without family connections that produced campaign funds and cleared away the opposition?
Anointed relatives get head starts in campaigns, enjoy tremendous advantages over their potential rivals and don't really have to prove themselves worthy for office. They may turn out to be effective politicians, or not, but the outcomes are mere happenstance.


text: Security for login cookies with ASP.Net MVC3 31 August 2011 david Code I was reading here about how it's a bad idea to log into your application using SSL (https) and then revert back to http for subsequent pages. If you do that then you'll send the authentication token over an unencrypted connection, which is a bad thing. Whilst wondering if there was an easy way to solve that problem, I wrote some code to try and enforce a secure connection whenever the user was authenticated. So I wrote my own [RequireHttpsWhenAuthenticatedAttribute] which inherited from [RequireHttpsAttribute]. The idea was that you apply it to your whole site from your global.asax, and then https will *automatically* be turned on (and enforced) when users are logged in. After posting that code, I got an e-mail from Andy Brown (thanks Andy) pointing out that if a logged in user switches to http by editing the address in their browser, the cookie will have already been posted back to the site by the time my new attribute is able to do anything. To be totally safe you'd have to assume that the cookie is already compromised at that point. I then realised that even if the site signs them out, the cookie could still be used by a hijacker until it times out. For example, this article says "Even after the user has logged out of the application and the developer has called FormsAuthentication.SignOut, the authentication ticket remains valid until its time-to-live (TTL) expires, so it can be used by an attacker to impersonate another user." So I went back to the drawing board to try and find an even better way. In the end, the best option seems to be simply using this option when you set up forms authentication in your web.config: requireSSL="true" Rather than refer to your whole site, this attribute just applies to the authentication cookie, meaning the the browser should only send the cookie over https. Using that setting does the same job that my code was trying to do, only better. So I don't need any special code after all.