text:
I don't know why I waited so many years to make custard! Now I can't get enough - and the variations and combinations can be endless.
This one is even good for breakfast. I've only made it with the blueberries, but I'm sure other fruits would be just as good!
1 cup blueberries
1 tablespoon orange zest
4 eggs, beaten
Pinch of salt
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup half & half
1 cup milk
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place six 4-ounce ramekins in a 9x13 baking pan. Divide the blueberries and orange zest between them and set aside.
In a medium bowl whisk the eggs, salt, sugar, vanilla, half & half, and milk until well combined. Pour, through a fine meshed sieve (to remove the stringy egg thingy!) evenly amoung the cups.
Carefully pour hottest tap water into the baking pan until it's halfway up the custard cups. Bake for 25-40 minutes, or until just set, but still jiggly in the middle, or a sharp knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove to a wire rack and allow to cool.


text:
Everyone in California wants to raise taxes.
Well, not everyone, but lots of rich people who worry, with good reason, that the state government doesn't have enough revenues to prevent disastrous cutbacks in education.
The trouble is: they're all trying to cook up a different tax increase through the initiative process.
U.S. & World
Jerry Brown wants to raise income taxes on the rich and sales taxes on goods.
The billionaire-backed Think Long Committee wants to establish a sales tax for services (while cutting other taxes).
Another billionaire wants to raise taxes for energy. A billionaire's daughter wants to raise rich people's taxes for local schools.
Others want to put a tax on oil extraction to pay for universities. Some want to increase commercial property taxes.
There's no way Californians are going to agree to all of these increases, especially if all this tax medicine ends up on the November 2012 ballot.
Californians also may be reluctant to pour more tax dollars into an obviously broken budget system, since they don't know what they'll actually get.
So here's a recipe for raising taxes in six easy steps:
1. Forget about your tax increase proposal and push like hell for rollbacks in public employee pensions.
As Gov. Brown recently pointed out, without pension savings, voters are unlikely to raise taxes.
People may want to pay more taxes if they get more, better services -- not if the money is going to be gobbled up by pensioners. What's necessary is a rollback in the pensions of not only future workers but current ones.
2. Convince your public employee union friends to scream like hell against the pension push. Voters don't believe the pension reform proposals are real because the howls against them aren't loud enough. Unions, if they want more taxes, need to ramp this up. At the same time, those unions should quietly tell elected officials to go ahead and go hard after pensions. Yes, it's misdirection--but it's necessary if you want taxes.
3. Delay your tax proposal until 2014.
Convincing people to raise taxes quickly, at a time with so many other proposals on the ballot, is too hard. Better to take your time, and spend the next three years meeting with people -- particularly opponents -- about what you're up to. It still won't be easy, but your chances will be better.
4. Tell everyone that your tax increase won't touch them.
Even if it's not true. People want someone else to pay their taxes for them.
5. Draft your measure to promise the money raised by the taxes to as many people as possible.
It's terrible policy, and makes it harder to balance the budget. But people love gifts.
6. When you lose even after doing all those things, realize that doing tax increases -- or any kind of fiscal initiative -- is too hard politicallly and too dangerous as a policy matter.
Spend your time working for a redesign of the budget and governance system -- so that tax increases can be made in the legislature, not at the ballot by people like you.
Let us know what you think. Comment below, send us your thoughts via Twitter @PropZero or add your comment to our Facebook page.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Arthur Fuller Davis Gallery
Brief History
Arthur Fuller Davis was Acton's longest serving Librarian (1902-1945). He was born in 1863 in Roxbury, Massachusetts and at age 12 moved to 491 Main Street in Acton. He graduated from the Acton Center Grammar School and went on to study painting in Malden with Albion Bicknell. He later studied and worked in New York City.
In 1892, he returned to Acton where he continued his painting. In 1902 he was elected the Librarian of the Acton Memorial Library and served 43 years. His home at 491 Main Street was diagonally across the street from the Library, making for an easy commute. Most of his works show Acton as he saw it on his frequent walks and bicycle trips and from the windows of his home.
The detailed descriptions in his journals, and his many sketchbooks, give us a vivid picture of life in the Town over a period of 60 years. In 1935 he wrote a history of the Acton Memorial Library, on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the incorporation of the town.
The Online Gallery
The Online Gallery contains works by Arthur Davis that belong to the Acton Memorial Library. A guide to the collection, "Arthur Fuller Davis, A Descriptive List of Paintings," is available here in PDF format, and in print at the library's Reference Desk.
The Acton Memorial Library and its licensors retain all proprietary rights to the content. The content may not be reproduced, transmitted or distributed without the express prior written consent of the Acton Memorial Library Board of Trustees.


text:
Casting Call: Justice League International
A Justice League movie has already been announced that will no doubt star the most famous heroes from DC Comics like Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. With DC's New 52 reboot came the Justice League International series about a group of superheroes put together by the U.N. to protect the world. If they ever decide to make a film with these characters, here are the people we'd like to see in it.
Ryan Kwanten as Booster Gold (Michael Jon Carter)
Booster Gold is an American hotshot superhero who enjoys being in the public eye and getting plenty of attention. He has power through a suit that gives him super strength and force blasts. Kwanten may be from Australia but his performance on True Blood shows he can play the cocky American pretty boy perfectly.
Danai Gurira as Vixen (Mari Jiwe McCabe)
Mari Jiwe McCabe grew up in the fictional African nation Zambesi. She has the power to mimic any ability of any animal that has lived on Earth. Danai was born in the US but her parents are from Zimbabwe. She plays Michonne on The Walking Dead, a character famous for her fighting skills and tough-as-nails attitude, which I believe proves Danai has what it takes to play a superhero.
Konstantin Khabenskiy as Rocket Red (Gavril Ivanovich)
Russian superhero Gavril Ivanovich's power comes from his armored battle suit and "forced evolution". Konstantin Khabenskiy is a Russian actor known for his roles in Wanted, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and Night Watch.
Alice Eve as Godiva (Dora Leigh)
Dora Leigh, or Godiva, is a British socialite and superhero with the power to control her hair's movement as if they were her limbs, providing a high level of superhuman strength and dexterity. When thinking about this superhero we need a beautiful blonde flirt from the UK. Alice Eve not only fits that description but she can act too.
Donnie Yen as August General in Iron
The August General in Iron is a member of an elite Chinese spec ops unit trained for encounters with aliens. He has superhuman strength and skin covered with iron-like plates. Donnie Yen is a Chinese actor who specializes in action movies such as Hero, Blade II, and IP Man. His penchant for martial arts and stunt work would come in handy for a superhero role.
Alice Braga as Fire (Beatriz da Costa)
Beatriz da Costa is a Brazilian supermodel turned government agen with the power to generate green flames. Alice Braga is a Brazilian actress popular for her roles in I Am Legend, City of God, and Predators. She has experience in action movies and would make a great candidate for this role.
Michael C. Hall As Green Lantern (Guy Gardner)
Guy Gardner grew up in Baltimore, United States and later became a Green Lantern. American actor Michael C. Hall is famous for playing Dexter on the hit Showtime show. He's talented enough to bring dimension to the hot-blooded hero that is Guy Gardner
Ingrid Bolsø Berdal as Ice (Tora Olafsdotter)
Tora Olafsdotter is a princess of an isolated tribe of magic-wielding Norsemen with the natural ability to create and manipulate ice. Ingrid is a Norwegian actress with roles in Chernobyl Diaries, Cold Prey and Cold Prey 2. Her role in Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters called for action work, something that would come in handy when playing a superhero.
Merveille Lukeba as Batwing
David Zavimbe is a former child-soldier who was recruited by Batman to become Batwing, a member of the Batman Incorporated. Like Batwing, Merveille is from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He is perhaps most known for his role as Thomas in the UK hit show Skins.


text:
Anthrax is an infection that is caused by the bacteria Bacillus anthracis. These bacteria form spores that are hard-shelled, dormant versions of the bacteria. Spores are the form of the bacteria that cause infection. They can survive in the soil for many decades.
Anthrax most commonly occurs in animals such as pigs, cattle, horses, and goats, but it can also infect people. Infections in people are caused by contact with the spores through a cut or scratch in the skin (known as cutaneous anthrax), by inhaling the spores (known as inhaled or pulmonary anthrax), or by eating meat that contains the spores (known as intestinal anthrax).
In biological warfare, anthrax can be transmitted intentionally through the air or by contact with an object that has the bacteria on it. Anthrax cannot be passed from one person to another (i.e., it is not contagious).
Symptoms of cutaneous anthrax appear almost immediately, up to one day after infection, whereas pulmonary anthrax symptoms usually appear 2 to 6 days after infection, but may take 6 weeks or longer to show up. Symptoms of intestinal anthrax appear in about 1 to 7 days.
It is very rare that people get anthrax infection through natural causes. However, anthrax can be produced in laboratories and may be used as an agent of biological warfare. Anthrax is used in this manner because of the serious disease that results when the anthrax spores are inhaled. Inhaled anthrax often causes death if it's not treated in the early stages, which is why it is very important to recognize the symptoms of this infection (see "Symptoms and Complications").
The most common type of anthrax infection is cutaneous (on the skin) anthrax. In fact, this accounts for over 95% of naturally-occurring anthrax infections. Cutaneous anthrax infection may take place when someone handles animals or animal products (wool or other woven materials) that are contaminated with anthrax, or if someone handles materials that have been intentionally contaminated with anthrax.
It is quite rare for meat to be contaminated with the bacteria that causes anthrax in North America. Therefore, intestinal anthrax is very rare on this continent.
Inhaled anthrax is by far the most dangerous form of this infection, but also the rarest. It causes symptoms that start out like the flu. These symptoms include fever, chest discomfort, malaise, tiredness, and dry cough. The signs of illness appear as early as 48 hours after the spores of the bacteria have been inhaled.
If the symptoms are not treated quickly, the infection can rapidly turn into a severe infection similar to pneumonia (inflammation of the lungs). Shortness of breath, high fever, fast heart rate, and heavy sweating then develop. Meningitis (swelling of the brain) and pain in the abdomen follow. Few survive more than a few days beyond the development of these types of symptoms. Fortunately, early treatment decreases the risk of death.
Cutaneous anthrax is much less dangerous than the inhaled form of anthrax. When infection occurs in this manner, the skin develops a raised, sometimes itchy bump that looks and feels like an insect or spider bite. Within a day or two, sores develop that usually turn black in the centre. Usually, people with cutaneous anthrax feel only mildly ill. Early antibiotic treatment is almost always successful in curing this type of anthrax.
If cutaneous anthrax is not treated, the bacteria may get into the bloodstream and cause more serious symptoms. Signs of spreading infection include fever, chills, and swollen lymph glands close to the area of the sore.
Intestinal anthrax symptoms include severe abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, severe diarrhea, fever, and bleeding from the gastrointestinal tract (stomach and intestines).
It is important to remember that anthrax is not passed from person to person. It is very rare for a person to develop anthrax unless the spores get below the surface of the skin or the lining of the stomach or intestines. The inhaled form of anthrax develops only after thousands of spores are inhaled all the way down to the lungs.
Anthrax is diagnosed by taking samples from blood, respiratory secretion, or from any skin sores. The samples are sent to a laboratory to determine if they contain the bacteria that cause anthrax. The results are usually available about 2 days after the sample is taken.
Blood tests can determine if a person has come in contact with the bacteria that cause anthrax. Antibodies (proteins that fight off substances the body sees as foreign) to the bacteria will have been produced by the body's immune system, and they can be detected by a laboratory test.
People can be exposed to the bacteria that cause anthrax without becoming sick. However, if a test comes back positive, that person should be treated for anthrax in case the infection is in the early stages, before symptoms are evident.
Anthrax is prevented with immunization and antibiotic treatment for those people who have been exposed to anthrax. Pre-exposure immunization is not recommended for the general population. Although it is still considered investigational, subcutaneous (under the skin) vaccinations are usually given as soon as exposure is detected, again 2 weeks later, and then another 2 weeks after that. Treatment with antibiotics continues for at least 4 weeks (until all the vaccination injections have been given) and generally up to 60 days.
Cutaneous anthrax is treated with ciprofloxacin, doxycycline, or amoxicillin* for 60 days for adults and children. In young children, ciprofloxacin may cause bone development problems and doxycycline may slow down the growth of bones and cause discoloration of teeth. The risks involved for children and adolescents younger than 18 years of age using these antibiotics should be weighed against the benefits of treatment for anthrax.
Pulmonary anthrax is usually treated with injected (intravenous) ciprofloxacin or doxycycline along with two other intravenous antibiotics (e.g., clindamycin, rifampin, penicillin, ampicillin, vancomycin, imipenem, clarithromycin, or chloramphenicol). When the person is able to swallow, those antibiotics are continued and taken by mouth for a total period of 60 days. Pregnant women receive the same treatment.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States reports that there is "no credible scientific evidence to suggest that dietary supplements on the market will prevent or treat anthrax." This is in response to claims that suggest substances such as oregano oil or zinc mineral water can control the disease.
*All medications have both common (generic) and brand names. The brand name is what a specific manufacturer calls the product (e.g., Tylenol®). The common name is the medical name for the medication (e.g., acetaminophen). A medication may have many brand names, but only one common name. This article lists medications by their common names. For information on a given medication, check our Drug Information database. For more information on brand names, speak with your doctor or pharmacist.
All material copyright MediResource Inc. 1996 – 2019. Terms and conditions of use. The contents herein are for informational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Source: www.medbroadcast.com/condition/getcondition/Anthrax


text:
Here I continue my previous post on methods to compare shapes. In that post we started with different metrics between two probability measures and defined on the same set , namely the Prokhorov metric and the Wasserstein metric. Then we also had a look on the Hausdorff metric which measures the distance between two compact subsets and of a metric space and finally considered the Gromov-Hausdorff metric between two metric spaces and . Our tools have been
- set couplings of and , i.e. subsets such that for all there such that and for all there is such that ,
- metric couplings of and , i.e. metrics on the disjoint union of and such that if and are in and if and are in . In fact, one could also work with semi-metrics , i.e. they do not need to be positive definite, and
- measure couplings of and , i.e. measures on such that and for all -/-measurable set and , respectively.
Now we make the next (and final) step and compare metric spaces and which are both equipped with a measure. These objects are known as metric measure spaces or mm-spaces and are formally defined as follows:
Definition 1 (mm-space) A metric measure space is a tripel consisting a compact metric space and a Borel probability measure on .
Note that sometimes it is included that has full support (i.e., equal to ) in the definition of an mm-space, but it seems that not everybody does it like that.
1. Comparing mm-spaces: Gromov-Wasserstein
Our question is: How to we compare two mm-spaces and ? The plan is simply to augment the previous versions of the Gromov-Hausdorff distances defined in my previos post here and here by something which takes the measures on the respective metric spaces into account. We recall both formulations of the Gromov-Hausdorff distance: The first is
where the infimum is taken over all set couplings of and and metric couplings of and , and the second is
where the infimum is also taken over all set couplings of and .
Basically, we have already seen what we should do to build a metric between mm-spaces. The idea is: if there were some "natural measure" for any set coupling of and , then we would simply define the distance between and as
(as a generalization of (1)) and
(as a generalization of (2)). In both cases we can have . Note that the obvious modification for leads to something very similar to the Gromov-Hausdorff metrics.
But indeed there are "natural measures" on the set couplings of and : At least for the full coupling there are the measure couplings of and ! (One does not need to consider smaller set couplings since this can be taken into account by the measure couplings; they do not need to have full support anyway.)
Applying this idea to the version (1) of the Gromov-Hausdorff metric we arrive at the following expression, which can be called Gromov-Wasserstein metric,
where the infimum is taken over all measure couplings of and and all metric couplings of and .
Starting from the version (2) of the Gromov-Hausdorff metric we arrive at another formulation:
where the infimum is taken over all measure couplings of and .
While both versions of the Gromov-Hausdorff metric for compact metric spaces where equal, the same is not true for both generalizations to mm-spaces: In his paper Memoli proves that and gives an example (right after Remark 5.14) where strict inequality holds.
2. Comparing mm-spaces: Gromov-Prokhorov
Instead of starting from the Gromov-Hausdorff distance between metric spaces and augmenting their definition with something that takes the measures into account, we could also start from the ">Prokhorov metric between probability measures and augment the definition with something that takes the metric into account. In fact there are also two possibilities to do so: In the appendix of his paper, Memoli quotes this version (from this paper by Greven, Pfaffelhuber and Winter) of a metric between mm-spaces which we call Gromov-Prokhorov metric
where the infimum is taken over all measure couplings of and and all metric couplings of and .
The next version (also from the same paper by Greven, Pfaffelhuber and Winter where it was called Eurandom metric) is
where the infimum is taken over all measure couplings only.
3. A very simple example
The calculation of the proposed metrics by hand can be quite cumbersome. Let's look at the simplest example.
We consider metric spaces (with the euclidean metric) accompanied with the measures and for some points and . In this case the is only one measure coupling of and , namely
Now it is easy to calculate the variant (4) of the Gromov-Wasserstein metric:
Let's have a look at the variant (3): Since there is only one measure coupling, the metric is
As we have learned in Example 4 in the previous post, we can find a metric coupling of and that brings the points in and in arbitrarily close together (by embedding both and into some such that these points are only -far away from each other). Hence, we see that we have
similarly to .
Now let's look at the Gromov-Prokhorov metric from (5). Again we only have one measure coupling and we get
Since the measure coupling is a Dirac, we can evaluate
As observed previously, there are metric couplings which bring the points and arbitrarily close together, and hence for any there is a metric coupling such that which shows that
Finally, consider the second variant of the Gromov-Prokhorov metric from (6). Since we only have the one measure coupling we have
Evaluating the tensored Dirac delta is easy: We have that is either one or zero and it is one if and only if the point is in the set that is measured. However, we have that is, of course, always zero (and never larger than any ). Hence, the measure is always zero and hence, this version of the Gromov-Prokhorov distance also gives
Note that all four metrics can not see that the two Diracs are at different points. The reason seems to be, that one can "deform the metric space outside of the support of the measures" arbitrarily, in some sense.
It seems, that the computation of and were easier, since one needs to know all measure couplings and no metric couplings has been involved.
4. Next difficult example: Compare some mm-space to a point
Ok, we have seen that mm-spaces which carry their measure in just a single point all look alike in both versions of the Gromov-Wasserstein metric and also in both versions of the Gromov-Prokhorov metric. Let's look at a slightly more difficult example: We consider some mm-space and want to calculate its distance to a single point, i.e. the mm-space with the only possible metric and measure. This should somehow measure the "size" or "spread" of the mm-space .
First, we need to know all measure couplings and all metric couplings between these spaces. The measure couplings are very easy: There is just one, namely
(i.e. all subsets of are treated as if they were subsets of ). Concerning metric couplings, there are a few more. We allow semi-metrics on the disjoint union : Since should respect the metric on we see that all metric couplings are parametrized by the points in by identifying (the element in ) with this point , i.e. all metric couplings are of the form defined by
(This only gives semi-metrics since we have although, formally .)
Let's calculate the first Gromov-Wasserstein metric: There is only one measure coupling and we use the parametrization of the metric couplings to deduce
This quantity seems to be known as "minimal -th central moment" of .
The second variant of the Gromov-Wasserstein metric is (remember, there is only one measure coupling)
This quantity (without the factor ) is called the "-diameter" of .
Let's turn to the Gromov-Prokhorov metrics. The first one is (remember, that the metric couplings are parametrized by the points in )
If this looks familiar, then you may have encountered the Ky-Fan metric already? The Ky-Fan metric is a metric between random variables and defined of the same probability space with values in a metric space with metric . It reads as
Hence, the first version of the Gromov-Prokhorov metric is
i.e., the minimal Ky-Fan metric between the identity mapping and the constant mappings. (In other words, it measures how far the identity is from the constant mappings in the sense of Ky Fan.)
The second variant of the Gromov-Prokhorov metric is (remember, the only measure coupling is )
I do not have a neat name or a good intuition for this metric yet (although it also looks like it measures "size" or "non-localization" of in some sense). If you have one, let me know!


text:
Between 18 and 22, a woman is like Africa , half discovered, half wild, naturally beautiful with fertile soil.
Between 23 and 30, a woman is like America, well developed and open to trade, especially for someone with cash.
Between 31 and 35, a woman is like India, very hot, relaxed and convinced of her own beauty.
Between 36 and 40, a woman is like France , gently aging; but still warm and a desirable place to visit.
Between 41 and 50, a woman is like Great Britain, with a glorious and all conquering past.
Between 51 and 60, a woman is like Yugoslavia , lost some wars, won some great battles but haunted by past mistakes, still very strong and proud.
Between 61 and 70, a woman is like Russia , very wide and borders are now largely un-patrolled.
After 70, she becomes Tibet. Off the beaten path, with a mysterious past and the wisdom of the ages… still desirable but only those with an adventurous spirit and a thirst for knowledge and true love dare visit there.
Kanske lite för erotiskt men jag tycker dessa liknelser visualiserar något som man inte borde kunna kombinera…


text:
PARIS (Reuters) - The French government backed away on Friday from a threat to nationalize a steelworks, saying it secured promises from the owner, ArcelorMittal ISPA.PA, to invest and avoid any forced layoffs at the site where the company has idled two blast furnaces.
Workers at the plant said the announcement fell well short of what they had hoped from a government that won power in May on promises to combat industrial decline and mass job losses in Europe's second-largest economy.
Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said ArcelorMittal, under fire for mothballing the site 18 months ago, would invest 180 million euros ($234 million) and had promised there would be no forced layoffs among some 630 workers there.
Ayrault said the two furnaces in Florange, a small town of some 11,000 people near the border with Germany, would not be restarted for now, given weak European steel demand.
ArcelorMittal would keep them in working order, however, for future use in a test project for environmentally friendly steel production.
"The government decided against the idea of a temporary nationalization that was floated in recent days," Ayrault told reporters, three hours before a midnight deadline to strike a deal. "It ruled that option out given the commitments secured from ArcelorMittal."
Ayrault said the investment would reinforce cold-steel and packaging operations at Florange and secure jobs in those areas. ArcelorMittal had pledged its investment in Florange would not come at the expense of other sites in France.
The deal, the result of months of talks, came as the Italian Cabinet was meeting to approve a rescue plan for ILVA, Europe's largest steel plant, which has 20,000 workers and is threatened with closure after accusations that emissions from the site had caused an environmental "disaster.
Labour leaders from the Florange site responded angrily and vowed to fight on to make sure that what concessions had been wrung out of ArcelorMittal were respected.
"We've been betrayed," said Martin Edouard, a member of the CFDT union at the Florange furnaces, told reporters.
"This is unbelievable, if that's what politics is about, what a joke," said Walter Broccoli of the FO union.
The European steel industry is struggling with overcapacity at a time of recession in the euro area and cheap competition in emerging markets.
Florange, located in France's former industrial heartland, has become symbolic of the country's long industrial decline and a test case for whether Socialist President Francois Hollande can make good on a vow to reverse a relentless surge in unemployment.
ArcelorMittal said earlier this year the Florange site's two furnaces were not viable, but Hollande insisted they should be kept open and threatened a temporary state takeover of the site while the government sought a permanent buyer.
The two blast furnaces together employ about 630 out of the 2,700 workers at the entire site.
Ayrault offered no details on what workers would do beyond not being laid off, or a time frame for any future project to revamp the furnaces using European Union credits to produce environmentally friendly steel.
Hollande's government faced roars of criticism from business leaders this week over its threat to nationalize Florange.
Industry Minister Arnaud Montebourg, who shocked foreign investors this week by saying Arcelor's Indian chief executive, Lakshmi Mittal, was no longer welcome in France, had said the government had identified an industrialist ready to inject 400 million euros into the site.
Earlier on Friday, Montebourg huddled in a cafe with a group of orange-vested metal workers protesting near the Finance Ministry, telling them nationalization was still an option.
Yet Hollande, who is battling to appease both left-wing voters angry at unemployment and foreign investors impatient to see structural reforms, is wary of the stigma even a temporary nationalization would carry abroad.
Officials had defended the idea of a temporary nationalization, saying it was a special case because ArcelorMittal had broken promises to keep the furnaces running.
But ArcelorMittal denies breaching commitments. Sources close to the group say Arcelor planned in 2003 - before its 2006 takeover by Mittal - to wind down inland blast furnaces in Europe, including the two in Florange, by 2010.
The group says overcapacity in Europe's steel market, with demand 28 percent below peak 2007 levels, has made Florange's furnaces uneconomical and that a buyer would have to absorb deep losses to take them on, even with the rest of the site.
Florange Mayor Philippe Tarillon relayed the extent of dismay with ArcelorMittal's boss, telling French media: "I understand the workers would have preferred to get rid of Mr Mittal. And I will share a secret with you. Me too." ($1 = 0.7689 euros)
Additional reporting by Nick Vinocur and Emmanuel Jarry in Paris and Phil Blenkinsop in Brussels; Writing by Catherine Bremer and Brian Love; Editing by Sophie Hares and Peter Cooney


text:
|Kettle of Fish performs today during "Blues Appetizer Concert" at Bradenton Riverwalk.
It all begins today. Bradenton Blues Festival weekend. That means lots of awesome live music, a dazzling art exhibit and at least one killer party.
Oh yeah, many of these events are free.
For starters, famed performance photographer Joseph A. Rosen will be hosting a showing of his portraiture work at the Blues Revue magazine headquarters in the Village of the Arts at 1001 11th Ave. W.
The exhibit is today from 1-5 p.m. There will be images of B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Eric Clapton, Dr. John and many more greats. Information: 866-702-7778.
As for live music, festival producer Realize Bradenton, the nonprofit organization that played a key role in creating the renovated Riverwalk, kicks it off proper by offering the community a free preview to the festival this evening.
The "Blues Appetizer Concert" is 6-9 p.m. with performances by Tampa blues man Selwyn Birchwood Band and Sarasota blues-rockers Kettle of Fish, which features singer/songwriter Dana Lawrence, backed by a cast of equally impressive players including guitarist Berry Duane Oakley.
The group, one of the most popular in the Bradenton area, has opened for acts such as the Marshall Tucker Band, Eddie Money and Molly Hatchet.
Kettle of Fish will be performing originals this evening as well as deep tracks by Jimi Hendrix, Little Feat and some of those Allman Brothers Band songs originally featuring the brilliant bass guitar work of the senior Berry Oakley.
"We thrive on the big stage," Lawrence said. "Looking at the wide variety of the people out there is a thrill and you just thrive off it."
Read more.
—Publicity photo by Chris Hicklin of Kettle of Fish (from left): Todd Cook, Thorson Moore, Garrett Dawson, Berry Oakley, Dana Lawrence. Photo provided.


text:
'And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place.' Genesis 19:12
Suggested Further Reading: Romans 9:1–5 & 10:1–4
If you do not care for the souls of others, you do not know the value of your own. God's people are a tender-hearted people. Like their Saviour, they cannot look upon Jerusalem without weeping over it: they cannot view with complacency the destruction of any; much less can they be careless concerning the condition of those who spring from their own loins, who are united to them by ties of blood. We love the souls of men. Like Doddridge, we dare say in the sight of God: 'My bowels yearn o'er dying men.'
I set you down as nearer akin to a devil than to a saint, if you can go your way and look into the face of your friend or child, and know him to be on the downward road, and yet never pray for him nor use any means for his conversion. May God grant that no doctrinal belief may ever dry up the milk of human kindness in our souls! Certainly the doctrines of divine grace, such as election and effectual redemption, will not do so. Error may petrify, but truth melts. May we feel that no dogma can be scriptural which is not consistent with a sincere love to men. Truth must be consistent with its Author's character; and he who has revealed saving truth is the God of love; he is love itself; and that cannot be true which naturally and legitimately would lead men to be unloving! May we be such parents, such brothers, such sisters, such children, that it shall be the first anxiety of our spirits that our children, our parents, our husband, our wife, our brothers and our sisters, should be brought to partake with us of the things of God!
For meditation: At best human love can only long to perish in the place of others (Exodus 32:32; 2 Samuel 18:33; Romans 9:3), but it's the thought that counts. Are you really concerned for others (Romans 9:1–2; Philippians 3:18–19)? The best way to show it is to pray for them (Romans 10:1) and point them to the Saviour who died in the place of others (1 Peter 2:24).
Sermon no. 601
21 November (Preached 20 November 1864)


text:
Northeast Florida is home to quite a few authentic Indian restaurants, so there's no shortage of places you can try.
Indian cuisine varies regionally due to a reliance on locally available spices, herbs, meat, vegetables and fruits.
In early India, the typical diet rarely included meat, instead relying heavily upon fruit, vegetables, grains, eggs, dairy and honey. Consumption of beef was taboo, as cows are considered sacred in Hinduism. Even today, beef is rare within Indian cuisine. However, chicken, followed by mutton (goat), sheep and buffalo, are frequently part of area menus. Common vegetables include cabbage, cauliflower, potato, tomato, onion, bell peppers and eggplant.
Traditional Indian flavors combine a variety of ingredients, including powdered chili pepper, black mustard seed, cardamom, cumin, turmeric, ginger, tamarind, curry leaves, bay leaves, coriander, garlic and cloves. In sweeter dishes, cardamom, saffron, nutmeg and rose petal essences are used.
Dipping sauces, called chutneys, are present at almost every Indian meal and can be spicy, sweet or sour. The dominant flavor or ingredient gives the chutney its name — coconut, tamarind, mint, coriander, peanut, cumin, tomato or ginger.
Some dishes are cooked at high temperatures in an earthenware oven called a tandoor. These include tandoori chicken, which is marinated in yogurt that's been seasoned with garam masala, garlic, cumin, cayenne pepper and ginger. Another dish, called chicken tikka, is made from small pieces of boneless chicken marinated in yogurt and spices and then grilled on skewers in a tandoor. It is then typically served with green coriander chutney.
In some regions, samosas, a popular triangular-shaped snack stuffed with spiced potatoes, peas, onions, coriander and lentils, or ground lamb or chicken, are cooked in a tandoor. In other regions, they're fried.
Just like American cuisine, menus in Northern India are quite different from the food served in Southern India, where dishes are fiery, while the northern ones are milder. Both regions incorporate many of the same spices, but the cooks use them differently. Northern Indian food is enriched with yogurt or cream, with a blend of chopped herbs, fresh chilies and tomatoes added late in the cooking for a subtle flavor. These thicker curries are eaten with a variety of breads, from flat chapati to puffy tandoor-baked naan.
A feature of most all Indian food is the cooks' extensive use of dried beans and lentils, which gives Indian cuisine clout with vegetarians of all ethnicities.
More than a dozen Indian bread varieties are characteristically flat. One of the most popular offerings in America is naan — a leavened flatbread cooked in a tandoor and served warm. It's lighter and softer than what we think of as bread and it's typically served with curry dishes and used for scooping food. Dosas are a thin, crispy cross between crêpes and tortillas. The fermented batter (made from lentils and rice) is gluten-free. Once cooked, dosas are stuffed with fillings, rolled into a long pipe shape and served with chutney.
Somewhat resembling American fritters, pakoras are made of vegetables or meat dipped in a spicy batter and fried in ghee, a clarified butter made by boiling off the water and milk solids leaving a rich, golden butterfat. Light, crispy and full of spicy goodness, pakoras are dipped in chutney and eaten with your fingers.
Be sure to include a cup of Masala chai, made with warm brewed black tea and a mixture of Indian spices and herbs such as cardamom pods, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, peppercorn, fennel seeds and star anise. While some people prefer unsweetened chai, a bit of sugar helps bring out the flavor.
In Jacksonville, the Baymeadows corridor is a popular spot for experimenting with Indian cuisine. Within a few miles of one another are 5th Element (9485 Baymeadows Road, 448-8265), India's Restaurant (9802 Baymeadows Road, 620-0777) and India House (8661 Baymeadows Road, 683-5528). Also on the Southside is Apna Restaurant (10769 Beach Blvd., 645-3334). Across town in Five Points, Cozy Tea (1029 Park St., 329-3964) offers a prix fixe Indian dinner on Friday and Saturday evenings. Masala Indian Cuisine (9825 San Jose Blvd., Ste. 6, 268-6499) in Mandarin offers an impressive buffet.


text:
IR Remote Control
Infrared remote control, custom circuits.
- Support of all known formats: RC5, SIRCS, JAPAN, etc...
- Custom IR transmitter and receiver specs are possible.
- Low-power TX guaranteed.
- 36-40 kHz carrier compliance.
- Usage examples:
- replacement of existing remote control(s) (proactive or in case of unavailability.)
- low cost automation & control.
- multiple remotes into one.


text:
Relationships with
Photo Credit: Fritz Karl's picture is courtesy of Sat.1 / Martin Lässig. Photographic illustrations of Fritz Karl are copyright © by their respective holders. The images are published with permission or as allowed by the copyright law's fair use or quotation provisions. If any copyright holder objects to an image being included, please notify us and it will be removed immediately.
Disclaimer: This information about Fritz Karl is derived from astrological interpretation of Fritz Karl's date, time, and place of birth.


text:
During the week, you know our life is no mystery: we are here working hard to make you happier and your horse healthier. But what do we do on the weekend, you ask? The mystery is revealed! Read about what SmartPakers did this past week and see if any of our adventures sound similar to yours…
"The snow has finally melted from our outdoor ring, so on Saturday I got to ride my pony Juliet for the first time in weeks. She was certainly feisty but behaved herself, and we had a lot of fun. On Sunday, we ventured up to South Boston for the St. Patty's Day parade. Here is Buck dressed in his parade outfit!" – Katie, Finance
"This weekend was full of St. Patrick's Day-related activities! On Saturday I ran the Norwell St. Patrick's Day 4 Miler with fellow SmartPakers, Courtney, Kate, and Lizzie. On Sunday, my roommates and I went to the St. Patrick's Day Parade in South Boston. It was my first time celebrating St. Patrick's Day in Boston, and I couldn't believe how crazy it was! Everyone was sporting Irish colors—even the police horses!" – Kaitlyn, Western Marketing
"Although still cold, we finally had a sunny day here in Massachusetts! I bundled myself up and took my dog Bentley to the beach to enjoy some time off of the leash. He had a lot of fun running around and digging in the sand!" – Paige, Customer Care
"My last weekend was awesome! I was on vacation in St. Barths! I got to enjoy a lot of food, wine, sun, and sand. It was perfect. My husband and I went snorkeling a couple of times and saw a colony of starfish and even a sea turtle. That was a first for me. It was hard to come back to the cold, but I was happy to be back with my four-legged friends." – Renee, Merchandising
"I had last weekend off so I spent it at the barn doing some spring cleaning and letting Hale have a break! He enjoyed some free time in the indoor, and I cleaned all my tack!"
– Martha, Customer Care
"This past Saturday was my horse's birthday, so we had a party at the barn! I made a carrot and apple 'cake' for all the horses, and we got some cute photos of my horse and I together. Then we had our first ride in the outdoor arena so far this year." – Emily, Accounting
"On Saturday, I ran in the Norwell 4 Miler with SmartPakers Kaitlyn, Kate, and Lizzie with Erica and Clipper on the sideline cheering us on! It was a tough course with a lot of hills but we made it. After that my roommates and I went to dinner at my favorite restaurant in Plymouth, East Bay, to celebrate. On Sunday, we went to Boston for the St. Patty's Day Parade. I loved seeing the brave horses parade down the street." – Courtney, Customer Care
"Two weekends ago, the weathermen got the forecast very, very wrong, and the predicted four inches of snow turned into two feet! While we're all ready for spring, the warm temperatures and sun on Sunday made for some fun playing in the snow. We climbed snow piles, played 'King of the Mountain' and made a snowman. Hopefully that's winter's last hurrah and we can look forward to some green grass and flowers just around the corner." – Kristen, Marketing
"St. Patrick's Day also doubles as my mother-in-law's birthday, so we had her over for a huge brunch and then ventured outside to put together the Christmas present she got for our daughter. Despite some not-so-clear instructions and the cold and windy weather, we put together her swing set for her to enjoy. We also had help from my two brothers-in-law, so it went by very quickly as a family affair. Now we just need some warmer weather so Hazel can go see and play with her new toy!" – Nels, Marketing
"Had a nice ride on Brioni with Ellie of Wolf Rock Farm. :)" – Leslee, Customer Care
"The past two weeks have been very busy, but also very fun! Last weekend my fiancé, John, and I went to Long Island for our friends Anthony and Christina's wedding. John's brother, Mike and his wife, Jessie, also attended, and it was so nice to spend time with them and dance the night away. I was sad to leave New York the next day.
This past weekend, John and I went to Fitness for a Cure, a charity event to support St. Jude's Research Hospital at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium. The benefit ended up raising over $80,000 that night through silent and live auction items and donations. John and I won a Guitar signed by Amy Grant, Hunter Hayes, and various other county artists that we gave to my Mom as an early birthday gift, which she loved. It was such a fun night, with great people, for an amazing cause. I finished the weekend off by going dress shopping with my flower girl, Liv. Above she is pictured in one of the dresses that was in the running but not the one we ended up getting—so cute. It was so nice to get another wedding detail checked off the list."
– Autumn, Merchandising
"This weekend I traveled down to New Jersey to host a SmartPak Academy event in conjunction with a Beth Sproule-Hansen clinic with our friends at Green Bough Farm. A huge thanks to Eliza Banks for coordinating the entire two days and to all the attendees who came to learn about joint supplements despite the snow! I had a great time meeting the riders and horses at Green Bough and talking about how joint supplements can help our horses. It was also such fun getting to see Beth give a demonstration on her young horse, Liberty, pictured below. It was a fantastic weekend!" – Casey, Marketing
"Saturday I was itching to get out on the trails again, so I trailered my horse Sam over to one of the cornfields across town. We had a great time galloping up and down the hills, hearing the wind in our ears! Sunday it was back to business with a lesson on my Pinto, Keebler, who is slowly coming back into dressage form. We practiced some shoulder-in and turns on the forehand. He seems fine but I'm exhausted!" – Elizabeth, Customer Care
"I audited the Lilo Fore clinic at Fireside Farm in Wisconsin. It was my first time seeing her in action and boy, does she get into the lessons! We watched her demonstrate on the ground the roundness and uphill balance she was looking for, then teach a horse to move away from pressure, and even led by hand a young horse past us scary spectators. Got a lot out of her explanations of connection and proper rein length, such as 'riders pull harder on long reins."
– Dr. Lydia Gray, Staff Veterinarian


text:
Have a safe and Happy Turkey Day and we'll see you Friday with another full slate here on the site!
As always, thanks for reading!
The M Zone Crew
* For the second year in a row, the Ohio State
In any event, this year's look features scarlet helmets, scarlet jerseys, gray pants and gray socks. The Tosu unis are throwbacks intended to honor the '42 Buckeye National Championship team. "1942" will be written on their gloves (gloves?) and they will have a bronze star on the back of each helmet to honor that team's captain, who was recognized for heroism during the Battle of the Bulge, and others from that team who went off to World War II.
Not to be outdone, and in keeping the theme from this year's defense, some have suggested a decal on Michigan's helmets as well.
* Our buddy Mikoyan has this excellent panoramic shot of the Big House on his photography-themed blog, Michigan Exposures. Simply awesome!
* Speaking of Michigan Exposures, Mik also went to the Detroit Zoo and snapped the pictures below of the wolverines there. But as Mikoyan said on his site, "I really wanted to see the wolverines but both of them were sleeping."
Gee, who knew Greg Robinson also worked part-time at the zoo?
* Lou Holtz really was a 'Cock
The Wiz put up this clip of Lou Holtz being a complete a-hole during his days South Carolina head coach. In it, an intern for a local TV station - mind you, not the person making the decisions - makes Holtz wait - gasp! - an extra couple minutes for the interview to start. What a 'Cock.
* A Michigan-Ohio State themed video from PMSports.
* By popular request from our readers, here again are Tosu's Sleepy Rappers
* Finally, say it with me Buckeye fans...
Yes, sometimes those four letter words are the hardest ones to spell.
(HT to JW for the pic which, in searching for its original link, I also found on MGoBlog)


text:
When August Horch named his new Zwickau-based company in 1909, he translated his surname into Latin – and Audi was born.
In 1932 the Saxony car manufacturers of Horch, Audi, Wanderer and DKW joined forces as Auto Union, which had four rings as its logo. After the war the Zwickau plant produced the compact Trabant model. Today, it is the site of the August Horch Museum, which recounts the pre-war and post-war history with the aid of a great many prototypes. Visitors can also see inside August Horch's former home.
Opening times:
Tuesday-Sunday 9.30am-5pm
Két hasznos billentyűkombináció a böngészőn belüli zoomoláshoz:
Nagyítás: +
Kicsinyítés: +
További segítséget az alábbi ikonra kattintva kaphat:


text:
The Riot Act
Yesterday night the Yankees snapped a three-game losing streak, beating the Kansas City Royals, 3-2. In typical fashion as of late, the Yanks didn't make it easy on themselves, putting the tying run on third in the bottom of the ninth with two outs. Yankee Universe held its collective breath as Rafael Soriano got Alcides Escobar to ground out, just missing an infield single that would have tied the game.
Yes the Bronx Bombers won, but claimed victory in the ugliest way ever: on a wing and a prayer.
Lately the team has struggled overwhelmingly on offense, getting outscored 36-18 over the last week. The Yankees have lost seven of their last 10, good enough for fourth place in the American League East. Barely keeping their heads above water, the Bronx Broskis are 22-21, just a game above .500.
It's not as if the other teams are necessarily winning these games. On the contrary, the Yankees are losing them; beating themselves by not cashing in on chances they create. The team seems to fail at every opportunity with runners in scoring position; in fact, in Monday night's 6-0 loss to the Royals, they went 0-for-13 with RISP.
Plenty of players need to be held accountable for this recent string of sucktitude.
Curtis Granderson
It's pretty unfortunate when arguably the best hitter on the team can be read the riot act.
On Saturday the Yankees trailed the Reds 6-3 entering the ninth inning. They fought back however, pulling to within one run with the tying run on third base and two outs. Curtis Granderson worked the count to 3-0, but made some of the worst decisions a hitter could make as the at-bat progressed.
On 3-0, he swung, fouling the ball off to the right. Still in good shape on 3-1, he check-swung at an inside breaking ball that dipped out of the strike zone, a pitch that would have undoubtedly been called ball four to keep the line moving.
Then, with a full count, Granderson beat the payoff pitch into the dirt, grounding out to first to end the game. Yankees lost 6-5, the resilient magic running out of power at the last minute.
Right after I watched them lose, one thought entered my mind: "In 2009, they would have won this game." Not only that, but it killed me to see Granderson not take a pitch, being in a hitter's count for basically the entire at-bat.
Granderson is batting .250 for the year, and his BA with runners in scoring position is just .219. He is still leading the team with 13 home runs for the year but hasn't homered in a week, cementing the Yankees' slumping status.
Mark Teixeira
The Yankees' first baseman has been battling some sort of bronchial infection, and he did not start this past weekend's interleague series vs. the Cincinnati Reds – a series the Yankees lost, two games to one.
Teixeira has only collected 35 hits in 153 at-bats this year, with five homers and 20 RBIs.
I don't want to say Teixeira is on the decline, because he's hit 30 or more home runs every year he's been in the majors since his rookie year – and even in his rookie year (2003) he hit 26. Yet, if Teixeira isn't hitting a home run, he only seems to pound the ball into the infield shift for a groundout.
Last night he got lucky, weakly squeaking a hit through the shift for a single.
Right now Teixeira' batting average is at a miniscule .229, his on-base percentage is just .281 and his slugging percentage is only .386. In key spots, when Teixeira is up, the Yankees have to be cringing.
It's obvious an adjustment has to be made. Whether it's his batting stance, his swing, his bronchial ailment, or a mental block, Teixeira has become a hitter that the Yanks can't depend on at the moment.
Russell Martin
There's an old saying about catchers: if a team has a catcher that can hit, it's a bonus. For a long time the Yankees had that bonus in Jorge Posada, and it continued for them when they signed Russell Martin.
Lately however, Martin must have forgotten that he is a hitter because he's on the interstate at .179, with only 19 hits in 106 at-bats. He's smacked four homers and has driven in 10 runs.
Martin isn't having the worst offensive season; it could be worse. But like the rest of the team, he is not coming up with hits when chances are created. His groundball percentage is 70% with runners in scoring position for the year.
What also puzzles me is that Martin is known for calling a good game behind the plate, yet when the ace of the staff pitches, he is on the bench. Chris Stewart is CC Sabathia's personal catcher, and unlike Martin, Stewart poses virtually no offensive threat, whatsoever.
In a nutshell, not only is he almost as useful as a screen door in a submarine at the plate, he can't catch when the Yankees' number one pitcher is on the mound.
Alex Rodriguez
On Monday night Alex Rodriguez struck out in the ninth inning, getting blasted by a deafening chorus of boos and jeers as he walked back to the dugout. After the game the press questioned him about getting booed at home. Like a true professional however, he owed up to it, saying he deserved it for his lack of production.
What's scary about A-Rod's slump is that he has stated his physical condition is fine. Usually when he struggles offensively there is more to it; a lingering injury or some soreness.
But it's not the case.
He was recently quoted as saying that he's fine physically, capable of hitting for power. Obviously that statement has not exactly gone well-founded, considering he hasn't hit a home run since May 6. With RISP, A-Rod is scuffling just as the rest of the team is, with a groundball percentage of roughly 61 and a .154 average.
Not so good for a player who claims to be in perfect health.
Hiroki Kuroda
The 37-year-old starter certainly hasn't been what the Yankees had anticipated, as he currently leads the majors in losses with six. His latest defeat came on Monday when he surrendered three earned runs on seven hits to the Royals, striking out four and walking three in 5.1 innings pitched.
Although the stat column for his last start doesn't sound incredibly poor, Kuroda was absolutely shelled on May 16 in Toronto. The Blue Jays lit him up for seven earned runs on eight hits in just five innings. Kuroda served up three home runs in the loss, and is now 1-3 over his last four starts.
What I can't understand is his position in the rotation. Clearly he isn't pitching up to his potential, and it's costing the Yankees. Maybe a move from the number two slot in the starting five could help him; perhaps Joe Girardi should push him down to the fourth hole and see how it goes.
Either way, something needs to be done.
Phil Hughes
In 2010 Phil Hughes won 18 games, pitching extraordinarily well throughout the first half of the season. After the All-star break he seemed to just fall off the face of the earth; he hasn't been the same, consistent pitcher since the first half of '10.
Lately Hughes has been making a case to change that, winning three of his last five games – but those three wins on his ledger are deceptive.
Hughes beat the Seattle Mariners on May 12, a team that has been no-hit this year. He then followed it by beating the Royals, a team eight games below .500, twice. In between he was beaten by the Blue Jays and also lost to the Orioles – two of the three teams in front of the Yankees in the East.
Last night Hughes gave up a home run to Jeff Francoeur and is now the first pitcher since Runelvys Hernandez (2006) to give up at least one homer in each of his first nine starts of the season.
Possibly Hughes's biggest Achilles Heel has been his pitch count. I lost track last night of how many hitters fouled off his pitches, but I do know that he was up over 70 in the fifth inning. It's pretty much the story of his every start: the opposing hitters just put good swings on his flat, straight fastball and his pitch count steadily climbs.
Now that Hughes is on a bit of a good streak, I think this is the perfect opportunity for the Yankees to see what they might be able to get for him on the trade block. For awhile now, I've heard a lot of chatter about how his value is down and nobody would want him.
But since he's pitching well at the moment – and he isn't even signed for next year – I say the Yankees should cut their losses and say goodbye to him. As nicely as Hughes is pitching now, I don't expect it to continue late in the season against teams like the Rangers, Tigers, and Rays.
Odds are his arm will tire, as it has these past two years, and he will crack down the stretch.
There are so many other players that deserve to be called out.
Dewayne Wise has only collected three hits in 23 at-bats, and yet is in the starting lineup.
Nick Swisher is batting .239 right now.
Robinson Cano had 31 RBIs on May 23 last year. He has 17 on May 23 this year (barring any RBIs in tonight's game).
CC Sabathia has lost his last two starts.
Ivan Nova's ERA is 5.69.
The bullpen is about as makeshift as ever without Mariano Rivera and backup closer David Robertson, not to mention third string closer Rafael Soriano came dangerously close to blowing the save last night.
The whole team is contributing to this mess.
Some serious changes need to be made if the Yankees want to pull this sinking ship from the depths of the ocean that is the AL East. Because the way they've been playing, it's crazy to even put the words "World Series" and "Yankees" in the same sentence.
After one of the recent losses, Derek Jeter made a declaration:
"I don't see anybody popping champagne in May."
While the Captain is right, he should heed that currently there are a lot of teams better than his at this point in the season. If the Yankees, for whatever reason, don't make the playoffs, it will be the second time in Jeter's career (2008) he won't be popping champagne.
And for the first time in his career the Captain will be eating crow.


text:
CUTENESS AHOY!I am guilty of loving all things vintage. I love all sailor-y things. And if you ever saw the Popeye movie with Robin Williams- this looks like an outfit that baby, Sweet Pea would wear.
And if you made a mad dash when Gwen Stefani did her Mini Harajuku line at Target- maybe you scored this sailor dress too! Yes, I heart Target and Gwenny! (i really don't know her well enough to refer to her as Gwenny, I really don't know her at all actually...ha ha ha I wonder if her and I were friends, if I'd call her Gwenny!?)
(It's totally the wrong shade of blue to go with the dress, but once I got it out, Ellie was in love and insisted on wearing it- well, for about 2 minutes anyways. The usual length of our "bow wearing".)
But you could easily make one yourself, just get an anchor button, some ribbon and hair clip and your in bow-business.
I'll give you 2 guesses where I go these....(and it's not Old Navy)...
Yes, I know, I know....but seriously I'm at Target all the time...I go to buy toilet paper and we come home with tp and polka dot boots!
Ellie saw these and wanted to wear them in the store...she fell in love, boots now have a cozy home in her room.
good news: These babies were on clearance!
bad news: I don't know if they have any more for sale!
since putting this dress on Ellie...
I sat outside with her and Blakey to type this...she is still cute, but her dress and her are both a lil' dirtier...guess we need to make an outfit change again! ha ha ha
and I wanna sing..."On the good ship, Lollipop"...
awww it'd be fun to live in the 30's or 40's for a day....
anchors away, your kandee
CLICK HERE to take an adventure to:


text:
Steven Zarit, distinguished professor and head of the Department of Human Development and Family Studies, recently presented at a symposium on dementia and caregiving in Dublin, Ireland. The event, held in May, was organized by the Dementia Services Information and Development Centre (DSIDC) involving St James's Hospital and Trinity College Dublin.
Titled "Caregiving at a Crossroads: Bridging the Gap between Science and Practice," his presentation examined treatment techniques shown to be effective in helping family caregivers cope with the daily stress of providing care to a relative with dementia. He drew on scientific studies and empirical evidence to demonstrate the type of outcomes, which could be derived from such person-centered interventions. Key questions, which were addressed, included: What interventions best help family caregivers to lower the stress of dementia care? Does using day care lead to improvements in emotion and can using this service have any physiological benefits? How can we provide people involved in dementia care with the help they need?
View more details of his presentation, key research findings and outcomes of this event in Trinity College Dublin's summary of the event.


text:
Item No:
Garden hose
Delivery Time :
Product Demension:
export box
Packing :
Pay Term :
L/C T/T Western Union MoneyGram
Contact: We will keep online every work day.We will reply your email and fax within 24 hours.You may call us anytime if you have question on our products.
China:Ningbo, Yiwu, Shantou, Zhongshan, Yangjiang
USA: Los Angles
Russia: Moscow
Nigeria: Lagos
International Home & Houseware Show ChicagoHK Gifts & Premium FairCanton FairAMD Las Vegas Trade ShowsSouth America Sao Paulo House&Gift FairCanton FairOffice Paperbrasil Escolar-Internatinal School & Office Supplies ExpoLas Vegas Hardware Show
Advanced Enterprises in Quality and Efficiency of National Foreign Trade
Advanced Units in Foreign Economic
Advanced Export Enterprise
Top 100 Import and Export Enterprise in Ningbo
"AAA" and "Trustworthy" unit
• Quality control and delivery time is strictly controlled.
• Flexible payment terms, T/T, L/C, O/A, Paypal, West Union and so on.
• Our own professional design team and package factory.
• 10,000m2 showroom in Ningbo,Yiwu& Shantou to satisfy your requirement.
• Over 300 experienced professional staff.
• Muti-lingual sales team.
• One-stop sourcing service.
• High reputation.
• MOQ for each item is only 5-20ctns.
Provide international certifications authorized by CE, ROHS of EU, LFGB,
GS, EMC of Ger many, FDA, UL, CSA, ETL of America and Canada,
INMETRO/UC of Brazil.
• Manufacturer sourcing service
• Fund service
• Following service
1. Reserve hotel and pick up service in the airport. 2. Professional team work with you in China market. 3. Bargain with factory. 4. Translate& interpret for you,keep record, take picture, and prepare the full lists. 5. Place order for you . 6. Our professional staff arrange purchasing to factory.
• Inspection service
Our professional QC team will inspect the goods for every cargo.
• Shipping service
1. Booking container, and arranging the shipment. 2. Making shipping documents.
• Value-added service
We keep recommending new items for customers.


text:
Rio de Janeiro and the Old West
How Rio de Janeiro copes with murderers. How the Old West coped with them.
By Julio Severo
Nevertheless the title, the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, has nothing to do with the American Old West. Not because there was no violence in the Wild West. There was, but not as much as one sees in Rio in the 21st century.
Injustice that has been plentiful in Rio was not plentiful in the Wild West. Just like in Rio, all the outlaws in the Old West carried weapons for their crimes. But, very differently from Rio, in the Wild West EVERYBODY carried weapons, so that in order for an outlaw to attack an innocent man, he needed to be quite astute because he could be killed.
Criminals in Rio attack their victims trusting that the State has made its dirty work of disarming the population, guaranteeing in this way total insecurity for victims and total safety for murderers.
In modern Rio, a murderer escapes often unpunished. For the outlaw in the Old West, Rio would be a truly wonderful place, because impunity that reigns in Rio didn't reign in the Wild West. An American murderer was quickly judged and hung. When he fled, he was pursued by the sheriff and citizens ready to see that the murderer paid with his life for the life that he had destroyed. When a criminal fled to an ignored place, a reward was offered for his head, which meant that anybody that found him or killed would receive a financial reward.
The ethics of personal defense for citizens and capital punishment for murderers was in the Old West sustained in the principles of the Bible. The Protestant (or evangelical) ethics governed largely American society in the 18th century. The innocent man had the Bible in one hand and a pistol in the other.
In Rio, even though the number of evangelical and Christians is enormous, there is no ethics influencing the laws to give citizens the right of defending themselves or remove from criminals their existence of murderous activities. In Brazil in general and in Rio in particular, in their hands innocent men may only have the Bible, being left in all the murderers' hands the pistols, rifles, machine guns, etc.
In the Wild West, criminals were faced by the bullets from citizens themselves, who had their rifles ready for ferocious resistance to crime.
In Rio, citizens hide themselves from bullets whenever they are able. When they are not, they are hit, even by stray bullets.
In the Old West, it was enough just one murder for an outlaw — whether he was adult or adolescent — to be hung. There were neither ECA (Statute of the Child and of the Adolescent, a Brazilian legislation complying with the United Nations Children's Rights Convention) nor advocates for the criminals' rights.
In Rio, criminals contend for the position of biggest murderer, and adolescent murderers are never sent to jail, having guaranteed their rights by ECA to kill how many citizens they want. With the age of 18, ECA guarantees their release from rehab institutions, with a totally clean record, as if they had never killed a fly in their lifetime. Is any surprise then that in Rio there are many advocates for the criminals' rights, richly paid with taxpayer money?
In the Old West, an outlaw had to think twice before attacking an innocent man, for him not to end with a bullet in the middle of his forehead.
In Rio, an outlaw doesn't need to think, because only his victims end with a bullet in the middle of their forehead.
In the Wild West, hanging was a murderer's sure destiny.
In Rio, death is the murderers' victims' destiny, and murderers may opt for hanging, tortures and any other sadism that they want to apply to their victims.
Between the Wild West and Rio, I would prefer the Old West. There at least I would be able to defend myself.
And I am sure that nobody in the Old West would choose Rio, a truly wonderful city for all kinds of crimes.
An American from the Old West in Rio would automatically lose his weapon and his right to defend himself and defend his family, being completely exposed to heavily-armed criminals. If in a case of criminal aggression against his life he in an "unfortunate" act were able to take from the criminal his weapon and execute him, he would automatically be condemned by human rights groups, always ready to punish any action by citizens that are able to dispatch a criminal.
There are also the television networks, which denounce any indelicate attitude against criminals, guaranteeing in this way their safety and "human rights".
In the Old West, there was equality. Outlaws were armed. But all of citizens also were armed. They were armed criminals against armed citizens.
In Rio, inequality is total. For the outlaws' huge happiness, only they are armed. They are strongly armed criminals against a strongly unarmed population, where a murderer feels like a fox free in the hen house. That hen house might be called Rio, or even Brazil.
While murderers in Rio torture and kill innocent people, a victim that is able to repay ten percent to the criminal is condemned as a human rights offender. So Rio has become a hell.
If the Old West looked like Rio, it would be a hell for innocent people and a wonderful place for murderers.
However, the Wild West was not like Rio, so that cowboys would say, "Fortunately we are not in Rio!"
For the sake of justice and innocent people, I would say, "What a pity that Rio is not like the Old West!"
Note: That text was reviewed by a friend whose ancestors lived in the Old West. For generations, his family has had weapons. He himself has had an AK-47, but as a Christian, he told me that he would not use it for defending himself, but to defend his family and others. Brazilian citizens are not allowed to own an AK-47 or less powerful weapons. Yet, Brazilian criminals have much more powerful weapons than AK-47!
Portuguese version of this article: O Rio e o Velho Oeste
Spanish version of this article: Rio de Janeiro y el Viejo Oeste


text:
I have been trying all day to think of what I would write about. I don't feel particularly happy or in a good mood. Yesterday was Internet-free day in our house and I felt liberated by the fact that I hardly took any pictures all day . . . of food anyway. I did take plenty of pictures of me, Corey and Callie in the park.
But there is one thing that has been on my mind all day. Corey and I have plans for a date night tonight. Since both of us have the next couple of days off work, it's kind of nice (and a little luxurious) to have a date night in the middle of the week. We are going to one of our favorite places, Farm Burger. The burgers are made of grass-fed beef and every single ingredient is local and organic. The burgers are the best burgers I have ever had. Ever. I can really tell the difference in taste by eating all natural and local ingredients.
The problem that I have is guilt. All day long I have been feeling guilty for the fact that I will be eating a hamburger and onion rings and I have no idea how many calories are in them. I can't seem to shake off this guilt or the feeling that I will gain ten pounds from the meal. Logically, I know that's not possible. I know that it's still possible for me to lose weight this week despite eating this meal. But I keep thinking about all the ways this meal could hurt me and my efforts to lose weight. I even contemplated restricting my calories for the rest of the day. I won't. I know that not eating enough will make me want to eat even more tonight.
I am letting my guilt ruin my excitement over eating a wonderful meal and spending time with my husband. How do I get rid of this guilt? I am trying to talk myself out of this guilt, but that is much easier said than done.
It's probably because my weight loss is progressing so slowly. So slowly that I am afraid to eat anything I like because it may jeopardize my efforts. But I feel the effects of my workouts. I actually have a little bit of definition in my biceps now. I see muscle for the first time in a long time. My abs, triceps, quads and thighs are sore from yesterday's Jillian Michaels workout. Those are good things. Regardless of what pants size I am currently wearing, I know that I am getting stronger.
I know this post has been a bit of a ramble. I appreciate you guys for hanging in there with me. I feel better just by venting. I love the support that the blogging community provides. 🙂
And now I am going to end this post on an upbeat note: some pictures of me and my little family at the park yesterday. I love this weather!


text: Starlight Inception is a 3D game developed by Escape Hatch Entertainment that brings the space combat experience for the first time to the Sony Vita. Travel a hundred years into the future and climb into the cockpit of over 30 spacefighters to fight through the greatest conflict humankind has ever known. The next generation of space combat is here. Light up the Sky!


text:
Load carrying capacity
FSDR .. K housings are intended for loads acting perpendicularly toward the support surface as well as the forces created in the process. In cases like this, the housing can withstand the same loads as the bearing. If loads acting in other directions occur, contact the SKF application engineering service.
Additional housing support
As the housings are subjected to loads acting parallel to the support surface, a stop must be provided to counter the load. The housings can be secured to the support with keys or welded stops.
The stop should be sufficiently strong to accommodate the loads acting parallel to the support surface.


text:
At 7:00 PM, Metro's Thursday evening commute
is winding down with no significant disruptions
or delays in transit service to report.
Thank you for joining us today. We will return
at 6:00 AM Friday morning to help keep an
Eye on Your Metro Commute.
Travel safely and have a great evening.


text:
Thank you for considering me as you tutor. I have over 7-years of experience providing top-of-the-line service for hundreds of students taking college level mathematics and physics. I have created over 3,000 lessons via YouTube, written multiple books via Amazon, and am one of the top rated tutors in the country via WyzAnt. If you work with me and follow my suggestions, you will surely get an A!
Feel free to contact me at WyzAnt.com/Tutors/JJtheTutor to set up a free trial session.
Study tips for math & physics based courses in college:
Amazing, Life Changing Tutor
Before I met Jonathan, I was struggling through most of my STEM classes because I was simply not studying properly. He taught me all kinds of new study habits that would help me to save time, raise my grades, and lower my stress. Jonathan was specifically tutoring me in vector calculus and is an amazing tutor on the subject. You will walk away from a lesson with a game plan knowing exactly what you need to do before your next session with him or before your next exam in order to do well in the course. I highly recommend him as a tutor.
algebra tutor – trigonometry tutor – precalculus tutor – calculus tutor – differential calculus tutor – integral calculus tutor – linear algebra tutor – differential equations tutor – physics tutor – mechanics physics tutor – electromagnetism physics tutor


text:
PLEASE NOTE that the Tennessee State Library and Archives does not hold copies of all of the items listed in this bibliography. Please check the Tennessee State Library and Archives Online Catalog or visit the Ask Us a Question! web page to contact the Library and Archives and verify we have an item in our collection. We will respond to e-mail requests promptly; response time may vary, depending on the amount of research required to answer your question and the unique nature of your request. If you need immediate assistance you may call the reference desk at (615) 741-2764 or visit us in person.
Subjects :
Alderman, Pat. In the shadow of Big Bald, about the Appalachians & their people. Mars Hill, NC, Bald Mountain Dev. Corp., 1972. 80 pp.
Alderman, Pat. The wonders of the Unakas in Unicoi County. Erwin, Erwin Business & Professional Woman's Club, 1964. 44 pp.
Barnes, Florence. An educational history of Unicoi County, TN. George Peabody College thesis, 1935. pp.
Biographical directory, TN General Assembly, 1796-1969 (Unicoi County, preliminary # 11). Nashville, TSLA, 1970. 61pp.
Churches & institutions of Unicoi County, TN. Milligan College, the college, 1994. 87 pp. (Restoration Movement term papers by Milligan College students enrolled in "Reformation of the nineteenth century," taught by Dr. Henry E. Webb)
Clayton, Austin B. Investigation of the TN Zinc Co. property, Bumpass Cove, Unicoi County, TN. N.p., US Dept. Interior, 1949. 14 pp.
Coleman, Richard D. The distribution & relative abundance of some immature aquatic insects in Red Fork Creek, Unicoi County, TN. ETSU thesis, 1967. 36 pp.
Collins, Bobbie L. "Decoration day at Higgins Chapel cemetery in Unicoi County, TN: a time to remember & to celebrate life." TN Folklore Soc. Bull. 54 (1988), pp. 82-90.
DePriest, Paula T. The macrolichen flora of Unaka Mountain, Unicoi County, TN - Yancy County, NC.UT thesis, 1983. 321 pp.
Earl, Matthew W. Cemeteries as a cultural trait in Unicoi County, TN. ETSU thesis, 1995. 115 pp.
Flood insurance study: Unicoi County, TN: unincorporated areas. Washington, D.C., FEMA, 1984. 27 pp.
Goodspeed's history of east TN (Unicoi County, pp. 904-906, 1287-1289). Goodspeed, 1887.
Health profile: Unicoi County, TN. Johnson City, ARCHA Health Systems Agency, Inc., 1981. 22 pp.
Helton, William W. Around home in Unicoi County. Johnson City, Overmountain Press, 1986. 624 pp. (revised & reprinted, 1987, 626 pp.)
Johnson City-Kingsport-Bristol MSA, 1980-1987: an economic analysis. Nashville, TN Dept. Emp. Sec., 1988. 37 pp.
Lefler, James C. Growth & stand development of eastern white pine (Pinus Strobus L.) on grass balds of Unaka Mountain in Unicoi County, TN. ETSU thesis, 1978. 45 pp.
Masters, Roxie A. The valley of the long hunters. Parsons, WV, McClain Print. Co., 1969. 246 pp.
Mayfield, George R. Avian populations of the high altitude red spruce forest & associated northern hardwoods Unaka Mountain, Unicoi County, TN. ETSU thesis, 1995. 67 pp.
Miller, Tracy R. An investigation of the regional English of Unicoi County, TN. UT dissertation, 1973. 176 pp.
Payne, John H. A vegetational analysis of the Rattlesnake Ridge area of Unaka Mountain, Unicoi County, TN. ETSU thesis, 1966. 49 pp.
Pratt, Andree W. Unicoi County court: 1876-1918. ETSU thesis, 1960. 100 pp.
Price, Albert L. A survey of the vegetation of Unicoi County, TN. Duke U. thesis, 1938. 62 pp.
Rodgers, John. Geology & mineral deposits of Bumpass Cove, Unicoi & Washington counties, TN. Nashville, TN Div. Geol., 1948. 82 pp. (its Bulletin # 54)
Rowe, Richard K. A study of eutrophication in Fishery Branch in Unicoi County, TN. ETSU thesis, 1972. 59 pp.
Shekarchi, Ebraham. The geology of the Flag Pond quadrangle, TN - NC. UT thesis, 1959. 140 pp.
Sinclair, William J. The effects of water conservation practices on individual sewage disposal systems in Unicoi County, TN. ETSU thesis, 1980. 69 pp.
Soil survey, Unicoi County, TN. Washington, D.C., US GPO, 1985. 99 pp.
TN Dept. Education. Unicoi County schools survey report. Nashville, the department, 1964. 1 vol.
TN Dept. Transportation [county maps] issued periodically.
TN Valley Authority. Ind. Div. Agricultural-industrial survey of Unicoi County. Knoxville, TVA, 1934. var. pp.
Thrasher, James A. An educational survey of Unicoi County, TN. UT thesis, 1932. 99 pp.
Unicoi County Hist. Soc. Hidden heroines of northeast TN. Erwin, Unicoi County Hist. Soc., n.d.
Unicoi County, TN & its people, 1875-1995. Waynesville, NC, Walsworth Pub., 1995. 233 pp.
US Geol. Survey [topographic maps] issued periodically. Quadrangles: Johnson City, Telford, Erwin, Unicoi, Iron Mtn. Gap, Flag Pond, Chestoa, Huntdale, Sams Gap, Bald Creek.
Veasey, Milton. Recovery of vegetation & soil following the 1925 fire on Unaka Mountain, Unicoi County, TN. ETSU thesis, 1986. 35 pp.
Burton, Thomas G. "The hanging of Mary, a circus elephant." TN Folklore Soc. Bull. 37 (1971), pp. 1-8.
Ewing, James. "You mean they hanged an elephant?" TN Conservationist 36 (June 1970), p. 6.
Ewing, James. "Mystery solved: why they hanged the elephant." TN Conservationist 36 (Oct. 1970), p. 10.
Price, Charles E. The day they hung the elephant. Illustrations by Randy Hodge. Johnson City, Overmountain Press, 1992. 44 pp.
Flood insurance study: city of Erwin, TN, Unicoi County. Washington, D.C., FEMA, 1984. 17 pp.
Miller, Carolyn D. A walk together: the story of Calvary Baptist Church, Erwin, TN. Erwin, the church, 1974. 39 pp.
Padgett, Hilda B. The Erwin nine. Johnson City, Overmountain Press, 1993. 136 pp.
Swingle, Viola R. Erwin. Johnson City, Overmountain Press, 1976. 59 pp. (reprinted 1986)
TN Valley Authority. Div. Water Control Plan. Floods on Nolichucky River & North & South Indian Creeks in vicinity of Erwin, TN. Knoxville, TVA, 1967. 70 pp.
Unicoi County, Erwin, TN, celebrates the birth of a nation. Souvenir ed. Erwin, n.p., 1976. 48 pp.
Alderman, Pat. Greasy Cove in Unicoi County: authentic folklore. Centennial ed. Johnson City, Overmountain Press, 1975. 48 pp.
Brown, Rosalie B. "Andrew Jackson & the Greasy Cove race track." THM (ser. 2) 2 (1931-1932), pp. 62-66.


text:
New CEO for FirstPacTrust
Friday, September 21, 2012
Share this article:
Irvine-based First PacTrust Bancorp Inc. has appointed Steven Sugarman as chief executive officer following the resignation of Gregory Mitchell, who also was a director of the company and its subsidiaries.
Sugarman has been a member of the company's board for two years, and served for the past two months as co-CEO along with Mitchell.
Mitchell will continue as a consultant to First PacTrust for up to six months, according to the company.
First PacTrust also named Robert Franko as chief executive of its PacTrust Bank subsidiary.
Franko will continue to serve as president of First PacTrust, as well as chief executive of Beach Business Bank, which was acquired by First PacTrust earlier this year.
First PacTrust is in a deal to acquire Los Angeles-based Private Bank of California.
The buy is expected to bring the company's assets to about $2.2 billion upon completion.


text:
CUDA is maturing to become a natural extension of the emerging CPU/GPU paradigm of high-speed computing to make it, and GPU computing, a candidate for all application development. A recent article in this series tutorial series, Running CUDA Code Natively on x86 Processors, noted recent developments that allow CUDA programs to transparently compile and run on x86 processors. This article focuses on incorporating CUDA into Windows and Linux workflows by exploiting the capabilities of the NVIDIA compiler driver, nvcc, to create native runtime loadable plugins. Source code is provided to create and utilize CUDA plugins and even dynamically compile and link a CUDA source file into a running application (just like the OpenCL). This tutorial also provides a general "click together tools" framework that can stream arbitrary messages (vectors, arrays, and complex nested structures) among heterogeneous CPU-, GPU- and CPU+GPU-based applications running within a single workstation, across a network of machines, or within a cloud computing framework. My production version of this same framework has successfully integrated multiple supercomputers and numerous computation nodes into a single unified workflow.
For simplicity, this tutorial uses the freely downloadable Google protobufs package so readers can easily extend this framework to operate on their own data structures. The Google protobufs package also provides binary interoperability across machines and the ability to incorporate applications written in CUDA C, CUDA C++, standard C, standard C++, Python, Java, R, and many other languages into workflows. The use of a binary format also provides a 20-100x increase in performance over XML.
Readers can manually copy and paste the source code in this article to create working applications. Alternatively, a zip file can be downloaded from my wiki.
The build and test scripts use bash and were purposely kept simple. Linux and Windows Cygwin users should be able to use the scripts in this tutorial to build and run the examples. Native Windows users should be able to easily adapt these bash scripts to run in Microsoft .bat files. Regardless of the scripting language, the Windows nvcc driver uses the Microsoft Visual Studio C compiler to create native Windows .exe executables that do not require Cygwin to run. I use the following .bat file to utilize the Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 compiler in command-line mode under Cygwin:
@echo off call "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 10.0\VC\vcvarsall.bat" amd64 chdir C:\cygwin\bin bash --login –i
Creating Dynamically Loadable Runtime CUDA DLLs and Shared Objects
When it encounters calls to libraries, the compiler simply notes the calls. The linker, in a follow-up step, completes the resolution of any unresolved references to create a complete executable that can run on the computer. Linking can be static or dynamic.
Static linking means that all references are resolved when the executable is built. Further, the executable contains the explicit machine code to run all library functions used by the program.
Dynamic load-time linking happens when the executable is loaded into memory. Just like static linking, all symbols in the executable are resolved by linking with one or more .dll (Windows) or .so files (Linux) at program startup. This form of linking provides fixed functionality (think of the C runtime library and other commonly used libraries). A big advantage of load-time linking is that all applications that link a library at load time will benefit from bug fixes and performance improvements just by installing the revised library file at the shared location. No applications need to be recompiled or relinked to use the improved library code. Further, shared libraries keep individual executable sizes small — a cost savings that can be multiplied many times for libraries that are commonly used.
Dynamic runtime linking enables the loading of plugins, which allows generic functionality to be added without recompiling the application. Thus, an application can call a generic function with functionality that depends entirely on whatever plugin happens to be loaded at runtime. In fact, the application can create the plugin (when a compiler is available) by generating a problem-specific source code, which is then compiled and linked into the application. This capability enables developers to create very highly optimized functions for specific problem parameters. I use this trick frequently to create very efficient applications and even to use CUDA C and C++ as a scripting language as I'll show later in this article.
The following is a simple C-language program that calls a generic external function,
func(), and prints the value of
x created by the generic function. To demonstrate additional generality, this program calls an
init() method to perform any initialization, and a
fini() method to provide any final processing.
#include <stdio.h> extern int func(int *); int main() { int x; init(); func(&x); printf("Example of static linking\n"); printf("Valx=%d\n",x); fini(); return 0; }
The source code for crossplatform.cc extends this generic behavior and adds the capability to dynamically compile the DLL or .so at runtime, which is then linked to the running executable. The name of the source code is specified on the command line. Due to the flexibility of the CUDA nvcc compiler driver, the source code can be written in C or C++, and use the CUDA Thrust and Runtime APIs. (This code was not adapted to run on Apple CUDA-enabled computers because I do not have access to a Mac.) It is not hard to see how the application can be extended to generate the source code that generates the plugin.
The code walk-through of crossplatform.cc starts with the specification of the
include files needed to build crossplatform.cc in the Linux and Windows environments. By default, nvcc defines the preprocessor variable
_WIN32 when building under windows. The
__declspec() method is used so Windows can find the symbol information for loadable methods.
#ifdef _WIN32 #include <windows.h> extern __declspec(dllimport) int init(); extern __declspec(dllimport) int func(int*); extern __declspec(dllimport) int fini(); #else #include <cstdlib> #include <sys/types.h> #include <dlfcn.h> #endif #include <string> #include <iostream> using namespace std;
Some global handles and pointer to function types are defined.
#ifdef _WIN32 HINSTANCE lib_handle; #else void *lib_handle; #endif typedef int (*initFini_t)(); typedef int (*func_t)(int*);
main() method begins by parsing the command-line argument, which contains the filename of the source to be built. The command to build the DLL (Windows) or .so (Linux) is created and performed with a
system() call.
int main(int argc, char **argv) { if(argc < 2) { cerr << "Use: sourcefilename" << endl; return -1; } string base_filename(argv[1]); base_filename = base_filename.substr(0,base_filename.find_last_of(".")); // build the shared object or dll #ifdef _WIN32 string buildCommand("nvcc "); buildCommand += string(argv[1]) + string(" -Xlinker \"/DLL /OUT:") + base_filename + string(".dll \""); #else string buildCommand("nvcc -Xcompiler \"-fPIC -shared\" "); buildCommand += string(argv[1]) + string(" -o ") + base_filename + string(".so "); #endif cerr << buildCommand << endl; if(system(buildCommand.c_str())) { cerr << "compile command failed!" << endl; cerr << "Build command " << buildCommand << endl; return -1; } cerr << buildCommand << endl;
Assuming no errors occurred during the compilation phase, the next step is to load the library created in the previous step. If there is an error, the program exits.
// load the library string nameOfLibToLoad("./"); nameOfLibToLoad += base_filename; #ifdef _WIN32 nameOfLibToLoad += ".dll"; cerr << nameOfLibToLoad << endl; lib_handle = LoadLibrary(TEXT(nameOfLibToLoad.c_str())); if (!lib_handle) { cerr << "Cannot load library: " << TEXT(nameOfLibToLoad.c_str()) << endl; return -1; } #else nameOfLibToLoad += ".so"; lib_handle = dlopen(nameOfLibToLoad.c_str(), RTLD_LAZY); if (!lib_handle) { cerr << "Cannot load library: " << dlerror() << endl; return -1; } #endif
Finally, the symbols are loaded and the pointers to the
func(), and
fini() methods are resolved.
// load the symbols initFini_t dynamicInit= NULL; func_t dynamicFunc= NULL; initFini_t dynamicFini= NULL; #ifdef _WIN32 dynamicInit = (initFini_t) GetProcAddress(lib_handle, "init"); if (!dynamicInit) {cerr << "sym load error on init" << endl; return -1;} dynamicFunc = (func_t) GetProcAddress(lib_handle, "func"); if (!dynamicFunc) {cerr << "sym load error on func" << endl; return -1;} dynamicFini = (initFini_t) GetProcAddress(lib_handle, "fini"); if (!dynamicInit) {cerr << "sym load error on fini" << endl; return -1;} #else // reset errors dlerror(); // load the function pointers dynamicFunc= (func_t) dlsym(lib_handle, "func"); const char* dlsym_error = dlerror(); if (dlsym_error) { cerr << "sym load: " << dlsym_error << endl; return -1;} dynamicInit= (initFini_t) dlsym(lib_handle, "init"); dlsym_error = dlerror(); if (dlsym_error) { cerr << "sym load: " << dlsym_error << endl; return -1;} dynamicFini= (initFini_t) dlsym(lib_handle, "fini"); dlsym_error = dlerror(); if (dlsym_error) { cerr << "sym load: " << dlsym_error << endl; return -1;} #endif
Each function pointer is checked to make sure that symbol has been resolved. If so, the function is called. As a convenience to the plugin author, any of the calls can be made optional — meaning the method does not need to be included in the compiled source file. All that's required is to modify the logic in the previous step so a failure to resolve a reference does not cause the application to exit.
if( (*dynamicInit)() < 0) return -1; int x; (*dynamicFunc)(&x); cout << "Valx " << x << endl; if( (*dynamicFini)() < 0) return -1;
Finally, the libraries are unloaded and the application exits.
// unload the library #ifdef _WIN32 FreeLibrary(lib_handle); #else dlclose(lib_handle); #endif }
Following is the source for a simple C++ plugin, cctest1.cc. This source code is straightforward. Note that
__declspec(dllexport) is required by Windows to export the function names.
#include <iostream> using namespace std; extern "C" #ifdef _WIN32 __declspec(dllexport) #endif int init() { cerr << "Hello from Init" << endl; return(0); } extern "C" #ifdef _WIN32 __declspec(dllexport) #endif int func(int *i) { cerr << "Hello from Func" << endl; *i=100; return(1); } extern "C" #ifdef _WIN32 __declspec(dllexport) #endif int fini() { cerr << "Hello from Fini" << endl; return(0); }
Here is a more-complicated CUDA example that calculates the sum of a sequence of numbers on the GPU using Thrust.
#include <thrust/host_vector.h> #include <thrust/device_vector.h> #include <thrust/sequence.h> #include <thrust/reduce.h> #include <thrust/functional.h> #include <iostream> using namespace std; extern "C" #ifdef _WIN32 __declspec(dllexport) #endif int init() { cerr << "Hello from Init" << endl; return(0); } extern "C" #ifdef _WIN32 __declspec(dllexport) #endif int func(int *i) { cerr << "Hello from Func" << endl; thrust::device_vector<int> ara(1000); thrust::sequence(ara.begin(), ara.end() ); *i = thrust::reduce(ara.begin(), ara.end() , (int) 0, thrust::plus<int>()); return(1); } extern "C" #ifdef _WIN32 __declspec(dllexport) #endif int fini() { cerr << "Hello from Fini" << endl; return(0); }
Linux users will use the following commands to build and run the examples. Either of the plugin examples can be used simply by calling the crossplatform.cc executable with the name of the source file. Without changing or recompiling crossplatform.cc, arbitrary functionally can be added by writing your own plugin.
echo "------ static test cutest2.cu -----" nvcc prog.c cutest2.cu -o prog ./prog echo "------ building cross platform-----" nvcc -o crossplatform crossplatform.cc -ldl echo "------ dynamic version of cctest1.cc -----" ./crossplatform cctest1.cc echo "------ dynamic version of cutest2.cu -----" ./crossplatform cutest2.cu
Similarly, Windows users will use the following commands.
echo "------ static test cutest2.cu -----" nvcc prog.c cutest2.lib -o prog ./prog.exe echo "------ building cross platform-----" nvcc -o crossplatform crossplatform.cc echo "------ dynamic version of cctest1.cc -----" ./crossplatform.exe cctest1.cc echo "------ dynamic version of cutest2.cu -----" ./crossplatform.exe cutest2.cu
Note that the only real difference is that Linux needs to link to the libdl.a library and the executable names are slightly different.
Following is the output under Linux. Windows users will see similar behavior.
$:~/DDJ023/dynamic_load_link$ sh BUILD.linux ------ static test cutest2.cu ----- Hello from Init Hello from Func Example of static linking Valx=499500 Hello from Fini ------ building cross platform----- ------ dynamic version of cctest1.cc ----- nvcc -Xcompiler "-fPIC -shared" cctest1.cc -o cctest1.so nvcc -Xcompiler "-fPIC -shared" cctest1.cc -o cctest1.so Hello from Init Hello from Func Valx 100 Hello from Fini ------ dynamic version of cutest2.cu ----- nvcc -Xcompiler "-fPIC -shared" cutest2.cu -o cutest2.so nvcc -Xcompiler "-fPIC -shared" cutest2.cu -o cutest2.so Hello from Init Hello from Func Valx 499500 Hello from Fini
The application crossplatform.cc demonstrates how CUDA can be built and loaded into a running application. This demonstrates that CUDA can build kernels at runtime just like OpenCL can. Further, it opens up the possibility for highly optimized automatic plugin generation based on problem parameters.


text:
This post is based on an old version of WordPress.
Here at Paper Leaf, we do a decent amount of WordPress blog design & implementation for our clients. While WordPress is super easy to learn, you can't just build your clients a blog, send them the login information and then disappear off of the face of the earth. Where's the customer service, people?!? Ideally, we sit down for a half hour or hour with our clients to show them the basics of how to use their new blog (writing a post, adding categories, checking stats, uploading photos, adding users). However, sometimes a face-to-face meet up isn't doable; we offer graphic & web design in Edmonton, but many of our clients are outside of the city.
To combat this, we built a very simple reference guide to give to our clients that explains how to do the following in their new WordPress blog:
- write a new blog entry
- save, preview & publish a post
- add tags (and what that means)
- add categories (and what that means)
- check blog stats
- use the Media section
- moderate comments
- update plugins
- add a new user
This covers about 99% of what most basic blog users need to know, and it provides them with a resource they can come back to when needed, share within their business, and so forth. It's sort of a basic WordPress author's guide suitable to email and view on screen – click here to download it (or click the image above).
We figured that since this guide has been helpful to us, maybe it will be helpful to other designers who use WordPress. Here's hoping! Anyway, share freely (but not as your own, please!)
*note: we install the Site Stats plugin for all clients – if you use this guide, I recommend doing the same, or your clients might be confused as to why they don't have a Site Stats link.
Like the free WordPress PDF? Join hundreds of other designers staying up-to-date with our free weekly design newsletter. Why wait? Join now and keep on top of the latest design news!