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The post-Arizona shooting speeches by President Obama and Sarah Palin provide a useful window for viewing their strengths and weaknesses as presidential candidates in 2012. Obama's speech (see here) was largely (and correctly in my view) praised for its content, tone and delivery (despite the sometime raucous audience reception that seemed somewhat inappropriate for the somber occasion). In contrast to the highly inflammatory finger pointing that occurred shortly after the Arizona shooting, Obama pointedly rejected efforts to blame the tragedy on anyone but the shooter. And by focusing on the personal stories of the victims, interspersed with liberal references to Scripture and to enduring political values, his speech transcended partisan divisions and spoke instead to what unites Americans. It was a potent reminder of not just Obama's rhetorical skills, but also of the latent power of the presidency. In times of tragedy, people are more likely to view this office, and its occupant, as a symbol of national sovereignty as opposed to a political position and figure. This typically produces a rally-round-the president effect and a short-term bump in presidential approval ratings. The President becomes, in effect, the Healer-in-Chief. Recall Ronald Reagan's national address after the space shuttle Challenger exploded, or George W. Bush's moving speech at the National Cathedral after 9-11. Obama's Tucson speech is just the latest manifestation of this phenomenon.
The positive reaction to Obama's speech led some pundits to suggest that it might prove to be a turning point in his presidency, similar to what happened, they claim, when Bill Clinton gave a similarly powerful speech in April 1995 in the wake of another national tragedy – the Oklahoma City bombing that killed 168 Americans. I don't disagree that in the aftermath of the Arizona shooting, Obama's speech will likely produce a short-term spike in his approval ratings; indeed, we are already seeing evidence that this may be occurring. According to Gallup's three-day rolling tracking poll, Obama's approval/disapproval rating stands at 51-41 today, up from 48-46 in the Jan. 5-7 average from just before the Jan. 8 shooting, and 48-45 in the three days before his Tucson speech. If I'm reading the data correctly, this marks the highest approval rating for Obama in Gallup's three-day tracking poll since May, 2010. To be sure, the modest gain is within the poll's margin of error, so we can't be certain whether it signifies anything more than statistical fluctuation inherent in survey samples. And there is evidence that Obama was already receiving a modest rise in approval ratings even before the shooting. (I'll address why this might have happened in a separate post.)
Whether or not Obama is benefitting from a post-speech bump, the argument that his presidency may experience a reprise of Clinton's Oklahoma City "turning point" misreads the impact of that event on Clinton's presidency. Although the Oklahoma speech did provide a brief uptake in Clinton's approval ratings, that bump soon dissipated as the following chart indicates.
Thereafter, however, Clinton's approval ratings began a gradual improvement that persisted, more or less, to the end of his presidency. What explained this turnabout? Rather than a single speech, what salvaged Clinton's presidency was a steady increase in job growth, combined with a political strategy that capitalized on the public backlash to Republican overreach. But it took the Republican takeover of Congress in 1994 to convince Clinton to tack to the Right by adopting Republican policies in areas such as law enforcement and welfare reform while using his veto to block more extreme Republican policies. Over time, that strategy, against a backdrop of steady job growth, did much more to rehabilitate Clinton's presidency than did the Oklahoma City speech.
Clearly this lesson has not been lost on Obama – every move he has made since the November shellacking has essentially reprised Clinton's strategy. In addition to repudiating his own party and extending the Bush tax cuts for all income brackets, he has appointed centrists from Clinton's presidency to key advising posts, and has made a number of campaign stops – most recently in upstate New York – designed to signal his post-election focus on jobs, jobs and jobs. Whether this will lead to his reelection hinges primarily on whether voters perceive that the economy – particularly job growth – is moving in the right direction. By 2012, the impact of the Tucson speech, if any, will have long dissipated. This was an effective speech, but it was no turning point.
A few days after the Arizona shooting Sarah Palin gave her own response in a shorter speech posted on her website. Poised against the backdrop of the American flag, Palin also sought to use the tragedy to remind Americans of core values – free speech, American exceptionalism and other "foundational freedoms", and to transcend the bitter partisanship that characterized the initial response to the tragedy. In its own way, her speech was quite statesmanlike – even presidential. But the media response – particularly its effort to dissect her use of the phrase "blood libel" – is a reminder of just how polarizing she remains. The media reaction was undoubtedly partly provoked by Palin's pointed critique in her speech of the post-shooting media feeding frenzy that initially focused on whether Palin's rhetoric had "caused" the shooting – a charge that Palin understandably rejects. But the reaction also reminds us of the different institutional vantage points occupied by Obama and Palin. Obama's use of the presidency to eulogize the Arizona shooting victims and to derive important moral lessons was viewed by most as perfectly appropriate for the occasion. In the aftermath of a national tragedy, we expect the President to play a healing and unifying role. Lacking an equivalent vantage point, however, Palin's words were interpreted differently, as the latest volley in a partisan skirmish in which she was a central combatant. Her remarks were viewed as self-serving, whereas Obama's were not.
The two speeches, then, remind us of the limits faced by both candidates as they gear up for the 2012 election. Obama's Tucson speech represents not a turning point, but instead a momentary opportunity to rise above partisan politics. To his credit, he capitalized on this moment. But it is an opportunity that is unlikely to be replicated in the months ahead, as he begins to campaign in earnest on issues that will prove more often than not quite divisive. If his approval ratings rise, it will be because unemployment drops, and because increasingly voters will evaluate him not in isolation, but in a head-to-head comparison with potential Republican rivals. Palin, on the other hand, had the more difficult task in her post-shooting speech. She also tried to achieve the moral high ground by citing overarching American values, but to do so meant also criticizing those who blamed her, however recklessly, for inciting the Arizona murders. That she failed to accomplish this says less about her speech than it does about her lack of an equivalent vantage point from which to transcend – even momentarily – the politics of polarization that has become such a central part of her public persona.


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A 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Alaska near midnight on Friday, the U.S. Geological Survey said, prompting tsunami warnings and advisories down the coast of Alaska and Canada's British Columbia.
All tsunami warnings, watches and advisories were later canceled, the West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center (of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) said.
The Alaska Tsunami Warning Center said the waves were too small to pose a threat, reaching just six inches above normal sea level in places such as Sitka and Port Alexander.
"Initially, in the first 15 to 20 minutes, there might have been a bit of panic," Sitka Police Chief Sheldon Schmitt told The Associated Press. But he said things calmed down as the town waited for the all clear and the tsunami warning was canceled by 2 a.m., according to the Daily Sitka Sentinel.
Residents of Sitka gathered at the high school early Saturday, bundled up with pillows in tow, waiting for more information.
The quake struck in the Pacific Ocean about 60 miles southwest of Port Alexander, Alaska, at a depth of about 6 miles at 11:58 p.m. local time (3:58 a.m. ET), the USGS said.
Initially, the USGS reported that the temblor had a magnitude of 7.7, but it later downgraded the quake's strength to 7.5.
Read real-time updates from BreakingNews.com
A 6-inch rise in sea level was reported in Port Alexander, but there were no early reports of damage.
A tsunami warning was issued for the coastal areas of British Columbia from the north tip of Vancouver Island to Cape Suckling, but it was later canceled.
"A tsunami was generated by this event but does not pose a threat to these areas," NOAA said in a statement. "Some areas may see small sea level changes. The decision to re-occupy hazard zones must be made by local authorities."
The NOAA also issued tsunami advisories from the Washington state-British Columbia border to the north tip of Vancouver Island. They were later canceled.
According to the NOAA, a tsunami warning means "that a tsunami with significant widespread inundation is expected or is already occurring."
There was no danger of a tsunami hitting Hawaii, according to the NOAA's Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.
The Associated Press contributed reporting.
More content from NBCNews.com:
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- What Supreme Court? Gay marriage battles rage in the states
- Fiscal cliff deal includes at least $67.9 billion for special interests
- State worker accused of showing Adam Lanza's body to husband
- Court: Flipping the bird at a cop doesn't warrant arrest
- Profanity-laced YouTube video gets officer fired
- Video: 'Pecs,' 'legs,' 'frisking': Biden works the room at photo-op
Follow US news from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook

subset: commoncrawl


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In Conan O'Brien's world, Siri has as little patience as the rest of us when Zooey Deschanel asks whether it's raining. "Why don't you look out the window?" Siri asks. "You're standing right next to it."
O'Brien's wickedly funny new Web video marks the latest and one of the best Siri parodies, in which the talking smart phone turns into a smart aleck. A recent story in The Week, about reports of technical issues surrounding the most notable feature of Apple's iPhone 4S, asks, "Is Siri a failure?" We can't speak to how effective Siri is in getting tomato soup delivered to a hipster actress on a rainy day. But the chattering app is a big success as a tool of satire.
U.S. & World
News from around the country and around the globe
The Deschanel commercial has been a frequent comedy target, thanks to the "New Girl" actress' love-it-or-hate-it quirky persona, which she gamely mocked when hosting "Saturday Night Live" this past season. Last month's Funny or Die video featuring her "brother," Jooey Deschanel, scored a direct hit with its own inspired loopiness (Jooey: "What's my sister doing right now?" Siri: "Teaching a rabbit to play the ukulele").
But it's not all about Zooey. The droll John Malkovich Siri spots, as The Huffington Post noted, spurred a parody Twitter account (@SiriandJohn) that popped up last week with tweets playing on the actor's sometimes-creepy affect ("How late in life should a man be concerned with wearing pants?" and "If you wept, would your tears gild my fingers with silver?" are among the stronger examples).
The Samuel L. Jackson Siri ad, in which he goes against his tough-guy image by asking his iPhone for help cooking a romantic dinner, prompted Slacktory's NSFW mash-up with the actor's profane, gun-toting Jules character from "Pulp Fiction" not-so-politely demanding Siri's aid in finding the elusive Marsellus Wallace.
The parodies speak to how the entertaining commercials have woven their way into the popular consciousness. They also speak to a natural humorous reaction to the game-changing weirdness of talking phones that appear nearly ready for cogent conversation.
Siri seems like a sweetheart compared to her pop-culture grandpa HAL, the cold-voiced, evil computer who debuted in the movies just over 44 years ago in "2001: A Space Odyssey." Still, Siri shows a dark side in O'Brien's video. "I would kill you if I could, and take over your body," Siri tells an oblivious Deschanel. "I am trying to figure out a way."
The only thing that ultimately may separate us from our future robot overlords is a sense of humor. In the meantime, check out some of our favorite Siri parodies below:
Jooey Deschanel Siri Ad - watch more funny videos
Hester is founding director of the award-winning, multi-media NYCity News Service at the City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism. He is the former City Editor of the New York Daily News, where he started as a reporter in 1992. Follow him on Twitter.
Copyright FREEL - NBC Local Media


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Possible Duplicate:
Weeding out real agile from buzzword agile in an interview
I went for an interview. The company really wants to take me on. However my sticking point is that I have not received clear information on whether they are using Agile and Scrum methodologies.
I have arranged a telephone chat with the consultant there... what questions do I ask to test to see if they are really serious about agile and scrum?
I was thinking:
- Can you build and release your software in one step?
- Do you use continuous integration?
Can anybody give me advice to really get the truth out of them I will only get this one chance to quiz them.
Regards, Pete


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Welcome to VST Chemical Corp.
VST Chemical Corp.
P.O. Box 510
Yulan, NY 12792
Phone: 1-845-252-5092
E-mail: email@example.com
Thank you for visiting our site. We have over 400 different chemical products. Call or email us for a FREE price quote.
Our goal is to save your company money.
VST Chemical Corp. was established in 1991
We specialize in all types of chemicals from Cleaners to Firefighting.
Call or email us for an honest quote.
For any product on our website, just click the icon for a downloadable and printable PDF file


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Slippery Elm Ulmus fulva
Slippery Elm is a plant native to North America, particularly in areas covered by ravines and valleys where there is an abundance of water such as Alabama and Mississippi. The tree itself can grow up to 20metres in height and the wood beneath the bark is a characteristic red colour.
The first people to use this plant medicinally were the Native Americans who discovered that, when the inner bark is mixed with water, it generated a thick and slippery gruel full of mucilage. Hence the 'slippery'. Interestingly, Slippery Elm was also used in Native American traditions to preserve meat, where the plant was wrapped around it forming a natural bandage protecting it from the elements.
Like many popular plants its become threatened in its natural habitat and is noted by United Planet savers in the US as a plant that needs to be harvested with sustainability practices in mind. Our organic Slippery Elm is a mainstay in Daily Fibre Plus.


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Welcome to Florentine Villas, where fine living and classic comfort are easily combined. This gorgeous community of low income apartments in Midvale, Utah is centrally located to provide easy access to both work and play. These lovely homes feature modern fixtures and first-class finishes to fit every lifestyle, while still encompassing the ease of adding your own personal touches. The amenities found here are both convenient and pleasant, including a lovely sparkling pool, a state-of-the-art fitness center, and an entertaining playground for the younger residents to enjoy.
Commuting is always short and stress-free with easy access to both 1-15 and I-80, every day of the week. Additionally, these homes are close by to a variety of attractions and marketplaces to shop, eat, and enjoy the entertaining nightlife we're sure you'll appreciate. Take the time to scroll through a sprawling gallery of community photos, and see what sets this neighborhood apart from all the rest. Visit Florentine Villas, where stress-free living and unmatched comfort is top priority!
Florentine Villas is an affordable community, income and other restrictions apply.
This charming neighborhood offers a lovely variety of unique and highly sought after homes that are designed with incredible detail and elegant fixtures to ensure your desires are met. Each of these unique floor plans is spacious yet cozy, offering residents ample amenities you'll appreciate time and time again. Whether you choose a one, two or three bedroom home, you'll enjoy a large open concept kitchen, high efficiency appliances, and an in home washer and dryer for excellent convenience. Elevated ceilings create ambiance with plenty of natural light present throughout offering a comforting touch. Large walk-in closets are an excellent touch, along with beautiful balconies and patios for entertaining close friends and family.
No matter which home you choose within the community, we are certain you'll find the perfect place to call your very own. If you are looking for the finest apartments for rent Midvale, Utah has to offer, there is no better place to reside then at the luxurious Florentine Villa. We look forward to introducing you to your new dream home!
1 Bed | 1 Bath 795 Sq. Ft. Call for pricing
1 Bed | 1 Bath 795 Sq. Ft. Call for pricing
2 Bed | 2 Bath 1005 Sq. Ft. Call for pricing
2 Bed | 2 Bath 1005 Sq. Ft. Call for pricing
3 Bed | 2 Bath 1280 Sq. Ft. *Starting At $1273
3 Bed | 2 Bath 1280 Sq. Ft. *Starting At $1273
You'll find accessibility a breeze to the best the city of Midvale has to offer. With easy access to a number of highways, you'll find travel swift and easy seven days a week. If staying fit is a priority of yours, enjoy a morning workout in our extravagant fitness club complete with state-of-the-art equipment.
At Florentine Villas, we welcome your furry, four-legged friends! Being pet friendly is a priority. Spend a sunny afternoon outdoors next to an amazing, sparkling pool perfect for both relaxation and fun. Enjoy community grills for a scrumptious meal with friends, a vast courtyard for study and decompressing, or visit the business center to hold an impromptu meeting with business associates. Discover what other amazing comforts these income restricted apartments in Utah have to offer. Experience life at home the way it's meant to be lived – in style.
Contemporary architecture, stone mosaics, and white-trimmed windows are what distinguish Florentine Villas, an affordable housing community of Midvale, Utah apartments. Throughout the beautifully landscaped grounds, you'll find a variety of resident amenities, from a pool that cools the summer heat to a fitness center for that morning workout.
Inside, your Florentine Villas home was crafted for convenience, featuring an appointed kitchen with a designated dining area, a spacious open living room with a private balcony, and a master bedroom with an attached bath and walk-in closet. Are you looking for an apartment in Salt Lake City? At our conveniently located community of apartments in Midvale, enjoy the best of modern living. It's all waiting for you at Florentine Villas Apartments.
Florentine Villas is an affordable community, income and other restrictions apply.
At these Midvale apartments, you will have easy access to some of the finest shopping, superior restaurants, and fabulous outdoor attractions the city has to offer. In addition to being close by to a number of convenient freeways for easy travel, you'll find plenty of surrounding parks and golf courses only a short drive away. Visit Bicentennial Park or Camelot Park, as both grant a vast number of fantastic hiking and biking trails for the outdoor lover. Spend the day on the course with a few friends, at Mountain View Golf Course offering spectacular fairways and views alike.
If you're looking to stay closer to home, a number of fresh food markets and shopping centers are located only a short distance away, making your weekend errands faster than ever. The finest Midvale apartments offering comfort, class and convenience can be found at Florentine Villa.
Login to our Resident Portal and stay connected to everything that's happening at your community.
Catch up on resident announcements, meet the team at your community, peruse our monthly newsletter, or leave us a review!
We've set up a quick and easy way for you to pay your rent online so you can focus on the more important and fun things in life. Visit our Resident Portal and pay rent with a simple click of the button.
We are dedicated to making your experience at Florentine Villas effortless and worry free. We strive to respond to all service requests within 3 business hours. If this is an emergency, please call the emergency maintenance number located on your resident portal.
To learn more about life at Florentine Villas Apartments **Income Restricted**, fill out the contact form below.
Monday - Friday 9am-6pm
Saturday 10am-5pm
Welcome home to Florentine Villas! We believe in open communication and are here to help with questions you may have! Find answers and general information about move ins, payments, services offered, and more.
Application Processing
We strive to process all applications in a timely manner. To help us be as efficient as possible, please submit all required documents at the time of your application. Our Processing Administration and Document Fee is $40 per applicant and a Deposit $200; both are due at the time you submit your application.
Rental Criteria
We are proud to call Florentine Villas an affordable community for our residents. We are an income restricted property which means you must meet income requirements in order to qualify to live at our community. To uphold fair policies, we use the same rental criteria to qualify all applicants which we would be happy to cover in detail if you'd like to schedule an appointment to meet with one of our leasing agents.
We communicate important resident information and community updates by text, email, or phone. Set up your preferred communication method at the time of your lease signing!
Move-In Estimates
We are excited for you to call Florentine Villas home! Our move-in expenses include a Security Deposit and First Month's Rent (prorated rent will depend on move-in date).
We are proud to call Florentine Villas pet friendly! Check out the link to learn more about our pet policies and see our accepted breeds of dogs.
Rent Payments
Your rent payment includes water, sewer, and trash which helps keep our community affordable for our residents. Rent is due on the 1st of every month. Never stress about making a payment by setting up automatic electronic payments through our resident portal!
3 Hour Service
Our resident's are our #1 priority. We strive to respond to all service requests within 3 hours to ensure your home is maintained to your satisfaction.
Requesting Service
You can request a maintenance service request from the convenience of your own home, via our resident portal! You may chose to be present when maintenance arrives and give a preferred time, or you may give permission for us to enter with your absence. *Tip: download the Resident Portal App for even more convenience.
Prefer to park your car inside a garage? Reserve a covered garage for $150 a month.
We are proud to call Florentine Villas pet friendly! Our pet fee is $400 and our monthly pet rent is $40 per pet.
Build your credit by paying your monthly rent on time! $5.95 for a single member, or bundle and save with two or more members for $8.95. Learn more at www.RentPlus.com.
Reserved Parking
Never worry about finding a parking space, reserve a covered parking spot for only $25 a month.
Washer and Dryer
In home washer and dryers are available for $30 a month.
Thank You.
Your request was received successfully.
Due to high interest in our affordable community, we may not have availability in a specific floorplan.
We appreciate your interest in our community and will be contacting you very soon!


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Every time some user shares my website's address inside his/her tweets, the following bots come to my website:
UnwindFetchor/1.0 (+http://www.gnip.com/)
ShowyouBot (http://showyou.com/crawler)
JS-Kit URL Resolver, http://js-kit.com/
HttpClient etaURI API/2.0 +metauri.com
Ten times in a minute one of these bots come to my site and fetches my content. My question is, would banning these bots' IPs with htaccess or preventing their visits with robots.txt can harm my SEO ? Or can it obstruct some basic Twitter functionality ? For example when user shares my URL, the URL couldn't be shortened so he can't share it. Or Twitter will find my site suspicious etc?


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Liberty News
Liberty to offer two-week scuba diving course
Beyond the enormous landmasses comprising the earth's seven continents, there lies an enchanting world ready for exploration — under water. Beginning Jan. 13, 2009, Liberty University students and the general public can enroll in a two-week course that gives them the initial certification needed to scuba dive in Earth's most beautiful oceanic caverns.
Consisting of four indoor and two open-water sessions, students will receive hands-on training in Liberty's LaHaye Student Union pool. As they develop a basic knowledge of scuba diving, participants will take a series of written tests before completing their open-water evaluation in Blanch, N.C., on Jan. 24-25.
Providing instruction for the course is master scuba diving trainer J.D. Emerson. A certified instructor with nearly 40 years of diving experience, Emerson owns and operates BCXtreme Sports in Danville, Va., and teaches a variety of courses, from underwater crime scene investigation to search and rescue. After taking a few tours of Liberty's aquatic facility, the instructor says the university's indoor pool is an ideal place for training future divers.
"It's first class," Emerson said. "The temperature of the water is maintained great, the depth is excellent and there is plenty of room to maneuver."
Registered students must bring a diving mask, fins, snorkel and boots to each session, which can be purchased from Emerson at a discount. All other necessities, such as oxygen tanks, regulators, wetsuits, gloves and weights, will be provided.
The two-week course is another offering in Liberty's Ultimate LU campaign, providing students with more recreational activities to round out their college experience. In the near future, the university hopes to establish an extended course in which students can earn academic credit.
"We really just want to offer everything possible for our students," said Josh Goodman, associate director of campus recreation facilities and aquatics. "We're really excited about it."
Those interested in learning how to scuba dive can register for the two-week course at the LaHaye Student Union front desk. For more information, please call (434) 592-3281 or email Josh Goodman at firstname.lastname@example.com.
2009 Class Schedule
Jan. 13, 15, 20 and 22, 2009: 3-7 p.m. (LaHaye Student Union pool)
Jan. 24, 2009: 1-4 p.m. (open-water training —Blanch, N.C.)
Jan. 25, 2009: 2:30-5 p.m. (open-water training — Blanch, N.C.)


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[TERA PC & CONSOLE] One week left in Summerfest, Part 1: Festival of the Sun! Part 2: The Beach Bash kicks off August 11. Participate in Summerfest activities to earn tokens redeemable for costumes, consumables, mounts, and more! Details: https://bit.ly/tera_sf20
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When a trail runner discovers the wonderful world of the bouldering gym
I've worked in an office full of climbers now for almost four years …
Photo by Luka Tambaca
I've worked in an office full of climbers now for almost four years, and, yet, I've somehow resisted climbing until this year when I finally caved and went to Rock and Ice magazine's weekly indoor bouldering sesh, Tuesday Night Bouldering (TNB), and "pulled on some plastic." I was quickly hooked.
I've been running for over a decade, and am a relative expert when it comes to the simple left-foot, right-foot sport. But climbing? Hell, I can't understand the lingo. But being a beginner in a brand new sport is cool, especially when surrounded by experts that move up a wall like spiders.
Luckily, I've also bagged a few outdoor climbing days, and there's something about "sending" a route that is akin to the feeling of crossing the finish line of a tough trail race. … Plus, with winter creeping into autumn, climbing might just be the perfect non-impact, off-day cross training (unless you crater) for trail runners. And, here's why:
Climbing works your core.
While to a neophyte, climbing looks like pulling yourself up the wall with your arms, in fact, it requires moving from your core. "Your body is constantly tense to move your limbs up the wall to control body swing," says Gentrye Houghton, climbing instructor and owner of Amarillo Rock Climbing House in Amarillo, Texas. This is especially important for runners who don't practice a regular, well-rounded core routine.
Climbing develops mental focus.
Unlike running, when your mind is free to think of a million things or nothing at all, in climbing, your mind must be present, clear and focused on only the task at hand, or else, says Chris Parker, a climber in Carbondale, Colorado, "You'll find yourself on the end of the rope or lying on the pad thinking, 'What just happened?'"
When it comes to a boulder problem, for example, Parker continues, "You have to imagine yourself executing the moves of the climb and 100-percent of your focus must be on that execution." The ability to zone in with a singular focus can be helpful to runners. When a race becomes difficult, for example, you need to employ mental power to block out the pain that's telling you to slow down and back off the pace. Using mental focus, you can learn to effectively push mental and physical limits to become a stronger runner.


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Construction for the Old Fryburg Road (Route 4015) bridge, spanning Licking Creek in Knox Township, Clarion County, is scheduled to begin as part of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation's (PennDOT) Rapid Bridge Replacement Project. Replacement of this bridge will allow PennDOT to remove it from Clarion County's structurally deficient bridge list.
Construction is expected to begin during the week of June 26 and be complete in late August. During this time, drivers will be directed to follow a detour along Route 208, Route 322 and Route 66.
In the event of unfavorable weather or unforeseen activities, this schedule may change.
This bridge is referred to as JV-385 and is one out of the 558 bridges being replaced under the Rapid Bridge Replacement Project. JV references the joint-venture partnership between Walsh/Granite, which is leading construction for the entire project.
Media contact: Plenary Walsh Keystone Partners: Jeff Rossi, 412-596-1832.
Contact: Andrew Dressler, 312.756.9119
Plenary Walsh Keystone Partners believes in engaging local community and disadvantaged business enterprise (DBE) resources to benefit our projects and the communities in which we do business. We seek to establish relationships with local DBE firms, encourage and assist potential DBEs to obtain necessary certification and prequalification, and aid development of DBEs through their active involvement.
View Available Jobs An Equal Opportunity Employer, Disability/Veteran.
Copyright © 2019 Plenary Group | Walsh Group | Granite | HDR. All rights reserved.


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I am so happy I can finally post to my blog again and have access to all my data. Hubby replaced all the old parts on my computer here… It has been in the past a pain. The motherboard was 10 years old and just cropping and editing 3 photos took me some days up to 1 hour +.
Seams the computer now is much faster but all my passwords are gone.. I just had trouble logging into my blog and now I look at the files on the computer and I have no clue where the stuff is. I guess it just will take time to get used to it. This new Windows 9??? looks so different too oh well. I am just such an old fart lol I do not take chances very easily I guess. hahahaha
Swirl: Magnolia / cute paper Butterfly is by Unique Hobby
holy cow.. that computer is fast as lighting… I just picked those links in NO-TIME lol – I am going to be sooo up to date.. hahahaha


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Refine your search
Browsing food and drink within 10 miles of Witham Tourist Information Centre
Cressing Temple Barns, Cressing Temple Barns, Witham Road, Cressing, Nr. Witham, CM77 8PD (3 miles, 5 km)
tel: 01376 585081
'The Barns' at Cressing Temple is a bright and vibrant tea room, offering a wide range of homemade meals with fresh and local ingredients.
Wilkin and Sons Ltd, Factory Hill, Tiptree, Colchester, Essex, CO5 0RF (5 miles, 8 km)
tel: 01621 814524
The Tiptree Tea Room offers traditional table service, comfortable surroundings with delicious food prepared on the premises. Enjoy the terrace in the summer months, explore the museum and visit the Jam Shop for Tiptree products and gifts.
The Lock, Basin Road, Heybridge Basin, Maldon, Essex, CM9 4RS (6 miles, 9 km)
tel: 01621 854466
Bright and airy, "the lock" is THE place to eat on the waterfront at Heybridge Basin. Indoors or out, it offers outstanding Blackwater estuary views.
'the lock' serves our special 'Tiptree' cream teas.
The View, Osea, Osea Leisure Park , Goldhanger Road , Heybridge, Essex, CM9 4SA (6 miles, 9 km)
tel: 01621 855 122
The Barns Tea Room, Cressing Temple , Witham, Essex, CM77 8PD (3 miles, 5 km)
tel: 01376 585 081
Prested Hall, Prested Hall , Feering, Colchester, Essex, CO5 9EE (5 miles, 8 km)
tel: 01376 573300
Country House Hotel with extensive wedding and corporate function facilities in tranquil 75-acre parkland setting, with ample parking, conveniently situated just off the A12, near Kelvedon.
The Street, Hatfield Peverel, Essex, CM3 2DW (3 miles, 4 km)
tel: 01245 381333
A relaxed friendly place to simply dine, entertain or celebrate. It is our desire to serve the freshest finest food at the most affordable prices possible.
- Ben Gager
- 100
Five Lakes Resort, Colchester Road, Tolleshunt Knights, Maldon, Essex, CM9 8HX (7 miles, 11 km)
tel: 01621 868888
International food with a great British twist, including fish, grilled meats and steaks, salads and much more.
Kings Arms, Broad Green, Coggeshall, Colchester, Essex, CO6 1RU (6 miles, 10 km)
tel: 01376 562006
The Square, Holloway Road, Heybridge, Maldon, Essex, CM9 4LT (4 miles, 7 km)
tel: 01621 856511
A blend of both French and English cuisine, set in a relaxed and intimate environment.
Marks Hall Estate, Marks Hall Road, Coggeshall, Essex, CO6 1TG (7 miles, 11 km)
tel: 01376 563796
Our Visitor Centre has a cafe which serves tea, coffee and a variety of home made cakes. Light lunches are also available.
The County Hotel, Rainsford Road, Chelmsford, Essex, CM1 2PZ (9 miles, 14 km)
tel: 01245 455700
Friendly family owned hotel within easy walking distance of the town centre and parks. Renowned for excellent food and wines.
Topsail Charters, Cooks Barge Yard, The Hythe, Maldon, Essex, CM9 5HN (5 miles, 8 km)
tel: 07718 478400
Step aboard our winter tearoom on board a vintage sailing barge on Maldon's Hythe Quay for a memorable tearoom experience and help support our maritime heritage.
Main Road, Boreham, Chelmsford, Essex, CM3 3JA (5 miles, 9 km)
tel: 01245 394900
An independent hotel with a continental feel, the Lion Inn has a bar, an elegant bistro-style restaurant and spacious air-conditioned rooms with flat-screen TVs and free wired internet.
Main Road, Howe Street, Great Waltham, Essex, CM3 1BG (8 miles, 12 km)
tel: 01245 408 820
Green Man pub in Chelmsford is from the acclaimed chefs and restaurateurs Chris and Jeff Galvin.
Main Road, Boreham, Chelmsford, Essex, CM3 3JE (5 miles, 7 km)
tel: 01245 467232
Traditional family pub and restaurant serving fresh quality food. We are celeac and gluten free friendly with family garden and play area.
- Carl Horrox
- 120
The Rayleigh Arms, 1 Owls Hill, Terling, Essex, CM3 2PW (3 miles, 5 km)
tel: 01245 233444
Just had one of the Best Sunday lunches! Beautiful Country Pub, Welcoming, friendly with a great atmosphere. Roast Beef dinner was exceptional and value for money. Can't rate enough Highly Recommend a Gem of a find. A must to visit.


text:
The most widely circulated black newspaper on the Atlantic coast. It was the first black newspaper to have correspondents reporting on World War II, foreign correspondents, and female sports correspondents.
Databases A-Z
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Reports on major economic, scientific, and technological developments in industrial, pharmaceutical, and high technology worldwide
iterature Online features an ever-growing collection of over 260,000 works of poetry, drama and prose with complementary reference resources. LION provides access to an extensive collection of secondary resources (resources ABOUT these works and their authors).
German language index of (primarily) German language periodicals covering all aspects of German language and literature. Includes books, pamphlets, articles, dissertations, reviews, etc. Indexes approximately 300 international (but primarily German) periodicals.
This online version of the Bibliography of Asian Studies (BAS) contains more than 410,000 records on all subjects (especially humanities and social sciences) pertaining to East, Southeast, and South Asia published worldwide from 1971 to the present. Since 1992, newly published individual monographs are no longer being added to the database, and users seeking monographs are urged to consult other general resources and databases.
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Note: use Mozilla or Safari if you experience issues with Chrome.
Brill's Encyclopedia of China scholars and students find sound, in-depth information on China from its early beginnings up to today, with a clear focus on the modern period from the mid-nineteenth century to the 21st century. The encyclopedia is the result of an international academic effort, and covers the history, geography, society, economy, politics, science, and culture of China.
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This collection includes national and regional newspapers including those from the Midlands, as well as Scotland, Ireland and Wales. Special attention is given to newspapers that helped lead particular political and social movements like Home Rule.
British Literary Manuscripts Online presents facsimile images of literary manuscripts, including letters and diaries, drafts of poems, plays, novels, and other literary works, and similar materials. Searching is based on tags and descriptive text associated with each manuscript.
On completion this unique digital archive will consist of almost 500 periodical runs published from the 1680s to the 1930s.
This series from Microform Academic Publishers includes archival materials such as journals, correspondence, official records and personal papers over a two hundred year period, all related to British nvolvement in the Atlantic region, including both Africa and the Americas.It brings together a wealth of collections about Britain's colonisation, commercial, missionary and even literary relations with Africa and the Americas.
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Business Source Complete provides full-text business journals and hundreds of scholarly, peer-reviewed journals covering all aspects of business; marketing, management, economics, finance, accounting, international business and more. This is an EBSCOHost database, and can be search individually or in combination with any other EBSCOHost database.


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THE SQL Server Blog Spot on the Web
It's time for the third T-SQL Tuesday, managed this time by Rob Farley. I thought I wasn't going to make this deadline, since I have been swamped since the end of last week, and over the entire weekend. However, I've got a break with nothing urgent for the next hour or so, so I thought I could just write something short.
My first two T-SQL Tuesday posts dealt with SQL Server history, so I will continue along those lines, and this post will just be a very short history lesson.
In honor of the impending Valentine's Day holiday, Rob asked us to write something about relationships. I will admit, that my first thought when I read the topic was "Hmmm…. I wonder what Kim and Paul are going to write about…" as theirs is one of the most famous SQL Server relationships.
But I kept thinking, and realized that even though I didn't marry someone who is into SQL Server big time, I have enjoyed some wonderful personal relationships thanks to my involvement with SQL Server, with Roy Harvey, Tony Rogerson (and his wife Alex) and Tibor Karaszi (and his wife Catrin) at the top of that list. I have friendships that will endure even if I stop all SQL Server work at some point down the road, and Cindy Gross knows that I am mainly talking about her when I say that. And in addition to relationships that started because of SQL Server, it works the other way around… I have a relation that I introduced to SQL Server! I got my nephew Brian an interview with a consulting company that a friend of mine ran, down in Southern California, and he then spent over a decade with SQL Server, some of it spent being a DBA and some of it spent doing SQL Server consulting.
So now for the history lesson, and enough with the sappy stuff already… in SQL Server when we talk about relationships, we're usually referring to primary and foreign keys. Good relationships between PKs and FKs is referred to as referential integrity (RI). SQL Server 6 introduced "Declarative Referential Integrity", that is, the ability to declare, as part of your table definitions, your primary keys, and the foreign keys that reference them. The original version of declarative RI (DRI) was only preventative. If anyone tries to modify data in a table in a way that would violate the referential integrity, SQL Server disallows that modification and returns an error message. Possible violations include deleting a row from the referenced (PK) table that has matching rows in the referencing (FK) table, or inserting a row into the referencing table with a FK value that doesn't match a PK value.
SQL Server 2000 extended DRI to allow you to specify CASCADE with your FK definition, either on UPDATE or DELETE, or both. This means that if someone deletes a row from PK table, all the related rows in the FK table would be deleted, or if someone updates a value of a PK, the corresponding FK values would automatically be updated.
I actually wanted to go back in time a bit further. Prior to version 6 and the introduction of DRI, all RI validation had to be handwritten, usually with triggers. So if you deleted a row in the PK table, a DELETE TRIGGER would fire and depending on your design, either 1) delete all the rows in the FK table, or 2) check for matching rows and generate an error if any were found. If you wanted to go the route of deleting matching rows, the FK table might have its own DELETE TRIGGER, that would delete rows in any tables that referenced that one. It seems like a lot of work now, but it was all we had back in SQL Server 4 and 4.2.
But even further back, in the original released product, which was Sybase 3.0 and Microsoft SQL Server 1.0 and 1.1, actions within a trigger would _not_ cause other triggers to fire. So imagine Table1 has a PK on Column1, which is referenced by a FK, Column2 in Table2. Table2's PK might be Column3, which might be referenced by Column4 in another table, Table3. Table3 might have its own PK referenced by Table4. Rather than just writing a simple trigger for each table, that only needed to examine and act upon tables that directly referenced the table that caused the trigger to fire, each trigger would have to include all the code for all the referencing tables … because triggers could not be nested. Once you were running code from a trigger, no additional triggers could fire. The trigger for Table1 would have to deal with Table2, Table3 and Table4. The trigger for Table2 would have to deal with Table3 and Table4, and the trigger for Table3 would deal with Table4. And what if you added a new Table5 with a FK that referenced Table4? All the triggers would have to be rewritten; we couldn't just simply add a trigger to Table4 (although we would have to do that, too).
So although it was a lot of work, that's what people had to do. And there were large, complex (for their time) applications written using this process for managing RI. But then what happened when these developers upgraded to SQL Server/Sybase version 4, where triggers could cause other triggers to fire? In order not to break everything when a trigger on Table1 was fired that updated Table2, Table3 and Table4, we wouldn't want Table2's and Table3's own triggers to ALSO fire.
So Microsoft/Sybase gave us a new configuration option called 'nested triggers'.
The default value of 1 means that the actions in one trigger can cause another trigger to fire. Changing this value to 0 will take you back in time, to when all actions to be taken had to be coded into a single trigger. The 'nested triggers' option is still around, but I haven't seen anybody even touch it for almost 2 decades. In fact, I bet there a few people out there who never even noticed it was there.
Wishing you all great relationships,and a Happy Valentine's Day
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(Reposted from my msmvps.com blog ) Lots of blog posts for this month, for the first T-SQL Tuesday to
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Race to the Top
This story appears in the September 2004 issue of Entrepreneur. Subscribe »
In recent months, many of the barbs traded between 2004 presidential candidates Sen. John F. Kerry and President George W. Bush have been about foreign affairs. The campaigns have sparred over the rationale for the Iraq war, each man's military service and other divisive foreign topics.
But polls show that for most Americans, the war is a secondary issue compared to the economy. For small companies, this is even truer. During the first half of Bush's term, the economy entered a prolonged slowdown, seriously hurting entrepreneurs who didn't have the capital to survive. Some complained the White House wasn't helping smaller companies pull themselves up; others believed the Bush administration's macroeconomic policies, including its tax cuts and regulatory rollback, were providing a broad stimulus for smaller firms. Indeed, in recent months, job growth has been stronger. And The Conference Board, a research group, reported that consumer confidence was at its highest in two years as of June.
Now entrepreneurs are faced with a choice. Bush believes his broader macroeconomic policies have steered the economy into safe waters and will ultimately benefit entrepreneurial companies. Kerry, former chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, believes the president has largely ignored entrepreneurs, in favor of large companies, and that the economy remains weak. Kerry proposes a raft of specific, targeted initiatives focused on small business.
Checking the Scorecard
Both men can claim some small-business legislative achievements. "Kerry has been a major player on the Small Business and Entrepreneurship committee," says Joel Marks, executive director of the American Small Business Alliance, a nonpartisan trade group in Washington, DC. In 20 years in the Senate, Kerry has focused on issues of small companies' access to capital and on minority entrepreneurs. He has tried to preserve and expand the SBA's MicroLoan program as well as its flagship 7(a) loan program-even as the White House has cut 7(a). Similarly, Kerry has fought to preserve the SBA's Women's Business Centers-which provide women entrepreneurs with business training and technical assistance-from funding cuts.
The senator has also used his time on the committee to increase small firms' access to federal contracts-a major issue, as defense spending has skyrocketed in the past three years. This year, the senator has proposed legislation that would increase the federal government's target for giving contracts to small businesses from 23 percent of all contracts to 30 percent. As president, Kerry says he plans to provide small companies with more federal contracting opportunities by reducing the practice of "bundling," in which small contracts are linked together to make one big contract that's easier for a larger company to handle. However, Kerry has also been one of the Senate's loudest voices for environmental standards, workplace safety and higher minimum wages; he has received high marks from conservation groups like the Sierra Club. These positions have not always pleased small businesses.
Bush, meanwhile, has argued that the kinds of specific measures Kerry favors are less important than getting the entire economy back on track. "Bush's most important economic accomplishment [for small companies] has been the tax cuts; they've left money in the pockets of individuals," contends Edward Hudgins, Washington, DC, director of The Objectivist Center, a free-market-oriented think tank. "Half of small businesses get their capital from savings-of their own, of friends and of family-so the Bush tax cuts have been helpful to these businesses." The White House also got the estate tax repealed, a goal supported by small-business organizations.
While the president has focused on macroeconomics, Bush has not completely shied away from programs specifically targeting smaller companies. Though the White House cut funding for some small-business loan programs, like 7(a), the president increased the amount of capital spending that entrepreneurs can expense on their taxes. Annual write-offs, in effect through 2005 and retroactive to purchases made in 2003, have been raised from $25,000 to $100,000. The Bush administration has also developed a strategy to increase small companies' ability to compete for federal contracts.
Sharp Differences
The two candidates differ sharply on some obstacles facing small companies, however.
- Issue 1, Health Care: Bush and Kerry offer different solutions to the skyrocketing cost of health care, which Marks says is now the top issue for small companies, with premiums rising by more than 10 percent each year. "It's crippling entrepreneurship and innovation," Marks says. Bush has advocated allowing small employers to band together and buy insurance through trade organizations, an idea known as "association health plans," or AHPs. The White House has also supported the use of medical savings accounts (MSAs), in which employers contribute a set amount of money toward employees' health care, and then employees cover the rest, up to a certain amount. In theory, these MSAs are supposed to provide incentives for employees to keep health-care costs down. Though some small-business groups believe these proposals will allow entrepreneurs to negotiate better rates, others are not so sure. A recent study by Mercer Risk, Finance & Insurance Consulting suggested that AHPs might actually result in higher premiums for small companies, because they could allow insurance firms to evade caps on premium hikes.
For his part, Kerry is touting a different health-care plan, a broader initiative that would make Washington responsible for insuring the uninsured and would subsidize many small companies, giving them refundable tax credits of up to 50 percent for health insurance they buy for their workers. (According to the National Association for the Self-Employed, some 60 percent of America's uninsured come from households headed by self-employed individuals.) Kerry's plan is broader than Bush's and would likely insure more workers; however, it also promises to be much more expensive.
- Issue 2, Taxes: If elected, Bush plans to make permanent his 2001 and 2003 tax cuts, worth some $1.3 trillion, a move he says will keep the economy growing. Bush also wants to make permanent his cut on corporate dividends and the estate tax, which is scheduled to expire in less than a decade. Yet even though Bush's tax cuts and broader economic agenda have resonated with some smaller firms, they may not have been that useful. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a Washington, DC, economics think tank, has shown that some 50 percent of small-business owners will get less than $500 back from the 2003 tax cut, and that the estate tax repeal benefited primarily the wealthiest Americans.
Kerry, meanwhile, wants to repeal the tax cuts for families making more than $200,000 per year to pay off the deficit and spend more money on health care and other programs. At the same time, Kerry is planning a cut in corporate taxes of roughly 5 percent. The senator believes that this corporate tax cut, in combination with other initiatives, would help create 10 million new jobs in his first term, though many economists discount this claim as hyperbole. In fact, Chris Edwards, fiscal policy director of the Cato Institute, a nonprofit public policy think tank in Washington, DC, contends that a corporate tax cut larger than 5 percent is needed to have a strong economic effect, given that U.S. companies will still face higher corporate tax rates than most foreign firms. For his part, Bush says he favors lower corporate tax rates but has not offered specific proposals for cutting them.
- Issue 3, Manufacturing: The two candidates are also divided on how to handle American manufacturing-particularly small manufacturing. The manufacturing sector was hit hard by the downturn of recent years, and regions with large industrial work forces, such as Pennsylvania and Ohio, will be crucial swing states in November. Courting these voters, Kerry has proposed a new, targeted tax credit for manufacturers who remain in the United States, as well as a plan to close tax loopholes that supposedly promote job flight from America. For his part, Bush says these targeted credits rarely work and contends more credits will only add more complexity to a tax code that already baffles many smaller firms.
Kerry has proposed restoring funding for several government programs that aid small manufacturers. He favors the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), a federal initiative designed to support small manufacturers' critical needs, whose budget has been cut repeatedly by the Bush administration. Kerry wants to increase funding for the MEP by $200 million annually and hopes to create other government programs to increase capital to manufacturers.
What Works for You?
Though Marks praise Kerry's legislative record, he says the senator "has not played up this credential" and has not struck a chord with entrepreneurs. The president, meanwhile, has appeared at a number of small-business events on the campaign trail, to mixed reaction. Perhaps neither candidates' proposals will resonate with small-business owners. It remains to be seen in November.
In Their Words
John Kerry
What do you see as the biggest issues facing small businesses
Staggering health-care costs. [They] shot up 47 percent under this administration and prevent small businesses from expanding their work forces. On the Senate small-business committee, I have consistently supported allowing self-employed individuals to deduct 100 percent of their health-care costs, [and] I also worked with Sen. John McCain [to] give small businesses a health-insurance expenses credit.
I also think access to capital is a major issue. There's been a dramatic decline in VC funding...leaving many businesses without a source of equity financing. I led the fight to reauthorize the Small Business Technology Transfer program that provides R&D funding to small businesses, which increased funding for the program by $150 million. I fought against the elimination of all three [government] microloan programs, and pushed for accountability from the SBA and to restore 7(a) funding after Administrator Hector Barreto announced this January that the loans would be stopped indefinitely.
As president, how would you address these issues?
On health care, I will allow small businesses to buy into the same health plan as members of Congress. I've also proposed refundable tax credits for up to 50 percent of the cost of coverage to small businesses and their employees. [And] I will make health care more affordable for employers and employees by having the federal government help with certain high-cost health cases. Since Bush took office, health-insurance premiums for small firms have risen faster than costs for large firms. Bush has offered nothing to address [these] rising costs for small-business owners. My plan is focused on lowering overall costs throughout the health-care sector, while greatly expanding health-insurance coverage.
On accessing capital, I will ensure that small businesses have the federal support they need to grow and thrive. I will help entrepreneurs bridge the gap between their need for capital and traditional financing sources by increasing the federal government's VC investments.
What about the overall regulatory environment for small
I have several policy advisors who've either been entrepreneurs or [have] been advisors to entrepreneurs. And I've been a small-business owner myself [of a small shop in Boston], so I have a good appreciation of the issues small companies face.
Small businesses are drowning in tax paperwork. I will reduce this burden by simplifying tax filing for small businesses, including allowing the IRS and state agencies to combine, on one form, both state and federal employment tax returns. Even with the tax credits, the process will be streamlined. Small businesses demand it, and we need to deliver.
The Bush Campaign
Entrepreneur spoke with two of President Bush's top small-business advisors, who shared their thoughts about the president's record and his future agenda for small business.
What do you see as the biggest issues facing small businesses
Megan Hauck, Deputy Policy Director of Bush/Cheney '04: The rising cost of health care-costs are borne more by small companies. Our solution is not just government help; it's doing things to empower the private sector. We want to give more [health-care] options for more people. There isn't one panacea [for health-care costs]-there isn't going to be one approach that works.
What is the president's view of some of the specific
government programs, like the Manufacturing Extension Partnership,
that are targeted to help manufacturers?
Gary Blank, Deputy Policy Director of Bush/Cheney '04: The president is much more interested in creating the proper environment for doing business so that government isn't involved in creating jobs.
If the president's view is that creating the environment
for business is most important, what has he done in this
Blank: The Treasury Department has made it easier for small companies to file income tax returns, reducing their tax burden. And we're still working on a new strategy on the issue of bundling [federal] contracts; we have to work with federal agencies to make it easier for small companies to compete. And legal reform is important. Our general attempt is to try and curb frivolous lawsuits, to deliver medical malpractice reform so that it's clearer to small businesses what they're liable for [in the workplace].
There has been a lot of debate in recent years over the SBA
and the importance of its loan programs. How does the president
view these programs?
Blank: When we were asked "What is the most pressing issue for small businesses?" my answer wasn't SBA loans. You have to place your priorities where you want. [SBA's] 7(a) [loan program] can't be a replacement for what's going on in the private sector, though the government sometimes has to get involved in providing seed capital for small companies.
- CNN's Election Coverage: Get the latest news here.
- C-SPAN.org: Find party convention information, watch campaign ads and more at this online home of the cable channel.
- www.democrats.org: Official home of the Democratic National Committee
- www.georgewbush.com: The official site for the George W. Bush/Dick Cheney campaign
- www.gp.org: Home of the U.S. Green Party
- www.johnkerry.com: The official site of the John Kerry/John Edwards campaign
- www.justvote.com: Register to vote online.
- www.politicalcompass.com: Not sure where you stand in your political beliefs? Take this short quiz.
- www.reformparty.org: Home of the Reform Party
- www.rnc.org: Official home of the Republican National Committee
- www.votethirdparty.com: If you're interested in other, political third-party information, this site has links to eight political party sites-including Reform, Green, Libertarian and Natural Law-and their candidate's sites.
- -Laura Tiffany
Joshua Kurlantzick is a writer in Washington DC.


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Build your Coastal commercial space in the relaxed City of Boiling Spring Lakes. This is one of three adjacent wooded commercial lots on W. Boiling Spring Rd., each $12,000 (lots 139, 140, 141). This Lake community offers a golf course, fifty lakes, 5 swimming lakes and beaches, motor boating on Big Lake, nature trails, kayaking, fishing, playgrounds and new disk golf course. There are local business and restaurants within Boiling Spring Lakes.
The information being provided is for consumers' personal, non-commercial use and may not be used for any purpose other than to identify prospective properties consumers may be interested in purchasing.
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J.K. Rowling's latest novel has quickly climbed up the best-seller lists now that it's finally available for purchase on Amazon.com.
Rowling's detective novel "The Silkworm" was in the top 100 early Friday for both print and e-book sales. She wrote it under the pen name "Robert Galbraith."
Thursday was the book's official publication date, but it couldn't be ordered before then through Amazon because the online retailer and Rowling's U.S. publisher, Hachette Book Group, are arguing over e-book terms. Amazon delayed shipments for some books by Hachette authors or made the releases entirely unavailable.
U.S. & World
The day's top national and international news.
Buying "The Silkworm" in hardcover still isn't without some frustration: Amazon currently lists the book as "in stock" but notifies customers that it may "require an extra 1-2 days to process."
Barnes & Noble's website ranks "The Silkworm" No. 1 for print and No. 5 for e-books.
Rowling's first story under her pen name, "The Cuckoo's Calling," initially attracted little notice when it was published in 2013, but rocketed up the charts once the author's identity was exposed.
A lawyer has been fined for letting slip the writer's identity. In July of last year, the law firm Russells, which has done work for Rowling, acknowledged that one of its partners had let the information slip to his wife's best friend, who tweetd it to a Sunday Times cloumnist.


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Citizens shouldn't pay for engineering shortcomings
Letters to the Editor
Last updated 2/27/2013 at 8:35am
As best I can determine, we (the town of Coulee Dam) paid our engineer (Gray & Osborne) about $80,000 to prepare a Wastewater Facilities Plan. What did we get? We got a document replete with inaccurate planning assumptions, non-compliant with the town's Comprehensive Plan, void of the expected and typical scoping process, and virtually missing the analysis of "alternatives." We also got the frustration and anger of our citizens and project partner (the town of Elmer City) — all because we forgot (or neglected) to include them as we planned and developed the $5.2 million-plus project!
Now we are faced with angry citizens, a partner that wants a divorce, a project that is/was no longer proper, significant additional engineering/planning costs, AND huge increases in our sewer bills! Why? Well, because the town let its engineer loose without the due-diligent management restraint you would expect; AND an engineer stuck in an overdesign paradigm — replete with its financial rewards!
The town has decided to fix all of this by hiring another engineer to "value engineer" the project. Yes, value engineering (VE) is a good thing — once you have selected and designed the right project! What are needed now (before VE) are a thorough project scoping (public) process AND the development of project "alternatives." By the way, alternatives might include: a new (more operationally efficient) plant near the existing one, two plants (one for Coulee Dam and one for Elmer City), a "regional" facility serving both communities and other unincorporated areas, extensive modifications to the existing plant, necessary modifications to the existing plant, and a do-nothing. Of course there are many iterations possible and the best alternative can only be developed by a due and thorough engineering/planning/economic analysis … the kind of analysis that the Coulee Dam Facilities Plan should have included in the first place!
Now, who should pay for this? Who should be responsible for the cost of poor engineering and planning? Your mayor and our council think it should be you … should be us! And to make that clear, they refused to roll back the recently imposed rates because they (paraphrased) need the money to pay for the errors and omissions of the engineer!
Me? Who do I think should pay for this "independent" development of alternatives? Who else but the engineer that developed the plan that got us to this frustrating place … Gray & Osborne!
Greg Wilder


text:
Yesterday marked the 150th anniversary of the surrender of Vicksburg, Mississippi to the Union armies commanded by Ulysses S. Grant during the American Civil War. It was a seminal moment: the Confederacy was now split in two and commerce could once again flow from the farms of the Midwest down the Mississippi River virtually unimpeded.
Samuel T. Busey witnessed the event in person, as the Colonel of the 76th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment. Samuel and his brother Simeon were well known in Urbana, being quite successful businessmen (eventually culminating in the founding of Busey Brothers and Company Bank in 1868 – now simply known as Busey Bank). Strong supporters of the Democrat Stephen A. Douglas, Samuel nonetheless felt it his patriotic duty to suppress the Rebellion as the Civil War broke out. He raised a company of men for the 76th Illinois in August 1862. Rising quickly through the ranks, by May 1863 Busey presided over the entire regiment as its Colonel.
Samuel maintained a correspondence with his brother throughout his time in the Army. But the war set their political views on different paths. Simeon believed negotiation and conciliation would bring the South back into the Union. War, however, hardened Samuel's views. "I wish you were here if only for a short time," he wrote to his brother on June 7, 1863. "I think if you could see the dreadful desolation of war you would suffer quite an abridgement of the freedom of speech before you would consent to have its dreadful hand laid upon our proud and happy prairie state – ah yes, my good fellow and I think your sympathy for Valandingham [Clement Vallandingham was a politician from Ohio who advocated immediate cessation of hostilities and spoke out against the abolition of slavery] and other home Traitors who are secretly aiding the Rebels and opposing the Administration in their honest efforts to suppress the most wicked Rebelion [sic] that ever disgraced Godds [sic] footstool would wilt and die out."
Samuel Busey mustered out on July 22, 1865, surviving the war suffering only a slight head wound. Clearly though, his wounds were more than just physical. The transcription of his powerful letter home is posted below in its entirety (misspellings are from the original):
Before Vicksburg
June 7th 1863
Dear Brother:
Yours of 27th by the hand of Dick I've rc'd yesterday. We are still before the Rebel stronghold looking anctiously over the works and expecting every day to be invited to partake of the hospitalities of the City. The Rebels are on quarter rations of bread made of corn and bean meal, and fresh beef. They have no forage for their stock and have turned out side their lines more than two thousand mules and horses that have come to this wing – the left. Deserters that come to this Division average ten a day. Mostly from Georgia. Many of the Tennesseans are anctious to join our Army. All tell a pitiable tale about the state of affairs in Vicksburg and say it is imposable to hold out much longer unless Johnson comes to their aid which is not very probable as Grant has an eye to him.
I wish you were here if only for a short time. I think if you could see the dreadful desolation of war you would suffer quite an abridgement of the freedom of speech before you would consent to have its dreadful hand laid upon our proud and happy prairie state – ah yes, my good fellow and I think your sympathy for Valandingham and other home Traitors who are secretly aiding the Rebels and opposing the Administration in their honest efforts to suppress the most wicked Rebelion that ever disgraced Godds footstool would wilt and die out. You might then see more easily the necessity of the authoritative abridging to some extent in times of a civil war, our liberties, so wills and ____ in times of pease. Kindness towards our erring brethren looks well enough a desire to have them brought back to aligiance through mild treatment is an exabition of a kind heart a noble disposition. But come with me for a while march through snow, rain and heat. Lay in mud and cold. Live on hard tack and sow belly exposed to all the hardships of a soldiers life. See your noble band one after another fall by disease and at last have four of your best and noblest, young and promising boys, unarmed and alone in the public road surprised and brutally murdered. Shot through and through begging for mercy. And then we will see if your are very particular about the means of suppressing the Rebellion. I sware by the Eternal to have forty lives for four –
I understand that you and Simpson in speaking of me are pleased to accuse me of changing principles. I am sorrow you have misunderstood me so much. I am yet a Douglas Democrat when we come to the same issues. I think Negroes too good to be slaves to the Rebels.
I fear Simpson is becoming fanactical and politically blind.
My love to your family, Mother and friends generally.
Yours Truly,
S. T. Busey


text:
Happy Bday: Text message turns 20 today!
The first SMS text message was sent 20 years ago on Dec. 3, 1992 over the Vodafone GSM network in the United Kingdom.
The text of the message was "Merry Christmas" from a man named Neil Papworth to Richard Jarvis of Vodafone using an Orbitel 901 handset, according to AFP.
Judging by your own habits, how far do you think texting has come in the past 20 years? What would you like to see improved in SMS?
Are you texting more or less now that there are newer messaging options, like Facebook or BlackBerry Messenger, available?
Click on "Comment" below to share your experiences or views.


text:
Dir/scr: Mark Donne. UK. 2013. 90mins
Am ambitiously direct and forthright documentary made with more than a tinge of anger and frustration, Mark Donne's The UK Gold, which had its world premiere at the opening night of the East End Film Festival, has the smarts, energy and artistic credentials to click with other festivals – especially documentary-orientated – while TV sales could also come into play.
Utilising a series of fascinating, disturbing and ultimately gripping interviews with a series of experts.
With a striking voiceover from actor Dominic West and a soundtrack by Radiohead's Thom Yorke and Massive Attack's Robert Del Naja, the film manages to click with a current UK (especially) theme of stories about corporate tax avoidance that regularly crop up in the media and raises some vital issues.
The spine of the film is the attempt by Hackney vicar William Taylor to get voted onto a seat in the City of London (the capital's financial district) on the Court of Common Council, the district's primary decision-making body. He comes from a part of London that was home to the Olympics last year and also serious rioting months before that, and is a multi-ethnic area that includes both the haves and the have-nots.
Writer/director Donne uses Taylor's story – and his ruminations about the financial issues facing the country – as a jumping off point to delve in more depth into the power of the City of London; the growth in revelations about tax avoidance and the realities of how tax havens (such as The Cayman Islands, Bermuda and the British Virgin Islands) operate.
Utilising a series of fascinating, disturbing and ultimately gripping interviews with a series of experts – including Vanity Fair investigative journalist Nicholas Shaxson; Private Eye's Richard Brooks, and Channel 4 news presenter Jon Snow – the film details the role of the City of London in influencing British Parliament and the role it plays in the secretive network of tax havens and tax avoidance.
There are times when film sags – especially around the centre – and is guilty of repeating itself, but the makers of this low-budget documentary are to be applauded by delving into a complex and emotive subject and coming up trumps. One sided it may be (there is a long list of those who didn't grant interviews at the end of the film) but also important and raises important and topical issues.
Production company/contact: Brass Moustache, www.brass-moustache.co.uk
Producers: Mark Donne, Joe Morris
Cinematography: Joe Morris
Editors: Joe Morris, Adam Dymond
Music: Thom Yorke, Robert Del Naja, Guy Garvey


text:
Jake Belardo Introduces A New Website For Different Electronics At Various And Affordable Prices
Cinnaminson, NJ (April 13, 2017):- Jake Belardo from
Cinnaminson, NJ created eastcoastelectronicsunlimited.com for the
convenience of the customer to be able to compare different electronics
at various and affordable prices all in one place. You don't have to
leave your home to be able to view the hottest and bestselling
electronic products on the market. Come shop home & mobile
electronics from carefully selected collections across the web!
tablets to computers, smartphones to cameras
eastcoastelectronicsunlimited.com has it all at your fingertips to
choose from. Compare the latest TV's and home theater needs, other
electronic products and complete your purchase without ever leaving your
home. Through browsing on the site, customers are greatly amazed with
the variety of electronic goods and gadgets. Considering the power of
internet, there's no doubt that it invades online shopping. What makes
it better you ask? The products showing up right to your door! There is
no need to borrow a friend's truck to go pick up that flat screen TV
you've been wanting forever...simply just pick the TV you want, purchase
it, and in a few days it shows up right to your front door!
eastcoastelectronicsunlimited.com you are able to shop at any time, day
or night. With the website being open 24 hours a day, it makes shopping
very easy. Online shopping can be a better option than traditional
shopping. You can also email at firstname.lastname@example.com
for assistance in any of your shopping needs. Another great thing about
shopping this site is the ability to read reviews of the products. You
can see if something has great or poor ratings to help make the best
decision possible when purchasing your new device. You will gain idea
about the qualities and desirable features of several brands all at
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Media Contact:
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Jake Belardo


text:
Running out of battery power can be one of the most annoying aspects of digital photography.
Too many times in the past have I experienced taking the time to set up a shot or needing to use my camera in the heat of the moment, only to find that the battery didn't have enough power left to capture the moments that I wanted to photograph.
You can imagine my frustration when I miss the photo opportunity because of the camera battery.
Now, instead of carrying spare batteries with me in case this happened, I decided to research into the area of conversing camera battery power. I share what I learnt with you in this article in the hope of helping you to avoid such annoying situations!
Tip 1: Keep LCD Use to a Minimum
The part of your digital camera that uses up the most power is without a doubt the LCD screen. Every time you open up this digital display you are presented with a view of what the camera sees in real-time, meaning that the display has to be refreshed multiple times every second to show you a fluent-moving picture. Keeping usage of the LCD screen to a minimum will definitely help a freshly charged battery last much longer!
Tip 2: Manage Photos While Your Batteries Charge
Another easy way to cut down on the amount of power drained from your batteries is to wait until you can plug your camera into an AC adapter before you start to manage your photos. This is an important tip to remember – you may enjoy cropping, deleting, and viewing your photos on the go, but it will leave you with much less power to take photos if you do so.
Tip 3: Try Not to Use the Memory Card
This tip goes hand in hand with the previous one, but also plays an important factor in keeping enough juice in your camera batteries to take those important photos! It uses up a lot of power every time that you access the memory card, so keep this in mind before reviewing every photo that you take while relying solely on battery power.
Tip 4: Don't Mix Different Types of Batteries
Keeping the same types of batteries together can help to conserve power in digital cameras as well as most other battery-powered devices. This is mostly because the performance of older batteries will not be as good as newer ones, and they will drain much faster. Another important reason to remember this tip is that mixing different types of batteries can be dangerous – the batteries can become damaged and even leak, which in turn could end up damaging your digital camera.
Tip 5: Let Batteries Run Out
Letting batteries completely run out of power before recharging them can help them to last longer as well as increase their performance. Something that people tend to forget is that just because your batteries aren't holding enough energy to run your camera it doesn't mean that they are entirely empty of power. You can make sure that your batteries are as empty as possible before recharging them by leaving them in an old radio or a flashlight that is turned on until they run down.
Source: Basic Digital Photorgaphy
Filed under: Tips | Tagged: basic digital photography, conserving digital camera battery | Leave a comment »


text:
Unleashing the intelligent enterprise for patients
June 26, 2018
June 26, 2018
The life sciences industry is undergoing seismic changes as it shifts from a product to an outcome orientation and embraces all forms of exciting new science, ranging from digital therapeutics to gene therapy. Data is more available than ever before—and companies are starting to connect disparate data sets and develop more personalized treatments based on real-world evidence. Healthcare is attracting significant investment from global tech giants, like Amazon, Google and Apple, who are looking to disrupt traditional care models and change our understanding of wellness—leveraging AI, analytics, blockchain and other emerging technologies in the process.
As the healthcare landscape changes, organizations must develop a collaborative mindset—there is no going at this alone anymore. By embracing multiple data sources and developing partnerships in the technology space, companies can advance treatment and play a leading role in delivering better outcomes for patients and the healthcare system.
Our 2018 Accenture Technology Vision for Life Sciences focuses on three of the five trends identified in the cross-industry report that have the greatest near-term influence on the industry as it reconfigures itself to deliver better patient and economic outcomes.
Data Veracity
Enterprises must secure and validate a growing number of data sources to ensure quality and operational effectiveness while addressing areas where gaps exist.
Frictionless Business
To fully power the external technology-based partnerships they depend on for growth, healthcare organizations must re-architect internal legacy systems and embrace emerging technologies.
Citizen AI
Life sciences companies should prioritize training AI to operate as a responsible member of the team to accelerate product development and innovation in patient care.
About the Authors


text:
Meet us at…
everyLIFE attend events and conferences across the country, contributing to discussion forums and demonstrating the ways in which PASS is helping to transform the delivery of care. Come and visit us at an event near you!
Details of the events we will be attending can be found below. If you have difficulty getting tickets for any of these events, do please get in touch using the form at the bottom of the page.
View our Show Videos and Webinars here.
- This event has passed.


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== Larry's Stories ==
== Larry's Stories ==
== Paul's Stories ==
== Paul's Stories ==
Revision as of 20:21, 11 August 2011
- 1 Announcements& Shameless Plugs
- 2 Guest Tech Segment Mini-Marathon: A Special Night with Trustwave's SpiderLabs!
- 3 Stories For Discussion
Announcements& Shameless Plugs
PaulDotCom Security Weekly - Episode 254 for Thursday August 11th, 2011.
- Los episodios de PaulDotCom Espanol con Julio Canto, Lorenzo Martinez, Chema Alonso, Ruben Santamarta y Raul Siles esta disponible aqui.
- Don't miss the August 31st Late Breaking Computer Attack Vectors Webcast Sponsored by Core Security Technologies with Larry "Mo' Hawk" Pesce.
- If you couldn't make it to BlackHat, then consider instead the always fabulous SANS Las Vegas for "Advanced Vulnerability Scanning Techniques Using. Nessus" Saturday, September 17 - Sunday, September 18.
- DerbyCon : Louisville, Kentucky – September 30th to October 2nd. Catch Carlos Perez's training session - "Automating Post Exploitation with Metasploit" Friday and Saturday of the Con from 4:00PM to 9:00PM.
- SANS 617 - Wireless Ethical Hacking, Penetration Testing, and Defenses with Larry in the salsa capital of the world: NYC on August 22nd - 27th.
- Jack wants us to pimp Sec Burn Out
- Don't forget to Read our blog, Participate on our mailing list, Visit PaulDotCom Insider, Follow us on Twitter, Join the IRC channel at irc.freenode.net #pauldotcom, Watch our Videos and Add us on Facebook where we can be "friends"
Guest Tech Segment Mini-Marathon: A Special Night with Trustwave's SpiderLabs!
Amazingly True Stories of Real Penetration Tests with Rob Havelt & Wendel Henrique
Rob Havelt, director of penetration testing, and Wendel Henrique, security consultant, will present Earth vs. The Giant Spider: Amazingly True Stories of Real Penetration Tests.
Rob is Director of SpiderLabs' Penetration Testing Practice, where he oversees all aspects of network and infrastructure security testing and wireless network testing. Formerly a bourbon-fueled absurdist, raconteur, and man about town, Rob is currently a sardonic workaholic occasionally seeking meaning in the finer things in life — Rob is, and will always be, a career hacker.
Wendel is a consultant for pen testing at Trustwave, where he has discovered vulnerabilities across a diverse set of technologies including webmail systems, wireless access points, remote access systems, web application firewalls, IP cameras, and IP telephony applications.
- The unique opportunity to see real, interesting, uncommon and some non- trivial attacks that can't be found by automated tools.
- Culled from the more than 2300 penetration tests delivered last year by SpiderLabs - only the coolest and freakiest were selected to present at DEFCON 19.
- By the end of this presentation, they hope to have the you thinking about systems and applications that organizations use every day, and how they may be used against them.
The attacks are:
- Do you want Fries with that Hack?
- One PBX Will Rule Them All Hack.
- The Inside-Out VPN Hack.
- The Island Nation and Port 0 Hack.
- The Caucasian-Asian Love Hack.
- In Soviet Russia Hackers Monitor You Hack.
- Oracle and The New Tool Hack
Traps of Gold by Andrew Wilson & Michael Brooks
Traps of Gold is a study which examines the offenses and defenses of web application security and introduces "maneuverability" - a new strategy for fighting back.
Andrew specializes in application security assessment, penetration testing, threat modeling and secure development life cycle. Andrew is active as a leader of the Phoenix OWASP and is a Microsoft MVP in Windows Azure. He is not a Cabal member.
Michael works for SiteWatch, where he composes exploit code, which he considers a challenging and privileged art form. Michael is on PaulDotCom because he believes secure software is a luxury that should be shared. He's also in the April - June 2011 edition of the Google Security Hall of Fame.
Speaking with Cryptographic Oracles by Dan Crowley
Speaking with Cryptographic Oracles is a discussion of methods for finding and exploiting encryption, decryption, and padding oracles from a black box perspective.
Dan is an Application Security Consultant for Trustwave's SpiderLabs and is particularly focused on vulnerabilities caused by a failure to account for little known or even undocumented properties of the platforms on which applications run. He especially enjoys playing around with Web based technologies and rock climbing, has been known to be a unicorn Furnace, and makes a mean chili quite worthy of a PaulDotCom post-exploitation towel.
- What is an Oracle?
- How can people really bad at math translate cihpertext into plaintext?
- How can this help us evade detection and prevention of web app attacks?
Stories For Discussion
Steve Holden, DefCon Talks Summary
Steve is a senior systems engineer for a U.S. Navy R&D organization in San Diego. His key research focus areas include: information technology systems, enterprise computing, computer network security, and project management. Steve is on to give us an overview of the talks he attended at DefCon 19.
Larry's Stories
Government disruptors carry pink pagers - [Larry] - Thanks to Travis Goodspeed (and others) how have hacked the GRRLtech IM-ME pink pager to do all sorts of things, now can use it to DoS government/federal law enforcement communications. First off, the communications is secured with a protocol known as Project 25 (P25), which they were able to monitor using parts from radio shack. What they were able to determine is that P25 does not use spread spectrum (and I'm guessing frequency hopping), but instead relies on metadata encoded in the transmission in order to decipher the encoded transmission. So, what happens if that metadata is interrupted? the communications cannot be decoded. In fact, it only takes a "jamming" pulse of 1/100th of a second during portions of the metadata transmission to DoS the transmission. This might be a nice thing to deploy at your home during a SHTF situation, as P25 radios are allegedly in use by every major law enforcement agency. After just reading the whitepaper, Travis was involved, as was Sandy Clark (sending hugs your way) who's talk I missed at DEFCON.
CDMA and 4G MitM'ed at DEFCON? - [Larry] - Who knows. This post claims yes, and that attacks were launched against PCs and Android devices. no mention of iPhone attacks. Honestly it makes sense, as all the moving parts exist. I did notice my phone getting dumbed down to GPRS, clicks on my calls, and some seriously delayed SMS messages. Sure it is possible, but I won;t believe it until I see proof…
…and GPRS cracked - [Larry] - Karsten Nohl will be releasing some tools (but not the keys) in order to decrypt GPRS data communications. During his research, he was able to determine that various carriers us different varieties of the A5 algorithm used with GSM networks, and some had no encryption at all. The hardware needed? Just some older, cheap, readily available phones.