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Sam Cummings is used to the concerned questions from strangers.
A lot of people are nice, they ask me how Im doing, said the Lake Park senior, a member of the Lancers girls basketball team. They ask if Im in radiation. Most people on the street assume I have cancer.
Cummings does not have cancer.
The condition she has is alopecia.
Alopecia is a rare condition affecting some 0.1 to 0.2 percent of the population where the person experiences a loss of hair. A notable case is Charlie Villanueva of the Detroit Pistons.
There can be a number of causes, including damage to the follicles, and varied forms. It does not cause pain or sickness, and it is not contagious.
Cummings does not know how she contracted it. She was born with hair, but it started falling out soon after. Her parents sent her for tests when she was 1, where she was diagnosed with alopecia. The Cummings tried a number of solutions, from medications to lotions. Sams hair did not grow back, and it probably never will.
She speaks of it in a matter-of-fact, albeit soft, tone of voice.
Thats how I grew up, thats all I know, Cummings said. It doesnt drag me down.
Cummings comes to East campus to work with Lake Park coach Andrea Millers freshman algebra class. Miller cant remember a word of the alopecia ever brought up.
I admire that about her. For her, its nothing, Miller said. I asked her about it, and shes perfectly fine talking about it. She certainly stands out, but Ive never heard her make a negative comment.
Cummings is too busy branching out to an eclectic list of activities.
She loves music, used to play in the school band and owns three guitars, noting its a hobby. It makes me happy. She enjoys a photography class and is fascinated about the idea of boot camp training with the army. Like most kids her age, she isnt sure what she wants to study in college and might try a community college first.
In so many ways Cummings is just like any other high school senior.
Miller, though, sees a mature thoughtfulness, a positivity just as unique as her alopecia.
The first day of camp team competition last summer, Cummings team won and the other group was required to run sprints. Cummings ran with the losing team.
Cummings hero isnt a pro athlete or actress; its her 28-year-old brother, married with an 8-year-old daughter, because, thats where I want to see myself when Im older. Being the wealthiest person, it isnt the most important thing.
Miller often will congratulate her girls on a good effort after games. Cummings is one who will return the favor, complimenting Miller on a job well done coaching.
Shes sincere about it, Miller said. She has a maturity about her that she gets it. Shes been a good addition to us, a positive addition.
It is good to have Cummings back.
As a junior she chose not to come out for basketball. There were time issues with other sports, namely softball. Cummings hadnt played as much sophomore year. She was losing interest.
Friends harped on her to come back. At the same time she found she missed it.
Cummings positive attitude, for sure, has been tested this season.
Lake Park remains winless as the regular season winds down. Injuries cost Cummings five or six games.
But then, shes never been one to buckle her knees when life throws its little curveballs. Miller said Cummings was the first one with suggestions when she was sidelined.
You do want to win every game, Cummings said, but a lot of our scores are close. We play our hearts out to the last second. The score does not indicate how hard we work.
One of just three Lake Park seniors, she also knows her legacy can extend beyond the next couple weeks.
I always think about that, Cumming said. Im going to be done soon. They still have another year left. Im not going to slack off for the rest of the season. Im going to give it my all, make them better.
Follow Josh on Twitter@jwelge96


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The executive appointed to run the national broadband network will "vigorously defend" the actions he took while boss of an American gas company before two of its pipelines exploded and killed nine people.
Bill Morrow was appointed as chief executive of NBN Co by the Abbott government in December after stints at major overseas infrastructure companies.
One was at Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) in the US, where he was chief operating officer in 2006 and chief executive a year later, before leaving in August 2008.
Four months later, a man was killed and five others were injured in Rancho Cordova after a PG&E pipeline explosion was triggered by a teenager lighting a cigarette.
Two years after that, another pipeline exploded in San Bruno, killing eight people, injuring 58 and destroying 38 homes.
Investigations found safety faults with both pipelines. Hundreds of millions of dollars in fines, compensation and restitution have been paid by the company.
Mr Morrow is named in an unsettled consolidated shareholder lawsuit along with 21 other PG&E executives. The company stands accused of putting profits and bonuses before safety.
The suit was filed by PG&E shareholders, who are seeking the return of "lucrative executive compensation packages allegedly approved by senior management at the same time safety budgets were being slashed".
Mr Morrow told a Senate estimates hearing into NBN Co on Thursday he would "continue to vigorously defend the proceedings".
"When the legal process runs its course, it will confirm that my fellow directors, officers and I acted with care, in good faith, and in the best interests of PG&E at all times," he said.
Mr Morrow brought up the issue with the board of NBN Co and the government before his appointment.
He said parties named in the suit included almost every person who was a director or senior officer at PG&E between 1995 and 2013.
"As the matters are still before the US courts, I am unable to comment any further, other than to make one final important point.
"I regard safety as paramount."
Labor senator Stephen Conroy spent the next hour unsuccessfully attempting to extract more information from Mr Morrow.
Committee chairman and Nationals senator John Williams ruled Mr Morrow could decline to comment further because parliamentary privilege would not extend to US courts.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Astros beat up Mariners to take series
Seattle, WA – Chris Carter finished 3-for-5 with a two-run home run and two runs scored to lead the Houston Astros to an 8-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday in the rubber match of a three-game set at Safeco Field.
Carlos Pena collected three hits, an RBI and two runs scored, while Rick Ankiel clubbed a two-run homer and Marwin Gonzalez added a solo shot to help the Astros notch their first series victory of the season.
"Everybody's confidence was still up, as a team we had better at bats today and yesterday," Carter said. "Everybody's happy as a team, (to) just go out there and show we can still do it, not to get down, the first two series we got beat pretty good, but this series we came back and hopefully, it keeps rolling."
Brad Peacock (1-1) limited the Mariners to three runs on four hits and a walk over five-plus frames to earn the victory.
Kelly Shoppach went 3-for-3 with a solo home run and two RBI, while Franklin Gutierrez accounted for the other Seattle run with his third homer of the season.
Blake Beavan (0-1) allowed five runs -- four earned -- on nine hits over 5 2/3 innings to absorb the loss for the M's, who have lost four of their last five.
"You've got to execute pitches. You can't give up that many hits in two nights and expect to win ballgames," Mariners manager Eric Wedge said. "You've got to execute pitches, you've got to work hard to get ahead and stay ahead, and when you do, you've got to finish them off. We've just made too many mistakes from a pitching standpoint, and when you do that, it makes it a lot easier for the opposition."
The game got off to an inauspicious start for the Mariners, as Jose Altuve launched Beavan's fourth offering deep into the gap in right-center field.
Seattle right fielder Michael Saunders was able to track the ball down at the warning track, but as he made the catch, he ran full speed into the padded wall. Saunders remained down on the warning track dirt and had to be removed from the contest because of a sprained right shoulder.
After going down in order in the first, Houston got on the board with a three- run second, as Carter started the inning with a single and Pena followed with a double. J.D. Martinez then plated Carter with a sacrifice fly before Ankiel crushed a changeup over the center-field wall to give the Astros a 3-0 lead.
The Astros added to lead in the third, as Jason Castro led off with a high fly ball that shortstop Brendan Ryan lost in the lights, allowing Castro to make his way to second.
Carter followed with a fly out that moved Castro to third before Pena stroked a single to right to make it 4-0. Martinez then scorched a double off the right-field wall to score Pena for a 5-0 advantage.
Seattle's first hit of the game produced the team's first run, as Shoppach smacked a one-out blast in the third to bring the M's within 5-1.
Shoppach scorched a run-scoring double in his next at-bat in the fifth before Gutierrez led off the sixth with an opposite-field homer to trim Seattle's deficit to 5-3.
Houston added a pair of insurance runs in the seventh when Castro stroked a one-out double and Carter followed with a towering fly ball into the bullpen in left field to give the Astros a 7-3 lead.
Gonzalez belted a one-out homer in the eighth to account for the final margin.
Game Notes
It was Houston's third consecutive series victory over the Mariners ... Houston went 3-for-9 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base ... Seattle went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and left six on base ... Seattle LHP Bobby LaFromboise spun a perfect ninth in his major league debut.


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Oslo: Microsoft Takes Composite Applications to the Mainstream
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Microsoft unveiled this morning a vision and roadmap to simplify SOA, bridge software + services and take composite applications to the mainstream. At the fifth SOA and BPM conference in Redmond, the company announced a wave of product launches and a multi-year set of technical investments that provide extensions to the application platform to help developers bridge on-premise and off-premise projects. The code name of this effort is "Oslo".
Oslo builds on the model-driven and service-enabled principles of Microsoft Dynamics IT.
Jeff Raikes, President of Microsoft Business Division (MBD) explains:
"Many customers are challenged to realize the promise of SOA given today's complexities, the combination of our current software + services approach and the new wave of 'Oslo' technologies will enable IT to deliver high-impact business solutions."
Robert Wahbe, Corporate Vice President of the Connected Systems Division, and keynote speaker at the conference added:
"Oslo will enable a new class of applications that are connected and streamlined — from design through deployment — reducing complexity, aligning the enterprise and Internet, and simplifying interoperability and management."
At the conference, Microsoft also demonstrated an upcoming Community Technology Preview of "Microsoft BizTalk Services" which provides additional support for interoperability, Web 2.0 services, identity standards and workflow in-the-cloud.
InfoQ spoke with Burley. Kawasaki, Director of Product Management in the connected System's division who gave us an introduction on the project:
Today the business is moving much faster than IT can deliver. IT has started to find solutions, but we can and need to go beyond the current advances in application construction. Oslo defines the future of application development with a strong focus on productivity and composition. Microsoft is targeting major challenges in this area. For instance, boundaries are still a problem making application development difficult: across technologies (there are lots of standards that you need to navigate), across the firewall (SaaS), across the web (B2B) and across organizations. We want to focus on SOA and Composite Applications to significantly simplify the design, build, deployment and management of solutions.
We are quadrupling our investment in SOA, targeting both on-premise and in-the-cloud scenarios. We will be delivering this vision through server and tools products in five key areas.
- Server – Microsoft BizTalk Server "6" will continue to provide a core foundation to develop, manage, and deploy composite applications.
- Services – BizTalk Services "1" will offer commercially supported release of Web-based services such as advanced messaging, identity and workflow capabilities, supporting hosted composite applications that cross organizational boundaries.
- Framework – The Microsoft .Net Framework "4" release will further enable model-driven-development with WCF and WF.
- Tools – Visual Studio "10" will support end-to-end application lifecycle management through new tools for model-driven-design of distributed applications
- Repository – the metadata repositories across server and tools product sets are being aligned. Microsoft System Center "5", Visual Studio "10" and BizTalk Server "6" will utilize a repository technology for managing, versioning and deploying models.
We want to make Model-Driven-Development more successful than it has been. We want to make it mainstream by targeting CAD-like productivity improvements. We also want to help our customer lower the skill barriers: it is still too difficult to find skilled SOA developers, architects and quality analysts.
We want to send the model to the server not to the printer. MDD is suffering from two limitations. First, the model represents a point-in-time snap shot of the business logic, there are many gaps that people have to fill as they translate it into code. Second, people had only certain views into the model, there was no end-to-end view. Today, models are trapped in silos. As long as these silos exist modeling will remain at the periphery of application development. We need to create an end-to-end view supported by new tools, engines and repository. For instance, the concept of "code-behind" could decrease significantly with a shift to modern MDD techniques.
Based on some tests we have done internally we experience a major productivity increase: about 1/10th of code that would be normally needed to build a solution. Overall this is a major advance for our customers and our partners too, especially the business process alliance.
Oslo is scheduled to be released sometime in 2009. Microsoft plans to have at least one major CTP of "Oslo" technologies in 2008. More information is available on Microsoft's SOA site.
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A composite application framework for developers: missing the point?
Robin Mulkers
I think composite applications and SOA are about opening the IT systems towards the business users and have finally IT and business speaking the same language: processes and services.
If you understand this, the value of an improved technology stack is negligible compared to any improvement in how IT and the business collaborate.
Any effort to simplify the way applications are built is positive but I think that this is what has been done for years, not something new at all and not really innovative enough to me.


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Saturday, February 25, 2012
My Paris...
14 comments:
adorbs photo!ReplyDelete
merci Lou
Wow!! Just found your blog and I think I'm going to love it. J'adore your watercolours aussi. I'm about to live in Paris for a year or so...take some art workshops and generally live the Parisian life. A bientot.ReplyDelete
I LOVE the doggy. It does say alot with this little photo.ReplyDelete
Haha so cute!! Loving the blog!ReplyDelete
Carol, this is a lovely photo, with its light, long shadows, and that wonderful combination of French pedestrians (some with more than two feet.)ReplyDelete
I sense that there might be an air of mystery or intrigue about your having found this photo.
I hope that your detective work will result in some happy resolution.
an air of intrigue?
mais non..
Google Images pulls up yr photos now and labels them 'you'
Merci Sherlock Google :)
The coats, the dog, the child on the scooter, the sidewalk... oui, c'est Paris!ReplyDelete
Well , I have tons of pictures about.." My NYC"!!!! Souvenirs, souvenirs...ReplyDelete


text:
Please click on the logo to download the
Energy Guide Label for this product
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Beauty meets simplicity
Get sleek styling with touch sensor controls from this LED television. With the ultimate in sharpness, detail and vivid colors, your favorite shows will look better in Philips LED brilliance. A great choice and size for any room. See all benefits
Unfortunately this product is no longer available
Beauty meets simplicity
Get sleek styling with touch sensor controls from this LED television. With the ultimate in sharpness, detail and vivid colors, your favorite shows will look better in Philips LED brilliance. A great choice and size for any room. See all benefits
Unfortunately this product is no longer available
Digital Crystal Clear is a package of picture innovations that digitally adjusts and optimizes picture quality to optimal contrast, color and sharpness levels. It's like watching vivid cinema-like images.
LED lighting technology is the most advanced available. In this TV it combines an eye-catching minimalistic design with stunning image quality, as well as being the lowest power consumption in its category. Another environmental benefit is that LED lighting technology does not contain hazardous materials. With an LED backlight you can enjoy low power consumption, high brightness, incredible contrast and sharpness and vibrant colors.
The optimum picture and sound depends on various aspects like the video source, content type, surroundings of the room, type of display device etc. Auto Mode has predefined picture and sound settings conveniently preset by the way you use your TV. The 'Personal' setting, allows you to define the picture settings according to your preference, store it and gain easy access for future selection. All these conveniently built into your TV for optimal settings.
Enjoy the exceptional picture quality of High Definition pictures and be fully prepared for HD sources like HDTV settop box or Blu-ray disc. HD Ready offers picture quality beyond that of progressive scan. It conforms to strict standards laid out by EICTA to offer a HD picture that displays the benefits of resolution and picture quality of a High Definition signal.
With PC input you can connect your TV to a computer by a VGA cable and use the TV as a PC monitor.
Settings assistant for effortless personalized TV settings. The new settings assistant personalization wizard guides you to personalized settings with unparalleled ease. It includes not only picture, but the complete viewing experience, including sound setting. The wizard shows a few screens with easy to choose options to select the essential settings. The TV performance is set to the your personal preference without difficult terms or settings, and this very quickly.
EasyLink uses the HDMI CEC industry standard protocol to share functionality between connected devices and the TV. HDMI makes an uncompressed digital RGB connection from the source to the screen for the ultimate picture quality. HDMI uses HDCP copy protection. With HDMI input of the TV you can connect multiple HD sources, for instance an HD settop box, a Blu-ray player, and Game Console or Digital Camcorder.
SRS TruSurround XT® creates an immersive, feature-rich surround sound experience from two speakers, complete with rich bass, high frequency detail and clear dialog.
The USB connector allows access to jpeg photos and motion jpeg movie(320x240 30fps, PCM) of most USB-sticks (USB memory-class device). Plug the USB into the slot at the side of the TV and access the multimedia content using the easy on screen content browser. You can now view and share your movie and photos.
Energy Star-labeled home electrical products are designed to use less energy - saving you money while reducing environmental pollution. In fact, Energy Star-compliant products consume less than 1 watt of power while in standby mode. As an Energy Star partner, Philips develops products that meet the Energy Star guidelines for energy efficiency. This is achieved by having low standby power consumption through innovatively designed standby circuitry and stringent selection of components made with high efficiency materials.
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text:
Hank's design is appealing and the poses drawn by this animator are extremely appealing. You can take a design and draw it in appealing poses - or not - depending on how appealing your own style is.
For example - look at his smile line and cheek and the back of his cheek in the profile - they all relate to each other and together create fleshy forms that flow around his head and make his expressions.
When this guy turns his head moves in an arc which helps make the action smooth and pleasant.
His hair doesn't get to his poses as fast as his head does.
Note that his expressions and poses aren't perfectly even on both sides.
His expressions are not only clear and direct functionally, they are funny and fun to look at. They are beautiful designs in of themselves.
A lot of the shapes used to make his expressions are customized to his thoughts. They aren't stock expressions. When you watch this part in the clip, watch his mouth shapes change. You can't find these shapes on any model sheets or in other cartoons. The animator is making them up as he goes along - by feel and instinct. He's acting.
In the animator's rush to make his poses and emotions flow from one to the next, he made a mistake in construction on the odd pose, like the one above. But it's a great pose anyway.
The faster the action, the more drag you can use. This whole action here is amazing as you'll see when you watch the clip. He does a whole whirly sort of overlapping action as he brings his mop into the scene.
The timing of this animation is full of variety, some slow soft parts, some fast wild parts and it moves very naturally, even though it uses all kinds of technical drawing and motion principles. It doesn't come off as a formula.
The first scene was animated by Rod Scribner, who I think is the most talented and versatile animator in history. (take a look at some of his UPA style stuff and see how cleverly he approaches it). Most animators have their basic principles and if they are extra gifted, maybe one or 2 strengths on top of them. Scribner puts together all kinds of skills and makes them flow as if there was no effort involved at all.
The second scene also moves beautifully, but the drawings aren't as fun as Scribner's. They don't have as much appeal. Appeal is a very rare trait and can't be forced without looking contrived - although many do try to contrive it. Some people just have it naturally.
This cartoon is full of great stuff, and I'll post more soon.
This is a great scene to study and copy the drawings if you are a student trying to learn classic skills.


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Here's the list of what's coming today! I hope I can manage to watch Valerie Elkins session at the very least. Of course I'm going to try to watch as many as possible. If you can't watch them live, they are being archived so you can catch the sessions later. Just go to Rootstech.org and enjoy!
Friday, March 22
8:30 a.m.
Keynote speakers: Jyl Pattee, Founder, Mom It Forward Media, and Tim Sullivan, President and CEO, Ancestry.com
9:45 a.m.
Researching Ancestors Online-Laura Prescott
11:00 a.m.
FamilySearch Family Tree-Ron Tanner
1:45 p.m.
Google Search... and Beyond-Dave Barney
3:00 p.m.
From Paper Piles to Digital Files-Valerie Elkins


text: APK 29,568 Posted April 25, 2015 [+18] Beautybabes 3 v1.0Requirements: 2.1 and upOverview: BeautyBabes Features Hot Babes In HD Erotic Pics Hot babes engaged in tantalizing erotica and perfect girls offered up in HD porn is what you can expect form us. Erotic Nudes that will make you yearn for the most seductive glamour porn vixens in the world and naked girls, from amateur to pornstar alike can be found at ftvgirls.com... as long as they are Gorgeous, seductive and sublime Goddesses. App Features-101 Sexy Babes pics- Offline pics, so you dont need to connect to internet while you are running this LWP app.- Choose Duration to display each photo- Option to choose display photos in random order- Rotate / Do Not rotate with screen- Option to scroll wallpaper- Option to enable touch events- Option to change wallpaper on screen awake This app has no advertisements More Info:http://www.Google.com/'>>http://www.Google.com/Download Instructions: Beautybabes 3 v1.0 - android-zone.ws.apk - 5.9 MB Share this post Link to post Share on other sites


text:
Paul Manata, the Resurrection, History and Logic
Paul Manata sees a problem with the way I argue against the resurrection of Jesus. In the first place I argued that, "A foreknowing and omniscient God should've easily known that history is a poor medium to reveal himself in, especially if he did so in an ancient superstitious era. If he did so, he's not too bright, for there is every reason for us to disbelieve today."
Manata: "Notice that John can't be touched by any historical argument for Christianity. Heads John wins, tails God looses. If God is all knowing he wouldn't reveal himself in history, especially ancient history, when all the morons lived. And, if we could show that God did reveal himself, then God is stupid, and hence not omniscient, and therefore not the God of Christianity."
Loftus: My point about history is that I should not have to believe anything the ancients believed just because they believed it. I think the same goes for the beliefs of any era. Just because people believe something does not give me a good reason to believe the same thing. I must be able to test what I believe based upon good evidence and sound reasoning.
On the one hand, there is the historical evidence concerning the resurrection of Jesus from the grave, along with the other beliefs the resurrection commits many Christians to, i.e., a Trinitarian God, and the Incarnation. On the other hand, it seems logically incoherent that one God eternally created two others Gods, and it seems logically incoherent that one person can be 100% God and 100% man, as I previously argued.
So we have the historical evidence on one side, and logic on the other side. Which do I choose? I choose logic. This is obvious. Anyone who has done any introductory level studies in the philosophy of history will know the problems in understanding the non-miraculous events of the past. There are philosophers who claim we cannot know what happened in the past at all! That's what they think about ordinary, non-miraculous history. So how much more does this apply to the claims of a miraculous past?
What I argue for is that logic is of a much greater value than historical evidence when it comes to testing the foundational miracle and doctrinal claims of Christianity. The role of logic is to test these resultant doctrinal claims for consistency. That's what logic is supposed to do, test beliefs for their internal consistency, so there shouldn't be any objection with my doing so.
I'm not saying history doesn't provide evidence one way or the other about the resurrection of Jesus. I actually think the historical evidence for the resurrection is just not there, even if we exclude the logical problems. I think historical evidence is important, and I think I can know what happened in the past, in varying degrees of assurance, but never with certainty. However, given the fact that the evidence of history won't convince the believer to think otherwise, I use logic to debunk what historical evidence doesn't do.
So it's incorrect for Manata to say, "John can't be touched by any historical argument for Christianity." It is likewise incorrect for him to say, "Loftus is willing to listen, not to history, but to logic." For the truth is, I "listen" to both. They are both important for assessing the truth claims of Christianity. It's just that when believers don't agree with where the historical evidence leads, I turn to logic. And it's true that logic can deliver a much bigger punch here. For if the historical evidence is debatable when logic can show that the resultant doctrinal beliefs are incoherent, then taken together with how I argue for the historical evidence, it renders faith in the resurrection null and void.
Manata again: "But, in a stroke of genius, Loftus has an ace up his sleeve!"
Loftus: Thanks Paul, for noticing! *Blush* Thank you, thank you very much! ;-)
Manata: "Says Loftus, 'I am finding that logic doesn't help us much at all in the quest for metaphysical truths.'" To read what I wrote in context see here.
Manata: "So, to avoid any historical argument, Loftus consigns it all (well, all of it that the ancient stupid people said) to the flames. But…he'll accept logical arguments for these metaphysical truths. But, and this is the great part...if ever confronted by a logical argument he can dismiss that as well since it 'doesn't help us much at all in the quest for metaphysical truths.' Hence, we can't touch Loftus."
Loftus: Since Manata quotes this phrase from me so often I should explain.
The next time he quotes this I'd also like him to quote what I said later in that same blog entry where I wrote, "My particular attack on religious faith is to consider how we gained our presuppositions in the first place." Logic is used in the service of presuppositions, and Paul knows this. That's why he's a presuppositionalist. According to Robert McKim, "We seem to have a remarkable capacity to find arguments that support positions which we antecedently hold. Reason is, to a great extent, the slave of prior commitments." Religious Ambiguity and Religious Diversity (Oxford University Press, 2001), p. ix. [To read more of the limits of logic and reason see here].
Logic does not give us our beliefs. Logic merely helps us to see the consistency of that which we believe. And it allows us to conclude still other beliefs based upon some initial beliefs (i.e., it helps us see the implications of that which we initially believe, or assume). This is all true. It's not that logic cannot help at all; it's that it doesn't help us that much when it comes to acquiring our beliefs in the first place. This is one difference that makes all of the difference.
If logic is helpful in acquiring the true religious and metaphysical beliefs, then why is it that we all disagree with each other? I don't think people who disagree with me have a lower I.Q. at all. And if logic helps us settle our disagreements, then why is Paul still a believer in the resurrection of Jesus? I've argued that his doctrinal beliefs in the trinity and in the incarnation are logically incoherent. So why does he continue to believe?
Besides, my main point is that we never find logic in the abstract. None of us are logic machines. Our passional nature gets in the way. We hold to mutually inconsistent propositions and don't realize it, or won't admit it. So we cannot claim that logic will help us concerning world-view beliefs, when logic never exists in the abstract "Spockian" sense. Logic is overwhelmingly used to defend prior religious commitments based upon when and where someone was born. Such an admission first led me to agnosticism, and then later to atheism. This is the same reason I've proposed the Outsider Test for faith [Someone gave me my own entry on this]!
Manata faults me with inconsistency when I say I would go with logic every time, even though I turn right around and argue we never find logic in the abstract.
I will go with what logic tells me, and that's all I can do. Anyway, I challenge him and other Christians to solve for me the problem of the incarnation, and how a being can truly eternally create an equal being if they want to continue to believe. While there is no such thing as logic in the abstract, which means we will still disagree, I don't believe Christians can sufficiently solve these problems even if logic doesn't exist in the abstract. Christians will just have to punt to mystery and to faith, and they will. But that's different than solving these two problems, correct?


text: Junior TE/LB Garrett Williams (6-4 225) of Orlando is the son of former Florida State FB Dan Williams. Williams has received an offer from Clemson and is reciprocating the interest. He has visited Clemson several times, including this year's opener against Georgia. His other offers include Florida State, North Carolina, Tennessee, Auburn, Ohio State, Louisville, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Florida, Georgia Tech, Ole Miss and Duke among others with interest from USC. "Clemson is telling me they like me on offense and defense but they really like me at the tight end," he said. "They use that position a lot and they think I can fit into their offense. I love their coaching staff, the environment and their facilities are great." He spoke highly of his experience at the Clemson-Georgia game. Williams is also showing a lot of interest in FSU. "I think their campus and their facilities are top notch," Williams said. "I think coach (Jimbo) Fisher is doing a great job and they will continue to excel." His other two planned trips this season are to Tennessee and North Carolina though he has not scheduled either visit. Williams does not have any favorites.


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It's all about awareness, and people are making their own changes. —John Robison, healthy lifestyles supervisor for the Davis School District
BOUNTIFUL — When the Davis School District implemented its wellness program in October, officials thought it would make a difference to some employees.
They had no idea it would mean the difference between life and death for at least one employee.
"I was totally shocked to find out I had really, really high blood pressure," said Tracy Leavitt, a second-grade teacher at Adelaide Elementary School.
Leavitt was counseled to go directly to a physician to obtain the proper treatment that would prevent imminent heart attack or stroke.
"I didn't think that would ever be me," she said.
Leavitt discovered the ailment during a general health screening that was required under the new Davis Moves program.
"We told employees right from the start that our main objective was to have them become more aware of their personal health status," said John Robison, healthy lifestyles supervisor for the Davis School District.
Of the 4,200 employees insured through the district, 2,900 participated in the program this year. Regardless of participation, however, each employee has to pay an additional $6.25 per month with their insurance premiums. Only those who complete two simple requirements of the program receive a $60 cash incentive in return.
Robison said having 70 percent of participating employees complete the health screening and online risk assessment exam is indicative of people taking a stand for their own health.
"It's all about awareness," he said. "And people are making their own changes."
It is anticipated that having healthier employees will also bring down future medical costs for the district, Robison said.
Upon joining the program, Janna and Scott Zigich, both of whom work for the district, decided to make a few changes. The husband and wife became healthier together, losing 75 pounds collectively in just three months.
"It was little things like eating fruits and vegetables, drinking more water, walking more — all things I already knew would be more healthy," Janna Zigich said.
Albeit out of peer pressure, she joined a walking group at the district offices that met twice a day to get some additional exercise.
"If you didn't show up, people would ask about where you were," she said.
Janna Zigich also cut her daily diet soda, all sugar and most carbs from her diet and found that eating healthy made her want to work out and vice versa.
"I wasn't doing it to lose weight. I just wanted to feel healthier," she said.
The moderate changes signaled a better attitude about being healthy, and she and her husband both ended up losing weight and feeling less sluggish.
The same has been true for Leavitt.
"I feel lucky we have this program," she said, crediting it for her discovery of high blood pressure and ultimately saving her life. "I really had no idea."
Besides having hip replacement surgery last year, Leavitt, 50, said she thought she was "pretty healthy."
The Davis Moves program has resulted in Leavitt taking daily medication, which has dropped her blood pressure by about 35 points. She also replaces previously beloved caffeine with water, and her students have taken notice.
"I'm sleeping better. I have more energy. I just feel a little better," Leavitt said.
The simple program, she said, has added years to her life. And she's also realized that by taking initiative, she might stave off mounting health care costs that would have come with age.
"At least the Davis School District is trying something to contain those costs," Leavitt said.
Some employees are upset at the slight increase being taken from their paychecks, but Robison said in addition to Leavitt and the Zigiches, there's been nothing but positive feedback from participants.
"We want them to get healthier as individuals, and we want to get healthier as a district," he said. "It may even trickle down to the students and families in our district. And really, what could be better?"
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: wendyleonards


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Home Topics Yutu
Thousands evacuated as Typhoon Yutu strikes Philippines
Typhoon Yutu slammed into the Philippines on Tuesday with fierce winds that sheared off roofs and snapped trees in half, after thousands were evacuated ahead of the powerful storm's arrival.
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Muhammadu Buhari: Let anybody lead this country, not PDP
President Muhammadu Buhari has again faulted the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for allegedly mismanaging the nation's resources.
INEC reaffirms commitment to deliver credible elections in 2019
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has reaffirmed the Commission's commitment and determination to deliver credible elections in Nigeria in 2019, which will embody the concepts of inclusiveness, transparency and accountability, by also ensuring that established rules are fully, fairly and impartially enforced.
Group accuses Atiku Abubakar of tax evasion, asks FIRS to release his record
The Committee for the Protection of Peoples Mandate (CPPM), an activist group, has demanded that the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) produce tax receipts belonging to Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Court throws out contempt application against Lai Mohammed
Justice Mohammed Aikawa of a Federal High Court, Lagos, on Friday dismissed a contempt application filed by a former Minister of State for Finance, Nenadi Usman, against Minister of Information Lai Mohammed over inclusion of her name in the 'looters' list.
World Bank grants Tanzania $300 million to support education sector
The World Bank on Friday said that it had granted $300 million to Tanzania to support its education sector, a statement from the country's Directorate of Presidential Communication said.
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AFCON: NFF dismisses alleged South African visa denial reports
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FIFA mourns demise of Ajuma Otache
World football–governing body, FIFA, has condoled the Nigeria Football Federation over the death at the weekend of former Nigerian international and ex–Flamingoes' assistant coach, Ajuma Otache.
Inter Milan's seven-match winning run ends with thrashing at Atalanta
Inter Milan's run of seven successive league wins was abruptly ended on Sunday when they were crushed 4-1 at Atalanta in rain-sodden conditions.
N-Power offers N37 million to beneficiaries across Nigeria
One of the social intervention programmes of the Nigerian government, N-Power, has announced its Impact Series competition, which offers one beneficiary in each state one Million Naira.
Jose Mourinho: Manchester United fighting for Premier League top-four, not title
Jose Mourinho admits Manchester United are in no position to speak about the title, with a derby defeat to Manchester City leaving them 12 points off the pace and chasing a top-four finish.


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Rokita to chair NASS Voter Participation Subcommittee
Contact: Cam Savage
Indianapolis, IN -- When the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) meets in Washington D.C. in February, Indiana Secretary of State Todd Rokita will be serving as chairman of the Voter Participation subcommittee.
"There is an apathy toward voting in this country that we must address for the sake of our democracy. As election officials, we must confront this problem head on and seek solutions to the troubling trend of declining voter turnout, which is particularly prevalent among young people," Rokita said.
Rokita's first priority as chairman will be to coordinate the New Millennium Young Voters Summit timed to coincide with NASS's annual February conference. The chief election officials from each state have been encouraged to attend and to bring at least one young person from their states to participate in the one-day summit focused on reaching out to young people and increasing voter turnout among young adults.
"Since the voting age was lowered to 18 from 21 in 1971, the number of people in this age range who vote has consistently declined," Rokita said. "The Young Voter Summit will bring young voters, election administrators and policy makers together to share ideas and formulate plans to encourage young people to become civically engaged."
Highlights of the summit will include a presentation of the latest research on the voting habits of young adults, a congressional panel, state success stories, suggestions as to how to make voting more accessible, views from young adults regarding the challenges involved in voting and the obstacles to getting involved, and recommendations as to how to improve the sense of civic responsibility in young people.
This free event requires advance registration. Please contact NASS at (202) 624-3525 or http://www.stateofthevote.org/ for more information. Registration forms are available at http://www.nass.org/.


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ike many revered British institutions, the so-called Public Schools had changed so much since their founding that they were unrecognizable by the age of Victoria. Although the seven elite boarding schools (Eton, Harrow, Westminster, Rugby, Winchester, Charterhouse, and Shrewsbury) and two London day schools (St. Pauls and Merchant Taylors's) identified as "Public Schools" certainly educated many major figures, some historians blame them for doing far more harm than good to the nation.
Virtually all secondary and tertiary (university) educational institutions in Great Britain were originally founded to train clergy for the established church, the Church of England (or the Anglican Church, as it was also known). Since members of the comparatively tiny nobility and wealthy classes had private tutors, many, if not all, the public schools were intended for the deserving poor. By the nineteenth century many of these schools had become means of upward mobility, not for the poor, but for the upper-middle classes, who wished to move their children into the aristocracy. By the time Thomas Arnold, the poet's father, assumed the headmastership of Rugby, Public Schools had become characterized by dreadful teaching, archaic curricula, bullying, sexual abuse, and dreadful living conditions. Rugby led the way in raising the general moral tone of Public Schools and for a time even pioneered modern practices of art education for children and other innovations. Nonetheless, even at their best, Public Schools concerned themselves more with producing gentlemen than with preparing their graduates for the economic, political, and technological challenges facing contemporary England. Some observers in fact blame the Public Schools for much of England's subsequent economic and political decline.
Eric Hobsbawm, who considers Public Schools in the context of Britain's rise and decline, treats them harshly and convincingly:
The assimilation of the British business classes to the social pattern of the gentry and aristocracy had proceeded very rapidly from the mid nineteenth century, the period when so many of the so-called "public schools" were founded, or reformed by finally excluding the poor for whom they had originally been intended. In 1869 they were more or less set free from all government control and set about elaborating that actively anti-intellectual, anti-scientific, games-dominated Tory imperialism which was to remain characteristic of them. (It was not the Duke of Wellington but a late-Victorian myth which claimed that the battle of Waterloo was won on the playing-fields of Eton, which did not exist in his time.)
Unfortunately, the public school formed the model of the new system of secondary education, which the less privileged sectors of the new middle classes were allowed to construct for themselves after the Education Act of 1902, and whose main aim was to exclude from education the children of the working classes, which had unfortunately won the right to university primary education in 1870. Knowledge, especially scientific knowledge, therefore took second place to the maintenance of a rigid division between the classes. In 1897 less than seven per cent of the grammar-school [academic secondary school] pupils came from the working class. The British therefore entered the twentieth century and the age of modern science and technology as a spectacularly ill-educated people. [147]
If Public Schools failed to notice the importance of science and technology and hence had little effect on these fields, they also did little to advance literature and culture. How many of the following British authors who define Victorianism attended one of the elite public schools? Harrison Ainsworth, Charlotte and Emily Brontë, Elizabeth and Robert Browning, Sir Edward George Earl Bulwer-Lytton, Thomas Carlyle, Charles Dickens, Benjamin Disraeli, George Eliot, Elizabeth Gaskell, George Gissing, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Charles Kingsley, Rudyard Kipling, George Macdonald, George Meredith, John Stuart Mill, John Henry Cardinal Newman, Walter Pater, Charles Reade, Christina, Michael, and Dante Gabiel Rossetti, John Ruskin, Alfred Lord Tennyson, and Oscar Wilde
To be fair, one must add that a few major British authors attended Public Schools: Matthew Arnold of course attended Rugby, where his father was headmaster, and so did Arthur Hugh Clough. Anthony Trollope did poorly at both both Harrow and Winchester, William Morris attended Marlborough for several years, leaving after school riots. Arthur Henry Hallam studied at Eton, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) went to Westminster, and William Makepeace Thackeray went to Charterhouse.
Hobsbawm, Eric. Industry and Empire: The Birth of the Industrial Revolution. rev. ed. New York: New Press, 1999.
Last modified 11 September 2008


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Have you ever felt like a powernap in a cozy log cabin setting would give you just the boost you needed in the middle of a long, productive workday? Ever wished your office staff would hold meetings inside dimly-lit tents instead of bland conference rooms? I'm sure many of us have daydreamt about enjoying a cold beer straight from the tap at the end of a long workweek … while still in the office.
This is all reality for those who work in the Vancouver offices of HootSuite, which I had the pleasure of visiting during our recent trip to the Pacific Northwest.
HootSuite describes itself as "a social media management system for businesses and organizations to collaboratively execute campaigns across multiple social networks from one secure, web-based dashboard." Some of the social networks HootSuite integrates include Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and new Google+ Pages, plus social content apps for YouTube, Flickr and Tumblr, among others.
We here at the Revolution and several other MLS clubs use HootSuite for managing the teams' social media postings and monitoring. You can find more info here: https://hootsuite.com/company
The folks at HootSuite were gracious enough to show myself and Jason Dalrymple around their office space this past weekend – special thanks to James, Scott and Sandy for the hospitality – and it is absolutely wild.
There's a quiet, log-cabin themed room which contains nothing more than a few cots for napping. Adjacent to that space is a yoga room and full fitness facility, open for employees to use as they please. The kitchen – a massive space fully equipped for sustainability – is complete with taps for both beer and wine, open to employees for a late afternoon drink on Fridays.
Oh, then there's the tents. That was my favorite part. There are tents liberally scattered throughout the office space, just in case you'd rather hold a quick meeting there instead of in a conference room. And it's not like the conference rooms were too shabby – they were all decorated with elaborately themed murals.
It's not only employees who enjoy the facilities at HootSuite … it's their pets, too. Employees are invited to bring their dogs into the office and based on the number of canines (all incredibly well behaved) we encountered on our tour, it would appear as though many take advantage of the opportunity.
Reading about the space won't do it justice, but hopefully the pictures give you a feel for the atmosphere, which was incredibly relaxed. Obviously the folks at HootSuite feel that the environment is particularly conducive to creative thinking and a productive work ethic, and the rapid growth of the company seems to back up those assumptions.
While our visit to HootSuite was the highlight of our Road Trippin' adventures, we also had the chance to go for an extensive walk around Coal Harbour on Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately we missed the orca whales which swam through the harbor on Friday, but it was still an incredibly scenic walk which perfectly highlighted Vancouver's contrast of major city with a mountain backdrop.
Probably the coolest part of the harbor walk was the seaplanes constantly landing and taking off from the water. Apparently they're available for tours so long as you have the foresight to plan ahead. Perhaps if we're still doing our Road Trippin' series the next time we're in Vancouver …


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Quote:Not chopping down trees, and not eating cows does a lot more than trying to explain why to people. When they get it, they get it. This is The Point.
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Food is an important part of our life and therefore we all focus on having healthy food that can provide us with better health and fitness levels. There is no doubt that while lot of people prefer to go for fast food there are many others who are health conscious and therefore they prefer to go for organic food that allows them to take care of their health in a better way. If you are in New Zealand you will find that there are many stores and even online websites that provide organic food in the country and that helps many people to stay fit and healthy.
There are many local restaurants and diners across the country that do believe in offering the best products to their customers and therefore you will find that they contract with various organic farms that offer them with fresh produce that are supplied. This makes the entire organic farming option even better in the country. There are many others that want to eat fresh and healthy and therefore they have their own farms where they grow vegetables and fruits organically to stay healthy. This trend has given growth to many more organic farms that are all over the country and they focus on eating fresh and healthy.
For those who are not close to the organic farms on the outskirts of major cities can make use of the internet websites that can provide them with the organic food that they need. There are many organic farms that do have their own websites and they take orders online as well. Those who are busy or those who want their vegetables and fruits being delivered at the doorsteps can make use of online websites through which they can get better food. For many individuals this provides a better way to order their produce rather than going all the way to the market and getting groceries.
On the other hand, there are many people that have their own farms and therefore they prefer to sell organic food to other people and establishments so that they can earn income from it. However, if you want to sell organic food in New Zealand there are certain standard regulatory requirements and Acts that you have to keep in mind and make sure that your organic food meet those requirements and Acts. New Zealand has various legislation like Animal Products Act 1999, Wine Act 2003, Food Act 1981 and even Fair Trading Act 1986.
Most of the New Zealand cuisine is driven by natural and local ingredients and therefore many locals prefer to eat local produce that offer them better health. Since there is a good demand for organic food in New Zealand most of the restaurants offer local produce based items in their restaurants and pubs. To some extent the food is also influenced by the Maori cuisine that remain one of the oldest inhabitants on the island. Historically, when Maori came from Polynesia they brought in number of food plants that were later grown locally. Today, the cuisine is mixed with the recent style cooking styles. There is a growing demand for organic food in the country as majority of the people still believe that such food items can keep them away from health problems like obesity, heart diseases and diabetes.
There are many campaigns all over the country that focus on growing and eating organic food that not just protects the health but also the planet. Many New Zealanders are aware that the use of pesticides and insecticides not just kill the pests and insects, but also lead to serious human health issues like cancer and birth defects. Buying and eating organic food also encourages the farmers to farm organically. Organic food also cuts down the overall price of the food and keeps chemicals away from the food plate and the body. There are many other benefits of organic food that are promoted all over the country encouraging people to enjoy organic food while they are with their family and friends.Read More


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Sweet, Steve M. M and Mardakheh, Faraz Khosravi and Ryan, Kevin J. P and Langton, Amy J and Heath, John K and Cooper, Helen J. (2008) Targeted online liquid chromatography electron capture dissociation mass spectrometry for the localization of sites of in vivo phosphorylation in human Sprouty2. Analytical Chemistry, 80 (17). pp. 6650-6657. ISSN 0003-2700


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2-way 3 1/2 " in-ceiling speaker featuring:. ¾-inch tweeter. 3 ½-inch woofer. Easy install features for existing ceilings
find a dealer
The 2-way 3-1/2" HSi 430 in-ceiling speaker is sized and styled to match today's
small lighting fixtures. Plus the HSi 430 features a dramatically reduced visible
bezel and magnetic grilles. The new reduced bezel allows for a virtually invisible
installation in the ceiling. The "metal can" backs make them ideal for ceiling installations,
with a variety of easy install features for existing ceilings.
For flexibility in crafting rich, room-filling soundscapes, the HSi 430 in-ceiling
speaker features an innovative switchable highpass filter, which removes bass frequencies
below 180Hz. When using the speakers without the HSi S6W2, the highpass filter may
be switched off for optimum performance. However, if the speaker is being used full-range
in high sound level applications, the highpass filter helps protect the speaker.
For use with a dedicated subwoofer in the installation, the highpass filter may
be switched on for optimum performance.


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From direct care staff to program managers to clinicians, our employees make a difference every day. Our talented team helps individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities thrive in the communities they call home. And as part of The MENTOR Network— a national network of local health and human services providers—REM's employees are part of a growing organization that's been at the forefront of providing innovative, community-based care for more than 30 years
Direct Support Professional-HCSApply Now Job ID 18000JUN
DescriptionApply Now
Direct Support Professional-HCS
Primary Location: MS-MSHattiesburg-6770 US Highway 98
Function:Direct Support Professional (Care Givers)
REM Mississippi
Direct Support Professional-HCS
Primary Location: MS-MSHattiesburg-6770 US Highway 98
Function:Direct Support Professional (Care Givers)
REM Mississippi
Full Time, Part Time, Overnight Positions Available on All Shifts
**Must Be Available To Work Every Other Weekend**
Every person needs the support of others, but we look for very special people to support- individuals with disabilities; adults with emotional, behavioral or medical complexities. As a Direct Support Professional with REM Mississippi in Hattiesburg, MS you'll be one of those special people.
DSPs are the link to the community for those they serve. For some, they may be the eyes of those unable to see, or the voice for those who can't speak. For others, they are friend, cheerleader and subtle support on the path to one's true potential.
For REM Mississippi and The MENTOR Network the DSP is one of the most exemplary reflections of the wonderful mission driven work we do here every day. The people that carry out this rewarding, care giving support play an integral and crucial role in the success of our organization.
To that end, the DSP also happens to be one of the best places to start in our company with a myriad of career options to move up and across the organization. We in fact have many success stories from people at all levels that started out in the DSP role.
Whether you have previous experience in this capacity or this just sounds like the type of career path you would like to pursue…we want to hear from you!
REM Mississippi is seeking Direct Support Professionals in one of our Residential Homes, in Hattiesburg, MS to provide assistance to Individuals in a community-based setting. DSPs provide assistance with daily activities such as meal preparation and planning; medication administration; and personal care. DSPs may also facilitate community involvement by accompanying individuals on outings in the community or providing transportation to work or other activities. In addition, DSPs support therapeutic and behavioral plans in partnership with clinical staff to enhance the quality of life for those we support.
- High school diploma or GED
- Must be 18 years of age
- Valid driver's license in good standing
- Car registration and vehicle insurance if providing transportation for individuals receiving services
- Six months of experience in human services preferred
- Successful clearance of local and/or state background checks
Founded in 1980, The MENTOR Network is a national network of local human services providers offering an array of quality, community-based services in more than 30 states to adults and children with intellectual and developmental disabilities, brain and spinal cord injuries and other catastrophic injuries and illnesses, and to youth with emotional, behavioral and medically complex challenges as well as their families.


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Labor of Love Saturday Class - A NorthBay Healthcare Prenatal Education Class
NorthBay Healthcare
Saturday, March 10, 2018 from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM (PST)
Event Details
This is a class for expectant couples, various techniques are taught to use during the labor process. Comfort measures, relaxation, breathing and the role of the support person are included.
- Please bring two pillows and a blanket/yoga mat to class.
- This class includes a Maternity Orientation and Tour.
All prenatal classes are offered free of charge to those moms who are planning their delivery at NorthBay Medical Center. 1 ticket for both people (mom to be and support person). It is okay to bring your own snacks and drinks to the class.
When & Where
Northbay Medical Center
1200 B Gale Wilson Blvd
Annex Conference Room (behind NorthBay Medical Center)
Saturday, March 10, 2018 from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM (PST)
Add to my calendar
NorthBay Healthcare
NorthBay Healthcare leads the way in providing advanced medicine to the people of Solano county. Our compassion, our commitment to excellence, and the depth and breadth of our services, is a testament to our enduring commitment to the local community. We strive to ensure that local residents remain near home for most of the health care services they'll need in their lifetimes.


text: Steve, please note that the mapping robots are not "built by Penobscot Bay Media", but purchased from MobileRobots Inc, an 11-year-old robot design and manufacturing company with thousands of robots sold around the world. The robot in question is called MapperBot and uses laser-based SLAM to develop the raster-based map, which can then be edited for human viewing and/or robot navigational purposes. You can see this and many more robot applications at www.mobilerobots.com. What Penobscot Bay Media does is to create interior building maps with MapperBot that they then expand to 3D and incorporate into GIS databases for space utilization and other purposes.


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Intel 520 Series 240GB Review
Solid State drives are becoming more and more popular as a way to increase system performance. Intel has traditionally had its hand in developing high performance solid state drives and now have another to add to the fray. Boot times and general product loading times can be substantially decreased with the addition of an SSD to a system. With the introduction of the 520 series drives, Intel has jumped onto the LSI Sandforce bandwagon and co-developed a drive equipped with the Sandforce 2281 NAND controller coupled with low cost 25nm NAND flash memory. The drive is built to deliver performance without breaking the bank. Reliability and performance are goals set for the this drive that has a MTBF of 1.2 million hours. AES 256-bit encryption, data compression, and end-to-end data protection also come with the addition of the Sandforce controller. The Intel 520 series comes in capacities from 60 to 480GB with pricing and specifications dependent on the density of the 25nm NAND flash used on each drive. Pricing starts at $149 for the 60GB version and a cool 1 grand, well $999, for the 480GB version. Let's take a look and see if Intel hit a home run with its partnership with LSI (Sandforce).
Closer Look:
As a full retail drive the Intel 520 series 240GB drive comes in the retail box all decked out for a trip to the local big-box store. The graphic fits into its packaging design philosophy. The front states that the drive is ready to be used in both mobile and desktop applications and is 240GB in capacity. The back panel has an illustration of the drive and an explanation of what comes with it inside the package.
Inside the outer sleeve is the box that holds the drive and the accessory bundle. The Intel 520 series drive is packed tightly in a box separate from the accessories to prevent any damage to the drive in transit. The accessories are stored underneath the drive.
The accessory bundle that Intel has included is quite out of the norm for an SSD as it addresses just about any barrier to installation by providing all the items needed to get this drive installed in a notebook or desktop application. Included are a 2.5 to 3.5 inch drive bay adapter, a SATA power and data cable, mounting screws, a product guide, and a disk that includes the install guide and software applications to help migrate your data to the drive.
Intel has included everything needed to get the 520 series drive installed so let's have a look at the drive in particular.


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Long sleeve Jersey Tshirt with screen printed University of Houston 100% Cotton Jersey (Oxford Grey is 90% Cotton 10% Polyester). Go long like a Houston wide receiver. Click photo to view other possible graphic options. Imported.
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As if cats did not already have plenty of ways to manipulate our minds, they have now—as this master practitioner demonstrates—obtained the technology to begin walking us on leashes. It's only a matter of time before we have an army of cat police roaming the streets and controlling our every move.
[Via Buzzfeed]


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Tips for Teaching Kids How to Manage Money
Teaching personal finance to children doesn't have to be a chore. But it can help to assign them a few chores. One family gave their kids a raise, to $20 a month, while expanding their responsibilities at home to include cleaning the bathroom, vacuuming, dusting and sorting laundry.
We asked Wall Street Journal readers: "How did you learn to manage money as a kid? What tips would you give parents?" Below is a selection of the best responses. If you'd like to contribute your own, tweet at @WSJLife or comment on our Facebook page.


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who has sf visited with & planning on meeting with prior to draft?
No announcement yet.
San Francisco 49ers Discussion
This is a sticky topic.
new posts
Originally posted by chapo123 View Postwho has sf visited with & planning on meeting with prior to draft?
Michael Oher
BJ Raji
Michael Crabtree
Arian Foster
Rey Maualuga
Josh Freeman
Mark Sanchez
Gregory Toler
Larry English
Brandon Gibson
Mike Goodson
That's all I could see.
Pick the Winners Champion 2008 | 2011
Originally posted by mac25fan View Post
Pick the Winners Champion 2008 | 2011
This is who I've read...
Mark Sanchez - QB - USC
Josh Freeman - QB - Kansas State
Nate Davis - QB - Ball State
Mike Reilly - QB - Central Washington
Andre Brown - RB - North Carolina State
Mike Goodson - RB - Texas A&M
Kory Sheets - RB - Purdue
Arian Foster - RB - Tennessee
Michael Crabtree - WR - Texas Tech
Brandon Gibson - WR - Washington State
Andre Smith - OT - Alabama
Michael Oher - OT - Mississippi
B.J. Raji - NT - Boston College
Jarron Gilbert - DE - San Jose State
Pannel Egboh - DE - Stanford
Aaron Maybin - OLB - Penn State
Larry English - OLB - Northern Illinois
Rey Maualuga - ILB - USC
Don Carey - CB - Norfolk State
Greg Toler - CB - St. Paul's CollegeLast edited by phlysac; 04-09-2009, 02:11 AM.
Maybe old news here, but it appears that Brtuce is staying for another yr. as WR
Great news for Josh Morgan, he's Morgan's mentor. Morgan was an underrated mid-rd. steal IMO as a possession receiver, really lit it up in the early p/o last season but tapered off in the 2nd half. This is why he needs guidance from Issac & his position coach. Also signals they won't be going WR until later rds. this draft too.
Any word on B.J. Raji's visit to Santa Clara yesterday (tues)? I know there are concerns about his failed drug test for pot while at BC & a disputed failed Combine test. ESPN said yesterday that the official results from the Combine on who failed the piss test won't be released until April 20th, which made me lol when I heard it.... a list of players testing positive for THC released on 4-20, get it I took a lot of crap elsewhere when I said that Raji will drop like a stone if he is one of those listed, & he will b/c that means he failed 2 test over 2 yrs, he knew he would be tested at the Combine, & with his history he didn't stop using whacky-tobakky, could cost him millions of $. Still he's the top-ranked NT for the now chic & trendy 3-4 defense in the NFL, Sapoaga/Franklin isn't the answer for them & last yr's no. 1 Kentwan Balmer never really cracked the starting lineup, so....
The question is how concerned will McCloghan & Singletary (an ordained Baptist minister btw) about failed drug tests? Another dirty test will cost him 4 games in the NFL, so there's that risk, he will be some team's #1 pick -- bet on it -- so to hell with the criticisms about #10 being too early to take Raji, if the 9ers need him he has to go then, & with soooooo much $ wrapped up in a #1 pick they can't afford to have their NT miss any games. It's a puzzler -- I admit it.
My take on Raji is to draft him, or if they go another direction in the 1st rd. take his BC team mate Ron Brace later who's ranked 3rd at DT behind Raji & Peria Jerry at #1. Brace is listed as versatile enough to be the 2-gapper in a 3-4 without the character concerns. Any way you slice the 9ers have to address d-line in this draft, stop that steady stream of retreads (KGB, Andre Carter, etc) at the DE opposite their best defensive player last yr Justin Smith with someone who can actually, you know, get to the passer & play the run effectively too.
I live in San Jose btw & get the regional NFL games every Sunday, & for the last 2 yrs. it's been a comedy of errors with the 9ers. Martzball was a great screaming failure & JT O'Sullivan fumbled more than Trent Dilfer did, hard to believe but it happened, & their offense still needs a lot of work, but I know you sell tickets with offense & win with defense. Former defensive guru Singletary I think knows it too, I think that's the way they're going.
Add Nate Davis and Andre Smith to the list of visiting players.
Pick the Winners Champion 2008 | 2011
I remember reading somewhere that out of all the visits last year, the only player we drafted was Josh Morgan.
Originally posted by YAYareaRB View PostI think he'd be capable of playing FS. Patrick Chung and Delmas should also be available.
Originally posted by 49ersfan_87 View PostI remember reading somewhere that out of all the visits last year, the only player we drafted was Josh Morgan.
With the amount of potential options to trade back, the Niners I'm sure are bringing in prospects that they won't draft to create smokescreens.
#thestruggleisreal with Tomsula in as HC after the "Harbacle"
Operation Pile Up Draft Picks for Re-Build: In progress, with much work to be done
"He who thinks he knows it all has the most to learn"
Originally posted by 49ersfan_87 View PostI remember reading somewhere that out of all the visits last year, the only player we drafted was Josh Morgan.
Pick the Winners Champion 2008 | 2011


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Principal Urban Designer
Studio Egret West
David is a founding director of Studio Egret West, and a planner and urban designer specialising in urban visions and strategic framework plans. David has worked on a number of diverse projects all over the world. At Atkins, he worked on large scale masterplans in China, Portugal, Abu Dhabi, and Brazil. Then at Alsop Architects, he established and led the 'Big Architecture' team, formulating radical urban strategies that challenged conventional thinking about places. Having set up Studio Egret West with Christophe Egret in 2004, David has pursued a passion for delivering place specific strategies and solutions. David sits on the CABE London 2012 Design Review Panel, the "Design for London" Urban Design Panel and the RIBA Building Futures Steering Group.


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Featured News - Current News - Archived News - News Categories
Robert A. Stone, an airport manager with the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority, has been elected president of the Riverdale Cemetery Association Board of Directors for 2012-13.
Town of Niagara Justice James J. Faso was elected vice president. Lewiston resident Yvonne Kay-Black was elected secretary-treasurer.
Other trustees elected to the board were: Anna M. Barone, retired office manager for Anthony C. Barone General Contracting Inc. and executive director of the Niagara Falls Regional Miss America pageant; Patrick J. Bradley, director of marketing and public relations at Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center; Nancy Gara, vice president and manager of the Power City Office of First Niagara Bank and a member of the Sisters Hospital Foundation and Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center board of directors; Don J. King, president of the Polly King Art Gallery and a trustee of the Niagara Falls Public Library, member of the Niagara Falls Board of Education, trustee of the Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center and member of the YMCA Buffalo Niagara board of directors; Whitney W. Mallam, a practicing attorney who has served on several area civic, hospital and church boards; Stephen Pierce, a retired sales representative for National School Supply Co.; and Mary Ann Yadon, a retired financial adviser.


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Marianne Williamson once wrote: "There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do."
But it appears that some of today's children are afraid to shine too bright incase they attract the notice of bullies.
A survey of 1,042 British children aged 11-16 revealed that over half of school-aged kids are downplaying their talents, or refusing to showcase their abilities, out of fear that bullies would ridicule them for it. Those looking to torment their peers do not deem scholarly abilities, like proficiency in math or science, "cool", so some children are deliberately underachieving (1-10 girls admitted to hiding their abilities in science, and 1 in 5 their abilities in math).
Plus: Is Bullying Always a Bad Thing?
And it's not just grades that are being affected: many children are abandoning extracurricular activities too. They're dropping out of singing, dance, and drama classes, choosing instead to walk the halls with a lowered heads and the fervent wish that they remain unnoticed. Instead of talents being a source of joy to be celebrated, students are afraid that they're an invitation for the unwanted attention of critical bullies. Effectively, kids are choosing to dull their own light so that bullies have no reason to attack them.
"It's unacceptable that rather than celebrate their talent, they feel that they have to hide their gifts, purposely underachieve in crucial subjects and miss out on things they enjoy because of bullying," Ross Hendry, chair of the Anti-Bullying Alliance, tells The Daily Mail.
The results of this survey come out just as Anti-Bullying week, which hopes to bring light to the issue and offer useful advice, is getting under way in the US. What are some of the ways that you can encourage your child to shine this week? Let us know.


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Shock has given way to anger as thousands in cities everywhere took to the streets to demand the Nigerian government, and other authorities, do more to rescue them.
"The Nigerian girls are my sisters," said Malala Yousafzai, who after being shot in the head by the Taliban for going to school launched The Malala Fund, which raises money for girls' education initiatives globally.
The Malala Fund has now launched a Nigerian girls education campaign to support Nigerian organizations which are working to promote girls' schooling around the country.
|Kidnapped girls: what you can do to help
CNN's Girl Rising looked at just some examples of the obstacles that many of the more than 600 million adolescent girls living in developing countries face every day -- obstacles that prevent them from going to school, from freedom, and from simply being a child.
There are many ways to help girls, like those kidnapped in Nigeria, who face persecution, violence, poverty and other barriers to education.
CNN and Impact Your World don't accept donations but do help you find reputable places to give your money and time. "CNN's Girl Rising" was the centerpiece of 10x10, a global campaign to educate and empower girls. It created the 10x10 Fund for Girls' Education.
Donations to this fund are distributed evenly among the film's nonprofit partners. Many of the girls profiled in the film were helped by these organizations, and the groups continue to work for girls' education in developing countries. As little as $50 can educate a girl for a year.
CARE USA works to help educate girls in some of the poorest, most desperate parts of the rural areas in the mountains of Peru. Senna from "Girl Rising" was helped by this organization.
GirlUp -- United Nations Foundation is a campaign inspiring American girls to take action for girls in countries such as Ethiopia, Guatemala and Liberia who face a lack of access to education and are susceptible to child marriage, high maternal death rates and HIV infection.
The U.N. also spearheads the Girls' Education Initiative, a partnership of organizations that hope by 2015, children everywhere can complete free primary schooling.
Partners in Health has worked in places such as Haiti, Rwanda, Malawi and Lesotho. They try to help all children, especially girls, receive the health care and social support needed to go to school. Wadley from "Girl Rising" benefits from Partners in Health's work in Haiti.
Plan International USA tries to give girls around the world access to food, water, education, financial security and protection from sexual violence and exploitation. Yasmin, the girl in Egypt in "Girl Rising," was part of a Plan International USA program helping to keep street girls safe.
Room to Read focuses on helping young girls develop literacy skills and a habit of reading. Their hope is to create a legacy of gender-equal education in developing countries such as Nepal and Cambodia. Suma from "Girl Rising" had the chance to learn because of Room to Read.
World Vision supports girls' education in many countries through many initiatives. Two of the girls in "Girl Rising" are World Vision-sponsored children: Ruksana from India and Azmera from Ethiopia.
"Education is truly a girl's best chance for a bright future," First Lady Michelle Obama said in her weekly address, "not just for herself, but for her family and her nation."


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Return the factorial of the provided integer.
If the integer is represented with the letter n, a factorial is the product of all positive integers less than or equal to n.
Factorials are often represented with the shorthand notation
For example:
5! = 1 * 2 * 3 * 4 * 5 = 120
Remember to use Read-Search-Ask if you get stuck. Write your own code.
Here are some helpful links:


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The police are investigating the death of an artist who died in unexplained circumstances.
Jan Nigro, who was 91, died at her home in Takapuna on Auckland's North Shore on March 28.
Nigro's career began in 1936 and she exhibited at galleries here and in Australia, gaining accolades for her vibrant paintings.
A source told the Weekend Herald that Nigro's death was at first thought not to be suspicious but there was an issue with some "unexplained facts".
Detective Senior Sergeant Brett Batty confirmed police had "attended" Nigro's Clifton Rd home last week. It is understood a scene guard was at the house for some time and the property was cordoned off.
And the Weekend Herald has learned police interviewed members of Nigro's family this week.
Mr Batty refused to comment on the specifics of the investigation, saying only that "early inquiries revealed that an occupant at the address has died in circumstances which at this time are unexplained".
"Police have information which requires us to determine with clarity some of the factors that surround the recent death of the occupant at the property," he said.
"The inquiries are being carried out on behalf of the coroner and will be reported in due course."
Yesterday a police spokesman said there would be no further comment.
"Police are very respectful of the enormous grief that the family and friends of a recently deceased resident of Takapuna are experiencing. It is not appropriate for police to comment on any related matters or inquiries that are currently being carried out on behalf of the coroner."
A spokesman for the coroner would not be drawn on how Nigro died, or why police were asked to investigate.
Her family could not be contacted and agent Jane Sanders did not respond to messages yesterday.
According to Nigro's biography on Ms Sanders' website, she was born in Gisborne but moved to Auckland to study at the Elam School of Fine Arts.
She married in 1942 and had four children - John, Gregory, Peter and Gina. The family lived in Australia for a time and then came back to settle on Waiheke Island in the 1960s.
Nigro was made an MBE in 1993.
The family faced a tragedy in 1992 when Peter Nigro drowned near his Northland home. He had been fishing with a friend, who made it to shore and raised the alarm.
As it was dark at the time, police deemed it unsafe to begin a search for Mr Nigro. His body was found the next morning.
Mr Nigro's family raised concerns at the police search effort and the incident was raised again in 2003 when someone climbed the Auckland Harbour Bridge at night during the Pacific Island Forum, painting "Pigs kill Peter Nigro" in red paint.
In 2005 Gregory Nigro made headlines when he was charged after a south Auckland siege.
The Herald reported at the time that he locked himself in a Papakura service station, telling staff he had a bomb and was protesting against police who he claimed had killed his brother.
On her website Ms Sanders described Nigro as an "astute observer of human behaviour".
"She liked to build a strong rapport with her models and built themes around them," she said.
Auckland Art Gallery senior curator Ron Brownson paid tribute to Nigro. "It is with wrenching sadness that I write of the recent passing of Jan Nigro ... when I review New Zealand's art scene she is one of the very few artists to have had a career of 75 years. We laughed about this remarkable fact - the length of her commitment to the visual arts - on almost every occasion that we met," he wrote on the gallery's blog.
"I much admired Jan ... the older she got, the braver she seemed."
A tribute on the New Zealand Painting website said Nigro "had a gift for friendship and was a woman who lived her life as an art adventure".


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Dear Congress:
With respect, millions of additional Americans will live out their "golden years" in poverty if you remove any incentive for them to engage in retirement savings. According to the U.S. Census Bureau and AARP, approximately 44 million Americans currently live in poverty, including one-sixth of all Seniors.
Estimates are that more than 50 million Americans are currently using 401(k) accounts to do the right thing — reduce their dependence on Social Security. Don't we want to encourage this behavior?
Ask any retirement professional who works day-in-and-day-out with groups of employees (PLEASE ASK!). They will tell you that there are large numbers of marginal participants in most 401(k) plans that will cease participation if you mess with their incentives. They may not fully understand the intricacies of the tax code, but they will most assuredly notice the drop in their take-home pay, if the pretax treatment of their 401(k) contributions has been taken away.
If 20% of those 50 million current 401(k) savers drop out, which we could easily see, that's another 10 million Americans pointed toward poverty in old age. That's both a disaster and a disgrace! And, precipitating that consequence would be inexcusable. These are real people being condemned, not faceless numbers.
It's certainly necessary to address the nation's fiscal imbalance. Doing it on the backs of retirement savers would be a shortsighted and inappropriate. First, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, our very American ideals, are incompatible with rampant elder poverty.
Second, the pretax treatment of 401(k) savings is a good deal for the U.S. Treasury.
Why? The Treasury isn't forgiving any taxes; it's simply postponing them, and waiting to collect makes good business sense. How? Its compensation for waiting is getting to tax not only each saved dollar, but all the compounded returns on that dollar, at ordinary income rates. Think about it; the average return, over time, on a 401(k) account is probably 3% or 4% higher than the Treasury's borrowing cost. Thus, the argument can be made that the Treasury will collect far more in additional taxes by waiting, than the Treasury's cost of financing the wait. And, with 10,000 Americans retiring daily, on average, over the next two decades, there will be plenty of 401(k) withdrawals to tax.
Bottom line: 401(k) plans are the golden goose. Killing them will starve the Treasury of a rich stream of future income, and it will leave millions of hardworking Americans with empty stomachs during their "golden years". Killing the current tax incentives will kill participation and may kill some employers' appetites to continue to offer 401(k) plans. Please don't do it. Please think long-term. Please invest in us as we invest for the future.
Minus a tax break, would we save less?


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Measure of the pressure gradient between the polar and subpolar regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The term was introduced by Thompson and Wallace (2000). More information on the AO can be found here. See also North Atlantic Oscillation"(NAO").
Arctic Oscillation ("AO")
Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation ("AMO")
A multidecadal (50-80 year timescale) pattern of North Atlantic ocean-atmosphere variability whose existence has been argued for based on statistical analyses of observational and proxy climate data, and coupled Atmosphere-Ocean General Circulation Model ("AOGCM") simulations. This pattern is believed to describe some of the observed early 20th century (1920s-1930s) high-latitude Northern Hemisphere warming and some, but not all, of the high-latitude warming observed in the late 20th century. The term was introduced in a summary by Kerr (2000) of a study by Delworth and Mann (2000).
Atmosphere-Ocean General Circulation Model ("AOGCM")
Fully coupled atmosphere-ocean model of the three-dimensional global climate. See also 'General Circulation Model (GCM)'.
Climate Field Reconstruction ("CFR")
Approach to reconstructing a target large-scale climate field from predictors employing multivariate regression methods. CFR methods have been applied both to filling spatial gaps in early instrumental climate data sets, and to the problem of reconstructing past climate patterns from 'climate proxy' data.
Climate Proxy
Climate 'proxies' are sources of climate information from natural archives such as tree rings, ice cores, corals, lake and ocean sediments, tree pollen, or human archives such as historical records or diaries, which can be used to estimate climate conditions prior to the modern period (e.g. mid 19th century to date) during which widespread instrumental measurements are available. Proxy indicators typically must be calibrated against modern instrumental information to yield a quantitative reconstruction of past climate.


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From Imperial Wiki
Shep is a long time member of SDN, having been around for the board's precedessor, alt.startrek.vs.starwars (aka ASVS). He is outspoken on many issues, most notably nuclear warfare, military spending, and nuking the godless commies. His opinions are considered by some to be somewhat over the top.
He is the only person to actually use the phone number that Kynes found for Robert Scott Anderson, and call him. This of course led to cries of persecution from Darkstar.
He is SDN's only Nukesexual


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Reserve online or call 01993 824 252
Start your shortlist by clicking on the icon next to any property
This is a popular villa. Set within the 'The Windmills' (as they are known) is a truly picturesque development. Wander along its charming garden paths to the central feature, the stunning swimming pool with waterfall, separate children's pool, poolside bar and restaurant (seasonal). These villas feature ground floor lounges with bedrooms above and below and are situated to take advantage of the attractive views from their own BBQ terraces.
Free wi-fi is included in this property.
From the road there is easy access to the villa which is in a very peaceful location.
Enter into the Living/Dining room which has air-conditioning, fireplace, satellite TV, DVD/CD player.
Patio doors lead to a terrace with built-in barbeque and outdoor dining facilities.
Kitchen is equipped with a dishwasher, washing machine, microwave, oven, hob and extractor, and coffee maker.
Both bedrooms have ceiling fans and air conditioning.
Master Bedroom with two single beds (which can be made into a double bed if preferred) and a safe plus En-Suite bathroom with walk-in shower, WC and wash basins.
Bedroom Two with twin beds and use of the additional Shower Room.
From the lounge there is an additional staircase leading to the Solarium, with lovely views to the Mar Menor.
Relevant information: In July & August please Saturday changeovers only (unless agreed otherwise)
Air conditioning included in High Season price. Medium and Low Season a/c additional £54 per week if required.


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hold itWednesday, May 02, 2007
First of all, I would like to thank you for all of my vanity love! It is truly one of my favorite corners of my home now. There is something about sitting to put on your makeup and jewelry that just makes life a little more fun! Some of you commented and e-mailed me about my jewelry holder. I really wanted to show you, so you can make one too. I purchased this from a lovely boutique that was going out of business. My dear friend Merrit owned it, and decided to close it in order to stay at home with her new baby. She is incredibly talented and creative. Merrit used this to display some of the jewelery that was for sale. I am so happy to have this little reminder of her beautiful boutique.
23 comments
And the best part of your little frame, is that it is the best way to store your jewelry. It give your necklaces much longer lives and keep your silvers from tarnishing as badly :)ReplyDelete
GASP!! this is gorgeous.. and your vanity is to DIE for!!!!!!! Such Talent.. I'm telling ya!!! Ü I don't wear that much make-up and I could sit there all day.. Or .. watch myself sing into a brush...ReplyDelete
shalaaaa laaaa laaaaa... sing with me now!!!!!
Nice! Both rustic and practical.ReplyDelete
Great idea! Had something else in mind but also like this one. Am in process of using pegboard with hinges. Will have pictures up soon. I do love getting tips from people. Have a great day!ReplyDelete
I really need to make one of these!ReplyDelete
So cute and so handy!


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Brown Bag Films selects Aspera technology to enable real-time global collaboration and a 24/7 post-production workflow
Top global animation studio deploys Aspera Sync software to manage increasing big data requirements and enable a faster, more efficient global pipeline
5 February 2013—Aspera, Inc., creators of next-generation software technologies that move the world's big data at maximum speed, today announced that Brown Bag Films, Europe's successful creative-led animation studio, has deployed Aspera Sync to enable real-time post-production collaboration between its partner studios in Ireland, Mumbai, Singapore and Indonesia. Aspera Sync offers a scalable and multidirectional file-synchronisation and replication solution for moving big data over large distances at high speed. It provides a high-performance alternative, up to 100 times faster than traditional sync and replication technologies, and eliminates the inefficiencies and costs of manually shipping tapes.
Brown Bag Films relies on worldwide partner studios, often in far-flung locations, for portions of their animation workflow. To successfully manage the ever greater number of projects in its pipeline, and increasingly handle the big data demands of 3D and HD productions, Brown Bag Films needed a real-time 24/7 collaboration solution to enable quick and easy file-sharing with its worldwide partners. Other key requirements for the file solution were that it had to be fast, reliable and stable while ensuring no file corruption occurred during transfers.
FTP was unable to meet Brown Bag's stringent requirements. Even with a dedicated team to manage file transfers and content movement across sites, Brown Bag Films experienced partial transfers leading to corrupted files, white the latency between the site in Ireland and the overseas studios caused transfers to almost grind to a complete halt. Brown Bag Films needed a more stable and sophisticated mechanism to reliably move and synchronise the large data sets. 'We had reached capacity in terms of the work we could realistically handle and the number of new projects we could take on at any one time,' said Brian Gilmore, head of technology at Brown Bag Films. 'We wanted to be able to maximise our available global resources and implement 24-hour production without being hindered by the transfer of large files. After reviewing the offerings out there, Aspera Sync proved the best solution that could meet our demanding needs.'
Brown Bag Films selected and deployed Aspera Sync to move and replicate file sets between sites in the background and leveraged a web-based production tracking system to keep track of all replicated files and versions in a "hands-free" operation. Users at the overseas studios simply access files via storage mounted to their desktops. When users place the finished files back onto the mounted drive, Aspera Sync automatically transfers all new or modified files at high speed back to Ireland, where Brown Bag Films' internally developed tools create a "package" of files, ensuring correct naming convention.
To support smaller animation studios on an ad-hoc basis, Brown Bag Films deployed Aspera Connect server, which allows anyone to download files from the central server using an install-on-demand browser plug-in. This overcomes previous issues of users having to install FTP clients and makes the whole experience a lot easier for smaller studio partners.
Incorporating Aspera Sync software into its existing pipeline has enabled Brown Bag Films to integrate more closely with its overseas partner studios, and facilitate real-time collaboration between artists and producers across time zones. Gilmore added: 'Aspera Sync has revolutionised our data transfer workflow, helping us to take on four times as much work at any given time by splitting it between locations – all in the knowledge that quality will be maintained no matter where the file is active in the world. As a company, it has helped us become more productive, at a glance increasing efficiencies across our data flow management.'
'We're delighted Brown Bag Films has selected Aspera Sync to support its global workflows,' said Bruce Brewer, European sales director at Aspera. 'The ability to keep multiple sites in sync at high speed, without needing to employ production assistants for file transfer monitoring or worry about quality control, drastically increases efficiency and will continue to support Brown Bag Films' rapid business growth.'
Media Contact:
Rebecca Edwards, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry, +44 (0)20 7403 8878, firstname.lastname@example.com
About Brown Bag Films
Brown Bag Films™ are one of Europe's most successful creative-led animation studios. Since 1994, their Dublin-based headquarters have produced cutting-edge animation for the international market and have twice been awarded an Academy Award® nomination.
Brown Bag Films' much-loved TV shows are viewed by millions of children worldwide and include Doc McStuffins, Peter Rabbit, Henry Hugglemonsters, Noddy in Toyland, and The Octonauts. With a second studio in LA, Brown Bag Films are committed to producing the highest-quality, cross-platform animation with strong stories and engaging characters.
Please visit www.brownbagfilms.com and follow us on Twitter @brownbagfilms for more information
About Aspera
Aspera is the creator of next-generation transport technologies that move the world's data at maximum speed regardless of file size, transfer distance and network conditions. Based on its patented fasp™ protocol, Aspera software fully utilizes existing infrastructures to deliver the fastest,
most predictable file-transfer experience. Aspera's core technology delivers unprecedented control over bandwidth, complete security and uncompromising reliability. Approximately 2000 organizations across a variety of industries on six continents rely on Aspera software for the business-critical transport of their digital assets.