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StockTick 2005 is a free stock market ticker and portfolio manager to securely track your stocks and trades. Real time and international quotes included in stock ticker. See why people are saying it is the best stock quote portfolio tracking...
Company Charts, Company News, Day Trader, Dow Jones, Easy, Finance, Free, Free Stock Market Ticker, Free Stock Ticker, International Quotes, Nasdaq, News By Stock, Portfolio, Portfolio Manager, Real-time, Realtime, Shareware, Software Download, Stock, Stock Market
01-November-2004Shareware(Free To Try)
With E-Stock you may check the purchases in goods for your business and their internal and external movements.
E-Stock gives you minutely reports and searches, as well as a complete report of the products that are under the minimum stock in order...
Control, Expires, Inventory, Movements, Products, Providers, Purchases, Sales, Stock, Systems
16-April-2007Shareware(Free To Try)
Stock Quotes and Chart for Smartphone. Control your stocks while you work or while you are mobile. Besides, you can view news relevant to the selected stock, set customizable alerts, search for ticker and get company summary information.
Investment Portfolio, Pocket, Smartphone, Stock Chart, Stock Quotes, Windows Mobile
15-January-2006Shareware(Free To Try)
AptiStock is the FREE stock market analysis software developed for every level of trader. The basic intention of AptiStock is to allow everyone to use technical analysis software without the needs to buy an expensive tool. It is ideal for the...
Aptistock, Bear, Bear Market, Bull, Bull Market, Chart, Charting Tools, End-of-day, Eod, Free, Free Eod, Free Software, Free Stock Software, Market, Stock, Stock Analysis Software, Stock Chart, Stock Market, Stock Software, Ta
Stock Quotes and Chart for PocketPC. Control your stocks while you work or mobile. Besides, you can view news relevant to the selected stock, set customizable alerts, search for ticker and get company summary information.
Investment Portfolio, Pocket, Pocketpc, Real Time Stock Quotes, Stock Chart, Stock Quotes, Windows Mobile
12-December-2005Shareware(Free To Try)
Advanced Stock Bar is an Internet Explorer plug-in that simplifies your stock market research. Just enter a stock symbol, select type of report that you want to see and click "Navigate" button to see desired financial data.
Advanced, Bar, Financial, Ie, Internet, Market, Plugin, Quotes, Real, Research, Software, Stock, Time
20-May-2002Shareware(Free To Try)
This program is a version of a form that will assist you in tracking the fundamentals of your stock portfolio. It will run under Win 95, 98, Me, NT4,XP, & 2000. This program shows in one table the majority of fundamental information you can...
Aoto Loan, Financial Statement, Fundamentals, Pension, Personal Finance, Portfolio, Retire, Shareware, Software, Stock
17-June-2006Shareware(Free To Try)
Stock Photo Assistant is designed for photographers selling their pictures through Stock Photo services (Shutterstock, Fotolia, etc.) Features: Keyword selection and parsing, batch image upload to stock FTP sites, etc.
Camera, Canon, Digital, Exif, Film, Fuji, Image, Nikon, Photo, Photograph, Photography, Picture, Rgb, Services, Stock, Viewer
17-September-2006Shareware(Free To Try)
Have streaming, real time, U.S. stock quotes displayed on the top portion of your V.D.U. as you work. You choose the number of U.S. stock symbols you wish to see streaming across your screen with no minimum or maximum. Also set your scroll speed.
Business, Desktop Us Stock Ticker, Finance, Free, Investment, Stocks, Streaming, U.s. Stock Quotes
23-March-2006Shareware(Free To Try)
Its Powerful!
OptionsOracle is a free tool for stock options strategy analysis. It is a powerful, tool that allows testing of different options strategies using real-time options and stock- market information. The tool provides an easy...
Analysis, Call, Covered Write, Options, Optionsoracle, Put, Samoasky, Stock, Strategy, Tool, Trading
Screen, Scan & Filter Stocks, covers over 30 stock exchange, Technical Analysis. MACD, RSI, Moving Average, CCI, Williams %R, MFI. 4 build in filters and FREE EOD Data for 38 stock exchange worldwide. FREE Historical Stock Quotes (Prices and Data).
Amex, Candlestick, Eod Data, Equity, Historical Stock Data, Historical Stock Prices, Historical Stock Quotes, Nasdaq, Nyse, Stock, Stock Exchange, Stock Filter, Stock Market, Stock Scan, Stock Screener, Technical Analysis
Stock Exchange Software
Brooking, Financial, Money, Stock Exchange
22-January-2007Shareware(Free To Try)
SideTick offers a simple and easy way to keep track of your favorite stocks. This application is loaded with many features including: an intuitive portfolio tracker, stock & index ticker, and easy to follow tutorials to get the most from SideTick.
Investing, Investments, Quotes, Real Time, Real Time Quotes, Stock Quotes, Stock Ticker, Stock Tracker, Stock Trading, Stocks, Ticker
Download free historical stock quotes and store historical stock prices in metastock format. Intraday and End-of-day quotes for mutual funds, market indices and stocks. Metastock and ASCII format supported. Split adjusted historical data.
Dow Jones, Downloader, Historical Stock Prices, Historical Stock Quotes, History, Market, Metastock, Nyse, Omnitrader, Prices, Stock, Supercharts, Tradestation, Yahoo
21-July-2005Shareware(Free To Try)
CoolTick is a simple, small, intuitive, scrolling stock market ticker. It's loaded with customizable options including your own list of as many stocks as you want to watch. CoolTick allows you to watch your stocks while you work.
Finance, Market, Portfolio, Quote, Stock, Stock Market Ticker, Stock Ticker, Stocks, Tickers
23-February-2006Shareware(Free To Try)
Stock Works is Shareholder/Stock Certificate Tracking Software for the Small Business Corporation. If you track stockholders and stock certificates for the small business corporation, then use Stock Works to spend minutes to save yourself hours.
Accounting, Certificate Tracking, Corporate, Corporation, Record, Shareholder Certificates, Shareholder Management, Shareholder Software, Shareholder Tracking, Stock Certificate Software, Stockholder Software, Stockholder Tracking, Transaction
Real time stock makert screen saver, get the current stock market information as your screen saver with live quotes and current news. Freeware (no spyware!)
Stock Market Tracker, Stock Screen Saver, Stock Tracker, Stock Trade
World Stock Charts is a complete solution for Charting and Tracking Stocks, Funds and Indices with over 50 Forms of Technical Analysis built into it. Using data freely available on the internet World Stock Charts can function with 49 Exchanges...
Account, Analysis, Charting, Fund, Index, Manager, Mutual, Portfolio, Stock, Technical
Quotelogger is tool for online traders to download stock market prices from the major stock exchanges. The application downloads daily (end-of-day), intraday historical data as well as live stock quotes and can display charts.
Daily, Download, Exchange, Free, Historical, Intraday, Live, Nasdaq, Quotelogger, Quotes, Stock Market, Stocks, Trade
Call one ring home, call back, your modem will answer and give stock quotes. Create email alerts based on a key word, or who it is from. Monitor stock quotes. If your conditions are met, it will convert to voice and telephone you.
Alarm, Alert, Call, E Mail, Email, Finance, Message, Modem, Phone, Quote, Stock, Telephone, Touch Tone
20-December-2002Shareware(Free To Try)


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Teen Wisdom
Warm Up America is pleased to share the winning entries in our Hold That Stitch Contest.
A Chinese proverb reads: "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." These words of wisdom have deeply influenced the way I live my life. In reality, it is often easier to do a job yourself, as opposed to taking the time to instruct someone how to do it. However, if everyone chooses to take the effortless route in everything they do, how will the next generation learn?
With that in mind, I helped organize and start a knitting group in my school and began teaching students in grades 7–12 how to knit. They were all at different levels and in the beginning it seemed hectic to instruct so many people a brand new skill. But as they listened to my instructions and observed how I was knitting, the students were intrigued and desired to learn how. As I hopped around the room teaching student after student I felt important and intelligent. It was so fun teaching these girls and boys something I am so fond of myself.
The best part of of teaching another person a new skill is the satisfaction of seeing their progress and knowing I had a big part in their success. In addition, the group is knitting for a great cause: Warm Up America. Scanning the library and seeing chairs filled with students wanting to knit for a cause is heartwarming and exciting. There is a certain vibe in the air that is warm and contagious. I am confident they in turn will continue to pass on this gift.
I hope I can continue to teach knitting in college as I look forward to beginning SUNY Cortland this fall, majoring in Education. Knitting is a life skill, not unlike fishing.
Erin Durgin
Chenango Valley High School
Binghamton, NY
First Prize Winner
My name is Alison Irons and I am 16. I am presently enrolled in Fashion & Design II. I love my fashion class and my teacher Mrs. Overmyer. Mrs. Overmyer has helped me along in my love creating fashion which included learning to knit.
At the beginning of school we were introduced to the beginning techniques of knitting. Mrs. Overmyer encouraged us from the start by telling us not to get discouraged but to keep trying and by the end of the third day we would be "getting the hand of it." I catch on very fast and was actually well on my way by the end of the first day. Therefore, it was natural for me to become a one on one helper for those who were struggling.
Mrs. Overmyer especially appreciated the fact that I was able to help teach others to knit. Everyone eventually learned and now there are at least a few knitting in class daily.
Not only am I consumed with knitting and teaching other students, I've also taught my mother, grandmother, aunt and friends outside of fashion class. My sister is next on the list.
When I first started teaching my friends, they went to the store, bought their yarn and needles, then came to my house and we "formed an old fashioned knitting circle." We had so much fun!!!
My Mom was the most difficult to teach. It was hard for her to learn to manipulate both needles. I kept with her though; we went at her pace; and voila--within a few days she finally picked it up too. I felt proud for her and also myself. It felt good to know that you've helped someone that really wanted to learn. Since then, she has already knit me seven scarves. I don't mind though, I love them all and greatly enjoy wearing them "for her."
Without Warm Up America free supplies, Mrs. Overmeyer probably would not have been able to do this project, and I would not have been able to develop leadership and teach so many people to knit and make them happy.
Thanks for letting me talk about my AMAZING experience.
Alison Irons
John Adams High School
South Bend, IN

subset: commoncrawl


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Maintaining the purchasing power of the dollar is critical to a strong U.S. economy and to the economic well-being of middle-class American families. The Constitution grants Congress power over our nation�s currency. One hundred years ago, Congress assigned this responsibility to the Federal Reserve. The Fed�s centennial anniversary, reached last month, marks an appropriate time for a constructive and bipartisan review of America�s central bank�s performance over its first century and the proper role for the Fed in the future.
History proves that a sound and stable dollar is the best foundation for robust economic growth. Absent stability, price inflation steals from the pocketbooks of American families, punishes savers and increases uncertainty. This weakens business investment, job creation and real income growth for families, especially for those working to climb the economic ladder.
Even if consumer price inflation remains tame, asset-price inflation can create unsustainable bubbles that devastate the American and global economy when they burst. On the flip side, deflation can be equally destructive, leading to debt defaults, bankruptcies and financial meltdowns.
Unfortunately, the purchasing power of the U.S. dollar over time has been anything but stable. A dollar in 1967 is equivalent to barely 14 cents today.
The past decade of generally accommodative monetary policy has been accompanied by a significant decline in the international value of the dollar. This decline has added to the cost of international commodities such as oil and gasoline.
Europe�s financial crisis and global uncertainty helped to restore some of the value of America�s currency. Being the best-looking horse in the global glue factory is a dubious honor, though.
There are significant and thoughtful disagreements among policy experts and free-market leaders about whether the Fed should maintain its current policies or begin aggressively reining in its easy-money policies to avoid stoking new asset bubbles or planting the seeds of future inflation.
There are concerns about the dual mandate that Congress placed on the Fed in 1977; picking winners and losers in the credit markets, which jeopardizes the political independence of the institution; the make-up of the Federal Open Market Committee; and the transparency of the Fed.
Perhaps the best way forward is to step back and take a longer view of the institution. We believe the moment is right for an objective, comprehensive survey of the Fed�s existing mandate and policy framework. That�s why we have introduced the Centennial Monetary Commission Act, which would establish an independent, balanced, bipartisan panel to collect evidence and make recommendations to Congress.
Such an evaluation is long overdue. The Fed�s original mission was to provide an elastic currency within the context of the gold standard to combat seasonal financial issues. A hundred years later, its mission has obviously become much broader.
Today, in pursuing its employment mandate, the Fed has purchased more than $3 trillion worth of Treasury bonds, federal agency bonds, and federal agency mortgage-backed securities � its so-called �quantitative easing� strategy. Its total balance sheet now stands at $4.1 trillion � four times larger than before the crisis. The Fed has also generated a staggering $2.4 trillion in excess reserves.
So why hasn�t this explosion in the monetary base ignited higher general price inflation?
In normal times, commercial banks convert excess reserves into new loans and investments, boosting the demand for goods and services. However, in recent years, commercial banks have been reluctant to lend and invest, and so the Fed�s dramatic monetary expansion hasn�t increased aggregate demand to the levels we might have expected.
Indeed, despite the Fed�s �monetary morphine� stimulus to Wall Street, America is experiencing its weakest economic recovery of the postwar era.
Admittedly, quantitative easing and extraordinarily low interest rates have clearly boosted stock prices. The S&P 500 Total Return Index adjusted for inflation has more than doubled since the official end of the recession in June 2009. America�s middle class hasn�t been as fortunate. Real disposable income per capita has increased by less than 4 percent. At this point in an average recovery, a family of four would have nearly $11,000 more to spend than the Obama recovery provided. We don�t begrudge Wall Street�s success, but we do lament the fact that so many middle-class families on Main Street have been left behind.
While families� net worth on paper looks much better today than it did in 2009, will the gains prove illusory? Is America headed for a major stock market correction, or perhaps even another crash? Will the fuel of excess reserves spark general price inflation?
Most importantly, what is the best role and rules for the Federal Reserve to ensure America remains the strongest economy on earth through the 21st century?
These are the thoughtful issues and long-term view the members of the Centennial Monetary Commission would address.
Both Republicans and Democrats have a common interest in getting monetary policy right. Good monetary policy provides the foundation for a strong economy that is essential to eliminating our fiscal deficit.
Given the centennial and the experience of the recent financial crisis, there has never been a more appropriate time to re-examine the Fed�s role in American life.
U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) and U.S. Representative Kevin Brady (R-TX) authored the above opinion piece first published in the Washington Times. Senator Cornyn serves on the Finance and Judiciary Committees.� He serves as the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee�s Immigration, Refugees and Border Security subcommittee. He served previously as Texas Attorney General, Texas Supreme Court Justice, and Bexar County District Judge.


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Call of Cthulhu - Dark Corners of the Earth - PC Games Trainer
Call of Cthulhu - Dark Corners of the Earth - Screenshot
Call of Cthulhu - Dark Corners of the
Earth is a first-person horror game that combines intense action and
adventure elements. You will draw upon your skills in exploration,
investigation, and combat while faced with the seemingly impossible
task of battling evil incarnate.
Other than fighting, you have the ability to interact freely with characters and the gaming environment. To increase the sense of immersion, there is no interface or 'HUD' on screen at any time during normal gameplay. Instead, more intuitive methods are available for you to assess your condition, ammunition levels, and other relevant information. The combat within the game is extremely realistic, with a detailed damage and healing system that breaks down the healing process into conditions and treatments - rather than having the typical FPS 'health packs' lying around everywhere.
The game also allows you to stamp your own style onto the proceedings via an advanced AI system that can react to your method of play. Cthulhu enemies can roam freely around the environment - opening doors and tracking you down single-handedly or in groups. To stay alive you won't just be able to outshoot them, you'll need to outthink them as well.
You will have to keep your mental health in check as you are exposed to the increasingly shocking images of the Cthulhu Mythos. You will need to combat enemies using the environment, powerful and evil artifacts, Alien technology, or by fighting with weapons that are completely authentic for the period.
Set during the 1920s, Call of Cthulhu is based on the Cthulhu Mythos of HP Lovecraft, an American writer of fantasy and horror. Lovecraft's stories tell of unthinkable evil, psychic possession, and mythical worlds and his work has profoundly influenced numerous fantasy and science fiction writers, including Stephen King and Anne Rice. The technology powering Call of Cthulhu has provided Headfirst with the means to present an incredibly detailed and accurate depiction of the sights and sounds of this unique 1920's New England setting. A diverse range of cutting edge special effects is utilized to ensure both unprecedented levels of realism and an exact portrayal of your mental degradation.
Visit our CheatBook-Message-Board. Have questions about CheatBook-Database 2008? Or just want to talk about Cheats or games? Click here to go to the forums and register for free.


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The FlashGard low-voltage motor control center (MCC) offers an insulated horizontal bus, an insulated labyrinth vertical bus, shutters to isolate the vertical bus when a unit is removed, and finger-safe components inside the units. In addition, the product features an ARC Reduction Maintenance Switch that the company says reduces the time-available fault current. It also includes an applied breaker to reduce trip time during an arc flash.
For more information, visit www.eaton.com.
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H.R.10 - Railroad Retirement and Survivors' Improvement Act of 2001107th Congress (2001-2002)
|Rep. Portman, Rob [R-OH-2] (Introduced 03/14/2001)
|House - Ways and Means; Education and the Workforce
|Committee Reports:
|H. Rept. 107-51,Part 1; H. Rept. 107-51,Part 2
|Latest Action:
|12/21/2001 Became Public Law No: 107-90. (TXT | PDF) (All Actions)
|Roll Call Votes:
|There have been 12 roll call votes
|On 12/5/2001, S.Amdt. 2170 incorporated H.R. 1140, the Railroad Retirement and Survivors' Improvement Act, as substitute text in H.R. 10, formerly the Comprehensive Retirement Security and Pension Reform Act. H.R. 10, as enacted into law, was the Railroad Retirement and Survivor's Improvement Act. In separate actions, provisions of the prior version of H.R. 10, the Comprehensive Retirement Security and Pension Reform Act (as passed in the House), were included in H.R. 1836, the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act. S. 631 was the Senate version of the Comprehensive Retirement Security and Pension Reform Act. H.R. 1836 became P.L. 107-16 on 6/7/2001.
This bill has the status Became Law
Here are the steps for Status of Legislation:
- Introduced
- Passed House
- Passed Senate
- Resolving Differences
- To President
- Became Law
Subject — Policy Area:
- Labor and Employment
- View subjects
Cosponsors: H.R.10 — 107th Congress (2001-2002)All Information (Except Text)
Sponsor: Rep. Portman, Rob [R-OH-2] | Cosponsor statistics: 314 current - includes 259 original
* = Original cosponsor
|Date Cosponsored
|Rep. Cantor, Eric [R-VA-7]*
|Rep. Davis, Jo Ann [R-VA-1]*
|Rep. Goode, Virgil H., Jr. [I-VA-5]*
|Rep. Goodlatte, Bob [R-VA-6]*
|Rep. Schrock, Edward L. [R-VA-2]*
|Rep. Wolf, Frank R. [R-VA-10]*
|Rep. Boucher, Rick [D-VA-9]
|Rep. Davis, Tom [R-VA-11]
|Rep. Moran, James P. [D-VA-8]


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As an observer, I am unable to respond directly to "jeffkoenig" "Pretty Cool, But.." post regarding the WildFire microcontroller. But, Jeff makes some interesting observations and I would like to address them.
The "Technical Documentation" link should be to www.steroidmicros.com/downloads/WildFireUM.pdf, not ../WildFirePR.pdf.
Jeff is right that the I2C signals do not come off the board. That is, they are not connected to the headers.
The LCD port and software libraries support standard single character based LCDs up to 2 lines x 40 characters or 4 lines x 20 characters. Other displays can be connected, but they require custom harnesses and custom drivers (i.e., "roll your own").
The on-board LCD contrast pot is a single turn pot and the contrast "sweet spot" is less than ¼ turn and varies from LCD to LCD and varies with temperature. A multi-turn pot would have been nicer and a temperature compensation circuit, nicer yet ..all at the cost of realestate and money.
Again, Jeff is right: the picture is an old one of a Beta version of the board. Pictures on our website are current and, yes, this is now a real "off the shelf" product.


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Would you call this obscene? Mom Lauren Ferrari was banned from Facebook for seven days after posting a photo of her 5-year-old-daughter pretending to nurse her 2-year-old daughter, KOMO News reports.
Plus: Extended Breastfeeding Meets Reality TV
The mom from Seattle posted the photo with the caption, "She says she's nursing her baby." Within a day of Ferrari posting the photo, Facebook removed the image from the site because they said it was a violation of its community standards policy, although they were vague about the specific issue. Ferrari's response: "What's obscene about breastfeeding?"
Though Ferrari thought the photo was harmless, the Seattle Police Department thinks otherwise. Stefanie Thomas, a victims advocate for the Seattle Police Department, says that the problem is there is no way to remove the photo once it has been spread across the internet. She says, "That's something that this family, that these girls, are going to have to ultimately deal with."
Plus: Military Moms Breastfeeding Controversy
Ferrari is defending the photo against claims that the image borders on pornography. "They need to calm down and maybe focus on the actual pornography on their site," she says.
Do you think Ferrari's photo was appropriate for Facebook? Would you post a photo like that?


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The Sarcoma Program at Smilow Cancer Hospital is a multidisciplinary team of physicians specialized in the diagnosis, treatment, and care of patients with both soft tissue sarcoma and sarcoma of the bone.
Diagnostic tools at Smilow Cancer Hospital used to diagnose sarcomas include basic X-ray; CT scanning, excellent at seeing both bone and soft tissues; MRI, which has the ability to "view" the tissue in and around bone with exquisite detail; and PET scanning that is able to look at biological activity at the cellular level.
The Program includes orthopedic physicians, dermatologists, diagnostic radiologists, medical oncologists, surgical oncologists, radiation oncologists, and pathologists, all with specific expertise in the treatment and care of patients with sarcoma.
Clinical trials are also available to patients through Yale Cancer Center, bringing the latest treatment options to our clinics to benefit our patients in Connecticut and beyond.
Most patients receive a course of multi-drug chemotherapy and/or radiation first, followed by limb-sparing surgery for sarcomas of the bone, which removes the tumor without amputation, and more chemotherapy.


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Adelman goes for 1,000th win when Wolves host Raptors
The Toronto Raptors will try to continue their recent dominance of the Minnesota Timberwolves when the two teams square off Friday at Target Center.
The Raptors handed the Timberwolves a 105-86 beating back on Nov. 4 at Air Canada Centre and have won three straight and 15 of the last 16 matchups between the teams. Minnesota, however, has taken nine of the 15 all-time meetings in the Twin Cities.
Toronto recently recorded an 88-78 triumph versus the Washington Wizards on Wednesday as DeMar DeRozan posted 25 points and Jonas Valanciunas scored a career-best 24 to lead the way. Kyle Lowry tallied nine points, eight rebounds and 13 assists for the Raptors, who trailed by 15 just before halftime before getting their act together.
"It's frustrating. We let teams jump out on us like that and we have to fight our way back," said DeRozan, who has scored 14 or more points in eight straight games. "We know we can play like we did the second half for 48 minutes."
The Raptors won for just the second time in nine tries and will begin a three- game road trip Friday against Minnesota, Milwaukee and Chicago. Toronto is 10-27 outside of Canada this season.
Raptors coach Dwane Casey will return to Minnesota, where he guided the Wolves from 2005-07. In injury news for the Raptors, forward Rudy Gay is questionable with a sprained ankle and scored just six points against the Wizards. He had 34 points on April 1 versus Detroit.
Wolves coach Rick Adelman will chase history on Friday. He will go for his 1,000th career victory in the NBA.
Minnesota has won two straight and three of four games, including Wednesday's 107-98 victory at Milwaukee.
Nikola Pekovic poured in a team-high 27 points and added eight rebounds. Ricky Rubio had 19 points, 12 assists and eight steals, while Derrick Williams scored 15 points for the Timberwolves, whose lead ballooned to 95-85 in the final period. A 10-2 run later on made it 105-93.
"I thought in the fourth quarter we were really after them (defensively)," Adelman said. "We got our hands on a lot of balls and had some good stops. We're starting to come together as a team now. Guys are responding and we know what we want to do."
Adelman's club, which has won two straight for the first time since December, will also host the Pistons on the quick homestand and is 18-19 at Target Center this season.


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Anyone who loves Reese's peanut butter cups will love this easy-easy pie recipe. It's a creamy concoction, with just a hint of peanut butter and a drizzle of chocolate. Serve it creamy-cold and slim slivers will evoke small moans of appreciation.
A Special Note on August 12, 2011
Life is fragile, life is precious, life is precarious. We all know this, we all experience it, we all, too often, live this. And yet, and yet. Some times life's fragility strikes close to home – even when it really isn't.
For me, the life lesson hit twice this week, first when my friend Janet buried her granddaughter in a casket just twenty-four – aiii, twenty-four – inches long. And then again, with the sudden and unexpected death of a young husband and father, "Mikey" as wife and food blogger Jennifer Perillo of In Jennie's Kitchen called him.
Those of you who follow food bloggers will see lots of peanut butter pies appearing today. That's because Jennie invited us to make pies in her husband's memory. You see, she'd been meaning to make him his favorite pie, "Tomorrow", she'd think, "Or on the weekend." But she never got to it and suddenly, it was too late.
And so today I invite you too to make a peanut butter pie, perhaps my favorite Frozen Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie, below. But if you're like me, you'll make a metaphorical peanut butter pie – instead choosing the act, the words, the hug, the call, the visit, whatever it is that you've been thinking, "Tomorrow".
Instead, make it today, won't you? Because life is fragile.
"I have enjoyed so many of your recipes ... but this pie may be the best!" ~ Heather
My dad loves pie. His favorites are of the creamy variety, banana cream pie, Lemon Meringue Pie, chocolate cream pie.
He loves pie so much that he even wants a slice or two left over because that's what he'll have for breakfast.
One year, I filled his Christmas stocking with a rolling pin, a couple of pie plates and the 1965 Farm Journal's Complete Pie Cookbook. "What do you expect me to do with these?" he asked, looking perplexed. "Eat the pies I make for you when I visit," I answered. He looked at my mom, who didn't consider herself much of a pie maker, and grinned.
Thus originated our pie-a-day tradition. Even allowing for breakfast leftovers, we couldn't eat whole pies ourselves so my folks took to inviting friends for pie and coffee each evening. Word got 'round and Dad started taking requests. Rhubarb Custard Pie. Blueberry Sour Cream Pie. Raspberry pie. Apple Pie. Fresh Peach Pie.
The pie remembered most, luckily with at least rueful laughter, is a date-oatmeal pie, a sticky-sweet, disgusting concoction forever banished to the waste bin.
Still, it's no wonder Dad's face lights up when I step off the plane: visions of pie!
Freezer time: Minimum 1 hour
Serves 10
- 3/4 cup chocolate or plain graham cracker crumbs (about 6 crackers or 90g)
- 1/4 cup (50g) sugar
- 2 tablespoons (30 grams) brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick, 4 tablespoons) butter, melted
- 1/4 cup (50g) sugar
- 4 ounces (113g) reduced-fat cream cheese (Neufchatel)
- 1/2 cup (140g) reduced-fat peanut butter
- 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
- 3/4 cup (175ml) whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 ounce (30g) semi-sweet chocolate, melted
CRUST Combine crust ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Transfer to a 10" tart pan with a removable bottom and press evenly onto bottom and sides. Place in freezer while making filling.
FILLING With an electric mixer, cream sugar, cream cheese, peanut butter and vanilla until smooth in a medium mixing bowl. Separately, whip cream and cinnamon until stiff peaks form. Fold whipped cream gently into peanut butter mixture. Spoon about 2/3 of filling over crust. With the back of a spoon, spread mixture evenly without disturbing the crust.
Drizzle half the melted chocolate over filling. With the tines of a fork, swirl chocolate into filling. Spoon remaining filling over top and spread evenly. Drizzle with remaining chocolate.
FREEZE Freeze at least 1 hour, preferably longer.
TO SERVE Cut and transfer slices to plates while frozen. Soften slightly before serving, about 10 minutes.
More Cream-Cheesy Recipes
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© Copyright 2003, 2010 (online), 2011 (repub), 2015 Kitchen Parade
What prompted me to actually comment (instead of lurking as usual) is that your link for the Finnish Fruit Tart after the recipe currently goes to the .jpg rather than the recipe page. I found the recipe page via search and it sounds glorious (and your accompanying story sounds like me with my host mom during the semester I spent in Budapest!), but I thought it might be useful to point out that the current link isn't particularly helpful :-).
AtlantaPat ~ Glad you like the story and the recipe. Making a pie every day, it's part of the family lore.
Sarah ~ What a(n extra) great day to be a mathematician! Your quiche are just beautiful, love adding the pastry 'pi' symbol you added to the tops. Thanks for info on the bad link, it's fixed now.
Andrea ~ This is plenty rich, even with lower-fat ingredients and just a little sugar. A sliver of a slice, that's the key! But I don't think it'll make anyone's teeth hurt!
Thank you!!
I have a packed day but hope to be able to make the peanut butter pie her husband loves.
Very nice post Alanna!
I'll have to make a metaphorical pie, it's not on the diet at this time. Thanx for the reminder!
When my son was eating a slice of blueberry pie Sunday morning, I told him I believe in pie for breakfast. He is 15 and had never heard me say that before.
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Is Agile Sub-Optimal?
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As I review proposals from people in the Agile community to push the boundaries of Agile, I believe that Agile is in danger of becoming more and more Sub-Optimal.
Before I proceed, let me just review my definition of Optimal and Sub-Optimal Systems:
"An Optimal system is a system where the optimization of the system or the elimination of waste has been undertaken based upon the value stream of the entire system"
"A Sub Optimal system is a system where the optimization of the system or the elimination of waste has been undertaken based upon the value stream of part of the system. These efforts may actually cause the entire system to be less efficient"
Project Value Stream
Agile has rightly focused on the Project Value Stream and I don't believe anyone would argue that the Project Value Stream is maximized when executing the project in an Agile manner. But by optimizing ONLY the Project Value Stream, have we sacrificed other Value Streams?
What about the value external to the project? What about the Program and Company value?
Program Value Stream
If I follow Agile by the consensus of opinions I hear proposed most frequently, the following two types of project information are lacking:
Project Memory – Information about how the project was planned and executed.
Solution Memory – Information about the technical or functional solution for the project.
If I use User Stories on stickies, manage via a KanBan board, and my retrospectives, application and automated test cases are primarily my documentation at the end, can I answer the following questions?
- How can I search prior projects for leverage opportunities? Must I read through the code and tests and somehow determine leverage opportunities?
- How can I review prior projects history for a history of how estimating worked so my estimates can be better this time?
- Since we acknowledge that I there is never enough time to create all the automated test cases, how do I know if a new requested change is implementing behaviour that is beyond the intent of the application and will cause downstream effects that I can't anticipate because we don't have an automated test to ensure its correctness currently.
- How can I ensure my solutions are consistent across projects if they don't have high level knowledge of each other?
- Do I have adequate documentation to maintain these applications for the next 10 years if I have a complete turnover in employees?
- How can I manage a department where the reality is that many people will not be able to be dedicated for the lifetime of the project? Do I require more documentation in a situation like this?
By it's very nature, Agile Software Development projects are silo-ed projects with primarily full-time members and with little governance breaking down the barriers between projects. This causes an even greater need for attention to the Program Value Stream.
Company Value Stream
Perhaps one of the most troubling trends lately is the statement that estimates should not be created anymore as they are bound to be wrong and a waste of time. It is proposed that the project should be started and after two or three iterations the project will be able to confirm the velocity and inform the client as to an accurate estimate on what it will take to complete the project.
This statement is from the point of view of the project entirely. Every project that starts needs to be backed with a business case that confirms that for $X I will return value Y and that is acceptable to the business. If we are not estimating projects anymore, we run the risk of initiating the wrong projects and wasting project money until we determine that the project will either spend too much money or return too little value.
Stating we don't need to estimate is ludicrous if we truly care about the long-term viability of the company. Implied in my statement is my belief that User Story Points must be translated to hours. In discussions I have had with developers, they have asked for the hours for each User Story as a means for ensuring they were on track. (when I didn't provide it, they did the math themselves)
Although I like the use of User Stories and User Story Points to estimate, if we do not translate the User Story Points to hours we are Sub-Optimizing. We are placing the development process ahead of meeting the business case. By not giving the developers the context of the estimates in relation to the project's business case, we are creating a layer of isolation between the business case and the programmers. We are making the project iterations more efficient, but also possibly sacrificing the ability to meet the business case.
And isn't the business case the reason the project exists?
Three ways to ensure your Agile Project is not Sub-Optimal
- Estimate your project – Make sure you estimate your project and ensure that estimate is incorporated into the Business Case to validate the project raison d'etre. These estimates must be given the care and attention they deserve and not just estimates for the sake of getting the project approved. My recommendation for how to estimate an Agile project is a topic for another day.
- Create Lightweight Solution Architecture Deliverables – Ensure that your project defines the Solution Architecture at a high level and everyone shares that vision of the solution. These deliverables can then be used for project governance and for ensuring consistency and leverage opportunities across projects in a program.
- Translate User Story estimates to hours and track your time – User Stories being translated to hours sets the duration expectation with developers and also provides context back to the business case to ensure we are on track. Tracking time, the bane of everyone's daily work life actually does have great value for the program and company. Although knowing a project velocity is a great predictor and planning tool, it doesn't let me know the following:
- What types of work do we estimate poorly or take longer than expected?
- What types of work do we estimate well or take less time than expected?
- What types of work do we forget to estimate?
- What issues do we encounter that add to the time in take to complete a task?
"Are we sacrificing long-term Enterprise objectives by developing projects in an Agile way?" I don't believe that anyone argues that Agile is not the best way to execute a project. But I do think that sometimes Agile's sole focus on value for the project and the client within the project may cause us to lose focus on the value the Program and the Company requires.
We need to ensure we keep the entire value stream in mind when we are optimizing processes. Otherwise we will have a string of very successful projects at a number of failed companies.
About the Author
Terry Bunio is currently a Principal Consultant at Protegra. Terry never wanted to be a Project Manager. His main career has been in Data Architecture. Along the way Terry discovered that he enjoys helping to build teams, grow client trust, encourage individual growth, doing project work, and helping to guide solutions. It seems that some people like to call that Project Management. As a practical Project Manager, Terry is known to challenge assumptions and strike the balance between the theoretical book agile and the real world approaches. Terry is committed to Agile implemented according to Lean Principles.
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Good read
Razvan Radulian
(1) being agile > doing Agile
(2) effective/efficient (agile) planning & estimation are critical in Agile (even much more than in any other non-Agile ways... despite various false beliefs)!
Just my 7 cents,
Robert Barth
If you haven't done any work, and therefore your estimate can be off anywhere from 10 to 500%, then what value are you getting from doing the estimate that early? Just so you can answer this question? You will need to settle on some (fake) estimate to answer that question with a single value (which is what the people with the purse strings are going to want). Which do you choose? 10% 500%? Something in the middle? The simple fact is that that question cannot be answered with any fidelity because not enough information is known... once again, we're trying to predict the future, which humans are notoriously bad at.
And what's the point? If the project is a two-year long thing, if you're truly agile, you may not even be building the same thing six months down the road, so who cares how much it's going to cost? Does the company need the functionality? Does the client want the functionality? Break the thing into much smaller pieces and deliver those incrementally -- the questions regarding "is this cost-effective" answer themselves after a short period of only a month or two. It is not a failure of agile to cancel a project that has been determined to have a garbage ROI.
Generally, for some really new idea, you can't figure out if it's going to make you any money if you don't try it out and see what happens. For everything else, it's already been done, so just buy it from someone else.
Re: Eh?
Terry Bunio
I agree that we should break large projects into increments and smaller projects so that have a smaller feedback loop and we are delivering what the client wants. Sometimes the client and we don't know in detail what the final result will be until we are down the road somewhat. But I believe we should know what the solution needs to achieve, but maybe not all the how. At a high level we should know the solution and if we know that we should be able to have a good estimate.
Now this does not apply for truly novel and new solutions. If there is a lot of research and investigation required, then it will be next to impossible to create good estimates. I would estimate that less than 10% of projects fall into this category though. This extreme case does not mean we should not attempt to estimate the other 90%.
I do think that you can do some work to envision the solution to make your estimates more accurate and validate the business case. This can be done by using multiple estimating techniques, reviewing past actuals, and using a preliminary Rapid Discovery Event for the entire solution before you start on iterations.
But I guess the one quote you mentioned that stuck with me was: "It is not a failure of agile to cancel a project that has been determined to have a garbage ROI." I disagree. I think it is the failure of Agile to cancel a project with a garbage ROI if Agile recommended to start the project without an estimate because it was impossible to estimate whether the Minimum Viable Product could likely be created for an acceptable cost.
Andrew Rusling
I agree that it is important to optimise the whole system, not parts of the system. Having directly seen the negative effects that this can have, I am constantly looking out to the 'whole' as much as possible.
It is important (and usually a requirement) to establish a business case to get the go ahead for a project. My usual approach is to combine Robert's and your ideas:
1. Guestimate the project prior to starting to provide the estimates for the business case.
2. Complete the first couple of iterations focusing on understanding the risky parts and proving the architecture.
3. Cancel the project early if it is not on track to achieve its ROI.
The next steps beyond this are to establish an agile Project Management Office, so that they can optimise spending over the whole portfolio of projects.
I am concerned with some of the messages in your article.
"User Stories being translated to hours sets the duration expectation with developers" this statement goes against all of the successful Scrum implementations I have seen. It sounds as if you are locking the developers into delivering the User Story based on their Story Point estimate. In my experience this leads to developers taking less calculated risks, deliberately over inflating estimates, resenting 'management' for forcing deadlines onto them etc. In Scrum the Product Owner should be considering the ROI of each User Story. If the estimate from the team indicates that the User Story will be more costly then the Business Benefit that will be gained; the User Story is either split/changed to better realise the benefit or reprioritised or dropped entirely.
On the other hand I do recommend to Scrum teams in Planning Part 2 to total the estimated hours and use this as a guide to determine if they have over committed themselves for the sprint. This is a useful process that helps the team to go back to the Product Owner and re-negotiate the scope of the sprint if required. It is not there to put pressure on the team to deliver the User Story in a set timeframe.
The four questions you mentioned; such as "What types of work do we estimate poorly or take longer than expected?" are questions that the team(s) should be asking themselves in Retrospectives. The answers should then feedback into their Story Point estimates. If you as the Project Manager are often asking these questions then perhaps you are focusing too much on how the team(s) are working and not enough on how to help the teams.
Overall it sounds to me that you are fulfilling the role of a directive Project Manager, over a set of teams that are not empowered to guide themselves. It could have been your choice of words that has me concerned, however as your article stands it seems like your projects have some issues preventing them from realising the full benefits of agile projects.
Re: Concerning
Terry Bunio
In regards to your comments on User Stories being translated to hours, Mike Cottmeyer had an excellent blog post that commented much of the negative behaviour we have seen when we provide estimates in not the fault of the estimates but rather just good old bad project and people management after the estimates are provided. Being a developer in the past I know the position developers are in and I never even suggest a deadline. And I also know that once the estimate is given, things will change and the estimate will also change. I think one of the most important things is the team building trust within the team as well as with the customer. Everyone should know that the entire team has their back at all times.
A missed estimate is not a time for blame, it is a time for learning. As long as we get better, it is well worth the time and effort.
At the end, I think we probably are more similar than different in our styles. I would welcome to chance to work together in the future to show how my style is very collaborative. (I've never been called directive, but I'll get over it. :) )
Perhaps I could have chosen my words better. But I don't think I have Agile nailed either and have everything figured out. I'm learning as I go along and trying to get better.
Re: Eh?
James Watson
Generally, for some really new idea, you can't figure out if it's going to make you any money if you don't try it out and see what happens. For everything else, it's already been done, so just buy it from someone else.
The oft repeated "it's already been done" line needs to die. Just because something has been done doesn't mean it's going to work for a given organization. This is the reason SAP projects are notorious for nearly bankrupting companies. I know it's off topic but the reality is that if you go around buying things, you'll soon have a ton (we have hundreds) of things that don't work together and likely impose conflicting constraints.
The reality is that very little software is truly reusable across organizations. Only the most generic types of functionality (spreadsheets, word processing, etc.) are truly fully reusable across organization. For everything else, there are only opportunities to extract out portions of the software to make it reusable.
Re: Eh?
Terry Bunio
I couldn't agree more that although there are Software packages out there that appear to be a match, rarely is it cost-effective to try and fit a product's functionality to a client's unique requirements and organization. At least the last client I worked for that implemented a package fully understood it was not going to be cheaper or more efficient, but they were doing for reasons of standardization.
Muddled Logic
Frank Krasicki
The degree of documentation necessary to ensure corporate memory will differ based on the work being done. That is a process issue. In Kanban, a sticky requesting documentation is added to the backlog column and it gets prioritized, no?
And the money issue is not the cost of product for say, six months but what can be delivered in that six months with the money allocated. Is high quality desired? A working, bare bones system? A framework? Seems to me this is the management part of the equation, not stampeding toward an end-date with an unrealistic expectation.
This, in a nutshell, is the modern-day equivalent of FUD.
Re: Muddled Logic
Terry Bunio
My intent was not to present any FUD, but to present a different approach. One thing I do find troubling is that by suggesting changes/augmentation to Agile I frequently see FUD-slinging. Nowhere in my proposal did I propose an option that promotes a traditional fit-in-a-project-management spreadsheet approach with big design or documentation up front. I agree that those approaches have a lot of overhead and waste. My perspective is that Agile and Traditional are a continuum and is there somewhere in the middle (much closer to Agile than not) that can provide the maximum value for all involved.(and it probably changes for each and every project) But I have encountered the opinion before that if anyone is promoting estimates they suddenly are also promoting project death marches. Nothing could be further from the truth and these death marches are not the fault of the estimates, but rather the fault of bad management.
I agree that documentation will widely differ based upon the work. Sometimes stickies will be enough, but sometimes they probably won't be. But that is up for the team to decide. My preference is to let the team know that it is ok to create more documentation if they feel it is required.
I'm not sure what I proposed that gave the impression we were stampeding toward an end-date with an unrealistic expectation? FUD indeed.
Re: Muddled Logic
Frank Krasicki
I really do object to your "different approach" and there's nothing personal in it. It's just that I hear those same arguments over and over from profoundly ineffective project managers and leads who are plenty happy using Microsoft project to blow through one deadline after another after tediously predictable scorched earth marches that jettison every thing that gets in the way of the estimated deadline. Quality, features, and any semblance of coherent development practice routinely are strewn by the wayside for all of the very reasons you cite with all of the same rationalizations.
Now, one can argue from the point of view that any project done poorly will fail in one way or another. But the estimated deadline route has empirically failed over and over and over. So much so that I do not understand why advocating introducing it's worst transgressions to Kanban, agile, or plain chaos is sensible.
Forgive me if all of this sounds awful but I think many of us trying to break the death-grip of the certified PMP approach are near wits end with the stuff.
Re: Muddled Logic
Terry Bunio
Thanks for the feedback.
Re: Concerning
Andrew Rusling
Reading all of your responses to the posted questions; gives me the sense that you are acting in an 'agile' way. Finding the right balance in these situations can be tricky, and I think the words in the article lead me slightly away from your intention.
Thanks for your response and good luck with all of your future projects.
Re: Eh?
Assaf Stone
Moreover Agile doesn't recommend the start of the project without an estimate. You can feel free to make a non-agile estimate at the beginning. Just be prepared to readjust your position as soon as agile does provide a better ROI estimate.
Just my 0.02$
Re: Eh?
Terry Bunio
I couldn't agree more with your statement:
"Moreover Agile doesn't recommend the start of the project without an estimate. You can feel free to make a non-agile estimate at the beginning. Just be prepared to readjust your position as soon as agile does provide a better ROI estimate."
Very well put.
Re: Concerning
Terry Bunio
My current project is implementing a Data Warehouse in an Agile way while being part of a large traditional project. Lots of fun and learning...
Thanks for the discussion.
Where to start?
Mike Burrows
Projects (with or without governance), a construct not required by Agile as a justification for programs?
Estimation and tracking as solutions to problems that might (depending on context) better be solved simply by delivering with a predicatable capability?
I could go on...
Re: Where to start?
Terry Bunio
I agree that delivering with predictable capability is a better solution than estimating and tracking, but unfortunately for many of us this is not reality for our projects. So I've chosen to propose/discuss solutions to the problems many of us are struggling with.
Also asking clients to wait and see our velocity before we commit is a large amount of trust to request. Sometimes clients are not willing to grant that trust and I think we need to be able to work with them until they feel comfortable. Sometimes, that may mean estimates...
Create your story cards a better way
alex keenan
Agile just needs to get more agile and think outside the box which was the whole point of being agile :)
Re: Create your story cards a better way
Terry Bunio
I especially like to update TargetProcess with the great discussions during Planning Poker sessions so we have reference to what we thought the design was when we estimated. The notes are nothing too detailed. Usually just between 4-8 bullets on design decisions. I find that when we are using stickies, these discussions are usually not captured at all.
Estimate Well, Estimate Poorly
robert pryde
What relevance is an estimated amount of time to the time you actually spent doing something?
Does the same team (comprising the same people, who never learn and never forget) ever have 2 tasks that are absolutely identical? If they don't why waste time calculating whether any one particular task took more or less time than was estimated?
Changes in accuracy trends (averaged over all stories for each iteration) might tell you something is different with the team, if the team is achieving more or less than they estimated then their Velocity will reflect this.
Re: Estimate Well, Estimate Poorly
Thomas Tarnow
My calculations showed that all the user stories had a normal distributed probability of hitting the original estimate. Only the mean was not the original estimate but somewhat higher. Essentially we were rolling a dice expecting only ONEs and TWOs (which we all know is a losers game)
Another observation (tracking actual vs. planned work) was that a lot of our work was unplanned. Not waste but just unplanned, unestimated, unexpected.
These two observations taught us that once you have committed to some kind of plan focus should be on the value of our day to day work, not the estimates.
Find and remove your impediments. Free up some future time by investing in creating quality software with a minimal feature set. Find simple yet clever technical solutions.
In the end our charts changed from behind-schedule to ahead-of-schedule, ROI went positive and senior management praised us for our ability to focus on estimates.


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- 2 large sweet potatoes/yams, cut into 1×1 inch bites
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ½ c. chopped herbs (rosemary, sage, thyme)
- ½ c. extra virgin olive oil
- ½ tbs. Paprika
- ½ c. Green onion, finely chopped
1. Preheat oven to Broil.
2. Bring sweet potato bites to a boil (from cold water). Once boiling, cook for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. Season cooked sweet potatoes with salt and pepper to taste.
4. In a bowl, add mixed chopped herbs, olive oil, Paprika and green onion. Add the sweet potato bites.
5. Place bites on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet and roast on broil for about 5-7 minutes.
6. Serve in a tray with a toothpick in it.


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posted by Thom Holwerda on Sun 6th Nov 2005 11:50 UTC
UNIX was a terrific workhorse for its time, but eventually the old nag needs to be put out to pasture. David Chisnall argues that it's time to retire UNIX in favor of modern systems with a lot more horsepower. "UNIX has a lot of strengths, but like any other design it's starting to show its age. Some of the points listed in this article apply less to some UNIX-like systems, some apply more."


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E.C. Myers is the author of two YA speculative fiction novels – Fair Coin & Quantum Coin – out now from Pyr. When he isn't writing, he reads, plays video games, watches films, sleeps as little as possible, and spends far too much time on the internet. Luckily, he let me steal him away to answer a few questions …
1. You're a prolific reviewer of television, film and video games. One of your current projects is The Viewscreen, where you're rewatching every episode of Star Trek TNG. How does that kind of writing fit in with the rest of your writing career?
Sometimes I worry that writing for The Viewscreen or even my own blog might be too much of a distraction from my fiction career. It may not make the most sense to devote so much of my limited writing time to work that doesn't pay, but economics aside, I do think it's valuable. Writing regularly—any kind of writing—helps me grow as a writer, and the regular deadlines are powerful motivation to sit down at the keyboard and work fast. I love stories in all their forms, especially in television and film, and these re-watches are opportunities to examine fiction critically and think about what makes it brilliant, a spectacular failure, or an interesting effort that just falls short of success. I also think it's important to be able to write many different things, just as it's important to read widely, and one day perhaps I will be able to support myself from a variety of freelancing projects like these. It's also a lot of fun, and I enjoy discussing Star Trek with the smart, engaged community at The Viewscreen.
2. You have a wife, a day job, friends, pets, and hobbies – and you still wrote four novels and several short stories. How do you find the time?
I steal the time wherever I can get it: by falling hopelessly behind on my favorite TV shows while dodging spoilers on the internet, watching the stacks of unplayed video games and unread books grow, getting by on four or five hours of sleep a night so I can stay up late and wake up early, writing during my lunch breaks, and unfortunately giving up too many hours I could be spending with family and friends. I don't feel like I've been as productive as I used to be, so I'm experimenting with new writing routines to counterbalance all the recent changes in my life. The changes are all good ones, but they're also challenges when you've become accustomed to working a certain way. I think if something's important enough to you, you make the time for it no matter what else you have going on.
3. You're a member of the writing group Altered Fluid. How did you get involved with the group, and how has that influenced you as a writer?
One of the founding members of Altered Fluid, Kris Dikeman, was one of my classmates at Clarion West in 2005. When we both returned home to New York City after the workshop, she graciously introduced me to the group and sponsored me for membership. I went through their rigorous screening process and happily was accepted. Second to Clarion West, Altered Fluid has probably improved my writing the most. Everyone in the group is deeply committed to the craft of writing and has diverse strengths, areas of expertise, and perspectives. The constant demand for new short stories to critique made me more prolific, and it's very helpful to not only receive critiques from such smart, experienced writers, but to think critically about each others' stories and hear everyone else's reactions and suggestions on every piece. I also appreciate what supportive, fun friends they've become—we keep each other informed about story markets, share publishing news and advice, help each other with various projects, and we even go on writing dates and retreats together.
4. What short fiction publication are you most proud of, and why?
Every one of them is a victory, but I'm especially proud of "All the Lonely People", which appeared in Shimmer issue #13 in April 2011. I think it's one of my best published pieces, but it took a long time for it to find the perfect home; Shimmer is one of my favorite fiction magazines, and I had been trying to break into the market for years, with several close calls. I also had the privilege of reading that story at the New York Review of Science Fiction Readings Series, which was definitely a highlight of my career so far.
5. You've published two YA novels, Fair Coin and Quantum Coin, and have two others you're revising. What stage of the novel/publishing process do you enjoy the most?
Naturally I am particularly thrilled by the part that puts my books in the hands of readers! But as far as the writing process goes, it's a toss-up between writing a first draft, when there's still so much potential, and revision, when the book is creeping closer to what I want it to be. I like revision when I know what to fix and how to fix it. Continue reading


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Ladies and gentlemen, we have a series.
For only the 11th time in the 155 series in which an NHL team has fallen behind by three game to none, there will be a sixth game. And if no hockey team in 35 years has pulled off the greatest comeback in professional sports since the 1975 New York Islanders -- we are still beginning to tread on the edges of historic ground.
Stunningly, the Flyers are back in this thing. They suffered the loss of goaltender Brian Boucher to an injury early in the second period of Game 5 against the Boston Bruins, but they are back in this thing. Trailing the series by three games to none, the Flyers have now won two straight -- and that includes a 4-0 victory in Game 5 on Monday night in which they pretty definitively ran the Bruins out of TD Garden.
They are only halfway to a historic comeback; miles to go, etc. And there are new complications springing up all over. The first is Boucher's injury -- unspecified as of now, but it looked serious. With a puck just trickling through the crease and wide, a pileup in the crease left Boucher on the bottom and not moving. When he eventually was being helped off of the ice, supported by defenseman Chris Pronger and athletic trainer Jim McCrossin under each arm, it appeared as if Boucher could put no weight on his left leg.
Michael Leighton, playing in his first game since suffering a severe ankle sprain on March 16th -- he hadn't even backed up in the playoffs until this very night -- looked steady. The truth is, he really wasn't tested all that hard by a Bruins team that really, really got pummelled by a Flyers team that looked pretty fresh all of a sudden.
But there are other complications as well. Claude Giroux was boarded by the Bruins' Steve Begin with 3 minutes remaining in the second period and took a couple of minutes pulling himself together before skating off. Giroux was not on the Flyers' bench in the third period, and the nature and the extent of the injury are currently unknown.
Shaken, stirred, doesn't matter, though -- the Flyers are still alive. And while the odds still favor the Bruins, well, the current vibe does not. Such was the way this thing flipped in Game 5.


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Final Countdown, The (US - BD)
Gabe can't get the Europe song out of his head. Ba na na naa, Ba na na na na
An inexplicable and swirly phenomenon transports a 1980 era nuclear warship back in time. Soon the crew realizes that they're on the cusp of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and they must decide between allowing the bloody attack to take place and preventing it, which could forever change the course of history.
The film geek world broke out the good champagne to celebrate Blue Underground's announcement that they'd be going 'Blu' by the end of the year. Bill Lustig's grindhouse friendly studio became the industry standard for image and sound quality in low-budget and forgotten releases almost immediately when they burst onto the scene in the early 2000s. Final Countdown makes sense as the studio's first hi-def release, based on the original film's sizable budget and production values, but the film's place in the studio's catalog is a little strange.
Final Countdown was a (lowish budget) studio release in its day, featuring large scale production values, and major stars. Apparently the film was such a massive flop that studios were afraid to touch Top Gun five and six years later (according to Jerry Bruckheimer on the making-of Top Gun), and it was this floppiness that led to the film being forgotten for decades. Before Blue Underground remastered the film for their original DVD release most cult movie fanatics hadn't even heard of the film. Really the only thing connecting Final Countdown to the usual exploitation 'trash' that Blue Underground specializes in is the presence of Troma founder Lloyd Kaufman as a producer, and in a small acting role (he's the worried guy with the beard mugging it for everything he's worth).
Final Countdown is a very subdued, slow burner of a film. Thanks to Blue Underground's reputation I kept waiting for something seedy to happen, but the PG rating isn't some kind of mistake. Once I finally got over my idiotically forced misconception I was able to enjoy the film for what it was. Tonally and stylistically Final Countdown is dated, obviously a child of the pre-MTV era of military movies. The story is told through relatively still images, and the plot unravels in a much steadier manner than most of us are used to these days. The filmmaking style reminds me most of the 'adult' features the Disney studio put out in the '70s, with a touch of early '70s disaster cinema, which may explain the film's box office failure. Perhaps Final Countdown was a victim of changing times.
Ultimately my personal opinion on the film is just that, a personal opinion. There isn't a lot of simply, fact based criticism I can lob against it. I can't accuse Don Taylor of over-directing or losing control, I can't complain about any of the performances, nor can I argue that the script is full of holes or unneeded subplots. I suppose that the dated pacing may've hurt my enjoyment a bit, but the fact of the matter is that I just wasn't into the story. At it's most basic Final Countdown is an elongated episode of The Twilight Zone, where some army guys go back in time and are given a chance to stop the Pearl Harbor attack. The story is presented in a very classy manner, and the characterizations, though perhaps a little broad, are generally realistic and relatable. Perhaps 102 minutes is just 62 minutes too many to devote to the subject. The lackluster finale doesn't really help, but I'm not sure where else this story could've gone.
Admittedly I never saw Blue Underground's original DVD release of Final Countdown, so I can't tell if this 1080p transfer has been revamped, but it's safe to assume even the nicest DVD could be this clean and artefact free (my best comparison are the 480i special features, which look generally the same with less detail). The 2.35:1 transfer is comparable to other Blu-ray releases born of the same era. The details aren't as finely tuned as many new releases, but the image quality has closed the gap between 35mm theatrical and home video presentations. Colours are clean and realistic (save a couple of reddish skin tones), edges are sharp (except where the original cinematographer or photo lab made an error), and there's almost zero sign of any digital compression. If we look really closely at some of the film's richer reds (the pads on most of the ship's chairs), some of the less impressive (or more dates) optical effects, and some of the model shots we can see some inconsistent grain, dirt, and a little bit of low level noise. This transfer won't impress viewers used to the detailed look of modern releases, but fans won't find a better presentation in this lifetime.
Readers may notice a lack of screen caps. That's actually why it's taken me so long to release the review live. If anybody out there can supply some I'd be much obliged.
Remixing Final Countdown into 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio is a bit of overkill, but there are a few bits of genuinely impressive surround work on this disc. The vast majority of the film is light on sound effects, and heavy on dialogue. These sections are clean, clear, and mostly centered, but are a little flat. Strictly speaking the majority of the track sounds like a stereo surround track with a really well centered dialogue track, but the rear channels are let in on the action enough times for it to sound natural. Most of the surround effects belong to the jets and airplanes, which zip through the channels with relatively impressive discreetness. The most impressive audio bits come with the time tunnel scenes, which are pretty intense examples of white noise. The LFE track doesn't get much play, but has a few prosperous moments during dog fights and explosions. John Scott's horn and snare heavy score is clean, but doesn't feature a lot of breadth. For their part, the disc's producers manage to separate some of the score's elements into the rear channels, but the lack of dynamic range does not go unnoticed.
The extras start with an audio commentary featuring director of photography Victor J. Kemper and a moderator. The track is pretty dry, mostly surviving off Kemper's solid grasp of the technical aspects. There really aren't any juicy details about the film's rough production or forgotten release, mostly recollections of being aboard the really big boat.
Next up is a 14 minute interview featurette with Lloyd Kaufman, who talks about his one time Hollywood associate producer credit. Kaufman doesn't have a lot of positive memories about the experience, and has nothing nice to say about director Don Taylor or his crew (apparently they were 'shitheads'). If Mr. Troma is to be believed, Kurt Douglas' influence was the only good thing about the production, and his presence was felt beyond simply acting.
'Starring the Jolly Rogers' is half an hour of interviews with the Jolly Roger Squadron, who were the feature fliers of the film. This featurette features plenty of footage behind the scenes of a late '70s aircraft carrier (likely not the one in the film), and happy interviews with a series of aging flyboys briefly reliving their salad days, all cut to music and footage from the film. I'm not personally all that interested in the ins and outs of the different aircraft and technical aspects of living on a carrier, but the featurette's pacing is quick enough, and the stories told with enough vigor to make the time fly. Sadly, my favourite bit of info was a negative story about Kathrine Ross acting snobby towards the fellahs. Everything is finished out with a series of trailers and TV spots.
I'm not a very big fan of Final Countdown, but I respect the film enough, and recommend it to fans of the more patient filmmaking that predated the MTV generation. As a teaser for Blue Underground's Blu-ray capabilities the disc does its job. The audio and video presentations aren't entirely comparable to newer release Blu-ray discs, but are more than even to most major studio catalogue releases (save those abnormally perfect James Bond releases).
* Note: The images on this page are not representative of the Blu-ray release.
Review by Gabriel Powers
Bouncy X Member Join Date: March 2005 Location: Canada Posts: 1,931
"we're leaving for venus..."
i saw this back when i was a kid, dad thought i might like it and suggested it to me due to the time travel concept, but i was bored by it and never even finished it if i'm correct.
its been on tv now and then recently though.
i saw this back when i was a kid, dad thought i might like it and suggested it to me due to the time travel concept, but i was bored by it and never even finished it if i'm correct.
its been on tv now and then recently though.
shatnerfan Member Join Date: June 2008 Location: United States Posts: 71
Guilty pleasure for me. Love this flick. But you're right, this does come off as an extended Twilight Zone episode. The cast really elevates this for me above the standard "B' movie fare.
LLcruize Member Join Date: January 2005 Location: United States Posts: 448
Of all the remakes going on, I would like to see this one remade. Not that I don't like this, but just that with the effects technology today and a modern spin, this could be a very cool remake.
Gildia Member Join Date: January 2008 Location: United States Posts: 241
My dad was on the ship in this film (the U.S.S. Nimitz,) but not during filming. He wasn't on it till the mid-80's. It's still cool to see a ship my dad was on in a film though.
Thembones Member Join Date: November 2005 Location: United States Posts: 287
Using time travel as a plot device is always troublesome. Second guessing how the story should go, where and or when just seems to grip me whenever time travel is the plot. Hence my cringing whenever I see Star Trek relying on this device. This movie suffers from and excels using this plot device. The action and acting in this movie are superb. Footage of F15's off the flight deck is phenomenal. Makes you want to join the Navy. I really did enjoy this movie when it came out but then on subsequent viewings the holes in the story became clearer and clearer. If you enjoy time travel movies then you will like this one.
demiscy Member Join Date: April 2006 Location: Cyprus Posts: 589
Gabe, I have the BD and a PC with a BD drive but I cannot seem to make screenshots... if you explain the procedure or suggest a program to do it, then I would be glad to provide you with some pics
Gabe Powers Editor Join Date: September 2004 Location: United States Posts: 4,721
Thanks for the thought demiscy, but I got some from the site's own Matt.
Worst Nightmare Senior Member Join Date: July 2002 Location: Australia Posts: 6,716
Great movie of its time.
Chris Gould Editor Join Date: May 2001 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 7,171
demiscy wrote: Gabe, I have the BD and a PC with a BD drive but I cannot seem to make screenshots... if you explain the procedure or suggest a program to do it, then I would be glad to provide you with some pics
You can't take screen captures from Blu-ray without the use of specialised software. This is because of the AACS encryption and the fact that most software vendors have disabled the ability in their players (Cyberlink's PowerDVD for example).
You can't take screen captures from Blu-ray without the use of specialised software. This is because of the AACS encryption and the fact that most software vendors have disabled the ability in their players (Cyberlink's PowerDVD for example).
Some material may not be suitable for children
Disc Details
Release Date: 4th November 2008
Discs: 1
Disc Type: Blu-ray Disc
RCE: No
Video: 1080p
Aspect: 2.35:1
Anamorphic: No
Colour: Yes
Audio: DTS-HD Master 7.1 English, Dolby TruHD 7.1 English, Dolby Digital EX 5.1 English
Subtitles: English HoH, French, and Spanish
Extras: Cinematographer Commentary, 'Lloyde Kaufman Goes to Holywood', 'Staring the Jolly Rogers', Trailers and TV Spots
Easter Egg: No
Feature Details
Director: Don Taylor
Cast: Kirk Douglas, Martin Sheen, James Farentino, Katharine Ross, Ron O'Neal
Genre: Adventure
Length: 106 minutes
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On Saturday the Chicago Fire head to Tucson, Arizona for two weeks of training and the preseason Desert Diamond Cup for final preparations leading to the team's season opener March 9 at Chivas USA.
Earlier this week, Frank Yallop told reporters he and his staff would likely be trimming down the team's camp roster before heading to Arizona and on Friday the club announced that SuperDraft selection Bryan Ciesiulka, along with guest players David Meves, Freddie Braun, Tim Ward, Daniel Jackson and Andrae Campbell would not be joining the team in Tucson.
The un-signed players that will continue in Fire camp include first round SuperDraft selection, defender Marco Franco, former Karlsruher defender Parker Walsh and midfielder Grant Ward, who is trialing with the club from English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur.
As mentioned at last month's preseason press conference with the Fire Technical Staff, forward Orr Barouch also re-joins the team in Tucson after spending the last year and a half on loan with Israeli Premier League side Bnei Yehuda. The Israeli youth international scored five goals in 41 competitive appearances (most of them as a sub) for the Fire in 2011-2012.


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BATON ROUGE — The operations of Leonard J. Chabert Medical Center and Louisiana State University's other public hospitals in New Orleans, and Lafayette will be turned over to nonprofit corporations that run private hospitals in the three cities under outsourcing plans unveiled Monday by Gov. Bobby Jindal's administration.
BATON ROUGE — The operations of Leonard J. Chabert Medical Center and Louisiana State University's other public hospitals in New Orleans, and Lafayette will be turned over to nonprofit corporations that run private hospitals in the three cities under outsourcing plans unveiled Monday by Gov. Bobby Jindal's administration.
The lease arrangements were announced by Health and Hospitals Secretary Bruce Greenstein and LSU hospital chief Frank Opelka as part of an administration effort to cut state costs by turning over university-run health care services for the poor and uninsured to the private sector. The hospitals will maintain their roles of providing safety-net care for those without insurance and of training new doctors and other health care professionals, Greenstein said.
Cuts in services and hundreds of layoffs planned for January will be stalled, according to initial documents released by the LSU System, though future staffing decisions and service plans will be left to the hospital operators.
"By partnering our responsibilities with local resources and providers, we are able to protect patient care, provide more training opportunities for students and operate a more efficient and integrated health system," Opelka said in a statement.
The Louisiana Children's Medical Center, which operates Children's Hospital and Touro Infirmary, will lease the Interim LSU Public Hospital in New Orleans and the new $1 billion, 424-bed medical training and research center set to open in two years.
Ochsner Health System and Terrebonne General Medical Center will manage the LSU hospital in Houma, the L.J. Chabert Medical Center and its outpatient clinics. Lafayette General Health System will operate the LSU hospital in Lafayette, the University Medical Center and its clinics, according to LSU System documents.
"We are going to be executing this before the end of the fiscal year," Greenstein said. "This is what has allowed us to not make significant reductions at these hospitals."
It was not yet clear how much the private health care operators will pay the state annually to manage the hospitals, though the nonprofit corporations agreed to put up about $30 million in initial "milestone payments" as part of the deals.
The privatization plans need approval from the LSU Board of Supervisors, which scheduled a special meeting Friday. The agreements also go to lawmakers on the joint House and Senate budget committee for review. Opelka said the leases didn't need to be put out through a public bid process.
The lease agreements are designed to help fill budget gaps at the hospitals. Jindal stripped more than $300 million in state and federal funding for the LSU health system after Louisiana's Medicaid financing was reduced by Congress.
Greenstein said the lease money and milestone payments will be used to draw down federal matching dollars through the Medicaid program for health care services to keep existing beds and services open.
Final cooperative endeavor agreements will iron out the details of the annual lease payments and length of the lease terms, but those agreements haven't been completed, Greenstein said.
In New Orleans, the milestone payment from the Louisiana Children's Medical Center will be $17 million over three installments. In Houma, Ochsner will pay $5.1 million for the milestone payment. In Lafayette, the payment will be $7.8 million.
The transactions are expected to be complete before the budget year ends June 30.
LSU's Baton Rouge-based hospital already has an agreement in place to shift operations in the coming months to Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center, rather than build a replacement hospital for Earl K. Long Medical Center.
Opelka said DHH and LSU are working on similar "public/private partnerships" for three other university-run hospitals in south Louisiana. A separate foundation is negotiating possible lease agreements for the three public hospitals in north and central Louisiana.


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Something to Learn
The article by Lois Elfman on the education panel was very interesting. We certainly do need to do something to improve education in the USA! However we cannot rely on the federal government to do everything for us. Who knows what is best for the students? The school they attend, the community in which they live, and therefore the individual state in which the community is located and which is responsible for guidance and funds. Put more responsibility in the hands of the states and the voters.
With a quality education almost everyone could go to college, but should they? Nowadays it seems that the stress of educational institutions is college for everyone. From observation of many who have crossed my path, this emphasis is badly directed. Some start college and quit.Some go into business for themselves in a variety of fields because they would prefer to work outdoors or work with their hands: cabinetmakers, auto mechanics, tool makers, landscapers, building contractors, etc.
Education, yes! College, maybe. In my view educational offerings need to be broader. High school should give everyone a good basic education in reading (literature), writing (essays, reports, business documents, etc.) and math and science— preparation for any field of the student's choice including college.
—Helen Cornell Koenig '42
Bernardsville, NJ
Where the Heart Is
When I read "Homecoming Dean," I was overcome by acute nostalgia for my days at Barnard. As a recent graduate, the words "coming home to Barnard" resonated strongly with me. I am proud to be part of a college with alumnae, like Dean Hinkson, who are connected and tirelessly devoted to improving Barnard. I am thrilled Dean Hinkson has come home and I am sure she
will make Barnard stronger and more beautiful.
Barnard will always be a special place for us alumnae despite the number of years passed since we left those majestic iron gates. I hope that my fellow alumnae feel connected to Barnard each and every day as I do.
—Sonal Kumar '11
Somerset, NJ
Fan Mail
I hope you've received an avalanche of notes from alumnae about the elegant, good-to-read Barnard Magazine you are now turning out. For years I thought that Barnard's efforts in this arena were lightweight and poorly presented. I occasionally grumbled to friends, wondering why the College tolerated such an embarrassing publication. It's always tricky, I'm sure, to showcase a school's many and amazing strengths without sounding complacent or like a cheerleading claque. In any case, be assured that you've found a fine, engaging balance. I especially appreciate those happy young male philosophers on the cover of the Spring 2011 issue. There's a gorgeous (institutional) confidence in that cover—and in the story, too, of their tight supportive friendship (a bond which feminists can enjoy in men) and of Barnard's decision to find a way to hire the two of them....
—Doris Platzker Friedensohn '58
Professor Emerita of Women's Studies, New Jersey City University
Leonia, NJ
More on the Military
Thank you for the article on alumnae in the military. I took "Modern Constitutional Democracy" (AKA government 1) with Professor Morrison my first year (1964–65). I remember her saying that the Pentagon had plans for the time when women would be subject to the draft. I thought she had "jumped the string bean." I graduated in 1968 when pride in our military was zero on campus. I am so glad to have lived to see women serving as peers with men and—gasp—
being honored by our college community.
— Rosemary Jablonski Ford '68
Chapel Hill, NC
Good Game
I think the Spring 2011 issue of Barnard Magazine was one of the best. The alumnae in military piece were inspiring, uplifting, and, I daresay, riveting. The Greek Games, memories—so vivid after all these decades—were almost as good and positively delightful to read. Hopefully, the revival will generate similar future goodwill three or four score years hence.
Thank you.
—Christopher F. Graham, widower of Theresa Smith Graham '75
Bedford Corners, NY
Raise Your Voice
So, Greek Games is back. Good! Now a College Song Leader should also be resurrected.
I attend meetings of Barnard in the Midwest. We meet in Minneapolis twice a year. Our get-togethers include the singing of either "Beside the Waters of the Hudson" or "Just Up the Banks of the Hudson." (Aside: I led "Beside the Waters of the Hudson" at an assembly when Eleanor Roosevelt was the speaker.)
There's nothing like singing a Barnard school song to mellow out a group of old grads. Undergrads need to sing these songs before they graduate! And we should sing them at Reunion too. Bring back the College Song Leader!
—Verna Beaver '43
Saint Paul, Minn.