text:
SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, SC (AP) - Shaw Air Force Base is canceling its annual Independence Day celebration because of automatic federal budget cuts.
Base officials say the cuts won't leave officials with enough money to put on the Jammin' July Fourth event at a Sumter park.
The party has been held for about two decades and includes fireworks, carnival rides and food. Base officials say up to 35,000 people have attended in the past.
Shaw Air Force Base has partnered with Sumter County and the city of Sumter to put on the event since 2001.
The budget cuts, called sequestration, have canceled scores of festivals and air shows across the country.
(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)


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Well, Almost
It wasn't the circus of P.T. Barnum and James Bailey or that of the Ringling Brothers, but everybody loves a circus. Oh my why not? They have lions, tigers and bears! People, by the thousands, came from far and near to gather under the big top of one of the country's largest circus shows. They came to see wild animals, daring feats, and thrilling performances. Few left disappointed, except one newspaper reporter who had been to too many circuses.
The first known circus came to Dublin in the late 1860s. It was staged at the rear of the Troup House, which is on the site of the public parking lot on the first block of West Madison Street. John Robinson brought his big show into Dublin in 1900 in a time when the city was one of the largest in the state of Georgia. Hagenback and Wallace, the second largest circus in America, came to the Emerald City in 1907.
Robinson's big circus made a return to the city in 1909. Local businesses were booming and there was plenty of pocket money around. So, the promoters expected the crowds to be massive and so did the pick pockets who were slipping into town in the darkness. No one figured that the largest president in the history of the United States was going to appear at the Georgia State Fair in Macon on the very day the circus came to town. Though he was despised by the vast majority of the highly Democratic electorate, William Howard Taft, the three-hundred-pound chief executive, made it difficult for locals to decide whether to go to Macon or remain at home or to go to just another circus, which they had seen here before and would see again.
For one of the first times, the circus grounds were moved to the suburbs of the city. This time the circus grounds were laid out at the corner of Academy Avenue and Elm Street immediately in the rear of the home of R.F. Deese.
The John Robinson Circus, started by the first of four John Robinsons in 1842, finished a performance in Macon and headed down the railroad tracks toward Dublin, where the first of three sections arrived early in the morning of November 4, 1909. While the set up crews were getting the four-ring tent and animal quarters ready for the afternoon and evening shows at one and seven o'clock, the main body of the circus proceeded to deboard at the depot in three separate trains, a spectacle in of itself.
Just before high noon, a whistle blew and a grand parade of circus clowns, acrobats, animals, wagons, and performers passed through the downtown area signaling that the big show was about to begin. Six bands led the free parade of sixty cages, ten tableau wagons and some three hundred and sixty equestrians. Barkers roamed through the enormous crowd, which had been gathering since early in the morning, screaming "follow me to the circus!"
Despite the fact that the President may have upstaged Dublin's big day, five thousand people crammed into the tent for the first show. Seats were hard to find and the opening was delayed to accommodate the late comers. Though some stayed to watch the exhibition for a second time, others went home limiting the attendance to a "good crowd."
Inside the big tent was a hippodrome for the some three hundred horses and sixty ponies, which danced, pranced and raced about the sawdust-covered rings. The show featured, not one, but three, animal menageries, which featured a bloat of hippopotamuses, a crash of rhinoceroses, a sleuth of white bears, a herd of horned horses, a pod of seals, an obstinacy of buffalo, a flock of camels, a zeal of zebras, and the requisite elephant herd, leopard leap, lion pride and tiger swift. A rookery of sea lions mounted a string of three ponies juggling, balancing and throwing balls to each other and through flaming hoops.
Warren Travis, a champion heavyweight lifter, was new to the circus. It was said that Travis could lift an elephant or withstand the weight of a dozen men standing on a platform which rested on his chest. Many left shaking their heads after the strong man survived two Maxwell automobiles driving over his body. Another new act was the high dive, where a man dove from the top of the tent into a shallow pool.
King's Wild West show were advertised to feature cowboys, cowgirls and real live Mexicans and Indians or so that's what they said they were. Two companies of U.S. Cavalry performed thrilling monkey drills and acrobatic feats. The western show featured a stage coach robbery, hanging of a horse thief, a re-enactment of the Battle of Wounded Knee, and every other kind of western sport and pastime of the plains that they had the time or the people to perform.
Somewhat less than the fifty advertised clowns kept the show rolling. Troops of Japanese and Arabs, or people dressed like them, rode horses and displayed their talents to the captive audience. Costello's Riding Act, Tarant's Casting Act and the Minerva Sisters preceded the Iron Jaw Act when the Great Chambora jumped from the ceiling, struck a board and slid down a sixty-foot incline on his head. A high wire walker walked to the top of the tent and then slid down to the ground on one toe and one heal.
According to a writer for the Dublin Courier Dispatch, who thought not much of the highly billed circus, "the band was not up to average, being smaller than Robinson formerly carried." Also disappointing was the quality of the menagerie and the extent of the wild west show. The actual performances were not as wonderful as was billed according to the reporter, who complained that the wild west side show was composed of seven cowboys and a single cowgirl, deeming it more of a tame west show than a wild one. A long season of nearly daily performances had taken its toll on the horses, who were not as sleek as they had been in the past. But where it counted, the crowd enjoyed the festivities and some came back for an encore.
Howe's London Circus and Spark's Circus returned to Dublin the following year. In 1915, the Robinson Shows returned to the city for the final time. Soon the circus became just another event. Circuses meant money to the merchants and money to the coffers of the city treasury. But, they also brought out the con artists and skulkers, ready to relieve the inattentive and the gullible of their cash and valuable in the flicker of a moment.
Dublin's alderman turned a request by Spark's Circus to reduce the license tax from $200.00 and instead voted to double the tax for any circus having more than ten car loads of paraphernalia. Perhaps the final straw came in 1922, when Hagenback and Wallace returned to Dublin for an encore performance. An early morning winter rain flooded the 12th District Fairgrounds forcing a cancellation of the big event. The circus struck their tents and loaded up their animals and left town without a single show. The circus was found liable for its abandoning the children of the city by a court two years after the fact.
Although many circuses have returned to Dublin and still perform here on a regular basis, the grand circuses are gone now. So, the next time you ride down Academy Avenue and you pass by Cordell Lumber Company, look across the street and imagine that day one hundred years ago when the "Greatest Show of Earth," or the closest we ever got, came to town.

subset: commoncrawl


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Family News: The Rocca Family Vineyards Newsletter
Volume VI: November 2013
Harvest Is Done - Let the Celebrations Begin!
Dear friends,
Wow! This has been a harvest to remember! Why, might you ask? Because we had a fantastic growing season, starting this spring and going all the way through some ideal fall weather. The wine grapes are scrumptious, and I can't wait to see what these wines are going to do for us. (Those of you that are club members should have received some cabernet sauvignon wine grapes in the mail last week- weren't they yummy??)
Our Grigsby Vineyard was harvested in the wee hours of the night in the third week of October, and our Collinetta Vineyard was harvested by our wonderful crew last week. We pick at night so that the grapes are cool (make that cold!) when they arrive at the winery for "crush" (by the way, we don't crush the grapes- they enter the tank mostly as whole berries) very early in the morning. That also puts us first in line to use the equipment… which means no sitting on the crush pad getting hot!
Hope you all have had an equally wonderful fall! ~ Mary
Notes From The Winemaker
We have just wrapped up a truly spectacular 2013 harvest. As Tom Gamble of Gamble Family Vineyards puts it, "If you can't make a good bottle of wine from this vintage, look for a different line of work." An unusually dry, warm spring got the ball rolling early, and summer and fall brought some of the most consistently perfect growing conditions in recent memory. The vintage brought only two significant heat spikes. The first, in late June/early July, came too early to cause any appreciable sunburn damage to the grapes. The second, in early September, wasn't severe enough to harm the fruit and only served to turbocharge the ripening process. An unexpected storm on September 21st brought up to 1.5 inches of rain to the wettest sites in the Valley, and made us all sit up and pay attention, but it was immediately followed by sunny, dry, windy weather that precluded any problems. In a nutshell, this vintage has given us the extraordinary gift of enabling us to pick exactly what we wanted, when we wanted, at perfect ripeness and ideal hang time, with no constraints imposed by weather concerns. Even as I write this we are enjoying glorious "Indian Summer" conditions, with forecasts calling for at least another 10 days of dry, sunny weather in the 80s. At Rocca Family Vineyards we expect to bring in the last of our Cabernet by the end of next week, and we couldn't be more thrilled with the quality we're seeing so far -- thorough ripeness, profound aromatics, explosive flavors, and tons of color and gorgeously resolved tannins. We've already heard multiple growers compare 2012 and 2013 to 2001 and 2002: back-to-back spectacular vintages, with different but equally compelling personalities.
Now, what the heck do we do for an encore in 2014???
Holiday Gift Ideas From Rocca Family Vineyards!
Looking for that perfect gift for your discriminating friends, family and business asociates? Let Rocca Family Vineyards provide you with simple, elegant and delicious solutions from our library of award-winning wines. All gifts come hand-packaged in your choice of a 2-bottle Holiday gift box or a 3-bottle customized wood box.
Place your order here by December 1st, 2013, to receive complimentary shipping to locations within the continental United States.
Need assistance with large orders, custom orders or Corporate Gifting? For personal service, call John Taylor at 707-257-8467, or email your requests to firstname.lastname@example.com.
Here And There...
The 3rd Annual Flavor! Napa Valley, one of the nation's premiere food & wine events, returns November 20th through the 24th. Rocca Family Vineyards is proud to be participating this year in both The Appellation Trail event and Winemaker's Dinner. You can learn more about this amazing culinary adventure by going to www.FlavorNapaValley.com...We took some great pictures and even some video of this year's harvest. You can check it out by clicking here...and speaking of pictures, have you followed us on Instagram yet?
Volume V: August 2013
Harvest Is Coming!
Dear friends,
What a summer this has been: Beautiful weather here in Napa, lots going on to finish up our tasting room project and some fun travel encompassing both work and play. If the County of Napa will stop adding hoops for us to jump through, we will finish up our remodeling project and be ready to open within another 60 days or so.
Whew! As my husband likes to say, we got into growing grapes and making wine by vastly overestimating our cash flow. It reminds me of this project: I vastly Underestimated how much time and money it would take to open our doors!! Once we get there, it is going to be great, and we want you to plan on coming to see us!
After graduating last summer from Duke University with a Global MBA, my husband Eric and I looked at each other and said, "What are we going to do with all of this extra time now that we don't have to study?" We decided to focus on improving our tennis games, so this year I have really been pushing myself to get out and play as much as possible - I've taken beaucoup lessons and rigorously read hours of tennis instruction in order to improve my game. With all that, I may improve my rating by moving up one level.
What does that have to do with fine wine? Not much, but the same principles apply: The harder you work the luckier you get. So we work really hard all year long on our farming, so that by the time we harvest, we have the darned finest grapes around. This year is no exception. Sergio and his team have put in the hours, and the vineyards and grapes are looking beautiful! We'll have some available to try fresh as they get close to being harvested, so call and come by if you want a taste treat that will make your mouth water Fresh wine grapes bear no resemblance to table grapes, so if you haven't ever tried them you sure need to!
Cheers! ~ Mary
Chef Bob Hurley's Exclusive Recipe For Rocca Family Vineyards:
Roasted Venison & Wild Blackberry Sauce with Porcini Polenta and a Valrhona Chocolate Almond Torte.
Inspired by Rocca Family Vineyards' 2009 Collinetta Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon (a 93-point Cellar Selection in August's Wine Enthusiast magazine), one of Napa's premiere chefs, Bob Hurley, has created an exquisite pairing just for you!
In the summer of 1988 Chef Bob Hurley planted his roots firmly in the California Wine Country, first as a chef at Domaine Chandon, then later as Executive Chef at the Napa Valley Grille.
In November 2002 he opened his own restaurant, Hurley's Restaurant, in Yountville, California. Chef Hurley describes his menu as local California cuisine high in flavor and influenced by the Mediterranean so that it fits very well with wine. The regular menu offers a wide array of options. The "Wine Country" theme allows diversity so that it is not tied down to a particular style or ethnicity.
Click Here for the recipe! Enjoy!
Notes From The Winemaker...
As it does every August, the excitement is building quickly in Napa Valley! Three months from now, we'll all be too exhausted to be excited. Or at least, too exhausted for anyone to tell that we're excited. But right now we're charged up for harvest 2013, and it's just around the corner! Technically, it has already started: Our dear "bubblehead" friends have already begun picking the first grapes for sparkling wine production. At Rocca we're still several weeks away from perfectly ripe grapes, but there's lots of work to do between now and then.
Sergio and his crew are making multiple passes through both of our vineyards, making sure that we live up to every bit of the exciting potential of this gorgeous growing season. Each cluster is individually manicured, by hand. Any remaining wings or shoulders are cut off; any leaves that are causing excess shading or restricting optimal air circulation are pulled, especially on the side of each row that gets less of the hot afternoon sun; thousands of clusters are dropped on the ground to ensure that only those of the very highest quality are left to receive the ripening energy of the vines, and to prevent any crowding or unwanted shading. We're watering the vines just enough to keep them alive and healthy, while leaving the individual grapes as small and concentrated as possible. It's a delicate balancing act, but it's one that Sergio accomplishes with the great mastery that comes from decades of experience. The quality and quantity of the crop look terrific so far, but our optimism is always tempered with a bit of caution. As this year has shown in very dramatic fashion, both in Bordeaux and in Burgundy, things can change very quickly in the life of a farmer.
In the cellar, there's not much need for an update on the wines from 2012. They're still absurdly good, and they're only getting better with time. It's going to be a thrill to share them with all of you. On another note, the first of the 97 new barrels we ordered for this year have just begun to arrive, with the rest due from France into our nearby port of Oakland in the very near future. We can't wait to start filling them with delicious juice from the 2013 harvest! ~ Paul Colantuoni
New Feature On Our Website: Find Wines
Have you been wondering where to find Rocca wines in your neighborhood? Let us help! We've added a new page to our website that will help you locate the nearest store or restaurant to your home that serves our wine. Simply click on Find Wines and you can search by city, state or zip code within a ten to fifty mile radius of your home.
Currently, the wines of Rocca Family Vineyards can be found in California, Virginia, Louisiana, Tennessee, Nevada and Kentucky. Next month, we'll be adding Texas, Florida and Kansas, with New York, New Jersey and Colorado bringing wines in by year-end. We're constantly updating with new locations, so check back often! If you can't find a wine near you, simply order online and we'll ship directly to you!
Here & There...
Construction on the Tasting Room has entered it's final phase: Landscaping! Work on the back deck, 2nd bathroom and expanded Wine Closet is complete, and with a little luck, the whole project should be completed by Fall...Low Inventory Alert! There are only 20 cases left of the 2008 Vespera Proprietary Red Blend available for sale to the public. Once those are gone, the remaining inventory will only be available to members of the Wine Club. Get it while it lasts by clicking here...Our 2009 Grigsby Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon was recently named Best Cabernet Sauvignon at the prestigious San Francisco International Wine Competition. We took this honor over 500 other Cabernets submitted this year...We are proud to announce that Chef Thomas Keller recently added our 2008 Merlot to the wine list at The French Laundry in Napa. It is the only Yountville Merlot represented at what is widely regarded as the best restaurant in the world.
'Till next time - Cheers! ~JT
Chef Bob Hurley's Original Recipe Pairing for the 2009 Collinetta Cabernet
Roasted Venison & Wild Blackberry Sauce with Porcini Polenta
Valrhona Chocolate Almond Torte
Inspired by Rocca Family Vineyards' 2009 Collinetta Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon (a 93-point Cellar Selection in August's Wine Enthusiast magazine), one of Napa's premiere chefs, Bob Hurley, has created an exquisite pairing just for you!
In the summer of 1988 Chef Bob Hurley planted his roots firmly in the California Wine Country, first as a chef at Domaine Chandon, then later as Executive Chef at the Napa Valley Grille.
In November 2002 he opened his own restaurant, Hurley's Restaurant, in Yountville, California. Chef Hurley describes his menu as local California cuisine high in flavor and influenced by the Mediterranean so that it fits very well with wine. The regular menu offers a wide array of options. The "Wine Country" theme allows diversity so that it is not tied down to a particular style or ethnicity.
3 pounds venison loin or leg (sinew and connective tissue removed)
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt & pepper
For the marinade:
10 each juniper berries (crushed)
2 each bay leaves (crumbled)
10 each fresh sage leaves (chopped)
15 each black peppercorns
1 cup olive oil (pure)
Blackberry Sauce:
1 teaspoon unsalted butter
1 each shallot (peeled, finely diced)
½ teaspoon sugar
1 ounce raspberry vinegar
3 cups good veal stock
1 pint fresh blackberries
Porcini Polenta:
2 cups polenta
8 cups water
2 pounds assorted wild or exotic mushrooms (shitake, chanterelle, portobello, etc., sliced)
2 ounces olive oil
4 tablespoons shallots (chopped)
2 cups chicken stock
1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
½ cup assorted fresh herbs (thyme, sage, tarragon, Italian parsley, chopped)
1 cup fresh parmesan cheese (grated)
salt & pepper
Combine all ingredients of marinade. Allow venison to marinade for 12-24 hours, turning once or twice.
Blackberry Sauce:
Melt butter in a small sauce pan over low heat. Add shallots and cook until translucent (about 3-4 minutes). Add sugar and cook until it begins to caramelize. Add vinegar and reduce by half.
Add veal stock and ½ pint of blackberries. Bring to a boil then simmer, skimming off the impurities that rise to the top during this process. Reduce to 1 cup and strain. Put sauce back on the fire, test for seasoning and add the remaining ½ pint of berries. Let cook for 2 minutes, then take off the heat and reserve.
Preheat oven to 350°.
In a sauté pan on high heat, add olive oil and marinated venison. Brown venison well on all sides and place in oven. Cook until rare to medium rare (about 8-10 minutes). Be sure not to overcook the meat or it will become dry. Take out of oven and let rest in a warm place for 10 minutes
Porcini Polenta:
Add polenta in a steady stream to boiling water, continually stirring. Return to a boil stirring constantly until polenta begins to dissolve and does not stick to the bottom of the pan. Turn heat on low, simmer and cook for approximately 20-30 minutes. During this time you may need to add more water to maintain a very thick consistency that pours.
Heat olive oil in a sauté pan and add the assorted wild mushrooms. Cook on high heat until they start to give off moisture, add chopped herbs and shallots and sauté for one minute. Add chicken stock and dried porcini mushrooms. Cook until all liquid has evaporated. Set aside.
When polenta is smooth and creamy add mushroom mixture, parmesan cheese and butter. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Pour into a pan that will allow a thickness of ¾ inch or greater. Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight. Unmold and cut into shapes.
To finish the cooked polenta, you can either grill it or bake it.
To grill:
Lightly dust polenta pieces with flour to absorb any moisture that may have accumulated. Rub pieces with olive oil and place on a hot CLEAN oiled grill. After acquiring nice grill marks, set aside in a warm place.
To bake:
Preheat oven to 350°.
Lightly dust polenta pieces with flour and sauté in olive oil until browned. Finish in oven for approximately ten minutes and set aside in warm place.
Valrhona Chocolate Almond Torte:
5 ounces butter
6½ ounces almond paste
2½ ounces sugar
3½ each large eggs (beaten)
2 ounces coco powder
4½ ounces Valrhona chocolate pieces (chopped)
1½ ounces Guinette cherries (brandy soaked cherries)
whipped cream
toasted almonds
Preheat oven to 350°.
Using a beater attachment on a hand mixer beat the butter until soft and fluffy. Slowly add almond paste until thoroughly mixed. Then add sugar. After sugar is thoroughly incorporated, add beaten egg a little at a time. On low speed add in coco powder. Fold in by hand the chocolate pieces and cherries.
Portion mixture in 4 to 5 ounce baking cups and bake for 20 minutes. Let cool before removing from cups.
Garnish with whipped cream and toasted almonds.
Serves 10
Volume IV: June 2013
Summer Comes To The Valley...
Dear Rocca friends,
Summer is here, bringing with it big changes in the vineyards as the vines grow and the fruit starts to develop. It means lots of work for our vineyard team, but it's so exciting to see it happen.
We have a wonderful young lady, Schuyler Tompkins, interning with us for a month. Schuyler will be a senior at the University of Virginia this summer, and is a friend of my daughter Giovanna. She is curious about everything, and it's so fun to have her with us: her first two days were spent in the vineyard, and she amazed our crew. They were sure she wouldn't be able to make it through one full day, much less two, working from 6am until 4pm. But she did, and they have decided she is an honorary Farmer! Congratulations Schuyler!
The great thing about having someone like Schuyler around, is that it makes you open your eyes and look at things with a fresh perspective. It's refreshing. So this summer, I hope that you have the opportunity to enjoy some new perspectives too!
Notes From The Winemaker:
It's June, and boy, are things looking good in Napa Valley! While it's absurdly early to make any predictions about the 2013 vintage, and while our job as farmers is to worry incessantly about what little pranks Mother Nature may have in store for us, we couldn't be happier with the growing season so far. Our vines are looking decidedly happy and healthy. They've shown quite a bit of vigor this year, so we've been busy selecting and separating the new shoots, managing the vines' leafy canopies, and spacing and manicuring each individual cluster so that our vineyards can produce the highest quality fruit possible.
Happily, if a bit surprisingly, we look to be on track for a relatively early and abundant harvest. The trend over the last 5 or 6 years has been toward cooler-than-normal growing seasons that have resulted in fairly late harvest dates, often flirting with the shift to our cold, rainy winter weather pattern in late October / early November. So we're pleased to see that the vines appear to be on a much more "average", or even early, schedule this year.
Following the generous crop we enjoyed in 2012, we would normally have anticipated more restrained yields in 2013 -- that's typically how grapevines work. But the quantity of fruit in the vineyards looks quite substantial again this year, a situation which will allow us the luxury of cutting off all but the very best-positioned clusters as we work to reach the perfect balance between the vines' vegetative growth and their fruit production and ripening. All in all, we're very happy farmers right now.
In the cellar, all of our 2012 lots have finally finished their primary and secondary fermentations, and they are more than living up to the significant buzz that already surrounds that exceptional vintage. We've already begun working on the preliminary blends for our 2012 wines, and we're having a heck of a lot of fun doing it.
Enjoy the gorgeous weather of summer, everyone. And if it isn't absolutely beautiful where you are, come visit us at our new tasting room!
Progress On The Tasting Room!
No, really :-)
We are in the final stages of completion on the Tasting Room. The back deck is practically finished, the new Wine Closet nears completion and perhaps best of all, we have A/C!! The Landscape Architect has submitted his final plan, and we may POSSIBLY be open by the end of summer. We've put together a photo album of our progress so far that you can check out by clicking here.
This and That...
We're branching out! Rocca wines will now be available in Texas, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Southern California, Knoxville and Reno, with more states and metros adding soon...We're proud to have raised almost $4,000.00 for Auction Napa Valley charities (and thanks to all the bidders!)...Our 2008 Merlot was added to the wine list at The French Laundry in Napa - world class wine at a world class restaurant!
Until next time! ~ JT
Volume III: May 2013
One Of The Most Beautiful Times In Napa...
Hi Friends!
Spring is here- but it's been so warm one might think summer has arrived already! The vines are loving this warm weather, and the buds seem to be growing a few inches a day! Our vineyard crews have their work cut out for them this spring, trying to keep up with vines that are growing by leaps and bounds.
As a springtime baby myself, I love it: new life exploding everywhere, birds busy building their nests, gardens being planted, and the promise of a new season capturing our attention. Dreams of a bountiful and delicious vintage can't help but be on our minds.
Here at Devlin Road, things are bustling too. Next week our new deck will start taking shape, and landscaping will follow shortly thereafter. Which means we can at last start to plan our Open Houses to celebrate and show off our new digs to all of our loyal friends and supporters. Watch your inbox for your invitation! ~ Mary
Notes From The Winemaker:
April is a magical, exhilarating time to be a farmer in Napa Valley. All of the buds on our vines have pushed out, and they're growing like crazy now. Some welcome rain during the first week of the month has been followed by glorious, warm-and-sunny spring weather, and the excitement of a new growing season is in full swing. The main task at hand right now is suckering, or disbudding. In many ways, this is really Part Two of the important winter pruning process that we talked about last month. Now that the buds that we left on the vines at that time have become growing shoots, we can see exactly where and how they are positioned to fill in and to produce this year's crop.
As such, we are once again making our way through the vineyards vine by vine, by hand, to remove any unwanted growth and to give each plant the perfect structure to produce the highest-quality fruit possible. As I write this we've already made a first pass through our Grigsby Vineyard Merlot and Syrah (always our earliest-pushing vines), and our efforts will continue over the next several weeks. At the same time, we'll remain vigilant to protect our tender young shoots from the potential spring threats of frost and powdery mildew.
In the cellar, a few of our 2012 wines have finally finished fermenting, and are giving us our most dependable insights yet into the quality and personality of the vintage. So far, we're beyond thrilled. The wines are simply gorgeous - deep, complex, and with exquisite balance - and they appear to be fully living up to the enormous potential of the 2012 growing season. It's going to be difficult to wait until these wines are ready to share with all of you! In the meantime, we'll be sure to perform numerous and frequent quality-control tastings...
Cheers! ~ Paul
Rocca Family Releases The 2009 Collinetta Vineyards Cabernet!
We are proud to announce the release this month of our Rocca Family Vineyards 2009 Estate Cabernet, Collinetta Vineyard. It's the 4th vintage we've bottled from this site and perhaps the most complete illustration yet of the intrinsic characteristics of this very special vineyard. Like the 2008, the '09 is 100% Cabernet, aged for 20 months in French oak, 80% new. We've bottled only 420 cases of this incredible wine, which has already garnered 90 Points and a Gold Medal at the 7th Annual Cabernet Shootout, and 92 Points in the Purely Domestic Wine Report. You can also watch a terrific video review of this wine by James "The Wine Guy" Melendez by clicking here. 93 Points!
Best of Class and Salute Wine Club Members have already received their shipments, and all remaining stock will now be made available to non-club members who wish to order online. Retail Price: $85.00.
Here and There...
Auction Napa Valley is just a month away and Rocca Family Vineyards is proud to be participating in this important charity event! We'll be featuring a very special lot on the eAuction this year: a 2-night stay at the Grigsby's quaint & cozy guest cottage, a personal tasting and tour with winemaker Paul Colantuoni, and a bottle of all six wines from the 2008 portfolio. To see details and bid on the lot, click here. Be sure to register on the site to place your bid starting May 26th...We're only seven "Likes" away from 500 on our Facebook page! If you're not following us yet, click here and join up! All new Likes are entered into a drawing for a bottle of Grigsby Cabernet Sauvignon...Remember, our new Instagram handle is @RoccaWines. Follow us for great pictures of the vineyards, tasting room and visiting guests!
Volume II: March 2013
Spring Has Come to Napa Valley!
Bud Break is happening all over the Valley, and we're waiting with excited anticipation for it to happen within our own Grigsby and Collinetta Vineyards. That said, we're still hoping for more rain. The few showers predicted this week will be most welcome, but the real hope is that we get a lot more before the buds get too active. We'll be heading out into the vineyards early next week to give you a full pictorial, and you can check it out in Family News next month or through our new Instagram account, @RoccaWines. In the meantime, I'll let winemaker Paul Colantuoni give you his update on Spring in the vineyards...
Hello again! March has arrived, and we've finally finished the painstaking winter process of pruning all of our vines. The vineyards are healthy, and things are looking great for the 2013 season. The only caveat is that the months of January and February were unusually dry in Napa Valley, so we're hoping for a nice dose of rain to replenish our reserves before the vines decide that it's time to start growing again. Keep your fingers crossed for us!
While we wait for our new buds to start to push, here's the update on our 2011 and 2012 wines that I promised you in last month's newsletter...
As many of you have probably heard, 2012 was an absolutely superb vintage for Napa Valley. We couldn't be happier with the quantity or the quality of the harvest -- a very rare double-double in the winemaking world. As I write this note, none of our 2012s have completely finished fermenting; they're all still bubbling along happily. Some lots are just getting to the end of primary (alcoholic) fermentation, while the rest are working through their secondary (malolactic) fermentation. This unusually drawn-out timetable is a consequence of our reliance on the yeast and bacteria provided naturally by the grapes themselves, rather than on commercially available microbes, in making our wines. While these indigenous creatures tend to work quite slowly and to require diligent monitoring, we feel that they pay handsome rewards in the quality and complexity of the finished wines, their mid-palate weight and finish length, and their fidelity to the vineyards from which they come.
Right now, much of our attention in the winery is focused on preparing our 2011 wines for bottling. The headline news here is that we're going to be bottling absolutely gorgeous versions of three of our wines -- our Syrah, our Merlot, and our Vespera blend -- while we've made the difficult decision not to produce 2011 bottlings of our Grigsby Vineyard Cabernet, our Collinetta Vineyard Cabernet, or our "little treasure", the Tesorina blend. The 2011 vintage was one of the most unusual in recent memory for California, with a long, extremely cool growing season resulting in a late harvest. For early-ripening grape varieties, and for wines emphasizing elegance and accessibility with lower alcohol and tannin levels, this proved to be quite magical.
Our Syrah has a much spicier, more floral, cooler-climate personality than it has in previous vintages, and the Merlot and the Vespera are beautifully balanced, refined, and delicious. While the lots that typically make up our other three wines were very good in 2011, we simply don't feel that they're extraordinary enough for us to place them in the company of our other vintages. We believe that it's the right decision, and we're excited that those three wines will be back, and in glorious form, as 2012s.
Help Us To 500 Facebook Likes And Get A $10 Gift Card
Rocca Family has been a big believer of Social Media from the beginning - we think it's a terrific way to keep you posted on what's going on here and to provide you with a better level of customer service. We also use Twitter and Facebook to offer our loyal customers special offers on wine and events - and as I mentioned, we're now on Instagram, where you can follow us @RoccaWines.
As I write this, we're at 473 Facebook followers, and we want to get the word out to every one to come join us on our Facebook Page. So here's the deal: We're offering a $10 Gift Card good for any purchase at our online store to anyone who Shares our "Facebook 500" post, PLUS we'll have a drawing for a bottle of our Vespera Red Blend for everyone who "Likes" our page. Here's how it works:
- Go to our Facebook Page
- If you're not a Follower yet, click on "Like"
- Share the Posting at the top of the Page about our Facebook 500 Campaign
- Send us a Message through the Page that you Shared the Post
And that's it! We'll reply to your Message with your $10 Gift Card, and enter all names in the drawing. Thanks for your help!
(If you Shared the Page already but haven't received your Gift Card, please Message us and let us know...some of you have FB privacy settings that prevent us from seeing who you are!)
Awards Are Pouring In For The 2009 Releases!
As those of you in Rocca's Best of Class Wine Club are aware, we've been releasing the 2009 vintage throughout the year, and the awards and accolades for these wines are already coming in! Here's what we've received so far:
2009 Estate Merlot, Grigsby Vineyard: Gold Medal, San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition;
2009 Estate Syrah, Grigsby Vineyard: 90 Points, Wine Spectator; 91 Points, Purely Domestic Wine Report; (To Be Released October 2013).
2009 Vespera Proprietary Red Blend: 91 Points and Gold Medal, 7th Annual Cabernet Shootout; 91 Points, Purely Domestic Wine Report...and the one we're REALLY proud of...Best of Class for Red Blends, San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.


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Latinos Bullied Black and White Workers, Held Spanish-Only Safety Meetings, Agency Charged
SAN ANTONIO ñ E&D Services, Inc., a Mississippi-based drilling company accused of engaging in racial harassment and retaliation against white and black employees at a South Texas work site, has agreed to pay $50,000 to settle a Title VII lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today.
According to the EEOCís lawsuit, four employees, three white and one black, experienced racial harassment while assigned to a drilling rig near Mirando City, Texas. The complainants accused the company of not taking steps to address incidents of harassment, including being subjected to racial taunts and mistreatment from Hispanic employees and supervisors working at the remote work site.
The complainants also asserted that their safety was threatened because E&D supervisors conducted safety meetings in Spanish only, and refused to interpret for them in English. White and black employees were told that they needed to learn Spanish because they were in South Texas. The employees said that instead of addressing their complaints of discrimination, E&D fired them.
Racial harassment and retaliation for complaining about it violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The EEOC filed suit (Civil Action No. SA-08-CA-0714-NSN) in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, San Antonio Division, after first attempting to reach a voluntary settlement.
ìRacial harassment ñ by anyone, against anyone, or in any language at the workplace ñ is wrong and illegal,î said David Rivela, senior trial attorney for the EEOCís San Antonio Field Office. ìNo one should have to endure such abuse at work in order to earn a paycheck. And employers make a bad situation worse when they fire employees who complain about discrimination rather than addressing the problem.î
In addition to agreeing to pay the aggrieved former employees $50,000, E&D Services also agreed to establish an effective anti-discrimination policy and to provide anti-discrimination training to its employees.
Supervisory Trial Attorney Judith G. Taylor added, ìThis case is an indicator that racial harassment remains a persistent problem at some job sites. Itís time for employers to be more proactive in preventing and eliminating racist behavior in the workplace. The EEOC intends to make clear that race and color discrimination in the workplace, whether verbal or behavioral, is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.î
In Fiscal Year 2008, the EEOC received 33,937 charges alleging race-based discrimination, accounting for approximately 36 percent of the agency's private sector caseload. Historically, race-based charges have been the most frequent type of filing with EEOC offices nationwide.
The EEOC enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. Further information about the EEOC is available on the agencyís web site at www.eeoc.gov.
This page was last modified on August 11, 2009.
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Ayckbourn's 'House' filled with British humor at Trinity
British playwright Alan Ayckbourn has thrown a big challenge to theatres brave and capable enough to handle his two new plays: Gather a team of actors to perform two plays simultaneously on two stages before two different audiences.
In Trinity's case, the Chase Theatre sits over the Dowling Theatre, requiring the actors to climb up and down stairs to meet their cues on time and requiring director Brian McEleny to do the work of two.
In reality, the audience watching one play knows little about what is going on below or above them, except for a voice giving the actors directions between scenes…and an occasional out-of-breath actor hitting his or her spot at precisely the right moment.
We saw "House" this week and will report on "Garden" next week.
Fred Sullivan Jr. plays the philandering Teddy Platt, whose affair with Joanna, his best friend's wife (Angela Brazil) has caused his wife, Trish (Anne Scurria), to give him the silent treatment, to the point of not acknowledging his presence.
Poor Giles Mace (Stephen Thorne) hasn't got a clue as to what is going on behind his back, to the point of seeking marital advice from his best friend.
Meanwhile, Teddy is preparing for a luncheon with Lucille Cadeau, a famous French film actress (Phyllis Kay) and novelist Gavin Ryng-Mane (Joe Wilson Jr.). To further muddy the waters, Teddy and Trish's daughter (Bridget Saracino) is being wooed by Joanna and Giles Mace's son.
Don't be confused by all the interactions and sub-plots (We haven't even mentioned the two maids (Janice Duclos and Catherine Dupont). What we get is a whirlwind plot involving marital infidelity and how family members respond.
Oh yes. The novelist is trying to convince Teddy to run for a cabinet post with a morality platform, while pandemonium takes place all around him.
There are some funny lines in the play, which takes off too slowly, but gains steam along the way. With so much going on and so many characters, I thought the story at times lost its focus. It does address the issue as to how much a spouse can take before saying, "I've had enough!"
"House" is at Trinity Rep through June 30. You can see one play without seeing the other, as the two stand alone. But what's the fun in that?
Call 351-4242 for reservations.


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The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency expects cyber warfare to be such a recurring reality that it wants to put responding to cyberattacks on autopilot, sort of.
At least, the agency used that word in describing one of the functions it is looking for in a classified cyber warfare program it's calling "Plan X."
In an announcement unveiling the plan, DARPA said one of its goals is "developing high-level mission plans and automatically synthesizing a mission script that is executed through a human-on-the-loop interface, similar to the auto-pilot function in modern aircraft." The idea is to use established methods to quantify potential battle damage from each synthesized mission plan, the announcement said.
Related stories:
'Destructive' cyberattacks ahead, NSA's Alexander warns
DARPA's new cyber tack: Think, act like a hacker
As with conventional warfare, it seems the Pentagon wants to have battle plans ready for any number of cyber scenarios.
DARPA emphasized that Plan X, which also carries the more formal title of "Foundational Cyberwarfare," is not out to explore cyber vulnerabilities or create new cyber weapons — like the U.S.-Israeli program that reportedly produced Stuxnet, Duqu and Flame — but is intended "to create revolutionary technologies for understanding, planning, and managing cyberwarfare in real-time, large-scale, and dynamic network environments."
Among the other goals of the program, according to the announcement, is to create automated analysis techniques for assessing the cyber battle space; develop operating systems and platforms that function in hostile environments, performing tasks such as monitoring battle damage, deploying weapons and adapting defense; and creating interactive visualizations of large-scale battle spaces.
DARPA has scheduled a Proposer's Day Workshop for Sept. 27 that will include an afternoon session classified as secret and open only to attendees with Defense Department Secret or higher clearance levels.
Pentagon leaders have been talking about the potential threats of cyber war for years, but recently those calls have become more urgent. In July, Gen. Keith Alexander, director of the National Security Agency, warned about the potential for cyberattacks in calling for greater information sharing between the public and private sectors.
In April, a panel of cybersecurity experts, also pushing for strong legislation that would help improve the nation's cyber defense, told a House subcommittee that a major attack was "inevitable."
And the appearance of Stuxnet, described as the first weaponized malware for the damage it did to Iranian nuclear processing, also has raised fears that similar programs could be used against the United States.
China's apparent role in a number of cyberattacks and breaches involving both government and private-sector organizations — and potential threats from other countries such as Russia and Iran — has also contributed to concerns that cyberspace has become an active battlefield.
With Plan X, DARPA is recognizing that cyber altercations are becoming an everyday thing.
About the Author
Kevin McCaney is a former editor of Defense Systems and GCN.
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Plan X seems to be nothing more than the type of efforts expended during the cold war where in atomic tests were conducted to perfect predictive models to be used in planning for the eventual atomic attack on the U.S. (It has not happened yet.) The predictive models work and are used today for weather forecasting, environmental hazards and global warming. When we can assess the damage caused then appropriate responses can be defined, but before that happens there needs to be a legal/moral framework established. If you don't define right and wrong, how can you gauge what is an appropriate or adequate response.
"With Plan X, DARPA is recognizing that cyber altercations are becoming an everyday thing." Does this mean that the United States is willing to accept hostile and damaging actions against our military and industrial infrastructure as normal? When do these attacks constitute an Act of War sufficient to elicit a physical response against the perpetrators? Are we discriminating these attacks among nuisance acts, criminal acts, state-sponsored acts and terrorist acts and dealing with them appropriately? When do we take severe public action to demonstrate to would be perpetrators of whatever ilk that we won't stand for this crap anymore? We are being too nice. Lock them up, shut them down, go after them like we have been doing with the spammers - only with greater determination and effect.
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This is an annotated, topical list of science fiction novels and stories based on more or less accurate astronomy and physics ideas. Learners can read fictional works that involve asteroids, astronomers, black holes, comets, space travel where... (View More) Einstein's ideas are used correctly, exploding stars, etc. (View Less)
This activity focuses on the relationship between science of looking for life and the tools, on vehicles such as the Mars Rover, that make it possible. Learners will create their own models of a Mars rover. They determine what tools would be... (View More) necessary to help them better understand Mars (and something about life on Mars/its habitability). Then they work in teams to complete a design challenge where they incorporate these elements into their models, which must successfully complete a task. Teams may also work together to create a large-scale, lobby-sized version that may be put on display in the library to engage their community. The activity also includes specific tips for effectively engaging girls in STEM. This is activity 6 in Explore: Life on Mars? that was developed specifically for use in libraries. (View Less)
This is a set of three activities about how scientists study other worlds. Learners will explore and compare the features of Mars and Earth, discuss what the features suggest about the history of Mars, and create a model to help them understand how... (View More) scientists view other worlds. The activities help to show why scientists are interested in exploring Mars for evidence of past life, and address the question: "Why are we searching for life on Mars?" It also includes specific tips within each activity for effectively engaging girls in STEM. This is activity 4 in "Explore: Life on Mars" that was developed specifically for use in libraries. (View Less)
This textbook chapter introduces the buffalo as a keystone species, and describes the environmental impacts of its near extinction, including today's predominance of non-native species in the Great Plains. Human activities that contribute to... (View More) species extinction are addressed. Students graph historical sightings of buffalo, and calculate the number of buffalo killed for bone used in refining sugar and fertilizer and in the production of bone china. The resource includes a link to current news articles and a teacher's guide. This is the second chapter in the unit, Losing Biodiversity, examining the endangerment and extinction of entire species of plants and animals throughout the world due to human actions. The resource is part of Global System Science (GSS), an interdisciplinary course for high school students that emphasizes how scientists from a wide variety of fields work together to understand significant problems of global impact. (View Less)
Materials Cost: 1 cent - $1 per group of students
This is a lesson about the search for life on Mars. Learners will participate in three activities. In the first activity (Imaginary Martians) learners will compare a fictional organism with what they know about life on Mars today. In the second... (View More) activity (Looking for Life), learners will define important features of a living organism and use them to analyze three different soil samples. In the third activity (Mars Critters), learners will design a plant or animal life form that might survive on Mars. This is lesson 6 of 24 in a collection, titled Mars Activities. Note: Find the latest information and updates on Mars missions at the NASA Mars Exploration website (see Related & Supplemental Resources to the right). (View Less)
Highlights of Laura Ingalls Wilder's classic children's novel, Little House on the Prairie, provides passages where hypothermia is evidenced. It is suggested that these passages can be used as examples within a general unit on health and the human... (View More) body, or even as an introduction to a writing assignment on observations. This resource is from PUMAS - Practical Uses of Math and Science - a collection of brief examples created by scientists and engineers showing how math and science topics taught in K-12 classes have real world applications. (View Less)
Materials Cost: Free per student


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Step deck company drivers earn big with big miles.
Our company drivers earn $.52 CPM, and with freight at an all time high, get up to 3,000 miles per week. Our support team will get you home every other weekend (Fri-Sun) so that you can enjoy that much needed home time in full. Get an additional $25 each time your tarp, and earn $.06 per mile more on those loads! With up to 4-6 tarps per week, that adds up fast. Earn up to $1,830 per week!
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Get a New Lease on Driving Today. Join FTI.
Call 866-823-4121 now to speak with a member of our recruiting team!


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Virginia's football program will head into next season with new coordinators on both sides of the ball after offensive coordinator Bill Lazor opted Tuesday to take a position on the Philadelphia Eagles' staff.
Lazor, who has been U.Va.'s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach since Mike London started coaching at Charlottesville in 2010, is the fifth coach to either leave or be fired from U.Va.'s staff since the end of the season.
U.Va. confirmed Lazor's departure Tuesday afternoon in a release from its athletic department, but the school didn't state he is heading to Philadelphia. CBSSports.com's Bruce Feldman first reported Lazor would take a position with the Eagles.
"I appreciate Bill Lazor's time here as a member of my staff," London said in the release. "We are now wrapping up our recruiting and starting our preparation for the 2013 season. We will move quickly to find a new offensive coordinator to keep the program moving forward."
On Jan. 3, U.Va. announced it hired Tom O'Brien as associate head coach for offense and tight ends coach, Jon Tenuta as associate head coach for defense and defensive coordinator and Jeff Banks as special-teams coordinator and running backs coach. Hampton High graduate Marques Hagans was promoted at the time from graduate assistant to wide receivers coach.
Less than a week and a half later, Banks took a job on Texas A&M's staff. U.Va. replaced him with Larry Lewis. In adding O'Brien, Tenuta, Lewis and Hagans, U.Va. fired defensive coordinator Jim Reid, defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator Jeff Hanson, running backs coach Mike Faragalli and tight ends coach Shawn Moore.
Lazor, a 40-year-old native of Scranton, Pa., also coached U.Va.'s wide receivers this past season. U.Va., which ran a pro-style attack under Lazor, finished 62nd in the nation out of 120 Bowl Subdivision programs this past season in total offense (396.5 yards per game), 93rd in scoring offense (22.8 points per game) and 96th in rushing offense (128.5 yards per game).
He rotated quarterbacks Michael Rocco and Phillip Sims for the last four games of this past season. Rocco decided to transfer to Richmond after the season.
In 2011, Lazor rotated Rocco and Hampton High graduate David Watford at quarterback for the first seven games before settling on Rocco. U.Va. was 46th in total offense (399.8 yards per game), 52nd in rushing offense (162.1 yards per game) and 86th in scoring offense (23.2 points per game).
In 2010, U.Va. was 37th in total offense (404.8 yards per game) with Marc Verica at quarterback and 75th in scoring offense (25.3 points per game). With Verica under center, U.Va. threw 17 interceptions in the '10 season — a total that was surpassed by only nine teams in the nation.
Lazor interviewed last year for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' offensive coordinator position under new coach Greg Schiano. Mike Sullivan ultimately became the Buccaneers' offensive coordinator.
Prior to coming to U.Va., Lazor coached seven straight seasons in the NFL — two seasons as the Seattle Seahawks' quarterbacks coach in '08 and '09, four seasons as an assistant coach with the Washington Redskins (including the '06 and '07 seasons as the Redskins' quarterbacks coach under former coach Joe Gibbs), and a season as the offensive quality control coach for the Atlanta Falcons under former coach Dan Reeves. Lazor's first stop as an offensive coordinator was in '01 and '02 at the University of Buffalo, where he was the quarterbacks coach.
"We have always been aware Bill Lazor might pursue a great opportunity in the National Football League," U.Va. executive associate athletic director Jon Oliver said in the release. "The job he is taking with an NFL team is simply that. We see this as an opportunity for our football program that we will seek to maximize."


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Same Life, New Story: Change Your Perspective to Change Your Life : Move from what "is" to what "can be" by changing how you think and talk to yourself. Using powerful character studies of ten women from Scripture, as well as modern-day stories from her work as a professional life coach, Bible teacher Jan Silvious helps women choose new stories instead of dumping, or wallowing in, their old lives. Naomi, Leah, Rahab, Deborah, Hannah, Anna, Jehosheba, Abigail, Naaman's servant girl, and Elizabeth round out the cast of characters who, with their own stories, help readers find new perspectives with amazing results. Chapters include: Realize it's time. Don't be held hostage by the past. Ask yourself good questions. Change your "I can't" to "I can". Delete the drama of the day. Forget the "What might have beens". Discover the power of wisdom and courage. Get past the resistance of fear. Choose to bounce back. The last chapter has not been written yet.
|Religión y Espiritualidad
|Libros Cristianos


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We're looking for a passionate board game player who is interested in blogging/article writing for our Board Game Store. This job may lead to Facebook/Instagram posting as well. We're looking for somebody who keeps up with the latest tabletop industry news, kickstarters and overall board game enthusiast. Please only apply if this...
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hi Friend, We Need to develop a 3CX CONTACT CENTER WALL BOARD. Please check the PDF file.
... Product Sold: Stand up Paddle Board Requirements: Looking for a logo that includes the Shaka (hand signal see picture example) with the name of the company. Note: I will be providing feedback to ALL submissions, feel free to submit as many as you like. The shaka sign, sometimes known as "hang loose," is a gesture of friendly inten...
...Need .php 7 script written to pull from various Job Board APIs (plenty of source code examples on the web, many from job api providers themselves) and save results to mySQL • I'll provide the mysql IP, username, password for your development; will already have tables and sprocs for you to use/refine • Job Boards needed (I will provide affiliat...
I currently have a one-page resume and have not needed to apply for a job for over 15 years. Though my resume covers my current job I need to put more information into it as well as have it target board of director positions. I have a specific position in mind that I would like the resume to target.
Design PCB board which would be controlled thru app and usb. More info pm.
create powerpoint presentation - about 40 to 50 charts. Require executive style for the preso. Input will be given in the format of excel or word - i will try to avoid to minimize hand written input to minimize issues
...looking for a freelancer who can develop firmware for ESP32 board, circuit for power supply and controlling the 16X16 led lights (WS2812B). Also we need Android App for controlling the led lights like sending customize or fixed images, text using BLUETOOTH. The freelancer has to provide the specification of the battery on which this board along with
We PCBA for board has some bug: Your job will be : - Review my schematic and make sure it will meet final necessary functionality of our product - Review our design orCad file, Gerber and BOM and make sure they are meet the schematic needs - Debug the board and work with the PCBA manufacturer to fix the issue. - Do the software test of produced
Hi, We have a nice site ready and dummy generic content. Would like someone who has experience in the field who can guide me in how to properly pitch my landing page in terms of creative writing, creative design, and get our message across to potential local customers looking for a board and care for their mom/dad. We plan on marketing our site through
We require an experienced person to create an animated white board video with voice presentation. We have the script ready. Only people with experience may bid
Have developed a board game needing a 1 to 2 minute animated promo video for a Kickstarter release. The board game is a zombie themed apocalyptic aftermath, where players move around a game board set up like a map. Should be a fun video.
I need a freelancer who have experience in parallax basic stamp board. He is also expert in Python. I have to modify a previous code and need me connection detail. Please make a series bid
i need layout from attached file and 3000 of these made
I have A0 board which needed to design, I require this urgently, therefore, I need someone who can work and respond to msg quite fast.
Import listing, Click and Drag, Selectable, Insert background image Background changeable. Click and drag the text file, excel file data to the box. Clickable data can be edited. Move data around the box. The box is expandable.
Import listing, Click and Drag, Selectable, Insert background image Background changeable. Click and drag the text file, excel file data to the box. Clickable data can be edited. Move data around the box. The box is expandable.
We need some help designing a for sale board for a real estate company. The company logo, sample photos and details are attached. Names: Andrew Nguyen / Samantha Nowakowski Mobile: 0411 786 988 / 0435 927 919 Website: [log masuk untuk melihat URL] Title: THE HOUSE IS GREAT Dot Points: - 3 spacious living areas - Open plan kitchen
Import listing, Click and Drag, Selectable, Insert background image Background changeable. Click and drag the text file, excel file data to the box. Clickable data can be edited. Move data around the box. The box is expandable.
Import listing, Click and Drag, Selectable, Insert background image Click and drag the text file, excel file data to the box. Clickable data can be edited. Move data around the box. The box is expandable.
I need you to develop some software for me. I would like this software to be developed for Windows using .NET. angular small small modules
I need the standard example for this W5500 interface expanded to enable the sending of a large web page to a client. The example can be downloaded from: [log masuk untuk melihat URL] The example simply echos characters back to the client application whereas I need to server web pages. You need to have
As part of larger project, we need BananaPi M2 Zero board and 2 sample apps development. Please read uploaded file for project and deliverable.
I require a graphics designer who has previously designed a flex board and knows what resolution is required for printing to design two flex boards and four pictorial vinyl sticker (pictures to picked from web and modified for printing ) there will be some Hindi typing required I need to finish the project at the earliest with in 2-...
Board game will be launched later this year. The style is sci fi, future soldier, tech, digital art. Aiming for $200 budget. 1. Attack Card: A future soldier aiming and shooting. Crop from the thighs up with the rest of the body showing. No background needed. 2. Move Card: A future soldier running. Crop from the thighs up with the rest of the body
1) Build a z-fold menu card for a restaurant - Size for z-fold menu card - A4 Size (2-sided) 2) Build a restaurant banner - Size for the restaurant banner - 24ft x 3ft 3) Build an overhead menu board for the restaurant - Size for the overhead menu board - 14ft x 2ft 4) Develop an attracting business card for the restaurant. - Regular size business card


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All this humdrum about Non Resident Indians being so successful makes me want to scream. So many people are talking about how this Indian is the CEO of that company, etc. So? Big Deal!!
I agree with something Lord Swaraj Paul said recently - We are one sixth of the world's population. Read it again. One Sixth. That's like, one, two, three, four, five, Bhaijan. Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Behenji.
By this rule, every one in six successful people should be Indian. So every one in six times you read a book, it should be an Indian work. Every sixth software you use, should be Indian. Hell, every sixth model you think of in your dreams should also be Indian.


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Who wants a chance to win the ebook "Mr. Popper's Penguins" by Richard and Florence Atwater? (Released by Open Road Media). The film version is based on this classic book from 1939. We are giving away (2) two free review copies via NetGalley.
This giveaway is open to anyone, anywhere in the world. You must enter before July 13th. You can enter 1 time daily to increase your chances on winning. Hurry and good luck.
May the best Jim Carrey-faniacs win!
Enter the giveaway here:


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The Underneath
There is nothing lonelier than a cat who has been loved, at least for a while, and then abandoned on the side of the road.
A calico cat, about to have kittens, hears the lonely howl of a chained-up hound deep in the backwaters of the bayou. She dares to find him in the forest, and the hound dares to befriend this cat, this feline, this creature he is supposed to hate. They are an unlikely pair, about to become an unlikely family. Ranger urges the cat to hide underneath the porch, to raise her kittens there because Gar-Face, the man living inside the house, will surely use them as alligator bait should he find them. But they are safe in the Underneath...as long as they stay in the Underneath.
Kittens, however, are notoriously curious creatures. And one kitten's one moment of curiosity sets off a chain of events that is astonishing, remarkable, and enormous in its meaning. For everyone who loves Sounder, Shiloh, and The Yearling, for everyone who loves the haunting beauty of writers such as Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Flannery O'Connor, and Carson McCullers, Kathi Appelt spins a harrowing yet keenly sweet tale about the power of love -- and its opposite, hate -- the fragility of happiness and the importance of making good on your promises.
- Atheneum Books for Young Readers |
- 336 pages |
- January 2010 |
- Grades 5 - 9 |
- Lexile ® 830L
Hear an Excerpt
Reading Group Guide
1. The action in the book takes place in the marshy swampland and deep forests of Texas's bayou region. Research bayous and their ecosystems and prepare a report. In what parts of the world do bayous exist? What kinds of plants and animals live in bayous? How are bayous similar to and different from other ecological environments -- for example, what do bayous have in common with the Florida Everglades, and how do the two areas differ?
2. Long before the Europeans settled along the Gulf Coast, a varied group of Native Americans live in the piney woods of East Texas and Louisiana. They were collectively known as the Caddo. It was from the Caddo language that the name for the state of Texas came about. The name meant "friend." In fact, the Caddo were known as a friendly people. Even though Hawk Man and his family weren't Caddo themselves, they might have been welcome in a Caddo village, just as the later Europeans were welcomed. Research the Caddo. There are hardly any left in their original homeland, and they have mostly settled in Oklahoma and Mexico. Why did they leave? What were some of the things that they were famous for? How did they learn to survive in the marshy swamps of their native territory?
1. Grandmother Moccasin and her daughter Night Song are lamia, half-serpent and half-human. Hawk Man is also an "animal of enchantment" [page 61], having been a bird before turning into a man. If you see more


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5 Colorful Wall Decals
Wall decals are an ingenious way to add color to your kids' rooms without having to commit big resources. They're relatively inexpensive, easy to apply, and when tastes change, you can peel them off and start over. Here are a few colorful choices we're loving&hellip
•Space Out Stick Ons, $45.00, The Land of Nod. 18 space-themed stickers in bright colors include rockets, planets and funky creatures.
•Blowing Cherry Blossom Tree Decal, $82.00, Etsy. Purple and pink cherry blossoms float off this large cherry tree in a burst of color.
•Bees and Trees Wall Decor, $25.00, Colorful Childhood Store. These images are designed with pediatricians and ophthalmologists in order to enhance your baby's development. They are removable and reusable, so you can change up the pattern as often as you like.
•Dots and Circles Wall Decals, $44.00, Rosenberry Rooms. Customize your wall decals with this set; you choose 3 colors from over 40 different options (including "terracotta spice," "butter" and "granite") and get your child's name as a decal to boot. There are both boy and girl color options.
•Dragon Wall Decal, $84.00, Animi Causa Boutique. Create your own medieval scene with these bright orange and blue decals.


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A Look Back on My 2012 Christmas Wish List
John Lynn is the Founder of the HealthcareScene.com blog network which currently consists of 10 blogs containing over 8000 articles with John having written over 4000 of the articles himself. These EMR and Healthcare IT related articles have been viewed over 16 million times. John also manages Healthcare IT Central and Healthcare IT Today, the leading career Health IT job board and blog. John is co-founder of InfluentialNetworks.com and Physia.com. John is highly involved in social media, and in addition to his blogs can also be found on Twitter: @techguy and @ehrandhit and LinkedIn.
Last year, I posted a healthcare IT Christmas Wish list. A year later, I thought it would be fun if I got what I wanted for Christmas last year or not (yes, it takes healthcare at least a year to grant wishes).
Here's the list and my thoughts on how far we've come on each wish:
1. Open EHR Systems – We're certainly not there yet, but I think there has been a sea change when it comes to opening up EHR software. I'm sure some could appropriately argue that we still have a long way to go, but let me give you some examples from Epic that give me cause for hope. First, this Epic Interoperability chart that Judy shared. Second, Kaiser joined the Epic network. Third, the Epic API.
It's fun to use Epic as a proxy for openness because they've been so closed for so long. Judy Faulkner was after all the one that suggested that open EHR was an issue for patients. I'd love to see EHR more open, but I'm excited by the possibilities of open EHR. I believe this will have to happen and vendors who fight against it will be left behind.
2. Remove Healthcare's Perverse Incentives – Sadly, I've seen almost no change to this yet. One area where I think this could be starting to change is around price transparency. There's been a strong push to make healthcare pricing more transparent. As more and more patients have high deductible plans (like me), we start to shop around a lot more and be more interested in price. When we're footing the bill, that price translates to our cost. This will cause companies to change how they do business.
3. Beautiful EHR User Interfaces – I've seen very little change in this regard. Sure, a few have rolled out an iPad interface, but I think they've missed out on the iPad Opportunity. Although, I recently saw the Modernizing Medicine iPad interface again in person. It's so fundamentally different than every other EHR interface I've seen. While it demonstrates well the opportunity, it's so fundamentally different that I'm not sure any existing EHR vendors can replicate it. I ask myself if we've spent billions of dollars on EHR user interfaces that can't be what they should become.
4. More Empowered and Trusted Patients – I'm sure we'll be battling this one for a long time to come. Although, the empowered patient is happening. Health information is available to everyone at the click of the mouse or a swipe of the finger. This shift is going to happen. There is nothing anyone can do to stop it. It's more a question of whether people will embrace it or "kick against the pricks."
Overall I'd say that we're generally trending towards my wish list, but as is usually the case there is plenty more to do. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the above items.


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Investigating Graduate programs, contacting schools, researching financial aid, and completing applications and other paperwork are only part of the graduate school process. You must also take the necessary entrance exams. The sooner you take the exams, the sooner you can complete the other necessary steps. During the process of applying to schools, make sure to find out what standardized tests are needed for admittance. Below is a brief overview of the different tests offered for higher education.
Graduate Record Examination (GRE)
The General Test is a three hour, computer-based test that measures analytical, verbal and quantitative skills. Where the computer-based test is unavailable, paper -based test is administered. The General Test measures skills that the student has acquired over years of schooling and are not necessarily related to any particular field of study.
The typical format of the test is as follows:
|AW (analytical writing): 75 minute section- 2 writing tasks:
|Present Your Perspective on an Issue
|45 minutes
|Analyze an Argument
|30 minutes
|V (verbal): 38 questions per section
|Two 30 minute sections
|Q (Quantitative): 28 questions
|45 minutes
* In addition, another V or Q section will be administered. This section will not count towards your total score. Be sure to complete the additional section as the unscored section will not be revealed to you at that time. An identified research section that is also not scored may be included on the computer-based test.
For test preparation and GRE practice, check out http://www.mometrix.com/academy/gre-test/
Law School Admissions Test (LSAT)
The LSAT is a half-day, standardized test administered four times each year at designated testing centers. The LSAT is designed to measure skills considered essential for success in law school: Reading and comprehension of complex texts with accuracy and insight, organization and management of information and the ability to draw reasonable inferences from it, ability to think critically, and analysis and evaluation of the reasoning and arguments of others.
The test consists of five 35-minute sections of multiple choice questions:
One reading comprehension section
One analytical reasoning section
Two logical reasoning sections
* Each exam includes an unscored "experimental section." Be sure to answer all sections as the experimental section will not be disclosed.
A 35-minute writing sample is administered at the end of the test. The LSAT is scored on a scale of 120 to 180, with 180 being the highest possible score.
Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT)
The GMAT is a half-day, standardized test required for admittance to most graduate schools of business. The questions involve: Sentence correction, reading comprehension, critical thinking, problem solving and data sufficiency.
A Typical GMAT test would be structured as follows:
|Warm-up Period
|Analytical Writing Assessment
|Issue Topic
|30 minutes
|Argument Topic
|30 minutes
|(Optional Break)
|5 minutes
|Quantitative Section (37 Q'ns)
|75 minutes
|(Optional Break)
|5 minutes
|Verbal Section (41 Q'ns)
|75 minutes
*The warm-up section is untimed and unscored. It is simply a time to become familiar with the computer program used to administer the test.
Medical College Admission Test (MCAT)
The MCAT is a full day, standardized examination required for admission to medical colleges. The test includes questions concerning biology, inorganic and organic chemistry, physics, reading and skills analysis.
The MCAT examination is divided into four sections:
|Physical Science (77 Q'ns)
|100 minutes
|Verbal Reasoning (60 Q'ns)
|85 minutes
|Writing (2 Q'ns)
|60 minutes
|Biological Science (77 Q'ns)
|100 minutes
A 10 minute break is offered between the Physical Science and the Verbal Reasoning, a 60 minute break for lunch between the Verbal Reasoning and the Writing and another 10 minute break between the Writing and the Biological Science sections.
* For detailed information concerning the MCAT, consider purchasing the MCAT Student Manual available at www.aamc.org/students/mcat/studentmanual/start.htm#introduction.


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Are you an employee? Have you been looking for an article to know about the employee benefits? If so, we suggest that you check out the tips given below. These tips will help you understand the subject better. Read on to know more.
It's a good idea to create and maintain a copy of the claim form as well as attached receipts prior to sending them to a reputable insurance company for payment. Some people ignore this procedure, which causes a lot of problems for them down the road.
When making a call to the insurance company, make sure you note down the name of the representative who received your call. Aside from this, it's a good idea to record the time and date as well. Moreover, you may want to confirm everything. If you are not sure about something, you may want to ask questions to ensure that you have not noted down wrong details. This will save you from a lot of problems over the long haul.
If you incur heavy expenses, who do you think will pay for your dental or health benefits plan? Do you think your insurer will make payment for it? You may want to get the information in writing from your insurance provider. You may want to know what will be covered and what will not be covered, which will help you know what will be covered by the insurance. If you do this, you can get a pre-determination on your dental benefits. If you don't know, insurers do this for free of charge for claims that are over $300. So, getting a pre-determination won't cost you an arm and a leg.
If you are in doubt, we suggest that you check out your insurance booklet. You may want to ask for help if you have no idea what a certain term means. The booklet contains plenty of information that will be helpful for you. Equipped with this information, you will be able to make the right decisions as far as employee benefits are concerned.
Are you going to make a lifestyle change? Are you going to get married? Are you going to get a divorce? Are you going to have a new child? If so, you may want to keep in mind that your new lifestyle can have a great impact on your benefits on one way or the other. Therefore, it's important that you let the concerned person know the changes that you have made your mind to make. Moreover, you don't have to wait for 30 days before letting the concerned person know as it can result in serious complications.
So, if you have been searching for some tips on your employee benefits, we suggest that you check out the tips given in this article. If you still have some questions, we suggest that you turn to a good expert for answers. Just make sure you go to a reliable expert only. Hopefully, this article has helped you a lot.


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Funding, complexity could stymie OMB-25 Plans
Agency managers might find it easier meeting the administration's "cloud first" mandates than achieving some of the data center consolidation goals laid out last month in the Office of Management and Budget's 25-point plan to reform federal IT management, industry observers say.
Data center migration is a complex task that requires a lot of money, and it is not clear where that funding will come from given the present economic climate, some observers said.
As part of the plan, the Obama administration wants to consolidate 800 of the government's 2,100 data centers by 2015. The plan extends guidance issued in February 2010, when the administration launched the Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative. The cloud-first policy requires agencies to move three applications over the next 12 to 18 months to the cloud, a computing model where shared resources, software and information are provided to users on-demand.
Compared to moving applications such as e-mail to a cloud computing environment, data center consolidation is going to take serious cash, said Bruce Hart, chief operating officer for cloud service provider Terremark Federal Group and a former IT director of the CIA.
"I don't think [Federal CIO] Vivek Kundra has done an adequate job to date to identify the source of funding for all of this, because data center consolidation is a fairly expensive proposition," he said.
Hitting the 2015 target can be achieved, but it will take a lot of planning, said Bob Otto, executive vice president of advisory services with Agilex, an IT consulting firm. A former CIO at the U.S. Postal Service, Otto helped consolidate 18 large data centers and close down 350 remote sites at USPS.
By the middle of this year, agencies will begin consolidating their "low-hanging" remote sites to demonstrate that it can be done and to symbolically show success, Otto said. As a result, by the end of the 2011, "we will probably see 250 sites closed."
Related coverage:
Implementing a cloud-first policy? Start with e-mail.
Data center consolidation a decade away, report says
Still, closing larger data centers is much more of a challenge, but it's something that can be achieved. "I believe there is a great deal of confidence that the 800 centers closed by 2015 will be achieved," Otto, said, noting that it will save the government money in the long run.
To meet the administration's 2015 target, OMB is working with agency CIOs, the Federal CIO Council and the General Services Administration to lay the groundwork for successful execution.
For example, the 25-point plan requires OMB and agency CIOs to identify agency data center program managers to lead consolidation efforts. Additionally, over the next two months, the CIO Council will launch a Data Center Consolidation Task Force to focus on successful execution. OMB will establish a publicly available dashboard to track data center consolidation progress. And, within the next 18 months, OMB and GSA will create a governmentwide marketplace that better utilizes spare capacity within operational data centers.
Calling all program managers
Establishing program managers is a necessary first step, but the question is whether that should be done at the agency level or above, Terremark's Hart said. Typically, task forces don't ensure execution of anything, he said, adding that that's why government rushes to establish so-called czar positions.
Hart said he's not suggesting that a national data center consolidation czar be appointed. However, there needs to be a single leader with relentless tenacity to push this kind of complex program through.
Having senior program managers assigned to lead the project will be critical over the next few years, Otto said. However, agency managers should view them as not just project managers but as some of the most senior IT executives within the organization.
If done properly, data center consolidation can transform every aspect of an IT organization, having an impact on enterprise architecture, contracting, the development and provisioning of new systems, organization structure and IT governance and security.
Regarding the creation of a data center consolidation task force, "my concern is that the membership suggests that the primary focus will be on facilities," Otto said. Similar groups will be needed to address the IT transformation implications of data center consolidation, he said, as well as the change-management requirements and the people issues.
Tracking success
The OMB dashboard to track progress sounds like a reasonable idea, observers said.
"Ultimately, what gets measured gets done," said Gigi Schumm, vice president and general manager of Symantec Public Sector. It is important that the evaluation metrics be more substantial than soft requirements, Schumm said.
For example, it would be interesting to see performance metrics that would include reporting similar to what is being done by the Homeland Security Department with the CyberScope security initiative. There should an emphasis on providing common data center metrics on utilization, performance and security. Well-defined timelines, milestones and impact results must also be monitored in order to truly determine progress, Schumm said.
"Beyond whatever OMB implements in terms of reporting, I would also recommend that CIOs create 'war rooms' to support their planning," Otto said. For an initiative of this size, there are thousands of metrics and steps to track regularly, he said.
Harnessing extra capacity
The plan to create a governmentwide marketplace for extra capacity drew mixed reactions.
The online marketplace will improve the utilization of existing facilities, according to the OMB 25-plan.
"The marketplace will help agencies with available capacity promote their available data center space," according to OMB's plan. "Once agencies have a clear sense of the existing capacity landscape, they can make more informed consolidation decisions."
It's a charming idea, but a bit naive, Hart said. "I've never known an agency that admits to extra capacity in any regard," he said. It is a funding issue, he said, noting that it is difficult to get federal funding for IT projects. They don't generate excitement and require multiyear commitments. So if agencies have anything that is spare, they are not going to define it that way in defending their budget programs, Hart said.
It's a great concept but very complex to put in practice, Schumm said. There are trust and data security issues when dealing with shared resource models. This is apparent with the first wave of cloud adoption, Schumm said.
Plus, as data centers are reduced, the amount of information being created is doubling year over year with even greater data growth rates anticipated with the introduction of new mobile devices. This will have ramifications on data centers in the future.
"Extra capacity may need to be redefined in the very near future," Schumm said.
To increase efficiency, managers should focus on smaller agencies consolidating their IT requirements at the department level or governmentwide, Agilex's Otto said. It is not cost-effective for these agencies to run their own data centers.
"We might also direct some larger agencies to serve as Tier 1 private cloud providers for all of government," Otto said. They could develop government-specific services that would rival the best of the commercial sector, he added.
About the Author
Rutrell Yasin is is a freelance technology writer for GCN.
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There is so many resources in the current distributed Federal IT Infrastructure and Workforce, in the Technology Refresh, New Construction, Operation and Maintenance Budgets that great planning would offset those up front cost and a pay-go scenario could easily be funded with the savings associated with the low-hanging fruit.
Sequencing Infrastructure Build-outs to include converting existing Infrastructure to standards based Architecture adopting Identity Credential and Access Management (ICAM) would harvest, provisioning and auditing cost and provide and easy migration and funding strategy toward cloud computing as an example.
That is the critical thinking involved in the teams I have been so lucky to be involved during my 32 year tenure as a Senior Asset Manager in the Department of the Interior. While it was not the thinking across all of Interior during my tenure, we did significantly raise the metrics of our Program through our planning, execution and Program performance which consistently spoke for itself. Our Program Performance allowed Interagency support from Professionals across government enabling our Small Bureau and myself to lead the Government Smart Card Interagency Advisory Board through the adoption of FIPS-201 working with NIST. Our Bureau delivered the same level of Access Management, Digital Signatures and Physical Access in advance of the Federal ICAM Roadmap in FY 2004 with no budget increases.
It was discussions of needing Budgetary resources that derailed DOI's total migration but fortunately other great organizations such as USDA, GSA and NASA that is delivery the robust Enterprise approach to ICAM that will save Tax Payers millions of dollars and be the leader in the road map for the President's Federal side of the National Strategy for Trusted Credentials in Cyberspace (NSTIC).
NSTIC was recently mention in a silicon valley Public Private web conference as a Government Model for NSTIC.
The migration strategy will not only reduce the cost of Delivering Service inside Federal Agencies but also Government to Government including State's and to Citizens and be a model for Large and Small Businesses alike.
FWIW and IMO, seems to me that both Bruce Hart and Bob Otto are spot on. The short term up front cost are going to be significant to achieve the level of consolidation this plan invisions and/or demands.
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