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With reference to the Aug. 22 letter from Isaam Nashashibi, "Profiling not the way to combat terrorism," I, too, thought to write to The Chronicle regarding the Aug. 10 U.S. Rep. Charlie Norwood's, R-Ga., guest column,"The deadly side of political correctness," but I concluded that no one in his right mind, only a Muslim extremist, would disagree with the congressman.
I believe that Mr. Norwood is simply trying to identify the enemy. They are Muslims. They are Middle Eastern. They are terrorists. The enemy knows that we cannot prosecute a war against him if we cannot identify him, and that cowardly obscurity is fundamental to terrorism. Mr. Nashashibi knows this as well. Where do his loyalties lie? If they are with America, wouldn't it be far better for this American-Arab spokesman to decry these atrocities and clearly separate his organization from the terrorists before attacking Americans who seek to defend their country? This they have failed to do.
Identification is hardly profiling in its political sense. These are, in fact, the very people who have murdered many thousands of innocents in repeated sneak attacks against anyone who does not agree with their distorted religious fanaticism.
Our civilization requires that we cannot attack at will, and that we have to have a known enemy, preferably in uniform. Theirs apparently does not. It is in their interest to remain unidentified. Call it profiling if you like; let's do it.
David T. Pitts, Augusta
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Being the numbers nerd I am, I spend a good portion of my time here on the Back Story and over on my Dog Show Poop site focusing on the dog with the most points and the shows with the most entries. However, I have also been a staunch defender of what I like to call "boutique" shows, the smaller shows that leave time to enjoy the day, rather than rushing from ring to ring.
Every now and then, one of these show committees comes up with something really special. Such was Sunday's South New Jersey Kennel Club show. Although the entry was not huge, it wasn't tiny either, but a healthy 750 dogs. What really distinguished this show was its dedication to a cause, Breast Cancer Awareness. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. My regular readers know that my wife of 42 years is a breast cancer survivor. It's a status that is shared by almost 12 percent of US women.
The club has several members who are survivors, and today's show was dedicated to a longtime member and show chair of the SNJKC, Patsy Barber, who lost her battle with the disease this year. The show's theme this year was "Paws in the Pink." In addition to the usual doggy features, the club auctioned off baskets and other items with a pink theme, sold pink ribbons for display to honor survivors and remember those who have been lost, and signed up supporters for their "Paws in the Pink" walk next weekend at Cooper River Park in Camden NJ. All funds will benefit the American Cancer Society's Breast Cancer Awareness program.
Additional fun items were a Best Dressed in Pink contest for both humans and canines. One of the especially poignant features of the show was the pink ribbon cordon surrounding Patsy's regular RV parking spot. The spot will be reserved in her memory at all the club's future shows at the site.
In addition to raising money for a good cause, the club drew some of the finest dogs in the US to its show including three of our Top Ten Dogs All Breeds, the Number Three Dog, the Doberman Pinscher, GCH CH Protocol's Veni Vidi Vici; the Number Five Dog, the Affenpinscher, GCH CH Banana Joe V Tani Kazari; and the Number Ten Dog, the American Foxhound, GCH CH Kiarry's Pandora's Box. Today's BIS was the Kerry Blue Terrier, GCH CH Class Act by Hallsblu, and the RBIS was the Black Cocker Spaniel, GCH CH Sovran's Aranjuez.
Shows like this one remind me why I love this sport. It's populated by good people with good hearts who actually take action. I wish we could get more of our neighbors, friends and co-workers involved in the sport. I think our world would be the better for it. Our thanks to Angela Stein for all the pink photos. And that's today's Back Story.

subset: commoncrawl


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Rita M. - posted on 11/12/2010 ( 25 moms have responded )
I had never really thought that a 1 month old baby would need to drink anything else other than my breast milk, but the other day my Boyfriends grandad asked if I give her water, and I said no, and he said "what? why? Milk is her food, she needs water also to drink! Give her water coz I'm sure you don't know when she's thirsty and not hungry"
everytime she gets fussy I put her to the breast, I dont believe that everytime I feed her it needs to last minimum 15 mins, especially now that after 10 mins of eating she gets heavy gass and spits up the last of the milk she just had.
I dont even know how to ask about this topic..... help?
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- Nice
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Since the advent of Harry Potter, the popularity of teen and children's writers has skyrocketed. As many adults are reading these books as kids are and bookstores have assembled whole sections of their stores for the wide variety of teen material available. Much of the volume of material available tends towards teen science fiction and fantasy, following in the Potter and Hunger Games trends. Other writers have branched out into suspense and even horror. But this isn't a new genre. A few spectacular writers broke ground in these genres decades ago. One of these early few was the esteemed young adult writer John Bellairs.
Bellairs wrote several books in the mid to late 60s, ranging from religious parody to fantasy. In the early 1970s, he wrote a dark fantasy novel for adults, but publishers recommended he rewrite the book for young readers and in 1973, The House With a Clock in its Walls was born. With artwork by the legendary artist Edward Gorey, The House With a Clock in its Walls found immediate success.
Bellairs' flair for the macabre along with Gorey's edgy panels drew together a uniquely dark story. His characters were realistic, flawed, and captivating. The villains had no issues torturing and killing children, much like the original Grimm's Fairy Tales and this stark look at the supernatural underbelly of 1950s New England went on to win 5 literary awards between 1973 and 1982. He went on to win 13 more awards for his other books as well. But Bellairs wasn't done.
He went on to write a total of 15 children's horror novels primarily focusing on three main characters. Of those 15 books, 12 were stunningly illustrated by Edward Gorey. Notably, the Dial hardcover library editions of Bellairs' books feature wraparound dust jacket artwork by Gorey and a unique font, creating a wondrous and foreboding atmosphere before even opening the books themselves.
What's truly remarkable about Bellairs' work, however, is how enduring it is and how well it has aged. Each book comes in at around 150-200 pages, but the length belies the quality of the content. Evil wizards and sorcerers abound and time travel, human sacrifice, and Armageddon are common themes. They aren't simply dark, though. The characters are well-written, the stories cohesive and self-contained. For an adult going back to re-read these books, they have managed to stay compelling and powerful and should be a must-read for the kid who loves a scary story in all of us.
John Bellairs died in 1991 at the age of 53, but he left a legacy of fiction for all of us to treasure. Several movies and shows have been made of his work based on The House With a Clock in its Walls and The Treasure of Alpheus Winterborn, but they are extremely difficult to locate and have low production value. Eric Kripke, of Supernatural fame, has been rumored to be working on a current movie adaptation of The House With a Clock in its Walls, but the project has yet to have materialized. Kripke is said to have been inspired by Bellairs' work as a child. With any luck, a modern movie of Bellairs' seminal work will inspire a whole new generation in the years to come.
For those that are interested, most of John Bellairs's books are in print (and have been continuously since their release) and available on Amazon or at your local library. An original set of the Dial hardcover library editions can run upwards of $500.00 on eBay, even for ex-library copies. A fan tribute website still runs to this day.


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The Culinary Arts AAS degree program prepares students with little or no culinary experience to move immediately into the workforce upon graduation as advanced line cooks or entry-level management positions in finer restaurants while earning a degree. No other local culinary school offers this option. With small class sizes, the student will receive personal attention as s/he learns commercial kitchen functions, food characteristics, and preparation techniques in a fully equipped commercial kitchen. All students perform every laboratory project, ensuring competence and confidence in new culinary skills. The training the student receives in sanitation will prepare him/her for the ServSafe Certification, a much needed and well-compensated requirement in the food service industry. In addition to these vocational skills, the student will gain academic knowledge that will give insight into restaurant and hotel management, increasing value to prospective employers. The student will earn 12 credits toward a certificate through a business internship where s/he will apply the new skills and knowledge in real world settings. Upon completion of this program, the student will be fully prepared for immediate entry into the field of culinary arts. The program prepares students for careers such as: cook, baker, assistant chef, sous chef, assistant manager, assistant pastry chef, caterer, food service inspector, and manager.
North America
Monaca , United States


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Have you seen the great free holiday patterns around Blogland and Ravelry lately?
In case you haven't, I thought I'd share a few.
Aren't these ornaments by Sharon Spence adorable? The perfect gift for your fiber pals!
The patterns are available as a free Ravelry download. Follow this link when you are signed into Ravelry and it will bring you right to the pattern page.
This simple and beautiful Crocheted Snowflake is available as a free step by step tutorial with photos.
Follow this link to Attic24's very user-friendly directions.
Take note, the directions are using UK crochet terms but you could easily translate.
Susan B. Anderson recently hosted a four part Tiny Elf knit along on the Spud and Chloe Blog.
Follow the links for the first part, second part, third part, and fourth part.
It will soon be posted on the sidebar with their other free patterns. But until then, you will need to go to each blog post to get the entire pattern.
Even if your holiday knitting is all planned out for this year–these are great to keep in mind for next year!
Thank you to Sharon Spence, Attic 24, and Susan B. Anderson for borrowing their images!


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Home >> More Reports news >> This Article
European tablet adoption lags behind other regions
Published on: 30th Apr 2012
Note -- this news article is more than a year old.
Market analyst firm Canalys reported today that global tablet shipments more than tripled year on year in Q1 2012. Vendors shipped 20.3 million tablets, representing 19% of all client PC shipments in the quarter. A year ago tablets accounted for just 7% of PC shipments. Adoption rates, however, vary significantly across regions, shaped by differing economic conditions and the resultant influence on consumer spending, as well as the availability of popular content through local app stores.
North America remained the largest region by shipment volume (almost half of the global total), with tablets representing 36% of PCs shipped in the region. Asia Pacific was the second largest, rising 232% year-on-year to exceed 5 million units. But shipments in EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) of 4.7 million in Q1, and year-on-year growth of only 180%, mean the region is lagging behind.
"The challenging economic conditions in Europe are affecting the market. The austerity measures taken by governments to address public debt are resulting in low economic growth rates, limited job creation and pressure on disposable income at a time when households are also dealing with rising living costs," said Canalys Analyst, Tim Coulling. "Contrast this to booming economies in the Asia Pacific region and the rapid rise in middle income households, particularly in China. These present vendors with the greatest opportunities for growth."
"China is now the second largest market for tablets, with shipments in Q1 six times what they were a year earlier," said Nicole Peng, Canalys Research Director, China. "Localization of content and app stores is particularly important for success here, which most foreign competitors have yet to achieve."
Overall, 4 of the 10 largest markets for tablets are in the Asia Pacific region. In addition to its growing economies, government-led school projects to give students tablets to replace textbooks in India, and similar planned initiatives in South Korea and Thailand, will continue contributing to growth in the region.
Economic pressure in Europe is not the only factor for the lower rate of adoption in the EMEA region.
"There are more than 750 million people in Europe. The population is twice the size of the US, but there are only half as many tablets shipped," Coulling added. "Content availability is a key driver for tablets. After TVs themselves, pads are now the most popular device for watching TV content. US users can choose from many content aggregation services, such as those offered by Netflix, Hulu, Xfinity, Apple, Google and Amazon. Having to negotiate digital rights across multiple countries, combined with the variety of languages and cultures, make it complicated and more costly to deliver similar services consistently across Europe."
Canalys' latest quarterly research shows Apple continuing to dominate the market, though the analyst firm estimates Apple had 58% share globally in Q1, down from 74% a year earlier.
"During the quarter it launched the new iPad and lowered the price of the iPad 2. This boosted shipments after a record Q4 and increased pressure on competitors who are fighting on price. It also makes them more accessible to the education sector," said Canalys Research Analyst, Michael Kauh. "Apple's performance in the Asia Pacific region is of particular note, with shipments growing 252% even though the new iPad shipped earlier in North America and Europe."
Canalys estimates Amazon remained in second place with 10% share, although all its shipments were in North America.
"Amazon's rise in the tablet space is testament to the need for a compelling content proposition. You cannot succeed by focusing on device specifications alone," Kauh added. Samsung was the third biggest tablet vendor in the quarter, but given the size of its portfolio, it has been underperforming. "It tries to position its tablets in the same price bracket as Apple, but its lack of content means the products are often overlooked by consumers," Kauh said.
Canalys' research puts Asus in fourth place, followed by Lenovo, RIM and Acer.


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Our opinion: We're still exploring the final frontier, but it's a little more complicated than writing a movie script.
As the last space shuttle mission blasts off today, it's a fair time for Americans to wonder: Are there any more giant leaps for mankind? Can we even afford any more?
Perhaps not for some years. But while a Star Wars future may not be on our immediate horizon, space travel remains in our stars.
As it should. Space exploration is more than an esoteric because-it's-there pursuit. It has yielded tangible, everyday benefits — "jaws of life" accident scene tools, improved firefighting suits and masks, fire-resistant building construction, artificial limbs, ear thermometers, aircraft de-icing systems and safer school bus chassis design, to name just a few.
But the public face of space exploration will be different and, for a while at least, less sexy than a moon mission or a shuttle flight. As human beings push further out, the effort grows more complex and long range.
And more peaceful and cooperative, too.
Until commercial space vehicles are operating (part of NASA's mission to help foster, by the way), American astronauts will hitch rides into space on Russian Soyuz flights, for a reported price of $21 million each way (a bargain compared to the $3 billion-a-year shuttle program). Yes, we're now sharing space travel with the very people with whom we were once locked in a space race — and an arms race.
They'll join colleagues from other nations on the International Space Station, a joint venture with Russia, Japan, Canada and the European Space Agency. They'll continue to study what living beyond Earth's atmosphere involves.
NASA, meanwhile, has abandoned the $50 billion-plus back-to-the-moon Constellation project pushed by former President George W. Bush in favor of more visionary challenges of the future. Among them is the development of "game changing technology" to take people deeper into space, faster and more affordably. A key goal is spacecraft and technology to park alongside and study an asteroid. That's no small feat, considering that those near-Earth objects zip along at more than 50,000 miles an hour.
It may not have all the popular appeal of a moonwalk and it's at least 10 to 15 years off, but it's viewed as an important step toward the even-bigger challenges of getting to Mars and venturing further out into the solar system. It would also give human beings a better understanding of asteroids in the event we ever have to keep one from hitting the planet on short notice — and avoid going the way of the dinosaurs.
We're reminded of the famous quote attributed to Charles H. Duell, commissioner of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. He was reported to have declared in 1899, "Everything that can be invented has been invented."
He didn't say that; in fact, he viewed the coming century with great anticipation. Here's something he really said, in 1902:
"In my opinion, all previous advances in the various lines of invention will appear totally insignificant when compared with those which the present century will witness. I almost wish that I might live my life over again to see the wonders which are at the threshold."
There's your challenge, NASA. Make it so.


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byJennifer Follett on
Built to be light and portable, Lenovo's IdeaPad U110 weighs just 2.3 lbs. and is 0.7 inches deep. It features an 11-inch widescreen display and a red aluminum alloy top cover. It adds extended battery life and optional solid state flash drives. Select configuration also include an "air-bag like" Active Protection System to protect the hard drive during a fall. Pricing was not disclosed.
Email this CRN article


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LONDON – The end of the summer and the start of the school year is always a time of anticipation. It is an opportunity to take stock of the recent past and look ahead to what to expect in the final months of the year. In the world of global risk management, there is plenty to consider.
Summertime saw a dizzying array of crises, in Ukraine, Libya, Gaza and northern Iraq. These all seem likely to simmer along into autumn. But the fall calendar holds new challenges in store as well.
At several points in the coming months, international organizations will grapple with the new realities of global governance in the face of resurgent East-West tensions. It begins right away; with a September 4 NATO summit where Russian aggression in Ukraine is sure to dominate the agenda. It continues with the UN General Assembly meeting in late September—an annual stage for airing global grievances. Yet the new East-West rift will also be felt at November's G-20 summit and December's UN Climate Change conference.
"The Ukraine crisis will move from something acute to something prolonged, and the crisis afflicting that country will be a constant reminder between the East and the West of their differences," explains Control Risks Global Research Director Charles Hecker in a new podcast. Those differences will weigh on more than just international summits, perhaps most immediately on the status of Russia's supply of energy to western Europe ahead of the winter season.
At the same time, a flagging global economy will cast a pall over several national-level events. Economic woes have strengthened non-traditional political parties around the globe. Scotland's nationalists, for example, are riding the wave toward an independence referendum on September 18. And in the United States, the Republican party seems likely to reclaim the Senate in midterm elections, fuelled in part by a resurgent Tea Party movement. Slower-than expected growth hangs over Brazil's October 5 presidential elections as well. Incumbent Dilma Roussef once seemed unbeatable, but now trails in recent polls. October brings a pivotal moment for Japan's leader as well. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's economic stimulus showed promise earlier in the year but is now flagging; an October 15 sales tax hike marks a last-ditch effort to pull his country out of its mega-recession.
Economic repercussions could extend well beyond ballot boxes. "There's not a lot of slack in the global economy," explains Control Risks Managing Director Michael Moran, "markets may react very sharply to surprises." While this hasn't yet been the case with the current spate of geopolitical shocks, many analysts are wary of a global market correction, which could have rippling effects throughout global currencies and international relations writ large.
The RiskMap Podcast is a fortnightly look at global business risks in the coming weeks. You can subscribe to it here.


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The Washington Post's Liz Sly, has made several brief visits to Syria since the uprising began, and she shared her impressions with Reddit users Wednesday on the site's IAmA feature, a Q and A forum for people in unusual circumstances.
Here are highlights from the exchange, some of which have been edited:
Q. emjaiz: "The rebels [have] stated they wanted to overthrow Assad's oppressive regime and implement an Islamic government. What better would that do for the country? Is secularism in government looked down upon there?
A. Sly: The rebels in rural areas are definitely religious in a conservative sense, but Syrians in urban areas have a far more secular outlook, and there are also many minorities in Syria who will certainly not want an Islamic government. Because the government has been so repressive over the past 40 years, there is no tradition of politics outside government. So it is impossible to tell what the majority of people want, which is one reason why what is happening in Syria is so fascinating.
Q. freemarket27: Why is Russia so worked up over keeping Assad in power? Is Russia concerned it is backing the losing side?
A. Sly: I think for Russia this is about much more than Assad, or bases on the Mediterranean or any of the practical issues that link it to Syria. It is about the balance of power and who calls the shots, in the region and the world. For decades America has stood at the center of whatever has been happening in the Middle East (not always to its advantage, but it's been the key outside player). Now Russia is saying, we're still here, and you can't take our last regional ally. This will definitely work to Russia's disadvantage if Assad falls, but I think Russia sees it as an issue of principle, not pragmatism.
Q. rubenbs: Can you please elaborate why you find this more important than most other stories you've worked on in the last 20 years, including the fall of Saddam Hussein?
A. Sly: To recap what I wrote above, I feel Syria is more central to the region and how it operates than Saddam was. The Iraq invasion was as much about America, its ambitions and ability to project power as it was about Iraq. Iraq was already isolated and weak when the Americans invaded; Syria is at the center of a web of alliances and enmities, including Iran, Hezbollah, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Russia and America. If the regime falls, those will be overturned in ways we cannot predict.
Q. SeriousBlack: How important is the defection of the Syrian prime minister and his statements today about the Assad regime crumbling on the inside?
A. Sly: It is, symbolically, very important; practically, less so. Civilian government officials have little influence over the real decisions being taken by Assad, his relatives and his friends and by the security apparatus. Indeed, the civilian government barely exists any more. But, it demonstrates that disaffection with the regime reaches into the highest echelons of society. [Prime Minister Riyad Hijab] was only appointed in June, and Assad must have assumed he was loyal then. It appears he wasn't, so who else?
Q. aarko: Are you working on the ground in Syria, or are you literally based in and working out of Beirut?
How do you feel your work is received by WaPo readers or, generally speaking, by readers in the West? Do you feel that there is sufficient focus on the Syrian revolt from the general public?
A. Sly: I'm based in Beirut, and I mostly work here simply because it has been so difficult to get to Syria. I have been granted three, short official visas since the uprising began, the last one in January. It has recently become easier to sneak into Syria, so I did visit northern Syria last month, and I hope to be going back soon. I feel my stories have been generally well received by readers, but I think it is clear that the Syrian revolt has not captured people's imaginations in the way that the Libyan and Egyptian ones did. The challenge is to find ways to write about it that people will find interesting because it is very important and it is going to have profound consequences.
More world news coverage:
- Pakistani Hindus flee to India
- Militants storm Pakistani air base
- Geithners of Zeulenroda, Germany


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What is diversity? A good question – and not one that I appreciated needed to be qualified. So perhaps I can qualify it, both with examples of what IS diversity, and what is NOT diversity – you're more than welcome to disagree with what YOU think diversity is, but this, at least, is what *I* am talking about, when I use the word.
While this might come across as a lecture (i.e. there are no questions in it…) I hope you can gather that it's really just a description of a word I used, that I think has been taken to mean something that I DON' T mean it to be. Read it as a clarification, not a lecture!
Diversity defined!
From a few different sites we have:
"the state or fact of being diverse (of a different kind, form, character, etc); difference; unlikeness" (dictionary .com, thefreedictionary and dictionary reference)
"The condition of having or being composed of differing elements : the inclusion of different types of people (as people of different races or cultures) in a group or organization" (webster)
So I think these sum it up for ME (again, you can disagree, I'm posting this to clarify what I mean when I use the word) – but I think I'd go further.
Some everyday examples of diversity:
A menu, is diverse. That is the point of a menu. It provides a number of different options so that the customers can either choose something different between them, or even choose a different meal for subsequent visits.
Elsewhere on this site, I presented a list that demonstrated exactly how diverse even Christianity is – there are hundreds of different religions that use the same core beliefs, and the same core book as key to their faith. Are ALL of these wrong? not at all! – there is excellent communication between most sects, and in many cases the inter-relationships serve to build and improve for everyone. Another point I made was the number of different bible versions – the bible "evolves" according to the language (and a few other parameters too) – but does that mean that "earlier" versions are wrong? are they evil? not at all!. DIVERSITY here allows the bible to reach more people, and be read by more people – not evil, by any stretch.
Is diversity "evil"?
Diversity is not intrinsically "evil" – it is a noun. It is no more evil than "color". Some colors are unappealing to some, but that doesn't mean that "colors" are evil, or even deserving of condemnation. Likewise, some people may not like, or agree with some of the choices made from a menu, but that doesn't mean the menu itself is evil, nor does it mean that the fact OPTIONS exist is "evil".
Some possible CHOICES are evil – yes, agreed, but some possible CHOICES are also NOT evil.
Ergo, diversity in itself, is not "evil". Is not the menu that is evil, even if fugu is on the menu.
So why will people maintain diversity is "evil"?
I don't know. But I can understand why people maintian diversity is "bad". Usually this is because diversity, by its nature, introduces unpredictable or unknown perturbations from what they regard as a status quo.
This means that if you don't like things being different, unpredictable or unknowable, then you might object to it. Other people see this kind of unpredictability as an interesting, and rather inevitable challenge.
Yes, diversity means that people will have an opinion different to yours – it even means that some of those opinions could be regarded as unethical or violent. This is a two-way street – YOU may regard some opinions as unethical and ipso-facto, YOUR opinions may be regarded as unethical. This doesn't necessarily mean that either, or both, or one of the opinions IS actually "evil" , but of course, it doesn't necessarily mean that they are "not evil" either – my point is, the act of having different opinions is not evil in itself – the opinion might be, but since it's possible to have two different opinions, neither of which are "evil", then it stands to reason that different opinions is not "evil" necessarily.
There are certainly times when it's important to enforce conformity – the military needs to operate as a disciplined, coherent, self-contained tool. One that doesn't suddenly fragment and wander off into the forest… HOWEVER – even in the military diversity is applauded in some cases- strategies are not decided by the decree of an individual, but by discussion and collaboration. Diversity of mind, experience and intelligence is intrinsic even to the success of a military body.
YOU (yes you, dear reader!) appreciate diversity:
When approaching a physical challenge – does it make sense to apply only one method, and prepare for no others? not at all. If your first approach fails, inevitably, you modify the approach and try another – you DIVERSIFY. Diversity in thought and approach, therefore, is a crucial tool for humanity, without it, we simply would not be, or have, what we do/are.
When attempting to learn the best course of action in an unfamiliar situation, do we ponder only our own experience? Of course not, we seek opinions and inputs of others – we DIVERSIFY. By obtaining thoughts and experience of others, we broaden our knowledge base and thereby more intelligently and reliably converge on the most useful path.
Diversity in the workplace:
Diversity manifests even in your workplace – almost without exception. In this case, the vast majority of tasks are accomplished more effectively, and more efficiently with a "divide and conquer" approach – i.e. more to the point, more brains introduce more tools to discuss and converge on the "best" approach.
Diversity in nature
Of course, this is my favorite example, but I won't labor the point – suffice to say that diversity is one of the lynchpins in the documented and proven process of evolution. I understand that many readers won't be too familiar with this, so I won't elaborate (or you can message me…)
So – We live our lives making extensive use of diversity. It's critical in nearly every step of the way. We use it in the work place, we use it at the restaurant, and it's even fundamental to our basic biology.
There is nothing "evil" about two people having a different opinion.
There is nothing "evil" about someone saying something that you don't agree with.
However, there is everything "evil" about censoring someone, simply because they said something you don't agree with. This is how despotism functions. Censorship IS oppression AND manipulation – by foreclosing on valid, logical and diverse opinions, you are necessarily contriving and shaping the way people see the world. Censorship does not actually work – telling people to shut up does not invalidate their point, nor does it erase their logic. It simply limits and truncates the availability of information and imposes severe restrictions on freedoms. This is such an important point that it's regarded almost as the most crucial quality of many 1st world nations, and is enforced by law.


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If love wasn't here less people would die, they wouldn't fall in love, a lot less suicide. But then again its how we got here, it helps us out and keeps us together. Love is good but it can be bad when used and mistreated, it makes god sad. That's not the way its supposed to be love isn't always a fairytale story. Love is everything you see around you, the trees and birds and the beauty that surrounds you.
Love isn't
January 30, 2012


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Hi, I installed rtorrent and all of it's dependencies by going to:/usr/pkgsrc/net/rtorrent then typing make; make install; make clean in sequence.
I noticed that it's very difficult to start it??I have a bunch of torrents which were previously in my rtorrent directory structure and it hasn't been a problem to move between FreeBSD and Linux.
I've decided to dedicate my NetBSD box for this task but something is definitely off.
Upon startup I get this message: $ rtorrent Caught Segmentation fault, dumping stack: Stack dump not enabled. [1] Abort trap (core dumped) rtorrentMy system is a Sun Microsystems V210 SPARC machine running the sparc64 port of NetBSD:
6.0 NetBSD 6.0 (GENERIC) sparc64 The torrent directory itself is contained on an NFS server.In addition, parts of my .rtorrent.rc file aren't working which schedule the moving of torrents once complete to certain destinations. The rtorrent site shows the config clearly and hence it works fine with Linux but I'm a bit stuck as to why it's not working with NetBSD??
Any help would be appreciated! Regards, Kaya


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Veteran officer awaits confirmation as new U.S. marshal
Published 9:04 pm, Monday, May 28, 2012
As a Houston police officer and a Harris County deputy before that, Gary Blankinship has seen and done just about everything during 34 years of carrying a gun and badge.
His partner on motorcycle patrol was gunned down in the street by a career criminal. He's coordinated security details for U.S. presidents and visiting world leaders, including former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
Two HPD chiefs placed him on disciplinary panels to help punish cops who break the rules, and he studied labor relations at Harvard University to hone management skills he used during eight years as president of the powerful Houston Police Officers' Union.
But today the 56-year-old Houston native is preparing for an even tougher assignment.
Latest Houston & Texas News
- 5 For Good: Fitchburg students spend winter break helping Texas WCVB
- Lunar New Year festivities at Asia Society Texas Center Dylan Aguilar
- Houston police dance at Worthing High School Godofredo A. Vasquez, Houston Chronicle
- Texas Skye hits Bandera's 11th Street Cowboy Bar San Antonio Express-News
- Three Shipley's robberies in Houston captured on video Houston Police Department
- Texas Power Brokers: Railroad Commissioner Ryan Sitton San Antonio Express-News
- Graphic video released in violent home invasion Houston Police Department Robbery Division
- Footage of I-10 closed and the traffic Godofredo Vasquez, Houston Chronicle
- North Texas storms continue Fox4
- AT&T Names First Cities to Get 5G Network Wibbitz
- Bridging police & young minority students Fox 26 Houston
- The 'Black Panther' effect Fox 26 Houston
- 100 Boys March against violence Fox 26 Houston
- Isiah Factor Uncensored celebrates crawfish season Fox 26 Houston
- NASA engineer approved for proton therapy Fox 26 Houston
- 10 p.m. Feb. 20 FOXRAD Forecast Fox 26 Houston
Blankinship has been nominated by President Barack Obama to become the U.S. marshal for the 43-county Southern Judicial District, a job that oversees about 300 federal marshals in Houston, Galveston, Victoria, Corpus Christi, along with Brownsville, McAllen and Laredo in the Rio Grande Valley.
Besides providing security for judges and prosecutors at federal courthouses, his duties will include housing prisoners awaiting trial or deportation, tracking down federal fugitives, extraditing criminals from foreign lands and putting witnesses in protective custody.
"The first and foremost function is the protection of the judiciary, the prosecutors and witnesses," Blankinship said. "A lot of people relate because they watch TV shows like 'In Plain Sight' that has to do with the witness protection program."
Blankinship believes his experience as a jailer and patrol officer, plus his jobs arranging HPD protection for dignitaries and managing union operations, will help him in the new job.
Cartels create challenge
If confirmed, he will take the post during an era of unprecedented violence in Mexico as warring drug cartels battle for control of key trafficking corridors across the Texas border.
"You have a large criminal element with the drug cartels in Mexico, and that clearly is bleeding across the border into Texas," he said. "You have a lot of violent crime in Mexico ... and that's a big challenge you have to deal with."
If he's confirmed, Blankinship expects few changes in the office, noting that acting U.S. Marshal Elizabeth Saenz has operated "very efficiently up to this point."
Blankinship said his interest in working with the Houston Police Officers' Union was an offshoot of the death of his partner in June 1990.
Houston motorcycle officer Jim Irby stopped a car for a traffic violation and was talking with the driver. The passenger, Carl Wayne Buntion, a career criminal with 13 prior convictions, stepped out and shot Irby five times with a .357-caliber handgun. The first shot was through the officer's helmet.
Blankinship, who had been with Irby only 30 minutes before, raced to the scene.
"It's the probably the worst thing that can ever happen to you in your life," Blankinship said of losing a partner. "It took me a while to learn to put things like that in the right place. One day a light comes on, and you say, 'You know, I don't think Jim would have wanted me to be upset the rest of my life.'''
While at the union, Blankinship and other officials focused on enhancing benefits for police officers who sustained career-ending injuries, while improving help given the surviving families of officers who were slain. They worked with state lawmakers to see that Texas provided benefits to police officers or their surviving spouses, including free college education for the officers' children.
"Believe me, I've been in the room more times than I wanted to be when the mayor and the chief had to tell an officer's wife he didn't make it. It's probably the hardest thing I've ever done in my life," he said. "What you have to do is put that in the right place and be there for the family."
'An excellent candidate'
Blankinship's nomination was supported by members of Democratic congressional delegations in Houston and South Texas, and U.S. Rep. Gene Green, D-Houston, cited Blankinship's efforts to help fellow officers.
"I've known Gary Blankinship for a long time, both as an HPD officer and as an advocate for injured officers and the families of fallen officers. He'll be an excellent candidate to serve as U.S. Marshall for the Southern District of Texas," Green said in a statement.
Houston Police Chief Charles A. McClelland Jr. is also a supporter.
"I wish Mr. Blankinship success in his new position as U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of Texas. The Houston Police Department has had a strong working relationship with the U.S. Marshal's Office and looks forward to continuing that relationship in the future," the chief said.
But HPD has not seen the last of Blankinship, or at least his progeny.
Next month, his 24-year-old daughter is scheduled to be sworn in as a Houston police officer.


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Signal Hill's Security Group is pleased to announce its seventh transaction since April 2016, and its 16th since 2014.
"We're pleased with our clients' success, represented by the seven transactions we have completed over the last 12 months. We're proud to advise many of the leading companies in the industry on financings, acquisitions and the sale of their businesses," said Eric Edmondson, Managing Director of Signal Hill and head of its Technology, Media & Telecommunications group.
Signal Hill is a leading advisor to cybersecurity companies and has established significant relationships with corporate decision-makers and institutional investors. The Security Group's coverage includes companies that provide cybersecurity solutions in the mobile, cloud, IoT, threat and vulnerability management, threat intelligence, consulting and managed services, and governance, risk and compliance markets.
About Signal Hill
Signal Hill Capital Group LLC, along with its affiliate, Signal Hill LLC (together, "Signal Hill"), is a leading investment banking and advisory boutique serving the M&A and private capital raising needs of growth companies and was named 2016 Boutique Technology Investment Bank of the Year by the Global M&A Network. Signal Hill's experienced bankers provide deep domain expertise and an unyielding commitment to clients in Services and Technology, Media and Telecommunications (TMT). With more than 600 completed transactions and offices in Baltimore, Bangalore, Boston, Mumbai, Nashville, New York, Reston and San Francisco, Signal Hill leverages deep strategic industry and financial sponsor relationships to help our clients achieve Greater Outcomes. For more information visit www.signalhill.com.
Signal Hill Announces its Seventh Cybersecurity Transaction Since April 2016


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From the Cerrado of Minas region, Carlos Thomas Brasilero grows his coffee. Using the natural, traditional, methods of fermentation the coffee develops a sweetness and fruit characteristic that lingers on and on. Using RFA, Rainforest Alliance, certification a mandate for sustainable ecological and economic improvements is built into the farming practices. The nature and layout of the Fazenda farm means the ripest of coffee cherry can be picked and sundried on the patios. The fruit dries and acts to enhance the flavor in the bean. Once dried, it is hulled and placed into wooden silos for the "reposo" or resting period. 45 days later, lot samples are taken and bags are filled for export. Arriving on the west coast, the coffee will be in a state of shock. After climatization, the coffee is released to Cafe Moto Roasters. Moto likes naturals for a "Dulce", sweet, fruity character similar to a bing cherry with the mildest of acidity. Brazil works well wherereduced acidity is the key. We use it as a base for our Giro D' Italia espresso, "smooth through the curves". * The Rainforest Alliance works to conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods by transforming land- use practices, business practices and consumer behavior.
The contract reads:
Brazil, Specialty, Screen
Strictly Soft, Natural Process, Crop 2013/14,
Carlos Thomas Brasileiro Grower, Cerrado
of Minas Region, RFA Certified, SCAA 80
Cafe Moto
2619 National Avenue
San Diego, California 92113
Order Toll-Free: 1.800.818.3363
Phone: 1.619.239.MOTO (6686)
Fax: 1.619.239.9344
Roaster Store
Monday - Friday 7:30a - 5:00p
Saturday & Sunday 8:00a - 3:00p
Monday - Friday 6:30a - 5:00p
Saturday & Sunday 8:00a - 3:00p
designed by Undaunted Apps


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Mammography is really the gold standard of breast screening according to the dominant opinion of medical experts. It is time to begin thinking beyond the closed box of mammography. Like other screening technologies, it has a specific set of disadvantages and advantages. Women should be encouraged to assess for themselves whether mammography is appropriate for them, rather than having it imposed upon them as a screening mechanism 'in their best interest'.
What is mammography? It is a form of screening that has been used since the 1970s in North American and most European countries. Essentially, the breasts are squished between two plates horizontally, as well as obliquely, in order to x-ray in each position.
Given the prevalent use of mammography, it is important to understand the dangers that it presents. One danger is the actual compression and the potential injury that can cause; after all, this is about 70 pounds of weight pressing on your breast. And, of course, it may not be the most beneficial thing for you if in fact something is growing in your breast. Over the years, I have heard many, many women say, "I had trauma to my breast," or "My breasts were blue for the next two weeks after the mammogram". These complaints should not be ignored.
Another danger is the substantial amount of radiation to which a woman is exposed during a mammogram. Even though the mammography industry suggests that the radiation is minimal––that it's equivalent to an airplane trip––this is nonsense. With a chest x-ray, you're looking at a level of 0.10 mSv of radiation exposure. With mammography, you're looking at four times the radiation exposure! Radiation in a mammogram is actually concentrated over a smaller area compared to a chest x-ray and four images are taken for each breast. These four images are equal to one rad. (The Rad is a deprecated unit of absorbed radiation dose). Of course, annual screening over ten years will give us ten rads [of] radiation exposure for each breast; twenty rads in total!
Dr. Samuel Epstein, Professor Emeritus at University of Illinois, School Public Health in Chicago, a well-known researcher who has published widely on breast cancer prevention, has actually suggested that ten rads (of cumulative exposure) is equivalent to someone standing within a mile of the nuclear explosion in Hiroshima or Nagasaki. So to say that it has absolutely no effect is just wishful (and dangerous) thinking. I become very frustrated when I see studies claiming that only one in a million women will actually get breast cancer from radiation. See full article by Dr. Epstein called - Breast Cancer Unawareness Month: Rethinking Mammograms
Keep in mind that exposure to radiation is much more dangerous for younger women (those under 50 and especially under 40), as each rad increases the risk of breast cancer by 1%. So now we have a common occurrence where someone with fibrocystic breast and maybe a family history of breast cancer is encouraged to "be proactive"––meaning, to go every 6 months for a mammogram. Same woman is going to have 40 x-ray exams over the next 20 years. Practically, this means we have just escalated her risk by 40%, never mind the potential physical injury to the breast. Keep in mind too that about 2% of women actually have a particular gene (BRCA1, BRCA2, CHEK2, and ATM) that renders them four times more susceptible to radiation exposure. Women can be tested for this gene. It's troubling that before sending women en masse for annual mammograms, health professionals are not even testing for this susceptibility.
In 2006 a paper was published in the British Journal of Radiobiology entitled "Enhanced Biological Effectiveness of Low Energy X-rays and Implications for the UK Breast Training Program that provided solid evidence about the damage done by mammograms. The authors argued that recent radiological studies have proved compellingly that the low energy x-rays used in mammography are approximately four times––but possibly as much as six times––more effective in causing mutational damage than high energy x-rays. In other words, since radiation estimates are based on the effect of high energy gamma radiation, this implies that the risks of radiation-induced breast cancer for mammography are underestimated by the same factor. However, this is not something that the mammography and cancer lobby wants you to know. This is something that they're concealing from you. This is important information and you have the right to know.


text: We adopted Bodie on March 29th and this is his eight week old photo on his first day home. We are incredibly excited to have him in our family. He is such a sweet and easy puppy and he's adjusted well. We feel very lucky to have found the right puppy for us!Add to Favorites


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Sunday, May 17, 2009
WHY: An illuminating ship, step master and a haunted lighthouse.
HOW FAR: About 160 miles from start to finish.
This spring, head for the light . . . houses.
After hibernating during the colder months, Maryland's lighthouses are opening their doors to let in some fresh air and the visiting public. Fans of maritime history and structures that shine day and night can view two dozen light stations sprinkled along more than 7,000 miles of coastline. The majority still operate, casting their long, white light across the waters of the Chesapeake and assorted bays and rivers.
"People visit the lighthouses for the architecture, and for photo ops, and especially for the history," says Karen Rosage, a coordinator at the Chesapeake chapter of the U.S. Lighthouse Society, adding, "The reason why Maryland is such a great lighthouse state is because we have so many different varieties."
The lifesaving structures come in myriad shapes and styles: lamps on ships, vertiginous towers, boxy houses. The oldest was constructed in 1825 on Pooles Island, in the northwest section of the upper Chesapeake. John Donahoo, one of two developers on the project, went on to become a prolific lighthouse builder during the early 19th century; for example, the granite tower in Havre de Grace, where he is buried, is his creation. Donahoo specialized in conical towers of brick and stone, yet Maryland is equally well known for the screwpile light station, an offshore beacon built on an underwater platform that was screwed to rocks and sandy shoals, paradoxically the main hazards of ship navigation. The screwpile, as well as the more common caisson, resemble cottages topped with cupolas containing powerful lamps and glass or acrylic lenses.
To be sure, part of the allure of lighthouses are the accompanying stories that often contain a touch of romance, mystery or, in one case, female empowerment. Turkey Point Light Station was tended by more women than any other lighthouse on the Chesapeake, with Fannie Mae Salter serving as keeper from 1925 to 1947, when the light was automated. For a spine tingle, Point Lookout Lighthouse is said to be haunted by the ghosts of Confederate soldiers who died in a Civil War POW camp that once occupied the same parcel.
Every year, viewing lighthouses (10 sites in all) turns into a marathon sport with the Maryland Lighthouse Challenge, a two-day driving tour scheduled for September. With lighthouse season upon us, now is the perfect time to start training, one lighthouse step at a time.
-- Ben Chapman
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Posted by redgems on June 19, 2013 at 08:53:45 from (126.96.36.199):
In Reply to: Re: SMTA and tumble bug plow posted by twostepn2001 on June 19, 2013 at 03:09:29:
Thanks Twostepin, I would love to take some of my eq. to rpru. My B.I.L. is a trucker and I have the tractors so we are planning one day putting tractors on truck and head back. However we both are still working. Planning as soon as we retire. Tony
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It is very common for leaders to manage a multi-generational team. Each generation has their unique mindset, work style, and ways of communication.
Managers need to recognize how to motivate team members individually and capitalize on strengths members of different generations bring to the team.
Understanding attitudinal and behavioral differences among team members of different generations is an important tool of driving employee engagement.


text: Bay Area (Hacker's Association|Security Enthusiasts) Meeting! 2nd Sunday of Every Month, 2pm, at Noisebridge, in the main area. It lasts until it's over. Our site, including google calendar: http://baha.bitrot.info/ It's for people interested in security, not the other kind of hacking. This month we present: ====================== Bio: Mr. Dahn is a globally recognized payment security expert. He founded the Society of Payment Security Professionals and Secure Payments Magazine devoted to risk management in securing payments. He has assisted forensic experts and law enforcement understand the underground economy and data breach risks associated with payment card fraud. He has traveled the world training PCI qualified security assessors (QSA), merchants, banks, and payment application vendors on the risks associated with payment card data theft. Mr. Dahn has a Masters in Information Assurance and is a former National Board of Directors for the InfraGard Members Alliance. Title: How Compliance Regulations Get Made: Confessions of a QSA Trainer Abstract: Although many people fall under the umbrella of regulatory compliance, few understand how the sausage gets made. This presentation leverages over 10 years of experience working in regulated industries and explaining how, why and when companies should comply. Though most organizations blindly follow the strict and literal leaning of each word, this presentation will teach you the intent behind the rules so that you can know when to break them. Some rules are strict, some flexible, and some are best addressed using another method. The focus will be on the Payment Card Industry but these lessons apply to a broad set of standards and regulations. Once you learn to decipher the intent behind the rules you can better navigate the waters and better align compliance with your security program. -- Dying is for fools. | http://www.subspacefield.org/~travis/ My emails do not usually have attachments; it's a digital signature that your mail program doesn't understand. If you are a spammer, please email john at subspacefield.org to get blacklisted. -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: application/pgp-signature Size: 834 bytes Desc: not available URL: <http://www.noisebridge.net/pipermail/noisebridge-announce/attachments/20110310/9337d632/attachment.sig>


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Daisy Lovett looks like your average 16 year old girl. Until you find out that she is the richest girl in her town. She tries to keep her secret to avoid being treated differently and only two people know, her best friends, Jade Pickett and Emily Saunders. See Daisy face her daily struggles fighting to keep her secret. How long will it take for her to crack?
- girl
- rich
- secret
- teen
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I Have MLBTVFor the last four years I have subscribed to MLBTV.
I do not have cable because I want to pay for programs I will watch. Having the MLBTV package is great for the season.
A draw back with Premium package is, it the blackout restrictions. These restrictions has caused me to watch teams like the Dodgers. I am grateful to have the ability listen to Vin Skully call ba
kcthinker 41-45, M 1 Response 1 Jun 30, 2012
I am a baseball fan. I would watch it every night if I had the premium package. Instead I listen to games daily. I am a Padres follower but will listen to any game.


text: Justin Yee is a freelance photographer currently living and working in San Francisco. His work is heavily influenced by music and fueled by the desire to capture the "perfect" moment. When he's not attending concerts, he enjoys biking, skateboarding, digging for vinyl and exploring the Bay Area. Follow him over at Instagram: @yeesus and Twitter: @datninja


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Two small grocery stores planned for Allston
A local business owner is making plans to open two small neighborhood grocery stores at separate locations in Allston by next month.
One of the stores will take over about 1,800 square-feet of space that formerly housed a dental and eye care office at 205 Harvard Ave. near the intersection with Commonwealth Avenue.
The other market will comprise about 2,000 square feet and will replace a laundromat and real estate office at 1436 Commonwealth Ave. near where that thoroughfare meets with Warren and Kelton streets.
The two stores will each be named Cozmo Market and owner Omar Abuhasan said he hopes each location will open by Feb. 1.
Abuhasan said while the stores will offer some convenience items, he plans to focus on stocking groceries – including fruit, vegetables packaged meat and frozen foods – at his two stores, each of which are surrounded by heavily-populated residential areas that see high levels of pedestrian traffic.
He expects to hire about 10 employees across both stores.
The 46-year-old from the Boston area said by phone today that he had hoped to open the stores sooner, but progress has been slowed by the city's permitting and licensing process that he has navigated since mid-September. He signed 15-year leases with the landlords of the two properties that month.
The owner said he has been a partner in running a set of small grocery and convenience stores in Boston, but the pair of soon-to-open Allston retail spots will be the first he will manage on his own.
A father of four daughters and one son, Abuhasan said he's hopeful his new businesses will help him save for his children's educations.
E-mail Matt Rocheleau at firstname.lastname@example.com.
For the latest Allston-Brighton updates:
Follow @abupdate on Twitter, here.
And connect via Facebook by clicking the "Like" button on the top right hand corner of the Allston-Brighton homepage, here.


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The webs largest Action Sports network is expanding coverage of EnduroCross!
The Weekly Grind, found at www.grindtv.com and produced in association with Yahoo Sports, covers all types of Action Sports including Surfing, Skateboarding, BMX, Mountain Bike and Snow sports. The show has a quick hitting format that updates viewers on the latest Action Sports news and event coverage. The Grind crew recognizes that motorcycles are a good fit with the Action Sports viewers and have included coverage of the last two rounds of the 2010 GEICO EnduroCross series. Check out last week's show that includes great highlights of the Vegas final at this link: www.grindtv.com/weekly/#55650
You can also catch full one hour shows on the Denver and Vegas EnduroCross events on the Lucas Motorsports Hour on the Versus network. Check your local listing and set those DVR's.
GEICO EnduroCross on the Lucas Oil Motorsports Hour on Versus network:
Event / Date / Arena Air Date / Time Re-Air Date / Time
Denver, CO 10/30/10 – National Western Complex: 12/12/10 5:00 PM 12/15/10 5:00 PM
Las Vegas, NV 11/20/10 – Orleans Arena: 12/19/10 6:00 PM 12/23/10 5:00 PM
Note: All times are Eastern. www.motorsportshour.com.
EnduroCross tracks incorporate various elements of off road racing into a supercross-style setting, including rocks, boulders, logs, sand, mud, a water-hole… and even a few special obstacles like giant tires thrown in! Known as the "toughest racing on two wheels," this indoor version of extreme off road racing will certainly keep you on your feet. The GEICO Powersports AMA EnduroCross series will be captured by the Versus Network, to be aired on the popular grassroots racing program; The Lucas Motorsports Hour. With its excitement and unpredictability, the EnduroCross championship has always down to the wire and this year will be no different as the series starts and finishes at Vegas' Orleans Arena! Don't miss your chance to see GEICO Powersports AMA Endurocross "Live" – and be sure to log-on to www.Versus.com for local airing dates/times for the Lucas Motorsports Hour.


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A&C Shop at HVW8 Art + Design Gallery
Curated by Art & Council
August 31st – September 22nd, 2012
A&C Shop Hours: Tuesday – Sunday 1-6pm
Opening Reception – Friday, August 31st, 7-10pm
HVW8 Art & Design Gallery
661 Spaulding Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
HVW8 Art + Design Gallery and Art & Council present the A&C Shop – a conceptual project space featuring a collection of artwork, prints, objects, books, merchandise, and more from over a dozen emerging and established international artists. The A&C Shop is a presentation of Art & Council's varied creative interests, a destination for discovery, and a physical space to build community.
Art & Council, with support from HVW8, have also collaborated with Modernica & artist Craig Costello a.k.a "KRINK" to release an edition of 5 custom painted fiberglass shell chairs. The chairs will be available opening night in the gallery, and online at www.hvw8.com/shop. Also the artist will paint a site specific mural on the front of HVW8.
Craig Costello a.k.a. "KRINK" or "KR", is one of the most visionary and inspirational street artists working today, and is also the creator of KRINK, a line of the finest quality handmade inks and markers, beloved by artists and vandals alike. For more information about Krink, please visit krink.com.
Artists taking part in the A&C Shop include Cleon Peterson, Cody Hudson, Eduardo Lopez, Hassan Rahim, Jason Jaworski, Jay Howell, John Antoski, Kelsey Brooks, Kevin Lyons, Craig Costello a.k.a "Krink", Lisa Leone, Patrick Trefz, Purienne, Ray Potes, Tim Biskup, Tyler Warren, Tofer Chin, and more.
Art & Council is a full service agency and liaison between concept and realization. Our core interest is in the vanguard of contemporary creativity and its ability to broaden the awareness of our client's talents and mission. We work closely with a diverse international network of cultural innovators to provide highly sought after solutions that resonate with purpose.
HVW8 Art + Design Gallery was founded in 2005 with a focus on supporting fine art & avant-garde graphic design. It soon became the premier underground gallery in Los Angeles and over the past 7 years has exhibited emerging and established artists from around the world. HVW8 has also hosted numerous musical performances and special events, continuing to cement its reputation under gallery curator Tyler Gibney as an exhibition space for artists to showcase their varied creative expression. Past exhibitors include Parra, Geoff McFetridge, Kevin Lyons, Anthony Lister, Lance Mountain, Mos Def with Cognito, Charles Munka, Michael Leon, Alvaro Ilizarbe, and more.


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- Home
- About Us
- Troop Overview
- Documentary Video
- Troop 8 in the news
- Facts & Figures
- Parent Information
- Joining Info
- Volunteer Info
- People
- Events
- Resources
From Sun to Snow
(This blog brought to you by Faux News reporters Pike, Shane, & Nima)
We went from cold and clear yesterday to (somewhat) warmer with SNOW! today on the mountain. Awesome.
Today only 3 people have been hospitalized after the round hearth ran out of hot chocolate. The skiing was great except for that one thing, but who cares about that? Jacob and Thomas were patrolling the blue slopes along with their super awesome amazing instructors,(Mainly Nima).
The AAA (Andy, Andrew, and Aiden) were advancing to a level of blues never seen before, playing games of "follow the bouncing BoyScout" under the direction of the Vulture. It's really easier to break bad habits and learn new ones by following a good skier and "spooning their tracks". Captain Pike, Shaniel, and Dason Jean served as leader/instructors, and the guys were steadily improving. Aedan in particular was looking awesome. I blame Shane.
Also Joe Wader decided to fall 15 times on a green run and not once while totally ripping it up on black diamonds all afternoon. He might be the first Troop 8er to earn Skiing Merit Badge his in his first year. In other firsts, Mountain Drew and Paulousa-Josepha ventured down a double black diamond ultra-steep run, the first of the season. They claimed not to have fallen.
In other news the general peeps have decimated the hot cocoa and vending machines; we are expecting the cannibalism to start very soon. Only half of the still remaining scouts have some form of money left while the other half have used it to get on a massive sugar high that some fear will never stop. The PLC is still recovering from the emotional trauma that the Star Wars Holiday Special induced. To help show everyone what good skiing looks like we showed the James Bond movie "On Her Majesty's Secret Service", which included many a ski chase/gunfight.
Meanwhile a mighty battle of Risk has dissevered ("dissevered?" what is dissevered? Don't you people have English teachers? -Editor ) the troop into a many sided war which we can only hope will end peacefully. The pestilence of the card game Magic/Yugio/Pokemon (they are all the same thing) has hypnotized and mesmerized Thomas, Jacob, Patrick, DREW, and many more scouts.
Instructor Shaniel demonstrating good form.
Finally, in late-breaking news, Scouter Steve (Lil' Z) has finally made it to down despite efforts by Delta to strand him in Philadelphia. Wednesday is our R&R day. Plans include a Ben & Jerry's factory tour, some ice skating and other things. Everyone is doing well in the sleep deprivation experiment, and the skiing has been really awesome!
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You have heard it by now, Microsoft acquired Yammer. I'm still not confident it's a good thing for SharePoint as a platform, but because of a brilliant young chap called Joel Oleson, it's definitely a good thing for the SharePoint community.
If you've been away from any form of SharePoint community related communication, here's the quick story. Joel was quick to start exploring Yammer as a potential platform for the SharePoint community, utilizing his prior experience with Yammer and extensive knowledge of the community (he's widely acknowledged as the grandfather of the entire SharePoint community). Thus, he set up SPYam, a Yammer-hosted community, and it's been a rapid rise to a great new addition to the SharePoint community.
Note: Still haven't been invited? Read on and I'll tell you how to get your invitation.
The first time you visit, you'll see that SPYam works very much like Facebook. The major difference is that SPYam is a highly focused and, so far, invite-only community, so anything you read will be related to SharePoint. In fact, where I previously always had a Facebook session open, I've now stopped doing that and instead have a Yammer session open at all times. There are also mobile clients available, and a… well… there's email notifications there too, let's just keep it at that. In other words, it's familiar to anyone who has ever used Facebook and it's easy to keep up to date on what happens.
Why is #SPYam So Much Better?
Today, much of the online SharePoint community interacts on Twitter. It's a great place to be, but Twitter has its definite drawbacks.
First, Twitter has an extremely short attention span. Anything that happened more than a few minutes ago is generally ignored, unless you happen to end up in someone's searches. In other words, it's great for real-time conversations, but you have to be 'lucky' to find someone with whom to have that conversation right there and then.
#SPYam is much slower and much more persistent. It's much closer to what Facebook and other asynchronous communication platforms (like forums) do; you say something, go away for a couple of hours or days, and come back to pick up on the same conversation. Sometimes, conversations are more rapid too, but the effect is that conversations are much more persistent.
The second problem of Twitter is keeping track of conversations. It's difficult to keep track of what people say and to which previous comment they respond. It's much more like a room filled with people, and going back to what someone said earlier in the conversation is very difficult (although possible).
In #SPYam, everything revolves around conversations, and because all messages remain permanently (until you, or an administrator deletes them) you can easily go back to a previous conversation, or even to a single message in that conversation. You can respond to a previous message, and it's easy for people to see to which comment you respond.
Tip: You can mouseover the 'In Reply to' text to see the previous message, if you didn't know.
This conversation style gives much richer conversations that last longer, are easier to track, and, a major benefit over Twitter, allows everyone to participate in an equal manner.
This leads me to Twitter problem number three. Twitter is much more focused on people than on conversations. That's why Twitter places emphasis on number of followers; the bigger your personal audience, the greater the chance your voice is heard. Of course, this can be a major problem to new community members; it's difficult to compete for attention with someone with hundreds or thousands of followers.
In #SPYam, because the focus is on conversations, everyone has an equal say. You can post your first message ever, without having a single 'follower', and every sees as much of your messages as everyone else's messages. In fact, I didn't even realize there was a concept of followers in #SPYam until I had participated in many discussions. It's simply not a popularity contest like Twitter can be, it is about your messages in the conversations.
What Challenges Are There?
As nice as the #SPYam platform is, there are some difficulties.
Any community will face major obstacles in starting up. They are difficult hurdles to overcome, and they're not related to technology at all. I'm talking about the community itself and how that community evolves.
In #SPYam, because of the conversation focus, it's been possible thanks to both Joel and the community participants, to agree, more or less, on a set of community acceptable uses, codified in a single and easy to read document.
The conversation hasn't ended, though, as they would otherwise do on Twitter after a couple of hours or days. The conversation on #SPYam is still open, meaning the policies and rules are always open for debate.
Even the fact that there is such a document is a huge step forward from the wild, wild west of Twitter, where anyone can (and do) say anything with no repercussions. Twitter flame wars ensue, and people get annoyed.
On #SPYam, because the universally accepted policies, Joel as an administrator has been able to swiftly strike down on breaches of that policy, and can do so knowing that the community has agreed to the rules he enforces.
Another challenge is that of what is acceptable topics, and yes, this is a SharePoint 2013 and NDA debate. I'll get back to this debate in a separate post, but suffice to say, there's a rich and constructive debate about both features, wishes, and the dreaded NDA.
Finally, there are minor user experience issues. Luckily, there are specific groups dedicated to providing that kind of feedback, and it seems like the Yammer team are watching and reacting, which is far more than you can ever say about Twitter, at least until you have a few million followers.
So, How Do I Join?
#SPYam is an invite only network. However, Joel has been very open with the invites, and actively work to recruit new contributors and members. As long as you're there for the benefits of the community, adhere to the acceptable use document, and stay away from what I, and many others, see as a huge threat to the SharePoint community, commercialization and economic exploitation, then you're more than welcome to join.
Joel has a post on how to join, and because any #SPYam member has the ability to invite others, I'm also going to make it easy for you.
Remember: Read the acceptable use document first and adhere to it! If not, you're out!
To get an invitation from me, simply comment something below. I will not publish such invite requests, but I will need your email to send you an invite. After I have sent you the invite, I will delete your comment so I'm not keeping your email for anything beyond sending the invite.
Of course, if you comment with anything more substantial than 'Please invite me' or something to that effect, I will publish your comment 🙂
Also, feel free to share this post if you'd like others to know how to be invited. There should be options for doing so below.
What are you waiting for? Get your requests in and you can join the only online SharePoint community that really works!
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Ravenna – The local Home Instead Senior Care® office is offering a unique approach to help Portage County area families manage the challenges of Alzheimer's and other dementias, diseases that eventually rob seniors of their memories and independence. Free training for families caring for these older adults is now available through a Family Education Workshop to be held on Thursday, November 15 at 6:00 p.m. at 705 Oakwood St., in Ravenna.
The Alzheimer's or Other Dementias CARE: Changing Aging through Research and EducationSM Training Program offers a personal approach to help families care for seniors with Alzheimer's disease at home, where 60 to 70 percent live, according to the Alzheimer's Association.
"Until there is a cure, we offer an interim solution," said Therese Kovatch, RN, owner of the local Home Instead Senior Care office.
The foundation of the Alzheimer's CARE Training Program is an approach called "Capturing Life's Journey®" that involves gathering stories and experiences about the senior to help caregivers provide comfort while honoring the individual's past. Because people with Alzheimer's disease have difficulty with short-term memory, the Capturing Life's Journey approach taps into long-term memory.
The Home Instead Senior Care network assembled the top experts in Alzheimer's disease to develop the CARE approach. "The training we're offering to families is the same kind of training our professional CAREGiversSM receive," she noted.
The program for family caregivers will cover subjects such as: Alzheimer's Disease or Other Dementias Overview; Capturing Life's Journey; Techniques to Manage Behaviors; and Activities to Encourage Engagement. Also available is a free guide for those who are caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's disease or other dementias. Called Helping Families Cope, the guide includes advice to help families keep their loved ones engaged and manage behaviors.
"CARE is a wonderful hands-on approach that helps caregivers deal with the behavioral changes that too often accompany these disorders – one of the biggest stressors for caregivers," said Dr. Jane F. Potter, chief of the Division of Geriatrics and Gerontology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. "There was previously no good program available using adult education techniques to provide hands-on practice in learning how best to help people who suffer from dementia. This is huge," she added.
"The preferred environment for those with dementia is generally at home," said Potter, who served on the expert panel to help develop content for the Alzheimer's CARE Training Program.
And yet, families caring for seniors with Alzheimer's at home are dealing with challenging behaviors such as anger, aggression, wandering and refusing to eat, according to research conducted for the Home Instead Senior Care network.
"That makes the Alzheimer's Disease or Other Dementias CARE Training Program a solution for the many families in our area who are being impacted each day by devastating side effects of this disease," Kovatch said.
For more information on the November 15 workshop or to RSVP please contact Home Instead Senior Care at 330-297-1700 or 330-995-1522. You can also find additional resources and an e-learning course at HelpforAlzheimersFamilies.com


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Welcome to The Barrier Social Democratic Club
The Barrier Social Democratic Club (The Demo Club) is centrally located in the heart of Broken Hill and provides a welcoming friendly atmosphere in which travellers and locals alike can relax or meet with friends.
Our family friendly Dining Room and Bistro is open for Breakfast (7am to 9am), Lunch (12pm to 2pm) and Dinner (6pm to 8:30pm) everyday of the week. Enjoy our first class bar facilities and TAB lounge in a comfortable and friendly environment, or indulge yourself at our coffee shop with a delicious selection of sandwiches and cakes to suit any taste. You can relax while the kids are entertained in our outdoor playground and video games area.
There is always something happening at the Demo Club, including regular prize draws and raffles, so whether you are a local or just passing through, come in and experience some local Broken Hill hospitality.Read More
The Demo Club hosts various Live Entertainment every Friday and Saturday night, including special events and screenings throughout the year. Check out our Upcoming Events section for further information.Read More
Our ambient Bistro is a great place to enjoy anything from a light lunch to a special a-la-carte dinner.Read More
The Demo Devil's Kids Club
The Demo Devil Kid's Club offers our members children aged 0-17 a new and exciting way to make friends, participate in fun activities and exclusive rewards and discounts.Read More
This club is sensational, beer is cold and the food is Awesome! Service is a 10/10.
Brian Bower
- Fantastic service, fantastic food, recommend for anyone. Joseph Owen Timmins


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Inventories Are Casting A Vote Of No ConfidenceBy
At this stage of the business cycle, the recovery process should be moving along without a hitch. Consumers should be gathering goods off store shelves and thus prompting retailers to rebuild inventories. Manufacturers should be busy making the goods to restock warehouses, providing needed increases to production and payrolls.
But in these dog days of summer, the recovery mechanism has hit a snag: the reluctance of businesses to rebuild inventories. Consumers are buying, but only at a modest pace. And businesses seem so unsure of the recovery's strength that they are hesitant to restock their shelves (chart). Consequently, factory orders are sluggish and industrial production has stalled.
The absence of strong inventory rebuilding, along with hardly any growth in consumer spending, is a big reason why the second quarter's gross domestic product grew below the 2.7% annual rate of increase posted in the first period. It is also why the recovery in industrial output hasn't been as robust as in past upturns.
The lack of another type of stockpiling partly explains the stagnation in the labor markets: Service industries aren't building up their payrolls. The inventory of service producers is not services. It is the workers who provide those services. And as long as this sector, which employs more than three-fourths of all workers, continues to slim down and cut costs, job growth will not provide a strong push to consumers' income and spending.
The recovery process is still in gear--it's just stuck in low gear. Further modest growth in GDP seems assured in the third quarter. Consumer buying begins the current quarter at a high level compared to the second quarter. Also, auto production will keep factory output moving ahead, and lower interest rates will help housing.
But the kick from inventory rebuilding that typically gives recoveries a big boost is missing. First-quarter liquidation of inventories turned out to be far less than first measured. That, plus slow restocking in the second quarter, implies that the swing in inventory growth supplied only a moderately positive lift to last quarter's GDP growth. Meanwhile, sluggish consumer spending suggests that overall demand barely grew.
Inventories rose a scant 0.1% in May, and adjusted for prices, real inventories have fallen in four of the last five months. Retailers actually cut their stockpiles in May by 0.3%. That caution undoubtedly reflects the recent sluggishness in retail buying.
All this fell back on goods producers in June. Industrial production in manufacturing, mining, and utilities dropped 0.3% in the month, reflecting sizable cutbacks in auto assemblies and output of construction supplies (chart). And the industrial operating rate dipped from 78.9% to 78.5%. Both drops were the first since January.
Despite the June weakness, however, industrial production should continue along a rising trend. Output rose at an annual rate of 4.5% last quarter after falling 2.9% in the first. In the third quarter, Detroit is beefing up its production schedules, and construction should perk up in a lagged response to lower mortgage rates.
The disappointingly slow pace of recovery must be weighing heavily on the mind of Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan as he prepares for his semiannual testimony on monetary policy on July 21 and 22. Greenspan will have to forecast the outlook for the economy and give the central bank's preliminary target ranges for money growth for 1993.
His biggest task: explain why money growth has fallen through the lower end of its current targets. Greenspan must also address the risks to the recovery of below-target money growth. And he will have to reconcile the apparent inconsistency between the current pace of M2 and the Fed's forecast for economic growth.
It will not be easy. A large cut in the federal funds rate in December, 1991, has done little to accelerate the growth of the Fed's favorite measure of money, M2. In fact, M2 has fallen some $35 billion since it peaked in early March. That slide included a large $7.3 billion drop in the last week of June, which placed M2 some $34 billion beneath the low end of its target range of 2.5% to 6.5% annual growth for 1992.
Given the combination of weak money growth and a sluggish economy, further Fed action cannot be ruled out--particularly since inflation is becoming less and less of an issue. Price pressures just are not a problem for this moribund economy. In June, consumer prices rose just 0.3%, while producer prices of finished goods advanced by only 0.2%.
Excluding food and energy, the core rates of inflation are even less of a threat to the economy. Core producer prices fell 0.1% in June and are up only 2.5% from a year ago. And consumer prices, excluding food and energy, rose by just 0.2% last month, for a yearly gain of 3.8%.
The airfare wars in early June brightened the inflation performance for the month. The average cost of air travel plunged 6.5%, while the prices of apparel, tobacco products, and toiletries declined as well.
But it isn't just inflation in goods that is trending lower. The pressures on service prices are also receding. Led by a slowdown in housing costs, the annual core rate of inflation in services stands at only 4.1%. That's down considerably from 5.4% during the previous year (chart).
For now, there is little reason to believe that price pressures will reignite anytime soon. Wage gains will remain extremely modest in the face of lackluster labor markets. And weak demand means businesses are unlikely to risk losing customers by raising prices.
The lethargic pace of spending, however, is why businesses are so wary about making commitments in the areas of inventories and jobs. That's especially true for companies catering to consumers--whose spending accounts for two-thirds of the economy. After sharply cutting their spending in March, consumers have headed back to stores. But the pace of spending is very modest.
In June, retail sales moved up by 0.5%. Coming on top of gains in April and May, retail sales have recouped all of the steep 1.2% decline in March (chart). Because of that loss, store receipts started off the second quarter at a big disadvantage. And after adjusting for inflation, retail volume was down slightly last quarter.
The high level of buying in June, though, means that retail sales should post a gain in the third quarter, compared with the second. New U.S.-made cars sold at a 6.5 million annual rate in early July. That's down from June's pace of 6.8 million, but still respectable.
Another good sign for future shopping is the sharp drop in mortgage rates, which should rouse the soft housing recovery. Increased home sales will help spur buying of furniture, appliances, and building materials--retail categories that stumbled in the second quarter.
In addition, consumers who missed out on refinancing their mortgages in January may now take advantage of the latest drop in rates. With the average rate of a 30-year fixed mortgage now at 8.21%, homeowners who refinance will see their monthly payments drop significantly.
In addition, retail sales in June may have taken an indirect hit from the airlines' price war. Consumers shelled out about $2 billion for cheap tickets in early June, leaving less money for retailers. And since airfares are included in outlays for services, the airline skirmish suggests that the June report on overall consumer spending, due out on July 31, could look very healthy.
Some better economic news would provide cool relief to the central bank, which watched as the recovery hit a snag in the spring. The recent disappointing signs don't add up to a triple dip. But until the recovery gets some pickup in jobs or the money supply, this economy faces anything but clear sailing in the second half.
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Affluent Lifestyle Guide
Score another point for Manti Te'o in his battle to prove that he had nothing to do with fooling America into thinking he had a girlfriend.
In an interview with People, Alexandra del Pilar - who dated the Notre Dame linebacker for two months in late 2012 - says Te'o often referenced Lennay Kekua and acted every bit like someone who believed she died of leukemia on September 12.
"Lennay was often brought up in conversation," Del Pilar says. "I wanted to know about her, and how they did the long distance. He definitely [loved her]."
Del Pilar went on to say she was drawn to Te'o due to his focus on "family."
"That's what drew us together," she explained.
She also confirmed that Te'o really did receive a phone call in early December from someone claiming to be Kekua, saying she faked her own death.
"I was sick to my stomach. I cried," she says of when Te'o told her what had happened. "Nothing made sense. But since he didn't understand it either, he told me everything he knew.
"I just felt completely sorry for him because he was being accused of things he had no idea about. People were quick to jump on who he is as a person ? especially after all the praise they had given him for everything he did at Notre Dame."
In a released snippet of his interview with Katie Couric, Te'o admits to lying about his girlfriend in a pair of discussions with reporters because he had just received the confusing December phone call and had no idea how to react.


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Through the Looking Glass
Alice sees another world in the looking glass and wishes she could go there, but when her wish comes true she embarks on a game of chess like she's never known before! Her aim is to become the Queen of the Chess Board, and in order to achieve it she takes counsel from Tweedledum and Tweedledee, Humpty Dumpty, the Lion and the Unicorn, and a very helpful gnat.
Alan Bennett's delightful readings beautifully complement the sparkling wit and intelligence of Lewis Carroll's enduring children's classics.
© and (P)1988, 2002 BBC Worldwide Ltd
"Good story but would prefer a wider cast"
Alan Bennet is a good narrator but we found it difficult to listen to long sections of the story without losing concentration. We prefer the BBC audio books in the full cast version as they are more engaging.
It is strange that there is no introduction giving the book title, author, etc - the story just starts. There is also no separation between Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. It just rolls into one story and we had to stop and go back to explain to the kids that the first book had finished and we were now on the second book.
Wonderful. Great characterisation. listened to it several times add I've enjoyed it so much. this is an abridged version of the books.
"Could not hold my Grand-Daughters attention"
My Grand-daughter picked this book for a long car ride but asked me to take it off so she could watch the movie on her I-Pad. I suppose it is a story that unfolds better as a visual in this case. It would be unconsionable to say that this iconic story would rate less than four stars thus the rating. This fairy tale has never been one of my favourites even as a child.
"Why 5 stars"
Alan Bennett is my family's favorite reader - his ability to capture all the characters is remarkable. My children were both totally engaged with the story, which is of course, brilliant!
Granted I didn't grow in an English speaking country, it may be just a cultural thing. I had never read Alice in Wonderland. Decided to do so because my work required it.
I was bored. I didn't find the humor (I assume it IS humor) in the least entertaining. The lengthy repetitive scenes tired me to no end. There might be some deeper meaning to it, but I have read children and adult fantasy tales more apt at conveying depth. The Little Prince being one of them. But then again, it might be a cultural bias. And yet I love English and American gothic lit. Somehow, Alice didn't do it for me.
With that said, the performance was excellent. I loved more particularly the rendition of the rabbit. And anyone who likes Alice, will probably enjoy this version.
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How Going Lean Can Help Companies Navigate Bad Economies
"Company leadership must communicate a lean vision to all employees," says Darren Dolcemascolo.
Contrary to widely held beliefs, lean manufacturing isn't just for facilities doing high-volume orders, says Darren Dolcemascolo, senior partner and co-founder of EMS Consulting Group. An internationally recognized lecturer, author, and consultant on lean manufacturing principles, Dolcemascolo maintains that lean manufacturing is for any company that wants to be more efficient and profitable. And, of course, a lean economy--such as the one we're in now--accentuates the need for lean processes throughout a company because they allow organizations to create more value with the same or fewer resources.
We caught up with Dolcemascolo for this Q & A as he prepared for his two sessions at the upcoming Signage & Graphics Summit: 'Lean Manufacturing in a Lean Economy' and 'Using Lean Ideas to Get Jobs to Production Faster.'
Why should a company prioritize becoming leaner and more efficient today? Don't many executives tend to back-burner new initiatives like this in uncertain economic times?
Darren Dolcemascolo: Some executives tend to put improvement initiatives like lean on the back-burner when times get tough because they are not viewed as critical, but others, who have a longer term view, seize the opportunity to make improvements when the economy is bad. Lean can help companies navigate a bad economy in three ways:
* Lean implementation results in a shorter lead-time and lower inventory; this frees up of cash (through inventory reduction) and faster response time to the customer.
* Lean thinking results in greater productivity-the ability to produce more value with the same or fewer resources, driving down production costs.
* Lean thinking improves quality. Better quality results in greater customer satisfaction and efficiency.
Each of these key benefits enables a company to grow during tough times while simultaneously freeing up cash and driving costs down.
What's the most common reason businesses don't get the results they expect from a lean program?
DD: The most common reason lean initiatives fail is company leadership teams not understanding what lean is. Many times, management views lean as a project that someone in the organization can be tasked with implementing. In reality, lean is a culture change that requires active leadership and all-employee involvement. If the leadership team of an organization is committed to lean and actively involved in the initiative, success is inevitable. Company leadership must communicate a lean vision to all employees, teach them the lean principles, and get them involved.
You've worked with a few companies in the sign industry. Did you notice anything about their operations that lend themselves to lean manufacturing principles?
DD: Yes, two things in particular: Sign companies have a complex pre-production process that affects delivery time to the customer, and they have a job-shop production environment. Lean isn't just about eliminating waste. It also brings value to the customer by giving them the products they want when they want them, and not on a schedule dictated by manufacturing.
This has two ramifications for sign companies:
One, they must focus on reducing the time from when the customer places the order, to the point when production of the job begins. Many times, the pre-production processes take so much of the promised lead time that little time is left to actually produce the product.
Two, in the production area, sign companies must focus on creating flexible manufacturing capabilities that will allow them to move resources where they need to be to produce what customers want on demand and with the least amount of waste.
The Signage and Graphics Summit, produced by The Big Picture parent company ST Media Group, brings together top-tier executives from high-volume digital-printing, sign, and screen-printing companies to discuss common challenges, learn best practices, and explore new avenues for growth. The conference is a combination of educational seminars, roundtable discussions, networking and social events.