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Microsoft Has Tried This Investor Thing Before
Microsoft Corp. is making a trend out of its investment in other tech companies, a strategy that pushes its software onto devices and supports companies that produce hardware that carries MSFT software to consumers.
The latest example would likely be the largest if completed. WSJ and others are reporting the software giant is in talks to team up with private-equity firm Silver Lake Partners for a buyout of Dell Inc. Microsoft is considering an investment in "the range of a couple of billion dollars," WSJ reported.
It's not the first time Silver Lake and Microsoft have teamed up for a potential deal. Last year Silver Lake tried to get Microsoft in on an attempt to buy Yahoo Inc. That deal never happened, but it showed the allegiance the two have, which dates back at least to Microsoft's purchase of Skype from Silver Lake announced May 2011.
Meanwhile, apart from Silver Lake, last May Microsoft committed $605 million to Barnes & Noble Inc.'s Nook business, which included Barnes & Noble pledging to make an e-reader with Windows software. The Nook had previously run on Google's Android platform. The duo landed a new partner last month when publisher Pearson took its own stake, which boosted the value of Nook by 5% from Microsoft's investment.


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Flexicon Offers Plant-Wide Weigh Batching System
Flexicon Corporation's automated Plant-wide Weigh Batching System weighs up to seven major ingredients received in bulk bags and unlimited minor ingredients received in 50-pound sacks, pails or boxes, and conveys weighed batches to a downstream blender that feeds a bulk bag filler and a paper sack filling machine.
The batching system's components include:
- 5 loss-of-weight Bulk-Out bulk bag dischargers with large surge hoppers and rotary airlock valves
- 2 loss-of-weight Bulk-Out bulk bag dischargers with small surge hoppers and flexible screw conveyors
- 2 loss-of-weight bag dump stations with flexible screw conveyors
- a check-weighing hopper
- a Twin-Centerpost bulk bag filler
- a Pneumati-con dilute-phase pneumatic conveying system including blower, filter receiver and conveying lines
- a programmable controls package
Each of the large surge hoppers can accommodate the contents of a bulk bag containing a major ingredient, affording plant floor operators time to load full bags into the frame.
The smaller surge hoppers provide enough capacity to allow reloading of major ingredients conveyed at lower rates by small diameter flexible screw conveyors, providing higher accuracy than possible with large rotary airlocks.


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Style Number: MOCKUP
Warranty: Buy with confidence. All of our rings have a Lifetime Warranty. If your ring needs repair or refinishing, we will service it free of charge for the life of the ring. View all of our shop policies here.
Ring Sizing: We have found that the majority of all ring exchanges are in the first 90 days and are mostly due to the initial ring being too big. Most of our designs are produced with a unique, incredibly comfortable comfort fit inside the ring. If you are not used to wearing a ring, then it is likely everything will feel too tight to start out. However, getting the ring too loose will cause it to catch on something or possibly fall off and become lost. Because of this, we ask you to size your finger by the "Bend and Twist" method. Once you have a ring sizer over your knuckle, you should have a bit of "resistance" in taking it off. When taking a ring off you should bend your knuckle slightly and twist it. If you try to pull it straight back over your knuckle, it will catch the skin and not give an accurate size.
Custom Rings: Don't see the options you need? Fill out our Custom Ring Quote Form and tell us what you want! Unlike other stores who simply buy their products at wholesale from a catalog, we control every step of the manufacturing process and custom-make each and every ring to the exact specifications that were ordered, and that's how you know that what you are getting is unique, and not an "off-the-shelf" product.
Processing Time: Most of rings are completed within 3 weeks; however, as we make every ring to order, some of our rings can take up to 4 weeks. If you need it sooner, please add Rush Processing to the item on the Cart page.
All rings will come with our standard Logo engraved on the inside of the ring. (Except for rings with wood sleeves)
Please note that all monitors are different, and will display colors differently.
Contact us with any questions using our Contact Form.


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Talalelei Lealao-Taiao, who authorities have confirmed was the bus driver in Thursday's fatal collision in Northern California, was a jovial woman who was the glue of her large, extended family, a cousin said.
Noel Elisaia of San Francisco said he was deeply saddened to hear the news of his "very sweet" cousin's death last week.
"I felt hurt," Elisaia said. "She and my other cousin are the ones that keep the family together. (She) called everybody, asked them how they are doing. If something comes up, like another funeral or anything, then we all get together."
Glenn County Coroner's officials on Tuesday confirmed the identities of four more victims in Thursday's fiery collision in rural Orland that killed 10 people. The tragedy occurred after a FedEx 2007 Volvo truck crossed a median on Interstate 5 for unknown reasons, sideswiped a sedan and slammed into a charter bus transporting 44 high school students from Southern California to Humboldt State University for a college tour, officials said.
Both drivers, three adult chaperons and five students perished in the crash 100 miles north of Sacramento.
After comparing dental records, Glenn County Coroners confirmed the deaths and identifications of FedEx driver Timothy Paul Evans, 32, of Elk Grove; chaperone Michael Lee Myvett Jr., 29, from Los Angeles; Ismael Jimenez, 18, who attended Ánimo Inglewood Charter High School; and Lealao-Taiao, 53, of Sacramento. Arthur Arzola, 26, of Rancho Cucamonga was identified last week by the Sacramento County Coroner's Office.
Family, friends and school officials have reportedly identified the others as Myvett's fiancee Mattison Haywood; Jennifer Bonilla of Dorsey High School; Denise Gomez, 18, of Ánimo Inglewood Charter High School; Adrian Castro, 18, of El Monte High School; and Marisa Serrato, 17, of Norte Vista High School in Riverside.
The San Luis Obispo-based Silverado Stages, the bus company Lealao-Taiao was working for, is continuing to cooperate with investigating agencies and "is working through their own loss of a valued employee, driver and friend," said Jim Saunders, who was handling media calls for Silverado and is the regional claims manager for Lancer Insurance Co., on Tuesday.
Saunders declined to release any information about the bus driver's employment for "various reasons, including privacy," he said. The California Department of Motor Vehicles said she had a valid commercial driver's license and had a clear record, other than a one-month suspension of her license in March 2004 for unknown reasons. Evans also reportedly had a clear record.
Lealao-Taiao's mother and Elisaia's father were among nine siblings in their large Samoan family and Lealao-Taiao, who was raised in Northern California, was one of two cousins who always brought the extended family together for special occasions, Elisaia said.
"We're a tight family; we're really close," he said. "When something goes down, everybody gets together."
Lealao-Taiao always remembered her cousin's birthday and would text him on that day each year, he said. They would often tease one another by calling each other "aunty" and "uncle," a reference that they were both getting older, he said.
"I'm just going to miss her smile," Elisaia said.
She had worked for years with SamTrans, a public transport agency around San Mateo before driving tour buses.
Lealao-Taiao was married, had two children and recently became a grandmother, Elisaia said.
National Transportation Safety Board investigators are continuing to conduct interviews, collect information and examine the vehicles involved in the crash to determine the probable cause, said NTSB spokesman Keith Holloway.
"Nothing has been ruled out," he said Tuesday.
In addition to examining the contents of the FedEx truck to see whether there might have been any hazardous materials, they will also be looking at the medical records of the drivers and issues such as occupant protections and fire suppression of the bus, he said.
Holloway said the agency is interviewing quite a few students and is continuing to call for witnesses who may have heard or seen something to come forward by emailing email@example.com, he said.
Green Dot Public Schools CEO Marco Petruzzi released a statement this week about the two students who were killed from Ánimo Inglewood Charter High School. Both students were seniors and would have been the first in their families to go to college, he said.
"One of the other students on the trip, who attends Ánimo Jackie Robinson Charter High School, returned home last Friday night and related to our staff how Ismael (Jimenez) busted open a window at the front of the bus as it was filling with smoke and people were getting burned," Petruzzi said in a statement. "He started lifting kids out in an effort to save them. Ismael will be remembered as someone who forever affected the lives of young people he barely knew. He was indeed a hero."
Jimenez was a talented young man who had a passion for art and was deeply committed to pursuing a career in art after college, Petruzzi said. Denise Gomez was described as "quick, bright, thoughtful and a quiet but strong leader" who was a member of the girls' varsity soccer team, president of the Earth Club and editor of the school yearbook.
"She loved the progress that came with hard work and was determined to go to college to open new pathways for herself and her family," he said.
The families of Gomez and Jimenez have sent up websites for donations to help with funeral services that can be found at www.gofundme.com/8agcn8 and www.gofundme.com/8ae4j4.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.


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Linux Cloud Computing For The Masses With Zimory
Linux in the Cloud
Options for building and deploying Web-based applications to the "cloud" are abundant. Amazon's EC2 offering has been out for a while and offers a variety of operating systems, databases and storage solutions. Linux choices include Red Hat Enterprise Linux, OpenSolaris, Fedora, openSUSE, Gentoo, Oracle Enterprise Linux, Ubuntu and Debian. When you look at the way Amazon prices their options, you'll quickly see that Linux options are significantly cheaper than Windows.
Amazon's application development options are somewhat limited when compared to building things on your own server. You can choose any development platform you'd like as long as it's either Java or Ruby on Rails. The real benefit of choosing Amazon for your cloud provider is their reach and scale. EC2 is not immune to outages as can be attested to by some very high profile Web sites.
New Options
Zimory is a new player in the "cloud computing" space and offers what they feel are a number of unique capabilities. The focus of their service is to provide a hosted environment for any type of Linux virtual appliance. All of the Zimory product offerings are built upon standard hypervisor technologies with support for VMWare Server 1.x, ESX 3.5 and Xen 3.2. You can build your own application appliance and then deploy it to the Zimory cloud as needed.
The second piece of the puzzle that Zimory provides is what they call their Public Cloud Gateway. This piece makes it possible to extend the compute resources of an enterprise on demand in a dynamic way and then
Setup and Configuration
Once you have a Zimory account it's a pretty simple process to create a new deployment and provision it to any number of different data centers in the US and Europe. Zimory offers three basic appliances including Ubuntu 8.10 running under VMWare, a Xen-based LAMP appliance based on Debian, and a smaller LAMP version with a limited disk footprint. You can also upload your own appliance as long as it runs under VMWare or Xen.
After you select your appliance you must choose how much memory to provision (between 128 and 8192 MB) and the number of processors you want dedicated to your application. Finally, you must choose a cloud site (or sites) to deploy your image to and you're all done. The Zimory Web-based dashboard gives you a quick summary of your deployments, their status and quick links to start / stop and manage the instance through a browser-based VNC session.
One thing we learned pretty quickly is you'll need the latest Java Runtime for the VNC viewer to work properly. When we attempted to connect to the service from a laptop running Ubuntu 9.04, our Firefox prompted us for the missing plugins and loaded them right up. All that was needed was a quick Firefox restart and we were good to go.
- Skip Ahead
- 1. Linux in the Cloud
- 2. Linux in the Cloud


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Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner insists it is not inevitable that Kimi Raikkonen will partner Sebastian Vettel at Red Bull next season.
Mark Webber announced his plans to step away from Formula 1 ahead of the British Grand Prix this weekend, and Raikkonen has been installed as the favourite to take over from the Australian.
The Lotus driver has one year left on his contract and has admitted to holding tentative talks with Red Bull already.
Horner revealed earlier today that he has drawn up a three-man shortlist containing Raikkonen, and both Torro Rosso drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne, as potential replacements for Webber.
But despite the fact that 2007 World Champion Raikkonen, who shares a good relationship with Vettel, is being tipped to replace Webber, Horner remains adamant that the two Torro Rosso drivers are in with a chance of a promotion.
"We're fortunate that we have a pool of talented young drivers at Torro Rosso to draw upon and of course we will gauge what else is available in the market place and Kimi Raikkonen is a driver we would be foolish to ignore," he told reporters after Friday practice at the British Grand Prix.
"We're going to take our time, it's important that we make the right decision, we don't need to be in a rush and we'll evaluate the options that are open to us and try and make the best decision we can.
He added: "Let's just be clear here, we're not just looking at Kimi Raikkonen.
"We have Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne who are true contenders for that seat and we just need to take a bit of time to look at all the options available to us."
Horner added that he hoped to make an announcement over who will replace Webber in the summer.
Amidst the rumours Lotus chief Eric Boullier says he is fighting to keep hold of the Finn, and says the team's progression since its inception should be enough to convince him to stay put.
"We obviously want to keep Kimi, he will decide what is best for him," he said. "He knows what he has with us."


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Vuosaari Harbour
The Port of Vuosaari Harbour is a small port in Finland. See below for a live map of ship positions in Vuosaari Harbour, schedules for vessels arriving (port calls), the list of ships currently in port, a company register and a local weather forecast.
Port information
|9:14 p.m. (Europe/Helsinki)
Local weather 24 hours forecast
Please log in to access the Scheduled Arrivals.
The Scheduled Arrivals shows a list of ships that are known to be calling to Vuosaari Harbour in the next days and weeks. The estimated time of arrival (ETA) of the vessel, as announced by the ship crew via AIS, is given, and for some ships the estimated time of departure is displayed, too.
Please log in to access the Port Call History.
The Port Calls Log shows a list of ships that have been detected in Vuosaari Harbour by AIS and other sources. All ships are listed with actual time of arrival and actual time of departure. The list reaches back several months and can be easily searched by date, type of ship and name of the vessel.
There are no companies listed yet for this port. Be the first, add yours and be found!


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- Details
- Reviews
The Niles Audio MF Series MicroFlashers are one of three elements that make up an infrared extender system:
- IR Main System Unit:
- IR Sensors/Keypads:
- IntelliPad
- IR Flashers:
- MF1 - IR MicroFlasher
- MF2 - Dual IR MicroFlasher
- MF1VF - IR MicroFlasher with Visible Feedback
- MF2VF - Dual IR MicroFlasher with Visible Feedback
- MF1 - IR MicroFlasher
When an IR remote sensor receives a command from a hand-held remote control, it sends a corresponding electronic signal through a wire to the main system unit. Here, the main system unit cleans and amplifies the electronic signal. Finally, the main system unit outputs the signal to the IR flasher which transmits the infrared command to the audio/video component you wish to control.
The MF MicroFlasher sends the IR commands via flashes of infrared light in a precise pinpoint pattern from its single infrared LED. The output is extraordinarily accurate throughout a wide bandwidth. This allows the MF MicroFlasher to control most makes and models of IR controlled audio/video components.
Additional Features and Benefits
- Miniature and discrete, the MF MicroFlashers mount directly to the IR remote sensor window of your audio/video component without disfiguring the appearance of your equipment.
- The MF Series is completely transparent to IR commands. Although the flashers appear to block the IR remote sensor window of your audio/video component, you can still directly operate your equipment using a remote
- All MicroFlashers come equipped with a 3.5mm mono mini-plug. This provides
you with easy hookup for fast, trouble-free installations.
- All MicroFlashers have a strip of self-adhesive tape for quick and secure mounting to any hard, clean, dry surface.
- All MicroFlashers are supplied with an ample 10 feet of connecting wire.
- The MF1 and MF2 are supplied with an infrared blocking cover. This is useful if you have several identical TV's (or audio/video components), all using the same remote control and the same IR commands.
- The MF2 and MF2VF provide dual flashers on a single cable for simplified wiring or easy expansion of a main system units flasher outputs.
- The MF1VF and MF2VF provide visible feedback of flasher operation via a red LED in the flasher housing.
- IR Main System Unit:


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Stone Sour Unveil Artwork for Upcoming Album 'House of Gold & Bones Part 2′
The anticipation level for Stone Sour's 'House of Gold & Bones Part 2' just built up more steam with the unveiling of the second album's artwork. The band revealed the new cover via an Instagram photo posted via their Twitter account, as well as on their Facebook page.
The cover, seen to the left, shows a few mysterious figures submerged in water, with one of them appearing to be engulfed in flames.
Loudwire recently caught up with singer Corey Taylor, who offered a little more insight as to how 'House of Gold & Bones Part 2' will both tie in and still distinguish itself from the first album. Taylor explained, "Part 1 is a really really great, like hard rock album. It's got wonderful layers to it. But Part 2, in a lot of ways, is darker. It's heavier and it gets more complex. It's probably the most experimental we've ever been with our music."
The vocalist went on to add about the forthcoming release, "It flows more like a soundtrack to a movie than Part 1 does, cause part one kind of sets the tone and Part 2 kind of finishes the story in a great way. It follows the narrative a lot more and it just feels like some kind of cinematic vibe which is kind of what we were going for."
Stone Sour are currently on the road with Papa Roach, building up to the April release of their 'House of Gold & Bones Part 2' disc. Check out our review and gallery of their recent New York City gig here.


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renny-fieldJune 11, 2011
Rebekah Lambert
Rebekah Lambert is a content marketer who combines 20 years of marketing experience with creativity and in-depth knowledge of consumer behaviour to build copy and campaigns customers love. Rebekah works directly with clients in startup, NFP and small business in marketing, web copywriting and content marketing. She also runs workshops and training for fledgling entrepreneurs.


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Explore Caves in the Bear Lake Valley
Minnetonka Cave is a fascinating 9-room cave of stalactites, stalagmites and banded travertine that was originally found by grouse hunters. Don't miss one of the most striking stalactites in the cave, called the Bride, known for its lacy appearance.
Three stalagmites, over 10 feet high, have diameters of nearly four feet. Enjoy a guided 90-minute, half-mile walk into this beautiful cave. Be prepared for the 400 steps up and down in the cave and bring a jacket, since the cave is cool at about 40 degrees year round. The road up St. Charles Main Canyon is paved to the mouth of the cave.
The cave isn't accessible until mountain snows have melted. Visitors can tour the cave from June through Labor day.
See our 360° Tour of Minnetonka Cave! (Click on the map in the lower righthand corner and click on the marker for Minnetonka Cave.)
Attention! If you plan on visiting Minnetonka Cave please DO NOT wear any clothing (including shoes, hats, belts, jewelry) or bring any items with you (such as cameras, backpacks, cell phones, purses, etc) that have been in another cave or mine.
Due to the westward spread of White Nose syndrome (WNS), restrictions on clothing and items that have been in other caves are currently in place at Minnetonka Cave to prevent introduction of this bat disease into Idaho. It is possible for humans to spread the disease between caves if clothing or equipment has been exposed to the fungus. Leaving clothing or other items that have been in another cave or mine at home will help protect bat species inhabiting Minnetonka Cave. Introduction of this disease into Minnetonka Cave would devastate local bat populations, and in the event of a cave closure, greatly impact local economies. For more information on WNS and its current impacts to bats in North America visit http://whitenosesyndrome.org/
The Paris Ice Cave is also an interest landmark in the valley. Although not as spectacular as the Minnetonka, visitors enjoy its interesting aura. Just follow the signs up Paris Main Canyon. This cave is open year round but is only accessible by snowmobile during the winter months. Most years you can drive to the cave June through October. If you'd like to check road conditions, contact the Montpelier Ranger District by calling 208-847-0375.


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I've noticed it has been awhile since my last "Behind the Scenes" post, so here's a beautiful moment captured with my client's camera during their first dance at Kennedy Manor Dining Room in Madison, WI. I'm sure many guests wonder "Why is the photographer over there or doing that?" or something along those lines (mainly as I've been seen crawling around the floor or climbing on furniture I probably shouldn't have been on in the first place).
I strive to capture moments in a beautiful way for my clients. Here's another perfect example…
What the guests saw:
See me way over on the left side? Here's what I saw:
Thank you to Sasha & Carlos as they were so nice in sharing a few photos taken with their camera during the wedding day, which have me in them!


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Daniel "Nane" Alejandrez, founder of the national urban peace organization Barrios Unidos, has spent his whole life in mortal combat with the gangs, drugs, and poverty in Latino communities. The weapons he wields are no longer guns and blades, but words, spiritual conviction, culture, art, and the rare courage of "being there" with and for kids on the edge. Since its start in 1977, Barrios Unidos has worked with thousands of youth in gang culture. BU also operates the César E. Chávez School for Social Change, an alternative high school in Santa Cruz, California; BU Productions, a professional silk-screening micro-enterprise providing jobs and business training; and the Community Technology and Resource Center, a computer training and job skills center. In 2005, BU received the Letelier-Moffitt Human Rights Award.
Alejandrez, who has lost 14 family members—including two brothers—to what he calls "the madness of inner-city America," is also co-chair of the Urban Peace and Justice Summit, the national organization that works to forge truces between African-American and Latino gangs. As Latino incarceration rates in the U.S. have soared, Alejandrez and Barrios Unidos have also turned their attention to decreasing the incarceration and recidivism rates of those at risk. This is his story, as told to Sojourners associate editor Rose Marie Berger in October 2005.
I'm the son of migrant farm workers, born out in a cotton field in Merigold, Mississippi. My family's from Texas. A migrant child goes to five or six different schools in one year, and you try to assimilate to whatever's going on at that time. I grew up not having shoes or only having one pair of pants to wear to school all week. I always remembered my experience in Texas, where Mexicans and blacks couldn't go to certain restaurants. That leaves something in you.
I saw how my father would react when Immigration would come up to the fields or the boss man talked to him. I would see my father bow his head. I didn't know why my father wasn't standing up to this man. As a child working in the rows behind him, I said to myself, "I'll never do that." A deep anger was developing in me.
But it was also developing in my father; the way that he dealt with it was alcohol. He would become violent when he drank on the weekends. I realized later that the reason he would bow his head to the boss is that he had seven kids to feed. He took that humiliation in order to feed me.
I STABBED THE first kid when I was 13 years old. I shot another guy when I was 15. I almost killed a guy when I was 17. On and on and on. Then, in the late 1960s, I found myself as a young man in the Vietnam War. I saw more violence, inflicted more violence, and then tried to deal with the violence.
I came back from the war addicted to heroin, as many, many young men did. I came back to the street war, in the drug culture. Suddenly there were farm workers—who lost jobs because of the bringing of machines into the fields—who turned into drug dealers; it's easier money.
But when I was still working in the fields, something happened. I was 17 years old, out in the fields of central California, and suddenly I hear this voice coming out of the radio, talking about how we must better our conditions and better our lives in the migrant camps. It was like this voice was talking just to me.
The voice was César Chávez. He said, "You must organize. You must seek justice. You must ask for better wages."
It's 1967. I'm busting my ass off pitching melons with six guys. Because we're the youngest, they put us on the hardest job, but we're getting paid $1.65 an hour. The guys working the harvesting machines are making $8 an hour. We said to ourselves, "Something's not right."
Having the words of César Chávez, I organized the young men and called a strike. After lunch we just stopped working. We didn't go back on the fields. This was sort of a hard thing because my father was a foreman to this contractor, so I was going against him. He was concerned that we were rocking the boat—but I think he was proud of me. We shut down three of the melon machines, which forced the contractor to come, and then the landowner came. "What's going on?" he said. We said, "We're on strike, because we aren't getting our money." After about two hours, they said, "Okay, we're going to raise it to $1.95."
But it wasn't the $1.95—it was the fact that six young men were being abused, and that this little short Indian guy, César Chávez, had an influence. I kept his words.
When I wound up in Vietnam, I heard about Martin Luther King and his stand against the war. Somebody also told me about Mahatma Gandhi. I didn't know who he was, only that he was a bald-headed dude that had done this kind of stuff.
In Vietnam I realized that there were people that I had never met before, that had never done nothing to me, never called me a dirty Mexican or a greaser or nothing, and all of sudden I had to be an enemy to them.
I started looking at the words of César Chávez in terms of nonviolence. I looked at the violence in the community, in the fields, yet Chávez was still calling for peace.
IT HAS BEEN an incredible journey since those days. For us this is a spiritual movement. In Barrios Unidos, that's the primary thing—our spirit comes first. How do we take care of ourselves? Whatever people believe in, no matter what faith or religion, how do we communicate to the youngsters who are spiritually bankrupt? Many of us were addicted to drugs or alcohol, and we have to find a spiritual connection. Working with gang members, there's a lot of pain, so you have to find ways for healing. As peacemakers, we are wounded peacemakers.
This work has taken us into the prisons. Throughout the years, we've been talking about the high rate of incarceration among our people, and the drug laws. Many people are doing huge amounts of time for nonviolent drug convictions; they did not need to be incarcerated—they need treatment. Currently in this country we deal with treatment by incarcerating people, which leads them to more violence and more negative ways of living.
As community-based organizations, we have had to prove to the correctional institutions that we're not in there to create any revolution. We're there to try to help. I'm asking how I can change the men that have been violent. How do I help change their attitude toward society and toward their own relatives? We see them as our relatives—these are our relatives that are incarcerated. How can we support them?
We go into the prison as a cultural and spiritual group helping men in prison to understand their own culture and those of different cultures. They come from great warrior societies. But the warrior tradition doesn't just mean going to war, but also fighting for peace. The prisoners who help organize the Cinco de Mayo, Juneteenth, and Native powwow ceremonies within the prison system are a true testament of courage to change the madness of violence that has unnecessarily claimed many lives. By providing those ceremonies, we allow them to see who they really are. They weren't born gang members, or drug addicts, or thieves.
My best example of hope in the prisons is when we take the Aztec dancers into the institutions. They do a whole indigenous ceremony. At the end, they invite people to what's called a friendship dance. It's a big figure-eight dance.
The first time that we were in prison in Tracy, California, out on the yard, there were 2,000 men out there. The ceremony was led by Laura Castro, founder of the Xochut Aztec dance group, a very petite woman, very keen to her culture. She says to me, "What do you think, Nane? Do you think that these guys will come out and dance?" I'm looking at those guys—tattoos all over them and swastikas and black dudes that are really big. It's incredible to be in the prison yard. I say to her, "I don't know."
But what ties all those guys together is the drumbeat. Every culture has some ceremonial drum you play. When the drumbeat started in the yard, the men just started coming. They divide themselves by race and then by gang. You got Norteños, Sureños, Hispanos, blacks, whites, Indians, and then "others" (mostly the Asian guys).
When the men were invited into the dance, those guys emptied out the bleachers. They came. They held hands. This tiny woman, Laura, led them through the ceremony of the friendship dance. They went round and round. There were black, white, and brown holding hands, which doesn't happen in prison. And they were laughing. For a few seconds, maybe a minute, there was hope. We saw the smiles of men being children, remembering something about their culture. The COs [correctional officers] came out of the tower wondering what the hell was going on with these men dancing in prison, holding hands. It was an incredible sight. That day, the Creator was present. I knew that God's presence was there. Everyone was given a feeling that something had happened that wasn't our doing.
For more information on Barrios Unidos, visit www.barriosunidos.net.
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Bellator MMA 93 Results: Dave Jansen Wins Lightweight Tournament, Earns Title Shot
Dave Jansen captured the Bellator MMA Lightweight Tournament title on Thursday, banking $100,000 and a shot at lightweight champion Michael Chandler when he defeated Marcin Held.
It was a back-and-forth fight with Held winning the opening round and Jansen coming back to take the next two. Jansen defended Held's submission attempts while battering him with punches and hammerfists. As the fight wore on, Held slowed and Jansen took advantage while putting his submission defense on display.
"I'm feeling total elation, relief, just gratitude, happiness, peace and love. I get a little peace in my life now, for a week at least," said Jansen following the win.
In the co-main event Ryan Martinez knocked out Travis Wiuff in just 19 seconds of their heavyweight fight. A left hook followed by a combination dropped Wiuff and Martinez finished with a series of right hands forcing referee Dan Miragliotta to step in and stop the barrage.
In welterweight action, the bout between UFC veteran Marcus Davis and Waachiim Spiritwolf was ruled a no-contest after Davis landed an unintentional knee to the groin of Spiritwolf rendering him unable to continue. Spiritwolf was given the full five minute allowance to recover. He was asked by the referee three times whether he could continue, but Spiritwolf stayed on the canvas.
When a fight is halted from an unintentional infraction, if the foul happens before the completion of two rounds, the fight is ruled a no-contest. If it were an intentional foul, Davis would have been disqualified. If the knee had happened in the third round, the judges' scorecards would have been tallied and a winner determined.
Bellator MMA 93 Results:
-Dave Jansen def. Marcin Held by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
-Ryan Martinez def.Travis Wiuff by KO at 0:19, R1
-Marcus Davis vs. Waachiim Spiritwolf ruled no-contest (unintentional illegal knee to the groin)
-Dave Vitkay def. Jesse Peterson by submission (guillotine choke) at 0:18, R1
-Michael Page def. Ryan Sanders by KO at 0:10, R1
-Jason Butcher def. Jack Hermansson by submission (triangle choke) at 2:24, R1
-Mike Mucitelli def. Brent Dillingham by submission (arm bar) at 2:48, R1
-Joe Pacheco def. Pierry Pierre by submission (Americana) at 1:54, R1
-Vince Murdock def. John Raio by TKO at 4:01, R3
-John Lemke def. Jesse Erickson by TKO at 2:50, R1
Be sure to Like MMAWeekly.com on Facebook and Follow @MMAWeeklycom on Twitter.


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Personal Training
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Fat Loss
Section 1
10 Keys to Fat Loss Success
3 Simple Steps To Easy Fat Loss
5 Weightloss Myths
How To Ensure Your Best Transformation Ever!
Methods For Fat Loss
Fat Loss Tips
One Size Fits All
Section 2
Myth Busting – Part 1
Myth Busting – Part 2
Neglected Tips For Fat Loss
Still Not Dropping Fat?
Sugar & Fat Loss
Brown Fat VS White Fat
Want 6 Pack Abs?
What Is Body Composition?
Section 3
What do you really want?
Contest Prep – Part 1
Get More From Your Workouts
Morning Workouts
Walking Vs Running
Women Shouldn't Lift? Wrong!
Why Women Won't Get Bulky
Benefits of working out during your monthly cycle
Michelles' Journey To Bikini Fitness Competitor
Five reasons why woman tend to struggle to lose weight and how you can over come this!
Section 1
10 Signs You May Have Gluten Intolerance
Absolutes Guide To Surviving Christmas
Carnitine Confusion
Fizzy Drinks: What They Really Do To You
Food Allergies and Intolerances
Guide To Successful Meal Prepping
Section 2
How Much Protein Do Women Really Need?
How Whey Protein Aids Your Fat Loss Journey
Leafy Green Benefits
Myths of Nutrition
Sleeping Problems
Soy And Strength Gains
The Benefits Of Vitamin D
The Importance Of Sleep
Section 3
The Importance of Water
To Egg Or Not To Egg
What Are Triglycerides?
Why Fats Are So Important
Fighting a Cold
The dos and donts of indulging on Christmas Day
Easy and nutritional snacks
Habits of a successful dieter
TJ Friday Workout 1
TJ Friday Workout 2
TJ Friday Workout 3
Live Friday Workout 1
Live Friday Workout 2
Live Friday Workout 3
Live Friday Workout 4
Live Friday Workout 5
Lateral Raises | MWA
How to Hit Those Weaker Muscles
Counting Your Macros
What do you really want?
Don't Only Use Calorie Calculators
Client Stories
Michelle's Transformation
Marie's Transformation
Amandas Transformation
Andy's Story
Damien on Changing His Lifestyle
Transform Me Now Clients
Alex's Testimonial
Section 1
Why Do You Struggle to Lose Weight? – Ep 1
Getting in The Mindset For Getting Fit – Ep 2
Don't Run to Lose Weight – Ep 3
Why Gym Memberships Just Don't Work – Ep 4
How to Get Love Island Abs – Ep 5
How Game of Thrones Will Get You RIPPED – Ep 6
6 Packs Aren't Worth It – Ep 7
Why Dieting Sucks – Ep 8
Breaking Down Myths – Ep 9
Section 2
How To Enjoy Yourself at Christmas – Ep 10
Why The Fitness Industry is Getting it Wrong – Ep 11
Don't Follow Fad Post Christmas Diets – Ep 12
Answering Your Questions – Ep 13
Bodypower, Image and Mental Health Week – Ep 14
Dieting – Ep 15
Don't Do Anything Productive on a Monday – Ep 16
It's Coming Home – Ep 17
Training For Your Goals – Ep 18
Section 3
For People Who Don't Have Time For Cardio – Ep 19
Answering Your Questions – Ep 20
Answering Your Questions – Ep 21
What We Do – Ep 22
Answering More Questions – Ep 23
Answering Your Questions – Ep 24
Answering Your Questions – Ep 25
Answering Your Questions – Ep 26
Answering Your Questions – Ep 27
June 2018
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Buzzer Beaters: Vick's New Contract, Spring Training Warms Up, and More
Today's top sports stories:
Michael Vick has agreed to restructure his contract in order to remain a Philadelphia Eagle. This contract (one year, $10 million) is a bit smaller than his old one (five years, $80 million), and Vick isn't even guaranteed the starting QB job under new head coach Chip Kelly. [S.I.]
Indiana stayed in the top spot in the A.P. men's basketball poll despite losing to Illinois early last week. This is the first time in six weeks the number one team has managed to maintain its position. [Bloomberg]
Pitchers and catchers are set to report this week to baseball spring training, which sounds great because that means winter is almost over, finally. Here's a look at the biggest stories around the cactus and grapefruit leagues. [ESPN]
The family of disgraced Penn State head football coach Joe Paterno has responded to the extensive report compiled by former director of the FBI Louis Freeh. Take a look at what the response got right and what it got wrong. [Deadspin]
Boston Red Sox outfield prospect Bryce Brentz went and Plaxico'd himself. (That means he shot himself in the leg.) He'll likely be ready at some point in spring training instead of heading off to jail like the former Giants wide receiver, so we guess it's not totally the same thing. [GuySpeed]


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Bradwell Bay Wilderness
IntroductionThe United States Congress designated the Bradwell Bay Wilderness (map) in 1975 and it now has a total of 24,222 acres. All of this wilderness is located in Florida and is managed by the Forest Service.
DescriptionA swamp thick with titi trees, distinguished by their leathery leaves and fragrant white flowers, dominates the second largest Wilderness in Florida. Here, you'll also find a swampland of hardwoods or pine-titi mixtures and small ponds that are either open or covered with aquatic plants. The climate is subtropical, and rainfall averages 55 inches per year. Summers are hot and sticky with humidity, but temperatures have been known to drop into the teens come winter. Bradwell Bay's low areas are generally submerged beneath one to four inches of standing water. The water table lies close to, if not above, ground surface over most of this flat Wilderness. Drier islands of longleaf pine and wire grass border parts of the swamp. White-tailed deer, black bears, and alligators top the food chain. With sufficient rainfall, canoeists can run the Sopchoppy River, which defines the eastern edge of the area. Hikers can follow old logging roadbeds or take the east-west Florida National Scenic Trail through Bradwell Bay. Truth is, however, that hikers who opt to use the well-marked trail typically end up wading through sections of waist-deep water.
Planning to Visit the Bradwell Bay Wilderness?
- Print a fact sheet
- General things to consider when visiting any wilderness
- Regulations
- Contact the Forest Service
- Visit the National Forest wilderness website
Leave No TraceHow to follow the seven standard Leave No Trace principles differs in different parts of the country (desert vs. Rocky Mountains). Click on any of the principles listed below to learn more about how they apply in the Bradwell Bay Wilderness.
- Plan Ahead and Prepare
- Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces
- Dispose of Waste Properly
- Leave What You Find
- Minimize Campfire Impacts
- Respect Wildlife
- Be Considerate of Other Visitors


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by Mary Gulivindala
If it weren't for weeds, I'd have no flowers at all. It's summertime, and the flowers are blooming. Chestnut Hillers are out in their yards tilling the earth, planting flowers, manicuring bushes, watering their yards and weeding their gardens to make their curb appeal beautiful. I secretly observed one neighbor singing to her tulips.
Gardening is new to me. I don't have a green thumb. My thumb is brown; I only work in dirt. Three years ago I rented a small property where all I needed was a weed whacker for lawn maintenance. My porch flower pots were my pride and joy. Well, things have changed. If I didn't have weeds, there would be no green in my yard.
I purchased my own lot of land. Now I've moved up to a non-electric push mower. Gratefully, I can still get away with the weed whacker method in a pinch when necessary. I called up a landscaper friend and asked if he would come over and tell me what I bought. I didn't know if I was pulling weeds or flowers.
So he came over and pointed, saying, "That is a weed; that is a weed; careful pulling up that weed because it has little seeds that will spread and give you more weeds." Finally, "That is a flower; this is called…" He proceeded to speak in Latin, and I rolled my eyes.
I began to become more conscious of my surroundings walking through town looking at my neighbors' landscaping. Perhaps you've seen me? I am the one with my phone taking pictures of your lawn; be flattered, not frightened. One day while pulling weeds in the hot, merciless sun, I realized that gardening is hard work!
I started looking around and questioning why I was pulling certain weeds when they are just as pretty as other leafy greens. They are small, dainty and not intimidating. What's wrong with this clover-like specimen that has been labeled a weed and therefore discriminated against? They serve a purpose, which is to send your kids outside and tell them to come back when they find a four-leaf clover. Then we will get a pot of gold!
My yard doesn't have much color, but I do have a few beautiful small yellow flowers. They are known as dandelions. Dandelions have been unjustly labeled a weed, dismissed, plucked and thrown out by many. I thought to myself, what person on high said the dandelion was a weed? Why is it the black sheep of the gardening community?
I think dandelions are awesome! They start with a green stem and a white poof of blow-away wishes. They are little wish-makers and have given many children countless moments of magical hope. I remember my lawn growing up as a child and pulling that flower, closing my eyes, making a wish with all my might and then the big moment, blowing on the mystical white seed heads.
I would watch as they floated off to wish-fulfillment land. They were my field of poppy bliss, and then I would forget about them. I used to make bouquets out of them for my mother, and by her reaction I figured they were the finest flowers ever grown.
So how come "someone" has wrought havoc on the dandelions and convinced people that they are less than, say, the tulip or hibiscus? I started to get mad because here I was in the dirt on my hands and knees killing an innocent flower because someone's aesthetic said I should.
Well I have some news for that "someone." First, the dandelion is not a weed; it is a flower, and I have proof. I wikipedia'd it. "Taraxacum (/təˈræksəkʉm/) is a large genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae (French dent-de-lion, meaning lion's tooth). Like other members of the Asteraceae family, they have very small flowers collected together into a composite flower head. Each single flower in a head is called a 'floret.'"
That is FOUR TIMES the word FLOWER is used in just the opening paragraph. Wikipedia is a very credible source for research that I find quite convenient. They make topics easy to research and understand. For some reason, the school system doesn't consider it a valid source. I think they are wrong. Opinions: everybody has one.
Dandelions are pretty flowers and even have a lot of nutritional value. Energy, dietary fiber, protein and multiple vitamins like A, B, C, D, and K. Europeans have gathered dandelions to eat since prehistory. Dandelions are used to make beverages that are healthy like caffeine-free coffee, root beer and wine. I told you they had blissful, happy mystical qualities. They have medicinal properties as well. Did I mention wine?
I would like to encourage "Hillers" to champion the dandelions. Don't pull them out of their natural habitats. Let them grow. If you do pull them, please use them. Make a dandelion salad, and have it with some wine. Have your neighbor over, sit on the porch, fellowship and watch the grass grow while you enjoy your delicious, nutritious meal.
"Life coach" Mary Gulivindala is the founder of Blue Print Life & Wellness Coaching in Chestnut Hill.


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- African Nations Cup
Adebayor 'will captain Togo' at ANC
Tottenham's Emmanuel Adebayor is expected to play at the African Nations Cup according to Togo officials, two days before Wednesday's squad announcement deadline.
The 28-year-old came out of a self-imposed international retirement this summer, but concerns about player safety and an ongoing dispute over bonuses have left the striker's future with the national squad in question.
But Gabriel Ameyi, the president of the Togolese Football Association, is adamant that the national captain will lead the side when the competition begins later this month.
"Of course we will go to the competition with Adebayor," Ameyi is reported to have told Algerian radio. "We will all be together in South Africa. It is very important to have him because he is our player and team captain."
Should Adebayor travel with the Togo squad it seems likely that Spurs would be left with just one recognised striker in Jermain Defoe for four games - three Premier League matches and an FA Cup tie - and may turn to the transfer market to bolster their attacking options.
Adebayor was pictured at Heathrow airport heading for Ghana this morning after Spurs head coach Andre Villas-Boas granted his players three days off following their FA Cup third-round win over Coventry on Saturday.
Reports in Togo suggest that Adebayor is set to formally announce his intention to play as soon as Monday, but the striker is likely to seek assurances about the players' contracts, training camp and welfare before committing himself to the squad.
Togo's president, Faure Gnassingbe, had planned to hold talks with Adebayor to discuss the conditions in which the squad will work ahead of the competition.
Adebayor was on the Togo team bus that was attacked in Angola three years ago, in which the team's assistant coach, their official spokesman and the bus driver were killed.


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Eric Basso
The Printed HeadVolume I, Number 10
Horses, portraits, underground machinery coalesce into a subterranean mystery of strange import.
Equus Caballus first appeared in the West Coast review Asylum in 1975, this is its first appearance in the UK.
Eric Basso is an American writer, author of many plays, essays, and an unpublished novel. His shorter texts were collected in The Beak Doctor, Europa Media, Alabama, published in 1987.
Site contents Copyright © Atlas Press 1999-2019
BCM Atlas Press, 27 Old Gloucester Street, London WC1N 3XX, UK


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This is the second installment of Observations from the Best Seat in the House. The idea of this weekly feature will be to bring you all some of our observations from the previous week in Ole Miss sports. Let's get into it:
1. What a weekend. The football, volleyball and soccer teams went a combined 5-0-1 on the weekend, headlined by the 15th-ranked football team's 41-3 win over Vanderbilt at Nashville's LP Field, home of the Tennessee Titans.
2. Let's start there. Head coach Hugh Freeze may have downplayed the play of his team in his postgame press conference, but Saturday's win over Vanderbilt may have been the Rebels' most complete performance in the Hugh Freeze era.
3. Since the first half against Boise State, Bo Wallace has completed 35-of-44 passes for 559 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions. Between the Boise State second half and Vanderbilt first half, he threw for 488 yards, which would have broken Archie Manning's single-game school record.
"He didn't make any bad decisions, or anything that was even close," said co-offensive coordinator Dan Werner of Wallace's performance against Vanderbilt.
4. A lot of it is the small sample size, but here are some more fun stats: Bo Wallace is seventh nationally averaging 10.7 yards per attempt and has accounted for a nation-best 15 passing plays of 20 yards of more. That's a big credit to Wallace getting the ball in the hands of his talented group of receivers.
"We had a good game plan, and guys were running wide open the whole night," said Wallace after the Vanderbilt game. "Guys made some plays after the catch, and we put up some yards."
5. Another note: The 41-3 win over Vanderbilt was the Rebels' largest margin of victory in an SEC game since defeating Mississippi State 45-0 in 2008.
6. On a very related note, the margin of victory (38) was also former football player Chucky Mullins' jersey number, while the total number of points (44) was also former Vanderbilt football player Brad Gaines' jersey number. The SEC Storied documentary "It's Time," centered on the the inspirational friendship between Mullins and Gaines, debuted on Thursday on the SEC Network.
7. Robert Nkemdiche called the defense's performance in the season opener against Boise State the new normal. The defense showed up again, as they allowed only a fourth-quarter field goal and 167 yards of total offense against Vanderbilt. Through two games, the Rebels have allowed just 4.19 yards per play and just eight plays of 20 yards of more.
"We stopped the run primarily and we got some pressure on the quarterback and we didn't give up explosive plays and I think that's key for us this year," head coach Hugh Freeze said after the win over Vanderbilt. "We want to make people drive to earn points and I think we did that well."
8. Speaking of Nkemdiche, the former consensus No. 1 overall recruit recorded his first sack of the season, the third of his career, against Vanderbilt. It likely won't be his last.
9. It may get lost in the team's overall performance, but Cliff Coleman may have turned in the play of the game, making his first interception and returning it 39 yards for his first career touchdown to keep the momentum in the Rebels' favor and stretch their lead to 27-0 early in the third quarter.
10. Defensive coordinator Dave Wommack earlier said this freshman class was a hit across the board. Through two games, Kendarius Webster has been the one who has stood out. He had a well-timed pass breakup late in the game against Boise State and had two massive tackles to keep the shutout intact against Vanderbilt.
11. The reigning national punter of the week, Will Gleeson did not see the field, as Ole Miss did not punt in a game for the first time since 2002. Andrew Fletcher connected on each of his first two career field-goal attempts, one from 31 yards and another 25 yards, while Gary Wunderlich made his collegiate debut kicking off four times with three touchbacks and one kick out of bounds.
12. College GameDay producer Lee Fitting has said the Ole Miss looks like a strong a candidate for a visit from College GameDay on Oct. 4 if Ole Miss and Alabama are undefeated. It would be their first trip to the Grove. Home games against Louisiana-Lafayette and Memphis stand in the way for Ole Miss, while home games against Southern Miss and Florida stand in the way for Alabama.
13. With that said, don't sleep on Memphis. Under second-year head coach Justin Fuente, Memphis put a scare into No. 11 UCLA before falling short 42-35. The Tigers rolled up 469 yards of total offense, led by second-year quarterback Paxton Lynch who threw for 305 yards and accounted for two touchdowns.
14. The Ole Miss volleyball team is the last undefeated team in the SEC. With a 3-0 weekend to win the Memphis Invitational, the Rebels improved to 7-0 on the season for the first time since 2007, when they started a school-best 9-0.
15. In their first match of the weekend at Memphis, the Rebels saved a match point down 14-13 in the fifth and decisive set before scoring the next two points to clinch the match. Those are the kinds of wins where you can see the mentality change that first-year head coach Steven McRoberts has talked about since arriving in Oxford.
16. The Ole Miss soccer team had their own share of dramatics this weekend. Down 2-0, Olivia Harrison netted a pair of goals within four minutes of each other in the final 12 minutes of regulation to force extra time against Minnesota. She capped off her hat trick with the golden goal in the second overtime period.
17. Even more impressive, it was the second straight game where an Ole Miss player scored a hat trick, with Addie Forbus scoring three goals in their previous match against Louisiana-Lafayette.
18. The NFL is back, and so is the large contingent of former Rebels among its ranks. Mike Wallace caught a game-tying touchdown, as the Miami Dolphins scored 23 unanswered to rally to defeat the New England Patriots. On the defensive side of the ball, Greg Hardy, who was third in the NFL in sacks last year, recorded his first sack of the season, while Patrick Willis intercepted a pass and led his team in tackles.
19. Looking ahead, there's another big weekend on campus upcoming with volleyball's first three home matches of the season as part of the Magnolia Invitational on Thursday and Friday, football's home opener against Louisiana-Lafayette on Saturday, and a home soccer match against Middle Tennessee State on Sunday.


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MIDDLETOWN, Conn. — Wesleyan University is ending its policy of remaining ''blind'' to all applicants' financial needs while considering them for admission, saying it doesn't have enough money.
The university's president, Michael Roth, said a small percentage of qualified applicants will be refused admission because they would need scholarship money. He said the new policy will affect an estimated 15 to 20 out of 10,000 applicants.
''We will be as 'need blind' as we can afford to be,'' Roth told the Hartford Courant. ''Our model tells us that probably about 90 percent . . . of all the admits will be made without regard to financial need.''
The university's endowment was hit hard by the 2008 financial crash, and more students needed financial aid. Wesleyan's endowment has rebounded to about $615 million, but the school has had to raise tuition to nearly $60,000, making it one of the most expensive schools in the country.
The Middletown Press recently reported that 40 people protested Wesleyan's policy change outside a private meeting of the school's board of trustees on Sept. 23, and some students are facing discipline for entering the meeting room. The college approved the change in May.
Roth said other measures including staff layoffs and program cuts were considered to save money, but those changes would have too much of a negative effect on Wesleyan students' education.
Wesleyan for decades had been among the few schools with need-blind policies, but many colleges are now reevaluating those policies because of tough economic times.
Yale University is now the only college in Connecticut that still uses a need-blind policy. Its endowment is $19.3 billion.
Middlebury College in Vermont and Williams College in Massachusetts have scaled back their need-blind policies for international students and wait-list students, while Grinnel College in Iowa is reviewing its financial aid policies.


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March 10, 2006
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - MIT women's swimming and diving raced to 17th place during the first day of the 2006 NCAA Championships with 21 points and a third All-America honor for sophomore diver, Doria Holbrook. The Engineers also finished sixth in the consolation final of the 400 medley relay in the final event of the night.
The diving field at this year's national championship is one of the deepest in the history of Division III. Concordia senior Annie Cullen captured the one-meter crown on Thursday after smashing the NCAA record with a score of 455.20, while Calvin freshman Erica Deur also broke the previous NCAA mark with a total of 439.25. Beth Olsen of Colorado College set the initial standard with a score of 438.25, although that mark was also challenged by the third and fourth-place finishers.
Holbrook picked up her third All-America recognition in three tries with a fourth-place finish in Thursday's one-meter final. She nailed her last three dives to finish just four points out of second place and three points off the existing NCAA record. On Friday, Holbrook begins defense of last season's three-meter diving championship, which served as the first national title in the Tech program.
The 400 medley relay moved up two spots and dropped three seconds off its clip in the prelims to secure the remaining points for the MIT attack. Freshman Nicole O'Keeffe followed a strong breaststroke leg by Kate Thornton with a 59.3-split in the fly. Sophomore Sasha Brophy anchored the unit with a time of 52.8 as the relay completed the second-fastest swim in program history. MIT's final time of 4:01.94 was topped by the Cardinal and Gray at the NEWMAC Championships (4:00.65).
The Engineers compete in every event on Friday's slate.


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ARLINGTON, Va. — Booster seats are meant to do one thing — elevate children so that safety belts designed for adults are in the right position to restrain kids during a crash. Thirteen of the 41 belt-positioning booster seats the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety evaluated with the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute did such a poor job of improving the fit of lap and shoulder belts for children that the Institute doesn't recommend them at all. Ten models are BEST BETs and 5 are GOOD BETs. These evaluations are the first to tell consumers how well boosters sold by U.S. retailers improve belt fit for children in cars, minivans, and SUVs. The Institute plans to continue these assessments.
"We evaluated the safety belt fit boosters provide, not crash protection," says Institute president Adrian Lund. "This is because, unlike child restraints, boosters don't restrain children in crashes. They simply position children so lap and shoulder belts are in the right place to restrain them." Good boosters route belts across a child's bony parts, not soft parts like the abdomen, which is more vulnerable to injury.
"We'd expect the 10 BEST BETs to improve belt fit for children in almost any car, minivan, or SUV," Lund says. "Likewise, it's clear that kids in the 13 boosters we don't recommend aren't getting the full benefit of improved lap belt fit. These boosters may increase restraint use by making children more comfortable, but they don't position belts for optimal protection."
Researchers at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute assessed 2 types of boosters, backless and highback, under conditions representing a range of 2001-06 model vehicles. Some highbacks convert to backless, and some boosters, called combination seats, can be used as child restraints. Highback and backless modes were evaluated separately because each mode affects how belts fit. More importance was assigned to lap belt fit. All of the BEST BET boosters locate this belt on children's upper thighs. The main problem for the boosters that aren't recommended is they leave the lap belt partially or fully on the abdomen. Fit is important because a correctly positioned lap belt loads pelvic bones during a crash, not the abdomen. A good booster also positions the shoulder belt at midshoulder, keeping the webbing away from the neck so it won't chafe and reducing the likelihood that kids will endanger themselves by putting the belt behind their back or under an arm.
"Our data show it's possible to design a booster with good lap and shoulder belt fit," says Matt Reed, the study's lead author and research associate professor at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute. "Boosters that can't do that should be redesigned."
Boosters the Institute doesn't recommend are the highback Compass B505, Compass B510, Cosco/Dorel Traveler, and Evenflo Big Kid Confidence; backless Safety Angel Ride Ryte; combination Cosco/Dorel Alpha Omega, Cosco/Dorel (Eddie Bauer) Summit, Cosco Highback Booster, Dorel/Safety 1st (Eddie Bauer) Prospect, Evenflo Chase Comfort Touch, Evenflo Generations, Graco CarGo Zephyr, and Safety 1st/Dorel Intera. At least 2 of these models have been discontinued, hopefully replaced by better designs. Booster makers sometimes reuse names and even model numbers for new seats, so manufacture dates and model numbers are important.
The 10 BEST BET boosters are the most likely to position not only lap belts but also shoulder portions correctly on many children in many vehicles. BEST BETs include 3 backless seats: Combi Kobuk, Fisher-Price Safe Voyage, and Graco TurboBooster. These may require plastic clips to correctly position shoulder belts. Six highbacks are BEST BETs: Britax Monarch, Britax Parkway, Fisher-Price Safe Voyage, LaRoche Bros. Teddy Bear, Recaro Young Style, and Volvo booster cushion. Another BEST BET is the combination seat Safeguard Go when it's used as a backless booster. Combination seats convert to boosters by removing their built-in harnesses. At least 5 of the BEST BET boosters have been discontinued but still are sold.
The 5 GOOD BETs provide acceptable belt fit in almost as many vehicle belt configurations. They are highbacks Combi Kobuk, Graco TurboBooster, and Safety Angel Ride Ryte, and combinations Recaro Young Sport and Safety 1st/Dorel Apex 65, when used as highbacks.
"Boosters that provide better belt fit aren't necessarily the priciest," notes Anne McCartt, Institute senior vice president for research. "Parents don't have to spend a lot of money for a best bet or good bet booster." The highback Graco Turbo-Booster, for example, converts to a backless booster and retails for about $50. The backless-only version sells for about $20.
Child safety seat laws in 43 states and the District of Columbia include booster seat provisions, but until now there has been little information on how to pick one that provides proper belt fit. The government's dynamic tests of boosters don't measure belt fit. Congress in 2002 told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to evaluate a belt fit test, but the agency decided to forgo testing. Instead, it only rates boosters by how easy they are to use. Manufacturers crash test boosters, but these simulated tests don't tell parents how boosters will fit kids in their vehicles.
PROPER BELT FIT Boosters elevate children so that safety belts designed for adults will fit better. The lap belt should fit flat across a child's upper thighs, not across the soft abdomen, which is more likely to be injured in a crash than bony structures like the pelvis. The shoulder belt should cross snugly over the middle of a child's shoulder. Then it's in position to provide effective protection in a crash. Plus it's comfortable to use, so a child won't be as likely to move it behind the back or under an arm.
The comparative ratings of boosters begin with lap belt fit. Researchers positioned a Hybrid III dummy representing a 6 year-old, the average size of a booster-age child, in a booster in a second-row seat taken from a car. They assessed lap/shoulder belt fit under 7 conditions spanning a range of belt positions measured in 31 vehicle rear seats. Backless boosters generally provide better lap belt fit. Only 1 of the 15 backless boosters evaluated, the Graco Turbo-Booster used with a belt-positioning clip, provides optimal fit for both the lap and shoulder belts across all the belt configurations. On other backless boosters, the belt often falls too close to the neck or too far off the shoulder. McCartt says parents with kids in backless boosters should use the clips if they're needed to correctly position shoulder belts on their children. Because of built-in guides, highbacks generally do a better job of positioning shoulder belts across all vehicle configurations. However, 12 of the 26 evaluated fail to correctly position lap belts. Good boosters have belt-routing features that hold lap belts down and forward.
Six of the 12 highbacks in the not-recommended group are combination seats that can be used as forward-facing child restraints with 5-point harnesses, and 2 highbacks, the Cosco/Dorel Alpha Omega and the Safety 1st/Dorel Intera, are 3-in-1 seats that can be used rear-facing for infants. The Intera also converts to a backless booster. The Safeguard Go, which converts to a backless booster but not a highback, is the only combination seat that's a BEST BET.
"Combination and 3-in-1 seats are marketed as the last child seat parents need to buy," Lund says, "but most of these seats aren't the best choice as boosters. Parents need to be careful. These seats should be fine when their harnesses restrain younger children, but many of these designs compromise the ability to provide children with good belt fit as booster seats."
The evaluations reflect the fit of lap/shoulder belts for an average size 6 year-old in many belt configurations. Some boosters might fit bigger or smaller children better in vehicles with other belt setups. Unlike dummies, kids fidget and slouch in their seats, so the real-world fit boosters provide varies.
"No matter how a booster did in our evaluations, parents still need to see how it fits their child in their car," Lund advises. He urges them "not to rush to buy a new booster if theirs isn't among the top seats. Check how it fits and remember, it's better for children to ride restrained in any booster than to let them ride unbuckled."
When children outgrow child restraints, parents may wonder if boosters are necessary. They are, because safety belts are designed to fit adults and usually don't fit most kids properly until they're 4 feet 9 inches tall. About 350 children ages 4-7 die in crashes each year in the United States. An additional 50,000 are injured. Because half of the fatally injured children in this age group ride unrestrained, the first step is to get them belted. Boosters help by improving the fit, effectiveness, and comfort of adult belts.
There's convincing evidence that boosters, used with lap/shoulder belts, offer the safest way for kids to ride in cars once they outgrow child restraints, usually at age 4. Using boosters lowers injury risk by 59 percent compared with belts alone, a 2003 study by the Center for Injury Research and Prevention at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia found. A 2006 study by the same authors found that boosters reduce fatality risk among booster-age children by about 28 percent compared with belts alone.
Booster seat evaluations
©1996-2018, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Highway Loss Data Institute | www.iihs.org
IIHS-HLDI in the Classroom
An educational resource for students and teachers


text:
Hello Greetings,
My first post, I'd like to ask some questions, I've been doing some reading on Lisp Languages and While I have an idea of some I'd like to start out with I'm really new in this, so after reading I'd like to get input from lisp and scheme programmers about what they think.
For a start I was thinking of learning either Scheme or Racket (the previous PLT scheme) and they got a new book out for it, realm of racket. I've started with some of the Online manuals and its pretty interesting and fun but before I Dive in, and even consider buy the book, I'd like some input if I should focus on Racket or other Scheme/Lisps, my questions -
1.) Is there a huge difference with Scheme R6RS and Racket? Should I just stick to R6RS? for learning Lisp or go with Racket?
2.) Any Idea if R7RS will be finished soon? I have no idea if its like Perl 6 that it just gets out when they feel it or its got a schedule or ETA? I'm just thinking if its okay to wait for it like in this later months or sooner? I'd like to learn a language and if possible a practical one not just a minimal one.
3.) I'm Looking for books free or commercial for R6RS, most books seem to be for R5RS, any advice on titles?
4.) Are there other Lisp 2's other than Common Lisp that I could look into?
5.) As most main scheme implementations did not produce for R6RS, which are the free/opensource R6 Implementations good for beginner lisp learning should I go for Ypsilon? or other?
My purpose is to learn Lisp Programming well and some functional programming, I like the idea to tinker with a batteries included language but it doesn't have to be at the TOP RANK TIOBE Famous.
Coming from Programming Languages: C, Bash, JavaScript primarily Ruby
Will be using GNU Linux System with Emacs 24 (preferred) or Eclipse
Current Choices Scheme RNRS [5 6 or 7], Racket maybe Clojure, Common Lisp after and other open to suggestions?
thanks for any recommendations or opinions


text: On Mon, 16 Feb 2009, Tiago Marques wrote: > I must ask, doesn't anybody on this list run like 16 cores on two > nodes well, for a code and job that completes like in a week? For GROMACS and other MD programs, the way a job runs depends on a lot of factors that define the simulation: the size of the molecular system, the force field in use, the cutoff distances, etc. Furthermore, what you call a job actually contains a very important variable - the number of MD steps, which can make the total runtime go from seconds to months (or more). Asking for someone who runs in the same conditions as you probably means that he/she has already done the simulations you are about to begin, meaning from a scientific point of view that you would better invest your time in something else as he/she would publish first ;-) I have found several MD codes to scale rather poorly when used on clusters composed of 8-core nodes, especially when those 8 cores are coming from 2 quad-core Intel CPUs; the poor scaling was also with InfiniBand (Mellanox ConnectX), so IB will not magically solve your problems. The setup that seemed to me like a good compromise was with 4-core nodes, when these 4 cores come from 2 dual-core CPUs, associated with Myrinet or IB. You have to understand that, the way most MD programs are done this days, the MD simulations of small molecular systems are simply not going to scale, the communication dominates the total runtime. Communication through shared memory is still the best way to scale such a job, so having a node with as many cores a possible and running a job to use all of them is probably going to give you the best performance. -- Bogdan Costescu IWR, University of Heidelberg, INF 368, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany Phone: +49 6221 54 8240, Fax: +49 6221 54 8850 E-mail: bogdan.costescu at iwr.uni-heidelberg.de


text:
How to Ensure Your Practice is Ready When Opportunity Knocks
There's nothing worse than the pain of replacing an employee. Or the worry of recruiting new talent to deliver on a time-sensitive project. And it can become downright difficult when the person you need to replace, or add, must possess highly specialized skills.
So what's your strategy? Panic when your best networking engineer gives his or her notice? Miss an important deadline? Or plan ahead?
I like option No. 3, and I'm sure you do, too. However, I'm guessing running a successful consulting business means your plate is typically full. That said, I'm also guessing recruiting is a challenge, especially when you need someone "yesterday."
But that's okay. We have a solution for you.
Cisco Partner Talent Network (CPTN) is working day and night to connect the right talent with Cisco partners. Really. This free portal—for Cisco Certified Professionals and Partners—is your one-stop shop for sourcing the best IT talent.
All you have to do is join the network. And voilà. Cisco helps you efficiently cut through the clutter and connect with people who have the specific skills, attributes, and experience you need to complete a project, close a deal, or win a new client.
How does it work?
Job seekers in the IT industry, with Cisco Certifications, upload their resumes and gain access to a range of career opportunities within the Cisco Partner community.
Partners, like you, post their job vacancies that need to be filled. Or, if you prefer, you can filter resumes submitted to CPTN to identify the right talent with the right skills—at the right time.
So just who are these "candidates?"
- IT professionals at all levels
- More than 55,000 registered candidates
- Approximately 2,000 new candidates each month
- Cisco Certified candidates (CCNA, CCNP, CCIE, etc)
- Specialists (Video, Collaboration, Data Center, etc.)
- Network Academy alumni
CPTN provides extra value by providing you with access to candidates' LinkedIn profiles. The network also provides company LinkedIn branding for partners. Plus, the network is localized in several languages.
Need more convincing CPTN is your best source for talent recruitment? How about this? Who won the Online Recruitment Platform Award at the Recruitment Business Awards 2012? You guessed it. CPTN.
But we're not providing a talent network to win awards. It's all about listening to our partners' needs and finding innovative ways to play a role in enabling their success. So if you need talent, and we know you do, CPTN can help.
In an effort to keep conversations fresh, Cisco Blogs closes comments after 60 days. Please visit the Cisco Blogs hub page for the latest content.


text:
French Government Acquires Major US Government Security Contractor
France's Safran completed a $1 billion purchase of U.S. face-recognition software maker L-1 Identity Solutions after hiring a top former U.S. intelligence official to allay security concerns. Safran received approval for its purchase from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US (CFIUS).
The $1 billion cash deal gives the French state-owned company control of a Connecticut company which specializes in biometric recognition systems, passports and finger-printing as well as background checks for public and private clients.
Safran said on Tuesday it had agreed to set up a three-person proxy board to manage sensitive U.S. contracts that make up about 80 percent of L-1's business.
The proposed proxy board would include Barbara McNamara, Deputy Director of the National Security Agency from October 1997 until June 2000, and William Schneider Jr, a former undersecretary of state under President Ronald Reagan. The presence of McNamara and Schneider is designed to ensure L-1 can keep open its lifeline of U.S. contracts while having the French government as its largest single shareholder.
The French aerospace and defense company said on Tuesday that L-1 would join Safran's existing Morpho security business and would be renamed Morpho Trust.
Formed through the 2006 merger of Viisage, Identix, and Stamford, L-1 combines face and other biometric recognition technologies with credentialing and access control systems for protecting identity. Its main customers are U.S. government agencies, which use its products for improving homeland security and border security.
L-1's secure credentialing solution has been used to produce more than two billion government-issued IDs to date. These include driver's licenses, passports and Visas, the U.S. Passport Card and Border Crossing Card, international voter registration and national ID cards, as well as the production platform for the U.S. DOD Common Access Card (CAC).
The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) is an inter-agency committee of the US Government that reviews transactions that could result in control of a U.S. business by a foreign person ("covered transactions"), in order to determine the effect of such transactions on the national security of the United States.
CFIUS includes representatives from 16 US departments and agencies and is chaired by the Secretary of the Treasury. Established by Gerald Ford under Executive Order 11858 in 1975, the committee gained additional authority after Ronald Reagan delegated Presidential oversight to CFIUS under Executive Order 12661 in 1988.
In February 2006, Richard Perle related to CBS News his experience on the CFIUS panel, "The committee almost never met, and when it deliberated it was usually at a fairly low bureaucratic level." He also added, "I think it's a bit of a joke if we were serious about scrutinizing foreign ownership and foreign control, particularly since 9/11."
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text: For Business Fun AFExcursionsWoody's Jet Ski AdventureActiveStand Up Paddle board [and Kayak] AdventureShellingSummer Running on the BeachBarsMadeira Beach BarsEats and TreatsIRB EatsMaximo Seafood ShackRedington EatsSt Pete Beach EatsMadeira Beach EatsEventsFamily FunFamily Fun ZoneMade in FLCuban Paradise CigarVino FloridaMad Beach BrewingMusic and EntMadeira Beach Entertainment TipsLiving HereBeach TipsBooze on the BeachJohn's Pass: When to VisitJohn's Pass: Sunset SpotsBeach Essentials: What [not] to bringSummertime Weather Patterns on the BeachGetting AroundJohn's Pass: Arriving and ParkingParking and TransportationQuick HitsThe Scoop Today's SoireeExplorerJohn's Pass BeachJohn's Pass BoardwalkFancy PantsNaturePelicansDolphinsManateesPinellas ParrotsNightlifeJohn's Pass NightlifePinellas PupsParty of OneRainy DaysValues and Deals For Business For Business Tools for business owners and those that want to help contribute to the economy of the beach, today. firstname.lastname@example.com Gulf Blvd. Redington Shores, FL 33708 Be Patient as We Upgrade The Info You Need. The Fun You Deserve. 4:30am - 8pm


text:
Another week passes in Mexico Beach and the Parker House still stands empty and charred.
Another week passes in Mexico Beach and the Parker House still stands empty and charred.
During a workshop two weeks ago the city council agreed to have a third party evaluate the foundation slab beneath the Parker House.
The city�s insurance company has insisted that the slab is safe to build on but hasn�t provided the statement in writing.
During the council�s regular meeting on Tuesday, city administrator Chris Hubbard said that he contacted several structural engineers in the surrounding area and is currently awaiting proposals to see how much it will cost to bring someone in to evaluate the existing foundation.
Councilman Jack Mullen said that he planned to meet with the insurance company and to discuss the council�s desire to build an elevator in the existing Parker House in the event that repairs are made to the existing building.
The city received an insurance payment of $660,000 but Mullen said he planned to ask why additional monies had not been paid in over a year.
�We have some money but we still have unanswered questions,� said Mullen. �Face-to-face contact is the way to get it done.�
To avoid agitating the insurance company, Councilwoman Tanya Castro suggested that Mullen wait to speak with them until after the third party evaluation was complete in order to present a counterpoint to their claim that the slab is safe to build on.
Councilman Lanny Howell agreed with Mullen that going to see the company reps in person was the best course of action.
�Go down there and talk to them and let�s get going,� said Howell.
Once discussion ended, Mullen planned to travel to Orlando later in the week for the meeting.
The historic Parker House was purchased by the city in mid-2011 with the intention of using it as a new city hall. The building caught fire several months later and suffered massive damage.
In other business, the council approved allowing a community garden to be constructed at Palms Park off of 7th Street.
The project, spearheaded by April Wisdom, will see construction of 27 raised beds that will be rented to snowbirds who enjoy gardening or area residents who may not have room in their own yards.
Wisdom�s goal is to connect gardeners in the area and sought approval from the council for the use of the land and to pay for the irrigation of the beds.
Construction costs were estimated at $90 a bed and $107 annually for water. The council will allow use of the land and will pay up to $200 a year for water costs and Wisdom will pay for construction of the beds through fundraising events.
Community gardens have proven popular in Apalachicola and Destin among other areas and Wisdom believes that a similar area in Mexico Beach will encourage self-reliance and stimulate social interaction.
�Studies have shown that community gardens can raise property value in the area,� said Wisdom.
Those interested in renting a plot will need to file an application and pay a $50 fee that covers their gardening for a year.
Wisdom plans for the garden to be self-sustaining through those fees.
�It�s a great idea,� said Mayor Al Cathy.
No timeframe was given for construction of the beds.


text: Sijun Forums :: View topic - New here Log in to check your private messages Sijun Forums Forum Index >> Archive : Sep99 - Dec00 View previous topic :: View next topic Author Topic : "New here" Kristiaanjunior memberMember #Joined: 29 Dec 2000Posts: 4Location: Leeuwarden, Netherlands Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2000 5:38 pm Hi there. New here. Just lemme present a recent thingie I made to you pro's. Tell me what you think, then I can take it along in future artwork, since I dont have much experience yet in using my Wacom. It is a piece of fanart I made for someone (no propeganda intended). Thnx in advance. Back to top TheMilkManmemberMember #Joined: 04 Nov 2000Posts: 797Location: St.Louis Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2000 5:54 pm cool :P Back to top absinthememberMember #Joined: 15 Dec 2000Posts: 100Location: portland, or Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2000 5:57 pm try moving the left eye away from the nose a little. other than that, looks good. =) Back to top JIMmemberMember #Joined: 01 Nov 2000Posts: 107Location: MI, USA Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2000 5:57 pm i think this rocks! the colors and the way you repeated the picture as a digitized background (magnifique) i also like the placement of the text. great job. what character is this from? Back to top dementia7memberMember #Joined: 12 Dec 2000Posts: 152Location: Austin,Texas,USA Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2000 5:58 pm you have some interesting design things going on. Although I don't get a lotl out of the design itself. It doesn't really communicate a message of any type. Concerning the character her eyes are too close together. The color scheme is interesting but I think it conflicts with the background. As far as some things to do maybe taking out the drop shadow and integrating the character more into the design as opposed to having her floating on top. But this is just my seven cents ------------------ arik renee avila graphic designer/jedi knight Back to top Display posts from previous: All Posts1 Day7 Days2 Weeks1 Month3 Months6 Months1 Year Oldest FirstNewest First Sijun Forums Forum Index -> Archive : Sep99 - Dec00 All times are GMT - 8 Hours Page 1 of 1 Jump to: Select a forum Digital Art----------------Digital Art DiscussionWork in ProgressGallery/Finished Work Miscellaneous----------------Random MusingsArchive : Sep99 - Dec00 You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot vote in polls in this forum Powered by phpBB © 2005 phpBB Group


text: Hi folks, We have a potential user here who is interested in using DrQueue to manage rendering jobs. Problem is that all our clusters are controlled exclusively by PBS (Torque) and need to keep that because of the demand we have. So I'm left wondering if anyone here has any knowledge about whether or not it is possible to stream the jobs that DrQueue creates into PBS ? cheers! Chris -- Christopher Samuel - (03)9925 4751 - VPAC Deputy Systems Manager Victorian Partnership for Advanced Computing http://www.vpac.org/ Bldg 91, 110 Victoria Street, Carlton South, VIC 3053, Australia -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: application/pgp-signature Size: 189 bytes Desc: not available URL: <http://www.beowulf.org/pipermail/beowulf/attachments/20070319/abc355b0/attachment.sig>


text:
I ordered today and they are buy 2 get 1 free! So I got 3 sets for the price of two. Spread the word this must be a glitch!
With them hitting canada, I think it's very likely they could be showing in the US far earlier than 2/11 then.
Everything looks very nice! Shame our group couldn't work out a group buy, but hopefully TRU doesn't jack up the price to $40+ per set.
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text:
The holiday season is often busy with parties and events to catch up with family and friends, but these gatherings can also be prime locations for job seekers to make connections and find a good lead.
Continue Reading Below
Events like company holiday parties, volunteering opportunities and networking events are opportune times for recent grads and current students to make personal connections with those in their field.
Although some businesses are looking for temporary hires, job postings tend to dwindle during the holidays as companies focus on planning for the following year, says Kimberly Baker, career services manager at Bryant & Stratton College Online.
"This makes the holiday season a great time to network as decision makers are thinking about future growth," she says.
The holidays also offer a great excuse for candidates to check in with people they connected with earlier in the year to provide a status update and send warm wishes, says Doug Brown, academic program manager for The Malcolm Baldrige School of Business' MBA program at Post University.
"You can use this special time of year to check in with someone that you may not have spoken with in a while (or have been meaning to reconnect with) to find out how they are doing, wish them well this holiday season and connect with them on a genuine level," he says.
For those who are gainfully employed and want to move up in their career or for recent grads just getting started, here are four tips to network effectively during the holiday season and land a job in the new year.
Make Multiple, but Genuine Connections
While it can be tempting to bounce around at a crowded party, it's more important to make a strong and more lasting connection (or re-connection) with people while networking, says Brown.
Particularly when meeting people for the first time, it's a good idea to be focused and target a few individuals to get acquainted with, advises Larry Nash, director of experienced and executive recruiting at Ernst & Young LLP.
"Don't necessarily try to meet everybody because you might not have time to [build] a deeper rapport. Focus on three to five people and try to go deep in establishing a connection," he says.
Don't Make it All About You
To avoid falling into "what-can-you-do-for-me" mode during a conversation, Brown recommends grads use the 80-20 rule, where 80% of the conversation should be about the networking contact and 20% about the student/grad.
"Focus on really establishing a genuine connection with the people who you are speaking with--ask questions about how they are, how their family is and truly engage in the conversation," he says. "If you take a genuine interest, you will leave a lasting and positive impression with them."
Leave the Resume at Home
Baker notes that unless the holiday event is a job fair, avoid bringing a resume.
"A business card that has a link to a professional website highlighting your work or at the very least your LinkedIn profile is a perfect way to communicate your skills and stay connected to the person after the event," she says. "Make sure to exchange business cards as well so you have their current contact information and can follow up with them."
Brown cautions against trying to tell a long story on a business card or using brochures or handouts—these should only be used for follow up rather than in a networking situation.
Follow Up
After meeting someone at an event, grads should follow up with a friendly email, mention how much they enjoyed speaking and wish them happy holidays--save the more professional/job-seeking email for after the New Year, recommends Baker.
Brown suggests going the extra mile and sending an old-fashioned handwritten thank-you note, which will go a long way in making a memorable impression.
"If time has gotten away from you and you haven't had a chance to follow up promptly, don't hide behind your embarrassment," he says. "You can still pick up the phone and follow up with your contact--don't let embarrassment get in the way of a potentially great contact."
Stay on the Radar After the Holidays
Connecting with contacts over professional networking sites is a great way to stay on top of industry news and keep in touch without being overbearing, says Nash.
"It's good to look at your network on LinkedIn or Facebook to see who you know at this organization and it's important to contact them because many organizations have very strong and formal referral employer programs," he says. "People can use their networks to talk to colleagues about opportunities at their companies, so they get might get more notice when it's coming from an employee rather than from somewhere else."
Touching base with a contact every couple months by sending a link to an article or blog post that is relevant to their industry is a better alternative than grads only contacting them about open positions, says Baker.
"If they are local, see if they would like to get coffee or would be open to meeting for an informational interview," she says. "However, if they agree to an informational interview, approach it as a friendly conversation with no expectation of a job offer. Instead, you should consider it an extension of your earlier conversation and an opportunity to gain additional insight into the industry and that company."


text:
Sakura - Mochi Flavored Beer
SanktGallen, a microbrewery from Atsugi, Kanagawa prefecture, is going to release Sakura-mochi flavored beer called Sakura in a limited quantity on February 27.
Sakura-mochi is a seasonal rice cake filled with sweet bean paste and wrapped in preserved cherry leaf. Less hops are used for this Sakura beer to maximize the Sakura flavors extracted from cherry blossom petals and leaves.
Price: ¥450 (330ml)


text:
Best-Rite's Rubber-Tak Recycled Rubber Board with Aluminum Trim is so durable that it comes backed by a 50-year warranty. This board features a recycled rubber tackable surface that resists most chemicals and stain- and odor-causing microbes. It is easy to wipe clean and even helps absorb sound in your classroom. Choose from several rubber colors to match your décor. Features an attractive anodized aluminum frame. Best-Rite's 18"H x 24"W Rubber-Tak Recycled Rubber Bulletin Board with Aluminum Trim is TAA compliant GREENGUARD certified.
Key Features
- Durable recycled rubber surface resists stains and bacteria growth
- Comes standard with a tackable substrate
- Attractive anodized aluminum frame
- TAA compliant
- GREENGUARD certified
- Backed by a 50-year warranty
- Board Material: Recycled rubber tackable substrate
- Frame Material: Anodized aluminum
- Width: 24"
- Height: 18"
- Warranty: 50 years