text:
Is everyone out there twittering these days? I know I am. I have developed quite an addiction! If you're on Twitter, add me! I'd love to add some new folks to follow.
In the meantime, here are some superfab reads from my fellow bloggers over at Total Beauty. You don't want to miss these.
Fifty-Cent Head reviews the 2008 Readers' Choice Awards in two posts, because there are so many (and so much to say!): Part One and Part Two.
Viva Woman takes a close look at ingredients in mineral makeup that can cause irritation to your face.
Who couldn't use a little stress relief? Beauty411 raves about Johnson's Melt Away Stress line; check it out and enter the contest to win a free assortment of Melt Away Stress products!
Beauty Anonymous loves Chanel Levres Scintillantes Glossimer for lips!
Talking Makeup loves Smooth
Indulgence Concealer by Dermablend.
Alison (aka. "Advice Sister Alison") of The Advice Sisters de-mystifies beauty product labels.
Kitiya from Mischo Beauty invites you to enter her "Mischo Beauty Johnson & Johnson Melt Away Stress Giveway!"
The Beauty of Life welcomes in the dog days of summer with an assortment of cocktail-inspired beauty products!
Bare Escentuals' Warm Radiance has passed muster with Toya of "The Life of A Ladybug!" Come check this out and the rest of her "Bronzers for Brown Girls" series!
Hair Therapy continues for Monique at Beauty Girl Musings!
Jeanne from Periodic Style is back from her Vegas vacation and wonders what to do with her winnings...
Beauty in Real Life has the scoop on the soon-to-be-released, fab new colors for CoverGirl Eye Enhancers.
Joy from Makeup Junkie is wondering if no! no! is A No-No? Check out Week 1 of her review!
Henna from Canadian Beauty found a gloss that really lasts - find out which one she's using!
Total Beauty Web Tour
Product Review: American Cream Conditioner by Lush
Yes, I know. I have written about my love for all things Lush before, haven't I? I can't help it. Their products are almost completely across the board fantastic, and they are certainly socially conscious, making sure to use eco-friendly ingredients, keep their products mostly vegetarian, and use free trade practices almost exclusively. I have not run into many items from Lush that I wouldn't purchase again, and I love to feature such a fantastic company.
American Cream Conditioner by LUSHis described as a sweet honey milkshake for the hair. Like all Lush products, it smells heavenly, and you'll find yourself catching a whiff of it every now and again, which is a good thing. Praised for it's softening abilities, it claims to help even frizzy hair calm itself.
If I was a person who wanted to use only natural products, American Cream Conditioner would be my conditioner of choice. I'd buy it by the gallon and use it every day. However, because my hair is so frizzy and wild, I prefer modern silicones in my hair products - as many as I can get. Because American Cream Conditioner is silicone free, I don't find it works quite as well as my other conditioners, although I can appreciate that it is due to it's mostly natural formulation. So for the type of product it is, it's excellent.
And, just for fun, here are a few of my favorite Lush products. Have you tried Lush? What do you think?
Today's Eyes: Bleu Celeste
I was inspired by Temptalia's Blue Eyes Challenge, so today I broke out my Chanel Bleu Celeste palette and Blue Jean eyeliner. My looks aren't nearly as dramatic as the ones on Temptalia's site, but trust me - this is as much blue as one girl really needs.
On my lashes I'm also wearing Urban Decay Big Fatty Colored Mascara in indigo. It's really fun, and the formula is just as good as the regular Urban Decay Big Fatty Mascara.
Well, Look Here!
Look what I found while browsing the internets! Apparently the new season will begin next month - and the time slot moves to 10 PM instead of 9 PM.
Buzz Sugar has more info on the upcoming premiere and why the time slot was changed.
I am so excited! How about you? Are you a ProjRun fan? Because I'm obsessed.
Beach Waves
Doesn't this thing look like a old-fashioned torture device? Seriously. It's crazy. And it's big. But it totally gives you those beach waves that you are craving this summer.
I picked up the Revlon 3-Barrel Jumbo Waver while on my trip to Denver. My husband couldn't quite figure out what it was, but it was too exhausting to explain it. At any rate, I just got around to trying it out, and it works really well.
My one complaint is in the design of the tool. When I was using it, somehow I kept accidentally turning the power switch to the off position, which obviously was a problem. I need my irons hot, hot, hot, and I would have to stop midway through and let it heat up a bit more. I'm not sure if that was just complete user error or what, but it's something I'm going to have to pay attention to the next time I use it.
Other than that, this iron works exactly as it claims - you clamp it on small sections of hair (I sectioned my hair exactly as I would if flat-ironing it, so as to make sure I kept all the hair consistent), unclamp, and move down the hair shaft. It's super quick and easy, and the waves you get stay in quite well, if the iron is hot enough.
Because it's actually easier and less labor-intensive than flat-ironing, it is a great way to get summer hair without a lot of fuss. Well worth the $20 I paid for it!
We're Now on Facebook
Finally, I got around to getting a group started on Facebook! All the cool kids are doing it! Jump on over and join up!
I've Been Tagged Again!
I've been tagged again! These things are so much fun, I never pass up a meme. Here we go!
- Post rules at the beginning of the post.
- Answer all the questions.
- Tag 6 people, and go to their blog and leave a comment to inform them that they've been tagged and asking them to read your blog.
- Let the person who tagged you know when you've posted your answer.
What were you doing 10 years ago?
Let's see, in 1998 I was at Old Dominion University finishing up my journalism degree with a minor in women's studies. I was already married, and my husband was on a six month deployment most of that year.
What are 5 things on your to do list today?
- make dinner for a change
- learn how to use the easy bake oven with the kids without setting the place on fire
- exfoliate and self-tan
- do some accounting work for the business
- laundry
cheese, especially Dubliner; chocolate - any kind, really, although I prefer Belgian
Places you have lived?
- Kansas City, MO
- Ridgecrest, CA
- Corpus Christi, TX
- Virginia Beach, VA
- pay off the last of the debt
- travel, travel, travel
- buy a summer home in Greece
- set up a fund for brain tumor research
This is tough. I always want to know more about strong women who have gone against the grain and made their way, I find these stories inspiring.
Right on! Thanks to Jennifer at Beauty in Real Life for tagging me! Is there anyone who hasn't been tagged yet? I'm going to hit up Carla at Product Girl, Monique at Beauty Girl Musings, Lianne at The Makeup Girl, Jen38 at Mythbuster Beauty, and Fabulista over at Beauty Blogging Junkie.
Benefit's New Perfume
I got an email from Benefit announcing their new perfume! I was a fan of maybe baby eau de toilette for a really long time. In fact, I think I wore it all last summer. B spot, however, looks a bit more sophisticated and intriguing. Notes include mango, freesia, peony, sandalwood and amber.
I'm scared of sandalwood - it usually overpowers everything else on me, and I'm not a huge fan. But I love amber, especially mixed with light florals for spring or summer.
What say you? Will you be trying it out?
OPI's Sea Ya Later, Sailor
This is a super fun blue - it's light, sparkly, and part of OPI's Retro Fun in the Sun line, which I adore already, and I've only tried one. It's hard to see here, but each of the colors are glittery, but not obnoxiously so. I don't feel like it would be better suited to a 16 year old, just that it's fun without being completely in your face. The color is sheer and light, and I got three compliments on it just today alone. Fun!
Shopping at Ulta
Did a bit of shopping at Ulta today! I was looking for the China Glaze Ink collection (still), but was unable to find it. Instead, I picked up some mini collections and a few wants from Urban Decay. Here is my haul:
- A Little Bit Retro: OPI Retro Fun in the Sun Summer 2008 Collection. My mini collection includes Calendar Girl, Peach-a-Boo, Sea Ya Later, Sailor!, and a rapid dry top coat.
- Essie Neon Collection: this little collection has Short Shorts, Mini Shorts, Bermuda Shorts, and Shorty Pants.
- Urban Decay Brow Box Kit in Brown Sugar.
- Urban Decay Big Fatty Colored Mascara in Indigo.
Eye of the Day
I'm still in Colorado, and the wedding was last night. Needless to say, I'm a bit tired and couldn't muster up a lot of energy for eye makeup today. But I've been inspired by the teal eyeliner craze lately, so I picked up Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Electric, which is an aquamarine blue. There is only one shade on my lid (I told you I was lazy today), and that is Woodwinked by MAC. The lashes have Lorac Lotsa Lash Mascara on them. I'm still enjoying this mascara.


text:
You have no items in your shopping cart.
Filter By
- Style
- Combination
- Design Type
- Diamond Shape
- Center Diamond Size
Currently Shopping by
- Style: Remove This Item Daily Wear
- Design Type: Remove This Item Exclusive
- Diamond Shape: Remove This Item Round
Evolving lifestyles and embracing urban culture has given rise to investing in everyday diamond rings for the sake of fashion and luxury. These simple diamond rings are an expression of style and class giving you an understanding of the new norms in the fashion world. I Love Diamonds has mastered this art of light weight diamond rings.
Exclusive daily wear diamond rings for the urban elite
Diamond jewelry industry has undergone a transformation with the urban elite seeking more lightweight diamond jewelry for everyday use. The convenience of wearing simple yet elegant diamond ring designs is in vogue and can elevate your style statement. The market is for daily wear jewelry to attract the housewives, college goers, teenagers and the working women. I Love Diamonds has a wide range of inspirational collections to attract all age group of women.
Staying spirited everyday with latest diamond ring collectionIts glitters all the way with diamonds forever! These are not just the best friend of rich girls but also the close friend of every girl. These marvelous collections are not a burden on your pocket but are affordable pieces of jewellery you will cherish for life. Irrespective of age and stature, women love the bling and what more than diamonds can make this happen. The daily wear diamond rings are a delight.
Lightweight daily wear diamond rings for the woman in youDiamonds are contemporary, stylish, easy to wear and maintain. With I Love Diamonds everything is right. Simplified latest diamond ring designs are here to stay with the mesmerizing collections of diamond rings for every day wear. Light weight jewellery asserts one's personality and makes you look chic. The perspectives and lifestyle preferences change yet there is no way these awesome daily wear diamond rings are going out of style any sooner. It is the latest gizmo that every woman wants to flaunt, so go ahead and get on the bandwagon.
Select Your Style
Alabaster Allure Diamond Ring In White Gold For WomenSKU:RG2055A$1,352
Captivating Circlet Diamond Ring In Pink Gold For WomenSKU:RG2044A$1,241
Glorious Love Diamond Ring In Pink Gold For WomenSKU:RG1979A$1,067
Fond Heart Diamond Ring In Pink Gold For WomenSKU:RG1977A$1,044
Modish Marvel Diamond Ring In Yellow Gold For WomenSKU:RG1635A$825
Shimmers Of Joy Diamond Ring In Pink Gold For WomenSKU:RG1615A$1,659
Embosomed Enthral Diamond Ring In Pink Gold For WomenSKU:RG1612A$1,458
All products loaded.
Filter By
Filter By

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Free Monkey Toast Taster Class
So, you're thinking of taking an improv class but are unsure that improv is the right thing for you - GREAT!
Some people can be intimidated by the idea of learning to improvise, some people might just want to see what we do and others might want to see if we're legit as a company (we're super-legit). If these statements - or others - apply to you, then this taster class is for YOU.
Improvisation is a great way to get more confident, more creative and make new friends in a challenging but fun and safe environment - but why believe me* when I'm saying stuff, when we can literally show you?
This is a free taster class in which Monkey Toast's Artistic Director, Paul Foxcroft will take two hours to demonstrate the Monkey Toast teaching style - we teach a scene-based, organic Chicago style (which either means something to you, or will after the taster class). In this free class we'll cover a little theory, one or two excercises and a little practical application of both - plus there's plenty of time for questions about our courses or improv in general**.
For more information on our other courses - click here for more information about the company.
Did I mention that this is A FREE CLASS? Because it is. IT'S FREE!
Paul Foxcroft - Director, Monkey Toast UK
*I mean, you should believe me, I'm one of the most qualified people in the UK on this subject.
** There's time for questions about anything, but let's try to stay on target here, people.
Free Monkey Toast Taster Class
Want more events?
Sign up here to get a curated event selection right into your mailbox


text: Why We Love Janod Toys by ImagineToys.com on Friday, June 20, 2014 10:19:00 AM Whimsical, Wooden Toys Janod Toys designs beautiful and playful wooden toys for children of all ages. This entry was posted in Play with Me - Baby Activities, Let's Play - Kids of All Ages, Toddlers & Preschoolers Playtime, Big Kid Adventures. janod toyswooden toyslearning toysbaby toyskids toys


text:
Packers Sign 8-Time Pro Bowl DE Julius Peppers
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — The Green Bay Packers defense has gotten a big jolt from a big name: Eight-time Pro Bowl defensive end Julius Peppers.
The ex-Carolina Panthers and Chicago Bears defensive end signed a three-year deal with the Packers on Saturday morning, bringing one of the NFL's best pass-rushers to a team that has historically avoided major free-agent splashes.
The move was first reported by ESPN. Peppers' agent, Carl Carey, posted photos to his Twitter account of Peppers signing the deal and standing on the still-frozen tundra of Lambeau Field before the team announced it officially later in the day.
The 34-year-old Peppers was released Tuesday by the Bears in a cost-cutting move. Peppers would have counted $18.183 million against Chicago's salary cap this season and had a base salary of $13 million.


text:
Seventeen suspects were rounded up Friday on various drug charges stemming from an undercover narcotics operation in Manatee County.
During the past three months, members of the Special Investigations Division conducted multiple undercover drug investigations throughout the county. As a result of this operation, the Manatee County Sheriff's Office issued arrest warrants for 44 subjects, totaling 115 charges.
The undercover agents in this operation were acting as buyers, conducting deals with the suspects for various drugs, including prescription pills and crack cocaine.
The roundup phase of the operation conduct Friday led to the 17 subjects arrested on various drug charges, including violation of probation and trafficking.
Five subjects were already in jail on unrelated charges and charged with additional crimes. The 22 other suspects remain at large.
Dave Bristow, spokesman for the Manatee County Sheriff's Office, said tracking down about half of the suspects during the first day of the "roundup" phase is typical.
"It used to be that we would go out and do these in one night," Bristow said. "But word would get out on the street."
Holding the warrants allows the deals to take place without news of the arrests spreading.
Bristow said cocaine is making a small comeback on the streets, which may be a result of price increases in prescription narcotics after legislation cracking down on pill mills.
Suspects rounded up in undercover drug operation
Seventeen suspects were rounded up Friday on various drug charges stemming from an undercover narcotics operation in Manatee County.


text:
Hell yes! Good job Latos.
Hell yes! Good job Latos.
Yes! Pence pops out to short. 0-0 mid 1st.
Wow that pitch was up in his eyes and he flies out to left
Having the gamethread feed being faster than my radio is annoying. However, I'm listening to near real time coverage of a game from 14 timezones away. How did the old timers exist before the internet?
...the 2-2 to Woodsen and here it comes...and it is swung on and missed! And Tom Browning has pitched a perfect game! Twenty-seven outs in a row, and he is being mobbed by his teammates, just to the thirdbase side of the mound.
Lets get to cain!!!
What I would give to see Phillips at the plate high fiving a teammate again and dropping a "he ain't spit*" on them.
Who else thinks it's time for Votto to stop choking up on the bat?
"Ill kind of have a foot on the back of my own butt. Thats just how I do things. -- Bryan Price, 10/22/2013
Board Moderators may, at their discretion and judgment, delete and/or edit any messages that violate any of the following guidelines: 1. Explicit references to alleged illegal or unlawful acts. 2. Graphic sexual descriptions. 3. Racial or ethnic slurs. 4. Use of edgy language (including masked profanity). 5. Direct personal attacks, flames, fights, trolling, baiting, name-calling, general nuisance, excessive player criticism or anything along those lines. 6. Posting spam. 7. Each person may have only one user account. It is fine to be critical here - that's what this board is for. But let's not beat a subject or a player to death, please.


text:
Are you lost? Here is the DreamHack Winter 2013 map
DreamHack Winter 2013 is arranged 28 November to 1 December at the Elmia Fair in Jonkoping, Sweden. The festival is open 24/7 and we have blazing fast Internet from Telia. We expect 25 000 visitors to DreamHack Winter 2013. DHW13 is opened 24/7 and there are activities around the clock.
Important times for DreamHack WInter 2013:
Doors open: November 28 – 08:00
Opening ceremony: November 28 – 16:00
The network goes down: December 1 – 08:00
The electricity cuts to the table rows: December 1 08:40
All participants must be out of Elmia: December 1 10:00
Buy tickets at: bokning.dreamhack.se
DreamHack is the world's largest digital festival and holds the official world record as world's largest LAN party in the Guinness Book of Records. During 2009 DreamHack reached over 200.000 unique visitors with our live activities around the World. DreamHack holds several festivals each year, BYOC Qualifiers and expos. The Spring Season ends with the Season Finals at DreamHack Summer and the Fall Season ends with DreamHack Winter. The major festivals take place during 4 days, 24-7. DreamHack Summer & DreamHack Winter are alcohol and drug free and open to all ages.
DreamHack is focused on everything you can do with computers, Internet and digital entertainment and culture. DreamHack is a lot of gaming, communication, programming, designing, music composing and whatever you can imagine! We organize a lot of large tournaments and compos and also a great Expo with company's like MSI, ASUS, Telia, Intel, Blizzard and many of the Swedish universities to name a few.
Like on all festivals we also offers a great selection of food end beverages, many restaurants and kiosks are open 24/7. On top of that there is several of hundreds hours of live entertainment on our stages ranging from music to magic and much much more.
DreamHack is filled with activities, fun and friends around the clock!
DreamHack is the undisputed world largest LAN with multiple Guinness world records. at DreamHack Summer 2013 there was 16932 unique connected devices to our network, let´s make DreamHack Winter 2013 event bigger! Make sure to connect all your devices to the open WiFi. The blazing fast Internet connection is provided from our strategic partner Telia who will deliver the fiber connection to DreamHack Winter 2013.
In our DreamExpo you will find many of the largest an most innovative company's showing of the latest hardware, gaming gear, games and gadgets often with great fun and activities like shoot outs, giveaways an mush more. Meet developers, pro gamers, politicians, teachers and often even celebrities. All in the DreamExpo in hall B.
DreamHack arranges a lot of Esport tournaments for all audiences ranging from casual and fun to real hard core attracting professional players. All major genres like Team FPS, Duel FPS, Racing, Fighting, Sports, Music and strategic games are featured. Most of the tournaments are open for everybody and often starts in the BYOC area then moves on to a tournament area. The final for the main games is played in front of thousand of people on some of our dedicated esport stages, the main stage or DreamArena Extreme.
Many of our partners, exhibitors and community friends arrange side tournaments with great prizes.
DreamStore is DreamHacks festival store organized together with Webhallen with great offers on hardware, software, games, gadgets and game gear. All major brands are represented. Its not uncommon that product launches are made during our big festivals at Elmia in Jönköping.
In Hall D you can find the official DreamHack Merchandise Store where you can find all DH-products and some other great stuf from our partners. DreamHack Merchandise Store is opened 24/7
DreamHack Kreativ is the offspring to the Scene and offers a wide range of compos for all interested in being creative with computers, video camera, photo camera, and more. The great DreamHack Audience is the judge of the compitition. Be sure to check out Kreativ and turn in your work in time!
During the festival we produce several of hundreds of live entertainment on our many stages. DreamArena offers the worlds best esport and lectures from game developers, politicians and other Internet or media personalities. The main stage offers live music, crazy competitions and also a lot of content from our partners. Most of the content is live streamed by us or members of the media.


text:
★Ceviche is the coastal regions of Central and Southern America's version of Sushi. (Although I made my Ceviche with fully cooked fish…)
I tend to approach cooking like my grandmother's did…recipes are only "guidelines" so feel free to tweak this to your tastes.
How did I make mine?
- 1 lb. fresh but fully cooked tiny shrimp,
- 8 oz. crab meat-fresh is best, but canned is fine too.
(traditional Ceviche calls for any raw local FRESH fish thinly sliced and "cooked" in the citrus juice, but not many in my household do raw fish so I went with cooked instead).
- 2 finely chopped tomatoes
- 1 finely chopped red onion
- 1 sour orange juiced
- 3 limes juiced
- 1 large handful organic chopped cilantro
- 2 organic carrots finely diced
- 2 fresh avocados finely chopped
- 1 jalapeno finely diced
- lime and extra avocado to garnish.
- 2 cloves of fresh garlic, diced
Combine all ingredients in a serving bowl, I added salt, fresh cracked pepper and a bit of Mesquite seasoning to taste.
Serve with salted baked tortilla chips as a dip. It is also good served on a bed of spinach as a tostada…or with shredded cabbage as fish tacos.
You can substitute any fish you like, but remember- fresh and local is best!
Mangia bene!
Love, Laughter & Candlelight,


text:
Military, Products, Services
By By Richard Whittle | August 1, 2009
Send Feedback
Unmanned aerial vehicles of the fixed-wing variety have proven their worth to the military beyond doubt during the past 15 years or so, especially since U.S. troops went to war in Afghanistan and Iraq. Now, with a lag time less dramatic but still reminiscent of the four-decade gap between the dawn of powered flight and the debut of the first useful helicopters, interest in rotorcraft UAVs is clearly taking off.
"In a perfect world, I would have the capability of a Reaper or a Predator but not be tied to a runway," said Maj. Thomas Heffern, whose job at the U.S. Marine Corps Combat Development Center is to study how the Corps can best exploit the explosion in UAV technology. Being "runway independent," Heffern noted, means "vertical lift."
The U.S. Air Force's fixed-wing MQ-1 Predator and newer MQ-9 Reaper, perhaps the most famous UAVs in the U.S. military inventory, have become technological stars in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The Defense Department, especially under Secretary Robert Gates, can't seem to get enough of them. Equipped with reconnaissance gear and weapons, Predator and Reaper provide military commanders — and the CIA, reportedly — the ability to search out and track insurgents and terrorists around the clock and attack them with missiles and bombs before they know what's about to hit them.
A UAV that could do all that but take off and land anywhere, rather than relying on runways, would be a hot item, Heffern ventured. "Whoever can crack the code on that, that's going to be interesting to an expeditionary, amphibious organization" like the Marine Corps.
Small observation helicopter UAVs, such as Japanese firm Yamaha Motor Co.'s RMAX, have been flying industrial missions for years, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has been working just as long on advanced UAV rotorcraft concepts for the U.S. military. DARPA has studied concepts as futuristic as an unmanned rotorcraft gunship that could fly as a "wingman" for manned U.S. Army helicopters, whose pilots would control the UAV by voice command.
Rotorcraft UAVs aren't quite there yet, and may not be for a while, but defense contractors are increasingly busy working on medium-sized helicopter UAVs that can conduct intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), carry air-to-ground weapons, and perform a range of other missions, from serving as communications nodes to carrying cargo. In the not-so-distant future, vertical lift UAVs may even perform combat search and rescue operations, some experts predict.
Vertical lift UAVs and concepts for them come in all sizes, and the military is seriously interested. The U.S. Navy, as the service that leads Defense Department Joint Explosive Ordinance Disposal programs, gave Honeywell a contract in 2008 for the company's Tarantula Hawk, a video camera-equipped micro UAV that can fit into a backpack. The T-Hawk, which looks more like an appliance than an aircraft, will be used by bomb disposal teams to hover over and examine suspected bombs before the teams set about defusing them. Under the $65-million contract, Honeywell will provide 180 T-Hawks, 90 ground control units, training, spare parts and other support.
The military is eager to start using larger vertical lift UAVs, too. The Navy earlier this year conducted sea trials with Northrop Grumman Corp.'s MQ-8B Fire Scout, a 30-foot-long unmanned helicopter, and plans to deploy Fire Scout aboard ships as an ISR and targeting aircraft. The service scheduled operational test and evaluation of the Fire Scout this summer.
The Navy eventually plans to arm Fire Scout as well, but cargo transport may be the next military mission vertical lift UAVs take on. The Office of Naval Research asked industry this past January to propose cargo-carrying vertical lift UAVs for the Marine Corps. "The ideal candidate," the ONR said, "would be a shipboard compatible, high speed VTOL platform that is autonomous, affordable, rugged and reliable."
The agency said it was interested in UAVs that might be fielded within five, 10 or 15 years. The ideal long-term solution, it added, would be a vertical lift UAV that could carry 1,600 pounds of cargo to four separate locations at speeds of 250 knots or better and to a radius in excess of 285 nautical miles, or 328 statute miles. Those distances and speeds would rule out a UAV that flew like a conventional helicopter, and such goals may challenge industry for years to come. With thousands of additional Marines being sent to Afghanistan this year, the Corps decided the time had come to buy an unmanned helicopter for resupply missions.
Getting supplies to remote Forward Operating Bases, or FOBs, in Afghanistan has proven a challenge for all armed services deployed to that rugged country. "There's no doubt that this is the most difficult terrain that I've ever seen in 33 years to actually walk across, operate in, or to fight in," Army Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Schloesser, commander of Combined Joint Task Force 101 in Afghanistan, said in a recent teleconference with Pentagon reporters. Schloesser's command, he noted, leases donkeys from local Afghans to get supplies up some difficult mountain peaks.
For those reasons, the Marine Corps War- fighting Laboratory at Quantico Marine Base, Va., issued a Request for Proposals on June 1 for what it calls the Immediate Cargo Unmanned Aerial System. The requirements make it clear that the winner will be an unmanned helicopter.
The winning UAV will have to deliver at least 10,000 pounds and ideally 20,000 pounds of cargo within 24 hours to a round-trip distance of 150 nautical miles, or 172.5 statute miles. It will have to fly at 15,000 feet density altitude and be able to hover at 12,000 feet density altitude either in or out of ground effect. How many trips the UAV might make to deliver all that cargo within the 24-hour time limit wasn't specified, but the RFP said the "smallest element in a cargo package shall be equivalent to at least a standard wood pallet" measuring 48 x 40 inches loaded with at least 750 pounds of cargo and preferably 1,000 pounds. The aircraft also will have to operate autonomously but be equipped to let Marines on the ground control it "beyond line-of-sight" when delivering supplies, meaning it will need to carry a satellite communications dish.
The goal of the program is to "get Marines off the road" by delivering supplies to small units by air instead of by truck convoy, explained the Combat Development Center's Heffern, who had no role in evaluating bids but has worked on the resupply problem. Given the demand for helicopters in Afghanistan already, using a UAV for such jobs also should ease the burden on manned Marine Corps rotorcraft that can be used to deliver supplies but are needed for a variety of other missions, too.
"There also could be some other areas where it may potentially be a game-changer," Heffern said. "There may be situations where the risk of ground fire or weather may be so elevated that we're unable to take manned aviation into particular areas." The Marines "may be more willing to assume that risk with an unmanned system," he continued. The Marines got at least three responses to their RFP, with major differences among the entries.
Lockheed Martin Corp.'s Systems Integration division at Owego, N.Y., partnered with Kaman Helicopters of Bloomfield, Conn., to offer the beefiest entry, an "optionally manned" version of Kaman's K-MAX. The manned version of the K-MAX has been used since the 1990s for logging and other medium-lift jobs, but Kaman has sold only a few. The K-MAX's empty weight is 6,000 pounds, and with its two intermeshing "synchropter" rotors, which cancel out torque, and no tail rotor to bleed power from its single engine, Kaman boasts that the aircraft can lift its own weight in payload.
Boeing Co. also bid on the Marine Corps contract with its A160T Hummingbird, a 35-foot-long helicopter UAV whose claim to fame up until now has been its ability to stay aloft for long periods — 18.7 hours in a 2008 test. The Hummingbird was developed by the ever-inventive Abe Karem, who also devised the fixed-wing UAV that evolved into the Predator. The Hummingbird uses Karem's rigid Optimum Speed Rotor, whose revolutions per minute can be adjusted for maximum efficiency at different altitudes and cruise speeds. DARPA and the Army funded the development work and Boeing took over Hummingbird when it bought Frontier Systems Inc. in 2004. Designed for endurance, the Hummingbird is light — about 2,500 pounds empty — and according to Boeing can carry up to 2,500 pounds of cargo in addition to its fuel.
Going into the competition, Lockheed and Kaman officials were confident the K-MAX's superior lifting ability would give their entry the edge needed to win the Marine Corps contract. "They require that you have to deliver 20,000 pounds of cargo over a 24-hour window," said Dan Spoor, vice president for rotary wing programs at Lockheed's Owego division. "That's the key requirement. We can handily meet that requirement." The K-MAX also has a carousel cargo hook that allows it to carry four separate loads and drop them at four locations, said Salvatore Bordonaro, president of Kaman Helicopters. "We actually call it the 'aerial truck,'" Bordonaro explained.
The companies tested a K-MAX flying autonomously in June 2008 for the Army, whose Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center at Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is very interested in the optionally manned K-MAX, though that service has no plans as yet to buy a helicopter UAV for cargo hauling. The Army tests were flown with a "safety pilot" aboard because Federal Aviation Administration regulations severely limit unmanned aircraft flights in domestic airspace.
In those tests, Lockheed and Kaman proved that an operator on the ground using a ruggedized laptop computer with a joystick could control the K-MAX through a data link. Team K-MAX, as the companies are calling their partnership, also showed that the aircraft could take off autonomously, pick up and deliver a 3,000-pound sling load, and change its preplanned route in flight. For the Marine Corps competition, Lockheed is installing a satellite communications system in the K-MAX to allow ground operators to control the aircraft when it gets beyond line of sight.
A typical mission for the Marines, Spoor said, might be to deliver food, water, ammunition and medical supplies to a FOB located 75 miles or so from a hub base. A ground operator at the hub would put the aircraft into a hover at around 50 feet and hold it there while Marines hooked cargo loads to the K-MAX. The aircraft then would fly a preprogrammed route autonomously at 12,000 to 15,000 feet to one or more FOBs. At each FOB, a Marine on the ground with a handheld control station would take control of the K-MAX as it approached, put it into a hover, release one or more of the cargo loads, then return control to the aircraft's mission management computer.
"They can proceed back to other FOBs or to the hub with a series of ground controllers operating it along the way," Spoor said. "It has the full capability to be flown unmanned autonomously," he added, but because the K-MAX has a cockpit, "if you want to ferry it between locations with a pilot, you could do that. You kind of get the best of both worlds."
Boeing officials said they were confident their Hummingbird could do what the Marine Corps wants. The requirement, observed Boeing's Mike Lavorando, A160T deputy program manager, breaks down to delivering at least 2,500 pounds and ideally 5,000 pounds of cargo every six hours, and the 150-nautical-mile round-trip requirement is no problem for an aircraft that has shown it can fly literally all day and much of the night, on one tank of gas.
The Hummingbird, Lavorando added, offers its own advantages. Should the Marines decide they want their UAV to carry cargo faster than 70 – 80 knots, the top speed most any helicopter would be able to fly hauling a sling load, he said, the A160T can be fitted with an aerodynamic cargo pod that would let it fly as fast as 140 knots. Lavorando said the company was still designing a system to carry sling loads but already had flown the A160T with a cargo pod, though not to 140 knots. A 40 x 48-inch pallet loaded with 750 pounds of cargo won't fit into the pod, but in principle "the Hummingbird offers the faster podded resupply capability," Lavorando said. "Getting cargo delivered in half the time, basically, that you could do with a sling load would be a big advantage."
The Hummingbird has flown a mission profile such as the Marine Corps wants autonomously, but as the competition began, Boeing was still working to equip it with handheld and beyond line-of-sight control systems. John Groenenboom, Boeing's A160T program manager, said the company would meet the beyond line-of-sight requirement by attaching a satellite dish to a static mast above the Hummingbird's rotor.
Lavorando said the Hummingbird could have an edge in the competition because it was designed from the ground up as a UAV. Boeing has been able to flight test the Hummingbird in the high desert near Victorville, Calif., under an authorization given to DARPA by the FAA. "All the development done has been unmanned and all the lessons learned from that have been incorporated into the aircraft and into the control system," Lavorando said. "Starting with a manned platform and trying to unman it is very difficult."
The Hummingbird also would offer the Marines more than just a way to get cargo to remote FOBs, he added, though supply delivery is all the Corps is officially seeking. The aircraft has internal storage capacity that could be used to carry other payloads, such as sensors and communications gear, Lavorando said, "So it could be conducting a resupply mission, at the same time providing a communications relay capability for the troops, and it could be conducting ISR missions while it's hauling cargo."
Beyond that, the U.S. Special Operations Command has tested a Hummingbird carrying a foliage-penetrating radar called FORESTER to detect ground troops moving beneath jungle canopy, confirmed Maj. Wesley Ticer, a spokesman for the command. The radar works best when used from a hovering platform, which enables it to distinguish the speed difference between the hovering aircraft and the troops as they move on foot.
Boeing's Groenenboom said the company also has begun experimenting on its own with arming the A160T by flying it with three dummy Hellfire missiles attached to one of two stub wings added to the fuselage. "That is one of the visions our customer has eventually" for helicopter UAVs, Groenenboom said.
With the Marine Corps still evaluating the bids, Northrop Grumman declined to release any details about how its Fire Scout could meet the program's requirements. In an e-mailed response to questions from Rotor & Wing, Mike Fuqua, business development manager for Fire Scout, would say only that the aircraft can "carry a significant amount of cargo" in "pods that have been designed for this increased requirement." How much cargo the Fire Scout could carry, he added, would depend on time, speed and "environmentals."
Fuqua also noted that, in addition to being chosen by the Navy as a vertical lift UAV for ISR missions at sea, Fire Scout was the Army's choice as a helicopter UAV to perform ISR, targeting and communications relay missions under that service's Future Combat Systems program. The Defense Department ordered the Army to cancel Future Combat Systems on June 24, but Fuqua — commenting before that — said the fact that Fire Scout had been "a mature program of record in two services" should make it "the obvious choice" for the Marines.
Another arm of Boeing, its Rotorcraft Systems unit in Mesa, Ariz., has been developing an unmanned version of the company's AH-6 Little Bird helicopter, whose manned and armed version is flown by the Army's elite 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. Boeing considered but decided against entering the AH-6U, as the unmanned Little Bird is designated, in the competition for the Marine Corps cargo resupply contract.
"It was the company's decision to bid only one platform, and then the decision was made that the platform to be bid was the A160T," said Boeing Rotorcraft Systems spokeswoman Carole Thompson.
Even so, Dino Cerchie, Unmanned Little Bird program manager for Boeing, said it wasn't inconceivable that the Marines could decide later that the AH-6U would be a good choice for cargo resupply missions. "We've been working with the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory, helping them develop their CONOPS (concept of operations) for precision delivery and resupply," Cerchie said. "They've already seen us demonstrate this capability."
Boeing has been developing the unmanned Little Bird since 2003, and in recent years has demonstrated various UAV missions, such as communications relay using a high bandwidth link with phased array antennas. That gave the AH-6U the ability to communicate with multiple aircraft and ground units simultaneously, Cerchie said. The unmanned Little Bird, which weighs just under 2,000 pounds empty, has carried cargo loads up to 870 pounds and could carry as much as 2,000 pounds, he added. The company also has studied arming the unmanned Little Bird with missiles, rockets and even.50-caliber machine guns. "In 2005 – 2006, since it was such a new concept, we had a pretty broadband approach to demonstrating anything and everything to everyone," Cerchie explained.
Since then, under an Army contract, Boeing has been using the unmanned Little Bird in AH-64D Apache Block III tests as a stand-in for the Sky Warrior, a new Army version of the General Atomics Aeronautical Systems fixed-wing Predator flown by the Air Force. Boeing's Apache Block III gunship helicopter is being equipped to allow its crew to control Sky Warrior and the UAV's sensors and communications relay gear in flight. Sky Warrior isn't far enough along to be used in tests of that capability, so Boeing has flown the unmanned Little Bird as a "surrogate."
"I think all current and future variants of all manned (military) aircraft are going to have some level of UAV interoperability," Cerchie said. "The Apache, being the cornerstone, is probably going to have a little more than most."
American companies are not alone in moving to cash in on vertical lift UAVs. Schiebel Group of Vienna, Austria flew its little Camcopter S-100 unmanned helicopter at Le Bourget this year — the first time a UAV had flown in that storied venue, according to a company news release. Other companies playing include Saab of Sweden and Swiss UAV of Niederdorf, Switzerland, which in May announced that they would collaborate in developing and marketing unmanned helicopters.
"VTOL UAVs are the future," said VTOL historian and vertical flight consultant Michael Hirschberg. "It's not a matter of 'if,' it's a matter of 'when.'"


text:
When it comes to the start of Colonial Athletic Association play for the University of New Hampshire football team, there's usually no testing the water in the shallows.
When it comes to the start of Colonial Athletic Association play for the University of New Hampshire football team, there's usually no testing the water in the shallows.
Nope, it's dive right in to the deep end.
That's no different this year, with the Wildcats (2-1) on the road Saturday to face No. 5 Old Dominion (3-0), in what will be the first and could be their last clash against a program that's on the fast track to FBS status, and will join Conference USA next season.
This is the first real Saturday of conference games in the CAA, with four on tap, all potentially good ones. After three weeks of winning the non-league games they were expected to win against lesser foes, and losing the ones they were expected to lose — often against FBS teams — it's time to start settling the pecking order.
Here's how the teams line up at the starting gate.
1. Towson. The outright league champions a year ago looked solid defensively in beating William & Mary, 20-17, on national TV Saturday. Combine that with seasoned offensive guys like quarterback Grant Enders and running back Terrance West, and Tigers might be the league's most complete team.
Does LSU have anything to worry about in two weeks? No. Does the rest of the CAA? Yes.
2. Old Dominion. The Monarchs aren't eligible for the league title in their final season in the CAA, but they could easily leave a lasting imprint with a high-octane, fast-paced offense with quarterback Taylor Heinicke piloting an attack that's averaging 57.3 points a game.
"These guys, skill-wise, are possibly better than the Minnesota guys we faced two weeks ago (in a 44-7 loss)," said UNH coach Sean McDonnell on a CAA coaches teleconference Monday.
All-Conference wide-out Nick Mayers is a big threat, but the Monarchs haven't exactly extended themselves by playing Duquesene, Hampton and Campbell. UNH is the best team they've seen to this point.
3. Delaware. The unbeaten Blue Hens haven't done it against a daunting schedule either, but there's plenty to like on both sides of the ball.
Offensively, running back Andrew Pierce is as good as it gets in the CAA. Defensively, their line can wreak some serious havoc, even if the coach isn't getting too carried away.
"I don't think we're one of the best teams in this league," said Delaware coach K.C. Keeler. "I think we're in the middle of the pack."
4. James Madison. The upsides to playing an FBS power are the guaranteed, six-figure payday, plus the chance at making national headlines with an upset.
One downside is the potential for injury against teams that feature bigger and faster players. The Dukes saw that in their 42-12 loss to No. 8 West Virginia on Saturday, losing four more starters to various injuries.
"We're real beat up," said JMU coach Mickey Matthews. "This may be as bad as we've ever been beat up. ...; We tried to get out on the field to run a bit (Sunday) and it looked like we just got back from the Battle of Shiloh."
5. UNH. It's one thing to run the ball the way the Wildcats did Saturday against the likes of overmatched Central Connecticut State, when Nico Steriti topped the 100-yard mark, and Jimmy Owens and Chris Setian flirted with it.
It's another thing to do it against CAA defenses, especially with a largely untested quarterback. And, at high-flying Old Dominion Saturday, it will practically be a necessity.
"That's paramount," said McDonnell. "We've got to run the football against these guys and keep their offense off the field. ...; The best cure, being on the other side of it, is to make drives eight, 10, 12 plays, work on some clock."
6. Maine. Tough to glean much from the Black Bears' first two games — a 34-3 humbling at Boston College and a 51-7 rout of Bryant.
We'll learn a little more after this week's game against Albany, and then a lot more when Jack Cosgrove and his bunch host Villanova a week later.
7. William & Mary. Tribe have lost their first three games by a total of seven points, including a 7-6 loss at Maryland and Saturday's 20-17 loss at Towson. Quarterback issues abound but other pieces are in place for a turnaround.
"This is a team that can be 3-0," said Keeler, whose Blue Hens visit the Tribe Saturday.
8. Villanova. The Wildcats (2-1) ran for 244 yards in a 31-10 win over Rhode Island Saturday, a great aid to a redshirt freshman quarterback.
9. Richmond. Blowout wins over Gardner-Webb and VMI tell us very little about the Spiders (2-1), who were winless in the league last year.
10. Rhode Island. The Rams (0-2) accepted an invitation to remain in the CAA this summer, which is great news for UNH and Maine, but maybe not so much for Rhody.
11. Georgia State. Another program that's got one foot out the CAA door, the Panthers will join the Sun Belt Conference in the spring. But their exit doesn't look like it will have quite the panache as ODU's.
GSU is 0-3 after a sloppy, 38-14 home loss to Texas-San Antonio, its quarterback is hurt and there are already grumblings from the fan base about what this means for the future.


text:
Wow over 900 comments and still going strong! So many of you shared your feelings of desperately wanting to get organized and not knowing which end is up. Believe me, I can relate to that feeling! Let me explain.
I worked full time when my oldest two were little. I look back on that time now and wonder how I ever did it. I do remember it being stressful but with the exception of having housecleaning help (I was fortunate to be able to hire a house cleaner ever two weeks) I still managed to get everything else done. When I first came home two years ago I couldn't figure out why I struggled with getting everything done considering I now had more time in the day to do it. I was really overwhelmed by it all. That's when I realized it was because I was no longer following any sort of schedule. I fell into the trap that I had nothing but time now that I was home. I told myself that there was always tomorrow or the next day or the day after that. Problem is the longer I procrastinated on something, the longer it went without getting done and the more stressed out I became and the more dysfunctional my family became. This was specifically apparent when I no longer had a cleaner to rely on. I hate cleaning so of course I had trouble concentrating my efforts or even finding a huge chunk of time to do all my housework at one time. You see that is how I was raised, we always did all the housework Saturday mornings. It never occurred to me that it could be done any other way.
It wasn't until I started reading some blogs and discovered another way, a way that has made life so much easier for me and completely taken the pressure off. It's called the weekly work/cleaning schedule. I know many of you are already using this method but just as many are not following any sort of routine which is why I bring it up today.
We started by making a list of all the chores that needed to get done in a week. Then as a family we sat down with this list, wrote our names across the top and started writing in who was going to do what and when. It looks something like this:
Monday: Me ~ grocery shopping and laundry
Tuesday: Me ~ whole house clutter bust (just making sure things are put back in their homes, general tidy)
Wednesday: Me ~ dust
Thursday: Me ~ wash floors
Friday: Me ~ clean bathtub, Daughter ~ toilets/sinks/tidy room, Son ~ glass/tidy basement and room
I stay on top of the kitchen every day and hubbie does the vacuuming on Sundays. My kids also have daily jobs such as helping with dinner, putting dishes away out of the dishwasher and tidying up the living room each evening.
Yes there are still some days that I get off track but having my schedule written out and posted where I see it regularly helps to remind me of what I need to do and when. Since I am a visual person I find that using my week over week calendar on the fridge is what works best for me. Knowing that I don't have to commit any more than an hour to house cleaning each day helps me to stay focused and get it done. Talk about freeing.
The other thing I've learned from the lovely Rachel-Anne (her Small Things series is fantastic!) is to have a Housekeeping Mission Statement. I'll be honest and admit that at first I didn't see the benefit but I decided to give it a try and I am amazed at what a difference it makes in my attitude.
My Housekeeping Mission Statement
To provide an inviting and peaceful household environment, for my family and all that enter, that is conducive to living simply, loving deeply and laughing abundantly. I will make strides everyday to achieve this by practicing and teaching good daily habits and routines along with effective organizational skills. I will graciously and cheerfully serve my family and genuinely enjoy my commitment to creating a home sanctuary that is above all else pleasing to God.
For years I longed to "come home" to take care of my family. I am so grateful to now have this opportunity and having a written mission statement is a daily reminder of how I want to accomplish that goal.
Whether you are a stay at home mom, work at home mom or work outside of the home, committing to a schedule and following through will help you achieve whatever goal you are seeking for yourself and your family. Try it!
See also:


text:
More than Bananas
It's the biggest mystery.
If the Universe were a funfair — galaxies whirling like fairground rides, streams of gas and dust strewn across the sky like bunting, people wandering through it eating hot-dogs — where did it come from?
Who put it there?
Science does a wonderful job explaining part of the story. It can get us from a few moments after the Big Bang to the bit where the hairy beings amble over the African Savannah eating soft fruit.
It just can't do the beginning, or the end, or the meaning.
It can't tell us why there is something, rather than nothing at all.
And it can't tell us how the fruit-eating primates turned into people who hum music, write novels, invent day-time TV and ponder the Nature of Being.
For that, we need something more than bananas.
More than Bananas is a freewheeling exploration of how we all (might) have happened — and what to do about it.
Your book is wonderful! I do hope that it is very widely read.
Prof. Sir Colin Humphreys CBE FRS, Cambridge University
Paperback ISBN 978-0-9565010-5-9 £6.99 Ebook ISBN 978-0-9565010-6-6
bookshop price£6.99 bulk buys can be as low as £3 per copy.
Now available as a free YouTube presentation!
It's true. More than Bananas is now available as a YouTube presentation in 17 10-minute parts, good for discussion starters or even if you are just too stingy to buy the book. Here's the first:
This was very interesting to me as I am not a follower of any orthodox religion. I love the witticism that Glenn applies throughout this book and his, sometimes, irreverent outlook on Christianity and how it can be applied by anyone who wants to find themselves through Christianity and Jesus. It contains some powerful messages for anyone looking to find how to go about gaining this without being a dry and boring lump of text that tries to shovel religious dogma into the reader.
Patricia Walker, Goodreads
Quite splendid, one of the best Christian books I have read since C S Lewis … It is one of the very best pieces of contemporary apologetics I have ever read: clear, flowing prose, complex ideas simply expressed. In my judgement entirely acceptable and orthodox theology. Hooray!
David Satchel
A wonderful and accessible apologetic for the Christian faith with its touches of science and philosophy, insuppressible yet unobtrusive humour, powerful down to earth illustrations, and real life soul defining personal experiences.
Jono Chamberlain
More than Bananas is a wonderful book: intelligent, reasonable and realistic. It gives a clear presentation of how the Christian faith is a perfectly rational approach to the world, in accord with science, and offers an excellent antidote to those who feel that faith and science are mutually exclusive. At the same time it is deeply personal, warm and funny. I recommend it highly.
Dr David Bowler, University College London
Your book is wonderful! I do hope that it is very widely read.
Prof. Sir Colin Humphreys CBE FRS, Cambridge University


text:
Talk of lies, pride as Trump case goes to jury
CHICAGO (AP) -- The attorney for an 87-year-old woman who accuses Donald Trump of cheating her in a skyscraper condo deal told jurors in Chicago on Wednesday that he was personally repulsed by the "Apprentice" star whom he said lied on the witness stand.
The comments came during a sarcasm-filled closing argument at the civil trial in federal court that pits Jacqueline Goldberg against the billionaire real estate mogul-turned TV showman. Jurors withdrew to deliberate later Wednesday.
His voice rising, attorney Shelly Kulwin portrayed the case in his closing as a battle between a powerful businessman and a woman who learned her values growing up during the Depression.
Trump, of New York, wasn't in court for the closings. But Kulwin projected a photograph of the beaming developer on a large courtroom screen.
"The thought of my grandma being in the same room with that guy. Yuck!" said Kulwin. The judge told jurors to disregard the comment.
Later, he said Trump was motivated to cheat his client by a love for money.
"It's like his family, those dollars," Kulwin said.
City pride also intervened when Kulwin appeared to make an unfavorable reference to executives in New York.
"Judge, he's mocking New York," Trump attorney Stephen Novack said, standing to object.
"I can't mock New York?" Kulwin shot back. "I thought it was every Chicagoan's right to do that."
Addressing jurors later Wednesday, defense attorney Stephen Novack accused Kulwin of resorting to personal attacks on Trump out of desperation and a lack of evidence.
Goldberg alleges Trump persuaded her to buy two condos at around $1 million apiece in Chicago's glitzy Trump International Hotel & Tower by promising she would share in building profits. But, Goldberg says, Trump reneged after she committed to the investment.
"It's called a bait and switch," Kulwin told jurors. "Here's the bait. Here's the switch."
But Trump's attorney described Goldberg as a detail-oriented investor who knew the contract that she signed stipulated Trump could cancel the profit-sharing offer as he saw fit.
"She knows the drill," he said. "Nobody put a gun to her head (to sign)."
He later added: "Mrs. Goldberg went into this deal with her eyes wide open."
Since the contract gave Trump rights to change the profit-sharing offer, Novack said the onus was on Goldberg's attorneys to prove Trump secretly plotted to defraud her before she even signed up to buy.
"What do they call it? A bait and switch," he said. "Switch is not enough. ... There is no evidence whatsoever of a secret plan."
In two days of sometimes combative testimony last week, Trump denied cheating Goldberg. And he told reporters outside court that he was the victim, not her. He declared, "She's trying to rip me off."
On Wednesday, though, Kulwin said Trump took the stand "to lie, evade and spout infomercials.
He also mocked Trump for telling jurors he never took notes of business meetings and so couldn't say for sure when certain decisions were made and by whom.
"People who don't want to be found out don't write things down. They're not stupid," he said. "And Donald Trump may be a lot of things, but he's not stupid."
Kulwin told jurors Goldberg was seeking a total of $6 million in damages.
"Send a message not just to Mr. Trump -- but to tell others like him," he said pounding his hand on a podium. "You can say to them, 'These people who do these things have crossed the line.'"
But Trump's attorney told jurors their obligation was to the evidence, not to their sense of sympathy or to any urge to send a message.
"This isn't the chance for you to decide that Wall Street is bad ... and (now) we're going to show these fat cats," Novack said. "Look at the facts."
Follow Michael Tarm at http://www.twitter.com/mtarm


text:
RICHMOND, Va., Nov. 5 (UPI) -- Virginia and New Jersey governors races are among Tuesday's coast-to-coast elections that also include a Colorado proposition to tax recreational marijuana.
New York City voters will elect a new mayor for the first time since 2001 and are likely to elect the first Democrat for that spot since 1989.
This off-year election, which is expected to draw a low turnout, also features mayoral races in Detroit and elsewhere, special congressional elections in Alabama and five other states, state legislative votes, citizen initiatives and a variety of state and local referendums.
In Virginia, former Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe is favored to defeat conservative Republican state Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli in replacing Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell.
McAuliffe, who President Obama campaigned for Sunday and Vice President Joe Biden stumped for Monday, called the election a choice between a levelheaded candidate and an extreme right-winger.
"If mainstream Virginians from both parties don't turn out to vote, you're letting the Tea Party decide Virginia's future," McAuliffe said at a rally with Biden in Annandale, near Washington.
"That's why I need your help more than ever," he said. "Get! Out! The votes!"
A Quinnipiac University poll released Monday showed McAuliffe at 46 percent, Cuccinelli at 40 percent and Libertarian Robert Sarvis with 8 percent among likely voters. The poll had a 2.5 percentage point margin of error.
But Biden warned Democrats not to get comfortable with a 6-point lead.
"Don't take this for granted," Biden said.
"There's only one place the Tea Party can compete with us -- and that is, they do turn out their base," he said.
Cuccinelli, who trailed McAuliffe by 4 points in a Quinnipiac survey last week, said the election is a referendum on the troubled U.S. healthcare overhaul.
"Virginia is the next battleground in America on 'Obamacare,'" he said at a Warrenton rally. "So ... let's send them a message loud and clear: Virginia says no to Obamacare. And Virginia says no to expanding Obamacare."
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., campaigning with Cuccinelli, told Latinos in Spanish: "We don't want Obamacare [and] we don't want more big government. We want more leaders like your next governor, Ken Cuccinelli."
Farther north, Republican incumbent New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie maintained a nearly 2-to-1 lead, or 61 percent to 33 percent, over little-known Democratic challenger state Sen. Barbara Buono among likely voters, a separate Quinnipiac poll released Monday indicated.
That poll had a 2.6 percentage point margin of error.
"We can't take anything for granted," Christie said at a campaign stop. "We are Republicans in New Jersey," a state that traditionally votes Democratic.
Buono, at her final stop Monday, said a new book about Republican Mitt Romney's failed presidential bid said the former Massachusetts governor didn't pick Christie as his running mate in part because his background was "littered with potential land mines."
"They vetted him for vice president and they went through it very, very carefully. They asked him a lot of questions, they didn't like all the answers they were getting," she said in remarks quoted by The (Newark) Star-Ledger.
"And they disqualified him to run for higher office," Buono told supporters. "So, if he's not good enough for Romney, he's sure as hell not good enough for New Jersey."
New York City appears poised to elect Democratic city Public Advocate Bill de Blasio by a sweeping margin over GOP contender Joe Lhota, former head of the state Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
A Monday Quinnipiac poll showed de Blasio ahead of Lhota 65 percent to 26 percent, with Independence Party candidate Adolfo Carrion at 3 percent. The poll had a 3.6 percentage point margin of error.
A de Blasio win would give New York City its first elected Democratic mayor since David Dinkins was elected in 1989.
Republican Rudolph Giuliani was elected in 1993 and re-elected in 1997. Republican Michael Bloomberg was elected in 2001 and re-elected in 2005. He left the Republican Party in 2001 and successfully persuaded the City Council to extend the city's term limits law so he could run for a third term.
He was re-elected as an independent on the GOP and Independence and Jobs & Education ballot lines in 2009.
The term-limits law was changed back to two terms in 2010.
Detroit's mayoral race is non-partisan, with candidates not listed by political party. The key campaign issue is the city's bankruptcy.
Businessman Mike Duggan, who ran a write-in primary campaign and received 46 percent of the vote in an Aug. 6 primary, and Wayne County Sheriff Benny Napoleon, who won 30 percent of the primary vote, are battling to replace Mayor Dave Bing, who is retiring.
Duggan and Napoleon spent the final hours of their campaign Monday pressing the flesh and pressing their message that they were best qualified to lead the city during its bankruptcy, while state-appointed Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr manages the city's financial operations through at least September 2014.
Detroit in July became the largest U.S. city to file for bankruptcy.
Polls showed Duggan with a nearly 2-1 lead over Napoleon, but Napoleon told the Detroit Free Press he was confident the race would be much closer than that.
Other big cities having mayoral races include Atlanta, Boston, Cleveland, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis and Seattle.
Alabama will hold one of the nation's six special congressional elections Tuesday. It will be a Republican primary pitting establishment GOP candidate Bradley Byrne against Christian conservative Tea Party hopeful Dean Young to fill the seat vacated by Republican Rep. Jo Bonner, who resigned Aug. 2 to become University of Alabama vice chancellor.
Bonner backs Byrne, calling him a candidate "in the mold" of all the district's previous representatives.
Polls indicate the special election -- a runoff from a Sept. 24 primary -- could go either way. The winner in the strongly Republican 1st Congressional District is widely expected to win the general election Dec. 17.
A Byrne victory could lend momentum to a GOP establishment effort to regain control of the party from the Tea Party faction, The Washington Post said.
Other special congressional elections are being held in Illinois, Massachusetts, Missouri, Louisiana and South Carolina.
Eligible Connecticut voters will be able to register Tuesday and then vote immediately, as the state becomes the 11th in the country to enact Election Day registration.
Democratic Gov. Dannel Malloy said, "Same-day voting helps to ensure that all citizens have a voice in their government."
Elsewhere, Colorado voters will decide Tuesday whether to place a 25 percent tax on recreational marijuana.
Proposition AA would impose a 15 percent excise tax on wholesale purchases and another 10 percent state sales tax for retail purchases.
The excise-tax money would go toward school construction, as part of the 2012 constitutional amendment that legalized recreational pot sales, The Denver Post said.
At the same time, 11 counties in northern and eastern Colorado are to hold non-binding votes on seceding from the state and creating a 51st state called North Colorado.
The initiative stems from a philosophical divide between Colorado's rural population and the state Legislature over issues such as gun control and renewable energy, the Post said.
The secession move would need the OK from the Legislature and governor, as well as the U.S. Congress.
Critics say congressional lawmakers would never allow the creation of a 51st state, if the idea even reaches them, the Post said.


text:
The question of exhibiting art online has lingered since the early years of internet art. Last month Mike Golby and Jillian Kay Ross entered the conversation with their inaugural exhibition FREE 4 ALL at Barmecidal Projects. Barmecidal Projects is an entirely digital 3D gallery that is a virtual replica of Mathew Marks gallery in New York. FREE 4 ALL, which ran from April 16th- May 16th with an accompanying opening at Butcher Gallery in Toronto, features work by Alex Mcleod, Amalia Ulman, Arielle Gavin, Brad Tinmouth, Brian Khek, Danielle Bessada, David Hanes, Emily Jones, Georgia Dickie, Iain Ball, Jennifer Chan, Jillian Kay Ross, Jon Rafman, Justin Bochek, Jónó Mí Ló, Jarrod Wilson, Kaitlin Till- Landry, Lauren Brick, Lauren Elder, Lee Ormerod, Liam Wylie, Lili Huston- Herterich, Mike Goldby, Orlando Orellano, Rachael Milton, Shelbi Chew, and Tara Downs.
The gallery's name Barmecidal, "providing only the illusion of abundance; illusory or imaginary and therefore disappointing," is manifest in the articulation of the virtual exhibition space. By mapping the traditional white cube onto a virtual model, Barmecidal Projects explores the modes of exhibition in both real and artificial space. Golby and Ross aspire to:
…bring together artists working in digital and immaterial forms. Digitally created works existing in the space are rendered in high-gloss, hyperrealistic fashion. Having these objects exist in the gallery space further blurs the boundaries between the Real and representation; the works will be so shiny and irresistible by virtue of their digital nature that they will supersede reality.
Due the technical limitations of the simulated model, visitors are unable to browse through the gallery freely and are lead through a video tour that moves quickly through the space. The experience of viewing the art in this context is both familiar and novel. The artifice of the simulated space reflects the artifice of the gallery as hallowed exhibition space.
Many of the works in the exhibition engage with the space's uncanny resemblance with the white cube. In Georgia Dickie's Fusilli (Turbo Blue), a giant piece of pasta floats or leans precariously against a virtual wall. Rendered in a bold shocking blue and with inconsistent shadowing, the virtual object exists in the uncomfortable sphere between two and three-dimensional representation.
Similarly, Lee Ormerod's Bulldog Clip #7 reminds us of the inherent malleability of a digital space that is not bound by physics or real world limitations.
Other works, like Orlando Orellano's Explorer, approach the simulation of the gallery's physicality more literally, reflecting the walls and ceiling in the rendered glass of a framed print. Alex McLeod also reinforces the illusion of physical space in Haunted Memories, where simulated mirrored surfaces meticulously reflect the dimensions of the gallery.
While Barmecidal Projects does not present itself as the solution to online exhibition, it is an interesting contribution to the discussion of digital curation and representation.


text:
Jrpoulter's Weblog
Just another WordPress.com weblog
Tag Archives: Kent
Researching the environment of story
By happy accident, I discovered the way to travel interstate, overseas, inter-culturally and explore the ambience of remote towns, cities, country lanes and outback outposts. Air tickets – well that's the ideal, but no, I used Google Earth.
It started with my trying to locate a lovely country home in West Hougham, Kent, England. It was featured in Country Life for September 7th, 2000, and was the
inspiration for my story "The Dolls' House in the Forest". I was fascinated by the quaintness of the architecture compared to anything out here in Oz and the size of the immense, almost regal trees forming a perfect backdrop to the house. I tried to relocate the house by doing a 'street view' saunter down English lanes in the vicinity. I located the area on the map and zeroed in from aerial to 'here I am virtually walking down this street on the other side of the world the environs of which I just happen to need to explore.'
I didn't find the house, but I had the most wonderfully inspiring time wandering down country lanes that were little more than wagon tracks, great boughs canopying overhead and wildflowers dotted in the fields…
Now, if I need to capture something of the 'feel' of an area. I seek out an address. Real estate notices for sale/auction/for rent are a good source, then go explore in Google Earth. Wander around that area, exploring the architecture, streetscapes, lifestyles evidenced in things as random as street art, verge gardens, bus stops, signage, graffiti, shop window decor, fences or lack of, litter, strays and the bystanders to my wanderings. Don't forget YouTube – Example – Dingle, and with Celtic song overlay Dingle
I have also found that exploring the Realtor advertisements in the area I am exploring gives insight into the lifestyle and inhabitants of the town. Many homes give a slideshow or even a video tour online. This helps you pick up on details of life – home decor, layout, from wall hangings to cushions, scatter rugs to artwork, the placement of chairs to take in a much loved outlook, the windows and their views out, the garden. Example.
Perhaps this sounds a little bit the voyeur. It is not the intention, far from, it is seeking faithfulness in recreating a 'feeling' for place. It is gathering the elements of story , setting the stage, arranging a convincing backdrop to the action!
Lovely example of a virtual tour – 1893 mansion, St Georges Road, Toorak.
Another lovely virtual tour – historic "Douglas", built in 1881, in Birchgrove, Sydney.
Visualising Story
The tips above, of course, are beneficial to illustrators as well. Not many can afford to jet around the world on location research for images. Other ways to 'get in the setting' for free include YouTube clips. This is even a Youtube video clip on West Hougham, Kent. Sadly, it doesn't feature that house…
Other ways to 'get in the setting' for free, besides YouTube clips, are Flickr and photographic collections held in State Libraries and on places like Pinterst. Jeff Faria recently sent me a great link to early circus posters – fascinating. Little did he know I am currently writing a story which involves Civil War period circuses in the US.
If your story requires an historical setting, you are in luck! Heritage listings in Australia and the UK are excellent.
Below are some very useful research sites for historic buildings in Australia –
Federation style dwellings lists many excellent buildings, of which Alister Brae, Pymble is an outstanding example.
Additional links are given for some residences, as in the case of "Venice", Randwick.
The NSW Heritage database also gives excellent information. TIP: Put in the street name and the suburb to narrow your search for a particular building. Just putting in the suburb will bring all heritage listed buildings in that suburb. Putting in the street number and street will draw a blank. Putting in the property name will sometimes bring up additional material otherwise unaccessed, e.g., "Glen Rhoda", a gothic residence in Woollahra. Using the name in the search brings up information on the existing residential property, No.71, and and an additional link to the listing for, No.67, property formerly part of the original "Glen Rhoda".
For anyone researching Kew, Camberwell or Hawthorn buildings [mainly but not only residences] from 1860s through to 1969, this site is a must. Other Councils will have similar sites.
Open Gardens, Australia has links to various of its most notable gardens. Windyridge shows the garden in all four seasons in a map based virtual tour.
International settings – the virtual tour
Aside from a drop in to street level via Google Earth, many online sites feature virtual tours of historic settings, buildings, rambles around towns, cities and country areas. A few examples –
Castles –
Eilean Donan, the iconic Scottish Castle featured on innumerable calendars, tourist brochures and used as a location in numbers of feature films [you need Java 7 to see the virtual tour on the official website] can be viewed in Youtube Clips.
The best clip of Eilean Donan, features a commentary on the Castle's history and shows the exterior, surrounds and interior in much more detail.
Neuschwanstein [Castle that inspired the Disney fairytale castle] – site tour;
Virtual Tour of Neuschwanstein with commentary in English subtitles;
Virtual sight-seeing – contemporary and historical
A walk around Paris by video [sadly not signposted but gives a good overview of everyday life];
Louvre – historical commentary and tour [mainly external], contemporary , history [in French] and tour of architectural features;
Tuileries, Paris surrounds, exterior, interior in brief;
Whatever the historic building or the town, you are quite likely to find a youtube clip or at least flicker photos, then there is always Google earth! Have fun!


text:
Description:2 x Genuine HP 8GB (1x8GB) PC3-10600 RegisteredCAS 9 Dual Rank x 4 DRAM Memory KitPart Number(s)
Option Part# 500662-B21 (1 x 8GB)
Spare Part# 501536-001 (1 x 8GB)
Assembly Part# 500205-071 (1 x 8GB)
Note:Our HP Part# 500662-B21-2Pack is guaranteed genuine
HP product with a HP serial number and logo.
We do not sell 3rd party HP memory.
Overview:Information technology professionals rely on HP quality to ensure maximum productivity. As the power of applications processors memory adapters and storage devices increases high-end computer users are seeking ways to optimize their system performance. HP provides leading solutions adding new levels of performance availability flexibility and management.


text:
Good Morning….I finally made a post on Draw a Bird Day, by accident.
I've illustrated another in my series of Cats, Birds and Chairs. These two characters look as though they are going to be causing some mischief very soon. The bird ( who is the ring leader) is saying, "Just look straight ahead, act normal, they will be leaving soon."
Have a great weekend.
Brown Pen, Kuretake Zig watercolor pens, background added in Photoshop


text:
So I've never considered myself a foodie. I don't even think I fall into that category now, but I love yelping different places and trying new things lately. I guess I'm living in the moment and that moment isn't my normal food that I eat at home and doing nothing. When we were down in San Diego for the expo for work I was yelping a place to eat dinner when I found R Gang Eatery. It had good reviews and after seeing the menu it looked like something that my co-worker and I would both like. We left the expo and were pleasantly surprised to find no wait and a genuinely fun place to eat and had AWESOME food. We started off with the House made Cheddar-Chive Tater Tots with Ketchup & Chipotle Ranch Dip. Looking at the menu now, we never got the ketchup, but man we didn't even need it. They were AMAZING. The Chipotle was delicious and these were just fantastic.
Then we both got the Smoked Gouda Mac n Cheese with Toasted Butter Cracker Crumb Topping. I could not even speak while eating this. It was THAT good. I was totally in heaven and it was just delicious. There were so many great things on the menu but I knew if I didn't get the Mac and Cheese I would regret it and boy am I glad I did. It was simply awesome.
There were so many great options and looked like there were also some awesome drinks that we didn't partake in because we wanted to save the rest of our tummys for dessert, in which we traveled to Babycakes, a gay cupcake bar. Another epic cupcake win! We got two drinks, the grasshopper and a coffee and then three cupcakes. Yea, a little over the top. We got a red velvet with the rational of 'well you have to try every cupcake shops red velvet.' Then we got the peanut butter and jelly, because it sounded like the most amazing thing ever and then the Lemon one. Starting with the peanut butter and jelly, I was shocked how it tasted just like my favorite sandwich! It was awesome. Then the red velvet was a great one and we ended on the lemon one. It was like the pickle that ended our meal. Simply amazing!
So that was a highlight of the expo for sure! If you are ever in San Diego, I totally LOVE R Gang Eatery and recommend you eat there! Babycakes is also a sweet treat! Alright, no more foodie posts from me for a while!


text:
The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger - Words and Music - 2011
1.04.11 11:34am
Sean Lennon has worked with his mom's Plastic Ono Band, contributed to Cibo Matto, and released a solo album, 'Into the Sun.' His new project with his girlfriend Charlotte Kemp Muhl is called 'The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger,' and has a sixties folk pop sound. Recently the duo played some songs live, and talked with FUV's Rita Houston about writing 'children's songs.' (10/25/10)


text:
'A clear Dave's Pick, the Nikon D7200 is the company's best effort yet in the enthusiast DSLR market.'
'great camera'
'Overall the Nikon D7200 is an impressive enthusiast DSLR.'
'The D7000 line has always been a solid DSLR, Nikon's 2015 enthusiast camera takes the fully featured D7100 and enhances the sensor even more, for images with rich, yet true-to-life colors and excellent noise reduction. '
'Lots of customisation options available.'
'With faster burst shooting, improved autofocus and much greater ISO range, the 7D MkII is clearly a superior camera. '
'Stacks of customisation.'
'The menu system is vast, and there are a lot of features available there that might not be apparent at first glance.'
'It isn't a true successor to the 6-year-old D700, or just a cheaper, less well-specified version of the D810 - instead, the D750 is a compelling camera in its own right that actually out-performs the D810 in some areas. '
'It's a powerful and versatile camera that's arguably more compelling than the D810 for most photographers at around two thirds of the price.'
'The D750 is a great SLR camera. '
'Irrelevant of its tilt-angle screen the Nikon D750 brings together many successful elements that make it an undeniably great DSLR camera. '
Comfortable and intelligent design, and excellent photo quality and performance
Great, responsive and versatile tool
Nikon cleans up its full-frame act with the D600 upgrade
Pros: Excellent image quality, small and light for a full-frame camera.
'The Nikon D810 is an excellent, well-rounded camera that's capable of delivering superb images in a wide range of conditions.'
'This is a serious camera, and much of the way the Nikon D810 operates is about zero compromise performance. '
'Heavyweight features.'
'Extremely high resolution and per-pixel sharpness. '
ReviewGist helps you find the best products to buy by making sense of online reviews.
We are currently aggregating 376,500 reviews
covering over 29,474 products.
© 2020 ReviewGist.com. All Rights Reserved.


text:
Drive seeks to save SF State glassblowing course
A young woman withdraws a long metal rod from a fire and whirls around to sit on a bench. She sets it on holders above her lap, twirling it as a second woman pulls a rod from another oven and touches its red-hot tip to the original.
"Turn it, turn it," a third intones as the first woman uses the heat and the twirling to shape wisps of molten glass on the rod, like cotton candy on a paper stick.
A choreographer couldn't have devised a more efficient ballet.
This is glassblowing class at San Francisco State University, where the handling of blazing hot metal and molten fragility has, since 1972, forced on students a mastery of cooperation and spacial awareness in the service of fine art.
And it's going away.
That is, this is its last semester unless a petition signed by 171 devotees so far can pull off a longshot upset and reverse the decision.
"Despite your making the course self-funded in its day-to-day operations, hot glass remains costly in terms of the physical space it takes up in the department and the energy resources it consumes," Gail Dawson, chair of the College of Liberal and Creative Arts, wrote last month to Nate Watson, who has taught the class for five years.
The class and its twin 2,100-degree ovens occupy one classroom in the Fine Arts building. But other students need the space, officials say.
Glassblowing has lived on borrowed time since 2002, when the faculty vanquished it from the curriculum, along with jewelry making.
Glassblowing moved to the College of Extended Learning, where financial aid would no longer cover it. But those willing to pay $1,273 each semester could learn about glass and work with it for up to 12 hours a week.
Watson's class has 19 students, including six undergrads, a Google scientist, a lawyer, a BART controller, a nurse and other non-San Francisco State students who love glassblowing.
Employers "are not going to hire anyone in jewelry making or glassblowing," said Paul Sherwin, dean of the College of Liberal and Creative Arts. "We need the space for sculpture and ceramics."
Besides, he said, "Glassblowing is kind of minor."
He said San Francisco State employs world-class painters and other artists whose work sits in the permanent collections of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the M.H. de Young Memorial Museum and major galleries.
Glass exhibits
Watson said those museums have glass exhibits, too.
"Glass should be as privileged as any other material," he said. "No different than ceramics. No different from making something important with paint."
Matt Wesley, a senior majoring in kinesiology, the study of movement, pays the extra fee for glassblowing - and gets credit for the class - because it perfectly illustrates what he is studying in school.
"I find it fascinating to learn about the human body - how your brain works with your body to produce movement," he said. "And trying to understand how you move your body and try to control the glass - it's really difficult."
Canceling the class "is lame," he said. "It's definitely art. If anything, glass is one of the hardest mediums to be able to do."
Google scientist
The first person to sign the petition to save glassblowing was John Wilkes, a Google scientist overseeing the creation of something called Omega at his company. A feature on Wilkes in the April edition of Wired magazine called Omega "a mind-boggling new system that will orchestrate each and every computing task that runs across Google's worldwide network of data centers."
It's electronic cooperation whose development depends on human cooperation.
You see where this is going.
"Cooperation is a wonderful skill," Wilkes said. "The way we do glass is almost like a team activity. It's a collaborative exercise, learning to communicate under time pressure where mistakes are frustrating, potentially expensive and possibly dangerous. So yes, it seems like a very useful skill.
"This class is an enormously great part of my life. I will be incredibly sad to see it go away."
Yet university officials have little sympathy for his feelings because Wilkes, like most of the students in the class, isn't enrolled at S.F. State.
"We have majors that can't get their classes," said Paul Mullins, acting department chair while Dawson is on leave. "Of course they're not happy to see it go. But the time has come."
Watson, the instructor, disagrees.
"It's hugely popular," he said, noting that the class floods with undergrads when the semester begins, but they leave when they realize how much it costs.
Watson, 37, has a master's degree in glass from the California College of the Arts in Oakland. He's also executive director of Public Glass, a nonprofit glassblowing workshop in San Francisco's Bayview district - a more expensive program than the one at S.F. State.
"There really is no other place in the Bay Area where you can have the amount of exposure to glassblowing and with the help and instruction," he said.
In a recent class, the choreography continued for two hours as Watson, his shoulders broad and muscular from years of hefting steel pipes, directed the movements of his students.
"Nice work!" he called as Wilkes took a turn twirling a rod, and Wesley added heat from the second oven. "OK, everybody's got to do one!"
Watson took a turn, too, lifting one end of a rod and blowing into it. The hot glass on the other end blew up like a balloon.
A moment of frozen silence gripped the sweltering room - then laughter.
"I just wanted to hear that sound," Watson said with a grin. "That sweet, sweet, breaking sound."
All the students want to hear it for a long time to come.
San Francisco State University's glassblowing programs: http://bit.ly/1eMXKU1.
Nanette Asimov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com Twitter: @NanetteAsimov


text:
In its 2019 Magic Quadrant for IT Service Management Tools, Gartner evaluates 10 vendors on ability to execute and completeness of vision. Download the report to learn:
Get the detailed analysis and insight you need to make the best ITSM choice for your organization. Download the report today.
Gartner Magic Quadrant for IT Service Management Tools, Rich Doheny, Chris Matchett, Siddharth Shetty, 29 August 2019
GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally, and is used herein with permission. All rights reserved.
*This graphic was published by Gartner, Inc. as part of a larger research document and should be evaluated in the context of the entire document. The Gartner document is available upon request from BMC.
Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner's research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.


text:
Bontrager Boulevard Gel Plus Saddle
This item is currently not available.
The Bontrager Boulevard Gel's sleek styling looks great and provides a plush comfortable ride.
• Posture 5 shape, designed for recreational riders with an upright pelvic rotation
• Honeycomb gel padding, closed cell foam, and memory foam top enhance comfort
• Contour relief zone recess eases pressure on sensitive soft tissue
• Elastomer suspension and steel rails help neutralize vibration
• Synthetic leather
• Steel


text:
People are still wedded to this narrative that the Federal Reserve is going to raise interest rates. Why?
Related Exchange Traded Funds: SPDR Gold Trust ETF (GLD), Market Vectors Gold Miners ETF (GDX), Market Vectors Junior Gold Miners ETF (GDXJ)
Peter Schiff is an American businessman, investment broker and financial commentator. Schiff is the CEO and chief global strategist of Euro Pacific Capital Inc.
Oct 10, 2016
Blog Archive
- ► 2020 (69)
- ► 2019 (89)
- ► 2018 (169)
- ► 2017 (188)
- Why Does Wall Street Prefer Hillary Clinton?
- The Stock Market Prefers Hillary
- A Very Suspicious GDP Number
- Why Is Consumer Confidence Dropping
- Even A Tiny Rate Hike Will Damage This Bubble Economy
- Gold, U.S. Dollar & Interest Rates
- Gold: Indian Farmers Are Buying More Gold
- The Economic Data Indicates An Incoming Recession
- We Need To Shrink The Government
- More Money Will Move Into Gold
- If The Fed Raises Interest Rates Everything Is Goi...
- Bond Yields Are Moving Up
- The Only Thing That Is Bad For Gold
- Gold: This Sell-Off Is A Buying Opportunity
- U.S. Election: Trump Won The Debate
- Gold: The False Narrative
- Forex: British Pound Flash Crash, U.S. Dollar Risks
- Markets: Gold, Economic Recovery & Fed Policy
- The Bond Market Is Going To Blow Up
- Federal Reserve: Their Game Plan Is To Lower Rates...
- Higher Rates Will Be A Disaster For The Banks
- Why Gold Went Down 40 Dollars In One Day
- Federal Reserve: Alleged Case For An Interest Rate...
- 2017: Certainly A Recession Year
- ▼ October (24)
- ► 2015 (344)
- ► 2014 (429)


text:
- News
- Business
- Sports
- Entertainment
- Lifestyle
- Health
- Travel
- Technology
Deepa Mehta's movie is done. Filmed last year secretly in Sri Lanka, more than 200,000 of Salman Rushdie's famed words have been translated into 148 minutes of film. Midnight's Children, an epic tale following the lives of two babies born at the moment of India's independence from Great Britain, is finally ready to be introduced to the world.
"I'm feeling completely euphoric that it's done," Mehta, 62, says about her adaptation of Rushdie's Booker Prize-winning novel. "On the other hand, I feel like, 'Oh my God. The next stage starts now.' "
Ahead of Midnight's Children's world premiere on Aug. 31 at the Telluride Film Festival and then the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 9 — "Toronto and Telluride, it's what I've always wanted," Mehta says — every moment for her is claimed; there's publicity and promotion, criticism and celebration. We followed Mehta in the lead-up to the film's festival run.
July 19, 4:45 p.m.
"Deepa, they're looking for a final approval of the FX," Hamilton says, leaning over the laptop on his knees. "I looked at the last ones today and it looks fabulous. So I'm going to tell them …"
"There were white clouds in the sky," she says. "It's actually dusk. It should be actually dark."
The conversations quickly divert. Hamilton talks about a "Working with Deepa" video; Mehta gets instruction on Twitter. "We'll tag you on this tweet," someone says. "Then all you need to do is retweet it." The Web designers unveil the site; its main page scrolls images from the film: two young lovers, a resplendent bride. Mehta's publicist takes her aside to advise her on steering interviews in her favour.
"Sometimes, I just feel like I'm working in slow motion," Hamilton says.
"I know, we're all exhausted," Mehta replies.
The film has been pre-sold to more than 45 countries, which takes a little pressure off. Still, they need to create a buzz.
July 24, 11 a.m.
They scan the crowd. Announcements at TIFF 2012's first press conference have ended and a current of people are pouring out of an auditorium, flooding the upstairs lobby of the TIFF Bell Lightbox. As reporters line up to speak with TIFF CEO Piers Handling or Toronto filmmaker Ruba Nadda, the place is suddenly carnival-esque with bright camera lights, impromptu queues and boisterous voices. In the middle of the activity, Zaib Shaikh and Anita Majumdar, actors from Midnight's Children, speak into foam microphones. The director, however, is absent.
"But Deepa's the star," the reporter laments.
One floor below, in an almost empty lobby, the star is perched on a stool, dressed in a pink kurta and scarf. She's grinning.
"Hello?" she answers and adds a lilting, "Hi."
It's Hamilton.
"It's official now. It's Sept. 9, a 6 p.m. gala. And like 10 people have said, 'My God, you got the best slot ever. It's the lucky slot!' " Mehta tells him. "No, I'm not kidding … I thought you'd love that."
Midnight's Children will screen on the first Sunday of the festival. It's the slot that they wanted. It's early evening on a relaxed Sunday and everyone will be in town by then. "You don't want the 9:30 slot on Saturday night against James Bond. This is perfect," she says.
A lone CTV reporter who has wandered downstairs approaches Mehta almost timidly, explaining that her father once worked on a film with her. She interviews Mehta briefly. Mehta is not camera shy. But she has a 4 p.m. flight to India to catch and needs to leave. Like a mother hen, she just came to make sure that her actors "got the attention that they deserve."
Aug. 24, 10:30 a.m.
"As long as you don't make me look cross-eyed. That's what happens in extreme close-ups. I've been there," she says.
She doesn't reply. The muffled melodies from a neighbour's piano fills the quiet. Shrouded in trees, Hamilton and Mehta's home is a haven in the heart of the city. To arrive at the doorstep, one must walk a short but winding sidewalk flanked by greenery. Inside, Hamilton is at the kitchen table with his laptop (it's where Mehta usually does her writing). Every hour, 25 emails arrive requiring his response. There are other film festivals to schedule, questions from distributors and sales agents to answer, arrivals to coordinate.
Mehta scrolls through her BlackBerry for a photo, then asks to pose while reading a book instead. "This is getting to be on my nerves," she says about her phone.
The vacation is over.
But Mehta used her time off well. She shopped in Delhi. She relished her 80-year-old mother's company. She plunked down on curbs and played Tetris on her BlackBerry. She's in a state of calm.
Having had controversy surround her previous projects, for this film at least, she's feeling more grounded, more philosophical. She's choosing more carefully how she spends her time; she's doing less media. She joined a gym ahead of filming. She has readied herself, mentally and physically.
"David nearly flipped out because he thought I was the kind of person who would never go to the gym," she says. "I got a trainer. I started walking. I saw a dietitian. I went on a high-protein diet. I started doing yoga … I think that really helped. The clarity, the stamina because that's what it needs. This is your life and you have to be prepared."
She's also prepared for the criticism. "All of the criticism, I don't care who says it, it's very difficult not to take it personally. My father was a film distributor; he said to me when I was very young and he said it to me later when I wanted to make movies: 'There are two things in life you will never know. One is when you are going to die and the other is how a film is going to do,' " she says.
"Some will love it, some will not … I love it. That's what's important. And Salman loves it," she says.
She thinks for a moment.
"Whatever happens, it's been worth it."
Aug. 28, 9:45 p.m.
More than 100 of Mehta's friends, family, cast and crew have come over from a screening of the film at the TIFF Bell Lightbox. The bar is open and the restaurant is serving sliders, grilled cheese and pakora with special green chutney — Mehta's mother's recipe. For almost two hours, Mehta barely moves from just inside the entrance, accepting praise and congratulations. "What's the buzz?" she asks when greeted.
Over the next week or so, more people will converge for this film. "It's like a wedding party," Mehta says. Bollywood stars from India. Rushdie and his children. "The first evening that Salman's here, he's invited all of us, all of the actors, to his hotel for a drink. He'll be arriving from London at nine at night and he's called everyone to his hotel for 10."
After midnight, Mehta leaves the celebration. On the sidewalk, she lets herself be hugged, her body spent, her bones seemingly soft. "Who knows what's going to happen after this?" she says. "But I feel good."
"Good luck in Telluride," McGlynn tells her as Mehta climbs into a vehicle with Hamilton in the driver's seat. "If you need anything, call me."
Mehta faces the window, and waves enthusiastically until the car has disappeared from our sights.
Midnight's Children screens at TIFF Sept. 9 and Sept. 10 before opening Nov. 2 in major cities across Canada. Next week, how a restaurant that only just opened managed to snag one of the fest's most exclusive parties.
To view this site, you need to have Flash Player 8.0 or later installed. Click here to get the latest Flash player.