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August 2010
Scribe Award trophy arrives
It's very nice when the mail carrier delivers something other than bills. A package just arrived with the very nicely wrapped trophy for my Scribe Award win for Enemies & Allies. The award was announced at this year's Comic Con International in San Diego.
More support for STAR CHALLENGERS series
The annual conference for the Challenger Centers for Space Science Education was held this week in St. Louis, MO. June Scobee Rodgers and Pam Peterson (Western Regional Director for the Challenger Centers) gave a presentation about our new Star Challengers series to promote the space program and education in science and technology.
UK cover for HELLHOLE
Simon & Schuster UK has sent us their striking cover for HELLHOLE, my forthcoming original novel with Brian Herbert.
cover text:
Only the most desperate would ever dare to make a home on Hellhole.
STAR CHALLENGERS—Official Announcement
I've mentioned previously the new Young Adult space series that Rebecca and I are writing to support the Challenger Learning Centers, Star Challengers. The first book is about to be released, and the first press release just went out at GenCon last weekend, to be followed up by an official launch at the national Challenger Center conference in St Louis next week.
Here's the text of the press release:
Writing on the Colorado Trail
Last week I found myself faced with an avalanche of deadlines. I wrapped up all the pieces, contracts, permissions, copyright listing, contents, bios, and intros for the next Nebula Awards Showcase, which I'm editing. Brian Herbert and I wrapped up the back-and-forth expansion of our chapter outline for The Sisterhood of Dune; we've found that the more detail we put into our outlines, the smoother the writing process goes; altogether this outline is over 100 pages long (the novel itself will probably be 600 pages or so).
ENEMIES & ALLIES wins Scribe Award
At San Diego Comic Con, my Batman/Superman novel Enemies & Allies won the Scribe Award, presented by the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers, in the speculative fiction category (tied with Greg Cox and his Read more


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Hi, everyone, Suze here with the most exciting news. My debut novel, Feta Attraction, releases today in paperback and ebook. As you can imagine, I am beyond thrilled. If you love cozy mysteries–or want to give them a try–you can get your copy at any of these retailers: Amazon Barnes and Noble Indie Bound Books-a- Million
The early reviews are making me so happy!
Vibrant characters… hilarious…big surprises…an excellent new mystery…that it is sure to be a wonderful addition to anyone's cozy mystery collection. (Here's a link to the full review at Fresh Fiction)
…a winner in any language…breaks out of the cozy formula…clever… a fun, new series that provides a different flavor to a favorite genre. (Here's a link to the full review at Carstairs Considers)
The first line from Feta Attraction had me hooked until the end and I knew I would love this book. I was right because I could not put it down…twists and turns abound…never a dull moment…. fast paced… had me wanting and waiting for a second book in this adventurous new series… dynamic characters. (Here's a link to the full review at A Cozy Girl Reads)
If you haven't liked my author page on Facebook, would you pop over there and do it? You can follow me there and on Twitter: @susannahhardy1
And if you've read Feta Attraction, would you please leave me a review? Thanks for celebrating with me, Scribe Fans!

subset: commoncrawl


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Tea party presses on after election losses – Raycom News Network
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Despite a drop in popularity since its high point in the 2010 midterm elections, the tea party has stood by their policies and hopes to make an impact in the 113th Congress. (Source: GRU)
(Raycom News Network, RNN) – "It's not surprising the political pendulum has swung back and forth between the two major parties during the past few election cycles.
Democrats had considerable momentum after the 2008 election, but conservatism curtailed that political energy soon after President Barack Obama took his oath of office in 2009.
The "tea party" was at the forefront of this new conservative surge. Supporters of the movement defined it as a "reaction of the American people to fiscally irresponsible actions of the federal government, misguided stimulus spending, bailouts and takeovers of private industry."
Its prestige on the national stage, along with its candidates, took a hit in 2012. But members still have a focused message as Obama starts his second term and Congress marks its 113th session.
Although the tea party is not an independent political party, many of the movement's characteristics are based on Republican and Libertarian ideals. Most tea party candidates appear on ballots as Republicans.
"The tea party raises the conversation about smaller, less bureaucratic, and entrepreneurial-minded government," said Republican commentator and author Oliver McGee. "They simply don't want the federal government running like the post office."
McGee is the author of Jumping the Aisle: How I Became a Black Republican in the Age of Obama.
Dr. Oliver McGee is the author of 'Jumping the Aisle: How I Became a Republican in the Age of Obama.'
(Source: Oliver McGee)
According to McGee, many of the tea party's primary goals deal with lower taxes, reduced spending and debt reduction. It has also caused others to focus on their interpretation of certain American rights.
"The Constitutional principles are alive and well, from gun control to states rights to the Grand Old Party principles of low government and low taxes," McGee said. "More people are carrying the Constitution with them as a result of the tea party movement."
McGee added the tea party also continues to make national security one of its major legislative interests, supporting legislation that prioritizes a strong national defense.
"This also involves creating a new supply of education capable of managing a strong defense, particularly in the advances of technology, engineering and mathematics," McGee said.
However, the tea party's taxation and budgeting goals have met their fair share of opposition.
A number of political action committees and liberal groups have been established to combat tea party goals. One of the most notable during the 2012 election season was Take Down the Tea Party Ten, a campaign spearheaded by CREDO SuperPAC.
"Two years ago, we witnessed the tea party's rise to power; the disturbing and misguided anger, the assault on the middle class badly masquerading as economic populism, and an alarming anti-woman sentiment that we literally could not believe was being so actively expressed in the year 2012," Take Down the Tea Party Ten said in a statement.
"We could not let this toxic ideology persist in our Congress. And on election night we dealt it a major blow."
Another complaint about the tea party is its set of 15 "non-negotiable core beliefs," a list of bullet points rounding up of the group's ideologies. Examples include "illegal aliens are here illegally," "gun ownership is sacred," and "English as our core language is required."
Take Down the Tea Party Ten had a simple goal: defeat 10 of the most "dangerous" tea party members of Congress. The group raised almost $3.5 million towards that campaign effort.
Five out of the 10 targeted congressmen were voted out of office on Election Day, including Rep. Alan West (FL-18), Rep. Frank Guinta (NH-1), Rep. Chip Cravaack (MN-8), Rep. Joe Walsh (IL-8) and Rep. Dan Lungren (CA-3).
Take Down the Tea Party Ten was unable to unseat one of its most high-profile targets – Rep. Michelle Bachmann (MN-6). However, she won her bid for reelection against Democrat and hotel executive Jim Graves by slightly more than a percentage point, despite outspending him 12-to-1.
"Bachmann has worked to put Medicare and Medicaid on the chopping block, but she and her husband operate a 'Christian counseling clinic' that has received more than $137,000 in federal Medicaid funds while practicing controversial and medically unsound ex-gay conversion therapy," Take Down the Tea Party Ten claimed.
The 10 targeted representatives were considered major players in the group, but the tea party leadership is decentralized.
"The tea party is not necessarily looking for one key leader like [Rep. John] Boehner or Obama," McGee said. "They have distributive leadership because freedom and independence themselves are decentralized."
Negative publicity became one of the largest hurdles for the tea party to overcome, as left-leaning super PACs, special interest groups and politicians publicly denounced its politicians' platforms.
Some members of the tea party had problems communicating their message effectively to the public as well. However, McGee said this is a struggle that many movements have faced.
"What [the tea party] is learning is the power of mass communication," he said. "America is ultimately about storytelling and how the message is being communicated. And [struggles] always happen when you look at movements."
Despite the loss of some of its most notable representatives, returning tea party members targeted by the liberal super PAC included Rep. Steve King (IA-4), Rep. Mike Coffman (CO-6), Rep. Jim Renacci (OH-16), Rep. Sean Duffy (WI-7), and Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick(PA-8).
These congressmen, joined by other lawmakers who share the tea party's ideologies, will likely push for legislation that embodies their values in the 113th Congress.
Several tea party congressmen did not return requests for an interview, including Rep. Bill Cassidy (LA-6) and Rep. Louie Gohmert (TX-1)."
With permission, Copyright 2013 Raycom News Network. All rights reserved.
Thank you so much for your time in reading this article. Will you please share it across your Facebook, Twitter, Google and LinkedIn social media? I do await your comments on this article.


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text: I've been working my way through trying to figure out why my '04RT has gotten progressively slower starting over the past year--on the first cold start of the day. I've tested every aspect of the fuel system from the strainer to the injectors and verified the HES. The battery seems fine and the starter turns over quickly (I think since I've got no comparison). Throttle bodies are balanced and it idles well. With two new stick coils (and the replacement of all four plugs), my '04RT is running like great. And it starts fine ... other than that first start of the day, which takes 4-5 seconds. Yesterday I decided to take some data on the first start with the GS-911 via bluetooth to my phone. With it connected to the 911, the samples are logged every half second (400 mS) versus every second (800 mS) to the PC i usually use, nearly twice as fast. Looking at the battery voltage in the log, here's what I saw: 12.19 V, 0 rpm 12.11, 0 12.11, 0 6.82, 0 10.24, 350 rpm 10.89, 350 10.73, 200 rpm 11.05, 1400 13.73, 1500 My battery appears to be in good health (a one year old PC680, it will crank the bike for a long time with a bright headlight) and the starter seems to turn over fine. But looking at the voltage dip I decided to try jumping from my car with its motor running. This morning I pulled the left-side panel, got good jumper connections all around--ground to the bike's battery and +12V to the starter lug. Set up logging and pressed the starter button ... er, er, vroom. According to the log (and my ears) the bike started in 1 second. Here was the voltage log: 13.98 V, 0 rpm 9.99, 0 11.46, 300 11.95, 1350 13.9, 1400 14.06, 1450 Last winter, I pulled my starter because of a high drain on the battery and very hard starting every so often. The planetary gear cover had fallen onto the armature. Based on the test today, I'm leaning toward replacing the starter. My reasoning is the cables and connections look good, and even with the jumper cable to the starter lug the voltage dipped from 14V to 10V. I'm thinking that without the jumper cable connected, the dip to 7-9 volts when the starter is pressed is upsetting the Motronic, or coils, or injectors. Starter or battery, which do you think? RB


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text:
MIAMI (AP) — When the New England Patriots scored the last in a series of quick-strike touchdowns, stoic Bill Belichick allowed himself a slight smile and traded high-fives along a jubilant sideline.
Tom Brady and Randy Moss joined in the celebration as spectators, too. The offense watched while the Patriots' special teams and defense came up with one big play after another to beat the Miami Dolphins 41-14 on Monday night.
New England scored on a kickoff return, blocked field goal and interception, all in the second half. A flurry of 17 points in barely two minutes helped the NFL's highest-scoring team take control midway through the game.
"It was a good day for fantasy football," Belichick said. "We got plays from every phase of the game. It was awesome."
Brady threw for only 153 yards, and Randy Moss was held without a catch for the first time since 2006, but the Patriots still registered their biggest point total yet. They're averaging 33 points per game.
New England (3-1) moved into a tie with the New York Jets for first place in the AFC East. The humiliated Dolphins (2-2) endured their second divisional loss at home in eight days as they head into a bye week.
"It's a bad taste in your mouth," coach Tony Sparano said. "We're going to have to taste it now for the next couple weeks."
The Patriots trailed 7-6 before Brandon Tate returned the second-half kickoff 103 yards for a score.
"You're getting all hyped up and ready to go out there, throwing the ball around," Brady said. "And then you see Brandon running it back for a touchdown, and you take a seat on the bench. I'll take that anytime."
The deluge was on. When the score reached 34-14 early in the fourth quarter, the stadium quickly emptied.
"Where's everyone going? 'The party' is just getting started at Sun Life Stadium," the Patriots posted on their Twitter feed.
"We had a tidal wave hit us," Sparano said. "It was a mess."
Pat Chung blocked a punt to set up a touchdown, then blocked a field goal that Kyle Arrington returned 35 yards for a score. Chung returned an interception 51 yards for New England's final score.
He and Arrington scored their first career TDs. Another unexpected contribution came from linebacker Rob Ninkovich, who had the first two interceptions of his five-year career.
Miami's Chad Henne went 29 of 39 for 302 yards and two scores, but he was yanked with 6½ minutes left after tying a career high with his third interception. He blamed his first turnover on a forced pass, the second on inaccuracy and the last on a miscommunication.
"Overall, it's my fault," he said. "I'll take that one as a quarterback. I'll put that on my shoulders."
The pass picked off by Chung was especially ugly.
"It shocked me," Chung said. "I was like, 'He threw it? Thanks.'"
There was no improvement from Henne's replacement, Tyler Thigpen, who threw another interception.
The Patriots didn't need Moss, who was targeted only once. He stretched for a pass in the end zone, but the ball deflected off his hands and New England settled for a field goal.
"If they're taking one guy away, everyone else has to come out and play well," Patriots receiver Wes Welker said. "It's a team effort, and that's exactly what today was."
Brady was sacked three times but finished 19 of 24 with one touchdown and no interceptions to earn his 100th career win.
"I've played on a great team for my entire career with the same organization that's committed to winning," Brady said. "I'm privileged to be the quarterback on this team, and I hope I'm here forever."
Notes: Patriots S Brandon Meriweather left the game with a knee injury and didn't return. ... Tate had a 97-yard kickoff return for a score in the season opener against Cincinnati. ... Moss, covered by Vontae Davis most of the game, was shut out for the first time since Nov. 19, 2006, against Kansas City. ... Patriots LB Jerod Mayo had 16 tackles. ... The Dolphins lost despite converting 10 of 15 third-down situations.
Source: Associated Pres
Author: Steven Wine
The Football Earned Run Average is real football analysis of pro football statistics, scores, and handicapping. This special algorithm measures a teams performance at the LINE OF SCRIMMAGE as best as can be done after film analysis with a comprehensive statistical analysis of a team's performance.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
PATRIOTS FOOTBALL: Pats' special teams run wild to top Dolphins 41-14
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Phillips students on stage in Dead Man Walking
May 25, 2004
Members of the Phillips Elementary School Chorus will be participating in Dead Man Walking with the Pittsburgh Opera.
The Pittsburgh Opera developed a partnership with Phillips Elementary School and the Brashear Association in the fall of 2002. Families of Phillips students had an opportunity to attend several operas that fall and the spring of 2003 and 2004.
Prior to attending the opera, members of the Pittsburgh Opera met with the families to discuss the elements of the opera and provide insight into the particular opera that they were going to attend. In addition, the families were given a back stage tour of the Benedum Theater.
When children were needed to perform in Dead Man Walking, Marilyn Egan, director of education for the Pittsburgh Opera, thought about the students at Phillips. The students began working at Phillips with Payne, the music teacher, Dr. Egan and Dr. Lawson, Pittsburgh Opera assistant conductor and chorus master. After several work sessions at the school, the students began rehearsing at the Benedum Theater rehearsal rooms with Leonard Foglia, the stage director.
Phillips students performing in Dead Man Walking include: Stacy Kamumbu, Alesha and Angelique Williams, Tayaunna Jackson, Shanda Snyder, Alaura Williams, Delana and Tyler Jerry, Angelea Taylor, Victor Kivuva, Winnie Mutunga, Alexis Payne, Taylor James and Tamia Johnson.
Dead Man Walking is based on the prize-winning 1993 book by Sister Helen Prejean and tells the story of her experience as spiritual advisor to a death-row inmate in Louisiana; a convicted murderer who she accompanies to execution. The book was made into a movie in 1995 with Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn, directed by Tim Robbins. In 1998, the San Francisco Opera commissioned Jake Heggie and acclaimed Broadway playwright Terrance McNally to create an opera based on the story.
Dead Man Walking will be performed at the Benedum Theater on Saturday, June 5 and Friday, June 11 at 8 p.m., Tuesday, June 8 at 7 p.m. and on Sunday, June 13 at 2 p.m.. Those planning to attend, should remember 15 of the children who are singing at the beginning of Act One and at the end of Act One are students of Phillips Elementary School


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Dustin Diamond (2008 Celebrity Fit Club: Boot Camp Appearance - Episode VIII)
Episode VIII - April 27, 2008
I apologize for the belatedness of this recap for the season finale of Celebrity Fit Club: Boot Camp. I missed the episode when it originally aired on VH1 in April and have not yet seen it in a re-run. Luckily, however, VH1 posted video of this episode on its website.
The season finale of Celebrity Fit Club: Boot Camp began with 7 of the 8 contestants riding on the bus toward the boot camp site. Not surprisingly, the missing contestant was Dustin Diamond. About Diamond's absence, Erin Moran, the second most washed-up celebrity on the show, said, "I really didn't care that Dustin wasn't there."
Erin also asked the other cast members whether they thought that her fans would be upset with her for admitted during the previous episode that she only came on the show for a paycheck. The other cast members jumped on Erin for what she had admitted in the previous episode and Tina Yothers essentially told Erin Moran that she let down women for what she had done.
After arriving at the boot camp site, the cast members exited the bus and lined up in front of drill instructor Harvey Walden. Harvey told Erin that he was shocked by her confession in the previous episode, but that he still had faith in her. Tocarra Jones gave Erin a disgusted look while Harvey was talking to her and said in a later interview, "Erin, she frustrates me so bad. Like she is a teammate, 100% when the camera are on. But they turn them [sic] cameras off and she go [sic] home, she doesn't care."
Harvey then said to the contestants, "Dustin was only here for a paycheck as well. Now he wanted to get paid in advance for this week's fit camp [episode]. That didn't happen. So as a result, he's not here."
About Diamond's antics, A.J. Benza said, "Dustin makes his own problems. You have to trust people. If they're gonna pay you, they're gonn a pay you. .. It's a professional world. These aren't loan sharks."
The teams then had separate team meetings. The blue team (i.e., Diamond's team) went into the mess hall to talk. The team was pissed that Diamond was missing. Brian Dunkelman also mentioned that everyone on his team ate nothing but chicken, drank a gallon of water, and did a lot of cardio during the previous week in an effort to drop body fat.
Erin Moran's red team convened in the lounge. Her teammate mentioned all of the intense cardio they had done during the previous week and then asked Erin what she had done to lose weight. Erin mentioned that she signed some posters for fans and did short treadmill workouts. Willie Aames and Tocarra were clearly upset with Erin's lack of effort. Tocarra said that Erin seemed like she didn't "give a shit." Her other teammates said that Erin shouldn't win any grand prize if her team were to win the overall competition; instead, they argued that Tina Yothers deserved Erin's winning share.
Put on the spot, Erin initially seemed to agree that she didn't deserve to share in a winning prize. However, when Willie later told the blue team about this plan, Erin said that she hadn't agreed to it and her teammates eventually dropped the idea. In any event, Tina Yothers said she wouldn't go along with the scheme because she already had her own team.
Diamond eventually showed up at the boot camp and sat by himself in his barracks alone, annoying everyone on the show. Tina Yothers said that Diamond had one episode left to make a mark … "a mark of bullshit."
A.J. went over to the barracks to talk to Diamond in an effort to convince Diamond to participate. Dunkelman said, "A.J. went to see Dustin while he was on the phone with his lawyer who, by the way, is probably ready to kill himself by now."
When Diamond saw A.J. enter the barracks, he said, "This is about business. This is about payment … I got to go with what my lawyer says on this."
A.J. was upset with Diamond and told him that he would get paid. He said, "Let's just go, it's a fucking kiddie race … it's schoolyard shit. Let's go play … be a man for fucking 25 minutes … come on, man. I've got girls running faster than you!" A.J. then stormed out of the barracks, slamming the door on his way out. Diamond eventually wandered over to the lounge where everyone was waiting for him.
In a subsequently filmed interview, Diamond said,
"You know, it's 'show business,' not 'show charity.' So you've got to take care of business first. … Everyone was pissed off at me, but I came back as a professional to honor my obligation. … I always honor my obligations."
The red and blue teams lined up for a fitness challenge involving an obstacle course and a tower to climb. Each person had to complete each obstacle. The teams were informed that the team that won the obstacle course would win five "Fit Factor" points.
The teams had to run over logs, climb a net, climb across monkey bars, perform a mud crawl under rope, run through tires, and climb a tower. Erin Moran was unable to run up balance beam log and her team was accessed a one minute penalty. The blue team was accessed 7 minutes in penalties and took 24:13, for a total penalty-adjusted time of 31:13. The red team was accessed only 1 minute in penalties, but took 30:37 to complete the obstacle course, for a penalty-adjusted time of 31:37.
Tocarra was very upset that the blue team won the 5 Fit Factor points, because she thought it was an unfair advantage.
After the challenge, everyone was served dinner and then Harvey Walden showed up at the dinner and walked everyone outside to the woods for a challenge. They met a man who walked across a bed of broken glass and also jumped on the glass. The man challenged everyone to walk across the glass. AJ Benza went across the glass first, followed by Diamond. Eventually everyone walked across the glass.
On the final night before the last weigh-in, Willie Aames and AJ were shown exercising. Erin Moran asked Aames to get off the treadmill so that she could get on the treadmill and was upset when he didn't want to get off. Aames then got off the treadmill and walked up a hill outside. When the blue team was informed that Aames was outside walking, Diamond justified his own laziness by saying, "That's overkill, man. I was tempted to go up the hill with him just 'cause I don't think it would be expected, but that's invading on sleep time and sleep time is very important."
The next morning, a mariachi band woke everyone up so they could do one final workout prior to the final weigh-in. The final workout started with boxing drills involving punching bags, jogging, jumping rope. Diamond whined throughout the exercise, claiming "I can't do it." Next, the contestants had to run while wearing a backpacking contain the exact amount of weight that each individual contest had lost so far in the season. Finally, Sommore and Diamond each had to climb the tower from a workout in the fourth episode. Both were able to successfully climb the tower.
Finally, everyone showed up for the final weigh-in. During Willie Aames's weigh-in, Willie was so satisfied with his performance on the show that he thanked the judges and then told Drill Instructor Harvey Walden that he wanted to give him something. Walden became visibly concerned as Aames took off his pants, but was relieved when he discovered that Willie did so to reveal a creepy tattoo of the drill instruction that Aames had drawn on his leg.
Diamond stepped on the scale and discovered that he weighed 194 lbs and lost 3 pounds. He closed out the season with a total loss of 23 pounds. During the show, Diamond lost 10.6% of his body weight and 11.5% of his body fat during the show.
Tocarra Jones both told Moran that they were pissed off at her performance. She lost only 3 pounds during the season. She lost 2.4% of her body weight and 9.2% of her body fat.
After everyone was weighed, Ant revealed the Fit Factor scores for each team, which was calculated by summing the % weight lost and the % body fat lost for each member of each team. Diamond's blue team had a Fit Factor of 96.8, whereas Erin Moran's red team had a Fit Factor of 100.4. Ant then added the 5 Fit Factor points that the blue team won during the final challenge and revealed that the blue team won the competition with a total Fit Factor score of 101.8. When the results were read, the red team appeared to be shocked and it was clear that Toccarra, AJ Benz, and Willie Aames were visibly upset with Erin Moran for costing them the victory, which effectively cost the red team at least $150k in prizes.
After viewing the 2008 Celebrity Fit Club: Boot Camp show, it is clear that Erin Moran is almost as washed up as Dustin Diamond, the true benchmark of washed-up celebrities!
**Be sure to check out my other Dustin Diamond entries:
Dustin Diamond - Celebrity Fit Club: Boot Camp - Episode I
Dustin Diamond - Celebrity Fit Club: Boot Camp - Episode II
Dustin Diamond - Celebrity Fit Club: Boot Camp - Episode III
Dustin Diamond - Celebrity Fit Club: Boot Camp - Episode IV
Dustin Diamond - Celebrity Fit Club: Boot Camp - Episode V
Dustin Diamond - Celebrity Fit Club: Boot Camp - Episode VI
Dustin Diamond - Celebrity Fit Club: Boot Camp - Episode VII
Dustin Diamond - (2007 Celebrity Fit Club Appearance)
Dustin Diamond - The Early Years
Dustin Diamond (2000-Present)


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Petal Pink Bridesmaid Dresses
Petal pink is a favorite color when it comes to debuts, fashion events and weddings. Brides just love the feminine and sweet look of a petal pink bridesmaid dress. This is one of the favorite colors of many women because this color can be complemented with green, yellow, white, brown, grey and pale blue.
Petal pink is a very light shade of pink and is associated with femininity. But did you know that centuries ago the color pink was associated with boys while the color blue was for girls? The reasoning behind this idea was, since pink is a combination of red and white, and red being known as the color of strength, made it suitable for boys, while blue being more delicate and dainty was best for girls. [Continue reading..]
The key turning point to the association of pink as a color for girls was when the wife of former U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower wore a pink gown during his presidential inauguration in 1953.
Colors for Accentuating a Petal Pink Bridesmaid Dress
Because petal pink is a color that is light and subtle, there is a wide range of colors that you can pair it with. There are greens, yellows and blues as well as neutrals. The right color depends on the season and type of the wedding.
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Accessories That Work With Petal Pink Bridesmaid Dresses:
Metallic colors either in silver or gold will do wonders to transform the total look of a petal pink dress. Silver or gold strappy sandals, bags and hair accessories will complement an evening dress in petal pink. For a more confidant and daring look, consider a butter yellow or candy apple red accessories. This combination will work for warmer weather weddings.
A spring or summer wedding any time of the day is the ideal occasion to pair neutral accessories with a petal pink bridesmaid dress. Choose nude high heel shoes and add a little sparkle with silver or gold dangling earrings.
Create a hard and soft look by contrasting a petal pink dress with accessories in black. Because the pink color is quintessentially girly, you can toughen it up with a splash of black. You can also add black trimmings on the dress. To complete the contrast look, have the male members of the wedding party wear black coats with a splash of pink color on their ties or lapels.
A petal pink bridesmaid dress can play a starring role in any wedding occasion when styled to suit the season and theme of the event.


text: In moderation, there is no harm for your cousin's cat. Whilst cats are obligate carnivores (meaning that meat is an essential part of their diet), the vitamins and minerals in added vegetables will do him/her good (especially magnesium, potassium and calcium). However, meat and fish should remain the main part of a cat's diet in order to remain in good health.


text:
Neevia Tech is a leader in document conversion and management solutions.
Browse some of our customers and see the many types of organizations that utilize the power of Neevia Tech. Shouldn't your company implement our solutions as well?
As a programmer I needed a tool to manipulate PDF files. Neevia PDF toolbox contains everything necessary to build a solution that can be used to stamp, split, merge, resize and compress PDF documents, all from one package!
If you have any comments or suggestions about our web site, please feel free to email them to


text:
Emoji support for iPhone has been a hot topic of discussion for the last few weeks. This week, we posted about our unsuccessful effort to put Freemoji onto the App Store. Apple rejected Freemoji for violating section 3.3.4 of the iPhone SDK, as the application wrote to a file that was accessible via Apple's sandbox scheme but that lay outside the normal application container.
It turns out that Ars was just one of many parties who decided to add Emoji support to the iPhone using App Store software. Ars reader spicyj told us that he submitted a similar app, which was also rejected. However, not all Emoji-supporting applications got the App Store thumbs down. For example, Gary Fung's $0.99 Typing Genius (iTunes Link) includes an Emoji feature in its most recent update. When launched, the new Typing Genius version looks for Emoji support and enables it if that support is not yet available.
Typing Genius is not being particularly shy about promoting this feature either. The software is now called "Typing Genius - Get Emoji" on App Store. It, along with Touch Dial Emoji (iTunes link) from javacom represents a new wave of apps that are open and up-front about bringing this feature to the App Store public.
Ars sat down with Fung to talk about Typing Genius and its new Emoji support, and how he managed to get around Apple's seemingly strict rules.
Ars: Gary, thank you for taking the time to talk to Ars today. Let's start by talking about Typing Genius. Even before the whole Emoji story, what was the point of Typing Genius and what did it bring to the App Store?
Fung: I created Typing Genius with two main objectives in mind: to help beginners get familiar with the iPhone software keyboard and to allow users to benchmark their typing progression.
I find myself constantly convincing people that the software keyboard is just as good (or even better than) its hardware counterparts. A majority of users are unaware of the intelligence behind the software keyboard. For example, how many people know that the touch area of a letter key actually expands when iPhone predicts your next letter for the word you are spelling?
If you type "door" as D-O-O, your next letter, R, becomes easier to type because a larger area around the R is automatically "sensitive". Typing Genius introduces these tips and tricks and it provides remedial and practical exercises with relevant statistics. It helps improve your typing over time.
Ars: What made you decide to add Emoji support? And why do you think that iPhone and iPod users were looking for this feature?
Fung: Emojis are fun! Emojis bring expression to a completely new level. Many users are already familiar with the concept from the desktop IM experience.
Being able to personalize an SMS with a smiley or fun icon is almost an intuitive thing to do as a user. I thought, why not try to bring this feature to all iPhone users, since this function already exists (and is standard) for Japanese phones. The function exists; it just needs to be enabled.
I initially submitted a free, no strings attached, Emoji enabler to App Store. Unfortunately it was rejected by Apple. This prompted me to bundle it with Typing Genius, as it makes perfect sense to enable Emojis as part a typing application.
Ars: As the screenshot at the start of this post shows, you haven't been shy about advertising the Emoji support over at App Store. Are you worried that adding Emoji to your application might have negative consequences? Are you worried about Apple pulling it from App Store?
Fung: I'm obviously taking a risk here by advertising Emoji directly on iTunes. That being said, I'm not the first. Worst case scenario, I'll update the application with Emoji support removed. I'm hoping that Apple will turn a blind eye to this because I can't see any harm done in allowing users to use Emoji.
Ars: Do you think that Apple will be changing its stance on this and similar creative approaches by developers any time soon? What rules should Apple be enforcing? And what rules are they enforcing that in the end are not giving the iPhone customer what he wants and/or could use?
Fung: As many developers are aware, the average Apple app reviewer is not very technical. In fact, I'm pretty sure they are non-technical and simply go through a checklist when accessing an app. Given that, it is impossible to police every single app submitted and ensure that none are in violation of the SDK agreement.
I don't think Apple will be changing its stance any time soon simply because it cannot. This may change in the future, but right now, Apple is lacking the tools and resources to efficiently detect these "functions". I think it's acceptable if Apple chooses to block certain functions on its devices despite customers' demand as long as their policy is consistent. All apps should be treated equal regardless of price or additional functionality.
Ars: What do you think is the bigger picture here? How could or should Apple change its reviewing policy? What are the big issues that you as a developer are coming against?
Fung: Personally, I think the Apple review policy will remain controversial one way or another. It's near impossible for Apple to make everyone happy. What Apple can do, however, is open up the communication channel with developers. Right now, developers are playing with a black box. You throw something at it and hope it will succeed. Developers like to know that they are heard even if the final decision is not what we want.
Ars: If Apple does pull your product, how do you think you'll respond? Will you re-submit the Emoji-free version as a new product? And how will that affect your brand?
Fung: I'd likely submit Typing Genius with Emoji removed. Brand is an interesting concept on the app store. Based on my research, a brand doesn't seem to have an impact on the purchase decision (except maybe if you are a big game studio), so I don't expect this to affect my other apps.
But I hope Emoji is here to stay! It should be accessible to everyone using iPhone or iPod touch. I'm committed to producing apps with excellent usability and experience.
Ars: Once again, I'd really like to thank you for taking the time to chat with us and to bring your experiences to the table.
Fung: Thank you for taking the time to understand the situation from a developer's perspective.


text:
A tour of western Missouri offers a glimpse at Harry
Truman's life and the rural background that shaped one of the 20th
century's most important leaders
A tour of western Missouri offers a glimpse at Harry
Truman's life and the rural background that shaped one of the 20th
century's most important leaders
A tour of western Missouri offers a glimpse at Harry
Truman's life and the rural background that shaped one of the 20th
century's most important leaders
by Jeff
The voice of Harry
S Truman welcomes a group of children as they step into the Oval Office.
Of course the office is a reproduction and Trumans voice recorded
but the kids, on a tour of the Truman Presidential Museum and Library
in Independence, instantly recognize the most famous office in the world.
Trumans Oval Office, decorated as it was when he occupied it from
1945 until 1953, contains one artifact the kids find most interesting,
a television with a tiny screen set in a large wooden cabinet. A
tour guide tells the group Truman was the first president to have a TV
in the Oval Office.
A visit to the Truman
Library in Independence is a reminder of some of the most volatile history
of the 20th century. As president, Truman witnessed the end of World War
II and the beginning of the rebuilding of Europe and Japan. But he also
faced the expansion of communism, which led to confrontation in Berlin
and the bloody Korean War, and devised a policy to contain communism known
as the Truman Doctrine. Often loudly criticized for unpopular decisions,
like firing Gen. Douglas MacArthur, Truman dealt with his heavy responsibilities
straight on, without flinching or laying blame.
Many historians credit
Trumans plainspoken manner and upfront The Buck Stops Here
frankness to his rural upbringing. Born in Lamar and raised on the family
farm near Grandview, Truman came from humble beginnings. And once his
presidency was finished, he and wife, Bess, returned to their home at
219 North Delaware in Independence where they lived only a few blocks
from where Trumans political career began in the Jackson County
Courthouse 30 years earlier.
A real understanding
of Truman and how he faced the problems of post-World War II America cant
be appreciated without looking at where the man came from. Fortunately
for travelers Trumans home state offers many places to see and touch
the history that shaped the president.
birthplace in Lamar
Truman was born May
8, 1884 in a small, white frame house in Lamar where he and his parents
lived for 11 months before moving to Harrisonville and later Grandview
to the north. On the day his first child was born, John Truman planted
an Austrian pine tree and today, 119 years later, that tree still lives
in the front yard of the house, which has been the Harry S Truman Birthplace
State Historic Site since 1959. The house, managed by the Missouri Department
of Natural Resources, recreates a typical midwestern American home at
the dawn of the 20th century.
Truman was the first
person to sign the guest book on the day the historic site was dedicated
and typical of his down-to-earth style, he wrote, Harry Truman,
Indepen-dence, Mo., retired farmer.
A life begun on a farm
The Truman family
eventually moved to a 600-acre farm near Grandview in 1887 where they
lived for three years before moving to Independence. Harry Truman often
worked on the farm as a youngster and was responsible for the operation
after his fathers death in 1914 until he joined the military three
years later. An Army captain, Truman led an artillery battery during World
War I.
What today is called
the Truman Farm Home is part of the Harry S Truman National Historic Site
administered by the National Park Service, which includes the Truman Home
30 miles away in Independence. A shopping complex called Truman Corners
now surrounds whats left of the family farm, which includes 5 acres
of land and the farmhouse, which is not open to the public. The farm is
located near the intersection of Highway 71 and Blue Ridge Boulevard.
Summer White House in Independence
The centerpiece of
the Truman National Historic Site is the home that Harry and Bess occupied
as a young married couple in 1919. Though he lived for many years in Washington,
D.C., first as a United States senator, vice president and then 33rd president
of the United States, Truman always considered the house in Independence
home. Even during his presidency it was known as the Summer White House.
Following the inauguration
of Dwight Eisenhower as president in 1954, Harry and Bess returned to
Independence where he was occupied with the planning and construction
of his presidential library.
Until late in life, Truman was known for taking long walks around Independence,
a fact commemorated by the city on its street signs in the Truman Historic
District which feature a silhouette of the former president, cane in hand,
Truman lived in the
house on Delaware until just before his death on Dec. 26, 1972 at the
age of 88. Bess continued to live in their home for another decade and
died there. In her will she left the home to the United States and it
was dedicated as a national historic site in 1983.
The Truman Home, located
on the corner of Truman Road and Delaware Street, is open for tours by
National Park Service rangers. Tickets can be purchased at the site visitors
center on Main Street in downtown Independence.
library worthy of a president
The crown jewel of
Trumans Missouri is the presidential library which documents in
letters and historic papers his legacy as the first president to step
into the dark waters of the Cold War, a period that continued until the
collapse of the communist government of the United States chief
adversary, the Soviet Union, in 1991.
The library details
in a series of exhibits Trumans political rise and his presidency
including his whistle stop train campaign and upset re-election in 1948.
It also documents the dark, early history of the Cold War. A painful reminder
of that era is the Purple Heart medal and angry letter sent to Truman
by the father of a U.S. soldier killed in Korea. The medal and letter
were found in Trumans desk in his office after his death.
Other Truman historic
spots include the Jackson County Courthouse in Independence which maintains
the office and courtroom of Presiding County Court Judge Truman and the
Elms Hotel in nearby Excelsor Springs where the president holed up during
election night in November 1948 when he, and most of the nations
press, expected Thomas Dewey to defeat him.
visiting any number of spots in Missouri frequented by the Man from
Independence, people can appreciate how a simple, rural beginning
shaped world history.
more information:
The city of
Independence is planning a number of events in May to commemorate Trumans
birthday and the 50th anniversary of his return to Independence. Events
include the dedication May 3 of the 5-mile Truman Walking Trail. Details
about the trail, its dedication and other Truman events are available
by contacting Independence Tourism at (816) 325-7111, or online at www.visitindependence.com.
about the Truman Presidential Museum and Library is available by calling
1-800-833-1225, or online at www.trumanlibrary.org.
For hours and
details, including entrance fees, for the Harry S Truman National Historic
Site, including the Truman Home in Independence and the Truman Farm Home
in Grandview, call (816) 254-9929.
about visiting the Harry S Truman Birthplace State Historic Site in Lamar
is available by calling (417) 682-2279, or online at www.mostateparks.com.


text:
Israel arrests 51 former Palestinian prisoners
June 18, 2014
JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli army has re-arrested 51 former Palestinian prisoners as part of a furious search for three missing Israeli teens believed to have been abducted in the West Bank.
Army spokesman Lt. Col. Peter Lerner said on Wednesday that the 51 were among more than 65 Palestinians detained overnight in the search for the teens. The 51 were part of a group of 1,027 Palestinians released in 2011 from Israeli prisons in exchange for an Israeli soldier captured by Gaza militants in a cross-border raid in 2006.
Israel believes Hamas was behind the abduction of the teens, who disappeared last week on the way home from a religious seminary. Lerner says that since the disappearance, a total of 240 Palestinians have been arrested in the West Bank.


text:
Spice Route Ginger Cereal Bowl
Browse all deals at Pier 1 Imports
See more in Dinnerware & Serveware
* This offer may contain time-sensitive information and offers. Please check with Pier 1 Imports to confirm actual price & availability.
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text: Stay Smart at Our brand new Turnpike Hotel in Fort Pierce, FL Nestled between I-95 and the Florida Turnpike, the Holiday Inn Express & Suites Fort Pierce West hotel provides easy access to the area's most popular destinations. Just six miles from St. Lucie County International Airport (FPR), this hotel in Fort Pierce, FL makes travel a breeze.With NY Mets spring training at Tradition Field, shopping and dining at the Fort Pierce Marina, Havert Fenn Civic Center events and Fort Pierce beaches, our hotel guests enjoy a never-ending array of attractions. Families can visit the Manatee Center to observe the manatees and later browse the shops of historic downtown Fort Pierce, FL. Our hotel is also near the St. Lucie County, FL fairgrounds and Vero Fashion Outlets.Corporate travelers to our hotel in Fort Pierce, FL are close to companies that include Southern Eagle Distributing, Walmart Distribution Center, Tropicana, PepsiCo and USDA. Indian River State College is only three miles away, as well, while the nearby PGA golf course allows business travelers the opportunity to relax. And, with a 24-hour business center, free Wi-Fi access and a well appointed boardroom for 12, we have all the bases covered.While in Fort Pierce, FL, our guests can enjoy quality amenities, including an outdoor, heated pool, fitness center and a daily free, hot breakfast. Our friendly staff is ready to accommodate your needs, and we look forward to your visit.


text:
ROCHESTER — Mary A. Pasquarosa, 63, passed away on Monday, Nov., 19, 2012 at Frisbie Memorial Hospital. Mary was born on Nov. 16, 1949, in Brockton, Mass. to the late Gordon Sr. and Celeste Duncanson.
After graduating high school, Mary was employed by Bay State Gas. Bay State Gas was purchased by Northern Utilities, then Ni Source, and then Unitil, who employed Mary until her passing.
Mary also loved volunteering. She was a Trauma Intervention Volunteer for 10 years, a volunteer for VICTIMS, INC. Bingo, Camp Purple Parachute, GAP Facilitator for two years, and spent 12 years offering grief support for students.
Mary joined the Ladies Auxiliary VFW in 1998 and quickly became a Life Member. She was a faithful volunteer for the VFW Bingo Wednesday and Friday nights. Mary was Ladies Auxiliary Treasurer for eight years. She always enjoyed working the programs and attending functions for the Veterans. Later on she volunteered her time for Spaulding Hockey Bingo on Sunday night. Since joining the Ladies Auxiliary Mary served as Auxiliary President, District President, State Guard and State Conductress. She was the chairperson for several programs, including Legislative, Membership and VFW National Home for Children where she organized a bus trip to visit the National Home. Mary's favorite program was helping organize and institute a Jr. Girls Unit in Rochester. Mary provided support, friendship and mentoring to the girls. She was a member of the American Legion Aux Post 7, and a member of Sweet Adelines Harmony Group.
Mary is predeceased by her parents and her brother, Gordy Duncanson.
She is survived by her husband, Wardell Paul Pasquarosa of Rochester; her sisters, Jackie Freeman of Marshfield, Mass., Carol Duncanson of Brockton, Mass.; two Brothers, Ralph Duncanson (Kathy) of Brockton, Mass., and Doug Duncanson (Ruth) of Brockton, Mass.; two nieces, Sheila and Sue Freeman; and her loving pets, two dogs, Jasper and Jessica; and one cat, JoJo.
Visitation will be held on Sunday, Nov. 25, 2012, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at R.M. Edgerly & Son Funeral Home. The Ladies Auxiliary 1772 will perform the final rites during the visitation. Funeral services will take place at 6 p.m. in the Edgerly Funeral Home Chapel.
Interment will take place at 12 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 26, at the New Hampshire Veterans Cemetery in Boscawen, N.H. Flowers are accepted or donations may be made to LAVFW 1772, Cancer Aid & Research Program, 43 Highland St. Rochester, NH 03868.
Arrangements are under the care of R.M. Edgerly & Son Funeral Home, 86 South Main St. Rochester, NH 03867. 332-0230.
Visit www.fosters.com/obits for an online guest hook.
Mary A. Pasquarosa
ROCHESTER — Mary A. Pasquarosa, 63, passed away on Monday, Nov., 19, 2012 at Frisbie Memorial Hospital. Mary was born on Nov. 16, 1949, in Brockton, Mass. to the late Gordon Sr. and Celeste Duncanson.


text:
The Era of Open APIs Demands a New Type of Application
With the rapidly increasing adoption of SaaS, integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS) has become the preferred way to connect SaaS applications. However, with the explosion of Open APIs on the Web connecting APIs together is becoming the norm for application development. However, typical application containers and even application PaaS offerings don't help in this new era where applications compose APis together from many different sources.
In the iPaaS world composing APIs together is modus operandi. An application built on an iPaaS is focused on connecting 2 or more systems together via APIs in order to synchronizing data between them. However, we've taken this new breed of applications much further with the concept of Integration Apps.
Integration Apps exist in a world where everything needs to connect. Open APIs define thousands of new endpoints for exchanging data and leveraging new functionality and Integration Apps are optimized for dealing with working with many different data sources, focusing on composition rather than just coding.
To explain Integration Apps lets take a look at the anatomy of a traditional Web application.
This will be familiar with any developer; it's the traditional 3-tier application model that defines how most applications to date have been built. There are a few problems with this architecture in today's API-centric world:
- The database has traditionally been the source of truth, but now applications work with many data sources. Increasingly apps need to read and write from APIs from different 3rd party providers.
- The App Server is just an HTTP container. It doesn't provide much in the way of capabilities other than hosting code and mapping HTTP requests to an application.
- Custom logic is a big bucket where the application logic resides. This is where data access and application code is hosted. Developers often use open source frameworks such as Ruby on Rails and the Spring Framework to make creating applications easier. But these frameworks don't provide much for dealing with connecting to lots of data sources or working with different data formats.
- Traditional web apps are user-focused, however new applications need to cater for machines too. Increasingly, more people think about building applications API-first. That is creating an API for the application that can be consumed by JavaScript, native mobile applications and other applications.
When people move their traditional applications to the cloud, hosting them on Platform as a Service offerings such Heroku, CloudBees or Open Stack the picture looks very similar.
Even when running on PaaS, applications don't change. This is deliberate since PaaS has focused on getting existing applications into the cloud. However, this does nothing for dealing with the explosion of Open APIs.
Introducing Integration Apps
In contrast Integration Apps embrace the need to connect to APIs and work with multiple data sources, data formats and mediating between different applications. The iPaaS platform provides completely new types services for dealing with interactions for other remote systems including monitoring, tracking, governance and mediation. This is needed because Integration Apps take an message-driven approach to connecting APIs. This means rather than making only synchronous calls in code, interactions are defined through messages being passed between components. This will be familiar to developers that understand newer languages such as Node.js or Scala were messages are passed to listeners or between Actors.
<strong With Integration Apps there are more capabilities built in so the developer doesn't have to do heavy lifting.
Connectivity is focused on working with lots of different APIs, this layer manages the security, session management and monitoring of connections.
The 'Custom Logic' is joined by new capabilities to deal with composing different APIs together using Orchestration. Data Mapping is needed since the data exchanged via APIs comes in differentformats, so being able to work with XML, JSON, RSS, ATOM, CSV and legacy formats is really important. There is also more focus on Error handling since interactions between different systems needs to be clear and visible.
iPaaS offers the same services as PaaS such as database, storage. But because these applications are message-driven there is a whole new set of platform services that help you track information between systems, set up alerts and error handling with message replay.
Integration Apps don't only connect with Open APIs on the Web, often connecting with on-premise applications and data sources is needed so the notion of a data gateway is important.
One element missing from the above picture is the User Interface. This is because increasingly, applications are being built to serve machines not people, making UI optional. Synchronizing data between a few applications doesn't need human interaction; nor do many automated business processes. However, Integration Apps natively support publishing ReST APIs so that other applications and mobile devices can interact with an Integration Apps.
Integration Apps in the wild
MuleSoft already offer public Integration Apps that synchronise data between SaaS applications or between SaaS and on premise applications like SAP. The most well known Integration App out in the wild is dataloader.io. This is an Integration Apps that allows users to upload data into SalesForce – a very common task. The dataloader.io iApp is the only cloud-based solution for Salesforce and has become very popular taking the number 1 spot on the Salesforce AppExchange. This Integration App looks very much like the diagram above: it has a JavaScript UI that talks to the app via its ReST API, the Integration Apps uses a mix of Orchestration, Data Mapping and custom logic to allow users to create jobs for loading data into Salesforce.
Without iPaaS and Integration Apps capabilities this application would have taken months to build from the ground up with all the monitoring, management, error handling and connectivity, instead we built it in 4 weeks. And now it serves 1,000s of Salesforce users per day.
Faster, more Productive
The combination of iPaaS and Integration Apps is very powerful, and enables a new type of application that responds to changes in real-time. Pushing more services and functionality into the platform drives a configuration over coding approach which means developers can focus on composing their application rather than coding everything from the ground up. If necessary the developer can insert custom logic into their App but for most scenarios it isn't necessary, with orchestration and data mapper providing the tools to work with APIs and different data formats.
The applications that take advantage of these new capabilities will create richer, more engaging applications. This new breed of applications will further fuel the Open API explosion adding new APIs that can be consumed people and machines. Open APIs power a world where everything needs to connect, its time for a new platform that embraces this.
Follow: @CloudHub, @MuleSoft, @rossmason


text:
James Merrell
If you love cheesecake, try this classic French dessert.
- Yield
- Makes 6 servings
- For coeurs à la crème
- 3/4 pound cream cheese, softened
- 1 (8-ounce) container sour cream
- 3 tablespoons confectioners sugar, or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- For topping
- 2 (1/2-pint) containers blackberries (11 ounce)
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cassis (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- Special Equipment
- 6 (1/3-cup) ceramic coeur à la crème molds and cheesecloth
- Make coeurs:
- Beat together cream cheese, sour cream, confectioners sugar, vanilla, juice, and a pinch of salt with an electric mixer until smooth. Force mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl to remove any fine lumps.
- Line molds with a single layer of dampened cheesecloth and divide cheese mixture among molds, smoothing tops. Fold overhanging cheesecloth over tops, pressing it lightly. Refrigerate molds in a shallow pan or dish (to catch drips) at least 4 hours.
- Make topping:
- Mash half of blackberries with granulated sugar. Stir in remaining whole berries, cassis, and juice, then macerate, stirring occasionally, 20 minutes.
- Unmold coeurs and carefully peel off cheesecloth. Let coeurs stand at room temperature 20 minutes before serving. Spoon topping over coeurs.
Cooks' note:
·Coeurs may be chilled in molds up to 2 days, covered.


text:
Warden Baker recognizes the importance of protecting your personal and financial information when you visit our websites (each a "Website" and together "Websites"). This Policy is designed to help you understand the information collection practices on all Websites owned or operated by or on behalf of companies within the Warden Baker group of companies. We are committed to:
- Protecting the personal information you provide to us;
- Telling you how we use the information we gather about you; and
- Ensuring that you know why we intend to disclose your personal information.
Changes to this Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy is dated 12th April 2013. Warden Baker reserves the right to amend this Privacy Policy at any time without notice, by updating this posting, in which case the date of the Policy will be revised. However, you will be asked to provide your consent to updated versions of this Policy in the event of a material change to the information contained within it. In addition, you will be asked to reaffirm your consent to this Policy on a six monthly basis. The current version of this Policy can be accessed from the link on www.Warden Baker.com homepage.
Information Collection and Use:
Personally Identifiable Information:
The personally identifiable information you submit to our Websites is used to service your account, to improve our services to you and/or to provide you with information on Warden Baker products and services. The types of personal information that may be collected at our Websites include: name, address, email address and telephone number. We will not sell, share or rent your personally identifiable information to others in contravention of this Privacy Policy.
Additionally, if the Website is a password protected site, then (a) once you submit your password and enter, the Website will recognize who you are and will collect all information that you submit, including all electronic instructions (including all transaction information), and (b) any information collected about you from the Website may be associated with other identifying information that we have about you.
Aggregate Information:
We generally record certain usage information, such as the number and frequency of visitors to our Websites. This information may include the websites that you access immediately before and after your visit to our Websites, the Internet browser you are using and your IP address. If we use such data at all it will be on an aggregate basis, and we will not disclose to third parties any information that could be used to identify you personally.
Service Providers;
We may use internal service providers to operate our Websites and employ other persons to perform work on our behalf, such as sending postal mail and e-mail. These persons may have access to the personally identifiable information you submit through the Websites, but only for the purpose of performing their duties. These personnel may not use your personally identifiable information for any other purpose. Compliance with Laws;
We do not automatically collect personally identifiable information from visitors to our Websites, except to the extent we are required to do so pursuant to some statute or regulation applicable to us. We will not provide any personally identifiable information to any other persons, except if we are required to make disclosures by any law, any government or private parties in connection with a lawsuit, subpoena, investigation or similar proceeding.
E-mail and Marketing;
Warden Baker does not sell its customers' e-mail addresses, nor will we provide your personal information to third parties for their marketing purposes. Warden Baker will not send you e-mail messages without first receiving your permission, unless it relates to servicing your account or unless you have consented to receiving electronic delivery of fund documents as part of our E-Delivery service. It is our policy to include instructions for unsubscribing from these permission-based programs. We recommend that you do not send us any individual personal information via non-secure methods of correspondence, including via public electronic communication channels, such as Internet e-mail, which are generally not secure.
Business Transfers;
If the business, stock or assets of Warden Baker are acquired or merged with another business entity, we will share all or some of your information with this entity to continue to provide our service to you. You will receive notice of such an event and the new entity will inform you of any changes to the practices in this Privacy Policy. If the new entity wishes to make additional use of your information, you may decline such use at such time.
Disclosure to Third Parties;
The personal information you provide to us will only be disclosed to third parties if we have your permission, or as set out in this Privacy Policy. We may disclose details about the general use of our Websites to third parties – for example, to demonstrate patterns of use to advertisers and other business partners. Information we pass on for this purpose will not include any personal information by which you may be identified. We endeavor to prevent unauthorized disclosures of your personal information by third parties but we are not responsible for any unauthorized disclosures or other breaches of security or for the actions of others if the information was passed to them with your authority or with the authority of anyone other than us or our group companies. Cookies
What are cookies?
Cookies are small text files that are stored in your computer's memory and hard drive when you visit certain web pages. They are used to enable websites to function or to provide information to the owners of a website.
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Zillow Shares Dive on Revenue Outlook; Company Buys Mortgage Tool Firm
Zillow shares sank in after-hours trading after the Seattle-based real estate company disappointed investors with its fourth-quarter guidance.
In Q3, Zillow recorded revenue of $31.9 million, up 67 percent over the year earlier; net income for the period totaled $2.3 million, or 7 cents a share, both in line with expectations. But the company projected Q4 revenue of $30 million to $31 million, below analysts' estimates of $32.5 million, according to Thomson Reuters. In regular trading, shares slipped 5.3 percent, or $1.91 a share, before falling an additional 22.2 percent, or $7.62, to trade at $26.75 per share after hours.
The company also reported the acquisition of Mortech, a Lincoln, Neb.-based company that provides tools to the mortgage industry.
Zillow said it will pay about $12 million in cash and 150,000 shares of restricted stock for the 39-person company.
The acquisition of Mortech is the company's fifth. It will become part of the company's mortgage marketplace, where lenders provide quotes to house hunters. Last week, Zillow purchased Buyfolio, a collaborative shopping platform where home shoppers can search, track, organize and discuss listings with others.
The deal is interesting because just last month the mortgage technology provider announced that it was exclusively providing mortgage product and rate information to Trulia.com, Zillow's close competitor.


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Nissan Race Shop - Sparco 8 Pt. Double Shoulder Harness (Hans) (04827TW.)
Vendor: Nissan Race Shop
Available: In stock
SKU: Nissan Race Shop-04827TWNR.
On all products!
60 days return policy
(239) 270-5116
More info
Sparco's full line of harnesses works in unity with our competition seats. Crafted from high-quality fabric and fitted with durable fasteners, each harness restrains the body for added safety and protection. Our 8-point Hans-compatible harness features a robust 3-inch driver's brace and a 2-inch collar brace for improved coupling with the collar surface. This design can be integrated with a Hans device and attaches to the rear roll bar particularly well. Each strap attaches in the center using an aircraft-quality quick-release buckle with a satin-finish aluminum cover. Each belt attaches to the frame using snap-on fixings.
Available three colors: black, blue and red.
This harness is FIA approved.


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This HowTo provides tips on translating MS Office 2007 and later (Office Open XML, .docx) files in OmegaT.
With the advent of Microsoft Office 2007, Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint have new default file formats. These formats are formally known as "Office Open XML", and have the extensions .docx, .xlsx and .pptx respectively. The formats are also used in MS Office 2010. For the sake of convenience, they will be referred to below as "MS Office 2007 file formats".
From Version 1.7.1 onwards, OmegaT has been able to handle Microsoft Office 2007 files directly, without conversion. With the appearance of OmegaT Version 2.1.8, the handling of this file format in OmegaT also became much more user-friendly.
As customers/authors upgrade Microsoft Office/Word to more recent versions, translators can expect to receive files increasingly in the new format. Unlike the legacy .doc, .xls and .ppt formats, these files can be handled directly in OmegaT, with no loss of formatting as a result of conversion to and from other formats.
The new format can also serve as a useful way of handling the legacy .doc, .xls and .ppt formats, since they can be converted to their MS Office 2007 counterparts, translated in OmegaT, and converted back again. This procedure is therefore an alternative for translators who would prefer not to use OpenOffice.org for this purpose.
You can convert MS Office 1997/2000/2003/XP files to MS Office 2007 format by opening them in MS Office 2007 and saving them with "Save As" in the new format. (Since this is now the standard format, it is simply described as Word, Excel or Powerpoint in MS Office 2007).
Linux users: both MS Office 2007 and the Microsoft compatibility plug-in run on Crossover Linux.
In OmegaT versions prior to 2.1.8, each formatting change in an MS Office 2007 file resulted in a long series of multiple tags, which often made handling this file format impractical. As of version 2.1.8, by default, these multiple tags are now aggregated (condensed) into a single tag. Users wishing to translate MS Office 2007 files should therefore upgrade to OmegaT version 2.1.8 or later.
(The greater ease of tag handling with .docx files comes at the cost of a slight loss in control over formatting. For example, without the "aggregate tags" function, where a word in the source text is in bold and italics, the translator could choose to render it in bold only, or in italics only. With the "aggregate tags" function enabled, this is not possible. Most users will probably find that the greater ease of use outweighs this drawback.)
The .docx format is also prone to the introduction of "nuisance" formatting code which results in unwanted and unnecessary tags appearing in OmegaT's editor pane. Since these are inconvenient during translation, it is worthwhile trying to remove these nuisance tags before beginning translation in OmegaT. OmegaT shares this problem with other CAT tools that handle the .docx format, and the solutions are similar or the same.
Word 2007 marks any words not in its spelling dictionary with tags, so even a couple of words which it considers to be mis-spelt will result in a plethora of tags. If every single word in OmegaT is enclosed within tags, it is possible that Word has attempted to spell-check the text without access to a suitable spelling dictionary, and has therefore marked each word as mis-spelt. One solution is to switch off automatic spelling checking in Word.
Automatic hyphenation also adds unnecessary tags, so disable it. It may be necessary to do this for each document, in which case the procedure in Word 2007 is: Click the Page Layout tab; in the Page Setup group, click Hyphenation; then click None.
Use Search and Replace to remove double spaces (replacing them with a single space).
Word 2007 inserts a tag at page breaks, even automatic page breaks. This tag apparently cannot be removed.
Note that even after Word's settings have been changed so that it does not insert "nuisance" codes, for example for auto-hyphenation, such codes may still be present in the file and not removed by the change in configuration. Removal of these codes is described below. Before following the instructions below for removal of the nuisance codes, however, remember to make the configuration changes in Word first, or Word may simply re-insert nuisance codes again when the file is next opened.
As already mentioned, this problem with MS Word is not unique to OmegaT. Third-party tools have been produced to deal with the problem. Two of these are:
CodeZapper (inexpensive)
Document Cleaner (free)
An alternative to running the CodeZapper macro on your text is to "level" the formatting. "Levelling" the formatting means applying the format of the first character in a selection of text (such as a whole paragraph) to all subsequent characters. Note that this is not the same as "deleting" the formatting, which would cause the character formatting to revert to the document's default.
You can level the formatting of paragraphs essentially by copying whole paragraphs in MS Word and pasting them back over themselves such that the entire paragraph assumes the formatting of the first character.
Step 1: Unhide the paragraph mark. Mark each paragraph by clicking on it repeatedly until the entire paragraph is highlighted. Then move the end of the highlighting one character to the left so that it does not include the paragraph mark.
Step 2: Copy this highlighted text (Ctrl+C). Then select "Paste Special" (Word 2003) or click on the arrow at the bottom of the "Insert" button (Word 2007) to obtain the extended Paste options. Finally, insert the content using the "Unformatted Unicode text" option.
Where paragraphs do contain inline formatting (bold, italics, hyperlinks, etc.), you can either:
- level the formatting from these paragraphs using the macro as described above, then re-insert the formatting; or
- mark only the text up to the beginning of the formatted part, copy this text and paste it back over itself, then repeat the process on the text after the formatted part.
You can automate the above procedure somewhat by creating a macro. Brief instructions for creating the macro (in MS Office 2007) are provided below. (For more detailed instructions, refer to your instruction manual or click here or here.)
If you have not already done so, add the Developer tab to the ribbon as follows: click on the Office button. Select Word Options. Click Popular in the Word Options dialog box. On the ribbon, check Show Developer tab and confirm with OK. Close Word.
Launch Word again, create a new Word file and add a paragraph of sample text, at least three lines long, e.g.:
This is a paragraph. This is a paragraph. This is a paragraph. This is a paragraph. This is a paragraph. This is a paragraph. This is a paragraph. This is a paragraph. This is a paragraph. This is a paragraph. This is a paragraph. This is a paragraph. This is a paragraph. This is a paragraph. This is a paragraph. This is a paragraph. This is a paragraph. This is a paragraph. This is a paragraph. This is a paragraph. This is a paragraph. This is a paragraph.
Click on the paragraph mark button to make paragraph marks visible.
Place the cursor in your paragraph of text (not in the first or last lines).
Create the macro:
On the Developer tab, click on Record Macro.
In the Macro name box, type a name for the macro, such as "levelformat". To make the macro available in all documents, select Normal.dotm in the "Store macro in" box. If you have made changes to your Normal.dotm, you might want to back this up first.
Click on the Keyboard button. Click in the box for a new keyboard combination, then experiment with keyboard combinations to find one that is not assigned. If a combination you try is already assigned, a message to this effect is displayed in the dialogue, and you can delete the combination and try another. Ctrl+Shift+9 appears not to be assigned to any other function in the basic Word installation, but you can use any other combination that has not already been assigned.
Click on Assign to assign the shortcut to the macro that you are about to record. Anything you now do will be recorded in the macro, so follow this procedure carefully:
Ctrl+Cursor Up (this takes the cursor to the beginning of the paragraph)
Ctrl+Shift+Cursor Down (this selects the paragraph, including the paragraph mark)
Shift+Cursor Left (this moves the end of the selection one character to the left so that it no longer includes the paragraph mark)
Ctrl+C (this copies the paragraph)
Ctrl+V (this pastes the text of the paragraph back over the paragraph)
After entering these commands, click Stop Recording.
Click on Macros and select levelformat (or whatever name you gave to your macro), then Edit. The code of your macro(s) will be displayed. For levelformat, this should be:
Sub levelformat()
' levelformat macro
Selection.MoveUp Unit:=wdParagraph, Count:=1
Selection.MoveDown Unit:=wdParagraph, Count:=1, Extend:=wdExtend
Selection.MoveLeft Unit:=wdWord, Count:=1, Extend:=wdExtend
Selection.PasteAndFormat (wdPasteDefault)
End Sub
Change the line:
Selection.PasteAndFormat (wdPasteDefault)
Selection.PasteSpecial DataType:=wdPasteText
Save with Ctrl+S, and close the macro editing window.
If all has gone according to plan, your macro should now work. To test it, add some formatting to your Word document, for example by making one word bold. Now simply place the cursor anywhere in the paragraph and press Ctrl+Shift+9 (or whatever other keyboard shortcut you selected), and you should see the formatting disappear.
You can change the keyboard shortcut at any time. To do this, click the main "Office" button, then Word options (bottom right of the dialog).
Click Customize > Choose commands. Choose Macros from the drop-down list. Select "levelformat" (or whatever you called it).
At the bottom of the dialog next to Keyboard shortcuts, click on Customize.
In the Categories box, scroll down to Macros and select it. Then on the right, under Macros, select levelformat (or whatever you called your macro). The current shortcut will be displayed in the relevant box. You can clear it by selecting it and hitting Delete. You can then enter a new shortcut and assign it with Assign as you did before. Close/confirm the dialogs.
You can use a similar procedure to create a button for your macro:
Again, click the main "Office" button, then Word options.
Click Customize > Choose commands. Choose Macros from the drop-down list. Select your macro.
Click on Add. You should see the macro command appear in the right-hand column. Click on Modify.
Pick a symbol, then OK > OK. The symbol for your macro should appear in the toolbar.
This macro is useful for levelling the formatting of a whole paragraph that contains no visible formatting. Where a paragraph contains desired formatting, you must restore the deleted formatting after levelling the paragraph. In paragraphs containing lots of formatting, restoring the deleted formatting can be quite a lot of work. For such paragraphs, consider the following alternatives:
Use Dave Turner's CodeZapper macro.
Create a second macro (with its own button and/or keyboard shortcut) of your own that only levels highlighted text, rather than the entire paragraph. (Record as described above, but only recording the command Ctrl+C followed by Ctrl+V.) You can then highlight text between the points at which formatting changes. This will level the formatting over sections of text that have the same, desired formatting, and you will not then need to restore deleted formatting.
Use the level formatting macro only on paragraphs with little or no formatting. Paragraphs that you have not "levelled" will then contain nuisance tags, but at least the others will be much "cleaner".
More advanced users may wish to try OmegaT's Text Export function. In conjunction with the te-st-notags script, this provides a separate window in which tags are not displayed. You must still handle tags properly when producing and editing your translation, but you can view it in a separate window without the clutter of tags ("tag soup").
Copyright Marc Prior 2009-2011


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Select a topic or year
Measuring public sentiment can help travel industry chief marketing officers customize incentives and services to be more in tune with what customers are asking for, using data to tailor their offerings to address fast-moving trends and real time customer needs.
According to the IBM Social Sentiment analysis, there was an increase in the volume of positive conversations about flying, driving and spending time with family and friends, among others. For example, the IBM "Desire Ratio" for flying indicated that comments are roughly 2.5 times more positive about travel in the 2012 holiday season. This increase could possibly be attributed to the Cyber Monday deals that airlines ran this year. Positive sentiment associated with driving also increased 13 percent.
"Measuring social sentiment has the potential to enable the travel industry to literally design travel offers and services tailored to what travelers are telling us," said Raul Arce, vice president, travel & transportation, IBM. "Big data has the power to transform the travel industry for the airlines, hotels and other travel providers that can translate customer desires into irresistible offers that they will welcome."
The IBM Social Sentiment Index combines sophisticated analytics and natural language processing technologies to gauge consumer public opinions from Twitter, blogs, message boards and other social media. In this instance, the Index was used to measure and understand consumer views around the holiday travel season in the United States from the period of December 1 – December 10 in 2012 and 2011.
The volume of conversation about flying as the holidays approach is up 10 percent in comparison to last year (38 percent in 2012 vs. 28 percent in 2011). This enthusiasm is not limited to those who have confirmed travel plans. A possible window of opportunity exists for businesses to influence last-minute customer travel-related decisions. Anecdotally, around one quarter of online holiday travel conversations suggested that an itinerary had not been finalized.
The analysis also surfaced insight into trends and topics related to flying this holiday season. Top of mind for travelers are airline loyalty programs and best ways to convert miles, possible fuel surcharges likely related to the price of fuel, and what to do with pets while on vacation.
While it might seem like "noise" that there is a cluster of social conversation around potential travelers and their animals, it could signal an emerging trend - or niche demographic - that pet-friendly hotels or airlines could capitalize on through additional promotional activities or special offers directly tied to the holiday season for pet owners.
Additional insights from the IBM Social Sentiment Index for holiday travel include:
· Negative sentiment related to gas prices is on a downward trend, which will likely contribute to the number of people traveling.
· While only a small sample size, sentiment around travel providers' mobile experiences such as smartphone apps and websites is on an upward trend. The amount of those conversations increased 40 percent year over year.
· Conversations about the word "travel" during the studied time period increased 75 percent.
· Measurement of sentiment suggested that fewer people are canceling their plans for the 2012 holidays with a decrease of 19 percent in negative sentiment this year.
· The Index recorded a decrease in conversation volume from 2011 to 2012, possibly attributable to the additional weekend between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year. Early holiday social chatter in December also suggested people were more focused on holiday preparation than travel plans.
The wealth of online content around travel -- from traveler review sites to public conversations on Twitter and Facebook -- has become very influential in how people determine their travel plans. Understanding the positive, neutral and negative nuances of their conversations and who is influential can help airlines, hoteliers and other travel service providers market better products and services to their customers.
About the IBM Social Sentiment Index
The IBM Social Sentiment Index uses advanced analytics and natural language processing technologies to analyze large volumes of social media data in order to assess public opinions. The Index can identify and measure positive, negative and neutral sentiments shared in public forums such as Twitter, blogs, message boards and other social media, and provide quick insights into consumer conversations about issues, products and services. Representing a new form of market research, social sentiment analyses offer organizations new insights that can help them better understand and respond to consumer trends. IBM's social sentiment capabilities are delivered on an industry-leading big data platform that can access, store and analyze any data regardless of how fast it is moving, what type it is, or where it resides.
For more information about IBM Social Sentiment Index, please visit www.ibm.com/social-sentiment. Follow the conversation at #IBMIndex on Twitter.
For more information about IBM and Smarter Travel, please follow @IBMTransport on Twitter.
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Here we see a zealous Kiwi powersliding his little Mazda pickup. The cornering forces are a little high, and he rolls. Ken Block makes it look so easy, doesn't he?
At least this guy is going slow enough and his trucklet is sturdy enough that when he lands on his wheels, he can just drive away. And he didn't even have a roll cage! You can see the results of this valiant stupidity here.
(Hat tip to Aloha Milkyway!)


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ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Despite the sudden warm weather, Minnesota farmers are still waiting for the chance to get into their fields.
In its weekly crops and weather report for the state, the U.S. Department of Agriculture says Minnesota farmers have managed to begin only very limited field work, mainly on higher ground and well-drained fields. Flooding is still a concern, especially in the Red River Valley. Muddy conditions are slowing pasture growth.
The report says producers continue to expect full-scale fieldwork to begin around May 7, about 2 1/2 weeks later than the five-year average.
Despite the late start, expert say there's still time. Corn yields in Minnesota don't typically suffer unless planting is delayed past mid-May, though there's some concern about the impact on yields for spring wheat and other small grains.
(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)