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|Pathologically Eclectic Rubbish Lister
Re^8: A request from level 21 (patched)by tye (Sage)
|on Sep 08, 2008 at 04:50 UTC ( #709707=note: print w/replies, xml )
|Need Help??
Sorry, it has been especially busy for me at work so it took an inordinate amount of time for me to get around to this.
I've patched the site default CSS to include:
If you would like to (again) see each author's level title listed in their node by-lines, then go to Display Settings and add the below line to your "On-Site CSS Markup:"
I've also updated Tidings.
- tye
In Section Perl Monks Discussion

subset: commoncrawl


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Purchasing from abroad? Please click here.
Home > Budget Bearings > Metric Taper Roller Bearings
Brand: Budget Bearings
Taper Roller Bearings have tapered inner and outer raceways between which tapered roller are arranged. This design of taper rollers makes them particularly suited to accommodating combined axial and radial loads. Can be used in oil or greased.They are widely used in gearboxes, automotive, agricultural, trailer/caravan axles, garden machinery and transmissions.
UK Standard (under £25): £1.50 per order of any size
UK Standard (over £25): Free
UPS Next Day (order before 5pm Mon-Fri only): £6.99
NOTECertain Hazardous Loctiteproducts can only be sentvia UPS at £6.99
[ Go Top | Site Map | Contact Us ]© Best Bearings Online is a trading name of R & J Engineering Supplies Ltd (REG: 11886152)
. eCommerce Software by Bluepark
R & J Engineering Supplies Ltd


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by Trotinetus · March 24, 2015
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IT & Mobile News / IT&C
How to write optimal lenght content for SEO
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Breiking News / IT & Mobile News
CEO Jack Dorsey says Twitter has decided to ban all political ads by candidates and outside groups
IT & Mobile News
Google launching data-friendly search app for emerging markets users
6 Dec, 2017
Sex robot Samantha has a brain and can tell jokes
25 Sep, 2017
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14 Feb, 2018
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Russian bombers escorted away from US aircraft carrier
1 Nov, 2017


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Page 3By Elizabeth Wasserman
Groom or Recruit?
In late 2002, top executives at Georgia-Pacific Corp. decided it was time to hire a new CIO. The goal: to help rein in costs and increase innovation. And with its long history of succession planninggrooming managers across divisions for tougher jobs and promoting from withinthe Atlanta-based forest-products company didn't have to look far. Twenty-year veteran James Dallas had started out with Georgia-Pacific in 1984 as an accountant, learning the business over the next two decades by working his way up to transportation division general manager, successive IT directorships and president of the lumber division before being named CIO.
But the task ahead of Dallas was daunting.
Georgia-Pacific, which employs 61,000 people in Europe, North America and China, had reported steep losses in 2001 and 2002 thanks to the weak economy, high levels of debt and significant asbestos liabilitiesand dramatic cost-cutting steps were needed company-wide. Executives at Georgia-Pacific chose to promote a proven performer steeped in the company's culture whom they believed could best make things happenfast.
And change is what Georgia-Pacific got.
Since he took on the job, Dallas has lowered IT costs by a third by consolidating divisional IT operations to cut redundancies and help share innovations. He saved $8 million by bringing the company's outsourced data-center operations back inside. He renegotiated the firm's telecom contracts and completed an SAP integration project across the company's consumer-products, tissue-towel-napkin and Dixie divisions for order and warehouse management, tracking and shipping. And he moved the company from Unix to the Linux open-source platform in a number of areas, most notably in running the SAP servers.
In Dallas's view, being an insider made all the difference. Dallas knew Georgia-Pacific's various businessesfrom the lumber the company sells to Home Depot, to the paper products it sells to Staples, to the tissue products it delivers to Wal-Martinside and out. He had relationships with the other C-level executives as well as the middle managers who were instrumental in rolling up their sleeves and making the changes happen. And with two decades at the company, including several stints in IT, Dallas knew most of his direct reports well. And they knew him. "The key to any leader is the team he or she has," Dallas says. "We didn't have to go through that learning phase. We were able to move fast. They knew what they needed to do. I provided them support and air cover."
Page 2
Out with the Old
Despite the success stories at companies like Georgia-Pacific, most companies in similar economic straits continue to bring in CIOs from the outside to make the tough decisions about costly IT installations and needed cuts in spending.
According to a recent CIO Insight survey of close to 500 top IT executives, two-thirds came to their current jobs from outside, while just 30 percent of the companies they work for have adequate succession plans in place for choosing their successors.
"We're seeing an increasing number of companies look outside for CIOs," says Marc Lewis, North America president for executive-recruitment firm Morgan Howard Worldwide. "There's a not-invented-here syndrome that can hold many top performers back, and make the No. 2 in line to the CIO highly vulnerable to recruiting calls from other companies."
When William Nuti, a former senior vice president at Cisco Systems Inc., took over as COO and president of beleaguered Symbol Technologies Inc., in July 2002, he turned the negative of a federal securities probe into an opportunity to redesign IT's governance, strategy and leadership team.
Preferring to hire an outsider, Nuti named a former colleague, John G. Bruno, then Cisco's vice president of technology marketing, to be Symbol's new CIO. Then Nuti redrew the lines on the organizational chart so that Bruno reported directly to him. And most unusual of all, Nuti took note of Bruno's business and technology background at Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. and United Parcel Service Inc., and gave Bruno a dual role: CIO and senior vice president of business development, charged with identifying and developing new market initiatives and business opportunities.
"Symbol had buried IT under the finance organization," Nuti says. "But I wanted the CIO to sit on the senior staff, to become operationally proficient and to understand how this company works."
With much of Symbol's former management gone as a result of the company's troubles with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Nuti and his new executive team represent a clean slate.
Still, the company continues to face regulatory and competitive hurdles. It remains under investigation by the Department of Justice and the SEC for its accounting practices between 1998 and 2001. Its mainstay bar-code business is under pressure from new technologies such as RFID. And a new set of regulatory compliance issues need to be addressed as a result of implementation of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
Bruno sees these problems as an opportunity to hold ongoing discussions about the company's business processes and how to rethink those processes to develop new products more efficiently.
"The CIO role now is no different from that of the COO or CFO," says Bruno, who joined the company at the end of 2002, after the SEC investigation was already under way. "They all use the tools of the day in order to cause business transformation and increase shareholder value. The tools of the day happen to be IT systems processing and tools."
Indeed, there's no one-size-fits-all model for hiring a new CIO. Where companies look, what type of leader they need and how they manage change have more to do with their corporate culture than with broader trends in IT operations. If breadth of external experience matters throughout the organizationat companies that typically look outside for other C-level executives, for instancethen looking outside for a CIO makes sense.
Some companies must also recognize that they simply don't have an adequate plan in place for growing future executives. Other companies fear that by promoting from within the IT department, they will get an executive who will only maintain the status quoand not someone who can look critically at what the company has been doing for the past few years.
"It's this feeling that they will not be willing to shake up things that need to be shaken," says M. Eric Johnson, director of the Center for Digital Strategies at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth University, which holds regular summits for CIOs and their business counterparts.
Johnson adds, "Here's the guy who has been part of the ERP implementation for the past five years, and now has to decide whether to kill it. If he or she has been inside this thing the whole time, how is that going to work? Are they really going to be able to make the tough decisions?"
Page 3
Nothing Succeeds Like Succession
Given the value of continuity, however, promoting from within can make sense. The problem is that succession planning is inadequate in most organizations. Less than a third of CIOs surveyed by CIO Insight said their organizations did sufficient succession planning (though that percentage rose to 47 percent among CIOs from businesses with more than $1 billion in annual revenues). Yet more than half of those surveyed said they believed their successor would be one of their direct reports, while just 44 percent said they spent enough time preparing these would-be successors to take the reins someday.
The lax emphasis on succession planninggrooming successors and developing the careers of direct reports (who, after all, might someday be considered ready to handle the job of CIO)is the primary reason that many organizations look outside when they have a CIO post to fill.
Some large companies pride themselves on strong succession planning, and many CIOs understand the importance of mentoring a new generation of leaders to follow in their footsteps. "Going with an insider is the best way to get a culture fit," says Mark Polansky, managing director of the information technology practice at executive-recruitment firm Korn/Ferry International. General Electric Co., perhaps the most prominent proponent of succession planning, carefully plots replacements for all C-level executives, as well as vice presidents and directors. "GE believes in building bench strength," says Jason Richardson, president of Cutting Edge Information, a Durham, N.C.-based research firm, "and we agree that there are benefits to succession planning all the way down as far as you can go."
The general guidelines of succession planning hold in IT as anywhere else. They include grooming CIO succession candidates and rotating them through the business departments. Richardson's advice: Figure out what your succession priorities are, define the skills the position will require, review your bench strengths, design the succession plan and then roll the plan out to the organization.
For CIOs, the benefits of circulating a succession-planning strategy are two-fold, Richardson says. Getting support from the board and the CEO for cross-training IT staffers underlines the relationship between IT and the business, and that allows the CIO to better help solve problems, suggest ways to improve manufacturing or delivery, and ultimately affect the bottom line. "Succession planning in IT can help counter the 'Dilbert perception' that there's a struggle between commercial operations and information operations," Richardson says. "Every IT person doesn't have to be a master of marketing and sales. But you should at least have the flavor of what it's like to be in those positions."
FedEx Corp.'s Robert Carter worked his way up through the IT ranks for seven years before being named executive vice president and CIO in 2000. "We do have a formal succession planning process," Carter says. "One of the things this allows you to do is interact with the next level of management on a formal basis. You become the sit-in at important meetings. You have the opportunity to go stand in at functions where you get experience and get to learn the types of interactions that take place at that next level."
In order to make the transition as smooth as possible, Carter also worked side-by-side with his predecessor, Dennis Jones, for several months before taking over completely. "Dennis was very gracious in letting me have as much rope I needed," Carter says. "Very quickly, he let me step to the forefront. But he was there for me if needed."
In some companies with active succession planning, the CIO takes a pivotal role in identifying and training a successor. After all, the right candidates won't necessarily be located just down the hall. At Whirlpool Corp., when former CIO David Butler wanted to retire, he helped recruit Esat Sezer, former director of global IT for Colgate-Palmolive Co. Earlier in his career with Colgate-Palmolive, Sezer had led projects in South Africa, Russia, Poland and Turkey. He had also worked as a senior consultant for Andersen Consulting (now Accenture) in London. That breadth of international experience was needed at Whirlpool, where 40 percent of revenues now come from outside North America.
But before Sezer took over the CIO's job at Whirlpool, he worked for nearly two years hand-in-hand with Butler, until Butler retired last September. The result was a smooth transition during which Sezer gradually took over the CIO's duties and, according to company officials, was mentored by Butler at the same time. The two attended meetings together both at Whirlpool and externally with clients, and, last year, at a CIO leadership summit at Dartmouth University, Butler introduced his successor to CIOs from other organizations and discussed the benefits of succession planning, according to the Center for Digital Strategies' Johnson.
Page 4
In with the New
In CIO searches these days, 80 percent of the candidate specifications involve building business relationships inside and outside the organization, demonstrating business skills, planning and execution, according to Carl Gilchrist, a CIO practice leader at search firm Spencer Stuart. What companies are looking for, Gilchrist says, are "CIOs with track records of coming into difficult situations and getting things done."
At Georgia-Pacific, executives had the same criteria. But that led them to look within the company's ranks for the next CIO. James Dallas, with his 20 years at the company, came into his new role as CIO with a mission to run IT like any of the company's other unitsmeaning like a business. In addition to cutting costs, he put in a program to create "centers of excellence" around key IT functions such as e-commerce, business intelligence and global platform services. Through these centers, the company can share best IT practices throughout business units.
"We looked across our businesses and started seeing similarities between our consumer business selling to Wal-Mart, our building products that we sell to Home Depot and Lowe's, and, on the paper side, where we sell to Staples," Dallas says. "In each of those channels, on-time delivery and supply-chain management is a competitive differentiator. We realized we could solve similar problems across the company in different business units at the same time."
For Dallas, the differentiating factor as a new CIO was that his long tenure at Georgia-Pacific gave him a leg up when it came to understanding the issues that the company faced in each of its business units. When you're already on the inside, you don't have to wait to implement change by first going through that learning curve.
Elizabeth Wasserman is a Washington, D.C.-based writer. Formerly, she was Washington Bureau Chief for The Industry Standard.


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Important - Please note: The file i_view32.exe which I am encouraging you to put onto a USB stick and take out with you is subject to the Irfanview license agreement. That requires that if you intend using it at your place of work or for any commercial purpose you must register and purchase it. If in any doubt you should contact Irfan Skiljan at the email address on the Irfanview - Official homepage.
Irfanview is an ideal portable application and can be run from a USB memory stick very easily. Being a very compact program it runs fast too.
Although a special version is available that can be launched from a Portable Apps menu it is not needed if all you want to do is show your pictures on a computer that belongs to someone else who does not have Irfanview installed. Irfanview takes up a tiny space on the USB stick, so you will have plenty of room left for your pictures too.
If you have Irfanview installed on your own computer at home then a copy of what you have there will work fine on a USB stick too. You do not need to download it again. All you have to do is to find the program file i_view32.exe in the Irfanview folder on your computer and copy it to somewhere on the USB memory stick. That's all. You now have a working program on the stick that you can take out and run on any Windows computer that you plug it into.
I would recommend that you create a new empty folder on the stick and name it Irfanview, then put i_view32.exe there. That makes it easier to find and to add other things that you may want to include in the folder later. The easy way to copy the i_view32.exe file to the stick is to drag it from the Irfanview folder in Program Files on the C: drive (if that is where you have it installed) and just drop it into the Irfanview folder on your stick. See the image below.
Whenever you double click on the i_view32.exe file you have put on the stick, an empty Irfanview window should open on the desktop. In the View menu you can change the Display options to a Fit to Window mode instead of Fit to Desktop, if you prefer to have a window that does not move around, and you can then adjust the window size and position to where you prefer to have it. Unless you want the window centered on the screen then remember to uncheck "Center image in Window" too. When you close Irfanview you will see that a new file, i_view32.ini, has been created and saved in the Irfanview folder on the stick to hold your settings.
You may be surprised how much you can do with just this basic program. You will only be able to work with the more common Image file types and will not have all the editing functions you get when the Irfanview plugins pack is installed but you can very easily add plugins later should you need to.
You will probably find also, on another computer, that you cannot just double click on an image file to open it in Irfanview. If Irfanview is not installed there then the image file will almost certainly be associated with some other application and will open in that. Instead double click on i_view32.exe on the stick to open an Irfanview window, then left click on the image file and while holding down the mouse button drag the icon over to the window. Release the button to drop the image into the open window. You can also drop it directly onto the i_view32.exe file, or create a shortcut to that file on the desktop and drop onto that instead. You do not need to close the window when you have finished browsing that folder. Just drag and drop another image file onto whatever is currently displayed. You might also experiment with dropping a whole folder of images into an open Irfanview window to see what that does.
More about all this later. Meanwhile do let us know how you use Irfanview "on-the go".


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Digital Transformation
Digital transformation is often referred to as the third stage of embracing digital technology (after «digital usage» and «digital competence»). It covers changes associated with digital technology and is more than just a set of isolated technology based changes; it is also a strategic mindset. Synpulse helps clients understand this trend and helps to derive the necessary management actions.
Main Contact
«The general change potential of digitalization is subject of intense market discussions. Thanks to our industry- and outside-in perspectives across markets and financial industries, we jointly develop concrete fields for action and implement them successfully. Thus digitalization is no longer a threat but becomes an opportunity.»
- Ingo Muschick
- Silvan Stüssi
Digital Business Model
Digitalization is changing the way we do business – customers are getting empowered, process get digitalized, business models need to evolve to keep up with new challenges.
Hardly any industry notices the impact of current and future information technology hypes like digitalization, big data or the internet of things (IoT). These topics provide chances for new business models, new customers and for internal optimization. Threats like new competition and change of customer behavior and expectations can be turned into lucrative opportunities.
For the insurance industry you can see the impact in all areas: life, non-life, reinsurance, and health insurance.
New customer areas are rising where digitalization enables new business models. For example Uber or AirBnB require specialized insurances and clarification of arising questions regarding liability. Simultaneously, traditional business is getting more transparent, and startups building on existing concepts create entirely new approaches (e.g. hioscar health insurance). Digitalization also facilitates proposing new products to customers based on their life style or using big data analytics (wearables, telematics, etc.).
Digital and innovative insurance business models include:
- New operating models (white labelling, outsourcing, alternative distribution channels, D2C sales, etc.)
- Data driven insurance analytics (big data, IoT)
- Telematics (real time & behavior data)
- UW tools for risk assessment
- External partnerships (data ecosystem)
Consumers are increasingly self-service-driven and are looking for empowerment and instant solutions. From searching for information to buying insurance products online, the customer journey is moving ever closer to the digital space.
Now is the right time to operationalize these hypes for your business and start securing results for the future. Synpulse is more than happy to support you with digitalization in the insurance industry by:
- Create business and digitalization strategies, and define new areas for activitie
- Develop and implement measures derived from your strategy, and build prototypes
- Accompany the digital transformation of your organization
The digital transformation of the entire value chain requires a rethinking of traditional business models of insurers. Future success depends on the ability to do this.
Impact of Genomics on Insurers
Genomics is developing at astounding speed, with incredible potential to affect the way we address chronic disease – and impact the health and life insurance value chain.
Since the human genome was first published in 2001 following an international effort lasting more than a decade, involving hundreds of scientists, and costing nearly USD three billion, genetic sequencing has rapidly become a commodity. Sequencing devices have been automated and reduced in size, sequencing is flourishing, and an entire industry of companies offering genetic testing and sequencing services has sprung up. Genetic and genomic data are also entering clinical practice in many different forms.
To assess the increasing impact of these developments on health and life insurers, we conducted a market study. After establishing some fundamentals, our report explains key concepts such as direct-to-consumer genetic testing, personalized medicine, and gene therapy. We then discuss the resulting risks and opportunities in three key areas along the health and life insurance value chain.
Wondering where the genomics journey will lead? We invite you to explore our findings!
Genomics: What does the decoding of genetic material mean for insurers?
Genomics, personalized medicine and gene therapy are making rapid progress. What does it mean for insurers?
The Impact of Genomics on Chronic Disease in the Context of Healthcare and Health Insurance
Hear what the experts have to say about chronic illness, how it affects healthcare and health insurance, and how genomics and genetic testing can make a positive impact: Our podcast features Dominik Langer, Associate Partner and Head of Competence Center Digital Transformation at Synpulse, and Dr. Senthil Sundaram, Chief Clinical Officer at Prenetics, a leading genetics testing/digital health company.
New Insurance Products and Services Based on Genomics?
Progress in genomics is creating new opportunities for products and value-added services that life and health insurers could offer to their customers. Join our webinar and learn about the impact of genomics on insurers, focusing specifically on opportunities in the area of products and services.
Health Telematics
There are many situations in the healthcare system when effective or efficient action could be taken if the right information were available in the right place at the right time. We know the healthcare system and the latest technological developments, and we can give you the best possible support in identifying and realizing health telematics applications.
The healthcare system faces a number of major challenges:
- An aging population, lifestyle diseases and new methods of treatment are raising the pressure on costs. New services and products that encourage individuals to take responsibility for their health and in this way have a preventive effect therefore take on an important role.
- Processes in the healthcare system are becoming increasingly data and information intensive. Orchestration of stakeholders and machine support with exchanging, integrating and interpreting the resulting data are important as a result.
- Policyholders and patients are becoming more demanding; they expect, for instance, to be able to interact with insurers and service providers around the clock and preferably digitally.
How You Benefit
As an insurer or medical services provider, telematics solutions are essential if you wish to take on the challenges outlined above. By using products and services with telematic components, you create:
- Added value for your customers or patients and real differentiation from your competition;
- A more customer-friendly process and minimized or no costs;
- Diverse opportunities for gathering data, connecting stakeholders, and supplying them with context-dependent, bespoke information, or initiating action.
Our Approach
It makes sense to take a step-by-step approach to telematics solutions:
- Together we identify, evaluate and prioritize possible applications for your organization.
- For the applications you have selected, we develop an implementation concept together, which we back up with surveys and feasibility studies.
- We identify the most suitable providers of the components for your solution and in this way prepare its concrete implementation.
- We support you in implementation with an iterative process and by constantly incorporating user feedback.
We help you to identify and implement applications wherever you and your customers will benefit most from gathering, processing and combining information from remote and new data sources.
Smart Analytics / Predictive Modelling
People and machines increasingly generate vast amounts of data, which could be used to make more informed business decisions by blending it with internal data. Many clients struggle harvesting insights from that newly available data Synpulse helps clients to find suitable vendor solutions, identify use cases and source/cleanse/analyze data so clients can deduce valuable insights from them.
Current trends
The time is now to focus on Smart Analytics and Predictive Modeling. Today, every online action we take leaves a digital trace, which leads to unprecedented explosions of available data. Furthermore, substantial upgrades in available computational power and machine learning technology are being carried out daily. These trends have the potential to revolutionize the way people can glean valuable insights from onslaughts of data.
Realizing this, many financial service companies embark on digital transformations and harness the latest technology to improve their data collection and interpretation efficiency, so they can better understand and serve their customers' needs while obtaining valuable insights into market shifts and product risks.
Areas of interest
Smart analytics and predictive modeling are not limited to one area, but are best applied in the following five areas:
- Market insights
- Client insights
- Risk insights
- Operational insights
- Asset insights
The Synpulse Approach to Smart Analytics & Predictive Modeling
We see financial service companies taking many different routes in their efforts to cope with the smart analytics challenge. Some enlist a smorgasbord of data scientists, statistic experts and SAS programmers to help them build models to prove data-generated hypotheses. Others try to recognize data patterns through machine-learning capabilities in end-user facing applications. At Synpulse, we assist with both approaches, but we notice clients trending toward end user facing solutions that connect business users directly to a machine. With this, the human expert is not made obsolete, but made a leader in the Smart Analytics and Predictive Modeling approach
Synpulse Service Offering and Expertis
Synpulse helps clients with Smart Analytics and Predictive Modeling from data-to-insight as well as insight-to-action on technical or business-related topics. To do so, we employ selective vendor technologies to guide our client through the digital transformation process.
At Synpulse, we are well equipped with a team of experts specializing in Smart Analytics. We also partner with leading tool providers in the area of augmented intelligence using machine learning. Our team and partnerships apply their expertise in the fields of motor insurance, health insurance, commercial insurance, and reinsurance.
Training Solutions
Banks and insurance companies are subject to constant organizational and technological change. Precisely where major restructuring or launch projects are concerned, professional training is key to success. In «Training Solutions», Synpulse has developed a methodology for mastering these challenges with modern and effective training solutions.
If you are facing the challenge of implementing a major change project in your organization, Synpulse is the ideal partner for your internal communication and training. «Training Solutions» is the methodology we have developed to prepare your organization well in advance for change.
Our first step is to explore with you your communication and training needs. Then we jointly decide on the most suitable training resources. Whenever possible, we use modern tools such as e-learning, webinars and e-classrooms. This gives you maximum effectiveness at minimal cost.
Precisely where international projects are concerned, it is essential that training can take place independent of time and place and that assessment is automated. Traditional training methods often break the agreed budget with the cost of travel alone, which frequentlyoften makes this option unviable.
We employ «Training Solutions» continually and successfully in projects and optimize it on an ongoing basis. Its pragmatic approach and the mix of training resources in particular mean that our clients can tailor the training process to their needs. It also means that we can make adjustments as and when they are required. Our customers additionally benefit from experienced Synpulse project team members, whose expert knowledge and skills from an insurance and banking background make them highly effective in putting together training packages.
«Training Solutions» is an ideal way of meeting a large-scale need for training. Our clients benefit from our many years of expertise. We help you to achieve maximum effectiveness from your training at minimal cost and working with modern tools and resources.


text:
Ferrari and Renault have both issued official statements this week threatening to pull out of next year's FIA Formula One World Championship due to the FIA's decision to introduce two new sets of technical regulations.
Ferrari and Renault join a growing number of teams including Red Bull, Toyota and BMW that have also threatened to leave the sport for 2010. The new technical regulations state that the FIA will give certain advantages to budget capped teams, causing a major disrupt in the competitive nature of the sport.
With the May 29th deadline for official entries looming, it appears that only the Williams, Force India and Brawn team will make the entry date for next year's world championship. Rumors are quickly spreading that there could be a split in F1, not unlike that of Indycar and CART, and we all know how well that ended. A full list of the 2010 FIA Sporting Regulations can be seen HERE. (Photo Credit: Flickr) [via FormulaOne: 1, 2]


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who said nautical accessories are just for summer?
Pick the right color combination and make it work for winter too!
I love the combination of tan and dark grey...
This bracelet is a mix and match of two very popular posts on my blog:
the sailor's knot belt & the easy rope bracelets
what you need: supplies
* satin twisted rope (less than) 1 yr in each color
* 2 ribbon crimps 20 mm or 3/4" (20mm or 3/4 inch Silver Ribbon Clamp End Crimps (16 Pcs.) )
* large lobster clasp (Clasps Lobster Swivel 1 1/2" Silver Plated 5pc)
* two split rings (500 Silver Plated Metal Jump Rings MEGA MIX 5-12mm NEW 5 BAGS 100 each of 5 sizes!)
(I prefer to use split rings rather than jumprings especially while using thick chain or cords, because it's more unlikely that they will split open and less chance to break)
* few links of chain (optional)
* two pairs flat nose pliers
* E 6000 glue
* masking tape and scissors (not pictured)
the how-to / tutorial:
* cut each color of the satin twisted rope in three parts,
wrapping the edges with tape to prevent them from unravelling
* prepare your sailor's knot all the same colors on each side
(or alternate the colors... or do as you like!)
* use the masking tape on each side to keep the cords nicely tight together
*apply some E 6000 glue at the edge of the masking tape on each side,
and both on the right and wrong side of the bracelet-to-be
*meanwhile, use some masking tape on the pliers (this will protect the ribbon crimps)
and open the ribbon crimps a little wider
*the glue should be dry now, so cut the excess cords on each side
* insert the cords into the ribbon crimps and close tight
*add a split ring on each side of the ribbon crimp,
few links of chain on one side and
a clasp on the other side and it's ready!
make it in 10 minutes sharp!
xox, d.


text:
Let the Maui Diamond II make your scuba diving and snorkeling experiences in Maui truly memorable! Explore the tropical Hawaiian waters from our 40' dive boat. We will take you diving and snorkeling to the most spectacular dive sites around Maui.
We offer guided scuba tours for both certified divers and non-certified divers alike.
For certified divers, our charters include two dives at Hawaii's favorite dive locations, usually Molokini Crater and one other location off the South or West Maui shorelines.
Non-certified divers are also invited on-board to snorkel or even try scuba diving! We use the PADI "Discover Scuba Diving" program to teach you all you need to know for your first dive experience. This is the best place in the world to begin your scuba diving adventure!
Come join us for a fun and relaxing morning of adventure filled with the aloha spirit, including a light breakfast, deli-style lunch, underwater sights and whale delights (season permitting, some restrictions may apply. Void where prohibited, not valid in Texas, Rhode Island and Colorado. Still with us? Just checking).
Please contact us for more information, or to make reservations!


text: A murder mystery crosses the time-space continuum from the Chosun Dynasty to modern-day Seoul. Crown Prince Yi Gak (JYJ's Yoo Chun) and his three men from the Chosun Dynasty are transported 300 years into the future to 21st-century Seoul after the mysterious death of his wife, the Crown Princess. They literally fall into the rooftop home of Bak Ha (Han Ji Min), who reluctantly takes charge of the group of misfits. When Gak meets Ha's stepsister, Hong Se Na (Jung Yoo Mi), he is stunned to find that Se Na bears a striking resemblance to his dead wife and is determined to solve the mystery of her death. With his own resemblance to the CEO's grandson at the company where Se Na works, Gak assumes the identity of the young man, Tae Yong, to be close to her. Meanwhile, Tae Yong's cousin, Tae Mu (Lee Tae Sung), returns from New York to report that his cousin is missing but is shocked to learn of Tae Yong's return to the company. Will the Crown Prince be able to solve a 300-year-old mystery and return to his rightful time period? "Rooftop Prince" is a 2012 South Korean drama series directed by Shin Yoon Sub, who also directed "Sweetheart" (2008) and "My Lovely Fool" (2006).


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It's that time of year again! As you may remember from [COLOR=White]LAST YEAR, the annual Game Artisans Comicon Challenge attracts some of the finest 3D artists around – and many of the top entries typically use ZBrush!
We wanted to do something a little bit different this time around. There have been a number of entries already making an appearance on ZBC, so we thought it would be nice to provide one handy place for them all to come together. To that end, this thread has been created!
If you are a ZBC member who is participating in the challenge, please do the following:
- Create a thread with your entry. Be sure to include all those WIP images and some information about how ZBrush was used to bring your creation to the screen!
- Post your beauty shot in this thread and include a link back to your own.
The idea is to create a great gallery in this thread while also providing a way that people can go to see more about your work.
And if you're not a ZBC member yet… what are you waiting for?
Good luck to all the entrants! We hope to see a good number of you in the winners list!


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Cal Maritime provides a robust technology infrastructure to support desktop and mobile computing. Below is a complete list of supported applications in use at Cal Maritime. If there is a product that you'd like to purchase, please contact IT, who can assist with the evaluation, purchase, implementation, and maintenance of software applications.
Instructional and research software available to faculty is also listed in the Academic Technology section of our website.


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Like many people this weekend, I spent a good deal of time utilizing the new dungeon finder tool. I did groups with all my characters from Beru to Tsuname. Some I did as complete PuGs, and some Brade joined me as a tank and we just had to PuG DPS. Overall, my groups have been fairly solid, with just a few hiccups, and I've only had to place 3 people on ignore. But I have noticed one thing: more often than not, the groups never say a single thing to each other.
I really do like the dungeon finder tool, and it is quite clearly very popular. But I wonder if it has taken some of the socialization out of what is supposed to be a social game. It is a little bit disconcerting to enter into a group and never even get so much as a "hello" or "good evening" before you get down to business. I understand that people aren't necessarily there to shoot the breeze, but would a little bit of social courtesy be such a bad thing?
Let me give some examples from my experiences over the weekend:
Example 1 – Communication is Key
I entered a forge of souls group late one evening on my shaman as a healer. The tank was a DK, and was actually from my server, although I didn't know him. He didn't have splendid life, but sat somewhere around 30k hp, and so I figured "why not, let's give it a go". Because, well, it would have been really shitty to dump the guy without giving him a try. At least that's my story and I'm sticking to it!
We get started with the group and the first large pull is a complete disaster, with just about everyone in the party, including myself tanking something. This is hugely frustrating, but I figured that I'd give the guy the benefit of the doubt, and see what happened on the next pull. It was the same disaster as the first one. At this point the hunter in the group starts complaining loudly. The tank apologizes and explains he's struggling and has never done the zone before.
Being fairly experienced, I figured out why he was struggling almost immediately. And I also know that it wasn't entirely his fault. The DPS were all playing "pick the target", and were all attacking something different, rather than assist the poor tank, who was trying. Of course, this meant that the tank was chasing himself in circles trying to pick everything up. So, instead of complaining or giving up, I was (wait for it)…constructive!
I made the suggestion that perhaps it would be smoother if we marked targets and provided a kill order, and then asked the tank if he'd like me to mark targets. He responded in the affirmative, I marked each pull, and we finished the instance without incident. As it turns out, the tank wasn't bad, per se…the DPS were just inconsiderate. Once we got everyone on the same target, it fixed all of the problems with the group. And all it took was for me to pinpoint the obvious problem and make a constructive suggestion…and for the group to be receptive to it.
It was this bit of communication that made the group a success.
Example 2 – Don't Piss Off the Healer
The new dungeon tool has added another layer of anonymity to grouping with people who you may never see again. This in turn means that you are likely to encounter a whole new level of douchebaggery at some point in your adventures.
Brade and I queued for the daily random dungeon, he on his warrior (I think) and me on my druid. We were assigned to Gun'drak. Which isn't a terrible instance and can be cleared quite quickly. I can't recall everyone that was in our group, save a ret paladin. I don't recall which boss it was that Brade pulled…but he pulled from range, as is his habit on that boss, and before the boss even got to him, the ret paladin unleashed and pulled threat, finding himself dead in short order.
I battle rezed him and politely commented that it would be best for him to let the mob actually, you know, get to the tank before attacking. He snapped back that "this tank is a noob and everyone knows you charge this mob", or some such thing. Ok, Mr. paladin, clearly not everyone charges the mob…and seeing that the warrior was standing back and pulling, perhaps that should have clued you in! Of course, the paladin kept ranting on and on about how bad the tank was…
Ok asshole. 1) The tank is my man, you better step back, only I am allowed to tell him that he sucks. And while I do not expect you to KNOW that, you can clearly see that we are in the same guild, so insulting him is probably not going to make me happy. 2) And when I defended Brade, he started insulting me. Yes, Mr. Paladin, you have clearly forgotten CARDINAL RULE NUMBER ONE: DO NOT PISS OFF THE HEALER. After I added the prick to my ignore list, I spent the rest of the instance NOT healing him. I spent more time and effort remember not to cast wild growth, for fear he would inadvertently get my heals than I did having to heal the rest of the zone.
A little common courtesy will go a long ways!
Example 3 – Not Saying Anything At All
I think this is probably even worse the prick paladin above…in a way. I don't mean to say that I'd like to deal with assholes all of the time. But at least then I know that there are PEOPLE behind the computer, and not just robots doing a job. I, personally, love the social aspect of the game, and meeting new people. So I *always* give at least a "hello" as I join the party.
I had wanted to do the first of the new instances with my mage, because I hadn't done them with her yet, and so I asked Brade if he'd bring one of his tanks with me so it would be easier for me to get a group. He chose to bring his warrior, who is sitting somewhere around 32k HP. Not super beefy, but also not difficult to heal, either.
The dungeon finder pairs us up with a group that includes a paladin healer. We all get zoned in, and before we know it the paladin has left the party. I can only guess that she took one look at Brade life and bailed. But she never said anything, didn't give it a pull to see how it would go. Just bailed. Had she said something, Brade would have told her that if he was too hard to heal, he'd get on a beefier tank for the run. But no, she never communicated anything before leaving. *sigh*
We queue up for another healer, and a priest is assigned to the group. The priest himself isn't geared to the teeth, with a mana pool at about 18k. So we get started, the first pull being fine, but after the pull Brade wanted to add in his cleave glyph that he likes to use for instances. It only takes about 5 seconds to reglyph. However, the huntard in the group decides that he's not patient enough to wait, and pulls…with Brade still standing in the entrance sorting his glyphs.
Of course, the pull is an absolute disaster. But, we survive. The healer, however, didn't feel like dealing with it and, again, without communicating anything just drops the group. I politely ask the hunter to let the tank pull, to insure that the tank is ready. "lol, don't tell me how to play noob, ever heard of misdirect". I sat there scratching my head wondering how in the hell this huntard misdirected to a tank that was not only out of range, but out of line of sight as well. Clearly, he must have mad skills. However, if he had just ASKED if Brade was ready, we might have kept going without incident.
At this point, I have added two more people to my ignore list, and I look at Brade and say "let's reform". So, we drop the group and head back to Dalaran to requeue. At this point, I'm frustrated and was like "I'll just get on Earenn, so we can get the group done". He tells me to be patient, since the whole point was getting a group for my mage, and that if we queue up again, and can't seem to get a healer to stick, he'd grab someone with a bit more life. So, back into the queue we go.
This time we are paired up with a DK, resto druid and something else. We all said our hellos, and the group started without incident. (Honestly, I think people who play resto druids are just good natured folk). About halfway through the zone, which is going very smoothly, Brade asks how hard he is to heal. The druid responded, "surprisingly easy". The DK at this point chirped up too, and said that he was skeptical at the start of the zone, but it was going quite smoothly, much to his surprise also. The group went so well, we were asked if we intended to keep going!
A few things happened here, a few folks learned that you don't need 40k HP to run the new instances…and that sometimes, skill and competence really is greater than gear. And it shows that the group that communicates with each other stand a greater chance of success.
As for the first paladin that left…yea, gear snob. There is a lot to be said about knowing the instance and how to actually play your class, and those things cannot be learned through the mere obtaining of shiny epic loots.
So, what do I think? I think that a little bit the dungeon finder does discourage people to communicate with each other. They aren't required to speak up to get into the group, and the groups will be put together without having to say much of anything. If they are in a poor group, they is little motivation to talk through the problems, because it is faster and easier to just bail on the group and be assigned to a group that may be better. I think that part of the dungeon finder is rubbish.
I have yet to bail on a group just because we've had a few wipes. I have yet to bail on a group because I zone in and see a tank with 24k HP. These are heroic dungeons. This is how people are supposed to gear up! I understand that. If I see something that could be fixed to make my job as a healer easier, I happily offer polite comments to see if the group is receptive to them. But too many people, I feel, make snap decisions and have no interest in talking through things. While this may be the only thing that I dislike about the group finder, it's a pretty big thing!
How about you? Do you find that groups are less communicative now than they were before? Do you find that people are more likely to bail than work through a rough spot?


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The following is a guest blog post by Mike Semel, President of Semel Consulting. As a Healthcare Scene community, our hearts go out to all the victims of this tragedy.
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said the influx of patients to the hospitals created problems due to confidentiality regulations, which he worked to have waived for victims' families.
"The CEO of the hospital came to me and said they had an issue related to the families who came to the emergency room. Because of HIPAA regulations, they could not give them any information," Dyer said. "So I reached out to the White House to see if we could get the HIPAA regulations waived. The White House went through the appropriate channels to waive those so the hospital could communicate with the families who were there." Source: WBTV.com
I applaud the Orlando Regional Medical Center for its efforts to help the shooting victims. As the region's trauma center, I think it could have done a lot better by not letting HIPAA get in the way of communicating with the patients' families and friends.
In the wake of the horrific nightclub shooting, the hospital made things worse for the victim's families and friends. And it wasn't necessary, because built into HIPAA is a hospital's ability to share information without calling the President of the United States. There are other exemptions for communicating with law enforcement.
The Orlando hospital made this situation worse for the families when its Mass Casualty Incident (MCI) plan should have anticipated the situation. A trauma center should have been better prepared than to ask the mayor for help.
As usual, HIPAA got the blame for someone's lack of understanding about HIPAA. Based on my experience, many executives think they are too busy, or think themselves too important, to learn about HIPAA's fundamental civil rights for patients. Civil Rights? HIPAA is enforced by the US Department of Health & Human Services' Office for Civil Rights.
HIPAA compliance and data security are both executive level responsibilities, although many executives think it is something that should get tasked out to a subordinate. Having to call the White House because the hospital didn't understand that HIPAA already gave it the right to talk to the families is shameful. It added unnecessary delays and more stress to the distraught families.
Doctors are often just as guilty as hospital executives of not taking HIPAA training and then giving HIPAA a bad rap. (I can imagine the medical practice managers and compliance officers silently nodding their heads.)
"HIPAA interferes with patient care" is something I hear often from doctors. When I ask how, I am told by the doctors that they can't communicate with specialists, call for a consult, or talk to their patients' families. These are ALL WRONG.
I ask those doctors two questions that are usually met with a silent stare:
- When was the last time you received HIPAA training?
- If you did get trained, did it take more than 5 minutes or was it just to get the requirement out of the way?
HIPAA allows doctors to share patient information with other doctors, hospitals, pharmacies, and Business Associates as long as it is for a patient's Treatment, Payment, and for healthcare Operations (TPO.) This is communicated to patients through a Notice of Privacy Practices.
HIPAA allows doctors to use their judgment to determine what to say to friends and families of patients who are incapacitated or incompetent. The Orlando hospital could have communicated with family members and friends.
From Frequently Asked Questions at the HHS website:
Does the HIPAA Privacy Rule permit a hospital to inform callers or visitors of a patient's location and general condition in the emergency room, even if the patient's information would not normally be included in the main hospital directory of admitted patients?
Answer: Yes.
If a patient's family member, friend, or other person involved in the patient's care or payment for care calls a health care provider to ask about the patient's condition, does HIPAA require the health care provider to obtain proof of who the person is before speaking with them?
Answer: No. If the caller states that he or she is a family member or friend of the patient, or is involved in the patient's care or payment for care, then HIPAA doesn't require proof of identity in this case. However, a health care provider may establish his or her own rules for verifying who is on the phone. In addition, when someone other than a friend or family member is involved, the health care provider must be reasonably sure that the patient asked the person to be involved in his or her care or payment for care.
Can the fact that a patient has been "treated and released," or that a patient has died, be released as part of the facility directory?
Answer: Yes.
Does the HIPAA Privacy Rule permit a doctor to discuss a patient's health status, treatment, or payment arrangements with the patient's family and friends?
Answer: Yes. The HIPAA Privacy Rule at 45 CFR 164.510(b) specifically permits covered entities to share information that is directly relevant to the involvement of a spouse, family members, friends, or other persons identified by a patient, in the patient's care or payment for health care. If the patient is present, or is otherwise available prior to the disclosure, and has the capacity to make health care decisions, the covered entity may discuss this information with the family and these other persons if the patient agrees or, when given the opportunity, does not object. The covered entity may also share relevant information with the family and these other persons if it can reasonably infer, based on professional judgment, that the patient does not object. Under these circumstances, for example:
- A doctor may give information about a patient's mobility limitations to a friend driving the patient home from the hospital.
- A hospital may discuss a patient's payment options with her adult daughter.
- A doctor may instruct a patient's roommate about proper medicine dosage when she comes to pick up her friend from the hospital.
- A physician may discuss a patient's treatment with the patient in the presence of a friend when the patient brings the friend to a medical appointment and asks if the friend can come into the treatment room.
Even when the patient is not present or it is impracticable because of emergency circumstances or the patient's incapacity for the covered entity to ask the patient about discussing her care or payment with a family member or other person, a covered entity may share this information with the person when, in exercising professional judgment, it determines that doing so would be in the best interest of the patient. See 45 CFR 164.510(b).
Thus, for example:
- A surgeon may, if consistent with such professional judgment, inform a patient's spouse, who accompanied her husband to the emergency room, that the patient has suffered a heart attack and provide periodic updates on the patient's progress and prognosis.
- A doctor may, if consistent with such professional judgment, discuss an incapacitated patient's condition with a family member over the phone.
- In addition, the Privacy Rule expressly permits a covered entity to use professional judgment and experience with common practice to make reasonable inferences about the patient's best interests in allowing another person to act on behalf of the patient to pick up a filled prescription, medical supplies, X-rays, or other similar forms of protected health information. For example, when a person comes to a pharmacy requesting to pick up a prescription on behalf of an individual he identifies by name, a pharmacist, based on professional judgment and experience with common practice, may allow the person to do so.
Other examples of hospital executives' lack of HIPAA knowledge include:
- Shasta Regional Medical Center, where the CEO and Chief Medical Officer took a patient's chart to the local newspaper and shared details of her treatment without her permission.
- NY Presbyterian Hospital, which allowed the film crew from ABC's 'NY Med' TV show to film dying and incapacitated patients.
To healthcare executives and doctors, many of your imagined challenges caused by HIPAA can be eliminated by learning more about the rules. You need to be prepared for the 3 a.m. phone call. And you don't have to call the White House for help.
About Mike Semel
Mike Semel, President of Semel Consulting, is a certified HIPAA expert with over 12 years' HIPAA experience and 30 years in IT. He has been the CIO for a hospital and a K-12 school district; owned and managed IT companies; ran operations at an online backup provider; and is a recognized HIPAA expert and speaker. He can be reached at email@example.com or 888-997-3635 x 101.


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Even though many people walked out during the SXSW keynote today, delivered by Evan Williams, there was a very interesting announcement made. The new platform will allow publishers to integrate Twitter deeper into their site and recreate the "open, engaging interactions" their readers expect from using Twitter "without sending them to the Twitter website itself."
Using the new platform, users can identify and follow Twitter users on third-party sites without ever leaving that site. Some of the ones that will soon use this new service include Yahoo, Bing and Digg. This lets publishers make sure their audience is aware of their Twitter feed. The user can also elect to follow a site's feed without ever leaving the actual site. This lets you get more followers, and allows Twitter to bring more users to their site, as well. According to Ev, Twitter is launching the service because it wants to make it easier on everyone to use Twitter. Given their growth has recently slowed, it makes sense to try to bring the service to the attention of more users.
What are your thoughts? Do you believe this new platform is a big step in the right direction for Twitter?
- BrightTALK is hosting a next-generation data center summit.
- It's time for work. Leave your ego at the door. Kthxbai!
- Why is the boot device unavailable after replacing the motherboard?!
- What free Mac Apps are essential to have?
- I have an ulcer, and its name is Dell.
- How do you make the social media scene secure in a business environment?
- How do you create private folders within Microsoft Office?
- Motally is great to use for gaming analytics.
- What laptop – and operating system – is the right one for an IT Pro?
- Are you a fan of Adobe Photoshop Elements?
- Have you had trouble with websites not loading since upgrading to Windows 7?
- How can a blind soldier read and see through his tongue?!
- Go ahead – put a Recycle Bin on the Windows 7 taskbar.
- Could Back to the Future movies destroy dreams?
- The Project for Excellence in Journalism reports that the majority of people won't pay to read news online. Duh!
- How can you save money if there's so little left over out of each paycheck?
- Why should you install Microsoft Security Essentials?
- Can our economic woes be tamed with high inflation? You decide.
Don't forget to stop by the software center to see what's new today!


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How to install Eclipse?
I want to install the latest version of Eclipse but the Ubuntu Software Centre contains an older version.
Is there a PPA or some other way to install latest Eclipse? Please describe the steps for full installation.
If you've downloaded Eclipse from their official website, follow these steps for the installation.
That's it.
The preferred method:
In Ubuntu software center select Eclipse
Alternative options:
The next most preferred method
When it becomes available, if you already installed via software center-
The least preferred method
I tested the portable 3.7.1 and 3.7.2 tarballs and they work just fine on 12.04 LTS.
An added disadvantage to portable installs is that you have to update your launcher if you move the folder or launch it directly.
How to install Eclipse 4.2 on Ubuntu 12.04
Since the Eclipse packages in the Ubuntu repositories are out of date, if we want to install latest releases, we are going to have to do it manually. You can just download the tar.gz file from eclipse.org.
I recommend you to download directly from the eclipse website. the installation process very easy, just extract the files tar.gz, to remove it is also quite easy, simply by deleting the eclipse folder :D
From your desktop, Click on the Ubuntu Software Center
Once it opens do a search for Eclipse
When the search is done, you will see Eclipse listed. all you have to do is click on install, sit back and relax until the installation is done.
If you still have any questions, do not hesitate to ask.
This is the instructions copied from http://www.inforbiro.com/blog-eng/ubuntu-12-04-eclipse-installation/
How to install Eclipse IDE platform on Ubuntu 12.04 LTS Precise Pangolin
1) Open a terminal and enter the command
2) After Eclipse is installed you can install development plugins based on your needs, e.g.:
will install Java Development Tools (JDT) package for Eclipse
will install C/C++ development tools packages for Eclipse
Always download the packaged eclipse from their website. Its best for you to place the
So if you end up upgrading in the future, all your shortcuts and links wont die.
This is the preferred setup for eclipse. IMO
I created this little script to install on a bunch of Cinnamon machines. You might have to change specific stuff for your needs but you can use this as a template for your own.
You can now run Kepler by typing
Feel free to comment changes you'd recommend.
If you are asking about the eclipse classic the latest version from the eclipse project is 3.7.2: and you you can download the tar ball from the website for your OS here:
The latest version in the Ubuntu Software Center is Eclipse 3.7.1; either download it from there or use the terminal with this command line:
" sudo apt-get install eclipse && sudo apt-get update "
As far as a PPA? There appears to be no current or maintained PPA for eclipse classic. The PPA page at LaunchPad still exists but there has not been any activity for what appears to be two years now. You can check out the PPA page here:
The best way to install eclipse classic and the latest version 3.7.2 is from the Eclipse Classic project download page for your OS version. Warning: Eclipse 3.7.2 is built and developed for Ubuntu 10.04 LTS according to the Eclipse Project "Read Me" html documentation. There have been known "will not start issues" with later Ubuntu versions due to the compatibility of Java Runtime Enviroments; it works with JRE6 rather than JRE7. Good Luck :)
As with any other Eclipse version, you don't have to get it from the repositories. Just download the appropriate archive from eclipse.org, extract and run Eclipse.
Eclipse in the repositories is often outdated. It is usually updated every ubuntu release.
Change directory to the folder where your browser downloaded the Eclipse package to. Then unpack Eclipse into the
Make a
Next create an executable for Eclipe at
Finally, allow the script to be executed:
HINT: If you are a gtk user and experience problems with the mouse buttons you should try add an export:
to the starter file.
You can now execute that file to start up Eclipse.
If you have already installed eclipse from the software center, there is an easier way.
Note: much of this process is just tweaked from the top answer to be easier.


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'Pillowcase Bandit' snagged by police at airport
The so-called "Pillowcase Bandit" was nabbed by police at the Albuquerque International Sunport recently.
In the video released by Albuquerque police, officers are seen approaching and arresting Tommy Coogler after he got off the plane.
Authorities said the suspect was part of the notorious gang, the Pillowcase Bandits, who were responsible for a number of home burglaries between 2010 and 2011.
Coogler was out on bond, awaiting sentencing, when police learned he was still committing crimes and then he took off for California.
"We learned he was coming back to Albuquerque, and with the cooperation of the Albuquerque Aviation police, we were able to take him into custody as he got off the airplane," Sgt. J.J. Griego said.
Albuquerque police said Coogler worked for ADT Security, while he was in California. Albuquerque police will contact authorities there to find out whether he's suspected in any more cases.


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Insurance Commissioner — State of California
Access additional information about this contest in the tabs in this section. For most screenreaders, you can hit Return or Enter to enter a tab and read the content within.
About this office
Insurance overseer: Manages the state Department of Insurance. Enforces laws that insurance companies must follow.
For this office, only the two candidates who get the most votes in the primary election advance to the general election. The two candidates may be from the same political party.
News and links
California's Insurance Commissioner Race: The Most Important Election You've Never Heard About — November 2, 2018 Reason
In one California race, it's Democrat vs. ex-Republican — October 13, 2018 San Francisco Chronicle
Q&A with Steve Poizner, candidate for state insurance commissioner — September 19, 2018 San Diego Union-Tribune
Q&A with state Sen. Ricardo Lara, candidate for state insurance commissioner — September 19, 2018 San Diego Union-Tribune
— September 28, 2018 Cal Channel and the League of Women Voters of California
You can vote for 1 of these 2 candidates.
Ricardo Lara
California Senator
Top 3 Priorities
- CONSUMER PROTECTIONS: Authored SB 824, a bill that...
- ENVIRONMENT: Authored SB 30, the nation's first law...
- HEALTHCARE: Authored SB 562, the landmark single-payer,...
Steve Poizner
No Party Preference
Top 3 Priorities
Steve Poizner's priorities are not yet available.
Encourage this candidate to share their information on Voter's Edge.


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Charlie Sheen is coming to the rescue of the production crew of Two and Half Men.
The show's star has offered to pay the workers for the two weeks lost while he's been in a rehab program, reports New York.
According to the arrangement first reported by TMZ, Sheen, 45, will pony up a third of the crew's pay if Warner Bros. and CBS pick up the other two thirds.
U.S. & World
News from around the country and around the globe
Warner Bros. has so far not confirmed the report.
Sheen, one of TV's highest paid and most volitale actors, has been in rehab in a non-disclosed location since January 28 after experiencing severe abdominal pain at a party he hosted at his Beverly Hills home.
Selected Reading: New York, TMZ, Hollywood Reporter


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thank you
We had these small berry like flowers in our wedding, nearly 4 years ago. Can't remember what they're called but I love seeing them in the house.
Also, I wanted to express how grateful Jeremiah & I are for your heart felt comments and prayers of Israel. I feel like I have the BEST readers, how can I ever possibly thank you for all of your support? If I could email you all flowers, I would.
I just wanted you all to know that while we experienced some really raw emotions last week after hearing the opinions of doctors, we also feel very grateful. Israel is such a smart, fun loving boy who's blessed our lives in innumerable ways. As heart breaking as motherhood can be at times, children are such a gift and we can't imagine what we ever did before him.
As I feel it appropriate I will update you about Israel. I've found that continuing to blog and maintain my normal routines is actually a big help and not a burden, so it is my goal to not be sporadic but consistent as I can be.
Your encouragement has meant the world.
Other Stories
11 comments:
Tried to catch you this morning but missed ya...I did try and let Tru play w Israel a bit-but neither wanted anything to do w one another ha. I have a DIY I want to do w you sometime soon! Love you all!ReplyDelete
love the berries, so sweet, love you heaps!ReplyDelete
dear jen, you are such a sweet person! the flowers are adorable, just like your thank you note! we will be here with our hearts open to hear from you! :) hugs, twiggsReplyDelete
Lovely flowers, and I am happy that you feel better. Motherhood sometimes is hard, but like you said children are a beatiful gift, the best : ) . So keep doing what you love. Have a nice day.ReplyDelete
i looked the berries up for you: hypericum berries (st. john's wort)ReplyDelete
caring for a little one takes a parent through the whole range of emotions. how do we survive? by sharing the experiences with others. hang in there and keep doing what you do :)
it's YOUR blog and you should share as much or as little as you want regarding sweet israel. either way, i hope all is well. hang in there.ReplyDelete
It's a blessing to be a part of your world!ReplyDelete
Gorgeous little buds
i am so glad that you will continue to share and allow us to be a part of your life. it is a gift to us too. you inspire me. i really mean that. :)ReplyDelete
Dear Jennifer, I should go to bed now but I want to leave you a quick note, sorry I missed your earlier post about little Israel, it has been so hectic lately, being a mum myself, I can so understand you and feel your pain and joy, wish the best for you all and much love to little Israel.ReplyDelete
:) I hope it all works out! I'm happy that you're going to continue blogging.ReplyDelete
Those flowers ARE gorgeous!
Hope all is well! Thanks for letting us be a part of your journey.ReplyDelete
Thank you for your comments, I love hearing from you!
Questions, comments or sponsorship inquires, please contact me via the 'contact' link.


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pacman000 wrote:Personally, I'd rather buy one of the licensed Sega Genesis clones w/built in games. They have a cartridge slot; Nintendon't.
Those things aren't worth it, trust me. They may be much easier to find than the NES Classic was and most likely this one as well, but it's obvious that they're very cheaply manufactured and the sound quality is terrible. You're better off getting an original Genesis and a flash cart.


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Instruments of Change® in Birmingham and Tuscaloosa, Alabama
A message from Mike Steinel:
Monday, May 23 I traveled to Birmingham and Tuscaloosa, Alabama, visited some hard-hit areas, met with music educators and began the IOC Individual Assistance Program. This program will work to replace instruments lost to individuals in recent storms. These pictures don't begin to capture the magnitude of loss.
Even though much progress has been made in the clean-up much devastation is still in evidence. In many areas the destruction stretches from one horizon to the next.
This mile-wide storm was on the ground for 100 miles. The loss of life, homes and possessions was staggering. Recovery will be long in coming.
Working with music educators and school officials IOC hopes to bring music back into the lives of families affected by the storms.
Scholarship Fund for Boy in Samburu, Kenya
Covenant Children, Inc. has created a scholarship fund so that Daniel (last name withheld for his privacy) will be able to complete a four year degree program at African Nazarene University in Rongai, Kenya. We are honored to support this young man's vision and we're confident his success will be multiplied and reflected many times throughout the region. Read more in the blog »
Baby Adriano Featured on Fox Philly Local News
Baby Adriano and his sponsor family were recently featured in a spot on Fox Philly news. Watch the video »


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I'll be better next week
I mean that in more ways than one, next week has a lot to live up to. I forgot to put together my favorites list and have only posted very sparsely. I apologize. I also promise not to feature so much food! What is that about?
Yesterday Jeremiah & I took a road trip to IKEA, something we do once a year. We try to stock up if we can, knowing we probably won't be taking the 11 hr round trip again for a while. I can't believe how much work it is to leave for just a day. My mom watched Israel because what 16 month old wants to drive 5 1/2 hrs just to shop for 3 and get back on the road to head home? I know none.
He had a great day with his "Abui", short for abuelita, and we came home exhausted. I'll show you what we got next week. I can tell you this, I'm the one who assembles all furniture in our house. Jeremiah is a guy's guy, don't misunderstand me, he has the capabilities, he just lets me do it because I get so excited about it. I really do, I've assembled every piece of furniture in the house, with only a few exceptions. I'm tired though and really want to get all of the cardboard out of my living room.
Here's my lunch during the trip. I have to say I love their food, maybe just because I work up a hunger but it is always so good. Princess cake, my new favorite dessert!
Other Stories
11 comments:
For Ikea is worth it, I love Ikea and we miss it because we don't have one here in Puerto Rico,so I always find things on ebay, but when we lived in California that was awesome, we love it. Have a great weekend.ReplyDelete
Oh...I so love IKEA. Our closest is 6 hours away. But it's worth the road trip every now and again. And yes, their food is delish!ReplyDelete
I love the vegetable medallions from Ikea!ReplyDelete
Sorry that it's such a long drive.
Ours is only a half hour but we keep our visits sparse because I tend to get got up in the "ikealand" feeling and want to buy a bunch of stuff.
Yum, looks so good! All the food is probably about (if it's snowy and cold where you live) the weather. I feel like all I've been doing is eating! Have a relaxing weekend!ReplyDelete
hello there!!! oh i was recognizing this food!!! never tried the dessert though, not the fish, but i always enjoy eating on ikea too!!! there is something about those meatballs :):) have a great weekend!!! hugs, twiggsReplyDelete
#1 I LOVE LOVE LOVE Ikea!ReplyDelete
#2 I would definitely do a 11 hr roundtrip just to peruse Ikea
#3 I love the name Israel calls his grandma "abuelita"
#4 I love all the food you post. It makes me want to try out some new recipes!
can't wait to see what you got!
I can't believe you made that trek for Ikea! We went the other day (we have one five miles from our house) and I had your exact meal. Looking forward to seeing what you got.ReplyDelete
I'm the exact same way. I absolutely love putting together Ikea furniture! Sometimes the pieces come out a little wonky, but I blame that on the manufacturers ;)ReplyDelete
My name is Ish-you'd do it too if you saw what we have to work w here in ID ;) Don't take it for granted ha.ReplyDelete
Jen those little savory tarts are to die for!
looks soooo good :-) happy weekend!ReplyDelete
Thank you for your comments, I love hearing from you!
Questions, comments or sponsorship inquires, please contact me via the 'contact' link.


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Download link (right click and 'save-as') for playing in VLC or other compatible player.
One of the quintessential features of quantum information is its exclusivity, the inability of strong quantum correlations to be shared by many physical systems. Likewise, complementarity has a similar status in quantum mechanics as the sine qua non of quantum phenomena. We show that this is no coincidence, and that the central role of exclusivity in quantum information theory stems from the phenomenon of complementarity. We adopt an information-theoretic approach to complementarity, which leads to a new and simple definition of private states and new proofs of the achievable asymptotic rates of both secret key and entanglement distillation. From the latter follows a new proof of the direct part of the quantum noisy channel coding theorem.


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WORCESTER — Devon Kurtz sounded more like a maitre d' than an education director as he managed the long line at the Higgins Armory Museum this afternoon. The museum closes its doors to the public today. "Party of six?" Mr. Kurtz said. "Go right in."
WORCESTER — Devon Kurtz sounded more like a maitre d' than an education director as he managed the long line at the Higgins Armory Museum early this afternoon. The museum closes its doors to the public today.
"Party of six?" Mr. Kurtz said. "Go right in."
At the entrance, Bill MacMullan, another museum worker, kept count as people exited, letting Mr. Kurtz know when he could allow more people inside. More than 1,000 people visited Higgins museum by early afternoon, according to a museum spokesman.
The Harringtons of Wellesley were among those wanting to get a final look at the exhibits.
"You'd better hurry up," Nicola Harrington said her friends told her.
Izzy, 6, and her brothers, Josh, 9, and Sam, 11, all loved designing and making their own shields. The children were impressed with the museum's coats of armor and sword exhibits.
Marc Bowden of Worcester stopped by with his family.
"Checking out all the old medieval stuff," Mr. Bowden said. "It's just fantastic."
Mr. Bowden wanted to take his children — daughters Kristen, 10, and Emily, 8 — for their first visit before the museum closed.
"They haven't been before, and I wanted them to see it," Mr. Bowden said.
Carol and Herb Bistrong drove to Worcester from Gloucester for the occasion. Mrs. Bistrong said she had a distant relative who was a Higgins, and she always wondered if there was a connection. The couple also wanted to see the historic building.
The 83-year-old historic art deco museum with high ceilings and Gothic arches is reminiscent of a medieval castle.
"I told that chap up front I hope they don't tear it down," Mr. Bistrong said. "It's really a one-of-a-kind masterpiece."
Shortly after the Higgins Armory Museum — famous for its collection of armor and arms from ancient Greece to the Renaissance — closes its doors to the public, the building and property at 100 Barber Ave. will go on the market.
"I'm so sorry this is closing," Ms. Bistrong said. "You could probably go to Europe and see something like this."
Oliver Gros of Westboro, another visitor today, grew up in Germany and said he did see castles similar to the Higgins.
"As a kid, I went to castles, and I went to great halls like this," Mr. Gros said.
Mr. Gros and his wife, Mary Gros, and their three children — Marie Claire, 3; Franz Joseph, 6; and Elizabeth, 8 — said they enjoyed their visit tremendously.
On the way out, the family was able to snag a few souvenirs.
"It was slim pickings," Mrs. Gros said. "But we got a couple of stuffed dragons and some stickers for the car to show our support."
Contact Linda Bock via email at firstname.lastname@example.com. Follow her on Twitter @LindaBockTG


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I need to bound the expectation of a nonnegative random variable that satisfies a Poisson-type tail bound:
$\mathbb{P}( X \geq t ) \leq \min( d \cdot (\frac{a}{t} )^{t}, \ 1)$ for $t > 0$
where $a > 0$ and $d \geq 3$. My guess for the mean:
$\mathbb{E} X \leq {\rm const} \cdot \max( a,\ \frac{\log d}{\log \log d} )$
The reference I checked (Ledoux & Talagrand, 1991) helpfully told me that this calculation is "standard". The argument apparently depends on integration by parts, but I can't figure out the trick.


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Thank you for your prayers dear friends.Coping with rapidly declining Aunt Sybil has been hard but because of your prayers and encouragement I am developing load bearing strategies.I have to be patient with myself , first of all ,as I severely lack the qualities of Mother Teresa, Florence Nightingale and Elizabeth Fry.
Its been raining continually this week too.No sun at all. Brought the temperature down , but the dampness is not welcomed. And although the monsoon brings relief from the heat and drought it has its downside because we have to face problems regarding infrastructure, transport, water logging, monsoon diseases.Pretty good list eh? But Praise God we have been protected.
The rainy season brings a number of guests into our garden, like this little snail.And you know what he 's saying?
Well, that some snail talk.
Two days ago Mama spotted a peacock in the garden. By the time I could get my camera out it flew away into the trees and lost it.
I 've enjoyed reading and commenting on your blogs dear pals and also discovered new ones by westerners travelling in India.
Saturday, 21 June 2008
The Last (S) nail in the Door
Thank you for your prayers dear friends.Coping with rapidly declining Aunt Sybil has been hard but because of your prayers and encouragement I am developing load bearing strategies.I have to be patient with myself , first of all ,as I severely lack the qualities of Mother Teresa, Florence Nightingale and Elizabeth Fry.
Posted by Amrita at Saturday, June 21, 2008
11 Fertilize my soul:
- Donetta said...
Hi Lady, MILove and I are praying for you. She spoke of you yesterday concerned about you. It is a very hard thing that you are doing with A Syble. I hope you stay dry.
- 21 June 2008 at 20:39
- Dick said...
Ha Amrita, nice picture I've never seen snails like that over here.
- 21 June 2008 at 22:37
- Joyfulsister said...
Aloha Amrita, Thank for your visit. I will be praying for you my sister, it's not easy taking care of loved ones at times, I wish so much my mom could come live with me, but I was told she needs to have alot of care because of several chronic conditions that she has. And being that I too suffer from a Chronic illness makes it harder. I will pray that the Lord will give you more strength, patience, and that he will touch your body and continue to bless you as he already does.
- 22 June 2008 at 03:32
- monsoon dreams said...
peacock in the garden?wow!
God comforts us thru friends.and i am sure u have a lot of them,including me:-)
- 22 June 2008 at 07:54
- Felisol said...
Dear Amrita,
I think you are a rare woman who, despite chronic pains, manages to run a complicated household, taking care of both your Mom and your aunt. All your daily strive and illness and shortage of many basic supplies, such as water and electricity, It's amazing how you are struggling day by day, step by step, with your intelligence, creativity,humor and stubbornness and the help of the Lord pulling you through. You are no A4 woman.
You are faithful and hard working, and very tired.
That's why I have been praying a long why for some help and a vacation for you.
The Lord sure sees your needs and I am now eagerly waiting for him to cone with an answer.
"He shall not be slow to hear, and his arm is not too short to help.
The snail, yiiik. I'm waging a constant war against them. We've got some monsters called Iberia snails. They have no natural enemies in the Norwegian nature, some call them murder snails. They're eating whatever comes in their way, flowers mostly.
One evening I can be picking more than a hundred and put them in a box with salt to die.
I'm sure God did not mean for them to come here, they say the bastards are imported with foreign vegetables and even imported garden soil.
God bless your Sunday, Amrita dear, and make some small wonders in your life.
From Felisol
- 22 June 2008 at 11:29
- Simply Shelley said...
Hello dear Amrita, may God bless you on this Lord's day. I am praying for you to be strengthen through God's sure mercies. I have left a prayer request on my blog for a need for my DD. If you come by my blog you can look to the right,under my blog roll and you will see "Strength for my journey". That is my journal ! If you click on it , it should take you right to it.
Blessings, Shelley
- 22 June 2008 at 17:13
- Sita said...
I agree with Felisol. I believe that God only gives His most 'able' servants a cup that is hard for most of us to bear. You are one of those. Yet for you to persevere, you will need the support of the Body and oasis moments. I will pray along with Felisol for a 'vacation' for you that includes someone being able to care for your Mom and Sybil.
Your stubborn faith, resilience, sense of humour, depth of compassion, and intelligence moves us all who visit here.
May God's favour fall on you.
Love, Sita
- 22 June 2008 at 19:09
- Creative-Type Dad said...
Peacock? I'm impressed! I get pigeons or ducks and they're not nice to look at.
- 22 June 2008 at 22:52
- Sheryl said...
Wow, I've just spent some time reading through your blog. Your heart is beautiful. Through your circumstances you still give praise to God!! I will be back to visit again soon.
- 23 June 2008 at 00:40
- Anonymous said...
I can understand your feelings at this moment....many of us get depressed in the rainy season, but it also has its own ecstasies...just be patient & you will be stronger than ever....as for the shot, simply beautifully captured....lovely!
- 23 June 2008 at 07:04
- Anonymous said...
we had a strong typhoon yesterday. quite a number died. =(
- 23 June 2008 at 09:08


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"I'm leavin', on a jet plane,
Don't know when I'll be back again…"
So sang Peter, Paul and Mary and now sadly — but also, way excitedly — so do I. My family and I are moving to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, all 998 square miles of it (less than half the size of King County).
But I can't say goodbye without revisiting some of my favorite places, experiences and activities that I've shared with Seattle Times readers over the past dozen years. Here are 10 faves I've written about, listed in no particular order:
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Hiking The Enchantments
Admittedly, no matter how you slice it, this is a long, strenuous hike, but in for a penny, in for a pound, say I! And oh, what payoffs: jagged, sky-piercing peaks rising in all directions; a 7,000-foot rocky plateau dotted with jewel-like tarns and lakes (this is the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, after all), and of course the renowned alpine larch trees, which each autumn change color and bathe the landscape in a fiery gold.
Location: Just outside Leavenworth, about 2¼ hours east of Seattle.
How do I love cycling Chelan? Let me count the ways: I love that spring springs earlier over here in this Eastern Washington burg and that it rains not nearly as often, that vehicle traffic is sparser, the roads smooth and the shoulders wide. That some roads go up, up and up (e.g., McNeil Canyon Road) whilst others meander lazily, twisting this way and that way, through orchards and vineyards above beautiful Lake Chelan.
For a good introduction to Chelan area cycling, ride the Lake Chelan Cycle de Vine (cycledevine.com) or Chelan Century Challenge (centuryride.com), both on June 22.
Location: Chelan is about 3½ hours northeast of Seattle.
Here's my favorite all-season, off-the-beaten path, not-everybody-knows-about-it place. Located sorta near Hope, B.C., Manning boasts a small, family-friendly ski area, more than 100 miles of groomed cross-country and ungroomed backcountry ski trails, on-hill accommodations and a skating rink for winter fun. Pristine canoe-friendly lakes, several campgrounds and miles and miles of stunning hiking trails more than satisfy one's outdoor mojo the rest of the year. (To me, Manning Park feels like Moran State Park were it somehow transplanted to the North Cascades.)
Location: About four hours northeast of Seattle; 2½ hours east of Vancouver, B.C.
Favorite wildlife experiences/hot spots
I'm not a trained ornithologist. (Nor have I ever played one on TV.) But I do loooove owls. Whoooo doesn't? (See what I did there?) I love big birds in general — eagles and swans and raptors and woodpeckers and the like.
I'll give you two faves: Boundary Bay Regional Park, just over the border in British Columbia, where during the snowy owl irruption of 2011-'12 I spotted 30 of the wonderful white creatures — not to mention numerous short-eared owls and various hawks by the dozens. Another is the Skagit Valley — from about Fir Island, near Conway, north to Edison — where thousands of snow geese and hundreds of swans spend the winter months.
Location: Boundary Bay is about 2½ hours north of Seattle; the Skagit Flats start about an hour north of Seattle.
Kayaking Willapa Bay
Located at the far southwest corner of the state, this pristine wilderness of tideflats, marshes and ocean beaches — all fed by countless creeks, rivers and rivulets — is beloved by kayakers and birders alike. Time your kayak trip right as some folks and I did a few years ago, and you can paddle the rising tide inland up the Bone River and, when the tide reverses, kick back and enjoy a free downriver ride back down to the bay.
Along the way, the relative silence of kayak exploration enabled us to sneak up surprisingly close to eagles, great blue herons and even a herd of elk.
Location: About 3 hours southwest of Seattle.
Gravel Grinding
I love bikes and all things bike-related and so the growing trend of gravel grinding — riding a mix of gravel and paved roads (and sometimes trails) — has me all excited. It's not really new at all — I spent countless hours in my youth pedaling the rural dirt roads of central New Jersey on my Schwinn Varsity — it's just that now there's a name for it.
Many of Washington's public lands are crisscrossed by hundreds of gravel roads as are the hinterlands of Eastern Washington, making the state a mecca for gravel grinding. My fave: the 80-mile Winthrop-Conconully loop which cuts through Okanogan National Forest and reaches heights of almost 7,000 feet.
Check out rideviciouscycle.com, an Ephrata-based group offering gravel-grinder events this summer in Ephrata and Leavenworth, as well as the Winthrop-Conconully route.
Location: Anywhere there are gravel roads.
Snow adventure:
Camp Muir
Imagine being able to hike nearly two miles high, almost as high as the top of Glacier Peak, without having to schlep a bunch of mountaineering gear. That's the epic grind to Camp Muir, located at 10,100 feet on Mount Rainier's southern flank.
Views extend seemingly to Northern California and are punctuated by a regal lineup of volcanic peaks, including Adams, St. Helens, Hood, Jefferson and beyond. Also cool is Camp Muir's fortresslike stone structure that serves as base camp for climbers making for the summit.
Do be advised that this is a strenuous hike, most of it on permanent snowfield and at an elevation where the weather can turn deadly in a flash. Checking mountrainierclimbing.blogspot.com for the latest conditions before heading up is a must.
Location: Depart from Paradise at Mount Rainier National Park, about 2½ hours south of Seattle.
Family camping:
Orcas Island
To me, there's no better sense of escape than boarding a Washington State ferry and setting out on the magical passage through the forested jewels of the San Juan archipelago. Views of 2,409-foot Mount Constitution soon emerge as does the rest of Orcas Island.
Much of what you see is 5,200-acre Moran State Park which, with five freshwater lakes, four campgrounds and 30-plus miles of hiking and biking trails, is family fun Nirvana. An added plus: If you have youngins who favor rolling about on concrete, there's an epic 20,000-square-foot skatepark about 10 minutes from the Moran gate.
Location: About 3¼ hours north of Seattle, which includes an hourlong ferry ride.
Mountain biking:
Devils Gulch
It's difficult, nay, near impossible for me to pick a favorite in this category. (It's like trying to pick my favorite Beatles' song: "Hey Jude?" "Strawberry Fields?" "From Me to You?" etc.) But you can't go wrong with Devils Gulch, near Cashmere.
It's a classic that's been around forever. You've got a big 4,000-foot climb that gets you up high near Mission Ridge, a renowned sweeping and swoopingly fast descent on smooth, buff trail and, all along the way, stunning alpine vistas of the Tronsen Ridge end of the world.
Note: Because of last fall's forest fires and subsequent snow, it's not yet known what shape the trail is in or when it will open. Call the Forest Service at 509-548- 2550 before heading up.
Location: Near Cashmere, about 2¼ hours east of Seattle.
Favorite outdoor town: Bellingham
See above note re: near impossibility of choosing a favorite and apply it to this category as well. There's Winthrop, Leavenworth, Port Townsend, Eastsound, Chelan, Walla Walla — the list seems almost endless.
But in scanning my Washington State Gazetteer, I have to give it to Bellingham, my bayside City of Subdued Excitement. A place where one can paddle the coves and inlets of Chuckanut Bay in the morning, ski the legendary steeps and deeps of the Mount Baker Ski Area in the afternoon, and even — if one has bright lights and bomber knees — mountain bike the serpentine single-track of Galbraith Mountain at night.
Washington State, I'm gonna miss you like crazy — stay awesome!
Mike McQuaide, formerly of Bellingham, is the author of six guidebooks including "75 Classic Rides: Washington" (Mountaineers Books). Follow his Luxembourg adventures at www.mcqview.blogspot.com.