text:
Every day, trucks dump 2 million pounds of waste -- the equivalent of enough cinder blocks to build a 15-story building about the size of a basketball court -- into the Horry County landfill.
Every day, trucks dump 2 million pounds of waste -- the equivalent of enough cinder blocks to build a 15-story building about the size of a basketball court -- into the Horry County landfill.
The amounts are less in neighboring Brunswick, N.C., and Georgetown counties, but they, too, are feeling pressure from the region's growth and hope increased recycling programs can provide landfill relief.
Officials from all three counties will swap strategies on waste reduction with more than 400 public and private recycling professionals from the Carolinas at the Carolina Recycling Association's four-day conference, which begins today in Myrtle Beach.
"Once you understand that space is all we have, then you do everything you can to save that space, and recycling is one of the ways that makes a large difference," Horry County Solid Waste Authority Director Ricky Hardee said. "If you take a pound out, we've got a pound of space left."
To stretch the life of its 27-acre multimillion-dollar landfill, the authority is building a new recycling processing facility and is planning to test landfill-waste-reduction technology from Clemson University.
Georgetown County is erecting a building at its solid-waste station where construction and demolition loads will be dumped, sorted and worked into reusable products.
Horry County businesses and residents have increased the amount of waste they recycle by more than 40 percent since 2000, diverting 23 percent of the waste stream from the landfill through recycling.
Still, the statewide recycling goal is to recycle 35 percent of waste, and officials would like to move closer to that number. Recycling is encouraged at the landfill through pricing.
Although waste-disposal trucks pay full price for solid-waste dumps, they can dump recyclables such as paper, plastic bottles and aluminum cans at the Horry County recycling facility free of charge.
Disposal trucks also save on tipping fees for separated concrete, yard waste, shingles and other reusable materials that are kept in piles at the landfill and used for road building and other projects.
Shrinking the waste through scientific ingenuity is another tactic the authority is trying.
The waste-reduction technology, a product of Clemson University research funded by the authority, is expected within the next 2 months, Hardee said.
Authority officials say a key to reaching recycling rates of 35 percent or higher in Horry County is construction of a 300-foot-by-150-foot recycling facility equipped with machinery that mechanically separates recyclables.
The authority board has approved the plans and funding for the new facility but still must decide where to build it.
The new facility, targeted to begin operating in 2007, will make recycling easier for consumers and processors.
Businesses and residents will need to do one only separation: food waste in one trash can and all recyclables in the other.
This streamlined sorting currently is used by cities and towns in Horry County such as Myrtle Beach and Surfside Beach.
They provide blue bags to residents. All recyclables are thrown in blue bags for curbside collection.
When the blue bags are hauled to Horry County's existing recycling facility, however, the manual separation is labor-intensive and grueling, particularly in hot summer months, said Donald Bruton, recycling-facility manager.
The current Horry County recycling facility, off U.S. 501 near U.S. 17, can barely keep up with the flow, Bruton said.
The facility rarely turns a truck away, but the lack of storage space at the site requires a tight schedule of sorting, bundling and trucking bales of recyclables to buyers that use them to make products.
Cardboard recycling, one of the authority's most aggressive programs, has increased from 4,000 tons recycled in 1999 to 7,300 tons in 2004.
The increase is largely due to free waste audits the authority offers to businesses to demonstrate the cost benefit of leasing cardboard-recycling containers.
Still, Hardee wants to recycle more of the remaining 13,000 tons of cardboard buried in the landfill annually.
He says he thinks the new facility's greater capacity will allow the authority to push harder for recycling in the future.
"Once we get the capacity to handle it," Hardee said, "then we'll start trying to attack the waste stream here through advertising, through education, through one-on-one meetings, through whatever mechanism we can do to get that 13,000 tons [of cardboard] out of the waste stream."
Georgetown County solid-waste officials process about 85,000 tons of garbage and 14,000 tons of recyclables annually at their landfill.
Using a projected 2 percent population-growth rate, Georgetown officials expect the landfill space will last for at least 27 years. The 400-acre solid-waste site includes 19 acres of landfill, an environmental-education center, a 14-acre bio-solids compost facility and wetland area.
They plan to add on to the site with a new 50-foot-by-30-foot metal "slop shop," where truckloads that are made mostly of construction and demolition debris will unload. Georgetown County Detention Center inmates will recondition the debris by sawing off rough ends of lumber and hammering out nails so they can be reused, solid waste Superintendent Lin Wisikoski said.
In addition to running 13 free recycling drop-off sites, Georgetown County has expanded its paper-recycling program to pick up paper, cardboard and newspaper from all public schools and 70 businesses.
The county is working to increase the number of participating businesses.
"We're really seeing a difference it's making," Wisikoski said.
Although waste in Georgetown and Horry counties is buried in county-owned landfills, most waste in Brunswick County is buried in a landfill owned by Waste Industries in Samson County.
Waste Industries, which handles all waste and recycling in Brunswick County, has contracts with several towns for curbside recycling pickup or management of centrally located recycling containers.
But Waste Industries profits more from collecting garbage than from recycling, Waste Industries' Brunswick County manager Greg Brinkley said.
"It's really up to the towns," Brinkley said. "We'll take it either way."
Waste Industries hauls unsorted recyclables collected from Brunswick County drop-off centers or homes to the Eastern Carolina Vocational Center in Jacksonville, N.C., a company that provides employment for people with disabilities.
"We can't get by on recycling alone," Brinkley said. "We are, of course, in the business to make money.
"There's not enough money just to recycle by itself. It is a part of the waste business we do."
The Brunswick County-owned landfill in Bolivia was forced to close its solid-waste burial in 1998 when regulations requiring thick plastic linings took effect, landfill supervisor Tim Carter said.
Construction and demolition waste can be buried at the 54-acre site for about four more years before it will be filled, Carter said. Solid waste and recycling still are brought to the Brunswick landfill and then are hauled elsewhere for disposal by Waste Industries.
The Brunswick County government pays Waste Industries per household to provide curbside garbage collection for unincorporated areas. Residents can recycle by visiting any of 12 drop-off sites.
"There are some [Brunswick County] residents that would like curbside recycling, but not enough for it to be an economic benefit because it is so much more expensive," Brunswick County recycling official Stephanie Rumley said. "And the drop-off sites are being used, but not to the point that we need to add more."
To see more of The Sun News, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.MyrtleBeachOnline.com Copyright (c) 2005, The Sun News, Myrtle Beach, S.C. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.


text:
Art Wolfe
For various reasons, cultures, landscapes, and species on our planet are quickly disappearing. This is no secret. "Preservation," "conservation," "endangered," and "extinct" are words in our daily vocabularies. Many of us dream of learning about or experiencing the world's endangered phenomenon before their secrets are lost forever, preserving now what still exists before all hope is gone.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
It's official: we have a tie.
Not that there was a contest, of course, but I have to concede that when it comes to Most Adorable Book Ever, I think that my book now has to share the title with Sugarlicious , the newest release by Meaghan Mountford of The Decorated Cookie and Edible Crafts Gossip. I'm happy to share the title, though, because it truly is delicious, and the author is totally sweet.
Here's some info about the book:
Sugarlicious is filled with over 200 colorful pages of ideas for decorating cute and clever sweets, including cookies, marshmallows, cupcakes, cakes, cake pops, petits fours and candy clay. You'll learn to put sweets on sticks, color icing and frosting, pipe with a decorating bag, make fondant decorations, use edible writers and icing sheets, paint and stamp with food coloring, decorate with candies and sprinkles, and so much more. Froggy cupcakes, milkshake cake pops, mustache and bow tie cookie pops, sparkly marshmallows, a lawn ornament cake and pretty painted petits fours are just a tiny sampling of what's inside.
And here's some proof of the cuteness:
And you can win a copy, along with other awesome stuff! The prize is a copy of Sugarlicious and the prize pack (photo attached), which includes a Sugarlicious apron, hot pink oven mitt, spatula, post-it notes, and a little recipe booklet.
How do you enter? It's so easy. You just leave a comment on this post and tell me about either the cutest dessert you've ever made OR eaten! You get entered TWICE if you post a link to a recipe or photo of it!
The winner will be chosen at random next Saturday, February 18; due to shipping fees, we are only able to offer this giveaway to US and Canadian entrants. If you can't wait to see if you won, you can buy Sugarlicious here. Good luck!


text:
Kiel needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 41 designs submitted by 18 freelance designers.
Clean Design with contemporary style.
Blakes Supply
Desired Style:
Contemporary and clean, not to techy and aggressive
Accepted File Formats:
Standard Web Formats (.jpg, .gif or .png); Layered Formats (.psd or .tiff)
No aggressive color schemes - limited use of black
Edgy but not to techy
Blakes Supply - Janitorial and Hospitality Supply
does not need to include all the text.
Would like a Collegiate feel, possibly involving a crest.
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


text:
A man suspected of driving a pickup truck that hit a parked car on the 700 block of Emery Street before fleeing the scene on Sunday, was later located inside his parked vehicle on the 800 block of Lashley Street and was arrested, police said.
Police arrested a man suspected of assaulting his wife at a Union Reservoir campsite on Sunday after officers were dispatched to a report of a fight there. The man was taken to the Weld County Jail.
Police dispatch summaries for Saturday and Sunday indicate that officers checked out at least 13 fireworks complaints over that two-day period, although there were no accompanying reports of anyone having been ticketed or fireworks having been confiscated.
Police got two reports Sunday of cars having been hit by thrown rocks on the 400 block and 700 block of Sumner Street.
A 22-year-old Loveland man was arrested at Longmont United Hospital on Sunday after allegedly attempting to fraudulently obtain prescription medicine there. He was taken to the Boulder County Jail.
A 41-year-old man was arrested Sunday evening on suspicion of domestic violence and harassment after having allegedly picking up and trying to remove a woman from a residence on the 900 block of Kimbark Street.
A Frederick woman reported Sunday that someone had stolen items from her unlocked car when it was on the 2400 block of Pratt Street. Police also got Sunday reports of illegal entries into vehicles that had been parked on the 1800 block of Meadow Street; the 100 block of South Coffman Street; and the 400 block of South Francis Street.


text:
Barcelona missed a glorious chance to close in on the La Liga title after falling to a shock 2-1 defeat at Real Sociedad on Saturday as their 32-match unbeaten league run came to an end.
Pep Guardiola's side could have moved to within a point of a third successive league crown with victory after rivals Real Madrid suffered a surprise 3-2 home loss to Real Zaragoza earlier in the day.
Instead, the champions now need four points from their final four games to retain the title.
"We have to learn from games like this, although it is shame that [Gaby] Milito had a goal ruled out that was legal," Barcelona defender Dani Alves said. "Now we have to focus on the Champions League."
Barcelona took the lead through Thiago Alcantra on 29 minutes, but Uruguayan substitute Diego Ifran equalized on 71 minutes and Xabi Prieto converted an 82nd-minute penalty to give strugglers Sociedad a vital win.
It was Barcelona's first away defeat of the season and their first in the league since mid-September, although they retain their eight-point cushion over Real at the summit.
Real coach Jose Mourinho saw his week go from bad to worse as Madrid fell to strugglers Zaragoza, three days after their 2-0 Champions League semi-final first-leg loss to Barcelona.
Mourinho had gone nine years without losing a home league match, but this was his second home league loss inside a month following the 1-0 defeat by Sporting Gijon at the beginning of last month.
"I am the only one to blame for this defeat because as a coach I wasn't capable of motivating the team in the first half," Mourinho said.
Guardiola resisted the temptation to rest all of his stars ahead of the Champions League semi-final second leg against Real at the Camp Nou on Wednesday, fielding Lionel Messi, Xavi and Gerard Pique.
Youngsters Martin Montoya, 20, and Andreu Fontas, 21, were given a chance to shine, along with 21-year-old Thiago, all three of whom are products of Barca's fabled youth system.
Messi went close early on, shooting just wide, before Dutch winger Ibrahim Afellay had a drive well saved in the fifth minute.
The breakthrough came in the 28th minute when Thiago latched on to a Xavi pass, before scooping the ball over the advancing goalkeeper.
Uruguayan striker Ifran, who had only been on the pitch a matter of minutes, took advantage of a slip-up at the back to dink the ball over Jose Pinto for the equalizer.
Six minutes later, Gaby Milito thought he had scored for Barcelona, but his header was ruled out for offside.
Argentine Javier Macherano then conceded a spot-kick on 82 minutes and Prieto was fortunate to see his penalty scrape past Pinto, who almost kept out the effort down the middle.
Still reeling from their Champions League loss to Barcelona, Real suffered another setback at the Santiago Bernabeu.
A brace from Angel Lafita, the first due to a rare howler by goalkeeper Iker Casillas, and a penalty from Gabriel Arenas helped down Madrid, who were reduced to 10 men late on when Ricardo Carvalho was sent off for two yellow cards.
"We can practically say goodbye to the miracle of trying to win the league," Madrid captain Casillas said. "Everything was more complicated because of my mistake, but we are all human and make mistakes. Now we have to go to Barcelona to try and win. We trail by two goals, but anything can happen and we will go with the hope of playing the Champions League final in a month's time."


text:
We are funded!
Thanks to your generous support, we are now the #1 funded Film/Video project in Kickstarter history, but more importantly, together we are proving that crowd funding can revolutionize the way films are made. We are overwhelmed by your support, and are excited about what the future brings!
Production has already begin! Follow @rocketjumptweet for updates from the set and the directors @mattlarnold and @fwong for updates as production continues. Also be sure to check out Rocketjump.com for our BTS blog!
We're excited to announce that you can now get in on some of the rewards via PayPal! Click here to donate via PayPal!
Stretch Goal Tracker
We've hit the $800k stretch goal! To give you an idea of what that looks like, here's a small peek at the tie-in comic we included in the Season One Kickstarter DVD/Blu-Rays (a secret bonus that's never been seen before... until now!)
Meanwhile, we've started principal photography on the YouTube stages! Keep an eye on @fwong and @mattlarnold if you're jonesin' for on-set updates and photos!
As we approach the final day to pledge, we're excited to announce several new, extremely limited high-end rewards at the $500 level, thanks to generous donations from some of our equipment sponsors from Season One and Season Two!
The Razer Goliathus - VGHS Edition, Signed by Cast and Crew + Razer Gaming Mouse
Razer has generously donated 100 custom-printed Goliathus gaming surfaces to our Kickstarter campaign! This limited edition graphic is a one-time run and will never be reproduced.
In addition to the mouse mat, this reward tier will also come with a Razer Gaming Mouse (model TBD). If you're tired of controlling your computer with only a keyboard, this is the solution for you!
Finally, these mats will besigned by cast and crew!
The Astro A30 - VGHS Kickstarter Edition, Signed by Cast and Crew!
Astro, who provided the gaming headsets seen in Season One, is putting together 100 VGHS-themed A30 gaming headsets.
The ear tags will be signed by cast and crew.
The Boomchair Gaming Chair, Signed by Cast and Crew!
Finally Lumisource has donated 5 Boomchair gaming chairs for us to draw all over. Recline in consummate style as the built-in force feedback massages your back and the build-in speakers and subwoofer massage your eardrums!
We have a variety of Boomchair models, and those who pledge at this reward level can take their pick of which one they want in the order the pledges are received.
The chairs will be signed by cast and crew.
The Peregrine Gaming Glove (Executive Producer)
The Peregrine is basically the Nintendo Power Glove on steroids - it's a gaming glove which is controlled by touching points on your fingers with your thumb, allowing you to input 30 different combinations.
It also happens to be perfect for some scenes we have showcasing the Real Time Strategy Team and for a one-on-one fighting game showdown!
The Peregrine is also going to be showing up this summer as the control interface in Guillermo Del Toro's Neon Gene- I mean, Pacific Rim!
Check out The Peregrine at their website http://theperegrine.com!
Prometheus Lights (Co-Producer)
Prometheus Lights is actually Jason Hui - a one-man company based in California that custom makes awesome super bright LED flashlights.
We needed a flashlight for a couple different scenes - one where Ted sneakily breaks into the teacher's lounge, and for a number of action scenes that have weapon mounted flashlights, and we needed some customization so Prometheus Lights work perfectly!
Our director of photography Jon Salmon is working closely with Jason to fine tune the color temperature, lumen output, and beam throw of the lights (something we could never do with any other flashlight) for these scenes to make sure the look of the flashlights in each scene is perfect.
Check out Prometheus Lights at http://darksucks.com!
Hitfilm 2
We have a history with Hitfilm - it was the first software package we used to do visual effects! In the years since, they've updated the program to be, in our opinion, the single best software package for aspiring visual effects artists and filmmakers.
Hitfilm 2 combines a video editing program with a 3D/2D compositing and visual effects program like After Effects, while being cheaper and easier to learn. If you're looking for an all-in-one package to start doing visual effects, we highly recommend HitFilm 2.
We also worked with them in Season One to create a plug-in for HitFilm to do the derez hit effect within Field of Fire. Check out a tutorial on that plug-in here!
Check out a 30-day Demo here and watch their trailer:
Video Game High School is a series set in an alternate reality where professional video gaming becomes the biggest spectator sport in the world. It follows Brian D, an aspiring pro gamer who lands an invitation to VGHS, the most prestigious gaming academy in the world. Think Hogwarts, but instead of spells and magic wands, it's headshots and IBM Model M keyboards!
In 2010, we launched a successful Kickstarter campaign for Season 1, which premiered online on our site Rocketjump.com and YouTube.com/FreddieW.
Just over a year later, the series has received over 40 million views and is now available on Blu-Ray, DVD, iTunes, Netflix, as well as Xbox and PS3.
If you haven't seen it yet, click here to watch Season One!
Here's the trailer:
Season One was a massive success and now we're in the middle of pre-production for Season Two. We want to go bigger and better in every way - more game types, more action, more effects, and more gaming-related puns and obscure references!
We're excited to utilize Kickstarter once again, and we're incredibly pumped about the pledge rewards we're offering this time around!
Season Two will be directed by Matt Arnold (writer, showrunner Season One) and Freddie Wong (co-creator of the FreddieW YouTube Channel).
Brandon Laatsch (the other co-creator of the FreddieW YouTube Channel) will be co-directing the action sequences.
Season Two also features the writing skills of Will Campos (Season One) and Brian Firenzi (Season One, creator of 5secondfilms.com)
Additionally, many of the key creative and production personnel from Season One are returning for Season Two!
Season Two will take place over six TV-length episodes, for a total of 160-180 minutes of action-packed goodness.
After a shocking scandal puts The Law in handcuffs and VGHS's reputation on the line, it's up to Brian D and Jenny Matrix to take the embattled FPS team to victory and redemption. Vehicles will explode and hearts will break as Brian and Jenny battle the toughest gamer schools in the world-- all while dealing with the team's new coach: Mary Matrix, Jenny's win-at-all-costs mother.
Meanwhile, Brian's best bud Ted Wong struggles to prove himself to the Drift Racing Team. Along the way, he'll square off against the Drift King's arch rival, the Duchess of Kart and partake in a sacred - and deadly - rite of drift passage.
And as Ki Swan finds herself mired in an existential crisis, yearning for meaning in a meaningless world, she'll match wits with an egomaniacal RTS Player, duel a wandering fighting gamer ronin, and engage in a high stakes game of Poker-mon for her very right to stay at VGHS.
CAN YOU BELIEVE all this takes place in just SIX sensational episodes?!? Neither can we! We just made half of this up!* Find out which half next season… only on Video Game High School!
We're asking for $636,010 - which is the exact amount of money we spent on Season One. This, as a minimum, we let us achieve the same level of quality we achieved in the first season.
We think that crowd funding is instrumental for small indie content creators like ourselves and we believe in complete transparency, so we put our Season One cost breakdown online where anyone can see it (Click here to view our Season One cost breakdown infographic).
That being said, we want to go bigger with Season Two, so we've created a number of stretch goals which will allow us to make Season Two even better:
- REACHED! $650,000 - Season 1 and Season 2 professionally translated and subtitled in as many languages as we can - French, Spanish, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, and more!
- REACHED! $700,000 - Full 5.1 surround sound mix and musical score recorded with a full orchestra and live instruments!
- REACHED! $800,000 - Origin story comic books for Calhoun, The Drift King, and a mystery character!
- $900,000 - VGHS anime intro, complete with anime theme song, anime cherry blossoms, and fansubs explaining every obscure Japanese linguistic reference in the lyrics (We are totally serious about this)
- $1,000,000 - Limited theatrical run - we'll take this show on the road and have theatrical screenings in select cities around the country!
This time around, we have even more rewards!
Just like last time, all of these rewards are Kickstarter Supporter Exclusive - all the art, designs, and items are unique to Kickstarter backers ONLY, which means this is your only chance to own some of this rad swag!
Have a look at the sidebar to see some of the rewards we got!
If you want TWO class level rewards, the best way to do this is the $200 Valedictorian Option, which will let you pick ANY two limited rewards!
Remember - every dollar you pledge goes directly into the series. By essentially pre-ordering Season Two and buying some gear, you're making the final product even better!
Also, to help clarify how each reward gets, here's exactly what you get at each reward tier (refer to the sidebar for fuller descriptions of individual items):
$5 - Your name/gamertag in the official credits!
$15 - DRM-free 1080p digital downloads of Season 2 & Season 1! name/gamertag in the credits.
$30 - Region-free Blu-ray or DVD (your choice) of Season 2 with Kickstarter exclusive cover art! digital downlad, name/gamertag in the credits
$50 - Kickstarter exclusive Season 2 poster! Blu-Ray/DVD of Season 2, digital download, name/gamertag in the credits
$75 - Signed combo DVD or Blu-Ray of Season 1 AND Season 2! Poster, digital download, name/gamertag in credits.
$100 Basic Level - Exclusive VGHS Season 2 t-shirt! Signed DVD/Blu-Ray of S1 & S2, SIGNED poster, digital download, name/gamertag in credits.
$100 Freshman Options - VGHS School team sports pennant OR VGHS Calendar OR VGHS Sticker/button pack + Everything in the $100 Basic Level
$125 Sophomore Options - VGHS Hat OR VGHS ID Card OR Coffee Mug + Everything in the $100 Basic Level
$150 Junior Options - VGHS Hoodie OR Diploma OR Custom report card OR + Everything in the $100 Basic Level
$175 Senior Options - Signed shooting script OR Law's EP OR VGHS Hotline + Everything in the $100 (Basic Level)
$200 Valedictorian Level - ANY two items from the Freshman/Sophomore/Junior/Senior options (Can do two of same item) + Everything in the $100 Basic Level
$250 - VGHS Yearbook + Everything in the $200 Valedictorian Level
$300 - Signed prop! VGHS Yearbook + Everything in the $200 Valedictorian Level
$500 - Invite to special private screening! Signed prop, VGHS Yearbook + Everything in the $200 Valedictorian Level
$500 Final Countdown Options - The Razer mat/mouse, Astro headset, or Boomchair gaming chair! Invite to special private screening, signed prop, VGHS Yearbook + Everything in the $200 Valedictorian Level
$1000 - Associate Producer credit and likeness in the show! Invite to screening, signed prop, yearbook + Everything in the $200 Valedictorian Level
$1337 - The L33tBox full of awesome stuff! Associate Producer credit and likeness, invite to screening, signed prop, yearbook + Everything in the $200 Valedictorian Level
$2000 - Walk on role (no line)! Associate Producer credit, invite to screening, signed prop, yearbook + Everything in the $200 Valedictorian Level
$3000 - Filmmaking bootcamp! Associate Producer credit and likeness, invite to screening, signed prop, yearbook + Everything in the $200 Valedictorian Level
$5000 - Co-Producer credit, logo in credits and we work with you to include your product into the show! Invite to screening, signed prop, yearbook + Everything in the $200 Valedictorian Level
$5000 Birthday - Freddie does your birthday! Co-Producer credit and likeness in the show, invite to screening, signed prop, yearbook + Everything in the $200 Valedictorian Level
$5000 Disneyland - Disneyland with cast and crew! Co-Producer credit and likeness in the show, invite to screening, signed prop, yearbook + Everything in the $200 Valedictorian Level
$9001 Over 9000 - Make Freddie tweet something! Co-Producer credit and likeness in the show, invite to screening, signed prop, yearbook + Everything in the $200 Valedictorian Level
$10000 - Executive producer credit! Come by anytime to check out production, invite to screening, signed prop, yearbook + Everything in the $200 Valedictorian Level
We believe we're on the verge of a creative revolution - the intersection of independent and capable content creators with a system for an audience to fund projects means that, for the first time in film history, the gatekeepers of content have been made obsolete. We as creators can be supported by our audience.
We could not have made Season One without the generous support of our Kickstarter backers, and with Season Two, we're looking to push the envelope in terms of what indie filmmakers can accomplish.
Together, let's revolutionize the way movies and TV shows are made, watched, and funded!
Risks and challenges
We face the usual risks of film and TV production and we are offsetting that risk in the industry-standard way - production insurance, contingency plans, and a production team with decades of experience.
Many costs and risks associated with weather and locations are mitigated by our partnership with YouTube Space L.A., a giant studio space in Los Angeles created by YouTube, where we will be building a standing set space and shooting many of our interiors in.
In regards to backer fulfillment, we've built an entire storefront/order fulfillment infrastructure, and have already sourced partners to create the reward products. We also plan on utilizing BackerKit, a Kickstarter-funded tool, which will ensure that we stay up to date on address changes and backer management.
At the end of the day, we've done this once before already with the first season of Video Game High School. We are confident that should any exigencies of production arise, we will be more than qualified and capable to handle them.Learn about accountability on Kickstarter
Funding period
- (31 days)


text:
Nathan Myrhvold released a lengthy paper analyzing the technological nature of terrorism and critiquing the American strategy of counterterrorism thus far. I particularly liked his Richter-scale for ranking potential threats. In his paper, Myrvhold suggests a far more proactive policy of investment in counterterrorism R&D. He concludes by stating that, in the likely event that his advice isn't followed, it's more likely than not that we will see an attack within the next decade that kills 100,000 – 1,000,000 Americans.
I think he's correct about the nature of the threat, and I think he's correct in his prediction. More worryingly, I think he's right about the political constraints that make proactive measures very unlikely. However, I'm concerned that his prescriptions focus too much on the technology angle, to the exclusion of the domestic policy angle.
Joe Studwell's "How Asia Works" is one of the best economics history books I've read. It's as if Studwell sets out to prescribe the cure for the disease described in "Confessions of an Economic Hitman", and succeeds brilliantly. The cure he prescribes dates back to Meiji-era Japan and German economist Friedrich List. The antidote explicated by List was applied successfully by Japan, South Korea, and modern-day China. Ironically, the antidote was forcibly administered by Americans, in the first two successful instances — in the case of Japan, by General MacArthur.
The first rung of the development ladder prescribed by List (and successfully implemented in Japan, South Korea, and China) is "land-tenure policies that support smallholder farmers". Studwell compellingly argues that, without this first rung, no country has ever reached the higher rungs of development. Ever since the dawn of agriculture, the inexorable trend is for rent-seekers to capture an increasing share of the value, and eventually enslave 90% of the population in serfdom. This is the topic of Perkins' book (and the genesis of what we call "bullshit jobs" — a topic for another post). But in the case of MacArthur (and List), the antidote was clear: land-tenure polices that redistributed land from rent-seekers to smallholders, resulting in full employment and skin-in-the-game for everybody. Overall profit drops, but individual productivity skyrockets.
When we fail to follow List's (and MacArthur's) advice, we see exactly the situation that Perkins predicted. Studwell holds up the Philippines as an example of a country that did a particularly poor job of agrarian reform (echoing the often-hilarious accounts in "Sons of the Yellow Emperor"). The rent-seekers capture government, and the fringes fall away and become sympathetic to "terrorist" groups like Abu Sayyaf.
The necessary reforms are unlikely to come from within, and simply forcing countries to become "democratic" isn't the answer. But imposing these policies from the outside has been successful in the past, and would be a better use of our influence.


text: Oleg Gleizer is the Chief Curriculum Developer and the Lead Instructor of the Early Elementary group at the LAMC. He received his Ph.D. in Mathematics in 2001 from Northeastern University of Boston specializing in representation theory and special functions. Oleg sees his mission in inventing ways to present some important parts of modern day Mathematics (and occasionally Physics), typically reserved to college, to the children from age four and up.


text:
Jonathan Mahler
Bloomberg View
NEW YORK: If you�re wondering how Florida Gulf Coast University became the first 15th seed in the history of the NCAA men�s basketball tournament to advance to the Sweet 16, look no further than the ur-text of the school�s economics department: Atlas Shrugged.
Embedded in this long, ponderous novel � required reading for all undergraduate economics and finance majors at FGCU � is the formula for transforming your college from a bunch of trailers on a swamp into the most talked-about school in the country. It�s simple, really. All you need to do is practice what Ayn Rand called �rational self-interest.�
Don�t waste your time wooing Nobel laureates to your faculty or trying to recruit National Merit Scholars to a college they�ve never heard of. Do what any self-respecting entrepreneur would do: Devote your resources to building a first-class Division I basketball program.
It�s not going to happen overnight, but FGCU pulled it off pretty quickly. It might have happened sooner, were it not for that great bane of Rand and her acolytes: regulators. The Eagles basketball program started in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics and had to apply more than once before being accepted into the National Collegiate Athletic Association � at the Division II level. Even after being granted permission to move up to Division I, the team had to wait three years before becoming eligible for postseason play.
Florida Gulf Coast University won its first NCAA tournament game in the school�s second year of eligibility, a mere 16 years after graduating its first student. Harvard won its first tournament game this year, too � 371 years after its first commencement. (They may be a little slow in Cambridge, Massachusetts, but Harvard finally seems to have figured out the allocative efficiency of college basketball: This year, the Crimson managed to lure away one of the nation�s most coveted high-school prospects from the likes of Wake Forest, UCLA and Texas.)
Just how valuable is a strong showing in the NCAA men�s basketball tournament? As it happens, Butler, whose improbable run to the 2010 Final Four is still the stuff of legend, has studied this very question. Its near-championship run � it lost in the finals to Duke � generated precisely $639,273,881.82 in publicity for the university. That�s to say nothing of the increases in merchandise sales and charitable giving, or the 41 percent surge in applications.
FGCU didn�t need to commission any studies. It understands implicitly the crass commercial calculations that the NCAA promotes, against its own stated goals. FGCU recognized from the start that nothing would raise the young school�s profile like sports � men�s basketball in particular.
�I knew that the university would grow, and it will, as a result of the athletic program,� William Merwin, then the school�s president, said in 2001, after the chief executive officer of a local agribusiness company donated $5 million for FGCU�s sports programs.
A chunk of that money went toward finishing the construction on the basketball team�s $14 million arena. (Randians might not approve, but the state agreed to underwrite the bulk of the arena�s cost because it includes classroom space.) The balance was reserved for athletic scholarships and coaches� salaries.
Everybody�s favorite underdog of this year�s tournament is less a Cinderella story than a college-basketball powerhouse in its infancy. FGCU�s athletic director, Ken Kavanagh, came from Bradley, a school with a storied hoops tradition. Its 43-year-old head coach, Andy Enfield, was a well-known assistant coach at Florida State, where he developed a reputation as an aggressive recruiter.
Enfield hasn�t exactly had to scrounge for talent at FGCU. His team�s point guard, Brett Comer, grew up playing youth basketball with Austin Rivers, a current starter for the New Orleans Hornets and the son of former NBA star Doc Rivers. The father of one of Enfield�s bench players, Filip Cvjeticanin, played alongside Vlade Divac and Drazen Petrovic on the Yugoslavian national team that won a silver medal in the 1988 Olympics.
Rand wasn�t much of a sports fan, but she would have loved Enfield. To begin with, he�s a proud capitalist: Before becoming a basketball coach, he made a fortune with a health-care startup. (Rand: �Until and unless you discover that money is the root of all good, you ask for your own destruction.�) Enfield�s wife is a model, validating Rand�s belief that in order for a man to be truly satisfied, he needs �the highest type of woman � the hardest to conquer.� Rand would also have found a lot to like in the Eagles� style of play: unconstrained, creative and utterly self-confident. �The question isn�t who is going to let me; it�s who is going to stop me.�
Ayn Rand wrote that, too � right before dunking all over Georgetown and San Diego State. Hey, Florida Gators: You�re next.
Mahler is a sports columnist for Bloomberg View. He is the author of the best-selling Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bronx Is Burning and Death Comes to Happy Valley. He can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com or @jonathanmahler on Twitter.


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WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the availability of up to $20 million in FY 2012 grant funding to establish clean diesel projects aimed at reducing harmful pollution from the nation's existing fleet of diesel engines and improving air quality and Americans' health. In addition to these grants, approximately $9 million will be available through direct state allocations. EPA estimates that for every $1 spent on clean diesel funding, up to $13 of public health benefit is realized.
This is the first competition since the Diesel Emission Reduction Program, also known as DERA, was reauthorized in 2011. The program cleans up existing diesel vehicles, many of which can be operated for decades, by targeting projects that utilize the most cost-effective clean diesel strategies. By reducing diesel emissions in areas that have significant air quality issues the program can have a direct impact on community health.
States, tribes, local governments, and non-profits are eligible to apply for these grants. Projects can reduce air pollution from older school buses, transit buses, heavy-duty diesel trucks, marine engines, locomotives, and other diesel engines. The closing date for receipt of proposals is June 4, 2012.
DERA was enacted in 2005 and since it was first funded in FY 2008, EPA has awarded over 500 grants nationwide. These projects have reduced hundreds of thousands of tons of air pollution and saved millions of gallons of fuel. As part of EPA's National Clean Diesel Campaign, many of these projects fund cleaner diesel engines that operate in economically disadvantaged communities whose residents suffer from higher-than-average instances of respiratory ailments.
Request for Proposals forms and related documents are available online at www.epa.gov/otaq/diesel/prgnational.htm.
Minn. City Updates Trucks, Equipment with Environmentally Friendly Models
The City of St. Paul, Minn., is replacing 10 of its aging public works vehicles with more environmentally friendly models. These include clam trucks, dump trucks, and aerial lifts.


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4 months ago we were all waiting to meet our little twin boys - wondering what a "nest" this full would feel like.
I had made it past the piano concert, Oliver's birthday, awards ceremonies, kindergarten graduation and last day of school parties, which I never imaged would be the case. On 5/30 I had a doctor's appointment where we decided to induce the next day, at exactly 38 weeks.
So Brad and I got to go out on a date on our last pre-twin evening while grandparents watched the kids. The food was great, but no restaurant chair or car ride on the way was very comfortable when you look like this. I was not able to sleep much at all that night - part worry about twin complications and part excitement about meeting the boys and part excitement about taking deep breaths again. Pregnancies are always pretty easy for me, but the last few weeks of twins were a totally different story. I felt like my skin was not going to be able to contain them when they moved around. I think I googled something about if exploding bellies are possible at one point :)
We checked in bright and early on Thursday, 5/31. Both babies were head down, and all was well. My doctor was ready, after not being the one to deliver Oliver and Genevieve) and my very good friend Kim was all set to be my doula. Contractions progressed very slowly at first, but I kept warning them I go from 4 to 10 cm very quickly. My mom had dropped by to see how things were going around lunch time. She left at about 1:30 (give or take) to run some errands while I was a 5 and all was calm and quiet after my trusty epidural was in place. Soon after she left I told the nurse I thought I should be checked {10!} and within a few minutes I was rolled into the operating room (always the case for twin deliveries should there be a need for an emergency c-section) where about 18-20 people were ready to assist.
I felt like I was in a movie with the bright lights and little operating table and so much activity and different conversations all around me. My most vivid memory is hearing the anesthesiologist that was monitoring my heart rate and oxygen right behind me ask Brad if these are our first babies. When Brad said "actually makes 6 and 7", the guy very loudly said "OH MY GOODNESS!!!! 7?? 7!!! OH MY GOODNESS! I COULD NEVER, I HAVE 2 AND I CANNOT IMAGINE! 7?? I mean that is great. Congratulations." He cracked me up and prepared me for the reaction I get all the time now.
And then after a quick and ridiculously easy delivery, our sweet number 6, Brendan Thomas James was born at 2:54 pm.
Then they did a sonogram right then to see how Baby B was positioned, which can change while Baby A is born. Sure enough, we had a breech baby at that point. The multiples/high risk doctor was paged and while we were waiting on him to scrub up, Baby B kicked, broke the water and let my Dr. catch his foot! They were able to perform a "textbook breech extraction", which was great for the 4 med students that made up a nice audience. Our cutie little number 7, Patrick Thomas James made his grand entrance at 3:05 pm. Hearing two screaming newborns while the pediatric teams checked the babies was definitely what made "twindom" seem real!
We were wheeled back into my L&D room and were admiring the little guys when my mom popped back in to check on me at 3:30 (or so). She was shocked to see us holding babies because there was really no time to call or text anyone because it all happened so fast. The nurse that weighed the babies went to get a second scale because she couldn't believe their weights. Brendan - 7 lb 7 oz and Patrick 6 lb 11 oz!! I had 14 lb 2 oz of baby - crazy!! They were without question not identical twins. I think Brad was pretty relieved to know he could tell them apart.
I was so, so, so grateful for 2 boys that were so big and healthy. Our prayers (and those of family and friends) for no bed rest, no c-section, and no NICU were all answered. I can only describe my feelings of relief and overabundant blessing as floating on clouds the rest of that day and night. I had read so many stories of twin birth timing and scenarios that I knew to not take this for granted.
That evening the oldest 3 kids came to meet the boys. No hospital provided "Big Brother/Big Sister" buttons this time around. I think we used up all their supply when Genevieve was born.
The first night at the hospital went pretty well although they were s.l.o.w. eaters and I had such a hard time waking them up for feedings. I was still super high on adrenaline and didn't always fall asleep even when babies were sleeping and no one was taking my blood pressure, etc. I enjoyed the spaciousness of my queen size hospital bed in the new part of the hospital, while these two boys were happier smooshed into one little bed.
Oliver came to see them the next day. He was really happy to talk to his "twin new babies".
We were released right after lunch on Saturday afternoon. We got home just before it was time for Camille to leave for her big dance recital. A friend and her helpful daughter came to stay with the littlest 4 and me while all grandparents, Brad, Kilian, and Lucy went to watch her. I have since watched the recital DVD with her dozens of times to make up for that fact.
The books about twins I had checked out from the library had described in detail why so many people have hired help, or night nannies, for twins. Holy moly!! I think Brad and I got about three 20 minute naps that first night, but we survived and it is much, much better now @ 4 months. More updates to come.... eventually!


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Swimming Pool Blog
by Rob Cox, August 17, 2012
PRO: Solar Pool Heaters
Solar pool heating is such a simple set-up, I often wonder why more people don't make the move to solar heaters. Long gone are the days of expensive solar pool panels, made of glass and copper, requiring professional installation. Solar pool heaters can be installed in 1 day, and begin heating your pool immediately.
Solar Pool Heaters are Affordable!
Also long gone are the days when solar heaters cost more than twice what a gas pool heater costs. A complete set-up for a 16x32 inground pool will cost under $2000, and nearly half that amount for a 24 ft. round aboveground pool. And that includes a Solar Controller system! Price is no longer an objection to installing a solar pool heater.
Solar Pool Heaters are Eco-Friendly!
Many pool owners are concerned about the environment these days, and for good reason. Fossil fuel production has detrimental effects on the environment and the emissions from Natural gas or Propane pool heaters have caused several states such as Texas and California to place severe restrictions on the sale and use of gas pool heaters. Gas pool heaters produce noxious emissions, which can be dangerous. Carbon Monoxide poisoning killed tennis star Vitas Gerulaitis, when fumes from a pool heater overcame him while he slept.
Solar Pool Heaters are low Maintenance!
Solar pool heaters, as opposed to gas pool heaters, are extremely low maintenance. I should say No Maintenance. Gas heaters, on the other hand, are some of the most troublesome appliances on the pool equipment pad. They should run fine for a few years, no problem. But after that, you can expect problems from rain, rodents and rust. Diagnosis and repairs to gas heaters aren't cheap, and after the 1 year warranty is up, you can expect to pay big bucks for a pool heater that has short cycles, sooting and problems with wiring and circuit boards.
Solar Pool Heaters are Durable and Reliable!
Solar pool heaters, on the other hand - have no internal wiring, no controls, no circuits and no moving parts. They don't rust, and they can last twice as long as gas pool heater,which usually gives up the ghost around the ten year mark. Solar pool heaters are ultra reliable, because there's really nothing to break or wear out. Ironically, after decades of service, the sun, which has given such a huge amount of free heat to the solar panel, will begin to break down the material, and small, yet repairable leaks are possible.
Solar Pool Heaters are easy to install!
Much easier than gas pool heaters, which require the disciplines of plumbing, electric and gas, therefore requiring qualified personnel who charge hundreds of dollars per hour. Solar pool heaters are the perfect DIY Saturday project. Just secure the panels to the roof or rack with the included hardware, and connect some plumbing pipes and 90's from the pool return line, after the filter, in and out of the panel. You'll need a ladder, a hacksaw, simple hand tools and the plumbing supplies, which you can buy at any home store. Full instructions are included of course, and with our superb technical support, you can call anyone of us here, even on Saturday, if you have questions.
Solar Heat is Free!
Finally, the operational cost of solar pool heaters is zip, zilch, zero. Gas heaters can cost a pool owner $200 per month on average - but the sun? Still free, last time I checked, and even our crafty legislators have not figured out how to tax the sun's rays. Quite the opposite in fact. To encourage solar heat production in the U.S., many states and utilities are offering rebates and incentives to home owners that install solar heating equipment. Check your local utility website for details.
CON: Solar Pool Heaters
To be fair, let's give equal time to those who may have an objection to using solar heating for warming the pool. Hard to believe, but there are pool owners that would not consider solar, based on these following reasons.
Solar Panels are Ugly!
Some people say... that solar panels are ugly. I guess that's because their roof is so attractive, and they must spend a lot of time admiring it. It's a hard point to argue against with some people who prefer the appearance of their roof shingles to a thin black mat. I would wager that most people who install solar panels would soon forget to even look at them. "Well, OK, but my neighbors would have to look at them...". I would again wager that most neighbors would think your solar panels are quite nifty, and you are a great friend of the earth, and the neighborhood, for installing a solar pool heater.
I have no Space to Mount Solar Panels!
For maximum solar heating benefit, you should have enough solar panels to equal about 50% of the square footage of your pool. A 16x32 pool (512 sq ft) should have about 260 sq ft. of solar panels. We have panels in 10 ft and 20 ft lengths, 4 foot wide. For our example 16x32 pool, this would equate to 3-4 of the 20 ft panels or 6-7 of the 10 ft panels. True, not everyone has a convenient roof available, near the pool equipment, that faces a southerly direction. For those who lack this much roof area, consider building a gazebo over a patio area, or constructing a solar panel rack somewhere on the property. I have seen solar racks attached to the back of property fences, using 2x4's and plywood (for those that think solar pool panels are ugly). In some cases, available space is a valid argument, but for many who say that they have no space, there are inventive ways around the issue.
Solar Panels don't heat as well as Gas Heaters!
Well now, that's just a bald faced lie, and don't you believe it! Solar pool heaters will surprise you with the amount of heat that can be generated. If you have an attached spa, you can heat the spa to 104 degrees in nearly the same amount of time as a gas pool heater. Solar heaters can produce the same amount of BTU's as a gas heater, and no matter where you are in North America, you can have 85 degree water - in April, with a properly sized solar pool heater. It's true that the output from a solar heater is greatly reduced when it's cloudy and rainy, I'll admit that - but how many rainy days do you have in the summer? Most areas of the country can count on at least partial sun 75% of the time, and that's more than enough to keep the water nice and toasty.
Solar Panels heat output is hard to control!
That argument held water 20 years ago, but nowadays, solar pool heaters are installed with a Solar Controller system that allows you to set a desired temperature, (just like a gas heater). Sensors are placed in the water line and at the roof line, and when conditions are optimal for solar heat, a valve opens automatically and sends your pool water up to the solar panels. When the desired temperature is reached, the valve again turns to bypass your solar panels, until the temperature drops below your set temperature. In fact, you can even use your solar pool heater to cool the pool water down, during the hottest part of the summer, when your pool water may become too warm. Just run the solar heater during cool nights and the panels will absorb the water temperature, and give it up to the cooler night time air. Try to do that with your gas pool heater!
In conclusion, we have heard all the benefits and objections to heating your pool with solar panels. I have tried to remain fair and balanced, but you may have noticed my editorial slant toward solar pool heaters. I can't hide it - I like solar pool heating! Check out our full line of solar pool panels for aboveground and inground pools.


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Pro Bowl fullback Vonta Leach is nearing a decision and could pick a team as soon as today, with a potential reunion with the Super Bowl champion Ravens remaining the most viable scenario, according to league sources with knowledge of the situation.
Leach, 31, has spent this week contemplating his options, which haven't been extensive since he was cut by the Ravens in May when a compromise couldn't be reached on his contract.
Leach has remained in touch with general manager Ozzie Newsome and maintained an open dialogue.
"Of course, Vonta likes the Ravens," agent Ralph Vitolo recently told The Baltimore Sun "Why wouldn't he? Maybe he ends up back there. Who knows? Until it happens, there's no sense in pure speculation."
Rather than restructure a $3 million salary in the final year of a three-year, $11 million contract to reduce a $4.33 million salary-cap figure for the 2013 fiscal year, the Ravens terminated Leach's contract. If Leach returns, playing-time incentives are expected to be part of the structure.
Leach visited Miami, but he wasn't offered a contract as the Dolphins are still in evaluation mode with their younger fullbacks. That was the only free-agent visit Leach has taken.
He was offered a one-year veteran minimum deal from the New York Giants, who lost fullback Henry Hynoski to a knee injury during minicamp, but that isn't what Leach is seeking.
Leach has talked to the Houston Texans, his previous employer, but they have fullback Greg Jones on the roster and haven't made an aggressive push to re-sign Leach.
If the Ravens don't bring back Leach, they already have a replacement on the roster. They can go with fourth-round rookie Kyle Juszczyk, a versatile, pass-catching fullback from Harvard.
Juszczyk and Leach have much different playing styles. Leach is a punishing lead blocker feared by linebackers while Juszczyk would still need to establish himself at the NFL level.
Leach added to the Ravens' toughness quotient as an intimidating presence, but the fullback doesn't get significant playing time in offensive coordinator Jim Caldwell's offense or most NFL offenses these days.
The Ravens made it clear when they released Leach that they weren't ruling out bringing him back down the road.
"He added to our toughness and will to win, plus he provided leadership," Newsome said in a statement in June. "He's a good football player. There could be an opportunity for him to return to the Ravens once he explores the free agent market, and we could revisit this before or during training camp."


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Kimi Räikkönen: "Let's hope I'm happier in Spain"After taking his third podium finish of the year in Bahrain, our Iceman looks forward to racing closer to home with the start of the European season
Yourself and the team currently occupy P2 in both the Drivers' and Constructors' Championships;
are you pleased with how things are going?
For sure it's an okay start and we're in a better position that this time last year, but there's a long season
ahead and it's too early to say if we can fight for the Championships right to the end. It's going to be hard to
catch Sebastian [Vettel] if he keeps taking good results so we need to start taking more points from him,
but you never know what can happen. We'll keep pushing to improve the car and see where we end up.
What's required to bridge that gap to P1?
Some more wins! To catch the leaders, we have to work twice as hard as they are. It's no secret that we
want more speed from the car in qualifying; it's so tight up there at the front and we really need to be on the
first two rows to fight for victories every time. It's good to be able to start the European season where we
are as this is when you see teams starting to push on with lots of new parts for the cars. It's still early days,
but to have scored strong points since the start of the year is obviously better than not having them. We
need to keep scoring points in the same way; even if it's a bad weekend for us, we need to keep finishing
as well as we can. That's how we will fight to the end of the season.
How is the Circuit of Catalunya for you?
I have won twice in Barcelona and I was on the podium there last year too, so I really look forward to going
there again; hopefully to end the weekend with another good result. It's a circuit where you have to get
everything exactly right to be at the top. All the teams have tested many times at this circuit, so to get an
advantage there is not very easy. The set-up is crucial as the track changes with the wind and temperature
so there's plenty of work for the engineers too.
Is it good to be racing in Europe again?
I really like racing in Europe. We don't have to travel that far so all your energy is saved for the weekend
itself. Traditionally the real season starts when coming back to Europe. For me, it's great.
The Circuit de Catalunya is the only circuit at which you've tested the E21 so far; does that help
That's true, but you have to remember that was at the end of February and the beginning of March so
conditions were very different compared to what we hope to see in May. It was very difficult to get the tyres
working properly when we were last there, but it was the same for everybody. We all start from zero again
in FP1.
The team didn't get so much mileage at Barcelona during testing, but reliability doesn't seem to be
so much of a concern now the season is underway?
I didn't have that many laps there in testing as there were problems with the car and I also missed a day as
I was unwell. That said, me and the team know the track pretty well so I don't think we'll be too surprised
about which way the track goes or what setup to use on the car. Even though I didn't get a lot of mileage in
pre-season, the main thing was I felt good in the car the whole time. Our car seems to be good at every
circuit so far…
You were quite reserved after the podium finish in Bahrain; were you happy with the result?
You're never really happy if you don't win, but I suppose second place is as close as you can get. We could
maybe have been a few places higher in in qualifying which would have made things easier, but I drove to
the maximum and luckily we found the pace in the car that was missing in qualifying. Let's hope I'm happier in Spain.
.Romain Grosjean: "I have the tools at my disposal"
After his first podium appearance of the season in Bahrain, our man in car #8 sees no reason why top
points finishes can't become a familiar state of play
After a start to the season which fell short of your high expectations, why did everything come
good in Bahrain?
It's no secret that before Bahrain my feeling hasn't been right with the car. It wasn't the chassis, the aero or
anything like that, but we took a while to get everything to my liking and that's been frustrating. We
managed to put our finger on the issue and I feel much more comfortable now. I really had a good
sensation behind the wheel on Sunday in Bahrain, and a podium position at the end of the race was the
result. I could put the car more or less where I wanted which is all you want as a driver. Third place was a
deserved reward for everyone after all our hard work.
How good was it to get that podium after your tough start to the year?
The race was really enjoyable with a lot of overtaking. There were a couple of tense moments where
maybe things got a little too close, but it was a lot of fun! To come from P11 through to the podium is really
satisfying. I saw P4 on the board and Paul [Di Resta] was not too far ahead, so I thought "come on, this is
the podium, let's go!" I knew I had fresher tyres but it wasn't easy as I had to push but at the same time
look after them, which is hard for a driver when you have another car in your sights. Luckily we managed to
get past near the end, pull out a small gap and maintain it until the flag!
How do you feel the E21 is evolving?
We've been able to see progress with the lap times so we know that the upgrades being brought in are
working. Last year's car was already very competitive – we achieved a total of 10 podiums in 2012 – so it's
good to see the team has retained and developed the best performing areas of the 2012 car for the E21.
For me, after Bahrain, I'm feeling much more at home with the car and I hope that there will be many
successes to come in 2013.
What are your thoughts on the topic of tyre management?
Tyre management has always been part of the qualifying and race strategy. I don't know about others, I
just know that I always push as much as I can to obtain the best result possible. Of course, if you drive a
certain way or adapt yourself you can get more out of the tyres than if you don't, but that's just part of being
a racing driver; you always have to adapt to extract maximum performance.
What will be the key to a good weekend in Spain?
In Barcelona it will be important to qualify well as it will be much harder to overtake than in Bahrain. As a
team, this is an area where we can still improve a little bit, but we have some ideas of how to do that and
hopefully we'll be able to make the front row.
What are your thoughts on the Circuit de Catalunya?
Everyone knows Barcelona very well from testing. The first four corners which make up the first sector are
pretty fast, then there's the slow final sector with between turns 10-15. Out of turn 15 you need a good rear
end of the car with strong traction. It's important not to overheat your rear tyres and managing degradation
will be important – even with the harder tyres which are now allocated – as when you reach high
degradation levels on your tyres you are nowhere on lap time. Tyre management will still be the key area
for a good performance in the race.
What do you need to keep getting podium results?
To keep finishing in front of the competition! We've had consistency already, finishing every race in the
points, but now it's the big results we're chasing and getting the car as I want it has been a vital ingredient.
Now I have the tools that I want at my disposal I can really push. In some ways you can say my season
starts now! My podium in Bahrain was a very good start to that challenge. If we keep working the way we
have been so far this season as a team I'm sure we can achieve great things.


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Teacher resources and professional development across the curriculum
Teacher professional development and classroom resources across the curriculum
Alma Flor Ada
"There is always a border to cross... There is a border: a border of language, a border of culture, a border of traditions, a border of the way of being that we need to negotiate and cross inside."
Go to workshop 7 to learn more
Julia Alvarez
"We have a tradition in Latin America of el testimonio, the testimony, bearing witness. The first step in the awakening of a people's fight for freedom is bearing witness, telling the story of where we have been in order to know where we are going."
Go to workshop 1 to learn more
An Na
"Read to familiarize yourself with other authors, read to understand craft, and read to inspire yourself to write. Write stories, write characters, write plays, write in your journal. It doesn't really matter, just as long as you are keeping that creative side of you full."
Go to workshop 4 to learn more
Joseph Bruchac
"I consider myself a person who has learned from and continues to learn from tradition. The best part of my writing is the storytelling, which means I can't take much credit for it because stories always know more than the storyteller does."
Go to workshop 8 to learn more
Photo: Horst
Barbara Chase-Riboud
"In this one monument I can pull in all the strings of my life and make one monument to the idea that there is an interaction between literature and poetry and sculpture."
Go to workshop 6 to learn more
Christopher Paul Curtis
"Our story has been defined by other people for so long... If everything were equal, it would be fine, but everything is not equal, and authentic stories by African American writers, by Native American writers, by Hispanic writers need to be told by those groups."
Go to workshop 5 to learn more
Edwidge Danticat
"I come from a very rich, strong, proud, and varied culture. There are so many aspects to Haitian culture that one person could not ever represent them all, and humbly and respectfully, I don't believe that this task is mine. I'm a weaver of tales. I tell stories."
Go to workshop 4 to learn more
Nikki Grimes
"I wanted to bring into the story characters you don't often see, because I'm always looking for opportunities to give voice to some segment of our culture that you don't often -- or maybe never -- hear from."
Go to workshop 2 to learn more
Joyce Hansen
"I have also been inspired by my students' creativity -- the way they twist, bend, enliven, deconstruct, and sometimes even destroy language. Their loves, hates, fears, feelings, and needs filter into my writing."
Go to workshop 6 to learn more
Langston Hughes
"A poet is a human being. Each human being must live within his time, with and for his people, and within the boundaries of his country."
Go to workshop 6 to learn more
Photo by: J.D. Sloan
Gish Jen
"I wanted to challenge ideas of what a 'typical American' looks like, to put forward the idea that the Changs are not any less American than anyone else... They ask themselves who they are, who they're becoming. And therefore, they are American."
Go to workshop 1 to learn more
Francisco Jiménez
"Though the migrant experience may not be everyone's experience, it is definitely part of the American experience... For the most part, these individuals have been invisible, and so I wanted to make sure that their voices would be heard."
Go to workshop 8 to learn more
Tina Lee
"Most folks stick to what and whom they know, and reading is one way to go to places and people we don't normally hang out with. Literature, like any art, has the potential to impact our behavior and how we treat each other."
Go to workshop 1 to learn more
Khoi Luu
"All of us, whether we are conscious of it or not, have come to embrace a heterogeneous cultural identity, and this hybridization distances us from the strict polarities of 'Vietnamese' and 'American' culture."
Go to workshop 1 to learn more
James McBride
"Essentially, I'm a storyteller, and I make my living by telling stories, be they music or nonfiction or fiction."
Go to workshop 1 to learn more
Christopher Moore
"Now it is an important statistic that from 1492 to 1776 there were 6.5 million non-native American people who came to the Americas. Of that 6.5 million, 5.5 million were Africans... That's a big part of the story to be left out."
Go to workshop 6 to learn more
Pam Muñoz Ryan
"I spend a lot of time thinking, remembering, daydreaming, imagining, pretending, and saying, 'What if?' ... I pursue the ideas that keep coming back to me; I ask myself, if I had only a few weeks to live, what would I write next? Then I write about that."
Go to workshop 4 to learn more
Photo by: Constance Myers
Walter Dean Myers
"The books come. They pour from me at a great rate. I can't see how any writer can ever stop. There is always one more story to tell, one more person whose life needs to be held up to the sun."
Go to workshop 4 to learn more
Photo by: Mike Bennett, Liberty Studios
Lensey Namioka
"While my books contain messages -- the need for understanding and tolerance -- I also try to make them as entertaining as possible."
Go to workshop 1 to learn more
Naomi Shihab Nye
"Those people unlike us: how to have empathy with them, for them? Those lives seemingly unlike our own: how are we connected, ultimately? We all sleep, eat, have dreams and loves and hopes and sorrows. I want writing to be connected to all of this."
Go to workshop 1 to learn more
Judith Ortiz Cofer
"I feel that there is this invisible umbilical cord connecting us and in my case, it became a literary umbilical cord. I feel that the life of my imagination began with the women of my family."
Go to workshop 2 to learn more
Shirley Sterling
"And we had everything taken away from us, including our language and customs and subsistence activities, by being sent to the residential school. But one thing you cannot stop is the storytelling."
Go to workshop 3 to learn more
Laura Tohe
"To write is powerful, even dangerous... Writing is a way for me to claim my voice, my heritage, my stories, my culture, my people, and my history."
Go to workshop 3 to learn more
Paul Yee
"I'll always be on the margins of formal Chinese culture. But I'm proud of where I come from: it's between two worlds, and although there are a lot of compromises to make, the margins of two cultures is a very interesting place to be."
Go to workshop 7 to learn more
Laurence Yep
"When I began writing science fiction, I never really thought about what I was doing... All my heroes were either alienated narrators or they were first-person narratives by aliens themselves. I was really developing an emotional vocabulary for myself as a Chinese American."
Go to workshop 4 to learn more
© Annenberg Foundation 2017. All rights reserved. Legal Policy


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The company said it had launched an investigation into the causes of the failure. Cameras are being sent in remotely to investigate the cause, but the project is not expected to be back online this week.
Lillgrund is located in Öresund, the strait between Denmark and Sweden. It is Sweden's largest offshore wind farm and came online in December 2007. It comprises 48 Siemens SWT-2.3-93 turbines.
In a Vattenfall document detailing the installation work, the company said it had problems deploying the cables, especially the export cable.
Linking offshore wind farms to the shore is one of the biggest challenges to the sector. There is already a high number of claims resulting from damaged subsea cables.
Past examples of issues include insufficient protection against the current or poorly implemented erosion protection damaging the cables.


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Wira Hotel
Wira Hotel Kuala Lumpur is an excellent choice for business, leisure travelers and those interested in spending a bit less without compromising the quality one might expect in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
This hotel in Kuala Lumpur is strategically located near Malaysia's prime exhibition and convention venue; Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC). Opposite PWTC is the Sunway Putra Mall, a mega shopping complex.
The Light Rail Transit is approximately 3 minutes walk from the hotel and just a stone throw-away from Commuter Train and the Monorail which provides services to all parts of Kuala Lumpur.
All rooms in Wira Hotel Kuala Lumpur feature keycard locked system for added security. This Kuala Lumpur hotel offers complimentary Buffet Breakfast at the Coffee Shop, Free WiFi internet connection throughout the hotel, In-room snacks, coffee/tea making facilities, and a basement car-park.
Wira Hotel Kuala Lumpur features two function rooms for private meeting and seminars.


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Analyst: Blogs now considered mainstream media
According to a recent Technorati study, blogs have become mainstream:
So says Paul Verna, senior analyst at eMarketer, citing a study by Decipher, done for Technorati:
"Blogs are now mainstream media," said Richard Jalichandra, CEO of Technorati, in an interview with eMarketer. "We've certainly seen that with the number of professional, semiprofessional and passion/enthusiast bloggers who are creating real media experiences. At the same time, you're also seeing mainstream media come the other direction to add blog content."Two thoughts in response: Writers and publishers increasingly must add blogging to their mix.
comScore Media Metrix found that blogs had 77 million unique visitors in the US in August 2008, compared with 75.1 million unique visitors to MySpace and 41 million to Facebook. In July 2008, comScore's ranking of the top 10 entertainment Websites included four blogs. Two of those, OMG and TMZ, were rated Nos. 1 and 2, respectively.
Second, we must watch closely Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission's recent efforts to start "regulating" content on the Internet. It's a job they'd like, but not one that anyone needs them to do.
Remember, the original reason for regulation was the limited bandwidth. That just does not apply to the Internet.


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I have to tell you I am incredibly impressed with an open source project called Piwik. It's a snap to setup if you are comfortable with a linux prompt, and if you aren't there are 20 tutorials online to show you how to do it step by step. It works like Google Analytics except you host it, which is a lot better because there won't be any connectivity issues that could cause reporting discrepencies. The installation steps are really easy they go like this (summarized):
- Go to your linux root prompt and type wget http://www.piwik.org/latest.zip
- unzip it into your web directly like /var/www/piwik
- make a sub domain like piwik.yourwebsite.com on your DNS server and configure it your apache /apache2/sites-available directory and setup a symbolic link in your /apache2/sites-enabled directory
- chown www-data.www-data /var/www/piwik -R (or whatever you named your dir)
- restart apache (/etc/init.d/apache2 restart)
- mysql -p and put in your password, then type create database piwik; (or whatever name you want)
- open up your web browser and go to piwik.yoursitename.com and follow the prompts.
- It may tell you a few of your files need to have permissions changed, change them they will tell you how.
- Fill in the database form with your database credentials, the name of the database you made for it and hit next.
- It will ask you what website url you want to monitor (you can add more later, it is just setting up the first one for you).
- After you give it the url it will give you some javascript code. put that code in your website footer or header, if you are using wordpress there are several plugins for piwik, just go to the API button in the admin and get your api key and it will insert the code for you.
- wait a few hours and start looking at your stats.
The stats are comprehensive, ajax sexy (you can move the stuff that is important in groups that make sense for you). I can't say enough and the best part is it is free. This took me 10 minutes to setup without reading the manual. Anyone can do this.


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Wedding Wrecks
Pay very close attention to these cake pairs, now; I wouldn't want you to get the Wreck mixed up with the Inspiration Cake. [eye roll]
First up:
Elodie M. asked her baker to do this, only with far fewer rose petals. The baker obliged by providing this:
Ah, nothing symbolizes the beginning of a new life with the one you love quite like shriveled old rose petals. On the plus side, at least they distract the eye away from the poor cake construction. The weird grass sprigs sprouting haphazardly from the side and top help in that arena, too.
Next, Claire G. discovered the hard way how important "pipemanship" (as opposed to penmanship) is.
What she wanted:
Such delicacy, such grace...
By the by, I don't monogram much, but I think the middle initial is supposed to be larger than the other two. I also think that if "msk" were a word, it would accurately describe the leveling job done on the leaning wonder here.
And lastly, Hannah W. asked for this, only with square tiers instead of round:
She even brought in the brown ribbon and fresh blue hydrangeas for the bakery to use. Pretty simple, right? Just make some white square tiers. But you know how some bakeries are, always complicating things...
Let's see. Misshapen layers, lumpy icing, no ribbon, electric teal icing "flowers"... What seems to be the problem, Hannah?


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