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Two-thirds of our Triple Take crew will be calling the Wesley-Ithaca game on Saturday.
Wesley athletics photo
Half the field is now gone after an exciting Round 1 of the playoffs. Teams that had Cinderella seasons – Gallaudet and John Carroll among them – and other squads will now have to watch the remaining four weeks of Division III football away from the sidelines.
All four of the top seeds survived the first round, and three of the four seeds that were likely the No. 2 seeds also advanced.
This week, Pat, Keith and Ryan again give you the game-by-game score predictions.These postseason Triple Take predictions are not intended to be lines on the games, but rather a broad test of expectations vs. outcome.
For more info on the 32-team race to Salem, including the brackets, info on each team and feature stories, check our playoffs home page.
We invite you to leave your own score predictions in the comments below, or reach out to us on Twitter.
Ryan's take: Mount Union 41, Wittenberg 34
Keith's take: Mount Union 30, Wittenberg 20
Pat's take: Mount Union 42, Wittenberg 24
Consensus: Mount Union, perhaps a close game.
Ryan's take: Wesley 35, Ithaca 17
Keith's take: Wesley 24, Ithaca 16
Pat's take: Wesley 35, Ithaca 10
Consensus: Wesley, perhaps comfortably.
Ryan's take: Bethel 34, Wartburg 14
Keith's take: Bethel 24, Wartburg 17
Pat's take: Bethel 45, Wartburg 17
Consensus: Bethel, comfortably.
Ryan's take: North Central 28, UW-Platteville 24
Keith's take: North Central 35, UW-Platteville 33
Pat's take: North Central 35, UW-Platteville 30
Consensus: North Central in a tight game. Although none of us picked Platteville to win, since everyone thinks it will be a one-score game or less, nobody is ruling Platteville out.
Ryan's take: UW-Whitewater 31, Franklin 21
Keith's take: UW-Whitewater 28, Franklin 14
Pat's take: UW-Whitewater 31, Franklin 17
Consensus: UW-Whitewater.
Ryan's take: Linfield 49, Hampden-Sydney 20
Keith's take: Linfield 51, Hampden-Sydney 21
Pat's take: Linfield 49, Hampden-Sydney 14
Consensus: Linfield, comfortably.
Ryan's take: Mary Hardin-Baylor 45, Rowan 13
Keith's take: Mary Hardin-Baylor 28, Rowan 0
Pat's take: Mary Hardin-Baylor 51, Rowan 9
Consensus: UMHB, comfortably.
Ryan's take: St. John Fisher 27, Hobart 24
Keith's take: St. John Fisher 21, Hobart 16
Pat's take: St. John Fisher 31, Hobart 28
Consensus: St. John Fisher in a tight game. Similar to the North Central/Platteville game, this low margin suggests nobody is ruling Hobart out.
Feel free to add your score predictions for all of the games below!


text:
Previous media releases
UBS Swiss Real Estate Bubble Index increases in the third quarter 2011
The UBS Swiss Real Estate Bubble Index stands at 0.58 in the third quarter of 2011, which indicates a continuing boom on the real estate market. The MS-regions of Morges and Oberengadin have been newly added to the risk regions, and the regions of Unteres Baselbiet and Saanen-Obersimmental are now counted among the monitoring regions.
The quarterly UBS Swiss Real Estate Bubble Index currently stands at a level of 0.58. This represents an increase of 0.13 index points compared to the prior quarter.
Tracking current values, the UBS Swiss Real Estate Bubble Index utilizes the following risk-based level system: slump, balance, boom, risk and bubble. A value of 0.58 corresponds to the boom level and implies no elevated risk of a Switzerland-wide correction. Only when the index surpasses a value of 1 is the market considered risky. The index reached its peak in the early 1990s at a level of 2.5 at the height of the last Swiss real estate bubble.
Four of the six sub-indices rose in the third quarter of 2011. Strikingly, loan applications for real estate purchased for leasing increased further despite being at a high level already. Neither is any trend reversal in sight for household mortgage debt. The relatively small increase in nominal house prices has had a cooling effect on the market.
In parallel with the UBS Swiss Real Estate Bubble Index, UBS Switzerland also publishes a regional risk map showing risk and potential risk regions (known as monitoring regions). These are defined as regions that represent a substantial risk to the Swiss real estate market due to their potential for a correction in regional home prices. The selection of risk regions is directly linked to the UBS Swiss Real Estate Bubble Index.
The Oberengadin and Morges regions are now counted among the risk regions. The Zurich, Geneva and Lausanne regions remain Switzerland's most risky as a result of their national importance. Other regions still considered risky include the large metropolitan areas of Zug, Pfannenstiel, March, Vevey, Nyon and Zimmerberg, as well as the tourist region of Davos. Limmattal is still one of the monitoring regions, and the Unteres Baselbiet and Saanen-Obersimmental regions have been newly added to this group.
UBS Swiss Real Estate Bubble Index
Regional risk map
The UBS Swiss Real Estate Bubble Index comprises six sub-indices that track: the relationship between purchase and rental prices, the relationship between house prices and household income, the development of house prices relative to inflation, the relationship between mortgage debt and income, the relationship between construction and gross domestic product (GDP) and the proportion of credit applications for residential property not intended for owner occupancy by UBS clients.
Our selection of risk regions is tied to the level of the UBS Swiss Real Estate Bubble Index and is based on a multi-level selection process utilizing regional population and property price data.
Dr. Daniel Kalt, Chief Economist Switzerland
Tel. +41 44 234 25 60
Claudio Saputelli, Head of WM Real Estate & Swiss Regional Research
Tel. +41 44 234 39 08
Dr. Matthias Holzhey, Economist WM Real Estate & Swiss Regional Research
Tel. +41 44 234 71 25
The next date of publication for the UBS Swiss Real Estate Bubble Index is 3 February, 2012.
UBS Swiss Real Estate Bubble Index

subset: commoncrawl


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Sarasaurus92 on Family Tree Circles
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Hancock Family from Sheffield, England
I am struggling to make progress on my family tree because I don't know anything other than my grandfather George Hancock, and his mother's name was Lily Ball. According to Ancestry.com, the man she married was Cornelius Hancock, but I can't find any other record of him. If anyone could help, I would be grateful. Thank you. x
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text: Dr. Rick Johnston is a sanitary engineer with over 15 years of experience in water quality in developing countries. He has a Master's Degree in Environmental Science and Engineering from the Johns Hopkins University, and a PhD in Environmental Science and Engineering from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, He has worked on drinking water quality issues in Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Burkina Faso. After spending five years in Bangladesh with UNICEF focusing on arsenic contamination of drinking water, he joined Sandec as Leader of the Water Supply and Treatment Group. At Sandec he worked on water quality monitoring in developing countries, and development of a novel household filter, based on gravity driven ultrafiltration membranes. Since working on the HWTS MOOC, he has taken a new position with the World Health Organization, as part of the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme, responsible for monitoring of global access to drinking water and sanitation.


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This chapter discusses the following topics:
The broker enables you to logically define a Data Guard configuration, consisting of a primary database and one or more standby databases. With the broker, you define a broker configuration that is a logical grouping of the databases, including redo transport services and log apply services. At the DBA's discretion, the broker controls the logical objects in the configuration, modifies their behavior at runtime, monitors the overall health of the configuration, and reports any health and other operational characteristics up through the Oracle Enterprise Management notification mechanisms if you are using Oracle Enterprise Manager, or through
SHOW commands if you are using DGMGRL.
The broker supports Data Guard configurations consisting of a primary database, and up to thirty standby databases that are either local to, or, remote from, the primary database. Any of those databases can be an Oracle Real Application Clusters (Oracle RAC) database.
A supported Data Guard configuration contains the following components:
From one to thirty physical, snapshot, or logical (Oracle RAC or non-Oracle RAC) standby databases
Physical systems that host the primary and standby databases
Oracle Net Services network configuration that defines a connection between the databases
Standby (archived redo log files) destination parameters and configuration properties
Redo transport services that transmit the redo data from the primary database to the standby databases
Log apply services that apply redo data to the standby databases from the archived redo log files or standby redo log files
The Data Guard log apply services update standby databases with redo data that is transmitted automatically from the primary database by redo transport services. The archived redo log files and standby redo log files contain all of the database changes except for unrecoverable or unlogged changes. On physical standby databases, Redo Apply applies the redo data to keep the standby consistent with the primary database. On logical standby databases, SQL Apply applies the redo data to keep the standby consistent with the primary database. On snapshot standby databases, the redo data is received but not applied until the snapshot standby database is converted back to a physical standby database.
The broker's Data Guard monitor (DMON) process configures and maintains the broker configuration as a group of objects that you can manage and monitor as a single unit. Thus, when you enter a command that affects multiple databases, the DMON process:
Carries out your request on the primary database
Coordinates with the DMON process for each of the other databases, as required for your request
Updates the configuration file on the local system
Communicates with the DMON process for each of the other databases to update their copies of the configuration file
Through the DMON process, you can configure, monitor, and control the databases and the configuration together as a unit. If you disable the configuration, broker management of all of the databases in the configuration is also disabled. If you later enable the configuration, broker management is enabled for each database in the configuration.
Figure 3-1 shows a broker configuration with a primary database and physical standby database.
On the primary database, the figure shows the redo transport services in addition to the following main components: the primary database, DMON, the online redo log files, and the archived redo log files. The figure also shows standby redo log files in outline form on the primary side; the standby redo logs are outlined to indicate they are currently inactive but have been configured in preparation for a switchover to the standby role.The physical standby database includes the following components: a standby database, log apply services, DMON, archived redo log files, and standby redo log files. The online redo log files on the physical standby database are outlined to indicate they are currently inactive but have been configured in preparation for a switchover to the primary role.
See Also:Oracle Data Guard Concepts and Administration for more information about physical, snapshot, and logical standby databases
Figure 3-1 Oracle Data Guard Broker Configuration
Two copies of the configuration file are maintained for each database so as to always have a record of the last known valid state of the configuration. When the broker is started for the first time, the configuration files are automatically created and named using a default path name and filename that is operating-system specific. You can override this default path name and filename by setting the following initialization parameters for that database:
Note the following restrictions when setting the
DG_BROKER_CONFIG_FILE1 and
DG_BROKER_CONFIG_FILE2 initialization parameters:
These parameters can only be set or changed when the Data Guard broker is not running (
These parameters must specify a raw device, Oracle ASM file, or cluster file system file that is shared for all Oracle RAC instances.
The Data Guard Broker works with databases that use either Oracle managed or user managed datafiles. These datafiles can reside on raw devices, a file system or an Oracle ASM disk group. The following section contains these topics:
Managing Broker Configuration Files in an Oracle RAC Environment
You can change the configuration filenames dynamically by issuing the
ALTER SYSTEM SQL statement. However, you cannot alter these parameters when the broker's DMON process is running. To change the names of these configuration files for a given database, perform the following steps:
Disable the broker configuration using the DGMGRL
DISABLE command. See Section 3.5.
Stop the Data Guard broker DMON process using the following SQL statement:
Change the configuration filenames for the database:
SQL> ALTER SYSTEM SET DG_BROKER_CONFIG_FILE1=filespec1; SQL> ALTER SYSTEM SET DG_BROKER_CONFIG_FILE2=filespec2;
Note:If the broker is managing an Oracle RAC database, the value of
DG_BROKER_CONFIG_FILE1 and the value of
DG_BROKER_CONFIG_FILE2 for each of the instances must point to the same set of physical files.
The method of moving the files depends upon where they currently reside and where you want to move them to:
If the files reside on an operating file system, use operating system commands to move the files to their new location.
If the files reside on raw devices, manually transfer the files to their new location.
If the old or new location is an Oracle ASM disk group, use the
DBMS_FILE_TRANSFER.COPY_FILE function to transfer the files to their new location.
Restart the Data Guard broker DMON process, as follows:
Enable the broker configuration using the DGMGRL
ENABLE command or the Enable operation in the Data Guard management pages of the Enterprise Manager.
Note:As of Release 11.2, the files can reside on disks having any supported sector size (physical block size) up to and including 4KB sectors. Configuration files that were generated by a release prior to 11.2 are restricted to reside only on disks having the same sector size as was used at the time the files were first created. These files must first be upgraded to Release 11.2 before they can be moved to a location having a different sector size, or are otherwise expected to reside across a mixture of sector sizes in a given broker configuration. See Section B.2 for more information.
If the broker is managing an Oracle RAC database, the value of
DG_BROKER_CONFIG_FILE1 and the value of
DG_BROKER_CONFIG_FILE2 for each of the instances must point to the same set of physical files. In other words, all instances of the database must reference the same set of configuration files. The configuration files can be deployed using one of the following methods:
If cluster file system (CFS) is available, and the configuration files reside there, the
DG_BROKER_CONFIG_FILEn parameters on all of the instances must be set to these files including the path to the CFS area. Figure 3-2 shows the set up for the broker configuration files on CFS. In this scenario, the parameters and value for all instances would be:
DG_BROKER_CONFIG_FILE1=$ORACLE_BASE/admin/db_unique_name/dr1db_unique_name.dat DG_BROKER_CONFIG_FILE2=$ORACLE_BASE/admin/db_unique_name/dr2db_unique_name.dat
Figure 3-2 Broker Configuration Setup in a CFS Area
The broker's configuration files can also reside on an Oracle ASM disk group. Figure 3-3 shows the setup for the broker configuration files on Oracle ASM devices. In this scenario, the parameters and values would be specified, as follows:
Figure 3-3 Broker Configuration Setup with Oracle ASM
Because the configuration files must be explicitly named by the user, these configuration files are not Oracle Managed Files (OMF).To create the broker's configuration files on an Oracle ASM disk group, set the
DG_BROKER_CONFIG_FILE1 and
DG_BROKER_CONFIG_FILE2 initialization parameters to a string value that includes the name of an existing Oracle ASM disk group, an existing directory in that disk group, and the name of the configuration file itself.
If CFS is not available and you are not using Oracle ASM, the files must be on raw devices. In this case, the parameter values on each of the instances must point to the raw devices. Figure 3-4 shows the set up for the broker configuration files on raw devices. On a UNIX system, you would set this up similar to the following on each node:
% ln -s /dev/rdsk/c1t2d3s5 dr1inst1.dat % ln -s /dev/rdsk/c1t2d3s6 dr2inst2.dat
Figure 3-4 Broker Configuration Setup with Raw Devices
If the broker configuration files need to be on raw devices, set up two additional raw devices of 1MB each. Set up the value of the
DG_BROKER_CONFIG_FILE1 and
DG_BROKER_CONFIG_FILE2 parameters to point to the raw devices. A 1MB configuration file will accommodate 10 databases with a total of 45 instances between them.
You may need a larger device if the number of instances for this configuration exceeds 45 instances. You will need 15KB for each additional instance.
After setting up the configuration files, the
DG_BROKER_START initialization parameter must be set to
TRUE for each database to start the DMON processes.
By default, the
DG_BROKER_START initialization parameter is set to
FALSE. However, you can set the value in the following ways:
If you are using Oracle Enterprise Manager, it automatically sets the
DG_BROKER_START initialization parameter to
TRUE for new standby databases that it creates.
If you are using DGMGRL, you must explicitly set the
DG_BROKER_START initialization parameter to
TRUE; otherwise, the broker will not start. You can set the
DG_BROKER_START initialization parameter with the following SQL statement:
SQL> ALTER SYSTEM SET DG_BROKER_START=TRUE; System altered. SQL> SHOW PARAMETER DG_BROKER_START NAME TYPE VALUE ------------------------------------ dg_broker_start boolean TRUE
Whether you use Enterprise Manager or DGMGRL, set the value of the
DG_BROKER_START initialization parameter to TRUE in the server parameter file on each primary and standby database. Doing so ensures that Data Guard Broker will start automatically the next time you start any instance of the database.
The broker helps you to create a new configuration or manage an existing configuration. Figure 3-5 shows the life cycle of a broker configuration.
Figure 3-5 Life Cycle of a Broker Configuration and Its Databases
Create the Broker Configuration
When using Enterprise Manager, the Add Standby Database wizard can either add an existing (Oracle RAC or non-Oracle RAC) standby database into the configuration or create a new (Oracle RAC or non-Oracle RAC) standby database and add it to the configuration. The standby database can be a physical, logical, or snapshot database.
When using DGMGRL, the primary database and a standby database must already exist. You construct the standby database from backups of the primary database control files and datafiles, and then prepare it for recovery.
Enable the Broker Configuration
A Data Guard configuration must be enabled to be managed or monitored by the broker. Conversely, you disable a configuration if you no longer want to manage it with the broker. When you disable a configuration, broker management of all of its databases is also disabled.
Note:You can enable or disable the configuration using DGMGRL. You cannot disable the configuration using Enterprise Manager. You can enable the configuration using Enterprise Manager in the event that it was previously disabled using DGMGRL.
A broker configuration, when first created using Enterprise Manager, is automatically enabled as soon as the Add Standby Database wizard completes.
A broker configuration, when first created using DGMGRL, is in a disabled condition. This means its constituent databases are not yet under active control of the broker. When you finish configuring the databases into a broker configuration with DGMGRL, you must enable the configuration to allow the broker to manage the configuration.
You can enable:
The entire configuration, including all of its databases
An individual standby database
You can easily disable a database if a problem occurs such that it cannot function properly in a broker configuration. Note that you cannot disable the primary database. You must disable the entire configuration to disable the primary database.
You may also want to disable a configuration temporarily, and then change some properties in the broker configuration without affecting the actual database properties. The changed properties will take effect when the configuration is enabled again for management by the broker.
Make Role Changes Within the Broker Configuration, As Needed
At any time, you can issue a single command to change the roles of the databases in the configuration. If some event renders the primary database unusable, you can fail over one of the standby databases to become the new primary database.
If Flashback Database was enabled, then after failover has completed, you can reinstate the former primary database as a standby database for the new primary database.
In addition, planned downtime for maintenance can be reduced because you can quickly switch over production processing from the current primary database to a standby database, and then switch back again after the planned maintenance.
See Also:Chapter 5 for more information about role changes
Convert to Snapshot Standby Database
At any time, you can issue a single command to convert a physical standby database to a snapshot standby database. The snapshot standby database is a fully updatable database that receives redo data generated from the primary database, but does not apply it.
Once you are done using the snapshot standby database, you can again issue a single command to convert it to a physical standby database. After the conversion to a physical standby has completed, Redo Apply services will start (assuming the state is
APPLY-ON) and apply all of the accumulated redo data.
Make State Changes to the Databases, As Needed
When you enable a configuration for the first time, the broker, by default, starts redo transport services on the primary and starts log apply services on the standby (except for a snapshot standby).
At any time, you can issue a single command through Enterprise Manager or DGMGRL to change the state of the database. For example, you could bring the primary database into a
TRANSPORT-OFF state to temporarily stop sending redo data to the standby databases. Then, you could issue another command to resume sending redo data to the standby databases.
See Also:Chapter 4 for more information about database state changes
Update Database Properties, As Needed
The broker enables you to set database properties, some of which correspond to database initialization parameters. You can change these properties to dynamically control such things as redo transport, standby file management, log apply, and to support the overall configuration protection mode. The broker records the changes in the broker configuration file for each database in the Data Guard configuration and propagates the changes to the related initialization parameters in the server parameter files, if needed.
Set Data Protection Modes, As Needed
The broker enables you to set the data protection mode for the configuration. You can configure the protection mode to maximize data protection, maximize availability, or maximize performance.
See Also:Section 4.6 for information about managing data protection modes
You can check the health of the configuration, display and update the properties of the databases, and set Oracle Enterprise Manager events.
Enterprise Manager also provides a dynamic performance page that automatically and dynamically refreshes chart data and status at specified intervals. The performance chart shows a graphical summary of how far behind and how much redo data is being generated and applied.
A key concept of management with the broker is the notion of enabling and disabling broker management of the databases in a broker configuration. The enable and disable operations are defined for databases that were incorporated into a broker configuration; you cannot perform these broker operations on databases that are not part of the broker configuration. This is because when you enable or disable a database in the broker configuration, you are effectively enabling or disabling the ability of the broker to:
Manage and monitor the specified database
Manage the profile information in the broker configuration file for each database
However, disabling a broker configuration does not affect current services and operations in the actual Data Guard configuration. For example, when you disable a broker configuration, redo transport services and log apply services in the Data Guard configuration continue to function unchanged, but you can no longer manage them through the broker interfaces.
In addition, disabling a database does not remove or delete its profile from the broker configuration file. You can still change the properties of a disabled database and later reenable your ability to manage with the broker using the DGMGRL
ENABLE CONFIGURATION or
ENABLE DATABASE commands, or the Enable option in the Data Guard management pages of Enterprise Manager.
Caution:If you disable broker management of a standby database in the broker configuration, that standby database cannot be used by the broker as a failover target in the event of loss of the primary database.
Disabling broker management of the configuration may be useful to do even though you are removing the broker's ability to monitor and control the databases. For example, it may be advantageous to disable a configuration temporarily in order to change one or more properties in the broker configuration all at the same time. When you change properties in a disabled configuration, it does not affect the actual database properties underneath because the changes are not applied to the running database until you reenable the configuration. For example, you might want to change the overall configuration protection mode and the redo transport services properties on a disabled configuration so that all changes are applied to the configuration at the same time upon the next enable operation.
A configuration status reveals the overall health of the configuration. Status of the configuration is acquired from the status of all of its databases.
The following list describes the possible status modes for a configuration:
The configuration, including all of the databases configured in it, is operating as specified by the user without any warnings or errors.
One or more of the databases in the configuration are not operating as specified by the user. To obtain more information, use the DGMGRL
SHOW DATABASE <db-unique-name> command or the Enterprise Manager display to locate each database and examine its status to reveal the source of the problem.
One or more of the databases in the configuration failed or may no longer be operating as specified by the user. To obtain more information, use the DGMGRL
SHOW DATABASE <db-unique-name> command or the Enterprise Manager display to locate each database and examine its status to reveal the source of the problem.
Broker management of the configuration is disabled and the broker is not monitoring the status of the databases in the configuration.


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The Integrated Reasoning site from GMAC is getting a face lift and some new functionality. So of course we here at Bell Curves couldn't wait to start playing around with it! (We love test prep with a passion. Don't hate!) Read on to see all of the options on the new site.
Site Design
The site looks really clean and intuitive. Right away you see it is split into three sections: Practice, Review, and Evaluate. However, there is a fourth piece to the site that you might easily miss. Do you see that little help sign up at the top right corner? CLICK IT! It has a bunch of information that could help you with integrated reasoning test prep. It is easy to miss the useful information hidden behind that innocuous little word "Help."
The Practice mode pulls from a question bank of 48 questions. You are able to create practice sets from this question bank based on the type of question, difficulty level, and number of questions you want to answer. There are 12 easy difficulty questions, 19 medium, and 17 hard. Once you have created the parameters for the set, you choose if you wish to take the set questions in order of difficulty from easy to hard or in a random order. The final option for your practice set is whether to take it in exam mode or study mode. The only difference between the two is in study mode you see answer explanations immediately after each question. Exam mode requires you to first complete the set before you can review and see explanations.
This section is split into four subsections. You can try to answer incorrect questions again, review the answer explanations for questions you got incorrect, look at any questions you may have bookmarked for future review, and review entire sessions you took previously. The first three sections are straightforward, but the session review is where things get different from the standard question review. Sessions are scored on a scale of 10-100, the higher the better. This score is based on a combination of difficulty level, number correct, and the time taken to answer. Sadly, there isn't a way to get a feel for what this session score means in terms of an actual IR score. If you wish to save a copy, you can also download this information to your computer.
The new site is easy to use, and is a great tool for working on integrated reasoning. The variety of ways to review and analyze your results should lead to better targeted preparation. While it would be nice to get some more practice that results in a 1-8 score, this tool is great to use to improve your skills. You can always check your 1-8 score on the GMAT Prep practice exam. At a cost of $19.95 (at the time of this review), it's a little pricy relative to the number of questions you have access to, but it's a great resource nonetheless.
Good luck preparing for the GMAT and if you have feedback on any aspect of the IR Prep Tool we invite you to share you experience with us.


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A 61-year-old man was arrested after he brought his laptop to a Best Buy and a technician found "very disturbing" sexually explicit photographs of young girls on the computer, authorities said.
Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said Wednesday that the Queens man brought the computer to the Best Buy in Long Island City on March 26, and a technician began working on it April 1.
When the tech booted up the computer, he saw a slideshow of young girls in sexual poses and engaging in sex acts with adult men, the DA said.
U.S. & World
Stories that affect your life across the U.S. and around the world.
Brown said detectives went to the man's home and he admitted he had been exchanging child pornography for about five years.
He is charged with 15 counts of possession of a sexual performance by a child.


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Bachelors Degree Computer Systems
Why Major in Computer Systems?
Advancements in digital technologies such as computers, network communications, high-speed control, smart devices, and software create a constant demand for skilled professionals. The Computer Systems (CNS) graduate is prepared to take leadership roles in the application, development, and management of these technologies. Exceptional technical understanding provided by this program enables graduates to meet the challenges of an ever-evolving digital world.
Computer Systems is a dynamic Bachelor of Science program targeted to these exciting digital careers. Its strong technical emphasis meets employer's needs and allows Computer Systems graduates an excellent foundation to enter multiple high-paying career paths. This unique curriculum balances theory with extensive hands-on experience.
Computer Systems College Graduates Get Great Jobs
Networking is emphasized throughout. Computer Systems students gain extensive knowledge and experience designing, constructing, analyzing, and securing networks. Topics in electronics, microprocessors, network/computer hardware, operating systems, signaling, and software are presented throughout the program. To insure that graduates are optimally prepared, courses extend into the most current and specialized technologies. Computer Systems also offers opportunities to gain valuable experience through summer internship and senior projects.
Since Computer Systems is a Cisco Networking Academy member, advanced placement is available for students in the Cisco Networking Academy or who have Cisco Certified Network Associate Certification (CCNA Certification). The CCNA Certification is achieved by completing the Cisco Networking Academy courses.
Computer Systems Bachelor's Degree
Admission Requirements
Admission to the College of Engineering Technology is open to high school graduates who demonstrate academic preparedness, maturity and seriousness of purpose with backgrounds appropriate to their chosen program of studies.
Students entering the Computer Systems program must have a high school diploma or equivalent, two years of mathematics (including algebra and trigonometry) and a minimum ACT math sub score of 19. A laboratory science, preferably physics, and fundamental knowledge of personal computers are strongly recommended.
College Degree Computer Systems
Graduation Requirements
The Computer Systems program at Ferris leads to a bachelor of science degree. Graduation requires a minimum 2.0 GPA in core classes, in the major and overall. Students must complete all general education requirements as outlined on the General Education website.
If you would like more information on College Computer Systems Bachelor Degree Programs at Ferris State University call (231) 591-2000.
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The group presentation, by one of our admissions recruiters, includes information on academic offerings, scholarships, housing, student life, and costs. A question and answer period follows the presentation and includes a few surprises! Lunch is provided at one of our well known dining facilities on campus. After lunch, guests may take part in a walking tour of campus led by one of our exceptional student guides. The walking tour takes approximately 1 hour.
If you would like more information on Computer Systems Degree or would like to talk with or visit our campus in Big Rapids, Michigan contact us.
To Learn More About Ferris State University click here for the Mission Statement.


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Prague Community Hospital provides inpatient medical care for a variety of medical conditions to keep you or your loved one close to home for quality medical and personalized nursing care.
You or your family are able to visit the loved one more often and at times more convenient to you. Wasted hours of driving can be saved - hours that could be spent with the patient.


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ROCKFORD — JoAnn Woods uses a distraction technique to covertly administer vaccines to nervous children at the Winnebago County Health Department.
She asks them about school, their favorite subjects, anything so they stop thinking about the needle. Woods tells children that a shot feels like a mosquito bite.
"There are some kids who laugh at it," Woods said, giving off a high-pitched giggle as an example. "There are some kids who say 'Oh, man, I can't believe it felt like that.' They're really anxious when they get in here, and once they get it, they realize that wasn't bad at all.
"We keep it happy. It's a happy time, a friendly time. Here are your shots. We're so glad you're here. Have a bracelet, have some candy, some type of incentive so the kid says 'Oh, I'm glad I went there.' And sometimes the incentives remind the parent to come back for that second dose. ... The fear is what hurts the worst."
Woods, a registered nurse, has worked at the health department for 2½ years. She administers vaccines to children up to age 18, and the appointments fill up fast as kids prepare to return to school each summer.
It helps to remind kids coming in for shots that their fellow students at school — even kids they like and maybe don't like — are getting them, too.
"Sometimes that's a little comforting for them to know that they're not the only ones getting shots," said Woods, 38.
Vaccines and booster shots are required most for children entering pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, and sixth and ninth grades. The shots help protect against a range of diseases, from measles and mumps to chicken pox.
Babies are also frequent fliers at vaccine appointments, as it's important to build up their immunity from birth to 15 months of age.
Woods works closely with Sandra Mendoza, a licensed practical nurse who has been at the health department for 18 years. Mendoza, 52, said she likes working with children being immunized in part because she gets to see kids and families during return appointments.
"We get babies at 2 months of age, so we get them again at 4, 6, 12 and 15 months, so you see them grow up," Mendoza said. "Mothers are often nervous at first, but the next time, they're more comfortable. You get to see the kids start walking, and you remember them."
She and Mendoza agreed that the anxiety leading up to the appointment is typically the worst part of the experience.
There are flinches and winces, tears and squeals. Woods and Mendoza stayed mum about some of their worst experiences — to protect the innocent, of course.
"We get a lot of fainters," Mendoza said.
The fainters are usually the 11-year-olds, she said. Possibly because they're older, understand what's happening and become more anxious. Those appointments usually run a little longer because patients have to lie down, have their blood pressures recorded, etc.
Woods said 15-month-olds are often scared because they remember shots from their 1-year visits.
"The trick is, you get them in and out fast so you don't give them time to think about it," Mendoza said.
Bringing a child's shot records to the appointment makes the process go much faster. Woods and Mendoza often spend extra time tracking down records from other states, even other countries.
And patience — lots of it — is key.
"I am extremely calm and patient, so if a child needs a little extra help or a little extra discussion from mom and dad, yes, I will sit and wait until the child is comfortable to receive the vaccine," Woods said. "I'm not just going to give it to them when they're not ready. I want to build a mental picture in that child's mind that says, 'You know, when I come back, it won't be as bad."
Melissa Westphal: 815-987-1341; firstname.lastname@example.com; @mlwestphal


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Beşiktaş missed several chances at scoring against Greek team Asteras Tripolis in the first matchday of UEFA Europa League Group C game which ended in a 1-1 draw at Atatürk Olympic Stadium, Istanbul on Thursday night.
In the eighth minute, Beşiktaş's Turkish midfielder Oğuzhan Ozyakup's freekick rattled the bottom of the post and hit the ground. Beşiktaş was very close to scoring the leading goal. A minute later, Turkish team's winger Gökhan Töre's shot shaved the woodwork. In the 17th minute the "Black Eagles" Turkish midfielder Olcay Şahan's shot inside the area went over the bar.
In the 26th minute, Asteras Tripolis' Greek midfielder Giorgos Zisopoulos skipped past two Beşiktaş defenders just outside the box and closely missed the target. It was a good chance for the Greek side, but he failed to score.
Beşiktaş's Gökhan Töre scored the leading goal in the 33rd minute. Turkish winger firstly trapped the ball nicely and fired outside the area, the ball clipped the post and went in, 1-0.
In the 37th minute, Oğuzhan hit a vicious strike but missed the target. Beşiktaş increased the pressure, and two minutes later, Asteras' Argentine forward Jeronimo Barrales' header went out.
Through the end of the first half, Tore from Beşiktaş's close range missile' shot went over the crossbar.
In the 66th minute of the game, Olcay Şahan fired a volley without trapping the ball from the corner kick but the ball went wide.
Asteras Tripolis scored a shocking late equaliser. Greek club's Argentine forward Facundo Parra - assisted by Martin Rolle - hit a volley in the box and found the net in the 88th minute.
In the remaining time, none of the sides managed to make an impact on changing the score and the match ended as a 1-1 draw in Istanbul.
In another match of the group, Serbian side Partizan drew against England's Tottenham Hotspur 0-0 in Belgrade.


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The authors are computer scientists at Konstanz University of Applied Sciences and can be reached at [email protected], [email protected], and [email protected], respectively.
Java Remote Method Invocation (RMI) lets developers use the method invocation paradigm to realize communication between remote servers and clients. If the distribution model of an application, however, spans multiple administrative domains, communication needs to be able to traverse firewalls and network address translation (NAT) boxes.
By default, the Java remote method protocol (JRMP) uses HTTP tunneling to deal with these issues; more specifically, if: (1) A direct TCP connection between client and server cannot be set up, then (2) Java RMI encapsulates the JRMP messages in HTTP post requests; if the exchange of these messages fails, (3) the HTTP encapsulated messages are sent to port 80 rather than to the port indicated in the remote object reference.
This technique, however, can only deal with a limited number of possible distribution, firewall, and NAT scenarios. In addition, it is rather heavyweight in the sense that step (3) above requires installation of a CGI-script or servlet on the Web server that receives and forwards the HTTP tunneled JRMP message to the actual RMI server object. This installation often conicts with the administrative domain's security policies.
Hole Punching
Hole punching is a lightweight NAT and firewall traversal technique invented for VoIP and peer-to-peer systems. Skype is probably the most widely known application that employs hole punching.
NAT is a method by which IP addresses are mapped from one address realm to another (e.g., a public IP address to a private IP address of a private network and vice versa), providing transparent routing. The principle thereby is that an address mapping for a dedicated recipient can only be established -- i.e., a hole into the NAT is punched|from inside the network where a host resides. A hole can be used from outside the NAT from hosts for whom the hole was punched.
The idea of hole punching is now that a first host (e.g., a client) punches a hole from inside into the NAT and communicates its public IP address to a second host (e.g., a server)|by any means. The second host then uses this public IP address and the punched hole to establish a connection to the first host. To communicate public IP addresses between hosts, a mediator server residing in the public Internet can be utilized.
In the following, we illustrate the idea of hole punching by using a simple example (see Figure 1). First, the server registers with the mediator using a TCP connection. It sends its public IP address together with a unique identifier of the server. Thereby, a hole is punched into the server NAT, which can be used later by the mediator to contact the server. For this, it is important that the TCP connection from the server to the mediator is held open (step 1).
If a client wishes to establish a connection to the server, it sends a connection request to the mediator, including the identifier of the server to be connected with (step 2). The mediator answers with the public IP address of the server (step 3b).
At the same time, the mediator sends the clients's connection request together with the client's public IP address to the server (step 3a). This is possible since the hole in the server NAT is kept open. Now, the client and the server simultanously initiate the actual hole punching process. Both try to connect to the other entity, thereby punching a hole for client-server communication in their respective NAT. For the sake of simplicity, assume that the client first trys to connect to the server using the server's public IP address. The connection attempt fails, since there exists no hole, i.e., an appropriate address mapping, in the server NAT (step 4). On the other hand, a hole for the server is punched into the client NAT, i.e, an appropiate address mapping is created. Assume that afterwards the server trys to connect to the client. This connection attempt is successful, since there already exists a hole for the server in the client NAT (step 5).
In practice, you can find several types of NATs, e.g., Cone NATs, Port-restricted Cone NATs or Symmetric NATs. Hole punching works with a variety of NATs, but not with Symmetric NATs. On the other hand, Symmetric NATs account only for a small percentage. For Symmetric NATs, a relaying approach (e.g., TURN) can be used. Hole punching and TURN can be integrated into an overall solution called "Interactive Connectivity Establishment" (http://www.isoc.org/tools/blogs/ietfjournal/?p=117).
Extending Java RMI with Custom Sockets
When an RMI server object is exported, essentially two things happen:
- The RMI runtime on the server side creates a server socket that listens for incoming remote method invocations.
- A client stub is generated for later usage on the client side. By default, the RMI runtime on the client side will use standard TCP sockets to establish a connection to the server object.
There is, however, an overloaded version of the export method that expects as parameters a server socket factory and a client socket factory, implementing the two interfaces RMIServerSocketFactory and RMIClientSocketFactory, respectively.
The server socket factory controls the creation of the server socket, while the custom socket factory is put into the client stub and will then control the creation of the client socket on the client side. If an RMI stub contains a custom socket factory or not, is completely transparent to the client application. This way, the connection set-up process can be modified without knowledge of the clients; the server application, however, needs to use the appropiate version of the export method and pass in the custom socket factories.
Extending Java RMI with Hole Punching
To make hole punching readily available to a broad array of applications, we have integrated it into Java RMI. We have implemented a custom socket factory that starts a HolePunchingServerSocket when the RMI server is exported, and a HolePunchingSocket on the client side when the client issues a remote method invocation.
The HolePunchingServerSocket registers itself with the mediator server -- which is also part of our solution -- and then waits for incoming connection requests from the mediator server. Each time such a request arrives, the HolePunchingServerSocket starts a HolePuncher that performs the actual connection set-up.
The HolePunchingSocket on the client side sends a connection request to the mediator server and gets in the result the private and the public IP address of the server object. The private IP is needed in case both server and client happen to reside in the same subnet. With this information at hand, the HolePunchingSocket starts a HolePuncher, just like on the server side, because the actual hole punching process is symmetric and does not distinguish between clients and servers. Figure 2 illustrates the hole punching RMI architecture graphically.
Listing One shows a simplified excerpt from the doHolePunching() method of class HolePuncher. The two SocketConnector objects represent threads that actively try to connect with the peer's private and public IP address, respectively. The SocketListener object is a thread that listens for incoming requests from the peer that simultaneously performs the same process.
FoundSocket foundSocket = new FoundSocket(); SocketConnector socketToLocal = new SocketConnector( localSocketAddress,ownPort,foundSocket); SocketConnector socketToRemote = new SocketConnector( remoteSocketAddress,ownPort,foundSocket) ; SocketListener socketListener = new SocketListener(ownPort, foundSocket); synchronized (foundSocket) socketToLocal.start(); socketToRemote.start(); socketListener.start(); foundSocket.wait(60000); socketToLocal.interrupt(); socketToRemote.interrupt(); socketListener.stopThread();
These three "bonding threads" are passed in the necessary addresses and a shared object of type FoundSocket that will hold the connected client socket after successful completion of the hole punching process. In addition, this shared object's monitor is used for thread synchronization: after the three bonding threads have been started in the synchronized block, the invocation of the wait method releases the foundSocket's monitor and waits for one of the bonding threads to invoke notify -- or the guard timer of 60000 msecs to expire. When one of the bonding threads could establish a connection to the peer, it sets the foundSocket object and calls the notify method. In either case, i.e., whether notify was called or the guard timer expired, the two SocketConnector threads are interrupted, and the SocketListener's stopThread method is invoked. As opposed to the SocketConnector threads, the SocketListener cannot be interrupted, because a server socket's accept call is not interruptable. Instead, the stopThread simply closes the server socket, which leads to a SocketException that can be used to stop the SocketListener thread.
Implementation Challenges
When we first tested our hole punching RMI implementation, we encountered problems with distributed garbage collection that were hard to trace back to their cause. And because every multi-threaded custom socket implementation for RMI has to face the same effect, we find it beneficial to discuss this effect here: Distributed garbage collection (DGC) uses a reference counting mechanism that allows the RMI server object to keep track of the number of live remote references.
To make this work, the RMI runtime of each remote client periodically signals to the RMI server object that it holds a remote reference to it. If a remote reference contains a custom socket factory, then the RMI runtime uses that factory for the keep-alive signaling message exchange with the remote server object.
Because the RMI runtime runs in a privileged thread, it is not allowed to start the three bonding threads that perform the hole punching -- or any other threads in any custom socket factory, for that matter -- in the same thread group as the RMI runtime.
If no explicit thread group is specified, however, the spawning thread tries to start the new threads in its own thread group. What makes the problem hard to trace back is the fact, that the RMI runtime silently catches the exception that is thrown when starting the bonding threads fails and simply does not send the keep-alive message to the remote server object. As a consequence, the server object can be mistakenly garbage collected while there still are remote clients holding references to it.
To solve this problem, the bonding threads must be explicitly started in a user-level thread group. To get access to such a group, we store the thread group that is active when the HolePuncher class is loaded, in a static variable. Because it is the RMI client code that causes the loading of the HolePuncher, this will always be a user-level thread group that can be used to start the bonding threads without running into the problems described above.
We illustrate the server as well as the client side usage of hole punching RMI by means of a simply hello world example. Listings Two shows the remote interface Hello, the remote object implementation HelloImpl, and the set-up class HelloSetup. The latter class sets the codebase from where clients can download the server interface, as well as the code for the hole punching socket factory.
It then instantiates and exports the server object; for the export, it uses class HolePunchingRemoteObject. We have provided this convenience class not only to make the export slightly shorter and easier|as opposed to directly using the export method of class UnicastRemoteObject as usual -- but also to ensure that the same hole punching factory object is used on both server and client side. This is necessary because the common factory instance carries the UID under which the server object registers with the mediator. Finally, the HelloSetup registers the RMI server object with the remote RMI registry. Please note that the usage of our remote RMI registry is completely transparent to the RMI server, i.e., no modifications have been made to the standard code for registry location and usage, see also www.ddj.com/java/212001090.
// Remote interface public interface Hello extends Remote { String getHello() throws RemoteException; } // Implementation class public class HelloImplimplements Hello { public String getHello() throws RemoteException { return "hello , world"; } } // Startup of hole punching enabled RMI server object public class HelloSetup { public static void main (String[] args) throws UnknownHostException, RemoteException, MalformedURLException, NotBoundException, InterruptedException, AlreadyBoundException { System.setProperty ("java.rmi.server.codebase", "http://126.96.36.199/hello.jar " + "http://126.96.36.199/HPSocketFactory.jar"); Hello stub = (Hello) HolePunchingRemoteObject.exportObject ( new HelloImpl(),0, new InetSocketAddress ("188.8.131.52",8765)); LocateRegistry.getRegistry ("126.96.36.199").rebind ( "hello",stub); } }
Listings Three and Four show a sample RMI client that uses the hole punching enabled hello RMI server object, as well as the policy file which is needed for the dynamic download of our custom socket factory (or any other custom socket factory). If, however, the hole punching socket factory already resides on the client machine, no security manager and thus no policy file are necessary.
public class HelloClient { public static void main(String[] args) throws RemoteException, NotBoundException { System.setProperty ("java.security.policy", HelloClient.class.getClassLoader(). getResource("client.policy").toExternalForm()); System.setSecurityManager (new SecurityManager()); Registry registry = LocateRegistry.getRegistry("220.127.116.11"); Hello server = (Hello)registry.lookup("hello"); System.out.println(server.getHello()); } }
grant { permission java.net.SocketPermission"*:*" , "connect,accept,resolve,listen" ; };
Exactly as with the standard RMI architecture, the client locates the (remote) RMI-Registry, looks up the hello server object, and then invokes methods at the server object.
Hole Punching RMI can establish connectivity in many distribution scenarios that regular RMI will fail in. A solution that is completely transparent to the RMI clients needs to resolve several interesting challenges, such as synchronizing the bonding threads, and keeping distributed garbage collection intact. The complete source code, as well as the custom socket factory and the executable mediator jar file can be downloaded here) or from the project homepage.


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Orioles Pet Calender Event to Benefit BARCS on August 12th
Baltimore Orioles Release:
Five Orioles to sign calendars at BARCS on August 12
The Orioles today announced that the sixth annual Orioles Pet Calendar will go on sale August 12, with the proceeds to benefit the Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter (BARCS), a non-profit shelter that accepts and cares for all animals in need.
The 16-month calendar features photos of Orioles players with their personal pets and various BARCS animals at notable locations around the city of Baltimore, including the National Aquarium, Fort McHenry, the Hippodrome Theatre, the U.S.S. Constellation, and the American Visionary Art Museum.
The 2015 calendar will be available for $15 at Oriole Park, the Orioles Team Store in the York Galleria in York, PA, and at www.orioles.com/petcalendar.
In an effort to help further support BARCS' efforts to find safe homes for dogs and cats in the area, Orioles players J.J. HARDY, TOMMY HUNTER, DAVID LOUGH, BUD NORRIS, and MATT WIETERS will appear at BARCS (301 Stockholm Street) for an autograph signing from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on August 12. Fans must purchase a calendar at the event in order to receive an autograph, and fans attending the event may park for free in Lot D on the south side of M&T Bank Stadium.
Sales of the 2014 calendar raised over $51,000 for BARCS, and over the last few years, the Orioles have helped raise over $150,000 for the organization.
"We are so excited to be partnering with the Orioles again this year," said JENNIFER BRAUSE, Executive Director of BARCS. "The Orioles pet calendar has helped to care for thousands of homeless animals that we take in each year, and we are grateful for their support."
Orioles catcher MATT WIETERS, and his wife, MARIA, were instrumental in the production of the 2015 Pet Calendar.
"We were thrilled to help launch the 2015 calendar that highlights our beautiful city," said Maria Wieters. "The adoptable animals featured from BARCS only accentuate the scenery with their playful personalities, and we hope it will lead people to visit BARCS and adopt an animal that needs a home."
The largest companion animal shelter in Maryland, BARCS takes in over 12,000 dogs and cats and 1,000 wildlife and other small mammals annually. On any given day, BARCS cares for 110 dogs and 110 cats in the shelter, plus more than 800 animals in foster care.


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BABYBJÖRN Baby Carrier Miracle is designed to fit your newborn perfectly from day one, without the need for an extra insert, inset or pillow. You carry your newborn close to your heart – high up on your chest and facing you – providing that essential closeness while at the same time allowing you supervision of baby's breathing. The baby carrier is developed in cooperation with pediatricians and is anatomically adjustable to fit your growing child. This means that baby's head, neck and back are properly supported at the same time as baby's legs and hips are kept in the correct position – right from day one.
Waist belt and flexible carrying for superior comfort New, adjustable design with an ergonomic waist belt allows flexible carrying in a variety of ways.
Fits baby perfectly – from newborn up to 15 months Developed in collaboration with pediatricians to fit your baby perfectly. No extra insert needed.
Extra soft and durable fabric Made from a soft, durable cotton mix. Non-chafing seams.
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i am all about conserving, although i think some of these suggestions may be going overboard! i am always looking for new ways to conserve and appreciated some alternative methods. Planet Green did a great job of utilizing every item in the kitchen to the full extent:
Simple ideas that make a big difference in your budget and help save resources too.
Using Up Vegetables
1. Leftover mashed potatoes from dinner? Make them into patty shapes the next morning and cook them in butter for a pretty good "mock hash brown."
2. Don't toss those trimmed ends from onions, carrots, celery, or peppers. Store them in your freezer, and once you have a good amount saved up, add them to a large pot with a few cups of water and make homemade vegetable broth. This is also a great use for cabbage cores and corn cobs.
3. Don't toss broccoli stalks. They can be peeled and sliced, then prepared just like broccoli florets.
4. If you have to dice part of an onion or pepper for a recipe, don't waste the rest of it. Chop it up and store it in the freezer for the next time you need diced onion or peppers.
5. Roasted root vegetable leftovers can be turned into an easy, simple soup the next day. Add the veggies to a blender, along with enough broth or water to thin them enough to blend. Heat and enjoy.
6. If you're preparing squash, don't toss the seeds. Rinse and roast them in the oven, just like you would with pumpkin seeds. The taste is pretty much the same.
7. Celery leaves usually get tossed. There's a lot of good flavor in them; chop them up and add them to meatloaf, soups, or stews.
8. Use up tomatoes before they go bad by drying them in the oven. You can then store them in olive oil in the refrigerator (if you plan on using them within a week) or in the freezer.
9. Canning is always a good option. If you're doing tomatoes, you can use a boiling water bath. If you're canning any other type of veggie, a pressure canner is necessary for food safety.
10. Before it goes bad, blanch it and toss it in the freezer. This works for peas, beans, corn, carrots, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and leafy greens like spinach and kale.
11. Too many zucchini? Make zucchini bread or muffins. If you don't want to eat the bread now, bake it and freeze it, then defrost when you're ready to eat it.
12.Pickle it. Cucumbers are the first veggie most of us think of pickling, but in reality, just about any vegetable can be preserved through pickling.
Ideas for Cutting Down on Fruit Waste
13. Make smoothies with fruit before it goes bad. Berries, bananas, and melons are great candidates for this use-up idea.
14. Jam is really easy to make, and will keep for up to a year if you process the jars in a hot water bath. If you don't do the water processing part, you can keep the jam in the refrigerator for a month, which is a lot longer than the fruits would have lasted.
15. Dry your fruit and store it in the freezer or in airtight containers.
16. Make fruit leather.
17. Make a big fruit salad or "fruit kebabs" for your kids. For some reason, they seem to eat more fruit if it's in these "fancier" forms.
18. Use up the fall bounty of apples by making applesauce or apple butter.
19. Don't throw out those watermelon rinds! Pickled watermelon rind is a pretty tasty treat.
20. Make a fruit crumble out of almost any fruit you have on hand. Assemble and bake it now, or leave it unbaked and store it in the freezer for a quick dessert.
Putting Extra Grains to Good Use
21. Make croutons out of day-old bread.
22. Turn day-old bread into homemade bread crumbs.
23. Freeze leftover bread. This way you'll have day-old on hand whenever you need bread crumbs, or croutons rather than using fresh bread.
24. All of those little broken pieces of pasta in the bottom of the box? Collect them and mix with rice and veggies for a simple side dish.
25. A few tablespoons of leftover oatmeal isn't enough for a meal, but it is great sprinkled on top of yogurt.
26. Add chopped bread to a soup. It will dissolve and thicken the soup.
27. Made too many pancakes for breakfast? Put them in the freezer, then toss in the toaster for a fast, tasty weekday breakfast. Ditto waffles.
28. If you make plain white or brown rice with dinner, use leftovers for breakfast the next morning by adding them to oatmeal. This provides extra fiber and allows you to use up that rice.
29. If you our your kids don't like the bread crusts on your sandwiches, save these bits and pieces in the freezer to turn into bread crumbs later. Just throw the crusts into a food processor or coffee grinder to make them into crumbs. Season as you like.
30. If you have just a smidge of baby cereal left in the box, and it's not enough for a full meal, add it to your babies pureed fruit. It adds bulk and fiber, and keeps baby full longer.
Make the Most of Meat
31. Don't toss those chicken bones after you eat the chicken. Boil them to make chicken stock.
32. Ditto for bones from beef and pork.
33. The fat you trim from beef can be melted down and turned into suet for backyard birds.
34. Turn leftover bits of cooked chicken into chicken salad for sandwiches the next day.
35. Use leftover roast beef or pot roast in an easy vegetable beef soup the next day by adding veggies, water, and the cooking juices from the meat.
Use Dairy Before It Expires
36. If you've got a few chunks of different types of cheese sitting around after a party, make macaroni and cheese.
37. Eggs can be frozen. Break them, mix the yolks and whites together, and pour into an ice cube tray. Two frozen egg cubes is the equivalent of one large egg.
38. You can also freeze milk. Leave enough room in the container for expansion, and defrost in the refrigerator.
39. Use cream cheese in mashed potatoes or white sauces to give them thickness and tang.
40. Put Parmesan cheese into the food processor with day-old bread to make Parmesan bread crumbs. This is excellent as a coating for eggplant slices, pork, or chicken.
Herbs and How to Get the Most Out of Them
41. Chop herbs and add them to ice cube trays with just a little water. Drop whole cubes into the pan when a recipe calls for that type of herb.
42. You can also freeze herbs by placing them in plastic containers. Certain herbs, such as basil, will turn black, but the flavor will still be great.
43. Make pesto with extra basil or parsley.
44. Dry herbs by hanging them by their stems in a cool, dry location. Once they're dry, remove them from the stems and store them in airtight containers.
Don't Waste a Drop
45. Leftover coffee in the carafe? Freeze it in ice cube trays. Use the cubes for iced coffee or to cool down too-hot coffee without diluting it. You can do the same with leftover tea.
46. If there's a splash or two of wine left in the bottle, use it to de-glaze pans to add flavor to whatever you're cooking.
47. If you have pickle juice left in a jar, don't pour it down the drain. Use it to make a fresh batch of refrigerator pickles, or add it to salad dressings (or dirty martinis).
48. You can also freeze broth or stock in ice cube trays, and use a cube or two whenever you make a pan sauce or gravy.
49. If there's just a bit of honey left in the bottom of the jar, add a squeeze or two of lemon juice and swish it around. The lemon juice will loosen up the honey, and you have the perfect addition to a cup of tea.
50. If you can't think of any way to use that food in the kitchen, compost it. Everything except for meat and dairy will work in a compost pile, and at least your extra food can be used for something useful. Such as growing more food!


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Here's highlights of Chris Setaro's final remarks to his supporters at his GOTCV rally at the Danbury Public Library before Election Day...
Here's highlights of Chris Setaro's final remarks to his supporters at his GOTCV rally at the Danbury Public Library before Election Day...
Hat City Blog | READ, WATCH, AND LEARN.
No part of the content or the blog may be reproduced without prior written permission.
The amended complaint states that plaintiffs sought to remedy the continued discriminatory and unauthorized enforcement of federal immigration laws against the Latino residents of the City of Danbury by Danbury's mayor and its police department.
Plaintiffs allege that the arrests violated their Fourth Amendment rights and the Connecticut Constitution because defendants conducted the arrests without valid warrants, in the absence of exigent circumstances, and without probable cause to believe that plaintiffs were engaged in unlawful activity. In addition, plaintiffs allege that defendants improperly stopped, detained, investigated, searched and arrested plaintiffs. Plaintiffs also allege that defendants violated their Fourteenth Amendment rights when they intentionally targeted plaintiffs, and arrested and detained them on the basis of their race, ethnicity and perceived national origin. Plaintiffs raise First Amendment, Due Process and tort claims.
Plaintiffs request declaratory relief, damages and attorneys fees.
CLICK HERE TO READ/DOWNLOAD MIKE McLACHLAN (then MAYOR CHIEF OF STAFF) DEPOSITION
Danbury Area Coalition for the Rights of Immigrants v.
U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security
3:06-cv-01992-RNC ( D. Conn. )
(10.24.07) Memorandum in Opposition to Defendant's Emergency Motion for Protective Order
Defendants' Motion to Dismiss for Lack of Subject Matter Jurisdiction
Defendants' Motion to Dismiss State Law Claims
Plaintiffs' Opposition to Motion to Dismiss
Defendants' Answer to Amended Complaint
(10.05.07 (VIDEO) Boughton mislead the public about Danbury's involvement in raid
(09.18.07) Yale Law Students expose Danbury involvement in raid
(12.14.06) VIDEO: Interview with Yale Law Students at FOI presser
(12.14.06) VIDEO: Danbury 11 FOI complaint media roundup
City Clerk Jean Natale standing next to skinhead sparks outrage
(10.03.06) VIDEO: Danbury 11 rally
(09.29.06) VIDEO: Danbury 11 case deepens
Word of raid spread across the country
(09/29/06) VIDEO: Danbury 11 protest news conference
(09/29/06) Immigrant newspaper "El Canillita" gives best account of ICE day labor raid at Kennedy Park
VIDEO: Danbury Peace Coalition Immigration Forum (April 2006)
featuring Mayor Boughton and Immigration attorney Philip Berns
VIDEO: 2007 Stop the Raids immigration forum at WCSU
2007: Community protest anti-immigration forum
A tribute to Hispanic Center Director and immigrant activist Maria Cinta Lowe
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The Mercurial (RIP)
Danbury News Times
Danbury Patch
Danbury Daily Voice
Tribuna Newspaper
CT News Junkie
CT Capitol Report
New Haven Independent
VIDEO: NewsTimes Editorial Board interview with Mark Boughton and Chris Setaro
VIDEO: Danbury City-Wide PTO educational forum
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VIDEO: Convention endorsement speeches from Mark Boughton and Chris Setaro
Danbury 2007 election results
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(VID) 2009 DDTC convention
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(VID) Al Almeida concession speech
(VID)Al Almeida HatCityBLOG interview
(VID) Al Almeida nomination acceptance speech


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NANG - Issue 0
The EYE Study magazine collection has gained a new gem: NANG. This brand new magazine has just issued its first edition: "0" (Zero). This "cinema-related publishing project", as publisher & editor-in-chief Davide Cazzaro calls it, focusses in-depth on specific themes related to cinema in Asia. The plan is to publish just 10 issues: one issue every six months. Remarkable as this might sound, in the light of cinema it makes perfect sense. Cazzaro: "as every true storyteller would tell you, a story should always have a beginning, a middle, and an end – no matter how anticipated or abrupt."
By all means, NANG seems the manifestation of a new sort of cinema magazine, right from its first issue. The choice for a paper magazine without any digital counterpart, is admirable: a deliberate choice for a tactile and permanent medium. Much like film perhaps?
Even more notable is the choice that is made for terming NANG's focus as 'cinema in Asia' instead of coining the maybe more eminent term 'Asian cinema'. In line with tendencies we have seen throughout filmmaking worldwide genres, styles, methods and geographical distinctions have been blurring. Less and less filmmakers have been labeling themselves by the distinctions we were taught in film history class, nor have they been asked to do so. For NANG this means that, as Cazarro explains:
"Asia, and cinema in Asia, are not singular and fixed but rather plural and fluid (not to mention that what defines "Asia" and "cinema in Asia" in the first place is far from evident or universal). (…) A short note on semantics: cinema in Asia and Asian cinema will be used interchangeably. Overall, however, preference tends to go to the former particularly when thinking that the latter is often reduced to a catch-all marketing label or a shorthand descriptor for a cinema that is associated with certain feelings of "Asian-ness.")."
Although not openly part of NANG's focus, dealing with issues around exoticism and orientalization in the 21st century is something that might be promising for coming issues and articles by guest writers. Acknowledging the ever present difficulties around this head on, NANG takes a refreshing editorial stance without sacrificing any of the plans it has set out for itself. Interesting in this light is moreover the choice for English and moreover how NANG accounts for this by stating this is purely for an accessibility reason, not a political, cultural or linguistic one.
The magazine's title, NANG, stands for more explanations than one. Coming from the Thai language, it can simply refer to skin or leather, but moreover can it be explained as to refer to the shadow puppets made from translucent leather used for shadow plays, one of the earliest forms of moving images. Nowadays, 'nang' is still used in Thai language to refer to any performance involving light and screen. In this way, the magazine marks itself clearly in the history of cinema in Asia, where shadow plays lay deeply embedded the joint histories of countries such as Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. This historical trace can directly be seen from the magazine's cover: the title is formed by letters that are pressed out of the paper, through which the light falls and plays a shadow game on the first page. Here, history comes together with current day cinema.
Leafing through a beautifully laid-out, print-only cinema magazine, one could not be any more excited about the coming issues. NANG's issue 0 gives a glimpse of what the coming three issues will contain: the first (September 2016) will revolve around the theme of screenwriting, the second (April 2017) around the vitality of cinema in current day media environments and the third (September 2017) around fiction.
Feel welcome to browse through this and forthcoming issues in the EYE Study, opening October 2016. If you are interested in film magazines focusing on cinema in Asia, do check some of the other sources in our library, such as Bioscope: South Eastern Screen Studies and the discontinued Osian's Cinemaya: the Asian Film Quarterly.Tag:EYE Study, Collection Centre, collectie, collection, collectie-informatie, magazines, tijdschriften, Asia
FoFA in het Journal of Film Preservation nr. 94/April 2016
The EYE Study is slowly but steadily taking shape in the new Collection Centre. An important part of its rich collection are the film journals and periodicals. One of these, both in print and digitally available at EYE, is FIAF's Journal of Film Preservation. FIAF stands for the International Federation of Film Archives and was established in 1938 in Paris. Its founding institutions are the British Film Institute in London, the Cinémathèque Française in Paris, the MOMA in New York City, and the Reichsfilmarchiv in Berlin. All were relatively new institutions at the time, with different ideas and goals about film preservation. (The Dutch Filmmuseum was only to be established in 1943, and joined FIAF in 1947). Of the four founders, the Reichsarchiv was the oldest, inaugurated by Hitler in 1933. Not coincidentally, Joseph Goebbels was known to be a film enthusiast with an understanding for its cultural and political and is therefore believed to be one of the motivators behind the Reichsarchiv's founding.
In the following years, the war had far-fetching consequences for the cooperation between the FIAF members. Fortunately, after the war, the FIAF members (excluding the Reichsfilmarchiv) re-established their contacts and welcomed new archives as members. These new archives were often set up in the hausse of the post-war years in which national heritage became an important political issue. In the decades that followed, FIAF expanded both in activities and recognition. In 1973 the first FIAF Summer School was held. Ever since, these regular events have helped train archival personnel. In 2015, the number of 155 affiliates was reached, in 74 countries worldwide.
In 1972 the first issue of the FIAF Information Bulletin was published, which would in 1993 be renamed the Journal of Film Preservation. With issues published twice a year, it provides an international forum for current-day film preservation discussions that range from theoretical to technical and historical aspects of moving image archival activities (source). In the latest issue, EYE and the EYE collection play a prominent role. Ulrich Ruedel, Professor for Conservation and Restoration in Berlin, wrote a review on Jean Desmet's Dream Factory: The Adventurous Years of Film (1907-1916). This book was published by EYE in 2014 and coincided with EYE's exhibition by the same name. Ruedel takes readers through the different sections and contributions of the book while at the same time hinting to the importance of the Desmet collection for EYE. Not only did the Desmet films for a great part lay the foundation of EYE's collection in the fifties, it moreover was of great importance for films such as Peter Delpeut's Lyrical Nitrate (1991), which was reissued on DVD at the time of the exhibition and book launch.
EYE's head of Film Conservation and Digital Access Anne Gant has written a case study for a more elaborate article on the FofA group. This group first came together in 2012 and was formed by nine film preservation experts from the field, amongst them Giovanna Fossati, but also preservationists from Cinématheque Française and Library of Congress. Within an informal setting, the group gathers on a yearly basis, and have been discussing the many challenges that film-archiving community is faced with since the move to digital film production. Examples of this are the availability of raw stock, continuation of laboratory services (for example film lab Haghefilm Digitaal next to the former EYE Collection building at Overamstel) and the manufacturing of film digitization equipment. Other important issues are the imperatives of long-term preservation and staff training. By keeping to its original 2012 agenda (Raw stock; Laboratories; Scanning; Storage; Training and Succession; Formats and Materials), revision and continuous discussion makes for all kinds of impact and results. For more information on FoFA and its agenda, goals and debates, do read the main FoFA article in the latest Journal of Film Preservation issue, written by FoFA's chair and BFI's Head of Conservation Charles Fairall.
Interesting for people curious as to what EYE does regarding these preservation challenges, is Anne Gant's case study that is one of three to follow Fairall's text in this issue. Together with Jon Wengström from the Swedish Film Institute, PhD researcher Guy Edmonds from Australia and German conservation & restoration professor Ulrich Ruedel , she shows what digital film production and other facets of the fast-changing field of film preservation can mean for an organization such as EYE. Specifically, she speaks of the shifts in workflows that have come about both in digital and analogue activities. This is directly connected to the project "Images for the Future", she explains, which had an enormous impact on how the department functions on a daily basis. The other case studies involve early cinema and cognitive creativity (Edmonds), moving image preservation studies at HTW Berlin (Ruedel) and sustaining photochemical laboratory processes in Sweden (Wengström).
When the EYE Study is up and running in October, feel free to reserve a desk and indulge yourself in this Journal of Film Preservation as well as the rest of EYE's periodicals collection.
[For more about the history of FIAF, click here and here.]
Carpet in EYE Study (still from Man with a Movie Camera, Dziga Vertov, 1929)Tag:FIAF, EYE Study, Collection Centre, collection, collectie, Dziga Vertov, restoration, technology, collectie-informatie, digitalisering, digitization, Tweede Wereldoorlog
Moving to the Collection Centre
An interesting time lies ahead of us. Lots has already happened since the move to EYE's new Collection Centre was announced. The EYE library will be moving too, therefore many considerations have to be made. Especially given that more and more material is requested through the online catalogue instead of being consulted in the library. Needless to say, it is still key to hold on to the great collection of books and magazines. EYE has been focussing on its core task of maintaining the Dutch film heritage more and more. How does this affect what is moved to the Collection Centre and what isn't?
Foreign magazine and book duplicates make up a significant part of the library collection. They have for long been stored elsewhere since they are the duplicates of material available. Since the first week of February, all these boxes with magazine duplicates have moved into the Overamstel library. In teams of two, EYE employees and volunteers have been going through over 90 cardboard boxes with material from all over the globe. This ranges from numerous Variety issues, to Finnish and Russian magazines, as well as beautifully designed Dutch Kunst en Amusement issues from the 1920s. The latter is of course kept and it will make the move to the new Collection Centre. These magazines are put in new boxes and registered on title. The foreign duplicates are certainly not thrown away, but are given to another film museum.
Kunst en Amusement (Nr.1, 1923)
As an intern at EYE, it has been really interesting handling all these beautiful magazines and preparing them for a place in a brand new building. As we are working meticulously over the next couple of months until reopening in October, these gems as well as others, are digitally available in the BIBIS library catalogue. This specific magazine gives a concrete overview of the Dutch commercial cinema circuit throughout the 1920s, and is one of numerous examples in EYE's collection from throughout the twentieth and twenty-first century. Kunst en Amusement's primary focus could be described as promoting the cinema circuit and caring for its future, for example by discussing the "Ontwerp Bioskoopwet" as well as dismissing the idea for restricting cinema admission for children. The latter was thought to be unnecessary, since the nationally centralized "filmkeuring" commission kept track of providing cinemas with decent films suitable for all ages. Moreover, the advertisements in the Kunst en amusement magazines offer a glimpse into the countless film businesses that were around in the 1920s.
From October onwards, it is possible to reserve a spot in the Collection Centre's EYE Study, where magazines such as this one can be consulted close to the main EYE Museum building. It will be more condensed and complete than ever: both the film collection and film-related collections under one roof. Sorting out these duplicates to make use of the new Collection Centre as efficiently as possible is only one of many tasks needed to prepare for the move. During the move, I will occasionally update this blog with interesting moments in the process.Tag:collectie, collection, Collection Centre, EYE Study, collectie-informatie, filmkeuring, Nederlandse film, Kunst en amusement, digitalisering, digitized


text:
Bill McKibben
Photo: © Nancie Battaglia
About the Author
Bill McKibben is the author of more than a dozen books, including The End of Nature, Enough: Staying Human in an Engineered Age, and Deep Economy. A former staff writer for The New Yorker, he writes often for Harper's Magazine, National Geographic, and the New York Review of Books, among other publications. He is the founder of the environmental organizations Step It Up and 350.org, a global-warming awareness campaign that in October 2009 coordinated what CNN called "the most widespread day of political action in the planet's history." He is a scholar in residence at Middlebury College and lives in Vermont with his wife, the writer Sue Halpern, and their daughter.


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Meat Lite: Buttermilk Bacon Corn Salad Tomatoes Recipe
Mostly vegetarian dishes with just a touch of meaty accent.
In August when the summer harvest is near its peak, there is a flood of euphoria and panic all at once as seasonal bounty hunters scramble to make the most of the fleeting feast. If you've joined the Canvolution and still have a bumper crop on your kitchen counter, try stuffing a little bit of summer into some more of summer with these corn salad–stuffed tomatoes. Portly heirlooms make the perfect vessel, but if you've got Romas or plums out the wazoo, they are as effective.
The corn salad can be cooled or stuffed into the tomatoes warm, straight from the saute pan. These are a nice alternative to another green-salad side dish but are filling as a meal with a loaf of crusty bread.
If you're a vegetarian or family or friends are, cook the bacon ahead and stir it into half of the corn, leaving the other half meat-free. The goat cheese–buttermilk dressing stands on its own.
- 4 jumbo heirloom or beefsteak-type tomatoes, or 6 to 8 plum or Roma tomatoes
- 4 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 5 ears corn, shucked and kernels cut from cob (4 cups of kernels)
- 2 jalapeños, stemmed and chopped
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
- 1/4 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
- 4 scallions, chopped
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 4 ounces soft plain goat cheese
- Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
Core the tomatoes and cut a wide opening in the middle from the core. For plum or Romas, cut the tomatoes lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Set the tomatoes aside.
Add the bacon to a hot sauté pan over medium heat. Render until crisp, about 7 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Pour the bacon fat from the sauté pan and wipe it clean (unless you prefer sautéing in the bacon grease).
Add the oil to the same pan and return to medium heat. Put the corn kernels, jalapeños, and garlic in the pan and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes.
While the corn cooks, combine the buttermilk and goat cheese in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
Transfer the corn mixture to a large mixing bowl and add the buttermilk dressing, stirring to coat all the ingredients. Add the cilantro and scallions and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Spoon the corn salad into the tomatoes. Serve immediately. If serving later, let the corn salad chill and stuff the tomatoes just before serving.
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Scroggs has worked his magic again, ferreting out this great documentary about the 1969 24 Hours Of Le Mans.
Not only do you get Porsche 908s, Ford GT40s, and the like wailing through the turns; you also get the race-fevered crowds in their wine-soaked campgrounds, including women in those crazy proto-disco late-60s shades. Thanks, Scroggs!


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You will savour every bite of this delicious dark chocolate mousse!
It's heavenly. It's positively finger-licking good. It's absolutely chocolicious.
Enjoy it.
Dark chocolate mousse
Serves 4-6
You will need:
100 g Dark Chocolate (70%) plus a bit of grated chocolate to serve – optional
1 tbsp Milk
2 eggs
35g caster Sugar
150 ml double cream
Place the broken up chocolate and milk in a metal or heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Melt the chocolate, stir until combined and smooth, remove from the heat, cool slightly.
In a second bowl whisk the egg yolks and sugar until thick and creamy. Then whisk in the chocolate mixture.
In another bowl whip the cream until stiff. Gently fold into the chocolate mixture until combined, do not over mix.
In a separate bowl whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff, and gently fold into the chocolate mixture.
Spoon into individual dishes but refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Decorate with grated chocolate or fresh raspberries and mint leaves.
Recipe source: Ocado.com


text:
Posts Tagged 'desktop'
Chirp: Small Idea,Big names?
Posted by: Siwal on: January 24, 2008
- In: Applications | Desktop App's | facebook | Funding | SNS | Startup | Widgets
- Leave a Comment
Well nothing great about this start up. Remember those days when all you really did on your computer was to download a few cool screen savers,wallpapers and just made sure you dont fall asleep while browsing through clicks after clicks of junk…..
Chirp just add's the facebook and flicker feeds into your screensavers and hence gives you more than just a screen , a dynamic screen….
Hmmm…..i'm sure in this world of desktop web app's one can think of a better way to source your social feeds than a screen saver ….. Any comments?
Today, Chirp is launching in private beta. Chirp is a screen saver, previously covered here, that lets you bring social feeds from Flickr and Facebook onto your desktop. Other social Websites will be added in the future. "Our purpose is to enable you to stay up to date with your friends without the hassle of logging into multiple websites," says CEO Eve Phillips.
Chirp will let you subscribe to a friend's photo feed so that it can decorate your screen. Click on a photo and Chirp will take you to the corresponding Flickr page to find out more. This reminds me of the Slide Desktop application, except that it brings in photos and data from other Websites. It basically brings social widgets outside the browser, something we've also seen with desktop applications from Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo. The Sidebar in Windows Vista, for instance, lets you bring all sorts of widgets to the desktop, including online photos albums.
Maybe I'm missing something, though, because there is some smart money in the seed round. Greylock Partners, Jeff Clavier's SoftTech VC and angel investors Reid Hoffman (Chairman and founder of LinkedIn), Jay Adelson (CEO of Digg), and Dave Samuel (founder of Spinner.com and Grouper). CTO David Bill is formerly of Spinner. I guess Chirp's focus on turning social feeds into a screen saver might give it more mass appeal than just a bunch of desktop widgets.
Phillips explains the difference between Chirpscreen and widgets in the following way:
We're designed to take over your screen and turn your
computer into a display of the social content of your choosing,
automatically updated with content from your friends – your friend channel.
Taking a step back, if you separate out what we do into three areas:
content aggregation; filtering; and display, most of those desktop
widgets aggregate and then do a limited display. We're focused on
having highly relevant filtering and a really engaging, interactive
display of that content, as opposed to a desktop widget which is
designed to be a companion to your desktop activities (browsing,
email, etc.).
What do readers think? Try the beta and tell me in comments.