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Warner Bros. is reportedly "quietly exploring the possibility" of a prequel to The Shining. A WB spokeswoman told the LA Times that the project is at a very early stage and not even formally in development. But now that the report is published, it will be difficult for the studio to explore the idea quietly, and it is hard to believe that you all will react positively to the news. At first glance, it sounds like a terrible idea. The Shining is about a relatively normal writer who takes his family to an isolated hotel and slowly descends into madness. The prequel will be set before this character journey begins, and so will tell the story of… what, exactly? To be fair, the presence of a psychic son should offer some plot possibilities. [Edit: A commenter brings up a possibility that I stupidly overlooked: the movie follows other characters during their stay at the Overlook Hotel rather than the Torrance family. That is indeed a more viable premise.]
The bright spot is the team in charge of development: writer/producers Laeta Kalogridis (Shutter Island) and James Vanderbilt (Zodiac) with their producing partner Bradley Fischer (Black Swan). There are solid psychological horror credits in those parentheses, so if there is a story to be told, they'll find it. More after the jump.
This is the third example that confirms the trend of Hollywood pursuing prequels to classic horror films. Carlton Cuse (Lost) is in charge of the Psycho prequel series The Bates Motel at A&E, and Bryan Fuller (Pushing Daisies) will tell the story of Hannibal Lecter before he was incarcerated on Hannibal over at NBC. Both The Bates Motel and Hannibal seem like better ideas (relatively speaking) because we get to see the Norman Bates and Dr. Lecter grow into the monsters we know.
Stephen King—the author of the book that Stanley Kubrick adapted to the 1980 film—is working on a sequel novel to The Shining titled Doctor Sleep. Doctor Sleep follows psychic Dan Torrance into middle age as he settles into a New Hampshire town "where his remnant 'shining' power provides the crucial final comfort to the dying." I imagine that will stir up studio interest soon enough. Here is the official synopsis:
Stephen King returns to the characters and territory of one of his most popular novels ever, The Shining, in this instantly riveting novel about the now middle-aged Dan Torrance (the boy protagonist of The Shining) and the very special twelve-year-old girl he must save from a tribe of murderous paranormals.
On highways across America, a tribe of people called The True Knot travel in search of sustenance. They look harmless—mostly old, lots of polyester, and married to their RVs. But as Dan Torrance knows, and tween Abra Stone learns, The True Knot are quasi-immortal, living off the "steam" that children with the "shining" produce when they are slowly tortured to death.
Haunted by the inhabitants of the Overlook Hotel where he spent one horrific childhood year, Dan has been drifting for decades, desperate to shed his father's legacy of despair, alcoholism, and violence. Finally, he settles in a New Hampshire town, an AA community that sustains him, and a job at a nursing home where his remnant "shining" power provides the crucial final comfort to the dying. Aided by a prescient cat, he becomes "Doctor Sleep."
Then Dan meets the evanescent Abra Stone, and it is her spectacular gift, the brightest shining ever seen, that reignites Dan's own demons and summons him to a battle for Abra's soul and survival. This is an epic war between good and evil, a gory, glorious story that will thrill the millions of hyper-devoted readers of The Shining and wildly satisfy anyone new to the territory of this icon in the King canon.
"Aided by a prescient cat…" Man, why are all the cats I know so obtuse?


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Nature photographer Hullihen Moore specializes in vistas of Virginia's Shenandoah National Park, but worries he'll soon be unable to see his beloved ridgelines through a yellowish haze of industrial emissions.
On some days, thick air already obscures mountains just a few miles distant, he says. So adding six new coal-fired power plants nearby, as is proposed, might make view-gazing impossible.
Shenandoah isn't the only national treasure whose scenic values are up in the air, however. From Virginia to Utah, the air quality of at least 10 national parks, including many with crystalline views, is threatened by plans to build at least two dozen new coal-fired power plants, parks advocates and air-quality experts say.
The little-known reason places with names like Badlands, Wind Cave, and Great Basin could soon see sullied air is a federal proposal that would lower the bar for developers seeking permits to build upwind of the parks, these critics say.
Despite blunt internal criticism by its own staff experts, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proceeding with a plan by year's end to revise regulations under the Clean Air Act that currently safeguard areas with some of the nation's cleanest air.
Across the United States, 156 national parks, wilderness areas, and wildlife refuges have been designated by Congress as Class-1 areas, granting them the toughest legal protection.
Officially, the EPA says it is proposing "refinements" to regulations that measure Class-1 air-quality standards.
But federal air-quality experts at the EPA and the National Park Service say the planned changes would be a backward step for air quality.
"It's hard to see this proposal as improving air quality in the parks," says John Bunyak, policy chief at the National Park Service's planning and permit branch, which oversees air-quality issues. "It could allow additional pollution sources to locate in a particular area, where they wouldn't have been permitted under the old rule."
Inside the EPA, staff air experts have protested that the proposal would weaken the criteria used to evaluate just how polluted a Class 1 area already is – and how much pollution a new industrial facility would be permitted to add to that area.
EPA regional staff experts, in internal documents, said the proposal provided "the lowest possible degree of protection" against spikes in pollution – a common occurrence during hot days, when power plants operate at near maximum output.
The proposed changes would effectively hide pollution spikes from regulators, ignore existing major polluters, allow "phony pollution accounting" methods, and let states establish their own standards, says Mark Wenzler, clean air director of the National Parks Conservation Association, a Washington-based advocacy group.
An EPA spokesman in Washington declined to grant an interview or respond to e-mailed questions. A fact sheet about the proposed rule and a letter to Congress on the change were referred instead. "The proposed rules would provide greater regulatory certainty and reduce complexity without sacrificing the current level of environmental protection," the fact sheet says.
Controversial changes
Central to the proposal, say Park Service and EPA experts, are four changes. They would:
•Substitute an annual average of emissions for the current "maximum" emissions that is measured over a few hours, up to a single day.
•Exclude from pollution estimates output from existing industrial emitters that have been granted variances.
•Switch from calculating emissions using the two most recent years of data to any time period "more representative" of normal operations.
•Grant discretion to state regulators to use whatever data and information in their judgment would be most reliable in calculating emissions.
The final period of public-comment on these changes closed earlier this month. The final rule is expected to take effect before the end of the year.
Several federal air-quality experts contacted by the Monitor say it is clear to them that EPA's planned changes would weaken the underpinnings of clean-air standards for Class 1 regions.
"We're talking about more pollution in national parks and wilderness, not less, because of this proposed change," says a federal air-quality expert, who asked not to be named because he was not permitted to speak to the press.
Lawmakers raise objections
Congress is concerned, too. In February, Rep. Henry Waxman (D) of Calif., chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, sent a letter expressing his concerns to EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson. In it, Congressman Waxman quotes an internal e-mail from Mr. Bunyak that compares the EPA's plan to average polluters' emissions over a year when evaluating air permit applications to "allowing a person to average all the variations in his driving speed over [an] entire year to see whether he is complying with the 55-mile-per-hour speed limit."
"It looks like the EPA is once again ignoring the law and the best guidance of their career staff and operating instead from a political perspective," Waxman said in an interview. "We've seen it from the documents we already have and it's a troubling story."
Officials at EPA, however, broadly rebuffed Waxman's concerns in a March letter by Robert Myers, principal deputy assistant administrator.
To the congressman's contention that EPA staff concerns had been ignored, Mr. Myers wrote that all "had full opportunity to express their concerns ... and all concerns were considered" prior to publication of the proposed rule.
Regarding other issues Waxman and others raised, he wrote that while some polluters would be omitted from Class 1 emissions calculations, they would still have to comply with lesser Class 2 requirements.
Myers added that internal concerns expressed by the Park Service and the agency's own staff who critiqued the proposal two years ago were addressed fully in the proposal's final language.
But federal air-quality experts told the Monitor that little of substance changed in the proposal after their critiques in 2006.
"In my mind and to a lot of regional [EPA] air-quality officers, the effect of this proposal is to undermine the gains and practices of the past two decades," says Scott Bohning, an air-quality engineer in the EPA's San Francisco office. "Right now there are standard practices considered reasonable – and those will be thrown out the window."
Court battles lie ahead
Still others say the EPA's latest shift fits a pattern of changing air-pollution regulations to conform to a desired outcome Congress never intended when it passed the Clean Air Act.
"It's part of a familiar game played by this administration of trying to figure out how to help industry avoid pollution permits," says Eric Schaeffer, director of the Environmental Integrity Project and former director of the EPA's Office of Regulatory Enforcement from 1997 to 2002. "They never seem to quit even though they've lost almost everything they've done [on changing air pollution regulations] in the federal courts."
Mr. Wenzler says his group and probably others would challenge the EPA changes in court. But that might not stop the power industry, in the meantime, from winning permits to begin building.
In the meantime, Waxman wrote EPA Administrator Johnson again this month, questioning whether EPA staff objections were really addressed.
In response, the EPA says it is "considering these [Waxman's] questions as we develop the final rule, which we expect to issue by the end of 2008," Tim Lyons, the EPA's deputy press secretary, wrote in an e-mail to the Monitor.
That may be small comfort, though, to Mr. Moore trying to focus his camera back on the face of "Old Rag Mountain" in Shenandoah National Park.
"Some of the granite on the face of these mountains was exposed about 300 million years ago," he says. "I would hate it if this change means I won't be able to see it anymore."


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Kareem calls Michael Olowokandi 'uncoachable' and a 'washout'
I have seen this process firsthand. When I coached for the Clippers, I had to deal with Michael Olowokandi, a player who perfectly fit the description "talented but uncoachable." At practice, I would attempt to point out Mr. Olowokandi's faults to him, ones he constantly repeated and resulted in lost possessions for the team or personal fouls that sent him to the bench. His reaction to my attempts to correct his bad habits was to take my input as a personal insult and embarrassment. He told me point-blank that he would not be criticized in front of the team. He stuck to his word and, as a result, had very few successful moments on the court playing the way he wanted to play. He took his place on the list of athletically gifted washouts who have been in and out of the league in the past 10 years.
HoopsVibe's Very Quick Call: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is right. Michael Olowokandi is one of many 'athletically, gifted washouts'.
The problems start with the team. Not the players. Too many owners, executives, and coaches pay based on potential.
For instance, how many bigs, like Olowokandi, get $8-10 million per season because they're big? That's it. They've done nothing. They've achieved nothing. But they're seven-feet, which makes them worthy of a contract that should offend.
Except it doesn't offend. It's the norm. Nobody blinks when Andrea Bargnani, Calvin Booth, Kwame Brown, Eddy Curry, Brendan Haywood, Kenyon Martin, Bryant Reeves, Tyrus Thomas, and dozens of other stiffs get theirs.
Or, how about the Washington Wizards bidding against themselves and doling out $111 million over six-years to combo guard Gilbert Arenas, despite The Hibachi having undergone three surgeries on his brittle knees?
There are other absurd contracts. The money, of course, creates entitlement. It's why Olowokandi believes he's above being coached, even when that coach is the NBA's all-time leading scorer, a former master in the paint, a world champion, and league MVP.
The 'Skyhook' is right. The 'washout' era needs to end. Hopefully, the new financial system changes the money and power teams give unproven and undeserving players.
–Oly Sandor.
Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below.


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Council vote sets path for Pizza Luce
With Council action on Wednesday, Pizza Luce will begin construction on parking lot
City Councilmembers unanimously voted Wednesday to uphold a Board of Zoning Appeals decision to allow the owners of Pizza Luce, a successful local restaurant specializing in made-from-scratch pizza, to build a parking lot that will alleviate congestion in the adjacent neighborhood.
"Pizza Luce has become a staple inSaint Paul's Lexington-Hamline neighborhood, contributing to the vitality of our community. Working together with the business owner, neighbors and City Council, we reached a comprehensive solution to build a parking lot, pull cars off the street, and drive business for Pizza Luce and vibrancy for our city," Mayor Chris Coleman said.
The Council voted to deny an appeal of the decision by the Board of Zoning Appeals to approve two setback variances in order to build a new parking lot. By denying the appeal, the Council upheld the original BZA variances, allowing Pizza Luce to build the lot.
"The improved parking plan for Pizza Luce is the result of a thorough and responsive engagement process between Pizza Luce and local residents. This is a good example of what can be accomplished when residents and businesses work together to find common ground," Councilmember Melvin Carter said.
The owners of Pizza Luce heard concerns from neighbors and worked with them and the city to improve their parking plans, including adding a security camera to the lot, making the lot available for various community events, providing tax incentives for employees to use public transportation and installing signage and other pedestrian safety features.
"We are excited to get to work building the parking lot and getting some of our guests' cars off of neighborhood streets. Working with our neighbors, we have modified the parking lot design to take into account a variety of goals for our business and our neighbors," J.J. Haywood, co-owner of Pizza Luce, said.


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I have seen a few Toshiba Satellite M305 and M305D laptops with exactly the same display problem. When you move the display panel, the image on the screen flickers, some random horizontal lines appear in random places or the image disappears at all. As soon as you stop moving the display, the image ether turns back to normal or the display continue to remain black.
I did some research and found that this problem could be related to the display cable made by CMI.
How can you tell if the display cable was made by CMI? You'll have to open up the display panel and take a look at the letters and numbers below the barcode on the cable. If first three letters are CMI, the cable was made by CMI.
The following models could have a faulty display cable: Toshiba Satellite M300, M305, M305D and Toshiba Satellite Pro M300.
If you experience a similar problem with your Satellite M305 or M305D laptop, try replacing the display cable first. Visit Irisvista.com for Toshiba disassembly guides. If the problem still exists, even after replacing the cable, apparently it's related to the LCD screen.
If the laptop is still under warranty do not open the case or you will lose the warranty. Take your laptop to the authorized repair center.


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Google announced that it is now demanding a probable-cause warrant to release data from its services and cloud storage.
Google reported Wednesday that it required probable-cause, court-issued warrants from law enforcement and government agencies to hand over data, something that seems to contradict the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, according to Wired.
Google announced on its Google Public Policy Blog that 68 percent of the user data it gives to the U.S. government and law enforcement is given without a probable-cause warrant. Only 22 percent of the incidents involved one of these warrants.
U.S. & World
The ECPA allows law enforcement to get the data without a warrant if it's been stored for more than six months. This can mean IP addresses, names listed, emails from certain IP addresses or people. However, Google said it holds out for a warrant, which seemed contrary to the heart of the law.
"Google requires an ECPA search warrant for contents of Gmail and other services based on the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution, which prevents unreasonable search and seizure," Chris Gaither, a Google spokesman, told Wired.


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The Los Angeles Kings are no strangers to the rigors of Game 7 play, but on Sunday night they even outdid themselves with their performance in a 5-4 overtime victory over the Chicago Blackhawks.
For starters, the Kings won their third Game 7 of the postseason, with all of the victories coming on the road. The Kings are the first team to ever accomplish that feat, and they did it in some of the toughest road environments imaginable. The Kings' two wins in this series at the United Center were the only times during the postseason that Chicago lost on home ice, and both victories were impressive to say the least.
In addition to the Kings simply winning and advancing to the Stanley Cup Final for the second time in three years, they also extended the remarkable run that Justin Williams finds himself on during Game 7's in his career. The Kings forward is now 7-0 when he plays in a Game 7, and he has seven goals and seven assists in those contests. He picked up the primary assist on the game-winning goal by Alec Martinez, and he also scored a goal in the first period that tied the game at 2-2.
The Kings also got yet another great performance out of Marian Gaborik, who scored the game-tying goal in the third period. The tally was Gaborik's ninth of the postseason, and it positions him to make a run at the Conn Smythe Trophy if the Kings end up winning the title. Anze Kopitar will also be in that discussion, and even though he wasn't a huge presence in this game (he had a secondary assist on Gaborik's goal), he still contributed, winning 16 face-offs against the Blackhawks.
Speaking of big-time performances, captain Dustin Brown was in top form in this game as well. He had two assists in the game, with primary helpers on Jeff Carter's first period tally and Gaborik's game-tying score in the third period, and he also racked up eight shots on goal and three hits in the game. He had largely been held in check during the early stages of the series, but he really stepped up his game in a big way even as his team was dropping contests, and that ended up making a huge difference for the Kings as they advanced.
- Images: Kings in the 2014 Playoffs
Finally, the Kings' youngsters had themselves a good game as well. Tanner Pearson was a constant thorn in the Hawks' side as he racked up three shots on goal and five attempted shots total. Tyler Toffoli scored a key goal and added an assist in the game in just 13:02 of ice time. Martinez's game-winning goal was his second in two games, and the 26-year old stepped up his game when the team needed him the most.
Sports news
Add to that mix Darryl Sutter becoming the winningest Game 7 coach in league history (his seventh win is the most all-time in Game 7 play), and it's easy to see why the Kings should be proud of what they accomplished by winning this series. The team has made it a point of bouncing back every time they've been punched in the postseason, and the defending champions landed some serious blows throughout the series.
Both of these teams really respect each other, and the odds are strong that their paths will cross again in the playoffs sooner rather than later. This time it was the Kings ending up on time, and they absolutely earned their berth in the final round of the postseason.


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"An astonishing performance . . . As near to [a masterpiece] as anything that American poetry has produced in the last two or three decades." —The New York Review of Books
"James Merrill has created a poem as central to our generation as The Waste Land was to the one before." —The New Leader
"In turns comic, elegiac, and darkly prophetic, Sandover is as ambitious in scope as it is audacious in concept . . . combining an epic intent with dramatic and lyric meanings and means. The result may be the greatest long poem an American has yet produced." —Newsweek


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kidzsearch.com > wiki Explore:images videos games
Encyclopædia Britannica
|4,411 named contributors; editorial staff
United Kingdom (1768-1900)
USA (1901-present)
|Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Publication date
|Media type
|32 volumes
The Encyclopædia Britannica is a very big, famous encyclopaedia. It is now out of print in paper versions, but still in print digitally. It is written in English, and is published by Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc., a private company. It was originally only printed on paper, but recently it has expanded to have digital, or computer versions as well. The encyclopedia is split into many books. The articles in the books are arranged in alphabetical order. There have been versions of it that are for children as well. It is the largest printed encyclopedia, and the second largest encyclopedia. The largest is Wikipedia. Many people consider it to be the best encyclopedia, because it is accurate and has lots of detail.
The Encyclopedia was once very small, the first edition in 1768 only had 3 books. Slowly it became bigger. The latest edition, the 15th edition, now has 29 books in it, plus 2 indexes. It includes an extra book called Propaedia, to classify knowledge. The 29 books and made up of a Macropaedia and a Micropaedia. The Macropædia is a larger one, with more detailed articles that can be as long as 300 pages, made up of 17 books, while the Micropædia is the smaller one with shorter articles that are usually less than 750 words. The Micropædia is used for fast-checking, but if you want more detailed information you have to use the Macropædia. Each book is very big, more than 1000 pages per book. There are books of the year. Every year, a book is published about that year.
The articles in the Britannica are for educated adults, not for children, and written by about 100 full-time editors and over 4,000 expert contributors. Many people think it is the best encyclopedia[source?], but Wikipedia is still more popular[source?], being free to use. The Britannica is the oldest English-language encyclopaedia now. It was first published between 1768 and 1771 in Edinburgh, Scotland and grew very popular, with its third edition in 1801 comprising of 21 books.
The size of the Britannica is almost the same over the past 70 years, with about 40 million words on half a million topics. The encyclopedia was once owned by the British. It is now owned by the USA, but still written in British English. Over time, the encyclopedia has had difficulties trying to earn money, which almost every encyclopedia is facing.
The Britannica has been owned by many different people, including Scottish publisher A & C Black, Horace Everett Hooper, Sears Roebuck and William Benton. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. is owned by Jacqui Safra, a Swiss billionaire and actor. Information technology has become better recently and more electronic encyclopedias such as Microsoft Encarta and Wikipedia have made people not want to buy encyclopedias in print anymore.[1] So that it still can survive, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. has kept on telling people that the Britannica is good and accurate, made the encyclopedia cheaper, and made electronic versions on CD-ROM, DVD and the World Wide Web. Since the early 1930s, the company has also promoted spin-off reference works.[2]
There are 15 official editions of the encyclopedia, with some extensions to the 3rd and 5th editions (see the Table below). Actually, you can say that the 10th edition was only an extension to the 9th edition, and the 12th and 13th editions were extensions to the 11th edition. The 15th edition was reorganised in 1985, and the updated, current version is the 15th edition.
Through the encyclopedia's history, the Britannica wanted to be an excellent reference book and to provide learning materials for those who want to study.[3] In 1974, the 15th edition had a third wish: to put together all that everyone knows.[4] The history of the Britannica can be divided into five main eras, or lengths of time.
First era
In its first years (1st–6th editions, 1768–1826), the Britannica was controlled by the people who first wrote it, Colin Macfarquhar and Andrew Bell, and by their friends and relations, such as Thomas Bonar, George Gleig and Archibald Constable. The Britannica was first published between 1768 and 1771 in Edinburgh, a city in Scotland, called the Encyclopædia Britannica, or, A dictionary of arts and sciences, compiled upon a new plan. It was written to replace the French Encyclopedie. Its logo, which is the floral emblem of Scotland, shows that the Britannica was a Scottish business. The encyclopedia being created is one of the most famous events that happened in the time when Scotland started inventing many things, or the Age of Enlightenment.[5] The Britannica started as three-book set ( in the 1st edition) written by one young editor—William Smellie—[6] Slowly, the Britannica changed, in the first era, to a 20-book set written by many people. Although a few other encyclopaedias had been fighting with the Britannica, such as Rees's Cyclopaedia and Coleridge's Encyclopaedia Metropolitana, these encyclopedias either went bankrupt or were not finished because the people writing them argued. When the first era was almost over, the Britannica had many people helping to write it, all having different types of skills. The encyclopedia managed to get so many people by inviting their friends to help.
Second era
In the second era (7th–9th editions, 1827–1901), the Britannica was owned by the Edinburgh company, A & C Black. Although some of the people who helped write the Britannica helped because they were friends of the most important editors, many other people wanted to help the Britannica because it was becoming very successful. These people came from many other countries, and some of them were very famous for the things they wrote about. An index of all the articles was written to add to the 7th edition of the encyclopedia, and they continued to make an index until 1974. The first English chief editor was Thomas Spencer Baynes, who led the making of the famous 9th edition, which is also called the "Scholar's Edition". The 9th edition is considered to be the Britannica most meant for students ever written.[7][8] However, at the end of the 19th century, the 9th edition was already too old and the Britannica had many financial problems.
Third era
In the third era (10th–14th editions, 1901–1973), the Britannica was owned by American people, who started to advertise a lot to earn more money. The American owners also slowly made the Britannica's articles simpler, so it could serve more people. The 11th edition is said by many people to be the best edition of the encyclopedia. Its owner, Horace Hooper, worked extremely hard to make the 11th edition perfect.[8] When Hooper had financial problems, the Britannica was managed by Sears Roebuck for about 18 years (1920–1923, 1928–1943). In 1932, the vice-president of Sears, Elkan Harrison Powell, owned the Britannica.
In 1936, he started to continuously revise the encyclopedia often (still done so today), in which every article is checked at least two times every ten years. This was a big difference from before, when the articles were not changed until they wrote a new edition, about every 25 years, with some articles used again without revising them.[2] He also quickly made some educational products which made the encyclopedia even more well known by everyone. In 1943, William Benton managed the Britannica until his death in 1973. Benton also set up the Benton Foundation, which managed the Britannica until 1996. In 1968, near the end of this era, the Britannica celebrated its 200 year anniversary.
The Encyclopedia Now
2007 print version
Since 1985, the Britannica has had four parts: the Micropædia, the Macropædia, the Propædia, and a two-book index. The Britannica's articles are found in the Micropædia and Macropædia, which contain 12 and 17 books, respectively, each book having about one thousand pages. The 2007 Macropædia has 699 detailed articles, which can be as short as 2 pages and as long as 310 pages, and having references and named writers. The 2007 Micropædia has about 65,000 articles, and about 97% contain less than 750 words, no references, and no named contributors.[9] The Micropædia articles are supposed to be for quick fact-checking and to help in finding more information in the Macropædia. The Macropædia articles are supposed to be well-written articles on their subjects and articles of information where you cannot find anywhere else.[7] The longest article (310 pages) is on the United States, and came from putting the articles on the individual states together.
Information can be found in the Britannica by following the notes telling where people can find more information in the Micropædia and Macropædia; but there are very little of this, with about only one of this every page.[10] So, readers are asked to try to use the indexes or the Propædia, which organises what is in the Britannica's by topic.[11]
The use of the Propædia is its "Outline of Knowledge," which wants to organise all of everything people know.[4] The Outline is thought through by the Britannica's editors to decide which articles should be included in the Micropædia and Macropædia.[4] The Outline is also intended to be a study guide, and to tell a student who wants to learn a topic in depth what articles to use.[4] However, libraries say that very few people use it, and reviewers recommend the encyclopedias to not print it anymore.[12] The Propædia also has diagrams printed on transparent paper of big topics and a section which lists the people working together to make the encyclopedia.
Altogether, the Micropædia and Macropædia have about 40 million words and 24,000 pictures.[11] The index has 2,350 pages, which lists all the 228,274 topics written about in the Britannica,.[10] The Britannica uses the British spellings and not American spellings.[10] For example, it uses colour (not color), centre (not center), and encyclopaedia (not encyclopedia). However, this rule is not always followed, for example defense and not defence.[13] The other spellings of the word is sometimes shown with a link, for example "Color: see Colour."
Since 1936, the articles of the Britannica have been revised often, with about 10% of the articles brought to be re-written each year.[2][10] One Britannica website says that 46% of the articles were revised in the past three years;[14] but another Britannica web-site says only 35% of the articles were revised.[15]
The way the articles are arranged (in alphabet order) in the Micropædia and Macropædia is very accurate.[16] Non-English letters are ignored and articles with numbers such as "War of 1812" are arranged as if the number had been written out ("War of Eighteen-twelve"). If the articles have the same names, articles about persons go first, then by places, then by things. People with the same names are arranged first alphabetically by country and then by their time. Similarly, places that have the same names are arranged by alphabet by the country they are in.
Other Britannicas
There are a few smaller versions of the Britannica encyclopedias. The Britannica Concise Encyclopædia, written in one book, has 28,000 shorter articles.[17] Compton's by Britannica, published in 2007, with the old Compton's Encyclopedia, in it is written for teenagers who are 10–17 years old and has 26 books and 11,000 pages in it.[18] A Children's Britannica was published by the company in 1960; this was edited by John Armitage and written for His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales; the writers were almost all British.[19] Other books are My First Britannica, written for children who are six to twelve years old, and the Britannica Discovery Library, written for children who are three to six years old (issued in 1974 to 1991).[20] Since 1938, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. has published a Book of the Year every year, with information about the past year's events, which is written online since the 1994 edition (with the events of 1993). The company also publishes a few books on special topics, such as Shakespeare: The Essential Guide to the Life and Works of the Bard (Wiley, 2006).
The Britannica Ultimate Reference Suite 2006 DVD contains over 55 million words and over 100,000 articles.[21] It includes 73,645 Britannica articles, with the other articles from the Britannica Student Encyclopædia, the Britannica Elementary Encyclopædia and the Britannica Book of the Years (1993–2004), plus a few old articles from old editions of the encyclopaedia. The whole DVD also includes other bonus tools including maps, videos, sound clips, animations and web links. It also has study tools and a dictionary and thesaurus from Merriam-Webster.
Encyclopædia Britannica Online is a web site with more than 120,000 articles and is updated often.[22] It has features, updates and links to news reports from The New York Times and the BBC every day. People need to pay to use the website.[23] Special discounts are given to schools, colleges and libraries since these big groups of people are important in Britannica's business. Articles can be read online for free, but only the first few sentences can be seen. Beginning in early 2007, the Britannica let people read the articles for free if they are linked to another website,[24] since these links let the articles appear more often and easily in search engines.
On 20 February 2007, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. said that it was working with mobile phone search company AskMeNow to make an encyclopedia in phones.[25] Users can send a question by text message, and AskMeNow will search Britannica's 28,000-article encyclopedia to answer the user.
An idea to use a wiki-Britannica was announced on the June 3, 2008. A lot of people will be involved, with the Britannica staff editing important parts.[26] [27]
Other pages
Further reading
- Einbinder, Harvey (1964). The Myth of the Britannica. New York: Grove Press.
- Jacobs, Arnold Stephen, Jr. (2004). The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World. New York: Simon & Schuster.
- Kister, Kenneth F. (1994). Kister's Best Encyclopedias: A Comparative Guide to General and Specialized Encyclopedias (2nd ed. ed.). Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press.
- Kogan, Herman (1958). The Great EB: The Story of the Encyclopædia Britannica. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. .
- Lee, Timothy. Techdirt Interviews Britannica President Jorge Cauz, Techdirt.com, June 2, 2008
- ↑ Day, Peter (17 December 1997). "Encyclopaedia Britannica changes to survive". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/40033.stm. Retrieved 2007-03-27. "Sales plummeted from 100,000 a year to just 20,000."
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Encyclopædia". Encyclopædia Britannica (14th edition). (1954).
- ↑ "Encyclopedias and Dictionaries". Encyclopædia Britannica (15th edition) 18. (2007). Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.. 257–286.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 The New Encyclopædia Britannica (15th edition, Propædia ed.). 2007. pp. 5–8.
- ↑ Herman, Arthur (2002). How the Scots Invented the Modern World. Three Rivers Press. .
- ↑ Krapp, Philip; Balou, Patricia K. (1992). "Collier's Encyclopedia". 9. New York: Macmillan Educational Company. p. 135. . Many people said that the first edition of the encyclopedia was very inaccurate, and had many problems in it.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Kister, KF (1994). Kister's Best Encyclopedias: A Comparative Guide to General and Specialized Encyclopedias (2nd ed.). Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press. .
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Kogan, Herman (1958). The Great EB: The Story of the Encyclopædia Britannica. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. .
- ↑ reviews by the Editorial Board of Reference Books Bulletin ; revised introduction by Sandy Whiteley. (1996). Purchasing an Encyclopedia: 12 Points to Consider (5th ed.). Booklist Publications, American Library Association. .
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Sader, Marian; Lewis, Amy (1995). Encyclopedias, Atlases, and Dictionaries. New Providence, NJ: R. R. Bowker (A Reed Reference Publishing Company). .
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 The New Encyclopædia Britannica (15th edition, Index preface ed.). 2007.
- ↑ Purchasing an Encyclopedia: 12 Points to Consider (4th edition ed.). Booklist Publications, American Library Association. 1992. .
- ↑ "Defense mechanism". Encyclopædia Britannica (15th edition) 3. (2007). Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.. p. 957.
- ↑ "Encyclopædia Britannica: School & Library Site, promotional materials for the 2007 Britannica". http://www.eb.com/library/print/eb.html. Retrieved 2007-04-11.
- ↑ "Australian Encyclopædia Britannica, promotional materials for the 2007 Britannica". http://www.britannica.com.au/product.asp?prod=HLMPKG07. Retrieved 2007-04-10.
- ↑ The New Encyclopædia Britannica (15th edition, Micropædia preface ed.). 2007.
- ↑ "2003 Britannica Concise Encyclopedia". Encyclopædia Britannica (UK) Ltd.. http://britannicashop.britannica.co.uk/epages/Store.sf/?ObjectPath=/Shops/Britannicashop/Products/SVOL_REF_0302. Retrieved 2007-04-11.
- ↑ "2007 Compton's by Britannica". Encyclopædia Britannica (UK) Ltd.. http://britannicashop.britannica.co.uk/epages/Store.sf/?ObjectPath=/Shops/Britannicashop/Products/CHLD_PRNT_0710_0715_0696. Retrieved 2007-04-11.
- ↑ Children's Britannica. ed. John Armitage. 1960. Encyclopædia Britannica Ltd. London.
- ↑ "Britannica Discovery Library (issued 1974–1991)". Encyclopædia Britannica (UK) Ltd.. http://britannicashop.britannica.co.uk/epages/Store.sf/?ObjectPath=/Shops/Britannicashop/Products/CHLD_PRNT_0551. Retrieved 2007-04-11.
- ↑ "2007 Ultimate Reference Suite DVD". Encyclopædia Britannica (UK) Ltd.. http://britannicashop.britannica.co.uk/epages/Store.sf/?ObjectPath=/Shops/BritannicaShop/Products/ENCL_ADLT_0713. Retrieved 2007-04-11.
- ↑ "Britannica Online". Britannica.com. http://www.britannica.com/premium. Retrieved 2006-10-23.
- ↑ "Britannica Online Store—BT Click&Buy". Britannica.com. http://www.britannica.co.uk/BT_Click_Buy.htm. Retrieved 2006-09-27.
- ↑ "Instructions for linking to the Britannica articles". Britannica.com. http://www.britannica.com/webmaster. Retrieved 2007-03-26.
- ↑ AskMeNow, Inc. (21 February 2007). "Encyclopaedia Britannica Selects AskMeNow to Launch Mobile Encyclopedia". Press release. http://www.mirror99.com/20070221/encyclopaedia_britannica_selects_askmenow_to_launch_mobile_geae.jspx. Retrieved 2007-03-26.
- ↑ Collaboration and the Voices of Experts Jorge Cauz, June 3rd, 2008
- ↑ [1] Wired Blog
Other websites
|Wikisource has original writing related to this article:
- Official site
- Encyclopædia Britannica Online. The official website.
- Historical articles
- "Encyclopaedia Britannica". In Encyclopaedia Britannica Online.
- 1768–2005:l'aventure Britannica. History of the Britannica, from the French Britannica site.
- Vintage Britannica or "Evolving Knowledge". Excerpts on various topics drawn from various Britannica editions.
- Earlier editions (in the public domain in the U.S.A.)
- Preface to the 1st edition of the Britannica, by William Smellie.
- The article "History" in the 3rd edition of the Britannica.
- Articles and illustrations from the 9th and 10th editions of the Britannica.
- Scanned version of the 11th edition of the Britannica.
- Text version of the 11th edition of the Britannica. (Partial)
- James Mill's essay on "Government", from the Supplement to the 5th edition of the Britannica (1820).
- Recent events
- Technical aspects of the Britannica's online and CD/DVD-ROM editions.
- Britannica disagrees with Wikipedia comparison study.
- To wire or not to wire? Encyclopædia Britannica vs. Microsoft Encarta
- A comparison of the two encyclopedias by Panagiota Alevizou, published in the Educational Technology & Society journal.
- Business history
- "Dusting off the Britannica". Article from BusinessWeek magazine (1997).
- "Death of a salesforce". Article from Salon (1996).
- "The Work of the Encyclopedia in the Age of Electronic Reproduction". Article by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang in First Monday.
- The Crisis at Encyclopædia Britannica Kellogg School of Management.


text:
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text:
Rural telecom providers band together against national broadband plan
By B. Adam Burke
North Liberty Leader
NORTH LIBERTY- Rural Iowa telecom providers have joined forces to raise awareness about a Federal Communications Commission plan they say will hurt rural broadband service.
The Iowa Telecommunications Company Coalition, made up of the Iowa Telecommunications Association, Iowa Network Services, and the Rural Iowa Independent Telephone Association, set up a website, www.thegreatdisconnect.org, to educate telecom customers about the plan.
At 376 pages, the FCC's (Federal Communications Commission) National Broadband Plan (NBP) is a major push for a nation-wide data services overhaul that originated in the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (also called the stimulus package).
The NBP has been estimated to cost between $20 and $350 billion, part of which may be offset by an auction of wireless spectrum to future 4G wireless providers. The NBP is projected to be fully implemented by 2020.
The FCC's NBP calls for more access to high-speed broadband, aiming for up to 100Mbps speeds in urban and densely-populated areas but capping rural broadband speeds at just 4Mbps.
Currently, South Slope Cooperative Communications Company and other rural providers are cross-subsidized by the Universal Service Fund (USF). The USF pays rural telecoms for building fiber and wire lines to outlying customers and providers pay into the fund .
The NBP will shift the USF into a "Connect America Fund" and phase out its telephone service focus for broadband data connection service.
South Slope CEO Justyn Miller said his company had developed a business plan to offer 40Mbps service to rural customers if USF money was in place. Now his company's plans may be delayed because the NBP states a goal for rural broadband of only 4Mbps.
Miller said South Slope is finishing fiber expansion to all of North Liberty in the next 12-months and would like to begin connecting Ely, Fairfax, Newhall, Norway, and Walford. But the company is taking a cautious approach as they wait and see where USF money will go. Miller said South Slope's fiber connection plans for Solon, Tiffin, and Oxford fiber could be completed in around five years.
USF money, which subsidizes rural telephone and broadband, has recently been targeted in deficit-reduction talks as a budget-focused U.S. Congress discusses eliminating $1 billion of the telecom subsidy. In 2010, the fund doled out about $7.5 billion to telecom providers across the country. Critics contend the cross-subsidy is inefficient and costly.
Miller explained that South Slope pays into the USF as a support charge. By federal law, telecommunication carriers are required to contribute to the fund, which also provides data access funding for schools, libraries, and rural health care facilities.
South Slope also receives money from the USF to enable them to bring service to high-cost areas. Miller said all of the money South Slope receives from the USF is reinvested in stringing more fiber lines to customers and maintaining local service.
Joe Hrdlicka of the Iowa Telecommunications Association said his group represents companies like South Slope, that mostly "rely on three sources for income:-rates charged to customers, universal service fees to provide access to high-cost areas, and inter-carrier compensation or access fees."
"Rural carriers are eligible for USF because it costs a lot more to run a mile of cable and serve 10 people than it does to run a mile of cable and serve hundreds of people," he said.
USF subsidies pay for these high-cost fiber and cable build-outs.
Providers like South Slope must provide service to any customer who requests it. USF money is used to help telecoms bring service to rural and hard-to-reach outlets.
"If they're going to reform the USF program, we want them to do it fairly," Hrdlicka said.
If the rules for the USF revenue stream change significantly, Hrdlicka said rural telecoms could have problems because it could "drastically affect their ability to provide telecom services, build out more lines, and pay back loans."
Hrdlicka also explained that, at some point, "Wireless needs wire," implying that cell towers are wired to networks built of fiber, copper and other land-based formats.
In an interview with PC World magazine, Blair Levin, who authored the National Broadband Plan for the FCC, defended his plan because he said it balances rural and urban broadband needs.
Levin stated, "4G [wireless] is going to end up being more important to more people over the next couple of years than increases in wireline speed.... It's not about speed, it's about use; it's not about wireline, it's about the right mix of wireline and wireless; and it's not about residential, it's about different product markets. And it's not just about rural, it's about everywhere and having the right speeds for the right places. We spend a huge amount of money on 20th-century [voice] technology in rural America and that needs to be changed."
Almost 19 million rural Americans still don't have access to broadband data services.
According to the Independent Telecommunication Companies Coalition, if left unchanged, "the National Broadband Plan has the potential to raise rates, limit community services, affect jobs and drain the state of resources that could be better suited to other endeavors." Since the NBP is still just a plan, there is time for rural consumers to take action. The coalition encourages people to visit www.thegreatdisconnect.org, for more information about communication services and why they matter to Iowa residents. The website contains information on how to contact legislators, members of the FCC and other government leaders.


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September 16 is Guacamole Day. It's a day to celebrate the delicious Mexican side-dish or dip made of avocados. So get all the creative design ideas on this delicious superfood.
Here you can find the Islamic religious holiday elements on creative icons, banners and transparent backgrounds.
Cheeseburger day is celebrated annually on the 18th September. The best way to celebrate the holiday is to eat a lot of cheeseburgers!
Browse beautiful Snowflake background images, transparent clipart, vectors and illustrations.


text:
In the protest movement popularity contest, Occupy Wall Street is whupping the Tea Party.
The demonstrations against big banks has a 54% favorability rating compared to the conservative group's 27%, according to a new Time magazine poll.
A sizable number - 23% - said they didn't know enough about the Wall St. protesters to make a decision.
In contrast, 23% said they had a negative opinion of Occupy Wall Street compared to 65% who said the Tea Party's influence has been negative or negligible.
Most Read
The new numbers come as Mayor Michael Bloomberg ordered demonstrations - who have been stationed at Zuccotti Park for the past three weeks - to temporarily vacate on Friday so the area can be cleaned.
Since the protests against big banks began in cities around the country weeks ago, many pundits and commentators have drawn comparisons between the two movements.
They argue both are grassroots initiatives fueled by anti-establishment anger - the difference being that Tea Partiers focus their antipathy on the government, and the Occupiers on big banks.
The Tea Party Patriots, the nation's largest Tea Party organization, blasted the comparison earlier this week.
Tea Partiers are "not lawbreakers, they don't hate the police, they don't even litter. A quick glance at the TV reveals the sharp contrast posed by the Wall St. occupiers," the group said in a statement.


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Cattle Industry Summer Conference Kicks Off in Denver
DENVER - Cattlemen and women are gathering in Denver, Colo., today to help create the direction for cattle industry at the 2013 Cattle Industry Summer Conference Aug. 7-10.
More than 650 producers and other industry participants are in attendance at the event, which features meetings of National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA), Cattlemen's Beef Promotion & Research Board (CBB), American National CattleWomen, Inc. and National Cattlemen's Foundation. The Cattle Industry Summer Conference is where cattle producers discuss current issues as a group, work on programs and initiatives and set the course the industry should take with various projects for the betterment of the beef cattle industry.
General Session I on Thurs., Aug. 8, officially starts the 2013 Cattle Industry Summer Conference. John Huston, executive vice president emeritus, NCBA, will address the group and discuss the 50th anniversary of the Federation of State Beef Councils. U.S. Rep. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) will then take the stage to give an update on cattle industry priorities in Washington, D.C.
"NCBA is a member-driven organization and is the trusted leader and definitive voice of the cattle industry," said NCBA President Scott George, a dairy and beef producer from Cody, Wyo. "I'm pleased that so many of my fellow cattle producers are here in Denver to be engaged in the policy process so that the beef industry remains viable and beef continues to be on kitchen tables around the country and the world."
General Session II on Fri., Aug. 9, is open to all registered attendees. NCBA and CBB leadership will identify the key outcomes and updates in both the policy and Checkoff program areas and will set the stage for the focused plan of work for Fiscal Year 2014, which starts on Oct. 1. The session will also offer a look at the Beef Demand Determinants study, funded by the Beef Checkoff. This study provides extensive consumer and economic research to identify price, food safety and product quality as the most important demand drivers on which the Checkoff should focus to maintain and build beef demand.
Also on Friday, NCBA policy committees will meet to determine priorities and discuss strategies for 2014. The NCBA Board of Directors will hold a session on Sat. Aug. 10, as will members of the CBB.
"The opportunity to shape the policy that impacts this industry and the direction we take in the future is an important part of why we are in Denver these next few days," said George. "I am encouraged that so many people have taken the time away from their farms and ranches to be here."
The National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) has represented America's cattle producers since 1898, preserving the heritage and strength of the industry through education and public policy. As the largest association of cattle producers, NCBA works to create new markets and increase demand for beef. Efforts are made possible through membership contributions. To join, contact NCBA at 1-866-BEEF-USA or firstname.lastname@example.com.
© Copyright 2013 National Cattlemen's Beef Association, all rights reserved.
Contact our Media Team
Ed Frank
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Steven Johnson
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Any thoughts on planning a trip from Gilroy to Paso Robles and back without recharging?
Any thoughts on planning a trip from Gilroy to Paso Robles and back without recharging?
You try returning via the Harris Ranch supercharger, that's about 75 miles or so from Paso Robles, and then back via I5 to Gilroy, 112 miles.
Reitmanr :
We are so used to hop in a car first then figure out the directions with the GPS.
But I like the Tesla way, it makes us think first before driving.
If I were you, my plan would be
Gilroy - Harris: 111 miles: then charge up on standard charge.
Harris - The Oaks Hotel & Suites, Paso Robles: 79 miles. rest, then have fun and run down the battery till about 120 rated miles then get back to Harris for recharge.
The total one way trip would be 190 miles with 2 standard charges (Gilroy & Harris.)
It 's always good to have some buffer, just in case.
You could run straight down CA 101 highway and enjoy Pas Robles first like Sanjuro says, but that may take away the fun because you need to watch your gauge to make sure you have enough rated miles to get to Harris after the fun.
I do not recommend you to run from Gilroy straight down on CA 101 freeway with 1 single "max charge" (that affects your battery longevity) at Gilroy for 126 miles x 2 = 252 miles round trip. It is possible but not practical.
Remember University of Central Florida researcher David Metcalf and his son who could drive 423.5 miles on a single charge? It is doable, but hey, we are no researchers!
Ahh! Good point! How to avoid busy Superchargers!
In that case, as long as you stay overnight with a 50 ampere outlet (31miles/hr x 8 hours of sleep = 248 mile capacity) , you are fine to skip a Supercharger and you'll be ready for your way back!
Most public chargers like Chargepoint runs 30 amperes (18 miles/hr x 10 hours of sleep = 180 mile capacity) which is quite slow for me. Why not sleep a lot and that'll be enough to get back to Gilroy :)
I show a KOA campground with 50 amp at Salinas, 29 miles south of Gilroy on 101.
Go for it and if at Salinas you don't have 40 miles left stop for an hour and add 25 to 30.
@Reitmanr- My wife and I did that exact trip last weekend. See this post on teslamotorsclub for details: http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/showthread.php/15176-Paso-Robles-road-tri...
As Tam mentioned, the Paso Oaks hotel has a NEMA 14-50 (they also said they were planning to install two J-1772 chargers soon, but I doubt that has happened just yet).
You might consider staying at the Oaks the night before you head back to Gilroy- with a full charge at the Oaks you will have more than enough range to make it back to Gilroy.
Even if you don't want to change the reservation, you should call the Oaks, tell them the situation, and see if they'll let you charge there even if you're not a guest. The manager is very EV friendly and may help you out. Of course, the Oaks is a bit more than a mile from downtown so you'll also have to figure out transportation while the car is charging.
The Rabobank in Atascadaro (12 miles from Paso Robles) has a 70 Amp J1772 charger.


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The LIBRIS division of the National Library of Sweden has published on their Web site a report they commissioned me to produce on e-resource knowledge bases and OpenURL link resolvers. One thread of work in support of this study involved gathering data from each of the major providers of knowledge base and link resolver products. In order to gauge the effectiveness of the products, a survey was developed and executed to capture responses from libraries regarding their impressions of their current and previous link resolvers, their assessment of the completeness and quality of the associated knowledge base, and requesting narrative comments in each topic area.
This report summarizes research conducted on OpenURL Link Resolvers and their associated Knowledge Bases. It includes information collected from the providers of these products as well as data provided by the libraries that use them regarding their experiences of their quality and effectiveness. The study focuses primarily on the knowledge bases, though it also examines the functionality offered in the link resolvers. In addition to the these characterizations of the products, the report also provides observations regarding the role that these products play in the broader landscape of library automation and some of the trends currently in motion.
This 103 report provides background and perspective on the genre of OpenURL Link Resolvers and their associated knowledge bases, includes detailed information provided by each of the producers of the major products, statistical summaries of the library survey responses as well as survey comments.
About OpenURL Link Resolvers
An information ecosystem based on OpenURL has emerged to manage linking in a scalable and efficient manner. In this ecosystem, sources present links from citations formulated as an OpenURL, following a standardized structure that presents metadata or identifiers describing the resource instead of a hardcoded link. The OpenURL includes the Base URL that references the link resolver provided by the user's library. The link resolver then interprets the OpenURL and calculates the best link to connect the user with the full text of article, or presents other relevant services if the full text is not available. Link resolvers rely on a knowledge base that describes the universe of available content resources, scoped to the resources made available by their library. The library would configure their instance of the link resolver to identify the content packages, e-journals, or other materials to which it subscribes as well as selected free and open access resources. This environment of context-sensitive linking based on OpenURL-based link resolvers and knowledge bases was initially proposed by Herbert Van de Somple and Patrick Hochstenbach at the University of Ghent in Belgium in 1999 in a project called SFX, which was licensed and commercialized by Ex Libris in February 2000, and has sparked the slate of competing products that this report describes.
Knowledge Base characteristics
The knowledge bases covered in this report house data related to body of electronic resources of interest to libraries. This body of content includes articles from e-journals, e-books, book chapters, and other materials acquired through a variety of different content products ranging from individual ejournal subscriptions to massive multi-disciplinary aggregated databases. Rather than each library taking on the laborious process of maintaining detailed information regarding the variable lists of materials that reside within each of their subscription packages, they can rely on knowledge bases maintained on behalf of a broader library community. An organization that produces one of these knowledge bases would bring to bear more technical and personnel resources than might be available in any individual organization.
An article summarizing the report will be published in the July issue of Insights: the UKSG journal
Marshall Breeding Jun 8, 2012 08:13:06
Link to Posting: Knowledge Base and Link Resolver Study: General Findings


text:
Here are some bike movies I wanted to put up last week:
A short film about dutch bike love. 1.
Being a NYC courier in the dead of winter from BODABODA!
Frigid Fury from BODABODANYC on Vimeo.
Sean Martin in riding his fixed in Los Angeles
Sean Martin – I Am Los Angeles from […]


text:
LED Exposure Unit
Vastex International
August 6, 2013
Vastex International recently debuted the E-2000 Series of LED exposing units for screen printers. According to the company, a long-lasting LED pack delivers ultra-fast exposure times while producing high-resolution halftones and crisp detail on the most intricate graphics. The system comes standard with a vacuum holddown with a neoprene blanket, automatic digital controls, 0.25-in.-thick (6.3-mm) tempered glass, and 120- or 240-v power supply. E-2000 Series units are available in two sizes that accommodate maximum screen sizes (outside dimensions) of 23 x 31 in. (584 x 787 mm) and 47 x 31 in. (1194 x 787 mm). Both sizes are available mounted on Vastex's Dri-Vault screen-drying cabinets.
View more from this Screen Printing issue


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User Reviews & Ratings - Acticin topical
Read user comments about the side effects, benefits, and effectiveness of Acticin topical.
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After several weeks of being misdiagnosed, the doctor finally realized it was scabies. I was given Permethen Cream to treat it. I did exactly what the doctor & pharmacist directed me to do. Put the cream on me from head to toe, massaging it in & left it on for over 12 hrs. It's only been a few days since the treatment. I had felt some relief, only to wake up and find more burrow ... Show Full Comment
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Mandala Glow
All of our Bean Bag Chairs are custom-made-to-order and handcrafted to the highest quality standards.
- Each bean bag chair is constructed with an ultra-soft polyester removable cover that's comfortable and easy to clean.
- Your bean bag chair is custom made just for you and features a premium heat dye sublimation print with long lasting color vibrancy even after washing.
- Interior filling is made with polystyrene beads to give you a relaxing yet supportive bean bag chair perfect for relaxing, reading or watching TV.
- No assembly necessary – just open the box, sit, enjoy and relax.
- Chair cover is machine washable with cold water gentle cycle and mild detergent.
Please allow 7-9 days to receive a tracking number while your order is hand-crafted, packaged and shipped from our facility. Estimated shipping time is 2-4 weeks.
Refund and Exchange PolicyIn the unlikely event that you have an order issue, the following guidelines will help make the process as fast and efficient as possible to get things resolved.
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Please read through our policy and find your order issue from the list below.
When contacting us
Please provide us with your name, order number, product issue, and a clear photo of the issue if there is a physical product issue.
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Items in used condition are not eligible for refunds or exchanges. New and unused items that have been successfully received by customers within 4 weeks are eligible for returns or exchanges. Once 4 weeks have elapsed from the receipt of goods, refunds and exchanges will no longer be accepted.
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If an item is shipped damaged, you must send us a photograph of the damaged area. We will replace any items damaged at no additional cost.
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If we ship the wrong product to you, send us a photo showing how the product differs from what was ordered and we will replace or refund any such items at no additional cost. If there are missing items in an order please tell us the items that are missing and we will send the missing item.
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If the design is a misprint on a product, please send us a photo. Credits, refunds, or reprints will be issued at our discretion if the printed design differs substantially from the artwork that was submitted. We will investigate every case and will work to provide a resolution that satisfies you.
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To reduce the risk of sizing issues, we have provided accurate sizing charts on each of our product pages.
Free sizing exchange requests only apply to high tops, low tops, sneakers, boots, casual shoes, flip flops, faux fur boots and slip-ons. No other product in the catalog is eligible for a free size exchange. In the event that you are unhappy with their size and it is not one of the products eligible for a free sizing exchange please contact us and we will try our best to help. We can't guarantee that we can do a free size exchange, but we will try our best to find a positive resolution for you.
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Low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, LDL-C
This test measures the amount of low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) in your blood.
LDL cholesterol is often called "bad" cholesterol because it causes plaque to build up inside your arteries and leads to heart disease.
Cholesterol screening is recommended for all adults ages 20 and older every 4 to 6 years. LDL cholesterol is one of a group of lipoproteins that can indicate heart disease, so this test is used to help diagnose it.
Lowering LDL-C levels can help prevent heart disease.
You may need this test as part of a routine exam to check for high cholesterol.
You may also have this test if you already have heart disease caused by high cholesterol. The test can help your healthcare provider find out how well your treatment is working.
Your healthcare provider may also order other blood tests to measure the levels of various fats in your blood. These include:
Total cholesterol
High-density lipoprotein, or HDL
Test results may vary depending on your age, gender, health history, the method used for the test, and other things. Your test results may not mean you have a problem. Ask your healthcare provider what your test results mean for you.
Results are given in milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL). The normal range of LDL-C is 50 to 130 mg/dL. A level below 70 mg/dL is considered best for people who have diabetes or heart disease risk factors. In general:
Less than 100 is optimal
100 to 129 mg/dL is near or just above optimal
130 to 159 mg/dL is borderline high
160 to 189 mg/dL is high
190 mg/dL and over is very high
It's possible to have extremely low levels of LDL-C, but this is rare. This condition is usually a sign of a problem processing vitamins A, D, E, and K.
If your levels of LDL-C are high, the condition is called dyslipidemia. High levels may mean that you have an imbalance in your diet, but the condition is often hereditary. Changing your lifestyle habits and taking medicines to reduce LDL levels may help you lower the risk for heart disease and manage the condition if you already have it.
The test is done with a blood sample. A needle is used to draw blood from a vein in your arm or hand.
Having a blood test with a needle carries some risks. These include bleeding, infection, bruising, and feeling lightheaded. When the needle pricks your arm or hand, you may feel a slight sting or pain. Afterward, the site may be sore.
Smoking cigarettes can increase LDL-C levels. Stress, certain minor ailments, and some medicines can also affect your results.
Testing of your cholesterol level does not need fasting in most cases, but your healthcare provider may ask you to not eat or drink anything but water for a certain time before having the test. Be sure your healthcare provider knows about all medicines, herbs, vitamins, and supplements you are taking. This includes medicines that don't need a prescription and any illicit drugs you may use.
Get tips to help you manage your family's health, options to boost your fitness and advice to live your best life.
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SAN RAMON — Family ties are a factor in the race for the San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District board of directors.
The district provides fire, rescue and emergency medical services in Alamo, Blackhawk, Danville, Diablo, San Ramon, the southern area of Morgan Territory and the Tassajara Valley. It maintains 10 fire stations — one of them volunteer-staffed — and employs 190 personnel.
Five candidates are running for three open seats on the board. At a time when the board is negotiating a new contract with the firefighters union, one candidate is the brother of the union president, another has a cousin on the union's executive board, and a third is the brother-in-law of a district firefighter.
To further complicate matters, current board member Jennifer Price, who is not up for re-election, is the sister-in-law of Fire Chief Richard Price. Jennifer Price has had to recuse herself whenever the board has made decisions on the chief's pay and benefits.
Business owner Matt Stamey is the only incumbent running for re-election. Incumbents Tom Linari and Roxanne Lindsay opted not to seek re-election.
Veterinarian H. Jay Kerr, certified public accountant Stephen Mohun, Alameda County Fire Captain Gordon Dakin and Chevron information technology professional Gerardo Peniche are hoping to win seats on the board.
Mohun, Dakin and Peniche all have the backing of the San Ramon Valley Firefighters Association International Association of Firefighters Local 3546, and all have family ties to the district. Mohun is the brother of Mike Mohun, who is the president of the union. Dakin, who served on the board from 2000 to 2006, is the cousin of Matt Dakin, who sits on the union's executive board. Peniche's brother-in-law is Erick Hubbard, a district firefighter.
Mike Mohun said the family ties are relevant. "It matters because they care," he said. "They are our brothers, our cousins, our relatives. Their skins are in the game. The perception of our employees is that the chief's skin is not in the game."
Chief Price retired about a year ago and is receiving a pension. He has stayed on as the acting chief for the past year and receives a token $1 a month. The board is expecting to select a new chief by January.
Over the past four years, the district has been running budget deficits and relying on its dwindling reserve fund to balance the budget. Far and away, the largest expense for the district is salaries and benefits, with pensions alone accounting for 25 percent of the general fund budget.
For the 2012-13 fiscal year, the district is projecting total revenues of $56.4 million, mostly from property taxes, and total expenditures of $58.5 million.
For the past 18 months, the board has been in negotiations for a new contract with the firefighters union, with no contract approved thus far.
Both Stamey and Kerr said they want no new parcel taxes, no cuts to services, no station closures and no layoffs. Both hope the budget can be balanced through concessions on salaries and benefits made by the firefighters union.
"In general, the goal is to get to sustainable retirement benefits and have a reasonable pay plan with the employees within the budget parameters that we have to work with," Stamey said.
"They do a great job here," Kerr said of the personnel at the department. "I have a lot of respect for them. But we can't continue doing what we're doing. Ninety-five percent of expenses are payroll-related, so it's going to have to come out of there somehow."
Peniche said part of his motivation for running comes from a respect for first-responders gained from firsthand experience after his daughter suffered a life-threatening epidural hematoma at UC Davis.
"I'm interested in continuing the level of excellence that we have," he said. "I think I can provide some leadership to the people in the community. I'm a very outgoing person, and I think we need to provide communication and transparency to the public."
"I take my role as a financial professional very seriously," Stephen Mohun said. "If elected, I will evaluate the nature of any discussions/negotiations for possible ethical conflicts due to Mike's position, and if I believe that there is an ethical conflict, I will recuse myself from participation in those talks. … The bottom line is that these economically challenging times call for leadership that can identify the issues, quantify the solution and respond to the outcome."
Dakin said when he left the board in 2006, the district was in great shape and flush with cash. "I'm not pro-labor or pro-management. I'm pro-citizen," he said. "My biggest issue is getting the district financially back on track."
Contact Jason Sweeney at 925-847-2123. Follow him at Twitter.com/Jason_Sweeney.
San Ramon Valley fire protection district candidates
Age: 54
Occupation: Former teacher at Las Positas College; Alameda County fire captain at Lawrence Livermore Labs
Civic involvement: Served six years on the San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District board of directors; former president of Contra Costa County Fire Commissioners Association; served on the Office of Emergency Services Region II Local Emergency Planning Commission
Education: B.A. in public administration, University of San Francisco
Age: 60
Occupation: Veterinarian
Civic involvement: President of the board of California Veterinary Medical Association; president and member Canyon Green Homeowners Association; President of the San Ramon Kiwanis Club
Education: B.S. and veterinary degree, UC Davis
Age: 54
Occupation: Certified public accountant
Civic involvement: N/A
Education: B.S. in business administration with an emphasis in accounting, California State University Chico
Age: 48
Occupation: Information technology professional at Chevron
Civic involvement: Former board member on Loaves and Fishes; former board member San Ramon Soccer Club
Education: B.S. management of information systems, San Francisco State University; A.A. in electronics engineering, Diablo Valley College
Age: 64
Occupation: CEO of a privately held corporation involved in agriculture, Stamey Management Group
Civic involvement: Chairman of the board of the PulsePoint Foundation; finance committee member for the 100 Club of Contra Costa County; Dougherty Valley San Ramon Rotary Club
Education: B.S. in management, Arizona State University


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Barbados Scenic Lookouts
From your first day on Barbados you'll discover the difference. As you relax in the wonderful warmth of the sun and feel at home with our style of life, your curiosity will be stimulated by the unique environment around you. The secrets of the island beckon to you. So grab a map and ask around. You're on your way to the discovery of our special secrets ...
Select a point from the list below or click on the interactive map to find out more!
- Animal Flower Cave
- Bathsheba
- Bathsheba Community Centre
- Chalky Mount Potteries
- Cherry Tree Hill
- Conset Bay
- Cove Bay
- Crane Beach
- Culpepper Island
- Farley Hill
- Flower Forest
- Freights Bay
- Grenade Hall Forest & Signal Station
- Gun Hill Signal Station & Lion
- Hackleton's Cliff
- Harry Bayley Observatory
- Hastings Rocks
- Highland
- Little Bay
- Mount Hillaby
- PEG Farm and Nature Reserve
- Ragged Point
- Skeetes Bay
- South Coast Boardwalk
- Trevor's Way
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Note: This mapping service utilizes third party maps. No guarantee is made as to the accuracy of these maps. Maps shown may be dated and not accurately reflect the current environment.


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Highlights of the reading year include going back to The Lord of the Rings for the first time in nearly a decade (I storified my thoughts about the book and its legacy here), and further progress through Dorothy L. Sayers's Peter Wimsey novels and stories. I also reread Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell in honor of the BBC's miniseries adaptation, and found it to be just as delightful and clever as I had remembered. I made some forays into the bibliographies of authors that I've heard about for years but had never tried for myself, such as C.J. Cherryh (Foreigner, which read a little too much like Shōgun in space for my liking) and Lois McMaster Bujold (The Vor Game and Mirror Dance, both of which I liked--the latter especially).
Going into 2016, there are a few reading projects I'd like to get to. I've been thinking of rereading Dune, which got a lot of attention this year for its 50th anniversary, and which I haven't read since my teens (I probably still won't bother with any of the sequels, though). I'd also like to finally finish reading Gormenghast--I read the first book in my early twenties and found it stunning but also exhausting; I couldn't quite face going on to the concluding volumes in the trilogy. Most of all, and as usual, I'd like to read more, read more widely, and read more of the right stuff. I have quite a few enticing books in my TBR pile--several of them 2015 releases that I'd like to get to before the Hugo voting deadline--and if I get to a sizable portion of them, I think I'll probably have a pretty good time.
Best Books of 2015:
- Spirits Abroad by Zen Cho (review)
I haven't yet read Cho's extremely well-received debut novel Sorcerer to the Crown (though it's right at the top of that TBR pile I mentioned), but if it's anything like her short story collection, I don't doubt that it will be a blast. Cho's writing is smart, funny, and heartfelt, combining fantasy with elements of the romance genre and a fascinating portrait of Malaysian life, whether back home or as ex-pats in the UK. The sense of place that her stories evoke--where that place might be Malaysia, Britain, the spirit world, or a colony on the moon--is powerful and immediately convincing, and the thread tying her stories together is the way in which their origins and culture guide and define her characters, teaching them how to see the world and how to live in it.
- The Sandman: Overture by Neil Gaiman and J.H. Williams III
If you'd told me a few weeks ago that one of my favorite reads of 2015 would be Neil Gaiman's latest addition to the Sandman mythos, I would have called you crazy. I picked up Overture almost out of the sense of obligation, and mostly out of curiosity. I wasn't expecting Gaiman--whose writing I've found a little samey in recent years--to find new notes in a story that found its perfect and very decisive conclusion decades ago (especially in light of his previous addition, Endless Nights, which was the very definition of inessential). But Overture turned out to be stunning--first, visually, with Williams delivering art that finally lives up to the title character's role as the lord of dreams and imagination. Every page here is a wealth of imagery and color, nearly an assault on the senses if it weren't all done with such care and attention to detail. But the story, too, is a delight, a sort of prequel to the Sandman story, which explains what Dream was doing that left him vulnerable to the decades-long imprisonment that kicks off the saga's events. At points it veers into fanservice--there are details here that connect to loose ends in A Doll's House and A Game of You that didn't really need to be tied up--but the core of the story expands our understanding of Dream and his world in a way that reminded me why I found the original Sandman saga so compelling. It's got me wanting to revisit this whole world all over again.
- The Blazing World by Siri Hustvedt
I can't remember the last book that left me feeling as exhilarated and energized as The Blazing World, and as desperate to press it into the hands of everyone I know. On its surface, the story feels like a very familiar kind of complicated--an aging artist, convinced that her career has been stymied by her gender and the art world's misogyny, partners with three men to present her work under their name. When she comes forward to claim her work as her own, the response--from the art world and her collaborators--is complex and causes unexpected ripples. The story is told through document fragments, interviews, and competing narratives. But the heart of The Blazing World isn't in its story, but in the fervent, overpowering personality of its main character, a difficult, mercurial, fiercely intelligent woman who is equal parts bully and victim, and whose passion for art and creation shines through every page of this book. Nearly every character, in fact, is an artist of one sort or another, and The Blazing World is largely about how they see their work, how they create it, and how they feel about putting it into the world. To read it is to become caught up in a storm of creativity and furious, churning thought, and it's hard not to turn the last page and want to join in the adventure of making something out of nothing, and hoping that someone will see it for what it is.
- The Beauty by Aliya Whiteley
I'm indebted to Nina Allan for introducing me to Whiteley, whose future work I anticipate with bated breath. The Beauty is an eerie, claustrophobic novella that combines post-apocalypse, body horror, and an examination of gender roles in a way that is both horrifying and seductive. A colony of lonely men in a world in which women have all died are overjoyed to be joined by a troupe of beautiful, accommodating women. So overjoyed, in fact, that they fervently ignore everything that is strange and offputting about these women, who may not even be women at all. As the men begin to experience physical changes in response to their "wives," they have to decide what's more important to them--their identity as men (and as human beings), or the love that their new partners offer them. Utterly disturbing but also impossible to stop thinking about once you put it down, The Beauty was one of the finest works of genre I read last year.
- Get in Trouble by Kelly Link - This would probably be in the best books list proper if I hadn't read some of the best stories here--such as "I Can See Right Through You," "Valley of the Girls," and "Light"--before picking it up. But it's great to revisit those stories, and to discover some of the other pieces here that were new to me, and which are typically excellent.
- Conservation of Shadows by Yoon Ha Lee - Once again, I've been reading Lee's short fiction piecemeal for years, but it was only when I saw all these stories together in one volume that I realized what an amazing writer he is, imaginative and skilled with a phrase. I'm really looking forward to his debut novel next year.
- The Shepherd's Crown by Terry Pratchett
Earlier this year, I read Pratchett's Raising Steam, the penultimate Discworld novel and the last aimed at adult readers. When I finished it, I was so angry that I didn't even know what to write, and so ended up writing nothing. I didn't even know on whose behalf I should be angrier--Pratchett himself, whose many accomplishments deserved so much better than to be capped off with a barely-publishable and often offensive mess, or his fans, who were apparently expected to keep handing over money no matter how degraded the material appearing under Pratchett's name had become.
So I'm very grateful for The Shepherd's Crown, and for the fact that I've been able to put my decades-long love affair with Pratchett's writing to rest on a more positive note, rather than end it with the sour disappointment of Raising Steam. To be clear, The Shepherd's Crown is far from Pratchett at his best, and though the book's afterword tries to blame this on the fact that it was left as only a first draft at the time of his death, it's clear that the problems afflicting it run deeper and are similar to the ones that marred much of his writing in the last five years (including, unfortunately, the sad curdling of his liberalism, which began in Snuff, and here results in some oddly regressive attitudes towards gender roles). But like most of the Tiffany Aching novels, it benefits from a strong, wistful sense of place, and from the dominant personalities of its witch characters. It's a strange coincidence that the final Discworld novel ended up being the one in which Pratchett laid to rest one of his most iconic characters, but to its credit the book doesn't coast on that borrowed significance. The chapters depicting Granny Weatherwax's death and its quiet, orderly aftermath are some of the most moving in the book, especially as they bring Tiffany, who started the series mourning for her grandmother, who had loomed as large in her life as Granny did for so many Discworld readers, full circle. The actual story is, unfortunately, rather thin (it's here that the book's being a draft probably comes most into play), but the emotional highlights still hit home. If The Shepherd's Crown is not quite the reminder we needed of why Pratchett was such an important writer to so many of us, it is at least a good way to say goodbye.


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Since I was a very young girl I have always loved the elegance of vintage clothing. Neferia Abel, owner and designer of Ivalde Designs has been bringing that elegance into Second Life for awhile now. Neferia has truly set the bar high with the great attention to detail, lush beautiful textures of clothing & don't get me started on the delicious skins. Knowing the quality of her work I got really excited when I found out through EFA's Tiffany Dragonash that Neferia had decided to expand and work on new more modern designs perfect for every woman with a totally new brand, "L'Abel. " Slipping on these new masterpieces I am in awe! They were everything I imagined and more, sexy, sophisticated, and just simple knock down beautiful. I got to chat with Neferia and she is a sweet person and I am so happy to have met her.
Temperance Moonites: What's in store for L'Abel and is there anything exciting coming up you would like us to know about?
Neferia Abel: I have a few exciting projects in the works! I will be redesigning the store next week, giving it a more updated, fresh appearance. I'm also going to start designing more contemporary clothing, giving as much attention to design there as I do to my other lines.


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• Low insertion loss < 0.2 dB
• Excellent repeatability
• FC/PC, SC, ST, LC, MU, E2000 termination available
• Custom ferrule termination available
• Designed to meet Telcordia specification
• Large selection of cabling
• Operating wavelengths from 200 nm to 2000 nm
• Two micron to 1500 micron diameter core sizes available
• Low and high numerical aperture fibers
• Dielectric anti-reflection coatings available
Datasheet :
If item is not in stock, delivery is usually 1–2 weeks. Contact OZ at 1-800-361-5415 (North America),
+1-613-831-0981 (Worldwide) for delivery.
OZ Optics reserves the right to change any specifications without prior notice. Products may not be exactly as illustrated. All orders are subject to availability at time of sale. All red tag items are final and sold as is.