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Murders are down to a 40-year low in New York and Chicago. Yet homicide rates are on the rise in Baltimore and Detroit – and dramatically so in New Orleans.
In that variance is a positive story about cities' successful attack on crime and gun violence, but also an alarm about rising gang-related and youth violence, particularly within the African-American community.
Across the US, the incidence of intentional killing is still relatively low compared with the early 1990s, when crack and gang violence had a deadly grip on America's large cities. Indeed, the homicide rate is almost half what it was then. But it is ticking up – in some cities quickly because of surges in the number of young people involved in gangs.
An analysis of federal crime data by Northeastern University's James Alan Fox found a 52 percent jump in the number of murders committed by male African-American teens between 2002 and 2006, and smaller increases in those committed by black men and women. In contrast, the number of killings committed by whites of any age during the same period showed no increase.
"Some cities are experiencing gang problems that are spiraling out of control, and others are not," says Professor Fox. "That's essentially the issue."
Criminologists cite a variety of factors for the increases, from a drop in the number of officers on the beat to a shift in resources to fight terror to cuts in federal spending on youth programs and gang prevention. Alfred Blumstein, a criminologist at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, also cites a lack of economic opportunity for young people.
"The phenomena are very different and local across the country: There's now no major national drug epidemic like there was in the early 1990s," says Professor Blumstein. "All politics is local. Also, these days, all crime is local, too."
Still, it's clear that the availability of resources for police and prevention programs – as well as economic development – plays a key role in determining which cities have higher homicide rates. Take New York, at its 40-year low, and compare it to Baltimore, which is at an eight-year high.
"New York has more money for youth programs, prevention programs, and things like summer jobs, so they're able to control their gang problem," says Fox. "Whereas other cities like Baltimore don't have the resources to offer the same alternatives."
Since 2000, cities with populations over 250,000 have seen a 10 percent drop in the number of police because of budget cuts, according to Fox. Some of those resources have shifted to homeland-security efforts. In many medium-sized cities, such as Baltimore, that shift has been accompanied by a drop in resources for antidrug and antigang efforts.
Although New York is operating with fewer officers on the beat than in 2000, and is spending significantly more on antiterrorism efforts, it still has enough resources to regularly analyze crime data and shift officers to high-crime areas. It has also aggressively worked to get illegal guns off the street. Baltimore, on the other hand, has only recently revived a police unit that targets illegal guns.
"The criminal justice system is also insanely lenient here [in Baltimore], particularly with offenses involving firearms," says Daniel Webster, codirector of the Center for Gun Policy and Research at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. "I don't think judges here appreciate that the person in front of them today for illegally possessing a firearm, next week could be in front of them as a defendant in a murder case. Everyone points the finger at everyone else. It's a sad state of affairs, but it is fixable."
New Orleans has by far the highest homicide rate in the country. Even before hurricane Katrina devastated the city's criminal justice system, murder was a serious problem, according to Tulane University's Mark VanLandingham. In 2004, most cities its size had a homicide rate of about 13 murders per 100,000. In New Orleans, the rate was 57 per 100,000 people, four times higher. Since Katrina, the murder rate has soared even more, in part because the overall population has shrunk while the number of murders has remained high. A conservative estimate of the population puts the 2007 murder rate at 76.4 per 100,000, according to Professor VanLandingham.
"Even at 76 murders per 100,000, it's still nine times higher than most cities our size and 34 percent higher than it was before Katrina," says VanLandingham.
And that's with the National Guard and state police patrolling the streets along with local police. Experts say many murders have resulted from an influx of drugs, guns, and dealers.
"The murder risks have outstripped the population growth, and that's what's frightening," says Prof. Peter Scharf of Texas State University at San Marcos. "[The city's] crime strategies have broken down. People aren't going to put up with it."
Across the country, the increase in guns and gangs has also taken a toll on police. In 2007, 186 officers were killed in the line of duty, compared with 145 in 2006, according to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. With the exception of 2001 with its terrorist attacks, that makes 2007 the deadliest year for police officers since 1989.


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When I booked my stay at Ragdale Hall I was told it was very relaxed. "Don't bring anything smart," said the receptionist. So I didn't. However I wasn't quite prepared for how relaxed it was. Anything above a fluffy white dressing gown and slippers and you will be over dressed during the day, and in the evening a track suit is about as dressy as it gets, you can even go to dinner in your dressing gown. Leaving the shackles of having to decide what to wear at home was amazingly liberating, so before I even started my spa weekend I was in laid-back mode.
Ragdale Hall is vast. On my arrival I was greeted by a member of staff and given a map – and I need it. There is the thermal spa, two indoor pools, an outdoor pool, a gym, two exercise rooms, four restaurants and cafes, 89 treatment rooms, a mind room, various nooks and crannies with seating and lounges where you can relax and just chill out. You can definitely get lost with all the different corridors, and if you do, there is always a friendly member of staff to guide you in the right direction.
With the map in hand, I set off to find the thermal spa. Once there, I thought I was stepping into a tropical rain forest. There's a rushing stream with a tiny little bridge, a seating area with wicker chairs and 11 different hot and cold treatment rooms, and a pool that goes from the inside of the spa and winds its way outdoors, no matter what the weather is the water is always kept at 34C.
According to the brochure, the thermal spa has been developed by taking ideas from the Greeks, Romans, Europeans, Scandinavians and most notably the Japanese.
Each hot room is heated to a different temperature and offers you a unique experience. There's a room which stimulates your thoughts, one that makes you feel you are in a tropical hideaway with the humidity to match, another at 42C gives you volcanic experience to help any respiratory problems. If you want to get really sweaty there's the rose sauna at 100C. There's also a room to invigorate the senses, and one where you step down into a hidden cave into a pool lit solely by candles where you can float and relax into a dream-like state.
As I went from one hot room to another, I could feel the stress of everyday life evaporate away in the hot and humid atmosphere. Being hot but far from bothered, I ended my stay in the thermal spa by flopping down on a sun-lounger by the side of the pool.
After lunch, which was healthy and diet conscious but delicious, I decided to be just a little more energetic and went for a dip in the pool, nothing too energetic, mind you. By then it was coming up to late afternoon, it is amazing how time flies when you are relaxing, and it was time for my treatment.
I was having an Elemis rebalancing ritual. And it really is a ritual – it is two hours long. First I had a body massage and then a facial which had so many stages - a scrub, cleanse, moisturise, hot feeling, cold feeling and a massage – I drifted off to the land of nod.
Having had all the tension smoothed and pummelled out of my body, I wandered over to a relaxing room which had beds, day beds and a rocking chair - the decor was a cross between an American New England living room and a colonial veranda in India. Then I went to my bedroom in the newly refurbished lodge which is just a short walk from the main building, and got ready for dinner – so I slipped on my track suit.
Dinner was a candlelit affair but totally relaxed. It was a varied menu and although not counting calories, it did indicate which dishes were the healthier options. The evening was enjoyed by sitting in one of the lounges, or some of the guests went into the mind room where there are games like sudoko, puzzles and jigsaws to stimulate the mind.
The next day, I was woken by a tap on my door and breakfast was brought to the room. What luxury having breakfast in bed.
Then I headed down to the studio and joined in with a couple of the classes which were great fun, some of the other guests decided to work out in the well equipped gym and others decided on a walk or a run in the vast grounds.
I had one last dip in the pool before I headed home feeling relaxed and with a new found energy.
It really isn't surprising that Ragdale Hall is one of the top spas in the UK, it offers everything from an imaginative thermal spa, to exercises classes and a large gym, pools to relax in and or have a work out, plus staff that really do bend over backwards to make your stay enjoyable. I will definitely be back.
Fact box
Ragdale Hall www.ragdalehall.co.uk Reservations: 01664 433000 Two night midweek break from £266 per person Two night weekend break from £328

subset: commoncrawl


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Item #7754
16-25 Days. There is nothing like the aroma of basil! Basil microgreens have a milder flavor than full grown, so more is more with these little guys. There is no more useful herb than basil, and basil microgreens is no exception. Savor the wonderful flavor in brucchetta, tomato sauce, or as a dash of flavor and color in salads. Grow basil microgreens indoors at any time of year to get your "green fix" in the dead of winter. Move containers as needed for best light exposure and temperature. Harvest when first leaves appear and enjoy! Detailed sowing instructions inside packet.
This packet sows up to six 10" x 20" flats
Days to Emerge:
Seed Depth:
Seed Spacing:
When to sow outside: Not recommended. Microgreens are fragile, and outside soil makes them difficult to clean.
When to start inside RECOMMENDED. Sow indoors any time of year. For a continual crop, sow every 10 to 14 days.
Special sowing instructions: Use a shallow container with 1"-2" of potting soil. Sow seeds in a single layer, and cover with 1/4" of soil.
Harvesting: When seedlings emerge, the first pair of leaves to show are the cotyledons, which can look very different from the leaves that follow, called "true" leaves. Ciao Bella Basil Blend microgreens are ready to harvest 16 to 25 days after sowing, when they have cotyledons. SCool growing temperatures may slow germination and growth. Harvest by cutting just above the soil line.
(Percent of mix by weight)
Artist: Donna Clement
"The seeds germinated well and there were quite a few seeds in the packet so a good value." - K. Elliott
Item #7754
6.00 grams
What are microgreens and baby greens?
Micro- and baby greens are tiny, tender, flavorful seedlings of vegetables and/or herbs. Microgreens may be…


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Fortunately, I am great in an emergency. Seriously, I am exactly the person that you want around you in a crisis. So ten minutes later, having driven under the speed limit and obeyed all traffic signs and signals, with wallet and insurance card and cell phone and ipod loaded with PBS Kids videos and Wee Sing mp3s, we were in the emergency room.
NOT meningitis, hallelujah. Lots of waiting and morphine and CAT scans and medical staff with questionable bedside manners and staff with great bedside manners and eavesdropping on other patients (this one guy accidentally stuck himself with his babymama's syringe! And she came to the ER with him! And they brought the baby! And then they yelled at each other!) and IV drugs later, the verdict became an infected lymph node. We got loaded up with drugs and sent home, and had one nice day to goof around in the garden--
--before we decided, in consultation with an ear-nose-throat surgeon the next morning, to submit Will to outpatient surgery that same day to drain the infected lymph node and clean it out. It was NOT fun, obviously, and I didn't tell Willow that it would be, but fortunately nothing has been too scary or too painful, and Will's big unhappiness today is primarily directed at the uncomfiness of the HUGE bandage on her neck and the itchiness that she can't touch just under it.
So our big plans for the near future include lots of Mythbusters, party planning for Sydney's birthday, and maybe some coloring pages. Oh, and apples. Lots of apples.


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Should We Be Worried That 'Mad Max: Fury Road' Isn't Coming Out Until 2015?
The long-gestation Mad Max sequel Fury Road is finally roaring towards theaters, but its release date is further down the line than expected.
For a while, it seemed like Australia would really collapse into a dusty future dystopia before Fury Road was actually released. The long-awaited continuation of the Mad Max series first started filming all the way back in the summer of 2012, but is now scheduled to be released on May 15, 2015, almost three years after production began.
For comparison's sake, the films, Terminator, Batman/Superman, Jurassic World, The Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Ant-Man are all scheduled to come out in the same time frame, but either haven't started shooting yet, or have just barely begun the casting process. Fury Road started shooting a year and a half ago. Usually, when a film has such a delayed release schedule, it's a sign that there's trouble rumbling under the hood, and it could signal that there are problems with the film that the studio still needs to iron out.
Fury Road, which will star Tom Hardy, Nicholas Hoult, and Charlize Theron will also have to deal with the impossibly crowded summer of 2015, a season which is destined to become its own release date Thunderdome. There's an incredible amount of superhero and popcorn flick being released in one short summer, and more than a few of them are bound to be cannibalized in the crush of releases. The studios are creating a situation were several films will enter, and only a few will leave making their budgets and investments back. This is especially troublesome territory for the Mad Max series, which doesn't have the same brand recognition as the films it is competing against. It will be interesting to see where Fury Road ends up by the time 2015 rolls by, but things aren't looking terribly positive.


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Here's two very different cards in very differnt styles using two amazing artist's stamps. The first card uses a stamp named Summer from Sweet Pea artist Karen Middleton. Isn't she gorgeous? She looks so deep in thought. I love her. Karen also makes adorable kids and cute fairy stamps, but this image here just drew me in and made me create this card.
The card below is a more whimsical treat with a very sexy woman from artist Nikki Burnette called Stella. I just love those over the knee socks (or stockings). Those just look like something I would wear. I added a wonderful saying to the card "Butterfly Kisses."
Hope these cards make you want to go and create some cards today. Be sure and check out these artists stamps at the store as well as the wonderful SALE that is happening.


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Trainer Jillian Michaels hasn't been to the gym in two weeks. And those who know of the fitness guru and motivator from NBC's "The Biggest Loser" are no doubt suitably shocked.
The fitness fanatic, who left the show last year, gets a pass for being tardy when it comes to gym time these days: she's now pulling double duty as a new mom.
"We're swimming in babies over here," Michaels, 38, reveals to People of her home life with partner Heidi Rhoades that now counts not one, but two little household additions.
U.S. & World
On May 12 Michaels was finally able to bring home her 2-year-old daughter Lukensia from Haiti, following a lengthy, two-year adoption process. Just two weeks prior, her life partner Heidi Rhoades gave birth to a son Phoenix on May 3 in Los Angeles. Suddenly it's instant family at chez Michaels.
Jillian revealed her bisexuality in 2010 and has been dating Rhoades, 31, for the past three years. Michaels only announced her plans to adopt last year, and had kept Rhoades' pregnancy quiet in the press.
Of her current day-to-day life, Michaels has swapped treadmills and free-weights for baby strollers and diaper bags.
"I don't even answer email. I don't have time to care about anything else," the personal trainer said. "I want to be really present and enjoy all the nuances of their growth and development. I don't want to rush any of it."
Of the sudden expansion, Rhoades tells People that, "It's not the way we had planned it! But that's how our life works. It's always big. It could never be one child at a time." The couple has not revealed their son's biological father to date.
Michaels admits that she has taken a backseat to her kids well-being and happiness. "Telling moms 'You need to put yourself first'?" she says with disbelief. "It's impossible to put yourself first when you are a mom."


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Free Trial | Purchase | Tutorial | Manual | Support
GradientXTerminator is a gradient removal plug-in for
the Windows version of Adobe Photoshop® that is
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already use Photoshop in your work flow, you may now have one less
program to transfer your image into.
Gradients, whether caused by light pollution or image
calibration errors, have always been a problem with amateur astronomical
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was usually detrimental, since the software could not easily
differentiate between background areas and actual objects. A bright
galaxy in the center of an image, for example, would "fool" the
software, resulting in a dark halo around the galaxy.
More recently, tools have become available that allow
the user to tell the software what parts of the image are background by
placing small markers on the image. This was a great leap forward and
produced much improved results. But for complex gradients that arise
from multiple stray light sources and flat-field calibration errors,
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Enter GradientXTerminator. Three key features make this
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Site and all content Copyright © 2002-2020 Russell
Croman unless otherwise noted.


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New Level Brand - Do It Gud ("Head Giving Song") [Unsigned Artist]
New Level Records artist H.Enyce (he nice) first official single off his highly anticipated indie album LFTMOAS (love from the mind of a schizophrenic) Deluxe Edition. Which is available for purchase now at
twitter: @newlevelbrand @thedotthediz
instagram: @3wholeonions
Please click the "Report" button below if the video on this page is not working properly.
Comments will only be displayed by verified emails. No Spamming or Racism.


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What we read while trying to remember where we parked our Nissan…our BLACK Nissan…
- We liked New York's feature on Sarah Palin's branding, even if we don't like Sarah Palin's branding.
- Californians are no more happy than Midwesterners and the belief to the contrary is the result of a more general cognitive flaw.
- I'm surprised that Malcolm Gladwell didn't write this article or book, but it is well-written and interesting throughout nonetheless.
- Two recent profiles of runners going in opposite directions: Esquire on Usain Bolt, and The New York Times Magazine on Marion Jones. Luke Dittrich's piece on Bolt, by the way, acts as a kind of foil to the sprinter's style, starting out very strongly before fading a little, instead of vice versa.
- Bad sports columns are written all the time, which is why we don't often link to them. But sometimes, a really bad one catches our eye, like Bill Rhoden's idea that LeBron James can only exceed Michael Jordan by–get this–playing for him on the Bobcats.
- Did Stephen Ambrose, the man who made a career writing about Dwight Eisenhower, fabricate nearly all of his correspondence with his main subject? (You can read that version from The New Yorker, or get Garrison Keillor's from the Kansas City Star, whose first sentence includes the adjectives "green" and "lush" and talks about "robins chittering" and spring blossoming and the Battle of Dunbar in 1296 and all, for no other reason than to remind you, "Oh, right. Garrison Keillor wrote this.")
- The Kentucky Derby was this weekend; Super Saver won it, because Super Saver loves the slop. The Derby also inspired the Greatest Twitter Hashtag of All-Time.


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I just created an account here and decided the best thing to do is say hi.
So I really don't know what to say about myself. I love to RP (obviously or why would I be here...) I'm from Indianapolis, and I'm a 39 year old mommy. I guess that sums it up well enough.


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3039) Tacitly Encouraged By Russia, Armenians Cross Turkish Frontier" Ny Times 17 May 1903
Labels: Innocent(?) Armenians
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Cooper Grads Win Award in Reinvent Payphone Challenge
POSTED ON: March 7, 2013
"Windchimes," a re-imagining of New York City's public pay phones as environmental sensors created by a group that includes Cooper Union graduates, has won the "Community Impact" award as part of New City's Reinvent Payphones design challenge and is one of six finalists for the "Popular Choice" award voted on by the public. (You can view the finalists and vote here until March 15.) The interdisciplinary team headed by Nick Wong (ME'11) includes Louis Lim (Art'11), Paul Miller (EE'10), and Eric Leong (ME'14) along with members of Parson's and New York University's ITP program.
The competition invited, "students, urban planners, designers, technologists, architects, creators and legal and policy experts to build physical and/or virtual prototypes imagining a new public utility through payphone infrastructure," according to the Reinvent Payphones website. "I thought the Reinvent Payphones challenge was a really exciting problem dealing with technology on city streets. I liked the combination of technology and design and seeing how they fit into the urban environment," Nick Wong says. A group of judges gave entrants various awards for visual design, connectivity, creativity, functionality and community impact. The last award, "Popular Choice," is given to the contestant that acquires the most online votes from the public at large.
The "Windchimes" design imagines the city's existing 11,000 payphones as a distributed sensor network providing real-time and hyper-local record of the city's rain levels, pollution and other environmental conditions. "The question I used to judge ideas was: 'What would this allow me to do that a smartphone would not allow me to do?' Static devices on city streets can provide environmental data and become a valuable resource that the city never had in any other form," Wong says.
As he worked on "Windchimes" Mr. Wong realized that other Cooper people he knew would be perfect for additional aspects of the project. So he recruited Paul Miller to work on the electronics, Eric Leong to focus on the data collection and Louis Lim, a furniture maker and sculptor, to work on the structure. They ended up with a working proof of concept, something other competitors did not. "It was important that we have a physical, interactive object to present," Mr. Wong says.
Mr. Wong imagines the data being used in ways both trivial, like calculating how to bicycle around the city with the wind always at your back, to more serious, like a mother of an asthmatic child learning about what neighborhoods have better or worse air quality. "We are excited about working on this," Wong says. "We think we have something real here and we will work on this even outside the competition."


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- Blog
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|TELE - Telemetry
|Los Angeles, CA
|Inquire for details
|Start Date
Our Story: Fusion isn't just a job; it's a lifestyle. Our actions are rooted in ensuring everyone we touch has a better life. Here, we don't just work hard and play hard every day; we do it with a purpose. And through it all, we strive to stay humble, stay driven, and stay positive. We're proud of who we are and where we're going.We were honored to be named the "Best Staffing Company To Work For" in North America, and it's because of our culture and our employees that helped us win that achievement.
Don't believe us? See why you should join the Fusion family!
Registered Nurse - Telemetry
Position: Registered Nurse
Specialty: Telemetry
13 week Telemetry Registered Nurse travel assignment
Hospital in Los Angeles, CA is looking for a Telemetry Registered Nurse to help them out for 13 weeks.
At Fusion Medical, we truly believe that as people taking care of people, together we can do anything. Benefits Include:
The following is a summary of the major job duties of this job. Other duties may be performed, both major and minor, which are not mentioned below. Specific activities may change from time to time.
Required Essential Skills:
**Fusion is an EOE/E-Verify Employer**
Fusion Medical Staffing is a full service staffing company that provides career opportunities to healthcare professionals by filling client and facility staffing needs.
Our purpose at Fusion is to improve the lives of everyone we touch. We maintain an amazing culture and hold true to our three core values, humble, driven, and positive.


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Agri-Business Directory - Machinery Dealers - Local
A&B EAGLELINE EQUIPMENT - Sweetwater, TN
We have been providing high quality category 1 and category 2 farm equipment for Numerous years. We are dedicated to our customers.
Abilene Machine - Abilnene, KS
Selling replacement parts for use in the equipment of various manufacturers.
Admunson Equipment - Elbow Lake, MN
We have the area's best online inventory with pictures. Over 100 listings!!! Combines, tractors, planters, tillage, combine heads, and much more.
Advanced Comfort Technology, Inc. - Reedsburg, WI
Looking for ways to provide quality products that provide reliable service with minimal maintainence for the diary industry.
AG Systems, Inc. - Hutchinson, MN
Ag Systems, Inc. was founded 45 years ago by Dick Lenz. Ag Systems, Inc. has built a reputation of being a leading manufacturer.
Alamo Group, Inc. - Seguin, TX
Founded in 1969, we currently produce and assemble products in 16 principal facilities worldwide.
ALDOMI, Inc - Doniphan, MO
A growing establishment since 2000, we specializing in Tractor Implements such as Pallet Forks and Hay Tines.
Amco Manufacturing Inc. - Yazoo City, MS
Continually producing agricultural implements such as disc harrows, wheel offset harrows, bedding hippers, ripper hippers, and a significant number of other implements since 1947.
Anbo Manufacturing, Inc. - Colville, WA
A leading manufacturer of attachments for a wide variety of skid steer loaders, backhoes, wheel loaders and farm tractors.
B&B Technologies - Tekamah, NE
Producing a full range of Ag, Turf, and Lawn Care sprayers. B&B is not limited to just sprayers since 1994.
B. W. Implement Company - Buttonwillow, CA
Our machines are created to work in rugged soil conditions, profitably and with cost efficient results for the user.
Baier Tractor Parts - Menomonie, WI
"We'll Will Ship Anywhere!" - Find parts for your new or used tractor or combine. Monthly specials. Tractors for sale.
Barron & Brothers International - Cornelia, GA
Our tough and durable equipment, coupled with our adaptable designs and outstanding customer service, has created an inventive company committed to improving our customers' economics through quality products and services.
BEFCO Inc. - Rocky Mount, NC
Our objective have always been to provide its customers with the best lawn & ground care equipment the market could offer.
BELLTEC Industries, Inc. - Belton, TX
We have built our business on developing equipment which not only meets your drilling needs but exceeds all expectations, even in the most difficult drilling conditions.
Bigham Brothers, Inc. - Lubbock, TX
Bigham Brothers and Lilliston® branded implements give you comprehensive coverage for your tillage and cultivation needs.
BJ Manufacturing Inc. - Harrison, AR
Your manufacturer for Farm Implement and Cattle Feeding Equipment.
Boss Supply Inc. - Janesville, MN
See us for all your fertilizer and spraying equipment needs.
Brunkan Implement - Dyersville, IA
Offering sales & service on almost all farm equipment; feeding systems, grain/silage storage, skid loaders and waste management.
Burco Farms and Tractor Sales - Independence, IA
Family owned by Jerald and Darin Burco, and they have been farming together for over 20 years.
Burnips Equipment Co. - Dorr, MI
Dedicated to providing its customers with dedicated service and support.
Caroline Implement - Marion, WI
Full service John Deere dealership with locations in Marion & Shawano, WI.
Chili Implement Co. - Chili, WI
Central Wisconsin Case IH Dealer. Also handles Cubota, Cub Cadet, Meyer, H&S, Brillion and many other lines of equipment.
Cliffs Inc. - Friesland, WI
Selling new and used farm equipment; dairy equipment and supplies; dairy facilities planning.
Dawn Equipment Company, Inc. - Sycamore, IL
Dawn believes that a proper farm strategy should be good both for the environment and farm income.
Deerfield Truck & Equipment Co. - Laurel, NE
Located in the Northeast corner of Nebraska on Highway 20 in Laurel, Nebraska.
Del-Clay Farm Equipment - Edgewood, IA
Owned and managed by the Funke family, they took over in 1992, and has since seen steady growth.
Dempster Industries Inc. - Beatrice, NE
Dempster continues to serve both the water pumping and the agricultural industries.
Diversified Fabricators Inc. - Griffin, GA
Custom-Built Equipment For The Fertilizer and Construction Industries.
Don Allison Equipment - Arley, AL
Your source for quality equipment and service. Nationwide delivery.
Don Medlin Company - Caruthersville, MO
For over 30 years we have been successfully serving the farming community.
Eron Equipment - Junction City, WI
Central WI dealer for Kuhn, Kuhn-Knight, H&S & Kelly Ryan.
Faber's Farm Equipment - Inwood, IA
Offering New & Used equipment sales such as skid steers, skid steer loaders, tractors, tires and more.
Fast Distributing, Inc. - Gilman, IL
Representing Farmers and Engineers coming together to produce practical, productive spray equipment.
Fertilizer Equipment Specialists - Garner, IA
Specialized in the sale of new and late model used fertilizer and chemical application equipment.
Freudenthal Mfg. - Medford, WI
Manufacturers of free stalls, comfort/tie stalls, gates & accessories. Distributors of Animat & Humane cow mats & comfort pads; cattle waterers
Hartung Sales - Freeport, MN
Family owned & operated business specializing in all agriculture building and remodeling since 1975.
Hillsboro Equipment - Hillsboro, WI
John Deere equipment and parts dealer with three locations in Hillsboro, Mauston & Reedsburg, WI/
Interstate Equipment, Inc. - Valley City, ND
Buying, selling, and trading used farm equipment on a retail as well as wholesale basis for more than 33 years.
J & J Ag - Memphis, MO
We take great pride in maintaining quality equipment and we only offer the best.
JB Tractors LLC - Brandon, MN
Tractor dealer offering daily trades; always have 50 used tractors in stock. Deal in John-Deere, Case and New-Holland.
JC Equipment Sales - Foley, MN
We carry all types of farming equipment from tractors to tillage, and much more.
Jim Hodel, Inc. - Roanoke, IL
Providing the Ag & municipal industry with the following brands: Balzer, Better Bilt Parts, and Kifco Hard Hose Travelers.
Kalmes Implement Co. - Altura, MN
Specializes in CASE IH Farm Equipment, HOULE Manure Handling Equipment, and JCB Agricultural and Industrial Equipment.
Koyker Manufacturing Inc. - Lennox, SD
Our continuing commitment to agriculture and dedication to modern manufacturing delivers products that are highly valued in the marketplace.
L&L Sales and Service - Kaukauna, WI
"The Cow Comfort Zone" Distributors of Pasture Mat/Pack Mat mattresses, Acme barn fans, Artex stalls; Dealer for new & used farm/barn equipment.
Larsen Industries - Goodhue, MN
Supplier of farm, dairy and machine parts & services. Dealer for J-Star, Roto-Mix, Zabel, Berg & Agri-Val.
McFarlanes' - Sauk City, WI
Dealer for New Holland, White, Kubota & Agco equipment; used machinery, horse & tack, True-Value hardware store, Bridgestone/FirestoneTires
McGrew Tractor Parts Inc. - New Paris, IN
Everything you need from hard to find parts to reproduction parts, collector's parts and more.
Murray's Dairy Farm & Refrigeration, Inc. - Lancaster, WI
Midwestern dealer for Stronghold & Phoenix livestock equipment; Boumatic, IBA & WestAgro dairy equipment.
Niemuth Implement - Stetsonville, WI
Dealer for Agco-Allis, New Holland, Bobcat, New Idea, Patz, Brillion, Meyer & Bush Hog
Pravechek Farm Supplies - Luxemburg, WI
Manufacturers & dealers of inoculant applicators, foam applicators, lawn sprayers, row cultivators & skid sprayers.
R-Equipment Co. - Dodgeville, WI
Large selection of short line brands including; semi trailers, auger wagons, mowers and other specialty equipment used by today's large grain farms.
Randall Brothers - Holgate, OH
Red Power Team - Bancroft, Humboldt, New Hampton, Mason City, Corwith, Manson, IA
Prepared to serve all of your new and used farm equipment needs, from the CASE IH MX series tractors
Rothwell Ag-Products Inc. - Davis Junction, IL
A small manufacturing company started by farmers, we has grown into an organization supporting the farming community with their equipment needs.
Runnion Equipment - Lyons, IL
We sell, service and rent truck mounted cranes and related equipment in northern Illinois , northwest Indiana and Southeast Wisconsin.
Sloan Express - Assumption, IL
A mail-order catalog selling new implement replacement parts that are equal to or better than the original equipment part.
Steiger Manufacturing - Red Lake Falls, MN
Producer of the TOREQ EARTH SCRAPER, owned and operated by the same family that designed, engineered & manufactured one of the first AWD agricultural tractors.
Steinbach Farms & Equipment Sales - St. Valley, NE
Selling both Farm and Construction Machinery.
Steinhart's Farm Service - Platteville, WI
Dealer for Triolet, Houle, Berg, Patz, J-Star, Van Dale, Oswalt, Roto-Mix, Jamesway, CFC. (TMR mixers, silo unloaders, barn cleaners & conveyors)
Story Sales & Service - Faribault, MN
Family run farm equipment business. Among nation's top seller of Patz Equiment.
Swiderski Equipment Co. - Mosinee, WI
New Holland farm and construction dealer with 5 locations throughout central Wisconsin: Mosinee, Thorp, Wausau, Antigo & Waupaca.
Trueman Welters - Buffalo, MN
A rock solid reputation of providing excellent service, support and satisfaction.
Value Implement - Arcadia/Baldwin/Menomonie/Osseo, WI
Dealer of Case & New Holland new & used farm equipment. Four locations in Wisconsin
Vermeline Ag Equipment - Malmo, NE
WE * BUY * SELL * TRADE * and CONSIGN SPRAYERS
Weltsch Equipment, Inc. - Redwood Falls, MN
We have a complete service department with specialists in combines and planters. We service the big equipment down to the lawn mowers.
WG Leffelman & Sons, Inc. - Amboy, IL
A full service Case IH dealer that sells & services farm equipment and other machinery parts.
Winger Implement Inc. - Winger, MN
We are a top notch New Holland dealer, with major short lines including ASV posi-trak, Summers, Wilrich, Wishek, and Woods/Dual.
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While I love to include kids when I cook or bake, I'm not very creative when it comes to food crafts. In the past we've featured on our blog a few craft ideas for different holidays. When I met Abbey from Not2Shabby back in November I knew she would develop the perfect craft for adults and chlidren to enjoy alike. I can't think of a kid that won't love this Makkot package - CookKosher
This is such a great idea! In my cleaning frenzy I've forgotten to think about the kids on Seder night, thanks for reminding me !!! One thing: since my children are little I'll be going easy on the sugar and try to think of yummy, healthier and more satisfying treats.
Any suggestions for a healthier makkot theme?


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Our 5-Point Pledge
Highpoint Community Bank was founded in 1886 on the strength of our customers. Over 130 years later, our commitment to the people who make our bank great is stronger than ever. Our 5-Point Pledge is our personal promise to you. If at any time we fail to meet the standards of any of the five points, we'll deposit $5 into your account. The 5-Point Pledge is our commitment to customer appreciation, professional courtesy, and friendly service.
- We will always make you feel welcome at our bank
- We will maintain our high standard of professionalism at all times
- Because we value your time, you will never wait more than five minutes in our teller line
- We will always show sincere appreciation for your business
- We will provide you with accurate and timely account information


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Message Board
Anoop Chandola Message Board
Talk about the novels, new and used books that Chandola has written!
Author Chandola's Book Reviews
Discovering Brides
An Indian-American anthropologist, with a family background of polygamy and himself a product of a pre-arranged marriage, sets out to perpetuate tradition and find the perfect bride for his U.S.-born lawyer son, and in so doing revives in himself bittersweet memories. Vivid description of abuse, greed, rape, and unbridled cruelty, amid counter-cultural tradition and philosophy penetrate the pages of this thought provoking, educational,and entertaining no...
The Second Highest World War: The Rama Theater
A history writer interested in India's role in the Second World War unexpectedly gets a manuscript from a WWII colonel. Chander, the colonel's U.S.-educated journalist son, wrote it at the request of his American wife, Kristi. It remains unpublished due to the couple's accidental death. The manuscript reveals that young Chander lived with his mother in a Himalayan village, while his father was fighting in WWII. Chander recounts intriguing experiences of ...


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In 1964, Hawkins recalls, "Reagan's running against Fair Housing in California. We had a fair housing law, and it got repealed in a Reagan-led charge, so I knew the Republicans were not for the people and not for civil rights.
"And then the Democrats had a chance to get me when the freedom democrats from Mississippi said 'Seat us instead of the segregationists.'" said Hawkins. "But Johnson and Mondale and Humphries seated the segregationists, so I said, 'Where's my party?'"
From there, Hawkins decided to take his political fate into his own hands, which led him to co-found the Green Party in 1984, after he and his colleagues were inspired by the election of 25 members of the German Green Party to the German Parliament.
He has since worked both in and out of the spotlight to promote Green Party values as part of more than 30 political campaigns, including 18 candidacies.
Despite his many campaign losses, Hawkins continues to fight the fight because he strongly believes that the general population of the state is suffering unnecessary hardship while the wealthy receive lenience.
"No one's going to speak up for us like us," Hawkins said. "That's why we need independent politics by the working people in this country."
In 2010, he was named co-chair of the newly-formed Green Party of New York. That same year, Hawkins ran for governor and garnered enough votes to ensure the Green Party's place on the ballot for the next four years.
While he has high hopes for his party's long-term growth, Hawkins has what he believes to be achievable goals for the immediate future.
"The minimum goal is to get 50,000 votes so we can keep our ballot line for the next four years," he said. "That way, we can get people elected to local office, mayors, town board members and school board members around the state. The next goal would be to get as many votes as any left-wing independent party in New York history. We're hoping for 250,000 votes and 5 percent of the vote."
Eventually, Hawkins has hopes that with continued growth, his party could one day produce an elected governor. And of course he harbors some hope that it could be him, and that this could be his year.
"But that would be like Jesse Ventura coming out of left field in Minnesota," Hawkins said. "Either way, we are going to come out of this much stronger than when we went into it."


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07 January 2015 - STAMFORD, Conn. and LUCCA, Italy
Tagetik Recognized as Top Global Performance Management Vendor for Customer Satisfaction
2014 BPM Pulse Survey Awards Company Rating of 4.63 out of 5.0
Tagetik, a visionary leader in global performance management software solutions, today announced that it was recognized for its excellence in customer satisfaction as part of BPM Partners' Vendor Landscape Matrix for Performance Management. Tagetik has been ranked in the top three in customer satisfaction for the fifth consecutive year.
The BPM Partners Vendor Landscape Matrix provides a point-in-time snapshot of the core Business Performance Management (BPM) players by assessing customer satisfaction across 14 different attributes including overall satisfaction, as well as solution functionality and quality, ease of implementation, price/value and innovation. Tagetik was called out for the quality of its packaged solutions for planning and reporting in banking and manufacturing, as well as its Solvency II solution for the insurance market.
"An integrated approach that links enterprise-wide strategy to core processes and metrics drives better financial and operational decision making," said Craig Schiff, president and chief executive officer, BPM Partners. "Tagetik is an ideal fit for mid-to-large sized organizations looking for a unified and comprehensive performance management solution." BPM also highlighted Tagetik's solution for its ability to unify multiple performance management processes including planning, budgeting and forecasting, profitability modeling and optimization, financial consolidation, disclosure management, and statutory and management reporting, including dashboards and scorecards within a single application. Tagetik is available with different deployment options, either on-premises or in the cloud.
"Tagetik's performance management software streamlines multiple finance processes so finance staff and executives can spend more time analyzing and optimizing their business to drive results," said Dave Kasabian, chief marketing officer, Tagetik. "Through focused innovation, deep knowledge of the Office of Finance and our customer-driven approach, we're helping finance organizations reduce the cost and cycle time of planning, consolidation, reporting and disclosure by as much as 50 percent. We are proud of our consistent performance in the BPM annual survey, which reinforces our unique combination of strong functionality, enterprise scalability, flexible deployment options and very high customer satisfaction."
To learn more about the 2014 Business Performance Management (BPM) Partners Vendor Landscape Matrix for Performance Management, please click here.About BPM Partners BPM Partners is the leading independent authority on business performance management (BPM) and business intelligence solutions. The company helps organizations address their budgeting, planning, financial reporting, regulatory compliance, profitability optimization, key performance indicator (KPI) development, and operational performance challenges with vendor-neutral experts who can guide companies through their BPM initiatives from start to finish while both reducing risk and minimizing costs. For further details, go towww.bpmpartners.com. Follow BPM Partners on Twitter @BPMTeam.
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Boulder residents and businesses west of Broadway whose trash is picked up in alleys will be required to use bear-resistant containers starting this spring or keep their trash in secure enclosures at all times, the Boulder City Council said Tuesday.
The City Council won't vote on an ordinance to that effect until February and a second reading and public hearing isn't expected until mid-March, but council members were nearly unanimous in supporting a staff recommendation that Boulder require bear-resistant containers west of Broadway, north of Greenbriar and south of Wonderland Lake.
The policy will be implemented first in alleys this spring and then throughout western Boulder. The enforcement area could be expanded in the future at the discretion of the city manager if bear activity increases in those areas.
Boulder already was working on a new policy on bears and trash, but the issue was expedited after wildlife officers killed four bears last year. Many residents called for the city to take action to make the city less attractive to the animals.
Boulder Urban Wildlife Coordinator Val Matheson said city staff had originally considered a policy that would require people to secure their trash until the morning of pickup, but many bear biologists said bears will change their habits if trash is available in the early morning hours.
That led to the recommendation that trash be secured at all times.
City Council members asked that the ordinance allow residents to avoid the cost of a bear-resistant container if they have a secure enclosure or keep their trash in the garage.
However, they would have to have an agreement with their hauler that the hauler go into the enclosure and get the trash and that it never be outside unsecured. Some haulers, such as One Way, which is more popular in the mountains, provide that service.
The requirement also will apply to the large Dumpsters behind rental units.
Discouraging bears
Councilman Andrew Shoemaker, who lives on University Hill, noted that these Dumpsters often are overflowing in violation of existing ordinances.
"Only in Boulder do bears bring to light the lack of enforcement," he said.
Councilman George Karakehian asked how long it will be until bears move east of Broadway as trash is harder to get at in western Boulder.
Mathesaon said it is entirely possible that will happen and that the enforcement area will have to expand. However, western Boulder lies in an interface between the bears' natural habitat and urban areas rich in trash. Wildlife officers said bears are increasingly not just feeding in Boulder, but actually living in town.
"We do think that securing this band from their natural habitat to Broadway will discourage them from living in Boulder," Matheson said.
Councilman Macon Cowles asked how much evidence there is that bears will find unsecured trash that is out for just a few hours on the morning of pickup.
"Do we have evidence that bears are actually that smart or is this just something that we've heard?" he asked. "Because if we don't have evidence, I'm hesitant to make everyone bear this expense."
'Better trash out there'
Matheson said she will provide more concrete information on bear habits when the ordinance comes before council, but bear biologists agreed that trash needs to be secure at all times if a policy is going to discourage the animals.
"There's a sense that if you've never had a problem, you're never going to have a problem," she said. "And the answer is that there's just better trash out there than your trash. If we only address the people who have had a problem already, we're just displacing the problem."
The City Council also supported raising the fine for improperly secured trash from $100 to $250 and waiving the requirement that code enforcement officers directly serve a violation.
They said people who don't have bear-resistant cans should be able to reduce the fines by buying cans, but they shouldn't be able to avoid fines entirely.
Western Disposal officials have has said they believe they can significantly reduce the monthly costs for bear-resistant cans if the city requires them in a broad area.
City officials hope to have the cans on the street by June.
Matheson said bear activity tends to be less in the summer and then spike in the fall.
"We believe that we can make a difference this year," she said.
Contact Camera Staff Writer Erica Meltzer at 303-473-1355, firstname.lastname@example.com or twitter.com/meltzere.


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Read the original article from the Portland Tribune here.
There's a funny thank-you note posted in the kitchen prep area at New Seasons Market at Progress Ridge.
It's from Maggie, Missy and Molly, three local chickens (and apparently their farmer) who appreciated the recent box-load of produce scraps New Seasons donated to them.
The feed — bits of lettuce, broccoli and other produce that otherwise would've gone to a landfill or compost — helped them produce lovely eggs, they wrote.
That isn't the only place New Seasons sends its compost. Produce gets pulled a few days before its expiration date to set aside for employees to take home. Day-old bread and refrigerated produce boxes get picked up by a list of nonprofit organizations every week. Urban Gleaners takes some of it to redistribute.
And the 12 New Seasons stores in Portland and Vancouver, Wash., on Saturday will invite the public in to take compost for their spring gardens.
Initiatives like this "are not hard to do," market President and Chief Executive Officer Wendy Collie says. "It's part of our DNA."
On Tuesday, the company announced that its sustainable efforts have born fruit, so to speak: New Seasons is a zero-waste company. The distinction is a rare one, given to businesses that divert at least 90 percent of their waste from landfills and incinerators, according to the Zero Waste International Alliance.
New Seasons diverts 92 percent of its waste, according to the a study conducted by Community Environmental Services, a research and service program of Portland State University's College of Urban Affairs.
The study, this past December and January, collected and examined waste from four sample New Seasons stores.
Graduate students wore gloves, work boots, Tyvek suits and orange vests whole sorting through the items. "It's modern-day archeology," says student Brittany Brannon, who did much of the work.
Seeing the value
At Progress Ridge in Beaverton, the store's loading dock has clearly marked shelves and bags for every type of recyclable material possible, including "stretchy plastic" and no less than seven types of styrofoam, which are picked up by haulers and carted across town to different recycling facilities.
The PSU analysis found that New Seasons reduces its energy consumption at a level equal to conserving 34,545 gallons of gasoline a year. A switch from cardboard to reusable plastic for dry goods as well as produce has brought 95 percent less solid waste, 29 percent less greenhouse gas emissions and 39 percent less total energy used.
Much of the change has come from the staff-led Green Teams that began meeting monthly at every store in 2007; each has chosen to tackle different priorities.
Each store has also adopted a local project; Progress Ridge adopted nearby Barrows Creek, where employees work with residents on restoration and cleanup projects.
Ten years ago, New Seasons began accepting hard-to-recycle plastics (including plastic bags, yogurt lids and plastic clamshells) from customers at a kiosk near the checkout lanes. As of last year, the market had collected 39 tons of materials.
The zero-waste achievement "creates a benchmark," Collie says, noting that she'll use it as a way to talk to other companies about taking on some of the same initiatives, with help from local partners.
"It can be daunting," she admits. "But by talking about the outcome, they'll see the value."


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The UK's Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) has denied reports that it has abandoned a hunt for crime barons in favour of a broader sweep against 500 criminal organisations involving 15,000 suspected crooks.
The Times reported this morning that the agency had gone back to the drawing board after failing to prosecute more than a small number of high-profile targets. The paper reports that the hitlist was based on flawed intelligence, meaning that many of the supposed Mr Bigs were only mid-range crooks.
But a spokeswoman for SOCA said its original strategy of targeting high-impact criminals remains in place. Further accusations in the Times that morale at the agency is low and staff are leaving "in droves" are also wrong, she added. Leaving staff have largely retired, she said.
The agency has sent a letter to The Times taking issue with its article, disputing the suggestion that it had failed to bring any major criminals to book. The SOCA spokeswoman referred our questions about whether or not its budget has been slashed to the Home Office, which is yet to respond to our calls.
SOCA is due to publish its annual report later this week. The agency has already published its strategic priorities for 2007/08 which maintain its traditional focus on stamping down the trade in hard drugs and combating people smuggling. The fight against drugs gets 43 per cent of SOCA's budget while the fight against fraud - a category that includes cybercrime - gets just five per cent of the pie.
SOCA was established on 1 April 2006 following a merger of the National Crime Squad, the National Criminal Intelligence Service, the National Hi-Tech Crime Unit (NHTCU), the investigative arm of HM Revenue & Customs on serious drug trafficking, and the Immigration Service's unit dealing with people trafficking.
Its top priorities in fighting drug dealing and organised immigration crime have prompted criticism from sections of the security community, who reckon the fight against cybercrime is not getting the resources it deserves since the absorption of the NHTCU. ®


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You are currently browsing the tag archive for the 'banning' tag.
When I signed up to write about my favorite banned book over at @thmafi's blog I was stumped. Which one to choose!?! There are simply so many! The obvious choice was the HARRY POTTER series, which as we know, I heart, and which tops both the list of best selling books for the past decade and the ALA's list of most challenged books. But that's too obvious. Basically, if people have not figured out yet that it is not a Satanic diatribe, well, God help them *roll eyes*
Of course, there are (sadly) many other fabulous books to write about. In its 50th year of publication, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD is a good example. It is often chosen as a classic Must-Read, and it has faced challenges since the beginning. But so have a lot of others that I have enjoyed over the years: Gatsby, Catcher, Color Purple, GWTW, Rebecca, Huck Finn (Twain's response to Denver's ban of his book is as amusing as most of his work 🙂 ) and yes, Winnie-the Pooh.
Meanwhile, there are the books that make one say "WTH" ? the Dictionary!?! Captain Underpants? What about Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? (which I personally have avoided reading over and over and over for the past year…parents know what I'm sayin') but which serves as an example of the ignorance that surrounds book banning. It was banned in Texas because the school board did not A.) Do their freaking research B.) Bother to read the book and C.) Think that it is possible for 2 men to have the same name, i.e. "Bill Martin". Funnily enough, the author of this and dozens of other picture books is a Junior, so obviously there is more than one.
I often wonder if people who challenge books actually read them first. Or if they just want to promote their own agenda. Or if they really care about Freedom of Speech. There was a local news story about a woman who was challenging a book on a school's Recommended Summer Reading List. NOT required, not even (most likely) expected. Just suggestions of books to choose from if a parent should decide to take their child to a library over the summer. Her beef was the junior picture book version of AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH by You-Know-Who. Now, I get that some people still think science and climate change are not real. Whatev. But I still think she just wanted to get on TV and try to push her (completely unsubstantiated) opinion. If it is not required reading, then do not read it. Duh. Rant over.
So, I narrowed it down to Books I Have Read and Books Under Challenge Now. Yes, there have been a lot of books challenged and banned in the past. Some of them are on the list every year and are familiar to many readers. I am more concerned with the newer books that are being challenged and banned. Most of these are Young Adult books that are challenged for sexual references.
I think that to most young readers (and let's face it–they are the citizens whose intellectual rights are challenged the most) books are an important source and outlet for information. I admit, I read books that my parents would not have approved. I also read books that they did approve and bought for me. I generally liked most of them. But part of growing, learning and becoming a functioning adult is practicing critical thinking and developing your own mind. I would not want to keep my children from having all available resources or from pursuing their own happiness.
Young adults are going to learn about sex one way or another. If parents have not learned how to discuss it with them, if teachers are not able to teach non-abstinence facts, then teens will still learn about It. I would prefer the new-found knowledge be from a book, rather than from television or the Web. And I would rather their learning be done critically, showing all facets and points of view as most books do, especially books published as Kid Lit, instead of physically through clumsy trial-and-error which may lead to STDs, teen pregnancy and/or hours of crying into one's pillow. (Or worse! Teen suicide is a bigger problem in this land than teen sex. There. I said it!) Also, as a writer who can only hope that one day she makes it to a Banned Books list, I want kids to read and I know that they are far more likely to read a book they are interested in, rather than an assigned book chosen by an adult. Personally, I think it is amazing and awesome that there are SOOO many books being published in the children and young adult market. End of the Book, pshaw!
So, I pondered it, read lists, looked on my own highly controversial bookshelves and I went to the best place to learn about books: The Library. One of the most beautiful facts of our country's freedoms: we get free books. I spend a lot of time at the library and have a good dialogue with my librarians. The conversation we had about banned books (as she set up their display) was heartening. I learned that only one book has been challenged (in her knowledge) in our 400-year old, smallish, right-leaning county: AND TANGO MAKES THREE. {Follow the link for a post about that children's picture book from the fabulous Booklady's Blog.} The saddest thing about that challenge is it is NON-fiction. People want to ban facts. Grrr…
Finally, I opened the library's print-out of this year's Banned Books Week campaign and saw THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN by Sherman Alexie listed first. And I learned that it was banned, removed by a school board in Missouri this year and previously in Oregon among other challenges. I read this book, primarily because it was a National Book Award winner and one of the top recommended books for teen boys. I like sharing books with my son, ever since he was in utero. I read it, laughed, cried, laughed A LOT more and even learned a little (granted, I had some previous knowledge of the subject matter). Then I gave it to him and said "You have to read this" which was not an order, but as he knew, just a great suggestion.
The main reasons cited for banning TATDOAPTI are language, substance use, and sexual situations. I admit, I was keenly aware of giving my son a book that discussed masturbation, but I had a feeling he already knew about that. But sex, drugs and rock n' roll aside, this book depicts a reality that many teens in this country experience daily. At the same time, it also depicts one that many people are not aware of or do not understand. I wanted my brilliant son to appreciate his education and just how good he's got it.
The main character experiences obstacles, discouragement, and a whole lot of stress in order to pursue his education. Since birth, he had physical challenges, which required brain surgery. He is awkward and ridiculed and also brilliant and hilarious. His story is about making the most of what you can in your life no matter what problems you face. He actually walks miles to get to a school that can give him a better education. Alexie throws light on the difference between reservation schools and US public schools. He also details a bright boy's struggle to find his place in two societies, neither of which fully accepts him. A student speaking out in support of the book said at the Stockton County, MO school board meeting
This book in a nutshell is my hope. It's not about giving up. It's about not letting people tell you you're not worth it.
and she was completely ignored. The vote was 7-0 to ban it. I pray that does not cause her to lose hope. She and her peers need to know that their experiences and feelings matter, too. When young people are constantly told that their opinions and beliefs do not count, they begin to believe it.
Junior, the MC and narrator of "Absolutely True Diary" , is one of those teens and his story is worth reading. Yes, teens cuss, are exposed to substances, and think about sex too much. But they also try to find their talents, develop their abilities and dream of their futures. Why would we want to censor that?


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By DAVID WOODING
THERE have shocks and surprises galore in the corridors of power during 2015.
The Tories pipped Labour at the election winning post, the Lib Dems collapsed, Scottish nationalism triumphed and a little-known backbencher called Jeremy Corbyn became one of the most talked about politicians in the country.
Like the rest of them, he's made us chuckle with a host of cock-ups and U-turns.
So let's chill out and take a light-hearted look at the past year in Parliament with my New Jez Honours.
PANTO POLITICS PRIZE: Jeremy Corbyn for his starring role as Aladdin's pal Wishy-Washy. Will he wear a red poppy on Remembrance Day? Oh, no, he won't – oh, yes he will! Will he force Labour MPs to vote against air strikes on terrorists in Syria? Oh, yes, he will – oh, no, he won't! Will he kneel before the Queen when he joins the Privy Council? Oh, no, he won't – oh, yes, he will!
PANTO VILLAIN: George Osborne plays Baron Hardup by axing tax credits for three million low-paid families. Then the Chancellor pulled a fast one on Labour by giving claimants a last-minute reprieve.
HIS LEWDSHIP: Disgraced Lord Sewel took politics back into the sewer after being caught on film snorting cocaine with a pair of £200-a-night hookers at his flat. The deputy speaker was forced to quit his seat after being exposed by The Sun on Sunday – but will keep his title.
SNOUTS IN THE TROUGH AWARD: Lords Speaker Baroness D'Souza clocked up a £230 bill keeping a chauffeur-driven car waiting four hours while she watched an opera a mile from Parliament. We'd like to see her Rigoletto that one.
TOFF IN THE SNOUTS AWARD: David Cameron for hogging the headlines after a book claimed he put his "private part" into a dead pig's mouth as part of an outrageous student initiation ceremony. The PM got his own back, branding author Lord Ashcroft "a little p****".
ORDER OF THE GREEDY PIG: A special prize goes to aptly-named Tory Douglas Hogg who re-boarded the Westminster gravy train five years after being thrown off. He was forced to quit as an MP after claiming £2,200 expenses to clean his moat – but has been given a seat in the Lords.
LAZARUS PRIZE FOR POLITICAL COMEBACK: Anti-war campaigner Ken Livingstone has a new lease of life co-chairing Labour's defence review. Now he says he'd accept a seat in the Lords – which he wants to abolish – if Mr Corbyn offers him one.
SHORTEST RESIGNATION: Nigel Farage keeps his promise to quit as Ukip leader if he fails to be elected as an MP – only to re-instate himself three days later, claiming the party's ruling board refused to accept his resignation.
REBEL OF THE YEAR: Ukip's only MP Douglas Carswell made history by staging a one-man backbench rebellion against party leader Nigel Farage. Let's hope there isn't a split. He'd find that even more painful.
GOLDEN BLADDER AWARD: Speaker John Bercow, who sat through an 11-hour Commons debate on Syria without a loo break. But then he always was good at stopping government leaks.
GOLDEN BALLS-UP AWARD: Former shadow chancellor Ed Balls urged everyone get a receipt when paying a handyman cash for odd jobs. Then his window cleaner revealed he had never asked for one in 17 years.
GRAVEST MISTAKE: Ed Miliband spent £15,000 on an 8ft "gravestone" carved with six key pledges days before the general election. The Ed Stone made him a laughing stock – and buried his hopes of becoming PM.
KICK A MAN WHEN HE'S DOWN PRIZE: Six-year-old Daniel Miliband for bluntly telling his defeated dad: "You used to be famous."
BIG BENN CLANGER OF THE YEAR: SNP MP George Kerevan for saying Tony Benn would be "turning in his grave" at his son Hilary's passionate speech in favour of air strikes in Syria. His remarks enraged the family of the late Leftie icon – who was actually cremated.
HAPPY CHRISTMAS, WAR IS OVER, DIPLOMA: Diane Abbott, who spent a stormy meeting of Labour MPs, in which her ex-lover Jeremy Corbyn faced a barrage of criticism over his soft stance on terrorism, calmly signing her Christmas cards.
VANITY FAIR AWARD FOR SELFIE-EXPOSURE: SNP foreign affairs spokesman Alex Salmond for missing a Commons debate on whether to launch air strikes on Syria so he could unveil a portrait of himself in Edinburgh. A Labour wag summed it up perfectly: "If Alex Salmond was chocolate, he'd eat himself."
BOOKER PRIZE FOR BEING WELL RED: Labour's John McDonnell stunned MP by quoting Chinese communist mass murderer Chairman Mao in the Commons. He pulled out a copy of the despot's little red book, read a section and threw it to George Osborne. The Chancellor kept it. Expect to see it thrown back at McDonnell in 2016 – or auctioned to raise Tory funds.
GAFFE OF THE YEAR: David Cameron for mixing up the claret and blue of West Ham United with that of Aston Villa – the team he tells us he supports.
TORY OF THE YEAR: Russell Brand for helping David Cameron win the election by telling his army of young fans not to vote – then urging them to back Labour when it was too late to register.
GILLETTE AWARD FOR THE SHARPEST POLITICAL PUTDOWN: Union boss Sir Paul Kenny on George Osborne's handling of the economy: "He's claimed more recoveries in the past five years than the RAC."
BARBIE MEDAL FOR FEMINISM: Harriet Harman for launching a national wide tour to attract more women voters – in a PINK battlebus. A Westminster wag quipped: "I wonder what she thinks of the make-up of the Cabinet? She'd probably say there's not enough pink lipstick."
ROCKY BELT FOR PARLIAMENTARY PUNCH-UPS: Rookie Labour MP Jessica Phillips for telling Diane Abbott to "f*** off" after she pulled her up for criticising their leader. She revealed: "People said to me they had always wanted to say that to her, and I don't know why they don't as the opportunity presents itself every other minute." Asked how Ms Abbott responded, she replied: "She f***ed off."
GREENHOUSE GAS GONG: Leftie singer Charlotte Church produced more hot air than global warming itself by blaming the war in Syria on…climate change.
TWITS OF THE YEAR: Labour MP David Lammy for tweeting: "Good luck to students waiting for there GCSE results today. Rooting for you!" Wonder what grade he got in English? Labour's Helen Goodman, forced to apologise after tweeting this about the Health Secretary's Chinese missus: "If China is so great why did Jeremy Hunt's wife come to England?" The BBC numpty who sent a tweet suggesting Tory MP Alec Shelbrooke was asleep during a Commons debate – when he was leaning close to a speaker because he is partially deaf.
MBE – Mugs of the British Empire: All the pollsters for totally misjudging the mood of the nation – right up to 10pm on election day. At least there's now someone less trustworthy than our politicians.
Happy New Year everyone, which ever of this bunch you support!


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After winning a national championship on Monday night, the U of L men's players asked coaches if they could attend the women's game in New Orleans.
"Our players asked," U of L coach Rick Pitino said. "And we asked the NCAA, but they said no. Apparently it would be an NCAA violation. They said it would be an extra benefit to the players."
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LONDON (Reuters) - Chancellor George Osborne scrapped the above-inflation beer tax rises on Wednesday and cut one pence off a pint, cheering drinkers and providing some relief for a pub sector still enduring 18 closures a week.
The much criticised beer duty escalator, put in place to push the levy up by 2 percent on top of inflation every year until 2015, has seen the tax on beer grow 42 percent since the previous Labour government introduced it in 2008.
It means that more than a third of every pint pulled in a pub is now paid in duty and value-added tax VAT.L.
"We will now scrap the beer duty escalator altogether, and instead of the 3 pence rise in beer duty tax planned for this year, I am cancelling it altogether," Osborne announced to big cheers in parliament.
"That's the freeze people have been campaigning for but I am going to take it one step further and I am going to cut beer duty by one pence. We are taking a penny off the pint."
The cuts will spare squeezed consumers another hit at a time when austerity measures and low wage growth are reducing discretionary spend and forcing pub firms to compete hard among each other and with much cheaper supermarkets.
Shares in Wetherspoon (JDW.L) rose 3.4 percent to 544.5 pence on the news, while Enterprise Inns ETI.L was up 2.6 percent at 112.85 pence at 1357 GMT.
The British Beer & Pub Association said it was great news: "In abolishing the beer tax escalator, the chancellor has ended a hugely damaging policy that would have made Britain's beer the most heavily taxed in Europe," BBPA Chief Executive Brigid Simmond said.
Since the duty escalator was introduced in 2008, 6,000 pubs have shut and an average of 18 are still closing every week.
Recent research has said scrapping the escalator will save over 5,000 jobs in an industry that employs almost 1 million people. A study by Oxford Economics has also suggested that, despite a slight drop in beer duty revenue, the move will raise an additional 5 million pounds in revenue through higher employment tax contributions and reduced unemployment payments.
Osborne said the 1p cut would take effect this Sunday night. Ted Tuppen, chief executive of Enterprise, welcomed the news and said the benefit would be passed onto its customers immediately.
Not everyone was happy, though.
Osborne maintained a planned rise for all other alcohol duties, meaning wines and spirits will see above-inflation tax rises for a fifth straight year. Diageo (DGE.L) said the UK spirits maker was being punished for its success in a harsh economic climate.
Reporting by Neil Maidment; Editing by Kate Holton and Tom Pfeiffer


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text: Cloud-Controlled Remote Pan Tilt Zoom Camera API for a Logitech BCC950 Camera with Azure and SignalR October 23, '12 Comments [33] Posted in Hardware | Lync | Open Source | Remote Work Sponsored By I like my giant blog post titles. Nyah. As a remote worker for almost 5 years now, I live in video conferences. I feel really strongly about the power of seeing someone's face rather than just being a voice on a scratchy speaker phone. I've build an AutoAnswer Kiosk for Lync with some friends that you can get for free at http://lyncautoanswer.com (and read about the code here), I've got a BusyLight so the kids know I'm on a call, and the Holy Grail for the last few years has been a reliable Pan Tilt Zoom camera that I could control remotely. Related Reading 30 Tips for Successful Communication as a Remote Worker The Remote Worker category on this blog A few years ago I super-glued a LifeCam camera to an Eagletron TrackerPod and build a web interface to it. I wanted to do this on the cheap as I can't afford (and my boss is into) a $1500 Panasonic IP Camera. The Solution...er, the Problem I have found my camera and built my solution. The Logitech BCC950 Conference Cam is the best balance between cost and quality and it's got Pan Tilt and (digital) Zoom functionality. The Zoom is less interesting to me than the motorized Pan Tilt. Let's think about the constraints. A Logitech BCC950 PTZ camera is installed on a Windows machine in my office in Seattle. I'm anywhere. I'm usually in Portland but could be in a hotel. I may or may not be VPN'ed into work. This means I want to be able to communicate with the camera across networks, traverse NATs and generally not worry about being able to connect. I want to be able to control the camera in a number of ways, Web API, whatever, but ideally with cool buttons that are (or look) integrated with my corporate instant messaging system. There's three interesting parts here, then. Can I even control the camera's PTZ functions programmatically? Can I relay messages across networks to the camera? Can I make a slick client interface easily? Let's figure them out one at a time. Can I even control the camera's PTZ functions programmatically? I looked all over and googled my brains out trying to find an API to talk to the Logitech camera. I emailed the Logitech people and they folks me that the camera would respond to DirectShow APIs. This means I can control the camera without any drivers! MSDN showed me PROPSETID_VIDCAP_CAMERACONTROL which has an enumeration that includes things like: KSPROPERTY_CAMERACONTROL_PAN KSPROPERTY_CAMERACONTROL_TILT This lead me to this seven year old DirectShow .NET library that wraps the hardest parts of the DirectShow COM API. There's a little utility called GraphEdt.exe (GraphEdit) that you can get in the Windows SDK that lets you look at all the DirectShow-y things and devices and filters on your system. This utility let me control the camera's Zoom but Pan and Tilt were grayed out! Why? Turns out that this Logitech Camera supports only relative Pan and Tilt, not absolute. Whatever code that creates this Properties dialog was never updated to support a relative pan and tilt but the API supports it via KSPROPERTY_CAMERACONTROL_PAN_RELATIVE! That means I can send a start message quickly followed by a stop message to pan. It's not super exact, but it should work. Here's the C# code for my move() method. Note the scandalous Thread.Sleep call. private void MoveInternal(KSProperties.CameraControlFeature axis, int value){ // Create and prepare data structures var control = new KSProperties.KSPROPERTY_CAMERACONTROL_S(); IntPtr controlData = Marshal.AllocCoTaskMem(Marshal.SizeOf(control)); IntPtr instData = Marshal.AllocCoTaskMem(Marshal.SizeOf(control.Instance)); control.Instance.Value = value; //TODO: Fix for Absolute control.Instance.Flags = (int)CameraControlFlags.Relative; Marshal.StructureToPtr(control, controlData, true); Marshal.StructureToPtr(control.Instance, instData, true); var hr2 = _ksPropertySet.Set(PROPSETID_VIDCAP_CAMERACONTROL, (int)axis, instData, Marshal.SizeOf(control.Instance), controlData, Marshal.SizeOf(control)); //TODO: It's a DC motor, no better way? Thread.Sleep(20); control.Instance.Value = 0; //STOP! control.Instance.Flags = (int)CameraControlFlags.Relative; Marshal.StructureToPtr(control, controlData, true); Marshal.StructureToPtr(control.Instance, instData, true); var hr3 = _ksPropertySet.Set(PROPSETID_VIDCAP_CAMERACONTROL, (int)axis, instData, Marshal.SizeOf(control.Instance), controlData, Marshal.SizeOf(control)); if (controlData != IntPtr.Zero) { Marshal.FreeCoTaskMem(controlData); } if (instData != IntPtr.Zero) { Marshal.FreeCoTaskMem(instData); }} All the code for this PTZDevice wrapper is here. Once that library was working, creating a little console app to move the camera around with a keyboard was trivial. var p = PTZDevice.GetDevice(ConfigurationManager.AppSettings["DeviceName"], PTZType.Relative);while (true){ ConsoleKeyInfo info = Console.ReadKey(); if (info.Key == ConsoleKey.LeftArrow) { p.Move(-1, 0); } else if (info.Key == ConsoleKey.RightArrow) { p.Move(1, 0); } else if (info.Key == ConsoleKey.UpArrow) { p.Move(0, 1); } else if (info.Key == ConsoleKey.DownArrow) { p.Move(0, -1); } else if (info.Key == ConsoleKey.Home) { p.Zoom(1); } else if (info.Key == ConsoleKey.End) { p.Zoom(-1); }} Also easy was a simple WebAPI. (I put the name of the camera to look for in a config file in both these cases.) [HttpPost]public void Move(int x, int y){ var p = PTZDevice.GetDevice(ConfigurationManager.AppSettings["DeviceName"], PTZType.Relative); p.Move(x,y);}[HttpPost]public void Zoom(int value){ var p = PTZDevice.GetDevice(ConfigurationManager.AppSettings["DeviceName"], PTZType.Relative); p.Zoom(value);} At this point I've got the camera moving LOCALLY. Next, I mail it to Damian (my office buddy) in Seattle and he hooks it up to my office computer. But I need something to control it running on THAT machine...and talking to what? Can I relay messages across networks to the camera? Here's the architecture. Since I can't talk point to point via TCP between wherever I am and wherever the camera is, I need a relay. I could use a Service Bus Relay which would be great for something larger but I wanted to see if I could make something even simpler. I'd like to use HTTP since it's, well, it's HTTP. Since Azure lets me have 10 free websites and automatically supports SSL via a wildcard cert for sites at the *.azurewebsites.net domain, it was perfect for what I needed. I want to use SSL because it's the best way to guarantee that my traffic not be affected by corporate proxy servers. There's three parts. Let's start in the middle. What's the Relay look like? I'm going to use SignalR because it will let me not only call methods easily and asynchronously but, more importantly, it will abstract away the connection details from me. I'm looking to relay messages over a psuedo-persistent connection. So what's the code look like for a complex relay system like this? ;) using System;using SignalR.Hubs;namespace PTZSignalRRelay{ public class RelayHub : Hub { public void Move(int x, int y, string groupName) { Clients[groupName].Move(x, y); //test } public void Zoom(int value, string groupName) { Clients[groupName].Zoom(value); } public void JoinRelay(string groupName) { Groups.Add(Context.ConnectionId, groupName); } }} Crazy, eh? That's it. Clients call JoinRelay with a name. The name is the name of the computer with the camera attached. (More on this later) This means that this single relay can handle effectively any number of clients. When a client calls to Relay with a message and group name, the relay then broadcasts to clients that have that group name. Can I make a slick client interface easily? I created a super basic WPF app that's just a transparent window with buttons. In fact, the background isn't white or black, it's transparent. It's a SolidColorBrush that is all but invisible. It's not totally transparent or I wouldn't be able to grab it with the mouse! <SolidColorBrush x:Key="NotQuiteTransparent" Color="#01000000"></SolidColorBrush> The buttons use the .NET SignalR library and call it like this. HubConnection connection = null;IHubProxy proxy = null;string remoteGroup;string url;private void MainWindow_MouseDown(object sender, MouseButtonEventArgs e){ if (e.ChangedButton == MouseButton.Left) this.DragMove();}private async void MoveClick(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e){ var ui = sender as Control; Point p = Point.Parse(ui.Tag.ToString()); await proxy.Invoke("Move", p.X, p.Y, remoteGroup);}private async void ZoomClick(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e){ var ui = sender as Control; int z = int.Parse(ui.Tag.ToString()); await proxy.Invoke("Zoom", z, remoteGroup);}private async void MainWindow_Loaded(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e){ url = ConfigurationManager.AppSettings["relayServerUrl"]; remoteGroup = ConfigurationManager.AppSettings["remoteGroup"]; connection = new HubConnection(url); proxy = connection.CreateProxy("RelayHub"); await connection.Start(); await proxy.Invoke("JoinRelay", remoteGroup);} The client app just needs to know the name of the computer with the camera it wants to control. That's the "GroupName" or in this case, from the client side, the "RemoteGroup." Then it knows the Relay Server URL, like https://foofooserver.azurewebsites.net. The .NET client uses async and await to make the calls non-blocking so the UI remains responsive. Here's a bunch of traffic going through the Relay while I was testing it this afternoon, as seen by the Azure Dashboard. The client calls the Relay and the Relay broadcasts to connected clients. The Remote Camera Listener responds to the calls. We get the machine name, join the relay and setup two methods that will respond to Move and Zoom. The only hard thing we ran into (Thanks David Fowler!) was that the calls to the DirectShow API actually have to be on a UI thread rather than a background thread, so we have to get the current SynchronizationContext and post our messages with it. This results in a little indirection but it's not too hard to read. Note the comments. private async void MainWindow_Loaded(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e){ var deviceName = ConfigurationManager.AppSettings["DeviceName"]; device = PTZDevice.GetDevice(deviceName, PTZType.Relative); url = ConfigurationManager.AppSettings["relayServerUrl"]; remoteGroup = Environment.MachineName; //They have to hardcode the group, but for us it's our machine name connection = new HubConnection(url); proxy = connection.CreateProxy("RelayHub"); //Can't do this here because DirectShow has to be on the UI thread! // This would cause an obscure COM casting error with no clue what's up. So, um, ya. //proxy.On<int, int>("Move",(x,y) => device.Move(x, y)); //proxy.On<int>("Zoom", (z) => device.Zoom(z)); magic = SynchronizationContext.Current; proxy.On<int, int>("Move", (x, y) => { //Toss this over the fence from this background thread to the UI thread magic.Post((_) => { Log(String.Format("Move({0},{1})", x,y)); device.Move(x, y); }, null); }); proxy.On<int>("Zoom", (z) => { magic.Post((_) => { Log(String.Format("Zoom({0})", z)); device.Zoom(z); }, null); }); try { await connection.Start(); Log("After connection.Start()"); await proxy.Invoke("JoinRelay", remoteGroup); Log("After JoinRelay"); } catch (Exception pants) { var foo = (WebException)pants.GetBaseException(); StreamReader r = new StreamReader(foo.Response.GetResponseStream()); string yousuck = r.ReadToEnd(); Log(yousuck); throw; }} It All Works Together Now I've got all the parts. Buttons that call a Relay that then call back - through NAT and networks - to the Remote Camera Listener which uses the Camera library to move it. It works like a champ. And, because the buttons are transparent, I can put them over the Lync window and pretend it's all integrated. TODO: I'm hoping that someone who knows more about Windows Internals will volunteer to create some code that will automatically move the buttons as the Lync Window moves and position them over the video window in the corner. Ahem. You can set this up yourself, but I haven't gotten around to making an install or anything. If you have a Logitech BCC950 you are welcome to use my Relay until it costs me something. There's a preliminary download up here so you'd only need the Listener on one side and the Buttons on the other. No drivers are needed since we're using DirectShow itself. This was great fun, and more importantly, I use this PanTiltZoom System ever day and it makes my life better. The best was that I was able to do the whole thing in C#. From client UI to cloud-based relay to device control to COM wrapper, it was all C#. It makes me feel very empowered as a .NET developer to be able to make systems like this with a minimal amount of code. Lync Developer Resources CodeLync Developing Lync (Tom Morgan) Justin Morris on UC Lync Development by Michael Greenlee Lync'd Up (Tom Arbuthnot) The Modality Systems blog Related Links Hanselminutes Podcast 242 - The Plight of the Remote Worker with Pete Brown Building an Embodied Social Proxy or Crazy Webcam Remote Cart Thing Virtual Camaraderie - A Persistent Video "Portal" for the Remote Worker Working Remotely from Home, Telepresence and Video Conferencing: One Year Later Sponsor: Big thanks to this week's sponsor. Check them out, it's a great program, I've done it and spoken to actual live humans who help you get started writing an app! Begin your 30-day journey to creating a Windows Store app or game for Windows 8 or Windows Phone today. Your Idea. Your App. 30 Days. About Scott Scott Hanselman is a former professor, former Chief Architect in finance, now speaker, consultant, father, diabetic, and Microsoft employee. He is a failed stand-up comic, a cornrower, and a book author. About Newsletter Sponsored By Hosting By Comments [33] Share on: Twitter, Facebook, Google+ or use the Permalink


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Find a grad school personal statement here, an undergraduate personal statement here, and a sample summer internship personal statement here.
- The reader may read countless letters and statements.
- Avoid creating a generic application letter or personal statement.
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- Visit the Writing Center and work with a consultant to develop an effective letter or statement.
The Writing Process:
[1] List Your Strengths [2] Select, Analyze, & Draft [3] Organize & Revise [4] Check Format & Style
Explore and List Your Strengths
- List every good quality on paper/computer.
- Add academic, volunteer, summer, and other work experience/skills.
- Include terms that friends, professors, and employers would use to describe you.
Select, Analyze, & Draft
- Describe transferrable skills from past experience
- Discuss value of relevant previous or current research
- Explain usefulness of extra-curricular experience
- Describe short and long-term goals
Organize & Revise
- Assume the reader's point of view and read your draft
- Delete least relevant information
- Have a lively first paragraph that introduces your purpose
- Arrange the paragraphs logically (chronological? categorical?)
- Check coherence of each paragraph. Does each sentence connect clearly to the next? Do all sentences relate to the paragraph topic? Include specific examples.
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Check Format & Style
With a Writing Center Consultant, check that your letter or statement has:
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Sony NEX-5R With Wi-Fi Connectivity Announced
Sony has announced the NEX-5R, the latest member of the NEX line of interchangeable lens digital cameras that feature a small, lightweight design and a large APS-C sized sensor. The new camera adds hybrid autofocus technology plus Wi-Fi connectivity.
The NEX-5R's body is the size of a compact camera, weighing only 276 grams, including battery and memory card. It has a 16.1 megapixel APS CMOS HD sensor, the same size of the sensors found in most DSLR cameras. The camera can be used with all E-mount lenses produced by Sony and other manufacturers, as well as other types of lenses if used with the appropriate adapter. The camera features a new fully programmable control dial and function button, a switchable on-screen digital level gauge that helps keep horizons level, and a high definition touchscreen LCD that can flip upwards 180 degrees for self-portraits. The camera can take full HD (1920 x 1080) movies at 60 frames per second and has an auto slow shutter feature that adds extra detail to low-light clips.
The NEX-5R is the first of Sony's interchangeable lens cameras to feature "Fast Hybrid AF" autofocus technology, combining phase-detection and contrast-detection methods to improve the speed and accuracy of the camera's autofocus system. This hybrid technology utilizes 99 phase-detection focus points to detect a subject's distance and quickly lock focus on it, and then utilizes contrast-detection autofocus to confirm fine details. When the camera is in fast continuous shooting mode, the camera will switch automatically to phase detection autofocus, which will enable it to accurately track fast-moving subjects.
The camera includes built-in Wi-Fi, which allows photos and videos to be transferred wirelessly to a smartphone or tablet. Content can be directly uploaded from the camera to Facebook with Sony's new PlayMemories Camera Apps platform, which will give users the opportunity to download different apps for the camera.
Pricing and Availability
The NEX-5R will be available this October in silver, black and white. It will cost about $650 for the body-only version and about $750 with an 18-55mm zoom lens. For additional information visit Sony's blog.