text:
Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions
Accredited Charity
Meets Standards
5710 Mineral Point Road
Madison, WI 53705
5710 Mineral Point Road
Madison, WI 53705
Accredited Charity
Meets Standards
Standards Legend
- Meets Standards
- Standards Not Met
- Did Not Disclose
- Review In Progress
- Unable to Verify
Standards For Charity Accountability
Board Oversight
Oversight of Operations and Staff: Standard 1
Organizations shall have a board of directors that provides adequate oversight of the charity's operations and its staff. Indication of adequate oversight includes, but is not limited to, regularly scheduled appraisals of the CEO's performance, evidence of disbursement controls such as board approval of the budget, fund raising practices, establishment of a conflict of interest policy, and establishment of accounting procedures sufficient to safeguard charity finances.
The organization meets this standard.
Board Size
Number of Board Members: Standard 2
Soliciting organizations shall have a board of directors with a minimum of five voting members.
The organization meets this standard.
Board Meetings
Frequency and Attendance of Board Meetings: Standard 3
An organization shall have a minimum of three evenly spaced meetings per year of the full governing body with a majority in attendance, with face-to-face participation. A conference call of the full board can substitute for one of the three meetings of the governing body. For all meetings, alternative modes of participation are acceptable for those with physical disabilities.
The organization meets this standard.
Board Compensation
Compensated Board Members: Standard 4
Not more than one or 10% (whichever is greater) directly or indirectly compensated person(s) serving as voting member(s) of the board. Compensated members shall not serve as the board's chair or treasurer.
The organization meets this standard.
Conflict of Interest
Conflict of Interest: Standard 5
No transaction(s) in which any board or staff members have material conflicting interests with the charity resulting from any relationship or business affiliation. Factors that will be considered when concluding whether or not a related party transaction constitutes a conflict of interest and if such a conflict is material, include, but are not limited to: any arm's length procedures established by the charity; the size of the transaction relative to like expenses of the charity; whether the interested party participated in the board vote on the transaction; if competitive bids were sought and whether the transaction is one-time, recurring or ongoing.
The organization meets this standard.
Measuring Effectiveness
Effectiveness Policy
Board Policy on Effectiveness: Standard 6
Have a board policy of assessing, no less than every two years, the organization's performance and effectiveness and of determining future actions required to achieve its mission.
The organization meets this standard.
Effectiveness Report
Board Approval of Written Report on Effectiveness: Standard 7
Submit to the organization's governing body, for its approval, a written report that outlines the results of the aforementioned performance and effectiveness assessment and recommendations for future actions.
The organization meets this standard.
Program Expenses
Program Service Expense Ratio: Standard 8
Spend at least 65% of its total expenses on program activities.
The organization meets this standard.
Fund Raising Expenses
Fund Raising Expense Ratio: Standard 9
Spending should be no more than 35% of related contributions on fund raising. Related contributions include donations, legacies, and other gifts received as a result of fund raising efforts.
The organization meets this standard.
Accumulating Funds
Ending Net Assets: Standard 10
Avoid accumulating funds that could be used for current program activities. To meet this standard, the charity's unrestricted net assets available for use should not be more than three times the size of the past year's expenses or three times the size of the current year's budget, whichever is higher.
The organization meets this standard.
Audit Report
Financial Statements: Standard 11
Make available to all, on request, complete annual financial statements prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. When total annual gross income exceeds $500,000, these statements should be audited in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards. For charities whose annual gross income is less than $500,000, a review by a certified public accountant is sufficient to meet this standard. For charities whose annual gross income is less than $250,000, an internally produced, complete financial statement is sufficient to meet this standard.
The organization meets this standard.
Detailed Expense Breakdown
Detailed Functional Breakdown of Expenses: Standard 12
Include in the financial statements a breakdown of expenses (e.g., salaries, travel, postage, etc.) that shows what portion of these expenses was allocated to program, fund raising, and administrative activities. If the charity has more than one major program category, the schedule should provide a breakdown for each category.
The organization meets this standard.
Accurate Expense Reporting
Accuracy of Expenses in Financial Statements: Standard 13
Accurately report the charity's expenses, including any joint cost allocations, in its financial statements. For example, audited or unaudited statements which inaccurately claim zero fund raising expenses or otherwise understate the amount a charity spends on fund raising, and/or overstate the amount it spends on programs will not meet this standard.
The organization meets this standard.
Budget Plan
Budget: Standard 14
Have a board-approved annual budget for its current fiscal year, outlining projected expenses for major program activities, fund raising, and administration.
The organization meets this standard.
Fund Raising & Info
Truthful Materials
Misleading Appeals: Standard 15
Have solicitations and informational materials, distributed by any means, that are accurate, truthful and not misleading, both in whole and in part. Appeals that omit a clear description of program(s) for which contributions are sought will not meet this standard. A charity should also be able to substantiate that the timing and nature of its expenditures are in accordance with what is stated, expressed, or implied in the charity's solicitations.
The organization meets this standard.
Annual Report
Annual Report: Standard 16
Have an annual report available to all, on request, that includes: (a) the organization's mission statement, (b) a summary of the past year's program service accomplishments, (c) a roster of the officers and members of the board of directors, (d) financial information that includes (i) total income in the past fiscal year, (ii) expenses in the same program, fund raising and administrative categories as in the financial statements, and (iii) ending net assets.
The organization meets this standard.
Website Disclosures
Web Site Disclosures: Standard 17
Include on any charity websites that solicit contributions, the same information that is recommended for annual reports, as well as the mailing address of the charity and electronic access to its most recent IRS Form 990.
The organization meets this standard.
Donor Privacy
Privacy for Written Appeals & Internet Privacy: Standard 18
Address privacy concerns of donors by (a) providing in written appeals, at least annually, a means (e.g., such as a check off box) for both new and continuing donors to inform the charity if they do not want their name and address shared outside the organization, (b) providing a clear, prominent and easily accessible privacy policy on any of its websites that tells visitors (i) what information, if any, is being collected about them by the charity and how this information will be used, (ii) how to contact the charity to review personal information collected and request corrections, (iii) how to inform the charity (e.g., a check off box) that the visitor does not wish his/her personal information to be shared outside the organization, and (iv) what security measures the charity has in place to protect personal information.
The organization meets this standard.
Cause Marketing Disclosures
Cause Related Marketing: Standard 19
Clearly disclose how the charity benefits from the sale of products or services (i.e., cause-related marketing) that state or imply that a charity will benefit from a consumer sale or transaction. Such promotions should disclose, at the point of solicitation: (a) the actual or anticipated portion of the purchase price that will benefit the charity (e.g., 5 cents will be contributed to abc charity for every xyz company product sold), (b) the duration of the campaign (e.g., the month of October), (c) any maximum or guaranteed minimum contribution amount (e.g., up to a maximum of $200,000).
The organization meets this standard.
Complaints: Standard 20
Respond promptly to and act on complaints brought to its attention by the BBB Wise Giving Alliance and/or local Better Business Bureaus about fund raising practices, privacy policy violations and/or other issues.
The organization meets this standard.
Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions meets the 20 Standards for Charity Accountability.
Year, State Incorporated
1966, Wisconsin
Formerly Known As
CUNA International Foundation
Stated Purpose
"to support credit union and financial cooperative systems in development activities, assist in times of disaster and to report back to donors on how their support help the institutions and their members."
WFCU's programs include credit union development, international partnership exchanges, disaster relief and the Global Women's Leadership Network. Along with local credit unions, WFCU supports efforts to assist rural communities in seven developing countries across the globe build savings and set up small businesses to improve household income, health and education. The organization's International Partnership program works to bring together credit union movements from around the world to exchange ideas and technical expertise with the goal of building stronger institutions for the benefit of their members. WFCU pairs a credit union league with a credit union or trade association overseas. The Global Women's Leadership Network provides credit union women with the opportunity and resources to make a measureable difference in the lives of each other, in the lives of credit union members and in their communities. The organization reports that there are currently over 250 women leaders from 30 countries and the network provides them with an opportunity to connect with fellow leaders in other credit union movements all over the world and engages in professional and personal development through social media and educational forums. The network offers international perspectives on the common challenges we all face around the globe, such as growth strategies, alternative capital and operational efficiencies. By interacting with other professionals in a business forum, women can access unlimited resources and learn from the experiences of their peers. When disaster strikes, access to financial services is critical for people to rebuild their lives, and credit unions provide that access. With disaster relief funds, immediate assistance is provided in the form of food, water and shelter to credit union staff, members and the affected community. After these immediate needs are met, funds are saved for rebuilding efforts so that communities can work to begin to build for a brighter future.
For the year ended December 31, 2012, WFCU's program expenses were:
|CU technical assistance
|Partnership program
|Disaster assistance
|Education assistance
|Total Program Expenses:
Governance & Staff
Chief Executive
Victor Corro, Vice President
Chair of the Board
Manuel Rabines
Chair's Profession / Business Affiliation
Chair, Federacion Nacional de Cooperativas de Ahorro y Credito del Peru
Board Size
Paid Staff Size
*2012 compensation includes annual salary and, if applicable, benefit plans, expense accounts, and other allowances.
Fund Raising
Method(s) Used:
Direct mail, special events, Internet appeals, and membership appeals.
Fund raising costs were 7% of related contributions. (Related contributions, which totaled $1,734,698, are donations received as a result of fund raising activities.)
Tax Status
This organization is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. It is eligible to receive contributions deductible as charitable donations for federal income tax purposes.
The following information is based on WFCU's audited financial statements - consolidated - for the year ended December 31, 2012.
|Source of Funds
|Program revenue
|Investment income
|Total Income
- Programs: 82%
- Fundraising: 5%
- Administrative: 13%
|Total Income
|Program expenses
|Fundraising expenses
|Administrative expenses
|Other expenses
|Total expenses:
|Expenses in Excess of Income
|Beginning Net Assets
|Ending Net Assets
|Total Liabilities
|Total Assets
An organization may change its practices at any time without notice. A copy of this report has been shared with the organization prior to publication. It is not intended to recommend or deprecate, and is furnished solely to assist you in exercising your own judgment. If the report is about a charity and states the charity meets or does not meet the Standards for Charity Accountability, it reflects the results of an evaluation of information and materials provided voluntarily by the charity. The name Better Business Bureau is a registered service mark of the Council of Better Business Bureaus, Inc.
This report is not to be used for fund raising or promotional purposes.


text:
What is your favorite Halloween movie?
I asked as similar question last year but I'm sure there's plenty of new answers:
What's your favorite movie to watch on or near Halloween?
13 Answers answer
It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.
Simply the best.
I recently watched Casper: The Friendly Ghost recently. I've watched it as a kid but never understood it the first few times around until now.
@curtisuxor: I'll 2nd that as my childhood favorite.
Nightmare Before Christmas.
@teevoo: Second that.
It's also one of my favorite Christmas movies.
Trick 'R Treat is good. Came out a few years ago. A series of short stories all tied together.
I'll echo Great Pumpkin, of course.
In an entirely different direction, I am a big fan of the original Halloween. Still scares the heck out of me, with surprisingly little gore.
I think that The Orphanage (by Guillermo del Toro) is the best "spooky" movie I've seen this decade. I like showing neophytes the Legend of Hell House and the original The Haunting ("Some houses are just born bad.").
If you are looking for some spooky enjoyment and have some time to kill online, read through this. It's really a great read.
Hocus Pocus!!!
The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror episodes
@jjkehoe: Without a doubt, the original Halloween. Very suspenseful without a lot of gore.
The scary movie I am recommending to everyone this Halloween is "A Tale of Two Sisters" (Janghwa, Hongryeon). It is a fantastic Korean horror film and it recently became available to stream on Netflix!
@unoriginal26: Great call. I used to watch this movie a lot for some reason. I was 7 or so when it came out and just remember loving it. We still have it on VHS somewhere around here...

subset: commoncrawl


text:
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text:
Comments about 'Hal Boyd: Mormon gospel not money gospel: A reply to new essay on Mormonism from Harper's Magazine'
- Oldest first
- Newest first
- Most recommended
Well, to whom do I give this months love gift? Oh, wait, already did. Nevermind.
- 7:45 p.m. Sept. 26, 2011
- Like
- Report abuse
Some of my neighbors in Ohio still believe Mormons have horns. Strange, must be no Mormons around here (I am in Ogden, UT right now) and our landlord must be lying about being a Mormon since I have seen no horns (other than on cars, bikes or noisemaker types) since I have been coming here.
- 8:08 p.m. Sept. 26, 2011
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You can tell by the cover art that the Magazine really knows it's subject-not!
- 8:26 p.m. Sept. 26, 2011
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It costs a lot to have the horsepower on hand to create a rebuttal to every negative press article.
- 8:29 p.m. Sept. 26, 2011
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Yeah it does cost a lot of money to "have the horsepower on hand to create a rebuttal to every negative press article"--so thank goodness for the FOR-Profit side of the Church like Deseret News. Which, by the way, you just helped support by reading the article and clicking though its five pages.
- 8:59 p.m. Sept. 26, 2011
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Whether you're Mormon or Catholic it's the person, not the religious institution
the wants to accumulate wealth. We as people put money ahead of the welfare of
others or our own salvation. I worked for a millionaire in California that was a
devout Baptist, the guy didn't donate a penny to his church, said, " they
have enough money". I also worked for a part owner of a engineering firm,
he'd come into my office each month a day early asking for his distribution
check, although a mormon the guy spent every penny he earned it seemed.
Regardless of religion, faith or agnosticism, it's just common sense to be debt-free. I'm 55 and I just paid off my house and I have such a feeling of relief.
- 10:29 p.m. Sept. 26, 2011
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There is no freedom like owing nothing to a creditor.
- 10:52 p.m. Sept. 26, 2011
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A fine response, Mr. Boyd.
Mr. Lehmann is indeed off if he thinks LDS scripture encourages personal acquisition of wealth as a virtue. I don't think I can count the number of times the Book of Mormon instructs its followers to give freely to the poor and to not become obnoxious about wealth.
Which is all the more baffling to me that so many LDS members seem to admire material wealth & those who have it, and place the wants of the rich over the needs of the poor. I've read LDS scriptures cover to cover. The Tea Party plank of self reliance is in there, but the rotten board of money worship and social Darwinism sure isn't.
- 11:14 p.m. Sept. 26, 2011
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Its hard to help others, if you can't get your own financial house in order.
- 11:34 p.m. Sept. 26, 2011
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This article, and others like it, is benefiting by the debate over it. It is not worth taking the time to publish an editorial about an editorial that only a VERY small fraction of the population will ever see. The online version is not even available to the general public without a subscription to the magazine. Why give them free publicity?
- 11:41 p.m. Sept. 26, 2011
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The current state of the press wouldn't be in such a mess if every reporter, in this country and elsewhere, took the time to just do a little research before they publish their articles. Thank you Mr. Boyd.
- 11:48 p.m. Sept. 26, 2011
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You did a fine job clarifying the inconsistencies of magazines's article, I appreciate that.
- 11:51 p.m. Sept. 26, 2011
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Well, in light of this discussion I would like some simple yes or no answers. Does the Church disapprove of social security? Does the Church disapprove of medicare? Does the Church disapprove of so-called Obamacare? Does the Church believe in any kind of governmental safety net. May a socialist be a member in good standing in the LDS Church?
- 12:10 a.m. Sept. 27, 2011
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Hmmmmm. Let me guess. I think Mr. Lehmann just might be a democrat.
- 12:26 a.m. Sept. 27, 2011
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kiaoraguy: Yeah! When I was stationed in Germany, even one little girl, perhaps just 6 years old, already knew that Latter-day Saints prayed a big differently than displayed on that cover. She demonstrated to her principal "arms crossed in prayer."
- 12:56 a.m. Sept. 27, 2011
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Marxist - The church has no official stance on any of the things you mentioned. They are for the eternal salvation of our souls, not for politics. They stress self-reliance, living within your means, and helping the poor. The church has its own welfare system that is available to members if needed and if the members seek to utilize it. They have no stance on members using Government welfare programs, other than try to be self-sufficient. And, yes, you can be a socialist and in good standing in the church. There are many members who are.
- 3:37 a.m. Sept. 27, 2011
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Hopefully the average Harpers reader is astute enough to tell propaganda when
s/he sees it. This article does a good job of pointing out some of its
And look at the cover illustration--complete invention! Mormons don't pray like that, if they're supposed to be missionaries they ought to have name tags, and I know of no church publication that resembles that red book they're all holding as if it were the Book of Mormon or the Bible.
- 6:17 a.m. Sept. 27, 2011
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Faith is a scary thing to those who fear. Religion has not always arrested the
wicked parts of human nature. I think the fear and mistrust of mormonism is
understandable and forgiveable--and most mormons love to forgive and forget.
Most of us just want to be ourselves.
Articles that mischaracterize my beliefs do so because they have an underlying agenda in conflict with my personal beliefs. The curious thing they never comprehend: The same rights that give me the chance to disagree peaceably with them, are the same rights that give them the chance to hold to their beliefs.
Personal agendae should be brought to light, not hidden behind sensational attacks. Why do certain political/social/religious factions mischaracterize mormons?
Because we don't need them, we don't "need" to buy their products, we don't validate their worldview. Their power and influence does not "need to" affect us. We could go on living our lives, they could cease to exist and we would go on happily without them.
We offer a viable alternative--and that's threatening.
Ultimately attackers only expose the weakness of their own agenda.
The tragedy, then, are those who buy the attacker's lies.
Prayers for them.
- 6:22 a.m. Sept. 27, 2011
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I don't agree at all with the doctrinal or visual premise of Lehmann's article
(Lehmann means "someone in charge of a fiefdom). But I will say however
that there is a very visible segment of our culture that places an inordinate
importance on riches and wealth as a sign of righteousness. Look at how we
promote the Huntsmans, Marriotts, etc. in our media and conversations. How many
Stake and Mission Presidents are successful, wealthy businessmen ? Our leaders
tend to be on the rich side. Take a look at the HUGE houses on the Wasatch Front
and the obsession in our youth with expensive style and fashion. I am astounded
whenever I meet a youth group from Utah or SL counties at the clothes and
Maybe you don't see it anymore, if you live on the Wasatch Front, but the evolution into a wealth-obsessed society is apparent from the outside. I don't believe our scriptures or leaders promote wealth for one second, but many of the rest of us do.
I think a little healthy introspection on "where would he get such an idea" could be a healthy one...
- 6:46 a.m. Sept. 27, 2011
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This is only the beginning. If Mitt Romney becomes a presidential candidate (and certainly if he is elected) more malicious stuff will be published. We as Mormons will have to show others by the way we behave that this kind of ill-willed misrepresentation isn't true. It amazes me that a magazine such as Harper's don't check out the facts better before they publish something. In Sweden, where I live, the editor of a magazine or newspaper is legally responsible for what is printed in it. If I were the editor, I'd be very reluctant to publish something so obviously non-objective, no matter who it's about. Oh, and by the way "marxist": the Church isn't opposed to social security or any form of joint funding of medical care, nor does it propagate for them. We are encouraged to use our own judgement is the way we vote and to remember the Saviour's teachings on how to treat others. Read Matthew 25 to see how he said to treat the poor and the ill.
- 6:50 a.m. Sept. 27, 2011
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Managing Your Documentation Projects with SharePoint
Have you ever asked, "I am a team of one, what can I do to more productive and efficient?" Even as a team of one, there's a lot you can do with SharePoint to be more productive and efficient. That's right, SharePoint—and you thought it was only a documentation repository. SharePoint can help you track tasks and due dates, track the assignment of documents for peer review, and track approvals, to name just a few things. This webinar assumes you have fundamental knowledge of SharePoint and a curiosity to make better use of it.


text:
(Photo by Dirt Monkey Productions)
Inside Line Promotions – COTTAGE GROVE, Ore. (June 25, 2014) – Patrick Dills will return to action with the Northwest Extreme Sprints this Saturday at Cottage Grove Speedway.
Dills has captured five top 10s in seven races at the quarter-mile track this season.
"I was able to spend some quality time with my family last weekend and I'm exciting to get back in the car this Saturday," he said. "We've had a good start to the season and now I'm looking to transition the consistent top 10s into consistent top fives."
Dills, who has one top-five finish during his first year in a full-sized sprint car, ranks fifth in the track standings.
"The focus has been on completing laps and improving each week," he said. "I'm happy with the progress and hopefully we can continue raising the bar every week."
7 races, 0 wins, 1 top five, 5 top 10s, 5 top 15s, 6 top 20s
Saturday at Cottage Grove Speedway in Cottage Grove, Ore.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Patrick-Dills-Racing/236840896439816?ref=br_tf
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PatrickDills90
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – Keith Whitaker Trucking
Keith Whitaker Trucking is a logging company based in Oregon.
"Keith Whitaker Trucking recently came on board and I'm really excited to have him as part of our team," Dills said.
Dills would also like to thank Jerry Dills Trucking, BC Motorsports, All Seasons Equipment, Weeman's Small Engine Repair, Steel House, Bonnichsen Repair, Rocket Designs and Inside Line Promotions for their continued support.
Inside Line Promotions specializes in affordable public relations and media management for motor sports drivers, teams, sponsors, tracks, series, events, organizations and manufacturers. ILP Founder Shawn Miller leverages professional journalism with new media technologies and social networking to improve your exposure and the return on investment for your sponsors.
To meet the media relations needs of your program and to join Team ILP, contact Shawn at 541-510-3663 or email@example.com. For more information on Inside Line Promotions, visit http://www.InsideLinePromotions.com.
Driven by MyRacePassTM
Cottage Grove Speedway | All rights reserved


text:
What Narciso Knows
With a new CEO, an acclaimed spring collection and hard-won wisdom from a career of fashion highs and business lows, the designer has at last found his mission, turning a beloved brand into an international powerhouse.
ON THE BULLETIN BOARD in Narciso Rodriguez's downtown Manhattan workroom is a photo of a black-and-white T-strap Spectator shoe with a pointed toe and spike heel. Immortalized in a Vogue Italia shoot that featured only the model's legs in fishnet tights, it made its debut in fall 2000 as part of Rodriguez's first-ever accessories collection. When the shoe hit the stores, it was snapped up so quickly that photographer Nan Goldin offered Rodriguez one of her own sought-after photos in exchange for one pair. They were destined to become even more collectible: Rodriguez's business partner at the time scaled back his investment in the line, and, within a few years, the shoes, the bags—all the accessories—were discontinued and the Spectator would live on only in the memories of the obsessed.
Last fall, Rodriguez's relaunched accessories line— his first in six years—made its debut at Barneys and the Spectator itself will return for pre-fall 2013 (hence, its inspiration board prominence). Rodriguez has a new seasoned and committed CEO in the form of Robert Wichser; a new website (which launched in February) featuring e-commerce; and a current spring collection (including beautiful body-skimming crepe dresses and a perfectly tapered pant) that was among the most raved-about of the season. The offices are being renovated, years of designs are being archived, a wildly successful fall line for Kohl's has been followed by a stint as an advisor for Banana Republic. A secondary line for Rodriguez's own label is among the expansion options the company is currently considering, along with intimates, eyewear, home accessories and freestanding boutiques. Finally, after almost 30 years in the business and 15 years designing under his own name, Rodriguez has the support he needs to do what he has always done best.
"A designer's focus should be on creating and not worrying about the cash flow, the production problem or the fabric that didn't come," says Rodriguez, outfitted, as usual, in jeans, his signature black tee and a pair of New Balance running shoes, as he walks me through his cluttered office. "When you don't have the proper funding and backing, it limits what you can do. Every designer needs a good business partner to be able to grow: Calvin had Barry [Calvin Klein cofounder and CEO Barry Schwartz]; Marc had Robert [Marc Jacobs's president Robert Duffy]; Yves Saint Laurent had Pierre Bergé. I'm very lucky today that I have Bob Wichser."
Wichser, a former executive at fashion companies ranging from Manhattan Industries and Warnaco to Sean John and Joseph Abboud, joined the house as a strategic consultant in 2010 and became CEO last spring. "In those two years," Rodriguez says, "we've grown more than we've grown in the history of the label."
Before Wichser's arrival, the label's recent history had been especially tumultuous. In 2007, after years of frustrating stops and starts—due to insufficient funding and ineffective management—Rodriguez still remained on top creatively (he'd been featured in a show at the Museum of Contemporary Art in L.A., and Rachel Weisz had accepted the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in a dress he'd designed for her), but the business itself was on the brink of bankruptcy. "It was painful and distracting, and I'm sure it affected my work," he says. "It was like trying to read a book when someone is drilling on the other side of the wall."
When the drilling finally became unbearable, he was forced to bare his soul and precipitously empty bank account to friends and advisors, ranging from Anna Wintour and Donna Karan to Jerry and Jessica Seinfeld. "The way he handled himself during that period was like someone going through a major trauma, but his inner strength was so inspiring," Jessica Seinfeld says. "I think I was more frantic than he was. I'd lie awake at night and think, Who do we know? How can we help him?"
The group brainstorming led to a deal with Liz Claiborne, the former sportswear powerhouse that bought a 50-percent stake in the label from Rodriguez's original Italian backer Aeffe. Claiborne hoped to regain much-needed edge and relevance, while Rodriguez longed for a protective partner. The "marriage" was celebrated at a glitzy dinner attended by the aforementioned pals as well as such longtime Rodriguez clients as Sarah Jessica Parker and Claire Danes, but less than two years into it Rodriguez was back on his own.
When Wichser stepped in, he—like everyone else— was blown away by Rodriguez's talent and sensibility, as well as the quality of his retailers and his success in the fragrance business (in 2012 the designer's signature scent was given the French Fragrance Foundation's Fifi award for being the "best feminine fragrance of the past 20 years"—even though it is only 10 years old). What he didn't have, Wichser says, was "a clear blueprint. You have to have a vision about what you want the company to become." The goal now, say both men, is to transform the brand into an international powerhouse.
Rodriguez first achieved global fame in 1996, before his label even existed, when he designed the bias-cut slip dress Carolyn Bessette wore at her secret wedding to John F. Kennedy, Jr. At the time, Rodriguez was a freelancer working for the Italian house Cerruti: "I didn't have an office or press people," he says. "I was kind of left to my own devices to work my way through all that. Still, it was kind of amazing to see my name on the front page of every newspaper around the world." It was the defining moment that not only launched him as an independent designer (he debuted his signature line almost a year to the day later), it is still constantly referenced (most recently on ABC's hit show Revenge).
Rodriguez had met Bessette at Calvin Klein, where she worked in PR and assisted the boss, during his four-year stint there—part of his long apprenticeship with the greats of American sportswear that also included six years at Anne Klein, where he first worked with Karan. When Bessette died in a plane crash in 1999, Rodriguez says he lost his "soul mate." He still wears the silver Georg Jensen bracelet Bessette closed around his wrist almost 15 years ago. "She said, 'You'll always have this.' And I've never taken it off."
In 2000, after years of shuttling between Italy, France and Spain, he brought his collection to New York for the first time. In 2002 and 2003 he won back-to-back Womenswear Designer of the Year awards from the Council of Fashion Designers of America, an achievement that is still unmatched. While the business side was always frustrating, the awards and critical acclaim continued to pile on—as did his stable of high-profile clients, who range from Danes, whom he first dressed for the Academy Awards when she was 15, to Celia Cruz, the iconic Cuban singer. Another devoted fan is Michelle Obama who made a splash on election night 2008 by wearing a memorable black and red Narciso sheath, and who continues to wear his clothes as first lady.
'"The way Narciso handled himself was like someone going through major trauma, but his inner strength was inspiring."'
"He's been my pal more than half my life," says Danes. "When we first met, I had zero clue what it meant to be feminine or in the world of fashion. He educated me."
It's a sentiment echoed by so many of Rodriguez's "girls," who say they consider him family. Rachel Weisz wore her first Rodriguez design, a fitted red dress with spaghetti straps, to a premiere in L.A. and said, "I've never felt more like myself." The year she won her Oscar, at six months pregnant, he not only dressed her, she took him with her as her date. He made Danes's wedding dress, a structured slip with a gauzy cap-sleeved overlay, when she married Hugh Dancy. ("It was the most beautiful dress I've ever worn," she says. "He embroidered little secrets into it, like [Hugh's] name and a four-leaf clover.")
Julianna Margulies, who wears Rodriguez's clothes on her hit TV show The Good Wife, says, "I always know what's his without having to look at the label." Like Danes, she credits the designer with helping her discover her feminine side. "Before I met him I was much more of a tomboy," she says. "But in Narciso's clothes I can feel like a woman without having to fight ruffles and frills. I like simple lines that can still hold the female form in a way that embraces it."
THOSE SIMPLE LINES are often the most complicated to achieve, but Rodriguez has always been a master of technique and tailoring. At Calvin Klein he took fabrics and cut them on the bias, and almost every major American designer followed suit. Before presenting his spring collection, he says, "I spent a great deal of time changing the cut, changing the way I was looking at things, trying to never lose sight that the ultimate goal is creating, so that women look beautiful." The result was a show heralded by one critic as "the ultimate in modern minimalism," but Rodriguez himself prefers different adjectives. "People say minimalism and all that, but I think precision and purism are so much more interesting," he says. "Because when you strip things back to what's elemental and profoundly beautiful, you don't need the rest of it. That's where I live, and I always have."
The actual bricks and mortar house in Newark, New Jersey, where Rodriguez lived as a child was a two-family affair that included his aunt, uncle and cousins, whom he and his two sisters considered siblings. "I grew up in an environment in which everybody was doing something with their hands," he says. "My grandmothers embroidered and sewed, and my mom would take fabric and make something for a party or for us to wear." His grandfather and uncle were barbers, so his aunt decided she'd cut hair too. "She was funny, fun and really audacious; she could take the radio apart and fix it or she'd build us a go-cart."
From a very young age, Rodriguez says he was "always cutting things" or turning shoe boxes into buildings. At first he wanted to be an architect, but when, at 13, he discovered the work of the great fashion illustrator Antonio Lopez, he realized he wanted to make clothes instead—"which was really a shock to the family," he adds, laughing, especially for his longshoreman dad. Still, while he was in high school, his parents allowed him to enroll in weekend programs at Parsons The New School of Design, from which he ended up graduating in 1982.
Rodriguez says he never lost his love of slightly more concrete design; Seinfeld compares him to architect Charles Gwathmey, who designed her modern apartment. "Sometimes in fashion you just throw a lot of chiffon on a mannequin and pin it together and off she goes," Rodriguez says. "An architect approaches his work in a much more thoughtful way. There is a very careful selection of materials and how those materials relate. That part of it has stayed with me and is part of my thinking process when I'm trying to do a collection."
He says one of the reasons he was so excited to do his affordable collection for Kohl's last year was the company's proposal that he travel to a city for inspiration. He chose Istanbul, where the "amazing architecture, the prints, the ceramics, the unbelievable color" all provided rich fodder for the clothes. The Kohl's experience in turn provided inspiration for his own possible secondary line. Most of the pieces, which sold out, cost less than $100. "It was a great example of how you can create a dress that's very desirable at a very affordable price." He describes his year-long consultancy at Banana Republic, which he began last fall, as a similar "think tank." In exchange, says Banana Republic's creative director Simon Kneen, "Narciso brings us his modernity, his fresh perspective and his years of amazing experience."
These days, he says he derives strength from the more difficult parts of that experience. "I had a conversation with a friend about that not long ago, and we had a chuckle. It's the past—that's the good part." He adds that "if there's one thing I've always been, it's persistent and resilient"—qualities he says he gets from his Cuban immigrant parents. "They did something so much more courageous than I could ever do: They left the warmth of the tropics to come to a cold, hard island, and they did it so that their children could have a better future."
These days his own has never been brighter. "There's an energy level that we're all thrilled about," says Wichser. "Narciso is more confident and so challenged and excited." Even in the worst of times, Seinfeld says, "Jerry and I kept saying that he's too talented, too special and too beloved to fail. And he didn't. He's made of the best stuff, and now it's his time again."


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Hot meals
Community Meals: Hot meals
Hot meals
What is available?
Hot meals are available from a variety providers and can help ensure that people receive proper nutrition on a daily basis.
You can have meals delivered to you at home or you can choose to have a meal in a social setting like a day centre or lunch club. Alternatively, you could arrange for a carer to come into your home and support you to prepare a meal.
Diabetic, low carbohydrate, low fat, soft diet, gluten free and low sodium, as well as vegetarian, Halal, Kosher, Asian and African-Caribbean meals are available, depending on which supplier you buy your meals from.
Who supplies hot meals in Birmingham?
Hot meals are available from a number of providers including private companies, 3rd sector and voluntary organisations and faith based groups.
To find suppliers of hot meals or organisations that can help you prepare a meals visit: Marketplace.MyCareInBirmingham.org.uk
Who can get hot meals?
Hot meals delivery services are usually available to anyone, but may only deliver to specific areas of Birmingham. Lunch clubs and day centres offering meals in a social setting may have certain criteria that limit access like, for example, a minimum age restriction. You should check with the provider to make sure they can provide you with the service you need.
You will need to arrange your service directly with the provider. If you are unable to make your own arrangements, please contact us on 0121 303 1234 and we will support you to do so.
How much does it cost?
The cost of the meals depends upon which meals you buy and which organisation you buy them from. You will have to pay for the full cost of your meals.
How to get in touch
For enquiries please email: firstname.lastname@example.com
To find Service Providers visit: Marketplace.MyCareInBirmingham.org.uk (Opens in new window)
Other pages
Other websites - Open in new windowsMarketplace.MyCareInBirmingham.org.uk


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How do people measure the distance between the earth and the moon? What methods were used? Where can I find the official data?
There are many ways and I'm not entirely sure who you mean with "how do people measure the distance" (does this exclude space observatories like e.g. Clementine, probes currently in lunar orbit like e.g. Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer a.k.a. LADEE, or any other currently available technology?), but one interesting and extremely precise way is by laser ranging, pointing them towards one or more of the retroreflectors that were left on the surface of the Moon by the Apollo landers, in what is known as the Lunar Laser Ranging Experiment. Since they are laid on the Moon's near side that is always pointed towards the Earth, these retroreflectors are available for measurements to any properly equipped researcher, no matter which country they're from.
By measuring the time it takes for the light to reflect back, we can infer distance by simply multiplying the c (speed of light in vacuum) with the time taken between the light signal being transmitted and received and then dividing all of it by two to get a single leg of the distance. I'll let you read the linked to Wikipedia page on LLRE for more information, but if you find that too boring, here's a YouTube video on Mythbusters: Moon Hoax Retroreflectors that explains it from the practical perspective.
As for results, again quoting that same Wikipedia page on LLRE:
So these distance measurements are so precise they're a lot more interesting and reliable than merely telling us how far away the Moon is. For one, it also blows any Moon landing hoax theories right out of the water. Links to many more official results can be found in references and external links sections of Wiki on LLRE.
There is also a plethora of other ways to measure the distance to the Moon, with different precision and equipment requirements, but I'll let others add some other methods in their answers. If however you had some specific "people measuring the distance" equipped with specific measuring devices in mind, don't forget to mention that in your question. ;)


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1932 Ford Three-Window Coupe - Scratch-Building A DoorWritten by Eric Geisert on May 1, 2012 Walden Speed Shop skins a coupe
Walden Speed Shop, located in Pomona, California, has been busy these last few years building traditional hot rods and supplying their own line of products, which include roof inserts as well as replacement doorskins for Model A's, '32s, and Model 40 '33s and '34s.
But to really test their skills, the shop has been building a coupe from scratch for Fred Warren—a former winner of both the Ridler award and the America's Most Beautiful Roadster trophy (an accomplishment achieved with two different cars—with Warren being the first of only two people to do so).
Most of Warren's cars have been handbuilt, but this is the first time the talented team at Walden Speed Shop has built an entire car from scratch from the ground up. But that's the danger when you have the talent: you can hand-make all the parts, so why not build an entire car?
Warren's Mirage Coupe—a 1932 Ford three-window coupe with '33-style contours—is moving along and, after fabricating the roof, quarter-panels, cowl, firewall, and most of the interior pieces, it was time to start on the doors. But because everything is scratch-built, Walden was able to create a cowl and doors without any of the kinks found in the original '32 coupe design. Walden's doors follow the factory design on how they fit into their opening, but the door structure and exterior skin is one-off for just this car. And, because they turned out so nice, much of the structure's design will be incorporated in future scratch-built doors Walden's builds. The guys at Walden Speed Shop are pros and they make it look easy but, trust us, it ain't! The following is an account of how they got it done.
Walden Speed Shop
More Photos From This Article View Slideshow
The rear jamb of the suicide setup features only two hinges instead of the original three-hinge design.The top hinge (top photo) is an original '32 three-window steel hinge with an extra plate to contain door flex. The bottom hinge is a Walden hinge, which uses extra webbing and gussets to provide added strength, thus eliminating the need for a middle hinge.The top hinge (top photo) is an original '32 three-window steel hinge with an extra plate to contain door flex. The bottom hinge is a Walden hinge, which uses extra webbing and gussets to provide added strength, thus eliminating the need for a middle hinge.Here is a detail of how the structure fits to the opening. At this point, without a doorskin, the gap is 5/16 inch.This shows how much arc there is to the door top as well as the channel to draw water away. On a stock door, the seal attaches to the door opening but, on a hot rod, it will be attached to the door.The doorjamb post was taken from a Brookville door, and Walden modified it to fit their application.An inner panel was made to support the window regulator and latch mechanisms. The panel is slightly recessed because an upholstered door panel will fit into that space, leaving a raised area around the panel that will be painted.
Whereas Ford relied on the doorskin itself to bind the door for strength, Walden fabs this large X-shape crossbrace to not only provide a crush zone but added strength, too. It's a design that Walden incorporates in all of the '32-34 three-window coupe or '33-34 two-door sedan doors he builds.Walden's Wesley Kent started with Brookville three-window door window openings, but cut them apart to use them with the chopped profile of the coupe.Trimmed to fit around the top door hinge, the door top is fit in place with the bottom section a little long, as it will be trimmed later when the doorskin is completed.The doorskin will follow the shape of the '33-34 three-window doorskin buck Walden made years ago. The roughed-out blank is made from 19-gauge steel, and is overcut by 1-1/2 inches all the way around.Walden starts to shape the panel on his '64 Yoder K90 powerhammer, adding a slight crown to the middle of the skin.As he goes along, Walden test-fits the panel to his buck, marking areas that need to be pulled up or sunk down with a pencil.
Using a shop-made scribe and allowing for how much of the skin will be folded over, Kent marks the skin for further trimming.Once the trim mark is scribed into the metal, a piece of masking tape is used to highlight the edge so it can be seen better.Now that there is a lip on the skin, it can be test-fit onto the structure and, if done correctly, should stay secured to the structure with only a couple of Cleco fasteners.Using a pair of hand snips, Kent trims away the excess material. The width of the tape left over is the amount that will be folded over the door structure's edge.Though it takes a couple of passes through the machine, Walden's Erco flanger makes folding the edge of the panel up to 90 degrees a breeze.Back on the car, Kent checks the gap all around and uses masking tape to indicate where the door edge should be.Though it takes a couple of passes through the machine, Walden's Erco flanger makes folding the edge of the panel up to 90 degrees a breeze.
Once the skin fits they way they want it, Walden adds the door's reveal using his Pullmax machine. Once one side of the reveal is stamped, the die is turned 180 degrees so the other side can be added.Here's the panel with the body line added, but not yet secured to the structure as the window opening needs to be added.Kent and Walden work on matching up the doorskin to the window opening, using screwdrivers to pry the skin out and to the proper curve. Once they agree on the shape, Kent scribes a line along the base of the window opening onto the doorskin.After another test-fit, a slight correction is needed, so Walden uses a nearby wheel to fine-tune the panel's shape.Excess metal is removed, and Kent tacks the top piece to the doorskin with the shop's Lincoln-Electric 225 Precision TIG welder. Once that is done, the reveal for the exterior door handle is pressed into the skin.The corners of the doorskin are not folded up, as it is too far to stretch the metal for such a tiny radius, so a small piece will be welded in later to make up for it. (You can also see how much space there is between the skin and the structure—almost nil).To finish the job, Kent uses a DS1000 Door Skinner made by Astro Pneumatic Tool Company to flatten out the rest of the fold.


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What is the relation between crepant resolutions and minimal resolutions? Are they the same thing?
As my comment up there says, not every minimal resolution is crepant. However, something like the reverse direction is true.
Suppose you have a projective crepant resolution $Y \to X$. If you have a factorization $Y \to Z \to X$ where $Z$ is also a resolution of singularities, then $Z \to X$ is also necessarily crepant (the same computation on relative canonical divisors holds). Thus $Y \to Z$ is projective birational and $Z$ is smooth, so $Y \to Z$ can't be small.
Thus there are some new divisors on $Y$, and we know $K_{Y/Z} > 0$ again since $Z$ is smooth, but $K_Z$ is the same as the pullback of $K_X$ (since $Z \to X$ is crepant) so $K_{Y/X}$ is also $> 0$, contradicting the crepant assumption.
EDIT: I just added the projective assumption on $Y \to X$, I don't think it's necessary, but it makes $Y \to Z$ much clearer that it's a blow-up of something.
They are definitely not the same thing, far from it:
Minimal resolution usually refers to surfaces, and every surface has one: you can get it from an arbitrary resolution by consecutively blowing down $(-1)$-curves. In general, one usually speaks about minimal models. Actually, one could say minimal resolution in arbitrary dimension as well, but have to keep in mind that that is usually a) not actually a resolution (minimal models are not necesssarily smooth) b) not unique.
Crepant resolution exists in every dimension, but not for everything. In fact, admitting a crepant resolution is a very special property of the variety. In particular, it means that it has (strictly) canonical singularities, that is, as soon as it has either worse or better (say $\mathbb Q$-factorial terminal, but not smooth) singularities, then there is no crepant resolution.
As Karl shows, not every minimal resolution of surfaces is crepant, but it is easy to see that every crepant resolution of a surface is necessarily minimal.
EDIT: Added "$\mathbb Q$-factorial" to rule out small resolutions following Karl's comment.
EDIT2: Added comment about minimal resolutions in arbitrary dimension.


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I've read that it's not possible to pay for stuff by international credit card like debit cards. What do you recommend to do in such a situation? As far as carrying a lot of money is not safe at all.
One option would be to bring cash with you, convert it to Iranian currency and then buy something called "Gift Card" from a bank. You can easily obtain them from most of the well-known banks without having an account. You can use these cards to buy stuff almost anywhere within the country. They are also password protected and only the owner can use them. In case you lose them or get them stolen, you can contact the issuing bank to block the missing card and get another one.
Update: A new card has recently been introduced called Tourist Card:
And here is the official website of Iran Melli Bank, which has fully introduced this new card:
Specifications of Tourist Card:
No Visa, MasterCard, etc do not work in Iran. There is a national debit card system called Shetab. And all the Iranian banks and many credit unions are members of Shetab. So basically if you buy a Shetab card from any bank, you will be good. Bank Pasargad is one of them. And here is a page that shows a bank Pasargad gift card.
However, You cannot buy it online. Once you land in Iran, you may exchange your foreign currency to IRR (Iranian Rial) and buy a gift card either at the airport or ask your hotel reception to help you get one.
With the latest sanctions against Iran (i.e.: SWIFT disconnecting them), cash would be your safest bet.
protected by mindcorrosive♦ Sep 13 '13 at 15:05
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25 Apr 2012 1:22 PM #1
Learning Resources for Sencha Architect
Hi there,
We're deciding to switch to use the Sencha stack from Flex/Flash. We like this new Architect product as it presents a lot of promises. However we're yet to find good learning resources to get us started on Sencha Architect. Yes, there are the documents here and a few videos, but in general it's lacking a few detailed tutorials to guide newbie through building applications with Architect for Ext JS and Touch.
So... my question to the community is... what's the best tutorials out there that can help a newbie to get started on Architect. Books? Videos? Articles? (Please exclude the $3K training program by Sencha It's just not feasible for now...)
Or will Sencha Design's document/tutorials still apply to the Sencha Architect?
Thanks in advanced!!
27 Apr 2012 6:49 AM #2
I'll start things off!
Docs: http://docs.sencha.com/ and choose Architect 2
Example projects: http://cdn.sencha.io/architect/architect-examples.zipPhil Strong
27 Apr 2012 6:54 AM #3
Thank you Phil! I've been to the first doc already but couldn't find my detailed tutorials. Thanks for the zip file link, I'll check into it.
I found two to share here:
24 Jun 2012 5:42 PM #4
I have to agree, there are not many decent guides, and what there is are usually lacking in some way, things are not fully explained.
This is especially true with jumping right into Architect 2, without using just the SDK first.
20 Oct 2012 7:21 PM #5
Agreed, Architect 2 needs a tutorial
I assume you're going for a form of accessibility and ease of use for this new product. If that's the case, you really need tutorials to support that goal. I've downloaded the trial and am trying to figure it out... if I can't I probably won't convert to a paid user, but if you had some tutorial path and it is as intuitive and easy to use at it appears to be then I certainly would! Seems like such a small investment against all the work you did to develop this product.
For example, I was able to follow Michael Hartly's Rails by Example tutorial all the way to completion through the RubyMine IDE, and now that I'm done I'm definitely going to upgrade my RubyMine trial to the paid version.
The "Learn Architect" section is badly lacking in useful information. In fact, most of what is there is relevant to 1.x. There's only a couple things on 2.x. Even the featured screen cast is 1.x, and it doesn't even have voice over.. its just a speed-demo to rock music, not a tutorial!
If anyone finds any good resources for this I'd love to hear about it before my trial runs out.
22 Oct 2012 7:12 AM #6
Assume you've checked out http://docs.sencha.com/architect/2/#!/guide
also tons of examples on Github
https://github.com/SenchaArchitectPhil Strong
22 Oct 2012 6:51 PM #7
Actually when I wrote that message I didn't follow the link that you listed (that is also earlier in the thread). Rather I just went to the Learning section on the main site. One thing of note is that as a novice, going into the "Learn" section (from Sencha home page) and then "Architect" of your website, what I get led to are outdated Screencasts, not this link, which I would have never known about but for this thread. Imo those outdated screencasts should be removed anyway. They're 'teaching' features that aren't even applicable to current versions of your product. Presumably if you have an old version you know how to use it or where to look to learn, and it just confuses new users such as myself. In fact if you restrict the search to "2.x" you only get two enteries. One about routes, and the other is about data in Sencha Designer (I assume this is a synonym for Architect? not sure what Designer is.. is that an old product?)
Now as to your link.. it did give me enough of a basis to get something done and get started in learning the product, but many of my concerns still apply. In particular, I believe Architect is targeted both at the experienced developer and the novice, however for me, the novice, I still haven't found an expansive tutorial that fills in the gaps to make a fully functional web app.
Here are some of the issues I've been struggling with.. and I say this less to get an answer because I am researching all of these actively (and have made a lot of progress on the map one) but more to point out that it is really difficult to find these answers if you are starting from nothing, which I assume is at least part of the segment Architect targets:
(note these are all for ext 4 Architect projects)
1. How to add app type functionality to a static page made in something like Dreamweaver. I can't figure out how to bring a static HTML into Architect and then start adding components to it.
--a. If that isn't possible, then how to add Architect components to an HTML after the fact, without Architect overwriting my html, and while still being able to make edits to my app project in Architect.
--b. Also when making an app from scratch full in Architect, how do I put just simple HTML into it? Oddly I still can't find out how to do this seemingly simple thing.
2. Related to above, how can I integrate a backend service such as Rails with Architect, or alternately is there no reason to even do this? I'm only thinking about doing it because I understand Rails better as a result of Hartl's tutorial but Architect makes making a front end a lot easier.
3. How can I integrate common and important APIs into Architect ext 4, such as Google Maps?
-- I want to expand on this one to give you an idea the process that this newbie went through to do this.
-- a. First I found the script to hook up to Google maps. I made a static page unrelated to Architect that displayed the map using this code.
-- b. Then I went about the process of trying to get it into Architect. I started with a Panel object that I used the "tpl" function for and tried to put my map div in there. I couldn't figure out how to get the script itself into the head section of Architect's app.html. So, I went in and manually put it in there after I saved the file just as a test to see if it would be enough to display it in the panel. Obviously, that didn't work.
-- c.Then I figured out that I have to put the java script with the Google API script into the Resources section of the Inspector. I found a script someone made called GMapPanel.js and imported that into the Resources. I fully expected that a GMapPanel would appear in my Toolbox. It didn't. (why is that by the way?).
-- d. Then I followed their example code to launch a new window via one of my button clicks that displays the map. Success, I finally displayed a map in an Architect app without writing stuff on top of the auto-generated HTML.
-- e. I still currently can't figure out how to display that in my design view. I can't get it into one my Architect panels yet either.. rather its just a runtime generated window that doesn't appear anywhere in my designs. There must be a way to put it into a panel (something with tpl maybe) but I haven't figured that out yet (this goes back to my problem 1b above). Now I'm trying to add some driving directions, and I think I need to put that code into a controller, but that is where I am at now with my learning.
Those are examples of things I'm dealing and trying to figure out. I don't put them here in order to ask for answers.. I'm still making progress on figuring them out through trial and error and lots of searches (any hints and shortcuts are appreciated though).. the only reason making this post is to point out that since Architect is at least partially aimed at novices like myself (correct if I'm wrong on this btw) then there aught to be comprehensive tutorials that teach you, in one place, all the important things you need to know to build many of the important basic features of a REST web app, and common integration examples (HTML5 animations, static elements designed in something like Dreamweaver, or common APIs like Google maps, etc.) It seems like a waste to have such an amazing product that appears like it might be easy to use (I think?) and lose novices such as myself because of lack of tutorials.
Whilst I understand there are plenty of examples out there.. they are just that, examples. More akin to demos than tutorials. The "Build your First Desktop App" tutorial was by far the best resource I could find to help teach some of the basics of the product, but even this told you to take many of the steps without explaining them (sometimes referring you to Ext documentation, like in the case of tpl). That said, it dramatically increased my understanding of how to use Architect.
I THINK that Rails is more difficult to learn than Architect is meant to be, since it isn't graphical, and even with an IDE it still doesn't have visual component placement and like Architect does.. however, as a newbie learning both, I can understand how to do something in Rails much more easily than I can in Architect simply as a result of the in-depth Michael Hartl Rails by Example tutorial which sets the foundation for most of the important things you'll want to do in Rails. In Architect once I exhausted the learning I could get from the Build your First Desktop App tutorial, everything else has been grind and challenge to learn to find a resource to learn from. So in effect the two frameworks aren't on even footing to compare their ease of learning.
Again, I'm only posting this in the hopes that it might be an area you guys can improve and so you have on file a perspective from a rank neophyte's experience. My specific recommendations would be:
1. Create a detailed tutorial that creates a full REST Architect ext JS 4 (and Sencha Touch, though I'm not working with that yet) application from scratch. The app should be full featured enough to be able to hit on all the important features that almost all REST apps will have, including how to make it look the way you want with graphics and styles and such.
2. Revamp the Learn section on the main website for Architect
--a. Remove (or hide away) anything not current to the latest version of your software.
--b. Prominently display the link to the Sencha Architect 2 Guides here (they aren't there that I could see)
--c. Make a screencast that is something like the Build your First Desktop App tutorial (and hopefully many more screencasts, but at least this as a starting point).
3. Create screencasts or tutorials that talk about integration between static pages and Architect (I've searched around, and I still can't figure out how to do this yet). And possibly between Rails and Architect.
And if I'm wrong about your target market and Architect is only meant for experienced ext JS 4 and javascript developers then please disregard all of the above with my apologies
23 Oct 2012 10:08 AM #8
Concerning the second point, our JogWithFriends example might help you.
The backend is node.js and not rails, but hopefully it will answer some of your questions.David Foelber
Sencha Architect Development Team
7 Nov 2012 6:39 PM #9
Just as an update.. I eventually decided to give up on Architect because learning it was too slow for me. Rails just has so many learning resources that even though it isn't graphical (or only minorly so with Twitter Bootstrap and an IDE like RubyMine) it ends up being easier to learn simply because of the vast number of resources out there.
In addition to the problems I had listed above, one of my other major challenges was that I couldn't find a way to debug my Architect apps. There may be a good way to debug, but again, being a neophyte and without having found good learning resources, I didn't know what it was.
Specifically, to again give you an example of a real user experience that you might use to inform your development and design (unless I'm not your target market as mentioned above) here is something I went through:
I was trying to get a piece of code working, and when I previewed it in the browser my app showed up as blank. I went back to a version that worked and then looked at the changes I made in between. This was a bit of a pain without source control but I didn't look too hard to see if source control was supported anyhow because I was just trying to get super basic stuff working first to see if I was even going to use the framework. Then, having found the area of code that I thought was the problem, I commented out sections of it and then eventually line by line, each time previewing it, to find the errant code segment.
It was about this time I realized that this framework wasn't going to work for me. I hope that I was just doing things wrong, and eventually good learning resources will be available to help novices get a kick start (similar to Hartl's Rails by Example tutorial), but maybe worse yet there isn't a debugging system.
Also the issues I listed in my earlier post still apply, and one final one was the idea of using two MVCs in the same app if I used Rails as a backend (although I didn't even get far enough to figure out if that was even necessarily a good idea)
Ultimately I've decided to use Adobe Edge for HTML 5 interactivity/front end and animation connected to Rails for the MVC and REST architecture. My hope for using Sencha was being able to leverage the tremendous promise of the cross-platform compatibility of the product (across browsers and into mobile devices) to reduce the number of versions that would need to be maintained.
I'll check in with the product from time to time and see if it becomes more accessible (or if I get better or work with seasoned developers).
Finally I'd like to say that I really appreciate the mammoth problem you guys are trying to solve, and I only take the time to make these posts in the hopes that one user's semi-detailed experiences might help in the improvement of the product, and not at all to diminish from what you've made here.
13 Dec 2012 3:17 AM #10
Designer ... Need training on Architect 2
Hi, love the promise of this tool. But have to agree with some of the posts here. As a novice I need a good starter doc/wiki that's covers component by component my options to build within architect2.
My team and I are looking for a good round trip tool for building mobile apps. I think architect is it. But I am nubie to all code methods. I need architect to let me work like I would in Adobe illustrator and then I hand off to web technologies team.
Any good component by component training available?
Just got the adobe edge suite of tools preview and that is my next option but a little worried that phone gap capabilities as a packager.


text:
I recently updated my Ubuntu from 11.10 to 12.04 lts and there seems to be a problem while I'm playing YouTube videos they, for no reason, start to fastforward (audio and video). This does not happen with other programs or websites only in YouTube videos. It does not matter if they are in flash or in HTML 5 player this problem persists throughout
For a very brief time, Youtube recently exposed an experimental player on their site with fast and slow play capabilities, and this may be affecting the current player. If this is the case, it would help to clear your browser cookies.
In my case I solved it this way; First install "PulseAudio Volume Control" if it is not installed yet;
Now start "PulseAudio Volume Control" and go to the Configuration tab. Under "High definition Audio Controller" I had "Digital stereo (HDMI) Output" selected. I had to change that to "Off". I also had to change the build in audio profile from digital to analogue, otherwise I didn't hear anything.
edit: after the change above, it still happens sometimes. But I can use
In my case, I once wanted to listen to my computer through my wireless headset, so I changed the output in Settings>Sound to the USB Wireless Headset. But when it was unpluged it must have switched to the HDMI out sound instead of the normal speakers, when I switched back to the speakers the problem went away. Also in Settings>Sound>Applications, it says that YouTube is playing from ALSA Plugin, according to there website it is a audio extension type of thing. I don't know if ALSA has anything to do with it or if it is all on YouTubes side but whatever. Hope this helped.
Also I am using the web browser Chromium


text:
21 Sep 2012 12:04 AM #11
Hi ExTriqui!
Here's more to this grid would make the total amount of the line at the bottom. It would be cool at all.
Be able to help?
21 Sep 2012 2:57 AM #12
I'm working on it right now.
Hopefully, you'll have 3 choices: summary in the header row, summary at the bottom of the group, and summary in the header row when collapsed and summary at the bottom of the group when expanded.
21 Sep 2012 9:30 AM #13
4 Oct 2012 6:16 AM #14
Hi ExTriqui!
I did total summary row.
5 Oct 2012 11:24 AM #15
multigrouping header total under respective column names
Hi , I recently started evaluating the various mutlgrouping plugins out there and found the code in this thread by Extriqui to be very useful.
Can some one throw some light on how to adjust the grouped header column so that it aligns with the columns below it
I have tried fiddling around with the css in Multigrouping.js but am afraid am not very skilled in css handling an d manipulation ...
I guess i need to make changes here but am not sure on how to do it ..
features in the grid
ftype:'multigrouping', groupHeaderTpl: [ '{name}: ({rows.length}) ', '{[this.readOut(values)]}', { readOut:function(values) { .... return sumColumn1 + ' space' + sumColumn2 + ... }
getFeatureTpl: function(values, parent, x, xcount){Code:
i would like to sum up all the columns and then show their totals in their respective header under the column name. (that way i can get rid of my tree grid component ..and this works very well with large datasets ).
Thanks in advance....
Last edited by anshumania; 5 Oct 2012 at 11:44 AM. Reason: more clearity
5 Oct 2012 8:21 PM #16
Hi anshumania
This is my code - does just what you need
Снимок экрана 2012-10-06.jpg
6 Oct 2012 2:29 PM #17
Thanks .. but wouldn't the above not work with 4.1.1 ?
I want to show the total summary in the grouped header not the summary row ..
I see that you have an option
totalSummaryTopLine: true, // Default: true totalSummaryColumnLines: false
this current solution i have is working on 4.1.1 so i think, i just need to adjust the css somehow .. but i am not well versed in css and templating as such. so pointers or code snippets would be useful ..
12 Oct 2012 11:36 AM #18
using only multigroup
For my environment i needed only the multigrouping; because for performance reasons i wanted to group my data as required on the server side .(and also there was a small bug in the collapse of the original multigrouping summary (css most likely) so i could not fix it).
Anyway the only reason i wanted to do this is so to deal with large data sets (and dynamic grouping) and check the performance on IE8. the results are good and encouraging. I had already used a tree grid (due to our business case there is a lot of data to deal with on the client side ) and the performance on IE8 was very bad
So the assumption is to do some sort of intelligent grouping at the backend.
this is the minor hack i had to implement and thanks for the code
had to resort to a few hacks to get this to work. still waiting on an official answer. The main reason i had to do this and not use the multigrouping summary is because - i want to limit the number of records from the server. I can do some smart grouping of my business objects at the server side. - the main reason to do this is because of IE8's performance on larger sets of data. - had already tried the extjs4 tree grid component which works well on chrome but had performance issues on IE8.
the hack is to
a) use an array property in the grid to store the dom elements which i want to manipulate
b) use a boolean to know when the layout is completed the first time b) add listeners for afterlayout ( when your app can do an Ext.get('..dom element..') you know you are done )
( i am not well versed with css and am still awaiting an official reply on how to probably use the groupedHeaderTpl to acheive the same .. ).
The listener :
listeners : { afterlayout : function(eopts) { var x = this.mOwnArray; if(!this.loadedwithVals && x.length > 0) { for(var i =0 ; i<x.length ; i++) { var dom = Ext.get(x[i].id); var theId = dom.id; theId = theId.match(/\d+/)[0]; var title = dom.query("td[class='x-grid-cell x-grid-cell-first']"); title[0].className = 'x-grid-cell x-grid-cell-gridcolumn-' + theId + ' x-grid-cell-first'; title[0].colSpan=1; var groupedHeader = dom.query("div[class='x-grid-group-title']"); groupedHeader[0].innerHTML = x[i].name + '(' + x[i].length + ')'; for(var year=2012;year<=2018;year++) { var t = "t"+year; var someText1 = ''; var someText2 = '
'; var someText3 = '
' + x[i].total[t] + '

	'; var someText = someText1 + someText2 + someText3; dom.insertHtml("beforeEnd",someText); } } this.loadedwithVals = true; } }
features: [ { ftype:'multigrouping', startCollapsed : true, groupHeaderTpl: [ '{[this.readOut(values)]}', { readOut:function(values) { var header = new Object(); header.id = values.groupHeaderId; header.sum = []; header.total = new Object(); for(var year = 2012 ; year <= 2018 ; year++) { var t = "t"+year; header.total[t] = []; } // all the records in this header for( var i = 0 ; i< values.records.length ; i++) { // for all the 'years' in this record for(var year=2012;year<=2018;year++) { var d = "d"+year; var ct = "t" + year; var arecord = values.records[i].data; var val = parseFloat(arecord[d].mp); val = isNaN(val) ? 0.0 : val; Ext.Array.push(header.total[ct],val); } } // push the sum of the records into its top level group for(var year = 2012 ; year <= 2018 ; year++) { var t = "t"+year; var sum = Ext.Array.sum(header.total[t]); header.total[t] = sum.toFixed(2); } header.name = values.name; header.length = values.records.length; var headerName = values.name; if(values.hasOwnProperty('parent')) { var parent = values.parent; headerName = headerName.replace(parent,''); } header.name = headerName; header.length = values.records.length; Ext.Array.push(grid.mOwnArray,header); // really not used return values.name + '(' + values.records.length + ')'; } } ] }, ]
15 Oct 2012 5:02 AM #19
Hi. I'm a bit confused now.
As I mentioned in the first post, the plugin I wrote shows groups and optionally a summary per group, and it does so while not messing with the summary plugin.
So if you want summary for every group and then a total summary for the whole grid, you just have to use the MultiGroupingSummary and the 'official' summary plugin.
Something like this:
features: [Ext.create('Ext.grid.feature.MultiGroupingSummary'), { ftype: "summary"}];
This will show the summary for every group in the group header row with each value under the right column and the total summary values the same way.
¿Are you having problems with this?
16 Oct 2012 11:56 AM #20
No i did not have problems with the plugin and it works fine for the most part ( i think there was a css issue related to the first group but i did not pursue it)..
However i wanted to reduce the data from the server side i did some grouping on my data (to make ie8 more responsive) so i wanted to do a summary or grouping of a field within a record (not of records).
The summary plugin works on an assumption (which is fine and correct in most of the cases) i.e every row respresents a line of data and the grouping would then work based on the partiuclar field in the record.
However in our specific business case these would translate into thousands of rows therefore i map my model and hence my record to contain a field which actually contains key value pairs of records that i would want to group on ; thus collapsing a group into a single record based on say a few fields.
for instance instead of having 8 rows of
CountryA field1A field1B ... Year2011
CountryA field1A field1B ... Year2012
CountryA field1A field1B ... Year2013 ...
CountryA field1A field1B ... Year2018
Instead of having so I return a single record
CountryA field1A field1B ... {d2012:val, d2013:val, ....d2018:val}
In order to group by any of field1A or field1B or both I would need the total of all vals in last Field
so the only place where i could do this grouping was defining my own groupHeaderTpl for Mutligrouping
fgroupHeaderTpl : [ '{[this.readOut(values)]}', { readOut : function(values) { // it is not possible to do a Ext.get of the groupHeaderId here // so push the groupheaderIds to an array property in the grid // do the calculations for each group and push in the sum for that field (column) return value.sn }
afterlayout : function(eopts) { // retrieve the groupedheaderIds and use the calculated values to create the groupedheader var x = this.mOwnArray; // then do Ext.get(groupheaderId) and replace the dom ...
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text: Okay so I taught you how to draw Jack Skelington from The Nightmare Before Christmas, well now is the time to publish my second tut on how to draw one of my favorite animals tribal style! I'm not very good at tribal art so here goes nothing! I hope you enjoy


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18" 4AWG Battery Cable, Red - Ancor
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Smoking Bans - 03-21-2012, 01:46 AM
Let me start by saying I do NOT smoke cigarettes. I do not plan on starting up, but I have no problems with people who do. My parents smoke, some of my best friends smoke... I really do not care, because it is their decision and I respect that.
Recently (more specifically, TODAY) I heard on the news the province of Ontario is starting a ban on smoking in restaurant patios and they are going to eliminate all designated smoking rooms in bars (Smoke-free Living - Toronto Public Health). Incredibly dumb. Smoking in restaurants and bars isn't allowed where I'm living, so many customers go out on the patio for a quick smoke before returning inside. This is no longer an acceptable thing, apparently, because it is "unhealthy to non-smokers on the patio" or something like that.
Like I said, I don't smoke, and this is ridiculous. They're OUTSIDE the building. It's not like any smoker would puff smoke right into someone else's face or anything, it'll just get carried away by air. That's why it's allowed OUTSIDE. Next it's going to be "NO SMOKING WHILE WALKING/STANDING OUTSIDE OF YOUR PROPERTY". I guess to the government, smokers are like the plague and must be confined to their own homes - or at least, for now, away from patios.
Obviously, this particular ban isn't universal, and I'm sure it's probably different by city, so what are the bans in your hometown? Do they already have this ridiculousness? Do they still allow indoor smoking? What do you think about this particular ban? Is it going too far, or do you agree with the city that it is unfair to non-smokers who just want to go out on the patio for some fresh air? COMMENT!
Fourth Clue: Go to the thread that's all about happiness.
I'm sorry but I'll be glad for the day when non-smokers don't have to be burdened with other's poor health choices. I cannot stand the smell of smoke, which is odd since my mother is a chainsmoker. It never used to bother me, but I guess moving away and not having to deal with it everyday has spoiled my lungs after 18 years of defilement.
Most important to my agreement was my recent experience with my pregnancy. The smell was completely nauseating, and harmful to my baby. It was always very irritating to have to be near someone puffing away all the healthy air with their noxious fumes.
Restaurants own that land, inside and out. It should be their decision, and personally, I'd support any pro-healthy establishment in agreeing to this. And if it's forced, YAY for all of us who chose not to blacken our lungs and who want to keep their children safe!
I have a friend who used to smoke, quit after a health scare, and as well finding out he his a father, a teen one at that, good thing he changed for the better.
While I do agree that the air will just carry it away, but someone standing in the way of the wind, and gets smacked with a cloud of smoke, is not good, esp if that person has asthma.
Also, making smoking areas a few feet away from non-smokers is best as well. I'm gonna bring up Disneyland and say that they do have smoking areas, good news is that it is away from children and a few feet away where tons of people are at.
Of course, I am not safe from my home tho. Father smokes, so whenever I'm out and he's away smoking somewhere else, my lungs have a chance to breathe and I don't have to worry about my chronic asthma.
"My conscience is clear.
I have done nothing illegal, I have my rights.
And I intend to keep on biggering and biggering
and turning more Truffula trees into Thneeds!
And nothing is going to stop me!"
gif credit
I'm sick of breathing in clouds of their putrid poison. I'm sick of having to think about getting some kind of cancer because of them and I'm really sick of it making the asthma they probably gave me worse. I wouldn't care as much as I do, but then dear mammy tells me never to drink or take drugs (and I don't) or smoke, and breathes a cloud of the vile filth at me. Uh, I'm already smoking, courtesy of you.
To hell with smoking everywhere, period. Let the nicotine addicts whine and cry until the tears flood the world.
I mean a weapon you hold. You have a gun, Tanith has a sword... I want a stick. ~ Valkyrie Cain
Ill buy you a stick for Christmas. - Skulduggery Pleasant
What happens when something YOU do is made against the law? Then what? Smoking bans are basically the start of a nanny state, the start of the government insisting that it's their right to poke their noses into everything we do.
I smoke. I enjoy smoking, and all my friends do. While I don't mind sitting outside to smoke; I rode a motorbike for years and got used to freezing to death so don't really care about weather conditions, I find that a lot of nonsmokers exaggerate their so called "sensitivity" and therefore erode sympathy.
For example, once in the park a woman plonked herself down next to me and started whining about the smoke from my cigarette. I told her that she chose to sit next to me, when there was at least two empty benches so she could put up with the smoke or shut up. Then there's the people who fake cough and pretend they have asthma. My cousin has asthma so I know what an asthma attack sounds like, and it doesn't sound like a dainty cough.
Smoking bans should be up to the restaurant or pub owner. If anything causes problems as per smoke, it's the amount of cars and other vehicles that are on the roads. Walking by the side of the road, riding a bicycle or motorbike will cause you to breathe in far more dangerous fumes than you'd get from a whiff of cigarette smoke.
Smoking and Your Health | Your Doctor's Orders
It's ironic really; the government keep on raising the price of cigarettes, but they would hate it if everyone suddenly quit; for one thing, the NHS would be out of pocket as it's tax from cigarettes which helps keep it afloat. What costs the NHS the most money is the elderly and the obese. Why not stop demonising smokers and start on the lardy who for whatever reason can't take their heads out the trough?
Just to be clear, I don't randomly attack and scream at smokers. I know it's an addiction and difficult to curb. The whole "choose to be near smokers" thing isn't exactly a good excuse. I'd much rather not be smoked out of the room whenever someone lights up or have to scurry to the other side of some walking chimney with a sooty face to match every time the wind changes.
It's also a fact that for some ridiculous reason, it's socially acceptable to hurl abuse at smokers... but not fat people. This doesn't make sense to me, or to my science teacher, who pointed it out. He's got this hilarious tendency for insulting americans, fat people, or anyone else he fancies defaming. XD
But yeah. Perhaps if fatties were presented with the harsh reality of what they're doing to themselves, they wouldn't be as prevalent as they are.
I mean a weapon you hold. You have a gun, Tanith has a sword... I want a stick. ~ Valkyrie Cain
Ill buy you a stick for Christmas. - Skulduggery Pleasant
They shouldn't get gastric surgery on the NHS either; it's basically a self inflicted illness that they haven't paid a penny towards. Smokers and drinkers at least help pay for any illnesses they get thru their taxes. I also hate reading about people who bleat, "I can't diet!" when told to lose weight. Bullpoop. What they mean is that they don't want to stop stuffing their faces and would prefer surgery to actually getting off their fat butts and making some effort.
I smoke to relax and cuz I like it; I'm not actually addicted. I've gone without smoking for weeks and months before, for example if I'm on holiday with nonsmokers, I'll stop. Alcohol is far more damaging than cigarettes; I've never seen anyone smoke ten ciggies then start a fight, but I've seen plenty of boozed up people do that.
Yay, I thought this would spark a little debate. =D
Like I said before, my parents have smoked ever since I can remember. My father has tried quitting so many times and I've told my mother to quit at least a dozen times throughout my childhood. I hate the smell of smoke, BUT I have learned to deal with it.
I will say, I understand your arguments, naruto, aaron, and lancaster. However, I'm really not talking about the smokers who stand right next to you, or smoking around children and pregnant mothers. We're all people, smokers or not, and many people respect the space of others. But having a cig while chatting outside with some friends when no one else is around? Shouldn't be an issue. This should be a courtesy thing, not a law, IMO.
Smoking has been banned in Illinois in public places for about 6-8 years now, I think. I used to get asthma attacks really bad when I was younger, and I have to hold my breath when walking around campus. What bothers me is that we have designated smoking areas, which I know I need to avoid if I want to avoid the smoke, but the smokers never use the, instead choosing to smoke in the area labeled "This is a smoke-free zone. The designated area is 100 feet away." I understand that they want to be close enough to go inside, but they are breaking the rules. It gets to the point where I will take the long was around inside the buildings (most are connected) so I don't have to go outside. The smell of cigarette smoke literally makes me want to throw up, and I do mean literally; that's why I need to hold my breath walking past. Frankly, the blatant disregard on-campus smokers have for the designated areas makes me wish it were possible to crack down on and ban smoking altogether, but there is absolutely no feasible way to do that, especially when the rules are already being broken.
I remember back when the Illinois smoking ban was initially started, multiple articles showed up with stories of waitresses and bartenders who had contracted various forms of cancer due to second-hand smoke. As a nonsmoker, it is easy to feel that the conscious choices of other people to smoke in public is directly detrimental to my own well being. I don't care if you smoke in the privacy of your own home; just don't stand in every path I need to walk through (that was a general you by the way, not directed at any individual but rather those people that don't read the signs on campus). I get that smoking can be addictive, and may be social, but I don't see it as a thing I would want to put into my body, and when others smoke in public, I feel like they are taking that choice away from me. I am probably biased since my parents are both very anti-smoking, but I know my dad at least is much more worried about cigar smoke. Now, it's not to the point where I will confront a smoker or slyly try to make my discomfort known; I just walk quickly past them and try to hold my breath as long as I can, hopefully with the wind blowing the smoke away from me and not int my air passages. Do I disapprove of smoking? Yes, but only because I do not see the appeal at all. Like, I could understand WHY someone would smoke **** because of the psychogenic factor, but I'm pretty sure cigarettes lack that kind of pain-releaving power if nicotine has not already been introduced into the body. Once someone starts smoking, I understand that they may never be able to quit and that it may cause relief because of nicotine's addictive nature, but what I don't understand is why people start in the first place when they know the large number of risks and relatively small number of possible benefits that may or may not actually appear.
tl;dr: I support banning public smoking, but I also realize there is no realistic way to enforce such a ban.
Thanks for the post, bella. =)
The other day I was standing inside a bus stop shelter, which has painted right on it "no smoking" repeated all the way around it. However, these two boys came in because it was cold and the one asked if it was okay if he smoked in here. I actually wasn't sure how to respond, but I jumbled together a "yeah, uh, sure...?" I wasn't sure that was the right answer after I heard his friend say, "Why'd you even ask her?" in a super smug way that told me they weren't going to stop anyway. An older lady then walked in and he asked her as well, to which she said, "No, I'm sorry." They huffed off, seemingly upset and thinking the lady was a prude for saying so.
It was a NON smoking zone, but they didn't care.
I do realize though, this is not ALL smokers. For every smoker who acts this way, I know there are more than a few who would have been respectful and stayed outside (unless the shelter was empty).
Bella did mention a huge problem with smoking bans - being able to enforce such a ban at all. Unless the government is very strict, it won't work. Kind of like smoking marijuana where I live, or underage smoking and drinking. The government is very lax on these illegal activities, making the laws completely useless. I happened to be walking in a park when I noticed a bunch of teenagers smoking pot being confronted by police. Only one was arrested - the one who gave them the drugs. The drug use itself wasn't a big deal.
If smoking was to be banned in public places, it would just be another one of those pointless laws. Too many people do it to simply be able to enforce it.
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Archive for the 'amazon kindle fire hd' tag
Amazon to launch supercharged new Kindle Fire tablets later this year
At one point in the not so distant past, Amazon's original low cost Kindle Fire tablet was the leading Android tablet, despite lacking the official Android app store and other stock applications, that was until the Google Nexus 7 first came around. According to the latest spat of rumours, Amazon is gearing up to take on the new Nexus 7 with a set of supercharged Kindle Fire tablets that are set to launch later this year.
According to BGR, who have sources close to the matter, Amazon is preparing some pretty strong specced Kindle Fire tablets that are set to launch later this year. The Kindle Fires will apparently sport the super speedy Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processors that will be clocked at around 2GHz for each core, in addition to the processors, they will also sport 2GB of RAM. The move will apparently be part of Amazon's attack on Google's new Nexus 7, which's predecessor is the best selling Android tablet. Earlier rumours have also pointed towards the Kindle Fire HD getting a resolution bump of 1,900×1,200 on the 7-inch model with the Kindle Fire 8.9 getting a resolution bump to 2,560×1,600 to give both the Google Nexus 10 and Apple iPad 5 a go.
Although we certainly won't be complaining if Amazon includes Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processors in their upcoming products, we do worry about what steps will be done to keep the costs down, which Amazon has done in the past. Kindle Fire refresh? Hell yes.