text:
Since my early thirties, I have regularly had prostate exams. In fact, as I noted in part one of my article, I was alerted through the free tests I had taken last September that my PSA scores were somewhat elevated. After having several PSA tests done this year through my healthcare provider, I knew it was time for me to kick things into gear and get a handle on my health.
And, up until now, over the past decade I have attempted to manage my symptoms - sometimes with and without the assistance of doctors. Many times I would take the prescribed medications on an as-needed basis, since I am not a fan of medication and the side effects that often occur. I just figured I would have to live with a certain level of discomfort for the rest of my life.
Conversely, in my late thirties, after having continuous elevated PSA scores combined with a number of symptoms, I was faced with the decision of having a prostate biopsy. As opposed to having one, I literally put my head in the sand, choosing to ignore my doctor's request. I kept this close to the vest not sharing this with anyone – until recently. Yes, I know it was a foolish decision; I literally played Russian Roulette with my life. I just couldn't then, as I can't today, bear the thought of having a biopsy or the thought of having cancer. Fear, at the time, just over-rode my sense of logic. I was just scared as hell about the whole process then, as I am today.
Well, earlier this summer, I was faced with the same critical decision again. It's amazing how unresolved issues circle back around, until you're finally forced to address them. This time, I was literally left with no options, when I realized the medications I ingested periodically weren't providing me the relief I needed. So, my back was literally against the wall and I finally had to face my fears, moving forward with having a prostate biopsy. Boy, I was so unnerved.
Once I knew I was in biopsy mode I had to take a non-conventional approach, reaching out to about twelve folks or so in my inner circle, who I could confide in, letting them know what was occurring for my sanity, using good old-fashion email. Twitter, Facebook and other social media outlets weren't even considered.
In order for me to cope with the biopsy, it was easier for me not to make phone calls or personal visits to most folks, especially since a number of them lived out-of town. Now there were some folks I just couldn't tell at the time, as they were facing their own family crisis. Had the biopsy occurred prior to the days of email, I would have more than likely drafted certified letters to be sent out. Using email as a means of communication helped me to keep my emotions in tact (or so I thought) and it served as a form of therapy. It kept me from entering into a long, drawn-out conversation, which would have more than likely led to tears; I just wasn't (and still am not) quite ready to handle.
In the emails, the recipients (or my Guardian Angles) were given strict rules on what they could ask as I was taking this journey. They were also asked not to discuss or share my email, too. I trust that they honored my request. During the process, I didn't even tell loved ones, until after I got the results. I knew what was best for me at the time to cope with the situation. I wasn't in a position to help others cope, while I was in need of help myself.
Yes, it was hard as hell for me then, as it still is somewhat now, to deal with the biopsy, the thought of cancer and the options that have been placed before me, since learning I am in the early stage of prostate cancer. Thank God my foolish decision to play Russian Roulette, with my health, didn't cause my cancer to spread to a state where I had no options. That was always my unspeakable fear.
I have even had to step-up my game, seeking professional counseling for the first time in my life to get me through this ordeal. Sometimes folks, who are the closes to you, just don't know what to say or just end up saying the wrong things.
My ultimate reason for sharing this is to urge young men in my age set of the importance of taking care of their health, going to the doctor and in having their annual prostate exams. From my story, I hope men realize the need to seek out loved ones and a support group to help through this process or,


text:
I know that some museums offer online tours of their exhibits, and you can easy "navigate" from one place to another and view the exhibitions. Is there any such online tour for the Louvre (museum in Paris)? I wanted to 'virtually' visit and decide which exhibitions to see when I go there.
Louvre's website throws up two options which come close:
I think the biggest cross-gallery "virtual tour" at the moment is the one that Google did, Google Art Project. It covers 17 leading world art galleries, but alas the Louvre isn't currently one of them...
If you look at their FAQ it lists the museums currently available, such as the National Gallery in London and MoMA in New York. Be warned though, you can easily spend hours browsing on it, even without the Louvre's collections!
In terms of planning a visit to the Louvre (assuming Google Art hasn't persuaded you to go elsewhere!), the Louvre website does provide an interactive floorplan which could be handy in deciding where inside to go.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Lets say I wanted to make a horizontal nav bar, with five links, and I set the width to 20%. As soon as I add a 1px border to my links, they become bigger than 20% and the last link is moved onto a new line! How can I get around this problem?
I was hoping CSS would allow me to do a negative padding value so that the border would actually be over the element rather than around it, but it doesn't allow for that.


text:
19 Sep 2012 12:58 PM #181
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I have to say I am really disappointed about the state and performance of ExtJS 4. When the first test releases came out I immediately started testing it. The stabilization proces was long and painful though. During Sencha Con 2011, the grid performance problems were already known but they were presented like solvable in the near future. ExtJS 4 was still being presented as the most stable and fast ExtJS to date.
This thread and my own experiences however tell a different tale. Seeing how long it takes Sencha to solve the performance problems, I think the problems (most serious on IE but also other browsers) are here to stay and cannot be solved.
Because of the problems I have had to start porting back a very complex workflow management system I created for an international bank since they cannot switch to another browser than IE8. The performance of the system under IE8 is horrible both in memory usage as CPU usage, especially with components utilizing one or more grids. Choosing ExtJS 4.1 for the new system has cost my company a lot of time and money, and has caused the project to be seriously delayed. All that does not instil confidence in my client, for whom I have gone to great lengths to convince them to deploy the application using ExtJS4 (the previous version I created using ExtJS 3.4 which runs snappy).
I think it is time Sencha gives this problem serious effort since the credibility and businesses of developers using ExtJS is at stake. I know Sencha is working on it, but is also starting up a new product line every other day it seems. Everybody knows you cannot focus on too many things at the same time.
Rob Boerman
20 Sep 2012 1:07 AM #182
Interesting, picking up this thread again... and some nice ideas and tips from posters; the lazy panel/container is interesting, might try it and see where that can take us. At the very least it should raise some eyebrows in the dev team, causing them to ask what effort is being wasted early in the process there.
Another good thought was on avoiding the use of many components, and instead using a single one with a custom template... could be useful for docked items on grids, say, where we're certainly seeing some issues (see my colleagues post on button layout being very expensive).
Would also like to add my voice to those calling for more emphasis on performance of Ext 4 in old IE's, rather than the constant release of new products.
I know decent performance is your goal for Ext 4, I just wish it'd take a higher priority, and you'd stop tinkering with toys and concentrate on it. Apologies to those with business applications running on phones and tablets, but I think you are probably a very small minority. Those using Ext 4 are the people paying for licenses after all, well, commercially at least.
Whilst examples are all very well and good, the real world uses real applications to get a job done, and in the corporate world people do not have the luxury of using Chrome, FF or Safari... at least not yet.
The best we can generally hope for is IE8, and sometimes, with especially forward thinking companies, IE9.
IE7 is definitely the norm though, for us at least, and those who have dealt with it will know that it's about 30-50% slower than IE8 even.
Progress is being made though I think, but as others have pointed out, there is still some way to go.
The issues have definitely influenced how we design our UIs though; always in the back of my mind is how features x, y and z will work in IE.
Look forward to hearing more on Ext 4.2.
4.1.1 or 4.1.2 have not been good enough for me to upgrade to, so hope 4.2 is...
20 Sep 2012 1:36 AM #183
Its disappointing that large corporates cant move past MS and IE.
IE 10 may turn the tide.
It is such a huge pain to cater for old browsers that cant perform - I know it is what it is
20 Sep 2012 1:51 AM #184
IE10 may turn the tide for consumers, but I can't see any large company upgrading to Windows 8 rather than 7, the support calls over how to shutdown the machine will cost them a fortune alone!
So, post Feb 2014 the worst browser we may get away with supporting might be IE9, although the initial versions of Windows 7 had IE8, so even that may not help...
20 Sep 2012 2:05 AM #185
yes your right.
I worked for a bank for 7 years and it drove me nuts the dedication to IE (took an age to get an upgrade from IE 6.0 to IE8).
A simple switch to a more html5 compliant browser makes all the difference.
Never mind - no use banging our heads against the wall.
Yes your right - conversion for corporates to windows 8 in unlikely. Win 7 will become the new XP pro and corporates will hang on to win 7 for dear life - until we see a stable Win 8+
So hope for IE10 a long way off.
Sill it worth the frustrating scream ..... arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
20 Sep 2012 8:08 AM #186
Just a sigestion, did you consider this thread:
24 Sep 2012 6:33 AM #187
So how far off is 4.2 beta? Is this available now for users with a support license? Is there a large performance gain for IE7 & IE8?
24 Sep 2012 6:55 AM #188
ExtJS has to run "acceptably well" on IE8. It does on 3.4. It should on 4.x. I'm still on 3.4 and will not upgrade to 4.x until I see some convincing communication that the performance issues are solved.
Last edited by joeri; 19 Oct 2012 at 1:27 AM. Reason: double negatives bit me again
19 Oct 2012 12:03 AM #189
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Is it possible that someone from the Sencha team informs us about the status of the performance issues?
- Is a performance update underway and when can we expect it?
- Does the 4.1.2 update include any performance improvements?
My problems with clients are getting so big that we have to start thinking about alternatives to ExtJS. Please let me, and the rest of us, know how this problem is being tackled and keep us in the loop.
19 Oct 2012 7:41 AM #190
@robboerman. I don't believe 4.1.2 included any significant performance improvements. See this post for the main areas that are being targeted for 4.2:
http://www.sencha.com/forum/showthread.php?242202ConsultJS: http://consultjs.com/
Skirtle's Den: http://skirtlesden.com/
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text:
Let $S$ be a K3 surface and $\iota$ be anti-symplectic involution of $S$. Suppose that $g$ is a Kahler-Einstein metric on $S$. My question is;
Why $\iota$ is an isometry of $S$ with respect to $g$? Is this true for any holomorphic action of $S$?
Edit $\iota$ is called anti-symplectic if it acts on $\Omega^{2,0}$ as $-id$.


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Trojans Earn 28-27 Victory Over KingJanuary 18, 2014
BRISTOL, Tenn. – In a dual that saw five pins, Anderson University wrestling uses the tiebreaker rule to its advantage as the Trojans grabbed their second victory in their last three duals over King 28-27 Saturday afternoon at King's Student Center Complex.
According to the fourth criteria 3.15.4 on deciding a tiebreaker, Anderson was awarded the dual victory after the match ended in a tie when King's Blaike Henry won by fall over Anderson's Eric DeAngelis at 184. Since AU's Cory Monteforte recorded the first takedown of the dual at 125, AU was awarded the victory.
Monteforte eventually grabbed his second pin of the season when he defeated Reed Jacks three minutes into the bout. The redshirt senior has now won three of his last four bouts and has five wins at 125 for the year.
After sophomore Zak Hale won by forfeit at 141, junior Sean Turner continued Anderson's winning ways and nabbed his third pin of the year over Frank Yattoni at the 2:55 mark. With the win, Turner improves to 7-2 at 149 on the year.
Graduate student Zane Newton continues to impress as he added three points to AU's score with a 5-2 decision over Chance Smith. Newton, who is second on the team in wins behind Hale, is 11-5 on the year and has won three of his last four bouts.
Following a King pin, senior Ian Harper clinched the victory for the Trojans and picked up his first win of the year with a first period pin over Jordan Reece.
"This was a tremendous effort by the guys today," Anderson head coach Dock Kelly said. "Even though the odds were against us, the guys battled past that and pulled out a tough victory. It's always intense when you have to go to the tiebreaker criteria to decide a dual meet. We are going to take a few days off, and then get ready for the regional duals next weekend."
With the win, Anderson adds its first regional win as it heads to the Super Region 2 Duals on Jan. 25 in Newberry, S.C. The Trojans begin the day with Findlay at 9 a.m., followed by Shippensburg (10:30 a.m.), Tiffin (1:30 p.m.) and Indianapolis (3 p.m.).
Anderson 28, King 27
Jan. 18, 2014 | Bristol, Tenn. | Student Center Complex
197: Eldon Valery (KU) win by forfeit (KU 6-0)
HWT: Garrett Fosdyck (KU) win by forfeit (KU 12-0)
125: Cory Monteforte (AU) pinned Reed Jacks (KU), 3:00 (KU 12-6)
133: Cullen King (KU) dec. Keenan Simmons (AU), 8-5 (KU 15-6)
141: Zak Hale (AU) win by forfeit (KU 15-12)
149: Sean Turner (AU) pinned Frank Yattoni (KU), 2:55 (AU 18-15)
157: Zane Newton (AU) dec. Chance Smith (KU), 5-2 (AU 21-15)
165: JA Jones (KU) pinned Stephen Wylie (AU), 2:07 (Tie 21-21)
174: Ian Harper (AU) pinned Jordan Reece (KU), 2:16 (AU 27-21)
184: Blaike Henry (KU) pinned Eric DeAngelis (AU), 2:36 (Tie 27-27)
Anderson wins on fourth criteria 3.15.4, Anderson wins 28-27 on first takedown of the first match.


text:
If Hubble's constant is $2.33 \times 10^{-18} \text{ s}^{-1}$ and the earth orbits the sun with average distance of 150 million kilometers; Does that mean the earth's orbital radius increases approximately $11\text{ m}/\text{year}$? Does the earth's angular momentum change? If so, where does the torque come from? If the angular momentum doesn't change, does the earth's orbital velocity (length of a year) change? If so, where does the lost kinetic energy go?
Aside: the 11 meters per year figure comes from Hubble expansion of space the distance of the earth's orbital radius integrated over an entire year.
$$(2.33 \times 10^{-18}\text{ s}^{-1}) (1.5 \times 10^{11} \text{ m}) (3.15 \times 10^7 \text{ s}/\text{year}) = 11 \text{ m}/\text{year}$$


text:
26 Apr 2012 2:41 PM #1
Multiple hidden toolbar buttons vs single dynamically changing button (best practice)
So I'm developing an app based around a navigation view. At various times in the app I'm showing and hiding buttons in the navigationBar. As of now I've created a separate button for each action needed and set it hidden by default, showing/hiding as necessary.
This morning I though of an alternative: Say I had 10 buttons that display in the toolbar at different times throughout my app. I could reduce the numbers of buttons I actually instantiate by reusing buttons that have the same purpose, (a done button for a form for example).
So say I have a 3 done buttons for 3 separate forms. I could essentially use the same button for each form by setting the action of that button to be relevant to the form.
Anyone have any thoughts on what might be better for performance? more buttons super specific, less buttons with dynamically set actions....
28 Apr 2012 4:35 AM #2
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If you can consolidate number of components you use is very much suggested for performance as long as you don't have to do too much to reuse.
I often use the action custom property on buttons and in the controller have listeners for button with certain actions. This would be very easy to change the action property and set the text.Mitchell Simoens @LikelyMitch
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text:
X is a Noetherian scheme, F is an injective object in the category of quasi-coherent sheaves on X. U is an open subset of X. Why F's restriction on U is still an injective object in the category of quasi-coherent sheaves on U?
The restriction-by-zero type arguments can actually be made to work, with some effort and an extra hypothesis. Suppose $X$ is locally Noetherian, $j: U \to X$ the inclusion of an open subscheme.
Let $Mod(X)$ and $QCoh(X)$ be the categories of $O_X$-modules, and quasi-coherent $O_X$-modules, respectively.
The "some effort" is the following Lemma
Lemma If $X$ is locally Noetherian, then the injective objects in $QCoh(X)$ are precisely the injective objects of $Mod(X)$ which are quasi-coherent as sheaves of modules.
Pf: Any injective object of $Mod(X)$ which is quasi-coherent must certainly be injective in the smaller category $QCoh(X)$. For the converse, it suffices to show that any injective object $I$ of $QCoh(X)$ injects into some $I'$ which is a quasi-coherent injective object of $Mod(X)$, for then $I$ will be a retract of $I'$ and so injective in $Mod(X)$. This seems tricky, but is proved in Theorem 7.18 of Hartshorne's "Residues and duality".
Now, let's prove the result using the Lemma: If $J$ is an injective object in $QCoh(X)$, then the hard direction of the Lemma implies that it is injective in $Mod(X)$. The restriction-by-zero argument applies in this category, allowing us to conclude that $j^* J$ is injective in $Mod(U)$. It's clearly quasi-coherent, so applying the easy direction of the Lemma we see that it is injective in $QCoh(U)$ as desired.
[Aside: On a Noetherian scheme, any quasi-coherent sheaf is a union of its coherent subsheaves and one can "extend" coherent sheaves on U to coherent sheaves on X (see e.g., Hartshorne Ex. II.5.15). Using these facts, one should be able to give a more direct argument in the Noetherian case.]
This is false is general. In particular, if $X = SpecA$ is affine, this would imply that given an injective $A$-module $M$ and $f \in A$, one would have $M_f$ is injective over $A_f$; this is FALSE in general (see, for example, "Localization of Injective Modules" by Everett C. Dade (it's in Journal of Algebra ~ April 1981)).
Maybe you need to assume that $X$ is locally Noetherian, or even Noetherian?
Restriction to an open subset has an exact left adjoint (extension by zero).
Hey, I am the asker for the question, I want to say two points:


text:
TEMPLE (December 12, 2012)—Joseph Wayne Mills, 21, of Belton and Carl Emmons Enderby, 22, of Temple, have been charged with theft over $1,500, but under $20,000 in connection with what police say was a staged robbery in October at a local Family Dollar store, Temple police said Wednesday.
Warrants were issued for the two on Dec. 5.
Police arrested Enderby on Monday and he remained in the Bell County Jail on Wednesday in lieu of $75,000 bond.
Mills remained at large Wednesday.
Enderby was the manager of the store and Mills was the clerk on duty on Oct. 7 when police responded to a report that a man with a gun held up an employee outside the business at 508 West Adams Ave.
The employee told officers he was getting into his car in the store's parking lot to drive to a local bank to deposit the store's receipts when a man who was already in the vehicle pointed a handgun at him and ordered him to get in and drive away from the building.
The clerk told officers he was forced to drive the robber away from the store, and said at some point the man struck him in the head with the handgun.
The employee told officers the gunman got out of the vehicle near the intersection of N. 13th St. and W. French Ave., and fled on foot with an undisclosed amount of cash.


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If one has touched his forearm while placing the arm-Tefilin (I see that it's a very common case), is he obligated to wash his hands immediately, as he has to say a Beracha on the head-Tefilin? If so, how can he make a pause between placing the Tefilins?
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See Halachically Speaking Volume 3 Issue 4 (page 4):
See there for sources...
I've asked this question one rav posek (Rav Ehuda Gantz, from Ramot Dalet, Jerusalem).
He told me that in order to make any broha (on the head-Tefilin in our case) it is enough to clean the hands on the clothes (מידי דמנקי). After finishing putting the head-Tefilin one can wash his hands before the praying, without any problems of pausing between arm- and head-Tefilin.


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I understand an electric quadrupole moment is forbidden in the standard electron theory. In this paper considering general relativistic corrections (Kerr-Newman metric around the electron), however, there is a claim that it could be on the order of $Q=-124 \, \mathrm{eb}$. That seems crazy large to me, but I can't find any published upper limits to refute it. Surely someone has tested this? Maybe it's hidden in some dipole moment data? If not, is anyone planning to measure it soon?
I think that the paper is completely wrong and the conclusions are preposterous. The paper argues that when one models the vicinity of the electron as a rotating black hole, he will get new effects.
However, the black hole corresponding to the electron mass – which is much lighter than the Planck mass – would have a much smaller radius than the Planck length. It really means that the Einstein-Hilbert action can't be trusted and all the quantum corrections are important. It also implies that the typical distance scale in any hypothetical electric quadrupole moment of the electron would be much shorter than the Planck scale – surely not a femtometer. Also, the black holes with masses, charges, and spins similar to those of electrons would heavily violate the extremality bound – something that isn't a problem because the classical general theory of relativity can't be trusted for such small systems.
The facts in the previous paragraphs are just different perspectives on the universal facts that gravity may be neglected in any observable particle physics, a fact that the author of the paper tries to deny.
Proof of the vanishing of the quadrupole moment
More seriously, one may prove from quantum mechanics that the quadrupole moment for an electron, a spin-1/2 particle, has to vanish because of the rotational symmetry. The quadrupole moment is a traceless symmetric tensor and because the electron's spin is the only quantum number of the particle that breaks the rotational symmetry, one would have to express the quadrupole moment as a function of the spin, i.e. as $$ Q_{ij} = \gamma\cdot (3S_i S_j+3S_j S_i - 2S^2 \delta_{ij}) $$ However, in the rest frame, $S_i$ simply act as multiples of Pauli matrices (with respect to the up/down basis vectors of the electron's spin) and the anticommutator $\{S_i,S_j\}$ above – needed for the symmetry of the tensor – is nothing else than the multiple of the Kronecker delta symbol, so it cancels against the last term. $Q_{ij}=0$ for all spin-1/2 objects (and similarly, of course, for all spin-0 objects). Only particles (nuclei) with the spin at least equal to $j=1$ (the case of deuteron) may have a nonzero electric quadrupole moment. This simple group-theoretical selection rule is the reason why you won't find any experiments trying to measure the electron's (or proton's or neutron's or other spin-1/2 particles') electric quadrupole moment. Such experiments would be as nonsensical as the paper quoted by the OP.
Note that unlike the case of the electron's dipole moment, one doesn't have to rely on any C, P, or CP-symmetry (which are broken) to show that the quadrupole vanishes. To deny the vanishing, one would have to reject the rotational symmetry.
Let me wrap by saying that the quadrupole moment may always be interpreted as some "elliptical shape" of the object or particle. This ellipsoid would be stretched along some axes and shrunk along other axes. However, the electron's spin-up and spin-down state really pick the same preferred axis in space – the sign doesn't matter for the quadrupole – so they can't have different values of the quadrupole moment. In other words, the quadrupole moment doesn't depend on the spin, and because the spin is the only rotational-symmetry-breaking quantum number that the electron has, the quadrupole moment has to be zero. (A Pauli-matrix-free proof.)
This question is logically related to the question "what is the radius of the electron?"
In elementary canonical QED, it is assumed apriori that the radius of the electron and that the radius of the proton is zero. For protons, almost everyone now understands that this was just a convenient approximation, not a god-given uncontestable commandment. But in studies of protons (e.g. see Makhankov, Rybakov and Sanyuk, The Skyrme Model), it was learned long ago there is not just ONE radius; it depends on how you probe the particle. For the electron, it is standard to say that the radius is no larger than 10*-22 (meters), like 10*-7 femtometers, as best I recall. But that is based on measuring the apparent source of the Coulomb field. Prasad and Sommerfield showed long ago how an extended body can still have a charge source (in their example magnetic charge) which looks like an exact point. HIgh energy electron-electron scattering reveals a different pattern, which clearly cannot be explained by QED alone with a zero electron radius; efforts are being made to explain it using EWT, but they are not yet resolved. Logically, quadrupole moments might be another way to probe the radius of the electron -- but I do not know how hard it would be. Mathematics does not rule out probing alternative models, in the empirical real world, but has anyone seriously done so for this quantity? I don't know; it is sad that a quick google search leads directly to this discussion, but maybe google scholar or arxiv search would turn up better...


text:
Supreme Commander seems to crash for almost everyone when set to max settings. The general consensus is that the game is hitting the 2GB address space limit on Windows. The quick fix is to increase Windows' address space limit from 2 to 3 GB. The solution is to switch to a 64-bit version of Windows.
The former did not work for me as the game still crashes. To make things more bizarre, I am already running a 64-bit version of Windows 7.
Why is my 64-bit OS running out of address space?
My specs:
- CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 970 Processor 3.50 GHz
- GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX460 SE (2 GB)


text:
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Watertown girls aim for landmark victory vs. Torrington
History is not on the side of the Watertown High girls basketball team. Asked when Watertown last topped Torrington, Indians coach Ed Lopes responded, "I have no idea. It hasn't happened in my eight years."
Torrington coach Mike Fritch couldn't recall the last time his team lost to Watertown, either.
Undefeated Watertown (10-0 overall, 10-0 NVL, 8-0 Brass) gets another shot tonight when it visits Torrington (7-3, 7-2, 6-1 Copper) at the Connie Donahue Gymnasium.
"Watertown is well-coached and well-disciplined, and we have our work cut out for us," said Fritch. "There will be two good teams going head-to-head. There have been some close games. Ed and his program have improved year to year, and he's elevated Watertown.
"On any given night, anyone in the league can win, and it will be one heckuva of a fight in the second half (of the season) to see who comes out to win (the divisions) and the NVL Tournament," said Fritch.
Lopes doesn't think the past against Torrington will be a factor.
"My group of girls believe that history is today, and they don't look backward," said Lopes. "Watertown was a struggling program for many years. These kids are going into the game think they are 0-0. It's as if it is opening night."
If Lopes has a concern, it's about the atmosphere and the partisan Torrington crowd.
"That is a tough place to play," said Lopes. "Their fans are great. They have a real good fan base. We don't have positive history there and I don't as a coach."
To be successful, Lopes says the Indians must play 32 minutes of defense.
"Torrington has 3-point shooters (Caroline Teti and Nicole Kozlak), a presence inside (Paige Middleton and Olivia Morrison)," noted Lopes. "They are intense and give it everything they have on the floor and they work well together. When Mike Fritch switches things up, they get the same results. We have to play our best game, and quite frankly, I don't think we have yet."
Watertown must learn from what Lopes called a wake-up call against Crosby on Tuesday. Leading by only four at halftime, Watertown used a strong second half to win, 62-46.
"Crosby is a very good team, and we were almost going through the motions in the first half and learned a lesson," said Lopes. "Against Torrington, we have to play from the first second. We will not be able to turn on it in the second half."
Teti leads the Red Raiders in scoring with a 14.0 average followed by Middleton and Kozlak (both at 8.0). The Red Raiders are coming off a 39-37 loss to Woodland.
Watertown doesn't feature a scorer averaging in double figures: Abigail Collier (9.3), Jamie Zoldy (8.1), Meg Perrin (7.8) and Sara Selimovski (6.8).
"If we can five or six players with between six and 10 points, I'll take that any day of the week because opponents can't worry about guarding someone with the hot hand," said Lopes.
Reader Comments
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We are now accepting link exchanges from web hosting sites.
Last edited by shabbir; 1Jun2006 at 10:30.. Reason: links confine to your signature only
Originally Posted by sterling45What is the link to your website and what is your site about? Are you also accepting links to webmaster resource sites and website design services?
Originally Posted by 5meodmtHI my site is a PR5 Webhosting site. and the linkback will be placed on my PR5 page http://www.ecomatrix.eu/Shoutcast-hosting.html
we are looking to exchange links with Pr5 and above. if you can place my link on a PR5 page when pls send me link details


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Globe Kit
Throughout the ages, people have proposed many strange diverse theories about the earth. It was flat; its flat surface was encased in a huge half-globe to which the stars were attached; it was the center of the universe; these are just a few of the mistaken ideas people have held. Our understanding of the earth and the skies today is the result of centuries of scientific study and discoveries, and the invention of effective scientific tools to make possible and to verify these findings. The Globe Kit is a working earth model which enable students to solve various problems in such broad topics as earth measurement, astronomy, and seismology. It is a versatile tool to investigate many different problems in science and should not be restricted merely to the investigations wich are included in the manual.
Grades 6-12
Shopping Cart Software by AbleCommerce


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Approval of the event must be on file before the event in order to qualify for funding.
District and college policy does not allow individual professional organizational memberships.
Funding is not automatic, and will be reviewed by the funding committee. You will be notified by email about the status of your request.
Complete your Classified Staff Development Funding Request Form
with your signature and administrator's signature and submit to Lori Para, Treasurer.
Please explain in detail how attendance at the conference will benefit you, students and the college. - Attach a separate sheet if necessary.
If driving, start your mileage calculation from the College's address to the Event and back.
Receive approval from the Staff Development Committee for your request.
Total maximum amount per academic year:
Full-time employees - $1000.00 for Conferences/Workshops/Trainings
Part-time employees - $500.00 for Conferences/Workshops/Trainings
Plan your trip or training. Pre-payments (pre-payment form) for items that can be pre-paid, and/or use your personal monies for reimbursement on your return.
On your return;
Complete the Conference/Workshop/Training Classified Development Evaluation Form and submit to the Classified Senate Treasurer.
Complete the Reimbursement Claim Form for all expenses claimed on the request form within 30 days. Receipts and documentation is needed. Please follow the directions on the form.
If you have any questions, please feel free to call the Classified Staff Development Chair Lori Parra.


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Effective September 16, 2005, wooden packaging materials (e.g., pallets, crates, boxes, and dunnage) imported into the United States must be heat treated or fumigated with methyl bromide and marked with the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) logo and appropriate country code designating the location of treatment. Additional paper certifications will not be required. Implementation of the new requirements has been delayed one year from their date of publication to give affected parties time to comply with the new requirements.
Effective July 5, 2006, APHIS and the Department of Homeland Security's Customs and Border Protection will require the immediate reexportation of any unmarked wood packaging material (WPM) that is not in compliance with the ISPM 15 treatment and marking standard. APHIS and CBP will also require the immediate reexportation of any marked WPM that is found to be infested with a live wood boring pest of the families Cerambycidae (longhorned beetle), Buprestidae (woodboring beetles), Siricidae (woodwasps), Cossidae (carpenter moth), Curculionidae (weevils), Platypodidae (ambrosia beetles), Sesiidae (clearwing moths) and Scolytidae (bark beetles) . Plant pests that attack live trees prior to being manufactured into WPM will not survive the treatments prescribed in the regulation. If a wood boring pest is found in marked WPM, it confirms that the WPM has not been treated and marked in accordance with the regulation and will be reexported. The importer will be responsible for any costs or charges associated with the reexportation. This policy is an explanation of the existing regulations and is consistent with the intent of the rule and the Plant Protection Act.
Sep 12, 2005 USDA Enforces New Wood Packaging Import Requirements
Sep 17, 2004 USDA Amends Wood Packaging Material Importation Regulations


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Bike Care at Halfords Guide + Video
Every Halfords store has bike build and repair facilities provided by our fully trained mechanics.
Halfords are here for the life of your bike. From the initial build and setup, through to annual servicing and bike repairs, our mechanics are on hand to keep you cycling.
Regular servicing and maintenance maximises the life of your bike's components and helps to identify potential problems. So stay safe and on two wheels and let our trained experts take care of your bike.
Every Halfords store has bike build and repair facilities provided by our fully trained mechanics. As the UK's biggest bike retailer, we:
- Let you ride away on your new bike today
- Provide free bike assembly, safety check and first service on all bikes bought from us
- Either repair your bike while you wait, or provide a quote within 24 hours and complete the repair within 48 hours
- Offer complete peace of mind with our Bike Care and Maintenance Plan. Priced from £10.00 - (€13.00), it provides a year of free labour and an annual service for a one-off charge
- Have thousands of parts and accessories available today in-store or delivered next day for free
Bike Service
Bike Build
We build your bike and put it through a 22-point safety check
Bike Repairs
We can repair broken parts or fit new ones to get you cycling again as quickly as possible
Halfords Bike Care Plan
A "no hassle" maintenance plan to cover the service and repair of your bike for a one-off fee
Bike Servicing
From a six week first service to a comprehensive annual service, we offer a complete check-up for your bike
Bike Accessories Fitting
From luggage to child carriers, we can fit accessories to meet your every cycling need
Bike Parts and Accessories Ordering
If you can't find what you need, ask in-store and we can order it for you, usually within 48 hours
Free Bike Assembly
Halfords free bike assembly is great, the guys in the shop are real bike fanatics themselves and their passion shows in their work, couldn't have been more helpful.
~ EllenK ~
Good Job
Excellent service in short time period. All extras fitted exactly as requested.
~ Yew2 from Chester ~
Bike Service
I am very pleased with your service the bike is like new! And your staff are very professional and kind, well done!!!
~ Kama123 from Chiswick ~
How does the Bike Care Plan work?
A bike care plan is a 'no hassle' maintenance plan providing complete peace of mind when it comes to the service and repair of your bike. It provides free labour on all maintenance, repairs and fitting for a whole year, as well as a free 33-point check and component adjustment worth £50.00 - (€60.00). All of this is provided for a one off annual fee - all you need to do is buy your parts and accessories from Halfords.
Can I buy a Bike Care Plan for my older bike?
Yes you can, for just £20.00 - (€25.00). A bike care plan can be taken out for new and older bikes. However, it will be subject to an initial inspection by our mechanics in-store. A cycle may require a comprehensive service before being eligible for a Bike Care plan. Please confirm with a member of the store bike team.
Can a Bike Care plan be used in different Halfords stores?
Of course! Just make sure that you take all your original documentation with you when you take your bike in for a service and any of our stores will be able to help with your repair.
My bike needs repairing. How long will you take to repair it?
We'll either complete the repair whilst you wait, or give you a quote within 24 hours and complete the repair within 48 hours, subject to parts availability.
Please note we will store your bike for up to one week after the repair collection date. After this time, there will be a storage charge of £2.00 per week.
My bike wasn't bought from Halfords. Can you still look after it for me?
Yes. Even if you haven't bought your bike from us, we can still help you to look after it, all the way from building it from the box through to providing annual servicing and repairs when required.
If my bike requires parts how quickly will they be available?
We stock a wide variety of parts in our stores but if it's not available we can order any part delivered to store normally within 24 hours.View all Bikes


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I love Github's Network graph because it allows to see at a glance what are the trends of a Git repo, without having to clone that repo locally.
PROBLEM: It only works for Github-hosted repos, as far as I know.
Is there a similar online tool that allows to see this kind of "Network graph" for any given Git repo?


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12 Comic Book Ads That Taught Us To Be Cynical
#6. BF Goodrich Bear Escape Shoes
Maybe your frontier cabin won't protect you from bear attacks, but with these shoes, you can outrun a bear! How could a shoe help you perform such a feat of miraculous speed? Well that's simple you money-squandering brat! It's all in BF Goodrich's design!
See the PF Flyer shoe has a rubber cushion for comfort and an amazing "rigid wedge" in the middle of the sole to keep your foot in place. Never worry about being able to outrun escaped circus bears ever again when you're out in the woods "trail blazing" with your two young male companions!
The reality ...
This is one of those situations where they know they'll never have to process a refund since they knew that any kid who wound up in a footrace with a bear wouldn't survive to complain. Hey, business is a ruthless game.
Regardless of your athletic ability or lack thereof, the shoes boast the claim of a miracle "rigid wedge" stationed in the middle of the shoe to hold your bones in place ...
Between this and the height-lift thing earlier, we have to ask what the hell was the deal with comic book advertisers wanting to torture children's feet. Was this a big front for a bunch of foot doctors trying to drive up business?
#5. The Shocker
The Shocker is a state of the art, nearly invisible hand-held self-defense system that will allow you to cripple your victims without the need for exercise or years of martial arts training!
It was invented by Kiyo Mi Gawa, a highly trained master of unarmed combat who has won over 21 titles. Gawa saw a need for average people to have their own hand-held crippling device without going through years of training to learn boring things like "responsibility" and "proper use." The Shocker works on the pneumatic "Cripple Cushion Principle" which allows air hammers to smash through solid concrete!
It promises "EVEN DEADLY" results, and comes with a "Sign Of The Split Skull" lapel pin to show everyone you're totally ready to kill a dude!
The reality ...
The shocker allegedly worked on "pain waves" and despite the name, isn't actually electrified, it's just a thing you hold in your hand like the call button from your hospital bed, the kind of which you'll be using after you attempt to defend yourself with this device.
The ad really likes to hype up the idea of crippling people, which it actually does do. Just try to break a brick holding it like the guy shown in the ad, you'll definitely cripple your hand.
Our favorite part has to be the disclaimer on the order form which certifies that "you won't allow the shocker to fall in the hands of anyone dangerous or irresponsible." Dude, you put an ad for the thing in a comic book.
#4. Hypnotism
Buy our Hypno-Coin/device/instruction guide and you can make anyone do anything you want! Hypnotize a bully and have him give himself a wedgy, or have that gal you've been givin' the eyes to give you a kiss! Or go even further! Makes date rape a breeze--there's no need to buy pesky pills and slip in her drink!
Heck, why stop at date rape when you can have your school principal hand you their wallet while doing the funky chicken! Hypnotism will allow you to control any brainless drones you want, you'll be like God with that sort of power! You'll be better than God! You'll be exactly like Oprah!
The reality ...
This was little kid-thinking at its finest. Why weren't corporations and dictators using this forced hypnotism technique to take over the world? Why, because they're not cool enough to read the same comics I read, obviously!
Maybe at some point later in life you realized that if hypnotism works at all, it requires the subject to be extremely relaxed and open to suggestion, therefore if someone is walking or batting that stupid Hypno-Coin out of their face chances are they're not relaxed enough to be hypnotized.
Likewise, if you were a creepy dork who bought hypnotism devices out of comic books in an effort to finally score with women, the chances of those women being "extremely relaxed and open to suggestions" around you was very slim. The chances they'd mace you when you pulled out your Hypno-Coin was, however, very high.
#3. Life-Size Inflatable Doll
Tired of striking out with women again and again? Is your face sore from getting slapped? Restraining orders clogging your mailbox? Well there's one girl that will never reject you no matter how fat, ugly, smelly, stupid, perverted, murderous or incarcerated you are! Meet Poly Ethelene, your life-size inflatable woman!
You can name her, dress her, take her swimming, use her to plea insanity in court, do whatever you want! We mean whatever you want.
The reality ...
"So our heaviest readership demographic is males between the ages of 10 and 15. What would be a good product to promote in that space?"
"Hmmmm ... how about a life-sized plastic fuck doll?"
"Brilliant. Make some calls."
Unfortunately, any young man who saved up for this miracle device quickly found that they left out a critical feature of female anatomy, despite what the ad claims.
Though we do commend them for their money back guarantee if you're not "100% delighted." We'd like to meet the person who worked the phone lines taking refund requests from those not "100% delighted" with their inflatable women. They've probably got some hilarious, or possibly terrifying, stories to tell.
#2. Monkey in a Teacup
Wouldn't it be cool to have your own pet money? How much would you pay to have what would undoubtedly be the coolest pet on your block?
Well how about this offer of a small, portable monkey at almost no cost! What a perfectly reasonable offer!
The reality ...
Believe it or not, the monkey wasn't a stuffed animal. It was real, and it was possible to get one.
The scam was the company would send you 20 coupons to give out for their special color photos, which were actually black and white photos the customers provided that they colored in by hand for a fee (no, it didn't make a whole lot of sense). Anyway once you handed out the coupons you actually had to bring in 20 paying customers, which was nearly impossible since the thing you were selling was retarded.
But, some kids actually did pull it off, and the company actually did send them a small monkey, usually capuchins or marmosets. See back then the exotic animal trade wasn't regulated so they didn't realize that taking monkeys from South and Central America and giving them to kids in the US wasn't such a good idea.
Also, rat-dogs
So what you got was a wild monkey that had been poached from the jungle, caged, and shipped, arriving half dead and in a mood to bite or claw the first human it ran into. Also these monkeys can live up to 45 years in captivity, so these kids were in for the long haul. Still, they got to see the looks on their friends' faces when they showed them they had a real, live fucking monkey, and that probably made the whole thing worth it.
#1. Polaris Nuclear Sub
"How proud you will be as commander of the most powerful weapon in the world!" That's right kids you, yes you, can command a nuclear threat capable of killing millions of people! Comes with real firing missiles and torpedoes, a real periscope, an electrically lit control panel and is seven whole feet long!
Have fun sinking and surfacing and exploring the ocean floor! And becoming one of the world's nuclear powers! All that, for less than seven bucks!
The reality ...
Remember when we pointed out what cardboard wasn't a good material to make a frontier cabin out of? Well, it's even worse for submarines. We guess that's why they have all of those wacky cardboard boat races where the point is to watch everybody sink.
And don't tell us that it's just a submarine play set and not meant to be taken out to sea. Screw that, this thing offers "working" torpedoes. That means we should be able to fill the thing with food and go on a six-week voyage out to international waters to sink a Russian cruiser.
We're wondering how many kids took their Polaris sub out to the middle of a lake, only to find that it did the sinking part just fine, but without the "surfacing" and "not filling with water" that other, more expensive subs promise.
You want to know why the world is full of dictators like Kim Jong Il pushing to get nuclear programs? Because a few decades ago, they were kids. And they waited patiently for their mail order nuclear sub, only to find it was a cheap cardboard piece of crap. And they shook their fist and thought, "Some day, when I'm a grown up ... "
If you liked that you'll probably enjoy our look at 5 Retro Commercials Companies Would Like You to Forget. And don't forget to check out Internet Party 2: An Intervention for MySpace to see which sites you shouldn't be inviting to your next intervention. Or head to the brand new Official Cracked.com Store and become a startlingly attractive walking advertisement for our site.


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Rosalind's Story
Bonnie Schuman
Last Modified: May 25, 1997
I write this because I want everyone
to know that The Wellness Community
made a remarkable difference
for me and hundreds like me. I hope
that The Wellness Community is there
for every cancer patient.
I was very frightened. Very frightened. My Leukemia had returned. I was in Seattle for chemotherapy, radiation and a Bone Marrow Transplant. Can you imagine what that's like? It was the most difficult period of my life and there was no assurance it would work. I spent six weeks in a little sterile room behind a plastic curtain. It was my little prison. I was terribly weak and constantly vomiting. It was awful. That was in 1989 and here I am today!
Let me tell you how important The Wellness Community was to me. I had visited the Community during my first bout with Leukemia but I didn't feel that I needed it then. I thought it was a wonderful program for others, but my chances of recovery were excellent and I had too much to do. That feeling changed very rapidly after the Bone Marrow Transplant. My physicians and medical team were marvelous, but I needed the support of other people who understood so I went to The Wellness Community to get it and get it I did.
I stayed in my Wellness Community group for two years and found friends, hope, encouragement and support, the kind I could have received no where else. It was one of the best things that ever happened to me. I attended imagery workshops and other events at The Wellness Community and read the books but it was my friends in the groups who really made the big difference. They had cancer so they understood. I could talk to them in ways that I couldn't even talk to my family. I truly believe that if it were not for my wonderful medical treatment and the support of the people at The Wellness Community I wouldn't be where I am today.
I hope that The Wellness Community is there for every cancer patient. It's a must.


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The legislation also stated that all proceeds from the sale were to be "covered into the Treasury as miscellaneous receipts." Congress supplied the General Services Administration with ten million dollars to market the dollar coins. Advertising consisted of posters and brochures distributed to post offices, banks and various financial institutions, as well as television documentaries. The coins were sorted and put into small plastic display cases.The Administration conducted a total of seven mail bid sales between 1972 and 1980. In total, the sales generated $107 million.
Measurements: 3.5"W x 5.5"H (1.0 lbs).
Distributed by American Collectors Mint, LLC.
Die: An engraved piece of metal used to stamp a design on a coin.
Die crack: A small, raised imperfection on a coin resulting from a crack in the stamping die.
Early release: The Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC) uses this designation for U.S. Bullion Coins during the first month of release from the U.S. Mint. To qualify for Early Release designation, NGC must receive the coins within 30 days of their release by the US Mint or properly documented as being received by an NGC approved entity within the same 30-day release period.
Encapsulated coin: A coin graded and authenticated by a professional coin service, then sealed in plastic.
Field: The typically flat area surrounding the relief and not used for legend or inscription.
Legal tender: Official money issued by the government.
Legend: The coin's primary lettering.
Lettered edge: An inscription added to the edge of a coin.
Luster: The quality of the surface brilliance on a Mint State or Uncirculated coin.
Mercury dime: Issued from 1916 to 1945, this U.S. dime featured a representation of Liberty in a winged hat that was commonly mistaken for the ancient god, Mercury.
Mint: A government controlled coin production facility.
Mint mark: A small letter stamped on a coin that indicates its mint origin, ex. "D" for Denver.
Mint Set: One coin from each of the available denominations in a particular year, produced by a single mint and made for circulation.
Mint State (Uncirculated): A regular production coin never used in trade and existing in its original condition.
Mintage: The number of coins produced.
NGC: Numismatic Guaranty Corporation.
Numismatics: The collection and study of monetary objects such as coins and paper bills.
Obverse: Heads, or a coin's front side.
Patina: Surface discoloration, typically green or brown, caused by oxidation over time.
PCGS: Professional Coin Grading Service.
Planchet: A blank metal piece used to produce a coin.
Proof: Expertly polished planchets and dies produce these coins which feature an extremely high quality strike, resulting in unmatched detail and brilliant surface finish.
Reeded edge: A coin edge finish featuring parallel vertical grooves all the way around.
Relief: The raised portion of a stamped design that sits above the coin's field.
Reverse: Tails, or coin's back side.
Rim: The raised ring around the perimeter of a coin designed to reduce wear on the relief.
Strike: The act of stamping a coin.
Truncation: The bottom edge of a portrait or bust.
Wheat penny: Lincoln cents issued from 1909 to 1958 bearing the wheat ear design on the reverse.


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603 N. Lamar Blvd Austin, TX 78703 512-472-5050 Open 9AM - 11PM The largest independent bookstore in Texas!
Books On Our Site May Not Be Available In-Store
Is This Book In Stock? Be Savvy! Check availability details beneath the blue "Add to Cart" button.
Wishin' and Hopin': A Christmas Story (Large Print / Paperback)
December 2009 Indie Next List
"Wally Lamb's Wishin' and Hopin' is a sure winner for laughter and fun this holiday season."
— Margaret, Osondu Booksellers, Waynesville, NC
It's 1964 and ten-year-old Felix is sure of a few things: the birds and the bees are puzzling, television is magical, and this is one Christmas he'll never forget.
LBJ and Lady Bird are in the White House, Meet the Beatles is on everyone's turntable, and Felix Funicello (distant cousin of the iconic Annette!) is doing his best to navigate fifth grade—easier said than done when scary movies still give you nightmares and you bear a striking resemblance to a certain adorable cartoon boy.
Back in his beloved fictional town of Three Rivers, Connecticut, with a new cast of endearing characters, Wally Lamb takes his readers straight into the halls of St. Aloysius Gonzaga Parochial School—where Mother Filomina's word is law and goody-two-shoes Rosalie Twerski is sure to be minding everyone's business. But grammar and arithmetic move to the back burner this holiday season with the sudden arrivals of substitute teacher Madame Frechette, straight from QuÉbec, and feisty Russian student Zhenya Kabakova. While Felix learns the meaning of French kissing, cultural misunderstanding, and tableaux vivants, Wishin' and Hopin' barrels toward one outrageous Christmas.
From the Funicello family's bus-station lunch counter to the elementary school playground (with an uproarious stop at the Pillsbury Bake-Off), Wishin' and Hopin' is a vivid slice of 1960s life, a wise and witty holiday tale that celebrates where we've been—and how far we've come.
About the Author
Wally Lamb is the author of four previous novels, including the New York Times and national bestseller The Hour I First Believed and Wishin' and Hopin', a bestselling novella. His first two works of fiction, She's Come Undone and I Know This Much Is True, were both number-one New York Times bestsellers and Oprah's Book Club selections. He lives in Connecticut with his wife, Christine. The Lambs are the parents of three sons.
Praise For…
"In the hands of Wally Lamb, what emerges isn't an apology but a celebration of life...Felix makes a hilarious guide through a story that whirs right along."
-Washington Post
"Lamb's rich panoply of details...render this novel first-rate escapism just begging for a comforter and a cup of tea."
-Minneapolis Star Tribune
"Warmly, sweetly retro"
-Kansas City Star
"Lamb gets Felix's voice just right, and he does a spot-on job of evoking the special joys and trials of parochial school in the '60's"
-St. Petersburg Times
"Lamb's vividly detailed portrait of the 1960's and the inner workings of a Catholic schoolboy's mind puts his first Christmas book on par with his previous three novels."
-Miami Herald
"Lamb...proves he can be short, sweet and funny"
-USA Today
"Wishin' and Hopin' from Wally Lamb reminds us of what innocence was like."
-Body and Soul
"Both heartwarming and laugh-out-loud funny…a cast of characters that are both uproarious and unforgettable…a poignant reminder that family and friends are the greatest gift of all."
-Hartford Books Examiner
We might as well call Wally Lamb the man with the golden pen...[Wishin' and Hopin'] will leave you laughing and thinking nostalgically about your own school days and holidays past"
"Lamb is a very good writer, and Wishin' and Hopin' is a charming read with a genuinely funny ending."
-Houston Chronicle
"Humorous and heartwarming…clever and well-written…A fun trip down memory lane from a skilled writer. The stocking stuffer might just become a cherished possession."
-Columbus Dispatch
"Charming…. Full of pop-culture references of the day…this will have broad appeal."
-Library Journal


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So far in 2007 we have seen many storms that have brought torrential downpours and have resulted in flooding across Kansas. Some people have been wondering just how much rain has fallen and why we have seen so much rain this year. The reason we have seen so much rain is nothing special. The systems (especially recently) have simply been slow moving and that has caused storms to develop and move over the same areas (an action that meteorologists refer to as 'training"). With the "training" storms, some places have seen rainfall well above average totals while others have seen rainfall totals very close to the 30 year average.
Here is the rainfall data for Topeka, Concordia, Wichita, and Kansas City. These are the only locations in our area in which this information is readily available.
City-----------Rainfall------departure from average
Topeka-------19.05"-------------plus 6.87"
Concordia----11.83"------------plus 1.86"
Wichita--------13.84"------------plus 2.99"
Kansas City---13.74------------plus 0.58"
While the yearly data is not available for Manhattan, they have seen 10.56" alone in May. I also do not have the data available for Salina but I would bet that they have seen close to 25 inches this year.
This week we have another storm system moving our way. This one will also be slow moving. There is lots of moisture in place and heavy rainfall is again a possibility. We will monitor this storm closely and watch any flooding potential. At this point it is too tough to know exactly what will happen but it is sure worth watching. Keep checking back in this week.


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Or does efficient usage of cores depend only on whether a given application is written to take advantage of them? I am deciding between a Mac Mini - Intel dual core i7 2.7Ghz vs. one with a quad core i7 2.0Ghz.
migrated from serverfault.com Nov 6 '11 at 21:16
This question came from our site for system and network administrators.
Any modern operating system, including OS X of course, will take advantage of multiple cores as best it can. Applications need to be multi-threaded to truly take advantage of this within themselves, but even when an application is not able to take direct advantage of multiple cores, the OS will still use its resources efficiently by finding something else for the 'idle' cores to do.


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How do you know what a word means?
We don't always know! Lexicographers generally have wide vocabularies and fairly good general knowledge, but none of us can hope to be familiar with all the words that we deal with in the course of our work. We discover the meaning of an unfamiliar word by looking at our databases of language and by consulting reference works.
Dictionaries are descriptive, not prescriptive. In other words, when we're defining a word we combine our understanding of how it is used in the language with an analysis of resources such as the Oxford English Corpus. This should result in a definition of how a word is actually used, rather than how we think it should be used.
For scientific and technical terms we make use of our well-stocked library or the Internet, or we consult experts with specialist knowledge.
See other FAQs about dictionaries.


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Am I allowed to interrupt in the middle of Shmona esrei in order to pick up a Siddur (or any other holy book) that has fallen to the floor? Same question, if I have to make some steps in order to pick up a Siddur?
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The Mishna Berurah (OC 96 sk 7) rules that if leaving the book on the floor will disturb your kavana (concentration), then you may pick it up in between the different blessings of shmoneh esrei. The Mishna Berura is not explicit about walking, though it does sound like he would permit it.
The Be'er Moshe 3:13:6 explicitly permits walking to pick it up if it is bugging you.


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Dyson DC31 Handheld Vacuum for $119.99 + $5.00 shipping
What do you mean the motor spins at over 600 mph? Is that all?
30 Comments add a comment
Skip this one and get a DC35. It's more expensive but you get better battery life and the powered brush head.
This deal sucks...but only for about 7 minutes.
I purchased a similar model almost a year and a half ago. Worked fine for the first year, but over the last 6 months I was lucky to get it to run 1 minute. Bought a "cheap" competitor version for under $50.00 and it works great and runs more than twice as long as this one. It seems absurd to sell, even at a discounted price, a hand vac that runs up to 10 minutes! I'd suggest buying 2 cheap ones for the same money at Walmart. Product is WAY over priced for what you get! I also have a Dyson floor model, which I purchased on Woot, and it works well.
Does Dyson sell battery replacements? That way you could be charging a battery while using the other one.
let's get some overpriced dyson fans on woot. I'll buy 2!
I have both this and the DC35. I agree the 35 is great.. but it is also twice the price.. refurbed... on Woot!
This price point is gift give-able for my mom and step mom, and is still a great vacuum; super handy for quick pick ups and awesome for the car! As I mentioned a couple days ago.. also great for bugs!
I was going to say it was the worst purchase I ever made from Woot, but then I remembered that pack of 60 batteries. You know the ones? They last about two minutes? Well, so does this handheld. I always respected Dyson as a brand until I purchased this. Now, thanks to it not holding a charge for more than 7 seconds after only a year and no customer support from Dyson, I will never, ever purchase a Dyson again. Don't just pass on this - run screaming!!
@spenceman01: The DC35 is a LOT more expensive.
@applesforjonah: Yes, you can buy replacement batteries.
I have had one for a couple years now, and love it. Yeah, the battery life is relatively short, but I'm not using it for a whole house. It's great for vacuuming the car, picking up spills, and sucking up creepy spiders. This is a good deal. I paid a lot more. You can get a cheaper hand-held, but not better (battery life notwithstanding). Not by a long shot.
@soapie0 Those batteries aren't alkaline batteries, they don't support high drain applications. Rather, they are made from zinc-carbon, which is the kind you typically want to use in things like remote controls. They hold their charge much longer because, in part, they're dry inside. You'll notice that alkaline batteries tend to run out of juice more frequently than you'd like when they're just sitting around in your TV flipper.
What do you guys think of the Dewalt cordless vacuum? I wanted this model for awhile now because I could use the same batteries as the rest of my Dewalt tool collection:
This is a piece of junk. Do a search. Multiple problems. I had to throw mine away. Mine would fully charge but would start when it pleased. It wasn't the switch (I opened it up and bypassed it). Many have problems with batteries which are expensive.
I've had mine for a couple of years now, along with a DC14 (8 years now) upright. Never had any kind of problem with either one. I think my DC14 needs to have the belt replaced, but other than that, no issues whatsoever. Replacement parts are out there, even from Dyson directly if you want manufacturer original.
We have this and it's terrible. Battery life is beyond ridiculous. Doesn't last longer than 3 minutes at most, never has and Dyson says that is normal. For that much money it should last a lot longer than that. Skip it.
Replacement batteries abound on ebay. The original battery is a piece of junk, it lasted for less than about a year. The suction power is without peers though.
10 minute batter? Seems like that Dyson guy needs to stop worrying about making doughnut fans with hidden blades and do a little work on better batteries.
Paint this black, put on a Cylon helmet (reference to Woot's daily poll) and go around your neighborhood, pointing it menacingly and shouting "Freeze, sucker!" Hilarity ensues.
I have one of these. It's great. In the handheld vacuum world, it's all about the voltage, and this rules. I have had several Dustbusters and others, and none of them compare.
Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device?
I have this vacuum. Biggest problem is BATTERY LIFE. You get half way through a job and it dies. Save your money on this one.
I have the DC35, which works great (as advertised) for pet hair. I'm in the camp that believes the battery life is just fine for the jobs you're likely to use a handheld vacuum cleaner for. It's expensive, but it works better than a lot of small vacuum cleaners.
@ernielane: I have one of these. It's great. In the handheld vacuum world, it's all about the voltage, and this rules. I have had several Dustbusters and others, and none of them compare.
I went through a lot of dustbusters too... then I realized that if you want power you need one that plugs in the wall with a very long cord, once we got a small handheld that plugs in we decided to never waste money on cordless crap... none of them compare to the ones you plug in the wall.
can anyone tell me if you can use it plugged in?? or is the battery charged directly on outlet?
@keaton23: According to the craving tech website you CAN NOT use the device while it is charging.
@keaton23: You set it on the base to charge, then remove to use. There's no cord at all.
We bought this a brand new in a damaged box at Goodwill. Paid $80 (which is nuts for Goodwill but I wanted to try it).
I love it (except for already noted short battery life).
If you eat on your couch and get crumbs, it is awesome. If you have kids who spill random things like sprinkles - like a whole bottle of them, it is great. If you have pets who sit on your furniture, it gets their hair up. It has all the pros of Dysons - great suction, much better than other handhelds, very very convenient. But it doesn't last long. I am going to check out that link for a spare battery. I am tempted to buy a second one for my basement, but that is just laziness. As long as you know going in that this is awesome for quick pick ups and will really get stuff out of a carpet or rug and is great for your car, but battery dies fast, then you should be really happy with it.
@rdesisto: Why would you just throw it away? They have a 2 year warranty.
Aw, I'm bummed that I logged in late today. I have one of these and love it. We have two dogs that shed a lot, and this is great for picking up the random hairballs that appear out of nowhere. I've had a couple of the $50 ones, which worked alright but nowhere near as well as this. I would've bought one for my parents at this price.
I've had one for a few years and, like other users have said, it's unbeatable for it's designed purpose: small pickups. I've run it out of power only a couple of times. 7-10 minutes is quite a while for a random pickup. I get out the DC-14 for big jobs.
You can get an extra battery at Amazon and third party manufacturers are also starting to make spare batteries.
Now that the DC-35 is out it's the one to get for the better battery [which is interchangeable with the DC-31 and it's charger] and for the longer extension that will reach the floor without bending over, and for the power head.
But, if you have this one you can use the cardboard tube in the center of a roll of aluminum foil to mod the DC-31 to accept standard Kirby or Hoover tubes and brushes. You can even get an aftermarket power head from ezvacuum.com for around $15 shipped. Add an extra battery and with these mods this puppy can do it all!
I would recommend the animal version (purple). Had a year, and still going. On low speed you get about 15 min, high 7/8.
I bought this when the deal was happening a couple of weeks ago, but just now opened the box and charged it and used it for the first time.
So far, it's fantastic at picking up stuff that my dustbuster wouldn't even THINK about picking up!
One thing I'm wondering, the paperwork that came with it shows that there should be TWO attachments, one standard and one for crevices.
I didn't get the crevice attachment.
Did anyone else get the crevice attachment with their refurbed DC31???


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Every once in a while I have to set up an account on a site that, while apparently at least not storing my password in plaintext, still force me to choose from a limited set of security questions that can be used for password recovery purposes. Since the questions are usually moronically easy to answer by some googling or social engineering (à la "What's you mother's maiden name?") what is the correct approach when I cannot avoid using this account?
"Security questions" are just an alternative password which is not used often, but which, presumably, will not be forgotten by the user. Since it is a password-equivalent information, treat it as such: use true, high-entropy passwords as answers to security questions. Of course, since you will not enter these often, you should write them down on a paper, stored in a safe place (they are meant to be used as a backup for the "true" password; you do not need them often).
(Note: most systems will handle responses to security questions in a case-insensitive way, which decreases the "entropy" of that password -- hence, make it even more random. 15 random letters would be enough.)
My current "solution" is entering an arbitrary long senseless sentence that I don't even intend to remember and instead store that and my password in (separate) KeePass files, and maybe complaining to the webmaster about this. That way it's unlikely someone else can answer the "secure" question without any less effort than attempting to directly crack my password, but I'm still not too happy with this...
I have seen various people just fill in all these with junk, to ensure that no-one can use them to socially engineer access.
It does mean that you will need to be extra careful not to forget your username/password, as you may have no fall back route :-)
Think of a list of questions you think are good security questions for you. Use these at the better sites that allow you to phrase your own security questions. Eg Ben's car in HS?. For the sites with the moronic questions (eg mother's maiden name), map their questions to your questions. So answer to Mother's Maiden name may be '1960' (since what I remember was how ancient Ben's car was). You could use the same mapping each time (ie maiden name always maps to 1960) or you mix them up and just keep the 'key' (ie which moronic question goes with which real question).
The issue with a shared secret is that it can't be a secret if it's public. What the above allows you to do is move the 'secret' to being the question mapping.


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7 Essential Rules to a Happy Family Life
3 of 8
Treat Them the Way You Believe Is Right, No Matter How They Treat You
It's very tempting to respond to this by making them feel the same way. If you do this, however, you are heading off into a spiral of recrimination that can only lead to more quarrels and unpleasantness. This is not what Rules Players do. They do not go off and find a cave to hide in and cut off communication for the better part of a year. In fact, the only acceptable way you can behave in these situations is to put yourself outside all that pettiness and behave exactly as you would if these people were your friends and not your family -- in other words with understanding and sympathy and a little bit of forgiveness.
No, this isn't just about being morally upstanding and honorable. It's also the only way to break the cycle and to forge a better relationship with your family. Yes, family stuff can be difficult from time to time, but this is the only family you've got. You can find new friends if the ones you have now let you down, but you'll never get another family.
So do as you would be done by, because if you do anything else you have no legitimate grounds for complaining when your family does the same thing back to you. Be the one to set the positive example, and show the rest of them how to rise above all that pettiness.
More on: Instilling Values
From The Rules of Love Copyright © 2009, FT Press. Used by permission of FT Press, and Pearson Education. All rights reserved.
To order this book go to Amazon.


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On Saturday night the 2 best teams in Seria A at the moment will play each other in Torino.
Juventus and Inter Milan have both won their last 5 fixtures and with the Old lady 4 points ahead in the table.
A win for Stramaccioni's team would cut the lead at the top to just 1 point but the home side are aiming for 50 matches unbeaten.
Any comments or predictions for this top of the table clash?


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January 23, 2012
TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice Hotel Awards 2012: Cape Town shines
Cape Town features prominently in the TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice Hotel Awards 2012, with two establishments featuring in the Top 25 Hotels in the World. Derwent House boutique hotel (5th) and Blackheath Lodge (18th) were recognised for their excellent all-round value, while the Villa Zest Boutique Hotel was voted the Trendiest Hotel in the World.
Michelle Cronje, manager of Villa Zest Boutique Hotel, says she received phone calls from media around the world, following the announcement of the awards. "We're very proud of the achievement, it's great exposure for us."
In another category, the Top 25 Hotels in Africa, eight of them are based in Cape Town: Derwent House boutique hotel (2nd), Blackheath Lodge (4th), An African Villa (5th), Steenberg Hotel (10th), the Table Bay Hotel (11th), Cape Grace (18th), Chapman's Peak Beach Hotel (19th) and the Cape Heritage Hotel (20th).
The Cape Grace, where James Bond stays in the recent novel Carte Blanche, was also voted Africa's second-best luxury hotel, followed by Taj Cape Town and Mount Nelson Hotel.
The 2Inn1 Kensington was rated Top Hotel for Service in Africa (6th in the world) and was number three on the list of Top 25 Bargain Hotels in Africa.
Last year Cape Town was voted as TripAdvisor Traveler's Choice Best Destination 2011. You can browse Cape Town Tourism's extensive database of Cape Town accommodation and then make a booking or an enquiry.
View the Top 25 Hotels in the World on the TripAdvisor website.


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/ Recommended 6a to 6b problems in Fontainebleau (not slabs)
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Dave Birkett: a name synonymous with hard Lakeland mountain routes and first ascents around the country. A dark horse who has... Read more


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IRH Helmets
IRH helmets from International Riding Helmets reflect the heritage of horseback riding and equestrian events through the ages. In keeping with the beautiful tradition of our riding, IRH helmets maintain the exceptional styling and fit riders expect. Shop our the entire collection of IRH riding helmets at Dover today!


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DENISON, TX - Texomans are stepping up to make sure area kids have what they need to head back to school.
Every year Knight Family Chiropractic hosts their "Tools 4 Schools" supply drive. They prefer cash donations so the schools can buy supplies in bulk and save money.
Dr. Ryan Knight says it takes 25 to 35 dollars to get each child the supplies they need. Last year they outfitted kids in Denison, Pottsboro and Sherman and hope to do the same this year.
"You know, we're not the only one doing school supply drive. There are churches and other organizations doing that, and that's great. I just encourage everybody to get involved in some way. Because you know if you can make a difference in a child's life, then you can make a difference for generations to come," Dr. knight says.
You can drop off cash donations at Knight Family Chiropractic in Denison. You can also donate over the phone.


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Ditiris wrote:Don't clean any actual electronics with a vacuum, unless it's an ESD-sensitive vacuum. Just use compressed air.
You can use a vacuum on your case, fans, and heatsink with pretty much no risk. I don't know how you could possibly damage a fan with a vacuum unless you had the world's strongest vacuum or just weren't interested in cleaning the fan and instead fixated on how fast you could make it spin.
Airmantharp wrote:This; though I would say, from a system builder's perspective, that dust inside the case shouldn't be a problem if filters are used on the intake, and the case has more air intake than exhaust.
Captain Ned wrote:Airmantharp wrote:This; though I would say, from a system builder's perspective, that dust inside the case shouldn't be a problem if filters are used on the intake, and the case has more air intake than exhaust.
Live with a long-haired cat. All theories on case ventilation are void, as I can guarantee that you will find long-hair cat fuzz in everything even with filters and positive internal pressure.
Pholostan wrote:I found out the hard way that the contents of compressed air cans burns really good.
vargis14 wrote:Plus most all vacuums expel the vacuumed air past the motor to keep it cool.
SCENE: 11 PM in suburban Chicago, sound of cop knocking on doorjust brew it! wrote:Maybe if you inverted the can and shot the entire contents directly into the vacuum hose you could have an issue though?
ericfulmer wrote:I am sure I've seen the Mythbusters test the shopvac explosion thing, and they had trouble making any kind of spark. Even with old models, they had to intentionally damage them to get any results.
tigidig3x wrote:Ok, how about i use air compressor? That thing like a machine and it has small air nozzle, am i right? Could i just use it spraying all over the case not using vacuum? I just spray it all over the case until all the dust go away since im gonna do it outside.. Is it ok?
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This question already has an answer here:
I'm now making commercial software for Windows CE O/S, and I want to embed Ubuntu font to my software. The file format will be converted to my own format to speed up my software.
In this case, am I need to obtain some kind of license? Or do it freely with including license.txt files on my software ?


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5 Awesome Ways Famous Plot Twists Were Kept Secret
Nowadays, if you want to know as little as possible about a movie or show before seeing it, you have to actively go out of your way to avoid trailers, gossip sites, and the people who make the movies and shows carelessly spoiling their own creations. The script for Django Unchained, for instance, got leaked over a year before the movie came out (presumably Tarantino wanted us to count the N-words ourselves).
However, there was a time, not too long ago, when filmmakers and entertainers went to extreme lengths to preserve the secrets we'd all find out sooner or later anyway -- even if it meant using insane methods like ...
(Speaking of plot twists, our new Star Wars miniseries will be full of 'em. Watch the trailer now!)
#5. George Lucas Didn't Tell Anyone Darth Vader Was Luke's Father (Not Even the Actors)
The Secret:
Thanks to all the Star Wars parodies, references, and freaking prequels, kids today probably learn that Darth Vader is Luke Skywalker's father before they find out who the president is. However, when The Empire Strikes Back came out in 1980 and Vader said the classic, often misremembered words, "I am your father," audiences were left in complete shock. Keep in mind that fans had been told in the first movie that Luke's dad was dead, by a man with a British accent, no less, so they had little reason to doubt that it wasn't true.
British is like the .gov of accents.
Still, dozens of people are present during the shooting of any scene in a movie, so how the hell did George Lucas convince them to keep this a secret until the movie came out?
How They Kept It Quiet:
Lucas didn't need to convince anyone, because the actor playing Darth Vader in that scene didn't say "I am your father" on the set -- he said "Obi-Wan killed your father."
Seriously, look at his lips.
As you may know, the guy in Vader's suit and the guy who did the voice are two different people (James Earl Jones would dub over David Prowse's lines later), so it was extremely easy for Lucas to just write the fake line into the script and shoot the scene like that. In fact, Lucas was so distrustful of his own crew that he told the truth to absolutely no one. And by no one, of course, we mean a few select people who had to know in order to shoot the scene in question, but seriously, like no one else.
For a long time, the only person Lucas had told was the movie's director, Irvin Kershner, but they only told Mark Hamill, the actor playing Luke Sykwalker, literally moments before he had to shoot his reaction. Even then, Kershner made sure to point out to Hamill that if the ending got leaked, they would know it was him.
"You know when your character loses a hand in the movie? That's just a preview, kid."
Carrie Fisher didn't know, Harrison Ford didn't know, R2-D2 didn't know -- as we mentioned, even Darth Vader didn't know. Or at least he'd forgotten he knew: Two years before The Empire Strikes Back came out, David Prowse jokingly predicted that this very twist might take place while talking to a crowd of over 1,000 Star Wars fans at a public appearance in Berkeley, California.
Terry O'Neill / Getty
"Now there's an idea!"
#4. The "Who Shot J.R.?" Episode of Dallas Was Locked in a Vault
The Secret:
It was, quite simply, the most famous cliffhanger in the history of television. And while those pompous so-called history books may try to tell you that the biggest question of the summer of 1980 was whether Reagan would defeat Carter or when the Iran hostage crisis would finally be resolved, we all know that the mystery everyone really wanted to figure out back then can be summed up in three little words: "Who shot J.R.?"
And the implied follow-up, "Why didn't everyone?"
Specifically, they wanted to find out which of J.R. Ewing's countless sworn enemies finally mustered up the courage to unload a couple of rounds in his ass during the third season finale of prime time soap opera Dallas. It would be eight full months before the answer was finally revealed, and the hype was absolutely through the roof -- the only way the impatient public managed to keep its sanity during that time was by spending shitloads of money on T-shirts, posters, magazines, and other novelty items with J.R.'s name on them.
Time declared the bullet that did it their man of the year.
How They Kept It Quiet:
Apparently the producers themselves bought into the frenzy, because they put more effort into hiding the identity of J.R.'s would-be killer than the U.S. government put into covering up the [sentence redacted by the CIA].
First the show filmed multiple endings with almost every single character firing the fateful shots, ensuring that even they wouldn't know which of them was the real shooter (they even jokingly had a shot of J.R. firing the gun). The correct version was only added to the final cut of the episode two days before its airing. In between, the episode sat locked in a vault in New York. When the episode finally aired, 360 million people finally learned that the culprit was J.R.'s former mistress.
For some reason, we expected ALF.
But before they could even get to that point, the producers had to sort out other troubles: There was an eight-week production delay caused by a Screen Actor's Guild strike, meaning that for the first several months, the writers didn't even have an answer to the mystery. To complicate matters even further, Larry Hagman, the actor behind J.R., staged a 10-day holdout, refusing to perform again until he got a raise. Rather than telling him, "You just filmed a scene where someone shot you, moron," and killing the character, they finally gave him his raise, plus a juicy percentage of royalties from all those J.R. T-shirts.
"I sure hope all this money doesn't hinder my ability to pretend I'm a filthy rich, out-of-touch dickwad for a living."
#3. Andy Kaufman Didn't Even Tell His Family He Was Tony Clifton
The Secret:
Tony Clifton was a bizarre stunt by comedian/genius/crazy person Andy Kaufman, best known for his role of Latka in the sitcom Taxi and for producing the awkwardest silences in the early episodes of Saturday Night Live. Clifton was an obnoxious, hilariously untalented lounge singer, which showed some real acting talent from Kaufman, considering the guy pulled a better Elvis in the '70s than the real Elvis.
Steven Shugerman / Stringer / Getty
To be fair, Elvis could do an excellent Tony Clifton.
Kaufman was determined to convince everyone that he and Clifton were different people, and for a while he actually did it -- check out this news clip where the reporter seems genuinely skeptical that Clifton might be Kaufman:
How They Kept It Quiet:
The main technique Kaufman used to prove that he wasn't Clifton was pretty simple: He'd just show up unannounced during Clifton's shows. As in, while Clifton was performing on the stage. He was able to do this thanks to the fact that, unbeknownst to most people at the time, he wasn't the only person playing the character: His pal Bob Zmuda and his brother Michael Kaufman both wore the fat muttonchops at some point.
Kaufman especially liked doing this when promoters who thought they'd figured out the gag would hire Clifton in hopes of getting Kaufman, since Clifton's booking fees were lower. Zmuda even claims that it was actually him as Clifton in many of the TV interviews the character did, like the one with Letterman.
The David Letterman Show
More recently, Zmuda also played Joaquin Phoenix.
But Kaufman didn't just brush aside the rumors about him and Tony with a playful wink and a smile; he passionately refuted them in public, private, and anywhere in between. As part of his agreement to join the cast of Taxi, Kaufman demanded that NBC not only hire "Tony" for a guest spot, but draw up an actual contract for the fictional character to sign. Then, when Tony showed up on set late, drunk, and with a prostitute on each arm, and subsequently had to be escorted off the premises by security, he insisted they fire "Tony" in front of the cast, crew, other studio executives, and a gathering of press Kaufman had arranged in advance.
According to Zmuda, Kaufman never admitted to being the repulsive lounge singer to anyone but himself, his manager George Shapiro, and his girlfriend, Kaufman's own family included. Zmuda inherited the character after Kaufman's death in 1984 and continues playing Tony to this day.
Tim Mosenfelder / Getty
Or at least we think that's Zmuda.


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i have developed a .wsp package and i got the access to the server(application server) to deploy it.. when i deployed the package and i try to access the site i was getting the error Service Unavailable(HTTP ERROR 503) .. when talk with admin earlier today he said that all application pools were stopped and he started them again, so when i accessed the site it was working again... now i again deployed it the same thing happen, (admin has left for the day)..since i have access to the server..i think the same thing must have happen ..any suggestion as to where can i go and find these application pools and start them again
The application pools are on the servers themselves. Since you are deploying WSP files I assume you are already remoting into the server. You have to open up IIS manager which will allow you to start the application pools.
IIS7 - http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc732742%28WS.10%29.aspx
You may also want to view the sites and make sure that all SharePoint related sites are started as well. These will also be in IIS manager.
The root cause should be of interest to you too. I suggest that you read a post by Waldek on Optimizing the deployment process


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Say you have an Exponential Moving Average being continuously updated over a time series using 1-second-long time periods. What should happen if there is no value for the next second, e.g. there were no price updates? Should the function decay in some way since there are no new values? Is there a correct or accepted way of handling this case?
You can either
I generally prefer the second option, which should cause a decay. Only go for the first option if your application won't change its logic based on missing data.
You should look into inhomogeneous time series operators. The original reference for this work is Zumbach and Muller (2001). An excellent introduction to the material can be found in An Introduction to High-Frequency Finance, starting on page 59. I also found online a book chapter from Modeling Financial Time Series with S-PLUS that includes code for the inhomogeneous EMA (section 9.2.4).