text:
Breaking into the smartphone market isn't easy. Even for a social media giant.
Not quite a month after its launch, AT&T (NYSE:T) has slashed the price of Facebook's (NASDAQ:FB) first venture into the smartphone arena. The HTC First phone was priced at $99.99 with a two year contract, when it debuted on April 12, but can now be purchased for 99 cents, Reuters notes.
The phone runs a modified version of Google's (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android operating system called "Home," which Facebook touts as putting social media at the heart of smartphone use. AT&T is only U.S. wireless carrier to feature the phone.
While carriers often discount phones to boost sales, the dramatic price cut so close to its launch is seen as a bad sign for the phone, signalling that consumers were not lured by its Facebook features and accessibility.
Facebook had long been rumored to be developing its own smartphone. However, the release of the Home app and the HTC First seemed to signal that the company was moving away from developing its own fully-branded smartphone.
Shares of Facebook in dipped fractionally Thursday morning trading, while AT&T fell more than 1%.


text:
The place to be....for the Characters, Places & Things on Television
Cousin Itt with Gomez and Morticia
Cousin Itt (played by Felix Silla and Roger Arravo) stood three-feet tall, wore a derby hat, sunglasses and was covered from head-to-toe with long locks of light brown hair that obscured his face and body.
Itt often visited his relatives, the Addams who lived at 001 Cemetery Lane. Gomez Addams (John Astin) once said of Itt, "Inside all heart, outside all hair."
Because Itt was extremely hard to understand )speaking va a high speed gibberish) Gomez remarked that he could "become a rock and roll singer. However, if you can get past his accent, he made perfect sense." Surprisingly, Itt had an IQ of 320...with his shoes on. While visiting the Addams, Itt liked to hang out in their chimney or in some cozy closet.
Cousin Itt appeared on episodes No. 20 "Cousin Itt Visits the Addams Family" (2-5-65); No. 32 "Cousin Itt and the Vocational Counselor" (5-7-65); No.35 "My Fair Cousin Itt" (9-17-65); and No. 40 "Cousin Itt's Problem" (10-22-65).
TRIVIA NOTE: Cousin Itt's voice was provided by sound-effects engineer Tony Magro, who created Itt's garbled responses by mouthing gibberish into a tape recorder, with a "ppffft and a thhhhhttt" added for good measure, and then accelerating the tape's recording speed.
Some sources erroneously report that producer Nat Perrin performed Cousin Itt's voice. But in the book "The Addams Chronicles" by Stephen Cox, Magro stated "I never got screen credit, but they paid me for it...Everyone in town knew it was me. Even my daughter still introduces me to her friends as Cousin Itt."
In the Paramount motion picture remake The Addams Family (1991), actor John Franklin played the hairy Cousin Itt, this time standing a bit taller at five-feet.
The Cousin Itt character returned on the revival series THE NEW ADDAMS FAMILY that premiered on the Fox Family Channel in the fall of 1998. David Mylrea played the role of Itt.
External Links
Back to Top

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Renowned Muslim Anthropologist Taking One-Year Sabbatical to Examine
Contact: Jon Hussey, AU Media Relations, 202-885-5935 or firstname.lastname@example.com
WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 1, 2008)—Akbar Ahmed, renowned anthropologist and Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies in American University's School of International Service, is taking a one-year sabbatical to research Muslims in America and the attitudes and perceptions of Americans regarding their Muslim neighbors. The cross-country ethnographic study will take Ahmed and his team of five young Americans to more than 30 American towns and cities between September 2008, and summer 2009.
Ahmed will set out to explore the Muslim community, but also to rediscover American identity. With his team, he will examine culture, society and politics making comparisons with other commentators like Alexis De Tocqueville.
Following the trip, the results of in-depth interviews, questionnaires and observations will be compiled and analyzed for a new book, Journey into America.
Ahmed's study has received widespread support from politicians, think tanks, religious leaders and academics. The
"I believe that this study proposal contains the promise of another groundbreaking piece of scholarship," said Ellison, the first Muslim to be elected to the United States Congress. "In order to have a peaceful Muslim world and a secure
Ahmed is the former high commissioner of


text:
It is a fact that exhaust systems are the leading upgrade in the motorcycle industry today. A lot of companies manufacture a wide range of Dirt Bike Exhaust systems and we have gathered all the best brands in the market to offer shoppers the most complete selection of first-rate Dirt Bike Exhaust systems.
In our desire to meet our customers' requirements and satisfaction, we have come up with the best prices on Dirt Bike Exhaust systems. Best prices meaning reasonably-priced and affordable. Our aim is to provide excellent aftermarket dirt or off-road products without burning our customer's pockets. Invest on superior quality Dirt Bike Exhaust systems today!


text:
Albion Ridge Hutterite Colony near Picture Butte, Alberta, was founded in 2009 as a division from the Keho Lake Hutterite Colony. In 2012 the Albion Ridge Hutterite Colony was a Dariusleut colony. The minister was Andrew S. Wurz and the manager was George B. Wurz.
Additional Information
Location: Picture Butte, Alberta (coordinates: 49.988611, -112.865556 [49° 59' 19" N, 112° 51' 56" W])
Address: Box 828, Picture Butte, AB T0K 1V0
Telephone: 403-732-4219
Author(s) | Bert Friesen |
Date Published | June 2013 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Friesen, Bert. "Albion Ridge Hutterite Colony (Picture Butte, Alberta, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. June 2013. Web. 30 Mar 2017. http://gameo.org/index.php?title=Albion_Ridge_Hutterite_Colony_(Picture_Butte,_Alberta,_Canada)&oldid=79190.
APA style
Friesen, Bert. (June 2013). Albion Ridge Hutterite Colony (Picture Butte, Alberta, Canada). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 30 March 2017, from http://gameo.org/index.php?title=Albion_Ridge_Hutterite_Colony_(Picture_Butte,_Alberta,_Canada)&oldid=79190.
©1996-2017 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.


text:
Artist description:
No description entered.
Canvas Draw Created Feb 26, 2013 640 x 460px Unless noted Copyright 2013 IsisAli.
We encourage you to submit a comment and let the artist know what you think of this drawing. Please log in or join to post a comment.
Post a comment
anim3luver May 31, 2013
man i luv tulips n u drew these lovely red ones sooo effortlessly--like how u did the droplets on them as well; simple but pretty, favss
Page 1 2


text:
Quick Details
- Jewelry Type: Rings
- Place of Origin: Guangdong, China (Mainland)
- Brand Name: beadsnice
- Model Number: ID30812
- Rings Type: Gemstone Rings
- Jewelry Main Material: solid silver
- Main Stone: Other
- Setting Type: Bezel setting
- Occasion: Anniversary, Engagement, Gift, Party, Wedding
- Gender: Children's, Men's, Unisex, Women's
- wholesale website: beadsnice.com
- material: metal
- metals type: solid silver
- is_customized: Yes
- style: trendy
- Fit Size: fit 12x9.2mm oval
- Weight: 3.94 gram
- item type: rings
- finding type: ring base
- fine or fashion: fine
Packaging & Delivery
Packaging Details: | 100PC per bag |
Delivery Detail: | 7days |
Sample Display
Product Details
Products Detail | Item | Beadsnice ID30812 925 sterling silver ring setting oval adjustable US ring size 7 to 9 12x9.2x4.5mm sold by PC ring base silver |
Wholesale website | beadsnice.com | |
Main Jewelry Material | 925 sterling silver | |
Status | hot sell in Europe and America | |
Color | many color as color card shows | |
Usage | as gift items | |
OEM or ODM | both available | |
Engrave | can engrave logo as customers' requirement | |
MOQ | At least 1 pc if in stock. Mix style is acceptable. | |
Payment | TT , West Union,PayPal | |
Package | as your requirement | |
We will do our best for you. Please contact us freely! Thanks! |
Question & Answer
1. Can I make my own design?
Yes, customized orders are welcomed.
2. Can I get samples?
Yes, we'll only charge for shipping cost and other products.
3. What's the minimum order?
Our minimum order is about $50 normally.
4. Is your product of quality and consistency?
Yes, all of our 925 sterling silver products meet international standard.
Customers Feedbacks
Customers' satisfaction is very important to us!
If you have any problem or question, please tell us your problem in time.
And we will do our best to solve the problem and give you a satisfying answer.
If you are satisfied with your purchase, please leave us a positive feedback.
After receiving the feedback, we will do the same for you.
It benefits both of us if the positive feedback.
Thank you very much.
Why choose us:
1) We have our own factory and specialized in anufacturing all kinds of jewelry findings.
2) VIP service you can get in the cooperation.
3) We try best to meet the customer requirement.
4) OEM/ODM orders can be done.
5) Small orders and sample orders are welcome .
If you come to Guangzhou, welcome to visit our shop.


text:
We love the look of wonder on a child's face after turning ordinary household items into creations that let their imaginations run wild. The idea is not just to create the most lifelike creations, but rather give the children items and a goal for what these things should become with a little effort. We love the creative use of cardboard tubes to make this gallant castle.
There are only several key things to consider when you indulge in craft time. Make sure you control the dangerous items such as scissors, sharp pens, and other such things.
Next, always make sure you have extra materials. You will be amazed how creative children will be when actually given the creative license to experiment. It's impressive! Color is a big part of the creative process, so be sure to have between 32 and 64 colo...READ MORE
Category Arts and Crafts, Baby Gifts, Designer Baby Clothes


text: The Traveler Tray from Magma can be easily attached to the Magma Laptop-Stand Traveler and provides a useful storage place for an interface, a hard drive or an iPad. Made of aluminum and continuously adjustable, this tray is perfect for DJs on the go. Magma Laptop Stand Traveler Tray Features


text:
To try the thousands of add-ons available here, download Mozilla Firefox, a fast, free way to surf the Web!
CloseWelcome to Firefox Add-ons.
Choose from thousands of extra features and styles to make Firefox your own.
Closeglowywine 10.0.02 Requires Restart
by glowplug
Gold trimmings with a variety of dark backgrounds.
It will integrate with most extensions by default.
This add-on is not compatible with your version of Firefox because of the following:
About this Add-on
On the other hand some extensions need to change certain colors.
In most cases those changes will be fine but they can sometimes be unreadable on dark or montone themes.
I test and fix what I can but with over 7,000 extensions there is no way I can keep up with the changes on my own.
If you find a problem such as unreadable text then please email me about it.
I will fix and release it as soon as I can.
If it is urgent I will try to give you a custom release within a day or so.


text:
At the end of its first season, "Beauty and the Beast" saw beastly hottie Vincent kidnapped and taken away from true love Catherine. He will be back in the Season 2 premiere, but things may have changed a little in "Who Am I?"
Photos from the premiere episode make that clear.
After his long absence, Vincent (Jay Ryan) knows how to make an entrance.
Catherine (Kristin Kreuk), Gabe (Sendhil Ramamurthy) and JT (Austin Basis) are shocked to see Vincent again.
Is there something that is making the men suspicious?
Vincent doesn't seem too sure of the situation.
Something about this photo has upset him.
Vincent and JT try to reconnect.
Catherine may want JT to reassure her now that Vincent is back.
The team learns something disturbing.
Can they even trust Vincent anymore?
Fans will have to wait for the Season 2 premiere — airing Monday, Oct. 7 on The CW.


text:
36 items found |
You can send Graduation Gifts to Israel in the following cities.
What our Customers Say about our Service |
"You guys are seriously AMAZING. I order a lot of flowers internationally and you are the absolute BEST!" Ronda - El Cajon CA, USA - Oct 16, 2015 "It's great to find some online businesses who are able to provide a fast response by email and phone. I was able to call them even at 1 am and someone was always there to answer questions about my corporate order. My family has relatives in Italy and my husband is German, so we were lucky to find a place that delivered almost anywhere in Europe and US. Their prices are on a higher end, yet their customer service and speed of delivery was something I didn't mind paying for." Deb - England - Oct 2, 2009 "I first used Giftbasketsoverseas.com months ago. I placed an order from USA going to Russia. I placed on a Saturday night and it was delivered to my friend on Sunday. I was amazed how quick it was. I just placed my 2nd order on May 3rd another Saturday night and again it was delivered the next day. My friend loved it. Her Mom is going in the hospital for surgery so I just wanted to give them some joy. They forgot to put my card with the message with gift. It really was not a problem but they really stepped up and the next day brought my friend a complimentary box of chocolates. That was a great gesture and I will be using gift baskets solely and will recommend to anyone that will be shipping abroad." Jon B - Bradford MA, USA - May 6, 2014 "We were recipients of the basket for Christmas and have really enjoyed it all! The food is very tasty and fresh quality. We are enjoying the wine also! All very enjoyable! " Barbara - Texas, USA - February 2, 2013 Read more testimonials or leave your feedback here. |


text:
Iranian police arrest hardliners
Iranian authorities said Saturday they have detained hardliners who are blamed for attacks against pro-democracy demonstrators.
A statement on Iranian television said police detained what were called "thugs and ruffians" who attacked people and public places in violence late Friday and early Saturday.
Among those arrested was Sa'id Asgar, a prominent figure, who two years ago shot and seriously wounded a top adviser to Iran's reformist president, Mohammad Khatami. Iranian news reports said Sa'id Asgar and several associates were charged with beating university students in their dormitory rooms. (Albawaba.com)
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)


text:
Pittsburgh-area rocker Donnie Iris whose biggest hit was "The Rapper" claimed in a lawsuit that Sony did not pay royalties for sampling a lesser-known song that wound up on a rap record by The Game, "Letter to the King."
Sony ATV Music Publishing in New York didn't immediately return messages seeking comment Friday on the copyright infringement suit filed in U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh by Dominic Ierace and two others.
Better known by the stage name of Donnie Iris, Mr. Ierace co-wrote the song "Memoirs of the Traveler" when he was a member of The Jaggerz. The other co-writers, who are also suing Sony, are Eugene "Benny" Faiella, an original member of The Jaggerz, and the estate of Joseph V. Rock. Mr. Rock managed the group when the song appeared on the album "We Went to Different Schools Together" in 1970.
Mr. Ierace, who was born in New Castle and grew up in Ellwood City, wrote "The Rapper," which was his biggest hit — rising to No. 2 on the Billboard charts for two weeks that year — and was included on the same album as "Memoirs of the Traveler." Iris has had other hits since the band broke up in the mid-1970s, notably "Leah" and "Love Is Like A Rock" in the 1980s.
He was also a member of Wild Cherry, though after the band's hit "Play That Funky Music" was released.
The lawsuit contends musical samples from the lesser-known song have been used on the "Letter to the King" track recorded by the rapper known as The Game. The song appeared on a 2008 album "LAX" and was released as a single.
According to the lawsuit, The Game's label, Geffen Universal paid royalties to EMI Music Publishing Co., but EMI never passed on the royalties to the three men who wrote "Memoirs." They're suing Sony/ATV because Sony bought out EMI in June 2012.
"In January 2013, Sony requested additional time to research the writer royalty issue" and "several more communications were exchanged with Sony throughout 2013" without a result, so the lawsuit was filed late Wednesday with the court, the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit doesn't specify how much the songwriters say the record company owes.


text:
Dangerous Dog Registries
Written by
May 15, 2014Have you seen the video that went viral this week, yet? Hero cat, saves little boy from vicious dog. We all usually associate Fido with man's best friend and protector, but sadly, sometimes Fido's intentions aren't what we expected. Good thing other furry friends are willing to step up to the challenge.
Our neighbors to the south in Orange County were at one point considering an initiative to create an online "Dangerous Dog Registry." After some further research, we quickly discovered Orange County is hardly the first jurisdiction to mull creating such a registry. In fact, a number of counties and cities across the country, including Virginia, Minneapolis, and Florida, have taken the initiative to provide people information on dangerous dogs near them.
Here at Spokeo, we are constantly evaluating and integrating new data into our products to make them more valuable for our customers. As a part of this process, we're also looking outside the bounds of "people search" to discover what others are doing to empower families and individuals through information.
Unfortunately, there are a number of challenges to Dangerous Dog Registries having a material impact in making people's lives safer.
1) Number of Jurisdictions — With 3,144 county-equivalent and approximately 36,000 city/town governments in the US, there are a huge number of independently-acting bodies which would have to act to achieve full coverage. Without a more comprehensive (state- or federal-level) initiative, the availability Dangerous Dog registries will continue to be sparse.
2) Boundaries — Government (and computers) deal very well with strict boundaries. However, those people who are near the boundary between one or more jurisdictions would have to monitor multiple registries.
3) Awareness — As registries are created at the local level, there is not widespread media or consumer attention drawn to the topic. A state- or federal- level initiative would generate the media attention required to "get the word out" on dangerous dogs. Similarly, a large-scale awareness program that is generally beyond the means of local government would
We here at Spokeo are not trying to make a national Dangerous Dog Registry — yet. One day we may crossover to "Canine Search," but for now we're keenly focused on tackling searching for people. We gather data from many different sources and bring them all together to answer the questions you have about those around you. Spokeo's data is sourced from all fifty states — thousands of counties and tens of thousands of cities — and presented as one tool to uncover the information you need.
Some Dog Registries:
Posted in People Search


text:
Arenus® Assure® Guard is a granular, daily digestive aid for gastric health as well as hindgut support and maintenance in horses. It provides nutrients to help maintain proper stomach pH, while stabilizing the gastrointestinal system to keep your horse's digestive tract normal and healthy. Assure® Guard is designed to help horses during lifestyle challenges such as competition, training, transport, and feed changes. Ingredients include calcium carbonate, probiotics, prebiotics, enzymes, and psyllium. 3.54 lb (45-day).
Premier product - this product is not eligible for any discounts off the purchase price.
Ingredients: Direct Fed Microorganism Blend (Calcium Carbonate, Dried Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Fermentation Product, Sodium Silicoaluminate, Driedm Lactobacillus Acidophilus, Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococcus Faecium, Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus Oryzae Fermentation Extract, Dried Trichoderma Longibrachiatum Fermentation Product, Dried Bacillus Subtilis Fermentation Extract), Psyllium Seed Husk, Calcium carbonate, Dextrose, Brewers Dried Yeast, Dried Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Fermantaion Solubles, Natural and Artificial Flavoring, Sodium Ascorbate, Licorice Root Powder, Zinc Methionine Hydroxyl Analogue Chelate, Anise Oil, Mineral oil.
Guaranteed Analysis:
Can be fed directly to a horseÆs concentrate or grain ration at each meal, not to exceed two servings per day. One level scoop is approximately 35.6 grams ; scoop enclosed.
Dover Saddlery is proud to offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee on all of our products. We stand behind the quality of our products, and should you not be satisfied with your purchase, simply return it and we will refund, replace or exchange it for you.
100% Satisfaction Guaranteed - Your Money Back Any Time, for Any Reason.
Dover Saddlery understands your concerns regarding online security. We share in your concerns and therefore work hard with experts in the field to maintain a highly secure ordering environment. Along with our comment to security, we offer you a Secure Order Guarantee - this gives you 100% protection for your credit card transactions on Doversaddlery.com.
Our Secure Order Guarantee means that you will never have to pay any money related to unauthorized charges to your credit card account, as long as those charges are a direct result from a transaction on Doversaddlery.com.
How it works: If you experience credit card fraud, the Fair Credit Act specifies that your credit card company can hold you liable for no more than $50.00 in fraudulent charges to your account. Our Secure Order Guarantee will reimburse you for any amount up to $50.00 billed to you by your credit card company for unauthorized charges to your account, if those charges result from an order you placed with Doversaddlery.com. For this protection you must promptly notify your credit card company of fraudulent charges and follow their procedures as outlined in your credit card agreement.
Show us your equestrian style. #itsfromdover


text: TSA Seizes Tiny Toy Gun From Stuffed Monkey, Threatens to Call CopsAshley Feinberg12/09/13 3:00pmFiled to: securityprivacygunsfirearms1758EditPromoteShare to KinjaToggle Conversation toolsGo to permalinkThanks to the ever-diligent men and women of the United States Transportation Security Administration, we can all rest a little bit easier tonight. Yesterday at approximately 17:00 hours, a one Mr. Rooster Monkburn was successfully disarmed when a TSA agent confiscated the monkey sock puppet's two-inch, vaguely gun-shaped piece of plastic—and then threatened to call the police. The offending accessory.AdvertisementIt all started when Phyllis May of Redmond, Washington attempted to smuggle the stuffed, armed primate through security on her way from St. Louis to Seattle. Immediately identifying the threat, the agents on duty stepped into action and pulled Mr. Monkburn's carrying case from the conveyor. The jig, it seems, was up. "I realized, oh my god, this is my bag," May told KTVB-TV. The exchange that then took place was—and this cannot be emphasized enough—absolutely phenomenal: May said the TSA agent went through the bag, through the sewing supplies and found the two-inch long pistol."She said 'this is a gun,'" said May. "I said no, it's not a gun it's a prop for my monkey." "She said 'If I held it up to your neck, you wouldn't know if it was real or not,' and I said 'really?'" said May.The TSA agent told May she would have to confiscate the tiny gun and was supposed to call the police."I said well go ahead," said May. "And I said really? You're kidding me right, and she said no it looks like a gun.""She took my monkey's gun."Let's hear that one more time.AdvertisementI said no, it's not a gun it's a prop for my monkey.And with that, we celebrate one more victory for freedom. [King5 via Boing Boing]Reply175 repliesLeave a reply


text:
"I dedicate this song to my late uncle, Bill Boone.
He passed away 1 year ago on 3/22/13.
He was one of my mother's brothers.
He fought his cancer long and hard. He went bravely through so much pain. And through his participation in experimental treatments, others will get to benefit from the data that the doctors were able to collect, even though he did not.As far as this song goes, I have not been able to find too much information. My notes say that it was composed by California Kalikookalani Kamai Tsukiyama. The story goes that when she was a young girl, she was struck hard by scarlet fever.
The young girl heard her prognosis, and knew she did not have much time left.
The words of this song are how she memorialized her preparations.Her consoling words, and her reassurance of Heaven as "a pretty place", depict the young girl's bravery as she prepared for her transition to the other side.
Nobody wants their mother to see them suffer.
"Kiss me as I fall asleep" nearly gets me every time.I am happy that she ended up living.
I love you, Uncle Bill. I can't believe it's been a year since you moved on.
I know you're flying high up there with all those beautiful planes!!!Blessings to his wife, his kids, his grandkids, his mom, his siblings, his nephews, and nieces. We all loved him so much."
Thank you cousin.
For more memories, click here to visit the Celebrate Bill! page.


text:
Opalescence take-home whitening gel is perfect for people who want a lot of options. With four different concentrations and three flavors, you can wear Opalescence for as little as 30 minutes per day—or even overnight! Dispensed only by a licensed dental professional, Opalescence take-home whitening gel allows you to get professional whitening results at your convenience in a safe, effective, and customized way!
Learn how to begin your Opalescence whitening treatment!
Adjust the slider to the right to see the before shot. Then move it to the left to see the brilliant results Opalescence provides!
Express one continuous bead of gel approximately halfway up the facial side of the tray from molar to molar. This should use about 1/2 to 1/3 of a syringe per tray.
Insert the tray in your mouth and lightly tap it to adapt the sides to your teeth. Wear time depends on which concentration of Opalescence you use.
Remove tray and use a finger or soft toothbrush to clean any excess gel off your teeth. Rinse your mouth twice being sure not to swallow rinsed gel.
Clean tray with soft brush and cool tap water. Store tray in the case that came with your kit.
If you experience any significant sensitivity, stop your treatment and talk to your dentist.
Opalescence take-home whitening gels are available from your dentist only. The sticky, viscous gel won't leak out of the tray onto your gums, and Opalescence gels include potassium nitrate and fluoride (PF). Findings have confirmed that the potassium nitrate and fluoride actually help to reduce cavities, minimize sensitivity, increase enamel hardness, and improve the overall health of your teeth. 1–5
Powerful, professional-strength Opalescence take-home whitening gels are available with 10%, 15%, 20%, and 35% carbamide peroxide concentrations. Opalescence take-home whitening gels can provide results after just one treatment, though you should expect to see noticeable results in about a week.
Opalescence take-home whitening gel is delivered via a customized whitening tray that your dentist will create from an impression of your mouth. This customization is part of why Opalescence take-home whitening gels are so effective. You can further customize your experience with Opalescence take-home whitening gels by choosing from the four concentrations and three flavors (Mint, Melon, and Regular).
Visit ultradent.com to learn more about the clinical advantages of Opalescence and to purchase Opalescence for your office.


text:
My life as a coach - #01
5 days ago
Posted by Shannon at 2:46 PM
Labels: Colin, Grayson, kids activities, Wordless Wednesday
Is there dye in the water?
Yes that's why the roses are edged with green and sort of speckled. You would think they were the first person to ever think of this experiment, they are so proud.
I love it. I bet they are proud as anything. The flowers are really pretty.


text:
Course reviews
+0 votes James Powell › March 25, 2012
Excellent course. Par 54. Mix of long/short, left/right. Mostly thru woods, gets better every year.
+0 votes Kurt Griffith › April 9, 2014
With the cleaning up that has been done over recent months, the course has shown more and more potential. The natural tees. while nice, don't provide stable footing on the drive.


text:
Invaluable cannot guarantee the accuracy of translations through Google Translate and disclaims any responsibility for inaccurate translations.
Sierra Del Mar #5
(246 views)Description: Oil on panel. Signed on verso.
Condition Report: In Excellent Condition
Notes: Burega's work can sometimes appear to be a contradiction. It's development always emerges from conflict, that effervescent energy fighting any attempts at control and creating a certain tension between the grid that he scores onto each of panel and the chaos that abstractive process produces. The spaces where man meets the natural world captivate Peter Burega. His work always begins with photography. Traveling throughout the world, taking thousands of photographs of natural forms, such as waves contrasted with manmade structures like bridges, inspires the artist back in the studio. Creating a matrix using multiple images, Burgea employs his grid system, abstracting and superimposing the images into a single piece. Peter Burega's paintings blend documentation of the real world with the artist's own physically exercised psychology and are often described as containing dualities: organic/linear, manmade/natural, ordered/chaotic, structured/amorphous. He believes that these dualities represent striving for calm and balance in life, and that the juxtaposition of his aggressive, abstractive energy with structured form consistently results in the most successful work. To support his visceral energy, Burgea paints on wood panels of laminate birch with solid alder sides. These strong, stable panels record his aggressive and subtractive manner of applying and removing paint. The physical and psychological come together in this process, resulting in paintings that can be at once percussive and soothing.
Dimensions: 40 x 60 inches
Artist or Maker: Burega, Peter
Medium: Oil on Panel
Date: 2014
- You have read and agree with the Terms and Conditions below and the Invaluable Terms of Use Agreement
- You agree to pay any applicable taxes and shipping.


text:
Roy Lee Thomas, 83, of Lubbock passed away Wednesday, June 15, 2011. He was born in Plano, Texas to Mr. and Mrs. Joe Thomas on November 8, 1927. He served in the United States Army from Nov. 1, 1950 to August 14, 1952 with an Honorable Discharge.
He was preceded in death by parents; three brothers; and seven sisters.
He leaves to cherish his memory one daughter, Nedra Armstead; one son, Mike Thomas; three granddaughters; three great-grandchildren; one special niece, Jamie L. Ross; and a host of other relatives and friends.
Services will be held at 11 a.m., Wednesday, June 22, 2011 at 20th and Birch Church of Christ. Interment will follow at City of Lubbock under the direction of Griffin Mortuary. Visitations will be held from 1 to 6 p.m. today at Griffin Mortuary.
Posted June 21, 2011 01:01 am - Updated June 21, 2011 01:31 am


text:
Download the Report
NEW YORK, March 19, 2009—Reflecting a growing interest in the Arab world, enrollments in Arabic language classes on American college campuses are on the rise, and more U.S. students are studying in Arab countries. Yet the numbers are still very small; the Arab world attracts only 2,200 American students a year, or less than one percent of all Americans who study overseas for academic credit annually, and more than 80 percent go to one of three countries: Egypt, Jordan or Morocco. A new report issued by the Institute of International Education in cooperation with the Hollings Center for International Dialogue looks at Expanding U.S. Study Abroad in the Arab World. This is the latest issue in IIE's Study Abroad White Paper Series, "Meeting America's Global Education Challenge."
The report found that capacity does exist to host more U.S. students in the region, and that there is great enthusiasm for increased study abroad among both U.S. and Arab-world educators, despite the challenges they face. The white paper contains a thorough discussion of specific challenges and opportunities, including those involved in increasing study abroad in countries and institutions that are currently underrepresented.
The white paper was released today by IIE president Allan E. Goodman at the Institute's annual conference on "Best Practices in Internationalizing the Campus." The event convened some 200 university presidents, provosts, deans, administrators, and government officials to share strategies and achievements in international education. Dr. Goodman chaired a panel discussion on "Institutional Linkages with the Middle East," which featured insights from representatives of the Qatar Foundation, the lead sponsor of IIE's Best Practices Conference, and Carnegie Mellon University, which has a campus in Qatar's Education City. In addition, a dean from Champlain College shared her experiences in the Middle East through the Institute for Global Engagement, for which the college won IIE's 2009 Andrew Heiskell Award for internationalizing the campus. Today's conference marked the 90th anniversary of IIE's founding in 1919, and included an awards luncheon at the United Nations to recognize the winners of the Institute's 2009 Andrew Heiskell Awards for Innovation in International Education.
"Expanding study abroad to the Arab world is a timely and complex issue, and one that is important for educators who wish to prepare their students to succeed and prosper in a global economy and an interconnected world," said Dr. Goodman. The new report, written by Mary Kirk, Robert Gutierrez, and Christopher Powers from IIE, and Amy Hawthorne from the Hollings Center, grew out of a 2008 workshop that IIE and the Hollings Center convened at Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane, Morocco, with support from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State. Representatives from 19 Arab-world universities in 11 countries and from study abroad programs and U.S. sending institutions took part. They explored ways to diversify the base of programs across the Arab world and enhance their capacity to host American students. Participants also discussed how to create high-quality programs that promote intercultural learning, build proficiency in the Arabic language, and serve the needs of both Arab and U.S. institutions. The new report recommends actions needed to encourage more U.S. students to study in the Arab world and make it easier for them to take part in programs that currently host few U.S. students. It contains a thoughtful summary of the diverse perspectives of workshop participants on topics such as credit transfer and academic standards, international partnerships, cross-cultural issues, safety and security, resources and marketing capacity of host institutions, and Arabic language study.
Professor Rachid Benmokhtar Benabdallah, former president of Al Akhawayn University, wrote a foreword to the report, and Dr. Ahmad Y. Majdoubeh, Dean of the Faculty of Foreign Languages at the University of Jordan, contributed an article entitled "The Americans are Coming." In addition, the white paper contains the results of a survey of 33 senior-level faculty and administrators who participated in the workshop. Finally, the authors have compiled a practical inventory of participating Arab-world institutions, with information on their programs for American students, contact details, and instructions on how U.S. students can apply.
Following the 2008 workshop, IIE and the Hollings Center have taken several immediate steps to support the development of capacity and thoughtful expansion of study in the Arab world. These include creating the initial inventory of programs, providing complimentary IIENetwork membership to the Arab-world workshop participants, and providing small grants from the Hollings Center to assist in the establishment of an Arab Association for International Education and to support a conference on the teaching of Arabic dialects to U.S. college students.
Longer range recommendations include: expanding the inventory to include all institutions in the region; expanding Arabic teacher training and teaching materials; awarding study abroad scholarships for U.S. students to study at any institution in the region; organizing U.S. campus study tours for underrepresented Arab-world institutions; and sustaining ongoing dialogue through follow-on workshops and seminars.
The Institute of International Education (IIE), an independent, nonprofit organization founded in 1919, is the world's most experienced global higher education and professional exchange organization. IIE has a network of 22 offices worldwide, more than 1,000 college and university members, and more than 5,000 volunteers. IIE designs and implements programs of study and training for students, educators, young professionals and trainees from all sectors with funding from government and private sources. These programs include the Fulbright and Humphrey Fellowships and the Gilman Scholarships administered for the U.S. Department of State.
The Hollings Center, established as a nongovernmental organization through legislation enacted by the U.S. Congress, provides a forum for dialogue involving citizens of the United States and predominantly Muslim countries on issues of shared concern, in order to open or reinforce channels of communication and to deepen understanding. The Center believes that people-to-people dialogue is an essential component of the long-term process of strengthening relations.
Sharon Witherell Director, Public Affairs Tel: +1 212.984.5380 E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
Shana Childs Public Affairs Tel: +1 212.984.5360 E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
IIE experts on international education are available for interviews or speaking engagements.
Dr. Allan E. GoodmanPresident and CEO
Peggy Blumenthal Senior Counselor to the President


text:
"One of the hardest things in life is having words in your heart that you can't utter."
Stutter Rock 2016!
Thursday, May 19, 2016
Icehouse MPLS
This is the Fifth Annual benefit concert to support the University of Minnesota day camp and support groups for youth who stutter.
We hope you can join us for an awesome night with great music! This year Stutter Rock will be at the wonderful Icehouse Minneapolis! The price this year will be $10 and proceeds for the event will again be going to the University of Minnesota day camp and support groups for youth who stutter.
Artists that are playing Stutter Rock:
- 2016 5th Annual
- Elizabeth Kupchella - www.facebook.com/ElizabethKupchella
- Tabah - https://www.tabahmpls.com/
- Jillian Rae - http://www.jillianraemusic.com/
With your involvement we were able to donate $1,725.00 to the University of Minnesota to fund their support groups and camps for youth who stutter in 2013. The camp takes place in June of each year and the children who attend have a fantastic week. Often times this is the only time they are around other young people who stutter and the friendships formed are incredibly valuable.
You can learn more about this important program and how important it is to support their efforts at their website: University of Minnesota Stutter Camp.
Looking forward to seeing you all at Stutter Rock 2016 this year!


text:
Terra Carmichael is the 35-year-old founder of FlyingPeas.com, an online purveyor of baby clothing. She founded the company in 2006, and last year made $60,000 on sales of $170,000. Because she works 10 hours a day as a publicist, the mother of three young children is able to devote, at most, only the hours between 9 p.m. and 2 a.m. to filling orders and buying items from 100 manufacturers and designers. She wants to grow FlyingPeas so that she can afford to quit her day job and work on the online retailer full-time.
We asked Tom Bedecarre, chief executive of digital ad agency AKQA, in San Francisco, to help Carmichael devise a marketing strategy. Bedecarre has worked with clients such as Nike, Coca-Cola, Unilever and Kraft.
It's great to see a working mom committed to launching a successful small business. Terra has a keen eye for unique and hip baby gifts and FlyingPeas has generated good initial online sales. But she has no marketing program, almost no PR or social marketing efforts, and she's not using her growing mailing list.
I think Terra can achieve her goal of making this business a full-time career if she focuses on fundamentals first, and then leverages her experience as a seasoned PR professional.
First, Terra needs to get the site working harder for her. She should add meta tags for the most popular baby gift keywords. Video would allow her to tell her story and feature her gifts in use. Terra should use a guest registration page so she can collect e-mails for future marketing. Why not add a gift registry, so moms can register for the baby gifts that they really want?
Next, Terra should develop a social media strategy so she can share FlyingPeas on Facebook, Twitter and other social networks. She should build her network and add new content to keep fans and friends informed about new products and sales promotions.
Terra's secret weapon is her experience as a PR professional. She should be drafting press releases and taping videos to communicate her story and featuring her unique gifts. Why not go to town on the FlyingPeas theme? Shoppers would enjoy learning about Terra's twin boys throwing peas at each other, and that these children are the inspiration for FlyingPeas.
To date, the company's best-seller has been the Construction Cutlery–toy spoons to push peas and food to make eating fun. Why not make a video of the twins eating peas using Construction Cutlery? I'm confident that Terra can generate some positive PR around that charming story and unique gift.
If Terra can spend just one hour each day (after the kids are asleep, of course) focused on writing press releases, blogging about her business, adding content to her Facebook page or tweeting about new gifts–I'm confident she will see a steady increase in her business.
For more insights from Tom Bedecarre, follow him on Twitter


text: Skullgirls's Latest Lady Fighter, Ms. Fortune, Is All About Decap AttacksMichael McWhertor10/06/11 8:00pmFiled to: SkullgirlsXbox Live Arcadeplaystation networkPS3Xbox 360Reverge labsAutumn games64EditPromoteShare to KinjaToggle Conversation toolsGo to permalinkDownloadable 2D fighting game Skullgirls has a new contender, Ms. Fortune. Who is she? And why is she so gross? Mostly because none of her extremities or her cat-head seem too well attached.AdvertisementSkullgirls co-creator Mike Z offers us a little walkthrough of what makes Ms. Fortune special. Not only can she bowl her noggin at her opponent, her head becomes a separately controlled entity when she does. There's also the rather icky-looking "ball of yarn" attack, which actually appears to involve Ms. Fortune wrapping her opponent in sinew and batting them around.This is a ten minute education on one character, which might teach you a thing or two about this unusual old-school fighting game. Skullgirls will be out for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in early 2012, after a brief delay. Exclusive Ms. Fortune Character Walkthrough HD [GameTrailers]You can contact Michael McWhertor, the author of this post, at email@example.com. You can also find him on Twitter, Facebook, and lurking around our #tips page.Reply64 repliesLeave a reply


text:
What makes a Country Great?
364 Days a year, we abuse our fellow citizens, divide and discriminate in the name of locality, language, religion. For 1 Day, we become a proud citizen. For how long are we going to be proud of centuries old past filled with rich values and culture? We can't hide our present remembering history always. The values and culture of past is in history now, they are very much eloped in western culture in name of modernity. While changes are necessary, but good things doesn't need any change, but improvements are always welcome. But, nothing such happening.
This is what's modern India is –
- 42% of the world's poor live in India
- More than a million Indians are millionaires.
- An estimated 35% of India's population lives below the poverty line.
- India tops the list for black money in the world with almost US$1456 billion in Swiss banks.
- India leads the world with the most murders (32,719) per year.
- India has one of the world's highest rates of abortion.
- Divide and Rule is still the way for political parties in each state.
India is world's largest democracy but, it is also the world's most corrupt democracy.
As of December 2008, 120 of India's 522 parliament members were facing 'criminal' charges. Many of the biggest scandals since 2010 have involved very high levels of government, including Cabinet Ministers and Chief Ministers, such as in the 2G spectrum scam and the Adarsh Housing Society Scam.
And At which level? It starts from Top!
Independent reports published through 1991 to 2011 calculated the financial net worth of India's most powerful and traditionally ruling family (the Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty) to be anywhere between $9.41 billion (Rs 42,345 crore) to $18.66 billion (Rs 83,900 crore), most of it in the form of illegal monies.
Corrupt Political System, Corrupt Higher Education System, Disregard by and for Law and Order, Disregard for Environment, Growing Poverty, Growing Slums, Discrimination based on Cast and Locality (even by political parties like Shivsena, MNS!), Disregard for Fellow Citizens, Young Generation with total disregard of Traditional Values, Respect for others, While most of the good customs have disappeared, Superstitions or illogical customs are still followed in 21st Century!
Yes, there are good things, there are good people but, the negative darker side of India has grown too big and it's just mess. I simply find is amusing that people who trash everything which India used to stand for whole year, are acting as a proud citizen on day of Independence.
If people needs a change than, "People needs to change". People is what makes a country great and keeps it great. A Country is known for is customs, values, traditions – which are followed by people. To make a country great, Its people needs to be a greater.
Stats source: Wikipedia


text:
(76 quotes found)
"Keep tuned to the forecast, because it's moving hardly at all, it is forecast to drift to the north and northwest. It may well be in our own back yard by the end of the week."
Jason Kadah
"Lars played a great cross and I just drifted to the far post, ... No one marked me so I just headed it in."
Jeff Rowland
"It drifted down, and he just went and got it."
Ron Gardenhire
"Claims have been drifting well below normal levels throughout the month. On the eve of the January payrolls report tomorrow, it could just indicate that a blowout (strong) number for payrolls could be in the cards."
Ronald Simpson
"They've got 4-foot drifts over there in places."
Ronda Holwell
"We had a mid-afternoon drift upwards, but I would call it more a lack of selling than buying momentum,"
Jennifer Williams
"When we crossed the dirt, the leader drifted out and we got through. He just took off and got the job done."
Patrick Valenzuela
"We believe that Mo wandered offshore into deep waters where he drifted south with the currents. After 30 days, he was 284 miles from his release site."
Jim Reid
"Our positions have drifted far apart."
Joerg Hofmann
"We had warned the players beforehand about Cooper's left foot but we still allowed him to drift inside and shoot."
Johan Boskamp


text: Garbage Truck Underestimates Bridge, Dumps Load All Over RoadMichael Ballaban8/03/13 3:14pmFiled to: crasheslolcarsgarbage trucks57EditPromoteShare to KinjaToggle Conversation toolsGo to permalinkDon't you hate when you're driving along, minding your own business, when the truck carrying garbage in front of you slams into the overpass ahead and dumps its garbage all over the road and your car, leaving everything a disgusting mess? Yeah, I hate when that happens. Advertisement H/t to Grant!Reply57 repliesLeave a reply


text:
The victims were not casual applicants, but graduates who had slogged through an ordinary degree course and then gone on to take and pass the solicitors' finals exams - some of the most difficult and tedious tests the British education system has devised. The Law Society had 1,700 registered as willing and ready to start as trainee solicitors. It had encouraged legal firms to provide vacancies and found that there were just three places on offer.
Tim Toghill, the Law Society's manager for careers and recruitment services, broke the bad news to the applicants: 'We have done our best,' he wrote, 'it may be worth taking a year or so off.' The Law Society has closed its employment bureau. It is only one route by which would-be solicitors find work. But even the optimists in the profession predict that this year 6,000 students will be chasing 3,000 jobs.
The law is not a special case. Pick any traditional middle-class career and ask if new recruits or established employees can expect to stay until they are 65. Ask if they can do their time, retire with a watch and spend their later years indulging the grandchildren. The answer will be no.
The public services, from the BBC to the NHS, are in the grip of what one union leader calls a 'Maoist permanent revolution' in which staff jobs are being replaced with short-term posts and services previously provided in-house are being contracted out. In the private sector, white-collar employees have learnt to dread a peculiar new phrase: 'flattened structures'. A flat structure is one in which middle managers have been squeezed out.
Safe jobs are a thing of the past. A degree, a suit and tie and payments into a pension scheme no longer add up to a guaranteed career, and the middle class is discovering anxieties and a culture of insecurity that many in the working class have known for decades.
FOR LAW students who have passed the solicitors' finals exams all this is terrifying. The hard work would be justifiable and financial burdens bearable (one in three has borrowed pounds 5,000 or more to pay for his or her education) if trainee places with a good firm were guaranteed at the end of it all. Now they are not.
Worse still, for the first time in living memory even those who jump through the academic hoops and then get into a firm are no longer secure.
Alex (not his real name) was recruited by Clifford Chance, a City law firm that boasts it is the biggest legal conglomerate in Europe. He was a model child of Thatcherism. His parents were working-class Labour voters who lived on a Yorkshire council estate. Alex was bright and disciplined. He won a place at Queen's College, Oxford, and joined the university's Conservative Association. 'My philosophy was you don't get anything out of life unless you get it yourself,' he said. 'You don't expect any favours . . . people who expect favours aren't worth bothering about.'
Clifford Chance came to Oxford on the graduate milk round and Alex, who was heading for a 2:1 in history, was impressed. 'We were all caught up in the yuppie idea. All these lawyers were wearing braces, flash ties and striped shirts. I thought OK, I can't make as much as a City dealer, but he could be out on his earhole at any moment. As a lawyer, I would get a decent amount of cash and have security.'
In June, he was nearing the end of his two years' training with the firm and expecting to be taken on full-time. He was not stupid or incompetent. But his attitude was wrong. On his own admission, he was a true plain-speaking Yorkshireman who did not take any nonsense. Clifford Chance told him to go.
The Law Society runs a helpline for men like Alex. Every day, young and, more often, middle-aged lawyers call in, angry and stunned that they have lost their jobs. Many of the older lawyers are in tears because they know they will never work again. About one in a hundred, said a counsellor, is positive and talks about striking out on his own and setting up a new business.
'The truth is a lot of people are learning humility,' said John Balsdon, chairman of the Law Society's trainee solicitors' group. 'The new, hard culture has destroyed our arrogance. No one believes you can have a stable job for life anymore. That was for our parents.'
Alex was a little more blunt. 'I just thought: 'the bastards',' he said.
ARE there still safe careers? Jobs that will allow you, as Louis MacNeice put it, to 'sit on your arse for 50 years and hang your hat on a pension'?
The Civil Service? Last week, Virginia Bottomley announced that 1,900 NHS executive and clerical jobs would go in the next six months. The redundancies would allow a 'simpler and sharper' management, she said. This week, Michael Howard, the Home Secretary, is expected to announce that senior police ranks will be abolished.
The whole of Whitehall, meanwhile, is being threatened by 'market testing' - the process by which officials are ordered to compete against private companies bidding to manage their work. In the past year 44,250 people, 8 per cent of the Civil Service, have had the management of their jobs put out to tender. The Government plans to test the jobs of another 44,000 in the coming year - and so on until all 555,000 civil servants have been confronted by the market.
The armed forces? Last Thursday the Ministry of Defence announced compulsory RAF redundancies. Between October 1992 and the end of next year, the Army alone expects to have cut the jobs of 3,840 officers.
The BBC? For decades it was a good bet for the educated and creative, but now about one-third of journalists and production staff are on short- term contracts of one year or less. A survey by the National Union of Journalists has found that 61 per cent of employees have been told they will have to give up staff status and accept a fixed-term contract if they want promotion.
Even the Church of England is closing theological colleges.
These organisations are merely following a trend that began in the private sector. BT has got rid of 80,000 managers and staff since 1989. Lucas, Marks & Spencer, the high street banks, BP - any large company you choose to name - has cut swathes through middle management. Accountancy, advertising and estate agencies, the Thatcher professions, have suffered devastating job losses.
Those who remain on staff are likely to find themselves on performance-related pay with a personal contract and the constant threat that their work will be found to be unnecessary.
A new branch of management theory says that the 'casualisation' of the middle classes is not just the result of cost-cutting in a recession but an efficient and rational response to the modern world. In a language that sounds like a second cousin to English, they justify the sacking of middle managers with talk of 'downsizing' and 'rightsizing', of 'delayering' and 'flattening', of 'shedding' and 'process re- engineering'.
It is easy to mock the people who coin these terms, but it would be wrong to ignore them, if only because they are so influential. Ira Chalphin, employment and education spokesman for the free-market Institute of Directors, describes what is happening.
Global competition in services and manufacturing has forced companies to concentrate on 'core business' - another key phrase. In-house services are cut because it is cheaper to contract them out and they are a distraction for a company concentrating its energies on what it does best. Localisation is the other side of the coin. To succeed in a worldwide market, a firm must be acutely sensitive to local demands.
The combination of these pressures makes the traditional middle manager in head office literally redundant. A company needs a few people at the top planning national or global strategy and workers at the sharp end making sure that contractors deliver goods and services 'just in time'.
'Companies across the world are becoming flatter, leaner, more decentralised,' Chalphin said. 'There's just not much left in the middle anymore. There's not much point having a lot of managers sitting in head office in Tokyo or London.' To Chalphin, the new role for the middle classes is to become freelance consultants, selling their skills to whichever firm wants to contract their services. 'People should expect to work for 10, 15, 20 employers,' he said. 'They could have a lot more personal power if they did.'
SOME people have already got the power and find the new world congenial. Rosemary (not her real name), a money market dealer, started her working life with a City bank 10 years ago. Her boss was 'sexist, lazy and a fool'. So she left. Moving from bank to bank she pushed her salary and bonuses into six figures. Last year her first bank took over her latest company and she found herself confronted with the fool again. He was in no position to sack her or even interfere with her work: she just could not stand the sight of him.
'I did not even need to pick up a phone,' she said. 'I was already getting two calls a week from people offering me jobs. I decided to go for one which put me at the head of a dealing team and resigned.' Rosemary, 33, plans to retire by 1996.
Or take the case of Harry Thompson, who joined the pre- Birt BBC as a gruadate trainee and became the script editor of radio comedy. 'If I had stayed, I would still be knocking on the door trying to get into television,' he said. 'It was a slow- moving conveyor belt.'
The BBC's decision to contract out 25 per cent of programme-making gave him his chance. He broke into television by joining a small, independent company, became producer and co-writer of Have I Got News For You and more than doubled his salary.
'The ironic thing is that Birtist and Thatcherite policies have allowed Ian Hislop to appear on the BBC and say Thatcher's mad and John Birt's got it all wrong,' he said.
But most middle-class people are not like Rosemary and Harry Thompson. They do not live in London, do not work in volatile industries like broadcasting or the City and do not prefer risk to security. For them, the idea that professionals should go into the market place and try to make their pile by 40 sounds absurd. Mortgages, children and dependent parents make it impossible.
Peter York, management consultant and commentator on social trends, is one of the few in his business to regard the talk of 'delayering' and 'flattening' as nothing more than 'fashionable rhetoric'.
'There are people peddling these pieties in the Anglo-Saxon economies and it's spreading to Europe and Japan,' he said. 'To listen to some, you would think we were creating new people with a new sensibility who want to live their lives as if they were in video promos.
'But no one knows what the effects are of removing stability and losing in-house expertise. No one knows if it works. At best it's certainly de-stabilising for long service and loyalty to be regarded as a negative rather than a positive. At worst, the net effect of the removal of loyalty is a mugger's charter, licencing everything from fraud in the office to crime on the streets.
'Above all, most employees don't like it. They don't want the life of a maverick.'
Anecdotal evidence suggests York may be right. Industrial psychologists such as Cary Cooper at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology worry about the uncalculated cost to firms of staff deciding to look after themselves after seeing hard- working, long-serving colleagues dismissed.
James Kydd was one such. He joined the Euro RSCG advertising company after leaving university and was on the board by the time he was 30. In July, late on a Friday afternoon, just before he was going to fly away on holiday, he was told the company had to strip out executive 'layers' and he was being made redundant.
'Since then, 25 per cent of the total staff has resigned,' he said. 'My friends said 'if it can happen to you it can happen to anyone' and put their CVs on the market.'
A spokeswoman for the company said that the 25 per cent figure was an exaggeration. Ten per cent had gone, she said.
ON 24 May, Viscount Ullswater, the Government employment spokesman in the House of Lords, gave an honest description of the official attitude to labour relations. 'It is, of course, the employer's right to decide exactly how he wants to negotiate with his staff,' he said. 'It has always been the Government's policy to ensure that employers have the freedom to act in this way.'
The first employees to suffer from these new freedoms for employers were in the working class, but now the advertising executives, lawyers, middle managers, and civil servants - many of them traditional Conservative voters, are feeling the pinch. To many on the left, this middle-class insecurity offers a political opportunity.
John Monks, the new general secretary of the TUC, believes the Labour movement 'can connect' with frightened professionals. In the process, he hopes to break open the 'two- thirds/one-third society' in which the economically fortunate two-thirds control government, oppose public expenditure on the poor one-third (while demanding subsidies for themselves) and make tax cuts the central political issue.
'John Major keeps talking about stability and community, while his policies are destroying both,' Monks said. 'I think we can now connect with the middle class when we talk about, say, the fight for the European social chapter. The argument resonates because the ordinary guy with a full-time, stable job is now an endangered species.'
His views have a long pedigree. In the 1930s, in the closing sentences of The Road to Wigan Pier, George Orwell appealed to 'the sinking middle classes - the colonel's spinster daughter with pounds 75 a year, the jobless Cambridge graduate, the civil servants, the commercial travellers' to sink into the 'working classes where we belong'. It will not, he concluded, be so dreadful. 'We have nothing to lose but our aitches.' Well, aitches are long gone in the Conservative Party. But the middle managers' belief in his superiority remains. After all, if you lose your job and you lose your home, your illusions are all you have left.
Alex, the Yorkshire solicitor, said his dismissal had not changed his beliefs. 'I always thought that British managers were totally incompetent,' he said. 'But I didn't believe in collective action before and don't now.' Alex has a new job and is still a member of the Conservative Party. James Kydd always had sympathy for the unemployed, but does not 'feel like one of them'.
One who recognises this view is John Kenneth Galbraith, Professor of Economics at Harvard. Speaking from his home in Vermont last week, he said that no amount of insecurity in the British middle class would change his belief, expounded in his best-received book for decades, The Culture of Contentment, that Anglo-Saxon governments would continue to be dominated by conservatives who let short-term self-interest stand in the way of facing up to painful social realities.
'People who are 'shed', if I may use the subtle modern term, expect one day to be shedders again, even if they experience how the great majority of insecure people live,' he said. 'If you have been a middle manager in a corporation, I think you will always stick with the ideas, or lack of them, which corporate life cultivates.'
(Photographs omitted)
- More about:
- Clifford Chance LLP
- Law
- Monks
- Unemployment


text:
Tube Hydroforming Design Flexibility—Part VIII: Dimensional Stability
Whether they are producing automobiles or hydroforming press parts, designers, manufacturers, and assembly personnel are very concerned about dimensional stability. Surfaces and holes must be located in a specified range and smaller is better. Concern escalates as the drive to improve quality and reduce build tolerances and problems increases.
Tubular automotive structures commonly have been made by joining several stamped parts with GMAW or spot welding, which achieves a reasonable balance of part design flexibility and hole placement. However, assembly and weld distortions create more variability than is desired. Tube hydroforming eliminates both operations and significantly lowers variability. With hydroforming, tolerances of 1/4 or less than those found in stamped and welded assemblies and higher capability levels can be achieved.
It is important to understand that a complete description of a part feature's dimensional stability must include the tolerance and capability level being maintained. When either is discussed or specified without the other, the information essentially is meaningless. The part and its feature being considered, its datums, production rate, and the sampling period also can have an effect on what the numbers represent. Attention to these details is important, since short- versus long-term data and measured range rather than statistically calculated range at a specified capability level can give attractive low numbers, but represent only part of total variation.
Figure 1 |
In the tube hydroforming industry, some claims treat the range of observed readings from a part population as being equivalent to statistically calculated process capability. This is false, because the former is what you see and is usually much smaller than the latter; inspection normally does not detect samples at the measurement distribution's outer limits.
To clarify misconceptions such as this, it is helpful to review related terminology, even though doing so may be redundant to some.
The normal distribution shown in Figure 1is typical of those found in statistics textbooks. It shows the actual measurements grouped into histogram bars and the normal distribution curve approximated from them. The vertical lines define capability zones, the proportion of the population in each zone, and the predicted part defect rate.
A key point to understand is the difference between the range of measurements and the statistically calculated variance at a given capability level (for example, C p = 1.33). This variance expresses the feature size range or tolerance needed to encompass the proportion of measurements that are required to achieve the desired capability level (for example, 99.994 percent at C p = 1.33). The data range from a parts group—no matter how large the sample size—will be significantly smaller (normally less than half) than the necessary tolerance. Examples showing this are detailed below.
C p is discussed rather than C pk because the former is a pure measure of variation, and C pk expresses variation combined with the data's mean value relative to nominal or CAD model position.
Data from the surface location in an engine cradle's unbent section (see Figures 2, 3,and 4) illustrates this point. The tolerance is ±1.0 mm, range is 0.35 mm, C p = 4.28, and the span between datums is 840 mm.
| ||||||||||||||||||
C p = 4.28 is approximately equal to ±12.5 s, which is far beyond what could ever be needed. With the capability level of C p = 1.33, or ±4 s, the tolerance that can be achieved theoretically falls proportionately to ±0.31 mm. This calculation offers a simplified way to assess the sometimes confusing interaction between the tolerance and capability. At a normal capability level, the tolerance that can be achieved is lower for stable features such as this. Maintaining this feature tolerance dimension requires a little extra breathing room—in this case, perhaps ±0.4 or ±0.5 mm.
If a tolerance is provided without the capability level, the proportion of the total population encompassed is unknown. Similarly, if the capability level is given but not the tolerance, it is unknown how large the tolerance needs to be for the capability level.
In the table in Figure 4, the capability level of C p = 1.33 was chosen for long-term data, because it is the most demanding common requirement for automotive part production. A higher capability level increases the needed tolerance, and lower capability reduces the tolerance that can be achieved. For most of the features presented, the data provided is long-term, because it obviously is preferable.
Following are three additional examples of the tolerances for different part features formed by pressure sequence hydroforming (PSH). The part type, shape and measurement data, and statistical values are described. These values include capability at the tolerance specified and, most important, the achievable tolerance at a "normal" long-term capability level of 4 s.
| |||||||||||||||||||
A hydroformed engine cradle cross-section width is shown in Figure 5. Figure 6shows hydroforming's precision. It uses 63.5-mm (2.5-in.) dia., 2.0-mm minimum wall thickness tubing, and the material is 45,000-PSI minimum-yield high-strength low-alloy. Keep in mind that the table presents only part of the position information usually required. A cross-section's size normally is not as important as where those surfaces are located in space relative to a CAD or nominal position. It is applicable mainly when the surface location opposite a datum is critical or a bracket fits around the tube and is located relative to the cross-section.This feature is from the part shown in the preceding example.
It also illustrates how an impressive tolerance can be indicated, in this case even with a capability level, but unless you understand the low variability nature of this feature, you could assume that such tolerances are normal on most features on hydroformed parts, which is not true.
| |||||||||||||||||||
For a radiator enclosure surface location (Figure 7), the high C p shown in Figure 8results from the higher-than-normal ±1.5-mm tolerance and excellent repeatability. Production during this period was 80,000 pieces.
This result is remarkably consistent because the span is 1,260 mm. The tolerance at C p = 1.33 is ±0.16 mm. The tube is 76-mm (3-in.) dia., 1.3-mm minimum wall thickness, and the material is SAE 1008/1010 galvanneal.
| |||||||||||||||||||
The instrument panel beam surface location before welding (Figure 9) is 50.8-mm dia., 2-mm minimum wall thickness, SAE 1008/1010 mild steel tube. Cycle time is less than 17 seconds, and volume of up to 780,000 parts per year is achieved with two shifts and a partial third. This third iteration of a part that has been in production for nine years ran in one press in a single-cavity die with no backup tooling. Manufacturing scrap rates from bending, hydroforming with hole punching in the die, and shearing totaled 0.5 percent. The tolerance and other statistics for this part run are shown in Figure 10.
The other commonly used hydroforming process, high-pressure hydroforming (HPH), is able to make similar parts, but comparable production dimensional stability information has not been presented publicly. It would be interesting to see how HPH compares to PSH in producing dimensional stability, but this cannot happen until comparable HPH data is made available. If any reader knows of such information, I would be interested in discussing it.
Gary Morphy
Excella Technologies
Suite 521
Cambridge, ON N1R 8J6


text:
Bike East Bay Maps can be purchased:
Bike East Bay maps are "by bicyclists, for bicyclists". They identify EVERY STREET in all 33 cities and provide essential information such as:
- Recommended bike routes on streets and highways
- Bike paths
- Off-road trails
- Parks, schools, shopping centers, business parks and other destination points
- Warnings of potential hazards
- Hills
- Bike shops
- Bicycle-friendly transit
- Bridge access
- Local government contacts
- Safety tips and rules of the road
- How to report hazardous conditions using Bike East Bay's online form
- Notes on local bicycle access issues
- Bicycle clubs and organizations
Map 1: West of the Hills
Covers western Alameda and Contra Costa counties, including the Richmond, Berkeley, Oakland, Hayward, and Fremont areas
Map 2: East of the Hills
Covers central and eastern Contra Costa County (including Concord, Walnut Creek, Pittsburg, Antioch) plus eastern Alameda County's Tri-Valley (Livermore, Dublin, and Pleasanton areas).
West_of_the_Hills_2009_cover.jpg MapEastCover06.jpg


text:
I've been there, it's an awesome place. I went there after leaving a tattoo shop in Colorado Springs.
so how do the models use their glasses at the runway if the got them at eye clinic edmonton? like do they not wear them for the event? or like contacts?
I'm glad LaBaguette is still winning. I worked there for Earl Turnipseed for 12 1/2 years. We always won for best bakery and best bread for many years.
I never go out to eat without checking to see the Indy reviews and readers comments. Thanks for going to all this trouble!
I believe you missed Motif on your list for smoking patio, service, great martinis, and appetizers.
The worst hot dogs and the filthiest diner in town is the Hot Dog shack next to the Walgreens on North Nevada.
Doug Bruce is his own worst enemy by his behavior. However, he is the author of the Tax Payers Bill Of Rights (TABOR). TABOR is one of Colo. Spgs. greatest claims to fame, as it gave the voters power that was taken away from politicians. Imagine what our taxes would be if the politicians were allowed to tax us at will!
There has to be something wrong....Picnic Basket is by far the best caterer in town.
If you are blown away from the 3 free refills of Thai Tea... you would be utterly flabbergasted that there is Thai restaurant out there that gives you UNLIMITED refills!! Check out www.thaililycuisine.com
Whether you yearn for frames made of thick http://www.casquettesfr.com plastic or skinny metal, or new-school "hybrids" made of both, readers say LensCrafters is the best place to buy your spectacles.
Vous venez de me donner très envie de visiter cette Closerie Falbala, je ne savais même pas qu'elle existait, ça a l'air magique et magnifique.
@kras - I agree Trinity has some good beers, but the service there blows. On at least 3 separate occasions, I've gone in there and have been refused service because "the bartender didn't want to make the drink". I found out later that the bartender was the manager himself. To me, thats just ridiculous and lazy. Can't say I'll be going back in there, no matter HOW good the beer selection is.
Nick-N-Willy's is our favorite. They can bake the pizza for you too in a brick oven if you like. We have had their pizza from both Monument, CO and Evergreen, CO.
I would have to say, as a disinterested third party, that Trinity has a WAY better tap than Old Chicago's. OC may have everyone beat on overall number of beers including bottled, but you really can't get any better than what Trinity has done when it comes to the variety and quality of what they have on tap. And they mix it up, which someone with OC's corporate stance simply can't keep up with.
I've got to say the dining/food winners this year are the worst I've ever seen. Although me and everyone else I know voted, apparently there are people that vote that go to the same three places to eat. Amuze hands down has the best patio with a view, Lanna Thai has the freshest ingredients that is the closest I've tasted to authentic since coming back from Thailand, and The Blue Star I've constantly received THE WORST SERVICE in town. Can we scratch this issue and try harder???


text:
The New AC/DC Record Passes Our Scientific Test
In recent years, I've taken to evaluating, somewhat subconsciously, each new AC/DC album by way of what I'll now outwardly brand the "Send for the Man" scale. It's a fairly straightforward system, resting on one incontrovertible fact: AC/DC—old or new, live or studio, Bon or Brian—is never a bad thing. Fine, you say. But for a band whose every album sounds more or less the same (still you talking, not me), when is it actually a good thing?
Enter "Send for the Man," an unremarkable-but-hardly-terrible AC/DC song (workmanlike Angus Young riff, stock Brian Johnson screech, firm mid-tempo rhythm thud) on an unremarkable-but-hardly-terrible AC/DC album (1985's Fly on the Wall). And so its utter ordinariness defines the scale: By rule, a new release on which a majority of the songs are better than "Send for the Man" is, in this band's universe, a good one.
Which brings us to Black Ice, AC/DC's first disc in eight years. At 15 songs, it's also the longest in the 33 they've been making 'em, offering up plenty of shots at the SFTM barrier. In my estimation, they top out at an impressive 10 over, five under. Rip out much of the record's lazy middle third, and we start approaching For Those About to Rock levels of goodness. Which means that if you, unlike me, are within reasonable driving distance of a Wal-Mart (where this one is on exclusive lockdown), I recommend you go get it, stat.
Black IceColumbia
As it is, I'm already sold on "Rock 'n' Roll Train," Black Ice's leadoff track and first single. It ain't "Back in Black" (and is, unfortunately, called "Rock 'n' Roll Train"), but I'll be damned if it can't hang with most any Brian Johnson–era tune, with Angus laying out a fat and chewy guitar figure and characteristically hyperactive solo over the band's unshakable stomp-groove.
Upcoming Events
Munich Philharmonic Orch
TicketsSun., Apr. 2, 7:00pm
Paxtor, Micky, Evelyn Cools, Alex Martin
TicketsMon., Apr. 3, 7:00pm
Sinners Are Winners the Invocation Album Release Party
TicketsWed., Apr. 5, 8:00pm
Town Hall Presents Anoushka Shankar
TicketsWed., Apr. 5, 8:00pm
A bit on that groove, which comes courtesy of Ang's brother/guitarist Malcolm and the rhythm section of bassist Cliff Williams and drummer Phil Rudd, the latter of whom is a marvel of simplicity. The man's got basically one pattern in his arsenal, but it's a knockout: kick on the 1 and 3, snare on the 2 and 4, hi-hat all the way through to provide a bit of shimmy. He manages to both swing and plod simultaneously, while staying forever rock-steady. That beat hammers though Black Ice—sometimes sped up ("Wheels," "Rocking All the Way"), other times slowed down ("Decibel," "Money Made")—and is paired with everything from rowdy barroom rock ("Big Jack") to vaguely Aerosmith-ian funk ("She Likes Rock 'n' Roll") to surprisingly spry power-pop ("Anything Goes"). It's even grafted to the main riff from Led Zeppelin's version of "In My Time of Dying" for "Stormy May Day," wherein Angus, with slide in hand for the first time on an AC/DC record, makes the added point that these discs actually don't all sound the same.
The other MVP here? Producer Brendan O'Brien, who not only restores the pristine vintage Marshall guitar sound—bright, warm, ever-so-slightly overdriven—of the band's classic '70s efforts with producers Harry Vanda and big brother George Young, but also lifts a key element of their mega-selling Mutt Lange–produced trilogy: gigantic, gang-vocal-soaked choruses. O'Brien, to his credit, takes things even further here than Lange ever dared, pulling some unexpectedly musical aaah aaah aaaahs out of the boys on "Smash 'n' Grab," and getting them chanting like a squad of high-school cheerleaders on game day for the breakdown in "She Likes Rock 'n' Roll." Quality stuff. Sorta like "Send for the Man," but better.
AC/DC play Madison Square Garden November 12 and 13, and the Izod Center November 19
In Case You Missed It
Upcoming Events
Indo Out Part III
TicketsFri., Mar. 31, 7:00pm
Salif Keita
TicketsSat., Apr. 1, 7:00pm
16th Annual Eric Clapton Birthday Show: Godfrey Townsend & Friends
TicketsSat., Apr. 1, 7:30pm
Dorthaan's Place Jazz Brunch: Bucky Pizzarelli, Ed Laub Duo
TicketsSun., Apr. 2, 11:00am
Sponsor Content


text:
My very first Louis Vuitton bag cake. I learned A LOT through this as it was very time consuming hand painting all those logos on. If anyone knows of an easier way to do those logos please let me know!
Tags: birthday
Esther @ The Frosted Cake Boutique | www.facebook.com/thefrostedcakeboutique


text:
Pierre Boulle |
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Planet of the Apes
This is the second time I have read Pierre Boulle's Planet of the Apes, but the first time since 1968. It is so much different than I remembered it. My memories of that first reading were tainted over the years by the awful movies that followed the original Planet of the Apes movie. The first movie was not completely true to the novel, but it was at least an above-average movie that deserved its popularity and box office success. The subsequent movies were just terrible in every sense of the word and, unfortunately for me, they tainted Boulle's book beyond my recognition of its positive aspects.
For starters, author Pierre Boulle is as French as his name sounds, and the astronauts who embark on a special mission in the year 2500 are French, not the Americans of the movies. Unfortunately for our French friends, however, they find themselves in much the same position as their American movie counterparts. Their world has been flipped on its head in more ways than they can count. They are fortunate to have landed on a planet hospitable to human life, but they find that it is a simian-dominated world, not one dominated the human tribe they soon encounter.
Men are hunted for sport and for scientific purposes by gorillas sent to gather more research specimens for the chimpanzee scientists who need them for study purposes. Men, after all, are the nearest animal to the apes who dominate this world and that makes them very valuable to the chimpanzee scientists and doctors searching for the medical breakthroughs that will save simian lives in the future. In a matter of hours, Ulysse Merou is running for his life, part of a group of humans being systematically slaughtered by a hunting group of gorillas and their wives. Ulysse is one of the lucky ones; he escapes the hunters shotguns long enough to get himself entangled in one of their nets, meaning that he will become a lab specimen rather than a trophy.
This sounds like sensational science fiction, and it is. But Pierre Boulle manages to create memorable characters (some of them men, some of them apes) along the way, characters with personality, depth, and the motivation and reactions that make them real. Planet of the Apes is a satirical novel, one that uses the simian society of this strange new world to reflect on the strangeness of our own 1970s world. Within this amazing story, Boulle explores politics, social mores, authority figures, human vanity and, of course, scientific research. This slim novel of just 128 pages manages to make the reader reflect a bit on his own world while entertaining him within the fantastic situation into which Ulysse Merou and his two comrades have been plunked.
There is even a "Statue of Liberty" type ending for the book, perhaps the only aspect of the novel surpassed by its movie version (the ending of the first movie is still, by far, the highlight of that whole series of films). But, I am pleased to say that, as is almost always the case, the book is much better than the movie - and, in this case, deserves to be read as the standalone story it was meant to be. I had fun revisiting the Planet of the Apes.
(Free trivia fact: Pierre Boulle is also author of the respected novel Bridge Over the River Kwai, which became another very successful movie.)
Rated at: 4.0
4 comments:
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)


text:
The Law of God and the Christian (Q&A Panel)
A panel of WSC faculty answer questions related to the topic of the church being missional and Reformed.
© Westminster Seminary California All rights reserved
Permissions: You are permitted to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that you do NOT alter the wording in any way and you do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. For web posting, a link to this document on our website is preferred.


text:
Back in ancient times , beginning framebuilders used to assemble thier frames into rideable bikes before committing to paint. It the spirit of this nearly forgotten tradition, I built up old number one to see if the work I put into it made it less of a piece of shit. I'm happy to say that now, 32 years later this old turd is actually a nice riding bike. It's no real velodrome bike but it rolls along well and I haven't clipped a pedal yet. Maybe I'll get some paint on it.......after a few more test rides to make sure it dosen't disintegrate when I take it off a curb.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
2 comments:
- AnonymousJuly 13, 2010 at 8:42 PM
you are too hard on yourself...whose number 1 is perfect?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)


text:
This Clymer motorcycle repair manual covers:
- Yamaha WR250F 2001-2003
- Yamaha YZ250F 2001-2003
Clymer motorcycle repair manuals are among the very best guides you can have as you begin working on your motorcycle. Each book was written from practical experience. The editors actually purchase the motorcycle, tear it down and rebuild it, while taking notes and photographs to detail the procedures.
These books contain helpful hints not found in factory manuals. The descriptions and photos are excellent, allowing you to make repairs easily and with little frustration. Make a Clymer manual the first special tool you buy!
Order Code | M406 |
Markdowns! | 40 to 49% |
Binding | Softbound |
Format | 7 x 10 inches |
Pages | 456 |
Illustrations | black and white |
Publisher | Clymer |


text:
Santa Barbara Weather: 74.8°F | Humidity: 19% | Pressure: 29.99in (Steady) | Conditions: Partly Cloudy | Wind Direction: SW | Wind Speed: 8.3mph [see map]
Landfill updated: Jul 17, 2014, 8:23 AM
By John Wiley
I see "No Dumping" signs here and there, and even some quiet wild places where people illegally despoil the landscape. But the one place on our coast that encourages dumping looks surprisingly clean. The landfill is constantly changing, but always seems to look good from the air. Ever since friends said they'd taken a tour we've wanted to go some day, but meanwhile here are four views moving East to West. Anyone want to comment on what the various structures are, the process, or the tour?
Send this picture as a postcard
# # # #
13 comments on this article. Read/Add
Top of Page | Old News Archives | Printer-Friendly Page


text:
Windsurf Holidays 2016, Kitesurf Holidays 2016, Learn to Windsurf, Learn to Kitesurf, clinics & camps.
Windsurf Holiday and Kitesurf Holiday Specialist
For over 30 years, Sportif have been providing windsurfing holidays, kitesurfing holidays, learn to windsurf holidays, learn to kitesurf holidays, surfing, SUP and multi sport holidays to the best destinations worldwide. Sportif centres have the latest equipment and highly qualified, experienced staff. Whatever your level, you'll find a range of flexible rental or instruction packages. Taster sessions, group & private lessons to group holidays & pro coaching clinics, ensure you progress quickly and safely, with a choice of accommodation from budget to luxury 5* hotels, right next to the centres. Sportif Travel's specialist consultants will put together a package that's just right for you.
Windsurf Holidays
Kitesurf Holidays
Progress your windsurfing at specialist windsurf centres offering the best conditions for all levels.
Professional & sociable centres with Learn to Kitesurf courses, flat water, waves & kite camps.
Pro Coaching & Clinics
Multi Sport Holidays
Join a Sportif windsurfing holiday with the best professional UK coaches Peter Hart, Simon Bornhoft & Jem Hall or kitesurf coaching camp with 3 x World Champion Kirsty Jones.
More >
Sportif centres offer SUP, surfing, scuba diving, cycling, mountain bike,climbing, hiking, golf, tennis & yoga with Multi Sport packages including instruction & rental combi packages!
More >


text:
In this funny, thought-provoking book based on the popular film of the same name, activists John de Graaf (coauthor of the best-selling Affluenza) and David Batker tackle 13 economic issues, challenging the listener to consider the point of our economy. Emphasizing powerful American ideals, including teamwork, pragmatism, and equality, de Graaf and Batker set forth a simple goal for any economic system: The greatest good for the greatest number over the longest run. Drawing from history and current enterprises, we see how the good life is achieved when people and markets work together with an active government to create a more perfect economy - one that works for everyone.
Beginning by shattering our fetish for GDP, What's the Economy For, Anyway? offers a fresh perspective on quality of life, health, security, work-life balance, leisure, social justice, and perhaps most important, sustainability. This sparkling, message-driven book is exactly what those lost in the doldrums of partisan sniping and a sluggish economy need: a guide to what really matters, and a map to using America's resources to make the world a better place.
©2011 John de Graaf, Foreword copyright c. 2011 by James Gustave Spethand David Batker (P)2013 Audible, Inc.


text:
It is with great sadness that we have been informed of the sudden passing of Doreen Harris last Sunday. Doreen , along with the late Ray Harris, were great supporters of track activities at Meadowbank. Doreen was ESCA treasurer for many years and central to the success and running of … Read more →
Brian Annable OBE – Queens Birthday Honour
The East of Scotland Track Promoters Association wishes to offer its congratulations to Brian Annable who has been awarded an OBE for services to cycling in the Queens Birthday Honours. Brian (83) is the current Secretary of the East of Scotland Track Promoters Association and has served cycling for over 40 … Read more →
Meadowbank Track League 11 June cancelled
Due to rain, Meadowbank Track League on 11 June 2013 has been cancelled.
City of Edinburgh Council announce plans for new cycling facility
ESTPA has welcomed the announcement by the City of Edinburgh Council to allocate £1.2m of capital funding for a planned cycling facility hub proposed to be built on the site of the Jack Kane Centre in Craigmiller, Edinburgh. The plans include a new track facility, 1km road circuit and BMX … Read more →
Cancellation of Meadowbank GP
It is with deep regret that the organisers of the 43rd Edinburgh Meadowbank Grand Prix announce the cancellation of this years event due to be held on 8 and 9 June 2013. Despite significant efforts and negotiation, the funding required to allow the promotion to continue has not been able to … Read more →
Track League season starts Tuesday
Meadowbank track league will start on Tuesday 7th May. The extended cold start to the year has delayed the work to repair and prepare the track for this season, which has delayed the opening of track league. Tosh and his team have worked extremely hard to complete all necessary work to make … Read more →
Meadowbank Track League season start delays
The first two weeks of Meadowbank Track League for 2013 (16 and 23 April) have had to be cancelled as the pre-season maintenance work has been delayed in completion. Work is now progressing well with a 'deep clean' of the track surface taking place to ensure the build up of … Read more →
Sir Chris Hoy calls on Edinburgh Council to provide covered velodrome
Sir Chris Hoy yesterday (18 April 2013) called upon the City of Edinburgh Council to continue to work towards replacing the aging velodrome at Meadowbank with an indoor covered training facility in the city. Announcing his retirement from competitive cycling, Britains most successful Olympian, reflected upon the impact the local … Read more →
Entries open for 2013 Meadowbank GP
Entries for the 2013 Medaowbank GP track meeting have now opened. Entries are being accepted via the British Cycling website and online entry system where a significant discount can be obtained over postal entries. For further details please click on the icon below.
2013 Meadowbank GP awarded British National Series events
The East of Scotland Track Promoters Association is delighted to announce that the 2013 edition of the Meadowbank GP track meeting will take place over the weekend of 8 and 9 June 2013. Once again, the meeting shall host rounds of the British Cycling National Sprinters League, National Hard Track … Read more →


text:
429 Amsterdam Avenue
Upper West Side
212 362 4500 / vairestaurant.com/westside.html
While most appreciate the high probability of finding an average standard of dishes offered by many restaurants throughout New York City, particularly when the meal is not a major wallet-leeching experience, the kind of culinary experience that Vai delivers is the of the caliber that people come to New York City to savor and boast about later. Its imaginative, innovative, expertly executed and deliciously exuberant in the flavor department. Here creativity and technique conspire to structure and combine ingredients, textures and cooking times not in the interest of culinary showmanship, but to exalt the palate. The appealing humility of the approach is also echoed in the decor, the tenor and the pricing of this charming and understated Upper-West side gem. Glass blown candle sconces on exposed brick with lush candle lighting throughout create a feeling of rustic warmth and well-being in a space that is otherwise quite limited. An attentive, but non-hovering service staff accentuate the welcoming vibe.
Opened in late 2011, Vai's owner and Executive Chef is Vincent Chirico, a native New Yorker of Calabrian roots. Chirico's previous stints include Jean Georges, Daniel and Aquavit. While Vai is Chirico's first restaurant, happily Chirico does not seem succumb to the pressures of down economy, as other chefs, even of his caliber might feel compelled to do, by holding back his creativity and playing it safe with more commonplace dishes and ingredients. Rather, Vai is more an expression of one who desires to keep his passion for flavors vibrant and to never get too comfortable in his talent zone. Chirico is ever honing, experimenting and stretching himself as a chef and restaurateur. It's also worth noting that Chirico also doubles as Vai's wine director, pastry-chef and has designed the restaurant himself. The $64,000 question is whether Chirico ever sleeps. Joking aside, the result is an elegant harmonization of a restaurant's many moveable parts.
Twenty to twenty-five percent of the seasonal, Mediterranean menu changes weekly to reflect what is optimally available in season and also to keep things interesting. An international wine list and seasonal artisanal cocktails punctuate the flair for quality and variety.
On to the dishes:
The best way to go about Vai is to opt for one of the tasting menus. Tasting menus are variously priced and range from $39 – $89 (five courses with wine pairings).
Absolute standouts in the the yellowfin tuna and hamachi duo (appetizer), sauteed sea scallop (entree), Alaskan king crab, the back bass and the Arctic char.
Prepared with a pungent ginger sauce and micro cilantro, the yellowfin tuna and hamachi duo exudes freshness and champions bright flavors and a smooth, silken even texture. Gorgeously plated, on a bed of sliced avocado, it's a dish that rewards the palate and stimulates the appetite.
The Alaskan King Crab is regal in presentation and freshness. Grilled to perfection without being overcooked, luxurious sea flavors were preserved in every bite of the delicate meat. A toothsome consistency and a light sprinkle of Calabrian chili contrasted with a brown sugar butter sauce added to the dish.
The sauteed sea scallop with parsnip mousseline and capers is another example of Chirico's culinary prowess. As with the Alaskan King Crab, the sea scallops and other seafood dishes such as the Maryland Back Bass and the Arctic Char champion a simple and sophisticated approach to preparing fish that is supremely fresh, allowing the original flavors of the primary ingredients to stand on their own and shine.
While this review devotes a great deal of attention to the sea food at Vai, one would be remiss to think that Vai caters to those with strong pescatarian leanings –although those who do will find themselves amply rewarded at Vai. Carnivorous indulgences can also be savored here, and not in lightweight fashion either. The beef duo consisting of braised short rib- filet mignon – confit garlic butter epitomizes this category. Sumptuous, perfectly rare, velvet-like filet mignon is accompanied by a rich, yielding, fall-off the bone short rib.
Vai offers many a prize in the dessert category as well. Supple and creamy passion fruit mascarpone semifreddo are among the must-haves.
If there are any missteps in Vai's arsenal of killer dishes, it would be the burrata ravioli. Prepared with truffle cream and an 18month aged Parmigiano, the sauce is overly rich and buttery and overwhelms the the delicate pasta.
That aside, Vai's original menu and refined cuisine strongly suggest that it has the makings of a destination restaurant. Its coziness and moderate prices corroborate to sweeten the pot.