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BMW-Sauber F1 team: A testimony to 'what could have been'
The BMW Sauber F1 Team had a brief but fairly successful existence on the Formula 1 racing circuit. The partnership was born out of BMW's desire to achieve more victories on the racetrack, but it ended when that same desire waned. BMW nearly achieved greatness during the team's run—rocketing from eighth place to second within two years of acquiring Sauber—but the pair never reached the peak of the highly prestigious class of single-seater auto racing. The relationship would disintegrate after just four years, but it did produce a memorable chapter in F1 history.
How it all started
Both German automaker BMW and the Swiss-based Sauber were established parts of Formula 1 for years before they ever considered a merger. Sauber had worked its way up to Formula 1 in 1993, after two decades competing on lower racing circuits, and earned a reputation as one of the better independent teams on the circuit by the dawn of the 21st century.
Meanwhile, BMW—which enjoys major name recognition across the globe—had been a part of racing in several capacities throughout the post-World War II period of the 20th century, mainly as an engine supplier but also as an occasional constructor. It had been a presence on the F1 circuit during the 1980s but left for several years after 1990 when a proposed move to make race car chassis was quashed by the company's directors.
After the hiatus, BMW became an engine supplier to the Williams Team, and the two groups united to become the BMW Williams F1 Team in 2000. BMW and Williams enjoyed two straight third-place finishes in the overall standings, followed by two straight second-place finishes. The team slipped a bit thereafter, though, dropping to fourth in 2004 and fifth in 2005.
BMW officials believed the car's chassis—provided by Williams—was slowing down the team. As a result, BMW tried to buy Williams outright—so it could assume total control of the racing operation. But Williams officials refused to sell. Facing a dilemma, BMW reached out to Sauber and bought that team instead.
Interestingly, Sauber had endured a falling out with its own partner, Ferrari. The Italian giant claimed its Sauber-made engines weren't living up to expectations. The team was coming off an eighth-place finish, which had been preceded by two sixth-place finishes. Considering Sauber was having trouble generating its Formula 1 operating budget—hundreds of millions of dollars at the time—the Swiss team was ripe for a sale.
Founder Peter Sauber sold an 80 percent stake of his team to BMW after the 2005 season. The agreement was this: Sauber would handle chassis production and wind tunnel work in its Swiss factory, while BMW would make the engine at its Munich headquarters.
The 2006 season
Driver Nick Heidfeld, who had competed for Williams, came to the team with BMW. He joined former world champion Jacques Villeneuve, who was retained by Sauber. Robert Kubica was brought on as the third driver.
From the start, BMW proved it wasn't completely focused on the on-track product. One of the team's main sponsors for its inaugural season was Intel, which was expected to supply microchip technology for vehicle maintenance. BMW officials touted the ability of Intel technology to improve vehicle operation for all its vehicles—those in dealerships across the world as well as those on the racetrack. The message was clear: BMW officials were intent on using the Formula 1 team as a testing ground for technology that could eventually be applied on a mass, consumer-based scale. Was the company more concerned about overall sales than winning F1 titles?
Meanwhile, on the track, Villeneuve recorded the team's first points with a seventh-place finish in the second race of the 2006 season—in Malaysia. But Heidfeld topped him a race later in Australia, finishing fourth to his sixth, and outpaced Villeneuve for much of the season thereafter. Kubica filled in during the 13th race in Hungary for an injured Villeneuve and stayed on as the No. 2 driver for the rest of the season. It was at that race that Heidfeld grabbed the team's highest finish of the year—to that point— and got to the podium with a third-place finish. Kubica tied that third-place feat only two races later in Italy. The team ended the year in fifth place—ahead of Toyota. (Williams ended the year in eighth place and failed to claim a single podium finish.)
The 2007 season
Villeneuve left the team after the 2006 season, saying he did not want to get into a competition for the job with Kubica because he felt he'd already proven himself. (Villeneuve had effectively been dumped after Kubica's impressive debut in 2006.) So Kubica began 2007 as the No. 2 driver on the team behind Heidfeld. Sebastian Vettel was brought on board as the reserve driver.
With its new roster, the BMW and Sauber union began to pay off. Observers considered BMW-Sauber the third-best team on the circuit behind Ferrari and McLaren. BMW's Mario Thiessen, the company's director of motorsport, said its revved-up 2006 performance helped the company earn this reputation, but living up to it might be harder than expected:
"In 2006, we exceeded our own targets," Thiessen said. "Now expectations are rising faster than the team can develop. That's the punishment for excelling yourself."
Heidfeld helped BMW-Sauber live up to these lofty expectations with three straight fourth-place finishes to start the season. After retiring in the fourth race, he finished sixth and second in the next two races. Kubica had a strong start of his own, coming in sixth, fourth and fifth in races three, four and five.
Kubica produced an impressive 2007 season, finishing outside the top eight only twice—with three top-four finishes and three retirements. But Heidfeld was even better. He had only one finish outside the top seven—with one second-place finish and one third-place finish. He did retire from two races, but his strong showing helped BMW-Sauber finish second overall at the end of the Formula 1 season—with more than double the points of third-place Renault. BMW and Sauber had proved they were better competing together and seemed to set themselves up as a legitimate championship contender in Formula 1.
The 2008 season
The bar was set high for 2008. Team officials declared their goal for that season: We want a No. 1 finish in a race for either Heidfeld or Kubica. Actually, Heidfeld came close in the opening race of the season, finishing second in Australia. And Kubica did the same thing a race later in Malaysia. He then finished third, fourth, fourth and second before breaking through in the seventh race in Canada. Kubica gave his team officials their wish—and then some—by coming in right ahead of Heidfeld to give BMW-Sauber a scintillating one-two finish. The win was the first for a BMW engine in four years.
Kubica was leading in the race for the individual championship at this point, and BMW-Sauber had been atop the team championship standings during the season, but the team decided to switch gears after Canada and started preparing for rules changes in 2009. Kubica had two more third-place finishes and a second-place finish over the remainder of 2008, and Heidfeld finished second twice more. But both racers fell outside of the top eight in several races—as the team's relative indifference toward the current campaign began to take a toll on the drivers' performance. In spite of this drop-off, BMW-Sauber still finished the year third in the team rankings, and Kubica came in fourth in the driver standings.
The 2009 season
With an individual win now under its belt, BMW-Sauber set its sights on a team title in 2009. But in the opening race in Australia, Kubica tried to move into second place when he crashed—and had to withdraw. While Heidfeld had a second-place finish in the second race in Malaysia, that's as close as the team would get to the podium all season long. BMW-Sauber had a combined three top-eight finishes through 10 races, and the team languished near the bottom of the team standings. The team had invested nearly every resource into the KERS system but had to abandon the new technology before the season's midway point. The lack of development on any other part of the car became apparent. Once KERS was tossed, there was nothing else to fall back upon.
Promised upgrades to the drivers' cars didn't come through, and Heidfeld or Kubica struggled through the remainder of the campaign. A rift between the team's two European facilities also began to surface during the season, with both the German and Swiss facilities pushing for more control over the on-track product. Kubica did end the season on a high night, posting a second-place finish in the year's penultimate race in Brazil, but BMW-Sauber ended the year in a disappointing sixth place in the team standings.
The final lap
BMW didn't even wait until the end of the 2009 season to announce that it was pulling out of the sport. Moving forward, BMW officials said the company's top priority would be "sustainability and environmental compatibility" of its commercial vehicles. BMW wanted to ensure its place near the top of the premium automobile sales charts, so the German automaker devalued the Formula One wing of its operation. Money, time and resources needed to be shifted. In addition, BMW acknowledged 2009's poor showing played a role in its decision to withdraw from the sport.
BMW had secured a buyer of the team by September. But that buyer, Qadbak Investments Limited, turned out to be a shell corporation. Finally, Sauber himself stepped up two months later to reacquire full rights to the team he founded. Formula 1 granted him a special exemption to remain on the circuit in 2010, and his team remains a part of Formula 1 to this day. Using Ferrari engines, though, Sauber has failed to match the same success as when BMW and Sauber were one.
The aftermath
Sauber was left to awkwardly flounder during the 2010 season. The late notice about the sale forced the Sauber team to maintain the BMW name—even though the car had no BMW components. Most sponsors avoided the team entirely—considering the absence of a big-name backer and the uncertainty that resulted over the team's viability. The lack of money forced the team to cut its staff by nearly half. No Sauber driver finished higher than sixth in any race that year, and the team finished a disappointing eighth. Midway through that year, Sauber justified his decision to buy the team in spite of its relatively poor showing:
"When I decided to take over, I had to make the decision in a short period of time," Sauber said. "I was led purely by my gut feelings, which is something you should try to avoid. If it was a purely logical decision, you wouldn't have done it, but, in the end, I didn't have a choice because [the Sauber manufacturing facility in] Hinwil would have been closed down."
Sauber has failed to finish better than sixth in any season since going solo. No Sauber driver has won a race since the merger dissolved.
BMW did return to racing in some capacity in 2012, fielding three teams in the German Touring Car Masters. But the company has otherwise remained true to its word and avoided the highest level of racing in favor of improving the technology on its mass-produced automobile lines.
Ultimately, though, BMW's failure to produce a winning Formula One team remains one of the great disappointments in racing. BMW-Sauber set high expectations as an "outsider" on the circuit and came close to meeting them. They were the one of the best teams in Formula 1 for a season and a half, with only a change in priorities preventing them from becoming truly great.
Professional sports are full of "what could have been" stories. In the world of auto racing, there is perhaps no greater such story than that of BMW-Sauber, a team that somehow exceeded expectations while failing to meet them at the same time.


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By Mark Harris
My wife, bless her, is very supportive of my beer research. She likes going to breweries and events with me, but finding a beer that she can finish is a struggle.
Nothing too dark, or too hoppy, or too sour ... you get the idea. Luckily, the increase in the number of local breweries is helping provide options.
Beer is definitely an acquired taste, and finding a gateway beer often requires a lot of trial and error. The sentiment that craft beer means IPAs is unfortunate, because it leads many people to try and jump right into them.
The bitterness of an IPA tells your body that its most likely a poison, and you have to train your palate gradually to tolerate it. The same is true for sours; that taste in nature means something has gone bad and shouldnt be consumed.
Start with something simple and malt-forward. Vienna Lager from Devils Backbone is a safe choice, as are any of the local Oktoberfest beers coming out soon.
Coelacanth Brewing in Norfolk has a wide range of approachable beers for all tastes and has emerged as my wifes preferred destination. The pilsners offered from OConnor and Smartmouth are always enjoyed, as is the Riptide Altbier from Reaver Beach.
The best advice? Talk to the brewery staff and get a sampler.
Local Beer Cup awards
Several local craft brewers took home honors this week when the Virginia Craft Brewers Guild named the 2016 Virginia Craft Beer Cup Awards in Richmond. More than 280 brewers attended the event Tuesday. More than 370 beers were considered.
The local winners were:
Reaver Beach Brewing, second for its Reavers Salvation and third for its Reaver en Noir, in wild yeast specialty beer; third for Full Broadside, in Belgian wit, pale ale and biere de garde.
Big Ugly Brewing, second for its Ghost Rider Porter, in darker European beer; third for Mango Rockers IPA, in fruit beer.
Back Bay Brewing, second for its Gringo, in German pils and international lager.
Pleasure House Brewing, first for its No Waves, British dark ale.
OConnor Brewing, second for its Red Nun Red Ale, in American amber ale.
Bold Mariner Brewing, first for its Scurvy Dog, Belgian blond and saison.
Virginia Beach Company, second for its Saison Tournante, Belgian blond and saison.
Virginia Craft Brewers Fest
The Virginia Craft Brewers Fest takes place Saturday at Devils Backbone Basecamp Brewpub in Roseland. Its a fine celebration of the excellent craft beer in the state.
This years event is not without controversy, however. The sale of the host brewery to AB InBev made them ineligible for awards, as they now fall outside of the definition for craft as established by the rules. It has long been a powerhouse in the competition, and leaves an interesting void at the top.
For more information, visit www.vacraftbrewersfest.com.
beer of the week
My beer of the week is the return of Breakwater Cream Ale from Rip Rap Brewing. In keeping with the theme this week, this offering is easily one of the most approachable beers in the area. Endlessly smooth and drinkable, it is well balanced and has no harsh aftertaste.
Beer, Bourbon and BBQ Festival
This festival is a touring event that will land at Hunt Club Farm in Virginia Beach on Saturday: noon to 6 p.m. for VIP ticket holders and 2 to 6 p.m. for others.
It boasts 40 bourbons and 60 beers on tap, including a few from local brewers. And lots of barbecue.
For more information, visit www.beerandbourbon.com.
Mark Harris is a regular contributor to
. Reach him at

subset: commoncrawl


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Each year more than 38,000 children in the U.S. die from a terminal condition. Most of them suffer unnecessarily, said Stefan Friedrichsdorf, director of the Pain and Palliative Care team at Children's Hospitals and Clinics.
"We have data from children dying from cancer and non-malignant diseases that more than 80 percent of the children die in pain, more than 60 percent die of breathlessness, more than half of the children have nausea and vomiting. This is something which is easy to manage," said Friedrichsdorf.
There are a variety of reasons for the medication differences between adults and kids. But none of the reasons hold up anymore, said Friedrichsdorf. His personal experiences have reinforced what the data show. He has seen many children in his clinical travels who have received a chest tube without being given a painkiller.
Friedrichsdorf is not saying that doctors are being deliberately cruel. He thinks many are afraid to use powerful pain medications on children.
"[Of] children dying from cancer and non-malignant diseases, more than 80 percent die in pain ... This is something which is easy to manage."Stefan Friedrichsdorf, Children's Hospital and Clinics
"Like, 'Oh, I cannot start morphine on this baby because that would be euthanasia.' And in fact we know that if we provide excellent management of pain -- for instance by giving morphine -- children actually live much longer, and sometimes they don't die," Friedrichsdorf said.
The field of pediatric pain and palliative care is relatively new. Even now, few doctors receive special training on how to treat the pain needs of a dying child.
Children's Hospital is hosting a free conference this week for physicians who want to learn the newest techniques in pain management for kids. Doctors will also learn how to work with parents.
Kim and Rob Lovrich of White Bear Lake lost their son Mac seven years ago to a debilitating condition called Trisomy 13. It's a genetic disorder that can cause major defects in many organs. Mac was just five days old when he was diagnosed.
"Because of his diagnosis -- a genetic syndrome, genetic disorder -- we were never sure if he was experiencing a lot of pain or discomfort, or just neuro-irritability. But he was experiencing one of those things pretty much constantly," Kim Lovrich said.
When they left Children's Hospital with Mac two months later, their son's symptoms quickly got a lot worse. Mac's doctors suggested a sedative. But Kim wasn't receptive to the idea.
"That was really hard as a parent to come to grips with -- my two-month-old needing a sedative. No, I'm sorry you don't do that to two-month-olds," she said.
They didn't want Mac to be drowsy, Rob Lovrich explained. They thought it was more important to feed him as much as possible, so he would be strong enough for a second heart surgery that he needed.
"It really took weeks and weeks for it to dawn on us that it was counter-productive for him to be thrashing around in pain all the time. And in order for him to meet the developmental milestone that we hoped for, he really did need to have his pain managed," Rob Lovrich said.
Eventually the Lovriches agreed to give Mac a sedative. They feel comforted now knowing that when their son did die a few months later he wasn't suffering.
Today the Lovriches are vocal proponents of better pain management for children. The death of their son has changed their lives and put them both on new career paths.
In two weeks, Rob Lovrich will graduate from medical school and begin a residency program in pediatrics. His experience with Mac inspired him to leave his corporate job to become a children's doctor.
Kim Lovrich, also deeply affected by her experience with Mac, recently finished her master's degree in public health. Her research has led her to conclude that insurers should be required to pay for more treatments that ease suffering at the end of life.


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Project Lia – Repurpose Material to Repurpose Lives
Today we celebrate the beginning of a new nonprofit Economy of Communion company: PROJECT LIA – formed to provide a transition job program for formerly-incarcerated women.[more]
Today we celebrate the beginning of a new nonprofit Economy of Communion company: PROJECT LIA – formed to provide a transition job program for formerly-incarcerated women.[more]
El amor nos llena de luz
L'amore ci riempie di luce
사랑은 빛으로 우리를 채워줍니다.
Miłość napełnia nas światłem
Every day, I receive via email a Word of the Day although in truth, more often than not, it really is a phrase or a brief sentence. Its message is always a creative way that we an love God and […][more]
On December 12, we celebrated Jesus birth with a small Christmas gathering for our Word of Life group. The children prepared a few Christmas songs to sing with flute accompaniment, for the adults. We also played a Christmas Jeopardy game with two teams including the adults, teens and the children, which required being united in the […][more]
In the spirit of Christmas, with our typical aim at loving one another, we gathered for our annual Christmas Party. 85 adults and kids came together for the day which included a cello and piano duet performed by 2 young ladies which set the tone for a Christmas meditation. Experiences of living our Gospel-based spirituality […][more]
"Jesus is the greatest gift of all": with this spirit, thousands of children throughout the world remind us that "Jesus has been dislodged," and invite us to make him once again the focus of Christmas. In St. Peter's Square on 20 December, there will be a Children's Jubilee with the blessing of their statues of Baby Jesus.
A video produced by the Gen 4 International Centre in Rome.
16 year old Caitlin Rowley from Houston, Texas, shares how she lives with Crohn's Disease, overcoming her fears. An experience which emanates strength and light.
"Mercy and dialogue: pathways to unity" was the title of this year's Men's Retreat held in Belton, Texas. It gave the almost 30 men the opportunity to reflect on some of the Pope's texts on mercy and how it can be lived through the spirituality of unity. There was an insight into how unity with […][more]
Small but constant steps towards giving our typical contribution—unity—where division due to racial tensions pose a continual challenge. The experience of the local Focolare community.[more]
Conferred on Dr Butalia from Ohio State University for his commitment to peace-building and dialogue. The award spotlights people who are dedicated to building bridges of unity[more]


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INGLEWOOD, Calif. (November 18, 2010)—Before Zenyatta begins a new stage of her life at Lane's End Farm in Kentucky, Hollywood Park will stage an appreciation day for the brilliant mare Sunday, Dec. 5. Post time is 12:30 p.m.
Zenyatta, who has been stabled at Hollywood Park throughout her career, will be paraded between races, giving local fans a final chance to see the 6-year-old daughter of Street Cry before she leaves California next month.
The entire Zenyatta team will be on hand, including owners Jerry and Ann Moss, trainer John Shirreffs, jockey Mike Smith, racing manager Dottie Ingordo-Shirreffs, exercise rider Steve Willard, groom Mario Espinoza and hot walker Carmen Zamona.
An eight time winner at her home track, Zenyatta came within a head of finishing her career 20-for-20. She was defeated in a photo finish by Blame in the Breeders' Cup Classic Nov. 6 at Churchill Downs.
Prior to her only loss, Zenyatta had strung together nine consecutive Grade I wins. She finished her career with 13 such victories, including her unforgettable score in the 2009 Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita.
Hollywood Park will have drawings during the day for Zenyatta memorabilia. The feature attraction is the $150,000 Bayakoa Handicap, a Grade II for older fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles over Cushion Track. Shirreffs has won the race a record five times, including an 11-1 upset with Zardana in 2009.
Copyright © 2009-2012, Hollywood Park. All rights reserved. Site design by Love Has No logic Design Group


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Posted on June 17, 2009 in Miscellaneous Shoes and Apparel
In the 19th century they were known as rationals, knickerbockers and athletic bloomers. Worn in the contexts of athletic activity, female tennis players today wear them to secure the yellow ball of choice during game play. For the playtesters at Tennis Warehouse, they're known as Kana's obnoxiously bright panties.
Being an unofficial sponsor of Fancy Pants panties, I am attracted to the ridiculous patterns and retro styles like a fly to the blue light of death. Making a fashion statement on the tennis court has never crossed my mind as it is a hidden article of clothing (of course "hidden" doesn't necessarily mean it never appears while wearing skirts), but rather a conundrum for my officemates on why I would purchase such a piece. It feels uncanny for me not to wear these brightly fabricated pieces, just as it feels uncanny not to wear a bracelet of some sort on my right ankle.
Ritualistically, for every match or even just a simple hit, I have to come equipped in one of my obnoxiously bright panties and bracelet on my right ankle. Otherwise, I mentally and physically feel out of sync. Nevertheless, if such a thing did happen (which it rarely does) other than the uneasy feeling at the beginning, I must hit through it. In essence, do you have a ritual that prepares you for your game play? It can be an article of clothing, a favored racquet you start with, or number of times you bounce the ball before a serve. Let me know! For I have revealed my ritual: I can't use shorts with pockets, I can't use the elastic pocket in the skort, I must… use bloomers.
Peace Sign,


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ST. LOUIS, Mo. - After winning five of their last six contests the surging Panthers were halted in St. Louis as Webster University downed the Black & Orange 85-72 on Wednesday night. With the loss, men's basketball now moves into sixth place in the SLIAC standings.
The Panthers (13-9, 8-6 SLIAC) came into the mid-week contest tied for fourth place in the late season scramble for the SLIAC Tournament birth. GC also entered last night's battle as winners of three straight, and had only dropped three games in 2012 (10-3). With the win, the Gorloks of WU moved into a tie for first place in the SLIAC at 11-3 with Eureka College with two conference games remaining.
Senior K.J. Hilliard headlined the GC efforts in St. Louis, posting 26 points on 10-16 shooting. Hilliard also added nine boards, five steals, and three asssits (all team highs) in the defeat.
Junior forward Simon Martin continued his strong late-season play, notching 10 points and six rebounds in only 20 minutes of play.
Greenville College opened the duel with a 28-26 lead at the half due to a sharp defensive effort, holding the Webster attack to only 29% shooting from the floor. However, it was the home team that controlled second period play, as Webster's offense began to fire on all cylinders. An 18-4 run to open the half put Webster up, 44-32, and the Gorloks extended the lead to 16 before cruising to victory. Webster wound up shooting a scorching 78% (22-28) in the second half, bringing its game percentage to 52%.
On the Webster side, Stefan Whittingham and Roman Robinson both recorded double doubles in the win. Whittingham had his eighth of the season, scoring 19 points, on eight of 12 shooting, and cleaning the boards for a team-high 15 rebounds. Robinson tied Whittingham for a team-high 19 points and pulled down 10 boards.
With their backs against the wall, GC men's basketball will return to the court on Saturday, February 18 as they travel to Elsah, Ill. and take on the Panthers of Principia. The game will follow the women's contest, and tip-off is scheduled for 3:00 pm.


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Boeing Center for Children's Wellness (Lean Team)
Health Check
Health Check
In order to know where you are starting from, it is important to get an idea of how healthy or unhealthy you are. By checking a few simple measures, you can establish your risk for disease and have a gauge of how much you are progressing as you begin working to improve your body composition and fitness level. Measures such as height, weight, body mass index (BMI), body fat, and blood pressure can indicate your health status. BMI is a measure of body weight compared to height. It is commonly used to classify individuals into underweight, healthy, overweight, and obese categories.


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"ParaNorman" – Los Angeles Premiere – Red Carpet
UNIVERSAL CITY, CA – AUGUST 05: Actress Anna Kendrick attends the "ParaNorman" Los Angeles premiere held at the AMC CityWalk Stadium 19 at Universal Studios Hollywood on August 5, 2012 in Universal City, California. (Photo by Mark Davis/WireImage)
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SuperMicro SuperServer 6027AX-TRF-HFT2 Server RAM Memory Upgrades
The memory modules below are 100% compatible with your SuperMicro SuperServer 6027AX-TRF-HFT2 Server. Not your model? View the complete range of SuperMicro Servers or view all SuperMicro upgrades here.
8GB Module
- Dimm Speed: DDR3-8500 (PC3-1066)
- Dimm Type: ECC
- Product code: FT8GLK72V1U
- Storage Capacity: 8GB Module
- Form Factor: 240 Pin Dimm
Want it by Tuesday?
Order within the next 8 hours, 57 minutes, and select Express Delivery.
Was £70.48.
£67.78 inc. VAT
Lifetime WarrantyAll OFFTEK memory is backed by our full lifetime warranty. We obsess over our products so you do not have to. Our team constantly strive to ensure that all our memory is of the highest quality but should you ever have any issues with your purchase you have the peace of mind that you can return your product for a replacement if the need arises.
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Guaranteed CompatibilityOver the years we have taken immense care in creating one of the most in depth memory configurators. We do this to ensure that when you purchase a memory upgrade from OFFTEK you are confident that the upgrade is 100% compatible with your system. Should you have any questions prior to ordering your upgrade we have technicians on hand via live chat, email or phone who will be able to answer any queries you may have.
We take the time to look into each machine to ensure that we offer all sizes and speeds that the machine is able to take not just the latest specification that has been released. We believe that offering all options for machines provides a 100% guarantee that the memory with function with your original memory module efficiently.
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The Lowdown on ROM
Fundamentally, there are 3 basic types of ROM and they include:
- ROM itself
- PROM (Programmable Only Memory), which can only be written to once
- EPROM, which can be erased using UV light and reprogrammed using a pulsed voltage
(There is another type of ROM, which is identical to EPROM, apart from the fact that it can be electrically erased under software control).
In essence, ROM chips are quite different from RAM, as they use a diode to create a 1 and then break the connection to form a 0. Usually, ROM is created from hard wired logic and the data is encoded into the silicon inside, in the same basic way as a processor. It is created with to perform a very specific function, which cannot be altered, with good reason.
One common misconception is that only RAM is able to access data in a random way, but that isn't true. ROM can also access data in the same way, it just can't be written to.
The Benefits
The benefits of ROM lie in its permanence. Once the relevant data has been stored there, regardless of power supply, it will always be there (unless drastic action is taken, like taking an axe to it!). This non-volatile nature of ROM is shared by another component inside a computer, the hard disk
Another benefit is that ROM is very hard to tamper with the information stored inside, which means you'll never get a virus altering code in a ROM module.
The BIOS on computers is the most prevalent way that ROM is used in the modern age and it is just as vital to the overall operation as any other components. Inside the BIOS you'll find a lot of important data (which is permanent and not erased when power is lost) that pertains to boot up sequences and the operation of all of the hardware inside a modern laptop or PC.
Specification of SuperMicro SuperServer 6027AX-TRF-HFT2 memory upgrade
Your system memory specification is listed below, most importantly your maximum memory capacity:
|Device Specifications
|Make + Model
|SuperMicro SuperServer 6027AX-TRF-HFT2
|Device Type
|N° of Ram Slots
|16 Slots
|Standard Ram
|Maximum Memory
|1TB (16 x 64GB LRDIMM), 512GB (16 x 32GB RDIMM), 128GB (16 x 8GB UDIMM)
|SuperMicro Tech Support
|Official SuperMicro Support Link
If you are looking to place a quantity order or are buying on behalf of the public or private sector then please contact one of our designated account managers who will be able to deal with your requirements in more detail.
For any queries you may have please contact one of our experienced Memory Specialists via one of the following methods and they will ensure that any issue is resolved immediately and effectively.
Why buy from offtek
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Action Alert
Call Assembly Speaker Silver: Stop the HASA Rent Crisis -- New Yorkers With HIV/AIDS Need Affordable Housing!
No More Than 30% Towards Our Rent for HASA Clients
August 19, 2009
Call Speaker Silver's NYC office at (212) 312-1420 with this message:
"Hi, my name is _________ and I'm calling to ask Speaker Silver to schedule a vote during the special session for Assembly bill number 2565, introduced by Deborah Glick. This bill would help prevent 11,000 low-income New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS from losing their homes by giving them an affordable housing protection." [Additional points below]
Albany UpdateThe Senate bill (#2664), championed by Senator Tom Duane, passed with overwhelming support on July 17th (only one Senator voted no). The Assembly will have the opportunity to pass the bill in September when they meet for a special session to update the budget. But Assembly Speaker Silver won't schedule a vote for the bill unless he sees and hears enough community support. The Assembly bill was introduced by Assembly Member Deborah Glick and is co-sponsored by over 40 of her colleagues. If you haven't already, please watch Senator Duane's extraordinary speech about the legislation at www.nysenate.gov/news/towleroad-ny-state-senator-tom-duane-gives-gripping-angry-speech-aids.
Key Points -- What The 30% Rent Cap Bill Would Do
FOR MORE INFORMATION, contact NYCAHN Community Organizer Jaron Benjamin at (718) 864-3932 or firstname.lastname@example.com.
This article was provided by New York City AIDS Housing Network.
Add Your Comment:
(Please note: Your name and comment will be public, and may even show up in
Internet search results. Be careful when providing personal information! Before
adding your comment, please read TheBody.com's Comment Policy.)


text: JeanB 1 Report post Posted June 15, 2012 Hi. Can anyone advise why a red terracotta clay would develop a dark line as it dries. These marks do not fire out. I have used the same clay and never had this problem but one of my students who works at home is having this issue. If this was fabric and not clay, I would describe it as a dirty water stain with a dark edge. As I don't see what the student is doing at home, I cannot put my finger on the problem, but having questioned her, she does not seem to be doing anything wrong. Any comments much appreciated. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites


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The lights didn't go out on CBS Corp. during the first quarter.
The Super Bowl -- which was marred by a third-quarter power outage that dimmed the lights in the New Orleans Superdome -- helped the broadcasting giant rake in more than $4 billion in revenue in the first quarter. That amounted to a 6% increase compared with the first quarter of 2012 -- and a record haul for the media company.
For the quarter that ended March 31, CBS' profit soared nearly 22%. The New York media company earned $463 million, or 73 cents a share, compared with $394 million, or 59 cents a share, a year earlier.
PHOTOS: Hollywood Backlot moments
"CBS delivered the most successful quarter in the company's history," Chief Executive Leslie Moonves told analysts on a Wednesday afternoon conference call to report earnings.
The growth primarily came from an 8% increase in advertising revenue, driven by the strong demand for commercial time during this year's Super Bowl, which aired on the CBS broadcast network. CBS also televised a highly rated AFC championship game, as well as the Grammys.
CBS expects to finish the current TV season in first place among all key measurement categories, including total viewers and adults ages 18 to 49. It would mark the first time since the 1991-92 season that CBS could claim the trophy for having the most viewers in the key 18-to-49 advertising demographic.
ON LOCATION: Where the cameras roll
"We are the No. 1 most watched network in the entire universe," Moonves boasted, perhaps going out on a limb a bit.
For the quarter, CBS' entertainment division generated revenue of $2.5 billion, up 9.5% from $2.3 billion in the year-earlier period. Network advertising was up 14%, fueled by record rates for the Super Bowl spots.
CBS' Showtime network and the company's other cable channels produced revenue of $478 million, a 5.8% increase from $452 million a year earlier. The boost came from higher subscriber fees from pay TV operators.
Simon & Schuster publishing revenue slipped 3% to $171 million. Electronic books now represent a third of the company's total sales, Chief Financial Officer Joe Ianniello said.
"We are playing our hand very well in this new age," Moonves said.
Local TV and radio stations benefited from a bump in advertising. The segment generated revenue of $638 million, compared with $622 million in the first quarter of 2012. That represented growth of 2.6%.
The company, which is controlled by Los Angeles billionaire Sumner Redstone, said it took a non-cash $11 million impairment charge related to divestiture of certain radio stations.
CBS Corp. reports 6% rise in fourth-quarter profit
CBS and Amazon sign streaming deal for 'Under the Dome'
CBS Chief Executive Leslie Moonves' 2012 pay package valued at $62.2 million
ON LOCATION: People and places behind what's onscreen PHOTOS: Biggest box office flops of 2013 PHOTOS: Celebrity production companies
ON LOCATION: People and places behind what's onscreen
PHOTOS: Biggest box office flops of 2013
PHOTOS: Celebrity production companies


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By ,
Published January 13, 2015
Chile's former army chief is quitting his post as head of the country's electoral service after acknowledging that he handed over to nuns the child of two left-wing activists killed after the 1973 military coup.
Juan Emilio Cheyre resigned late Wednesday from the election board following pressure from human rights groups.
Cheyre spoke publicly for the first time about the case Tuesday. He said he was just following orders when he gave 2-year-old Ernesto Lejderman to a convent.
Lejderman, who was raised by his grandparents in Argentina, says Cheyre shouldn't face charges.
Lejderman's parents were killed by a military patrol while trying to escape with their son after Gen. Augusto Pinochet's coup.
Chile's government estimates 3,095 people were killed during Pinochet's 1973-90 dictatorship.


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With Mother's Day on the horizon, it was an early gift for many of author Anna Quindlen's fans as she communed with her Chicago peeps in these early days of a national book tour for her newly published memoir, "Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake."
Quindlen was the guest for a Printers Row Live! program Friday night at Tribune Tower, holding forth in a girls' night conversation with Elizabeth Taylor, the Tribune's literary editor.
As is her wont, Quindlen amplified on themes of motherhood and family from the outset. After reading aloud the opening passage from her book, she spoke of the sometimes overwhelming expectations for women who try to manage their personal lives and build families and careers. "It's so out of whack," she said of the pressure and expectations, especially in comparison with men's experiences.
This book arrives at a time when Quindlen is on the threshold of 60, and heads nodded as she noted that one of the joys of getting older is that you can once more be that authentic self that individuals are as children. "This is me," she observed. "I'm fine."
The discussion with Taylor touched on the importance of female friends in supporting one another as well as how much Quindlen values her experience at Barnard, a women's college. "Is the magic the absence of men or the presence of women," Taylor prompted.
"The magic," Quindlen replied, "is the expectations." Being at an all-women's school taught her to speak up, to have confidence, to see that she and her classmates were all talented and capable. That experience made it possible for her to become a columnist, to dare to have opinions at a time when that was so contrary to how women of her generation were socialized, she said.
Since her writing career has trafficked in the personal, it was to be expected that Quindlen would want to talk about her three children, now adults making their way and, in some fashion, molding writing paths of their own. With great pleasure, Quindlen told the sold-out crowd of an interview she did with her son, Quindlen Krovatin, for Barnes & Noble Review. Here is a link: http://bnreview.barnesandnoble.com/t5/Interview/Anna-Quindlen-An-Interview-with-Mom/ba-p/7729
With Anna Quindlen just beginning her promotional tour, the questions from readers had the feeling of fresh discovery, while the answers seemed free of rote and tilting, if anything, toward reprises of favorite passages in the book.
And what did readers want her to talk about?
--Social media. Years ago, she promised her children she would not play on Facebook, but now they don't care so much and she has tippy-toed into modest Facebook wall posts on behalf of her book publisher. Twitter? Not so much.
The pluses of social media are that more people are writing in various forms and that these channels create community, she said. But it can be "disconcerting" to see social media as a substitute for real-life experiences, Quindlen added.
--Her sons and feminism. She wanted her boys to not have a sense of entitlement and to appreciate women. Quindlen happily told a tale about her son accepting a black t-shirt with the saying, 'Dare to use the F word,' on front, coupled with 'Feminist' on the back. She complimented him, "and he said, 'Yeah, chicks dig it.'"
--In praise of nuns. A reader noted that in a column Quindlen had praised the goodness of nuns and their social justice, and she spoke at length on the topic, which she also covers in the memoir. "The great work of social welfare" by Catholic institutions around the world "is disproportionately done by nuns," Quindlen observed.
"If there is anyone who's living the work of the New Testament, it's the nuns of the Catholic church and not the Catholic hierarchy," she said to applause.
--Loss. Inevitably, readers wanted to know Quindlen's thoughts about dealing with the loss of a mother early in life. She has written – and continues to write – about the profound impact in her life of losing her mother to cancer when she was 19. She took time off from college to care for her mother and then, as the oldest sibling, to help set the household aright until she could hire a housekeeper and escape back to her life.
One reader talked of how she never knew her mother and wondered if it helped Quindlen or in some way freed her to be different from her mother.
Quindlen replied that while she loved her mother and her mother was beloved, she understood clearly that she was not like her mother. But at the same time, she was raised like her father's oldest son. "There's something really powerful about that for a girl," Quindlen observed.
Quindlen made her mark first as a journalist. She won a Pulitzer Prize as a columnist for the New York Times and became a columnist at Newsweek. But all along, she told the audience, she nurtured a dream of being a novelist as well. As a kid, she imagined where in the public library her novel would perch. "It went between Marcel Proust and Ayn Rand," she added.
Her book, "A Short Guide to a Happy Life," sold more than a million copies. She has written six novels.
-- Margaret Holt, Standards Editor


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Musicians Who Date Models
Love Rocks: Musician-Model Couples
Love Rocks: Musician-Model Couples
New York Fashion Week kick started the fashionable season of runway showings in the US, London, Paris, and beyond. There are always famous faces in the crowds and front rows of Fashion Week, as the worlds of celebrity and style are often intermixed, especially when it comes to models and musicians. Couples like sultry crooner John Legend and his fiancée, model Chrissy Teigen, are just one of the many famous twosomes we hope to spot at both Fashion Week and at this weekend's Grammy Awards. Sometimes these powerhouse pairs meet at music festivals, while working on music videos, or just attending the same cool and beautiful people parties. But whatever the case is, there's something about the magnetic attraction between guys who can work the stage and women who can work the runway. So whether they've been married for years or had a short-lived fling, see some of the most famous musician-model couplings to date!


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Winter annuals grow rapidly in fall; can cause major losses Farmers are not likely to encounter many exotic weed species in no-till wheat compared to what they might find in no-till cotton or soybeans (cutleaf evening primrose, Carolina geranium, swinecress and marestail come to mind).
But, the weeds they are accustomed to seeing in conventionally planted wheat may be more difficult to control in no-till, says Neil Rhodes, Extension weed scientist with the University of Tennessee.
Speaking at the Milan No-Till Field Day, Rhodes told farmers that winter annual and perennial weeds could present greater challenges in no-till. "Wild garlic and the winter annuals such as chickweed, henbit and annual ryegrass grow rapidly in the fall and are capable of causing substantial losses due to dockage or reduced yield," he noted.
No-till wheat is not a new phenomenon in the Mid-South. For years, Delta growers flew wheat seed into standing cotton stalks in the fall to help the wheat get a head start on the fall rains.
It wasn't until they began trying to improve yields with intensive wheat management that many of those growers started planting into conventionally prepared seedbeds. Rhodes and other UT agronomists are trying to make sure farmers who want to go back to no-till planting can do it successfully.
"No-till wheat is no different from no-till corn, soybeans or cotton," he said. "If weeds are present at planting, a burndown herbicide will be needed. Unfortunately, some producers skip the burndown when they plant wheat no-till."
Rhodes said he understands growers wanting to cut expenses. "But, omitting the burndown herbicide can cost you more than you save."
Many winter annuals are just pushing through the soil line in late October to early November. "If you hit them with a burndown herbicide before the wheat comes up, it can put you way ahead."
Herbicides such as Gramoxone Extra can be an effective, inexpensive option to control chickweed, henbit, ryegrass and other winter annuals present at planting, he said. Roundup Ultra and Touchdown 5 would provide better control of perennial weeds, such as johnsongrass and some vines, especially if applied in late fall.
"There is more need for fall scouting and making good treatment decisions in no-till wheat," he said. "It's especially important that you use the burndown to get a head start on ryegrass."
Annual ryegrass, also called Italian ryegrass, is becoming an increasing problem in wheat, alfalfa and no-till corn in the South. A winter annual that can be difficult to control in no-till and conventional wheat, it is a prolific seed producer and a strong competitor for nitrogen.
Rhodes recommends laying out heavily infested fields to keep ryegrass from spreading and to reduce the chances of it developing resistance to herbicides. Growers should burn down those fields with Gramoxone Extra in November or December to reduce the ryegrass seed bank
"Weed scientists in several states have observed bio-types of ryegrass that are not controlled by high rates of Hoelon," he said. "This is a serious problem in Arkansas and other states. We have documented it at Milan, and suspect it at other locations."
If laying out the field is not an option, growers should avoid planting heavily infested fields first, says Rhodes. "Allow the ryegrass to germinate; then kill it with tillage or with Gramoxone Extra prior to planting the wheat."
If resistance is not suspected, Hoelon can be applied pre-emergence in a tank mix with Gramoxone Extra. But, a minimum of two pints of Hoelon per acre will be required for pre-emergence control.
"For the money, the best way to use Hoelon is early postemergence at 1.3 pints per acre," says Rhodes. "This should be targeted about one month after planting when the wheat and ryegrass have emerged. You will be spraying smaller ryegrass at lower rates, and we generally have better spraying weather and better herbicide performance."
Achieve, a relatively new herbicide that was registered for wheat in 1998, should also be applied in the fall for optimum control of ryegrass, he said. University of Tennessee tests show 98 percent control of ryegrass with 0.44 pound of Achieve when applied on Dec. 15 compared to 90 percent control when applied at 0.6 pound on Feb. 10.
"Because Achieve has the same mode of action as Hoelon, it will not control Hoelon-resistant bio-types," he said.
"Fall applications of Harmony Extra have also proven particularly useful for control of curly dock, henbit, chickweed and wild garlic," Rhodes said. "A fall application has usually eliminated the need for a spring application."
Similar applications of Sencor on Sencor-tolerant varieties can provide effective, economical control of winter annual broadleaf weeds, little barley and cheat. "The label has been revised to allow the application of reduced rates of 1 to 3 ounces of the 75 DF formulation on wheat in the two-leaf to three-tiller stage," he noted. "For cheat, apply 3 ounces to the one-leaf stage."
What about Harmony Extra on vetch, a weed that is becoming more commonplace in Tennessee wheat fields?
"Harmony Extra is only partially effective," says Rhodes. "The addition of 6 to 12 ounces of 2,4-D ester will greatly improve vetch control, and it will help where musk thistle and cutleaf evening primrose are troublesome. This tank mix application should be delayed until the wheat is well-tillered, but not jointing."
Several new products or new uses of old products may have potential for weed control in wheat, he says. None are currently labeled for use on wheat.
"Axiom is a new corn and soybean herbicide that appears to be promising on ryegrass and winter annual broadleaves," he said. "Prowl as a delayed pre-emergence application has shown good broadleaf activity, but its control of ryegrass has been variable.
"We are beginning to hear reports about Clearfield wheat and Roundup Ready wheat. Most of the testing on the Clearfield wheat has involved Raptor, which is now labeled in soybeans, and it appears to offer good ryegrass and broadleaf control. The Roundup Ready wheat has not been tested."
Neil Rhodes offers these tips to farmers contemplating planting wheat no-till this fall:
1. Don't cut corners on the burndown herbicide.
2. Weeds develop quickly in no-till. Scout and be ready to make treatment decisions in the fall, especially for weeds such as ryegrass, curly dock, cheat and little barley and chickweed and henbit.
3. Monitor the performance of Hoelon. Rotate heavily infested fields to other crops, if possible.
4. Add 2,4-D to Harmony Extra only if needed to control weeds such as vetch, musk thistle, cutleaf eveningprimrose and cornflower.
5. Try to avoid the need for a harvest aid in wheat.


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Damage Control: Dealing with Slugs and Snails
I live in slug paradise (aka Portland, Oregon) and the slimy little creatures are having their way with my garden right now. The leaves of my hostas, cauliflower and lettuce are shot through with holes and I find slugs creeping their way across the patio whenever I step outdoors. This week I'm striking back with my organic arsenal of slug fighting tools.
Spring is prime slug and snail season because they love wet, cool weather and plants with young, succulent foliage. Seedlings that are just emerging from the soil and plants like hostas, lettuce, and basil are particularly vulnerable. Slugs and snails can annihilate a row of baby greens overnight and heavy slug damage often permanently stunts or disfigures plants. Luckily, the slimy creatures are easy to control with organic slug baits. These products contain iron phosphate, which causes the slugs and snails to lose their appetite when they ingest it. Eventually they die of starvation (not poisoning). The ridiculously named Sluggo and Escar-go are two common brands. The organic baits often take a couple of days to take effect, so use the following strategies in the interim:
Go hunting. Slugs and snails tend to congregate in dark, damp, cool spots like the edge of lawns, under logs or mulch, and around the sides of raised beds. Look for them in early morning. Drown any you find in a jar of soapy water and then toss them on your compost pile. Try crumpling up a piece of newspaper and placing it into the garden at night. Slugs often hide out in the paper and you can just pick it up and toss it in the trash in the morning. I also avoid mulching in my vegetable garden until the weather warms up and the soil surface stays pretty dry.
Feed them to the birds. If you have chickens, let them loose into the garden before planting in spring to gobble up slugs and weeds. During the garden season I hunt for slugs and snails and toss them into the chicken run as a snack for our hens.
Attract ground beetles. Slug eggs are a ground beetle's favorite meal. Lure these good bugs to your garden by planting low, perennial plants that provide shelter, such as ornamental grasses, oregano, and thyme.
Make beer traps. Slugs and snails are drawn to the yeasty smell of beer like college kids are to a keg. To make a beer trap, simply bury a shallow container, such as a yogurt or keg cup, in the garden. Leave the rim of the container one inch above the soil line to prevent ground beetles from accidentally falling in. The slugs will smell the beer, crawl right into the container and drown. Simply dump the contents onto your compost each morning and refill the cup. I've found the cheaper the beer, the better it works. In fact, we once used up an entire batch of bad home brew in slug traps. It tasted terrible to us, but the slugs didn't seem to mind.
Willi Galloway writes The Gardener column. She lives in Portland, Oregon and writes about her kitchen garden on her blog DigginFood. Her first book Grow. Cook. Eat. A Food-Lovers Guide To Kitchen Gardening will be published in January 2012.
(Images: All images by Willi Galloway)


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'Do you ever get the feeling that the only reason we have elections is to find out if the polls were right?' – Robert Orben Political watching from a European time zone in 2016 has all been about the hour from 2am to 3am (London time). In late June, consensus expectations of a Brexit referendum 'remain' […]
Tag Archives | Europe
President-Elect Trump: The view from Europe
Brexit update September 2016
The cataclysmic failure of everything was forecast by David Cameron, George Osborne and the 'big beasts' in Remain and has not happened. The Electoral Reform Society in a recent report found that Project Fear may have had the opposite to the desired effect.
Should you sell now, August 2016?
The headline in a recent post published on FE Trustnet was: "Advisers positioned for a mass sell-off – should you do the same?" The short answer is "No!" and this post presents some evidence. FE Trustnet describes itself as: "the UK's most comprehensive free source of online investment data, analysis, research and news."
The Delusion of Objectivity We see what we want to see!
Tim Harford is the 'undercover economist' who writes a column in the FT Weekend Magazine most weeks. He recently wrote about the "Delusions of objectivity" and the sort of situation whereby an analyst highlights the positive nature for an investment trust of a price at a discount to Net Asset Value (NAV) whilst over-looking the […]
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Agency Cites Explicit Sexual and Gender Based Comments, Racial Slurs and Retaliation Against a Class of Workers
BALTIMORE – The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced today that it has filed a workplace discrimination lawsuit against Accurate Insulation, LLC, on behalf of a female and class of African American workers who were employed at its Upper Marlboro, Md. location.
According to the suit, (Civil Action 8:09-cv-00793), filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, the EEOC charges that a senior manager at Accurate Insulation subjected Felicia Cooper to sexually offensive overtures, overt comments, and explicit sexual requests. A senior manager also made racially charged statements to Lamont Womack, Elton Morgan, and Charles Briscoe by frequently referring to them as "boy" and stating that they "haven't gotten their 40 acres and a mule," referencing a proposed governmental reparations act following slavery. All four employees are African Americans and were employed as home insulation installers. Shortly after they filed internal complaints, the company began exclusively hiring Latino workers to replace them, and the African American employees' job assignments and work hours were then drastically reduced. All four African American employees were terminated after they filed complaints of discrimination with the EEOC.
EEOC filed suit under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, which prohibits sexual and racial harassment, and retaliation for complaining about it. The complaint seeks monetary and injunctive relief, including back wages, and compensatory damages, the creation and dissemination of effective anti-discrimination and anti-harassment policies, training and punitive damages. The EEOC filed suit after first attempting to reach a voluntary settlement.
"It is surprising that race and sex discrimination remain a persistent problem in the modern workforce," said Acting Regional Attorney Debra Lawrence. "Any form of discrimination in the workplace is unlawful, and workers cannot lose their jobs for reporting it."
According to its web site, Accurate Insulation, LLC is an independent, locally owned installer of insulation, garage doors, gutters, and fireplaces with two locations, Upper Marlboro and Hagerstown, Md., with more coming soon.
In FY 2008, EEOC announced that workplace discrimination charge filings increased 15% to an unprecedented level of 95,402. Charges based on race, sex, and retaliation continued to be the most frequently filed charges.
The EEOC enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. Further information about the EEOC is available on its web site at www.eeoc.gov.
This page was last modified on April 1, 2009.
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Church leaders and members must learn to debate with each other so that the truth may be embraced by all. The Jerusalem Council shows us the right ammunition for debate and a church leader's responsibilities in it.
At an official gathering of the Jerusalem church leaders, apostles and elders, there is much debate (compare 15:2). Finally Peter rises to speak. He begins by stressing the divine initiative in the inauguration of the Gentile mission. He reminds the church, alluding to the Cornelius incident, that some time ago (ten to twelve years) God chose him to be the mouthpiece by which Gentiles would hear the gospel and come to saving faith (10:33, 36, 43; 11:13-14). Next he points to the divine acceptance of the Gentiles: God, who knows the heart (1:24), a person's true spiritual state, gave the Holy Spirit to them as he had to Jewish believers at Pentecost (10:44-48; 11:15, 17). Here Peter strongly challenges the Jewish view that the only acceptable outward evidence of the conversion of Gentiles is their willingness to be circumcised and live as Jews. If God has taken initiative toward the Gentiles and accepted them for salvation, God's lack of prejudice against the Gentiles is obvious.
Peter draws a negative and positive conclusion from his experience with Cornelius and his household. Negatively, to insist on circumcision and living under the Jewish law is actually to put God to the test. Though secondarily this would be to call "into question [God's] power to cleanse the hearts of the uncircumcised by His Spirit" (Williams 1985:253), primarily it means tempting God to inflict punishment, even eternal condemnation, by placing the Gentile convert back in the "law performance" way of trying to relate to God. Taking on the yoke of the law and carrying it was a positive image in Judaism (m. Berakot 2:2; m. 'Abot 3:5). Peter here claims that with respect to obtaining salvation, the responsible keeping of the law is futile (Acts 13:38-39; Gal 3:10-12). Positively, using the Gentiles as the standard, Peter declares that it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that "we believe so as to be saved," just as they [the Gentiles] are (compare 2:21; 4:12; 14:3; 16:30-31).
We must let this simple truth sink deep into our hearts, for as Lloyd Ogilvie observes, "The struggle for faith alone never ends. It's a part of our own inability to accept a gift. And deeper than that: we want to be loved because of what we do for God" (1983:227).
In the face of Peter's cogent theological reasoning the whole assembly became silent. The groundwork for settling the issue in favor of Paul and Barnabas has been laid, and basic unity has been restored. Now Barnabas and Paul speak, telling about (providing "detailed information in a systematic manner"--Louw and Nida 1988:1:411), all (literally, "so many"--not in NIV) the miraculous signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them. As at Cornelius's conversion, God's miracleworking has accompanied this Gentile mission (14:3, 9-10). Therefore Paul's mission and message--the law-free gospel of grace--has the same divine legitimacy as Peter's. Here we again encounter a focused function for signs and wonders: confirmation to Jews of God's approval of the Gentile mission (see comment at 14:3).
James, the half-brother of Jesus, who as the chief elder may well be chairing the meeting, spoke up--literally, "answered." He will now give his assessment of the evidence presented and offer a solution to the controversy. He interprets Peter's experience with Cornelius as a major event in God's salvation history. At first--that is, long ago (compare v. 7)--God showed his concern (v. 4; literally, "visited"). James's wording places the salvation of the Gentiles on a par with God's saving acts toward Israel, past and future (Ex 3:16; 4:31; Jer 39:41 LXX; Lk 1:68, 78; 7:16; Testament of Levi 16:5; 1 Enoch 25:3). His purpose is to take a people for his name from among the Gentiles. By using phrasing that closely echoes God's choosing of Israel, James heightens the radical nature of the new thing God has done (Ex 19:5; Deut 7:6). Now a people [laos] for himself (literally, "for his name"; compare Acts 15:17) will be taken from among the Gentiles.
Though the Jews expected God's salvation to reach to the Gentiles, they thought that Gentile participation would occur through incorporation into the already existing people of God, Israel. They never thought that the people of God would comprise both Jew and Gentile but not be Jewish. Note that Luke uses laos consistently in Acts to refer to the Jews as the people of God (4:10; 10:42; 13:17; 26:17, 23; 28:17; contrast 18:10).
Though this may be a radically new thought to the first-century Jew, it is not new to God. The words of the prophets are in agreement with this (15:15, referring to either the book of the twelve minor prophets--Acts 7:42; 13:40; compare Zech 2:11--or the fact that many prophets so agree). Here we have a reversal of roles for the promise and fulfillment. Usually it is the alleged fulfillment that must agree with the promise. Here the fulfillment becomes the hermeneutical key for understanding how the prophet Amos could prophesy that in the last days the "people of God" would include Gentiles who had not first become Jews.
The wording of the Amos 9:11-12 quotation (Acts 15:16-17) is a comprehensive statement of what God has done through Peter. The rebuilding of David's fallen tent may point ultimately to the whole saving program of God in his Messiah (Kaiser 1977:108; compare the Qumran use of the passage--CD 7:16; 4QFlor 1:12) and hence to Jesus' saving death and resurrection (Bruce 1988:293-94), but it does not do so in a spiritualizing way that violates the original context. To say that James equates the "house of David" with the church and the prophecy as a whole with "the church gathering to itself all the nations" does violate Amos's original intent (contra Williams 1985:254). Rightly interpreted, the rebuilt Davidic tent refers to a restored Israel, which in the person of Jewish Christians God chooses to inaugurate the Gentile mission (15:7, 14; compare Longenecker 1981:446). That was, after all, the purpose of Israel's restoration: that the remnant of men may seek the Lord.
James has grasped the very heart of Amos's eschatological message concerning the nature of the salvation that Messiah brings to the Gentiles. In so doing, James has replaced a proselyte model of Gentile salvation with an eschatological/christocentric one. The Lord has chosen to place his name on Gentiles as Gentiles, without requiring that they surrender their ethnic identity. That name, "the Lord Jesus Christ," is the basis on which they have repented and believed (Lk 24:47; Acts 4:12; 10:43), the identity they have adopted in baptism (2:38; 10:48; compare 11:26) and the reason they will suffer (compare 5:41; 14:22).
This Old Testament text teaches that Christians' new identity in Christ both supersedes and allows room for their cultural identity. Christians are saved from the error of prejudicial ethnocentrism. What a liberation, to respect and appreciate differences, not using them as weapons of prejudice but at the same time not being imprisoned by them!
James concludes the quote by affirming that this plan for Gentile salvation is not of human origin and is not new. It has been known by God for ages (compare Is 45:21). To oppose it with human cultural traditions, even those that appeal to Scripture, is to oppose God's eternal revelation.
What solution to the controversy does this freshly articulated understanding yield? James makes an "official" proposal of one negative and one positive action with respect to Gentile converts. We should not make it difficult for them: that is, Jewish Christians should not pressure Gentile converts (compare Judg 14:17; 16:16 LXX) into adopting circumcision and the yoke of the law as a necessary condition and sign of their salvation (contrast Acts 15:1, 5). Positively, the council asks Gentile converts to abstain from food polluted by idols (compare 15:29, "food sacrificed to idols"; Ex 34:15-16; compare Lev 17:7-8), sexual immorality (possibly meaning marriage within levitical degrees--Lev 18:6-18), meat of strangled animals (meat that has not been ritually slaughtered so as to drain the blood properly--Lev 17:13) and blood (eating blood--Lev 17:10).
Interestingly, each of these prohibitions was originally addressed not only to Jew but also to Gentile aliens living alongside them in the land. The rules' specifics and their rationale (Acts 15:21) show they are given to promote table fellowship between uncircumcised Gentile converts and Jewish Christians who observe the dietary laws. There is no surrender here of the gospel freedom alluded to in verse 19. Rather, that freedom is to be used in love to serve Jewish Christian brothers and sisters, but not beyond the bounds of Scripture (Gal 5:13). Sexual immorality, as an ethical matter, not having to do with ritual purity, may seem out of place. But given that one of the Jews' ongoing concerns was "low ethical and moral standards among Gentiles" (Scott 1992:14), it is appropriate in this list to represent the category of moral standards.
James's proposal, then, teaches us three things about life together in a culturally diverse church. We must say no to any form of cultural imperialism that demands others' conformity to our cultural standards before we will accept them and their spiritual experience. We must say yes to mutual respect for our differences. And we must live out that respect even to the extent of using our freedom to forgo what is permissible in other circumstances.
In a day when transportation and urbanization make it easier to stay apart than face the challenge of living together as a multicultural body of believers, the church has yet to model consistently what James calls for. But even our separate culturally homogeneous fellowships may face challenges of gender, music and generation gaps. We need to take Acts 15 to heart.
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The Council's Letter
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Car Review
2007-2012 BMW X5: Used Car Review
When BMW introduced its first-generation X5 Sport Activity Vehicle (SAV) in 2000, it set itself apart from the mostly truck-based SUVs that predominated at the time. By basing the X5 on car-based mechanicals, many of which trickled down from its well-regarded 5 Series sport-luxury sedan, it gave the X5 a leg up in the fun-to-drive department.
Longer, wider, roomier and smoother-riding than the first-generation 2006 model it replaced, the 2007 BMW X5 added optional third-row seating, much more cargo space and improved legroom and shoulder room for passengers. The previous five-speed automatic transmission was upgraded to a six-speed with sequential sport shifting, and the base 3.0-liter six-cylinder engine gained 35 horsepower.
Why You Want It
Now in its second generation, the 2007-12 X5 is BMW's largest SAV. It holds up to seven people yet manages to drive like a sport sedan. Even though worthy competitors such as the Audi Q7, Acura MDX, Mercedes-Benz GL-Class and Volvo XC90 also tout carlike virtues, the X5 stands out for its athletic ability. Simply put, the X5 drives smaller than it looks.
Notable Features and Options
First and foremost, all X5s come with BMW's acclaimed xDrive all-wheel-drive system, which automatically and seamlessly apportions power to the wheels with the best traction.
The least expensive 3.0si, the xDrive30i and the xDrive35i all come well equipped with standard features such as auto A/C, power front seats with memory controls, a power moonroof, a 12-speaker stereo, rain-sensing wipers, a tilting and telescoping leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio controls and much more. Moving up to the V8 model adds upgrades including leather seating, better trim and an auto-leveling suspension.
All X5s can be configured with either five- or seven-passenger seating, keeping in mind that the optional third-row seating is sized for children. Opting for seven-passenger seating deletes the spare tire under the cargo floor, which then requires using run-flat tires. Run-flat tires are more expensive to replace because in essence there is a built-in spare in each tire.
Popular X5 options include a head-up instrument display that reflects in the windshield just below the driver's line of sight, a navigation system with traffic-based rerouting info, park distance control with rear camera, ventilated front seats, active roll stabilization with adaptive damping and active steering. The latter varies the steering ratio according to vehicle speed. A sport package adds larger wheels, more supportive sport seats and chassis control technology.
Model Milestones
2008: iPod interface added to Premium Sound Package. DVD audio changer replaces CD changer. Power moonroof is now standard.
2009: Six-cylinder turbo-diesel engine added. Wood console and dash trim are now standard on six-cylinder gasoline and diesel models.
2010: iDrive controller updated with smart keys. HD radio is now standard. Automatic high-beam headlamps now available. 555-hp X5 M performance model makes debut.
2011: Exterior sheetmetal is refreshed. Base gasoline six-cylinder is now turbocharged. New eight-speed automatic transmission and brake energy regeneration system are standard for all but diesel and X5 M. Roof rail airbags now extend to cover optional third-row seats. Active cruise control is a new option.
2012: New standard equipment includes a power liftgate, heated front seats, parking sensors, a cargo cover, auto-dim mirrors, LED headlamp rings, iPod/USB adapter and BMW Assist emergency communications system.
Engines and Performance
The base engine on 2007-08 3.0si and 2009-10 xdrive 30i X5s is a 260-horsepower 3.0-liter inline-6. This sweet powerplant, also found in the BMW 3 Series, is a model of smoothness and flexibility.
Beginning in 2009, the xDrive 35d features a 265-hp twin-turbo 3.0-liter turbo-diesel. The diesel's dual turbos are staged for great response, and its 425 lb-ft of torque provides V8-like pulling power while delivering an EPA-rated 19/26 mpg fuel economy.
A 350-hp 4.8L is standard on the 2007-08 4.8si and 2009-10 xdrive 4.8i models. It's EPA rated at 15/21 mpg. For 2011, the X5's engine choices went all-turbo, and a new eight-speed automatic replaced the six-speed automatic transmission in the xDrive35i and xDrive48i. The base engine became the 300-hp N55 single-turbo 3.0-liter inline-6 from the 3 and 5 Series sedans. With it, fuel economy improved to 17/25 mpg.
The 4.4-liter V8 received twin turbochargers for 2011, bumping output to 400 hp. Completing the powertrain story is the awesome 555-hp twin-turbo V8 in the limited-production 2010-12 X5M.
Recalls, Safety Ratings and Warranties
NHTSA has announced the following safety recalls for the 2007 to 2012 BMW X5:
2007: Low brake fluid warning sensor may fail at high temperatures.
2007: On V8s, electrostatic discharge of fuel rails in sub-freezing weather can affect engine control module, stalling the engine.
2008: Small number of X5s were fitted with a sport rear stabilizer bar instead of the standard bar, affecting handling during fast lane changes.
2008: On 6-cylinders, a defective fuel pump can wear out prematurely, causing stalling.
2009: Rear brake discs may be defective, impairing stopping ability.
2009: On diesels, fuel filter heater can malfunction, draining the battery or leading to a fire.
2010-12: On 6-cylinder turbos, auxiliary coolant pump may overheat, causing a fire.
2011: Some vehicles with 20-inch wheels have a tire inflation sticker for 19-inch wheels.
2011: On diesels, defective belt tensioner can break, resulting in loss of power steering.
In government testing, NHTSA gave the 2008-10 X5 five stars for the driver in frontal impacts, four for the front passenger in frontal impacts and five each for driver's and passenger's side impacts. NHTSA did not test the 2007 or 2011-12 X5. All X5s rated four stars in rollover testing.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave its Good rating to all 2007-12 BMW X5s for frontal offset collisions and side impacts. Rear crash protection was deemed Poor on 2007 models but improved to a Good rating on 2008-12 X5s with active head restraints.
The 2007-12 BMW X5 came with four-year/50,000-mile powertrain and bumper-to-bumper warranties, plus free roadside assistance. BMW also offers a Certified Pre-Owned program for late model vehicles with less than 60,000 miles. To qualify, the car in question must pass a rigorous inspection program by a trained BMW mechanic. Once cleared, the vehicle receives a CARFAX vehicle report and is given a two-year/50,000-mile limited warranty that goes into effect once the factory four-year/50,000-mile warranty expires. With the two warranties combined, you'll be covered for up to six years or 100,000 miles, whichever comes first. As with any warranty, standard wear and tear items such as brakes, wiper blades, suspension parts and regular engine maintenance items (belts, hoses, spark plugs) are not covered by the warranty. For a complete list of what is and is not covered, visit BMW's website.
Word on the Web
ConsumerReports.org reviewed a 2012 xDrive35i turbo-diesel, lauding its abundant torque for towing or passing and its excellent fuel mileage, but noted that some diesel chatter was noticeable. According to the report, braking was firm and responsive, and handling was composed on the highway, with high cornering limits and lack of body lean. However, it said, the ride was choppy, especially over rough pavement, and steering effort was high at low speeds. Inside, CR's editors complimented the BMW's high-quality materials, firm and supportive seats and easy-to read instruments but bemoaned the lack of height-adjustable seatbelts and found the electronic shifter much more complicated and confusing than it should be.
Although ConsumerReports.org gave the 2012 X5 a Recommended rating, it predicts 6-cylinder gasoline-powered versions of the 2007-09 X5 will have much worse than average predicted reliability based on subscriber surveys, with engine cooling and fuel, electrical, climate and audio systems all singled out as problem areas. Consumer Reports also predicted below-average reliability for the turbo 6-cylinder gasoline engine used in 2011-12.
In a May 2007 comparison test of luxury crossovers, CarandDriver.com liked the tracking and handling of the X5 3.0si and gave thumbs up to its best-in-class stopping distance and poor-traction-defeating xDrive all-wheel-drive system. However, the C/D editors did find fault with its high steering efforts at parking lot speeds and its overly fussy shifter.
Competitive Set
Audi Q7- The Audi Q7 bristles with high-quality materials and details and, from a design standpoint, it sets the bar very high. Its ride quality is more composed than the X5's. Late-model versions have a fuel-saving eight-speed automatic transmission.
Acura MDX- If you are looking for the best bang for your mid-size luxury crossover dollar, the Acura MDX rises to the top. It's a well-rounded vehicle with plenty of contemporary style and is very well equipped for the price. Its V6 powertrain is smooth and refined, and it delivers quick acceleration with good fuel economy. Predicted reliability is much better than average.
Auto Trader Recommends
There may be more practical choices in the segment, but the BMW X5 is for buyers who love to drive and prefer a carlike experience behind the wheel. In Consumer Reports surveys, predicted reliability for 6-cylinder versions have been below average, so despite the fuel economy hit, a V8-powered X5 looks like a better choice. The high cost of maintenance and service parts will be high, so it's best to seek out a BMW Certified Pre-Owned car with the additional warranty coverage. Always choose lower-mileage examples if possible, and get a vehicle history report to make sure the X5's many recalls and product updates have been completed.


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A while ago one of our systems faced with a child listener occurrence problem. The listener wasn't answering the requests., when our clients were trying to reach the server through listener as a new connection.We couldn't get the status of the listener with lsnrctl status command and nothing was written to the listener logs.
There wasn't any problem on the database itself because local connections are accepted and database answers your requests. Also already connected users are working normally. Conclusion was "our listener hanged"
When we looked at the listener proceses we saw that there was a a child listener forked from the real listener.
#ps -ef | grep tns
oracle 22480 14188 0 18:33:57 $ORACLE_HOME/bin/tnslsnr listener_DBNAME -inherit
oracle 14188 1 0 Apr 1 $ORACLE_HOME/bin/tnslsnr listener_DBNAME -inherit
We tried to stop the listener with lsnrctl stop command but it didn't work. (after closing the application servers)
So we killed the listener processes from OS
# kill -15 22480,14188
After the killing operation we opened the listener and everything worked well and all the connection requests were accepted. This fast action must be taken immediately and it was time to find a real solution for the problem.
Simple metalink search explained the problem and the solution. Note:340091.1 says that "This is a known problem addressed via non-published bug:4518443 (Abstract: Listener Gets Hung Up). The issue is that the TNS listener can hang under load while spawning a process" . Note has 2 solutions one is applying patch 4518443 or setting the listener parameter SUBSCRIBE_FOR_NODE_DOWN_EVENT_<listener_name> =OFF. We choose the parameter setting option and did not face with the problem again. There is something to consider about the parameter setting option for RAC systems, when you set parameter to OFF, FAN (fast application notification) will not be possible.
PS: Note says this problem can occur on any platform for releases from 10.1.0.2.0 to 10.2.0.3.0


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For god's sake, let's give Marissa Mayer, the incoming Yahoo CEO, a break. Good for her that she's a little "gender blind" and didn't notice that she was the only female in her computer science courses. Social cluelessness goes with being a code-focused nerd. No, she's not a feminist, she doesn't understand feminism, and she doesn't have the right prescriptions for all women. But maybe we could decide, for a change, that she doesn't stand for all women and for feminism as a whole, any more than Scott Thompson—her immediate predecessor in Yahoo's churning top spot—stood for all men?
And yes, Stephanie Coontz is right that Mayer, by saying she'll work through her pregnancy and maternity leave, is giving the wrong signal to the civilian men and women beneath her at Yahoo, who might actually want to spend time with their families. Family leave is essential to most family's health and well-being. But isn't that part of why CEOs—especially of companies in desperate need of makeovers—get paid such absurd amounts of money: because we don't expect them to have lives? They're supposed to be on call all the time. They make enough money to hire folks to take care of their lives, which most of us can't do. That's part of why BP chief Tony Hayward got such flak for saying he wanted his life back: the job is to assume the company's responsibilities as your own. (Oh, that and the fact that he didn't seem to care that his decisions had devastated the Gulf.) Maybe Yahoo's HR folks will help Mayer think about making it clear to all her employees that hers is an extraordinary decision, and she expects them to have real lives.
So I'm going to hijack the Mayer conversation to write briefly about two parents whose heartwrenching travails aren't going to get any serious attention. The first one is Dale Liuzza, who lost the son he'd raised from infancy when his partner figured out that he was the biological father (they'd mixed their sperm for the surrogacy) and absconded with their child:
But when the men's relationship fell apart, his partner determined he was the biological father and took the boy out of state to Texas and eventually to Washington State.
Louisiana does not recognize same-sex marriage or second-parent adoption, so Liuzza was left with no legal parental rights.
"I never imagined he would move out of state and I would have no say in the matter at all," he said. "I don't sleep at night thinking about [the child]."
It used to be only lesbians who behaved this badly: the biomom would take off with the child, arguing in court that the other mom had just been a roommate or babysitter. It just takes my breath away that any parent can be that callous toward the child's need to stay attached to those she loves and who love her. We used to wonder why gay men weren't as nasty. Turns out they can be—they just hadn't had the opportunity before. This is why all U.S. states need family laws that enable children to have legal ties to both their parents, even those of the same sex—even those states that aren't ready for full marriage equality. Children need that legal protection.
Here's the second heartbreaking parenting story: Encarnacion Bail Romero was jailed, five years ago, for immigration violations. While she was in prison, the state terminated her parental rights to her son Carlos and let a local family adopt him. The state supreme court declared that a travesty and sent the case back down for re-trial. The judge has just ruled that Romero abandoned her child, now five, terminated her parental rights all over again, and is letting the adoptive parents re-adopt him.
Makes Marissa Mayer's challenges look positively simple, no?