text:
When a client, who I'll refer to as Big Green Cola, asked my team to help them "run scenarios" using a cube, we were skeptical as to whether a cube was the right technology to use. We wanted to make sure that we would be able to meet their requirements, and we feared that the client was hoping to run extremely complex simulations that wouldn't be possible using cube technology. After several meetings, during which we discussed the client's needs in more detail, we agreed to attempt to design and develop a cube to run the scenarios.
Related: Building Your First Cube
Big Green Cola manufactures and distributes soft drinks. The company contracts with independent distributors, who in turn distribute to retail outlets. Given the recent upheaval in the economy, the corporate officers at Big Green Cola became concerned that some of their independent distributors might not be able to continue distribution.
Big Green Cola wanted to do scenario-based risk analyses that would simulate the potential failure of some of their distributors to see what effect it might have on their operations. Big Green Cola wanted to be able to plan for the possible reassignments of retail outlets to competing independent distributors on short notice in the event that a distributor declared bankruptcy or otherwise went out of business. The cube would let them see which geographic areas would be affected by the failure of a particular distributor and which other Big Green Cola distributors were already operating in that same geographic area or nearby.
Related: Moving Cubes from Analysis Services 2000 to 2005
A major user requirement was that the Scenarios Cube show the original structure of the route and its distributor, even after a distributor and its route were cast as "unhealthy" in a given scenario. In other words, the change in status would be reflected only in the measures and calculated members, not in the hierarchies or pivot table layouts. This would make actual versus scenario distribution patterns more obvious, and thus instructive, for the users. Let's take a look at how we designed and built a cube that let our client use a cube to run simple simulations of changing conditions. (You can download the sample cube by clicking Downloads at the top of the article page.)
Distribution Scenarios Cube Star Schema
We had already provided Big Green Cola with a general usage cube that included dimensions for Date, Time, Product, Distributor, Route, Retail Location, and Geography. The Distribution Scenarios cube reused four of those dimensions: Distributor, Retail Location, Route, and Geography, as shown in Figure 1.
The original Distributor dimension contained a distributor ID, distributor code, and distributor name. The RetailLocation dimension included only RetailLocationID and RetailLocationName, although there are plans to add groups and categories to this dimension in the future.
The Route dimension included information from each distributor regarding how that distributor groups and runs its delivery logistics. Big Green Cola was considering using additional data provided by the distributors for even better short-term contingency planning using geocoded data, but the company decided to table that enhancement for a future release. In lieu of the geocoded data, the Routes dimension simply provided a recognizable grouping of the locations that Distributors actually use in their planning and delivery and that the Big Green Cola users found helpful when developing contingency plans.
The original Geography dimension included the States, Regions, and Divisions of the United States used by the Census Bureau. For more granularity, we added zip code data provided by the US Postal Service. The original Geography dimension, therefore, contained the Region, Division, State, City, and Zip Code levels. For the purposes of this article, however, we reduced the dimension so that it shows only StateName, City, and ZipCode.
Scenario Facts
The single measure in our fact table was based on the Cases field and represented the average case volume. The average case volume was derived by rolling up the total number of cases of all varieties of soft drink products delivered to a single retail outlet during a seven-day calendar week. These weekly numbers were averaged for data going back three months. The measure was simply called Cases in the fact table and was renamed Total Cases in the cube.
Once the fact table was loaded we created a view that triples the amount of data stored within it. Our reason for tripling the data was that it was quite simply the only way we could come up with to run the scenarios. In our particular data set, triplication didn't present a performance problem. In the event that you're working with a very large set of facts, and you still want to use triplication, I recommend looking for opportunities to roll up the data to smaller sets prior to triplication.
To understand the purpose of data triplication, begin by considering the fact that dimensions, in common usage, act either as bucketing mechanisms (for slicing) or as filters (for query results or data outcomes). When dimensions are placed on the column or row axes of pivot tables, they act as slicers. When members of a dimension are selected or deselected, they're acting as filters. Our interest was in letting users select members as a way of selecting a scenario, which, in a sense, filters two out of every three versions of a record, but leaves the third behind and still viewable.
For example, imagine a Colors dimension that includes Red, Orange, and Yellow members. If you use that dimension in the page filter of a pivot table and you select only Red and Orange, you're effectively removing Yellow from view. But what if instead of removing Yellow, we wanted to change Yellow to Black? Or, more specifically, we wanted to mark the Yellow records as Removed but leave them visible and show their compromised state of Removed. This isn't typically possible in a cube, which is why we tripled the data as our first step.
To continue with our Colors example and demonstrate the purpose of triplication, begin by creating three records to represent each original record—an actual record (Actual Record), a scenario state record (Scenario Record), and a record to mask the scenario state record until the scenario is run (Scenario Reversing Record), as shown in Table 1.
Roll up the Yellow records by using SQL to group on the Item, Quantity, and Record Count attributes, as Table 2 shows. If you then put a filter onto the data set shown in Table 2 and excluded all Yellow rows, you'd have fact data that would appear not to change, except in an indicator field, as shown in Table 3 as Record Count.
Once an indicator field has been developed that will change according to the user's selection, that indicator field can be used to drive the calculation of other fields. Note that in the Color dimension example, if the user were to select Black as the compromised Color value, we would have a strange and messy result. This would be equivalent to choosing Big Green Cola as the compromised distributor in our cube. We don't want to simulate the failure of Big Green Cola; we want to simulate the effect of compromised distributors on Big Green Cola. Later in this article, I'll describe how we got around this issue in a way we felt wasn't ideal but certainly sufficient and acceptable to our client.
Rather than tripling the rows in our fact table, we created a view that would use each row in the fact table three times. The view can be created in the SQL Server data engine or it can be implemented as a Named Query in the cube's Data Source View. We thought it would be best implemented as a SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS) Named Query; however, we would have lost our comments if we had implemented it there, so in the sample code we implemented the view in the data engine, as shown in Web Listing 1.
Web Listing 1: Code to Create Three Versions of Each Record from a Single Original Record
CREATE VIEW \\[dbo\\].\\[vw_fact_CasesByLocation\\] AS SELECT 'A' as RecordType -- Actual Record ,RetailLocationID ,DistributorID --Actual Distributor ,GeographyID ,RouteID ,Cases ,0 as ScenarioCases FROM dbo.fact_CasesByLocation UNION SELECT 'S' as RecordType /* Scenario Coverage record Big Green Cola Covers the Delivery if a scenario is in effect*/ ,RetailLocationID ,0 as DistributorID /*Distributor 0 indicates that in the current scenario the record is compromised, and in a sense doesn't have a distributor */ ,GeographyID ,RouteID ,0 as Cases ,Cases as ScenarioCases -- under scen conditions all the cases for this record will be scen cases FROM dbo.fact_CasesByLocation UNION SELECT 'R' as RecordType -- Reversing Record. When no scenario is in effect, this cancels out parts of A and parts of S ,RetailLocationID ,DistributorID -- Also the Actual Distributor ,GeographyID ,RouteID ,0 as Cases ,(Cases * -1) as ScenarioCases -- to mask Scen Cases of Scen record when no Scen is in effect FROM dbo.fact_CasesByLocation GO
Understanding the Triplicated Records Using SQL
Before moving on to a cube structure, it's best to first perform some SQL queries on our actual relational data that show the effect that filtering would have on the data because this is what the cube will do to create the scenario. If you query the Cases by Location data and group it by the original records using RetailLocationID as the marker for an individual entry and sum the Cases and Scenario Cases fields, you'll see that your data will appear with a Scenario Cases total of zero in all the rows, as shown in Web Figure 1. This indicates that none of the entries have an unhealthy distributor.
Next, remove a particular distributor from the original data set (or simulate its unhealthy state) using a Where clause, as shown in Web Figure 2. The resulting data set will show that some rows now have a value of zero for their number of Cases, and the value formerly in the Cases column now shows up in the Scenario Cases column. In Web Figure 2, the data indicates that RetailLocationsIDs 1 through 5 are all serviced by Distributor 2 because the only distributor compromised in the WHERE clause is Distributor 2 and the Cases for locations 1–5 now have Scenario Cases instead of Cases. You can then use the Scenario Cases value as the indicator field. Any row with \\[ScenarioCases > 0\\] indicates a retail location that has been affected by the current scenario selected by the user. This example simulates how the cube will remove distributors yet retain the original records to display information about their new states.
Building the Scenarios Cube
As previously stated, we built the Scenarios cube using dimensions we already had in place for more traditional cubes. This made the development time very short. Our original Distributors dimension was modified only slightly to create what we called the Scenario Healthy Distributors dimension. We created it using a Named Query in the Data Source View, as shown in Figure 2. We used the data from the standard Distributor dimension table and unioned on a row for the non-distributor that would represent any route that Big Green Cola would need to find coverage for during a particular scenario. See Listing 1 for the code we use in the Named Query of our Data Source View, and see Figure 2 for a snapshot of that same code in the context of the Named Query.
Listing 1: Code Used to Build the Distributor Dimension
Select DistributorID , '(' + DistributorCode + ') ' + DistributorName as DistributorLabel from dim_Distributor Union Select 0 as DistributorID , 'DO NOT USE AS UNHEALTHY' as DistributorLabel
Our original plan was to have the user select unhealthy distributors one-by-one from the dimension, but after deciding we would give users access to the cube via an Excel workbook, we realized we wouldn't be able to use a NOT EQUALS operator because of limitations in Excel 2007. We included a note to the users telling them to select all and then deselect the carriers they want to simulate as "unhealthy."
For this reason we called the dimension Scenario Healthy Distributors, as all items that were selected would be represented as healthy, and all that were not selected would be represented as unhealthy. We let the users know that this dimension and the wording might initially cause some confusion, but that after a bit of practice we expected users to feel comfortable using the dimension.
In my earlier example using the colors yellow and black, we would have used the Named Query in the Data Source View to rename Black to DO NOT SELECT. We recognized that users might also be confused if we allowed them to use the Healthy Distributors dimension as a slicer instead of as a filter. We again approached our users about this potential problem. They assured us that they were willing to overcome the issues with whatever level of training was required to help them understand the proper use of the dimension. To help reduce confusion, we named the dimension FILTER ONLY - NOT FOR USE AS SLICER, as shown in Web Figure 3. All the other dimensions were built using standard methods.
Adding Measures
We created three measures by pulling in the Cases, Scenario Cases, and RetailLocationID fields from our fact table. Then we renamed these measures to Non-Affected Cases, Scenario Affected Cases, and Retail Location Count, respectively, as shown in Table 4.
Note that when you change the aggregation on the Retail Location Count to Distinct Count, SSAS will warn you that it's better to "break distinct count measures into separate measure groups." Indeed, it would be a better-performing design to use the RetailerLocationID from the dim_RetailLocation table. However, for the purposes of this article we will accept this less-than-ideal design for now to focus on the main topic of this article. Also, note that in the more ideal design, the Count function can be used instead of Distinct Count, which will be as accurate, but better performing, than Distinct Count as we have used it.
Designing the Cube's Calculated Members
After adding the three measures we created several Calculated Members using Listing 2.
Listing 2: Code to Create Three Calculated Members
CREATE MEMBER CURRENTCUBE.\\[Measures\\].\\[Total Cases\\] AS (\\[Measures\\].\\[Non-Affected Cases\\] + \\[Measures\\].\\[Scenario Affected Cases\\]), FORMAT_STRING = "#,0", FORE_COLOR = 0 /*Black*/, VISIBLE = 1; CREATE MEMBER CURRENTCUBE.\\[Measures\\].\\[Pct Cases Affected\\] AS IIf(\\[Measures\\].\\[Scenario Affected Cases\\]/\\[Measures\\].\\[Total Cases\\]>0,\\[Measures\\].\\[Scenario Affected Cases\\]/\\[Measures\\].\\[Total Cases\\],null), FORMAT_STRING = "Percent", FORE_COLOR = 255 /*Red*/, VISIBLE = 1; CREATE MEMBER CURRENTCUBE.\\[Measures\\].\\[Retail Loc Affected\\] AS Iif(\\[Measures\\].\\[Scenario Affected Cases\\] > 0, 1, null), FORMAT_STRING = "#,0", FORE_COLOR = 255 /*Red*/, VISIBLE = 1; CREATE MEMBER CURRENTCUBE.\\[Measures\\].\\[Pct Locs Affected\\] AS \\[Measures\\].\\[Retail Loc Affected\\]/\\[Measures\\].\\[Retail Locations Count\\], FORMAT_STRING = "Percent", FORE_COLOR = 255 /*Red*/, VISIBLE = 1;
We start with a Text field that will clearly mark those retail locations (or routes or zip codes) that have an unhealthy distributor, as shown in Figure 3. The \\[Distributor Health\\] Member will display the word "Unhealthy" in red for any entry in which the original entry and reversing entry have been removed. When those records are filtered out, the Non-Affected Cases value will be zero and the Scenario Affected Cases value will be greater than zero. The Big Green Cola Distribution Risk cube actually includes many other calculated members that users can use to perform additional analyses on the effects of the impaired distributor. These other calculated members are either proprietary or are too complex to describe here. The Distributor Health measure is the lynchpin of the design, and once you've built an indicator field, such as our Distributor Health field, you'll find that you're able to use the value in this member to drive many other members of your own design.
Using the Cube to Run Scenarios
In our sample cube we included only a few records. We provided just enough sample rows to display a variety of routes, locations, and distributors. With this small record set we are able to illustrate how the scenario cube works.
We begin with the cube showing all distributors in a healthy state. Recent averages show that the Bryan, Texas, area stores get about 61 cases a week. Austin, Texas, stores get about 33 cases a week, as shown in Web Figure 4.
If we add the Healthy Distributors dimension to the Filter area of the cube, like Figure 4 shows, and choose the NOT EQUALS operator, we can then select the Sure Distribution Company for an Unhealthy status. In most dimensions, a choice like this would result in the removal of entries—the selected item with a NOT EQUALS operator would be filtered out by the user's selection. In this cube, the user selection changes the status of those rows, instead of removing them. If we then add more of our calculated members and drill the Geography dimension down to Zip Code, as shown in Figure 5, we can see the effects of the unhealthy distributor on particular zip codes.
The percentage of product and the percentage of delivery locations could be rolled up to higher levels for each successive group of managers, culminating in a single number that would represent to a CEO the effect of a distributor's failure or success. Conversely, with a few reversing adjustments, a tactical user could drill down to identify exact locations and alternative distributors within the same area, as shown in Figure 6. In the event that the company opted to begin contingency planning, the tactical user could then start contacting distributors based on the scenario they had just run.
For example, imagine the Big Green Cola COO hears that the Sure Distribution Company is expected to announce it has filed for bankruptcy in the next few days. She asks her director of logistics to identify a percentage effect on operations. Her director of logistics can begin at the Region level, giving percentages there and instructing his state or county directors to drill all the way down to the zip code and develop their contingency plans complete with cases affected and alternativee distributors.
Reports that might have taken many days to develop and compile before this cube was developed will now take under an hour. During our Big Green Cola project, we were able to identify a way to give the user an interface to select the distributors they wanted to "impair" and have those selections affect certain items represented in the cube without having the standard, expected effect of removing the items from view. After changing the items, but not removing them from view, we provided a way to easily access and display the impaired status of an item (as changed by the user selection) and to make use of that recognized status change in further calculations. The example used in this article is a simple one, but the implications for letting a user change fact row data on the fly are numerous.


text:
DigiRib one of the leading company in Ranchi, DigiRib offer effective & affordable web design, website development, content management solution, CMS theming, blog & ecommerce solutions in Ranchi . DigiRib has dedicated and skilled developers, who can develop and design any kind of professional website for you. Our aim is to give you, as customers, continuous support in developing and maintaining dedicated website. New customers are searching for you online, make sure your business has a website.
DIGIRIB is now giving you pool of talented people who have ample of experience involved with them related to IT products and service such as website design, software development , and Digital marketing ( search engine optimization , social media marketing and paid campaigns )
The modern era is the technical era, business goals are change over time and you need a website to support these changes. Even when you aren't at work, your website is. Your customers can get to know you and your business through the website. Customers can go online, learn about your business, products and services, they can easily find contact information and even make an appointment.
Nice blog

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Black-ish confronts the emotional effects of police violence.
Plus Joanna Newsom news, time capsule–based excitement, and hilarious writers we love.
Eric Garner, Run the Jewels, Chris Rock, and so many other things on our brains this week.
It was a rough week, but we're trying to find the bright moments.
November's theme is EVOLUTION. For details on how to send us your work, please read our Submit page. ✴
Rookie is an online magazine and book series for teenagers. Each month, a different editorial theme drives the writing, photography, and artwork that we publish. Learn more about us here, and find out how to submit your work here!


text:
When the international version of the Galaxy Note received Android 4.0, packaged as Samsung's Premium Suite, AT&T users knew they'd have a couple month wait until the update was reworked to Ma Bell's standards. Sure enough, here we are some two months later and the update is finally rolling out to AT&T Galaxy Notes starting tomorrow. Coincidentally, just in time for T-Mobile to hopefully start selling the device.
There's a reason why Samsung has attached the Premium Suite tag to the Note's update to Ice Cream Sandwich. It doesn't just include the normal ICS flavored enhancements some devices have been enjoying for quite awhile now. There's a ton of S-Pen functionality added to Android 4.0 that breathes new life into the device.
The biggest changes in the update come bundled with a new and much improved S-Note app. As detailed by The Verge, who has spent some hands-on time with the update, S-Note can now transcribe hand writing into text, convert scribbles into honest to goodness shapes, submit equations to Wolfram Alpha and import PDF files for annotation. Samsung has also included an S-Memo widget, and made My Story, the greeting card app, available for download in Google Play.
Of course along with the added S-Pen functionality, there is a huge boost in performance. It's still no Jelly Bean, which uses Project Butter to make Android smoother than ever, but it's definitely a step in the right direction.
In other Note related news, we couldn't help but notice the eerie timing between the AT&T Note's update date, tomorrow, July 10th, and the original rumored release date for T-Mobile's highly anticipated Note variation, July 11th. Especially since T-Mobile's Note is rumored to actually launch with ICS, and Galaxy Note accessories have started showing up in T-Mobile retail stores today. There's good reason to believe T-Mobile's Galaxy Note won't be available until August 8th at this point, but things are falling together quite nicely for a rushed July 11th release.
AT&T Note users, feel free to come back to this post tomorrow and share your Android 4.0 update experiences. We'd love to hear how it went.


text:
Top 10 Superbowl gadgets 2/3/2013 | Edgar Mutelbrünk
Interesting perspective on life 2/2/2013 | Edgar Mutelbrünk
Strange OSX TextEdit bug 2/2/2013 | Edgar Mutelbrünk
Lotus 1-2-3 commercial 1/30/2013 | Edgar Mutelbrünk
iPad with 128GB storage 1/29/2013 | Mikael Svardh
Why Apple is losing its aura 1/29/2013 | Edgar Mutelbrünk
Gaming now and then, 2013 edition 1/28/2013 | Edgar Mutelbrünk
iPhone fatigue in Hong Kong & Singapore 1/28/2013 | Edgar Mutelbrünk
3rd person view camera 1/27/2013 | Edgar Mutelbrünk
iOS 6.1 is live1/28/2013 | Mikael Svardh 1
Just a quick note to let you know that the iOS 6.1 is live for your iPhone or iPad. If you have an Apple TV there's an update there as well. No big news, just a few bug fixes and extra LTE support (4G) plus the ability to download separate songs if you're using iTunes match. Full info after the jump:
Segway fail1/27/2013 | Edgar Mutelbrünk 1
We all know that riding a Segway can be a bit difficult. Here's a short video showing nothing but people failing to ride the Segway.
h.2651/26/2013 | Edgar Mutelbrünk
h.265 also known as High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) has finally been approved. The cool thing with this new codec is that it reduces the needed bitrate to produce a high quality stream by nearly 50%. It requires more CPU power that is less of a problem nowadays.
It will of course take a few years until the new standard is available on all devices but it's certainly a very good step that we've at least got a standard.
More about this over at Techcrunch.
Camera lens humidifier1/25/2013 | Edgar Mutelbrünk
Here's a cool camera gadget that looks like a lens but actually is a humidifier. You fill it up with water and it generates moisture by ultrasonic waves. It's powered by USB and measures 106 x 102 x 175mm. It can be yours for $25 over at Brandos.
First clip from the Steve Jobs movie1/25/2013 | Edgar Mutelbrünk
Here's the first clip from the new movie jOBS about Steve Jobs life. As you probably already know it's starring Ashton Kutcher and he looks really promising in the role as Steve Jobs.
Camera test: Sony Xperia Z vs iPhone 51/23/2013 | Mikael Svardh 1
Here's a quick review of the camera in the brand new Sony Xperia Z vs the iPhone 5 (and the Oppo Find 5). Since the Xperia Z features a 13 megapixel camera that is supposed to be really good, I'm a bit surprised that the difference isn't bigger. The Sony Xperia Z is by the way the first phone in years that made me even think about switching from my iPhone 5.
Comparison shots pit Sony Xperia Z against the Apple iPhone and Oppo Find 5 [dpreview.com]
Interesting info about 4K-screens1/22/2013 | Mikael Svardh
Even though getting a 1080p television set was a big jump for many people, a few people have started saying that getting a 4K screen in your home is a bit pointless since you can't see the smaller pixels anyway. A quote directly from the article I'm linking to below:
"If you bought a 60" television, you'd have to sit about four feet away from it before you'd perceive the full benefit of 4K over good old 1080p."
Perhaps the 4K revolution won't come after all. Check out the article over at prolost.com.
The mirror car1/22/2013 | Edgar Mutelbrünk 2
I got this photo sent to me, and I don't know much about it more than it's a Lamborghini with a mirror suit. Pretty cool isn't it? If anybody knows something about this image, please post a comment.
Firefox OS phone1/22/2013 | Edgar Mutelbrünk 3
Mozilla just revealed the developer phone that can be used by developers to do stuff for the brand new Firefox OS. The new mobile OS looks quite interesting and the specs for the developer phone has clearly been put together with a budget perspective as the processor is quite slow, the camera is low resolution etc.:
CPU Qualcomm Snapdragon S1 1Ghz
Screen 3.5″ HVGA Multitouch
3 MP Camera
MicroSD, Wifi N, Light and proxmity Sensor, G-Sensor, GPS, MicroUSB
1580 mAh battery
Over the air updates
Unlocked, add your own SIM card
More info over at mozilla.org.
Crusader helmet trash can1/22/2013 | Edgar Mutelbrünk
Here's a custom 12th century helmet made into a trash can, if you feel like getting a a bit medieval. It's made out of cast resin finished in faux metal style. It measures 9″ x 10″ x 12″ (23 cm x 25cm x 30cm) and weighs 6 lbs (2,7kg). It can be yours for $60 over at thinkgeek.


text:
Giants reward Bochy, Sabean with contract extensions
San Francisco, CA – Just days before the San Francisco Giants begin their World Series title defense, team president Larry Baer has rewarded general manager Brian Sabean and club skipper Bruce Bochy with contract extensions.
Although terms of the deals were not disclosed, the extensions will keep both men under contract through the 2016 season.
Sabean, entering his 17th year at the helm, has posted an impressive resume during his tenure with the Giants, helping guide them to two World Series titles, three National League pennants and five NL West Division titles. Under his guidance, the club has produced a .537 winning percentage (1,392-1, 1,198-1).
"Brian has been the architect of one of the most successful periods in franchise history. He is a brilliant strategist who surrounds himself with some of the brightest minds in baseball -- with Bruce Bochy topping that list," said Baer. "The Giants are very fortunate to have Brian and Bruce at the helm of our baseball operations and I look forward to more successful seasons in the coming years."
Bochy led the Giants back to the World Series in 2012, winning for the second time since becoming the team's manager in 2007. He has posted a 503-469 record over his six-year tenure, and over his 18-year managerial career, ranks third among active managers in total wins with 1,454.
"In my opinion Bruce is the best manager in the game today and is on his way to a Hall of Fame career," said Sabean. "Bruce's ability to communicate with his players, his outstanding coaching staff and the front office, as well as his ability to brilliantly manage a game sets him apart from the rest. It has been a pleasure to work with him for the past six years and I look forward to the coming years ahead."


text:
At Datacom we know that cloud solutions change your business, not just your technology. Cloud is a disruptive technology and we recommend our customers explore how cloud can create efficiencies across their businesses.
The measurable upside for organisations looking to benefit from cloud computing are clear, improved competitiveness, enhanced business agility, simplified businesses processes and reduced time-to-market.
We'll act as your trusted and, importantly, technologically independent advisor, working with you to adapt your business and help you partner with the cloud providers that are best suited to your own distinctive market and sector requirements.
Datacom is able to offer a range of consulting services that will support your cloud planning and execution:
Build workloads that run on a variety of different technologies with Datacom's PaaS platform.
SaaS – Software as a Service – provides on-demand, self-service access to cloud applications and services.
Cloud is a disruptive technology that's making businesses everywhere more agile and efficient. But new technologies create new problems to solve – that's why Datacom offers cloud integration services.
Datacom can help your business take the journey to cloud, by evaluating your existing application portfolio and determining the best fit model that will deliver business outcomes.


text:
Ford Spending 'Billions' on Lincoln Brand
Ford is investing billions of dollars to invigorate the Lincoln brand. WSJ's Joe White looks at the details on The News Hub. Photo: Bloomberg.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
... the ... the Lincoln copper and get its mojo back ... before thinks I'll be spending billions to make it so ... will Street dolls Joe White joins us now from the Detroit auto show to explain that Joe thanks for being now ... some carry over ... I'm very well thank you ALM that link and I'm very traditional brands aam I think Lincoln town cars I think if you know around the establishment ... I'd I don't think of moto ... when we don't think a macho and it's gonna be awhile before you do and that felt Bill Ford and James Farley ... of spoke up to answer that appeared to spend billions to revive the brand ... the problem is that the German automakers already have spent billions to revive their Branson expand their brands ... in fact we have a story ... today ... on the website of German auto makers to shake up one tree market there ... that the German auto maker's after having a record year last year going after more in the United States all I think basically targeting Lincoln with the lower priced cars ... cars this time around thirty thousand dollars a set of around forty thousand dollars so Lincoln has up ... a tough row to hoe here now um what one time when everything from the Wigan to see in these nom revamps Lincoln's thats an appeal to a bigger audience ... well ... I think but didn't try to do is first of all you're starting to see it in the MKZ sedan which recently launched in the MK see ... utility a small utility vehicle that they have on display here that that that they built here to show ... you use a Hindu serve design ... language and and a new look for Lincoln of the grille has this very odd dramatic ... on Eagles wings some motifs on ... the interiors are on ... the of this concept is is really quite nice it's well tailored ... it's got nice use Chrome of very sleek dashboard they took away the at the emergency brake and the shift to the shift lever minutes or more modern techie push button thing ... all that is great ... it's just that they are starting ... there starring at to the one yard line here and and their opposition ... is formidable ... that deal was in form obtainable and a new viewpoint of Europe and say Europe and a lot for me coz I'm often happen almost always have a racing heritage ... um that's not something the Lincoln where he has told is that ... no no not so much although it is that that's not to say that they couldn't try to give it ... a given the racing heritage over time this early in the last ... the odd couple decades ... adding LinkedIn spent the better known as such as as a friend of selling pretty Pyott big black limousines ... aam hands of lest we forget that the navigator sport utility vehicle which is so ... which was really this is the King of the nineteen nineties sport utility vehicles they made a ton of money from it ... so it's as if there's there's there's no legacy here aam ... of movie fans may record remember the link and not the Lincoln tunnel that was in the Matrix Apsel East dawning cool car ... um ... but the Suffolk Road Ahead today they need to get back on people's lists with something that I will will bring some of that mojo back now ... and some sexy back thank you Brian much know why all the Wall Street with mission to ... become an Essentials tunnel slide from the Detroit auto show will have continuing coverage ... all the Detroit auto show here on WS J live today and some are saying will not wanna miss that will be for some ...


text:
Garbage is collected weekly in all municipalities from single family homes and apartments with 2 to 6 units.
Place your garbage at the curb by 7 a.m. on your regular collection day. Do not place your garbage bag or can at the curb any earlier than 5 p.m. the day before collection.
Residents may place out one bag or can of garbage per week. Additional bags can be put out by buying a garbage tag to stick on the extra bag(s).
Learn more about garbage limits in Niagara.
A garbage bag / can cannot exceed:
Garbage bags placed inside a container must not exceed the lip of the container.
All garbage cans should have handles on the outside of the container.


text:
While I've been getting some Greek in, for the last few months I've spent more of my spare time churning out software. My programming language of choice is Common Lisp — to technical people that will indicate I have an antiquarian taste in programming languages, too.
In any case, I've recently been working on a library to make producing SVG, an XML graphics format, nicer. Last week I got sick of thinking about alpha masks and marker tags and decided to see if I could convert some NodeBox examples into acceptable SVG. They turned out better than I had reason to expect.
"Generative art" is just a high-brow way of saying I've generated the images algorithmically, both using a random walk process. Here are two of the first algorithm, which I translated fairly faithfully (click for larger — they're PNG files because Picassa doesn't accept SVG at the moment):
When I got to the tendrils algorithm, though, I made a few changes which result in images that look somewhat more organic. They creeped out one of my coworkers:
For any of the random walk generators you're at the mercy of your pseudo-random number generator. Sometimes the nodes march right out of the viewing window — pretty dull. These are just a few that turned out OK.


text:
Naperville, IL -- (SBWIRE) -- 05/26/2014 -- Reportstack, provider of premium market research reports announces the addition of Bahri (4030) - Financial and Strategic SWOT Analysis Review market report to its offering
Bahri (4030) - Financial and Strategic SWOT Analysis Review provides you an in-depth strategic SWOT analysis of the companys businesses and operations. The profile has been compiled by The publisher to bring to you a clear and an unbiased view of the companys key strengths and weaknesses and the potential opportunities and threats. The profile helps you formulate strategies that augment your business by enabling you to understand your partners, customers and competitors better.
The profile contains critical company information including:
- Business description A detailed description of the companys operations and business divisions.
- Corporate strategy Analysts summarization of the companys business strategy.
- SWOT Analysis A detailed analysis of the companys strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats.
- Company history Progression of key events associated with the company.
- Major products and services A list of major products, services and brands of the company.
- Key competitors A list of key competitors to the company.
- Key employees A list of the key executives of the company.
- Executive biographies A brief summary of the executives employment history.
- Key operational heads A list of personnel heading key departments/functions.
- Important locations and subsidiaries A list and contact details of key locations and subsidiaries of the company.
- Detailed financial ratios for the past five years The latest financial ratios derived from the annual financial statements published by the company with 5 years history.
- Interim ratios for the last five interim periods The latest financial ratios derived from the quarterly/semi-annual financial statements published by the company for 5 interims history.
Bahri, formerly NSCSA, is a Saudi joint stock shipping company. The company purchases, charters and operates shipping vessels for the transportation of crude oil, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), petrochemicals, cargo, passengers and other activities in shipping industry. It operates a fleet of Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs), chemical carriers, multipurpose Roll-On Roll-Off (RoRo) vessels and dry bulk carriers. The company also provides ship management services through its wholly-owned subsidiary; Mideast Ship Management Ltd. Bahri classifies its business operations into four segments including transportation of crude oil and gas, chemicals, general cargo, and dry bulk.
Bahri Key Recent Developments
Jan 27, 2014: Bahri announces that it received a Dry Bulk Vessel (Bahri Bulk)
Jan 21, 2014: Bahri announces that it received a dry bulk vessel (Bahri Grain)
Jan 19, 2014: Addendum announcement from The National Shipping Co. of Saudi Arabia (Bahri) related to the interim financial results for the period ending on (31/12/2013) (Twelve Months)
Jan 13, 2014: Bahri announces receiving a new general cargo vessel (Bahri Jeddah)
Dec 23, 2013: The National Shipping of Saudi Arabia announces the distribution of dividend for period 2013
Key benefits of buying this profile include:
You get detailed information about the company and its operations to identify potential customers and suppliers.
- The profile analyzes the companys business structure, operations, major products and services, prospects, locations and subsidiaries, key executives and their biographies and key competitors.
Understand and respond to your competitors business structure and strategies, and capitalize on their weaknesses. Stay up to date on the major developments affecting the company.
- The companys core strengths and weaknesses and areas of development or decline are analyzed and presented in the profile objectively. Recent developments in the company covered in the profile help you track important events.
Equip yourself with information that enables you to sharpen your strategies and transform your operations profitably.
- Opportunities that the company can explore and exploit are sized up and its growth potential assessed in the profile. Competitive and/or technological threats are highlighted.
Scout for potential investments and acquisition targets, with detailed insight into the companies strategic, financial and operational performance.
- Financial ratio presented for major public companies in the profile include the revenue trends, profitability, growth, margins and returns, liquidity and leverage, financial position and efficiency ratios.
Gain key insights into the company for academic or business research.
- Key elements such as SWOT analysis, corporate strategy and financial ratios and charts are incorporated in the profile to assist your academic or business research needs.
Note: Some sections may be missing if data is unavailable for the company
To view the table of contents for this market research report please visit
Roger Campbell
United States
Ph: 888-789-6604


text:
Thursday, August 04, 2005
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)
"I don't believe in ghosts, but I see them all the time."
Sherman Alexie cancels book tour for memoir about his mother.
Why is Ben Murphy so happy? Because for once in his life, he's on time. He beat Roger Davis, Steve Kanaly and the moderator to the pan...
Last night I read Julian Barnes' The Sense of an Ending . Yes, the night before it went up against Donald Ray Pollock's The Devil Al...
When I finished Kevin Brockmeier's A Brief History of the Dead last spring I immediately did a search to see if the Coca-Cola Corp. had...


text:
Little, Brown, my esteemed publisher, has set up a page for pre-ordering my new book, Egg: A Culinary Exploration of the World's Most Versatile Ingredient.
As a bonus for pre-ordering, they're offering a free signed flowchart, which is a visual display of the entire book on a four-and-a-half-foot piece of paper (the cover gives you something of an idea of the chart, though only an idea). Donna wrote out the original flowchart by hand, five feet of parchment paper, which served as the book proposal.
We're all excited about this new book, which is officially published first thing in April.


text:
ERIE, Pa. – The King University men's wrestling team turned in their second straight solid performance in their second event of the year. Madison Martin, Frank Yattani IV and Eldon Valery, Jr. all finished in third place of their respective weight classes of the Mercyhurst Laker Open while Garrett Fosdyck and D'Marcus Spencer both came in second.
At 125 pounds, Martin advanced to the semifinals before falling to eventual champion Willie Bohince of Mercyhurst University. However, in the consolation bracket, Martin defeated Nate Reckner of Gannon University on a fall in 4:22 before besting Mercyhurt's Ryan Bohince on a narrow 12-8 decision to take third place.
Spencer first defeated Daniel Suite Jr. of West Virginia 12-5 to move to the semifinals at 133 pounds. He then bested Scott Spreng of Ashland 7-4 before falling to Ashland's Michael Labry 6-4 in the finals. Collin Crume came in fourth at the same weight class.
Yattani opened the 141 pound bracket with a loss, but rebounded nicely in the consolation bracket. He earned five straight victories to come home with a third place finish. He first defeated Gannon's Aaron Smith on an 11-5 decision before topping Gannon's John Marotto on a slim 5-4 decision. The freshman then topped Mercyhurst's Joey Miller on a major decision 8-0 before defeating a pair of University of Ashland wrestlers. First he defeated Robert Mason 11-7 before besting Clarence Longley 6-2 in the third place bout.
Valery's day was similar to Yattani's as he dropped his first match as well, but came back to roll off six straight wins to take third place at 197 pounds. He started his run with a pair of wins on falls before taking a major decision win 15-3 over Gannon's Gunner Loughman. He then defeated Anthony Confessore 9-2 and Chase Long of Ohio Valley University 3-1 to advance to the third place bout. In the third place match, Valery defeated Kaleb Matchett of Tiffin University 6-4.
At 285 pounds, Fosdyck Andy Welton of Mercyhust on a fall in 4:58 before topping Ohio Valley's Blake Lucas 3-0 to advance to the semifinals. In the semis, he bested Tiffin's Garrett Grey 4-3 before falling teo Wayne Pumell Jr. of West Virginia to finish with a runner-up finish.
King will be in action again next Sunday at the Central Missouri Open.


text:
Latest nudes: Mia Tyler
Steven Tyler's stunning 33-year-old daughter, Mia, may not be professionally modeling anymore, but that doesn't mean she can't sext a nude pic or two to her man.
"I mean . . . I have a boyfriend, so of course, I have some on my phone," the budding photographer dished at the Darby on Sunday. "I don't ever take pictures that are tasteless — but I love my body, so if they got out, they got out," she rationalized.
Smushing in Westchester!
The on-again, off-again romance between Sammi "Sweetheart" Giancola and Ronnie Ortiz-Magro of "Jersey Shore" inched further toward commitment when the pair moved in together last week. "I just moved to New York with Ron," Giancola told Buzz at the showing of her SXE Fitness collection at Style360 on Monday. "Actually, it's more of a suburb," she said. The former guidos have relocated to WASP-y Westchester. "I love it," Ortiz-Magro said. "It's very quiet. Westchester is like home. We love being there."
In tune with Hilfiger
It was a family outing at the Darby on Sunday night. The Hilfiger clan — including Tommy (inset) and his wife, Dee Ocleppo, as well as daughter Ally — came out in force to support Tommy's brother Andy Hilfiger, whose band, MARS, played at the Vintage and Modern event there.
Andy told Buzz he was looking forward to his next gig — touring on a rock cruise playing in Blue Oyster Cult. "I've never really thought I'd go on a cruise because we've been on yachts a lot," admited Andy.
One unrelated attendee? Russell Simmons, who said Tommy has been his "biggest inspiration." Simmons even put his meditation schedule on hold to support the fashion family.
"I meditate twice a day, and I go to yoga. I don't care what happens. I missed Alexander Wang and Herve Leger because I had a three-hour class," said Simmons, who was spotted with his ex, Kimora Lee.
Standing on Ceremony
Surprise guest Lil' Kim tore the house down at Opening Ceremony's 10th anniversary party at Webster Hall on Sunday night. Taking the stage around 2 a.m., the Queen Bee entered complete with a royal procession, blond hair and a blinged-out chest plate over her little black dress, as the crowd rapped all the words to "Big Momma Thang." A very love-struck Kelly Osbourne was in attendance with vegan-chef boyfriend Matthew Mosshart. She credited her glowing good looks to her beau: "He cooks for me." Seemed like the whole party was feeling the love — Buzz overheard that one section upstairs had to be roped off because of an overly amorous couple, with the female partygoer ushered out shortly after by security.
Fashion Week's It dress
Kimora Lee showed up front-row at Donna Karan's spring 2013 show today in one of Fashion Week's most popular frocks: a kaleidoscope-printed mini that's currently on the racks at H&M. The dress, which retails for $69.95, has been popping up all week; two fashionistas were even caught wearing it at the Yigal Azrouel show. Color us impressed.
Paula's potion
Paula Abdul, pop-music superstar of yore cum reality-show disaster stopped by the American Express skybox at the tents on Monday. As gracious as she was slurry, Abdul answered softball questions in front of a few dozen lucky AmEx cardholders. Abdul attributed her enduring good looks to "drinking lots of fluids," naturally.
Studious Shields
Brooke Shields is one of the few supermodels with an Ivy League degree, which is surprising given her less-than-stellar SAT scores.
"I got into Vassar, but I went to another, you know, school in New Jersey," the Princeton grad told Buzz at the Barneys dinner Friday night.
"Oh my God, I just cleared — I remember my girlfriend got double 600s. And I just cleared 1,000 and then I got a 5 on my AP English, and that helped the whole thing . . . and then I had a lot of extracurriculars." Yeah, like being a famous actress.
Headwear and heat
The temperature inside the threeASFOUR show on Saturday at the Hole gallery swept away the audience as much as the clothes. "I didn't sweat this much when I was a man!" transgender performer Justin Vivian Bond remarked. Somehow the socialites weren't breaking a sweat: A turbaned Waris Ahluwalia and maxidress-clad Arden Wohl had no complaints. "I'm just not sweating. Waris doesn't sweat. We're used to it, we wear things on our heads, it keeps the heat in," Wohl explained, referring to her signature headband worn across the forehead.
Waris had a different alibi: "We're cool from the inside."
Delusional Disick
While the world mourns MTV's cancellation of "Jersey Shore," Scott Disick of the Kardashian reality-show franchise is sanguine. "It doesn't concern me much," he told Buzz on Thursday night in the men's section of Macy's, where he was stationed rolling cigars for Fashion's Night Out. "Whether or not there's cameras following our lives or not doesn't affect me much," he said with a straight face. Disick, whose most notable marketable skill is allowing cameras to follow his semblance of a life, added, "I'm still gonna do what I'm gonna do." Whatever that is.
Bensimon cools off on hot pants
Nobody can mix fashion and parenting advice like former Real Housewife Kelly Bensimon. "[My daughters] hear me talk about rules, like if you're gonna show legs don't show boobs," explained Bensimon post-show at Jill Stuart on Saturday. "They're 12 and 14 so they're at that age where they just want to start to show it all . . . me getting dressed for this week, we're kind of using it as a tool. You know, Mommy's wearing a little shorter dress, but we're covered up up top. And so they're like, 'OK, we get it!' " said the former model known for her itsy-bitsy shorts.
Looks like she's starting to heed her own advice.
"Well, at 44 maybe I gotta put the hot pants away."


text:
Crossing what's often considered the world's busiest land port of entry can be a nightmare. But for many drivers on Saturday, it seemed more like a dream come true: a chance to cross from Tijuana to San Diego without waiting for hours in line.
As the San Ysidro border crossing undergoes a massive reconstruction and expansion, a brief construction pause this weekend has offered tens of thousands of border residents a glimpse of what could one day be.
"I wish it were always like this," said Alejandra Palma, a 35-year-old Tijuana engineer, as she and her husband prepared to cross to shop for clothes in San Diego early Saturday afternoon after waiting in line at San Ysidro for less than a half-hour.
The weekend building hiatus means U.S. Customs and Border Protection can temporarily increase the number of car inspection lanes from 17 to 23.
The shorter lines and brisker pace are a far cry from what many drivers have grown accustomed to in recent years.
Customs and Border Protection officials say they have increased efficiency through measures such as improved technology, and the creation of segmented lanes that speed up crossings for those crossers who are pre-cleared or have documents such as U.S. passport cards or laser visas. But crossers, especially those in the general vehicle lanes, often complain of waiting in long lines while inspection booths go unmanned, or wonder why a lane can mysteriously grow maddeningly slow.
U.S. government security measures on the heels of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks imposed a new lifestyle on crossers — both pedestrians and drivers — who use the westernmost port on the U.S.-Mexico border. For those without the benefit of the Sentri program for pre-cleared travelers, or the Ready Lane for those with approved U.S. documents, daily activities such as work, shopping, family visits and doctor's appointments can entail hours of waiting in line — or rising hours before dawn to avoid the lengthy lines.
Construction at the port has also entailed longer waits, as the number of crossing lanes have been reduced during the project's first phase. But for a 68-hour period that began at noon Friday and ends Monday at 8 a.m., authorities have the option of keeping open all 23 available lanes, most of them with double inspection booths for a total of 43.
The measures offered crossers hope for the future — assuming Congress appropriates funds to complete the project, and enough inspectors can be hired to work at the expanded facility.
"I'll be watching all weekend, definitely," said Pete Flores, director of the San Diego field office of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. "This is going to be a very good test," he added, saying the purpose is to "get a good glimpse of what additional lanes does for us," in terms of processing vehicles.
Flores said that the pedestrian crossing, with 15 available lanes, was not part of the weekend test. But many midday users Saturday said they found the lines far shorter than normal.
The weekend will allow the agency to estimate how many inspectors will be needed to keep wait times down once the port is expanded, said Rudy Camacho, a former U.S. Customs chief in San Diego who is now a private consultant.
"Shame on us if they're not ready to utilize the investment that's been made," said Camacho. "We have to have sufficient personnel and overtime funding. These land border crossings are the economic lifeblood of this region."
Any figures for what it would cost to pay for additional customs inspectors were not available. The Customs and Border Protection office in San Diego deferred any funding questions to the agency's headquarters in Washington D.C., where a spokeswoman, Stephanie Malin, said the agency is "unable to comment on staffing or budgets at this time."
Jason M-B Wells, director of the San Ysidro Chamber of Commerce, said the weekend test "just goes to show what those of us who live here have known all along: They can make it work if they want to."
Federal officials have promised that the long waits will drop with completion of the planned $583 million upgrade of the San Ysidro Port of Entry, which would expand the port's capacity to 63 inspection booths for northbound vehicles and include a new pedestrian processing facility. But with only the first phase funded by Congress, the timing of the project's completion has remained uncertain.
Meanwhile, the long waits continue to cause steep economic costs for both sides of the border. Claudio Arriola, a regional leader of Canieti, Mexico's chamber for electronics, telecommunications and information technologies, said the border congestion has thwarted his attempts to bring down potential investors from San Diego to Tijuana.
"Nobody wants to wait a long time in line to go back," said Arriola. Despite talk of a single region, Arriola said "it's getting harder than ever to do business."
The long border waits are "more than just lost time," said Cindy Gompper-Graves, chief executive officer of the South County Regional Economic Development Council. "You have health risks when you have people standing at the border for hours on end. This is about quality of life, an economic asset, the quality of the environment," she said. "Maybe we tightened security so quickly that we haven't as quickly addressed the impacts that are associated with more secure border crossings, and haven't put the same amount of resources to address those impacts."
For 28-year-old Wendy Mayo, a Tijuana resident who crosses several times a week in the pedestrian line, getting to her job at the Home Depot near Imperial Beach off Palm Avenue on Saturday meant waking up at 2:30 a.m. at her house in Colonia Libertad.
Though San Ysidro is far closer to both her home and her job, Mayo said she avoids the long pedestrian lines there by driving to the Otay Mesa crossing and parking her car. On Saturday, she crossed in minutes at Otay using her U.S. passport card in the pedestrian Ready Lane, set aside for those with documents that can be read by computer. Once across, she boarded a bus to the Iris Avenue Trolley station, getting off at Palm Avenue, then taking another bus to the Home Depot.
"It's horrible to have to wait in line," said Mayo, who said she escapes long waits in the early morning hours but typically stands for two hours at Otay when she has a later shift. "The hardest part is not being able to spend time with my family."
Antonio Márquez, a 40-year-old Tijuana used car salesman who drives across almost daily to purchase vehicles in San Diego, said his wait is typically over two hours — but has on occasion stretched to over three hours. "Spending three-and-a-half hours in the line messes up my day," said Márquez, who has installed a small television in his Honda Civic to while away the time. "I can't really commit to anything," he said. "I want to enroll in a language class, but I don't have time."
But Saturday offered hope that this can one day change: Braced for the usual two-hour wait at about 8 a.m. Saturday, Márquez said he made it across in 15 minutes.


text:
Taxonomy: From Theory to Practice
Friday, October 26, 2012, Half Day 8:30am-12:30pm (seminar fee)
Taxonomy presentations are generally very theoretical as a whole, with very little practical application applied to them; the goal behind this presentation would be to focus on the practical aspects of designing, implementing, and maintaining a taxonomy. This will bring the theoretical ideas of taxonomical classification into the world of many practitioners, while identifying the real world issues. Taking users on a journey from a conceptual idea for a taxonomy, this half day workshop will guide them in the steps needed to create and maintain a working taxonomy.
The main goal for this workshop is to not spend a lot of time with a lecture or watching a powerpoint, but to really allow the participants to be just that: participants. The middle section of the planned workshop will involve them classifying their own (physical) objects and creating different levels of organization out of the classifications in a group setting.
Since this workshop will be focused on the design and implementation of a taxonomy, the proposal for the workshop is broken out hierarchically as to what will be talked about. While this is not a comprehensive list of what will be talked about during the workshop, the outline gives a good overview of all of the topics that will be touched on during the workshop.
Jacob Ratliff is the Archivist/Taxonomy Librarian at the National Fire Protection Association, and in charge of creating and maintaining controlled vocabularies throughout the Association. Jacob previously worked at the University of Denver and the Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries doing digital project management and metadata support after graduating with his MLIS from the University of Denver with a concentration in Knowledge Management and a specialization in Information Science and Technology. Jacob is also a recipient of an ASIS&T New Leader Award, and is a member of the ASIS&T Online Education Task Force. During his free time, Jacob enjoys video games and has begun co-moderating a blog with Diane Rasmussen Neal on gaming and information (http://tl-dr.ca).
Sara Mooney is the Information Architect at Zappos Development, Inc., and maintains the site taxonomy, navigation, and other site architecture initatives for Zappos.com and 6pm.com. She previously worked at Cirque du Soleil as a Documentalist (knowledge manager) for all resident shows, which included forming a taxonomy for inter-show use and SharePoint implementation strategizing. During her free time, Sara is active in the Las Vegas Tech community
(http://vegastech.com/), and a librarian / board member for /usr/lib
(http://usrlib.org), a membership-driven special library serving the Las Vegas startup and technical community. Sara holds an MLIS degree from Florida State University, and was a 2010 recipient of an ASIS&T New Leader Award.
Early Bird: Members $175, non-members $200
After Sept. 7: Members $200, non-members $225


text:
Brian Miller posted a blurb over on the Wine forum pages regarding Polenta & Wine. It reminded me of a recipe I had been saving and never got around to trying. Robins' polenta w/ mushrooms & sausage.
I haven't eaten grits in more years than I want to count. And If I hadn't of tried this polenta, I would never have believed how well it paired with wine…red & white ( tried em both…went extremely well with a simple chianti and an NZ Sauvignon Blanc)
I pretty much followed the recipe, except with one ingredient. The was no italian sausage available, so I subbed an equivalent amount of ground sausage and spiced the dish with dried basil, oregano & parsley. Which was probably best for me since I'm not a big fan of anise or fennel.
We topped the dish w/ fontina & asiago….
Amazingly simple & satisfying…and definitely worth doing again.


text:
Search our directory for a physician or provider who best matches your healthcare needs. Using the search tool below, simply enter a first and/or last name, or search by specialty. You can also type in the first letter of the last and/or first name if you want to find a specific doctor but are unsure of the correct spelling.
If you're not finding what you need here or have questions, please call our Community Information Line at 425.656.4636 (INFO). A referral specialist will be happy to help you find the perfect match.
For a description of medical specialties, click here.
5 matching results
Traci Barthel, MD specializes in hand and wrist surgery. Dr. Barthel practices at Valley Orthopedic Associates' Renton and Covington clinics.
Clinical Focus:
Hand and Wrist Surgery
General Orthopedics
Hospital Affiliation:Valley Medical Center, Renton
Professional Affiliations:
Fellow, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery
Member, American Society for Surgery of the Hand
Board Certification:Diplomate, American Board of Orthopedic Surgery, 2004
Fellowship Training:University of Washington, Hand and Microvascular Surgery, 2002
Residency:Case Western Reserve University, 2001
Medical School:Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, 1995
In addition to general orthopedics, John Howlett, MD specializes in hand and wrist surgery. He practices at VOA's Renton and Newcastle clinics.
Clinical Focus:Hand and Microvascular SurgeryHospital Affiliation:Valley Medical Center, RentonFellowship Training:University of Washington Affiliated Hospitals, Hand and Microvascular Surgery Fellowship
Residency:University of Washington Affiliated Hospitals, Orthopedic SurgeryUniversity of Washington Affiliated Hospitals, General SurgeryMedical School:University of California, San Francisco
In addition to general orthopedics, Niket Shrivastava, MD specializes in hand and wrist surgery. He practices at VOA's Renton and Covington locations.Clinical Focus:Hand and Wrist SurgeryGeneral OrthopedicsHospital Affiliation:Valley Medical Center, Renton
Fellowship Training:University of California Davis Medical Center, Hand Surgery Fellow, Department of Orthopaedics, Sacramento, CA
Research Experience:Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Orthopaedics, Columbia University, New York, NYResearch Assistant, Department of Orthopaedics, University of Washington, Seattle, WAResearch Assistant, Center for Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WAResidency:Columbia University, Postdoctoral Resident Fellow, Department of Orthopaedics, New York, NYMedical School:Meharry Medical College, Nashville, TN
Copyright 2012 Valley Medical Center. All rights reserved.


text:
Magnus iPad Stand Exudes Magnetic Charm
Magnus Handcrafted iPad Stand
• $49.95
• Ten One Design
I'm now on my 2nd iPad, but I've yet to purchase a stand because every stand I've seen is either obtrusive in size or aesthetically not my style. That may change now I've laid my eyes on Ten One Design's nearly-not-there design, the Magnus. Machine-crafted from pure aluminum, the stand holds up the iPad using the power of those wee-sized super strong nickel-plated neodymium magnets, all hidden in the base (so strong, the designers recommend using two hands when removing the iPad). The overall design is elegant simply because there's little there except for a slim base, and should barely take up an desk real estate.


text:
The popular, low-cost Kauai Sands Hotel is welcoming guests to one of "America's Prettiest Towns" -- Kapaa on the island of Kauai -- with a special offer that includes a free rental car and breakfast.
The "Free Car Promotion" at the beachfront Kauai Sands includes an upgraded, pool-view room, a compact car and parking. Hotel guests also get a free continental breakfast.
Rates are $135-$149 a night. The offer is good through Dec. 24.
The hotel is near art galleries, boutiques and restaurants in Kapaa, recently singled out in Forbes magazine. One of the judges of the "Prettiest Towns," travel writer Andrew Evans, sang the praises of the sleepy Kauai community.
"It's a very Hawaiian town with traditional ukulele makers and fish taco trucks parked under the palm trees," he wrote. "It's a small town with a lot of Hawaiian life, minus the tourist fray."
The hotel was recently rebranded as one of Aqua Hospitality's Lite Hotels, a collection of properties for budget-minded travelers. The guest rooms have recently been spruced up as have the gardens and two swimming pools.
Info: Kauai Sands,(866) 970-4169.


text:
Featured News - Current News - Archived News - News Categories
Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center patients and their families will soon be enjoying the latest advances in hospital care following Wednesday's dedication and blessing of a new 24-bed medical-surgical inpatient unit.
The new unit, located on the second floor of Memorial's Schoellkopf Building (S-2), is designed to reduce stress and promote faster healing. It will replace a 30-year-old inpatient wing on the hospital's third floor.
"This unit was designed with patient and family-centered care as the overriding concept," said Memorial President and CEO Joseph A. Ruffolo. "This is a care model that requires health care professionals to share complete information with patients and families. In turn, it builds on the strength of patients and families to enhance independence and facilitate a patient's healing."
The new S-2 utilizes sound absorbent construction materials to help keep noise levels low and soft lighting to provide a more relaxed patient and family-centered environment. It emphasizes the importance of family support by providing a comfortable, homelike family room with a kitchenette and media/learning center among many amenities to help family members of hospitalized patients remain close to their loved ones.
"The informed decision-making that results from patient and family-centered care can improve treatment choice as well as the quality of care and patient outcomes," said Memorial Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Sheila K. Kee. "This new inpatient unit provides the perfect environment for delivering that care."
As is the case throughout the medical center, the new unit features all private rooms at no extra charge for enhanced patient comfort and satisfaction. With nurses' stations at each end of the floor, its design will enable nurses to maintain closer contact with their patients.
Additionally, the new S-2 will have full electronic medical record and Wi-Fi capability. That technology is becoming increasingly important to Memorial's teaching mission, which involves allied health schools, medical students and the medical center's osteopathic family practice residency program.
The dedication included a blessing of the new unit by the Rev. Joseph L. Levesque, C.M., president of Niagara University.
Support for the new S-2 was provided by the John R. Oishei Foundation, The Margaret L. Wendt Foundation, Independent Health and the City of Niagara Falls.


text:
Nikki Reed & Zoe Kazan Look Pretty In Our Eyes at Tribeca Film Fest!
Nikki Reed rocks a chic blazer while attending a portrait session for her new film Intramural during the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival at the Getty Images Studio on Monday (April 21) in New York City.
The 25-year-old actress was joined by her Intramural co-stars Gabriel Luna, Brian McElhaney, and Nick Kocher.
PHOTOS: Check out the latest pics of Nikki Reed
Nikki's In Your Eyes co-star Zoe Kazan was also spotted at a separate portrait session on the same day.
The night before, Nikki showed off her beautiful back while attending the premiere for In Your Eyes.
10+ pictures inside of Nikki Reed and Zoe Kazan attending two separate portrait sessions at Tribeca…


text:
- Kerstin Forsberg, a 28-year-old marine conservation biologist and campaigner has been awarded the WWF International President's Award 2013 at the WWF Annual Conference in Wyoming, US.
- Two outstanding conservationists received Leaders for a Living Planet awards in June, recognising Dr Thomas Lovejoy
- Champions for sustainable fishing in the Mediterranean were recognised with Conservation Merit awards at the WWF Annual Conference.
- WWF staged its third TEDxWWF conference in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in May, bringing together 11 inspiring speakers to share ideas and solutions under the theme 'One Planet Living'.


text:
Celebrating illustration, design, cartoon and comic art of the mid-20th century.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
The Two Roys: "The box art had to fire the imagination, draw the viewer into the drama and convince him to part with his pocket money."
Illustrating for box-art required the artist to keep numerous parties happy. The art had to allow the manufacturer to get all the flashing, branding and information on the cover without compromising the image.
Sometimes the packaging might take in a couple of different formats, so that had to be allowed for.
The image had to clearly illustrate the airplane, vehicle or ship in a way that the purchaser could see what the final assembled kit might look like - Pino Dell'Orco's wonderfully dramatic paintings would never have passes muster - while the drama of the image had to be tempered with accuracy of detail.
The right armament had to be in the right place. Markings had to be accurate - history buffs had to be placated.
Lastly and most important were the legion of 10yr old boys who were going to buy the kits. The box art had to fire the imagination, draw the viewer into the drama and convince him to part with his pocket money. If I have anyone to blame for my pre-adolescent penury, it's probably these two guys.
Of the two artists, Huxley was probably the more accomplished.
He could illustrate figures just as well as planes, trains and automobiles...
... but if there was a competition for the iconic image of the age, it has to go to Roy Cross for his cover of the B17 Flying Fortress, complete with fourth engine on fire. For a generation of pre-teens, this was the one.
Along with my friends I tried to recreate this image in model form using everything from plaster and cardboard flames to filling the engine cowling with lighter fluid soaked tissue and setting the thing on fire.
Today, many of these kits carry photoshop generated artwork and they've removed the explosions, gunfire and in fact all the reasons we bought the kits in the first place. While there's nothing inherently wrong with the illustrations, even the aircraft themselves just don't have the excitement and drama that these masters captured with gouache and acrylics.
* Roger O'Reilly illustrates for advertising, magazines and newspapers in Ireland and around the world. His work has appeared in The Daily Telegraph, GQ, FHM, The Sunday Tribune and many others. His fine art paintings have been exhibited in Switzerland, Ireland, Holland and France, where he is represented in the permanent collection of the Musee D'histoire Contemporaine in Paris.
12 comments:
This comment has been removed by the author.ReplyDelete
OMG, last one is a Short Stirling from Airfix. I mounted that in the early 70's !!!!ReplyDelete
That's really interesting, Dallyn - thanks. It suggests that the companies valued this illustration work to a greater degree than I imagined. That price seems to be in line with most other media from the same time period. paperback covers and magazine covers and spreads would have paid in the same neighbourhood.ReplyDelete
Some of those kit illos look like a huge amount of work... the research required for technical accuracy and complexity of some of the battle scenes... but I guess these artists developed their own strategies for working at enough speed to make the jobs worthwhile.
I remember a B-17 (Revell maybe) from the late 60's that I tried to build -- it was a little advanced for my age, but it is still my favorite plane. Sad in this misguided politically correct world that they would remove the fire and explosions from the art -- If not for all those missions across the channel where most of the Flying Fortresses were shot down, we'd probably all be German expressionists! Great post, Leif!ReplyDelete
Hah!. Great comment Eric.ReplyDelete
They really did fire the imagination, those boxes. Today you just have a Spitfire serenely gliding through the sky and while you can't fault the art, it doesn't really say much that a photo of a completed model wouldn't do just as well.
Had a look at Gary Meyer and Jack Leynnwood's cover art on the net. Some great work there. I think I made that Revell B17 too!
This comment has been removed by the author.ReplyDelete
Whilst it's true that box art from this period was more dramatic, bear in mind that the outlook of clients nowadays is a bit more conservative. As an aviation/box artist, I don't always have a free hand in how I depict any given subject. Aside from that, are you familiar with work of Shigeo Koike...?ReplyDelete
If you need your ex-girlfriend or ex-boyfriend to come crawling back to you on their knees (even if they're dating somebody else now) you got to watch this videoReplyDelete
right away...
(VIDEO) Text Your Ex Back?


text:
BERKELEY — A UC Berkeley female student was sexually assaulted at a campus housing unit in Albany over the weekend, police said.
Police responded to a hospital on Sunday to investigate a report of a sexual assault that occurred the previous night at Albany Village, according to university police.
The victim, a female student, said she was invited to an off-campus bar by a male acquaintance, authorities said. Afterward, the man took the victim to an apartment at Albany Village and sexually assaulted her, police said.
The suspect has not been arrested. He is described as a Hispanic male, 40 years old, about 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighing approximately 170 pounds.
David DeBolt covers breaking news. Contact him in Richmond at 510-262-2728. Follow him at Twitter.com/daviddebolt.


text:
Portal 2 Part 1/2 is now out! This game made a major impression on myself and countless gamers. I hope you enjoy my small contribution of fandom. There's a Making of video too!
P.S...no word on when I'll even start on Part 2. Think of it like HL2- Ep3....just gotta be patient.


text:
Volunteering with Natural England: how to get involved
Find out how to become a volunteer to support nature conservation where you live and work.
Natural England's volunteers come from many different backgrounds and are involved in a wide variety of tasks - from scientific surveying to enthusing visitors on our National Nature Reserves (NNRs). There is no minimum time commitment - you choose how much you do.
Find volunteering opportunities near you
In the interests of sustainability and fairness, Natural England doesn't encourage volunteers to travel long distances to their place of volunteering.
When Natural England has specific volunteering opportunities, they will be advertised here. Bear in mind there is high demand for the limited number of places. Enquiries are welcome.
Advertised volunteer roles
No current vacancies
Student placements and work experience
No current vacancies
Base your Masters, undergraduate, diploma, BTEC or A-level dissertation project on one of our NNRs.
For PhD enquiries, see PhD projects with Natural England funding.
Volunteer bat roost visitor
Natural England has a network of trained and licensed volunteer bat roost visitors who help provide advice about bats in homes, places of worship and, in some cases, public buildings. For details of how to train locally, register with Natural England, get licensed and other information about this role see volunteer bat roost visitors.
Corporate or employer supported volunteering and team building days
Natural England can offer a range of team building volunteering opportunities in conservation work and community engagement activities depending on where your business is located.
Email email@example.com for more information.
How to register to become a volunteer
If you want to train become a volunteer bat roost visitor, you'll need to complete the VBRV expression of interest form and email it to email@example.com.
For all other roles, if there's an opportunity near you, then complete the expression of interest form to register. Send your completed form to: firstname.lastname@example.com. Natural England will use this to find any suitable opportunities for you, so include as much information as possible.
For overseas volunteers/students: You must check with UK Visas and Immigration to ensure that you are eligible to volunteer in the UK. Natural England is not registered as an official sponsor for overseas volunteers or students. Natural England cannot cover travel expenses to the UK or accommodation expenses whilst in the UK.
How we treat personal details
If Natural England cannot offer you a placement, either because of your location or because there aren't any current opportunities which match your skills or interests, your contact details and interests will be added to a register of potential volunteers.
This list will be regularly shared with staff across Natural England who may contact you should a role become available. Your details will be kept for up to 6 months unless you ask us to remove them. Natural England will not pass your personal information outside of the organisation or use your details for anything other than contacting you about possible volunteering opportunities.
Volunteer benefits and entitlements
Benefits to be gained from volunteering with Natural England include:
- giving valuable support to the conservation of special habitats and species
- using your existing skills and learning new ones
- keeping active
- working as part of a team with staff and other volunteers
- adding valuable work experience to your CV
You will receive:
- information on your voluntary role and how it contributes to Natural England's work
- an induction to your role
- information on health, safety and welfare
- an identity card for use during your voluntary role
- protective clothing or equipment required for your role (on loan)
- newsletters, leaflets, publications or handbooks that may be of interest
- a reference if you want to use your voluntary experience with us when applying for a job or another voluntary role
- agreed out-of-pocket expenses
Contact us
For further information about:
being a volunteer bat roost visitor, email email@example.com
any other type of volunteering including on a National Nature Reserve, email email@example.com
Last updated 9 May 2018 + show all updates
- Added advert for 4 conservation assistants (volunteer) roles based at East Dartmoor NNR.
- Added advert for 4 Conservation Assistants (Volunteer) roles based at East Dartmoor NNR.
- East Dartmoor NNR: closed recruitment removed and new vacancy details added.
- Recruitment for volunteer conservation assistant has been extended.
- Details of vacancy for a conservation assistant (volunteer) at East Dartmoor NNR added.
- Advert added for conservation assistant (volunteer) vacancy at East Dartmoor NNR
- Advert for conservation volunteers removed as recruitment now closed.
- Closing date for advertised Conservation Assistant (volunteer) roles extended to 22 February 2016
- Advert added for 4 conservation assistant volunteer roles
- Advert for survey and monitoring placements removed as these are paid roles.
- Information added about recruitment for 3 month survey and monitoring training placements
- Advert for environmental conservation apprentice removed as recruitment now closed.
- Advert for 18 month diploma placements removed as recruitment has closed
- Information about the recruitment for an environmental conservation apprentice at Humberhead Peatlands NNR added.
- Recruitment opened for 8 trainee placements based on Natural England managed NNRs
- Advert for 3 month taster training placements (8 posts) removed: recruitment closed
- Updated Contact us section.
- 8 x 3 month training placement advert added
- Advert for butterfly surveyor at Lullington Heath removed as recruitment has closed
- EcoSkills advert removed as recruitment has closed. Advert for volunteer butterfly surveyor on Lullington Heath added
- Removal of 'Nurturing nature conservation skills' recruitment which has closed
- Information about recruitment for survey and monitoring training placements added Information about EcoSkills vacancy added
- Information about a volunteer training programme added
- First published.


text:
According to the study, only 33% of South Africans believe the nation is on the right track. This is a 19% drop from the peak in March when this was the view of 52% of South Africans. This peak percentage was around the time that Cyril Ramaphosa became the president.
The study is based on over 21 000 surveys which were conducted between 20 April and 4 May 2018 among a representative portion of adults aged 18-64. Results show that the majority (58%) of people around the world think things in their country are on the wrong track.
Financial/political corruption currently occupies the top spot for global concern with 35% of people listing it as their major concern.
Top concerns for people around the world according to the study:
South Africa is on par with these international concerns and stands behind Peru and Malaysia as one of the countries with the highest percentage of concerns around financial/political corruption (60%). Other concerns also include unemployment and jobs (57%), and crime and violence (58%). The two lowest worries were climate change (2%) and access to credit (1%).
Here are the top 10 concerns: