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|PDF (Download Only)
|Pink Poodle Bows
E-Reader Cover PDF sewing pattern
Make a padded e-reader cover for your iPad, Kindle or Nook! I give you two pocket options in this pattern: option 1 has the two pockets and option 2 has a large pocket with a flap. I also give you two closure options!
You will receive step by step instructions with many color photos, along with a cuts/measurements chart if you are comfortable using a rotary cutter and mat to cut out your fabric, and ALL PATTERN PIECES ARE INCLUDED for those who are more comfortable using a pattern. No special paper required, just print from your home computer!
E-Reader Patterns included are for:
iPad 1 & 2
Kindle Fire, Kindle Keyboard, Kindle Keyboard 3G, Kindle Original, Kindle 2,3, 4, Kindle Touch, Kindle Touch 3G, Kindle DX
Nook Color, Nook Tablet, Nook touch
I guess I am different than the previous reviewers ... I had zero issues with the pattern, the directions ... completely easy to understand, walks through each step carefully ... turns out great! I made these for Christmas Gifts '12 and have so many people now wanting me to make these for them for their birthday & any other reason they can come up with.
Never actually used the pattern but used the idea as the UK sizes are different from yours.
This pattern was pretty easy to follow and I like how it can be used for many different e-books. I used this to make a cover for the original Kindle. My only complaint was that the corner tabs that hold the Kindle in place actually cover some of the buttons on the Kindle's top and right side. (I searched and searched and wasn't able to find an e-book cover pattern where this wasn't the case.) I knew this going in, so I made the two top fabric tabs slightly smaller so this wouldn't be an issue. I also put in some extra top-stitching along the center spine to make a tighter fit. Looks great!
I loved doing this, it was a bit time consuming but all the instructions are clear and probably the next one will be much easier and quick!
I absolutely love this pattern. So quick and easy to make with a fantastic end result.
A really good pattern. But it took me a moment to fully get it as I am still a beginner. But once I got it, it was a piece of cake ;)
I love the different options for pockets and closure!
took a bit but i got it its a really good pattern
A little complicated, but after I finished the first one, it was much easier for the next and the next.
Materials Needed: (exact amounts given in tutorial)
-Light to medium weight cotton fabric
-lightweight fusible interfacing
-fusible fleece
-sewing machine, thread, needle, scissors, pins, iron
- button
-(option) elastic cord/rubber band (or fabric loop: measurement given in tutorial)
-(option) Velcro: if you make the pocket option #2 with the flap, instructions are given for adding hook and loop tape (velcro) so that it can close.
All designs are created by Pink Poodle Bows. You are more than welcome to sell the finished product in small quantities. No mass production on a large scale. Duplicating or distributing any part of this pattern is prohibited. Please give Pink Poodle Bows credit for the design.
Note: www.YouCanMakeThis.com provides this copyright & terms of use policy review as a courtesy to our site users and eBook authors. The copyright policy applies to the associated eBook and is specified and owned by the individual eBook author.


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BOSTON -- Town Sports International (TSI), New York, paid fines totaling $40,000 in Massachusetts for violating that state's child labor laws.
TSI, which runs Boston Sports Club, and its president and CEO, Alex Alimanestianu, were cited for more than 1,600 violations at 23 clubs it operates in Massachusetts.
TSI had to pay a $15,000 fine for violations related to minors working before and after permissible hours, another $15,000 fine for employing minors more than the maximum hours and days per week, and a $10,000 fine relating to the employment of minors without work permits.
TSI said it worked in close cooperation with the office of Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley during the office's investigation. The company completed a thorough review of its payroll records and hiring practices and has taken the necessary steps to comply with the state's child labor laws, according to a statement from the company to Club Industry's Fitness Business Pro.
"We take our responsibilities as a corporate citizen within this outstanding community very seriously," TSI said in the statement. "We are proud that we can provide employment opportunities for students in our clubs and summer programs."
Some of the measures TSI has implemented after completing its review involve changes in its process of hiring minors, changes in personnel management and record keeping, and the institution of child labor law training programs for all of its employees.The investigation began in March 2008 after the attorney general's office received a complaint alleging child labor laws violations at the Boston Sports Club in Waltham, MA.

subset: commoncrawl


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The Java EE platform provides several abstractions that simplify development of dependable transaction processing for applications. This chapter discusses Java EE transactions and transaction support in the Sun GlassFish Enterprise Server.
This chapter contains the following sections:
The Transaction Manager, the Transaction Synchronization Registry, and UserTransaction
For more information about the JavaTM Transaction API (JTA) and Java Transaction Service (JTS), see Chapter 12, Transactions, in Sun GlassFish Enterprise Server v2.1.1 Administration Guide and the following sites: http://java.sun.com/products/jta/ and http://java.sun.com/products/jts/.
You might also want to read "Chapter 35: Transactions" in the Java EE 5 Tutorial.
There are three types of transaction resource managers:
Databases - Use of transactions prevents databases from being left in inconsistent states due to incomplete updates. For information about JDBC transaction isolation levels, see Using JDBC Transaction Isolation Levels.
The Enterprise Server supports a variety of JDBC XA drivers. For a list of the JDBC drivers currently supported by the Enterprise Server, see the Sun GlassFish Enterprise Server v2.1.1 Release Notes. For configurations of supported and other drivers, see Configurations for Specific JDBC Drivers in Sun GlassFish Enterprise Server v2.1.1 Administration Guide.
Java Message Service (JMS) Providers - Use of transactions ensures that messages are reliably delivered. The Enterprise Server is integrated with Sun GlassFish Message Queue, a fully capable JMS provider. For more information about transactions and the JMS API, see Chapter 18, Using the Java Message Service.
J2EE Connector Architecture (CA) components - Use of transactions prevents legacy EIS systems from being left in inconsistent states due to incomplete updates. For more information about connectors, see Chapter 12, Developing Connectors.
For details about how transaction resource managers, the transaction service, and applications interact, see Chapter 12, Transactions, in Sun GlassFish Enterprise Server v2.1.1 Administration Guide.
A local transaction involves only one non-XA resource and requires that all participating application components execute within one process. Local transaction optimization is specific to the resource manager and is transparent to the Java EE application.
In the Enterprise Server, a JDBC resource is non-XA if it meets any of the following criteria:
In the JDBC connection pool configuration, the DataSource class does not implement the javax.sql.XADataSource interface.
The Global Transaction Support box is not checked, or the Resource Type setting does not exist or is not set to javax.sql.XADataSource.
A transaction remains local if the following conditions remain true:
One and only one non-XA resource is used. If any additional non-XA resource is used, the transaction is aborted.
No transaction importing or exporting occurs.
Transactions that involve multiple resources or multiple participant processes are distributed or global transactions. A global transaction can involve one non-XA resource if last agent optimization is enabled. Otherwise, all resourced must be XA. The use-last-agent-optimization property is set to true by default. For details about how to set this property, see Configuring the Transaction Service.
If only one XA resource is used in a transaction, one-phase commit occurs, otherwise the transaction is coordinated with a two-phase commit protocol.
A two-phase commit protocol between the transaction manager and all the resources enlisted for a transaction ensures that either all the resource managers commit the transaction or they all abort. When the application requests the commitment of a transaction, the transaction manager issues a PREPARE_TO_COMMIT request to all the resource managers involved. Each of these resources can in turn send a reply indicating whether it is ready for commit (PREPARED) or not (NO). Only when all the resource managers are ready for a commit does the transaction manager issue a commit request (COMMIT) to all the resource managers. Otherwise, the transaction manager issues a rollback request (ABORT) and the transaction is rolled back.
Some topics in the documentation pertain to features that are available only in domains that are configured to support clusters. Examples of domains that support clusters are domains that are created with the cluster profile or the enterprise profile. For information about profiles, see Usage Profiles in Sun GlassFish Enterprise Server v2.1.1 Administration Guide.
To enable cluster-wide automatic recovery, you must first facilitate storing of transaction logs in a shared file system. You can do this in one of these ways:
Set the Enterprise Server's log-root attribute to a shared file system base directory and set the transaction service's tx-log-dir attribute to a relative path.
Set tx-log-dir to an absolute path to a shared file system directory, in which case log-root is ignored for transaction logs.
Set a system-property called TX-LOG-DIR in the domain.xml file to a shared file system directory.
<server config-ref="server-config" name="server"> <system-property name="TX-LOG-DIR" value="/net/tulsa/nodeagents/na/instance1/logs" /> </server>
Next, you must set the transaction service's delegated-recovery property to true (the default is false).
For information about setting tx-log-dir and delegated-recovery, see Configuring the Transaction Service. For information about setting log-root and other general logging settings, see Chapter 17, Configuring Logging, in Sun GlassFish Enterprise Server v2.1.1 Administration Guide. For information about system-property and the domain.xml file, see the Sun GlassFish Enterprise Server v2.1.1 Administration Reference.
You can configure the transaction service in the Enterprise Server in the following ways:
To configure the transaction service using the Admin Console, open the Transaction Service component under the relevant configuration. For details, click the Help button in the Admin Console.
To configure the transaction service, use the asadmin set command to set the following attributes.
server.transaction-service.automatic-recovery = false server.transaction-service.heuristic-decision = rollback server.transaction-service.keypoint-interval = 2048 server.transaction-service.retry-timeout-in-seconds = 600 server.transaction-service.timeout-in-seconds = 0 server.transaction-service.tx-log-dir = domain-dir/logs
You can also set these properties:
server.transaction-service.property.oracle-xa-recovery-workaround = false server.transaction-service.property.disable-distributed-transaction-logging = false server.transaction-service.property.xaresource-txn-timeout = 600 server.transaction-service.property.pending-txn-cleanup-interval = 60 server.transaction-service.property.use-last-agent-optimization = true server.transaction-service.property.db-logging-resource = jdbc/TxnDS server.transaction-service.property.delegated-recovery = false server.transaction-service.property.wait-time-before-recovery-insec = 60 server.transaction-service.property.xa-servername = myserver
You can use the asadmin get command to list all the transaction service attributes and properties. For details, see the Sun GlassFish Enterprise Server v2.1.1 Reference Manual.
You can access the Enterprise Server transaction manager, a javax.transaction.TransactionManager implementation, using the JNDI subcontext java:comp/TransactionManager or java:appserver/TransactionManager. You can access the Enterprise Server transaction synchronization registry, a javax.transaction.TransactionSynchronizationRegistry implementation, using the JNDI subcontext java:comp/TransactionSynchronizationRegistry or java:appserver/TransactionSynchronizationRegistry. You can also request injection of a TransactionManager or TransactionSynchronizationRegistry object using the @Resource annotation. Accessing the transaction synchronization registry is recommended. For details, see Java Specification Request (JSR) 907.
You can also access java:comp/UserTransaction.
The transaction service writes transactional activity into transaction logs so that transactions can be recovered. You can control transaction logging in these ways:
Set the location of the transaction log files using the Transaction Log Location setting in the Admin Console, or set the tx-log-dir attribute using the asadmin set command.
Turn off transaction logging by setting the disable-distributed-transaction-logging property to true and the automatic-recovery attribute to false. Do this only if performance is more important than transaction recovery.
For multi-core machines, logging transactions to a database may be more efficient.
To log transactions to a database, follow these steps:
Create a JDBC connection Pool, and set the non-transactional-connections attribute to true.
Create a JDBC resource that uses the connection pool and note the JNDI name of the JDBC resource.
Create a table named txn_log_table with the schema shown in Table 16–1.
Add the db-logging-resource property to the transaction service. For example:
asadmin set --user adminuser server1.transaction-service.property.db-logging-resource="jdbc/TxnDS"
The property's value should be the JNDI name of the JDBC resource configured previously.
To disable file synchronization, use the following asadmin create-jvm-options command:
asadmin create-jvm-options --user adminuser -Dcom.sun.appserv.transaction.nofdsync
Restart the server.
For information about JDBC connection pools and resources, see Chapter 15, Using the JDBC API for Database Access. For more information about the asadmin create-jvm-options command, see the Sun GlassFish Enterprise Server v2.1.1 Reference Manual.Table 16–1 Schema for txn_log_table
Column Name
JDBC Type
The size of the SERVERNAME column should be at least the length of the Enterprise Server host name plus 10 characters.
The size of the GTRID column should be at least 64 bytes.
To define the SQL used by the transaction manager when it is storing its transaction logs in the database, use the following flags:
-Dcom.sun.jts.dblogging.insertquery=sql statement -Dcom.sun.jts.dblogging.deletequery=sql statement
The default statements are as follows:
-Dcom.sun.jts.dblogging.insertquery=insert into txn_log_table values ( ?, ? , ? ) -Dcom.sun.jts.dblogging.deletequery=delete from txn_log_table where localtid = ? and servername = ?
To set one of these flags using the asadmin create-jvm-options command, you must quote the statement. For example:
create-jvm-options '-Dcom.sun.jts.dblogging.deletequery=delete from txn_log_table where gtrid = ?'
You can also set JVM options in the Admin Console. In the developer profile, select the Application Server component and the JVM Settings tab. In the cluster profile, select the JVM Settings component under the relevant configuration. These flags and their statements must also be quoted in the Admin Console. For example:
'-Dcom.sun.jts.dblogging.deletequery=delete from txn_log_table where gtrid = ?'
The Enterprise Server provides workarounds for some known issues with the recovery implementations of the following JDBC drivers. These workarounds are used unless explicitly disabled.
In the Oracle thin driver, the XAResource.recover method repeatedly returns the same set of in-doubt Xids regardless of the input flag. According to the XA specifications, the Transaction Manager initially calls this method with TMSTARTSCAN and then with TMNOFLAGS repeatedly until no Xids are returned. The XAResource.commit method also has some issues.
To disable the Enterprise Server workaround, set the oracle-xa-recovery-workaround property value to false. For details about how to set this property, see Configuring the Transaction Service.
These workarounds do not imply support for any particular JDBC driver.


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168 Ethics in Digital Photography
As new, up-and-coming designers and photographers hit the streets in search of the perfect photo -- we want to remember the responsibility each of us has in practicing ethics in photography. This piece covers the ethics and provides a huge list of digital ethics links. June 1, 2012


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The activity in the Atlantic Basin during hurricane season is influenced by sea surface temperature patterns in both oceans. In recent weeks we have posted stories about the Pacific Decadal Oscillation and the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation. Both factors influence the relative frequency of storms, the number of strong storms and the most likely storm tracks and areas affected. Their current state portends an enhanced risk for landfalling storms along both the Gulf and Atlantic Coasts this season.
The AMO is a measure of the mean sea surface temperature from the equator to 70N in the Atlantic. The AMO undergoes cycles of about 70 years.
When the Atlantic is warmer than normal, the number of hurricanes and major hurricanes (CAT 3-5) approximately double in frequency. This is because the oceans reach critical temperature thresholds sooner in the eastern areas where the biggest storms often form and they stay warm longer.
The positive AMO also has an affect on surface pressures that favor more storms. Purple is lower than normal pressure during the warm Atlantic mode.
Note surprisingly the number of east coast and Florida hurricanes increases.
The Pacific Decadal Oscillation also plays a role in Atlantic activity by affecting the relative frequency of El Nino and La Nina.
Note in the chart of the monthly Multivariate ENSO Index, La Ninas (blue spikes negative MEI) were more frequent and stronger than El Ninos (red spikes positive MEI) during the cold modes of the PDO while El Ninos were more frequent and stronger and la Ninas weaker and less common during the PDO warm (positive) phase.
During El Ninos with warm water in the eastern and central tropical Pacific, more frequent eastern Pacific hurricanes occur. Sometimes they affect the southwestern United States in a weakened state. They have another effect. They energize the westerlies at high levels that cross into the Atlantic basin. These westerlies act to shear thunderstorm clusters or disrupt tropical systems.
Once storms form, the biggest challenge for forecasters is where they will recurve. Tropical storms will turn to the north at first opportunity. A key determining factor in where the storms recurve is the position and strength and western extent of the subtropical high (in the Atlantic called the Bermuda High). If there is a weakness in the high in the Atlantic a storm may recurve well out at sea. If it is stronger and extends further west, the storm will track further west and become more of a landfall threat to the mainland.
The latitude of the system is also important. The further south it tracks the less likely it is to be picked by a trough or escape through a weakness in the high to the north and the more likely it is to enter the Caribbean and maybe the Gulf of Mexico. El Ninos tend to either get torn up out at sea of recurve early or make it along the southern route into the Gulf of Mexico. You can see that on the landfall chart from NOAA (1950-2002). Most of the landfalls were in the Gulf of Mexico. Only Gerda (1969) snuck into northern Maine and Andrew (1992) and Floyd (1987) into south Florida.
In La Nina years, there is a wide scatter of storm tracks with a cluster in the western Gulf of Mexico, one over Florida, another in the Mid-Atlantic and the last in New York and New England.
This is because there tends to be weaknesses in the upper level heights at steering flow levels through the Gulf and east coast states.
Not surprisingly in La Ninas with a favorable upper level and positive AMO years with below normal pressures favored, more storms threatened Florida and the east coast. Indeed in New York and New England, the greatest number of storms occurred during the period of negative PDO with more La Ninas and when the Atlantic was also warm (1950s to 1960s)
Dr. William Gray and Dr. Philip Klotzbach in their April Atlantic Tropical Season Outlook predicted a well above-average Atlantic basin tropical cyclone season in 2008. They anticipate an above-average probability of United States major hurricane landfall. NOAA will shortly issue their outlook.
The Pacific is in its cold mode and we have had a strong La Nina. The La Nina is weakening now as most stronger La Ninas do in the spring. If it holds on or like most first year strong La Ninas regenerates, there would be enhanced Atlantic Basin activity and increased landfall probability of landfall as Drs. Gray and Klotzbach have forecasted.
The AMO has weakened in recent months. In April it was the coolest it has been since 1994, before the number of storms increased. It is still positive and similar to the value in 1955 at this time of year. That year the AMO increased by summer and Connie and Diane wrecked brought havoc for both the Mid-Atlantic and New England.
The AMO may rebound as it has been only warm for a dozen years when most warm phases last at least two decades. If it does, this season should be active and one folks along the east coast should be wary of.


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As an education charity, we transform lives by improving education around the world. We help to shape education systems and design education solutions to give young people everywhere a brighter future. Our work is evidence informed and we invest annually in our programme of educational research. For some examples of the work we have done, please take a look through our case studies.
English language teaching in Brunei - supporting bilingual education
Education Development Trust, formerly CfBT Education Trust, has been working with the Ministry of Education in Brunei under the name of CfBT Education Services (B) Sdn Bhd since 1984. We lead the world's largest, longest running and most successful ...
Bangla, English and Social Studies textbook creation
A new primary curriculum launched in 2013 for all Bangladesh schools did not match the expectations of the development partners. In order to improve the proposed curriculum, DFID commissioned Education Development Trust to revise selected textbooks ...
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Save 10% per person on 2019 Globus Europe, South and North America early booking vacations.*
*Book and deposit a 2019 Globus Europe, South or North America (excluding Cuba, 2020 Oberammergau and Escapes by Globus) vacation to save 10% per person on the land-only portion of the core tour not including extra night accommodations, extensions, taxes, fees, tips or supplements. Booking must be made and under deposit between August 4, 2017 and November 27, 2018 for travel in 2019. Offer not valid with any other offer except Repeat Traveler benefit and air credit. Not applicable to custom tours. Discount will apply to individual members of groups adding a name and non-refundable per person deposit WITHIN the promo window. Not applicable on TBA space. Applies to new 2019 bookings only. Offer reliant on space availability. Full cancellation penalties will apply. Additional restrictions may apply. May be withdrawn any time. Available from participating GFOB office only. EBD
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Tomasz Polański
Editorial Board
Jerzy Chmiel, Anna Krasnowolska, Ewa Siemieniec-Gołaś, Lidia Sudyka, Joachim Śliwa
Agnieszka Kuczkiewicz-Fraś
International Advisory Board
Werner Arnold (University of Heidelberg)
Salem Chaker (IREMAM, Université de Provence, Aix-en-Provence)
Bert Fragner (Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften, Wien)
John Huehnergard (University of Texas)
Carina Jahani (University of Uppasala)
Geoffrey Khan (University of Cambridge)
Manfred Kropp (University of Mainz)
Mehmet Ölmez (Yildiz TeknikUniversitesi, Istanbul)
Karin Preisendanz (University of Vienna)
Stephan Procházka (University of Vienna)
Thomas Schneider (University of British Columbia, Vancouver)
Harry Stroomer (University of Leiden)
English Language Consultant
Teresa Bałuk-Ulewiczowa
Tomasz Polański
"Folia Orientalia"
Polish Academy of Sciences – Cracow Branch
ul. św. Jana 28
31-018 Kraków, Poland
tel. +48 12 356-23-00
fax. +48 12 356-23-80
The scholarly journal Folia Orientalia (ISSN 0015-5675) was founded in 1959 by Professor Tadeusz Lewicki, a prominent Polish Arabist. It is published by the Orientalist Commission of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Kraków. Professor Lewicki's editorial work was continued by Professor Andrzej Zaborski, who specialized in the comparative linguistics of Semitic-African languages. Folia Orientalia focuses on Oriental studies (on the Near, Middle and Far East, and Africa). The periodical covers the research fields of linguistics, literature, history, archaeology, religious studies and anthropology.
Notes for Contributors
The contributors are kindly asked to submit their papers in English, German, French, Italian, or Russian.
- Contributions sent to Folia Orientalia should not be submitted to any other journal or publishers, nor should they have been previously published elsewhere in any language.
- All articles and reviews should be based on original research.
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- The Authors are also kindly asked to append abstracts and key words.
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Sorry, but specific product you requested is not currently available. Hopefully you can find another option below.
Cotton Classic from Tahki is 100% Mercerized Cotton. This sport weight yarn is available in an incredible range of colors and is a great staple yarn for a variety of projects!
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We provide endless possibilities for you including yarn, knitting gifts, needles, kits, sale yarn, free knitting patterns, and more!Jimmy Beans Wool is Your Local Yarn Store... Online!


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Its plot revolves around a reunion, so it's perhaps fitting that "The Big Chill" will receive a reprisal fete in its honor at this year's Toronto International Film Festival.
Organizers announced Thursday that they will be hosting a 30th-anniversary screening of the Lawrence Kasdan classic. Kasdan, writer Barbara Benedek, producers and much of the principal cast — including Glenn Close, Tom Berenger and JoBeth Williams — will be in attendance, though stars Kevin Kline and William Hurt were not mentioned as attendees. The principals will gather on stage after the screening for a question-and-answer session; the event will take place on Sept 5, the festival's opening night.
"Big Chill" centered on a group of Baby Boomer friends about 15 years removed from college who gather after the suicide of a close friend, hashing out old stories and grievances while examining the direction their lives have moved in. With its tagline "How much love, sex, fun and friendship can one person take?" and a soundtrack that included a host of '60s pop staples, the film became a hit among the Boomer generation it represented as well as an influential classic. It also was nominated for three Oscars including best picture.
The movie premiered as Toronto's opening-night film in 1983 when the festival was much smaller; indeed, festival director Piers Handling said in a statement that the movie "represents a landmark in TIFF's own history," helping "the festival move to the forefront of the international landscape."
Festivals have been getting into the reunion game recently, to some effect. At last year's New York Film Festival, organizers hosted a reunion of "The Princess Bride" that saw filmmakers and nearly the entire principal cast gather again for the first time.
Toronto International Film Festival offers fresh start for stars, directors
Toronto 2013: 'Dallas Buyers,' 'Osage County' heading to festival
Toronto 2013: Watch trailers featuring Brad Pitt, George Clooney
Follow me on Twitter at ZeitchikLAT
PHOTOS: Faces to watch 2014 | Movies
ENVELOPE: The latest awards buzz
DOCUMENTARIES: 10 best of 2013, and a new crop in 2014


text:
product description
Related Products:
Arbuckle, Jim, J.S.
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Work by Journeyman Smiths
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Maker: Jim Arbuckle, J.S. (click to see more by this maker)
Item num: 91391
*** This is handmade and one-of-a-kind ***Blade length: 4.50 in.Total length: 8.80 in.Blade height (at heel): 1.50 in.Blade thickness (near bolster): 0.07 in.Item weight: 4.32 oz.Blade: 154CM stainless steel with a triple temper, Hrc 58-59Handle: Stabilized snakeskin sycamore set with nickel silver pins
Description: If you spend any time in the kitchen, would like to have a knife that is as attractive as it is useful, and don't want the typical off-the shelf chef's knives, check out this handmade beauty by Jim Arbuckle. This utility knife is a perfect choice as a primary knife in the kitchen. For chopping to slicing, the 4-1/2 inch blade is very versatile, and is a handy size to have.
The blade is made from 154CM high carbon stainless steel. It is hardened and triple tempered to Hrc 58-59, then hand rubbed to an heirloom quality satin finish. The blade is quite hard and takes an excellent edge.
The handle is formed from snakewood sycamore. This tightly striated wood has a nice mix of light and dark tones and is immediately captivating. The wood is carved to swell at the palm for a secure, comfortable grip. It utilizes a very deep choil (cut-out) for the forefinger to rest in. This makes the knife easy to hold onto even with slippery hands. The handle offers several different grip options and is perfect for extended use. Modified serpentine filework travels along the tang between the grips.
Availability: Not currently available


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"Arise and take our stand for freedom as in the olden time." Winston Churchill
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Monthly Archives: January 2009
How steely is Steele?
Michael Steele is now the Chairman of the Republican National Committee. Steele is, in many ways, an impressive guy. He's extremely personable, as I learned first-hand when, two decades ago, he was a legal assistant at the law firm I was with. More than that, Steele is an excellent advocate for the Republican side, and is particularly good on television. These days, that's a big part of the job. Whether »
Obama's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Ten Days
In the realm of foreign affairs, the first ten days of Barack Obama's administration were a disaster. It's hard to believe that even a foreign policy neophyte like Obama could blunder so badly, on so many fronts, in such a short time. We spent the better part of an hour of today's radio show talking about Obama's serial missteps, which I wrote about here, here and here. If I get »
Some scales finally fall from the FB-eyes
The FBI has cut off contacts with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), according to the Investigative Project on Terrorism. The break occurred last summer when federal prosecutors were preparing for a second trial of the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF). CAIR and its chairman emeritus, Omar Ahmad, were named un-indicted co-conspirators in that case. Moreover, both Ahmad and CAIR's current national executive director, Nihad Awad, were »
Unholy Alliance
During the conflict in Gaza, Venezuela expelled Israel's ambassador and later broke off diplomatic relations. Israel responded by sending Venezuela's diplomats home. Earlier today, Venezuela's foreign ministry held a welcome home party for diplomats Jonathan Velasco and Roland Betancourt. As you can see in the photo below, they were presented with flowers, and also with scarves labeled "Palestine." The scarves show a map of "Palestine" with no Israel, in the »
Ho Hum
Iraq's provincial elections were conducted successfully today. The Associated Press headlines: It's just a typo, though, or maybe a Freudian slip. What the AP actually reports is: Iraq's provincial elections have wrapped up without any reports of serious violence. Polls closed at 6 p.m. local time (10 a.m. EST) on Saturday–an hour later than planned. Millions of voters cast ballots for influential regional councils around most of Iraq. Turnout seems »
Obama pays his union dues, first installment
The New York Times reports that President Obama signed three executive orders pleasing to unions. The Times quotes Obama directly addressing the union officials at the White House ceremony: "Welcome back to the White House." The Times summarized the substance of the orders in one paragraph: The orders Mr. Obama signed, which union officials say will undo Bush administration policies that tilted toward employers, make it more difficult for federal »
Soft Power Comes to Washington, Part Two
Samantha Power's substantive views on foreign policy, including her stridently anti-Israel positions and attitude, make her a poor choice for the senior foreign policy position President Obama has bestowed upon her. Yet there has always been reason to suspect that Obama shares many of these positions, including quite possibly her antipathy towards Israel. At a minimum, I think it's fair to say that Obama wants Power's views to be part »
Corruption, Democrat Style
As a life-long politician, Tom Daschle never earned much money. But he retired from the Senate, after being defeated for re-election by John Thune, as a multimillionaire. He retired to Georgetown, of course, not to South Dakota. This happens a lot in Washington, and Daschle's case is pretty typical. His wife Linda is or was a lobbyist, and she was the one who reported the family's income. (This is inference, »
Soft Power Comes to Washington
As Scott and John noted earlier today, President Obama has given Samantha Power a senior foreign policy job at the White House. She will be named senior director for multilateral affairs at the National Security Council. Last year, I wrote a series of posts contending that Power is anti-Israel, and at times viciously so. Here is a summary of my evidence: In a 2002 interview, Power advocated investing billions of »
Bipartisan Opposition to Pork-Fest?
Despite all of Barack Obama's talk of bipartisanship, the fact is that in the House of Representatives, it was opposition to Obama's pork extravaganza that was bipartisan. Support for the misbegotten bill came exclusively from Democrats. It may be that the same thing will happen in the Senate. This morning, John Cornyn expressed optimism that Senate Republicans will unite in opposition to Obama's bill, while Democrat Ben Nelson wondered how »
Stimulating, part 2
Charles Hurt takes a look inside the trilliion dollar grab bag passed by the House this week and finds "five words that could drastically undo two decades of welfare reforms." Kimberly Strassel takes a look and finds Democrats enacting "Obama's agenda of government-run health care — entirely on the QT." Strassel finds that the bill dramatically expands the number of Americans who qualify for Medicaid: Under "stimulus," Medicaid is now »
The return of soft Power
uring the campaign Samantha Power served as one of Barack Obama's most trusted foreign policy advisers, until she let slip in an interview abroad that Hiilary Clinton is a "monster." The interview occurred during the trip Paul Mirengoff dubbed the book tour from hell. Power was peddling Chasing the Flame: One Man's Fight to Save the World (formerly subtitled Sergio Vieira de Mello and the Fight to Save the World). »
"US-EU Trade War Looms"
The Dems' pork bill is bad in just about every possible way. One feature of the bill that hasn't received a lot of attention (here, anyway) is the "buy America" provision. But the Europeans have noticed, and they say it may lead to a trade war. From England's Telegraph: The EU trade commissioner vowed to fight back after the bill passed in the House of Representatives late on Wednesday included »
Bye-Bye, Blago
We won't have Rod Blagojevich to kick around anymore; at least, not until his criminal trial gets underway. In the Democrats' culture of corruption, Blago occupies a special place. When we first started seeing him in the news, he was a puzzle: how in the world did this goofball become Governor of one of our largest states? By now, though, we've come to appreciate his unique talent–genius, almost–for chutzpah. Now, »
Iran Honors a Murderer
Samir Kantar arrived in Iran yesterday, where he will be honored by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at a function in Tehran. You might not recognize Kantar's name, but he is well known in the Middle East. He is best remembered for smashing a four-year-old girl's head with a rifle butt during the course of a terrorist attack on Israel. Now released after close to 30 years in prison for murdering five »
Better Late Than Never
The FBI has severed its relationship with CAIR as a result of information about the relationship between CAIR and Hamas that came to light in connection with the Holy Land Foundation prosecution. Congressman Keith Ellison continues to be closely associated with CAIR. To comment on this post, go here. »
Not So Fast!
The question of what to do with those prisoners at Guantanamo Bay came up again this morning. The Obama administration has asked our European allies to take some of them. EU anti-terrorism chief Gilles de Kerchove says it will take some time for the Europeans to decide how to respond: "President Obama said he will need a year to close Guantanamo, it shows how difficult it is," EU anti-terrorism coordinator »


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Bilge Pumps
Boat Bilge Pumps
The value of a good pump system is widely underrated. In fact, bilge pumps are that last line of defense against your boat sinking. Unfortunately, most boaters believe that one pump is sufficient. That is actually the bare minimum required, and three or four pumps per craft is recommended.
A bilge pump is easily overlooked as it is usually installed under the boat's engine on an inboard. Also the U.S. Coast Guard does not require recreational boats to have them. If you are in the dark about this important piece of equipment for your vessel, here are some important facts:
- Most boats have either a submersible or centrifugal bilge pump
- These pumps may be supplemented with an additional manual pump in case of power loss
- Centrifugal pumps can have a large footprint and can clog easily. We recommend an auxiliary diaphragm pump with in-line strainer to supplement
- A fourth kind of bilge pump, a high capacity pump powered by an engine or electricity is another great option
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User-Centered Design to an E-Government Software Development Company
by Peter Boersma
Peter Boersma is senior information architect at EzGovs EMEA headquarters in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. He can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com
EzGov (www.ezgov.com) used to label itself e-Government Technology Specialists but now uses the tagline Transforming the business of government. The company also went through a transformation, one that included the adoption of a user-centered design approach on top of its existing software design methodology.
When I started working for the company in December 2002, the user interface department was growing fast. Instead of a small number of generalist Web designers, it was becoming a large collection of specialists, with titles such as information architect, visual designer, art director and producer. These new employees, each with their own specific backgrounds, brought with them a surprisingly wide array of new words for what they did, their own jargon. The departments manager realized something had to be done before his team turned into a new Tower of Babel.
RUP Isnt Enough
The companys software methodology was based on IBMs rational unified process (www.ibm.com/software/awdtools/rup/) (RUP), a configurable software development process platform. RUP is iterative (it uses phases & iterations) and role-based (it acknowledges disciplines). It includes tools to change the default process, add corporate knowledge and view and distribute the results. Hardly anyone uses these tools after the initial configuration, but everyone uses the artifact templates, especially those for high-level software design and project management. Other rational tools, such as Requisite Pro for requirements management, Rational Robot for automated testing and ClearCase for tracking defects, were used extensively.
Since RUP was published, several companies in the Web-design world have discovered that it does not allow them to specify their front-end heavy work processes sufficiently. An analysis of the thinking behind RUP shows why. In November 2003 an article appeared in The Rational Edge, the e-zine for the rational community, describing an addition to RUP, the so-called UX (user experience) Model (www.ibm.com/developerworks/rational/library/content/RationalEdge/nov03/f_usability_jh.pdf). In a second article, Transforming User Experience Models to Presentation Layer Implementations, presented at OOPSLA 2002 Second Workshop on Domain Specific Visual Languages in Seattle in 2002, Kozaczynski and Thario stated that a UX model is a visual representation of the screens, screen transitions, dynamic screen data and user-initiated input events that need to be handled by the system (http://se2c.uni.lu/tiki/se2c-bib_download.php?id=262). By making special versions of objects and diagrams in UML (Unified Modeling Language promoted by RUP) one creates a UX Model.
This model integrates usability concerns into the RUP development approach but is still only used to describe the technology aspects of the users interaction with a Web-based system, so it does not model the user-centered design aspects.
Kickoff Workshop and Reviews
Since I had previously worked on creating a RUP-based methodology for the Web design agency Satama (www.satama.com), I was asked to run the workshop that kicked off our own process for standardizing our way of working. We brainstormed about our processes and deliverables, about relationships between the departments deliverables and those of our neighboring departments and about how it matched with the companys existing way of working. The result was a wall-sized collection of Post-It notes with hand drawn boxes, arrows and annotations.
team of three members the UX department manager, the senior
visual designer and I went to work to structure the results. We
decided to stick to RUPs principles of iterative development,
role-based activities and risk-avoidance because they match with the
way user-centered design works. Big-impact deliverables such as
high-level screenflows and usability test strategies were placed in
early stages of the development cycle with incremental improvements,
details or spin-offs located in later stages. Slowly a set of
streams of deliverables emerged, and each required specific
background knowledge. Examples of these streams included usability,
information architecture, content design and visual design, and when
combined in the right way they broadly mapped to existing job
descriptions. We developed a matrix-like diagram with RUP phases
(systems analysis, information
and interaction design, usability
and accessibility testing, content
design, visual design and information design) on
one axis and the streams on the other. Each cell contained one or
more artifacts, indicated by boxes with their names. The artifacts
were linked to each other by a multitude of arrows indicating
input/output relationships.
this structuring process we discovered a lot of overlap between
suggested artifacts. To get rid of this, we started describing the
artifacts in a structured format. The template for this format was
set up, reviewed and tested on a few artifacts before it was agreed
upon. At that time it had room for the following information:
§ The artifacts name plus any alternatives (for example, blueprint for wireframe)
§ The RUP phase in which it would be created
§ The job name of the person most likely to create it
The artifacts goal
A description of the
The artifacts
A list of suggested
Relationships with
other deliverables (input, output, synchronous)
An indication whether
the client needs to sign the artifact off
An indication whether
the artifact is mandatory or optional for a project
format helped us specify the artifacts in a clear, structured way.
It also allowed us to remove duplication and adopt similar names for
similar artifacts.
the course of several months we refined both the diagram with boxes
and arrows and the structured deliverables descriptions. Several
times these products were reviewed by fellow UX team members, either
formally by sending them sets of descriptions to review, or, for
example, by posting the diagram on the wall.
The result of all this work slowly crept into the company, almost by osmosis. At first the UX team members that developed the diagram and deliverables descriptions started using the accepted terms, our own controlled vocabulary. The whole team then picked this up. Team members had to explain these new terms to their project team members. For new projects, the terms where ingrained in the early project documents (estimates, proposals, project plans) because senior UX team members helped write them. This practice meant that for those projects our work was discussed in terms of the new methodology in team meetings, peer and team reviews, and with the client.
To reach a wider audience, including sales and upper management, we decided to produce marketing materials to promote the existence of the methodology and ease the explanation and integration steps. We started with three posters that showed the activities and deliverables of each of the major job roles in the department: system analysts, information architects and visual designers.
The designers of the poster chose a format with concentric circles for client deliverables, intermediate products and activities. Some key deliverables and activities are also shown in a linear process to show how they appear in a project. A visual designer also helped us redesign our original clunky, boxy diagram RUP/Streams diagram into a more appealing, colorful, flowing shape that even (almost) matched the corporate house style. The result was printed out as a poster that was hung on a wall near our workspaces. This overview was quickly picked up by some members of our sales team to show potential clients how our UX team worked when the market started asking about methodology. Nowadays, when new employees are shown around the company to introduce them to the team, we will take them to our wall with the poster and explain how we work. Unfortunately the large physical size and considerable detail of the posters prevent their being legibly reproduced here.
These marketing activities helped all involved parties to see the connections between the deliverables they were confronted with in documents and face-to-face discussions.
How did all this affect our work? The answer depends on how close you were to the core development team.
The user experience team members learned to speak the same language by collectively discussing our ways of working and our deliverables. This process started with the kick-off workshop, continued during the review process of the diagram and deliverables descriptions and continues to this day when we discuss how to combine smaller artifacts into project deliverables. This discussion translated into fewer misunderstandings about the contents of a document, the kind of activities expected and the required input. It increased the consistency of our work. Because each projects deliverables were chosen from the same total set, we could reuse previous documents as examples or templates. This re-use in turn allowed us to document our work faster, leaving more time to study our designs completeness, quality and effects on others.
Our fellow project team members, who ranged from software developers and quality engineers to delivery managers and fellow estimate writers, were also confronted with a more consistent vocabulary coming from the UX team. They would recognize deliverables from previous projects, even when none of the UX team members were the same. The content was similar too, as were the requests for input or comments. This was true for projects in the Amsterdam office as well as for inter-office projects.
Project managers could confidently draft large parts of new project plans in more detail and with more accuracy, leaving time for the tougher problems that required different approaches. Team members would even explain our deliverables to clients in workshops.
The EzGov employees who because of their role were most detached from our activities would hear about our efforts through others. Sales engineers read our estimates and proposals and would sometimes ask for descriptions of activities or work products proposed in these documents. As a result elements of our deliverables descriptions such as the goal or contents were used in the final proposals, as were high-level descriptions of our methodology.
To be consistent, they also brought these stories to the follow-up sessions with interested clients, either as textual description with voice-over or using the diagram. To make the circle complete, our clients would ask for these deliverables in the kick-off meetings with the team members.
It didnt take long before management heard about our standardization efforts. Along with the reorganization mentioned before, our team was given the assignment to standardize our way of working and increase our use of RUP. In check-up meetings our manager told his manager about our standards for user experience (StUX) model. He was then asked to present the results in a company-wide management update meeting, which helped the introduction of our methods in other offices.
Future Developments
There are several ways in which this process of standardization could continue.
Templates and Instructions.
The growing collection of deliverables that follow our standards
allows us to select a few as best practices and use them as examples
for new employees or others that wish to see the documents. These
examples can also be developed into templates for new documents,
extending the descriptions of their contents in the standards to
give realistic introduction texts and ready-to-use intermediate
products. Instead of this model contents, we could give instructions
as to how to come up with the actual contents, either in the
template or in a separate document. These instructions would allow
junior employees to build on the work of their senior colleagues.
with Other Disciplines.
Just as our methodology is based on RUP extending it in some
places, replacing parts in other so EzGovs other departments
have tweaked the process to their benefit. After all, that was the
intention of Rationals developers. These departments could follow
the same route and describe their way of working in similar, proven
ways. The first signs are already to be seen our delivery
managers have adopted RUP and created their own delivery management
process. Assuming they use the same way of promoting their way of
working, all departments might end up with their own, compartmented
posters and deliverables description documents. Of course these
products would have to be mapped to each other to show the global
picture, as well as be rearranged when a new reorganization is
Adoption by Other Companies. Beginning with our clients, other companies were slowly exposed to our way of working. Some of our clients had adopted RUP prior to working with us, and they now may be inclined to adopt our changes too. Employees of other companies may have heard about StUX through mailing lists such as ASIS&Ts SIGIA-L (www.asist.org) or through presentations at conferences such as Design Engaged and the ASIS&T's IA Summit. The result may be that those companies will also adopt our way of working, and if we can all share in the results (examples, metrics, suggestions) we can also share the improvements. And, at least in the case of EzGov, thats when citizens around the world benefit.
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Information Science and Technology


text:
Tue, 21 April 2009 at 12:57 pm
Dakota Fanning Laughs Out Loud
Dakota Fanning laughs it up with her mom Joy as they go house hunting on Monday afternoon (April 20) in Santa Monica, Calif.
Looks like the Fanning family seems to be looking bigger digs in SoCal!
Dakota, 15, will start filming her scenes in the next few weeks for the Twilight sequel, New Moon. Dakota will be playing Jane, a Volturi vamp. Canadian actor Cameron Bright, will be playing Jane's twin brother, Alec.
10+ pics inside of Dakota Fanning laughing out loud…
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Photos: Limelightpics.com Posted to: Dakota Fanning
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text:
Brief SummaryRead full entry
As is the case for the males of all pipefishes and seahorses, male Alligator Pipefish incubate the eggs before they hatch. Eggs are protected in male brood pouches until they have fully developed and hatch as juveniles. In this species, males have a simple "pouch" morphology in which the embryos are attached to the ventral surface of the male abdomen, which has no flaps of surrounding tissue. Initial clutch size is directly correlated to the size of the male carrying the eggs. Reproduction occurs year-round and generation time is short. (Barrows et al. 2008 and references therein).
The Alligator Pipefish has a wide geographic range, being found in seagrass habitats from the northern Red Sea and the eastern coast of Africa eastward to Japan, Samoa, the Tonga Islands, and Australasia (Dawson 1985, cited in Barrows et al. 2008).


text:
Valencia Creamy Salted Peanut Butter sold at Trader Joe's has been linked to a salmonella outbreak that has sickened 29 people in 18 states.
The peanut butter, which is sold in 16-ounce plastic jars and features an illustration of an elephant, should be tossed in the garbage or returned to Trader Joe's for a full refund.
Symptoms of salmonella poisoning are diarrhea, cramps and fever 12 to 72 hours after eating the infected food. Children are particularly susceptible, and can require hospitalization.
Please read and share!


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Mountian Man Minerals Corp. Logo Design
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As Thanksgiving approaches, I know one little animal that offers thanks with a well-placed nuzzle. That would be my new granddog, rescued by my daughter and her family. The well-behaved canine has the body of a miniature pinscher, the ears of a Chihuahua, the face of a fox and the general demeanor of a doomed inmate that is about five shivering seconds away from getting a reprieve phone call from the governor.
I�m glad they decided to rescue the dog from an uncertain future. They�re thankful they have a home to share. It�s good news all around.
Anyone who lives in a rural area is probably familiar with being a rescue family. It�s not uncommon to discover some jerk decided overnight to dump a litter of pups or kittens on your property to fend for themselves. The animals either show up at your back door yelping and mewing for food, or they become feral and reproduce at alarming rates not far from your back door. Feral dogs attack livestock, They can wipe out a small herd of goats or sheep in one afternoon. Throw in some rabies and you�ve got a disaster more frightening than a group of teenage boys with car keys and fake IDs roaming your neighborhood beer outlets.
Pat and Mike were two little beagles that showed up at our home one summer. They were bone thin, so we fed them. They stayed, but they were so fearful and skittish I could never touch them. My mother named them Pat and Mike. I don�t know whether it was after she watched the namesake Tracy-Hepburn movie, if she was channeling James Joyce, or if she had just heard a good Irishman-walks-into-a bar joke.
Hunya was a pregnant feline who turned us into operators of a home for unwed cats. Her name was derived from the way my younger sister pronounced �Honey.� Hunya birthed her first litter of kittens on my mother�s prize Chippendale couch one Sunday morning before church while my sister, dressed in her crinolines, watched and exclaimed, �Hunya�s having puppies.� Whether this incident had anything to do with my sister becoming a nurse is uncertain.
Joe was a liver-spotted setter we rescued after his owner vowed to shoot him. Joe was rejected because he was a terrible hunting dog, was somewhat schizophrenic, and was sexually attracted to cats. Had I taken a course in abnormal animal psychology in college, I could have written an �A� paper on him. Think what direction my life would have turned.
I had a friend in another town in another time. For some reason he never revealed to me, he put an ad in the newspaper I worked for announcing that he was giving away the family poodle. Naturally, the first question I asked as I took down the information and counted the words was, �What�s wrong with the dog?�
�Nothing�s wrong with the dog,� he replied. �We just want to find it a new home.�
If there was an underlying reason for getting rid of the dog, perhaps it can be divined in the story that unfolded after our protagonist was able to get someone to take the dog. (By the way, classified ads work. You should try them. This has been the shameless plug o� the day.)
Call it chance, call it fate, call it the hand of God, or just call it a good story, but the dog vacancy was not even cold when someone dumped a litter of kittens in his yard. Before he could summon animal control, his young son found the kittens and adopted them. He took them into his room and refused all entreaties to release them.
Who could blame the youngster? His dog had been given away, so it was not unreasonable for him to believe his father would also surrender these kittens. Of course, that�s exactly what the father wanted to do and he cursed the day those felines were dumped on him, a day when he had to work late. Had he kept his regular schedule, he told me later, he would have probably found the kittens and hauled them off to the shelter before his son could have found them.
Alas, life doesn�t always work the way we�d like it.
To my friend�s perplexed surprise, the kittens began to disappear, then reappear a day or so later, all fluffy, eyes agog. He had no explanation. He even confronted me to ask if I was in on some sort of practical joke against him. I wasn�t.
Then one day the woman of the house heard mewing coming from the washroom, specifically from the clothes dryer. She opened the door to find a couple of the kittens roaming around the tub, happy and unharmed.
The child could not explain how the kittens came to be in the dryer until a little spying was done and my friend saw his little boy shoving kittens into the clothes dryer vent outside. If he shoved a kitten in and it stayed, well, he�d shove in another. Naturally, the kittens enjoyed the warmth and security of the dryer hose and soon discovered the wonderful journey it provided.
Rescuing can bring happiness to the rescuer and well being to the rescued. If a little warmth is thrown in, all the better.
Jay Ashley is managing editor of the Times-News. He rescues reason at firstname.lastname@example.com


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Front Mission 4
EP plus without using skill slots
In the U.S. version of FM4, if you have a pilot learn and equip the skill EP plus and then fight through one battle(can be a simulator mission) with it on, you can then replace that ep plus and equip some other skills with the freed up slot, but the pilot will still gain 20% extra ep per battle until you either reset or load another game.
Contributed By: ollumi.
Durandal: Unlockable Simulations & Items
The following is a list of unlockable simulations, detailed by the simulation are items, parts, or weapons you will acquire by beating that simulation.
Note: These are for the Durandal Missions/Simulations
|How to Unlock
|Win Stage 1: Jutland, Denmark
|Durandal Simulation 1
|Defeat the two Zeder H2 missileers in Stage 16: Port Nikolaev OR win Durandal Simulation 6 in 25 Turns or Less.
|Durandal Simulation 10 (Vampire Arms)
|Win Stage 22 Defend the Carrier w/The Carrier's HP 40% or higher left OR Win Durandal Simulation 7 in 30 Turns or Less
|Durandal Simulation 11 (Zhelanie IV Wanzer)
|Win Stage 24: Zaftran Terminal with over half the British Army Wanzers intact, OR win Durandal Simulation 8 in 30 Turns or Less
|Durandal Simulation 12 (Artdeux Machinegun)
|Win Durandal Simulation 12
|Durandal Simulation 13 (JP75-AdlerII/ EMP9F-LicorneII/ RD33-GlockeII)
|Win Stage 2: German Base
|Durandal Simulation 2
|Win Stage 6: German Border
|Durandal Simulation 3
|Win Stage 7: Blauer Nebel Castle
|Durandal Simulation 4
|Win Stage 12: Zaftran Border
|Durandal Simulation 5
|Win Stage 18: Megafloat Base
|Durandal Simulation 6
|Win Stage 23: Zaftran Border Fortress
|Durandal Simulation 7
|Win Stage 24: Zaftran Terminal
|Durandal Simulation 8
|Win Stage 6: German Border in 15 Turns or Less
|Durandal Simulation 9 (Galbados Rocket Launcher)
Contributed By: WBirkin and cyrus19.
U.C.S.: Unlockable Simulations & Items
The following are the requirements to unlock UCS Simultations:
|How to Unlock
|Automatically Unlocks when you earn Simulator mode in U.C.S. Missions.
|U.C.S. Simulation 1
|Defeat all enemy units in Stage 14: Governor's Manor, OR win U.C.S. Simulation 5 in 30 Turns or Less.
|U.C.S. Simulation 10 (Minotaur Weapon Arms)
|In Stage 21: Base Elevator Shaft, move a unit to the very bottom platform in 10 Turns or Less, OR win U.C.S. Simulation 7 in 25 Turns or Less.
|U.C.S. Simulation 11 (Zenith RV Wanzer)
|Win Stage 26: Central Caracas, but destroy Ivanovna's Zhuk II before destroying the two Zhuk I-B units, OR win U.C.S. Sim. 11 in 20 or Less Turns
|U.C.S. Simulation 12 (Oborona II Wanzer)
|Win Stage 8: Port Cumana
|U.C.S. Simulation 2
|Win Stage 10: Refugee Village
|U.C.S. Simulation 3
|Win Stage 13: Caracas Hideout
|U.C.S. Simulation 4
|Win Stage 15: Caracas Escape
|U.C.S. Simulation 5
|Win Stage 20: Secret Zaftran Base
|U.C.S. Simulation 6
|Win Stage 26: Central Caracas
|U.C.S. Simulation 7
|Win Stage 4: Guinerama Base in 15 Turns or Less OR Win U.C.S. Simulation 2 in 20 Turns or Less.
|U.C.S. Simulation 8 (22s Leosocial Machinegun)
|Win Stage 13: Caracas Hideout without losing any Alianza Units, OR Win U.C.S. Simulation 4 in 30 Turns or Less.
|U.C.S. Simulation 9 (BOA 36 Bazooka)
Contributed By: WBirkin.
End Game Save - New Game Plus
Successfully complete the game first. Then after the Credits, the game will take you to the Save/Load/Exit menu, select Save. On the main menu, select Load and load the end game save, you'll be starting the game from the beginning but you keep the money and the characters' EPs from the previous game, everything else will be reset.
Contributed By: Kouli.
Secret level in the Demo
After you have completed all the available missions in the demo, save your game (Make sure to do it after you complete the last mission). Then, load that save up and go to the mission list. Make sure the first mission is selected and press Up and X. You will then be taken to the Wanzer Shop, and, once done, will start the secret bonus level in the Demo.
Contributed By: Icelight.


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12 Things You Might Not Know About A Christmas Story
Which Oscar-winning star wanted to play Ralphie's dad? Which actor went on to a seedy career in the adult film industry? Can you really get your tongue stuck to a metal pole? Here are a few tidbits to tide you over until the 24-hour Christmas Eve marathon on TBS.
1. Jack Nicholson was very interested in playing Ralphie's dad. But casting (and paying) Jack would have meant doubling the budget, so he was removed from consideration. Director Bob Clark — who didn't know Nicholson was interested at the time — says Darrin McGavin was the perfect choice.
2. What does Porky's, the raunchy '80s teen sex movie, have to do with a wholesome film like A Christmas Story? Bob Clark directed both—Porky's in 1982 and A Christmas Story in 1983. If Porky's hadn't given him the professional and financial success he needed, he wouldn't have been able to bring A Christmas Story to the big screen.
3. For anyone keeping count, Ralphie says he wants the Red Ryder BB Gun 28 times throughout the course of the movie. That's approximately once every three minutes and 20 seconds.
4. Peter Billingsley, AKA Ralphie, has been good friends with Vince Vaughn since they both appeared in the CBS Schoolbreak Special (their version of the after-school special) in the early '90s. He doesn't do much acting these days, but he did make a surprise appearance on the "Vince Vaughn Wild West Comedy Show" in Memphis, Tenn., in 2005. Peter's doing quite well for himself, though. He was the executive producer of Iron Man and had a brief bit as William Ginter Riva. He also executive produced Four Christmases (which he had a cameo in), The Break-Up, and the TBS sitcom Sullivan & Son.
5. Mythbusters tested whether it was possible to get your tongue truly stuck on a piece of cold metal. Guess what? It is. So don't triple dog dare your best friend to try it.
6. Scott Schwartz, who played Flick (who stuck his tongue to the frozen flagpole), was submerged in the adult film industry for a number of years. He got out in 2000 to try to become a mainstream actor again, but I can't say he's done much of note: Community College ("A love story between four dudes and their ability to get free drinks") and Skinwalker, which starred ex-MTV veejay Jesse Camp, if that tells you anything. Joey Buttafuoco is in it, too, and gets billing over our poor Flick.
7. Next time you're in Cleveland, you can visit the original house from the movie. It was sold on eBay in 2004 for $150,000. Collector Brian Jones bought the house and restored it to its movie glory and stocked it up with some of the original props from the film, including Randy's snowsuit.
8. Director Bob Clark got the idea for the movie when he was driving in the car with a date. He heard Jean Shepherd on the radio doing a reading of his short story collection, "In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash," which included some bits that eventually ended up in A Christmas Story. Clark said he drove around the block for an hour until the program ended, which his date was not too happy about.
9. The Wonder Years was inspired in part by A Christmas Story. In fact, in one of the last few episodes, Peter Billingsley appeared as one of Kevin Arnold's roommates.
10. The real Red Ryder BB Gun was first made in 1938 and was named after a comic strip cowboy. You can still buy it today for the low, low price of $44.99. But the original wasn't quite the same as the one in the movie; it lacked the compass and sundial that both the Jean Shepard story and the movie call for. Special versions had to be made just for A Christmas Story.
11. While we're talking shopping, you know you want the leg lamp. Put it in your window! Be the envy of your neighbors! It's a Major Award! You can buy it here, but if you're not feeling quite so flamboyant you can get a replica that serves as a nightlight for $14.99. The people who own the house also run a gift shop, and they sell pretty much everything you could possibly want from the movie: the decoder pin ($7.99), Lifebuoy soap ($3.99), the leg lamp variants mentioned above, and even pieces of the original house.
12. There are two little-talked-about sequels. The first one was a 1988 made-for-TV movie, Ollie Hopnoodle's Haven of Bliss. Jerry O'Connell played 14-year-old Ralphie, who is excited about his first job—a furniture mover. Of course, it ends up being awful, and it might make him miss the annual family vacation at Mr. Hopnoodle's lakeside cabins.
My Summer Story, AKA It Runs in the Family, debuted on the big screen in 1994. Kieran Culkin plays Ralphie, Mary Steenburgen is his mom, and Charles Grodin is his dad. I'm not sure if it's because of this movie or A Christmas Story, but whenever our trio of dogs are running around in a pack, my husband always yells, "It's the Bumpus Hounds!"
Merry Christmas! Don't shoot your eye out (kid).
This story originally appeared in 2008.


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Dodd: Bypass the bypass
March 28, 2013
CDOT has spent elephant dollars building a bypass to the Idaho Springs eastbound tunnel. That bypass itself will solve the congestion problem, so why spend another zillion dollars of my money on the tunnel? Oops, I forgot saving tax money doesn't create jobs and jack up the economy in the short run – or does it?
Tom Dodd, Silverthorne


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What is it about travelling that inspires creativity? The journey into the unknown and the discovery of new places and possibilities is often the way in which the creative process starts off.
[Credits: Sergio Ramazzotti]
The mind wanders across the page as pencil touches paper, drawing a line from point A to point B. Arrival and departure, origin and destination are the only anchors in an otherwise suspended state. In this moment – when we are on move, senses are heightened and imaginations are free to venture into new territories.
[Credits: Stefano Faravelli]
The journey of artistic creation allows us to express and share our innermost feelings. For this reason a Moleskine Special Edition notebook has been created for this year's Pistoia – Dialoghi sull'uomo (Dialogues on man) festival of contemporary anthropology. Its aim is to capture the journey from travel to encounter, and all the spaces in-between where creativity thrives.
[Credits: Fred Rudant]


text:
You should feel well acquainted with the white Nexus 4 at this point; we've already spent some quality time with the device, and it was formally announced by LG just a few days ago. We were under the impression that it wouldn't see a US release for several weeks still, but that's not the case.
Starting today, the white Nexus 4 is available from Google Play with either 8 or 16GB of storage and comes with a free white bumper for $299 and $349, respectively. The black Nexus 4 also comes with a bumper now, originally an additional $19.
T-Mobile also has the white Nexus 4 in stock, if you'd like to purchase the device on a payment plan. Just like the original black, though, it will cost $428 when everything's said and done.
If you haven't already purchased a Nexus 4 but are still thinking about it, now's a great time. The next Nexus won't be released for another five to six months or so, and Android 4.3 is coming soon. Although, with the HTC One Google Edition and Moto X right around the corner, we wouldn't blame you if you wanted to wait.


text:
Menu Item
Lists your gross and net pay from the last 40 pay periods; click the diamond in the details column to view payment details.
Requires re-entering your User Name and Password).
Tax Withholding Help
View your specific job related data like accounting unit, pay schedule, grade and step, hire date.
Report any discrepancies (see Who do I contact if my records are incorrect? ).
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Civil Srvc Rules & Regs
Link to Civil Service Rules and Regulations Information.
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Use as directed by your supervisor or HR Office.
HRMN PM Instructions
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Enter and Update your emergency contact information.
Keep your emergency contact information up to date.
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View your current address on file. Update or change your address and/or phone number.
If you move into or out of a city that collects income tax, you MUST complete the Tax Withholding forms (see Pay >> Tax Withholding)!
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Link to Examanations page, Contact the Civil Service Commission, or View your status within the applicant pools maintained by Civil Service.
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Lists Civil Service Training History as of 10/01/02.
Only Civil Service offered training is listed.
View the status of your work related certifications & licenses.
Additions and changes can only be made by your HR Office.
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Enroll in and manage your pre-tax qualified parking account.
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Link to OSE Employee Service Program web site.
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Link to DTMB Office of Retirement Services website.
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Shows what is available inside self-service for Judicial and Executive Branch employees.
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System Availability
Messages about system availability and outages.
Incorrect Records?
Directions for correcting content errors in self-service records.


text:
Open topic with navigation
With the appropriate permissions, you can view or change authoring rights to an Element within the page view. In author mode, click the Element icon to expand options. Click More, then select Element Security.
The Element Security dialog displays.
The first section indicates if any custom permissions apply to the Element. These permissions override those created at the site level, unless they were enforced.Optionally click the Restore Default Security button to remove customizations and revert to standard Element permissions defined for the site.
Groups and users display with associated permissions. Click column heads to sort by Type, Name, or Permission. Permission type is indicated by the display:
To change permissions for an existing user or group, click the edit icon to display the Add Element Permissions dialog in edit mode .
To grant permissions for a new user or group, click Add User or Add Group to open the Element Security - Add Users or Element Security Add Groups dialog.
Related Links
You can download PDF versions of the Content Contributor's, Administrator's, and Elements Reference documents from the support section of paperthin.com (requires login).
Sites upgrading from versions earlier than release 6.0 should review the following (from the support section of paperthin.com - requires login):
For technical support:
Open topic with navigation


text:
Outlaw Catering wins Golden Corndog
BLACKFOOT — If you want to know where the best fair food is, you should ask members of the media. After all, they're accustomed to eating on the run, as many people do when they're enjoying the Eastern Idaho State Fair.
On Thursday about 20 media members gathered at the Fairgrounds to judge this year's entries in the Fairest of Them All and Best New Fair Food categories.
Outlaw Catering took away the golden corndog trophy in both categories, winning with its Bullseye Burger in the Fairest of Them All and with their Grilled Cheese Donot in the Best New Food competition.
"Food has always been my favorite part of the Fair," said Tara Moss of Z103 radio in Idaho Falls. "When we're here at our fair booth, we're always scoping out the food.
"What we saw (in this year's competition) was very creative and delicious," Moss said. "It was also decadent. It was things you should only have a couple of times a year for health reasons."
For the next two Saturdays and the weekdays in between, fair-goers will have plenty of food choices as the Eastern Idaho State Fair makes its annual eight-day run.
Runner-up in the Fairest of Them All competition was El Elote Loco's Mexican crazy corn with a peanut butter cup funnel cake from Snappy's Funnel Cakes taking third place.
The Bread Barn's sandwich called Lover's Quarrel finished second in the Best New Food category with a Black and Blue Burger from The Pit Stop and Cookies and Cream Cake Bites from Creamy Creations tying for third place.
Gates open at the Fair at 10 a.m. each day. Booths and exhibits are open until 10 p.m. The carnival, which is near the Bingham County Courthouse, is open until midnight.


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Valve amps. The Lowdown....
Historical Background of guitar amps
Rock music evolved from Blues, the music of the streets. Most musos' of the 50s and 60s were poor and guitar amps made to a budget. Some but not all technical principles of amp designs were well thought out.
Fender and Marshall were the dominant and most copied brands. The powerful amps had 4 output valves in parallel push-pull and gave approx 60 - 100Watts.
The Myth
Most amp manufacturers were conservative from a previous generation with a background of country, jazz and religious music. They were horrified by the anti-religious, drug driven, sex crazed rock musos of the 60s' diving their amps at full power into hard distortion for sustain. When these amps were first designed in the 50s, it was inconceivable they would be used in this way.
The Reaction
Many manufacturers reacted by making warranties void if amps were driven at full power, some threatened to cut off retailers who sold their amps to bands that played 'music of the devil'.
The parody of this historical contradiction has been rewritten, to fit mythical beliefs that brilliant designers created these amps for what 'rock musos' wanted.
Myths and Legends
Valve technology is intrinsically the most elegant means by which a speaker is able to reproduce music. This is not because valves have magical qualities but because the technology by which they function is not achievable by other means.
In ten thousand years from now Valve amplifiers will possible be the only remaining technology from the 20th century they will be still be being used and loved with as much passion as when first invented. As much as there is no proof that Valve amplifiers can sound superior to solid state I for one if given the choice will only listen to music through Valve amplification.
Before solid-state technology, Valve amps were manually assembled by large teams of women in conditions that would not be accepted today. For domestic application the majority were not well made. Before manufacture, designs were scrutinised and modified to reduce production cost. Valve count kept to minimum, cheapest components used at voltage rating limits, safety standards almost non-existent.
The heart of a valve amplifier is the output transformer and accounts for most of the bulk and weight, it is also the most difficult and highest cost item to make. Size and therefore performance was reduced to minimum, especially when used for musical instruments. Only a few brands were made with technical excellence.
By the mid 1960s, valve amp technology started to leap forward, but too late. As sold-state arrived, manufacturers competed to be first to make the change. This new technology reduced size and costs. It enabled production to be mechanised and staff reduced.
The first solid-state amps used germanium transistors, which performed poorly, until silicon arrived.
The intense marketing of solid-state amps caused valve amps to be perceived as worthless, except for musicians.
Virtually mountains of them ended up in the landfills of our expanding cities.
The Basic Principles
A Valve is an extension of the light bulb. Theoretically inside the valve is a vacuum. The hot filament is called 'Cathode' (Let's not forget a T.V. is a' Cathode ray tube' ). Around the outside of the Cathode is a cylindrical metal tube called 'Anode'.
When a +Voltage is placed on the Anode and a -Voltage placed on the Cathode, a large current can flow between them, but not the other way around. This is called a 'Rectifier' or diode.
Grid: A fine helix (spiral) wire called 'Grid' is placed between the Cathode and Anode. A small variable voltage (music signal) on the Grid varies the large current between the Anode and Cathode. The small varying input signal is now amplified to a large varying current.
The result is very linear. Why this happens is a mystery. The fact that it works and the universe exists is a miracle. It pays to be humble.
(emitter base collector) are complementary to valves (cathode grid anode).
Transistors are related to crystals. Their individual function is non linear and have to be arranged in compound groups to behave as a linear circuit.
Solid-state amps operate at low voltages (10 - 100V).
Valves amps operate at high voltages (200 - 600V).
Speakers operate at approx (0 - 40V).
The Output Transformer converts the high operating voltages of valves to the lower operating voltage of speakers. A transformer has 2 separate coils of wire (primary and secondary) wound around an iron core.
Electricity flowing through wire causes a magnetic field around the wire and visa versa, a changing magnetic field causes electricity to flow through wire.
The varying amplified current of the valve is connected through the first coil of wire (primary) and creates a varying magnetic field.
The varying magnetic field created by the primary coil, causes electricity to be generated in the second coil of wire, which is wound tightly around the first.
Electricity is transferred to the second coil only when the magnetic field is changing, not stationary. The iron core of the transformer keeps the magnetic field contained so little is lost. The transfer is very efficient.
The secondary coil is connected directly to the speaker.
The reduced secondary voltage is adjusted by the ratio of turns between the 2 coils. Eg 1,000 turns on the primary and 100 turns on the secondary would change the voltage 10:1.
Most output transformers have a turn's ratio of approx 20:1.
Why do Valve Amplifiers sound different?
When technology changed from valve to solid-state, it was noticed that solid-state amplifiers lacked warmth and bass performance, and had to be twice as powerful as valve amplifiers, to sound as loud.
Current Drive:
Solid-state amplifiers behave in 'Voltage Drive'. This acts as a short circuit (zero output impedance, or 100% damping factor) across the speakers, causing excessive damping, which reduces efficiency, limiting responsiveness.
Valve amplifiers behave in 'Current Drive'. This represents an open circuit across the speaker without over damping, allowing maximum response and efficiency.
Sensitivity: Valve amplifiers (current drive) are sensitive to crossover resonances and speaker impedance variations. Quality speaker systems often used passive crossovers that were second-order, constant impedance, and critically aligned to avoid resonant effects. Some quality speakers had copper caped pole pieces, which helped damp impedance variations.
Note:- With solid-state amps in voltage drive, power decreases as the speaker impedance rises. With valve amps in current drive, power increases as the speaker impedance rises.
Therefore a flat speaker impedance is synonymous with a flat frequency response.
Modulating Offset:
The output of solid-state amplifiers is directly connected to 2 DC power supplies through the output transistors. The instantaneous non-symmetry within the music waveform (particularly from the bass notes) is averaged as a modulating DC offset. This modulating offset is small, but it varies the efficiency of the speaker, introducing inter-modulation distortion, amplitude modulating the music.
This problem is mostly eliminated by the trend to use an active sub-bass.
In valve amplifiers the output transformer isolates the speaker from the amplifier electronics. No modulating offset can be produced.
Open Loop Gain: Feedback
Solid-state amplifiers are inherently nonlinear.
They have a very large 'open loop gain' approx 20,000. The amplifier output is (feedback) to the comparator input to reduce the gain to approx 50. Therefore 99.9% of this feedback corrects all instability and non-non-linearity of the amplifier, as explained in amplifiers.
The speaker also acts as a large microphone. All non-linear movements and vibrations within the speaker cone, (caused by reflected nodes, chaotic resonances etc) of which there are many, are regenerated back into electricity by the voice coil.
This re-generated signal from the voice coil is inadvertanetly fed-back to the solid-state amps comparator input, and re-amplified back to the speaker as recycled distortion.
Re-amplified Distortion:
This re-amplified distortion is audible by comparison, when switching between a solid-state and valve amplifier in real time. By paying close attention, it is heard as a fine spurious inter-cluttering within the music. This is clearly noticeable with efficient speakers but not with inefficient speakers.
Valve amplifiers are inherently linear.
Their natural gain is small and therefore require minimal or no negative feedback.
Their designs do not require them to have comparator inputs as with solid-state amps. The small amount of negative feedback in valve amps is only required to provide damping to the speaker.
Valve Amplifier Design
From physics we know certain things must be a particular order and size to be efficient and this is acutely so with valve amps.
60Watts is the minimum power capacity for an amplifier to bring quality speakers to life with full fidelity.
The reason:
The dynamic range of music can exceed 60db (power ratio 1:1,000,000).
Transients within the music can exceed 20db (power ratio 1:100).
Therefore amps under 60Watts and 'Single Ended Class A' will not be discussed in this text.
Valve amplifiers are used for applications such as guitar amplifiers, satellite transponders such as DirecTV and GPS systems, audiophile stereo amplifiers, military applications (such as target acquisition and radar) and very high power radio and UHF television transmitters.
Want To Know More?
Read The Tube Amp Book
- Tubeopedia - Wiki of electronic tubes and related topics
- The Vacuum Tube FAQ - Henry Pasternack's FAQ from rec.audio
- The Audio Circuit - An almost complete list of manufacturers, DIY kits, materials and parts and 'how they work' sections on valve amplifiers
- Conversion calculator - distortion factor to distortion attenuation and THD
- AX84.com - Although oriented towards valve guitar amplifiers, AX84's free schematics and theory document apply well to any tube/valve project
- lenardaudio.com