text:
Letters to the Editor
Miami's poor
While I share former Miami Mayor Manny Diaz's concern over the unacceptable levels of poverty in Miami-Dade, which he expressed in the Dec. 8 article Financial literacy can alleviate poverty, I don't share his analysis of the problem or his proposed solution of financial literacy programs for the poor.
Politicians too frequently frame problems like poverty as a result of individual shortcomings rather than being caused by faulty public policy and structural inequalities within society.
Blaming the poor for their poverty is a tired narrative.
We need real leadership on poverty capable of addressing root causes and shifting public-policy discourse from a view of poor people as the passive objects of social programs to a view of them as equal participants and leaders in making meaningful social change.
Scot Evans, Coral Gables


text:
Search is on for dog heroes for national award
A nationwide search has begun to find the UK's top hero dogs for the Kennel Club's Friends for Life competition, which celebrates dogs that have had an extraordinary impact on people's lives. The public are being asked to nominate a dog that has changed the life of its owner, or another person, and deserves recognition for it, and the winner will be announced at the world's greatest dog show, Crufts, at the NEC in Birmingham on Sunday 11th March. From dogs that have helped their owners through physical or mental illness, supported… Read More
Video Of Jack Russell Going Rogue At Crufts Goes Viral
A Facebook video showing a cute Jack Russell going 'off course' during an agility competition at the world's largest dog show, Crufts, has racked up more than a million views in under 24 hours and is approaching 10 million views! Olly the rescue Jack Russell was competing with his owner in the rescue dog agility competition in the main arena at Crufts on Friday 10th March when he decided to tackle the course in his own way. Agility courses involve the dogs running a series of jumps, weaves, seesaws, A-frames and tunnels. … Read More
New book published about 2015 Eukanuba Friends For Life winner Miracle
A book about Miracle, the 2015 winner of the Eukanuba Friends For Life competition, has now been published and focuses on the heart-breaking and inspiring story of Miracle, the dog that refused to die. The book focuses on the tear-jerking, inspirational and incredible tale of Miracle, a crossbreed that was snatched from the streets of Thailand, loaded onto a truck with hundreds of stolen dogs and destined for the restaurants of Hanoi. But an incredible rescue led to a fateful meeting with Amanda Leask, a dog lover from Scotland. Devastated by Miracle's… Read More
Winners of Europe's most prestigious Veterinary Awards revealed
A leading veterinary neurologist, a pre-eminent diagnostic imaging expert, a PhD student researching ways to combat antimicrobial resistance, and a canine pathology student have today each received one of the largest veterinary awards in the world for the role they are playing in transforming dog health. The International Canine Health Awards, run by the Kennel Club Charitable Trust were held on 15 April at the Kennel Club in London. This year's awards were presented to Professor Holger Volk, Clinical Director of the RVC Small Animal Referral Hospital and Professor of Veterinary Neurology… Read More
The nation's favourite crossbreed competition is back
Scruffts, the competition that gives crossbreed dogs the opportunity to compete in the main arena at Crufts, is looking for top dogs as it goes to 15 different heats all across the UK. Dogs and owners competing at each of the heats are hoping to make it through to the class semi-finals, held at Eukanuba Discover Dogs at ExCeL London in October, and from there six lucky crossbreed dogs will qualify for Crufts 2017. All crossbreeds and mixed breed dogs in the area are invited to take part in the Scruffts Family… Read More
Crufts Announces The Nation's Top Canine Hero, Boo
Boo, from Swindon, Wiltshire, a Lurcher who is credited with transforming the life of her owner following complications in pregnancy that left her unable to have children and suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder has this evening (Sunday March 13th) been announced as the winner of the Eukanuba Friends for Life competition at Crufts 2016. Boo, owned by Rosie Reid, was one of four hero dogs shortlisted for the Eukanuba Friends for Life competition. Decided by a public vote, the owners of the finalists shared their unique stories with the nation before the… Read More
Rescue dog wins Scruffts Crossbreed Dog of the Year at Crufts
Bella was one of six crossbreed finalists in the national Scruffts competition which saw hundreds of dogs compete in qualifying heats around the country, with all six finalists then winning their category at the semi-finals at Eukanuba Discover Dogs in London last October. Bella had won the Best Rescue category to progress to the final. Originally a stray from Govan in Glasgow, when Bella was brought into the Dogs Trust centre at Harefield, Greater London, she was covered in injuries and had been starved close to death. Helen came across her after… Read More
Crufts 2016 Friends for Life nominees revealed
An autism assistance dog which stopped a seven year-old boy biting himself in frustration and shutting himself off in his own world; a Labrador which saved his teenage owner twice from going into a potentially fatal diabetic coma; a Lurcher giving his owner a reason to live again following complications in pregnancy that left her unable to have children; and a dog helping his owner who considered taking her own life following depression caused by bullying, have been selected as finalists for the Crufts dog hero competition, Eukanuba Friends for Life. The… Read More
Young Volunteer To Receive Award At Crufts 2016
21 year-old Zara Werner, from Herne Bay, is getting ready to be awarded the Cinnamon Trust Young Volunteer of the Year award at the world's greatest dog show, Crufts, next month. Zara (pictured right. Credit: The Cinnamon Trust), who is currently at Canterbury Christ Church University studying events management, first started volunteering in 2011 when she was taking part in her Duke of Edinburgh Gold award. She wanted to choose a charity where she was able to help someone in her local community on a personal level; this is where she found… Read More
Rescue Dog Saved From Destruction In The Nick Of Time Becomes An Obedience Star
A former stray dog who narrowly escaped being destroyed after he was found wandering the streets of London as a stray, has gone on to win a top competition at Crufts last month. Jazz, a three year old Malinois Belgian Shepherd Dog, owned by Babs Sharp from Cheltenham, beat over 1,300 other dogs en route to the final of the Good Citizen Dog Scheme Special Pre-Beginner Obedience Stakes competition, before claiming a victory over nine other canine finalists at Crufts. However, life has not always been so kind to Jazz. She was… Read More

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) executive director G Gopalakrishna recently said that all banks would have to create a position of chief information officers (CIOs) as well as steering committees on information security at the board level at the earliest. G Gopalakrishna further said the banks will have to implement the facility of "second factor verification" at merchant establishments and ATMs shortly.
The requirements are arising out of the two recently released documents by RBI. The first document is a report of its working group on information security, electronic banking, technology risk management, and cyber frauds. In this report, the RBI mandated cyber due diligence for banks in India.
The second document is known as information technology vision document for 2011-17 (IT Vision 2011-17). The vision document envisages that all banks in India now would have to create a position of CIOs as well as steering committees on information security. These requirements must be fulfilled at the highest level of board of directors. The vision document also requires that while following the above, legal aspects relating to the provisions of the Acts such as Payments and Settlement Act, 2007 and IT Act, 2000 may be strictly adhered to.
This requirement of CIO/CTO is arising because many small banks do not have a designated CTO and also do not have a clear framework on information sharing. RBI is interested in gradual shift to an online system where it can access all the information from the main server of the bank once the RBI's IT Vision is implemented. Those banks having no CIO/CTOs and a steering committee are now required to have these requirements fulfilled as soon as possible.
The objectives of vision document are to ensure the use of information technology beyond core banking and into newer areas like management of information systems (MIS) and better regulatory reporting.
The vision document has been prepared by a high-level committee chaired by deputy governor K.C. Chakrabarty. The vision document also recognises the growing operational risks arising out of adopting technology in the banking sector like use of Internet banking, which could affect financial stability.
If the vision document is fully implemented, it will ensure that the RBI gets access to the servers of all banks, including foreign banks so that it has access to all the banking transactions. Further, the vision document also emphasises on the need for internal controls, risk mitigation systems, fraud detection/prevention and business continuity plans. These are good banking reforms and they must be implemented by banks in India as soon as possible.
Source: PTLB Blog


text:
On 4/28/11 8:05 PM, Boris Zbarsky wrote: > On 4/28/11 10:07 PM, Charles Pritchard wrote: >> Are CSS pixel ratio issues taken into account here? > > I'm not quite sure what you're asking here... > Is the content regenerated, if it can be, such as the case of an element rendered by scene graph and using a purely vector based model (such as online text with a ttf font) or is it a projection of the bitmap backing store which the render tree of the element generated. That is: when a span with a font size of 12px is used, in a scaled manner (transform), is it regenerated at a higher resolution, or is a low resolution intended, with likely artifacts from scaling. Is there an intention here to reflow and regenerate underlying bitmap data, or is the reference simply a call to redisplay an existing bitmap/rendering?(in reference to moz-element).Received on Monday, 2 May 2011 17:00:15 UTC
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.1 : Monday, 2 May 2016 14:38:45 UTC


text:
JOHNSTON CITY, IL (KFVS) - One person was reportedly stabbed and two others arrested after a bar fight Friday night in Johnston City, Illinois.
According to Johnston City Police Chief Vernon Campbell, at 11:10 p.m. Friday, officers responded to a disturbance at Pub Club on 206 East Broadway in Johnston City.
One of the bartenders says the fight started outside of the bar.
"When the two boys got into an argument in the bathroom, one of our local boys, Johnny, herded everyone out the door and once that happened some guy lost control and stabbed the guy who was getting everybody out of there," said Kimie Campbell.
Chief Campbell says when officers arrived on the scene, they found Johnny Casey, 23, cut and stabbed about half a dozen times, with a couple of deep puncture wounds. He reportedly refused treatment as of last night, according to the chief.
Casey was allegedly trying to break up a fight and was stabbed and cut in the process. Chief Campbell says Casey was reportedly stabbed and cut by 43-year-old Kevin W. Page. Page was arrested on charges of aggravated battery and taken to the Williamson County Jail.
Chief Campbell says there were lots of people involved in the fight.
Matthew W Beers, 29, was allegedly throwing pool balls and beer bottles at people inside the club. He was arrested on charges of disorderly conduct, criminal damage of property over $500 and aggravated assault.
Chief Campbell says the incident is still under investigation and he expects more arrests to come.
Copyright 2013 KFVS. All rights reserved.


text:
Two-year-old Harper Beckham loves bopping along to Lady Gaga and her parents say she's her biggest fan.
David Beckham and Victoria Beckham took their only daughter to meet the Poker Face singer backstage at the Capital FM Jingle Bell Ball on Sunday night.
"Victoria and David, along with Harper, were taken to meet Lady Gaga backstage, and proudly told her that their daughter is her biggest fan," a source told the MailOnline.
"They also said that even though she's only two years old, she already sings Gaga songs!"
It's not just her former Spice Girl mum's musical footsteps that the adorable little girl might be following in.
Fashion designer Victoria revealed earlier this year that Harper has already developed an interest in her mum's enviable wardrobe.
"She definitely has a point of view," 39-year-old Victoria said before her spring/summer 14 show at New York Fashion Week.
"If I'm going out for the night I'll come downstairs and she'll say 'oh nice dress mummy' or 'nice handbag mummy'."
However, Victoria draws the line at letting her daughter get in on her beauty routine though.
The mum-of-four revealed in May that she never puts make-up on in front of her daughter in a bid to stop her growing up too quickly.
Speaking to the Sun, Victoria admitted, "I can't put make-up on when Harper's around because she would join me immediately."


text:
Originally Posted: 10 September 2012
Rotten Tomatoes: 74%
Roger Ebert: 4/4
What The Flick: 7.2/10
Stars: Noomi Rapace, Logan Marshall-Green, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce.
Written By: Jon Spaihts, Damon Lindelof
Directed By: Ridley Scott
Release Date: June 8th 2012
Described by IMDB as "A team of explorers discover a clue to the origins of mankind on Earth, leading them on a journey to the darkest corners of the universe. There, they must fight a terrifying battle to save the future of the human race."
Holy mother of god. This movie was amazing. I'm really regretting not writing this review last night because I know I'm going to forget some things I meant to write about it, but I'll do the best I can. I was going to try to write this without spoilers but I don't think thats possible.
I want to start with talking about how this film fits in with Alien. For 99.9% of this movie I was trying to figure out how exactly this fits in with Alien. Honestly, it still sort of doesn't in my mind, but for the most part it does. They were actually VERY smart with how much they showed in Alien and how much they didn't because of the lack of technology they had at that point. As far as I can remember you didn't really see any details of the planet itself, just the ship and the aliens. Now, that the technology is in the right place they were able to make an astonishingly beautiful planet. The parallels were pretty clear in the film, *SPOILER* first off the robots. Even the fact that they're both beheaded and talk. If I were him I'd want to redo that actually because it was so badly done in Alien, when we find out that Ian Holm is a robot because his head has been ripped off, but he can still talk. Obviously we know David(Fassbender) is a robot through the full film, but he's still beheaded none-the-less. Also, clearly the ending of both movies are entirely the same. everyone else being killed and the lead, strong, female lead, Elizabeth Shaw(Rapace) being the only one left. This one is a little different because she's forced to rely on David (Fassbender) Even the part where she thinks she's safe in her ship and then PSYCH you actually have to beat the final alien. I'm very happy with the final scene when we see how theAlien alien is created. Very cool.
Now for the things I enjoyed about the film (besides the things above). First of all, Ridley Scott pretty much never disappoints. The cinematography was absolutely beautiful. All of the scenes while they're in space, travelling to the planet are beautiful, especially when you first see the planet. The moon they land on is also beautiful, but not quite as breathtaking as the planet you see when they arrive. The CGI was amazing and the special effects over all were great. The acting is also fantastic in this film.Michael Fassbender absolutely killed as David. The scene at the beginning when he's going around the ship alone and he's riding a bike and spinning a basketball on is finger and carelessly shoots the ball and it lands in the net, was absolutely perfect. It truly showed how un-human he is. It was a perfect scene to describe him without actually having to explain it. Brilliant idea. He looked super robotic the whole time, and his acting was just fantastic. Guy Pearce was also awesome, the only reason I even knew it was him under all of the prosthetics was because I knew he was in the film.Noomi Rapace was also fantastic, as wasCharlize Theron. I thought the "engineers" were were super interesting looking, just human-like enough to "believe" that we could have come from them. I thought that was a really interesting, different idea of our origin.
There were a few things that I felt could have been better explained, but I felt that most of them can be passed as "that can be explained in the next film." Most of the problems I had were pretty much what Shaw was looking to ask the "engineers" when she went to find their home planet.
Overall I'll give it an 8.5/10. Seriously was such a good movie, a must-see for any sci-fi lover!


text:
Archive for May 23, 2017
The Biggest Factors Contributing to Faster PCB Fabrication
If there's one thing every technology company wants, it's quick turn PCB assembly. Faster turnaround time for PCB fabrication means more products are on the shelves in a shorter period of time. But how can PCB manufacturing companies create the quick turn PCB assembly services that businesses need? Here are some of the most important factors that contribute to faster printed circuit board assembly times.
Prototype Development
Depending on a company's approach, prototype development can ma


text:
LOS ANGELES — Can smartphone apps become hit movies and television shows?
Hollywood is watching and wondering. It would help solve a continual problem for studios, which require more fresh source material than is available. With production companies cranking out more than 700 films and 50 major new television shows a year, even agents joke that there are no new ideas, only new screenwriters.
Lately, a mobile start-up called Outfit7 has been offering itself as a potential solution. Outfit7 is behind Talking Friends, a collection of 19 apps in which cartoon animals respond to a user's touch and repeat (almost) anything in funny voices.
The Talking Friends apps, most of which are free, are hugely popular — about 500 million global downloads and more than 120 million active monthly users, according to an Outfit7 executive, Narry Singh, who uses the title "chief business guru."
Guided by senior agents at William Morris Endeavor, Outfit7 has recently started to pursue movie and television deals based on its characters, which include Tom, an irreverent cat, and Ben, a gassy dog. "The studio system is waking up to the power of mobile as a form of franchise creation — that the next Shrek or Mickey Mouse could start as an app," contended Andy Mooney, an adviser to Talking Friends and the former chairman of Disney Consumer Products.
Some evidence backs him up. Disney has television work on the drawing board for Swampy, the smiling reptilian star of its mobile game Where's My Water? An Angry Birds movie is planned for 2015, shepherded by the former chairman of Marvel Studios.Continue reading the main story
But entertainment company partners also seem to be reacting with caution. DreamWorks Animation, 20th Century Fox and Nickelodeon have all taken a look at Talking Friends, but so far the only visible progress is an animated Web series for Disney.com and Disney's YouTube channel. (The Web shorts have been popular, with 10 installments generating "an impressive 83 million views in total," according to James Pitaro, co-president of Disney Interactive.)
Aside from worries that mobile games are fads, a concern exacerbated by recent troubles at Zynga, apps face the same challenge in Hollywood as more traditional video games, studio officials say. They are both active, first-person experiences; the player has control over where the action goes. But movies and television shows are passive experiences, and sitting and watching a screen often leaves game fans feeling bored.
Movies based on video games have routinely disappointed at the box office, with the notable exception of the Tomb Raider and Resident Evil franchises.
Because apps are used by people of all ages — in contrast to most video games, which have a core audience of young men — there is the added challenge of defining an audience. Should Talking Tom be a cartoon for children on Nickelodeon? Or is it something more grown-up, perhaps for Spike or Cartoon Network's Adult Swim? The wrong move could narrow the following. A Nickelodeon show, for instance, could make Talking Tom uncool for men in their 20s.
Merchandising is another sticky area. App makers want to keep potentially lucrative toy rights for themselves. But studio executives say it is hard for them to justify pouring tens of millions of dollars into the creation of a movie or television show unless there is an added revenue stream as an incentive.
It may be the marketing opportunities, and not the intellectual property itself, that bring Hollywood and app makers closer together, said Peter Levin, chief executive of Legendary Entertainment's Nerdist Industries, a multimedia company, and an early adviser to Rovio, the Finnish owner of Angry Birds. When an app maker like Outfit7 can reach into 500 million pockets and promote a Talking Friends film or television series, "that's some breathtaking reach," he said.
That marketing power appears to have been a major factor in the early success of Disney's Web-based Talking Friends series. Outfit7 promotes the videos in part by sending its app users alerts as they play on their phones. Over half of the Disney.com views originate from the apps, Mr. Singh said. "It's like a really powerful celebrity endorsement," he said.
Outfit7, which employs 65 people and makes money by selling advertising, was founded in 2009 by a man named Samo Login, who got the idea after buying a picture of a cat for $60 at Turbosquid, a 3-D model marketplace. The concept, according to Mr. Singh, involved creating a mobile game that did not have any winners or losers.
The result was Talking Tom, which was introduced in 2010 and became a viral hit. (This year, much to Outfit7's surprise, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel made a YouTube greeting featuring Talking Tom.)
What really stunned Mr. Singh and his colleagues, however, was user data showing that most fans were clustered between ages 13 and 44, a wide range even for casual gaming. Users are almost evenly split between men and women.
"Our long-term goal is to make sure Talking Friends become a lasting consumer brand," Mr. Singh said. "Right now, we're feeling out Hollywood, and Hollywood is feeling out us."Continue reading the main story


text:
thoughts take shape in words,
fragments of understanding,
In 2005 I travelled through Cambodia. In the early morning and late afternoon, when the weather was a little cooler, my partner and I would go for walks around the towns that we stayed in. With a few scraps of Khmer I would attempt conversation and gather video of encounters with people and places. In spite of barriers of language, culture and history a snapshot of human connection emerged. Always in the background were echoes from the recent history of the Khmer Rouge in the form of mine fields, killing fields and efforts at rebuilding from Year Zero. This video project grew out of the travel and the language and the way the place and people got into my heart. I've called it a poetic meditation. It uses the multiple ways to say you in Khmer as a way to to contemplate how we come to know each other – through thinking, remembering, understanding and speaking.
I was lucky enough to get Greg Fitzgerald to offer to do a beautiful sound mix (5.1 – so lush!) at Big Bang Sound Design (thanks Wayne Pashley and Libby Villa!) and now I can declare it truly finished.
The video had its premiere screening at the Sightlines Conference. Now shopping it around to festivals to see if it can get a run. Also thinking about reworking the material for a multi-screen/projection installation.


text:
Time to part with the spreadsheets because WE'VE GOT COMMON CORE TAGGING!
For those of you who feel like you have a part-time job entering data, Common Core tagging with Gradeable is another solution to all the manual labor. We're taking out the tedious part of quizzing so you can focus on teaching. Our newest feature is Common Core tagging and analytics, as Kattie introduced the other day. It is designed for you to track student mastery as you teach. As you create your assessment, you can tag each question with the corresponding Common Core standards, which all come pre-loaded.
So let's say you're a 5th grade math teacher and you just completed a lesson on fractions, or 5.NF. The first question of your quiz asks students to add and subtract unlike fractions by finding a common denominator (standard 5.NF.1). Your second question asks students to solve a fraction addition/subtraction word problem (5.NF.2). Since it's Christmas Eve, you're only giving a two-question quiz.
Now, as you create the quiz on Gradeable, you tag each question with the corresponding standard(s). The quizzes come back to you; you scan them; you upload them to Gradeable. With the extra time you have, you can work on your fractions music video for the new year. You're going to blow their minds with how cool fractions really are.
¡Viva la fractions en 2014!
So the quizzes come back from Gradeable and the results are all there in front of you. You can tell, via a beautiful chart, how well your students fared. Some stuff you can see…
- standard mastery by quiz
- individual student mastery of standard
- assessment mastery (quiz overall performance)
- class performance (across multiple classes)
- frequency of standard (how many times you've tagged that standard)
Instead of designing an assessment, grading the results, then lining that up in terms of the Common Core, Gradeable does that for you. Come the end of the grading period, you'll have portfolios for the students which tell you where their grade came from. And even before the end of the grading period, using Gradeable will give you faster, smarter feedback so you know where to apply the pressure. And you will know in time to do something about it—not after the test is done and students have closed the chapter.
The beauty of Common Core tagging is that it gives you more control to do what you do best. Gradeable grading does the number crunching for you so you can make the teaching decisions that only real, human teachers can do.


text:
Hanging on the Cell Phone
At the end of fifth grade, my son MacIntyre informed me that he and maybe two other kids in his grade did not have cell phones. A few weeks later at a parents' meeting for children moving to middle school, I chatted with the mother of one of his friends. She mentioned how her son wanted a cell phone. "Oh, he's the other child without a phone!" I remarked.
We laughed and I think felt a bit bolstered in our stand on not getting our children cell phones just yet. But the pressure sure was there.
Six months later found my husband shopping for an iPod Touch for our son's 12th birthday. We had decided to "give in" on the portable-communication front. At least that's how it felt to me. The iPod Touch would allow Mac to text, take photos and video, listen to music, watch videos (especially from YouTube), but not make phone calls. Although the Touch costs about $200, it does not require a calling plan or a monthly data plan. Our kids couldn't believe we bought him anything this good.
At first Mac texted a few friends after school, but the novelty soon wore off. Mostly he texts my husband or me asking when we're getting home from work and could we bring him a fast-food snack. Six months later, he and his sister are still asking when they get cell phones. (We've told our daughter, Annie, age 11, that she will get an iPod Touch for her 12th birthday.) Mac plays some games on the iPod, watches videos and uses the Internet when he's in a free Wifi zone. I think this has certainly filled his middle-school need to be "textable" for the time being.
But this problem is not easily solved for parents. The "cell phone question" involves money, texting, technology, peer pressure, school, the Internet and more.
Asked for a good age to get a child a cell phone, Sue Witmer of Oswego answers "12" without hesitation, which makes me feel better. Like many parents, she found that when her son started regular after-school activities, it was helpful for him to have a phone to call his parents for a ride home. When one lacrosse team meeting ended early, even other kids borrowed his phone to call their parents.
Missy Giardine, a mother of three in Syracuse, is less comfortable giving kids cell phones. "I am the anti-tech mom," she says. "I have concerns about too much technology at a young age." She also thinks adolescents spend too much time texting and not enough time in face-to-face communication. "I just think kids need to develop some social skills."
A study by the Pew Center for Research into teen use of cell phones in 2011 found that texting is up and phone conversation is down overall. But those teens who do the most texting also make the most phone calls, according to the study of the Internet and American life.
Giardine relented and let her daughter get a cell phone when she was entering eighth grade last year and playing soccer after school. The phone made post-game and after-practice pickups easier.
It also came with limitations, however. Her daughter had to pay for the phone with her cat-sitting money and she and her parents split a year's worth of prepaid minutes, which covers calls and texting. If the minutes run out or the phone breaks or gets lost, that's it, Giardine says. Waiting in the wings is her 12-year-old son, who is much more "technology driven" than her daughter. Her daughter was concerned with how cool the phone would look. She found one to buy online that seemed cool enough and was satisfied. "Once she had the cell phone, the novelty for her wore off really quickly."
Another Syracuse mother says that the incentive of an iPhone encouraged her daughter to do better in school. The parents promised to buy their B student an iPhone if she earned a 90 or better in every class for two quarters of the year. So they had to dig in and get the iPhone when their daughter met the challenge with outstanding grades. Even better, their daughter found she liked doing so well in school and has kept up the studying and excelling. The mother does use the parental controls available via the phone network to limit use of the phone. For example, texting capability gets turned off by 10 p.m. or earlier on school nights so the girl can study or sleep. Texting and even the entire phone have been taken away as punishment for not doing chores or disobeying parents.
As Giardine has explained to her daughter, family dynamics differ from home to home. Giardine uses a prepaid phone and her husband uses an Android phone from his job.
In my case, my husband and I both use iPhones and Macintosh laptops, and he has an iPad from his job. The iPod Touch seemed to fit in with our family without going the full-fledge iPhone path. According to Pew Research, about 25 percent of children ages 12 to 17 use smartphones, but mostly they are in the 14-to-17 age range.
Conversely, whenever I ask students in my college mass communication classes when children should get cell phones, they urge as late as possible. They warn of inappropriate use of the Internet (a.k.a. porn) and cyber bullying. (Of course they say this while sneaking peeks at their own phones on their laps during class.)
My husband and I have warned and continue to discuss misuse of the Internet with our kids. We told our children they are not to send photos to anyone; the photos may be forwarded to others and/or altered to make fun of the person in the photo. Innocent photos sent even to trusted friends should not be the norm. The kids appear to have gotten the message—so far.
With the start of this school year, Giardine says of her daughter, "I'm kind of glad she has the phone going into high school." As far as her 9-year-old son, she says, "I have a few years before he realizes that he needs this, too."
Eileen Gilligan, an award-winning writer and mother of two, lives in Baldwinsville.
Photo above: © Ron Chapple | Dreamstime.com


text:
One of the things that makes the holidays particularly special is eating our favorite dishes that make us feel comfortable and bring us closer to our families. Most of us spend a great deal of time in the kitchen, cooking meals with our loved ones and perfecting family recipes. You may think that committing to a weight loss program like Medifast CA is impossible during the holidays—but it does not have to be.
Medifast CA's alternative recipes for your holiday favorites make it easier for you to stick to your diet. These low-fat meals allow you to have the freedom to enjoy the foods you love while maintaining your new healthy lifestyle. Whether for breakfast, lunch, dinner or dessert, our scrumptious holiday alternatives such as stuffed banana French toast, pumpkin bread, 13-calorie mock gravy, marinated turkey and mock champagne will keep you satisfied. Try incorporating these meals into your festivities this year, and you will be surprised by the robust flavors while enjoying the satisfaction you feel due to sticking to your weight loss routine.
Medifast CA goes beyond meal planning to offer programs that support weight loss maintenance which is particularly beneficial during the holiday season. By eating our meal replacements instead of more fatty foods with high calories, you will be closer to reaching your goal—but there are even more ways to secure your success with Medifast CA! The Jump Start weight loss program gives you a precise plan to follow, and the Stay Fit Maintenance plan provides you with the guidance and support you need to stay on track.
If you are dedicated to reaching your goals, then sticking to your weight loss plan during the holidays will be a breeze! However, it is important to understand that this might mean making a mental commitment before committing physically to your healthy lifestyle. In this respect, your confidence may be the only thing in the way of your success. Despite the temptation surrounding the holidays, believe that you can accomplish your target weight. Stay determined and seek outlets that can be beneficial. And with Medifast CA, you are never alone. Remember, our Certified Counselors will always be right by your side on your journey to success!
Medifast CA has helped numerous individuals like you lose weight and keep the weight off. In fact, some of our clients have lost over 100 pounds. While they may have encountered some challenges throughout their journeys, they did not let any obstacles prevent them from pursuing a healthy weight. Weight loss maintenance during the holidays can be tough, but with the resources provided by Medifast CA and a little self-discipline, you can reclaim your health. Don't let this time of year prevent you from seeing your self-gratifying results. Happy holidays from Medifast CA—we're excited to be part of your holiday table!


text:
Ian Poulter has followed
Padraig Harrington in ending his boycott of the European Tour's flagship BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.
Like Harrington, who announced his participation after practising on the new-look West Course last Friday, Poulter has stayed away the last two years because of the state of the greens.
All 18 have now been changed and the European Tour money list leader, winner of the World Match Play in Tucson on February, said: "I am delighted to be playing again."
He added: "It is a great championship and I am looking forward to checking out the modifications to the West Course which Ernie (Els) has undertaken. I am sure the changes will be for the better."
First Poulter has to prove he has recovered from a knee problem suffered playing basketball. He missed last week's event in New Orleans because of it, but expects to be back for the Players Championship in Florida starting on Thursday week. He finished runner-up there behind Henrik Stenson last year.
Last season's European number one Lee Westwood , second to Phil Mickelson at The Masters earlier this month, is also Wentworth-bound.
The last halfway cut he missed in Europe came there last May and his last three rounds on the course were all 77s. He pulled out injured after the first day in 2008.
"They have changed it dramatically and to be honest I welcome the changes because the way I usually play on the course has meant that I have never really had a chance," said the world number four.
"Any change is a good change for me and I think that we will now have an even stronger field for what is our flagship event.
"That can only be good for the tournament. I would love to win it – the world ranking points on offer are great, the prize fund is one of the biggest in the world and it is the European Tour's most prestigious event."


text:
Customer service in America is usually decent, if not good, and if not, you can speak to a manager and just keep going higher up and get your problem resolved. In Israel, customer service is not known for its outstanding quality.
However it does seem to be getting better, I think? Maybe it depends on how loudly you yell. I'm not sure, because I might just be getting louder. But so far I'm usually able to get what I want, or a satisfactory option.
::pat on the back::
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Customer Service, American-style
Posted by Lauren at 4:53 PM
Labels: Aliyah process, Being Israeli, yay-ness
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
Bridgehaugh Park, Stirling FK9 5AP
Telephone: 01786 478866
> Contact us by email
SCRFC has a full range of membership benefits so why not become a member of one of Scotland's leading clubs. The range of benefits are as follows:
Full Playing Member / Full Non-Playing Member / Youth & Juniors / Family Membership:
Full Playing Member / Full Non-Playing Member also receive:
Full Playing Member / Full Non-Playing Member also have voting rights at Club AGM.
For more information, the membership subscription letter and membership forms, please contact the office or download the letter and membership form from the links below
> Find out more about sponsorship
Bridgehaugh Park
President's Messages
President & Captains
Coach Education
Player Welfare Team
Two Hundred Club
Senior RugbyWomens RugbyBoys RugbyGirls RugbyMini RugbyMini Rugby Tour 2017
ResultsLatest Reports
PlayersCoaching TeamGalleryLatest NewsResultsSevens Tournament
InformationMidi NewsMidi ResultsMidi CoachesMidi TourMini NewsMini ResultsMini CoachesMini Tour
© Copyright Stirling County Rugby Football Club | All rights reserved
Terms & Conditions Privacy Policy Sitemap


text:
Zegerid OTC Acid Reducer Capsules42ea
Quick view
Treats Frequent Heartburn
- Omeprazole 20 mg / Acid Reducer
- Sodium Bicarbonate 1100 mg / Allows Absorption of this Omeprazole Product
Three 14-Day Courses of Treatment
Questions or comments? Call 1-888-493-4682 between 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM Central Standard Time, Monday through Friday
For adults 18 years of age and older
This product is to be used once a day (every 24 hours), every day for 14 days
It may take 1 to 4 days for full effect, although some people get complete relief of symptoms within 24 hours
14-Day Course of Treatment
- Swallow 1 capsule with a glass of water at least 1 hour before eating in the morning
- Take every day for 14 days
- Do not take more than 1 capsule a day
- Do not chew or crush the capsule
- Do not open capsule and sprinkle on food
- Do not use for more than14 days unless directed by your doctor
Repeated 14-Day Courses (if needed)
- You may repeat a 14-day course every 4 months
- Do not take for more than 14 days or more often than every 4 months unless directed by a doctor
Children under 18 years of age: ask a doctor. Heartburn in children may sometimes be caused by a serious condition.
Each capsule contains: sodium 303 mg
Read the directions, warnings and accompanying label information before use
Store at 20°-25°C (68°-77°F)
Keep product out of high heat and humidity
Protect product from moisture
©Merk/MSD Consumer Care, Inc
Allergy alert: Do not use if you are allergic to omeprazole
Do not use if you have:
- trouble or pain swallowing food
- vomiting with blood
- bloody or black stools
These may be signs of a serious condition. See your doctor.
Ask a doctor before use if you have
- had heartburn over 3 months. This may be a sign of a more serious condition.
- heartburn with lightheadedness, sweating or dizziness
- chest pain or shoulder pain with shortness of breath, sweating, pain spreading to arms, neck or shoulders, or lightheadedness
- frequent chest pain
- frequent wheezing, particularly with heartburn
- unexplained weight loss
- nausea or vomiting
- stomach pain
- a sodium-restricted diet
Ask a doctor or pharmacist before use if you are taking
- warfarin (blood-thinning medicine)
- prescription antifungal or anti-yeast medicines
- diazepam (anxiety medicine)
- digoxin (heart medicine)
- tacrolimus (immune system medicine)
- prescription antiretrovirals (medicines for HIV infection)
- any other prescription drugs. Sodium bicarbonate may interact with certain prescription drugs
Stop use and ask a doctor if
- your heartburn continues or worsens
- you need to take this product for more than 14 days
- you need to take more than 1 course of treatment every 4 months
If pregnant or breast-feeding, ask a health professional before use.
Keep out of reach of children. In case of overdose, get medical help or contact a Poison Control Center right away.
Tamper-evident: do not use if the blue band around the capsule is missing or broken. Do not use if foil inner seal imprinted with "Sealed for your protection" is missing, open or broken.
- Treats frequent heartburn (occurs 2 or more days a week)
- Not intended for immediate relief of heartburn. This drug may take 1 to 4 days for full effect.
|Serving Size
|1 Capsule
|Serving Per Container
|Amount per Serving
This product can be shipped to a Walgreens store for FREE
This product has no shipping restrictions.
Shipping Weight (in lbs): 0.26
Product in inches (LxWxH): 1.8x 4.7x 3.7
Item Code: 513646
Shop more Medicines & Treatments
Shop all Digestive Health & Nausea products


text:
Early Years
Ages 3 — 4
Primary Years
Ages 5 — 10
Middle Years
Ages 11 — 15
Diploma Programme
Ages 16 — 17
– Our Mission –
As an advocate of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and a champion of the IB Learner Profile, we nurture young people to grow and fulfil their personal and academic potential with dignity and respect.
Brett Gray
Founder & Head of TOIS
Nurturing Environment
We believe in a nurturing school community.
Whether making the first big step into pre-school, or preparing for university entrance examinations, our students feel the safety and support to take risks and take charge of their learning.
International Community
Our community is made up of students and staff from over 25 countries.
No matter where you are from, what language you speak, you can be who you are. TOIS is your home in Ostrava.
Professional Staff
Quality learning begins with a qualified, devoted pedagogical staff.
With a student-to-teacher ratio of 5:1, TOIS students get the individual attention they need to be motivated, life-long learners.
Global-Minded Curriculum
We combine the best of the National Curriculum of England and the International Baccalaureate programmes to provide our students with the highest quality English-language international curriculum.
Early Years
Children entering the Early Years Programme participate in inquiry-led, play-based activities to stimulate learning in both indoor and outdoor environments.
We aim to develop the whole child; socially, physically, emotionally and culturally, and to have fun doing it!
Primary Years
The Primary Years learning experience is centred on the conviction that we are all different, yet we are all the same. By asking questions, investigating, collaborating and forming ideas from multiple perspectives, TOIS students develop new skills and understandings that will form the basis of their future learning.
Middle Years
Learning in the Middle Years is characterised by the shift that all young people go through as they become independent young adults. Students strengthen their skills and deepen their knowledge as they begin to pursue their individual learning passions, and continue to be more aware of the world around them.
Diploma Programme
Diploma Programme students make a strong commitment to develop their academic interests, and to participate in extracurricular activities and globally-minded service projects. Students and parents receive strong support in course selection and preparation for university.
Primary School Building
Early Years + Primary Years
702 00 Moravská Ostrava
Secondary School Building
Middle Years + Diploma Programme
702 00 Moravská Ostrava
– Accreditation & Membership –
International Baccalaureate
The world's leading educators and universities acknowledge the IB programmes as a guaranty of academic excellence.
Council of International Schools
Accreditation by the Council of International Schools underscores our commitment to continuous school-wide improvement.
New England Association of Schools and Colleges
The NEASC's Commission on International Education accredits schools around the world for recognition by the US State Department.
Our Early Years and Primary students enjoy
Apply to study at TOISApply here


text:
MISSION: We will work as a collaborative, caring partner to ensure the efficient delivery of HR services in meeting the needs of those we serve. We are committed to demonstrating integrity and a positive, forward-thinking approach with the services we offer.
VISION: Providing proactive, innovative service by removing barriers and enhancing the quality of work-life for those we serve.
- Driving change
- Embracing innovation
- Doing the right thing with integrity, credibility and knowledge
- Teamwork and collaboration
- Service-orientation with care and compassion
ORGANIZATION: HR Organizational Chart (updated January 2019)
Chief Human Resources Officer
"Our forward-looking HR staff is committed to discovering and implementing personal and professional opportunities to help employees perform at peak efficiency in a supportive and challenging work environment."


text:
Private Group Trips
Back to all trips
Contact Us
Visit our Blog
Private Group Trips
Your trip:
Granada Day Trip: Alhambra Tickets included
On Friday, 20th July 2018
Free cancellation until 7 day(s) before starting time.
No booking or credit card fees.
Instant confirmaton by email.
Select Participants
1 Adult(s)
2 Adult(s)
3 Adult(s)
4 Adult(s)
5 Adult(s)
6 Adult(s)
7 Adult(s)
8 Adult(s)
9 Adult(s)
10 Adult(s)
from 90.00€ each (Age: 12+)
0 Kid(s)
1 Kid(s)
2 Kid(s)
3 Kid(s)
4 Kid(s)
5 Kid(s)
6 Kid(s)
7 Kid(s)
8 Kid(s)
9 Kid(s)
from 68.00€ each (Age: 0-11)
Alhambra tickets are non refundable (20€ each).
More than 10? Email us at
or ask for a
private tour
Booking Summary:
Service: Granada Day Trip: Alhambra Tickets included
On Friday, 20th July 2018
Departure from: Malaga & Costa del Sol (Torremolinos, Benalmadena, Fuengirola, Marbella, Estepona & Nerja. Continue to select the available pick up points).
Pick Up Time: 07.45h. (The pick up time will be confirmed when selecting the pick up point)
End: 19.00h
This tour includes:
Transportation from Malaga
Tickets Alhambra Palace.
Alhambra Guided Tour 2,5h (English & Spanish and other languages).
Free Time in Granada city Centre
Group Size: 55 people
Lunch not included. It is recommended to bring a snack & water.
More info on
Full Description
Free cancellation until 7 day(s) before starting time.
Payments Security:
Malaga Trips will never have access to your credit card digits.
We accept VISA, MasterCard, American Express and PayPal.
All payment methods are requested in a Secure Server Layer URL provided by BBVA Bank or PayPal, according to your prefered payment option.
We will be only notified by BBVA Bank or PayPal if the payment was accepted or not.
Need help?
Email us at
. Answer in less than 1 hour during working hours (Monday - Friday 9:00 to 19:00, Madrid time) and our best during non working hours.


text:
Attorneys Matthew Burstein, 40, and Aaron Rabinowitz, 40, real estate agent Elias Compres, 52, loan officers Arturo Giraldo, 51, and John Constantinides, 39, together with Rolando E. Roldan, 35, are charged with conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud for their roles in an alleged mortgage fraud scheme in which they fraudulently obtained over $25 million in loans.; Burstein, Compres, Rabinowitz, and Roldan are also charged with wire fraud.
The indictment alleges the defendants conspired to defraud financial institutions, including Countrywide Financial, Fremont Investment and Loan, IndyMac Bank, National City Corporation, Sun Trust Mortgage, Inc. and Wells Fargo & Company, and wholesale mortgage lenders, including Lend-Mor Mortgage Bankers Corporation, Mortgage Lenders Network USA, and New Century Mortgage Corporation.
As detailed in the superseding indictment, from January 2001 to July 2010, the defendants obtained mortgage loans from lending institutions through fraudulent means, including submitting false loan applications to make borrowers appear more creditworthy""enabling the defendants to profit from commissions and loan fees""and by preparing documents, such as HUD forms, designed to deceive the lending institutions about the disbursements made at closings. In many instances, the purchasers subsequently failed to make mortgage payments to the lending institutions, and the loans are now in default.
The defendants' initial appearances and arraignments are scheduled before United States Magistrate Judge Robert M. Levy, at the U.S. Courthouse, 225 Cadman Plaza East, Brooklyn, New York.
The superseding indictment was announced by Loretta E. Lynch, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York;, Janice K. Fedarcyk, Assistant Director in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office; Jon T. Rymer, Inspector General, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation; and Kevin Chan, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General.
The case has been assigned to United States District Judge Allyne R. Ross.
"Our real estate markets rely on the integrity of its members," stated United States Attorney Lynch. "For almost a decade, these defendants allegedly used a trail of false documents and broken promises to enrich themselves to the tune of millions. We will vigorously investigate and prosecute those""including attorneys and other licensed professionals""who compromise positions of trust and perpetrate mortgage fraud." Ms. Lynch extended her grateful appreciation to the agencies that participated in this investigation.
FBI Assistant Director in Charge Fedarcyk stated, "These defendants include attorneys with ethical as well as legal responsibilities, and loan officers with fiduciary responsibilities. What all the defendants allegedly have in common is a willingness to flout these responsibilities""and the law""to line their pockets. The FBI remains determined to police and prevent mortgage fraud."
FDIC Inspector General Rymer stated, "We are once again pleased to join our law enforcement colleagues in defending the integrity of the financial services industry by combating mortgage fraud. We are particularly concerned in cases like this one where attorneys and other professionals have allegedly misused their positions of trust and whose charged fraudulent activities in committing mortgage fraud may have contributed to a loss to the Deposit Insurance Fund. We are committed to continuing our investigations of criminal misconduct to help maintain the safety and soundness of the nation's financial institutions and the viability of the Fund."
HUD/OIG Acting Special Agent in Charge Chan stated, "This investigation demonstrates HUD/OIG's commitment to working with our law enforcement partners and the U.S. Attorney's Office to protect the integrity of FHA assets. Mortgage fraud strikes at the economic heart of the American system, and we are committed to uncovering and prosecuting such criminal activity."
The maximum term of imprisonment for any defendant convicted of conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud is 30 years. The indictment also seeks forfeiture of the proceeds of the defendants' crimes, including a criminal forfeiture money judgment and proceeds traceable to the offenses.
The government's case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Alexander A. Solomon.
The charges announced today are merely allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.


text:
It was the lack of a taper that shocked commentators and dominated headlines in the wake of the Federal Reserve's hotly anticipated policy meeting Wednesday. But the sharp Treasury rally that sent the yield on the 10-year note to a five-week low probably has just as much, if not more, to do with the Federal Open Market Committee's extremely soft forecast for the Fed funds rate.
After all, the FOMC's forecasts offered the first glimpse of where policy makers expect the central bank's official benchmark rate to be at the end of 2016. And that rate is near just 2%. The Fed is currently holding official rates near zero.
The forecast "tells us that when they get around to raising rates, it's going to be a slow, long process," said Kathy Jones, fixed-income strategist at Charles Schwab & Co. And that's why the belly of the yield curve -- 3-, 5- and 7-year notes -- have seen the sharpest rally, she said, noting that those tend to be the most sensitive to rate expectations.
Those FOMC rate projections unsurprisingly seem a lot more important than whether the Fed buys $75 billion versus $85 billion of securities each month, she said.
Indeed, the Fed's projections would justify a flatter curve, while the 10-year note yield probably has room to retrace toward the 2.45% to 2.50% range as investors digest the notion that rate normalization is going to be a slow process, she said.
The yield on the 10-year note was off nearly 15 basis points to 2.71%, while the three-year yield dropped nearly 11 basis points to 0.674%, the five-year yield dropped 17 basis points to 1.44% and the seven-year yield dropped 18 basis points to 2.07%.
The FOMC's projected rate is slightly more dovish than what the futures market had priced in ahead of the Fed announcement, noted Paul Ashworth, chief U.S. economist at Capital Economics. Fed funds futures had previously pegged the rate at 1.15% at the end of 2015 and 2% by August 2016, he said, noting that the contracts don't yet go to December 2016.
Bernanke himself noted that the 2% rate is "well below the longer run normal value for the federal funds rate of 4% or so."
--William L. Watts
Follow William on Twitter @wlwatts
Follow The Tell @thetellblog


text:
Go boating and enjoy a great day of water recreation with plenty of room
for sailing, water skiing, tubing, and jet skiing. Lakeside Marina and
Campground offers ample parking for your boats, trailers, and extra vehicles
with direct access to the water with an on-site public boat ramp. Available
in our show room are boating and fishing supplies including tackle, bait,
anchors, rope, skiis, life vests, skiing accessories, spark plugs, fishing
rods and reels, nets, bait buckets, gear lube and oil - including 2-cycle
TCW-3, boat plugs, lights & more. We also carry a large selection of
camping supplies, grocery staples, snacks, and beach gear.
Marina Showroom Hours:
Monday - Saturday 8:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Sunday 8 a.m.- 6:00 p.m.


text:
Copywriting SEO: Listen to the Success Mantra
Creativity is now prevalent at all levels of web endeavor, no matter where you venture into. All web sites are now laced with the creative inputs of search engine copywriting professionals who are capable of offering you the best of promotional services targeting your key audiences. As competition in the web scene is getting steeper every passing day, the role that SEO professionals have been playing has also got a challenge and they have already shown their grit facing it. Thanks to the able support of the copywriting SEO professionals who have made it real easy for them to optimize clients' web sites instantly. What's the result? Better search engine visibility with equal amount of web popularity.
In the last few years, the role that web content plays has been deemed to be more relevant in terms of ensuring web popularity. The more you develop the contents creatively meeting all SEO requirements, the more is the chance of your site getting peaks. And when it satisfies the SEO necessities, it's sure to mark a big impression in the entire online sphere. An SEO copywriter can help you meet all these with his/her creative inputs working in close with the SEO professionals.
If you research a bit, you would find that most of the SEO firms now offer comprehensive copywriting services. There are also many independent copywriting services providers which work fulltime or in freelancing mode. Depending on your budget and requirement, you can approach one that can really do the trick for you, if not more!
An SEO copywriting firm now offers different SEO friendly copywriting packages to its clients. For all types of businesses, getting decent website ranking is a must now, and this is possible only through the help and assistance of a copywriting firm. Such a firm can also offer customized copywriting services exclusively for clients like you. In terms of quality of service, you need not sweat even a drop. You just need to rely on its services and go onto enjoying the benefits. Your site will speak about your earnings all in a clear way.


text:
Kristen Schaal and Kurt Braunohler create an intimate space on stage when they invite someone to have a date with Kristen.
This stand up performance took place at the Just for Laughs Festival 2013 in Montreal, Quebec.
SUBSCRIBE: http://bit.ly/1ShFiDP
Facebook: http://bit.ly/1qbX9p0
Twitter: http://bit.ly/1RG2uuI
Website: http://bit.ly/1pFZ2d1
Just For Laughs is the world's premiere destination for stand-up comedy. Founded in 1983, JFL produces the world's largest and most prestigious comedy event every July in Montreal, as well as annual festivals in Toronto and Sydney.


text:
Let's speculate a bit further, shall we? Going back to the programmable image as deterritorialized factory functioning to generate profit in accord with the formula M-I-M' ([Money-Information-Money, where M'>M], my rewriting of Marx's general formula for capital M-C-M' [Money-Commodity-Money, M'>M]), let's try to imagine what it would be like to refuse profit – that is to refuse profit at one's own expense and at the expense of all those undergoing dispossession – dispossession of their senses, properties and bodies. 1Capital's dissymmetrical exchange with labor is hidden in commodity production by wage labor, and the profit comes from value extraction by means of leveraged value abstraction. Preliminary work on this formula is in my essays "The Programmable Image" and "Informatic Labor in the Age of Computational Capital." A more complete derivation is forthcoming in the last chapter of The Message is Murder and the idea will be developed at length in another book (Computational Capital; forthcoming Dartmouth and UPNE). The basic notion is that (humanoid) metabolic activity interfaced with ambient computation drives shifts in the states of discrete state machines. Metabolism, captured as information, drives, as it were, treadmill that powers the number crunch of computational capital, which runs at a profit on the social metabolism. We have argued that underneath the cloak of an image lay a relation of production. Now we say, let's transform these relations of production such that they are not exploitative.
What exactly would it take to overcome this second order alienation imposed by regimes of visuality and computation, this proletarianization of the senses (as Stiegler calls it), that follows on a generalized proletarianization and plantocratic-global South style dispossession of the body, and has further reduced much of planetary life to abjection? Remember here, in the oh-so-civilized world of 2017, that images and techniques of data-visualization are the primary interface with many person-like entities, even though machine-learning pattern recognition effectively treats digital images as data graphs that can be parsed a billion different ways until patterns emerge in the data points themselves. We may see images, but the AI practices optimization. Overcoming this alienation would mean controlling the processes that inhere in images and therefore in imagination. Controlling the processes inherent in that interface called the imagination today means controlling the processing.
Christian Metz, in a memorable assessment of the role of film theory, said that its purpose was "to win the imaginary for the symbolic," that is, to analytically tease out and put into critical language the mechanizations of cinema which was, for him, a "technique of the imaginary." While film theory made some definitive progress here, with ideology critique, feminist critique, and with post-colonial and critical race critique, putting powerful symbolic language on those emanations operating upon the imaginary (though with all-too-real effects), the real film theorist here (because also the great practitioner) was capital, which commandeered a foray into the visual that began as a quest by the oppressed for liberation from the dead ends of discourse and industrial-colonial captured bodies by opening the space of the visual and thus of new desires, by systematically converting this self-same quest into fodder for capture and domination. Visuality as space of possible liberation was reformatted into a new version of the factory floor while the ultimate symbolization of all this complex traffic was not film theory but the profits banked from cinematic practice. These pathways to the symbolic of capital have been extended by gaming (whose revenues exceed global film production) and more generally by computation which now underpins nearly everything. With the industrialization and computationalization of the visual, the digital logic of capital has developed ever higher resolution and granularity. Given the capture of the cultural armature (mediation infrastructure including images and language) as fixed capital and the positing of cultural practice as productive labor, today we must update Metz and confront the following challenge: to win both the imaginary and the symbolic for radical finance.
Let me be clear. I am not saying that I have an answer. I am simply doing my best to state the question. Conversations about photography, cinema, visuality, screens, imagination and semiotics must build on their fecundity and begin to be conversations about radical finance because otherwise they, along with their referents, are going to be or have already been captured as means of financialization. Poetic practice may indeed rewire the sensorium, but the conversations (and the theory and the art) are being put to work for profit and thus to support and re-enact global hierarchy, racialization, gender inequality, and its legacies of exploitation and murder. If we really want to break the chain, we must take courage and allow ourselves to return (but with a new key) to the vague and in some ways premature aspirations of communism: to retake the means of production.
If all this sounds like a global plan for theft, then you are hearing me correctly. One need not have moral qualms about it (if one is so inclined), because this plan is a plan to steal back, to steal back ourselves (whatever these "selves" may be/become) and to steal back our future. Really what is at stake is our becoming (and the legacies of our past) – what we can build out of this funeral pyre called the current conjuncture, blazing as if for the unmourned and the all but forgotten, before it consumes the yet living with its hypnotic flames.
Of course, near the conflagration, many of us have people(s) and time(s) to remember; we heed their calls, the cable strong bonds still connect. However, for this invocation of historical haunting and dreams deferred to be more than a poetic exercise, or a sounding of ancestral aspirations or a drawing of inspiration from the possibility of reparations and the promise of solidarity – all of which is by no means trivial and indeed may return us to what is most important – it will be necessary to keep this value for an "ourselves" worthy of having it. Absorbed by the qualities that yet remain as heritage (some of which are the very stuff of art, photography, cinema, social movements) we resonate with our potential futurity built out of survival resources. We seek liberation; and we do not seek to have these spirits used to advance the art world, the university, the mayoralty or the state – at least not in their current forms, and perhaps not in any currently conceivable forms.
This hard edge is not necessarily about making things difficult nor about fighting (though these are strategies that have proven their merit). Rather it is a call for unrelenting clarity regarding the stakes inherent in our making. This edge, which both cuts and refuses, is placed precisely here as an encouragement, shall we say, to develop radical financial tools – a democratization of financial tools – that might represent our value production in ways that allow us to set the terms of our own valuation and to track, organize and deploy that value in new ways. If wage labor is value extraction by means of value abstraction, what we are looking for in the foreseeable transitional period moving towards the end of private property and money as capital is value abstraction without value extraction. We need for what we make by means of our seeing, doing, thinking and living to retain its qualitative and affective dimensions but also be able to circulate as the general form of wealth, and we need to do this without giving our qualitative richness over to capitalism and to capital accumulation.
Thinking finance in the image is a way of mapping what is most often unconscious in social relations mediated by images. It is a form of thinking money (in all turns of that phrase). In my last post I briefly alluded to bitcoin and to the blockchain technologies that underpin most crypto currencies and suggested that there we find something unprecedented – an encoding of sociality that is not controlled by third parties but is the result of collective participation in an algorithmic process. Make no mistake, bitcoin is not an anti-capitalist technology, and as David Golumbia has warned us, it has strong libertarian dimensions and participation. However, it is anti-state in that it gets rid of "trusted" third parties like banks and states by recasting the social contract such that the machines of participants all watch each other and all agree on a permanent and unforgeable transaction record (unforgeable because in order to be reversed one player would have to be able to out-compute the entire network).
This small innovation, a tentative but decentralized answer to the problem of trust in a leveraged and centralized world built on the violent maintenance of the centrality of power, is a constellation of programming, machines, participation and sociality. In short, the blockchain that underpins bitcoin is a medium. We are at the very early stages of being able to create decentralized protocols that also allow participants to be stakeholders in their operations, but if, for example, you own bitcoin you have both the "coin" which functions as the social relation known as money but also a share of the platform. Bitcoin is at once currency and equity. We do not yet really know how to think about the implications of this shift in the protocols of ownership away from legal structures towards unforgeable code, but one can already sense that stake-holding in far more broadband modes of mediation should be possible. This emergent decentralization implies not only the commoning of social media platforms, (currently centralized algorithms for the capture of participation) but the possibility of organization-specific and movement-specific currencies that are at once expressive bonds of sociality and exchangeable for goods.
So, I am leaving you here at the end of these two months with two principle thoughts: a clear picture of a financial logic swarming in and through our images and screens, and the conceptual possibility of a new modality of finance. This convergence brings me to my newest project, tentatively called The Fourth Determination: On the Decolonization of Money, which will explore the notion that via computational screen mediation, we may transform money beyond its three determinations (measure, medium, capital) into a new register that consciously understands finance as an expressive medium and begins its decentralization. In reality, finance already is an expressive medium; the point however is to decentralize it and hollow capital out from within, that is, to transform its expressivity (which is ours) away from the aestheticization of massive accumulation and mass domination. This might be accomplished by creating new forms of solidarity and stakeholding, by leveraging affective structures and shared risk, in ways that will turn the travesty that is the communism of capital into a better, more horizontal non-capitalist communism with communal equity in the social product. This notion of radical finance as an expressive medium takes very seriously the idea that contemporary media have been thoroughly financialized and argues that we must develop the tools to democratize and decentralize expressive financializaton. If finance (ordinarily a very bad word for very good reasons) inhabits the image and the utterance, and if finance is now simultaneous with the snapshot, the webpost, and the speech act, how can we democratize and radicalize the financial instruments underpinning expression so that we can win the imaginary and the symbolic for a liveable future, and retake the means of production (our senses and our minds) to build the world that meets all of our needs rather than the one that imposes needs in accord with the protocols of the reigning AI that is Computational Capital?


text:
June 7 21:09
Wow, Our room is amazing! We have a suite at the Riu Santa Fe. There's a sitting room, a bedroom area on a raised platform, a huge walk-in closet… Then the bathroom… The tub is a huge jetted one with big columns and an arch looking into the bathroom. The bathroom could host a ballroom dancing class. there are separate rooms for the toilet/bidet (you do wha with that??) and shower. Everything is beautifully tiled. When you go out on the balcony there's an amazing view of the pools and the ocean. But wait, there's more! On the left of the balcony, there is a spiral staircase. You go up and find yourself on a huge rooftop terrace with a raised area with a hot tub and lounge chairs. I was in awe.
We ate at the main buffet restaurant for dinner. Mexican theme night there. After my shower, we took care of important marital business. Now we are in bed. I'm so tired from barely sleeping the past few days. I can hear a wedding party going on nearby.
Estoy cansada.
Sent from my iPod
Originally published in my journal, Stephanie's Thoughts. Leave me a comment!


text:
Before you start:
A fresh image of Raspbian Jessie/Wheezy works best, so first head to the official downloads page.
Once Raspbian is installed, fire it up and open Terminal.
Now run our one-line installer by typing in:
curl get.pimoroni.com/rockpool | bash
Reboot your Pi and you should find "Flotilla Rockpool" in the Programming menu!
Grab the code from GitHub:
git clone https://github.com/pimoroni/flotilla-python
Change into the freshly cloned directory:
cd flotilla-python/library
sudo python3 setup.py install
If you've installed Rockpool, you need to shut down the Flotilla Daemon before you start talking python:
sudo service flotillad stop
Check out our Flotilla forum for help and news on the latest & greatest Flotilla software.


text:
Mindful Parenting, Resilient Children
The ADHD Clinic would like to announce
A 5-week Parent Workshop
with Dr. M. Lee Freedman
This 5-week course is an introduction to the principles and practices of mindful parenting with an emphasis on the unique challenges of raising a child or teen with attention regulation challenges. The course will explore ways for parents to manage the stress associated with raising a child with ADHD, to practice attention and emotion regulation skills in order to help their children learn to self-regulate, and to be present with themselves and their children in both joyful and difficult times. Through interactive discussion and mindfulness practice exercises, parents in program will begin to experience and learn skills to manage parental stress, practices to respond wisely, calmly, and compassionately to parenting challenges.
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
10:00am – 12:00pm
1849 Yonge Street - Suite 711
Toronto, M4S 1Y2
Registration is OPEN for parents
but parents are asked to call (416) 304-1779 in order to book a family screening appointment
About Dr. Freedman:
Dr. M. Lee Freedman is a Toronto-based psychiatrist with over 30 years of clinical experience with children, adolescents, adults and families. Dr. Freedman integrates mindfulness training into individual, family and group therapy; she also teaches mindfulness workshops to parents, teachers and healthcare professionals. She is currently a member of the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto and also at the Centre for Mindfulness Studies.


text:
Memo to media; US massacre in Afghanistan is about Afghans not US military
Another tragedy in Afghanistan. And what do most of the corporate media focus on? How will this affect NATO strategy? What will US troops do? Will Obama's supposed counter-insurgency tactics be derailed?
What about wondering about the Afghans themselves?
The news that a U.S. Army sergeant killed 16 civilians, most of them children, in southern Afghanistan early Sunday morning was treated by many media outlets primarily as a PR challenge for continued war and occupation of that country.
"Afghanistan, once the must-fight war for America, is becoming a public relations headache for the nation's leaders, especially for President Barack Obama," explained an Associated Press analysis piece (3/12/12). Reuters(3/12/12) called it "the latest American public relations disaster in Afghanistan."
On the NBC Today show (3/11/12) the question was posed this way: "Could this reignite a new anti-American backlash in the unstable region?" The answer: "This is not going to bode well for the U.S. and NATO here in Afghanistan," explained reporter Atia Abawi. "Obviously people here very fearful as to what's going to happen next, what protests will come about throughout different parts of Afghanistan, and how the Taliban are going to use this to their advantage." "People," as used here, would not seem to include Afghans, who are presumably less frightened by protests against a massacre of children than they are by the massacre itself.
The front-page headline at USA Today (3/12/12) read, "Killings Threaten Afghan Mission." The story warned that the allegations "threaten to test U.S. strategy to end the conflict." In the New York Times (3/12/12), the massacre was seen as "igniting fears of a new wave of anti-American hostility." The paper went on to portray occupation forces as victims:
"The possibility of a violent reaction to the killings added to a feeling of siege here among Western personnel. Officials described growing concern over a cascade of missteps and offenses that has cast doubt on the ability of NATO personnel to carry out their mission and has left troops and trainers increasingly vulnerable to violence by Afghans seeking revenge."
The fact that the massacres occurred two days after a NATO helicopter strike killed four civilians was "adding to the sense of concern."
This morning's ABC Radio AM fit perfectly into the mould, playing quotes from Western leaders and White House flaks:
TONY EASTLEY: There are fears that the shooting rampage by a lone US soldier may derail the Afghan peace process and undo months if not years of work.
The Afghan army is on a higher alert after the American soldier killed 16 Afghan civilians and burnt their bodies. Nine of the dead were children.
The Afghan parliament has passed a resolution demanding the soldier face a public trial in Afghanistan, and already talks on a new strategic partnership between Kabul and Washington look like being put on ice.
Emily Bourke reports.
EMILY BOURKE: The deaths of 16 Afghan civilians at the hands of a rogue US soldier continues to outrage and worry world leaders, especially as the Taliban is now promising to strike back.
The British prime minister David Cameron.
DAVID CAMERON: Really is an absolutely appalling thing that has taken place and of course it will have its impact, but we must do everything we can to make sure that it doesn't in any way derail the very good work that American and British and other ISAF forces are doing in Afghanistan.
And it is worth remembering why we're in Afghanistan – we're there to train up the Afghan army and the police so that that country is able to look after its own security
EMILY BOURKE: The Taliban has described the Americans as terrorists and barbarians, but White House spokesman Jay Carney says the US led mission will continue.
JAY CARNEY: I'm sure there will be discussions ongoing between US military leaders as well as civilian leaders in Afghanistan and the Afghan government in the wake of this incident, but our strategic objectives have not changed and they will not change.


text:
2016 will be remembered as the year many of our cultural icons died. David Bowie, Leonard Cohen, Prince, George Michael, Mohammed Ali, Alan Rickman, Carrie Fisher and the list goes on and on. I won't dwell too much on that, because many others have done that for me. Let's just hope 2017 will be kinder on our heroes.
For me 2016 was quite a nice year, not least because we completed major building work. But musically, there was much to enjoy. I got the chance to see favourite bands like We Are Scientists and Ash live, but also saw some new bands like Hidden Charms and Yak. I got to say hi to WAS' Keith Murray and also to the Ash guys, which was good fun. I have a faint memory of telling Tim Wheeler drunkenly that he was not as short as I remembered (met them before in 1996). Yeah, definitely a dubious highlight. Seriously though, the guy wrote so many of my favourite songs and I am glad I got a chance to tell him. Such a nice guy too. It's wonderful when your heroes don't disappoint you (and when they're taller than you thought :p).
Some new bands that caught my attention in 2016 are pretty eclectic bunch. The pop punk of Asylums set against the laid back psychedelic sounds of The Vryll Society could not be more contrasting, but that does not mean I can't love them both. Also worth a mention are Let's Eat Grandma and Sundara Karma, who I have enjoyed listening to. When I saw Ash last month they were supported by Indian Queens, who I thought were pretty amazing as well and I am hoping to hear more from them.
As for my top 3 favourite 2016 albums, in no particular order:
- Helter Seltzer by We Are Scientists (because it makes me happy)
- Killer Brain Waves by Asylums (because I love playing it very loudly)
- I, Gemini by Let's Eat Grandma (for all its wonderful weirdness)
There are plenty of other albums that I have listened to and even more that I should have listened to that I haven't yet. You can only listen to so much right? But these were the three that most caught my attention. If there are any you feel I SHOULD listen to, please let me know!
Looking forward to 2017:
I have only a couple of gigs lined up. Jose Gonzales and the String Theory in January and Emmy The Great in March. Annoyingly the Jose Gonzalez gig later clashed with an Asylums gig that I really wanted to go to, but I already had those tickets and fingers crossed I will get to see Asylums later in the year (I better!!!!). Again, Jose Gonzalez and Asylums, day and night, right? 🙂
I am hoping 2017 will bring new albums by Ash and hopefully The Vryll Society and Alvvays may grace us with albums as well. Sundara Karma's album Youth Is Only Ever Fun In Retrospect is out later this week and I am looking forward to that one. Circa Waves has a new album out in the next few months as well, which I hope is good.
I hope I will be discovering more new music in 2017, but not too much as I still have way too much 2016 stuff to listen too!
Fingers crossed too that I will be able to breathe new life into this blog thingie.
Happy New Year!


text:
I've been sadly behind in posting lately. Homeschooling has been keeping me extra busy...it's quarterly reporting time, and the end of the school year is fast approaching. I hope to be back on track with posting soon. In the meantime, my dog has graciously offered to sit at my laptop today and write a guest post for me. Some of you have already been introduced to her as The Dastardly Dog. Without further ado, I give you Trinket.....
Trinket: Thank you so much for that flattering introduction. I take great pride in my role in the family. You know, a lot of people think dogs have easy lives. Let me assure you that just isn't true. Walk with me, if you will, for a day in my life...the life of a dog.
6:00 am- The alarm clock blares and BadDad gets up to work out. It's hard work to ignore the noise, but I burrow deeper into my blankets and manage to get back to sleep.
7:00 am- WorstMom starts her day. I trot out when I hear her start the coffeemaker. I have to make a quick decision...face going outside now, or bolt for my family room basket? If the weather is bad, I usually try to avoid going out as long as possible.
7:30 am- The kids are stirring now. BadDad heads out for the day. I may see him to the door with a few friendly barks. If I feel like it.
9:00 am- WorstMom is trying to herd everyone up to the schoolroom. Right about now is when I really, really need to go out (perfect timing I know). After I come inside again, I'll pester everyone until they feed me.
9:15 - 11:30 am- Everyone is busy with lessons. I'm busy sleeping in my indoor doghouse in the schoolroom. I like to think my snoring is the perfect white noise to study to.
11:30 am - 12:30 pm- WorstMom throws in laundry, cleans, and starts dinner during her lunch break. I worry that she doesn't have enough to do, so I get her to let me out. After a minute or so I want to come in again. Unless I see a squirrel or rabbit out there. Then I'll bark for awhile to alert the neighborhood. Or, I might take a moment to roll around in something deliciously smelly. The family just loves when I do that!
1:00 - 4:00pm - I have to determine where the family is gathering for the afternoon. If they're reading on the couch, I'll squeeze on there too. If they're back in the schoolroom, that's where I'll be. I'm not one to abandon my post. I'll catch a few more zzzz's while they work.
4:00 - 6:00 pm - This is the danger time. Sometimes they leave the house and accidentally forget to take me. I have to stay focused and watch for any sign of people putting on shoes or coats. The sound of the keys is, of course, a dead giveaway. At the first clue that they might leave I have to follow them around, barking loudly (so they don't forget me). Unfortunately, sometimes this backfires and I end up in my crate. Oh well, it's time for another nap anyway!
6:00 - 10:00 pm - I like to have an early dinner. Sometimes, if I beg enough, more than one person feeds me and I eat twice! By this time, at least some people are usually home and I start my evening routine. I make a choice between the couch or my basket and doze while I wait for the house to quiet down. Eventually I'll trot down the hall to my bedroom basket and call it a night.
Wow! Are you exhausted just looking at my schedule? I know I am! It's been a pleasure to meet you all. Now I'm off for a nap.
According to my kids, I'm the worst mom ever. Of course they tend to say that through mouthfuls of homemade cookies. Or while they're hugging me. Yes, sarcasm runs in our family. Just a bit.
Baking (1) Book Reviews (14) Homeschooling (29) Household (7) Miscellaneous (47) Parenting (57) Product Reviews (3) Recipes (35)
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Guest Post: The Dastardly Dog
1 comment:
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
Midway announced today that it is currently developing the latest installment of the Rampage series, called Rampage: Total Destruction.
The latest in the series promises a broad selection of monsters to perform new combo attacks and super moves including the original characters George, Lizzie and Ralph. It promises that most of the environments can be damaged in the light-hearted fashion the series has been known for. New upgrades and power-ups will be available through the game's single player campaign and players will be able to play in locations spanning the entire globe.
"Fans of the Rampage series are in for a whole new level of mayhem in Rampage: Total Destruction," said Steven Allison, chief marketing officer, Midway. "While the game retains the core elements that made the Rampage series so popular, new mechanics and play modes make Rampage: Total Destruction a unique game experience for a great price."
Rampage: Total Destruction is currently scheduled for a spring release in 2006 for the PS2 and GameCube with an MSRP or $19.95.


text:
Symptoms: Painting my toe nails for my shower this weekend is going to be a challenge since bending down is extremely difficult now. I'm feeling some definite pains as my tendons continue stretching out, but still no swelling thank you Jesus.
Dear Aiden,
I love feeling you move around in my belly. You are still gun shy when other people try to feel you move besides me and your Dad, but that's okay. Throughout this whole pregnancy people ask me how I'm feeling. It's so hard to even fully explain, but I have absolutely loved being pregnant with you. While I'm so excited to actually be able to hold you in my arms I already get a little sad thinking about missing the feeling of you move around in my belly. It is such an amazing feeling. I already feel so connected to you and love you so much.
Your Mama
Dear Lord,
I love knowing that you already know everything about Aiden. You know his exact date of birth before we do, you know what his little personality will be like, you know what he is going to love doing and what his gifts are, you truly know him already and I love that. Thank you for our little guy and for the love I already feel for him. Amen.
Jeremiah 1:5
"Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, before your were born I set you apart."
Week 17 Bumpdate Week 18 Bumpdate Week 19 Bumpdate
Week 23 Bumpdate Week 24 Bumpdate Week 25 Bumpdate
Week 26 Bumpdate Week 27 Bumpdate Week 28 Bumpdate


text:
Jazz FM Awards 2019
1st May 2019
One of Africa's greatest singers, Angélique Kidjo, has been added to the already star-studded line-up of EFG London Jazz Festival's opening gala Jazz Voice.
Angélique has enjoyed an illustrious career across the globe spanning many genres, from Afrobeat to gospel, jazz, Latin, reggae and beyond.
Also joining the Jazz Voice vocal ranks is Mads Mathias - known in his native Denmark for his charismatic performances and spirited personality.
They add to an already impressive line-up, featuring Seal, Liane Carroll, Mica Paris, Miles Mosley, Tony Momrelle and Vanessa Haynes, all accompanied by Guy Barker's 42-piece orchestra and host Jumoké Fashola, to bring in this year's festival with a bang.


text:
The Helix is a multi-venue arts centre serving the people and audiences of North Dublin and beyond with a mixture of high quality music, drama and entertainment. Since its opening in 2002 by President Mary McAleese, the Helix has generated an impressive reputation for staging cutting edge and diverse theatre and music.
The Helix entertainment programme provides something for everybody of all ages and there is something on almost every night of the year.
For more information on their programme:


text:
Quick notes about the ride today: although there was a lot of uphill climbing, being able to speed down a hill at 30mph +, along with the gorgeous rural hilly scenery and rolling through cute towns made it all worth it. Upstate New York does not get enough credit. Little Falls, NY, where we are spending the night tonight, is a quaint town with wooden olden style large houses surrounded by hills.
This morning we dedicated the ride to a teacher at Neeca's high school.
"Alexa was a beautiful English teacher and water polo coach at Elk Grove High School. She was very much a hippie. Even though I didn't have her as a teacher she was always smiling. Although I knew that she had beat cancer previously I thought that she was done. She was so tough. In April of last year she passed away. During the memorial service at the school I started crying when I heard her husband speak, and I'm not a crier."
Today is the first segment of Team member Tuesday. Each week a rider will be interviewed in this feature series.
Rider: Neeca
Year in school: Rising sophomore
Favorite things about Illini 4000 thus far: Bonding with the team and all the inside jokes
Least favorite thing about Illini 4000 thus far: HILLS
One thing that surprised you about this trip: All this year leading up to the trip we heard about how we could only bring a small backpack and that we wouldn't shower everyday, but I thought they were exaggerating. They weren't. Lights out at 10 and having only a short time to get ready in the morning these past days have shown me how slow I move in everyday life.
Do you think after this trip you will love or hate biking? Probably love it…in Illinois
After this summer you will have biked across the continental US, what is another thing you hope to accomplish? I want to run a half marathon in the spring of 2018
What are you looking forward to the most? Going to everyone's weddings on the team.
Favorite CLIF flavor? Blueberry crisp
PBJ or spaghetti with lentils? PBJ
Sink laundry or all natural? Sink laundry for sure
Slow and steady or FAUC (fast as you can)? Slow and steady
Summarize I4k in one word: dirty
Don't forget! You can still donate to our cause! Our goal is $150,000!
Don't forget to stretch,


text:
It was another bitterly cold day in and around the five boroughs on New Year's Eve as a polar air mass lingered over the region. It marked the fifth straight day that the high temperature for the day was at least 10 degrees below normal. The winds were an issue as well, as gusts in excess of 30mph were seen across the area.
Conditions for the New Year's Eve Times Square Ball Drop will be just as frigid and blustery, so, be sure to dress in multiple layers. Temperatures will only be around 10 degrees, and the winds will make it feel like 5 to 10 degrees below zero.
More frigid air is in store for the first full week of 2018; Afternoon highs will only be in the teens and 20s. Most of the week is looking bright and dry, but, a few snowflakes are possible on Thursday.
New Year's Eve Records
Record High: 63 (1965)
Record Low: -7 (1917)
Record Snow: 4.0" (1948)
Record Precipitation: 2.31" (1948)
New Year's Day Records
Record High: 62 (1966)
Record Low: -4 (1918)
Record Snow: 9.0" (1869)
Record Precipitation: 2.05" (1888)


text:
Damen Shipyards has announced this week the signing of a newbuild order from Hamburg-based Opus Marine for a "Twin Axe" Fast Crew Supplier (FCS). The FCS 2610, named Verdi, is being constructed at Damen Shipyards Singapore and will be the first Damen vessel in Opus Marine's fleet.
Damen notes the order was signed on 24 February with an expected delivery date in mid-June 2015.
Opus' Managing Director Bernhard Messer stated that the reputation of the FCS 2610 was instrumental in the company's choice of vessel: "It is very well known on the market for its excellent performance. Furthermore, Damen is able to build the vessel in accordance with German regulations – which is important as she will be sailing under German flag in the North and Baltic Seas."
About the FCS 2610:
The primary funnction of the FCS 2610 design is to facilitate the safe transfer of personnel onto platforms or wind turbines at wave heights of more than 2.5 meters.
- Speed: Max 26 knots
- Range: 1,200 nautical miles
- Class: Bureau Veritas, Workboat, Category 1
- Crane: 20 mt
- Cargo: 2×10? containers
- Dimensions: 26 x 10 meters
- Accommodations: 24 passengers
One of the custom options chosen by Opus was to increase the accommodation capacity from 12 to 24 people, a decision that was prompted by customer demand, says Messer.
Damen Sales Director North, West and South Europe Frank de Lange says, "Since we started building the FCS 2610 in 2011, the vessel has been widely adopted on the market. The Verdi has yard number 40, meaning that 40 vessels of this type have been built since then."