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Testing SmartVoice, Dynamic Blocks, CUI, and Online Workflow in ZWCAD+
By Daniel Dobrzynski
I've reviewed software from ZWSOFT company once before, and this time I'm going to look instead at the new ZWCAD+ 2014, which is the company's 2D/3D drafting software. (See my overview of ZW3D 2013 CAD/CAM software.) ZWSOFT positions ZWCAD+ as software that preserves the compatibility and interface way of traditional CAD market standards, like AutoCAD, including DWG-format compatibility.
More precisely, I review here some of the new features I find interesting: SmartVoice, dynamic blocks, customizable user interface, and the online workflow.
Putting a Voice to Ideas
Sometimes, it is more effective and straightforward to express technical problems verbally, instead of putting writing them down. Even more so when those words are voiced by an expert, who express them with the correct meaning, pronunciation, and intonation. A common example of this – and I think most of us have experienced this – is when we study a textbook, reading and rereading yet not figuring it out; when the teacher explains it using her own phrases, we quickly understand.
A new function in ZWCAD+ 2014 is SmartVoice and I found it useful for its simplicity in use; more so, I found it could help avoid possible errors caused by misunderstanding or misinformation (see figure 1). I could mention several ways to utilize SmartVoice; several that stand out are:
- Supplementary explanations of design intent
- Auxiliary tool for inserting comments during reviews
- Record thoughts of the designer
- Useful in demonstrations
SmartVoice is clearly an interactive way of communicating information between ZWCAD+ users. The software provides options to display or hide all the voice objects. A manager dialog box allows users to choose to play the notes or not; delete; and set (visibility and type) every voice object. If there are many voice objects in the drawing, then the search option quickly finds their graphical position.
Naturally, voice notes only work in DWG files. The audible data is lost when converting the drawings to other formats, such as DXF or PDF – and outputting to traditional media when printing the drawing on paper.
|Figure 1: SmartVoice tool in ZWCAD+ 2014
Blocks are Now Dynamic
Dynamic blocks are new to ZWCAD+ 2014, and meant for modifying blocks through parameters and actions (see figure 2). This means that dynamic blocks are based on traditional blocks, with added properties and custom grips that allow quick editing.
First of all, let me explain in simple words what the new dynamic block function means. Let us imagine an example in which we have to insert the block of a door in a wall. There are many kinds of doors, and walls have different thicknesses. Using regular blocks, we would have to have one kind of door block for every possible styles, door widths, and wall widths.
Instead, using dynamic blocks, we can design a single block for every kind of door – single, bi-fold, double – and every kind of width and thickness. We use custom properties and parameters to specify the styles and sizes. Once the dynamic door block is inserted, we can click on it to see the key points and grip icons that allow us to modify it dynamically (hence the term). We can even specify the opening angle of the door or close it.
|Figure 2: Example of a dynamic block changing the properties of a custom door
Dynamic blocks are another good contribution to ZWCAD + that will prove to save time and so increase drafting efficiency.
Tailoring the Interface to Users
A new dialog box called Customize User Interface (or CUI, for short) allows us to manage all aspects of the user interface (see figure 3). This includes elements such as workspaces, ribbon panels, and quick access toolbars. By making changes to the interface, we users end up with the tools we really need.
Through the CUI command, we can create and manage all ribbons. It is possible to save the CUI configuration in an export file that is based on the XML format.
While it would have be easier to customize the ribbon through drag-and-drop, the Customize User Interface dialog box goes much deeper.
|Figure 3: ZWCAD's new Customize User Interface dialog box
Keeping Software Up to Date
The new Online Update mechanism allows us to update the software online to the latest version (see figure 4). There are two ways to do this. One option is to manually online check for available updates; the other way is to automate this process, which checks every week, two weeks, or monthly; as well, there is an option to download updates automatically.
This new feature is relevant for users who always want – or need to work with – the latest patch level.
|Figure 4: Online update service
The New Online Workflow
In ZWCAD+ 2014, the Online Module for file syncing now allows us to save drawings and customization configurations to 3rd third-party cloud services, like Dropbox and Microsoft's Skydrive. For companies and group of users, it is very important to work together and work with synchronized files.
The cloud plays an important role and ZWCAD+ makes this synchronization easier. Finally, I should note that ZWCAD+ also has a mobile solution called ZWCAD Touch. It would prove to be helpful for checking our designs at all times and in anyplace.
Many years have passed since I first began in this amazing and exciting world of CAD. The story began when I was shocked by a presentation of AutoCAD version 1.4, and on that day I decided with no hesitation on my new career direction, educating myself and promoting to others this great tool design. From those days in which only a very few people were using (and were betting on) such tools, AutoCAD went on to become the world standard through its popularity, especially in 2D applications.
I tell this story only to explain that time passes and CAD systems matured, giving rise to the emergence of new CAD tools, such as ZWCAD+. This software was born respecting the rules of being a DWG- compatible CAD solution with a familiar interface and a surprising among compatibility with the AutoCAD environment. This allows any AutoCAD user get to work on ZWCAD+ with no file conversion and no need for prior training.
So, what might be some of the factors that tilt the balance in the choice between these two CAD programs? Logically, the possible answers to this question have several technical and business sides. On the business side, the numbers speak for themselves. Businesses can fill many seats with ZWCAD+ for the price for just a single seat of AutoCAD.
On the side of the technical area, the benefits – let's call them micro innovations – such as I discuss in this article, can weigh in when selecting which product to go with. Should a reduction in the processing time of drawings be important, then the new tools in ZWCAD + 2014 like SmartVoice, dynamic blocks, and CUI will be a great contribution – as will the online update in facilitating tranquility by maintaining the system at the latest level, without any need for interaction.
If I put myself in the position of a typical user, then the new features presented in ZWCAD 2014+ undoubtedly leave a positive balance.


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Install VMM Software
On this page, you will install the Nimbus VMM software workspace-control and any of its dependencies (including Xen or KVM as well as libvirt, if these are not present already).
workspace-control contains scripts that will help you test that your Xen/KVM/libvirt installation will work with the programmatic access patterns that Nimbus uses.
You should use one VMM node for this exercise. When things are working end to end, you can propagate the configuration and dependencies to all of the other nodes on your cluster (assuming that they are roughly homogeneous).
Dependencies (#)
Before automating a VMM node with Nimbus software, it needs to be a VMM node. So the first thing we need to do is make sure that all the virtualization and networking dependencies are present.
The workspace service currently manages Xen or KVM VMs. It interfaces with both of these systems using a library called libvirt.
This guide will explain how to install the Nimbus workspace control software on top of both Xen 3.x and KVM. The instructions are intermingled so it is recommended that you first read our notes page for the hyper-visor that you intend to use:
There are many steps in this section which are common to both KVM and Xen. However there are also some slight differences mixed in with each step. We will visually distinguish the two with the following styles.
This is information needed for Xen
This is information needed for KVM
The reader can then key in on the information specific to their cloud.
Basic Dependencies
Install Xen 3.x or KVM as described in their respective notes above.
Install ebtables using your Linux distribution's package management tools.
ebtables in the host kernel
ebtables requires kernel support on the VMM machine. If your kernel does not include these for some reason one place to find the options to enable are under Networking :: Networking options :: Network packet filtering :: Bridge Netfilter Configuration :: Ethernet Bridge Tables
Install libvirt version 0.7 or higher using your Linux distribution's package management tools and user guides.
Older libvirt versions
There are differences in lower libvirt versions that have caused problems for some Nimbus users. If you take a chance with this and see an error about "createXML", you've probably got a very old version.
Python bindings for libvirt
An important step is to make sure that your libvirt installation supports the libvirt "python bindings". This is how the Nimbus software actually interacts with libvirt.
In some cases, the bindings (which come with a normal libvirt installation) are not installed. On some systems you need to trigger this to be there by installing the "python-dev" package before installing libvirt. In order to check you have the right install, Nimbus includes a script in the workspace-control download which you will run later (discussed below).
Make sure you have Python 2.4 or higher (but not Python 3.x).
If your Linux distribution doesn't support these packages well, you can try installing from source or binary, starting at libvirt.org (and either xen.org or linux-kvm.org) and ebtables.
Our next step in this guide will be to create a unix account for workspace-control and then install it. This will give us access to some scripts we can use to further verify the system is ready to be automated with Nimbus.
Bridged networking
You need to get a basic VM running with bridged networking. Using NAT networking for guest VMs will not be sufficient.
Choose/Create Privileged User Account (#)
There are two system accounts needed on the VMMs.
privileged account - Pick an account to make privileged (using the sudo program).
In this guide (especially in the command samples) we will refer to an account of this type named nimbus with terminal prompts like "nimbus $"
Note: this is not a privileged account in the sense that root is a privileged account. This is a regular account that you will give powers to during the setup process. It is an account that will be privileged because it will have control over the hyper-visor.
superuser account - The root account is necessary to install dependencies on the VMM nodes (Xen/KVM, ebtables, etc.) and also to install the Nimbus agent that lives on the VMM nodes (workspace control).
In this guide (especially in the command samples) we will refer to an account of this type named root with terminal prompts like "root #"
Note that root is not needed on the service node, just here on the VMM.
Set up libvirt permissions (#)
OK, you've got your non-root user nimbus created, now we need to allow it to control VMs using libvirt.
First, try out a libvirt command as root (it will not change anything if it succeeds or fails).
root # virsh -c 'xen+unix:///' list
root # virsh -c 'qemu:///system' list
Once it works as root, try as the nimbus user:
nimbus $ virsh -c 'xen+unix:///' list
nimbus $ virsh -c 'qemu:///system' list
You may hit an error about failing to connect to the hypervisor.
error: unable to connect to '/var/run/libvirt/libvirt-sock': Permission denied error: failed to connect to the hypervisor
Why? Because you are not root. Check out the permissions on /var/run/libvirt/libvirt-sock
root # ls -l /var/run/libvirt/libvirt-sock srwx------ 1 root root 0 Jul 1 21:28 /var/run/libvirt/libvirt-sock
The solution is to set the domain socket with certain permissions.
Read-only libvirt gotcha
If this works for you, make sure your setup is not just letting you list VMs right now, that will happen if the permissions are read-only for group or world.
You need to make sure it is both readable and writable for the root group and that the nimbus user is part of that group.
Note that we will test a full VM creation later which would uncover this difference.
If you are using later versions of libvirt you may see "Permission denied" errors. Be sure that in the libvirt qemu.conf file (usually /etc/libvirt/qemu.conf) be user you have the following settings:
user = "root" group = "root" dynamic_ownership = 0 clear_emulator_capabilities = 0
or (more secure):
user = "nimbus" group = "nimbus" dynamic_ownership = 0
First, make the nimbus user a member of the libvirtd group:
root # usermod -a -G libvirtd nimbus
Make the libvirt domain socket available for reading and writing by the libvirtd group by enabling the following configurations in /etc/libvirt/libvirtd.conf
unix_sock_group = "libvirtd" unix_sock_ro_perms = "0770" unix_sock_rw_perms = "0770" unix_sock_dir = "/var/run/libvirt"
On some distributions you may need to specify auth_unix_rw = "none" if libvirt defaults to using PolicyKit.
Make sure the group change has taken effect with the nimbus user (using the "groups" command within the shell, you may need to relogin).
Try again:
nimbus $ virsh -c 'xen+unix:///' list
nimbus $ virsh -c 'qemu:///system' list
If you can still not do this basic list command as the nimbus user, look into your distribution's libvirt configurations and also don't hesitate to contact the workspace-user mailing list with problems.
Install workspace-control (#)
We can now download the VMM control package to the machine.
Download the "Control Agents" tar file from the download page, and untar it. This archive contains both workspace-control and the workspace pilot. For this configuration we are using workspace-control. You need to copy it to the /opt/nimbus destination directory like so:
root # curl -O https://www.nimbusproject.org/downloads/nimbus-iaas-controls-2.10.1.tar.gz root # tar xfz nimbus-iaas-controls-2.10.1.tar.gz root # mv nimbus-iaas-controls-2.10.1/workspace-control/* /opt/nimbus
Make sure the directory hierarchy is as the default configurations -- and this guide -- expect.
root # [ -f /opt/nimbus/bin/workspace-control.sh ] && echo "Correct." Correct.
Now make sure the permissions are set up for running via sudo safely. Note the chown -R nimbus part, this is crucial for letting workspace-control do a lot of its work as the non-root user nimbus (only calling out to root via sudo to perform specific priviliged tasks).
root # cd /opt/nimbus root # chown -R root bin etc lib libexec src root # chown -R nimbus var root # find . -type d -exec chmod 775 {} \; root # find . -type f -exec chmod 664 {} \; root # find bin sbin libexec -iname "*sh" -exec chmod 755 {} \;
Test the basic dependencies
Before moving on with a VM launching test, first we should confirm the basic assumptions about the environment. The workspace-control package contains a script that will examine the system.
Run the following command:
nimbus $ ./sbin/test-dependencies.sh
If this script reports you have a problem, look into your distribution's libvirt support (especially the python bindings that were discussed earlier) and don't hesitate to contact the workspace-user mailing list with problems.
Pick the kernel to use (#)
Pick a kernel in /boot that was installed with Xen to use for guest VMs. Let's say for example you find /boot/vmlinuz-188.8.131.52-xen was installed along with Xen.
It may have a matching initrd file, for example /boot/initrd-126.96.36.199-xen
In this case you would run:
nimbus $ KERNELDIR=/opt/nimbus/var/workspace-control/kernels nimbus $ cp /boot/vmlinuz-188.8.131.52-xen $KERNELDIR/default nimbus $ cp /boot/initrd-184.108.40.206-xen $KERNELDIR/default-initrd
Now you have created a kernel called default that workspace-control will launch paravirtualized VMs with. The default kernel and initrd to use for VMs is controlled by the authz_kernels configuration in /opt/nimbus/etc/workspace-control/kernels.conf (by default the authorized kernel is "default").
Obtain the sample image (#)
A sample image has been prepared for testing. This is a basic VM that the Nimbus developers are familiar with, meaning it will be easier to get support help using this VM.
nimbus $ cd /tmp nimbus $ curl -O https://www.nimbusproject.org/downloads/nimbus-z2c.gz nimbus $ gunzip nimbus-z2c.gz
It is a minimal Debian VM with very little installed. It runs an SSH server when it boots. If you have console access to it, you will be able to log in to it using the root account with password root. It also runs the Nimbus context agent on boot, so you can use it to test contextualization.
nimbus $ cd /tmp nimbus $ curl -O https://www.nimbusproject.org/downloads/ubuntu10.10.gz nimbus $ gunzip ubuntu10.10.gz
This is an ubuntu 10.10 base install image with an on-board kernel. It runs ssh when it boots. However, root password logins are disabled (both on console and SSH). This image does not run the context agent.
Configure libvirt hypervisor (#)
Workspace control must be configured to use the correct libvirt hypervisor. This is done in /opt/nimbus/etc/workspace-control/libvirt.conf. The default hypervisor is Xen. If you are using KVM you'll need to edit the vmm property in this file.
[libvirt] vmm: kvm0
Configure default bridge (#)
You set up Xen/KVM to use bridged networking, now it is time to check what the actual name of the bridge will be that the guest VM network card uses to get traffic to the LAN.
Using the brctl tool, you will see something like this in the list of bridges on the VMM system.
root # brctl show bridge name bridge id STP enabled interfaces xenbr0 8000.feffffffffff no peth0
The vif (virtual interface) for domain 0 is vif0.0 and it is bridged to xenbr0. The guest VMs will by default be bridged in the same way.
This exact situation is common and happens to be the default bridge configuration in workspace-control's /opt/nimbus/etc/workspace-control/networks.conf file.
Notice default: xenbr0 in the [defaultbridge] section of that configuration file. The value here needs to be the bridge that VM traffic will be bridged to. In this case, the xenbr0 bridge.
# brctl show bridge name bridge id STP enabled interfaces virbr0 8000.000000000000 yes
Notice virbr0. This value must match the value for default: virbr0 in the [defaultbridge] section of that configuration file /opt/nimbus/etc/workspace-control/networks.conf. In that same file you must also change the value xen-ebtables-config.sh to kvm-ebtables-config.sh.
Configure sudo and ebtables script (#)
Before we can do a live test, we need to configure workspace-control to use sudo privileged properly.
Using the visudo command, add the necessary sudo policies. These policies reflect need to use the user that will be running workspace-control ("nimbus") and the correct full paths to the libexec tools. See /opt/nimbus/etc/workspace-control/sudo.conf for all the details and sample rules.
Make sure the sudo rules work without a password as the nimbus user.
nimbus $ /usr/bin/sudo /opt/nimbus/libexec/workspace-control/xen-ebtables-config.sh ERROR: requires at least 2 arguments, syntax: add|rem <vifname> [<macaddr> <ipaddr> [<dhcpif>]]
nimbus $ /usr/bin/sudo /opt/nimbus/libexec/workspace-control/kvm-ebtables-config.sh ERROR: requires at least 2 arguments, syntax: add|rem <vifname> [<macaddr> <ipaddr> [<dhcpif>]]
Seeing "ERROR" is a good thing here. If you see a password prompt, type in the nimbus user's password which hopefully is a "first time use" warning from sudo. Then try again. The goal is to perform this command from the nimbus account without needing any password.
You may need to comment out any "requiretty" setting in the sudoers policy, like so:
#Defaults requiretty
The commands run via sudo are not using a terminal and so if you have "requiretty" enabled, this can cause a failure.
Obtain the workspace-control network sample (#)
In a previous section of this guide, you configured DHCPd and the network addresses to give to guest VMs.
The central IaaS services container wrote out the dhcpd.entries file that will be used for the DHCPd server configuration. In the same directory a sample file for workspace-control was written out, we will use this to test a VM launch via libvirt with your DHCPd server running. The file you need to obtain is called control.netsample.txt
Transfer this file from the central node to anywhere on the VMM node: $NIMBUS_HOME/services/var/nimbus/control.netsample.txt
We will use it in the next step. The example location on the VMM will be /tmp/control.netsample.txt.
Test VM creation with a generated libvirt config (#)
Once you have obtained the control.netsample.txt file, have the kernel configured and have the default bridge configured, you are ready to try starting the test VM using a libvirt configuration file.
This is not just any libvirt configuration file, but one representing exactly the configuration that the workspace-control tool will use to launch VMs on your system automatically.
A script called libvirt-xml.sh lives in /opt/nimbus/sbin that will generate XML that we can use to launch VMs using the libvirt commandline tool called virsh
It takes a few arguments:
nimbus $ cd /opt/nimbus nimbus $ ./sbin/libvirt-xml.sh -h Usage: see help (-h). Options: --version show program's version number and exit -h, --help show this help message and exit --image=PATH VM image file to test --netsample=PATH Net sample file obtained from service node --memory=INT Amount of MB RAM to assign --mountpoint=id Mountpoint like 'sda1' to mount image to
That image we downloaded is at /tmp/nimbus-z2c or /tmp/ubuntu10.10, that will be the value for the --image flag.
The --memory value will be something easily doable by your system, e.g. 256.
The --mountpoint value will be sda1 if you are using xen with the nimbus-z2c image and hda if you are using kvm with the ubuntu10.10 image.
That leaves the --netsample flag. The value for this will be the path to the control.netsample.txt file we just obtained in the last step.
Run the following:
nimbus $ ./sbin/libvirt-xml.sh --image /tmp/nimbus-z2c --netsample \ /tmp/control.netsample.txt --memory 256 --mountpoint sda1
nimbus $ ./sbin/libvirt-xml.sh --image /tmp/ubuntu10.10 --netsample \ /tmp/control.netsample.txt --memory 256 --mountpoint hda
On stdout, you will see an XML document printed.
Now run the following script to reset things:
nimbus $ ./sbin/destroy-control-test.sh
This may need to be repeated to solve any problems that are being mentioned. Anytime you run libvirt-xml.sh, you should pair it with destroy-control-test.sh before trying again.
Having a problem? If the problem is not obvious from the output, the error and debug logs can be found like so:
nimbus $ ./sbin/cat-latest-logfile.sh
If putting the culprit error into a search engine does not produce any obvious answers, don't hesitate to contact the workspace-user mailing list. Describe your situation and any errors you are seeing. Attaching this debug log and including version information (of the VMM and libvirt and your OS) can often be helpful and reduce the amount of emails that need to occur.
Once you have the XML getting printed, capture it to a file:
nimbus $ ./sbin/libvirt-xml.sh --image /tmp/nimbus-z2c --netsample \ /tmp/control.netsample.txt --memory 256 --mountpoint sda1 > /tmp/z2c.xml
nimbus $ ./sbin/libvirt-xml.sh --image /tmp/ubuntu10.10 --netsample \ /tmp/control.netsample.txt --memory 256 --mountpoint hda > /tmp/z2c.xml
Remember to keep destroying the control-test
Trying libvirt-xml.sh but seeing an error like "The persistence file already exists"? This means you need to run that script: ./sbin/destroy-control-test.sh
Make sure the /tmp/z2c.xml file is what we expect. It should start with lines like this:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no" ?> <domain type='test'> <name>control-test</name>
OK! Now as the nimbus user run the virsh command to boot up the VM.
nimbus $ virsh -c 'xen+unix:///' create /tmp/z2c.xml
nimbus $ virsh -c 'qemu:///system' create /tmp/z2c.xml
Now the VM will boot. If it gets the correct network address from DHCP you should be able to ping it and even log in over SSH.
First find the IP address we are expecting it to get:
nimbus $ grep ip /tmp/control.netsample.txt | awk '{print $2}'
Then give it a ping:
nimbus $ ping -c 1 192.168.0.2
If this does not work, the next step will be to log in via the console and troubleshoot what happened. You can log in using console to the nimbus-z2c image using the root account with password root
nimbus $ virsh -c 'xen+unix:///' console control-test
nimbus $ virsh -c 'qemu:///system' console control-test
Console permissions
With the reference image for KVM console access will not work. In order to use this you will need to create your own image
Console permissions
You may need to be root to run a virsh console subcommand because the nimbus user may not have access to the /dev/pts device being used for console access.
Does it not get an IP address from DHCPd? Is DHCPd running?
Did it get some other IP address from DHCPd? Your DHCPd may be misconfigured, perhaps it is not giving specific MAC addresses specific IP addresses. Perhaps you did not load it with the current dhcpd.leases entries from Nimbus.
If you get an error like "There is a VM running with this handle but there is no record of it in the program" then you may have been starting with virsh but not through libvirt-xml.sh. The way to correct this is to run virsh destroy control-test directly.
Seeing an error from a component, for example in the libvirt logs? If putting the error into a search engine does not produce any obvious answers, don't hesitate to contact the workspace-user mailing list. Describe your situation and any errors you are seeing. Including version information (of the VMM and libvirt and your OS) can often be helpful and reduce the amount of emails that need to occur.
When all is well, you should be able to log in as root over SSH. Trying this from off the node is the best final test.
Final test: VM creation using workspace-control (#)
The final test will be to launch the same file with the same parameters, but using workspace-control.sh just as the service will. We will use a wrapper program called control-test.sh to invoke workspace-control.sh.
If you have a control-test VM running at the moment, shut it down using the kill script:
Gather the same arguments you used for ./sbin/libvirt-xml.sh
$ ./sbin/control-test.sh --image /tmp/nimbus-z2c --netsample \ /tmp/control.netsample.txt --memory 256 --mountpoint sda1 $ echo $? 0
$ ./sbin/control-test.sh --image /tmp/ubuntu10.10 --netsample \ /tmp/control.netsample.txt --memory 256 --mountpoint hda $ echo $? 0
If the exit code is zero, we are good to go. SSH again to test for sure. Run the destruction script and you can move along to the next section in this guide.
Having a problem? If the problem is not obvious from the output (this is not a program usually oriented towards humans), the error and debug logs can be found like so:
nimbus $ ./sbin/cat-latest-logfile.sh
If putting the culprit error into a search engine does not produce any obvious answers, don't hesitate to contact the workspace-user mailing list. Describe your situation and any errors you are seeing. Attaching this debug log and including version information (of the VMM and libvirt and your OS) can often be helpful and reduce the amount of emails that need to occur.
Once you've gotten everything working, proceed to the next page where you will configure communication between the service node and the VMM node: SSH Setup.

subset: commoncrawl


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Chinese Government Bans Battlefield 4 For Threatening National Security
It's not uncommon for some governments to censor a video game before its release in their respective countries, but it's a bit rarer to see a title banned outright. Germany tends to come to many minds first when it comes to video game bannings, as it most notably outlaws the Wolfenstein series. But even countries like Australia have banned a good-sized collection of titles, including recent ones like Saints Row IV and The Witcher 2.
The latest title to suffer this fate is Battlefield 4, and given much of the game's content, I'm sure it comes as no surprise that it's China behind this one.
In the title's first expansion pack, China Rising, the player engages in a war targeting China which has the US' and Russia's involvement. The goal? To overturn the corrupt government, and liberate the country's people.
It's probably not hard to understand why China isn't a fan of this premise. It has outright charged DICE and EA for depicting a form of cultural invasion, and the ban extends far enough to encompass even the very mention of the name. News reports are unable to talk about it, and the Mandarin equivalent of the name is banned from search engines.
Those in China who still want the game will have no other choice but to find it available online somewhere via illegitimate means, although it wouldn't be surprising if China somehow put a stop to that, as well.
Given China's well-established policies, and general policing of what goes on in its country, we'd have to imagine that DICE and EA saw this banning coming from a mile away.


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It's simple, yet powerful image slideshow module. This module makes slideshow presentations with selection of 9 transition effects. It's fully configurable, simple image rotator, based on jQuery. In module parameters, you have control over module display. You can change width, height, and select effects parameters. It's possible to add internal or external link for each image in rotation. Also, if you like, you can write description text for any image in rotation.
Key Features
- Select one of eight transition effects plus random mode (randomize effects)
- Select number of slices for slice based effects
- iPhone-like control buttons (enabled or disabled)
- Left/Right navigation buttons: Always enabled, enabled on hover or disabled
- Optional pause rotation on hover
- Optional links for each image in rotation (link can be opened in current or new window)
- Optional description text for each image in rotation
- No conflict jQuery mode, so you can use it together with other non-jQuery based extensions
Usage Instructions
Open module parameters in Extensions > Module Manager > Hot Effects Rotator. You'll see that some default parameters are already there. However, you should change some of them to accomodate module for usage on your site.
- SLIDER WIDTH: Numerical value for width of the image slider module in pixels (in example 500).
- SLIDER HEIGHT: Numerical value for height of the image slider module in pixels (in example 200).
- FOLDER WHERE IMAGES ARE STORED: Type folder (relative to Joomla root) where your images are stored. Don't include leading or trailing slash (in example you may enter images/stories).
- OPEN LINKS IN A NEW WINDOW: Select whether to open links in a new window or not.
- EFFECTS: Various parameters regarding transition effects.
- IMAGE NAME: Image name with extension (in example articles.jpg).
- IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Description of the image. It will be displayed if enabled.
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My kids like many, love helping to cook in the kitchen. It's a great opportunity to encourage them to eat foods that they wouldn't normally chose, discuss healthy eating and enhance their weighing and measuring skills. Cakes and biscuits are always a winner with kids and the best way to get them involved to begin with, but introducing them to cooking savoury dishes and everyday meals will set them up for life, with practical skills and knowledge that seems to be lacking in today's society. One of our favourite recipes is, of course, a sweet one, Oat and Raisin Biscuits. This is a great recipe as the finished biscuits are a good energy boosting snack containing slow release energy (low GI), preventing that sugar high followed by desperately hungry, grumpy, fighting monsters!! They are comparable to buying the 'healthy' granola type bars but contain a lot less sugar than most of those and the recipe can be adjusted to include chopped nuts, seeds and any dried fruit you like! Chocolate chips have also be known to make their way in on occasion! Simply substitute the plain flour for gluten free plain flour to make them gluten free.
So here's the basic recipe we follow that makes around 20 biscuits:
Oat and Raisin Biscuits
- ½ tsp salt
- 160g plain flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 100g brown sugar
- 100g caster sugar
- 125g rolled oats
- 100g raisins
- 100g more raisins or chopped nuts/seeds/choc chips/ other dried fruit
- 1 large egg
- 150g melted butter
- 1tsp vanilla extract (optional)
- Mum, melt the butter on the hob and set aside then…..
- Get a coffee and sit down with feet up ensuring you can still monitor proceedings. If your children are older (7+) you could leave the room but do this at your own risk!
- Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F)- ideal job for a 5-6 year old learning their numbers 100+
- Youngest child- grease a baking sheet
- Older children weigh out all the dry ingredients and take turns to add each to a large bowl and mix well
- Again, take turns to add the cooled melted butter, egg and vanilla extract- there may be a fight over egg cracking, we use a quick game of rock/paper/ scissors to decide (if the Boy wins, I get him to crack into a separate bowl to make shell removal easier!!)
- Stir until it forms a crumbly, sticky rubble
- Roll tablespoon sized lumps into balls and space 5-7cm apart
- Bake for 10-15 minutes
So long as you don't add nuts (most schools have a no-nuts policy), these are a great lunchbox treat or after-school collection snack.
Another recipe that the kids love helping with and finally got the Boy to eat fish is this Home Made Fish Finger recipe. They love crunching up the corn flakes, cracking the egg and getting messy with the flour, egg and crushed corn flake dipping! I tend to get everything out and ready before collecting them from school and it makes a fab activity when they get home. Though it sounds messy, the main mess is stuck to their fingers which is easy to sort out. So a quick wipe down of surfaces is all it takes to clear up after them and everything else goes in the dishwasher.
A similar recipe, that the kids also like to help with is this one for Crunchy Salmon Fishcakes. Anything involving mashing, squishing and dipping is a winner with kids. Much more fun than chopping vegetables!
I have to admit that I'm happier with recipes that don't involve chopping even with my 10 year old! It's a really difficult one to gauge because, of course things are easier to chop if you use a sharp knife but a sharp knife is sharp!! Yes, I know I'm starting the obvious, but you know what I mean. I suppose they won't learn unless they try, I think the key will be to eliminate distraction (turn off the TV!) and supervise closely. What age would you allow your child to use a sharp knife in the kitchen? What are your favourite recipes to cook with the kids?


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A collaborative work of Cedefop, UNESCO, ETF and UNESCO's Institute for Lifelong learning, the Global inventory of national and regional qualifications frameworks captures and analyses global trends in qualifications frameworks.
The 2019 update is the inventory's fourth edition, consisting of two volumes:
- Vol 1: six thematic chapters;
- Vol 2: 102 individual country descriptions and seven regional qualifications frameworks.
The inventory gathers information on progress in establishing national and regional qualifications frameworks, and on the challenges and success factors in implementation. It monitors how countries around the globe are reforming their education systems by improving the quality and relevance of their qualifications.
Among the inventory's uses is to inform decisions by ministries, authorities and other actors; and to share knowledge with a worldwide network of experts and officials implementing national or regional qualifications frameworks.
National chapters include snapshots of progress in qualifications reforms. The country cases look at the educational, social, economic and political context in which the national qualifications framework (NQF) is embedded, the main policy objectives, learning outcomes' implementation, stakeholder involvement and institutional arrangements.
The NQFs support the goals of UNESCO's Education 2030 agenda, a framework for action that reinforces implementation of sustainable development goal 4: to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. Learning-outcomes-based qualifications frameworks can contribute directly to this goal.
In 2016, the European Commission adopted the New skills agenda for Europe with actions to improve the quality and relevance of skills for citizens and the labour market. The skills agenda underlines the need to continue developing the European qualifications framework (EQF), noting the progress made after 2008. The revised EQF (adopted in 2017) is expected to play a key role in taking forward EU skills and lifelong learning strategies, directly aiding transparency and portability of qualifications in Europe.
New regional frameworks are now becoming operational. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations qualifications reference framework has attained operational status. Initiatives in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific area also illustrate this tendency.
2019 update findings
- Global trends, such as internationalisation, digitalisation, migration and mobility, are changing the education and qualifications systems as we know them.
- Digital learning is spreading across the world, changing the relationship between formal/traditional qualifications and digital credentials.
- The learning outcomes concept (skills and knowledge that learners acquire as a result of learning) is becoming a common basis for almost all national and regional qualifications frameworks worldwide.
- The spread of the NQFs has helped the validation and recognition of knowledge, skills and competences acquired in a non-formal setting.
- Qualifications frameworks and reform have contributed to greater transparency of qualification systems and better access to lifelong learning opportunities.
- An important challenge for the coming years is for NQFs to keep up with digitalisation, establishing trust across national and regional borders.


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Fit and Effective Hawaii Business Professionals
Tim Johns
Age: 56
Position: Chief consumer officer at HMSA
Workouts: Swimming, surfing, resistance training, stationary biking, jogging, paddle boarding, hiking, long walks with his dog
On weekdays, Johns says he wakes extra early to fit in a swim before work. "Then I just try to grab the time whenever I have a break in my schedule. The weekends usually have multiple activities, which is fun."
Johns has always been active with surfing, hiking, running and skiing. In his 30s, inspired by his athletic children, he kicked it up a notch, adding open-ocean swim races to the mix, helping him focus his fitness goals and use targeted training.
Advice: Johns says it is important to guard against the effects of aging. "I think you have to work harder. I have increased my resistance training and I do more high-intensity workouts in the morning. I think both of these things help compensate for the metabolic changes our bodies go through as we age."
Virginia Pressler
Age: 63
Position: Executive VP at Hawaii Pacific Health, retired surgeon
Workouts: Standup paddling, walking, hiking, cycling, skiing, kayaking, yoga
Pressler sets her alarm for 4:30 every morning to ensure she fits in a daily three-mile walk with her husband on a steep hill in their neighborhood. She follows that with chinups, pushups, core exercises and stretching. She also walks to meetings downtown and uses stairs rather than elevators.
"I love the feeling of being in shape, being able to run and jump and not get hurt," Pressler says. "I don't wake up stiff in the morning. It is a stress buster and also helps me think. I am also an older mom and want to stay healthy for my family. Our bodies are meant to be active. Once we stop being active, it's all downhill."
Advice: "Find something you enjoy and make sure it's sustainable so that you will keep at it. Make it part of the routine of your life, not an option. Sharing it with a buddy makes it more enjoyable, sustainable and gives you the added advantage of social activity."
Lloyd Kawakami
Age: 59
Position: CEO of Iolani Sportswear and musician with Manoa DNA
Workouts: Squash, weights, cardio, yoga
Motivation isn't a problem for Kawakami. "I've been involved in sports ever since I was a kid, as a swimmer and water-polo player throughout my school and college years, then as a paddler, jogger and squash player in my later years."
Although Kawakami's schedule is extremely tight, traveling constantly with his family's musical group, Manoa DNA, and running a fashion business, his competitive spirit helps him keep going to the gym. "I don't like getting my butt kicked around the squash court by the younger guys," he says. "As I feel my body aging, I want to try and mitigate the effects by focusing on strength and overall conditioning."
Advice: "Being overweight and under stress are the two biggest threats to anyone's health, in my opinion. As a businessman, I see examples of this every day and people who don't start taking care of themselves could end up with some very serious health problems a lot sooner than they think. Something as easy as a daily walk or a change in diet can be a great way to get started. It's really about establishing a mindset."
Faauga To'oto'o
Age: 55
Position: Circuit Court judge
Workouts: Pickup basketball, Stairmaster, weightlifting
When To'oto'o is overseeing a trial, he makes the time to work out because it helps him focus. "The more intense the trial, the more I work out," he says. "I stay on top of things by working out. I have to be alert and awake every second the trial is on and working out makes me sharp."
Advice: Find a strong motivator; To'oto'o's primary motivation is his 12-year-old daughter. "I want to be around as long as I can for my daughter. I also enjoy taking her to sports like volleyball."
Kelly Gleason
Age: 37
Position: Maritime archaeologist with Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument
Workouts: Ocean and pool swimming, lacrosse, running, yoga, cycling
Gleason's job as a maritime archaeologist requires a high level of fitness. She has swum the Molokai Channel and along the Na Pali Coast, and is currently participating in the Waikiki Swim Club's biathlons. To keep in shape for competition, she works out once or twice a day, six days a week.
"Fitness and sports is a big priority for me, so it's part of my daily schedule that I don't consider an option. It is sort of who I am as a person and consequently what I will always make time for. I also know I'm a better version of myself when I've made time for fitness."
Gleason swims with the Oahu Club masters at 6 a.m. or noon. As a referee for the Aloha Youth Lacrosse League, she has to run after the players at breakneck speed. A year ago she realized she was overworking some muscle groups and underutilizing others, so she hired a personal trainer, Lou Ortiz, to help her achieve balance.
Advice: "Choose your friends wisely. Healthy friends are the best motivator for a healthy lifestyle. If your friends are part of your fitness routine, you have the opportunity to lead a much more balanced lifestyle."
Kirk Caldwell
Age: 60
Position: Mayor of Honolulu
Workouts: Standup paddling, surfing, jogging, yard work
Despite one of Hawaii' busiest schedules, Caldwell finds time for fitness because he schedules his workouts "like any other event and plan around it."
"Working out alone, especially running, gives me the opportunity to clear my mind and enjoy silence for a change." That said, Sundays are for standup paddling with his friends.
Caldwell was first motivated to keep fit by John F. Kennedy. "Many people don't know this, but President Kennedy launched a huge fitness initiative around the time he started the Peace Corps and his 50-mile walk. A lot of my healthy habits come from what I learned growing up in Hilo. My generation was the first to be conscious of things like exercise, a healthy diet and the dangers of smoking."
Advice: "Twenty or 30 minutes are better than nothing. I try not to put off exercising because I know that if I do, I'll never get around to it. Something will always come up, so you need to make exercise a part of your routine."
Diana Huang
Age: 45
Position: Ob/Gyn doctor
Workouts: Incline treadmill at home two or three times a week and with personal trainer Amy Forsyth twice a week
In 2004, Huang went to a Curves location with two of her medical assistants and decided to join. "It was only 30 minutes, three times a week, but I started losing weight and feeling more fit. Since then, I have lost 25 pounds," she says.
After her Curves location closed, she kept working out at home. "I like to exercise first thing in the morning so that I get it over with, don't feel guilty and have more energy for the day. Also, the chronic pain in my neck and shoulder is alleviated with exercise."
Since getting fit, she tends to eat more healthily. "It's surprising, but exercising makes me eat less rather than more."
Advice: "Sometimes you feel that you have no time or are too tired to exercise. I hear it all the time from my patients. You have to just squeeze it into your schedule. Even 15 or 20 minutes is better than nothing. It is true what everyone says: You feel better and have more energy. Also, once you start exercising, don't stop. Sometimes you have to trick your mind into it. I'll tell myself, 'OK, I'm really tired today, but, instead of walking two laps around the block, I'll just walk one lap.' But, once I start, I feel good and just keep going. Once you stop, it's often very hard to get back into the routine."
Peter Ehrman
Age: 54
Position: Wealth advisor at Morgan Stanley
Workouts: Standup paddling, ocean swimming, surfing, walking the dog, yard work
Since Ehrman has to be at work by 6:30 a.m., he makes evenings his workout time. Three days a week he gets in the ocean to swim or standup paddle. Six days a week he walks his black Labrador, Nikki, for at least 45 minutes. On the weekends, he paddles, swims or surfs early and does hard physical labor in his yard in the afternoon.
Since developing arthritis in his hip, Ehrman has had to quit volleyball, a sport he played at Punahou and UCLA. However, swimming has been an ideal, pain-free substitute.
Ehrman is motivated by older people who are "out there and still being active." He cites Peter Balding Sr., 79, the father of his best friend, Peter Balding. "He goes surfing with Peter and me and I'm admiring him every moment," Ehrman says.
Advice: "Try to make (fitness) a part of your normal routine without thinking about it, sort of like brushing your teeth."
Kalei Inn
Age: 65
Position: Management consultant and executive coach
Workouts: Group classes at The Honolulu Club, including kickboxing, Zumba, Iyengar yoga, stretch and muscle conditioning
With an erratic work schedule, Inn can't always make it to exercise classes. "I will use the (cardio) machines as an alternative, especially when I have much reading or thinking to do. Multitasking in that way has been a good way for me to make time to work out as I work."
A knee injury sidelined her last year, so Inn modified her actions during fitness classes to avoid further injury. She talks to the instructors about safe moves.
Inn often networks with other Honolulu Club members and "many times, business relationships have grown out of the sharing of fitness experiences and health tips."
Advice: Her multitasking tips include making it a game to step in place while watching TV, doing squats while checking email on the phone, and performing pushups against a desk or kitchen counter.
Louise Ing
Age: 61
Position: Lawyer with Alston Hunt Floyd & Ing (fifth from left in photo at right)
Workouts: Sessions with a personal trainer, hula, jogging with husband and daughter, Fit Camp Bootcamps, P90-X classes
Because her work schedule is brutal, Ing says, "I have to make a conscious effort to wake up early or tear away from my desk at the end of the day. It's almost always a struggle and when work gets intense, workouts are often the first to go, but the reward is how I feel afterwards: more energized, stronger, more confident, less grouchy."
"I call exercise our natural fountain of youth," Ing says. "I want to be in even better shape in my later years than I was when younger."
Advice: "Hula helps with toning and coordination and is a beautiful artistic counterpoint to lawyer work and a link to our host culture."
Dee Jay Mailer
Age: 61
Position: CEO, Kamehameha Schools
Workouts: Pilates, walking the city, "just discovered P90-X with my best friends"
Mailer says she seeks balance in all aspects of her life. "I eat well half the time, exercise half the time and get a good night's sleep half the time. The theme is not all the time but enough to allow balance between having discipline and having fun."
She eats small portions and has cut down on sugar. She tries to walk whenever possible, to the store, to restaurants, to parks. On weekends, she and her husband walk from their home in Makiki to other neighborhoods, such as Diamond Head, Manoa, Kewalo Basin and Ala Moana. "If we don't want to walk back, we catch TheBus."
Mailer's commitment to fitness and good nutrition comes from "knowing that it is ultimately the right thing for every moment in your life. As you get older, you see and feel how important it is. From the body shifting from north to south, clothes that don't fit, your mirror wake-up call every morning and your doctor's constant reminders, staying fit is staying alive, in the best of all ways."
Advice: "Don't let (exercise) be just one more reason to be busier, make it one more reason to slow down."


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August 2 and 15, 2007
Cuisine: Vietnamese
252/68B Ly Chinh Thang Street
District 3, Ho Chi Minh City
Phone: 9312975
Website: none
Banh Beo (12,000 VND)
Cha Gio (15,000 VND)
Bun Mam (15,000 VND)
My Quang (15,000 VND)
Bun Thit Nuong (15,000 VND)
UPDATE: Banh Bot Loc (12,000)
UPDATE II: Bun Bo Hue (16,000 VND)
Bún Bò Huế – Yen Do is quickly becoming one of my favorite eateries in the city. A short walk from the East Meets West office, Yen Do serves up cuisine from the city of Huế, which is regarded as the culinary capital of Vietnam and also the birthplace of my ong ngoai (grandpa). The restaurant is named after Huế's most famous dish—Bún Bò, which The Astronomer and I have yet to sample during our two visits.
As per usual, we stumbled upon this restaurant hungrily during lunch time. On both my first and second visits, I ordered a bowl of My Quang. My Quang's broth is orangey, mild, a bit sweet, a little spicy, and used sparingly in this uncharacteristically dry noodle dish. The noodles are wide like fettuccine and yellow due to the employment of turmeric or saffron. The yellow noodle trend seems to be unique to Vietnam because the My Quang I've had in the states uses regular rice noodles. Banh trang (sesame crackers), pork slivers, spring onions, peanuts, braised shrimp, and cha (pork forcemeat) add a variety of tastes and textures to this complex and hearty dish. My Quang is served with a plate of fresh herbs; I like to add thin shavings of banana flower into my soup. I did not grow up eating My Quang and have probably had it twice in my life before coming to Vietnam, but I just can't get enough of it these days.
On The Astronomer' first visit he ordered a bowl of Bun Mam, which he declared the best noodle and broth combination he'd had so far. The dish's dominant flavor is fermented fish, which is oftentimes too strong for the untrained palate, including some Vietnamese folks, so I was very impressed that The Astronomer enjoyed it so much! To supplement his noodles, he ordered a plate of banh beo, which are steamed rice and tapioca flour morsels topped with dried shrimp, mung bean paste, and eaten with sweetened fish sauce. Banh beo is definitely one of The Astronomer's favorite dishes.
On his second visit, The Astronomer ordered bun thit nuong, which consists of vermicelli noodles topped with grilled pork, peanuts, bean sprouts, herbs, and fish sauce. The "chef" also added an eggroll for good measure. On these hot Saigon afternoons, bun thit nuong is a cool alternative to the regular broth and noodle dishes. Additionally, I ordered five eggrolls for us to share. The eggrolls were the best I've had thus far and the ratio of meat to wrapper was better than average. I have adopted the Vietnamese way of eating eggrolls, which involves wrapping them in lettuce leaves and dipping them in fish sauce. The flavors are really fabulous.
UPDATE: My aunt Phoung came to Saigon last week from San Diego and I took her to Yen Do for lunch one day. We ordered a plate of banh bot loc and they were awesome. I hate to admit it, but they were even better than my grandma's! Most of the time, the overly-chewy texture of banh bot loc makes me choke, but these were pleasantly chewy.
UPDATE II: The restaurant's signature dish was quite good. The gio heo tasted just like home.


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CDO Roles On The Rise as Companies Make Digital Strategy a Priority.
W ith digital strategy such a prominent focus at today's transformational organizations, the chief digital officer (CDO) position is, in turn, on the rise, according to the "2016 Global Chief Digital Officer Study," by Strategy&, PwC's strategy consulting business.
Indeed, just last month, Mars hired Infosys executive Sandeep Dodlani as CDO. The increase in the position is evidence that companies are putting their money where their mouths are, and making a concerted effort to become digital organizations, said Mathias Herzog, a partner at Strategy&. Of the 2,500 companies analyzed globally, 19% have a CDO, up from 6% the year prior. Additionally, 60% of all CDOs identified were hired during 2016 and 2015.
"The major finding here is the number of CDOs in top global organizations has increased sharply from the last time we looked at the data," Herzog said. "But the other really interesting finding for me was the background of these executives. There's not a high concentration of CDOs that have a marketing background, but we do see a strong technology background as a common denominator."
According to the report, 32% of digital leaders possess technology backgrounds, and while 40% are members of the C-suite, less than 5% are CMOs who hold the digital leader responsibility. So who's leading the charge? Turns out, the majority (67%) of C-suite execs tasked with digital strategy are actual CDOs. However, Herzog noted, not every digital leader carries the CDO title.
"In some instances, we see an executive wear a double hat, where you might have a CDO that has a different title but performs the role of the CDO," he said. For the 33% of CDOs wearing two hats, the CIO is most likely the one to perform the CDO duty, while 39% of execs have a marketing, sales, or customer service background.
The report also found that larger companies are more likely to have a CDO in place, as are companies based in North America and Europe.
Additionally, the majority of executives leading digital strategy are men (84%), and the insurance and banking industry has led the way in appointing CDOs over the course of the last year.
So what does the CDO actually do? According to the study, CDOs lead a company's digital transformation by unifying the digital agenda. Oftentimes, according to Herzog, a digital leader is appointed within an organization only to find pockets of digital activity throughout the company. The job of the CDO is to help the company get closer to customers through better digital experiences. For some companies that has meant rethinking and restructuring internal operations; for others it has meant devising new business models, with both initiatives led by a CDO.
In addition, the CDO is responsible for figuring out the technology needs of an organization on its way to transformation. That means taking a look at legacy systems and figuring out whether an overhaul is necessary or point solutions can be brought in to work with what is already in place. According to the study, the CDO is also in charge of cross-company alignment and coordination. Other responsibilities: bridging the talent gap, setting the digital strategy, and ensuring buy-in across the organization.
"The biggest takeaway for organizations, in my opinion, is that there's a correlation between an organization's aspiration for digital and the maturity by which they approach the topic," Herzog said. "We're seeing that an organization's digital transformation journey's success rate correlates with hiring a digital leader."


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Caecilia isthmica
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Nova Southeastern University Rated 5th Nationally For Minorities with Graduate Degrees
FORT LAUDERDALE/DAVIE, Fla., Nov. 07, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A new national study of U.S. colleges and universities found that Nova Southeastern University (NSU) is rated 5th for the overall number of minority graduate degree recipients, according to Diverse: Issues in Higher Education. The 30-year-old publication provides news, commentary and insight on the full range of issues concerning diversity in American education.
"It is gratifying to know that our efforts to have a truly diversified campus are successful," said NSU President/CEO George L. Hanbury II. "I think our student population well reflects the community we are situated in, and also shows our programs to engage minority students are working."
An NSU analysis of the Diverse study, http://diverseeducation.com/top100/pages/index.php , reflects that for all graduate level degrees, NSU ranks 2nd in Hispanic graduates and 9th in African American graduates. NSU is ranked 3rd in Masters in Business Administration degrees. In addition, NSU ranks first in professional doctorates of Dentistry to Hispanic students. NSU is the largest private institution in the United States that meets the U.S. Department of Education's criteria as a Hispanic-serving Institution.
The 2015-2016 data collected by Diverse is based on the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). IPEDS is a system of interrelated surveys conducted annually by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), which is a part of the Institute for Education Sciences with the U.S. Department of Education.
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About Nova Southeastern University (NSU): Ranked among US News & World Report's Top 200 National Research Universities and located in beautiful Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Nova Southeastern University (NSU) is a dynamic research institution dedicated to providing high-quality educational programs at the undergraduate, graduate, and first-professional degree levels. A private, not-for-profit institution, NSU has campuses in Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Miami, Miramar, Orlando, Palm Beach, and Tampa Bay, Florida, as well as San Juan, Puerto Rico, while maintaining a presence online globally. For more than 50 years, NSU has been awarding degrees in a wide range of fields, while fostering groundbreaking research and an impactful commitment to community. Classified as a research university with "high research activity" by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, NSU is 1 of only 50 universities nationwide to also be awarded Carnegie's Community Engagement Classification, and is also the largest private, not-for-profit institution in the United States that meets the U.S. Department of Education's criteria as a Hispanic-serving Institution. Please visit www.nova.edu for more information about NSU and realizingpotential.nova.edu for more information on the largest fundraising campaign in NSU history.
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A telescope in Chile has captured the most detailed views ever of odd clouds of interstellar dust that are being sculpted into strange shapes by the wind from nearby stars.
Astronomers used the European Southern Observatory's La Silla Observatory to capture the amazing new images of the space clouds around the distant star cluster NGC 3572. The new photo shows a mysterious ring and structures known as "elephant trunks" — huge columns of interstellar dust and gas. You can watch a video flythrough of the new space cloud photos provided by ESO.
"This new image shows how these clouds of gas and dust have been sculpted into whimsical bubbles, arcs and the odd features known as elephant trunks by the stellar winds flowing from this gathering of hot young stars," ESO officials wrote in an image description.
NGC 3572 — located in the southern constellation Carina — plays host to many young, hot stars that shine bright blue and white in the new photos and shape the clouds, ESO officials wrote.
The "Pillars of Creation" photo of the Eagle Nebula taken by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope is the most famous example of elephant trunks, according to ESO representatives.
Another interesting aspect of the new image is a ring-shaped nebula located a bit above the center of the picture. Scientists aren't sure what the origin of the nebula is, but they think it might be a leftover from the cloud of material that formed the star cluster, or it could be a bubble around a hot star. Some astronomers also suggest that it could be a planetary nebula — the remains of a dying sunlike star.
Stars in clusters might have formed at around the same time, but they are incredibly diverse in size, temperature, color and mass, ESO officials said.
"These gangs of young stars stick together for a relatively short time, typically tens or hundreds of millions of years," ESO officials said. "They are gradually disbanded by gravitational interactions, but also because the most massive stars are short-lived, burning through their fuel quickly and ultimately ending their lives in violent supernova explosions, thus contributing to the dispersion of the remaining gas and stars in the cluster."
Follow Miriam Kramer @mirikramer and Google+. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on SPACE.com.


text:
on [<modes>]exec_exit [<serial#>] [-|^]<match> { <action> }
This hook is triggered whenever an EXECed process finishes, either because it exits, it is killed by a signal, or you asked the client to disown it.
This hook is always thrown, no matter what the value of set notify_on_termination is.
|process number or name of the EXECed process
|signal that killed the process, or 0 (zero) if it exited normally
|exit code (usually zero, unless $1 is non-zero)
If you do not suppress this event, the client will format the message and display it to your screen UNLESS set notify_on_termination is OFF.
To display when a process exits:
on ^exit_exec "*" { if ( [$2] ) { xecho -b Process '$0' exited with code $2 \(signal $1\) } { xecho -b Process '$0' exited normally } }
The ON EXEC_EXIT hook first appeared in ircII. #$EPIC: on_exec_exit.txt,v 1.5 2007/03/03 17:58:33 jnelson Exp $


text:
For almost as long as I've been a knitter,
I've been fascinated by the history of knitting. I've
especially enjoyed the mind-twisting process of working with
the often obtuse and obfuscatory language of antique patterns.
There's a thrill, I find, in watching a project emerge
row by row and knowing that other knitters, long gone, followed
the same path.
The process of decoding, testing and correcting
isn't for everyone,
though; and so in this column I hope to share
the excitement of the journey by removing as
many of the roadblocks as possible. You don't need
to be a historian to come along – just a knitter with
a curious mind.
For almost as long as I've been a knitter,
I've been fascinated by the history of knitting. I've
especially enjoyed the mind-twisting process of working with
the often obtuse and obfuscatory language of antique patterns.
There's a thrill, I find, in watching a project emerge
row by row and knowing that other knitters, long gone, followed
the same path.
The process of decoding, testing and correcting
isn't for everyone,
though; and so in this column I hope to share
the excitement of the journey by removing as
many of the roadblocks as possible. You don't need
to be a historian to come along – just a knitter with
a curious mind.
Courtesy of Lion Brand Yarn Company
I once got a message from a knitter that
read as follows:
Hi. I am trying to knit this baby outfit
and they call for a yarn that isn't
made any more. It's not in Ravelry.
You write about old knitting. Where can
I find out what the yarn was like
so I can pick a substitute?
The pattern, published in the 1920s by a
yarn company, warned in bold capitals that
it would be the height of folly and bad taste
to substitute anything for the company's
own yarn: FOR BEST RESULTS USE ONLY SUPERIOR "HOTCHA" BRAND "LITTLE
RICKETS. Or words to that effect.
The difficulty, of course, is that in the
intervening century HOTCHA BRAND and its
SUPERIOR yarns have long since gone to dust,
or been digested repeatedly by larger and
larger corporations. Good luck with getting
through to customer service.
When you're dealing with older patterns
that were published by a yarn company, this
is the rule rather than the exception. That's
what made me look twice when a student in
one of my antique patterns classes pulled
out a slim volume with LION YARN BOOK in
large letters on the cover.
"Lion as in Lion Brand?" I asked.
"I think so," she said.
It was. Under the title, to the right of
a cheerful Ragtime-era soubrette with a shawl-collared
cardigan and a canoe paddle, was the familiar
trademark of a recumbent lion in a grove
of palm trees.
"When was it published?" I asked.
"The copyright is 1916," she
"Hmmm," I said.
But I rather liked the idea of working through
a centenarian pattern using modern yarns
from the same company that had originally
published it. So I did a little digging,
made a few calls, and found out that far
more than the name and trademark had survived.
When it published "Lion
Yarn Book," the
company was already well past the quarter-century
mark. Reuben Blumenthal established
the company in New York in 1878. Almost 135
years later, the company's CEO is still
a Blumenthal – David, a direct fourth-generation
descendant of Reuben – and his office
is still in New York City. In fact, the majority
of Lion Brand's leaders are Blumenthals,
all great-grandsons of the founder. A fifth generation – including
David's son, Evan, now Director
of International Sales – is rising,
which I think must qualify the Blumenthals
to be the Rothschilds of the yarn industry.
I spoke with Jack Blumenthal, a Senior Vice
President with an intimate knowledge of the
company's history, about how he literally
grew up in the business. His father, George
H. Blumenthal, was a trained textile engineer
who handled the company's sales.
"From the time I was four years old," says
Jack, "all I wanted was to be like
my dad. He got to travel the world, talking
to people, talking about yarn, which what
he loved. And I knew I wanted to do that."
On the road, George not only promoted the
company's lines but collected information
about what yarns knitters were looking for,
and where they
were looking for them. Like many New Yorkers
then and now, he didn't drive, so
in each city he visited, he'd hire
a driver.*
Says Jack, "He'd always ask
the driver, 'Where does your wife buy
her yarn?' And in the early 1960s,
he noticed that they weren't talking
mostly about department stores and small
shops any more–they were talking about
the new discount stores, like Ann & Hope
in Rhode Island. On one visit to Minneapolis,
in 1962, the driver took him to his wife's
favorite store. A brand new place. It was
the first Target."
Lion Brand also followed the market when
knitters began to ask for yarns that could
be cared for like the new wrinkle-free, stain-resistant,
wash-and-wear clothes** they could now buy
off the rack. George's background in
textile engineering meant he understood the
nature and potential of the new man-made
fibers, and the company kept its business
viable by changing its yarns to meet customer
"Fads come and go," says Jack, "but
we don't mind. We like to swim upstream."
Which is a good thing, since nowadays the
many of the trends George spotted are reversing
themselves under his son's watch. The
market for acrylics hasn't exactly
disappeared, but the renewed public interest
in natural fibers has led the company to
introduce the LB Collection, an elegant small-batch
line comprising merinos, cashmeres, organic
wools, cottons, and other emphatically non-acrylic
The happy rebirth of the small shop is something
the company has also celebrated – by
opening its own. The
Lion Brand Yarn Studio on West
15th Street in New York City (not far from
the company's origins on Orchard Street)
was a dream from Jack's first days in the
company, in the early 1980s. "We had
a vision of what the perfect yarn shop would
be," he says. The Studio, which opened
in 2008, is the realization – noted
for its cozy atmosphere, spectacular window
displays, and interior installations of knitted
and crocheted art. (For bargain hunters,
the company also offers a factory
outlet in the New Jersey
Meadowlands, complete with a large and comfortable
knit café in the middle.)
So, the company that produced the first
Lion Yarn Book in 1912 is still very much
alive and roaring in 2012; though instead
of a book with dozens of patterns, it's
got a Web site with almost 5,000. Reuben
would be proud.
Old Pattern, New Yarn
Now for the bad news.
I found a pattern in the Lion Yarn Book that
I absolutely had to knit – a toddler's
pullover in the classic "Middy" mode
with bow and sailor collar. The design was
a shock to my system: all garter stitch,
one piece, knit flat, two simple seams. No
increasing except by casting on. No decreasing
except by binding off. So modern in technique,
so prescient of the work of Elizabeth Zimmermann
(who was born in 1910), that it's almost
The Middy Jumper calls for several skeins
of Shetland Floss, a brand that isn't
among Lion Brand's current offerings;
but I figured while I was on the phone with
Jack I'd ask him to tell me about it,
maybe even dig up a sample from the vault.
That's when I learned about the fire.
"The oldest yarns in the archives
go back to the fifties, a little bit from
the forties," he said. "Almost
everything before that was destroyed."
There was a long pause, during which I may
or may not have wept openly.
So, ironically, I was back to the usual
starting point of having only a brand name
and a small bit of fairly useless information.
The list of Lion Brand Yarns in the back
of the book describes Shetland Floss as "2
fold" (meaning two-ply); and it's
not in the special category of "Dainty
Yarns for Dainty Work." So we know
it had two plies and wasn't notably
dainty. That doesn't get a person very
far when trying to pick a modern substitute.
What to do?
Ultimately I was forced to estimate the
original gauge by comparing the number of
stitches cast on for the back to the chest
measurement for a child of twenty-four months
as designated by the Craft
Yarn Council of America (CYCA). I have
no way of knowing whether the 1916 designer
and the CYCA would agree precisely on
the circumference of the average toddler,
but it was as good a starting point as any.
Dividing half the chest measurement by the
number of cast on stitches for the back gave
me some idea of the stitches per inch, which
allowed me to guess at the gauge of the original
Shetland Floss: about six stitches per inch.
Then came another quandary. Six stitches
per inch usually means a sport or light DK
yarn–and the current Lion Brand lines
fall mainly on either side of that weight.
So I did what knitters past, present, and
future have ever done in this situation.
I picked the available yarn that I liked
best and adapted the pattern to make it work.
The translated pattern uses a larger gauge,
but unlike the original, this Middy Jumper
will survive a trip through the washing machine.
(Except the bow. Take the bow out first.)
*Until Jack turned 17 and began
traveling with his father on sales calls
as his driver. That's how he learned
the business, he says – sitting and
listening to his father talk to buyers
and company presidents.
**If, like me, you always wondered how
an entire generation could fall in love
with acrylic, go ask your grandmother (or
any woman who came of age in the 1950s
or before) what fun it was to spend one
day a week, every week, bent over an ironing
by Franklin Habit, translated from Lion Yarn Book:
A Manual of Worsted Work for Those Who
Knit and Crochet by
Lion Brand Yarns (1916)
2-3 years
Chest: 24 inches
Hem to Underarm: 10 inches
Arm: 9.5 inches
Lion Brand Martha Stewart Crafts Extra Soft Wool Blend [65% acrylic/35%
wool; 165 yd per 100g skein]
Gray Pearl; 2 skeins
Bakery Box White; 1 skein
Recommended needle size
[always use a needle
size that gives you the gauge
listed below -- every knitter's
gauge is unique]
#3/3.25mm needles: straight or 1 24-inch circular as
you prefer
yard of white or pale cream 7/8" wide satin ribbon
20 sts/20 ridges = 4 inches in stockinette
stitch before blocking
[Knitty's list of standard abbreviations and techniques can be found here.]
The piece is worked entirely in garter
stitch. The body and sleeves are knit first, in one piece,
beginning with the back. Cuffs and collar are added before
the two side/underarm seams are sewn. Note that the front
panel is considerably larger than the back due to stitches
that are cast on when working the collar's front placket.
This creates a nice a-line shape.
Gauge and needle selection: You'll find that the gauge
indicated creates a firm fabric – not stiff, but tight
enough to minimize stretching and drooping.
To get gauge, you may well find yourself
using a needle two or even three sizes smaller than you would
normally choose for knitting the same yarn in stockinette.
Historic gauge and fiber: The figures used in the original
pattern indicate a slightly finer gauge of 6 sts to the inch,
to be worked in a pure wool yarn equivalent to a modern sport
weight. If you wish to work at this gauge, substitute the following
numbers for those in the modern pattern:
and adjust the rest of the numbers accordingly.
BO in Purl on RS row. This small detail
called for in the original pattern, but it
results in a garter stitch edge so neat and
elegant that it has become my go-to technique for binding
off garter stitch. There's a tutorial
Sewing Seams. I strongly recommend
stitch, which is strong, flexible, and becomes virtually
invisible in this project.
Work in garter st (k all sts) until work measures 9 inches,
marking the RS of the work with a stitch marker or safety pin.
End with a WS row.
Sleeve cast on row: Turn work and, using knitted cast
on, CO 30 sts. K across all sts.
Repeat the Sleeve cast on row once more. 110 sts.
Work in garter st until portion above sleeve CO measures 4
inches, ending with a WS row.
Divide for fronts:
K 50 sts. Sl these sts onto a piece of
scrap yarn.
BO the next 10 sts for back of neck.
Left front
On the remaining 50 sts, knit 5 ridges
(10 rows) ending with a WS row.
Cast on for neck placket: Turn work. Using knitted
cast on, CO 12 sts. Do not turn work, but knit across these
62 sts until sleeve portion of work measured at cuff measures
8 inches, ending with a RS row.
BO 30 sts. 32 sts rem. Work 7 ridges. Break working yarn (leaving
6 inch tail) and place the 32 sts on a length of scrap yarn.
Right front
Return 50 live sts of left sleeve and shoulder
on left needle. At neck edge of live sts, join yarn and knit
5 ridges (10 rows) ending with a WS row.
Cast on for neck placket:
Turn work. Using
knitted cast on, CO 12 sts. Do not turn work, but knit these
62 sts until sleeve portion of work measured at cuff measures
8 inches, ending with a RS row.
BO 30 sts. 32 sts rem. Work 7 ridges, ending with a WS row.
Turn work and k to end of sts. Return reserved sts from left
front on left needle and knit across all sts, joining right
and left fronts together.
Work on these 64 sts (note that front panel has more sts than
back to create an a-line shape) until front equals length of
back, ending with a WS row. Break working yarn, leaving 6 inch
With RS of front facing, join CC and work 7 ridges, ending
with a WS row. BO in purl on a RS row.
With RS of back facing, starting at upper right corner of back
hem (the original CO row), use CC to pick up and knit 50 sts
(one for every CO stitch).
Work 7 ridges, ending with a WS row. BO in purl.
Work 19 ridges, ending with a WS row.
BO in purl.
With RS of sleeve facing, beginning at
right corner of lower edge of sleeve, use CC to pick up and
knit 36 sts.
Work 16 ridges, ending with a WS row.
BO in purl.
Repeat for second cuff.
Wash and gently block. Sew side/underarm seams. Weave in ends.
Beginning at lowest point of neck front, lace the ribbon
into the collar (in the same manner you would lace a shoe)
for about 2 inches. (Fastening a safety pin to the end of
the ribbon will help you to maneuver the ribbon in and out
of the fabric, about 2 sts in from the selvedge.) Tie a neat,
floppy bow. Trim ends to a suitable length.


text:
Install Garage Door League City TX
Local Install Garage Door League City TX
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Our product installation effort consists of highly qualified, well-trained technicians and a professional installation support team. Quality finished products and installations are assured by employees with pride in themselves, their work and their company. Each technician and every truck is provided with the finest available tools and equipment to assure maximum efficiency.
Garage Door Repair League City Texas
Our custom designed fleet is equipped with specialty equipment, including welders/generators, chain hoists, manual crank lifts, scissor lifts, fork lifts, as well as cranes to maximize our capabilities and provide the ability of performing on the largest as well as the smallest projects.
Garage Door Parts
We provide the best garage door opener installation service in League City and surrounding areas. That is why our Garage Doors understands all your garage door opener installation needs. Call us now the fastest .
Garage Door Parts
When also its time to get a new garage door, it might be because your current door is beginning to look weathered and rickety. Or your garage door makes so much noise when it opens and closes that even the neighbors can hear you returning home. Installing a new garage door will solve all of those problems and improve the curbside appeal of your home. Imagine finally having your garage door opening with a fluid motion as you drive up to your home.


text:
USA: Cat Financial Posts First-Quarter 2012 Results
Cat Financial reported first-quarter 2012 revenues of $668 million, an increase of $28 million, or 4 percent, compared with the first quarter of 2011.
First-quarter profit after tax was $120 million, a $37 million, or 45 percent, increase from the first quarter of 2011.
The increase in revenues was principally due to a $47 million favorable impact from higher average earning assets (finance receivables and operating leases at constant rates), partially offset by a $15 million unfavorable impact from lower rates on new and existing finance receivables and operating leases.
Profit before income taxes was $170 million for the first quarter of 2012, compared to $115 million for the first quarter of 2011. The increase was principally due to a $36 million decrease in the provision for credit losses, an $18 million favorable impact from higher average earning assets and a $13 million improvement in net yield on average earning assets. These increases were partially offset by a $10 million increase in general, operating and administrative expense.
The provision for income taxes in the first quarter of 2012 reflects an estimated annual tax rate of 27 percent compared to 26 percent in the first quarter of 2011.
New retail financing in the first quarter of 2012 was $3.1 billion, an increase of $292 million, or 11 percent, from the first quarter of 2011. The increase was a result of growth across all operating segments with the exception of North America, which declined slightly.
At the end of the first quarter of 2012, past dues were 3.19 percent compared with 2.89 percent at the end of 2011. The increase in past dues from year-end is primarily due to seasonality impacts. At the end of the first quarter of 2011, past dues were 3.94 percent. Write-offs, net of recoveries, were $11 million for the first quarter of 2012, down from $41 million in the first quarter of 2011.
As of March 31, 2012, Cat Financial's allowance for credit losses totaled $379 million or 1.47 percent of net finance receivables, compared with $369 million or 1.47 percent of net finance receivables at year-end 2011. The allowance for credit losses as of March 31, 2011, was $380 million, which was 1.55 percent of net finance receivables.
"We are very pleased with our first-quarter results," said Kent Adams, Cat Financial president and vice president of Caterpillar Inc. "Cat Financial's business continues to perform well, with a growing asset portfolio and decreases in write-offs and past dues from the first quarter of last year. We are well positioned to support Caterpillar customers and dealers around the world."
For over 30 years, Cat Financial, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Caterpillar Inc., has been providing financial service excellence to Cat customers. The company offers a wide range of financing alternatives to customers and Cat dealers for Cat machinery and engines, Solar® gas turbines and other equipment and marine vessels. Cat Financial has offices and subsidiaries located throughout the Americas, Asia, Australia and Europe, with headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee.
Cat Financial Statistical Highlights
Dredging Today Staff, April 25, 2012


text:
Identity of Winnipeg's $60M jackpot winners has been revealed
The winners of the $60 million in Winnipeg have been announced. John Chua and his family are the ones who purchased the winning ticket. (From left to right, John Chua, John's wife Jhoanna Chua, John's mom Angie Chua, and John's uncle Ben Lagman. Source: Western Canada Lottery Corporation)
WINNIPEG -- The winners of Manitoba's largest lottery jackpot came forward Tuesday to claim the whopping $60-million Lotto Max prize.
On Tuesday, the Western Canada Lottery Corporation (WCLC) announced John Chua, his wife Jhoana Chua, mother Angie Chua and his uncle Ben Lagman, were the lucky ones to have the matching numbers for the massive prize.
This is the largest lottery win in Manitoba history and at first John said he didn't realize he had actually won.
He said he bought the ticket online on Play Now. On the morning when the winning ticket was announced, he checked his account and said he didn't see anything saying he had won.
But that soon changed when he got an email later in the day from Play Now.
"I thought it might be a Free Play or something. But it said $60 million—I was confused, so I checked on PlayNow.com when I got home," John said as quoted in a news release from the WCLC.
He said when he got home and checked, it was saying he had won and he added he had missed it in the morning.
The online ticket, which had the numbers 11, 21, 23, 25, 28, 41 and 43, is the largest winning ticket purchased online in Canada.
The rest of the Chua family was just as shocked as he was about winning, with Angie saying she didn't believe her son at first.
"He always plays jokes – he's a joker, so I didn't believe it," Angie recalled her son telling her their family was about to be multi-millionaires.
The family said they are not sure yet what they are going to do with the money but John said he is going to be wise with the money.
"I just want to take the time and do the smart thing."
The previous record for a Lotto Max win in Manitoba was $50 million back in 2009. The previous record for a Winnipeg win was $27.2 million with a Lotto 6/49 in 2005.


text:
ECMLPKDD 2014 : European Conference on Machine Learning and Principles and Practice of Knowledge Discovery in Databases
|Link: http://www.ecmlpkdd2014.org/
Call For Papers
The European Conference on Machine Learning and Principles and Practice of Knowledge Discovery in Databases, ECML/PKDD, provides an international forum for the discussion of the latest high-quality research results in all areas related to machine learning and knowledge discovery in databases and other innovative application domains. The 2014 edition of ECML/PKDD will take place in Nancy, France, September 15-19.
Submissions are invited on all aspects of machine learning, knowledge discovery and data mining, including real-world applications. Papers will mainly be evaluated on the basis of their relevance for the conference, their scientific contribution, rigour and correctness, the quality of presentation and reproducibility of experiments. Apart from that, we specifically welcome submissions which :
Have the potential to inspire the research community by introducing new and relevant problems, concepts, solution strategies, and ideas;
Contribute to solving a problem widely recognized as both challenging and important;
Address a novel area of impact of machine learning and data mining.
The conference proceedings will be published by Springer in the Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence series (LNAI).
Apart from making normal conference submissions, there is also the possibility of submitting papers to the ECML/PKDD 2014 journal track. For information about the the journal track, please visit the following website : Journal Track Submission
All aspects of the submission and notification process will be handled online via the CMT conference management toolkit.
The papers must be written in English and formatted according to the Springer LNAI guidelines. Authors instructions and style files can be downloaded at: http://www.springer.de/comp/lncs/authors.html
The maximum length of papers is 16 pages in this format. Overlength papers will be rejected without review (papers with smaller page margins and font sizes than specified in the author instructions and set in the style files will also be treated as overlength). Papers submitted should report original work; ECML/PKDD 2014 will not accept any paper which, at the time of submission, is under review or has already been accepted for publication in a journal or another conference. Authors are also expected not to submit their papers elsewhere during the review period.
Reviewing process
Papers submitted to ECML/PKDD 2014 will normally be reviewed by three referees. The review process is single-blind (reviewer identities unknown to authors) and there will be no opportunity for author rebuttal. This decision was made to minimize reviewer workload and to concentrate it in time, which may ultimately result in better quality reviews and decisions. If necessary, a discussion will take place among the reviewers of a paper until a decision is reached.
Important dates
Abstract submission deadline 12 April 2014
Paper submission deadline 16 April 2014
Author notification 15 June 2014
Camera ready submission 23 June 2014
For further informtions, please contact the Program Committee Chairs at email@example.com


text:
Cincinnati Bengals at Atlanta Falcons
8 p.m., Today (Preseason)
FLOWERY BRANCH — The matchup to watch in tonight's Falcons-Bengals preseason opener will be Atlanta right tackle Lamar Holmes against Cincinnati defensive end Robert Geathers.
Holmes will start after Mike Johnson dislocated his left ankle and broke his left leg in Tuesday's practice. Johnson will have surgery next week.
"It's a terrible thing that happened with Mike," Holmes said Wednesday. "Mike is a great guy and a great teammate. Mike helped me a lot.
"It's part of the game. Coaches tell you all the time, you're one play away from being a starter so you have to always prepare like you are the starter. It's something we have to do."
Johnson played in every game, including one start, in 2012.
He entered training camp as the favorite to replace Tyson Clabo, who signed with Miami after being released by Atlanta.
The injury leaves Atlanta with almost no experience at the position.
Holmes played in only one game as a rookie last season after missing training camp with a foot injury. Geathers, entering his 10th season, will be a tough test for such an inexperienced player.
The matchup will help the Falcons determine if they need to look for a veteran tackle.
Falcons coach Mike Smith said he's Holmes (6-foot-6, 333-pounds), a third-round pick from Southern Miss in 2012, can handle the job.
"He's a big, athletic tackle," Smith said. "That's what you want. There are very athletic pass rushers we're going to face all season long. That's probably his strength. He's very athletic."
Ryan Schraeder, an undrafted rookie from Valdosta State, will play behind Holmes.
"You kind of have to keep your head down and move on and we're going to have to have some young guys step up," said Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan. "That's what it takes. Every team deals with it. Every organization deals with it. I think our young guys will do a good job.
"I think Lamar has done a really good job this camp and really this offseason, too. He's gotten himself into really good shape."
Smith said it's too early to rule Johnson out for the season. He said another offensive lineman will begin cross-training at right tackle.
Most starters, including Ryan and Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton, are expected to see only limited playing time.
Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said he'll be looking for players to emerge in the game who are trying to win roster spots.
"We know who our quarterback is going to be, we know who most of our skill guys are," Lewis said after Wednesday's light practice.
"We know basically who the starting group is going to be so you're battling for guys to fit into new spots, special-teams wise. You allow some attrition, some graduation every year, so we can plug in some younger guys. We're looking for those guys to step up and play."
The Bengals shared the practice fields with the Falcons on Monday and Tuesday. The teams dodged the rain by holding separate workouts in the Falcons' indoor facility on Wednesday.
Lewis said the combined practices were a success.
"It's been great," Lewis said. "The Falcons' hospitality and Mike's organization, it's been outstanding. It's been real positive work and productive work for us."
Among players being held out with injuries Thursday night are the two top receivers in the 2011 draft, Cincinnati's A.J. Green and Atlanta's Julio Jones. Green remained in Cincinnati this week to receive treatment for his bruised knee. Jones will be held out with a tight hamstring.
Falcons outside linebacker Sean Weatherspoon (dislocated left finger) and Bengals left tackle Andrew Whitworth (knee) also won't play.


text:
The Rumpus Mini-Interview Project #75: Deborah Kampmeier
I met Deborah Kampmeier at a workshop in November. We were two weeks post-election; the room was raw with emotion, and electric with conversations about resistance. This tall, badass woman dressed in all black sauntered into the room, and chose a seat at the table. When she read, my solar plexus exploded, and I couldn't stop […]...more


text:
SAN DIEGO – A weeks-old baby tiger that was rescued after being illegally trafficked into California from Mexico this week was "doing well" Friday, according to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, which is caring for the animal.
After taking possession of the male cub Wednesday, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officers brought him to the Paul Harter Veterinary Hospital at the Safari Park.
He was examined by veterinary staff at the hospital, who determined the cub was overall in good health, according to a news release from the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.
"His heart and lungs sound good, his blood work looked great and, since he took a bottle from us, it's a good sign he'll continue to thrive," principal veterinarian Dr. Jim Oosterhuis said, according to the release.
The cub weighs about 6 pounds, and is estimated to be between 5 and 6 weeks old.
"He has teeth coming in, so he'll be teething in the next week or two—so, animal care staff will have a little chore getting him through that," Oosterhuis said.
The tiger cub was rescued at the Otay Mesa border crossing early Wednesday, after U.S. Customers and Border Protection officers found him during a secondary inspection on the floor of a vehicle being driven by 18-year-old Luis Valencia, of Perris, according to federal authorities.
Valencia is accused of bringing the tiger -- protected under the Endangered Species Act -- into the United States from Mexico without the proper permits and paperwork. He has been charged with unlawful importation and smuggling, the U.S. Department of Justice said Thursday.
Meanwhile, the cub is receiving round-the-clock care at the Safari Park's Ione and Paul Harter Animal Care Center. As part of the zoo's protocol for new arrivals, he is being housed in an isolated area away from the other animals.
Safari Park guests can get a glimpse of the tiger cub through the Animal Care Center's nursery window at various times during the day.
The animal will continue to be in their care until a permanent home is determined by Fish and Wildlife Service officials.