text:
As we do every week, let's take a swing around the NFL, looking at a bunch of stories that caught my attention...
So, what's been up?
New York Jet set
At first glance, the rumors of a possible trade of Darrelle Revis seem ridiculous.
The premise presented by CBS was that New York Jets owner Woody Johnson was trying to trade his star cornerback, amid health uncertainty, rather than pay him a hefty long-term salary in his next deal. Actually, it still seems pretty crazy. And given the immense complications -- a $9 million salary cap hit upon trading him, ACL surgery and an impending long-term extension -- it's quite far-fetched that Gang Green will actually trade their best player. But the situation did allow three points to jump out to me about the Jets, who welcomed new GM John Idzik into this mess earlier in the week.
First, Idzik comes off pretty well in this whole situation. Rather than offer a premature shoot-down of the rumor, rather than make a bold proclamation that would endear himself to the fan base but lock him in otherwise, Idzik stepped back.
"It would be premature to say anything specific" about any player, Idzik said.
It was smart going for long-term security rather than a quick crowd pop. Then, Idzik called Revis the next day to explain that he will keep his options open (according to PFT Live). Players respect honesty. Second, the Jets still have issues with leaks, and it's not the fault of some unnamed boot on the ground. Johnson himself told possible GM candidates (according to Albert Breer) that he needed to "figure out where the team is headed with Revis." Why? Maybe tell your one finalist that fact at the last possible moment. But to tell all the GM candidates your most valuable problem and risk the information leaking? Mind-boggling. Unsavvy. It doesn't help the trade market with teams knowing the Jets may be willing to deal Revis. Who thinks they need to blow the Jets away now? They seem to already have one foot out the door.
And finally, if Gang Green is really going to even consider dealing Revis, that makes 2013 a rebuilding year. The team will be mediocre at best. Just like this year. And in a make-or-break year for Rex Ryan, you think he'll stand on the table and try to call off any possible trade? I bet he would. Any Revis deal significantly hurts Ryan's chances of keeping his job. In my mind, if the Jets trade Revis, Ryan becomes almost a lame duck.
That's a brutal reality. Makes me think they should've just cleaned house.
Youthful scene in San Diego
I spent the week in Mobile, Ala., for the Senior Bowl, which meant a lot of time watching college prospects. Sure, there was some of that. But it was also a perfect time to walk around and learn about some teams. Those casual conversations in the stands help one understand where a team is headed.
Anyway, I was walking around Ladd Peebles Stadium when I ambled up to the press box. There I saw two of the future mainstays of the San Diego Chargers, next to each other, scouting. On the right was new GM Tom Telesco. Alongside him was John Spanos, the teams' executive vice president of football operations. And the youth, especially in the scouting world, was astounding. I did a double-take.
Telesco is 40, a baby in his field. John Spanos is 33. New coach Mike McCoy is 40. A.G. Spanos, the oldest son of Dean Spanos, is 34. I've heard of teams recruiting and signing youth, only to watch it grow old together. That, for instance, was part of the Rams' plan.
The Chargers, though, are doing it organizationally. And it's kinda cool. Because first of all, McCoy and Telesco get a ton of respect around the league. Even the Colts, who lost Telesco as one of their football minds, seem proud of his ascent. It's hard to imagine an organization saying such nice things about a former employee, but they do. And McCoy was one of the hottest coaching prospects. As for A.G. and John, both paid their dues. A.G. worked in the NFL Europe, while John worked his way up holding various scouting jobs along with a job with the NFL's Management Council. Dean Spanos is still the team president.
The Chargers are well-positioned to transition, and that's some impressive planning. They should all grow together.
Birds of a different feather
The new Philadelphia Eagles coach, with his cool, new-fangled spread offense, tapped Pat Shurmur to be his offensive coordinator. Yes, the same West Coast-minded, conservative Shurmur who favored the drop-back pass.
Um, what? But when you think about it, it fits.
Kelly doesn't always want people who agree with him. He wants to hear opinions. He wants to acclimate himself to the pro game. And Shurmur, well, he needs to learn how to move the ball like the kids do. Maybe they can learn from each other.
Still, I was curious what led to this. So in Mobile, I asked Kelly, simply, if he wants his coaches to think like he does.
"No, no, no," Kelly said. "I think you need a lot of different personalities. I think if you're not, everything's just the same. You need different things, really smart people, people who are dedicated to different things, people who are a little off, too. It's a rare combination, but I don't want everyone to be the same. I don't think we'd grow as a group."
But. There is a but. And it's a big one.
"At the end of the day," Kelly continued, "it's just us. It's our side of the street. When we get to that conclusion, we're all in."
The Saints' changing defense
The Saints suddenly need a new defensive coordinator after Sean Payton showed up, took stock of things and canned defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.
First of all, amazing a guy can go from being a coaching darling to out of work twice in three years. As for New Orleans, they are morphing to a 3-4, so they'll hire a DC who is well-versed in that scheme.
The first option seems to be former Kansas City Chiefs head coach Romeo Crennel, who would be interested in returning for the right situation. The Saints haven't reached out to him, but it should happen soon.
Another intriguing option is former Jets and Cleveland Browns coach Eric Mangini. A brilliant mind who got hit as a head coach by two QB dramas, Mangini may flourish as a coordinator. But would he want back in? I'm told, under the right situation Mangini would be open to returning. Now, he doesn't know Payton well at all, and that would have to develop. But what else? Just from speaking with someone who knows Mangini well, he'd want what you'd expect in order to leave the comforts of family time in the Cleveland area: A good, dedicated group of coaches, and an understanding of whether the organization would want to dedicate draft resources to building a defense.
Would the team be willing to draft smart players to run the schemes he may be looking to run? As the saying goes, you're only as smart as your weakest link. Or, well, it's a saying that means something like that. Defense can be limited by the hardest learner, and he'd want to know how committed the team would be to its defense.
All that said, in the right situation, Mangini would want to return. If Crennel doesn't, this is an interesting choice. I'd always wondered when Mangini would come back. If he's entertaining this possibility (which it sounds like he is), maybe next year he would really do it.
Considering Crennel's interest in Saints
The Saints are interested in a 3-4 defensive guru, and as we mentioned above, the name associated most with them is Romeo Crennel. And that's not just because of Crennel and Sean Payton's New York Giants ties (though they never worked together). But here's something you should consider: First of all, I'm told as of right now, the Saints haven't reached out to Crennel. They might, they probably will, but they haven't.
Second, Crennel signed a three-year contract with the Chiefs. He was fired with two years left. His contract had offsets. So ... in order for Crennel to return and coach the Saints -- ready for this? -- he'd have to do it for free. Crennel would have to coach the Saints for money that he'd be getting regardless. Crennel will earn $3.5 million per year over the next two years, I'm told.
Newsome takes in Senior Bowl
When I was up in the press box at Ladd Peebles Stadium and came across the Chargers' brass, that wasn't all I saw.
Nope, in the top row, all by himself, with no clutter around him and a huge set of binoculars, was Ozzie Newsome.
No one bothered him. There was no talking in the press box. He wasn't in the stands to be seen. He was quietly grinding. As far as I could tell, he was the only member of the Ravens' upper management in town.
The coaches, of course, are busy preparing for the Super Bowl. Come to think of it, Newsome could've been, too. In fact, he met the Baltimore media on Friday. So what was he doing there? Newsome was doing what he does: Building a team.
I don't know why this struck me, but it did. His team was in the Super Bowl. There were a million things to do. And there were probably a million people telling Newsome and Co. how great they were. I'm sure all that will go on this coming week. But during the past week, Newsome got back to work trying to find the next crop of players his team will choose 31st or 32nd in each round of the draft.
It was a really telling example of why the Ravens are where they are. Because even when things are as good as they've been in a decade, the most decorated member of their organization was putting in work.
I stopped by to say hello, pay my respects, and talk about Alabama football. But I didn't stay long. When Newsome is in football mode, idle chit-chat isn't what he wants to do. He just wants to study football. So I left him alone to find the next bunch.
Cardinals take steps forward
Well, not yet.
First is Bruce Arians, the new head coach and play-caller. He's a QB guru who welcomed Ben Roethlisberger into the league when he didn't even know how to take a snap. That's starting from scratch. Oh, and it's safe to say he helped Andrew Luck a bit, too, in Indy.
Then, tight ends coach Freddie Kitchens is moving over to become quarterbacks coach (according to the Arizona Republic). Another smart move. The entire offensive staff from the old group got replaced instead of Kitchens, the former Alabama QB. If you don't know his name, you will. A smart, charismatic, rising star in the business.
Then, there is the hire of Tom Moore, the old sage and former master of Peyton Manning's offense with the Colts. He's slated to serve as the assistant head coach for offense. Think he won't be involved with the QBs? All of which is to say, the Cardinals have no choice but to be better there.
Really, it's the stout defense that used to be under Ray Horton and now is under Todd Bowles that is the next most pressing question.
Flynn future intriguing
We've spent quite a bit of time talking about Michael Vick in this space, because, well, he's interesting.
Vick can be dynamic, he's been injured, his future is in doubt ... and his team hired the one person he had been wanting to play for in Chip Kelly. But the buzz among NFL people seems to be centered on Matt Flynn.
Why? Maybe because he's more of an unknown. And maybe because he's likely cheaper.
If someone trades for him, Flynn is due a guaranteed salary of $2 million, with his $5.25 million not guaranteed. If someone thinks he's a starter, that's not much. If the Seahawks end up cutting him, it'll be a feeding frenzy, with teams like the Chiefs, the Cardinals, the Bills and maybe the Raiders leading the way.
But the real question is, who would want to trade for him? To trade or to cut?
Would Kansas City and new coach Andy Reid want a one-year rental to give their real starter (whoever it is) time to develop? Maybe, but that would include giving up draft picks for a team trying to build.
Maybe the Cards? Well, they'd like to keep Kolb. Isn't $16 million too much for two quarterbacks, neither of whom are sure things?
The Bills are an option, but I keep hearing them linked with Alex Smith. And the Raiders, I throw them in because of former Packers brass member Reggie McKenzie and his familiarity with Flynn. But anyway, I don't think we'll know anything about the QB market until Flynn's future is set.
It might decide so much.
Stoked for Super Bowl
I love the Super Bowl matchup. It's not flashy. There are no real superstars involved -- Ray Lewis is a big name, but not a star on the field anymore. Colin Kaepernick might be a star by 10 o'clock on Sunday, but he isn't right now.
And even the coaches, while brothers, aren't rock stars like Sean Payton or Bill Belichick or Tom Coughlin.
I just love Ravens vs. 49ers because it's going to be a good game. Two hard-nosed, tough-minded, grind-it-out teams that can also throw the long ball. Two defenses that are more interested in hitting you than in looking pretty. Two running backs that pound it, and two coaches who appreciate what that brings to an offense. And two middle linebackers who know how it's done (yes, Patrick Willis is one of my favorite players to watch, so I'm extra psyched).
It's nice to have big names and flashy storylines. But this actual game should be pretty awesome.
Anyway, are we there yet?


text:
Violin strings spun from spider silk
5000 strands wound together to create strings for a violin
A Japanese researcher has created a set of violin strings from spider silk.
A student of Japan's Nara Medical University, Dr Shigeyoshi Osaki twisted between 3000 and 5000 individual strands of 'dragline' silk – the silk that spiders dangle from – into a range of tightly packed shapes.
Dr Osaki has studied the properties of 'dragline' silk for many years and in a paper published in 2007 in Polymer Journal, Osaki revealed the remarkable strength of the material. The violin strings made from the silk withstood more tension than widely used aluminium-coated, nylon-core strings. Dr Osaki will be discuss the strings in a forthcoming issue of the journal Physical Review Letters.
'Several professional violinists reported that the spider strings generated a preferable timbre, being able to create new music,' writes Dr Osaki.' 'The violin strings are a novel practical use for spider silk as a kind of high value-added product, and offer a distinctive type of timbre for both violin players and music lovers worldwide.'
Kerensa Briggs

subset: commoncrawl


text:
SAXParseException Docx file cannot be open
Steps to Reproduce:
1.file cannot open
Actual Results:
file not opening
Expected Results:
please help opening this file
Reproducible: Always
User Profile Reset: No
Additional Info:
User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/60.0.3112.101 Safari/537.36
Hi Chandrakumar,
Can you provide the concerned docx file, please?
Thank you.
Dear Bug Submitter,
This bug has been in NEEDINFO status with no change for at least
6 months. Please provide the requested information as soon as
possible and mark the bug as UNCONFIRMED. Due to regular bug
tracker maintenance, if the bug is still in NEEDINFO status with
no change in 30 days the QA team will close the bug as INSUFFICIENTDATA
due to lack of needed information.
For more information about our NEEDINFO policy please read the
wiki located here:
If you have already provided the requested information, please
mark the bug as UNCONFIRMED so that the QA team knows that the
bug is ready to be confirmed.
Thank you for helping us make LibreOffice even better for everyone!
Warm Regards,
QA Team
Dear Bug Submitter,
Please read this message in its entirety before proceeding.
Your bug report is being closed as INSUFFICIENTDATA due to inactivity and
a lack of information which is needed in order to accurately
reproduce and confirm the problem. We encourage you to retest
your bug against the latest release. If the issue is still
present in the latest stable release, we need the following
information (please ignore any that you've already provided):
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text:
I'm just like you, except I'm from your future. Lemme rewind a few years and explain.
My Job Search Five Years Ago
In 2005, I was working from home doing database administration, coding, and Classic ASP. I absolutely loved my coworkers, but I was burned out, and the company was in rough financial shape. They'd missed a couple of paychecks, and I decided I needed to make a change.
After months of careful searching, I went to work for a consulting company because I had this idyllic image of consultants; I saw them as the best of the best, hired guns who were called in when the situation was really dire. At my company, we'd had a couple of situations where we'd cried out, "We're in over our heads! Bring in the consultants!" People in suits rolled in with briefcases, asked questions, and gave us answers that sounded pretty good at the time. I naively thought I'd be working with an elite squad of gurus who could help me take my skills to the next level. Data warehouse project in dire need of T-SQL skills? I'm in – sign me up. The client's BI team had been building the data warehouse for the last two years. Two months before it was set to go live, they all simultaneously quit, leaving no documentation behind.
Consulting wasn't quite what I'd expected.
My instructions were to report to the client's office, share a cubicle with my fellow consultants, don't touch anything, don't talk to the client, and look busy. My whole purpose on the payroll was to bill hours. The project plan called for a DBA, therefore the company could bill for DBA hours without me really doing anything. My salary was less than the company's billable rate, so I made money for them just by sitting there, and of course they wanted me to sit there for a lot more than 40 hours per week.
I had to bite my tongue while my project manager made one horrendous design decision after another. ("Let's store both the natural and surrogate keys in the fact tables, and index all combinations of both of them.") The manager made Dilbert's boss look brilliant – and friendly to boot. This guy scowled at us openly, insulted us in front of the client, and began setting us up for failure. He didn't expect us to finish on time, so he told the client and the consulting company that he'd been stuck with incompetent employees, and surely he could fix everything given a few months and much smarter staff.
We delivered on time thanks to two factors:
- A hurricane closed the client's office for a couple of weeks, buying us time
- We threw out everything the manager did, and rewrote the whole thing from scratch in the last 3 weeks
When we crossed the finish line, I thought the worst was over, and we'd be off to another project. Not so much – it turned out the client was happy with our work, so they extended our contracts and wanted us to build more features. Since I was generating money, the consulting company refused to move me to another project.
Calgon, Take Me Away
I'd screwed up, and I wanted out. Bad. So I started looking for jobs somewhere else, and …
I couldn't find anything.
I got turned down again and again. No college degree. Not enough experience. Too much experience. No clustering experience. No replication experience. When I finally found a gig, I took it out of desperation because I was so miserable with Manager From Hell. Things were so bad, I took a job where a dozen people worked in a 20×20 room in school-style desks with barely enough space for a keyboard and mouse. If anybody needed help (or a good time), they could reach out their arms in any direction and touch a coworker.
At the last minute (literally the day before I was supposed to show up for work), the client made me an offer instead. I was overjoyed, because the client's staff were some of the coolest people I knew. Unfortunately, the salary wasn't really fair. The HR department knew they had me in a corner, and they had all the bargaining power. I made a counteroffer, they didn't accept, and I signed on with their original offer.
Taking that offer, underpaid or not, was one of the best decisions I've ever made. I loved that job, I loved my coworkers, and I couldn't have asked for a better manager. The money worked itself out over time as I proved myself, but I was lucky. It's very rare that a company will say, "You're worth more than we expected, and we'd like to reward you for that."
Finding The Community
In 2007, the company sent me to my first PASS Summit where I had a weeklong Eureka moment. I was stunned that so many people had the same job, same needs, and same challenges as me. I sat through sessions, looked up at the presenters, and thought to myself, "I could do that." I'm comfortable in front of crowds, I've done internal training for years, and I'd learned a lot of nasty lessons about IT. I heard attendees asking very junior-level questions and said to myself, "Self, there are people here that could use your help."
At that Summit, nobody knew who I was. I'd been blogging for years, but I didn't really promote myself. I just wrote about stuff that interested me, like my Perfmon tutorial, how to use VSS for SQL Server source control, and SQL Server's "in recovery" database icon. Some of those posts were hits, but the vast majority sank into obscurity.
In November 2007, I made conscious decisions to:
- Start working hard on my blog
- Start doing presentations at my user group
- Get way, way outside of my comfort zone and work with non-IT people
Each Saturday & Sunday morning, before Erika woke up, I spent 4-6 hours writing posts, crafting presentations, and talking to vendors. I built up a great working relationship with the marketing folks at Quest, and I wrote a few things for them like the Top 10 Things DBAs Need to Know About Storage and the Top 10 Things DBAs Didn't Know LiteSpeed Can Do. Sense a theme with the titles? That's because I was reading more about marketing, and marketing folks know that people love top ten lists.
Doing this stuff took time out of my personal life, but I was determined to make an investment in my career. I didn't want to have another really crappy job search, bouncing from headhunter to headhunter, having to re-prove that I wasn't an idiot and that I was worth money.
My Job Search Two Years Ago
I would still be working for that same company today (and I still consult for them), but we had to move cities. In early 2008, Erika was offered an air traffic controller position in Houston, and the government hiring process is notoriously fickle. If you turn down a city, you might not get an offer again for years. Working in ATC was a lifelong dream for her, and her dreams are my dreams, so we moved. Unfortunately, my employer didn't allow telecommuting, but they were gracious enough to let me telecommute until I found a new position.
After getting burned with the consulting gig, I looked long and hard for the perfect job. It had only been a few months since I'd decided to focus on marketing, so those efforts hadn't paid off yet. Nobody knew who I was, and nobody was calling me with job offers. I had my blog URL on my resume, but nobody ever said they'd read it. I asked all the toughest interview questions, and I eventually found a production DBA job that looked perfect. I liked the managers, the responsibilities, the pay, the hours, everything. I thought I'd be there for ten years or more. I knew myself well enough to know I didn't want to go into management, and this company would let me be a pure database guy for life. They'd had really bad turnover in the DBA team, but it sounded like people were just getting experience and then going on to bigger jobs, so that didn't concern me.
The very first day on the job, I knew I'd made a horrible mistake. At this very, very successful financial company, the staff had 14″ CRT monitors, 3-4 year old laptops with 1GB memory, and no pagers. If one of your servers went bump in the night, the only way you found out was when you came in the next morning. They didn't even have coffee or water. If you wanted something to drink, you had to hoof it down the elevators and go to Starbucks. You'd better hope none of your servers had problems during that time, either, because your coworkers didn't have a way to reach you aside from your personal cell phone.
After three weeks of shocking revelations about how the basics weren't in place, I went to my managers and laid out my concerns. I basically said, "There's no way I can succeed here, and I can see why people are leaving. I know how big this company is, and I know you can't turn this ship around quickly, so I'm going to bail before both of us get invested in this." The company wasn't happy, but they understood.
The headhunter went ballistic. She summoned me to her office building for a meeting with her manager. I was as mellow as I could be given the circumstances – when they asked if I wanted anything to drink, I said, "Yes, could I get a bottle of water? I'm going to work after this, and they don't have anything to drink, so that'd really help out a lot." They laughed, easing the tension, but they still beat the hell out of me. They threatened me, said I'd be put on a list and I'd never work in this business again. They said the only way they'd help me find work was if I tendered my resignation immediately, which I did – and then they gave me the old, "We'll call you, don't call us."
No Job, No Prospects – But Blogging Came Through
I'd only recently moved back to Houston at that point, and I had no local network whatsoever. I hustled harder than I've ever hustled before.
I happened to have a whitepaper in progress at Quest, so I mentioned to them, "Hey, don't publish that for 2-3 weeks. It says I work for ___, but by the time it hits the press, I'm going to have another employer. If you can hold off, I'll give you the new company name."
Unbelievably, they said, "Wanna come work for us?" Do developers love cursors? Hell yeah! They didn't technically have an open job position, but in the backs of their minds, they'd wanted to create something for a community evangelist type of person. The only way I got this job was because:
- I worked hard on my blog
- I did a presentation every couple of months (either at local user groups or for vendor webcasts)
- I actively reached out to users trying to help
- I actively reached out to vendors to help them too
I was nowhere, nowhere near anything you'd call a "rock star" in the SQL Server world. Quest just saw a future in me and placed a bet on it. They weren't betting on my SQL Server skills – they were betting that I'd continue working hard on my communications skills. I didn't need to learn new ways of putting indexes on tables, for example; I needed to figure out better ways to teach other people how to do it. I was already good at helping people individually, but I needed to get better at scaling. I had to find out how to reach more people with less work.
I started by hanging out with a totally different crowd of people. I started coworking at the Caroline Collective in Houston, a space for freelancers of all sorts. The time I spent there taught me more about marketing, small business, and communications than I could possibly explain. Coworking teaches you soft skills by osmosis; you're constantly around people doing cool things outside of your specialty, and you can't help but pick up new ideas and techniques. I realized that I needed to pay closer attention to what non-SQL people were doing, and apply that stuff to my own work.
Bustin' My Hump: PASS Summit 2008
Preparing for the 2008 PASS Summit, I submitted abstracts, and – they were turned down. Doh! I kept presenting, doing webcasts for Quest, going to user groups, and polishing my delivery. In Seattle, some presenter didn't show up at the last minute, and Kevin Kline asked if I'd be willing to present in their place. I jumped – no, I leaped – at the chance. I did my first PASS Summit presentation! I believe that was the best way to do a presentation, too, because I wasn't nervous during the run-up to the Summit. I just jumped in at the last minute, did a presentation I knew well, and nothing caught fire.
I also worked hard to improve my blogging by modeling it after blogs I admired. When I attended the Summit keynotes, I liveblogged them the same way Engadget liveblogs Apple keynotes. I figured if I was a reader, I would want that kind of minute-by-minute coverage, and nobody else was doing it. It was hard work, and I didn't get to enjoy the keynote the same way other attendees did, but I was doing a service to PASS, my readers, and thereby to Quest too.
I attended Jimmy May's presentation on partition alignment and loved it. Douglas Chrystall (a SQL guru at Quest) and I approached Jimmy afterward, talked to him, and thanked him for his excellent session.
Becoming a Rock Star: 2009-2010
Months later, when Jimmy was approached to write a storage chapter for a book, he said he didn't have time – but he recommended me. Next thing you know, I had my name on a book. That would never have happened if I hadn't gone to the Summit and approached people I admired.
When the PASS 2009 call for abstracts came out, I submitted a few, and I got accepted. At the Summit, I got my first autograph request, and it wasn't even my book! Later, I made the Best of PASS list. I promptly fell out of my chair.
I went to the Microsoft Certified Master program, and I laughed when one of the other candidates asked, "Why do all the instructors know you?" I joked that I'm huge on MySpace, but the reality is that they don't know me because I'm good with databases or I'm so darned attractive. They know me because I communicate – I've got a blog, I'm on Twitter, and I reach out to interact with people all the time. That's all. Nothing more.
Every month, I get at least 3-4 job offers from strangers. They all read something like, "We love your blog and your videos, we love your personality, and we can tell that you've got the knowledge to solve our problems. Will you work for us?" It's an awesome position to be in, and as a result, my weekends are chock full o' consulting work. I'm able to set my rates because we both know I can solve their problems quickly.
You Can Do It. We Can Help.
Three years ago, nobody knew who I was, and I had to struggle to make it to the top of the resume pile. I bet you feel that way right now too. I bet you worry about whether or not you could find another job. I know a lot of you talk to me about looking for another job or the interview process, because you're not happy where you're at. You're dealing with miserable managers or coworkers, too much work, or a crappy environment. You look at "rock star" people as different somehow, like we were born with silver spoons in our mouths.
You already have the technical skills you need to get a better job.
You just need to build the soft skills.
On Allen Kinsel's blog post about PASS speaker evaluations, a comment from Jay Taylor made me stop to think, and prompted this entire blog post:
"At a recent programming event I attended, a SQL speaker spent the first five minutes telling us that he would never have applied to speak had he known that Rock Star 1 and Rock Star 2 and Rock Star 3 were going to be speaking at the same event. Yet after he unburdened himself of hero worship and personal inadequacy and so forth, he gave one of the best presentations I've seen – coherent structure, strong examples, understandable metaphors."
He's completely right. Personally, I still suffer from issues of hero worship and personal inadequacy. The night before SQL Server events, there's usually a speaker dinner event packed full of really smart people. I look around the room and think, "Wow, I'd love to know what he knows, and I sure wish I could do what she does." It just never ends – you always look up to people you admire, and you always think they're somehow different. The reality is that the people you admire are writing, presenting, and webcasting because they want to help you. They don't just want to help you technically – they want to help you personally, too.
There's not a competition in the SQL Server world to be the biggest rock star. Paul Randal isn't hoarding DBCC knowledge to keep it from you. Itzik Ben Gan isn't keeping his T-SQL tricks under a mattress. I'm not shielding my monitor so you don't figure out my l33t blogging skillz. The people you see as rock stars aren't trying to hog the mike – they're trying to teach you to sing, and we take huge pride in seeing more people succeed.
Right now, you could write or present about something you learned the hard way, and people would think you're a rock star. But you're still struggling to get a better job, a better speaking slot, or a speaking slot period, right? You think that Other People are the ones who get book offers, or Other People are the ones who get paid to speak. You're wrong.
Stop thinking you're inadequate, and start working on the things that are really holding you back. You, too, can be a rock star a lot faster than you think, and all of us onstage are trying to bring you up with us.
How to Get Started
Become a Presenter, Change Your Life – Kendra Little explains why there's no obvious ROI, but instead shares what you actually get.
Who's Your Target Audience? – Don't try to write the kind of session you want to attend. Followup: How to Pick Topics.
How to Write a Conference Abstract – Your goal isn't to get everybody in. It's to keep the wrong people out.
How to Deliver a Killer Technical Presentation – My start-to-finish post with tons of tips.
What Makes a Good Conference Session? – Does every session require a packed room? Demos? Slides?
How to Rehearse a Presentation – It's not just about standing in front of a mirror or memorizing your lines.
Dealing with Presentation Criticism – Know the keys to getting useful feedback and what to do with it.
Choosing a Presentation Tool – There's more than just PowerPoint and demos.
How to Get Readers to Pay Attention – Your abstract needs to hit 'em hard.
The Presenter's Bill of Rights – Spoiler: you don't have any. Everything you expect to find will break. Followup: Check Your Room Size.
51 Questions About Your Conference Submission – What pain is bringing the attendee to this session? How are they going to relieve that pain when they get back to the office? If a teacher graded your presentation, would you get an A?


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Tell Us About a Food or Beverage You Think is Truly Exceptional
May 2005
A tropical rum cake is a simple affair: sweet, moist, saturated with a sugary rum syrup, and satisfying. Yet, not all those on the market are equally satisfying.
If you're jonesing for a Caribbean-style rum cake, Bahamian Rum Cakes from the Bahamas Rum Cake Factory should be on your list. From their retail store on East Street in Nassau, Bahamas, they ship fresh-baked rum cakes in three flavors—Original Caribbean, Chocolate Ecstasy, and Piña Colada.
Cakes come with a syrup packet that must be poured over the cake for the maximum effect. Although rum is used in the batter, the taste largely bakes out.
Individual rum cakes are good for lunch boxes, picnics, the guys' card games. They're moist and tasty though not particularly gorgeous: they can be a bit plain looking (otherwise stated, there are prettier things to serve at ladies' tea parties). If a perfect aesthetic isn't the issue, or if you plan to slather on whipped cream or ice cream, it isn't in issue.
The 6-ounce individual cake is a mini-bundt shape and a good-size individual portion. It comes in a decorative box, suitable for stocking stuffers or general gift-giving, foodie lunch boxes and picnics, guys' poker games, and keeping in the pantry for a snack attack when you don't want to crack into an entire cake. The 20-ounce bundt is packaged in a decorative tin. Both have a one-year shelf life.
Of the three flavors, the Piña Colada was the most festive, given the origins; Original Caribbean, also very tasty, is the same yellow cake recipe without the piña colada flavoring. Chocolate Ecstasy over-promises a bit: it is not a rich chocolate cake but a mildly- flavored one. We wish it had more intense chocolate flavor, but we did consumed it all. We added some vanilla ice cream and enjoyed the net result.
The graphics of the tin and the box are very retro, bring you back to the happy, simple life of the 1950's-era Bahamas. Though once you take your first bite of a Bahamian Rum Cake, you probably won't think about much than your next bite.
Bahamian Rum Cakes in Original Caribbean, Caribbean Chocolate Ecstasy, and Piña Colada
Shipping additional. Prices and flavor availability subject to change.
Purchase online at BahamasRumCakeFactory.com
Or telephone 1.866.265.CAKE.
All three flavors are available in the 6-ounce individual box above, or the 20-ounce decorative tin shown in the photo at the top of the page.


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Both stared at the phone and boy was it a tense moment "Well? Answer it."
She gulped, "No I'm not going to. I want to know what you did."
"You don't even want to know who your caller is?"
Iphey snatched up the phone and checked the ID. Her stomach plummeted when she recognized it but she wouldn't allow herself to be deterred. "Look, don't change the subject."
James remained silent and she summoned all the firmness within her, "James, what did you do?"
"Iphey I- It was- I had to -for the sake of my family. I borrowed money…" He was stammering in anxiety, nonetheless his eyes held a mysterious glint, one too dangerous for comfort.
"That doesn't sound too bad," she shrugged, regaining her composure.
"Iphey, stop interrupting me please, just listen…" demanded James. "At first it was from the bank but when their payments came up, I couldn't make it. And the last thing I wanted was for them to start sending letters to my office or the house. I had to find somewhere else to get the money. Look, it was my only choice; either that or the bank would sue me or Ngozi would find out. I wanted none of that to happen"
It began to dawn on Iphey what might have happened. The suspense was driving her insane. She wanted to wring his neck to get the truth out but simply gestured for him to continue.
"I had been gambling heavily, losing a lot of money but still hoping for my big win. Luckily the owners of the place agreed to loan me money in advance to pay off the bank. I would then owe them...wait before you say anything!" Seeing Iphey about to talk, "I now know I was stupid, but then I was like a man possessed. I won a little sometimes, and it felt good at that time because I could pay off some of the debt, I could buy stuff for your sister and pay my son's bills. It felt like I was working again, like I was a man..." He leaned back with a faraway smile on his face.
Without warning, she sprang from the sofa, towering over him. Iphey's mind raced a hundred ways and her heart pounded with seething ferocity. This was too much too bear. "Of all people James, you should know better than to stoop so low. How could a man in his right mind abandon his wife, and don't let me get started about Obi. You allowed yourself to be sucked into gambling? As a man my dear in-law, family must always come first, regardless of any financial woes you may have incurred."
He stood abruptly, fuming "What would you have done in my shoes? Gone to church to pray for your debts to be cleared in an instant?"
"You abandon your loved ones and you stand before me expecting pity? So now, have you paid off your debt? HAVE YOU?!" Unable to control her thoughts, the damage was done as the bile spilled out.
"DON'T YOU DARE JUDGE ME!" His voice was raised to match hers. "Tell me what to do because I have waited for God to send money down and it hasn't happened. He may have answered your prayers but not mine. So NO! I have not paid it back."
She backed down shaking, however, he had set her mind in motion; she had judged Chinedu too. Acted as an arbiter and almost written him off because of his past. And here she was doing the same to James, will she never learn?
He began talking once again "I messed up big time, borrowed more money from the group and couldn't pay because I kept losing..."
"That's still not enough reason. James..." She began more gently, "Whatever action you took in the past is in the past. I'm not in the position to blame or point a finger at you, but please let's go see Ngozi..."
"Iphey the people I owe are after my family. I owe them millions! The gang are after Ngoo and Obi. That's why I had to leave, for the protection of my family. "
Her mouth fell open. "Oh my God..."
James turned sideways and glared at her with dark eyes, coming closer till they were an inch apart "You see why I left them? Why I cannot go with you? Not this time and not ever. You never saw me, I was never here and I don't exist...are we clear on that?"
Iphey nodded vigorously. He'd changed. She was right, the James everyone knew, the kind-hearted one who humbled most with his modesty, was gone and so was the spark in his eyes, in their place was the remnants of a wounded man and shattered dreams.
"Don't mention this to your sister. If you do, I know she'll come looking for me and I can't allow that. That was why I followed you here. I managed to get away before the gang could trace me or my family. Still I remained in Lagos to keep an eye on all of you just to be sure. Coincidence rocked the boat when we met this evening. Don't tip it over. It would be disastrous."
Iphey was speechless. What on earth was she supposed to think at a time such as this? Waving away her thoughts, she willed herself back into reality to see James storming out the door in a hurried manner.
"Why?" she mouthed at his retreating back. The heavens sympathised and joined in her despair, a drop at a time. She stood at the door unable to close, knowing she had to go out again. She couldn't keep it to herself, she had to tell Ngozi. Nausea flooded her every being, overcoming her senses but she wouldn't allow it.


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WHEN HOUSE HUNTING more than a decade ago, Brad Ashbrook took one look at the home he'd end up buying in Wellesley and kept driving. "The house had been on the market for a long time. It was such an ugly duckling," he recalls. His wife, Maria, however, saw possibilities in the Cape Cod-style house, built in the 1950s. "It was on a great lot that bordered Boulder Brook Reservation," she says.
The Ashbrooks bought the house, made small improvements, and lived in it with their two sons for six years. "By then we knew what worked and what didn't," says Brad, who notes that the home's biggest flaws were its small, dark rooms and lack of curb appeal. They began thinking about a minimal renovation but soon realized, says Maria, "that we love our neighborhood and we were going to be here for the long haul. So we decided to do things right."
With the twin goals of making the house look more attractive and feel more comfortable, the Ashbrooks' wish list included a more functional kitchen, additional living space, a home office, a guest suite, a front porch, and a second garage bay. As important as the new elements were, they also wanted to hang on to the integrity of the small-scale house. "There are a lot of teardowns in Wellesley that are being replaced with larger homes," says Maria. "We didn't want to go there."
The couple contracted with Medfield-based architect David Sharff, who drafted plans to enlarge the home while keeping its cozy appeal. To expand existing rooms, he found new ways to use nonessential spaces. A breezeway was enclosed to expand the kitchen, which now gleams with custom cabinetry, coast-green granite counters, and a Wolf range. Sharff also converted a 12-by-12-foot screened porch at the back of the house into interior space to add more square footage to the dining room, and removed a wall to integrate the new dining space with the kitchen. A peninsula in the kitchen provides casual mealtime seating, while a second peninsula borders the new family room.
Since the site abuts conservation land and hiking trails, the Ashbrooks couldn't alter the home's footprint at the back of the house, but they could expand slightly toward the front. "We brought the garage forward and took about 12 feet of the existing garage to make the family room," says Sharff. Reconfiguring part of the garage as living space meant adding a steel ceiling beam for support. Sharff turned the structural necessity into an attractive design element by adding more beams to create a coffered ceiling.
Fans of cottage-style architecture, the Ashbrooks liked the idea of using built-ins with that aesthetic to define spaces and add character. In the family room, custom-made bookcases extend to the ceiling. The dining room now has wainscoted walls and two built-in china cabinets separated by a window seat.
While the house has expanded to a generous 3,500 square feet — roughly 1,000 square feet was added during the renovation — its beautified facade remains relatively modest. Gone is the old white aluminum siding, replaced with shingles. New, subtle details have classic appeal. "Since it was a smaller house, we were able to add copper gutters, and the chimney was refaced with stone," says Sharff, who embraced the home's original asymmetrical nature, including using two different garage doors and various rooflines. A new front porch is defined by graceful columns. A shed dormer with gambrel roof was added over the living room, accommodating a new second-story bedroom and bathroom. More windows were added throughout the house, offering multiple views of the tranquil wooded setting.
"It looks like a totally different house," says Maria. "But it's a lovely Shingle-style cottage that seems like it's been there for years. We're very pleased with how the house sits in the neighborhood. Our neighbors have given us a lot of compliments. They tell us that we've inspired them, and that makes us feel great."
Send comments to email@example.com .


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[The following essay is Part IV of the author's "Ideas of Childhood in Victorian Childrens Fiction." Text links bring you to discussions of the works mentioned. Links in the following form "(text)" connect to the full work, which is most often located outside the Victorian web.]
1. Regression, sentimentality and morbidity in depicting children
any critics have queried the Victorians' great interest in the child, and tried to find out what deeper psychological reasons might have lain behind it. Did it, for example, indicate a desire to regress? In other words, do such unrealistically drawn child characters as Charles Kingsleys little chimney-sweep/water-baby function as empty spaces in which the writers could play out their fantasies of being helpless children again? Look at Tom, falling fast asleep for pure love" in the arms of Mrs Doasyouwouldbedoneby, in Chapter 5 of The Water-Babies (text). Consider the role of the several mother figures in this novel. Other young heroes to look at are George MacDonaldÆs Diamond in The Back of the North Wind (text), who is guided by a particularly important mother figure, and Peter Pan (text), who seeks for one in Wendy (note that ideas for the play can be traced back to the novels James Barrie wrote at the end of the Victorian period, Sentimental Tommy, 1896, and Tommy and Grizel, 1900). Is it significant that these are all heroes rather than heroines? See also U. C. Knoepflmacher's often-quoted article, The Balancing of Child and Adult: An Approach to Victorian Fantasies for Children."
Read the section on Childhood and Sentiment" in Lionel Lambourne's Victorian Painting (Ch. 8) to get an overview of the subject as it appears in art as well. In talking of Tom Brown's Schooldays and Eric, or Little by Little, specifically, Lambourne writes:
The criticism of sentimentality which can be levelled at these literary depictions of childhood is also invariably applied to contemporary paintings of childhood themes. In both cases this criticism is over-simplistic, for it was precisely in their tendency to sentimentalize, or rather to demand the response of compassion, that such works afforded powerful incentives to public humanitarianism. (177)
What other explanations can you give for the sometimes excessive sentimentality and morbidity surrounding these and other child characters?
2. Eroticizing childhood
he most unsavoury motives imputed to Victorian writers preoccupied with childhood are voyeurism and paedophilia. Do you agree with James Kincaids idea that the child is eroticized in Victorian culture? Consider the child deathbed scenes in the Evangelical tales, Lewis Carrolls exploits as a child-photographer, and the contemporary vogue for showing sleeping and dying children both in photography and paintings. The Rev. Charles Dodgson (aka Lewis Carroll) would regularly take safety-pins with him to the beach at Eastbourne, so that his child-friends could pin up their skirts while paddling, and talked cheerfully of hunting out nice little victims to photograph. But before reaching quick conclusions, look up Katherine Leach's discussions of Carroll, and Hugues Lebailly's Charles Lutwidge Dodgsons Infatuation with the Weaker and More Aesthetic Sex Re-examined."
What does Kincaid mean by saying that his own aim is to assist in exposing our discourse and its compulsions" and even to help [the Victorians] in reading us" (4, emphases added)?
3. The entrapment of children
t is well known that the instinct to teach, to improve, to warn and rebuke is one of the most striking features of a great many books for Victorian children" (Roe 91). But Jacqueline Rose seems to be suggesting something more than this when she asks, what is it that adults, through literature, want or demand of the child?" (137), and answers that they want to secure the child for their own purposes. Rose, like Coveney, is especially interested in Peter Pan, a work which she feels is typical in having inherited a "fully colonialist concept of the child" (57). What exactly might this mean? Does it mean essentially the same as Germaine Greer's remarks about adult attitudes towards the child? How does it match up with Judith Plotz's ideas? To what other children's works might it apply? Look at the values embodied in Mrs Gatty's Parables from Nature (1855; text), boarding-school and adventure stories for boys, like Thomas Hughes's Tom Brown's Schooldays (text), and any books by G. A.Henty (True to the Old Flag: A Tale of the American War of Independence (1885; text) might be an interesting place to start); also at girls' family stories, like Charlotte Yonge's The Daisy Chain (text), or books that were enjoyed by both boys and girls, like Mrs Ewing's Jackanapes (1879; text). Is it inevitable that these kinds of children's books should reflect and seek to pass on the values of the time? If so, why? And if not, why not?
What other kinds of Victorian childrens literature, besides those mentioned above, gave children more freedom? Look at Ruskin's The King of the Golden River (text). How far do you think Ruskin was able to fulfil the aim expressed in his lecture (No. 4 in The Art of England) on Fairy Land" (text) — to entertain with grace" (126)? Don't forget annuals and story collections like Aunt Judy's Tales (1859; text) and yarns for boys like Jack Harkaway's rip-roaring turn-of-the-century Boy Tinker Among the Turks (text).
Coveney, Peter.The Image of Childhood: The Individual and Society: A Study of the Theme in English Literature. Harmondsworth: Penguin,1967.
Kincaid, James. Child-Loving: The Erotic Child and Victorian Culture. New York & London: Routledge, 1992.
Knoepflmacher, U. C. The Balancing of Child and Adult: An Approach to Victorian Fantasies for Children." Nineteenth Century Fiction. 37 (4): 497-530.
Lambourne, Lionel. Victorian Painting. London & New York: Phaidon, 1999.
Roe, F. Gordon. The Victorian Child. London: Phoenix, 1959.
Rose, Jacqueline. The Case of Peter Pan or The Impossibility of Children's Fiction. London: Macmillan, 1984.
Last modified 7 September 2007


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WQA's Certified Product Listings are available to help connect consumers with water treatment products that have been tested and certified to industry standards. WQA maintains a complete listing of all products and components that have earned the Gold Seal and Sustainability Certification Marks. Only products that pass the rigorous testing requirements of industry standards, pass annual manufacturing facility audits, and comply with WQA's Certification Schemes can be found in this listing.
NOTE: When searching for Chromium-6, please choose reduction claim Hexavalent Chromium.


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Bait alternative
New artificial bait could reduce number of horseshoe crabs used to catch eel, whelk
1:42 p.m., May 29, 2013--A new alternative bait product that will help reduce the number of horseshoe crabs harvested from the Delaware Bay has been introduced.
A team of University of Delaware researchers led by Nancy Targett, DuPont scientists, fisheries biologists, watermen and conservation groups were joined by Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) Secretary Collin O'Mara to make the announcement on Wednesday morning, May 29, at UD's Hugh R. Sharp Campus in Lewes.
Research Stories
Chronic wounds
Prof. Heck's legacy
For years, commercial eel and whelk fishers have dealt with a dilemma: They know the best bait to attract eel and whelk, locally known as conch, is a female horseshoe crab. However, harvest limits are in place to protect the Delaware Bay's horseshoe crab population and the threatened migratory shorebirds that depend on their eggs as a food source. Commercial fishers have long worked within these limits, dividing each bait crab into pieces to bait multiple eel or whelk pots.
"Horseshoe crabs are an ecologically and economically important species in the Delaware Estuary, which hosts the largest concentrations of horseshoe crabs in the world," said Gov. Jack Markell. "This alternative bait is the result of a great partnership among academic researchers, scientists, government, a private corporation and the commercial fisheries industry. By working together, they have found a solution that has great economic and environmental benefits, both now and for the future of bait development."
"Conserving and restoring horseshoe crab populations is critical to supporting Delaware's shorebird migration and implementing the vision of the Delaware Bayshore Initiative," said O'Mara. "By using this new bait developed by leading scientists at the University of Delaware in partnership with DNREC, watermen will be able to reduce the number of horseshoe crabs used to catch whelk and eel, enjoy more convenient bait storage, help conserve the horseshoe crab population, and support migratory birds that depend on horseshoe crab eggs for food. I applaud my predecessor, Secretary John Hughes, and Dean Nancy Targett for their vision to launch this innovative effort, which will provide a win-win for both the economy and the environment for years to come."
The new bait came after years of research, which was spurred in part by a surprising fact: Eel and whelk do not typically feed on adult horseshoe crabs in their natural environment, yet they find them hard to resist in baited pots.
That disconnect intrigued Targett, director of Delaware Sea Grant, dean of UD's College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment and an ecologist who studies the chemical cues that influence animal behavior in the sea. She and her research team set out to identify the mysterious "scent" that lures in eels – and come up with a bait alternative to horseshoe crabs, which have experienced population declines in recent decades.
As a result of the research, Targett and her colleagues have developed a recipe for just such an artificial attractor that could help reduce the number of horseshoe crabs commercial fishermen use.
"Our hope is that this new bait will meet the fishing community's needs and at the same time protect the horseshoe crab," Targett said. "Delaware Sea Grant's motto is 'Science Serving the Delaware Coast,' and we are grateful that so many partners shared in that spirit to move this project forward."
Horseshoe crabs – which are actually more closely related to spiders than crabs – feed upon marine worms and small shellfish, and are fed upon by the federally threatened loggerhead sea turtle and a number of shark species. Their outer shells often support a whole community of marine life, from bacteria to blue mussels. Horseshoe crab eggs are a key part of the seasonal diet of at least seven commercially and recreationally important fish species and a host of crabs and other invertebrates.
Each May and June, horseshoe crabs lay large numbers of these small green eggs on Delaware Bay beaches. Migratory shorebirds, such as the endangered red knot, arrive around the same time to feast on surplus eggs before continuing their long journey from South America to their Arctic breeding grounds. In about two weeks, the birds double their weight for the final non-stop leg of the trip.
As horseshoe crab populations dropped considerably in the 1990s, so did the numbers of red knots. With the horseshoe crab decline largely attributed to their increased demand as bait in the commercial whelk pot fishery, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) established a fisheries management plan with strict harvest quotas. Since the plan was adopted, increases have been noted in segments of the horseshoe crab population. Currently, the ASMFC plan allows for harvesting a limited number of male horseshoe crabs and no harvest of female crabs in Delaware.
With whelk as a popular seafood staple in Asia and an ingredient used domestically in chowders and fritters, demand for horseshoe crabs as bait continues to be high, particularly for female crabs, making an equally effective alternative appealing both economically and environmentally.
To reach the goal of finding an alternative bait, Targett partnered with DuPont scientists to analyze the horseshoe crab's chemical makeup. They identified 100 compounds in tissue samples and were able to rule out some as key components in the scent that appeals so strongly to eel and whelk.
"We were pleased to provide the expertise of DuPont scientists, as well as business advice to make this project successful," said Gary Spitzer, DuPont senior vice president of operations and engineering. "This is a great example of the way corporations, universities and governments can collaborate to promote sustainable solutions."
Concurrent with the chemical approach, Targett's lab developed artificial bait made from alginates (compounds found in brown seaweeds and kelp), a small amount of coarsely ground horseshoe crab and food-grade chemicals including baking soda and citric acid. When mixed together, these ingredients form a quick-set gelatin that keeps for up to four days.
Compared with using half of a female horseshoe crab, which is the Delaware limit, the mixture was just as productive in catching eel using only one-eighth of a female. By substituting an invasive species, the Asian shore crab, the researchers cut that amount down to as little as one-sixteenth of a horseshoe crab. They tested catching whelk with the bait and found similarly successful results.
In addition, despite speculation that female horseshoe crabs were better baits than males, the scientists found that artificial baits composed of males or females were equally effective. The Delaware limit is one whole male per trap or pot.
The bait research was funded by Delaware Sea Grant, DNREC and DuPont Chemicals and Fluoroproducts. A faculty member at the Delaware Biotechnology Institute participated in the early stages of the research. DNREC provided logistical assistance in obtaining horseshoe crab specimens and connecting researchers with fishers.
LaMonica Fine Foods in Millville, N.J., has started producing the bait commercially. Field tests in Delaware Bay with local whelk fishermen have been successful so far.
"The hallmark of this bait is that everyone wins," said Jim Roussos of LaMonica Fine Foods LLC. "This is a major step in conserving the natural resource of horseshoe crabs. The conch and eel fishermen are relieved of the pressures of buying, storing and processing horseshoe crabs. The University of Delaware has proven once again that it is a vital, important and valuable institution not only to its students but to the public at large. And commercial fisheries win when we can be conservators of public resources while maintaining our historical way of life."
To learn more about the project and download the recipe for personal use, visit the Delaware Sea Grant website.
For more information about pre-made bait, call Michael LaVecchia at LaMonica Fine Foods at 856-825-8111, ext. 102.
Photos by Lisa Tossey and Doug Baker


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French - German Dictionary Slovoed Deluxe – perfect vocabulary and #1 Dictionary technology in the World combined in one app
French <> German Dictionary
Check the details on WatchAware
What is it about?
French - German Dictionary Slovoed Deluxe – perfect vocabulary and #1 Dictionary technology in the World combined in one app! Works offline
App Screenshots
App Store Description
French - German Dictionary Slovoed Deluxe – perfect vocabulary and #1 Dictionary technology in the World combined in one app! Works offline
***App unique functionality and 100 sample entries available for preview before purchase***
Dictionary content:
• Both language directions: French -> German and German -> French
• Current, up-to-date vocabulary with over 96,410 words, titles, phrases
• 39,661 French audio pronunciations recorded by native speakers
• 20,000 German audio pronunciations recorded by native speakers
Slovoed Deluxe dictionaries are upper-intermediate and advanced level dictionaries with general vocabulary for high school and college students, as well for professionals, working with foreign languages.
Explore the App Intelligence
• Full Text Search looks up a word in the whole dictionary content: headwords, idioms, usage examples
• Anagram Search, e.g. charm – march
• Wildcard Search, unsure of exact word spelling - replace missing letters with "?" or "*" symbols
• Similar Words, in case of misspelling
• Search within articles
Translate words inside and out the app
• iOS Share Support. Highlight the text and send to the app to learn words' translations
• Clipboard look-up. Copy text while browsing and see dictionary definitions next time you open the app
• Morphology module finds a word translation from any its grammatical inflection
• Hyperlinks between entries
Improve your Language Skills
• Flash Card Quiz to memorize new words and test your knowledge
• Declension and conjugation tables
• Audio pronunciations recorded by native speakers
• Favorites – to quickly access frequently searched words
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• 3D-Touch – quick access to popular app functions right from the Home screen
• Enhanced customization to modify animated menus, choose background colors
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• Handy Converter to convert foreign measurements on the go
• Apple Watch support! Look up words and search the dictionary via Siri on your Apple Watch.
• Pinch-to-Zoom. Enlarge/reduce font size for your comfort
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• No Internet connection required
About Paragon Software
Paragon Software is a leading reference app developer. Company's mobile product portfolio includes more than 1500 classic and illustrated electronic dictionaries, encyclopedias, phrase books in the widest combination of over 40 languages, with databases provided by the world's leading publishing houses, such as Duden, Langenscheidt, Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, PONS, Van Dale, VOX, and others.
AppAdvice does not own this application and only provides images and links contained in the iTunes Search API, to help our users find the best apps to download. If you are the developer of this app and would like your information removed, please send a request to firstname.lastname@example.com and your information will be removed.


text:
Are you looking for a Windows Cleaning company Kensington, Maryland to clean Your Home or Office?
Breezall is the Windows Cleaning company Kensington, Maryland . We will provide you with professional windows cleaning available to do high quality exterior and interior maintenance at a reasonable and low price.
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On Thursday, March 31, 2011, the artist Chie Fueki will give a talk on her artwork and her life. The talk will take place from 2:30 to 3:30 pm in FIT's Katie Murphy Amphitheatre, in the D Building, at 27th Street and Seventh Avenue.
Fueki's intricate and colorful paintings interweave images from diverse cultures and customs, from motifs often present in traditional Japanese art, to images of American athletes. Folk art, textiles, and patterning are also strong visual influences on her work. Each one of Fueki's paintings is composed of paper collage, graphite rubbing, colored pencil, and washes and beads of paint, creating a brocade-like skin on the painting's surface.
Now living in West Chester, Pennsylvania, and Brooklyn, NY, Fueki was born in Japan, and was raised in Brazil.
Her next solo show will be featured at the Mary Boone Gallery, at 745 Fifth Avenue, between E. 57 and E. 58 Streets, in New York City. Fueki has had numerous solo gallery exhibitions, as well as being featured in many group shows, including PS1's 2005 installment of the Greater New York exhibition.
Her page on the Mary Boone website: www.maryboonegallery.com/artist_info/fueki_info.html
Watch her talk at FIT here:


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Thanks to The Note Guys for getting me quick cash for my note. It was money I really needed.
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Want to share your own experience with us? Send us a note to let us know what working with Real Estate Group 360 has been like for you.
"…private mortgage notes can be sold and thus converted into cash. The amount they sell for is based on the principal balance, the number of payments that have been made (referred to as "seasoning"), the number of remaining payments, the home's (or other asset) appraised value and the borrower's creditworthiness."


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|Wikimedia Commons has media related to Engines by cylinder layout.
Engine configuration is an engineering term for the layout of the major components of a reciprocating piston internal combustion engine. These components are the cylinders and crankshafts in particular but also, sometimes, the camshaft(s).
Many apparently 'standard' names for configurations are historic, arbitrary, or overlapping. For example, the 180° V engine is so named because the crankshaft is related to a V engine more closely than it is related to other opposed-piston engines such as the boxer. Others would consider it a flat engine because of its shape.
The names W engine and rotary engine have each been used for several unconnected designs. The H-4 and H-6 engines produced by Subaru are not H engines at all, but boxer engines. The Subaru H-4 and H-6 designs are so named because they are horizontally opposed pistons.
Engine types include:
The standard names for some configurations are historic, arbitrary, or both, with some overlap. For example, the cylinder banks of a 180° V engine do not in any way form a V, but it is regarded as a V engine because of its crankshaft and big end configuration, which result in performance characteristics similar to a V engine. But it is also considered a flat engine because of its shape. On the other hand, some engines which have none of the typical V engine crankshaft design features and consequent performance characteristics are also regarded as V engines, purely because of their shape. Similarly, the Volkswagen Group VR6 engine is a hybrid of the V engine and the straight engine, and can not be definitively labeled as either.
The majority of four stroke engines have poppet valves, although some aircraft engines have sleeve valves. Valves may be located in the cylinder block (side valves), or in the cylinder head (overhead valves). Modern engines are invariably of the latter design. There may be two, three, four or five valves per cylinder, with the intake valves outnumbering the exhaust valves in case of an odd number.
Poppet valves are opened by means of a camshaft which revolves at half the crankshaft speed. This can be either chain, gear or toothed belt driven from the crankshaft, and can be located in the crankcase (where it may serve one or more banks of cylinders) or in the cylinder head.
If the camshaft is located in the crankcase, a valve train of pushrods and rocker arms will be required to operate overhead valves. Mechanically simpler are side valves, where the valve stems rested directly on the camshaft However, this gives poor gas flows within the cylinder head as well as heat problems and fell out of favor for automobile use, see flathead engine.
The majority of modern automobile engines place the camshaft on the cylinder head in an overhead camshaft (OHC) design. There may be one or two camshafts in the cylinder head; a single camshaft design is called single overhead camshaft (SOHC). A design with two camshafts per cylinder head is called double overhead camshaft (DOHC). Note that the camshafts are counted per cylinder head, so a V engine with one camshaft in each of its two-cylinder heads is still an SOHC design, and a V engine with two camshafts per cylinder head is DOHC, or informally a "quad cam" engine.[1][2]
With overhead camshafts, the valvetrain will be shorter and lighter, as no pushrods are required. Some overhead camshaft designs still have rocker arms; this facilitates adjustment of mechanical clearances.
A four valves per cylinder design usually has two valves for intake and two for exhaust, which requires two camshafts per cylinder bank. If there are two camshafts in the cylinder head, the cams can sometimes bear directly on cam followers on the valve stems (tappets). The cam followers aid in noise reduction, dampened vibration, shock absorption and the carrying of axial load.[3][4] This latter arrangement is the most inertia free, allows the most unimpeded gas flows in the engine and is the usual arrangement for high performance automobile engines. It also permits the spark plug to be located in the center of the cylinder head, which promotes better combustion characteristics. Beyond a certain number of valves, the effective area covered decreases, so four is the common-most number. Odd numbers of valves necessarily means the intake or exhaust side must have one valve more. In practice this is invariably the intake valves - even in even-numbered head designs, inlet valves are often larger in size than exhaust.
Very large engines (e.g. marine engines) can have either extra camshafts or extra lobes on the camshaft to enable the engine to run in either direction. Furthermore, other manipulations of valves can be used for e.g. engine braking, such as in a Jake brake.
A disadvantage of overhead cams is that a much longer chain (or belt) is needed to drive the cams than with a camshaft located in the cylinder block, usually a tensioner is also needed. A break in the belt may destroy the engine if pistons touch open valves at top dead center.
This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Engine configuration", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0. There is a list of all authors in Wikipedia
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Thread count is not the best way to measure the quality of your bedding. it's largely a marketing gimmick, which is why you won't find it listed in our product descriptions. To learn more about the thread count myth and the best way to determine the quality of your sheets.What is the difference in Himeya's fabric finishes?
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July 31, 2012. Lees-McRae Summer Theatre is honored to have among its cast and crew renowned conductor John Clanton as the music director for Show Boat opening Wednesday in Hayes Auditorium.
Retired from the U.S. Army as Lieutenant Colonel, Clanton conducted some of the military's finest musical ensembles, including the U.S. Army Orchestra and U.S. Army Chorus. In his career, he has also conducted the National, Tuscaloosa, Annapolis, San Francisco, Grant Park, Naples, Detroit, Ravinia Festival, Cincinnati Pops and London Symphony Orchestras and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Clanton is a graduate of Furman University and the Eastman School of Music.
In a long and distinguished 25-year career with the U.S. Army, Clanton recalls three experiences as the greatest accomplishments of his career; Clanton conducted the state funerals of U.S. Presidents Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford and the White House State Dinner for Queen Elizabeth II in 2007.
"Those are the three that topped it. It's not just the music that makes it special, but the people for whom you perform," said Clanton. "I was there in the middle of history. It is unbelievable to look out at the crowd and see the heads of state. There I was in front of them conducting the 'Battle Hymn of the Republic'."
Clanton heard about Lees-McRae Summer Theatre from longtime friend, Laura Carringer, a seven-season performer for Lees-McRae Summer Theatre (LMST). "Our fathers were both Army chaplains. We've been friends since junior high," Clanton said of Carringer. "She talked to Janet [Speer] and suggested me. I did some research and asked some friends about Lees-McRae, and they all said you should do this. It all came out of the blue, but it was meant to be," Clanton said.
"It amazes me that with all John's notoriety he is one of the warmest individuals I know. It's easy to work with him and he comes to us with such a wealth of musical information," said Artistic Director Dr. Janet Speer. "His longtime friend, Laura Carringer, has been associated with Summer Theatre for years and on a 'lark' asked him if he was interested. The rest has been a glorious history. We are fortunate indeed."
The respect is mutual. Clanton said of Speer, "It has been a pleasure collaborating with Janet. She has a huge heart. She's in that rare category of people; the more you get to know her, the more you like her."
Clanton has also enjoyed working with the cast and crew of LMST. "I have been so impressed with their talent and preparedness since the first day of Seussical." Clanton also directed the music for Seussical, the musical. "Everyone has made me feel like part of the group."
Clanton says Show Boat will be a grand spectacle of a Broadway musical. "People will love it. They really will love it! If you don't enjoy Show Boat, then you just don't enjoy musical theatre," Clanton said.
After Summer Theatre concludes, Clanton will teach a semester at the Shenandoah Conservatory in Winchester, VA. "I'm booked through December. After that, I don't know. I spent the first half of my life completely structured, and the other half may be completely unstructured."
As for returning to Lees-McRae Summer Theatre, Clanton said, "I'd love to come back. This is a very different experience from the Army, but it's all music. The energy and enthusiasm has been wonderful."
"The theatre world is definitely a small one! My husband recently accepted a position in Washington, DC and reconnected with an old college roommate from UNC-G who is a currently serving as a member of the Army's chorus. When I heard that John would be joining us as Music Director for summer theatre and that his background was with the Army Chorus, I immediately asked my husband's friend if he had known John. He grinned and responded that John had been instrumental in recruiting him to the Army Chorus, and that we couldn't possibly wish for a finer musician or a finer person to work with us," said Donna Morgan, managing director for Lees-McRae Summer Theatre. "That prediction has certainly been realized in John's work with the company this summer. He has become a member of the LMST family and has been an absolute pleasure to work with!"
Show Boat begins Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. and continues through August 5. For tickets, visit www.lmst.lmc.edu or call the box office at 828-898-8709.


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MANHATTAN (CN) - A federal judge declined to file contempt charges against a lawyer who Chevron claims has stonewalled discovery orders the company is using to fight a $113 billion environmental lawsuit in Ecuador. Nevertheless, the judge ordered "additional measures" to ensure Steven Donziger fully complies with subpoenas.
Chevron has claimed that judicial misconduct taints the trial against it in Lago Agrio, Ecuador, over contamination caused by its subsidiary, Texaco, during 30 years of oil drilling in the country.
U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan permitted the oil giant to subpoena Donziger, an American lawyer who organized the Ecuadorians' lawsuit.
The 2nd Circuit ruled in December that Donziger had to comply with the subpoena, but Chevron asked the court last week to address Donziger's allegedly incomplete production under the order.
Chevron hopes that evidence of Donziger's questionable trial activities will help it dismiss the environmental lawsuit through international arbitration proceedings, and to dismiss criminal proceedings that two of its attorneys face in Lago Agrio over alleged misconduct defending Chevron.
An earlier order from Kaplan, dated Tuesday, states that Donziger requested more time to comply with the subpoena. Kaplan wrote in that filing that Donziger's strategy seems to delay proceedings in the U.S. and accelerate them in Ecuador.
In Kaplan's order on Thursday, the judge ordered Donziger to consent to letting Yahoo disclose the contents of his e-mail account to Chevron and the two Chevron lawyers on trial in Ecuador. Donziger must also produce the required documents from his law firm account and ensure that he has turned over every electronic document in his possession that comes under the subpoena.
Kaplan said he would reserve decision on whether to hold Donziger in contempt or produce mirror images of his hard drive. He also granted an expanded scope of reference to the special master in the case.
On the same day that Kaplan issued his latest ruling, the 2nd Circuit in Manhattan issued a ruling that also benefitted Chevron. The court's three-judge federal appeals panel ruled that documentary filmmaker Joe Berlinger cannot use journalist's privilege to challenge a subpoena that Chevron filed to see outtakes from his film, "Crude." Berlinger's film chronicles how oil drilling devastated Ecuador's rainforest and also provides an intimate look at Donziger's role in the lawsuit against Chevron.
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text: Pastoral Care At St. Elizabeth, we understand that truly great health has many facets. And we know that our spiritual health plays a huge role in our overall well-being. Simply put, we can't really thrive if our spiritual needs are not being met. That's why our pastoral care professionals are here. Find a Location Find a Doctor Pastoral Care Menu Infant Loss A Source of Spiritual Support in Your Time of Need Regardless of your faith tradition or spiritual belief, we want to help meet your needs for spiritual fulfillment. Our staff of ordained and lay chaplains and volunteers is always available and well-trained in the specific demands of hospital ministry. We offer a ministry that is present, supportive and engaged, in your time of need. Chaplain Availability Chaplains are available upon your request. However, one of our chaplains or volunteers may also simply stop by to see you while you're in the hospital to learn if there's any way we can support you or your family. A chaplain is also on call at all times. So, in an emergency, simply ask a hospital associate to contact the operator on your behalf and page a chaplain. Anointing of the Sick If you're anticipating admission to St. Elizabeth and wish to receive the Sacrament of Anointing, please contact your parish priest prior to admission. If you're a patient and would like to receive the Sacrament of Anointing, please call our pastoral care department at (859) 301-2190. Some Information for Visiting Clergy We welcome visiting clergy, but there are a few guidelines we request that you follow. First, St. Elizabeth requires all visiting clergy to attend a two-hour orientation class. Simply contact our pastoral care department at (859) 301-2190 for times and information. Secondly, all visiting clergy should obtain identification badges for use during your visits. Just stop by our pastoral care offices on the first floor of St. Elizabeth Edgewood to pick up your badge. We typically notify clergy of a member of their congregation's admission only after the member has requested we do so. And you should also know that morning is not a convenient time to visit our patients. We suggest you call the patient's unit – via the hospital operator at (859) 301-2000 – to ask about visiting times because these hours vary for different units. Please also be aware that some patients require additional visiting precautions to prevent infections. For instance, if there is a sign on a patient's door indicating "Isolation precautions," please check with a nurse to learn appropriate procedures before entering. And, of course, patients may require additional rest while in the hospital, so please adjust your visits accordingly. Catholic Services Available St. Elizabeth is operated under the guidance of the Diocese of Covington. As such, we offer several Catholic services at our hospitals as part of the healing ministry of Jesus Christ. At St. Elizabeth Edgewood, a Catholic priest is also available in the hospital every day until 3 p.m. The priest is also on-call for patients and their families until 8 p.m. daily. Catholic services are also held regularly on most weekdays at St. Elizabeth Edgewood, Florence and Ft. Thomas. (See schedule under Our Pastoral Care Offices and Services.) Catholic Communion is available daily. If you request communion and have not been contacted by one of our volunteers, please call our department. Pastoral Care Offices and Services St. Elizabeth Edgewood Phone: (859) 301-2190 Office: First floor, off of the visitors' entrance. Services: Catholic mass weekdays at noon and Sundays at 8:30 a.m. Mass televised on in-house Channel 3. St. Elizabeth Florence Phone: (859) 212-5216 Office: Lobby level near the Gift Shop. Services: Catholic Communion at noon every week day, but Tuesday. St. Elizabeth Ft. Thomas Phone: (859) 572-3549 Office: First Floor next to the Chapel. Services: Catholic Communion at noon every weekday, but Thursday. Interfaith Service at noon Thursdays. St. Elizabeth Grant No services, but chapel is always open on first floor across nurses' station.


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There is perhaps nothing more poignant than an abandoned prison. When you see these haunting images, it's hard not to imagine what once went on in these now-crumbling rooms.
A jail on the island of Procida in Italy, built in 1563 as a castle, transformed into a prison in 1815, closed in 1988.
(via Luca Terracciano)
Vilvoorde Prison, Vilvoorde, Belgium, opened in the late 18th century as a prison, later used as a military hospital, barracks and a dentention centre. It was closed in 1974.
(via Foantje, Forbidden Places and imgur)
Old Salem Jail, Salem, Massachusetts, constructed in 1813, closed in 1991.
It was turned into luxury apartments in 2012.
(via Rana X)
The Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, opened in 1829, closed in 1971.
And here's Al Capone's cell:
(via Michael Cevoli, Bruce C. Cooper, Seeminglee, Thesab and Numb Photo)
The Old Essex County Jail (also known as Newark Street Jail), designed by John Haviland, built in 1837, abandoned in 1970, Newark, New Jersey
(via Forbidden Places and Laura Carolina Sala)
Moundsville West Virginia Penitentiary, operated between 1866 and 1995 in Moundsville, West Virginia.
(via Bob Jagendorf, Pghjared and Chrismiller513)
The Sinop Fortress Prison, a Turkish state prison inside a fortress in Sinop, Turkey. Opened in 1887, closed in 1997. Now it's open to public.
(via marmaduk, Nurettin Mert Aydin and orientalizing)
Holmesburg Prison, built in 1896, closed in 1995, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This facility was the site of some dermatological, pharmaceutical and biochemical weapons research projects involving testing on inmates.
(via Matthew Christopher/Abandoned America and Lindsay Blair Brown)
Tennessee State Prison, opened in 1898, closed since 1992, Nashville, Tennessee.
(via Joel יוֹאֵל, Dave Edens, Ken Fager and Thomas Hawk)
Atlanta Prison Farm, operated between 1945 and 1995.
(via Memories By Mike, Fotostalker and Eric Shoemaker)
A top secret prison and labor camp on Goli Otok (Barren Island), now in Croatia. The uninhabited island was made into a high-security, secret prison for political prisoners, used between 1949 and 1956 by the Yugoslavian government.
(via ::: zu :::, xandroid, Luka Dakskobler, Etoshas Pfanne and Michele)


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American Winter debuts to sold-out crowd
February 19, 2013
On Sunday afternoon, a large line formed outside the Portland Art Museum's Whitsell Auditorium for the premiere of the new documentary film, American Winter.
The beautiful and unique film premiered to a sold-out audience.
American Winter gives viewers a glimpse of the lives of eight Portland families who struggled through the U.S.'s economic downturn. The film shows us that even in the richest country in the world, too many of our families fight to pay bills, buy groceries, or care for their sick children.
American Winter was filmed in Portland, but can be easily placed in any town or city in the U.S.
Special thanks to filmmakers Joe and Harry Gantz for bringing this stirring film to life. And thank you to Senator Jeff Merkley, Oregon House Speaker Tina Kotek, Mayor Charlie Hales, Commissioner Steve Novick, former Governor Barbara Roberts, and former Mayor Tom Potter for attending and showing support for the film.
Nick would also like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the families in the film who shared their stories with us.
For more information on American Winter, and to pre-order the DVD of the film, please visit www.americanwinterfilm.com . American Winter will premiere on HBO on March 18 – visit HBO's website for full listings.