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Managing application development can be a difficult process. From a DBA's perspective, the best way to manage the development process is to become an integral part of teams involved in the process. In this chapter, you will learn the guidelines for migrating applications into databases and the technical details needed for implementation, including the sizing of database objects.
This chapter focuses on the design and creation of applications that use the database. These activities should be integrated with the database-planning activities described in Chapter 3 and Chapter 4. The following chapters in this part of the book address the monitoring and tuning activities that follow the database creation.
Implementing an application in a database by merely running a series of create table commands fails to integrate the creation process with the other major areas (planning, monitoring, and tuning). The DBA must be involved in the application development process in order to correctly design the database that will support the end product. The methods described in this chapter will also provide important information for structuring the database monitoring and tuning efforts.
The first section of this chapter addresses overall design and implementation considerations that directly address performance. The following sections focus on implementation details such as resource management, using stored outlines, sizing tables and indexes, quiescing the database for maintenance activities, and managing packaged applications.Tuning by Design: Best Practices
At least 50 percent of the time—conservatively—performance problems are designed into an application. During the design of the application and the related database structures, the application architects may not know all the ways in which the business will use the application data over time. As a result, there may be some components whose performance is poor during the initial release, whereas other problems will appear later as the business usage of the application changes.
In some cases, the fix will be relatively straightforward—changing an initialization parameter, adding an index, or rescheduling large operations. In other cases, the problem cannot be fixed without altering the application architecture. For example, an application may be designed to heavily reuse functions for all data access—so that functions call other functions, which call additional functions, even to perform the simplest database actions. As a result, a single database call may result in tens of thousands of function calls and database accesses. Such an application will usually not scale well; as more users are added to the system, the CPU burden of the number of executions per user will slow the performance for the individual users. Tuning the individual SQL statements executed as part of that application may yield little performance benefit; the statements themselves may be well-tuned already. Rather, it is the sheer number of executions that leads to the performance problem.
The following best practices may seem overly simplistic, but they are violated over and over in database applications, and those violations directly result in performance problems. There are always exceptions to the rules—the next change to your software or environment may allow you to violate the rules without affecting your performance. In general, though, following these rules will allow you to meet performance requirements as the application usage increases.{mospagebreak title=Do As Little As Possible}
End users do not care, in general, if the underlying database structures are fully normalized to Third Normal Form or if they are laid out in compliance with object-oriented standards. Users want to perform a business process, and the database application should be a tool that helps that business process complete as quickly as possible. The focus of your design should not be the achievement of theoretical design perfection; it should always be on the end user's ability to do his or her job. Therefore, you should simplify the processes involved at every step in the application.
This can be a difficult point to negotiate with application development teams. If application development teams insist on perfectly normalized data models, DBAs should point out the number of database steps involved in even the simplest transaction. For example, inserts for a complex transaction (such as a line item for an invoice) may involve many code table lookups as well as multiple inserts. For a single user this may not present a problem, but with many concurrent users this design may lead to performance issues or locking issues. From a performance-planning perspective, inserts should involve as few tables as possible, and queries should retrieve data that is already stored in a format that is as close as possible to the final format requested by the users. Fully normalized databases and object-oriented designs tend to require a high number of joins during complex queries. Although you should strive to maintain a manageable data model, the first emphasis should be on the functionality of the application and its ability to meet the business's performance needs.In Your Application Design, Strive to Eliminate Logical Reads
In the past, there was a heavy focus on eliminating physical reads—and although this is still a good idea, no physical reads occur unless logical reads require them.
Let's take a simple example. Select the current time from DUAL. If you select down to the second level, the value will change 86,400 times per day. Yet there are application designers who repeatedly perform this query, executing it millions of times per day. Such a query likely performs few physical reads throughout the day. Therefore, if you are focused solely on tuning the physical I/O, you would likely disregard it. However, it can significantly impact the performance of the application. How? By using the CPU resources available. Each execution of the query will force Oracle to perform work, using processing power to find and return the correct data. As more and more users execute the command repeatedly, you may find that the number of logical reads used by the query exceeds all other queries. In some cases, multiple processors on the server are dedicated to servicing repeated small queries of this sort. If multiple users need to read the same data, you should store it in a table or in a package variable.
Consider the following real-world example. A programmer wanted to implement a pause in a program, forcing it to wait 30 seconds between the completion of two steps. Because the performance of the environment would not be consistent over time, the programmer coded the routine in the following format (shown in pseudo-code):
perform Step 1
select SysDate from DUAL into a StartTime variable
begin loop
select SysDate from DUAL in a CurrentTime variable;
Compare CurrentTime with the StartTime variable value.
If 30 seconds have passed, exit the loop;
Otherwise repeat the loop, calculating SysDate again.
end loop
Perform Step 2.
Is this a reasonable approach? Absolutely not! It will do what the developer wanted, but at a significant cost to the application. What's more, there is nothing a database administrator can do to improve its performance. In this case, the cost will not be due to I/O activity—the DUAL table will stay in the instance's memory area—but rather due to CPU activity. Every time this program is run, by every user, the database will spend 30 seconds consuming as many CPU resources as the system can support. In this particular case the select SysDate from DUAL query accounts for over 40 percent of all the CPU time used by the application. All of that CPU time is wasted. Tuning the database initialization parameters will not solve the problem. Tuning the individual SQL statement will not help; the application design must be revised to eliminate the needless execution of commands. For instance, in this case the developer could have used a sleep command at the operating system level or within a program to enforce the same behavior without the database accesses.
For those who favor tuning based on the buffer cache hit ratio, this database has a hit ratio of almost 100 percent due to the high number of completely unnecessary logical reads without related physical reads. The buffer cache hit ratio compares the number of logical reads to the number of physical reads; if 10 percent of the logical reads require physical reads, the buffer cache hit ratio is 90 percent. Low hit ratios identify databases that perform a high number of physical reads; extremely high hit ratios such as found in this example may identify databases that perform an excessive number of logical reads. You must look beyond the buffer cache hit ratio to the commands that are generating the logical reads and the physical reads.{mospagebreak title=In Your Application Design, Strive to Avoid Trips to the Database}
Remember that you are tuning an application, not a query. When tuning database operations, you may need to combine multiple queries into a single procedure so that the database can be visited once rather than multiple times for each screen. This bundled-query approach is particularly relevant for "thin-client" applications that rely on multiple application tiers. Look for queries that are interrelated based on the values they return, and see if there are opportunities to transform them into single blocks of code. The goal is not to make a monolithic query that will never complete; the goal is to avoid doing work that does not need to be done. In this case, the constant back-and-forth communication between the database server, the application server, and the end user's computer is targeted for tuning.
This problem is commonly seen on complex data-entry forms in which each field displayed on the screen is populated via a separate query. Each of those queries is a separate trip to the database. As with the example in the previous section, the database is forced to execute large numbers of related queries. Even if each of those queries is tuned, the burden from the number of commands—multiplied by the number of users—will consume the CPU resources available on the server. Such a design may also impact the network usage, but the network is seldom the problem—the issue is the number of times the database is accessed.
Within your packages and procedures, you should strive to eliminate unnecessary database accesses. Store commonly needed values in local variables instead of repeatedly querying the database. If you don't need to make a trip to the database for information, don't make it. That sounds simple, but you would be amazed at how often applications fail to consider this advice.
There is no initialization parameter that can make this change take effect. It is a design issue and requires the active involvement of developers, designers, DBAs, and application users in the application performance planning and tuning process.
For Reporting Systems, Store the Data the Way the Users Will Query It
If you know the queries that will be executed—such as via parameterized reports—you should strive to store the data so that Oracle will do as little work as possible to transform the format of the data in your tables into the format presented to the user. This may require the creation and maintenance of materialized views or reporting tables. That maintenance is, of course, extra work for the database to perform—but it is performed in batch mode and does not directly affect the end user. The end user, on the other hand, benefits from the ability to perform the query faster. The database as a whole will perform fewer logical and physical reads because the accesses to the base tables to populate and refresh the materialized views are performed infrequently when compared to the end-user queries against the views.
Avoid Repeated Connections to the Database
Opening a database connection may take more time than the commands you execute within that connection. If you need to connect to the database, keep the connection open and reuse the connection. Within the database you may be able to use stored procedures, packages, and other methods to maintain connections while you are performing your processing.
One application designer took normalization to the extreme, moving all code tables into their own database. As a result, most operations in the order-processing system repeatedly opened database links to access the code tables, thus severely hampering the performance of the application. Again, tuning the database initialization parameters is not going to lead to the greatest performance benefit; the application is slow by design.Use the Right Indexes
In an effort to eliminate physical reads, some application developers create numerous indexes on every table. Aside from their impact on data load times, many of the indexes may never be needed to support queries. In OLTP applications, you should not use bitmap indexes; if a column has few distinct values, you should consider leaving it unindexed. The optimizer supports "skip-scan" index accesses, so it may choose an index on a set of columns even if the leading column of the index is not a limiting condition for the query.Do It As Simply As Possible
Once you have eliminated the performance costs of unnecessary logical reads, unneeded database trips, unmanaged connections, and inappropriate indexes, take a look at the commands that remain.{mospagebreak title=Go Atomic}
You can use SQL to combine many steps into one large query. In some cases, this may benefit your application—you can create stored procedures and reuse the code and thus reduce the number of database trips performed. However, you can take this too far, creating large queries that fail to complete quickly enough. These queries commonly include multiple sets of grouping operations, inline views, and complex multirow calculations against millions of rows.
If you are performing batch operations, you may be able to break such a query into its atomic components, creating temporary tables to store the data from each step. If you have an operation that takes hours to complete, you almost always can find a way to break it into smaller component parts. Divide and conquer the performance problem.
For example, a batch operation may combine data from multiple tables, perform joins and sorts, and then insert the result into a table. On a small scale, this may perform satisfactorily. On a large scale, you may have to divide this operation into multiple steps:
- Create a work table. Insert rows into it from one of the source tables for the query, selecting only those rows and columns that you care about later in the process.
- Create a second work table for the columns and rows from the second table.
- Create any needed indexes on the work tables. Note that all the steps to this point can be parallelized—the inserts, the queries of the source tables, and the creation of the indexes.
- Perform the join, again parallelized. The join output may go into another work table.
- Perform any sorts needed. Sort as little data as possible.
- Insert the data into the target table.
Why go through all these steps? Because you can tune them individually, you may be able to tune them to complete much faster individually than Oracle can complete them as a single command. For batch operations, you should consider making the steps as simple as possible. You will need to manage the space allocated for the work tables, but this approach can generate significant benefits to your batch-processing performance.Eliminate Unnecessary Sorts
As part of the example in the preceding section, the sort operation was performed last. In general, sort operations are inappropriate for OLTP applications. Sort operations do not return any rows to the user until the entire set of rows is sorted. Row operations, on the other hand, return rows to the user as soon as those rows are available.
Consider the following simple test: Perform a full table scan of a large table. As soon as the query starts to execute, the first rows are displayed. Now, perform the same full table scan but add an order by clause on an unindexed column. No rows will be displayed until all the rows have been sorted. Why does this happen? Because for the second query Oracle performs a SORT ORDER BY operation on the results of the full table scan. Because it is a set operation, the set must be completed before the next operation is performed.
Now, imagine an application in which there are many queries executed within a procedure. Each of the queries has an order by clause. This turns into a series of nested sorts—no operation can start until the one before it completes.
Note that union operations perform sorts. If it is appropriate for the business logic, use a union all operation in place of a union, because a union all does not perform a sort (because it does not eliminate duplicates).
A union all operation does not eliminate duplicate rows from the result set, so it may generate different results than a union.
Eliminate the Need to Query Undo Segments
When performing a query, Oracle will need to maintain a read-consistent image of the rows queried. If a row is modified by another user, the database will need to query the undo segment to see the row as it existed at the time your query began. Application designs that call for queries to frequently access data that others may be changing at the same time force the database to do more work—it has to look in multiple locations for one piece of data. Again, this is a design issue. DBAs may be able to configure the undo segment areas to reduce the possibility of queries encountering errors, but correcting the fundamental problem requires a change to the application design.
Tell the Database What It Needs to Know
Oracle's optimizer relies on statistics when it evaluates the thousands of possible paths to take during the execution of a query. How you manage those statistics can significantly impact the performance of your queries.Keep Your Statistics Updated
How often should you gather statistics? With each major change to the data in your tables, you should reanalyze the tables. If you have partitioned the tables, you can analyze them on a partition-by-partition basis. As of Oracle Database 10g, you can use the Automatic Statistics Gathering feature to automate the collection of statistics. By default, that process gathers statistics during a maintenance window from 10 P.M to 6 A.M. each night and all day on weekends.
Because the analysis job is usually a batch operation performed after hours, you can tune it by improving sort and full table scan performance at the session level. If you are performing the analysis manually, increase the settings for the DB_FILE_MULTIBLOCK_READ_COUNT and PGA_AGGREGATE_TARGET parameters within your session prior to gathering the statistics. If you are not using PGA_AGGREGATE_TARGET, increase SORT_AREA_SIZE instead. The result will be enhanced performance for the sorts and full table scans the analysis performs.Hint Where Needed
In most cases, the cost-based optimizer (CBO) selects the most efficient execution path for queries. However, you may have information about a better path. You may give Oracle a hint to influence the join operations, the overall query goal, the specific indexes used, or the parallelism of the query.Maximize the Throughput in the Environment
In an ideal environment, there is never a need to query information outside the buffer cache; all of the data stays in memory all of the time. Unless you are working with a very small database, however, this is not a realistic approach. In this section, you will see guidelines for maximizing the throughput of the environment.Use Disk Caching
If Oracle cannot find the data it needs in the buffer cache or PGA, it performs a physical read. But how many of the physical reads actually reach the disk? If you use disk caching, you may be able to prevent 90 percent or more of the access requests for the most-needed blocks. If the database buffer cache hit ratio is 90 percent, you are accessing the disks 10 percent of the time—and if the disk cache prevents 90 percent of those requests from reaching the disk, your effective hit ratio is 99 percent. Oracle's internal statistics do not reflect this improvement; you will need to work with your disk administrators to configure and monitor the disk cache.
Use a Larger Database Block Size
There is only one reason not to use the largest block size available in your environment for a new database: if you cannot support a greater number of users performing updates and inserts against a single block. Other than that, increasing the database block size should improve the performance of almost everything in your application. Larger database block sizes help keep indexes from splitting levels and help keep more data in memory longer. If you are experiencing buffer busy waits during inserts, increase the settings for the freelists parameter setting at the object level (if you are using Automatic Segment Space Management, the freelists parameter does not apply).{mospagebreak title=Store Data Efficiently at the Block Level}
Oracle stores blocks of data in memory. It is in your best interest to make sure those blocks are as densely packed with data as possible. If your data storage is inefficient at the block level, you will not gain as much benefit as you can from the caches available in the database.
By default, the pctused parameter is set to 40 for all database blocks, and pctfree is set to 10. If you use the defaults, then as rows are added to the table, they will also be added to a block until that block is 90 percent full; at that point the block will be removed from the "freelist" and all new inserts will use other blocks in the table. Updates of the rows in the block will use the space reserved by the pctfree setting. Rows may then be deleted from the block, but the block will not be added back to the freelist until the space usage within the block drops below the pctused setting. This means that in applications that feature many delete and insert operations of rows, it is common to find many blocks using just slightly above the pctused value of each block. In that case, each block is just over 40 percent used, so each block in the buffer cache is only that full—resulting in a significant increase in the number of blocks requested to complete each command. If your application performs many delete and insert operations, you should consider increasing pctused so the block will be re-added to the freelist as quickly as possible.
If you use Automatic Segment Space Management, the pctused setting is managed by the database.
If the pctfree setting is too low, updates may force Oracle to move the row (called a migrated row). In some cases, row chaining is inevitable, such as when your row length is greater than your database block size or when you have more than 254 columns in a table. When row chaining and migration occur, each access of a row will require accessing multiple blocks, thus impacting the number of logical reads required for each command. You can detect row chaining by analyzing the table and then checking its statistics via USER_TABLES.Design to Throughput, Not Disk Space
Take an application that is running on eight 9GB disks and move it to a single 72GB disk. Will the application run faster or slower? In general, it will run slower because the throughput of the single disk is unlikely to be equal to the combined throughput of the eight separate disks. Rather than designing your disk layout based on the space available (a common method), design it based on the throughput of the disks available. You may decide to use only part of each disk. The remaining space on the disk will not be used by the production application unless the throughput available for that disk improves.
Avoid the Use of the Temporary Segments
Whenever possible, perform all sorts in memory. Any operation that writes to the temporary segments is potentially wasting resources. Oracle uses temporary segments when the SORT_ AREA_SIZE parameter (or PGA_AGGREGATE_TARGET, if it is used) does not allocate enough memory to support the sorting requirements of operations. Sorting operations include index creations, order by clauses, statistics gathering, group by operations, and some joins. As noted earlier in this chapter, you should strive to sort as few rows as possible. When performing the sorts that remain, perform them in memory.Favor Fewer, Faster Processors
Given the choice, use a small number of fast processors in place of a larger number of slower processors. The operating system will have fewer processing queues to manage and will generally perform better.Divide and Conquer Your Data
If you cannot avoid performing expensive operations on your database, you can attempt to split the work into more manageable chunks. Often you can severely limit the number of rows acted on by your operations, substantially improving performance.Use Partitions
Partitions can benefit end users, DBAs, and application support personnel. For end users, there are two potential benefits: improved query performance and improved availability for the database. Query performance may improve because of partition elimination. The optimizer knows what partitions may contain the data requested by a query. As a result, the partitions that will not participate are eliminated from the query process. Because fewer logical and physical reads are needed, the query should complete faster.
The Partitioning Option is an extra-cost option for the Enterprise Edition of the database software.
The availability improves because of the benefits partitions generate for DBAs and application support personnel. Many administrative functions can be performed on single partitions, allowing the rest of the table to be unaffected. For example, you can truncate a single partition of a table. You can split a partition, move it to a different tablespace, or switch it with an existing table (so that the previously independent table is then considered a partition). You can gather statistics on one partition at a time. All these capabilities narrow the scope of administrative functions, reducing their impact on the availability of the database as a whole.Use Materialized Views
You can use materialized views to divide the types of operations users perform against your tables. When you create a materialized view, you can direct users to query the materialized view directly or you can rely on Oracle's query rewrite capability to redirect queries to the materialized view. As a result, you will have two copies of the data—one that services the input of new transactional data, and a second (the materialized view) that services queries. As a result, you can take one of them offline for maintenance without affecting the availability of the other. Also, the materialized view can pre-join tables and pre-generate aggregations so user queries perform as little work as possible.Use Parallelism
Almost every major operation can be parallelized—including queries, inserts, object creations, and data loads. The parallel options allow you to involve multiple processors in the execution of a single command, effectively dividing the command into multiple smaller coordinated commands. As a result, the command may perform better. You can specify a degree of parallelism at the object level and can override it via hints in your queries.{mospagebreak title=Test Correctly}
In most development methodologies, application testing has multiple phases, including module testing, full system testing, and performance stress testing. Many times, the full system test and performance stress test are not performed adequately due to time constraints as the application nears its delivery deadline. The result is that applications are released into production without any way to guarantee that the functionality and performance of the application as a whole will meet the needs of the users. This is a serious and significant flaw and should not be tolerated by any user of the application. Users do not need just one component of the application to function properly; they need the entire application to work properly in support of a business process. If they cannot do a day's worth of business in a day, the application fails.
This is a key tenet regarding identifying the need for tuning: If the application slows the speed of the business process, it should be tuned. The tests you perform must be able to determine if the application will hinder the speed of the business process under the expected production load.Test with Large Volumes of Data
As described earlier in this chapter, objects within the database function differently after they have been used for some time. For example, the pctfree and pctused settings may make it likely that blocks will be only half-used or rows will be chained. Each of these causes performance problems that will only be seen after the application has been used for some time.
A further problem with data volume concerns indexes. As a B*tree index grows in size, it may split internally—the level of entries within the index increases. As a result, you can picture the new level as being an index within the index. The additional level in the index increases the negative effect of the index on data load rates. You will not see this impact until after the index is split. Applications that work acceptably for the first week or two in production only to suddenly falter after the data volume reaches critical levels do not support the business needs. In testing, there is no substitute for production data loaded at production rates while the tables already contain a substantial amount of data.Test with Many Concurrent Users
Testing with a single user does not reflect the expected production usage of most database applications. You must be able to determine if concurrent users will encounter deadlocks, data consistency issues, or performance problems. For example, suppose an application module uses a work table during its processing. Rows are inserted into the table, manipulated, and then queried. A separate application module does similar processing—and uses the same table. When executed at the same time, the two processes attempt to use each other's data. Unless you are testing with multiple users executing multiple application functions simultaneously, you may not discover this problem and the business data errors it will generate.
Testing with many concurrent users will also help to identify areas in the application where users frequently use undo segments to complete their queries, thus impacting performance.
Test the Impact of Indexes on Your Load Times
Every insert, update, or delete of an indexed column may be slower than the same transaction against an unindexed table. There are some exceptions—sorted data has much less of an impact, for example—but the rule is generally true. The impact is dependent on your operating environment, the data structures involved, and the degree to which the data is sorted.
How many rows per second can you insert in your environment? Perform a series of simple tests. Create a table with no indexes and insert a large number of rows into it. Repeat the tests to reduce the impact of physical reads on the timing results. Calculate the number of rows inserted per second. In most environments you can insert tens of thousands of rows per second into the database. Perform the same test in your other database environments so you can identify any that are significantly different from the others.
Now consider your application. Are you able to insert rows into your tables via your application at anywhere near the rate you just calculated? Many applications run at less than 5 percent of the rate the environment will support. They are bogged down by unneeded indexes or the type of code design issues described earlier in this chapter. If your application's load rate decreases—say, from 40 rows per second to 20 rows per second—your tuning focus should not be solely on how that decrease occurred but also on how the application managed to get only 40 rows per second inserted in an environment that supports thousands of rows inserted per second.Make All Tests Repeatable
Most regulated industries have standards for tests. Their standards are so reasonable that all testing efforts should follow them. Among the standards is that all tests must be repeatable. To be compliant with the standards, you must be able to re-create the data set used, the exact action performed, the exact result expected, and the exact result seen and recorded. Pre-production tests for validation of the application must be performed on the production hardware. Moving the application to different hardware requires retesting the application. The tester and the business users must sign off on all tests.
Most people, on hearing those restrictions, would agree that they are good steps to take in any testing process. Indeed, your business users may be expecting that the people developing the application are following such standards, even if they are not required by the industry. But are they followed? And if not, then why not? The two commonly cited reasons for not following such standards are time and cost. Such tests require planning, personnel resources, business user involvement, and time for execution and documentation. Testing on production-caliber hardware may require the purchase of additional servers. Those are the most evident costs—but what is the business cost of failing to perform such tests? The testing requirements for validated systems in some health industries were implemented because those systems directly impact the integrity of critical products such as the safety of the blood supply. If your business has critical components served by your application (and if it does not, then why are you building the application?), you must consider the costs of insufficient, rushed testing and communicate those potential costs to the business users. The evaluation of the risks of incorrect data or unacceptably slow performance must involve the business users. In turn, that may lead to an extended deadline to support proper testing.
In many cases, the rushed testing cycle occurs because a testing standard was not in place at the start of the project. If there is a consistent, thorough, and well-documented testing standard in place at the enterprise level when the project starts, the testing cycle will be shorter when it is finally executed. Testers will have known long in advance that repeatable data sets will be needed. Templates for tests will be available. If there is an issue with any test result, or if the application needs to be retested following a change, the test can be repeated. Also, the application users will know that the testing is robust enough to simulate the production usage of the application. If the system fails the tests for performance reasons, the problem may be a design issue (as described in the previous sections) or a problem with an individual query.{mospagebreak title=Standard Deliverables}
How do you know if an application is ready to be migrated to a production environment? The application development methodology must clearly define, both in format and in level of detail, the required deliverables for each stage of the life cycle. These should include specifications for each of the following items:
- Entity relationship diagram
- Physical database diagram
- Space requirements
- Tuning goals for queries and transaction processing
- Security requirements
- Data requirements
- Query execution plans
- Acceptance test procedures
In the following sections, you will see descriptions of each of these items.Entity Relationship Diagram
The entity relationship (E-R) diagram illustrates the relationships that have been identified among the entities that make up the application. E-R diagrams are critical for providing an understanding of the goals of the system. They also help to identify interface points with other applications and to ensure consistency in definitions across the enterprise.Physical Database Diagram
A physical database diagram shows the physical tables generated from the entities and the columns generated from the defined attributes in the logical model. A physical database diagramming tool is usually capable of generating the DDL necessary to create the application's objects.
You can use the physical database diagram to identify tables that are most likely to be involved in transactions. You should also be able to identify which tables are commonly used together during a data entry or query operation. You can use this information to effectively plan the distribution of these tables (and their indexes) across the available physical devices to reduce the amount of I/O contention encountered.
In data warehousing applications, the physical database diagram should show the aggregations and materialized views accessed by user queries. Although they contain derived data, they are critical components of the data access path and must be documented.Space Requirements
The space requirements deliverable should show the initial space requirements for each database table and index. The recommendations for the proper size of tables, clusters, and indexes are shown in the "Sizing Database Objects" section, later in this chapter.{mospagebreak title=Tuning Goals for Queries and Transaction Processing}
Changes to the application design may have significant impact on the application's performance. Application design choices may also directly affect your ability to tune the application. Because application design has such a great effect on the DBA's ability to tune its performance, the DBA must be involved in the design process.
You must identify the performance goals of a system before it goes into production. The role of expectation in perception cannot be overemphasized. If the users have an expectation that the system will be at least as fast as an existing system, anything less will be unacceptable. The estimated response time for each of the most-used components of the application must be defined and approved.
It is important during this process to establish two sets of goals: reasonable goals and "stretch" goals. Stretch goals represent the results of concentrated efforts to go beyond the hardware and software constraints that limit the system's performance. Maintaining two sets of performance goals helps to focus efforts on those goals that are truly mission-critical versus those that are beyond the scope of the core system deliverables. In terms of the goals, you should establish control boundaries for query and transaction performance; the application performance will be judged to be "out of control" if the control boundaries are crossed.Security Requirements
The development team must specify the account structure the application will use, including the ownership of all objects in the application and the manner in which privileges will be granted. All roles and privileges must be clearly defined. The deliverables from this section will be used to generate the account and privilege structure of the production application (see Chapter 10 for a full review of Oracle's security capabilities).
Depending on the application, you may need to specify the account usage for batch accounts separately from that of online accounts. For example, the batch accounts may use the database's autologin features, whereas the online users have to manually sign in. Your security plans for the application must support both types of users.
Like the space requirements deliverable, security planning is an area in which the DBA's involvement is critical. The DBA should be able to design an implementation that meets the application's needs while fitting in with the enterprise database security plan.Data Requirements
The methods for data entry and retrieval must be clearly defined. Data-entry methods must be tested and verified while the application is in the test environment. Any special data-archiving requirements of the application must also be documented because they will be application specific.
You must also describe the backup and recovery requirements for the application. These requirements can then be compared to the enterprise database backup plans (see Chapter 12 for guidelines). Any database recovery requirements that go beyond the site's standard will require modifying the site's backup standard or adding a module to accommodate the application's needs.Query Execution Plans
Execution plans are the steps that the database will go through while executing queries. They are generated via the explain plan or set autotrace command, as described in Chapter 8. Recording the execution plans for the most important queries against the database will aid in planning the index usage and tuning goals for the application. Generating them prior to production implementation will simplify tuning efforts and identify potential performance problems before the application is released. Generating the explain plans for your most important queries will also facilitate the process of performing code reviews of the application.
If you are implementing a third-party application, you may not have visibility to all the SQL commands the application is generating. As described in Chapter 9, you can use the STATSPACK utility to monitor the most resource-intensive queries performed between two points in time. You can take STATSPACK "snapshots" before and after a test period and then evaluate the execution paths for the most common or most resource-intensive queries during a test period. See Chapter 9 for details on STATSPACK implementation and the use of the repository introduced with Oracle Database 10g.Acceptance Test Procedures
Developers and users should very clearly define what functionality and performance goals must be achieved before the application can be migrated to production. These goals will form the foundation of the test procedures that will be executed against the application while it is in the test environment.
The procedures should also describe how to deal with unmet goals. The procedures should very clearly list the functional goals that must be met before the system can move forward. A second list of noncritical functional goals should also be provided. This separation of functional capabilities will aid in both resolving scheduling conflicts and structuring appropriate tests.
Resource Management and Stored Outlines
As part of acceptance testing, all interfaces to the application should be tested and their input and output verified.
You can use stored outlines to migrate execution paths between instances, and you can use the Database Resource Manager to control the allocation of system resources among database users. Stored outlines and resource management are important components in a managed development environment. The Database Resource Manager gives DBAs more control over the allocation of system resources than is possible with operating system controls alone.
As of Oracle 10g, you can use SQL profiles to further refine the execution path selected.


text:
Skip to comments.Gun store rescinds Mark Kelly's rifle purchase, questions his 'intent'
Posted on 03/26/2013 6:42:25 AM PDT by Lazamataz
A Tucson gun store owner has decided to rescind the sale of a military-style rifle to Mark Kelly, the husband of former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, after Kelly said he had intended the purchase to make a political point about how easy it is to obtain the kind of firearms he's lobbying Congress to ban.
Kelly's March 5 purchase of an AR-15-style rifle and a 45.-caliber handgun at Diamondback Police Supply sparked a frenzy of reaction from both sides of the debate after he posted to Facebook a photo of himself shopping.
"While I support and respect Mark Kelly's 2nd Amendment rights to purchase, possess, and use firearms in a safe and responsible manner, his recent statements to the media made it clear that his intent in purchasing the Sig Sauer M400 5.56mm rifle from us was for reasons other then for his personal use," MacKinlay said in the statement.
He added that the store will return Kelly's money, donate the rifle to the Arizona Tactical Officers Association to be raffled as a fundraiser and make an additional contribution of $1,295 -- the value of the rifle -- to the Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Astronut smackdown!!!
Mordor wants him back.
Reminds me of Sloth from the first Goonies movie...
See? Another child saved, he did it for Gabby!
Since he didn't purchase it for his own use doesn't he just become a straw buyer?
No, I don't think so. Read form 4473 and the instructions for answering that question.
I bought a rifle for my nephew and correctly answered YES to 11a.
Since it keeps coming up, here are the instructions for that question, which is either 11a or 12a depending on which version of the form you have.
For purposes of this form, you are the actual buyer if you are purchasing the firearm for yourself or otherwise acquiring the firearm for yourself (for example,
redeeming the firearm from pawn/retrieving it from consignment). You are also the actual buyer if you are acquiring the firearm as a legitimate gift for a third party.
ACTUAL BUYER EXAMPLES: Mr. Smith asks Mr. Jones to purchase a firearm for Mr. Smith. Mr. Smith gives Mr. Jones the money for the firearm. Mr. Jones is NOT the actual buyer of the firearm and must answer no to question 12a. The licensee may not transfer the firearm to Mr. Jones. However, if Mr. Brown goes to buy a firearm with his own money to give to Mr. Black as a present, Mr. Brown is the actual buyer of the firearm and should answer yes to question 12a.
This guy brings new meaning to the term "prick"!
Well, now he'll just have to go to a gun show I guess....
Mark Kelly has demonstrated (by allowing his daughter to walk a dog she could not control, costing the life of a sea lion) that he has not the requisite responsibility to handle a weapon safely.
The dealer is simply being prudent and exercising due care and diligence in refusing him this purchase.
Correct me if I'm wrong here, but...I do believe ol' Astro Frankie just got publicly b*tchslapped...
This guy brings new meaning to the term prick!
How about posterior orifice? :-)
Will this moron just shut up and stop using his wife for his political gain.
Mark Kelly...DENIED!
Yeah, that works too. :)
That's okay, he'll just use his Pitt Bull to kill seals then.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Four days after his squad surprised a number of people by winning its first ever NCAA New England Division III Championship, Halston Taylor was named the Men's Regional Coach of the Year by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). The Engineers came into the meet as the ninth-ranked team in New England but placed three runners in the top 12 to win the team title by eight points.
Taylor, who is in his 29th season coaching MIT men's cross country, has received numerous accolades during his distinguished career. In addition to a total of 19 conference Coach of the Year awards, Taylor was tabbed as the top coach in New England on the women's side in 2009. His teams have won 15 New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) titles, including a sweep of both the men's and women's Championships in each of the past four years. The women and men have now captured the Division III New England crown in back-to-back campaigns.
Taylor will guide both squads at this weekend's NCAA Division III Championship in Waverly, Iowa. This will be the 15th appearance at Nationals for the men, the first since 2001, and the second straight for the women. The teams enter the weekend ranked 11th and 13th in the country, respectively. The meet, which is hosted by Wartburg College, begins at 12:00 p.m. with the men's eight-kilometer race, followed by the women at 1:00 p.m.


text:
National Institute of Speech & Hearing
Accredited as Excellent Institution by RCI | ISO 9001:2015 Certified | Accredited by NAAC with A Grade
Shaji S. V., MSc(CS), B.Ed, PGDCA, PGDSBSA, CISL(A)
Mr. Shaji has 18 years of experience in Information Technology (Teaching, Programming and System Administration). He is responsible for the upkeep, configuration, and reliable operation of computer systems in NISH. His area of interest is Technology.
Vijayakumar K., DSS
Mr. Vijayakumar is working as Computer Lab Assistant. A hard of hearing person, he completed the 3 year Diploma in Software Systems course at NISH. He has also done a short term course in Hardware. He prefers using sign language to communicate.


text:
The Innovative Computing Laboratory (ICL) is pleased to be the
recipient of a prestigious NVIDIA award to establish a CUDA Center of
Excellence at the University of Tennessee. The main focus of the new center
will be the development of Linear Algebra Libraries for CUDA-based Hybrid
Architectures. Years of experience on developing open source software
packages and systems like LAPACK, ScaLAPACK, BLAS, Netlib, PVM, MPI,
NetSolve, Top500, ATLAS, and PAPI, will be leveraged in the work of
this newly established center.
Read more at: http://www.hpcwire.com/offthewire/U-of-Tennessee-Named-CUDA-Center-of-Excellence-69105297.html


text:
DHS Rulemaking
DHS mission is to ensure a homeland that is safe, secure, and resilient against terrorism and other potential threats.
In many cases, DHS carries out its mission through the promulgation of regulatory actions. The DHS regulatory agenda includes regulations issued by DHS components, including the following six operational components with regulatory responsibilities:
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
- U.S. Coast Guard (USCG)
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
- Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
- Transportation Security Administration (TSA)
In addition, the DHS regulatory agenda include regulations from the Department's major offices and directorates such as the National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD).
DHS is committed to ensuring that all of its regulatory initiatives are aligned with its guiding principles to protect civil rights and civil liberties, integrate our actions, build coalitions and partnerships, develop human resources, innovate, and be accountable to the American public.
Legal Authorities
The following legal authorities provide some of the major requirements for the federal rulemaking process:
- The Administrative Procedure Act (APA), 5 U.S.C §551 et seq. governs the process by which federal agencies develop and issue regulations.
- The Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA), 5 U.S.C. §601 et seq. requires federal agencies, when developing proposed and final regulations, to consider the impact of regulations on small entities.
- Executive Order 12866 "Regulatory Planning and Review" and Executive Order 13563 "Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review" (PDF - 3 pages. 144 KB) direct federal agencies to follow certain principles in rulemaking, such as the consideration of alternatives and careful analysis of benefits and costs, and describes the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs' role in the federal rulemaking process.


text:
Freddy the Pig
Originally published between 1927 and 1958, the 26 classic books about Freddy the Pig are now going on to delight a sixth generation of children.
Freddy, the smallest and cleverest of the pigs on Bean Farm, is "a pig of many parts, a paragon of porkers" (The New York Times). Detective, politician, ambassador to the Martians—whatever the situation requires, Freddy fits the bill. There's never a dull moment for Freddy and the other animals on Bean Farm, who are "as fast-mouthed and sharply funny as the Marx Brothers, as aphoristic and gimlet-eyed astute as Noel Coward, and yet always affectionate and forgiving" (The Globe and Mail).
These beloved classics—childhood favorites of Overlook publisher Peter Mayer—are available now for the first time as Overlook paperbacks, as well as in handsome hardcover editions. Freddy the Pig, the "Renaissance Pig" (The New York Times) of Bean Farm, is back to thrill his fans of all ages in facsimile editions of these all-American children's classics.
Fans of Freddy may also enjoy Brooks's Jimmy Takes Vanishing Lessons, and Michael Cart's biography of Brooks himself, Talking Animals and Others, both published by Overlook.
Founded in 1984, The Friends of Freddy is an international membership organization dedicated to the preservation and perpetuation of the writings of Walter R. Brooks and his literary alter ego, Freddy the Pig. The Friends hold a biennial convention in upstate New York and organize talks, round-table discussions, a book auction, and dramatic productions based on the Freddy books. Through the Walter R. Brooks Memorial Fund and the Needy Schools and Libraries Book Donation Program, the organization also supports libraries, selected children's hospitals, and shelters both locally and across the nation. For more information, visit freddythepig.org.
Critical Praise for Freddy the Pig:
"Freddy's readers have called him a porcine prince...Walter R. Brooks's gentle genius shines even brighter... Brooks speaks powerfully to his young readers' moral sense without ever overtly moralizing." — Adam Hochschild, The New York Times
"Funny, beautifully written gems." —Nicholas Kristof, The New York Times
"At my funeral, in lieu of flowers, I'd prefer that people give money to the Friends of Freddy fan club." —Deirdre Donahue, USA Today
"Freddy is blessed with courage, wit, agility and a Sherlock Holmes-like capacity for detective work." —Newsday
"My very, very favourite book series as a child...It is that dual perspective of nostalgia for rural life and sophisticated urbanity that makes Brooks's wry, perceptive and affectionately humorous narrative voice so inviting and entertaining, and as fresh as ever for readers of all ages." —Sherie Posesorski, The Globe and Mail
Walter R. Brooks (1886–1958) is the beloved author of 26 books about Freddy the Pig. He edited for magazines, including The New Yorker. In addition to the Freddy books, Brooks created the character of Mr. Ed the Talking Horse.
Kurt Wiese (1887–1974) illustrated over 300 children's books and wrote and illustrated another 20 books. He received two Newbery Awards and two Caldecott Honor Book Awards.
|Items 28 to 36 of 56 total
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Freddy Goes CampingWalter R. Brooks
Freddy Goes CampingWalter R. Brooks
Freddy and the Space Ship (Paperback)Walter R. Brooks, Illustrations by Kurt Wiese
Freddy and the Space ShipWalter R. Brooks
Freddy and the Popinjay (Paperback)Walter R. Brooks, Illustrations by Kurt Wiese
Freddy and the PopinjayWalter R. Brooks
Freddy and The Perilous AdventureWalter R. Brooks
Freddy and The Perilous AdventureWalter R. Brooks
Freddy and The Men From MarsWalter R. Brooks
|Items 28 to 36 of 56 total
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text:
Enjoy Barcelona and stay at one of the most comfortable, modern hostels in the Catalonian capital!
Pere Tarrés Youth Hostel in Barcelona is a new building in one of the safest areas in the city and with very good day and night underground and bus connections to Barcelona city centre. The Pere Tarrés Barcelona Youth Hostel facilities are modern and comfortable. The hostel is one of the few hostels in Barcelona where all the rooms have a private bathroom. You'll also find a fitted kitchen where you can show off your culinary talents or, if you prefer, try our great food.
The hostel has an amazing terrace where you can relax and chill out with friends after tourism in the city. It also provides free services like a breakfast buffet and sheets. Some of the hostel facilities have free WIFI. The youth hostel is one of the best places to stay in Barcelona!
If you're looking for a youth hostel in Barcelona you've come to the right place. Ideal for those travellers alone or for those looking for a group space. The Pere Tarrés Youth Hostel is a totally new building located in a very safe commercial area near the FC Barcelona stadium. This youth hostel has very good connections (near 2 underground lines, 14 regular bus routes, tram and 2 night bus lines).
Open 24 hours, Pere Tarrés Youth Hostel has a total of 320 places distributed amongst double rooms for individual use, double rooms or dormitories with 8 beds. They all have an inbuilt bathroom; as well as individual lockers. The sheets and blankets are included in the price. Without a shadow of a doubt it is one of the few youth hostels en Barcelona where you'll find every kind of convenience.
The rooms are spacious and benefit from natural light. 32 of them are adapted places in a building without any architectonic barriers. At the youth hostel you'll enjoy a magnificent breakfast. You'll also have the chance to have lunch and/or dinner. If you fancy a picnic, just ask! It is one of the youth hostels in Barcelona which is just perfect for groups. At the youth hostel you'll find meeting rooms, free wifi and Internet, a laundry service, a fitted kitchen which can be used by everyone, a large terrace to enjoy our amazing climate, a ping pong table, a spacious TV room and a car park.
The youth hostel staff is ready and waiting to make your stay a unique, unforgettable experience. We'll look after you and provide all the information you need about Barcelona, telling you about the hidden away spots you'll only find out about through someone from the city. The Pere Tarrés Youth Hostel forms part of the Spanish Youth Hostel Network and the International Youth Hostel Federation (IYHF).
What hostel in Barcelona has got the International Quality Certificate?
Come along to the Pere Tarrés Youth Hostel! The whole team's waiting for you!
We form part of:
Pere Tarrés Youth Hostel
Follow us on:
Groups reservations
Fundación Pere Tarrés | Legal notice | Accessibility | | Site map | Contact


text:
Put a Star on It: Christmas Tree Toppers
I just picked up the first Christmas tree of my adulthood and realized that while I have lots of ideas for ornament, I have no topper. In case any of you are searching for one too, I've rounded up 10 good-looking options.
Top Row
1. Vintage Christmas Tree Topper Mercury Glass from ChixyCoco, $26.34
2. Supernova Tree Topper from Land of Nod, $17.95
3. Silver Star Urchin Tree Topper from Kissa Design, $60
4. Gilded Star Tree Topper from West Elm, $15
5. Silvered Star Glass Topper from Anthropologie, $88
Bottom Row
6. Moravian Star Tree Topper from Crate & Barrel, $19.95
7. Frank Lloyd Wright Luxfer Christmas Tree Topper from Amazon.com, $101.99
8. Martha Stewart Collection Christmas Tree Topper from Macy's, $16
9. Mirrored Star Tree Topper from Pottery Barn, $59
10. Moravian Star Tree Topper from the Moravian Book Shop, $49
(Images: As credited above.)


text:
Members of Kent County's Levy Court are expected to approve a new policy to help collect fees for Homeowners Associations.
The March 11 business meeting of Kent County Levy Court will see the seven commissioners voting on a policy where the county will help collect fees for homeowners associations.
The panel reviewed the draft policy implementing the program through a public hearing during their March 4 meeting. No one appeared to speak against the proposal.
Homeowners association fees generally cover items including routine maintenance of common areas, including recreational spaces.
The idea was brought up through a series of meetings by the ad hoc Homeowners Associations Resolving Problems, or HARP, committee.
In November, the group proposed either asking the General Assembly to pass legislation allowing the county to collect the fees as part of annual tax bills, or to have the county set up a separate billing program. The county's Department of Planning Services went with the latter idea, which is similar to an ongoing program in New Castle County.
Members of the HARP committee felt asking the county to get involved should help standardize fee collections and put a little more weight behind collection efforts. Enrollment in the plan will be voluntary, and commissioners do not expect all HOAs to take part.
If approved, the county planning department will work directly with HOAs and will monitor enrollment in the plan, said Director of Planning Sarah E. Keifer.
Levy Court's finance department will handle billing and the collection of funds as well as their disbursement back to individual HOAs.
Under a proposed schedule, which still is under review, enrollment in the program woulds begin this year, with bills going out in January 2015. Payment would be due by the end of February, and delinquency notices would go out in March, June and October. However, the county will not become involved in efforts to collect unpaid fees; that effort, as well as a decision to pursue any legal action will continue to rest with individual HOAs.
The HARP committee is continuing work on it's one other signature effort, the establishment of storm water maintenance districts throughout the county.
The next meeting of the Kent County Levy Court will take place at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 11, at the Kent County Administrative Complex, 555 Bay Road, Dover.


text:
Sailing Bucket
Added Jul 19, 2014
Newport, Rhode I...
Not intended, as the originals, to be used for bailing water from a boat. Surprisingly, is water worthy, tho'! However, useful as container for myriad of things. Adds a nautical touch to "cottage" or porch. Works as a tote for beach, gym or pool. Some awesome ones are made from old sails-vintage, in particular. I could not locate any for reasonable price & also discovered most have but one logo, or set of numbers to install character. Thus, I ink jet printed some pretend businesses & appliqued symbols. Yes, the "1" is backwards & an accident. Fortunate to discover sails have numbers printed in reverse to identify when coming & going. No pattern. I hand cut freestyle as I went along & used pot lid for tracing circle as a perfect match diameter for bottom. Finished all edges-twill tape, French seam or several rows of zigzag stitching.
Material Notes
cotton canvas duck fabric, cotton rope cording, suede, cotton suit weight, iron on interfacing, twill tape, graphic printed twill tape, cotton striped ribbon, middy braid, grommets, metal screw type buckle fastener
4 Comments Sign in to add a post
Aug 13, 2014, 12.36 PMby cathysews
Hi there, I have accidentally marked your comments to me as inappropriate, I'm sorry I meant to say thank you for your lovely comments…not at all inappropriate!, really nice, cheers.
Jul 26, 2014, 07.52 PMby zenica
Love this project!
Jul 21, 2014, 09.07 PMby cathysews
1 Reply
Jul 22, 2014, 03.21 PMby seasidelaundry
Thank you. We have a Portsmouth on our island! May very well prefer yours! Projects are wonderful. You do not take the easy way out-all excellent construction.
Jul 20, 2014, 06.47 AMby Ellen Hatteland
This is so Fun and Fantastic! Great job :)
1 Reply
Jul 20, 2014, 04.49 PMby seasidelaundry
So kind. Saw a few authentic in town @ old sail recycle shop & inspired.
Add to Favorites no one added it


text:
It's difficult to turn on ESPN this week without seeing live shots of New Orleans.
It's difficult to turn on ESPN this week without seeing live shots of New Orleans.
The same is true of various other media outlets, which are in Louisiana to cover the Super Bowl or at least some of the hype surrounding it.
As the week goes on, there will be reports from the two teams' headquarters and more and more shots of the Mercedes-Benz Superdome — the center of the activity and the site of the big game.
If you go to New Orleans between now and Sunday, you will see some recently added structures, TV sets built for on-site broadcasts leading up to the Super Bowl.
You will also see a huge number of visitors in town for the game. There are tens of thousands of fans and journalists who are going to the game.
Altogether, the event is giving the city and the entire region attention and recognition that money simply cannot buy.
This is always a happy side-effect of hosting the Super Bowl. But since Hurricane Katrina and the 2010 BP oil spill, getting good, healthy images of New Orleans and Louisiana out to the nation has become critical.
Even the people who might know that our region has largely recovered from both disasters are still far too familiar with the terrible images of grief and suffering that were all-too-familiar immediately after them.
It is crucial for our tourist-dependent region of the state that potential tourists think of us for swamp tours, beignets, Bourbon Street and Super Bowls, not for oiled beaches and scenes of mayhem.
It sounds silly to people who are familiar with Louisiana and its recent triumphs and tragedies, but for people in New York or Los Angeles, images can linger long past when they were accurate depictions of what was happening.
The Super Bowl puts our state's best-known city on a stage before the world. And we all come out better for that attention.
Then there is the money.
The amount of sales taxes collected from Super Bowl visitors is hefty, and that money is spent all around the state, not just in New Orleans.
When millions are spent in the Crescent City, the benefits are spread to all of Louisiana. And this is one of those times.
Some tend to think of the Super Bowl as a sporting event, but it is so much more than that.
It is a spotlight on New Orleans and Louisiana, and we are ready for our close-up.
Editorials represent the opinions of
the newspaper, not of any individual.


text:
|2007-02-24, 04:30
|Link #21
Obey the Darkly Cute ...
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: On the whole, I'd rather be in Kyoto ...
Age: 61
A bit of airbrushing on a few pixels?? ... I'm only on vol 1&2 .. is that colorized in the manga? because in black'n'white it wouldn't be obvious anyway.
Nothing like an out of context image hmmm, I'd have drawn them with much more shocked faces in such an unexpected situation ... but then we're lacking his next frame response
((reminds me of an incident in a store about 10 years ago.... six year old girl flings her dress up in front of me and a couple of other customers and proudly announces that she has new "Hello Kitty" panties ... time stopped for all the wrong reasons and I thought her mother was going to simply start bleeding out of all her facial pores she was so red - all I could say was "I'm glad you like them."))
|2007-02-24, 05:47
|Link #22
My Lovely Bunny Chie
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Philippines
Age: 30
here are some questions?
1. since it's licensed, can't get any scans... what happened after the chapter 5? I'm curious
2. is there a chance that the author will continue this until kokonoe graduates? jr. hs?
3. what happened to the relationship of all the characters?
Sorry for asking... it would've been better if it will be released here in our country but laws here are very strict in case of this manga...
|2007-02-24, 07:16
|Link #23
Join Date: Nov 2003
I saw a few others pictures and I have to say, it's not the most 'deviant' of this 'session' :p
|2007-02-24, 07:21
|Link #24
Join Date: Oct 2004
Age: 38
I have read every chapter of KNJ to date. I just bringing this up to respond to the claim that Seven Sea does not condone censorship.
So it's either removing the Nipples or to bring the age of the target audience from Older Teens to Adult.
|2007-02-24, 08:42
|Link #25
Join Date: Nov 2003
|2007-02-24, 13:23
|Link #26
Obey the Darkly Cute ...
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: On the whole, I'd rather be in Kyoto ...
Age: 61
Seven Seas hasn't said how they'll "rate" this (which is only a suggested age anyway). But "older teens" (16+) should be fine --- at that point we're having them read and watch some pretty mature stuff in school anyway. Kinda pointless to speculate but I assume they have some lawyer-types checking the landscape. Canada has gotten very wierd about "cartoons" lately but so far no such problems exist in the US. There's always a first time, of course O.o
|2007-02-28, 03:07
|Link #28
Obey the Darkly Cute ...
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: On the whole, I'd rather be in Kyoto ...
Age: 61
Haven't really parsed volume 3 much.... but:
Here's what gomanga.com (Seven Seas) has so far for translated manga release ... what they don't have is any linkage to a vendor yet. It'll be interesting to see how this gets handled.
Volume One
Street Date: April 2007
Price: $10.99
Format: Manga
Trim: 5" x 7.5"
Page Count: 192
Age Rating: Older Teen
|2007-03-20, 03:51
|Link #32
Obey the Darkly Cute ...
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: On the whole, I'd rather be in Kyoto ...
Age: 61
I'm a little farther into volume three... still not real clear on the new teacher's issues...
Rin's caregiver does appear to have mixed motives (he keeps seeing his departed dearest when he thinks about Rin) but it does appear he is torn on the subject. Bah.. I keep reading a page or two at a time -- need to commit some serious translation energy. Everyone's motivations are certainly a lot more complicated than one might guess just thumbing the pages.
|2007-05-21, 16:53
|Link #33
Join Date: Oct 2004
Age: 38
Vol.4 will be releasing in Japan on 12th of September.
The limited edition will come with a DVD containing some 30 min worth of animation. Most likely it will be a Lost Ep kinda thing for the anime.
BTW, they kept postponing Vol.1 of the English translation. First from April to May and now May to June. Latest reason citing being running into "printing problems".
For those of us who read the Japanese edition, we all know well what exactly are the "printing problems".
|2007-05-21, 18:06
|Link #34
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Finland
|2007-05-21, 18:20
|Link #36
Obey the Darkly Cute ...
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: On the whole, I'd rather be in Kyoto ...
Age: 61
"printing problems" == (waffling over whether they're toast for publishing this in "burn'em-they're-witches" US/Canada).
Its one of those where if you READ what is going on, it makes sense and the complicated motivations are interesting... but if you just look at the pictures you could draw a very very poor conclusion
((remembers the old D&D satanic bullpucky flung by idiot fundamentalist witchburners in the 80s, mostly because of they never got past the artwork...))
|2007-05-21, 18:23
|Link #37
Join Date: Oct 2004
Age: 38
It's more worth it for serious manga collectors to get the Japanese Releases, considering the nifty bonuses they have been releasing for recent volumes.
First a figure by a top tier toy maker in Japan and now a DVD. What's next for Volume 5 ?
|2007-05-25, 18:58
|Link #38
Junior Member
Join Date: Feb 2007
Actually, they DID address the online controversy. This also seems to be the reason its delayed.
Heres the info:
"I wanted to address the controversy related to our upcoming release of NYMPHET.
There have been several heated online debates about this title, mainly about whether or not it is suitable to be released in the US. Many fans are eagerly awaiting its release and we have received a large number of emails to attest to this fact, while others on various forums find the content highly objectionable and are opposed to its release.
Specifically, those who are speaking out against NYMPHET seem to be disturbed by the relationship between two characters in the story, namely an elementary school student and her adult teacher. Most people have not yet read NYMPHET, since we havent even published it yet, so I would like to clarify an important point: NYMPHET is a story about a mischievous young girl who tries to sexually entrap her teacher. The important context here is that the girls advances on her teacher are never reciprocated by him; her teacher is horrified by her actions, and his romantic interest is in fact another adult teacher. The comedy arises out of this young girl saying and doing improper things (much like Crayon Shin-Chan, which is currently being aired on Cartoon Network) and seeing her teacher squirm with discomfort and shock while he struggles to keep his composure, at the same time trying not to make a fool of himself in front of the woman he loves.
In Japan, NYMPHET is a highly popular and successful manga written and drawn by a female creator for an older teen male audience. It is published in Futubashas weekly seinen magazine COMIC HIGH. It is not considered pornographic by any means, and Japanese would be shocked to hear this sort of accusation about what they consider to be a mainstream property. In fact, it is so mainstream that it has been turned into an anime program which will be broadcast on Japanese TV starting this July. My personal stance on this title is, if its good enough for the Japanese, then its good enough for us. I had the opportunity to live in Japan for six years, and so I understand and appreciate their cultural nuances and wacky and often bizarre sense of humor. Based on the angry debates that I have seen online, however, there are people who do not appreciate this sort of material, and while it may be appropriate in Japan, they feel that it is inappropriate for our culture.
Although I do not agree with that point of view, I realize that this issue must be addressed, instead of ignored. As a policy, we at Seven Seas do not believe in altering or censoring manga artwork or content, so that approach, which has been taken in the past by others, is out of the question. Instead, despite the fact that we have already received thousands of orders on this title, I have decided to delay its release and to have an open dialogue with the large book chains and other vendors. My intention is to make them fully aware of this debate, familiarize them more fully with the content, and let each of them make the final decision as to whether or not it is appropriate for their stores and their customers -- and then give them the chance to cancel their orders if they wish. In the meantime, I would like to continue the dialogue with fans or others who are seriously concerned about this issue, and will be keeping my eyes and ears open to the discussion.
As always, our intention at Seven Seas is only to publish high quality manga that appeal to our readers and fans. After all, were manga fans ourselves.
Jason DeAngelis
Comes from the SS forum.
|2007-05-25, 19:11
|Link #39
Obey the Darkly Cute ...
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: On the whole, I'd rather be in Kyoto ...
Age: 61
Well.... Praise Cthulhu .... what an actually principled reasoned stand.
Good for him (and thanks for posting that). There's reasoned debate... and then there's witchburning and labeling. I've just about had it with the malicious "church ladies" of my region.
("Church Lady" is an old SNL reference, fyi)
|2007-05-25, 19:22
|Link #40
Seeker of Power
Yes, thanks for the interesting quote. It's sort of refreshing to hear that said by someone in the American manga industry. My full support stands behind this approach that Seven Seas follows.
|comedy, growing up, loli, school life, seinen
|Thread Tools


text:
Few disruptions were reported early Wednesday as the biggest travel day of the year began, with calm weather across most of the country.
A handful of delays were reported among departures from Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, according to the airport's website. But airport spokesman Jonathan Dean said conditions were good for travel and reported no significant lines at airline ticket counters or security checkpoints.
Flights to and from Chicago have been affected by fog there, Dean said. Some flights to the Windy City have been canceled.
Traffic was moving swiftly on most area roadways, according to the Maryland Department of Transportation. And no delays were reported on area transit, according to the Maryland Transit Administration.
Dry, mild weather is in the forecast for most of the country Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service. The main exception to that is in the northwest, where heavy snow is possible across parts of Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana.
Have a weather question? E-mail me at firstname.lastname@example.com or tweet to @MdWeather.


text:
Showroom / Warehouse Address
9617 West Grand Ave, Franklin Park, IL 60131, USA
No Tax on Orders Shipped Outside IL
We Ship Worldwide!
The 32" KDL-32BX311 Series is simplicity at its best. All you have to do is turn on the TV to relax, enjoy and be entertained. It's sleek design and key features makes this TV all the more a valued addition to any home.


text:
Skip to comments.Iranian Alert - April 2, 2005 - An Iranian Student Responds to ABCs Nightline Report on Iran
Posted on 04/02/2005 2:22:39 PM PST by DoctorZIn
Top News Story
The other night ABCs Nightline broadcast an interview from inside of Iran. I received a number of emails about the broadcast. I did not see it, but my readers follow the events in Iran closely they told me they were amazed at the questions
in the interview and the naiveté or deceit of the interviewer, Bob Woodruff. They were concerned that the American public was given a false understanding of what is happening in Iran. Many said the broadcast appeared to be shameful propaganda for the Iranian regime.
One of those angered by the broadcast was a student who just escaped Iran for supporting its pro-democracy forces there. This student wrote the following public statement to ABC News, Bob Woodruff and the Nightline staff, and asked me to publish it here:
A few nights ago, I was watching ABC's Nightline and I was angered to discover how the main stream media could twist what is happening in my poor country. The report was broadcast just two nights after the deadly protests of Tehran which resulted in death of 8 young Iranian soccer fans.DoctorZin: I hope ABC is listening.
Nightlines Bob Woodruff was in Tehran and met with some young Iranians and asked them how they felt about their government, society and freedom.
Unfortunately, he was able to get them to say what he wanted to hear!
He asked them if they knew how the regime arrests freedom loving people or how many newspapers had been shut down.
None of those who were questioned could answer the questions properly. One responded, I do not know how they arrest people, I have never heard that they arrest people. Another girl in the session said the same thing. Such statements are beyond belief.
I can speak from personal experience. Iranians know the danger of being arrested in Iran for violating one of the many so called crimes against the Islamic Republic. One may be arrested for simply being with a friend of the opposite sex. I was arrested twice for walking with my girl friend in the streets of Tehran. I know how they arrest people both in public and in private. Most of my friends have been caught for exercising their basic rights of freedom in Iran.
If Bob Woodruff wanted the truth, he should have sought out the stories of those who have been get caught by the regime militias or police forces. Then he would understand why we want an end to this regime.
Mr. Woodruff, What kind of question was that to ask these young Iranians? If you wanted to know if the Iranian regime arrests people, just watch CNN or other news channel files on Iran's July 1999 protests and you would be able to see the answer with your own eyes.
Why doesnt the mainstream media talk to people who are willing to talk, people like me and the thousands of Iranians like me who have the courage to talk about the mad Mullahs and their brutal reign?
I felt sorry for those in that interview session with Bob Woodruff. I suspect they were frightened. They were likely afraid of the consequences of their contact with the foreign media. Or they were cowards, lacking the strength to speak out against the Mullahs before a foreign audience. Sadly, they lost a great moment to tell the truth about the regime and I am so sorry for them.
Today, the world needs to know why so many of us in Iran hate the Mullahs ruling our beloved country. The world needs to know why we are so angry and desperate. The sad fact is that Irans human rights record is getting worse every day and the only way we can attract the worlds attention to our country's problems is to talk to the mainstream media. I thought reporters coming to Iran would seek out the truth and report it. However, now I really doubt there is any fair and un-biased media existing in this world.
I ask you Mr. Woodruff, we are just learning what the Iranian regime did to the visiting Canadian journalist Zahra Kazemi
in the infamous Evin prison. Have you ever heard about her? Have you tried to talk to her family? If you would have talked to her family, you could have found out how they arrest people in Iran from them. You could have also discovered what can happen to those who get caught by the regime. It is so easy to find out the truth in Iran. Mr. Woodruff, turn off your camera and talk to people in the streets of Tehran.
I am not writing here to protest the way my fellow Iranians answered Bob Woodruffs questions. What I am trying to say is that the left leaning mainstream media in the US appear to have no respect for those who fight for their own freedom!
We, in Iran, do seek a legitimate form of government which respects all groups of people and behave like a civilized regime in the world and represent all Iranians in a very democratic way.
I was so ashamed of my Iranian brethren who did not dare talk about the dirty deeds of the regime. But I can not blame them. I know in what conditions they are living and how frustrating it is!
Perhaps they were really tired of talking because there is no body listening to them!?
What I have been asking myself was it possible that ABC either hired those guys to say what Bob Woodruff wanted them to say and hear or were theyjust too frightened to speak out.
The truth will come out once my country is free and we proudly take back our country from the evil rule of the radical Mullahs.
God Bless Iran!
Freedom for Iranians!
- SMCCDI reports Iranians break Islamist taboos today in massive outdoor event.
- Canada's PM considers new action against Iran for the murder of Canadian reporter Kazemi.
- Charles Krauthammer, says it's time to break the true Axis Of Evil (Syrian and Iran).
- French president Jacques Chirac is to meet next Tuesday with Iranian President Mohammad Khatami.
- Dr. Jermone Corsi warns that an atomic Iran is imminent and that mullahs may have bomb by June.
- Victor Davis Hanson counsels the President not to stop now with his efforts to bring democracy to the Middle East, dispute the dangers.
- Lebanon's The Daily Star makes a compelling argument why the US is unlikely to deal militarily with Iran.
- Eli Lake reports that Iranian dissidents are asking for aid from President Bush, not just words.
- Michael Evans reminds us that April Fools' Day in Iran was the birth of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the horrors that followed.
- And finally, Iran Press News tells the story of the Canadian reporter gang-raped and murdered - Mullahs' style.
"If you want on or off this Iran ping list, Freepmail DoctorZin
Join Us At Today's Iranian Alert Thread The Most Underreported Story Of The Year!
"If you want on or off this Iran ping list, Freepmail DoctorZin
Great reply. The students were under severe duress - several times they said 'you said you wouldn't ask political questions,' to Woodruff who had apparently assured them a nonpolitical analysis of Iran. It was 30 minutes of deceptive lies by ABC Nightline and Woodruff who had previously assured the students [fearful of possible death sentences from Iranian dictatorship] that they wouldn't talk about politics on a POLITICAL segment.
Well, perhaps sports. But not something complicated like Iran.
I thought another PING is necessary!
Many said the broadcast appeared to be shameful propaganda for the Iranian regime.
I saw it, and there was (IMO) no "Appears" about it. It was propaganda. I can't believe they didn't know they were being used.
Did Islamic Regime pay the ABC to broadcast such a phoney report?
The Pakistan Connection
I look forward to the rest.
Coming today perhaps - I am however a bit nervous by mentioning names -
Did they really expect to talk to real students that would speak their mind?
As the old saying goes "I may of been born at night, but it wasn't last night."
You'd think they would know better.
Believe me, I loathe and hate the mullahs and want them dead yesterday. But what can we do to effect regime change?? As much as I would love to see the sh*t bombed out of them, I worry military action could backfire and lead to a groundswell of support.
The best outcome would be if they could be vanquished from within; if all the disaffected young people like this student could rise up and overthrow these vicious bastards, covertly aided by the West when necessary (arms, money, etc) Do you think this could happen, or is an Iraq-style invasion the only way to ultimately deal with them? :(
Some believe that EAST EUROPEAN model of change will be used against the Mullahs!
SIZDAH BE DAR in IRAN...
Intelligent citizens/voters do not trust the liberal news media ...or anything that comes out of Hollywood.
Iran couldn't have written a better propaganda presentation than what Nightline did. Pure garbage.
"The students were under severe duress - several times they said 'you said you wouldn't ask political questions,' to Woodruff who had apparently assured them a nonpolitical analysis of Iran. It was 30 minutes of deceptive lies by ABC Nightline and Woodruff who had previously assured the students [fearful of possible death sentences from Iranian dictatorship] that they wouldn't talk about politics on a POLITICAL segment."
That's really disgusting
I am however a bit nervous by mentioning names -
Then don't. Use a disclaimer that the names were changed for people's protection.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.


text:
Intel to play hi-lo in 2009
New Celerons, Core i7 on the way
Rumor has it that Intel will beef up both the bottom and top of its desktop-processor lines in the second half of this year with the release of new Celeron and Core i7 processors.
According to a report by the market-watchers at Taiwan's DigiTimes, the Celeron E1000 series will be retired and replaced by in the third quarter of this year by a new series, the E3000.
The first two chips in this series, the Celeron E3200 and E3300, will retain the 800MHz frontside buses and 65-watt TDPs of the current E1000 series, which includes the 1.6GHz E1200, 2.0GHz E1400, 2.2GHz E1500 (for the embedded market), and 2.4GHz E1600.
According to DigiTime's loose-lipped "sources at motherboard makers," the E3200 and E3300 will clock in at 2.4GHz and 2.5GHz, respectively, and double the E1000 series' L2 cache to 1MB.
In addition, the sources report that the new Celerons will support Intel's VT virtualization technology - which, if true, would be a first at this low level of the processor spectrum.
We wouldn't expect prices of the new E3100-series chips to stray much from those of the E1000s, which hover in the mid-$100 range.
At the other end of the desktop-processor spectrum, according to those sources, will be a new Core i7 processor, the 3.2GHz i7-960, rumored to launch in the fourth quarter of this year.
Presumably, this new part won't join the thousand-dollar-and-up Core i7 Extreme Edition family, which now includes the 3.2Ghz i7-965 and the recently released 3.33GHz i7-975, but will instead join the current i7-900 series, which currently includes the overclocker's favorite, the bargain-priced 2.66GHz i7-920, plus the 2.93GHz i7-940 and and 3.06GHz i7-950.
Rounding out today's rumors are a dual-core Atom D510, said to launch in the fourth quarter of this year and to be targeted at nettops, and a single-core Atom D410 to be released in the first quarter of next year.
We asked Intel for their opinion of these rumors, but - true to form - they graciously declined our request, saying only that the company doesn't comment on rumor and speculation. ®


text:
We are just days away now from Fair Aid 2013 and the chance to see Merle Haggard and the Strangers wrap up a whole day of music.
We are just days away now from Fair Aid 2013 and the chance to see Merle Haggard and the Strangers wrap up a whole day of music.
"It is not often you get an offer from a country legend to help a couple of local nonprofits, and I know both the Friends of the Fair and the Child Abuse Prevention Council will be forever grateful to Mr. Haggard and his organization for coming up with the Fair Aid 2013 festival at the Siskiyou Golden Fairgrounds," stated fair CEO Cliff Munson. "This festival is going to be one for the ages."
Presale tickets will be available until 5 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 20, for the $40 preferred and $25 general admission prices and will go up $10 each when the gates open at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 21. Food and drink will be available at the festival including hamburgers, hotdogs, fries, pulled pork, salads and beverages for the whole family.
The gates will open at 11 a.m. Stonewashed will take the stage at noon. No Boys Aloud, the all girl band out of Mount Shasta, will be up from 2-3:30 p.m., and Merle Haggard and the Strangers will do a sound check starting at 4 p.m. Slapshoefly is scheduled from 5-6 p.m., and The Chris Gardner Band will open for Haggard from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Haggard's show is scheduled for an 8 p.m. start.
To purchase tickets, stop by the fair office at 1712 Fairlane Road in Yreka or call the Siskiyou Golden Fairgrounds office at 842-2767.


text:
Special Editions
- Global
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- Ernie's Favorites
- "It's Not My Debt"
- Fascist Nation's Favorites
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- The Only Solution - Direct Action Revolution
- Western Libertarian
- S.A.F.E. - Second Amendment is For Everyone
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- FreedomsPhoenix Speakers Bureau
- Wallet Voting
- Harhea Phoenix
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Since I could not find a single poll online after the Sept. 12th 2011 GOP Debate I put up one for FreedomsPhoenix readers.... I don't think I need to leave it up any longer.
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