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Volunteer Opportunities – German Classes
Frau Rogers is planning so many exciting activities over the next weeks in German class! She does need some parent volunteers to assist with some of them. If you are available for any of the following, please contact Frau Rogers or Mary Beth Feldman.
- Second Grade – Granola making. A parent is needed for each of the following dates to help the Second Grade make granola and to stay after class to help bake the granola. Mrs. Sharrer's class – October 23, 11:45 – 12:15. Mrs. Johndro's class – October 25, 11:45 – 12:15.
- Third Grade – Cookie making. A parent is needed to help during class and to stay after to bake the cookies. Mrs. Folsom' s class, October 23, 12:15 – 12:45. Mrs. Tran's class – October 24, 12:15 – 12:45.
- Fourth Grade – Parents are needed to help with an extended project that involves making and finishing lanterns. This help is needed from October 16 – November 8 (Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays), 12:45-1:30.
- Seventh Grade – Making potato soup. A parent is needed to help with the soup making and to stay after to help serve it for the seventh grade lunch. November 14.


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Joe Hart's heroics and a late penalty from Mario Balotelli helped Manchester City salvage a point
Preamble: The reigning champions of England against the reigning champions of Germany? Yes please. Not least when the other match in Group E pits the reigning champions of Spain against their Dutch counterparts. Let's face it, you'd need a heart of stone not to be excited by a Champions League group featuring so many genuine Champions League contenders and Ajax.
Having failed to qualify from a decidedly difficult group last season, Manchester City's efforts to go one better this time round got off to a shaky start when they threw away a 2-1 lead against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu. In such a horrible group, they'll be eager to get three points on the board against Borussia Dortmund this evening. The German outfit needed a late goal from Robert Lewandowski to edge past Ajax at the Westfalenstadion in their opening match and they'll be confident of winning another point or three tonight as they take on a defensively suspect team that has failed to keep a clean sheet in any of its nine matches to date this season.
Financially prudent after years of behind-the-scenes chaos and with a recent habit of producing the kind of end-of-year accounts that would bring a smile to the chops of even the most stony-faced bean-counter, Borussia Dortmund couldn't be less like Manchester City off the field of play. But while extreme caution is the watchword behind the scenes, their manager Jurgen Klopp has ensured that the club's on-field ethos is anything but. Their eye-pleasing, swashbuckling style has served them well on the domestic front over the past two seasons, but not so well in Europe. In last season's Champions League they finished bottom of their group, hopelessly adrift of the more canny and experienced Arsenal, Marseille and Olympiakos, but tonight's encounter should provide some indication of how far both they and City have evolved in their bids to establish themselves as more mature forces to be reckoned with in Europe.
Some stuff you might like: My colleague Marcus Christenson may be a Swede but he's no turnip, so if he writes a 686-word primer on Borussia Dortmund and their hopes for this season's Champions League, you could do a lot worse with your time than read it.
Alternatively, you can read Paul Wilson's match preview, which also features video footage of Roberto Mancini's press conference from the Etihad Stadium yesterday.
And if for some reason you're not yet a subscriber (apart from the reason that you were a subscriber but can no longer stand the sound of it), you can listen to our Football Weekly podcast here, then subscribe to it on iTunes. It's completely free, but you're still welcome to moan incessantly about its many shortcomings in the comments section below the line.
Manchester City: 1-Joe Hart; 5-Pablo Zabaleta, 4-Vincent Kompany, 33-Matija Nastasic, 22-Gael Clichy; 42-Yaya Toure, 14-Javi Garcia, 8-Samir Nasri; 21-David Silva, 10-Edin Dzeko, 16-Sergio Aguero
Subs: Pantilimon, Lescott, Milner, Kolarov, Rodwell, Tevez, Balotelli.
Borussia Dortmund: 1-Roman Weidenfeller; 26-Lukasz Piszczek, 4-Neven Subotic, 15-Mats Hummels, 29-Marcel Schmelzer; 16-Jakub Blaszczykowski, 8-Ilkay Guendogan, 6-Sven Bender, 11-Marco Reus, 10-Mario Goetze; 9-Robert Lewandowski
Subs: Langerak, Kehl, Leitner, Grosskreutz,
Schieber, Felipe Santana, Perisic.
Referee: Pavel Kralovec (Czech Republic)
Linesmen: Roman Slysko (Slovakia) and Martin Wilczek (Czech Republic)
Goal-line officials who some pundits still think do nowt: Radek Pfhoda (Czech Rep) and Micahal Patak (Czech Republic)
How City will line up: In a 4-2-3-1, almost certainly, with Pablo Zabaleta and Gael Clichy bookending Matija Nastasic and Vincent Kompany on the right and left of a back four protected by the defensive midfield screen of Javi Garcia and Yaya Toure. In front of them, David Silva and Samir Nasri will play on the right and left of Sergio Aguero, who'll be buzzing around in his own inimitable way behind lone frontman Edin Dzeko.
How Borussia Dortmund will line up: With seven Germans, three Poles and a Serb, that's how. They too will almost certainly play a 4-2-3-1, with Messrs Piszczek, Subotic, Hummels and Schmeizer lining up from right to left in front of goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller. Ilkay Gundogan and Sven Bender will protect the back four, while Jakub Blaszczykowski, Mario Gotze and Marco Reus will form an intimidating attacking trio behind Robert Lewandowski.
Happy birthday to Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who turned 32 today. I thought he was older.
In the Sky Sports studio, Graeme Souness speaks: "I hope City are very, very aggressive against this German team today. They need to get them on the back foot and score a goal early. You can't allow this German team to come here and play their football because they are a very, very good team and they will create chances tonight."
Not long now: Vincent Kompany exchanges pennants with his opposite number Roman Weidenfeller and the referee tosses the coin.
1 min: City kick off playing from left to right and Samir Nasri gets away the first shot in anger, linking up well with Edin Dzeko before bringing a save out of Weidenfeller with an effort from distance.
2 min: It's been a lively start. Sergio Aguero goes down in the Dortmund penalty area under a challenge from Mario Gotze, but no penalty is forthcoming. Moments later, Vincent Kompany puts the heart crossways in Joe Hart with a less than assured backpass.
4 min: Dortmund attack down the right flank courtesy of Mario Gotze, who appears to have taken up a position on that wing instead of Jakub Blaszczykowski, who's tucked in behind his compatriot Robert Lewandowski.
5 min: Manchester City are wearing their customary home attire of light blue shirts, white shorts and light blue socks. Dortmunds players are kitted out in yellow shirts with black (or is it navy?) stripes, black (or is it navy?) shorts and yellow socks with black (or is it navy?) hoops.
6 min: Dortmund attack down the right flank again, with full-back Lukasz Piszczk lofting a cross into the centre. Robert Lewandowski wins the aeriel duel but is unable to control his header and sends the ball high and wide.
8 min: Sergio Aguero takes advantage of the high line being played by Dortmund's defence to get in behind Neven Subotic on the edge of the penalty area and latch on to a through ball from David Silva. His shot is blocked by Weidenfeller, but the ball breaks to Silva, who tees up Zabaleta this time. He snatches at the ball and shoots it high over the crossbar.
11 min: Borussia Dortmund take on City down the right flank again, with Robert Lewandowski teeing up Mario Gotze. He unleashes a scorching drive from about 18 yards, which Joe Hart tips wide via his right post. Nothing comes from the ensuing corner and Manchester City clear their lines.
14 min: Zabaleta gets on the end of a beautifully angled David Silva pass on the right-hand side of the Dortmund penalty area and tries to shimmy and wriggle his way towards goal from the goal-line. Referee Pavel Kralovec spots an infringement and penalises the Manchester City right-back.
15 min: With 15 minutes gone, the rain is pouring down there's been no let-up in the furious pace at which this game is being played. It's splendidly entertaining stuff, but Manchester City fans will be concerned by the manner in which their team is being forced to play on the back foot at home in such an important game. The early stats show they're dominating possession 62%-38%, but that's not the way it look in terms of chances created and threats posed.
17 min: On the edge of the final third, David Silva tries to cut in from the right-hand touchline but concedes a throw-in under pressure from Gotze.
20 min: Perhaps it's because of the rain, which is bucketing down, but the game has got a lot more scrappy in recent minutes, with lots of congestion and general faff in the middle third of the field. The camera cuts to Alex Ferguson, who is present this evening, just as the Manchester United manager cuts loose with a massive yawn.
21 min: Manchester City try to play the ball through the centre and Sergio Aguero does well to lay it off to a team-mate while surrounded by four opposition players.
24 min: Manchester City try to play it out from the back and win a free-kick just inside the Dortmund half for an Ilkay Gundogan foul. The Dortmund defensive midfielder gets a ticking-off from the referee for kicking the ball away, but is spared a yellow card.
26 min: Edin Dzeko times his run perfectly to split central defenders Subotic and Hummels and get on the end of a Silva pass from deep and shank his effort over the bar. Even if he'd scored it wouldn't have couldn't as the linesman had flagged, incorrectly, for offside.
27 min: Silva picks out Aguero with a splendid pass down the inside right channel. The Argentinian shoots across the face of goal, bringing a decent save out of Roman Weidenfeller.
29 min: Play switches to the other end of the field, where a free-kick swung into the Manchester City penalty area by Marco Reus briefly causes pandemonium. Good defending from Zabaleta, followed by the intervention of Joe Hart, allows City to clear their lines.
30 min: There's a big shout for hand-ball as Edin Dzeko tries to get the better of Marco Reus on the right flank, deep in Dortmund territory. No free-kick is forthcoming.
32 min: Javi Garcia goes down clutching his thigh and calls for medical assistance. He'll catch his death of cold on that wet grass.
32 min: Manchester City substitution: Jack Rodwell on, Javi Garcia off.
33 min: David Silva shimmies this way and that before picking out Sergio Aguero a couple of yards outside the Dortmund penalty area. He looks up and shoots on sight, forcing Roman Wedienfeller to tip the ball over the bar for a corner, from which Dortmund break on the counter and win a corner of their own.
35 min: Marco Reus takes the corner, City fail to clear properly and a bizarre attempt to hack the ball out of defence by David Silva results in it dropping kindly for Subotic. He shoots diagonally from right to left and his low drive fizzes a couple of feet past Joe Hart's right post.
36 min: Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp likened his side's style of play to Arsenal yesterday and the similarities become apparent here. With four or five men committed forward, they try a pass too many and attempt to walk the ball into the net when a more direct approach to goal might have yielded a score.
41 min: Wonderful, lightning fast football from Dortmund results in Mario Gotze being left shaking his head in disbelief after being denied by Joe Hart. The German winger had latched on to a return pass from Robert Lewandowski and looked set to put his side ahead, only for Hart to charge off his line, narrow the angle and deny him from close range.
43 min: Dortmund win a free-kick not too far inside the Manchester City half. Reus attempts to play the ball into the penalty area, but his delivery is poor. The ball is cleared, makes its way to Jakub Blaszczykowski on the right flank and he whips in a marvellous cross that somehow manages to evade Gotze and Lewandowski loitering on the edge of the six-yard box.
45 min: City go close again. Zabaleta loops a cross into the Dortmund penalty area from the left. It's a fraction too high for Dzeko and drops just behind the big striker, where David Silva tries to kung-fu kick the ball past Weidenfeller from six yards, but succeeds only in slashing it over the bar.
45+1 min: Joe Hart is left horribly exposed when Ilkay Gundogan finds himself unmarked in front of goal with the ball bouncing kindly for him and only the goalkeeper to beat. The Dortmund midfielder pulls the trigger, but Hart keeps the scoreboard operator idle with another splendid save from point-blank range.
Half-time: It may be scoreless, but this match has been anything but dull. Chances have gone a begging for both sides, but both goalkeepers deserve credit for putting in superb shifts thus far.
SB Tang writes: "I dunno why everyone, including it seems Herr Klopp, compare Dortmund with Arsenal and Barca," he says. "The comparison's only valid insofar as all three sides practise attractive, technically proficient football. In terms of playing style, Dortmund are completely different to Arsenal and Barca. The latter two aim to dominate possession and territory, whereas Dortmund are a speedy, vertical, counter-attacking side who don't mind enjoying a minority of the possession because they can smash the opposition with a quick, incisive counter-attacking move consisting of approximately five passes or less (instead of the double-digit numbers favoured by Barca and Arsenal)."
And here's the proof: "The first half of this match has amply demonstrated that point," he says, adjusting the hood of his anorak. "Dortmund enjoyed only 37 per cent of possession but managed more shots on target (5 to 4) and more total shots (10 to 6). As armchair viewers I reckon we can all anecdotally agree that they're had more chances and of a better quality than City."
Second half: Borussia Dortmund get the second half underway. There was an interesting vignette just before they did so, when the Manchester City players were shown pausing at the mouth of the tunnel before returning to the pitch. It turns out they were waiting for Yaya Toure, who was delayed leaving the dressing room. Perhaps he was looking for his mojo, which seems to have deserted him thus far tonight. He's had a poor game by his own imperious standards.
46 min: Błaszczykowski tries his luck with a shot from distance, but doesn't trouble Joe Hart.
49 min: Weiderfeller spreads his arms in exasperation as he waits to take a goal-kick, as if to implore one of his team-mates to make a move so he can kick it their way. Possibly in protest at their lack of enthusiasm, he eventually punts it down the right flank and out of play.
50 min: With Dortmund attacking City on the break again, Pablo Zabaleta performs heroics to get back and help out his centre-halves with a beautifully timed tackle on Marco Reus on the edge of the City penalty area. He's been everywhere tonight.
53 min: Another save by Joe Hart, who flings himself to his right to tip yet another rasping effort from Mario Gotze around the post for a corner, from which nothing comes.
56 min: Zabaleta sends a cross in from the right and Weidenfeller darts of his line to punch clear, but misses. From the ensuing scramble, City win a corner, but nothing comes of it and Dortmund clear.
57 min: Manchester City substitution: Aleksandr Kolarov on, Samir Nasri off.
58 min: Manchester City switch to a back three, with Vincent Kompany playing centre-back and Gael Clichy and Matija Nastasic to his left and right. Zabaleta and Kolarov are playing wing backs.
GOAL! Manchester City 0-1 Borussia Dortmund (Reus 60) Jack Rodwell is left hanging his head in shame after playing a loose pass without looking where it was going in midfield. Marco Reus sprints on to it, gallops through on goal like a rugby player greedily accepting an interception and flicks the ball past Joe Hart and into the bottom left-hand corner. Hart got a hand to the ball, but was unable to keep it out.
65 min: Joe Hart is forced into action once again as Reus latches on to a ball played through the City defence and tries his luck with a low diagonal effort from right to left. Hart dashes off his line and block the shot. I think it's probably fair to say that City's tactic of playing with a back three is not working.
67 min: Ilkay Gundogan tries his luck with a curling effort from the edge of the penalty area. City are forced to rely on Joe Hart to get them out of jail again and he does exactly that, leaping high to his left to tip the ball over the bar for a corner.
68 min: Manchester City earn some much-needed respite by winning themselves a corner. Nothing comes of it and Dortmund clear.
69 min: Kolorav puts Aguero through on goal with a perfectly weighted through-ball down the inside left. Weidenfeller dashes off his line to narrow the angle, so the Argentinian attempts to square the ball to Edin Dzeko. His pass is intercepted by Neven Subotic, who plays it out of defence.
71 min: Borussia Dortmund substitution:Mats Hummels off, Felipe Santana on. Borussia Dortmund booking from 10 minutes ago that I haven't got around to mentioning yet: Jakub Blaszczykowski.
74 min: On the touchline, Mario Balotelli has been instructed to peel off his tracksuit and prepare for action.
76 min: With the outside of his right foot, Robert Lewandowski misses one of the easiest chances he'll ever be presented with. Latching on to a beautifully curled cross into his path from Ilkay Gundogan on the right flank and with Joe Hart at his mercy, he scuffed the ball wide of the left upright when scoring looked a far easier option. That's a dreadful miss.
79 min: Ilkay Gundogan goes down as if shot in the back under a challenge from Pablo Zabaleta and there's a minor skirmish between assorted players from both teams when City, quite correctly, decline to put the ball out of play so he can receive medical attention.
81 min: Manchester City substitution: Gael Clichy off, Mario Balotelli on. That's the last of City's three substitutes on now. Borussia Dortmund substitution: Ilkay Gundogan off, Kevin Grosskreutz on.
83 min: City are starting to look a bit clueless and out of ideas. They pretty much matched Borussia Dortmund chance for chance in the first half but have created very little since the break.
84 min: Nastasic lumps the ball forward into the Dortmund box from deep, trying to pick out Edin Dzeko. The visitors clear.
85 min: Yaya Toure is booked for a foul on Mario Gotze.
87 min: Good work by City, who create a decent chance after good link-up play by Mario Balotelli and Edin Dzeko down the right. Dzeko crosses into a crowded penalty area and picks out Sergio Aguero, but his on-target header is saved by Weidenfeller.
88 min: Penalty for Manchester City. Subotic is penalised for handball. On first view it looks a decidedly strange decision and one which quite a few referees might not have given.
GOAL! Manchester City 1-1 Borussia Dortmund (Balotelli 89pen) After completely ignoring Wedienfeller jabbering in his ear as he waited to take the spot-kick, Mario Balotelli takes his run-up, stops and then waits for the goalkeeper to dive towards one corner before nonchalantly rolling the ball into the other. He wheels way doing a yap-yap-yap lobster impression with one hand.
90 min: First Reus and then Lewandowski go close for Borussia Dortmund. The latter's effort forces another fine save out of Joe Hart. There'll be four minutes of injury time and this match could still go either way.
90+1 min: So, that penalty - having seen a replay I can confirm it was a shocking decision. Subotic was contesting the ball with Aguero, it bounced up, hit his arm and he was judged to have controlled it with his hand.
90+3 min: A foul by the substitute Santana gifts Manchester City a free-kick within shooting range for Kolarov, wide on the right. His effort is poor and fails to clear the first man.
Peep! Peep! Peeeeeeep! Referee Karlovec blows for full-time and draws the curtain down on a wonderfully entertaining match. I don't think it's unfair to say that Manchester City escaped from jail there, having been soundly thrashed in the second half. But for a generous decision from the referee, the heroics of their goalkeeper and the profligacy of Borussia Dortmund in front of goal, they could easily have lost by three or four. Elsewhere in this group, Real Madrid have seen off Ajax 4-1 in Amsterdam to go top of the group with six points ahead of Dortmund (four points) in second and City (one point) in third.

subset: commoncrawl


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Hopefully as the time change sets in, some warmer temperatures will soon follow. It is hard to have a true spring break with frigid temperatures and wind cold enough to send chills down your spine.
Normally my spring break includes staying close to home and doing a large amount of fishing and simply enjoying a break, but if the weather continues to remain cold, I may start looking for a warm destination for my break.
For years that break was Lake Fork, near Sulphur Springs, Texas. Lake Fork is a big bass haven and is a large lake stocked full of Florida strain bass. What would catch my eye each and every spring, though, would be the change of scenery on the way down to the lake. As we would leave, it might be fairly warm and you knew spring was close but as you crossed into Texas, the trees would have a few blooms and green grass was scattered about.
As you left the interstate and headed south, the changes were even more drastic as dogwoods were blooming and cattle and horses were grazing in the fields.
Once at the lake and on the water, though, was when you noticed the change we were looking for — warm water loaded with lots of large bass in shallow water. Now, that is the way to spend spring break!
Last week, my good friend and longtime sponsor, Mark Hall, owner of Papa's Baits, sent me a text that he had just caught a 13.11-pound bass and was waiting on the Texas Wildlife folks to come get it for the "Share a Lunker" program.
He will receive a mounted replica of his fish, and she will head back to the water for someone else to catch in the future.
As for those of you who don't spend a lot of time fishing, I am sure there are plenty of activities that will help you enjoy your spring break as well, whether it's heading to the beach for some fun and sun, playing a little golf, scouting for turkeys, or simply just taking a little time off and relaxing.
Spring break for those of us who get to enjoy it is a refreshing break that gives us that boost to finish the school year strong, but it's also that time of year where memories are made and adventures begin. Many families take vacations and plan their time off from work around this annual event, which definitely makes it a favorite time of year for many.
Now all we need is a little cooperation in the weather department, and all of us will have a great spring break.
Email Fisher at firstname.lastname@example.com.


text: Well, in the case of Gerard Christopher (The Superboy series), it makes sense that he would emulate Chris Reeve since that show was produced by the Salkinds, who, as I'm sure you know, produced the Reeve films. So the simularity in that case was no doubt intentional. And in the case of Dean Cain, you probably think he makes a stronger Clark Kent because you're SUPPOSED to. The whole point of the characterization in that show was that Clark Kent was the real person, while Superman is the disguise that lets him use his powers in public. In fact, one of my favorite second season episodes addresses this when Clark tells Lois, "Superman is what I can do, Clark is who I am.".


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Gardening with Laurie: Sick tree treatment
July 28, 2011 at 2:28 a.m.
By Laurie Garretson
When you become interested in gardening and start to enjoy the action of working in the soil and working with all types of living plants, you soon realize the importance of trees. This time of year, we certainly do enjoy the wonderful shade they can provide us with. But shade is just one of the wonderful aspects of trees.
Trees can actually help to clean our air by blocking airborne particles. Trees also help to produce oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide in their wood, roots and leaves. Trees are also useful as wind breaks and help to prevent soil erosion. And, as most home owners know, having trees in your landscape will increase your property value.
Over the past month, I have had many gardeners asking how to save their dying trees. It's unfortunate to ever lose a tree, but sadly, these folks were all concerned about old trees that had been around for a hundred years or more. It would be highly unlikely you'd ever replace something that big.
This general decline in tree health is most likely related to the very severe drought we have been experiencing for more than a couple of years now. This decline did not happen over night. It is something that has been happening over a prolonged period of time.
For any tree that's starting to show signs of stress from any kind of disease, lack of water or environmental issues, I'd suggest using The Dirt Doctor's Sick Tree Treatment. Howard Garrett (the Dirt Doctor) has formulated an organic recipe that has shown excellent results when properly applied to any type of tree problems. All of the recipe and much more valuable information can be found at dirtdoctor.com. I'll go over the basic recipe and a few tips.
One of the most important things any of us can do to encourage healthy trees and plants is to stop using chemical pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. These products not only kill off natures beneficial insects and good nematodes, but also all the other helpful microbes naturally found in organic soils.
You always want to be able to see the root flare on any tree. Unfortunately, it is common to see trees in containers or in the ground planted too deep. Covering the root flare and any of the trunk of a tree is asking for trouble. It will take years to begin seeing results from this problem. Soil or a heavy mulch layer against the trunk will block oxygen from the area and invite in pests and diseases as the tree bark stays moist. You will need to pull all soil and mulch away from the trunk until you can see where the roots begin to flare out.
Aerating all of the root zone area can help to open up the soil. Never till or plow under a tree, this would only damage roots. Aerators are available to rent, or you can simply use a garden fork to perforate the soil. Start punching holes between the tree trunk and the drip line, and work your way out to well beyond the drip line.
Now, you are ready to start applying the recipe products. They do not have to all be applied at the same time if it's not affordable. All is best, but some ingredients are better than none. Come away from the trunk to start applying, and work your way well beyond the drip line.
After products have been put out spread about a inch to 1 inch of compost to the area, and then spread 3 to 4 inches of a shredded native mulch on top of that.
If nothing else can be done at this time, at least give the tree a good foliar feeding with an organic liquid fertilizer each month or more. Last, but not least, always water slowly and for long periods when watering.
Until next time, let's try to garden with nature, not against it, and maybe all our weeds will become wildflowers.
Laurie Garretson is a Victoria gardener and nursery owner. Send your gardening questions to firstname.lastname@example.com or in care of the Advocate, P.O. Box 1518, Victoria, TX 77902.


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Late Night: Movies vs Real Life, WTF? They'll Be Back
(The reason for this video will be apparent shortly)
The last few days I've been at the Newport Beach Film Fest and saw some great documentaries. Also saw A Kiss for Jed Wood, an Irish film, a sweet coming-of-middle-age-movie written by one old friend, directed by another and starring my ex-husband, which is how life sorta shakes out.
Meanwhile, Oscar winning director Kathyrn Bigelow and her Hurt Locker collaborator Mark Boale were developing a $20 million movie Kill Bin Laden based on the 2001 failed black ops mission. Oops, whatever, next? Or will the team rewrite and revise? And there are other OBL movies being tossed around, though we all know how it ends.
And movie/real life gets weirder: Are you sitting down? Terminator 5 is being shopped with former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger attached in a starring role.
In Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, John Conner, Kate Brewster and the Terminator were all still alive, so Ahnuld could live up to the series' catch phrase. A few weeks ago the ex-gov told the Los Angeles Times:
I can step very comfortably into the entertainment world and do an action movie with the same violence that I've always done. I can have the same amount of heads coming off — and any other body parts — and as far as that goes, I don't blink.
Does that mean he'll do his own stunts? Maybe. More like, he didn't get to do enough scorched-earth, kill 'em all while in office, and since he'll never get to blow stuff up as President, he'll just get his rocks off on film (and hopefully filming in CA cuz we need the work!). Supposedly his next project is Cry Macho, a drama about a horse trainer who kidnaps his boss' son.
But Terminator 5, with Schwarzenegger attached as the sparkly thing, is being shopped with no script. That's right. No plot. It's beyond Snakes on a Plane. Maybe it should be an existential, improvisational action film, John Cassavetes meets Michael Bay. And plot predictions/suggestions?
Maybe T5 and Bigelow's Kill Bin Laden with a new ending could combine with Arnold's cartoon project The Governator, featuring his voice and likeness… Yes, you read that right.


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My post yesterday on the coming death of free will generated some interesting comments, with some questioning what I meant by the term 'free will' and whether the descriptor of 'free' added anything to the discussion or merely confused it. So I thought I would clarify my stand and elaborate on what I think is going on.
All that I mean when I say I don't have free will is that when I become aware that I am in the process of making a decision to do something, which is what we normally think of as an act of will freely made, that act has already been set in motion and all that is now happening is that I am becoming aware that the act will shortly take place. This applies even when we 'change our minds', something that we think of as the quintessential act of free will. If I decide to do something and at the last minute change my mind and do something else, that entire sequence was already set in motion before I became aware of it. So rather that 'changing my mind', it is better to say that my mind was changed and then later I became aware of it.
Thinking about whether we have free will can, at the best of times, quickly drag one into an infinite regression and this is what makes the idea so uncomfortable and discussions fraught with confusion. If I say that my decision to type these words was not consciously made but emerged from some subconscious part of my brain, then what about my decision to make the decision to type these words, and so on.
Part of the problem lies with using the word 'decision', since that alone implies an act of will by some agency. It is perhaps less confusing to think of ourselves (bodies and brains) as integral entities that respond to outside stimuli in ways that are determined by our personal histories. We are born and grow up to have the brains and bodies that we do. When we encounter some outside stimuli, we respond in particular ways that are determined by our bodies and the stimuli. Different people can respond in different ways to the same stimuli because they have different histories, though there is a lot of commonality because of our shared evolutionary history.
It is like a car in motion. When the driver presses on the accelerator the car speeds up. Because of the way the car is built (its history), pressing on the accelerator (the outside stimulus) causes it to speed up. A naïve person sitting in the rear seat who did not see the driver press the accelerator but senses the change in motion may be deluded into thinking that it was the car that 'decided' to speed up when all it was doing was responding to a stimulus. All cars will speed up when the accelerator is pressed because of the common history of the evolution of cars, but there will be variations in how quickly they respond.
So when I decide to make a cup of coffee in the morning, it is due to my history that has built up a repertoire of actions to respond to the various stimuli that are part of my daily routine. So in one sense "decisions are being made by my body", but the passive phrasing is a more accurate representation of the reality than the active form of saying "I make decisions". One can say that this is an act of will made by me and as long as we are clear that this is all that is implied, then there should be no confusion.
The reason that we seem to be somewhat unpredictable in our behavior is likely due to the complexity of the system that causes us to be sensitive to minute changes in external conditions. Infinitesimally small changes in the external stimuli may cause macroscopic changes in behavior that give us a sense of being spontaneous. I suspect (but do not know) that the complexity of our brain's neural networks result in the equations governing their workings to be similar to that of weather systems in that they are highly sensitive to initial conditions. Waking up to a neighbor's dog barking instead of the alarm clock may set in motion a different chain of neural events that cause me to make tea in the morning instead of my normal coffee. I may not make the connection to the different cause of waking and instead see this as a spontaneous act of will, simply because all the processes that went into 'making my decision' lay beneath the surface of my consciousness.
Because of the complexity of the neural system and the sensitivity to initial conditions, it seems unlikely, even with the increasing sophistication of fMRI techniques, that we will be able to detect and interpret brain patterns that enable us to predict behavior more than at best a few tens of seconds in advance, the way that weather predictions become highly unreliable when projected more than a few days ahead.
The interesting question (for me at least) is why, if we have no 'free will', we evolved to think we do. It may simply be a byproduct of the evolution of our tendency to think that there are active agents driving events. This does have an evolutionary advantage and is the same tendency that is thought to have originally created the idea of a supernatural power or god in order to explain natural events that seemed mysterious and capricious. As soon as we evolved to have a sophisticated level of consciousness, it would be natural to think that our actions were being driven by an agent and from there it is but a small step to invent the idea of a disembodied mind or a soul that thinks, makes decisions, and gives commands to our bodies.
This is all highly speculative of course. But once we realize that we are entirely material beings behaving according to the laws of nature, the idea of a nonmaterial entity being an integral part of us and yet acting independently of our bodies and giving orders to it makes little sense. Unless one abandons materialism and the laws of science, it seems hard to retain the idea of free will.


text:
Senate Bill No. 464
(By Senators Stollings, Beach, Wells, Kessler (Mr. President), Yost and Unger)
[Introduced March 6, 2013; referred to the Committee on Health and Human Resources; and then to the Committee on Finance .]
A BILL to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding thereto a new article, designated §16-45-1, §16-45-2, §16-45-3, §16-45-4 and §16-45-5, all relating generally to regulation of tanning facilities; defining terms; setting forth requirements for registration, inspection and obtaining a permit; requiring a consent form; setting forth consent form language; creating operating standards; prohibiting the use of tanning devices by anyone under the age of eighteen; granting rule-making authority to the Department of Health and Human Resources to regulate tanning facilities; setting forth minimum requirements for the rule; and establishing criminal penalties.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended by adding thereto a new article, designated §16-45-1, §16-45-2, §16-45-3, §16-45-4 and §16-45-5, all to read as follows:
§16-45-1. Definitions.
As used in this article:
(1) "Photo therapy Device" means a device used for exposure to daylight or to specific wavelengths of light using lasers, light-emitting diodes, fluorescent lamps, dichroic lamps or very bright, full-spectrum light, usually controlled with various devices.
(2) "Tanning device" means any equipment that emits radiation used for tanning of the skin, such as a sun lamp, tanning booth or tanning bed, and includes any accompanying equipment, such as protective eye wear, timers and handrails.
(3) "Tanning facility" means any commercial location, place, area, structure or business where a tanning device is used for a fee, membership dues or other compensation.
§16-45-2. Registration requirements; inspections by local boards of health; posting of permit power of local board of health to order facility to close.
(a) On or after July 1, 2013, any tanning facility located in this state shall obtain a business registration certificate and shall register with the local board of health, request an inspection of the facility, and obtain an operating permit before engaging in the business of a tanning facility.
(b) Each local board of health shall conduct annual inspections of tanning facilities to determine compliance with this article.
(c) Upon a determination by the board that the tanning facility is in compliance with the provisions of this article, the board shall issue to the tanning facility an operating permit, which shall be posted in a conspicuous place in the tanning facility, clearly visible to the general public.
(d) Upon a determination by the board that any tanning facility is not in compliance with the provisions of this article, or the rules promulgated hereunder, the board may order the tanning facility to cease operations until such time as the board determines that the tanning facility is in compliance.
(e) Nothing in this article may be construed as prohibiting any health care provider licensed under chapter thirty of this code from performing any action within the scope of his or her practice that results in prescribing the use of a photo therapy device to a patient regardless of the patient's age for treatment of a medical condition.
§16-45-3. Operation standards.
(a) A tanning facility shall provide to any patron who wishes to use a tanning device located within its tanning facility a consent form relating to use of a tanning device that must include, at a minimum, the following warning: "Repeated exposure or overexposure in a tanning device may cause health problems including, but not limited to, burns, eye damage, skin sensitivity, premature aging of the skin or skin cancer. Any person who takes a prescription or over-the-counter medication should consult a physician before using a tanning device." The consent form must have a place for the patron's signature and the date. A signed and dated copy of the consent form shall be maintained by the tanning facility and remains valid for one year from the date it was signed.
(b) All patrons are required to present proof of age prior to use of a tanning device. Proof of age shall be satisfied with a driver's license or other government issued identification containing the date of birth and a photograph of the individual. Persons under the age of eighteen may not be permitted to use a tanning device.
§16-45-4. Rules to be proposed by the Department of Health and Human Resources.
The Bureau for Public Health within the Department of Health and Human Resources shall propose rules for legislative approval in accordance with the provisions of article three, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code to regulate tanning facilities. The rules shall provide at a minimum:
(1) General physical requirements for facilities and equipment, including requirements for ventilation and lighting;
(2) Record keeping requirements;
(3) Requirements for the posting of warning signs about the dangers inherent in the use of a tanning device;
(4) Proper sanitation of a tanning facility and a tanning device including a requirement that the tanning device be cleaned immediately prior to each use;
(5) Proper maintenance and operation of a tanning device including accuracy and placement of a timing device;
(6) The use of protective eye wear provided by the tanning facility and the proper storage and cleanliness of the eye wear; and
(7) Require that patrons be limited to using the tanning device to the exposure limits set by the manufacturer of the tanning device.
16-45-5. Violations and penalties.
(a) Any owner of a tanning facility who does not obtain a West Virginia business registration certificate, who does not register with the local board of health, or who fails to request an inspection pursuant to section two of this article is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, for a first offense, shall be fined §500.
(b) For a second offense, the owner is guilty of a misdemeanor and, shall be fined not less than §1,000 nor more than §2,000 or be confined in the regional jail for not less than ten days nor more than one year, or both fined and confined.
(c) For a third offense, which is a misdemeanor, the owner may have all the tanning device equipment and paraphernalia confiscated, and shall be fined not less than §2,000 nor more than §5,000 or be confined in the regional jail not less than thirty days nor more than one year, or both fined and confined.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to regulate tanning facilities and establish criminal penalties for violations.
Article §16-45-1
et seq.
is new; therefore, strike-throughs and underscoring have been omitted.


text:
Carl Kasell Escapes NPR News Gig Alive
In your merciful Monday media column: Carl Kasell gets to sleep in now, more rumored AP layoffs, crazy "old media" types eschew pointless media beef, and Verlyn Klinkenborg defended like a doe, a deer, a female deer, shut up, Verlyn.
Carl Kasell, the NPR newscaster known for saying things in that voice of his, is retiring from the morning newscast (but continuing to appear on Wait Wait Don't Tell Me). "The biggest change in his life may be not having to wake up at 1:05 in the morning in order to be ready for the network's 5 a.m. ET newscast." NPR has been literally trying to kill beloved newscaster Carl Kasell, all these years.
Not to get back on this subject again (please), but a tipster tells us there are still more AP layoffs going down, today: "one biz writer in nyc who was on vacation last week. two people in los angeles," our tipster says. We are hoping and assuming these are just leftovers that didn't get done last week.
James O'Shea was a Chicago Tribune editor who got pushed out as the entire company went to hell. Now he's starting up a rival Chicago news organization. But when the NYT asks him about all the BEEF he must have he says, "No, I don't have any interest in any of that." Ridiculous! On the internet, "news" is just a code word for BEEF. You will learn this soon enough, Mr. O'Shea.
What's this,
one guy writing in True Slant defends the continued existence on earth and in our daily newspapers of NYT nature writer and most annoying essayist in the US of A Verlyn Klinkenborg? No. He is indefensible.


text:
"With this easy-to-use, free app, iPhone and iPad users can take advantage of our up-to-the minute daily news feeds as well as our complete monthly issues," said Simmons-Boardman Rail Group Publisher Jonathan Chalon. "With its added Newsstand functionality, if you're running iOS5 or above and you have an active free subscription to Railway Age, you will automatically have all of your new editions pushed directly to your device through Newsstand."
Users can flip their device and read the magazine as a double-page spread or full-screen single page, and tap the page selector to choose a specific page to fast-navigate to. They can also download and save individual pages to access offline and when they are on the go. The Railway Age app features search functionality to find key words relating to recent content, a zoom function to enable clearer reading of selected articles, and social networking integration to keep business colleagues and social circles up to date with all the latest shared news from the Railway Age website. It also offers full access to all previous/archived editions.
"We selected the Apple iPhone and iPad platforms for the Railway Age app after extensive research that showed these devices are the most popular for business users," Chalon noted. "We're also very pleased that MTU, one of the world's largest manufacturers of diesel engines, has signed on as a sponsor."
To download the Railway Age app from the Apple iTunes store on an iPhone or iPad, CLICK HERE.


text:
Tribe send Cabrera to Giants for Neal
Trade veteran second basemen for young outfielder
By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com
Supplanted at second base by rookie Jason Kipnis, Cabrera saw his playing time diminish recently. Cleveland acquired Minor League outfielder Thomas Neal, who has been optioned to Triple-A Columbus.
Neal is currently on the Triple-A disabled list with a left hand contusion.
Indians general manager Chris Antonetti was not available for comment.
Cabrera, 36, opened the season as Cleveland's starting second baseman, but struggled offensively as the summer wore on. In 91 games for the Indians, Cabrera hit .244 with four home runs and 38 RBIs.
By joining the reigning World Series champion Giants, Cabrera's chances of keeping his impressive postseason streak alive increase. The veteran infielder has reached the playoffs in six of the past seven years with the Red Sox, Angels, White Sox, Twins and Reds.
Cleveland promoted Kipnis -- a highly-touted second base prospect -- from Triple-A Columbus on July 21. With Kipnis manning second a majority of the time, Cabrera became expendable for the Tribe. Cabrera was under contract for $1 million and he will be eligible for free agency this offseason.
Neal, 23, was hitting .295 with two home runs, three triples, 13 doubles and 25 RBIs in 60 games for Triple-A Fresno. Along the way, he posted a .351 on-base percentage with a .409 slugging percentage. Neal is now on Cleveland's 40-man roster.
San Francisco selected Neal in the 36th round of the 2005 First-Year Player Draft.
Jordan Bastian is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Major League Bastian, and follow him on Twitter @MLBastian. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


text: Graduate Standing or permission of instructor This course will explore the important role of cooking and eating in different cultures, the symbolism and economic importance of food. We will focus on the current transformations of the world food system, through processes of globalization, the growth of new technologies, migration and fast food. The counter-movement for localization and 'slow food' will also be explored, and we will take some field trips to places where local food is produced, prepared and sold. We may also indulge in some taste testing of different products, and you can expect to take part in some cooking and eating as well!


text:
People in the News - July 1, 2013
Charter Oak Federal Credit Union, Groton, Conn., has named Todd Cooke its new mortgage officer. Cooke has more than a decade's worth of experience in the real estate industry. Cooke is the fourth mortgage officer on Charter Oak's residential lending team. Cooke is a member of the National Association of Realtors as well as the Eastern Connecticut Association of Realtors. He is a graduate of Killingly High School and attended Quinebaug Valley Community College in Danielson and Hesser College in Manchester, N.H.
GFA Federal Credit Union, Gardner Mass., recently announced that Debra May has been promoted to assistant vice president/member resources manager. May joined GFA in October 2001. She attended Mount Wachusett Community College, Fitchburg State University and Clark University.
Hudson Valley Federal Credit Union, Poughkeepsie, N.Y., announced that Accounting Manager Greg Crispell has been promoted to controller. Crispell began his career at HVFCU in April 1998 as a teller in the Hollowbrook branch. He has held a variety of positions with progressively more responsibility, most recently accounting manager. Crispell is a graduate of Mount Saint Mary College and earned his MBA from Marist College. In his new role as controller, he will report directly to CFO Scott Van Zandt.
PSECU, Harrisburg, Pa., has announced that it has hired David B. Dentler as senior director of membership development and sales. The senior director has oversight responsibility over three main areas in the department: business development, public relations and the university development program. Prior to joining PSECU, Dentler spent 29 years in a variety of administrative capacities in higher education. He has experience with community colleges and both public and private four-year institutions. His most recent position was vice president for administration & secretary to the board at Elizabethtown College, where he was employed for 21 years.
Sharon Credit Union, Sharon, Mass., welcomed John A. Sanford as its new mortgage originator. Sanford brings with him over 30 years of experience as a mortgage originator. He recently worked for NE Moves Mortgage LLC, where he served as vice president, regional sales manager for seven years. Sanford holds a BA from Tufts University and a MBA from Babson College.
360 Federal Credit Union, Windsor Locks, Conn., announced the promotion of Karen Bauer to executive vice president. As EVP, along with retaining responsibility for lending and business development, Bauer will now be responsible for the strategic development of the credit union's branch and call center operations as well as improvements to member service across various delivery channels. Bauer also leads and directs 360's Financial Education initiative in the community. Bauer previously was vice president of lending at the credit union for eight years. She was responsible for the strategic development and management of 360FCU's loan portfolio and was responsible for directing the lending, loss prevention, compliance and business development departments. Prior to 360FCU, she was vice president credit and risk management HSBC Equator, a subsidiary of HSBC Group. Bauer received a bachelor of arts degree in sociology from Saint Michael's College.
Coast Central Credit Union, Eureka, Calif., announced that Ed Christians has been appointed vice president, information systems. Christians has 20 years of experience in information technology, most recently at University Federal Credit Union in Austin, Texas. Christians received a BSEE in electrical engineering from Kettering University, an MSEE in electrical engineering from Purdue University and an MBA in management of information systems from St. Edwards University.
Members First Credit Union, Redding, Calif., announced the selection of Lisa Grimmett as the new Pine Street branch manager. Grimmett joins the credit union with 20 years of banking experience, previously working for Tri Counties Bank for 13 years, Butte Community Bank for five years and Rabobank for two-and-a-half years.
Alpena Alcona Area Credit Union, Alpena, Mich., recently welcomed Meaghan Richey. Richey moved to Alpena from the Traverse City area in April. She is from Cincinnati Ohio and received her bachelor's in business from Miami University in 2006. She joined AAACU as a marketing specialist and currently works at the main branch in Alpena. Richey brings over eight years of marketing and communications experience to the position. She most recently was the development manager for Fishtown Preservation Society in Leland, Mich. Before that she was the director of public relations for FAST Physical Therapy in Traverse City.
DHCU Community Credit Union, Moline, Ill, announced that Shelley Groves has been promoted to vice president of operations. In her new role Shelley will oversee the credit union's branch, remote delivery and sales operations along with the commercial, business and mortgage lending and servicing departments. Groves began her credit union career in 1987, serving members in a variety of positions within the loan department eventually being promoted to loan department supervisor. In 2001, she was promoted to business development officer, and promoted to business services manager in 2006.
Mazuma Credit Union, Kansas City, Mo., announced that Deonne Edwards has joined the credit union as chief operations officer. Edwards assumes responsibility for all operational aspects of Mazuma's nine-branch network as well as the member support division. She brings with her 20 years of financial experience that focused on operations management, cross-departmental leadership, business development, community outreach and strategic visioning while developing her career in Nevada, Oregon and Washington. Edwards attended the University of Nevada-Reno.
United Educational Credit Union, Battle Creek, Mich., has promoted Amy Gooch to branch manager of its Coldwater office. Gooch, a five-year employee of United Educational, previously filled the role of senior member service representative. In her new position, Gooch will be responsible for guiding and managing the branch office, providing members with a high quality financial experience, and generating growth to UECU.
Chartway Federal Credit Union, Virginia Beach, Va., announced the retirement of Al Merritt from its board of directors. He served as a volunteer for 46 years. During his years of volunteer service, he helped grow the credit union from a mom and pop savings shop serving 5,122 member in 1967 to a financial institution now delivering the credit union difference to nearly 200,000 members across the country, the credit union said. During his 36 years on the elected board, he served as first vice chair and second vice chair and led the board as chairman from 1994 to 1998. Although he will be retiring from the board, Merritt will continue to serve on several credit union committees in the capacity of board emeritus - active. He will also maintain his director position on the We Promise Foundation, the credit union's charitable arm dedicated to making dreams come true for children battling life-threatening illnesses. The credit union also announced that it selected Joy Camacho to serve as its vice president of finance. Camacho was appointed to the position after more than 30 years of successful financial management experience. Prior to joining the credit union, she worked at Dixon Hughes Goodman LLP, Resource Bank, KPMG and Interwest Savings Bank. Camacho holds a bachelor of science in accounting from Georgetown University, and has CPA accreditations in the state of Maryland and the Commonwealth of Virginia.
1st Advantage Federal Credit Union, Yorktown, Va., announced that Matthew Turner has joined the credit union as the newest relationship manager for its Newtown and Sentara branch locations. Turner comes to 1st Advantage with six years of experience in the financial industry. As relationship manager, he will help oversee operations at the branch as well as focus on developing, growing and retaining relationships with members and business partners.
Robins Federal Credit Union, Warner Robins, Ga. , announced two new employees to the mortgage department. Tonya Mitchelson and Kevin Davis were hired as mortgage account executives. Mitchelson has been with Robins Federal Credit Union for 10 years and has been in the mortgage department for the past nine years. She will assist with acquiring mortgage loans to people in the Houston County area. Davis has been in the mortgage industry for the past 11 years. He has his B.S. in accounting from Georgia College & State University.


text:
Did Buddha teach much on external world?
The above seems to refute certain ideas about the world. Furthermore the Buddha had this definition of the world:""'Everything exists' is the senior form of cosmology, brahman."
"'Everything does not exist' is the second form of cosmology, brahman."
'Everything is a Oneness' is the third form of cosmology, brahman."
"'Everything is a Manyness' is the fourth form of cosmology,""
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .than.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
""By & large, Kaccayana, this world is supported by (takes as its object) a polarity, that of existence & non-existence. But when one sees the origination of the world as it actually is with right discernment, 'non-existence' with reference to the world does not occur to one. When one sees the cessation of the world as it actually is with right discernment, 'existence' with reference to the world does not occur to one." [then it goes through DO] http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .than.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Since the D.O. starts with ignorance and ends with "sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair" it appears that it relates to world as "world of experience" which is the only place where experience of Dukkha could ever occur. Dukkha that is not experienced and never experienced in anyway is not really relevant."And what, bhikkhus, is the origin of the world? In dependence on the eye and forms, eye-consciousness arises. The meeting of the three is contact. With contact as condition, feeling (comes to be); with feeling as condition, craving; with craving as condition, clinging; with clinging as condition, becoming; with becoming as condition, birth; with birth as condition, aging-and-death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair come to be. This, bhikkhus, is the origin of the world. [repeat the same for 5 other sense organ processess]
SN12.44 (4) The World BB Trans.
That in the world by which one is a perceiver of the world, a conceiver of the world—this is called the world in the Noble One's Discipline.
SN35.116 (3) Going to the End of the World
The famous Bahiya teaching also seems to teach a mode of emptiness where one stops short at sense data and doesn't imagine the storyline (which could serve as sign for lust or anger) beyond bare sense data
"Herein, Bahiya, you should train yourself thus: 'In the seen will be merely what is seen; in the heard will be merely what is heard; in the sensed will be merely what is sensed; in the cognized will be merely what is cognized.' In this way you should train yourself, Bahiya.
"When, Bahiya, for you in the seen is merely what is seen... in the cognized is merely what is cognized, then, Bahiya, you will not be 'with that.' When, Bahiya, you are not 'with that,' then, Bahiya, you will not be 'in that.' When, Bahiya, you are not 'in that,' then, Bahiya, you will be neither here nor beyond nor in between the two. Just this is the end of suffering."
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .irel.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
What do you all think?
With metta,


text:
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An excerpt from www.HouseOfNames.com archives copyright © 2000 - 2018
personal name Ivarr of uncertain origin. It became a given name in Ireland, Scotland and Wales before becoming a hereditary surname.
Curre Early Origins
Dumbartonshire, where they held a family seat from early times and their first records appeared on the early census rolls taken by the early Kings of Britain to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.
Curre Early History
Curre Early History
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Curre research. Another 293 words (21 lines of text) covering the years 1292, 1479, 1659, 1621, 1644, 1621, 1622, 1640 and 1644 are included under the topic Early Curre History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Curre Spelling Variations
Curre Spelling Variations
Spelling variations of this family name include: MacIver, MacIvor, MacCure, MacEure, MacUre and many more.
Curre Early Notables (pre 1700)
Curre Early Notables (pre 1700)
Another 39 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Curre Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Curre In Ireland
Curre In Ireland
Some of the Curre family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. Another 149 words (11 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
The Great Migration
The Great Migration
Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Angus McIver, who settled in New England in 1685; Angus McIver, Anne McIver and Duncan McIver, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1774; J.McCiver, who settled in Baltimore in 1820 with his wife and children.
The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.
Motto: Numquam obliviscar
Motto Translation: I will never forget.
Curre Family Crest Products
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text:
I'm new to quilting but have fallen in love with it. I have just a plain singer sewing machine and have been sewing on the living room table. I showed my Mom so she built me a top that will go over any table to turn it into a quilting center and wanted to share it.
She built it with an extra piece of plywood and 2 two by fours. She put my sewing machine on top and drew around it then cut the piece out. She put 1 two by four on the end where the sewing machine goes and nailed it down and cut off the extra piece that was where the sewing machine would go. She used that small cut piece to put on the front on the other side of the sewing machine. The 2nd two by four she didn't nail down so that I could easly carry the pieces around. When ready I just set the other two by four on the table top at the other end and set the top on it. I did have to use a scrap piece of wood to raise my sewing machine upto the exact line so that it was completely flush. I used a piece of vinyal fabric I got at a thrift store to cover the wood top and stapled it down and around then used duck tape to cover all corners so nothing would catch on the wood, thou my Mom had used her sander to sand everything flat. The ducktape was just extra insurance.
This leaves me with space for my small ironing board to fit on one side, a slotted box to store my notions underneath the table and have put all my cutting boards on top for when I need to cut anything.
Eventually I'll get another table but for now this works perfect.


text:
A solar-powered plane that has wowed aviation fans in Europe took to the skies over the San Francisco Bay area in a successful test flight.
Considered the world's most advanced sun-powered plane, the Solar Impulse took off from Moffett Field in Mountain View at first light Friday for a two-hour practice run leading up a multi-city, cross-country tour.
Its Swiss creator and pilot André Borschberg said the plane should be ready for the cross-country journey on May 1, depending on the weather.
The aircraft will stop in Phoenix, Dallas, Washington and New York.
Each flight leg will take 20 to 25 hours, with 10-day stops planned in each city.
Between Dallas and D.C., the plane will also stop at one of three other cities: Atlanta, Nashville or St. Louis.


text:
Looking for a corsage that will make your date's eyes light up and her mouth water?
This KFC drumstick corsage is the Secret Recipe to making sure this year's dance will be one you both remember.
Don't delay. Order today! Only a limited edition of 100 chicken corsages are available.
Just like the last piece of chicken in the bucket, when they're gone, they're gone.
NOTE: Chicken not included (duh.). Each corsage kit includes a $5 KFC gift check, so you can customize your corsage with Original Recipe, Extra Crispy or Kentucky Grilled Chicken. Whichever best matches her dress. Local corsages will have fresh baby's breath and out-of-town corsages will have silk baby's breath.
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ACHICA / Littlephant
Littlephant is a Swedish brand for you, your kids and your home. Created by designer and illustrator Camilla Lundsten, Littlephant offers clever, fun, inspiring and colourful products that both you and your children will adore. These cheerful prints are sure to put a smile on your face, and have been designed to encourage creative thinking. Fall in love with wall stickers, prints, cushions, mugs and more, and invite the charming characters into your home.
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Read the full story here Web Link posted Monday, August 19, 2013, 9:09 AM
Town Square
Should Menlo Park stop or expand its red-light camera program?
Original post made on Aug 19, 2013
Read the full story here Web Link posted Monday, August 19, 2013, 9:09 AM
Comments (25)
a resident of another community
on Aug 19, 2013 at 9:31 am
Why would the Menlo Park council continue to do business with REDFLEX?
a resident of Menlo Park: other
on Aug 19, 2013 at 9:46 am
Because it brings revenue into the city. These cameras are NOT about safety. They're all about revenue generation.
a resident of Menlo Park: other
on Aug 19, 2013 at 9:56 am
redflex is the cautionary tale to consider when someone insists on outsourcing essential city services
someone greased some palm: there were no red-light accidents at those intersections that have a red light. Still none. But reflex gets 5 grand a month.
increase the yellow. send redflex home.
a resident of Menlo Park: Central Menlo Park
on Aug 19, 2013 at 12:06 pm
The red light cameras will cease to be revenue source if all of the selfish drivers stop running the red lights.
a resident of Menlo Park: Park Forest
on Aug 19, 2013 at 12:41 pm
Yes, extending the yellow a second or two will help during that ambiguous time between green and red. An additional help in that last-minute decision-making whether to enter the intersection or not is the pedestrian count-down. I've found that very useful wherever they exist.
When, in the past, while serving on the Transportation Commission, I was involved in discussions regarding these traps, and provided articles about cities that had, due to public pressure, removed these camera-money traps. And, several of us argued against their installation. We were, of course, ignored.
The argument that rear enders are less costly than T-bone collisions is an absurd reason for keeping the cameras.
Please note that, as Sandy Brundage points out, Belmont, Redwood City, Hayward and San Carlos REMOVED their cameras. So have many other US cities.
What action do you suppose this city council will take? Yes, I'm afraid so.
Now that Menlo Park is so lavishly endowed with a full and well-salaried police force, perhaps they might patrol and cover these "dangerous" intersections personally, and catch those light-running evil doers. In that way, if necessary, a citation will be issued by a human being, not a non-thinking money-making machine.
This is one of those issues that a wide-spread protest by the residents and citizens of Menlo Park would oblige the city countil to act on our behalf, as they were elected to do.
a resident of Menlo Park: other
on Aug 19, 2013 at 12:55 pm
Old MP:
90% or more of the red light violations are for right turns on red. The statistics indicate that these types of turns have a very low incidence of being the primary collision factor in accidents.
a resident of Menlo Park: Central Menlo Park
on Aug 19, 2013 at 2:15 pm
Not trying to pick a fight, but your response semi-indicates that you're OK with people running red lights if it is a red arrow? Hope I'm wrong.
I get so PO'd at those type of red light runners. Again, totally selfish. Meanwhile, I can't go on my green light because of those self-centered idiots. Not to mention the danger to pedestrians.
Just stop running *any* red light and the cameras cease to be an issue.
a resident of another community
on Aug 19, 2013 at 2:16 pm
The Safer Streets LA analysis is excellent and correct.
Over fifty California cities have dropped or prohibited red light cameras, including LA, San Diego, Hayward and many others. There have been 30 official votes by citizens on ticket cameras and the cameras lost 27 of them. Once people see and understand the true money-grab purpose for ticket cameras, most people oppose them.
The simple fact of the finances is that ticket cameras cannot even pay their own high costs unless they ticket mostly safe drivers for small technical fouls that endanger no one.
Ticket cameras are three way for-profit business partnerships between a camera company, the state, and a local government willing to deliberately mis-engineer their traffic lights for more tickets and more money, and willing to issue most of the tickets to safe drivers.
Ticketing for profits is wrong 100% of the time. Residents who agree the money-grab program must end should attend the meeting and speak against the cameras.
James C. Walker, Life Member-National Motorists Association.
a resident of Menlo Park: other
on Aug 19, 2013 at 2:23 pm
Old MP:
No, I don't think it is ok to run red lights. You are talking about left turn red light violations I was talking about right turn red light violations. But, supposedly these cameras are about "safety." If that's the case, why install a camera at an intersection with no history of red light running accident and then proceed to issue citations to the least likely to cause an accident in that situation? It's not about safety, it's about revenue. I despise being lied to and that is exactly what the city is doing when they try to claim those cameras are there for "safety."
a resident of another community
on Aug 19, 2013 at 2:27 pm
In reviewing our analysis, what should become apparent is that, contrary to claims made in the staff report on this subject, Menlo Park's red light camera program has not resulted in an improvement in safety and continuation of the program is not justified. Specifically:
1. At the El Camino photo enforced intersections, there was no red light running collision problem prior to installation of the cameras. Therefore the use of red light cameras at these locations was not justified and no safety improvement has been achieved.
2. At the Bayfront Expressway camera enforced intersection, the change in the number red light running collisions cannot be shown to be statistically significant due to the small number of collisions both before and after the cameras were installed (average change of 1 collision per year). Furthermore, any improvement in the collision rate was likely due to an increase in the amber signal time, not the presence of the red light cameras.
3. After adjusting for external factors affecting the number of issued citations (e.g. changes in signal timing), the data show that there was no overall reduction in violations over the 5 years of the program due to the presence of the cameras. At the Bayfront location, the citation rate increased slightly and at the El Camino locations the violation rate remained relatively constant.
4. Although red light running collisions have not decreased due to the cameras, rear end collisions have increased, resulting in a reduction in safety on the city's roadways.
The vast majority of violations captured by the cameras are for slow rolling right turns or fraction of a second late into red violations. Neither of these types of violations have caused any collisions although thousands of these incidents are captured by the cameras yearly at these intersections alone. The fraction of a second lates are the result of yellow times set slightly too low due to a misapplication of signal timing protocols. They would be virtually eliminated if the timing was done correctly resulting in a slightly longer yellow time of up to about 1 second.
a resident of Atherton: other
on Aug 19, 2013 at 4:16 pm
Traffic cameras are just another form of Policing for Profit as Capitalism distorts our Justice System. These companies are bottom-feeders and take a 40% cut of the tickets while creating MORE dangerous intersections by fixing the lengths of yellow lights to entrap drivers. You can read about how private companies and crooked politicians have turned our Police forces on their ear in every attempt to squeeze money out of the general public at Web Link
a resident of another community
on Aug 19, 2013 at 9:13 pm
Red Light Camera systems depend on revenue from fines to pay Redflex and police department overhead. Roughly each camera has to "earn" an average of $7,000 per month. There is a decided DISINCENTIVE to reduce red light running and to aggressively enforce all rolling rights or keep yellow lights at or near the minimums. The numbers must be kept at high levels. The city cannot afford to implement any significant safety measures such as extending the yellow light times since staff knows the burden of the costs will then shift to the general fund.
a resident of Menlo Park: Central Menlo Park
on Aug 19, 2013 at 9:56 pm
Three cheers to Safer Streets LA and to James C. Walker! You have stated far more eloquently what I have advocated for years: these cameras are a menace to SAFE drivers, fail to reduce real intersection accidents, and are purely a means for the City of Menlo Park to garnish more revenue - largely from non-residents who don't know the "trick" that the cameras are looking for right turns on red made without a really long solid stop. Get rid of them!
a resident of another community
on Aug 19, 2013 at 11:46 pm
Let's see. They examined the camera enforced intersctions and found no statistically significant reduction in accidents caused by red light running, because there weren't any, or many, to begin with, but a big increase in rearenders.
For me, that raises a question: Could the fear of getting one of the $500 tickets be causing a CITYWIDE increase in rearenders, many times gteater than that seen at the camera-enforced intersections? After all, the Industry has always claimed that the (claimed) beneficial effect of the cameras is not limited just to the enforced intersections - they call it the Halo Effect. So it seems reasonable to expect that the adverse effects would also be widespread.
a resident of another community
on Aug 19, 2013 at 11:51 pm
According to Martin Engel's comment above, his concerns while on the Transportation Commission fell on Council's deaf ears. The many MP residents who realize the fraud of the RLC program need to speak to Council today (Tues) at 7:00 pm. Do not let police set social policy. Ending the MP camera program will influence other area cities. We all have occasion to drive in other red light camera towns. By the way, one would do well to avoid Fremont and Newark.
a resident of Woodside: Emerald Hills
on Aug 20, 2013 at 5:32 am
Since red light cameras provide no benefits to citizens whatsoever (to the contrary, increasing stress and expense with no reduction in accidents), but they provide revenue to parasitic government entities, it is a safe bet that the council's decision will be "on with the program!"
a resident of Menlo Park: Linfield Oaks
on Aug 20, 2013 at 9:54 am
The red light program only succeeds if drivers persist in making mistakes. That's my main takeaway after reading the above comments. Chilling, isn't it? The financial incentives support whatever light configuration will result in the most drivers running a red.
The right-turn-on-red issue: a problem at El Camino and Ravenswood, where northbound El Camino drivers routinely turn right without looking, trying to outrun southbound El Camino drivers who have the turn arrow or eastbound Ravenswood drivers who have a green. I see near-accidents every day at that intersection, and two pedestrians have been killed there. For safety purposes, that should be a turn-only-on-arrow lane, but somehow the city can never find money for enhancements that truly reduce accidents.
a resident of Menlo Park: other
on Aug 20, 2013 at 10:53 am
I, too, absolutely detest these stupid red-light cameras -- for all the reasons given so eloquently by others. Get rid of the doggoned things -- ASAP! But I am afraid that our City Council cares far more about the money the city makes from these stupid cameras than they do about public safety. Time to vote out whoever on the City Council supports these stupid red-light cameras.
a resident of another community
on Aug 20, 2013 at 12:15 pm
Right turns on red are legal in California --- if the driver makes a full stop, there is NO oncoming traffic whatsoever, and where there is no special signage prohibiting such turns (as there is at Sand Hill/Alameda)
a resident of Menlo Park: Central Menlo Park
on Aug 20, 2013 at 1:13 pm
Am I the only one who likes RLCs? As long as do a full stop prior to a right turn, no problem. What I have fits about are the red-left-arrow runners & RLCs greatly minimize those. Last week at an intersection without RLC, I was first in line to go straight when I got a green light. When the light turned, the first 2 cars to make their lefts across my path were probably yellow lighters. OK. The next 4 weren't & clearly hadn't started their turns until their left turn arrow was already red. I had a green for GO and still waited while 6 cars left-turned in front of me. An RLC would take care of that stuff fast.
a resident of Menlo Park: Central Menlo Park
on Aug 20, 2013 at 4:19 pm
The cameras are about $$$ - not safety. Get rid of them!
a resident of Menlo Park: other
on Aug 20, 2013 at 4:38 pm
" RLCs greatly minimize those."
" An RLC would take care of that stuff fast. "
prove it. We have had the cameras around and I see insignificant statistics supporting your claims. Go hang in traffic court some morning and watch them get dismissed.
"picture ain't me, your honor"
"wasn't me driving it, your honor"
"See the green light in the photo, your honor?"
a resident of another community
on Aug 21, 2013 at 11:33 am
Note "cost" neutral contracts ARE PER TICKET FEE!
Web Link
Quote: Under severe budgetary pressures, local jurisdictions often sign contracts with vendors that were presented with a slick marketing campaign. Such deals often contain extremely unfavorable terms. The public is hurt by per-ticket payment systems -- often disguised with "cost neutral" contract language -- that ensure that the system is designed to maximize revenue, not safety. Such provisions provide a monetary incentive to increase the number of tickets issued. That leads to other provisions prohibiting cities from lengthening yellow light duration to improve safety and requiring right on red ticketing and ticket approval quotas.
Camerafraud on Facebook
a resident of Menlo Park: Central Menlo Park
on Aug 21, 2013 at 12:20 pm
The City should cancel the red light camera program and instead allow residents to install red lights in front of their homes.
a resident of another community
on Aug 21, 2013 at 12:56 pm
Menlo Park needs to dump its camera program to stop the predatory ticketing of mostly safe drivers AND to enhance the local economy by ending the idiotic practice of shipping $325 of each $480 ticket to Sacramento, Arizona and Australia. This HURTS the local economy to ship so much money out of the local area.
James C. Walker, Life Member-National Motorists Association
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text:
Frandsen nursing sore wrist after being hit by pitch
By Todd Zolecki / MLB.com
LAKELAND, Fla. -- Kevin Frandsen earned a spot on the Opening Day roster Sunday, when the Phillies released Yuniesky Betancourt.
But Frandsen got a big scare in the third inning Wednesday at Joker Marchant Stadium, when Tigers ace Justin Verlander drilled him in the left wrist with a 94 mph fastball. Frandsen remained in the game before Phillies manager Charlie Manuel walked onto the field to remove him before the bottom of the third.
Frandsen said he is fine, although he had stitches from the baseball imprinted on his wrist as a memento.
"It's not like it's painful," Frandsen said. "It's sore. I've been hit well over 100 times in my professional career. Anywhere near your hand is the one that kind of freaks you out. The way it came off, it wasn't like I couldn't feel my hand or anything. It was just sore … as it should be after getting hit with a fastball."
Frandsen said no X-rays were scheduled, as far as he knew.
All systems go for Hamels after final spring tuneup
LAKELAND, Fla. -- Cole Hamels appears ready to face the Braves on Opening Day.
The left-hander allowed one hit, one walk and struck out three in three scoreless innings on Wednesday against the Tigers in a Grapefruit League game at Joker Marchant Stadium. Hamels pitched three innings, as scheduled, as he prepares for the regular season.
"I feel strong and healthy and I think that's first and foremost," Hamel said in the clubhouse. "I'm comfortable knowing I can get out there every five days and know that I can go deep into the ballgame. … Knowing that all five pitches I throw, they feel really good with the way the grips are. To be able to hit both sides of the plate, which I feel pretty comfortable with, is great."
The only thing uncomfortable right now is Hamels' beard. He has been growing it for some time. He plans to shave it soon.
"It's hurting the appearance," he said.
Opening Day nod or not, health is key for Nix
LAKELAND, Fla. -- Phillies manager Charlie Manuel treats his Opening Day lineup like the nuclear codes for the president, so it is anybody's guess where Jimmy Rollins or Ben Revere will be slotted in the lineup Monday in Atlanta.
The same is true for left field. It could be Laynce Nix against Braves right-hander Tim Hudson because he hits left-handed. Nix has hit .308 (8-for-26) with one double, one home run, four RBIs, one walk and eight strikeouts in his career against Hudson. But John Mayberry Jr., who hits right-handed, has had arguably better success against Hudson, albeit in a smaller sample size. He has hit .308 (4-for-13) with two home runs, five RBIs, four walks and just two strikeouts.
"We've got a lot of talent here," Nix said of the outfield situation. "We've got a lot of players that can play. We can mix and match at different positions. I think everyone is going to be utilized in the best interest of the team. And I think all of us understand that. I think our performance on the field is going to dictate what happens."
Manuel could platoon Mayberry and Nix in left field until Delmon Young joins the team, which could happen before May 1.
Nix started last season nicely, hitting .326 (15-for-46) with six doubles, two home runs, 11 RBIs and a .979 OPS in 22 games before being placed on the 15-day disabled list on May 11 because of a strained left calf. He did not return until July 22, and hit .191 (13-for-68) with four doubles, one home run, five RBIs and a .557 OPS the rest of the way.
Nix can be effective, but he needs to stay healthy. And that has been a problem throughout his career. He has been on the disabled list seven times in his 10-year career.
"I've got to be healthy and string together two, three, 400 at-bats and I'll be good," Nix said. "But health is the big thing. I feel pretty good. If I stay healthy, I feel I'll be able to do some damage. I want to do what's best for this team, whether that's in a platoon role, playing every day or coming off the bench, I'm going to make sure I'm ready for that."
All eyes to be on Halladay in Phils' final Grapefruit tilt
LAKELAND, Fla. -- There will be plenty of intrigue Thursday, when the Phillies play their final Grapefruit League game of 2013.
Roy Halladay will face the Toronto Blue Jays at Bright House Field. Normally, this would be a nondescript tuneup for Halladay, but this start carries significance. The veteran right-hander has had issues in each of his previous four starts, not resembling the pitcher who dominated the National League for the Phillies in 2010-11. But on Saturday, following a Minor League start at Carpenter Complex in which he allowed 11 of 18 batters to reach base, Halladay indicated he expects improved results Thursday.
"I think going into the last start will be more like a regular start, where you're trying to mix pitches like you normally would during a game," he said Saturday. "I think being able to figure out that cutter grip today, I can work on that in my bullpen more, and then my next time out, I feel like we can go out and pitch like I would pitch during a game."
Publicly, the Phillies are keeping a stiff upper lip on Halladay, claiming they are unconcerned and that his struggles are nothing unexpected or abnormal.
But they have seen what everybody else has seen this spring, so they would like to see some positive results before Halladay faces the Braves on Wednesday at Turner Field.
Todd Zolecki is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


text:
Criticism is often directed toward social media networks. A frenzy of "liking," "friending" and "commenting" interferes with actual communication. Easy online connections, pornography and stimulation protect us from the stressful interactions that are inherent in actual individual and group relationships.
Traditionally, neighborhoods, homes and rooms have confined people both physically and emotionally. In Palo Alto people frequently move in and out, represent diverse cultures and traditions, and are subject to financial strains, layoffs and other difficulties. Relationships with others are essential for psychological well-being, but also difficult to build in our ever-changing multinational community.
A new social media form is emerging that has special potential. Next Door College Terrace enables neighbors to connect in real time and set a stage for the development of a more supportive community. A new form of kinder interaction is evolving through sharing tools, help and support.
Next Door offers a means to take us further along a pathway to the creation of a new "Palo Alto Process." Rather than the usual hostile, isolated and aggressive ways, the means for compassionate and caring community is instilled.
Bette U. Kiernan, MFT
Sherman Avenue
Palo Alto
Stop unsustainable projects
The proposed downtown "gateway" building, with its 84-foot glass tower and five stories of housing and office space, encompasses everything that is wrong with the planning process in this city. The current zoning for this site is for a two-story building, which would be in keeping with what is currently in the area and what the neighborhood wants.
However, we have a perverted planning process that allows for massive exemptions, and it has turned our zoning code into a free-for-all, growth-at-any-cost planning rodeo. Why are city planners — people you assume work for the city's residents to protect their zoning code — writing reports that describe this plan as "a landmark for downtown?" Their reports are not unbiased analyses.
And why are non-elected planning commissioners demanding taller and bigger buildings when they have no mandate from the electorate to drive this process? In fact, it is pretty clear that this whole "growth is inevitable" mantra and the idea that "planned growth" can be all good and have no negative effects is the Kool-Aid spouted by politically connected developers and their friends who profit from growth and drive its process.
We are fed the line that growth is good for our economy, for our community's livability and for the environment.
This is not true. In a finite city continuous growth is not good. It has serious negative effects, such as crowded roads, parks and schools, more air pollution and water shortages. But this growth is also not inevitable. If residents want to preserve livability and quality of life in Palo Alto, we need to end these massive developments. We don't have to accept and accommodate unsustainable growth.
Tina Peak
Palo Alto Avenue
This story contains 481 words.
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text:
Touchscreens being integrated inside LCDs
10 comments
PORTLAND, Ore.—Current touchscreens are add-ons that are overlaid atop a standard display, but display manufacturers are gearing up to add touchpads inside the stack of standard LCD materials. Samsung and Nokia already have already integrated touch into the the OLED displays on their Galaxy S and N8 smartphones, respectively.
But doing that for OLED displays was easier than it will be for LCDs. OLEDs are much less noisy than conventional LCDs, which generate interference that foils conventional touchscreen techniques. Now, touchscreen controller makers like STMicrosystems NV (Geneva), Cypress Semiconductor Corp. (San Jose, Calif.), Atmel Corp. (San Jose) and Synaptics Inc. (Santa Clara, Calif.) are solving the noise problems so that touchscreens can become standard-equipment on LCDs.
If the touchscreen controller makers are successful at converting LCD manufacturers into touchscreen makers, they will effectively eliminate the need for the three dozen companies—and the billion dollar industry—that specializes in making add-on touchscreens today.
ST, for instance, announced Friday (June 10) what it claims is a breakthrough noise-rejection technology for integrating touchscreens inside LCDs, either by adding an extra layer to their existing LCD stack—called "on-cell"—or by multiplexing electrodes on the same layer as those which write pixels on the LCD—called "in-cell."
ST claims its FingerTip technology is unique by virtue of eliminating interference from noise at its source, by using a proprietary analog-front-end originally designed for MEMS that is capable of detecting atto-Farads of capacitance, but which ST claims is virtually immune to noise.
"Analog capacitive interface IP, developed for MEMS sensors, allows us to achieve higher noise rejection prior to digital filtering," said Benedetto Vigna, general manager of ST's MEMS, Sensors and High Performance Analog division.
However, the other touchscreen controller makers claim to also have proprietary technologies that nix noise—not with special analog IP, but with clever algorithms that sense the presence of noise, then switch to modes that are naturally immune.
"Touchscreens have to operate in a very noisy environment, most of which comes from the LCD itself," said Ed Grivna,a touchscreen architect at Cypress. "But we have been solving these noise issues for four successive generations of controllers."
Touchscreens today are a separte overlay that is added onto a display, but LCD makers are quickly tooling up to integrate them inside the LCD itself. Source: Cypress Semiconductor.
Cypress's unique noise solution for touchscreens combines two projected capacitive methods that they can alternate between on-the-fly to nix not only noise from the LCD, but environmental "noise" such as moist fingers. In normal mutual capacitance mode—which the other projected capacitive controller makers use exclusively—multiple touches can be detected without ghosting, but environmental noise can sometimes cause it to fail. In these situations, Cypress controllers automatically fall back to surface-capacitive mode, which can only detect single touches, but which can recognize the proximity of a finger even before it touches down, supports an ultra-small millimeter-sized passive stylus for writing Chinese characters, and can even operate in light rain.
Cypress is currently working with major LCD vendors to build their noise-immune touchscreens technology directly into displays, rather than as a separate add-on. But Synaptics and Atmel are also seeking design wins with LCD makers, claiming they have cleverly sidestepped the LCD noise issue—rather than meet it head-on like Cypress—by synchronizing their touchscreen controller with the LCD's refresh period. By only reading out touch information when the LCD is "quiet"—not writing pixels—they claim noise becomes a non-issue.
"We offer controllers that will work with conventional touchscreen suppliers, but which can also be integrated directly into an OLED display or, with the proper timing, even a conventional LCD which is usually too noisy to add touchpads," said Andrew Hsu, technology strategist at Synaptics.
One of the first LCD makers to offer integrated touchscreens will likely be Taiwan's AU Optronics Corp., which reported on a novel method of adding touch sensors into the stack of a standard-sized display at the Society for Information Displays' Future of Touch conference last month. AU Optronics also reported related progress with adding sensors directly into the thin-film transitor TFT cell, without the need for an extra layer, albeit only for the smaller screens used in digital cameras, portable navigation devices, and low-end mobile phones.


text:
EAST GREENBUSH -- Though the Sikh Association of the Capital District is at 11 Michigan Ave. in East Greenbush, all of the members sympathized strongly with the six victims and the other members of the Midwestern Gurudwara temple involved in a shooting over the weekend.
"We're actually not far from Wisconsin Avenue here either," noted Jagmohan S. Chahal, chairman of the Association and the East Greenbush Gurudwara which held a vigil for the victims and their families on Monday.
Three of the six people shot dead had local connections. Two were first cousins to the local priest and a third to the priest's wife, said another family member who estimated the victims' ages to be in their early 40s. She added that they were some of the first shot in the horrible incident in Oak Creek, Wis. Sunday, in the suburbs of Milwaukee.
"We're holding it together," she added. She said they were also priests and had just moved from India.
"Two of them were just leaving the service in the morning and taking a walk outside," said Manmohan Chahal, treasurer of the local Association. "They were each shot three times and died on the spot."
He said that if there was one good thing that came from the incident it was that it did not happen later since there would likely have been more killed in the more popular midday prayers.
The violence from the shooting is actually in stark contrast to what the Sikh religious followers believe, explained many of the people who came to the vigil.
"We believe in a lot of universal brotherhood. Anyone from any religion is welcome," said the group's chairman. He said services are usually on Sundays and they celebrate four major events each year as well. There are more than 100 families who go to the temple.
Randeep S. Bassi, a Sikh whose family also attends the temple, added, "We are a religious culture full of peace, with no hatred toward people at all. But since 9/11, our people have been beaten, shot dead, and I, myself, have been stopped by cops multiple times."
He said his children deal with bullying in school and he and his friends deal with stereotyping on a regular basis which is rooted with the misconception that the Sikhs are Muslims. Bassi said that many Sikhs, most of which from Punjab, India, actually fought in World War I and World War II due to the British influence. "We are hardworking people," he said. "But I don't think this tragedy will help people sympathize with us. The ignorance about religions needs to stop with people going outside of their comfort zone to learn about other cultures and religions."
The local Gurudwara has been at their Michigan Avenue site since 1984. They're planning to move to a Rensselaer site in the coming weeks, said Chahal.
The vigil included Sikhs, their families and friends burning candles outside and praying inside with a homemade meal following the event.
"It's a sad occasion," said Jatinder Nepal, a founding member of the local Association. "We've never been stereotyped to this scale before. It's very, very unusual. We're in a state of shock. It's nothing different from how people are feeling about what happened in Aurora, Colorado."
Danielle Sanzone may be reached at 270-1292.