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With formal training in photography and filmmaking from the Academy of Art in San Francisco (where she later opened a second boutique), Kristen* (her nom d'art) shoots the majority of her weddings on sync-sound Super 8 and 16mm film, hand-selecting film stocks and tailoring each piece to her couples' distinct "vibes."
Her clients' musical tastes play a vital role in their resulting wedding film. That's fitting, as it was music—music videos, in particular—that inspired Kristen* to pursue filmmaking. After watching her first music video, a-ha's "Take On Me," Kristen* says her fate was sealed. "I said, 'That's what I want to do,'" she remembers.
As a senior, Kristen* shot for a Bay Area wedding video company part time, a job that fit her like a hand in a white satin glove and—she would realize later—seeded the idea for Bliss*. She explains, "I had been maid of honor in three of my girlfriends' weddings and a bridesmaid in four. I knew weddings."
After graduation, her planned migration to Los Angeles stalled, so she thought, "I'm really good at shooting weddings, and I feel like I really get the clients." So she took a job at another wedding video company for about a year and a half. "They were still editing on Casablancas," she recalls. "I was an Avid editor, and Final Cut had just been released," so she updated the company's postproduction system. But the directing bug bit harder, and she finally packed her bags for L.A. to begin work on feature films and shooting music videos for MTV.
Bliss* Is BornIn 2002 Kristen* started Bliss* as a side business to supplement her income, a common practice among artists. Her experience shooting for two Bay Area wedding video companies lent her a firm grasp on the task at hand. As for the name of her company, she explains, "I knew I wanted the asterisk, and I kind of had this visual look … and the word just popped in my head." Bliss* perfectly reflected her goal for her productions: "ultra hip, yet still timeless and real." In that first year she booked five weddings. She recalls thinking, "Oh, this is cool." What happened next was even cooler. "My name got passed through the industry like wildfire. Here was this girl who had a film background and who came at it a different way. My phone has been ringing off the hook ever since." The very next year she booked an impressive 53 weddings.
That overwhelming response is a testament to Kristen*'s "different way," which combines her particularly feminine approach, the artistic flair she and her editor bring from their tenure at MTV, and her cinematic expertise. Whether her clients want a fast-cut video documentary with a "unique edge" or a romantic, slow-motion, "decadent wedding film," Bliss* brides can expect "visual excellence, discreet professionalism, and modern sophistication."
No Cupid's ArrowsWhile Bliss* offers video packages starting at $7,000, nearly three-quarters of her productions are film-only and more pricey. These pieces are less literal than the video productions and more "atmospheric, nostalgic, and surreal." The majority of Kristen*'s film work is 8mm. Although a handful of clients have expressed interest in 35mm, the cost is quite prohibitive, not to mention the logistics of securing completely different equipment. As an alternative, Kristen* suggests Super 16, which she says is "a much better option because it can be blown up to look like 35mm."
She begins by selecting film stocks based on the location of the wedding, usually a mix of slow grain stocks and 500-speed film for greater latitude. Kristen* works closely with lighting and event designers to ensure that natural light is used whenever possible so that she can capture events as they are seen by the naked eye without having to wash them out. As for the camera noise you get with film, she says her brides (most of whom probably have a few family memories captured on Super 8 gathering dust in an attic somewhere) find the purring of the old cameras calming. "Couples love the sound of film," she says, "because it reminds them of their childhood."
This retro quality is part of what makes her pieces timeless. But authenticity is paramount to Kristen*, and she believes that imposters such as fake film effects stand out like a Kodachrome sailboat in a sepia-toned sea. Kristen* is adamantly opposed to shortcuts that strive to emulate the look of film. NLE filters or effects packages and plug-ins that mimic film's frame rate or add "damage" are too obvious, she says, and a sure way to date your video (and not in a good way). Most of these filters go too far to prove the point, she argues: "Film isn't that scratchy; it isn't that messed up." For a comprehensive comparison of film and film effects, see the June 2006 article Reeling in the Years.
"I equate these fake film effects to the exploding cube of the '80s," she says. "I want to create a video that's timeless, regardless of the medium. Film effects are going to be looked at like Cupids and arrows opening up a video, or the storybook opening. They're a bad gimmick."
She demands the same caliber of film expertise from her freelance shooters and editors, hiring only those with film backgrounds. She says with a laugh, "This is a double-edged sword though, because you deal with a lot of attitude toward the wedding video industry."
But when she tells them, "No, that's not acceptable. Don't make it look like a wedding video," they can take it to another level. "I can say, 'I want you to shoot this and I want it to be very Virgin Suicides', and they immediately know what I'm talking about."
In postproduction, Kristen* often sits in on the telecine, which she does through Spectra Film & Video. "It's here that I do a lot of creative transferring. I can really work with the film." Kristen* believes the quality of the telecine can make or break the look of the film.
Depending on the mood she's going for, she might create a super-saturated or blown-out look, or play with the frame rates. "Many times I will be forced to shoot at 18fps in low-light situations and will specify to Doug (my transfer guy at Spectra) that that part needs to be transferred back at 18fps. Otherwise, it's going to look like a Charlie Chaplin movie!" Sometimes, though, she intentionally speeds or slows the motion. Since she can switch to B & W during transfer or apply selective coloring to the flowers or the bride's lips, for example, Kristen* shoots primarily in color. "I prefer to switch to B & W in transfer rather than in FCP. For me, film color correction is more of a polishing tool than a style tool."
Raising the Bar"Hey look, we're not lame and cheesy!" has become a mantra of sorts for Kristen*. She combats that common perception of the wedding videography industry by networking with photographers and other talented event filmmakers such as same-day editor extraordinaire Jason Magbanua from the Philippines, Bruce Patterson of Cloud Nine Creative, Inc., Walter Chelliah of DeFiNiTiVe ProjX, and Darrell Aubert of Aubert Films, through WedFACT, the Wedding Filmmakers Alliance of Creative Talent. WedFACT is a collaborative of "people who want to learn how to grow and do really sophisticated work, as opposed to being a video factory."
These are Kristen*'s words of wisdom for videographers who want to raise the bar in their own work: "Wedding videographers are too crafty. They want to create their own DVDs, make their own effects. To go after high-end you have to open yourself up to hiring great artists who can help make a more sophisticated product," she advises. "Doing that costs money. If you want to get into that market, you have to be able to invest."
Still, she laments the fact that there are many creative couples who can't afford high-end. This winter she is launching a sister company, Get Hitched Films, which offers couples with modest budgets a sophisticated wedding film shot on Super 8. In the coming year, Kristen* also hopes to get back to her roots and open up her schedule to make time for nonwedding film work in Hollywood, while simultaneously following her Bliss*.
Elizabeth Welsh is a freelance writer and editor based in Madison, Wisconsin.


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Press Archive 2006
On December 20, 2006, the Board of Directors of Wincor Nixdorf AG passed a resolution for the repurchase of up to 166,390 of the company's shares (constituting up to 1.01% of the current capital stock) via the stock exchange.
Dr. Jürgen Wunram has been appointed to the Board of Directors of Wincor Nixdorf AG effective from March 1, 2007, where he will replace Eckard Heidloff as Chief Financial Officer.
The theme of Wincor World 2007, "Your Compass to Innovation," is an invitation to a dialog on trend-setting IT solutions for optimizing processes in bank branches and retail stores.
Wincor Nixdorf Portavis GmbH is set to run the operation of more than 5,000 PC work stations and data center of HSH Nordbank AG.
In completing fiscal 2005/2006 (October 1 to September 30) with record figures, Wincor Nixdorf AG has emulated its successful business performance shown in recent years.
At its meeting on November 30, 2006, the Supervisory Board of Wincor Nixdorf AG passed a resolution approving the dividend proposal for fiscal 2005/2006 put forward by the Board of Directors.
LOTTO Hamburg will be equipping its outlets with a terminal solution from Wincor Nixdorf.
At an extraordinary meeting, the Supervisory Board of Wincor Nixdorf AG, Paderborn, approved a request by Chief Executive Karl-Heinz Stiller on November 8, 2006 to release him from his post with effect from the close of the next Annual...
On November 1, 2006 Jens Bohlen will be assuming responsibility for Wincor Nixdorf's worldwide IT services business with banks and retail enterprises.
Wincor Nixdorf is expanding its tried-and-trusted family of BEETLE electronic point-of-sale systems with the new X-series offering significantly improved availability and serviceability.
Wincor Nixdorf AG, Paderborn, has ended its 2005/2006 fiscal year with a significant increase in operating profit (EBITA) of 18% and a 12% improvement in net sales.
American Self-Service World Magazine and SelfServiceWorld.com has presented a Silver Award in the Public Sector category to Germany's Federal Employment Agency, Bundesagentur für Arbeit (BA), for its exemplary self-service project...
Barclays and Wincor Nixdorf have won a gold award at the finals of the Self-Service World Outstanding Achievement Awards for their successful introduction of new Account Servicing kiosks to branches across the UK.
Together with its Ukrainian partner, Card Pack Service (CPS), Wincor Nixdorf has received an order for a solution package consisting of both self-service systems and software for remote monitoring of ATMs.
Wincor Nixdorf, one of the world's leading suppliers of IT solutions for the banking and retail industries, today announced that it will be deploying its first 30 ATMs to three of the local banks in the Kingdom of Cambodia...
Wincor Nixdorf and Symbol Technologies will build on their existing channel partnership by focusing jointly on the market for self-scanning and personal shopping in retail stores.
Wincor Nixdorf, one of the world's leading suppliers of IT solutions for the banking and retail industries, today announced that Susquehanna Bancshares, Inc. has selected the company as its total banking solutions IT partner.
The Banco del Estado de Chile has ordered 186 ATMs from Wincor Nixdorf's partner IBM, which markets Wincor Nixdorf's banking solutions in North and South America.
In the third quarter of the current fiscal year, Wincor Nixdorf AG once again posted high growth rates for net sales and earnings (EBITA).
The Swedish Reitan Servicehandel which is part of the Reitan Group has opted to install Wincor Nixdorf's cash management solution iCASH at six of its 7-Eleven stores in order to automate in-store cash processes.
Customers at the Edeka store in Unterhaching near Munich, which uses only Beetle iScan self-scanning equipment, regard the technology very favorably as indicated by a study commissioned by Visual Merchandising Initiative e. V. (VMI) which polled 150 customers in April 2006.
Wincor Nixdorf is enjoying success in Asia with its store software platforms for both Microsoft and Linux environments.
Wincor Nixdorf has received another large order from China and is to supply the Chinese post office bank 'China Postal Savings & Remittance Bureau' (CPSRB) with 700 automated teller machines.
The Banker Technology Award for New Channels Project of the Year will be presented to HSBC and Wincor Nixdorf at the 2006 awards ceremony, to be held at the Sheraton Park Lane Hotel in London on June 8th.
The prize for New Channels Innovation at The Banker magazine's 2006 Technology Awards will be going to Barclays and Wincor Nixdorf, rewarding their successful introduction of new Account Servicing kiosks in Barclays branches across the UK.
After experiencing double-digit growth in net sales and operating profit (EBITA) in the first six months of the current fiscal year, Wincor Nixdorf has raised its forecast for the full year.
Wincor Nixdorf is driving forward the internationalization of its store software TP.net and has developed a version for the Russian market together with its Russian partner IT Service Retail & Banking, which is based in Moscow.
t CeBIT, Wincor Nixdorf shows how ATM transactions can be additionally secured with the integration of biometric identification procedures.
Agriculture Bank of China, one of the country's four largest state-owned commercial banks, has placed another order with Wincor Nixdorf for the supply of automated teller machines.
Wincor Nixdorf has become a full member of the worldwide RFID/EPC global network and in future will help shape the standardization of the Radio Frequency Identification Technology (RFID) and the Electronic Product Code (EPC).
At the Wincor Nixdorf AG annual general meeting in Paderborn today, the company's shareholders approved all motions with clear majorities.
Wincor Nixdorf has received an order from OHG NETTO Supermarkt GmbH & Co. to supply 130 reverse vending systems.
Since the O.P.I. interface was first presented in 2003, more and more retailers are using the Wincor Nixdorf interface to integrate card-based payment solutions, and the number of payment providers using it is also growing steadily.
Wincor Nixdorf of Paderborn and Online Software GmbH in Weinheim have extended their partnership and can now point to successful visual merchandizing projects in the grocery and specialist retailing segments.
Stefan Auerbach (42), hitherto responsible on the Wincor Nixdorf AG Board of Directors for the services business, is to take responsibility with immediate effect for the Company's worldwide banking business.
Wincor World 2006, which was held in Paderborn, Germany between January 24 and 26, met the high expectations made of it.
At Wincor World 2006, Wincor Nixdorf is introducing its cash management solution offer for the retail sector.
In the first quarter of its new fiscal year, Wincor Nixdorf AG has kept the momentum going from its good performance last year, with Group net sales up 7 % to € 488 million (previous year: € 455 million).
Wincor Nixdorf offers a uniform post office counter solution to meet the complex requirements of international postal service providers.
In developing its extended self-checkout product family, Wincor Nixdorf is complying with international retail companies' demands for more efficiency and security at the checkout.
At the opening of Wincor World 2006, Wincor Nixdorf is in excellent shape, both technologically and financially.
With ProTect Work/Enterprise, Wincor Nixdorf is offering a security solution with fingerprint technology for user identification.
Wincor Nixdorf offers professional manufacturer-type service and maintenance for systems handling returns of empty bottles and cans and therefore established the private limited company Wincor Nixdorf Retail Services GmbH that has been starting operations now.
At Wincor World, Wincor Nixdorf is presenting a new expanded version of its successful software solution ProCash/FOnet for attended self-service.
Wincor Nixdorf and Intel can look back on a successful relationship.
Symbol Technologies, Inc., The Enterprise Mobility Company, and Wincor Nixdorf, a leading European provider of IT solutions and services for the Retail and Banking industries, today announced that Symbol has named Wincor Nixdorf a PartnerSelect Premier Solution Partner.
Edeka Zentralhandelsgesellschaft has placed an order with Wincor Nixdorf for 500 reverse vending machines.
Wincor Nixdorf has increased even further the security in and around ATMs with its software solution ProView for the remote monitoring of self-service banking systems: monitoring of anti-skimming modules has now been integrated into the solution.
For its compact Cash Recycling System ProCash 4000, Wincor Nixdorf now offers a coin processing module (sidecar) that provides comprehensive, rapid and customer-friendly handling of bulk cash transactions.
At Wincor World, the Kompetenzteam [new bank], incorporating the combined expertise of ten companies from a variety of sectors, is introducing new concepts and solutions for the bank branch of tomorrow.
At Wincor World, Wincor Nixdorf will debut the first version of a new security software package for self-service system platforms.
At Wincor World 2006, Wincor Nixdorf will demonstrate how patients can use their health care cards to access their own medical records or to check exactly when they were prescribed which medications – simply and easily at the ProInfo1000 kiosk terminal.
The trading company CITTI plans to install new checkout technology in all its CITTI Park grocery stores.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Episode 1
Cora's mother sweeps into Downton for Matthew and Mary's wedding
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The Great War is over and a long-awaited engagement is on, but all is not tranquil at Downton Abbey as wrenching social changes, romantic intrigues and personal crises grip the majestic English country estate for a third thrilling season.
Suitable for 12 years and over
Cora's mother sweeps into Downton for Matthew and Mary's wedding
The future of Downton hangs precariously in the balance.
Edith's big day finally arrives.
Branson's political views land him in hot water
An exciting offer for Edith divides opinion.
Tempers fray as Isobel's kind gesture backfires.
It's a happy day for Downton as Anna's patience is rewarded.
There is excitement in the house and village for the annual cricket match
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text:
The long and fractious Republican presidential primary is reaching its predictable conclusion, with Mitt Romney finally strengthening his hold on the party's nomination.
It's been a twisted ride for the former Massachusetts Governor, whose once-assured frontrunner status has been repeatedly shaken by a boom-and-bust primary that saw a half-dozen of his rivals rise to the top of the field only to self-destruct.
In a new e-book, Inside The Circus, Politico's star Washington insider Mike Allen and former Newsweek editor Evan Thomas go behind-the-scenes of the Republican zombie campaigns, pulling back the curtain on the political machinations and egos that have shaped the 2012 primary so far.
The book is the second installment in Politico's Playbook 2012 digital book series, and traces the Republican primary race from the Iowa caucuses to Super Tuesday. Through interviews with political operatives, advisors, ex-staffers, and other insiders, Allen and Thomas uncover some revealing details about the campaigns, shedding light on the GOP soap opera that has unfolded over the past three months.


text:
Customer Service and Ordering
(541) 389-4733
Monday - Friday 9am to 4pm PST
This younger retiring couple found SunTerra Homes on the internet where they live in Spain. They found a great lot with good southern exposure and views to the west. We shade the west summer sun with a large covered sitting, dining, and sleeping porch.
You approach the home through a covered rock and beam landscaped entry. The foyer presents a cozy space with a bench and coat hooks before the ceiling rises with the stairs to a large family room loft above the great room. The great room is warmed with south-facing windows as you read a book reclined on your window seat and sneak an occasional look at the mountains to the west.
The dining/kitchen area once again brings a wholesome country feel to this home. The corner gas fireplace warms and is viewed from the great room, dining area, and kitchen area. If you choose, cook and eat outside under a large covered porch with the flowers and wildlife in your back yard.
The master bedroom with a 9' ceiling and universally designed bath also looks towards the mountains with another private window seat.
The study is designed for the studious couple, also doubling as a second guest bedroom. You couldn't ask for much more in the core of this home with a hall desk, pantry with recycling bins, half bath, shoe bench, deep sink, dog bath, ironing board, and sewing station.
Upstairs there is a large family room loft with great exterior and interior views adjoining a private guest room and bath. And let's not forget the large coveted bonus/storage area over the garage.
SunTerra prays this family will enjoy their new comfortable, energy-efficient home for many years to come.
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text:
Lending Up, Savings Down: CUNA
The average credit union loan-to-share ratio has finally climbed back above 70%.
An increase in the lending metric to 70.3% in December 2013, up from 68.6% one year prior, was among the good balance sheet news in CUNA's monthly sample of estimates for December 2013.
In the report, CUNA also said lending outpaced savings growth at credit unions last year for the first time since 2007. Reported loan balances also increased 6.8% in 2013, up from 4.8% in 2012.
"Credit union members were in a car-buying mood with new auto loans and used auto loans up 10.9% and 8.9%, respectively," said Steve Rick, CUNA senior economist. Rick said credit union loan balances are expected to increase 7% this year while credit union savings balances are expected to grow 4%.
"Expect households to release pent-up demand for autos, furniture and appliances over the next two years," he said.
Savings growth slowed to 4.3% in 2013 from 6.1% the prior year. And, credit union savings balances declined 0.1% in December, compared to a 0.9% increase in November.
One-year certificates (1.1%) and money market accounts (0.6%) increased during December 2013 while share drafts, regular shares and individual retirement accounts declined 5.3%, 0.1%, and 0.04%, respectively. The savings rate is expected to remain below the 6.7% average of the last 20 years as economic improvement encourages households to spend rather than save, the report said.
CUNA said asset quality remains strong as demonstrated by the 60-day-plus delinquency rate remaining at 1% for the past 10 months. Credit union membership reached 98.87 million, growing 2.9% in 2013. Rick said he expects that number to exceed 100 million at some point in May or June 2014.


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YOUNG mother Tahleha Baptie and her partner, David O'Connell, count their blessings every day when they admire their baby Skylah.
The alert and rosy-cheeked little girl living and growing with them today was born premature and pallid on April 2 after losing massive amounts of blood through a tear behind the placenta.
Tahleha still shudders when she thinks back and reflects on how close the couple came to losing their newborn.
"She was born with severe foetal-maternal haemorrhaging," Tahleha said.
"There was a big tear in the placenta, but it did not show up on the scans.
"When she was born she had only 50% of her blood in her system and was only the second baby in (Hervey Bay) hospital to be given a blood transfusion like that."
Skylah was rushed into intensive care where she stayed for five days, part of that time in a humidi crib as she struggled to breathe.
Medical staff told Tahleha, once the crisis was over, that only one in 5000 babies suffered from Skylah's condition, and the mortality rate was 37%.
"They were so blown away at the hospital by how well Skylah has recovered," Tahleha said.
"She has all her colour back and is eating well and putting on weight.
"We couldn't be happier."
Tahleha, who has just finished Year 12 and a hospitality and tourism course through TAFE, said she planned to stay at home to care for Skylah for the foreseeable future.


text: While it is not confirmed that Mists of Pandaria is the next expansion, it very well could be. We don't exactly know what the next expansion has in store for WoW players, but we are certain to find out at BlizzCon. Mists of Pandaria could be an expansion that opens up many islands still as of yet explored and populated by players on Azeroth and could potentially provide some new land grabs for the Horde and the Alliance to quarrel over after Deathwing's demise. Whether or not the Pandaren race will be playable is definitely up in the air, but Blizzard has apparently had issues with bringing panda people into the game in the past. Personally, I would much rather prefer another space exploration expansion like The Burning Crusade, as we've been on Azeroth for two expansions already, and I think it's time to head to the stars again.


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love the plastic strip
... might just fix the GPS issues :)
Reg Hardware Mobile Week Asus has joined Huawei to become a second announcer of a 10in tablet with a 1920 x 1280 display - the one it was teasing us about last week. Enter the Transformer Pad Infinity - say farewell to the Eee Pad brand, folks - a 586g tablet based on a 1.6GHz Nvidia Tegra 3 CPU and packing 16-64GB of Flash …
... might just fix the GPS issues :)
Should have just done away with the aluminium and used plastic all over the back. Manufacturers see aluminium as an excuse to slap a premium on the price. And then it ends up causing reception / range issues.
Since when did good specs make something an iPad challenger / beater?
The iPad hasnt had the best specs in the tablet game for quite a while, and yet it continues to dominate.
Most people, ordinary people, think tablet, and buy an iPad. Just like there are still a LOT of people who think my HTC phone is an iPhone.
All these other tablets will sell, and as specs get better and awareness builds they will sell more, but ultimately the masses buy whatever is in their face and desirable. And right now, and for quite some time to come i reckon, that means they will go out wanting to buy an iPad (meaning tablet) and what they come home with will be the one that says iPad on the box.
Unfortunately you cant do much about moronic pack mentality.
Since when did Apple start launching legal cases against world + dog? If you go back 12 months there were not many of the devices in the wild and the Ipad 2 was still better than most, especially regarding battery life and the prices were close for high-end. And Apple held the lead in apps for its pad for a while. Only since ICS has it been possible for developers to build apps for both phones and pads.
I know everyone is waiting with baited breath for the next Applegasm - personally I don't think there is that much need to improve the hardware but the competition have caught up in record time and the Transformer now the model to follow for pads cum notebooks: something desirable/useful in itself.
Specs don't mean good customer experience. That's a nerdy consensus that high numbers of everything means that it'll magically give you the experience you want. Unfotunately not. It's the simple concepts of the iOS package that keeps knocking down mouth-for-mouth recommendations for the iPad device like dominoes.
No other manufacturer has established a reputation in the tablet arena until they start pushing Google to make Android a much cleaner experience. Also, marketing for these new tabs is lacking to the point of not bothering releasing the product.
Don't forget that releasing a new version of tab every few months just equates to sticking your finger up at your customers. Lack of forward planning, lack of innovation and lack of care. Harsh but true.
Or knee jerk trolls eh Barry?
Truth hurts - especially if you are as blinkered as BSP.
Actually the ipad 2 has enjoyed the fastest GPU in tablet-land. Coupled with a somewhat lower-res screen, the performance figures were usually topping the charts.
None of the first crop of Tegra 2 / Honeycomb tablets were able to keep up with it in terms of graphics prowess (and I'm not talking about the software either). With the new Tegra3 or S4 (or whatever) SoC's they are slowly catching up.
As for the brand identity thing - yes I agree with you. ipad is the household name for a tablet.
As market matures and competition gets its act together, differences will begin to blur. This Asus here looks desirable enough (even next to the svelte ipad), and that battery extending keyboard _is_ a selling point, even for the masses. The USB and SD card slots are hard to miss, and may catch the eyes of a first time tablet buyer.
I'm not really a brand junkie. I've got an ipod touch, because its easy to get a dock for it and friends/family have compatible docking without needing to carry an aux cable around. I've also got a second hand 4th gen ipod nano that i use for the gym - the exercise bike has an ipod dock so its useful.
I do really like the idea of this. And of the pad phone too, probably more-so the pad phone.
Until there is a mass of grown up AND kids apps for ICS though, i just couldnt justify spending £400 on it. Where as i could get an iPad tomorrow and know i would be able to get everything i wanted for myself, the wife and the kids straight away.
"i would be able to get everything i wanted for myself, the wife and the kids straight away."
...Except hook up to the HDMI port of a tv/monitor, unless you buy that i-branded addon and thus, invalidating your "without needing to carry an aux cable around." comment/downside of the Android tab. Unfortunately, this tablet doesn't have a microUSB charging port, so you have to carry around your own form of the i-device proprietary connector. You would think you could achieve docking capability by having a few strategically-placed USB/etc ports at the docking-point, or at least 1 proprietary port and a standard microUSB port.
The iPod nanos are nice though. Shame it requires iTunes to manage....
Or surprisingly good marketing.
In this case however, I think its just to make sure Apple can't get to "retina resolution" first. Its more a marketing ploy than anything else. This has a higher res than my 24" imac, which seems a bit daft. I suspect the screen will be a big battery drain.
Tablets are about being "good enough." I don't know what the battery life is like, but in general, I think I'd rather have more battery life and/or wifi power than a higher-res display. If LibreOffice (horrible name) is coming to Android, we'll probably need more CPU oomph (technical term) too. VGA/DVI output might be more useful if you want high-res, but I wouldn't mind seeing thunderbolt too and even proper wired gig-ethernet for quick searching through HD video.
Actually, for those who use tablets mostly while sitting still, I've found PXE booting work (locked down with symantec end-point encryption) laptops to linux surprsingly good and easy - better than local CD booting. In this case, a mythbuntu livecd image for myth, VLC and firefox. Even on 100-meg ethernet it comes up pretty quick with xfce.
It isn't as nice, but if you have a work laptop, its keeps your own stuff out of corporate IT's mitts and its free!
Not one to have to carry a tablet-thing and a laptop (the laptop makes a tablet redundant anyway), this looks like it could finally have the grunt to do both...
Netbeans is SUCH a memory-hog. Off to see if there's any syntax-highlighting Android text-editors...
Keep an eye on this:
In 2007 I got a Dell XPS 15" laptop - I paid extra to upgrade the screen to 1920x1200 because I love high-resolution.
It was just about worth it. Text was pretty small, but it was readable and I could always zoom.
But that was 15". 1920x1080 on 10"? Do you need 20-20 vision to actually read anything on it?
I suppose the principle of zooming still applies, you can always zoom browser/ebook pages to make them more readable. But I would seriously worry about default text sizes, like icon labels, being hard to read; and if you always have to zoom, the high-res sounds like more of a gimmick than anything.
Remember that you can hold this closer to your face than you'd likely have a laptop must of the time. I see your point about default font sizes but I suspect they'll be set fairly ledgible so that the proportions of the interface are kept. The high resolution is probably so that you can watch dull HD video and still have a few pixels for controls.
Android has proper support for DPI scaling. Text will be the same size as always, it will just look better.
Just ask the fanbois about their beloved "retina display" and they'll gush about how wonderful it is. I think the IPS is more important but that's more difficult to market. Higher resolution does add crispness to the display and the OS normally upscales text and images to make them usable and look better.
HD-Res makes for a more compelling video performance and the basis of a media centre - simply connect to the TV and watch in full HD. Let the pad replace Blu-ray players and suboptimal "Smart-TV interfaces".
A smart tv like device with a bloody long hdmi cable attached. Concept fail. It baffles me how many manufacturers waste time with a hdmi connection on a table. I'll bet the vast majority go unused.
I use the HDMI connection on my first generation Transformer at about half the hotels I stay in, to watch recorded programmes. I would do it at all hotels, but not all of them have TVs with HDMI inputs, sadly.
Any operating system worth it's salt can render fonts in a variety of sizes. So increase the default font size until you are comfortable. I find 14 point fonts on a 1920x1200 5.6" screen is good. YMMV.
I think there can never be too many pixels. Perhaps when displays reach pixel density comparable to quality paper typeset, that will be enough.
"1920x1080 on 10"? Do you need 20-20 vision to actually read anything on it?"
I'm a photographer - this would be 10 kinds of awesome to display my portfolio on...
For text Android will just scale to make it readable (my SGS2 does DPI scaling so this will too). Text will obviously be heaps sharper at this resolution.
Seeing as this is out before it, surely the iPad3 is a Asus challenger....
It's not out yet though - the article says April, and the iPad3 is widely reckoned to be announced on 7th March and probably available a week or two after that.
Seeing as the iPad has a massive marketshare lead regardless of which version we talk about, no.
Is this a name-change on the previously announced Transformer Prime HD, or a completely new tablet? Sounds like the Pime HD to me.
I'll wait for the Transformer Pad Beyond
Anybody interested in buying my Tab 10.1? I've now found my replacement :D
I do appreciate some extra resolution - but 1280x800 on a 10" tablet was plenty too. I have 2560x1440 of them here, but they are spread over 27 inches, therefore useful.
More resolution on a small(er) laptop screen can also be useful because laptops screens are used indirectly, using mice pointers which are pixel accurate. So you might need to squint at it on occasion, but you'll be able to fit more of your excel sheet or more icon bars on your CG software (which are notoriously control abundant).
A tablet screen is used with fingers. Which are big, mushy and inaccurate. Upping the res won't help to fit in more controls on the screen (unless you increase the screen size too).
And that extra resolution brings more pixels to be filled by the GPU, which may cause lower fps. Which, for a touch based UI is important.
The older iphone 2/3g/3gs had frankly too low resolution, but at that time the SoC performance was barely able to cover that 320x480(@3.5") pixels at decent speeds (making it a design trade-off, higher fps at lower res). When CPU/GPU performance improved they were able to improve upon this flaw - but for software backward-compatibility reasons Apple had to quadruple it, on a same size (3.5") screen. And they sold it as ye mighty "Retina Screen". So began the resolution craze.
Frankly I think the 9:16 ratio is ergonomically better on handhelds (as seen on many of Android phones), and the 3:4 ratio is ergonomically better on tablets (as seen on the ipad). But that's another story, obviously.
Dammit, my Prime is arriving tomorrow.
you ordered a new tablet around the time MWC was due to start? This is a pretty big fail waiting to happen really. There's always going to be a new version of whatever you bought.
Its like going out and buying an iPad this week, when everyone fully expects there to be a new iPad launched, probably at a very similar price, within the next few weeks.
I like the idea of running this on a device like this.
Could be the ideal combo for a functional laptop/leisure tab all-in-one device.
Finally, a tablet I could possibly see myself buying. I figured it wasn't worth it until 1080P was possible available, and here we are.
So, which 4G system will it use? LTE Advanced or WiMAX-R2?
Are there even providers offering said systems in the market right now?
Geek. Because the existing LTE and WiMAX-R1 infrastructures are not 4G.
If you wait till they stop coming out with newer stuff you'll do without for a long time.
This looks like just the thing for me. I love my TF101, and it just got ics, but it's time to move up again soon. Am well invested in the Tegra Zone ware, so it's the wifi Tegra 3 model for me. That is ok because I haven't noticed the lack of 3g to now.
Is that ICS button-bar at the bottom of the screen 80 pixels high?
How come you can get a nice (for things other than watching DVDs) ratio on a tablet, but struggle to get above 1920 x 1080 on a normal laptop? At least on a tablet you can turn whole thing through 90º when it suits.


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Why I'll vote for the Village School
Why I'll vote for the Village School
One of the issues many people are concerned about in North Bennington is the loss of the public school in favor of one that is independent of the public school structure.
The independent school will still be responsible for meeting most state education requirements, based on the per-pupil state support of education.
This is similar to the obligations of other schools who receive tuition-paying students from other districts, such as Burr and Burton and the Mountain School.
I believe much of the resistance to this independent school initiative comes from discomfort and suspicion related to the replacement of a "public" school, and our historic understanding of that term. Many people have worked for over a century to guarantee a free, high-quality public education to all children, and see that institution as critical to the democratic strength of our country.
Like so many things in our current age, the original centuries-old concept of the public school and its governance has been turned on its head by the events of the least few decades. Instead, in a commitment to provide the best possible education, we have substituted the commitment to provide an education at the lowest possible cost. Instead of a school system that meets local needs, we have substituted more and more distant hierarchies of educational responsibility, making it impossible for educational administrators to listen and respond to local needs.
The Village School will be responsible to both the existing Prudential Committee and the budget approval process controlling our current school.
Within those constraints, it will also be able to respond to the needs and aspirations of the community. It is that direct connection to the community that makes the proposed Village School of North Bennington closer to the traditional public school than the one we presently support. That is why I'll vote yes to establish the Village School on January third.
North Bennington
If you'd like to leave a comment (or a tip or a question) about this story with the editors, please email us. We also welcome letters to the editor for publication; you can do that by filling out our letters form and submitting it to the newsroom.


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The best predictions for 2013: 1 billion smartphones shipped, but the PC not dead yet
0. phoneArena posted on 16 Jan 2013, 23:30
Normally, we don't give a lot of respect to analysts, because more often than not, they just say something that is common sense, or easily guessed. But, we have to give credit where it is due, because Deloitte has released its TMT (technology, media, & telecommunications) Predictions for 2013, and these are some of the most well thought out predictions we've seen in a while. The Deloitte analysts do predict some relatively easy stuff, like that there will be 1 billion smartphone shipments in 2013, but they also go into amazing depth on a number of topics, and have a very interesting explanation on why the PC isn't dead yet...
This is a discussion for a news. To read the whole news, click here
1. wendygarett (unregistered)
Pc and lappy won't dead just like that, and my avatar can tell you that :)
20. Nathan_ingx (Posts: 4567; Member since: 07 Mar 2012)
Don't know about your avatar, but yes, agreed that PC's won't die like analysts predict. There are something you can do on a PC that you can't do on a phone or a tablet...and get the real satisfaction of getting a job done with finesse...
At the end of the day, most people would want to get away from the mini devices (not hate them) and sit on a 'Desk' working at the 'Top' (or lap-top)...like i do.
21. wendygarett (unregistered)
You know what's on my avatar, it just you refuse to know it :)
22. Nathan_ingx (Posts: 4567; Member since: 07 Mar 2012)
'Ignore' would be the word you want to say...but no i'm not ignoring your avatar.
I'm just not sure it means what you want to say.
I mean, it doesn't reflect the statement you're giving about PC's not dying...it's just someone hugging an iMac. But it does show one thing, you love Apple more that your partner, lol.
23. wendygarett (unregistered)
I'm hugging the lappy and tablets with an Apple logo :p
24. darac (Posts: 2156; Member since: 17 Oct 2011)
PC won't die, it will just turn into a tablet - laptop hybrid
2. blackice214 (Posts: 166; Member since: 03 Jan 2013)
Apple should make a tablet with full Mac OSX I would buy that in a heartbeat, im getting tired of carrying my macbook around college.
9. Droid_X_Doug (Posts: 5993; Member since: 22 Dec 2010)
MS Surface Pro 4U? Apple frowns on people doing things with its OSs that it doesn't do....
3. phil2n (Posts: 488; Member since: 30 Apr 2012)
Respect for Deloitte.
The fact that i still love my HP Spectre XT and I often use it over my Lumia 800
7. jsdechavez (Posts: 774; Member since: 20 Jul 2012)
Comparing ultrabook over a smartphone? You kidding.
14. phil2n (Posts: 488; Member since: 30 Apr 2012)
I'm not comparing my phone and my lappy, i just want to say that i have a lot of time for my lappy more than my phone. I'm talking about the usage time not the way how I used it.
25. darac (Posts: 2156; Member since: 17 Oct 2011)
Lumia 800? That's just a phone.
Come back when you try some true high end Android
4. MeoCao (unregistered)
The PC will not die, but there will be a different kind of PC: Linux and Android will challenge Windows and push for explosion of PC innovation.
6. wendygarett (unregistered)
I'm sorry to say that most user will get used of Windows... You cannot ran away from Microsoft office that most of us get used to, and Microsoft paint for screenshot... just like we cannot ran away from Google search engine... The only alternative for ms office is the one you can found from rim playbook... Even Apple iWork stand no chance to compare with...
Just be honest, your pc is running Windows right?
8. jsdechavez (Posts: 774; Member since: 20 Jul 2012)
Agree Wendy. Much like the Macs will continue to be niche devices in developing/3rd world countries. Microsoft Windows will live on.
10. wendygarett (unregistered)
The reason I love android is because of Google, not Linux... Eventhough We cannot deny that Linux made the most advanced os, however, advanced os won't help you much without the 3rd party support... Will you accept Linux that has lack of Google support? Lack of facebook support? And gaming support?
And now, most powerful 3rd party for platform is APPS!!! When the platform has lack of developers support will immediately vanish, simple as that...
15. MeoCao (unregistered)
Few use original Linux, they use Ubuntu, Red Hat or Android all based on Linux.
Linux is like the land upon it we can build huge buildings. We all see the buildings but not many think about the land, but w/o it there are no buildings.
11. MeoCao (unregistered)
Windows will not go anywhere nor should it.
But the netbook proved that there is market for low cost PC that can do most basic tasks not more,
You know Windows+Office are big and expensive, Intel chips are expensive as well and very power inefficient.
Mobile chips are so powerful now and they can be used on low cost PCs that run Android and supported by huge Android ecosystem with a lot of good and free or cheap stuffs.
Chrome is making progress but I think Android is the future of low cost PC.
13. wendygarett (unregistered)
Kinda agree that... But android smartphone is enough for me... Learn to diversify yourself mate lol
17. MeoCao (unregistered)
The point is you should know about the thing, through using it is a good way, but we can read about it as well.
I criticize Windows, WP, iOS b-c I know about them, And I say what I think and not out of fear being thumbed down :)
18. wendygarett (unregistered)
Now I'm starting to respect you even more... I'll give you green thumb each lol
19. MeoCao (unregistered)
tks Wendy lol
5. jsdechavez (Posts: 774; Member since: 20 Jul 2012)
The PC won't die. I can't imagine these BPO's work with underpowered tablets.. ugh. Abominable! These tablets are merely connected entertainment devices. Don't push it.
12. AhmadAlsayegh (Posts: 326; Member since: 18 Jul 2011)
I have done a research on the PC and laptop market for my business, and in 2011~2012, the laptop market dropped only 1%, meanwhile the desktop market was not effected.
I keep insisting when talking to people about this issue is that we are comparing x86 to ARM, it is like comparing potatoes to tomatoes, two different products for two different purposes, ARM fastest chips are being compared to Intel's slowest chips...here is a good paper on that:
in other words, Intel will keep pushing, AMD will keep pushing and ARM will keep pushing....IMHO untill Intel or AMD f**k up real bad, they will be way ahead of ARM in terms of performance
16. gaurang (Posts: 94; Member since: 16 Nov 2012)
Its good that tablets and smartphones are evolving...but PC will never die...these smartphones and tablets are just entertainment devices(except the hybrid w8 devices)...if one wants to do serious professional work its obvious a powerful machine is required...there ipads and ipods and iPhones and galaxies are just media consumption devices...im sure some work can be done...but not up to the scale of pcs..
And these phones and tablets rely on PC for their apps to be build....
I see dual core....quad core...and now octa core...but still these devices cannot do real powerful processing....its the size of the device which obstructs the power and the excessive battery drain....
29. phonemirer (Posts: 111; Member since: 07 Dec 2012)
also remember the 8gb ram, the around 15 inch screen, more comfortable browsing, and no blur when scrolling (lumia 920 avoids this neg w puremotion)
26. speckledapple (Posts: 892; Member since: 29 Sep 2011)
I am about tired of carriers trying to limit because they were unable to plan properly in the future and just want to be greedy now.
27. lubba (Posts: 1313; Member since: 17 Jan 2011)
They'll buy tablets like crazy because they're so popular and some are dirt cheap. At the end of the day, they'll run to their 5-6 year old PC or laptop for their productivity needs. And when PC and laptop slowly dies, they'll all run to w8 and w8 tabs. By then, all their brains will click. They'll realize MS has made their lives, which is based on popularity and following others, much easier with w8, a PC/tab all in one. They'll wanna buy an RT tab but they'll listen to the deceptive tech blogs, sites, and pundits, like the verge or PA. But once they start using it, and learning all the ins and outs, they'll love it. They realize that every product comes with a learning curve. Some learn quick, others take longer. What the tech pundits don't realize, is that not every house has cable or even internet. So they'll down play w8. Either way w8 and beyond is the future.


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Ocean-grabbing threatens the food security of entire communities
All over the world, food systems and the ecosystems they rely on are coming under pressure from the over-exploitation of natural resources. But nowhere are these impacts occurring as rapidly and dramatically as in the world's oceans.
Between 1970 and 1990, buoyed by generous fuel and boat-building subsidies, the harvesting capacity of the worlds combined fisheries grew eight times faster than the rate of growth in landings. This led to a situation where the capacity of the global aggregate fishing fleet is at least double what is needed to exploit the oceans sustainably.
A vicious cycle has ensued whereby fishing vessels have gone further and deeper in their hunt for fish, degrading marine environments and depleting stocks ever further. Fishing methods such as industrial bottom trawling - the equivalent of deforestation in deep waters – have proved particularly destructive and wasteful, while climate change, ocean acidification and pollution have further destabilised marine environments.
Faced with this crisis, it is tempting to put forward drastic solutions. Should we stop eating fish altogether? Should a sector that is hurtling down a path to its own extinction be brought to a complete halt?
Certainly at the global level urgent steps must be taken to clamp down on illegal, unregulated and unrecorded (IUU) fishing, and halt the depletion of endangered fish stocks.
But this can only be part of the solution, because it only addresses part of the global fish economy. In parallel to industrial trawlers and distance fleets, some 12 million small-scale fishers operate in coastal and inland marine areas across the world, deriving vital income and dietary protein from fisheries in a way that contributes crucially to the food security of whole communities.
Article continues at ENN affiliate, Ecologist
Fishing Vessels image via Shutterstock


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Education policy expert Emily Schultz, Carleton Class of 2005, will present Carleton College's weekly convocation on Friday, Apr. 26. Convocation is held from 10:50-11:50 a.m. in the Skinner Memorial Chapel, and it is free and open to the public. Convocations are also streamed live and can be viewed online at go.carleton.edu/convo/.
Schultz is the education policy director for Governor Robert J. Bentley of Alabama who has worked to introduce charter schools in the state. Schultz was hired by Bentley in fall 2011 in the latest chapter in a career that has included other high-profile efforts to turn around failing schools. Schultz previously worked under Michelle Rhee, who served as chancellor of the Washington, D.C. public school system from 2007 to 2010. Rhee is a highly controversial figure in Washington and in the education community; her supporters say that her focus on teacher accountability has improved test scores, while detractors accuse her of being anti-union and of "dumbing down" the curriculum. Schultz then worked for a consulting firm, Mass Insight School Turnaround Group, which helped to restructure failing school systems in cities such as Central Falls, R.I., which fired all the teachers at its high school in 2010. Under Bentley, Schultz guides Alabama's education policy, which aims to allow charter schools in the state and tie teacher evaluations to student achievement. Schultz also serves as a liaison between the governor's office and educational institutions of all levels.
Schultz is a 2005 graduate of Carleton College; she majored in political science and educational studies.
For more information about this event, including disability accommodations, contact the Carleton College Office of College Relations at (507) 222-4308. The Skinner Memorial Chapel is located on First Street between College and Winona Streets in Northfield.


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Rand Paul's Rocky Start
Jen, when you say of Rand Paul, "here's some free advice: don't trot out his father, Ron Paul, to defend him—it will give voters the sense that Rand is as wacky as his dad," I am uncertain whether the advice goes far enough. Some of Ron Paul's ideas and pronouncements are so disturbing and extremist that it may be incumbent upon Rand Paul not only to evade his father's endorsement but also to distance himself from his unacceptable positions publicly.
Not only the Tea Party protests but also the silent rancor of the public at large seems fueled by outrage at this administration's fiscal abandon—which tends to overshadow considerations of foreign policy or social issues. It is therefore unfortunate and possibly dangerous that some of the most ardent and sincere champions of fiscal sobriety hail from the Paulian circle and thus carry a lot of undesirable baggage. Voters must take or leave these controversial candidates as a whole—the good along with the bad and the ugly.
During the 2008 presidential race, I came across a great number of well-meaning people so taken with Ron Paul's promises of fiscal constraint and economic laissez faire—as sorely wanting then as today—that they ignored, denied, or rationalized his noxious standpoint on social matters, his ridiculous prescriptions on foreign policy, his illiberal writings on race relations, and even his connections with anti-Semites. It is possible for the reverse of this phenomenon—that is, wholesale acceptance or rejection—to backfire now for Rand Paul: natural antipathy to his social conservatism (e.g., his advocacy for a complete ban on abortion), his isolationist foreign policy, and his controversial comments on the Civil Rights Act, might, by association, extend in the minds of undecided voters to his agenda of limited government and fiscal conservatism.
Read the rest in Commentary Magazine.If you like this post - buy me a coffee
The fattest cat-hole!
Been very busy with school and all. There's a piece I'm dying to put up here, but it's just not perfect yet. I've barely had time to work on my writing, hence the rat-droppings consistency of my latest posts. That's all I've got for this time too:
Meet Tefta, my cat. It's a silly Albanian name I had to settle for since Michael's other choices were even sillier. It suits her well enough though. She's a fatty. Michael is her sole caregiver for now, while I'm in Waterloo, and she doesn't seem to miss me! Go figure...If you like this post - buy me a coffee


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Fowler feeling no stress this spring
By Thomas Harding / MLB.com
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Center fielder Dexter Fowler certainly isn't stressing now.
He didn't worry last spring, when he hit .149 in 21 games and was so out of sync that then-manager Jim Tracy often batted him eighth in the order -- instead of leadoff -- during the first part of the season. And although this year he arrived for Spring Training at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick with a couple of reasons to be distracted, these distractions are actually positives.
First, Fowler is coming off a winter in which his name appeared in reports of possible trades. But the high price the Rockies asked showed Fowler how the team really felt, and he's still here.
Then there is the arbitration issue. Fowler has requested a salary of $5.15 million, and the Rockies have offered $4.25 million. A hearing could take place any time through Feb. 20, although the two sides could work out a contract of one year or more -- to eat up some, or most of the entire three years of arbitration he has remaining -- before then.
Hearings, during which both sides present their arguments and a panel chooses either the request or the offer, can be contentious, but Fowler is stepping back and appreciating the fact that either way, his payday will be a good one.
"I'm not really worrying about it -- I have a job," said a laughing Fowler, who doesn't have to report to camp until Saturday but was here on Sunday to star in one of the club's TV commercials. "Obviously, I want it resolved and over. I want to be able to go out and just go play."
Fowler finished the 2012 season much better than he started it -- a .300 batting average and career highs in several other categories. Confidence has come from these accomplishments.
The Rockies, under new manager Walt Weiss, certainly could use a better start from Fowler, who is a career .260 hitter before the All-Star break but a .282 hitter afterward. The difference in on-base percentage is slight -- .361 before the break, .366 after -- but the slow starts have included high strikeout counts and long dry spells. But after enduring demotions to Triple-A Colorado Springs in 2010 and 2011, Fowler has learned to shorten his dry spells by staying on an even keel.
Fowler handled last year's poor spring and slow start -- which led to a stretch in which Tyler Colvin started in center -- with composure. He vowed to stay the same this spring, no matter what the numbers say.
"I'm not really worried about it, just trying to prepare for the season," he said.
When listening to offers for Fowler, the Rockies made it known that they needed a starting pitcher with experience, low walks and high ground balls, plus other Major League-ready talent and a young impact player. The goal was to end up with someone like outfielder Carlos Gonzalez, who came from the Athletics as part of the package for Matt Holliday after the 2008 season. But the price was so steep, the Rockies never came close to a deal.
A conversation with Bill Geivett, senior vice president of Major League operations, further set Fowler's mind at ease.
"He said my name had been floating around, but I'd be the first to know if something happened," Fowler said.
Thomas Harding is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Hardball in the Rockies, and follow him on Twitter @harding_at_mlb. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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The "Talk of the Town Tables" fundraiser will once again be hosted by The Russellville Symphony Guild on Feb. 9. This annual event will begin at the Lake Point Conference Center at 6 p.m. with heavy hors d'oeuvres, a silent auction and live music, followed by a steak dinner served at 7:30.
Proceeds will be used to bring the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra to Russellville for a concert on April 6. Proceeds are also designated for the Guild scholarship funds, which provide scholarships to local high school music students.
Tickets for this popular event are $60 and may be purchased from any Board member or by calling Judy Murphy at (479) 967-1177.
Old-time jamboree set for Thursday
The American Legion will host the old-time jamboree at 6 p.m. Thursday at the American Legion Hall, 215 N. Denver, Russellville. The featured band will be Lee Mountain Boy. All singers are welcome to join the jamboree. Admission is $2.
QuickBooks seminar slated for Feb. 7
The Arkansas Small Business & Technology Development Center will present an Intermediate QuickBooks seminar from 9 a.m. to noon on Feb. 7 at Arkansas Tech University. Participants will acquire knowledge of the more advanced features of QuickBooks, including tracking inventory, accounts payable and receivable, and generating reports. A basic working knowledge of QuickBooks is required to attend this seminar. A computer will be provided for each participant to use during this interactive session. Cost is $65 to attend and seating is limited. Register by calling (479) 356-2067.
Mustache Dashe 5K to raise fundsfor RHS Afterprom
The Russellville High School Afterprom committee will host a fundraising "Mustache Dashe 5K" race starting at 9 a.m. Feb. 16 at Bona Dea Trail. Participants, whether actual or "virtual" runners/walkers, will receive an event T-shirt as well as a mustache for their entry fee. Early registration of $15 by Friday, Feb. 8 guarantees a shirt in your size. Registration fee is $20 the day of the event.
Proceeds help fund the RHS 2013 Afterprom, an all-night event structured to provide a safe and supervised activity for graduating seniors. Registration forms are available at Russellville High School or Mullen Team Sports at 215 N Commerce. For more information, contact Julie Rispoli 858-2685 or Suzanne Gately 970-9898.


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Reach your flight with the help of our free ATW airport shuttle
Hotel services include:
- Five on-site restaurants and a lounge
- 38,000 square feet of event space with 26 meeting rooms
- Fitness center, featuring free weights, treadmills, elliptical machines, exercise bikes and more, open 24 hours
- Indoor pool, whirlpool tub and sauna, open 5 a.m.-midnight (closes to children at 10 p.m.)
- Beautiful outdoor courtyard
- 24-hour full business center
- Attached, city-owned covered parking*
- 24-hour ATW airport shuttle**
- Free high-speed, wireless Internet access in public areas
- Internet kiosks in lobby
- Room service available
The City of Appleton owns and manages two covered parking ramps that are located adjacent to the hotel. You may use pay stations prior to leaving the ramps. Do not lose your ticket. There will be a $20 charge for lost tickets. Radisson Paper Valley Hotel is not responsible. Validation is available for guests with hotel rooms ($7 per 24 hours, unlimited in/out). If you are using a validated hotel pass, remember to keep your ticket after inserting it. You will use this validated ticket for exiting and when you return.
The rates are as follows:
- $1 for less than two hours
- $2 for two–three hours
- $3 for three–four hours
- $5 for more than four hours
We recommend using the front (College Avenue) entrance for loading and unloading as it provides easier access with no stairs. The side entrance of the parking ramp has stairs. Overnight street parking is not allowed from 2 to 5 a.m., so using the attached ramps is the best option.
**ATW Airport Transportation
To schedule ATW airport shuttle service, please contact the hotel in advance with your flight information, including arrival time, flight number, carrier and name, so we can track your flight. Additionally, please call our main line at +1 (920) 733-8000 when you land or while waiting at baggage claim so the shuttle driver can coordinate a pick-up. The shuttle may already be on site at the airport or in transit, and guests will be updated accordingly.


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And why do tyres, beam wing and rear wing create localized low pressure area behind the car, and diffuser don't ?Just_a_fan wrote: But the diffuser doesn't really create base suction. The car does. The rear tyres, the sidepods and the rear wings do.
The diffuser helps to slow the air back down to ambient in order to reduce drag and aid downforce production. It doesn't suck the air through itself.
Bear in mind that the air is just minding its business until the car comes along. Then the localised pressure difference across the car (front to rear) makes the air move.
My understanding of fluids is, when you move any object (except symmetrical airfoils in perfectly laminar flow conditions) through it, you will have low pressure area behind. And bodies ending abruptly even more so.
You can create downforce just by blowing at diffuser (or by moving diffuser through the flow, doesn't matter).
Seeing is believing, so anyone can make simple card board model of diff and blow it with hair dryer to see it working
I did.


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So Much For Independence: Robert Redford Pawns Sundance Channel for $496 Million
In a deal forecast by analysts back in March, New York broadcast titans Cablevision yesterday acquired the Sundance Channel for $496 million. The amount was nearly 25% higher than its valuation at the time, and it adds nearly $50 million to the wallet of minority shareholder and Sundance Film Festival founder Robert Redford; his partners at NBC Universal and CBS pocketed the rest. While Redford is expected to stay with the network, it should undergo plenty of other changes — not the least of which will be its transition to a commercial-supported entity. What else would you expect from Sundance other than a word with its sponsors?
That development would help neutralize what's arguably Cablevision's biggest paradox here: How to create coexistence between Sundance and its current indie-film channel IFC. Sundance currently reaches about 30 million homes, having balanced out uncut broadcasts of its namesake festival's selections with more original programming over the last three years. It stops short of airing commercials, though, which Cablevision will seek to integrate in a fashion similar to its canny evolution of AMC from vintage movie dump to contemporary outlet for mainstream films and original series like Mad Men.
A commercialized Sundance Channel would also entitle IFC the latitude to pursue its precious mission — "independent film, unedited and commercially uninterrupted 24 hours a day" — with fewer of the tacky on-air branding and sponsorship credits it endures now. (Not that it'd give up all of that easy revenue, but still.) To that end, Sundance last week presented its first upfronts to advertisers, led by Redford himself. Assuming you haven't changed the channel, expect to see the results between Iconoclasts and The Green segments some time this fall.


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Notes: Guillen contract talks 'positive'
Nats team president promises no distractions during season
By Bill Ladson / MLB.com
Guillen declined to talk about the extension, but he appears willing to have contract negotiations beyond Opening Day, according to Tavares. Guillen originally hinted that he may test the free agent market after the 2006 season if he didn't have a contract done by the opener.
"I'm motivated and he's motivated [to get a deal done]," Tavares said. "We'll see. He would love to get a deal done before Opening Day, but I can't promise that is going to happen. I promised him one thing: I will not distract him with contract negotiations. I do think there's a way of continuing on after the season has started without distractions."
Guillen is making $4 million in 2006, and he will be a free agent after the season. According to two sources, he wants a five-year deal worth $50 million. However, the Nationals are offering a four-year deal that would pay between $6.5 and $7 million per season.
Tavares declined to talk about the numbers, but according to one source, there has been some give and take between the two parties. The Nationals are willing to up the offer, but not to go to the $10 million-a-year range. The team has to go to Major League Baseball for approval for a new offer.
Guillen came to Spring Training early to strengthen his left shoulder, which was surgically repaired during the offseason. He later had left wrist problems and didn't make his Spring Training debut until March 20.
But Guillen has worked hard and is expected be ready for Opening Day against the Mets on Monday.
"You know how hard I've been working," Guillen said. "I have to say thank you to [strength and conditioning coordinator Kazuhiko Tomooka]. He has been getting me where I need to be."
One man's opinion: Left fielder Alfonso Soriano looked at spacious Robert F. Kennedy Stadium on Friday and said the park reminded him of McAfee Coliseum in Oakland.
Soriano hit a few balls out of the park at RFK during batting practice on Friday, but that doesn't mean that he is going to hit them when the season starts.
"I have to see," he said. "It's a different feeling when you hit in the game."
GM concerns: General manager Jim Bowden said that his biggest concerns entering Opening Day are Washington's starting pitching and how Brandon Watson plays center field.
Bowden likes the fact he has two solid starters in Livan Hernandez and John Patterson, but Pedro Astacio, Ramon Ortiz and Tony Armas Jr. are question marks.
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"Now, we made offers to those guys and we couldn't get it done. It's hard to trade for it, so we have to live within our budget, and we live with what we have to deal with. But they are ifs. If I was comfortable, believe me, they would be making $8 to $10 million per year, not $2 million."
While Watson outperformed Church in Spring Training, Bowden wants to see the center fielder have a season like he had at Triple-A New Orleans, in which he hit .355 in 88 games. Watson is expected to be the leadoff hitter for the Nationals on Opening Day against the Mets.
"I'm hoping Brandon can do what he did in March," Bowden said. "I'm hoping he can do what he did all last year in the Minor Leagues and carry it over. That would give this team a big boost."
Watson gave the Nationals a boost on Friday against the Orioles. He went 2-for-5 with a stolen base, his eighth of the spring. He even made a spectacular diving catch off the bat of Miguel Tejada in the fourth inning.
"He was unbelievable tonight," third baseman Ryan Zimmerman said. "If he can set the table and do that day in and day out, we are going to win a lot more games because of it. If you can be on base, with all the hitters we have in our lineup, it's going to be a big advantage for our team."
Watson said playing in a Major League park added more enthusiasm to his game.
"The fans are big in a big-league park," he said. "It's that time of year."
What a relief: Washington's bullpen has moved from left to right field at RFK Stadium. The move was made because the team's relievers complained that it was too hot in left.
During day games, the sun would beam on the relievers, and they had no shade to protect them. Even at night, the relievers claimed they had no way of cooling off during the summer.
"It's going to work out very well for us," closer Chad Cordero said. "Last year, there was no shade out in left field. In right field, you have everything. We are not going to get worn out after sitting in the sun, especially during the summer out here. You get worn down real quick. It's going to be a big boost to us."
What's wrong? Zimmerman made his eighth error of the spring on Friday against the Orioles. He acknowledged that he was in a defensive slump for most of the spring. Early in the exhibition season, he was having throwing problems. Recently, though, he has had a tough time fielding the ball.
"The first part of the spring, I didn't think my arm was in shape yet," Zimmerman said. "My arm is fine and it hasn't been hurting at all. Tonight, I felt great. I feel good on the field. I'm not worried about it at all. I'm ready to go out there and make plays for the pitchers."
The Big Nasty: Patterson had his worst outing of the spring on Friday, giving up four runs, three earned, in five innings. He threw 92 pitches, and manager Frank Robinson felt Patterson wasn't comfortable on the mound.
"His breaking ball was [off] as far as location and the strike zone," Robinson said.
Patterson said that he still had to get rid of some of the kinks in one of his pitches.
"I still have to get my slider going," he said. "Everything else feels pretty good. Arm strength will get better as the season goes. The changeup and curveball still feels good."
Around the horn: The Nationals are 9-22-1 this spring. ... Washington D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams threw out the first pitch before Friday's game. ... The Nationals are hitting .253 and have made 47 errors this spring.
Quote of the day: "I've seen teams look terrible in Spring Training, but once the bell rings, they play championship-caliber baseball. ... So we just have to wait and see which team shows up on Monday in New York and the day after." -- Robinson, after his team lost its 22nd game of the spring on Friday
Coming up: The Nationals play their final exhibition game on Saturday afternoon at 4:35 p.m. ET, when they meet the Orioles in Baltimore at Camden Yards. Right-hander Pedro Astacio will get the start for Washington, while righty Daniel Cabrera gets the nod for Baltimore.
Bill Ladson is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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BERLIN — The Berlin Farmers Market, a decades old tradition that brings together local growers and consumers, is larger this year than ever and still looking to expand.
At an all-time high of vendors, with 18 showing up on most Fridays, the market has grown past offering only vegetables and produce. Seafood vendors sell clams and oysters next to florists and bakers, among others.
On-site Market Master Terry Jordan explained that it's not a place just for produce any longer, as much as it is a "producer's" market.
A regular at the market for close to a decade, Jordan is the owner of Longridge Gardens, based in Parsonsburg, Md. Though Berlin's isn't the only market she attends, Jordan said that the town sets itself apart through its practices.
"This is a quaint little area," she said.
Jordan was appreciative of the historic appeal of Berlin, and the way it drew in both out-of-town visitors and locals. She also noted that the town administration has been more than welcoming to vendors.
Though the option to relocate the market became available in the past, Jordan revealed that Berlin doesn't want the vendors to move.
"The mayor said, 'we want you here,'" she said.
But it's not just town officials that are backing the market, as the local consumers seem to be intent on keeping it in Berlin as well.
"We have quite a great crowd of locals that support us," said Jordan.
On such local is Carolie Patton, who has been frequenting the market for more than 10 years.
"I believe in shopping local," she said.
Though August is the official month for Maryland's "Buy Local Challenge," an event where everyone in the state is encouraged to visit farmer's markets and produce stands in an attempt to buy as many products as they can locally, Patton has made the practice a year-round habit.
"I try and get most of my produce locally," she said.
In Patton's opinion, the benefits of buying from local growers far outweigh the extra effort and sometimes extra cost when compared to shopping at a grocery store.
"The product is better," she stated.
That faith in what she's buying, said Patton, comes from interacting with the growers, getting to meet with them and ask them questions about what she is buying.
"You get to know who you're dealing with," said Patton.
Jordan agreed that communication played a fundamental role in defining what makes a farmer's market.
"It's become more of a social place," she said of the market, which is held every Friday and Wednesday during the season.
"You get to meet the farmer," she later added.
While farmer's markets are most common during the summer months, Berlin boasts a dedicated number of growers who carry on all year, mainly through the use of greenhouses.
"We grow a lot of crops in the winter," confirmed Pat Pilling, a representative of Provident Organic Farms.
Provident, which is a community-supported agricultural group (CSA) with almost 30 years of history, began selling produce during the winter months last year, a practice that other vendors have also taken up.
"Greenhouses allow us to grow crops … to grow things like lettuce in the winter," said Christina Martin, a seasonal employee with Provident.
As of now, she estimated that there are two or three vendors who take advantage of a "small window of opportunity" and continue visiting the market during the winter. That number could increase, though, once greenhouse growing catches on in the area.
While a majority of vendors sell produce like Longridge and Provident, there are several other, less expected options at the market. Joining the event just last March, "R-DAD" clams and oysters is one of a limited number of seafood vendors to set up shop twice a week in Berlin during the summer. According to owners Ginger and Bill Taylor, the name is made from the initials of family members, some of whom work for R-DAD occasionally.
"It is a family thing," said Ginger Taylor of the business.
R-DAD specializes in top-neck and little-neck clams, jarred oysters and a variety of other seafood.
"Everything we have is farm grown," said Ginger Taylor.
She added that R-DAD will be one of the few vendors who will still be attending the Berlin Farmers market after the summer season is over.
"We'll be here all winter," she confirmed.
At first glance, working through the winter might seem strange. Without the influx of visitors typical to the Eastern Shore during the Memorial Day through Labor Day crunch, produce sales are generally lower, while the effort and workload can remain the same or even increase. But Jordan observed that for most farmers and growers, money is secondary to the process itself.
"I love what I'm doing," she said. "It's in my bones now."
Jordan explained that most people's first impression of farming was that it was almost a leisure activity, spending the day outside and getting some exercise. And while Jordan agreed that it was an activity she enjoyed, it is miles away from the cakewalk most people view it as.
"It's definitely fun, but hard work," she said.
With 18 regular vendors, Jordan did admit that space is becoming limited for further expansion of the market, though spilling over from the current location into other parts of Berlin is a possibility.
For the time being at least, Jordan said the market is thriving in town and not looking to leave anytime soon.
"We're staying," she said.


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22.2014 Transfer or registration to defeat purpose of chapter.Cite as [A.S.C.A. § 22.2014]
(a) If an owner's registration has been suspended, such registration shall not be transferred, nor the vehicle in respect to which the registration was issued registered in any other name, until the Director of Administrative Services is satisfied that such transfer of the owner's registration, or registration of the vehicle in another name, is proposed in good faith and not for the purpose, and with the effect, of defeating the purposes of this chapter.
(b) Nothing in this section may in any way affect the rights of any conditional vendor, chattel mortgage, or lessor of a vehicle registered in the name of another as owner who becomes subject to the provisions of this chapter.
(c) The Director of Administrative Services shall suspend the registration of any vehicle transferred in violation of the provisions of this section.History: 1972, PL 12-65 § 1.


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© 2008 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Ex-Twins reflect on time in Minnesota
Garza, Bartlett now major contributors for first-place Rays
By Kelly Thesier / MLB.com
ST. PETERSBURG -- Twins manager Ron Gardenhire has never denied that his team had to give up quality players when they completed a six-player trade with the Rays last November to bring outfielder Delmon Young to Minnesota. So it comes as no surprise to Gardenhire that Matt Garza and Jason Bartlett have played significant roles in the Rays' surprising run this season. "They are good players -- we knew that when they were here," Gardenhire said. "That's how you get a good player back because you have to give up good players -- give up a good pitcher and my shortstop -- to try to get some offensive outfield help in Delmon." As the Twins and Rays met at Tropicana Field for the start of a four-game series on Thursday night, it's the Rays who have the chance to clinch a playoff berth. Their magic number entering the day was three, which would ensure them at least the Wild Card. Garza was considered to be the centerpiece of the deal for Tampa Bay back in November, and he's helped the Rays get to this position. The right-hander has notched his own spot in a very talented pitching staff this season, going 11-9 with a 3.66 ERA in 29 starts. The Twins' 2005 first-round pick admits that at the time of the trade, he was disappointed. But it's been a move that Garza now agrees has benefited him greatly, in part due to a change of scenery. "In Minnesota when I got called up, there was a lot of hype," Garza said. "As a 22-year-old kid, trying to live up to all that hype wasn't good for me. I got big-headed and didn't have the results I wanted, so I tried to do more. "Here, I'm not the big guy. I'm not the guy who came up in a year. We've got [David] Price for that. Scott Kazmir and James Shields are the [Nos.] 1 and 2 guys. I'm just the guy in the back to middle of the rotation. There is no pressure on me." Along with the decreased pressure, Garza also said that Rays manager Joe Maddon has been a huge help to him in terms of the mental side of the game. One of the concerns during Garza's time with the Twins was his inability to control his emotions. But after an altercation with catcher Dioner Navarro in early June, Garza said he's made significant strides in improving that area. One such sign of Garza's growth came when he was asked if there was a little extra motivation this season to show the Twins what they lost in making that trade. "No, I don't really have to show them anything," Garza said. "They gave me the opportunity to get up here, the opportunity to play pro ball. So you move on." Garza has made an impact on Tampa Bay's pitching staff, but Bartlett has perhaps had an even bigger effect on another aspect of the club -- defense. Bartlett's offensive numbers are similar to years he had with the Twins, batting .278 with one home run and 31 RBIs. But the shortstop is considered to have made his contribution by strengthening the club up the middle. "I said all year that I think [Bartlett] is one of the MVPs of our team," Maddon said. "We have won not because we have outhit everybody. Obviously, it's been the defense, and he's been the glue to the whole thing." Although he's quite happy with his new ballclub, Bartlett said that he still keeps close tabs on what the Twins are doing. He's even earned some chiding from his Rays teammates about needing to "let go." Still, Bartlett said he's been watching the Twins push to try to stay in the AL Central hunt, sitting 2 1/2 games back of the White Sox heading into this series. And while many in baseball are surprised by Minnesota's season, Bartlett is not. "It's amazing because they do it every year," Bartlett said. "No one gives them a chance, and they keep doing it. It's the Minor League players that come up. That just shows how good the scouting is over there and the player development." But while the Twins are fighting for their playoff lives, the Rays are very close to securing theirs. So would it be nice to clinch against his former team? "It doesn't matter who we are facing -- we just want to say we made the playoffs," Bartlett said.
Kelly Thesier is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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About Us
The Career Center at CSUN offers career exploration and advisement along with job-search strategies to students and eligible alumni. By providing guidance on choosing a major and advice on how to make decisions, set goals and plan, the Career Center helps students advance on their career paths.
self discovery
counseling and advisement
career resources
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The Career Center hosts a broadarray of Career Fairs, Employer Info Sessions, and Workshops/Programs (see the top banner for more information). For full details and how to reserve your slot for Info Sessions, Workshops and Networking Events, login to SUNlink
Our signature programs are SUNlink and Pathways. SUNlink is our online job board and career services system through which students can apply for jobs or internships, sign up for events or conduct practice interviews. Pathways contains valuable career information and resources that allow students to find a sense of purpose and become job search ready.
For faculty and staff, we offer curriculum support to plan career-related lessons that will assist your students with achieving their academic and career goals in a challenging job market.
We encourage employers to participate in our events and post job and internship opportunities.
For more information about the benefits that Career Center provides, check out our range of programs and services. At the Career Center, we help you start early, get connected, make a plan and finish ahead!


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With the MLB postseason rapidly approaching, the current list of most popular MLB jerseys mirrors the top of the standings, as players on postseason contenders dominate the list. Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees, Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers and Ichiro Suzuki of the Yankees top the list, released jointly today by Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association, with rookie sensations Bryce Harper and Mike Trout rounding out the top five.
Six players, including Ichiro, Harper, Trout, Andrew McCutchen, Yu Darvish and Chipper Jones, made the top 10 after not appearing in the top 20 on the 2011 calendar-year list released in March of this year. Seven additional players -- Matt Kemp, Joey Votto, Prince Fielder, Jose Bautista, Yadier Molina, Miguel Cabrera and Brett Lawrie -- who did not make last year's list cracked the top 20 this time around. Players representing 12 different MLB clubs make up the list of top 20 most popular jerseys, including postseason contenders that haven't been represented on the list in recent years such as the Washington Nationals, Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds. The top 20 include nine infielders, seven outfielders, two pitchers and two catchers. Of the top 20, 18 were All-Stars in 2012.
MLB Most Popular Jerseys
Based on sales of Majestic jerseys since the 2012 All-Star break
1. Derek Jeter, New York Yankees
2. Josh Hamilton, Texas Rangers
3. Ichiro Suzuki, New York Yankees
4. Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals
5. Mike Trout, LA Angels of Anaheim
6. Andrew McCutchen, Pittsburgh Pirates
7. Yu Darvish, Texas Rangers
8. Chipper Jones, Atlanta Braves
9. Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers
10. Robinson Cano, New York Yankees
11. Matt Kemp, Los Angeles Dodgers
12. David Freese, St. Louis Cardinals
13. Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds
14. Ian Kinsler, Texas Rangers
15. Prince Fielder, Detroit Tigers
16. Jose Bautista, Toronto Blue Jays
17. Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants
18. Yadier Molina, St. Louis Cardinals
19. Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers
20. Brett Lawrie, Toronto Blue Jays
This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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Fifth Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney David Gibbons filed charges Thursday against Kou Her, 22, of Clarksville following the stabbing death of Autumn Vang, 6, at her home near Hartman in the early morning hours of May 10.
Police said Her stabbed Vang behind the ear after Vang's relatives, who also sustained stab wounds in the incident, found Her in the girl's room with a large kitchen knife and scissors. Vang died six days later at Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock.
Charging documents filed Thursday afternoon in Johnson County Circuit Court identify the two stabbing victims, Alex Xiong and Tou Jee Xiong, and allege Her attempted to kidnap an unidentified 14-year-old female, who was sharing a bedroom with Vang, for "deviate sexual activity." Police said Her attempted to suffocate the 14-year-old girl with a rag soaked in gasoline before Alex Xiong entered the room and was stabbed by Her.
Alex Xiong and Tou Jee Xiong eventually disarmed Her and detained him until police arrived. Investigators later found tape, black trash bags, gloves, scissors and a camera in Her's vehicle, which was parked near the home on County Road 2243, according to court documents.
Her, who is also charged with aggravated residential burglary, attempted kidnapping, first-degree battery and aggravated assault, was ordered held in lieu of a $1 million bond last month and is scheduled to be arraigned on July 5 in Johnson County Circuit Court.
First-degree murder and aggravated residential burglary are Class Y felonies, punishable by life in prison. Attempted kidnapping is Class A felony punishable by up to 30 years in prison and a $15,000 fine; first-degree battery is a Class B felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a $15,000 fine; and aggravated assault is a Class D felony punishable by up yo six years in prison and a $10,000 fine.


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Namoura Recipe - How to Make Namoura
|Photo: Namoura Recipe
The Lebanese Recipes Kitchen (The home of delicious Lebanese Recipes and Middle Eastern food recipes) invites you to try Namoura Recipe. Enjoy traditional Lebanese Desserts and learn how to make Namoura.
Preparation Time: 20 min
Cooking Time: 45 min
Number of servings: 6
2 cups semolina or farina
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
72 blanched almonds
1 tablespoon butter
2 cups yoghurt: alrai yoghurt
1 cup coconut
2 tablespoons tahini
Grease a 9x13 baking pan with tahini to avoid sticking.
Put all ingredients (except maple syrup) together in a bowl and blend until the batter is smooth.
Spread the batter smoothly and flatly into the pan.
Place almonds to cover the surface. Bake in oven for 250 degrees for one hour. Check after 45 minuter, should be a light golden brown.
Let the Namoura cool for 10 minutes before pouring one cup of maple syrup over the pan.
With a watered knife, cut the namoura with evenly spaced diagonol lines across the long end and then across the short end to create diamond shaped pieces.
Be sure to cut around the almonds if possible so that each piece has one almond in the center. Also, when cutting, use an up and down motion as you would cutting a cake.
Source: www.alrai.com.sa
More from the Lebanese Recipes Kitchen:
Fritter with Fruits
Rose Water Rice Pudding with Basbosa
Cookies Filled with Fig, Dates and Apricot
Alkatayef (Arabic Stuffed Pancakes) Recipe
Hazelnut and honey cake
Coffee Butter Cookies
Save and share Namoura Recipe
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text: I read a thread that ARFED wrote and it was in the same guidelines, but only related to Federer live. I'm curious since I'll be going to Indian Wells next year (2013), to see what day I will choose to go dependent on the match. I went to this years Indian wells (first time going to a pro event) and made the mistake of not investing a bit more money to sit down closer but instead up in the nosebleeds where it looked like ping pong. So I vowed that if I'm going to go I'm going to do it right. First, which pro would you recommend I'm thinking Nadal and which part of the court would you recommend? Behind the players? Middle?


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Several additional grants to address sediment and logjams around LaGrange County have been announced by the Indiana DNR.
Six Indiana counties will fix sediment and logjam problems in lakes and rivers thanks to $691,000 in grant funding this spring from the DNR.
Department of Natural Resources grants totaling more than $850,000 will fund removal of sediment and logjams from Indiana's lakes and rivers.


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ON TUESDAY, the Environmental Protection Agency announced its first limits on carbon dioxide emissions from new power plants. By requiring that facilities produce less than 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide per megawatt-hour, the rule essentially bans construction of traditional coal-fired power plants. That's good: Burning coal releases lots of carbon dioxide and a range of nasty pollutants that encourage heart attacks and respiratory illness.
Yet only by the miserable standards of Congress's continuing inaction on climate change is this rule impressive. The EPA's new carbon standards won't change all that much. Low natural gas prices and the high efficiency of natural gas power plants have already moved the market away from coal and toward that cleaner fossil fuel. Should natural gas prices shoot up, the EPA's rules guarantee that utilities couldn't turn back to old coal years down the road, The Post's Brad Plumer and Grist's Dave Roberts point out. The rule also provides America some moral authority to pressure other nations to scale back coal burning. But those are modest benefits.
Since the EPA's standards apply only to new facilities, they won't affect the worst polluters — decades-old dinosaur coal-power plants that spew a noxious cocktail of chemicals into the air — not to mention other fossil-fuel-power facilities that emit carbon, which the government will have to address eventually. The EPA will have another round of rulemaking for existing plants, but it's unclear when or how it will set standards.
In establishing those rules, regulators will have to balance the imperatives of clean air with the economic effects of possibly taking more power plants offline or requiring extremely expensive retrofitting. Even ardent environmentalists must admit that it is difficult to draw that line when affordable electricity is the lifeblood of America's recovering economy. The standards that would make sense now wouldn't years from now.
A more rational policy would cut pollution across the economy at a low marginal cost with predictable terms and a regular schedule of tightening emissions standards, allowing businesses to factor carbon costs into their decision making. Most economists believe that putting an increasing price on carbon through a carbon tax or a cap-and-trade program is the best way to accomplish those goals. Implementing such a policy would also signal the world that America leads with more than words.
You can't fault the EPA for not pursuing a more ambitious carbon tax or a cap-and-trade system, though: It's far from clear it has the statutory authority to do so, even on a sector-by-sector basis. The fault lies with Congress, which has failed to establish anything resembling a comprehensive energy policy. Lawmakers, particularly on the right, seem most politically allergic to the most obvious climate policies. The result is a ramshackle collection of clean-energy subsidies, EPA mandates and state actions that can be both expensive and underwhelming.