text:
SQL Q&AInside Clustering, Mysterious Hangs, the SA Account, and More
Edited by Nancy Michell
Q I need to gain a better understanding of how clustering works. Our environment will consist of 64-bit Windows Server® 2003 running SQL Server™ 2005, a SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) Web farm (a report server scale-out deployment), an SSRS TempDB Catalog server and SQL Server that pumps data from a third-party database via a linked server and will store the data for SSRS.
We want a 3-node active/active/passive cluster. Node1 would be active and would store the data pumped from the third-party database. Node2 would be active and would store the SSRS Catalog. Node3 would be passive and be a failover for either Node1 or Node2. Can you help?
A Unfortunately, too many people are misled by the terms active/active and active/passive in reference to SQL Server clustering. They think that SQL clustering may support "scale out" of one database or SQL instance across multiple servers. That's just not the case. On SQL Server, there is no such thing as an active/active database or instance. An "instance" is an installation of SQL Server with corresponding databases. Our clustering per SQL Server instance is active (1) to passive (n) always (note that the value of n is anywhere from 1 to 7 depending on your version of SQL Server). That's why it's called failover clustering.
Once that is understood, people can start to consider installing multiple instances of failover clustering on a set of nodes. For example three physical servers all using shared disks could have one instance that is active by default on Node 1 and a second instance that is active by default on Node 2, and both can fail to Node 3. The instances are completely separate; they do not share data and are not active/active. They are both active/passive and both share the same failover instance. If both instances fail to Node 3, then the challenge over time is knowing whether it will buckle under the load. By design, failover is intended to rely on equal processing power for the failover. If peak load requires two nodes for processing under normal operation, it is unlikely that Node 3 would survive under the peak load normally assigned to two nodes.
That said, given the relative cost of hardware capable of running a cluster, we understand how people would weigh the likelihood of both principal nodes failing simultaneously and forcing the entire load to one node. With that consideration in mind, they may make the business decision to assume the risk rather than purchase 100 percent failover capacity.
Fortunately, there's some good news: SQL Server 2005 offers many more options for high availability (HA), including alternatives that can fail over more quickly than a cluster and can even mean duplicate copies of data (clustering relies on a single SAN). The options include mirroring, peer-to-peer replication, and more. With those new alternatives, we have a lot more options to satisfy all sorts of needs, including some that may combine a number of HA features.
The Microsoft® Cluster Configuration Validation Wizard (ClusPrep), now available for download, replaces what used to be the Hardware Certification List (HCL) testing, which could take months to validate a complete configuration to deem it "supportable" under clustering. This puts the hardware validation tool into the hands of the DBA, further driving down the cost (in dollars and time) of getting certified hardware in place. It may even make it possible to validate and deploy heterogeneous hardware within one cluster node set.
Q A delete procedure on one of my machines appears to be hanging after 12 hours. It's not blocked. Looking at the slowest query plan reveals a trigger running for 87,327 seconds, so I assume the procedure is hanging in that trigger. How can I see exactly which statement is hanging?
A It is quite possible that a loop within the trigger is not exiting for a variety of reasons. If you're hanging for a long time and you want to see which statement is executing, run the code in Figure 1. It will tell you which statement is currently running, and this should be the one that is causing your machine to hang.
Figure 1 Find currently executing statement
-- Look at the current statement being run:
-- Put results to text (Ctrl + T)
DECLARE @Handle binary(20),
@start int,
@end int,
@SPID int
SET @SPID = spid
SELECT @Handle = sql_handle,
@start = stmt_start,
@end = stmt_end
FROM Master..sysProcesses(NOLOCK)
IF NOT EXISTS (SELECT * FROM ::fn_get_sql(@Handle))PRINT 'Handle not found in cache'
SELECT 'Current Statement'= substring(text, (@start + 2)/2, CASE @end WHEN -1 THEN (datalength(text))
ELSE (@end -@start + 2)/2 END)
FROM ::fn_get_sql(@Handle)
Q I need to support transactional replication through a firewall. The publisher and distributor are on the outside of the firewall and the subscriber is on the inside. The subscriber is set to listen on 1433 and these are my machine names: Publisher: PUBMACHINE, Distributor: DISTMACHINE, Subscriber: SUBMACHINE. What ports do I need to open to allow the initial snapshot and the publication push to succeed?
A If you are using a push subscription, opening the SQL Server port (1433 in your case) should be sufficient as the distribution agent will be running on the distributor machine (outside the firewall) and will likely have local access to the snapshot files generated by the snapshot agent. But if you are using a pull subscription, the distribution agent running on the subscriber machine will need to access the snapshot files through the firewall somehow. Here are the options that you can consider.
Assuming that the snapshot files are already accessible from a file share outside of the firewall, you can open up the Windows® file sharing port(s) through the firewall so the distribution agent running inside the firewall can access the snapshot files located outside (though beware of the security implications that this may have for other parts of your infrastructure). Note that if you have configured a local path as the default snapshot location (SSMS default), you may need to use the /AltSnapshotFolder option of the distribution agent to override the snapshot file pickup location.
You can also configure replication to use FTP for transferring snapshot files (and you would need to open up port 21 for that).
Q I'd like to know if there are any drawbacks to disabling the SA account in SQL Server 2005 and if disabling SA adds true security value. Is there a whitepaper on this question?
A On a new SQL Server 2005 installation when Mixed Mode is not enabled, the SA account is disabled by default and a random password is generated for it. You can also disable it yourself. There isn't a whitepaper on it, but disabling and renaming logins is discussed in a best practices paper.
If you want to protect yourself from attempts to break the SA account, you can rename it as well. Just remember, if you enable a disabled account, you should set a new password for it.
To answer your question about whether this offers true security, remember that the added security of disabling the account comes from the fact that password guessing is futile while the account is disabled. No matter how much time a hacker or virus has, a brute force attack against a locked account will not succeed. Renaming or disabling SA will break applications that are dependent on using the SA account for their connectivity. Finding and then fixing or eliminating these applications should be considered as a priority anyway. As mentioned, the account cannot be used to connect to the database until it is reenabled. Plus, because the authentication process fails earlier, a failed attempt will take a lesser toll on the attacked system.
Q One of my larger online transaction processing (OLTP) databases has a log file that is twice the size of the data file. I've tried using the following commands to get the log file down to a reasonable size, but I need to reduce it further:
backup database syslogs to backupfile
DBCC SHRINKFILE (syslogs_log)
A You should change your backup database to a backup log statement. Alternatively you could put your database into simple recovery mode and issue the shrinkfile statement. After the shrink of the log is finished, set the database to its previous recovery model and back up the database. If it's still not shrinking, check to make sure you have no open transactions (use dbcc opentran). The following Knowledge Base article provides more information: support.microsoft.com/kb/907511.
Q If failover occurs during a scheduled SQL Server Agent job, what happens to that job after failover? Do I have to restart it manually?
A Yes, you will need to start it manually if you don't have some other process in place. If you don't want to have to restart jobs manually, you could write a script that updates a table upon job completion. If the value = 1, the job has been run; any other value indicates that the job was not completed and a second job will come in later and issue the start command. So while the job needs to be rerun if a failover occurs during its pass, by writing a script you can alleviate some of the worry for those crucial, middle-of-the-night jobs that absolutely must be completed before the next business day.
Tip: Upgrading and DBCC UPDATEUSAGE
Are you upgrading from SQL Server 2000 to SQL Server 2005?
If so, make sure you run DBCC UPDATEUSAGE right after your databases are upgraded.
DBCC UPDATEUSAGE reports and corrects pages and row count inaccuracies in the catalog views. These inaccuracies need to be corrected because they may cause incorrect space usage reports to be returned by the sp_spaceused system stored procedure. In SQL Server 2005, these values are always maintained correctly, so these databases should never experience incorrect counts. However, databases upgraded to SQL Server 2005 may contain invalid counts, so you should run DBCC UPDATEUSAGE after upgrading.
Here's how DBCC UPDATEUSAGE works. It corrects the rows, used pages, reserved pages, leaf pages, and data page counts for each partition in a table or index. If there are no inaccuracies in the system tables, DBCC UPDATEUSAGE returns no data. If inaccuracies are found and corrected and you have not used WITH NO_INFOMSGS, DBCC UPDATEUSAGE returns the rows and columns being updated in the system tables.
DBCC UPDATEUSAGE can also be used to synchronize space-usage counters. Because DBCC UPDATEUSAGE can take some time to run on large tables or databases, it should typically be used only when you suspect incorrect values are being returned by sp_spaceused. Note that sp_spaceused accepts an optional parameter to run DBCC UPDATEUSAGE before returning space information for the table or index.
DBCC CHECKDB has been enhanced in SQL Server 2005 to detect when page or row counts become negative. When negatives are detected, DBCC CHECKDB will output a warning and a recommendation to run DBCC UPDATEUSAGE to address the issue. Although it may appear as if upgrading the database to SQL Server 2005 caused this problem, be assured that the invalid counts existed before the upgrade procedure.
As an example, here's how you would update page or row counts or both for all objects in the current database. The following command specifies 0 for the database name and DBCC UPDATEUSAGE reports updated information for the current database:
To update page or row counts or both for, say, AdventureWorks, and also to suppress informational messages, you would run a command similar the following, which specifies AdventureWorks as the database name and then suppresses all informational messages:
USE AdventureWorks;
DBCC UPDATEUSAGE ('AdventureWorks') WITH NO_INFOMSGS; GO
For more information, search for DBCC UpdateUsage in SQL Server Books Online.
**Thanks to the following Microsoft IT pros for their technical expertise:**Ken Adamson, Sunil Agarwal, Siggi Bjarnason, Shaun Cox, Laurentiu Cristofor, Ernie DeVore, Michael Epprecht, Lucien Kleijkers, Raymond Mak, Chat Mishra (MSLI), Niraj Nagrani, Rick Salkind, Jacco Schalkwijk, Vijay Sirohi, Vijay Tandra Sistla, Matthew Stephen, and Buck Woody. Thanks to Saleem Hakani for this month's tip.
© 2008 Microsoft Corporation and CMP Media, LLC. All rights reserved; reproduction in part or in whole without permission is prohibited.


text:
Location of photoAnza, CA
Date/Time of photo7/13-7/14, 8/15-8/16/2015
Equipment12.5" PlaneWave CDK telescope with a Quantum-Scientific QSI640ws camera at f/5.2
DescriptionNGC 6914 is the designation given to the bright blue reflection nebulas in this field of view. But the field is also full of H-alpha emission nebula, creating a striking contrast of colors.
Return to Photo Gallery Menu.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Department of
Fish & Wildlife
Main Office
Natural Resources Building
1111 Washington St. SE
Olympia, WA 98501
Get Directions
Mailing Address
PO Box 43200
Olympia, WA 98504-3200
Kelly Susewind
Grants & Incentives
How to submit a proposal
Open RFPs, application instructions and other information are available from the Funding Opportunities section.
Contact information
Questions or comments regarding the Grant Program and available funding opportunities can be sent to firstname.lastname@example.com
Puget Sound Marine and Nearshore Grant Program
Grant Program Background
The PS Marine and Nearshore Grant Program supports Puget Sound habitat protection and restoration projects. The Grant Program is funded by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through the National Estuary Program (NEP). EPA has allocated approximately $12.2 million to the Grant Program since February of 2011, and additional funding may be available through 2016. NEP funding is invested in the work of state, local and tribal governments, not-for-profit organizations, and other partners to implement the Puget Sound Action Agenda to recover Puget Sound.
Several Washington State Agencies were selected to serve as Lead Organizations in four different areas of emphasis. Each LO will coordinate investments and implement a six-year strategy for future NEP funding. The four Puget Sound emphasis areas include:
In addition, both the Puget Sound Partnership (PSP) and the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission (NWIFC) have cooperative agreements with EPA to assist in Puget Sound recovery. PSP funding is focused on regional engagement and Action Agenda management. NWIFC funding provides sub-awards to 20 federally-recognized tribes located within the greater Puget Sound Basin to implement high priority projects that will contribute directly to the restoration and protection of Puget Sound.
Full text of proposals for each area of emphasis can be found on the Puget Sound Partnership website.
About WDFW
Wildlife Viewing
Licensing & Permits
Living with Wildlife
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
Privacy Statement
Fish Washington
Private Lands Hunting Access
Wildlife Areas
Water Access Sites
Find a license dealer
Weekender Report
GoHunt (mapping)
Contact WDFW
Mailing Lists
RSS Feeds
WDFW Publications
Maps & Data Products
Hunter Education
Report a Violation
WDFW Police Facebook


text:
Right now, the Bruno Mars Doo-Wops & Hooligans MP3 album is on sale on Amazon for just $.99. You can get it for FREE, though after MP3 credits! This is the FULL album and includes favorites such as Just the Way You are and Marry Me.
Here's how you can grab this deal for free:
1. Click here and get your FREE $1 MP3 credit (if you haven't used it already)–> Amazon FREE $1 MP3 credit
2. Click here to redeem your credit and get this Bruno Mars album for FREE–> Bruno Mars Doo-Wops & Hooligans MP3 album for free
I also posted about a free $2 Amazon MP3 credit earlier today! Grab that here–> FREE $2 Amazon MP3 credit
(Thanks Wheel 'N Deal Mama!)
*This post may contain affiliate links. Please refer to my disclosure policy for more information


text:
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Siti Norlizaiha Harun
Universiti Teknologi MARA Perak
Kampus Seri Iskandar
Many words may be used to describe the heritage buildings conservation. However what is conservation? Although Malaysia has lots of heritage buildings all over the country but the understanding on practice is vague or unclear. In general, conservation is a technical activity towards historical buildings. It involved physical action to preserve the fabric and material of the heritage buildings. It is a process to prevent decay and the action is aiming to prolong the life of the buildings. Although the meanings quiet easy to understand but in reality conservation always been though as renovation. Wrong perception on conservation makes the public attitude towards local heritage building conservation has remained rather dismal.
In 1986, the adaptive re-use of the Central Market building in Kuala Lumpur has opened the eye of all Malaysian on local heritage building conservation. In accordance with the basic conservation principles of minimum intervention, this wet market built in the 1930s Art-Deco style was successful converted into a colourful handicraft and cultural centre. Central market now is a popular tourist destination in Kuala Lumpur. Since 1990's until 2000, the government, through the Department of National Heritage has taken several initiatives to protect and conserve the Malaysian heritage buildings. In ten years, more than 30 buildings and monuments has been conserved and restored by the Department of National Heritage. Conservation of Fort Cornwallis, Tengkera Mosque, Kampung Hulu Mosque, Kapitan Kling Mosque, Stadhuys building and others heritage building become highly publicised conservation projects during that time. The constraint and challenges detained was on methodological aspect regarding principle and process of conservation works (Siti Norlizaiha Harun, 1995).
In accordance with the conservation principle, the practice of building conservation should maintain as much as possible the original building structure and fabric. Base to this principle and aims to preserve our national heritage in 'true nature' or authentic value, it's become a major challenge and issue especially in judgment and decision in conservation. In 2000's, profession Building Conservator and Architect Conservator has been introduced in conservation projects. A Ghafar Ahmad, Siti Norlizaiha Harun, Lawrence Loh, Yahya Ahmad, Rosli Nor and Stephen Boon Thang was among professional that involved and practice actively in heritage building conservation projects in Malaysia. The corporations within professional and Department of National Heritage has flourished conservation field in Malaysia especially in local construction landscape. The experience and guidance from national and international standards such as ICOMOS (International Conservation of Monuments and Sites) in conservation practice also strengthen the procedure and practice of heritage building conservation in Malaysia.
In 7 July 2008, Malacca Historical City and Inner City of George Town has been declare and listed in UNESCO World Heritage List as World Heritage Sites. Since that, conservation of heritage buildings become a main agenda especially in tourism industry whilst in practice, it become a great demand. Publics, professional and scholars becomes more concern and aware to the cultural heritage. The concern is not only on monuments and buildings but also the conservation process and final appearance of the heritage buildings. Conservation of heritage buildings contributes the emotional tiles to the people and the sensitivity towards the past.
This paper will present building conservation practice in Malaysia. It also explains the concept, principle and approach in conservation of heritage buildings.
Heritage and Conservation
Heritage is our past that been preserved for the present and it will be inherited for the future generations. Heritage itself is conceptualized as the meanings attached in the present to the past and is regarded as a knowledge defined within social, political and cultural context (Graham, B. 2002). I pursue the argument by Graham because heritage is knowledge which abstractly or implicitly be proven through the physical evident especially in our environment likes monuments, buildings, streets, landscape includes the activity of people. Old and historical buildings are a symbol of cultural identity and heritage of a certain community of particular. Historic buildings are ones that give us a sense of wonder and make us want to know more about people and culture that produced it (Fielden, 1998). From acknowledging the qualities of buildings, people can relate to and learn about not only the life of their predecessors but also the building innovations made in the past. Innovations can be seen through the architectural style and design, materials and texture also the buildings technique and construction.
The concept of heritage is invariably. UNESCO's Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (1972) has defined cultural heritage by the following classifications:
· Monuments: architectural works, works of monumental sculpture and painting, elements or structure of an archeological nature, inscriptions, cave dwellings and combinations of features, which are outstanding universal value from the point of view of history, art or science
· Groups of buildings: groups of separate or connected buildings which, because of their architecture, their homogeneity or their place in the landscape, are of outstanding universal value from the point of view of history, art or science.
· Sites: works of man or the combined works of nature and of man, and areas including archeological sites which are of outstanding universal value from the historical, aesthetic, ethnological or anthropological points of view
In Malaysia context, National Heritage Act 2005, defined heritage as any heritage site, heritage object, underwater cultural heritage or any living person declared as National Heritage (under section 67). Under section 2, heritage definably into two categories:
· Cultural Heritage: includes tangible or intangible form of cultural property, structure or artifact and may include a heritage matter, object, item, artifact, formation structure, performance, dance, song, music that is pertinent to the historical or contemporary way of Malaysians, on or in land or underwater cultural heritage of intangible form but including natural heritage
· Natural Heritage: includes natural feature of any area in Malaysia which may consist of earthly physical or biological formation or group of such formations, geological or physiographical features, mountains, river, stream, rock formation, sea shore or any natural sites of outstanding value from the point of view of nature, science, history conservation or natural beauty including flora and fauna of Malaysia.
According to the Act, Cultural Heritage divided into two aspects which is tangible and intangible form of cultural property. Tangible heritage includes area, monument and buildings. Intangible heritage includes any form of expression, languages, performance, dance, and song, music, martial arts, that may have existed or exist in relation to the heritage of Malaysia.
All potential cultural heritage can be listed and declare as National Heritage property. Under section 67, they are nine (9) criteria for potential heritage buildings can be considered on declaration of National Heritage property:
1. The historical importance, association with or relationship to Malaysian history
2. The good design or aesthetic characteristics
3. The scientific or technical innovation or achievements
4. The social or cultural associations
5. The potential to educate, illustrate or provide further scientific investigation in relation to Malaysian cultural heritage
6. The importance in exhibiting a richness, diversity or unusual integration of features
7. The rarity or uniqueness of the natural heritage, tangible or intangible cultural heritage or 8. underwater cultural heritage
9. The representative nature of a site or object as part of a class or type of a site or object
Any other matter which is relevant to determination of cultural heritage significance.
The potential heritage sites, buildings or object which suits any criteria on declaration of National Heritage has further prospect to be conserved. In 2009, there are 173 cultural heritage have been listed under section 67 as National Heritage. For this reason, it seems that heritage buildings also can be categorized as a limited resource of architectural heritage that can be seen in our built environments. Almost all these buildings, of course, suffer from defect problems, been neglected and deteriorate without proper maintenance.
Conservation Concept and Principle
Conservation is the action taken to prevent decay and manage changes of historical buildings. However what is the concept or method should be taken to conserve heritage buildings? The true concept of conservation is preserving the authenticity of the heritage base on the original or historical evident. Authenticity is a process or desire to reveal the true nature of an object. The United Kingdom Guidance for Practice (UKIC, 1983), defines conservation as 'the means by which the true nature of an objects is preserved. The true nature of an object includes evidence of its origins, its original construction, the materials of which it is composed and information as to the technology used in manufacture.
How thus concept can be applied or practice in conservation works is quiet difficult to judge. In practice, judgment and decision in conservation is an ethical considerations rather than aesthetical needs. To comply the 'true nature' concept and the desire to reveal and preserved the heritage as its original form, the international conservation guidelines and charters such as Venice Charter and Burra Charters (1981) has provide the conservation principle and standard which base on ethical codes. Ethical codes are definable as 'a series of moral principles or values' (Caple, 2000). Base on practice in abroad and local, ethical consideration is the best way of achieving the aims of heritage conservation. The codes encourage the conservator and practitioners more respect, understand and appreciate cultural heritage. The basic principles and standards of conservation which contain in international charters are:
i. Careful recording and research before intervention
ii. Minimum alteration of historic fabrics
iii. Minimal risk of significant loss, damage or uncertainty in performance through intervention
iv. Reversibility of interventions
v. Retention of a minimum of the original structure
vi. Distinctive or distinguishable use of new and additional material
vii. Sympathy in interpretation and sympathy in use
viii.Respect for the quality of place
ix. Preference for original material and workmanship
x. Longevity in the finished work
Malaysia is a member of UNESCO's Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage since 1988. Since that, lot of effort have been done to make sure our National Heritage been preserved accordingly the international charters and achieve the standard of World Cultural Heritage. With the references and guidance of international charters, the aims and goal of all conservation projects is to achieve the authenticity of cultural heritage.
Authenticity in Conservation
When I started my career as a building conservator in 2000, the first thing that was taught by my professor is… "When you enter the historic buildings, you need a taste the home or building as you occupy a while ago… "you need to find the history and stories ... you need to talk to the building, with wood, stone, and all components because from there you know the artisans, time and eventually can make the hypothesis of the past and you do not confuse to restore the building even it has been posted, linked, replaced, exaggerated and treated with a new history because the original components will be talking through the emotions and sense" (Siti Norlizaiha Harun, 2011).
Authenticity is not only the physical return of the building but what is most important is the emotion, memory and the resulting sense when the building is conserved. We try to stay in the transformation of time from the first building constructed, imagined in the minds of the environment when the craftsman constructed the building, the material and environment at every space. Determinations of authenticity are often raised to the history and local stories, whether in buildings itself or communities and the surrounding environment.
How to determine the authenticity? Authenticity is not an easy concept. Each part of a site's development is authentic in its own right, as a reflection of its time. NARA Document on Authenticity (1994), stress the importance of conservation of cultural heritage must respect and considered in all its forms and historical periods is rooted in the value attributed to the heritage. The conservation of heritage property should meet the test of authenticity in design, material, workmanship & setting.
Design and material is the most an authentic criterion in conservation of heritage building. Design and materials included the architecture styles and construction technique is considered an important value in the building because it brought together the history of the past. In these original design and materials, contained evidence of knowledge which has been gone within time, ideas and the golden era of the heritage buildings.
Conservation Approach
Conservation is an activity taken to prolong the life of historic buildings. It involves various action includes restoration, preservation, reconstruction, rehabilitation and adaptation or any combination. In current practice, the decision to conserve heritage buildings is base on the historical and cultural factors. The uniqueness of the architectural of the historic buildings is considered as historical and cultural contribution. The techniques, methods and material that been use to build and construct the buildings is a main concern in conservation projects. There are three (3) approach that always been apply in conservation of heritage buildings.
i. Restoration
Restoration means the process of accurately recovering the forms and details of structure or part of a structure and its setting, as it appeared at some period in time, by removing the latter work and replacing the missing original work, and includes full restoration which involves both exterior and exterior. Restoration action is appropriate when it is limited to the reassembling of displaced components and the removal accretions. The reassembling of displaced components is appropriate when it is based on respect for original material and authentic documents.
Figure 3: Kedai Mulong Mosque, before and after restoration (2009). The original buildings (left) was a palace hall (balai istana) and located at Kota Bharu, in 1958 have been relocated to Kedai Mulong. The restoration of old mosque was base on historical and physical documentation. The new mosque is compatible with the historic/original character of palace hall.
ii. Preservation
Preservation means aiming to halt further deterioration, decay or state of dilapidation and providing structural safety and well being. Preservation should be carried out only in such a way that evidence of the construction or use of the fabric would not be obscured.
iii. Reconstruction
Reconstruction means the process of accurately reproducing by new construction, the form and detail of vanished structure, or part of it, as it appeared at some period in time and includes full or partial reconstruction. Reconstruction is appropriate only when a site is incomplete, and reconstruction is necessary for its survival and it reveals the cultural significance of the place as a whole.
Conservation Process
The practice of heritage building conservation requires careful attention from building owners, occupiers and the involvement and expertise of various professionals such as town planners, conservation architects, building surveyors, landscape architects, quantity surveyors, specialized engineers, building contractors, archaeologist, art historians and antiquities. They also be supported by other skilled personnel such as craftsmen, biologist, chemist, archeologist and geologist. All this expertise demands a high degree of corporation, teamwork, experience, communication and knowledge of building materials and construction especially when dealing with historic buildings because repair and conservation work is an expensive item to historic buildings. The correct diagnosis of building defects associated with the correct remedial action and the obligations to conservation principles is the only economic basis for successful conservation.
The conservation practice involved three (3) main stages.
1. Documentation and Record
2. Dilapidation Survey and Building Investigation
3. Conservation Works
The basic conservation activities in current practice as shown in diagram 1.
Stage 1: Documentation
Documentation is divided into two stages as follow:
i. Historical research.
Before embarking on any physical interventions in, or design strategy for a potential conservation project it is essential to assemble all the available evidence on the building and/or site that is to be conserved. Original documentation that may be of interest includes:
· Original design drawings.
· Drawings from previous investigations.
· Historical evidence such as old photographs, old maps and old paintings.
· Reports from previous investigation or any historical reports.
Historical research should be conducted well in advance of physical investigation. This allows time for important written, visual, and oral information to be located, transcribed, organized, studied and used for planning the actual works.
ii. Measured drawing.
Measured drawing or 'as found drawing' means a set of line drawings that, accurately and in some detail, delineates the subject building in existing condition. The measured drawing will illustrate the interior and exterior of a building including the structural detail. It will also illustrate the defect areas such as cracks in plaster and the missing elements.
Stage 2: Dilapidation Survey and Building Investigation
A dilapidation survey is the practice of identifying and recording building defects through the means of photographic and digital documentation prior to any conservation work. The core of dilapidation survey is the process of walking through a building to gather and record information based on observation of the finished surfaces and any exposed structure. In the practice of building conservation, dilapidation surveys are generally instrumental in regard of the following aspects:
· Understanding the state of building defects
· Determining the causes of the building defects
· Identifying appropriate methods and techniques of building conservation
· Providing reference materials to client, consultants and projects contractors
To be effective, the practice of dilapidation survey should involve a multidisciplinary approach which requires in-depth knowledge in conservation as well as other related fields in order to correctly assess building defects, determine their causes, and proposes restoration methods (A Ghafar Ahmad, 2004).
The historic building and its components should be carefully inventoried prior to taking any action. There are two stages of investigation as follow.
i. Site testing.
Site testing is an action to identify materials and their condition by using instruments. For instance, to monitor the temperature of environment we may use thermometer. The use of this instrument provides greater accuracy than merely feeling whether the room is warm or cool. The site test is a non-destructive test, which is usually based on detection of the physical properties of the wall or exposed surface. Example of site tests available are moisture monitoring, flat-jack, crack monitoring and load test.
ii. Laboratory test.
The material, sometimes have changes from their original composition that cannot be analyzed by using the naked eye. Although the properties of the materials can be identified through the texture, color and moisture, we cannot guess what the original composition is because the material may be too old and they may have already combined with new elements. A sample of material is taken from the defect area. Only the minimum amount required should be removed and a record of removal must be made. They are several types of laboratory tests. It depends on the stage of conservation project such as to identify the original material and the composition of materials if it is a mixture like mortar and plaster, to find the hardness of bricks and to find the level of porosity. Some other examples of laboratory test including microbiological test to identify plant species, dispersion agents and chemical fungicides; the timber test to identify timber species, grading and group strength; the salt test to detect the salt levels and percentage of total irons; and the paint test to classify paint types as well as colour scheme analysis.
Stage 3: Conservation Works
After diagnose the defect of heritage buildings, the conservator will prepare the proposal or method of statement on technique to repair and conserve heritage buildings. Conservation works start with preliminary activity such as cleaning the building surface form dirt and leech; make clear to the surrounding area, cut all the unwanted vegetation and poison it to prevent future root damage; and consolidation the buildings with temporary structure like tent to cover the leaking roof and control the damp admitting to interior space.
The major conservation works will start after preliminary works finished. By doing this, the appearance of old historic building becomes clear and the conservation activities can be manage systematically such as dismantling, removing rotten timber and hack crumble plaster can be done earlier and followed by preservation, restoration, repair and reconstruction activities. The building conservation process start with roof repair and continue with others part of buildings elements. The process is from top to the down of the buildings. Example of building conservation works as follow:
Removal of dirt, fungal and harmful growth on wall and column.
Dismantling roof tiles and storage the salvage.
Cover the roof structure before started restoration works.
Removal of any rotten timber trusses and ceilings.
Reconstruct the central Jack Roof
Laying new clay tiles
Fixing water proofing membrane to roof
Remove and replace the badly decayed timber floor
Hack off the crumble plaster
Re-plastering and painting the wall with lime wash
Reconstruct the collapse and damage column to the original form
Remove and re-pointing loose mortar on the exposed bricks.
Restoring any decayed door, window and fanlights
Laying and fixing new timber floor
All those process and activities are guided and monitored by the guideline and standards from Department of National Heritage. Especially in choice of the materials and technique, it should respect the traditional practice. The use of traditional material like terra cotta roof covering; timber species and grading; mortar for plastering, masonry and brick layering; and buildings colour scheme is main concern and if there is no source of it, the new material must compatible with expression, appearance, texture, scale, colour, materials and form of the original. The reconstruction of missing and damage elements also should respect the original technique and the design must base on historical documentation and compatible with the historic character.
The final stage in conservation process is preparation of final report. The final report is very important document. It contains the whole process of building conservation. This report becomes an importance evidence for future reference on heritage conservation and maintenance. It's a valuables record of National Heritage property and serves as an essential archival resource for future reference.
Challenges in Conservation Practice
As heritage conservation is seen as a new phenomenon in the local architectural scene, it is imperative to highlight several issues and challenges associated with the conservation project.
i. Conservation plan
The conservation projects need a proper planning. Stage by stage approach base on conservation process is a standard practice. However in practice, the contractor always uncared at dilapidation stage. The decision on conservation sometimes been made without the dilapidation result or base on an assumptions. Rushing on repairing will cause future damage to building's fabrics. To monitor the insufficient works on conservation, the contractor need to submit the method and technique to conserve and must get the approval from conservator before start the works.
ii. Lack of skill workers and responsibility challenge of conservator
Presently, there are practically lack of laborers and technical experts in conservation methods and techniques. This is the major problem because almost all conservation projects involve both repair and maintenance stages requiring an understanding of and analysis of building defect diagnoses. There is also the question of testing and treating building material, choosing appropriate tools and the methods to conserve the building. Regarding this issues, the responsibility to conservation task is major challenge for conservator. Conservator also acts as project manager, he or she shall strive to attain the highest standards in all aspects of conservation including investigation, treatment, research and documentation.
iii. Choice in material
Despite on the skill workers, the conservation projects also have a problem in getting the original material to reconstruct the buildings. The materials like roof tiles and timber truss was an unlimited sources. The contractor must get the same material to match with the original material. Regardless of this, the challenges is not only to get the original materials but the contractor needs to expert in interpretation of the needs of the project contract - new material is compatible with original and its must been testing on similar strength, texture, scale and form.
iv. Conservation Guidelines for Conservation Works
Appropriate conservation guidelines usually serve as an important tool for the conservator and building contractors. Although National Heritage Act 2005 gives emphasis to the care of listed buildings and declaration of National Heritage, however these regulations need be accompanied with guidelines and technical manual for conservation works.
The conservation of Heritage building requires knowledge and understanding of those resources and the history they represent. Conservation needs a proper management of resources and a systematic procedure on conservation works. The activities in conservation works should therefore be handled with great sensitivity and skills in order to preserve the rare qualities of the buildings materials, architecture and craftsmanship.
A Ghafar Ahmad , Nurwati Badarulzaman and Siti Norlizaiha Harun , (2002). 'Challenges of Colonial Heritage Buildings in Malaysia : 45 years After Independence' . Paper Presented At International Conference on The Politics Of World Heritage, The University Of North London, United Kingdom, 2-4 September 2002
A Ghafar Ahmad and Siti Norlizaiha Harun , (2002). Conservation and Archaeology of Fort Cornwallis, Penang, Malaysia. Paper presented at International Conference on Science and Technology in Archaeology and Conservation, The Hashemite University, Zarqa, Jordan, 12-18 August 2002
A Ghafar Ahmad, (2004). "Understanding Common Building Defects: The Dilapidation Survey Report". Majalah Arkitek, First Quarter 2004, Volume 16, Issue 1, pg. 19-21
Bell, D.,(1997). Guide to International Conservation Charters, Technical Conservation, Research and Education Division Historic Scotland, Edinburgh
Caple, C.(2000). Conservation Skills: Judgement, method and decision making, Routledge: New York
Fielden, B.M., (1982). Conservation of Historic Buildings, Butterworth: London
Graham, B. (2002). "Heritage as Knowledge: Capital or Culture". Urban Studies, Volume 39, Nos 5-6, PG. 1003-1017
Fielden, B.M. and Jokilehto, J. (1993). Guidelines for the Management of World Cultural Heritage Sites, ICCROM: Rom
ICOMOS Australia. (1981). Charter for the Conservation of Places of Cultural Significance (The Burra Charter), Australia ICOMOS Inc, Sydney
Kerajaan Malaysia, (2008), Akta Warisan Kebangsaan 2005 (Akta 645)
NARA Document on Authenticity (1994), NARA Conference on Authenticity, Japan. UNESCO, 1-6 Nov 1994
Siti Norlizaiha Harun , (2011). Authenticity in conservation. www.http// kota-city. Blogspot.com
Siti Norlizaiha Harun , et all (2010). Pemuliharaan Bangunan Bersejarah, Penerbit UPENA, Shah Alam
Siti Norlizaiha Harun, (2005). Amalan Pemuliharaan Bangunan Bersejarah di Malaysia, Tesis Ijazah Doktor Falsafah, Universiti Sains Malaysia
Siti Norlizaiha Harun, (206). "Prinsip dan proses Kerja Pemuliharaan Bangunan Bersejarah di Malaysia". The Malaysian Surveyor, The Profesional Journal of The Institutions of Surveyor Malaysia, First Quarter 2006, 47-53
United Kingdom Institute of Conservation, (UKIC, 1983). The United Kingdom Guidance for Practice, UKIC, London


text:
The folks at HBO have been working double time this week. True Blood is out and about filming season 7… Taking part at the TCA's, at which they announced the premiere date for the 4th season of Game of Thrones!
Which excites me twofold… for I love the show and can not wait for it to return on April 6th. It also can help me (and all of us really) to speculate when True Blood will premiere for the last time on HBO. Cause we all know the 4th season Game of Thrones will have a 10 episode run.
Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd, True Blood normally starts the week after… traditionally speaking, of course.
By this math, I could start thinking that the 7th season of True Blood could start airing June 15th.
Of course this is pure speculation. The powers that be might pull a fast one and do the unexpected. Because with the final of anything… expect the unexpected cause all bets are off!


text: In 2013, the Volleyball Festival chose to put its philanthropic efforts behind raising money and awareness to END ALZ. As our family members live longer, the chance of being touched by Alzheimer's or Dementia has increased dramatically. This disease affects over 5 million Americans. Currently, it can not be prevented, slowed or cured and costs our nation over $203 Billion. Thank you for your support and let's END ALZ!


text:
Via a number of other bloggers, here are poll data on Guantanamo Bay from USA Today:
30. As you may know, since 2001, the United States has held people from other countries who are suspected of being terrorists at a detention facility in Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. Based on what you have heard or read, do you think the US should continue to operate this facility or do you think the US should close this facility and transfer the prisoners to other facilities?
Continue to Operate: 58%
Close Facility: 36%
No Opinion: 6%
31. In general, do you approve or disapprove of the way the US is treating the prisoners being held at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba?
Approve: 52%
Disapprove: 37%
No opinion: 11%
And these are "adults," not voters.
It seems like there is a common denominator in the Dems' tactics of late: they're going really hard after the most liberal 37% of the population. I'd guess that the people who think Priscilla Owen is a dangerous extremist are pretty much exactly the same ones who lie awake at night worrying that a terrorist's air conditioning might not be properly adjusted.
UPDATE: We got this interesting email from Dave Weigel of the Editorials/Op-eds department at USA Today:
To Mr. Hinderaker:
I thought your post about the Gitmo poll could use some context. Those numbers – 52-58% approve, 36-37% disapprove – represent some slippage since 2002 and 2003.
Here are some previous polls, with admittedly different phrasing in their questions. I grabbed them from Nexis.
GALLUP – Jan 2002
Based on what you have heard or read, would you consider the way the U.S. is treating the Taliban soldiers being held at the U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba to be acceptable or unacceptable treatment, or don't you know enough to say?
Acceptable – 72%
Unacceptable – 4
Don't know enough to say – 24
Suppose a Taliban soldier were captured during war and held outdoors in an 8 foot by 8 foot cell, and when traveling from one location to another was blindfolded and had his hands bound. Would you consider that to be acceptable or unacceptable treatment?
Acceptable – 76%
Unacceptable – 20
No opinion – 4
ABC – Sept 2003
Please tell me if you support or oppose the federal government … holding suspected terrorists without trial at the U.S. (United States) military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Support – 65%
Oppose – 28
No opinion – 7
While your point about the Democrats' use of the issue seems sound, I thought this context would be useful.
– Dave Weigel
I replied to Mr. Weigel as follows:
David, thanks, that is very interesting context. Of course, the difference is that the Democrats have now chosen to make the treatment of detainees a political issue, and have rallied their supporters around that theme. So it's natural that the "disapprovers," essentially all of whom I take to be loyal Democrats, would become more numerous.
If the Dems can't get more than 37% on their side with the all-out push they have made on this issue, they're in trouble.


text:
Most building block sets for kids are made up of solid squares and rectangles, but AroundSquare's GoodWood Deconstruction Blocks step out of the block box with a variety of innovative shapes. Each set of GoodWood blocks can be played with on their own, or mixed with another set for even more open-ended building play. Let your architect in training go to it with these colorful blocks and see what wacky and original structures ensue. A winner of a Dr. Toy's Best Green Product Award, GoodWood forest-friendly rubber wood colored with water-based acrylic paints.
+ GoodWood Deconstruction Blocks $24.99 – $35.99


text: Hi, I have few questions and problems with cherokee web server 0.99.44 installed on my RT-n16 with Tomato beta10 ND K26. I'm installing it using optware/ipkg. Code: ipkg install cherokee ipkg install cherokee-admin went smooth, with all requested dependencies. Code: root@ASUS:/tmp/home/root# [B]python[/B] Python 2.5.5 (r255:77872, Feb 17 2010, 11:56:02) [GCC 4.1.1] on linux2 Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information. >>> seems to be ok. Code: root@ASUS:/tmp/home/root# ps -w | grep cherokee 23874 root 2540 S /opt/sbin/cherokee -d 23877 root 4764 S /opt/sbin/cherokee-worker 23880 root 4764 S /opt/sbin/cherokee-worker 23881 root 4764 S /opt/sbin/cherokee-worker 23882 root 4764 S /opt/sbin/cherokee-worker 23883 root 4764 S /opt/sbin/cherokee-worker 23884 root 4764 S /opt/sbin/cherokee-worker 24258 root 1540 R grep cherokee root@ASUS:/tmp/home/root# cherokee seems to be working ok, lynx-ing localhost:8008 showing cherokee test page. #1 Problem is here : Code: root@ASUS:/tmp/home/root# cherokee-admin -b Login: User: admin One-time Password: 6KnL4okcRCvwAOER Web Interface: URL: http://localhost:9090/ [B]Segmentation fault[/B] #2 Problem : cherokee binds only to localhost:8008, and is unavailable from LAN (as 192.168.1.1:8008), neither from WAN.... It may be realted with the following : Code: root@ASUS:/opt/etc/init.d# ./S80cherokee start Starting web server: cherokee root@ASUS:/opt/etc/init.d# [15/04/2010 20:40:27.662] (error) [B]socket.c:421 - Could not create socket: Address family not supported by protocol [/B]Cherokee Web Server 0.99.44 (Mar 22 2010): Listening on port ALL:8008, TLS disabled, IPv6 enabled, using poll, 4096 fds system limit, max. 2041 connections, caching I/O, 5 threads, 408 connections per thread, standard scheduling policy


text:
[translation needed] Release Agent for manufacturing PUR in the shoe industry, mainly for direct injection of shoe-soles of single density
Sprayable Release Agent with a high content of active substances (High Solid)
Excellent release
Minimal cleaning stops
Economic in use: In contrary to solvent based Release Agents amount to be sprayed can be reduced to 1/5 or 1/10.
Easy to use
Contents of drum must be well stirred before and during use. The Release Agent should be at room temperature before processing.
We recommend using needle-controlled air-assisted spray-guns. At normal cycle times the material output should be about 15 grs/min. This can be achieved by using nozzles of a diameter of 0,3 - 0,5 mm and a material pressure of about 0,5 bar.
Before first coating is applied the mould should be cleaned with an ACMOSOL Mould Cleaner. New or cleaned moulds should be sealed with the Release Agent two or three times before filling.
Stir up thoroughly before use. Do not store outdoors. Protect from heat and cold. To use only under permanent stirring. Allow products to reach room temperature before use.
Storage temperature: between 10° C and 30° C.


text:
ssLauncher the Original v1.10.0 Apk
Requires Android:2.2 and up
The fastest and fully customizable!'ssLauncher the Original' is implementing all features!
The fastest and fully customizable!'ssLauncher the Original' is implementing all features of ssLauncher(free version). Additionally, this includes more features, some of which are applied partially to the free version.
What's in this version:
- added the 'hide' option for pages (a hidden page can be accessible by a shortcut)
- added two new animations ('continuous', 'cube')
- added the 'grayscale' option to application icon styles (menu > theme > application icon style)
- fixed the 'unread gmail' counting bug that occurs on some devices
- fixed to keep 'full screen' on Jelly bean
- removed srcolling lag on icon/image selecting screen
- improved the way to get the preview image for bookmarks
- fixed some bugs and optimized


text:
"Reading deprivation casts us into our inner silence, a space some of us begin to immediately fill with new words - long, gossipy conversations, television bingeing, the radio as a constant, chatty companion. We often cannot hear our own inner voice, the voice of our artist's inspiration, above the static. "So, I'm picking up my meditative knitting, eyeing my spinning, observing my breath, getting into my sewing studio, playing chess. Soduko anyone?
Playing chess?! That's actually a part of my screen time lately. My husband and I are playing chess. I learned to play chess as a child but never really played as an adult. But somehow my MMORPGing, Sacred-loving, husband has gotten into the game. First as a way to connect with distant family members and now me, his not so distant family. Its nice to play electronically with a toddler tornado in the house. I don't have to worry if my little guy has stolen my knight or if my husband has "accidentally" moved my rook. I'm enjoying relaxing into the game (I tend to get riled up into looking at every possible move and I'm a wee bit competitive with my husband sometimes) and to just play. One game will last days, but that's ok. Its a nice speed. My husband has also discovered that several of his bachelor friends have a chess client for their iPhones. So he's been playing them as well. He's been walking around the house with his phone in his hand, playing chess and describing what's unfolding over at his friends' place. One of them will play Grand Theft Auto 4, while the other 3 guys are all playing chess with everyone else. Then the Playstation dude will hand off the controller and give some one else a chance and get his chess moves in. A groan will go up as someone looses their queen. An ancient two player turn based game has become a social connectivity tool.
I find it interesting to look at my experiences with books vs. video games the past few weeks. The conventional view is that books are somehow higher culturally than video games. Video games are bad and books are good. Especially if you are a child. As parents we need to make sure that our children are getting the good stuff and we need to limit the bad stuff. As an unschooler and, dare I say, as a Buddhist, that's not my world view. They are ways to occupy my time, nothing more and nothing less. And its interesting to see an example turned on its head. Not good, not bad but rather what's working and what's not working for me. I've obviously OD'ed on the written word and have been exercising other parts of my brain via the internet, even connecting with my husband between parenting duties. Rejecting the conventional view, ditching the cultural values surrounding acceptable pastimes as they are doing me little good, and tuning in to my own knowledge of what is helpful to me right now.
I think I will try to sew a bit more tonight and give Cameron another shot in a few days after my brain has been given some space to breath. In. Out. Always there.


text:
We are a physical therapist-owned private practice. We specialize in the evaluation and treatment of movement dysfunction that can occur from pain, injury and disability.
Our services are tailored to the individual. We develop personalized programs for athletes, injured or healthy, as well individuals recovering from injury or surgery. Our rehabilitation programs incorporate the principles of pilates and yoga, as well as the work of Czech physician, Vladimir Janda. These techniques, as well as functional exercise training such as the work of physical therapists Gray Cook, Gary Gray and Mark Bookhout, help return our patients to work and play.
We are a direct access clinic. This means we can see you without a referral from your physician. We aim to get your recovery started as soon as possible. With a variety of appointment times, we'll do our best to accommodate your schedule. Once we receive a call from you or your physician, we will strive to get you in as soon as possible.
We work as a team with you, your physicians and your other practitioners to help you attain your goals faster. We look forward to working with you!
Snow Sport & Spine is pleased to be a part of the Five Town CSD Adult and Community Education at Camden Hills Regional High School and we are pleased to be able to offer a class explaining Pain to the community.


text: Shop now for cozy New Orleans Privateers hoodies, hooded sweatshirts at lids.ca! Browse cool hoodies including New Orleans Privateers zip up hoodies & pullover hoodies. No sports fan's wardrobe is complete without a New Orleans Privateers hoody to keep you warm and rep your team whether at the game or out with friends. Lids has the best hoodies including great fashion hoodies and unique hoodies. Choose from awesome hoodies of great materials like a heavy or thin hoodie featuring your New Orleans Privateers team logo this season.


text:
Associate Dean in Mathematical Sciences, RMIT University (Melbourne, Australia)
RMIT university is seeking to fill a position of Associate Dean in Mathematical Sciences. It is a rare and valuable opportunity for us to acquire an outstanding leader for our already strong department. The position is essentially permanent, at associate professor/full professor level.
More information about the position is available here:


text:
I am absolutely knackered tonight so this will be just a quick one.
Today I was at my Mum and Dad's house and Dad had a delivery. The box became a boat and Eden and Barnabas went rowing and there was lots of squealing when they were trying to avoid the imaginary crocodiles.
I love seeing children using their imaginations and enjoying creative play!


text:
Think Tank in Santa Monica, USA
1776 Main St, Santa Monica, CA 90401, USA
The RAND Corporation is an American nonprofit think tank that develops solutions to public policy challenges to help make communities throughout the world safer and more secure, healthier and more prosperous. RAND is nonprofit, nonpartisan, and committed to the public interest. It is financed by the U.S. government and private endowment, corporations, universities and private individuals.
RAND aims for interdisciplinary and quantitative problem solving via translating theoretical concepts from formal economics and the physical sciences into novel applications in other areas, that is, via applied science and operations research.
Fields of study: Public Policy, Trade & Economy, Social Policy, Business, Management & Operations, Defence & National Security, Politics & International Relations, Environmental Policy, Law & Human Rights, Public Health & Sanitation, Education
3 results.


text:
Good day on this warm and partly cloudy Friday.
Arts Night Out celebrates its sixth month today by visiting Downtown Lansing for the first time. The monthly arts event rotates neighborhoods each month. Read about the event here.
GTG Fest celebrates local record label GTG today and tomorrow. Read about the festival and other local music shows here.
For more local events, see below.
Classes and Seminars
Gentle Yoga. Relaxing pace class suitable for beginners. 11 a.m.-noon. First class FREE/$5/$3 members. Williamston High School, 3939 Vanneter Road, Williamston.
The Scratch Pilots Present: Get Busy Fridays. Featuring DJ'S McCoy Mr Needlez, Dee J Butcher, Vandal and Bizzy B. 9p.m.-2 a.m. The RIV, 231 M.A.C. Ave., East Lansing.
GTG Fest Day 1, 7 p.m. The Avenue Café, 2021 E. Michigan Ave.
John Perseco, 7:30 p.m. Buddies - Okemos, 1937 W Grand River Ave
B-Day Bash, 6 p.m. Champions, 2440 N. Cedar St.
The Knock Offs, 9 p.m. Colonial Bar, 3425 S Martin Luther King Jr Blvd
Cheap Dates, 10 p.m. Dublin Square, 327 Abbot Road
Karaoke with DJ Jamie, 9 p.m. Esquire, 1250 Turner St.
Showdown, 9:30 p.m. The Exchange, 314 E. Michigan Ave.
Hatchet Man & the Frog, 7 p.m. Gallery Brewery, 142 Kent St.
The Hot Mess, 9:30 p.m. Green Door, 2005 E. Michigan Ave.
Rachel Curtis, 5:30 p.m. Harrison Roadhouse, 720 Michigan Ave.,
Layzie Bone, 8 p.m. The Loft, 414 E. Michigan Ave.
Standing Sun, 7 p.m. Mac's Bar, 2700 E. Michigan Ave.
Spoonful, 9 p.m. Moriarty's Pub, 802 E. Michigan Ave.
Tenants, 6 p.m. Reno's East, 1310 Abbot Road
Jake Stevens, 6 p.m. Reno's North, 16460 Old US 27
Elkabong, 6 p.m. Reno's West, 5001 W. Saginaw Hwy.
David Shelby, 8:15 p.m. Tequila Cowboy, 5660 W. Saginaw Hwy.
Time to Play, 9 p.m. Unicorn Tavern, 327 E. Grand River Ave.
Capitol City DJs, 10 p.m. Watershed Tavern and Grill 5965 Marsh Rd.
Joe Wright, 6 p.m. Waterfront Bar and Grill, 325 City Market Dr.
Pulp. Who-dun-it-science-fiction caper. 8 p.m. $30. Williamston Theatre, 122 S. Putnam St., Williamston. (517) 655-7469, williamstontheatre.org.
Burn This. Trio of friends cope with the death of a friend. 8-10 p.m. $12/$10 seniors and students. Riverwalk Theatre, 228 Museum Drive, Lansing. (517) 482-5700, riverwalktheatre.com.
Punk Rock. British students challenge the establishment and themselves. 8 p.m. $15. Studio 60 Theatre, 542 Auditorium Road, East Lansing. (517) 355-6690, theatre.msu.edu.
None of the Above. Snappy comedy about student and tutor. 8 p.m. $10/$5 students. Black Box Theatre, Gannon Building, 411 N. Grand Ave., Lansing. (517) 483-1488, lcc.edu/cma/events.
After School Teen Program. For teens in grades 7-12. 2:30-5:30 p.m. FREE. All Saints Episcopal Church, 800 Abbot Road, East Lansing. (517) 351- 2420, elpl.org.
Back to the Moon for Good. Show on space exploration. 8-9 p.m. $3-4. Abrams Planetarium, 755 Science Road East Lansing. (517) 355-4672, ow.ly/SOuP304fb2G.
Video Game Night. Ages 8-18 play video games tournament-style. 5-7 p.m. FREE. Capital Area District Libraries Holt-Delhi Branch, 2078 Aurelius Road, Holt. (517) 694-9351.
TSA Precheck Enrollment Event. Enroll in airport security fast screening program. 8 a.m.-5 p.m. FREE. Capital Region International Airport, 4100 Capitol City Blvd., Lansing. identogo.com/precheck.
Arts Night Out. Monthly arts festival. 5-8 p.m. FREE. Across Downtown Lansing. See web for map. myartsnightout.com.


text:
Formula for success
The scale of India's first-ever Grand Prix (GP) is huge and it will be fair to say that this is the biggest sporting event that the nation will witness. Hormazd Sorabjee writes.india Updated: Oct 29, 2011 02:18 IST
It's hard to imagine that India is finally hosting a round of the Formula 1 (F1) World Championship; I'm still pinching myself in disbelief. The scale of India's first-ever Grand Prix (GP) is huge and it will be fair to say that this is the biggest sporting event that the nation will witness. Yes, in magnitude, F1 is bigger than the cricket World Cup and even the Commonwealth Games simply because it's a truly global sport and not one in which only a handful of countries participate.
Just short of the Olympics, F1 doesn't get bigger than this. The 24 men, who will line up at the starting line of the Buddh International Circuit in Noida tomorrow in some of the fastest cars in the world are the best drivers on this planet. They can dissect a second into its thousand part, have reflexes of an angry mamba and the stamina of an Olympic runner. A glimpse of these drivers racing millimetres away from each other at a speed of 300 kmph is enough to tell you about the inherent risks of the sport. This is what makes them a rare breed and we must take pride in the fact that an Indian is also among these 24 men.
Despite no motorsport history to boast of, India's presence in F1 is impressive. Now, with the Indian GP, we are way ahead of most Asian countries, including China. Though China hosted its first GP seven years ago, it's yet to produce its first F1 driver (India has had two).
Building the Buddh International Circuit is an achievement in itself. It's a brilliantly designed track with a variety of corners and lots of elevation changes, which promise spectacular viewing. Massive grandstands and the sheer expanse of the run-off areas in the Buddh Circuit are huge even by F1 standards. But look closely and you will know it's a bit of a rushed job. In the sanitised paddock area, uneven paving, sloppily-laid cement and plaster and paint that are peeling off are embarrassingly at odds with the slick and ultra-precise world of F1. However, I am sure that all shortcomings will be fixed by next year.
I am an F1 fanatic and have been going to watch F1 races since 1980. I have even named my elder son Niki after my racing hero Niki Lauda. However, the bitter truth is that fans like me constitute the minority. We follow what is essentially an exclusive sport that is alien to the average Indian. The heartland of F1 is Europe, where a long history of motor racing has developed a solid fan base. India, like Malaysia, Bahrain and China, doesn't have a great motor sport heritage or culture. That's why watching an F1 race in these countries is like watching a cricket match in Italy.
But the Indian GP may get a packed house in its very first year tomorrow (about 80% tickets have already been sold). For now the Indian GP is all about celebration and making history. Thousands will watch the first-ever Formula 1 race in India and fulfil what I think ranks high on their wish lists. But will this experience inspire a new generation to take to motor sport? As seen in Turkey, China and Malaysia, once the novelty dies down, there's a danger of dwindling spectators, especially when you factor in the hefty price one has to pay for a grandstand seat.
Though Force India will give the Indian crowd a reason to cheer, the fact is that like most sports we need a hero in F1. Narain Karthikeyan is the best Indian driver so far. But he's no Sebastian Vettel. What's most perturbing is that no other Indian comes close to him in terms of sheer talent. (Karun Chandhok's a lovely guy but he's just not quick). I have watched Karthikeyan race for over a decade and his flashes of speed have made him worthy of his place on the grid.
But for the sport to really take off, we need nothing less than a Sachin Tendulkar on the track. A World Champion. The interest in F1 spiked in Spain because of Fernando Alonso and in Germany because of Michael Schumacher and, now, Vettel.
With the Buddh circuit, there's an opportunity to build an ecosystem for motorsport that permeates down to the grassroot level to foster interest and talent. This is F1's best chance to win the hearts of millions of Indians. Thank Buddh for that!
(Hormazd Sorabjee is the editor of Autocar India. The views expressed by the author are personal.)
First Published: Oct 28, 2011 23:22 IST


text:
Birds and Gods: Bird Superheroes Dos and Don'ts
Superheroes are thinly veiled caricatures of our own hopes and insecurities. Finding the right balance between subtly recognizing these deep psychological urges and making the character cool is the entire trick to creating interesting and compelling characters. Think of it like making your first mixed drink: You want enough booze in there to knock your socks off, but put too much in and it will taste like liquorices flavored Scope.
That said you should probably stay away from birds when you're making up new comic book characters. No one wants to read about birds. Birds ruin everything.
The concept of a super evolved dinosaur with telescopic vision and the power to fly SOUNDS cool until you realize that this is just your average, run-of-the-mill bird. YES, birds can fly, people would like to fly and therefore many people wish they could be birds. Creating a character AROUND a bird theme never seems to embody the freedom we all yearn for, as it underlies poor creativity and too much blatant symbolism; Bird superheroes seem half-baked, tacky and fairly pathetic.
Consider two of the coolest bird Superheroes around: Marvel's The Falcon and DC's Robin. The Falcon has the ability to fly, talk to his pet bird and that's all there is in the shopping cart. Robin is a taught 13-year-old boy in green satin short-shorts. What's not to love?
"The Falcon only has flight powers?" Kids might say. "Heck, Superman can fly AND he has lasers for eyes. So what if he can fly. Lots of heroes can fly…hasn't he got anything else?"
"Well, the Falcon can also TALK to birds…or at least a bird." You might explain.
"Yippee. One freakin' laser blast from Superman and his pet talkin' falcon is lunch. The Falcon is stupid." The child might then, reasonably conclude. They might also add "You are stupid."
Words Hurt.
Keep in mind, I LIKE the Falcon. His civilian identity was once a US Senator, he's best friends and crime-fighting partners with Captain America, he once quit the Avengers to protest "Tokenism" and he has found a place in the contemporary Marvel Universe as the experienced voice of reason to the young and brash heroes of today.
His character is driven, brave and even-handed.
The Marvel Universe, however, has a cavalcade of steel bending bad-asses, characters of such amazing power and strength that they make the Falcon seems like a third stringer. Suddenly having the freedom of a bird seems insignificant next to having the powers of a God.
He doesn't fly, he doesn't hang out in "the bird cave" or ride on a "Bird-mobile." He doesn't throw "Birdarangs" or have feathers, make a nest or eat worms…. unless he's on Fear Factor. Like Batman, Robin is just a regular human being…who dresses up like an idiot to punch crime in the throat.
Robin as a name evokes a lighthearted, childlike demeanor, but Robin the character is the most popular bird-named comic book character BECAUSE he has nothing to do with birds.
The original Robin, Dick Grayson, later fights crime under the nom du guerre "Nightwing." What the heck is a Nightwing? Beats me! It sure sounds like some sort of scary, pissed-off vampire bird thing ready to spill blood…ANY blood. That Dick guy is a genius: Evoke birds but don't BE a bird.
Other bird heroes need to get it together. DC has more then a few: The Birds of Prey which counts the Black Canary as a member, The Hawkmen and Hawkwomen from planet Hawkulon or whatever it's called, the horribly costumed Hawk and Dove and the list goes on and on.
No one wants to read about birds in the first place, proof of which is that Ornithology Today would outsell "Amazing Spider-Man" by a mile, but asking people to read about a whiny pacifist dressed in powder blue named "Dove" really is adding insult to injury.
Villains make out a bit better as birds, probably because we get to hate them. The Penguin, much like Robin, is the first bird super villain to spring to mind and outside of his tuxedo the modern penguin has as much to do with birds as McDonalds has to do with nutrition.
The Penguin works well as a crafty thief with ties to high society, but anytime writers try to shoe horn ACTUAL penguins into his plans it seems horribly campy. Danny Devito's penguin funeral, anyone?
Marvel has a cool bird villain in The Vulture, the leathery old bank robber who hates Spider-Man almost as much as he hates when Matlock isn't on TV. Again, the bird aspect isn't what makes the Vulture cool. The Vulture works as an aged foil to the youthful Spidey. Flying is a nifty trick, but without the angst of the aged the Vulture would be as forgotten as Slyde or Frog-Man, just another gimmick foe for our friendly neighborhood Spider-Guy.
There is one bird hero I DO like, and before you ask the answer is "NO, NOT Harvey Birdman, attorney at law!"
Eric Powell's The Buzzard combines the best aspects of Spidey's foil the Vulture with the zombie craze that has swept through comics like the Spanish flu, leaving a trail of the dead in its wake. You see, the Buzzard is an old west sheriff cursed by a voodoo priest to only eat the flesh of the dead…kind of a reverse Zombie if you will.
Part ghost, part gunslinger, the Buzzard has a weird west charm unprecedented outside of Jonah Hex, but the grizzly "Eat the Dead" twist that gives the character his name WORKS so well I can forgive Buzzard-breath his roots in the otherwise uncreative cesspool that is the Aviary of Ideas: Birds.
Birds are pretty and birds are tasty but birds and comic books are like Vaseline and M&M's: fun in their own particular ways but never meant to be mixed together.
It need not be said that fish are even worse. If one wanted to make the most hated super villain of all time, might I suggest a character called "The Flying Fish?" He could fly, breath underwater and be a creepy freak that every child in America would rather eat broccoli for a weak than read comic books about.


text:
Proprioception means "sense of self". In the limbs, the proprioceptors are sensors that provide information about joint angle, muscle length, and muscle tension, which is integrated to give information about the position of the limb in space. The muscle spindle is one type of proprioceptor that provides information about changes in muscle length. The Golgi tendon organ is another type of proprioceptor that provides information about changes in muscle tension.
The figure schematizes the different components in a muscle spindle. Muscle spindles are small sensory organs that are enclosed within a capsule. They are found throughout the body of a muscle, in parallel with extrafusal fibers (typical muscle fibers). Within a muscle spindle, there are several small, specialized muscle fibers known as intrafusal fibers (only one is drawn due to artistic limitations). Intrafusal fibers have contractile proteins (thick and thin filaments) at either end, with a central region that is devoid of contractile proteins. The central region is wrapped by the sensory dendrites of the muscle spindle afferent. When the muscle lengthens and the muscle spindle is stretched, this opens mechanically-gated ion channels in the sensory dendrites, leading to a receptor potential that triggers action potentials in the muscle spindle afferent.
The intrafusal fibers are innervated by an efferent neuron known as the gamma motor neuron (MN). (The efferents that innervate extrafusal fibers are known as alpha motor neurons). The role of the gamma MN is to maintain muscle spindle sensitivity, regardless of muscle length. When the extrafusal fibers have been stimulated to contract by alpha MN activation, the gamma MN is simultaneously excited. This is known as alpha-gamma coactivation. The gamma MN stimulates contraction in the two ends of the intrafusal fiber, readjusting its length and keeping the central region of the intrafusal fiber taut, which is necessary to keep the muscle spindle afferent responsive.
Another type of proprioceptor is the Golgi tendon organ. Unlike muscle spindles (which are located in parallel with muscle fibers), the Golgi tendon organs are in series with muscle fibers, located in the tendons that attach muscle to bone. The sensory dendrites of the Golgi tendon organ afferent are interwoven with collagen fibrils in the tendon. [Click to see a figure of a Golgi tendon organ from the text Neuroscience, 2nd edition, by Purves et al. (2001). Just pay attention to panel A.] When the muscle contracts, the collagen fibrils are pulled tight, and this activates the Golgi tendon organ afferent (labelled "Ib afferent" in the figure). Because changes in muscle tension will provide different degrees of pull on the tendon, the Golgi tendon organ provides information about muscle tension. You might think that muscle stretch would also pull on the tendons and stimulate the Golgi tendon organ afferent. In truth, most of the force of a stretch is absorbed by the muscle itself, so a muscle contraction is a much better stimulus for the Golgi tendon organ.
Click on the answer you think is correct.
When is the muscle spindle afferent activated, during muscle stretch or during muscle contraction?
When is the gamma MN activated, during muscle stretch or muscle contraction?
When is the Golgi tendon organ afferent activated, during muscle stretch or muscle contraction?
Activation of the gamma MN causes muscle contraction: true or false?


text:
Miley Cyrus: Massage Parlor Stop-Off!
Miley Cyrus chats on the phone and then heads to a massage parlor in North Hollywood on Monday afternoon (September 13).
The 17-year-old actress wasn't driving while talking (she was parked). Miley was being mobbed by the paparazzi and they were making it unsafe for her to drive. The police came to assist her so she could leave safely!
Earlier today, Miley was spotted smooching her on-and-off again boyfriend, Liam Hemsworth (also pictured below).
25+ pics inside of Miley getting some assistance from the police…
Posted to: Liam Hemsworth, Miley Cyrus


text:
Customers Also Bought
Product Description
- The business card case is exquisitely-designed
- It is convenient for you to carry your business card holder due to its small size
- This best card holder will keep your business card clean and undamaged
- Made of material with unbeatable quality, this best card holder is quite durable
- The cover of the business card holder is comfortable to touch
- This best card holder generally holds about 25 cards, which is depending on thickness of cards
- This business card holder is designed with elaborate sewing and stitching lines
- Size: 100 x 66 x 18mm/3.9 x 2.6 x 0.7 in(L x W x T)
- With the featured and fashionable button-shut design, this business card holder will make your business life convenient and efficient
- This business card holder keeps your cards clean, undamaged and orderly
- Made of high quality material, this card holder is durable
- With the delicate design of the shut-button, the business card holder is easy to open or close
- This modern best card holder is an ideal home for business cards, or even credit cards in your purse
How to Organize Business Cards:
It's easy to give or receive a business card, but keeping track of all those contacts can be challenging. Conventional business card holders can be messy and difficult to navigate through. Luckily, there's a more user friendly solution
- Gather your business cards and contacts. Check everywhere you may have left them; in a desk, in the car, under your bed, even the bathroom!
- Purchase a three ring binder. The size of the binder depends on the number of business cards you possess. If you have tons of contacts, a two inch binder might be best. However, most people can get away with a one inch or one and a half inch binder
- Buy transparent business card holder vinyl or plastic sleeves from your local supply store. Make sure they have holes for placement in a three-ring binder. You can also purchase these pages online at supply stores
- Purchase inscrutable tabs for your binder. You can choose to categorize your business cards in whatever way works best for you. Alphabetical tabs are available, as well as multicolored tabs if you wanted to sort your business cards in another way. Be sure to keep one or two blank sleeves at the end of each category for future rearranging
- Insert your business cards into the transparent card file sleeves. You may choose to designate one business card per slot or insert them back to back to utilize space. It is a little easier to access the cards if you put one in each slot
- Label the cover of your binder with an appropriate title. 'Business Cards' or 'Contacts' are the obvious choices, but be as creative as you'd like
How to Design a Business Card Holder:
- Cut a piece of wax paper 1 foot long. This will serve as your work area because the wax won't allow things to stick to it
- Lay two craft sticks flat on the wax paper, side by side. Use strong glue to glue them together to form the base of the cardholder
- Glue four craft sticks together the same way to form the back of the cardholder. Stand the piece upright and apply glue along the bottom edge of the bottom stick. Press the glued edge against the base piece of the cardholder
- Lay three craft sticks side by side and glue them together to form the front of the cardholder. Repeat the process in step 3 to glue the piece to the base of the cardholder
- Use scissors to cut 1.25 inches off either end of two craft sticks. Discard the middle sections. Lay the remaining pieces side by side and glue them together in two pairs. Apply glue along the bottom edge of each pair and press it against the base of the cardholder to form the left and right sides
- Let the glue on the business card holder dry. Fill it with business cards
Package Included:
- 1 x Business Card Holder
If the order has not been shipped; please contact DinoDirect Live Support for order cancellation.You will get your refund within 24 hours.
If the order has already been shipped; you may return the item to us postmarked within 30 calendar days of delivery. Before that, please contact our Live Support to inform that.
In that case we will refund you the payment excluding actual shipping fees already incurred.
If the item is defective, please contact DinoDirect Live Support and send an email to us at firstname.lastname@example.com attached an image or video file clearly showing the defect of the product. And we will give you a response within 24 hours whether we will resend the item or refund the payment to you for compensation.
For customization, please consider carefully before ordering.Because we do not accept return and replacement.
Quantity Range
|Unit Price
|Enter Wholesale Channel>>
• If the order has not been shipped; please contact DinoDirect Live Support for order cancellation.You will get your refund within 24 hours.
• If the order has already been shipped; you may return the item to us postmarked within 30 calendar days of delivery. Please contact our Live Support to inform that.
• Please contact Live Chat or click here to learn more return policy.


text:
Your browser does not support iframes.
FRIES — The skies parted and the sun returned just in time for Grayson County's 2009 Relay for Life last Friday night at the Fries Ball Park.
Event Chairperson Bonnie Byrd said more than $36,000 was raised.
That was short of their goal of $50,000, but Byrd wasn't discouraged. She was thankful for all the money raised.
HILLSVILLE — Though Tom Vesce of Log Cabin Homes offered an idea to add jobs in Carroll County to secure his place in the industrial park, the county administrator and the economic developer said the company owner did not follow up on that suggestion.
Carroll's Industrial Development Authority accepted a bid in 2007 from Vesce to buy land in the industrial park for his company.
The City of Galax and the Galax Moose Lodge, sponsor of the annual Old Fiddlers' Convention, have decided the traditional big, yellow circus tent will remain for the event next year — even after a permanent stage is built in Felts Park.
When the planning process for the stage began several months ago, Galax City Council worried that it would eliminate the traditional yellow tent that hovers over the stage during the Old Fiddlers' Convention, a symbol of the convention for decades.
FRIES — The Town of Fries is seeking a $1 million grant through the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development to build a new 10,000-square-foot fire department.
Town Manager Brian Reed said officials from DHCD and the Fries Volunteer Fire Department met last Monday night and reached an agreement for the town to obtain the grant money, build the fire hall and then swap land with the department.
HILLSVILLE — Carroll County Circuit Court recently released indictments that had been previously sealed.
It's common practice for the court to seal direct indictments until the persons named can be served with warrants.
An indictment is only a formal charge, not a finding of guilt.
Unsealed indictments include:
• Gregory Harris Combs — distribution of imitation controlled substance, representing it to be methamphetamine, and conspiracy to violate the drug control act.
Most text messages or Twitter alerts are pretty mundane — what someone's having for lunch or when to meet up for dinner or a movie.
But what if an alert in your inbox warned you of a criminal on the loose in your neighborhood, the approach of a dangerous storm or a street closing?
The Galax Police Department has launched a new Community Information Service designed to deliver important and timely information to residents using the latest technology.
INDEPENDENCE — A second possible case of the H1N1 virus, more commonly known as "swine flu," has been identified in the Grayson County School System.
School officials are awaiting confirmation of the illness.
"At this time, we do not have information from the Virginia Department of Health that the possible H1N1 or swine flu cases in Grayson County are confirmed," Grayson Superintendent Dr. Elizabeth Thomas said.
The North Carolina Council, in honor of Hosteling International's 75th anniversary in the United States and 100th year worldwide, recognized local Alex Koji of Galax at the Rex Theater on June 7 with music from the Kitchen Band, and friends and visitors from all over the country.
They also declared June 7, 2009 as Alex Koji Day.
Hosteling International has nearly 4,000 hostels in more than 60 countries worldwide, including more than 100 hostels here in the United States. Alex and his wife Lois have operated the Blue Ridge Hostel near Galax for 22 years.
Universal health care a must
As we have watched business after business close in the past few years and unemployment levels reach unprecedented highs, there is a hidden cost we have not considered.
How many of those folks who found themselves unemployed also found themselves joining the millions of people in this country who do not have health insurance?
How many children are going without adequate medical care because their families cannot afford or no longer qualify for health insurance?
It may be impossible to find a better example about the importance of wearing safety belts than the three young women who escaped a dramatic accident July 11 with their lives.
The wreck was scary enough to come straight out of an action movie — a car goes into a skid on Interstate 77 due to hydroplaning in a thunderstorm, bounces off a guardrail, shoots across two lanes, strikes the other guardrail, springs over it and goes airborne, flipping as it falls down a steep ravine in Fancy Gap and coming to a stop right side up.
Copyright © 2018
The Galax Gazette is your source for local news, sports, events and information in Galax, Grayson, Carroll, and surrounding areas.


text: Andrei POPESCU <firstname.lastname@example.com> writes: > On Ma, 27 mar 12, 08:36:58, David Banks wrote: >> >> In the specific case of mosh, I have posted three RFS messages to >> debian-mentors since filing the ITP, in addition to the creation of the >> RFS bug after the sponsorship-requests procedure was announced, so the >> package was certainly being worked on. However I did not CC the RFS >> messages to the ITP bug, so they weren't recorded there. Would this be >> a recommended practice? How should it interact with the new >> sponsorship-requests process? > > Block the ITP bug by the RFS bug? > > Kind regards, > Andrei +1. Since RFS are also bugs that seems to be the natural way to connect the two. MfG Goswin


text:
When my boys were younger and preparing to go on their missions I wanted to try to encourage them to read the Book of Mormon on their own. I got this idea from my father who used to read his scriptures when he went to the bathroom every day. So I went out an got a cheap hardcover Book of Mormon and had it embossed with the words "Bathroom Copy" on the cover. I'm not sure if they used it, but all three of them served missions. Since then I have noticed that it ended up in my daughter's bathroom. I have to admit that it has come in handy on several occasions. Who knows, maybe a guest might find it interesting enough to learn more?
Here's where we keep it now:
When I was a teenager someone gave me this reading chart to chart my progress of the Book of Mormon. I wore out the one they gave me, and redrew it many years ago. I know that in the age of computers that someone could really make a fantastic version of this chart, but this one holds a soft spot in my heart.
Hand Drawn Book of Mormon Reading Chart:
Here is another reading chart that I have that is great for Summer reading. It is reading the Book of Mormon in the time that it took Joseph Smith to translate it. I'm not sure where it came from to link to the original source. I searched for it but couldn't find it. If you know the original source please share it with me and I would gladly link into it.
When I finished my reading I just highlighted the day that I read in a highlighter. I often found that I read even more than the designated amount just for a personal challenge.
Here is another scripture related idea that I have used with my seminary students. Just click on the picture below and it will take you to the link:


text:
Trade Paperback
144 pages
May 2011
Review | Author Bio | Read an Excerpt | Interview
Its weird. Im a Christian, and even I dont like us very much, says Tim Sinclair as he opens his book Branded: Sharing Jesus with a Consumer Culture. The problem with Christians, Sinclair explains, is that we have a problem when it comes to marketing Jesus. Instead of showing, sharing, and spreading the Gospel the way we should, we have been fretting over the details. Throughout the book, Sinclair guides readers to draw their own conclusions but focuses on representing God and building relationships with others to show, share, and spread [Jesus].
Sinclair does a brilliant job interspersing humorous quotes and personal anecdotes with convicting statements. His casual, conversational writing allows the readers to fly through the 143 pages, spending as much or as little time as they want in deep thought or discussion if reading with a group. If unable to read the book all at once, readers are sure to enjoy the short chapters.
Within each of those chapters, the author directs his attention to a certain point associated with marketing Jesus to the consumer culture of the 21st century. As Sinclair wrote, Missions dont change. Tactics do (or should). The mission will always stay the same; [Jesus] said to them, Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation (Mark 16:15). However, the tactics of relating Jesus to the fast-paced now culture needs to be shaken up. Christians need to represent God in a way that is neither weak nor hypocritical.
Sinclair writes in an inspirational, instructional way that all readers will relate to and understand. In the end, readers are left to draw their own conclusions but are pointed in the right direction the path to living out their relationship with God with love for all. This book would be best discussed at a church small group. However, I would suggest it for anyone who wants to start sharing Jesus and be permanently marked by our Savior. Katelyn S. Irons, www.ChristianBookPreviews.com
Book Jacket:
We sport "Jesus Saves" bumper stickers on our cars and "WWJD" bracelets on ourselves. We post Bible verses on our Facebook profiles and Tweet profound quotes from Christian thought leaders. But when it comes to sharing our faith verbally, we become tongue-tied. What would life look like if we stopped mass-marketing Jesus and started marketing our faith by sharing relationally, from person to person? Using examples from our consumer culture, author Tim Sinclair shows Christians that sharing Jesus has nothing to do with our trinkets or our Tweets. It has everything to do with being personally branded by Christ. With being forever changed by Jesus. With being permanently marked by our Savior. Witty but true, Branded offers motivation and inspiration to put our God above our gadgets and share our faith in ways that are honest, authentic, and--most importantly--effective.


text: What is Needlepoint? Needlepoint has been around for centuries and has decorated the walls and homes of royal and wealthy families around the world. Needlepoint is a form of counted thread embroidery in which thread is stitched through a stiff open weave canvas with a tapestry needle. Most needlepoint designs completely cover the canvas and can be worked in a variety of stitches and patterns. The degree of detail in needlepoint depends on the count of the underlying mesh canvas. Many needlepoint designs are painted directly onto the canvas, but there are also needlepoint designs that are charted, similar to cross stitch with each square in the chart representing one single stitch. Needlepoint is worked on a canvas ground in either mono, interlock or a 2-thread canvas called Penelope.


text:
© 2005-2018 Kinglos Copyright, All Rights Reserved. E-mail: email@example.com
> Acoustic Violin
> Colorful violin
> DH Carving Series
> Quality Student Carved Violin DH-005
Detailed Product Description
Violin with carving flower.
Your personalized violin.
Top: spruce
Back/Side: maple
Fingerboard: ebony
Kinglos Visual Arts Violin has playing and decoration features,
Can be used as musical instrument and home decoration gift.
Top: solid spruce
Back/Side: solid maple
Fingerboard: ebony
Fittings: jujube
Outfit including: bow, rosin, case
Size: 1/2, 3/4, 4/4


text:
B M S Institute of Technology and Management
Established: 2002
College Type: Private Un-aided
Courses Offered
Civil Engineering,
Computers Science & Engineering,
Electronics & Communication Engineering,
Electrical & Electronics Engineering,
Information Science & Engineering,
Mechanical Engineering,
Telecommunication Engineering
BMS College of Engineering was established in the year 1946 in Bangalore, followed by the later BMS Evening College of Engineering was established. Keeping the growing demand for the technical education and keeping in view the noble objectives of furthering the cause of higher education cherished by the founders of the BMS Educational Trust, BMS Institute of Technology was started in the year 2002 at Yelahanka, Doddaballapura Main Road, Bangalore.
BMSIT has successfully completed 10 years and it is a matter of great pride that the BMS Institute of Technology is recognized as one of the top colleges in the state of Karnataka.BMS family of institutions has well settled Alumni across the globe and is part of global network - Melton Foundation.


text:
Gorgeous Garden Decor
Whatever the size of your garden—be it a whole backyard or just a few pots on your apartment balcony—chances are you could use a little garden decoration. We focus a lot on furniture and textiles for your outdoor spaces, but what about a little affordable whimsy?
Okay, whimsy's a strong and disliked word. Perhaps just a little delightful thing to create a smile on your face when you come across it in your garden? The world of garden décor is varied and large, and this list is just the tip of the iceberg, but we think we've found 10 pretty cute and reasonably-priced garden décor items worth checking out:
1) 5 antique spoon garden markers set $30
2) Vintage Cheeky Garden Gnome $12
3) Cement Bird $4.95
4) Wire creatures $2.95 each
5) Capiz Windchimes $12.99
6) Snail Garden Art $12.99
7) Rustic Garden Pot $24
8) Vintage Teacup and Saucer Birdfeeder $9
9) Smart Solar Mushrooms $39.99
10) Arches Lantern $19.00 - $69.00
What does your garden look like? Do you take a modernist attitude to your outdoor spaces and keep it strictly to the plants? Or do you pepper your green areas with a little décor? Let us know your favorite places to pick up fun garden finds.


text:
WatchGuard WG017
WatchGuard System Manager (WSM)WatchGuard® System Manager (WSM) is a powerful, intuitive interface used to centrally manage WatchGuard security appliances. This includes firewall, VPN, intrusion prevention, URL filtering, web security, anti-virus and anti-spam services, and appliance software updates.Whether you're a Managed Security Service Provider, novice network administrator of a small business, or seasoned IT professional with a large distributed network to manage, WSM has tools that streamline configuration and ongoing maintenance.There are no additional modules to buy. Everything, even centralized logging and rich historical reporting, is included with the purchase of the appliance.


text:
I will be presenting this talk at Phil Brieley's Melbourne Data Science Meetup on June 23rd. See http://www.meetup.com/Data-Science-Melbourne/events/184731452/ for details. Hope you can join.
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Beyond the Hype - Data Science in the Real World
Posted by Ross Farrelly at 5:11 AM
Labels: Statistics
No comments:
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
The Springfield Regional Arts Council hosts thousands of students annually at The Creamery Arts Center to explore the visual, performing and literary arts. Our experienced staff will work closely with you to build a custom field trip to match your curriculum studies.
To book a field trip at The Creamery Arts Center or for more information, contact Stephanie Cramer at email@example.com.
For information on arts field trip grants, read about the Big Yellow School Bus Grant.