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Black & GreyBlueGreenOrange & RedPinkPurple / VioletWhite / CrystalYellow & AmberEarth AccentsMetallic Accents
Large Rounded BouldersRounded Cobbles & PebblesLarge Angular RocksAngular Chippings & GravelRockery & Walling StoneWorld of Natural SandYard SaleMarine Accents
Anti Slip & Braking SandBentonite ClayBridport Black GravelGravels for Resin Bound SurfacingFilter & pH Correction MediaKiln Dried Natural GravelsKiln Dried Natural SandsLight Weight AggregatesHeavyweight Aggregates, Metals & RefractoriesPebble Dashing/Harling & Exposed ConcreteRecreation, Sport & LeisureTerrazzo and Surface DesignUV Response, Glo in the Dark and Day GloSpecialist Concrete & Mortar Sand
Bentonite Clay
The length of the area you're looking to cover or fill.This is often the longest dimension of the area you're looking to cover or fill.
The width of the area you're looking to cover or fill.This is often the shortest dimension of the area you're looking to cover or fill.
The 'thickness' that you'd like the material to be.Please see below for our recommended coverage depths.
500kg = ½ Tonne 1000kg = 1 Tonne
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Specialist Aggregates Ltd
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Registered in the UK, No. 3833045
VAT number: GB 739 4661 96

subset: commoncrawl


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With a stay at Residencial do Sul in Lisbon (Avenida Almirante Reis), you'll be convenient to Senhora do Monte Viewpoint and Castle of Sao Jorge. This hotel is within close proximity of Jose Tomas de Sousa Martins Monument and Hospital Dona Estefania.
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text: StockerThe Home DepotEligible Employees Receive: Medical/Dental/Vision, 401K, PTOThe Home Depot is hiring Stockers to fill immediate openings in your area. This is an exciting opportunity with potential for advancement and benefits. Stockers are responsible for stocking store shelves, inspecting incoming freight, and providing customers with merchandise loading assistance. No experience is required to apply for this position.Apply online today!


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|Oracle9i Sample Schemas
Release 2 (9.2)
Part Number A96539-01
The Oracle9i Sample Schemas are based on a fictitious company that sells goods through various channels. This chapter describes the fictitious company and contains these sections:
The sample company portrayed by the Oracle9i Sample Schemas operates worldwide to fill orders for several different products. The company has several divisions:
Each of these divisions is represented by a schema.
In the company's human resource records, each employee has a unique identification number, email address, job identification number, salary, and manager. Some employees earn a commission in addition to their salary, which is also tracked.
The company also tracks information about jobs within the organization. Each job has an identification number, job title, and a minimum and maximum salary range for the job. Some employees have been with the company for a long time and have held different jobs within the company. When an employee switches jobs, the company records the start date and end date of the former job, the job identification number, and the department.
The sample company is regionally diverse, so it tracks the locations of not only its warehouses but also of its departments. Each of the company's employees is assigned to a department. Each department is identified by a unique department code and a short name. Each department is associated with one location. Each location has a full address that includes the street address, postal code, city, state or province, and country code.
For each where it has facilities, the company records the country name, currency symbol, currency name and the region where the county resides geographically.
The company sells several categories of products, including computer hardware and software, music, clothing, and tools. The company maintains product information that includes product identification numbers, the category into which the product falls, the weight group (for shipping purposes), the warranty period if applicable, the supplier, the status of the product, a list price, a minimum price at which a product will be sold, and a URL address for manufacturer information. Inventory information is also recorded for all products, including the warehouse where the product is available and the quantity on hand. Because products are sold worldwide, the company maintains the names of the products and their descriptions in several different languages.
The company maintains warehouses in several locations to facilitate filling customer orders. Each warehouse has a warehouse identification number, name, and location identification number.
Customer information is tracked in some detail. Each customer is assigned an identification number. Customer records include name, street address, city or province, country, phone numbers (up to five phone numbers for each customer), and postal code. Some customers order through the Internet, so email addresses are also recorded. Because of language differences among customers, the company records the native language and territory of each customer.
The company places a credit limit on its customers to limit the amount they can purchase at one time. Some of customers have account managers, which we monitor. We keep track of a customer's phone numbers. In this day, we never know how many phone numbers a customer might have, but we try to keep track of all of them. Because of the language differences of our customers, we identify the language and territory of each customer.
When a customer places an order, the company tracks the date of the order, the mode of the order, status, shipping mode, total amount of the order, and the sales representative who helped place the order. This may be the same individual as the account manager for a customer, it may be different, or, in the case of an order over the Internet, the sales representative is not recorded. In addition to the order information, we also track the number of items ordered, the unit price, and the products ordered.
For each country in which it does business, the company records the country name, currency symbol, currency name, and the region where the county resides geographically. This data is useful customers living in different geographic regions around the world.
OC subschema of the
OE schema addresses an online catalog merchandising scenario. The same customers and products are used as in the
OE schema proper, but the
OC subschema organizes the categories that the
OE products belong to into a hierarchy of parent categories and subcategories. This hierarchy corresponds to the arrangement on an e-commerce portal site where the user navigates to specific products by drilling down through ever more specialized categories of products.
The company stores multimedia and print information about its products in the database. Examples of such information are:
The sample company has decided to test the use of messaging to manage its proposed B2B applications. The plan calls for a small test that will allow a user from outside the firewall to place an order and track its status. The order needs to be booked into the main system. Then, depending on the location of the customer, the order is routed to the nearest region for shipping.
Eventually, the company intends to expand beyond its current in-house distribution system to a system that will allow other businesses to provide the shipping. Therefore, the messages sent between the businesses must also travel over HTTP and be in a self-contained format. XML is the perfect format for the message, and both the Advanced Queueing Servlet and Oracle Internet Directory provide the appropriate routing between the queues.
After the orders are either shipped or back ordered, a message needs to be sent back to appropriate employees to inform them of the order's status and to initiate the billing cycle. It is critical that the message be delivered only once and that there be a system for tracking and reviewing messages to facilitate resolution of any discrepancies with the order.
For the purpose of this test application, the company utilizes a single database server and a single application server. The application provides a mechanism for examining the XML messages as well as looking at the queues. To demonstrate connectivity from outside the firewall, both the generation of a new order and customer service reporting are performed using queues. The new order application directly enqueues a queue, while the customer service queries require XML messaging to dequeue a queue.
The users associated with this application are:
QS (Queue Shipping)
QS_ES (Eastern Shipping)
QS_WS (Western Shipping)
QS_OS (Overseas Shipping)
QS_CB (Customer Billing)
QS_CS (Customer Service)
QS_ADM (Administration), and
QS_CBADM (Customer Billing Administration)
The sample company does a high volume of business, so it runs business statistics reports to aid in decision support. Many of these reports are time-based and non-volatile. That is, they analyze past data trends. The company loads data into its data warehouse regularly to gather statistics for these reports. Some examples of these reports include annual, quarterly, monthly, and weekly sales figures by product and annual, quarterly, monthly, and weekly sales figures by product.
The company also runs reports on distribution channels through which its sales are delivered. When the company runs special promotions on its products, it analyzes the impact of the promotions on sales. It also analyzes sales by geographical area.
Copyright © 2002 Oracle Corporation.
All Rights Reserved.


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Built around the mid-1970s the Blackall saleyards were established as a structure to sell local cattle and have been in operation for many years.
Today the facility is the major selling centre in western Queensland and source cattle from northern and far western regions. Over 120,000 cattle pass through the yards each year.
Cattle sales are held each Thursday and are an incredible sight to see, with over 100 people attending. Visitors can experience the action of a live sale from the purpose built viewing deck constructed in 2017.


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What do you think is the best RC? I know that breathing through your nose while you pinch it shut works the best for most people.
Others include...
Awesome Page --> (http://www.world-of-lucid-dreaming.com/reality-checks.html)
Some that I use...
Finger Count, Mole Check (still seeing if this works), mirror check, word/clock check.
Also, I have heard that testing gravity works. I often pen-spin. Do you think this could act as a RC?
The Best Reality Checks
Discuss lucid dreaming techniques including dream recall, MILD, WILD, meditation and other ways of attaining lucidity in dreams.
Re: The Best Reality Checks
I have been doing a breathing reality check and asking myself: what day it is? How did I get here? I cant say if they work yet though I am still trying to have my first lucid dream. But is it better to try lots of different reality checks each day or to stick with the same routine so it's more of a habit?
- Dreamsphere
- Posts: 36
- Joined: 15 May 2011 17:18
Re: The Best Reality Checks
I go habitual, order mat change a bit, though. I examine my watch to see if time is constant, try to push fingers through palm, plug nose and breath, pinch my arm, examine my hands, and if there is writting around, look away and see if it changes. I do all of these as often as i rememvbeer each day, and all at once.
I am an Engineering student, and have yet to experience a lucid dream. Currently on break, I am hoping to try and master the technique as it will give me some peace during the busy school year. Any advice or links are appreciated. Feel free to pm me.
Re: The Best Reality Checks
My reality checks is usually just to try flying or move something without touching it. I'm a bit odd, though. I usually go lucid in a dream without doing any sort of reality check. Suddenly I just realize I'm dreaming, often with no outside clue at all.
Re: The Best Reality Checks
I think the best RC is to push your hand or finger to a wall or to the ground, if doesn't feel solid, then get ready to party
My first LD was I think when I was a child, about 11 years old, i was in a strange mountain, full of small black rocks, I knew that it was a dream, so i rolled over and over to the end of it .
- Posts: 1
- Joined: 13 Apr 2013 16:33
Re: The Best Reality Checks
Finger check is the first reality check i used, it triggered my first lucid dream. But now, my hands always looks normal in my dreams. Now, i use the nose-pinch RC, its effective, that you dont look crazy when you do it in public.
[ Post made via iPhone ]
[ Post made via iPhone ]
Re: The Best Reality Checks
I try to levitate; it's discreet in real life, but always works if I'm dreaming.
The key to creativity is to remove the watchers from the gates, and realize how free you really are.
Re: The Best Reality Checks
I have two reality checks which boast a pretty high success rate:
1. I try to remember how I got where I am. If I'm in reality, I will always be able to remember the things I did previously, but in dreams, I just draw a blank.
2. I try to push my left index and middle finger through my right hand palm.
1. I try to remember how I got where I am. If I'm in reality, I will always be able to remember the things I did previously, but in dreams, I just draw a blank.
2. I try to push my left index and middle finger through my right hand palm.
- taniaaust1
- Posts: 2910
- Joined: 07 Feb 2013 15:32
- Location: Adelaide, South Australia
Re: The Best Reality Checks
I myself wouldnt try to hold nose and try to breath thing as in my case I cant breath underwater during a LD (even thou I really tried.. I ended up the only way I could breath underwater was to manifest an oxygen tank and mask for myself), so I suppose I wouldnt be able to breath either if I hold my nose and try to breath.
fortunately I dont tend to need to do reality checking in dreams as I just become aware at times that Im dreaming. My hands thou usually look weird in some way if I look at them.
fortunately I dont tend to need to do reality checking in dreams as I just become aware at times that Im dreaming. My hands thou usually look weird in some way if I look at them.
The only thing to fear is the fear itself
Re: The Best Reality Checks
Since reading about techniques to try I've tried two of them and they really worked. The first one I tried was sticking my fingers and hand through the nearest wall and it worked great. The next on was to simply jump up into the air and if I gently floated back to the ground then that was an indication that I was dreaming. Again, worked great. As far as prolonging the dream I tried the "looking at your hands" technique. As soon as I became lucid and felt on the verge of waking up I tried looking at my hands and they looked weird. My fingers looked fat but then shrunk down to regular size after a few seconds, but found it helped me stay in the dream. I started to fly (that's my favorite thing to do) and as soon as I started getting a little excited and on the verge of waking up, I simply looked at my hands again and the moment passed and was able to prolong the dream.
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Good morning. Here's what you need to know.
- Asian markets were higher in overnight trading with the Hang Seng up 0.37 percent. The Shanghai Composite and Nikkei were still closed for the holidays. Europe is moderately lower and U.S. stocks are down slightly as the euphoria about the fiscal cliff deal begins to fade.
- Late Wednesday, President Obama signed the bill to avoid the fiscal cliff. Meanwhile, the 113th Congress is being sworn in today, and faces a crucial vote on a $9 billion aid package for Sandy victims in the House on Friday. Watch Chris Christie go ballistic on John Boehner at a press conference >
- German unemployment increased by a seasonally adjusted 3,000 to 2.942 million in December. This was below expectations of an increase of 10,000.
- The ADP employment report for December is out and it jumped to 215k, smashing economists expectations for just 140k. However, initial jobless claims was a miss, jumping to 372k last week's 362k reading. Economists were looking for 360k.
- A string of SEC filings show that Goldman Sachs gave insiders including CEO Lloyd Blankfein$65 million in restricted stock late Monday, hours before higher taxes for 2013 took effect, according to a WSJ report. Roubini: America has yet to wake up to the full extent of its fiscal nightmare >
- Spanish unemployment fell by 59,094 in December from the previous month, to 4.8 million. This was the first decline in five months as service industries increased hiring for the holiday season.
- The minutes of the Federal Open Market Committee's (FOMC) December 12 meeting will be out at 2 p.m. ET. Follow the release at Money Game >
- UK house prices eased 0.1 percent in December to £162,262. On a year-ago basis they were down 1 percent. Home prices are being impacted by the poor economic recovery.
- Auto sales for December will be out today and analysts polled by Bloomberg are looking for domestic vehicle sales to decline to an 11.7 million annual rate. Total vehicle sales are also expected to ease to a 15.1 million annual rate.
- China's services PMI climbed to 56.1 in December, from 55.6 the previous month. Byron Wien reveals 10 surprises for 2013 >
- Bonus - Jessica Chastain told InStyle magazine that she won't date actors.
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text:
Junior Third Baseman/Pitcher to Lead Elis; Five Awards Announced at Banquet
NEW HAVEN, Conn. - John Stuper, the Mazzuto Family Head Coach for Baseball, has announced that the captain of the 2011 Yale baseball team will be third baseman/pitcher Andy Megee. The announcement comes following a team vote at the annual year-end dinner on Thursday evening at Ray Tompkins House. Yale also announced its team awards at the banquet, honoring seven different players.
Megee, a junior from Los Angeles, started all 44 games for the Bulldogs this past season and has not missed a game in his career. He hit .310 and finished second on the team in homeruns (eight), RBI (43) and stolen bases (11). He was also fourth on the team in slugging percentage (.561).
"Andy Megee is a great choice for captain," Stuper said. "He brings enthusiasm and energy to everything that he does and he is, in my opinion, one of the best all-around players in the Ivy League."
In addition to his work at third base Megee also made five appearances on the mound, allowing five earned runs and striking out four in six innings of work. He is part of a 10-member Yale Baseball Class of 2011 that also includes second baseman Gant Elmore (Bloomington, Ind.), left-handed pitcher Brook Hart (State College, Pa.), outfielder Andrew Kolmar (Mendham, N.J.), outfielder/catcher Harry Koulos (Long Beach, Calif.), left-handed pitcher Vinny Lally (Tampa, Fla.), outfielder Andrew Moore (Houston, Texas), infielder Trey Rallis (La Canada, Calif.), right-handed pitcher Will Stratton (Wilmington, Del.) and left-handed pitcher Alex Young (New York, N.Y.).
"This class [of 2011] is a very strong class, and I look forward to all of us leading the team as a unit," Megee said. "I'm honored to be chosen as captain out of such a strong group of players and individuals."
Megee has been a starter since his freshman year (2008), when he was one of only two Bulldogs to play in every game. He hit .265 with 19 RBI that season, and one of his four homeruns was the team's school record-setting 41st of the season. Megee improved his batting average to .329 as a sophomore, compiling a 13-game hitting streak and a team-best 14 multiple-hit games. He also led the team in steals (nine) and triples (four), and made seven appearances on the mound -- including four as a starter.
Megee leads a Yale team that returns 23 of 29 players for the 2011 season. The Bulldogs had the second-best batting average in team history this past year (.323).
Stuper also presented the year-end awards at the banquet, recognizing several outstanding individual performances from the 2010 season. The G.H. Walker, Jr. Award, given to the Bulldogs' most valuable player, was shared by Elmore and senior Trygg Larsson-Danforth (Mattapoisett, Mass.).
Elmore was fourth on the team in batting average (.339) and drove in 23 runs. His 58 hits placed him fifth in the Ivy League, and his .436 on-base percentage was seventh. The slick-fielding second baseman committed just three errors all season, finishing with a .988 fielding percentage.
A 6-foot-6 left-handed slugger, Larsson-Danforth was fifth in the Ivy League in batting average (.373) -- one of nine categories where he was in the league's top five. The first baseman was second in total bases (111) and slugging percentage (.689), third in RBI (44), tied for third in doubles (16) and stolen bases (12), fourth in hits (60), tied for fourth in runs scored (39) and fifth in on-base percentage (.460).
Senior right-hander Joe Castaldi (Sunrise, Fla.), Yale's 2010 captain, was the recipient of the Martin I.J. Griffin Award, which was instituted two years ago by Joe Conway '80 and Fred Berg '66 in honor of their mentor, Martin I.J. Griffin. The award is given to the graduating senior who is the team's most outstanding scholar-athlete. Castaldi, a political science major, made 11 appearances for the Bulldogs. He struck out 23 in 34.2 innings.
The David M. Darst Hustle Cup, presented to the freshman "who made the greatest contribution to the baseball team through desire, enthusiasm and hustle", went to outfielder Cam Squires (Fort Wayne, Ind.). The speedy Squires hit .354 in 28 games, including 16 starts. He tied for the team lead in triples with three and also had four steals.
Moore received the Paul Sortal Award, which goes to the player who "maximizes his ability to the fullest." He hit .310 in 34 games, including 33 starts, and was fourth on the team in doubles (14). That was a 43-point improvement over his batting average from a year ago.
Lally and Megee shared the Burnat-Grass Teammate Award, given to the player "who best exemplifies the qualities of toughness, hard work, character and integrity, while putting the team above himself." The award is named after former Yale baseball players Kyle Burnat '05 and Nick Grass '05.
Lally was one of Yale's top starting pitchers for the second year in a row, leading the Ivy League in wins (seven) and tying for the league lead in strikeouts (51). His 4.71 ERA placed him 10th in the league and represented a dramatic improvement (nearly three earned runs) over his ERA from a year ago.
In earning the Burnat-Grass Teammate Award, Megee now has won three of Yale's major awards in addition to being elected captain. He shared the Darst Hustle Cup with Lally as a freshman and won the Sortal Award as a sophomore.
Report by Sam Rubin '95 (email@example.com), Yale Sports Publicity


text:
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This can't-miss classic is simply timeless. With traditional rope-fastened wood toggles down the front and a storm-weathering hood, it's the one you'll reach for season after season. Crafted of an über-luxe wool and cashmere by Italy's famed Nello Gori mill, it has a special Thinsulate lining that lends extra warmth without added bulk—so you look chic while staying perfectly cozy. Online only.
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©2019 Achieve Clinical Research | 2017 Canyon Rd #41 Vestavia Hills, AL 35216
At Achieve Clinical Research, we pride ourselves on our expertise in conducting Phase II-IV clinical research studies in Alabama. We conduct clinical trials to test new and innovative drugs and treatments that are in development with biotechnical and pharmaceutical companies. During the trials, the treatment's safety and efficacy in human subjects will be assessed throughout multiple stages. Achieve has numerous current and upcoming clinical research studies in which you can participate.
Achieve Clinical Research is now seeking participants for our clinical research studies in Alabama. As a clinical trial participant, you receive all study-related medical care and treatment at no cost to you, and health insurance is not required.
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text:
I found a new product that I had to share.
TapeSwell carries decorative tape that you can use in a variety of ways. This great tape can be used as a decorative touch to craft projects, baked goods and of course decorating for parties.
They offer some great Combo Packs with fun colors for different occasions. I would love to incorporate these into a table setting and also use them to make party favors.
Be sure to check out their Tacky Ideas for other great uses for their tape.


text:
Having taken a peek at Geoff Gehman's memoir before it went to press, before it went to print last week, I ran through the office saying I had been canonized.
But, as Geoff later correctly said in an e-mail, in order to be canonized you've got to be dead.
Damn. There's no way we can get around it? Oh well, I'll demur then when it comes to sanctification. Though it is nice to know that I once led a younger reader to think that you could have fun in relating facts, or at least in relating alleged facts. I do remember in recounting the theft at Truman Capote's that I'd been dismayed by all the "allegedlys" Ev Rattray stuck in. They kind of broke up the rhythm, but they were necessary, I suppose, to fend off any claims that we might have been having too much fun.
As for fun, a photographer from one of the big city dailies, who saw how enthusiastically I was covering Norman Mailer's "Maidstone," recommended that I eschew visions of journalistic grandeur in favor of having fun out here.
And so I did, and not to my regret, though I had to be saved from fun three times — by Barbara Johnson, who took me in as a star boarder following a divorce, by Ev Rattray, who changed my beat from bored meetings to sports (what I call the joy department), and by Mary, who has said I'm the first man who waved to her in East Hampton.
I remember when that was. I was running down Abraham's Path one morning, by the softball field, when I saw her driving up the street. She waved back. Lucky me.
That was some 27 years ago, and though she, a single mother then, put me off for a while, not wanting to risk loving again, I clung to my own invincible surmise and, in time, we leaped feet first into the unknown in the Quaker cemetery on Shelter Island as the twins, who had partaken of M&M wafers, grinned and said, chocolate at the edges of their mouths, "Kiss the bride."
That was on the first Sunday of March, 1985, and though we were formally married by the late Sheppard Frood in our backyard five months later, on Aug. 22, we agree that we plighted our troth when we married ourselves.
I still wave to her when I set off in the morning and she's at the window in the computer room. And she waves back.
Lucky me.


text:
© 2012 Ryan Parker
|Daruma: putative creator of the Kiko method of the Ekkin-kyo
Kiko techniques are Okinawan exercises used in "old style" karate. They are essentially the Ryukyu version of Qi-Gong (chi-gung). In fact, Kiko is the Japanese pronunciation of the same characters ( 気功). Some Okinawan instructors have retained the use of the older Chinese pronunciation while others simply refer to this training as Kokyu-ho ("breathing methodologies"). In general these methods are similar to the Iron-Shirt and Golden-Bell Cover methods of Qi-Gong in terms of both practices and effects.
The training can allow the practitioner to safely and painlessly absorb full power strikes to such vital area as the trachea, sides of the neck, base of the skull, stomach, floating ribs, kidneys, spine, groin, and knees etc. The exercises also help to develop martial power that can be applied in defensive and offensive techniques.
It appears that the Sanchin kata of Naha-te and the Naihanchi kata of Shuri-te were the two kata most often associated with this training. In both traditions, the order of training progressed from 1) Tanden Breathing, to 2) Shoshyuten, and then to 3) Daishyuten. These methods were supplemented by 4) Shime or Kitae training which vigorously tests the rooting and body-connection of the practitioner.
Both styles utilized some form of tension to strengthen the muscles and tendons of the body. Naha-te used a lot of "dynamic tension". Shuri-te emphasized "connective tension" (gyame) instead of "dynamic tension". Rather than the hardened musculature of "dynamic tension", Shuri-te more emphasized a springy feeling (i.e. not hardened) expansive tension sometimes described as "muchi" in the Okinawan language.
Both styles utilized some form of tension to strengthen the muscles and tendons of the body. Naha-te used a lot of "dynamic tension". Shuri-te emphasized "connective tension" (gyame) instead of "dynamic tension". Rather than the hardened musculature of "dynamic tension", Shuri-te more emphasized a springy feeling (i.e. not hardened) expansive tension sometimes described as "muchi" in the Okinawan language.
According to legend, the theory behind the Kiko exercises taught in Okinawa traces back to around 520 AD. At this time the Buddhist monk Daruma traveled to the Shorin Ji temple in China. On arriving, he discovered that the monks at this temple were weak and unhealthy. Daruma taught the monks a set of exercises to develop their ki in order to restore their strength and health. It is said that since the monks at the Shorin Ji temple could not own weapons they began to practice unarmed martial arts for self defense. It did not take the monks long to discover that the exercises Daruma had taught produced tremendous power for the martial arts. Daruma's method of Kiko, recorded in two books called Ekkin-kyo and Senzui-kyo, eventually reached Okinawa and merged with the Okinawan fighting arts(1).
Today many Okinawan masters still regard the Kiko methods attributed to Daruma as an invaluable component of their art:
- Higaonna Morio sensei says that the teachings of the Ekkin-kyo and Senzui-kyo are "the most fundamental precepts of Karatedo." [Okinawan Karate-Do: Okinawan Goju Ryu vol 1].(2)
- In a similar vein, Hokama Tetsuhiro sensei says that "Karate without Kiko is not karate" [Essence of Goju Ryu Vol 1]. Hokama Tetsuhiro sensei has also published a brief "training guide" dedicated to the Kiko training of the Ekkin-kyo [History and Traditions of Okinawan Karate].
- Funakoshi Gichin says "By strengthening the body through the method described in the Ekkin sutra, one can acquire the prowess of the Deva kings. Polishing the mind through the Senzui sutra develops the strength of will to pursue the spiritual path." He then passes on an Okinawan oral tradition, which states that "these two sutras together give one the power to move mountains and the ki to envelop the universe" [Karate-Do Nyumon]. While this statement is obviously poetic hyperbole, it does show the high regard these methods were held in.
- Mark Bishop writes "Included under the term 'secret techniques' are the 'secret principles' which, in some styles, take the form of breathing, relaxation, and intrinsic energy circulation exercises that are considered by some to be one thousand times more important than any technique and should be studied carefully." [Okinawan Karate: Teachers, Styles, and Secret Techniques] While I do not claim that Kiko is "one thousand times more important than any technique" the statement does illustrate how Bishop's Okinawan informants view these exercises.
It is not known how Kiko works from a physiological perspective, but the Okinawans based their Kiko and vital point striking on traditional Chinese medicine. Since it is unknown how these methods function from a Western perspective we will examine them from the traditional Eastern perspective. This does not indicate that the author feels that this model should be regarded as literally accurate. Rather, it is intended to provide a descriptive language to discuss these methods as well as providing a look at their traditional explanations.
In traditional Chinese medicine it is believed that the body takes in energy (ki), primarily through breathing, and circulates it through well defined pathways called meridians. A person will have excellent health and strength when his ki is smoothly circulating through the meridians. Kiko exercises are methods by which a person can build up and circulate his own ki.
Tanden Breathing
The first stage of Kiko in Okinawan Karate consists of building up energy in the tanden. The tanden is said to be a point a couple of inches below the naval that stores the vital energy of the body. Acupuncturists call this point Kikai, which means sea of ki, because of this. These initial exercises consist primarily of specialized forms of deep abdominal breathing. These are exercises in which the student visualizes ki gathering in the tanden in conjunction with the breath. Some exercises are performed as a part of normal karate practice while others are done separately.
Shoshyuten Kiko
After students build sufficient amounts of ki in their tandens, they learn how to circulate this energy through their two primary meridians. The student will lead the energy through the meridian called the Governor Vessel. This meridian, called Tokumyaku-kei in Japanese, controls the "positive energy" and the 6 positive meridians of the body (3) When the ki is lead through the Governor Vessel during Kiko exercises, the positive meridians and their corresponding organs benefit. The student must also guide the ki completely through the Conception Vessel. The Conception Vessel, called Ninmyaku-kei in Japanese, controls the "negative energy" and the 6 negative meridians in the body. (4) When the ki has been lead through the Conception Vessel the 6 negative meridians and their corresponding organs benefit. Once the ki fills both the entire Conception Vessel and the Governor Vessel it flows though both in a continuous cycle. (5) At this point the student has begun the "Small Cycle of the Sky" or the Shoshyuten(6).
Nuun Breathing
Another method the student may begin to use is Nuun breathing. (7) Nuun breathing is an additional form of abdominal breathing. It involves retaining the breath while performing special muscular "locks". This type of Kiko increases the circulation of blood and ki to the internal organs. Nuun breathing also flushes out accumulated toxins thereby improving the condition of the internal organs. Finally, Nuun breathing improves the flexibility of the internal organs and their protective facial coverings. (8)
Daishyuten Kiko
Once a student has become proficient at Shoshyuten breathing and any related ancillary exercises he will begin the "Large Cycle of the Sky" or Daishyuten training. In Daishyuten training the student learns how to circulate the ki through the entire body. It expands upon Shoshyuten training by circulating the ki through the limbs in addition to the two primary meridians. Initially, Daishyuten training can be performed by standing in a Karate stance as one visualizes the ki circulating through the body in coordination with the breath. This can be done for 20 or more minutes at a time. This training increases what is called "tendon strength". This type of strength is very different from normal muscular strength. Karate masters maintain tendon power to a very old age. Later, when proficient in the static training the student will perform this exercise while doing kata.
Rooting Training
During Daishyuten exercises the student visualizes merging his ki with the earth. This is often called this "rooting". When a student has mastered basic Daishyuten training he will begin testing the skills that can be built by "rooting". He does this by having a partner push his body at both slow and fast speeds. When a student can take both slow and fast pushes he has developed a strong base for his defensive and offensive techniques. Rooting is not a matter of muscular development. Rooting relies on the ability to lead kinetic energy to the soles of the feet and into the ground. The postural and visualization training done through Daishyten kiko greatly facilitate this. It also relies on the ability to unite the entire body into a whole, an ability developed and improved through this kiko exercise. After creating a solid root, a student may practice maintaining the connection of the energy (both kinetic energy and the ki) in their upper extremities with their lower body. A student may test his ability at this by having a partner attempt to twist or bend his outstretched arm. Another way to test this is to have a partner try to push the student back by strongly pressing on a student's arm. In Okinawa, when these types of training exercises are utilized to test kata performance they are usually referred as Shime or Kitae. Sanchin and Naihanchi are the two kata most associated with this training methodology, but in theory this can be done with any kata.
Often the martial arts community regards tests like these as representing a very high level of "ki development". In reality these type of tests only represent foundational exercises.
Bu no Chikara
When they are good at these tests students begin practicing what are sometimes called "energy transmission exercises." "Energy transmission exercises" do not involve projecting your ki beyond your body to affect your attacker without touching him. What an "energy transmission exercise" does is train the ability to lead the ki to the striking limb in conjunction with correct body mechanics. This greatly increases the power of a blow. The one inch punch (sun zuki) exercise is one example of this type of training. The Okinawans call the type of power created by these types of exercises "bu no chikara" or "martial power" When a student has well developed martial power his instructor may infer that the student has reached a good level in Daishyuten training and rooting. (9)
The Daruma Exercise (a.k.a. Dako)
|Several examples of the "bundle" and "bag" hitters which can be used in Okinawan kiko
The training we have outlined above is only fundamental training in Okinawan Kiko. This foundational training, called Ekkin Kiko, is the "tendon changing energy exercises" used in Okinawa. The more advanced exercises used in Okinawa, called Senzui Kiko, are the "bone marrow cleansing energy exercises." This advanced training is said to strengthen the bones and create more red blood cells. It also thought to balance the endocrine system and energizes the cerebrospinal system. When mastered, Ekkin kiko and Senzui kiko can give the practitioner tremendous martial power. The practitioner also experiences excellent health and abundant energy.
It should be noted that, while Kiko training has many benefits for the martial-artist, it was not originally intended to be a martial practice. Rather it was, and is, intended to be a health promoting practice that potentially can increase the life span of the practitioner. The martial benefits, while important are to be seen mainly as secondary effects of a health improving practice.
These exercises quite possibly play a significant role in the amazing longevity of Okinawan Karate masters. Many Okinawan Karate masters have continued to teach their art well into their 90s. As you can see Kiko training can be an invaluable asset to students of Okinawan martial arts.
1) Many scholars doubt the veracity of the Daruma legend, however, this is the traditional explanation offered for the origin of these exercises. Many scholars have noted that the earliest reliable references to this training which are still extant are from the Ming dynasty
2) It is likewise quite interesting to note that many Okinawan teachers attribute the Sanchin kata to Daruma, a belief which is certainly derived from the fact that Sanchin training is based on the direct application of Ekkin kiko to martial arts training.
3) The "positive energy" is called "Yo-ki" in Japanese. Yo being the Japanese pronunciation of the character read "Yang" in Chinese. The six "Yo" meridians are: Large Intestine, Stomach, Small Intestine, Bladder, Triple Warmer and Gall Bladder.
4) The "negative energy" is called "In-ki" in Japanese with "In" being the character pronounced "Yin" in Chinese. The six "In" meridians are: Liver, Lungs, Spleen, Heart, Kidneys, and Pericardium.
5) In order to connect the Governor and Conception Vessels the students must touch their tongues to their pallets. Often this is done only during the inhalation phase of respiration.
6) Goju Ryu sometimes uses the "wind path" version of Shoshyuten training which is the reverse of that usually done in Shorin Ryu. This is related to the extensive use of "dynamic tension" as the "wind path" helps to prevent the body from becoming overly yang or "fiery". However the same underlying theories apply and I believe the above text applies equally well to both schools.
7) Nuun (also sometimes spelled "Mnun" or "Noon") breathing is introduced at varying times in the different Okinawan arts. In some schools it is introduced before Shoshyuten kiko. In other schools it is considered a more advanced method and is only taught after Daishyten kiko and rooting.
8) Although Nuun breathing is considered a "Hiden" or "secret" methodology, and can be employed in any kata, it is sometimes explicitly taught as part of the training for Suparinpei kata.
9) This discussion of rooting and martial power should not be taken to imply that karate is an "internal art". Generally, "internal arts" attempt to maintain a strong body connection and rooting at all times, while karate sees this as only being necessary at the extension of techniques when contact is made. There are other differences as well.
10) In modern times a bundle of very thin and flexible stainless steel rods is also often used. Stainless steel obviously was not available in ancient times.
11) This was at the time when Mark Bishop wrote Okinawan Karate: Teachers, Styles, and Secret Techniques. Mr Higa passed away in 1994 at age 84.
|Email the author


text:
"82% of all respondents surveyed said they hide shopping bags and purchases from their partner." -- source: PayPal survey.
I used to look like a well-dressed "bag lady." Here's the drill: Go shopping, ditch the pretty shopping bags and swap tagged merchandise in to old grocery sacks. No one would guess that after a day at the office, I was carting home a week's salary worth of clothes, shoes and scarves in worn plastic sacks.
And I might have looked a bit disreputable at the bus stop, but there was a method to my shopping madness. Once at home, I would slide the new stuff into my closet and let it sit there for a while.
Here's the scenario:
Hubby: Ooh. Pretty. Is that new?
Me: (laugh). This old thing? I've had it for a while.
Fortunately, I've halted my secret shopping act & here's how and why:
1. I started working from home. No need to go downtown; fewer opportunities & excuses to shop.
2. I stopped checking out weekly sale items. I now limit my binges to end of summer sales.
3. I've restricted the colors in my wardrobe. Mostly black clothes in the winter and a narrow band of colors during the rest of the year. Fewer colors means fewer opportunities to match, accessorize or spend.
4. I rarely wear prints & patterns: Ditto.
5. I started living and stopped lying (to myself) about my unhealthy shopping habits.
6. I finally realized that the best bargains are the sales I leave in the store.
Meanwhile, the PayPal survey also offered other interesting tidbits about love, sex & money:
· Money beats out sex and house-cleaning as the number one issue couples fight about - 37% of young couples report that they fight more about money than cleaning (34%) or frequency of sex (28%)
· Couples use money as a means of control in their relationship - 57% of all respondents surveyed feel that money is used as a means of control in their relationship, determining when and how they choose to shop
· Lack of money is the biggest financial fear - for 43% of respondents: not having enough money to live the lives they want.
Source: PayPal's "Can't Buy Me Love" Survey findings, with input from Carmen Wong Ulrich, an author,-- Generation Debt: Take Control of Your Money (Warner Books) -- advice columnist, freelance editor, and former projects editor at Money magazine.
Your comments are appreciated. Please leave feedback in the comment section below.
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text:
Seattle gay rights pioneer recalls struggle for marriage equality
Paul Barwick and John Singer were first to apply for same-sex marriage in King County
Last week, moments before the first same-sex marriage license was signed, King County Executive Dow Constantine told the story of two gay rights pioneers who had their license application denied in the same building 41 years earlier.
On Sept. 20, 1971, John Singer and Paul Barwick wanted to get visibility for the subject that wasn't openly talked about. Their application was denied, and they later lost a lawsuit arguing the denial was unconstitutional.
"If you had asked me if I thought I'd ever see legal gay marriage in my life I would have said no, of course not," Barwick said Tuesday from his home in San Francisco. "And to be able to see those people getting married – it brought tears to my eyes."
A friend e-mailed him the video of Constantine's remarks, and Barwick loved the images of married gay couples coming out of Seattle City Hall to cheering crowds. His favorite sign was one that said, "Congratulations. Sorry it took so long."
His 1971 case, Singer v. Hara, has often been cited by attorneys on both sides of gay marriage, either saying the courts made the correct decision or an outdated one.
Barwick, 65, was surprised to learn that Lloyd Hara – the auditor who was told to deny the application – is now King County Assessor. Barwick Googled him, found his office phone number, and they caught up this week for the first time since 1971.
"We talked about how great it was," Barwick said of Washington's same-sex marriage law. "Mr. Hara's always been supportive."
'That's how I came out'
Before applying for the marriage license, Barwick was a cadet with the Washington State Patrol, working as a radio dispatcher out of Olympia and training with a trooper four hours a day. An Army veteran, Barwick previously had been a military policeman.
But he quickly realized he'd have to remain closeted to save his police career. That was an era when the State Patrol sent investigators to gay clubs, and in Seattle Police Chief George Tielsch targeted gay men who propositioned undercover officers in city parks, Barwick said.
He took a year leave of absence and attended Olympic College in Bremerton where he met nurse Judy Rice.
"I told her, 'I'm pretty sure I'm gay, but I don't know what that means or what to do about that," Barwick recalled. "'She goes, 'I don't know either, but let's find out together.'"
Rice learned that the Gay Liberation Front held weekly meetings at the University of Washington and drove to one with Barwick for moral support. That's where he met John Singer.
"I was scared and excited and just dealing with the fact that I wasn't the only queer around," Barwick said. "Growing up back in those days, people didn't talk about homosexuality at all. You would hear jokes and that was about the only time the subject was brought up."
After Barwick came out to his family, his father didn't speak to him for two decades. Barwick's father eventually tried to find him, wanting to say that he loved him and that all was forgiven.
"I got the message about four months after he died," Barwick said.
At the UW meeting, members of the Gay Liberation Front told Barwick he should move to a big city. Gay people didn't stay in small towns like Olympia where he grew up. There also were other rules: don't flaunt yourself and don't acknowledge another gay person – even in a big city.
After the meeting, the school nurse had the idea to bring Gay Liberation Front members to a seminar, and more than 200 Olympic College students attended – including several who were closeted. A professor for one of Barwick's law enforcement classes later invited two of the guest speakers back, but one had to stay home sick.
In front of the class, the Gay Liberation Front member said, 'Paul, why don't you fill in for the missing guy?'
"And that's how I came out," Barwick said.
A struggle for future generations
In 1971, Barwick lived with other gay activists at a Capitol Hill commune and helped organize Seattle's first Gay Community Center. Singer lived there, as did Patrick Haggerty, who composed "Lavender County," the only openly gay music archived at The County Music Hall of Fame.
Singer, who in 1973 changed his name to Fagele benMiriam, had this way of dealing with everyone and being liked by everyone that I really envied," Barwick recalled.
Seattle had a Dorian Society of older, less radical gay men who weren't fond of the Gay Liberation Front's outspoken ways. "Yet Fagele was able to get along fine with them even though he was one of us," Barwick said.
There also was a point in the early 70s when many Seattle lesbians wanted to be separate from gay men, but Barwick recalled benMiriam was the one gay man they would allow around.
BenMiriam charmed some of Seattle's most conservative bigwigs even though he'd meet them wearing a dress, Barwick recalled. He bucked the rules and was open with newspaper and television reporters about his sexuality and the quest for gay rights, once painting "Gay Power" on the windows of his car.
Shortly before his death from lung cancer at age 55, benMiriam, who was Jewish, worked with Jewish organizations to create a bond with gay groups. He served as grand marshal of the Seattle Pride Parade – an event he watched grow from 40 participants to tens of thousands – and his last public appearance in January 2000 was to celebrate "Lavender County" being included in the Country and Western Hall of Fame.
It was at a 1971 meeting with the Dorian Society where benMiriam learned there was no mention of gender in Washington's marriage law, which led to his idea for the license application.
"We were good friends, we were lovers, but neither one of us believed in monogamy or marriage," said Barwick, who remained friends with benMiriam until his death. "But what we did believe was all people were created equal and you can't tell one group of people that you can't get married because we don't like you."
The memory of that Monday morning in the King County auditor's office is a little foggy for Barwick, though he does remember he and benMiriam were stoned. It's not lost on him that today they could have done both – smoked marijuana and gotten a same-sex marriage license – without being hassled.
A Seattle P-I photographer captured Singer holding Barwick's hand at the auditor's counter – Singer wearing a striped suit and Barwick in a white T-shirt that read "GAY."
Barwick said they weren't the loving couples like those in line last week at the same King County Administration building – couples mostly in years-long, committed relationships – but their rights were just the same.
Their story attracted dozens of reports, and the couple received mail from people across the country saying Barwick and Singer were the first openly gay people they'd seen.
"We realized we were touching a lot of people who were living kind of quiet lives of desperation all alone," Barwick said. "And being all alone in the closet is a terrible, terrible experience."
Barwick went on to many jobs, working as attendant in a gay bath and later was hired as a television news stringer. It was a job with the cable company that first took him to San Francisco, his home for roughly three decades.
It was wonderful to see gay couples be married there in 2004, Barwick said, and the Army veteran shed more tears when Don't Ask Don't Tell was repealed last fall. His own struggle for equality had many hardships, but he said the whole idea was to help those coming behind him.
"I'm looking forward," Barwick said, "to when this generation will be able to go off and get married and not realize there was a battle to allow that right."
Casey McNerthney can be reached at 206-448-8220 or at firstname.lastname@example.com. Follow Casey on Twitter at twitter.com/mcnerthney.


text:
He-Man, Skeletor and She-ra have their own mount beast. Its time for Mantisaur for Hordak!
IMPROVEMENTS in MOTUC
Mantisaur have a Gun Machine in the back, but the figure can,t reach to it. Maybe a good improvement can be a rotating saddle or just design the saddle in a way it can work in both positions (Hordak looking to the front, Hordak looking to the back).


text:
Boston's Homeless Court helps defendants get a fresh start
The moment before the court officer called out "All rise!" Kevin Craddock glanced over his shoulder. The 19-year-old wanted to assure himself he was in the right place.
"Sometimes it's kind of surreal," Craddock explained later. "I'm an addict, recovering, but an addict. So I've been around the legal system a lot, but never like this."
His defense attorney, Anna Brickman, was there, as was veteran Boston Municipal Court Judge Kathleen Coffey, probation officer David Giacalone, and a handful of social workers and public defenders. They were not seated in a courtroom, however. Craddock's hearing was taking place in a brightly lit conference room at Jamaica Plain's Lemuel Shattuck Hospital.
Homeless Court was in session.
Launched in late 2010, the program aims to serve the unique needs of Boston's homeless defendants, who often find themselves cycling through the court system for minor, nonviolent offenses, or in contempt for failing to respond to court summonses they often don't receive because they're living on the streets.
It's a gentler form of justice, but no quick fix. Defendants like Craddock who volunteer for Homeless Court are required to make a yearlong commitment. During that time, they get mental health and substance abuse counseling and a bed at the Pine Street Inn, or, for those with more severe mental health or addiction issues, at Shattuck Hospital. Defendants without a high school diploma are offered tutoring and GED prep classes. All are required to brush up their job skills or learn new ones.
The payoff? Those who complete the program have their fines forgiven, minor records wiped clean, and current cases dismissed — as close to a fresh start as they are likely to get.
"That whole thing of getting another chance was pretty important to me, because I really haven't done anything with my life since I was a kid," Craddock said. "So a chance to start over is huge."
Homeless Court got its start here when retired municipal court judge Maurice Richardson approached Charles Johnson, chief justice of Boston Municipal Court, two years ago with an idea. During more than two decades on the bench, Richardson observed that more than 40 percent of adults who filter through Boston's criminal courts for minor offenses are homeless or without stable homes.
Richardson suggested that Boston organize a homeless court, a system he'd seen years earlier in San Diego, which launched the first program in the United States in 1989.
"The thing it did — several things, really — was offer genuine help to people who were simply not getting better in the criminal courts," Richardson said. "People who would do their time and then go back on the street in as bad a shape as they ever were, a burden to themselves and the community around them."
At this point, Boston's program is, admittedly, small. Since Judge Coffey began hearing cases in early 2011, 19 defendants — ages 19 to 66 — with 33 pending criminal cases have been through the program. Their violations range from drug possession to petty theft and public drunkenness. Almost all faced jail time, if not for their violations, then for missing court dates and not paying fines.
Because there's no direct funding for Boston's Homeless Court, Coffey can only hold sessions when she can squeeze them into her judicial calendar, which means quarterly, as opposed to monthly, as they do in San Diego. Seventeen defendants are currently in the Boston program.
One of them is Craddock, a baby-faced young man with sandy brown hair who sat in the Shattuck conference room on a recent Tuesday morning. Craddock grew up on a quiet street in Dorchester, started using drugs when he was still a kid, and has been homeless on and off since he was 15. Hooked on heroin, he dropped out of Jeremiah E. Burke High School in 11th grade.
Brickman, the public defender, approached Craddock in Municipal Court in February 2011, after seeing him scolded for not showing up for hearings and not paying fines associated with a prior arrest for drug posession. He was facing a jail sentence of 30 days to six months. She told him about the program.
"You could hear it in his voice and see it in his face that he was ready," Coffey said. "Rock bottom is a tough place to be, and you know it when you see it."
There are only two requirements for defendants to qualify for Boston's Homeless Court: a nonviolent or minor criminal record, and a sincere willingness to accept help. Craddock jumped at the chance.
"I had been sleeping in cars for a while. I'd break into cars just to sleep in them," Craddock said. "So when Anna came to me, I knew it must've been meant to happen, 'cause seriously, I was done. I just needed a way out."
Coffey, chief judge in the Roxbury Division of Boston's Municipal Court, serves as the city's lone Homeless Court judge.
"If you subscribe to the idea that there is room for treatment, for compassion, and, most important, orderly recoveries, then this system makes perfect sense," Coffey said. "These are people whose lives to varying degrees have fallen apart. And frankly it wasn't and isn't a good use of muncipal and criminal court resources to continue presenting them with fines and putting them in jail."
People 'who've lost time'
Coffey's Homeless Court meets for formal sessions at Shattuck Hospital every 12 weeks, where, as in a traditional courtroom, she's given status updates by social workers, prosecutors, and defense lawyers, and hears arguments if there's disagreement on how well a defendant is doing.
Most important to Coffey, however, is hearing from the defendants.
She learned in Craddock's first hearing in early March that he grew up in the city, remains in touch with his family, and has absolutely no hobbies or casual pastimes because his only interest since he was 11 years old has been getting high.
Christina Rossi, a substance abuse counselor at the Pine Street Inn, where Craddock was assigned to live upon being accepted in the Homeless Court program (he has since moved to a halfway house), said his situation was a common one.
"Often you have defendants who've lost time," Rossi said. "They know where they were generally, but what they were doing was wasting their lives through their addictions or untreated mental health concerns. But Kevin is doing great. He doesn't miss meetings. He attends extra group counseling without being pushed to do it."
Any indication that defendants are slacking off in therapy and work-training, and Coffey can boot them out of the program and back into the criminal court system.
"I haven't had to do that yet though," she said.
Still, in a program designed for a homeless population, there are obvious challenges. Some court sessions are packed with as many as 20 defendants. At others — like the late June hearing Craddock attended — only one defendant shows up. Many are on the streets, after all, because they find the normal demands of ordinary life simply too hard.
"They've been known to cave to the pressure of even living under a roof," said Giacalone, the probation officer. He's a former prison guard who helped Coffey get Homeless Court off the ground and supervises participants.
A few defendants, chafing under the program's strict rules, have absconded for a few hours or even a day or two, Giacalone said. But in every case they've returned to complete the program.
"Often, the homeless people who get the most out of this are those who've determined that they simply want no part of any court system, not even an alternative one," he said. "Those are the people who put their heads down, work hard through the program, and have a plan for when they finish."
Going clean and sober
Brian Campbell is one of those people.
A South Boston native, Campbell, 34, entered the Homeless Court program in March 2011 and completed it one year later. He has since resumed his career as a commercial painter and is preparing to wed his pregnant fiancee this fall.
But when he first arrived at the Edward W. Brooke Municipal Courthouse 18 months ago, he expected to leave in handcuffs.
He faced a long overdue hearing for unpaid fines connected to a misdemeanor drug possession conviction.
He'd already served several short stints in jail for possession and disorderly conduct for refusing to cooperate with officers who tried to search him for drugs.
He'd been living on the streets on and off for more than four years, including stretches when he was on cocaine benders.
"It wasn't that I'd done something really bad," Campbell said, recalling that day in court. "It's just that I had been missing court dates for a couple months already. I had some loitering and trespassing stuff, some posession stuff. It's usually stuff that gets you tickets or fines. But I was homeless. I couldn't pay fines. And there was nowhere for them to send me notices for follow-up court dates. So I was in contempt. I should have gone to jail, the way the system works."
A public defender pulled him aside and told Campbell he had an out if he really wanted it.
He was one of the first five candidates accepted into Homeless Court, and he finished the program with all his goals met. He got an intensive refresher in painting, a skill for which he'd been trained in his late teens and early 20s, and even had training in general carpentry. And though he doesn't drive and has a phobia about crowded public transportation, Campbell is back working as a painter.
Cambell is also sober and remains so, he says, thanks to family support and 12-step meetings at a church in his South Boston neighborhood. He's back in touch with his two children, who live with their mother, and hopes soon to have a formal visitation agreement in place.
"I am a different person now," Campbell said. "It used to be comfortable for me to go to jail. Now, I think, 'What kind of life was that?' "
Progress, one step at a time
Back in his hearing at Shattuck, Craddock listened intently as Coffey peppered him with questions.
Remind the court of how you found yourself in this position.
"Your honor, I've been addicted to something — different substances for years, almost half my life."
And tell us again, were you homeless for long before learning about the Homeless Court?
"Off and on for anywhere for a few months at a time to six months or longer."
Your attorney and your counselors seem to feel like you're making great progress. The prosecution agrees. Do you agree?
"I do. It's one step at a time, but this is the longest stretch of time — nearly four months now — that I've been sober since I was in middle school."
The questions continued till Judge Coffey, satisfied that Craddock was sticking with the program, urged him to keep it up for the nine months he has left under supervision, formally dismissed the criminal case against him, and asked everyone in the conference room to give him a round of applause.
"In regular court, you can ditch it in a way," Craddock said. "What I mean is, if you're lucky enough to not get locked up, you can go home or wherever and forget about what happened in court. You can't do that with Homeless Court. Some part of the program is with you throughout the day, every day. It has sort of become my life. It'll help me find my own life by the time my year is up."
James H. Burnett III can be reached at email@example.com. Follow him on Twitter @JamesBurnett.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly attributed a quote by Judge Kathleen Coffey to public defender Anna Brickman.


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Building on the successful Stellar range introduced in 2005, the Stellar X range has been built to full professional specifications for long life and reliable service. Stellar X flash units have more power then its predecessor along with tough aluminium bodies that will stand up to the most vigorous use.
Fan cooling also ensures that the flash capacitors and associated circuitry are kept to their optimum working temperature even during periods of prolonged use. User changeable German flash tubes ensure both long life and colour consistency.
The Stellar X is a fully redesigned unit which has many new features aimed firmly and squarely at the professional market.
New features that have all been taken into account during the redesign are:
The rear control panel houses a new grab handle and user friendly controls that allow not only the flash and modelling lamp intensity to be set but also the switches that allow the choice of audible or silent recycling indication and modelling lamp controls.
Other features that are important to the busy professional include 'S' type bayonet fitting reflectors and accessories allowing a wide range accessories to be fitted. Sensitive infrared and flash sensors and five f-stop stepless adjustment of both flash and modelling lamp, fast re-charge coupled with audible and visual 100% recharge indicators add to the ease of use.
A new and easy to use mounting bracket allows for repositioning and balancing of large or heavy softboxes ensuring the light is always facing in the right direction.
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TEWKSBURY, Mass., April 26 (UPI) -- The U.S. Army is upgrading 131 Patriot Advanced Capability 2 missiles under a $58 million contract given to Raytheon of Massachusetts.
Under the follow-on award from the Army Aviation and Missile Command in Alabama, Raytheon will upgrade the missiles to the Guidance Enhanced Missile-Tactical configuration.
The Patriot GEM-T missile upgrades include the replacement of select components that increase reliability and extend the service life of the missile.
GEM-T upgrades are ongoing under existing contracts with the U.S. and other Patriot partner nations and are performed at Raytheon's Integrated Air Defense Center in Andover, Mass.
"These continuing upgrades speak to the critical role Patriot plays in our 12 partner nations' air and missile defense capabilities," said Sanjay Kapoor, vice president for Patriot Programs at Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems. "This cost-effective alternative makes it possible for them to increase their air and missile defense capabilities, using existing Patriot systems."
Raytheon IDS is the prime contractor for both domestic and international Patriot Air and Missile Defense Systems and system integrator for Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missiles.


text: Monday 8:27am I woke up with you on my mind. You called me babe last night — my heart is still pounding. Tuesday 10:53pm Today I realized we won't work. What we are is hurting her. And I think she matters more to me than you do. Wednesday 11:52pm I broke things off with you today. She barely said a word. I've never regretted anything more than this. Thursday 4:03pm I shouldn't have sent that message. You shouldn't have been so okay with receiving it. Friday 9:57pm I almost messaged you today. I didn't. Saturday 8:49pm I'm walking around town in search of alcohol. They say that liquor numbs the pain of having a broken heart. I want to put that to the test. Sunday 2:32am I heard you texted a girl you've never spoken to before. I wonder if it's because you're trying to replace me. I can't help but wish you weren't. I thought I was irreplaceable. — a week with you on my mind, c.j.n.


text:
Identify the actions that will produce the best results, while operating within resource limitations and other relevant restrictions, using a powerful array of optimization, simulation and project scheduling techniques.
Quickly solve complex optimization problems.
Find optimal solutions to difficult problems faster than ever. SAS Optimization takes advantage of the SAS® Viya® distributed, in-memory engine to deliver optimization modeling results at breakthrough speeds. In-memory data persistence eliminates the need to load data multiple times during iterative analyses.
Drive better decision making.
Identify and apply the best responses to complex, real-world problems. State-of-the-art methods for mathematical optimization are integrated with a full suite of data preparation, exploration, analytics and reporting capabilities – all in one unified environment.
Empower users with their preferred programming language.
Python, Java, R and Lua programmers can take advantage of the wide range of solvers in SAS Optimization without having to learn SAS code. They can access powerful, trusted and tested SAS algorithms from the programming language they are most comfortable with.
See SAS® Optimization in action.
Mike Gilliland, Product Marketing Manager at SAS, demonstrates how you can use SAS Optimization to build and solve an optimization model that guides financial investment decisions.
Key Features
- Powerful, intuitive algebraic optimization modeling language. Enables you to produce a range of models, including linear, mixed integer linear, nonlinear, quadratic and network optimization, as well as solve constraint satisfaction problems.
- A unified modeling language. Supports a wide range of optimization models with a single modeling and solution framework. You only need to learn one set of statements and commands to build a range of optimization and constraint satisfaction models.
- Powerful optimization solvers and presolvers. Provides a suite of optimization solvers – all streamlined for simplicity and tuned for performance. Aggressive presolvers reduce effective problem size so you can tackle large problems and solve them more quickly.
- Network flow optimization. Provides network algorithms, accessible from both PROC OPTMODEL and PROC OPTNETWORK, for investigating the characteristics of networks and finding the best answers to network-oriented problems.
- Multistart algorithm for nonconvex nonlinear optimization. Increases your chance of finding a globally optimal solution from among many locally optimal solutions. Selects multiple starting points and begins optimization in parallel from each; then reports the best solution from all starting points.
- Decomposition algorithm (automated Dantzig-Wolfe). Decomposes the overall problem into a set of component problems, each with an exclusive set of decision variables, which are solved in parallel. Parallel solution of the subproblems is coordinated with the overall solution process, reducing time to solution significantly.
- Local search optimization (LSO). LSO solver can be used with (generally nonlinear) optimization problems that don't adhere to the assumptions that conventional optimization solvers make. Functions might be discontinuous, nonsmooth, computationally expensive to evaluate, based on black-box simulations, etc.
- Constraint programming. Solves constraint satisfaction problems using domain reduction/constraint propagation and a choice of search strategies, such as look ahead and backtracking.
- Accessible, cloud-enabled, in-memory engine. Takes advantage of the SAS Viya engine, which brings new enhancements to the SAS Platform, including high availability, fast in-memory processing, the ability to code from open source languages and native cloud support.
This solution runs on SAS® Viya®, which has the breadth and depth to conquer any analytics challenge, from experimental to mission critical. SAS Viya extends the SAS Platform to enable everyone – data scientists, business analysts, developers and executives alike – to collaborate and realize innovative results faster, with flexible licensing and pricing options to accommodate your current and future needs.
Recommended Resources
Read the SAS Optimization fact sheet for more details.
SAS is a Leader in The Forrester Wave™: Multimodal Predictive Analytics And Machine Learning (PAML) Platforms, Q3 2018.
Ask questions, share tips and more in the Mathematical Optimization, Discrete-Event Simulation and OR Community.


text: I followed this guide here with success. Users can change their passwords once logged in. http://www.howtoforge.com/how-to-co...heir-email-passwords-on-an-ispconfig-3-server However I would like to force password change for all users. I'm having some trouble editing my sqlpass config.php file. As any all changes I make results in the user being greeted with "DATABASE ERROR: could not lookup force change password flag:" I must not be setting the flag correctly. Any assistance? Thanks.


text:
"Hello, my name is Kimberly and I will be your waitress...
Seceret.(Not famous)
- by LindaKarlsen
- Rating:
- Published: 8 May 2013
- Updated: 19 May 2013
- Status: Complete
Zoey was just an ordinary girl, who went to an ordinary school. She had the perfect life until this new boy starts in her class. His eyes is constantly looking at Zoey, but she's too busy with her own boyfriend drama. Suddenly Zoey finds her bestfriend, Leah, dead in the girls bathroom and she finds out some special things about Niall.
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