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Atego has launched Artisan Studio ParaSolver, a new add-on module for its Artisan Studio standards-based, model-driven development tool suite.
Artisan Studio ParaSolver speeds exploration of complex SysML design alternatives through the execution of SysML parametric models, enabling optimal system design solutions to be determined quickly and easily. Artisan Studio ParaSolver achieves this by enabling system engineers to calculate system measures-of-effectiveness (MoEs), such as cost, risk, reliability, and performance characteristics and automatically verify design constraints.
Artisan Studio ParaSolver connects SysML with solvers like Mathematica and OpenModelica. Equations used for computing MoEs are represented as constraint blocks, while SysML parametric diagrams graphically connect system properties and MoEs using these equations. Complex systems can be decomposed in Artisan Studio using SysML blocks and parts and non-functional requirements refined with constraint blocks so they can be automatically verified by Artisan Studio ParaSolver using the values in the SysML instance models, which capture the design alternatives. By varying input properties, engineers can explore "what-if" scenarios to find best-in-class system alternatives, easily setting up trade-off studies by specifying ranges or discrete sets of property values.
Artisan Studio ParaSolver can also leverage the power of existing functional models and dispersed model fragments in this process, combining and orchestrating models held externally in MATLAB/Simulink and Mathematica.
According to James B. Gambrell, Chairman of Atego: "Artisan Studio ParaSolver significantly increases the design power of Artisan Studio by providing system engineers with the ability to secure their design decisions, as well as further improving its compatibility with leading third party tools."


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As many a would-be prophet can attest, predicting the future is one surefire way of making yourself look ridiculous. When your prognostication goes wrong, the only ones who look sillier than you are those who believed in the forecast.
Take, for example, radio Bible thumper Harold Camping, who whipped legions of evangelical Christians into a frenzy by claiming that the rapture, in which the faithful would be literally spirited up into heaven, was going to take place last Saturday. Lo and behold, we — and he — are still here. But instead of curing Camping of being a seer, that seemingly incontrovertible piece of evidence only forced him to revise his schedule. He now says the end of the world will take place on Oct. 21, and I hope he is right.
That's because the coming of doomsday this fall would spare us what I boldly predict will be the nastiest, most racially charged presidential campaign in decades, perhaps even since the Civil War. That's not because the developing field of Republican candidates is a pack of rabid race-baiters. Indeed, so far only one of them, the inimitable Newton Leroy Gingrich, has descended into that gutter with his charge that Barack Obama is "the most successful food stamp president in American history."
Despite the GOP's long history of exploiting white fear for political gain, I doubt that the eventual nominee will make such a blatant racist appeal. He or she won't have to. Their surrogates or those in charge of supposedly independent expenditures will handle it for them. And it will simply be in the air.
My fearless forecast is not based on the personalities of the candidates but on what analysts call the objective factors: the underlying social context in which the campaign will unfold. And right now it's setting up as a perfect storm for racially charged resentment on the far right, even if the candidates make no overt attempt to exploit it. Here are three of my reasons, two pretty obvious and one less so:
* White people are really angry. According to a hugely publicized study by Tufts University researchers, a growing number of whites believe that race relations are a zero-sum game in which every inch of black progress is offset by an increase in discrimination against whites. Indeed, the researchers contend, many whites have now convinced themselves that bias against people like themselves is a bigger problem than anti-black prejudice. The most obvious symbol of black progress — and of their own setbacks — is none other than the man who will be at the top of the Democratic ticket next year: the first African-American president.
* The Republicans don't have winning issues. The triumph of Democrat Kathy Hochul this week in a special election in a historically conservative district in upstate New York underscores my belief that when right-leaning Republicans actually spell out what they stand for, independent voters flee in droves. In this case, the central issue was conservative budget guru Paul Ryan's radical plan for replacing Medicare with a voucher system that would force seniors to pay substantially more for their health care, which has been endorsed by an overwhelming majority of Republicans in both the House and Senate.
In addition to defending that unpopular proposal, the Republican nominee will have no bold new ideas to push. The much ballyhooed job-creation plan that the GOP released this week is just more of the same-old, same-old combination of tax breaks for the wealthy and big corporations and a pullback on regulation that got us into this economic mess. And with the death of Osama bin Laden, any attempt to paint Obama as a weak commander-in-chief chief will be an exercise in futility.
* Finally, Obama's critics on the left have opened the floodgates. One of the unintended consequences of Cornel West's impassioned recent attack on Obama is that by sinking into ad hominem claims about the president's character, he implicitly sanctioned the validity of similar charges from the right. There is not, after all, that much difference between accusing Obama of being afraid of "free black men" because he was reared by Caucasians, and bashing him for possessing a Kenyan anti-colonial view of the world that he supposedly got from his African daddy. How left-wing critics expect to combat right-wing efforts to paint Obama as an exotic outsider after they indulge in equivalent mudslinging is a conundrum that only a highbrow philosophy professor can resolve.
So there you have it: a conservative electoral base seething with anti-black resentment, combined with an unpopular platform and a de facto go-ahead from the left to portray Obama as some kind of alien. That's a witches' brew for what could easily spill over into a truly noxious explosion of racially tinged politicking, even if the eventual Republican standard-bearer never explicitly brings up the subject.
Hey, maybe my fearless forecast isn't really all that fearless. There doesn't seem much to stop it from coming true — unless Camping's dreadful prophecy is fulfilled and we don't have to worry about it.
Jack White is a regular contributor to The Root.
is a former columnist for TIME magazine and a regular contributor to The Root.

subset: commoncrawl


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After Ando Hiroshige`s ukiyoe print Whirlpool and Waves at Naruto (1855)
It seems these Japanese whisky bottles are bobbing all over the Pacific.
Following my shaggy dog story about the Suntory Old Whisky bottle in the Marshall Islands, I found another Pacific islander, Miss Laura, commenting on Island Life`s original photo:
"Hey! I have one of those Suntory bottles too! But I think mine is a more recent version... Sometimes they wash up on the beach over here along with lots of other junk. It must be very popular in Japan!"Two Japanese whisky bottles in far flung parts might be dismissed as a coincidence, but in "Into a Desert Place: a 3000 mile walk around the coast of Baja California" Graham Mackintosh describes piles of flotsam washed up at Malarrimo:
"The scene was incredible. It was as if some terrible and destructive battle had taken place off the coast. The shore was littered with planks, buckets, tree trunks, helmets, hatch covers, bits and pieces of boats and planes and call kinds of military and medical equipment."He finds everything from nerve gas antidote to a "missile with wires hanging from the back" and lots and lots of alcohol, but Mackintosh's beachcombing yarn reaches a climax after he finds a message in a bottle with a religious message and catches a fish:
"While searching for a campsite, I stubbed my toe against a bottle of very old, very excellent Japanese whisky. A reward for my faith! The mullet was delicious, the sunset and the stars seemed even more beautiful, and I was more than ever convinced that someone up there was watching over my little walk around Baja." (p.219)And then there is Dean Littlepage's "Steller`s Island: Adventures of a pioneer naturalist in Alaska". The author describes an expedition to the remote Kayak Island off Alaska where he finds an amazing collection of flotsam on the shore:
"We spot colors not found in in nature - the fluorescent green of a plastic bottle, the baby-blue of a chunk of styrofoam - and a scattering of ship bumpers and buoys, sheets of plywood and insulation, and plastic laundry baskets. More exotic are a blue plastic case with red Korean characters, empty Japanese whiskey bottles and a striking red log with a delicious, musty scent lying back in the jumble of tree trunks on the storm berm. The log, a western red cedar, grows nowhere near here, the closest source is a good 500 miles to the South. Out toward the water, a computer monitor sits upright on the reef, the screen slightly scratched from its time in the surf but otherwise intact, as if you could sit down in front of it and log on." (p.34)I don't know why so many people are happening on these Japanese whisky bottles. Perhaps they are just more charismatic than the boring old Bacardis and Bourbons. Or maybe Japanese drunks, tired of life, have a habit of hurling their empty whisky bottles on Japan's storm tossed Pacific shores. My own favourite theory is that Suntory has a secret high-tech installation up on Hokkaido pumping out these bottles to spread the word about their drink. Nice of them to send Mackintosh a full bottle, completely free.


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Today marks the 50th anniversary of the most infamous crime of the 20th century.
The murder of President Kennedy continues to fascinate and disturb people around the globe. The killing has been investigated and analyzed; reviewed and written about; video-taped and dramatized; unequivocally the most talked about criminal event in the last 100 years.


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Micro-fabricated Biosensors for Cardiac Diagnostics
Published on
Dr V. Ramgopal Rao obtained his doctorate from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Universitaet der Bundeswehr Munich, Germany in 1997 after his post-graduate studies at IIT Bombay. After a two year post-doctoral research at the University of California at Los Angeles, he joined IIT Bombay, where he is currently a Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering. He is also the Chief Investigator for the Centre for Nanoelectronics project at IIT Bombay. Dr. Rao has over 200 publications in the area of Electron Devices & Nanoelectronics in refereed international journals and conference proceedings and holds three patents. Prof. Rao received the coveted Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize in Engineering Sciences in 2005 for his work on Electron Devices. He is an Editor for the IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices in the CMOS Devices and Technology area and is a Distinguished Lecturer (DL), IEEE Electron Devices Society. He is a Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering and a Fellow, IETE. He received the prestigious Swarnajayanti Fellowship award in 2003-2004, instituted by the Department of Science and Technology, Govt. of India to mark 50 years of India's independence. He is also a recipient of the 2007 IBM faculty award and the 2008 MRSI-ICSC Superconductivity & Materials Science Prize.
Cite this work
Researchers should cite this work as follows:
Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, India


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Keyboard player Tuomas Holopainen reveals unlikely influence on new project
Tuomas Holopainen of Finnish metal band Nightwish has revealed that he is working on a solo album inspired by animated character Scrooge McDuck.
Holopainen spoke to Metal Hammer about his unlikely muse, saying that reading the Life And Time of Scrooge McDuck comics as a child gave him the "strangely familiar feel of home" and that he thinks of McDuck as a "relentless, honest and complex character".
"It all started with a story called Last Sled To Dawson, which was published in a Finnish Donald Duck magazine in the late '80s," Holopainen explained to the magazine. "It instantly became one of my favorite Scrooge/Donald stories and also introduced Mr Don Rosa to my Disney universe. This story is not part of the actual 'Life And Times' opus, though, but 'a companion story,' set in between the chapters #8 and #9. Then when the massive 12-chapter piece was released in mid-'90s, I was completely and utterly hooked. It was similar to reading The Lord Of The Rings as an 8-year-old, or seeing Raiders Of The Lost Ark for the first time. Adventure, fun and the strangely familiar feeling of home.
"With Scrooge, there was also a much deeper level hidden between the stories and the gags. This is a book about life itself. What an unfathomable privilege it is, what are the things that truly matter during our existence. It's about the immense beauty of the world and its possibilities seen through the eyes of a very relentless, honest and complex character. It's about love and family, gain and loss, darkness and rebirth."
Holopainen continued: "And on top of that, well, it's just your good old-fashioned storytelling fun. I have been twiddling around with certain themes for some months now and have an idea for five songs, but I will start working on this project 24/7 after the Australian leg of the tour, in February 2013. The demo recordings are scheduled for May 2013, just before the festival season starts and we're off with NIGHTWISH again. The actual recordings then start in August-September and should be finished by the end of the year, making a release during the first half of 2014 a possibility."
Nightwish released their latest studio album 'Imaginaerum' in 2011.


text: > > this is utterly pointless, since we seem to disagree on axioms: > > Not really. We disagree on basic definitions. Axioms are accepted > "truths". no. axioms are the assumptions that underly a discussion. disagreeing on axioms leads only to the kind of noise we've been engaging in. I apologize for not quitting sooner.


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Reviewed by Adam V. (age 11)
I like this book because it was fun to try to find out who was the hotel thief. I also liked this because it was a mystery and it was funny. My favorite part was when Sammy punched flare head right on the nose because she put a pin right where Sammy was going to sit. My favorite character was Sammy Keyes. The book reminded me about when I was a witness of a car crash.
Have you ever read a mystery book? I will recommend this book to anybody that loves mysteries. The reader that reads Sammy Keyes will like the funny things that she does like punch flare head on the nose. I think the reader will be interested in who the thief was.


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Printer Friendly Version
Standard ECMA-130
Data Interchange on Read-only 120 mm
Optical Data Disks (CD-ROM)
2nd edition (June 1996)
This Ecma Standard specifies the characteristics of 120 mm optical
disks for information interchange between information processing
systems and for information storage, called CD-ROM.
The optical disk specified by this Standard is of the type in
which the information is recorded before delivery to the user
and can only be read from the disk.
This Standard specifies:
These characteristics are specified for tracks recorded with
digital data. According to this Standard, a disk may also contain
one or more tracks recorded with digital audio data. Such tracks
shall be recorded according to IEC Publication 908.
The following file can be freely downloaded:
This Ecma publication is also approved as ISO/IEC 10149.
The previous replaced "historical" edition of this Ecma Standard is available here.


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Health-care providers for the Sacramento Kings
UC Davis sports medicine program has served NBA team for more than two decades
Posted January 2011
In a game as fast-paced and dynamic as professional basketball, the demands on the human body can be tremendous.
The average NBA player runs several miles per game, mostly in bursts and quick sprints no longer than 20 yards. He jumps dozens of times, often landing forcefully in a crowd.
Add liberal doses of backwards running, direction change and lateral movement — plus elbows and other physical contact — and there's plenty of potential for injury.
For many years, the Sacramento Kings have trusted UC Davis physicians to counteract the effects of these forces. Sports-medicine and orthopaedic specialists at UC Davis Health System have served as the Kings' official team doctors for more than two decades, keeping members of the 15-man roster healing and moving through the wear and tear of the long NBA season.
It's a tall order — at least 82 games of acrobatics, plus countless practices and workouts. And when injuries do occur — as they inevitably do — there's usually pressure for speedy, yet sustainable recoveries.
To meet the challenge, experts in the UC Davis Sports Medicine program work together to bring to bear the unique resources of the region's only academic health system: fellowship-level medical expertise, highly advanced technology, and access to the latest clinical trials and treatment approaches.
When they're not patching up a King, they also make that same major-league expertise available to all UC Davis sports medicine patients — whether scholarship-bound high-school players, serious endurance runners or fullbacks from the over-40 recreational soccer league.
"Everyone wants to come back as fast as possible, no matter what the injury," says Paul Di Cesare, UC Davis' Michael W. Chapman Chair of Orthopaedic Surgery. "For the Kings, we have to use the most modern expertise and techniques to speed the recovery process.
"We use those same modalities and treatments for the average athlete and the weekend warrior."
Explosive athletes, high standard of care
For the Kings, UC Davis physicians provide regular medical care and injury-prevention consultation as well as expert treatment for both acute injuries and chronic problems from overuse.
A 2010 study of injuries across 17 NBA seasons found that there are 19 injuries for every 1,000 times an athlete plays in a NBA game. Ankle injuries, knee pain, back problems and arm and hand injuries are common — and with 250-pound players running at full speed, they can be severe.
"In taking care of a professional team you have to extend an extremely high standard of care," says Di Cesare. "You're looking at explosive athletes, so you have high-velocity injuries.
"At the same time, their ability to control themselves in space is better — and they are in much better shape than most of us."
UC Davis specialists have also provided care or consultation for Olympic-level athletes, the national soccer program and UC Davis collegiate teams. The key is an integrated team approach that takes full advantage of nationally respected physicians, state-of-the-art clinics, and a solid history of research and innovation in physical medicine and rehabilitation.
Renowned sports medicine specialists Jeffrey Tanji and David Cosca specialize in treating non-operative musculoskeletal conditions such as strains, sprains, overuse problems and fractures — frustrating injuries that can sideline athletes, but also chronically reduce performance when they do play. Tanji, a past president of the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine, co-directs the UC Davis Sports Medicine program with orthopaedic surgeon Richard Marder.
In addition to highly respected sports medicine surgeons such as Marder and Kirk Lewis, the UC Davis orthopaedics department offers eight other formal subspecialties that can be applied when needed in case of injury or accident. UC Davis is home to the area's largest orthopaedic group, and is ranked among the nation's best hospitals for orthopaedics by U.S. News and World Report.
UC Davis physical medicine and rehabilitation staff work closely with the physicians to carefully manage recovery.
New approaches and technologies
— Paul Di Cesare, chair of orthopaedic surgery
As part of a large academic medical center, UC Davis sports medicine faculty have ready access to new clinical trials and technologies. For example, unique new musculoskeletal MRI technology adds comfort for injured patients during scans of the arms and legs, without compromising scan power and quality as in other "open" units often used for limb injuries.
Sports medicine and orthopaedic specialists across the health system also contribute to new prevention and treatment approaches through research.
At the Lawrence J. Ellison Musculoskeletal Research Center, UC Davis physicians, surgeons, and basic scientists perform sophisticated, interdisciplinary research into the prevention and care of crippling and painful musculoskeletal disorders. Oracle Corp. CEO Larry Ellison donated $5 million to help develop the center after UC Davis orthopaedic surgeon Michael Chapman successfully reconstructed his elbow following a bicycle accident.
And at the UC Davis Human Performance Laboratory in Davis, biomechanics researchers examine ways that basketball players and other athletes can jump differently to reduce ligament-damaging shear forces on their knee joints.
"This is a highly integrated, interdisciplinary program," Di Cesare says. "Working together, we can ensure one-stop coverage and the best available care for athletes of all levels."


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Bombers reverse score against Vikings
The Barnum Bombers boys basketball team reversed the score with a 53-35 win against the Cook County Vikings to remain undefeated in Barnum on Tuesday, December 18. Barnum raced to a 26-12 first half lead before gliding home to victory. Although Cook County placed two players in double figures, the Bombers had by far the better balance in scoring. Barnum was led by Brandon Newman's 14 points. Cook County got 16 points and six boards pout of senior Kale Boomer and classmate Colin Everson had 13 points for the Vikings.
The Bombers shot just 1-for-7 from three-point land in the half and 1-for-4 outside the arc in the second half for 2-for-11 (18 percent) in the game on the long ball.
Cook County struggled as well in the half at an identical 1-for-4 from downtown but warmed up a bit in the second half to go 4-for-14 from outside the arc as they tried to use three-pointers against Barnum's tough defense to come back from a the 14-point halftime deficit. The Vikings came out with an overall three-point shooting rate of 5-for-25 for an only slightly better (20 percent) game rate on the long ball.
Barnum had a strong inside presence with a 10-for-19 (53 percent) first half and an 8-for-17 (47 percent) second half to wind up at exactly 50 percent on the inside for the game with 18-for-36 in and near the paint.
Cook County could muster just 3-for-8 in the paint in the first half and only 3-for-7 inside in the second half for a meager 6-for-15 (40 percent) for the game.
Barnum went to the stripe seven times in the first half and made three and went 8-for-15 from the line in the second half to go just 11-for-22 (50 percent) on the freebies in the game. Cook County went 3-for-6 on its tosses in the first half and 5-for-5 on the charities in the second half to finish at a decent 8-for-11 (73 percent) from the stripe for the game.
Barnum out-rebounded the Vikings by halves at 14-9 and 13-10 to win the battle of the boards at a fairly big 27-19 for the game. Barnum took the first half steals at 4-1, but Cook County took the second thefts at 3-2 as the teams nearly split the take-aways at 5-4, with Barnum having the one more theft edge in the game.
The teams were much the same in terms of taking care of the basketball. While each team had seven first-half turnovers, the Bombers had five second half miscues to Cook County's three lost possessions as the Vikings won that one stat at 10-12 for the game.
The Bombers clearly took the assists at 5-1 and 5-3 by halves to win that department at 10-4 on the readily apparent scoring plays.
The following represents points, rebounds, steals and assists for the Bombers (including three-pointers). Newman: 14 (1), 5, 1, 1; Daniel Warpula: 9 (1), 7, 2, 6; Zachary Carlson: 8, 4, 0, 2; Sam Anderson: 8, 3, 0, 0; Tory Slater: 6, 4, 1, 1; Chase Peterson 6, 0, 0, 0; John Zmyslony: 2, 2, 0, 0; Nichloas Jelinek: 0, 0, 1, 0.


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Female Trainer of the Year - 2009:
For the ladies of the backstretch, has there ever been a year like 2009? Presious Passion was a marvel on firm turf but his trainer had him fit for virtually and entire year. A woman won the training title at Saratoga? Really? And there are plenty of top trainers in South Florida, how did OâConnell manage that? And while it wasnât this year, letâs not forget the Pitts-Blasi developed a first time starter named Curlin a few years ago!
Mary Hartmann
Kathleen O'Connell
Helen Pitts-Blasi
Linda Rice
Most photos are taken from NTRA.com


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Indicative Rate * AU$47 to AU$63
The Mooloolaba Beach Holiday Park has absolute beach frontage to the unsurpassed Mooloolaba Beach, the safest patrolled surf beach on the Queensland coast. The Holiday Park is next to the Surf Club and across from UnderWater World Sea Life Aquarium and the Wharf complex. Close to Mooloolaba's restaurant and alfresco dining hub. The shady caravan sites all have concrete pads for your annexe and the grounds are fully fenced with boom-gate access to ensure a peaceful and secure stay at this attractive Sunshine Coast caravan park. All sites are just a short walk to the modern centrally located amenities block and laundry. All caravan sites have power, water and sullage points.
The Standard Powered Sites all contain water, sullage and power. Wireless internet and television is available at Reception. Most of the powered sites have a concrete annexe slab which is available for your use.
Note: Information on listed products and services are provided by the operator and were correct at the time of publishing. Rates are indicative based on the minimum and maximum available prices of products and services. Please visit the operator's website for further information. All prices quoted are in Australian dollars (AUD).


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Norton is not a hybrid. Maybe you knew that, but it's easy to forget/not realize/assume that it is. Very understandable: Norton obviously isn't among the top European vinifera varietals – and its name makes it an unlikely candidate for one of those little-known and newly-discovered vinifera esotericals – so that means it must be a hybrid, right? Well, wrong. Norton is a Vitis aestivalis or "summer grape" (aestivalis refers to summertime) and a totally different species from V. vinifera and V. labrusca. In the United States, we usually refer to European varietals as "viniferas, V. labrusca grapes like Concord and Catawba as "natives" for being indigenous to this continent, and intentional "man-made" crosses between European vinifera and American native varietals as "hybrids." Vitis aestivalis, then, is none of the above.
Or at least that's the best consensus at this point. Some folks seem to think that Norton might be a very old hybrid between a labrusca called (of all things) Bland and the vinifera Pinot Meunier. I've not read genetic data on the subject, but every paper in American Society of Enology and Viticulture as well as the several Norton-related papers indexed on PubMed agreed in identifying Norton as V. aestivalis. Like native labruscas, Vitis aestivalis is also native to eastern North America. state of Missouri markets Norton as "America's True Grape."
So, Norton is not a hybrid and, therefore, I was interested in tasting a few over my weekend at the 2011 North American Wine Bloggers Conference in Charlottesville, Virginia. Hybrids and I don't get along well for one really quite simple reason: anthranilates. Methyl and ethyl anthranilates are the chemical compounds responsible for the distinctive "foxy" aroma that characterize wines made from hybrid grapes (or pure-bred V. labrusca.) V. aestivalis, however, isn't known for having a high level of these compounds or the associated "foxy" flavors.
I learned today that Norton is associated with Missouri – Norton is Missouri's state grape – but I had heard more about Virginia's iterations of the varietal. Norton is popular in these areas in large part because of its strong mildew resistance, a real boon in often-humid climates. With 100°-ish temperatures and humidity over 50% all weekend, even I was beginning to mildew by the end of my three-day stay in Virginia.
I somehow managed to miss the several Nortons at the Virginia-only tasting over and around the Friday-evening dinner at Monticello, but there were plenty Missouri versions at the post-prandial "The Other 46 Tasting" (referring to the states other than CA, WA, OR, and NY.) Scientific evidence aside, I'm now more willing to accept the son-of-Bland hypothesis. I wouldn't exactly call these wines bland, but flavorful they were not. Keeping in-mind that this wasn't an event designed for in-depth tasting, here are my very brief notes on three Missouri Nortons from that evening:
"Lots of burnt-out fruit up front, nothing to back it up, a bit sour. YUCK."
"Skunky, smoky, and sweet. Double YUCK."
"Richer, jammier, a little sweetness, but no tannins, short finish, flat mouthfeel, just not much going on."
I don't want to dismiss an entire varietal/region/style based on a handful of examples, so I'll make an effort to try more Norton wines in the future. HOWEVER, reading a little more about the basic characteristics of the Norton grape makes it sound unlikely as a great winemaking grape. From a 2011 paper in BMC plant biology by a group of viticulturists in Missouri:
– Norton retains high malic acid at time of ripening → high acidity for a red and, after malolactic fermentation, potentially lots of buttery flavors. I'm just not sure if butter complements the basic Norton flavor.
– Norton retains high phenols at time of ripening → phenols are such a tremendously large and varied group of compounds that it's hard to say more about the impact of "high phenols" on the finished wine without more information on the specific phenols involved.
– The skin of Norton grapes has a higher anthocyanin content than that of Cabernet Sauvignon → deep pigmentation. Usually a good thing, but a bit misleading in this case because it doesn't match up with intensity of flavor.
Interestingly, several of the articles I found that were theoretically in support of Norton angled heavily towards negative comments about Norton's flavor profile (this profile at Appellation America is a good example.) Ergo, un-foxyness may be the best thing that can be said about Norton. Still, I'll do my best to keep an open mind. If anyone has anything to contribute about growing V. aestivalis and/or making or drinking wine derived thereof, I'd welcome the education.


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Nicholas Seward wrote:cdsteinkuehler wrote:The way I figure it, you get two modified arcs and have to figure out where they intersect. Given a motor position, figure the angle (c or d in your kins png) assuming a 90 degree angle between the base (L) and the first arm l. This gets you the distance from the shoulder for your arc (a or b), but that distance has to be modified slightly as the base arm moves around the shoulder pivot. But there's no way to get a full cardioid spiral that I can see! AFAIK, what you'd get from a physical Wally would be at *MOST* the outermost loop in quadrants I and II of the cardioid image (limited by how far the other arm will reach). What am I missing?!?
Of course in reality you can not spin the arm forever but math doesn't care about silly things like the backboard. We will need most of the curve in the graph. The curve actually goes on to infinity and fills up the whole circle but I stop the curve generation when the arm completely folded in on itself. At any given time only about 180 degrees of this is usable but it could be any portion of it. I am going to do some circle fitting of this curve over the work envelope and see how close we get.
Nicholas Seward wrote:@cdsteinkuehler: Are you going to the Midwest RepRap Festival? If so, awesome!!!! I will be there.
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The last two legislative sessions have concluded with periods of confusion, rancor and extra expense brought on by a record-setting number of last-minute gubernatorial vetoes, inflexible demands and a general lack of engagement by the Administration. This experience has confirmed for us that we need a governor with successful executive experience, a clear and steady vision, and the ability to work with colleagues to get there — and we see a candidate with these qualities.
In the Addison Independent's Legislative Review last week (April 30, 2015), Rep. Fred Baser concluded with comments in opposition to a House bill mandating paid sick days for Vermont workers. I happen to know Fred Baser and have sat across from him in labor negotiations. I am of the opinion that he is intelligent, personable and fair-minded, but I think that he is wrong in opposing paid sick days for Vermont's workers.
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MIDDLEBURY — Dr. Alan Ayer introduced an estimated 6,000 people into the world during a 36-year career as an obstetrician-gynecologist in Middlebury. Many of those 6,000 people, and many more, were shaken to the core this week after learning of the untimely, sudden death of Ayer this past Friday, March 13. He was 71.
ADDISON — Long-time Addison County obstetrician-gynecologist Dr. Alan Ayer, who delivered well over 5,000 babies and practiced in this area more than 30 years, died suddenly on Friday, March 13. He was 71 years old.
Ayer was a native of Maine, and he received his medical degree from the University of Vermont College of Medicine. He practiced medicine for more than 40 years.
Ayer was the husband of Sen. Claire Ayer, who has represented Addison County as a Democrat in the Vermont Senate since first being elected in 2002.
What about the gun bill, S.31?
There's been some speculation on Front Porch Forum regarding my motives for co-sponsoring a bill that does three things: It puts Vermont in compliance with the federal law that requires Vermont to enter into a federal database (1) the names of certain violent felons and (2) the names of persons who have been judged in a court of law to be a danger to themselves or others. The third thing it does is require a background check during the sale of all weapons, while allowing for family members to gift guns to each other.
MONTPELIER — While Gov. Peter Shumlin has at least temporarily put the brakes on Vermont's transition to a single-payer health insurance system, that will not prevent key legislative committees from studying and advancing measures aimed at reducing the cost of, and improving access to, health care services.
MONTPELIER — Gov. Peter Shumlin on Wednesday put the brakes on the state's multi-year quest to convert to a universal, single-payer health care system, saying the cost and financing scheme of such a plan would be "detrimental to Vermonters, employers and the state's economy overall."
MIDDLEBURY — The Middlebury selectboard on Tuesday gave its legislative delegation a brief but sharply worded wish list for the 2015 session: Give us a rotary at the intersection of Route 7 and Exchange Street, along with education finance reform.
The board conveyed that message to the four Democratic lawmakers taking part in the meeting: Sen. Christopher Bray of New Haven, Sen. Claire Ayer of Addison, Rep. Betty Nuovo of Middlebury, and Rep.-elect Amy Sheldon of Middlebury.
BRISTOL — It was decades in the making, but Bristol finally has a new bridge on Route 116.
A cadre of local officials and legislators joined state Transportation Secretary Brian Searles Monday afternoon for a ribbon cutting ceremony at the center of the new span, which crosses the New Haven River on Route 116 between River and Carlstrom roads.
NEW HAVEN — As towns in Addison County field proposals for new solar power arrays, town officials and area legislators say they'd like to see communities have more influence over where projects can be sited, and how large they can be.
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Search results for: Hollywood Fake Pictures
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Webotopia provides a business directory designed to promote Hollywood Fake Pictures companies, products and services whilst helping it's users find the Hollywood Fake Pictures information they need. Webotopia business directory, with the help of it's dedicated support specialists and reviewers, enables delivery of Hollywood Fake Pictures quality content, excellent customer support as well as value added services such as content publishing and press releases for it's users.


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Surface Finish Library
The Surface Finish Library is not a specification tool. Please refer to current price lists for the most accurate approval information. To view finishes in person and for specification and ordering assistance, please visit your local Knoll Showroom or Dealer.
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Did you know over a million people a summer take the Steamship Authority Ferry to the Vineyard from Woods Hole? Hard to imagine, until you live in Woods Hole and you watch the people streaming on and off the boats.
And while we spend the summer at the front desk advising people about how to navigate the island, you would be surprised how infrequently we actually have time to head over ourselves. So it was with some excitement that I boarded the Island Home this Saturday to explore.
Highlight of the trips are many, but it all starts with the ferry ride itself — bright sunshine, sparkling water over Vineyard Sound, seagulls following the boat, wind in your hair on a hot day. Fantastic.
On arrival, we walked the beachfront with the great expanse of ocean and sky to your left. Down on the sand below you, there are people, boats, towels, beach chairs and so much fun happening both in the water and out.
After our fill of the beach views, we strolled to the Methodist Camp often referred to as the "Gingerbread Cottages." Built in circles surrounding an open air wooden gathering place from the 1880s, these historic landmark cottages are a sight to see all dressed in their Victorian finery, many colored facades and rocking-chair stuffed porches. The lucky occupants were sipping wine spritzers with their feet up on balconies, enjoying the promenade of people walking through and the sound of Wynton Marsalis playing under the glorious tabernacle.
From the Campgrounds, we returned to the hustle bustle of Circuit Avenue and jostled our way past pizza, donut, fudge and burger joints. We window shopped all the hangouts and chose the Martha's Vineyard Chowder Company. I was dutifully impressed with their milky and authentic clam chowder — winner of this year's Yankee Magazine Best Chowder in New England award! Yum.
The boat ride back was just as great as the way over, except now sunset over water and a lot cooler. I got some good snaps of the scenery — plus the Quicks Hole churros we enjoyed in Woods Hole at dusk — and I will share it all with you here. A fine summer's day.


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Hope you weren't trying to patronize me with the "Whoa, well I can't argue with that logic." comment... If so I think you may have taken me out of context a little there... Well, not just a little, more like completely... "I understand that having some playoff exp with Affeldt would be nice but, Dan's the man."War Years wrote:JREED23 wrote:i think you need to go check out Runzler's numbers: http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/runzlda01.shtml I don't know what you mean by shaky but the guy hasn't given up a run since he's been back from his injury. Also, what "old form" you are referring to? The guy didn't look too great earlier this year, and only had 11 games before this season... Truth is, Runzler looks better after his injury and Affeldt does not.
You're probably right about the games Boch is playing with Zito and the roster, but last I checked the Braves were a pretty lefty heavy lineup so I wouldn't be surprised to see Zito and/or Mad Bum get a start.
Affeldt would be nice but, Dan's the man.
Whoa, well I can't argue with that logic.
Your second post is better. I'm aware of Runzler's stats, and nothing in that page jumped out at me.
Also, "what "old form" you are referring to?
Wow, how quickly you forget, Affeldt was a stud last year as our setup man. He had an ERA of 1.73! At one particular point when Wilson was shaky there were a number of people who thought that they should give him a shot at closer.
I'm sorry you didn't like the word "shaky" but both Runzler and Affeldt had control problems earlier. I don't think either of them have pitched enough in the last month, to really evaluate if they've come back. The sample is pretty sparce with both of them but Affeldt has pitched twice as many innings. I'd like Runzler, I think he's got a future with us. But I hope you won't get too upset if Bochy picks Affeldt because he just had a kid. Heh Heh Heh
As you see this roster question, that I brought up a week ago is a lot more complicated and interesting if we can't play 33 players.
I believe you misread my second post entirely, because I wasn't talking about Affeldt...
I'll get upset if either of them see more than .1 innings in a game because there are far better options, besides that, I really don't care.


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Consider us officially shivering with antici...pation.
Laverne Cox has officially been cast as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in Fox's 2016 reimagining of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," and we are feeling pretty groovy about this casting news.
The two-hour event is set to air on Fox next fall as a celebration of the original film's 40 years of theatrical distribution.
Cox will have some big shoes to fill since, in our humble opinion, Frank-N-Furter is one of the greatest and strangest movie characters of all time — originally played in the 1975 film by Tim Curry.
Frank describes himself in song as a "sweet transvestite from Transsexual Transylvania." He's also a mad scientist and a space alien who has invited a bunch of very strange friends to his castle to witness the birth of the man he created.
In the movie, we were introduced to Frank and his loyal servants, Riff-Raff, Columbia and Magenta, through the eyes of Brad, played by Barry Bostwick, and Janet, portrayed by Susan Sarandon, a young couple whose car has broken down just down the road. They knock on the castle's door looking for a phone, but, well, they don't really find one.
CLICK: Get the details on Fox's Rocky Horror remake
Cox tweeted about her excitement, saying, "I am so excited to be a part of #RockHorror legacy. #DontDreamItBeIt."
Cox is best known for her role as transgender inmate Sophia Burset on Netflix's "Orange is the New Black," and even earned an Emmy nomination for her portrayal. She was also the first openly transgender actress to earn an Emmy nomination.
The actress has appeared in numerous shows, including "The Mindy Project," "Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce," and "Faking It." She also landed a lead role in the CBS pilot "Doubt" as a transgender attorney — a role specifically written for Cox.
Rocky Horror will be produced by Lou Adler, who was also an executive producer on the original film. Adler is partnering with Gail Berman for the reimagining. The project has been in development since 2014.
PHOTOS: Find out the fates of your favorite shows


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By Brandon Dumsky
There's a light-hearted farce showing in Independence just before Valentine's Day.
William Chrisman High School's theater department is performing "The Matchmaker" today, Friday and Saturday. All performances begin at 7 p.m. in the high school's auditorium. This play by Thornton Wilder is the basis for the Tony Award-winning musical and film starring Barbra Streisand, "Hello, Dolly!"
The period piece takes place at the turn of the 20th century where a grumpy, old man by the name of Horace Vandergelder hires the flamboyant and outspoken Dolly Levi to arrange a marriage for his niece, Ermengarde. However, the opposite happens when the parties playing Cupid fall for each other instead.
"It's classic, timeless and never been done before here," says Kim Hayes, the play's director and William Chrisman's theater instructor. "And on top of that, it costs less than going to a movie."
Hayes says both cast and crew researched their roles and worked diligently despite the short time window since their last elaborate production, "Guys and Dolls."
"It was a good time to perform this with the right people."
What particularly attracted Jesse Ewart to the role of Vandergelder was the blatant sexism that was considered the norm in the play's 1890s time period.
"It was fun behaving how they did in those days," says Jesse. "My character says a part like, 'marriage is a bribe to make a woman a housekeeper while making her think she is a householder.' "
Rest assured, though, the play's titular character, Dolly, gives Vandergelder grief by saying, "A husband is someone that needs to spread the wealth."
Above all, it�s "live theater," says Hayes. "You don't know what can happen."
Tickets are $5 in advance and $6 at the door. For more information or ticket purchases, contact William Chrisman High School at 816-521-5355.
Horace Vandergelder - Jesse Ewart Ambrose Kemper - Michael Tonga Joe Scanlon - Spencer Long Gertrude - Melody Burns Cornelius Hackl - Nick Ferrell Ermengarde - Renee Kavanaugh Malachi Stack - Michael Morris Dolly Levi - Allie Weston Baraby Tucker - Aaron Upton Mr. Irene Malloy - Alexis Lorenz Minnie Fay - Alexis Snell Rudolph - Ryan Thompson Cabman - Dakota Kinslow August - Spencer Long Miss Van Huysen - Rachael Mallinson Cook - Jaleah Johnson


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Phils aiming to buck their recent Draft history
PHILADELPHIA -- General manager Ruben Amaro Jr. will say every First-Year Player Draft is important, which is true.
Drafts can make or break organizations.
PHILADELPHIA -- General manager Ruben Amaro Jr. will say every First-Year Player Draft is important, which is true.
Drafts can make or break organizations.
But this one is especially vital for the Phillies, who have the seventh-overall pick in the first round tonight -- their highest since they made right-hander Gavin Floyd the fourth-overall choice in 2001. They also selected Cole Hamels with the No. 17 pick in 2002. But since then, the best thing that can be said about the organization's first-round picks is that two of them (Kyle Drabek and Travis d'Arnaud) helped them acquire Roy Halladay from the Blue Jays in December 2009.
Greg Golson, Joe Savery, Adrian Cardenas, Zach Collier, Anthony Hewitt and Larry Greene are among some of the names dotting that list.
"Circumstances are a little different," Phillies assistant general manager of amateur scouting Marti Wolever said. "Seven or eight years ago, you had to have an opportunity to play here. If you were a first baseman or a second baseman or a shortstop or a catcher, guess what, you weren't going to play here for a while. ... You reach out and you take Golsons and Saverys -- and you roll the dice on Anthony Hewitt -- and you hope that you hit, based on their tools and their athletic ability. Some do, some don't, and some of them haven't -- and we need to do a better job in that regard. But [making picks is] based on a lot of factors that come into play."
Forty-six Phillies Draft picks have reached the big leagues over the previous 10 Drafts (2004-13), which ties for seventh-best in baseball. But the quality of those picks ranks last. According to Baseball Reference, the combined WAR (Wins Above Replacement) of Phillies Draft picks over the past 10 years is 20.7, which is a remarkable 24.6 points lower than the 29th ranked Blue Jays (45.3).
The Red Sox (142.7), Braves (133.3) and Angels (124.4) are the top three teams.
There are things to consider with those rankings. First, recent Draft picks do not figure into the equation as much, if at all, because they are still coming through the farm system or just beginning their big league careers. Class A Lakewood shortstop J.P. Crawford, whom the Phillies selected in the first round last year, could be a superstar. But he nets the Phillies nothing to date. The same can be said for former Draft picks Jarred Cosart and Jon Singleton, who are with the Astros.
Second, the Phillies have not selected higher than 16th overall in the past 10 years. There is a big difference drafting high in the first round compared to the low first round. Third, the rankings consider players drafted, whether or not they signed with the organization. So the Angels get credit for selecting Buster Posey in the 50th round in 2005 and Matt Harvey in the third round in 2007, even though neither signed.
But, generally speaking, the Phillies have not fared well in those Drafts. Their top three performers based on WAR are J.A. Happ (5.6, third-round pick in 2004), A.J. Griffin (4.4, 34th round in 2009, but did not sign) and Vance Worley (3.6, 20th round in 2005 and third round in 2008).
"I think Marti has done a very good job," Amaro said. "We've got players who are on this field right now -- like [Darin] Ruf, [Ryan] Howard and others -- that are products of Marti's Drafts. Guys like [David] Buchanan and others. Those are guys that have made an impact on the organization. Is there room for improvement? Yeah.
"We want to do better in all of our areas. I think we've done pretty darn well, but there is room for improvement anywhere."
Amaro has scouted amateur players in previous Drafts, but he has been scouting more this year. Asked if one could infer he is asserting himself more, based on recent Drafts, Amaro said, "I go pretty much every year. This year, it's a little easier to target. When you're at seven, as opposed to be being at 17 and 30, you just don't have any idea who to scout. You don't have any idea of who's going to be there in those spots. You have a little better idea when you get your top 10 lists from all the area guys. You have a better idea of who may be there."
"We never talk about the guys on the back end," said Wolever. "All people talk about is those first-round picks. Well, the Draft for me is a [heck] of a lot deeper than that. We've had very good luck behind that. First-round picks are important, certainly. That's where most of the money is spent. But this goes 40 rounds, and we try to bear down all the way through."
The 2014 Draft will take place Thursday-Saturday, beginning with the Draft preview show on MLB.com and MLB Network on Thursday at 6 p.m. ET. Live Draft coverage from MLB Network's Studio 42 begins at 7 p.m. ET, with the top 74 picks being streamed on MLB.com and broadcast on MLB Network. MLB.com's exclusive coverage of the second and third days will begin with a live Draft show at 12:30 p.m. ET on Friday.
MLB.com's coverage includes Draft Central, the Top 100 Draft Prospects list and Draft Tracker, a live interactive application that includes a searchable database of Draft-eligible players. Every selection will be tweeted live from @MLBDraftTracker, and fans can also keep up to date by following @MLBDraft and tagging tweets with #mlbdraft.
In about 50 words
Wolever offered an interesting take on the organization's drafting philosophy, when he said, "Baseball's mindset has changed. I think baseball players with great makeup -- and maybe not as much ability -- sometimes have a way of getting there and being better than you ever anticipated them being. We've tried to have a balance here, where we've incorporated baseball players but also picked high-ceiling guys. I think it's even more important to be a baseball player with good makeup now more than ever before."
The scoop
The Phillies have plenty of short-term needs, but do they choose a player who is close to big league ready and pass on a potential superstar? They have reached in the past and come up short, but they also may have hit big last year with Crawford.
"We certainly would like to have a guy that could get in here quickly and contribute to this club, considering the age of the club and where we're at," Wolever said. "That would certainly be something I hope to consider. And you have to weigh your options. If the option is a guy who you think has a chance to be a No. 1 starter in the rotation down the road, what do you want to do? I think, at that point, it's a great discussion we'll have again and make a decision."
First-round buzz
Wolever said there is no chance the Phillies will take a pitcher with health issues, not when they are picking this high. High school shortstop Nick Gordon could be had, but Crawford already looks like the shortstop of the future. There are plenty of college pitchers available. Maybe the Phillies break from tradition and take a more polished arm.
Money matters
Phillies bonus pool
|Pick value
Under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, each team has an allotted bonus pool equal to the sum of the values of that club's selections in the first 10 rounds of the Draft. The more picks a team has -- and the earlier it picks -- the larger the pool. The signing bonuses for a team's selections in the first 10 rounds, plus any bonus greater than $100,000 for a player taken after the 10th round, will apply toward the bonus-pool total.
Any team going up to five percent over its allotted pool will be taxed at a 75-percent rate on the overage. A team that overspends by 5-10 percent gets a 75-percent tax, plus the loss of a first-round pick. A team that goes 10-15 percent over its pool amount will be hit with a 100-percent penalty on the overage, as well as the loss of a first- and second-round pick. Any overage of 15 percent or more gets a 100-percent tax, plus the loss of first-round picks in the next two Drafts.
The Phillies have a combined $10,118,500 for international signings and Draft picks. They have $6,896,700 for the Draft, which is 14th in baseball.
Shopping list
The Phillies cannot be terribly picky. They could use a bit of everything, but they have had trouble finding quality outfielders in the system. It is a focus.
"We've had some high-ceiling guys," Wolever said. "We've had trouble keeping them healthy. For whatever reason, we've had a lot of trouble with that. It's a real long process -- especially for the high school kids. It's a long, tedious process, and we need to do a better job with that."
Trend watch
The Phillies have selected a high school player or pitcher with their top pick every year since selecting Savery in the first round in 2007. But that could change this year.
"I hope we have the choice between a high-ceiling high school guy and a close-to-Major League-ready player," Amaro said. "That'll be up for a very, very good discussion. When the time comes, we'll know. We'll try to make the best decision for the short term and long term. You always like to get a guy that's going to be close to the big leagues. But if that guy doesn't exist, if that player isn't there to be taken, then you want to take the best player you possibly can."
Rising fast
The Phillies selected right-hander Ken Giles in the seventh round of the 2011 Draft. He could be in the big leagues soon, based on his success this season at Double-A Reading and Triple-A Lehigh Valley, his ability to throw 100 mph and a struggling big league bullpen.
Cinderella story
Left-hander Mario Hollands surprised a lot of people in Spring Training, as a non-roster invitee who was left unprotected in the Rule 5 Draft. Hollands, a 10th-round pick in 2010, made the team out of camp and has been an effective member of the bullpen.
In The Show
Buchanan, a right-hander whom the Phillies selected in the seventh round in 2010, joined Hollands as one of Spring Training's bright spots. He recently earned a promotion to the big leagues, as injured left-hander Cliff Lee's replacement in the rotation. He picked up a win in his first big league start.
The Phillies' recent top picks
2013: Crawford, SS, Class A Lakewood
2012: Shane Watson, RHP, injured
2011: Larry Greene, OF, Class A Lakewood
2010: Jesse Biddle, LHP, Double-A Reading
2009: Kelly Dugan, OF, Double-A Reading
Todd Zolecki is a reporter for MLB.com.


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During the Confederate retreat following the Battle of Gettysburg, George W. Peterkin of the 21st VA Infantry found a few moments to write his father about the battle and the losses suffered by the army. In 1878, Peterkin became the first Episcopal bishop in the new Diocese of West Virginia.
Hd. Qrs. Arty. Corps. A. N. Va.
Dear Father
We got near Hagerstown last night, after a very fatiguing march, fatiguing not so much on account of the length and rapidity of our marches as on account of the crowded roads and the tedious slowness of our progress. on account of the gaps in the mountains our line of march was confined to one or two roads, and indeed sometimes all the troops were on one road. owing to this circumstance, we moved with great trouble, starting early in the morning and being on the road until very late at night, and worst of all making very little distance. The wagons would block up the road continually and we would be halting continually - We have had the biggest fight of the war at Gettysburg and the result of the whole was that we were repulsed. I cannot properly estimate our loss but I imagine it was about fifteen thousand, The Baltimore American of July 4th admits a loss of thirty thousand men and says their army was terribly cut up especially by our Artillery. They say we had six hundred pieces of artillery in the battle - They had made preparations to retreat and actually had begun to fall back towards Washington, So much for their army. Now the truth of the case is this, that on Wednesday evening we came across the Yankees at Gettysburg. This side of the town we drove them from their position with great slaughter taking about five thousand prisoners the next day we attacked them again and drove them back from the centre of their left. We were not able to turn their extreme left the mountain on which it rested was almost impregnable and resisted our utmost efforts to take it. the same day Genl. Ewell took a strong position on our left but was unable to hold it. so far we had the decided advantage, and on the morning of the third day we occupied the ground from which they had been driven, and posted our guns on the crest they had occupied the evening previous, beyond this we went no farther, We commenced our attack by a furious cannonade, the most tremendous of the war and, according to the statements of their papers and prisoners destructive to such a degree that they had to detail infantrymen to work their guns, the slaughter among their troops by this fire they report as very great. a great number of their caissons were blown up and a considerable of guns disabled. To sum up the whole matter we attacked their position, Genl. Pickett's Division gallantly took the enemy's works but were unable to hold them, not supported - whose the fault I do not know or if there were any troops that could support them - our loss was very great you have I suppose heard the casualties - We were all mercifully spared of our friends I have not been fully informed. The information I may give is as correct as I have been able to obtain. Thom. Harrison is wounded. I don't know how badly and I am afraid he is in the hands of the enemy - Col. Wm. D. Stewart was wounded I expect you will hear of him in Richmond soon. Our loss in generals was very great - wounded Maj. Genls. Hood, Heth & Pender & Trimble - Brig. Genls. Armistead, Semmes, Pettigrew - killed Brig. Genls Barksdale, Garnett and Kemper (mortally wounded) - We are now camped near Hagerstown and waiting for the Yankees to attack us, we are afraid tho that they will not do so - in that case we will have to go after them - I have seen many strong positions in my life but never one the equal of the one the Yankees held at Gettysburg, we came near taking it even as it was we are very anxious to meet them on something like fair ground and we can give good account of ourselves I am satisfied - Between thirty & forty of Genl Ewells wagon train were captured and six or eight ambulances. I hear that their cavalry ran afoul of the trains of the other corps and captured a good many still I don't know about that. In addition to the Generals I mentioned, Genl Wade Hampton of the cavalry was severely wounded. The Maryland troops were engaged and suffered severely - I know of nothing definite concerning them. Give my best love to all at home I hope yet to get to Frederick before I get back to Virginia - I wish you would send me my pants by the first good opportunity. I don't care about bothering anybody with them, but I am in considerable need of them, one pair of these I have is worn out I am going to patch them up so they will render some service, and the others are going rapidly and have been completely spoiled in this rainy spell by taking color from the lining of my boots. so that anybody, judging by my pants, from my knees down would say I belonged to the cavalry, as they are perfectly yellow - However I hope soon to get a chance to have a pair of pants made up from the corduroy I purchased in Chambersburg - it is first rate material and will make me a very serviceable pair - I would like that cloth I left at home made up. I think on the whole a regular frock coat is the most serviceable of all. I will put the instructions to Mr. Gary on a separate piece of paper so that there can be no mistake. Did mother get the letter I sent from Chambersburg telling her of the dress I got for Beck - I will try to send it down to Richmond - We are having a very rainy spell, and in consequence the Potomac is very high, we cross it now in ferry boats and will have a pontoon bridge laid down in a day or two - We all hope they will come on and attack us here or anywhere else that Genl Lee may choose I would like very much to see the Richmond papers, I suppose we will begin to get some kind of a mail in a few days, I have not gotten a letter since we left Culpeper Ct.H. the 16th day of June - Kinlock is very well, he has gone on with Pickett's Division, which is guarding the prisoners. I don't know how far they are going, according to the present arrangement, prisoners are exchanged at city point - give my love to mother, Beck cousin Ellen Mrs. & D. Williams - Maryland is most too far from Richmond for me to turn up after a fight as I used to do when we were at Fredericksburg some of these days we will get down there again. If there is any real peace party in the North now is the time for them to speak, when their pride has been somewhat flattered by our unsuccessful attack of Gettysburg. A letter directed "thru' Genl Lee" would reach me. Mamie said she would write to mother and let her know how they were all getting along.
Ever Your Aff [affectionate] son
Geo. W. Peterkin
P.S. The sends his love to all and asks me to enclose a few postage stamps, he captured in a yankee mail near Washington. GWP
Danger Lewis wants you to send his boy Henry up by the first opportunity either to Genl Steratts Hd Qrs or to Audley -


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In Between the Numbers: New Year's Resolutions
OK, retail technologists. It's the new year. Time for resolutions.
Grab the pencil (so you can revise, not erase) and the notepad, plug in the earbuds, and settle into your thinking chair. And take the first step in getting rid of those old bad habits.
Resolve to address those big, ugly, long-standing structural weaknesses that weigh you down like a ball and chain. Weaknesses like the non-integrated, multiple databases residing within the legacy applications. Like the oft taken-for-granted time-to-capability performance (caused by a legacy store architecture) that measures all-store roll-outs in years and gets a constant eyeroll and deep sigh from the SVP of Ops.
Resolve to look that ancient, deeply-customized application that you prop each year with more people and money squarely in the eye.
Resolve to lose weight. Heavy, power-sucking, PO-abusing CPU weight. Virtualize the data centers and start the process of removing CPUs (and all the break-fix maintenance costs) from the store. Thin is in. So is operational simplicity.
Resolve to demand value from your vendors – which, as we all know, is different from the lowest price. Demand that they help you solve specific business problems. Demand that they bring their best strategists and thinkers to the table.
Resolve to ignore all the one-off shiny technologies du jour. Easier said than done, especially with NRF around the corner, the marketing SVP sputtering that "everyone else is doing it," and the CEO remarking that his nephew had one at Christmas. (Mobility! Smartphone apps! Tablets! Interactive kiosks! Ooooh!)
Resolve to embrace BYOD, and push it forward. Your corporate leaders of tomorrow won't necessarily thank you. It's just that they'll be willing to work for you instead of the competition.
Resolve to toss out of the room any consultant or vendor sales rep who talks about "customer experience" without detailed considerations of your segment, your price point, your brand promise, and the overall customer journey by persona – all the way through service and loyalty. Resolve to ask them how many times they've visited your stores.
What am I missing?
In an effort to keep conversations fresh, Cisco Blogs closes comments after 60 days. Please visit the Cisco Blogs hub page for the latest content.


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i certainly hope Krugman is wrong.
i certainly hope Krugman is wrong.
I do too.
We publish our production numbers daily. I walked in this morning and couldn't believe what I saw, especially in light of the summer months being slow. We are having an outstanding June. We're making piles of money, hiring people, bringing in consultants for training, and having parties.
I just talked to one of my customers who makes parts for electrical meters - business is good.
I don't know what to make of it. Implicitly, there is some sensationalism in news. I trust what I see.
Well if you read the following you might begin to think that maybe Krugman knows what he is talking about. According to this article on Ireland they have tried (2 years ago) what Europe is now talking about doing and it has backfired on them.
Last edited by Havakasha; 06-28-2010 at 11:30 PM.
What did you think of the Ireland article?


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Two Covelo pot growers were among 18 defendants who pleaded guilty at the end of 2011 and beginning of 2012 in a multi-state federal marijuana prosecution originating in Virginia. The defendants received sentences ranging from five to 18 years in federal prison.
The operation generated profits estimated at $3 million from 2005 until the June 2011 arrests, according to court documents. The operation mailed packages of boutique California marijuana to individuals and groups in Virginia, Georgia, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Texas, Louisiana, Florida, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
The ringleader, Anthony Guidry, 46, of Vallejo, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute 100 kilos of marijuana or more and possession of a firearm in the furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and is now serving 220 months in federal prison.
Guidry could have been sentenced from 40 years to life in prison.
He and all the other defendants also agreed to forfeit all assets including guns, property, a motorcycle, banking accounts and cash discovered by federal agents.
Agents seized 71 total pounds of weed and about $160,000 in cash from various locations during the arrests.
Guidry purchased specialty bud marijuana from a variety of sources throughout Northern California including Anthony Scott Giuliani, 45, and Annette Marie Ross, 52, both of Covelo.
Giuliani and Ross pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute 100 kilos of marijuana or more and are now serving five years in federal prison. When a search warrant was executed at their Covelo home, law enforcement found 58 plants, five pounds of processed marijuana, a loaded shotgun and a loaded pistol near the pot, and five other firearms at the residence.
As a condition of the plea deal, they agreed to provide law enforcement with the complete details of their operation and to testify as needed by prosecutors.
Ross began providing Guidry with "wholesale amounts of marijuana that Guidry would sell for profit" in 2005, according to court records. Ross appears to be one of Guidry"s earliest confederates. Ross began dating Giuliani in 2007, when she introduced him to Guidry.
Ross and Giuliani admitted to growing pot at their Covelo residence for Guidry and to purchasing pot from a number of other local growers living in and around Covelo. Based on wiretap conversations, Ross was likely an occasional courier for Guidry.
Guidry also had an expanding group of distributors, some of whom apparently mailed pot with other hard drugs in packages typically weighing between three and 10 pounds. The distributors recruited individual sales representatives, many of whom broke down the blocks of weed into ounce packets for personal sales.
Guidry purchased pot for as little as $1,200 per pound; the distributors typically received more than $5,000 per pound in return. One of the group"s biggest challenges was moving the cash around without attracting attention from bank regulators. Another was shipments of pot and cash getting "lost in the mail."
One of his East Coast distributors recruited an ever-growing group of friends and family members willing to accept pot shipments to avoid raising the suspicions of postal, Fedex and UPS workers. The group admitted it was "sometimes necessary and prudent to use violence to enforce debts" in court documents.
Whenever a bank became too inquisitive, members of the group would open a new account at a different bank or arrange for a courier to fly out to transport the cash.
The entire plot began to unravel when Virginia police arrested Moataz Mohammad Masoud in January 2010 with $2,000 cash, three pounds of pot and a sales list of people owing him a total of $20,000. Masoud was still on probation after a 2008 conviction for intent to deliver marijuana for sale.
Masoud phoned several members of the network from the tapped phone at the jail asking for help to collect enough money to pay for his lawyer. Detectives from a growing number of state and federal agencies began investigating the people Masoud called. By the time the conspirators were arrested in June 2011, agents had intercepted more than 14,000 calls or texts from across the nation and tracked 38 marijuana packages and 21 bulk-cash packages.
Most of the individual conspirators received five-year prison sentences; the main distributors got 90 months. In exchange for a reduction in the number of counts and charges, all defendants agreed to provide law enforcement with detailed accounts of their operations.


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I'm releasing two original novels on Kindle next week.
I was thinking about the perfect time to release these novels. After all, print novels have release dates. Shouldn't ebooks?
During my reverie, I realized something pretty important: The term "release date" is now archaic and no longer applies.
Print books traditionally have a coop period--which is a length of time the publisher pays the bookstores to keep them on the shelves. Then, once the period ends, most or all of the unsold books get returned.
If you're lucky and have sold enough copies, or your publisher made a deal with the bookstore, a few books will stay on the shelf for a while. But most of the time, they won't.
This meant release dates were important. Both competition, and timing, played a role in when a book came out. So did pre-publication buzz. Galley copies needed to be sent to blurbers and reviewers. There needed to be a press release, and perhaps a laydown date for the book launch.
But with ebooks, none of this matters.
As I mentioned, I'm releasing two original novels on Kindle next week. They're Jack Kilborn horror books, called TRAPPED and ENDURANCE.
This is a big deal for me, because both of these books had traditional print offers. The big boys in NY offered me $$$ to publish these. But I turned them down, and I believe I'm the very first author to do that and self-publish as ebooks instead.
I was considering waiting until the 70% royalty rate comes into play before releasing these books. Amazon is switching from 35% to 70% on July 1. On the surface it makes sense: wait until I can get more money per copy.
But beneath the surface, it makes no sense at all to wait.
I've really struggled with wrapping my head around this concept, so let me try to explain.
My ebooks have been steadily selling more copies each month, since April 2009. This is not how it works in print publishing. In print, you sell a lot the first two months, then sales drop off. In a print model, it would make sense to wait, because I'd make more money if I waited until the royalty rate got better in July.
But in the case of ebooks, if I can count on each month outperforming the previous month, then the longer I wait, the more money I lose.
This is no longer a case of only X number of books being sold. Ebooks don't go out of print. They can technically keep selling forever.
The sooner "forever" begins, the more money the author can earn.
Get it?
If I wait until next month to publish these, I'll miss two full weeks of sales. Money that could be in my pocket.
Why would I defer that until later?
Yeah, I'm still struggling with the logic here myself. My head is so stuck in the old ways, that these new ways still don't make much sense.
Except that they do make sense.
Here's an analogy, to help better explain it.
Let's say you want to get some free electricity, so you build a windmill. Next month is when the high wind season begins, and once that happens, you'll be getting twice as much electricity as you would if you built it now.
Does that mean you should wait a month to build the windmill? No, because you're missing out on all the wind--and electricity--that you could be getting right away.
In this scenario, strange as it seems, waiting is a loss.
So when should you list your book?
A soon as it's perfect and ready. Waiting for a future date means losing sales.
As the walrus said, the time has come. Each day you wait, is a day you could have made some money.
So what exactly are you waiting for?
Friday, June 18, 2010
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Using a custom light table, photographer Aaron Ansarov has captured the ethereal and frightening beauty of Portuguese Man o' Wars in his series "Zooids." Each one of these floating, compound marine animals are actually a colony of four different kinds of organism, each adapted to perform a specific function for the benefit of the whole, unable to survive on their own.
"As if looking through a special lens into a different dimension, Aaron has given them personalities that seems to shift with every viewer. Through Aaron's masterful use of light, technique, and ability to go beyond the obvious, we are able to see patterns come together to create a fine-art collection of images entitled, Zooids: Faces of Tiny Warriors-beautiful creatures seeking their place in the world."
Like gorgeous Rorschach tests, the images are symmetrical and abstract, familiar and indecipherable. The photographs are fine art, ready for display, yet scientists use them for research as well, since the creatures can only be kept alive in a lab for a limited time.
Why are these creatures so beautiful? From an ecological perspective, they don't need to lure their prey with their multi-colored translucent displays. They look like blown glass, colorful and tactile, yet touching one would result in painful stings and welts from its long, stringy tentacles. It's certainly a metaphor, that something so lovely can cause so much pain.
Ansarov finds the Portuguese Man o' Wars on the beaches in Florida, having been blown ashore by the wind. He takes them to his studio, shoots them, and then returns them to the place on the beach where he found them, allowing nature to decide their fate.
"I have two rules with this project. The first is that captured creatures must be released unharmed. The second rule is that I keep shoots to 15 minutes or less, even if I don't get the picture I hoped for. I don't want to frighten my subjects. Besides, there's always another time-they live right here." (Source)


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Ron Paul won the GOP caucus in the Virgin Islands, or at least he won the most votes according to the Virgin Islands Republican Party.
Right now the count stands this way:
384 total cast
112 to Paul (29%)
101 to Romney (26%)
23 to Santorum (6%)
18 to Gingrich (5%)
The rest of the votes went to other candidates or were officially "undecided."
But as with all caucuses it isn't that simple.
The AP and others reported yesterday that Mitt Romney won the Virgin Islands caucus.
And they aren't entirely wrong, because of the crazy rules that are around caucuses, Mitt Romney was able to qualify for more delegates, and win them. One of the "uncommitted" delegates also went to Romney.
So maybe the media isn't entirely unjustified in saying Romney won it.
But we think they buried the real story.
The Paul campaign should celebrate this small victory! It is the first territory where Paul has clearly beaten Romney in a popular vote, no matter how small.
-via Jesse Walker


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On October 27, 2012, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla returned to American Legion Post #308 in Reseda, CA, for Failure to Communicate, and what a return it was! Not only did Michael Elgin do his best impression of "Mr. Wrestling" Kevin Steen by pulling double duty, but Kenny Omega was back in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla for the first time in nearly three years! What, that's not enough for you? Alright Mr. or Mrs. Hard-to-Please, Failure to Communicate also saw Kevin Steen defending his title against Michael Elgin and Ricochet, the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla debut of Rich Swann, Davey Richards and Sami Callihan beating the crap out of each other, and so much more!
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla's Failure to Communicate is now on DVD for only $14.99, and is available right now on the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla Merchandise Page! Order your copies today!


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Standard ECMA-157
Private Telecommunication Networks (PTN)
- Signalling Protocol at the S Reference Point - Identification
Supplementary Services (SSIG-ID)
2nd edition (June 1993)
This Ecma Standard specifies the signalling protocol for the
support of identification supplementary services at an interface
at the S reference point between a Terminal Equipment (TE) and
a Private Telecommunication Network (PTN). The Protocol specified
in this Standard is an extension of the layer 3 protocol for the
support of circuit mode basic services, as specified in ETS 300
192. The identification supplementary services concerned are Supplementary
Service Calling Line Identification Presentation (SS-CLIP), Supplementary
Service Connected Line Identification Presentation (SS-COLP) and
Supplementary Service Calling / Connected Line Identification
Restriction (SS-CLIR).
Service specifications are produced in three stages, according
to the method specified in ENV 41005. This Standard satisfies
the requirements identified by the stage 1 and stage 2 specifications
in Standard ECMA-148. This Standard
is applicable to user accesses of PTNXs and to TEs which are intended
for connection to PTNs.
The impact on the protocol of interactions between the supplementary
services specified in this Standard and other supplementary services
is outside the scope of this Standard.
The following file can be freely downloaded:
The previous replaced "historical" edition of this Ecma Standard is available here.