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Posts Tagged 'Databases'
A Few (More) Myths about "Big Data"
Following on from Kate Crawford's recent and excellent elaboration of six myths about "big data", I should like to add four more that highlight important issues about such data that can misguide us if we ignore them or are ignorant of them.
Myth 7: Big data are precise.
As with analyses of almost any other kind of data, big data analyses largely consists of estimates. Often these estimates are based on sample data rather than population data, and the samples may not be representative of their referent populations (as Crawford points out, but also see Myth 8). Moreover, big data are even less likely than "ordinary" data to be free of recording errors or deliberate falsification.
Even when the samples are good and the sample data are accurately recorded, estimates still are merely estimates, and the most common mistake decision makers and other stakeholders make about estimates is treating them as if they are precise or exact. In a 1990 paper I referred to this as the fallacy of false precision. Estimates always are imprecise, and ignoring how imprecise they are is equivalent to ignoring how wrong they could be. Major polling companies gradually learned to report confidence intervals or error-rates along with their estimates and to take these seriously, but most government departments apparently have yet to grasp this obvious truth.
Why might estimate error be a greater problem for big data than for "ordinary" data? There are at least two reasons. First, it is likely to be more difficult to verify the integrity or veracity of big data simply because it is integrated from numerous sources. Second, if big datasets are constructed from multiple sources, each consisting of an estimate with its own imprecision, then these imprecisions may propagate. To give a brief illustration, if estimate X has variance x2, estimate Y has variance y2, X and Y are independent of one another, and our "big" dataset consists of adding X+Y to get Z, then the variance of Z will be x2 + y2.
Myth 8: Big data are accurate.
There are two senses in which big data may be inaccurate, in addition to random variability (i.e., sampling error): Biases, and measurement confounds. Economic indicators of such things as unemployment rates, inflation, or GDP in most countries are biased. The bias stems from the "shadow" (off the books) economic activity in most countries. There is little evidence that economic policy makers in most countries pay any attention to such distortions when using economic indicators to inform policies.
Measurement confounds are a somewhat more subtle issue, but the main idea is that data may not measure what we think it is measuring because it is influenced by extraneous factors. Economic indicators are, again, good examples but there are plenty of others (don't get me started on the idiotic bibliometrics and other KPIs that are imposed on us academics in the name of "performance" assessment). Web analytics experts are just beginning to face up to this problem. For instance, webpage dwell times are not just influenced by how interested the visitor is in the content of a webpage, but may also reflect such things as how difficult the contents are to understand, the visitor's attention span, or the fact that they left their browsing device to do something else and then returned much later. As in Myth 7, bias and measurement confounds may be compounded in big data to a greater extent than they are in small data, simply because big data often combines multiple measures.
Myth 9. Big data are stable.
Data often are not recorded just once, but re-recorded as better information becomes available or as errors are discovered. In a recent Wall Street Journal article, economist Samuel Rines presented several illustrations of how unstable economic indicator estimates are in the U.S. For example, he observed that in November 2012 the first official estimate of net employment increase was 146,000 new jobs. By the third revision that number had increased by 68% to 247,000. In another instance, he pointed out that American GDP annual estimates each year typically are revised several times, and often substantially, as the year slides into the past.
Again, there is little evidence that people crafting policy or making decisions based on these numbers take their inherent instability into account. One may protest that often decisions must be made before "final" revisions can be completed. However, where such revisions in the past have been recorded, the degree of instability in these indicators should not be difficult to estimate. These could be taken into account, at the very least, in worst- and best-case scenario generation.
Myth 10. We have adequate computing power and techniques to analyse big data.
Analysing big data is a computationally intense undertaking, and at least some worthwhile analytical goals are beyond our reach, in terms of computing power and even, in some cases, techniques. I'll give just one example. Suppose we want to model the total dwell time per session of a typical user who is browsing the web. The number of items on which the user dwells is a random variable, and so is the amount of dwell time for each item. The total dwell time, then, is what is called a "randomly stopped sum". The expression for the probability distribution of a randomly stopped sum doesn't have a closed form (it's an infinite sum), so it can't be modelled via conventional statistical estimation techniques (least-squares or maximum likelihood). Instead, there are two viable approaches: Simulation and Bayesian hierarchical MCMC. I'm writing a paper on this topic, and from my own experience I can declare that either technique would require a super-computer for datasets of the kind dealt with, e.g., by NRS PADD.


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A troglodyte of a team owner got his comeuppance this week for making incredibly stupid comments about race. But let's be clear.
Racism isn't widespread among sports team owners.
Greed is.
Exhibit A: The $8 billion charged by the Dodgers for broadcast rights to their games knowing full well that pay-TV companies would have to pass along this sky-high cost to all customers.
Time Warner Cable is the Dodgers' partner in crime. It paid that whopping sum for exclusive rights to distribute the Dodgers channel to other pay-TV companies, assuming, like the team, that it would get away with sticking both fans and non-fans with an extra $4 to $5 fee every month.
The harsh reality, however, is that most Southern California pay-TV customers already are forking out big bucks for local sports that they may never watch.
Loren Price, 59, of Lake Elsinore noticed recently that the "regional sports fee" on his Verizon FiOS bill had jumped to $3.48 a month from $2.42 — a 44% increase.
The fee helps defray Verizon's cost for four channels in Southern California: Fox Sports West, Fox Sports Prime Ticket and Time Warner Cable's Lakers channel in both English and Spanish.
It doesn't include the more than $5 monthly cost of ESPN, the nearly $1 cost of the NFL Network, the roughly 40-cent charge of Fox College Sports, or any of the other sports channels that are packaged into most people's TV plans, regardless of whether they want them.
Sports channels account for roughly half of the average monthly pay-TV bill, according to industry estimates. And if you're not a sports fan, you're subsidizing those who are.
Price said he's a hockey fan and watches other sports only "if there's nothing else on." Being forced to pay for sports channels he doesn't want, he said, "is a waste of money."
I couldn't agree more. I'm not much of a sports fan myself, so I too waste big bucks on channels I neither want nor watch.
Jarryd Gonzales, a Verizon spokesman, said the FiOS regional sports fee is assessed "to address the skyrocketing incremental sports content costs associated with this popular programming."
DirecTV, the satellite company, introduced its own regional sports fee in 2012. It climbed this year to $3.63 from $3 a month, in large part to underwrite the added cost of the English- and Spanish-language Lakers channels.
A spokeswoman for Dish Network said the No. 2 satellite provider does not have a regional sports fee "at this time." A spokeswoman for AT&T said the company's U-verse service also doesn't charge a regional sports fee.
But just because such fees aren't broken out doesn't mean they're not on your bill.
I asked Dennis Johnson, a Time Warner Cable spokesman, whether the company levies a regional sports fee. He said it doesn't.
So I asked about the Lakers and Dodgers channels. How much do they cost subscribers?
"Our customers aren't charged for specific channels," Johnson replied. "The price of Time Warner Cable TV services reflects a package of channels, plus the technology and service necessary to deliver the service."
I got a different answer when I called Time Warner Cable customer service and asked where I could find the Lakers and Dodgers channels on my bill.
A company rep answered that I couldn't find them because they're included in subscribers' digital packages. In other words, they're hidden.
I told the rep that I didn't want the two sports channels. Could she please delete them from my account?
The rep hung up. That's absolutely true. Ask my Times colleagues who were sitting nearby, snickering, as I sat there going, "Hello? Hello?"
I called Time Warner back and reached a different rep. I asked once again how much the Lakers and Dodgers channels cost me.
The rep said I'm not being charged for them at the moment because I'm still enjoying a special promotional rate. But when that promo rate ends next month, she said, my monthly bill will go up 23%.
Twenty-three percent. And much of that will be to cover the cost of two sports channels that I don't want and never watch.
Such runaway costs are a key factor in prompting a growing number of people to "cut the cord" and seek programming through online resources such as Netflix and Amazon.com.
A recent report from Experian Marketing Services found that about 7.6 million homes have abandoned pay-TV service while keeping high-speed Internet access. Other reports show that the younger and more wired a consumer is, the more likely it is that he or she will say adios to pay TV.
This is why DirecTV, Dish, Verizon and AT&T have balked at adding $4 to $5 to people's bills for a Dodgers channel.
"L.A. is already one of the world's most expensive places to watch sports, and networks like these encourage an even worse sense of entitlement by guaranteeing billions to teams without ever considering the financial burden to the pay-TV customer," said Robert Mercer, a DirecTV spokesman.
"Time Warner Cable's take-it-or-leave-it position is that everyone, including millions of non-Dodger fans, has to either bankroll their unprecedented Dodger deal or get shut out," he said.
I've long advocated for a la carte pricing — paying only for the channels you want. And I still believe that's the only equitable way to offer a service. Why should consumers be forced to pay for products they don't want?
Until we get there, though, it seems obvious that sports programming needs to be broken out into its own premium tier. Those who want sports can pay for it. Those who don't, won't.
This would have the added benefit of forcing team owners to stop being so money-grubbing. As long as they continue looking at fans — and non-fans — as their personal ATM, they'll continue feeling free to drive ticket and licensing costs into the stratosphere.
Clippers owner Donald Sterling is paying the price for being a narrow-minded jerk.
Why should the Dodgers' owners get a pass?
David Lazarus' column runs Tuesdays and Fridays. He also can be seen daily on KTLA-TV Channel 5 and followed on Twitter @Davidlaz. Send your tips or feedback to email@example.com.

subset: commoncrawl


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Craig Robertson, Anquan Boldin, Dimitri Patterson
Browns linebacker Craig Robertson, right, intercepts a pass from Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco, not pictured, that was intended for wide receiver Anquan Boldin, left, in the first quarter. The Browns' Dimitri Patterson, second from right, also defends on the play.
Karl Merton Ferron, Baltimore Sun
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Unique Seating Ideas for Weddings
When it comes to seating arrangements for a wedding ceremony and reception, it's often hard to see beyond the boxy shape and size of your venue. But instead of doing the usual thing — long rows of Chiavari chairs, or 10-person round or rectangular tables — consider these unusual and out-of-the-box ideas.
1. This circular ceremony from Green Wedding Shoes (photographed by Images by Lori) perfectly complements the intimate and casual vibe at a California olive oil farm.
2. At another farm wedding (also from Green Wedding Shoes) in British Columbia, Canada (from Green Ginger Photography), hay bales covered in mismatched fabrics serve as guest seating for the ceremony.
3. A sunny backyard wedding in Pennsylvania from Love Me Do Photography, via Green Wedding shoes, covered their hay bales in white and yellow linens to go with the cheerful ribbons lining their aisle.
4. At this Oregon vow renewal from Paige Jones Photography via Style Me Pretty, rustic wooden tables and benches meander through the grassy reception area in one long row.
5. Here's another take on the table-and-bench idea (also from an Oregon wedding!)
from You Look Nice Today Photography via Style Me Pretty. For more casual affairs, you
don't have to be tied to the standard table/chair/linen combo from
rental houses.
6. The bride and groom from this backyard California wedding (captured by Jenny Kim Photo and seen on Green Wedding Shoes) spent six months with a designer to custom-build an amazing triangular dining table with seating for 200.
7. This backyard Ohio wedding (photographed by Heather Waraksa and seen on Style Me Pretty) made creative use of their space with a spiral seating arrangement for the ceremony.
8. Continuing that theme of interconnectedness, the same Ohio wedding linked their tables and chairs through the forested backyard of the bride's parents' property.
(Images: As linked)


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The Best of the Music & Art Scene In New York From A to G. Daily!
Posted by The G on December 2, 2009 under G Reviews | Read the First Comment
G's Top Reissues of 2009
Read my reviews of my favorite reissued CDs of 2009 after the jump.
Read more of this article »
Tags: Amnesiac, CD, Celebration, Duran Duran, Hail To The Thief, I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama, In Rainbows, Janis Joplin, Kid A, Madonna, Ok Computer, Pablo Honey, Pearl Jam, Radiohead, Raoul and the Kings Of Spain, Reissues, Reviews, Rio, Tears For Fears, Ten, The Beatles, The Bends, The Woodstock Experience
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© 2019 According 2 G | All Rights Reserved


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|HSLDA Contests: ART | ESSAY | PHOTO | POETRY | VIDEO
|HSLDA Art Contest
|2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003
Special to Me
It is with great pleasure that we announce the results of the 2004 HSLDA Art Contest. Thank you to all those who participated for making the 2004 HSLDA Art Contest a wonderful success. You will find the results listed below by category.
We had 510 entries this year (compared to 127 last year), 169 in Category I (7-10), 216 in Category II (11-14), and 125 in Category III (15-18). The quality of the work entered last year was hard to beat, but this year's entries have raised the bar. The judges continue to be amazed with the quality of work created by our homeschooled artists. You can all be proud of the work you did.
Watch for more details on the 2004 HSLDA Art contest, including information on the judges and their comments in the January/February 2005 issue of the Home School Court Report as well as online.
Information about the 2005 Art Contest will be available in the spring.
"Special to Me"�People, places, and things that are special to you.
Click on artwork for a larger view.


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TRENTON, N.J. -- Disaster assistance to New Jersey survivors of Superstorm Sandy by the numbers as of July 15:
Total Federal Assistance: $5.3 billion
- $3.5 billion in total National Flood Insurance Program payments made on claims to date
- $403.3 million in FEMA grants approved for individuals and households
- $351 million for housing assistance
- $56.6 million for other needs
- $804.7 in SBA disaster loans approved for homeowners, renters and businesses
- $673 million approved in FEMA Public Assistance grants to state agencies, local communities and certain private nonprofit organizations that serve the public
- 261,817 people contacted FEMA for help or information
- 126,797 housing inspections completed
Individuals can check on the status of their applications at DisasterAssistance.gov, via smartphone or tablet at m.fema.gov, or by calling 800-621-3362 or TTY 800-462-7585. Those who use 711-Relay or Video Relay Services can call 800-621-3362.
Survivors can ask questions about their SBA disaster home or business loan applications by calling 800-659-2955 or TTY 800-877-8339 or emailing firstname.lastname@example.com.
Survivors who have questions about their flood insurance claims and the appeals process can call 800-427-4661.
Additional resources are available online at FEMA.gov/SandyNJ and SBA.gov/Sandy.
FEMA's mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.
Follow FEMA online at www.fema.gov/blog, www.twitter.com/fema, www.facebook.com/fema, and www.youtube.com/fema. Also, follow Administrator Craig Fugate's activities at www.twitter.com/craigatfema.
The social media links provided are for reference only. FEMA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies or applications.


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MIDDLEBURY — The discovery of environmental contamination at the Connor Homes building on Route 7 South in Middlebury has halted the planned sale of the 115,000-square-foot manufacturing plant to booming hard cider maker Green Mountain Beverage (GMB).
It also put on hold Connor Homes' plans to lease the 131,000-square-foot former Tubbs furniture plant in the Brandon Industrial Park.
MIDDLEBURY — Clouds tempered the sunshine Sunday morning, but the rain held off as 593 Middlebury College seniors received their degrees on a pleasantly warm but dry morning.
Commencement speaker Chris Waddell challenged those in the sea of hopeful young faces, some belonging to 20-somethings nervous about what life held next for them, to be prepared for the unexpected and to make the most of what life throws their way.
"It's not what happens to you. It's what you do with what happens to you," he said.
BRISTOL — As divided as it was, Monday's annual meeting of the Bristol Police District in Holley Hall was a testament to the effectiveness of democracy in a small-town setting. The 2010-2011 fiscal year police spending plan of $337,322 was passed by a thin margin of 19-16 in a paper ballot vote.
MIDDLEBURY — The Middlebury Volunteer Fire Department is proposing a $5.2 million makeover of its Seymour Street and East Middlebury stations, a plan that could go to the voters as soon as next March.
Members of the Middlebury Fire Station Committee outlined their preliminary plans to the town selectboard on Tuesday, calling for the replacement of the East Middlebury station with a slightly smaller, more energy efficient structure, and an expansion/renovation of the Seymour Street facility.
The full text of this article is only available to online subscribers.
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ADDISON COUNTY — On this Memorial Day Weekend, locals will get plenty of chances to remember the sacrifices of the women and men who died in service to our country and to feel the first thrills of summer in parades around the county.
Look for parades in Orwell, Middlebury, Vergennes and Bristol this weekend. There will also be readings of patriotic and nostalgic verse and plenty of men and women in uniform to go up and thank.
ADDISON COUNTY — Middlebury filmmaker Tim Joy is living proof that a guy can fulfill his boyhood dreams. He makes movies with a high-tech, radio-controlled helicopter and pulls off stunts with actual vehicles rigged to steer using an external device.
A group of residents and Ferrisburgh Central School officials is working to create both a year-round town recreation center on school property and a bicycle and pedestrian path that could link neighborhoods to the school.
Tim Bicknell, an FCS board member and a physician with a practice in Vergennes, has helped lead an effort that has included three meetings to discuss design and funding ideas.
GOSHEN/BRANDON — After a couple of weeks on the job as the new executive director of the Moosalamoo Association, Brandon resident Jenny Nixon Carter is getting her hands around the organization's expanding mission, while also getting a handle on the national recreation area's busy summer activities.
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Tem certeza?
This action might not be possible to undo. Are you sure you want to continue?
American Christians are obsessed with postmodernism. Books on the topic proliferate as Christians struggle to find their place and make a stand within the postmodern movement. There is a problem however. Postmodernist philosophy is on its way out. A new worldview is already taking root. Philosophers and pundits call the emerging worldview the Integral worldview. In this timely book, Fusco explores the new Integral worldview and what the church must do to stay Ahead of the Curve and be effective in the coming decades.
'Daniel Fusco writes a first-person report of what the future will be like for the American church as it engages an ever-changing cultural milieu. The insights in this book will help you prepare for future ministry in cultural settings more and more removed from any Christian context.'
Dr. Jeff Iorg
President, Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary
'Daniel Fusco is an intellectual with both theological and philosophical underpinnings that enable him to address the future wisely while being courteous towards the past. Furthermore, he is a practitioner who lives genuinely among the people of one of America's most post-postmodern contexts. Daniel personally embodies the integrity and the integration he writes about, and for which this nascent world longs.'
Linda Bergquist,
Author, Church Turned Inside Out: A Guide for Designers, Refiners and Re-Aligners


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A mental disorder with physical appearance-related discriminatory origins, similar to heightism in which a taller/bigger man can't bring himself to respect a proficient yet smaller man (and is unfriendly, ignorant, disrespectful or obnoxious to), but is openly considerate and chummy to men his size or taller... whom might or might not be proficient. A common condition affecting all workings of male pecking orders, but usually more openly evident behavior in teenage males, gang culture, young adults and Business professionals. Scientists believe it to be a pass-down of "primitive instincts" where the bigger men of old protected their tribe from wild animals and trespassing rivals from neighboring tribes, so were collectively deemed higher status than the smaller males.
"Nigel was a small man of 5ft6, the most talented and influential man at work, yet he was overlooked for promotion to a leadership role in favor of James, 6ft2, who's credentials and work flow weren't nearly as on a par. I guess Nigel's bosses had a case of Big Man Love."
"The all-male Engineering class disregarded Rupert, 5ft3, when they where asked to form groups of six for the college assignment."
"The all-male Engineering class disregarded Rupert, 5ft3, when they where asked to form groups of six for the college assignment."
by anodious September 20, 2009
buy the domain for your recipe site


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Tell Congress: Not. One. Acre.
Places like Puerto Rico's Vieques National Wildlife Refuge should be protected, not sold off to the highest bidder.
But that's exactly what will happen if House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Rob Bishop gets his way. It's outrageous and it's just the most recent attempt to sell off our public lands to make a quick buck.
Will you send a message to your members of Congress right now, telling them: Our public lands are not for sale. Not one acre.


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LESSONS must be learned to ensure builders do not damage Oxford's world famous views, campaigners warned last night.
Oxford University has been accused of blighting views of the city from Port Meadow with student accommodation blocks now under construction in Roger Dudman Way.
An online petition has been launched calling for the council to carry out a retrospective environmental impact assessment of the scheme, creating 312 flats and bedsits on unused railway land.
In three days it attracted 500 signatures.
Larry Sanders, Green Party county councillor for East Oxford, said: "The papers that the councillors would have seen consistently minimised the impact on Port Meadow.
"It is disappointing that city councillors did not look more carefully at the consequences of approval."
Oxford Preservation Trust said lessons must be learnt from the four and five storey Castle Mill scheme to ensure other world famous views are not spoilt for want of rigorous examination.
English Heritage has now agreed to fund a study into how Oxford views can be better protected.
The City Council's board member for city development, Colin Cook, has now warned Oxford faces losing more of its open spaces – impacting on other views – as the price of leaving the Green Belt untouched by development.
Mr Cook said: "The absence of places to build outside Oxford puts greater pressure on green spaces and brown field sites within the city boundary."
Mr Cook warned that until there was a review making some Green Belt land available for homes, Oxford would see developers focusing on open areas in the city.
Some Green Belt development, such as south of Grenoble Road, would have less environmental impact than building on open spaces in the city, he argued.
But he added councillors had found the university's Castle Mill application to be "reasonable and proportionate."
The buildings on unused railway land were described as "hideous" by the chairman of Oxford Civic Society, Peter Thompson.
With building work now well underway, he called on the university to re-examine its plans.
Detailed proposals including artists' impressions were included in the planning application.
But the Green Party expressed displeasure about the planning process, arguing the potential impact on a thousand-year-old heritage site should have warranted a full Environmental Impact Assessment.
Oxford University spokesman Matt Pickles said: "The planning application was submitted and approved in accordance with proper planning process.
"The issue of the views was dealt with at some length in the planning officer's report and discussed by councillors at length at the public planning meeting.
"There were no challenges to this decision prior to construction starting."
He also said trees will be planted in the hope of restoring a more natural landscape.


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Nick Sherman
Nick has posted 358 Uses.
Nick likes 66 Uses and has posted 61 Comments.
A founding member and lead designer of Fonts In Use, Nick is a Brooklyn-based typographer and typographic consultant. Nick has worked at Font Bureau, Webtype, and MyFonts, directing web design and promotional material for typefaces in print and digital media. Originally from Cape Cod, he is also a skateboarder, pizza enthusiast, printer, musician, and classic horror film buff.
Twitter: @NickSherman


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Battling the Kraken
The mobile Xbox Live lineup is getting better and better lately. This week we got Battleship, the first Live game with true online multiplayer, and next week's game… Wait for it… Final Fantasy I from Square Enix! Why Microsoft chose not to demo the game at E3, we'll never know.
Final Fantasy will be the first traditional RPG in the Windows Phone lineup. A direct port of the iPhone game which was a port of the PSP game which was a remake of the original Famicom version – it's like seven degrees of Kevin Bacon but with black mages and imps. Players will assemble a party of four warriors from a pool of iconic classes and then set out to save the world from the dastardly Elemental Fiends. Overworld and underworld navigation utilizes a funky-looking virtual pad for movement while the battles are more tap-focused. Numerous hours of role-playing goodness will ensue.
Windows Phone Central received these exclusive first screenshots of the mobile Xbox Live version of Final Fantasy I in action. You might be wondering about the black bars on the sides of the screens... It seems that Square Enix simply increased the lower resolution iPhone version of the game to match Windows Phone 7's vertical resolution without tweaking the the aspect ratio or UI elements for a wider display (I even did some resolution tests to confirm this). In other words, the original game ran at 480 x 320. The Windows Phone game's display has been resized to 720 x 480, leaving 80 pixels of dead space. Let's hope the screen will at least be centered in the final build - we'll find out in less than a week.
Final Fantasy I launches on Wednesday, June 13th and will cost $6.99 (two dollars less than on iPhone).
Garland the rogue knight has kidnapped princess Sarah.
This post may contain affiliate links. See our disclosure policy for more details.


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NORTHWOOD — The Coe-Brown Northwood Academy girls basketball team picked up its first Division II win of the season with Tuesday's 66-23 win over John Stark.
Jenny Schlim led the Bears (1-1) with 16 points, while Abby Ahern added 12 and Brandie Valentine tossed in nine.
Coe-Brown is at St. Thomas Friday.
St. Thomas 61, Kingswood 40
WOLFEBORO — The St. Thomas Aquinas High School girls basketball team opened its season in style on Tuesday night with a 61-40 win at Kingswood (1-1) in Division II action.
Meaghan Flynn scored 20 points to lead the Saints. Keara Sullivan scored 12 points with 11 rebounds and Reagan Williams scored 12 points via four 3-pointers. Hannah Turgeon scored 10 points, including 6-for-6 free-throw shooting. Nicole Matarozzo scored 10 points for Kingswood while Emily Rumery added nine.
The two teams are scheduled for a rematch on Jan. 25 in Dover. In the meantime, both teams are home on Friday — St. Thomas hosts Coe-Brown and Kingswood hosts Plymouth.
Somersworth 61, Sanborn 29
KINGSTON — The Somersworth girls basketball team moved to 4-0 in Division III with Tuesday's 61-29 win at Sanborn.
Rachel Hill led the Hilltoppers with 23 points. Katie Bussiere added eight and Erin Poulin tossed in six.
Somersworth plays at Inter-Lakes Friday.
Deering 34, Marshwood 21
PORTLAND, Maine — The Marshwood girls basketball team scored just seven points through three quarters and lost at Deering Tuesday, 34-21.
Megan McLean led the Hawks (1-1) with six points. Abby Hyson added five. Marshwood outscored Deering 14-5 in the last quarter.
The Hawks are at Scarborough Friday. Deering is 2-0.
Windham 60, Noble 25
NORTH BERWICK, Maine — The Noble girls basketball team slipped to 0-2 with Tuesday's 60-25 loss to Windham.
Chandler Waterman led the Knights with seven points.
Noble plays at Kennebunk Friday.
Pembroke 51, Oyster River 40
PEMBROKE — The Oyster River girls basketball team fell at Pembroke Tuesday in Division II action, 51-40.
Claire McCarthy led the Bobcats (1-1) with 10 points. They host Portsmouth Friday. Pembroke is 1-1.
Waynflete 66, Traip 33
PORTLAND, Maine — The Traip girls basketball team was doubled up by Waynflete (2-0) on Tuesday by a 66-33 score in Western Maine Class C.
Kendra Kagiliery scored 15 points via five 3-pointers for Traip (1-1) while Alli Barrett scored eight.
Traip hosts Old Orchard Beach on Thursday.
Nashua South 50, Spaulding 37
ROCHESTER — The Spaulding girls basketball team dropped their first game of the Division I season, a 50-37 decision to Nashua South.
Emily Benway led the Red Raiders with 12 points, followed by Chloe Routhier and Seana Flynn with eight each.
Spaulding hosts Timberlane Friday.
Waynflete 48, Traip 39
KITTERY, Maine — The Traip boys basketball team fell to 1-1 with Tuesday's 48-39 loss to Waynflete.
Atencio Martin had 18 points for the Rangers, who trailed 18-16 at the half. Waynflete used a third-quarter surge to go up 34-23 after three stops.
Traip plays at Old Orchard Beach Thursday. Waynfelte is 2-0.
Bonny Eagle 8, Marshwood/Traip 3
DOVER — The Marshwood/Traip hockey team slipped to 1-1 in Western Maine Class A with Tuesday's 8-3 loss to Bonny Eagle.
Seth Lawrence, Jake Cagnina and Troy Stevens scored for the Hawks, who fell behind 3-1 after the first period and 6-2 after the second.


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JERUSALEM, Nov. 25 (UPI) -- Israeli Cabinet ministers Wednesday approved a 10-month freeze on construction of settlements in the West Bank.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said he hoped the move, approved 11-2 by the Security Cabinet, would send the message Israel wants to reach a settlement with Palestinian Arabs, Ynetnews.com reported.
"Under the international circumstances that have been created, this move advances the broader national interests of Israel," Netanyahu said. "It allows us to show the world a simple truth: The Israeli government wants to enter negotiations with the Palestinians, is taking practical steps in order to do so and is very serious in its intentions of promoting peace."
In Washington, George Mitchell, the U.S. envoy to the Middle East, said he hopes the freeze will give Israelis and Palestinians time to work out differences.
"We believe the steps announced by the prime minister are significant and could have substantial impact on the ground," Mitchell said. "For the first time ever, an Israeli government will stop housing approvals and all new construction of housing units and related infrastructure in West Bank settlements ... .
"My personal and fervent wish is that we will, during this process at some point, have a resolution of borders so there will no longer be any question about settlement construction."
But Palestinian leaders said they won't negotiate with Israel until it agrees to halt settlement expansion in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and Netanyahu's proposal does not cover East Jerusalem.
"The exclusion of Jerusalem is a very, very serious problem for us," Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad told reporters.


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Next: Headlines, Up: Document structure
Org is implemented on top of Outline mode. Outlines allow a document to be organized in a hierarchical structure, which (at least for me) is the best representation of notes and thoughts. An overview of this structure is achieved by folding (hiding) large parts of the document to show only the general document structure and the parts currently being worked on. Org greatly simplifies the use of outlines by compressing the entire show/hide functionality into a single command, org-cycle, which is bound to the <TAB> key.


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At the Foothills of Frenzy & Other Freakish Forays
McLaughlin, Mark, Staley, Shane Ryan, and Knight, Brian
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Title: At the Foothills of Frenzy & Other Freakish ...
Publisher: Solitude Publications, Livonia, MI
Publication Date: 2005
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Why green construction in California will be getting a big boost
Why green construction in California will be getting a big boost
California school construction companies are about to enter a golden age.
A new California law is set to go into effect in January that will bring in up to $550 million annually for efficiency and clean energy school construction projects.
Details for the distribution of these funds are still being worked out, but the end result will be a huge success for the state's construction trades.
Last month, California voters overwhelmingly approved a measure, Proposition 39, that closes a corporate tax loophole for out-of-state businesses.
The new tax revenue will bring in roughly $2.75 billion total for the next five years from businesses located outside of California. A little known part of Prop 39 directs a portion of the money towards installing new windows, providing better insulation, updating to LED lighting and creating other green projects for California public schools.
The biggest beneficiaries of this new money for upgrades to state schools will be the construction industry.
"This is really great news for us," said Cesar Diaz, legislative director for the State Building and Construction Trades Council of California. "We expect this to be huge boost for our businesses, particularly those that do green schools construction work."
Most of the Prop 39 school money will likely be directed towards upgrading school facilities and not constructing new buildings.
"(Prop 39) will drive more business towards retrofitting existing structures," said Nicole Biggard, a professor at UC Davis' Energy Efficiency Center. "I think the revenue coming in will be a big boost for our businesses. It will really increase the market of the construction industry. It will also grow the workforce as well."
Diaz said his organization actively campaigned for Prop 39 during the California election season.
"We worked really hard to let voters know how important Prop 39 is for our schools' buildings. It's not just about construction. It's about making our schools more energy efficient. This is our chance to finally upgrade facilities which have fallen apart in recent years."
Kate Gordon, vice president for energy and environment at the Center for American Progress in Washington, D.C. recently wrote a white paper on Prop 39. Gordon said there are huge clean energy projects that California schools need.
"Every school in a district is different, but AC/HV is particularly important," Gordon said. "Airflow has a big impact on students."
Diaz said schools need to be retrofitted in almost every area.
"We're talking about plumbing, roofing, windows, water, electricity -- you name it and the schools need it."
Gordon said an effective energy retrofit comes about with high quality construction and a good maintenance plan.
"It's not just the technology that goes into these buildings," Gordon said. "It's also about who builds and the maintenance of the work that determine how efficient they are."
Many school facilities in California are in poor shape. This is particularly true for large urban districts and farming communities in the state's Central Valley area.
"There are schools that are literally falling apart, " Gordon said. "There are huge air quality issues in some classrooms. There are a lot of portable classrooms that are not in great shape, so this is an obvious place to invest California dollars."
Diaz said that construction companies are ready to begin applying for school projects.
"We're really eager to get started," he said.
"The legislature is figuring out how to distribute the money," Gordon said. "Right now, there are three pieces of legislature before (the state assembly) and we expect the governor in January to put something in the budget that hopefully the legislature will consider."
State officials cautioned on the timing for distributing the tax money.
"Right now we really don't know how this will all shake out," said Eric Lamoureux, a spokesperson for the California Department of General Services, which oversees school construction. "We're expecting a lot of activity around getting these funds to the construction business, but we just don't know how long it will take and what (distribution) will look like."
Photo of school construction provided by capturefoto/Shutterstock


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Despite pressure from conservative Republicans, most notably Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), on Friday the Senate passed a continuing resolution (CR) that restores funding for ObamaCare, with nearly two dozen Republican senators helping it on its way. The fate of ObamaCare is now back in the hands of the House of Representatives, led by Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio).
The key vote concerned cloture, which closes debate on a bill and allows it to be amended and brought up for a final vote. In his 21-hour speech earlier this week, Cruz had urged fellow Republicans not to vote for cloture even though the CR under consideration, which had already passed the House, did not contain funding for ObamaCare. Cruz and other conservatives such as Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) feared — justifiably so, it turns out — that once cloture was achieved, Democrats would amend the CR to restore funding for the healthcare law.
"Any Republican who votes ... to invoke cloture will be voting alongside Majority Leader Harry Reid [D-Nev.] to give Leader Reid the authority to fund ObamaCare using just 51 votes on a straight party-line vote, which is exactly how ObamaCare passed in the first place," Cruz said during his talkathon.
Democrats, of course, found Cruz's approach distasteful. In a speech before the cloture vote, Reid "denounced as 'anarchists' tea party-backed Republicans who he said were driving the country toward economic devastation," according to the Washington Post.
"Today the Republican Party has been infected by a small destructive faction," Reid said. "These extremists are more interested in putting on a show, as one Republican colleague put it, than legislating."
President Barack Obama, in an email sent Friday to supporters, blamed "a group of far-right Republicans in Congress" for allegedly endangering the economy by bringing the government to the brink of shutting down.
"They refuse to pass a budget unless I let them sabotage Obamacare, something they know is not going to happen. Now, we're left with only four days before a government shutdown," he wrote. "This is reckless and irresponsible. Republicans are not focused on what's best for you. They're playing political games."
Not all Republicans agreed with Cruz's strategy, either. Some, such as Senate Minority Whip John Cornyn (R-Texas), argued that they couldn't very well vote against a resolution that did exactly what they want, namely fund all government operations except ObamaCare.
"Furthermore," wrote the Los Angeles Times, "those Republicans also said acting quickly to return the bill to the House served the cause of undermining the [healthcare] law ... because the GOP majority there would have time to attach alternative amendments that might have a greater chance of being passed in the Senate."
When it came time to vote, 23 Republicans joined all 54 Democrats in voting to invoke cloture.
True to his word, Reid then introduced an amendment restoring funding for ObamaCare. That amendment, and then the amended CR, passed the Senate on a party-line vote, 54-44.
"Today's vote by Sen. Harry Reid and the Senate Democrats to fully fund Obamacare was yet the latest example of Washington not listening to the people," Cruz said in a statement. He called the healthcare law "the biggest job killer in America" and criticized Democrats for "granting exemptions for big business and Members of Congress" but not for "the American people."
"But this fight continues," he added. "Now the bill returns to the House. The House showed remarkable courage voting to defund Obamacare, and I hope and believe that the House will stand by their resolve and continue to lead the effort to stop the Obamacare train wreck." He then urged his fellow senators to "rise to the challenge" and do likewise.
One reason Cruz is confident that the House will stand firm on defunding ObamaCare through the CR is that he has been working behind the scenes to ensure such an outcome. National Review Online reports that the Texas senator has been consulting with a group of House conservatives to come up with a response to their leadership's strategy vis-à-vis ObamaCare.
Boehner and other House leaders seem to believe that they cannot wring any significant concessions on ObamaCare out of Democrats via the CR and are instead pinning their hopes on upcoming debt-ceiling negotiations. Cruz, however, told the conservative congressmen "that Boehner was making a mistake, and urged his friends to fight until the end on the CR," wrote Robert Costa. "The group agreed, and they complained that Boehner's shift to the debt limit was a diversion." At the very least, they plan to demand a one-year delay of ObamaCare in exchange for their votes to pass the CR.
At this point, no one seems to know just what Boehner's plans are. "As of Friday morning," noted the Post, "the House remained in total confusion about how to proceed."
"Some members favor a 'stick' approach — an amendment so distasteful to Democrats that they might feel compelled to return to the negotiating table," the paper reported. "Others favor a 'carrot' approach, attaching an item Democrats would find hard to refuse — including possibly delaying sequestration cuts for a year in exchange for delaying implementation of Obamacare for a year."
Senate Democrats, meanwhile, insist that any anti-ObamaCare amendments will be declared dead on arrival and could delay passage of the CR beyond Monday, at which point the government will run out of funds to operate.
"We are going to accept nothing as it relates to Obamacare," Reid said Friday. "There's a time and place for everything, and this is not that place."
For now, the time and place are this weekend in the House of Representatives. Then, if Cruz and his allies in the lower chamber get their way, the Senate will — much to Democrats' dismay — once more be forced to consider a CR that delays or defunds ObamaCare.
Larry Greenley, director of missions for The John Birch Society, said in a statement:
Ever since we first heard about the Defund ObamaCare initiative back in July, The John Birch Society has supported it. Since ObamaCare will be a disaster for our health care system, we must do whatever we can to defund and ultimately repeal it. We applaud the efforts of Senators Ted Cruz, Mike Lee, Rand Paul, and others who have been pursuing the defunding strategy. Today's 79 to 19 cloture vote in the Senate was a setback for the defund strategy because it allowed the Senate Democrats to strip ObamaCare defunding out of the House bill and send it back to the House with only a simple majority vote. However, this defunding battle is not over. We hope, along with Senator Cruz, that a majority of the House and Senate can still end up agreeing on a bill to defund ObamaCare.
With the next phase of ObamaCare's implementation, open enrollment in insurance exchanges, just days away, there's no better time to starve the beast.


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Are Real-Life 'Glee' Couple Lea Michele + Cory Monteith Shacking Up Together?
Real life is mimicking that which takes place at McKinley High, as 'Glee' stars Lea Michele and Cory Monteith carried their onscreen romance over into real life. Are they ready to take the next step and live together full time? It sure looks like it, according to an insider.
The fact that the super cute Michele recently sprung for a modest yet adorable bungalow in Los Angeles sparked rumors that she would share the pad with her new man. Sources say that the singer/actress has invited Monteith to shack up with her at her new crib and that he accepted.
The Star reports (via AOL Music) that a source said, "Lea is telling everyone she's never been more sure about anything" concerning her romance with her co-star, and that she asked Monteith to move in and wasn't about to be rebuffed.
That and the fact that Monteith has been sharing a crib with three male roommates should be enough to get him to move in. Waking up next to Lea Michele is far more desirable of an option that crashing out on the couch with a bunch of dudes.


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The continually rising costs of farming inputs are driving more and more growers to the use of precision agriculture guidance systems, says Amy Winstead, Auburn University regional Extension agent for precision agriculture.
"In the last year or two, we've seen large increases in first-time buyers of precision agriculture technology. These have included livestock producers, forage producers and row-crop producers.
"The increasing cost of inputs has caused everyone to think about how they can save money, and precision agriculture figures into that."
A starting point for entry into the world of precision agriculture usually involves the purchase of a guidance system.
"With this system, a producer first drives a pass in the field, and the system provides navigation aid to the driver," Winstead says. "The navigation is always based on the width of the vehicle or implement."
After the grower drives the initial pass in the field, the guidance system will automatically generate subsequent passes based on the original pass.
Entry-level guidance systems utilize the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), a free correction service that provides a 6- to 12-inch pass-to-pass accuracy for guidance systems.
"There are many things growers can do with a guidance system," Winstead says. "They can apply agronomic inputs such as fertilizer, spray chemicals, and spread litter. They can also use it for planting and mowing hay. A lot of the systems will do acreage and boundaries."
Winstead says she had not originally considered hay mowing as an application for guidance systems.
"We have a demonstration program for producers interested in this technology, and we let them try out the equipment. A producer who got the equipment for litter application told us he had used it more for hay than anything else. Whenever he rakes hay, it helps him keep straight paths, and he can do it at night, which is beneficial for him."
The benefits of using guidance systems are numerous, she says.
"It decreases skips and overlaps — that's one of the biggest advantages. It also minimizes driver error and eliminates guess rows. In row crop situations, we've seen up to an 8½ percent decrease in overlapping. In a pasture situation, we would expect that to be much higher because you obviously would have no rows to go by."
A guidance system increases efficiency, allowing the grower to operate at faster field speeds. "You can cover more area with fewer hours of operation, and you're able to reduce per-acre fuel consumption because you reduce overlaps in the field," says Winstead.
There also are many non-cash benefits.
"You can extend operational hours, and work more at night, which can prove very beneficial. Guidance systems also help to improve labor management and reduce driver fatigue.
"Producers say they're not sure how to put a cost value on the fatigue factor, but they say they feel much better when they go home at night — they're less exhausted, and maybe they can play with their kids. They're not so stressed when they're on the tractor, and they don't have to continuously look behind them."
On her own family's farm, Winstead says, she has seen an improvement in labor management. "My husband feels more comfortable allowing others to use the sprayer because the guidance system minimizes mistakes."
The systems also are helping growers get more accurate placement of their inputs, she says.
They can result in a savings of about 12 percent overall. If you add implement guidance, variable-rate application, and auto-swath, total savings could amount to 27 percent, she says.
Guidance system features have been vastly improved in recent years, she says.
"When I first started working with precision agriculture a few years ago, guidance systems consisted of a light bar — a piece of equipment with LED lights in it. Each light represented a certain distance. Newer systems have nice color screens, and they have previous pass features.
"We used to have to set A and B lines, and subsequent passes were then based on that initial pass. Most of the time, they had to be parallel. Previous pass allows you to drive an initial pass in the field — whether it is a straight row, curves, or circles — and every guidance pass is based on the one you just drove. So, if you need to change direction in the middle of a field, go around a pond, or go around a tree, you're able to do that."
There are several guidance patterns from which to choose, says Winstead. "It's individual to each farmer and each farmer's fields."
There's also a nudge function that allows farmers to make adjustments on the go.
Guidance systems, she says, are extremely user-friendly and easy to install.
"As-applied mapping and coverage logging are also new features with some systems. You can download maps, and most systems will generate a coverage map so you can literally see where you've been in a field. They can provide a lot of detail — the more information you enter into a unit, the more you get out of it."
Boom control and assisted steering are add-ons that are popular with guidance systems, says Winstead.
Entry-level guidance systems run from about $1,800 to $3,500, depending on the features. If a grower adds a subscription correction service to improve accuracy along with assisted steering, it's about $8,500. There's also an annual subscription service or fee of $600 to $800 per year. And, a system with subscription correction service, assisted steering and auto boom will run about $10,500.
As accuracy increases, cost increases, says Winstead.
e-mail: email@example.com


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Affluent borrowers face the same rates – or lower – as typical homebuyers.
Jumbo mortgages – a relatively obscure financial product to most potential homebuyers – have moved into the spotlight of late.
For one thing, people in the market for $1 million homes have jumped into the market in greater numbers, and one of the reasons is that money for them is cheap.
The trade publication Inside Mortgage Finance reports that though mortgage originations have been falling, jumbo mortgage originations rose 9.3 percent in the second quarter from the first quarter of 2013.
Interest rates on the mortgages – those totaling at least $417,000 in most areas of the U.S. and $625,000 in the most expensive markets – earlier this month uncharacteristically moved lower than those for the vast majority of Americans, who take out what are called conforming loans.
The situation was pretty much the same last week as jumbo mortgages averaged 4.84 percent, versus 4.80 percent for conforming loans, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. Jumbo loan rates historically have averaged at least 0.25 to 0.50 percent higher than conforming loans.
Why did it become as cheap for the affluent to borrow hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars as for most prospective homeowners who are seeking a mere $100,000 or $200,000?
It would seem it should be more expensive because, unlike conforming loans, Fannie Mae does not buy jumbo mortgages from lenders and therefore they are not guaranteed by the federal government.
But bond investors have been willing to forgo a government guarantee on the mortgages in return for the safety of money lent to more creditworthy, high-net-worth borrowers. That has driven the prices of the bonds backed by jumbo loans higher and their interest rates lower, said Ed Graham, professor of finance and real estate at the Cameron School of Business at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.
The drop comes amid the sharp increase in interest rates on conforming loans in the wake of the Federal Reserve's indication that it might begin to taper off on its purchase of bonds. That policy, so-called quantitative easing, until recently held mortgage interest rates at historic lows.
Another reason for relatively cheap jumbo loans is that many banks keep them in their portfolios rather than selling them to investors, Graham said.
"Lenders can be expected to hold themselves to higher standards as they prepare loans that they expect to keep, as opposed to loans that are later resold to outside investors," he said.
"First, the borrower will likely rise to a higher set of credit standards, and, second, the bank – in competing for that higher-caliber borrower's business – can be expected to compete with price, offering lower and more competitive interest rates to this favored client. This has led to the convergence of conforming and jumbo interest rates, where the conforming rates had historically been lower than the jumbo ones."
In other words, lenders have become willing to sacrifice a little profit for the safety that comes with customers with big down payments – usually at least 20 percent – deep pockets and stratospheric credit scores, he said. Add that to the chance to garner more of those clients' business.
Banks are paying their depositors 0.25 percent interest, said Chris Hutchens, vice president of Guaranteed Rate Inc. in Wilmington, so it's not much harm to charge a little less to its mortgage customers.
"Most banks will take a 4.5 percent spread on anything," he said.
Wayne Faulkner: 343-2329
On Twitter: @bizniznews


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jqGalViewIII (proof of concept)Sunday, October 21st, 2007
Here we have yet another photo / image gallery, except at this point it is only a proof of concept. I see a ton of photo galleries in Flash and see a lot of effects that just can't be done in JavaScript, but a ton of effects that can be achieved. This one is nothing fancy and not fully tested, but when I have more time I may take is some other features that are present in my other plugins in to this one.


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Simple Shop is an easy to use storefront for your WooCommerce business. Display your products in a simple, clean, and modern layout. Simple Shop supports a custom homepage, archive pages, and blog posts. This theme is responsive, leverages the front-end Customizer and yet it's lightweight. Now supports live front-end text widget editing via Note. More info - http://wordpress.org/plugins/note/.
No themes found. Try a different search.


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Evansville Man Travels 862 Miles to Feed Hurricane Sandy Victims
An Evansville man has literally gone miles out of his way to help the victims of Hurricane Sandy – about 862 miles to be more precise.
Stan Gregory, 57, made the decision to help the citizens of Little Ferry, New Jersey after seeing the aftermath of the destructive hurricane that pushed through the city several weeks ago, leaving many residents without food, shelter and little hope.
Instead of just sending a donation, Gregory took his philanthropy a step further by loading up a truck with hundreds of dollars of meat and a gas grill and headed eastbound on a three-day trip to Little Ferry. Upon his arrival, Gregory met the Eilertsen family who allowed him to use their driveway to start grilling up some food for people in need.
"People were coming that hadn't eaten in three days," said Eilersten. "It's incredible for someone to actually leave the state just knowing people needed help. It was overwhelming."
Gregory says he was happy to be able to help and was impressed with just how much the people of New Jersey pulled together to help each other. "I don't ever want to hear anyone say anything bad about anyone from New Jersey again," said Gregory. "You hear about people from New Jersey, 'Oh, those people are rough.' I don't care. I'm going to help them."


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1405 Westover Hills Blvd Ste 1
Richmond, VA 23225
*Please verify this information when scheduling an appointment.
Check if Dr. Johnson treats your condition or procedure
Based on 3 reviews
Likelihood of recommending Dr. Johnson to family and friends is 5 out of 5
Accepted insurance can change. Please double-check when making an appointment.


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For at least one preseason game, Mark Sanchez is the Jets' starting quarterback.
Jets coach Rex Ryan confirmed on Tuesday afternoon that Sanchez will be the starter when the Jets begin their preseason on Friday night against the Lions. Ryan added that Geno Smith will also get some playing time with the first-string offense.
The news that Sanchez is starting is no surprise, and it doesn't mean he's currently in the lead in his quarterback competition with Smith. It just means that not enough has changed so far in the offseason for Ryan to change the status quo, and Sanchez is the incumbent starter from last year.
In fact, many Jets observers think Smith is the favorite to be the starter when the regular season opens. If Sanchez doesn't play well on Friday night, it's entirely possible that the preseason opener against the Lions will be the last game he ever starts for the Jets.


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Vintage 70s midi/maxi kaftan dress. Contrasting vertical panels of dark blue grey and a super retro floral print in multiple hues of brown. Embroidered details down the middle panel m
Perfect vintage condition.
Label: Not available
Size: Small - see measurements
Measurements (laying flat-double where necessary)
Shoulders: 16"
sleeve: 17.5"
Bust: 20"
Waist: 20"
Hips: 20.5"
Length (top of shoulder to bottom hem): 44"
Thanks for looking. Please check measurements, read our shop policies, and ask any questions you might have before purchasing.
Listing is for dress only.
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At this time we accept paypal, credit cards, and etsy gift cards. Please don't cancel sales, it's just down right annoying and a waste of our time. If you're not 100% sure if you want something! don't buy it. Period.
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hey tiger loves to recycle. your package may be sent to you in a recycled box if we have one around. if you are purchasing a gift for someone, please convo us so we know to send their gift in a nice new box :)


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Google has introduced a new video maker. It is a very easy little program so you can make a typed out story into a video. The key here is text. There are no cute pictures; it is just a story that shows your text being typed out.
This is not the 1st time Google/Youtube has come out with an easy way to make a video. Way back on April 19, 2010, I wrote a post about a similar program called Google Search Story. I allowed people to make little videos with no video experience or special programs.
Now with their new little video maker, there are a few differences. As far as I can tell, there is no time limit. I sure there is, but it would still be longer than the 30 second limit of the earlier version.
I also do not see that the Google Docs Story Video go to your YouTube channel. The old search stories did upload as a regular video on your channel.
I would guess that Google would love for everyone in the world to have interest in making videos. Maybe if a person who doesn't have a lot of video talent or is afraid of video, will try out a story video and be hooked.
Will you be hooked?
I tried it and really just didn't find it that interesting. Could be that I just don't have the imagination it takes?
Ok, you go ahead over and give Google Docs Story Builder a try. Let us know what you think.
Yes, I am putting this in the lounge as I don't see how to use it for marketing. At least not yet.
Sheryl Loch


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Jeffrey Siegel's KEYBOARD CONVERSATIONS Returns to the Kimmel Center, 10/15
Hailed by The New York Times as "an artist who means every note he plays," internationally acclaimed pianist Jeffrey Siegel brings his poetry and breathtaking virtuosity to his celebrated Keyboard Conversations®. By overwhelming popular demand the series returns to the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts' Perelman Theater.
Keyboard Conversations® are concerts with captivating, non-technical commentary, followed by a lively Q & A. The popular three-concert series - now in its eighth season - begins on October 15, 2012, at 7:30pm in Perelman Theater with "Spellbinding Bach: Immortal Works and the 'WOW' Factor!!" The program offers high-voltage works Bach wrote to dazzle the listener, including the "Italian Concerto," and Busoni's famous transcription of the "Chaconne," deemed one of Bach's supreme masterpieces. A romantic February 4th pre-Valentine's Day program "Russian Rapture: Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky" features the soaring melodies and passion of these all-time favorite composers. "Listen to the Dance: Waltzes, Marches, Polkas and Tangos!" concludes the season on May 21, 2012, with works spanning more than two centuries - from Beethoven, Chopin, and Mendelssohn to Stravinsky, Shostakovich and Astor Piazzola.
Keyboard Conversations series are presented annually across the United States, in Canada and in London. Jeffrey Siegel has been featured on Oprah Radio's 'Dr. Oz Show,' as guest of Dr. Mehmet Oz. 'Piano Treasures,' a one-hour TV special produced by Time Life, was recently broadcast by PBS to more than 300 cities nationwide.
Friends of Keyboard Conversations, a group of passionate fans, with the help of Kimmel Center President and CEO Anne Ewers, leaped into the breach to sponsor and continue the popular series when the group learned financial constraints put the series' future in jeopardy.
Mr. Siegel has a long, proud affiliation with Philadelphia. He has appeared several times as soloist with The Philadelphia Orchestra, most notably under the direction of the legendary conductor Eugene Ormandy, and with Charles Dutoit. He has also appeared as guest pianist with The Philadelphia Orchestra String Quartet.
Jeffrey Siegel has been a soloist with the world's great orchestras. Abroad, these include the Berlin Philharmonic, London Symphony, Philharmonic and Philharmonia, Moscow State Symphony, Munich's Bayerischer Rundfunk, the Amsterdam, Oslo and Stockholm Philharmonic, Orchestra of La Scala and NHK Symphony of Japan. In addition to engagements with the Philadelphia Orchestra, United States engagements have included the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, The Cleveland Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra and Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
Subscription tickets for the three-concert series and single tickets are now available by phone at 215-893-1999, online at www.kimmelcenter.org, and in person at the Kimmel Center Box Office, 300 Broad Street (Broad & Spruce).
Photo Credit: Peter Schaaf


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by Tyler Peck, sports information graduate
JONESBORO, Ga. - The Georgia College & State University women's tennis team, the No. 6 seed, defeated the Georgia Southwestern University Hurricanes, the No. 11 seed, 5-0 today to advance to the second round of the Peach Belt Conference (PBC) Tennis Championships.
The Bobcats took all three doubles matches and won second and fifth singles to take the match.
Diane Danna (Paris, France) and Bertille Lion (Lyon, France) defeated Monica Osam and Ashley Waters 8-0 at second doubles for the largest margin of victory for Georgia College.
At first doubles, Marjorie Ceppo (Sao Paulo, Brazil) and Gabby Acuna (Peachtree City, Ga.) beat Leady Cuellar and Lauren Grogan 8-6. Lastly, at third doubles the twosome of Angy Cuellar (Bogota, Colombia) and Adriana Acuna (Peachtree City, Ga.) took down the team of Brittney Bowden and Adrienne Demarest 8-1.
Both singles matches were shutouts as Danna blanked Grogan 6-0, 6-0 at second singles. Similar results were seen at fifth singles as Georgia College's Cuellar defeated Bowden in straight 6-0 sets.
The Bobcats advance to the second round and will square off against No. 3 seed Francis Marion University tomorrow, April 18 at 11:30 a.m.
Visit www.GCSUBobcats.com to nominate your favorite former Bobcats and Colonials to the GCSU Athletics Hall of Fame. The GCSU Department of Athletics sponsors 10 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. As a Division II program, GCSU prides itself on balancing the life of the student-athlete, evidenced by the Bobcats' multiple appearances in post-season competition as well as documented academic success and community-service involvement. Sign up at Twitter.com username GCSUSID for up-to-the-minute reports.


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Ethiopian immigrant gunned down in apartment complex
Victim's name: Keyru Mustafa Lolo, 24
Investigative agency: Denver Police Department
Date killed: Oct. 16, 2009
Cause of Death: Multiple gunshots
Suspect: none identified
Family members of Ethiopian immigrant Keyru Mustafa Lolo felt he was the most improbable person to be murdered.
He was just so friendly, never got into trouble and didn't have any enemies.
So on Oct. 16, 2009 when a dozen family members living in Garden Court Apartments on 1150 Syracuse St. heard gunshots at 9 a.m. and later heard that someone's body was lying on a sidewalk in the middle of the complex, they never thought it could be him.
It wouldn't be until several hours later when police went door to door showing a picture of the victim that startled family members recognized the picture.
It was amazing and a bit confusing to relative Jemal Gisho.
"He doesn't even smoke cigarettes," he said about a week later.


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12 in. Portable Rotary Trimmer
by Fiskars
The Scrapbooking Rotary Paper Trimmer from Fiskars delivers clean, crisp cuts you can only get with a rotary blade. The top-quality 28mm blade makes straight, quick cuts through multiple sheets of paper without tearing or fanning so your scrapbook pages look perfect. This trimmer can handle any size scrapbook page with precision; a self-leveling swing-out arm extends the measuring deck to a full 12 1/2". The permanent scale and grid cutting mat ensures cutting accuracy. Best of all, a slim, lightweight design makes it easy to take this trimmer wherever you go.
Replacement F style blades and cutting bar are sold separately.
Replacement F style blades and cutting bar are sold separately.
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Thursday, April 23, 2009
Acupuncture As Heart Disease Treatment
4 comments:
Not to pick nits, but angina pectoris is only a symptom of heart disease. Using acupuncture to treat heart disease is similar to NyQuil as a treatment for the Flu. It doesn't cure the disease-it only helps the symptoms. The only treatments for heart disease are surgery, exercise, diet management and certain medications. Acupuncture won't do shit for the long-term prognosis of ANY heart disease patient.ReplyDelete
So if you look at it like that, "real" acupuncture or "sham" acupuncture-it doesn't matter, they're both shams.
No, you're just wasting time with meaningless words.ReplyDelete
First, the title of the post operates as a broad summary, so precision isn't required. The purpose is to help the reader figure out if they should bother to read it.
Second, anything which treats symptoms of a disease falls under the category of the treatment of that disease. Using acupuncture to treat heart disease is like using nitroglycerin to treat heart disease.
Third, angina pectoris is a syndrome, not a symptom, and it is considered a medical problem in its own right. Alleviating angina pectoris is justification enough for surgery in many hospitals. That surgery is certainly considered heart disease treatment.
Like most people who dispute anything I say, you are very bad at logic.
(Actually I agree about diet and exercise and all that, but your logic was way off. Diet and exercise etc. aren't the only treatments, as you say, just the best treatments.)ReplyDelete
Next step: repeat the experiments, just to make sure.ReplyDelete


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ACT Fire & Rescue is a diverse organisation with legislated responsibility in a variety of areas related to fire and rescue.
Firefighters in the ACT provide many functions, ranging from fire suppression to rescue capabilities and community safety activities.
ACT Fire & Rescue is acknowledged as one of the most multi skilled fire and rescue services in Australia.
If you would like ACT Fire & Rescue to come to your event please fill out the Request for Attendance Form.
If you are concerned about a fire hazard in the built up area please fill out the Reporting a Fire Hazard Form.


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Thomas M. Messer, 93; ran ICA
NEW YORK — Thomas M. Messer, whose leadership of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum over more than a quarter-century established its place among the world's great museums of modern art, died Wednesday at his home in Manhattan. He was 93.
His death was confirmed by family spokesman Adam Lehner.
Mr. Messer was serving as the director of the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston when he was named director of the Guggenheim in 1961, just two years after it moved into its famous building on Fifth Avenue with a spiral-ramp gallery, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. He retired in 1988, as the Guggenheim Foundation, of which he had been director since 1980, was celebrating 50 years of supporting modern art.
During his tenure, one of the longest of a director of any major US art museum, the Guggenheim deepened its collection, expanded its exhibitions program, vastly improved its publications, and took its first step toward becoming a global institution.
Perhaps Mr. Messer's most significant contributions were the acquisition of two magnificent private collections. In 1963, Justin K. Thannhauser, the son of a German art dealer, presented as a permanent loan a significant portion of his collection: dozens of Impressionist, post-Impressionist, and early modern works, including more than 30 by Picasso.
In 1969, after years of encouragement from Mr. Messer, Peggy Guggenheim agreed to exhibit cubist, surrealist, and abstract expressionist works from her private collection at the museum that bears her family name, evidently no easy feat of persuasion, as the independent-minded Guggenheim spent much of her adulthood estranged from her family and was known not to admire the museum building. (It looked like ''a huge garage,'' she wrote in her autobiography.)
The exhibition was a success, and Guggenheim, who died in 1979, finally donated the whole of her collection, along with the Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, her former home on the Grand Canal in Venice, to the Guggenheim Foundation.
The gift not only strengthened the foundation's holdings substantially — it includes Picasso, Braque, Kandinsky, de Chirico, Ernst, and Pollock — it also gave the Guggenheim its first foothold internationally. The museum has since opened the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao and the Deutsche Guggenheim Berlin, and is planning a Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
''It was due to Tom's charm, grace, diplomacy, and — and this is a point that none of us should ever forget — his love of great art that Peggy gave her collection and palazzo to the Guggenheim,'' Peter Lawson-Johnston, who was the Guggenheim's president during Mr. Messer's directorship, said at a celebration of Mr. Messer's 90th birthday. ''Here we are, three decades later, with Guggenheims in Bilbao, Berlin, Venice, and soon to be Abu Dhabi. The foundation for all this was laid by Tom Messer, and I can tell you, he laid that foundation under budget.''
Thomas Maria Messer was born in Bratislava, in what was then Czechoslovakia and is now Slovakia. His father was an art historian and a professor of German; his mother came from a family of musicians.
Although he had an artistic bent, Thomas Messer was sent to study chemistry, first in Prague and then in the United States, at Thiel College in Pennsylvania. His travels abroad, however, began inauspiciously.
He left home Sept. 2, 1939, for England, whence he would cross the Atlantic. The next day England declared itself at war with Germany, and within hours the Athenia, the ship on which Mr. Messer was traveling, was torpedoed and sunk. He was rescued and subsequently made it to the United States on a different ship.
He left Thiel to study modern languages at Boston University, graduating in 1942. Afterward he joined the US Army, serving in Europe as an interrogator for intelligence. He remained in Europe and formally studied art for the first time at the Sorbonne.
When he returned to the United States, he became director of a museum in Roswell, N.M., and earned a master's in art history from Harvard.
He served as director of the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston from 1956 to 1961. One of his major goals was to kindle a nascient interest in modern art among Bostonians, who tended to favor the more traditional masters found in the Museum of Fine Arts and the Isabella Gardner Museum, Mr. Messer told the Archive of American Art in 1995.
Because the ICA had no permanent collection, Mr. Messer focused on working with the public to mount exhibitions, most of which he organized.
The task was a struggle.
"Boston . . . had the feeling that art is a duty, particularly modern art, that was something that had to be done no matter how much they disliked it,'' he said in the 1995 interview. "So you were continuously caught between people who seemed to be telling themselves on every step that this is something that has got to be done and so they did it, even though with a clear distaste.''
In 2006, he was invited to see the new ICA on the South Boston waterfront and marveled at the change in direction and attitudes.
"During my time here in the '50s, the ICA was constantly moving and on the verge of bankruptcy,'' Mr. Messer told The Boston Globe. "This is quite incredible."
At the Guggenheim, Mr. Messer had cultivated a strong roster of curators, opening up opportunities for women, and gave them unusual flexibility, especially in the realm of contemporary American art. At the same time, he championed European artists, among them Dubuffet and Beuys, for whom appreciation in the United States was lagging.
Mr. Messer leaves no immediate survivors. His wife, the former Remedios Garcia, died in 2002.
Michael Bailey of the Globe staff contributed to this obituary.


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Rams Defeat Yeshiva for Skyline Win
Farmingdale State - 76, Yeshiva - 52
New York, N.Y. - The Farmingdale State men's basketball team earned their first Skyline Conference win of the season last night with a 76-52 victory at Yeshiva University. The Rams shot 43% from the field in the first half and held a 34-23 advantage at halftime.
In the second half, the Maccabees (1-6, 1-3 Skyline) pulled within seven points at the 17:11 mark, but Farmingdale State (2-2, 1-0 Skyline) responded with a 14-4 run over the next 5:04, extending their lead to 50-33. The Rams held at least a 14 point lead for the remainder of the contest as they cruised to victory in their Skyline Conference opener.
Farmingdale's John Dabney (Freeport, N.Y./Freeport) led all scorers with 23 points, shooting 56% from the floor, including 5-for-7 from behind the arc. Senior forward Jermaine Abraham (Brooklyn, N.Y./Wadleigh) was 8-for-9 from the field, as he scored 17 points and recorded seven rebounds. Junior guard Joshua Smith (Deer Park, N.Y./Deer Park) recorded 12 points and grabbed a game-high eight boards for the Rams.
Yeshiva's Dovie Hoffman (Tarzana, CA/Valley Torah) scored a team-best 15 points, had five rebounds and four blocked shots.
Farmingdale State next will host Maritime in the teams home opener on Tuesday, December 7th at 7:00 p.m.


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May 7, 2000
Las Cruces, NM -
Following Saturday's 20-5 loss at New Mexico State, the UC Santa Barbara baseball team entered Sunday's finale of a three game series looking for redemption and they found it.
With five players collecting at least a pair of hits, the Gauchos routed the Aggies by a score of 16-4 to take two out of three in the Big West series at Las Cruces.
UCSB led 4-1 when reliever Joe Isaacson entered the game in the bottom of the fourth inning. After walking an Aggie batter to load the bases, Isaacson recorded a strikeout, ending the NMSU threat. The teams remained scoreless until the Gaucho sixth.
Santa Barbara piled up five runs in the sixth inning, all with two outs, to secure the win. With one out , second baseman Chad Peshke singled to center. Designated hitter Tyler Von Schell then popped out. Peshke stole second with two outs and that is when the slugfest began. Shortstop Jeff Bannon drilled an RBI single to right field, scoring Peshke. Bannon advanced to second on the throw to the plate. Catcher Donovan Warrecker then singled to center, scoring Bannon. Warrecker also advanced to second on the throw home. Third baseman Jon Stephens lined a double down the left field line, scoring Warrecker. Stephens moved to third on a passed ball and after center fielder R.J. Smith walked, the duo scored on a double by right fielder Andy Campanella. The double by Campanella gave the Gauchos an insurmountable 9-1 lead.
Isaacson wound up earning the victory to go 3-0 on the season. A day after New Mexico State piled up 20 runs, he limited the Aggies to three earned runs and three hits in 3.1 innings. Isaacson also struck out a career-best six batters in his 3.1 innings.
Offensively in the 16-4 win, the Gauchos outhit NMSU by a 20-7 margin. Von Schell led the way by going 5-for-6 with a home run a double, five RBI and a pair of runs scored. Warrecker went 4-for-5 with a home run, a double, four RBI and three runs scored. Peshke went 4-for-6 with three runs scored and a stolen base. Two Gauchos, Stephens and Smith, each went 2-for-3 in the victory.
With the win, UCSB is now 14-10 in Big West play and 24-22 overall. NMSU drops to 3-21 in league and 18-31 overall. The Gauchos will return to the diamond on Tuesday, May 9 when they host Loyola Marymount in a game rescheduled because of rain. The Gaucho game against the 14th-ranked Lions will begin at 1:00 p.m.


text: Gunnar Gaylord: How to Create an Individual Tattoo Style By Gunnar Gaylord I decided to write a blog a bit different from the earlier ones. I thought maybe I would touch on a topic that may help aspiring tattoo artists. I am often asked in interviews and by individuals, how I created a unique style. So here is a concise breakdown. As a disclaimer I will inform you that the information I am going to share is based not on what may be deemed "correct," it is however the way in which I formed my style. I hasten to say that at times I fall short on artistic academic knowledge. However, as an artist, I know that the style I created is unique and hence feel that this is something I have the knowledge to discuss... Ironically, my art as well as style was not born from academia or knowledge but of ignorance and desire. My artistic knowledge grew from a desire to improve on my art, because I knew I could only get better with knowledge. there are rules and foundations one must observe in order to create a style that has plausibility. Yet, knowledge initially had very little to do with how I became a stylized artist. The process I am going to share is not exactly the path I took, but a reflection of my past, coupled with the knowledge I now have. I know it works, because I have redefined my art many times at this point , albeit subtly as to not push away fans of my early work. First, let me stress the importance of a solid foundation in your craft. It seems very instinctive for tattooist to want to go above and beyond their natural ability and talent to try and "stand out" or do "cool work." This is not just a terrible idea, it is very selfish and damaging to your growth as a tattooist and as an artist. The best place to begin is at the basics. I am a huge fan of traditional work for one reason in general; it showcases technique and knowledge of craft over shear artistic imagination. Imagination is wonderful, however we often have the ability to cover flaws in craft with "artistic expression." I believe traditional tattoos are the foundation of where all tattoo artist should begin. Why? Because a good traditional tattoo is easily recognizable... as are bad ones. A traditional tattoo requires clean solid line-work, shading, coloring and the ability to heal and hold up on the body for a lifetime. With the onslaught of new-school and color-realism these ideas are often lost or forgotten. I say this from my own sheer ignorance at times. However, without this foundation it is easy to hide ones' mistakes in what one may deem "style." All tattoo artists should have to master three basic skills before moving forward in tattooing and designing their own original images. LINE-WORK, SHADING and COLORING. (Coloring is not the same as blending, that comes later.) Once a clear understanding and application of craft is reached, then the ability to manipulate artistic style becomes reasonable. Also, please note that if you can't do it on paper, it should not be attempted on skin and you should know your artistic limits. During the process of honing your tattoo skills. Drawing should be an everyday task. I can not stress the importance of drawing. It is the foundation of most mediums and the more your drawing skills improve the more your artistic vision and style will. With that said, this is the process of developing unique style: STEP 1: IMAGINATION Imagination is an important factor in creating unique style. But let me say it is not the most important factor. Detroit tattoo artists Bob Tyrrell and Tom Renshaw are both black-and-gray masters and have made a career replicating exactly what they see into skin without overly interpreting and they both do it beautifully. Yet, both are very different and can easily be recognized by distinct style. Unique style is created more from practice and application than from imagination. However, I do believe it is important to develop your imagination. I believe imagination is not just a natural occurrence but something that we can learn. I know that all people have the gift of imagination, I believe some people are just more in tune with their imagination. How do you know you have imagination? If you dream, then you have an imagination. But a good way to hone your imagination is to turn off the tv and computer and read a book. Read something that is descriptive and that you understand and have visual reference to. You can not visualize something mentally if you have never seen it before in life. It is like trying to describe in words something that you have never seen. Choose a story you comprehend and try to visualize it. Try and put images to words. This, like any skill, requires time and practice, but will increase with both. EXAMPLE: JACK AND JILL (re-imagined) Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water, Jill fell down, Jack tossed his crown and neither lived happily ever after. STEP 2: MIMIC It is a common practice to replicate the work of ones favorite artist. It is actually a great way to learn and has been used historically by academic artist for centuries. By studying the work of people we admire we can begin to analyze the aspects of the image that we are drawn to. There is a reason we are drawn to certain images and understanding what draws us will help us create art worth viewing. These are the items in which we should be focusing are attention and understanding. If you like the line-work of a certain artist, don't just mimic it, but try to figure out why it works and what attract you to it. This will help in your artistic understanding and also help you form a style that you can define and defend. It is very important to note is that it is better to have a lot of influences rather than a small handful. The larger the amount of influences you have, the better chance you have of being influenced rather than mimicking them. ETHICAL INTERJECTION: PLEASE READ Replicating a favorite tattoo in skin is deemed poor ethical practice and is seen as the exact opposite of flattering. This practice is highly frowned down upon. this practice does have it place and that place is on paper. Also it is in poor taste to post images of work you have replicated without giving the artist you replicated credit and allowing people to know that this is a replicated image. Even my children know what plagiarism is. In the days of cowboy justice.... you'd catch a hammer to hand for this. STEP 3: ANALYZE AND UNDERSTAND ONCE AGAIN, I can not emphasize the importance of drawing enough. The more often you draw the more natural the process of drawing will become. Also do not just trace the art of someone you admire, but understand it. Understand why something is done and you will better comprehend how to do it. Start to study and breakdown the objects you would like to draw. At this point we should be moving away from mimicking. We should begin to refer to real life images and breaking them down to simplistic shapes. Understanding the structure of items allows us the ability to manipulate items. (I discuss this in far more depth in my seminar.) Drawing from life rather than drawing from a preexisting drawing will force you to figure out how you would draw it, rather than how another artist has drawn it. It is ok to refer to work to, but a better idea not to. WE ARE NOW ON THE PATH TO CREATING A UNIQUE STYLE. EXAMPLE: STEP 4: CREATING YOUR OWN VISUAL LANGUAGE Visual language is how you as an artist describes an image visually. The more language you learn, the more unique your style will become. Creating a unique visual language requires you as an artist to be able to breakdown objects to their simplest form and then draw them in a way that becomes a signature to you. EXAMPLE: NOW at this point your drawing should be improving as well as your ability as a tattoo artist, simultaneously. WIN. WIN. STEP 5: DRAW MORE! The more you draw from your own skills and imagination and move away from mimicking/copying the art of others the more your style will become unique. DRAW, DRAW, DRAW... In closing I want to say this, it is important to admire and understand the work of great tattoo artists, but it is more important to open your minds to inspiration outside of tattooing and even art. Art can become stale and repetitious when our points of reference and influence are so limited. Art born from small thinking and inspiration risks the same outcome as a child born of incest. It is the like the fourth Steve in Multiplicity. Be original and best of luck. Gunnar. Gunnar is a tattooer and contributing blogger for Tattoo Artist Magazine. Gunnar can be found at: High Street Tattoo 872 N. High Street Columbus, Ohio 43215