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Welcome to my new Gallery. I'm a computer scientist, photographer, singer, songwriter, and performer in the Atlanta area. Photography school started out as a way to get me out of the house after my divorce but then a year and half later there were no more classes for me to take! I was shocked. What was I to do with my Tuesday and Thursday nights? So I went out and started perfecting my craft.
I'm into whatever stirs my passion and I love taking pictures of passionate people and singing passionate songs.
Like any gallery, this one needs an opening. So I have created a virtual gallery opening by taking 25 of my very best photographs. You will find them in the gallery called "The 25 Best". If you like, you can pick up some cheap wine and cheese cubes to make the experience complete. :-)
You can order anything from an inexpensive small print to a wall sized piece that will last for 165 years. Don't be scared by the initial framed price, in most cases that is the "Artist's Recommended Configuration" and will be larger than life, will be printed on the best paper, have the best glass, and a very fancy frame that will keep the picture intact from 165 years. You can dial down the settings significantly if you would like something less Iconic in your home. I base my settings on the image and how it would be framed perfectly in a gallery. That may not be what you want, or can afford, but if you do, It's available. :-)
Please keep in mind that these are very high quality images and very high quality framing, so try not to compare it to what you could put together at Target.
I make very little money on these even compared to the days of shooting and editing and categorizing and uploading it take. With the bad economy, I'm trying to row with all oars: computer science, photography, songwriting, singing, and performing. It's made me very interesting but also very tired. So enjoy!
Thanks in Advance and feel free to leave comments,
Joshua Guttman


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After a mild Christmas Day, it will be a cold Boxing Day with plenty of sunshine.
There will be some blustery winds at first but these will gradually ease as the day progresses.
The maximum temperature will be 6C.
It will be a clear and cold night, leading to a widespread frost.
The odd pocket of fog may develop by dawn tomorrow.
The minimum temperature will be -2C.

subset: commoncrawl


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Randy Jackson quits. Mariah Carey quits. Nicki Minaj quits. #POW
Do you know what this means? This means, it took 10 years, 11 months, and 20 days for Yo Yo Randy to make a worthwhile contribution to American Idol. You see, Randy started the "quit before they fire you" trend, as both Mariah and Nicki have announced that they, too, will not return to American Idol.
Quick and painless is the best way to receive American Idol news. Thanks, Dawg!
First, Mariah's PR firm tweeted, "W/ global success of "#Beautiful" (#1 in 30+ countries so far) @MariahCarey confirms world tour & says goodbye 2 Idol."


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Turns out Kate Gosselin only thinks she's the only woman in the world dealing with sextuplets. TLC has found another family to profile in the upcoming "Sextuplets Take New York" series.
The family lives in Queens. So while Gosselin might have an extra set of twins, meet Victor and Digna Carpio who will begin their televised life Sept. 14, according to the The Hollywood Reporter.
The kids (four boys and two girls) are 22 months old, and the show will follow such daily challenges of dealing with 50 diaper changes a day, for example
Fifty diaper changes a day. Just think about that. All of these and other issues, such as dealing with parents who speak two different languages. And Digna trying to lose her baby weight.
And the other bonus is this family hasn't turned all diva yet or run out and gotten hairplugs to look better for the paparazzi. The network cast the family after doing a special about parents struggling with a multiple birth.
"We fell in love with them," said Nancy Daniels, senior vice president at the network. "They are struggling with taking care of a lot of small children who are the same age and overrunning the house."


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IE8, Safari, Even iPhone Fall at Pwn2Own Contest
The IE exploit is the most interesting because it bypasses both DEP (Data Execution Prevention) and ASLR (Address Space Layout Randomization), albeit in a very cumbersome way, The researcher, Peter Vreugdenhil, explains exactly what he did in a paper on his web site.
Pwn2Own rules require the exploit code to read a particular file on the system in order to register that the exploit has run. But could Vreugdenhil's exploit have written to the disk? It's not clear. Web pages in IE7 on Vista and IE8 on Vista and Windows 7 both run in "Protected Mode," a special crippled user context in which the browser only has write access to the temporary Internet files directories. While exploit code could do some malicious things under Protected Mode restrictions, it could not, for example, set itself up to run at boot or login.
The Firefox exploit was performed by Nils (no last name given) of U.K.-based MWR InfoSecurity. Nils is contractually prevented from disclosing the exact details of the exploit for now. He indicated that the hard part of it, as with IE8, was bypassing ASLR and DEP. But Nils also implied that Firefox did a bad job of opting in to ASLR, so perhaps that's a clue to what he did.
Over on the Apple front, Charlie Miller exploited a critical Safari vulnerability on a MacBook. Details on this hack are also under wraps until Apple gets a chance to address it.
And finally, Vincenzo Iozzo and Ralf Philipp Weinmann were successful in hijacking an iPhone through a malicious web page. Among other things, they were able to read the entire SMS database, including text messages that had already been deleted, and upload them to a server they controlled.
Thanks to Threatpost for the links.
Originally posted to the PCMag.com security blog, Security Watch.


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Jason is easily customisable and is suitable for the implementation of reactive planning systems according to the Belief–Desire–Intention (BDI) architecture.
Programming Multi–Agent Systems in AgentSpeak using Jason provides a brief introduction to multi–agent systems and the BDI agent architecture on which AgentSpeak is based. The authors explain Jason s AgentSpeak variant and provide a comprehensive, practical guide to using Jason to program multi–agent systems. Some of the examples include diagrams generated using an agent–oriented software engineering methodology particularly suited for implementation using BDI–based programming languages. The authors also give guidance on good programming style with AgentSpeak.
Programming Multi–Agent Systems in AgentSpeak using Jason
- Describes and explains in detail the AgentSpeak extension interpreted by Jason and shows how to create multi–agent systems using the Jason platform.
- Reinforces learning with examples, problems, and illustrations.
- Includes two case studies which demonstrate the use of Jason in practice.
- Features an accompanying website that provides further learning resources including sample code, exercises, and slides
This essential guide to AgentSpeak and Jason will be invaluable to senior undergraduate and postgraduate students studying multi–agent systems. The book will also be of interest to software engineers, designers, developers, and programmers interested in multi–agent systems.
1 Introduction.
1.1 Autonomous Agents.
1.2 Characteristics of Agents.
1.3 Multi–Agent Systems.
1.4 Hello World!
2 The BDI Agent Model.
2.1 Agent–Oriented Programming.
2.2 Practical Reasoning.
2.3 A Computational Model of BDI Practical Reasoning.
2.4 The Procedural Reasoning System.
2.5 Agent Communication.
3 The Jason Agent Programming Language.
3.1 Beliefs.
3.2 Goals.
3.3 Plans.
3.4 Example: A Complete Agent Program.
3.5 Exercises.
4 Jason Interpreter.
4.1 The Reasoning Cycle.
4.2 Plan Failure.
4.3 Interpreter Configuration and Execution Modes.
4.4 Pre–Defined Plan Annotations.
4.5 Exercises.
5 Environments.
5.1 Support for Defining Simulated Environments.
5.2 Example: Running a System of Multiple Situated Agents.
5.3 Exercises.
6 Communication and Interaction.
6.1 Available Performatives.
6.2 Informal Semantics of Receiving Messages.
6.3 Example: Contract Net Protocol.
6.4 Exercises.
7 User–Defined Components.
7.1 Defining New Internal Actions.
7.2 Customising the Agent Class.
7.3 Customising the Overall Architecture.
7.4 Customising the Belief Base.
7.5 Pre–Processing Directives.
7.6 Exercises.
8 Advanced Goal–Based Programming.
8.1 BDI Programming.
8.2 Declarative (Achievement) Goal Patterns.
8.3 Commitment Strategy Patterns.
8.4 Other Useful Patterns.
8.5 Pre–Processing Directives for Plan Patterns.
9 Case Studies.
9.1 Case Study I: Gold Miners.
9.2 Case Study II: Electronic Bookstore.
10 Formal Semantics.
10.1 Semantic Rules.
10.2 Semantics of Message Exchange in a Multi–Agent System.
10.3 Semantic Rules for Receiving Messages.
10.4 Semantics of the BDI Modalities for AgentSpeak.
11 Conclusions.
11.1 Jason and Agent–Oriented Programming.
11.2 Ongoing Work and Related Research.
11.3 General Advice on Programming Style and Practice.
A Reference Guide.
A.1 EBNF for the Agent Language.
A.2 EBNF for the Multi–Agent Systems Language.
A.3 Standard Internal Actions.
A.4 Pre–Defined Annotations.
A.5 Pre–Processing Directives.
A.6 Interpreter Configuration.
Jomi Fred Hübner
Michael Wooldridge


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When you begin researching or reading about ancestors who lived in the Massachusetts Bay Colony you come across references such as he was made a freeman on such and such a date, he was a commoner, selectmen, prudential men, etc. But what does that mean exactly. Here is a brief explanation of the different terms.
|The Charter
The head of the Colony was a Governor, Deputy Governor and 18 Assistants who were to be chosen annually by the "Freemen" of the colony. In 1630 the only "Freemen" were the a fore mentioned men. The charter spelled out that the Governor and the "Company" could choose as many "Freemen" as they deemed requisite for the orderly managing and dispatching of the affairs of the Governor and the Company. Freedmen were if you like, stockholders in the Corporation and the Assistants would be the Board of Directors. This plan was laid out in England prior to setting sail.
In 1630 the Winthrop Fleet arrived in the Colony and set up the seat of Government at the newly formed town of Charleston. They rapidly established 8 settlements: Salem, Lynn, Charleston, Mystic, Boston, Dorchester and Roxbury to dispurse the 700 plus new colonists. By December the decision was made to remove the seat of Government to Boston.
|John Wintrop, 1st Governor
At the first quarterly court 109 men applied for admission as Freemen.
Those in authority were alarmed. As all laws and elections would be democratic they felt it unacceptable that all men would be able to vote, so they changed the rules and said that the Freemen would only be allowed to elect the assistants and they in turn would choose the Governor. No Freemen were chosen in the first court.
|Puritan Male
In 1632 the town of Watertown was taxed to pay for the expense of fortifying Cambridge. the Pastor and elders of the Watertown church refused, stating that the Governor and Assistants did not have the authority to levy taxes or make laws. They said only the General Court and the Freemen had that right. The towns while agreeing, felt it was impossible for all the Freemen in the Colony to leave their farms and homes to travel to Boston to attend the Court. This would leave their towns vulnerable to Indian attacks, as well as leaving their farms and businesses untended.
The Court agreed and it was decided that each town would elect two representatives, called Deputies, to attend the General court to vote for their townsmen.
Freedmen were required to take the Freedmen's oath as follows:
I, A.B., being by God's providence an inhabitant and freeman within the jurisdiction of this Commonwealth, do freely acknowledge myself to be subject to the government thereof, and therefore do here swear by the great and dreadful name of the everlasting God, that I will be true and faithful to the same, and will accordingly yield assistance and support thereunto, with my person and estate, as in equity I am bound; and I will also truly endeavour to maintain and preserve all the liberties and privileges thereof, submitting myself to the wholesome laws and orders, made and established by the same. And further, that I will not plot nor practise any evil against it, nor consent to any, that shall so do, but will truly discover and reveal the same to lawful authority now here established, for the speedy preventing thereof. Moreover, I do solemnly bind myself in the sight of God, that when I shall be called to give my voice, touching any such matter of this state, wherein freemen are to deal, I will give my vote and suffrage, as I shall judge in mine own conscience may best conduce and tend to the public weal of the body, without respect of persons or favor of any man; so help me God in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Prudential Men were chosen by each town to enact the towns business.
As early as 1641, the Prudential men of theTown (Ipswich) ordered that no dog should come into the meeting house on Sabbath days or lecture days between twelve and three o'clock. Why they were so obnoxious during the afternoon service, and not in the morning, we are left to our wits to discover. Certain it is, that from very early times, the dog had been legislated against as an undesirable attendant.
The Selectmen were the Executive branch of the town government, these men had charge of the day-to-day operations; selectmen were important in legislating policies central to a community's police force, highway supervisors, poundkeepers, field drivers, and other officials. They were also the town busybodies. Reporting those who wore clothing above their station, did not go to church, fell asleep in church, etc.


text:
Welcome to HotelGuide Network's alphabetical hotel directory for Bermuda area hotels with names that begin with the letter "I". Please select one of the links below to view HotelGuide's Profile PageSM about that hotel. To return to the HotelGuide home page, where you can search for hotels beginning with other letters, click on the "Bermuda Hotels" link at the top and bottom of the page.
There are currently no records in our database for the Bermuda area that begin with the letter "i".
Icon Legend:
= Car Rentals = Restaurant = Pool
= Cable TV = Money Exchange = Golf
= Tennis = City Transportation = Disabled Access
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|Location Links:
(See hotel lists, by location, in the Bermuda area.)Hamilton HotelsPaget HotelsSt. George - Airport HotelsSouthampton Hotels
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|Charleston HotelsMyrtle Beach Hotels
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text:
Kentucky Muse
The KET-produced series Kentucky Muse celebrates the world of creativity found within the Bluegrass state. It offers thoughtful and provocative documentaries on artists, issues, events, and places that reflect Kentuckians' diverse and exciting means of expression while offering a fresh perspective on contemporary artistic life.
You give every Kentuckian the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through KET.


text:
This week's episode from Rollin' On TV takes a look at Arlington RV Super Center, Rhode Island's No. 1 RV dealership, started by a pioneering woman back in 1948 and 64 years later still run by women, her two daughters.
Also, there is a follow-up visit with Gary and Monica Wescott from Turtle Expeditions International, as they head out for their adventure across China and the Far East.


text:
One sister is hospitalized and another is in jail after an argument over apple fritters ended in a stabbing.
Akron police say they were called to the 900 block of Springdale Street around 11:30 p.m. Christmas night for a reported stabbing.
Investigators say one sister was in the kitchen making apple fritters when two other sisters �started to play fight� over the treat.
At one point, police say, one sister pulled the hair of the other sister.
The sister whose hair was pulled, Contisha Q. Hayes, pulled out a knife and stabbed her sister, Tamara D. Delaney, 21, in the chest.
Delaney was taken to Akron City Hospital for treatment of what authorities say was nonlife-threatening injuries.
Hayes, 21, of Callis Oval, has been charged with felonious assault.
She is in the Summit County Jail.


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Description: This dyed, ashy black (approx. 7 ounce) cotton duck fabric, this versatile, medium weight fabric is perfect for window accents (draperies, valances, curtains and swags), accent pillows, bed skirts, duvet covers, slipcovers, upholstery and other home decor accents. Create handbags, ...
go to product
Description: Screen printed on cotton duck; this fabric is medium weight (approximately 6.1 oz. per square yard) and perfect for light upholstery, window treatments, toss pillows, duvet covers, also tote bags and jackets. *Prewash to allow for shrinkage.
Description: Screen printed on textured cotton (similar to barkcloth) this medium/heavyweight fabric is perfect for window accents (draperies, valances, curtains and swags), toss pillows, duvet covers, slipcovers and upholstery. Colors include navy and white. This fabric has 15,000 Double Rubs.


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I know that you can repair them with screw eyes hooks & rubber o-rings but which size for both of them is the best fit. I have a couple MOTU action figures with the legs apart & I need to have them in battle motion once again.
I know that you can repair them with screw eyes hooks & rubber o-rings but which size for both of them is the best fit. I have a couple MOTU action figures with the legs apart & I need to have them in battle motion once again.
I'm Skeletor, master of evil! All of you should show respect for the awful one.
I am Grizzlor #1 fan!
small o rings, smaller than you think, and it's such a hard process i had to give up
i think i ought to try the other one, using someone else's leg rubber
I don't know if these numbers are universal, but I used two number 9 o-rings (the same size a GI Joes). And for screw eyes I used Size 212. The eye need to be small enough to fit INSIDE the hole on top of the leg to get a tight fit. Oh, and it helps to have someone hold the figure while your pulling the o-rings, 'cause they have to be so tight!
I'm going to stop collecting toys and start smoking crack. Crack is cheaper and less addictive.
My collections and trade/sale stuff
i prefer to do this without using "after market" parts ie the O ring...leg "band" fixing can be done with all original parts for a pretty much minty fix...
here is my basic process from another thread on this issue awhile back...
"the best fix i know is to use "recovered" rubber "bands" from other fodder figures...takes a little practice to get good at popping them out...i bring water to boiling, remove heat, submerg legs for approximately 30-45 seconds(try to keep the waist and torso out of the water as much as possible), squeeze the ball socket together and use needle nose pliers to get under the "ball", repeat the process for the second leg(usually don't bother to bring the water back to a boil)...they will usually pop right out, although probably one in 6 or 7 doesn't survive the process and of course MANY were destroyed working it out...
as far as popping them back in...i recommend submerging the legs as much as possible to loosen up the plastic, then squeeze the leg ball socket together and apply "strategic" force...the rubber "band" will usually go about half way in on the first push, then use "clean up" strategic force to the areas that aren't in the socket and you'll be there...
getting the rubber "band" THROUGH the waist is a little bit tricky...use the need nose pliers to force the free "ball" through the place it goes in inside of the waist...you only have to get it a little bit through and then grab it from the other side with the pliers...
the trickiest part is getting the ball into the second leg without over stretching your rubberband or breaking it...essentially use the same "strategic" force strategy employed on the first leg...
it took alot of trial and error and fodder figures to work out the process, but it can be done with all original parts and you can have a working "like new" figure...i have restored at least 4 of the figures in permanent collection in this manner and have been satisfied with the results..."
the only difference now is i generally use heat from a hair dryer to warm the pieces rather than bringing water to a boil...but, both will work about the same...
skeletoncrew, you are the MASTER!!!!!!!!!
i wonder how didn't anyone make a youtube video with instructions ... hey master caster, why don't you make us one
I have a Prince Adam who's rubber band is getting a bit...well. Not really loose. The memory is just not where it needs to be. The legs can't support the figure well because they tend to stretch out...like he's been riding atop Battle Cat too long.
I checked He-Bro's site and didn't really find a fix there.
Right now I have him inside a glass because it forces his legs to stand correctly...but it's been like that almost 24 hours now and when i took him out he still isn't standing right. Anyone know of a good fix?
Last edited by skeletoncrew; January 25, 2008 at 09:49pm.
Good luck!If the legs aren't detached from the body, Detatch them and with a craft/hobby knife remove as much of the old rubber as possible.
Take a trip to your local hardware store and buy some small eyelets. You will need 2 per figure. These look like cup hooks but instead of being opened, they are closed. To judge the correct size, the curved edge of the closed eyelet needs to match the curve in the top of the leg. (Where the rubber used to be.
Also buy some very very small "O"rings. These need to smaller enough to fit over a pencil but not be loose or tight. Just a nice fit. You will need 2 o-rings per figure but have some spare available.
With a very fine drill, drill a small hole into the top of the leg where the ruber used to be. BE CAREFUL NOT TO DRILL TO FAR OR YOU'LL COME OUT THRU THE KNEE.
Repeat this on the other leg.
Screw the closed eyelet halfway into 1 of the legs only. With a pair needle nose plyers, open the eyelet enough to hook 2 "o"rings into it and gently sqqqueeze the eyelet closed again. Fully screw it into the leg.
Open the other eyelet but don't screw it in to the leg yet.
Gently loop some string thru the 2 o-rings and thread the string thru the action figures "shorts" going where the original rubber went.
Now be careful and patient as you pull the o-ring thru the body. It is a tight fit and you may have to use the pliers to manuver it thru the gap. Dont pull the string to hard or it will cut thru the o-rings.
When its thru the gap, make sure the o-rings aren't twisted but don't remove the string.
Hook the other opened eyelet thru the o-rings and close the eyelet with the pliers.
Carefully remove the sting.
Screw the other leg onto the eyelet. You may have to hold the eyelet with the needle nose pliers, as it is a little tricky.
If the legs are crooked, gently stretch the o-ring, hold the eyelet with the pliers and carefully screw the leg so it's straight.
They won't last as long as the original rubber bands but they will last quite a while. If they break you can replace them.
If your not sure about the size of o-rings and eyelets you need, buy some different sizes and see what works for you.
Try it out on some worn out figures first until you master the technique.
I have used the "eyelet" fix with the o-rings and it works great. using two o-rings is a bit more difficult but makes for a tighter joint. i found the tricks on he-bro's site to be useful.
Follow me on Instagram @retrotoypile
I've used the eye-hook o-ring trick a couple times on the kids figures. I even did the dual o-ring thing, and while it was a challenge to fix, once I did it the figures came out great.
I have bought a couple of lots on ebay recently and they have included figures with legs that have fallen off. Does anyone know how to reattach them? I have worked on GI Joes quite a bit, but this will be a first for fixing MOTU. Any help is appreciated.
I've never done it, but IMO super glue would be the only way
In Midwinter, the heat from the oven baking my Shrinky Dinks is all I need!
I'm going to stop collecting toys and start smoking crack. Crack is cheaper and less addictive.
My collections and trade/sale stuff
You can also do it with orginal leg bands, though it takes practice. Search the forums there have been threads on it.
Because of the black bands in vintage MOTU figures, they ALL will eventually fall apart when the rubber rots through. Its only a matter of time. Odds are that all vintage MOTU figures will be legless before we are on our death bed. Is this something that you guys think about or do you pretend like it wont happen?
I only collect vintage MOTU figures without leg bands such as Flying Fists He-Man. Since Mattel had to create new molds for the reissues, its a shame that they didnt improve the figures by adding leg joints.
Hmmm...I think I'm in complete denial. It's possible to glue the legs in there, or redo them yourself. I think it might be He-Bro that has a site on how to redo them??? My Mosquitor has no band left, but I can stick his legs in his holes and he still stands and doesn't fall.
Well at least Snout Spout will be standing too. But seriously most of my legs bands are in great shape so they will hopefully last my life time.
Regardless of the rubber bands, the plastic of the figure itself will deteriorate as well. My Rokkon is sticky (and becomes sticky all over after cleaning), King Hiss has small bubbles on his boots where oil is leaking through from under the boot-paint etc. They won't be presentable in time. The rubber is the least of my worries.
The harder styrene plastic (like the one from the playsets or vehicles) won't deteriorate as fast as the softer ones, and they won't go all at the same rate, but they are all going to go eventually I'm afraid.
Also the new ones and the new series to come. I know it's horrible but just enjoy them while you can. Fact of the matter is that you (and I) are deteriorating as well It's the way of things.
I understand that my MOTU figures could run in to some problems. My only figure that I'm having a lot of trouble with is Extendar. He is turning green!
I live in Arizona and my figures have stayed pretty good so far. (I'm not sure if it is because it is so dry here or what?) Even my bubbles on MOC figures are staying clear. The only yellowed bubbles I have are ones that I purchased form people outside of Arizona.
I would never go as far as not purchasing them though because there is a risk. Such as when you say that you only purchase figures without rubber leg bands.
I still love my wife and pets although I know they won't look as good as when they were young.
In Midwinter, the heat from the oven baking my Shrinky Dinks is all I need!
Hmm...interesting, yes. This begs the question, who are you collecting for? Yourself, posterity or children.
Luck is a combination of Opportunity and being prepared for that Opportunity
Mine won't. I replaced mine with rubber o-rings. They will probably last my whole lifetime since I don't play rough like a small child would.


text:
Most Popular Products
|» Products
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|» Modern Seating Stool
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We are a renowned manufacturer, exporter and supplier of Iron and Wooden products. The above Offered Stool is made available in a wide range of intricate designs and beautiful patterns. It is manufactured and designed using the finest grade Iron with the support of our qualified experts. Further, this Stool is specifically designed to furnish luxury and higher aesthetic appeal to the place. Our esteemed clients can avail this Stool in various specifications at an economical price range.
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Developed and Managed by Infocom Network Ltd.


text:
Why the Andrew Mitchell 'plebgate' story matters
What began as a story about what was really said became a story about who leaked a police log but it is now much more serious than that.
The Metropolitan Police say they are investigating allegations against a serving police officer of fabricating evidence against someone who was, at the time, a cabinet minister. What's more, they say that they will investigate conspiracy if any evidence emerges.
We now know that no member of the public corroborated the police version of what Andrew Mitchell said. Contrary to what is stated in the police log leaked to the press, the CCTV shown on Channel 4 last night suggests that no-one was there to hear what was said.
What is more, we know that an email which purported to come from a member of the public in fact came from a serving police officer who was not on duty or even present in Downing Street at the time.
The email was sent before any account of what happened reached the media and yet is remarkably similar to the police log both in the events it describes and the phrases it alleges Mr Mitchell used.
Hold on, some will say, the two officers who reported what Mr Mitchell said are both still sticking to their story and their boss, the head of the Metropolitan Police, insists he's seen nothing which challenges their story.
That, though, does not answer the questions which the Met has now admitted are "extremely serious" and the subject of "a thorough and well resourced investigation" :
- Why did the email get written?
- How did the officer who wrote it know what was in the police log?
- Did he talk to the officers involved, to their superiors or to the Police Federation?
There are many who, I know, are sick of the story of "plebgate" or who long ago took the view that, whatever words Andrew Mitchell actually used, the minister behaved in a way that no member of the public would get away with.
The reason I believe it matters is that this row is now about the power of politicians, the police and the press - the issues which, you may recall, triggered the Leveson inquiry.


text:
Geoff Wilkinson looks at the application of the Building Regulations to school buildings
More from: £1 billion of schools funding announced
School premises have had to comply with many pieces of legislation, including the Schools Premises Regulations 1999, Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, Control of Asbestos Regulations, Building Regulations, and Regulatory Reform (Fire Services) Order 2005.
Reducing the regulation and bureaucracy around school premises was recommended in the independent 'Review of Education Capital' carried out by Sebastian James. One recommendation was to revise its school premises regulations and guidance to remove unnecessary burdens and ensure that a single, clear set of regulations apply to all schools. Another was that they should seek to further reduce the bureaucracy and prescription surrounding BREEAM assessments.
In November 2011, the department launched a consultation on making identical requirements for the maintained and independent sectors and to reduce the number of regulations. From that, the new school premises regulations for maintained schools came into force on 31 October 2012 and the Independent School Standards from January 2013. The guidance advises schools and local authorities on how to meet the regulations. It also provides signposts to other, more general, building and premises-related legislation and guidance of relevance to schools but, in my opinion, falls far short of a single, clear set of regulations.
While schools are expected to comply with the Building Regulations, the Approved Documents are not always the appropriate guide and instead a series of Building Bulletins remain which provide alternative (and sometimes conflicting) guidance on technical standards. The most commonly used are:
• BB.83 Schools' Environmental Assessment Method
• BB.87 Guidelines for Environmental Design
• BB.90 Lighting Design
• BB.91 Access for disabled people in schools (Superseded by BB.102)
• BB.93 Acoustic Design of Schools
• BB.95 Schools for the future
• BB.100 Fire Safety Design
• BB.101 Ventilation
• BB.102 Designing for disabled children and children with special educational needs.
The problem for designers is that building control bodies have widely varying views on the application of the guidance, and whether the current or original versions of the guidance should be applied. As an example, BB.93 was updated in September 2012, though the Building Regulations (and more specifically Part E) wasn't. So the updated document 'Acoustic performance standards for the priority schools building programme' should be used for schemes under the PSBP, but not other schools. Any variations from the existing BB.93 should be taken as Alternative Performance Standards approved by the Education Funding Agency for this programme. Confused yet? You will be!
Another area of frequent confusion is emergency lighting. We often hear schools saying they don't require emergency lighting, and certainly until 2001, when the general exemption for schools was withdrawn, that was probably true. By contrast, BB.100 refers back to BS 5266:Part 7 and requires 'non-maintained' emergency lighting to: (1) clearly indicate and illuminate escape routes and exit signs; (2) ensure that changes of level and direction are indicated and (3) ensure that fire alarm call points and firefighting equipment can be easily located.
A third possible interpretation under the guidance in Approved Document B comes as schools are classed as assembly buildings. Hence emergency lighting should be provided to all escape routes and accommodation areas, toilet accommodation with a floor area over 8m², electricity and generator rooms and switch room/battery rooms.
Given such wide-ranging variations, architects are wise to engage with their chosen building control body early in the process to ensure appropriate guidance can be agreed before detail design is undertaken.
Geoff Wilkinson is managing director of Wilkinson Construction Consultants
The regs: School buildings
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JBoss Middleware
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What you can do with Red Hat JBoss Operations Network
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Ensure application service levels are being met for performance and availability.
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Using the JBoss Operations Network console or the command-line interface, you can:
- Remotely deploy JBoss servers, apps, and services across groups of managed platforms or servers.
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Wabash Travel Group Wrapping up Trip• June 16, 2014 Share:
The Wabash College Alumni and Friends travel group is wrapping up a stay in Rome and will fly home Friday. Wednesday's highlight was visiting the Vatican for the Pope's weekly audience.
About half the group rose early Wednesday to get to the Vatican, thanks to tickets acquired by Mark Dewart '74. The huge throng roared as Pope Francis rode around St. Peter's Square. Part of the fun was the announcement of visiting groups. The travelers stood and cheered before the Pope's appearance when it was announced "the alumni of Wabash College, Crawfordsville, Indiana" were among the visitors.
The rest of the day was devoted to the Vatican Museum and St. Peter's Cathedral, church of the Pope and the world's largest cathedral.
Thursday will be the last full day in Italy. The group will spend most of the day touring ancient Rome including the Forum and dinner near the Pantheon Thursday night.
The group flies home and arrives late Friday night into Chicago O'Hare airport.
Updates and lots of photos will be posted to the Wabash College Facebook and Twitter accounts.
The group returns home June 27.
More News
- Stephenson '62 Earns Hayek Lifetime Achievement Award
- Hesses Give Time, Talent, and Treasure
- McKinney '22 Earns "Realizing the Dream" Award
- Grandson of Brigance Endows Speaker Series
Photo Galleries
Alumni Italy Trip, No. 1


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Australians look set to pay at least $10,000 more for the Holden VF Commodore SS than Americans.
The VF Commodore is produced in Australia and shipped to the United States where it will be sold as the Chevrolet SS from late 2013.
Although official pricing will remain a secret until the Chevrolet SS goes on sale in the final quarter of 2013, Chevrolet chief engineer David Leone has suggested it will start as low as the mid-$40,000 range.
Asked if the Chevrolet SS would fit between the pricing of the Chevrolet Camaro SS and Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, Leone indicated that was likely.
"You're in the right neighbourhood," he said when asked about a mid $40,000 price tag.
The new VF Commodore SS-V is similar in specification to the upcoming US-spec Chevrolet SS, but it gets the bigger, more powerful 6.2-litre engine from the HSV ClubSport that sells for $66,990 drive-away.
In Australia a current Commodore SS-V costs $55,290 plus on-road costs; Holden has hinted that prices of some VF Commodore variants will increase slightly - but not much.
Despite the apparent price gouging Holden says that it will still make a profit on the 5000-odd cars it plans to sell there each year.
"We wouldn't do it if there wasn't a business case for it," says spokesman Craig Cheetham.
Australians already pay significantly more for cars than many developed countries, especially high performance and luxury models.
Holden has been vocal about the difficulties of exporting cars in an era of record high Australian dollar. Holden has partly used the strength of the currency as justification for recent job cuts and slowing sales.
Holden last year secured $275 million in government funding in return for a commitment to at least $1 billion in investment in local manufacturing until at least 2022.
The new VF Commodore is a crucial car for Holden and is hoped to arrest the dramatic slide in large car sales that has been happening for more than a decade.
Holden's Cheetham wouldn't comment on the expected price difference between the VF Commodore and the Chevrolet SS.
"No pricing has been confirmed for either the VF Commodore or the [Chevrolet] SS," he told Drive.
It's not the first time American buyers have paid significantly less than Australians for imported Australian cars. The original Pontiac G8 was up to $10,000 cheaper than the equivalent Commodore when it went on sale in 2008.
For more car reviews, video and news download the free Drive app. It updates every Friday with seven pages of fresh content from the Drive team.


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The word's been out that a sequel to "Eastern Promises" was on the way, but Vincent Cassel, who starred as the dirtbag scion of a Russian mob boss, has dropped some hints about what we can expect.
Cassel is currently making the rounds in support of his two-part gangster epic "Mesrine," the first installment of which is out Aug. 27. But he's been happy to talk about the sequel to 2007's "Eastern Promises," in which he starred as Kirill, whose rape of a 14-year-old girl is at the center of the story.
Cassel was recently reunited with the "Eastern Promises" director, David Cronenberg, on the set of "A Dangerous Method," about the friendship/rivalry between Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung.
"We talked very seriously about 'Eastern Promises 2' and it's going to be shot in Russia with Viggo (Mortensen) and myself," Cassel told Coming Soon.
But wait -- there's more...
"There's a script, David Cronenberg wants to do it. The script is really good, so hopefully it's going to go," Cassel told The Playlist. "I think David wants to make another film before [the sequel], but whenever they're ready, I told them, 'I'm here.' I'm dying to do the sequel, and to be honest to work with Viggo Mortensen and David, it's such an incredible experience. David is really easy to work with, it feels so [effortless] and when you see the results it's always very compelling."
As we've said before, considering how great most of "Eastern Promises" was and how terrible the ending was, we'd welcome a sequel.


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I am a book snob. I'll admit it. You won't catch me reading an Oprah Pick on a bus...(that's a link to a post on this subject at my Book Nook, good discussion in the comments).
Over at casa az, the lovely and literate az has points us all to Cabanon Press, a fun collection of pictures used on the Guardian Saturday Review page. Here's my favourite:
Life does not happen in a vacuum.
What about you? What do you do when you know someone could be looking?
Freddie and the Dreamers with Pinky and Perky
35 minutes ago


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The Dalai Lama on the Tibetan Self-Immolations
Nearly 30 Tibetans have set themselves on fire since 2009 to protest Chinese rule in Tibetan areas, and in a recent interview with The Wall Street Journal, the Dalai Lama said he would welcome an investigation of the matter.
The latest incident of self-immolation involved a farmer whose funeral Saturday turned into a protest march with thousands calling for the release of Tibet from Chinese rule and the return of the Dalai Lama, the Associated Press reported.
The Dalai Lama, the exiled spiritual leader of the Tibetans who fled to Dharamsala, India in 1959, hasn't made many public statements in response to the self-immolations.
"Now, I have nothing to say. Only pray," the Dalai Lama said in an interview with the Journal on Friday. He called the self-immolations "very, very sad" and a "very sensitive, political issue."


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Michael Grimm's fairy tale ride continues – he's scored an album deal with Epic Records.
The newly crowned "America's Got Talent" winner from Mississippi will release a solo album in March, Epic announced on Wednesday.
Grimm told Entertainment Weekly earlier this month that he hoped winning the NBC talent competition would allow him to "cut the album that I've been wanting to cut."
"[It's] a compilation of my material, my own originals, and we'll check out a lot of other songs out there," he said. "But I know the genre, I know the route I want to go on this album, what it looks like, and smells like, and sounds like."
News of the record deal comes as the soulful crooner is prepping to kick off a 25-city "America's Got Talent Live" tour this weekend.
Since beating 10-year-old opera phenom Jackie Evancho and other finalist to take the $1 million prize on "Talent," Grimm received more good news when his longtime girlfriend agreed to marry him on national television.
"I can't imagine myself with anybody else," Evancho told People mag after Grimm popped the question to her on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show."
Selected Reading: EW, E!, Michael Grimm


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The Hague Transavia Grand Slam | 15 - 20 July 2014
Lausanne, Switzerland, January 22, 2014 – The FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour will once again be the centrepiece of the international beach volleyball calendar in 2014.
From Long Beach in California to Shanghai in China and many places in between players will compete for their share of the $10.2m in prize money on offer from 10 Grand Slams, an inaugural FIVB Grand Slam Final and 10 Open tournaments. The Grand Slams conclude with the first ever FIVB Grand Slam Final, which will offer $500,000 in prize money.
Last year the men's tournament went down to the wire as Latvia's Janis Smedins and Aleksandrs Samoilovs held off the challenge of Brazil's Pedro Salgado and Bruno Schmidt at the Durban Open in December. Brazilian fans did have something to celebrate though as Talita Antunes and Taiana Lima won the women's crown after dominating all season.
It means that both sides will be pushing hard to retain their titles, while the depth of the teams chasing them grows ever deeper.
Initially nine Grand Slam events were named, but in recent weeks the total went up to the maximum of 10 when the Klagenfurt returned as a host following a year off the Tour when the Austrian venue hosted the CEV Beach Volleyball European Championships.
The lake-side resort will once again welcome the crème-de-la-crème of the beach volleyball world as the Austrian city gets set to host the ninth double-gender Beach Volleyball Grand Slam of the 2014 season from July 29 to August 3.
This year will mark the 17th time that the Lake Worthersee site has hosted a stop on the international circuit. With the exception of last season, the men's World Tour has stopped in Klagenfurt every year since 1997 and the women's since 2001. In 2001 Klagenfurt also hosted the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships and this year's tournament will make Klagenfurt the most experienced host in the World Tour's history with 16 men's and 12 women's tournament to its name.
"Beach volleyball players and fans have come to expect the best from Klagenfurt," said FIVB President Dr. Ary S. Graça F°. "I am proud to have the opportunity to now build on the previous successes of this stop on the World Tour and look forward to once again experiencing all that this excellent venue has to offer."
"We are very happy to organise the A1 Beach Volleyball Grand Slam in cooperation with the FIVB at Lake Worthersee in Klagenfurt, Carinthia again this year," said Hannes Jagerhofer of the ACTS Group, the official promoter of the event.
"The dates for the Grand Slam are hereby confirmed and official. We are sure that this year's Grand Slam will exceed all the expectations of all athletes, fans, sponsors and partners by offering an exceptional week in Carinthia."
Earlier in the month, the organisers of the Moscow Grand Slam announced a date change to June 11 to 15 so as to accommodate Klagenfurt's inclusion in the 2014 beach volleyball calendar.
Also making a return to this year's calendar is Stavanger in Norway, another popular stop on the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour. The unique dockside venue, which hosted the 2009 World Championships, was last present on the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour in 2011, after 13 straight seasons, but returns with a Grand Slam from June 24-29.
The ever-popular Stare Jablonki, returns as a Grand Slam after hosting the World Championships last year. The venue on the banks of Lake Mazury will now welcome beach volleyball players and fans from August 19 to 24.
Through the year there are a host of familiar cities hosting Grand Slams; Long Beach in the USA continues for a second season after a successful debut in 2013, while The Hague in the Netherlands is planning on spreading the tournament over four different cities in preparation for their hosting of the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships in 2015.
There are also Grand Slams in Fortaleza in Brazil, Berlin, Moscow and Gstaad in Switzerland before the FIVB Grand Slam Final.
The participants in the FIVB Grand Slam Final, for
which the location and dates are still to be confirmed, will be made up of the
top eight nations on the FIVB Beach Volleyball Grand Slam ranking with a
maximum quota of two teams per country, per gender. The newly conceived Grand Slam Final has yet to be assigned and the FIVB
is in negotiations with the promoters who have shown an interest in staging
this event.
Fuzhou in China, Anapa in Russia, Xiamen in China and Phuket in Thailand will once again host Open tournaments with a further five organised in Puerto Vallarta in Mexico, Czech capital Prague, Parana in Argentina and Qatari capital Doha with Durban in South Africa once again bringing the season to a close in December.
The newest addition to the 2014 beach volleyball calendar, the FIVB U17 Volleyball World Championships will be held in Bahia Banderas in Mexico, providing yet another opportunity for young beach volleyball players to come to the fore and gain international experience in their sport.
Polish town Myslowice will once again do the honours of hosting the FIVB Beach Volleyball U23 World Championships while Oporto in Portugal will put its previous experience of hosting the FIVB Beach Volleyball U19 World Championships to practice yet again in 2014. Cypriot resort Larnaka will host the U21 World Championships.
The second edition of the Youth Olympic Games are set to take place from August 16 to 28, 2014 in the Chinese city of Nanjing and it will be the first time beach volleyball will be included in the sporting line-up.
2014 Beach Volleyball Calendar
20.07.2014 17:00:12
Fijalek & Prudel Net Poland's First FIVB World Tour Gold Medal
The Hague, The Netherlands, July 20, 2014 - The names of Grzegorz Fijalek and Mariusz Prudel are now in the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour record bo... More...
20.07.2014 16:02:17
Emanuel & Salgado win All-Brazilian Bronze Medal Affair
The Hague, The Netherlands, July 20, 2014 - Legendary Beach Volleyball Emanuel Rego has added a new country to his list where he has won international... More...
20.07.2014 14:57:22
Brazilians Fernanda & Lima Top Transavia Grand Slam Podium
The Hague, The Netherlands, July 20, 2014 - It has been another successful Beach Volleyball event in The Netherlands for Taiana Lima as she returned t... More...
20.07.2014 12:46:08
Antonelli & Juliana Capture Transavia Grand Slam Bronze Medal
20.07.2014 08:04:21
Europe vs. Americas for The Hague Beach Volleyball Gold Medals
19.07.2014 22:05:09
Poland Seeks First FIVB World Tour Gold Medal
19.07.2014 19:50:21
Holtwick & Semmler Seek Validation
19.07.2014 17:44:36
Three-set matches highlight Transavia Grand Slam men's quarterfinals
19.07.2014 14:46:43
From Qualifier to "Final 4" for Brazilians Fernanda & Lima at Transavia Grand Slam
19.07.2014 08:15:02
"Moving Day" Matches Spice Saturday's Transavia Grand Slam Schedule
19.07.2014 07:16:45
Chilean Cousins Claim Big Payday
18.07.2014 21:42:01
Americans Doherty & Lucena Tandems Earn Transavia Grand Slam Break-through
18.07.2014 20:23:05
Brazilian Women Continue Strong Transavia Grand Slam Showing
18.07.2014 18:00:51
Unexpected Tandems Earn Transavia Grand Slam Second Round Berths
18.07.2014 14:46:47
Brazilian Women Dominating Transavia Grand Slam
18.07.2014 12:39:58
European Champions Van Iersel and Meppelink disappoint after loss on home sand
18.07.2014 00:55:32
Elimination Rounds Highlight Friday's Transavia Grand Slam Schedule
18.07.2014 00:49:40
Elimination Rounds Highlight Friday's Transavia Grand Slam Schedule
17.07.2014 20:57:03
Latvians Erase Swiss Memories
17.07.2014 18:59:34
American Olympic Medalists Led Transavia Grand Slam Pool Winners
17.07.2014 18:35:39
Travelling Aussies happy on the road
17.07.2014 18:23:51
Dalhausser and Rosenthal on the hunt for a 'turkey' in The Hague
17.07.2014 14:38:14
Beach volleyball gives Apeldoorn a big buzz
17.07.2014 13:25:39
FIVB World Champions Seek Transavia Grand Slam Success
16.07.2014 22:33:15
US and Australian pairs unbeaten in Amsterdam
16.07.2014 22:02:07
Swiss Tanja's pool winners after only one day in Apeldoorn
16.07.2014 21:27:24
Upsets Highlight Transavia Grand Slam Men's Pool Play Matches
16.07.2014 21:02:42
Sand suits Canadian Pavan
16.07.2014 20:21:27
Nummerdor: next year's World Championships are going to surpass everything
16.07.2014 17:37:22
Double or nothing for Bruno
16.07.2014 15:53:36
Germany's Ludwig and Sude making the most of a temporary partnership
16.07.2014 14:50:56
Transavia Grand Slam is the Wimbledon of beach volleyball
16.07.2014 14:46:41
Life is good, but…
16.07.2014 12:47:10
Just like old times
15.07.2014 23:48:08
Amsterdam, Apeldoorn Join The Hague in Hosting Transavia Grand Slam Matches
15.07.2014 16:36:34
Upsets Highlight Transavia Grand Slam Men's Qualification Tournament
15.07.2014 16:34:30
Top-seeded Brazilians Avoid Qualifying Transavia Grand Slam Upset
14.07.2014 20:26:19
Record US$1,000,000 purse for FIVB The Hague Transavia Grand Slam
14.07.2014 16:03:17
Qualifying Rounds Opens Transavia Grand Slam Play Tuesday
14.07.2014 14:09:38
Larissa "Is Back"
14.07.2014 05:07:15
Talking Stats: 2014 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour—July 13
14.07.2014 02:43:50
2014 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour update after nine events
11.07.2014 02:54:55
Double Dutch delight
03.07.2014 18:09:15
European champs ready to give home fans taste of what to expect in 2015
23.06.2014 17:32:15
Three cities for The Hague Transavia Grand Slam
07.04.2014 18:09:54
One million dollars in prize money up for grabs at Transavia and Long Beach Grand Slams
19.03.2014 18:01:38
Fortaleza Grand Slam postponed as The Hague confirms four cities
07.03.2014 11:32:52
Transavia Grand Slam 2014 in three World Championship cities


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2015 Art on the Street
Cameron's Dragon by Mary Zimmerman
Cameron's Dragon by Mary Zimmerman
Cameron's Dragon
Mary Zimmerman
Artist: Mary Zimmerman
Paonia, CO
Location: Festival Plaza, 311 S. Public Road
Materials: Bronze
Price: $14,000
Artists Statement:
See & Respond
Following the installation of the sculptures, area poets and visual artists will be invited to participate in a juried art show, "See and Respond!" where artists create a piece inspired by one of the sculptures. There will be cash prizes awarded in multiple categories. Visit the
See & Respond page
for more information
Lady in Waiting by Victoria Patti
Wild Side Roundup by Dale Montagne
Techqua Ikachi by Gary Monaco
Call of the Wild by Lynn Wolfe
Man Eater by Jim Choate
Projection by Maureen Hearty
The Boat of the Universe by Kimmerjae Johnson
Day Breaker by J Morley
The Bird in all of Us by Scott Mohr
The Vixen by Diane Mason
Cameron's Dragon by Mary Zimmerman
Tubular Text by Bill Vielehr
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Farmer's Moon by Reven Swanson
Emergence by Jade Windell
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Hawks rout Pacers, boost playoff hopes
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Atlanta got Indiana at exactly the right time.
The Pacers couldn't shoot early, couldn't defend most of the night, couldn't protect their home court and kept All-Star center Roy Hibbert on the bench for the final 30 minutes - all against a team that still hasn't clinched a playoff spot.
Jeff Teague scored 25 points in his hometown, Pero Antic finished with 18 and the Hawks handed the NBA's best home team an embarrassing 107-88 loss Sunday that could have a major impact on playoff seeding in the East.
"I think as many games as we play, sometimes you just have a half like that," Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said. "I think we participated in it some, but I think we just caught them on a rough night."
The truth is the Hawks (34-42) are back on track.
Since losing six straight and falling temporarily out of the top eight, Atlanta has won three of its last four to take firm control of the No. 8 slot. If it holds that slot, Atlanta would make the playoffs for an Eastern Conference-best seventh straight season and get a probable first-round matchup with either the two-time defending champion Heat or the suddenly reeling Pacers.
Sunday's win, coupled with New York's 102-91 loss at Miami on Sunday, gave Atlanta three fewer losses than the ninth-place Knicks, who have four games left, and a two-game lead overall.
Still, coaches and players in Atlanta insist they're not paying attention to the other scores.
"We're genuinely more focused on building our habits and improving," Budenholzer said. "If we do what we talk about each day, those things will take care of themselves."
Indiana (53-25), meanwhile, is trying to pull itself out of a complete collapse.
Since beating Miami on March 26 to take a three-game lead in the chase for the East's top seed, the Pacers have lost four of five to fall one game behind the Heat. They were even forced to cancel Saturday's practice because a wind gust sent a baggage cart crashing into the team plane after Friday night's loss at Toronto, Indiana's sixth straight on the road - a practice it certainly could have used.
The Pacers couldn't get closer than 13 after falling into a 14-point hole midway through the first quarter Sunday, and their 23 points were a franchise low for a first half. The previous low was 27 against the Los Angeles Clippers on Nov. 10, 2004.
How bad have things gotten?
Team president Larry Bird barely budged as he watched the league's No. 1 defense allowed Atlanta to shoot 56.2 percent from the field and make 12 of 27 3-pointers. Indiana followed a 7-for-35 shooting effort in the first half with a 15-for-43 showing in the second half.
Coach Frank Vogel was so upset by the sluggish start that he yanked all five starters midway through the first quarter and benched Hibbert because Vogel thought he needed some extra rest. Hibbert, who looked disengaged on the bench, did not speak to reporters afterward.
"He looks worn down," Vogel said. "He's a 7-foot-2 player who has played every game this year, which is very rare. He looks to me to be worn down. He's given good effort but he looks to me to be worn down. Combine that with the fact that they have a 3-point shooting 5-man most of the game. It's a difficult matchup."
But none of it made this blowout any easier to accept.
Indiana missed its first seven shots as the Hawks jumped to a 9-0 lead. Things only got bleaker as the game continued.
Atlanta scored the final five points of the first quarter to take a 33-11 lead. When Mike Scott and Shelvin Mack hit back-to-back 3-pointers in the second, the Hawks led 45-15. They were still up 55-23 at the half as Indiana's frustrated players shook their heads and frustrated fans serenaded the team with boos as they left the court.
"It was a must-win for us tonight," Teague said. "We came out hungry, we came out with energy and we came out with passion."
When Indiana finally showed some spark in the second half, it was too late.
The Pacers used an 11-0 spurt to get as close as 75-59 late in the third, but they couldn't get closer than 15 until 1:18 remained.
"I thought we were super locked in," Kyle Korver said. "We're fighting for a playoff spots and we came out like that."
Notes: Atlanta ended a three-game losing streak in Indy. ... The loss will prevent Indiana from matching the franchise best home mark of 36-5, set in 1999-2000. The Pacers are now 35-6 at home. ... Paul Millsap had 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Hawks.


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text:
Game Change
What: Julianne Moore stars as Sarah Palin in this cable film about John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign.
When: 9 p.m. Saturday.
Partisans on both sides of the political divide will battle over the accuracy of HBO's "Game Change." So let the squabbling begin.
They'll argue whether "Game Change" is good history. Well, before all that dust gets kicked up on the pundit paths, let's address the question of whether it's great drama.
It isn't. Despite some compelling performances, "Game Change" is a by-the-numbers cable movie full of obvious choices and predictable confrontation scenes. It's poorly paced, badly edited and clumsily structured.
Like an ineptly planned political campaign, it fails to stay on point. Indeed, it has a difficult time framing any point at all.
Sarah Palin, both wonderfully played and annoyingly overplayed by Julianne Moore, gets the spotlight in this movie that purports to be about John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign. That's not exactly the real focus of this prosaic political drama.
Make no mistake. McCain, sympathetically and convincingly portrayed by Ed Harris, is relegated to the role of supporting player in this drama. He's largely on the sidelines. This is the Sarah Palin story.
And that's a big part of the structural weakness undermining the already controversial film from executive producer Tom Hanks. You keep getting the sense that this is only part of a movie and at least half of it is missing.
That's because you are only getting a portion of the big picture. The source material for this film is the 2010 book by political analysts John Heilemann and Mark Halperin about the 2008 presidential campaign. Consider the full title of their tome based on more than 300 interviews: "Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime."
Get all that? Hillary Clinton barely gets a mention in this movie. Barack Obama is seen only in news footage. And other major parts of the book, including the Republican primary race and the revelations about John Edwards' extramarital affair, are completely dropped.
By focusing almost exclusively on Palin, screenwriter Danny Strong has reduced the overall vision to half of half the story that Heilemann and Halperin set out to tell in such great detail.
Several participants in the 2008 campaign, including Palin, have taken issue with the book, but it did dig up quite a bit of provocative material on both the Democratic and Republican races. You can't help thinking how much more effective and dramatic HBO's "Game Change" would have been if it had bounced between the two campaigns, showing how McCain and Obama secured their parties' nominations and how they responded to each other.
Palin is a key part of that story, no doubt. But by slashing the scope of the book so drastically, Hanks, Strong and director Jay Roach have delivered an anemic film that suffers from a lack of ambition as well as vision.
The Heilemann-Halperin title refers to an ongoing theme through the 2008 campaign. There were so many game-changing moments. The movie suggests that the only game-changing moment that mattered was the selection of Palin as McCain's running mate.
This movie easily could have been three hours, each hour drawn from one of the three major parts of the book. Better yet, it could have been a compelling three-night miniseries event. Why not? HBO is one of the few programmers still in the miniseries business.
That's not to say there aren't engaging performances. Woody Harrelson is terrific as McCain strategist Steve Schmidt, the veteran politico trying to keep the campaign on track. He, too, emerges as a bigger presence than McCain.
Yet, taking full advantage of his screen time, Harris makes McCain likable, admirable and touchingly human.
The film is much rougher on Palin, who is depicted as a natural campaigner woefully unprepared to tackle questions on national and international issues. She's also portrayed as a bit of political diva and loose cannon on the campaign trail.
The film also contends that the McCain brain trust hastily selected Palin without a proper vetting process. "High risk, high reward," Harrelson's Schmidt tells Harris' McCain.
"You shouldn't have told me that," McCain says. "I've been a risk-taker all my life."
Also in this capable cast are: Peter MacNicol as McCain's national campaign manager, Rick Davis; Jamey Sheridan as speechwriter Mark Salter; Sarah Paulson as senior adviser Nicolle Wallace; and Ron Livingston as Mark Wallace, the senior adviser who led Palin's debate preparation team.
As defeat seems imminent, Schmidt's ultimate appraisal is brutal: "It wasn't a campaign; it was a bad reality show."
Perhaps, but the reality is that HBO's "Game Change" makes a bad showing by arming game and gifted players with a weak and labored script.


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Item Condition: This item has been used for test purposes and may show slight signs of use. There may be minor cosmetic damage such as scuffs, scratches, stains, chips or dings. The original packaging may or may not be present.
Shoei RF-1200 Philosopher Helmet
The Shoei RF-1200 Helmet was designed to be an industry leader in comfort, performance and protection. Shoei has reduced the weight of the RF-1200 by using a slimmer design and building a distinct line into the side of the helmet that also serves as an accent. As a result, the RF-1200 is lighter than any other Snell certified helmet in the current Shoei lineup. This distinct accent cut line widens the bottom of the helmet to help ease the process of putting the RF-1200 on or taking it off. Further advancing the comfort of the AIM+ shell is the industry leading four shell sizes that the Shoei RF-1200 comes in. The impact-absorbing dual liner consists of two layers incorporating different densities, helping to effectively balance the potential impact applied to the more rigid shell.
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text:
Lower Ardtun Postcode
Lower Ardtun is Post Town located in Argyll and Bute, Scotland - UK
Search Lower Ardtun, Argyll and Bute, Postcodes by its streets and block numbers.
Lower Ardtun Postcode - Argyll and Bute UK
Lower Ardtun Postcode is a six-character string that forms part of a postal address in Argyll and Bute, Scotland - UK. Like Dutch postcodes, Lower Ardtun - Argyll and Bute Postcodes are alphanumeric. Lower Ardtun Grid reference is .
They are divided into two parts separated by a single space. Those two parts are the outward code and the inward code. The Argyll and Bute outward code includes the postcode area and the postcode Lower Ardtun district. The inward code includes the postcode sector and the postcode unit.
If you want to send a mail to Lower Ardtun, you should use the corresponding Postcode. Lower Ardtun Postcode district is PA67 6.


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I've been using mobile devices since the Handspring Prism and switched to the iPhone in 2010 when it first arrived in Canada. Slowly but surely, I've come to rely on it more and more, not only for blogging here on iMore, but for managing my day job as a therapist.
My iPhone's built-in alarm wakes me up in the morning. With eyes still half closed, I fumble for it, and peer at Intelliscreen X, my jailbreak Lock screen extender, to see if any urgent SMS messages or emails have come in over night. If nothing's there, I freely admit to hitting snooze and getting as many more winks in as time and family will allow.
Since I spend most of my day seeing clients at my office, where I'm offline and petty much unreachable while in session, I depend on SMS and email to stay in touch and keep track of any scheduling changes and additions. I can't have sound alerts on so unobtrusive visual notifications are really important to me. In between sessions I need to be able to look and see a list of everything that's come in while I've been busy, and respond as quickly and efficiently as possible. I use BiteSMS for jailbreak to handle my SMS heavy lifting. It lets me quickly see and reply to SMS messages even if I'm busy using another app (or game, shhh!) at the same time.
Since I'm often in a rush to get out of the house in the morning, I've come to rely on the Nexia Home Security System so I can do everything from lock my doors to turn on or off lights no matter where I am.
On my way to work I listen to music in the built-in Music app. I actually listen to music all the time. Whenever I'm out and about and hear something I like, I use Shazam [Free - Download now] to identify and buy it, and musiXmatch so I can -- yes, I can't believe I'm admitting this! -- sing along!
I'm also constantly taking photos with the built-in Camara app. I take photos of everything -- beautiful skies, outfits that look interesting, nail polish I'm testing out, hairstyles I've tried. You name it, I shoot it. I haven't gotten into any of the App Store photography or sharing apps, but I have used the amazing olloclip to do wide-angle, fisheye, and macro shots.
If I have to set Reminders or create quick Notes while traveling or in between sessions, I use Siri. I've played around with a number of jailbreak Siri extensions, but I don't use any of them regularly.
At work my iPhone becomes -- steady now! -- a phone! I use it to make an return calls. (And yes, I still remember phone numbers and use the dialer to place calls...) I also use the built-in Calculator for book-keeping. I have some events in the Calendar app but those are mostly for family and personal appointments. I still use a good old fashioned agenda book for client appointments.
Whenever I have a free moment, I love to decompress with casual games. My current favs include Draw Something and Zuma's Revenge [$1.99 - Download now]. It's not exactly the same as my long, lamented Stoneloops, but it's close.
I now use the awesome iMore app to keep up-to-date with the site, and Tapatalk to read and reply to the iMore forums. I don't use Twitter much, but when I do I'm now using Tweetbot. I also use Notes to rough out my reviews.
When I finally get home, I switch to the iPad and enjoy surfing the web, gaming, and watching videos the bigger screen. When I go to bed, however, it's back to the iPhone. Nothing can beat its mobility.
I'll check my schedule for the next day, catch up on any remaining emails and texts, maybe play a few more games. Then I set my alarm and catch as much sleep as I can before repeating it all the next day!
Interest in seeing how other members of the iMore nation use their iPhones and iPads at work? Check out the full series! Want to share how you use your iOS device? Add your story to our official iPhone at Work or iPad at Work threads in the iMore Forums!
We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. Learn more.
Apple Sydney to close for refurbishment January 5
Apple has announced that its Sydney store will close on January 5 whilst Apple makes "creative updates" to the store.
The Smart Battery Case is a great accessory for iPhone photographers
Apple's Smart Battery Case may provide you with more battery life, but we're more impressed with that dedicated camera button.
Apple Card information is finally showing up on credit reports
Goldmans Sachs has announced that Apple Card information is finally going to start appearing on your credit report!
Lighting is crucial to photos — get the best shot with these portable LEDs
Shine a light on your phone's snapshots with these iPhoneography accessories!


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- Our Work
- 30th Anniversary
- About
- Program Registration
- Contact
At PEF, we believe there's nothing more important to our community's future than strengthening our public schools. We're an independent, nonprofit, community-based organization that for over twenty‐five years, has provided training, research and resources to teachers, principals and schools in Hamilton County and surrounding areas.
We do more than provide funds; we're innovators, working with partners in education to transform public education. Our mission is simple: we want to increase student achievement so all students succeed in learning and in life.


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Launched in San Francisco in 2007, Scribd is an Internet company that provides social publishing and reading services. Scribd converts documents into a Web format readable on Scribd.com. Scribd members can share documents across the web, mobile devices, and social platforms such as Facebook and Twitter.
From the beginning, Scribd used Amazon Web Services (AWS) to store and process the documents uploaded to its site. Jared Friedman, co-founder of Scribd states, "It was by far the easiest way to scale our web storage to meet customer demand." Scribd uses Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3) to host original and converted document assets, Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) to convert the documents to Web-readable HTML, and the AWS SDK for Ruby.
"We talked with an account manager at AWS, who listened to our business problem and helped us design a large batch job using Amazon EC2 Spot Instances," says Friedman. Scribd runs a scalable grid of slave nodes that processes files, and a master node that controls them. The master node scales the grid in response to changing demand, and can purchase On-Demand or Spot Instances, depending on the time sensitivity of requests. Scribd estimates that it saved 63%, or $10,500, by using Spot Instances for the batch conversion instead of On-Demand Instances for this particular job.
Scribd used up to 2,000 Spot Instances at a time to run the batch-processing job. "We only had to write a couple of really small scripts," says Friedman. "We were able to move from On-Demand to Spot Instances in a couple of hours, coffee breaks included."
The team called on AWS Support when they ran into issues mid-way through the process because of software overload on the instances. "Helpful technical people looked through our account data, explained the issue, and helped us understand how to fix it," says Friedman. "Thanks to AWS, we were able to get the job done, ahead of time and under budget—at an amazingly low cost."
In the future, Scribd plans to make greater use of Spot Instances, which Friedman describes as a great way to save money on Amazon EC2. He continues, "AWS has supported our business for five years, allowing us to easily handle our millions of users." With the recent release of Amazon Glacier, Scribd quickly took advantage of the low-cost and durable storage service to backup all of their data on Amazon Glacier, including files that previously had no backups. Scribd found Amazon Glacier particularly helpful for database snapshots and log files. Friedman comments, "Amazon Glacier's extremely low prices have made it economically viable for us to do far more comprehensive backups than we were previously able to do."
To learn more about how AWS can help your web application needs, visit our Web Applications details page: http://aws.amazon.com/web-mobile-social/.


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Hello Wyoming Beekeepers and guests,
The annual Wyoming Beekeepers Association winter meeting has been scheduled for December 6th and 7th in Casper, WY at the Ramada Plaza Riverside.
Date: December 6th and 7th
Time: Registration begins at 9am, going thru 10 am (December 6th)
Where: Casper, WY
Location: Ramada Plaza Riverside
Address: 300 West F Street, Casper, WY
Phone: (307) 235-2531 or (877) 576-8636
Make reservations by November 25
Special rates available for rooms held under "Wyoming Beekeepers"
Friday, December 6th:
9am-10am- Registration
10am- Welcome Presentation - Don Bryant
10:15am- Virus Detection Report - Dave Wick
12pm- Hotel Lunch
1pm-3pm- Lecture by Maryann Frazier, Senior Extension Associate, Dept of Entomology at Penn State
3pm-3:30pm- Presentation by Doug Mammon, US Honeybee Program
3:30pm-3:45pm- Break
3:45pm-4:30pm- Presentation by Mariah Ehmke, UW Pollination Research Grant
4:30pm-5pm- Round Table Discussion
5pm- Adjourn
6pm- No Host Bar at Ramada Tavern
7pm- Dinner & Auction - bring your items!
Saturday, December 7th:
7am-9am- Sioux Member Breakfast with Doug Mammon
9am- Wyoming Beekeepers Meeting
11am- Dismiss
Feel free to comment on this thread, or PM me for registration contact and info.


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HIV/AIDS News
Guidance for Industry: Fixed Dose Combination and Co-Packaged Drug Products for Treatment of HIV
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced an expedited review process to ensure that the United States is providing safe, effective drugs to developing countries under the President's $15 billion Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Randal L. Tobias said the new process will enable his office to ensure the quality of drugs purchased by the United States for developing countries under the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS relief. Under the new guidance to be proposed next week by HHS' Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the United States will be able to provide life-saving drugs at lower prices to millions of people in Africa and the Caribbean.
Secretary Thompson and Ambassador Tobias said drug patent issues that apply in developed nations should not impede purchase of these drugs for developing countries. The FDA guidance will apply to new products that combine already-approved individual HIV/AIDS therapies into a single dosage, known as fixed dose combinations (FDC), as well as to new co-packaging of existing therapies. Drugs that are approved by FDA under the process described in the guidance will meet all FDA standards for drug safety, efficacy, and quality, said Acting FDA Commissioner Lester M. Crawford.
The expedited review process, combined with the work of local drug regulatory authorities in the affected countries, will provide a mechanism to ensure that safety, efficacy and quality standards are met and maintained by companies providing drugs for the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. President Bush has pledged $15 billion for this initiative to address the global HIV/AIDS pandemic in developing nations, through prevention, care and treatment programs that include the purchase of HIV/AIDS drugs.
"We are clearing the way to quickly deliver quality, life-saving HIV/AIDS drugs to people who desperately need them in developing countries," Secretary Thompson said. "We are committed to ensuring that President Bush's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief is providing medical care as effectively and efficiently as possible. Fixed dose combination products and co-packaged products are an important tool in improving the quality of health care in developing nations."
"The President has made clear that his goal is to put effective treatment into the hands of those who need it in the hardest-hit developing nations, and to provide these life-saving services as widely as possible," said Ambassador Tobias. "At the same time, we must apply real discipline to ensure that the products we provide in poor nations are safe and effective. The new expedited process provides us with a solid foundation for purchasing drugs that work. With FDA review, we will have a gold-standard assurance that a combination product will be safe and effective."
The guidance will outline four scenarios for review of different FDC and co-packaged products. Some of the scenarios could permit approval in as little as two to six weeks after submission of a high quality application. For companies making products where another firm owns the U.S. patent rights, FDA could issue a tentative approval when it finds the product meets the agency's normal safety and efficacy standards.
Ambassador Tobias commended Secretary Thompson for developing the new guidance. "The Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator would recognize this 'tentative approval' by FDA as evidence of the safety and efficacy of AIDS drugs to be purchased under the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. We can then use these drugs in developing countries, where international patent agreements permit them to be purchased," he said. "What is most important is that we must only purchase products that have undergone scientifically rigorous safety and efficacy review. This initiative on the part of FDA will enable just that."
Control of HIV/AIDS generally requires use of several different drugs simultaneously. Combination products would bring together different HIV/AIDS drugs in a single medication or co-package, thereby facilitating patients' compliance with often complicated drug regimens.
To obtain approval of new products, manufacturers could cite existing clinical data to demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of the individual drugs in the new combined product -- and new data to show effectiveness of the new combination could be developed quickly. FDA pledged to work with companies in assuring that necessary data are developed rapidly if the companies do not already have access to such data.
Secretary Thompson urged manufacturers of brand-name and generic drugs alike to work with FDA and submit applications. "HHS has opened the door to rapid review of new combination products," he said. "This means companies will have new incentives to develop easy-to-use products at lower prices. It also means we will provide a sound scientific basis to Ambassador Tobias for the very substantial purchases that the President's Emergency Plan will be making on behalf of millions of people in the hardest hit nations. This is essential - to skirt the safety and efficacy issues would be wrong and dangerous."
Acting FDA Commissioner Crawford also announced that FDA is evaluating whether the agency can waive or reduce user fees, normally charged to companies making new drug applications, for products reviewed under this rapid review process.
"FDA recognizes the public health importance of these products and is evaluating the circumstances under which it may grant user fee waivers for sponsors developing products under this guidance. FDA intends to expedite the development process for these products as much as is practicable. FDA intends to maximize the many benefits, including the potential to limit the development of drug resistance, while preventing serious risks such as overlapping toxicities and the potential for inappropriate combinations to increase the amount of virus in the body, " Dr. Crawford said.
The guidance will include a list of currently approved drugs for which FDA believes there exist clinical safety and efficacy data supporting combination use. There are more than 20 unique anti-HIV medications approved in the United States.
The draft guidance will be open for a 60-day comment, but it is effective and active immediately. A fact sheet on this issue is available at http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2004pres/20040516a.html.