text:
I am one of those "trusting" type people. I prefer to assume you can trust someone until they prove otherwise. I am usually fairly surprised then when someone isn't trustworthy. This is something I have been thinking a lot about lately as someone close to me recently broke my trust. How can I learn to trust again?
I am dumbfounded when I cannot get my daughter to trust me. I have only good intentions and her well being at heart and I am her MOTHER! Try this food, Ava, it's delicious. "I don't like it," she replies. "But you have never tasted it," I challenge her. After a long convincing back and forth, she usually has a bite and tells me how much she likes whatever it is I was encouraging her to try. Why won't she trust me? I have tried extremely hard to never let her down. I always keep my word, tell her the truth and yet I cannot convince her to taste something I am eating as well.
I, on the other hand, trust too much. I assume that if someone makes a promise they will keep it like I do. I think that if they say they have thought long and hard about something that they are clear about their decisions.
The hardest trust issue I have is with my body. I felt great the first time I was diagnosed with breast cancer when I was 36. I worked out, was in good shape and was entirely shocked when I found out my biopsy was positive. So I did everything the doctors recommended and more. I had three months of chemotherapy, surgery, another three months of chemo for extra good measure and finally a course of radiation. I thought since I did all the "right things" that I could trust my body to never allow that cancer to take hold of me again. Well, when it came back in 2008 I was entirely shocked again. How did that happen? How can you trust others again when you cannot even trust your own body?


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Ryan Seacrest and Julianne Hough have decided to take a break after dating for more than two years, People reports.
TV couples we want to break up
The American Idol host and Dancing with the Stars pro-turned-actress reportedly split because of their busy work schedules . They are still in regular contact, but are living apart.
Seacrest was previously linked to Teri Hatcher in 2006.

subset: commoncrawl


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Wagner's Ring Cycle returns to PBS, and a documentary from Susan Froemke
Robert Lepage's acclaimed new production of Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen, will air on PBS' "Great Performances at the Met," Sept. 11-14, on PBS.
The third time may be the charm for PBS, which has aired the complete Ring Cycle twice before: In 1983, Patrice Chereau's production of the Ring conducted by Pierre Boulez from the Bayreuth Festival, and in 1990, Live from the Met presented Otto Schenk's Metropolitan Opera production, conducted by James Levine.
The operas — Das Rheingold, Die Walkure, Siegfried, and Götterdämmerung — will be preceded on Monday, Sept. 10, by Susan Froemke's documentary "Wagner's Dream," which chronicles behind the scenes production.


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Delete Duplicates And Resolve Foreign Key References in SQL
Here's a scenario many of us have encountered:
You inherit a database. TableX has an identity column "ID" set up as the primary key, and contains many duplicates. It is clear a better, natural primary key is a combination of columns A and B. Many other tables have foreign key references to TableX through the ID column. You'd like to delete duplicates and clean up TableX, but how do you resolve those foreign keys to their "new" ID's ? For example, if ID's 3,4 and 6 are all duplicates, and you decide to keep only 3, you must first repoint all foreign tables referencing ID's 4 and 6 to reference ID 3 before you safely remove the duplicate rows.
Step 1 – Double-check your Natural Key
It's very important to make absolutely sure that columns A and B truly are a good primary key candidate. Create a report off a SELECT similiar to this:
SELECT t1.MinID, t2.*
(SELECT MIN(ID) as MinID, A, B
FROM TableX
GROUP BY A,B) t1
TableX t2 ON t1.A = t2.A AND t1.B = t2.B
ORDER BY t1.MinID
For each "MinID", verify that the those rows returned are true duplicates. Scrub the data (e.g., make sure "Jeff" matches "Jeffrey") as necessary until you are please that this report produces the desired results. If it's not even close, then those two columns will probably not be good candidates for your natural key.
(By the way, if you have MS Access or Crystal Reports or even Excel handy, do yourself a favor and don't try to generate this report using a combination of Query Analyzer and Notepad– use the proper tools for the job. But that's a whole 'nother blog I suppose ….)
Step 2 – Decide on New Primary Key vs. Unique Constraint
Once you have scrubbed the data and determined that columns A and B form a good key, you have a choice to make: Update all foreign tables to reference TableX by columns A and B, or leave ID as the primary key and add a unique constraint on columns A,B. In many cases, it will be easier to choose the second option. In my opinion, while it's not ideal, it's OK to leave that identity as your PK if you must, as long as you add a true natural unique constraint on the logical key of your table. It does make it much easier if you have many tables referencing TableX, because if you alter the PK, you will need to alter all of those other tables. Often, this is not a desirable (or possible) option.
Step 3 – Create a Translation Table
If we are going to delete duplicate rows, we need to map all of the rows we are about to delete to the rows we are going to keep. Similiar to the SELECT we ran earlier, we need to generate a temporary table that will map old ID's to the new ID's. It should not be important which ID we will keep, so we will always keep the MIN() ID per group of matching rows. All others will be deleted.
Generate a temporary "Translation" table using a method similiar to this:
SELECT t2.ID as OldID, t1.MinID as NewID
INTO #Translation
(SELECT MIN(ID) as MinID, A, B
FROM TableX
GROUP BY A,B) t1
TableX t2 ON t1.A = t2.A AND t1.B = t2.B
Notice the above is very similiar to the first SELECT we ran earlier. All we need here are two columns – OldID and NewID.
Step 4 – Update all Foreign Key References
Now that we have our translation table, you must identify all tables that reference TableX. You can use sp_depends to help you out with this.
Once you have that list, you must then run an UPDATE on each of these tables like this:
UPDATE TableY
SET TableY.TableXID = NewID
FROM TableY
INNER JOIN #Translation T
ON TableY.TableXID = T.OldID
WHERE T.OldID <> T.NewID
You must run an update similiar to this for all of the tables and columns that you can find. After this is done, all foreign key references to TableX will only reference the Minimum ID per group of duplicates. The rest of the rows – the ones we are going to delete – should no longer have any foreign references to their ID's.
Note that even if your foreign key references are set to CASCADE updates, that will not help you in this scenario because you are not updating the duplicate rows – you are deleting them completely.
Step 5 – Remove the Duplicates
Now that we have taken care of everything else, we can delete the duplicate rows. One way to do it is like this:
DELETE FROM TableX
WHERE TableX.ID Not IN (SELECT NewID FROM #Translation)
If the DELETE doesn't work, then you still have foreign key references to fix – go back to step 4 and double-check everything.
Step 6 – Add a Unique Constraint
We're not done yet! We need to avoid this mess in the future by adding a UNIQUE CONSTRAINT on columns A and B:
ALTER TABLE TableX
ADD CONSTRAINT TableX_UC UNIQUE (A,b)
Assuming nothing in your table has changed since you generated the #Translation table and you have properly completed step 5, this should work with no problems. As mentioned earlier, we are taking the approach here of leaving ID as the primary key of the table, but also adding this unique constraint for data integrity purposes.
That should do it – your data is scrubbed, duplicates are removed, foreign key references are resolved, and you are protected from duplicate data in the future.
Now you can get to work on normalizing all the tables and removing all the dynamic SQL and cursors !see also:
- Composite Primary Keys
- The problem isn't the poor database model; It's that external code is bound to the schema
- Distinguishing data from code
- Data Types – The Easiest Part of Database Design
- SQL Data Modeling: Entities versus Attributes
- Don't Let Output Dictate your Database Design
- Custom Auto-Generated Sequences in SQL Server
- Data belongs in your tables – not in your code
Legacy Comments
Hani Varoqua
|re: Deleting Duplicates And Resolving Foreign Key References
Excellent and very helpful.
|How to delete data from both table, which have foreignkey relation with nnother one
|re: Delete Duplicates And Resolve Foreign Key References in SQL


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MISTRAS offers the innovative Pocket UT®, a battery-operated, hand-held, stand-alone, full C-Scan data acquisition system. Its portability and ease of use, coupled with its full A, B and C-Scan capability and optional TOFD capabilities, make the Pocket UT® System (along with available companion scanners
or other compatible devices) ideal for on-site inspection applications. It quickly assesses the presence, depth, shape and orientation of cracks, flaws, corrosion/erosion, delamination, and internal anomalies in a variety of structures, materials and surfaces.
The Pocket UT® can operate as a conventional thickness meter (for spot readings), a basic flaw detector with RF display and alarm gates, or in either active B-Scan or full C-Scan modes. The system has a bright, back-lit LCD color touchscreen, and an easy-to-use keypad for fast entry of common commands and data.
Weighing approximately 2 lbs. (.9 kg) (See Features & Specs), the Pocket UT® uses the Windows-CE™ operating system and integrates all ultrasonic components together in a rugged, rubber-encased enclosure. With a user-replaceable and rechargeable battery pack, the system can also operate via the included 100-240 Volt AC/DC adapter/charger.
(View Pocket UT® Accessories)


text:
Vol. 26, No. 12: Brains
Our brain hurts
A Page One skybox promo for a terrific article about brain wiring drew several readers' complaints. Not because of the subject, but the wording of the skybox: "Women's Brains Really Are Different."
Several readers found it sexist. One woman asked: "Was this a temporary lapse in the editorial temporal lobe?"
Rulings & reminders
● Rapper/businessman Jay Z dropped the hyphen some time ago, but we still incorrectly put it in sometimes. (It would be no shock if he changed again.)
● As of Jan. 1, aerospace and defense company EADS becomes Airbus Group NV.
● Takeaway, no hyphen, is now our style as a noun for both the sports term and the popular phrase – popular to the point of fast becoming a cliché – for "key points to digest from the situation."
● Blu: We are uppercasing the e-cigarette Blu, not blu, following our style that generally doesn't allow for all-lowercase names (since it often looks like a mistake).
● We now use numerals for both temperatures (6 degrees) and TV series seasons (season 2).


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Supra. Skyline. MR2. 300ZX. Celica. 180SX. Do I really need to say more?
In this vintage clip, the mad scientists at Best Motoring put the very best Toyota and Nissan had in 1990 or so against one another in a kind of magical showdown that the 16-year-old JDM fanboy version of me probably dreamed about when he went to sleep at night.
Just watch it. It's wonderful.


text:
Ene Technology
Intel currently still holds an 80% share in the global PC market, but the growth of the CPU giant's...
CES 2020 showcases latest products, technologies and innovations.
Taiwan handsets – 3Q 2019
Taiwan makers shipped 14.21 million handsets in third-quarter 2019, up 3% sequentially but down 34.8% on year.
Taiwan LCD TVs – 3Q 2019
Taiwan's TV maker shipped a total of 7.39 million LCD TVs in the third quarter, up 3.2% sequentially.
Taiwan LCD monitors – 3Q 2019
Taiwan PC monitor shipments continued to grow on-year in the third quarter of 2019 at 5.8% to arrive at 23.73 million units.
Global server shipment forecast and industry analysis, 2020
Digitimes Research estimates that global server shipments moderately declined 1.4% in 2019 but will turn to show positive growth...
Mini/micro LED: Challenges and opportunities in the display industry
Mini LEDs and micro LEDs are expected to become improved backlighting solutions that can significantly enhance displays' quality...
Global LCD panel shipment forecast, 2020 and beyond
Global small- to medium-size LCD panel shipments are estimated to drop from 2020 to 2024, while large-size ones will continue...


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Lighthousing.net is Back!
After a several month delay, I'm very pleased to announce that the changes mentioned this Spring have now taken effect. To start with, I'm sure you've noticed the new theme and revised logo. The new theme provides a more "up to date" look which will hopefully draw in new members, while at the same time simplifies a few tasks. Finally, we have changed the spambot countermeasures with the goal of cutting down on spammers while still attracting new members. Kevin (Kevin vk2ce) has been working hard as forum administrator to remove the spambots from our membership rolls. If anyone else wants to volunteer their time, contact one of us.
With these much-needed changes, its time to "reboot" the forum. For those members that have stuck with the forum through the hardships, thank you. For the old "regulars" that have returned, welcome back! I'm aware that the forum membership has had some disagreements in the past -- lets put that behind us and move forward. With your support, we will re-take the position of "Premier Lighthouse Forum" that we held for so many years.
Finally, a disclaimer: While I am now hosting the forum, I have no intention of making major changes to the forum structure. I recognize that I am not the forum founder or one of the original members -- and I have no problem with that. I view myself as the "keeper" and nothing more. As such, I'll be taking (primarily) a "hands-off" approach to moderation. I'll step in when required, but I am not going to 'police' the forum. If you have any questions, concerns or feedback that involve me, feel free to send a Private Message.
Best Regards,
Alan and the LH.net Team


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Metropolitan Tikhon's Inaugural Visit to Seminary Includes Guest Cardinal Dolan
29 November 2012 • On–Campus • Deborah (Malacky) Belonick and Virginia H. Nieuwsma
View the photo gallery
When His Beatitude The Most Blessed Tikhon, primate of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA), made his inaugural visit to St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS) as its new President and ruling bishop on November 29th, he sampled the rich diversity of campus life. First, His Beatitude attended Vespers, along with His Eminence Timothy Cardinal Dolan, archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York and a special guest of the seminary for the evening. Second, he sat down to a community fish dinner, prepared by the school's chef and his wife, Nat and Teresa Fasciani, served up by faculty and staff. And third, His Beatitude blessed the school's new exercise/gym facility. In four short hours, Metropolitan Tikhon experienced the mundane and the sublime, the ordinary and extraordinary, the earthy and the heavenly that characterizes daily life at SVOTS.
His Beatitude assumed the offices of President of the Seminary and Chair of its Board of Trustees upon his election as Metropolitan of All America and Canada at the 17th All-American Council of the OCA, November 13, 2012. The Very Rev. John Behr, dean, welcomed Metropolitan Tikhon by saying, "This is the first chance we've had to welcome you to our school—I should say 'your school'!—as our President, since your election to the office of Metropolitan. Truly, it is a joy to have you with us."
In response, Metropolitan Tikhon said, "It is a blessing to make my first pastoral visit to join the community here for Vespers and a meal. It was truly a great honor to meet Cardinal Dolan and his delegation, and I am looking forward to returning to SVOTS soon to visit and pray with you, as we work together in this sacred task of spiritual education and formation." His Beatitude will return to campus January 17–18, 2013, for the Annual Meeting of the Board of Trustees.
In acknowledging Cardinal Dolan, Fr. John continued, "Truly, you also honor us with your presence this evening. The last time we had a Cardinal of the Roman Church here was Cardinal Ratzinger!" [Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, made a brief visit to the seminary in 1998, attending Vespers with the community].
"You've inspired us with all the work you done in leading the advance with the gospel message, especially in your work in education: in uniting three seminaries from different dioceses; in your new program for pastoral education; and in your continuing education for clergy and laity alike," concluded Fr. John.
With his typical good humor, Cardinal Dolan responded, "The honor of being with you is all mine." Then he quipped, "I am especially happy to be here on the Feast of St. Andrew, as I've always identified with St. Andrew, having an impetuous and irascible brother of my own!"
The Cardinal then enumerated the various cooperative projects over the recent years between the Seminary and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese, including concerts of sacred music hosted in some of the most famous Roman Catholic churches in Manhattan; and smaller scale projects with the Crestwood neighborhood's Annunciation Church and nearby St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers.
Metropolitan Tikhon then presented His Eminence with a gift from the Seminary: an ornately carved pectoral cross, gilded with gold on the edge. His Beatitude noted, "As you know, the yoke of a bishop can be heavy to bear; here is a gift from us to make it lighter."
Cardinal Dolan, who came to campus for the occasion at the invitation of The Very Rev. Dr. John Behr, dean, and The Very Rev. Dr. Chad Hatfield, chancellor/CEO, acknowledged the gift, with joy, saying, "It's beautiful; I will cherish this."
Father Chad noted, "It's highly symbolic that the Metropolitan of the OCA had his first meeting with Cardinal Dolan on the Feast of St. Andrew the Apostle, as this feast has come to symbolize the desire of unity between East and West."
"The Cardinal's visit represents the ever-strengthening ties between our seminary and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York," said Fr. Chad.
Other visiting dignitaries and guests included: The Rev. Monsignor Peter Vaccari, rector, St. Joseph's Seminary, with administrators and faculty from St. Joseph's, The Rev. Matthew Ernest, director of Liturgical Formation, The Rev. Nicholas Zientarski, dean of Students and professor of Sacramental Theology; The Rev. James Massa, director of Accreditation and professor of Dogmatic Theology; The Rev. Monsignor Dennis Keane, rector, Church of the Annunciation, Crestwood; The Rev. Richard Baker, rector, St. Malachy's Church ("The Actors' Chapel"), Manhattan; The Very Rev. Yaroslav Sudick, retired rector, Holy Trinity Orthodox Church, Yonkers; and The Very Rev. Eric Tosi, secretary, OCA.


text:
15 February 2011 at 2.06pm | 2 Comments
Accessible arias: Footage of famous arias, with subtitles in the original language and translation.
Se vuol ballare
Act I of Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro, Figaro determines to outwit the scurrilous Count.
CONTEXT: Frustrated marriage is a standard storyline in comic opera. Two people try to come together in a relationship but find it difficult – because of interruption or, perhaps, because they're not yet ready for each other. And that's the situation at the start of The Marriage of Figaro where two servants, Figaro and Susanna, are preparing for what looks like a problematic wedding. The initial problem is that their master, Count Almaviva, has designs of his own on Susanna. Figaro has just found out. And the short Act I cavatina Se vuol ballare is his angry response.
Sung alone onstage, but as though addressing Almaviva, its message is: play games with me and I'll outsmart you. You, dear little Count (note the diminutive Contino), may feel like dancing, but I'll call the tune. With cunning, stealth and mockery, I'll confound your plots.
A seriously threatening if sardonic outburst, this is Figaro's opening aria and it establishes the battle of wits between servant and master that drives the whole opera - making it not just an elegantly crafted comedy but a social document of 18th-century class conflict.
LISTEN: Erwin Schrott sings Se vuol ballare in David McVicar's acclaimed Royal Opera House production of The Marriage of Figaro. Excerpt from a BBC recording.
LYRICS: In the original Italian, as sung on stage, and in their English translation.
|Se vuol ballare, Signor Contino,
Se vuol ballare, Signor Contino,Il chitarrino le suonerò.
Il chitarrino le suonerò.
Si, le suonerò, si, le suonerò.
Se vuol venire nella mia scuola,
Se vuol venire nella mia scuola,
Saprò, saprò, saprò, saprò, saprò...
L'arte schermendo, l'arte adoprando,
L'arte schermendo, l'arte adoprando,
Se vuol ballare, Signor Contino,
Il chitarrino le suonerò.
|If you want to dance, my little count,
If you want to dance, my little count,I'll play the guitar.
I'll play the guitar.
Yes, I'll play it, yes, I'll play it.
If you want to go to my school,
If you want to go to my school,
I'll find out, I'll find out... (repeat)
I'll use all the arts of combat,
I'll use all the arts of combat,
If you want to dance, my little count,
I'll play the guitar.
Composer: Mozart. Libretto: Da Ponte. Discover more about The Marriage of Figaro/ Le nozze di Figaro: synopsis, characters, context text, full details of current production.
Credits: Intro text: Michael White, score by Ricordi, as sung on stage, translations: Emma Beatty/Michele Bona


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Apartment building fire displaces several in Bel Air
Crews called to Seevue Court around 2:45 a.m. Friday
An early-morning fire at a condominium complex in Bel Air has displaced about 20 people and damaged eight of the 18 units inside the three-story building.
Several Harford County volunteer fire crews were called to the 100 block of Seevue Court in Bel Air around 2:45 a.m. after getting reports of a building fire.
Officials said the fire reached two alarms, and it took nearly 60 firefighters about two hours to bring it under control.
Officials said one firefighter had to be taken to Upper Chesapeake Medical Center, where he was treated for minor injuries. No other injuries were reported.
Eight of the 18 apartments in the complex were affected by the fire, which caused about $1.5 million in damage. The Red Cross is helping those who were displaced.
Officials said there were working smoke alarms in the building, which was built before the 1990 requirement that calls for sprinkler systems to be installed in all apartments and condos.
There's no word yet on how the fire started. Crews are still investigating.
Upload your breaking news photos and videos to ulocal:


text:
Cideko Air Keyboard motion controller
Wii 'mote, meet keypad
Review Imagine the result of a quick bunk-up between a wireless keyboard, a regular games controller and a Wii Remote, and you will be close to understanding what the Air Keyboard controller is all about.
Cideko's Air Keyboard: Back and dongle
The Air consists of two units: a two-handed controller about the same size and weight as a Sony PlayStation Portable, and a wireless USB dongle that you plug into whatever computer you have connected to your telly. A nice touch: when not in use, the dongle can be slotted into a receptacle on the back of the keyboard for safe keeping.
Hold the Air in both hands as you would a games console controller and its 80 keys fall easily to hand - or thumb, to be more precise.
Two bumper switches on the front edge of the unit act as left and right mouse buttons. The left one also doubles up as the on/off switch.
But the real trick up the Air's sleeve is its motion sensor, which lets you move the cursor around the screen by tilting the Air to the left or right about its vertical axis, or back and forth about the horizontal.
Bumper switches on the front work as mouse buttons
The accelerometer's calibration is very well judged, making the whole tilt-to-move system very easy to master and undemanding to use even over long periods, especially when combined with a big TV screen.
Sponsored: Detecting cyber attacks as a small to medium business


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Ishizaki Shigetoshi
(Japan 1901 – 1996)
Miyajima, from the series New hundred views of Japan
- Location
- Not on display
- Further information
This series of prints is a unique set of prints in two ways: at least thirty contemporary artists collaborated in a single series of landscape prints, depicting both famous places & scenery of modern urban life. This series is a product of the Creative Print Movement, a modern movement in printmaking which began early in the 20th century by artists who designed, blockcut & printed their own work with a clear intention of creating works of art as opposed to `surimono', reproductions. Due to the intensification of WWII, publication of the series was stopped by the Japanese authorities who feared that the interior of Japan would become known to its enemies.
- Place of origin
- Period
- Japan: Shôwa period 1926–1988
- Year
- 1938-1939
- Media
- Medium
- colour woodcut
- Dimensions
- 22.9 x 30.1 cm image; 25.0 x 33.0 cm mount
- Signature & date
Signed l.l., in Japanese, ink [incised on block] "[artist's seal]". Not dated.
- Credit
- Yasuko Myer Bequest Fund 1997
- Accession number
- 8.1997.34


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Dan Watkins' Coin Man Walking features nine coin routines and three utility sleights/items from his professional repertoire. The material is designed for the strolling / walk-around performer. There are "No Tables Required" to perform any routines taught on this DVD. The routines on this DVD are designed to be interactive with your spectators often having the magic occur directly in their hands. This allows your spectators to personally experience the magic instead of simply watching you perform.
Dan Watkins operates one of the most popular internet websites devoted to coin magic, www.coinvanish.com where readers can find the latest news and product reviews related to coin magic. A professional businessman by trade, Dan uses the material found on this DVD to entertain his customers at various business functions. Dan's material is extremely deceptive and well thought out. Each routine is a blockbuster that will amaze both magicians and your audiences.
Dan's routines are polished professional level presentations. The explanations are detail oriented with nothing is left out. The running time is 2 hours & 11 minutes! Coin Man Walking will set a new level of quality instruction in the art of coin magic!
Do you own this product? Write a review.


text:
Explore Our Hotel
Welcome to Grove City, PA for fantastic tax free shopping!
Hotel guests at Holiday Inn Express® Grove City, PA are welcomed with open arms and shopping tips. Grove City Premium Outlets, located right across the street boasts 130 brand name stores, and the hotel's convenient location allows guests to visit some of the most extensive shopping available in the region. Be sure to check out the handmade metal giftware at Wendell August and unique Amish Country stores at the Volant Village Shops.
Business travelers who stay at Holiday Inn Express Grove City, PA also find the location ideal, placing businesses like General Electric, OPM, Iron Mountain, Komatsu and Kinder Morgan within easy reach. The hotel is also centrally located for travel between New York and Chicago or Pittsburgh and Erie, and a perfect stop traveling to and from Toronto in the U.S.
Our hotel is the premier choice of parents, sports teams, and all visitors to our local colleges including Grove City College, Slippery Rock Univ, Westminster College, and Thiel College. Start the day off right with our complimentary Express Start breakfast bar and after a long day of meetings, sightseeing or shopping, relax in the heated indoor pool. Guests at the Holiday Inn Express Grove City, PA enjoy an experience as rewarding as finding fantastic deals while shopping, so make your reservation today.
- Black-out Shades
- Rollaway Bed/Cot Available
- Crib Available
- Iron/Ironing Board
- Separate Hanging Closet
- In-Room Heating and A/C Controls
Bathroom/Personal Care
- Private Bathroom
- Bathroom Amenities Available
- Hair Dryer
- Bathtub
- Separate/Walk-in Shower
In-Room Features
- Mini Refrigerator
- Microwave
- Coffee Maker
- Flat-screen TV
- Work Desk with Lamp
- Free Local Calls
- Cable/Satellite
- Pay-per-view Available
- Video Games Available
- Stereo/Radio
- Direct-dial Phone
- Two-line Phone
- Phone with Voicemail
- Complimentary Morning Newspaper
Added Value
- Connecting Rooms Available
- Full Breakfast Included
- Breakfast Buffet Included
- Continental Breakfast Included
- Complimentary Coffee in Lobby
Business Services
- 2 Meeting Room(s) Available
- On-Site Business Center
- Printer
- Copier
Internet Access
- Free High-Speed Internet in all Rooms
- Wireless Internet service is free for all IHG® Rewards Club members
Entertainment & Recreation
- Indoor Pool
- Heated Indoor Pool
- Indoor Whirlpool
- Indoor Pool Hours of Operation: 5:30 AM - 11:00 PM
Health & Fitness
Complimentary Fitness Center
Our fitness room has a stationary bike, eliptical and treadmill. Hotel offers towels, bottled water, tv and mirrors in the room. We also have directions to local full service facilities such as the YMCA and Anytime Fitness which are only 5 miles away.
Fitness Center Type: LIMITED
Fitness Center Equipment:
- Treadmill
- Elliptical Machines
- Stationary Bicycle
Housekeeping & Laundry
- Daily Housekeeping
- On-site Guest Self-Laundry Facilities
- Hours of Operation: 12:00 AM - 12:00 AM
Added Value
- Wake Up Calls
Hotel Details
21 Holiday Blvd.
Mercer, Pennsylvania 16137
United States
Check In: 3:00 PM
Check Out: 12:00 PM
Check-in Age: 18
Parking + -
- Complimentary Self Parking Available
Shuttle + -
- 10 passenger van available complimentary within 5 miles of hotel to shopping, restaurants, and attractions.
- Complimentary Local Area Shuttle
- Hours Of Operation From 7:30 AM-To 10:30 PM
Accessibility + -
- Public Entrance
- Guest Rooms
- Elevators
- Public Restrooms
- Registration Desk
- Number of Accessible Meeting Rooms: 2
Accessible Hotel Areas
- Registration Area
- Accessible Guest Rooms
- Business Center
- Meeting Room
- Exercise Facility
- Pool
Hotel Areas with Accessible Routes from Accessible Public Entrance
- Accessible Self Parking
- Van Accessible Self Parking
- Ramp Access
- Portable Bathtub Seats
- Closed Caption TVs
- Telephone with TDD
- Visual Alarm/Alert in Guest Rooms
- Visual Alarm/Alert in Public Spaces
Provided by Hotel
Pet Policy + -
- Service Animals Allowed
- No pets are allowed and no kennels available onsite. There are boarding kennels in the area off site. The Candlewood Suites next door does accept pets.
Facility + -
- Smoke-Free Facility
- Number of Floors: 3
- Total Number of Rooms: 74
- Number of Suites: 13
- Number of Non-Smoking Rooms: 74
- Number of Accessible Rooms: 5
- Connecting Rooms Available
Credit Cards + -
- American Express
- Visa
- MasterCard
- Diners Club
- Carte Blanche
- Discover


text:
Door & Gate Alarms
Use our Swimming Pool Door and Gate Alarm comparison page to quickly compare pool door & gate alarm costs and benefits. Click the price of the alarm you like for details and purchasing options. Door alarms can be used on sliding glass doors, frame doors and windows that lead out to the pool. Pool door alarms and pool gate alarms provide a valuable layer of protection - securing the access points to the pool. Door alarms have a pass-thru feature with a 7-second delay on the alarm - open the door, hit the pass-thru button, and the alarm will not sound.
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Wednesday, 7 July 2010
Cyclechic's little black book: Cyclelab, Shoreditch
A new cycle repair workshop has popped up in our neighourhood and our friend Matt has been down with his poorly bike to check it out...
There's a new bike shop / juice bar in Shoreditch called cyclelab My bike badly needed a service so I booked it in on Friday. They took it on Monday rather than saying "come back in 2 weeks", which was a good start. It got better: I was offered a free coffee, and the guys there are very friendly. The quote for a service (new chain, new cables, new brake pads and general sorting out) came to £90. On Monday afternoon I picked up my bike and the bill was for £78. The bike is running better than when I bought it. It's the best service I've ever had. They're a little independent shop, and I highly highly recommend them if you ever go anywhere near Shoreditch.
3 comments:
- Samantha Alsbury said...
Sounds fab.
I personally always go to bicycle magic on greatorex street off whitechapel high street - always do a fantastic job and are very friendly and helpful, admittedly no free coffee.
BTW your follow us on twitter link doesn't seem to work anymore. Does that mean you are no longer on twitter?
- 9 July 2010 at 12:46
- Unknown said...
I got new tyres and pedals at Cyclelab a few weeks ago - they were great and came in as cheaper than my local bike shop in West London, quick and friendly same day service, would really recommend.
- 22 October 2010 at 13:12
- Unknown said...
Got new tyres and pedals at Cyclelab a few weeks ago, great friendly, same day service and cheaper than my local shop in West London. Would definately recommend.
- 22 October 2010 at 13:17
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|"Are you a wizard or not?"
The title of this article is conjectural. Although it is based on canonical information, the actual name is a conjecture and may be supplanted at any time by additional information released from canonical sources. If this occurs, please move this page to the appropriate title.
- "He turned on his heel and stormed out of the library, earning himself a reproving glare from Madam Pince, who was polishing the gilded cover of a large spellbook."
- —Description[src]
There was a copy of this spellbook at the Hogwarts Library. It had a gilded cover and large porportions, and Librarian Irma Pince was known to polish its cover on occasion.[1]
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (First appearance)
Notes and references
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 11 (The Duelling Club)
Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted.


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Enrol on our websites as qmiles.com by 31 March 2020, using enrollment code QRPC2019, and you can earn up to 2000 Qmiles to Economy class.
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text: This is the accessible text file for GAO report number GAO-09-465T entitled 'Clean Coal: DOE Should Prepare a Comprehensive Analysis of the Relative Costs, Benefits, and Risks of a Range of Options for FutureGen' which was released on March 11, 2009. This text file was formatted by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to be accessible to users with visual impairments, as part of a longer term project to improve GAO products' accessibility. Every attempt has been made to maintain the structural and data integrity of the original printed product. Accessibility features, such as text descriptions of tables, consecutively numbered footnotes placed at the end of the file, and the text of agency comment letters, are provided but may not exactly duplicate the presentation or format of the printed version. The portable document format (PDF) file is an exact electronic replica of the printed version. We welcome your feedback. Please E-mail your comments regarding the contents or accessibility features of this document to firstname.lastname@example.com. This is a work of the U.S. government and is not subject to copyright protection in the United States. It may be reproduced and distributed in its entirety without further permission from GAO. Because this work may contain copyrighted images or other material, permission from the copyright holder may be necessary if you wish to reproduce this material separately. Testimony: Before the Subcommittee on Energy and Environment, Committee on Science and Technology, House of Representatives: United States Government Accountability Office: GAO: For Release on Delivery: Expected at 10:00 a.m. EDT: Wednesday, March 11, 2009: Clean Coal: DOE Should Prepare a Comprehensive Analysis of the Relative Costs, Benefits, and Risks of a Range of Options for FutureGen: Statement of Mark Gaffigan, Director: Natural Resources and Environment: GAO-09-465T: Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee: Thank you for the opportunity to discuss our recent report on the Department of Energy's (DOE) decision to restructure the FutureGen program.[Footnote 1] As requested, my remarks will focus on that report, which examined (1) the goals of the original and restructured FutureGen programs, (2) the similarities and differences between the restructured FutureGen program and other DOE carbon capture and storage programs, and (3) the extent to which DOE used sufficient information to support its decision to restructure the FutureGen program. As you know, Mr. Chairman, coal is currently the world's leading source of electricity. Coal-fired power plants generate about one-half of the electricity used in the United States, as well as about one-third of the nation's carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, which contribute to climate change. In 2003, DOE initiated FutureGen--a program to design, build, and operate a commercial-scale, coal-fired power plant that incorporated carbon capture and storage (CCS) with integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC), an advanced technology for generating electricity that has been deployed on a commercial scale at only two coal-fired power plants in the United States.[Footnote 2] In IGCC power plants, coal is gasified to produce a synthesis gas, consisting primarily of hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and CO2. Then, in a process called precombustion CCS, the CO2 is removed and separated from the synthesis gas before the synthesis gas is burned in a combustion turbine to generate electricity. Through IGCC, electricity is generated more efficiently than through conventional pulverized coal-fired technology, the process most widely in use, because IGCC uses less coal to generate the same amount of electricity. The original FutureGen plant was to capture and store underground about 90 percent of its CO2 emissions. DOE's cost share was to be 74 percent, and industry partners agreed to fund the rest. Concerned about escalating costs, DOE announced in January 2008 that it had decided to restructure FutureGen. In October 2008, DOE received a small number of applications for the restructured FutureGen; however, some of these applications were for proposals outside the restructured FutureGen's scope. As we reported, DOE is currently assessing proposals received and stated it expected to announce a selection of projects by December 2008; however, as of the beginning of March 2009, it had made no decision. DOE requested supplemental information from restructured FutureGen applicants, which will be reviewed before any selection decision.[Footnote 3] As you know, the recently enacted American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, known as the stimulus law, provides DOE an additional $3.4 billion for "Fossil Energy Research and Development."[Footnote 4] Such a substantial amount of funding could significantly impact DOE's decisions about how to move forward with programs such as FutureGen. Our report provides detailed information about our findings. In summary, we found the following: * The overall goals of the original and restructured FutureGen programs are largely similar in that both programs seek to produce electricity from coal with near-zero emissions by using CCS, and to make that process economically viable for the electric power industry. However, the programs have different approaches for achieving their goals, which could have different impacts on the commercial advancement of CCS and, therefore, result in two largely distinct programs. First, the original program focused on researching and developing the integration of IGCC and CCS at a new, commercial-scale, coal-fired power plant, while the restructured FutureGen aims at demonstrating the use of CCS technology at one or more new or existing commercial coal-fired power plants. As a result, the restructured program could provide opportunities to learn about CCS at different plants, including those that use IGCC and conventional ones that use pulverized coal generating technology. However, under the restructured program, learning about the integration of IGCC and CCS would be possible only if DOE received applications proposing IGCC and selected one for funding. Second, it is unclear which of the two programs would advance the broader roll out of CCS across industry more quickly. In particular, the original program was to be operated by a nonprofit consortium of some of the largest coal producers and electric power companies in the world at one plant, while the restructured program called for CCS projects at multiple commercial plants. DOE officials told us that the original program would likely have improved the global advancement of CCS more quickly than the restructured program because of its various international partnerships and that DOE is developing an approach to recoup the loss of international involvement that resulted from restructuring FutureGen. Finally, the original FutureGen would have served as an operating laboratory host facility for (1) emerging technologies aimed at the goal of near-zero emissions (such as hydrogen fuel cells and advanced gasification) and (2) gaining broad industry acceptance for these technologies. In contrast, the restructured FutureGen would not include a facility for testing these technologies, and its ability to advance them would, therefore, be limited. * DOE manages a portfolio of clean coal programs that research and develop CCS technology or demonstrate its application. The restructured FutureGen differs in important ways from most of DOE's other CCS programs, with the exception of one program--Round III of the Clean Coal Power Initiative (CCPI). Both the restructured FutureGen and CCPI (1) fund the commercial demonstration of CCS at new or existing coal- fired power plants and (2) require industry participants to bear at least 50 percent of costs. We reported that the restructured FutureGen targets a higher amount of CO2 to be captured and stored (at least 1 million metric tons stored annually, per plant) than CCPI does (300,000 metric tons of CO2 stored or put to use annually, such as to enhance oil recovery, per plant). However, CCPI's goals may be more achievable for industry partners than those of the restructured FutureGen and, therefore, lead to more industry participation. Regarding the restructured program's differences from most of the other CCS programs, the restructured FutureGen would integrate key components of CCS at commercial coal-fired power plants, such as CO2 capture, compression, transport, storage, and monitoring of stored CO2. In contrast, most of DOE's other CCS programs concentrate on developing individual components of CCS, such as CO2 storage, and/or an individual component and a related one, such as capture and compression. * Contrary to best practices, DOE did not base its decision to restructure FutureGen on a comprehensive analysis of factors such as the associated costs, benefits, and risks. DOE based its decision largely on its conclusion that costs for the original FutureGen had doubled and would escalate substantially. However, this conclusion was problematic because it was derived from a comparison of two cost estimates for the original FutureGen that were not comparable; DOE's $950 million estimate was in constant 2004 dollars, while the $1.8 billion estimate of DOE's industry partners was inflated through 2017. As a result, DOE has no assurance that the restructured FutureGen is the best option to advance CCS. In contrast, DOE's Office of Fossil Energy had identified and analyzed 13 other options for incremental, cost-saving changes to the original program, such as reducing the CO2 capture requirement. While the Office of Fossil Energy did not consider all of these options to be viable, it either recommended or noted several of them for consideration, with potential savings ranging from $30 million to $55 million each. Conclusions: According to various energy experts, for the foreseeable future, because coal is abundant and relatively inexpensive, it will remain a significant fuel for the generation of electric power in the United States and the world. However, coal-fired power plants are a significant source of CO2 and other emissions responsible for climate change. Hence, for at least the near-term, any government policies that address climate change will need to have a goal of significantly reducing CO2 and other emissions from coal-fired power plants. While CCS is still in its infancy, it may be a promising technology to achieve these purposes. By integrating IGCC and CCS technology at an operating laboratory host facility, DOE's original FutureGen program was intended to address significant technological, cost, and regulatory issues associated with the implementation of CCS at a new plant. Alternatively, the restructured FutureGen left open the possibility of successfully applying CCS technology to existing conventional, pulverized coal-fired power plants--an important goal in its own right, since those plants account for almost all of the coal-fired generating capacity in the United States and abroad. However, DOE's decision to restructure FutureGen and remove the program's emphasis on integrating IGCC and CCS technology was not well documented or explained, in light of the fact that DOE already had existing programs to address CCS at existing coal-fired power plants. Given the magnitude of the current fiscal and economic challenges facing our nation, along with the urgent need to secure an adequate and sustainable energy supply that does not contribute to climate change, much rides on the success of clean coal programs, such as FutureGen. To ensure the best uses of billions of federal dollars, informed and thoughtful approaches should be taken when making decisions about these programs, including the restructuring of FutureGen. Such informed decision making has become even more critical with the important opportunity that over $3 billion in additional funding for fossil energy research and development in the recently enacted stimulus law provides DOE for promoting cleaner forms of power generation. Along these lines, to help DOE make more fully informed decisions on how best to move forward with FutureGen, our February 2009 report recommended that DOE conduct a comprehensive analysis of different options. Specifically, to help ensure the widespread commercial advancement of CCS while protecting taxpayer interests, we recommended that, before implementing significant changes to FutureGen or obligating additional funds for such purposes, the Secretary of Energy direct DOE staff to prepare a comprehensive analysis comparing the relative costs, benefits, and risks of a range of options, including the original and restructured FutureGen programs and incremental options for modifying the original program. We also recommended that the Secretary consider the results of the comprehensive analysis and base any decisions that would alter the original FutureGen on the most advantageous mix of costs, benefits, and risks resulting from the options evaluated. In reviewing a draft of our report, DOE did not comment on the report's recommendations. In performing our work, we reviewed best practices for making programmatic decisions, FutureGen plans and budgets, and documents on the restructuring of FutureGen. We also contacted DOE, industry partners, and experts. We conducted this performance audit from June 2008 to February 2009, in accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable basis for our findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. We believe that the evidence obtained provides a reasonable basis for our findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. Mr. Chairman, this completes my prepared statement. I would be happy to respond to any questions you or other Members of the Subcommittee may have at this time. Contacts and Acknowledgments: For further information about this testimony, please contact me at (202) 512-3841 or by e-mail at firstname.lastname@example.com. Ernie Hazera (Assistant Director), Nancy Crothers, and Chad M. Gorman made key contributions to this testimony. Harold Brumm, Jr., Cindy Gilbert, Angela Miles, Timothy Persons, Karen Richey, Michael Sagalow, and Jeanette M. Soares also made important contributions. [End of section] Footnotes: [1] GAO, Clean Coal: DOE's Decision to Restructure FutureGen Should Be Based on a Comprehensive Analysis of Costs, Benefits, and Risks, [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-09-248] (Washington, D.C.: Feb. 13, 2009). [2] Currently, only two IGCC plants operate at commercial scale in the United States. In service since 1997, the Polk Station, near Mulberry, Florida, can provide 250 megawatts to the electric grid. The Wabash River Coal Gasification Repowering Project is the first full-size commercial gasification-combined cycle plant built in the United States, having begun operations in November 1995. The plant, located outside West Terre Haute, Indiana, can provide 262 megawatts to the electric grid. [3] DOE has identified certain details regarding the negotiations for both the original and the restructured FutureGen as sensitive or proprietary information. Due to the ongoing nature of these negotiations for the restructured FutureGen and the fact that disclosure of sensitive/proprietary information could adversely affect negotiations of these projects and related future projects, our discussion of some aspects of these negotiations is necessarily general. [4] Pub. L. No. 111-5, tit. IV, 123 Stat. 115, 139 (2009). [End of section] GAO's Mission: The Government Accountability Office, the audit, evaluation and investigative arm of Congress, exists to support Congress in meeting its constitutional responsibilities and to help improve the performance and accountability of the federal government for the American people. GAO examines the use of public funds; evaluates federal programs and policies; and provides analyses, recommendations, and other assistance to help Congress make informed oversight, policy, and funding decisions. GAO's commitment to good government is reflected in its core values of accountability, integrity, and reliability. Obtaining Copies of GAO Reports and Testimony: The fastest and easiest way to obtain copies of GAO documents at no cost is through GAO's Web site [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov]. Each weekday, GAO posts newly released reports, testimony, and correspondence on its Web site. 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The Sumner County Commission has grappled with the question of how to provide emergency services to rural areas of the county. Ideas such as a county-wide system have been discussed, but so far no solutions have been found.
By James Jordan
The Wellington Daily News
The Sumner County Commission has grappled with the question of how to provide emergency services to rural areas of the county. Ideas such as a county-wide system have been discussed, but so far no solutions have been found.
Currently the county has a complex formula it uses, bases on runs, population and other services, to determine how much to pay each individual agency.
Since Wellington and Mulvane are larger, they get most of that money.
In 2013 the county spent $655,000 on EMS for the county, and $440,000 of that went to the two cities.
Now the problem is getting worse because they cannot find volunteers to man the stations, and county officials are looking for answers.
County Commissioner Steve Warner took it on as a project when he was elected four years ago, and he is still working.
He would like to see each area of the county have its own tax base, much like fire districts do.
"I have been trying to find out if we can give each EMS its own taxing authority. They can adjust it themselves and be accountable," Warner said.
He has asked the state's attorney general if this can be done a few times but has not gotten an answer.
"We don't even know if we can legally do it, but it seems the fairest thing," he said.
Both Warner and commissioner Cliff Bales said the current system is flawed, but there does not seem to be a better way immediately available.
"No one is doing anything wrong out there. We know there is inequity, none of us likes it," Warner said of the current system.
Most departments need to have hired staff, but few can afford that.
"The day of the volunteer is about over. Cultural changes and with the economy, people don't have the spare time they used to have," Warner said.
Most of the departments have run for years with volunteers, but those people are getting older and fewer younger people are volunteering.
As it has risen to crisis levels, other towns like Argonia an Belle Plaine have come to the county for help, and though the commission has tried, not many solutions have been found.
Currently it is Conway Springs that is nearing that state.
They get about $15,000 from the county to cover a large area, and that drives up their costs.
Conway Springs EMS director Jim Brozovich said his department should get a bigger piece of the pie from the county and he would like to see the system changed.
"They have been talking about a county-wide system for 20 years. It is a cost issue. The city can't raise the mil levy enough to make up for it," he said.
Brozovich said the Conway Springs EMS has a budget of around $90,000 for the year, and they may consider not continuing the contract with the county.
It would not hurt them that much financially to lose that money, and would cut their costs dramatically.
Conway Springs held a town meeting recently, and only a few people showed up.
The city did approve some part time EMS paid personnel, but staffing it with all paid workers is not feasible.
Brozovich said the city and the EMS officials are trying to figure out what to do, and how to keep services going. They may approach the county at some point.
When they do. Commissioner Warren hopes he will have gotten a ruling from the state.