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beppuby beppu (Hermit)
|on May 31, 2000 at 01:33 UTC ( #15528=user: print w/replies, xml )
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Personal History
I have been using perl since the Winter of 1998. On December 6, 2000 (my birthday), I received my PAUSE id. That was the best birthday present I've ever received.
I am currently stranded in Utah, but I used to live in California. Maybe I'll go back in a few more months.
update (2001-07-04): I am no longer stranded in Utah! I live in San Rafael, CA , and I like it so far.
update (2002-02-28): I miss Utah, because I had more friends there. They were good friends, too, who went out of their way to help me improve myself. "Crazy" Dave Phillips, Spaghetti, and Jinah Kim -- there's no one like them here in California.
update (2002-07-01): Where do I begin? Working for Linux Magazine really brought me down. I was moping around for months, feeling powerless. Then, I had a life changing experience that made 13 years of my sadness disappear in a moment, and I don't think I had ever felt happier in my life. Beyond the psychological benefits, I noticed many physical benefits such as my lung capacity feeling like it doubled, my physical coordination becoming really good, becoming very perceptive of the emotional states of others, feeling like I genuinely loved everybody in the world, and being able to think much more quickly than before. That was on 2002-03-30, and that was the day I became an adult and a free man at the same time. It took me 26 years to do it, but better late than never.Two weeks after that, I went to Japan with my dad. It had been 11 years since I had been there, and I only stayed a week, but it was the best out of my 5 trips. My Japanese speaking ability came back to me really quickly, and I made all my nieces and nephews happy -- the kids were awesome. The adults were a mixed bag. Some were cool, but others were too materialistic, and I feared for their children's future happiness.
I saw homeless people in Japan for the first time, and they looked so sad ...like salarymen who couldn't make the cut. They'd be camping out in the train stations, just looking bummed. Hakata in northern Kyushu and Tokyo seemed to have the most. My dad was about to throw away some extra food that we had been lugging around, but I made him give it to a homeless man in Hakata, instead.
Hakata wasn't all bad, though. At that train station, there were a bunch of young 20-somethings who were performing on the street, playing their guitars and singing their brand of folkish rock. Some of them were playing to a small gathering of fans while others were by themselves, but playing anyway. There were guys and girls doing this, and I thought that was cool.
We got to see all this stuff and more, because we rode a lot of trains while we were there. The Shinkansen (bullet train) is so fast, cruising at ~300km/h?, and yet the ride is so smooth. Watching the scenery zoom by was awesome, especially when we'd go over a still body of water, because the sky and the clouds would be reflected on the surface. The forests were beautiful, too -- Japan is so green and lush. I love it. Too bad I was only there for 6 days, but I'll be back in due time.
When I got back to the United States, I had to figure out what I wanted to do next. I think my time in computing is coming to an end, soon. I don't want to program for money, anymore, because it's usually not socially useful to do so. I'd rather use my coding skills for good than for someone else's material profit. That doesn't mean I won't ever code for money again, because I need to finish payments on my car and get the IRS off my back. But once I'm completely out of debt, I'm going to feel free to do my part in saving the world from itself.
I want to help people find the peace within their souls.
update (2004-07-17): Two years later, I happen to be living in Huntington Beach, CA, and I'm not sure what happened. I'm glad I wrote the entry just prior to this, because it's helping me remember how alive I was feeling at the time. It also gives me hope that I might feel that way again. More later...
update (2005-09-21): I feel obligated to update this, but....
Home Pages
These were my home pages. They are a reflection of another me.
Life Savers
<img src="http://beppu.lbox.org/img/angel.jpg" alt="The Angel" width="386" height="532">


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Scalloped straps and a covered block heel define a Spanish slide sandal made with a comfortably cushioned footbed.
Designed by Patricia Green herself, with a mission to design and develop footwear collections for the contemporary woman. Patricia's collection embraces refined feminine style, with a touch of whimsy – and are always comfortable to wear!
- Suede or leather upper
- Leather insole
- Manmade sole
- 2" heel
- Made in Spain

subset: commoncrawl


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The regular price for 1TB of Google Drive storage is $50/month, so Google offers $1800 of storage for only $1300 and the hardware is "free". Obviously, there's a big difference between monthly payments and an upfront payment, not to mention that you may not need 1TB of storage right now and you can always upgrade later.
Google only offers 100GB of storage for 2 years when you buy any other current-generation Chromebook (Samsung Series 3, Samsung 550, Acer C7, HP Pavilion 14), so you only get $120 worth of storage. Chromebook Pixel users get 10 times more storage and an additional year for using it. And that's not the only "goody": "your Chromebook comes with 12 free [Gogo in-air internet] passes that you can use over 2 years on domestic US flights."


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Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Telephone: 01481 710639
For more information please visit https://situations.gg/jobs/job/j/36328.
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According to a report on Bloomberg, Sony is looking at taking the job of company president away from current CEO Sir Howard Stringer, with one of the possible candidates for that role being PlayStation boss Kaz Hirai.
While Stringer, who took the job as president in 2009 (having been with Sony since 1997) will retain his roles as CEO and chariman, it's believed installing fresh blood as his "deputy" will both make Stringer's job easier (by lightening the load) and give whoever's appointed a chance to show if they've got the right stuff for the top job when Stringer eventually moves on.
Two men have been named by Bloomberg as top candidates for the presidency: Kazuo Hirai and Hiroshi Yoshioka. Hirai, as boss of Sony's Networked Products & Service division, is well-known to gamers are being the head of the company's PlayStation unit. Yoshioka, meanwhile, is in charge of Sony's TVs and cameras.
UPDATE - A Sony Computer Entertainment representative tells Kotaku the Bloomberg report is "pure speculation".
Sony Said to Seek President as Possible Successor to Stringer [Bloomberg]


text:
This Course is about Naat Lyrics Starting with Letter (B). Browse our Lessons for detail Lyrics of Particular Naat which you want to Recite or read. Please give your feedback at email@example.com
Lost your password? Please enter your email address. You will receive a link and will create a new password via email.


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iPad 2 tips and original iPad tips - get 'em here!
With great new features like two video cameras, a faster processor and a thinner design, the iPad 2 is the world's best tablet device.
26. Hidden apostrophe key on the keyboard
One of the hardest things with using the iPad in the classroom is finding the time to go through all of the apps in the iTunes Store listed under the education banner. We have started to list some of the apps we've found under each of the Key Learning Areas.
I found an useful app that helps my elementary son to to practice additions and subtractions. It runs on ipad too.
This is a great blog. All those little short cuts are fantastic and I love the screenshot option.ReplyDelete
What a terrific resource. Thank you for all of your valuable tips and tricks. I can't begin to imagine how much time you've devoted to this. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!ReplyDelete
Great info, learned some excellent tips. Thanks!ReplyDelete
Thanks for the kind comment
I hope some of your followers find the information helpful
Really great post! Pictures are always helpful when talking about iPad tips, thanks for sharing!ReplyDelete
Thanks a million! I learned new things!ReplyDelete
I just bought a great educational app for the iPad called My LessonPlan. I can create and save lesson plans and present in the classroom all from my iPad. Pretty neat ;)ReplyDelete
Great post and useful pictures! thanks for sharingReplyDelete
For quick apostrophes and quotes (tips #26 and 27), you can simply do a quick upward swiipe on the key in question -- the exclamation/comma key for an apostrophe and the question/period key for a quote. Much faster and easier than the click-and-hold method described here.ReplyDelete
Wow, Now that suprised me as i really never had an outlook on the subject like that.ReplyDelete
I use 'Free Nav' this is a free sat nav which works on the iPhone4. I assume it will work on the iPad. I am a UK user, I am unsure if this makes a difference. I can not wait for my iPad2!ReplyDelete
Apple is smart enough to meet the demand of new enthusiastic apps. Since the iPad is lighter and portable, it can be a better option than any other net-book in the market. With 3g connection data plan, one has an access to blogging wherever he travels with it.ReplyDelete
How can you jump to the bottom of a webpage? Thanks!ReplyDelete
With great features and tons of applications to choose from, the iPad is definitely a must-have for the techies out there! These tips will definitely be helpful for those who are fairly new in using the iPad.ReplyDelete
Some great tips - thank youReplyDelete
very useful tips.With illustrations made it easy. ThanksReplyDelete
i havn't got my ipad 2 yet, but with all this great imformation & illustrations that your showing me i just can't wait to get my hands on it, thank you so much i just hope you will keep helping people like me to learn a lot quicker.
P.S. im getting my ipad 2 on monday many thanks.
Can anyone tell me what the line in the middle of my page is when I am scrolling through text with one finger. When I stop touching them screen it goes away. How do I turn it off?ReplyDelete
Thanks for sharing, some useful tips.ReplyDelete
On tip #39 how do you get to that keyboard. Mine doesn't have a .com buttonReplyDelete
please help... i have an ipad2, when attempting to play some games it says i need to enable java script through the safari menu...
i have gone into setting - safari - java script is marked to "ON" however not working.
it states on the site i am trying to open that i need to go to the safari menu- preferences- security- enable.... where do i find this safari menu.. thank you
It would be helpful if you could tell the name of the games you are attempting to play. It may be that you are trying to play flash based games on your ipad and they do not recognise this coding. Tell me the name of the game and we can go from there.
This is a great post to us. It is full of information and it will be useful to us. Thank you for sharing this. Keep up the good work!ReplyDelete
Thanks for the information. I have a list of great apps I love using with my grade one students. Some of them are French as I am a French immersion teacher. Check it out.
Thanks for infor. This blog is very helpful.ReplyDelete
hey, i encounterd a problem in my ipad2.
the NOTES in my home screen, when we touch the icon NOTES,
the page inside must have lines always..
but just now i don't know what is the reason,
when i touch the NOTES icon, the lines inside the notes all
are disappeared~~~ but all my contents & details are still there.
can anyone please teach me the way how to make the lines come out again?
Thank you very much :-)
Wow, nice collection! Thanks for sharing! Keep up the good work.ReplyDelete
An iPad Photo Frame. The easiest way for your iPad to function as an instant digital frame is to turn on the iPad, and look to the right side of UNLOCK. There, you will see a flower. Click it, and it will begin a slideshow. You can then toggle the speed in the settings. You can also zoom in on the faces for a nice giggling session.ReplyDelete
i have a question>>>
i have the ipad 2 running ios5 . i would like to clear all my apps also information using i tunes to bring to his original , my question now is : would this delete IOS 5? [ i sold the ipad to my relative]
I have a question in regards to using iPads within a classroom setting. We have 10 iPads all linked to the one iTunes account, if we are to purchase an APP can this APP be loaded onto all 10 iPads?
Very useful post!! thanks for sharing, I didn't know about 50% of the tips and tricks shared here until now!!ReplyDelete
Great list however point 30 on the calendar is not true, if you swipe at the top of a day page you can advance the days or return to older days
if you swipe too low it gets confused with scrolling the events as it gives preference to scrolling
Nice and cool tricks for ipad. im excited to try this on my own,, :)ReplyDelete
I can hardly find words to express how thankful I am for posting this information! very useful!ReplyDelete
Great post and useful pictures! thanks for sharingReplyDelete
This is great! Definitely handy when things get a little confusing with how things are supposed to work for your iPad. Thanks for sharing!ReplyDelete
Really great iPad 2 tips! I really learned some things from this so thank you for sharing.ReplyDelete
very impressif picture and post, good job bro!ReplyDelete
Great post! I have been referencing this article quite often. Thank you for providing such valuable informationReplyDelete
Wow! This could be one particular of the most beneficial blogs We have ever arrive across on this subject. Actually Excellent. I am also a specialist in this topic so I can understand your hard work.ReplyDelete
thx Greg for your information, unlucky I;m not using iPad but Android one, but your info very clear.ReplyDelete
Thanks a lot for this great tips and ideas..I have lean a lot..
Very informative tips! Make sure you check out my tutorial 15 Essential useful iPad Tips and Tricks.ReplyDelete
I relish, lead to I found exactly what I was looking for. You have ended my four day lengthy hunt! God Bless you man. Have a great day. Bye
I like the blog. I believe this will be helpful in the future…
Thanks for posting this awesome list of useful apps, these will really be a hit in the classroom!ReplyDelete
Thanks for posting these great tips, this will really help me get used to the iPad!ReplyDelete
Thanks guys, ive just recieved an ipad 2 and my son Hudson adores it..now if he stuffs it up, i can fix it all by myself.;)ReplyDelete
Thanks a lot for this great tips and ideas..I have lean a lot..ReplyDelete
thank you for your clear description, very clear and helpfullReplyDelete
This is a very helpfull information, thanks a lotReplyDelete
we are very impress with your blog information and it is very useful to us. Thank You...


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[Proposed] Final Judgment
WHEREAS Plaintiff United States of America (hereinafter "United States"), having filed its Complaint herein on March 9, 1998, and Plaintiff and Defendant, by their respective attorneys, having consented to the entry of this Final Judgment without trial or adjudication of any issue of fact or law herein, and without this Final Judgment constituting any evidence against or an admission by any party with respect to any issue of law or fact herein;
AND WHEREAS Defendant has agreed to be bound by the provisions of this Final Judgment pending its approval by the Court;
AND WHEREAS the essence of this Final Judgment is divestiture of assets to ensure that competition, as alleged in the Complaint, is not substantially lessened;
AND WHEREAS Plaintiff requires Defendant to make certain divestitures for the purpose of remedying the loss of competition alleged in the Complaint;
AND WHEREAS Defendant has represented to Plaintiff that as to the divestiture ordered herein Defendant will later raise no claims of hardship or difficulty as grounds for asking the Court to modify any of the divestiture provisions contained below;
NOW, THEREFORE, before the taking of any testimony, and without trial or adjudication or admission of any issue of fact or law herein, and upon consent of the parties hereto, it is hereby ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED as follows:
This Court has jurisdiction over each of the parties hereto and the subject matter of this action. The Complaint states a claim upon which relief may be granted against Defendant under Section 7 of the Clayton Act, as amended. 15 U.S.C.A. § 18 (West 1997).
As used in this Final Judgment:
A. "Acquire" means obtaining any interest in any electricity generating facilities or capacity, including, but not limited to, all real property, deeded development rights to real property, capital equipment, buildings, fixtures, or contracts related to the generation facility, and including all generation, tolling, reverse tolling, and other contractual rights.
B. "California Generation Facilities" means (1) electricity generation facilities in California in existence on January 1, 1998, excluding such facilities that are rebuilt, repowered, or activated out of dormancy after January 1, 1998, as long as such rebuild, repower, or activation out of dormancy project, if done by Defendant, begins within one year of purchase; and (2) any contract for operation and sale of output from generating assets of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power ("LADWP").
C. "California Public Power Generation Management Services Contract" means a bona fide contract for managing the operation and sale of output from California Generation Facilities owned by a municipality, an irrigation district, other California state authority, or their agents on January 1, 1998; provided, however, that a contract for managing the operation and sale of output from generation assets of LADWP shall not be deemed a California Public Power Generation Management Services Contract.
D. "Common Facilities" means those facilities associated with the generation assets to be divested that are located on or near such assets, and that are necessary to the operation of non-generating aspects of Enova's electric business, including, but not limited to, the operation of Enova's distribution, transmission, and communications systems.
E. "Control" means to have the ability to set the level of output of an electricity generation facility.
F. "Divestiture Assets" means the Encina and South Bay electricity generation facilities owned by Enova at Carlsbad and Chula Vista, California, including, but not limited to, all real property rights necessary to the operation of the facilities; buildings, generation equipment, inventory, fixed assets and fixtures, materials, supplies, on-site warehouses or storage facilities, and other tangible property or improvements used in the operation of the facilities; licenses, permits (including but not limited to environmental permits and all permits from federal or state agencies), and authorizations issued by any governmental organization relating to the facilities, and all work in progress on permits or studies undertaken in order to obtain permits; plans for design or redesign of these electricity generating assets; contracts (including but not limited to customer contracts), agreements, leases, commitments, and understandings pertaining to the facilities and their operations; customer lists, and marketing or consumer surveys relating to these electricity generating assets; contracts for firm capacity and energy of longer than three months relating to these assets; records maintained by Enova necessary to operation of these assets; and all other interests, assets or improvements customarily used in the generation of electricity at these facilities.
G. The terms "Enova" and "Defendant" mean Enova Corporation, a California corporation headquartered in San Diego, California, and includes its successors and assigns, and its parents, subsidiaries, directors, officers, managers, agents, and employees acting for or on behalf of any of them.
H. The terms "Independent System Operator" or "ISO" mean an entity that operates the intrastate gas transmission pipelines and related facilities of Pacific Enterprises. "Operates" includes full operational and pricing control over all such facilities and total authority to determine whether and how much capacity is available in the intrastate pipeline, whether curtailment of transmission service is required on any part of that system, whose service is curtailed, and the prices to be charged.
I. "Pacific" means Pacific Enterprises, a California corporation headquartered in Los Angeles, California, and includes its successors and assigns, and its parents, subsidiaries, directors, officers, managers, agents, and employees acting for or on behalf of any of them.
J. "Portland General Electric Contract" means the contracts, dated November 15, 1985, for 75 MW of firm capacity and associated transmission.
K. The terms "Auction Procedures" and "California Auction Procedures" mean the auction procedures set forth in a decision addressing Enova's application under section 851 of the California Public Utilities Code to divest the Divestiture Assets.
L. The term "Southern California" means the counties in California currently served by Pacific's gas pipelines.
A. The provisions of this Final Judgment apply to Defendant, its successors and assigns, parents, subsidiaries, directors, officers, managers, agents, and employees, and all other persons in active concert or participation with any of them who shall have received actual notice of this Final Judgment by personal service or otherwise.
B. Enova shall require, as a condition of the sale or other disposition of all or substantially all of its assets, or of a lesser business unit that includes Enova's business of intrastate transmission and retail distribution and sale of natural gas, that the transferee agree to be bound by the provisions of this Final Judgment.
A. Defendant is hereby ordered and directed, in accordance with the terms of this Final Judgment, and specifically in accordance with the schedule in this section, to divest the Divestiture Assets to a purchaser or purchasers acceptable to the United States, in its sole discretion. Purchasers whose bids are accepted by the United States under Section IV(D)(3) will be deemed acceptable.
B. Except as provided in Section VI, these divestitures shall occur through the Auction Procedures and shall be subject to necessary approvals by the California Public Utilities Commission ("CPUC") and other governmental authorities.
C. Defendant shall use its best efforts to accomplish the divestiture as expeditiously as possible, but in any event within the schedule set forth in Section IV(E) below. These efforts shall include, but are not limited to, making the necessary regulatory filings and applications in a timely fashion and using its reasonable best efforts to obtain such approvals as expeditiously and timely as possible.
D. Certain Conditions on the Auction Procedures.
E. Timing.
F. In accomplishing the divestiture ordered by this Final Judgment, Defendant promptly shall make known, by usual and customary means, the availability of the Divestiture Assets. The California Auction Procedures shall be deemed to satisfy this requirement. Defendant shall inform any person making an inquiry regarding a possible purchase that the sale is being made pursuant to this Final Judgment and provide such person with a copy of this Final Judgment. Defendant shall make known to any person making an inquiry regarding a possible purchase of the Divestiture Assets that the assets defined in Section II(F) are being offered for sale. Defendant shall also offer to furnish to all bona fide prospective purchasers, subject to customary confidentiality assurances, all information regarding the Divestiture Assets customarily provided in a due diligence process except such information subject to attorney-client privilege or attorney work-product privilege. Defendant shall make available such information to Plaintiff at the same time that such information is made available to any other person.
G. Defendant shall not interfere with any negotiations by any purchaser to employ any employee of the Defendant necessary to the operation of Divestiture Assets.
H. Defendant, shall, at minimum, permit prospective purchasers of the Divestiture Assets to have reasonable access to personnel and to make such inspection of the Divestiture Assets, and any and all financial, operational, or other documents and information customarily provided as part of a due diligence process.
I. Unless the United States otherwise consents in writing, the divestiture or divestitures pursuant to this section, or by the trustee appointed pursuant to Section VI of this Final Judgment, shall include the Divestiture Assets as specified in this Final Judgment (though not necessarily all to the same purchaser) and be accomplished by selling or otherwise conveying the Divestiture Assets to a purchaser or purchasers in such a way as to satisfy the United States, in its sole discretion, that none of the terms of any agreement between any purchaser and Defendant give Defendant the ability unreasonably to raise the purchaser's costs, to lower the purchaser's efficiency, or otherwise to interfere in the ability of the purchaser to compete effectively in the provision of electricity in California; provided, however, the purchaser need not continue operation of these assets.
A. General Prohibitions.
B. Limitations on Prohibitions.
C. Exceptions.
D. Methods of Obtaining Prior Approvals and of Providing Notice--Defendant shall obtain prior approval and provide notice by sending the required materials to Chief, Transportation, Energy, and Agriculture Section, Antitrust Division, United States Department of Justice, 325 Seventh Street, N.W., Suite 500, Washington, DC 20004.
E. Other Legal Requirements--Nothing in this section limits the Defendant's responsibility to comply with the requirements of the HSR Act, with respect to any acquisition.
A. In the event that Defendant has not divested all of the Divestiture Assets within the time specified in Section IV of this Final Judgment, the Court shall appoint, on application of the United States, a trustee selected by the United States to effect the divestiture of the assets.
B. At or anytime after the appointment of the trustee, if either party believes a conflict may exist between this Final Judgment and an order of the CPUC relating to the Divestiture Assets, that party may move the Court for a resolution of the conflict in light of the status of any relevant CPUC proceeding and the purpose of this Final Judgment.
C. After the appointment of the trustee becomes effective, the trustee shall have the right to sell the Divestiture Assets. The trustee shall have the power and authority to accomplish the divestiture at the best price then obtainable upon a reasonable effort by the trustee, subject to the provisions of Sections VI and VII of this Final Judgment, and shall have such other powers as the Court shall deem appropriate. Subject to Section VI(D) of this Final Judgment, the trustee shall have the power and authority to hire at the cost and expense of Defendant any investment bankers, attorneys, or other agents reasonably necessary in the judgment of the trustee to assist in the divestiture, and such professionals and agents shall be accountable solely to the trustee. The trustee shall have the power and authority to accomplish the divestiture at the earliest possible time to a purchaser acceptable to the United States, in its sole judgment. Defendant shall not object to a sale by the trustee on any grounds other than the trustee's malfeasance. Any such objections by Defendant must be conveyed in writing to Plaintiff and the trustee no later than ten calendar days after the trustee has provided the notice required under Section VII of this Final Judgment.
D. The trustee shall serve at the cost and expense of Defendant, on such terms and conditions as the Court may prescribe, and shall account for all monies derived from the sale of the assets sold by the trustee and all costs and expenses so incurred. After approval by the Court of the trustee's accounting, including fees for its services and those of any professionals and agents retained by the trustee, all remaining money shall be paid to Enova and the trust shall then be terminated. The compensation of such trustee and of any professionals and agents retained by the trustee shall be reasonable in light of the value of the Divestiture Assets and based on a fee arrangement providing the trustee with an incentive based on the price and terms of the divestiture and the speed with which it is accomplished.
E. After the appointment of the trustee becomes effective, Defendant shall take no action to interfere with or impede the trustee's accomplishment of the required divestiture, and shall use its best efforts to assist the trustee in accomplishing the required divestiture, including best efforts to effect all necessary regulatory approvals. Subject to a customary confidentiality agreement, the trustee and any consultants, accountants, attorneys, and other persons retained by the trustee shall have full and complete access to the personnel, books, records, and facilities related to the Divestiture Assets, and Defendant shall develop such financial or other information relevant to the Divestiture Assets to be divested customarily provided in a due diligence process as the trustee may reasonably request. Defendant shall permit prospective purchasers of the Divestiture Assets to have access to personnel and to make such inspection of physical facilities and any and all financial, operational or other documents and information as may be relevant to the divestiture required by this Final Judgment.
F. After the appointment of the trustee becomes effective, the trustee shall file monthly reports with Defendant, the United States, and the Court, setting forth the trustee's efforts to accomplish divestiture of the Divestiture Assets as contemplated under this Final Judgment; provided, however, that to the extent such reports contain information that the trustee deems confidential, such reports shall not be filed in the public docket of the Court. Such reports shall include the name, address and telephone number of each person who, during the preceding month, made an offer to acquire, expressed an interest in acquiring, entered into negotiations to acquire, or was contacted or made an inquiry about acquiring, any interest in the Divestiture Assets, and shall describe in detail each contact with any such person during that period. Defendant may request that information in such reports that has been provided as confidential by the Defendant be deemed confidential by the trustee. If the trustee does not deem the information to be confidential, the information shall not be made public before Defendant has an opportunity to seek a protective order from the Court. The trustee shall maintain full records of all efforts made to divest these operations.
G. If the trustee has not accomplished the divestiture required by Section IV of this Final Judgment within six months after the appointment of the trustee becomes effective, the trustee shall promptly file with the Court a report setting forth (1) the trustee's efforts to accomplish the required divestiture, (2) the reasons, in the trustee's judgment, why the required divestiture has not been accomplished, and (3) the trustee's recommendations; provided, however, that to the extent such reports contain information that the trustee deems confidential, such reports shall not be filed in the public docket of the Court. The trustee shall at the same time furnish such reports to Defendant and the United States, who shall each have the right to be heard and to make additional recommendations. The Court shall thereafter enter such orders as it shall deem appropriate to accomplish the purposes of this Final Judgment, which shall, if necessary, include extending the term of the trustee's appointment by a period requested by the United States.
Within two business days following execution of a definitive agreement, contingent upon compliance with the terms of this Final Judgment, to effect, in whole or in part, any proposed divestiture pursuant to Sections IV or VI of this Final Judgment, Defendant or the trustee, whichever is then responsible for effecting the divestiture, shall notify Plaintiff of the proposed divestiture. If the trustee is responsible, it shall similarly notify Defendant. The notice shall set forth the details of the proposed transaction and list the name, address, and telephone number of each person not previously identified who offered to, or expressed an interest in or a desire to, acquire any ownership interest in the assets that are the subject of the binding contract, together with full details of same. Within fifteen calendar days of receipt by Plaintiff of such notice, Plaintiff may request from Defendant, the proposed purchaser, any other third party, or the trustee, if applicable, additional information concerning the proposed divestiture and the proposed purchaser. Defendant and the trustee shall furnish any additional information requested within fifteen calendar days of the receipt of the request, unless the parties shall otherwise agree. Within thirty calendar days after receipt of the notice or within twenty calendar days after Plaintiff has been provided the additional information requested from Defendant, the proposed purchaser, any third party, and the trustee, if there is one, whichever is later, the United States shall provide written notice to Defendant and the trustee, if there is one, stating whether or not it objects to the proposed divestiture. If the United States provides written notice to Defendant and the trustee that it does not object, then the divestiture may be consummated, subject only to Defendant's limited right to object to the sale under Section VI(C) of this Final Judgment. Absent written notice that the United States does not object to the proposed purchaser or upon objection by the United States, a divestiture proposed under Section IV or Section VI shall not be consummated. Upon objection by Defendant under the proviso in Section VI(C), a divestiture proposed under Section VI shall not be consummated. Provided, however, a proposed divestiture pursuant to the Auction Procedures approved by the United States under Section IV(D)(3) of this Final Judgment shall be deemed acceptable to the United States under this section.
A. Within thirty calendar days of the filing of this Final Judgment and every forty-five calendar days thereafter until the divestiture has been completed whether pursuant to Section IV or Section VI of this Final Judgment, Enova shall, with respect to Divestiture Assets, deliver to Plaintiff an affidavit as to the fact and manner of Defendant's compliance with Sections IV or VI of this Final Judgment. Each such affidavit shall include, inter alia, the name, address, and telephone number of each person who, at any time after the period covered by the last such report, made an offer to acquire, expressed an interest in acquiring, entered into negotiations to acquire, or was contacted or made an inquiry about acquiring, any interest in the Divestiture Assets, and shall describe in detail each contact with any such person during that period. Each such affidavit shall also include a description of the efforts that Defendant has taken to solicit a buyer for the Divestiture Assets and to provide required information to prospective purchasers, including the limitations, if any, on such information.
B. For Divestiture Assets being sold using the California Auction Procedures, during such Auction Procedures, submission of bids to the United States in compliance with Section IV shall satisfy compliance with the required contents of the affidavits in Section VIII(A).
C. Within twenty calendar days of the filing of this Final Judgment, Defendant shall deliver to Plaintiff an affidavit which describes in detail all actions Defendant has taken and all steps Defendant has implemented on an on-going basis to preserve the Divestiture Assets pursuant to Section X of this Final Judgment and describes the functions, duties and actions taken by or undertaken at the supervision of the individuals described at Section X(J) of this Final Judgment with respect to Defendant's efforts to preserve the Divestiture Assets. Defendant shall deliver to Plaintiff an affidavit describing any changes to the efforts and actions outlined in Defendant's earlier affidavits filed pursuant to this section within thirty calendar days after the change is implemented. The United States shall take all necessary steps to keep the information received pursuant to this section confidential.
D. Defendant shall preserve all records of all efforts made to preserve and divest the Divestiture Assets.
Defendant shall not finance all or any part of any divestiture made pursuant to Sections IV or VI of this Final Judgment.
Until the divestiture required by the Final Judgment has been accomplished:
A. Defendant shall take all steps necessary to ensure that the Divestiture Assets will be maintained and operated as an ongoing, economically viable and active competitor in the provision of electricity; and that, except as necessary to comply with Sections X (B) to X (K) of this Final Judgment, the management of any electricity generating facilities shall be kept separate and apart from the management of Defendant's other businesses and will not be influenced by Defendant, and the books, records, and competitively sensitive sales, marketing and pricing information associated with electricity generating facilities will be kept separate and apart from that of Defendant's other businesses.
B. Defendant shall use all reasonable efforts to maintain and increase sales of electricity by the Divestiture Assets, and Defendant shall use reasonable efforts to maintain and increase promotional, advertising, sales, marketing, and merchandising support for wholesale electricity sold in California.
C. Defendant shall take all steps necessary to ensure that the Divestiture Assets are fully maintained in operable condition and shall maintain and adhere to normal maintenance schedules for the Divestiture Assets.
D. Defendant shall provide and maintain sufficient lines of sources of credit to maintain the Divestiture Assets as viable, ongoing businesses.
E. Defendant shall provide and maintain sufficient working capital to maintain the Divestiture Assets as viable ongoing businesses.
F. Defendant shall not, except as part of a divestiture approved by the United States, remove, sell, or transfer any of the Divestiture Assets, other than sales in the ordinary course of business.
G. Unless it has obtained the prior approval of the United States, Defendant shall not terminate or reduce the current employment, salary, or benefit arrangements for any personnel employed by Defendant who work at, or have managerial responsibility for, electricity generating facilities, except in the ordinary course of business.
H. Defendant shall continue all efforts in progress to obtain or maintain all permits necessary for operating their electricity generating capacity.
I. Defendant shall take no action that would jeopardize its ability to divest the Divestiture Assets as viable, ongoing businesses.
J. Defendant shall appoint a person or persons to oversee the Divestiture Assets, and who will be responsible for Defendant's compliance with Section X of this Final Judgment.
K. Prior to the sale of Divestiture Assets, Enova shall not transfer any of the Divestiture Assets to any affiliate not regulated as a public utility by the CPUC.
Only for the purposes of determining or securing compliance with the Final Judgment and subject to any legally recognized privilege, from time to time:
A. Duly authorized representatives of the Plaintiff, including consultants and other persons retained by the United States, upon written request of the Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Antitrust Division, and on reasonable notice to Defendant made to their principal offices, shall be permitted:
B. Upon the written request of the Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Antitrust Division made to Defendant's principal offices, Defendant shall submit such written reports, under oath if requested, with respect to any matter contained in the Final Judgment.
C. No information or documents obtained by the means provided in Section VIII or Section XI of this Final Judgment shall be divulged by a representative of the Plaintiff to any person other than a duly authorized representative of the Executive Branch of the United States, except in the course of legal proceedings to which the Plaintiff is a party, including grand jury proceedings, or for the purpose of securing compliance with this Final Judgment, or as otherwise required by law.
D. If at the time information or documents are furnished by Defendant to Plaintiff, Defendant represents and identifies in writing the material in any such information or documents to which a claim of protection may be asserted under Rule 26(c)(7) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, and Defendant marks each pertinent page of such material, "Subject to claim of protection under Rule 26(c)(7) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure," then ten calendar days notice shall be given by Plaintiff to Defendant prior to divulging such material in any legal proceeding, other than a grand jury proceeding.
Jurisdiction is retained by this Court for the purpose of enabling any of the parties to this Final Judgment to apply to this Court at any time for such further orders and directions as may be necessary or appropriate for the construction or carrying out of this Final Judgment, for the modification of any of the provisions hereof, for the enforcement of compliance herewith, and for the punishment of any violations hereof.
A. This Final Judgment will expire on the tenth anniversary of the date of its entry unless the Final Judgment is terminated pursuant to Section XIII(B); provided, however, the Final Judgment will terminate when the United States notifies Enova and the Court that Enova has provided to the United States documentation sufficient to prove (1) that the merger between Enova and Pacific identified in the Complaint has been terminated; or (2) that an Independent System Operator has assumed control of Pacific's gas pipelines within California in a manner satisfactory to the United States. The United States shall, in its sole discretion, determine whether the documentation proffered by Enova is sufficient.
B. After five years from the date it is entered, this Final Judgment shall terminate if Defendant demonstrates to the Court that (1) it no longer owns any of its existing nuclear assets, or (2) such assets are no longer in operation, or (3) the output of those nuclear assets is required by law or regulation to be sold at a fixed price.
C. Enova's obligation to divest an asset shall terminate if any governmental authority permanently revokes any license or permit necessary for the operation of such asset, properly exercises power or eminent domain with respect to such asset, or enters into a settlement agreement with Enova regarding the disposition of such asset to a third party.
D. Modification of Section V.
The approvals by the United States required by this Final Judgment for sale of Divestiture Assets are in addition to the necessary approvals by the CPUC or any other governmental authorities for the sale of such assets.
Entry of this Final Judgment is in the public interest.
Dated: _____________


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"You have got to hear this album."
That's how it started. Isn't that how it always starts? I'd been waxing poetic on my schoolgirl crush on Justin Vernon, better known to some as Bon Iver, better known to others as the hottest fella to wear too-revealing shorts during Pitchfork 2009, when my friend John Brunner told me about Gayngs. Little did I know what would happen next.
Gayngs is a Midwestern band to be reckoned with, a tour de force of over twenty of Wisconsin and Minnesota's finest, from P.O.S. to Dessa to, yes, Justin Vernon, and it's all the brainchild of Ryan Olson. Naturally, the moment I heard of Vernon's involvement I was in. However, when John told me a bit about the record, I was no longer just "in". I was "all in". Apparently, one of John's friends had been spinning Gayngs at the record store he works at. All the gentlemen who heard the album were appalled by the sheer raunchiness of it. The ladies, however, became instantly weak in the knees. That, I feel, is the most appropriate reaction to debut LP Relayted. Despite nary a "dirty word" appearing on the LP, the songs play out at 69 beats per minute and the album's sheer seductiveness is, quite frankly, incomparable.
Sure, songs can be sexy; songs can flirtatious; songs can explicitly talk about sexual acts of various natures but never once has song, let alone an entire album, physically turned me on. That is, until Gayngs (quite literally) came into my life. Within moments of procuring Relayted and putting down the proverbial digital needle on the opening song, I found my mouth agape and goosebumps raising upon my body. In my two plus years as a music journalist, I had heard a lot of records but never had I heard anything like Gayngs and I'll probably never hear anything like it again.
Something magical happened when Gayngs was conceived and it's impossible to discern exactly how it all came about. Even if Olson himself attempted to recount the story to me, I'd probably hush him because part of the allure of Gayngs is the mystery of how it is that such explicitly lustful bedroom music came to be. Listening to Relayted is like having your first sexual experience resulting in an orgasm. Sure, you'd been turned on before, but never before have you felt anything like this. "The Gaudy Side Of Town" seduces you gently, wrapping around you like smoke before dissipating into "The Walker", a song which ups the ante with a kicky hook that doesn't just permeate your eardrums, but permeates areas which, well, music just doesn't usually permeate. "The Walker", in turn, seamlessly carries you into a cover of Godley & Creme's "Cry", which tempts you to venture to "No Sweat" and before you know it, Gayngs has changed something inside of you, going deeper into than you ever thought a record could and making you realize there's a whole other level of physicality that most music can't compare to.
After falling for Gayngs, I fervently recommended it to friend after friend, telling them that this record will get you laid. There's no doubt about it. Pop open a bottle of wine and put Relayted on as your loved one walks into your respective house or apartment. I'm willing to bet something will be penetrated before "The Gaudy Side Of Town"'s seven minutes is up. In fact, I've made it my personal goal to let Gayngs get me laid before the year is up. I've also told a number of my fellow gayng members that they will be receiving a text message telling them when I've completed that particular dream. So, when @Gayngs themselves @ replied me on twitter one day, after mentioning the dirty things their record made me want to do, telling me to "do my thayng" and "be proud", you can probably imagine the elated-slash-aroused emotion I found myself rapt with.
To be quite honest, Gayngs recent Jimmy Fallon performance was the best sexual release I've had in many months, not because I was doing anything remotely sexual whilst watching Olson and his Midwestern comrades but rather because it's just that good. Even I, with my extensive Gayngs love, was not prepared for what the band offered up when Sean Moeller, Daytrotter's fearless founder, and accompaniest David Vandervelde joined the gayng in Wisconsin to record the sexiest thing ever put to tape. To quote Vandervelde himself, "It's like music for sex people. You're all just sex people."
I never was a "sex person". I was always a "mope" person, who found catharsis in the kind of music that detailed heartache and loneliness but then I met Gayngs. And now, here I stand before you, a woman, having finally found a band worthy of taking my "sex music" v-card and I can guarantee that if you let Relayted enter your life, you'll be a "sex person" too.
For more from Amber and her fine team of sex persons (including Indie College's own Mylynda Nellermoe), check out Radio Free Chicago.


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The U.S. has historically had one of the most open immigration policies in the world, and the nations that most often criticize us have the most repressive immigration laws. Apparently capitulating to these critics, even some supposed conservative politicians have joined the Gang of Eight to try to force feed another "immigration reform" bill to citizens.
In April, I joined many other local, state, and federal law enforcement experts in Washington D.C. to voice opposition to the flawed amnesty bill misnamed as "The Border Security, Economic, Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act" (Senate Bill 744). Needless to say, we did not get the ear of the Gang of Eight, not did we confuse their opinions with real facts and experience. Chris Cane, president of the union for ICE agents, was even threatened with arrest for daring to ask permission to ask a question at the bill's presentation.
What does this have to do with gangs, you ask? It has a lot to do with gangs, Muslim terrorists, and international drug cartels whose primary memberships are made up of undocumented aliens.
Section 3701 of the bill allows illegal aliens, who are also members of criminal street gangs, to receive a waiver to enter the country simply by making the claim that they have renounced their gang affiliation. We all know gang members would never lie to authorities, right? Under this law, these criminal gang members would still be eligible for citizenship even if they have been deported for criminal activity in the past.
In fact, the Department of Homeland Security secretary must waive misdemeanor criminal convictions to determine an illegal immigrant's eligibility for Registered Provisional Immigration (RPI) status. These convictions include serious offences such as assault, assault on a peace officer, vehicular homicide, possession of drug manufacturing equipment, discharging an explosive device, DUI, and common sexual predator offences.
Section 2102 of the bill directs DHS to ignore state convictions for crimes such as human smuggling, harboring, trafficking, and many gang crimes when approving applications for legalization, even when these convictions under federal statutes would bar them from legalization. This seems to me to be an insult from the federal government to local and state courts and law enforcement.
Perhaps your jurisdiction has experienced the infestation of Southern California-based gangs such as the Sureños, or the transnational Los Angeles-based gangs such as Florence 13, 18th Street, or Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13). Illegal immigrants primarily make up the membership of these three largest Los Angeles gangs.
Did you know that one of 10 Los Angeles County residents entered the U.S. illegally? That stat is courtesy of a recent University of Southern California study reported by the Los Angeles Times. The report estimates that these undocumented aliens include 63% from Mexico, 22% from Central America, and 8% from the Philippians, Korea and China.
Offering these criminal immigrants a path to citizenship is unfair and insulting to the millions who have followed the rule of law, paid huge fees, and legally immigrated into the U.S. It is especially offensive to me as a Vietnam War veteran—many served honorably in the military, risking their life and limb to earn their citizenship.
We must consider an important question. Who are the primary victims of criminal illegal alien activity? The answer may surprise you—other legal and illegal people of the same race or ethnic extraction.
Latino gang and drug cartel members mostly murder, extort, kidnap, and assault other Latinos. There's a Houston organization dedicated to reminding us of the terrible cost of our unsecured border. The Remembrance Project and the Houston Eagle Forum run by Maria Espinoza keep these forgotten victims of illegal immigration before the public.
A WBRC report by Dave Gibson told the story of cartel hit man Jose Martinez. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers arrested the 50-year-old illegal immigrant attempting to enter Arizona from Mexico. Martinez had crossed many times before and travelled extensively throughout the U.S., but by luck this time a routine check revealed he was wanted in Lawrence County, Ala., for murder.
When he was interrogated by Lawrence County Sheriff's detectives, he confessed to more than 30 murders across the country—10 of them in California.
Martinez also confessed to a 2006 double murder in Marion County, Fla. The bullet-riddled bodies of Javier Huerta and Gustavo Olivares-Rivas were left in the back of a pick-up truck abandoned in the Ocala National Forest.
"From his statements, he's killed over 30 people throughout the United States so this is what he does. He's an individual who goes around and collects debts for the cartels and kills people," Detective T. J. Watts told the Central Florida News.
This should explode the urban myth that cross-border violence is rare. From my extensive experience in Los Angeles, I can tell you that cross-border violence is not rare at in the illegal alien communities. The cartel and gang enforcers can be active in any state and in any jurisdiction. And this is not only about Latino immigrants.
Other illegal alien hit-men operate in other ethnic communities. Communities established across the country by recently arrived Chinese, African, Caribbean, and Middle Eastern immigrants are victimized just like the Latinos. Sometimes these illegal immigrant killers might be politically or religiously motivated. They enter the U.S. illegally utilizing false identities and often with false documents. They move in and out of illegal immigrant communities with impunity and leave a trail of unsolved violence wherever they go. Many of their crimes go unreported.
A great many of the illegal aliens entered the U.S. under various visa programs and overstayed their visas. This is what some of the 9/11 terrorists and the more recent Boston Marathon bomber suspects did. But under this new bill, an estimated 4.5 million visa overstays—including recent arrivals and document forgers—can attain legal status. This is a recipe for disaster. The U.S. has become the primary target of international terrorists, so we should tighten our border and immigration security not loosen it.
These illegal immigrants also travel internationally. Mexican and Belizean immigration authorities recently arrested an American and two Belizeans as agents of Hezbollah. Lebanese American Rafic Mohammad Labboun Allaboun, and Belizeans George Abdalah Elders and Justin Yasser Safa, were arrested as members of international terrorist organization Hezbollah, in Merida, Mexico, according to a Jan. 1 Associated Press story. Allaboun was extradited to Houston because he was already on a watch list and wanted by American law enforcement.
Without some form of biometric identification verification, paper documents are worthless in today's technological society. The gangs, drug, and human trafficking cartels, and the international terrorists control the counterfeit document industry. They can produce any kind of identification document to any quality standard. We only catch the ones who have poor quality documents. The good ones get past law enforcement. Under section 2102 of the bill, illegal immigrants who have committed document fraud, made false statements to authorities, or have absconded from court ordered removal can still apply for legal status.
Yet this bill is being sold as fair and just immigration reform. Don't be fooled. It's only another politically expedient path to amnesty for criminal illegal aliens. Gangs, cartels, and terrorists will exploit this weakening of our border and immigration security systems. Call, write, and e-mail your U.S. representatives and senators about Senate Bill 744. Don't stay silent.


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Why resilience is the key to solving 21st century problems
Author and PopTech executive director Andrew Zolli says the ability of people and institutions to bounce back from challenges will be needed more and more. It can be learned, as he found out in his own life.
Resilience isn't something that Andrew Zolli just thinks about. It's something he's had to demonstrate in his own life.
In 2008 his close partner at PopTech, Tom LeVine, died suddenly. He and his wife lost a child in pregnancy. His mother suffered a serious illness.
"And then we had the global financial collapse. All at the same time," he recalls. "I've had rough times before, but I've never had anything that made me feel like I might run up against my ability to manage."
Mr. Zolli had been working on a book about resiliency. "I wrote this book at a time when it felt like it was raining hammers. I would show chapters of the galley to my wife who would say, 'You see what you said here in Chapter 3? Are you doing this? You need what you're writing about right now.' "
Zolli did pull through. Today he and his wife have two lovely children. He's still heading PopTech, which brings together a global community of innovators from many fields to share insights and work together to address world problems. And his book, "Resilience: Why Things Bounce Back," written with journalist Ann Marie Healy, was published this summer.
Resilience is the key to the world overcoming its severe economic and environmental challenges, Zolli says. It's what makes individuals, organizations, and cultures able to withstand hardships and recover.
A few years ago Zolli noticed "a new conversation" emerging among institutions such as the Rockefeller Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, USAID, and the World Bank, "converging toward a conversation about ... how we build systems that can absorb disruption, because we're living in such a time of volatility," he says. He saw how the scientific study of resiliency, though still in its infancy, was already yielding useful insights.
PopTech, which holds a conference each fall in Camden, Maine, this year added an event in Iceland as well – for an important reason.
Iceland is "a fascinating laboratory for economic, social, and political resilience of many different stripes," Zolli said in a recent telephone interview. Its banks melted down in the financial crisis. But the country has taken decisive steps to bounce back, including writing a new constitution in just a few months time.
One happy conclusion of the book is that most people are resilient – often more resilient than they think. But can those who, for whatever reason, don't seem to possess that quality be helped? What makes individuals resilient? Ways to increase resiliency are becoming better understood, with two factors emerging, he says.
"If you believe that the world is a meaningful place, and you have a meaningful place within it; if you believe that you have agency within the world, that your actions have meaning ... that successes and failures are put in your life to teach you things, and that they're not just random acts of chance, then you have a much higher degree of resilience in the face of trauma," he says.
These mental attitudes are associated with religious beliefs. "People who have a spiritual or religious worldview are, on average, more resilient than people who aren't," he says. That's not the same as saying a particular religious belief – or any religious beliefs – are true. But "whether religion is true or not, it's actually good for you," he says.
The kind of "mindfulness" meditation associated with Buddhist monks has also proved useful in reducing stress. It can be used with combat veterans diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. Today US troops are more likely to kill themselves after returning home than to have been killed by the enemy, Zolli says. "That's a byproduct of the fact that war has become less fatal but no less stressful." In teaching some form of "mindfulness" meditation to veterans "we're talking about not only saving dollars but saving lives."
Zolli's book is laced with examples of resilient institutions. None is any more remarkable than that of Hancock Bank. Hurricane Katrina damaged or destroyed 90 of the 103 branches of the Gulfport, Miss., based regional bank. Many of its customers had lost everything they had, including their IDs and checkbooks. The bank, recognizing that its prime responsibility was to serve its community (not to make a profit), authorized branches to begin giving out $200 to anyone who would sign their name (not just its customers), no ID required. In this way some $42 million was put in the hands of local residents (and pumped into the local economy) to help begin the recovery.
The move paid off for the bank. More than 99 percent of the money was paid back voluntarily. And the goodwill that was created helped deposits at the bank rise by $1.5 billion over the next three years.
"The world needs a lot more examples like this," Zolli says. "How do we establish rules that create more Hancocks over time?"
America celebrates businesses such as Google and Facebook who grow at fantastic speed, but forgets that a crash is often awaiting them somewhere down the line. "We forget that everything that goes up must come down," he says. "And the coming down is usually uglier."
Hancock represents a different model. "This kind of slower growth, deeply connected to community, this is the kind of stuff of which real resilience is made," he says.
PopTech now is taking on the question of how to build resiliency in the world, Zolli says. The world's problems, from economic disruptions to changing climate patterns, will demand resilience. "It's ultimately in our collective self-interest that we bolster the resilience of all of us."
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10 years of pain has disappeared!
My dharma name is Hua Yong. I am blessed to participate in the Guan Yin Bodhisattva of Great Compassion Empowerment Dharma Assembly.
We started off by diligently reciting the Six-Character Great Bright Mantra. After a dozen of recitations, tears kept emerging as I kept reciting the Six-Character Great Bright Mantra. I did not know why I had tears, but it felt comforting and soothing. Minutes later, a bright white light shone towards my face, the light then transformed into a rainbow colored beam of light and eventually formed into a very large lotus flower of clouds. Immediately, I felt energy surging from the floor where I stood up through my entire body. My eyes were shut and I stood still as I felt my body very heavy. Sounds of a lion's roar and footsteps were coming from the hallway People behind me started to pat their own bodies. Sister Hua Rui walked passed me while singing out loud. Qinbu Rinpoche joined in shortly after. Eventually, I started to recite "Namo Guan Shi Yin Bodhisattva." Every syllable was dragged out loudly.
Suddenly, Sister Hua Rui began to deliver Guan Shi Yin Bodhisattva's message out loudly in Cantonese, "We are all destined to be here today. You have acted sinfully in your past lives. You must repent your actions!" I thought to myself, "Of course, of course." I felt a moment of despair as I began to cry while reciting "Namo Guan Shi Yin Bodhisattva." Moments later, all I could see was a red circle in the middle of darkness. This could possibly be the symbol of my karma, I thought. I immediately requested a blessing from the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to clear my karma, be diligent in my practice as well as bring my husband and daughter to practice Buddhism! After requesting this blessing, I began to sing even louder and more passionately. My arms naturally began to swing from side to side, however, both of my feet remained still.
Meanwhile, while Qinbu Rinpoche was singing, she came behind me and started to slap my shoulder all the way to my lower back. It felt very painful as I felt that Qinbu Rinpoche's palms were very large, however, I continued to stay still and recite "Namo Guan Shi Yin Bodhisattva" out loudly and prolongly. Sounds of people crying, falling to the ground, slapping, people reciting the Six-Character Great Bright Mantra and "Namo Guan Shi Yin Bodhisattva" were being heard everywhere in the hall. Shortly after, I heard the master say "Stop", but I kept going on. I did not know when, then Qinbu Rinpoche came behind me and slapped from my shoulder to my lower back again very intensely and I could not stop singing in a high pitch. It was until the master came to me and tapped my head that I stopped.
It felt as if time flew by really quickly as if the Dharma assembly ended really quickly. However, I am sure I received an extraordinary amount of empowerment and blessings even though my body still felt heavy. After the Dharma assembly ended, a lot of sisters and brothers went up on stage to share their personal experiences. I also went up to the front, knelt on my floor with my palms together, and from the bottom of my heart, I shared my experience and expressed my utmost gratitude to H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, Namo Guan Shi Yin Bodhisattva, and all other Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.
Returning home, I found out that 10 years of pain and failed treatment on my right shoulder and spine has disappeared! Back then, because of my right shoulder pain, turning my head to the right was not possible. But now, I can do that without any problems!
My most sincere and grateful thoughts to H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III!
My most sincere and grateful thoughts to Namo Guan Shi Yin Bodhisattva!
My most sincere and grateful thoughts to all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas!
Buddhist Disciple Hua Yong (Yong Chiu Chen)
Link: https://dharma-hhdorjechangbuddhaiii.org/10-years-of-pain-has-disappeared/
#HHDorjeChangBuddhaIII #DorjeChangBuddha #Buddha #Bodhisattva #Dharma #Buddhism #Empowerment #Tathagatha #KuanShiYinBodhisattva #HuaZangSi #Chanting #Mantra #pain


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We've seen a rash of games on the various download services take a page or two from the games of years gone by, some better than others. Treasure Hunter X attempts to capture a bit of the magic of some of the classic computer games like Boulder Dash and Lode Runner and build a unique gaming experience around it. But while there are plenty of familiar gameplay elements strung throughout the game, there's really not anything new to make the experience interesting.
The basic goal of Treasure Hunter X is quite simple: grab the key, pick up as much treasure as you can and head for the exit door. Of course there are certain obstacles that stand in your way ranging from floors that must be dug through with your pickaxe to spike pits and even hungry enemies bent on stopping you.
You begin each cavern with a set number of pickaxes and balloons. You'll have to make use of these wisely as if you run out and become stuck you'll have to start the cavern over again. You'll also find that locating the right ground to dig into is equally important as many areas feature indestructible floors that can cause you to get trapped. Your quest soon becomes a careful balance between grabbing the necessary key and trying to pick up as much treasure as possible without using up all of your equipment needed to reach the exit.
The controls are fairly intuitive, but the execution can be a tad streaky at times. You have to be lined up just right in order to hit the section of ground you're aiming at, as being just a bit off can cause you to break through the wrong area and basically waste a valuable pickaxe. It's also sometimes confusing as to what the area on the bottom screen looks like given the break between the top and bottom DSi screens. The lack of touchscreen functionality is a bit disappointing as well, although given the fact that the game uses both the top and bottom screens for play, it's understandable why it was not ultimately used.
It's understandable that the developers decided to go for an old-school visual display, but the areas in the game are even bland by 8-bit standards at times. Most of the floors are very basic blocks that lack any type of real detail. Even the enemies and characters are so basic in design that they too forgo any type of distinctive construction and are often difficult to even tell what they actually are.
If there's one high point to the package it would have to be the musical score. There might not be a whole lot of tunes to be heard, but the ones that are there are certainly entertaining, so much so that they almost feel out of place being surrounded by the other mediocre aspects of the game. So while you might not have much in the way of scenery to enjoy, your ears are certainly in for a nice treat.
Treasure Hunter X is certainly not a horrible game by any stretch, but it's not exactly that good either. The game relies too heavily on gameplay touches that have already been done many times before, and in some cases far better. The puzzle elements provide some decent challenge, but the somewhat sloppy controls and lacklustre visuals end up overshadowing what few interesting moments the game offers up. That being said, the meagre 200 Nintendo Point price tag might end up making it at least worth a shot for gamers intrigued by this style of gameplay.


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Police are investigating the death of a Midlothian 2-year-old boy who died from head trauma Thursday afternoon, officials said.
Lavandis Hudson, of the 3600 block of West 147th Place, was pronounced dead at 1:45 p.m. at Advocate Hope Children's Hospital in Oak Lawn, according to a spokesman for the Cook County medical examiner's office.
Midlothian police were alerted Thursday to dispatch an ambulance to the home for a child, according to a spokesman for the department.
While the child showed signs of head trauma, the cause was pending autopsy results, according to the medical examiner's office.
Police said the incident was being classified as a death investigation pending the autopsy scheduled for today.


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June 18, 2013
Dear Chief State School Officers:
Over the last four years, state and local leaders and educators across America have embraced an enormous set of urgent and long-overdue challenges: raising standards and upgrading curricula to better prepare students to compete in the global economy, developing new assessments, rebuilding accountability systems to meet the unique needs of each state and better serve at-risk students, and adopting new systems of support and evaluation for teachers and principals. Meeting this historic set of challenges all at once asks more of everybody throughout the education sector, and it is a tribute to the quality of educators, leaders, and elected officials across this country that so many have stepped up.
Throughout this process, states and districts have established high goals for themselves: college- and career-ready standards for all; higher graduation rates and college enrollment rates; high expectations for critical thinking, problem-solving, and other 21st century skills; ambitious and achievable performance targets that really move the needle for kids at risk; and useful, rigorous systems of evaluation and support for teachers and principals based on multiple measures, including student growth. The Department has offered flexibility to enable states and districts to meet these goals. In a country as diverse as ours, where schools and students have different educational challenges, one-size-fits-all solutions have not worked. We have also aligned our grant programs to support states willing to lead this important work, and the result is that some states are further along than others, but all states are engaged in significant improvement efforts and students are better off for it.
In recent months, we have heard from many of you and from thousands of teachers, principals, and education advocates. While there is a broad sense that these far-reaching changes carry enormous promise for schools, children, and the future of our country, there is caution that too much change all at once could undermine our collective progress. I fully appreciate both the courage to tackle so many challenges at once and the burdens this imposes on front-line educators – teachers, principals, school boards, and administrators – who are committed to doing this work well.
With that in mind, the Department is open to additional flexibility for states in two critical areas: the first relates to one particular element of teacher and leader evaluation and support system implementation, and the second addresses "double-testing" during the transition to new assessments aligned with college- and career-ready standards.
First, I want to address the implementation of teacher and leader evaluation and support systems. States that have received a Race to the Top grant or flexibility under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) are responsible for working with districts to develop systems to evaluate and support principals and teachers based on multiple measures, including student growth. States have committed to different deadlines to implement these systems: some are implementing now; others will begin over the coming years. Given the move to college- and career-ready standards, the dramatic changes in curricula that teachers and principals are now starting to teach, and the transition to new assessments aligned to those standards, the Department will consider, on a state-by-state basis, allowing states up to one additional year before using their new evaluation systems to inform personnel determinations. To be specific, states that request and are given this flexibility may delay any personnel consequences, tied in part to the use of student growth data, until no later than 2016–2017. We recognize that, for many states, it will not make sense to request this flexibility because they are already well ahead in successfully implementing these changes or have requirements in state law.
States interested in this extension may request this change, before September 30, 2013, through the current ESEA flexibility amendment process. Details about the amendment process are available on the ESEA flexibility Web page (http://www2.ed.gov/esea-flexibility). As each state implements college- and career-ready standards, it must have a robust plan for supporting teachers and principals as they transition to the new standards and assessments. States will need to lay out those plans in detail in the ESEA flexibility renewal process, along with indicators of teacher and principal familiarity and comfort with these new materials.
The second issue I want to address is that of "double-testing" during the transition from the current statewide assessments to new assessments aligned with college- and career-ready standards. During the 2013–2014 school year, some schools will be involved in the important work of field testing new assessments. We want to support states that would like to avoid double-testing students, which as you know often happens during the shift to a new test. Therefore, we would consider requests from states for a one-year waiver, to allow schools participating in these field tests to administer only one assessment in 2013–2014 to any individual student — either the current statewide assessment or the field test. We would also consider a request for those schools to retain their Federal accountability designations for an additional year during which the same targeted interventions would have to continue, with no relaxation of accountability requirements. Details about the Title I waiver process are available at http://www.ed.gov/titlei-waiver.
Our country continues to face challenges as we work together toward achieving educational excellence for all children, and the timing of these actions has real consequences for students in the real world. The point of raising standards is to prepare students for tomorrow's challenges rather than yesterday's. Their readiness has real consequences for their lives, and the nation's economic health. Yet this effort will only succeed if all parties have the time, resources, and support needed to make the journey from the inadequate standards of the past to the ambitious standards of tomorrow. As the highest-ranking education official in your states, you define the path and the pace for how states and schools will make that journey. Our job in Washington is to support you. In the coming days, the Department will provide more information on the flexibility discussed above; my staff will reach out to you and your teams to provide assistance.
On behalf of the Obama Administration, I deeply appreciate your leadership and courage. I also appreciate your honest feedback and the feedback of your principals and teachers. Above all, I salute your continuing determination to advance reforms that will benefit millions of students in states and across America. This is hard work and the need for change is urgent.
|Arne Duncan
|Council of Chief State School Officers
Back to the College- and Career-Ready Transition Flexibility Main Page


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Frequent poster and Online Alchemy CEO Mike Sellers sends this report on recent developments in the multiplayer online game (mog) market:
"Last week, Blizzard announced WoW now has over 2 million subscribers. And this doesn't count China, where they've just opened up. They report having over 500,000 concurrent users in China during their open beta.
On the same day, rumors (later confirmed) abounded that Monolith had sold The Matrix Online to SOE. Twenty-six people on the team were given offers to go to San Diego, the rest were out of jobs. The future of Monolith in the wake of this, not to mention the entire market, appears uncertain. "
Mike continues:
"Moreover, SOE also obtained the exclusive rights to create a MMOG based on DC Comics properties. This of course sets them up to go head-to-head with their biggest US rival, NCSoft.
today, CNN noted in a story about Atari that '"The Matrix Online,"
published by Sega, has only sold 43,100 copies since its launch in late
March, according to The NPD Group.'
It's worth noting that this is about half of The Sims Online's abysmal sales in about the same amount of time.
WoW is pulling in probably close to $200 million annually in *profits* (on almost $400M gross revenue), while MXO may never see profitability -- and yet the latter was still valuable enough to SOE to purchase it.
All of which goes to show that while not as hit-driven as the offline game market, the MMOG market continues to be high risk/high reward. Further, the long-predicted market consolidation appears to be taking place. What this will mean for future MMOGs isn't yet clear, but it's a safe bet that this isn't particularly good for those hoping for the open-ended innovative atmosphere that some players wish would appear. "


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Nathan Followill, Kings of Leon Drummer, Injured in Bus Accident
Nathan Followill, the drummer for the rock band Kings of Leon, was reportedly injured last night, Aug. 9, following an accident that involved the group's tour bus.
Rolling Stone reports that the Followill suffered broken ribs as a result of the bus stopping short to avoid hitting a pedestrian.
On the band's Facebook page, representatives for KOL posted the following statement:
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: Due to an accident on their tour bus, Kings of Leon will unfortunately have to postpone tonight's show in Saratoga Springs, NY. The band was en route to their hotel after their show in Boston when a pedestrian jumped in front of their tour bus, causing the bus to stop short, injuring Nathan Followill.
Nathan is being treated for broken ribs, but is doing well. The band will postpone the show that was planned for TONIGHT, August 10th, until further notice.
Kings of Leon, best known for their hits 'Sex on Fire' and 'Use Somebody,' are currently in the middle of their 2014 Mechanical Bull Tour.


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Food and wine may already be an embedded focus of vacation plans for many travelers. It's not something to put on a to-do list, pencil in on an itinerary or even think all that much about when traveling. But maybe it should be. Travel companies feature and package food and wine bike tours in sizes that fit just about anyone and in 2013, there are plenty of them.
Discovering and experiencing unique cuisine around the world can make for rich, vivid travel memories. Tasting a wine in the region it was created can make us fans of a label for life.
ItaliaOutdoors Food and Wine is a private guide service that creates biking, skiing and hiking adventures with world-class culinary programs. Last year, in Bike Tour Cycles Through Culture, Food In Italy, Gadling shared information about ItaliaOutdoors' Summer Chefs On Bikes Tour. That seven-day, June 2012 event took cyclists on one of the former trade routes that distributed spices and goods from the East throughout Western Europe.
This year, ItaliaOutdoors has several bike tours through the Dolomite mountain range in northeast Italy, starting this spring. Each tour is a challenging climb and riding exploration that gets up close and personal with Italy's rich culinary heritage.
Train Like a Local – May 26 to June 1, 2013
As close to a beginner/intro bike tour as one might get, this one focuses on climbs ranging between 900 and 1700 meters in the foothills of the Dolomites. Train Like a Local prepares cyclists for more challenging climbs in the upper Dolomites and the Alps. Along the way, group members sample regional cuisine and discover local wines unknown beyond the area.
The tour repeats September 1-7, 2013.The Agony and the Ecstasy tour – June 9 to 15, 2013
For more experienced cyclists, this tour brings one of the hardest climbs in northeast Italy. Designed for cyclists who have trained hard and are ready for difficult climbs, this tour features the regions of Veneto, Trentino-Alto Adige and Friuli Venezia, with stops to sample and savor local delicacies such as prosciutto, homemade gnocchi and grappa.
The Classic Climb tour – July 7 to 13, 2013
Adventure travelers will like that this tour traces a path through the heart of the Dolomites, combining little-known passes with the rigorous bike climbs that have made the region a sought-after destination for cyclists. Experiencing the blend of Italian and Austrian/Germanic cultures that define the region, expert cyclist and mountain guide Vernon McClure and cooking instructor and chef Kathy Bechtel, also an avid biker, will be along for the ride. The tour repeats September 8-4, 2013.
Limiting groups of 12 people or less, ItaliaOutdoors makes daily customization and refinement changes to itineraries, based on participants' interests, pacing and real-time finds along the way.
ItaliaOutdoors also features private bike tours where a custom trip is planned and your tour is personally led by their owner/expert guides, as we see in this video:
Other sources for cycling tours include the Bike Tour Network, BackRoads and Bike Tours Direct.
[Photo Credit-Flickr user will_cyclist]


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CS:GO Facts
Q) How can I get into the beta?
A) Fill out our online survey. You need Steam for the survey. Since part of the survey is about hardware, you should use the computer you play on to fill out the survey.
Q)How do I activate the console?
A) Activate the console in Help & Options -> Game Settings -> Enable developer console. This will then allow you to open the console using the tilde key ~.
Q)How do I open the server browser?
A) The current version of the beta does not support a server browser. This feature will be added later.
Q) Can I host my own dedicated server?
A) Not at this stage in the beta. The full version of CSGO will allow community run dedicated servers on both Windows and Linux.
Q) How do I start a local game?
A) Click Play -> Create Match -> Choose your map and game mode. To have other players connect to you they will need to know your IP address and use that to connect in the console with -connect <youripaddress>. The full game will have a server browser that will let you easily start local games.
Q)Can I make maps for CSGO?
A) Yes, there will be a new SDK available after the full game has been released. During the beta you can start laying out your map ideas with the current Counter-Strike: Source SDK.
Q) How do I report a bug in the beta?
A) Please use our steam forums for now.
Q) How do I play competitively?
A) To start with, we only support lan competitive play. Matchmaking into competitive play will be enabled later in the beta.
Q) Why does my crosshair change size?
A) The crosshair consists of multiple parts. The most obvious section is the dot in the middle which is used for aiming. The traditional cross hatch moves as you move and provides rough accuracy. The brackets represent the weapon accuracy at all times including being stationary and firing.
Q) Why can I sometimes defuse the bomb faster than other times?
A) On the counter-terrorist side if you are carrying a defuse kit it will halve the defuse time. The defuse kit appears as a small pair of needle nose pliers in the lower right corner of your in-game UI.
Q)What are the minimum and/or suggested system specs?
A) While we are still developing the game these are in flux. The early stages of the beta will help us better set those suggestions.
Q) Why aren't the characters solid?
A) In Casual mode players can pass through each other as their bodies are not solid. In Competitive mode the player's bodies are solid and they cannot pass through each other. This also allows for player stacking in competitive mode.
Q) Will there be more weapons?
A) Yes, the current version of the beta has a limited selection of the weapons.
Q) Will there be more character models?
A) Yes, the current version of the beta has a limited number of character models.
Q) Will there be more modes?
A) Yes. We are currently only showing one
Q) When will the game ship?
A) You tell us. We are committed to staying in the beta period for as long as we need to create the best version of Counter-Strike.
Q) Will there be team match making?
A) Yes. We will be adding this feature later.
Q) Will there be a replay system?
A) Yes, we will be implementing this feature at a later date.
Q) What tools will there be for spectating?
A) The current version the beta has very limited tools for spectating a match. We will be improving those tools and features during the beta.
Q) How will CS:GO be available?
A) CS:GO will be available as a download package from Steam, PSN, and XBLA. The beta is only available for PC players on Steam.
Q)How can I see my ping?
A) We will be adding a visual representation of ping later but for now if you go into the console and enter net_graph 1 and see your ping and FPS statistics.
Q)Are there any plans to open up games to more than 5v5?
A) Yes but the beta will continue to be 5v5 for a period.
Q)Will the text be localized?
A) Text localization will be updated as the beta progresses.
Q) Is the beta available on the Mac?
A) Currently the beta is PC only but we will have full Mac support at launch.


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Belotero Treatment in Boca Raton, FL
Loss of facial volume is, in most cases, unavoidable. That doesn't making sagging skin, wrinkles and fine lines any less damaging to your confidence. That is why dermal fillers and wrinkle smoothers are so popular.
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What makes Belotero different are its subtle results. Because Belotero is specially designed to integrate in to your skin's natural tissue, it largely avoids the dreaded "plastic" look that is sometimes associated with dermal fillers and smoothing gels.
How Does Belotero Work?
Like several other dermal fillers, Belotero utilizes a solution known as hyaluronic acid (HA). This solution naturally occurs in your skin, but diminishes with age. Belotero rejuvenates the skin by replenishing stores of HA, among other key solutions.
Belotero adds volume and fullness to skin the areas where it has been lost. This can even be done with extremely fine lines, due to Belotero's moisturizing and rejuvenating effects. Belotero avoids the lumpiness and hardness that can spring up when other fillers are utilized. The effects of Belotero last around nine months, with most patients electing to receive follow-up treatments thereafter. Belotero features virtually no downtime and no bruising.
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Meet Tina Leopard, a Chinese blogger and model who earlier this year sparked controversy among Internet users after photos showing her extremely sharp chin and large anime-like eyes went viral on Sina Weibo, China's version of Twitter.
Apparently, there's a new fashion trend sweeping across China – the anime look. The country's most popular social media sites are practically flooded with tons of photos of young people clearly going out of their way to look as much like an anime character as possible. The trend took off last summer, when a girl going by the name of KOKO uploaded photos and videos showing her thin body, pointy chin and disproportionately large eyes. It turned out she used all kinds of makeup tricks to achieve her anime look, and her photos were apparently also altered in Photoshop, but that didn't seem to matter much to people who wanted to look like the characters in popular Japanese cartoons. And while some of them actually look pretty cool, others are just plain freaky. Case in point, Tina Leopard, a young Chinese model whose extreme facial features have often been compared to those of an alien.
It's not clear whether Tina has had any plastic surgery to get that sharp a chin, but just look at it, if she fell on her face that thing would probably stick in the ground. And to further emphasize her bizarre look, Ms. Leopard also uses fake eyelashes, contact lenses and buckets of makeup. She then posts photos of her on her Weibo microblog and gets thousands of comments from both her fans and people calling her an ugly alien or a monster.


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The scientists surveyed 5,263 Swiss students (2,439 females) aged 16 to 20 years, including 455 who said they smoked weed only; 1,703 who reported being tobacco and marijuana users; and 3,105 who said they did not imbibe at all.
"The gateway theory hypothesizes that the use of legal drugs (tobacco and alcohol) is the previous step to cannabis consumption," the authors wrote. "However, recent research also indicates that cannabis use may precede or be simultaneous to tobacco use and that, in fact, its use may reinforce cigarette smoking or lead to nicotine addiction independently of smoking status."
Among their findings: Compared with students who reported using both drugs, those who smoked pot only were more likely to be male (71.6 percent versus 59.7 percent); get good grades (77.5 to 66.6 percent); play sports (85.5 to 66.7 percent); and live with both parents (78.2 to 68.3 percent).
Cannabis-only smokers were also less likely than their cigarette-and-joint smoking brethren to have used other illegal drugs or to have been soused or have used pot more than twice in the previous 30 days, according to the study.
In contrast to those who shunned both substances, the pot-only crowd was more likely to be male (71.6 to 47.7 percent); have a good relationship with friends (87 versus 83.2 percent); and play sports (85.5 versus 76.6 percent). They were less likely than the abstainers, however, to get along well with their parents (74.1 percent compared with 82.4).
The researchers stressed that whereas students who smoked and toked seemed more prone to psychosocial problems, the marijuana-only users should not be dismissed.
"Even though they do not seem to have great personal, family or academic problems," they wrote, "the situation of those adolescents who use cannabis but who declare not using tobacco should not be trivialized."
Groups working toward the decriminalization of marijuana especially for medical purposes praised the findings.
"Studies like this show associations, not cause and effect," says Bruce Mirken of the Washington, D.C.–based Marijuana Policy Project, a lobby that believes marijuana should be legalized but also regulated and taxed much like cigarettes and alcohol. "But the drug czar's office regularly uses associations between marijuana use and problems like poor grades to frighten parents into thinking that cause and effect is proven. So will [it] now say that smoking marijuana makes teens have better peer relationships and be more likely to participate in sports?"
"No one wants to encourage teens to smoke marijuana," he adds, "but this study strongly suggests that the most serious problems for teens and parents isn't occasional marijuana use, but heavy use of multiple substances, which is likely a sign of kids who are seriously troubled and need help."


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Say you have a job with a large company and you want to know how much vacation time you have left, or how to add your new baby to your healthcare. This usually involves emailing or calling HR and waiting for an answer, or it could even involve crossing multiple systems to get what you need.
Leena AI, a member of the Y Combinator Summer 2018 class, wants to change that by building HR bots to answer question for employees instantly.
The bots can be integrated into Slack or Workplace by Facebook and they are built and trained using information in policy documents and by pulling data from various back-end systems like Oracle and SAP.
Adit Jain, co-founder at Leena AI says the company has its roots in another startup called Chatteron, that the founders started after they got out of college in India in 2015. That product helped people build their own chatbots. Jain says along the way, they discovered while doing their market research, a particularly strong need in HR. They started Leena AI last year to address that specific requirement.
Jain says when building bots, the team learned through its experience with Chatteron, that it's better to concentrate on a single subject because the underlying machine learning model gets better the more it's used. "Once you create a bot, for it to really to add value and be [extremely] accurate, and for it to really go deep, it takes a lot of time and effort and that can only happen through verticalization," Jain explained.
What's more, as the founders have become more knowledgeable about the needs of HR, they have learned that 80 percent of the questions cover similar topics like vacation, sick time and expense reporting. They have also seen companies using similar back-end systems, so they can now build standard integrators for common applications like SAP, Oracle and Netsuite.
Of course, even though people may ask similar questions, the company may have unique terminology or people may ask the question in an unusual way. Jain says that's where the natural language processing (NLP) comes in. The system can learn these variations over time as they build a larger database of possible queries.
The company just launched in 2017 and already has a dozen paying customers. They hope to double that number in just 60 days. Jain believes being part of Y Combinator should help in that regard. The partners are helping the team refine its pitch and making introductions to companies that could make use of this tool.
Their ultimate goal is nothing less than to be ubiquitous, to help bridge multiple legacy systems to provide answers seamlessly for employees to all their questions. If they can achieve that, they should be a successful company.
By Ron Miller


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Star Wars The Child Christmas Jumper – is a great unique gift for Christmas!
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