text:
Contact: email@example.com
Phone: 269-471-3348
An overview of the plans for the new Health & Wellness Center and governance issues were highlighted at President Niels-Erik Andreasen's spring board briefing held on Monday, June 3, 2013.
The President's Report consisted of a presentation of the campus master plan, entitled "A Campus for Health and Wellness." The plan, designed by the urban design studio of the School of Architecture, Art & Design, envisions new buildings and campus planning meant to guide the University for the next 10 years. The board voted to accept the updated campus plan. The School of Architecture, Art & Design received a first-place award from the State of Michigan for their campus master plan.
The board voted, upon the recommendation of the President's Council, to locate the Health & Wellness Center west of the Howard Performing Arts Center. Andreasen said, "I think it was a very important board meeting—it decided what the campus would look like the next ten years. This is constructive board action and decision, and I personally attach a great deal of importance to that."
Larry Schalk, vice president for Financial Administration and chair of the Health & Wellness Center Site & Cost Committee, has contacted seven firms that plan campus facilities. Three were identified to come on campus and work with administration, and then one will be chosen to help design, locate and shape the footprint and elevation of the new facility.
In the Provost's Report, Andrea Luxton summarized the response of the North Central Accreditation Association's Higher Learning Commission to the focused site visit on March 11 and 12. She reported that the visit went well, and the Commission advised the board on one matter of governance.
After reading the University bylaws, a Commission member noted that the laws state that the board appoints the president and all other administrators and staff. The Commission member noted that this stated practice is not considered best practice, and "it's not even our practice," says Andreasen. Currently, the board appoints the president after a search process. The president then recommends the other officers of the University to the board for approval. Faculty and staff members are recommended to the provost from the deans and the board then confirms those names. The board put forward an action to authorize the administration to present wording for a revised bylaw at the next board meeting.
Larry Schalk gave a preliminary final report on operations for the current fiscal year, followed by a summary of the year-end state of operations as of April 30, 2013. Due to a number of factors, the University fell short of its $3 million projected gain, ending the year with $136,000. The primary reason was lower than budgeted summer 2012 and undergraduate enrollment tuition, higher than expected utility expenditures and under-production of some auxiliary operations. Andreasen noted that current trends are looking good. Summer 2013 enrollment numbers are higher than 2012, and the University's investments are doing well in the financial markets.
Schalk also gave a preliminary report on the projected cost of the Health & Wellness Center, approximately $17–$18M, and what entities will be included in the new facility: Center for Health Promotions, Recreation Center and the Department of Public Health & Wellness. The current Johnson Gymnasium, Beaty Pool and Beaty Gym will also be remodeled. The president will continue to talk with the owners of the buildings surrounding the new Center—particularly the residents near PMC, Integrated Marketing & Communication, and Pioneer Memorial Church.
The board also approved a plan to refinance Timber Ridge Retirement Center, which is projected to save the University and retirement center roughly $75,000 per year, which will be split. They also approved a recommendation from the Investment Committee to allow 5% of the return on investment from the University's long-term endowment funds to be paid out to student scholarships and endowed faculty chairs. The Investment Committee recommended that Unrestricted Funds be invested as 50% in equities and 50% in bonds and the board voted to approve this recommendation as well.
A presentation of insurance comparisons for aviation programs revealed that Andrews Airpark's current coverage is far above any other comparable aviation program in the nation. The board made a recommendation that the General Conference Insurance Committee reduce insurance coverage for the Andrews Airpark from $50 million to $10 million, slated to save $50–$70,000 in premiums each year.
Each time the board convenes a special presentation is given for the purpose of board education. At the June meeting, Lowell Cooper, General Conference vice president, gave a talk regarding board independence and worldwide governance.
The board also voted the following new appointments and changes in rank/position.
Staff Appointments
Evan Cassimy, enrollment coordinator—LUC/NAD, Division of Enrollment Management; Kaylene Chadwick, transfer admissions coordinator, Division of Enrollment Management; Adam Fenner, director of Adventist Learning Community, School of Distance Education (externally funded by NAD); Caryl-Lynn Ferguson, alumni engagement coordinator, Office of Alumni Services; Mordekai Ongo, research integrity and compliance coordinator, Office of Research & Creative Scholarship; Samuel Villamizar, learning management systems coordinator, School of Distance Education; Alisa Williams, annual giving coordinator, Office of Development
Faculty Appointments
College of Arts & Sciences
Rachel Williams-Smith, chair/associate professor, Department of Communication
School of Business Administration
Elvie Sundalangi, instructor of accounting
School of Education
Enoc Lopez, instructor of leadership, Undergraduate Leadership Program; Nadia Nosworthy, assistant professor, Department of Graduate Psychology & Counseling; Tammy Overstreet, assistant professor, Department of Teaching, Learning & Curriculum
School of Health Professions
Caryn Pierce, assistant professor, Department of Physical Therapy
University Schools
Andrea Jakobsens, religion instructor, Andrews Academy; Jeannie Leiterman, vice principal, Andrews Academy
Change in Position
Jacqueline Spencer, international financial advisor, Office of Student Financial Services
Promotion in Rank
College of Arts & Sciences
Vanessa Corredera, assistant professor, Department of Communication; Lilianne Doukhan, chair, Department of Music; Lionel Matthews, professor emeritus, Department of Behavioral Sciences; Marcella Myers, chair, Department of History & Political Science; Shelly Perry, associate professor emerita, Department of Social Work
School of Architecture, Art & Design
Marc Ullom, associate professor, Department of Visual Art & Design
School of Education
Christon Arthur, professor, Department of Leadership
School of Health Professions
John Carlos Jr., professor emeritus, Department of Physical Therapy; Wayne Perry, professor emeritus, Department of Physical Therapy
Alan Anderson, 43 years of service, Andrews Academy; Dianne Barnum, 21.42 years of service, Office of Alumni Services; John Carlos Jr., 19 years of service, Department of Physical Therapy; Annetta Gibson, 28 years of service, School of Business Administration; Cheryl Jetter, 19.25 years of service, Off-Campus Programs; Lionel Matthews, 18 years of service, Department of Behavioral Sciences; Mary Mun, 28 years of service, Office of Dining Services; James J. North Jr., 30.5 years of service, Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary; Shelley Perry, 17 years of service, Department of Social Work; Wayne Perry, 19 years of service, Department of Physical Therapy; Jeanette L. Robinson, 31.33 years of service, Office of Financial Records


text:
In the world of designer eyewear, the name that comes to mind time and time again is Robert Marc eyewear. Robert Marc's years of expertise and design knowledge led him to create one of the world's finest brands. Robert Marc's designs can be found on every one from high profile celebrities to people who just know what they want and where to find it.
As an optician in a upscale Manhattan eyewear boutique he learned the importance of how the angle or a curve on a frame could enhance the look of a face. He took this knowledge and created his own line of designer eyewear by use of hand crafted technique. Robert Marc opened his first eyewear boutique over 20 years ago and it did not take long for him to establish himself as a forerunner in the industry. Since the very beginning he has bolstered his reputation with consistent designs, attention to detail, and uncompromising service. It has always been his desire to provide each customer with the perfect frame that looked like it was designed especially for them. The Robert Marc signature collection was introduced in 1999 and it was the beginning of eyewear's rise from necessity to personal statement.
Each pair of eyewear Robert Marc creates carries his signature hinge that matches the elegance of each frame while adding superb quality to his craftsmanship. The vast array of colors and styles in both optical as well as sunwear will give even the quirkiest or most serious of buyers something they can feel confident wearing. The unmistakable design and character of Robert Marc frames comes in part from his distinctive technique of layering contrasting colors and patterns which brings forth a uniqueness and sophistication not found in other designer eyewear. The frames themselves are always constructed of the highest quality materials, such as Titanium or an Italian Acetate known as Zyl. From time to time special collections will be created in small quantities, and such exclusive offerings are crafted with special materials that convey rarity and sumptuousness.
With nine boutiques in the New York and Boston area, desire for this impeccable frame is obvious, but the point of acquisition doesn't stop there, they can also be found at exclusive dealers in many areas of the world including Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. The Robert Marc Collection of eyewear is synonymous with elegance, sophistication, quality, and unrivaled design.
To explore the full collection, join us this weekend for our private fitting event featuring Robert Marc eyewear. We will be showcasing his entire line and offering free consultations, as well as the chance to win a free frame of your choice. Please RSVP here – we look forward to seeing you on December 1 from 11-4!

subset: commoncrawl


text:
- 1 Artifacts
- 2 Kernel
- 3 Regions
- 4 Scoping
- 5 Pipeline
- 6 Repositories
(aka artefacts)
Virgo supports the deployment of various types of artifact. Standard artifact types are:
- bundle - an OSGi bundle;
- configuration - a properties file with name of the form <pid>.properties which when deployed produces a Configuration Admin dictionary with PID <pid>;
- plan - an XML file which refers to arbitrary other artifacts in the Virgo repository -- plans may be scoped or unscoped, as described below, and atomic or non-atomic in terms of whether the lifecycle of the plan is tied to the lifecycle of the plan's artifacts; and
- PAR - a Plan ARchive which contains a collection of artifacts and is equivalent to a scoped, atomic plan referencing those artifacts (except the artifacts need not be present in the Virgo repository).
In addition, it is possible to add user-defined artifact types.
The Virgo kernel is the core runtime which may be used on its own or to deploy one or more server types and applications for those server types. The kernel houses the deployment pipeline, described below, as well as support for common artifact types (bundle, configuration, plan, and PAR), regions, scoping, and other core Virgo features.
Currently, for example, the Virgo web server packaging build uses the kernel to deploy a web server plan which includes the Gemini web container and the Virgo web bundle (which integrates Gemini web into Virgo).
The startup scripts launch the kernel which then installs, and optionally starts, each of a configurable collection of bundles to provide kernel function. The kernel bundles are located in lib/kernel and are referenced by the launcher.bundles property in the configuration file lib/org.eclipse.virgo.kernel.launch.properties. This property specifies a list of bundles, which is transitively closed with respect to dependencies, and specifies which of these bundles are started after all the bundles in the list are installed.
The following properties may be specified in the kernel launch properties configuration file (lib/org.eclipse.virgo.kernel.launch.properties):
|Property name
|Default value
|Comma separated list of bundles to be installed in the kernel region. The list must be transitively closed with respect to non-optional dependencies. Each item in the list is a "file:" URL optionally followed by "@start" if the bundle is to be started.
|The file path, relative to the current working directory, of the Tomcat configuration file.
|The file path, relative to the current working directory, of the directory containing kernel configuration files.
|The JMX domain for kernel mbeans.
|The file path, relative to the current working directory, of the directory for kernel instance specific directories such as work and serviceability
|Current working directory
|The file path, relative to the current working directory, of the medic serviceability configuration file, typically named serviceability.xml
See also the standard OSGi and Equinox framework properties that may be specified in the kernel launch properties configuration file.
The kernel uses the nested framework support in Equinox to isolate the kernel from application artifacts, including artifacts which implement servers. The Equinox support is being standardised, with some changes, in OSGi. As shown in the figure below, the kernel starts in a normal OSGi framework, known as the kernel region, and then creates a nested framework known as the user region.
Region support was added to enable applications to run with a different version of Spring than that used by the kernel. A minimal set of Spring bundles is installed into the kernel region with very few optional dependencies which keeps the kernel footprint and startup time low. In principle, Spring could be entirely removed from the kernel region if the kernel was modified not to depend on Spring (most of these dependencies are because the kernel uses Spring DM to publish and find kernel services).
Certain packages and services are imported from the kernel region into the user region and certain services, but no packages, are exported from the user region to the kernel region. This isolates the kernel region from interference due to types and package wirings in the user region. The configuration file config/org.eclipse.virgo.kernel.userregion.properties controls the importing of packages and services into and the exporting of services out of the user region.
The content of the kernel region is controlled by the configuration file lib/org.eclipse.virgo.kernel.launch.properties.
So, apart from the basic principle that no packages are exported from the user region to the kernel region, there is a lot of flexibility for changing the contents of both kernel and user regions and for specifying which packages and services are shared between the regions.
In future, Virgo could be extended to support multiple user regions in order to isolate applications from each other.
Virgo adds the concept of scoping to OSGi. The main use case for scoping is where a group of bundles form an application which needs to avoid clashing with other applications and which needs reliable behaviour when it calls third party bundles which use thread context class loading. Clashes can occur because of bundles, packages, or services conflicting in some way.
Metadata Rewriting
Virgo rewrites the metadata of bundles in a scope to prefix the bundle symbolic names with a scope-specific prefix and to add a mandatory matching attribute, with a scope-specific value, to packages exported by bundles in the scope.
Virgo also uses the standard OSGi service registry hooks to limit the visibility of services published by bundles in a scope.
However, a bundle in a scope may access bundles, packages, and services not provided in the scope but which are available outside the scope, that is from unscoped bundles. So a scope acts similarly to a programming language scope such as Java's curly braces:
int x; // b is not visible here { int b; // both b and x are visible here }
Synthetic Context Generation
To ensure reliable thread context class loading when third party bundles are called from a scope, Virgo generates a synthetic context bundle in the scope. The class loader of the synthetic context bundle is used as the thread context class loader when bundles in the scope make calls outside the scope. The synthetic bundle imports each of the other bundles in the scope using the Virgo import-bundle header. This is semantically equivalent to importing all the exported packages of the other bundles in the scope. So to make a package of a scoped application available for thread context class loading, it is simply necessary to export the package.
Example of Scoping
The figure below shows a scoped plan referring to two bundles A and B being deployed. The result is a scope containing the bundles A and B as well as the synthetic context bundle. Note that bundles inside the scope can access bundles, such as X, outside the scope. Also, bundles outside the scope, such as Y, cannot access bundles inside the scope.
Artifacts are deployed into Virgo using a deployment pipeline consisting of several pipeline stages some of which have pipelines nested inside them as shown in the figure below.
The pipeline, and each pipeline stage, accepts a tree of install artifacts as input and outputs a possibly modified tree. The deployment pipeline is constructed by the Plumber class.
Many of the interesting modifications to the tree are performed by the transform stage which uses the whiteboard pattern to drive all services of a Transformer type in order of service ranking. A number of standard Transformer services are defined in the Spring context file deployer-context.xml in the kernel's deployer bundle. Some interesting examples of standard Transformers are:
- PlanResolver which takes as input a tree consisting of a single plan node and adds a subtree representing the content of the plan, including any nested plans and their subtrees,
- ScopingTransformer which rewrites the metadata of a subtree rooted in a scoped plan and gathers service scoping information for the subtree,
- SyntheticContextBundleCreatingTransformer which adds a synthetic context bundle as a child node of a scoped plan, and
- ImportExpandingTransformer which converts Virgo-specific headers such as import-bundle into standard OSGi import-package statements.
Quasi Framework
The quasi framework is an abstraction of the Equinox State and is used in auto-provisioning missing dependencies during deployment. The quasiInstall stage installs the bundles in the input tree into an instance of the quasi framework. The quasiResolve stage attempts to resolve these bundles and auto-provision any missing dependencies from the Virgo repository by installing them in the quasi framework instance. The commit stage attempts to install the bundles in the input tree, along with any auto-provisioned bundles, into the OSGi framework.
Exception Handling
There are two approaches to handling exceptions thrown by a pipeline stage. In general, unexpected exceptions are allowed to percolate upward and result in diagnostics and a failed deployment. However, certain expected exceptions, such as failure to resolve the dependencies of the install artifact tree, need to be handled more gracefully. In these cases, a compensating pipeline stage is defined which drives a compensation stage if an exception is thrown. failInstall and failResolve in the figure above are examples of compensation stages.
Virgo repositories contain artifact URLs and metadata and are indexed by the Cartesian product of artifact type, name, and version. There are three kinds of repository: external, watched, and remote. Repositories are passive in the sense that changes to repository content do not cause artifacts to be deployed into Virgo, refreshed, or undeployed. Repositories support queries which allow sets of artifacts satisfying certain criteria, for example with a version in a given version range, to be determined.
External Repositories
External repositories are created by scanning a directory which contains artifacts, possibly in nested directories. The repository configuration specifies a pattern which says which files should be treated as artifacts. After the repository is created, changes to the directory do not affect the repository content.
The Virgo kernel's default repository configuration, in config/org.eclipse.virgo.repository.properties, specifies an external repository created from the repository/ext directory.
Watched Repositories
Watched repositories are created by scanning a directory which contains artifacts but no nested directories. All files in the directory are treated as artifacts. The directory is re-scanned periodically and the interval between re-scans is specified in the repository configuration. Changes detected by re-scanning are reflected in the repository content. Note that changing the content of a watched repository does not cause artifacts to be deployed into Virgo, refreshed, or undeployed.
The Virgo kernel's default repository configuration specifies a watched repository based on the contents of the repository/usr directory.
Remote Repositories
A remote repository refers to a repository hosted by a Virgo instance sometimes known as a repository server. The hosted repository is configured using the file config/org.eclipse.virgo.apps.repository.properties and may be either an external or a watched repository.
The remote repository is accessed by a Virgo instance sometimes known as a repository client. The repository client is normally a different instance of Virgo to the instance hosting the repository, but it can be the same instance which is handy for testing. The remote repository periodically downloads its content from the hosted repository. The period between downloads may be configured in the repository configuration. The remote repository also caches artifacts which have secure hashes associated with them in the hosted repository. Only bundles currently have secure hashes associated with them. The secure hash is used to determine when a cached artifact is stale and needs to be freshly downloaded.
Repository Chains
The Virgo repository is configured as a chain of external, watched, and remote repositories. The chain is a list which is searched in the configured order. The effect of this search order is that an artifact with a given type, name, and version which appears in more than one repository in the chain is only accessed from the first repository in the chain in which it appears. Abstractly, the repository chain behaves as a single repository, but its content may mutate in quite a different way to the content of an individual external, watched, or remote repository.


text:
Acrobatic Duo de Luna
We've come a long way! On October 25th, Match.com celebrated our 1000th Stir event in San Francisco at the trendy Supperclub. Roughly 200 singles mingled at the Moulin Rouge-themed party "Cirque de l'Amour" where they had the chance to experience an evening of games, performance and DJ-infused beats. Gourmet bites, interactive games and singles in costume set the perfect scene for romance and intrigue at this unique event.
We've hosted all types of events for singles over the past few months, and have many exciting new events to come in the near future. From volunteer events at local food banks and movie premieres, to red carpet events for dog owners and their pups, Stir has something for everyone and offers our singles another way to connect with others.
To sign up for a Stir event, register for free HERE or sign into your Match.com account and click on the "Events" tab. Event invitations are sent to members based on their own demographics so you'll have the opportunity to meet people like you that live near you. Almost all events offer the ability for singles to bring friends (members or non-members), so grab your best wingman or wingwoman and check out an event near you. Events fill up quick, so be sure to check in daily for new invitations!
[portfolio_slideshow id=2725]


text:
Sized nappies
If you're looking for a set of nice neat nappies for a newborn followed by larger nappies as baby grows it's worth paying a little more for sized nappies. Some nappies come in 2 sizes others come in 3 sizes. It does work out more expensive this way but do bear in mind that becuase each size isn't being used for so long, they will be in far better condition when younger siblings come along!
1 products found
from £8.99View Details


text:
Chapter 17
The next three days are entirely a blur. Many thoughts of the
possible things Pete had in store for me ran through my head. My God. He
was willing to pay just to be able to cut off a slaves toe. What would he
do to a slave, his till death do us part? Did he kill the previous girl?
Why? He had to have as much control as he needed. As I headed up for my
last breakfast, I knew it wouldn't be long before I knew the answers to
those and many other questions.
We had the usual scrumptious breakfast. Would I ever be
allowed to enjoy another meal? Mistress took good care of her investment,
but Pete might just as well kill us as feed us. God help me. Missy and the
girls all came over and gave me a nice kiss goodbye. Candy was especially
nice, and Missy had to tap her shoulder before she let go of our embrace.
It seemed we would have become close if time was on our side. Not one of
them had a dry eye. Mistress thanked me for the excellent way I had
behaved and walked out of the room. Maybe, just maybe, at the bottom of
this woman's cold heart, there was a tinge of regret for what she had done
to me. The girls followed her out, and Pete walked in behind them. He
looked about 50, a little gray around the temples, probably 6′ or so and a
solid, trim body. Saying nothing, he grabbed my hand and led me to his
car. The cool night air felt nice, as I wore nothing but my usual mealtime
loincloth. It was the first time in a week I had seen the sky or had a
chance to take a deep breath of fresh air. Would it ever happen again?
Maybe not, if the stories Missy told me had any validity. I slid in the
front passenger side after Pete opened the door. Pete entered on his side,
started the engine and drove off. Surprisingly, I wasn't blindfolded. Pete
must not care if I know where he lives, probably because he felt there was
little chance of my ever telling anyone.
Not a word was spoken, After about 20 minutes Pete pulled a
right hand turn onto a dirt road that ended at a dead end. A bright full
moon glistened over still water in front of the car. I want to find out if
the video I watched was accurate and you were worth the 100K I paid for
you. Remove your loincloth slave. He reached in his pocket for a cigarette
and even offered me one. Thank you, Master Pete. Master will be
sufficient, slave. At least he'll only be using a cigarette, not a cigar,
I thought. But I had read him wrong. He just sat and looked me over and
tossed his butt after 3 or 4 long drags. I'll let you enjoy that before we
try anything. Through my mind went thoughts of having to go down on him
was maybe what he'd want. Kind of simplistic and definitely wrong.
Slave, now that you've enjoyed a smoke you need to show that
you can bring enjoyment to me. You are to take the lighter, push it in and
hold it for at least 15 seconds to get it good and hot. The, pull it out
and press it into your cock and hold it their. Failure to do so means I
tie your hands and do it five times myself. Go ahead. I had some choice.
Burn myself once or get burned five times by Pete. I pushed in the lighter
and held it in a long time, afraid to remove it. Now, slave. One long loud
scream, and I passed out.
When I awoke I found myself strapped to a table not a lot
different from the one used for my comfort just four days ago. I was face
down and well secured. Pete must have drugged me or something as I never
woke after the lighter, even while being carried in from the car. Pete sat
in a chair near my head and told me to remain calm. We would have a get to
know you type talk before even considering any playtime.
As I told you in the car, always address me simply as Master.
You know my name is Pete, but no need to be formal here. From discussions
with Carla. I know your girlfriends nicknamed me Peter Pain. Cute and very
true to my personality. And I've already shown you with the little
incident in the car just how much I relish inflicting pain. I am 100%
heterosexual. You are here to suffer, not to service me. I have no problem
relieving my sexual needs with an assortment of lady friends. I never
bring them or anyone here. I have a penthouse that I entertain in down on
the river. That is your only saving grace here. I know from Carla that
being with a man is something that was forced on you. Never again. Carla
should take some lessons from me on pain though. She did use an
interesting little session on you with the cigar taped to your penis. I
loved watching that and it probably was the deciding factor in my decision
to purchase you. Your ass will however, always have a large plug in it as
you will never have a moment in the rest of your life when there isn't at
least some discomfort to remind you of why you are here.
My last slave was a young woman. I didn't buy her. She was a
young prostitute that specialized in letting men rough her up. I made her
an offer she couldn't refuse. Unfortunately for her, she failed to live up
to her end of the agreement, so I had to stop her from living at all. Far
too much damage had been done to her body to take the chance of anyone
finding her and tracing her back to me. We had been seen together when she
was a working girl. I had even suggested marriage to the young lady so she
could feel she had long term security, but she never really understood
what true abuse was all about. It's a shame, She was really a beautiful
young woman.
Obviously, you can see that I'm an equal opportunity sadist.
Man or woman, I'll be glad to bring anyone to the brink, and bring them
back, time after time. I've read extensively the writings of the Marquis
De Sade and countless other books on ritual torture and modern methods.
There were many renowned inflicters of pain through the generations that
I'd love to talk to.
Cindy, your predecessor lasted a little more than a month. She
became very much like a woman in love rather than a slave. She resisted my
attempts to teach her endurance and obedience. And the hassle became too
much of an effort. My time needs to be used producing pain, not fighting
with my slaves. If you show yourself to be the slave I believe you to be.
We should have years together. I'll never tire of a receptive slave.
I do work. Out of love for what I do, not for financial
reasons. It does give me the opportunity to buy little toys like you.
Something that might be a stretch otherwise. Seldom will you see me more
than an hour or two per day and then seldom more often than four times a
week. Our sessions can be very intense and a couple of days to recuperate
keeps your attitude more positive. My varied hobbies and friends keep me
pretty busy. Now slave, speak freely and tell me about yourself.
Thank you master for this opportunity to serve you. I will try
my best to please your need. I have been a closet sissy slave all my life,
and just came out with Mistress Carla. I always loved to cross- dress and
fantasized about serving a DOM for many years. My only regret was not
having the chance to be transformed, as the other slaves were. My
dedication to you will be unwavering, but just perhaps, could I indulge in
dressing up in my free time.
We'll work on that. You'll find I can be very fair as a master.
More so, the more you satisfy my needs. You must totally forget the past
however. Carla has no idea who I am or where I live. She new me only as
Pete, and that isn't my real name. Discretion is important, you know. No
one other than Carla and her slaves no you are with me. And they know
nothing about the real me. No one knows anything about this part of my
life and would be shocked to learn of it. We don't have a little case of
prostitution here. And my secrecy means no one would ever tie me to the
missing Cindy. She was never here. Nor are you, if it ever came down to
it. Be good and you will eat well and enjoy other benefits. Your life
exists in this room and the adjoining bedroom and bath. There are no
windows. The door is always locked. A small fridge and microwave oven will
help you through times I'm not here to bring you a nice meal. You have a
nice Tv and video library in the other room. If you can live with 5-10
hours of intense pain per week, you will have a comfortable time here. Try
and get some rest. I have a dinner date. When I return, I have an idea
that might help with your feminine desires that could tie in with our
first session, which of course will be this evening. Before leaving, Pete
had me bend over and forced a very large plug up my ass designed so that
it could be locked in place. You will learn to eat the minimum necessary
to survive as it will be quite uncomfortable for you developa need to shit
when locked up. Over time you'll learn to regulate yourself to keep the
discomfort down.
Not a chance that I could get any sleep in the time Pete was gone.
Thoughts of the life and expectations I had just four days ago
interspersed with fears of what lay ahead with a new owner. That and the
matter of fact attitude he had about taking Cindy's life. How safe could I
feel. But then again, he got Cindy for nothing, and I cost him 100K.
Surely that would offer me some protection from any rash decisions. Only
time would tell, and I wasn't going anywhere.
Chapter 18
Master entered carrying a bag from CVS. First day and I've
already brought you a present, and I'll bet it surprises you. He dumped
out a small pile of Revlon fingernail polishes. You even get to choose
your own color. If this works out well. I'll get you some matching
lipstick next time. See, despite the fact I'm going to hurt you, you need
some sort of goal you can appreciate working towards. Never say I am not
fair to you. The nail polish ties in nicely with my plans for tonight. I
noticed your long fingernails and thought a bright red might be nice. What
do you think. Red works great for me, master. Yep, red fingertips are the
order of the night, he said with a snicker in his voice.
I'm going to release your arms and allow you to do your nails.
There is a lot of trust being shown here so don't disappoint me. Never
master,not with this unexpected treat. Thank you, thank you, thank you
master. Save your thanks for later slave. This isn't a game here. Get your
nails done so we can start testing your resolve.
It wasn't easy, with me lying on my stomach. But if I rested on
one elbow maybe I could get a decent coat of polish on. I wouldn't even
consider a second one. I nervously opened a bottle and started on my
thumb. After ten minutes I had only done three nails on one hand. Master,
who had been reading a magazine, got up to check on my progress. Haven't
you done this before? You've made a mess. Polish on your skin,and all over
the table. This won't do. I'm sorry Master. It's difficult when working in
this position.
I try to be nice and right from the start the appreciation I
get is excuses for making a mess. Well, this time I'm going to help, but
no more mistakes. Masters idea of help was not my idea of help. He left
the room and came back with some tools and a small vice. He proceeded to
bolt the vice to the table right next to the hand I had been working on. I
think that maybe you were shaking too much. He grabbed my left hand and
removed the polish with some remover he had also bought (so thoughtful of
him). He took the hand and put my thumb in the vice. Just a little bit of
pressure to hold it still for you. Now try again. By now I was shaking and
sweating. And my thumb looked worse the second time. He slapped me across
the face. Damn it all slave. I want to make you happy. Help you feel like
a woman, for who knows what reason, but I want to be as nice as I can as
your master. Three strikes and your out they say. So this time, I'll do
it. But when I have to do your job for you, you get to pay me back with
screams. Your fingertips are going to be a beautiful shade of red. And you
are going to scream your thanks for my indulging your desires. And master
proceeded to tighten down the vice. And then tightened it some more. He
looked at me, looked at my thumb, and kept going till I finally let out my
first scream. There you go slave. A little work by me, a little scream by
you. Quite a workable system, if I do say so myself.
Next, master took a pair of pliers from his toolbox. Good thing
you have extra long nails or we'd have to do this the hard way. He grabbed
the end of the fingernail in the tip of the pliers and started to pull.
Now, now my dear slave. Here I have done everything I could to satisfy
your desires to be feminized by going out of my way and getting you some
nail polish. You thank me by making a mess. And I'm continuing to help
make your fingertips red, and now you start moaning more protests.
Sometimes I truly think there is no way to make a slave happy. And he
slowly and painfully pulled the nail out of my thumb. A long, agonizing
scream escaped my lips and I fainted. When master revived me he was
holding my hand up and showed me that the thumb was nice and red. Red from
blood and throbbing with pain. But look slave. I've painted your fingertip
with polish for you. Thank your master for his thoughtfulness. Thank you,
Master, I mumbled between my screams.
Well, we can't leave you with just one nail done now can we?
And he took my index finger and put it in the vice. The next 15 minutes
were spent removing the rest of the nails from my left hand. I lost track
of how many times I passed out and was revived before he finished the
work. Isn't your hand just so pretty he said holding it up for me. There
was nothing to see other than blood running down my my hand, wrist and
arm. So pretty with the bright red polish blending perfectly with your
blood. So smart of you to pick the red polish. Otherwise we would have a
problem with your color co-ordination.
Look, I know you are just as anxious as can be for me to
finish the job and do your right hand, but I'm not through with your left
yet. I've noticed how most of you girls love to tap your fingernails idly
on the counter or table. And you shouldn't be stopped from enjoying doing
that. But how, you might ask without any nails to tap. Well, modern
science will come to the rescue and save the day. I'm going to give you
some artificial nails. Actually, nails don't work too well, but screws
have the same effect. I looked up at master through tear filled eyes. The
look on my face told him there was confusion on my part. Don't fret slave.
You'll be tapping your nails in no time at all. And my thumb went back in
the vice. Once again he tightened it down and my thumb was immobile. Back
to the toolbox. A screwdriver and some screws about three inches long were
produced. Taking a screw in hand he moved over and put the tip up against
the end of my thumb. And he began screwing the screw into my thumb.
Probably two and one half of the three inches long screw was worked it's
way down my thumb. The pain was indescribable. Unlike a needle from a
doctor which would slide in and out, the screw compressed anything in it's
way. And I could feel little cracks as it worked it's way through joints
in the thumb.
Half an hour later I had a new set of artificial nails on my left hand,
which was free of the vice when Master revived me for the nth time. C'mon
slave. Show master how you can tap your nails. I mumbled something but was
shaking so much I didn't react. Master grabbed my left hand and pulled on
one of the screws with his pliers, and I passed out again.
This is just like a slave. Not a bit of thanks for receiving a
nice new set of nails. Now please, before I get upset, show me how you
enjoy tapping your nails. And I slowly started to rhythmically tap my
fingers on the table. Very nice slave. You do as asked, and the session is
over. It will be tomorrow or the next day before I can give you a matching
set on the other hand. And then come the toes. Those will be a little more
difficult. Not being long enough to pull out. I"ll have to devise a way
to dig the nails out. But in the end you'll have beautifully matching
fingers and toes. I've untied you, so feel free to relax, watch TV or fix
yourself a bite to eat. Goodnight.
Slowly climbing down from the table, my throbbing left hand
hung limp at my side. I entered my bedroom and collapsed in a chair.
Looking at my disfigured hand I saw dried blood everywhere The tips were
nice and red, mostly because it was raw tissue where my fingernails once
grew. And sticking out the end of each finger was about an inch of screw.
Would the pain ever ease? How could it with screws permanently in them. I
couldn't bend my fingers at all as the screws went past the joints. Master
had said he had been sure to use stainless screws to help avoid rusting
and infection. Some comfort that was.
The girls sure named Peter well. Peter Pain more than aptly
described the man in control of my life. Cindy had lasted less than two
months under his torturous handling. It didn't seem I could survive two
weeks if this was any indication of my treatment. I settled back in the
recliner and looked in disbelief at my new hand. Slowly I moved my hand to
the lamp table by my side. It had a glass top on it. Gently I tapped my
fingers. Closing my eyes, maybe, just maybe, I could imagine I was tapping
in the past when I indulged my dressing up. Who was I kidding. Each tap
produced pain, not pleasure. My GOD. How long will I live?
Fortunately master didn't show up at all on Monday. At least I
had a concept of time here with satellite TV available to watch. The pain
in my hand had reduced to a continuous light throbbing. So long as I
remembered not to move the hand or fingers. That would produce shooting
pain. My thoughts drifted in and out, hoping for another day of respite
But it was not to be. Master came in about 6PM and just went
to work. Don't struggle or resist slave. You know I can make this
procedure much more painful than it already is. It should go more quickly
tonight. No need to experiment. Just a repeat of last night. Fortunately I
spent enough time unconscious that it was over before I knew it. Hey there
slave. You handled that much more easily. Good for you. We may just have a
good working set-up here. Tomorrow will be a better test. No nails needed
on your toes so we can just remove the nails on all ten toes and be done
with it. Pleasant dreams thinking about that, and he closed the door. It
locked automatically, leaving no chance to error if I got any ideas.
Chapter 24
I couldn't help thinking that no matter how resilient my body
and mind were, there was little chance I could survive years and years of
this kind of nearly daily abuse. Would I want to if I could. This wasn't
what I had in mind when I decided to spend the rest of my life owned by a
DOM or Dominatrix. Mistress had her act together. My life with her would
have been that of a sissy slave, much as I had dreamed. Plenty of pain,
yes, but nothing like this. With Mistress it was more of a sensual pain.
And forced humiliation through forced homosexual acts and degrading
situations such as the toilet games and servicing Butch. Life with
Mistress was much like the stories I had read. Maybe a little more
intense, but nothing worse than the things I might have expected.
But Pete was just a mean, sadistic bastard. He reveled in
causing as much pain as possible and couldn't get enough. He was truly a
sick man. A slave voluntarily subjected themselves to the whims of their
owners, but few would have expected to fear for their lives and/ or their
I decided to try, even if the consequences were death, to
escape. Death couldn't be far down the road with Pete, anyways. When Pete
opened the door tomorrow I'd be ready for him. Maybe this would be futile,
but a slim chance was better than what I now faced. I knew I'd probably
never attain my dreams after this. But I'd be alive.
Pete came home Wednesday in a great mood, probably thinking of
our upcoming session as he sang aloud while walking towards the door to
the dungeon. As he swung the door open I pounced, landing a solid punch to
his jaw. He fell back against the wall and I sprinted down the hall.
Damn, another door, and it was locked. I ran back to the room
to get the keys from Pete's pocket. Pete was heading out the door, gun in
hand. My fate was sealed because I didn't make sure he was out cold. My
heart sank and I fell to the floor. Pete kicked me square in the face. You
worthless, ungrateful piece of shit. I should have known better than to
trust you from the start. You're no better than Cindy. Promising to be a
good slave while planning my demise when I wasn't looking.
Please Master, I'm sorry. Do your worst to me. I'll make it up
to you.
You're damn right you will slave. Now get on the table and
attach your ankle cuffs and one of the wrist cuffs while I hold the gun.
Satisfied with my security he laid the gun down and secured my other
wrist. You will pay dearly for your actions slave and left the room.
When he returned he placed a few items on the counter and
walked over, stopping next to my head. I can't believe it. Two days, just
two days and you rebel against me. It took Cindy 2 weeks before the first
sign she wouldn't fully co-operate. And she had had no training. You have
caused me to waste a large sum of money. And you my dear slave have wasted
your life. In the next couple of days you will receive a months worth of
torture. YOU WILL NOT SURVIVE. I'll return after I eat and deal with you.
It seemed like hours, but Pete returned. He had his Pit Bull
in tow and told "Sarge†to lie in the corner. Sarge will probably enjoy
tonight as much as I do, Pete snickered.
Master went to the counter and retrieved the unseen propane
torch he had obviously brought in before and lit it. He went around my
body giving little hits here and there with the flame. Just testing he
said. Let's begin cooking Sarge's dinner. I had no idea what he meant by
that, but felt sure I'd find out soon. Pete released the hold on my right
hand and put my thumb in the vice, tightening it down. Slowly my thumb
started to warm up. Look over here, slave. Pete was holding the flame to
the head of the screw sticking out of my thumb. And now my thumb was
really feeling the heat. It started to hurt like hell. Patience, my slave.
I'm cooking Sarge's dinner. He loves meat, but not burnt or crispy. I'm
cooking your thumb from the inside out. When the skin starts to blister it
will be done to perfection. It wasn't long before I was screaming my lungs
out, and mercifully passed out. Pete, of course would have none of that.
He quickly revived me every time I went out. You can't miss this slave.
You are Sarge's guest for dinner and must enjoy the show. I'll bet if you
ask nicely, he"ll share a finger or two with you.
Aah, looks like the first one is done. Let's see, where is my
saw. He found an old rusty hack saw in the corner. Better not watch too
close slave. You might get some blood in your eye. Holding the screw with
his pliers, he slowly sawed my thumb off. Blood went everywhere. Picking
up the torch he ran the flame over the stub of a thumb that was left and
cauterized the wound. There, no more bleeding. Can't have you bleeding to
death when this is so much fun. He tossed my thumb to Sarge and it
disappeared in his mouth. Now Sarge, you know you might choke if you don't
chew your food thoroughly. Ok, time for the next one. For the next hour, I
was literally being cooked alive. When he had finished Pete released my
wrists to let me see the results. On the end of each of my fingers was a
little burnt stub. Such a shame, slave. They were so pretty with polish on
them. Oh well. Your loss was Sarge's gain. He loved them.
And now for your toes. Guess I won't have to bother removing
the toenails. There's too little meat on them for Sarge to bother. I won't
even put you through the cooking process. They can be removed just like
that. He picked up the saw and torch and headed towards my feet.
I'm sorry slave, Pete said. I almost overlooked the main course
for Sarge. Of course it's your cock. Surprised? No probably not. He went
and got a six inch long screw and his screwdriver. And right down the
center of my cock he turned and turned the screw till maybe an inch stuck
out This is the end I thought, as I drifted in and out. Not much screaming
anymore as I was nearly hoarse. I doubt I could relieve myself now. Back
to that after we rid you of your toes, my slave. Having fun yet? I sure
am. As pain goes losing my toes wasn't as bad as some things I'd endured.
Then again, maybe my senses were going numb to the pain. Pete finished
with the toes and moved back up to my cock. What do you think slave? Could
you ever have imagined having your cock cooked from the inside out, cut
off and fed to a dog? Probably not. I'm pretty sadistic but just thought
of feeding you to Sarge during my dinner. I was about to open a can of
dog food when the idea hit me. No comment, slave. Just one, Pete. I said
that with emphasis rather than master. Fuck you, and remember. You paid
100K for just 3 days worth of abuse to me. And now you are slave-less once
again. Put that in your pipe and smoke it. Pete was enraged. He left and
got a needle and thread. That's the last I'll hear from you and proceded
to sew my mouth shut. Before finishing he removed my well cooked cock,
looked at Sarge and said "sorry boyâ€, and stuffed it in my mouth. My eyes
were wide open, but I had passed out for the last time. I never knew it


text:
Both Intel and AMD are working on integrating the graphics chip with the processor, which could seriously hurt NVIDIA. Intel makes its own graphics chips, and AMD of course has ATI to draw from. A logical conclusion would be for NVIDIA to start offering its own x86 processor.
Further fuelling the rumours of NVIDIA entering the x86 processor market is the news that the company has been hiring ex-Transmeta engineers, a company which used to make power-efficient x86 processors. It's also been suggested a number of times that NVIDIA might buy VIA, the other x86 processor maker.
When asked about the rumours, NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang was clear. "No," he said when asked if the rumours had any basis in reality, "NVIDIA's strategy is very, very clear. I'm very straightforward about it. Right now, more than ever, we have to focus on visual and parallel computing."
Instead of releasing its own x86 processor, NVIDIA will focus on getting its GPUs into as many different device types as possible. "GPUs in servers for parallel computing, for supercomputing - and cloud computing with our GPU is a fabulous growth opportunity - and streaming video," Huang said, "And also getting our GPUs into the lowest power platforms we can imagine and driving mobile computing with it."
On November 5, NVIDIA posted strong financial results for the third quarter of its fiscal year.


text:
Sam Worthington linked to Australian model Lara Bingle
The pair grew close last month (Sep13) after attending the Cotton On Foundation's Global Citizen Concert in New York's Central Park alongside fellow Aussie Natalia Imbruglia, according to Sydney's Daily Telegraph.
They are now planning to meet up in their homeland.
A source tells the publication, "It is too early to say its serious but Sam is definitely coming to Sydney this week and will be catching up with Lara. They had a good connection and he really likes her."
Worthington has previously dated Natalie Mark and Crystal Humphries, while Bingle was engaged to cricketer Michael Clarke before they split in 2010.


text:
Description:IBM ServeRAID 6M 2CH PCI-x to Ultra320SCSI w/256MB Battery Backed CachePart Number(s)
IBM Part# 02R0988
Overview:This is an Ultra320 SCSI Controller card made for use with select eServer xSeries models. It has an Ultra320 LVD SCSI interface transfers data at speeds up to 320MB/s and features a 256MB buffer.It requires item# 457058 02R2068 Ultra320 Internal 24 LVD SCSI Cable Option.Note: This controller is for external drives only. ServeRAID 7k is required for internal RAID support


text:
Back to Section Homepage
Cos everything's theological
Theology of Everything
Cos everything's theological
Adoption and Evangelism
Glen Scrivener
- Glen Scrivener is an evangelist working in Eastbourne, and the author of 'The King's English', a daily devotional showing Christ as the centre of the Scriptures. View all resources by Glen Scrivener
What two things does the church need to hear if we're to be motivated in evangelism? That God is big and hell is hot? Life is short and eternity's long? God has commanded us, so go? Well Glen Scrivener suggests two things that are much more foundational...


text:
Success is Yours is a highly positive loop that projects accomplishment, a winning attitude and an overall feel-good vibe.
This loop is perfect for team building videos, tv commercials, presentations, websites, and promotional videos.
Instruments used: bells, claps, airy synth and synth bass.
Both mp3 and wavs included Seamless loop – length 1:52


text:
Caution: The documentation you are viewing is
for an older version of Zend Framework.
You can find the documentation of the current version at:
Zend_Http_Client - Advanced Usage - Zend_Http
By default, Zend_Http_Client automatically handles HTTP redirections, and will follow up to 5 redirections. This can be changed by setting the 'maxredirects' configuration parameter.
According to the HTTP/1.1 RFC, HTTP 301 and 302 responses should be treated by the client by resending the same request to the specified location - using the same request method. However, most clients to not implement this and always use a GET request when redirecting. By default, Zend_Http_Client does the same - when redirecting on a 301 or 302 response, all GET and POST parameters are reset, and a GET request is sent to the new location. This behavior can be changed by setting the 'strictredirects' configuration parameter to boolean TRUE:
Example #1 Forcing RFC 2616 Strict Redirections on 301 and 302 Responses
You can always get the number of redirections done after sending a request using the getRedirectionsCount() method.
Setting custom headers can be done by using the setHeaders() method. This method is quite diverse and can be used in several ways, as the following example shows:
Example #4 Setting A Single Custom Request Header
setHeader() can also be easily used to set multiple headers in one call, by providing an array of headers as a single parameter:
Example #5 Setting Multiple Custom Request Headers
You can upload files through HTTP using the setFileUpload method. This method takes a file name as the first parameter, a form name as the second parameter, and data as a third optional parameter. If the third data parameter is NULL, the first file name parameter is considered to be a real file on disk, and Zend_Http_Client will try to read this file and upload it. If the data parameter is not NULL, the first file name parameter will be sent as the file name, but no actual file needs to exist on the disk. The second form name parameter is always required, and is equivalent to the "name" attribute of an >input< tag, if the file was to be uploaded through an HTML form. A fourth optional parameter provides the file's content-type. If not specified, and Zend_Http_Client reads the file from the disk, the mime_content_type function will be used to guess the file's content type, if it is available. In any case, the default MIME type will be application/octet-stream.
Example #6 Using setFileUpload to Upload Files
Note: Uploading files
When uploading files, the HTTP request content-type is automatically set to multipart/form-data. Keep in mind that you must send a POST or PUT request in order to upload files. Most servers will ignore the requests body on other request methods.
You can use a Zend_Http_Client to send raw POST data using the setRawData() method. This method takes two parameters: the first is the data to send in the request body. The second optional parameter is the content-type of the data. While this parameter is optional, you should usually set it before sending the request - either using setRawData(), or with another method: setEncType().
Example #7 Sending Raw POST Data
Note: Using raw POST data
Setting raw POST data for a request will override any POST parameters or file uploads. You should not try to use both on the same request. Keep in mind that most servers will ignore the request body unless you send a POST request.
Currently, Zend_Http_Client only supports basic HTTP authentication. This feature is utilized using the setAuth() method, or by specifying a username and a password in the URI. The setAuth() method takes 3 parameters: The user name, the password and an optional authentication type parameter. As mentioned, currently only basic authentication is supported (digest authentication support is planned).
Example #8 Setting HTTP Authentication User and Password
Zend_Http_Client was also designed specifically to handle several consecutive requests with the same object. This is useful in cases where a script requires data to be fetched from several places, or when accessing a specific HTTP resource requires logging in and obtaining a session cookie, for example.
When performing several requests to the same host, it is highly recommended to enable the 'keepalive' configuration flag. This way, if the server supports keep-alive connections, the connection to the server will only be closed once all requests are done and the Client object is destroyed. This prevents the overhead of opening and closing TCP connections to the server.
When you perform several requests with the same client, but want to make sure all the request-specific parameters are cleared, you should use the resetParameters() method. This ensures that GET and POST parameters, request body and request-specific headers are reset and are not reused in the next request.
Note: Resetting parameters
Note that non-request specific headers are not reset by default when the resetParameters() method is used. Only the 'Content-length' and 'Content-type' headers are reset. This allows you to set-and-forget headers like 'Accept-language' and 'Accept-encoding'
To clean all headers and other data except for URI and method, use resetParameters(true).
Another feature designed specifically for consecutive requests is the Cookie Jar object. Cookie Jars allow you to automatically save cookies set by the server in the first request, and send them on consecutive requests transparently. This allows, for example, going through an authentication request before sending the actual data fetching request.
If your application requires one authentication request per user, and consecutive requests might be performed in more than one script in your application, it might be a good idea to store the Cookie Jar object in the user's session. This way, you will only need to authenticate the user once every session.
Example #9 Performing consecutive requests with one client
By default, Zend_Http_Client accepts and returns data as PHP strings. However, in many cases there are big files to be sent or received, thus keeping them in memory might be unnecessary or too expensive. For these cases, Zend_Http_Client supports reading data from files (and in general, PHP streams) and writing data to files (streams).
In order to use stream to pass data to Zend_Http_Client, use setRawData() method with data argument being stream resource (e.g., result of fopen()).
Example #10 Sending file to HTTP server with streaming
Only PUT requests currently support sending streams to HTTP server.
In order to receive data from the server as stream, use setStream(). Optional argument specifies the filename where the data will be stored. If the argument is just TRUE (default), temporary file will be used and will be deleted once response object is destroyed. Setting argument to FALSE disables the streaming functionality.
When using streaming, request() method will return object of class Zend_Http_Client_Response_Stream, which has two useful methods: getStreamName() will return the name of the file where the response is stored, and getStream() will return stream from which the response could be read.
You can either write the response to pre-defined file, or use temporary file for storing it and send it out or write it to another file using regular stream functions.
Example #11 Receiving file from HTTP server with streaming


text:
RVers Avoid Costly Public RV Campgrounds
February 22, 2011 by RVBusiness · Comments Off on RVers Avoid Costly Public RV Campgrounds
Most RVers are unwilling to pay high fees for primitive campsites at public campgrounds, according to more than 2,800 RVers who responded to a survey in last weekend's RVtravel.com newsletter.
According to the RV News Service, the survey was prompted by RVtravel.com Editor Chuck Woodbury's recent experience of coming upon two California state parks where the fee for primitive campsites — those with no utility hookups — were $35 a night. "My reaction was that it was too much," he wrote. "The park system, of course, is trying to raise more money to keep its parks open. But I wonder if they have priced themselves out of the market."
More than 95% of the recreational vehicle enthusiasts who responded to the survey said they would never pay — or probably never pay — that much to stay in a public campground. "Look at it from this perspective — $35 per night equals $1,050 per month," one reader commented. "Would you pay that to rent a house with no walls, no water, no electricity, no toilets?"
Another reader commented, "It would make more sense to have a full campground at a lesser fee than a mostly empty one at the higher rates, and this goes not only for California but all states."
"It's a real shame that the going rate to camp in a public campground these days is often what you'd pay for a room in an economy motel," said Woodbury. "There are a lot of people out there, individuals and families, where camping is becoming financially out of reach. I think the big losers are the children, who miss out on the opportunity to be with their families in the outdoors."
Woodbury said he does not know the solution to the problem of escalating camping fees. "I just know that there comes a point where you charge too much, and in that case you end up with less."
The real-time results of the survey are available at http://rvtravel.com/rvtravel/results.aspx.


text:
How Important Are YouTube Game Videos To Game Companies?
from the really-freaking-important dept
To answer that question, Google recently did a study dissecting how gamers use YouTube. The results, summarized by Kotaku, indicate that game publishers might not want to slaughter this cash cow. Some of the results are mildly impressive, such as the revelation that 95% of gamers watch YouTube videos about games. More interesting findings are that a full 47% of game videos were let's-play videos, while 50% of views were of videos released directly by the publishers. However, the most important bits are these two:
- The most popular clips on YouTube aren't announcement trailers; they're reviews.
- A staggering 1 in 3 views for gaming clips took place on a mobile device, Google hypothesizing that much of these were "second screen" views, done while gaming on a TV or PC for things like FAQs.
The lesson here is less that YouTube game videos are awesome (though they are) and more about how important it is for content creators to just let go. Not only are these gaming videos not doing you any harm, they're helping you in ways you may not have considered.


text:
Hello everyone! Think of this thread as the official Community Suggestion Box. This month, we are focusing on Holiday Events and Workshop Ideas. What kinds of things would you like to see on Eden? The scope is your imagination and the current restrictions of an internet forum. The mention of chat rooms is strictly prohibited.
CPM: September - 2012 - We talked about general improvements for the site, some of which will be implemented!
CPM: August - 2012 - We discussed community activities. There were a couple of good suggestions and we're still open to hearing more ideas on how to get the community together and fun things to do during those times!
CPM: July - 2012 - July's meeting was about the mentor program, and we were able to snag approval for a couple of those suggestions and hope to roll those out soon.
CPM: June - 2012 - June's meeting inspired a call for some changes, some of which have been implemented, others are still to come.
CPM: May - 2012 - Lots of updates and changes were made from these suggestions!
CPM: April - 2012 - Almost all of the suggestions made in this month thread requiring changes in programming and thus time to get implemented but all suggestions have been noted and administrators will be discussing them in the next couple of weeks to see what we can get rolling in the near future.
CPM: March - 2012) - First, month long thread to discuss your ideas which include requests for a different style of sorting features for the forum to filter out discussion types or users, update the forum categories,
easier search requirements for assignments, and the option to filter what shows on your wall. In addition to those requests, there were also requests for the ability to sort people you are following by who is currently online and who is not, forum moderation to purge/delete/merge threads, and the option to not a view a contributor's activity at all but still follow them.
Where we are as of March 31st, 2012: Requests have been noted, and due to an overwhelming response from the community Edenfantasys has instituted a Forum Moderator and updated the Expectations of Conduct. Please become acquainted with the new guidelines!
CPM: 02.16.2012 - Another short meeting. I announced a few changes in how some of the meetings were going to go. - Sam
CPM: 02.02.2012 - A very short meeting, we discussed some of the new features from the update.
CPM: 01.19.2012 - We spent most of the meeting discussing the new photo uploading feature.
CPM: 01.05.2012 - We discussed things that have been brought up in the past and what their status was, and also things we could do workshops on.


text:
Software Engineering Program
What Is Software Engineering?
Software plays a critical role in our daily lives. It's behind our banking systems. Our telephones depend on it. Home entertainment is full of it. Modern medical diagnosis and treatment can't be performed without it. In our increasingly complex and technology-driven world, industry is begging for more good software engineers. In fact, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, the field is expected to grow by more than 30% each year.
The software engineer is a key player in most modern high-tech innovations and crucial business systems. As a software engineer, you'll be concerned with user requirements, cost constraints, timely delivery of a product, feasibility of the customer's concept, quality of the software product, reliability, safety and long-term maintenance. You'll also be entering into one of the most rapidly growing fields in engineering. Learn more about the industry outlook and potential careers.
We designed Clarkson's software-engineering program to educate software engineers who can apply technical, communication, interpersonal and project-management skills to software design and development. As a Clarkson graduate, you'll be able to successfully:
- Develop software requirements and functional specifications
- Use proven techniques to design software structure before it is implemented
- Apply established verification and validation techniques
- Understand the importance of constructing large software systems using standardized components and reusing existing code (modules) where possible
- Use software tools as effective aids in all phases of software development
- Design, develop and deliver software in a cost-effective manner
- Assimilate new technologies
Software engineering is distinctive at Clarkson because it is interdisciplinary: We combine the expertise, knowledge and experience of faculty from both the Electrical & Computer Engineering and the Computer Science departments. That blend allows you to master theory and application to develop effective and cost-efficient software systems.
Learn more about potential careers in software engineering, meet our faculty, schedule a visit or apply now.
Software Engineering Curriculum
Professional Experience Form for Software Engineering Majors


text:
The New Jersey State Building & Construction Trades Council's Helmets to Hardhats Program (NJ H2H) is designed to help transitioning military personnel, National Guardsmen and Reservists find the best careers in the building and construction industry. Our program seeks to honor and reward military service with a solid, family-sustaining career in one of our fifteen affiliated trades:
We work in cooperation with the national Helmets to Hardhats program, adding a personal component to the program's on-line services. NJ H2H offers veterans preparation for successful application to any of New Jersey's registered apprenticeship programs in the building and construction trades. Services include:
Apprentices in the NJ Building Trades may be eligible to receive GI Bill benefits. Click here to see the current rates. Click here for more info.
NJ H2H is open to Active Duty Servicemen and Women who will be transitioning to civilian employment in the near future, Military Veterans, National Guardsmen, and Reservists who have honorably served our country. Women and minorities are strongly encouraged to participate.
Getting started is easy.
STEP 1. Click here to learn more about apprenticeships in New Jersey's building and construction trades.
STEP 2. Complete our brief NJ H2H online registration or download and send our NJ registration form.
STEP 3. Create a National Helmets to Hardhats profile at www.helmetstohardhats.org.
QUESTIONS? Contact NJ H2H directly
by phone - 732-499-7295 or by e-mail - firstname.lastname@example.com
Other Useful Links
If you're a union, JATC, contractor, or employer looking to offer an NJ-based career opportunity in the construction industry, click here for simple instructions on how to get started.
This program is made possible by grant funding from the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Our national partner Helmets to Hardhats is run by the Center for Military Recruitment, Assessment and Veterans' Employment.
New Jersey State Building & Construction Trades Council77 Brant Avenue, Suite 102 - Clark, NJ 07066Phone: (732) 499-0100 - Fax: (732) 499-0150


text:
A bewitching new season awaits ardent 'True Blood' fans on HBO
For a rural Louisiana backwater, the tiny town of Bon Temps seems to be having a supernatural population explosion.
During the first three seasons of "True Blood," Bon Temps and its environs have seen an influx of vampires, werewolves and other shifters, as well as an ancient Greek creature known as a maenad. So who summoned the witches? Series creator Alan Ball has entreated anyone writing about his show not to reveal several key surprises that come almost right out of the gate in the fourth-season premiere of the smash HBO series on Sunday, which makes writing about the first episode very tricky. So let's try this:
When we return to Bon Temps, Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) is still on the outs with the two main vampires in her life, former beau Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer) and studly "vampire sheriff" Eric Northman (Alexander Skarsgard). Her brother, Jason (Ryan Kwanten), is now an apparently responsible deputy at the local sheriff's department, which is a good thing, since acting sheriff Andy Bellefleur (Chris Bauer) apparently is not quite himself these days. Elsewhere, last season's Romeo and Juliet, Hoyt and his vampire belle, Jessica (Jim Parrack, Deborah Ann Woll), are starting to feel the strains of their unconventional love affair, while Merlotte's waitress Arlene (Carrie Preston) harbors growing fears that her baby is a bad seed, and her boss, Sam (Sam Trammell), is struggling to control his recently revealed dark side while sorting through how he feels about his feckless brother, Tommy (Marshall Allman).
As far as the big picture goes, vampire spokeswoman Nan Flanagan (Jessica Tuck) frantically is trying to exert spin control in the wake of recently dispatched vampire monarch Russell Edgerton's bloody reign of terror — and she has an apparent ally in the character who is now at the head of the Louisiana monarchy, a jaw-dropping change from the original Charlaine Harris novels that is sure to have fans buzzing. But ah, yes: the witches. They're a local coven, headed by an ungainly and near-inarticulate local woman named Marnie (theater great Fiona Shaw), whose initial meetings seem to be wholly in line with the nurturing Wiccan school of witchcraft, heavy on female empowerment, although their sessions also are attended by males including Jesus Velasquez (Kevin Alejandro), the nurse and witch who is eager for his current beau, Merlotte's cook (and fan favorite) Lafayette Reynolds (Nelsan Ellis), to explore. But to what end? Alejandro freely admits he still has no idea. "Actually, finding the character of Jesus was kind of difficult for me," the actor says. "I knew that he is a witch, so I studied what magic is, white magic and black magic. Different people use witchcraft for different things, for healing and for spells to work negative things. It's been difficult as the story unfolds, because you never know in what direction they're going to take your guy. It's hard to figure out that balance of is he good or is he bad without actually knowing.
"I researched everything from Wicca to possession to rituals for healing to putting curses on people — kind of everything, because like I said, I wasn't sure which way my character was going, and to this day I still don't know how good or bad Jesus is. I'm kind of running a fine line right now, but I'm having a great time."
Playing a character without knowing all his facets is nothing new to Ellis, who went through season one convinced that Lafayette, a fairly minor character in Harris' books, would buy the farm at the end of that season, just as he was killed off in the final scenes of the first book.
"And it was only after that table read that Alan Ball told me, in a very cavalier fashion, 'Oh, you know you're not dying,' " Ellis says. "So then I assumed the second season would be my year to die. I'm literally just now starting to think they might keep me around for the long haul, though."
Ellis is thrilled to be sharing scenes with Shaw, the brilliant Irish actress who worked with students at the Juilliard School in New York while Ellis was a freshman and she was starring on Broadway as Medea — another witch, coincidentally.
"Fiona Shaw is a goddess to me," he says, recalling her stage performance. "She took the language of the play and made it somehow contemporary, and she made all these very dynamic choices that I never had seen in classical material. I remember she was eating a piece a cake onstage that the Nurse had given her, and she was doing this long speech, filled with heightened, dramatic language, and she suddenly stopped and said, 'This is good, isn't it?' I almost fell out of my seat, and the audience just roared in laughter."
Kevin Alejandro stars in "True Blood," which returns Sunday on HBO.


text:
New Car Review Video
2013 Cadillac ATS: First Drive Video
Everyone wants out-of-the-box thinking, but no one wants to fail. You can't have it both ways. And Cadillac would be the first to admit that their out-of-the-box thinking hasn't always yielded the desired result. Still, it only takes one big success to recast those past failures as proud preludes to the present.
That puts a pretty heavy burden on the angular shoulders of the 2013 Cadillac ATS, an all-new premium sedan pitted squarely against all-stars like the BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class. Designed to be as poised and athletic as Bavaria's best, the ATS is definitely an out-of-the-box effort from America's traditional luxury leader. This time, the risk simply has to pay off.
Good on Paper
Cadillac certainly has the right recipe, as the ATS's performance portfolio reads like a European sport sedan's glossy sales brochure. The 2013 ATS rides on a new rear-wheel-drive platform (all-wheel drive is optional) and offers a choice of three engines and two transmissions. These include a 6-speed manual and a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-4 that's good for 272 horsepower - and yes, they can be ordered together. There's also a 321-horsepower, 3.6-liter V6 that boasts a 6-speed automatic transmission with a shift-it-yourself feature. This is the same V6 used in the larger Cadillac CTS.
The base engine is a 2.5-liter four-cylinder with 202 horsepower, so it won't grab many headlines. But, according to Cadillac, this isn't just a rehashed Ecotec engine from GM's parts bin; rather, it's an updated design utilizing a high compression ratio, direct-injection fuel delivery and low-friction components.
Thanks to plenty of lightweight materials, the ATS has an impressive power-to-weight ratio, which means its acceleration and fuel economy aren't compromised by excess girth. For example, the Cadillac ATS with the optional 3.6-liter V6 has just 10.8 pounds of weight for each of its 321 "horses" to move. To put that into perspective, the rival Audi A4 has about 16 pounds per horse, the Nissan Versa economy car has roughly 23 pounds per horse, and at the other end of the spectrum, the new Lamborghini Aventador supercar carries just 5 pounds per horse.
Better on the Track
So did they build a real 3 Series competitor? In a word, yes. The new Caddy accelerates with the urgency of a German sport sedan, and it handles well, too. A car like the Infiniti G37 feels a little sharper than the ATS, but Cadillac didn't forget that a premium sedan also needs to be comfortable. Like the BMW 3-Series, the ATS splits the difference between comfort and sport almost perfectly. In fact, there's an extra bit of civility in the Cadillac's ride that makes it feel more substantial than the BMW.
Nonetheless, a true sport sedan has to prove that it can perform, so Cadillac invited us to do some hot laps at Atlanta Motorsports Park, a new private track with an interesting combination of elevation changes and both low- and high-speed corners. We took it easy at first, assuming that the car couldn't handle being driven in anger on such a technical course. We were wrong. The available FE3 suspension includes driver-adjustable magnetic ride control, a mechanical limited-slip rear differential and a quicker steering ratio with adjustable effort. Corner hard and the ATS transfers its weight gently, then stays planted and predictable right up to its highly forgiving limits. Bridgestone summer tires help too. Even mid-corner bumps don't upset the car.
Although the FE3 setup is the driver's choice, the more common FE2 suspension is quite competent in its own right. Like the FE3, it features a five-link independent rear suspension - a first for Cadillac - along with a multi-link, double-pivot front suspension. It's tuned more for luxury, yet we'd say the FE2 is plenty capable unless you're a seasoned driving enthusiast.
Under the hood, it's naturally the V6 that accelerates with most urgency. But the 2.0-liter turbo is also a blast to drive hard. We hit the track in a turbocharged Performance model with the 6-speed manual transmission, and after just one lap, we were convinced - we'll put the ATS turbo up against the BMW 328i any day. Until we drive them back-to-back, we can't say for sure which is better, but the Cadillac is certainly just as good.
There is one 3 Series attribute the ATS can't match, however, and that's choice. The ATS is a sedan available in one of eight specific trim levels, whereas the 3 Series can be had as coupe, convertible, wagon or sedan with seemingly endless a la carte options.
Cool Tech Inside
Here's where the scales may tip in the Caddy's favor. Inside the car is a new information and entertainment interface called CUE, which stands for "Cadillac User Experience." There's a lot to it, and a lot to like. First, it understands simple voice commands for playing music from iPods, memory sticks and satellite radio, and there's no hassle. Tuning to a specific XM radio station, for example, is as easy as saying the name out loud. You just press a button and say "The Highway," and boom, you're listening to the best country music station on the planet. The navigation system's voice-recognition feature is similarly user-friendly.
Additionally, you can build an impressively diverse list of favorites - not just conventional radio stations, but also Pandora channels and music from your portable device, not to mention contacts from your connected phone. You can even "favorite" navigation points or commands like "Find nearest coffee shop." Moreover, we like that Cadillac has given CUE a fresh look, as the crisp, modern touch-screen sets it apart from other GM systems.
Ultimately, all this cutting-edge technology, athleticism and comfort add up to one conclusion - the 2013 Cadillac ATS is good, very good. Cadillac has built a legit sport sedan that merits strong consideration alongside cars like the BMW 3 Series, Mercedes Benz C-Class and Infiniti G37. It's an out-of-the-box gamble that should pay off for years to come.


text:
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
I have been wondering for a while, what was it like for you, converts, to leave your old Church? was it very difficult? I'm a convert, but have no idea about this, as I didn't go to Church before becoming Orthodox. how was it to leave your old community?
When I left the Mormon/Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, they held a Church Court and excommunicated me.When my wife and I left we literally lost every friend that we knew in the town that we lived in and had to start anew to locate a church to fillour spiritual void, we had to find new friends, and new social activities. It was especially hard on my lovely wife, who was at the time a stay at home mom---the church had all of her friends, all of her ladies activities and fellowship opportunities. For me it was a little less traumatic in that I had my job and friends from my job. About 1-2 months after we left, we were in a very bad auto wreck and my wife broke her collar bone and my brother-in-law was in ICU for about 3 months---our LDS/Mormon "Friends" would call up my wife and tell her that God was punishing us for our leaving the Mormon Church. Many of these calls were anonymous, the result of these calls was we began to search in earnest for the holy orthodox church and finally found it.Thomas
It was very hard for me to leave my old denomination, and even harder for my wife. I was raised a Lutheran. My father (with me tagging along helping) helped build the LCMS church building in Mineral Wells, Texas, and his name is on the corner stone. He gave up his career flying helicopters when he was in his 30's, and we all moved to the ghetto in Springfield, Illinois were he went to the seminary. I attended Lutheran schools throughout my Junior High School years. I was married in the Lutheran Church by my father, and my unchurched wife converted to the Lutheran Church when we married. My three children were baptized by my father, and two of the three were at least partially educated in Lutheran schools. I was an elder in the WELS and studying to become a Lay Minister when I converted to the Orthodox Church. I was excommunicated from the WELS, and we lost nearly every friend that we had, not to mention the tension that this caused in my family.What came next was worse. My family and I were Chrismated into the Antiochian Archdiocese. The priest's wife was our sponsor. There were a bunch of us Chrismated at the same time, and I really liked the people in that parish. However, I could not come to grips that nearly everything that I learned about Orthodoxy on my path to conversion was missing, and convenient excuses were offered as reasons for this. I became so depressed that I began to study Hinduism, Sikhism, Islam, Taoism and other religions wondering if perhaps I made a mistake. However, I could not give up Jesus Christ. The calendar issue was settled for me by the Theotokos herself, and I was told in a dream that I would find my Salvation with the Russians (particularly interesting since there were no Russians within 500 miles that I knew of). I don't even remember how I came into contact with the ROCOR Church in St. Louis, but after months of speaking with the priest via telephone, and even a couple of conversations with then Bishop Hilarion and later the assistant to Archbishop Alypie, I was Baptized into the ROCOR by a priest who was himself the son of a Lutheran Theologian and of German heritage. Needless to say, this did not go over very well with the Antiochians, and the pain started all over again. In fact, things were so bad that during a time that I was very ill and was given permission by the Russians to return to the Antiochians since they were closer, I was told that I could not return unless I renounced my Baptism. At this point, I went home and told God that I would prefer to choke to death (I would wake up at nights and could not breath and the doctors could not figure out what was wrong) than to renounce my Baptism, and I prepared to die. About a week later, the wife of a Hindu friend of mine (the wife is a doctor) figured out what was wrong with me and I was healed.It has been a long hard process, but I was able to eventually reconcile with the Antiochians (without renouncing my Baptism), and my wife attends there. She always had friends there, and they have accepted her back as though she never left. I attend a local Serbian Orthodox Church, and still battle with my internal demons. I miss the ROCOR, but I like being able to attend services every week rather than only periodically. I also miss the organization, music and culture of the Lutheran Church. I probably will never fit in completely with the Eastern European ways of doing things, and I certainly will not fit in with the Middle Eastern culture. Thankfully, I am older and not in the best of health. That helps me keep my mind on my own salvation a bit better than when I was younger. There are things about Orthodoxy that I wholeheartedly accept. There are others that I just push the "I believe" button and ask God to help my unbelief. It has not been easy, but the Scriptures tell us that the Kingdom of God is taken by force, and the comparison of our path to Salvation is often compared to war. It has been, and continues to be. One day it will end.
This might be a silly question but I do not understand why the antiochians wanted you to renounce your baptism.
Quote from: Ansgar on April 15, 2011, 03:48:29 AMThis might be a silly question but I do not understand why the antiochians wanted you to renounce your baptism. Not a silly question at all. The ROCOR did a much more thorough job of examining me before I joined than the Antiochians. That probably had a lot to do with the ROCOR priest being a former LCMS Lutheran himself, and knowing something about the various Lutheran denominations. I was originally baptized in the ALC, and my wife was baptized Presbyterian. The ALC eventually joined the abortion known as the ELCA, as did the most liberal elements of the LCMS (causing some pretty hard feelings and even splitting families). Given what the ELCA was teaching from some of their pulpits, many of us in the LCMS and WELS did not even consider the ELCA to be a Christian denomination. As such, I had no idea of how I was baptized when I was only one year old. As to my wife, Presbyterians are known for being able to baptize without even getting you wet (not really, but the do not use a lot of water). This bothered my conscience terribly, and the more I would read about baptism, the more it bothered me. Around this time I also began to look at the Antiochian Archdioceses with great suspicion since I was seeing and hearing a lot of things that led me to believe that the Antiochians were on the same path as the ELCA, and not very far from getting there.Now, before we go any farther, I should make it clear that the ROCOR at no time told me, nor have I ever heard from anyone in the ROCOR, that the Antiochians were without Grace, or that their sacraments were invalid. The priest that baptized me certainly did not consider the Antiochian Sacraments invalid, nor did his Bishop. However, given the circumstances, we felt it possible that my wife and I could be unbaptized in the Orthodox understanding of Baptism, and Holy Chrism cannot validate what is not there. My sons were NOT re-baptized since my father baptized them and I knew for sure exactly how they were baptized and what form and ceremony was used. Being former LCMS, and having a father that was a professor at the seminary and a theologian, the priest also knew that the form of my sons' baptisms were correct, and that the Chrism from the Antiochians validated their Lutheran baptism. This was not understood by the Antiochian Bishop at the time. My wife and I were also Chrismated after Baptism since the ROCOR (and I) take very seriously that the old man is dead and a new man has arisen from the water. So to them, there was no "re-chrismation" since the man Chismated by the Antiochians was dead and a new man had arisen. After 15 years, and the unification of ROCOR with Moscow, I again attempted to reconcile with the Antiochian Church. We discussed matters, and I made mention of the fact that the ROCOR and Moscow had forgiven far more of each other than whatever offenses that had occurred between me and the Antiochian Church, particularly given the reasoning behind my actions. After serving a short penance, I was again allowed to commune with the Antiochians. I joined the Serbs since my heart is with the Slavs, and they accepted me based simply on me being ROCOR. The priest was appreciative that I had reconciled with the Antiochians since it made things less uncomfortable going forward, but he did not consider it a requirement since the Serbs have never been out of communion with ROCOR, and he concurred with my reasoning for doing what I did (as did the Serbian priest before him, who was instrumental in my choice of path).I hope this clears things up. I don't hold anything against the Bishop for denying my return when I was sick and really needed the Church. I see it as God's will, and a test by Him regarding my commitment to what I believe. Who knows, the Bishop may even have known good and well what he was doing, and knew that it would have the effect that it did. It would not surprise me, given that particular Bishop is highly regarded even by the Old Calendarists that I have been associated with. I learned several things after that event. First, that I was part of the Body of Christ, and the prayers of my ROCOR priest were helpful to me (I have other stories that I could tell of this). Second, that I was not afraid to die (at that time) for what I believed, and Third, God will use whomever He will to heal his people. A Hindu did what some Christians would not. My views regarding other Orthodox as well as other people in general have moderated considerably from the early days of my conversion. BTW - I have no doubt that Asterikos had an easier time of it than this. I have been told that I can over-complicate a straight line.
Page created in 0.103 seconds with 26 queries.


text:
Welcome to the Troy-Bilt Shed.
It's your own little customized corner of the Web, your own private place to keep track of your tools - and organize everything you need to know about caring for your lawn and garden. Even when it's too cold, too wet, too late or too early to hang out in your outdoor shed, your Troy-Bilt® Shed will be here for you 24/7, ready and able to make every day feel more like Saturday. Come on in!
Take advantage of these benefits today.
- Track your Troy-Bilt products
- Receive periodic maintenance emails
- Have warranty information and product manuals at your fingertips
- Review articles and how-to content related to your products


text:
Lots (!) More Wallpaper in Kitchens
We've never had wallpaper in the kitchen, but judging from all of the instances of it popping up around the web, it seems like quite the thing to consider. It's colorful and playful, packing a strong visual punch:
Whether it's a somewhat traditional stripe (image 5) or in a non-traditional place (like up on the ceiling in image 10), wallpaper is one more material to consider when thinking of kitchen wall materials. Look for something scrub-able (at least as much as a good, durable paint) and let your imagination take over.
Do you have or have you ever had wallpaper in the kitchen? How did it work out for you?
Related: Glow In The Dark Kitchen Wallpaper
(Images: The Kitchen Designer, John Coolidge/Country Living, Ideal Home, Graham & Brown, Domino (5, 6), A Touch of Happiness, Design*Sponge, DecorPad, Canadian House & Home)


text:
orangehat needed a new wordpress theme design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 43 designs submitted by 11 freelance designers.
Orange Hat Group
We handle social media, branding and strategy for a variety of clients including those in entertainment, politics and sports.
We simply cannot agree among ourselves on a design, so we've reached out to the vibrant community at 99 Designs.
Entertainment types and political groups. We will be taking the single design and using it for two separate websites that will contain content that caters to both audiences, so the theme isn't really important as the copy will handle catering to the audience.
We need the home page mocked up, an inner content page view as well as the contact page, and an out of the box portfolio type page would be great as well. This is not going to be a heavy blog, so the focus should not be on the blog and content should be kept very minimal. There is no need for any coding, however we'd like for you to be creative in thinking of ways we can incorporate any sort of nice Javascript elements, Twitter feeds, accordions etc.
Color: Please do not use orange unless it's the 'hat' icon. We don't want any orange other than the 'hat' and will deny any entries that simply ignore this. We want to use black, silver, white, and dark purples.
We just request that the page be kept extremely clean, easy to use and effective. In line with very high end websites in the entertainment and web development space.
We like darker looks, but also want to remain clean and uncluttered. Please see the attached business cards for our current branding and logo. Feel free to play with the 'Orange Hat' that we currently use as an icon as we'd obviously like to make a strong brand of it. I know it's cliche, but out of the box is great.
Extra points to those designers who give us a 'Dark and Light' option that we may be able to use to build both websites off of.
Websites We Like:
Graphics, good ref.
Features, graphics, not layout
Layout-real clean, logo, etc.
Graphics, layout, no nav?
Nav, layout
Overall look/feel
Color scheme, type, icons/graphics
Overall look/feel
Overall look/feel
Graphics, layout


text:
|Inter-Guild Link API Methods
The IGLInterop object provides five public methods but only three of them are part of the API; the remaining methods are used internally by Inter-Guild Link and should never be called by other AddOns. The public API methods include:
Your Call-Back Functions
The call-back functions that you create should be based on these templates:
Inter-Guild Link filters messages that fit certain patterns which include allied guild names so that relayed messages aren't duplicated on-screen. Because of this, you should take care when appending allied guild names (when IGLInterop.IsShowingGuildNamesInChat() returns true) to your own messages for display, else your messages will become filtered. To ensure that your message is not filtered by Inter-Guild Link, do not use the following patterns: