text:
AFTER 141 YEARS, L. VAUGHN CO. had finally made it. At last, the woodworking company was going to contribute to one of the most prestigious new buildings in the country. Rising 37 stories above Manhattan's Madison Avenue, AT&T's corporate headquarters was sure to hold its own beside such handsome neighbors as the Empire State Building. Only four woodworking firms in the country were even invited to bid on the job.
The Warwick, R.I., company turned its $4-million contract into work of breathtaking quality. Company craftsmen paneled AT&T's executive floors in a rich honey-colored teak, hand-rubbed with a natural finish. They wrapped the 30 columns in the employee lounge in teak panels, giving it the ambience of an English library. For the boardroom walls, they created panels of leather, teak, and studded brass nails. This was old-world craftsmanship that people would surely admire a century hence.
"Only a couple of jobs of that size and caliber come along every year," says John Mielach, owner of Mielach/Woodwork, an L. Vaughn competitor. "If you do one, you're very visible. You can go out the next time and say to the architect, 'Look what I did for AT&T."
For L. Vaughn, though, the reality was something quite different. The company was struggling to survive its good fortune, its fast growth suddenly igniting problems that had simmered for decades. Five relatives in this fifth-generation family business held all the company's stock, but none of them had control.
While L. Vaughn's employees were gently hand-rubbing and hand-sanding their wood, it seemed as if the cousins were bludgeoning each other with two-by-fours.
Not many family companies survive intact to the fifth generation. A variety of maladies can kill them, but perhaps none is more lethal than the problem of succession.
The survival of any family business depends in large part on how wisely one generation passes ownership to the next. When several children emerge as potential heirs, the owner faces a terrible dilemma. Anointing a single heir with a controlling interest -- or turning over management to an outsider when no family member appears to be a chip off the old block -- is often the best thing for the company's future. But it can cause tremendous personal animosity within the family. "The more heirs you have, the more complex, geometrically, it becomes," says Richard TenEyck, a Denver family-business consultant. "The possibility of trauma increases. Little factions develop. And that can turn into open warfare."
From the point of view of the company, though, the alternative is clearly worse. Dividing the stock among all suitors may keep everyone happy, but the company is destined to become paralyzed. Such was L. Vaughn's fate.
For generations, the family had been splitting the stock among any offspring who showed interest in the company. L. Vaughn was theirs to have, to reap its benefits and enjoy them equally. But equal distribution became, ultimately, a license to fight. And there was no mechanism -- say, an outside board -- to mediate the conflicts. "I don't think there was ever consensus on any subject," says D. Michael Carroll, the only non-Vaughn board member for many years. "They carried the sins of their forefathers on their shoulders."
Blame forefather Lorenzo Vaughn. Back in 1847, he set out to build a company that could participate in the development of Rhode Island. By horse and wagon he delivered the sashes, doors, and blinds he made in his shop. None of Lorenzo's children lived to adulthood. When he died in 1904, his will surely pleased his two nephews and his great-nephew. Each got one-third of the company. After 57 years spent building his business, old Lorenzo inadvertently doomed it by failing to choose a single successor.
The three nephews, in turn, passed their shares to one child each. Fortunately, a strong leader emerged in both generations to run the company. In the fourth generation, three of the owners were male Vaughns; they split two-thirds of the stock between them. The remaining stock (one-third) went to the first female Vaughn heir, Louise Vaughn Gaddes. Her husband, George Gaddes, became president of the company.
Gaddes's 16-year reign, which ended in 1969, now stands out as a golden age. "The last time L. Vaughn was successful was when George Gaddes was alive," says one longtime competitor. "He was just a good businessman" A charmer, Gaddes was known for inviting customers and competitors alike to his home. There, by a salt pond, they talked over business.
There was plenty to discuss. After World War II, the industry prospered as it followed the baby boomers, helping to build high schools and then college dorms. Under Gaddes, L. Vaughn also began building such laboratory furniture as benches and tables.
Over the years, L. Vaughn's craftsmen gained a reputation for their mastery of matching grains, the art of arranging bundles of veneer sheets, or flitches, to create patterns. They even came up with inventive forms by creatively using such defects as dark mineral streaks or the blotchy "cat faces" that dot various woods. Mostly, they developed sharp eyes and steady hands for mastering such delicate "Michelangelo jobs" as the finely detailed balustrades that line the stairways of Rhode Island School of Design.
The fact that Gaddes owned no stock himself, and that his wife owned only a one-third interest did not stop him from gaining effective control of the company. He was a natural leader; when he ordered a task done, his own sense of personal authority brooked no interference from the other relatives. Perhaps Gaddes's main advantage was that he was not, strictly speaking, a Vaughn. "He was free of the encumbrances that the other cousins had," says Carroll. "They could relinquish all their power to him, and it wasn't as if one of them was getting ahead of the other."
Never again would the Vaughns so willingly surrender authority. "Gaddes was able to make sure the owners were not cutting each other's throats," admits Charles T. Vaughn Jr., an owner who has held every company office except treasurer.
Unfortunately, George Gaddes didn't live forever.
When it came time to pick a successor to Gaddes in 1969, his son and two grandsons inherited his wife's one-third. But none of the family members -- Vaughns or Gaddeses -- really wanted to be chief executive officer. Somebody had to take the job, though; they did own the business, after all. So the honor fell upon Charlie Vaughn.
Though Charlie had been raised in the mill, his management style went against the grain. Loud, gruff, and high-strung, he rarely kept his opinions to himself.
That aside, Charlie hadn't wanted to be president. Who could blame him? Four major stockholders worked in the company, and they disagreed sharply on every operating decision. Should the bookkeeper get a 10% raise? Do we really need that new machine? Long-range issues such as budgets, acquisitions, and strategy fell by the wayside. "You can't get four people to agree on too many things," says Charlie, sighing.
After about five years of infighting, Charlie couldn't take much more. Neither could the company. Under Gaddes, L. Vaughn had been modestly profitable; now, in 1975, it was barely breaking even. "I felt an inability to cope with the management problems," Charlie says. "I thought somebody better educated should take over."
But who? Charlie recommended his older brother, Norman, a chemical engineer who owned one-sixth of the company. Norman didn't want the job. Neither did Dick Gaddes, George Gaddes's son. So Dick Vaughn, who owned one-third of the stock, became the family's choice -- the only choice left, in fact. Then 48, he'd worked at the company since age 12, when he swept the factory on Saturdays. "Dick became president by default," says an insider.
Had they admitted that they had no strong leader among them, the owners could have looked for a talented manager for the company. But that option wasn't even discussed. "When you've got an old company, some people think that the locomotive will stay running no matter whether anybody is feeding it or not," says Charlie Vaughn. "But you have to ask: how long can a company find talented people among its own relatives?"
The Vaughns never answered that question honestly.
Sadly, Dick Vaughn was not a leader who could unite the family factions. The five manager-owners called one another "partner," and they all earned roughly the same pay, even Dick. And none was about to take orders from any of the others. Mostly, they bickered. The subject didn't much matter. Should this job be subcontracted? Each one weighed in with an opinion, often tinged with digs at one of the others. "Everybody wanted a certain amount of input into everything," Dick recalls. "It made for a consensus type of leadership. It was not easy."
You could see that just by sitting in on one of their frequent meetings. I'd like to see estimates broken out so that we can compare them to final costs, Dick announced. Good idea, they all agreed. I'll do that, said the cousin who handled milling. I beg your pardon, the cousin who handled estimating interrupted, but I believe that comes under my domain. They were off and running, arguing over who should take responsibility. Of course, the project wasn't done at all.
Next, they'd try to prioritize jobs. Let's concentrate on the hotel first, Dick began. Fine, Charlie said. Later, it would become apparent that Charlie -- who, after stepping down as president, had gone back to running the mill -- had focused on a different job. And if Dick asked for a report, he knew better than to think he'd ever see it. "They had such a bad reaction to being told what to do that they would forget what the hell it even was," he says. Why should one cousin report to another? That was the antithesis of their partnership.
As the company's performance deteriorated, the loan officers at its bank became concerned. The bank held about $1.5 million in outstanding loans to the company, which was barely breaking even. In October 1979, it dispatched D. Michael Carroll, a CPA, to diagnose L. Vaughn's problems and help solve them.
The family grudgingly accepted Carroll, only because he was the bank's emissary. Carroll came in a couple of days a week, with carte blanche to wander around, talk to employees, and examine the books. Everywhere he looked, he saw the same thing: a gaping power void. He needed only to examine the company's financial statements. A million-dollar billing dispute, for instance, had languished in arbitration for years because no one had taken responsibility for resolving it. Gross margins were sinking because none of the family knew -- or wanted to know -- anything about marketing. "Inside the company, the family could never decide who was leading the parade," says Carroll. "Major decisions were held up because of all the second-guessing. There was a serious authority problem."
Not surprisingly, L. Vaughn was too paralyzed by family squabbling to develop any coherent business strategy. The company was floating like driftwood -- away from the rest of the industry.
Smart woodworking companies had positioned themselves to tap a new and growing market, corporate interiors. They could see it coming in the 1960s, when big companies began building more and more elaborate offices and lobbies. They used premium architectural woodwork. Custommade desks, cabinets, and credenzas offered a personalized touch. For the woodworkers, the ornate interiors offered huge profit margins, sometimes up to 300% larger than standardized items.
But it was difficult to manage such complex work. The company couldn't be certain of its costs on custom jobs. Careful estimating is crucial and requires an understanding of three diverse areas: manufacturing, installation, and raw materials. The family simply couldn't wing it.
The owners were too busy bickering to see the opportunity to pursue corporate interiors. "The Vaughn company did not know about that market, nor was it interested in it," says Gideon Loewenstein, later head of L. Vaughn's marketing division.
With few exceptions, the company stuck to jobs that called for working with general contractors who weren't seeking skilled advisers; they simply hired the woodworker with the cheapest bid. As a result, L. Vaughn wasn't making great profits from its woodworkers' skills -- even on the few intricate jobs it sought. For the most part, the company fell back on its reputation as a mill house, capably producing such standard, thin-margin items as windows, doors, and moldings.
Carroll had been working with L. Vaughn for three months when, in early 1980, he assembled the embattled owners for an afternoon meeting. He handed out a 20-page business plan; it was the first time in anyone's memory that L. Vaughn had had a business plan.
This company has great potential, he began, if we can just clear up some issues involving responsibility and authority. He read aloud relevant passages from textbooks. He showed the owners an organizational chart and pointed to where the president sits. You may call each other partner, Carroll said, but this is really a corporation. And the person in charge, he warned, can't be very effective if every decision is second-guessed. The family members sat quietly as he spoke.
Furthermore, Carroll went on, you are going after the wrong kind of jobs. We need to cultivate contacts among designers and architects in New York City to get those higher-margin jobs. The owners also have to work together to button up inefficiencies in the company's production cycle. Too many errors -- chipped cabinets, desks with the wrong number of drawers, paneling that arrived late -- were turning thin profit margins to sawdust.
When Carroll finished, he invited responses. Dick Vaughn cleared his throat. The afternoon sun ducked behind the clouds. Carroll wondered if the owners had even heard him. "We just weren't ready to accept it," says Dick today. Besides, the hour-long analysis didn't change the basic problem. "It was a good talk," says Charlie Vaughn. "But Mike Carroll didn't have the power to carry it out. No one was given the power to make those decisions."
Some things did change, though.
Although he wasn't by nature much of a leader, Dick Vaughn now had Carroll backing him up. Over lunch every day, Carroll pounded the message into Dick's head: you are the president, you have the right to make decisions. I do, don't I? Dick would respond. Bolstered by Carroll, Dick hired Loewenstein to start a new marketing division. He recruited a chief financial officer from the outside. Dick also added Carroll to the board -- the first nonfamily member ever to serve -- though he said it was the bank's idea, not his.
Loewenstein had a decade's worth of valuable contacts. Armed with slides and pictures, he started carrying out Carroll's mandate to reposition the company. Gradually, L. Vaughn began landing bigger and bigger jobs. AT&T's corporate headquarters. Trump Plaza & Casino and The Tropicana Hotel, in Atlantic City. The Aetna Life & Casualty Insurance offices, in Hartford. And the company's revenues started moving smartly: in 1982, sales climbed 70% to $9.5 million. In 1983, sales rose 30% to about $12 million.
Paradoxically, the big jobs only hastened the company's decline. A repositioning of the company had been desperately needed, but without equally dramatic changes in management and leadership, L. Vaughn wasn't ready to cope with the demands of complex woodworking jobs. Losses increased to nearly $400,000, and the company's short-term credit line ballooned from $192,000 to $1.6 million.
The company had done everything right in winning the AT&T contract. Loewenstein attended to every detail. For the mock-up, he flew to West Germany to find a rare Burmese teak. When the architect told him that it was important to create a homogeneous look, Loewenstein suggested a method for matching perfectly the inside and outside door panels. And according to industry sources, L. Vaughn's bid of just under $4 million was far and away the lowest. The closest bid, according to one industry source, was said to be nearly $1 million higher. The reason would soon be clear.
Delays began almost immediately. The squabbling, which had intensified, didn't help any. When Charlie got fed up with Dick, the president, he would simply shut down the mill and go home. "There was finger-pointing back and forth," recalls Harold "Skip" Belsky, who was then chief financial officer. "There was a lot of yelling and jumping up and down." Once, Dick asked a cousin to work overtime. He's not working late, said the cousin, pointing to another partner, why should I? Family members lunched at different spots to avoid one another. "There were weeks when everybody was walking around not talking to others," says Loewenstein.
Loewenstein, who felt his professional reputation was on the line, was furious. He charged into a board meeting to tell the owners what he thought. "I can't believe you people," he shouted. "We get the jobs, all right, but then when it comes down to delivering what we say, we don't carry through." He stopped and scanned their faces for a response. Charlie gave the only reply: he blushed. Loewenstein was fed up, and he soon quit the company.
The company was crumbling around the family. The AT&T estimate was way off; tasks that had been estimated at 80 hours took more than three times that amount. Even when they had the numbers in front of them, the cousins couldn't agree on what they meant. L. Vaughn paid for it. Hammered by overtime costs, the company lost at least $1 million on the $4-million job.
When Dick Vaughn closed the books on 1984, he was opening the final chapter in the story of L. Vaughn's disintegration. The company had lost $700,000 on record sales of about $14 million. There must be some mistake, he thought. He had been working seven days a week, promising everybody that the company was going to post a profit.
The company's banker wasn't interested in excuses. You deceived us, he said. No, Dick pleased, we took too many jobs at once. "If they didn't believe my story, there was nothing more I could do," he says.
The bank urged L. Vaughn to hire Peter Pelletier, a turnaround pro. Pelletier quickly pushed the family aside. During his first meeting with the family, he turned to Dick and asked, "What is your goal in the woodworking business?" "I want to be the best woodworker there is," Vaughn replied. Pelletier's voice boomed back: "Don't you want to make a profit?" Dick soon found himself without a job -- or even an office.
Having dispatched Dick, Pelletier was greeted as a savior. The adoration didn't last long, though. He inflamed old wounds by criticizing family members in front of one another. Charlie is too old to run the mill, don't you think? he asked. Family members grew more and more alienated.
The most alienated were two members of the fifth generation. Charlene Vaughn and Norman "Woody" Vaughn Jr. had inherited small stakes in L. Vaughn, bringing to eight the number of relatives holding minority stakes in the company. "I could see the potential of the company growing," says Charlene, "and I could see [Pelletier] wasn't pursuing that." In 1985, consistent with Pelletier's strategy of shrinking the company while he put new controls in place, sales dropped to $10 million.
In January 1986, the family fired Pelletier.
As they took their seats in the conference room, each family member was given a copy of a letter. L. Vaughn, the bank said, had allowed its ratios to fall too low. As a result, the bank was freezing its line of credit. To get it back, the family would have to provide personal guarantees.
The family immediately began attacking one another. Some of the Vaughns were ready to offer up their houses as collateral. But the Gaddes wing of the family steadfastly refused. You were wrong to get rid of Pelletier, they said, and that's why the bank has prepared a noose for us. "It was a horror," recalls Woody Vaughn. "We were afraid they'd foreclose."
Soon after that meeting, Pelletier relayed a short message to the family. He wanted to meet with the owners in the conference room at a nearby Sheraton hotel.
His presentation was brief and to the point. I know the bank is ready to foreclose, he said, so I'm going you a way out. I'll buy the company for $500,000. Dick Vaughn couldn't believe it: sell the company their parents and grandparents had passed on to them?
As soon as the family was alone, Dick spoke up. What an insult, he said. It's bad enough to think about selling the company, but for $500,000? Why, our real estate alone is worth more than that! He looked around the room, expecting to see heads nodding in agreement. Instead, the others were mostly sullen. It's all over, one family member said. Anyway, added another, there's no way we can raise the money in a short enough time to keep the company alive.
They took a vote, and the company was gone.
Dick Vaughn may have felt alone as he drove away from the Sheraton, but for once he wasn't. His cousins Charlene and Woody, both newcomers from the fifth generation, were his natural allies. After all, it was their inheritance that was being sold. "I felt like I was burying a family member," says Charlene.
Woody and Charlene owned only minor chunks of stock. Nonetheless, Charlene says, "it was time for some of the younger people to step forward and show that we were interested in pulling together and getting the funding we needed." The next morning, she, Woody, and Dick agreed to work together. They conferred with a lawyer. "From that point on, we went forward," says Dick Vaughn.
Following their lawyers' advice, their next stop was the bank. The whole family cant's agree, they told the banker, ignoring the fact that the family had voted to sell out. Dick and Woody agreed to pledge their houses in return for $250,000. The bank went along.
But the deal with the bank would mean nothing unless they could reverse the vote to sell the company. Dick Gaddes, a one-third owner with his sons, held bitter feelings against the Vaughns; that left only Charlie Vaughn, Charlene's father, as the swing vote. He had voted in favor of selling the business, but nobody believed that he really wanted that. Dick, Charlene and Woody hammered away at him. We're strong enough to keep this company going, they told him. And the Vaughns should stick together. Charlie refused.
Finally, Woody Vaughn offered Charlie a deal. Sell your stock to me, he urged. I'll give you the same price as the outsider. Charlie couldn't believe it. He thought for a minute. If you people are that confident, he said, then count me in.
Now, they had the majority they needed. The Vaughns -- "we had finally banded together," says Dick Vaughn proudly -- presented a solid front. We are not selling L. Vanghn, they announced.
Soon after, the Gaddeses sold their shares to the Vaughns.
Dick Vaughn is standing by the doorway, waiting for the new president of L. Vaughn to sign his pink expense form.
The president is Mike Carroll. After rescuing the company, the Vaughns finally created a strong leadership position at the top of L. Vaughn, and they acknowledged that the family itself had nobody strong enough to take the helm and overcome the difficulties of a company still plagued by minority ownership. Carroll owns 10% of the stock, and 30% more is now owned by outside investors. He has a three-year contract that stipulates "strict operational control." Says Carroll, "somebody has to have complete control. There is now no question who runs this company." The Vaughns are a minority on their company's five-member board; Dick is chairman.
Under the new arrangement, the company is it its second straight profitable year. "What matters to me now is perpetuating the Vaughn name in the woodworking business. It's very selfish to worry about who will carry that out," Dick says. "A family has to accept its shortcomings, or it won't have a business. That's the only way to survive."
But have things really changed? Already two members of the fifth generation own stock. At least one other is expected to climb aboard. "It's our job to pass it to the next generation," says Dick.
And they'll do it just as they always have, splitting the family legacy into pieces. "There's a sense that they want to pass it that way forever," says Carroll, sighing. "If there were 20 Vaughns, they'd split it into 20 pieces."


text:
|Quick take-up
The quick take-up spool is a popular accessory to aid simple loading of microfilm. The leading edge of the microfilm is easily slotted into the spool where it is firmly gripped allowing the carrier to wind the microfilm in the correct direction automatically.
Alternative carriers
The Solar microfiche carrier is a simple alternative carrier for occasional use of microfiche and aperture cards. And for those with 3M type cartridges there is the 16/35mm & 3M combi carrier. 16/35mm carriers are available in manual and motorised formats on the Solar 2000 and Ultravision A3 readers.
Accessibility options
Solar readers may be fitted with remote hand and foot controls to help those with disabilities to use the readers.
Each reader is supplied with a lens of choice and optional alternative lenses are available for easy interchange to suit different applications. For example the Solar VisionMaster range of zoom lenses is 10-25x and 20-36x, Solar 2000 10-24x and 22-36x.
Microfilm counter
A programmable microprocessor counter is supplied for those who need precise positioning or measurement of their microfilm.
|© Solar Imaging

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Hi everyone,
I hope you all had a lovely weekend and are well.
I am just popping in to share another wedding card that I made recently.
Once again I have coloured up my LOTV stamp called 'Wedding Couple'.
Although this is very similar to the last wedding card I made, I have added a shaker element to it.
The shape of the card has been cut using a Spellbinders heart die. With the final heart I cut, I stamped the word LOVE from a Joycrafts 'Sending Love' stamp set into the centre and embossed it with silver embossing powder, finishing off with some iridescent hearts and pearl string and finally I overlapped a heart cut from a Marianne die.
The centre heart on the front and base of the card (which can't be seen in the photo very well) has been covered with lace.
The flowers, lace, heart charms, heart gems and diamante hearts are from my stash. The trailing leaves are a Rosy Owl die.
I have sprinkled some Glamour Dust onto the dress to give it some sparkle.
DI list:
Skin: Vintage Photo, Tattered Rose
Hair: Walnut Stain, Antique Linen
Dress: Hickory Smoke
Flowers: Aged Mahogany, Spun Sugar, Forest Moss, Shabby Shutters
Top Hat, Trousers, Jacket Tails: Hickory Smoke, Black Soot
Shirt: Old Paper
Shoes: Pumice Stone
That's it from me today.
Thank you for popping in.


text:
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text:
Hey moms, have you heard about the new app that promises to make your kids "beg" to do chores? That's right, it's called -- um, look, you're really gonna need to stop laughing if you want me to tell you more. Can you stop that, please?
Okay, where was I? Oh yeah, so this app is called "Choremonster," and it's basically the smartphone generation's take on Ye Olde Sticker Chart (you know, those things you put stickers on every time your kid washes the dishes or whatever and then when the chart's all filled up and/or you run out of stickers they get a prize?).
Now, some parents have a problem with this idea because they think rewarding kids for doing stuff around the house they should be doing anyway sends the wrong message. That they'll grow up spoiled and entitled and lazy. That they won't lift a finger unless some sort of compensation is involved.
And you know what? Why should they?
Look, I'm not gonna buy this particular app because I know damn well NOTHING would ever make my kids "beg" to clean their rooms, and I don't do sticker charts because, quite frankly, they sound like a pain in the ass. But if my son picks up his Star Wars guys off the floor and puts them away every day this week like he promised, I'll give him a few bucks. Why not?
The fact is, rewarding kids to do chores doesn't send the wrong message, it sends the EXACTLY RIGHT message: Money makes the world go 'round, so you might as well master this whole payment received for services rendered concept now.
You think I'm being cynical? Practical is more like it. Hell, I wish I'd been raised to look at everything as a business opportunity. Paying kids to do chores is like killing two "prepare them for the future" birds with one stone: They learn how to do laundry/make beds/polish furniture AND how to handle their finances!
Plus, kids are just plain better about doing their chores when they know they're getting paid. I mean, obviously. So until Mary Poppins shows up at my house and those Star Wars guys start magically marching their action figure asses into closets, I'll pay my kids.
Do you reward your kids for doing chores?
Image via Mary-Frances Main/Flickr


text:
Flight Pro Sim Game Review
Reviewer: George Cayley
Website Reviewed: FlightProSim.com | The Fully Featured, Real Life Flight Sim
Recently I purchased Flight Pro Sim and trialed it out. This was to ensure I got an unbaised review of what really is on offer, and I was pleasantly surprised…
After thorough testing I have no doubt that anyone who purchases Flight Pro Sim will be more than happy with what they find inside.
In fact, when I logged in and downloaded the software in the members area quite frankly it contained what a lot of other flight simulator software companies sell as their full suite for a couple of hundred dollars.
In a flash it was downloaded and I was going over the install. The simulator itself was very straight forward, and installed quickly. I tried the extra add-on packs and they also installed quickly.
It was now time to test out the actual flight simulator. It started and I went over the amazing selection of planes. Far more than I thought, then on to choose the take off location and off I went.
The first thing that blew me away was the realistic controls. I had a go at flying a Cessna and was surprised as to the level of detail that has gone into this simulator. Unlike an arcade game, it actually took some time to master the controls and get into the air. Already I know this will be a keeper and not some boring game with no challenges.
Flight Pro Sim is the closest you can get to Real Life Flying without leaving your living room!
Although normally I am not a fan of user manuals (most tend to be far too indepth), I found the Flight Pro Sim Quick Start Guide had everything I needed to start flying and it is only a couple of short pages.
Once air borne I was surprised again as to the level of detail as I flew close to the ground I had trees, sheep, a bridge and then the buildings came hurtling towards me. I tested it out further and went higher. Soon I was up in the clouds and blinded by the sun, literally….
After a couple of flight hours, I manged to get the hang of most of the basic skills. I was addicted and soon I was looping through the 3D clouds..
To really test it out I loaded the extra addon scenery packs to see if I could fly anywhere as they claimed…. and soon I was over the Effiel tower. I tried again and did the amazing Grand Canyon Tour, then again from Israel to Jordan and over the Dead Sea.
I quickly found out that yes this flight sim does over deliver on the promise of freedom and actually gives you unlimited flying options. The best this is I have gone all over the world in only a few hours, without actually leaving the living room.
This software is very comprehensive, the controls even look and feel realistic. The wind direction matters and even the slope of the runway!
The Flight Pro Sim members area also has a comprehensive manual that was easy to follow and pointed out exactly how to get started. This is simple enough for beginners to understand, yet goes into enough detail for all those advanced flight experts. There is even a guide called 'Flight School' to get you in the air in the shortest period of time possible.
So why would you buy any othersoftware that is five times more when Flight Pro Sim has EVERYTHING you need in one place?
The comprehensive guides will have you flying like a pro in no time
Here's a rundown:
The base package has about 50 planes available for you to try out. I do however recommend that you get the add-on pack as this gives you well over 100 more planes to try out.
- The air craft available are diverse and range from the 1903 Wright Flyer, strange flapping wing "ornithopters", 747's and A320, various military jets, and far to many more to list
- You also have the option of flying different Helicopters
- The full scenery lets you fly any where in the world
- Night flying is a treat as you actually see ground lighting from urban areas and headlights on major highways
- The map data is based off actual USA military data
- The aircraft controls are very realistic
- Realistically models real world instrument behaviour.
- Instruments that lag in real life lag correctly, gyro drift is modelled correctly, and the magnetic compass is subject to aircraft body forces
- There are over 20,000 real world airports in the fully set
- Correct Airport Lighting
- Correct runway markings, placement and approach lighting. Directional airport lighting that smoothly changes intensity as your relative view direction changes
- Taxiway Lighting
- Taxiways available for many larger airports (including green centre line lights when appropriate)
- Real Life Runway Elevation
- Sloping runways (runways change elevation like they usually do in real life)
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Author Gary Taubes is going to present his nutrition lecture here in Santa CruzApril 11, 5 to 7 pm New Brighton Middle School, Capitola No charge Register online or call 831-466-5820
The Santa Cruz County Office of Education Child Development Resource center will host science journalist and author Gary Taubes in an April 11 presentation answering "Why we get fat". Taubes, also the author of Good Calories, Bad Calories (2007) challenges conventional wisdom about calories, fat, genetics, exercise and how they interact with obesity. The event is free and open to the public. Due to space limitations, registration is required.


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Doug Schepers wrote: > Note that I do not consider the ability to place or replace data in the > clipboard to be a security issue, merely a possible source of annoyance and a usability issue. > I kind of agree but it would be a bit reductive to define a spec for copy (for which I'd like to help), without a spec for paste in a world where in-page-editors are common-food. (typically, one wants to be able and interpret the paste of a location in Earth as well... from Route 66 or my address-book, two desktop apps, to Google-Maps, or?). paulReceived on Friday, 10 March 2006 07:15:11 UTC
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.1 : Tuesday, 6 January 2015 21:16:20 UTC


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Plastic vegetable crate
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Out of Petersburg Ak. Due to an unfortunate Zodiak popping incident I was not able to run this one. Ben H. and Garret S. were able to find their way 4 miles up river. They reported class I glacier river. Not heavy on wood. Great game/hunting trail. Roman Dial and a few other ran this years ago with a fly in and National Geographic. It is worth researching more. Good anchorage and game trail makes a sail in approach a reality.
Sailboat ski-packraft-aneering. Brah.
Farragut River, Farragut Bay
South and east of Cordova, including Yakutat, Glacier Bay, Juneau and on down the Panhandle
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HISTORICAL FICTION WEEK #3: Cater for cameos
5 comments:
As the old man walked away, and as Edward and the Reverend Hobbington were about to have another go at extinguishing the fire, another elderly man approached them.ReplyDelete
He stared at the blaze for a few moments, before beginning a monologue apparently directed at the flames themselves rather than the two men in his company. His words were lean, hard, athletic.
"In the late summer that year we lived in a house in a village that looked across the river and the plain to the mountains. In the bed of the river there were pebbles and boulders, dry and white in the sun, and the water was clear and swiftly moving and blue in the channels. Troops went by the house and down the road and the dust they raised powdered the trees.,'
'Troops?,' replied Edward.
'Pebbles?' queried the Reverend Hobbington.
'Every man's life ends the same way. It is only the details of how he lived and how he died that distinguish one man from another' the old man continued, staring into the flames.
'I'm sorry,' said Edward, slightly annoyed. 'I didn't catch your name.'
'Ernest,' the old man said. 'but you can call me Papa. Well, good day, gentlemen.' With that, he was gone. The two would-be fire-fighters watched him walk away.
'How strange,' said the Reverend. 'Odd fellow, wouldn't you say?'
'Yes,' Edward agreed. 'clearly very down in the dumps. Struck as being almost suicidal'
This makes me think of Susanna Clark's fondness for the Duke of Wellington, among others. It can be fun, but certainly can be overdone.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousTuesday, June 29, 2010
My advanced jurisprudence course was worth it just to get the final joke.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousFriday, July 09, 2010
The temptation to do this in historical fic is OVERWHELMING. I've spent the better part of two years stamping it out and squashing any ideas of "Oh, look who just came along" or "Who was that masked man" in my notes.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousThursday, August 12, 2010
Absolutely beautiful!ReplyDelete


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A look at six shows-some brand-new, others PBS veterans-that got their start on PBS.
Spring 1987
Sheryl Leach, Barney's creator, was a full-time mom with a very active two-year-old son. She searched fruitlessly for interactive, entertaining videos to capture the attention of her child. After reviewing the few children's videos on the market at the time, she decided she could do the job better. She decided to create her own children's video series.
Summer 1987
While stuck in traffic one day, she found the inspiration for the lead character of the series, a 'snugly' that would come to life through a child's imagination. The original inspiration for the character took many forms: a blanket, a teddy bear or another cuddly friend. She began 'kitchen research' with children in the neighborhood, evaluating which songs, characters and plot lines were both educational and entertaining to children. Sheryl created an 'edutainment' formula for children's programming that is still used on Barney & Friends today, combining songs, early childhood learning concepts, social lessons and lovable, gentle characters.
Fall 1987
Sheryl and her young son visited a traveling dinosaur exhibit. Sheryl noticed how captivated children were with dinosaurs and how her son couldn't stop talking about the exhibit. On that day, Sheryl's character, Barney, became a dinosaur.
Spring 1988
Sheryl approached her father-in-law, Richard C. Leach, for funding for the first three Barney home videos and the use of his educational publishing company's television production facilities. Shortly thereafter, she was joined by a team of writers, developmental specialists and producers, including executive producer Dennis DeShazer. Production began on the first three Barney videos, A Day at the Beach, Barney and the Backyard Gang and Three Wishes.
Fall 1988
Sheryl organized a team of neighborhood mothers, called 'Mom Blitzers,' to begin selling videos, one at a time, to toy and video stores. Because there was not much awareness of Barney among parents at the time, it was an uphill battle to sell Barney videos, which would later become the number-one- selling line of children's non-theatrical videos. It was time to launch what Sheryl Leach called 'Operation Preschool.'
Sheryl knew that children who had seen the first videos were mesmerized by Barney and responded instantly to the songs, activities and characters. The challenge was to get more and more children to experience the education and fun of the purple dinosaur. To generate grassroots awareness, the 'Mom Blitzers' began sending Barney videos to preschools and day care centers located near video and toy stores where Barney videos were available.
The popularity of Barney began to swell as more and more children fell in love with the Purple Guy in school and day care. Because of this grassroots support of Barney, the first series of Barney videos became successful and were sold in more video and toy stores.
Fall 1990
One of those early Barney videos ended up in a Prospect, Connecticut, video store and just happened to be selected for viewing by four-year-old Leora Rifkin, daughter of Larry Rifkin, executive vice president of programming for Connecticut Public Television, a station that is an award-winning producer of local and national programs. Rifkin was intrigued as his daughter watched the Barney video repeatedly, singing and dancing with her newfound dinosaur friend.
Knowing that the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) were searching for new, quality children's programming, Rifkin contacted Sheryl. Her company, The Lyons Group, developed a proposal with Connecticut Public Television to produce Barney & Friends.
May 2, 1991
Larry Rifkin called Sheryl to welcome Barney & Friends to PBS. Everyone working on the project was elated and energized at the prospect of bringing Barney to such a large audience of children every day of the week.
At the time, The Lyons Group was a group of fewer than 10 people gathered in a small office space in Allen, Texas, located just north of Dallas. With a tiny, uncomplicated set, a delightful cast of young children and a small group of team members, production began on the first 20 episodes of Barney & Friends, a children's series that would later become the number-one- rated preschool series on public television.
April 1992
PBS added Barney & Friends to its children's programming lineup, and nobody could have anticipated the impact of the move. The Barney Fan Club phone line began ringing with calls from parents who told about their preschoolers singing, dancing, imagining and learning from the catchy, tuneful episodes in the series. Children were captivated by the lovable purple dinosaur, and parents said they had never seen their children so responsive and excited about a children's program.
May 1992
Six weeks after Barney & Friends was broadcast on public television, the show was cancelled. PBS announced it would not continue its support of new Barney & Friends episodes. The news was shocking to parents of children who had grown to love the purple dinosaur. Sheryl decided the only way to ensure the continued success of Barney & Friends was to turn to the parents and children who loved Barney most-Barney Fan Club members.
The grassroots approach that was used to launch the Barney video series was used to rally Barney's biggest fans to support the continuation of the series. The Lyons Group communicated directly with Barney Fan Club members and urged them to express their views to local public television stations. Fan Club members mobilized, and PBS stations across the country received thousands of phone calls from parents demanding new Barney & Friends shows. Parents wrote letters to local newspapers and spread the word to others. Preschoolers across the country were screaming, 'We want Barney.' But would anyone hear them?
Summer 1992
The toddler vote was heard and PBS announced that it would continue its support of new Barney & Friends episodes. The groundswell of public support for Barney & Friends was phenomenal, and the Barney Fan Club exploded with new members.
Within its first three years, Barney & Friends was credited with helping public television raise over US$15 million in pledge income, as well as attract national and local underwriting. In addition, public television received 30 percent of net income from certain uses of the program, including music, home videos and foreign broadcasts. Lyrick Studios gave hundreds of thousands of free copies of an activity guide called Watch, Play & Learn in both Spanish and English to PBS stations, and Barney began to make nonprofit appearances nationwide to benefit local PBS stations.
Fall 1994
Drs. Jerome and Dorothy Singer completed a study of Barney & Friends programming that recognized the educational philosophy behind the series. The study described Barney & Friends as '. . . virtually a model of what a preschool program should be.' (Yale University Family Television and Research Consultation Center.) The Yale team completed additional research that focused on low-income and culturally diverse children and concluded that viewing Barney & Friends nearly doubled school preparedness levels when combined with classroom activities.
September 1997
The rest, as they say, is history. The series has been nominated for five Emmy Awards since 1993, and has reached unprecedented popularity since its debut. Barney & Friends continues to be a strong presence in the children's programming block on public television, reaching more than 13 million children across the United States each week.
A new season (20 episodes) of Barney & Friends will debut in November, featuring new characters, an all-new cast of children, exciting new themes and plenty of purple. PBS has unlimited broadcast rights to all of the first three seasons (68 episodes) of Barney & Friends through April 30, 1998. Twenty new episodes will be released on public television each year through 1999 for PBS.
Barney remains a dinosaur in demand. He has expanded internationally, embarked on a national stage show tour and almost completed his first feature film, Barney's Great Adventure. Although these projects are significant to the continued growth of this classic character, we haven't lost sight of one of the most significant parts of the world of Barney, the Barney & Friends public television series. The producers of Barney & Friends continue to reflect and improve what we consider the foundation of the property-the ability to reach children through daily lessons learned on Barney & Friends through public television. The partnership between public television and Barney & Friends is an effective one because we share a common goal: to educate children during their earliest years and make the world a better place for them.


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Crescent Softball – Season 11 Rules – Revised April, 2018
1. TIME LIMIT: All regular season games will end after one hour and 30 mins of play. RUN RULE: If a team is leading by 20 or more runs at the end of the 3rd inning (equal at bats), or by 12 runs after 5 innings (sudden death) the game will be considered forfeit.
2. UMPRES DISAGREEMENT: The umpire has the final say in all on field calls. Prolonged arguments with the umpires will lead to ejection. NO EXCPTIONS.
3. RUN RULE: If a team is leading by 20 or more runs at the end of the 3rd inning (equal at bats), or by 12 runs after 5 innings (sudden death) the game will be considered forfeit.
4. PITCH COUNT: One and one count will be used in all games. If you hit a foul ball with 2 strikes, you do NOT get an extra strike. You will be out. This includes the playoffs.
5. OFFICIAL GAME: Official regular season game will be 4 full innings. If a game is shortened because of rain or time limit, 4 full innings will be an official game. No equal at bats are needed if the game is called after 4 complete innings. For the playoffs only, if the game is called at any point, a makeup game will be scheduled to finish the game. The makeup game will resume and continue exactly from the previous game was called). Same game situation.
6. COURTESY RUNNERS: Courtesy runners will be limited to MAX 3 players per game. The runner must be the last batted out. You may "deactivate" one courtesy receiver in favor of another player ("activated") who is injured during the game one time during a game in an emergency only.
7. BATTING ORDER: You may bat as many players as you like. The number fielders will remain at 10. You may substitute batters for fielders or players not in the game for other batters and fielders, but the batting order must remain the same. If you take a batter out of the game, and do not have a replacement for that batter, the penalty will be an out the first time up for that batter. If a batter or player is ejected from the game, the team will receive an out every time that batter is due up at bat.
8. PITCHING: The pitching distance shall be 50 to 56 feet. The distance from home plate to the pitching mound will be 50 feet minimum. The pitcher may pitch from as far back as 56 feet. The pitcher may move forward or back within this 50 to 56 ft. range. The pitching arc is set from 6 feet to 12 feet.
9. FOUL TIP: Foul ball must be over the batters head to be caught and called out.
10. DESIGNATED HITTER: There is no DH in this league--If you play the field, you must bat.
11. BANNED BATS: We will use the National ASA banned bat list. It is the managers and players responsibility to check any and all bats used to make sure they are legal. If a banned bat is used, the batter and the manager will be ejected for the remainder of that day and the next doubleheader. If an umpire or the league coordinators are not sure if a bat is legal or altered, it may be removed from play. In addition, the league coordinators and or Long Island ASA Commissioner may remove any bat that appears to be legal, but is reacting out of character and determined to be dangerous from play and be banned from use in this league. A bat must be free of audible rattles when shaken. If it sounds like there is something loose or any sound of something coming from the inside of the bat the bat will be removed from play.
12. GUESTS – No more than 5 at all times on the field. This will be enforced in the Post Season.
13. CURSING / CONDUCT- All players are to adhere to local Park regulations, reframe from alcoholic beverages, and profane language on or near the fields. Any assault on an umpire will be automatic ejection from the league. Foul language or threats to another player may result in ejection at the discretion of the umpire and possible future suspensions by the league. Cursing will result into a warning. After that ump can eject a player.
14. CSL JERSEY – If a proper jersey is not available at the very least a player must match the color. If not, one run is given to opponent for each violator. This Rule will take effect at week 3. Until then, teams should wear similar color jerseys. No outisded league shirts will be allowed
15. ROSTER FREEZE – No additional player(s) can be added after the fifth week of play. A player must have attended at least one by a team's fifth game. Trades or players that have been released are allowed up to week 7.
16. ACCOLADES: MVP, Best Pitcher, Sportsman, Finals Trophies, Finals MVP, All Star MVP. Winners will be selected by Panel of Captains.
17. ALL STAR GAME - Day of Finals - Selected by Panel
18. PROTEST. In the event a game needs to be protested, both team should play the game and protest the game after ward. If a team refuses to play due to a protest, that team will be given the loss.
Examples of losing a protest:
--If a player is not on your roster or doesn't have qualifying abs, or added after roster freeze, and plays, your team will be given the loss for that protest.
19. STATS. Stats for all players for prior week have to be in no later than the Thursday night (2 days away from Playing Saturday). If a player is missing stats by that cutoff and doesn't have enough qualifying games or abs, that player will be ruled ineligible for playoffs.
20. RAIN OUTS: Determined by the commissioner. Will be announced at least 2 hours prior to start time. Rainouts must be reported to the league as you do game results.
21. STAT KEEPING: Captains must keep proper stats to every game, or have such responsibility assigned to a teammate. A sacrifice only occurs when a fly ball to the outfield (grounders or infield flies don't count) results in a successful run scored on a tag-up. A player who gets a hit and is tagged out while attempting to extend it to a double or more should be marked down as getting to the last base he safely reached, in terms of stats. E.g. tagged trying to get to 2nd is marked down as a single.
1. Forfeit time is 20 minutes after scheduled game time. Game times as noted on the schedule are to start on time, so that there will be time to play the second game. The second game will start 10 minutes after the completion of the first game.
2. Forfeited Game: At least 8 players must be present on the field and ready to play at the start of the game for a forfeit to be avoided. When there are only 9 players, the catcher must be the 9th. When there are only 8 available, that team still must field the position on plays at the plate, but the opposing team should retrieve pitches.
3. As discussed, each game will end in one hour and 30 mins. The umpire has the discretion to prolong it.
1. PLAYOFF FORMAT: Top seed receives a bye and seeds 2-6 compete in Rd 1 in best of 3 series. Tie Breakers will be determined by head-to-head then record vs. higher seeds, then run differential. All post season series will be best of 3.
In the playoffs, the higher seed will have choice of field, time. The higher seed can select to be the home team for the 1st or 2nd game. If the third game is needed, the higher seed will again have choice of home or visiting team.
Home Team: The home team is determined by a coin toss before the FIRST game. The winner of the coin toss chooses if they want to be Home first or not.
3. AT BATS FOR QUALIFYING. Minimum at bats - 40 or 8 games played by that player.
The commish will reserve the right to overrule on any conflict in order to maintain the integrity of the league.


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From University of Chicago Athletics
The University of Chicago women's tennis team clinched a spot in the NCAA Division III Quarterfinals for the eighth time in program history with Sunday's convincing 5-0 victory over Wisconsin-Whitewater.
The No. 10 Maroons (19-4) opened the day with a 1-2-3 sweep in doubles and then relied on first-year Claire Handa and sophomore Alyssa Rudin to win in straight sets at No. 1 and No. 5 singles to give UChicago the regional crown.
The Maroons will advance to Elite Eight in Claremont, Calif., to take on No. 1 Emory (15-4), who defeated Sewanee 5-0 Sunday, in a rematch of the 2018 University Athletic Association Championship.
"Doubles were key for us, as they have been all season," Head Coach Jay Tee said. "We came out a little nervous in singles, but we battled through it for a couple of quick wins.
"It's exciting to go back to the Elite Eight and to be able to play Emory again – the team is up for the challenge."
Handa and No. 1 doubles teammate Marjorie Antohi and the No. 2 duo of Catherine Xu and Daryn Ellison each won their matches by identical scores of 8-4 and the No. 3 tandem of Estefania Navarro and Rudin was even more dominant with an 8-3 victory.
That set up a 3-0 lead in singles play, as Handa won, 6-3, 6-3, and Rudin 6-2, 6-2, with Handa clinching the fifth point needed for the result.


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Genre: young adult, graphic novel, vampiresAfter two years on the run, best friends Rose and Lissa are caught and returned to St. Vladimir's Academy, a private high school for vampires and half-bloods. It's filled with intrigue, danger—and even romance.
Series: Vampire Academy #1
Series: Vampire Academy #1
Enter their dark, fascinating world through a new series of 144-page full-color graphic novels. The entire first Vampire Academy novel has been adapted for book one by Leigh Dragoon and overseen by Richelle Mead, while the beautiful art of acclaimed British illustrator Emma Vieceli brings the story to life.
My review: ★★★★
I'm a huuuuuge fan of the Vampire Academy and yes, I even liked the movie. So I was super excited when I finally decided to read this graphic novel!
The story is not as complete as in the actual book (obviously), but it didn't bother me at all. It was like having a recap of the actual book. I've been wanting to reread the 6 books, but you know… rereading 6 books with all the new unread books I have is pretty hard. So this graphic novel was perfect for me! I had my dose of Rose and Dimitri and I'm satisfied :D
Oh by the way, the drawings are BEAUTIFUL!!! Like really really beautiful. Dimitri and Rose are so beautiful! I mean, judge for yourself:
I cannot wait to read the next one!


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Having raised $80,000 on their first crack at KickStarter with just one model, PaperShooters is offering opprtunity to fully customise you blaster's skin and are ready to bring 10, yes T-E-N new designs, to both KickStarter and IndieGogo simultaneously.
Having sold over 1,200 blaster kits as part of their first capaign, so many people had ideas for new models, designs and wanted to print their own skin. So this time PaperShooters are opening up their blueprints for customers to design their own camo skin as well as bringing out up to TEN new design.
Mike Howarth, PaperShooters founder, said; "we knew we had a great product and the response to our first campaign underlines this. In our second campaign we want to give backers a much bigger choice of skins and the chance to individually customise their blaster"
Some of the new designs to be made available.


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Tracking Down His Distant Dad Isn't Child's Play For Mischa On The Americans
As The Centre interferes with a much-desired meeting, Ben gives Elizabeth some bad news -- but it's over s'mores, so it could be worse.
And Now, A Word From Our Sponsor
Lotus 1-2-3!
Is going over VA hospitals' paper ledgers cutting into dinner time you could be spending having fun, sexy chat with a fun, sexy single Vice President Of Production And Distribution at an agricultural research corporation? The VA needs to computerize!
Lump: It's What's For Dinner
Philip's joylessly pounding away at Deirdre -- who, for her part, doesn't seem that into it either, if this grimace is anything to go by.
Somehow, this sends him into a memory of another joyless night from his earlier life, when his father came home with a dinner he was apparently not that proud to put on the table.
Philip's mother removes three lumps from his father's burlap sack.
I was pretty sure they were coal, but then his mother puts them on a ledge above the fire. Brown to perfection, and: enjoy!
SERIOUSLY WHAT IS THIS? Is it animal waste that they're eating because it might have trace amounts of nutrients in it and there's nothing else?! I know that seems insane, but what do I know from famine? Is this headed toward a revelation that Philip's family got so desperate that he eventually turned cannibal??? Because IT HAPPENS.
And Now, A Word From Our Sponsor
Seriously, Though: Lotus 1-2-3!
Meeting Time
Henry Might Not Actually Be Worthless After All
Who called the meeting? Mr. Jeffries, Henry's math teacher.
What's it about? Judging by their expressions, Henry's parents are pretty sure it's going to be about Henry's inability to count past 12 or something.
But it turns out Henry is a math whiz. In fact, he's so great that Mr. Jeffries wants to advance him to Algebra 2, unless his parents think it's a bad idea.
How'd it go? Slightly halting, given that Philip and Elizabeth are so shocked to learn their son has a talent for LITERALLY ANYTHING that they take a while to answer Mr. Jeffries's suggestion.
But after taking a moment in the car on the way home for Elizabeth to report that Evgheniya's up for a job teaching Russian at the Department of Agriculture -- Philip: "If she gets a job teaching Russian at the CIA" "There's a chance we could get every officer they're training for Moscow," Elizabeth finishes -- they arrive home very proud. In fact, they may be TOO proud, because when they tell Henry all about it, he can read between the lines of their expressions of surprise: "Paige is the smart one, she always works her ass off, and she does everything right."
Whoops. But in fairness, Henry, they haven't seen you in weeks. They're probably equally surprised to see you still have a face.
Love, Hate & Everything In Between
Cheater Cheater Probable Spy Feeder
I'm not saying the reason we're finding seeing Renee and Stan in bed in this episode is that Noah Emmerich directed it. That would be rude. That Renee and Stan are post-coital and that Noah Emmerich directed this episode are two separate facts. And they've been getting closer for a while: last week they had a double date with Philip and Elizabeth, and earlier they took in Romancing The Stone before dropping Matthew off with Sandra. (I'm not a hack, so you can make your own "Romancing The Bone" joke.)
Anyway, now that they've finished romancing the bone -- SHIT -- they're discussing the infidelity that ended both their marriages. Renee was the victim in her case, and asks whether Stan thinks Sandra knew about his affair. After some dithering, Stan admits, "Yeah, she probably knew for a while. I just kept lying to myself." She then feels his arm and comments that his muscles are tight. He grits that stuff is happening at work, but that he can't really talk about it. Renee confirms everyone's suspicions as she breezily suggests that he just be vague, so he guesses he was a little aggressive about something with his boss in a meeting that day -- which we saw; he bitched to Agent Wolfe that the attempts he and Aderholt have made to communicate with suspected KGB assets aren't going anywhere and that they're wasting their time -- and that he said too much. "It'll work out," says Stan.
And that's good enough for Round 2! PS Noah Emmerich directed this episode.
How Are We Defining "Sleeper Agent"?
Alert Type: Suspect Girlfriend Alert.
Issue: After he and Elizabeth declined to join the movie date, Philip is keeping tabs on the rest of Stan and Renee's evening; as he's about to get into bed, he notes that the lights in the house are out, but that Renee's Jeep is still out front.
Complicating Factors: As Philip muses: "We've been giving The Centre a lot of detailed reports about Stan. They know he's recently divorced, they know he's vulnerable. They know he's a loner that would go for her type." "You think we sent her?" Elizabeth replies. "I'm just saying," says Philip. It's crazy to think The Centre might put an Illegal on Stan...or is it? (It's not.)
Resolution: None yet; when Elizabeth returns to Topeka, Philip and Marilyn (one of the backup operatives from the Oklahoma break-in) stake out Stan's next date with her and follow her back to her apartment building.
Something To Consider: Maybe instead of looking for spy trouble they haven't been assigned, Philip and Elizabeth should start strategizing how to keep The Centre from finding out Henry is awesome at math, since that seems like it would be something they'd really like to exploit?
On The Menu
What's On The Menu At The Jennings House?
With Elizabeth in Topeka letting Ben go down on her and Henry somewhere mathing, Philip and Paige end up alone together for dinner. What are they eating?
Chinese Green-Eyed Beans: The news of Henry's new math genius has reached Paige, who was also surprised by his move to a more advanced class -- surprised and, it turns out, jealous. "Turns out he's the brains in the family, she mopes. "And I thought studying was the key to success," jokes Philip. "You and me both," Paige mopes. Seems pretty rude to begrudge Henry his first actual storyline in like three seasons.
MSGee This Is Uncomfortable: Paige's tongue must be loosened by the Asian flavours, because she starts telling Philip how conflicted she is in her relationship with Matthew. When they first met, she had a crush on him: "He had a lot of hair and played guitar." But now that he likes her back, it seems things have changed. She thinks she was hoping that with "all the garbage in [her] life," he'd make her feel better: "Being with him only makes me feel worse, though. I don't know if it's because Matthew's not right for me, or...." She trails off for so long, Philip presses: "What?" "Or if I'm just-- I'm already so screwed up that-- Maybe I'm just-- I'm meant to be alone." Philip:
An Empty Fortune Cookie: Philip is so horrified by this statement -- something he's undoubtedly thought of himself over the years -- that he can't even manage to cough up any reassuring platitudes, so Paige just clears her plate and leaves. Yikes.
Son Seeker
Mischa having called in to good old Joan the operator to arrange a meeting with Philip, Gabriel and Claudia are in crisis mode.
He used Irina's code?
For an emergency meeting with Philip. I've been tracking every signal Philip gets since Mischa disappeared.
So he wants to see his father. All right. How did he get here?
I'm sure it wasn't a walk in the park.
He's unstable.
Are we talking about Mischa or Philip?
The boy. He's already been in trouble for speaking out against the war.
It's a complicated war, Claudia. He fought in it, he's not mentally ill.
His mother defected. He got himself arrested. Now he's coming to see a father he's never met. I doubt he's stable.
He's his son.
Who he's never seen. It's too risky.
You don't trust Philip!
It's not about me. He already has entries in his file that don't look good. How do you think the people at The Centre are going to feel about a meeting between Philip and his wayward son?
Shouldn't that be Philip's decision to make?
And when he tells Philip he was put in a psychiatric institution because he thinks the war in Afghanistan is a joke? What happens then? You care about him. We both do. But he's...shaky.
It's A Date
The Dating игра
Oleg's had a hard day inspecting grocery stores and watching Ruslan threaten that store manager whose son's serving in Afghanistan -- and not successfully, I might add.
So the scene he walks into at his parents' apartment is about the last thing he needs.
Who's on a date? Oleg's getting a surprise fix-up with three eligible bachelorettes!
Inna Astakhova's father used to work with Igor at the Ministry!
Olga Nikonova is Ludmila's daughter -- Oleg remembers Ludmila, right?
Elina Sachko used to live near and play with Oleg when they were kids, and she is in this to win it, leaning on their past connection as she gravely tells Oleg how sad she was to hear about his brother's death. Oleg:
Possible miscalculation there, comrade.
What will they be doing? They'll be eating the dinner all three women have prepared for Oleg! I guess the Burovs really are some hot shit if all three broads were willing to compete with each other directly for Oleg's hand like this.
Are things headed in a horizontal direction? Seems like no: Oleg motions for Igor to join him in the other room to ask what would make Igor think Oleg "would want any of these silly little girls." Igor is dismayed; he knows it was hard for Oleg to come back and was just trying to help make the transition back easier by setting him up with a nice girl, and for all Oleg knows one of them might be perfect for him! "Please stay out of my private life," Oleg tells him. Igor crabs that Oleg's just as stubborn as his mother before stomping back to whatever the ladies whipped up with the eight ingredients for sale at the store that day -- nutria casserole with a side of turnip (literally just one), I assume. But then Oleg's eye is caught by a framed portrait of his brother and starts having a feeling.
Oleg...thinks he owes it to his brother...to fuck all the ladies his dead brother can't because he's dead?
Phone Call
"Nothing, You?" "Nothing But Horror."
Philip's at his desk at the travel agency when Elizabeth calls from Topeka to see how he is, which seems to be an uncommon move, based on his bewilderment and her lack of anything much to say, but they miss each other, so there's that? Philip then volunteers, "I've been-- Um, I've been having these memories of my childhood....My father bringing home food and clothing."
Elizabeth asks whether Philip's father ever brought home other things. "I don't remember," Philip breathes. Guys, it's going to be a dead baby, right? THIS IS GOING TO TURN INTO SOME THE ROAD SHIT???
On The Menu
What's On The Menu At Ben's?
S'mores: A post-coital Elizabeth is handed a s'more, and tells Ben she's never seen someone make them inside before. "That's the whole reason to have a fireplace!" Ben enthuses. You Americans and your fucking s'mores is definitely what I am thinking and probably what Elizabeth is thinking. Like, they're fine? But why a graham cracker? If the idea is that it's a cookie that isn't so sweet that it all gets overpowering, why not go savory nd make it on a saltine or a Ritz cracker? I AM NOT A CRACKPOT.
Wheat: "So, the Peace Corps, Egypt, cooking exotic foods, science, sex....What is it that you do, exactly?" Elizabeth asks. WELL: it seems Ben's time in the Peace Corps brought him into contact with children who were dying of famine, and inspired in him the desire to end food insecurity forever. He explains that he's working on developing the hardiest possible wheat strain -- one that can grow anywhere and resist pests and fungi. And now he's close to developing the strongest wheat strain in the world! He admits that Agricorp would then sell that strain, but the work he does will make food supplies cheap and reliable, all around the world, wherever people are victims of famine: "It might never happen again." TURNS OUT BEN'S DOING EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE THING YOU THOUGHT AND SO WAS THAT LAB DIRECTOR PHILIP KILLED, WHOOOOOOOPS.
Wrap It Up
Philip is so tormented by his memories that he's gone back to est. Well, this is probably not great.
Mischa, as Joan had directed, is waiting in Bess Truman Park, looking pitifully excited for the meeting we know is going to be an enormous letdown. Damn you, dramatic irony! He's been scanning the park for possibles, but even though he's never met Philip, he knows enough not to think that Gabriel's sitting next to him is anything but an unfortunate mistake until Gabriel addresses him: "I am not whom you were expecting, I know."
"No Russian," orders Gabriel. "Not here. Do you speak English?" "Little," says Mischa, wary. Gabriel says he'll take Mischa somewhere they can talk, but Mischa wisely resists the suggestion that he leave a public place with this probably KGB operative and makes enough of a scene to draw the attention of another park patron, so Gabriel just lowers his voice to tell Mischa that seeing his father is impossible: "It would put him in terrible danger. It is not safe for him." "But I come for him," says Mischa, breaking all our hearts. "You understand?" "I do," says Gabriel. "It must be very hard, but if you love him, you must forget this. You cannot see him." "Forget father?" asks Mischa incredulously. "No," says Gabriel. "Not here. I will get you home. You will be safe. But you cannot see your father here. Maybe someday. But not here."
I don't have a joke. It's very sad! Irina, what have you wrought?!
Elizabeth comes home from her latest trip to Topeka, and after confirming that both kids are out of the house, she gently delivers the good yet also bad news: "We got it wrong. [Ben] isn't looking to poison us or our food. He wants to save people....From pests, drought, whatever....He wants to feed the world. So the bugs in the lab were there to test the crops for resistance, to make sure they could survive anything." Philip asks whether Elizabeth believes Ben, and she says she does: "He wants to end hunger." Philip: "So the guy in the lab, the one we--" "We didn't know," says Elizabeth.
This seems not to comfort Philip at all for some reason! Before Elizabeth can say anything else, Philip backs away from her, telling her he's going to meet Tuan. Lucky Tuan, Philip's going to be great company today.
After gravely studying the map he was passed...
...Oleg goes to the appointed meeting place, but either leaves before the agent shows up, or got the date wrong?
And at the Eckert house, Tuan tells Philip that Evgheniya got the job; she starts next week. He adds that Pasha will be over that weekend, so it would be good if at least one of his "parents" could be there, but Philip is still in a terrible mood and can't get it up either to consider what it takes to keep their op running as it should, nor to notice that part of the reason Tuan might want Philip or Elizabeth there is that he's lonely.
If you're in such state that McDonald's food can't turn it around, I honestly can't help you, Philip -- not even to tell you that you need to live long enough to enjoy all-day breakfast!
Tuan looks like he's trying to figure out how to be the adult in this situation when Elizabeth appears -- she's smiling, but her voice is so tight and weird that Tuan figures out he should probably excuse himself. When she sits opposite Philip, he murmurs, "That guy in the lab-- That can't happen, ever again." "We'll be more careful," says Elizabeth immediately. "'More careful'?" spits Philip. "This has been hard for me. For a long time. You know that, right?" YEAH, DUDE, WE'VE ALL SUFFERED THROUGH YOUR FUCKING EST SCENES. "I do," says Elizabeth. "Look -- when we know this kind of thing is coming up, maybe it can just be me." As usual, in order to get shit done, a woman has to volunteer to do both her job and that of the nearest inadequate man. But that's not going to solve the problem. "No," he tells her. "No! It's us, Elizabeth."
"It's us."


text:
MongoDB Finds A Major Adopter In Craigslist
MongoDB Finds A Major Adopter In Craigslist
Join the DZone community and get the full member experience.Join For Free
Download Microservices for Java Developers: A hands-on introduction to frameworks and containers. Brought to you in partnership with Red Hat.
MongoDB recently gained another adopter (possibly its largest yet).
The NoSQL data store is now being used to archive billions of records at Craigslist, the popular classifieds and job posting community that serves 570 cities in 50 countries.
Every post in the history of the site was previously held in a large MySQL cluster. Since Craigslist had a variety of database needs moving forward, ranging from wanting to add new machines without downtime to routing around dead machines without clients failing, the development team decided to initiate a major migration to a NoSQL solution. Mongo DB was the solution they chose.
Here are some basic numbers about the Craigslist MongoDB cluster from Jeremy Zawodny, one of the site's software engineers:
We're sizing the install for around 5 billion documents. That's from the initial 2 billion document import we need to do plus room to grow for a few years to come. Average document size is right around 2KB. (Five billion 2KB documents is 10TB of data.) We're getting our feet wet with MongoDB so this particular task isn't high throughput or growing in unpredictable ways.
We can put data into MongoDB faster than we can get it out of MySQL during the migration.
Watch a video where Zawodny explains the evolution of data storage at Craigslist and how MongoDB will fit into the future of the site's infrastructure. You'll also find out why Craigslist chose MongoDB over other data stores.
Download Building Reactive Microservices in Java: Asynchronous and Event-Based Application Design. Brought to you in partnership with Red Hat.
Published at DZone with permission of Jim Moscater . See the original article here.
Opinions expressed by DZone contributors are their own.


text:
I want to thank you for the excellent work of ModernCrete at our new store location in San Marcos, Texas. Not only has the floor performed absolutely beautifully for the past three months, but your professionalism and excellent customer service also has exceeded our expectations… … [Read more...]
Durability of Concrete Floors: Tough, Safe, Looks Great
December 9, 2013 By
Fixing Uneven Floors: Remarkable Results
November 18, 2013 By
Just a short note to thank you for the outstanding job your people did on the floor at the mall. I was not able to be on site during the process, but the end result is truly remarkable. … [Read more...]
Concrete Flooring Services: No Match for ModernCrete
November 4, 2013 By
What can I say, you have a product that seems to work and you are well aware of what I think about you! I think you offer a great service which is lacking in this industry. … [Read more...]
Pleased with Dining Room Floor
October 28, 2013 By
We have been very pleased with the dining room floor at our Mighty Fine [Burgers] in Cedar Park, Texas … [Read more...]


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At Westwood College we understand the value of extracurricular activities in helping to provide a well-rounded and balanced educational experience.
It is our aim to provide your son or daughter with a broad and well-rounded education that prepares them not only for academic and career success but also to live life to the full as a confident and independent adult.
We therefore place a high value on extra-curricular activities. We offer an exceptional range to stretch and challenge your childs's capabilities and talents, inspire them to develop their current leisure interests and explore new ones.
From sport, music and technology to drama, world cultures and service to the community: your son or daughter will find both the opportunities and the encouragement to pursue them all.


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I'm sorry Oktoberfest blog readers, I feel I have neglected you. It has more than 6 months since our last post and a half a year is just too long to go without an update of what we are up to.
But, rest assured, we have been rocking and rolling around the office gearing up for this summer. In less than a month, we have our first big event of the Spring season: Hop Scotch Spring Beer and Scotch Festival. If you liked Fremont Oktoberfest, you will love Hop Scotch. It is indoors at Fremont Studios on May 8th and 9th and features more than 60 beers and wines, tequila tasting, scotch tasting and scotch seminars. Learn more details about this by going to the website, www.hopscotchtasting.com, or reading our blog at http://blog.seattlepi.com/hopscotch.
But enough about Hop Scotch (even though it's cool, it's not what this blog is about), what's going on with Oktoberfest?
We had our big brainstorming and production meeting just a couple of weeks ago. We had a lot of fun ideas flowing and now we just need to start nailing down what's going to work.
What it all came down to is "How can we give our guests more value?" In this economy, everyone is looking for the value in what they are buying, doing, seeing, experiencing. Our solution, "Let's give them more to do!"
We are working on some great programming ideas, new interactive games and elements and just overall cool ideas.
As we start to finalize new elements over the coming months, I'll post them – and yes, I'll try and post much more frequently I promise!
But, again, we are still in the beginning stages. Which means we have a lot of planning to do.
So, if you don't mind, can I pick your brain?
I want to know what would bring you down to the event! What can we program to attract you and all of your friends?
And I'll make it worth your while to. If we use your idea, I'll send you a couple of complimentary tickets to the event!


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The Resource Center is often a first stop for many guests to Mary Rigg Neighborhood Center. The Resource Center comes equipped with public phones, a fax machine, copier, and computers with internet access and printers.
Phones, fax and copier are available Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
The computer lab is open Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. on a first-come, first-serve basis with no time limits. In the computer lab we also post job leads, information on upcoming job fairs and information from many community partners offering a variety of services.
The Resource Center is also the location of the weekly Job Club held each Monday morning. Lawyers from Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic offer free legal services in the Resource Center on Wednesday afternoons.


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What's included?
Our policy can cover personal trainers, group exercise instructors and yoga teachers among others, with the following cover available:
- Public Liability cover up to £10m
- Professional Indemnity match
- £250 Equipment cover
- Optional Personal Accident cover
- Option to add Overseas Extension
- Instant quotes & immediate cover
See our FAQs for specialist product info.
Our personal trainer insurance offers flexible cover with benefits like Public Liability and Professional Indemnity included as standard, protecting you from claims by members of the public and your clients.
Policies can be tailored to your specific needs, protecting you should injury or property damage occur caused by you or your clients.
In a position of authority, instructing adults or children, you can be held accountable for your client's actions. It is important, therefore, to have adequate personal trainer insurance in place.
See our FAQs for specialist product information.
What our customers say:
"By far the easiest and quickest means of gaining PT insurance. Very competitive quote and the option of instalments too.."
Matthew – June 2017
"Very knowledgeable and helpful staff. Affordable too!"
Maricia – July 2017
Personal trainer insurance explained
Ensuring you have the correct personal training liability insurance in place is vital. While the public liability aspect of our policy is a major part of it, it is not the only benefit.
We offer flexibility to ensure you are able to get the right level of cover for you.
What insurance do personal trainers need?
Our PT insurance policies all include the following as standard, which provides comprehensive cover to personal trainers.
Public Liability cover – Either £1m, £2m, £5m or £10m
Liability insurance for personal trainers covers them for claims, damages or injury to members of the public or their property. This could come about if you or one of your clients causes damage to the gym in which you take your sessions.
Professional Indemnity cover – level matched to that of your Public Liability
Should one of your clients injure themselves and deem it to be because of your negligence, then Professional Indemnity protects you. Any claim could be the result of a client claiming you gave bad advice or set them a task which in turn, caused them an injury.
Sports Equipment cover – £250 as standard (up to £30,000 available)
The tools of the trade which you use are protected by our policy too. Up to £250 of cover is included as standard, which ensures any damage to your equipment caused by a client or third-party is covered.
Personal Accident cover (not included as standard – optional extra)
This part of the policy protects the personal trainer themselves. Depending on the specific injury, your policy could pay out if you were to injure yourself while taking a personal training session.
How much does personal trainer insurance cost?
Protectivity's cheapest personal trainer insurance policies start at just £51.14 for the year. This annual premium provides the standard, yet comprehensive, amount of cover required. Should you wish to increase your cover we are all too happy to accommodate.
Can payments be spread through the year?
Yes, you can. Protectivity offers flexible payment options for our personal trainer insurance product. You can pay upfront or split your payments into three, interest-free payments. Alternatively, longer-term payment options are available too.
Why chose Protectivity?
We have been providing insurance to individuals and businesses in the sports and leisure industry for over 20 years. Our personal training insurance product is one of the most comprehensive around, with a competitive price tag to match.
If you are carrying out a personal training insurance comparison to find the best deal, make sure you check out our reviews on Feefo.
What is covered?
Providing the correct insurance for a personal trainer is something we specialise in. Our policy is able to cover a wide range of activities and methods for trainers in the UK.
What activities are covered?
We cover a range of activities, covering a multitude of disciplines.
Multi-discipline activities:
Bootcamps, Circuit training, Gym Instructors, GRIT Series, Rebound Therapy
Weight-based training
Body Pump, Bodyweight Training, Insanity Training, Kettlebell, Kettlercise, TRX
Water-based activities:
Aqua Aerobics, Aqua Zumba, Aquanatal
Dance workouts:
Ballet Fit, Barrecore, Bellyfit, Body Jam, Bokwa, Booiaka, Burlesque Fit, FitSteps, Hip-Hop Fit, Hula Hoop Classes, Jazzercise, Kangoo Instructor, Latin Fit, Salsa Fit, Shbam, Zumba, Zumba Fitness, Zumba Gold, Zumba Gold Toning, Zumba Sentao, Zumba Toning, Zumbatomics
Cycling workouts:
Group Studio Cycling, RPM, Studio Cycling, Spinning
Other cardio workouts:
Aerobics, Body Attack, Body Combat (Non-contact), Bodystep, Bodyvive, Boxercise (Non-contact), CXWORX, Group Exercise Instruction
Other exercise activities:
Calisthenics, Callanetics, Chair Based Exercise, Children's Fitness, Fitball, Massage, Pilates, Pre & post natal exercise, Pre-school fitness, Remedial Massage, Sports Massage, Tai Chi, Yoga
Can I get cover for more than one activity?
Yes, just let us know which activities you will be taking when buying your policy.
Are there restrictions on where I train?
As long as you are qualified there are no restrictions as to where you can take your personal training sessions or exercise classes. Be it in a gym, at home or in a local park we will cover you. We do ask that appropriate risk assessments are carried out beforehand.
Can you cover me to teach outside of the UK?
Yes, providing you have selected the appropriate option of either Europe or Worldwide (excluding USA). You must be a UK resident and cover is limited to 30 days during the annual period.
Am I covered to offer nutritional advice?
Yes, provided you hold a relevant qualification.
Do I need to hold a First Aid certificate?
No, it's great if you have one, just in case a client needs first response assistance, but it's not compulsory.
Can you advise me about the medical questionnaires I am meant to give to my clients?
Typically we would expect personal trainers to have a pre-exercise readiness questionnaire, which they give out to all of their clients. Usually, personal trainers have been taught about this in their training. We do not have a generic form that we are able to provide, although we need you to be aware of the medical condition of all your clients.
Can you cover me for instructing children?
Yes, we can cover personal trainers who instruct children. We expect trainers to have obtained a suitable qualification for teaching children.
Can my policy cover more than one coach or trainer?
No, this personal training insurance policy is designed for one trainer. Should you need cover for more than one personal trainer or class leader then our Sports Business policy is more suitable.
Making a claim
We hope that none of our personal trainers ever need to make a claim, but unfortunately it does happen. It can also come about because of a variety of different factors.
When might I need to make a claim?
Your personal trainer insurance will cover you for a variety of different scenarios including:
- One of your clients injures themselves performing a drill you have set and they blame you for that injury. Professional Indemnity will cover you in such an instance.
- Your client damages equipment in the gym that you take your sessions in. The Public Liability section of the policy would protect you from the costs involved should the gym sue you.
- Your equipment is damaged by a client who fails to use it correctly. So long as the value of your equipment is covered in your policy you could be due to a full payment to cover your loss.
- You fall and hurt yourself when demonstrating a new drill you want your client to try. The Personal Accident aspect of your policy would then cover you if you are seriously injured or are forced to miss work following the incident.
Will I have to pay an excess if I make a claim?
It depends on what the nature of your claim is. Any public liability, Professional Indemnity and most Personal Accident claims do not include an excess.
Claims regarding equipment damage or loss will be subject to an excess (between £50 and £100 depending on the level of cover taken out).
Dental expense claims are also subject to an excess of £25.
Will my equipment be replaced on a new for old basis?
Yes, provided the insured value meets the cost of the new item.
How do I make a claim?
In the unfortunate situation in that you need to make a claim then just visit our claims page for more information.