text:
Ontario is celebrating the outstanding performance of our athletes at the XV Paralympic Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, who helped Team Canada exceed its medal goal.
This year, 49 Ontario athletes were part of the Canadian team that competed in 19 of 23 sports. Ontario Olympians contributed to four of Team Canada's total 29 medals, helping Canada finish 14th in overall medal standings. This exceeds Team Canada's overall goal of a top-16 finish, as the team builds for the Tokyo 2020 Games.
The Ontario athletes who won top honours for Team Canada include:
Ontario supports its athletes year-round with direct financial assistance through programs like Quest for Gold. The 49 Ontario athletes on Team Canada's 162 member contingent included 45 who received funding from the province's Quest for Gold program, which provides over $6 million annually in direct athlete assistance.
Last summer's TORONTO 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games were an important springboard for many of the Team Canada athletes competing in Rio. Athletes gained unique experience and achieved a top-two finish for Canada and a record medal count in those games, with Ontario athletes contributing to close to half. As well, 25 new or renovated sports facilities -- such as the Mattamy National Cycling Centre in Milton, the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre and the York University Stadium -- are long-lasting legacies of the 2015 Games, serving the local community and providing important training facilities for high-performance athletes.
This website is provided for your convenience. If you'd prefer to call or email, my staff and I would be happy to hear from you.
Electricity Agreement to Provide Economic Benefits for Constance Lake First NationMay 29, 2017
Ontario to Provide Free Prescription Drugs for Children and YouthMay 02, 2017
Making Housing More AffordableApril 20, 2017
Electrification Will Support Faster and More Frequent Service for Commuters and Families
Province Also Expanding Availability of Life-Saving Naloxone Kits in Communities
There's a lot happening in Ontario this year


text:
What does make away with mean?
Definitions for make away with
Here are all the possible meanings and translations of the word make away with.
make away with(Verb)
to steal
make away with(Verb)
to transfer or alienate; hence, to spend; to dissipate
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of make away with in Chaldean Numerology is: 1
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of make away with in Pythagorean Numerology is: 5
Images & Illustrations of make away with
Find a translation for the make away with definition in other languages:
Select another language:
Discuss these make away with definitions with the community:
Word of the Day
Would you like us to send you a FREE new word definition delivered to your inbox daily?
Use the citation below to add this definition to your bibliography:
"make away with." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2018. Web. 23 Mar. 2018. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/make away with>.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Someone left a comment on my blog and accidentally selected to be notified of any follow-up comments. She would like this to stop, and also mentioned she receives 4 emails with the notification. How do I stop this from happening? My blog is artclubblog.com
Thanks for your help.
Blog url: http://artclubblog.wordpress.com/


text:
To view parent comment, click here.
To read all comments associated with this story, please click here.
Why is the inclusion of such a feature worth making any noise over?
It isn't.
OpenOffice and others have supported exporting to PDF for a long time, and as you said, there are already print drivers that allow you to print anything to a PDF file.
To me, this is nothing more than Microsoft saying, "See, we support open standards too! See! See!"
Political nonsense at its best. A bunch of blathering with no substance whatsoever.
Speaking as a member of the team that built this support, I can tell you that, at least for my product, PDF export is the #1 requested customer feature. It is true that you can buy a third party prodcut, like CutePDF to get the same kind of thing, but here are the reasons customers have given me directly for wanting PDF support in Access:
- Integrated; This means it is plumbed all the way through our object model and macro engines, all their existing code and macros can take advantage of the feature w/o writing against some external libraries. This is extremely important due to current security concerns related to code signing, application trust, etc... Also, it makes automation easy. In Access you can output a report to PDF in a one-line macro that gets clicked off when you click a button on a form.
- Deployment & Maintinance Cost; If it is a part of Office, then there is only one source for patches. It gets included in the standard IT maintinance routine.
- Avaliability; While it is true that we hobby-developers all have administrator or root on our machines, it is uncommon for corporate users to have this level of access. In many cases, installing extra software packages isn't an option for them (they already have Office).
In short, we built this because customers asked us to. It is true that workarounds exist to solve this problem, but people don't want workaounds. They expect support to just be baked in to the product.
I understand the reasons for corporate entities to cut back on software (especially with a subpar method of updating, but I digress).
However, why is this functionality being included in Office rather than part of Windows as a system level printer?
Also, PDF isn't really an "open" standard.
In short, we built this because customers asked us to. It is true that workarounds exist to solve this problem, but people don't want workaounds. They expect support to just be baked in to the product.
Glad you posted. This is exactly why people would like native OpenDocument support in MS Office.
Well, of course customers want it. They've wanted it for a long time. What I don't understand is a) why not announce it before all the news about Microsoft vs. MA (seeing as it's such a demanded feature)? and b) why not integrate it into Windows? As is, it looks like nothing more than a political move.
Also, if the customer really is that important, why not support OpenDocument, which would go a lot further in acheiving the level of document sharing capabilities that people want than PDF will? The only reason people want PDF is because they don't yet know that there is a better way.
Doesn't Microsoft think it would be a much bigger step towards satisfying customer's real needs by supporting an open format that is more robust than PDF?
Instead of trying to stick it to the competition all the time, why not listen to what your customers really want and then execute? It's pretty sad if your product doesn't have enough merit to stand up on its own without resorting to file format lock-in, don't you think?


text:
DETROIT — The chief financial officer of General Motors, who brought the company through a successful public stock offering and was once considered a candidate for CEO, is resigning as of April 1.
In a surprise announcement Thursday, GM said that Chris Liddell, 52, will be replaced by Treasurer Dan Ammann. Liddell has been on the job for just 14 months.
During a hastily arranged conference call with reporters, Liddell said he had no job lined up, but doesn't want to be a chief financial officer any longer. He said he had achieved his goals of pulling off GM's IPO, fixing its accounting problems and getting the company back on sound financial footing.
The move is another in a series of management changes that started soon after GM emerged from bankruptcy protection in July 2009. The company has had four CEOs in less than two years, and it recently changed its top sales, marketing, product development and engineering executives.
Under Liddell, GM posted four straight profitable quarters and began to repair accounting troubles that had plagued it for years. The former Microsoft CFO joined GM in January 2010 with a reputation as a problem solver.
At the time, Liddell said he was leaving Microsoft with an eye on taking a higher position. When former GM CEO Ed Whitacre stepped aside last year, GM picked board member Dan Akerson to replace him, leading to speculation that Liddell was unhappy about being passed over.
But Liddell denied that he was leaving because he didn't get the CEO job, saying he was solely focused on the public stock offering at the time Whitacre left.
"I didn't have any expectations other than that, and I didn't when I joined the company," he said.
Akerson said Liddell was a major contributor to GM during a pivotal time in the company's history.
"He guided the company's IPO process and established a good financial foundation for the future," he said.
Liddell replaced Ray Young, who was transferred to GM's operations in China.
GM had been plagued with financial reporting problems heading into and emerging from bankruptcy protection. Going into its IPO last year, the company said weaknesses in its financial controls meant many of its numbers could not be considered reliable.
Steven Rattner, former head of the government's autos task force, has said that GM had the weakest finance operation that task force members had seen in a major company.
But just two weeks ago, when GM released its 2010 earnings, the company said those problems had been fixed.
GM reported net income of $4.7 billion last year, fueled by strong sales in China and the U.S. as the global auto market began to recover. It earned $2.89 per share on revenue of $135.6 billion. It was the company's best performance since earning $6 billion in 1999 during the height of the pickup truck and SUV sales boom.
GM accepted nearly $50 billion in government help to help it survive in 2009. But the company has since made an impressive recovery with global sales growing 12 percent last year.
The company must still pay back more of its rescue aid. GM's owners, the U.S. Treasury Department, the Canadian (federal) and Ontario governments and a union health care trust fund, sold common stock in the November IPO. The U.S. government got $13.5 billion from the sale and will have to sell its remaining shares for $53 each to break even on its aid to GM.


text:
How do I sue a family for child abuse? 16 Answers as of February 20, 2012A man in prison has been convicted. He owes money now. His family and this man own property that they are selling or have sold. Who do I contact to sue? The family knew he was a predator. 2 other victims came forward. How do I hold everyone liable. I need a lawyer, I dont know what kind.
Free Case Evaluation by a Local Lawyer!
Ask a Local Attorney. 100% Anonymous. Free Answers.Free Case Evaluation by a Local Lawyer: Click here
The Law Office of Harry E. Hudson, Jr. | Harry E. Hudson, Jr.
You need to be a bit more specific about the type of difficulty. However, sounds as if some person was sexually assaulted and would like to sue for damages. IF THAT IS THE CASE, SEE A PERSONAL INJURY ATTORNEY.
Answer Applies to: California
Replied: 8/19/2011
Law Offices of Earl K. Straight | Earl K. Straight
Any lawyer who handles personal injury cases should be able to help you.
Answer Applies to: Texas
Replied: 8/19/2011
Paul Whitfield and Associates P.A. | Paul L. Whitfield
The facts are not clear. You mean the man has abused a child, has been convicted of such, and has property. If so you can sue him on behalf of the child and get a judgment against him which will attach to his property. Any lawyer with civil litigation experience should be able to help.
Answer Applies to: North Carolina
Replied: 8/19/2011
Andrew T. Velonis, P.C. | Andrew Velonis
You can file a lawsuit against the predator and use the conviction as proof of his guilt. You may have a statute of limitations problem, though, depending on when the abuse took place. Once you have a judgment, collecting on it is another matter. As for family members, you can only go after them if they took an active role in commiting the abuse, just knowing about it isn't enough.
Answer Applies to: New York
Replied: 8/19/2011
Law Office of Mark J. Leonardo | Mark Leonardo
Find a personal injury attorney that has handled child abuse cases. The conviction can be used against the convict. You may have an uphill battle against the convicts family, depending on what they actually knew.
Answer Applies to: California
Replied: 8/19/2011
David F. Stoddard | David F. Stoddard
You need a lawyer who works on personal injury cases.
Answer Applies to: South Carolina
Replied: 8/19/2011
A. Daniel Woska & Associates, P.C. | Dan Woska
Child abuse and the results it often leads to is a particularly horrendous thing. The law, however, does not provide that any person offended by child abuse can just start filing lawsuits against people. The parties must be involved in an accident or a bad act or as relatives. The question becomes who has the right to bring a claim. In addition, while not always true, most child abusers are often statistically locked into poverty with little education. If you wanted to sue the abuser and were determined to have standing, what will be the result if you get a $5.000, 0000 judgments but the abuser has no assets and the ability to recover damages is not possible. I submit that I do not know a single contingency fee lawyers who believes all claims must be filed. In instances of a defendant's lack of assets to pay on the judgment the lawyer who works the whole case puts in 1500 hours to work it up, go to trial and appeal. If there is no recovery the lawyer has made no income and in most instances has paid for experts and exhibits out of his own pocket which also go unrecovered without a money source. If you want to sue someone about the child abuse make an appointment with a personal injury or tort lawyer, explain your thoughts and see what you find out.
Answer Applies to: Oklahoma
Replied: 8/19/2011
LT Pepper Law | Luke T. Pepper
This would be civil suit. If the man is entitled to proceeds from the sales, you can file suit for the abuse and attempt to attach the assets. Holding the family responsible will be more difficult. Our office can advise on these issues.
Answer Applies to: Pennsylvania
Replied: 8/19/2011
The Law Office of Josh Lamborn, P.C. | Josh Lamborn
You should look for a lawyer in your area that represents crime victims and victims of sexual assault. If you enter that in Google you should find someone who specializes in this area of law. You should also be able to contact the Oregon State Bar Lawyer Referral Service and they will refer you to an attorney who will consult with you for $35 or less. Most lawyers who handle these cases will consult with you for free.
Answer Applies to: Oregon
Replied: 8/18/2011
Ewusiak & Roberts, P.A. | Christopher J. Roberts
A personal injury lawyer should be able to help you. It may be difficult to hold the family responsible for the criminal acts of the perpetrator, but if they helped him in some way or put children at risk, you may be able to do so.
Answer Applies to: Florida
Replied: 2/20/2012
Klisz Law Office, PLLC | Timothy J. Klisz
You need a civil lawyer. The conviction establishes the civil liability.
Answer Applies to: Michigan
Replied: 8/18/2011
Law Offices of Richard Copeland, LLC | Richard Copeland
You need a personal injury attorney. The attorney you call will need a great deal of information that you haven't been able to provide in this format. Your case and the potential for recovery are both complex, and an office visit with a personal injury attorney is in order. I would plan on spending several hours there.
Answer Applies to: Colorado
Replied: 8/18/2011
Vincent J. Bernabei LLC | Vincent J. Bernabei
You should immediately call a Personal Injury attorney. If you don't act before the land is sold, you may not be able to collect anything.
Answer Applies to: Oregon
Replied: 8/18/2011


text:
A smoke alarm saved the lives of a family after a huge blaze tore through their home and destroyed most of their property.
The fire broke out at the house in Bayleys Close, Empingham, at about 9.15pm on Tuesday.
When firefighters arrived at the scene flames were bellowing from the front bedroom windows and burning through the roof of the house. The tenants, a mother, father and their son, had all evacuated the property and were being comforted by neighbours.
Firefighters believe the family were saved by their alarm in what they are calling "one of the biggest blazes in the area".
Crew manager Mick Frisby of Oakham fire station said: "This was one of the biggest fires I have seen in the area.
"It was a severe fire that destroyed the first floor and roof space.
"The occupants were alerted by the smoke alarm which has undoubtedly saved their lives."
Two fire crews were called to tackle the blaze which is believed to have started due to a faulty electrical appliance.
The son was taken to Peterborough City Hospital. The parents were given emergency aid from the British Red Cross' fire and emergency support team from Leicester.
The blaze was extinguished within an hour but the fire service remained at the house to carry out investigations yesterday.
Neighbours Alan Brown and son Daniel were forced to flee their home which adjoins the semi-detached house.
Describing the drama, Alan, 66, said: "I was in the house when it all went off.
"There was a hammering at the front door and it was a young lad saying 'you'd better get out there's a fire next door'.
"It was absolutely shocking when I came out to see flames coming out of the bedroom windows.
"The family were already out and thankfully they were alright. They were very very upset though. The fire service did a hell of a job in stopping it from spreading."
Mr Brown said his house had been damaged by smoke and water and he had to stay elsewhere in the village. But he added: "It was good to see the community come together to comfort the family who had just lost their house."
Neville Doughty, 80, who lives opposite the house in Walnut Close, dialled 999 when he saw the drama unfolding. He said: "I was just getting ready to go to bed when I saw loads of black smoke coming from the house. I called 999 immediately. It was very dramatic. We've got a tight neighbourhood and we went over to comfort them."
The tenants of the property, which is owned by housing association Spire Homes, were believed to be staying with relatives in the village.
A spokesman for Spire Homes said: "Our thoughts go out to the family at this very difficult time.
"Our main priority is for the overall wellbeing of the family and we are working with Rutland County Council to ensure they can have a suitable temporary home.
"We will also be working longer-term with the family to help find them a new permanent home for the future."
An aerial platform was used to put out the fire.
Firefighters also used plastic sheeting on the roof to help make the building safe in the aftermath of the fire.


text:
(bnvn´t chl-l´n) Benvenuto
Cellini (15001571) was an Italian sculptor, metalsmith, and author.
"Medusa" was a Gorgon and originally
a beautiful maiden, but she desecrated the goddess Athena's temple by sleeping
there with Poseidon. Outraged, Athena
turned Medusa's hair into living snakes and any man who looked upon her
face would be turned into stone.
From: The Columbia Encyclopedia:
Sixth Edition
(pûr´ss, ss), Perseus
in Greek mythology, was the son of Zeus and Danaë. His grandfather,
Acrisius, had been warned by an oracle that his grandson would kill him
and therefore he put Perseus (his grandson) and his mother in a chest and
threw it into the sea. It drifted to Seriphus, where King Polydectes befriended
the mother and child. After a time Polydectes fell in love with Danaë
(the mother) but was embarrassed by the presence of her now full-grown
son. He sent Perseus to fetch the head of the Gorgon Medusa, thinking that
Perseus would die in the attempt.
The gods, however, loved Perseus.
Hermes gave him a curved sword and winged sandals, and Athena (who had
her own run-ins with Medusa earlier) gave him a mirrorlike shield, and
Hades a helmet that made Perseus invisible. Thus armed, Perseus slew Medusa.
While fleeing the other Gorgons (Medusas sisters) Perseus asked Atlas
for help. Atlas refused, and Perseus, by means of the Medusa head, promptly
turned him into a mountain of stone.
On his way home Perseus rescued Andromeda
from a sea monster and married her. When he arrived in Seriphus, he killed
Polydectes (that wicked guy that was making the moves on his
mother) and his followers. He then gave
the Medusa head to Athena.
He went with his mother and his wife to Argos. There, while competing in
a discus contest, Perseus accidentally killed his grandfather. Thus the
prophecy was fulfilled.
Perseus was the father of Electryon,
who was the grandfather of Hercules.
By: Natasha
Copyright 1998-2003 all rights reserved
Created 1/08/2001
Updated 10/24/2003


text:
Newhouse senior 'globalsizes' communication among college students
Patrice Innocenti, a senior broadcast journalism student in the Newhouse School, recognizes the importance of students from around the world engaging with each other in today's global community.
Innocenti is the creator and editor in chief of The World on Campus (WONC), a website where college students can "globalsize"—Innocenti holds the trademark to that term—by participating in open communication across cultural, political and religious borders. "I've always had an interest in grabbing a younger demographic," says Innocenti. "College students have such interesting opinions. It's important to reach out and give them a venue for their voices to be heard."
After signing up for a free account on WONC, any interested college student can write editorials on "WONC Place," post videos on "WONC TV" and leave audio voicemail message posts through a toll-free number. Innocenti periodically solicits contributing writers in other countries, but due to natural interest from students, she doesn't solicit often. Popular topics on WONC's site include Japanese fashion, the global economy, entertainment, Hollywood/Bollywood and college sports. In addition to Newhouse students, contributors come from France, Switzerland, Lebanon, Japan and India.
As the editor in chief, Innocenti updates and monitors WONC every day. She says she uses the skills she has learned at Newhouse on a daily basis—especially media filtering, which helps her find useful and substantial content for WONC.
Innocenti is also looking for ways to use new media on WONC. Soon, students will be able to upload video or audio directly to the site through an "Instant Reporter" iPhone application that Innocenti created.
The summer before her freshman year at Newhouse, Innocenti interned with MSNBC, where she created a news segment titled "On Campus." The segment gave college and university students across the nation the opportunity to share their opinions on breaking news during live broadcasts via their schools' satellite-equipped studios.
"On Campus" ran for two years, but was discontinued in 2008 due to budget cuts. Still, Innocenti continued to promote the concept and created WONC through personal funding and grants.
Compared to "On Campus," WONC is more international. "Everything is going global," she says. "We are the generation that is undergoing this big transition. It's important to hear from people other than the news correspondents and analysts in the media. It's vital to hear from this untapped, next generation."
After graduation, Innocenti plans to continue her work on WONC. She hopes to eventually expand to include high school student contributors.
"There's nothing like WONC out there," Innocenti says.


text:
The second official trailer is up for "Man of Steel" and it pulls back the curtain a bit more on Zack Snyder's new Superman flick headed our way next summer.
The first half of it unfolds very much like the moody voice-over trailer before it, with glimpses of our broody hero Superman/Clark Kent (Henry Cavill) as a kid and as a bearded longshoreman. Ho-hum. Then the trailer really swells to a crescendo with more revealing, albeit super-quick-cut action and melodrama that includes our first looks at Superman's Kryptonian dad Jor-El (Russell Crowe), his earthbound pa Jonathan Kent (Kevin Costner) and Lois Lane (Amy Adams), plus more shots of Big Blue soaring through the skies (and space!), as well as marching in handcuffs like in the new poster.
Trailers are majesty, but so far this looks so very good.
"Man of Steel" opens June 14, 2013.
• First shot of Henry Cavill as Superman in 'Man of Steel'
Got geek news, insights or other mana? E-mail me. And follow me on Twitter for more tomgeekery.


text:
woman-holding-mirror-on-grass-reflection. self-portrait of photographer Laura Williams, an artist from Cambridge, UK. The mirror illusion was achieved in post-production using Photoshop with the idea of being 'invisible' or 'transparent'.
train tracks fading into a forest, shallow depth of field. 10 Best Travel Photography Tips from Adorama Learning Center
"Your Beautiful Eyes" by Armenian photographer Suren Manvelyan is a macro photography series of human eyes. The photos are such extreme close-ups that the eyes take on an almost otherworldly quality.
Elizabeth Tower, also known as Big Ben, in London with a red double decker bus zooming by.
women photography, portrait, black and white, photoshoot photography ideas
"Rest, nature, books, music… such is my idea of happiness.
35 Wonderful Examples of Bokeh Photography - UltraLinx
Brighton Galvan is a talented young self-taught photographer, retoucher and creative director based in Santa Barbara, California.
the open road // free people
This hair flip is perfection. The sun moving through the water creates an awesome photo.
Blaze/June for-redheads: The Red Queen ~ Asima Sefic by Maja Topcagic


text:
45 CFR 211.8 - Continuing hospitalization.
(a)Authorization and arrangements. In the event that appropriate arrangements for an eligible person in need of continuing care and treatment in a hospital cannot be accomplished under § 211.7, or until such arrangements can be made, care and treatment shall be provided by the Administrator in Saint Elizabeths Hospital in the District of Columbia, in an appropriate Public Health Service Hospital, or in such other suitable public or private hospital as the Administrator determines is in the best interests of such person.
(b)Transfer to other hospital. At any time during continuing hospitalization, when the Administrator deems it to be in the interest of the eligible person or of the hospital affected, the Administrator shall authorize the transfer of such person from one hospital to another and, where necessary to that end, the Administrator shall authorize the initiation of judicial proceedings for the purpose of obtaining a commitment of such person to the Secretary.
(c)Place of hospitalization. In determining the placement or transfer of an eligible person for purposes of hospitalization, due weight shall be given to such factors as the location of the eligible person's legal guardian or family, the character of his illness and the probable duration thereof, and the facilities of the hospital to provide care and treatment for the particular health needs of such person.


text:
A particular reader on my blog is continuously having his posts caught in the spam filter. I repeatedly click his comments and "de-spam" them, but every day, they keep getting caught. I've de-spammed more than 10 comments, still the same result. Any advice on how to fix this?
Need help? Check out our Support site, then
Non-spam comments being flagged as spam
Results from the forum search box indicate that some bloggers have had trouble with this and with other Akismet issues and as yet no "fixes" have been presented of which I am aware.
I have sent the following message to WordPress Support, and I would urge every WordPress user who is experiencing this same Akismet/Comment bug to do the same, letting WordPress know that this is a MAJOR and intolerable problem -- but that there IS a temporary fix that could be easily implemented:
I am writing about a matter that I -- and apparently numerous other WordPress users, as well -- consider to be a MAJOR problem -- namely, that the mechanism by which readers of WordPress blogs can post comments is, at this point, essentially broken.
The reason I say this is that while Akismet may be stopping a ton of spam from getting through, it is also catching an abundance of perfectly legitimate comments in its net -- and for some time now, WordPress site users have been unable to sift through the comments that Akismet is flagging to determine whether or not these embargoed messages are spam OR genuine responses from visitors to our sites.
In the past, EVERY SINGLE ONE of the comments to my site that Akismet had "caught" turned out to be legitimate comments -- some of them, very important ones -- which I then posted.
I realize that WordPress is aware of this problem, but the fact that no solution for it has yet been devised means that in the absence of a viable workaround, the ability of visitors to leave comments on WordPress sites is currently, for all intents and purposes, severely restricted, if not completely sidelined.
On my own site, I have implemented a temporary patch (and I hope that TEMPORARY is exactly all that it will need to be):
It isn't pretty (especially as compared to the ladies that it bumped down the page), but I suppose that for now, it's better than losing still more comments to the voracious and indiscriminate jaws of the Akismet shark.
However, only one person has thus far taken advantage of this alternative, indicating that most feel more comfortable leaving comments the conventional way. And most of my fellow WordPress users haven't even tried applying the band-aid that I did -- possibly because the majority of them aren't even aware that an enormous number of legitimate comments that their sites are receiving are just winding up in a black hole.
And that's precisely what's so troubling about this situation: How many hundreds of readers of WordPress blogs are being alienated because their perfectly legitimate comments are being perfunctorily and permanently discarded due to a bug of which they're not even aware?
And how can that help but result in their making the assumption that their comments are being rejected, leaving them feeling disenchanted toward the site(s) in question?
I can understand the reluctance (perhaps "unwillingness" would be the more accurate term) of WordPress.com to turn off Akismet. I appreciate how much real spam it catches.
But UNTIL THIS BUG IS ONCE AND FOR ALL CORRECTED, COULDN'T WORDPRESS AT LEAST GIVE BLOGGERS WHO PRE-SCREEN ALL COMMENTS TO THEIR SITES THE OPTION TO TURN OFF AKISMET? Under this arrangement, turning off Akismet would automatically turn on the requirement of bloggers to screen all of their messages.
Such a workaround would at least give those of us whose sites are really suffering because of this problem some much needed relief until WordPress solves the problem for good.
Why can't the above suggestion be implemented? Please...Give us beleaguered bloggers a break.
Thank you.
Respectfully and Sincerely,
When you post here to the forum to as many threads as you just did then each thread now contains a copy and paste duplicate post from you. Volunteers (your fellow bloggers who are not paid to do so) do their best to give answers to your questions in all those threads. This takes time and effort.
In the case of Akismet volunteers can offer no help at all. Only staff can help you and the way you can be sure that they do hear you and what you have to say is by using this link http://wordpress.com/contact-support/
Topic Closed
This topic has been closed to new replies.


text: Management Team - Asia Pierre Lever, Chief Executive Officer, Argus Asia Feisal Sham, Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing Anu Agarwal, Head of Editorial, Asia Gao Hua, Head of China Office Barbara Kalu, Senior Vice President, Middle East Masaki Mita, Head of Japan Office Yeo Yu Kin, Senior Vice President, Argus Consulting Services, Asia Pierre Lever, Chief Executive Officer, Argus Asia Pierre heads the Argus Asia business and is based in Singapore. He is responsible for all strategic, commercial and market activity across Singapore, Dubai, Beijing, Tokyo and Sydney. Pierre joined Argus in 2011 after his role as Managing Director for Planet Retail Ltd, a global information provider for the retail and consumer goods industry. At Planet Retail he led revenue and profit growth and expanded the reach of the business into new markets. He was a founding director of Fizzback Ltd., a venture capital backed consumer insights business, that was subsequently acquired by NICE Systems. Prior to this Pierre was Sales Director and General Manager for the southern European operations of Forrester Research Inc., a NASDAQ listed technology analyst firm. Pierre holds law degrees and an MBA from IMD Business school in Lausanne, Switzerland. Feisal Sham, Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing Feisal Sham has over 20 years of experience in global intelligence services and regional advertising businesses, having held key commercial management positions in the hospitality and retail advertising, media communications, petrochemicals and energy industries. Feisal leads Argus' sales and marketing teams in Singapore, Tokyo and Beijing. His primary responsibilities include vendor partnerships, business development, training, key account management and developing and driving revenue-generation licensing models. Feisal has worked at AP Publications, SAFAN, HB Publishing and ICIS. He has been with Argus since 2000 and has expanded the company's Asia-Pacific commercial business to include research, event management and new reporting services. Anu Agarwal, Head of Editorial, Asia Anu Agarwal is based in Singapore. She works closely with the petroleum product industry across Asia and the Mideast Gulf to develop the role of Argus in meeting the dynamic requirements of this huge market. Anu has spent 10 years working for global petrochemical companies in strategy and business development as well as sales and marketing roles across Asia. She also spent six years reporting and analysing pricing trends in the chemical, refined products and biofuel markets as well as examining the underlying factors that influence global trade in these markets. Anu shares a keen interest in new product development with a track record of developing pricing services for new and emerging markets. Gao Hua, Head of China Office Gao Hua runs the Argus Beijing representative office and joined Argus in October 2004. Gao Hua started her career in energy by working at a PetroChina oil field in 1999. After a year, she left the oilfields to become a products reporter in ICIS C1Energy. She was quickly promoted to team leader. In her role at Argus, Gao Hua set up Beijing representative office and currently manages and builds key client relationships, seeks new business opportunities and develops the Beijing office's commercial strategy. Barbara Kalu, Senior Vice President, Middle East Barbara Kalu joined Argus in 2001 to oversee sales and marketing operations outside of the Americas as the company's Commercial Manager, Europe, CIS, Africa, Middle East and Asia. Barbara previously worked at Platts, where she managed the company's key accounts. She started out at DRI/McGraw-Hill (now known as Global Insight) as an economic consultant following a first degree from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne and an MSc in economics from the London School of Economics in 1987. Barbara set up and now heads the Argus Middle East office in Dubai. Masaki Mita, Head of Japan Office Masaki Mita runs the Argus Japan office. He develops business strategy and advises Japanese market participants of the benefits of using independent price assessments. Masaki joined Argus in 2002 to open up the Japan office in Tokyo. He previously worked as an energy market reporter at other international and local energy price reporting agencies, where he built his experience and knowledge in a variety of markets in Asia-Pacific. Yeo Yu Kin, Senior Vice President, Argus Consulting Services, Asia Yu Kin heads Argus Consulting Services in Asia and is responsible Argus' advisory work in the region. Yu Kin started his career in 1990 with KBC Advanced Technology, a technical consulting company for the refining industry, before moving to market consulting with Purvin & Gertz in 2003. During his stay with Purvin & Gertz he was responsible for numerous studies in the oil and gas sectors and other energy related businesses, including mergers and acquisitions, strategic analysis, technical assessments, asset valuations, crude valuations and market assessments. Yu Kin joined Argus in 2014. Yu Kin trained as a chemical engineer at the National University of Singapore. He was recognised as a chartered engineer by the Institute of Chemical Engineers.


text:
Contact: Mark
Phone: 425.345.8321
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Mark's Plumbing Service Inc: Licensed Plumber for Seattle and Everett Area
- Since 1996'
- 35+ Years Plumbing Experience
Licensed - Bonded - Insured for Professional, Long-Lasting and Beautiful Fixtures
Please check out our website to find out more about our plumbing, repair and remodel services for light commercial, condominiums and residential homes. Read about the expertise, credentials and customer reviews to learn what makes Mark's Plumbing Service Inc. a premier Everett and Seattle area option.
We incorporate high quality brands including: Kohler - American Standard - Toto - Moen - Grohe - Elkay - Bradford White - and others. Visa and MasterCard Accepted.
Call for pricing and availability of fixtures needed for your next project!


text: Gamekeeper RestaurantOnlineAddress3005 Shulls Mill RoadBoone, NC 28607PhonePrimary - (828) 963-7400 The Gamekeeper is famous for Southern favorites - ultimate in comfort food - prepared with creativity and originality, offered through an evolving seasonal menu that blends the traditional with the exotic, satisfying both the meat lover and the vegetarian. Much quality and care goes into each dish, from the selection of the freshest ingredients to the wood fire preparation and the exquisite presentation. It is perfection for even the most discerning palate! AmenitiesTripAdvisorTripAdvisor Traveler RatingBased on 413 reviewsSee all 413 reviews.Write a review.Alcohol – North Carolina beer servedAlcohol – North Carolina wine servedFarm to TableOrganicReservations recommendedReservations required for groupsServes dinner


text:
Putting the Clamps on Banks
'Volcker' Proposal Would Sharply Limit Trading With Own Capital; Complaints From Both Sides
Wall Street trading appears headed for an inhibited new era after the U.S. government on Tuesday outlined a rule sharply limiting banks' ability to make bets with their own capital.
Regulators released a 298-page proposal that would restrict how big financial firms can trade securities and invest in hedge funds for their own benefit. The regulations are known as the "Volcker rule," after former Federal Reserve chief Paul...


text: If you're anywhere near Nottingham Trent this month or know anyone who will be attending the Nottingham Trent university then make your way to the student union on Tuesday 21st September for a heavy night of Drum & Bass at Supernova! DJ's:- Agent Orange Nikki T Dizasta MC's:- Caper Panda 8pm Start The Glo Bar, Nottingham Trent Uni City Campus, Shakespear Street, Nottingham This free event is for students of the university (Nottingham Trent) only plus one guest each (this event is in the upstairs room @ the student union - there is also dnb downstairs @ the union until about 2-3am but i am not sure of the line up for this yet, will keep you posted!) Big Up Rob & the Vinyl Frontier crew for giving me this opportunity to play in Nottingham, i cant wait! Aftershock Radio Representin


text:
Before we left for New York City I spent a great deal of time researching the best ways to see the sights in New York City with two small children. I was worried we would miss so much dealing with strollers, trains, and diaper bags and I depseratly just wanted to take it all in. I knew there was so much-too much to see so I went into the trip knowing and understanding we weren't going to see it all. But I was hoping that maybe we could at least see a good chunk of it.
That's when I came across Gray Line Tours hop on hop off bus tour. It seemed like the perfect opportunity for us to be able to see the sights and not wear out our children completely.
The terminal itself is a short jaunt from Times Square where we picked up our tickets and our maps. We decided we would try the downtown loop first, which we were told would be two hours all the way around. I was slightly dissappointed because the weather was not cooperating and it was freezing so we had to sit inside the bus as opposed to the top. But the interior seats were warm and stadium style, so when I wasn't wrestling with ToddlerTravels we were able to enjoy the sights.
I think this is a great/fun option for those traveling with children or elderly but I do need to point out it takes awhile with traffic and on busier touristy days the buses fill up at drop off locations so you may have to wait for a few buses to be able to catch one, but they run very frequently. Still that being said, we had a lot of fun seeing New York while BabyTravels napped on my arm (so convenient).
*Gray Line provided us with complimentary bus tickets to review their tour. This did not sway our opinions for the review.


text:
Wednesday's Racing Podcast
The first day of York's Dante meeting is upon us with three cracking days of racing coming up on the Knavesmire.
Gary Capewell joins Sam Norris to look ahead to the first day of the meeting, with Gary offering his selections for the first four races on the card.
Join Alex Dunn, Andrew Mount and James Millman on Racing Radio from 1.30pm.
Follow all the action - and get in touch with the team - on Twitter @willhillracing.


text:
Here's the latest of our news bulletins from the ongoing crisis at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
State of the Fukushima Reactors
Radioactive contamination of groundwater at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant continued to worsen this week. Officials at TEPCO reported that new groundwater samples collected on September 11 from a well located 20 meters north of a recent massive tank leak contained 97,000 Bq/liter of radioactive tritium, up from 64,000 Bq/liter just one day before. On September 8, samples contained only 4,200 Bq/liter.
Workers also discovered high levels of radioactive strontium in a drainage ditch 150 meters from the edge of the sea. Water samples contained 220 Bq/liter of strontium-90, and 104 Bq/liter of cesium. Both strontium and cesium have been linked to cancer and have long half-lives; strontium is known to accumulate in human bones. Officials say they believe that the contamination stems from workers using high-pressurized hoses to clean radioactive debris stemming from 300 tons of highly radioactive water that leaked from a storage tank onsite.That leak was announced on August 19, although the company now believes that it started at least six weeks earlier.Pressure from the hoses probably sent the contamination further downstream and into the sea. Water taken from other areas around the ditch contained 2,400 Bq/liter of strontium-90. A TEPCO company official admitted, "The possibility that some of the water may have reached the ocean cannot be denied."
The ongoing leak has raised concern in Japan's Parliament, prompting members of the Economy, Trade, and Industry Committee to call for an extraordinary meeting this month to discuss how to deal with the issue, despite the fact that the Diet is currently not in session. The group first began discussing a meeting on August 19, but agreed to a delay in order to avoid negative publicity in advance of the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) decision to award the 2020 Summer Games to Tokyo on September 7. Madrid and Istanbul were also contenders. An official from the Fukushima Prefectural Federation of Fisheries Cooperative Associations, whose members have been hit hard by the nuclear disaster, noted, "We understand that the 2020 Tokyo Olympics is one of the most important projects for Japan, but if the Diet delays dealing with these issues afflicting Fukushima Prefecture, the prefecture will suffer. Whether we will be able to survive or not depends on how you, our lawmakers, deal with the problem."
In the meantime, TEPCO workers spent the first part of this week trying to prepare the Fukushima plant—still largely damaged and in many places, filled with debris from massive magnitude 9.0 earthquake and subsequent tsunami that struck in 2011—for the arrival of typhoon Man-yi, which was headed directly for the Daiichi compound. TEPCO reported that it weighted down several cranes on the premises, which in the past have been known to topple over, and tied down pipes and pumps used to cool crippled reactors. In addition, workers collected rainwater that was gathering around tanks holding toxic radioactive water, in an effort to prevent it from overflowing surrounding barriers. TEPCO officials said that the water contained acceptable limits of radioactivity, so they released it into the nearby Pacific Ocean. "The typhoon has little chance of destabilizing the reactors, but it will certainly add more water to a site already crowded with hastily assembled steel storage tanks and relatively poor oversight," said Daniel Aldrich, a professor at Purdue University who writes about the politics of natural disasters and has studied Japanese nuclear power extensively.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's recent statement that the radioactive water crisis is "under control" was contradicted by TEPCO itself this week. The Prime Minister made his comments in Buenos Aires on September 7, while trying to convince members of the IOC to award hosting rights of the 2020 Summer Olympic Games to Tokyo. Japan expects that honor to be quite lucrative. Abe also insisted that radioactive water within the port in front of the Fukushima Daiichi plant has stayed within a .0.3 square km area of the harbor. TEPCO was reportedly not consulted before Abe made his remarks. Kazuhiko Yamashita, an executive with the utility, subsequently told members of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), "Predictable risks are under control, but what cannot be predicted is happening. We believe that the current conditions show that [the problem] is not under control." The fact that Yamashita used almost the exact same language as Abe did the week before is raising eyebrows. The government immediately moved to contradict Yamsahita's comments; Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga held a news conference, during which he declared, "The effects of radioactive materials are confined within the plant's harbor. Abe said that the situation is under control, meaning that steps will be taken to prevent the water from affecting the ocean."
Nevertheless, the Japanese public largely doubts Abe's statements. According to a new poll conducted on September 14 and 15 by the Mainichi Daily News, 66% of respondents said that they did not believe that the radioactive water crisis was under control. Just 8% believed that Abe's statement that water in the port was "completely blocked" were accurate. And, a whopping 86% of those polled said that Japan should do whatever necessary to stop the ongoing leaks, no matter what the cost.
In spite of Yamashita's comments, TEPCO is still downplaying the long-term effects of the toxic leaks, including the effect of contaminated water flowing into the ocean. Newly-hired TEPCO advisor Lake Barrett, who oversaw cleanup efforts at the Three Mile Island nuclear accident in 1979, said this week that the recent leaks at Fukushima are "not a concern," and that vast amounts of radioactive water sitting in cracked reactor basements are being "adequately controlled." Eventually, Barrett, who dismissed concerns of residents and fishermen, believes that low-level radioactive water should be released into the ocean. "My sense is that [the Japanese] are hesitant to do this because it's a burden for the Japanese people, a burden for the fishermen, so [they think] 'maybe we'll just continue with more tanks.' But you're just delaying the problem. Now is the time to deal with [the water]." Barrett is being paid directly by TEPCO, although the amount has not been disclosed.
Nevertheless, he did acknowledge the overall severity of the Fukushima disaster. "In comparison to Three Mile Island, Fukushima is much more challenging, much more complex a job," he said. Barrett was formerly a commissioner with the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), as well as an employee of the US Department of Energy.
Other Nuclear Politics in Japan
For the first time in 14 months, not a single nuclear reactor is operating in Japan, and none is expected to restart in the near future. On Monday morning, Kansai Electric Power Company (KEPCO) shut down reactor #4 at its Oi power plant in Fukui Prefecture for routine maintenance, as is required in Japan every 13 months. Reactor #3 at the Oi plant, which was the only other reactor operating in the nation, was shut down at the beginning of this month. The Abe administration is pushing hard to restart many of Japan's 50 idle reactors, but all are required to undergo comprehensive checks by the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA), a process that will take at least six months. Even then, operators will be required to obtain local permission to bring the reactors online. That may be difficult in the current political climate, where the vast majority of the Japanese public believes that nuclear power should eventually be eradicated.
The event spurred a major protest in Tokyo, where more than 8,000 demonstrators demanded that nuclear power be eliminated from Japan. Nobel prize winning novelist Kenzaburo Oe, who helped organized the protest, said, "We want to keep telling what is happening at Fukushima, even though everybody is talking about the Olympics. Let's hand down an environment in which children can live without fear." Former Prime Minister Naoto Kan, who has embraced anti-nuclear activism since leaving his post, agreed, saying, "Nuclear power is not cheap and is, as a matter of fact, quite risky. It takes a long time for radiation to decay. We should ask ourselves whether it is responsible to leave it for our children and grandchildren to take care of." Kan was speaking from Taipei.
Katsumi Hasegawa, a protester who was forced to evacuate his home after the Fukushima disaster, lamented, "With the future of my children tainted, I have realized that radiation and human beings cannot coexist." Jun Yokoyama, who has been organizing anti-nuclear demonstrations in Osaka since 2012, noted, "Power demand was met this summer [in spite of record-breaking heat waves] with only two nuclear reactors online. There is no need for 50 reactors across Japan." Indeed, although power companies warned of doomsday like power shortages, no blackouts occurred.
(Unregistered) Beppe
As per yesterday news (Asahi TV) leaks at Fukushima started in January and contaminated water has been washed away by rain for several months into the...
As per yesterday news (Asahi TV) leaks at Fukushima started in January and contaminated water has been washed away by rain for several months into the surrounding ground before Tepco decided to close the valve that controls water flow out of the enclosed concrete floor on which the tanks sit.
As long as no one is prosecuted Tepco will keep doing a poor job and covering up its responsibilities.
18 September, 2013 at 3:05
Flag abuse
To post a comment you need to be signed in.
Soma-Futaba and Iwaki fisheries to resume test fishing on Sep 26th (Jiji press).
The head (of Iwaki) fisheries cooperative "said he hopes consumers will understand that they will never give up fishing" (NHK).
I hope the fishermen understand that, just to be safe, I eliminated seafood from my family diet and stopped buying fish from Northern Japan long ago.
Fishermen need to ask fish to be sold with an indication of the levels of radionuclides it contains. As far as I can see this is the only way to address consumers concerns. Sample tests and verification that levels are below legal thresholds are not good enough for me to feed the fish to my children.
19 September, 2013 at 4:05
Flag abuse
Tepco has discovered cracks in the steel frame that supports the 120m tall vent pipe located between reactors 1 and 2 at Fuku 1.
According to Te...
Tepco has discovered cracks in the steel frame that supports the 120m tall vent pipe located between reactors 1 and 2 at Fuku 1.
According to Tepco the cracks have probably been caused by the earthquake. (NHK)
This is more evidence that Japanese npps are not able to withstand earthquakes.
19 September, 2013 at 21:44
Flag abuse
1 - 3 of 3 results.
Are you sure to remove this comment?
Are you sure to report this comment as abuse?


text:
The associations of Mauritius and South Africa are joining the Association de la Sommellerie Internationale
Created on Wednesday, 01 July 2015 17:25
On the occasion of the A.S.I. that took place in Bordeaux on the opening of Vinexpo (in charge of the logistics) onSunday 14th June, the associations of Mauritius Island and South Africa obtained the status of observer members. 57 countries are now part of the Association de la Sommellerie Internationale. Taiwan, former observer member, became active member during the same session.
Something else to particularly point out : decision was made and unanimously voted to organize the next GA in Serbia (2016) and Georgia (2018), the GA on
the odd years still being planned at Vinexpo Bordeaux. It will allow attract the attention of the sommeliers worldwide on not so well known wine areas and gastronomic traditions.
Before announcing the program for the next contests, the diplomas of the 2015 Certification A.S.I. Exam were presented and the dates for 2016 voted : February 29th, March 1st and 2nd.
Chile, the hosting country for the Contest of the Best Sommelier of the Americas won by the Argentinean Paz Levinson in April, showed a video reminding the great moments of that excellent contest supported, among others, by Wines of Chile.
For the next continental contest – Best Sommelier of Asia & Oceania – the Hong Kong association unveiled the programme from 4 to 8 November 2015. China awaits all the presidents, not only the local ones, and plans, after the competition, a visit of the vineyards in Continental China.
Regarding the Contest of the Best Sommelier of the World that will take place in Mendoza, Argentina, from 15th to 20th April 2016, with the support of the local authorities, COVIAR and Wines of Argentina, it will attract around sixty candidates : those from member countries, the continental best sommeliers and invited professionals whose association has not already joined the A.S.I. The Final is planned at the mythic Teatro de la Independencia.
The dates of the Contest of the Best Sommelier of Europe 2017 in Austria were announced : from 8th to 13th May. 35 to 40 candidates should take part in this competition.
Other points were discussed as the proposal of the Union de la Sommellerie Française to organize the 2019 World championship in Bordeaux, on the week prior to Vinexpo, that would be the perfect opportunity to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the A.S.I. And also the idea of the World Day of the Sommelier on June 3rd, date of the foundation of the A.S.I. in 1969. "El Dia d el Sommelier" is now famous in Latin America where it has been existing for three years. So, why not in the rest of the world ?
On the eve of the GA, a welcome dinner was held at Grand Hôtel de Bordeaux, hosting the national members and the international partners of the A.S.I. in a very friendly atmosphere with, served in Chef & Sommelier glasses, the champagne Moët Impérial, the wines of Alsace, the Austrian wines, as well as bottles of Château Lagrange 2005 offered by Suntory. Of course, the coffee Grands Crus, were from Nespresso…
Next GA in June 2016 in Serbia !
We are proud to publish the two best essays written by two sommeliers that have passed the exam and obtained the I.S.A. Sommelier Award
Created on Saturday, 18 April 2015 17:25
Title of the essay
"Most restaurants do not employ a sommelier. Not yet. In those restaurants, manywaiters have to act as sommeliers.
Please write (400/500 words) how you could help the restaurateur discover the sommelier, the real expert for beverages and their management, and convincehim/her to engage one".
"Dear Peter,
I was in your restaurant yesterday. I must say it looks very professional, elegant, and what I love the most, the winelist is pretty long. I chose excellent bottle from Fitou. For me, it was a great evening, but there were guests in your restaurant who were unhappy with the waiter's service. Your staff is like people in the fog.
Nowadays restaurants' guests need sommeliers ! If you want your restaurant to be modern and popular in this city, you should engage one.
Sommeliers have more knowledge about wine and this wine list won't be any problem for them. Today, you probably sell 10 kinds of wine. A new sommelier will sell all wines from left to right. Very important thing is food pairing. Unfortunately, I heard yesterday one waiter recommended Amarone della Valpolicella with salmon, because "he loves both" ! It's a terrible mistake ! Sommelier's knowledge is much bigger and your guests will be very happy when they try perfect pairings like Sauternes with blue cheese or duck breast with pinot noir. Somme pairings can make the difference and next time guests will go to your place.
What's more ? Sommeliers are not only specialists in wine and wine and food pairings. They also perfectly sell other beverages like Cognac, Whisky, Grappa. They know more interesting things about water, tea and coffee ! So, you will earn more by selling better beverages, better water, more expensive wines and alcohols. With good, long list of wines and professional staff your restaurant will be on the top, well recognized in the city.
If you engage one sommelier, the rest of your employees will learn accurate things about wines and food pairings, or alcohols. All positive things.
If you are not sure about it, we know well each other, I can help you find a good sommelier. But first, I can work at your place during one week (without any fee). You will see how your income will increase. The most important is that your guests will be delighted with excellent wines and magnifique food pairings.
I also will help you with arrangement of the wine cellar and help to buy good wine fridges.
I wish you had the best restaurant in this city !
Best Sommelier around the world 2014
Created on Sunday, 01 February 2015 17:25
Simone Ragusa, Best Sommelier of Switzerland 2014
After a beautiful and tough competition in Lugano, letâs celebrate the three finalists and the winner !¨On the photo¨ : in the centre Simone Ragusa "Best Sommelier of Switzerland 2014¨, on the left, RÃza Nahaboo "Vice Best Sommelier of Switzerland 2014⨠and on the right, AurÃlien Blanc " 3rd finalist 2014 of TrophÃe Margaux Bel Air-Marquis d'Aligre "Meilleur Sommelier de Suisse 2014"
Within the frame of the 19th contest organized by ASSP at Hôtel Splendide Royal in Lugano, the 3 finalists and the winner are :
"Best Sommelier of Switzerland" 2014: Simone Ragusa, sommelier at Hôtel Lido Seegarten inLugano
"Vice Best Sommelier of Switzerland" 2014, RÃza Nahaboo, sommelier at Hôtel des Alpes in Orsières « Third finalist" 2014, AurÃlien Blanc, sommelier at Hôtel Baur au Lac in Zurich.
The winner received the TrophÃe Margaux Bel Air-Marquis dâAligre Cup, Meilleur Sommelier de Suisse 2014, offered by Paolo et Brigitta Wiicht.
Certificates and Bragard aprons went to the 3 successful sommeliers.
After a preselection and a semi final with 15 candidates, the three best ones had to perform in front of an audience and demontrate their skills and knowledge throughout the tests of the final at Hôtel Splendide Royal of Lugano.
The panel of judges, with Swiss and international experts in the vitivinicultural field, (famous sommeliers, Ånologists, producers) conducted perfectly the tests, under the presidency of Paolo Basso, president of the technical committee. Paolo Basso is the Swiss sommelier who earned the most prestigious titles : Best Sommelier of the World 2013, Best Sommelier of Europe 2010, Best Sommelier of Switzerland 1997.
Great success for this national contest thanks to the national president Piero Tenca, responsible of the organisation, of finding sponsors. A fantastic job ensuring this noticeable achievement.
Srdjan Janjic â New Best Sommelier of Serbia
On two days, 31st October-1st November 2014, the Serbian sommelier association â SERSA- organized the 6th National sommelier competition to award the Best Sommelier of Serbia for 2014.
Competition was held in Zira hotel in Belgrade.
President of jury was Michèle Aström Chantôme (president of sommelier association of Morocco and secretary general of A.S.I.)Jury members were: Karina Tholin (pres ident of Sweden sommelier association) Annemarie Foidl (president of Austria sommelier association) and Tim Vollerslev (founder and vicepresident of Denmark sommelier association).
During the semifinal 14 candidates had to show their sommelier skills in the following disciplines :
-theoretical exam and blind tasting with written commentary
-decanting red wine
-serving champagne
The three best candidates passed to final: Srdjan Janjic who works in Canada at Treasury Wine Estates (formerly Foster's Group), Vlada Stojanov, sommelier at Doukly restaurant, Belgrade, Serbia and certificated by International A.S.I. sommelier diploma in 2013 and Miloš Šeša, sommelier at Terasa restaurant Novi Sad, Serbia.
In the final they had 7 tasks to show thei r sommelier skills:
- oral blind tasting of two wines and 5 spirits
- food and wine matching
- serving a magnum of champagne in to 24 glasses
- decanting red wine
- correcting a wine list
- cigar knowledge
- recommendation to the guest
- surprise task given by president of jury
The best in final was Srdjan Janjic and he will represent Serbia in next A.S.I. World and European sommelier championships.
Second place : Vlada Stojanov, third : Miloš Šeša.
The competition was supported by domestic wineries and a few companies who are friends of SERSA: Gorda Å ljivovica, Hotel Zira, Misaco Ltd., NS Promo Team, Gastromaster. Wineries who supported this competition: BaÄina, Matalj, RadovanoviÄ, Temet, Brothers RajkoviÄ, KovaÄeviÄ, AleksandroviÄ, Zvonko Bogdan, KiÅ¡, AleksiÄ, Budimir, Rubin, CiliÄ, Imperator, Belo Brdo, IvanoviÄ.
The Best Sommelier of Japan 2014
The Final of the Best Sommelier of Japan 2014 competition was held on October 16th, 2014 in the city of Fukuoka. An audience of some 700 people witnessed Hiroshi Ishida (Restaurant-I Keisuke Matsushima, Tokyo) winning the title of the Best Sommelier of Japan for the third time.
First runner-up, Akihiko Nosaka (K.O. Dining, Hong Kong), second runner-up, Makoto Iwabuchi (Château Tcc, Singapore)
This competition was also a qualifying trial for earning berth for the A.S.I. Contest of the Best Sommelier of Asia & Oceania which will be held later in 2015 in Hong Kong and both Hiroshi Ishida and Akihiko Nosaka will represent Japan.
Wines of Portugal - Japanese Sommelier of the Year 2014
âWines of Portugal Japanese Sommelier of the Year 2014â, first-ever co-organized competition by the Japan Sommelier Association and Wines of Portugal, the official partner of A.S.I., was held on October 7th, 2014 in Tokyo.10 semi-finalists competed in the Final in front of an audience.
The winner, Atsuhide Hoshiyama (Yakiniku-house Rengaya, Hyogo) will conduct 4 training masterclasses throughout 2015 and will participate in the one-week wine tour to Portugal wi th 4 other finalists.
Antoine Lehebel, Best Sommelier of Belgium 2014-2015
On Sunday 12th October the final of the Contest of the Best Sommelier of Belgium 2014-2015 took place in the Radisson Blu Hotel in Brussels, and was won by Antoine Lehebel, sommelier of Restaurant La Villa Lorraine, Uccle.
The competition was organized by the Gilde des Sommeliers de Belgique, the Club Gastronomique Prosper Montagné and the association VVS (Vereniging Vlaamse Sommeliers).
The three finalists were : Benoît Couderé (Restaurant De Karmeliet à Brugge), Antoine Lehebel (Restaurant La Villa Lorraine, Uccle), Jasper Van Papeghem (Hostellerie Lâ Esco - Wetteren). Those three sommeliers, one French speaking, two Dutch speaking, had been selected among 11 semi-finalists, three weeks befo re.
The final was in front of an audience, and 15 judges, national and international experts and journalists specialized in wine had to evaluate the three sommeliers through high level tests including a tasting of 3 wines and 6 spirits, lthecorrection of a wine list with errors, matching food and wine, serving a champagne, decanting a red wine, answering a question in a foreign language.
The Gilde des Sommeliers de Belgique being the only national official association active member of the Association de Sommellerie Internationale -A.S.I.- the winner will have the opportunity of representing Belgium in the next A.S.I. Europe and World Sommeliers Contests.
Luis Antonio Morones, Best Sommelier of Mexico 2014
In septembre 2014, the Asociación de Sommeliers Mexicanos AC (ASM), organized for the second time the national Contest for Sommeliers, with the support of the Four Seasons Hotel Ciudad de México. The winner was Luis Antonio Morones, Head Som melier of âThe Palmâ from the Group Presidente. Second, Crescencio González, Sommelier of âEl Desafueroâ in Puebla, and third, Steve Ayón, independent Sommelier.
The ASM has a goal : to spread the culture of wine with honesty and responsability by professionalizing the sommelierâs job and enhance the image of sommellerie.
The candidates of the contest are all profesional sommeliers with an experience of one year at least. They are also active members of the ASM.
Letâs point out that this contest is supported by the Alianza Panamericana de Sommeliers (APAS) and the Association de la Sommellerie Internationale (A.S.I.) that gathers the national associations of sommeliers around the world (55 countries including Mexico, represented by the AMS).
The Final took place in the Grand Salon of the Four Seasons Hotel. After a written questionnaire on the history of wine, viticulture, wine making, vitivinicultural geography, the job of sommelier⦠practical tests like decanting, service of a sparkling wine, profesional tasting, correction of errors on a winelist and surprise questionsâ¦allowed the judges to decide on the final score.
Ruben Kwakman, Best Sommelier of the Netherlands 2014
On Monday 22nd September, the Dutch Association of Sommeliers (NGS) organized, in partnership with importer Wijnkooperij De Lange and the Restaurant Valuas, its biennial contest, the Henriot Trophy, to award the title of Best Sommelier of the Netherlands.
This time the NGS was the guest of Marcel and Erik Swaghoven at the Restaurant Valuas* in Venlo.
The jury consisted of: René van Heusden (head of the jury, writer and journalist for the magazine Perswijn); William Wouters (former president of the Belgian sommelier, working for Luis Pato Wines, Portugal); Cees He lder (former owner and Chef of the Restaurant Parkheuvel*** in Rotterdam); Magda van de Rijst (wine journalist and author of various books about wine); Roy Pelgrim (Master-sommelier of the Restaurant Cordial* in Oss); Bob Jurjens (sommelier of the Restaurant De Leest*** in Vaassen); Martijn Verkerk (owner of import company Wijnkoperij Smaragd Wijnen).
The participants showed their knowledge and value through four tests:
- a tricky theoritical exam and a tasting;
- a practical part including food and wine pairings;
- an oral comment of two wines;
- decanting of a great wine.
Further to these semi-finals, the three best candidatesâJob Seuren (Librije), Lotte Wolf (Pure C) and Ruben Kwakman (Parkheuvel)âhad to fulfill high-end tests and fiercely faught for the title in the finals held in front of an audience. Ruben Kwakman ranged first and will hold the title of Best Sommelier of the Netherlands for two years.
Ruben Kwakman (Restaurant Parkheuvel in Rotterdam), winner of the 2014 Henriot Trophy, receives from WOSA (Wines of South Africa) a journey to South Africa and qualifies for the preselection of the A.S.I. Contest of the Best Sommelier of the Word (Mendoza 2016) and/or of Europe (Vienna 2017).
Salvatore Salerno, Best Sommelier of Italy 2014
Created on Thursday, 30 October 2014 17:25
Salvatore Salerno, Best Sommelier of Italy 2014
Salvatore Salerno, Sommelier at restaurant Joel Robuchon from Hotel Metropole in Monte-Carlo, won the prestigious title of Best Sommelier of Italy ASPI for the year 2014.The final took place in Roncegno Terme, at the l'Istituto Alberghiero e di Alta Formazione, and gathered Salvatore, as well as Daniele Arcangeli, second, and Marco Grassi, third.
Within the frame of the contest, Daniele Arcangeli won the very first « Birra Moretti Prize» focused on creative food and bier pairing. For this Prize, the candidates had several tests in semi-final and final. In semi-final, all the competitors had to answer questions about beer, then taste two products from the Moretti family. For each of these bie rs, they had to suggest the best food pairing. During the final, they had a surprise test : serving a Moretti Gran Cru, as in a restaurant with customers around a table.
This Prize shows that the sommelier profession is evolving, out of the world of wine. The sommelier is now dedicated to the world of beverages.
Birra Moretti, actor of the great Italian and international history, wants to share and support this evolution, put on the front stage a beverage more and more present on our tables, beer.
Daniele Arcangeli, born in Viareggio, got a great experience in Italy and abroad (Principe Forte dei Marmi, Badrutt's Palace of St. Moritz, Lido Palace of Riva de Garda). He is currently Sommelier consultant for several restaurants of Tuscany.
Marco Grassi, is Sommel ier at Metro Italy. 2014 is an important year for him as he passed the prestigious A.S.I. Exam last February, thus got his A.S.I. Sommelier Diploma. This Exam is available in every association active member of the Association de la Sommellerie Internationale all over the world. And ASPI is the unique Italian association recognized at the international level.
The panel of judges was, once again, high level : Marco Larentis, President of the panel, Piero Sattanino, Best Sommelier of the World (1971), Giorgio Grai, eonologist internationally renowned, Ivan Persolja, President of the Sommeliers Association of Slovenia, with a Board member, Davorin Skarabot, Claudia Moriondo, expert in food and eonogastronomy, Giovanni Profumo, Director Confcommercio Trentino, Loredana Camin, province assessor for teaching and training, Federico Samaden, manager of the Istituti di Rovereto e di Levico Terme, Massimiliano Peterlana, restaur ateur and President Fiepet, Giorgio Colli, specialized journalist for eonogastronomy, Nino Pappalettera, risponsable of the local ASPI coordinators and Niccola Silini, restaurateur from Milano.
A special Thank you to the students and teachers of the Istituto Alberghiero e di Alta Formazione di Roncegno Terme for their involment and great professionalism!


text:
Friday, June 29, 2012
Going the Pinterest way
As you might know, Pinterest is earning money by turning your shared links into affiliate links. So if you share an Amazon product link on Pinterest, an affiliate id is automatically added and Pinterest earns a provision if you click on that link and buy something on Pinterest.
I will try the same for 3x3Links.
If it works and I earn enough to pay the hosting costs of 12$ a month or even more, all special* features of 3x3Links will be unlocked for everybody and I will stop asking for donations resulting in an overall better experience for all.
*3x3Links special features are: Private logos, own CSS and HTML widgets, which are currently restricted as they would increase hosting costs.
Posted by Federico at 3:57 AM No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)


text:
|Member Since:
|Track This Author:
|Stories Posted:
|Reviews Posted:
|Favorite Author of:
hiii. currently working on DA & trying to get my review back. love you all.
|< 1>|
: Dreadful Affections by pinkypurple
Banner by me! :]
Grace was one of the friendliest persons in Hogwarts. She was helpful, nice, talkative, and a bit naïve. She had great friends. Now, Grace wanted someone special in her life. She didn't want just anyone though; she wanted to meet the love of her life. Who knew she had to choose between two great guys?
Genres: Humor, Romance, Young Adult Era: Marauders Characters: James, Lily, Lupin, OtherCanon, Sirius Pairings: Sirius/OC, James/Lily, OC/OC, Remus/OC
Advisory: Strong Language, Scenes of a Mild Sexual Nature
Published: 2008.06.28 Latest Chapter: 2008.10.30 Updated: 2008.10.30 Status: WIP (9076 words)
: Our Chemical Romance by pinkypurple
Banner by me :]
It my last year. Well everything was perfect last year. I had one love in my life, Alex. My great friends: Sirius, Lily, Layne, James, Remus and Peter. My sister and dad that I love… not my mom. Now I know that they say that nobody likes change but I never knew how much it would hurt me. All I could say is that without a special someone I would have never got through anything.
Genres: Humor, Romance, Young Adult Era: Marauders Characters: James, Lily, Lupin, OtherCanon, Pettigrew, Regulus, Sirius Pairings: Sirius/OC, James/Lily, OC/OC, Remus/OC
Advisory: Mild Language, Scenes of a Mild Sexual Nature, Substance Use or Abuse
Published: 2007.08.29 Latest Chapter: 2008.08.14 Updated: 2008.08.14 Status: WIP (10818 words)
: Different Love by pinkypurple
Banner by me :]
I was looking around when I found Sirius Black eyeing me. 'Woah' was all I thought. I mean Sirius Black was the most wanted guy in Hogwarts and he was looking at me. I looked at him and then he turned to James. He whispered something at James and then he turned his eyes at me. I was so confused… I mean I look a little different and then Sirius stars eyeing me. Weird.
Genres: Drama, Romance, Young Adult Era: Marauders Characters: James, Lily, Lupin, OtherCanon, Sirius, Snape Pairings: Sirius/OC, James/Lily, Remus/OC
Published: 2007.07.03 Latest Chapter: 2007.08.02 Updated: 2007.08.02 Status: WIP (2928 words)


text: Not sure why my post was moved, but I was getting some helpful feedback and wanted to bring it back here. I will post each picture seperatly so that it doesn't get moved again: As the post title says, this is a Holocaust Memorial and I am trying tocapture the mood most people will feel when actually standing in frontof this memorial. Since this memorial is close by, suggestions on crops, POV, etc, are appreciated. Thank you.


text:
2014 Ford Fusion Hybrid - Consumer Review
Build Quality
Reliability Value
Vehicle2014 Ford Fusion Hybrid SE 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT)
ReviewI returned my car after driving for a week it got 39 at best, went around and around with ford and after finding out that consumer reports and studies were coming out saying the gas mileage was grossly over exaggerated, they finally agreed to unwind the deal
it was getting 29 highway and 38 to 39 city.
if you drove like an old person and never quickly accelerated, put the air on, or went up a hill it might get a little better
Worst Featurescigarette lighter doesn't turn off with car , usb doesn't recognize my mp3 player, no ipod adapter, half of height in trunk is lost to battery controls and electronics are not intuitively friendly it does handle good and turn corners well
Are you the author of this review?Update Your Review
on 07/01/14 15:21 PM (PDT)
This weekend I decided to rent a Fusion Hybrid instead of Prius (which I usually) rent. Advertised MPG is a lie. I traveled almost 1500 miles over 3 days. Mountains, hills, flats. It could get average advertised MPG only downhill. I have been cruising most of the time. the combined average MPG came to only 37.1 Where Prius would always go 50+. All the extra features include a touchscreen display that will irritate you with all the fingerprints on it. The trunk is non-existent, so do not plan on bringing your gold clubs, they will not fit and you will have to put them inside. The bottom line was $30 extra in gas I otherwise would have saved by renting a Prius (cost the same at the rental place).Report it
You must be signed in to post a comment.


text:
The US company could incorporate more aluminum into its sport utility vehicles and other models in the future, executives said on Monday, following the debut of the lightweight version of Ford's popular F-150 pickup truck.
The body of the revamped F-150 is 95 % military-grade aluminum alloy – the same kind used in Humvees – and weighs up to 700 pounds less than current truck. Using aluminum rather than steel is a key part of Ford's strategy to cut between 250 and 750 pounds from each model in its lineup.
"Obviously this is our first shot (at using aluminum in) a big-volume vehicle and there's absolutely no reason why we couldn't think about taking it elsewhere," Executive Chairman Bill Ford told reporters at the Detroit auto show. "It is a lightweight, high-strength material and 700 pounds out of a vehicle like this – that's a big deal," he added.
Ford's gamble that aluminum will give the company a greater edge over rivals stands in contrast to the approach of General Motors, which launched its latest trucks last year, and which this week unveiled its Canyon midsize truck.
"We made a strategic decision to change the game as the leader," said Joe Hinrichs, Ford's head of North and South American operations. "We felt that with our volume and our scale we could work with aluminum providers to launch the F-150."
Consumer tastes and more stringent U.S. fuel economy regulations in the future – known as corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards – spurred the No. 2 U.S. automaker to rethink the F-150, the top-selling vehicle in the United States.
The redesign makes the new F-150 "CAFE-positive" for the first time, meaning the truck will help Ford meet those standards instead of lowering the average gasoline mileage of its lineup, Chief Operating Officer Mark Fields said.
Production of the new F-150 would begin in the fourth quarter in Dearborn, Michigan, and in early 2015 in Kansas City, Missouri. The truck will be in U.S. showrooms by the end of 2014.
Via Reuters


text: < Salish Ancient Salish is the language spoken by the Salish. The Salish spoke Ancient Salish not only on the planet PXY-887 which the Goa'uld deposited them on, but also on Earth, specifically the Pacific Northwest of North America. (SG1: "Spirits") Retrieved from "http://stargate.wikia.com/wiki/Ancient_Salish?oldid=336576" Categories: Languages Add category Cancel Save


text:
Monthly Archives: May 2009
ESRI at JavaOne
Are you heading out to SanFrancisco this week for JavaOne 2009 conference? Our developers and product Engineers are also packing their bags as we speak. We have our own booth at JavaOne! Our team had been busy all this week, working on great demos for the booth. Please visit us at our ESRI booth (booth #827) and check out the demos on ArcGIS Java technology and recent enhancements at 9.3.1. Better yet, you can also chat with our developers and product engineers at the booth.
Wish you sunshine and see you at JavaOne!
The 2009 Homeland Security GIS Summit Approaches
- Registration Deadline Extended to June 19
- Homeland Security Summit Facebook Page Now Online!
The 2009 ESRI Homeland Security GIS Summit promises to be better than ever. This year's theme–The Geographic Approach: A Framework for Mission-Critical Decision Making, encapsulates all of the important work public safety professionals do using GIS. The Summit provides a unique opportunity to learn how to meet the mission and address today's challenges in homeland security.
There's still time to sign up to attend the ESRI Homeland Security GIS Summit. The registration deadline has been extended to June 19. This year's Summit is held July 11–14, 2009, at the Marriott Hotel & Marina in San Diego, California.
And now you can make connections BEFORE you get to the Summit or even if you can't make it to San Diego!
ESRI has rolled out the ESRI Homeland Security GIS Summit Facebook page! Log on and use this social networking tool to communicate, collaborate, and exchange ideas. This forum is built specifically for people to reach out to one another in a quick and easy fashion. We'll also post Summit updates, pictures, and discussion threads.
Learn more by checking out the official ESRI Homeland Security GIS Summit web page at: http://www.esri.com/hssummit
Utilizing Business Analyst, Spatial Analyst & Core ESRI ArcMap tools to create custom models in Modelbuilder
by Dennis Kaplan
This workflow was of big interest to the attendees at this year's RECON Shopping Center trade show.
The General Workflow: A business owner starts off by taking a macro look at a metro area to find ideal areas for possible investment. Once areas of interest are found, the user is now able to go into an area and take a micro look at the business landscape within the areas of interest to see if it meets their product mix.
1. The first part of this workflow was to take a macro look at a particular metro area. We used the Dallas Metro area. I call this the Site Suitability Analysis. This sample model uses Spatial Analyst to create Hot Zones for possible development. It creates distances from different geographic location surfaces as well as creating surfaces for demographics. These surfaces are then overlaid on top of each other to create a Weighted Overlay surface (This part of the model is configurable.). The result is a surface that shows areas where a retailer might want to start looking for a new prospective location. For good effect, I included some Points of Interest (POI) that a fictitious customer might have from a real estate broker. After running the sample model, it finds that two of the POIs fall into a Hot Zone.
This model is a framework that any user can utilize and swap in the layers of information of interest for their business needs. ArcGIS Business Analyst contains many layers that can be utilized for this type of Hot Zone Analysis. You can download and work with the model from Esri's Code Gallery at; http://resources.esri.com/businessAnalyst/desktop/index.cfm?fa=codeGalleryDetails&scriptID=16325
Site Suitability Analysis Screenshot
2. The second part of this workflow is called a Gap Analysis. It starts with the user zooming into one of the POIs in the Hot Zones. Retailers would like to know what businesses are within their trade area of interest as well as what businesses are not. This enables retailers to see if their product is a good mix for the existing market. In this case, the retailer has already created their Trade Area of Interest with the Draw your own trade area tool from the Business Analyst Trade Area Wizard. The retailer or business owner might also have their own set of businesses they always look for (their Master List), be it Restaurants or Steel Manufacturing locations. This model is optimized to use the InfoUSA Data points that come with the Business Analyst extension.
The model can be run in either run mode or edit mode. The model uses a custom Crystal Report template as well as a custom Python script that opens the report template upon completion. Both were created by Indria Davis from the Esri Commercial Technical Marketing team.
You can also download and work with the Gap Analysis model by going to; http://resources.esri.com/businessAnalyst/desktop/index.cfm?fa=codeGalleryDetails&scriptID=16329
Gap Analysis Screenshot in edit mode
The Report results are very interesting. Quickly one can see the voids (what retailers are not in the area of interest). You can also see that there are 8 Autozones in the area, 3 of them are within the trade area and 5 of them are outside the trade area. The first one within the trade area in yellow is a half mile away from the POI and the first one outside the area of interest is almost 4 miles away.
Esri's tools give users open functionality to mold its tools they way users want them. Modelbuilder and Arctoolbox is sometimes an overlooked powerful environment that enables this collaboration. The above workflow showed how a business challange was solved utilizing Business Analyst, Spatial Analyst and Core Esri Spatial tools all within Modelbuilder's drag and drop environment.
I hope this workflow might help to open your minds that there is much more to the Business Analyst product than the Business Analyst toolbar.
GIS Grid Computing
At the Developer Summit I talked with a customer who had a grid computing environment where they needed to handle high volume specialized routing requests. He knew how to do
ArcGIS Developer Tip #2: Enhanced .NET Intellisense for ArcGIS 9.3.1
If you are working with the ArcGIS 9.3.1 .NET SDK, then you may have noticed a small enhancement when coding against the core ArcObjects Primary Interop Assemblies (PIA) in Visual Studio 2005 and 2008.
In previous versions, when you typed in a property or method, you simply got this:
Now the intellisense reads the actual IDL help string from the core COM libraries and displays them for you.
Just a small enhancement, but worth noting.
An easier way to zoom: A Dojo dijit that zooms to states and counties
The UI component of the "ZoomTo" dijit is composed of a couple of other standard Dojo form dijits. It's making use of the drop down button (keeps the dijit's footprint small) and filtering select (two actually, one for states and one for counties). On the back end, the dijit connects to two JSON files. Each JSON file has state or county names, FIPS codes and, most importantly, the extent for each state or county. When a selection is made, the dijit pulls the extent out of a JSON file and then passes it to map.setExtent() to zoom and pan the map to the correct location. The dijit also draws the extent as a graphic, fades the graphic out and removes it from the map's graphics layer as a visual cue to the user.
Some observant readers might be wondering about spatial references. They're taken into consideration too. The dijit will make sure it's sending an extent with the proper spatial reference to the map. The extents in the default JSON file provided are WGS84, but JSON files with extents in Web Mercator (WKID 102113) and NAD83 (WKID 4269) are also included in the dijit's data folder. It's up to you to specify a JSON file that matches the spatial reference of your map, but if the spatial reference of the map doesn't match what's in the JSON file, a request is sent to a geometry service to project the extent before sending it to the map. This is a quick operation and causes only a slight delay in the time it takes to zoom to a state or county.
Please be sure to go through the ReadMe.txt file in the dijit's zip file because some edits are required to get this running on your machine/server. Also, check out the comments in the ZoomTo.js file for more info on how the dijit works.
Contributed by Derek Swingley of the ESRI Applications Prototype team
Design concepts and setting up your own dashboard
I started typing this blog entry last week. My original idea was to share 5 simple steps to set up the dashboard or Flex sample viewer. Since then, two great things came up, the creating effective web maps seminar and an unbelievable flex guide from a user. Both are discussed below with my original 5 steps.
I recently had the honor of presenting the creative effective web maps seminar. If you did not get a chance to attend this seminar, I strongly suggest reviewing the seminar materials. The seminar focused on creating web maps, just like the operational dashboard. A lot of concepts and design practices were discussed. If you would like to review the materials, you can download the powerpoint and handout from this website.
At the end of the seminar, we demonstrated configuring the Sample Flex Viewer for a parcel notification application. If you are interested in doing this, take a look at the handout that was provided at the seminar. It provides a walkthrough for you. You can find it on the web site provided above.
I would also like to share a very detailed document that one of your users shared with us. Tapas Das, from the Arizona Land Department, wanted to learn the Flex environment so they could upgrade their old ArcIMS based Parcel Viewer to ArcGIS Server. In this process, he put together a very detailed word documents that goes through setting up Adobe Flex builder, using a flex tutorial, debugging flex, and much much more. Again, big thanks to Tapas for sharing this. This is fantastic. If you find this helpful, please thank Tapas.
So to my original idea, 5 steps to setting up the Dashboard.
1 .Determine your Data and Services
I like to think of the data to support my application in three formats. Dynamic, Cached and Other services. When you construct your application, you are going to use a combination of these services. By separating data into a series of cached and dynamic services, maybe some custom overlays, you will achieve the optimal performance. Think about it, if you had all data, orthos, mains, parcels, etc.. in one dynamic service. Each pan and zoom has to query all these layers, label and draw them and send the image down to the browser, but if you separate the orthos and parcels into one cache service. A pan or zoom will just grab the pre-rendered cache service of orthos, parcels, etc. and only query and draw the layers that need to be overlaid, the mains, valves, etc..
When you are trying to split up your data, here are some helpful ways to think about your different services:
Dynamic Map Services – Optimized or Regular
- Real-time data
- Frequently-changing data
- Reporting Layers
- Widget Results
Cached Map Services
- Background data
- Data that does not change often
- Projected on the fly – what I mean by this is that if this data is not in the proper projection, set the data frame to the proper projection and the cache will be build with the data projected.
Other Services
- Geoprocessing, Routing, Locators, Custom XML services
- Real-time data from other systems
- Results from tables or other systems
When configuration the Sample Viewers, you have three options to display your data. Each of these options gives you a little different control over the data.
Base Maps
Typical these are cached maps. They are drawn as the bottom layer in the Viewer and only one base map layer can be displayed at a time. The user does not have the option to toggle layers in the map on and off. The service is treated as one layer.
Live Maps
Typical these are dynamic maps. They are drawn on top of the basemap and can be stacked on top of each other. Think of each map service as a group layer. If they are dynamic services, the user can toggle different layers on and off.
Widget Displays
We refer to these as client side graphics. The information behind them is coming from a dynamic maps services or what I referred to above as other services. If you are using a dynamic map service, the supporting map document is usually a few layers. Symbology and scale is not determined by the map services, so do not spend anytime of this map doc look and feel. The widget will query service, map service or other, filter the results and display a graphic.
This can include a table of information. At this moment the Rest API's do not support tables. This should not prevent you from creating a web service that connects to a SDE table or third party system, and send those results to a widget as XML
Widgets are also a great place to show the results from a selection. We typically call these selection sets in desktop GIS. We can display them in the standard grid, but try to think about the results in a different manor. Can we use a chart to display them? Is there any way to rely the same info in a more intuitive way?
2. Set up the Flex Viewer
Set up files in IIS
- Copy the Unzipped flex application to a folder on your Web Server.
- Create a virtual directory for this application
- If you need help with this section, follow the section in the templates help files
- Apply CrossDomain.xml – to access data from a different server than the one hosting your Flex application, the remote server needs to have a cross-domain file in the root directory. For security reasons, the Web browser cannot access data that resides outside the exact Web domain where the SWF file originated. However, Adobe Flash Player can load data across domains if permission is granted from the server. This is accomplished by including a small crossdomain.xml file on the remote server that permits Flash to connect to services on that server. http://resources.esri.com/help/9.3/arcgisserver/apis/flex/help/index.html#references/using_crossdomain_xml.htm
3. Determine Widgets
The Flex viewer template comes with some widgets for typically web mapping functionality. Some of them are listed below.
- AboutWidget.mxml
- BookmarkWidget.mxml
- ChartWidget.mxml
- DrawWidget.mxml
- GeoRSSWidget.mxml
- IdentifyWidget.mxml
- LiveLayerWidget.mxml
- LiveMapsWidget.mxml
- LocateWidget.mxml
- OverviewMapWidget.mxml
- PrintWidget.mxml
- There are more widgets posted on the resource center for the Flex API.
4. Update the Configurations File – Main Viewer
Open Config.xml in the Sample Viewers Root & Change the following tags
- <Title> and <Subtitle> – This is the text in the bar at the top
- <Menus> – Menus are the drop downs in the banner bar. You add will add tools, widgets and layers to these.
- <Map initialextent…..> – Adjust these extents in the spatial reference of the viewer
- <Basemaps menu="menuMap"> – Add the basemap services. These services are display vertical on menu listed
- <LiveMaps – Add the operational layers services.These are displayed in the LiveMapsWidget and are displayed on a floating widget. Make sure to leave the LiveMapsWidget in the widget section
- <Navtools> – By Default, all navigation tools are listed
- <Widgets> – Add all the widgets you need in your application
5. Update the Configurations File – Widgets
Check and see if your widgets have configuration files. If they do, open them up and adjust the configuration for each.
SOE – what's new?
SOE what?
You will hear me talk a lot about SOEs this year as the best practice for providing low-level GIS functionality on the web. What are these SOEs and why should you use them? An SOE (Server Object Extension) is a class and a set of methods that are developed to run within the SOC and then can be called by web applications. We just introduced them in Java in ArcGIS Server 9.3.1 and I think they may be the most important thing the Java team worked on at 9.3.1.
What are the advantages of writing an SOE?
- Modularizing your code. SOEs allow you to separate low-level ArcObjects business logic code from presentation code. ArcObjects developers can write SOEs without knowing JSF and JSF developers can create great web applications without knowing ArcObjects.
- Performance. There are several cases where you will see huge performance gains.
- Round-trips. A lot of developers have written code or tasks that take lots of round trips to the Server. In many cases the calls to the server don't take a lot of processing time but the network overhead is killing their application performance.
- Fine-grained ArcObjects. If you need access to fine-grained ArcObjects you should put that code in an SOE. Fine-grained ArcObjects code almost always requires lots of round-trips. Use an SOE.
- Data Analysis. If you are transferring data to your application for analysis then you should really think about either a Geoprocessing model if possible or an SOE for complex analysis. For example, one developer I met wanted to get the median value of one of the attribute fields. He queried all records and then computed the median in his JSF code. When we moved his code to an SOE there was a 75% performance savings. The only time you should be transferring data from the SOC to the client is to present it to the user.
It's SOE Easy!
We have put a lot of effort to make the development and deployment of SOEs easy. Take a look at the documentation on SOEs to find out about them.
Historical GIS template: Boston 1775
By Charlie Frye, Esri Chief Cartographer
This post, is to announce the release of a map template for historical GIS called Historical GIS: Boston 1775. If you've never given historical GIS a second, or a first thought, you might find the contents interesting and maybe even applicable to your work. Consider that the vast majority of GIS data is historical, even if it's only a few minutes old.
Genealogy and history have been hobbies of mine for years now, and I've since developed an interest in colonial U.S. history– in particular, the U.S. Revolutionary War. For me, GIS and mapping provided an obvious way to make sense of the history I found fascinating. As such, I found it more than a little ironic that relatively few of the historically-inclined geographers I've met had turned to GIS much less demonstrated GIS-based methods as a sound basis for scholarly historical inquiry. But, I've been happy enough to take that opportunity to blaze a trail. Continue reading


text:
(Critical Survey of Science Fiction and Fantasy)
Dinner at Deviant's Palace is both representative of Tim Powers' work and a significant departure from his earlier novels. The plot formula is very similar to that of nearly all of his previous novels. The protagonist encounters a problem, struggles against it, and gives himself up to drugs and denial when the going gets tough, but he pulls himself together for one last try in the nick of time. The formula is acted out slightly differently in this book because the stuporous period has ended long before the book begins. Even this, however, is reminiscent of The Drawing of the Dark (1979); both books begin with the protagonist unwillingly revisiting his past for the sake of a woman he lost.
Despite the familiar plot, Powers breaks new ground in Dinner at Deviant's Palace. In contrast to The Drawing of the Dark, The Anubis Gates (1983), On Stranger Tides (1987), and The Stress of Her Regard (1989), the adversary in this book is not supernatural. There are vampiric ghosts, zombies, monsters, and beings with superhuman powers, but all of these are explained without resort to magic. In addition, the ending of Dinner at Deviant's Palace leaves important business unconsummated, whereas the other four books all end with the adventure finished, even if the protagonist does not get to live happily ever after. Powers may have thought that it was safer to end a science-fiction novel on an ambiguous note because science fiction deals with subject matter inherently more familiar than that of fantasy, depending as it does on laws of nature and...
(The entire section is 661 words.)