text:
Toll road work ramping up in coming monthsJuly 6, 2013 Updated: July 6, 2013 9:54pm
Expect a building boom of toll roads as the Houston region faces explosive growth and stagnant state transportation spending.
Houston-area officials plan to spend hundreds of millions of dollars in the six-county region adding toll lanes or widening those already used by local drivers to deal with the region's increasing traffic.
Most Popular
Astros send a 'clear message' with Jose Altuve's new deal
Update: Latest Austin explosion unrelated to package bombs
Heights home tour showcases homes rescued from potential teardown
The post office will take photos of your snail mail, then...
Astrodome to host one last party before construction to create...
Review: All-in for the frying at east side's Casian Crawfish
No paycheck? No problem. For rodeo volunteers, clocking...
"We're going to see more and more discussions of toll roads," Fort Bend County Commissioner James Patterson says.
A $334 million, 12-month plan call for improvements and additions across Harris County, ranging from work along the southern section of the Sam Houston Tollway to major upcoming construction along Texas 249 south of Tomball. Officials with the Harris County Toll Road Authority are also laying the groundwork for an extension of the Hardy Toll Road downtown and replacing the Ship Channel Bridge.
On track: Grand Parkway segment set for December opening
More Information
Highway 290
The state and countyy are working on a $1.8 billion project to widen and add toll lanes from Loop 610 to FM 2920.
Highway 249
Drivers on the heavily traveled Texas 249 may see relief when toll lanes are added to the median to create the Tomball Tollway. Eventually, officials plan a three-lane tollway in each direction between Spring-Cypress and FM 1774 in Montgomery County.
Ship Channel Bridge
Officials hope to widen the bridge, potentially to four lanes in each direction, and to reduce the steep incline and decline.
Hardy Toll Road
Toll road officials are laying the groundwork to extend the Hardy Toll Road from Loop 610 into downtown Houston.
Peter Key, authority director, said the goal is to build and keep its debt below six times what it brings in annually via tolls, currently about $520 million. Long-term debt for the toll authority, based on its 2012 financial report, is $2.7 billion.
Though it refinanced and restructured its borrowing over the past two years, the authority hasn't issued new bonds since April 2009.
Toll rates for drivers, however, have increased incrementally, and will rise again. One-way rates on the Westpark, Sam Houston and Hardy toll roads will increase five cents, to $1.45, on Sept. 7.
'Seeing dirt moved'
Around the same time, work will start on two projects adding toll lanes to the median of Texas 249 from south of Spring-Cypress Road to near Northpointe Boulevard and building a new interchange where the Tomball Parkway and Grand Parkway meet.
Eventually, officials plan a three-lane tollway in each direction between Spring-Cypress and FM 1774 in Montgomery County, a high priority because of a flurry of residential and commercial construction along the 290 and 249 corridors.
"It makes it real in terms of seeing dirt moved," said Mark Seegers, spokesman for Commissioner Jack Cagle, who represents the Tomball area.
Work on the $28 million section will largely leave the current 249 lanes untouched, as the tollway will be built in the wide median. Seegers said officials planned for the upcoming lanes when the bypass around Tomball was built.
Todd Jefferson, who moved to Tomball four years ago, said the area needs bigger highways to handle the traffic, but he worries toll lanes only give some people relief.
To read this article in one of Houston's most-spoken languages, click on the button below.
"If I'm spending $2 a day that's going to add up to $500-$600 a year," Jefferson said. "Maybe that's not a lot to some people, but it's a lot to me."
The segment to the north will be added to a current project along the 180-mile Grand Parkway, a planned third freeway ring around the Houston area. The tollway's intersection with the parkway will be built through a partnership with the Grand Parkway Transportation Corporation and Texas Department of Transportation. The cost to the toll road authority will be $32.5 million.
Zachry-Odebrecht Parkway Builders won a $1.04 billion contract to build a 37.8-mile stretch of the parkway from U.S. 290 northeast to U.S. 59.
Key said it was a unique situation where two major toll projects are converging at about the same time on the same area. Combining the projects, he said, means both projects are on pace to open to cars in early 2015.
"It is a rare thing to have something move this quick," Key said, noting the plan was put in place a few months ago.
Yet more projects
The toll authority and state officials often partner on major projects around the Houston area. Officials widened Interstate 10 by building managed toll lanes in the center, which opened in 2009. The transportation department and the toll authority are cooperating now in widening U.S. 290 from Loop 610 to FM 2920, with toll officials contributing up to $400 million over four years for the $1.8 billion project.
While combining projects to save costs works in some situations, toll officials took a different approach to redesign the Ship Channel Bridge. County officials hired four engineering firms to divide work for replacing the bridge, a segment of the Sam Houston Tollway between Texas 225 and Interstate 10.
Key said officials at the toll authority hope to widen the bridge, potentially to four lanes in each direction, and to reduce the steep incline and decline needed to span the Ship Channel.
"You talk about building something for the next 100 years," Key said. "It will outlast all of us."


text: The following reply was made to PR pkg/33084; it has been noted by GNATS. From: Ben Collver <email@example.com> To: email@example.com Cc: Subject: PR/33084 CVS commit: pkgsrc/emulators/snes9x Date: Sat, 18 Mar 2006 15:56:00 +0000 (UTC) Module Name: pkgsrc Committed By: ben Date: Sat Mar 18 15:56:00 UTC 2006 Modified Files: pkgsrc/emulators/snes9x: Makefile PLIST distinfo pkgsrc/emulators/snes9x/patches: patch-aa patch-ab patch-ac patch-ad patch-ae patch-af patch-ag patch-ah patch-ai patch-aj patch-ak patch-al patch-am patch-an patch-ao Added Files: pkgsrc/emulators/snes9x/patches: patch-ap patch-aq Log Message: Upgrade snes9x to version 1.43. May affect PR#33084. Builds but does not run correctly on amd64 and sparc64. Unix-specific changes include: * Removed bundled zlib in favour of detecting the system zlib. * Fixed mouse offset in resized X11 window. * Fixed compilation on AMD64. * Rewrote keyboard setup code * Unmap all joystick buttons before applying -joymapX * Loading a zip file on binaries without zip support will give an appropriate error message * Added install target with proper --prefix handling. * Added VPATH handling. * Added fallback to C-core if configure can't find nasm. * Changed the default controller setting to use just the plain SNES controller pad. Mouse, Superscope and multiplayer adapters are now turned off by default. This reflects how the Windows port has been doing it for some time. * Added a new command line option: -sdd1-pack * Fixed the x86 SuperFx assembler core. * Added possibility to enable the debugger via configure. * Moved full screen button from 'Print Screen' to 'Alt'+'Return'. * Added screenshot capability. Available by pressing 'Print Screen'. * Fixed OpenGL target. * Fixed sound on some big endian Linux systems. General changes include: - Rewrote Unfreeze, renamed it S9xUnfreezeFromStream, failing to load a freeze file no longer resets emulation (blip) - Fixed Unfreeze to restore IPPU.HDMA properly (blip) - Rewrote OBC1 code to match the real chip (Overload) - More updates the to DSP-1 code, fixes to projection (Overload, Andreas Naive) - Added movie recording+rerecording support (blip, Bisqwit) - Added -hidemenu CLI switch (funkyass) - Added internal support for emulating the new-style SNES (MKendora) - Cleaned up many quirks of the cheat search engine (MKendora, Don Vincenzo) - Fix mosaic in hires SNES modes (Tokimeki Memorial) (MKendora, zones) - Rewrote Legend's hack, added another game to it (MKendora) - Optimized the Open ROM dialog (MKendora) - Rewrote the Seta DSP map (The Dumper, MKendora) - Began string isolation for the UI, eases translation (funkyass) - added -nopatch -nocheat, and -cheat CLI items (MKendora) - fixed a UI typo (funkyass) - fixed several C core stack ops in emulation mode (MKendora) - split emulation mode ops from native mode ops (MKendora) - Seta special chip emulation enhancements (Feather, The Dumper, Overload, MKendora) - code tweaks to the ST010 (Nach, pagefault) - fix some C/asm quirks and HDMA quirks (all my fault) (MKendora) - several timing hacks to fix games (lantus) - improved checksumming for odd mirrorings (MKendora) - Snes9x uses a standard zlib instead of a packaged one (PBortas) - Exhaust Heat 2 and regional ports are playable (Feather, The Dumper, Overload, MKendora) - Game Doctor dumps that are 24 Mbit are now supported by a force option (MKendora, Nach) - SuperFx interleave format is now considered deprecated. Support will be removed in future versions (Team decision) - made SuperFx interleave detection a compile option (MKendora) - added memory maps for slotted games (MKendora) - fixed a typo in the usage messages (MKendora) - fixed the bug that had nuked optimizations (The Dumper) - restored full speed optimizations in release builds (funkyass) - Added non-speed-hack version of color subtraction. (zones) - OpenGL info message font fix (zones) - APU timer fix (zones, Nach) - Fixed mouse offset in resized X11 window. (PhaethonH) - Fixed a (presumably) long-standing bug: Mode 6's BG is depth 4, not depth 8! (anomie) - Dreamcast: Added SH4 assembler (PBortas, Marcus Comstedt, Per Hedbor) - C90 and aclocal 1.8 warning fixes (thanks Ville Skytt� (PBortas) - Added support for NSRT Team's JMA format (Nach, NSRT Team, funkyass) - Added 8-bit rendering filters (funkyass) - Added Sanity Checks for the Display Dialog (funkyass) - New Layout for the Joypad Dialog, (funkyass) - Fixed that anoying Joypad dialog bug. Now check to see if the axis exists before asking for the info form it (funkyass) - Added full POV support. (funkyass) - Fixed sram sizes for SuperFx games (Nach, MKendora) - Stopped saving sram for games with no battery (Nach, Mkendora) - stack wrapping fix in C core (MKendora) - removed some dead hacks (Oda Nobunaga and Dezaemon) (MKendora) - fixed some DMA and HDMA modes (anomie, MKendora) - improved HDMA timing (anomie) - cleaned up load and deinterleave code (MKendora) - removed old UI DLL (MKendora) - new cheat dialogs (MKendora) - Implement odd sprite sizes, sprite priority rotation. (anomie) - RTO code that hopefully works. MK's #define is "MK_DEBUG_RTO" to try to debug the RTO code. (anomie) - SDD1 decompression support for Linux. Also added a new command line option -sdd1-pack. (anomie) - Added correct VRAM read logic. #define CORRECT_VRAM_READS if you want it. (anomie) - removed the non-VAR_CYCLES path (MKendora) - changed access timing map to be address-based. (MKendora, anomie) - DSP-1 updates (Overload, Andreas Naive) - S-DD1 decompression support (Andreas Naive) - optimized S-DD1 code (anomie) - S-DD1 can use packs or decompression (MKendora) - More work on Exhaust Heat 2 (MKendora, Overload, The Dumper) - separated ROM detection from file reading (lantus) - fixed a mirroring bug in LoROMs (MKendora) - cleaned up some mapping issues (MKendora) - ST018 games now boot before locking up (Mkendora, Overload) - SA-1 state was not completely reset, crashed Marvelous (zones) - Removed sample caching. It caused problems, and was not noticably faster. (MKendora) - Fixed interlace without breaking the displays for MK (anomie) - Fixed a PPU OpenBus hack (anomie) - Moved SPC7110 and S-DD1 regs to speed up the general case of reading the $4xxx registers (MKendora) - altered Hi/Lo ROM detection to fix a few misdetects. (MKendora) - Implemented RTO flags. With MK's implementation of $213F's interlace bit, we now pass the SNES Test Cart's Electronics Test (anomie) - Fix sprite windowing bug (anomie) - cleaned up the hacks section somewhat (MKendora) - removed some interleave hacks (MKendora) - fixed a bug in KartContents (MKendora) - transparency fix for Jurassic Park (lantus) - Kludged Mark Davis until I get stable APU timing (MKendora) - Fixed an FMOD bug (MKendora) - cosmetic tweaks (Everyone) - Fixed 2 special chip bugs in the C core (zones) - Added some sanity fixes to the C core, fixes MLBPA Baseball for C core users (zones) - updated zlib source (includes 1.1.4-1 patch) (MKendora) - compiler warning fixes (PBortas) - Updated the SuperFx asm core (pagefault) - Hacked Robocop vs. Terminator using Daffy Duck hack. Stops flashing. (MKendora) - Added some defines to the asm core (MKendora) - Initialize the C SuperFx core better (PBortas) - Kludge a Japanese golf game until the APU timing is fixed (MKendora) - Oops, in the asm CPU core i was stomping on %eax too early, so register $4210 wasn't getting set properly. (anomie) - Generic accuracy fix in main SUperscope emulation (MKendora) - sprite bug fixed (gah! How'd we miss that) (anomie) - SPC saving compatibility fix (Caz and zones) - Window clipping update (anomie) - Mode 7 clipping fix (TRAC) - latching fix (anomie) - BS BIOS checksum and mapping fix (MKendora) - Working Uniracers hack (dma.cpp) (anomie) - HDMA Indirect Address fix for Romancing Saga 2 (anomie) - Better savestate hack, does it break anything? (anomie) - C4 C core fixes. Mostly Trapezoid (thanks Nach), some s/short/int16/, some indentation. (anomie) - Damn, but the indentation in ppu.cpp was screwed up. Killed some dead code too (twas commented forevermore). (anomie) - fixed a potential crash in S-DD1 logging (MKendora) - Improved accuracy of Hi/LoROM detection (~500 ROM test) (MKendora) - Hack for Moryou Senki Madara 2, don't call SelectTileRenderer from DrawOBJS if BGMode is 5 or 6. A real fix requires at least rewriting SelectTileRenderer, or inlining a special version in DrawOBJS. (anomie) - DMA traces: add additional address info to reads too. (anomie) - Killed the old Borland Joypad dialog (funkyass) - Fixed issues with Dezaemon and CT, maybe others (anomie, MKendora) - Changed the internal snapshot key from \ to VK_F12 (funkyass) Fixes issues with non-US keyboard layouts. - Fixed OAM reset to not occur during forced blank. (anomie) - Killed some dead OAM reset code that doesn't need saving. (anomie) - Fixed OAM reset timing (beginning of V-Blank rather than end) for R-TYPE 3 (J). (anomie) - Tweaked the About Dialog so its read-only and no scroll (funkyass) - cleaned up a sound skipping code issue. Same as the RTC issue (lantus) - re-fixed the invalid BRR header behavior twice (Lord Nightmare, FatlXception, Mkendora) - More BS mapping fixes. (The Dumper, MKendora) - Fixed Ranma Bun no 1 - Chonai Gekitou Hen (J) and Street Combat (U). Interlace is not supported in the non-Hi-res modes, as far as I can tell. (MKendora) - Also fixes Maka Maka (J). Frank Yang's report, and anomie's code both provided clues to this one. - Removed special casing on setting 5c77 version to one. This seems to be true for U and J units always. I need it checked out on PAL... (neviksti) - Using SNEeSe's values for 5c78 and 5A22. Note we know that the 5c78 version can also be 1 or 2, instead of 3. (TRAC, neviksti) - Added turbo buttons. Credit/blame for the design goes to slack, Nave, Gogo, and myself. (MKendora) - fixed a bug in turbo (slack, MKendora) - Tried merging the behavior of Old $4200 with new $4200 (MKendora) - Made $4200's return value match what VSMC Explorer showed on Fancia's SNES (MKendora) - Fixed a matrix multiplcation bug in ZSNES state loads (MKendora) - Fixed Dezaemon and Ys3 mode 7 (lantus) - Fixed H-DMA modes 5-7. Thanks to The Dumper for the extra motivation needed. GunForce and Genocide 2 work. (The Dumper, MKendora) - Fixed BG3 Priority. I'm stupid. anomie had fixed it, but lantus fixed it again, because I didn't use it. (anomie, lantus) - Added a Star Fox 2 hack, and an interleave skip (The Dumper, lantus, MKendora) - Cleared BS setting on load (lantus) - Fix for Mode 7 priorities. fixes F-1 Grand Prix (all 3) (anomie) - JANJYU GAKUEN 2 needs Multi-tap 5 off. (Frank Yang, MKendora) - HONKAKUHA IGO GOSEI: No multi-tap 5, allow mouse (lantus, MKendora) - Added a few missed conditional compiles (Nach) - disabled multitap 5 by default, added menu to enable (MKendora) - special thanks to anomie and lantus. One of them is responsible for a bug fix I forgot already. (anomie, lantus) - Removed several Multitap5 disable hacks. (MKendora) - Added an SPC dumping upgrade from kode54 (kode54) - cleaned up some resource leaks (MKendora) - I forgot this since 1.39mk, but SPC700 flag fixes (anomie) - Mode 7 interpolation screen flip fix (anomie) - Updated SPC7110 code a bit, for compatibility (Daniel, anomie) - Changed RTC saving. (Byte exact to old format on Win32) The submitted patch for "safety" doubled the file size, so I had to write it in explicitly little-endian. (MKendora) - Removed the old hidden cursor (MKendora) - Applied a WAI correction from anomie. (anomie) - Added a patch for Pseudo hi-res (anomie) - Hacked around Word writes to $7F:FFFF. Thanks to lantus and The Dumper for verification. (MKendora) - PPC compile fix? and debugger reversion (anomie) - Set defaults differently to improve sound quality. (MKendora) - Clear Force load settings after Init (lantus) - Made menu reset a soft reset. Fixed BL Sound Test & more (CaitSith2) - Fixed word writes to block bounds in asm core. (MKendora) - redone version of my bounds fix, only this one WORKS! (TRAC) - Thanks to TRAC for the AT&T syntax refresher! (TRAC) - Fixed screen saver disable (kode54) - Fixed OAM and sprite priority in the asm core (anomie) - Proper Interlace fix for mid-frame changes (anomie) - Fixed OpenGL to accomodate previous patch (MKendora) - Fixed ROM Info bugs (_pentium_five, MKendora) - Fixed non-stretched interlacing, but it's s.l.o.w. (anomie) - Superscope and Mouse need to be enabled by the menu. (MKendora) - Fixed HiROM sram reads in asm and C cores (anomie, MKendora) - Added Company 48 to the list. Thanks to _pentium_five_ (StatMat) - Set Super Drift Out's S-ram correctly. (Snes9xppSE Team) - Fixed NTSC timing. Helps ToP Intro greatly (kode54) - Added several entries to the company list, from uCON64 (Nach) - Lots more companies (StatMat, Nach) - Added ZSNES OBC1 code ported from asm to C (sanmaiwashi) - Implemented Justifier emulation (neviksti, MKendora) - Fixed Rudora no Hihou's clip window bug (anomie) - Fixed Flintstones sprite issue (lantus) - Fixed sram mappings for Big Sky Troopers and Taikyoku - IGO Goliath. Both map in bank F0 (MKendora) - Fixed a possible crash when switching audio settings (MKendora) - Added per-pack gfx pack configuration (MKendora) - Fixed glitches in DSP-1 games (Flintstones fix) (lantus) - Added delay to Superscope latching. Fixes X-Zone. (neviksti, MKendora, zones) - Added DSP-2 support (Overload, The Dumper, Lord Nightmare, MKendora, neviksti) - Fixed Super Bases Loaded 2 (and J/K ports) DSP-1 seems to ignore the A15 line in LoROM maps (MKendora) - Corrected $4200 again (The Dumper) - Corrected $2100, $2102, and $2102 read behavior (anomie) - Fixed Cancel on the Sound Options dialog. (MKendora) - Fixed the sound options dialog (Thanks, Quattro) (MKendora) - updated DSP-1 support to match chip better (Overload, neviksti, The Dumper) - added a few Ops to the DSP-4 routine (Nothing plays yet) (neviksti, The Dumper, Overload, MKendora) - added screenshot support (anomie, sanmaiwashi) - stubbed the ST010 chip in Exhaust Heat 2 (Overload, MKendora) - hacked around War 2410's lockup (pagefault, _Demo_, MKendora) - updated tests for type 1 ROMs (based on reset vector) (MKendora) - Emulation mode CPU fix (The Dumper) - Open Bus fixes (anomie) - Better Expansion port emulation (anomie) - More Open Bus fixes (Overload, anomie) - HDMA fixes (fix colors only in Full Throttle Racing) (anomie) - Migrated DKJM2 onto the Tales map (MKendora) - Tried to remove Dragon Knight 4 hack (LoROM sram fix) (MKendora) - Fixed ROM Mirroring for LoROMs (<= 32 Mbit) (MKendora, TRAC) - blocked wram to wram DMAs (neviksti) - fixed HiROM mirroring, too. Thanks TRAC! (MKendora, TRAC) - fixed C core RMW and Push ops to write in the correct order, fixes Michael Jordan gfx. (anomie, Overload, MKendora) - set RDIO to start as 0xFF, fixes SuperFx games. (anomie, Overload) - New connect dialog (funkyass) - better conditional compile of FMOD (funkyass) - fixed screenshot code when libpng is not used (funkyass) - added portability fixes (zones) - fixed asm Pushes (anomie) - fixed asm LoROM s-ram decode (MKendora) - migrated DEZAEMON to standard LoROM map (MKendora) - fixed the Madara 2 OpenGL bug (key found in Rudra) (MKendora) - fixed asm RMW instructions (MKendora) - fixed ADC opcode (The Dumper) - added DSP-2 Op09 (The Dumper) - updated C4 C code (anomie) - updated C4 asm code (Nach) - Keep OpenGL in ratio (kode54) - Replaced many more Borland dialogs (funkyass, MKendora, Nach) - Added CRC32 to displayed ROM Info (Nach, MKendora) - Fix cheat support (The Dumper) - improved DMA timing (MKendora, Overload, The Dumper) - Fixed Mode 7 math, removed Dezaemon, Gaia, Ys 3 hacks (TRAC, MKendora) - Mode 7 flip fix (TRAC) - Multiple safety and initialization fixes (zones) - Platform safety fixes (PBortas) - Memmap cleanups (MKendora) - More preliminary work on special chips (The Dumper, Overload, MKendora) - Added color coding (MKendora) - Another HDMA fix (anomie) - added another known hack to the hacked games list (Nach) - ToP memmap changes (MKendora) - Checksum calculation changes (MKendora) - Special cased a few games for OAM issues (MKendora) - Reverted OAM reset to 1.39 timing (MKendora) - Reworked vram wrapping (zones, Mkendora) - Fixed $4210 and Super Professional Baseball 2 (Overload, MKendora) - Fixed APU RAM init (Overload, MKendora) - More support for Exhaust Heat 2 (not playable) (The Dumper, Overload, neviksti) - removed some debris from save states (MKendora) - fixed? Doom's save state bug (MKendora) - simple overdump detection warning (MKendora) To generate a diff of this commit: cvs rdiff -r1.34 -r1.35 pkgsrc/emulators/snes9x/Makefile cvs rdiff -r1.1 -r1.2 pkgsrc/emulators/snes9x/PLIST cvs rdiff -r1.11 -r1.12 pkgsrc/emulators/snes9x/distinfo cvs rdiff -r1.11 -r1.12 pkgsrc/emulators/snes9x/patches/patch-aa cvs rdiff -r1.2 -r1.3 pkgsrc/emulators/snes9x/patches/patch-ab \ pkgsrc/emulators/snes9x/patches/patch-ad \ pkgsrc/emulators/snes9x/patches/patch-ae \ pkgsrc/emulators/snes9x/patches/patch-ah \ pkgsrc/emulators/snes9x/patches/patch-ai \ pkgsrc/emulators/snes9x/patches/patch-aj cvs rdiff -r1.3 -r1.4 pkgsrc/emulators/snes9x/patches/patch-ac \ pkgsrc/emulators/snes9x/patches/patch-af cvs rdiff -r1.6 -r1.7 pkgsrc/emulators/snes9x/patches/patch-ag cvs rdiff -r1.1 -r1.2 pkgsrc/emulators/snes9x/patches/patch-ak \ pkgsrc/emulators/snes9x/patches/patch-al \ pkgsrc/emulators/snes9x/patches/patch-am \ pkgsrc/emulators/snes9x/patches/patch-an \ pkgsrc/emulators/snes9x/patches/patch-ao cvs rdiff -r0 -r1.1 pkgsrc/emulators/snes9x/patches/patch-ap \ pkgsrc/emulators/snes9x/patches/patch-aq Please note that diffs are not public domain; they are subject to the copyright notices on the relevant files.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Wikipedia Confirms Chace Crawford As a Bottom
Poor Chace Crawford can't get a break. The gay rumors keep on coming even though the Gossip Girl actor, who plays Nate on the show, has asked the show runners to cut it out with the gay shirtless stuff and my esteemed (read: smarter and better-connected) colleagues at the Daily Intel got no blips on their gaydar when they met him. It doesn't matter! Everyone still calls him geigh. And now even Wikipedia is conspiring against him. To see what I mean, consult the picture at left. Click through for larger.


text:
Calibration of CCD Images
Calibration is a procedure for reducing the effects of CCD Bias and Dark Current (see CCD Basics) and certain defects in the optical system.
Light Frames
'Light Frames' are images (or a video) of a celestial object captured by the CCD. Each pixel in the images will have a numeric value that includes the influences of:
With calibration we will try to remove as much as possible of the Bias and Dark Current from each Light Frame. Also, we will try to remove the effects of certain types of optical defect and noise.
Dark Frame Subtraction
The objective here is to remove the CCD Bias and Dark Current noise from each Light Frame image. First we build a Master Dark Frame that contains only the Bias and Dark Current elements of an exposure. Then we subtract the Master Dark Frame from each of our Light Frames (or each frame of our video).
Dark Frames are images taken with no light falling on the CCD, so that the only values present in the pixels are due to Bias and Dark Current (+ or - some noise). Typically, Dark Frames are acquired by placing a light-proof dust cap over the telescope objective and making a series of exposures with the same settings (exposure, gain etc) as for the Light Frames to be calibrated.
It is best to have your CCD operating at the same temperature during Dark Frame capture as for Light Frame capture. A good procedure is to obtain your dark images immediately before or after (or both) capturing the Light Frames.
The Master Dark Frame, containing only Bias and Dark Current, should be subtracted from each of the Light Frames effectively removing most of the effects of Bias and Dark Current from the Light Frames.
Flat Fielding
The objective here is to minimise the effects of various imperfections such as:
First we build a Master Flat Field that shows the imperfections, then we divide each Light Frame by the Master Flat Field. (Yes DIVIDE!).
A Flat Field is an image of a perfectly plain flat white surface. Any deviation from absolute homogeneity across the image is due to CCD or optical imperfections.
Flat Field images should be obtained using an exposure that gives about 50-75% saturation of the CCD. Everything about the optical set-up (type of projection, focus, filter etc) should be as used for the Light Frames to be calibrated. This is to ensure that the imperfections in the Flat Field images are as near as possible identical to those in the Light Frames.
To minimise quantum noise, build a Master Flat Frame by averaging several flat frame exposures (say 10), or stacking a flat frame video.
Each of the Light Frames (after Dark Frame subtraction) should be divided by the Master Flat Field to produce calibrated images in which dark-frame and flat-frame defects have been minimised.
Obtaining good Flat Field images can be quite tricky. My favourite method is to capture images of the evening twilight sky near the zenith (with or without a white sheet over the telescope objective). This is done with the telescope set up (camera, projection method, focus, filter) as near as possible to how it will be used later for the Light Frames.
CCD Image Calibration Procedure
To summarise a typical procedure...
Before Observation
During Observation
Most astronomy-related image processing software will assist to some degree in steps 5 to 7 above. You select the file names of your light, dark and flat images and most of the rest will happen automatically. For example:
Scaling Dark Frames
(This gets a bit tricky and you may not need it - skip over it if you like)
The procedure for Dark Frames above requires that the Dark Frame exposures are the same length as the Light Frame exposures. This is not always convenient, so it may be necessary to 'scale' the Dark Frames for other exposure times.
Remember that a Dark Frame includes Bias and Dark Current and that Dark Current is (roughly) proportional to exposure. If we subtract Bias from the Dark Frame we can scale the resulting image (sometimes called a Thermal Frame) to a different exposure, then add the Bias back to obtain a Dark Frame for the different exposure duration.
A Bias frame is a Dark Frame of zero exposure (or the minimum exposure your camera is capable of). As for all calibration frames, to minimise noise, use an average of several Bias Frames.
Some astronomy-related imaging software will assist in scaling Dark Frames. For example you can ask Maxim-DL to scale your Dark Frames, it will ask you to supply a set of Bias Frames and do the rest.
Is it Worth the Effort?
Doing full calibration can seem like a lot of work. From my experience.....
MX5-C: This camera has very low bias and dark current. Often I do not bother with calibration, but if I am trying to dig a faint image out of the light pollution then dark frame calibration does help. Flat Frames do not seem to improve anything much, so I generally don't bother.
Webcam: For the Sun (with filter!) and Moon I generally do not bother with darks or flats. When using high magnification (therefore low light density) on the planets then subtracting a dark frame can help improve signal-to-noise ratio which also helps RegiStax to achieve good frame alignment.
I have used video flats to help remove dust 'do-nuts' in the image, but otherwise do not find I need them.
Meade DSI: As I find this camera very noisy I ALWAYS use dark frames even at quite short exposures. The software "Envisage" will manage the taking and using of dark frames fairly painlessly. I should probably also use flat frames but have not done so far.


text: Columbus, OH – Ohio Dominican University welcomes Judge Kimberly Cocroft, Franklin County Court of Common Pleas as guest speaker for the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Luncheon on Monday, January 18, 2010. The event is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. in the Colonial Room of ODU's Sansbury Hall, 1216 Sunbury Road, 43219. The luncheon is hosted by ODU's Office of Multicultural Affairs and attendees include ODU students, faculty, staff, and alumni and the public. Cynthia DeVese, Director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs is pleased to welcome Judge Cocroft, "She exemplifies this years' theme as a young woman who set out to see her goal to fruition. I believe that it is very important for our office to introduce young professional role models of this magnitude to our students while they are in the beginning stages of setting their life goals." During the week of January 11, ODU students participated in an essay contest and the theme is "From…'I Have a Dream' to…'How to Make Your Dream Come True.'" Students were required to address this theme by identifying specific ways they have been impacted by Dr. King's dream and how they can make their own dream become a reality. Three winners will be selected by ODU staff and invited to read their essays at the luncheon. In addition the winners will receive an academic book stipend. Judge Cocroft was appointed Judge for the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas on February 23, 2009 by Governor Ted Strickland. Prior to her appointment, she served as Deputy Legal Counsel for Governor Strickland and was responsible for coordinating litigation matters with the Chief Legal Counsels at Ohio's 26 executive agencies, draft Executive Orders and Directives, and managing legal representation on behalf of Governor Strickland. She also served as Law Clerk for Justice Alice Robie Resnick at the Supreme Court of Ohio, where she was responsible for drafting opinions that interpret Ohio law. She spent several years in private law practice, specializing in business and employment litigation. She is a 1995 and 1997 graduate of The Ohio State University (OSU), with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and a Master of Arts in sport management. She is also a 2000 graduate of OSU's Mortiz College of Law.


text:
Return to Index
Yes, I think JVH intentionally misconstrued my statement as well...
May 23 2012 at 8:33 PM
Arthur Dent (
no login
Response to
I do believe...
Two lines earlier I'd said ...
"science extended our senses, and our brains and gave us the facts." so my meaning should have been clear.
I said it in the sense that science gave us the ability to discover the facts.
Respond to this message
Thank You for that Clarification, Mr Dent...
- Pope Reverend I, BV on May 23, 2012, 10:28 PM
And I think JVH intentionally affirmed your position
- JVH say on May 24, 2012, 3:58 AM
Actually, the affirmation was entirely Unintentional.
- Pope Reverend I, BV on May 24, 2012, 10:53 AM
.... the affirmation was entirely Unintentional?
- JVH say on May 25, 2012, 2:56 AM
The shortest distance between two points...
- Pope Reverend I, BV on May 25, 2012, 2:33 PM
Find more forums on Religion and Philosophy
Create your own forum at Network54
Copyright © 1999-2018
. All rights reserved.
Terms of Use
Privacy Statement


text:
I, for one, do not think moving the Fourth of July activities a day earlier was a dud.
As stated, we saved money as a city! My family enjoyed what was available. What a novel idea to save money by doing something that seems a little out of place. Our city leaders and some residents at times don't seem to have a clue what that means. It was in part their lack of foresight that helped get us into this mess.
What "house" doesn't want, or need to have ample reserves to handle times when they get tough? They say moving July Fourth activities to Friday was a dud? They did note in your article that "attendance was off a bit at all of the events." A bit does not sound like very much. Could the difference be due to the fact that many families are not even living in Manteca that would normally have attended? My street alone has 5-6 empty houses that used to have families living in them. What is the real reason for the reversal of their previous decision? Either they can't make decisions and stick by them, or, it was a PR stunt to have people on one hand say you did good moving activates to Friday, and those on the other saying you did good to recognize you did wrong and admit it ,especially when it's time to run for reelection.
By the way, Fourth of July activities on a Sunday I believe will see attendance off more than "a bit." Now that will be a dud!
Del Dahle


text:
(This post was written by Mia Hannahs, PromiseKids Director)
August is a bittersweet time in preschool ministry. Sweet because we see how our five-year-olds have grown and blossomed. Bitter because it is time to wave farewell as they enter a new chapter in children's ministry.
However, this year our transition was better than ever been before. Why? Because our fpKids Team was intentional about these three things:
1. Preparing upcoming Kindergartners. We began talking about the transition prior to the big move. Volunteers cheered them. We rejoiced in the fact that they are going to be a part of some exciting things upstairs in Kindergarten. We let them know that upstairs would be different, but it would be good! To show them, the week before the transition, our teachers traveled upstairs with the children to take a peek at their new "church."
2. Partnering with the parents. We offered a parent meeting for parents of rising kindergartners. We want every parent to know that we care about their child, and we want to walk beside them.
Gina McClain, our Children's Director, talked with parents about making family time a priority in the home. She inspired parents to visualize the end. What dreams do you have for your child? What type of character do you hope they embody?
Next, I reminded parents about the spiritual foundation that occurs in the preschool years. Our Preschool Ministry has reiterated these basic truths to your children:
- God Made Me
- God Loves Me
- Jesus wants to be my friend forever
These spiritual truths laid a foundation for what they will experience in their elementary years.
Kandice Baker, our fpKids Elementary Coordinator, shared information about the elementary curriculum. During the elementary years, fpKids will learn:
- I need to make the wise choice
- I can trust God
- Jesus wants to be my forever friend
She talked about the importance of being involved. She introduced parents to the God Time Cards and Refrigerator Door Page. These elements help make it easy to be involved in what is happening at fpKids. We closed out our time together by walking the children and their parents through the Kindergarten environments.
3. Celebrating with volunteers. Preschool teachers should celebrate! They have played a significant role in forming the spiritual development of our five-year-olds. When they taught them that "God made them"- they learned that God is the Creator. They taught them that "God loves them"… and they saw that God is our Father. They voiced how "Jesus wants to be their friend" in hopes that one day, each child that was listening would one day accept Him as their Savior.
Now THAT deserves a serious high five!


text:
Your shopping cart is empty
On 22 August 2012, Tax Counsel, Stephanie Caredes ATI attended a meeting with the ATO Tax Practitioner Forum (ATPF) to discuss Tax Time 2012. Following this meeting, the ATO has issued the following key messages:
- Tax Time 2012 continues to run smoothly.
- the ATO is ahead in processing compared to the previous year and as at close of business 20 August have finalised over 3.57 million returns.
- the ATO has processed 130,000 more tax returns this year, compared to the same period last year.
- the ATO has issued $7.08 billion in tax refunds since 1 July 2012.
Telephony service standard performance to date:
- From 1 July to 12 August 2012 we received 1,887,386 calls and achieved service levels of:
- tax practitioner calls - 92.8% of calls answered within two minutes (against a standard of 90%);
- general taxpayer calls - 89.0% of calls answered within five minutes (against a standard of 80%).
- During this period the average wait time was 32 seconds for tax practitioner calls and 109 seconds for general taxpayer calls.
Weekly updates on tax time processing are published on the ATO website.
Lodgment Program 2012-13 - Due Dates
Now is a good time to review your practice's progress against your plan for income tax returns due for the 2012 financial year.
Tip: You can review your clients' due dates via the Electronic Lodgment Service (ELS) or the Tax Agent Portal, which have been updated on Monday 20 August 2012.
Individuals, Companies, trusts, self-managed super funds and super funds with one or more prior year tax returns overdue as at 30 June 2012, have a lodgment due date of 31 October 2012 for their 2012 tax return.
For these companies, self-managed super fund and super funds the payment due date is 1 December 2012, while individuals and trust have a payment due date as shown in the individuals and trusts payment table.
Reminder: You can register for the Due lodgment report (DLR) , which is scheduled to run on the 15 September 2012 in preparation for the 31 October due date.
If you require more information in relation to the above or you have come across any issues that should be reported to the ATO in relation to Tax Time 2012 lodgments, please contact us at Tax Policy.


text:
Amazon has agreed to acquire Reflexive Entertainment Inc., based in Lake Forest, Calif. for an undisclosed amount.
"As I'm sure you can all imagine this is a very exciting day for us at Reflexive," CEO Lars Brubaker wrote in his blog. "It means we'll be able to expand our distribution network to include Amazon's amazing distribution channel. With Amazon we will bring a huge new group of customers into play."
Reflexive sells game downloads for PCs and Macs that appear to be digital rights management-free, or at least available for unlimited downloads. Its online warehouse includes about 1,100 PC games, almost 200 Mac games and 133 free online Web games.
Brubaker reassured developers and customers that the company plans to "continue working openly with all the participants of the casual games space."
Reporter Gregory Huang at Xconomy says the move indicates that Amazon is getting more serious about gaming. The tech news outlet reported in July that Amazon backs the Seattle Seattle social-network gaming company Atomic Moguls and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is an investor in the Palo Alto, Calif.-based Social Gaming Network.


text:
Donna Herbert of Juneau and Dennis Nolder of Des Moines, Wash., were married March 13, 2004, at Oak Creek Canyon in Sedona, Ariz. Family members and close friends were in attendance.
Nolder is a captain with Alaska Airlines, and Herbert is the owner of Financial Consultants of Alaska (a healthcare reimbursement firm), located in Juneau.
A reception and ceremony for the couple's friends and three Juneau grandchildren, Ryan and Katelyn Reddekopp and Rashel Herbert, will be held at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, May 8, at the Jubilee Cabin at the Shrine of St. Therese. All friends and acquaintances of the couple are invited to attend. For any questions regarding the reception, call 790-1026.
© 2018. All Rights Reserved. | Contact Us


text:
Joseph Tomlinson is a fairly typical 16-year-old, except that he has a severe learning disability. As a result, he has never had a good friend of his own age. Now, though, he and his family have taken on another 16-year-old as one of four personal assistants they employ for him under a scheme that is emerging as a cornerstone of government thinking on adult social care.
This is not the standard direct payments system that local authorities have been operating, with mixed results, since 1997. Joe Blott, assistant director of adult services at Wigan, where the Tomlinsons live, admits that the council could not recruit a 16-year-old for hands-on care services and could not sanction such recruitment under direct payments.
Rather, the Tomlinson family is one of the first to take advantage of a scheme called In Control - "a step beyond direct payments", according to Blott - by which people are not only given the cash to choose their own service providers, but are free to design their own bespoke service. Once their needs are assessed, and funding allocated, they can - within reason - spend it how they wish.
We will be hearing much more of this kind of approach. Improving the Life Chances of Disabled People, a report published by the prime minister's strategy unit in January, foreshadows the establishment of a very similar system of individual budgets across England by 2012. And the principle seems certain to extend further. Stephen Ladyman, community minister at the Department of Health, has said that the imminent green paper on adult social care as a whole will contain more of the same.
The Wigan scheme is one of six In Control pilots, but probably the most advanced. The overall project is led by learning disability charity Mencap, with the backing of the government's Valuing People support team among others, and is designed to reorganise social care as "self-directed support".
The key to the approach - and to the strategy unit's thinking - is one-stop assessment and resource allocation. This means the aim is to pull together all potential sources of support for the disabled person, achieving ultimately a single process and outcome. In Wigan, for instance, social services is engaging with the council's education department, the NHS primary care trust, the Connexions service for teenagers and the Learning and Skills Council.
Steve Jones, the local authority's chief executive and an enthusiast of the pilot, says: "The trick is to bring together two things: really good person-centred planning and 'sup ported' direct payments. If you get those in place, housing, health, whatever are elements you can fit on the spine of the person-centred plan."
Initially, 20 families applied to be involved in the Wigan scheme. Fifteen were selected and 13 remain, one having decided to seek reassessment for supported housing and a second having grown impatient with the time things were taking. Indeed, only now - after 18 months - is hard cash starting to be released to the families furthest forward in the process.
One such family is that of 20-year-old Laura Hughes, who has a learning disability and complex health needs. For 17 years, the family struggled without any direct support. Now, after completion of a person-centred plan in which Laura was helped to articulate her interests and ambitions, she has five personal assistants through the week who enable her to go to college and sustain a job delivering and emptying collection boxes for cerebral palsy charity Scope.
"It's like being set free, for all of us," says Laura's father, Tom. He and his wife, Eileen, have two other children. Although the family had experience of direct payments, In Control has seemed qualitatively different.
"With direct payments you are limited on the hourly rate you can pay, who you can employ - no members of the family - and so on," says Tom Hughes. "With In Control, if you want to pay someone £30,000 for three months of the year, it's OK, but then all your budget has gone."
Eileen Hughes says the effect on Laura has been striking. "She is with people of her own age group, she has got friends, and we never, ever thought she would have a little job. She's loving it."
Under Wigan's scheme, resources are allocated in three bands - up to £10,000, £20,000 or £30,000 a year - and it is true that disabled people and their families may spend the money as they choose, provided statutory requirements such as the minimum wage are met.
"Rather than saying, 'There's your services'," explains Dave Westlake, In Control team manager, "we say, 'That's how much you have got. Draw up your own plan'."
This support plan must, however, be agreed by a care manager to ensure, in the words of In Control's national guidance, that it "makes sense and is in the best interests of the individual".
One benefit for the council is that families are not spending up to their limits. "We are finding they spend lower, and the odds are that they spend it more efficiently," says chief executive Jones. He is convinced that the approach has lessons for the council in other service areas.
"If we can carry this off with people with such complex needs, it ought to be the case that the lessons are trans ferable to nearly everything else we do where we have a service relationship."
Could any service user handle the responsibility, though? Blott admits it is not for all his social services clients, and it is significant that many of the In Control families had previously undergone a Partners in Policymaking course - an intensive training programme for disabled adults and parents of disabled children, imported from the US - which appears to have had a profound impact on their confidence and understanding of the policy process.
Joseph Tomlinson's mother, Caroline, did a course in 1996. But she says that only now, with In Control, does she feel, well, in control.
"I had 30 or 40 different people coming through my house before," she says of the previous support services. "I did not know them from Adam. They were coming in and putting my son in the bath - and he's 16 years old! Once I was stark naked in my bedroom and a woman wandered in and said, 'Oh, I was looking for Joseph.' And then she wandered out again. It was appalling."
· More on In Control at: www.selfdirectedsupport.org
· Improving the Life Chances of Disabled People is at: www.strategy.gov.uk


text:
Back in 2004, Traffic Equalizer was released to the market. If your not familiar with Traffic Equalizer then it was basically a simple piece of software that would scrape content from the internet and build websites for you automatically, based on the keywords you input it with.
At first I completely glanced over it in disgust of being another scam…
However, a few friends in the IM market were saying how successful the system is for getting top rankings in Google pretty quickly for 1000's of keywords, and I saw the proof of their income.
Now, I was pretty happy building my content websites back then, but …
I couldn't help myself to try it out
So, against my better judgement I jumped in with both feet at the beginning of 2005.
I quickly established a routine for cranking out about 50 websites with this thing everyday. I even went as far as creating a step by step blueprint in PDF that I hung on my wall in front of me, so I didn't forget the process…
(I was an advocate of the E-myth by Michael Gerber 😉
…and with a little blog and ping magic, I was ranking on the front page for a good majority of the keywords this thing cranked out in just under 48 hours.
So why did I give it up
Now don't get me wrong, I was pretty happy with the results of my adsense earnings back in 2005, and it literally took around 10 weeks of building sites to get to that income…
I thought. It can't be this easy… something's not right!
Then my income started to slide.. and it made me realise that as a business model, building mass sites like this…
Is totally flawed
..Sure, I knew that before I got into using the system, but the income was too tempting to turn it down.
Since that bumper payday, the returns started to drop, until a few months later,
Practically Nothing!
Now, at that time I still had income from my other affiliate sites and doing SEO for other companies, but I felt the pain of others using the system.
…Everyone was in the same boat
In a matter of weeks, the online forums were ablaze with people screaming for help.
Some even went as far to secure mortages on the basis of their adsense income — OUCH!
Moving forward to 2010
People are still using variations of the same plan, building mass sites and trying to make a small return from each one.
Heck, I had over 1200 domains registered back then.
If I got into the game as soon as this software was released, I could have easily done a 100k in a single month.
Anyway, what this made me realise is that…
There's no sustainability in building mass sites
Sure, there are some really smart people doing doing autoblogging everyday that continue to make money from it, but the problem is, Google are on a constant quest to produce the highest quality search results online.
..otherwise their reputation is ruined.
…then their billion dollar market share starts to fall like my adsense income did.
The thing is, people who still do this today, have to keep getting smarter and smarter to keep gaming the system.
..and Google has more spending power and eventually they will catch on to the latest techniques.
It's a constant game of Cat and Mouse
Since my income completely dropped, I've changed my mindset and instead completely put my focus on building sites, I can be proud of..
Waking up one morning and seeing all my income drop like a stone does not sit too well with me…
Is following your passions really the way to make money online?
There's always been debates about what market should I get into online and always will be..
Since I've been following my passions, I have way more clarity in my business than ever before.
Building a sustainable business that you can be proud of is like nothing else.
Let me ask you this?
Do you like your current day job?
99% of people absolutely hate their day job.
If you don't follow your passions online and just want to build mass sites with the monetary reward in sight, then all you are doing is giving yourself another day job…
Here is what I live by now
Success = Clarity, Passion, Focus, Determination and a solid plan of action to reach your goals..
…and since I've been following my passion, I have all the above, and it's a great feeling, let me tell you.
Do you have information overload by learning all this IM stuff?
Do you struggle with coming up with a solid plan of action for your business?
Do you sit at your computer browsing sites all day and not getting any work done?
Are you fed up of ploughing all your hard earned money into products that produce zero results?
Then listen up…
If you want to learn how to uncover your passion…
…build a customer relationship business you can be proud of, that get's talked about and shared online…
…while building an income for yourself, with a solid plan of action, then I have around 2 spots available in my coaching programme and would love to work with you to achieve your goals.
Your 2 feet away from success and don't even know it…


text:
M2 PRESSWIRE-May 31, 2017-Latin America Mobile Payment Business and Investment Opportunities Databook 2015-2021: Mobile Commerce, P2P transfer, Bill Payment, Retail, Consumer Attitude, Market Risk, Competitive Landscape
Dublin – Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Latin America Mobile Payment Business and Investment Opportunities Databook – Market Size and Forecast (2015-2021) by Mobile Commerce, P2P transfer, Bill Payment, Retail Spend, Consumer Attitude & Behaviour, Market Risk, Competitive Landscape" report to their offering.
This is a bundled offering, combining 3 countries. This report provides a data-centric analysis of Latin America mobile payment market dynamics to help companies understand business and investment opportunities along with risks.
Report Scope
Market Data and Insights: It details market opportunities across 30 market segments in mobile payment industry for the period 2015-2021 and identifies potential opportunities and risks. It also covers market size and forecast on mobile payment user base and other drivers. Market estimates and forecasts assess overall mobile payment industry on three essential KPIs – mobile payment transaction value, volume and average transaction value.
– Mobile Commerce Segments: Mobile shopping; travel; entertainment and event pay; digital products; and services, restaurants & bars, and others
– Mobile Person-to-Person (P2P) Transfer Segments: Domestic and international remittances
– Mobile Recharge and Bill Payment
– Mobile Proximity: In-person and remote payment
– Mobile Technology: Key mobile payment technologies – SMS/USSD, NFC, Code Based, and Web Based
– Consumer Spend Segments: Age, Income, Gender
– Retail spend categories: Food and Grocery, Health & Beauty, Apparel and Footwear, Books/Music/Video, Consumer Electronics, Pharmacy and Wellness, Restaurants & Bars, Toys, Kids & Babies, Media and Entertainment, Services
Key Topics Covered:
Table of Contents given below is for one country. All other countries will have same sections, charts, and tables.
1 About this Report
2 Mobile Payment Industry Attractiveness
3 Mobile Commerce Market Size and Future Growth Dynamics, 2015-2021
4 Mobile Peer to Peer Transfer Market Size and Future Growth Dynamics, 2015-2021
5 Recharge and Bill Payment Market Size and Future Growth Dynamics, 2015-2021
6 Analysis of Mobile Payment Market by Payment Proximity
7 Analysis of Mobile Payment Market Share by Technology Channel
8 Mobile Payment Analysis of Consumer Attitude and Behaviour
For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/fr7hzp/latin_america


text:
FAIRBANKS - An Alaska Native corporation is endorsing U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski.
Doyon, Limited says its board of directors has approved a resolution endorsing the Republican's write-in campaign to keep her job. Doyon says this is the first time it has publicly endorsed a political candidate.
President and chief executive Norman Phillips Jr. says Murkowski has a proven track record that "benefits all Alaskans."
Murkowski, Alaska's senior senator, lost the GOP primary last month to conservative Joe Miller.
The Democrat in the race is Sitka Mayor Scott McAdams.
Doyon says it's the largest private landowner in Alaska and has nearly 18,000 shareholders and 2,600 employees.
© 2018. All Rights Reserved. | Contact Us


text:
Pennsylvania, USA
My Style: Edgy, glamorous rock & roll
Reviews: 1
Average Rating: 5.0
1 reviews
Posted June 07, 2012
In LOVE
This is my first purchase of Alejandro Ingelmo shoes and I love them. They are sky high and sexy. They fit me perfectly true to size. I wear an 8 and ordered the 38's and they are perfect. I will definitely purchase more from this designer in the future.
Sizing: True to Size / As Expected
report inappropriate content


text:
Petition update
Congrats to Savanna Dietrich and Change.org! A victory!
amy toro
Sep 15, 2012 — I agree with Savanna when she says, "They said I can't talk about it or I'll be locked up. ....Protecting rapist is more important than getting justice for the victim in Louisville." - Savannah Dietrich, sexual assault survivor.http://www.change.org/petitions/no-charges-against-savannah-dietrich-for-naming-her-rapists


text:
Less than 1% of the electorate voted in the referendum in Abkhazia by noon
The turnout at the polling stations in Abkhazia, where on Sunday there is a referendum about necessity of early election of the President, by 12:00 MSK amounted to 0,54%. Thus, by noon voted only 725 out of 133 thousand inhabitants of the Republic, included in the lists of voters, said the local CEC.
In order for the results of the voting were valid, the required turnout above 50%.
On the eve of the Abkhaz opposition calls to boycott the referendum, which has been previously. After the scandal with interior Minister of the Republic in Sukhum, there were mass protests demanding his resignation and the postponement of the referendum in the autumn.
Protestors ' demands were only partially met Minister President Raul Khajimba dismissed during public Prosecutor's check.Related posts:


text: [ On Wed, October 7, 1998 at 15:31:52 (+0930), Brett Lymn wrote: ] > Subject: Re: Another changer, another changer problem > > According to Greg A. Woods: > > > >Perhaps you're not thinking of *real* machines. Certainly with PCs you > >are likely to be correct, but with all *real* machines that I've ever > >dealt with you can easily find "c2". > > Not sure what you mean by a "real" machine here ;-). I would defy you > to pick c2 on a Sun after a few adds & removes of hardware with doing > a "boot -r" in between. Again, I'm most definitely *not* referring to Solaris. I'm talking only about the hardware itself. > >Seriously though, maybe a pure cNtNdN scheme isn't good enough for > >NetBSD. Maybe it's better to stick to driver prefixes, but be more > >explicit about it -- i.e. don't lump all SCSI controllers into sd and > >st, and so on, but actually use espNtNlN and so on. > > How is this a benefit (seriously)? How does this make our lives > better? (FWIW if you have not already guessed, yes I do use Sol2 at > work so I am familiar with the cNtNdNsN naming). It's not specifically the naming convention (though that is useful for us humans who don't have accurate arithmetic calculators wired into our brains), but rather the implications of the scheme. I.e. specifically the implication that disks and controllers are always wired to specific and predicable /dev names. > OK, what in the real-world wants /dev/dsk/c3t10d0s2 instead of > /dev/sd99c? This stuff is hidden in the mount table. What > requirements do you have that are met by changing the device naming > scheme? The direct benefit of such a naming scheme is that it maps with a one-to-one correspondence on the way most people I know describe their hardware configurations. I never think in terms of "disk 99" I think of the disk set to target 3 on my fourth SCSI bus, or whatever. I have to look at the manual pages or source code and run 'bc' to figure out that it's really going to be "disk 99" (either that or actually attach it and reboot and then run "dmesg | more" to figure this out). The benefit of having disks always wired down is that they never move if one breaks or another is added in between (i.e. SCSI target wise). Auto-configuration is somewhere between good and great in certain cirumstances, but when it comes to critical system devices, such as disks, ethernet cards, ttys, etc., it can go too far too. -- Greg A. Woods +1 416 218-0098 VE3TCP <email@example.com> <robohack!woods> Planix, Inc. <email@example.com>; Secrets of the Weird <email@example.com>


text:
The Manteca City Council on Tuesday thanked Ruthanne Bassett for her 15 years of service before retiring as a librarian assistant at the Manteca Branch Library.
Bassett was the beloved lady in charge of the children's section and story time programs.
Councilman Vince Hernandez noted she's been called "Mrs. Story Time", Grandma", and "Mrs. Story "Lady" among other enduring names.
Bassett used the opportunity to plug her passion for books by promoting this Saturday's second annual Great Valley Bookfest taking place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at The Promenade Shops at Orchard Valley. She noted besides authors and books there will be cooking demonstrations, workshops, gourmet food trucks, arts and crafts and more.


text:
What does macau mean?
Definitions for macauməˈkaʊ
Here are all the possible meanings and translations of the word macau.
Princeton's WordNet
Macao, Macau(noun)
a former Portuguese province on the south coast of China and two islands in the South China Sea; reverted to China in 1999
Macau(prop. n.)
Same as Macao, the territory.
A city just west of Hong Kong, a highly autonomous special region of China, previously under Portuguese control.
Macau, also spelled Macao, is one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China, the other being Hong Kong. Macau lies on the western side of the Pearl River Delta across from Hong Kong to the east, bordered by Guangdong province to the north and facing the South China Sea to the east and south. The territory's economy is heavily dependent on gambling and tourism, but also includes manufacturing. A former Portuguese colony, Macau was administered by Portugal from the mid-16th century until 1999, when it was the last remaining European colony in China. Portuguese traders first settled in Macau in the 1550s. In 1557, Macau was rented to Portugal by the Chinese empire as a trading port. The Portuguese administered the city under Chinese authority and sovereignty until 1887, when Macau became a colony of the Portuguese empire. Sovereignty over Macau was transferred back to China on 20 December 1999. The Sino-Portuguese Joint Declaration and the Basic Law of Macau stipulate that Macau operate with a high degree of autonomy until at least 2049, fifty years after the transfer. Under the policy of "one country, two systems", the PRC's Central People's Government is responsible for the territory's defense and foreign affairs, while Macau maintains its own legal system, police force, monetary system, customs policy, and immigration policy. Macau participates in many international organizations and events that do not require members to possess national sovereignty.
U.S. National Library of Medicine
Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China since December 20, 1999 with its own constitution. The island of Macau and adjacent islands are located off the southeast coast of China.
Anagrams for macau »
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of macau in Chaldean Numerology is: 6
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of macau in Pythagorean Numerology is: 3
Sample Sentences & Example Usage
There are junket operators who are from Macau, so it (the money) may find its way back to Macau.
Long-term, we believe Macau can capitalize on the rising Chinese demand for holiday leisure travel.
There are some beaten-down sectors in China now. I would go so far as to say that Macau gaming is an undervalued asset.
Other things we don't follow terribly well are overseas sources of wealth that belong to the Kim family stashed in Macau and other places.
We are at the beginning of the shift in the cycle from a recession-type economy to a bottoming out, and I think the economy and Macau's fortunes will turn around.
Images & Illustrations of macau
Translations for macau
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
Get even more translations for macau »
Find a translation for the macau definition in other languages:
Select another language:
Discuss these macau 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:
"macau." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2018. Web. 19 Mar. 2018. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/macau>.


text:
Stressing the importance of developing digital
relationships as part of company strategies, Terry Jones, founder and
former CEO of Travelocity.com and former CIO of Sabre, Inc. will open
the 2009 Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference
(HITEC) on Monday, June 22 at 4 p.m. with his session - Building Digital
HITEC 2009, a service of Hospitality
Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP), will be held June
22-25 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif. USA.
At the HITEC Opening Session, attendees will discover what
companies like Travelocity, Kayak.com, La Quinta Hotels and
Earthlink are doing in creating, leading and implementing CRM
strategies that leverage the digital world.
Jones will explore
this extensive world with examples drawn from all types of online
and offline companies as he discusses the latest techniques for
e-marketing, the evolution of search and how broadband is changing
consumer behavior online. Attendees can walk away with a plan on
how to craft a multi-channel strategy to deal with tomorrow's
As founder of Travelocity.com, he led the
company as President and CEO from its founding until May 2002.
With Travelocity.com, he took an idea and created a business that
now has over 40 million members and over $5 billion in travel
bookings. He has first-hand knowledge of creating a national
brand, thriving in rapidly changing markets and using technology
for a competitive advantage.
Previously, Jones served as CIO at
Sabre Inc. In his 24 years at Sabre, Jones held various executive
positions including president of computer services, vice president
of applications development and vice president of product
Other experience includes product development with
American Airlines, travel agent specializing in Eastern Europe and
more. Jones is now the managing principal of Essential Ideas, a
consultancy he co-founded to help companies in their transition to
the digital economy. He serves on the Board of Directors of Earthlink, Inc., La Quinta Corporation, Kayak.com, and is a
special venture partner with General Catalyst Partners.
other recent news regarding:
First Class,
Business Class,
New Hotels,
Visitor Arrivals,
Free Deals,
Terry Jones,
Trade Shows


text:
This resource is no longer available
You've tried VDI and failed…Now what?
So you've tried VDI, and for some reason the project failed. Maybe it stalled because it required users to always be connected, or maybe it was because it did not provide the PC experience that users demand. The good news is that VDI is only one small part of desktop virtualization, and there are many other ways to increase your ability to manage your users' desktops without sacrificing the experience of your users.
In this videocast from industry experts Brian Madden and Gabe Knuth, learn how to deliver a native PC experience while still taking advantage of centralized images and management with desktop virtualization.


text:
Hawkins' first varsity no-hitter was complemented well at the dish, as Sierra racked up 11 base hits against one of the better pitchers of the Sac-Joaquin Section, senior Genevieve Reyna.
Emily Silvia finished 3 for 4 with a pair of double and two runs batted in.
Heather Scharmann went 2 for 4 with her own double and two more RBIs.
Monica Morado went 2 for 4 as well.
"It was a good team effort," T'Wolves head coach Nick Olmo said. "We scattered a bunch of hits throughout.
"It was a very good game."Sierra (1-0) hosts Tracy Tuesday.
First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
BASEBALLThe Bruins broke the contest open with a seven-run fourth.
Bear Creek 14, Weston Ranch 3
Bear Creek 14, Weston Ranch 3
Weston Ranch (0-1) had six hits and no errors, while Bear Creek had 13 knocks and one fielding miscue.
Antonio Joseph was 1 for 3 with an RBI double, and Chris Fleckenstein went 2 for 4.
The Cougars kick off the Escalon Tournament Tuesday at 3:30 p.m.
— Brandon Petersen


text:
It looks like you're using an Ad Blocker.
Please white-list or disable AboveTopSecret.com in your ad-blocking tool.
Thank you.
Some features of ATS will be disabled while you continue to use an ad-blocker.
Originally posted by Amaxium
You gotta let me know what ya'll find out. I looked some strange stuff up.
I am type O neg.
Originally posted by kozmo
I don't get it... what is Basque origin... what does that mean?
I'm not trying toot my own horn here but I am O neg, blue eyed and have been tested several times to have an IQ above 140 (Although, based on typing abilities you wouldn't know it) . I have experienced episodes of precognition but have always chalked it up to uncanny coincidence (although I do feel it is more than that).
This thread has really triggered me to think about this more... anyone with any ideas on where I can learn more about all of this. I have never heard of any of this before.


text:
ANC vs ANC a class action – lawyer
2012-10-11 16:13
Cathy Dlodlo in Bloemfontein
The court application that seeks to dissolve the Free State ANC's executive committee is a class action, Advocate Dali Mpofu has said.
Mpofu, who represents six disgruntled ANC members who had brought the application, said it was a class action as 5 000 people have listed themselves as having an interest in the matter.
The application seeks to have the party's provincial executive committee dissolved and the provincial conference nullified.
Mpofu today accused the respondents, which include the provincial leadership, of employing delaying tactics and ignoring a court order stating that answering affidavits should be filed within 15 days.
The case was postponed on September 27 to allow the respondents to file these papers.
Two large groups of protesters gathered in front of the court house today. One supports the applicants and the other supports the provincial leadership.


text:
Getting to Know Mono
If you have ever written an application for the Linux desktop, or even looked into writing one, you are familiar with the multitude of language bindings available for the various GUI toolkits. This is one of the strengths of writing GUI applications for Linux; you are not locked in to a particular programming language. Unfortunately, you quickly come to realize that different language bindings offer varying amounts of API completeness. A widget you used from one language isn't yet supported when using a different language. This is the downside of supporting multiple languages. The amount of work needed to maintain an API increases with each set of bindings. A change or update to the original API must be replicated in each of the language wrappers.
Now imagine a single GUI toolkit, accessible from any programming language without having to rely on API wrappers—a toolkit that offers the same functionality to every language that uses it. Mono has the potential to provide this, plus much more, by offering programming language independence as well as programming language interaction.
Life for Mono began about two years ago at the Linux software company Ximian, Inc. Ximian is known for their Ximian Desktop, Evolution PIM/e-mail client, Red Carpet upgrade system and enthusiastic CTO Miguel de Icaza. Recognizing the potential in a couple of newly proposed standards, Miguel de Icaza began prototyping what would later become the Mono Project.
So what were these standards that caught Miguel de Icaza's eye? It's no secret that they were ECMA-334 and ECMA-335, the specifications for the core technologies in Microsoft's .NET development platform. At this point, it probably is important to point out that there is a difference between the .NET development platform and the blanket term ".NET". Microsoft covers a whole slew of products and services, including operating systems, development tools, network services and applications, with the expansive .NET term. We are concerned with only a portion of .NET.
In October 2000, Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard and Intel jointly submitted the specifications for a runtime environment known as the Common Language Infrastructure (CLI) and a newly developed object-oriented language named C#. By the second half of 2001, Ximian officially had launched the Mono Project to provide an open-source implementation of the .NET development platform based on the proposed standards. In December 2001, the European Computer Manufacturing Association (ECMA) officially ratified as standards the specifications for the CLI and C# language.
The CLI lays out a base class library and a runtime environment that provides services such as Just In Time (JIT) compilation, memory management, exception handling, loading and linking and security management. To illustrate this better, it helps to compare it to the traditional method of compiling source code.
Traditionally, source code is converted by the compiler to machine-specific instructions. The instructions are then executed directly on the processor. A program compiled for the x86 processor line will fail to execute on a PPC processor without first being recompiled for that processor. This makes it difficult for software to target multiple hardware platforms, as a different version of compiled code must be kept for each one.
As an alternative, source compiled for a runtime environment is converted to an intermediate set of instructions that are not dependent on the underlying hardware. The intermediate instructions then can be executed in a couple of different ways. One method is to use a interpreter. The interpreter loads the intermediate instructions and then executes them, in essence acting as a virtual machine. In a second method, the intermediate form is JIT-compiled at runtime or installation time into machine-specific instructions and then executed directly. Because JIT compiling executes native platform instructions, compiling can be optimized for the target processor. The JIT compiler can increase execution speed further by converting only the portions that are being used into native instructions and then storing those in memory for subsequent calls.
The trade-off for having the platform independence of using a runtime environment is in execution speed. Compared to the traditional method of compiling to native instructions, the runtime is slower. How much slower depends on the specific situation and which method of execution the runtime uses. Generally though, an interpreter provides the slowest execution speed. The performance of a JIT compiler is much closer to the performance of traditional compiling because both produce native instructions. The overhead of the runtime itself still keeps the speed performance slightly behind.
I know what you are thinking. An object-oriented language, a base class library, a runtime environment—this sounds a lot like Java. Well, you are right. The components of the CLI are very similar to those found in Java. However, there is one fundamental difference. The Java runtime was designed only for the Java language. Although it is true that a handful of other languages have been ported to output Java bytecode and run on the JVM, this still falls short of the language neutrality supported by the CLI. From the ground up, the CLI was designed to be the execution environment for many programming languages. The data type system of the CLI can support imperative languages, like C or Pascal, as well as object-oriented languages. Not only does the CLI have facilities to execute multiple languages (language independence), it also provides the framework to allow those languages to share data with each other (language interaction), including cross-language exception handling. An object created in one language can be inherited in another. Details of how the CLI achieves this level of language neutrality can be found by examining its core components.


text:
[Go to Documents]
|Filed Jan. 14, 2004
[Download as WordPerfect]
Ruth Binek, Plaintiff and Appellant
Theodore J. Binek, Defendant and Appellee
No. 20030154
Appeal from the District Court of Stark County, Southwest Judicial District, the Honorable Ronald L. Hilden, Judge.
Opinion of the Court by VandeWalle, Chief Justice.
Loren C. McCray, Solem Law Office, P.O. Box 249, Beulah, ND 58523-0249, for plaintiff and appellant.
Timothy A. Priebe, Mackoff, Kellogg, Kirby & Kloster, P.C., P.O. Box 1097, Dickinson, ND 58602-1097, for defendant and appellee.
Binek v. Binek
VandeWalle, Chief Justice.
[¶1] Ruth Binek appealed from a divorce judgment enforcing a premarital agreement between her and Theodore Binek and denying her request for spousal support. We affirm the trial court's decision enforcing the premarital agreement, and reverse and remand for further consideration regarding spousal support.
[¶2] Ruth and Theodore Binek were married on June 21, 1984. At the time of the marriage, Ruth Binek was fifty-two years old and Theodore Binek was sixty-one years old. It was the second marriage for both parties, and both had children from their prior marriages. Theodore Binek's net worth was approximately $600,000 and Ruth Binek's net worth was approximately $30,000. Theodore Binek presented a premarital agreement to Ruth Binek two days before the wedding by leaving it on a table at his home. The agreement was discovered by Ruth Binek and her sister, Lorraine Angelottie. It mutually excluded each party from any property not brought into the marriage by that party, and required Theodore Binek to "provide usual and reasonable maintenance and support" during the marriage. It defined the "interest which each shall have in the estate of the other during the marriage and after the death of either one of them," and stated Ruth Binek would release all rights in Theodore Binek's property or estate which she might have by reason of their marriage. Theodore Binek stated he would not marry Ruth Binek if she did not sign the agreement. Both parties signed the agreement. Theodore Binek was represented by counsel at the time of the signing, but Ruth Binek was not.
[¶3] Throughout the marriage, the parties abided by the terms of the agreement. The parties did not commingle their assets. Theodore Binek continued working at the Binek coal mine and Ruth Binek was a homemaker. Theodore Binek paid for most of the living expenses of the parties. In May 2002, Ruth Binek sought a divorce based on irreconcilable differences. At the time of trial, Theodore Binek was eighty-one years old and Ruth Binek was seventy-two years old. Theodore Binek's net worth was approximately $200,000 and Ruth Binek's $30,000 had been depleted as a result of loans made to her relatives, which she claims are not collectible. Ruth Binek is receiving $391 per month in social security and $300 per month in interim spousal support. Theodore Binek is retired and his income consists of approximately $900 per month in social security payments, $1,000 per year from rental property, and $2,000 to $3,000 per year from his photography hobby. The trial court granted Ruth Binek a divorce. It enforced the premarital agreement and awarded Ruth Binek all the household goods in her possession and the accounts receivable for the loans to her relatives. Theodore Binek was awarded all the other property listed by the parties on the Property and Debt Listing. Neither party was awarded spousal support. On appeal, Ruth Binek contends the premarital agreement should not have been enforced and she should have been awarded spousal support.
[¶4] The enforceability of the premarital agreement between Ruth Binek and Theodore Binek is governed by common law. Although North Dakota adopted the Uniform Premarital Agreement Act ("UPAA") in 1985, it does not apply to this situation because it was enacted after the parties entered into the agreement and does not contain a provision declaring it applies retroactively. See N.D.C.C. ch. 14-03.1; N.D.C.C. § 1-02-10.
[¶5] This Court has previously addressed the enforceability of premarital agreements entered into prior to the UPAA in cases involving the rights of a surviving spouse. First Am. Bank W. v. Michalenko, 501 N.W.2d 330, 333-34 (N.D. 1993) (addressing the widow's claim the trial court erred by instructing the jury that she had the burden to prove the premarital agreement was invalid); Charlson v. Charlson, 50 N.D. 677, 688-89, 197 N.W. 778, 781 (1924). In a decision prior to Charlson, the Court stated:
whether or not an antenuptial contract is valid depends largely, if not altogether, on the attendant circumstances and conditions under which it is executed. If it is fair, reasonable, equitable, and just and in no way contravenes public policy, and it is fairly entered into, each having knowledge of its contents and knowledge of each other's property, we think that it might be legally entered into, and thus be a binding obligation of the parties.Herr v. Herr, 45 N.D. 492, 496, 178 N.W. 443, 444 (1920). Applying a similar rationale, the Charlson court concluded it was proper for the trial court to consider the following when evaluating a premarital agreement:
whether the contract had been entered into with the utmost good faith; whether it was reasonable in its provisions; whether the prospective wife possessed full knowledge of the character and value of her intended husband's property or was chargeable with such knowledge; whether the prospective husband informed his fiancee fully with respect to all facts concerning his property; whether the antenuptial contract provided any reasonable provisions for the support of the wife in case of her survival; whether, upon all of the surrounding circumstances, the provisions made for the wife in the contract were grossly disproportionate to the means of the husband; and whether such inadequacy of provision in the contract was sufficient under all the circumstances to raise a presumption of fraudulent concealment that was not overcome by the proof in the record sufficient to show its absence.50 N.D. 677, 689-90, 197 N.W. 778, 781; see also Michalenko, at 334 & n.3. A.
[¶6] Ruth Binek argues the agreement should not be enforced. She contends she did not enter into it voluntarily, it is unconscionable, and it does not apply to dissolution of the marriage by divorce. In effect, Ruth Binek contends the agreement is unenforceable because it is procedurally and substantively unfair. In evaluating premarital agreements governed by N.D.C.C. ch. 14-03.1 we have applied a similar analysis. See In re Estate of Lutz, 1997 ND 82, ¶¶ 27-46, 563 N.W.2d 90 ("Lutz I"). Although this agreement is not subject to the requirements of N.D.C.C. ch. 14-03.1, case law evaluating agreements governed by that chapter is relevant to the extent it addresses the requirements imposed by the common law.
[¶7] Procedurally, Ruth Binek contends she did not enter into the agreement voluntarily because it was presented to her two days before the wedding and Theodore Binek stated he would not marry her if she did not sign it; she was not represented by independent counsel; and she did not receive full financial disclosure. Although it would have been preferable to present the agreement to Ruth Binek more than two days before the wedding, this alone does not render the agreement unenforceable. Nor does the fact Theodore Binek would not have proceeded with the marriage make the agreement procedurally unfair. The purpose of the agreement was to keep the parties' property separate. When, as is the case here, the parties have been previously married and divorced, it is reasonable for one or both of them to seek protection of their property in a subsequent marriage.
[¶8] The significance of the presentation and signing of the agreement is more relevant in determining whether Ruth Binek understood the agreement and had an opportunity to obtain independent legal advice.
An agreement to marry can create a fiduciary relationship between individuals if they do not deal at arms length. Persons contracting about marriage are sometimes mismatched in bargaining power and sophistication.Lutz I, 1997 ND 82, ¶¶ 33-35, 563 N.W.2d 90 (citations omitted). However, "the presence of independent counsel is not a prerequisite to enforceability." In re Estate of Lutz, 2000 ND 226, ¶ 17, 620 N.W.2d 589 ("Lutz II"). The parties' marriage took place on Thursday, June 21, 1984. Ruth Binek testified Theodore Binek did not do anything to prevent her from consulting an attorney or asking questions prior to signing the agreement. She testified she understood the purpose of the agreement was Theodore Binek's property would remain his and her property would remain hers and, if the parties had gotten divorced after one year, she would have abided by the agreement. Additionally, she testified it was entirely her decision whether to sign the agreement and she voluntarily did so. We conclude Ruth Binek was not deprived of an opportunity to consult independent counsel and understood the effect of the agreement when she signed it.
Unlike many private contracts, the state has an interest in every marriage contract. We agree with the view that lack of adequate legal advice to a prospective spouse to obtain independent counsel is a significant factual factor in weighing the voluntariness of a premarital agreement.
Indeed, adequate legal representation will often be the best evidence that a spouse signed a premarital agreement knowledgeably and voluntarily.
[¶9] Ruth Binek contends the agreement should not be enforced because Theodore Binek did not fully disclose the extent of his assets to her before she signed the agreement. The agreement contains a full disclosure clause which states, "each party is possessed of real and personal properties, the nature and extent of which has been fully disclosed by each to the other." In other jurisdictions, a full disclosure clause has been held to create a rebuttable presumption of full disclosure. See Simeone v. Simeone, 581 A.2d 162, 167 (Penn. 1990). In the present case, Ruth Binek testified that before she signed the agreement she knew Theodore Binek owned the Binek coal mine and the equipment thereon, guessed he owned his house, and had been told by her family that he was worth over a million dollars. Further, she testified that Theodore Binek stated he had $600,000; she knew he was worth a substantial amount of money; and she "knew he owned more than [she] did." She later testified that she did not know how much Theodore Binek was worth at the time of the marriage, but discovered he was worth $600,000 based on the papers provided in connection with the divorce proceeding. Based on this testimony, we conclude Ruth Binek was sufficiently aware of Theodore Binek's financial situation when she signed the agreement. Therefore, we hold the premarital agreement was entered into fairly.
[¶10] Substantively, Ruth Binek contends the agreement is unconscionable because she did not receive full financial disclosure and the effect of enforcing it is to place her on public assistance. Ruth Binek's contention that the agreement is unconscionable because Theodore Binek did not provide a full financial disclosure is not convincing based on our conclusion that Ruth Binek was sufficiently aware of Theodore Binek's financial situation. Unconscionability of a premarital agreement is a matter of law, but it turns on factual findings related to the relative property values, the parties' financial circumstances, and their ongoing need. Lutz I, 1997 ND 82, ¶ 44, 563 N.W.2d 90. Under the UPAA, if a premarital agreement causes a party to be eligible for public assistance by eliminating or modifying spousal support, a court may require the other party to provide support to the extent necessary to avoid eligibility of the other for public assistance. Id. (citing N.D.C.C. 14-03.1-06(2)).
[¶11] Unconscionability has been considered at various times in cases governed by the UPAA. Lutz II, 2000 ND 226, ¶ 25, 620 N.W.2d 589. North Dakota case law regarding premarital agreements entered into prior to adoption of the UPAA did not address when unconscionability should be considered. Courts applying the common law have considered unconscionability of a premarital agreement at both the time of execution of the agreement and the time of dissolution of the marriage. See McKee-Johnson v. Johnson, 444 N.W.2d 259, 267 (Minn. 1989) ("[I]f the premises upon which [challenged provisions of premarital agreements] were originally based have so drastically changed that enforcement would not comport with the reasonable expectations of the parties at the inception to such an extent that to validate them at the time of enforcement would be unconscionable").
[¶12] This agreement was not unconscionable at the time it was executed. It provided a means for Ruth Binek to keep her own assets and allow them to grow, and Theodore Binek was obligated to support Ruth Binek throughout the marriage. The agreement is not unconscionable at the time of enforcement because it did not govern the parties' rights regarding spousal support. Additionally, the parties' assets decreased throughout the marriage and there is no convincing evidence of economic fault by either party. By not addressing spousal support and allowing Ruth Binek to keep her assets separate from Theodore Binek's, the agreement created enough leeway to avoid an unconscionable result based upon the parties' circumstances at the time of dissolution. We hold this premarital agreement is not unconscionable.
[¶13] Ruth Binek contends the agreement does not apply to a dissolution of the marriage by divorce. A premarital agreement is a contract and its interpretation is a question of law for the court to decide. In re Estate of Zimmerman, 1998 ND 116, ¶ 13, 579 N.W.2d 591. Contracts are to be interpreted in a manner that gives effect to the parties' mutual intent at the time of contracting. N.D.C.C. 9-07-03.
"When a contract is reduced to writing, the intention of the parties is to be ascertained from the writing alone if possible . . . ." N.D.C.C. 9-07-04. "Construction of a written contract is a question of law." Garofalo v. Saint Joseph's Hospital, 2000 ND 149, ¶ 7, 615 N.W.2d 160. "If the intent of the parties can be ascertained from the agreement alone, interpretation of the contract is a question of law." Id. "Whether a contract is ambiguous is a question of law." National Bank of Harvey v. International Harvester Co., 421 N.W.2d 799, 801 (N.D. 1988). "A contract is ambiguous when rational arguments can be made for different positions about its meaning." Id. "Extrinsic evidence is properly considered only if the language of the agreement is ambiguous and the parties' intentions cannot be determined from the writing alone." Miller v. Schwartz, 354 N.W.2d 685, 689 (N.D. 1984). "On appeal, this [C]ourt will independently review the contract to determine whether it is ambiguous." International Harvester, at 801.Meide v. Stenehjem, 2002 ND 128, ¶ 7, 649 N.W.2d 532.
[¶14] The agreement provided:
Ruth Mayer hereby releases all rights in the property or estate of Theodore J. Binek which she might have by reason of their marriage, whether by way of dower, statutory allowance, widow's allowance, intestate share, or election to take against his will, under the laws of this or any other jurisdiction that may be applicable, and with particular reference to Section 30.1-05-04, North Dakota Century Code, as amended.Theodore Binek released the same rights in Ruth Binek's property. This language is not ambiguous. Ruth Binek released all rights she had in Theodore Binek's property which arose out of the marriage. Any rights in the property she would acquire as a result of a property settlement upon divorce would be rights arising out of the marriage. Therefore, the agreement applies to property rights Ruth Binek may have acquired from a divorce decree.
[¶15] For the reasons stated, we affirm the trial court's decision enforcing the premarital agreement.
[¶16] Ruth Binek contends the trial court erred by failing to award her spousal support. Spousal support determinations are findings of fact and will not be reversed on appeal unless they are clearly erroneous. Peters-Riemers v. Riemers, 2002 ND 72, ¶ 26, 644 N.W.2d 197. The Ruff-Fischer guidelines require a trial court to evaluate the following in deciding whether spousal support should be awarded:
"the respective ages of the parties, their earning ability, the duration of the marriage and conduct of the parties during the marriage, their station in life, the circumstances and necessities of each, their health and physical condition, their financial circumstances as shown by the property owned at the time, its value at the time, its income-producing capacity, if any, whether accumulated before or after the marriage, and such other matters as may be material." Weir v. Weir, 374 N.W.2d 858, 862 (N.D. 1985).Lill v. Lill, 520 N.W.2d 855, 856 (N.D. 1994). An award is based on the needs of the disadvantaged spouse and the supporting spouse's needs and ability to pay. Kautzman v. Kautzman, 1998 ND 192, ¶ 19, 585 N.W.2d 561. Detailed findings of fact are not required if the trial court's reasons for its decision regarding support can be determined. Wolf v. Wolf, 557 N.W.2d 742, 744 (N.D. 1996).
[¶17] From this record, we cannot determine whether the trial court denied Ruth Binek spousal support because of the premarital agreement or the Ruff-Fischer guidelines. We conclude the agreement only affects distribution of the couple's property in the form of a property distribution as a result of divorce and does not preclude an award of spousal support. Therefore, we reverse and remand this issue to the trial court for further findings regarding spousal support. On remand, the trial court must consider whether Ruth Binek is entitled to spousal support under the Ruff-Fischer guidelines and whether Theodore Binek has the ability to pay.
[¶18] We affirm the trial court's decision enforcing the premarital agreement because it is fair, equitable, reasonable, and just; does not contravene public policy; and was executed fairly. However, because the agreement did not govern the parties' rights to spousal support and the trial court did not sufficiently explain its rationale for denying Ruth Binek spousal support, we reverse and remand for further proceedings in accordance with this opinion.
|Gerald W. VandeWalle, C.J.
Carol Ronning Kapsner
Mary Muehlen Maring
William A. Neumann
Dale V. Sandstrom


text: Hi Jesse,I have a question regarding the warning in the pci_get_dev_by_id()[search.c] function which triggers when called from interrupt context.As far as I have seen this function should be save to be called inatomic mode. Is there any other reason it should not be called ininterrupt handlers? I need to (indirectly) call this function for myIOMMU driver to handle events from the IOMMU.Thanks, Joerg