text: On Sun, 3 Dec 2000, [iso-8859-1] Juan Manuel García García wrote: > > It is worth to use a Beowulf cluster as a database server? > Somebody have any experience on this ? > I will appreciate any suggestion. It is worth it to use a cluster as a database server, but the cluster would not be a "beowulf". A beowulf is a high performance computing cluster, not a data or web server cluster. Beowulfs are typically used to perform what are usually thought of a "supercomputing" applications that are numerically intensive -- weather prediction, monte carlo calculations, computational fluid dynamics, quantum field theoretic calculations, and so forth. This isn't an attempt to pick nits -- it's just that although all beowulfs are clusters, not all clusters are beowulfs. Server clusters of any kind (except possibly computation server clusters) are not beowulfs. Now, with that said I will NOT say that one might not want to integrate a parallelized database server with a parallelized numerical application -- something like this might well facilitate work and resource division in something easily parallelizable like making movies (rendering lots of images that have to be kept sorted and crossreferenced) or processing lots of data slices from e.g. CERN or Fermilab. I know of at least one High Energy physicist who is interested in trying to interface a database of just plain old code with beowulf-style compute resources -- at this point HEP has such a huge base of contributed code, most of it terribly documented and written by random graduate students over decades, that connecting published results with the code used to calculate them (so they can be checked!) is long since become a major problem. So databases (parallelized or otherwise) might be integrable with a beowulf (parallelized at least if the good parallelized database products weren't astronomically expensive) but database operations are, for the most part, not viewed as part of the beowulf purpose. rgb -- Robert G. Brown http://www.phy.duke.edu/~rgb/ Duke University Dept. of Physics, Box 90305 Durham, N.C. 27708-0305 Phone: 1-919-660-2567 Fax: 919-660-2525 email:rgb at phy.duke.edu


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Soundgarden's Chris Cornell: 'All Our Songs Are Just Characters on 'Sesame Street"
It's been 16 years since the last time Soundgarden have released brand new music. That all changed this week when the grunge vets released their new single, 'Live to Rise,' which will be featured on 'Avengers Assemble,' the official soundtrack to this summer's blockbuster 'Marvel's the Avengers.'
The music industry has changed dramatically since Soundgarden's last album, 1996′s 'Down On the Upside.' The internet was still in its commercial infancy back then, and artists and record labels had yet to face the game changer that was known as Napster.
"In the grand scheme of things, the record business is completely different than it was when we last put out a record," Cornell told LA Times blog Pop & Hiss. "In other words, there needs to be some tie-in [today]. Without one, it's great that you made a record and recorded a song, but no one's going to hear it — have a nice day. The problem, really, isn't so much as finding a tie-in, but finding one you can get behind, where you can feel 100 percent comfortable that there is a partner."
Associating themselves with a huge film property like 'The Avengers' was not a hard decision for Soundgarden to make. While you won't find Cornell sifting through Marvel's latest titles at you local comic shop, guitarist Kim Thayill is a huge fan of the medium. The frontman says his bandmate "knows every detail of every character and when they were conceived and what metamorphosis they went through."
As previously reported, fans expecting Soundgarden's entire new album to sound like "Live to Rise" will be surprised to learn that the rest of the songs are greatly diverse in style. Now a father, Cornell used a classic children's TV series to describe the record.
"Look at it like 'Sesame Street,'" Cornell says. "You got all these different colors and different types of creatures and people from all over the place, but they all live happily together on 'Sesame Street.' All our songs are just characters on 'Sesame Street.'"
No release date has been confirmed for Soundgarden's as-yet-untitled sixth studio album. 'Avengers Assemble' will drop in stores on May 1. The band is offering 'Live to Rise' as a free digital download on iTunes until April 24. Watch a behind-the-scenes look at the making of 'Live to Rise' below.
Watch the Making of 'Live to Rise'

subset: commoncrawl


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- / World & News
- / Countries of the World
- / Turkmenistan
Facts & Figures
President: Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov (2007)
Total area: 188,455 sq mi (488,100 sq km)
Population (2014 est.): 5,171,943 (growth rate: 1.14%); birth rate: 19.46/1000; infant mortality rate: 38.13/1000; life expectancy: 69.47; density per sq mi: 27.1
Capital and largest city (2012 est.): Ashgabat, 727,700
Other large cities: Turkmenabat, 234,817; Dasoguz 166,500
Monetary unit: Manat
- Turkmenistan Main Page
- Issues with Oil Exportation
- First Contested Elections Lead to a Questionable Outcome, New Constitution
Turkmenistan (formerly Turkmenia) is bounded by the Caspian Sea in the west, Kazakhstan in the north, Uzbekistan in the east, and Iran and Afghanistan in the south. About nine-tenths of Turkmenistan is desert, chiefly the Kara-Kum. One of the world's largest sand deserts, it is approximately 138,966 sq mi (360,000 sq km).
One-party republic.
Turkmenistan was once part of the ancient Persian Empire. The Turkmen people were originally pastoral nomads and some of them continued this way of life up into the 20th century, living in transportable dome-shaped felt tents. The territory was ruled by the Seljuk Turks in the 11th century. The Mongols of Ghenghis Khan conquered the land in the 13th century; they dominated the area for the next two centuries until they were deposed in the late 15th century by invading Uzbeks. Prior to the 19th century, Turkmenia was divided into two lands, one belonging to the khanate of Khiva and the other belonging to the khanate of Bukhara. In 1868, the khanate of Khiva was made part of the Russian Empire and Turkmenia became known as the Transcaspia Region of Russian Turkistan. Turkmenistan was later formed out of the Turkistan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, founded in 1922, and was made an independent Soviet Socialist Republic on May 13, 1925. It was the poorest of the Soviet republics.
Turkmenistan declared its sovereignty in Aug. 1990 and became a member of the Commonwealth of Independent States on Dec. 21, 1991, together with ten other former Soviet republics. It established a government more authoritarian than those functioning in the other newly independent central Asian republics. President Saparmurat Niyazov, also called the Turkmenbashi (Leader of All Turkmens), has attempted to create a cult of personality through extravagant self-promotion. Cities, aftershave, and a meteor now bear his name. In 2002, he renamed all the months of the calendar—April is now named after his mother. Niyazov was voted president-for-life by his rubber-stamp parliament in 1999.
Issues with Oil Exportation
In the 1990s, Turkmenistan exported gas through a Russian pipeline, bringing in about $1 billion per year. But in 1993, Russia closed down Turkmenistan's only pipeline because it competed with Russia's own gas exportation. Turkmenistan was limited to exporting gas to its impoverished central Asian neighbors, who were unable to pay their bills. The nation then opened a pipeline route to Iran, generally agreed to be the most economical route for exporting Caspian oil, and thus ruffled the feathers of Iran's enemy, the U.S. So far, the new plan has not brought in money, and the country is living off loans from Western countries, such as Germany, who hope to partner with the oil-rich, money-poor country. In 2003, Russia agreed to buy 60 billion cubic meters of gas from Turkmenistan annually. At the time of the deal, Turkmenistan began to restrict the rights of its ethnic Russian citizens, infuriating Russia.
An alleged assassination attempt against Niyazov in Nov. 2002 (thought by outsiders to have been staged) resulted in the conviction of 46 opposition leaders and critics of the government.
First Contested Elections Lead to a Questionable Outcome, New Constitution
In recent years, the country's educational system has degenerated significantly—the number of years of school required has been reduced, the curriculum has grown increasingly vocational, and substantial classroom time is devoted to political propaganda, including the president's own book, Rukhnama (Book of the Soul). On Dec. 21, 2006, Saparmurat Niyazov died suddenly after 21 years of draconian rule. In Feb. 2007, the country held its first contested elections, and former deputy prime minister and health minister Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov won in a landslide. The exceptionally high voter turnout and margin of victory left many observers to question the validity of the election.
In July 2007, Turkmenistan, Russia, and Kazakhstan agreed to build new pipeline north of the Caspian Sea, ensuring Russian access to Turkmen gas.
In April 2008, Turkmenistan reverted to its old calendar with Turkic and Russian names when President Berdymukhamadov abolished the names of days and months introduced by the previous president.
On Sept. 26, 2008, after two decades of isolation under autocratic leader Saparmurat Niyazov, Turkmenistan adopted a new constitution that abolished the exsisting People's Council and called for a new parliament (the Mejlis, or Assembly) almost double in size, promoting multi-party politics and a market economy. Parliamentary elections were held in December 2008, resulting in the representation of the Mejlis being increased from 65 to 125.
President Berdymukhamedov was re-elected in February 2012, taking 97% of the vote. Seven other members of his party also ran in the election.
See also Encyclopedia: Turkmenistan .
U.S. State Dept. Country Notes: Turkmenistan


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CONWAY, N.H. (AP) — After a 15-year-old girl returned safely to her family nine months after vanishing on the way home from school, townspeople who searched and prayed that she would return are relieved — and looking for answers about where she's been and how she got home.
State Attorney General Joseph Foster said Abigail Hernandez was reunited with her family Sunday. So far, her return is cloaked in just as much mystery as her Oct. 9 disappearance after she left Kennett High School in Conway.
The family has asked for privacy, but in a brief statement, Foster quoted Abigail's mother, Zenya Hernandez, as saying, "today we are the happiest people on earth."
At The Naked Bohemian gift shop in North Conway on Tuesday, owner Joe Downs used a black magic marker to write "Found" over a missing-person poster bearing a photo of Abigail's face.
"I'm glad to see she's home in one piece," he said. "Hopefully, her life gets back to normal, she goes back to school and everything's good."
Police said Abigail left school at the normal time and walked the usual route toward her house that October day, sending several texts between 2:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. But she never made it home.
Police revealed several months ago that she had written home to her mother. When the letter surfaced, FBI agent Kieran Ramsey said there was the possibility that Abigail, who turned 15 a week after disappearing, had run away but that someone could be coercing her into staying away. Police have not revealed the contents of the letter.
Foster said the criminal investigation into Abigail's disappearance continues. After she vanished, police said they had no evidence to suggest anything suspicious and were treating her disappearance as a missing-person's case. In Conway, rescuers fanned out for days over the heavily forested terrain that surrounds the town house where Hernandez lives with her mother. Police also searched by air, stopped traffic and handed out fliers, and used boats on the Saco River and Pudding Pond.
Investigators are now checking surveillance video from local businesses and asking residents if they saw Abigail or a woman wearing a striped sweater between 10 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Sunday. They said Tuesday that they, too, have many questions surrounding the disappearance and return of Hernandez.
When questioned over the months about the scope of the search, law enforcement said it was appropriate to try to recover a missing child.
Andrew Berg, 18, who works at a sporting goods store in North Conway, said he drove past a billboard bearing Abigail's picture and the word "missing" on his way into Conway on Monday and lamented how discussion of her disappearance had "blown over."
"They I got a text from my mother saying, 'Oh my God, Abby's home!"
Berg's co-worker, Jameson Proko, said he has kept in his wallet a business card an FBI agent gave him ever since Abigail's disappearance.
"I want answers," Proko said. "The truth often clarifies a lot of things. And will prevent rumors."
Downs remembers the effect the disappearance had on the community. The thought that someone could snatch a child sent shudders down the spines of people in the northern New Hampshire town that relies heavily on family-oriented tourism.
"I don't know how much this cost the town but somebody should come clean about what happened," he said of the heavy law enforcement effort. "They didn't find her; she came home on her own, from what I know."
"I want to know where she was, where she's been for nine months," Downs said. "It should have been figured out. Everybody wants to know the truth."
Police Chief Edward Wagner said the search cost his department more than $20,000, a third of his annual overtime budget, and that didn't include hours worked by ranking officers who don't get overtime.
At the school on Tuesday, Principal Neal Moylan pulled together summer school students to see how they were handling the news.
"These are young people who've gone through a whole range of emotions this past year," Moylan said.
"Everybody wonders what's going on," Moylan said. "We're patient. We're going to stay out of the way and let the professionals do their job and when it's time for us to do our job, we'll be here."


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2005 Jeep Wrangler - LJ Resurrection: Part 4Posted in Project Vehicles on January 20, 2014
Running the last nut tight on a project is a beautiful thing. Thoughts of future adventures, excitement over your rig's newfound capabilities, and a strong sense of accomplishment are all likely to ramble through one's mind when your project finally breaks the confines of your garage. Us? After three-plus years of putting the pieces of this LJ back together, and after making due with some particularly undesirable parts from the aftermarket along the way, we had one specific thought that worked its way to the front of the line: "Holy s#!t, we can actually drive this thing now!"
That's right, the mangled carcass of a Jeep we hauled home from the salvage yard is now ready to roll, and it's finally time to kick back and enjoy the results of many a late-night/early-morning wrenching session.
In case you're tuning in late, our LJ's newfound capabilities can be chalked up to a pair of G2 Dana 44 axle assemblies loaded with 4.88 gears, ARB lockers, and sizeable chrome-moly axleshafts. Progress continued in the right direction when we axed the eminently problematic 4-inch short-arm suspension for a geometrically-superior Rubicon Express 4.5-inch Extreme Duty long-arm. To tie everything together, we installed a slip-yoke eliminator, heavy-duty Tom Wood's Custom Drive Shafts double-cardan driveshafts, Pro Comp's newest rolling stock, and a few other bits 'n' pieces to make it all work. Although a few steps of this build were fairly involved and time-consuming, nothing we accomplished required voodoo or the skillful hands of a seasoned fabricator or master technician. By simply using tried-and-true, off-the-shelf components and paying attention to the details, we created a capable, reliable, and road-worthy trail rig that most TJ pilots with a bit of know-how a good set of tools can replicate in their garage.
With a couple of months behind the wheel as of writing this, we're happy to report that this LJ runs through the woods and down the road slicker than a greased smelt (just in case you don't hail from the far reaches of the Northeast, that would translate to "pretty damn good.") The suspension's compression, rebound, and flex characteristics—and corresponding in-cab comfort levels over nasty terrain—are improved to the point where the Jeep now feels more like a trophy truck than a dual-wheeled 1-ton. On the road, the Jeep feels planted, stable, and composed. Previously, with the quirky geometry of the 4-inch short-arm, you'd be pulling over to change your shorts after surviving an inadvertent mid-corner lane change and subsequent bout of death-wobble. Installing the Rubicon Express system has served as a reminder as to just how big of a difference good suspension can make.
So far, all our mods are working in harmony, and nothing has broken, parted ways with the underside, or made anything that resembled a wounded-rabbit sound (attracts coyotes—not good). But there was a slight issue with our rear Dana 44 axleshafts having the wrong retaining plates. We somehow missed the fact that our shafts were supplied with drum-brake-style retainers, which lack the additional spacer to fill the void between the retaining-plate and axle seal on a disc-brake equipped axle. Long story short, 200-miles later our axle bearings were completely fried and the axle seals were mortally wounded and leaking profusely. As a testament to its customer service, a call to the folks at G2 Axle & Gear had the problem rectified, and the appropriate replacement parts en route quicker than Honey Boo-Boo's mom to a plate of biscuits 'n' gravy. No harm, no foul.
Our approach here in Part 4 isn't to wow you with things like how well our LJ now does on an RTI ramp, but to simply take you along for a ride while doing what we do. As far as Jeeps go, this LJ's workload is kinda comical in its variations—one day the wife will be driving topless (that'd be the Jeep, not the wife) down to the grocery store, and the next, it'll be planted in a seemingly impossible predicament deep in topo-map territory. We built it to work well for both. As of writing this, each modification has been tested within the parameters of our own slightly-redneck extracurricular activities—and while not exactly scientific—they are real-life and representative of what many of you might do with your own Jeeps. So go ahead and put a trucker-bend in your hat's visor, cut the sleeves off your flannel, lace up your loggin' boots, buckle in, and enjoy the scenery.


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Info2056 needed a new stationery design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 45 designs submitted by 12 freelance designers.
Big Idea, Simple Steps - Business Strategies for the Creative Soul
I'm a marketing and mindset coach for artists and other creative people. I love helping creative people turn their big idea into a profitable business. My essence is young, hip, modern & chic. Though I'm quite successful, I don't take myself too seriously.
I'm expanding my brand in 2011 to help more people around the globe. You can see my current business at http://www.dallastravers.com to get a better feel of my flavor.
Creative people (artists, designers, coaches, inventors) who want to make a difference in the world and earn a good profit doing so. Right-brained people who have a big idea, but need a mentor to help them turn that idea into a profitable business. They're creative, artistic and ready to make a big impact.
Brands my audience likes: KateSpade.com, anthropologie.com, and apple.com.
I've had a lot of success as a marketing and mindset coach for actors & now I want to expand to help other creative people.
I want a clean, modern yet slightly whimsical feel.
Please incorporate the concept of Big Idea, Simple Steps. I'd love a lightbulb incorporated somehow.
Nothing childish, but you can be playful.
green, grey, teal blue, magenta (though I'm completely open to other ideas)
Required Text on card:
Big Idea, Simple Steps - Business Solutions for the Creative Soul
Dallas Travers
Big Idea Breakthrough Mentor
Typeface: Modern (I really like Century Gothic)
I've attached a design template as I'm using a uniquely shaped business card.


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The Truth of the Cross: 2014 Regional Conference
In a day when many people believe that the gospel is simply a message about how we can have a better life, a clear proclamation of the cross and what it accomplished is among our most pressing needs. The Apostle …Read More
Standing Firm: 2012 West Coast Conference
The Apostle Paul exhorts us from the book of Romans, saying, "If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all." Christians are not to be cantankerous and difficult to get along with. Instead, we are …Read More
History, Truth, Faith - Pillars of Christian Orthodoxy: 2011 Ligonier Academy Conference
In a day when even people within the church try to redefine what it means to be Christian, it is important for us all to understand the importance of Christian orthodoxy - that body of content that is the authentic Christian …Read More
Faith Alone: 2003 Washington D.C. Conference
In this series of messages from Ligonier's 2003 conference series in Washington D.C., Dr. R.C. Sproul and Rev. Kenneth Jones explore the biblical doctrine of sola fide, or "Faith Alone." Reminding us that this is the doctrine …Read More
Essential Truths of the Christian Faith: 1997 National Conference
King Ahaz of Judah learned the hard way that a refusal to stand and confess the truths revealed by the Lord leads only to disaster. Today, many professing evangelicals are repeating Ahaz's error, diminishing the importance of difficult but crucial …Read More


text: Hybus, the new eco-friendly bus designed by Pininfarina with funding from the Piedmont Regional government, offers public authorities a way to update their urban vehicle fleets by recycling their old vehicles in a context of environmental and economic sustainability. With the Hybus, Pininfarina proposes the conversion of vehicles currently equipped with Euro 0–1–2 engines into buses with serial hybrid power packs. The first demonstration prototype, built to verify the technology and the project's industrial feasibility, was designed and developed for the Turin City Council, using a Euro 1 Iveco bus from 1994. But for its very nature, the project can be exported to any municipality that is sensitive to the question of protecting the environment. In 2011, the Hybus won the "Premio all'Innovazione Amica dell'Ambiente" award, a nationwide award given by Legambiente for environment-friendly innovation.


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114 2nd Ave N
Sauk Rapids, MN
Founded in May of 1975, Manea's Meats is the #1 seller of meat products in the St. Cloud, Sauk Rapids & Sartell metro area. Family owned & operated for over 40 years, we pride ourselves on having the largest and most unique selection of brats, steaks, sausage, beef, pork, and poultry in central Minnesota.
We're proud to prepare all of our meats right on the premises. Our smoked products are produced in small batches in our smokehouses located in our building. All of the flavor variations of our sausages, brats, roasts and other specialty flavors are prepared by us daily, so you're guaranteed to find the freshest, best-tasting selection of meats anywhere.
We have also recently added a new line of bread and pastry products freshly baked daily at our facility. Stop by today to see our new large selection of fresh baked goods.


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SOI (silicon-on-insulator) is a semiconductor technology, which enables a full isolation of each electronic component on an integrated circuit by using a buried oxide layer. The heart of a SOI wafer is an ultra-thin, monocrystalline, conductive layer on a silicon wafer. All electronic operations take place on this isolated layer, enabling higher switching frequencies and lower power consumption all the while avoiding unwanted heat production. SOI chips have been used recently in consumer goods and applications, such as computing, gaming, automotive, networking and imaging, as well as generally in devices requiring ultra low power consumption.
The name "silicon-on-Insulator" for this innovative material was derived from its composition, where a thin silicon layer resides on top of an insulating, buried silicon dioxide layer. Wafer bonding is one of the most important manufacturing methods for SOI wafers, and it found its way into mass adoption given it is a cost-efficient and production-proven process. The EVG850 production wafer bonding system is the key enabling system for successful SOI wafer production. Two wafers - a carrier and a donor wafer - are joined at room temperature under low mechanical force, low vacuum and extreme cleanliness. The subsequent annealing step forms an irreversible chemical bond. Of these two wafers, one has an oxide layer from silicon oxide (SiO 2 ). This oxide layer creates the isolator in the SOI wafer. After the two silicon wafers have been bonded in the production wafer bonder, one wafer is thinned back. This creates an ultra-thin, monocrystalline conducting silicon layer. The isolation layer below creates a thin channel that transports electrical impulses smoothly and therefore quicker and at lower power requirements. This isolation layer also avoids an undesired electron flow as it separates the transistors from the below located silicon material.
SOI wafers produced using Smart Cut® technology. Courtesy of SOITEC.
Principle drawing of an SOI wafer. Source EVG.
Phenom X4 Processor based on SOI Technology. Courtesy of AMD.
EV Group Partners with NSI to Enable First Wafer-Level Heterogeneous Integration of GaAs on Silicon for RF Front-End Module Manufacturing
뉴스 더보기...
MEMS Engineer Forum 2019
Imec Technology Forum 2019
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관련 제품
SOI & Engineered Substrates
기술 자료
Solutions for R&D
Product Range Brochure
EV Group Corporate Video


text: In the message below, Donald B. Kinghorn writes: > Please forward this reply to list for me. Maybe someone will notice > and help me get posts working again. I looked at the latest list of messages in http://www.beowulf.org/pipermail/beowulf/2000-September/date.html and I do not see one from Donald B. Kinghorn, despite his "Cc:" to the mailing list. Hence I am forwarding his message to this group. > From: "Donald B. Kinghorn" <kinghorn at pqs-chem.com> > Sender: kinghorn at mta5.rcsntx.swbell.net > To: Alan Scheinine <scheinin at crs4.it> > Cc: beowulf at beowulf.org > Subject: Re: ServerWorks chipset > Date: Wed, 20 Sep 2000 13:40:36 -0500 Hi Alan I have a SuperMicro 370DLE motherboard on order. I hope to use them in a 12 node cluster at the university of Arkansas. I just ordered one for now to do some initial testing. I wont be using Myrinet on this cluster but will on another test cluster I'll be putting together. I want to use the 370DLE for the "diskless" nodes (they'll have ATA drives for local scratch and swap) They only cost around $300. The nice ASUS boards are around $1000 a pop. I'll post my evaluations on the beowulf list if I can ever get my posts to work again. I haven't been able to post to the list and have gotten no response from the list administrator. Please forward this reply to list for me. Maybe someone will notice and help me get posts working again. Thanks -Don > The ServerWorks chipsets LE and HE are now appearing on > retail motherboards. I need to buy some more nodes for a cluster > of Pentium-based PCs and I would like to know the experience of > other people with regard to Linux and Myrinet with motherboards > based on this chipset. >


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The gunman in Friday night's fatal rampage in Southern California had exhibited unsettling behavior, yet it was hardly clear that much could have been done to stop the killings.
A college student who documented his rage against women for rejecting him killed six people and wounded 13 others during a spasm of terror on Friday night.
By IAN LOVETT and ADAM NAGOURNEY
A departmental campaign, meant to elicit smiling snapshots, instead attracted tens of thousands of less flattering images of officers.
Military officials said they had seen nothing to indicate that Specialist Ivan Antonio Lopez was previously violent or suicidal.
Live updates about the shooting in Fort Hood, Texas, which has left as many as four people dead and several others injured.
Go to Home Page »


text: Hi Eray, What you said was pretty much true until recently. In WCCI2002 (http://www.wcci2002.org/) this May, Dr. Hecht-Nielsen from Univeristy of California, San Diego, announced his new thalamocortical information processing theory, which, I think, is paving the way for next generation AI research. In his special lecture, he showed a couple slides of parallel-computing machines he used in his lab. Even though he never got into the details of these machines, from what i know about associative memory networks, which are the building blocks of his new theories, it does demonstrate highly parallel-implementable features. And we are talking about thousands of nodes as minimum requirements for these networks to be functional. In my opinions, there are tremendous potentials for parallel computing in the neural network arena. The question is what kind of practical/useful applications would come out of it. Regards Thomas Zheng At 09:40 AM 11/14/2002 +0200, you wrote: >On Tuesday 12 November 2002 06:24, Robert G. Brown wrote: > > I actually think that there is room to do a whole lot of interesting > > research on this in the realm of Real Computer Science. > > > > Too bad I'm a physicist...;-) > >Note that most artificial neural network applications don't fall in the realm >of supercomputing since they would be best suited to hardware >implementations, or more commonly, serial software. >We had discussed this with colleagues back at bilkent cs department and we >could not find great research opportunities in this area. It is a little >similar to stuff like parallel DFA/NFA systems. You first need an application >to prove that there is need for problems of that magnitude (more than what a >serial computer could solve!). What good is a supercomputer for an artificial >neural network that is comprised of just 20 nodes? > >If of course somebody showed an application that did demand the power of a >supercomputer it would be very different, then we would get all of our >combinatorial tools to partition the computational space and parallelize >whatever algorithm there is :) > >Neural networks being Turing-complete, I assume such a network would bear an >arrangement radically different from the "multi-layer feed-forward" networks >that EE people seem to be obsessed with. I have lost my interest in that area >since they don't seem to demand parallel systems and they are not >biologically plausible. > >Regards, > >-- >Eray Ozkural (exa) <erayo at cs.bilkent.edu.tr> >Comp. Sci. Dept., Bilkent University, Ankara >www: http://www.cs.bilkent.edu.tr/~erayo Malfunction: http://mp3.com/ariza >GPG public key fingerprint: 360C 852F 88B0 A745 F31B EA0F 7C07 AE16 874D 539C > Regards, Thomas Zheng


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The craftsmanship on this accent chair is unmistakable in the sleek, modern design, tailored upholstery, and precisely carved wood silhouette. A superb accent item to pair with a modern coffee table of glass or bright metal. Inquire with your retailer for custom fabric and wood finish options.
The Accent Chairs Contemporary Exposed Wood Chair by Craftmaster at VanDrie Home Furnishings in the Cadillac, Traverse City, Big Rapids, Houghton Lake and Northern Michigan area. Product availability may vary. Contact us for the most current availability on this product.
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Car Rental in New Zealand
If you love the freedom of creating your own travel itinerary then New Zealand is a great country to choose a self-drive New Zealand rental car as your mode of transport. Hiring a rental car in New Zealand allows you to travel at your own pace, stopping when you want and having the opportunity to visit places that are off the beaten track.
Rental Cars in New Zealand's North Island
If you are arriving at Auckland Airport on a long-haul flight you may want to consider a one-night stay at an airport hotel or in the city before picking up your hire car in Auckland. Choose from major car rental brands Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz, Thrifty and GO Rentals; as well as many smaller brands. A good night's sleep will mean that you are refreshed from your long-flight and stop you from making costly mistakes on the road due to tiredness.
Picking your rental car up from Auckland, allows you to explore the top of the North lsland, with beautiful beaches and historic townships such as the Bay of Islands, Russell and Waitangi. From Auckland take a scenic drive by hire car around the Coromandel Peninsula; the rugged interior has rocky beaches and headlands on the west coast; with beautiful beaches and bays down the east coast. Stop off at one of the small historic towns including Thames, Coromandel Town and Waihi and discover arts and crafts communities, and the rich gold mining heritage of the region.
Alternatively, you could head south from Auckland, to the glow worm caves of Waitomo or the geothermal towns of Rotorua and Taupo. Lovers of food and wine should plan a trip across to Napier to sample the best of the Hawkes Bay wine region.
Hire Cars in the South Island of New Zealand
If you are planning a trip through the South Island, then consider car rental from Christchurch, the biggest city in the South Island. This option gives you leisurely access to the action thrills of Queenstown and the wilderness of the West Coast and the Southern Alps, without having to rely on public transport or tour buses.
Alternatively from Christchurch you can take your rental vehicle south to Dunedin via Lake Tekapo and magnificent Mt Cook. At Dunedin explore the Otago Peninsula before driving your hire vehicle around the Southern Scenic Route to Invercargill and Stewart Island; before continuing on to Fiordland National Park, where you can take cruise on Milford Sound or Doubtful Sound.
Travellers planning to see New Zealand top to bottom should note that many car rental companies allow you to leave your rental car in Wellington, at the bottom of the North Island, cross the Cook Strait as a foot passenger and pick up another car hire in Picton to continue your travels in the South Island.
New Zealand Rental Car Hire
Some facts about driving in New Zealand
- Drive on the left hand side of the road
- The open-road speed limit is 100km per hour, but many roads are single-lane and narrow, so please drive to the conditions
- You normally need to be 21 or older to rent a car in New Zealand
- You can legally drive in New Zealand for up to 12 months if you have a current driver's licence from your home country or an International Driving Permit
- If your overseas licence isn't in English, you must carry an accurate translation


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A derivative of sulfur, it is a compound that forms naturally during the same fermentation process that turns grape juice into alcohol. This naturally occurring compound prevents microbial growth. The practice of purposely adding sulfur dioxide at any point in the winemaking process is called sulfiting. Winemakers often supplement during winemaking by adding small amounts of sulfur dioxide to protect fruit quality and prevent oxidation, allowing wine to age well. Some winemakers also spray their vineyard with a sulfur compound to prevent disease and pests. Because sulfites form naturally during fermentation, nearly all wines contain low levels of sulfites even when the winemaker has not supplemented or sprayed the fields. In most instances, the presence of sulfites is not noticeable. On the occasion where excessive amounts are present, undesirable characteristics described as a "biting" sensation on the throat and nose and the smell of a rotten egg may be evident.
U.S. Law dictates that wine with sulfites higher than 10 ppm must state "contains sulfites" on the label. The reason being, these sulfites can cause severe allergic reactions and/or severe headaches in some individuals. The concept of winemaking without sulfites is a new movement that is gaining momentum, the resulting products are referred to as "organic wines". Wines that are labeled simply "organic" are 100% organic with no sulfites. Wines labeled "made with organically grown grapes" are made with organically grown grapes but contain more sulfites than those that occur naturally.


text: > Trying to micromanage these power loads can be counter productive and > time wasting. Better: just take your worst case estimate of power > usage, double it or even quadruple it ... and that is what you should > plan to "wire into the walls". this is ridiculously inappropriate except for small stuff. sure, if you're putting in 4 nodes, pad the power budget. if you're putting in 800 nodes, you'll get fired if you spend and extra $600K extra following this advice.


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Address: 138 Barrack Street, Perth WA 6000
Adina Apartment Hotel Perth Barrack Plaza has found some interesting facts about Australia, Did you know? Australia is one of the world's great economic and migration success stories. Australia is a unique, modern and dynamic trading nation of 22 million people with an ancient indigenous history, and European cultural background. Australia's coastline stretches almost 50,000 kilometres and is linked by over 10,000 beaches, more than any other country in the world.
copyright © 2019 Accommodation Perth. All rights reserved.


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The review focuses on Modern Hut, who was effin' awesome, but we're mentioned briefly! From Rock NYC Life and Recorded: "But first, Melissa and Paul, a pretty darn good blues rock duo. A reverse White Stripes with the guy on drums, claims my friend Bert Contestible. I hear more of the swampiness of the Cramps. Bert notes that when you first see the band, you really don't know what to expect and it is a surprise when this pretty young girl, the Melissa in question, lets loose with a wail and a scream. The first song "Fire" is Ramonesy rocker, the fourth song "Distractions" a hard rocker than ends up as a bluesy jams. Bluesy jams is Melissa and Paul (who also call themselves Vice Versa) reason for being. The set is a touch sloppy but that's about my only complaint. Paul is a powerhouse drummer who seems intent on letting no hole go uncovered. The audience love em for excellent reason: they are a hard rocking energetic whirligig of riffing."
Read the full review on Modern Hut HERE. Next show: This Saturday! See shows page for more info. Also, the vice versa thing isn't true ha. They just put that on the door when they wrote our name with the rest of the bands…weird! Honest mistake. We're stoked to play with Modern Hut again.


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July 7 – Happy Birthday Bill Kunkel
Yesterday's Pinstripe Birthday Celebrant was the son of a National League umpire. Today's ex-Yankee birthday boy actually became a big league umpire himself, after his playing days were over and was also the father of an MLB player.
Bill Kunkel spent the third and final season of his big league career as a member of the Yankees' 1963 bullpen. That squad won 104 regular season games, finishing a full ten and a half games ahead of the second place White Sox. With both Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris injured much of the season, the Bronx Bombers' offense was pretty bomber-less that year and the team lived off its excellent pitching staff. Whitey Ford and Jim Bouton had outstanding 20-win seasons as starters and were joined in the rotation by fire-balling rookie, Al Downing and the veteran Ralph Terry. These four guys pitched deep into almost every game, easing the burden on a patched together Yankee bullpen that featured Hal Reniff as the closer. Kunkel was a valuable member of the relief staff as well, appearing in 22 games that season, winning three of his five decisions and posting an ERA of just 2.72.
Kunkel was a New Jersey native who had originally been signed by the Red Sox in 1955, when he was nineteen years old. A right-hander, he bounced from organization to organization in the minors, finally getting his first taste of the big leagues with the Kansas City A's in 1961. The Yankees got him from the Braves in the rule 5 draft of 1962. The 1963 season would be his only season with New York and also his final season as a big league pitcher.
The Yankees released him and after he spent a couple more years pitching in the minors, he hung up his glove and turned to umpiring. He became an American League Umpire in 1968. He was good at his new craft and highly respected. His son Jeff became a big league infielder in 1984 and during that year's exhibition season, when the younger Kunkel was designated to bring his team's lineup card to home plate, the two became the first and only father and son to ever appear in a big league game as an umpire and player.
Kunkel retired that August. At the time, he had already survived two bouts with cancer and was now facing a third. Sadly, the disease won the final encounter and Kunkel passed away in 1985 at the age of 47. He shares his birthday with a Yankee infielder who got into an infamous argument with an umpire that cost New York a postseason game.


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As the world's leading exhibition of supplies for dogs, cats, rodents, horses and birds, Interzoo drives innovation in the industry. In 2012, over 36,000 trade visitors sourced information on the latest pet food, accessories, grooming aids and technical innovations in the aquaria, garden pond and terraria segments from more than 1,500 exhibitors from over 50 countries. You just have to be there! More about the exhibiting companies from the industry can be found.
Vanue:Exhibition Centre Nuremberg
Date: Thursday, 29 May - Sunday, 1 June 2014 Event
Cycle: Every 2years
Opening time:Thursday to Saturday 09:00 - 18:00
Sunday 09:00 - 17:00
In spite of the ongoing recession, global sales of pet products continue to increase, with worldwide spending reaching 56.8 billion euros (about $81 billion), according to market research firm Euromonitor International. For the first time, as stated in report by Euromonitor, European expenditures exceeded those in North American with 21.7 billion euros (about $31.1 billion) spent on pet supplies in 2009, compared to 21.3 billion (about $30.5 billion). That growth should continue.
"For the next years, you can't call anything recession-proof anymore, but within that context, pet food is," said Euromonitor global research manager Lee Linthicum.
Euromonitor has revised its 2009-2014 growth forecasts for pet food and care downward slightly, he noted--from nearly 3 percent to 2.3 percent year-on-year growth, adjusted for inflation.
Still, "the human industry would kill for that growth," Linthicum said.
In Britain, a relatively mature market, the growth rate for that period will be slightly below average at 0.9 percent. That is according to a February 2010 Euromonitor report titled, "Pets at Home sale underlines potential for pet superstore growth in UK."
Products that offer convenience have been selling well, and premium products and discretionary items such as treats, clothing and high-tech gadgets remain surprisingly popular. A big reason for that, according to Euromonitor, is the trend toward humanization of animals, especially in Western Europe. People increasingly see their pets as members of the family, and spend money on them accordingly, said Linthicum. That trend is especially pronounced in the United Kingdom.
"Britain is an anomaly in the context of Europe. They're more like America in terms of humanization of pets," said Linthicum.
"The international pet industry is trying to overcome the present economic crisis with new products and innovations," said Klaus Oechsner, committee chairman of the German industry.
Examples include products aimed at keeping pets fit and well: relaxing music for pets, special dog beds and toys. Another trend is convenience.
"While consumers place considerable value on the companionship that pets can provide, most want to minimize the time and effort they expend on pet-related chores," said Linthicum.
"There is also a lifestyle trend, with really lovely accessories like collars, leads or bowls in fashionable colors," Oechsner said
Pet Food Trends
Nevertheless, Linthicum said that Britons and other Europeans are not as likely as U.S. consumers to spend on whimsical items such as pet yoga and clothing. European owners are more apt to spend on health-related purchases, such as food for a specific breed, age or health condition, or food that is fortified with ingredients such as probiotics or omega 3.
"The same functional ingredients you'd find in human food," Linthicum said. "They're buying premium pet foods--Eukanuba, Iams, Hill, Purina One. With few exceptions, you're not going to change your brand of pet food, particularly if you're a premium pet food customer."
Oechsner reported that pet owners also are interested in foods that are free of preservatives, coloring agents and other possibly unhealthful ingredients.
Despite the addition of human-type ingredients, an emerging trend is pet food that is "based as closely as possible on the animal's natural nutrition," said Hans-Jochen Büngener, chairman of the Interzoo exhibition committee, in a March press release. Alexandre Saiz Verdaguer, CEO of the European Pet Product Wholesaler Association, predicted that grain-free, 100-percent meat pet foods, "will be new mass sellers of next decade."
Büngener also said he sees a trend toward more products in the food-supplement segment and expects to see many new products in the health and fitness segment introduced at the Interzoo trade fair in May.
Despite a willingness to spend on premium foods, Linthicum noted, "People are trading down within premium brands" -- that is, they are still buying those brands, but choosing less-expensive lines. Pet-food companies may offer consumers some relief, though. Antje Schreiber, spokeswoman for the Interzoo pet-products trade fair, said that some pet food companies would reduce their prices.
Competition from Pet Superstores
Pet superstores such as Pets at Home, Fressnapf and Petco, may profit the most from consumer attitudes.
"People are shopping smarter, so that tends to favor pet superstores because they can still get brands like Hill's and Eukanuba, but cheaper," Lee Linthicum said.
Linthicum also pointed out that the superstores are adding more services, such as grooming and boarding and even veterinary services in some cases, making themselves into one-stop shops.
"It's a retail format that seems to be working very well," he said, pointing to the expansion of such chains as proof.
Though in some markets, such as Italy, Spain and Portugal, there is a bias toward smaller pet shops, "It's only a matter of time till [pet superstores] are there as well," he predicted. In those countries, the bias is mainly a result of the current, fragmented nature of retail, he said.
He noted that in France, by contrast, competition from superstores is held in check by zoning laws.
Linthicum said independent pet shop owners could best deal with the competitive threat in two ways: First, independent shops could "remake themselves into a destination in their own right," offering their own grooming, training and boarding services. In addition, they can continue to do what they have always done well: Provide expertise customers cannot necessarily get at a superstore.
Customers' willingness to spend on pets may not be as strong when it comes to fish. John Dawes, who reports on aquatic pets for Pet Product News International and other publications, said that some European fish importers and wholesalers are reporting increased interest in the modestly priced "bread-and-butter species" in preference to some of the more specialized--often more expensive -types of fish.
Small "nano aquaria" are becoming more popular in Europe and worldwide. They are attractive to consumers since they can be set up at a relatively low cost, and because they fit in small spaces. They are often sold in packages that include all the necessary equipment -- aquarium, lights, filters, and stand -- which makes it easy for people to get started in the hobby. Dawes noted that larger models are being introduced that stretch the meaning of "nano."
Heightened awareness of the negative economic and ecological consequences of invasive species is starting to take hold in the aquatic industry and among consumers. In the Netherlands, several parties, including the pet trade organization Dibevo, recently signed an agreement to voluntarily refrain from selling and producing five pond plant species. In the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, the governments support an awareness campaign. The U.K. government launched the Be Plant Wise website to educate the public about the problem of invasive pond plants. It includes a video showing how to identify invasive species. In Holland, the campaign is now also supported by the aquatic industry, according to Dr. Alex Ploeg, secretary general of the group Ornamental Fish International.
"Increasingly, the industry is becoming involved in the consultation process regarding invasives with government agencies and is being seen more and more as being part of the solution rather than being blamed as part of the problem," said Dawes
In the United Kingdom, reptiles have surpassed cats and dogs as the most popular pets.
"There has been a trend towards keeping some of the smaller Asiatic monitors over recent years, and crested geckos have soared in popularity," said David Alderton, editor of Britain's Practical Reptile Keeping (PRK). "People are predicting big things for hog-nose snakes, with the number of color morphs expanding rapidly."
Bearded dragons are the most popular species, according to a recent PRK survey. Mediterranean-type tortoises are also favorites.
As for herp product trends, Alderton said, "Vivariums are definitely out for tortoises, especially Mediterranean ones."
Most breeders now recommend tortoise tables as being the best environment. They are usually made of wood and often are available from companies that make rabbit and guinea pig runs, he added.
In other herp-product news, the PRK survey found that readers favored Exo-Terra brand terrariums -- not a big surprise, according to Alderton. He said the appeal is likely the range's adaptability and the wide selection of related equipment available. Alderton also mentioned that hobbyists are becoming more interested in providing the proper lighting -- both to protect their herps' health and to help encourage breeding.


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Montgomery County Public Schools/Bill Mills: www.mcps.org
Ensuring a Safe and Healthy Environment
Life-threatening allergic reactions can occur at any school at any time. Research data suggest that the number of students with reported food allergy is on the rise, and school personnel are increasingly involved in managing food allergies in their student populations.
NSBA provides resources to help you develop and improve policies and practices that support the safety, well-being, and success of students with life-threatening food allergies.


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Burns are a type of painful wound caused by thermal, cold, electrical, chemical, or electromagnetic energy. Smoking and open flame are the leading causes of burn injury for older adults. Scalding is the leading cause of burn injury for children. Both infants and the older adults are at the greatest risk for burn injury.
There are many types of burns caused by thermal, radiation, chemical, or electrical contact.
Thermal burns. These burns are due to heat sources which raise the temperature of the skin and tissues and cause tissue cell death or charring. Hot metals, scalding liquids, steam, and flames, when coming into contact with the skin, can cause thermal burns.
Cold exposure burns (frostbite). Damage to the skin is caused by prolonged exposure to cold.
Radiation burns. These burns are due to prolonged exposure to ultraviolet rays of the sun, or to other sources of radiation such as X-ray.
Chemical burns. These burns are due to strong acids, alkalies, detergents, or solvents coming into contact with the skin, eyes, mouth, or gastrointestinal tract.
Electrical burns. These burns are from electrical current, either alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC).
The skin is the largest organ of the body and has many important functions. It is made up of several layers, with each layer having a specific functions:
The epidermis is the thin, outer layer of the skin with many layers including:
Stratum corneum (horny layer). This layer is made up of cells containing the protein keratin. it keeps body fluid in while keeping external substances out. As the outermost layer, it continuously flakes off.
Keratinocytes (squamous cells). This layer is made up of living cells that are maturing and moving toward the surface to become the stratum corneum.
Basal layer. This layer is where new skin cells divide to replace the old cells that are shed at the surface.
The epidermis also contains melanocytes, which are cells that produce melanin (skin pigment).
The dermis is the middle layer of the skin. The dermis contains the following:
Blood vessels
Lymph vessels
Hair follicles
Sweat glands
Collagen bundles
The dermis is held together by a protein called collagen, made by fibroblasts. This layer also contains nerve endings that conduct pain and touch signals.
The subcutis is the deepest layer of skin. The subcutis, consisting of a network of collagen and fat cells, helps conserve the body's heat and protects the body from injury by acting as a "shock absorber."
In addition to serving as a protective shield against heat, light, injury, and infection, the skin also:
Regulates body temperature
Stores water and fat
Is a sensory organ
Prevents water loss
Prevents entry of bacteria and infection
Burns are classified as first-, second-, or third-degree, depending on how deep and severely they penetrate the skin's surface.
First-degree (superficial) burns. First-degree burns affect only the epidermis, or outer layer of skin. The burn site is red, painful, dry, and with no blisters. Mild sunburn is an example. Long-term tissue damage is rare and usually involves an increase or decrease in the skin color.
Second-degree (partial thickness) burns. Second-degree burns involve the epidermis and part of the dermis layer of skin. The burn site appears red, blistered, and may be swollen and painful.
Third-degree (full thickness) burns. Third-degree burns destroy the epidermis and dermis. Third-degree burns may also damage the underlying bones, muscles, and tendons. When bones, muscles, or tendons are also burned, this may be referred to as a fourth-degree burn. The burn site appears white or charred. There is no feeling in the area since the nerve endings are destroyed.
Burns that are more severe and extensive need specialized treatment. Because the age of a burn victim, the location of the burn, and the percentage of the body's surface area that has been burned are the most important factors affecting the outlook of a burn injury, the American Burn Association recommends that those who meet the following criteria should be treated at a specialized burn center:
Individuals with partial-thickness burns over 10% or more of the total body surface area (TBSA)
Any age with full-thickness burns
Burns of the face, hands, feet, or groin, or genital area, or burns that extend all the way around a portion of the body
Burns accompanied by an inhalation injury affecting the airway or the lungs
Burn that occur with existing chronic conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, kidney disease, or multiple sclerosis
Suspected child or elder abuse
Chemical burn
Electrical injury
A severe burn can be a seriously devastating injury -- not only physically but emotionally. It can affect not only the burn victim, but the entire family. Persons with severe burns may be left with a loss of certain physical abilities, including loss of limb(s), disfigurement, loss of mobility, scarring, and recurrent infections because the burned skin has decreased ability to fight infection. In addition, severe burns can penetrate deep skin layers, causing muscle or tissue damage that may affect every system of the body.
Burns can also cause emotional problems such as depression, nightmares, or flashbacks from the traumatizing event. The loss of a friend or family member and possessions in the fire may add grief to the emotional impact of a burn.
Because so many functions and systems of the body can be affected by severe burns, the need for rehabilitation becomes even more crucial.
Many hospitals have a specialized burn unit or center and some facilities are designated solely for the rehabilitation of burn patients. Burn patients need the highly specialized services of medical professionals who work together on a multidisciplinary team, including the following:
Plastic surgeons
Orthopedic surgeons
Infectious disease specialists
Rehabilitation nurses who specialize in burn care
Psychologists and psychiatrists
Physical therapists
Occupational therapists
Respiratory therapists
Social workers
Case managers
Recreation therapists
Vocational counselors
Burn rehabilitation starts during the acute treatment phase and may last days to months to years, depending on the extent of the burn. Rehab is designed to meet each person's specific needs; therefore, each program is different. The goals of a burn rehab program include helping the person return to the highest level of function and independence possible, while improving the overall quality of life -- physically, emotionally, and socially.
To help reach these goals, burn rehab programs may include:
Complex wound care
Pain management
Physical therapy for positioning, splinting, and exercise
Occupational therapy for assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs)
Cosmetic reconstruction
Skin grafting
Counseling to deal with common emotional responses during convalescence, such as depression, grieving, anxiety, guilt, and insomnia
Education and counseling
Nutritional counseling
Advances in the understanding and treatment of burns, state-of-the-art burn units and facilities, comprehensive burn rehab services, and integrated medical care have all contributed to the increase in the survival rate and recovery of burn patients.
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To learn more about our Massachusetts health plans, please visit our Plans & Products page, where you can compare Massachusetts health insurance plans, buy health plans online, and get Mass health insurance quotes.
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Protect your tablet from scratches and damage with the Illinois Fighting Illini Alpha Folio Case for iPad 2 / 3 from Guard Dog! Featuring artwork by Paulson Designs, this case is a stylish and attractive way to support your favorite team. Each case has a magnetic latch and folio pockets for storing cards and notes. Case design allows full access to buttons and ports.
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The Brooks PureDrift minimalist running shoe is designed to be like an extension of your body. Sleek, anatomical upper with ultra-breathable mesh and a featherweight feel. Tuned Density midsole better corresponds with gender and weight categories, delivering a custom balance of cushioning that�s not too soft or stiff. Dual toe box split allows the forefoot to flex through its three functional units, engaging the runner's natural balance. Nav Band wraps over the instep to comfortably secure the foot in place. Dynamic stretch provides just the right amount of reinforcement and conforms to individual foot shape and size. Ideal Heel promotes a natural foot strike by landing in a more forward position on the foot. This aligns the runner�s center of gravity and encourages optimal energy return. BioMoGo earth-friendly midsole technology, is blended with Brooks� DNA smart cushioning to create a springy return and custom comfort. Anatomical Last is designed from an anatomical form. The shoe�s shape contours the foot for a glove-like feel and provides support for every part of the foot. Wt. 5.6 oz.
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by Michael Caruso
Close on the heels of backing the Rolling Stones in two concerts at the Wells Fargo Center, Donald Nally and his chamber choir, The Crossing, will return to their regular repertoire of contemporary classical music and present a concert 4 p.m. Sunday, June 30, in the Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill. The concert, entitled "The Gulf (between you and me)," is the third and final installment in the choir's "Month of Moderns" series of performances in June.
The program will open with the world premiere of Gabriel Jackson's "Rigwreck." The new work will be followed by "A ship with unfurled sails," which Jackson composed in 2009. After intermission, the choir will perform John Cage's "four2," written in 1990, making it one of the oldest pieces in The Crossing's active repertoire. The Cage will be followed by the American premiere of "Saline," composed in 2006 by Santa Ratniece.
Referring to Cage's "four2," Nally explained, "Celebrating the composer's centenary, we began our season in October with a performance of his 'Hymns and Variations,' a work that employs his subtraction technique. We're bringing our season to a close with a very late work, reflecting an evolution in Cage's thinking. Whereas his earlier work attempted to open music to include all sounds, his later work, while still relying on elements of chance, is more contained, more intimate and demonstrates a renewed interest in harmony or, perhaps, simultaneities."
Santa Ratniece, the composer of "Saline," was born in Latvia in 1977. "We welcome the composer and thank the Philadelphia Latvian Council for supporting her appearance with us," Nally said.
The Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill is located at 8855 Germantown Avenue. For more information, visit www.crossingchoir.com.
The Academy of Vocal Arts (AVA), 1920 Spruce St. in center city Philadelphia, will be the site of a Russian opera workshop, replete with concert performances, this final week of June. For the third summer in a row, Ghenady Meirson is directing a weeklong workshop for singers focusing on the splendors of Russian opera. This year's roster will include the local premiere of Rachmaninoff's "Francesca da Rimini" and a rarely performed scene from "Romeo and Juliet," an opera based on the Shakespeare tragedy that Tchaikovsky never completed.
"Now in its third summer season," explained Meirson, a Russian opera coach at both AVA and the Curtis Institute of Music, "Russian Opera Workshop has established itself as an important and influential program here in Philadelphia. I am pleasantly surprised that even Russian singers from Russia want to participate in our workshop. This season I wanted to offer repertoire that is less frequently performed. Tchaikovsky's 'Romeo and Juliet' is a short scene that was a sketch for an opera that was never completed. It was discovered after Tchaikovsky's death."
Local classical music lovers have a long tradition of hearing great performances of the music of Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff. Both Leopold Stokowski and Eugene Ormandy, the Philadelphia Orchestra's most successful music directors, made the music of both Russian masters central to the ensemble's repertoire. Both worked closely with Rachmaninoff for the performance and recording of many of his greatest scores, with the composer himself as soloist in his four piano concerti and the "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini." These performances at AVA offer an opportunity to hear works by both composers unfamiliar to most concert-goers.
The Rachmaninoff/Tchaikovsky double bill will be performed 7:30 p.m. June 27 in AVA's Helen Corning Warden Theater. Admission is free, and no tickets are needed. Visit www.RussianOperaWorkshop.com.


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WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand's capital Wellington will rename itself "The Middle of Middle-earth" when it hosts the world premiere of The Hobbit movie trilogy next month.
Middle-Earth is the fictional setting for the movies.
Wellington Mayor Celia Wade-Brown says the city will spend 1.1 million New Zealand dollars ($900,000) on a red-carpet celebration for the Nov. 28 premiere of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey at the downtown Embassy Theatre.
The movie is the first of three prequels to The Lord of the Rings movies. It's directed by Wellington resident Peter Jackson and is shot in New Zealand.
The city will also host Hobbit artwork and an artisan festival.
The city says the postal service and local newspaper will be among many agencies to use the unofficial Middle Earth moniker for three weeks.


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$22.12 per hour
This position is labor intensive, requires lifting, loading and pushing/pulling cases ranging from 20-45 pounds per case repeatedly during work hours. It also requires reaching, squatting, and bending while delivering and merchandising products in the store.
• Deliver products and execute all promotions
• Service all scheduled customers by the end of shift
• Merchandise all accounts to local standards
• Follow DOT regulations
• Establish positive working relationships with primary contact at each account
• Regular, reliable, predictable attendance
• 21 years or older
• Valid CDL or Valid CDL Permit
• Must submit to a drug screen
• Pass physical capabilities test (if applicable)
• Pass the required background checks
• Pass DOT physical and DOT Road Test
• Operating trucks requiring a CDL license (e.g., performing basic functions like driving forwards, driving backwards, maneuvering in tight spaces, etc.)
• Merchandising products (e.g., filling shelves, building displays, making products look attractive on shelves, rotating product, cleaning shelves, or eliminating out of stocks and out of date products, etc.)
• Operating equipment (e.g., pallet jacks, hand trucks, breakdowns, etc.)
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, or disability status.
PepsiCo is an Equal Opportunity Employer: Female / Minority / Disability / Protected Veteran / Sexual Orientation / Gender Identity
If you'd like more information about your EEO rights as an applicant under the law, please download the available EEO is the Law & EEO is the Law Supplement documents. View PepsiCo EEO Policy.
Please view our Pay Transparency StatementJob Ref: 5000458544310


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Managing Small Business Cash Flow – Answers to 10 Commonly Asked Questions
Managing Small Business Cash Flow – Answers to 10 Commonly Asked Questions
Cash flow is the lifeblood of a business and critical in its growth. Small businesses are hugely dependent on their cash flow, and must either cut costs or scramble to find alternative funding when they are not being paid on time. With money tight and bank loans hard to get, a cash-strapped company can easily be pushed to the brink.
But what are the basics of good cash flow management? Are there any cash flow templates you can leverage? Where does your breakeven analysis fit in? And, what strategies can you use to ensure cash is flowing, whether you are in the startup stage or looking to grow an established business?
To find answers to these questions, I checked out an archived SBA Web Chat on – Cash Flow Management – hosted by Julie Brander a business consultant and mentor with SCORE.
Here are Julie's answers to a series of cash flow questions posed by individual small business owners (but which are universal to us all):
Q: Would you recommend that a start-up venture in the early stages do a cash flow chart and why?
A: A cash flow is the single most important aspect of your business because it focuses on the actual cash that goes in and out of your company. Make a list of all the startup costs or one-time expenses, your monthly fixed and variable expenses, and project your sales to see if this business is feasible. Without knowing your costs and expenses, you will not be able to project your income needed to make a profit in your business.
Q: I struggle just coming up with a template to use to project out my cash flows. I use Excel, but don't use it well. I can look at last months and know where cash went, but I want to look out to the future...one week, one month, one year. Do any tools or templates work better than others?
A: Take a look at this Cash Flow Template from SCORE for a 12-month cash flow. There are other resources online; some are free and some are not. Look into accounting software for this feature as well.
(For more specifics on what to include and why, read: Projecting your Business Cash Flow, Made Simple)
Q: If you are unable to secure credit and credit has been cut or credit lines have been closed, how do you keep the doors open to your business?
A: You will need to sell the inventory that you have and pay cash for all inventory and services that you need until you can build up your credit again. Managing your money with your cash flow chart will help so that you are aware of all expenses. Cutting expenses and increasing sales is always the goal.
Q: How important is it for start-ups to calculate their break-even point and what is the easiest way for a non-financial person to do it?
A: Create a simple spreadsheet that lists all the income from sales each day, week, month and year and all the expenses that the company has to pay out. (SBA.gov has more information on this topic here: Breakeven Analysis.) There are templates online that you can use; for example, SCORE offers a free Breakeven Chart that you can use.
Q: I have a hard time getting clients to pay on time. If they don't pay on time, I have a hard time meeting our expenses. Any suggestions on how to get paid quicker?
A: You can offer a discount for COD (cash on delivery) or net 10 days; it could be 2% off for paying more quickly. Otherwise, the only way to get paid quicker is to call weekly and remind your customer that money is due and offer to take a charge card over the phone. (For more tips, check out these blogs: Tips for Collecting from Non-Paying Clients and How to Get Paid Faster With a Better Invoicing Process.
Q: I am in the process of opening a coffee shop. How much inventory should I purchase for startup so that I do not overbuy?
A: With your financial projections, you can guess about how much you will be selling. Buy as little as possible to start—but make sure that you can get a quick delivery, as you never ever want to run out of anything. This is something that you will learn as you are in business.
Q: Is there a set percentage to mark up the prices for merchandise? Also, if I can get a discount from a vendor for purchasing a higher volume, do I sell it at a discount or should I sell it at the price I had before the discount?
A: A mark-up can vary depending on your overhead costs. Higher overhead would require a higher mark-up. Always sell your merchandise for as much as the market will bear. If there is a higher perceived value, people will pay more. The discount from the vendor means more profit in your pocket.
Q: What options do micro businesses (mom & pop) size have in obtaining periodic help needed with small loans to help with cash flow?
A: A line of credit is the easiest way to have money available as needed. You would have a limit and use it as needed and pay only for what you use. If you are not able to get a line of credit, you need to make sure that your sales increase to create cash flow. Give your customers incentives to buy more or offer discounts.
Q: At what point should you consider using a collection agency to help you collect on past due receivables?
A: Collection agencies take 30%, so try to collect on your own by calling and offering credit terms or returns or credit card payment. If the company does not have the money, you will not be getting paid so your only hope is to take back the merchandise if you can.
Q: What is the formula to determine how much cash reserves a business should hold?
A: Always have enough cash reserves to cover your slow months in business. You should be safe if you can have 3-6 months or more to cover all unknown or variable expenses that may come up. Always consider increasing your sales and moving your inventory as quickly as you can.
More Information and Learning Opportunities
Follow SBA on Twitter, Facebook and sign-up for weekly email updates to learn more about upcoming web chats and other learning opportunities.
About the Author:
Caron Beesley


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"Alumni approach problems differently," said Dr. Ali Salim Abood, a 26-year old medical doctor from Baghdad, Iraq. "We believe that we have the power to change things. We have a bright vision for the future of our countries."
Dr. Abood was just one of the 40 young alumni of U.S. government-supported international exchange programs who participated in the 2013 Alumni Enrichment Seminar -- "Think, Plan, Lead: Turning Ideas into Action." The alumni hailed from 14 countries across the Middle East and North Africa and gathered in Rabat, Morocco, to present and share their ideas for youth-led community service projects. At the end of the seminar, these young leaders turned their ideas into action plans and are now ready to start community service projects in their home countries.
In a region with some of the world's greatest challenges, where some 25 percent of young people under the age of 30 are unemployed, implementing youth-led community service projects can be difficult. "Community-service and volunteerism are concepts that we learn during our exchange programs in the United States," said 25-year-old Mohamed Hamed, Chairman and Founder of the Mariam Foundation, the first Arab-Israeli cancer awareness foundation of its kind. "But when we come back from our exchange programs and try to do [these things], it's really difficult. These are concepts that are just taking hold in a lot of our countries."
Yet what struck me the most about this group of young leaders, many who were alumni of community-service-themed exchange programs, was their proactive approach to making sustainable change in their communities. "My mind was blown," wrote 28-year-old Sam Vaghar, Executive Director and Co-Founder of the U.S.-based Millennium Campus Network, describing his experience at the seminar in an article published in The Huffington Post. "The negative images I had seen in the media about the region were totally out of touch with the perseverance of youth."
For example, Nacim Filali and Boualem Nabti from The Youth Company Algeria designed a project to promote active citizenship amongst Algeria's youth by linking young leaders to local decision-makers. Ghewa Srour, Selim Njeim, and Ahmad Ezzedine from Lebanon are developing an application called We Are Here For You, a virtual platform that will connect victims of domestic violence to legal, medical, and psychosocial support. Kuwaiti disability-rights advocate Abdulaziz Almutairi was so inspired by his fellow alumni that he stood up from his wheelchair for the first time in public to talk about living with muscular dystrophy. Abdulaziz is now working with the alumni country teams from Bahrain and Saudi Arabia to launch a disabilities awareness campaign across the Gulf region.
These young leaders will undoubtedly encounter obstacles as they launch projects in their local communities. Alumni often tell me that one of the greatest challenges they face when returning home from their exchange programs is a feeling of separation from their peers -- young people who haven't had the same opportunity to travel abroad and develop expanded worldviews inspired by their exchange experience. Which is why it's so vital that we continue providing opportunities for our past exchange participants to come together and build regional alumni networks like this one; a network that affords these inspiring young leaders a sense of shared purpose and experience as they tackle similar challenges across the region.
Think together. Plan together. Lead together. During the first Enrichment Seminar for International Exchange Alumni from the Middle East and North Africa, participants drew strength from the regional alumni network for the same reason they were originally drawn to the concept of community service: to be a part of something bigger than themselves. "We feel that it's our responsibility to come together as young alumni leaders from across the region; to develop solutions to our shared challenges," said Dr. Abood from Iraq. "To think together, plan together, and lead together…" said Abood, "… to make our [countries] better places for future generations."
About the Author: Carey Hogg serves as Regional Alumni Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
Editor's Note: Supported by the Alumni Affairs Division of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the Office of Press and Public Diplomacy for Near Eastern Affairs, and hosted by the U.S. Embassy in Rabat, "Think, Plan, Lead" was the first Alumni Enrichment Seminar ever held for International Exchange Alumni from the Middle East and North Africa.


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Daniel Henninger devotes his weekly Wall Street Journal column to the mind-boggling letter sent by Democratic Senators Feinstein and Levin along with their friend John McCain (Republican, I probably don't need to remind you) to Sony Pictures protesting the film Zero Dark Thirty. "Zero Dark Thirty is factually inacurrate," these solons write, "and we believe that you have an obligation to state that the role of torture in the hunt for Usama Bin Laden is not based on the facts, but rather part of the film's fictional narrative."
Feinstein has posted the letter here. She's proud of it. I wrote about the letter earlier this week in "Torturing the truth."
Henninger's column is the less aptly headlined "Hollywood forgets 9/11." Henninger refers to the authors of the letter by the initials FLM. His column has a personal edge, expressing indignation that is entirely appropriate to the occasion. Here Henninger gets down to business:
[I]n their letter to Sony there is no mention of Sept. 11, or the London bus and subway bombings, or Khobar Towers or any of the other acts of terror shown in "Zero Dark Thirty." Senators. Feinstein and Levin wanted attention drawn to their report on the CIA's interrogations and detentions, for which committee staff "reviewed 6 million pages of records."
So what exactly did the senators say that caused Hollywood to head for the gopher holes?
"We believe," FLM wrote to Sony Chairman Michael Lynton, "the film is grossly inaccurate and misleading in its suggestion that torture resulted in information that led to the location of Usama bin Laden." The movie's "suggestion"? Only a politician would have the skill to hang condemnation around a slippery word like "suggestion." But it worked. Sen. Feinstein completely unbalanced public discussion of the movie.
Suddenly it was a film about waterboarding, rather than what Kathryn Bigelow and screenwriter Mark Boal produced: The story of U.S. intelligence officers spending years digesting an incomprehensible flow of half-baked data, making mistakes and wrong calls, some getting blown up themselves by suicide bombers and finally, after three of them ride around teeming Peshawar in a Jeep with some tracking device, they nail the identity of bin Laden's courier. On May 2, 2011, bin Laden was dead. That's "Zero Dark Thirty."
But not for Dianne Feinstein or the Hollywood hundreds. Here's her denunciatory letter's best part: "The use of torture in the fight against terrorism did severe damage to America's values and standing that cannot be justified or expunged. It remains a stain on our national conscience. We cannot afford to go back to these dark times. . . . You have a social and moral obligation to get the facts right."
This letter gives moralism new meaning. "We cannot afford to go back to these dark times." How true.
If one sits to the end of the long credits for "Zero Dark Thirty," you'll see these last words about those dark times: "The filmmakers wish to especially acknowledge the sacrifice of those men, women, and families who were most impacted by the events depicted in this film: the victims and the families of the 9/11 attacks; as well as the attacks in the United Kingdom; the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad, Pakistan; in Khobar, Saudi Arabia; and at the Camp Chapman Forward Operating Base in Afghanistan. We also wish to acknowledge and honor the many extraordinary military and intelligence professionals and first responders who have made the ultimate sacrifice."
Hollywood won't do this Sunday. Instead, the members of the Academy will take a seat beside the intimidations of three U.S. senators. It is going to be an evening to remember in Hollywood's most unusual history.


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SAMJ: South African Medical Journal
versão On-line ISSN 2078-5135
versão impressa ISSN 0256-9574
SAMJ, S. Afr. med. j. vol.101 no.9 Cape Town Set. 2011
Strike a woman, you strike a rock: a tribute to (two) nurses
'How very little can be done under the spirit of fear.'1 'If a nurse declines to do this because it was not her business, I should say that nursing was not her calling.'
- Florence Nightingale2
South Africa recently lost a valiant woman, who was a nurse. The above quotations, attributed to Florence Nightingale, the founder of the nursing profession, might equally well have been uttered by Ma Albertina Sisulu.
Reading the histories of the two women,3,4 one born in 1820, the other a century later in 1918, one finds several intriguing parallels.
Each made up her mind not to marry, deciding to become a working professional instead. Florence Nightingale never married, while Albertina married the political activist Walter Sisulu.
Nightingale trained as a nurse in Germany in 1844, and on her return to London was appointed resident lady superintendent of a hospital for invalid women in Harley Street.
Sisulu, forced to abandon her plans to be a teacher because she needed to provide for her younger siblings and would earn during her training, decided to train as a nurse at Johannesburg's Non-European Hospital in 1940. She started work in Johannesburg as a midwife in 1946, going on to become, in the words of the Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (DENOSA)'s tribute to her (see below), 'the benchmark of what nursing and leadership should be'.5
Nightingale was appointed by the British war minister to lead a team of 38 nurses to staff the barrack hospital in Scutari during the Crimean war (1853 - 1856). For the first time in history England's daily papers had carried news, and photographs, from the battlefront,6 highlighting the horrific conditions faced by British troops who were dying of their wounds and disease (typhus, cholera and dysentery) - 73% of soldiers from eight regiments had died in the first six months of the war.
Although both women were reluctant politicians, Nightingale actively campaigned for reform of the practice of nursing in Britain and Sisulu eventually signed up as an active participant in the African National Congress (ANC).
On her return from the Crimea in 1856, Nightingale sought an audience with Queen Victoria and Prince Albert at Balmoral with the aim of informing them about 'everything that affects our present military hospital system and the reforms that are needed'. Having taken the trouble to learn the science of statistics from William Farr (the father of medical statistics), she had become 'a passionate statistician'7 - 'To understand God's thoughts one must study statistics ... the measure of his purpose'8 - and inventor of the pie diagram! (To avoid losing the Queen's attention when showing her complex statistical tables reflecting how military personnel had died, where and why, Nightingale illustrated the situation with a series of pie diagrams.) The Queen was duly persuaded and ordered the establishment of a Royal Commission to investigate the quality of nursing in military hospitals at home and abroad. The upshot was the establishment of an army medical college at Chatham in 1859 and of the first military hospital at Woolwich, London, in 1861.
Nightingale went on to found the Nightingale Training School for Nurses at St Thomas's Hospital and soon after to instigate the district system of nursing in Britain. She wrote Notes on Nursing (the original of which, with later editions, is available through Google Books2), which served as a curriculum for her nursing school and the other schools that followed.
Sisulu initially attended political meetings only to support her husband Walter, but joined the ANC Women's League and participated in the launch of the Freedom Charter in 1955. She was the only woman present at the birth of the ANC Youth League and went on to become national co-president of the United Democratic Front at its inception in 1983 and a member of Parliament in 1994, before finally retiring in 1998.
Sisulu's most significant contribution to her profession as a practising nurse-midwife was the pivotal role she played in the formation of DENOSA, under which umbrella nurses became unified and organised nationally; DENOSA became a full member of the International Council of Nurses in 1997.
Nightingale came to be called 'a business-like Saint', 'the heroine of the Nation' and 'the friend of all the world'. Statues of the 'Lady with the Lamp' adorn many a hospital. Ma Sisulu was among five nurses recognised by DENOSA for contributions to the nursing profession globally at the International Council of Nurses congress held in Durban in 2009. On her recent death, Justice Minister Jeff Radebe wrote in tribute: 'Like a baobab tree, you gave us shade in South Africa that we can some day get our freedom.'9 A statue of Albertina and Walter Sisulu stands in the Diagonal Street precinct of Johannesburg.
These nurses lived long, full, contributory lives: Florence Nightingale died at age 88 and Albertina Sisulu at 92. With their shared characteristics of unflagging energy, persistence, resilience and tenacity, both overcame severe obstacles to realise their ambitions. Justifiably, these remarkablewomen will be continue to be remembered by their grateful nations.
Janet Seggie
Guest Editor
1. http://www.famousquotesandauthors.com/authors/florence_nightingale_quotes.html (accessed 22 June 2011). [ Links ]
2. Nightingale F. Notes on Nursing. What it is and what it is not. http://books.google.com/books/about/Notes_on_nursing_what_it_is_and_what_it.html (accessed 5 July 2011). [ Links ]
3. Florence Nightingale. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence_Nightingale (accessed 22 June 2011). [ Links ]
4. Albertina Sisulu. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albertina_Sisulu (accessed 22 June 2011). [ Links ]
5. DENOSA mourns passing away of Mama Albertina Sisulu.pdf. http://www.npr.org/2011/06/11/137122905/in-memory-of-masisulu-the-rock-of-south-africa (accessed 22 June 2011). [ Links ]
6. Crimean War. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimean_War (accessed 4 July 2011). [ Links ]
7. Rehmeyer J. Florence Nightingale: The passionate statistician. www.sciencenews.org/.../Florence_Nightingale_The_p... (accessed 22 June 2011). [ Links ]
8. http://nurse-florencenightingale.blogspot.com/2011/06/14-quotes-by-florence-nightingale.html (accessed 4 July 2011). [ Links ]
9. http://www.iol.co.za/thestar/soweto/still-they-pour-in-to-honour-masisulu-1.1079911 (accessed 22 June 2011). [ Links ]


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Message Board
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Talk about the novels, new and used books that Lecuyer has written!
Author Lecuyer's Book Reviews
Mommy! Ben Made The Cake Fly!
A factual account of a medical research nurse and her family's spiritual growth following the diagnosis of her son as autistic. Even though little Ben cannot speak words, he communicates with his mind. From commentary on societal views toward disabilities and the paranormal, to education, government and family secrets, this book touches on it all. The story is actually uplifting and holds promise for our society to heal its emotional wounds, by simply ...


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Good News Garage is a general auto repair shop with an outstanding reputation in quality and customer service. We are locally owned and operated with over 35 years of experience. Whether you need computer diagnostics or routine maintenance, we have you covered.
Good mechanics at Good News. I've been a customer for more than 20 years; they've never done me wrong.