text:
Cryptography, Information Theory, and Error-Correction: A Handbook for the 21st Century / Edition 1 available in Hardcover
- 0471653179
- 9780471653172
- Pub. Date:
- 12/31/2004
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Cryptography, Information Theory, and Error-Correction: A Handbook for the 21st Century / Edition 1
Discover the first unified treatment of today's most essential information technologies— Compressing, Encrypting, and Encoding
With identity theft, cybercrime, and digital file sharing proliferating in today's wired world, providing safe and accurate information transfers has become a paramount concern. The issues and problems raised in this endeavor are encompassed within three disciplines: cryptography, information theory, and error-correction. As technology continues to develop, these fields have converged at a practical level, increasing the need for a unified treatment of these three cornerstones of the information age.
Stressing the interconnections of the disciplines, Cryptography, Information Theory, and Error-Correction offers a complete, yet accessible account of the technologies shaping the 21st century. This book contains the most up-to-date, detailed, and balanced treatment available on these subjects. The authors draw on their experience both in the classroom and in industry, giving the book's material and presentation a unique real-world orientation.
With its reader-friendly style and interdisciplinary emphasis, Cryptography, Information Theory, and Error-Correction serves as both an admirable teaching text and a tool for self-learning. The chapter structure allows for anyone with a high school mathematics education to gain a strong conceptual understanding, and provides higher-level students with more mathematically advanced topics. The authors clearly map out paths through the book for readers of all levels to maximize their learning.
This book:
- Is suitable for courses in cryptography, information theory, or error-correction as well as courses discussing all three areas
- Provides over 300 example problems with solutions
- Presents new and exciting algorithms adopted by industry
- Discusses potential applications in cell biology
- Details a new characterization of perfect secrecy
- Features in-depth coverage of linear feedback shift registers (LFSR), a staple of modern computing
- Follows a layered approach to facilitate discussion, with summaries followed by more detailed explanations
- Provides a new perspective on the RSA algorithm
Cryptography, Information Theory, and Error-Correction is an excellent in-depth text for both graduate and undergraduate students of mathematics, computer science, and engineering. It is also an authoritative overview for IT professionals, statisticians, mathematicians, computer scientists, electrical engineers, entrepreneurs, and the generally curious.
Product Details
|Publication date:
|Wiley Series in Discrete Mathematics and Optimization Series , #68
|Product dimensions:
|7.30(w) x 10.14(h) x 1.16(d)
About the Author
AIDEN A. BRUEN, PHD, is a Professor of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Calgary in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He has over 100 published articles in refereed journals and has served for many years on the Editorial Board of Designs, Codes and Cryptography. His research interests include error-correcting codes, number theory, algebraic geometry, algebra finite geometries, information theory, and cryptography.
MARIO A. FORCINITO, PHD, is a professional engineer with over ten years' experience as an industrial consultant. He is President of SUR Consultants in Engineering Science Inc., a member of the IEEE Computer Society, and has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals. Dr. Forcinito has experience lecturing on cryptography and numerical methods at several technical meetings.
Table of Contents
1. History and Claude E. Shannon.
1.1 Historical Background.
1.2 Brief Biography of Claude E. Shannon.
1.3 Career.
1.4 Personal – Professional.
1.5 Scientific Legacy.
1.6 Modern Developments.
2. Classical Ciphers and Their Cryptanalysis.
2.1 Introduction.
2.2 The Caesar Cipher.
2.3 The Scytale Cipher.
2.4 The Vigenère Cipher.
2.5 Affine Ciphers.
2.6 The Enigma Machine and its Mathematics.
2.7 Frequency Analysis.
2.8 Breaking the Vigenère Cipher.
2.9 Modern Enciphering Systems.
2.10 Problems.
2.11 Solutions.
3. RSA and Key Searches.
3.1 Background.
3.2 The Basic Idea.
3.3 Public-key Cryptography and RSA on a Calculator.
3.4 The General RSA Algorithm.
3.5 Public Key Versus Symmetric Key.
3.6 Attacks, Security of DES.
3.7 Summary.
3.8 Problems.
3.9 Solutions.
4. The Fundamentals of Modern Cryptography.
4.1 Encryption Re-visited.
4.2 Block Ciphers, Shannon's Confusion and Diffusion.
4.3 Perfect Secrecy, Stream Ciphers, One-Time Pad.
4.4 Hash Functions.
4.5 Message Integrity Using Symmetric Cryptography.
4.6 General Public-Key Cryptosystems.
4.7 Electronic Signatures.
4.8 The Diffie-Hellman Key Exchange.
4.9 Quantum Encryption.
4.10 Key Management and Kerberos.
4.12 Problems.
4.13 Solutions.
5. DES, AES and Operating Modes.
5.1 The Data Encryption Standard Code.
5.2 Triple DES.
5.3 DES and Unix.
5.4 The Advanced Encryption Standard Code.
5.5 Problems.
5.6 Solutions.
6. Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC).
6.1 Abelian Integrals, Fields, Groups.
6.2 Curves, Cryptography.
6.3 Non-singularity.
6.4 The Hasse Theorem, and an Example.
6.5 More Examples.
6.6 The Group Law on Elliptic Curves.
6.7 Key Exchange Using Elliptic Curves.
6.8 Elliptic Curves Mod n.
6.9 Encoding Plain Text.
6.10 Security of ECC.
6.11 More Geometry of Cubic Curves.
6.12 Cubic Curves and Arcs.
6.13 Homogeneous Coordinates.
6.14 Fermat's Last Theorem, Elliptic Curves. Gerhard Frey.
6.15 Problems.
6.16 Solutions.
7. General and Mathematical Attacks in Cryptography.
7.1 Cryptanalysis.
7.2 Soft Attacks.
7.3 Brute Force Attacks.
7.4 Man-In-The-Middle Attacks.
7.5 Known Plain-Text Attacks.
7.6 Known Cipher-Text Attacks.
7.7 Chosen Plain-Text Attacks.
7.8 Chosen Cipher-Text Attacks.
7.9 Replay Attacks.
7.10 Birthday Attacks.
7.11 Birthday Attack on Digital Signatures.
7.12 Birthday Attack on the Discrete Log-Problem.
7.13 Attacks on RSA.
7.14 Attacks on RSA Using Low-Exponents.
7.15 Timing-Attack.
7.16 Differential Cryptanalysis.
7.17 Implementation Errors and Unforeseen States.
8. Topical Issues in Cryptography and Communications.
8.1 Introduction.
8.2 Hot Issues.
8.3 Authentication.
8.4 e-commerce.
8.5 e-government.
8.6 Key Lengths.
8.7 Digital Rights.
8.8 Wireless Networks.
8.9 Communication Protocols.
9. Information Theory and Its Applications.
9.1 Axioms, Physics, Computation.
9.2 Entropy.
9.3 Information Gained, Cryptography.
9.4 Practical Applications of Information Theory.
9.5 Information Theory and Physics.
9.6 Axiomatics.
9.7 Number Bases, Erdos and the Hand of God.
9.8 Weighing Problems and Your MBA.
9.9 Shannon Bits, the Big Picture.
10. Random Variables and Entropy.
10.1 Random Variables.
10.2 Mathematics of Entropy.
10.3 Calculating Entropy.
10.4 Conditional Probability.
10.5 Bernoulli Trials.
10.6 Typical Sequences.
10.7 Law of Large Numbers.
10.8 Joint and Conditional Entropy.
10.9 Applications of Entropy.
10.10 Calculation of Mutual Information.
10.11 Mutual Information and Channels.
10.12 The Entropy of X + Y.
10.13 Subadditivity of the Function x log x.
10.14 Entropy and Cryptography.
10.15 Problems.
10.16 Solutions.
11. Source Coding, Data Compression, Redundancy.
11.1 Introduction, Source Extensions.
11.2 Encodings, Kraft, McMillan.
11.3 Block Coding, The Oracle, 20 Questions.
11.4 Optimal Codes.
11.5 Huffman Coding.
11.6 Optimality of Huffman Encoding.
11.7 Data Compression, Lempel-Ziv Coding, Redundancy.
11.8 Problems.
11.9 Solutions.
12. Channels, Capacity, the Fundamental Theorem.
12.1 Abstract Channels.
12.2 More Specific Channels.
12.3 New Channels from Old, Cascades.
12.4 Input Probability, Channel Capacity.
12.5 Capacity for General Binary Channels, Entropy.
12.6 Hamming Distance.
12.7 Improving Reliability of a Binary Symmetric Channel.
12.8 Error Correction, Error Reduction, Good Redundancy.
12.9 The Fundamental Theorem of Information Theory.
12.10 Summary, the Big Picture.
12.11 Problems.
12.12 Solutions.
13. Signals, Sampling, S/N Ratio, Coding Gain.
13.1 Continuous Signals, Shannon's Sampling Theorem.
13.2 The Band-limited Capacity Theorem.
13.3 The Coding Gain.
14. Ergodic and Markov Sources, Language Entropy.
14.1 General and Stationary Sources.
14.2 Ergodic Sources.
14.3 Markov Chains and Markov Sources.
14.4 Irreducible Markov Sources, Adjoint Source.
14.5 Markov Chains, Cascades, the Data Processing Theorem.
14.6 The Redundancy of Languages.
14.7 Problems.
14.8 Solutions.
15. Perfect Secrecy: The New Paradigm.
15.1 Introduction.
15.2 Perfect Secrecy and Equiprobable Keys.
15.3 Perfect Secrecy and Latin Squares.
15.4 The Abstract Approach to Perfect Secrecy.
15.5 Cryptography, Information Theory, Shannon.
15.6 Problems.
15.7 Solutions.
16. Linear Feedback Shift Registers (LFSR).
16.1 Introduction.
16.2 Construction of Feedback Shift Registers.
16.3 Periodicity.
16.4 Maximal Periods and Pseudo Random Sequences.
16.5 Determining the Output From 2m Bits.
16.6 The Tap Polynomial and the Period.
16.7 Berlekamp-Massey Algorithm.
16.8 Problems.
16.9 Solutions.
17. The Genetic Code.
17.1 Introduction.
17.2 History of Genetics.
17.3 Structure and Purpose of DNA.
17.4 The Double Helix, Replication.
17.5 Protein Synthesis.
17.6 Viruses.
17.7 Criminology.
17.8 Entropy and Compression in Genetics.
17.9 Channel Capacity of the Genetic Code.
18. Error-Correction, Hadamard, and Bruen-Ott.
18.1 Introduction.
18.2 Error Detection, Error Correction.
18.3 A Formula for Correction and Detection.
18.4 Hadamard Matrices.
18.5 Mariner, Hadamard and Reed-Muller.
18.6 Reed-Muller Codes.
18.7 Block Designs.
18.8 A Problem of Lander, the Bruen-Ott Theorem.
18.9 The Main Coding Theory Problem, Bounds.
19. Finite Fields, Linear Algebra, and Number Theory.
19.1 Modular Arithmetic.
19.2 A Little Linear Algebra.
19.3 Applications to RSA.
19.4 Primitive Roots for Primes and Diffie-Hellman.
19.5 The Extended Euclidean Algorithm.
19.6 Proof that the RSA Algorithm Works.
19.7 Constructing Finite Fields.
19.8 Problems.
19.9 Solutions.
20. Introduction to Linear Codes.
20.1 Introduction.
20.2 Details of Linear Codes.
20.3 Parity Checks, the Syndrome, Weights.
20.4 Hamming Codes.
20.5 Perfect Codes, Errors and the BSC.
20.6 Generalizations of Binary Hamming Codes.
20.7 The Football Pools Problem, Extended Hamming Codes.
20.8 Golay Codes.
20.9 McEliece Cryptosystem.
20.11 Problems.
20.12 Solutions.
21. Linear Cyclic Codes and Shift Registers.
21.1 Cyclic Linear Codes.
21.2 Generators for Cyclic Codes.
21.3 The Dual Code and The Two Methods.
21.4 Linear Feedback Shift Registers and Codes.
21.5 Finding the Period of a LFSR.
21.6 Problems.
21.7 Solutions.
22. Reed Solomon and MDS Codes, Bruen-Thas-Blockhuis.
22.1 Cyclic Linear Codes and the Vandermonde Matrix.
22.2 The Singleton Bound.
22.3 Reed-Solomon Codes.
22.4 Reed-Solomon Codes and the Fourier Transform Approach.
22.5 Correcting Burst Errors, Interleaving.
22.6 Decoding Reed-Solomon, Ramanujan, Berlekamp-Massey.
22.7 An Algorithm and an Example.
22.8 MDS Codes and a Solution of the Fifty Year-old Problem.
22.9 Problems.
22.10 Solutions.
23. MDS Codes, Secret Sharing, Invariant Theory.
23.1 General MDS codes.
23.2 The Case k=2, Bruck Nets.
23.3 Upper Bounds, Bruck-Ryser.
23.4 MDS Codes and Secret Sharing Schemes.
23.5 MacWilliams Identities, Invariant Theory.
23.6 Codes, Planes, Blocking Sets.
23.7 Binary Linear Codes of Minimum Distance 4.
24. Key Reconciliation, Linear Codes, New Algorithms.
24.1 Introduction.
24.2 General Background.
24.3 The Secret Key and The Reconciliation Algorithm.
24.4 Equality of Remnant Keys: The Halting Criterion.
24.5 Convergence of Keys: The Checking Hash Function.
24.6 Convergence and Length of Keys.
24.7 Main Results.
24.8 Some Details on the Random Permutation.
24.9 The Case where Eve has Non-zero Initial Information.
24.10 Hash, Functions using Block Designs.
24.11 Concluding Remarks.
Shannon's Entropy Table.
What People are Saying About This
"…the book is a useful information source for all people interested in information security." (Computing Reviews.com, January 18, 2006)
"The book is certainly to be recommended, and it can be used at various levels, as both a reference text an as a text for undergraduate and graduate courses…" (Mathematical Reviews, 2006b)
"…readers of this book will find their enthusiasm for communication theory greatly stimulated…" (CHOICE, December 2005)
"…although encyclopedic, is lively and engaging, written with palpable enthusiasm…a very readable text, one that encourages a reader to dip in and sample the treats." (MAA Reviews, June 23, 2005)
"...one of the most outstanding works in this area; it will prove useful to a broad category of readers…" (Computing Reviews.com, October 28, 2005)
Customer Reviews
Average Review


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subset: commoncrawl


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Anderson – "Shepard! Shepard!"
Tali – "I found him"
Anderson – "Thank god you're all right son. Wrex come help us get this off of him."
Wrex – "You mean to say Hey Krogan lift this half ton wreck of a Mako off the hero."
Tali – "You mean the Mako was a wreck before it got hit with a giant laser cannon?"
Wrex – "It was. Don't you remember? Garrus had to spend all that time . . . just calibrating it."
Tali – "What's worse is he suckered me into helping him."
Wrex – "There its off of ya."
Shepard – "Thanks Wrex."
Wrex – "My pleasure."
Anderson – "Wreck or not that Mako just saved your life. Here, I found your gun. Let's get moving."
Shepard – "Thanks. Let's get to the conduit."
Wrex – "Marauder!" Wrex raises his Crusader X at its head. But Tali beats him to the kill.
Tali – "Headshot! That's all of them."
Wrex – "Oh come on that was mine! Why's the Quarrian get to have all the fun?"
Tali – "Because you're not the only one with a shotgun."
Anderson – "All right everybody stay alert. We have a job to do. On three we jump in the beam. One . . . Two . . . THREE."
[The Citadel]
Anderson – "Are you alright? Is everybody here."
Shepard – "I'm here."
Tali – "I landed in a pile of goo I'd rather forget I'd ever seen. But I'm ok."
Wrex – "This place is a dump. Looks worse than Tuchanka. On a bad day."
Anderson – "Looks exactly how you described the collector base in your reports Shepard."
Tali – "There's a lot more blood here."
Wrex – "Sometimes I forget you were in a fight without me Shepard. Wish I'd been there."
Shepard – "No you don't Wrex. Fighting the Collectors was a suicide mission."
Wrex – "All the more reason for me to come a long."
*ambient creaking
Wrex – "I'm surprised there aren't more enemies."
Anderson – "Husks."
Shepard – "You just had to open your mouth."
Wrex – "Hey it's not like the sound of my voice commands them out of thin air."
Tali – " That was a banshee."
Wrex – "On second though, I probably should have kept my mouth shut."
Anderson – "That's definitely a brute. Maybe two."
Tali – "Ok, maybe if we move now we can slip by them before they notice us."
Shepard – "Come on, you're not afraid are you Tali? We've got Wrex it's just like old times."
Tali – "Just like old times. You mean right down to my suit puncture?"
Shepard – "Are you ok?"
Tali – "I sealed it off."
Wrex – "This is just like old times. You two bantering. Us against impossible odds. Right Shepard? Uh, Shepard?"
Shepard – "Keep it down."
Wrex – "Me and my big mouth."
Anderson – "Enemies inbound. Cannibals."
Shepard – "Everyone on the left."
Tali – "Laying suppressing fire."
On the radio* – "This is Admiral Hackett, did anyone make it to the Citadel?"
Anderson – "Hackett, this is Anderson. I'm here with Shepard, Tali and Wrex. We're under heavy fire. What's the status of the battle outside."
Hackett – "We're holding the Reapers away from the Citadel and the Crucible but I don't know for how much longer. It's not a strategic position to hold. But if we withdraw we may win this with brute force. Shepard really delivered."
Anderson – "Hold your fleet formations for now. There are still Reapers in other star systems. If this thing works we could take them all out."
Hackett – "Agreed, but move fast. I need to know if the Crucible is viable before our numbers reach the tipping point. You have ten minutes at best. Hackett out."
Anderson – "You heard the man let's go!"
Tali – "Go get em Chiktika!"
The team pushes through the hallway mowing down wave after wave of Marauders, Cannibals and husks.As they reach the end of the hallway the large door opens.
Shepard – "Brute!"
Wrex – "RAWR, I've been waiting to use my blade."
Wrex, a Krogan Vanguard, biotically charges the overconfident Brute as it swipes its hand through Wrex's phased body, he rematerializes with his shotgun blade rammed into the jaw of the brute. Wrex then fires his gun into its skull.
Anderson – "I've never seen one of those taken down so quickly."
Wrex – "A little technique I developed. Pro tip, if the first shot doesn't kill. Keep firing."
Tali – "Banshees!"
Shepard – "Does anyone have grenades?"
Anderson – "I've got some."
Shepard – "Give me one of those."
Tali – "I've modified Chiktika Vas Paus to explode when destroyed."
Shepard – "Nice. Let's get their barriers down fast. I want constant fire. When you reload. I'll charge in."
Wrex – "And I'll be right behind you."
Tali – "Banshees 12 O'clock."
The Banshees charge in firing volleys of biotic strikes.
Anderson – "Clips run through, Grenades live."
Tali's drone distracts the Banshees with a barrage of missiles before detonating. The explosion drops each of their barriers, draining their ability to charge. Anderson lobs a cluster of 3 grenades at their feet but the Banshees' armor are still holding strong. Wrex turns to Shepard and says,
Wrex – "It's our turn now Shepard. Let's go."
Shepard biotically charges the Banshees with an area of effect that hits both Banshees and at high risk nova's the ground with all of his barrier before dodging out of the way. Wrex not far behind, fires an entire 4 round clip of his Crusader Shotgun into the head of one Banshee before his heavy melee slices through the torso ripping the abomination in half. Meanwhile, Shepard charges the other Banshee with Anderson's final grenade in hand and jams it into the banshee's shrieking mouth. Shepard rolls back and the grenade pops its head.
Wrex – "One of these days you've gotta teach me how to Nova."
Shepard – "Are you kidding me, you'd probably take out a city block."
Wrex – "You're probably right."
Anderson – "We've caught a break. Come on we don't have much time left. Lets get the citadel arms open. Shepard we'll need evac once we arm the Crucible."
Shepard (on the radio) – "EDI I need you to monitor our suits internal microphones. I don't know how long we're going to take but as soon as we're finished coordinate with Joker for extraction."
EDI – "Roger Commander."
[The control room]
Anderson – "There, that looks like the control panel."
Wrex – "Wait, don't rush in too quickly I smell trouble."
Just then a group of Phantoms uncloaked around them.
Tali – "Great. We're completely surrounded."
The Illusive man – "Admiral Anderson. I have a proposition for you."
Anderson – "Go to hell."
Illusive Man – "Hear me out first Admiral. I can't allow you to destroy the Reapers."
Anderson – "I figured as much."
Illusive Man – "You'd count me as a fool. But you're wrong. I've worked very hard to get to this point before you destroyed what remains of Cerberus. With the help of the Prothean VI we recovered from Thessia we discovered a weakness in the Reapers' code."
Wrex – "A weakness we can exploit to destroy them?"
Illusive Man – "Not exactly."
Anderson – "What exactly?"
Illusive Man – "My plan is a little more refined than that. With the right amplification we can control the Reapers, disable them and study their technology."
Anderson – "Are you mad! Shepard warned me about you."
Illusive Man – "Where is Shepard."
Tali – "I don't know, he was right behind me and then he wasn't."
Illusive Man – "It's a pity. I would have liked to see him again. One last time."
Anderson – "He doesn't need to be here. Listen, the VI warned Shepard that you've been Indoctrinated."
Illusive Man – "That's preposterous!"
Anderson – "Hear me out. The VI said that 50,000 years ago the Prothean Empire split during the reaper invasion. The indoctrinated side believed they found a way to control the Reapers. But they couldn't because the Reapers were controlling them. Any of this sound familiar?"
Illusive Man – "I'm aware of that."
Anderson – "Well the point is that the Protheans were defeated because they couldn't present a united front. Right now there's a war going on outside and we have a chance to use the Crucible to win this war now, once and for all."
Illusive Man – "And we will. Trust me Admiral, or don't. Either way you're wrong. Thanks to you, this cycle will be different. Humanity has completed the Crucible and Humanity will reap the benefits."
Anderson – "It was a galactic coalition that made it a success."
Tali – "Humans aren't alone in the galaxy."
Illusive Man – "Enough talk, it's time for action." The Illusive Man turns toward the console.
Anderson – "What are you doing?"
Illusive Man – "I'm opening the citadel arms. In a few minutes the Crucible will amplify the Reaper control signal and I'll be in full control."
Anderson – "And what will you do with that control?"
Illusive Man – "Exactly what Cerberus has been doing all along. Furthering Humanity's interests. If you must know, I think Rannoch and Tuchanka would make excellent Human colonies."
Tali – "You wouldn't dare!"
Wrex – "I'd rather you'd have left Tuchanka of that list."
Anderson – "So you're just going to conquer the galaxy?"
Illusive Man – "It's only a matter of time."
Anderson – "Then what."
Illusive Man – "Then we see Humanity brought to glory."
Wrex swipes his shotgun blade with the blade of a Phantom.
Wrex – "You give the word Admiral and these Phantoms are as good as dead."
The Phantom in front of Anderson sticks its blade to his neck.
Illusive Man – "I'd like to see you try."
Anderson – "He's right we make one wrong move and we'll be as good as dead."
Tali – "We don't have a lot of options."
Anderson – "We just might have to chance it."
Shepard – "That won't be necessary." Shepard walks up behind the Illusive Man and points his gun directly to the back of his head.
Illusive Man – "Shepard, how did you get in here?"
Shepard – "The same way you did. Through the ventilation shaft."
Illusive Man – "Shepard put down the gun."
Shepard – "I can't do that. Admiral Hackett gave me an order. One that I intend to follow."
The Illusive Man – "What order was that?"
Shepard – "Well his exact words were 'Put a bullet in his head on sight.'"
With that Shepard pulls the trigger.
Anderson – "What took you so long?"
Wrex – "We were beginning to think you wouldn't make it to the party."
Shepard – "Sorry the air ducts are a maze."
Tali – "Glad you made it Shepard, but I could use a little help here."
Wrex (waiving his hand in front of a Phantom's face)- "They don't appear to be moving at all."
Shepard – "They're mostly robots now. With the Illusive Man dead I don't think they know what to do."
Wrex – "Better kill them anyway."
Wrex proceeds to execute them with a shotgun blast to each face.
Shepard – "Well what do we do now?"
Anderson – "We'd better check in with Admiral Hackett. Hackett this is Anderson, come in."
Hackett – "Anderson what's your status? EDI was concerned a moment ago that you might have been compromised."
Anderson – "We're fine. Shepard took an alternate route and he saved our lives."
Hackett – "And the Crucible?"
Anderson – "The Citadel arms are open. The Crucible can dock."
Hackett – "Affirmative, it should only take a minute."
Tali turns to Shepard.
Tali – "So this is it isn't it."
Shepard – "Until I see every Reaper dead I'll reserve my judgement."
Wrex – "I'm with Shepard on that one."
Anderson – "The Crucible's docked."
Hackett – "There seems to be a problem."
Anderson – "What is it?"
Hackett – "The Crucible isn't firing."
Anderson – "Well give it time, it only docked a moment ago."
EDI – "That isn't the problem. It appears that control of the Crucible's fireing mechanism was originally intended to be routed to the central control panel in what used to be the Councel Chambers."
Anderson – "Damnit, that section is badly damaged we can't get to there."
EDI – "Correct. In order to reroute control someone will have to access an external panel at the Crucible and Citadel Juncture."
(Make a Choice. Reroute control at your own risk or withdraw the fleet and chance a brute force victory *Warning 6000 effective war assets are needed for this victory. Click HERE to withdraw the fleet. Read on to reroute control.)
Endgame 1 *Reroute at Own Risk. Shepard – "I'll go."
Tali – "Not so fast. I'm coming with you."
Shepard – "No you won't Tali. I'm the only one who brought breathing equipment, that means I'm going alone."
Tali – "I have a suit."
Shepard – "What about your suit puncture."
Tali – "Dammit, you're right. My suit's not holding pressure."
Wrex – "If you want Shepard I can try holding my breath. Krogan can last 10 minutes in a vacuum. 30 if we're not moving."
Shepard – "Thanks Wrex, but this is one mission I can complete by myself."
Wrex – "Your call Shepard."
EDI – "I've been looking further into the schematics of the juncture point. It is possible to arm the Crucible from there. If Shepard stays behind, I recommend a rendezvous for the other party members with the Normandy."
Anderson – "You sure about this son?"
(Paragon Choice "I'm sure.": continue reading. Renegade Choice: click the link "Send Anderson.")
Shepard – "I'm sure."
Anderson – "Good luck son."
Hackett – "We'll pull you out of there when you're done Shepard. One way or another . . . "
Anderson – "EDI Send me the evac coordinates."
Wrex – "Don't get lost out there Shepard." (Paragon option shake his hand.)
Tali – "Stay safe."
Shepard – "I will."
Anderson – "Whatever happens out there, make it back safely. That's an order."
Shepard – "Yes sir."
Wrex – "And remember Shepard when we're done here Garrus is buying us all drinks. So if you die out there, I'll kill you myself. I'm not paying for my own beer."
Shepard – "I'll miss you too Wrex. Now get out of here."
Tali follows behind Wrex and Anderson. Shepard fastens his breathing mask and punches a few buttons on the control panel. Then the platform beneath him raises him up towards the external hull. Shepard takes 3 steps before hearing a noise that triggers a flash of a Prothean memory. He looks behind him quickly but sees nothing. Then Hackett comes in again over the radio.
Hackett – "Shepard we're picking up a single Sovereign class Reaper bearing down on your position."
Shepard – "Harbinger!"
Hackett – "A likely guess."
Shepard – "What about Anderson and the team?"
Hackett – "We just made the pickup. Listen, we're gonna engage the Reaper to give you more time."
Shepard – "Don't bother, just get the hell out of here."
Joker – "Negative commander. Hackett outranks you. Besides I'll run evasive patterns at limit. It's not my first time dodging Reaper ordinance plus now we have EDI we'll keep the Normandy safe."
Shepard – "Admiral don't engage Harbinger without backup."
Hackett – "It's not up for debate Commander, there's no other ship within range that's fast enough. The Normandy is the only ship that can harass the Reaper. Listen we'll hold up our end of the bargain so you can hold up yours. Haul ass Commander that's an Order."
Shepard – "Aye sir."
Hackett – "Hackett out."
Shepard sprints forward at full speed still 200 meters from his target. Meanwhile the Normandy zips by overhead from Shepard's right toward the approaching reaper on his left. The Normandy stares down Harbinger in this galactic game of chicken.
Joker – "Do we have a target."
EDI – "Target locked."
Garrus – "Dodge this you son of a bitch!"
With that, all the hours of intense calibration, hardwireing and rerouting are put to good use by a volley from the Normandy's giant gun.
Joker – "Everybody hang on!!!" Joker rolls the Normandy left of Harbinger as the Volley hits the Normandy narrowly misses contact with the massive ship. Even a scrape would have ripped the Normandy apart. Any other pilot couldn't have made a maneuver like that. But Joker isn't any other pilot.
Shepard – "That was close. Joker. . . Dammit Joker come in!" Shepard's audio is getting through but Harbinger is blocking communication from the Normandy back to Shepard. With no response he gives up on communicating for the moment and he nears the control panel, when he sees the silhouette of a figure. Drawing his weapon, he sees the figure more clearly.
Shepard – "Illusive man?"
Harbinger – "No!"
Shepard – "Harbinger!"
Harbinger – "Don't be surprised Shepard. It was only a matter of time before his indoctrination was complete."
Shepard – "Just like Sarren."
Harbinger – "Just like you."
Shepard – "I don't think you can or you would have done it already."
Harbinger – "It's only a matter of time."
Shepard – "I don't think so. You had to radically alter the Protheans' DNA in order to control them. I'm willing to bet the cipher makes it harder for you to control me."
Harbinger – "Not by much."
Shepard – "Listen as much as I enjoy our little reunions I have to activate the Crucible."
Harbinger – "I can't let you do that."
Shepard – "Go figure. Hey you got here before me. How come you didn't simply sabotage the console yourself?"
Harbinger – "I was in the middle of doing so when you interrupted me."
Shepard – "No I think it's more than that. The Prothean's designed it. They must have safeguards that prevent the indoctrinated from using the Crucible."
Harbinger – "You're more clever than we anticipated. A mistake that we will not repeat. Your end is final. I will destroy you."
Shepard – "Quite the opposite Harbie. You're going down just like Sovereign and his puppet." Little did he know, Hackett broadcast the entire conversation to collective fleets.
Joker – "Voicecomm sent."
Hackett – "I think that rose morale a few points."
Wrex comments on the intercom from the med-bay, "I don't know if the Reapers can feel fear, but if I were a Reaper and I heard that, I'd be scared shitless."
Hackett – "Joker bring us arround for another attack."
Joker – "Aye, Aye"
Hackett – "Garrus fire at will."
They go at it in all out combat. Everything is on the line now, nothing held back. The Normandy broadcasting his suit audio live to the fleets, fully aware of every move Shepard makes in this critical fight. Shepard, knowing nothing of the battle overhead charges the husk of the Illusive man's body which responds with super Human strength.
Harbinger – "This is no ordinary fight Shepard. I will destroy you." Shepard's shields deflect a biotic volley.
Harbinger – "I know this hurts you."
EDI – "Commencing emergency maneuvers." She takes control of the Normandy and fiercely spins the port hull to deflect the majority of the Reaper weapon's impact.
Joker – "Oh god I didn't see that."
EDI – "That's why you have me."
Hackett – "Damage report." (If you bought the cooling conduits for the Normandy.)
Adams – "Minimal hull damage. But drive output spiked if we hadn't upgraded the thermal conduits everyone below the engineering deck would be dead."
Hackett – "Keep up the fight."
Then the Turrian Primarch comes in over the coms.
Victus – "Turrian fleet engaging Harbinger."
Hackett – "Glad you could join us."
Harbinger (husk) – "Your friends are weak. Even they cannot stop me."
Shepard ducks behind cover as Harbinger throws endless volleys of biotic detonations. But remembering how Wrex took out the Brute in the corridors, he equips his shotgun blade. Preparing to charge him, Shepard looks up.
Hackett to the fleets – "Harbinger has landed on the Crucible. All ships do not let him fire his main gun. Repeat do not let him fire!"
Shepard thinks to himself – "This is it, this is the last charge I'll ever make in this war." (Psychological choice Paragon option – "For the fallen. Time to make it count." Renegade – "Time to kick some Reaper ass!")
* Make it Count. Shepard and Harbinger charge each other as the Earth stands still. The fate of the Galaxy boiled down to these few seconds. Resting in the hands of Shepard's legacy . . . is a shotgun and a 12 inch blade. Shepard and Harbinger slam into each other. The Illusive Man's upgraded skull vs. Shepard's blade . . . Shappard's blade won out.
Shepard – "That was for Kaidan." Shepard fires a round. "That was for Thane." another, "That was for Mordin." another. Firing the last in his clip, "That was for Legion." Shepard drops the shotgun an and charges up his most powerful biotic melee, "And this, THIS IS FOR EARTH!" Shepard shatters the Reaper enhanced body with a devastating 5000 newtons, it flies off into space in a dozen pieces. With the interference gone, Shepard hears Hackett on the com channel.
Hackett – "Hit him now, hit him with all you've got. Its shields are down. Its shields are down!" Harbinger growls in his most menacing tone. Shepard looks up at a Harbinger's charging laser
Shepard – "Hackett patch this through to the fleet, target the laser cannon. It's the Reapers weakness." Harbinger growls directly at Shepard.
Shepard – "Target the LASER CANNON!"
Hackett – "You heard the man. Shoot it now." The allied fleets barrage the Reaper in the thickest fire every ships' captains had ever seen. But Harbinger, the oldest and the largest of the Reapers stands in the midst of a sea of flames as hot and bright as the Sun. Joker whips the Normandy around for its final run at the monster.
Joker – "This is for Gunney." he slams the fire button. With Garrus' targeting, the shot slams through Harbinger. The Reaper growls not from malice, but from pain. As Harbinger is blown to pieces the Reapers' chatter grows into an uproar over his death. Shepard runs for the Crucible's console, inputting the final commands in the Prothean language. Shepard remembers Mordin, "It had to be me, someone else might have gotten it wrong."
[Epilogue] If your galactic readiness score is below 3500 click HERE now.
If you betrayed the Krogan click: Blood Rage.
Joker – "I'm picking up extreme energy fluctuations from the Crucible. I recommend we evade."
Hackett – "Take us to a safe distance."
Tali – "Are you crazy? You can't leave him!"
Shepard on the comm – "It's ok. I knew the risks."
Hackett – "We don't know what's gonna happen. If we can we'll pick you up after the Crucible activates."
Shepard – "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. Joker get the Normandy out of here. On the double."
Joker – "Aye, Aye."
Hackett – "Attention fleet and all ground units. This is Admiral Hackett speaking. The Crucible is ready to fire."
The Crucible charges a massive amount of energy into each of the Citadel arms before firing its payload. The energy enveloped everything in the Sol system overloading the Reaper's Mass Effect cores and igniting the Reaper's internal power distribution architecture.
(Player Dependant Consequences)
If your galactic readiness score is below 3500 click HERE now.
Due to the Crucible's careful construction and precise engineering by: The Quarrians and Geth, The Rachni, Kenneth and Gabby's innovation, Jacob Taylor and the Ex-Cerberus scientists, Miranda Lawson and Conrad Verner's dissertation.
The Crucible was able to channel its energy through the Mass Relays without destroying them. Had the engineers made a single mistake the consequences of the Crucible's uncontrolled energy would have been devastating.
And Shepard, Shepard *Remains Alive (Keep reading). *Dies (Click link)
Shepard can be rescued from the Crucible in one of three ways: 1 Shepard brokered a lasting peace with the Geth. 2 Shepard saved the Rachni Queen twice. 3 alternatively: Shepard cured the Genophage and Grunt survived with Arlak Company.
If any ONE of these conditions are met Shepard lives. If none of these are met click HERE to see the ending where Shepard dies.
Anderson viewing the Galaxy map.
Anderson – "It's a goddamn miracle. Reaper forces are being decimated everywhere."
Hackett – "This victory came at a huge cost but we couldn't have hoped for a better outcome."
Anderson – "You could say that twice."
EDI – "Admirals! I'm picking up life signs from Shepard's suit."
Anderson – "Shepard's alive."
EDI – "but there's a problem. Sensors say he's entering Cardiac arrest."
Anderson – "Get him evac NOW!"
Hackett – "The closest unit to his position is a Geth Ship. They're responding. They're going to pull him out. Joker plot a course for the Geth ship, on the double!"
Joker – "Already set."
Anderson – "Dr. Chakwas, prepare the medical bay for a patient. It's Shepard."
Dr. Chakwas – "Understood."
The Normandy docks with the Geth ship. A Geth Prime walks through the airlock carrying Shepard and speeds down the hallway.
Prime – "Where are your medical facilities?"
Tali – "One deck down through the elevator. Follow me. Keelah is he ok. Can you do anything for him?"
Prime – "If his synthetic systems were functional I could download geth programs into them to help save his life. Unfortunately they are not functional."
Tali – "Then it's worse than I thought." Tali and the Prime enter the medical bay.
Chakwas – "Tali, you're injured."
Tali – "It's just a suit puncture."
Chakwas – "Bullshit that's a bullet wound."
In all the chaos Tali hadn't noticed. She didn't even feel the pain until she looked down at her chest and saw blood. Pausing for a moment she stares blankly.
Tali – "Keelah."
She said and fainted.
Chakwas – "Get her on the gurney."
Talking to the geth Prime "You should probably leave."
Prime – "I can assist with the medical treatment of creator Tali Zorah."
Chakwas – "Alright you can stay. Peters close the curtains."
The mess hall becomes a waiting area for the crew that gathers.
Vega – "I hear Shepard's in pretty bad shape."
Garrus – "He's been in worse. He was spaced and survived."
Vega – "Yeah but this time we don't have any replacement Lazarus hardware."
Garrus – "True. But there's still a chance. He's a tough character. He'll pull through."
Vega – "What about Tali?"
Wrex – "Don't let her dainty figure fool you. She's even tougher than you. She never let on she was injured."
Vega – "Likely due to shock."
Wrex flippantly – "Well you're an optimist."
Vega – "I'm a realist."
Garrus – "Well reality says that Dr. Chakwas is the best. She'll take care of them."
Wrex – "She has to."
One hour later Anderson goes into the medical bay, shortly he comes out again.
Garrus – "How are they doing?"
Anderson – "I'm not gonna lie, They're both in rough shape. I wish I'd known about Tali sooner, I never saw the blood."
Wrex – "Chakwas always keeps alien blood types on hand for emergencies. I know, I've had a few infusions myself. She had to start stockpiling it."
Garrus – "What happened to Shepard?"
Anderson – "It looks like the Crucible damaged his synthetic implants especially the clamp around his heart."
Garrus – "If the Crucible affected him, how come it didn't damage the Normandy?"
Anderson – "It was probably due to his proximity to the blast wave. I'm not sure. But right now Shepard's in there, fighting for his life and he needs us to stay strong for him. And for Tali."
3 hours later Dr. Chakwas finally steps out of the Medical bay. To her surprise the entire crew of the Normandy is there waiting Anderson breaks the silence.
Anderson – "What is it? How are they doing?"
Dr. Chakwas – "Well I'm afraid they're going to make full recoveries."
The crowd breathes a collective sigh of relief, followed by cheers and applause.
Dr. Chakwas – "Now if you don't mind, I need to go lie down."
Hackett – "Of course you must be exhausted. But what about your patients?"
Dr. Chakwas – "My assistants can take over monitoring them from here."
Hackett – "Then you're relieved of duty. Go get some rest."
Dr. Chakwas – "Gladly."
Anderson – "It's hard to believe it's finally over."
Hackett – "Shepard's alive. I can't think of a better symbol of victory than that."
2 Weeks later. At a bar on Earth by the Ocean. The cool wind flowing through the open air pavilion. Shepard and Tali enter the bar, Wrex and Garrus are already sitting. Dr. Chakwas stands up from the corner table, sharing a bottle of Serrice Ice Brandy with Admiral Hackett. At the adjacent table is Anderson with Kahlee Sanders.
Dr. Chakwas – "Glad you and Tali could make it commander."
Shepard – "Thanks to you we did."
Dr. Chakwas – "Just doing my job Commander."
Garrus – "Commander sit down and have a drink, take a load off."
Tali sits down and asks for a Turian brandy and a straw. Shepard motions to the bar tender to pour him a drink. Taking a sip he says,
Shepard – "Well we did it Garrus, we took back Earth."
Garrus – "You took it back Shepard because I was there and I had your back. What would you do without me."
Wrex – "Probably save the galaxy all by himself. Although not at stylishly. Speaking of which. I like the scenery. It reminds me of home."
Wrex is referring to the piles of Reaper rubble adorning the beach.
Shepard – "Well it's gonna take some work but we took Earth back."
Tali – "What are you going to do now?"
Shepard – "Maybe I'll teach at the Academy."
Wrex – "Nah, you'll never settle down. If I can guess, you'll find some new adventure to drag me and Garrus into. Ha ha"
Shepard – "Oh gosh, I hope not."
Anderson stands up.
Anderson – "I'd like to propose a toast. To a new beginning. Thanks to Shepard we've all got something to live for. May life lead each of us on our own pleasant adventures. Cheers!"
Crowd – "CHEERS!"
[End Credits.]
If you haven't clicked them in the story but would like to see one of the other possible endings:
- To withdraw the fleet click HERE.
- Renegade Choice click the link "Send Anderson."
- If your galactic readiness score is below 3500 click HERE now.
- If you betrayed the Krogan click: Blood Rage.
- Click HERE to see the ending where Shepard dies.
- Or pick another class: Soldier, Vanguard, Infiltrator
- Author's note: If you liked any of these stories I ask you to please leave a comment below and/or share them on other sites such as Facebook and forums, e-mail and blogs or any other way you can. Thanks!


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Sometimes ice guys finish first.
Jess Parrish knows all about that. The Longmont ice sculptor was part of a four-man team that won the World Ice Art Championship last week in Fairbanks, Alaska.
"To me, it's a very magical, natural element," Parrish said. "It allows us as artists to be more creative because it is so temporary. We'll try off-the-wall things because we don't have to live with it."
In this case, the championship piece was less "off the wall" and more "in the woods," depicting a delicate trio of fairies playing in and around a birch tree. The carvers — which also included Jim Duggan of Atlanta, Angelito Baban of Washington, D.C., and team captain Victor Dagatan of Atlanta — spent six days creating the piece from lake ice.
That meant digging in for 16-hour days, working around natural cracks, shifts in the weather, and temperatures in the ice itself that can range from 40 below zero to 40 above in the same chunk.
"You push and test the limits of your mental and physical capabilities under extremely harsh conditions," said Parrish. "It's very rewarding just to finish. By the end of day three, you look up and say 'Why am I doing this?' But by day four, you're seeing the art and magic that comes out of each block, and there's a fresh wave of energy that ignites the push for those last couple of days."
Parrish also took 11th in a two-man competition at the championships, out of 50 pairs competing.
Parrish has sculpted since he was 12, but he only discovered ice seven years ago while working as a chef. Now he has his own business, Cool Hand Ice Carving, and serves on the board of the National Ice Carving Association.
It takes patience. An artist may start with a roaring chainsaw and finish with a small chisel, getting delicate details just right. A shift of a few degrees can make a huge difference, with "too cold" being as challenging as "too warm" — once you get below zero, Parrish said, ice tends to get brittle and hard to work with.
Of course, most of his own work is done under more controlled conditions. Smaller pieces can be produced in a workshop in his home, while larger ones are done at the freezer of A&K Ice in Denver.
But the most important quality, Parrish said, is passion, especially since there's still so much to discover about how the medium works.
"It's exciting because it hasn't been completely figured out," he said. "You can keep your eyes open and your creativity flowing."
Contact Times-Call staff writer Scott Rochat at 303-684-5220 or email@example.com


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Modern bar stools present a unique range of seating options for the well appointed home. Contemporary bar stools—modern designs that run the gamut from casually stylish to exceedingly elegant—inject variety both visually and practically, and should your home lend itself to the inclusion of bar stools, you'll have an endless array of styles and materials from which to choose.
Modern stools can generally be placed into 2 buckets: bar stools and counter stools. Counter stools, the shorter of the two, typically range in height up to around 28 inches, and are ideal for seating at kitchen islands and counters. Bar stools, their more statuesque cousins, stand taller at around 32 inches, and are designed for homes and spaces with a bar or a bar-height surface area.
Before you embark on buying bar stools, do some measuring. While the heights of counter tops and bar surfaces tend to be standardized, don't be surprised to find variations in these measurements. Make no assumptions about whether the modern bar stools or counter stools you select will be the right height, and err on the side of caution. Once you've measured the height of your counter top or bar, finding the right modern bar stool or stools for your kitchen, dining room, or living room will be a breeze.
Contemporary bar stools are not typically interchangeable with counter stools, and few things will be more discouraging than finding the perfect stool only to find that it's too short for your bar surface, or laying eyes on the perfect counter stool that ends up being simply too tall. However, depending on the specific space you're outfitting, it's perfectly plausible that standard height bar stools might match the height of a particular kitchen counter or island, or a counter stool might be the right height for a specific bar design. Primarily for this reason, it's imperative to do some measuring first, and do the purchasing of your stools second.
While it's natural to want a matching set of contemporary bar stools or counter stools, don't shy away from amassing a collection of unique bar stools. Like modern chairs, designer bar stools have evolved to become emblems of innovative industrial design, showcasing unusual materials and revolutionary manufacturing techniques, along with artful, highly imaginative forms.
If you're in the market for unique stools, think of them less as a matching set than as a collection of individual bar stools that reflect your appreciation for thoughtful, well-crafted modern design, and, while not exact replicas of each other, express a unifying design aesthetic.


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AUBURN UNIVERSITY – In Kenya, traditional cultures place a high value on honey and related products of the beehive – in the past it was part of the dowry or "bride price" for marriage, and a man needed to have at least 20 liters of choice honey to present to a prospective father-in-law when asking for his daughter's hand.
More than just a tradition, this commodity could be the key to improving many aspects of Kenyan lives.
Auburn University's Global Water Watch has joined with Kenya's Green Belt Movement to find innovative ways of linking honey production with improved nutrition, higher incomes, community development and river protection.
"Honey has been an important part of the human diet for millennia, and gathering wild honey predates agriculture in many parts of the world," said William Deutsch, Global Water Watch director. "We believe we can improve production, and in turn their lives and livelihoods, through cleaner water while also helping the environment."
The Global Water Watch program, established at Auburn more than 20 years ago, is a worldwide network of community-based water monitoring groups that has worked in almost a dozen countries with citizen groups that often include indigenous peoples. These include the Quichua of Ecuador, Quechua and Aymara of Peru, Akha of Thailand and Tala-Andig of the Philippines, among others.
"Cross-cultural perspectives from all over the world have greatly enhanced our understanding of how people relate to and value their aquatic resources," Deutsch said.
In 2012, the Green Belt Movement organization in Kenya contacted Global Water Watch through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The group was founded in 1977 by Wangari Maathai, who was one of the first Kenyan students to receive a scholarship to study in the United States as part of a precursor program to the Peace Corps, originated by then-Sen. John F. Kennedy in 1959. Maathai was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 for raising public awareness about the environment and exposing illegal logging. She died in 2011, but the staff has continued with her environmental vision.
Following two trips to Kenya by Auburn researchers, the EPA funded a one-year pilot project in a cooperative agreement with the Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development, a nongovernmental organization from Washington, D.C.
Deutsch and his colleagues in October 2013 initiated water monitoring and environmental education activities in the Upper Tana River Watershed that originates between Mt. Kenya and the Aberdare Range of mountains. The Tana River is one of the largest in the country and provides much of the water for the capital city, Nairobi.
Scores of community members from four areas of the watershed have begun to attend workshops to learn how to test water, and they are now establishing 100 monitoring sites on several streams and drinking water supplies. Many of these volunteers have previously participated in Green Belt Movement activities such as tree planting, beekeeping and other forms of community development.
Deutsch plans to return to Kenya in mid-March to conduct more workshops for new community members and to establish new water monitoring sites.
"The tree planting of the Green Belt Movement and the watershed monitoring and stewardship of Global Water Watch seemed like a natural fit," Deutsch said, "but a beekeeping component added an important dimension to the project. The residents can help with our water-monitoring while improving their honey production."
Among the necessary tests of honey quality for commercial marketing, assurance that the product is free from E. coli is also critical. Plans are under way to adapt simple E. coli water tests for testing honey.
"A steady flow of high-quality honey can net a Kenyan farmer a much greater income than most other agricultural crops that the farmer can produce," Deutsch said.
With the growth of cities and the expansion of supermarkets, the demand for honey has created opportunities for mass production and modern marketing. The Kenyan Ministry of Livestock is promoting beekeeping, and development organizations such as USAID have provided grants to beekeepers to expand their operations.
"Many more producers are needed to fully meet the domestic demands for honey, let alone those of international markets," Deutsch said.
NOTE: This feature story is based on a 2014 Auburn Speaks article written by William Deutsch of Auburn University's Global Water Watch and Njogu Kahare of Kenya's Green Belt Movement. The Auburn Speaks book, with the theme of food systems, safety and security, will be released during Auburn's Research Week April 14-17. More information about Research Week is available at www.auburn.edu/researchweek.
Charles Martin, Office of Communications and Marketing, (334) 844-9999 (email@example.com), or Mike Clardy, Office of Communications and Marketing, (334) 844-9999 (email@example.com)


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Who doesn't love a party?
Holidays are a great excuse to gather family and friends for dinner and other celebrations. And with those gatherings come other expenses—new clothing, gifts, flowers, cards and other items.
All together, IBISWorld estimates that Americans spend $228.4 billion on holidays throughout the year.
Gifts are the most common purchase that consumers make during the major holidays, and account for 47.2 percent of total holiday sales. Food and drink make up the second largest category of holiday spending, accounting for 36.2 percent of purchases. The third largest category, with 5.8 percent of purchases, is decorations and costumes.
Click ahead to see how the holidays stack up.
By Christina Cheddar-Berk
Posted 31 Mar 2011


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Customer Reviews
All reviews are from people who have redeemed deals with this merchant.
What You'll Get
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Shutterfly prints personalized 12-month wall calendars with 25 photogenic borders and backgrounds. The 8"x11" calendar is a 12-month homage to memories, allowing the designer to insert cherished photos every month of the year except Intercalaris. Each month's image can showcase a solo photo headliner or a plethora of pictures (up to 13) arranged in a harmonious collage, which is a cinch to design with Shutterfly's easy-to-use interface. Important dates, such as birthdays and the Puppy Bowl, can be represented with one photo and text (up to three events per day). Shutterfly calendars are printed on high-quality, heavy card stock, making them durable enough to stick around long past their own timetable.
CNET and PCMag.com reviewed Shutterfly. Viewpoints reviewers highly recommend the photo service and give it an average of 4.16 stars.
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Dock logistics: the final frontier of the modern warehouse: new technologies, and creative uses of old ones, are enabling the dock to keep up with the rest of the warehouse as it transitions from brute force to efficient allocation.
On the receiving side, labor is often thrown at the hodgepodge of incoming goods, which are typically staged in a huge area so they can be manually inspected, labeled and diverted as needed. Only when they have finished this time-consuming process are they released to, say, a state-of-the-art automated storage and retrieval system (AS/RS). Even the "touchless" warehouse often includes the caveat "once product has been received." On the outbound side, efficient picking processes handle goods to within minutes or seconds of defined standards. Then that product sits at a dock, sometimes for hours.
As the final frontier in warehouse modernization, the spaces between the trailer and storage and between order fulfillment and the trailer have been overdue for an overhaul. "The biggest issues are related to inventory and time," says Drew Hale, partner at The Progress Group. "The traditional dock has been under the presumption that there is inventory somewhere between the dock and storage and between the outbound truck and customer. It still is not unusual that if someone wanted to know what was in each of those trucks they'd open up the door and look."
From slow to speedy receiving
Receiving has traditionally been a slow, labor-intensive process for a number of reasons. First, it is often not as important to put product speedily into storage as it is to pick it quickly and deliver it to the dock before shipping windows close. Additionally, the receiving dock acts as a sort of catch-all, where mislabeled products, order errors and other inconsistencies can be manually addressed before product enters a storage system.
"For 20 or more years, the conventional approach has been to load cartons onto pallets before they are moved and stored by lift trucks," says Steve Schwietert, vice president of integrated systems sales for TGW Systems. "Receiving cartons has always been seen as a necessary evil that's not very pretty. There might be three to five touches before a product even enters storage."
As the slow setup for the more time-sensitive, pick-pack-and-ship operations, the receiving dock didn't warrant much scrutiny until the rise of information technology. With visibility into what's coming in each trailer, the best decision can be made to either direct products to storage, or perhaps bypass the entire putaway and picking process in favor of allocating inbound items directly to an outbound order.
The concept of crossdocking can reduce touches, needed storage space and inventory. Of course, crossdocking requires software that bridges transportation and warehouse systems.
"Some have embraced making real-time decisions upon receipt," says Schwietert. "Some are limited by software that requires product to arrive at a picking location before it can be allocated to an order."
If there is 2.5 weeks of inventory in storage, inbound processing is not pressing. As organizations drive that 2.5 weeks closer to zero, then inbound becomes important. "Generally, people wanted to have 90% of what they received today available in inventory within 24 hours," says Hale. "Now, the dock-to-stock target is more like four hours." Such a facility requires less space, more dock doors and conveyors, and the ability to turn over trucks faster. New solutions support a rising movement toward just-in-time inventory patterns, especially in retail.
Automation at the dock
Speed at receiving can be enhanced with a new array of robotic truck unloading technologies and automatic guided vehicles (AGV). AGV forklifts and automated truck loaders and unloaders are increasingly at home in dock environments. The limiting factor for their adoption at the dock was the guidance technologies, which were challenged by the inconsistent conditions inside a trailer. Following advancements in perception, AGV forklifts can now roam from unloading to putaway to outbound deliveries and more.
Among the benefits of an automated dock is being able to track the product all the way into the trailer and validate that, says Darrin Peuterbaugh, account manager for Elettric 80. "Automation forces discipline into the process. Without automation, shipping and dock work is rarely subject to any sort of engineered standards." When a product is loaded onto the trailer, that information is available immediately, which streamlines the business processes, he says. "Then you're not relying on a person to update the ERP [enterprise resource planning system] or generate an ASN [advanced ship notice]."
In a facility with 30 or 40 dock doors, four or five AGVs could handle the loading. An AGV traffic management system allows sequencing, but it also allows an order to be interleaved, or split among multiple units, according to Peuterbaugh. Typically, with traditional forklifts, the orders are handled discretely, and productivity can suffer as a result.
The dock was a particular bottleneck in applications where cases are floor-stacked in trailers, according to Kerry Phillips, president at Wynright. "The primary problem was that you could pick and process an order for an outbound trailer faster than you could actually load it," he says. The latest robotic truck loaders/unloaders rival human speeds, but they do more than simply remove goods from the truck.
Truck unloaders can take on a variety of configurations to achieve everything from unloading to scanning, labeling, weighing and product routing. The mix-and-match options enable enhanced quality control and reduced labor, while allowing the customer to precisely balance manual labor and automation. Labeling errors, for example, can be routed to a manual receiving station, but depending on the suppliers' labeling practices that might be virtually a non-issue. "Across the board, there's less concern a label will be applied correctly or survive the trip," says Schwietert. "The predictability of carton-level labeling accuracy is now upwards of 90%, whereas 15 years ago, it was closer to 50%."
The outbound buffer
To be efficient on the picking side, you want to keep the workload as level as possible. "But outbound shipping is not level, which is where the need for some sort of buffer comes in," says Hale.
Ideally, an outbound shipment is sequenced by route stop, aisle-ready, or in some way loaded to make sure that unloading downstream can be made easier. However, because there is no way to guarantee the right pallet arrives in the right order, docks have traditionally included plenty of space for sorting and sequencing the order before loading. According to Tom Coyne, CEO of System Logistics, this is not terribly efficient in terms of space, labor or time; and truck turnover is often as much as two hours or more.
AS/RS buffers have been used to sequence pallets or cases and to release them in order, cutting truck turnover to as little as 10 minutes, and the required staging area to as little as six pallet locations. Coyne notes an example of a customer whose loading process was so efficient, the carrier agreed to have the drivers load their own trucks, creating further labor savings for the warehouse.
To achieve just-in-time shipping, the dock alone is not the only enabler of efficiency. If the upstream order fulfillment system can produce sequenced orders, then the dock needn't concern itself with sorting random items. "It's not shipping automation from the perspective of how you get the goods on the truck," says Coyne. "It's often about how you can support truck loading with a materials handling system."
That said, Coyne believes an automated dock buffer can be done as a subsystem meant just to support shipping sequencing. "The shipping dock is a place where operators should focus for targeted investments, because of the combined benefits of labor and space savings," says Coyne. "There are a lot of things we do in materials handling that give you one or the other. Automating the shipping process can get you both."
Again, these systems are best deployed in operations with good visibility into inbound and outbound inventory and smooth coordination between warehouse and carriers. "What makes this an interesting strategy is that it doesn't just affect what happens inside the four walls, but ends up being a supply chain strategy," says Schwietert. "Otherwise, all that change and optimization inside the facility stops dead at the dock door, after which it's out of their hands."
Where is your dock?
The good news is that automated buffer systems often require less space than the traditional dock, making it a viable solution for retrofits. But this might be the time to consider whether you need a large, central dock staging area in the first place. Rob Schmit, executive vice president at Daifuku Webb, suggests sequencing does not need to happen in one place. Still, he appreciates the customers' desire for a little wiggle room.
"Space is the key. The rest of the facility is jam-packed, with, ideally, every square foot optimized," says Schmit. "But the dock is the one place where the facility has some room to breathe. As much as a customer might like trying to put in as much automation as possible, they also like to have some space, and nine times out of 10, that's at the dock."
The dock is a space where all of the shuffled incoming pallets can be sorted and sequenced. But why shuffle them at all? What if a pallet could go directly from the place where it was assembled to the trailer, in sequence? Schmit describes a series of small "pre-buffers" scattered throughout a facility where small quantities of product can be staged. A fleet of AGVs could then ferry the right item from the mini-dock to the trailer, in sequence and just in time.
"If you can push back the dock space into decentralized areas and guarantee the transport of product from those pre-buffer or end-of-aisle locations," says Schmit, "you can reduce your dock size and put your space in locations that are of higher value to the organization."
"The driving force has to be stated," says Hale. "We don't need much interaction between the warehouse and carriers if nobody's going to drive us to be fast. If nobody says speed, it won't happen. It's changing, but it hasn't yet changed."
Companies mentioned in this article
DAIFUKU WEBB: daifukuwebb.com
ELETTRIC 80: elettric80.com
SYSTEM LOGISTICS: systemlogistics.com
THE PROGRESS GROUP: theprogressgroup.com
TGW: tgw-group.com
WYNRIGHT: wynright.com
By Josh Bond, Associate Editor
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From The Files Of April 20, 1989 '89 The farm home of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Barnhart of Warfordsburg was the focus of television and news media last Thursday
when Mrs. Barnhart was reunited with a sister and two brothers she did not know she had. She was adopted when she was young and grew up in West Virginia as Barbara Jane Alderton, moving to Warfordsburg when she married. Her natural brother, Michael Curtis of Colorado, has been trying to locate his brothers and sisters for several years and has been successful, except for two brothers, in locating all the 13 children of the late James Sr. and Dorothy Mae Sims of Martinsburg, W.Va., who were put up for adoption almost 40 years ago. Mr. and Mrs. Barnhart are the parents of three children and plan to join the Sims at a reunion in Colorado next year.
A Buck Valley man was critically injured in a farming accident which occurred Saturday morning on his farm on Hendershot Road. David Layton, 41, received multiple skull fractures in the accident. He was listed in critical condition in the Shock Trauma Unit, in Baltimore. Layton apparently was riding on his farm tractor with his son, Reuben, just before noon when the tactor ran over a tree or tree branch. Layton and his son jumped clear of the tractor, and it is unclear whether Layton himself tried to jump from the tractor or was thrown from it.
Fulton County Farmers Association presented the first-place check for $100 in the county crow shoot to Neal Oakman of Warfordsburg. Oakman won the competition by turning in 74 crows feet and was present along with other crow-hunting contest winners to receive prizes. Second place went to Mark Mellott, Fort Littleton; third- and fourth-place winnings were split between Lanny Cornelius, Orbisonia, and Marvin Byers, Rock Hill Furnace. Fifth place went to Joe Hollenshead and sixth place to Darryl Heckman.
Births at the Medical Center: a daughter to Mr. and Mrs. Brian Pearson of Chambersburg on April 10; a son to Mr. and Mrs. Michael Newell of Harrisonville on April 12; a son to Mr. and Mrs. Ricky Souders of McConnellsburg on April 12.
Lisa Buterbaugh and Reuben Egolf were united in marriage March 17 at the Church of God in Waynesboro. Parents of the couple are Mary Buterbaugh of Mc- Connellsburg and Harold and Louise Egolf of Greencastle.
Marriage licenses: Darin Mellott, Warfordsburg, and Leslie Caldwell, Warfordsburg; Donald Loetz Jr., Warfordsburg, and Shannon Smith, Warfordsburg.
30 Years Ago
From The Files Of April 19, 1979 '79 A Shade Gap man was killed instantly in an accident north of the Fulton-Huntingdon County line near Burnt Cabins late last
Thursday night. The victim was identified as Edward Bonnema Jr., 21, Shade Gap. Police said the van was northbound on Route 522 when it ran out of control, crossed to the west berm where it ran up an embankment, shearing off several pine trees and uprooting a large tree. The van then dropped down a steep 20- foot bank and came to rest on its wheels, facing south. The wrecked van was seen by passing motorists who saw the lights at about 11:00 p.m. or the fatality may have gone unnoticed.
Work at the Union Equipment plant in Warfordsburg came to a halt Tuesday morning when fellow employees learned of the tragic accidental death of Jim Mellott, foreman on the company's construction job on Interstate 70, east of Hancock. Maryland State Police reported that Mellott, 44, of Hustontown, died instantly when he was run over by a loaded dump truck, which was backing from the shoulder of the westbound lane onto the road where Mellott was supervising the laying of blacktop at the construction site. Mellott was the son of Mr. and Mrs. John F. Mellott of McConnellsburg and married to the former Fern Mort.
Rod Barton, Roger Horton, Barry Shafer and Pat Shafer went to Potter County to do their fishing and between the four of them took 80 trout out of Kettle Creek, which they returned to the stream. Other are fishermen who spent the first day in Potter County included Greg Peck, Randy Beatty, Jay Lanehart, Neil Oakman, Will Whiteside, Rich Eader and Rick Mellott.
Engagement: Mr. and Mrs. Willard Mellott of Needmore wish to announce the engagement of their daughter, Donna Kaye, to Curtis A. Brant, son of Mr. and Mrs. Dean Brant of Harrisonville.
Marriage licenses: Ricky Lee Lake, Big Cove Tannery, and Teresa Lynn Barnett, McConnellsburg; James Eward Strait and Vicki Lynn Earnest, Warfordsburg.
Engagement: Mr. and Mrs. Roy Barnhart of Harrisonville wish to announce the engagement of their daughter, Helen Marie Souders, to Dwight Edward Schooley, son of Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Schooley of Harrisonville.
Births at the Medical Center: a daughter to Mr. and Mrs. Robert Kerns of Warfordsburg on April 3; a son to Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Price Jr., Shade Gap, on April 11; a daughter to Mr. and Mrs. Randall Piper of Shade Gap on April 7.
Deaths: Edward G. Bonnema, Shade Gap; Rev. Charles Bollinger, Rochester, N.Y.; Mrs. Jean Reynolds, Corpus Christi, Texas.
40 Years Ago
From The Files Of May 1, 1969 '69 Injuries received in an accident at the Letterkenny Army Depot on Thursday resulted in the death early Friday of Clyde Alton
Frain, 42, Hustontown, in Washington County Hospital. Mr. Frain, an auto mechanic in the vehicle branch of the General Supply Division, fell from an M4- 1A1 combat tank at Building 17 at the depot.
The office staff of Fulton County Department of Highway moved from the old quarters in McConnellsburg on Tuesday of this week into the new building along Route 522 north.
Dr. Robert L. Fry will leave Friday to attend a threeday post graduate course at Temple University in Philadelphia.
Spring turkey hunting season will open May 3 and close on May 10. Only bearded turkeys will be legal game, and the shooting hours will be from one-half hour before sunrise until 10:00 a.m.
Marriage licenses: Charles E. Miller of Fort Littleton, and Carol G. Cornelius of Orbisonia; Mark Strait and Shirley Funk, both of McConnellsburg.
Mrs. Ida Lininger, a guest at the Decker Nursing Home, will observe her 91st birthday on May 3.
The junior class of Forbes Road High School will persent its annual play to the public in one performance on Saturday, May 3, beginning at 8:00 p.m. in the gymnatorium.
Damage totalled $15,000 when a tractor-trailer truck plunged over a 25-foot embankment and burst into flames on the turnpike near the Fort Littleton Interchange on Friday evening. The driver, Emlyn Mitchell of Ruffs Dale, was released from the Medical Center after treatment for multiple facial abrasions and cuts.
The sixth-grade pupils of Dublin Township elementary school and Forbes Road enjoyed a bus trip to the Shrine Circus at Altoona on Tuesday of last week. They were accompanied by Miss Shaw and Miss Madden from the Dublin Township School; Mrs. Berkstresser, Mrs. Snyder and Mrs. Hoover from Forbes Road; and Ralph Helman was the bus driver.
Births at the Medical Center: a son to Mr. and Mrs. George Mellott of Harrisonville on April 21; a son to Mr. and Mrs. Daniel King of Three Springs on April 22; a son to Mr. and Mrs. Irvin Kerns of Warfordsburg on April 24.
Men in Service: Airman Gary E. Stevens, son of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Stevens of McConnellsburg, has completed his basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. He has been assigned to Chanute AFB, Ill., for training in aircraft maintenance. Hospital Corpsman Second Class Roger W. Akers, WSN, son of Mrs. Hazel Akers of Needmore, is serving aboard the attack cargo ship USS Multiphen at Norfolk, Va. John B.W. Davis, son of the late Col. Chester A. Davis, completed his active duty time with the Army on April 17, having served his last 13 months with the 7th Infantry Division in the Repubilc of Korea.
Deaths: Kenneth S. Glazier, McConnellsburg; Mrs. T. Mae Bennett, Flintstone; Kenneth E. Mellott, Needmore; Mrs. Lacea Larue Shore, Three Springs; Henry S. Ramsey, Orbisonia; Carol Jo Hann, Mount Union; Benjamin Mills, Warfordsburg; Mrs. Rose Deshong, Needmore; Mrs. Anna Brant, McConnellsburg.
50 Years Ago
From The Files Of April 30, 1959 '59 Mrs. William J. Lowe spent the weekend in Reading where she attended the 75th anniversary service of St. Stephen's Reformed
Church. Mrs. Lowe and the late Rev. Lowe were both confirmed in this church at the age of 16 years, and Mr. Lowe went on from the church to study the ministry in 1909.
Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert Kindelan of Mercersburg visited friends in town on Sunday. Mr. Kindelan was the former manager of the local G.C. Murphy store.
Mr. and Mrs. Donald Martin will move into their newly redecorated apartment above the Fulton County Bank.
Mr. and Mrs. Ed Merrell have bought the Harvey Raker home on North Second Street and plan to move there in a few days. Mr. and Mrs. Merrell manage the White Swan Restaurant at the west end of town.
A penny, dated 1829, was found last week by Mrs. Carl Jarrett while she was digging around the old house at the Patterson farm, south of town.
Mr. and Mrs. William Nesbitt of McConnellsburg have announced the birth of a daughter on Friday at Chambersburg Hospital. Mrs. Nesbitt is the former Arlene Paylor.
The 1-1/2 hour concert by the McConnellsburg Joint School Band received a warm round of applause from the large audience after each number on the diversified program.
Local firemen were called twice last week, once for a brush fire and once for a chimney fire.
Mrs. Eugene Golden has been installed as the new president of the War-Nee-Do Club. Other new offices are Mrs. Floyd Truax, vice president; Mrs. Gordon Charlton, secretary; and Mrs. Raymond Chesnut, treasurer.
Unemployment compensation checks disbursed last week totalled 252,567, with a monetary value of $6,940,769.
Mrs. Ida Lininger of town will mark her 81st birthday on Sunday.
Mr. and Mrs. Merrill W. Nace of town quietly celebrated their 54th wedding anniversary on April 19.
The Polka Knights will furnish music for dancing at the local American Legion home on Saturday night.
George R. Rohrer, work unit conservationist of Mc- Connellsburg, reports that 2,500 feet of diversion terraces were built last week on the Henry Gordon farm in Thompson Township.
Kenton B. Senft of Orbisonia is making plans to salvage a 1957 Mercury from the bottom of the lake at Cowans Gap. The driverless car sank in about 30 feet of water near the breast of the dam on Friday evening after it crashed through a chain-link fence and bounced down the dam breast. Senft, who was fishing nearby, looked on helplessly.
At the graduation exercises on Friday at the U.S. Naval School at Newport, R.I., Edward H. "Eddie" MacKinlay will receive his commission as ensign.
Robert Jones has leased the Atlantic Station on Lincoln Way East from Clyle Deshong.
Iris Virginia Martin,daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Harold Martin of Warfordsburg, has been awarded an extension homemaker's scholarship at the State Teachers College at Indiana, Pa. She is a senior in home economics.
Delores Barnhart has been selected as the Queen of Spring at the Southern Fulton High School.
Mr. and Mrs. Alva Bennett Gordon of Hancock marked their golden wedding anniversary over the weekend with a family dinner on Saturday and a reception on Sunday.
Births at the Medical Center: a daughter to Mr. and Mrs. Boyd Cromer of McConnellsburg on April 21; a son to Mr. and Mrs. L.D. Keebaugh of Fort Littleton on April 21.
Deaths: Harry Cornelius Bishop of Hancock; Mrs. Gertrude E. Raker of Everett; Archie Miles Watkins of Robertsdale; Charles Henry Williams of Coalmont; Mrs. Mary Stains of Three Springs; Lillian Octavia Deneen of Hancock; Mrs. Beulah M. Stevens of Hustontown; Mrs. Clarence Cooper of Chambersburg; Mrs. Mona Margaret Henney of Alexandria.
60 Years Ago
From The Files Of May 5, 1949 '49 John Wesley Kelso, 58-year-old Mc- Connellsburg funeral director, was instantly killed early Monday evening when his hearse
was struck from the rear by a tractor-trailer at the Carlisle Interchange on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. He died of a broken neck, crushed chest and internal injuries. Calvin B. Chubb, 39, of McConnellsburg, a friend of Kelso's, who was riding with him, was thrown from the hearse and suffered a fracture of the right collarbone and abrasions. He also suffered severe burns of the hand when he pulled Kelso's body away from the burning hearse, which burst into flames after the crash. The tractor driver, from Berryville, Va., escaped injury and he was released under $1,500 bail on charges of aggravated assault and battery by a moving vehicle. He said the brakes of his rig had failed.
Announcement has been made of the engagement of Helen Louise Deshong to Clarence R. Bard.
Recent births: a daughter to Mr. and Mrs. Doak Anderson of Wells Tannery on May 2; a son to Mr. and Mrs. Fred Wilds of McConnellsburg on May 2; a son to Mr. and Mrs. Wallace Alloway of McConnellsburg on May 3.
The body of Clyde Alfred Mellott has been returned to this country for burial. He died at Ie-Shima on June 10, 1945.
Taylor Township High School and Dublin Township Consolidated School won the 18th annual Fulton County track meet on Saturday with 77 and 35 points, respectively.
Mrs. Mahala Seburn of Thompson Township celebrated her 87th birthday on April 24.
Mrs. Mary Rhinedollar, one of McConnellsburg's most esteemed citizens, marked her 93rd birthday last Thursday.
Deaths: Pleasant Mary Sipes of McConnellsburg; Frances Melius of Hustontown; Elizabeth Brown Ramsey of Clear Ridge.
70 Years Ago
From The Files Of May 4, 1939 '39 Deaths: Thomas Mayne of Fort Littleton; Jack Stevens of Pittsburgh; George M. Seiders of Ayr Township; James Williams of
Everett; Mrs. Annabelle Charlton Truax of Baltimore; Mrs. William S. Hixson of near Akersville; Mrs. William Lodge of Langdondale.
Because of the interest shown in conservation by those at a meeting on Monday evening, another meeting will be held on May 11, at which time W.H. Stevenson, chief of the Soil Conservation Service, will tell of the benefits of the service and explain how it can be made available to Fulton countians.
Under the sponsorship of the Music Study Group of the McConnellsburg Woman's Club, a program of sacred music will be presented in the local school's auditorium on Sunday afternoon. Choirs of the Methodist, Presbyterian, Reformed and Lutheran churches, as well as the McConnellsburg High School Chorus, will take part in the program.
Charles Bathalow, 68, Todd Township, was found on Friday evening by Sheriff Hamil after having wandered for two days and nights in the Meadow Grounds. He was suffering from exposure.
Investigation into the dis- covery of the body of a premature baby is being made this week by the sheriff's office and the county coroner. The tiny body was found on Saturday, wrapped in a sack on Tuscarora Mountain not far from the highway. The discovery was made by Roy Kendall when he was getting topsoil for a flower garden. Police revealed no clue as to the identity of the child.
80 Years Ago
From The Files Of May 2, 1929 '29 Deaths: Michael E.H. Bard of near Pleasant Ridge;
John D. Finley of Burnt Cabins; Oliver Hill of Bethel Township.
Recent births: a son, Garven Omar, on April 23 to Mr. and Mrs. Elmer Edwards of Ayr Township; a daughter on April 25 to Mr. and Mrs. Thomas C. Cutchall of Ayr Township; a son, Eugene Foster, to Mr. and Mrs. George Earley of McConnellsburg on April 14; a son on April 27 to Mr. and Mrs. Frank Souders of Ayr Township.
Albert Nesbitt burned a three-eye kiln of lime last week, producing 1,000 bushels. Chickens roasted in the kiln were one of the delicacies last week in the Nesbitt home. Lime burning, once frequent in Ayr Township, is now a rare operation.
Robert S. Romig and Bessie M. Wagner were married on April 25.
Herman Viper and Freda Gillian were wed April 25.
Henry Sharpe opened a green grocery in his building on East Lincoln Way on Friday. His brother, James, is manager.
Harold, 14-year-old son of Samuel Strait of Saluvia, was brought home from the Hagerstown Hospital last Saturday. He underwent a mastoid operation.
Mrs. Roland Sipes had the misfortunate of having a door blow shut on her, breaking her arm above the wrist.
Mr. and Mrs. Clay Wible of Altoona are the proud parents of a new son, Harold Edison, born on April 22. Mrs. Wible is the former Mae Shore.
Bill Mellott, the handyman of Northcraft, built and installed a "kitchen silo" for Mrs. Agnes Northcraft.
Mrs. Will Snyder of Knobsville fell from a stepladder at her home on Tuesday, breaking her arm.


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There's a widespread mentality in certain Jewish circles that being on the cutting edge of fashion and style is not in the confines of tznius– the Jewish dictates of modesty. In my years in bais yaakov teachers went so far as to tell us that being on the cutting edge of fashion was clearly against the laws of tznius. That a girl who was dressed extremely attractive was drawing unnecessary attention to herself. I was told that this rule also applied to sweatshirts or t-shirts with chest logos and even dark nail polish. All of these things fell under the guise of what is know as prust or improper for the Jewish girl/woman.
I've veered pretty far away from that line of thinking and most of those people today would definitely call me a shiksa in my jeans and tichels/hats/occasionally sheitel and they really would have run the other way if they met me in my non-hair covering phase. Although I'm certainly no halachic authority, I went to bais yaakov after all(where they teach you just enough to get your MRS) and I certainly hope no takes this as any psak or halachic ruling I would like to speculate on this further, especially as this seems to a topic on many of my fellow j-bloggers minds……
A Jewish woman is considered a princess in Hebrew, a bas melech. The daughter of a king would only be kitted in the finest of fashions and of course would set the fashion tone for the entire country. She of course would never be dressed in any way that would disrespect her father the king but she certainly would always be expected to look more beautiful and put together than anyone else in the kingdom. The same goes true for the Jewish princess.
I honestly feel that an orthodox Jewish women should always be as fashionable and as classy as possible. There are many ways to look fantastic without baring it all. In general the women I find the most elegant are those who choose to cover it up rather than let it all hang out. Obviously just because you wear a skirt doesn't mean that you are classy, or elegant I have seen many pants that are more modest that certain skirts. I'm also not here to get into debates on pants, short sleeves, how you cover your hair or any of that sort thing, in my opinion each person must do what they feel comfortable doing and it is between them and God.
Yet I think that each Jewish woman and all women should think of themselves as a princess and therefore there is nothing wrong with wearing stylish fashionable clothes so long as they aren't thigh high and cut down to the belly button. I think that if you dress stylishly but elegantly you are still tzanua and in no way breaking any tznius code. I think that when people tell you otherwise they are steering you away from looking and feeling your best.
As a Jewish princess you should buy the best clothes you can afford, the best head coverings and conduct yourself with grace and class. There is no one in the world that will argue with you that you are not tznius if you follow those rules.
In a related albeit different topic I see many ads and in store displays showing head covering styles popular among Jewish women. In this month's Vogue there is a Ralph Lauren ad showing a woman wearing a chasidic style turban, but Ralph's real surname is Lipschitz after all and he grew up in the 50's in the Bronx he probably saw plenty of those. I was also recently in Zara and I saw a mitpachat style tichel on a mannequin's head, this could also be due to all the Muslims in Spain but I'd rather think that this is the influence of the stylish Brooklyn and Israeli chicas rocking the mitpachat.
I think that it's important to remember that what narrow minded people tell you isn't always halacha, and that tznius and fashion forward can go hand in hand, and not only not be polar opposites, but heighten the honor and grace of the Jewish woman.


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Happy late Independence Day to all my fishing friends. What a great weekend here on the island — good friends, good families and some dang good fishing. Kinda sums up how our island takes care of a holiday weekend.
A common misconception of Buddhism is that of denying earthly desires and that to practice Buddhism, one must live an austere life by giving up possessions and spending a lot of time meditating. While that may be true of some sects of Buddhists, it is not of Mahayana Buddhists. Followers of Nicherin Daishonin fall into this group.
In my first column for the Cedar Key Beacon I wrote that I fell in love with this island within 15 minutes of arriving here last year on a birthday trip. I know you're supposed to be happy when you're on vacation. But, it was more than a vacation glow. The longer I stayed-and the more often I returned-the more I felt as if I had come home.
That statement seems crazy because I was born and raised in New York City. But, what I was experiencing was a very different kind of homecoming. It was a return to the heart.
Submitted by Tom Deverin
It's that time of year again to enjoy Cedar Key's art festival, celebrating its 47th year. This year however, there will be a new approach. The Energy Advisory Panel and festival organizers shared the same vision and commitment to make this year's festival a sustainable event. A sustainable event conserves and restores resources, honors and supports those involved, adds value to the local economy and educates participants about the benefits of sustainability.
What would you find if you examined a typical landfill? Plastic packaging, diapers, old furniture, carpets, shoes, paper, food waste and computers. The list goes on and on. Billions of dollars' worth of material assets were used to make most of these products.
By Eileen Bowers Special to the Beacon
For the record, I have always been a sucker for the under dog. Or
maybe I should say, the under canary......and
now, the under horse. Plus, I hate bullies.
As we all know, transitions are never easy and that holds
true for Cedar Key's efforts towards a more sustainable
future. But let's look at some numbers that might give us
some encouragement:
Now that we know that our community efforts have nearly
doubled our recycling, let's look at how we got there,
problems that ensued and solutions that help us address these
Community informational meetings were held the last
When you're strolling the Seafood Festival this weekend
don't be surprised if you're approached by one of "The
Recyclables", a recycled costume creation by local artist and
Energy Advisory Panel member, Connie Nelson. "The
Recyclables" in conjunction with the Cedar Key School are
again working towards the goal of asking as many American
citizens as possible to renew for the coming year their personal
commitment to protect the environment by signing a
Copyright © 2019
The Cedar Key Beacon is your source for local news, sports, events, and information in Levy County and Cedar Key Florida, and the surrounding area.


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European Commission
Press release
Brussels, 2 May 2013
State aid: Commission opens an in-depth investigation into the restructuring of the PSA Peugeot Citroën group
The European Commission has opened an in‑depth investigation to determine whether the PSA group's restructuring plan is compatible with the European Union's state aid rules. The opening of an investigation in no way prejudges its final outcome. It allows interested third parties to submit their comments and increases legal certainty for the aid beneficiary when the Commission adopts its decision.
The restructuring plan notified by France includes a guarantee of EUR 7 billion as well as grants and repayable advances of EUR 85.9 million.
The plan comprises a restructuring of the industrial organisation and the administrative structures, and a research and development project in the field of hybrid technologies. It forecasts a return to viability in 2015 and a number of compensatory measures to limit distortions of competition.
At this stage, the Commission intends to verify whether the assumptions underlying the restructuring plan to restore the company's long‑term viability without continued state support are sufficiently realistic, in particular given the recent trend on the car market. The Commission wishes to check that the compensatory measures are proportionate to the distortions of competition created by the grants awarded.
The PSA group produces and sells vehicles under the Peugeot and Citroën brands. In 2011 it sold more than 3.5 million vehicles and parts throughout the world.
In February the Commission granted temporary approval for a state guarantee covering the market issues of Banque PSA Finance for EUR 1.2 billion of the EUR 7 billion announced (IP/13/106). Banque PSA Finance is wholly owned by the PSA group and provides financing for sales by the group. Commission approval was subject to notification of a restructuring plan for the PSA group as a whole.
State aid to firms in difficulty is a type of aid that is most likely to distort competition because it may allow firms to remain on the market that would not have been able to do so by themselves.
This type of aid must therefore be subject to strict conditions that are laid down in the Guidelines on state aid for rescuing and restructuring firms in difficulty (see MEMO/04/172). In particular, such aid must be accompanied by a restructuring plan that is capable of restoring the long‑term viability of the firm without it needing to call on new state support. Furthermore, the aid must be accompanied by measures to compensate the resulting distortions of competition, for example reductions in the beneficiary firm's capacity or market presence, or reductions in barriers to entry for new operators. Finally, the beneficiary must make a substantial contribution to the costs of its restructuring in order to reduce the burden on the taxpayer.
The non-confidential version of the current decision will be made available under the case numbers SA.35611 in the State Aid Register on the DG Competition website once any confidentiality issues have been resolved. New publications of state aid decisions on the internet and in the Official Journal are listed in the State Aid Weekly e-News.
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|Please note that the Windover Antique finish varies greatly.
|Windover Antique is a dark brass colored finish. It often looks somewhat two-toned or speckled.
Please note: Because Belwith Windover Antique (or substitute Blonde Antique) hardware is hand finished to create a distressed look, there may be some variation in the color of each piece. Nevertheless, this slight difference in color may add additional character to your space. Homeowners looking for cabinet hardware with a completely uniform color scheme should consider a more common finishes such as satin nickel or matte black. Alternatively, please feel free to call our customer service center for additional recommendations of finishes that will best suit your space.
|One fifth of the Hickory Hardware Company, Belwith has come to set the standard of cutting edge and distinct brass hardware. When it comes to decorative cabinet hardware with chic attitude, Belwith is the perfect choice.
|Not only are hooks ideal for saving space and keeping coats and jackets off the floor, but they can be used for hanging kitchen towels, scarfs, hats, aprons, and more. Hooks comes in a variety of styles, shapes, and styles to fit every home's needs.
Does this product qualify for FREE SHIPPING?All Top Knobs, Alno, Amerock, Becker, Belwith, Hickory, Berenson, Decorite, Fulterer, Houck, Liberty, Rev-A-Shelf, Tresco, US Futaba, Jeffrey Alexander products are shipped together from a single warehouse.
All orders from this warehouse under $100 are eligible for a $7.95 flat shipping rate per order.
All orders from this warehouse over $100 are eligible for FREE SHIPPING.
When can I expect my order to arrive?
Please Note: We receive stock updates daily and while most items are in stock, there is a chance that this item may be delayed. In general delayed items ship within 7 - 10 business days. Please call or chat with us to confirm the current stock status of this item.
Items are shipped via FedEx Ground, UPS Ground, USPS or Speedee the next business day and can be expected to arrive within another 4-6 business days. Special order items take an additional 7-10 business days. For expedited shipping, please contact customer service for a shipping quote and place the order by phone.
Delayed items will ship within 7-10 business days.
Product ships from Monticello, MN, 55362.
Please contact our Customer Service department at 1-800-530-TAIL(8245) for assistance with warranty questions or claims.


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Technology moves fast, and laws and regulations pertaining to telemedicine are struggling to keep up.
The Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) and the American Medical Association (AMA) recently issued separate guidelines designed to assist states as they grapple with how to regulate this quickly evolving mode of care delivery. The "Model Policy for the Appropriate Use of Telemedicine Technologies in the Practice of Medicine" was released by the FSMB, which represents all 70 state and territorial medical certification bodies. It replaces the 2002 Model Guidelines for the Appropriate Use of the Internet in Medical Practice. The AMA released its own set of guidelines, "Coverage of and Payment for Telemedicine".
[Doctors across (state) borders? Read Sorry, AMA: You're Wrong About Telehealth.]
While neither set of guidelines is binding, states are likely to draw on them when examining potential revisions to their own laws and regulations. It is too early to tell whether there will be a nationwide push toward standardization or whether providers, insurers, and vendors must continue to deal with inconsistent state telemedicine laws and regulations from one state to another. The only thing we know for sure is that both sets of guidelines will likely leave state legislators with plenty of questions.
Narrow definitions of "telemedicine" could lead to restricted patient access Both the FSMB guidelines and the AMA guidelines establish an overly narrow definition of "telemedicine." As a result, they fail to recognize several forms of electronic communications as potentially beneficial, valid modes of healthcare delivery.
The FSMB guidelines define telemedicine as: "the practice of medicine using electronic communications, information technology, or other means between a licensee in one location, and a patient in another location without an intervening healthcare provider." While this definition appears broad, the guidelines further provide that both secure videoconferencing and "store-and-forward" secure communication technology may be part of a telemedicine practice but that, generally, audio-only, email, and instant messaging technologies are not telemedicine. The FSMB definition is not without controversy, with a group of insurers, providers, and patient advocates warning that the definition could restrict access to telemedicine for those patients who strictly rely on audio devices, email, or text messages.
The AMA guidelines define telemedicine as comprising three categories: "store-and-forward," remote monitoring, and (real-time) interactive services, but the AMA similarly carves out audio-only, email, and instant messaging technologies from the definition.
Restricted access will be a significant issue. The definitions proposed by the guidelines would generally require the provider and the patient to have a robust Internet connection in order to conduct "telemedicine," which will be an issue for people in remote, rural areas. There is also the issue of limited accessibility for those with physical impairments. For example, blind patients may be reliant on audio-only interactions.
The definition of telemedicine is likely to evolve in the coming years. As more technologies develop and more medical boards assess statewide Internet capabilities, a more flexible definition will be necessary as more issues and restrictions are addressed.
Is an in-person meeting necessary? To establish a valid provider/patient relationship, many states require that the initial encounter between the provider and patient be in-person. This is often the biggest hurdle for providers seeking to practice telemedicine.
The FSMB and AMA guidelines both suggest, however, that there may be ways around an in-person meeting. The FSMB suggests that
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