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Hope you are ready for a picture-tastic post as these YSL Rouge Pur Couture Lipsticks! I am a bit slow getting these up, but it's totally worth it!
YSL Rouge Pur Couture is the newest lipstick to the YSL family. I do think YSL have the nicest high end lipsticks out there (in the Western market).
I have 5 colours here to review and swatch!
If you're wondering why they are all pointing in weird directions it's because I lined up the base and as you can see, they are all a bit random!
YSL Rouge Pur Couture comes in 18 colour choices from neutral to bright reds to dark blackened purples.
They say:
A new-generation lipstick inspired by Monsieur Saint Laurent's iconic color palette—red, fuchsia and orange—in a collection of captivating couture shades that offer each complexion a customized look.
These lipsticks have a SPF15 and are supposed to give an intense pigmented satin finish to the lips. It is also supposed to be long wearing.
Typically, these lipsticks come in the gold case – it's very glamourous and well made (I've held a lot of expensive but lightweight flimsy products lately!) and this one is really nice although the packaging shows fingerprint marks easily and I do find shiny gold can sometimes wear off.
It's a bit like the rubbery Nars packaging I guess! Looks great, ruined in a second.
Here are the colours I have been playing with!
04 Rouge Vermillion looks like a blue based red but it's actually more of a rose on the lips. It is very wearable and is the sort of shade I would recommend to ladies who don't like nudes and want a bit of natural colour on the lips.
10 Beige Tribute is a nude – you know adore nudes so much – and this is quite a light one. It's more of a true beige, it is very light and it's not as pigmented as the previous colour. If you like nudes you will like this, no question – although the shade isn't extraordinary the texture makes up for it.
12 Blanc is one of the creative colour shades. No one is expecting you to go out like frosty the snowman, this can be used on top of another colour to add gloss and sheen or to lighten another lipstick.
It has a slight shimmer to it.
13 Le Orange is a beautiful, stunning bold red-orange. I prefer red oranges to blue based oranges any day, and this one is LOUD but really gorgeous. Makes your lips look healthy too and most of these sort of colours are quite unforgiving!
I really like!
Noir Laque is another creative colour – it looks like it's black, it's more of a really dark purple. Add this to another lipstick to make it darker. Combined with a red I think this could be quite vampy and nice!
The texture is lovely, and I didn't expect anything less.
Although I do like Rouge Volupte, (the Perle is ok too!) I have complained before that because it is so creamy, so soft, that in the wrong shade it can be unforgiving because it is opaque.
To me, Rouge Pur Couture is the slightly more refined subtle cousin, because it's a lighter (yet still pigmented) texture so it's easy to wear. It feels feathery light, and I had no worries of smudging or smearing.
It also lasts longer than Rouge Volupte, which by nature is so creamy that it isn't going to last ages. For a party, I would choose Pur Couture because it is longer wearing.
Don't get me wrong – I so love Rouge Volupte too and it's great when I want something super super creamy but for something I can apply without a mirror I would use Pur Couture.
By the way I used a dab of the Noir Laque with the beige – you can see how it darkens it:
It's darker but there is a slightly plum edge to it. Bear that in mind! I like it but I like to play about with products and colours anyway.
Expensive but lovely. Priced at £22 each
P.S. Lip Swatches coming up next!


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2013 MV Agusta F3 First Ride Sa harap ng pandaigdigang sportbike mga benta paglagpak, boutique Italian motorsiklo tatak MV Agusta ay apunta upang revitalize ang walang pag-unlad middleweight supersport market sa kanyang kamakailan pinakawalan F3. Pinapatakbo ng isang ultra-compact 675cc triple-silindro engine, ang F3 ($13,999) ay isa pang European kumuha sa ang pinakamahusay na paraan upang makarating mula sa tuktok sa Apex. VISION nagiging katotohanan Ipinanganak apat na taon na mas maaga, ang F3 ay ang managinip ng late president ni MV, Claudio Castiglioni, na kinomisyon isang tatlong-silindro sportbike bago lumilipas huling tag-init mula sa kanser. Isinasaalang-alang nito na malalim na nakaugat kasaysayan sa kalsada racing, the machine was designed for competition and the demands of World Supersport ...Basahin ang buong artikulo »
2013 MV Agusta F3 First Ride – Euro Cycles of Tampa Bay
MV Agusta F4 1000 S – Road Test & Pagsusuri – motorsiklista Online
MV Agusta F4 1000 S Motorcycle Exclusive Ride With the MV Agusta 1000 S motorcycle, Italy supersizes the world's most desirable 750, giving Japan Inc.'s new literbikes real competition#151in terms of power and weight#151for not much more money. By Alan Cathcart. Front Left View Claudio Castiglioni on Tamburini's Trophy Bike Castiglioni poses with Tamburini's latest lust object, the F4 1000 S. We had a couple of questions. With the F4 1000 S almost unchanged aesthetically from its now defunct 750 S predecessor, wasn't it time to freshen its styling? We always intended the styling of the MV F4 to remain essentially unchanged even in 1000cc form because we believe ...Basahin ang buong artikulo »
MV Agusta Introduces Turismo Veloce 800 And Turismo Veloce Lusso 800 isport…
MV Agusta Introduces Turismo Veloce 800 And Turismo Veloce Lusso 800 Sport Tourers MV Agusta has introduced a new sport touring motorcycle, the Turismo Veloce 800, which translates to Fast Tourer. There are two versions of the machine, the Turismo Veloce 800 and the Turismo Veloce Lusso 800. Both motorcycles are motivated by a liquid-cooled, fuel-injected, 798cc inline triple. Bore is 79.0mm, stroke is 54.3mm and compression ratio is 13.3:1. Each cylinder has two intake valves and two exhaust valves that are actuated by double overhead camshafts. The engine is claimed to produce 125 lakas-kabayo sa 11,600 rpm and 60.6 lbs.-ft. of torque at 8600 rpm. The motor is controlled by an Eldor Engine ...Basahin ang buong artikulo »
Updated: BMW Buys Husqvarna From MV Agusta
Updated: BMW Buys Husqvarna From MV Agusta 2014, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc. From a press release issued Husqvarna Motorcycles acquired by BMW Motorrad Willow Grove, PA (USA) — Cagiva USA announces that its parent company, MV Agusta Motor S.p.A, has sold the Husqvarna motorcycle brand to BMW Motorrad. The agreement was signed in Italy on July 19, 2007 by MV Agusta Motor S.p.A. president Claudio Castiglioni and Dr. Herbert Diess, General Director of BMW Motorrad. The contract will come into full effect upon final approval by EU authorities. The sale of Husqvarna Motorcycles by MV Agusta and its acquisition by BMW will significantly benefit both parties, said Lawrence Ferracci, ...Basahin ang buong artikulo »
MV Agusta Brutale Stuff.co.nz
Motoring REVIEW: You have to admire the cheekiness of aspirational brands. BMW puts features on its options lists that would be standard on lesser cars, while niche badges produce limited edition models to lure those seeking something a little different. Fiat's Gucci 500 for example or a seemingly endless line of limited edition Harley-Davidsons. at, perhaps not surprisingly given it's now owned by Harley, this MV Agusta Brutale anniversary edition. MVs sell in handfuls in New Zealand, but the iconic name rings with decades of high speed race-track success. Formed from the Agusta aviation company in 1945 to create post-war jobs, the brand claimed 270 Grand Prix wins and 10 ...Basahin ang buong artikulo »
Ducati 1199 Panigale S vs. MV Agusta F4 RR – Ultimate Pagmomotorsiklo
Ducati 1199 Panigale S vs. MV Agusta F4 RR Ducati 1199 Panigale MV Agusta F4 RR Review There are many similarities between Ducati's new 1199 Panigale S and the MV Agusta F4 RR. Both are Italian exotica from fabled factories with spectacular racing heritages. Both are Superbike-class motorcycles with liter-plus engines. Both have traction control and adjustable fuel maps for different riding conditions. Both have top-of-the-line Ohlins suspension and Brembo radial brakes – and both are very, very fast. gayunman, that is pretty much where the similarities end. The Panigale S's motor, although still a twin, is a radical change from its predecessor and easily the most high-tech Ducati ...Basahin ang buong artikulo »
Nakaraan o Present? 1973 MV Agusta 350 at pagpapalagay 2005 F4 Ago Rare SportBikes…
Nakaraan o Present? 1973 MV Agusta 350 at pagpapalagay 2005 F4 Ago Past or Present? 1973 MV Agusta 350 at pagpapalagay 2005 F4 Ago Motorcycles have sure come a long way in the past 30 years or so, haven't they? These two beauties represent MV Agusta's past and present and are currently on Ebay and up for the taking. First up is this absolutely mint 350 Ipotesi. If my Google translation is correct that means hypothesis. Maybe not the most catchy name I've heard but I can let it slide. Who cares about a name when you have a bike with that classic cafe racer and GP inspired looks. I did come across an Italian Wikipedia page (I know, not the most reliable source) and it claims ...Basahin ang buong artikulo »
Chop shop Badbikegang
Tag Archives: chop shop Unusual Motorcycles Every now and then you will see a motorcycle on the road and go "WOW! That's an awesome looking piece of equipment!" People queue up outside showrooms or expos to see motorcycles that have been created basis themes or brands. We have always been fascinated with unusual bikes; hence one of our favourite pastimes is customizing our bike and also watching the Biker Build Off. To add to the above, Movies, Gam es and various other brands are also promoting their products using Motorcycles; a classic example of the same – Batman, Gears of War, Tron Motorcycles, etc. The Gears of War Bike was actually designed by Paul Junior Designs; the wheels ...Basahin ang buong artikulo »
JeanRichard Watch Chronoscope MV Agusta Brutale America made of Steel…
JeanRichard – Chronoscope MV Agusta Brutale America JEANRICHARD presents the Chronoscope MV Agusta Brutale America – a limited edition of 290 pieces – and pays tribute to its collaboration with the MV Agusta motorbike team in the attempt to break Bonneville Salt Flats speed trial record. JEANRICHARD presents the Chronoscope MV Agusta Brutale America – a limited edition of 290 pieces – and pays tribute to its collaboration with the MV Agusta motorbike team in the attempt to break Bonneville Salt Flats speed trial record. The partnership initiated in 2007 between JEANRICHARD and the legendary motorbike manufacturer MV Agusta has been highlighted by memorable ...Basahin ang buong artikulo »
Will MV Agusta survive long enough to deliver a 675cc, 3-cylinder Tamburini…
Will MV Agusta survive long enough to deliver a 675cc, 3-cylinder Tamburini masterpiece? No doubt hoping to capture a little of the magic that has seen Triumph's class-smashing 675 Daytona make a massive impression in road tests, track tests and sales charts, MV Agusta is developing its own 675cc triple – and in typical Claudio Castiglioni style, just about betting the company's survival on it. The projected MV Agusta F3 supersport bike will feature 4 radial valves per cylinder, which the company believes will give it a significant top-end power advantage over the Triumph. With the Daytona making 123bhp, MV is aiming at 135bhp or more, as well as a lighter weight chassis due to the ...Basahin ang buong artikulo »

subset: commoncrawl


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Today's airline industry is operating with razor thin profit margins, and one of the major reasons is the high — and rising — cost of fuel.
A new development from Pratt & Whitney, a unit of United Technologies Corporation, could cut fuel use by a whopping 15 percent, potentially yielding huge savings for airlines.
The key, Daniel Fisher at Forbes reports, is the addition of an 18-inch gearbox to the front of the jet engine.
It slows down the plane's turbines, making the bypass fans more efficient, as they operate better at lower speeds. That efficiency yields a significant drop in fuel use.
Called the Fan Drive Gear System, the new gearbox has the added benefit of making the engine quieter, a bonus for airlines looking to add flights in urban areas where noise levels are a concern.
The importance of fuel-efficiency to the airline industry is proved by the seriousness of the problems with Boeing's new Dreamliner passenger jet. The passenger jet uses a large, powerful lithium-ion battery that allows for the replacement of some mechanical components with electrical systems, saving weight and fuel.
But that battery is believed to be the cause of several onboard fires, which prompted the FAA to issue an emergency airworthiness directive last week, leading to the worldwide grounding of the 50 Dreamliners Boeing has delivered.
Now airlines are left with expensive planes they cannot fly until further notice, and Boeing has suspended deliveries on the hundreds of jets airlines have already ordered.
While the fuel-efficient Dreamliner is yielding only problems for Boeing, Pratt & Whitney is already reaping the profits of the $1 billion it put into developing the Fan Drive Gear System. In the world of aircraft manufacturing, that is a minor investment.
This month, Embraer became the fifth aircraft manufacturer to select Pratt & Whitney's PurePower Geared Turbofan engine, for use in its second generation of regional E-Jets. That engine uses the new Fan Drive Gear System.
Forbes gives the credit for the windfall to United Technologies Corporation CEO Louis Chênevert, who made the gamble on adding the gearbox to the engine, which posed considerable complications.
Furthermore, the revenue Pratt & Whitney gets from new contracts converts directly into profit, because Chênevert chose to fund research costs with current earnings, rather than capitalize them.
Meanwhile, Boeing is still waiting to see a return on the $32 billion it invested in the efficient Dreamliner.


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Kosso Eloul (1920-1995) is one of Canada's foremost sculptors.
Eloul was born in Israel but educated in the United States. He first studied at the Art Institute of Chicago (under Frank Lloyd Wright) and later at the Chicago School of Design (with Laszlo Moholy-Nagy). He would represent Israel at the Venice Biennale in 1959.
In the late 1960's he would settle in Toronto and became known for his large outdoor works. In many ways he was a precursor for both Richard Serra and Joel Shaprio.
His powerful minimalist works can be seen throughout Toronto's downtown core in addition to many other prominent public spaces around the world from California to Israel.
Eloul did several series of minimalist lithographs in the late 1960's and early 1970's with the prestigious Gemini press.
Many major institutions have examples of his work, both prints and sculptures, in their permanent collections including the Brooklyn Museum, the Norton Simon Museum, the Israel Museum and the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts to mention a few.
Additional images available on request.
Questions about this artwork? Contact us or call +1.416.704.1720
Signed, titled, dated and numbered by the artist
From an edition of 100
27.5"H 20"W (work)
Minor surface wear but overall very good condition.


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I was waxing the bike the other day and noticed this on the tank
It wasn't there before because I wax my bike weekly and usually, the tank- both its flat and curved areas were pefectly smooth.
I don't know what have caused it, the heat/pressure/ or whatever else because I live in Southern Louisiana and it's Dante's down here!
I checked the black RSV4 and it too has it on one side of the tank and not both like mine, whereas the Factory is buttery smooth
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
Uploaded with ImageShack.us


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Ubuntu 7.10 (Gutsy Gibbon) Tribe 2—the second official Gutsy pre-release—was released last week. ISOs for the graphical Live CD installer are available for download for x86 and AMD64 systems and the terminal-based server installation ISO is available for x86, AMD64, and SPARC. I tested Tribe 2 in VMware and on my Dell Inspiron 600m laptop.
Tribe 2, which includes GNOME 2.19.4 and version 2.6.22 of the Linux kernel, is the first Ubuntu pre-release to install and enable compositing visual effects by default. Compiz Fusion is automatically enabled right out of the box on supported hardware. Even on my laptop, which has mediocre on-board graphics hardware, the visual effects work well and don't degrade performance. The default settings for Compiz Fusion are relatively conservative and aren't distracting. The wobbly window effect, for instance, is disabled and the default animations are all simple and elegant. The Desktop Wall plug-in (rather than the elaborate Cube effect) is used by default for virtual desktops. The Emerald window decorator is still available from the repositories, but the gtk-window-decorator, which uses Metacity themes, is enabled by default.
Although the settings for Compiz Fusion are all accessible through GConf, they are not yet exposed through Desktop Effects capplet, which currently only has a single "Enable Desktop Effects" toggle button and an "Enable extra effects" checkbox. Users who want to be able to configure Compiz Fusion settings (and turn on plugins like Wobbly Windows that aren't enabled by default) will have to install the compizconfig-settings-manager package from the Universe repository. I also recommend installing the compiz-fusion-plugins-extra package which provides additional plugins and visual effects. There are still some bugs in Compiz Fusion (I couldn't get the Zoom plugin to work properly, for instance) but the Ubuntu developers have really done an excellent job making the effects feel like a cohesive part of the computing experience rather than an extra layer of experimental eye-candy. Compiz Fusion is improving at a rapid pace, and the serious bugs will probably all be resolved in time for the official Ubuntu 7.10 release in October.


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Working on some blog posts, but in the meantime, here's some random, mostly Texans things of note:
Matt Schaub, Officially Cleared for Action.
As expected, Matt Schaub was cleared to play by the doctor who performed the surgery on his Lisfranc foot injury. Really, he looked good to go when he was doing drills on a side field during OTAs.
Less worried about his foot, more worried about the group of pass rushers he is facing this season. The right side of the offensive line better get its bleep together. Fans need things to worry about, so this is one that I think is actually Of Concern. The Texans have very good offensive line coaching, and this year they particularly earn their paychecks.
Vegan, Schmegan.
Because there is no real news going on, it became news that RB Arian Foster said on Twitter that he was going vegan. And that LT Duane Brown was considering it too. I don't really think this is much of a deal. My understanding of going vegan is that it can be a challenge to get enough calories and high quality protein for the amount of energy athletes expend. From what Foster says, he already doesn't do the milk thing because he doesn't like the taste. If I were an athlete, vegan would not be my choice to keep my energy and strength together.
All that being said, this is my view:
You care about your team. Foster and Brown care about their team and themselves. I'm guessing they make sure to do what is best.
Football Outsider Predictions.
I like reading things that tell me stuff I don't already know. Football Outsiders Almanac is one of those things. The pdf version is available now, and the book version will be out next week. It is the perfect geek vacation reading.
I'm going to talk about this some, but in the meantime, check out this Q&A that Football Outsiders writer/Texans fan Rivers McCown did over at Bleacher Report.
Road Games, Home Games.
You planning on going to road games? Here's my road game trip planner info blog post. Southwest Airlines is offering a fare sale to various places until July 20th. Heard United is matching to some places.
(As an aside and very title self-explanatory, here's my view of United these days, "United Airlines Goes to the Bud Adams School of Public Relations.")
The Texans sent out emails to season ticket holders saying tickets are on the way. Now that season ticket holders have actual paper tickets, you will likely see more of them on the ticket resale market of the games people aren't going to. So if you are looking to buy a single ticket, this is a good time to look. The official resale market is NFL Ticket Exchange. Their fees are crazy big, but you do get a guarantee that your ticket is a real one. A good resource to compare prices is tiqiq.com.
I've bought tickets through local brokers, NFL Ticket Exchange and the forum at TexansTalk.com. Plenty of ways to do it these days.
The Texans have sent out their list of themed games. Some folks think these are corny but I like them. Salute to Service day is my favorite–especially the year that they were able to get a live feed from across the world of Texans fan service members talking to folks over the jumbotron. /a good waterproof mascara day, I might add.
Date Opponent Time (CT) Theme
Sat., Aug. 18 San Francisco 49ers 7 p.m. State of Football presented by Verizon
Thu., Aug. 30 Minnesota Vikings 6 p.m. Texans Care presented by FS Southwest
Sun., Sept. 9 Miami Dolphins Noon Liberty White Out
Sun., Sept. 30 Tennessee Titans Noon Hispanic Heritage Day presented by XFINITY
Sun., Oct. 14 Green Bay Packers 7:20 p.m. Pink Ribbon Day presented by Kroger
Sun., Oct. 21 Baltimore Ravens Noon Battle Red Day presented by Halliburton
Sun., Nov. 4 Buffalo Bills Noon Salute to Service presented by Bud Light
Sun., Nov. 18 Jacksonville Jaguars Noon Deep Steel Sunday
Sun., Dec. 16 Indianapolis Colts Noon Home for the Holidays
Sun., Dec. 23 Minnesota Vikings Noon Fan Appreciation Day presented by FS Southwest
The One Thing You Need to Read Today.
Read this Sports Illustrated article about Earl Campbell. It talks about his life, including dealing with drug, alcohol addiction and pain.
This is the part where Earl Campbell worries what fans will think about him going to a rehabilitation facility:
Campbell worried that media and fans would find out where he was. But Thomas (Hollywood) Henderson, the former Cowboys linebacker and cocaine addict, told him, "Who cares if they do? You'll be able to help so many people because you don't know anything about cocaine or marijuana. You're like a regular Joe on the street—50, 60, 70 years old—who never even played sports but drinks beer and takes pills. They all think what they're doing is O.K. because their doctor gave them the pills that are running their lives."
Campbell struggled with an issue that a lot of people struggle with: For chronic pain, there's not a lot of great options out there. And for chronic pain, it is very easy to get addicted to the drugs that are available to you.
Know that if Earl Campbell has got his life back from alcohol and prescription drug addiction, you can too if that is an issue for you. Like to see that he is working on getting his strength back.
Things That May Not Be A Good Idea.
My son has picked up the saxophone. My husband thought it was funny to show him this video. I know this is a very popular video but I hadn't seen it before. Worrisome.


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Tag Archives: Yakutia
Treatment of the different religious minorities in the early USSR. Part II.
Posted on June 1, 2015 by Olivier Corveleyn
Islam In those days there lived around 20 million Muhammedan believers in the Russian Empire on the Eve of the Revolution. Disregarding the different denominations in Islam, we can state Islam predominates in some form in the Caucasus and in … Continue reading →
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Roman Cuenca
Its primitive name is thought to be Anitorgis, Sucro or Concava, although there is no reliable proof of it. They say that the Concani, the Lobetani and the legions of the Roman Empire went through Cuenca and its province, the latter leaving their mark in the shape of a Roman bridge that crossed the river Moscas and a small fountain.
Known by all are the three Roman gems that Cuenca possesses: Segóbriga, Ercávica and Valeria.
With the conquest of this land carried out by Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus in the year 179 BC, Romanization left its mark in Cuenca. The wealth of the land and the possibilities of economic exploration were the reasons that brought the Romans here.
Located in Saelices, Cuenca, 2870 ft above a hill of 25 acres, the Roman architects had to turn to esplanades and land fillings to house the population. A wall was built around it, more for its status rather than to defend itself, and three monumental gates were built: the northern gate, between the amphitheatre and the theatre, the gate on the eastern part of the theatre with its watchtower and the gate of the western wall.
Outside the city walls and flanking the northern gate, they built the theatre and the amphitheatre, making the most of the slope of the hill and freeing space in the city. On the theatre, inside the city, they built hot springs and a gym that were linked through a cryptoporticus. Through the northern gate you reached the main street that crossed the city from north to south, the Cardus Maximus; going up this street, the Forum would be on the eastern side along with the Basilica, right next to the Curia; on the western side you could find the imperial cult temple and behind it the monumental springs; at the end of the street you could find the old acropolis or fortress that occupied the centre of the hill. They calculated that the population was of between 3000 and 4000 people.
Its essential monuments are those aforementioned, to which we can add the Imperial Cult Temple, Forum, Monumental Springs, Hot Springs, Theatre, Caius Iulius Silvanus House, Necropolis… all of which essential visits.
It is located on a promontory just 3 miles from the town of Cañaveruelas (Cuenca). Thanks to Titus Livius, we have evidence of this large settlement, labelled by him as "Potens et nobilis, civitas". In the year 179 BC, during the campaign of Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus against the Celtic-Iberian tribes, it was conquered after five days of battle. Once the Romanization process of this Celtic settlement began, the city was reborn. It maintains its Celtic-Iberian name but archaeologists suppose that it was built on the opposite side of the river Guadiela, whose riverbed is occupied today by the reservoir of Buendía.
Ercávica obtained the status of municipium in Augustine times (17-15 BC) and the right to issue a currency. Its largest splendor was between the 1st and 2nd centuries AD but it was slowly abandoned until its final days between the 4th and 5th centuries. The remains found in the excavations were deposited in the Museum of Cuenca. The head of Lucius Caesar (grandson of Augustus), the head of Agrippina (wife of Claudius and mother of Nero) and a large amount of items related with the everyday life of the city are some of the most outstanding findings.
Later on, Ercávica became known as Arcávica, being mentioned in the Councils of Toledo. It was identified with its nucleus emerging in the second half of the 6th century around the Servitan Monastery, founded by the abbot Donato, located just 1.2 miles south of Roman Ercávica.
Despite all of this, Ercávica is yet to be discovered. The excavations carry on year after year and they have barely uncovered 25% of its totality.
It is located in a beautiful setting between the gorges of the rivers Gritos and Zahorra. Populated since the Bronze Age, this old Celtic-Iberian city of the Olcades was founded between the 3rd and 2nd century BC. It was conquered in the year 179 BC by Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus just like Ercávica was. We do not know if it was a colony or a town but what is for certain, thanks to Pliny, is that Rome gave it the law of Ancient Lazio. It was at its most splendorous between the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD but later fell into decay. Its wealth was associated to mining and especially to the exploitation of the wood industry. The city owes its name to Valerius Flaccus, proconsul of Citerior from 93 BC. The city was founded around 87 BC and, during its most splendorous time, they calculate that its population was around 4000 people, also having a theatre, a circus and an amphitheatre. Valeria was located in an important road axis, as numerous epigraphs have been found.
In the early 20th century, with the construction of the road from Cuenca to Valverde, the first remains of the Roman necropolis and some buildings appeared. The town's houses, when demolished, showed funerary epigraphs and remains of the ancient Roman city, apparently collected from the excavation for the construction of the road.
Remains of two forums have been found. It is supposed that the first one was built when the construction of Valeria began and the second one during the time of Tiberius. The forum was built in the high part of the city and it preserved the style of the typical forum of a Roman city: U-shaped, basilica, porches and shops. The 'old' forum is being excavated and most of it was found underneath the local cemetery. In the 3rd century AD it was re-occupied by households.


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Baltimore, Md., Nov 14, 2013 / 03:15 am ().- At their annual fall gathering in Baltimore, the U.S. bishops issued a message voicing their continued opposition to the federal contraception mandate and the threats that it poses to religious liberty.
"We stand together as pastors charged with proclaiming the Gospel in its entirety. That Gospel calls us to feed the poor, heal the sick, and educate the young, and in so doing witness to our faith in its fullness," noted the Nov. 13 message from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
"Our great ministries of service … strive to answer this call every day, and the Constitution and the law protect our freedom to do so. Yet with its coercive HHS mandate, the government is refusing to uphold its obligation to respect the rights of religious believers."
Passed unanimously, the message was the first statement issued by the general membership of the bishops' conference since the previous day's election of Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Ky., as the group's president and Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston as its vice president. Their terms officially begin at the conclusion of the bishops' meeting on Nov. 14.
The bishops' statement renewed their opposition to the HHS mandate, or federal contraception mandate, which requires employers to offer health insurance covering contraception, sterilization and some drugs that can cause early abortions, even if doing so violates their religious convictions.
Issued under the Affordable Care Act, the mandate is being challenged in lawsuits by more than 200 plaintiffs across the country. The lawsuits are currently in different stages of the judiciary process and could reach the Supreme Court in a future term.
Although the Obama administration went through a lengthy process to revise the mandate, religious freedom advocates warn that the changes are not sufficient to secure the constitutionally-protected right to free exercise of religion.
The bishops said that protection of religious freedom, "especially as threatened by the HHS mandate," is among their priorities, and went on to quote the words of Pope Francis: "In the context of society, there is only one thing which the Church quite clearly demands: the freedom to proclaim the Gospel in its entirety, even when it runs counter to the world, even when it goes against the tide."
They identified three ongoing concerns surrounding the mandate: a reduction of religious freedom to mere freedom of worship; the compulsion of Catholic ministries to participate in the providing of abortifacients, sterilization, and contraception; and the compulsion of Catholics owning for-profit businesses to act against Catholic teaching.
"Despite our repeated efforts to work and dialogue toward a solution, those problems remain," they said. "Not only does the mandate undermine our ministries' ability to witness to our faith, which is their core mission, but the penalties it imposes also lay a great burden on those ministries, threatening their very ability to survive and to serve the many who rely on their care."
The lack of a solution to the impositions against religious freedom, the bishops continued, is "all the more frustrating," as the Church "has long been a leading provider of, and advocate for, accessible, life-affirming health care."
"We would have preferred to spend these recent past years working toward this shared goal instead of resisting this intrusion into our religious liberty. We have been forced to devote time and resources to a conflict we did not start nor seek."
However, America's bishops reiterated their "resolve to resist this heavy burden" and to protect religious liberty. "Even as each bishop struggles to address the mandate, together we are striving to develop alternate avenues of response to this difficult situation."
"We seek to answer the Gospel call to serve our neighbors, meet our obligation to provide our people with just health insurance, protect our religious freedom, and not be coerced to violate our consciences."
They also expressed their gratitude to non-Catholic Americans who share a concern for the right to religious liberty, and said, "it is our hope that our ministries and lay faithful will be able to continue providing insurance in a manner consistent with the faith of our Church."
"We will continue our efforts in Congress and especially with the promising initiatives in the courts to protect the religious freedom that ensures our ability to fulfill the Gospel by serving the common good."
Concluding their message, the bishops invoked the example of St. Frances Cabrini, whose feast day was being celebrated. They said that the woman religious, who is a patron saint of immigrants, was "a brave woman who brought the full vigor of her deep religious faith to the service of the sick, the poor, children, the elderly, and the immigrant."
"We count on her intercession, as united we obey the command of Jesus to serve the least of our brothers and sisters."
Kim Daniels, spokesperson for the president of the bishops' conference, said the statement shows that the bishops remain united and are not letting up on their efforts to secure religious freedom.
"This message was passed unanimously," she told CNA. "It's remarkable that the bishops continue to stand united in their opposition to the mandate and in their desire to witness to the fullness of the Gospel."
"The bishops are standing together as pastors to support the ability of Catholic ministries to fulfill their core mission of witnessing to our faith in its fullness while serving the common good," she continued.
"Like others, the bishops are trying to come to grips with the complexities of this burdensome law, and each bishop is determining how best to respond. It's a very difficult situation and all are engaging in careful review."
Tags: Contraception mandate, USCCB
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Do you have Java installed on your personal computer? If so, regardless of whether the operating system is Windows, Mac OS X or Linux, you need to take action immediately.
On Sunday, Oracle released a new version of Java that plugs a security hole so nasty that the Department of Homeland Security advised users to disable older versions of the software. Apple blocked the ability of older versions of Java to run on Macs.
The flaw was being used by cyberscum to take control of computers running Java. Typically, affected users would find themselves confronted with ransomware – software that infects a computer, then demands a fee for its removal – after visiting a website on which the exploit had been placed. The exploit had been added to development kits called crime packs, used by evildoers to quickly craft malicious software.
As you can see, this is a serious situation.
You can download a copy of the fixed version of Java – it's designated as 7u11 – here. Besides patching the hole, the new version of Java also changes the default security level so that users will have to manually approve the running of any apps that utilize it.
Even so, security experts recommend disabling Java plug-ins in Web browsers, even with the new version. How you do that varies depending on the browser and operating system, but Gizmodo has a handy guide for the more popular browsers.
Also, note that Java is not the same thing as Javascript. The former is a platform for running applications on your computer. The latter is a scripting language used on a lot of websites. Javascript is subject to its own vulnerabilities, but it's not related to Java.
Brian Krebs has an excellent Q&A on Java and the security flaw if you would like more details.


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Politics & Government
Millions still struggle with hunger in U.S., USDA finds
Some 17.6 million U.S. households had trouble feeding their family members at times last year as "food insecurity" remained at near-record levels for the fifth straight year, according to a government report released Wednesday.
More than one-third of these households – 7 million – suffered from "very low food security," in which usual eating patterns were disrupted and consumption was reduced because of a lack of money and access to food.
In all, 49 million Americans didn't know where their next meals would come from at some point in 2012, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported.
While the numbers show a slight improvement over 2011, the differences weren't statistically significant, the report found. The level of food hardship in the U.S. remained high last year in the aftermath of the Great Recession, in which more than 8 million Americans lost their jobs.
"The fact that 49 million people in this country continue to struggle to put food on the table is unconscionable," said the Rev. David Beckmann, the president of Bread for the World, a Washington-based anti-hunger organization.
Access to food was most problematic among the poor, female-headed families, families with children, and blacks and Hispanics, according to the annual USDA report, "Household Food Security in the United States in 2012."
Food insecurity affected 1 in 5 U.S. households with children, more than one-third of households with children headed by single women and nearly a quarter of households with children headed by single men, the report found.
Nearly 1 million children – about 1.3 percent of the nation's youngsters – lived in households with very low food security.
The report showed that 42 percent of food-insecure households – about 7.4 million – received assistance from the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as "food stamps."
Although the economy is improving, enrollment in the SNAP program continues to hover at the near-record levels reached during the recent recession. As of May, 47.6 million people in 23 million households were receiving food stamps. That's roughly 1 in 7 Americans.
Congressional Republicans are pushing to cut the SNAP program by $40 billion as part of a new farm bill. They say that SNAP, the nation's largest anti-hunger program, is too expensive, at roughly $78 billion a year. Republicans also want to require food stamp applicants to undergo drug tests.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said Wednesday's report underscored the importance of the SNAP program in keeping food hardship from rising.
"As the recovery continues and families turn to USDA nutrition programs for help to put good food on the table, this is not the time for cuts to the SNAP program that would disqualify millions of Americans and threaten a rise in food insecurity," Vilsack said in a statement.


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What's in a Name?
Anybody who has spent any time in the church can tell stories of flat-out ridiculous attitudes and actions they have seen in the lives of God's people. There is nothing new under the sun. The book of Jonah exposes …Read More
The Reluctant Prophet
Anyone who has ever attended a Sunday school class knows that Jonah was the man who was eaten alive by a fish and then vomited out three days later. But that's about the extent of most people's understanding of this …Read More


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Four Hope College musical ensemble have scheduled spring tours.
The Chapel Choir, Symphonette, Wind Ensemble and Jazz Arts Collective will conduct multi-day tours beginning Thursday, March 18.
The Chapel Choir will travel southeast with performances between Thursday, March 18, and Tuesday, March 23. The choir will perform at New Hope Church in Powell, Ohio, on Thursday, March 18, at 7:30 p.m.; at Starmount Presbyterian Church in Greensboro, N.C., on Friday, March 19, at 7:30 p.m.; at St. Andrews-Covenant Presbyterian Church in Wilmington, N.C., on Saturday, March 20, at 7:30 p.m.; at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., on Sunday, March 21, at 3:30 p.m. and during the 4 p.m. Evensong Service; at the Church of the Pilgrims in Washington, D.C., on Monday, March 22, at 7:30 p.m.; and at St. Paul's Cathedral in Buffalo, N.Y., on Tuesday, March 23, at 7:30 p.m.
In addition, the Chapel Choir will present its annual post-tour Home Concert in Holland on Wednesday, March 31, at 7:30 p.m. at St. Francis De Sales Catholic Church, located at 195 W. 13th St., on the corner of 13th Street and Maple Avenue.
The Symphonette will travel to the Detroit area and Ohio from Thursday, March 18, through Sunday, March 21. The Symphonette will perform at St. John's Episcopal Church in Detroit on Thursday, March 18, at 7 p.m.; at Centerville Community Church in Dayton, Ohio, on Friday, March 19, at 7 p.m.; and at Grace United Methodist Church in Zanesville, Ohio, on Sunday, March 21, at 3 p.m.
The Wind Ensemble and Jazz Arts Collective will perform in a variety of communities in Michigan between Thursday, March 18, and Monday, March 22. They will perform at Carman-Ainsworth High School in Flint on Thursday, March 18, at 1 p.m.; at Mott Community College in Flint on Thursday, March 18, at 4:30 p.m.; at Romeo High School in Bruce Township on Friday, March 19, at 8:30 a.m.; at Resurrection Reformed Church in Flint on Friday, March 19, at 7 p.m.; at St. Cecilia Music Center's Royce Auditorium in Grand Rapids, in a joint concert with Grand Rapids Community College, on Sunday, March 21, at 7 p.m.; at Dewitt High School in Dewitt on Monday, March 22, at 11:15 a.m.; and at Paragon Charter School in Jackson on Monday, March 22, at 2 p.m.
The Chapel Choir is Hope College's premier choral ensemble. Comprised of auditioned singers, the Chapel Choir has toured extensively throughout the United States and Canada, and has traveled abroad on eight occasions, most recently to South Africa in May 2009. The choir is featured along with other music ensembles in Christmas Vespers, a tradition that stretches back to 1941. Award-winning broadcasts of Christmas Vespers by WGVU of Grand Rapids are shown on PBS stations around the country at Christmastime. The choir is directed by Brad Richmond, professor of music and director of choral activities.
The Symphonette is selected each year from the larger college symphony orchestra, and maintains an active performance schedule that includes the college's annual Christmas Vespers services. The group has toured coast-to-coast in the United States, and has also performed in two provinces in Canada, the British Isles, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. The Symphonette was honored by being chosen as one of only four orchestras from around the country invited to perform during the 2007 National Conference of the American String Teachers Association. The Symphonette is under the director of Richard Piippo, associate professor of music.
The Hope College Wind Ensemble is the premiere wind group on the Hope Campus. It is open to all students regardless on their major and typically performs six to 10 times a year. The Wind Ensemble is currently engaged in a three-year CD project, which will include the newly commissioned work by faculty member Steven Talaga titled "Points, Colors, and Lines." The Wind Ensemble is directed by Gabe Southard, assistant professor of music.
The Jazz Arts Collective is the premiere large jazz ensemble at Hope. The collective places a creative focus on ensemble communication and improvisation. Comprised of a rhythm section and approximately seven horns, this select group performs compositions and arrangements from across the full spectrum of music. The collective's repertoire ranges from the great historical jazz composers such as Duke Ellington and Charles Mingus, to works by modern jazz masters like Vince Mendoza, Jim McNeely and John Hollenbeck. Similarly, the group frequently performs commissions, works by emerging young composers, and originals by Hope College faculty and students. The ensemble also collectively reinterprets and re-imagines the music from the 20th century classical repertoire. The Jazz Arts Collective is directed by Brian Coyle, professor of music and chairperson of the department.


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Mahlon Mitchell: The Middle Class Needs to Stick Together
When Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker announced his Budget Repair Bill on February 11, Lieutenant Mahlon Mitchell had been president of the Professional Fire Fighters of Wisconsin for just short of a month. The bill, which eliminates collective bargaining rights (as well as many other rights and benefits) for nearly all of the state's public employees, specifically excluded the firefighers' union.
But Mitchell and the firefighters he represents say they feel just as involved as if their own rights had been on the chopping block. Firefighters have been a visible presence throughout the historic protests happening in Madison over the past three weeks; a fellow protester reports that, "in the large rotunda rallies, no other group draws such raucous cheers as the firefighters." Firefighters and law enforcement (also excluded from the bill) have offered to share in the bill's pay reductions (already agreed to by other union) in order to retain collective bargaining rights for all public employees and to prevent the lay-offs that Governor Walker has threatened.
Mitchell—the youngest and first African American president of the PFFW—represents 57 local departments and nearly 3,000 firefighters across the state. I spoke to him about why he and his fellow firefighters think Wisconsin's fight for workers' rights is their fight, too.
Robert Mellinger: How did you get involved in the firefighters' union?
Mahlon Mitchell: I got hired here in the Madison fire department when I was nineteen years old. I've always wanted to be a fire fighter, even as a young kid. My older brother is a firefighter in Rockford, Illinois; my younger brother is a firefighter in St. Paul, Minnesota. So it's kind of in our blood, you could say. I've been here in the Madison fire department for fourteen years now.
I'd only been president of the Professional Fire Fighters of Wisconsin about a month or so, and suddenly all this stuff goes on [laughs]. So I am definitely getting baptism by fire, as they say.
Robert Mellinger: Firefighters weren't included in the unions targeted by the Budget Repair Bill. So why did you get involved?
Mahlon Mitchell: We could have just sat on our hands and done nothing; the police officers could have, too—they weren't included in the bill, either. But, personally, I truly believe personally in solidarity—I always have. I know a lot of people just pay it lip service and a lot of people think it's a cliché, but I truly believe that "an injury to one is an injury to all."
Being involved in the community is what I love about being in the fire department. It's helping people everyday. People who call you, who call 9-1-1, it's usually on the worst day of their life. But we're there to help ease the pain and give some type of helping hand to people in need.
And the union does the same. A union basically speaks up for the voiceless and the people who can't speak up for themselves. That's what unions do. A lot of people say that unions have passed their time, but I think they're still important so that there's somebody to speak up for the middle class.
Robert Mellinger: Why do you say that these protests are about the middle class, instead of just unions?
Mahlon Mitchell: This is also about the rights of all workers. Especially in these times, I think that we in the middle class need to stick together and look after each other's rights. The last thing we want is a decline in what's available to people in the middle class. That's not good for anybody. It's not good for the economy, it's not good for jobs.
We Are Wisconsin
In this beautiful video, filmmakers Finn Ryan and David Nevala introduce you to the people making history in Wisconsin.
The ability to sit down at the table with your employer and talk about hours, wages, and working conditions is not a fiscal matter. All these workers want is a seat at the table—to be able to talk to their employer about their working conditions and hours. It just makes sense.
Look at union salaries—we're solidly middle class. And Wisconsin is a hardworking, blue-collar state. You don't become a fire fighter or a teacher or a police officer to be rich. You don't do it because you want to be wealthy. You do it because it's a job that helps you take care of your family, helps you to have a better life for yourself, and also to give back to your community.
Robert Mellinger: What's it been like to be in the crowds of protesters in Madison over the last few weeks? What's the atmosphere been like?
Mahlon Mitchell: I have never seen energy quite like this in anything I've done in my life. Even during one-day events, I haven't seen it, and this event has been going on for weeks. The energy is unbelievable. And it's just not stopping. I thought it would wane, especially from my members since we're carved out of the bill, for now. But we still have guys coming. I just got a call from firefighters from Florida that want to come up and march with us. I've heard from guys in L.A. who want to come up and march with us, from New York and Chicago. It's amazing how much enthusiasm there is and how many people want to come and lend a helping hand.
It's harder now to get access to the capitol; they've sort of locked it down on us. But firefighters are still saying, "Well, we'll march around the capital." So the energy keeps going.
Of course, rallies are great, but when you're speaking at a rally, you're speaking to the people who generally agree with you. You also have to go out and speak with people who don't necessarily agree with you, to make sure the people hear what's actually going on.
Robert Mellinger: What do you think the lasting impact of these protests will be?
Mahlon Mitchell: The biggest impact for the unions will be the way this has brought us together. Years ago, you wouldn't see firefighters working right alongside police officers working right alongside the carpenters working right alongside the sheet metal workers and the plumbers and the SEIUs. It's really brought together the leaders of the unions, but also the members—the people that go to work everyday and just want to get a decent paycheck and take care of their families. They're out in droves now. If there is one good thing about this bill, it's that it has brought middle class workers together, made our unions stronger and our relationships closer.
Protests in Wisconsin show that poor and middle class Americans are ready to push back against the policies and cuts that hurt them most. Madison may be only the beginning.
The debate in Wisconsin doesn't just apply to union members and public workers—it applies to every American who cares about our fundamental rights as citizens.
An answer to state budget woes that doesn't need to involve sacrificing workers' rights.
As Wisconsin's public workers fight to keep their wages and bargaining rights, they're joined by others involved in a labor struggle: their Super Bowl champion neighbors.


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In This Issue
- RFPs the Agile Way -- or -- Fear and Loathing in the Procurement Department
- Take the "State of the IT Union" Survey and Potentially win a copy of "The Economics of Iterative Software Development" by Royce, Bittner, and Perrow
- Hot Links
RFPs the Agile Way -- or -- Fear and Loathing in the Procurement Department
Many organizations will outsource software development projects to external services vendors, either because the organization doesn't have the capability to do the work themselves or they feel they can get better value by doing so. Because of the increasing evidence which shows that agile approaches to development are more effective than traditional approaches to development, they often want to take an agile approach to outsourcing. This would be a perfectly reasonable request if it weren't for the minor detail that their procurement processes often reflect traditional styles of thinking which are antithetical to agile approaches. What can they do?
First the good news with an agile approach to outsourcing. The increased visibility which agile project teams provide to stakeholders make them easier to govern, even when they're outsourced. The bad news is that this assumes that the customer, the organization outsourcing the work, is capable enough to procure the services of an agile supplier, the organization doing the work. This in turn implies that the customer is able to issue a request for proposal (RFP) which reflects the realities of agile development, the topic of this newsletter.
Traditional approaches to RFPs are questionable at best. They are typically based on the premise that the customer specifies the work to be done, this specification is provided to potential suppliers, the suppliers ask clarifying questions, and then once the answers are provided the suppliers are given time to respond with a proposal. Most traditional RFPs require that the supplier provide a precise estimate and schedule for performing the work, and very often a proposed architecture for the solution. Sometimes the customer will be flexible and accept a ranged estimate and schedule although this is unfortunately rare in practice. Then the customer will then choose the proposal which they feel most comfortable with " experienced customers know that they shouldn't necessarily accept the lowest bid.
The traditional approach sounds great in theory, but in practice it doesn't appear to work out very well. As I've written in previous newsletters the fixed price/bid approach to software projects where the scope, price, and schedule are set at the beginning of the project works very poorly " the customer is unable to accurately define what they want, and even when they do it takes them so long that their requirements change anyway, and therefore it is virtually impossible for the supplier to provide even remotely precise proposals. The traditional approach has it's roots in generic project management strategies, and I'm sure this is a great approach for projects where you really can specify the requirements accurately. However, very few development teams find themselves in a situation where this is actually the case, regardless of the wishful thinking of senior management.
Because we know the traditional approach works poorly I have argued that it is in effect unethical to follow such a strategy without giving the customer other options for working and educating them on the trade-offs (see the links at the bottom of this newsletter). This is of course very easy to say, but the reality is that the customer drives the RFP process and even though the supplier knows that the traditional strategy is problematic they rarely push back because they're afraid to lose the business. The end result is that the customer never gets the feedback that they need to improve their RFP process and continues to accept unnecessary levels of project risk.
So, let's assume that you're in a position to change your organization's IT services procurement process. Yes, that probably gave you a good chuckle, but the reality is that somewhere in your organization there is in fact someone(s) in this very position. So, if you can't change your approach then please email this newsletter to them and ask them to think about the agile strategy that I'm about to describe. You can't improve your procurement process if you don't take the first step.
The strategy has its foundations in three concepts from three different publications within the agile canon. The first concept is the third value of the Agile Manifesto, "customer collaboration over contract negotiation", which tells us that although the contract between the customer and supplier is important a far greater determinant of your project's success will be whether the people involved will work together closely. The second concept is derived from the fourth value of the Manifesto for Software Craftsmanship which states "not only customer collaboration, but also productive partnerships". This implies that not only should everyone strive to work together closely they should also strive to work together effectively. The third concept is from lean development governance, which includes a practice "align business strategies and IT strategies". This practice basically tells you that a traditional strategy to RFPs is best suited for traditional strategies to development, and if the customer wants the supplier to adopt an agile strategy to development then the customer must adopt a corresponding agile approach to their procurement process.
To effectively procure the services of an agile development team, an "agile RFP" would require the supplier to:
- Indicate who are the people, or at least the type of people, that the supplier will have on the project. The supplier should provide resumes and the customer will likely choose to interview some or all of the team.
- Follow a reasonable set of rights and responsibilities for both the customer and the supplier to adhere to throughout the project. These rights and responsibilities will provide the foundation for how they will collaborate together.
- Propose how they will work with the customer organization.
- Produce potentially shippable software to the customer every X weeks (for me, X is usually 4 or less).
- Allow the customer to monitor their work and work products. Depending on the situation, the customer may insist on having one or more of their people on the supplier's site throughout the project. The customer should insist on access to the source code at all points in time so that they can inspect it at their leisure, including but not limited to running it through a static code analysis tool. They should also insist on access to a project management dashboard whose metrics are populated automatically, in (near) real time by the tools the supplier's development team is using.
- Follow the customer's corporate development guidelines which they will provide to the supplier. The customer will be monitoring their compliance to these guidelines throughout the project.
- Do full regression testing throughout the lifecycle. The customer should favor any bid which indicates that the supplier will take a test-driven development (TDD) approach.
- Provide a minimal set of deliverable documentation, particularly user documentation, operations documentation, support documentation, and high-level systems overview documentation. The customer should provide examples of such documentation if they're available.
- Accept a realistic payment strategy that is based on a low time and materials (T&M) rate for the supplier with bonuses for continued delivery of high-quality, potentially shippable software. This is a shared-risk strategy which is fair to both customer and supplier. Pure T&M puts most of the risk on the customer and fixed price puts most of the risk on the supplier, both extremes which in practice increase overall project risk.
- Indicate rough estimates and schedules, in the +/- 30% range, to give the customer a good feel for the overall financial risk. Anything less than a 30% range would be phenomenally nave for the customer to request due to the realities of software development (once again, regardless of the wishful thinking of the generic project management crowd).
This strategy suffers from a few potential challenges, all of which are fairly straightforward to overcome. First, because suppliers generally don't keep people sitting on the bench waiting for a customer to come along, it can be hard for them to say exactly who will be on a given project ahead of time, particularly if the customer's decision making progress is slow. The implication is that the customer must have reasonable expectations regarding staffing, but must still be wary of bait-and-switch tactics where the supplier promises senior people but delivers juniors. Second, it requires the customer to be accountable for the decisions that they make and to be actively involved with the governance of the project. A "hands-off" strategy to outsourcing with relies on contracts and reviews of documentation is little more than gambling on the part of the customer in my experience. For outsourcing to work customers must take a hands-on approach where they actively monitor and steer the project. Third, it requires suppliers to be disciplined enough to work in an agile manner, producing high-quality code and supporting artifacts throughout the project. Having consulted to several major services providers with respect to disciplined agile development, I can safely say that many of them are very eager to work this way if only they were allowed to do so by their customers.
So why hasn't this sort of strategy been adopted in the past? Interestingly, when you talk with procurement people you quickly discover that they are very intelligent people who know full well that their processes are broken. Unfortunately, they often feel disempowered to change the RFP process, either because they haven't pushed back against their management or because they believe that the suppliers that they're working with don't want to work in an agile manner. I suspect that if customers and suppliers were to choose to have open and honest conversations around improving the procurement process, and to start working in a collaborative manner based on trust, that together they could find a much better, mutually beneficial way of working together. But it requires someone to make the first move.
Survey: State of the IT Union
We invite you to fill the June/July 2009 edition of Scott Ambler's State of the IT Union" Survey . The goal of this ongoing survey series is to find out what IT professionals are actually doing in practice. There are 15 questions on 4 pages in this survey, it should take you less than 5 minutes to complete, and your privacy will be completely protected.
At the end of the survey you will be given the chance to be entered into a draw for one of five copies of "The Economics of Iterative Software Development" by Walker Royce, Kurt Bittner, and Mike Perrow, published by Addison-Wesley in April 2009.
The results of this survey will be summarized in a forthcoming Information Week newsletter by Scott Ambler. Furthermore, this is an open survey, so the source data (without identifying information to protect your privacy), a summary slide deck, and the original source questions will be posted at www.ambysoft.com/surveys/ so that others may analyze the data for their own purposes. Data from previous surveys have been used by university students and professors for their research papers, and hopefully the same will be true of the data from this survey. The results from several other surveys are already posted there, so please feel free to take advantage of this resource.
Hot Links
The March 2009 Dr. Dobb's Agile Update discusses the Manifesto for Software Craftsmanship.
The July 2008 Dr. Dobb's Agile Update describes five strategies for reducing the inherent risks associated with fixed price projects. If you can't avoid fixed price then at least be smart about how you go about them.
The August 2008 Dr. Dobb's Agile Update asks the questions "Is Fixed-Price Software Development Unethical"?
The March 2003 "Something's Gotta Give" argues against a fixed price, fixed schedule, and fixed scope approach and describes agile strategies for avoiding this serious mistake.
The September 2007 "Agile on a Fixed Budget", describes strategies for running agile projects for all combinations of fixing, or not fixing, the schedule, scope, and budget.
The November 2007 "Governing Agile Software Development Projects" shows how it is easier to govern agile projects compared to traditional projects.
A suggestion for the rights and responsibilities which you may wish to define in an agile RFP can be found here.
For an actual example of a project dashboard where the metrics are generated automatically from the integrated tooling used by the development team, visit www.jazz.net where you can find out what Erich Gamma's development team is currently up to.
The IBM Whitepaper Lean Development Governance by myself and Per Kroll overviews a collection of practice for effective governance of development projects.
My [email protected] blog discusses strategies for adopting and applying agile strategies in the complex environments.


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Military, Public Service
By By James T. McKenna | December 1, 2006
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A FAVORITE WHIPPING BOY OF POLITICIANS and the media is the military procurement program. There seems to be no end to cable-news sound bites and juicy headlines about how this program or that is over budget and behind schedule, the latest "glaring" example of military officials squandering taxpayers' hard-earned dollars to the illicit gain of defense contractors.
Certainly, there are cases that warrant such ridicule and bombast. Too often, though, procurement programs are handy scapegoats for politicians looking to grab limelight and headlines.
I'll illustrate the mindset at work. Fourteen years ago, a small USAir jet iced up and crashed on takeoff from New York's LaGuardia Airport, killing 27 and injuring nearly as many. One of New York's senators then was Al D'Amato, a small-time politician who gained a reputation as a ferocious defender of his constituents after he landed on Capitol Hill; "Senator Pothole" drove his staff to attend to the most minor of voters' concerns, like getting potholes on their streets fixed.
Within a month of the crash, D'Amato convened a hearing on it by a Senate transportation subcommittee — not in remote Washington, but in downtown Manhattan, a short drive for camera crews from every TV station in metropolitan New York. I was reporting on the crash investigation and covered the hearing.
The hearing room was like a big shoebox, with D'Amato and committee representatives backed up against one long wall and TV crews packed against the opposite wall. In between were those to be grilled and the spectators — crash survivors, victims' kin, reporters, and the public. But those in the middle were only props. The TV crews turned on their camera lights and D'Amato went to work, lacing into everyone he could — those from the FAA, the airline, the airport operator, and the pilots' union. He demanded to know why they hadn't done more to save those lives and protect the public. He accepted no reason. He cut people off. He shouted at them. He waved papers in their faces and gestured to the victims' families. He rolled his eyes and snickered at witnesses. He did everything but take off a shoe and pound it on the table before him.
Then something interesting happened. The TV crews turned off their lights; they'd collected more than enough for the 30 – 45 sec. of tape that might actually make it on the air. Suddenly D'Amato stopped yelling. He calmly asked a few more questions in a civil tone and volume. He let witnesses answer. He didn't argue or cut them off. He'd already gotten what he'd come for — video sound bites of him fighting for the voters. The details of the issues at hand? The facts? Well, if they didn't fit in 30-45 sec. of videotape, they weren't much use.
The most current example of the procurement whipping boy may be the Royal Australian Navy's SH-2G(A) Super Seasprite program. The Australian $1-billion, fixed-price program is five years behind schedule. After an in-flight anomaly prompted the navy to ground the aircraft temporarily in May, Defence Minister Brendan Nelson — only a few months in office — ordered a review of the program. He wanted defense officials to tell him whether it should be scrapped, scaled back, or supported. They forwarded their recommendations in late October; Nelson is expected to decide the program's fate by the end of this month.
Now Kaman Aerospace, the program's prime contractor, has had its share of problems. Not the least of those, the company says, is that subcontractor Litton crapped out in developing (or failing to) the Integrated Tactical Avionics System avionics that is the heart of the aircraft's intended capabilities, forcing Kaman to basically start over.
The SH-2G(A) is, at the same time, a very ambitious program to field an over-the-horizon, anti-surface warfare capability while simultaneously reducing aircrew requirements for deploying it — critical considerations given today's threats and shrinking pilot pools. Australia rightfully believes it deserves defense systems on par with those fielded by the United States, the United Kingdom, and other major military powers. That, too, is ambitious, requiring program management and program discipline that regularly tax the skills of the best in the Pentagon and other ministries of defense.
Nelson concedes as much. "The Super Seasprite is a very good airframe," he said back in May after ordering the review. "However, it is one that has aged and we are trying to fit state-of-the-art technology into it."
As convenient as it may be for elected officials (and even ones in uniform) to pretend otherwise, however, letting a contract to a defense manufacturer does not really justify transferring responsibility for such ambitions to that company. Nor does it justify making the industry team the scapegoat when it becomes clear the program's reach exceeds the defense community's grasp.
Nations around the world face defense challenges more complicated and immediate than the old Cold War threat of mutually assured destruction. Meeting them requires leaders who can promote intricate collaboration between the private and public sectors, and who understand that the real solutions are necessarily more complicated and nuanced than ones that play well in a sound bite.


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The Cleveland Browns will take a look at Vince Young.
Browns general manager Ray Farmer confirmed a report from KRIV-TV in Houston that stated the team will bring in the free-agent quarterback to take a physical Monday and work out with the team during its minicamp this week.
Farmer also told reporters Tyler Thigpen would work out.
Young, the former No. 3 overall draft pick and Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2006, had short stays with the Buffalo Bills and Green Bay Packers in 2013. He has not taken a snap in a regular-season game since 2011.
The Browns' interest in Young (or any veteran quarterback on the open market) makes sense -- Brian Hoyer and trick-shot artist Alex Tanney are the only QBs on the roster. It's widely believed Cleveland will use an early draft pick to fortify the position.
Young settled his bankruptcy case earlier this year and has been training in San Diego. The odds are against the former college phenom making a comeback at age 30, but the Browns -- like the Bills and Packers before them -- are willing to check in.
In the latest edition of the "Around The League Podcast," the guys talk Geno Smith's future in New York and pick the winners and losers of free agency.


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To the Editor:
A couple of quotes from early American history:
"No religious doctrine shall be established by law."
• Elbridge Gerry, Annals of Congress 1:729-731
"The Government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion."
• 1797 Treaty of Tripoli, signed by President John Adams
Well, then, what basis do some folk have for claiming the United States was founded as a "Christian" nation? There is the clause (Article VI, pp 3) in the Constitution that states "The senators and representatives before mentioned, and the members of the several state legislatures, and all executive and judicial officers, both of the United States and of the several states, shall be bound by oath or affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States."
President Adams and Vice President Gerry (who served under James Madison) are only two of dozens of founders who had like opinions on the topic of keeping religion separate from government. So, from where does this claim of theocracy emanate? Obviously from lies repeated so often that people believe that they are the truth.
Eugene Desavouret


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Browse Artwork
- 1 / Converging Cultures
- 2 / Dreams and Visions
- 3 / History and Memory
- 4 / Ceremony and Society
- 5 / Cosmology and Belief
- 6 / Death
- 7 / Domestic Life
- 8 / Writing
- 9 / Portraits
- 10 / The Natural World
- 11 / The Urban Experience
- 12 / Conflict and Resistance
- 13 / The Body
|The Penitence of St. Jerome (triptych)
|Joachim Patinir (Netherlandish, d. 1524)
|ca. 1518
|Oil on wood
|Bleaching Ground in the Countryside Near Haarlem
|Jacob Isaacksz. van Ruisdael (Dutch, 1628/9–82)
|ca. 1670
|Oil on canvas
|Saint George and the Dragon
|Albrecht Altdorfer (German, 1480–1538)
|Oil on parchment attached to a limewood panel
|Yosemite Valley, Glacier Point Trail
|Albert Bierstadt (American, born Germany, 1830–1902)
|Oil on canvas
|Early Spring
|Guo Xi (Kuo Hsi) (Chinese, ca. 1000–1090)
|Hanging scroll, ink and color on silk
|Clay Pot Storage Vessel (Masato chomo)
|Shipibo-Conibo artist, Peru
|Mid-20th century
|Clay, sempa protium (interior resin), yomoshon (exterior resin), mineral pigments
|Gela Mask (The Ancient One)
|Wee artist, Liberia/Cote d'Ivoire
|20th century
|Wood, raffia, cloth, teeth, feathers, hair, fiber cord, cowrie shells, mud, and pigment
|Possum Ancestors
|Anatjari (Yanyatjarri) Tjakamarra (Australian, Pintupi language group, ca. 1938–1992)
|Falls of the Yosemite
|Eadweard Muybridge (British, emigrated to the US, 1830–1904)
|Albumen print
|The Serpent Mound
|Possibly Adena culture (500 BCE–200 CE) or Fort Ancient culture (1000 CE–1550 CE)
|ca. 1000–1200 CE
|Clay, rock, and soil
|Spiral Jetty
|Robert Smithson (American, 1938–1973)
|Mud, precipitated salt crystals, rocks, and water
|Wallowa Mountains Memory
|Kay WalkingStick (American, Cherokee, b. 1935)
|Oil and gold leaf on wood
|The Red Ribbon
|Turenscape with the Graduate School of Landscape Architecture, Peking University. Kongjian Yu (Chinese, b. 1963) (principal designer)
|Designed July 2005–May 2006. Completed July 2006
|Fiber Steel
|Frescoed Wall from the House of Livia
|Roman artist
|ca. 1st century BCE
|Suijin Shrine and Massaki on Sumida River from One Hundred Famous Views of Edo
|Utagawa (Ando) Hiroshige (Japanese, 1797–1858)
|Edo Period, 1856
|Woodblock print
|Central Park (view of the Turtle Pond)
|Frederick Law Olmsted (American, 1822–1903) and Calvert Vaux (English, 1824–1895)
|Originally designed 1857
|Stone, earth, topsoil, water, various tree and plant species
|Black Stork in a Landscape
|India, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
|ca. 1780
|Watercolor on European paper
|View of the gardens at Stourhead Estate
|Henry Hoare II (1705–1785) and Henry Flitcroft (1687–1768) (designers)


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Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University men's and women's track and field squads opened action in the 2011 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Outdoor Championships on Thursday (May 5) in Midland, Mich.
The Bulldog women tallied 18 points in seven scoring events and currently stand fifth overall among the 11 schools heading into Friday's (May 5) final day of competition on Fisher Track at Northwood University's Hantz Stadium. Defending champion Grand Valley State leads the women's field with 79 points overall.
Freshman Jessica Pilling highlighted the day for the Bulldogs as she claimed the GLIAC Championship in the women's hammer throw (179-9) while reaching an NCAA Division II national qualifying mark.
Sophomore Anna Rudd took fourth place in the 10,000 meters (37:08.74) while adding five scoring points for the Bulldogs.
Finally, freshman Christa Cwiek accounted for FSU's remaining three points on Thursday as she came in sixth overall in the javelin (110-10).
Several other Bulldog women's competitors also advanced to their respective finals following opening-round competition.
Sophomore Zoey Hohmann qualified for the finals in the 400 meters as she posted the second-best preliminary time (57.21) to reach Friday's event final. She also advanced in the 200 meters (25.40) with the seventh-fastest time.
Three Bulldog runners reached the finals of the 1,500 meters as freshman Samantha Johnson was fourth overall (4:42.93), sophomore Alyssa Osika came in sixth (4:43.13) and senior Paige Onweller placed eighth (4:43.63) during the prelims.
On the men's side, sophomore Ryan Chute led Ferris State as he moved into the finals of the 1,500 meters by recording the third-fastest preliminary time (3:57.15) on Thursday. Freshman Alex Bladecki also advanced to the finals in the same event with the 12th-best time (4:07.1).
Sophomore David Silversmith placed eighth overall in the 10,000 meters (31:32.52) to account for the Bulldogs' lone point of the day in men's action. Freshman Michael Schulte and junior Tyler Crossman took 10th (31:45.28) and 11th (32:06.12) places, respectively, in the same race.
Finally, sophomore J.J. Vandenburg wound up 11th overall in the men's hammer throw (167-4).
Friday's final day of action begins at 10:30 a.m. (ET) with the meet slated to conclude at approximately 5 p.m. (ET).