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On this day — Reaction to the sans education conference committee budget that was unveiled late yesterday evening; HB400 finds a home in the House; the Senate takes an extra $800 million out of the Rainy Day Fund, which the House then promptly nixed; the conference report on Voter ID passes the lower chamber; the Chronicle's Nick Anderson on Osama's porn collection; 'The Clips' you need to read; and a preview of the shows you'll want to watch/TiVo come this fall.
Wherever you are, whenever you need it — get the latest from the Houston Chronicle/San Antonio Express-News Austin Bureau by subscribing to our RSS feed, following us on Twitter and Tumblr, and liking us on Facebook.
***Houston, We Have a Deal
House and Senate conferees managed to arrive a budget Monday afternoon that reduced the cutbacks proposed to public healthcare and social services programs by the House budget, while punting the public schools budget and debate over how to pay for a later date (probably a special session). Houston Chronicle/San Antonio Express-News Austin Bureau Chief Peggy Fikac reports:
Legislative budget negotiators agreed Monday on spending in many key areas except education, prompting Senate Finance Committee Chairman Steve Ogden to suggest a special session on public schools and universities could be necessary this summer.
The incomplete budget agreement would protect nursing homes from additional cuts in Medicaid reimbursement rates in the next two years, said Rep. John Zerwas, R-Richmond. That would address concerns that big cuts backed earlier by the House would mean many nursing home closures.
But negotiators' plan would fall an estimated $4.8 billion short of covering Medicaid caseload growth, which would require quick action from lawmakers when they return in regular session in 2013 to keep the program funded.
Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Houston, voted against the agreement on human services after voicing concern about how many of the funding assumptions are solid.
***Voter ID Passes
The Texas House gave final passage on the final Voter ID bill, sending it to the Governor's desk. Gov. Rick Perry had declared the such legislation one of his initial five emergency items. Chronicle/Express-News' Gary Scharrer reports:
A signature issue for Texas Republicans is headed to Gov. Rick Perry after the House voted Monday on a final photo ID bill that Republican supporters predicted would increase voter participation because of greater confidence in honest elections.
Democrats complained it would succeed in what it is designed to do: lower voter turnout among minorities.
The governor declared voter ID an emergency issue in early January. It's been a priority for Republicans for the past decade, though Democrats have always managed to foil the legislation.
The fight now will likely move to the courts to keep Texas from implementing what could be the strictest voter ID bill in the country.
Below the fold — Nick Anderson on the porn collection at Osama's Pakistan compound; in Tuesday's edition of 'The Clips,' the Senate votes to take more from the Rainy Day Fund and the House says no dice; and 'EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT' previews of the shows you'll probably be watching this fall.
***The Clips
— The Austin American-Statesman's Kate Alexander reports that the Senate voted to pull an extra $800 million out of the Rainy Day Fund Monday afternoon, a move that was rebuffed by House budget committee chairman Jim Pitts, who said it was politically untenable in the House.
The Senate was packing up for the day when Finance Chairman Steve Ogden, R-Bryan, hurried on to the floor to call up House Bill 275, which draws almost $4 billion from the rainy day fund.
That amount would close the deficit in the current budget.
"It's more than important. It's essential," Ogden said.
The Senate proposal also about $900 million more than the amount approved by the House and could free up that money for use in the 2012-13 budget.
Ogden has been deep in negotiations with House Appropriations Chairman Jim Pitts, R-Waxahachie, to hammer out significant differences between the House and Senate budgets. This additional money could help to pay for the Senate budget.
— The Austin American-Statesman's Mike Ward reports that the Sen. Robert Duncan quietly established a State Affairs subcommittee to examine gambling legislation.
Three senators said several colleagues have discussed the possibility of voting against the state budget, amid the questions. They would not speak publicly because those discussions were private.
"I'm afraid that this gambling issue is being raised and it could hold the school children of Texas hostage so the gambling interests can get their issue passed," said Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound. "I am fully prepared to talk about this issue for a long time … It would really be wrong to use gambling money to finance public education in this state."
Five senators confirmed today that the new panel formed last Thursday by the Senate State Affairs Committee to hear the resolution by Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, quickly triggered concerns from GOP senators about whether the move was a prelude by proponents of casinos to shoehorn the issue into legislative discussions about how to pay for Senate-proposed changes in financing public schools — expected to cost about $4 billion more than the House version.
The formation of new subcommittees in the late days of legislative sessions is a rarity. The current session has just two weeks to go.
— The Texas Tribune and KUT's Ben Philpot reports that a special session to decide education funding levels would make it harder for school districts to anticipate and react to forthcoming budget cuts. The Tribune also released a cool new interactive that breaks down how different districts would be affected by the cuts.
– The New York Times' Nate Silver puts forward an interesting theory on why Donald Trump's campaign was able to gain so much traction before it flamed out; conservative activists want a candidate with a more populist flavor than is currently being provided.
The more interesting question, perhaps, is why Mr. Trump was able to surge in the polls in the first place — no other Republican candidate has done something comparable so far. As I wrote when this was happening, it was a sign that a sizable number of Republican voters have little inherent interest in the "serious" candidates — Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty, Mitch Daniels — who have the approval of the Republican establishment, instead preferring somebody with a more populist flavor.
So let's suppose that you're an establishment Republican who is mostly concerned with nominating somebody who can defeat Barack Obama. Are you pleased or displeased that Mr. Trump isn't running?
There is a better alignment now, by the way, between the candidates whom Republican elites take most seriously (what I've sometimes called the "Fairfax Five") and those who — in my view — would have the best chance of winning an election against Mr. Obama. The candidates who I thought broke the paradigm were Haley Barbour — who was taken very seriously in Beltway circles but who had all sorts of manifest flaws as a general election candidate — and Mike Huckabee, who wasn't taken seriously but had by far the best favorability ratings among the broader electorate. But Mr. Barbour and Mr. Huckabee are not running.
– The Houston Chronicle reports that Drayton McLane has sold the Houston Astros' to Jim Crane. Watch the video of the announcement. Richard Justice opines on Drayton McLane's tenure as owner of Houston's baseball team.
– The San Francisco Chronicle reports that California Gov. Jerry Brown has been able to reverse some planned cuts to public education because… revenue projections are strengthening much faster than previously projected.
A significant uptick in tax revenues has reduced California's budget deficit to under $10 billion, Gov. Jerry Brown said today as he released his major revision of the state spending plan.
The governor also said he will ask the Legislature to approve billions of dollars worth of tax extensions before voters have a chance to say whether they support them. Brown, who campaigned on a promise not to increase taxes without a vote of the people, said he will ask the public to later ratify those tax extensions at the ballot box.
Tax revenues will be $6.6 billion higher over the next 14 months, according to projections from the Department of Finance and the new deficit is $9.6 billion. The increased revenue prompted Brown to abandon tax increases he had sought on personal income.
The revised plan calls for $10.8 billion in total solutions, in order to have a $1.2 billion reserve. Under his revised plan, schools would get $3 billion more than Brown originally proposed in January.
The networks began giving their "upfronts" to advertisers in New York on Monday, where they showcase their new shows for the fall season. FOX and NBC went on Monday and here are the best shows they gave a preview of to advertisers.
What appears to be FOX's only decent new comedy…
…And the long awaited/delayed Terra Nova
The Peacock network, which dominated broadcast television for two decades with hits like Law & Order, the West Wing, ER and Friends, has been stuck in a ratings rut for the better part of the last decade — a decline attributed in large part to GE's demand for profits over quality programming. Under new ownership (Comcast, which appears willing to invest in the struggling broadcaster) and new management, the nation's oldest network showcased it's new wares to advertisers.
First, 'Awake,' which is a show that won't debut until January. Lots of people have been making comparisons to Inception, however fans of the BBC (and PBS) may draw apt comparisons to Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes. This show looks like it could be amazing.
Also launching in January, a TV show about a musical that has a roster of talent unlike anything else currently on TV. Seriously, they got Angelica Huston to come to TV.
Premiering this fall — two new dramas. First, Prime Suspect, which is an Americanization of the classic BBC drama that launched Helen Mirren's career into the stratosphere.
Also, NBC is trying their hand at a 1960's era period drama about a "Playboy Club" in Chicago.


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BORN IN THE USAWorldNetDaily Exclusive
NASCAR has new connection to Obama's birth certificate
Drivers near famed racetrack confronted with president's eligibility
The latest spot in America where drivers are confronted with the query "Where is the Birth Certificate?" is near the home of the famed NASCAR superspeedway in Talledega, Ala.
Posted next to Interstate 20, near Exit 185, the billboard raises the unresolved issue of President Obama's eligibility to occupy the Oval Office.
Billboard near Talledega, Ala.
President Obama has insisted his "citizenship" should not be questioned. But a recent CBS-New York Times poll revealed that only 58 percent of Americans think he was born in the U.S.
Much of the skepticism likely can be attributed to the billboard campaign launched a little over a year ago by WND Editor and Chief Executive Officer Joseph Farah that aims to post the question in as many locations as possible.
Another billboard recently was rented near Bethel, Pa.
Billboard near Bethel, Pa.
Farah says the campaign has changed his life.
"A year ago I was still getting regular invitations to be on cable TV shows and talk about the issues of the day," Farah explained. "The minute I was labeled a 'birther,' I became radioactive – just like Lou Dobbs."
Route 78 billboard in Pennsylvania
State legislatures now, however, are considering laws that would require documentation of eligibility, the state of Hawaii is working on a way to legally avoid answering public requests for information about the president, Congress has pending a proposal to demand documentation of eligibility from presidential candidates, and lawsuits alleging Obama isn't eligible remain active.
The level of awareness is growing dramatically even though, Farah said, "the establishment media" are in lockstep on the issue.
"There's no denying it," says Farah. "No matter how hard my colleagues try to make the public forget about this issue, no matter how hard they attempt to ridicule anyone who wants to see the proof, no matter how much they demean even decorated military officers who take their own oaths seriously, this issue will not go away. It's going to be around in 2012. It may even be the defining issue in 2012."
Just weeks after a new billboard appeared in Atlanta, Rep. Mark O. Hatfield of the Georgia Legislature introduced a bill to require state officials to ensure only constitutionally eligible presidential candidates can get on ballots in the state beginning in 2012.
The Arizona House adopted a similar proposal before the plan was shut down by a political maneuver in the state Senate. Other similar legislation is being considered in a number of other states.
"Can you imagine the impact of several states adopting this kind of legislation before the next presidential election?" Farah said. "It's almost an inevitability at this point. Obama is going to have to reveal the documents he has stubbornly refused to reveal to the American people, in spite of the polls. If he doesn't, he will be forfeiting electoral votes in those states. I wouldn't be surprised if Obama decided not to run for re-election. I honestly don't think he will ever produce a long-form birth certificate. I think he has something serious to hide."
'Where's the Birth Certificate?' billboard, in Atlanta
Farah said he could not have pulled off the campaign without the support of WND's visitors. The cost of the billboards has been offset by donations – and Farah says he wants to step up the campaign because it's winning.
"I'm quite sure based on our own polls that if people were asked whether they would like to see Obama release his birth certificate, more than half the country would say 'yes' – and all the other personal papers he has refused to disclose," Farah said.
Farah said the billboards have had a lot to do with changing popular opinion – even if the media don't get it.
"People simply shouldn't have to conjecture about where they think their president was born," he says. "It ought to be a matter of public record – and it clearly is not."
Aside from the billboard campaign, WND has devoted more investigative reporting to the issue of eligibility than "all other media outlets combined," said Farah.
The billboard campaign was rejected by three major billboard companies all owned by major media outlets – CBS, Clear Channel and Lamar.
"What I need Americans to understand is that this billboard campaign is working," said Farah. "There is no shortage of billboards available to us. The only thing there's a shortage of is the money to erect them. We need to raise tens of thousands of dollars a month just to keep them in place."
"The impact of the billboards is magnified by local television and talk-radio shows in every market they enter," said Farah. "It's not just the billboard. It's the earned media that comes along with it. It's astounding. We have turned millions of people around on this issue with the billboards. It's just that simple."
"Where's the Birth Certificate?" billboard near the Santa Ana Freeway in Los Angeles
Farah also has:
- produced a video documentary primer on the issue called "A Question of Eligibility";
- produced a 40-page special report on the subject;
- manufactured yard and rally signs to bring attention to the topic;
- pledged to donate at least $15,000 to any hospital in Hawaii or anywhere else that provides proof Obama was born there and given you an opportunity to raise the amount;
- created a line of T-shirts you can wear to appearances by the president to raise visibility of the issue;
- created a fund to which you can donate to further the kind of investigative reporting into this matter only this company has performed over the last two years;
- launched a line of postcards you can use to keep the issue alive;
- distributed thousands of bumper stickers asking, "Where's the birth certificate?";
- and, perhaps most notably, gathered more than 500,000 names on a petition demanding any and all controlling legal authorities in this matter take appropriate action to see the requirements of the Constitution of the United States are followed.
"There are all kinds of things we need to do right now to get our country back on track, but I can think of nothing more important than for us to see that our Constitution is observed, followed, adhered to and honored, especially when it comes to such simple, straightforward matters as the eligibility of the president of the United States," said Farah. "Please help me bring this matter to a head right now."
See birth-certificate signs around the country.
Have you contributed to the "Where's the birth certificate?" billboard campaign yet? If you haven't contributed this month, please do so now.

subset: commoncrawl


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Immigration activists are targeting GOP lawmakers
Shouting "Stop Deportations Now," about 50 supporters of comprehensive immigration reform walked from City Hall to U.S. Sen. John Cornyn's downtown office Friday to ask him to help create a path to citizenship for 11 million undocumented immigrants.
The Texas Republican was in Washington as congressional sparring continued over a bill to overhaul the nation's immigration system. Cornyn has been one of the Senate's staunchest critics of the measure's citizenship provision.
This week the Senate voted down Cornyn's proposed amendment to require 100 percent border control before immigrants can gain provisional legal residency.
On Thursday, Republican senators amended the bill to double the number of border agents to 40,000, create 700 more miles of border fencing and deploy more aerial drones.
The activists called it increased militarization of the U.S.-Mexico border.
"Our border is as secure as it's ever been," said Olga Kauffman of San Antonio. With the amendment, "we'll have more agents on the border than there are (U.S. troops) between North and South Korea."
The activists, representing the umbrella group Reform Immigration for Texas Alliance, or RITA, came from as far away as El Paso and Brownsville to engage Cornyn on the subject.
Their caravan will travel 3,000 miles around the state.
They wanted to present Cornyn with a petition for immigration reform with more than 1,000 signatures, including, they said, those of San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro, U.S. Rep. Joaquín Castro, U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett and former mayor Henry Cisneros.
Fernando Garcia, executive director of the Border Network for Human Rights, said protests also are targeting U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.
"They aren't listening," he said of the GOP senators. "Hispanics make up 40 percent of the state. You cannot ignore the concerns of Texans on immigration, and they have taken a position that is very close to anti-Latino."
Cruz was willing to talk with the protestors at his San Antonio office, Kauffman said later.
Cristina Parker of the Border Network said RITA members still want to speak to Cornyn — "in person, on the phone, on a video chat."
Hours later, more than 20 people from the nonprofit Worker's Defense Project yelled and held signs saying, "¡Nadie es ilegal!" or "No one is illegal!" outside Club Giraud, where U.S. Rep Bill Flores, R-Bryan, was having a fundraiser.
"We want (Flores) to support a path to citizenship, stop separating Texas families and support comprehensive immigration reform," Kandace Vallejo said.
She joined Manuel Ramirez, 20, an undocumented student at the University of Texas at Austin, and Jim Rigby, a Presbyterian minister in Austin, in trying to enter but were turned away by club staff. They had reserved their seats and planned to pay a donation, Vallejo said.
Reached later by phone, Flores said the minimum donation was $250 and organizers couldn't accept that much in cash, which the protestors were trying to pay.
"A fundraiser is hard to have this type of meeting" to discuss immigration, he said. "If they want to meet, they should respond to our emails. We've been fairly accommodating."
firstname.lastname@example.com Staff Writer Daniella Diaz contributed to this report.
Staff Writer Daniella Diaz contributed to this report.


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The men finished second in the six-team LEC competition with 127 points, while the women were third in the six-team LEC meet with 83 points. Southern Maine won both meets, scoring 210 points in the men's competition and 212 in the women's. Keene State was second in the women's meet with 104 points, while Eastern Connecticut State was third in the men's competition with 85 points. In the New England Alliance competition, the men were third of 11 teams with 94 points, while the women were fifth of 11 with 71.5 points. Southern Maine took both the men's and women's competition with 171 and 54 points, respectively.
The Corsairs had 11 conference champions, seven on the women's side and four on the men's. Sophomore Patience Noah (Framingham, MA/Keefe Tech) took the triple jump with a leap of 34 feet, seven inches, junior Jermai Harrison (Brockton, MA/Brockton HS) won both the LEC and Alliance shot put with a toss of 39 feet, 11 ¼ inches, freshman Jillian Van Ness (Agawam, MA/Agawam HS) won the 55 meter dash in 7.76 seconds, freshman Kim Urena (Marlborough, MA/Marlborough HS) took the 600 meter LEC and Alliance competition in a school record time of 1:38.78, junior Linee Mello-Frost (New Bedford, MA/New Bedford HS) placed first in both the LEC and Alliance 55 meter hurdles in 8.76 seconds, sophomore Megan Oliveira (Somerset, MA/Somerset HS) won at 1000 meters in 3:10.92, and the 4 x 800 meter relay team of sophomore Caitlin McGarigal (Shrewsbury, MA/Amherst-Pelham Regional HS), sophomore Stacey Dybel (Littleton, MA/Notre Dame HS), sophomore Megan Bohigian (Barre, MA/Quabbin Regional HS) and Oliveira finished first in 10:43.92.
McGarigal also finished second at 3000 meters in 10:52.80, and sophomore Brittany Cole (Dartmouth, MA/Dartmouth HS) was second in the shot put at 36 feet, 4 ¾ inches. Van Ness was fifth at 200 meters in 28.07 seconds, Bohigian was fifth at 1000 meters in 3:22.59, freshman Meredith Drake (South Deerfield, MA/Frontier Regional HS) tied for sixth in the pole vault with a school record of eight feet, and the 4 x 200 meter relay team of Van Ness, Urena, junior Briley Morrill (Whitman, MA/Whitman-Hanson Regional HS) and freshman Jamie Zizza (Stoneham, MA/Stoneham HS) was fourth in 1:57.77.
For the men, conference champions included freshman Kaylin Miranda (Brighton, MA/O'Bryant HS), who won both the LEC and Alliance championships in the long jump at 22 feet, 2 ¼ inches, junior Kevin Markie (North Attleboro, MA/North Attleboro HS/Nichols), who placed first at 45 feet, two inches, sophomore Robert Yarbough (Fall River, MA/Durfee HS), who won both the LEC and Alliance competition in the shot put with a personal best throw of 47 feet, five inches, and junior Eric Nygaard (Medway, MA/Medway HS), who won the mile in 4:24.52, which was the fourth fastest time at UMass Dartmouth.
Yarbough was second in the 35 pound weight throw at 50 feet, 4 ¾ inches, while sophomore Hymlaire Lamisere (Newton, MA/Newton North HS/Iona) was third in both the long jump (20-7 ¾) and the 55 meter dash (6.63 seconds, the third fastest time at UMD), senior Matt Lemanski (East Longmeadow, MA/East Longmeadow HS) was third at 1000 meters in 2:39.67 and Nygaard was fourth in 2:44.37, and senior Corey Sleep (Fall River, MA/Durfee HS) was fourth in the triple jump at 42-0 while junior Jeff Beal (Townsend, MA/North Middlesex HS) was sixth at 40-9 ½. In the 55 meter hurdles, junior Nick Deininger (North Attleboro, MA/North Attleboro HS) was second in eight seconds, the fifth fastest time at UMass Dartmouth, junior James Morgan (Stoneham, MA/Stoneham HS/Assumption) was fourth in 8.31 seconds, junior Marcus Williams (Worcester, MA/Doherty HS) was fifth in 8.41 seconds, and Beal sixth in 8.46. Brendon Wilson was fourth at 55 meters in 6.73 seconds, while freshman Darius Smith (Plympton, MA/Silver Lake HS) was fourth at 200 meters in 23.42 seconds. In the mile, junior Steve Burke (Norwell, MA/Norwell HS) was second in 4:24.80, the fifth fastest time at UMD. The 4 x 400 meter relay team of Smith, Miranda, freshman Jesse Perrin (Somerset, MA/Somerset HS) and junior Brian Hopkins (Mendon, MA/Nipmuc Regional HS) was third in 3:35.50, while the 4 x 800 meter relay team of Burke, senior Tim Whelan (Abington, MA/Abington HS), Gilmore and Lemanski was second in 8:17.41.
"This is the most pleased I've been since I've been here," said UMass Dartmouth Head Coach Steve Gardiner, "Both the men and the women made progress by moving up in the conference and the alliance from last year, and more than half of our team has qualified for the Division III New England Championships. Both teams showed a lot of heart, a lot of commitment, and a lot of enthusiasm for the meet."
The Corsairs will return to action when they travel to the New England Division III Championships next Saturday.


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Coldwell Banker have a finger on the pulse of the Dubai property market and are always amongst the first to know about upcoming and new construction projects as they are greenlit. Indeed, there are few companies who can readily provide the kind of insider knowledge that we do through our comprehensive online database. Using this online tool, seasoned investors and first home buyers alike can search a list of current projects being undertaken in Dubai, stay up to date with the new housing projects as they are announced, and be the first to know about upcoming real estate developments. Our network of resources is vast and covers every type of property available in the city from off plan developments for sale through to fully furnished villas and flats for rent. For those who are looking to buy a residential property and lack industry experience, our expert team of consultants is here to advise you on the best opportunities to suit your needs and lifestyle. We'll work closely with you to understand your design and location preferences as well as your budget and financing abilities and then compile a list of current construction projects suitable for your needs.
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IGT Slots 2012 © 2011 Encore Software, Inc. All rights reserved. All slot machine software trademarks are owned by and/or registered trademarks of IGT and/or its licensors in the U.S. and/or other countries.


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Contact Information
Cuelenaere LLP has moved to new Premises. See below.
All of our other contact information remains the same.
Richard Carlson | mail @ rickcarlson.com
Cuelenaere LLP
200 Nexus Building, 450-2nd Avenue North
Saskatoon, SK S7K 2C3
Tel: 306.477.7259 (direct line)
Fax: 306.652.4171
Download my v.card font color>
If you are unable to reach me, one of my assistants may be able to help you:
Real Estate
Wendy Richards
Direct line 306.477.7239
wrichards @ cuelenaere.com
Business, Court & Other
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Direct line 306.477.7236
mgariepy @ cuelenaere.com
Wills & Estates
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Direct line 306.477.7290
lbergen @ cuelenaere.com
General Reception for Cuelenaere LLP
Reception 306.653.5000
Fax 306.652.4171 or 306.652.4174
Notice: The information on this website is general in
nature only. It relates to Saskatchewan, Canada and may not be
applicable in your jurisdiction. It does not constitute legal
advice to you and no solicitor client relationship will be established.
You should seek specific legal advice regarding your circumstances
from a lawyer entitled to practise law in your jurisdiction.
www.rickcarlson.com | Fri, 19 Jul 2019 19:06:52 CST1
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File Release Notes and Changelog
Release Name: pgcluster-1.1.2rc5-patch
Release Notes
This patch is for PostgreSQL-7.4.13 in order to create PGCluster-1.1.2rc5. PGCluster-1.1.2rc5 is a synchronous replication system using PostgreSQL-7.4.13. And this is rc5 of PGCluster-1.1.2.
Change Log
This version is fixed dead lock determination bug and add following new function. (1)-The queue which put the received query during recovery changed to file from memory (message queue). (2) Not only "rsync" but "pg_dump" can be chosen as the recovery method. (This means that PGCluster is dynamically upgradable. ) When you want to recovery the cluster DB using pg_dump command, you can restart cluster DB with "-U" option. (3) This package is the re-uploded version.


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Your search for Turkish Characters
2SeksenCategory: Action Games
Tags: fight, fighter, kombat, combat, street, tekken, turk, turkish, mortal, retro, classic, character, tournament, humorous games, fighting games, funny, turkish characters, turkish game, zibumi, kodobur, digita, taxi driver, football fan
2Seksen is the Turkish fighting game! Its not intented to be a serious game. Playing is fun, funny and addictive. The character...


text:
These are the original, classic armchair exercises developed by fitness expert Betty
Switkes. Betty wanted seated exercisers to enjoy the increased stamina, muscle tone, flexibility, coordination and sense of well-being she received from dancing and exercise. Working with her pupils and physical therapists in the l980s and l990s, she created lively and
inspiring routines for getting complete workouts in an armchair. Read More...
Media Reviews


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This is really a different MishMash today.
Anyone here recognize the name Ray Buduick? If I add a small clue (Dec. 7, 1941) does that help?
How about if I add Honolulu and pilot as keywords?
Yes. Absolutely. He's the guy who did what he always did on a Sunday. He flew his small aircraft out over the beautiful Pacific Ocean and right into a sky filled with Japanese Zeroes. I can hear him now, "Golly gee whiz!"
He's the guy that wrote this: "All men are born equally free and independent, and have certain inherent natural rights, of which. . . they cannot, by any compact, deprive or divest their posterity: among which are the enjoyment of life and liberty, with the means of acquiring the possessing property, and pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety." Virginia Declaration C. 1770
Here's Jefferson's version written a tad later.
"We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness."
Granted, Jefferson's has a much better cadence, but even his "Pursuit of happiness" came from John Locke.
Plagarism? No. It wasn't that. It was synergism. Minds spinning ideas from other minds and making those ideas better.
So why this post on a blog that dedicates most of it's time to new books and writing and grammarness?
Stories are everywhere, that's why. Not only stories, but characters and moments that make for amazing scenes. I keep stumbling on stories about lives and incidents that I crave to write about. How about you? Do you have any people or any incidents that you've tucked away, hoping to write about someday?
Hope you'll check in at J. L. Campbell's for a super giveaway starting Wednesday the 27th.
This will be my last post for the week. I have to pull back and take care of some things that need attention. I'll try to come around and say hello to my readers because I enjoy seeing what they have to share.
Have a great week. See you in April and Happy Easter.


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February 1, 2010
Canadian freestyle aerialist Steve Omischl, the reigning World Cup champion, took a two-week break from skiing in early January after suffering a concussion during a training session, but is back competing in anticipation of the Winter Olympics. Patrick Elias, captain of the Czech Republic's Olympic ice hockey team, suffered a "slight concussion" Jan. 21 but still plans to lead his team's charge for gold in Vancouver. Alpine skier Robbie Dixon skipped a few competitions after slipping on ice and banging his head, but he'll be heading to Whistler to ski for Canada in the Games.
In the last few weeks, sports headlines have been peppered with stories about Olympics-bound athletes suffering concussions. And in recent months, the long-term neurological consequences of head trauma suffered during sports have been in the public eye due to a series of scientific reports finding unusually high rates of severe brain damage in former professional football players. But the problem of sports concussions is by no means limited to NFL linebackers or Olympians. Many brain experts are calling for greater attention to the neural consequences of sports-related concussions, especially when they occur in young athletes whose brains are still developing.
"Based on current neuroscience data, the assumption is that the brain does not fully mature until at least the mid-20s, so if a concussion occurs in a still-developing brain, the trajectory of that development will presumably be affected," says Jordan Grafman, Ph.D., chief of cognitive neuroscience at the National Institute of Neurologic Disorders and Stroke and a member of the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives. "Even a mild head injury can certainly cause impairments and create problems in day-to-day functioning, particularly in higher cognitive functions, which are last to develop, as well as in social cognitive functions."
Such higher-order cognitive skills are largely processed in the forward regions of the prefrontal cortex and temporal lobes, at the front and sides of the brain. "In head injuries, these regions are particularly susceptible to damage, partly because of where they reside in the brain." The prefrontal cortex is concerned with tasks such as reasoning, decision-making, problem-solving, planning, holding things in mind, switching between tasks, as well as social cognitive abilities, such as making moral judgments or understanding the subtle social intentions of other people.
"All of those abilities are still developing in adolescents and young adults, so one or more of them can be affected by even a mild head injury," Grafman says.
Robert Cantu, M.D., a neurosurgeon at Boston University and Brigham & Women's Hospital, and one of the world's leading researchers studying sports concussions, agrees that there are reasons to be concerned about mild head trauma in young people. "The developing brain may indeed be more prone to injury than an adult, mature brain because neurons are growing faster and connections are still being made. There is not the redundancy that there is in an adult brain."
In addition, he says: "Younger children have proportionately bigger heads than adults, and weak necks, so the ability to sustain a blow to the head is not as great." A blow of the same degree exerts more acceleration force to a child (particularly one under the age of 12 or so) than to an adult, because of the relative weakness of the neck musculature, which essentially acts as a shock absorber. Cantu says this may also explain why female athletes seem to be more susceptible to concussive injuries than men, whose necks tend to be stronger.
Misconceptions and Under-Recognition
One of the biggest misconceptions about concussions is that it involves loss of consciousness. In a large study of concussions in high school and college football players conducted by Kevin Guskiewicz, Ph.D., a sports-medicine researcher at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, only nine percent of concussion injuries knocked the player unconscious. When there is a loss of consciousness, it typically lasts only a few seconds and may not be noticed by referees, coaches, or even the athletes themselves.
Another dangerous myth is that a blow to the head – a "ding" or a "bell ringer" as many athletes call it – is no big deal. A player may be eager to remain in the game or return to play and may downplay symptoms as a result. A survey of high school soccer players by Jill Brooks, Ph.D., a neuropsychologist with Head-to-Head Consultants in Gladstone, N.J., found that the No. 1 reason for not reporting a concussion was because athletes didn't think it was a serious problem.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that about 300,000 sports-related concussions are reported annually. But since most concussions go unreported, that number is likely to be a huge under-estimate of the true scope of the problem. Wes Rutland-Brown, M.P.H., an epidemiologist with the CDC, puts the number of unidentified sports concussions between 750,000 and 2.25 million.[i]
"Under-recognition is an absolutely huge issue," says Cantu. He points, for example, to recently published data from Dawn Comstock, Ph.D., of Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, showing that 40 percent of athletes continued playing their sport despite having symptoms of a concussion. "The numbers are unfortunately far larger than we ever thought," Cantu says.
Compounding the problem of under-recognition is the fact that concussive injuries cannot be seen, making them difficult to diagnose. X-rays or brain-imaging tools such as MRI can detect a problem only in the rare cases where internal bleeding has occurred.
"If it is not an obvious bleed or lesion, current brain-scanning techniques are much less likely to be decisive in determining if somebody has a brain injury or not," says Grafman. "We just don't yet have the fine resolution we need to look at brain structure to see whether it is temporarily or more permanently damaged."
As a result, physicians must rely on symptoms that the athlete reports or on clinical signs of cognitive impairment, which can be subtle and difficult to detect.[ii] Careful observation and testing of mental status is critical to accurate diagnosis, as is continued observation in the hours following an injury because of the low probability that a slow internal bleed could occur, which could cause death if not treated.
Unfortunately, such evaluations and follow-up care rarely happen in the heat of a game. In contrast to Olympic or professional contests, team physicians are uncommon at elementary or high school sporting events.
Moreover, not all symptoms of mild brain injury occur immediately; some are not evident until days or even weeks after the insult. Changes in mental status tend to be most pronounced 24 to 48 hours after a concussive injury, according to studies by Guskewiecz's group at UNC and by Ruben Echemendia, Ph.D., at the Pennsylvania State University. In both studies, extensive baseline cognitive evaluations were taken at the time of study enrollment in order to compare an individual athlete's normal cognitive function to his or her functioning after a concussion, should one be suffered. Echemendia's group found that brain-injured athletes' cognitive test scores did not return to baseline levels until 10 to 30 days after the concussion.
Can Brain Trauma Ever Be 'Mild'?
Even a "mild" concussion constitutes an injury to the brain – and in fact many experts scoff at the application of the descriptor "mild" to any kind of brain trauma. Neural tissue is violently jostled within the skull, which can directly damage both brain cells and the blood vessels that feed them. The initial insult triggers a cascade of biochemical reactions, flooding the brain with calcium and potassium ions that cause blood vessels to constrict and hamper the metabolism of glucose, which the brain uses for energy.[iii] The end result has been described as an energy crisis in the brain that can last for weeks after an injury.
Energy-starved nerve cells are not able to perform at their peak, and are particularly vulnerable to further damage or death. If another concussion occurs during the midst of this neural energy blight, the consequences can be catastrophic. "Second-impact syndrome" describes a rare, life-threatening condition in which a subsequent brain injury occurs before the brain is fully recovered from an earlier injury, no matter how "mild" the first may have been.
"That combination – a second concussive episode before total recovery from a first – is particularly bad," says Cantu. He says it is common to see "very profound cognitive problems" in such athletes, who "didn't realize what the symptoms of concussion were, continued playing, and subsequently suffered an additional head trauma."
Second-impact syndrome (SIS) is fatal in up to half of the individuals who suffer it, and can cause major long-term brain damage and disability in the rest. Adolescent and young adult males are disproportionately affected. Experts have speculated various reasons why the immature brain may be more vulnerable to SIS, and to damage from mild trauma in general. Children's brains tend to fit more tightly within the skull, and have a higher concentration of water, two characteristics that may make the young brain less resilient to catastrophic swelling.
Even a single concussion can spell trouble for the immature brain. Animal studies suggest that young brains subjected to a mild injury have a decreased ability to learn, even when raised in enriched environments that normally hasten learning. In adolescent children, Echemendia's group found decrements in the capacity to learn new information after a concussion. While the deficits generally disappeared after a short period of time, even short-term impairment to learning can have serious consequences to a child's academic performance.
'Beating the Drum'
The popular media's coverage of the controversy surrounding former NFL players who have gone on to suffer severe brain damage has helped raise awareness about the dangers of mild head injury more generally, a development brain experts have welcomed. "It has drawn attention back to the younger athletes and efforts to limit their exposure to events that might create a head injury," says Grafman.
Still, he and Cantu say more needs to be done. "We need to keep beating the drum," says Cantu. "Coaches, parents, and medical personnel all need to be better educated about the symptoms and dangers of concussion, as do athletes themselves." In addition, he says, "the culture of collision sports – the idea of not letting down one's teammates, or not having the coach bench you because he thinks you're a wimp – needs to change."
"We're doing a better job, but we have a long way yet to go," he adds.
Published February 2010
[i] Rutland-Brown, Wes. Epidemiology: Defining the Problem. PowerPoint presentation from Concussion and Youth Sports Summit, Feb. 24, 2006. Coordinated by the Brain Injury Association of New Jersey. http://www.sportsconcussion.com/information-for-coaches-teachers-and-parents (Accessed 1.21.2010)
[ii] For an overview of early and later symptoms of concussion, see: Concussion Symptoms, by MayoClinic.com. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/concussion/DS00320/DSECTION=symptoms (Accessed 1.21.2010)
[iii] For an overview of the pathophysiology of mild traumatic brain injury, see: Rice, Stephen G. What Really Happens When You Are Concussed: Pathophysiology. PowerPoint presentation from Concussion and Youth Sports Summit, Feb. 24, 2006. Coordinated by the Brain Injury Association of New Jersey. http://www.sportsconcussion.com/information-for-coaches-teachers-and-parents (Accessed 1.21.2010)
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Monday, July 16
Good morning, TexMessengers! Today in 1951, The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger wass published for the first time by Little, Brown and Company.
According to a new McClatchy-Marist poll, the majority of Americans want the Bush-era tax cuts to be extended to all citizens, despite a proposal from President Barack Obama that would stop the cuts for those who make over $250,000 annually.
"The poll found 52 percent of registered voters saying they want all the tax cuts extended, including the tax cuts for incomes above $250,000, while 43 percent want the cuts extended just for incomes below that threshold," McClatchy reported.
The article added that the most stalwart support for extending the tax cuts came from those who are reported among Obama's most strongest supporters, including the youth, minorities, poor and working class. McClatchy reported that among young voters polled, ages 18-29, they favored tax cuts by a margin of 69-29. That, the article added, was the largest margin of any age group.
The poll also broke the support for the Bush-era tax cuts down by race. Latinos favored the cuts for all persons 62-36 percent, whites 50-44 percent, African Americans 48-47 percent.
"And those making less than $50,000 supported tax cuts for all incomes by 53 percent to 41 percent," McClatchy reported.
Every morning, we share some headlines from the 2012 presidential campaigns.
★Political cartoons of the week
Reader Comment of the Day
In response to our Texas on the Potomac article "More than a quarter of Texas teens have engaged in sexting, study shows" reader "NotMyGod" wrote in the comments forum:
"That should just call it safe sex."
Texas Watch
TxPotomac lets you know what stories to look out for later this week.
★ Monday, July 16: Society for International Development panel discussion: financing sustainable energy. ICF International, noon.
Tomorrow and beyond:
★ Tuesday, July 31: Texas Senate runoff election
Today in Texas History
On this date in 1839, Texas President Mirabeau B. Lamar wrote letters to Colita, Chief of the Alabama-Coushatta, and to the white community of Liberty County, encouraging both groups to avoid enmity between them, as well as racial violence. More>>>


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New HBO Tribue to JG#1
Just happened to be flipping on the guide in the HBO multiplex and saw that a tribute to James Gandolfini is airing tonight (12/26) on HBO west at 10:15 EST. That means it already aired on the regular HBO (east) feed at 7:15. I assume it will also be rerun. But I hadn't heard this was in the works, so I'm very glad to see HBO producing this remembrance.
Tony, his spirits crushed after b-lining to the fridge first thing in the morning: "Who ate the last piece of cake?"


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No, this isn't an immigration post and it's certainly not a racism post. Rather it's a reference to the situation in Texas where prosecutors seemingly are being targeted both as reprisals for prosecutions and as a terror tactic to accomplish several things: 1) to eliminate tough prosecutors, 2) to discourage anyone from becoming a prosecutor, and 3) to establish that the bad guys are in ultimate control
We've seen this happen in Mexico, where a combination of targeted murders and threats to law officer and prosecutor families have become pretty effective in terms of corrupting officials and establishing the authority of drug gangs over various jurisdictions.
I wonder if that's what's happening here and I wonder if anything can effectively put a stop to it.
Views: 468
Actually, it was Standard Operating Procedure in Mafia controlled NYC. This is not really a new story, just an old story in a new venue. Intimidation can have the possibility of working in any circumstance where risks outweigh the costs..
We can take as given that all officials love their families, no matter where they operate.
"I wonder if anything can effectively put a stop to it."
Batman. He has no jurisdiction.
Ending the drug war is the first step in solving a lot of our problems. It would ripple through so many aspects of our lives. Get organized religion under control and do something about the ever increasing wage gap and fuck we just might make it.
Housing all those users and people in the low end of the drug trade is a huge drag on the state and federal budgets, too.


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Spanish Capaellades Abaca Paper is handmade at the oldest existing paper mill in Spain. The mill is now also a museum that teaches and promotes traditional papermaking. This paper is made from Abaca, allowing it to be both thin and strong. Good for book repair, printmaking and painting. Neutral pH with four deckles. Available in White and Black.
Price per each sheet.
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Phone: 540-898-7300
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Saturday 11/09/2013, 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm
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Design Your Own Pi Shawl with Daniel YuhasThe Pi Shawl is a great project for exploring center-out and lace knitting. Described by its un-nventor Elizabeth Zimmerman as having "absolutely no pattern," the simple shaping of the Pi Shawl makes it supremely easy to customize your garment as you go to your heart's delight. In this workshop, we'll learn the architecture of the Pi Shawl, and pick out a lace pattern or two, then cast on and get knitting. We'll learn the disappearing loop cast-on technique and magic loop method for working in the round. Class handouts will include several examples of lace patterns that work well with the Pi Shawl's geometry, and you'll also learn how to modify a lace repeat to suit your needs.
Note: Must be comfortable with lace knitting.
SuppliesSmooth sock weight yarn in a light color - wool recommended (be sure to choose a yarn that will block). A complete shawl will use between 750 and 1500 yards of yarn, depending on size and your design. Size 8 or 9 circular needles at least 32" in length. Post-it notes, a pencil and eraser. A five-inch steel weaving needle (available from instructor for loan or purchase).
Optional: $2 for weaving needle used in class.


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October 28, 2008
By Paul Feinberg
LOS ANGELES -- UCLA Anderson Professor Don Morrison, one of the innovators and originators in the field of marketing science has been honored as one of INFORMS Society for Marketing Science (ISMS) inaugural ten Fellows of Marketing Science.
According to the society's web site, "The (award) recognizes cumulative long term contribution to the mission of ISMS. The mission of ISMS is " ... to foster the development, dissemination, and implementation of knowledge, basic and applied research, and science and technologies that improve the understanding and practice of marketing." In addition, the encourage responsibility and as such ISMS Fellows are expected to provide leadership and support for the ISMS community. Morrison has been active with ISMS (the professional organization in the field of marketing science) since the late 1960s, when he began his academic career as a professor at Columbia University, serving in a variety of administrative and leadership positions.
The award is the fourth such "lifetime achievement" award for Morrison, who has been a trailblazer in the field of marketing science since the early days of the discipline. In a career that has taken him from Columbia to UCLA Anderson, Morrison has been a successful researcher and author, a respected teacher and mentor and an impactful administrator. Currently, in addition to his teaching duties at Anderson, Morrison serves the UCLA community as the Faculty Athletic Representative; he signed a three year agreement to become vice-chairman of the Anderson faculty.
Though he's worn numerous hats in his career, it is teaching that has given him the greatest satisfaction. "Getting a paper published is nice," Morrison said, "but nothing compares to seeing my students do well. They are like my family."
This sentiment is particularly profound as it relates to his most recent honor, as two of the other inaugural 10 INFORMS fellows were once Morrison Ph.D. students. Honorees Charles B. (Chuck) Weinberg (of the Sauder School of Business, University of British Columbia) and Gary L. Lillien (of Pennsylvania State University) were both advised as Columbia graduate students by Morrison.
About UCLA Anderson School of Management
UCLA Anderson School of Management, established in 1935, is regarded among the very best business schools in the world. UCLA Anderson faculty are ranked #1 in "intellectual capital" by BusinessWeek and are renowned for their teaching excellence and research in advancing management thinking. Each year, UCLA Anderson provides management education to more than 1,600 students enrolled in MBA, Executive MBA, Fully-Employed MBA and doctoral programs, and to more than 2,000 professional managers through executive education programs. Combining highly selective admissions, varied and innovative learning programs, and a world-wide network of 35,000 alumni, UCLA Anderson develops and prepares global leaders.


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It's no secret that wireless communications standards continue to evolve to provide ever-increasing data throughput capabilities. The boost in data rates is largely accomplished through enhancements in the physical layers of the protocols. These enhancements often take years to develop—allowing us to envision both the communications systems of tomorrow and the changes in RF test needs. Today, two of the hottest wireless standards are IEEE 802.11ac in wireless-local-area-network (WLAN) products and 3GPP LTE-Advanced in cellular communications.
IEEE 802.11ac is a new standard that is currently in pre-draft mode—with a formal draft expected by late 2011. Designed for higher-throughput wireless connectivity, it features more MIMO channels, wider bandwidths, and higher-order modulation types than today's generation Wi-Fi products based on IEEE 802.11a/g/n. Some key IEEE 802.11ac specifications we'll investigate are the use of 8x8 multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) antenna techniques, 160-MHz channel bandwidth, and 256-state quadrature amplitude modulation (256QAM).
Similarly, LTE-Advanced is an evolution of the 3GPP LTE specifications—with a range of enhancements that also include more spatial streams and carrier aggregation. While today's newly designed LTE networks are based on the 3GPP release 8 specifications, LTE-Advanced is based on the 3GPP release 10 specification—and its enhancements will likely come as future upgrades to existing LTE networks. Key LTE-Advanced details include its use of 8x8 MIMO technology and carrier aggregation to use as much as 100 MHz of channel bandwidth.
In this article, we'll take a look the physical layer characteristics of both standards and explain how higher data rates are achieved. More specifically, we'll look at how features such as more spatial streams, carrier aggregation, and higher-order modulation schemes directly correspond to higher data throughput. Finally, we'll look at how evolutions in the physical layer for each standard create new test challenges for today's RF engineer.
Increasing Spatial Streams
It has been over half a decade since the first wireless communications standards introduced MIMO antenna technology as a mechanism to increase data rates. Until MIMO, the Shannon-Hartley theorem was generally regarded as the model of theoretical data throughput for a given digital communications channel:
Capacity=Bandwidth ×log2(1+SNR)
Classical Shannon-Hartley Theorem Model of Channel Throughput
According to the theorem, data rates through a particular channel can be increased by affecting either channel bandwidth or signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). However, the design of MIMO systems with multiple spatial streams allowed a departure from the Shannon-Hartley theorem. In a 2x2 MIMO system, the use of two independent spatial streams in the same physical channel effectively doubles the data rates over what one might expect from a traditional single-input, single-output (SISO) system. Accordingly, a 4x4 MIMO channel would enable 4x data rates, and an 8x8 MIMO channel would enable 8x data rates.
Today, next-generation wireless communications standards such as IEEE 802.11ac and LTE-Advanced continue to use more spatial streams as a mechanism to increase data throughput. For example, while the previous incarnation of Wi-Fi, IEEE 802.11n, uses MIMO configurations as complex as 4 x 4, next-generation 802.11ac uses MIMO configurations to 8x8. The evolution in cellular communications from LTE to LTE-Advanced brings a similar change. While today's LTE specifications allow for a 4X4 MIMO downlink channel, LTE-Advanced allows as large as 8x8 MIMO in the downlink. Beyond IEEE 802.11ac and LTE-Advanced, it's possible that we'll see this trend continue. Research is already being done on 16x16 MIMO systems and—depending on the outcome—it's possible we'll see 16x16 systems one day.
For engineers testing next-generation MIMO-based communications systems, synchronization requirements for multi-port, MIMO measurements were historically difficult, if not impossible, to meet with traditional instrumentation. Today, the modularity and software-defined architecture of PXI instrumentation provides engineers with the flexibility needed to test next-generation wireless standards. For example, in a typical PXI system, a 4-channel RF signal analyzer can be upgraded to an 8-channel RF signal analyzer simply by adding more PXI downconverters and digitizers to the same mainframe.
Wider Channel Bandwidth
As the Shannon-Hartley theorem might suggest, increasing the bandwidth of a digital communications channel is a second mechanism to increase channel bandwidth. Historically, in the cellular world, when GSM/EDGE progressed to UMTS, channel bandwidth was increased simply by increasing the symbol rate of a digitally modulated signal. However, it's widely recognized that using wideband signals in a single-carrier communications system introduces inherent physical hardware challenges. In addition, because systems with higher symbol rates yield shorter symbol periods, other common wireless challenges such as multipath fading become increasingly problematic in wideband single-carrier communications systems.
Today, next-generation wireless communications channels use a combination of orthogonal-frequency-division-multiplex (OFDM) techniques and carrier aggregation to increase the effective symbol rate—all while avoiding the classic challenges of wideband single-carrier communications systems. OFDM is one such common technique used today in IEEE 802.11a/g/n and LTE to divide a channel into orthogonal and lower symbol rate subcarriers, enabling higher effective symbol rates while mitigating the multipath problem. For next-generation standards such as IEEE 802.11ac and LTE-Advanced, the increase in data rates via an increase in channel bandwidth comes through their use of two mechanisms: more subcarriers and carrier aggregation.
While the IEEE 802.11g standard was designed for a single 20-MHz OFDM channel, IEEE 802.11n added carrier aggregation by allowing devices as much as two 20-MHz channels for 40-MHz total bandwidth. By contrast, IEEE 802.11ac supports 20- , 40- , 80- , and 160-MHz channel bandwidth options. In the 40- and 80-MHz modes of IEEE 802.11ac, wider bandwidth is achieved through the use of more subcarriers. Thus, while the 20-MHz mode uses 64 subcarriers, the 40-MHz mode employs 128 subcarriers, the 80-MHz mode uses 256 subcarriers, and the 160 mode operates with 512 subcarriers. By contrast, the 80 + 80 MHz mode of IEEE 802.11ac will use a slightly different scheme. In this mode, a carrier aggregation scheme will employ two unique 80-MHz OFDM channels (256 subcarriers each) simultaneously by means of an access point. In the table below, we compare and contrast the various modulation types, MIMO schemes, and channel bandwidths of various common IEEE 802.11 standards.
|Antenna Configuration
|1x1 SISO
|Up to 4x4 MIMO
|Up to 8x8 MIMO
|Highest Order Modulation
|BPSK to 64-QAM
|BPSK to 64-QAM
|BPSK to 256-QAM
|Channel Bandwidth
|20 MHz
|20 MHz & 20+20 MHz
|20, 40, 80, 80+80, and 160 MHz
|Year Introduced
|1999 (802.11a)
2003 (802.11g)
|2009 (draft)
|2012 (estimated)
Physical Layer Characteristics of Various WLAN Standards
Similar to IEEE 802.11ac, LTE-Advanced also employs a carrier aggregation scheme to increase data throughput. While the original LTE specifications from 3GPP release 8 allowed for a scalable bandwidth from 1.4 to 20 MHz, LTE-Advanced expands channel bandwidth through carrier aggregation as well. In the next-generation specification, LTE-Advanced allows for the use of up to five contiguous 20-MHz carriers for as much as 100 MHz total channel bandwidth. Today, many questions remain regarding exactly how much bandwidth tomorrow's LTE-Advanced devices will actually use. With the astronomical cost of wireless spectrum, it's likely that few devices will actually use the full 100-MHz of available channel bandwidth.
From a test point of view, the wider bandwidths of next-generation wireless standards such as IEEE 802.11ac and LTE-Advanced will introduce significant challenges. For example, while IEEE 802.11ac will support a mode that uses as much as 160 MHz, today's RF signal analyzers generally have instantaneous bandwidth of only 100 MHz or less. When testing devices that use wideband carrier aggregation, the bandwidth requirements alone will require engineers to assembly test systems based on multiple RF signal generators and analyzers. In these scenarios, the modularity of PXI produces significant benefits, since multiple signal generators and analyzers can be configured and software-controlled in a single PXI system.
Higher-Order Modulation Types
A third mechanism that wireless communications system designers use to increase data rates is higher-order modulation types. As suggested by the Shannon-Hartley theorem, an increase in SNR corresponds to an increase in data throughput. For digital communications systems, higher data rates can be accomplished through use of higher-order modulation types. For systems using quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM), the throughput of the physical channel is directly related to the QAM "order." For example, a 4-QAM channel is capable of 2 bits per symbol, since two is the maximum number of bits that can be represented by four unique symbols [log2(4) = 2] . Similarly, a 16-QAM channel yields 4 bits per symbol and a 64-QAM channel yields 6 bits per symbol.
The new IEEE 802.11ac specification is one of the first consumer wireless standards to allow to 256-QAM. The 256-QAM format yields 8 b per symbol and [log2(256) = 8], thus enabling a 33% higher throughput than a system using only 64-QAM. Of course, the capability of a digital communications channel to use a higher-order modulation type such as 256-QAM requires that a sufficiently high SNR can be sustained. For years, wireless communications systems have used adaptive modulation types—enabling the use of more robust schemes such as QPSK in low SNR environments. As an example, consider the below figure, which illustrates the constellation diagram of a 16-QAM signal under varying SNR conditions.
As we observe in the constellation diagrams, an SNR of 44 dB is sufficiently large to demodulate a 16-QAM signal without bit errors. By contrast, an environment with an SNR of 30 dB or less, using a 16-QAM modulation type, would result in significant bit errors. In this scenario, a lower-order modulation type such as QPSK would be more appropriate. Given these considerations, one might correctly assume that IEEE 802.11ac will only use the 256-QAM modulation type in scenarios where SNR is reasonably high.
From an instrumentation perspective, the addition of new modulation types almost purely a software change. In modular, software-defined platforms such as PXI, each new wireless standard or modulation type is merely a new waveform, allowing engineers to evolve their test equipment along with the evolution in communications standards. As a result, adding support for the 256-QAM modulation type in IEEE 802.11ac—and possibly future standards as well—will likely come through simple software updates.
As we look at next-generation wireless communications standards, we see continued trends of using more spatial streams, wider channel bandwidths, and higher-order modulation types to increase data throughput. With IEEE 802.11ac, this trend results in the use of 8x8 MIMO, as much as 160 MHz bandwidth, and 256QAM. With LTE-Advanced, we also see support for 8x8 MIMO configurations and the implementation of carrier aggregation to support for as much as 100 MHz channel bandwidth. As such, it should also be noted that existing 2G and 3G cellular standards continue to evolve and add these features as well. For example, even the next evolution of today's "2.5G" EDGE standard will make use of carrier aggregation as well. Moreover, in UMTS, HSPA+ is a somewhat recent addition that adds 64-QAM to the downlink. Going forward, HSPA+ Advanced will add two- and four-carrier aggregation to increase throughput in existing 3G cellular communications networks.
While next-generation wireless standards produce obvious benefits to consumers in the form of higher data rates, design and test of IEEE 802.11ac and LTE-Advanced radios produce significant challenges. From building transceivers capable of handling wider bandwidth to packing more antennas on a single mobile device, next-generation standards come with substantially more difficult hardware requirements. As a result, the measurements and instrumentation required for next-generation wireless standards are more challenging as well. Fortunately, the modularity and software-defined architecture of PXI test equipment makes it a compelling alternative to traditional instrumentation for testing emerging standards such as IEEE 802.11ac and LTE-Advanced.
David Hall is a Senior Product Marketing Manager for RF and Communications at National Instruments. His activities include building product demos, providing user feedback, and writing application notes, with particular subjects of expertise include digital signal processing and digital communications systems.


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In honor of Women's History Month, I've decided to run another picture of a woman and baby—but this time only part of the woman appears in the picture.
I've taken to categorizing images like this as "hidden mothers." There's no way to say for certain the arm extending into the carriage to brace this child belongs to its mother, but it's either a cautious mother, a nursemaid or a photographer's assistant. I vote for the mother.
Before I start dissecting this picture—do you have any images with partial women in them? I'd love to see them and feature them next week. Send them to me.
So who's this darling tot? Gwen Prichard doesn't know. A genealogical Good Samaritan gave her the album it was in after finding it in an antique trunk in California. Several of the people are identified members of the Godfrey and Locke families who, according to the photographer's imprint, posed for pictures in Jonesburg, Mo.
The woman who purchased the trunk wanted family members to have the photo album so she contacted Jonesburg Historical Society who in turn suggested she write to Gwen. It's one of those odd serendipitous genealogical connections.
Gwen thinks the album belonged to Olive Cornelia (Locke) Smith (born in 1861) based on the identified images. Now she's trying to figure out who else is represented. This is one of the mystery pictures. There are four photos on a page—this baby, an older child, a man and a woman. They may be the baby's parents, but before jumping to conclusions let's date this picture.
While the baby picture doesn't have a photographer's imprint the other three were taken in Moberly, Missouri.
- The light green card stock of this small (4" x 2 ½") photo was typical in the mid to late 1870s.
- The toddler wears a white dress with colored sash and a necklace. This child's attire is also typical for the early to mid-1870s.
These last two details date the picture, but it's the baby carriage that draws our attention. The first carriage that could be pushed was invented in 1848. Before this, baby carriages were drawn by ponies and other small animals. Newer carriages, like this one, enabled mothers, nursemaids and nannies to stroll with their children. This fringed model looks similar to the horse-drawn surrey carriages used by families in the 1870s. The top would protect the child from the sun. Babies faced front to be admired by passersby.
This particular carriage is well padded with an animal fur lining and a checkerboard knitted blanket. A scalloped edged embroidered cloth decorates the inside. The woman has her hand underneath this cloth supporting the baby allowing us to see the beautiful stitching. You can see other examples of early carriages on the Wisconsin Historical Society website.
While this is a picture puzzle, the date brings Gwen one step closer to figuring out who it might be. This baby (probably a girl because her thin hair in parted in the middle) was born in the mid-1870s.
Anyone interested in helping me narrow the time frame? Check patent records to see if you can match up the design of this carriage. I'll give you a hint: The leading baby carriage designer in this time frame was Adolph Meinecke. Don't forget you can respond in the Comments field below.


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Mycotoxins are a large and growing family of toxic fungal substances that can occur in various types of commodities intended for food and feed. The BIOMIN Mycotoxin Survey provides an overview on the incidence of aflatoxins (Afla), zearalenone (ZEN), deoxynivalenol (DON), fumonisins (FUM) T-2-toxin (T-2) and ochratoxin A (OTA) in the primary components used for feed which include corn, wheat, barley, rice, soybean meal, corn gluten meal, dried distillers grains (DDGS) and silage, among others.
Mycotoxin-related threats to livestock production have risen in most regions of the world over the first quarter of 2017. More than 14000 analyses were conducted on 3715 finished feed and raw commodity samples sourced from 54 countries from January to March 2017 as part of the BIOMIN Mycotoxin Survey.
Main trends
- Recent rise in mycotoxin contamination levels observed for corn, finished feed and soy.
- Deoxynivalenol (DON), detected in 80% of samples, is the most prevalent mycotoxin worldwide, followed by fumonisins (FUM), found in 71% of samples.
- 76% of feed and raw commodity samples contained two or more mycotoxins.


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Many areas of the country saw an extremely dry fall and the lack of rain has continued into the winter. Jerry Gulke, president of the Gulke Group, says he has clients from South Dakota and Minnesota who say they can't remember it being this dry.
With all of the prevented planted acres due to the intense rains in many parts of the Corn Belt last year, Gulke says we have a potential of 9 million acres to go into production this year that weren't in production last year.
"That is barring a big rain at springtime, but as dry as it is now, we can handle a lot of water."
So, where will these acres go?
"We think a lot of them will go to corn," he says. "If the weather is average, we have the opportunity to solve our undersupply and the prospect of running out of grain next year or the following year."
Implications for Prices
Gulke says this situation is causing a lot of downside risk. "I think the market will probably chop sideways, because there are so many uncertainties out there."
The bright side, he says, is that the low end of where a lot of people think prices may go is still at a level he wished for 10 years ago. "The new lows will be the old highs."
Markets don't go up forever and they don't go down forever, he says. "Now we're in one of those bumble phases until we know more."
Listen in as Gulke provides his market outlook during the 2012 Top Producer Seminar.
See all of the news, photos, videos and more from the 2012 Top Producer Seminar in Chicago, Ill.


text:
23 Sep 2013
Dragonair is looking into the feasibility of operating additional flights and increasing capacity tomorrow (24 September) to help those passengers whose flights were cancelled as a result of Typhoon Usagi. The planned additional flights will operate depending on the availability of departure slots at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA). More details will be announced once the extra flights and capacity can be confirmed.
The airline is gradually resuming its flight services from 12 noon today (23 September), weather and safety conditions permitting. However, passengers without confirmed bookings or whose flights have been cancelled are advised not to go to the airport as the chance of securing a seat on a standby basis at the check-in counters is very low.
It is anticipated that flights may still be delayed or disrupted today due to adverse weather and operational constraints. The airline regrets any inconvenience this may cause and hopes for passengers' understanding.
The airline is actively making alternative arrangements for those whose flights have been cancelled. Passengers should check the latest flight information and their flight booking details on the airline's website, www.dragonair.com, before departing for the airport.
Meanwhile, those with confirmed bookings are advised not to arrive at the airport more than three hours before the estimated departure time of their flight.
Dragonair will waive re-booking fees for all tickets issued worldwide (irrespective of fare type) on or before 20 September for travel on its flights between 22 September (Hong Kong time) and 24 September.
To ensure they receive the latest flight status updates via SMS or email, customers are advised to update their contact details in Manage My Booking at www.dragonair.com.


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text:
Conservative media are circulating a 2007 video in which then-presidential candidate Barack Obama praises his former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, and suggests that racism played a role in the federal government's slow response to Hurricane Katrina.
The resurfacing of Wright as campaign fodder came as Obama and his GOP challenger, Mitt Romney, were preparing for their first debate in Denver on Wednesday (Oct. 3).
Fox News host Sean Hannity, conservative blogger Matt Drudge and Tucker Carlson's Daily Caller website hyped the video on Tuesday, saying it had never been seen in full.
Hannity said the video offers a "glimpse into the mind of the real Barack Obama."
Media critics, however, noted that Obama's speech to black pastors at Hampton University in Virginia was widely covered by the media in June 2007.
In the video, Obama gives a "special shout-out to my pastor, the guy who puts up with me, counsels me, listens to my wife complain about me. He's a friend and a great leader. Not just in Chicago, but all across the country," as the audience cheers. "Please everybody, give an extraordinary welcome to my pastor, Dr. Jeremiah Wright Jr."
Adopting the cadences of a preacher, Obama also says in the video that the government's response to Katrina "tells me that somehow the people down in New Orleans — they don't care about as much."
Obama also recalls meeting Wright at Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, where Wright was the longtime pastor. "He helped me on another journey and introduced me to someone named Jesus Christ," Obama says in the 2007 speech. "And I learned that my sins could be redeemed."
Wright married Obama and his wife Michelle, and baptized their two children, Sasha and Malia.
Obama distanced himself from Wright, however, after videos surfaced of the fiery pastor preaching that the U.S. had "nuked far more than the thousands in New York and the Pentagon" who died in the 9/11 attacks, "and we never batted an eye. ... America's chickens are coming home to roost!"
In April 2008, after Wright continued to make contentious remarks in public speeches, Obama denounced his former pastor's rhetoric as "divisive and destructive."
Ben LaBolt, a spokesman for the Obama campaign, called the video released on Tuesday "a transparent attempt to change the subject" from another recently unveiled video, in which Romney dismisses "47 percent of Americans" as "dependent upon government."
The Romney campaign has denied any link to the Obama video. Earlier this year, prominent GOP donors scuttled a plan to feature Wright in anti-Obama attack ads.
Copyright: For copyright information, please check with the distributor of this item, Religion News Service LLC.


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Thank you to all who entered.
Thursday, March 12, 2015
The Artful Year…Book Review and GIVEAWAY!!!
Thank you to all who entered.
43 comments:
what a great idea to have her wonderful projects in a book for the kids to look through and imagine. It would be a most welcomed treasure in our library. thanks for sharingReplyDelete
what an awesome bookReplyDelete
looks so fun!ReplyDelete
We need art class help. This book looks great.ReplyDelete
This book would be awesome to have! We homeschool, so it would be very inspiring to find lots of fun arts and crafts activities.ReplyDelete
Looks like a lot of fun inside that book - my niece/nephew would love coming here if we had an inspiring book of crafts to do together! so fingers crossed, might be lucky. BettyReplyDelete
I love the photography in this book, AND love her posts on facebook! Craving more time to create with my kids! Thanks for the chance to win!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousMarch 12, 2015 at 12:27 PM
Looks amazing! Asking the Easter Bunny to bring me a copy :)ReplyDelete
We love Jean's first book here and this one looks just as lovely. Thanks for the chance to win :-)ReplyDelete
just in time for spring break and summer coming up. This book will be a wonderful addition for my after school kiddiesReplyDelete
fingers crossed!ReplyDelete
Never won anything in my life, but I will give this contest a try. I'd love to have the book. My grand-daughter and I love doing crafts together since I'm not able to do much physical activities. Her crafts are always beautiful and easy to try at home. Love that!ReplyDelete
I love to see The Artful Parent activities. I'm striving to be an artful parent myself! With myself and my husband both being artists, we try to give our daughter a creative environment to live in and explore.ReplyDelete
What very cute ideas! Thanks for the inspiration!!ReplyDelete
What a fun project. I'm always looking for things to do with my little girl.ReplyDelete
That sounds like a wonderful book, thank you for the chance to win a copy :)ReplyDelete
- AnonymousMarch 12, 2015 at 5:07 PM
I would love the book for all the inspiration in it! Thanks for the opportunity!ReplyDelete
Sounds like a wonderful book. It would be a most welcome addition to the bookshelf!ReplyDelete
I have been following Jean on Facebook and I'm always inspired by the things she creates. We have even made some of the projects she shares. I would love to have her book in our home. Thank you for the opportunity to win!ReplyDelete
this sounds like such a fabulous book! i want to make a garden loom! :) thanks so much for the wonderful giveaway- i have wanted this book since i first learned about it a few months ago!ReplyDelete
We could use the inspiration with our homeschooling and with the home daycare! Thanks for the opportunity!ReplyDelete
I adore her blog and would love to own this book! Thank you for the opportunity!ReplyDelete
These are wonderful ideas! I always get inspired by the things you post. :)ReplyDelete
- LindsayMarch 13, 2015 at 1:40 AM
My daughter would adore this !!!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousMarch 13, 2015 at 7:18 AM
I would love to win. Thanks for the giveaway!ReplyDelete
What a wonderfully beautiful book with so much inspiration, I am sat reading the blog with my little girl who is now desperate to make the beaded plant poke things and do the easter egg decorating. At four she is already a craft fanatic and when we moved to France, her playgroup in the UK said " who is going to be our little crafter now!!" Looking forward to lots of fun, happy crafting xReplyDelete
Thanks for the giveaway! Excited for this book whether I win or not!ReplyDelete
Thanks for the giveaway! Excited for this book whether I win or not!ReplyDelete
What a fantastic book - would love to win this for my son!ReplyDelete
What a lovely book, as homeschoolers this would be great to add to our collection.ReplyDelete
What a lovely book, as homeschoolers this would be great to add to our collection.ReplyDelete
I would love to win this book for my grandchildren.ReplyDelete
What a magical collection of beautiful crafting ideas. It would be a blessing to win such a treasure.ReplyDelete
What a Stunning book for all year thos is, I would love to win it for my boys who are both home educated and my eldest celebrates his 9th birthdayon the 18th would make a Awesome gift. Thankyou for the chance ;)ReplyDelete
Looks like a wonderful book!ReplyDelete
Living artfully, open hearted and with eyes full of wonder, as a child does, thank you for this beautiful book to help keep the magic alive and real all year round xxxReplyDelete
Looks like super fun xReplyDelete
- LindsayMarch 16, 2015 at 2:08 PM
What a lovely giveaway!ReplyDelete
Hey this picture book looks very interesting. I really like reading these reviews about this book. Thanks for the post. Anyway, I am now thinking to get this book for my daughter that goes to a popular Phoenix kindergarten. She just loves such picture books.ReplyDelete
Anyway, your post and the lively discussion in the comments gave my mind much to chew over. I hope you haven't abandoned your posting here; your thoughts on fantasy are illuminating.ReplyDelete
thank you so much for your working hard.
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We ((LOVE)) your comments!!! Thank you with all our hearts for visiting us here at Twig and Toadstool. xo


text: "Last night the foraging fun had run its course for two of the eight piglets when they were shot dead by a hunter on the approach to the fifth hole. The whole thing 'took fifteen minutes' according to Ottoson, and it is hoped it will be enough to avoid any more from having to be shot. 'We couldn't shoot the sow, then we would have had anarchy on our hands,' said Ottosson." [The Local] (H/T Tomuban)


text:
Digital Paper
Buy This Resource Now
Digital Paper Pack, Floral
12 Digital Papers
Size: 12 x 12"
300 DPI for highest quality printing
File format: JPG
For personal, classroom and TpT use.
Be the first to know about my new discounts, freebies and product launches:
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File Type:
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Be sure that you have an application to open this file type before downloading and/or purchasing.
12 pages


text:
Welcome everybody! Glad you joined us
Introduce yourself!
Hi everyone, I'm Deb and live in Canada. I just found Pixel Scrapper and love this place! I design scrapbook kits and have a blog that keeps me busy! It is so great to meat all of you from around the world!
Welcome to the new members!
Its been a while since I've checked in here... welcome everyone!!
So many newbies!!! We're so glad to have you as part of our little home on the web. Please let us know how we can be of any assistance in you becoming all you can be as a scrapper and/or designer. Looking forward to seeing y'all around!
Hello everyone. My name is Kathy and I live in Dubai. I'm so happy to find Pixel Scrapper and I love everything about it. I can't wait to get stuck into the tutorials because I don't know anything yet. I have a lot to learn but looks like I found the best place to do it.
Hi all, found this site tonight whilst looking at something on Pintrest. I mainly do cards with rare album layouts. Never done digital scrapping so have absolutely no idea on what to do but will do some research and see how I go. I used my old dogs photo for my profile (extremely rare you find me in front of a camera).
hope you all have a great year.
Tami from Victoria Australia
Welcome Tami and Kathy! Thanks for saying hello!
Kathy and Tami you sound like me when I first started almost a year ago... didn't take too long to get the hang of it, especially with a great place like Pixel Scrapper to hang out! You'll get addicted in no time, lolol.
My name is Catherine Bell and I just discovered this wonderful site!
Another Catherine, nice to meet you!! Can't wait to see what you create!
Hi, everyone!
My name is Silvana Pages, I´m Brazilian and I live in São Paulo. I just started with digital scrapbooking and I love it! As I loved this site! Congratulations!
Hello! I'm Carmen, and I live in Spain. I'm not a professional, but I love to design. I found you a week ago, and you really impressed me! I as searching some free embellisements to enhance my blog, and sure! I stopped here!
I'm not a scrapper, I love to make little tags and banners for my posts in the blog, to introduce my new posts, with my own photographs. If you want, I welcome you at nekanenfabrics.blogspot.com.es
I will love to thank you for all the free stuff you give ! there's an amazing well done job!
See you soon, Ladies!
i am anika and i live with my boyfriend in germany. i love to travel, see new cities, meet new people, go geocaching and obviously i love to scrap. i started with digital scrapbooking, then added more and more paper scrapping. now i would say i am mostly hybrid (and in love with my silhouette!). it's amazing what pixelscrapper offers for us scrappers, thank you very much!
Hi, I'm Jeanine and I live in a very small town in Southern Arizona. My husband and i have known each other our whole lives, we both grew up here! I have two kids, a fun loving husband, three dogs and a cat who only claims us if we keep the right food in stock. We love to camp and do stuff!! The stuff can be anything... 4 wheeling, fishing, going on long drives, finding every Goodwill in a 50 mile radius, just what ever strikes our fancy. We just finished Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University so we will be debt free in the next 4 years.
Boy is it hot right now. Sooo, I'm playing on the computer, inside where it is much cooler. I am loving this site and the templates. I have the worst time getting started on any projects, I get overwhelmed with all the stuff!! Seeing all the examples is a great way for me to get going! I teach Graphic Design at the high school level. I use Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver (for web sites), and InDesign. I just haven't spent much time on my own personal scrapbooking. Here I go!!
My goals are to be able to actually complete a digital album for each child.... Their baby books are not completed, I think one page in each. Poor kids, they are going to be the people that say, "What's a baby book"? if I don't get going soon. I would also like to send copies to the Grands. They are getting tired of never getting any pictures... Sorry Grands!
That is about it for me, I cannot wait to get to know you all more. I love to share information that I come across!
Take care, Jeanine
Hi Everyone, my name is Carla. I am from the Philippines. I am 34 and I am still single but happy. I work for a Hotel Resort in the southern part of the Philippines. I used to do Scrapbooking years ago. Then I came across digi-scrapbooking and this got me very very interested. I made one photobook for my Mom's birthday last year. I had it delivered to her door and she cried through every page. So here I am, exploring my creativity and loving every minute. Glad to be part of this very talented community and looking forward to learning more.
Hi, I've been registered for a few months but haven't gotten myself involved yet however I've created my first blog hop freebie and I'm looking forward to spending some time here.
I live in Ontario, Canada...about three and a half hours north of Toronto. I've been scrapping for a few years but with my kids finally grown and out of the house, i have time to dedicate to this now.
I work on a Mac, use Photoshop, and ArtRage and design under the name of KittenScraps. I'm always looking for something new to learn and am looking forward to my time here.
Wow... I can believe how many newbie introductions in the last four days!!!
We are all so glad to have you as part of our little home on the web.
Please let us know how we can be of any assistance.
I'm looking forward to seeing y'all around the website!
Hi, my name is Cathy. I live way down south in a small town in Louisiana. I have free time these days in between jobs to explore the amazing digital world of scrapbooking. Back in the old days, I helped my mom compile scrapbooks for our family that were very simplistic as the concept of using tangible items like ribbons, buttons, and more were not typically used in the process. Still, there will be the tangible mementos that we'll always want to keep in some memorable format. I haven't done scrapbooking since and am now just discovering it on a whole new level. Wow, so much has really changed! I am an extreme newbie, having only just discovered this site by accident a couple of weeks ago while searching for some new paper designs. I'm happy to find a place such as this to discover the many creative ways to use and group these items. I'm not sure yet how I will use these items in my projects as I'm still learning and and always looking to be inspired. My main passion is more of video scrapbooking. I have reels and reels of home movies that I have transferred to video tape and converted to digital format. I have added music geared to each individual event along with titles to form a bridge between events that naturally flow from one chronological event to the next. I try to be creative with my title pages to make it more interesting and unique so I will seek out a variety of resources to accomplish it. I'm sure the downloadable templates and more are going to be a real asset to my video productions that my family is sure to enjoy. Thank you for sharing these items! I can't wait to get started and see what happens.
Hi. I'm Brendazzle (Brenda when I'm in my pjs and bumming around). I put off joining for a long time because I was afraid Pixel Scrapper would be addictive... and it so is! But Janet Scott made a hedgehog specifically for my new 'baby' so I kind of needed to join to get it. >.>
My life seems to revolve around photography, digi scrapping (my newest obsession), my hedgehogs and my husband. Possibly in that order
I hate doing introductions because I never know what to say.
Welcome everyone! Thanks for saying hello!
Hello I am Michelle and I am 41and live in the UK. I am a currently teaching my Year 6 pupils the joys of making memory books about their life and times in a British Primary school. They are all loving it and cannot wait to see what I have brought in each day for the to add to their books. I found Pixel scrapper about 3 months ago and absolutely love it and cannot wait each day to find out what new goodies have been added.
I make scrapbooks and memory books for friends and love exploring the different papers every one produces. It keeps me busy and quiet for hours. Great distraction during the current world cup. My partner goes to his friends house to watch the games so I can scrap in peace. Thank you for such a wonderful site, it is amazing
Hello ! I am Bina from Brisbane and glad to join in! I love spending time outdoors with my family. I like fishing and he sea.
I am Jennifer and I'm just getting started scrapbooking and I love seeing all that everyone else has accomplished. It gives me hope.
Hi my name is Maria I was born in Mexico ,but I live in the USA for I long time ,I have 5 children which two of them are married, I just starting to fell in love with scrap I like it alot I hope I learn with your classes,thanks for the opportunity to be part of your community
Hi everyone! I'm Sandi and I live in Southern California. I just started designing after evolving from working with paper products and creating journals/ planners/ anything else. Now, I'm here all the stinkin' time. Thank you all so much for this amazing site. It's one of my all time faves!
Hello, I'm Karen. I stumbled onto this site while looking for interesting paper. I haven't done much scrapbooking but this site makes it look like I should try.
I'm from Ohio (Toledo area) but I currently live in El Paso, Texas.
Welcome everyone! Thanks for saying hello!
Hi Everyone, I'm Lizzy. I have been mostly lurking over the last few months, and am slowly beginning to design my own papers. As a traditional paper crafter, I love making cards and mixed media pieces, and plan to print my digital papers for use in my designs. I am amazed by the wealth of talent shared in this community. Thanks for all of the inspiration!
Welcome Lizzy! So glad to have you here!