text:
|San Diego, CA
|High School:
|Scripps Ranch HS
|Middle Distance
An explosive mid-distance force, Vaziri punched NCAA
First Round qualifying bids during his freshman and sophomore
seasons as a Gaucho. After finishing 12th in 2013 at the Big West
Cross Country Championships, look for Vaziri to parlay that
strength to the track this spring.
Won a total of 10 races during the course of his sophomore campaign. Went on to finish fourth at the Big West Championships in the 1500m. Seasons best 800m time came enroute to winning the Cal-Nevada title- that time of 1:50.17 also qualified him for his second NCAA First Round competition. Established a new PR at the Brian Clay Invitational in the 1500m with a time of 3:45.23. Pulled off wins in the rare 800m-1500m double in three competitions: All-Cal Challenge, UC Riverside Dual and the Big West Challenge.
Vaziri competed in the 800m, 1500m and 5k throughout the season…Placed fourth in the 1500 at Big West Championships where he ran 3:45.71…Qualified for NCAA Division 1 Championships in the 800m where he placed 29th…Also competed in the 4x400m relay where he helped his team place 17th.
Vaziri placed second in the 800m at the California State finals his senior year...Assisted the 4x400m relay team to a sixth place finish at the State finals...Currently the San Diego Section 800m high school record holder...San Diego Section CIF Champion in the 800m and the 4x400m relay in 2011.
Son of Feryal Moshaveoh and Fardis Vaziri who played soccer at Point Loma Nazarene University...Brother Armin who also runs track and cross country...Named to Union Tribune All-Academic team three years in a row...Majoring in Pre-biology...In his free time enjoys surfing, playing footbal, tae-kwon-do, Runescape and making meme's...Something people do not know about him is that he was a leader of a club called 'The Trifecta'...Favorite movie is "Slumdog Millionaire"...Listens to Rap/Hip Hop...Favorite books is "The Alchemist"...Lists his favorite athletes as fellow UCSB teammate Jeremy Acosta, Marshawn Lynch, and Ron Artest.
Collegiate Best Marks
800m- 1:50.07 (Oxy Invitational, 5/05/12)
1500m- 3:45.23 (2013 Brian Clay Invitational)
Big West Championships
2013- 1500m, 4th, 3:50.81
2012- 1500m, 4th, 3:45.71
NCAA First Round
2013- 800m, 31st, 1:50.65
2012- 800m, 29th, 1:51.44


text:
Tessa's been with us for about a month and her weight loss has really hit a stride (literally and figuratively)! We've put her on a regiment that has shown obvious results (she's already lost 5 pounds!) and that is really easy for us to follow as well. I want to highlight the 5 simple steps my family has been using to keep our newest member looking great and, most importantly, loving life!
1. Feeding Routine:
Before we got Tessa, she was allowed to graze freely from her bowl of kibble. It's a common misconception that pets will self-regulate when it comes to their feeding. This is not true! Often times, several factors can be responsible for a pet overeating from their bowl, including competition with other household pets and even boredom.
Since we've had her, she's been on a strict, twice a day feeding routine. We divide her daily portion into two equal amounts and give her one serving at 8 in the morning, and another serving at 6 at night. She usually takes a few bites, wanders around, and then comes back to finish up 20 minutes later, but she always finishes her meal.
2. High Quality Food:
Tessa was eating a diet exclusively of Iams kibble before we adopted her. This low quality food not only contains a lot of fillers, but it also contains a lot of artificial preservatives and flavors. She received zero diversity in her diet and no supplements or vitamins. It was like she was eating the same boring bowl of corn flakes for every meal. This changed right away!
The first step we took was changing her diet. We (unfortunately) had to buy a small bag of the Iams food that we began mixing with the much higher quality "I and love and you" Nude Food. "I and love and you" Nude Food is grain-free, has no artificial flavors or preservatives, is high in protein, and features low glycemic carbs like lentils and garbanzo beans… clearly a much better choice than the Iams. She took to the "I and love and you" pretty quickly and she didn't even finish the other stuff.
Now we have her on a great mix of Only Natural Pet EasyRaw and "I and love and you". The kibble gives her the texture she's used to and the EasyRaw gives her quality, raw meat. It's a perfect mix that she loves eating.
We're also certain to include wild salmon fish oil, probiotics and a canine daily multi-vitamin.
3. Feed by the Numbers:
We feed Tessa to her desired weight, not the weight she is. When we first brought her home, we scheduled an appointment with our vet and had a serious conversation about what she should weigh given her breed, build and age. From there we determined she should weigh a full 11 lbs less… and began feeding her for that weight.
4. Too Many Treats:
This one has been difficult because she is so cute, but we had to put our foot down. Tessa has a bad habit of expecting treats just for being. Plus, all of the little bites throughout the day (licking the cereal bowl, the chip that fell on the floor, the peanut butter in her Kong) really add up to some serious extra calories.
To combat this, we started on our own personal plan of awareness and moderation. This includes breaking her treats into smaller portions, giving her single ingredient, freeze dried meat treats, and communicating with each other to get a real understanding of what she's eaten that day.
5. Get Moving:
One of the most important parts of any pet's weight loss program is exercise. When Tessa first came home, she wasn't even able to make it up the stairs to the front door. But with a lot of encouragement and continued practiced, Tessa has been making it around the block on a nightly basis… she's even made it out to Boulder's Open Space on a couple of trips! This has been one of her biggest adjustments from the sedentary, kenneled life she was living before. But now we can tell how much her activity level is up and she's even started going to the door when she hears the word, "Walk."

subset: commoncrawl


text:
It seems strange, but stick with me here. If you are a Minnesota resident with a second home or cabin in Wisconsin, you also qualify for Wisconsin's appliance stimulus rebate for appliances you purchase for that property.
Call our Woodbury store at (651)714-9790 to order. We deliver free to Hudson with a $499 purchase and to several other Wisconsin cities for $49.95. Other deliveries can be negotiated, and we ship appliances nationwide.
Wisconsin's program began Jan. 1. Here are the details of the program, as they differ greatly from Minnesota's program (which doesn't start until probably March 1):
- With mail-in application, rebates available on Energy Star-rated
- Refrigerators ($75; recycling required) — application
- Freezers ($50; recycling required) — application
- Clothes washers ($100) — application
- Dishwashers ($25) — application
- Water heaters ($150)
- Limited amount of rebates available on a first-come, first-served basis
- Purchases cannot be made before Jan. 1
- Applications must be submitted with proof of purchase within 30 days
- Unlike in MN, rebates aren't limited to one per household
- Additional rebates government/utility co. rebates can be found at www.dsireusa.org (Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency)
- Refrigerators and freezers must be recycled to qualify for a rebate (many utility companies have programs instituted for appliance recycling)
- Rebates only offered on existing homes, not new construction
If the program runs out of money before February 2012 (I would be shocked if it didn't), Wisconsin's Focus on Energy — which is administering the program — will announce a new end date. From its website: "All qualified purchases made prior to the program end date and submitted within the required time frame will receive a Cash-Back Reward." Allow 6-8 days to receive a check.
Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jason-riedy/ / CC BY 2.0


text:
Sunday's matchup in Super Bowl XLVII between the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers promises to be an intriguing contest, as each coaching staff probes for weaknesses in the opponent to exploit. This is a weekly occurrence in the National Football League, but with two evenly-matched teams on the biggest stage, the in-game coaching adjustments will be critical to the outcome.
A closer look at the Ravens and 49ers finds more similarities than differences. Starting on the defensive side of things, both franchises have swarming, aggressive squads intent on stopping the opponent's offense. The 49ers and Ravens both run a 3-4 defense. The 49ers have an imposing trio of linemen, highlighted by defensive tackle Justin Smith. Outside linebacker Aldon Smith (not related) led the team this season in quarterback sacks with 19.5. The man in the middle is linebacker Patrick Willis, with a tough secondary behind him to defend against an aerial assault.
The Niners defense ranked third in the NFL this season, Baltimore ranked 17th. But the Ravens' Ray Lewis brings inspiration and experience.
Baltimore's defensive prowess is well-documented, led by the 17-year veteran linebacker who is retiring after Sunday's game. Lewis follows in a long line of fierce NFL linebackers down through the years, including Sam Huff, Dick Butkus, Ray Nitschke, Jack Lambert, and Lawrence Taylor. On Wednesday, the University of Miami product talked about his final goal in football.
"The only thing on my mind, honestly, is getting my teammates to touch the Lombardi Trophy. The retirement will take care of itself. That is one thing about this game for me. When the clock hits triple zeros, no matter what happens, that will be my last ride. If there was any greater stage to do it on, it would be this stage. So, it is an awesome ride for me," Lewis told reporters in New Orleans.
The Ravens also use a 3-4 defense, with Terrell Suggs joining Lewis at linebacker. Baltimore also has a ball-hawking group of defensive backs, including hard-hitting safeties Ed Reed and Bernard Pollard.
On special teams, it's been a up and down season for San Francisco placekicker David Akers. The usually reliable Akers enjoyed a stellar career with the Philadelphia Eagles before joining the 49ers before last season. However, an abdominal injury that required surgery has led to a subpar 2012 campaign for the former Pro Bowler, who made only 29 of 42 field goals this year. The Ravens, who fell short of the Super Bowl last year after kicker Billy Cundiff missed a short field goal in the AFC Championship Game, turned to rookie Justin Tucker to handle placekicking duties this season. All he's done is make 30 out of 33 field goal attempts in 2012.
Moving to the offensive side of the ball, both the Ravens and 49ers feature ball control with quick strike capabilities. The biggest difference is at quarterback. San Francisco starts second-year man Colin Kaepernick, who replaced the injured Alex Smith midway through this season. Kaepernick has tremendous running ability, with a strong throwing arm. In the seven games he started, Kaepernick completed more than 62 percent of his passes.
Though he's young, the Nevada product understands that long-time San Francisco fans are used to their team playing in the Super Bowl.
"It's a great opportunity to get a win and to bring back the legacy to San Francisco that great teams and great quarterbacks have before," Kaepernick told 49ers.com.
Baltimore has Joe Flacco as its field general. The even-keeled Delaware product doesn't run as well as Kaepernick, but might have a stronger arm to throw the deep pass. Flacco threw for more than 3,800 yards and had 22 touchdowns in 2012. The Ravens, just like their first Super Bowl squad in 2001, are better known for their defense. But Flacco knows it takes an entire team effort to win.
"You don't get to this point without having a good football team and that's in all three phases. This team has had such a great defense for many years, such big faces on that side of the ball. That's what we're known for. Us guys on the other side, we don't have any problem with that. We know that in order to win football games we have to go out there and do our job, Flacco told assembled media Thursday in New Orleans.
Flacco and the Baltimore offense relies on a stout running game that features Ray Rice, who ran for more than 1,100 yards this season and is a better than average receiver coming out of the backfield. The 49ers can grind it out on the ground with franchise career rushing leader Frank Gore, who gained more than 1,200 yards during the regular season. Rookie LaMichael James can spell Gore with more speed and shifty moves out of the backfield.
Both quarterbacks enjoy talented receivers. San Francisco boasts Michael Crabtree, who caught 85 passes for more than 1,100 yards this year. Super Bowl veterans Randy Moss and Mario Manningham, and tight end Vernon Davis also make significant contributions. Baltimore can counter with leading receiver Anquan Boldin (65 receptions, 921 yards), Torrey Smith, Jacoby Jones, and tight end Dennis Pitta.
Getting back to the head coaches, John Harbaugh of the Ravens and younger brother Jim of the 49ers both played football in college. Jim later played quarterback in the NFL for 15 years on four teams. John went immediately into coaching after college, working for their father Jack at Western Michigan.
John Harbaugh has been in the post-season playoff for each of his five years at Baltimore. Jim Harbaugh is only in his second year as head coach, but took the 49ers to the NFC title game last year. For both, this is their first trip to the Super Bowl.
Answering a reporter's question Thursday, Jim Harbaugh reflected on what it would mean to beat his brother's team in the biggest game of the year.
"If we are to win this game, it's going to be earned. That would be the adjective I would use. This is a tremendous Baltimore Ravens team offensively, defensively and special teams."


text:
I wrote yesterday that even though the Fed news was being sold, it was too dangerous to short this market. The action this morning is a good example of why this is the case. The market has underlying support as market players fear being left behind if there's a spike on a fiscal-cliff deal. They aren't rushing in to load up, but they are slowly accumulating and are quick to buy weakness. Apple (AAPL), for example, is bouncing back after a slow start.
What is most notable about the action is that there is speculative trading of small-cap "junk" biotechnology names like Oncolytics Biotech (ONCY), Compugen (CGEN) and Telik (TELK). Higher-quality biotechs like Celsion (CLSN), Synta Pharmaceuticals (SNTA) and Infinity Pharmaceuticals (INFI) are benefiting, and you can see that traders are looking for more names in the group.
Other than biotechnology, there are very few themes. A few big-cap names like Facebook (FB), Google (GOOG) and Amazon (AMZN) are active, but if you are looking for quality leadership, you will not find much.
I continue to have difficulty putting cash to work, so I'm mainly trading some of the speculative junk very quickly. I just don't see much that I want to carry, although that is going to be painful if there's a sudden spike higher on a fiscal-cliff deal.
It is irritating that a market meant for very short-term trading is offering so little for those who want to be aggressive, but all we can do is keep on digging.


text:
The creepy-ass tarry-eyed mass-murderer girl from Heroes turns out to have a science-fiction pedigree. Dania Ramirez played Callisto in X-Men 3. AND she was a potential slayer who flirted with Xander in the final few episodes of Buffy. Ramirez says those roles helped prepare her for all the physical action involving Maya, who's trying to sneak into the U.S. with her twin brother. But otherwise, the super-powered chick roles have nothing in common, she insists. Minor spoiler:
Apparently Maya (and brother Alejandro, probably) will soon be meeting up with the other serial killer on Heroes: Sylar, better known as the Unibrow bomber.
Dania Ramirez: Wonder Twin [Entertainment Weekly] [Image by Getty Images]


text:
Download the complete You Are Not Alone Guide.
Please note: These files are Adobe Reader® (PDF) formatted files. To view them, you will need to download the free Adobe Reader.
Boston College seeks to foster a campus environment that supports its educational mission and is free from exploitation and intimidation, as well as discrimination based upon gender. Sexual misconduct of any kind, including sexual harassment and sexual violence, domestic and dating violence, and stalking, is antithetical to the mission of Boston College and the values it espouses and will be responded to accordingly. In accordance with Title IX, the University strives to eliminate sexual violence, prevent its occurrence, and address its effects.
This policy provides information regarding the University's education, prevention, and response efforts related to sexual misconduct involving students, including descriptions of prohibited behavior, options to report misconduct (including confidential options), possible remedies and sanctions, and on- and off-campus resources. This policy also explains how the University will proceed once it is made aware of possible student sexual misconduct.
The University strongly encourages any student who believes he or she has been harassed or subjected to sexual misconduct to seek prompt assistance from the resources described in this policy.
Call SANet 24 Hour Hotline: 617-552-2211
The Sexual Assault Network (SANet) is a private, anonymous hotline that is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for anyone affected by sexual violence.
Student Affairs Title IX Coordinator Contact Information:
Melinda Stoops, firstname.lastname@example.com | 617) 552-3482


text: I setup on the site a week ago but haven't got a chance to really introduce myself. My name is Dave and i'm new to geocaching! I can't wait to get the chance to meet as many people I can from here! I've had the pleasure of meeting a few of you on IRC... I recommend to anyone to come to the #geocachingmaine irc channel on slashnet in addition to posting of this forum of course! :D


text:
Make your knitting more efficient, comfortable and beautiful as you master six valuable methods and styles.
Use the right knitting tool for the right knitting project! Take a trip through the wonderful world of knitting methods and styles alongside certified knitting instructor Patty Lyons.
If you're not delighted with your Bluprint experience, we'll make it right or give you a full refund.


text:
Collection Items
MapMilitary map, Baltimore Co., Md. Scale 1:63,360. LC Civil War Maps (2nd ed.), 254.5 LC Land ownership maps, 285 At head of title: Middle Department and 8th Army Corps, Major Genl. R. C. Schenck Comgd. Stamped in right corner: Topographer, Post Office Department. "Library of Congress, Maps & Charts no. 4748." Detailed map indicating forts, camps, military hospitals, roads, toll gates, railroads, towns, mills, houses and names of residents....
- Contributor: Kaiser, George
- Date: 1863
Map[Map of Loudoun County and part of Clarke County, Va., Jefferson County and part of Berkeley County, W. Va., and parts of Montgomery and Frederick counties, Md.]. LC Land ownership maps, 1289 Shows names of some residents. Relief shown by hachures. "Copied by J. Paul Hoffmann, Top'l Office, A.N.Va." "Approved S. Howell Brown. 1st Lt. Engs. Troops in chg. Top'l. Dep't. A.N.Va. March 23rd 1864." Pen-and-ink on tracing linen mounted on cloth. Title and date from Stephenson's Civil War maps, 1989. LC Civil War maps (2nd ed.), H43 Imperfect: Liquid staining...
- Contributor: Hoffmann, Paul - Brown, Samuel Howell
- Date: 1864


text:
Your browser does not support iframes.
By DAVE TAYLOR
The Trimble Banner
Trimble County's Eliza Weston was the individual conference winner in last week's North Central Kentucky Conference Championship cross country meet. The seventh grader out-paced Williamstown runner Kasey Hill by 1.9 seconds over the 5K distance in the event held Tuesday, Sept. 29, at General Butler State Resort Park in Carrollton.
By DAVE TAYLOR
The Trimble Banner
The Trimble County Lady Raiders battled strong at Hanover Saturday and came away with the runner-up trophy in the Southwestern Volleyball Tournament.
Trimble's girls won all three of their matches in pool play to advance to the Championship match against Austin. In pool play, Trimble defeated Pekin Eastern High School 25-9 and 25-19; Shawe 25-18 and 25-8; then the host Southwestern 26-24 and 25-23.
By TODD POLLOCK
Special to The Trimble Banner
The Trimble County Middle School Raiders have finished the regular season with a record of 5-1 after defeating Gallatin County Wildcats 26-0 last Thursday and crushing Kentucky Country Day Bearcats Monday 36-8. Head Coach Mike Isley and his staff have been dialing up plays and defenses that put their players in the best position to make plays and they have not been let down.
By DAVE TAYLOR
The Trimble Banner
The Trimble County "Runnin' Raiders" cross country team was in action twice last week, competing in the North Central Kentucky Conference Preview at Carrollton's General Butler State Resort Park on Tuesday and in the Double S Stampede in Georgetown on Saturday.
NCKC Preview
Copyright © 2019
The Trimble Banner is your source for local news, sports, events, and information in Trimble County, KY and the surrounding area.


text:
No, APCR was not changed.Redgaarden wrote:APCR on 90mm guns are same as before: +74% penetration, -15% damage
Just to be 100% sure. Do they have 74% more penetration than regular ones". Or do they have 74% total penetration?
I did notice you put a + on the "+74% penetration"
But then again; the "same as before" does it mean they weren't changed. Or they got changed to match how they worked previously, but with the NEW current stats.
The system in very basic: Penetration chance is "basic penetration values" * "penetrations modifiers against target" * "ammo modifier" * "other penetration modifiers" - in this equation only the "penetrations modifiers against target" was changed and it was changed only against Panthers and Tigers. So APCR will be more effective against Tigers and Panthers and same effective against everything else.


text:
|Search Results (166 videos found)
|ACM UIST 1997 - Pick-and-drop: A direct maniulation techinque for multiple computer environments
This paper proposes a new field of user interfaces called multi-computer direct manipulation technique that can be used for data transfer between different compuers as well as within the same...
Genre: Educational
Keywords: UIST; computer augmented environments; direct manipulation; drag-and-drop; graphical user interfaces; input devices; multi-computer user interfaces; pen interfaces; stylus interfaces; ubiquitous computing
Duration: 00:04:04
Popularity (downloads): 567
|Manipulative User Interfaces: Exploring Physically Embodied User Interfaces
Video demonstration from the 1999 CHI conference.
Genre: Educational
Keywords: Interface; Manipulative; Explore; Embodied; User; CHI;
Duration: 00:03:31
Popularity (downloads): 477
|ACM UIST 2000 - Suede: A wizard of OZ prototyping tool for speech user interfaces
Speech based user interfaces are growing in popularity. Unfortunately, the technology expertise required to build speech Uis precludes many individuals from participating in the speech interface design process. Futhermore...
Genre: Educational
Keywords: UIST; Wizard of Oz; design; design tools; informal user interfaces; low-fidelity; prototyping; speech user interfaces
Duration: 00:04:27
Popularity (downloads): 510
|ACM CHI 2000 - Multiple computer user interfaces: "Beyond the Desktop" direct manipulation environments
Graphical user interfaces (GUIs) are mainly designed for a single computer and a set of single input devices. However, when we simultaneously use many and different types of computers and...
Genre: Educational
Keywords: CHI;
Duration: 00:06:19
Popularity (downloads): 468
|Towards Usable VR: An Empirical Study of User Interfaces for lmmersive Virtual Environments
Video Figure from CHI 1999 Paper. Author(s): Robert W. Lindeman, John L. Sibert & James K. Hahn
Genre: Educational
Keywords: CHI; 3D user interfaces; bimanual interaction; virtual environments; virtual reality; passive-haptic feedback
Duration: 00:02:14
Popularity (downloads): 445
|ACM InterCHI 1993 Isssue 88 - Hyperspeech
Hyperspeech is a speech-only hypermedia application that explores issues of speech user interfaces, navigation, and system architecture in a purely audio environment without a visual display. The system uses speech...
Genre: Educational
Keywords: CHI; Conversational Interfaces; Hypermedia; Speech Applications; Speech As Data; Speech Recognition; Speech Synthesis; Speech User Interfaces;
Duration: 00:03:38
Popularity (downloads): 397
|ACM CHI 2000 - Capstone design at the University of Washington: User Interfaces for portable Devices.
A principal component of the undergraduate Computer Engineering program at the University of Washington is a capstone design course that integrates the students' past foundational coursework by having them take...
Genre: Educational
Keywords: CHI; embedded systems; multi-modal user interfaces; portable computing; wearable computing;
Duration: 00:07:31
Popularity (downloads): 460
|Best-Answer Selection Criteria in a Social Q&A Site from a User Oriented Perspective
Genre: Educational
Keywords: information seeking; heuristics; user behavior; internet; interfaces; user criteria; study design;
Duration: 00:56:10
Popularity (downloads): 29
|ACM CHI 1994 Issue 97 - The Garnet User interface Development Environment
The Garnet user interface development environment contains a comprehensive set of tools that make it significantly easier to design and implement highly-interactive, graphical, direct manipulation user interfaces. The toolkit...
Genre: Educational
Keywords: CHI; user interface management systems; user interface development environment; toolkis; interface builders; demonstrational interfaces;
Duration: 00:09:41
Popularity (downloads): 501
|Scheduling home control devices
We describe three different user interfaces supporting the scheduling of home-control devices (such as VCR, air conditioning or furnace) over time periods ranging from minutes to days. The touchscreen-based user...
Genre: Educational
Keywords: HCIL;
Duration: 00:05:55
Popularity (downloads): 950


text:
10th Annual TSR Movie Awards
They're all here. Ryan Gosling, Rango, George Clooney, The Help, Brad Pitt, Bridesmaids, Meryl Streep, Harry Potter and more …
Created by Jeff Bayer, from the website The Scorecard Review, podcast "Movie B.S. with Bayer and Snider" and KPAM AM 860 in Portland.
Movie fans, movie geeks … this is for you. If you just want to see your favorite film "win" please stay away. These awards aren't about making sure "your" movie wins, but instead a way to see what movie fans score the best movies of the year.
The Academy Awards just don't cut it. Every year I watch, and every year I think they get something wrong.
TSR Movie Awards are the awards for movie fans. There are more than five nominations. You'll get to see what gets second place. The categories are what fans care about, not Best Achievement in Sound Editing.
Categories range from the typical (Best Overall Cast, Best Actor, Best Film) to the atypical (Best Ending, Best Quote, Funniest).
If you have seen two movies or 200, it doesn't matter. You only vote for the films you have seen.
There are 27 questions including the Hall of Fame.
Most categories, you will vote from 1-10, with 10 being the highest. You are scoring each individual nomination, not ranking them. So you can have multiple 7s, 8s, 10s, it doesn't matter. And your favorite nomination doesn't have to receive a 10.
Enjoy. The last day to vote is February 25. The day before the Oscars.
- CLICK HERE and "like" The Scorecard Review on Facebook. That way you'll make sure to get all of the updates and results of the 10th Annual TSR Movie Awards.


text:
The developer of popular apps like Tweetcaster and FriendCaster, OneLouder Apps, has released yet another app to its 'Caster' series: ChannelCaster.
ChannelCaster is a new aggregator that adds a social element to the way your news is delivered, much like News360. You can create your own channels, and share them publicly so others can see what your feed is pulling. Similarly, you can browse all other public channels to find interesting content feeds that other users have put together.Read More


text:
There will be some changes coming next spring on the board overseeing the Prairie Capital Convention Center.
Six of the 11 unpaid positions are up in the April 7 nonpartisan election, and at least two incumbents in those seats won�t be running again.
JUDY YEAGER and MIKE ZIRI, who each are elected from District 1, will not be seeking another term. GREG SRONCE, a lawyer in private practice and part-time public defender, plans to be on the ballot for another term.
Yeager served eight years on the Champaign City Council before moving to the capital city and was a Springfield alderman for a dozen years before being elected to the convention center board in 2007. At 72, she still works for the Department of Children and Family Services but said as to her elected position, �It�s about time to allow the younger ones to make some of the decisions.�
Ziri, chief legislative liaison for the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, is completing his second four-year term and said, �It�s always good to have new blood.�
Ziri and Yeager both cited as a key accomplishment the naming of BRIAN OAKS as the center�s general manager. Both also served as the building underwent a $16 million renovation.
�It was wonderful to be able to take the center to the place it is right now,� Yeager said.
One candidate seeking a District 1 seat is 27-year-old BRANDON DAMM.
�I�m just really passionate about downtown Springfield,� Damm said. �I�m community-oriented, and it�s a community-oriented position.�
Damm is a minister and member of iWorshipCenter who runs Bar Church services Wednesday evenings at Stella Blue, a downtown Springfield bar. His full-time job is with a State Farm Insurance office. He is formerly with Midwest Family Broadcasting and said that in that role he was involved with convention center events. He also lauded the work of Oaks and said he�d like to look at ways to expand the convention center � hopefully without raising taxes, using means such as naming rights.
Damm is married and has a son. Yeager said Damm called her to find out if she was running before he entered the race.
�He didn�t want to run against me,� she said
Sangamon County Circuit Clerk TONY LIBRI hosted a fundraiser for Damm. The chair of the Sangamon County GOP, ROSEMARIE LONG, said the party has not yet endorsed in spring races.
Meanwhile, in three-member District 5, incumbents are BRAD MILLS, JIM ALLMON and JASON LOFTUS.
Loftus, who is in the medical equipment business, was named to fill a vacancy in November and is seeking a full term.
�I want to continue to see the convention center and downtown grow,� Loftus said. �I would love to help in this process.�
Allmon, Sangamon County�s chief deputy coroner who also is a freshman football coach at Lanphier High School, said his fianc� lives in Divernon, outside the district, but no wedding date is set and she may sell her house, so he has yet to determine if he will seek another term.
�I do enjoy being on the board,� he said. �I think they�re doing a great job over there.�
Mills, 54, is retired from the state and on disability due to a back injury. He�s on city and regional planning and zoning bodies, has a county appointment as chair of a community service block grant advisory council, and is a district chairman, overseeing 11 precincts, for the Sangamon County GOP. He said he would be open to other political offices and that �should I be asked, I�d be happy to serve in a different position.�
But, Mills said, �If nothing else comes my way, I enjoy serving on the convention center board.�
�We�ve done a fine job as a board,� Mills said. �I do commend Brian Oaks and his professional staff.�
The taxing district for the convention center includes Capital, Woodside and Springfield townships. The official name of the board is the Springfield Metropolitan Exposition and Auditorium Authority.
Gathering ideas
On a recent trip to Japan, Springfield mayoral candidate PAUL PALAZZOLO kept his hometown in mind.
Palazzolo and his family traveled to Chiba City for the Kiwanis International convention July 16-20. Palazzolo is a past president of the international organization, and his daughter, MARIA, was recently elected international president of Key Club, the high school division of the service club.
Palazzolo said he got to have dinner with the mayor of Chiba City, TOSHIHITO KUMAGAI.
That provided an opportunity, Palazzolo said, �to learn about his plans and goals for the city and to see if there was anything that might be � applicable to the city of Springfield.�
That mayor�s goals, Palazzolo said, included making his city of 900,000 residents �the easiest place to raise children in Japan,� with attracting more day care opportunities and having more free play areas and green space ways to move in that direction.
Palazzolo, now the Sangamon County auditor, said as a way to attract and keep young people living in downtown Springfield, �maybe we need to look at more green space here.�
Chiba City is about an hour by train from Tokyo, Palazzolo said, and is a major convention site. There, he said, nearby Tokyo Disney is a draw. In Springfield, he said, continued emphasis on the draw of Abraham Lincoln, as well as the renovated Prairie Capital Convention Center, should be stressed.
Palazzolo also said next year�s Kiwanis international convention will be in Indianapolis, and he used his time in Japan to talk up the idea that people should stop for a night or two in Springfield on the way there.
�As a past Kiwanis international president, I have the ability to kind of help persuade people to think about that,� Palazzolo said.
Palazzolo presented Kumagai with a small statue of Lincoln.
�His response was he can only hope to be as great a statesman as Abraham Lincoln was,� Palazzolo said.
Also on the trip were Palazzolo�s wife, SUANNE STAAB-PALAZZOLO, and his son ANTHONY.
In the family
The contract lobbying firm JAY SHATTUCK & Associates has brought on another lobbyist � TAYLOR SHATTUCK, the 22-year-old daughter of the firm�s namesake.
The younger Shattuck, a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana with a degree in global studies and a minor in Spanish, had interned in her father�s office for the past four summers. Her title is manager of government relations.
�I needed somebody else in-house to help me make sure that I�m meeting my clients� needs,� said Jay Shattuck, of Gardner Township. He said Taylor has traveled internationally and communicates effectively.
�It�s kind of nice having a family business,� he said, and having a child �decide that they are interested in working with you and perhaps continuing the business on beyond my lifetime.�
Jay Shattuck has been a lobbyist since the late 1970s and has had his own firm for 17 years. Among clients are Humana Inc., Teva Pharmaceuticals and Associated Builders & Contractors.
Contact political columnist Bernard Schoenburg: 788-1540, firstname.lastname@example.com, twitter.com/bschoenburg.


text:
International Quilt Festival
This weekend was the International Quilt Festival in Chicago. The show hasn't been in Chicago for the last couple of years, so we were excited to have it back. My parents came in town for the show and I also met up with Lee. It was a great day!
One cool part of the day - my Naperville Modern Quilt Guild had a special exhibit!
Our guild had a log cabin challenge several months ago. We all were challenged to make a 36" square quilt using log cabin blocks in a modern way. I made my Confetti Logs quilt. Here it is in the show!
The Modern Quilt Guild Showcase was also in the show. (I had been lucky enough to see it first in Cincinnati - such great quilts!) It was fun to see it again though with Lee, because she had a quilt on display as well.
My big show purchase was a new foot for my Bernina, #59 for piping. I know, I go crazy! ;)
Sunday, my parents went with us to Navy Pier before driving home. As you can probably tell, we had absolutely perfect weather. We went up in the Ferris Wheel for the first time. I was a bit scared. lol But great views!
This week I'll be quilting my deadline quilt, hopefully at least basting my Simply Style quilt, and then getting packed and ready for a sewing weekend in Madison, Wisconsin. Can't wait!


text:
Yeah, the Saloon is sat on the front driveway SORN at present.
CarPC is still in there, but never used, just removed the 3G stick so I could cancel the contract as it was not getting any use.
Never got one into the convertible. Still hope to one day. :)


text:
Solutions Integration Provided by Experienced and Certified Technology Professionals
Solutions: Comprehensive, integrated technology solutions
Because our clients need more than just discrete hardware, software and services offerings, we offer complete solutions that help them overcome their most difficult business and IT challenges. Every solution we provide is integrated, implemented and supported by our highly certified consultants, using proven methodologies.
Services: Critical components of project success
Our consultants help IT and business professionals provide better, faster services to users, meet much more stringent service levels, keep up with the latest product enhancements, protect the company from security threats, ensure continuous availability, address problems quickly, and more.
Partners: Leading technology innovators in the industry
We've aligned ourselves with the industry's leading technology manufacturers, developers and distributors. Our clients' challenges frequently require solutions from more than one manufacturer, so we partner with strategic vendors whose technologies will help make them more successful.
Technology Solutions, Systems Integration, Expert Service and Support
Sirius helps companies of all sizes and in all industries become more competitive by taking advantage of technology solutions across the data center and throughout the enterprise.
In The News
Sirius Receives Recognition from Pure Storage at Pure//Accelerate 2019
Sirius recognized as top partner of the year San [...]
Sirius and Aceso Partner to Deliver the Patient Room of the Future
New consumer-based technology provides a patient-centered approach to healthcare San [...]
eBook: How to Transform Your Approach to Cybersecurity
Read about the new approaches to the modern threat landscape and learn what it takes to stay ahead of cyber risks. Download now.


text:
WaveShop Portable (64-bit)
Free CKCI Windows XP/Vista/7/8 Version 1.0.11.002 Full Specs
Publisher's Description
From CKCI:
WaveShop Portable (64-bit) is a free and open-source audio editor. Editing a portion of an audio file only affects that portion and the rest of the file is untouched. Blocks of audio can be cut and pasted without changing their contents at all. This is especially useful for patching a finished master without corrupting its dither. Features include bit-perfect: samples aren't changed needlessly, all processing is done in memory, 64-bit version can edit files exceeding 2GB, clipboard: copy, cut, paste, insert, or delete, unlimited undo, normalize and/or fix DC offset, amplify (boost or attenuate), fade in, out, or custom, linear or logarithmic, peak statistics, RMS statistics with histogram, reversal and inversion, find clipping with detailed report, extract channels to mono files, insert, delete, or swap channels, change audio format, generate audio w/ envelopes and modulation, edit surround speaker assignments, find zero crossing, Multiple Document Interface (MDI), multithreaded processing, and playback via DirectSound.


text:
Learn more about ATLAS and the LHC by taking an eTour.
Download fact sheets and brochures from the ATLAS Store.
Learn more about particle physics at The Particle Adventure.
MINERVA - (Masterclass INvolving Event Recognition Visualised with Atlantis) is a project by the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and University of Birmingham, UK.
HYPATIA - (Hybrid Pupil's Analysis Tool for Interactions in Atlas) is a project by the University of Athens, Greece.
LPPP - Lancaster Particle Physics Package is a project by the University of Lancaster, UK. Try it out online!
CAMELIA - CAMELIA (Cross-platform Atlas Multimedia Educational Lab for Interactive Analysis) is a project by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in the United States.
See the latest news about ATLAS.
Find out what bloggers are saying about ATLAS - Blogs
Watch the feature What We Do is Not in Textbooks.
Watch student-made videos about ATLAS and CERN .
View movies, animations and video clips of the ATLAS Experiment in the multimedia section.
View images of the ATLAS Experiment in the ATLAS photos section.
View the winning entries of the 2009 Multimedia Contest .
See ATLAS videos and more at the official ATLAS YouTube Channel.
PhD Comics visits ATLAS and LHC see the comics here.
If Ikea Made Instructions for the LHC. See it here.


text:
You Really Can Get Attached to Anything
It's been an interesting process of getting used to living outside in India.
"Living" means: sleeping, changing, writing, reading, resting, bathing, and answering nature's calls IN STRAW HUTS. We have real flush toilets (as opposed to squat toilets), buckets for "showering," and outside sinks (which makes for chilly teeth brushing in the pre-dawn hours when we stumble off to meditation).
"Outside" means: we have the illusion of privacy as well as some real shelter. That illusion is worth a lot.
But the huts are not warm. And many leak. We've had several loud and violent storms to test out their waterproofness—and mudproofness and damproofness. I'd give them about 50/50.
You know a lot about your "eco hut"—and yourself— after two days of torrential rain in an area that is not supposed to have rain as the clay earth sluices down the paths and makes a mud dam in front of your hut.
And the huts definitely do not protect us from the sounds of neighbors. Who knew that SO many people snore so loudly?
For us middle class Westerners, this way of living is a practice of austerity.
But as we've been reminded, for locals in Allahabad and Kajuraho, the way we are living is luxurious.
I will admit that this is a step up from tent camping. I am writing this from inside my hut, for example, sitting at a metal table with a blue plastic tablecloth stretched over it. We have metal cots off the ground, and clothes lines, plus lawn-green carpeting to protect us from mud and dust.
And one thing I know: I can get attached to anything. Anything at all.
I got attached to the readily available WiFi in Kajuraho. Even the cold, cold nights, bathing outside from a bucket was bearable if I had WiFi to make Facebook updates and write blog entries (only slightly kidding).
That disappeared in Kajuraho. But the bucket baths and cold temperatures remained. Wah-wa.
In Kajuraho, I got attached to hut 7 where I weathered the interminable storms. Hut 7 almost flooded in the mud sluice, was crowded with 2 women from Duluth, another from Chicago, and me. It was damp and damp and damp. And damp. Then musty. My bed was both sloped downwards and tilted to the side like a permanent Tilt-a-Whirl.
And yet I felt anxiety when I had to move into hut 49.
(Now the question is: what do I care whether I'm in straw hut 7 or straw hut 49?! They are exactly the same, just positioned slightly differently towards the bathrooms. Still I got fixated for a few hours on how much worse hut 49 was going to be. I had established my patterns and I didn't want to budge. This is the stuff I came to India to deal with?!?! Answer: yes.)
But after two or three days in hut 49, I had completely forgotten about the charms of hut 7.
So it goes.
Most of us have gotten comfortable with this quasi-camping set up.
Temperatures are getting warmer now and days are brighter. I don't have to wear every single piece of clothing I brought to India when I go to bed. I don't have to wait for a warm patch in the day to bathe (or just skip it for a few days until bathing is urgent).
I don't mind doing laundry by hand. And every time I shower now, I'm sure to wash some undies. Life has become easier.
And there are some surprise boons. After all that rain, the desert campus has sprung into bloom. Ceramic pots of marigolds, cosmos, and asters line the paths and decorate the huts. The trees are sparkling green.
Birds have arrived in abundance: green parrots, eagles, sparrows, a large swallow-like bird, peacocks, neelkanth, and many many others that sing and chirp and whir. In fact, a pair of sparrows just flew into my hut!
At night the jackals howl their mysteriously poignant songs arching back and forth across the hills. The farmers answer them with their ghostly shrieks meant to scare away nilgai—the large antelope/deer/horse-like creature that tramples crops (the male is actually blue colored).
Most of us have forgotten our discomfort in the straw village, our Western privileges, proving that you really can get used to anything.
Even basic luxury can be luxurious.
And now some people don't want to go back to their easy showers and toilets, central heating and A/C.
You really can get attached to anything.


text:
- Home
- Book Reviews
- Hall of Fame
- Books Read 2010-
- Bellwether Prize
- Booker Int'l
- Booker Prize
- Carnegie Medal
- The "Darling, but..." Book Club
- Dayton Peace Prize
- Dylan Thomas Prize
- First Novel Prize
- Folio Prize
- Goldsmiths
- Hello Sunshine
- National Book Award
- NBCC Award
- NYT Notables
- Pulitzer
- ToB
- Walter Scott
- Women's Prize
- 20 Under 40
- 1001 Books
- Review Policy
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
book review: Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
The basics: The Song of Achilles is a retelling of the life of Achilles through his best friend Patrocles.
My thoughts: I read The Iliad in high school, but it's safe to say I remember few of the details. I am by no means an expert in ancient Greece, so I was pleasantly surprised Madeline Miller made this novel both entertaining and easy to read while offering the reader insight into ancient Greece. The story begins when Patrocles is a boy, and I enjoyed seeing him grow as the novel went on. In many ways, this novel is a tender coming of age and love story; it's also set against the Trojan War. While I remembered some things about the Trojan War, I was mostly not familiar with the life of Achilles, and particularly the last half of the novel kept me in suspense.
Madeline Miller has a gift for metaphor: "Her face was like quicksilver, always racing to something new." Her writing manages to be both modern and rooted in ancient Greece. The characters and setting came to life with her words, and I was surprised how much I enjoyed this novel. I expected to enjoy it, as this tale has been told for centuries, but I anticipated it being more challenging and confusing because I was not terribly familiar with the story.
Favorite passage: "He paused, now, considering. I love this about him. No matter how many times I had asked, he answered me as if it were the first time."
The verdict: The Song of Achilles is a delightful and intriguing tale of coming of age, romance, friendship and war.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Length: 384 pages
Publication date: March 6, 2012
Source: publisher via Edelweiss
Convinced? Treat yourself! Buy The Song of Achilles from an independent bookstore, the Book Depository or Amazon (Kindle version.)
As an affiliate, I receive a small commission when you make a purchase through any of the above links. Thank you for helping to support my book habits that bring more content to this blog!
18 comments:
I'm glad you say this one would work for someone not that familiar with the Trojan war because I'm going to be reading it soon and I know nothing about it!ReplyDeleteReplies
Sam--I thought I didn't know anything, but was surprised how much seemed vaguely familiar once I was reading it!Delete
Our opinions seem to be matching more than usual - we have matching opinions on this one too. I thought this was a good, entertaining read, but I'd be surprised to see it on the shortlist.ReplyDeleteReplies
We are agreeing more than usual! I'd be surprised to see it make the shortlist too, but I did enjoy it more than several on the longlist.Delete
I just oredered this one for my son's Easter basket because he had been looking at it for some time, and asking me for it. I will probably snag it when he's done. It sounds like a great read, and I have read nothing but good things about it so far. Great review today!ReplyDeleteReplies
I can't wait to hear your thoughts, Zibilee! I hope your son enjoys it too!Delete
I have had no interest in this book because I can't remember anything about The Iliad either. We read it in jr. high and for all I remember I may as well just not have read it. But it sounds like this author does a great job of making the book accessible anyway!ReplyDeleteReplies
Jenny--I was so pleased with how accessible Miller made it. I'd be curious to see what those who are more familiar with The Iliad thought too.Delete
It's good to know you liked this one. It was one of those that I was nervous about because while I like historical fiction, sometimes those that are real old are hard for me but this sounds good!ReplyDeleteReplies
Amused--I'm the same way! The really old stuff can scare me, but I really enjoyed this one!Delete
This book sounds a lot like Mary Renault's 1958 novel The King Must Die which is the novelization of the Theseus myth. I love these sorts of novels. I'll keep an eye out for this one.ReplyDeleteReplies
Ryan--thanks for the tip on Renault. I've added it to my list. I also want to explore the Canongate Myth series.Delete
This is the first review I've seen of this book and you sold me on it. Adding this one to my wish list.ReplyDeleteReplies
Bitsy--I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!Delete
Sounds like my cup of tea. I'm considering listening to it in audio. Do you think it would work?ReplyDeleteReplies
Alex--I'm not a fan of audio in general, but I think it would be good. I found myself not pronouncing the names because I didn't know how to, so for that alone it would be illuminating!Delete
- AnonymousApril 8, 2012 at 2:02 PM
Yay! I'm glad you liked it, too. It's one of my favorites so far for the year.ReplyDeleteReplies
I'm so glad to have read it. It surprised me in good ways, and I'm sure it will stick with me for a long time!Delete


text:
Please note: IPS Right Web neither represents nor endorses any of the individuals or groups profiled on this site.
Robert Zoellick is a former World Bank president (2007-2012) who served in various high-level posts in the George W. Bush administration (2001-2006) and as a vice president of Goldman Sachs (2006-2007).
In June 2012, at end of his tenure as head of the World Bank, Zoellick announced that he was taking up fellowships at Harvard's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington, D.C.[1] At the Belfer Center, Zoellick joined a host of well-known analysts and international relations experts, as well as several veterans of the George W. Bush administration who have advocated militarist foreign policies, including Eric Edelman, Meghan O'Sullivan, and Paula Dobriansky.[2]
In August 2012, the Mitt Romney presidential campaign announced that the former Bush official had been tapped to serve as head of the campaign's national security transition planning.[3]
Because of his on-again-off-again relationship with foreign policy hawks, Romney's selection of Zoellick caused a backlash among neoconservatives and national security hawks both inside and outside the campaign, leading the Romney campaign to downplay Zoellick's influence. Many neoconservatives, however, were not placated. Jen Rubin, a blogger for the Washington Post who had been among the loudest boosters of the Mitt Romney/Paul Ryan ticket, complained: "For foreign policy hawks, Zoellick is an anathema. As the right hand man in the State Department and Treasury Department of James A, Baker, who was infamous for his anti-Israel stance, Zoellick acquired a reputation as 'soft' on China, weak on pressuring the Soviet Union at the close of the Cold War, opposed to the first Gulf War and unsupportive of the Jewish state."[4]
At least one Zoellick critic—Karen Hudes, a former senior legal counsel at the World Bank who faced retaliation at the bank for her efforts to disclose alleged fraud—argued that the main problem with Zoellick's selection was his purportedly tainted track record at the bank, particularly on the issue of corruption.[5] In a comment to a story about Zoellick on the American Conservative website, Hudes wrote: "The real controversy has to do with the reason Zoellick didn't get a second term as President of the World Bank: corruption."[6]
Other commentators, including some neoconservatives, dismissed the backlash against Zoellick. The Weekly Standard's William Kristol said: "Zoellick has no influence in the campaign and his appointment really means nothing for anything that happens over the next two and a half months in terms of the campaign. Bob Zoellick is an extremely able guy who is willing to do this and that's great. The enemies of Zoellick are scared it means something big, but I think it's being way overblown."
Kristol's relationship with Zoellick dates back years. Zoellick was a supporter of the early campaigns of the Project for the New American Century (PNAC), a letterhead group founded in the late 1990s by Kristol and Robert Kagan that played a prominent role promoting the invasion of Iraq. Zoellick signed two PNAC open letters urging the ouster of Saddam Hussein as part of larger effort to reshape the Middle East geopolitical landscape (see Right Web, "A Complete List of PNAC Signatories").
Because of his varied track record, observers have often been at pains to describe Zoellick's worldview. Tom Barry wrote in 2005 that Zoellick is a realist who accepts the "neoconservative premise of U.S. global supremacy but want[s] to wisely manage that power to further [his] notions of U.S. national security and interests."[7]
Among the views that Zoellick has shared with neoconservatives and other right-wing nationalists is a belief in the exceptionalism of the United States and the need to fight "evil." In a January 2000 article for Foreign Affairs, Zoellick wrote: "A modern Republican foreign policy recognizes that there is still evil in the world—people who hate America and the ideas for which it stands. … People driven by enmity or by a need to dominate will not respond to reason or goodwill. They will manipulate civilized rules for uncivilized ends."[8] According to Barry, Zoellick argued for a foreign policy that recognizes the "unparalleled" appeal of American ideas and "spelled out a new foreign policy that would be based on the preeminence of military power—a concept of a new American century in which unquestioned U.S. military superiority would allow the United States to shape the international order."[9]
On the other hand, while at the World Bank years later, Zoellick embraced what he called a "multi-polar world economy," stating in an April 2010 speech: "It's time we recognize the new economic parallel. If 1989 saw the end of the 'Second World' with Communism's demise, then 2009 saw the end of what was known as the 'Third World.' We are now in a new, fast-evolving multi-polar world economy."[10]
Zoellick offered a succinct account of his views in an op-ed for the Washington Post shortly after the 9/11 attacks: "The terrorists deliberately chose the World Trade towers as their target. While their blow toppled the towers, it cannot and will not shake the foundation of world trade and freedom. Our response has to counter fear and panic, and counter it with free trade."[11]
In a 2003 speech at the Institute for International Economics, Zoellick similarly prioritized trade in his vision of U.S. foreign policy interests, arguing: "The United States seeks cooperation—or better—on foreign policy and security. Given that the United States has international interests beyond trade, why not try to urge people to support our overall policies? Negotiating a free trade agreement with the United States is not something one has a right to do—it's a privilege."
At the World Bank
Zoellick was nominated to the World Bank post by President Bush to replace the beleaguered Paul Wolfowitz in 2007.[12]
Despite investigations into allegations of corruption at the Bank during Zoellick's tenure,[13] many observers credit him with a number of achievements. According to one report, "Zoellick has been given high marks for his managerial competence and work ethic. In terms of concrete achievements, Zoellick helped negotiate the Bank's first general capital increase since 1988 as part of a package that also increased developing-country representation on governing board. He also helped raised a record $90 billion for [the International Development Association], which provides credits to the world's poorest countries; expanded the Bank's anti-corruption efforts; promoted more women and developing-country staff to senior positions; and significantly increased the transparency of its operations through the revision of the Bank's Access to Information Policy."[14]
During his tenure, Zoellick was confronted with numerous financial crises and shifting global power balances. In a September 2011 speech at George Washington University, Zoellick highlighted some of the emerging changes, including China's growing economic clout and the developing world's faster economic growth compared to developed industrial countries. According to the Washington Post's Robert Samuelson, Zoellick argued that "the ongoing economic crisis has deeply damaged the prestige and authority of the United States and Europe in the eyes developing countries. There's a 'whiff of hypocrisy' to rich countries' advice, he said. 'When [advanced] countries with large fiscal deficits preach fiscal discipline to poor countries—what are they really saying?'"[15]
In April 2011, Zoellick controversially suggested that the World Bank should start taking a direct role in promoting political change in some countries—which is explicitly prohibited by the Bank's own mandate—by supporting the work of civil society organizations "working on accountability and transparency in service delivery." The proposal was criticized by some observers. Todd Moss of the Center for Global Development wrote, "I'm all for helping to create popular demand for accountability and transparency, but is this really the comparative advantage of the World Bank? Isn't this exactly the kind of 'mission creep' Jessica Einhorn (wisely) warned against a decade ago? Isn't direct support for civil society better handled by foundations and organizations like the Open Society Institute than a huge international financial institution without the same on-the-ground links and legitimacy? The Bank's mission to promote growth and reduce poverty may be broad, but the Bank should—I would think—still avoid trying to be all things to all people. This latest idea leaves me scratching my head."[16]
In the George W. Bush Administration
Zoellick's first appointment in the George W. Bush administration was as the chief U.S. trade representative, a post he held during 2001-2005. After briefly leaving the administration to serve as vice chairman of international operations at the investment firm Goldman Sachs, Zoellick returned to the Bush administration in early 2005 as deputy secretary of state, a post he held until mid-June 2006. The appointment, which made Zoellick Condoleezza Rice's chief deputy, was viewed by many as a sign that the administration would be taking a softer foreign policy line in Bush's second term. As the right-wing Washington Times reported: "Mr. Zoellick's selection by Miss Rice in early 2005 was seen as a victory for foreign-policy 'realists' in the administration against the hard-line diplomacy favored by Vice President Dick Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, who were said to back State Department arms chief John R. Bolton" for the post.[17]
Zoellick played leading roles in a number of high-profile administration decisions, including the effort to mediate the crisis in Sudan, where according to the Posthe "was instrumental in pushing Darfur's rebel leaders to sign a peace accord." He was also credited with playing a constructive role in establishing a strategic dialogue with Beijing, which was highlighted in the press in January 2006 when Zoellick, then visiting the city of Chengdu, was photographed hugging a baby panda. Commenting on the incident, John Tkacik, a research fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation, wrote that the "images of Zoellick clad in a sterile veterinary smock and gloves, cuddling a distinctly uncomfortable baby panda, could have been seen as evidence the Bush administration had gone a bit soft in the noggin on China. Indeed, the initial reaction among Washington China-skeptics was horror. … [Zoellick] believed that his appearance with the panda would reassure the Chinese that he is still open to a 'global dialogue'—provided the Chinese start to act like they're interested."[18]
Much of Zoellick's legacy from the Bush administration stems from his pursuit of bilateral and regional trade pacts. "Although Zoellick failed to seal a Free Trade of Americas Agreement during his tenure as U.S. trade representative," wrote Tom Barry, "he won respect among the corporate community for his role in gaining bipartisan support for George W. Bush's request for 'trade promotion authority,' also known as fast-track authority because it reduces the role of congressional and public review of new free trade pacts."[19]
Notably, when developing countries scuttled world trade talks in 2003 over the refusal by rich countries to cut agricultural subsidies or reconsider pro-corporate investment rules,[20] Zoellick lamented that the "won't do" countries had stymied the "can do" countries. Zoellick then issued a veiled threat to the multilateral process: "We're going to keep opening markets one way or another."[21] Instead of returning to the negotiating table to create a more comprehensive trade zone, Zoellick instead sought to negotiate smaller bilateral and subregional free-trade agreements where U.S. leverage was greater. Zoellick used the fast-track authority he had promoted to assemble what he called a "coalition of the liberalizers," pursuing trade pacts between the United States and other countries in the face of mounting opposition from critics of the global economy. In May 2004, Zoellick took the lead in negotiating the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) and opened bilateral trade negotiations with Panama and several South American countries.[22]
Zoellick, according to Barry, "termed his free trade strategy one of 'competitive liberalization.' By establishing numerous bilateral and regional agreements outside the WTO, the United States hoped to undermine opposition to its aggressive liberalizing agenda and to weaken developing country demands for U.S. market access, subsidy reduction, and special treatment in the WTO." In a July 10, 2003, op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, the administration's trade czar clearly articulated the United States' global trade and investment strategy. He explained that under WTO consensus procedures, "one nation can block progress" in extending economic liberalization to new areas. Explaining that Washington can pursue its liberalization agenda outside the WTO, Zoellick warned: "It would be a grave mistake to permit any one country to veto America's drive for global free trade."[23]
Despite his extensive work on free-trade agreements, Tom Barry has argued that it would be a mistake to regard Zollick as "a free trade ideologue or a committed advocate of the WTO." Rather, Barry wrote, Zoellick "appears to regard free trade agreements as instruments of U.S. national interests. When the principles of free trade affect U.S. short-term interests or even the interests of political constituencies, Zoellick appears to be more a mercantilist and unilateralist than free trader or multilateralist."[24]
Prior to his work in the second Bush administration, Zoellick worked as a special assistant to the Treasury Department during Ronald Reagan's second term. He subsequently served as a senior officer in the George H. W. Bush Treasury and State Departments and as a personal adviser to Bush himself.
Share RightWeb
Please note: IPS Right Web neither represents nor endorses any of the individuals or groups profiled on this site.
[1] World Bank, press release, "Zoellick to Join Harvard's Belfer Center, Peterson Institute," June 27, 2012, http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/NEWS/0,,contentMDK:23229940~pagePK:64257043~piPK:437376~theSitePK:4607,00.html.
[2] Belfer Center, press release, "Robert B. Zoellick to Join Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center as Senior Fellow," June 27, 2012, http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/publication/22150/robert_b_zoellick_to_join_harvard_kennedy_schools_belfer_center_as_senior_fellow.html.
[3] Josh Rogin, "Zoellick pick roils Romney campaign," Foreign Policy, The Cable, August 8, 2012, http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/08/08/zoellick_pick_roils_romney_campaign.
[4] Jennifer Rubin, "Romney foreign policy misstep, a big one," Washington Post blog, August 8, 2012, http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/post/romney-foreign-policy-misstep-a-big-one/2012/08/08/701ea0cc-e162-11e1-98e7-89d659f9c106_blog.html.
[5] For more about corruption issues at the World Bank, see Richard Behar, "World Bank Mired In Dysfunction: Mess Awaits New Head," Forbes, June 27, 2012, http://www.forbes.com/sites/richardbehar/2012/06/27/world-bank-spins-out-of-control-corruption-dysfunction-await-new-president/2/.
[6] See Karen Hudes comment to the Daniel Larison, "The Zoellick Panic," American Conservative, August 8, 2012, http://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/the-zoellick-panic/.
[7] Tom Barry, "Robert Zoellick: a Bush Family Man," CounterPunch, January 14-16, 2005, http://www.counterpunch.org/2005/01/14/robert-zoellick-a-bush-family-man/.
[8] Robert Zoellick, "Campaign 2000: A Republican Foreign Policy," Foreign Affairs, January/February 2000, http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/55632/robert-b-zoellick/campaign-2000-a-republican-foreign-policy.
[9] Tom Barry, "Zoellick plies a new trade," Asia Times Online, January 14, 2005, http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Global_Economy/GA14Dj01.html.
[10] Matthew Berger, "Zoellick Embraces 'Multi-Polar World Economy,'" Inter Press Service, October 4, 2010, http://www.rightweb.irc-online.org/articles/display/zoellick_embraces_multi_polar_world_economy/.
[11] Robert Zoellick, Washington Post, September 20, 2001.
[12] Richard Adams, "Zoellick Confirmed as World Bank Chief," Guardian, June 25, 2007, http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2007/jun/25/imf.usnews.
[13] For more about corruption issues at the World Bank, see Richard Behar, "World Bank Mired In Dysfunction: Mess Awaits New Head," Forbes, June 27, 2012, http://www.forbes.com/sites/richardbehar/2012/06/27/world-bank-spins-out-of-control-corruption-dysfunction-await-new-president/2/.
[14] Jim Lobe, "NGOs Urge Open Selection Process for Next World Bank Chief," Inter Press Service, February 15, 2012, http://www.ipsnews.net/2012/02/ngos-urge-open-selection-process-for-next-world-bank-chief/.
[15] Robert Samuelson, "The Global Power Shift," PostPartisan blog, Washington Post, September 16, 2011, http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/post/in-zoellicks-george-washington-speech-a-global-power-shift/2011/09/16/gIQArFmnXK_blog.html.
[16] Todd Moss, "The World Bank as a Foundation? Why I'm Scratching My Head Over the World Bank's New Vision," Center for Global Development , April 7, 2011, 2011, http://blogs.cgdev.org/globaldevelopment/2011/04/the-world-bank-as-a-foundation-why-i'm-scratching-my-head-over-the-world-bank's-new-vision….php.
[17] Washington Times, June 20, 2006.
[18] Heritage Foundation, "Revenge of the Panda," February 26, 2006.
[19] Tom Barry, "Zoellick plies a new trade," Asia Times Online, January 14, 2005, http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Global_Economy/GA14Dj01.html.
[20] BBC, "World trade talks collapse," September 15, 2003, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3108460.stm.
[21] Tom Barry, "Zoellick plies a new trade," Asia Times Online, January 14, 2005, http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Global_Economy/GA14Dj01.html.
[22] Tom Barry, "Coalition Forces Advance," IRC Americas Program Policy Brief, July 24, 2004, www.bilaterals.org/IMG/pdf/0407econ.pdf.
[23] Robert Zoellick, "Our Credo: Free Trade and Competition," Wall Street Journal, July 10 2003, available at http://singapore.usembassy.gov/071003.html; Tom Barry, "Zoellick plies a new trade," Asia Times Online, January 14, 2005, http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Global_Economy/GA14Dj01.html.
tle="">[24] Tom Barry, "Coalition Forces Advance," IRC Americas Program Policy Brief, July 24, 2004, www.bilaterals.org/IMG/pdf/0407econ.pdf.


text:
On September 12 a federal district court judge made permanent an earlier order temporarily blocking enforcement of provisions of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) purporting to empower the president to deploy the U.S. military to apprehend and indefinitely detain people suspected of "substantially supporting" al-Qaeda, the Taliban, or "associated forces."
On May 16 Judge Katherine Forrest of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York had issued a preliminary injunction preventing the Obama administration from exercising the indefinite detention authority granted the president by Section 1021 of the NDAA.
The temporary block has now been made permanent. In the opinion handing down the injunction issued yesterday, Judge Forrest wrote:
The due process rights guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment require that an individual understand what conduct might subject him or her to criminal or civil penalties. Here, the stakes get no higher: indefinite military detention — potential detention during a war on terrorism that is not expected to end in the foreseeable future, if ever. The Constitution requires specificity — and that specificity is absent from § 1021(b)(2).
This is similar to the language she used in the 68-page opinion accompanying the temporary injunction order. In that order Judge Forrest disagreed with the federal government's argument that the relevant provisions of the NDAA merely restate existing law. She wrote: "Section 1021 is not merely an 'affirmation' of the AUMF [Authorization for the Use of Military Force]."
Pointing out that were Section 1021 and the AUMF identical then the former would be redundant, Judge Forrest held:
Section 1021 lacks what are standard definitional aspects of similar legislation that define scope with specificity. It also lacks the critical component of requiring that one found to be in violation of its provisions must have acted with some amount of scienter — i.e., that an alleged violator's conduct must have been, in some fashion, "knowing." Section 1021 tries to do too much with too little — it lacks the minimal requirements of definition and scienter that could easily have been added, or could be added, to allow it to pass Constitutional muster.
Scienter is defined as "a state of mind often required to hold a person legally accountable for his or her acts." In other words, the indefinite detention provisions of the NDAA are too vague and aren't specific enough to permit a person to know whether he or she has violated the law.
While admitting that preventing the federal government from enforcing a congressional act is a sober matter that must be attended to with caution, Judge Forrest writes that "it is the responsibility of our judicial system to protect the public from acts of Congress which infringe upon constitutional rights."
As readers will recall, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Chris Hedges is joined as a plaintiff in a lawsuit challenging the NDAA by a coterie of other prominent writers and commentators. Noam Chomsky, Daniel Ellsberg, and Icelandic politician Birgitta Jonsdottir all signed on to add their witness to that of Hedges that the fear of indefinite detention lurked within the shadows of vagueness of key terms of the NDAA.
The principal allegation made by the plaintiffs against the NDAA was that the vagueness of critical terms in the NDAA could be interpreted by the federal government in a way that authorizes them to label journalists and political activists who interview or support outspoken critics of the Obama administration's policies as "covered persons," meaning that they have given "substantial support" to terrorists or other "associated groups."
According to the text of Section 1021 of the NDAA, the president may authorize the armed forces to indefinitely detain:
A person who was a part of or substantially supported al-Qaeda, the Taliban, or associated forces that are engaged in hostilities against the United States or its coalition partners, including any person who has committed a belligerent act or has directly supported such hostilities in aid of such enemy forces.
Fearing that this section could be applied to journalists and that the specter of such a scenario would have a chilling effect on free speech and freedom of the press (Naomi Wolf writes in her affidavit that she has refused to conduct many investigative interviews for fear that she could be detained under the auspices of applicable sections of the NDAA) in violation of the First Amendment, Hedges filed his lawsuit on January 12 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Hedges' complaint claims that his extensive work overseas, particularly in the Middle East covering terrorist (or suspected terrorist) organizations, could cause him to be categorized as a "covered person" who, by way of such writings, interviews and/or communications, "substantially supported" or "directly supported" "al-Qaeda, the Taliban or associated forces that are engaged in hostilities against the United States or its coalition partners,… under §1031(b)(2) and the AUMF [Authorization for Use of Military Force]."
Specifically, Hedges alleges in his complaint that it is precisely the existence of these "nebulous terms" — terms that are critical to the interpretation and execution of the immense authority granted to the president by the NDAA — that could allow him or someone in a substantially similar situation to be classified as an enemy combatant and sent away indefinitely to a military detainment center without access to an attorney or habeas corpus relief.
In her order permanently preventing the Obama administration from enforcing the sections of the NDAA challenged by Hedges and his co-plaintiffs, Judge Forrest wrote regarding the court's role in protecting timeless principles such as habeas corpus and due process:
Courts must safeguard core constitutional rights. A long line of Supreme Court precedent adheres to that fundamental principle in unequivocal language. Although it is true that there are scattered cases — primarily decided during World War II — in which the Supreme Court sanctioned undue deference to the executive and legislative branches on constitutional questions, those cases are generally now considered an embarrassment (e.g., Korematsu v. United States, 323 U.S. 214 (1944) (upholding the internment of Japanese Americans based on wartime security concerns)), or referred to by current members of the Supreme Court (for instance, Justice Scalia) as "wrong" (e.g., Ex parte Quirin, 317 U.S. 1 (1942) (allowing for the military detention and execution of an American citizen detained on U.S. soil)). Presented, as this Court is, with unavoidable constitutional questions, it declines to step aside.
Farther down in the order, Judge Forrest cites the Supreme Court's decision in Ex Parte Milligan in support of her own ruling:
A few years later, in Milligan, the Supreme Court held: "Neither the President, nor Congress, nor the Judiciary can disturb any one of the safeguards of civil liberty incorporated into the Constitution, except so far as the right is given to suspend in certain cases the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus." 71 U.S. at 4. The Court stated, "No book can be found in any library to justify the assertion that military tribunals may try a citizen at a place where the courts are open." Id. at 73.
In an interview with the Village Voice, Hedges praised Judge Forrest's brave decision: "I'm elated," he said. "This judge is amazing. She had the courage to do the right thing in an age when most judges write long opinions about why they can't do the right thing."
As the article in the Voice rightly notes, there is reason to be cautious in such rejoicing. The government will appeal this decision and it is likely that a decision as uniquely constitutional as Judge Forrest's will be torn apart by an appeals court.
"That's all right," Hedges told the Village Voice. "If they appeal, we'll fight them, and we'll keep fighting them, and we'll fight them until we win."
According to one of the plaintiffs in the case, Tangerine Bolen, the Obama administration has filed a notice of its intent to appeal Judge Forrest's decision.
Photo: U.S. military guards walk within Camp Delta military-run prison, at the Guantanamo Bay U.S. Naval Base, Cuba: AP Images


text:
This document you requested has moved temporarily.
It's now at https://localhost:8955/main/header.jspx?curr_url=http://about.keysight.com/en/newsroom/pr/2015/26jan-em15012.shtml?cc=US&myAgilentEmail=§ion=bd&lc=jpn&cc=JP.
SANTA ROSA, Calif., Jan. 26, 2015
Keysight Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: KEYS) today announced that the U5303A high-speed data acquisition 12-bit PCIe® card, in collaboration with YellowSys, a provider of IP processing firmware and software, is now available with an option dedicated to the optical coherence tomography (OCT) technology.
The Keysight data acquisition solution uses signal resampling which provides on-board enhancement of the range analysis and offers a stable ADC signal sampling cadence. The solution focuses on the clock stability while acquiring the signal in order to avoid sampling cadence changes. This adverse effect on signal acquisition typically occurs when an external k-clock is used. Furthermore, the signal processing is done in real time directly on the data acquisition card, significantly reducing the processing load on the host computer.
The solution was designed using Keysight's U5340A FPGA development kit, allowing portability of the OCT signal processing IP to other Keysight data acquisition cards, including future releases. There is no need for internal circuitry dedicated to OCT, and the easy migration of the processing IP is a key to future OCT technology developments.
"OCT technology is evolving at a fast pace and we strongly believe in supporting developers to push the limits in real-time imaging and quality," said Didier Lavanchy, operations manager of Keysight's high-speed digitizers division. "Partnering with YellowSys enables us to meet the application demands using our FPGA development kit."
U.S. Pricing and Availability
The option dedicated to optical coherence tomography (-SS0) is available now on the 12-bit U5303A PCIe high-speed digitizers. Please contact email@example.com for more information.
Information about product configuration is available at www.keysight.com/find/U5303A.
Information about the FPGA Development Kit is available at www.keysight.com/find/U5340A.
High-resolution images are available at www.keysight.com/find/SS0_PCIe_Digitizers_images.
About Keysight High-Speed Digitizers
Keysight Technologies (NYSE:KEYS) is a global electronic measurement technology and market leader helping to transform its customers' measurement experience through innovations in wireless, modular, and software solutions. Keysight's electronic measurement instruments, systems, software and services are used in the design, development, manufacture, installation, deployment and operation of electronic equipment. The business had revenues of $2.9 billion in fiscal year 2014. Information about Keysight is available at www.keysight.com.
# # #
PCIe® is a US registered trademark and/or service mark of PCI-SIG
Janet Smith, Americas
+1 970 679 5397
Twitter: @KeysightJSmith
Sarah Calnan, Europe
+44 (118) 927 5101
Connie Wong, Asia
+852 3197-7818


text:
While traveling to local farms, my interest in landscape photography has been renewed.
The Slow Coast, between Santa Cruz and Pescadero is a magical ride.
New Client
I loved shooting this bike. Here's to the future! And check out their website:www.vintageelectricbikes.com
East Coast Floats
East Coast Floats
John de Garmo Memorial Photography Show
December 6th, I staged a photography show for my father who was and avid and talented photographer. He passed away on February of this year and I wanted to document some of his talent.
The photographs of my mother were striking.
Family photos were everywhere. My father made collages of many of the photos. This collage hung in our den and I can remember looking at it for hours.
Images of my childhood dominated the show. My father took "snapshots" that looked like portraits. He inspired me to concentrate on portraiture.
Cars were a big part of life. My Dad loved sports cars and passed that love onto my brother, Matthew de Garmo www.degarmoltd.com
And the travel photos ...
Thanks, Dad, for all the great memories. I'm so happy to have these photos.
Shooting Yogis
I began to shoot yogis in about 2006, when my teacher, Phil Lynch asked me to take some photos of him. It was a memorable day. We spent it at my home in Ben Lomond, in the Redwoods. We shot everywhere. In the living room, with a paper backdrop ... Outside, with the redwoods a backdrop, Phil sitting on a stump, and other spots. He must have gone into yoga positions for a continuous ten hours. I vaguely remember having some food ... humus, maybe, and some carrots. There was something about shooting Phil's beautiful body forming fabulous yogi shapes and the calm that came with the shapes. I was inspired.
Here is one of my "Phil" photos, taken on my deck in the Redwood Forest ...
After that day of shooting, I began to talk to other yogis and they, too, were interested in some photos. At Village yoga, I set up my backdrop on a yearly basis for a few years and that turned into a Ten Year Anniversary Book.
This past few weeks I've been working on updating the website for Village Yoga. A steady stream of yogis have graced my studio ...
Thursdays at Harley Farms
Every Thursday, I drive up the coast to Pescadero to work at Harley Farms Goat Dairy. I have been friends with the owner, Dee Harley, for many years and was formerly the chef for dinners and luncheons. Now, we are working on a book and I am shooting between helping in the shop and picking up bread.
This is Oscar. He likes to come into the shop and have the customers pet him, but I have to put him out. The health department doesn't appreciate animals around food!
Later in the afternoon I took this shot of the new barn and used an iphone app to get this painterly look.
The sun had set as I drove home. I didn't have my tripod with me to capture these incredible colors, so I shot it high speed.
May Show
off and running
...today I'm off on a trip to ny city. I plan to send Scott Cervine many, many postcards so he knows how much fun I'm having;)


text:
My mother, a child of the Great Consumer Age (albeit a rebellious one), lives by the sage advice "When in doubt, get it out." Her home is very lovely and clean and spare and organized, and what's there belongs there, and what doesn't belong there just isn't around. She refuses to let her life be encumbered by more things than she actually needs and uses; the fewer the better. Avoid getting anything new if what's here works; if it's here and you're not using it, give it to someone who will. (Which is how I got my wonderful little immersion blender!) She tried to pass those qualities on to me, but it seems I take more after Grandma. Somewhere I'm sure there's a happy medium of conservation between the two approaches—each has its green advantages
Upon discovering the whole conservation thing, I've been able to embrace my packrat nature far more than ever before, because repurposing is in! So I hold onto stuff I might otherwise jettison, sometimes for years—but eventually a lot of it does get used.
Last winter a friend turned me on to the idea of felting wool. The principle here is this: Wool fibers have scales along them, and whenever they are exposed to really high temperatures they tighten and condense up and link more and more inextricably to other fibers around them, making a solid and un-ravel-able mass of fabric. Remember that really nice sweater that your mother/sister/spouse accidentally dried one day, that came out much smaller and much thicker than it went in? That's wool felting (or "fulling," its more proper term) in operation.
It's a much better idea to do this on purpose, though, than to accidentally have it happen to your favorite sweater. One way is to knit or crochet a garment in pure wool yarn, obviously making it much much bigger than you need it to be, and then to felt it down till it fits. (I have some really nice slippers a friend made for me this way.) I started making a cloche hat by this method, but me being me with the multiple jobs and two little kids thing, I never had time to finish it, so somewhere there's a half-done mass of teal green yarn in a closet somewhere…
The other way to make wool felt items, the I-don't-have-time-to-knit way, is to comb your own closets and pay a few visits to the local thrift store and gather a collection of sweaters made in at least 85% wool (the higher wool content the better!), felt them down, and use them to sew other garments.
Basically, wash on hot, wash again on hot, dry on high heat, repeat if necessary. You know it's "done" when, examining the fibers, you can't see the knit pattern any more and it won't unravel at all when cut.
It does get a little more nuanced than that, though. For one thing, it helps significantly to wash a couple of hardy clothing items in there as well, like a pair of jeans; the extra agitation annoys the wool more, I guess, and makes it clamp down harder and faster. Washing several sweaters at once is also helpful. (Caveat: be sure that you're washing more or less like colors with like colors—remember, felting wool is not the only thing that happens when you put clothing in hot water! Don't throw your significant other's light blue jeans in with six bright red wool sweaters unless your significant other is someone who would not have gender-stereotype issues with wearing lavender pants!)
One site suggests putting each wool garment to be felted into a zippered pillowcase; I haven't tried this yet, but it sounds like a great idea—every time I've felted wool before, the amount of damp wool fuzz that liberally coats the inside of the machine and all its filters is unbelievable. I've also occasionally had problems with the sweaters snagging on things and developing little holes before they have time to felt down, something that's fix-able if you discover it early but impossible if you don't see it till after the felting is done. So I'll definitely try this advice next time.
Dry on high heat. (Empty your dryer's lint filter before and after!) (More fragile wool garments should probably skip this step and try to do all the felting via the washing machine.)
You should now have a few thick shrunken sweaters with almost no hint of the original knit visible. If they aren't small and thick enough, go through the whole process again, twice more if necessary.
What to make out of felted wool?
The possibilities here are (practically) endless.
You can make a patchwork blanket, using effectively the same set of instructions I gave on my own blog for making a jeans quilt –with this one you may be able to get away with not even backing it, just binding the edges with blanket binding or even long strips of leftover sweater felt from the cuffs or waist. (To the left is sort of the beginnings of one I'm working on. I think it needs some red or something, though... )
Speaking of those ribbed parts at the wrists and waist: not all sweaters felt the same way here for some reason; sometimes they shrink nicely and keep their ribbed-ness, but other times they stretch out wider. For the ones that do well, a sweater can make for a really easy mittens-and-hat set using these built-in finished edges.
The easiest way to do this is to place your hand (or a hand comparable to the size of the one you're making the mittens for) on a piece of paper or cardboard and trace around it to make a mitten-shaped pattern about ¾ of an inch around your hand on all sides. Cut this pattern out and place it over the sweater sleeve with the cuff where you want the wrist cuff of the mitten to be. (Make sure the seam of the sweater sleeve is all the way to the "thumb" side.) I'd recommend making sure you have plenty of cuff; don't make these too short. Trace the pattern out of the sweater and cut the mitten shape out of each sleeve; put the mitten pieces of each side right-sides together and sew all the way around. You don't need much of a seam allowance for these; I usually sew them fairly close to the edges. I've even seen them done wrong sides together with the seam left visible on the outside and/or embellished with pretty yarn sewing. (For this you might err on the smaller side when cutting the fabric.)
These mittens work well, but the out-to-the-side thumb thing is uncomfortable for some people, depending on your hand shape. Another mitten pattern that puts the thumb more centrally located (but requires more sewing!) can be found here.
If you used the sleeves to make mittens, you can use the body of the sweater and its waist-ribbing to make a matching hat. There are hat pattern options all over the place—I still highly recommend my go-to free software of choice from Wild Ginger, their Wild things accessory pattern software, which has patterns for hats and bags and anything you can think of. A relatively easy alternative can be found here. Also, patterns that work for fleece fabric tend to do very well with felted wool; see this, and this (use the ribbing to form the bottom strip), and this... And if you do your own Google searches, you'll probably find lots more I haven't checked out yet.
As with the recycled denim projects, the beauty of all these is that once you get started, it's easy to see a whole bunch of possibilities—when your sunglasses case mysteriously disappears, instead of running out to the store to get another one (or letting them rattle around in your purse and get scratched up, which is probably what I would do, which is why I never spend more than $8.99 on sunglasses), you'll remember the scraps from that felted sweater and whip a unique and cute case up in 20 minutes. (10, if you have the right color thread in your sewing machine already and don't need to clear off your work surface.)
Another nice effect you can get if you are feeling really crafty: buy a skein or two of 100% wool yarn (or unravel part of another not-yet-felted wool sweater to reclaim the yarn) and embroider on your wool sweater before you felt it—either specific things like flowers or stars, or just random crazy patterns. Then when you felt it, the embroidery becomes part and parcel of the felt itself.
Here are some ideas just to get you started:
- Doll sweater and hat pattern: http://www.alicecantrell.com/Doll-Sweater-and-Hat.pdf
- Another hat and mittens set pattern, with a "newsboy" hat kind of thing: http://downwithclutter.blogspot.com/2009/02/hat-mittens-set-patterns.html
- Christmas stocking pattern (though honestly, this one doesn't take too much imagination to figure out on one's own): http://craftingagreenworld.com/2008/11/25/crafty-christmas-felted-sweater-stocking-tutorial/
- Pictures of one mom's effort to only give gifts made from recycled or repurposed materials—very pretty little glasses cases/gadget purses and such, given in a gift bag made from the leg of an old pair of jeans. (http://littleecofootprints.typepad.com/little_eco_footprints/2009/01/for-my-mum-handmade-felted-wool-camera-case-sunglasses-case-and-makeup-purse-.html)
There are some really nice projects in Sweater Surgery: How to Make New Things Out Of Old Sweaters, available at amazon.com—she has good felting instructions in there too, but her projects go beyond felt into some really cool territory.
So...Since it's the time of year for a lot of people when we're going through all those bins (or bags or random piles or closets that haven't seen the light of day since April) of fall and winter clothes that have been sitting in the closet since spring, and finding what's likely to actually be worn this winter and what is not...if you find any old, out of date, beat up, or too-small wool sweaters, go to town!


text:
One of our Sew Simple kits - a range of simple designs suitable for beginners and children. Each kit is supplied with an easy to follow colour chart, key, instructions, colour cover photo, 11 count white aida fabric, stranded cotton thread and needle. Finished size: 6.4cm x 6.7cm
Copyright © 2019 Fat Cat Cross Stitch. All rights reserved.


text:
Aiming to reform its policies, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has enlisted one of the biggest guns in the federal arsenal to help: The National Academy of Sciences.
On Tuesday, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson and National Academy of Sciences President Ralph Cicerone launched an effort to develop the so-called Green Book, a project to ensure all EPA policies are driven by sustainability.
The effort is reminiscent of the 1983 Red Book, written by the National Research Council to develop a strategy of risk assessment to guide the agency's policies. That project triggered a dramatic shift in how the EPA developed regulations, focusing for the first time on scientifically evaluating risks to human health and the environment.
The National Research Council project was commissioned by EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson and announced as part of EPA's 40th-anniversary celebration.
Paul Anastas, EPA's assistant administrator for research and development, said a new strategy focusing on sustainability is a necessary but challenging step in the "evolution" of the nation's environmental laws and programs.
"This is no small shift," he said. "This is a seismic shift in how we pursue our mission…We are under no illusion that it will happen by next Tuesday."
EPA's current policies and regulations are driven by statutes that oversee individual issues, such as pesticides, air pollution and drinking water contaminants. But the project by the National Research Council will develop a framework for the EPA to link all environmental issues and ensure its policies rely on sustainable use of energy, water, land and other resources.
For the initiative to succeed, it will have to incorporate a lot of diverse, often contradictory factors, such as environmental justice, economic growth, chemical exposures and energy savings.
In announcing the effort, Jackson said she wants the framework to "apply across all of the agency's programs, policies and actions."
Instead of just focusing on risks, if there were a new "sustainability" approach, EPA would have to incorporate a range of sustainable approaches in its solutions to problems. For example, EPA officials said a new global indoor stove initiative deals not only with air pollutants, but also climate change, deforestation and women's health issues.
The idea is to think systemically, Anastas said. "We act in a fragmented way," he said.
Anastas said an example of the consequences of fragmentation is that drinking water must be disinfected, but disinfection leads to byproducts in the water supply that pose health risks and must then be regulated. Similarly, growers want to increase crop yields to grow the food supply but this goal leads to overuse of farm chemicals.
The National Research Council panel will be chaired by Dr. Bernard Goldstein, a professor of environmental and occupational health at University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health.


text:
Hi everyone at Brooklyn Bride, hope your summer is off to a great start! I myself have been daydreaming of a vacation lately, so I'm feeling kind of "mappy".
vintage trophies + map award – roberta grove | save the dates + map wedding invitation set for Carlsbad California – nothing but bonfires | pencils – etsy | heart cards – not on the high street | wedding invitation set w. Texas map – Martha Stewart | thank you labels – kis for calligraphy


text:
PARIS -- Up-and-coming, Paris-based, Belgian-born designer Anthony Vaccarello designed that one-shoulder, leg slit-up-to-there gown that Jennifer Lopez wore to the Grammys earlier this month. And his fall-winter 2013 collection, shown Tuesday during Paris Fashion Week, proved that he is Paris' next fashion provocateur.
The look: Fierce femininity that carried through from sharp-tailored separates with a fetishistic edge, to body-skimming mini dresses and gowns with revealing cutouts, and hardware snaking around every curve. Drapey silk blouses tucked into asymmetrical miniskirts. Jackets and slim coats embellished with bands of leather and all kinds of hardware, including grommets, bullet-like spikes, studs and chain mail. Fuzzy, mohair sweaters over stovepipe pants. A finale of some of the sexiest gowns we've seen in a long time.
The scene: This was one of the first shows of the week, but that didn't stop fashion's biggest fan Kanye West from coming out. He's apparently been in Paris recording his next album. And he left pregnant Kim at home.
The verdict: Vaccarello's vision is laser-sharp, confident and sexy. Let's hope we see a lot more of his work on Hollywood red carpets soon.
Paris Fashion Week: Fall 2013 primer
Olivia Palermo in white at Fashion Week
Why Anne Hathaway wore Prada, not Valentino, to the Oscars


text:
This guide to Los Cerricos in the province of
Almeria, Spain, is being complied by members of Eye on Spain.
You can add to this guide for Los Cerricos
yourself and help to make this the most definitive guide for this area.
Check out the information below and the join in and add your comments, information or photos for Los Cerricos.
Sorry, no weather forecast for that location
© 2004 - 2019 Eye on Spain - All Rights Reserved
contact - about - terms - privacy


text:
Login with facebook
Post free ad
Aug 24, 2019
Phnom Penh
109 Views
Add to favorites
Report abuse
Tel: 011 246 647
For safety of buying products on MyPhsar: You don't have to send the money to the seller beforehand. You should try to meet with the seller first in a safe place and check the product before you buy it.
210 offers