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I own this book in a paperback and found it very good reading
thank you so much for your inspiring story of hope. i heard you speak at tofw one year and just truly been inspired by your faith. You have given me hope thru my struggles i am facing and helped me remember that He is there thru it all. thanks
My friend texted me a link to this book and said she loved it and it's a must-read, so I started listening to it on PLUS and couldn't stop. I had my earphones in all day which was a first for me. This story (the audio read by the author) was so powerfully moving. The miracles, the faith, the answers to prayer, and the love... I feel like the Parker gave us all a sacred gift. May God continue to bless them. ❤
I was a little hesitant to read this book because I was afraid I would just sob through the whole thing (I hate crying). I knew about what happened to Emilie Parker from the news and then also heard Alissa speak at a Women's Conference about the horrible event. She was an amazing speaker, but it's just such a sad story especially since I have children about Emilie's age. But I thought I would give it a try and am so glad I read this book! Alissa didn't choose to spend the whole book on the terrible death of her daughter, but focused a lot of it on her healing and the amazing experiences she had about her daughter's new life in heaven. It really helped me look at our life after death in ways I had never even thought about before. I did cry throughout the book, but it wasn't all sad tears. There were definitely happy moments and I felt joy and uplifted as I finished the book. I would definitely recommend it!
I remember where I was when I heard about the Sandy Hook school shooting. I was sobbing as I drove around town running errands. I can't even imagine what it would feel like to lose a child in such an awful way. This book is the story of a family who lost their daughter that day. It's heartbreaking to read. I cried through most of it. At the same time, I found that it was also full of hope and healing. It's well written and full of beautiful pictures of Emilie. Alissa and her family are an inspiration. I would recommend it for about 16-17 years-old and up. You may read my full review on my book blog: www.the-readathon.blogspot.com.
I thought this would be a really hard book to read, and it was. I had to read in small bits (sometimes just a chapter at a time) because the tears/crying headache were too much. Sandy Hook was such a horrible event in our country. I cannot imagine sending my kids to school and getting a call that there's been a shooting, and then never seeing my child alive again. The act of the gunman is unthinkable. These little first graders were 100% innocent. It was truly a heartbreaking incident.
Time and time again as I read this book I thought about how good people are. Some of the acts of kindness (often by strangers) may have seemed like small things to the givers, but they all added up to huge actions that helped a family in a horrible time of crisis. The police officer washing and returning the clothing, the gifts of stuff animals and flowers from the airline employees, the police escorts, the co-workers donating their paid time off. So many things that just made me think about the goodness in this world.
It is inspiring to see that Alissa and her family were not destroyed by this tragedy. They suffered immensely, but they held strong to each other and their faith and lifted each other up in their worst moments.
One of the most important messages to me in this book is the message of forgiveness. I've never dealt with anything remotely close to this situation (and I hope I never have to), but I have been hurt and held onto bitter feelings. I can testify that when you let those bitter feeling go your life is so much better! Those feelings are truly a weight that holds us down. Forgiveness is an important part of the healing process. Alissa's ability to get to a point to recognize that Adam Lanza is also a child of God, loved by our Heavenly Father, helped her on her road to forgiveness. It was a major struggle, but over time she was not only able to forgive him, but to feel love and compassion for him.
I didn't want to read this book at first because I remember this incident and it was horrifying. How could a mother find peace and hope after this? I was intrigued by that thought and opened it up. And I read the whole thing in one sitting, all while crying my eyes out.
Alissa Parker is an amazing woman and I loved reading about her journey to finding it in her heart to forgive, therefore finding peace. Her sweet little girl was only 11 days younger than my youngest daughter, so this tragedy hit home. Emilie packed a lot of life into a short amount of time and I think even after her death, through this book, she's going to be touching many lives.
The Sandy Hook shooting ripped the hearts of many around the world--so many young, innocent lives lost. How could it be possible to move past that. I love that it's a process and it's not an easy road to travel. This author gives hope to many, not just those in her circumstance, by showing the steps she took and by realizing the many miracles, blessings, and tender mercies that happened around that time and afterward. I seriously couldn't put it down and was deeply moved. I think if all of us in times of trial reflect on our faith, no matter what it is, and take the time to grieve and heal, we, too, can find that peace.
Content: nothing too graphic, but it definitely tugs on the heart (violence); religious elements
*I received a copy through the publisher, which did not affect my thoughts in any way.*
An Unseen Angel is a hard story to read. It will bring you to tears. Alissa bears her soul as she writes of her grief after her daughter,Emilie, was killed in the Sandy Hook school shootings in 2012 in Newton, Connecticut. Readers will follow Alissa's hard journey as she learns to live life without her daughter and not let bitterness and grief rule her life. With the help of her religion (LDS) with her belief in life after death and that there are angels around us, she finally finds peace in her life.
There is much to gain for those readers who are going through the grief process and reading how anyone can heal from a tragic loss by having faith in their life, searching for the peace that can come from forgiving others and forgiving yourself depending on your own circumstances. Despite the tragic story of great loss, readers will be lifted up by the beautiful messages found in Alissa's story.
There is no way to read this book without bawling. I remember the day of the shooting- exactly where I was and what happened. I remember seeing Emile's beautiful face on the news and then the funeral that they had in Utah. This book is hard to read, especially if you have children. I think the author was very brave to tell her story and expose herself to the world. The first several chapters had me crying as we journey down memory lane with her. She tells us how things happened on that horrific day and the months following. She tells us of the tragic loss of her father just months before. If the rating was based purely on the first half of the book I would give it a 5 star rating, but the remainder of the book was not written as well. The author actually started with the assistance of one author and then she had a different author help her finish the book. That can clearly be seen. The quality dramatically dropped. I know she is not an experienced author and she did very well considering, I think the problem was the author tutoring her may have taken a different direction with the book. I don't want to judge her or point out faults with the book because I can't even imagine how hard it would be to write a book like that after such a tragedy. However, in my opinion she shared several very personal spiritual experiences that I think would be better kept to herself. It seems like too much to open some of them up to the world. I also felt like she was so desperate to see Emile in everything that she "forced" some of the experiences. Maybe not, I don't know, but to me they seemed forced. Like I said, I don't mean to judge, I just give my honest opinion. I think that some parts of this book could benefit others who have so tragically lost a loved one, especially someone who was killed by another person- either accidentally or on purpose. That is probably the only group I would rally suggest read this book. It could help them have the experience of another person to help them work through their own pain. I did enjoy the first several chapters but I did not finish this book feeling "uplifted." This book did not help me build faith. A good book changes you. It makes you want to be better to do better or to see the world differently- this book did not do that for me.
I will admit that this book had me bawling like a baby! I really enjoyed reading about Alissa Parker's life and her experiences with the Sandy Hook tragedy. Being a mother myself, made the whole story hit me harder than it probably would have otherwise, but her story is really compelling and...well, amazing.
I was amazed by the way she used her faith to move on. And I was really amazed at the way she was able to connect several seemingly unrelated tragedy's to strengthen her faith and be able to move on in caring for her other two children.
I love the way she shares her faith in the eternity of both our lives and our families. I can not even imagine how people who don't have faith in eternal life deal with the death of family members, especially when they die in tragic ways, as in this case.
If I ever get the blessing of meeting Alissa Parker, I want to just wrap my arms around her and give her a big hug, both because of what she went through, but also because of her strength and willingness to share her life with the world.
I enjoyed reading this book, but as I was cleaning one day, I also turned on my Deseret Bookshelf Plus and listened to a few chapters of the audio book. I don't know who reads it, but I like to think I was listening to the author as she described some of what she had done to be able to move on.
Go grab this great book, you'll be inspired to do better with your own challenges!
I clearly remember the day that Adam Lanza entered Sandy Hook Elementary School and killed 20 children and 6 adults. I was at the elementary school I work at now. I remember the horror I felt as the details started to come in. But the emotions I felt were nothing compared to those of those who lost a loved one that day. Alissa Parker's 6-year-old daughter was among the twenty children whose mortal lives ended that day. In this book, she walks the reader through her experiences both leading up to that day and the year that followed. I'll admit that I shed plenty of tears reading this tender account of a mother's love for her daughter, and the grief that followed her loss.
As Alissa and her family struggled to deal with this tragedy in their lives, they sought for a way to somehow find healing in the face of utter heartbreak. I can't really do Alissa's account justice, I can just recommend that you read it. Yes, it's a story of tragedy and grief, but it's also a story of family, friends, and compassion. It's a story of evil choices made and the resulting anger and bitterness that often accompany such things. But it's also a remarkable story of forgiveness, and peace, and God's love. The photographs that accompany the story reveal a beautiful little girl who touched the lives of many, far beyond her years, both in life and death.
I admire Alissa's willingness to share such an incredibly difficult experience with the world. And even more so the tender experiences of prayers answered. While the story revolves around a tragic event, it still manages to show beauty coming from ashes and the love that God has for his children and His willingness to help us through the challenges we face.
Actually I don't believe there is a high enough book rating for this book. I believe it needs at least 10 stars!!!!
I have been trying to put my words on paper about this book. Then I decided there are no words that would adequately express how much this book touched my heart.
I had a chance to hear Alissa talk about her tragedy in person. It was just as hard to put into words then how I felt as it is now after reading the book.
I am also a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Her stories inspired me, and touched me so deeply and still do. It wasn't until I finished reading her book, that I realized it doesn't matter what religion, background and color etc. we may be, this book is inspiring. It teaches about love, healing, and finding our way though tragedy. Every one will experience some kind of tragedy, at some point in their life. Whether little or big. What this book teaches, is how to go about healing after the tradegy without becoming bitter.
I cannot imagine what Alissa and her husband Robbie and family went through on that fateful day, and still do. Yet she has found a way to be happy and find healing in the simple things in life. She has found a way to connect with her sweet child that is no longer with her physically on this earth, but is still very much with her.
I cannot tell you how emotional this book made me either. This is hands down one of my biggest fears every day as a mother. When I send my kids off to school every day, and have actually gone through some shut downs at school because of kids who make bad choices. I cannot fathom a life without my children in it. Yet, I see through this book, and through my own faith that we are never really separated. Though we may not always be together physically, we will always be together.
If you are suffering with loss in any way, please take a moment to read this book. It doesn't take long. It is powerful, and uplifting. It is inspiring. Although the reason for this book is horribly tragic, the words written on the paper and the sweet pictures included, far out weigh the tragedy.
I cannot thank Alissa enough for being willing to put her thoughts into words to inspire others. This book has changed my life. It has given me a greater understanding of life after death. It has increased my faith, and understanding of the importance of always treasuring those moments with our kids while they have been placed in our possession on this earth.
I could go on an on about how much this book has touched and inspired me, so I hope you take the opportunity to experience it for yourself. You will not regret it. The sweet feeling of peace that came over me while reading it, I hope will stay with me for a very long time.
Source: I was given this book as part of a blog tour. I was not compensated in any way for this review. These are my own PERSONAL thoughts on the book.


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Last week, world No. 1 Rory McIlroy made the season's biggest equipment switch, as he officially moved over from Titleist to Nike. On Wednesday, world No. 3 Luke Donald did exactly the opposite.
Donald has re-upped his endorsement agreement with Mizuno, signing a multi-year agreement with the Japanese clubmaker whose equipment he has played for many years. Donald doesn't play an entire bag of Mizuno clubs, but he does use the company's irons and wedges, and those clubs are the backbone of his steady short game.
In fact, Donald provided feedback throughout the development of Mizuno's new MP-64 irons and MP-T4 wedges, to the point that Mizuno describes those clubs as being designed hand-in-hand with Donald. Donald even visited the the plant in Hiroshima, Japan, where the clubs are forged, last November, and spent a little time with the man who grinds his clubs.
Donald signed on with Mizuno back in 2003, and has earned 13 professional wins with that gear. He also played those Mizuno clubs during his red-hot 2011 and 2012 seasons, in which he held the world No. 1 position for a total of 56 weeks and topped the money lists on both the PGA Tour and European Tour in 2011.
"I feel as if I am playing as well as ever at this stage in my career. Over the next few years I want to be in a position to win major championships and to continue to improve," Donald said. "We've refined my Mizuno equipment in the last couple of seasons and I'm really happy with what I have in the bag right now, so it gives me great pleasure to extend this relationship. Mizuno is the most precise, incredible clubmaker out there, and I'm honored to represent this quality brand."
While he was in Japan last fall, Donald won the Dunlop Phoenix, one of the biggest tournaments on the Japan Tour. He used those Mizuno MP-64 irons and MP-T4 wedges in that victory, along with a TaylorMade RocketBallz driver and 3-wood, a 17-degree Mizuno CLK FliHi hybrid and an Odyssey White Hot XG #7 putter.

subset: commoncrawl


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Hi all
I have just joined this forum and hope to be an active member over the coming months/years. My first post is a plea for help identifying a relic that has defied all attempts to ID it in the past.
I am chairman of the WW2 Relic retrieval & Preservation Group (RRPG), and pride myself on being able to identify a rusty piece of crap from 50 yards, so long as it has something to do with WW2! However, this piece has defied all attempts to ID it.
This was recovered from a British Army dump site that I have landowners permission to dig. It is full of weapon parts, (Lee-Enfield, Browning M1917, Vickers MG, Bren, Sten, Besa...........you name it, it's there), and also has lots of older relics and even armourers tools.
These items have been recovered from, what we like to call, the WW2 layer, and have something to do with a weapon or mount from WW2 or earlier. trouble is, we can't ID what it is!
So I am appealing to the experts on this forum for help. We know it is weapon related as everything from this dump site has been, but what is it????
It measures four inches in length and 2 inches across. The tube part is hollow with a hex head at one end and a thread to screw into something. The other part is solid with a cam on it.
Markings on it show it was made by C.F.S. co. but a search for this company has drawn a blank. So what the heck is it? It could be a relic from any of the above weapons, or maybe even one not listed. Some have said it is an Energa grenade launcher adapter.......but that wasn't right. Others that it was a gauge square.....but for what weapon? Others think it may be a bi/tripod part..... Any help would be gratefully received.


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CINCINNATI, OHIO -- The door stop on the front driver side of my 2004 Toyota Sienna has failed. I have 118,000 miles on the van as I drove to work 22 miles round trip until I retired. Based on discussions with the dealer, Joseph Toyota, where I've had the maintenance on the van performed since purchase, a weld inside the door broke. It was admitted that this is a known issue to Toyota as well as a design flaw. But as my van has over 100,000 miles, Toyota will not correct the door. To make the best correction, the door has to be replaced; a $1,600.00 five-day process.
To make an "okay" correction, the cost is $500.00 and a two-day process. Since this was a known issue, I'm wondering why, when Joseph Toyota had my car for a body repair on the same door several years ago, the initiative wasn't taken to address the weld at that time before it broke. This Sienna is not my first vehicle, I've owned several other brands, but it is the first to have a door weld break and all my cars were driven over 100,000 miles. I am very disappointed with Toyota.
I bought a new 2006 Toyota Sienna. About a year ago I notice little orange specks on the paint job. Most were on the lower portion of the car, but some were on the top of the car. I took it in and the dealership wrote it off to "rail dust". I asked, what exactly is rail dust. I was told when trains go by on tracks the wheels and rails shoot out little sparks/chips of hot steel that can attach to a car melting into the paint and can give and orange appearance.
I live 3 blocks from a Metra station and I have to ask how do all the cars that park at the station not get this. My car is 3 blocks away. I didn't believe that is what it was so I started checking other Siennas in parking lots about the same years. What I found is that all the white metallic Siennas had some degree of the orange specks on them and some of the light metallic blue Siennas. That's when I knew it wasn't "rail dust".
When the district manager for Toyota wouldn't do anything I called their corporate office in CA. After about a week they came back and said sorry, nothing they could do and offered no additional explanation for the issue. I believe it to be a paint defect, but I am guessing that not enough people complained about it so they are sweeping it under the rug. I wonder how many other people were treated the same way.
This is my fifth (and last) Toyota. Too expensive to run!!! I have owned a 2004 Sienna with moon roof for 7 years with less than 50,000 miles on the odometer. Last week the roof got stuck in the open position and the local Toyota dealer had to remove and disassemble the entire roof to deactivate the motor and close the roof. It took three days and cost almost $700 and now I can no longer open the moon roof. Other manufacturers usually offer a hand crank option. $700 to just close the roof is disgusting!
The Dunlop Run-Flat tires come without a spare and cost more than $400 each to replace. I have had to replace the first after 15,000 and again at 40,000 miles. Am now using Michelins but no room to store a spare. Do NOT BUY any Toyota Sienna with these tires and a moon roof. Complained to Toyota but never received a reply.
SANFORD, NORTH CAROLINA -- My 2000 Sienna suddenly started consuming oil so we took it to Fred Anderson Toyota in Sanford to find out why. They changed the oil, replaced a gasket and said bring it back in 1000 miles for an oil consumption test. That's what I did. Thing is, the van doesn't use oil the first 1000 miles after an oil change. But it uses a LOT between 1000 and 2000 miles. So at 1000 miles the dealer says it's not using any oil, there's no problem.
A thousand miles later, it's using oil and smoking on start up. I couldn't take it in the day I noticed the smoking, so I added some oil and took it in a couple of days later. Since I had added oil, the dealer said they couldn't confirm that it had used any oil. In their opinion, there was nothing wrong with the van. They would, however, do another oil change and we could do another oil consumption test "if" it used oil again.
This answers was not acceptable to me, so I came home and did some research. That's when I found out about the oil gelling issues that these Toyota engines have had. I went back to the dealer with this information. They assured me that they checked for engine sludge and there was none. Still, when the zone manager was at the dealer, we had him look at it also. He said that Toyota had very strict rules regarding documentation for oil gelling and that it wasn't the dealer's fault if they couldn't confirm there was a problem.
I have no choice but to keep driving it. I have to have a vehicle that can accommodate 4 kids in car seats. While on an out-of-town trip, the van starts smoking tremendously and the smell of something burning was quite strong. I had hours of driving before I got home, so I added oil and drove home. I took it to the dealer the next day. I get the same story, "We don't detect a problem." They said that because I added oil, they can't confirm that it is using oil! By this point I've decided that they aren't incompetent, they're just trying everything they can to avoid admitting there's a problem that will require a fix at their expense.
Once again they changed the oil and told me to bring it back when it starts using oil again. They told me not to add any oil to it and don't worry if I run it without oil (yeah, like that won't void they warranty). So this morning my husband called them to tell them we were bringing the van back in. They said they would look at it, confirm it's low on oil, document it and add some oil. That's it! When he asked what happens after that, they said they would contact the zone manager after they confirm it's using oil and he'll decide what happens next.
So, I'm heading out the door to Fred Anderson once again. So they can see that the oil is low and add some more. Have I mentioned that the dealership is 45 minutes away? I no longer have any hope that anything will be done to fix my van. This is the first Toyota I've ever owned. I can promise you I will never own another one. If I had it to do over again, I would have bought the Odyssey instead.
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE -- I purchased a used Toyota Sienna van with 55,000 miles on it in February 2003, on Nov. 2 2004 for the van started smoking profusely out from under the hood when you stopped at a stop light or parked. We took the car in for service to find that the car has a bad main seal on it. The cost of the repair is going to around $1500, roughly 10 hours' worth of labor for 10 dollar rubber seal. What's wrong with this picture?
I have three problems with this; one is that I purchased this vehicle because of the so-called good customer reviews, Ha! Ha! Baloney!; secondly I do realize that this was a used vehicle when I bought it but, the problem I have is that the car lost 3 and a half quarts of oil and the low oil warning light never came on, which means that
instead of facing a 1500 repair I would be facing replacing an engine.
Thirdly after reporting this matter to Toyota Motor Corporation all they had to say was that they are sorry, (and sorry they are) rather than doing what they should do and that's recall everyone, the 2000 Toyota vans and replace the oil sensor units which are apparently bad on these vehicles along with improving the main seals which can cost the consumer a significant amount of money in unnecessary repairs and at the same time saving their (Toyota motor corp.) face and their so called good reputation to fade.
It's apparent that there are others who are experiencing the same problems and Toyota seems to be ignoring it. I will gladly change My3Cents worth depending on how they respond to my concerns, which have not been very favorable so far.
WINNIEPG -- Hi there. We bought a Toyota Sienna van almost 2 years ago and have been fighting with Toyota for get a hydraulic lift put in the rear suspension so our boat doesn't bottom out when towing. Toyota will not pay for our repairs. They say where at the maximum towing capacity. We also have the older version of the Toyota Sienna Van and we have no problem towing our boat with that one. The Kilometers are a little high on it so we don't like to tow with it but we do.
The problem with the new Siennas is that the third seats fold in and therefore have more weight at the back of the vehicle. Toyota did pay for our friend's installation of a rear suspension air bag but won't pay for ours even though we bought the van 2 months earlier. I will never buy another Toyota again due to the poor customer service they have.


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Two Kinds Of Pipes
MartinPacker 11000094DH Visits (15536)
It's been a while since I last posted here. And that's been more a matter of being incredibly busy than anything. Some of you will have seen me "on stage" - there having been several conferences and user groups recently. Some of you were with me at the zChampions meeting and some of you I'm actively working on customer situations with. (By the way one of the rules of zChampions isn't... [More]
I Said "Parallelise Not "Paralyse" Part 4 - Implementation
MartinPacker 11000094DH Visits (12637)
Now with free map , this is the concluding part of a four part series on batch parallelisation, with especial focus on cloning. In previous parts I discussed: Motivation Classification Issues This part wraps up with thoughts on implementation. I'm going to break it down into: Analysis Making Changes Monitoring While there probably are iterations of this, this is the essential 1-2-3 sequence within... [More]
SYSIN In A Proc - New With z/OS Release 13 JES2
MartinPacker 11000094DH Visits (12924)
One of the nice enhancements in z/OS Release 13 JES2 was the support for SYSIN in a JCL procedure. (See here for the announcement letter.) I have a personal example of where it would've been handy. You probably have your own. We used to distribute sample JCL to use DB2 DSNTIAUL to unload the DB2 Catalog, one table at a time. Obviously with such a repetitive use in a single job step you'd want... [More]
DFSORT - Now With Extra Magical Ingredients
MartinPacker 11000094DH Visits (19755)
Thanks to Scott Drummond for reminding me of last Autumn's DFSORT Function PTFs - UK90025 and UK90026. They're mentioned in the preview for z/OS Release 13 so now is not such a bad time to be talking about them. So let me pick out a few highlights: Translation Between ASCII And EBCDIC, And To And From Hex and Binary For a long time DFSORT has been able to translate to upper case (TRAN=LTOU), to... [More]


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Shop: Item List
Posted by , Last modified by on 21 December 2010 03:33 PM
Item List:
The \"List Items\" page for the Shop Module is the default page shown when the module is configured. It contains a listing of all items that will be available in the inventory for your online store. The far right column reflects the status for each item. A \"yes\" status means the item is visible to the public and ready to be sold. You can activate or deactivate an item by clicking on the \"Yes\" or \"No\" link in the \"Active\" column.
*Note: The \"yes\" and \"no\" in the \"Active\" column indicates the current status. So, \"yes\" means the item is active and \"no\" means that the item isn\'t active. Therefore, if you click on the \"yes\", you are actually deactivating the item and vice-versa. Items can be deleted by clicking the \"Delete\" text link and they can be edited by clicking the \"Edit\" text link. The order of this listing is determined in the \"Items Order\" configuration.


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Just because they are awesome: MTN-Qhubeka
We got our son his first bike when he was two. It was a Strider balance bike, a tiny little thing with two wheels and no pedals. It let him get a running start, lift up his feet, and start coasting, fully balanced by momentum, no training wheels needed. I remember taking him out on the Strider on the boardwalk in Long Beach, Long Island. It was winter and all you could see of him as he whizzed past was his big blue coat and flame-streaked helmet. "Is that baby riding a two-wheeler?" Power-walkers scooting by turned their heads.
I have never liked riding bikes myself. I didn't have the necessary freedom to roam in my neighborhood as a kid; a block or two in every direction there was a major road, Sunrise Highway or Long Beach Road, so I could only ride round and round the block, on the sidewalk, as my grandmother watched nervously from the window. Maybe it was because of these limits I still find the action of cycling difficult; how do you just let go, let momentum keep you upright on two skinny wheels? How do you find the faith to travel at high speeds without touching the ground?
Nevertheless, I have come to love professional cycling over the years. At first, I found TV broadcasts of the Tour de France soothing, watching the bright colors of the peloton, brazen, jostling, and blazing past staggering mountain slopes, small towns, ancient cobbles, all the way to the Champs Elysees. But the more I watched to see the scenery, the more I got to understand, and enjoy, the sport. Because cyclists have to have complete confidence in themselves, and in their teammates, to get up on two wheels and just go, holding absolutely nothing back.
There is too much to admire in cycling to dismiss it because of its demons, whom I will let lie. For instance: have you ever heard of the professional team MTN-Qhubeka? You should. If you've read this far into a post about cycling, you probably have.
MTN-Qhubeka is the first African team to compete at the highest level of cycling, and on Saint Patrick's Day, they were on the start line of Milan-Sanremo, one of the monument races of the sport, along with all of the European powerhouse teams. Just being at the race was a triumph. And then, they won. Their sprinter and captain, Gerald Ciolek, beat out the world's best in a thrilling sprint finish. Behind him was a team that was a mix of European veterans and African newcomers, like Songezo Jim (read his blog about racing Milan-Sanremo here).
Cycling is not much of a priority on American sports networks, like fishing and cheerleading are. So I found a way to watch Milan-Sanremo online, standing at my computer on the kitchen counter while my kids ran around and my husband, who actually does ride a bike, finished a well-deserved shamrock shake.
Milan-Sanremo is called "La Primavera," the spring race, and careens over mountains and valleys from Milan to Sanremo on the Italian Riviera, and usually finishes with a blistering dash to the finish, with the sport's top sprinters playing a game of cat and mouse until that final burst of speed makes one of them the winner. It is a dramatic enough race even on the brightest, green-and-pinkest Italian early spring day.
But while Boston was relatively spring-like that Sunday, the Italian Riviera was being pelted with snow and ice, prompting officials to cancel a mountain climb in the middle of the route and send the ice-covered racers further along the course by bus, like that lady who ran the New York Marathon years ago by subway.
It was pretty nuts, to put it plainly. Dozens of racers, including veterans and stars of the sport, dropped out midway, unable to or not willing to tolerate the intensely harsh conditions. Those who stayed in could barely grip their handlebars, or see through the frozen air that came at them along the way, and struggled to keep upright on the whitening, slickening roads.
But in a way, and I can say this because I watched, hot coffee in hand, from thousands of miles away, as problematic as it was, it was a race represented to me what's pure about cycling: it's you, and the elements, come as they may. It's toughness above all. Any winner would have been deserving of heaps of praise and admiration. But it was extra sweet that the win went to a team that is trying to make it on the world stage, representing a corner of the world where cycling is not quite so in the blood, as it is in the chilly north of Europe.
The Qhubeka in MTN-Qhubeka is a foundation, that provides children across Africa with bicycles in return for service to their communities. According to their website, they have handed over more than 40,000 bikes since they started in 2004. And I know I usually write about whiny toddlers, temper tantrums, and the everyday guff of motherhood in the USA, but I just had to write, that I think this is an amazing thing. These bicycles mean freedom, they mean education, they mean independence. And by winning, and racing, and moving forward, their team, MTN-Qhubeka, is only calling more attention to their important mission, not only by their jersey colors but by the way they race.
In our home here, we are lucky enough to get our kids on bikes, walk them down the road to school, ready with everything they need. We take it for granted. Qhubeka knows that no one should. And school and mobility should not be a luxury, but a right. From their website:
Most of Africa's rural population have no access to transport and people have to walk long distances to access opportunity, education, healthcare, shops and community services. Rural schoolchildren are particularly badly affected by lack of mobility. In South Africa, of the 16 million school going children, 12 million walk to school. Of these, 500,000 walk more than two hours each way, spending four hours getting to and back from school each day. Bicycles are the most effective and economical method of quickly addressing this problem.
Cycling is a great sport because no matter the context, competitive or not, alone, or in teams, in rural Africa or Western cities, it moves people forward [Qhubeka: an Nguni (Zulu, Xhosa) word that means "to carry on", "to progress", "to move forward"]. So I want to congratulate MTN-Qhubeka on their success in Milan-Sanremo, and all the other races they enter on the world stage, on moving the sport forward in Africa, on getting young people onto bikes.
They can do it, and my son can do it, and maybe so can I: this spring, now that the snow is receding, I will also get my own bike out of the basement, brush off the cobwebs, and trust myself to find my balance, and lift my feet off the ground.
Related articles
- MTN-Qhubeka poised for WorldTour debut (cyclingnews.com)
- After important Ciolek victory, MTN Qhubeka set to make history in Tirreno-Adriatico (velonation.com)
- Milano-Sanremo: Gerald Ciolek edges out Peter Sagan in breakaway sprint (velonation.com)
- Songezo Jim on making Milan-Sanremo history, battling epic conditions and Ciolek's win (velonation.com)
- Milan-San Remo – An underdog win (roadcycling.com)


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You are currently browsing the monthly archive for October 2008.
As you may know, the majority of the clay we use for our functional ware is native clay which we dig locally and process right here at our studio. (I posted previously about our clay mixer)
A few weeks ago we got a lead on a new clay deposit, again, here in Baldwin County. We are quite lucky here in this part of the country because you don't have to dig very far from the surface to find clay. Typically it can be found along road sides, waterways, and construction sites. The clay we use is not of any use to anyone but potters, it seems. In construction, it is just cast off or covered over and is sometimes referred to it as "chalk". Of course its not chalk, but its not the kind of clay that's good for road base, like that bright orange clay one typically sees everywhere down here and what Alabama is known for.
The clay we look for is typically bubble gum pink to white in color. We fire it to cone 10 (approx 2400 degrees Fahrenheit), but I know through experience that it can go higher. It makes for a nice durable stoneware body, that usually fires to an offwhite to toasty light brown in reduction. Clay that is more yellow or orangey red (more iron) seems to have a lot more imperfections causing problems in firing such as popouts, bloating, pinholing etc.
Anyways, I wanted to share a photo of what the clay looks like right out of the ground. Its very pretty and is almost amethyst in color. In fact, its probably about the pinkest clay I've seen since coming here. It is remarkably clean and relatively free of debris, and it crumbles so nicely.
Over the weekend, the first batch of it was slaked down and mixed. This batch has about 85% of this 'new' clay and the rest is reclaim. Unfortunately its still a little wet to try to throw so I've got some drying out on the wedging table. Its very strange to see it next to our usual clay which I always thought had a bit of a pinkish tinge, but this new stuff is positively rose colored.


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by Richard C. Raupp Manager, Chicago Office
Presented before the Northwest Association of Trust Officers, Portland, Oregon - May 1971
During the past several months, Haskins & Sells has been writing a new cost manual for the Bank Administration Institute. This afternoon I would like to tell you briefly about the contents of this forthcoming book titled Bank Costs For Planning and Control and discuss the application of this costing approach to trust departments.
In 1951 the Bank Administration Institute published Bank Costs. That manual uses many illustrations and leads the cost accountant through a multitude of computations to arrive at cost. It includes little discussion of the uses of cost or considerations to be made in the cost computation.
Bank Costs For Planning and Control takes a different approach. It states that costs should only be calculated with a particular purpose in mind and that if the purpose of the cost calculation changes, the cost amount may change.
Let us look briefly at the table of contents in Exhibit 1. Part I explains the use of cost by bank management. Part II discusses the costing process and the characteristics of bank costs. "Cost for Planning and Control of Resources" is the title of Part III. Chapter 8 of Part III points out that a responsibility center accounting system is the first step in the installation of a bank cost system and a major source of data for many cost computations. Part IV, "Allocation Techniques," is for the accountants. Not really. If you are going to compute costs for individual accounts you must be concerned with measurement of activity and cost allocation.
Once you have mastered "Allocation Techniques," you are ready to make costs work for you. This is done through profitability analysis, using costs for control, or computing costs as a basis for establishing fees. The discussion of standard costs and data center costs completes the manual and serves to review its more significant arguments.


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Restaurants in California, Oregon, and Washington offer fresh fruit pies made from locally grown produce.
Where there's fresh fruit, there's pie—and there are restaurants that serve up slices of standout pie baked with ripe produce grown, often literally, in their own backyards.
DUARTE'S TAVERN Pescadero, Calif. The pie at this 19th-century roadhouse is world famous, and the olallieberry version takes the cake. Resembling elongated blackberries, the tart olallieberries grown in Pescadero and nearby Watsonville are gently enfolded in an ultraflaky crust. (650) 879-0464.
THE EATERY RESTAURANT Skagit River Resort, near Rockport, Wash. Nonagenarian Tootsie Clark bakes her rhubarb pie with fresh stalks picked from the restaurant's garden and simmered with sugar for a nubby, deep pink filling. (800) 273-2606.
IKEDA'S Auburn, Calif. Join the crowd at this popular pit stop for Tahoe-bound travelers and order a slice of peach pie à la mode. The juicy stone fruit are grown in Ikeda's orchard just down the road. (530) 885-4243.
THE LOGS RESTAURANT B Z Corner, Wash. You'll find luscious huckleberry pie at this 1927 log cabin located in what owner Ramona Halverson calls "the middle of the road to nowhere." The wild huckleberries that end up in her pies are handpicked in the surrounding Gifford Pinchot National Forest. (509) 493-1402.
MOM'S APPLE PIE Sebastopol, Calif. This area is noted for its Gravenstein apples, and Betty "Mom" Carr bakes her signature pie to cinnamon perfection using rosy-skinned fruit grown in the eight-acre orchard in the restaurant's backyard. (707) 823-8330.
OTIS CAFE Otis, Ore. Expect a line out the screen door at this tiny roadside diner as locals and tourists jostle for a seat and a slice of warm pie made with Oregon-grown marionberries and topped with Tillamook ice cream. (541) 994-2813.
Illustration by Joseph Gast
This article was first published in September 2005. Some facts may have aged gracelessly. Please call ahead to verify information.


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Midge Point is the northernmost part of the Mackay district, approximately 100 kilometres, or just over an hour's drive from Mackay. This peaceful coastal village is located on the picturesque Hibiscus Coast.
Midge Point is an ideal place to bushwalk, go fishing and crabbing and relax in a tranquil area by the beach. It is home to various accommodations and caravan parks as well as a selection of eateries.
Stay in semi tropical rainforest, enjoy direct beach access for hours of fishing, walks and fossicking.
Laguna Quays Resort is in the Midge Point Area, currently under renovation. It is home to a marvellous golf course and provides access to a small marina.
Note: Information on listed products and services are provided by the operator and were correct at the time of publishing. Rates are indicative based on the minimum and maximum available prices of products and services. Please visit the operator's website for further information. All prices quoted are in Australian dollars (AUD).


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any chance something like this will come blog.macromates.com/2007/the-tex … rl-scheme/?
any chance something like this will come blog.macromates.com/2007/the-tex … rl-scheme/?
since i currently do not use sublime as my main editor (lacks some things), i cannot help you with that, sorry.
But I really appreciate your repsonse to my feature request, that you tried to already implement my request as a plugin is just great and shows what potential this community has .
Does this still work with Sublime 2 for Windows? How about making it work on OS X?
I am hoping you can help. I have spent the past several hours trying to figure out how to get this working and have had no luck. I am on OSXLion using Sublime 2 build 2091. How do I get this loaded and working? I have added it as a new plugin and tried relaunching Sublime. I notice that it created a pyc file along with the py one. This is my first day using Sublime and I don't normally code it python, so it could be something very obvious.
Thanks in advance!
I'm a Mac OSX user too and would like to use this but don't know where to start. I'm working with Play! Framework (Scala) - it can generate the txmt:// urls to link straight from the browser to the code.
Silly newbie questions - Is this python code for Sublime 2? Where do I put the py file to add the extension to sublime? Did anyone else work out how to register the protocol with OSX?
Hey, thanks for the reply. Totally missed it - I'll get in touch with him
I hacked together a quick app that registers a txmt handler for ST2, based on a similar app for Emacs. It should do what you want:
There's link to a 10.6/10.7 binary, or you can build from source. Run it once, verify the path to subl and you should be all set.
Any news ?
Any plans for windows, linux ?
vote now: sublimetext.userecho.com/topic/97042-/
for windows: bitbucket.org/sublimator/sublimeprotocol/src/
for windows: bitbucket.org/sublimator/sublimeprotocol/src/
Oh yes, Thanks. It works well
But i dont understand how does it work. Why a need a key map ?
[quote="hiddenbek"]I hacked together a quick app that registers a txmt handler for ST2…
Because my txmt:// urls were registered with BBEdit, I had to use this free tool http://www.rubicode.com/Software/RCDefaultApp/ to change the default app from BBEdit to subl-handler.
Fro the mac users out there, this worked for me.
stackoverflow.com/questions/9435 … 4#11619954
Hi, I just writed an article on my blog concerning the handling of txmt:// url scheme on Ubuntu.
I posted an answer on this AskUbuntu question
Hope this works for you.


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Brussels, 18 June 2009
When your yogurt pots start talking to you: Europe prepares for the internet revolution
The internet is evolving rapidly: while 25 years ago it was connecting only about a thousand users, today it links around 1.5 billion people across the world. An average European has now at least one object that is connected to the internet, be it a computer or mobile phone. But the number of connected devices that are hardly visible, more complex and more mobile around us will multiply a hundred or even a thousand times over the next 5 to 15 years. The European Commission today announced actions to make sure that Europe can play a leading role in shaping these new networks of interconnected objects from books to cars, from electrical appliances to food – in short the emerging 'internet of things'. The EU's Action Plan presented today will help Europeans benefit from this evolution and at the same time address the challenges it raises such as privacy, security and the protection of personal data.
"Every day we see new examples of applications that connect objects to the internet and each other: from cars connected to traffic lights that fight congestion, to home appliances connected to smart power grids and energy metering that allows people to be aware of their electricity consumption or connected pedestrian footpaths that guide the visually impaired," said Viviane Reding, EU Commissioner for Information Society and Media. "The promise of this new development of the internet is as limitless as the number of objects in our daily life it involves. However, we need to make sure that Europeans, as citizens, as entrepreneurs and as consumers, lead the technology, rather than the technology leading us."
Today's internet links about 1.5 billion users worldwide through computers and mobile devices (about 300 million in the EU). One major development in the coming years will be to progressively connect not only computers but also machines and a variety of physical objects, thus creating the 'internet of things'. These can be simple everyday items like yogurt pots that record the temperature along their supply chain, or two prescription drugs that warn patients of a possible incompatibility. Or they can be more sophisticated, such as health monitoring or recycling systems that can help address today's societal challenges like the ageing society and climate change. With everyone surrounded daily by several thousand objects, this interconnection of physical objects will amplify the profound effects that modern communications are having on our society.
Among the 14 actions outlined by the Commission today to promote the evolution of this 'internet of things' in the EU (see Annex), are standardisation of the technologies involved across Europe and better funding of research, but also measures to protect people's privacy, data and security as the new technology takes shape around them. Already last month the Commission outlined the importance of putting the protection of people's personal data first as new technologies like smart tags (Radio Frequency Identification Devices – RFID) emerge and presented recommendations as to how this can be best achieved ( IP/09/740 , IP/09/571 ).
The Commission is also working to make sure there are enough internet addresses (which are needed to connect every object to the internet just as they are for websites) for this new wave of connected objects to emerge. This requires the roll out of the latest source of internet addresses (IPv6), setting the conditions for its widespread take-up that will allow objects like household items to have their own internet protocol addresses to connect to other devices ( IP/08/803 ).
In 2006, the European Commission launched a public consultation ( IP/06/289 ) on the development and use of smart chips (RFID technologies). Based on this it adopted a Communication in March 2007 ( IP/07/332 ) underlining that RFID was only the tip of the iceberg of a broader ongoing evolution evoked under the name of the 'internet of things'.
Today's Action Plan expands on this statement and proposes fourteen-steps to exploit the full potential of this new evolution. The Commission, together with all parties concerned, will now implement this plan and report on the relevant activities in a further Communication in three years time.
Today the European Commission also adopted a strategic Communication on the future of internet governance: see IP/09/951
The Action Plan on the 'internet of things' can be found at:
Internet of Things: A 14-point Action Plan
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Just as the recreational vehicle industry appears to be nearing a resolution to formaldehyde lawsuits, another round of litigation may be brewing.
As reported by the Elkhart Truth, Ridgeland, Miss., attorney Tyler Kent confirmed he and other Gulf Coast lawyers are preparing a civil suit regarding FEMA trailers sold at auction by the U.S. General Services Administration. The plaintiffs are individuals who purchased the units second-hand but were not told the products were from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and are now suffering from a variety of medical ailments.
Kent did not give specifics about the planned court action, saying the law firms were still working on the document and would likely file a complaint in September or October. However, he said based on the extensive research the attorneys have done, they believe they have enough material to move forward and get a remedy for their clients.
To read the entire article in the Elkhart Truth click here.


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Actress Liv Tyler confronted a woman at Stella McCartney's fashion preview in New York City on Monday over fears the guest was filming the event using her futuristic glasses.
Tyler was among the A-listers who turned out in support of the designer's Spring 2014 presentation at Jefferson Market Garden in Manhattan, alongside the likes of Madonna, Naomi Watts and Cameron Diaz.
However, she was riled when she spotted a guest wearing Google Glass, a head mounted computer display in the form of spectacles, which is currently in development by the Internet giant.
According to New York gossip column Page Six, Tyler asked the woman if she was filming the revelers, reportedly saying, "Is that a camera on your glasses? That's scary. Are you filming right now?"
The woman denied she was recording the party, and McCartney's public relations chief Stephane Jaspar was forced to step in to clear up the confusion.
He explains, "I think it is always better to let someone know first if you are filming if you carry around new technology on your face… and yes, that's why I stepped in. The woman proved friendly and nice… it was just a little bit awkward."


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Chi Chi Chi, Le Le Le. los mineros de chile !!!!!!!!!
Chi Chi Chi, Le Le Le. Chile miners !!!!!!!!!
The end of this incredible story, all the miners and rescuers Copiapo who had descended to help and are on the surface.
Work performed, the work hard, with courage, faith, had their success, the 33 men on August 5 had been under 700 in the San Jose Island in Chile, ended up leaving.
Thousands of people did their best, worked untiring to conduct the drilling, so that the capsule Phoenix, one by one they were up and reunite with their families, who were given the revival of that 32 Chilean and 1 boliviano.
What can be said in times like this, who are believers know that God was with her protective mantle protecting these 33 men and those who participated in the rescue, all of whom in one way and another part to perform the extraction, working hours and hours without stopping that example of solidarity, cooperation, this ends up being the highlight of it all.
The joy, tears of excitement, nerves, all that has happened and is now just the teaching of all this: that SOLIDARITY, to think about the common good is the most important and that each of us should know, remember and pass.
The surveyor Luis Urzua, known as "Don Lucho", will go down in history as the longest-miner was trapped in this type of accident. Urzua was the shift manager
Filed under: bolivia, extreme gravity, human knowledge | Tagged: 33 mining, chile, copiapo | Leave a comment »


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Carnival passengers head to airport after cruise ship breaks down
PHILIPSBURG, ST. MAARTEN (AP) — Passengers from the Carnival Dream were heading to the airport Thursday instead of sailing home after an on board generator problem halted their trip in the latest maintenance headache for the world's largest cruise line.
The Dream was in St. Maarten on the final stop of a Caribbean cruise when the crew announced they would not be sailing home to Port Canaveral, Florida, because of a mechanical issue with a diesel generator, passengers said.
Carnival Cruise Lines said the Dream had a "technical issue," with its backup emergency diesel generator that was discovered during a test on Wednesday. A company statement said the ship did not lose power but that there were periodic interruptions to elevators and restrooms.
Carnival said all systems were functioning normally Thursday but the company had decided to make flight arrangements for the passengers to return home by air.
Passengers strolling about the Dutch Caribbean town of Philipsburg told The Associated Press that the power and water were out for 10-20 minutes, contradicting media reports of longer outages and unsanitary conditions.
"We have toilets. We have water. It's no different than a regular day at sea," said 31-year-old Tasha Larson of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, after disembarking with her boyfriend to spend the day in St. Maarten.
More Information
Passengers Mary and Terry Washington of Tampa, Florida, said they were grateful because the malfunction gave them an additional day to spend in St. Maarten. ""The plumbing is fine. The food is fine. Everything is fine," Mary Washington said.
Another passenger, Tammie Knapper of Hedgesville, West Virginia, said she also preferred another day in St. Maarten to the risk that the ship could encounter problems as sea. "It's better that we are here than in the middle of the ocean," she said.
The Dream on a seven-day cruise of the Caribbean with 3,646 passengers. The ship's March 16 voyage from Port Canaveral has been canceled.
An engine fire crippled the Carnival Triumph in February, leaving 4,200 stranded for five days without working toilets or power.


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Admissions Counselor and Transfer Coordinator
Complete your degree at Westminster College.
Our decision is based primarily on your performance in college, but we are also interested in your talents, hobbies, and involvement in extracurricular activities. A Transfer student needs a minimum 2.0 (on a 4.0 grading scale) cumulative college grade point average to be considered for admission. We also look at high school performance and standardized test scores (SAT or ACT).
* includes College Board AP/CLEP scores
Click here to view our course and credit evaluations. Please note the listed credit evaluations are subject to change. You will receive an official evaluation from the Westminster College Registrar's office after you have been accepted.
After we receive a complete list of courses taken and courses in progress, our registrar will review your records and determine which credits will transfer. In order for a credit to transfer the following must occur:
Upon your transfer to Westminster, you will need to fulfill the following credit requirements:
More than 80% of our students receive some type of Financial Aid. Aid may come from one or more of the following: scholarships, grants, work-study or loans. To be considered for financial Aid:
As you prepare your application materials please keep the following in mind:
We have a rolling admissions policy, which means the sooner you apply the sooner you will hear of your status.
Yes, our recommended cumulative college grade point average for transfers is 2.0. We will also look at your high school grade point average and your SAT and/or ACT scores.
The Registrar's Office will determine what college classes transfer to Westminster. They take into consideration: the student learning outcomes for the course, what the class is (does it compare to a class that is offered at Westminster), and what grade was received (it must be a "C-" or better, and the College does not accept courses that are graded as Pass/Fail).
As a transfer student, you are required to take at least 64 credits at Westminster College.
The same Merit Based scholarships that are available for students applying right out of high school are available for transfer students. Scholarships ranging from $10,000 to $20,000 and even up to full tuition (Please see our scholarships page) may be awarded based on both high school and post-secondary academic performance. However, Financial Aid will not be awarded without the receipt of your OFFICIAL college/university transcript. Any questions concerning Financial Aid can be directed to the Financial Aid Office.
You can register for classes after being accepted as a transfer student and paying a $200 non-refundable deposit to the Admissions Office. A special time period is set aside for transfer registration during the summer (prior to the start of the Fall Semester) and the month of January (prior to the start of the Spring Semester).
Yes, Westminster College is a residential campus and housing is available for transfer students. Housing information will be sent to you directly, after we have received your $200 non-refundable deposit. Any questions concerning housing can be directed to our Student Affairs Office.
It is important to make sure you have all of your application materials into the Admissions Office in a timely manner. We want to help you through the transfer process and make the transition to Westminster College an easy one. Please contact the Admissions Office at 724-946-7100 or Transfer Coordinator Natalie Paoletta at 724.946.7104 if you have any questions.


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Tata's been busy.
The Indian company that purchased Jaguar and Land Rover has effectively made over the entire Jaguar line and injected new life into Land Rover.
While the biggest changes came in the cars from Coventry, the Land Rover Evoque effectively changed the game for luxury crossover vehicles.
Tata's next evolution of its British brands will include the Jaguar F-Type and, possibly, a lower-cost, smaller version of the Evoque.
The image on top shows the first leaked images of the F-Type, which holds true to the C-X16 concept. The car will make its official debut at the Paris Motor Show, and should give the Porsche Boxster its first real competitor in… well… ever.
There should be a range of engine options, including two supercharged V6 options along with a version of Jag's supercharged 5.0-liter V8, which will probably go in an upcoming R-spec car.
Rumors of a smaller Evoque have swirled since even before the current model went on sale. Automotive News Europe keeps the rumors going with a fresh story this week. It could be a good move for Land Rover, considering the trend toward smaller, lighter luxury CUVs, such as the Audi Q3 and BMW X1.
But, and there's a big but here, moving down the price and size chain means giving up some of Land Rover's legendary off-road chops. The Evoque starts at $43,995, so there's plenty of room for an entry-level Rover, but adding one might dilute the brand if it's a more street-going vehicle.
Not that many Evoque owners ever take their cars any further off road than the gravel driveway leading to their cabin in the woods, but still, they know they could. A smaller Evoque would serve more as a CR-V for the slightly better heeled. It would definitely make money and increase sales numbers, but would it still really be a Land Rover?
In this day and age, that might not matter anymore. Subaru now sells a non-AWD car, Porsche will soon have a small crossover, and Lamborghini will build an SUV. Maybe, instead of diluting the brand, an on-road-only Land Rover is the natural evolution of it.
Would a smaller Land Rover Evoque dilute the Land Rover brand?
Find Used Cars in Your Area at CarGurus
Used Porsche Boxster
Used Land Rover Ranger Rover Evoque
Used Honda CR-V


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The romantic side of the Germanic soul has always loved the Italian volksgeist, or spirit. Like the poet Goethe, northerners have long sought to escape, if only on temporary vacations, an unforgiving ethos of prudence and discipline in search of the charming inefficiency and sensuality of Mediterranean climes and culture.
The single European currency, combined with the burdens of the Bismarck-invented welfare state that faces demographic demise and competition from the rising rest around the globe, has put an end to this pleasant complementarity.
Now everyone is tied together in one continental fate, obliged to answer to the same global bond market by harmonizing their diverse tempers and rhythms to the Protestant tune of productivity, competitiveness, and fiscal responsibility.
Not surprisingly, there is push-back on all sides, leaving the European project of integration in a kind of purgatory between the old nation-state and a full European political union. In a resonant historical twist, the issue is once again a matter of indulgences. The Protestant Reformation was rooted in Martin Luther's revolt against poor German peasants being forced to buy indulgences from wealthy Roman clergy as a way out of purgatory.
Today, Luther's wealthy descendants refuse to indulge the poorer and fiscally lax Italians or other southerners in the name of one day reaching a common European utopia.
The metaphoric inhabitants of German philosopher Martin Heidegger's austere hut may still long for the sunlit stones of Florence, but they'll be damned if someone else's languor is purchased at their expense.
One worries where this will all end up. If Europe doesn't get its collective political act together to solve the eurozone crisis, prosperity will be set back and dangerous political fragmentation to the extremes will set in – as it did, tragically, in the 20th century. If Europe succeeds in converging toward stern German standards in a globally competitive world, what will become of the convivial cultures of the south?
Yes, the trains must run on time. Taxes must be collected. But one worries where the logic of harmonization will ultimately lead. As a converging Europe opens services to the winds of competition across the single market, will the mom and pop shops found on every corner consolidate into Walmarts, the cafes into Starbucks, pensiones into Holiday Inns, and the countless trattorias into homogenous restaurant chains?
For a glimpse of the future, take a look at the most productive – but most sterile and least charming and convivial – place on the planet: Silicon Valley. The buildings that house the information revolution are featureless blocks, save for the designer logos of Yahoo!, Intel, or Oracle, surrounded by manicured lawns crisscrossed by wide boulevards. Nothing is architecturally distinct.
Though connectivity is the main business, ambling pedestrians are nowhere to be found, save for the occasional lone jogger. On a recent visit to Santa Clara, the only sign of convivial life was a gaggle of Indian software engineers, lonely and far from home, swirling beers at Pedro's, a faux Mexican cantina.
Not long after my visit to Santa Clara, I was in Rome strolling around the neoclassical Piazza del Popolo designed by Giuseppe Valadier in the early 1800s. Teens gathered spontaneously around the fountain beneath the Egyptian obelisk from Sety I in the center of the piazza. The surrounding cafes overflowed with patrons smoking and chatting. Hordes of pedestrians passed by the twin churches of Santa Maria dei Miracoli and Santa Maria in Montesanto, completed by Bernini, on their way to the Via del Corso.
Who would trade one for the other? Nothing, of course, must be either/or in life. And Germany is still quite a ways from corporatized America. But we should be careful what we wish for as we seek to harmonize today's interdependence of plural identities.
It would be reactionary to regret the future. But we ought to be wary about extinguishing what makes life worth living by assigning a clock to every hour, as even Germans understand when they regularly trek south to take a break from efficiency.
Nathan Gardels is editor in chief of NPQ and the Global Viewpoint Network of Tribune Media Services. He is also a senior advisor to the Berggruen Institute. His forthcoming book with Nicolas Berggruen is entitled "Intelligent Governance for the 21st Century: A Middle Way Between West and East."
© 2012 Global Viewpoint Network/Tribune Media Services. Hosted online by The Christian Science Monitor.


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Day Two of the CCAA Championships Concludes
Related Links
Wildcat junior Lindsay Nelson led for most of the race in the women's 10,000-meter run. She finished ahead of Cal State L.A.'s Maribel Cespedes and Christina Jimenez of Cal Poly Pomona.
In the men's 10K, Batres, No. 2 on Cal Poly Pomona's all-time list, won his third CCAA championship in a strong time of 30:59.55. He won the event in 2004 and 2006. Cal State Stanislaus' Bobby Olivera came in second and Jeff Wilson of
Cal State Stanislaus' Kevin Bull captured the Decathlon competition by winning the final event, the 1,500-meter run, with a point-total of 6,302. Bull's teammate Bryan Robbins placed third, behind Robert Nooney of
In the men's throwing events,
Cal State L.A. Golden Eagles swept the men's long jump with Desi Burt winning the event. He had a season-best mark of 23-10.25 to beat teammate and three-time CCAA champion Kevin Finney (23-08.25). Marcus Carroll was third with a 22-10.00.
Whitney Johnson set a new UCSD record in winning the long jump with a leap of 19-05.50. In the final event on Friday,
Highlighting men's preliminary action, Cal State Stanislaus' Joel Stallworth turned in the fastest time in Division II with a time of 46.09 in the 400-meter. Stallworth is also looking to repeat as the 200-meter champion with top qualifying time of 21.35.
Topping the women's preliminary highlights is UC San Diego's Laiah Blue, who is looking to win titles in both hurdle events as she clocked 13.79 in the 100 and cruised to qualifying in the 400 with a 63.49.
After two days of competition, Cal State Stanislaus and
The CCAA Championships concludes on Saturday with 32 Finals events. Both the men's and women's team champions will be crowned with Chico State looking to win its fourth straight men's title and UCSD seeking their third consecutive women's win.


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There's a great scene in Ron Shelton's "Tin Cup" where Kevin Costner is on the verge of moving from washed-up golfer to U.S. Open champion. He decides to take an ambitious shot to the final green for the win and it lands in the water. He drops another ball. Water again. And so on.
So he blows the golf game, but he does it on his terms. I've always felt that scene said a lot about Costner as well. Now he is
teaming up with Kevin Reynolds to work on a new film, "Learning Italian," even though their most notable collaboration, "Waterworld," landed in the drink. They're also responsible for "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" for Costner's non-attempt at an accent.
"Learning Italian," their upcoming spy comedy to be shot in southern Germany, has everyone else might be shaking their head, but Costner is unfazed. And that's why you have to love about Costner. When he hits it right, he nails it ("Tin Cup" and "Bull Durham" are pretty high on my list of greats).
And when he fails, he fails spectacularly. He doesn't play safe and he wears his movie heart on his sleeve -- not like some of the cynical shlockmakers who film a few lame gags and hope to make their money back before anyone reads the reviews.
It would seem that Costner and Reynolds have something to prove on this one. It'll be great or it'll be bad, but it won't be anywhere in between.


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Everyone is talking about eBooks these days. I was just on a flight where it seemed like everyone had either an iPad, Nook, Kindle, or some other device they were using to read their books. So where does that leave print?
Well at Lulu, print is going as strong as ever. Creators on Lulu published over 50,000 new print book titles in 2011, up nearly 9% over 2010. What's perhaps more interesting however is that print titles accounted for an incredible 68% of Lulu's total sales last year, which really says something about the buying and sharing patterns of readers.
Undoubtedly eBooks are on the rise, but we've noticed a trend where readers with an eBook might tell a friend without an e-reader about a title and that friend then goes and buys a print copy. Time and again, we've seen examples of authors publishing both a print and eBook version of their works and going on to sell more than double the amount of total copies over authors who only sell one or the other.
One clever tactic we've seen authors use to drive print sales too is to offer free eBook previews of their titles. Several authors used this method over the holidays last year. We saw eBook sales double the day after Christmas and just a few days later, on the 28th, print sales tripled!
Today's author can't predict where their next fan might come from and readers don't want to have to choose between formats. They just want it to be easy. Lulu's mission in all of this is to ensure that we're providing creators and buyers with the most options for selling their works – be they print or electronic – through more and more partnerships with premier retailers like Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Apple. And while eBooks are certainly gaining momentum, our print catalogue sits at 618,687 titles – almost exactly even with our eBook catalogue. Clearly, print is still alive.


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A&J Toys is a family-owned company that began as a father-son passion to collect cars and toys. As a distributor for Mattel, the company has grown beyond expectations. Their clients have come to appreciate and expect their non-wavering focus on product knowledge, attention to customer service, integrity, speedy-shipping and collector-friendly pricing, which are the very heart of the business.
How It Began
Alex began life staked out in front of toy stores with his dad, an avid die-cast cars collector. Alex's dad had been a collector for years and found himself becoming more and more frustrated, chasing the latest items from large retail stores. Like many collectors, he found himself staked out in front of stores hours before they opened in hopes of being the first to grab the fresh toy on the shelf. Initially Alex found this added to the excitement of life, but it wasn't long before his dad's passion grew to an obsession and started to embarrass Alex and the rest of the family. Alex knew there was a better way and he inspired his dad to build his own company based on his extensive knowledge of the die-cast cars industry. Being the persuasive individual he is, he convinced his dad that he (Alex) should be named CEO, at about the same time he started tooling around on his own two feet.
It wasn't long before Alex's little brother, Jack came along. Jack had some brilliant and persuasive ideas of his own and he wanted his share of the family pie. "Share" was an important word in the house at the time and he wanted his. Also, as he was learning his letters it became obvious his name was not on the door. So, there was a slight retooling of the company and its name was updated to A&J Toys.
The goal at A&J Toys is to provide customers with the collectible toys they seek at collector-friendly pricing. In doing so, we hope to save countless other families the embarrassment that can be aroused from collector-focused parents who will do whatever it takes to claim the latest, greatest toy.
What We Do
A&J Toys primarily focuses on die-cast collectibles. Leveraging our strong relationship as a distributor for Mattel, we often are the first to carry certain items. Our product offering has expanded to include Barbie. We are also a licensed distributor for JADA and carry a selection of Johnny Lightning and Green Light collectibles. Much of our business is geared toward case sales to smaller retailers and large collectors both domestically and internationally. However, we always enjoy working with moms and dads during the holidays to find that perfect gift of a rare toy.
Our corporate headquarters, main distribution facility and product service center are located in Kansas City, Missouri. We maintain a retail facility in Overland Park, Kansas, but 90% of our sales are generated online. We also sell merchandise at various toy shows and conventions.
Monday - Saturday 10:00AM to 5:00PM CST,
Sunday Closed.
Retail Facility:
13600 Nw 72nd St
Kansas City, Missouri 64152-1103
Customer Service:
[email protected]
Contact Info
A and J Toys, LLC
Ken Dotson


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Tue 15 Feb 2011
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BOSTON, Mass. – With a quick 8-0 run, which included a pair of 3-pointers from Quadry Allen (White Castle, La.), men's basketball was able to retake control of the scoreboard and never looked back as they capped off a second half comeback to defeat Western Connecticut State University by the final of 68-64 Saturday afternoon in the Clark Athletic Center Gymnasium in a Little East Conference match-up.
Allen's two 3-pointers along with a lay-up from Brian Clarke (Miramar, Fla.) pushed the Beacons out past the Colonials 54-50 with 7:15 left in the second half. The Beacons would then use clutch free throw shooting and solid presence in the paint to hold off the Colonials over the final seven minutes of play. Western Connecticut did manage to tie the score once with less than a minute to play, but clutch shooting by Vinny DeLucia (Miami, Fla.) and Mike Mitchell, Jr. (Dorchester, Mass.) sealed UMB's hard fought win, which they definitely needed to remain in the playoff picture.
With Saturday's victory UMass Boston (9-7, 3-4 Little East) completed the season sweep of the Colonials for the first time since the 2006-07 season. The win also keeps UMB in control of fifth place in the conference standings. Western Connecticut State (4-12, 2-5 Little East) remains in sixth place in the conference standings following Saturday's defeat.
Playing perhaps his best second half of the season was Clarke, who finished with a second half best 12 points to cap off the Beacons late push. The sophomore from Florida was 8-for-14 on the day and finished with four offensive boards. He also tallied a pair of blocks and handed out two assists. Junior center Rahshjeem Benson (Boston, Mass.) also had a big day as he finished with a team-high 15 points, and a game-best 13 boards.
For the Colonials, four of their starting five finished in double-figures, with Luis Bridtter dropping in 16 points, while also collecting 11 boards. Phil Starks led the contest in scoring with 18 points, and also handed out four assists. On the afternoon Starts was 7-of-16 from the floor and 3-of-5 from behind the arc. He also recorded seven rebounds to match teammate Russell Payton.
Trailing by five at the half, UMass came out firing in the second with Clarke and DeLucia each nailing a jumper to make it a one point game. Western Connecticut would manage to hold onto their slim lead throughout the first 10 minutes of play, even with the Beacons right on their heels.
The turning point of the afternoon came when Allen hit a deep three cutting the Colonials lead to one for the final time in the contest. Clarke would then do work on both sides of the court, first collecting defensive board, then nailing the go-ahead lay-up with 7:50 left in regulation. Another missed basket by WCSU would give the Beacons the window they were looking for, as they found a wide-open Allen who drained his second three in less than a minute.
With time running out Western continued to push the pace, but every time they made a field goal, UMB responded with a field goal of-their-own or went 2-for-2 at the charity strip, as they did not miss a single free throw attempt after taking the lead.
UMass continued to prove that they are a second half team shooting 46.9% (15-for-32) over the final 20 minutes of play to make up for their less than stellar 29.0% shooting in the first half. On the day, the Beacons shot 38.1% (24-for-63) from the floor and 30.8% (4-for-13) from three-point range. At the line both teams shot 66.7%. WCSU closed out the loss shooting 42.6% (26-for-61) from the floor and 40.0% (4-for-10) behind the arc on the afternoon. The Beacons won the battle on the glass pulling down one more board than their conference rival (41-40).
Men's Basketball returns to action on Tuesday when they host UMass Dartmouth at 7:30 p.m.


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Obamacare 2.0: Judgment awaits
Obamacare is going into effect next year for real — but what happens with President Barack Obama's signature achievement in his second term is largely out of his hands.
The biggest piece of the law — the expansion of coverage to as many as 30 million uninsured Americans — will begin in 2014. Obama may not say a word about that in his inaugural address. But the reality is, the success or failure of the health care law may define much of his second term, and that legacy is now in the hands of agency bureaucrats, volatile state capitols and employers, not to mention the whims of young uninsured consumers.
Story Continued Below
Among the unanswered questions: Will the states do their part to make it work, or will they fight the law? Will employers keep covering their workers, or find ways around it? And will young, healthy people sign up for coverage once the individual mandate is in place — or will they skip it and just pay the penalty?
Obama can make sure his administration is ready to implement the big pieces, and defend the law from deep Republican cuts in the next spending showdown. But he won't be able to do major tinkering if things go wrong. With a divided Congress, and a solid wall of Republican opposition to the law, Congress will be useless if anything needs to be fixed.
( PHOTOS: Supreme Court upholds health care law)
Here are some of the ways Obamacare 2.0 could go in the second term:
Best-case scenario
The best case for Obama is the simplest one: The law works exactly as it's supposed to. Thirty million uninsured Americans get health coverage (the upper end of the Congressional Budget Office's estimates). They can all afford it. Employers, doctors and health insurance companies accept the changes in health care land.
And, of course, no one gets dumped out of their workplace health insurance or pays higher premiums because of the law.
But several major pieces of the law have to fall into place for this best-case scenario. New health insurance exchanges — run by the states or the feds or both — would have to be ready to offer health plans to individuals and small businesses. Insurers will have to accept everyone with pre-existing conditions. To make sure the insurers can afford to do that, the individual mandate would actually have to work in getting young, healthy people to buy insurance.
On top of that, new subsidies will be available, and states will expand their Medicaid programs to cover millions more low-income people.
The chances that all of this will actually happen, with no bumps in the road? Not even people who worked on the law are really banking on that.
"It's hard to imagine any word other than tumultuous," said John McDonough, a former aide to Sen. Ted Kennedy and now a professor at the Harvard School of Public Health. "It's not going to be simple, and people need to be prepared for that."
For one thing, McDonough said, some states may have trouble adjusting when the pre-existing condition coverage kicks in — since some states that tried the same thing in the 1990s saw big premium increases (though they didn't have the mandate or subsidies). And every time there's a problem, he said, the law's opponents will play it up big time.
But even with all the potential for trouble, Georgetown University's Sarah Dash says the law will lead to big advances that won't be fully appreciated until they happen. People with expensive health conditions will be able to get coverage and small businesses will get more affordable health insurance for their workers because the exchanges will "pool" their health costs into a larger group, she said.
"The reality is going to set in that this isn't the Wicked Witch of the West, and actually, it's kind of helpful," Dash said.


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Kindle, iPad must rethink design in order to stay relevant as eBook readers
- 11 October, 2010 08:55

A big year for e-readers

The iPad and Kindle need to be reconsidered in order to maintain popularity and relevance as e-reader devices, a local web designer has warned.
Speaking at the OZ-IA conference in Sydney, Matt Balara said that while both devices have been largely successful, e-reader developers need to broaden their horizons.
"The thing I'm hoping for and dreaming about is full colour, e-ink touch screens. When we have that, we'll have all of the advantages of all of these [e-reader devices]," he said. "If the Kindle displayed really good images and had a touch screen, we'd have all of the advantages of the iPad without the negatives."
Balara is keen to point out that he is a big fan of the devices themselves. But he said technologists must move to a new paradigm instead of viewing e-book readers as only a digital version of the paperback.
"Whether you put the content on a Kindle or on an iPad, the content hasn't changed, it's still essentially plain text," he said. "Almost all e-books with traditional text are HTML and XHTML, so you could essentially read them as pages on a web browser. So far, everybody who has made an e-book for the main forms of e-book readers we have, have just made these with simple pages."
Balara said that while the iPad has been a largely successful device, the iBook app hasn't made any new developments in e-book technology.
"The iPad is actually horrifying if you have any kind of understanding of graphic design at all," he said, referring to its iBooks functionality. "They've translated it into something that's theoretically a book, but they didn't think any further about it than saying 'this is an e-book' – the late 90s have called and they want their page flip back."
Balara said the developers behind e-book readers must move away from the traditional view of what books are by developing a new paradigm around the devices.
"It's good when people create e-books around their idea of what e-books are compared to basing it around what regular books are."
Looking at the e-book reader in a traditional paradigm is only one part of the problem, according to Balara, who said the devices usually sit outside mainstream Web 2.0 consumption.
"One of the biggest problems with e-books at the moment is that most live in the outer darkness of the internet," he said. "How cool would it be if you could see how a person wanted you to read an e-book? Or if you could see what your friend was reading?"
Balara's insights come as recent reports indicate that the iPhone 4, iPad and Android are overtaking the BlackBerry in popularity as enterprise devices.


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Steve P needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 32 designs submitted by 15 freelance designers.
The Australian Construction Academy is a new training company for heavy duty skills like Crane Driving, Scaffolding, Dogging, Rigging etc
Australian Construction Academy
Desired Style:
Rugged, Tough, Masculine
Accepted File Formats:
Standard Web Formats (.jpg, .gif or .png); Vector Formats (.eps, .pdf or .ai); Corel Draw version 10
I am looking for a logo design that will be used for stationery, website etc.  This is a Heavy Duty big machinery training company with cranes, trucks and heavy equipment. The logo needs to be rugged with a tough look and feel. Mack Truck Tough!
 Winner agrees that client will hold copyright design for logoÂ
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


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LAS VEGAS –-(Ammoland.com)- After nearly a decade since its initial introduction into the firearms marketplace, the SLR-106 series is getting a change in to "Collector's Item."
Production on the series officially ended.
The SLR-106 rifle and pistol series was Arsenal's answer to the 5.56 caliber as the company looked to compete in that arena. The years to follow brought much success with several variations and configurations, robust sales and recognition as one of the industry's best — due in-part to its chrome-lined and hammer-forged barrel.
"In my opinion, the SLR-106 series of rifles, perfectly bridge the gap from east to west. Furthermore, the advancements made in the manufacturing this rifle series will be seen on future models by our company for years to come." – Walker English, Sales Director, Arsenal, Inc.
A comprehensive audit of the current offerings in the firearms industry, recent trends and near-future shifts with regard to technology and advancement all factored into the decision to discontinue the series. Arsenal's obligations with military and government contracts, production for the movie industry and commitments to distributors and dealers also shaped this decision.
The current stock of SLR-106 5.56 caliber rifles and pistols will continue to be sold until supply runs out. Arsenal's availability list is displayed below. Additional SLR-106 products can be found by checking with Arsenal's distributors and various dealers nationwide.
Founded in the year 2000, Arsenal Inc. is the exclusive licensed US manufacturer of the finest, most authentic firearms for government agencies and the shooting public and uses the latest technology and materials in conjunction with the legendary standards of Arsenal of Bulgaria.
Arsenal Inc., may be found online at www.arsenalinc.com and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/arsenalinc. Contact Arsenal Inc. either by phone at (702) 643-2703 or by email at [email protected]
Mike Doria
PR & Marketing Manager
Arsenal Inc.
[email protected]


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Beachside Destiny
Beachside Destiny
from 30.00
The sweeping expanse of Venice Beach takes on a magical glow as the sun goes down.
Original fine art photography by Morgan Hartley. Available as a Photographic Print or Canvas Gallery Wrap. For detailed information on prints, canvases, and shipping, see the FAQ Page.
- The first photo shows the 8x10, 11x14, 16x20, 20x24, 24x30, and 30x40 crop size
- The second photo shows the 8x12, 10x15, 12x18, 16x24, 20x30, and 24x36 crop size
- Professionally printed using high quality inks and premium archival paper
- Prints are sold unmatted and unframed
- Printed on cotton matte canvas; wrapped around a wood stretcher frame 1.5" deep
- Archival quality inks and premium canvas are guaranteed for 100 years
- A black backing increases the durability of the canvas (see bottom picture)
- Image is blurred on the sides so none of the image is lost on the front
- Ready to hang out of the box! Gallery wraps 20 x 24 and smaller include a pre-installed saw tooth hanger; gallery wraps 20 x 30 and larger include a pre-installed wire hanger


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Obama plans 2011 staff makeover
President Barack Obama has delayed the most significant staff shuffle of his presidency until after New Year's — but the changes may be more sweeping than anticipated and could include the hiring of high-profile Democrats defeated in the midterms.
David Plouffe, Obama's 2008 campaign manager, who will become a senior adviser to the president as early as the first week of January, is perhaps the most significant addition to Obama's staff. He is expected to take an expansive new role including running the embattled White House press and messaging operations, people with knowledge of the situation told POLITICO.
Story Continued Below
White House staffers hope the organization-minded Plouffe — combined with the steadying hand of interim chief of staff Pete Rouse — will professionalize an improvisational and, at times, chaotic organizational chart centered on former chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, a domineering figure during the administration's first two years.
Obama's thinking on other specifics of his reconfigured West Wing — as well as a new campaign operation and Democratic National Committee structure — is largely unknown. But changes are expected across the administration, with familiar faces moving into new roles, both inside and outside the White House, and some unfamiliar ones joining the ranks.
"The president has talked to a bunch of different people throughout this process on how to do the reorganization," one official said. "You'll definitely see faces that are new."
But the lame-duck legislative session has consumed almost all the time and energy of senior staffers, especially Rouse, who is now more likely to use the president's Hawaiian vacation to put the finishing touches on a broader reorganization plan.
Obama's advisers, a tight-lipped and fiercely loyal group, have expressed increasing impatience with the pace of the reorganization, not so much out of fear for their jobs but out of the uncertainty of knowing precisely who is in charge of what. (See: W.H. girds for staff shake-up)
The delay, however, better suits Obama, who prefers to carefully deliberate before making major decisions, sources say.
"It's harder to get his time on it" during the lame-duck session, a senior administration official said of Obama. "I think he'll think about a lot of this on vacation."
But several things are already clear. David Axelrod will depart as a senior White House adviser on Feb. 1, after Obama's State of the Union address, to take a few weeks off before beginning to set up the president's reelection campaign. (See: Axe going, Plouffe arriving sooner)
Jim Messina, one of Obama's deputy chiefs of staff, will head for the exit shortly after Axelrod to help with the campaign, and Valerie Jarrett will stay as a senior White House adviser for as long as the president wants.
Beyond that, the restructuring of the Obama administration remains a mystery even to some of the president's closest aides, which is making some in the West Wing nervous. (See: Inside W.H., calls for shake-up)
"It's 'Waiting for David,'" one aide joked about Plouffe, referring to Samuel Beckett's "Waiting for Godot." (See: Axe: Plouffe to W.H. 'sooner than later')