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On March 22, 2010, the International Electrical Testing Association (NETA), Portage, Mich., an accredited standards developer for the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), Washington, D.C., and nationally recognized certification agency, released the latest version of its standard for certification of electrical testing technicians (ETTs), ANSI/NETA ETT-2010, "Standard for Certification of Electrical Testing Technicians." Originally published in 2000, this standard was created to establish minimum requirements for qualification and certification and minimum training and experience requirements, as well as provide criteria for documenting qualifications and certification. It also establishes minimum qualifications for an independent and impartial certifying body to certify ETTs.
Although ANSI/NETA ETT-2010 is non-restrictive, meaning that, in order to promote fairness, the standard allows other accrediting agencies to evaluate and confirm expertise of persons in accordance with standard certification criteria, NETA, which restricts certification to only employees of its member companies, has been the only certifying organization offering new certification for ETTs since Jan. 1, 2006. That was when the most common alternate ETT certification body, the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET), Alexandria, Va., a not-for-profit organization created by the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) to serve the certification needs of the engineering technology community and provide nationally recognized certification programs, discontinued its test for ETTs seeking new certification. (Individuals who had valid certifications at that time have the opportunity to maintain them. Currently, there are 41 NICET-certified ETTs.)
However, with industry support, especially from NETA and its member companies, the organization will soon again begin offering its ETT certification, now tentatively called Electrical Power Testing, although the official designation won't be decided until March 2011. "We're about 50% of the way through the test development process," says Brian Gifford, director, quality management, NICET.
Volunteer work
NICET began offering certification for technicians in electrical testing of medium- and high-voltage equipment in 1984. Around 2000, it was decided that the test was in need of a major updating of both its exam structure and technical content. "We got to the point where we just needed a lot of people to help build this program and write the exam questions, but we didn't have the contacts," says Gifford. "It takes a lot of highly qualified people to build a program like this."
For that reason, NICET suspended new certification for certification for ETTs on Jan. 1, 2006, until the new exam could be completed. Eventually, with major input from NETA and some of its member companies, NICET updated its practice analysis, which is the outline for the program, by its February 2010 deadline, and then started identifying industry experts who would be qualified to write the 1,200 test questions for the updated four-level technician certification exam. "Most of the early work was done by NETA members," Gifford says. "Now the volunteers tend to be shifting more toward the people who are outside of NETA, because they're the ones who are really looking for a way to become certified."
According to Gifford, there's a predominance of volunteers from the industry who are in some way affiliated with a manufacturer, individuals working for engineering firms, or electrical contractors, as well as a few people from independent testing firms.
Through the diligence of these industry volunteers, questions for the Level I exam were written in June 2010. In October 2010, participants completed the questions for Level II. Recently, the group wrote the questions for the Level III exam. "It's a little bit overwhelming at first when you realize it's going to take thousands of volunteer hours," says Doug Powell, president, National Switchgear, Lewisville, Texas, who has been giving his time to revitalizing the NICET exam since 2008. "But it's really been a learning experience and an exciting thing to be a part of. I'm going to definitely finish the process."
In the next few months, NICET hopes to roll out the Level I and II exams. However, with Level IV questions still to be written and subject matter reviews for all but Level I to be completed, as well as setting the passing scores for the exams, there is approximately a year's worth of work still to be done, most of which will fall on volunteers' shoulders. "A lot of what's left will involve bringing in a different group of subject matter experts — people who didn't write the test," Gifford says. "So we still need more volunteers" (Call for Volunteers).
Two on a standard
The initial two-part exam was developed to parallel the kinds of topics that would be covered in an associate's degree education, according to Gifford. One part covered the electrical testing component, whereas the other included more general components, such as English, drafting, math, and science. "It was much more abstract and curriculum-oriented." Gifford says.
As a result, the questions weren't relevant anymore, says Powell. "That was really the whole reason why they started reviewing the test in 2000," he explains. "By contrast, the new NICET exam will be current, with questions about what technicians have to be able to do in today's environment."
Overall, the new four-level program will be more focused on job skills. Each of the four levels — from entry level to Level IV — will be defined by a specific scope. In addition, the practice analysis defines what tasks that technicians need to have experience in at each of the levels, and then that serves as the outline for the tests. "It is significantly different," says Gifford. "We don't have questions on English or math, for instance, except as they apply to doing technical reports. That's the major difference in the structure of the program."
There are also changes in store for currently certified technicians seeking to maintain their certification. "They have to show they're keeping up with the industry and doing training," says Gifford. "We will be looking at a work history requirement and also a personal recommendation, which are similar to what we have now, but we will also have what we're calling performance measures, which are characteristics of good job performance that need to be verified by a supervisor."
In addition, at Level IV, there will be a requirement for a write-up of a major project in which the candidate has been involved. "In general, recertification is also more oriented toward real job skills," Gifford explains.
The new NICET certification will resemble the NETA individual certification. They will both have four levels and cover roughly the same content. "The two certifications are going to be pretty similar," Gifford says. "The intent is that we'd end up with something that was fairly similar."
So you may be thinking, why the need for another certification? According to a statement from NETA, the organization welcomes the fact that NICET has decided to re-establish the ETT category of its certification program around the model that NETA created in the ANSI/NETA ETT-2010 standard. "NETA and its accredited companies and certified technicians have contributed many hours of extensive input into NICET's certification development process, and is gratified that NICET's development path for certification is such that, when the program is completed, it will conform with the ANSI/NETA ETT-2010 standard," continues the statement. "NETA is pleased to continue participating with NICET in its efforts to rework their certification, bringing surety to the quality of the program so that it aptly reflects the expertise established and required by the ANSI/NETA ETT-2010 standard."
Same difference
In fact, the criteria for certifying individual technicians from both organizations will resemble each other enough that if NETA were to remove its company accreditation requirement, there may be no need for the NICET certification. "It's not like a state agency where there's only one licensing board, and there's no competition for it," says Jerry Gentle, location service manager, Schneider Electric, Raleigh, N.C., who, although he has worked with NETA on its standards and attended its conference, does not meet the criteria to take the NETA exam because of the status of his employer. "In this case, people are driven by having an alternative. If they see a specification that requires certification, until this exam gets reopened, their only choice was to say they're not certified, even if they've done this work for X amount of years. NETA won't let them take its test."
Notwithstanding its affiliate classification for individuals unable to sit for NETA's exam who wish to participate in developing ANSI standards for electrical testing, for individuals to qualify for NETA certification, they must first be an employee of a NETA-accredited company. There is a distinct difference between 'certification' and 'accreditation', according to NETA, with certification seeking to qualify an individual's knowledge of a certain subject, and accreditation seeking to qualify that an organization's practices are acceptable, typically meaning that they conform to established standards, behave ethically, and employ suitable quality assurance. NETA currently maintains more than 65 NETA-accredited companies who, in turn, employ more than 1,500 NETA-certified test technicians, ranging from Level I to Level IV.
While some people view the organization's certification process as restrictive, according to a statement from NETA, the intent is to best support the interest of the end-user, as the objectivity and competency of the testing firm is as important as that of the individual technician.
"NETA's unique accreditation process examines each company for fiscal soundness, freedom from undue influence of materially affected individuals, assures quality through examination of test reports, safety and calibration programs, and the certification of individual technician," reads the statement.
NETA holds that, in order for an ETT to perform to the best of his or her ability, he or she should be supported by a company that provides a strong platform for successful execution of the job to be performed. That is why NETA established the stringent requirements for becoming a NETA-accredited company, or NETA member, as they are sometimes called. This is the foundation for NETA's belief that the best way to assure safety and reliability is through third-party, independent testing.
At the time National Switchgear became involved in the NICET question-writing process, it was not a NETA-accredited company because it was considered a manufacturer, and Powell was searching for an alternate certification for his technicians. Since that time, the company underwent a reorganization, separating its manufacturing company from its field services testing company. "That was what was needed to meet NETA's bylaws," says Powell.
For the new company, National Field Services, NETA accreditation means additional job opportunities to bid on. "There are a lot of projects that write into the spec that the start-up, commissioning, and final acceptance testing has to be done by a NETA-accredited company," Powell explains. "When that's written into the specifications, it's a real roadblock to those companies that cannot meet that requirement."
As a result, although the company contained the same technicians and was led by the same management team, it wasn't able to even bid on those projects. "We knew we were qualified and had the right people, but it was just too difficult for us to overcome that requirement, so we decided to do what's necessary to get into NETA," says Powell.
Since receiving NETA accreditation, eight field service technicians have sat for the NETA certification exam and passed. But the technicians who work for National Switchgear are not allowed to sit for it. When the NICET exam is available, Powell expects the National Switchgear employees will take it. "We're looking to NICET to be able to offer that certification to those employees," says Powell, who will also encourage the NETA-certified technicians to sit for the NICET exam. "Really, the reason for that is it gives them just one more accreditation in the industry. It will be another credible source. You're going to have people that will pass both."
The best of both
Gentle, who has been certified through NICET since 1993, doesn't argue that NETA should dismantle its accredited-company bylaws. "NETA's idea of making sure it's a quality company is not a bad thing," he says. "Nobody would make a sound argument and say that's a bad practice."
However, he believes there is an advantage to the individual certification alternative offered by NICET. "An advantage of NICET certification is that it stays with the individual," Gentle continues. "So if I'm working for an organization, and, for one reason or another, I decide to seek employment elsewhere, I am still a certified technician."
With the relaunch of its ETT program, NICET is taking a different approach to certification than NETA and will continue its tradition of certifying individuals, regardless of employer. "The essence of it is the qualification of the individual regardless of the workplace," says Gifford.
In fact, many companies may choose to maintain NETA accreditation while encouraging its employees to achieve both NETA and NICET certification. "I've had people in the workshops who are certified by NETA who say they would also like to get the NICET certification," says Gifford.
The cost for double certification would be a minor expense to most companies, compared to the benefits, according to Powell, even with the more portable NICET certification. "You wouldn't have to provide customers with the records of work experience of your employees to prove to them that your people are qualified to be on the job," he explains. "When you're a small, independent company, they scrutinize you very closely, especially if they haven't done business with you before, so you have to gather references and provide all your documents, including insurance forms and safety record. They'll even go through all your OSHA logs for accidents. They look at the work history of every one of your people. They really perform their due diligence. So these certifications take a lot of work off the hands of the employer."
The certifications are a form of shorthand, in other words. "If we can provide certified employees for a company that accepts those credentials, then it's simplified," says Powell. "We just send them the certification, and we're done. For that reason, I think manufacturers and independent companies out there will quickly want to get their people certified, any way they can. It just prevents a lot of headaches when they're trying to market themselves and get new business."
Despite an absence of certifications, Mike Lawson, president, Independent Testing Agency, Glen Burnie, Md., has leveraged a 30-year career in electrical testing into a successful company with 10 employees. Yet, he has recently applied for NETA accreditation, as well as become involved in the NICET revitalization process because he believes certification will become more important to his business in the next few years. "It's something that is eventually going to become more prevalent as time goes on," Lawson says. "In other words, we've been very successful and very busy without it; however, once I looked into what NETA requires and I started volunteering my time for NICET, I realized that our technicians have a lot more to learn that I wasn't really aware of until I looked at these certification programs. It's going to be a benefit for us in the long run."
The biggest issue Lawson mentions is safety. In order to be certified in either organization, candidates must pass the exam, a large part of which covers safety training. Before anyone can even sit for the NETA Level III exam, he or she must have accrued five years of actual field experience in electrical testing as well as a minimum of 64 hours of safety training and 400 hours of technical education. A Level IV technician must have 10 years of field experience and have accumulated more than 100 hours of safety training and 600 hours of technical education. "That prompts me to get more safety training for my employees," says Lawson.
As an independent electrical testing firm, as the company name implies, Lawson's firm fits the criteria for NETA accreditation. Still, he will encourage his technicians to pursue NICET certification once it's up and running. "We probably will go through the NICET certification process also, once it's complete," says Lawson, explaining that having both certifications will help his firm's prospects with projects funded with public money. "There are a lot of government contracts out there that are looking for individual certifications, but they're also looking for the company to be accredited. That would be an advantage."
Overall, this compatibility between the certifying bodies, which is sometimes thought of as friendly competition, may lead to easier bidding between clients and electrical testing companies, as well as higher standards for the electrical testing market. "We hope this will be a good thing for technicians out there on both sides," says Powell. "It'll float the boat a little higher for the whole industry."


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CIA Director David Petraeus resigns
WASHINGTON (AP) — David Petraeus has resigned as director of the CIA after admitting he had an extramarital affair.
According to his letter of resignation, Petraeus asked President Barack Obama on Thursday to allow him to resign, and on Friday the president accepted.
Petraeus said in a statement that he had shown "extremely poor judgment" in having an affair.
Details to follow

subset: commoncrawl


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About Me
Artificial Intelligence
Big Data
Data Analytics
About Me
Artificial Intelligence
Big Data
Data Analytics
Internet of Things (IoT) and its impact on the Telecommunications Industry
JMP Video Tutorial for quick graphing and correlation
Welcome to Advanced Analytics
About Me
Shailendra is a thought-leader and visionary in the cognitive and analytics space. With the sole motto of making money out of data, he has helped multiple organisations across the globe to generate incremental revenue or optimise cost using machine learning and advanced analytics techniques.
Popular Posts
Predicting the Stock Price using other Stocks
Insurance: Auto Menace Settlement- The Cognitive and Deep Learning Way
Customer Loyalty: It all counts!!!
Cognitive Taxi! Coming to your town, Very Soon……
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Adblock Plus
Some versions of the Adblock Plus extension work perfectly in Conkeror.
Adblock Plus 1.3.10 works perfectly with versions of xulrunner up through 27. It is broken in newer releases, so you will have to use a 2.x version in newer releases.
There are undoubtedly other good combinations. If you have one, please add the information here.
A complete set of versions of Adblock Plus is available at: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/adblock-plus/versions/ You may need to save the .xpi file for your desired version; the .xpi files are linked from that page behind the "Download Now" button.
After installing Adblock Plus, you need to load the adblockplus.js conkeror contrib file (found in the <conkeror>/modules/extensions directory) You can then access the preferences dialog via (M-x adblockplus-settings) and load a filter set by selecting Filters->Add Filter Subscription and selecting one of the preloaded filter sets. You can potentially also work with filter subscriptions via the filters dialog (M-x adblockplus-filters) and add Adblock Plus patterns via (M-x adblockplus-add).
You may be able to access the Preferences dialog via the extension manager (M-x extensions), however see the extension manager page for discussion of reported problems with it not working correctly in some configurations.
Alternate instructions which may still be applicable in some cases
With the current versions of Conkeror and AdblockPlus, accessing filters via the Extensions dialog doesn't work because clicking on "Filter preferences" has no effect. You can work around this bug either by using the above mothod, or by setting the preferences in Firefox and copying them from the Firefox profile to the Conkeror profile. What needs to be transferred is the contents of the directory "adblockplus", whose exact location depends on your OS and perhaps the versions of Firefox/XULRunner you use. You can copy over all files in that directory to the corresponding directory in the Conkeror profile. You can also delete the one for Conkeror and replace it by a soft link to the Firefox version, in order to have all changes you make in Firefox propagate to Conkeror automatically.


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For the October 2011 edition, the well known magazine Marie Claire chose the beloved actress Reese Wihterspoon for the front cover. The October 2011 edition, which will hit the newsstands on September 20, features an interesting artistic black and white pictorial with the actress that matches the feeling of closeness created by the interview. The interview for the magazine gives us the chance to look a little closer into Reese's life as she reveals some of her less noticeable personality traits as well as some of the experiences that have ha... Read More
Reese Witherspoon graces the February 2012 cover of Elle magazine. The lovely actress sits down for a chat and opens up about a wide range of topics including meeting husband, Jim Toth, thinking she wouldn't marry again, feeling sexier than ever and aging in Hollywood, and living a less-than-perfect life. Speaking about how she met Jim at a friend's house, Reese recalls that, "It happened out of the blue. This really drunk guy was hitting on me, making such an idiot of himself, yelling at me. He was like, [slurring, scowling, pointi... Read More


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Amazon just announced a new AutoRip feature that could put a dent in Apple's iTunes business.
With AutoRip, people who buy CDs from Amazon will also receive free digital copies of those tracks to store in their Amazon Cloud Player libraries.
The feature isn't available on every CD, but Amazon sells more than 50,000 albums that are eligible for AutoRip. The AutoRip feature is also available for CDs that you previously bought from Amazon.
Once your files are in your Cloud Player library, you can play them from essentially any device, including the Kindle Fire, Android phone or tablet, iPhone, iPod Touch, Samsung TVs, and your good old-fashioned computer.
Another plus, according to Amazon, is that many of the AutoRip CDs cost less than the digital album on iTunes.
Check out the new AutoRip here.


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North Carolina Governor Declares May Celiac Disease Awareness Month
• Triangle residents can participate in a gluten-free food drive at various locations or make a monetary donation to help stock the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina
• Bella Monica Italian Restaurant is hosting a six-course gluten-free dinner prepared by Vanessa Maltin, food and lifestyle editor for Delight Gluten-free Magazine
• A top food allergens poster is available for restaurants to download to educate their staff about these items, including gluten
Raleigh, N.C., USA, April 30, 2010 – The Gluten Free Raleigh Blog has announced Governor Beverly Perdue has declared May 2010 "Celiac Disease Awareness Month" in North Carolina. The Gluten Free Raleigh Blog and Pat Berger, leader of the North Raleigh Celiac Sprue Association (CSA) Support Group brought the petition to the Governor's office regarding the awareness month.
Celiac Disease is a genetic autoimmune disease that affects one in 133 people in the United States. It interferes with the absorption of nutrients from food and can cause gastrointestinal and neurological issues, infertility, skin rashes and cancer. The only treatment for Celiac Disease is lifelong, strict adherence to a gluten-free diet.
"The Governor's proclamation paves the way to further educate the community on Celiac Disease and helps to create a positive impact on the quality of life for people living with this condition," said Zach Becker, creator of the Gluten Free Raleigh Blog. "It's my goal to help raise awareness so those living with this disease can safely eat out at restaurants and have easier access to gluten-free food."
In an effort to educate, raise awareness and give back to the community, there are a number of gluten-free events scheduled during the month of May.
• A gluten-free food drive will be held on Saturday, May 8 to benefit the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina. Special discounts at the drop off locations may be available in exchange for your donation. Bins are set up in each of these locations to accept the packaged gluten-free non-perishable food items:
o Rosie's Plate – N. Person St., Raleigh
o Bella Monica Italian Restaurant – Edwards Mill Rd., Raleigh
o ZPizza – Falls of Neuse Rd., Raleigh and Cornerstone Dr., Cary
o Mellow Mushroom – W. Peace St., Raleigh
o Whole Foods Market, Raleigh – Wade Ave., Raleigh
o Earth Fare – Moncreiffe Rd., Raleigh
o Harmony Farms/Café Harmony – Creedmoor Rd., Raleigh
• A virtual Gluten Free food drive will be held all month to benefit the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina with gluten-free food. The link to donate can be located at the top of the Gluten Free Raleigh Blog.
• On Sunday, May 16, beginning at 5 p.m., Bella Monica Italian Restaurant will host a six-course gluten-free dinner prepared by Vanessa Maltin, food and lifestyle editor for Delight Gluten-free Magazine and Corbett Monica, head chef at Bella Monica Italian Restaurant. They will be preparing dishes from Maltin's gluten-free cookbook entitled The Gloriously Gluten-Free Cookbook: Spicing Up Life with Italian, Asian and Mexican Recipes. Copies of the cookbook will also be included. Tickets are required for this dining event and can be purchased by calling Bella Monica Italian Restaurant at 919-881-9778.
• The Gluten Free Raleigh Blog worked with Sofia Noble of the design firm This Is Beautiful to create a poster featuring all of the top food allergens, including gluten. This poster is now available for download in English and Spanish at the Gluten Free Raleigh Blog. Wake County restaurant owners may use it to educate their staffs about these foods.
"Research indicates there are approximately three million people living with Celiac Disease in the United States and of those, only about 120,000 have been diagnosed," said Alice Bast, founder and president of the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness (NFCA). "It's great to see North Carolina working to raise awareness about this disease so perhaps others can be accurately diagnosed by their doctors. Zach Becker and the entire North Carolina Celiac Disease community should be commended for their leadership and successful advocacy efforts."
About Gluten Free Raleigh Blog
Zach Becker was diagnosed with Celiac Disease in May 2008. He founded the Gluten Free Raleigh Blog in August 2008 and has created similar blogs across the state. He has recruited writers for these blogs so gluten-free information in those communities can be shared. The blogs contain restaurant and grocery store reviews, summaries of national news as well as highlight local companies that cater to the gluten-free community. Becker is an advocate for those living with Celiac Disease in the Triangle and donates his time to educate the newly diagnosed, local restaurants and government leaders on this condition.


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The UK is on fire, and ladies are to blame. Or, to be slightly more precise, essential oils in linens washed at low temperatures have caused a "spate" of house fires around Britain, according to the Telegraph.
They ominously report that "women buying fashionable essential oil burners are being blamed for a growing number of house fires, authorities have warned." The number of these house fires: About half a dozen. The scourge is also happening in places where women have been known to haunt: beauty salons. Laundromats. Homes!
The Telegraph blames all this on an unquantified "sharp increase" in the sales of scented oils, by lavender-crazed women who don't care what sort of destruction their girlish recklessness leaves in their wake.
However, this is always good to know: "When the wash has been at 40 degrees [Celsius] or above, the oil residue is more likely to be safely broken down by the washing detergents."
Women Buying Essential Oils Blamed For Rise In House Fires [Telegraph]


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Nicki Minaj - Grammys with The Pope!
Nicki Minaj wears a red nun's habit and walks the red carpet with "The Pope" at the 2012 Grammy Awards held at Staples Center on Sunday (February 12) in Los Angeles.
The 29-year-old rapper caused quite the scene in the Versace ensemble.
PHOTOS: Check out the latest pics of Nicki Minaj
The 2012 Grammy Awards, hosted by LL Cool J, airs live TONIGHT at 8 p.m. on CBS!
WHAT DO YOU THINK of Nicki Minaj channeling Little Red Riding Rood – HOT or NOT?


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Love hasn't exactly been easy for Jessica Simpson over the years.
However, don't think that a few failed Hollywood romances here and there have deterred her from the main goal in her private life.
"By 10 years, I would love to be a mom," Jessica said in a new interview with FoxNews.com's Pop Tarts column. "I would just love to be in love and be a mom. It sounds simple, but it's a lot harder [than you think]. I'm pretty picky."
The 29-year-old blonde bombshell – who debuted her new VH1 reality series, "The Price of Beauty," in March – admitted there is one thing she'd never do to land a man: change who she is.
"It's important for women not to find their confidence in a man. I think you really have to know who you are before you can truly fall in love and give your all, and I don't think a man can define you. You have to own that," she added. "So if you're ever with anyone who says you should change something about yourself then they should never fall in love with you in the first place."
As far as her own personal "Price of Beauty" adventure, Jessica said she wanted to showcase how beauty is perceived on a global level, while not only shattering superficial stereotypes, but also helping herself heal from a myriad of tabloid attacks targeted at her appearance.
"I personally needed it for myself after going through all the scrutiny I went through for gaining a couple of pounds. It was really hard on me and I felt I needed to find some light in the very dark place I was in," Jessica continued. "I realized that people's judgments about me and about my weight are really just none of my business, it's not something I should be listening to or taking to heart. People can say whatever they want to say and I cannot take it personally. I know it's the business I am in and I put myself in a position to be criticized, but I've found something that will help me deal."
While much has been made about various parts of the pop star's physique over the years, for Jessica, there's one particular feature she likes best about herself.
"I like my nose, that's my favorite body part," she revealed. "I do have a bump, but I like my profile - I don't think anyone else has my exact same nose, I think it's unique and a little flawed."
Related Content from AccessHollywood.com:
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Hollywood's Hottest Moms & Their Loveable Little Ones
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Hollywood Blondes
PLAY IT NOW: Access Extended: Jessica Simpson On Her Mom Jeans Incident: 'I Was Very Hurt'
PLAY IT NOW: Is Jessica Simpson Ready To Be A Mom?
MORE ACCESS ON THESE TOPICS: Jessica Simpson - Parenthood - Style - Music - TV


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Ryan Parsell and Curtis Hubbard: They look alike, but do they think alike?
I did a doubletake when I walked into the El Paso County Clerk and Recorder's Office today and met spokesman Ryan Parsell for the first time.
The guy looks like Curtis Hubbard, my first boss at The Denver Post, who made it over the wall and now is working for a political consulting firm.
When I mentioned that, one bystander who knew Hubbard said the two could be twin brothers. (No, just brothers, who are both 6-foot-3 and have the same build.)
Parsell said before he grew the beard people thought he looked like Ryan Call, chairman of the Colorado Republican Party.
The clerk and recorder's office is handling the recall election of Senate President John Morse, a Colorado Springs Democrat.


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What to watch for as spring games start
Don't trust Spring Training. It can deceive you, give you false hope, crush your dreams.
In the end, though, it doesn't mean all that much. Spring Training is over in the blink of an eye, and no matter what happens, there's a long, tough grind ahead. One of the beauties of a baseball season is that eventually every weakness is exposed. No one tricks 'em for six months.
Don't trust Spring Training. It can deceive you, give you false hope, crush your dreams.
In the end, though, it doesn't mean all that much. Spring Training is over in the blink of an eye, and no matter what happens, there's a long, tough grind ahead. One of the beauties of a baseball season is that eventually every weakness is exposed. No one tricks 'em for six months.
We pause now for a story about that. Long, long ago, the Baltimore Orioles had a hotshot kid named Cal Ripken Jr., who would grace our game with his dignity and production and work ethic for 21 seasons.
Back in those early days, in 1981 and '82, Ripken was just another kid trying to impress someone. Thirty-three years later, he can look back and have a good laugh at this story. At the time, it wasn't such a knee-slapper.
Anyway, in those first springs with the big league club, Ripken got sent up to hit off Yankees ace Ron Guidry. If the kid could hit a couple hard ones off Gator, that would be a good indicator.
And Ripken did just that. In fact, he hit some rockets off Guidry. He remembers coming back to the dugout one day thinking something like, "Guidry ain't so tough." I'm paraphrasing here just to be safe.
Ripken faced Guidry again a few weeks later, during the regular season, and something changed. When the regular season began, Guidry exited his spring mode and turned back into one of baseball's best.
"That slider," Ripken recalled years later, "I didn't see THAT in Spring Training."
Ripken's experience with Guidry became example No. 3,213 that Spring Training results frequently aren't what they seem.
On the other hand, there are decisions to be made, and Spring Training counts for something. In some cases, decisions have to be made based on what clubs see during Spring Training because it's the best and most immediate information they have.
Six months from now, those decisions still could look smart even if the player is having a tough time of it. And all around Florida and Arizona, teams are anxious to get a look at their guys and begin trying to figure out what they have, or don't have.
Because we love this stuff, because we'll be forever captivated by the kid who hustles his way onto the roster in Spring Training, here are 10 things clubs are looking closely at over the next few weeks:
1. Derek Jeter, CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira, Michael Pineda, David Robertson.
Yes, the Yankees have a couple of issues. Even after all the spending, the Yanks still have huge question marks. Though if things work out a certain way, they're good enough to win their 28th World Series.
This spring will offer a glimpse into the direction the Yankees are headed in 2014. Remember, though, it's no more than a glimpse. If there's real trouble between now and Opening Day, the Yanks are in real trouble.
More likely, we won't really know what Jeter, Sabathia, etc., are capable of for months as the season rolls on. Jeter, Sabathia, Teixeira and Pineda are recovering from injuries, so Spring Training will offer plenty of insight into whether they're capable of going out and being productive. But the larger answers will come a day at a time.
As for Robertson, nothing that happens in Spring Training is likely to reveal how good a big league closer he's going to be. He has passed every test in his career and earned the opportunity to see if he can follow the greatest closer of all time, Mariano Rivera.
2. Billy Hamilton.
Hamilton has the potential to be one of the most exciting players in baseball, and all the Reds are looking for in Spring Training is a progress report. If he's not overmatched, he'll be their center fielder on Opening Day. They'd like to see Hamilton hit the ball on the ground, bunt some and look comfortable in Spring Training. In other words, they'd just like to see a few basics while understanding that substantive answers are weeks away.
3. Tim Lincecum, Ryan Vogelsong.
It seems pretty simple for the Giants. If Lincecum and Vogelsong are good, then San Francisco might just win its third World Series in five seasons. The Giants feel really good about every other area of their club, including the first three spots in the rotation (Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner, Tim Hudson), and if Lincecum and Vogelsong are as good as they've been in the past, this club could be in business.
4. Jackie Bradley Jr., Will Middlebrooks.
The Red Sox feel so good about rookie shortstop Xander Bogaerts that it doesn't even feel like he's a big question mark. Yes, he may be that good.
As for Bradley, he brings terrific Minor League credentials, and he is going to be given every opportunity to replace Jacoby Ellsbury in center. This is about as good a situation as a kid can have because of the clubhouse leadership that will assist him, a manager in John Farrell who will put him in position to succeed and the overall strength of the club.
With Middlebrooks, it's important to remember he has had only 615 Major League at-bats. During that time, there have been moments he looked very, very good, and other moments when he struggled. That's to be expected, and plenty of scouts believe Middlebrooks is going to have a big-time breakout season.
5. Josh Hamilton, Albert Pujols.
Once upon a time, Pujols and Hamilton might have been the two best offensive players on the planet -- at least among men not named Miguel Cabrera. Now, the Angels have no idea what they can expect of them.
Pujols appears to be healthy and confident after a couple of tough seasons with the Angels. Here's betting he has a monstrous season if his legs allow him. As for Hamilton, he has gained 30 pounds after enduring his worst big league season, and he believes he can be the player he was when he averaged 28 home runs a year and batted .305 during five seasons with the Rangers. If Hamilton, Pujols and Mike Trout are what plenty of us think they'll be, the Halos have a chance to be in the mix in September.
6. Neftali Feliz, Alexi Ogando.
With Matt Harrison and Derek Holland both sidelined, the Rangers' pitching depth suddenly looks extremely vulnerable. Ogando has never thrown more than 169 innings in a season, but his pure stuff is as good as anyone in baseball. If he's healthy, he would add a third quality arm behind Yu Darvish and Martin Perez.
The Rangers still have quality arms stacked on their roster, but the options are thinning by the day. When closer Joe Nathan signed with the Tigers, Texas believed Feliz was a more than capable closer. He saved 72 games on the back-to-back American League champions in 2010 and '11, but he has pitched in just 14 games in two years since. If Feliz is healthy, the Rangers have one area taken care of.
7. Ryan Howard.
Everything Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. has done is based on his belief that the band has another good tour left in it. On top of that list is Howard, who was once one of baseball's most feared hitters. He has played 151 games the past two seasons, and has mostly been overmatched by left-handed pitching. If the Phils can get a big season from Howard, they've got a chance to contend.
8. Ryan Braun.
Braun has said all the right things in his renaissance tour, and the Brewers have surrounded him with a club that seems capable of getting to the postseason. What Braun must do is prove that he can still be an All-Star caliber player without performance-enhancing substances. He's just 30 years old and has plenty of time to write a different ending to his career. Is there any better way than Braun again throwing MVP numbers on the board and leading the Brewers back to October?
9. B.J. Upton.
The Braves are again deep and talented, and they can probably get to October regardless of what they get from Upton, who hit just .184 in 2013 and looked lost at the plate at times. But he has a different kind of track record. During his Tampa Bay years, the Rays played their best baseball when Upton was very good. He was the type of player capable of carrying an entire club. If that Upton re-emerges in 2014, the Braves will definitely be playing in October.
10. Wandy Rodriguez.
The Pirates said their goodbyes to A.J. Burnett, but their rotation could still be excellent, especially if the 35-year-old Rodriguez recovers from a left forearm injury that sidelined him the final four months of last season. The southpaw had a 3.47 ERA in his first 11 starts before the injury. In six seasons before 2014, he averaged 31 starts, 186 innings and a 3.66 ERA. The Bucs have other question marks, especially in their search for a right-handed bat, but Rodriguez could elevate a good rotation into an excellent one.
Richard Justice is a columnist for MLB.com. Read his blog, Justice4U.


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Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi will take her seat in parliament for the first time on April 23, her party said on Monday, following her milestone election to political office.
The veteran dissident's National League for Democracy (NLD), which won 43 seats in April 1 by-elections, will be the main opposition force in a national parliament dominated by the military and its political allies.
Suu Kyi's election to political office marks the latest sweeping change in the country formerly known as Burma after decades of outright military rule ended last year.
The pro-democracy leader spent 15 of the past 22 years locked up by the former junta and was released in late 2010 just days after a controversial election won by the military's political proxies.
Myanmar's quasi-civilian government has announced a surprising series of reforms over the past year, such as releasing hundreds of political prisoners and welcoming the opposition back into mainstream politics.
The NLD won 37 seats in the 440-seat lower house in this month's polls, along with four in the upper house and two in the regional chambers.
One quarter of the seats are reserved for unelected military officials.
The NLD swept to a landslide election victory in 1990, when Suu Kyi was in detention, but the junta never recognised the result.
Congrats to Aung San Suu Kyi!!
Source AFP


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It's not clear what the cause is, but things are really heading lower now.
Japan is off 0.8%.
Korea is off 1.2%.
Shanghai is down 1.0%.
ORIGINAL POST: It's been a quiet weekend, and markets starting lower in Asia, though not by much.
The Chinese open will be interesting (in light of fresh territorial tensions and the Foxconn riots) but for now, Korea and Japan are both down in the order of 0.2-0.3%.
Here's the Nikkei:


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Using QEMU with MokoMakefile
From Openmoko
MokoMakefile has support for automatically building, flashing, and running OpenMoko under QEMU using qemu-neo1973, a fork of qemu which adds simulation of almost all Neo1973 devices in order allow testing OpenMoko images in a virtual environment.
For this, it's not required to download and run a complete OpenMoko mbuild (which takes several hours to even days and needs lots of disk space and RAM), because if you only need to test pre-compiled images, it is enough to build qemu-neu1973 and to set it up to run these images. This is what this article deals with and to describe how MokoMakefile makes this easy.
Note: The talk page of MokoMakefile may also contain some valuable hints regarding compiling and using QEMU for OpenMoko, including distribution specific issues and workarounds.
Installation of qemu build requisites
- gcc 3.4 or 3.3: You need gcc-3.x for building qemu. If you have no precompiled gcc-3.x packages, you need to compile it. [1]
- lynx
- netpbm
- SDL-devel
- mkdosfs (from dosfstools)
Debian 4.0 and Ubuntu 7.04
sudo apt-get install gcc-3.4 lynx netpbm libsdl1.2-dev dosfstools
SUSE Linux / openSUSE
get gcc33 and cpp33 for SUSE Linux 10.1, openSUSE 10.2 and openSUSE Factory and install both rpms at once using:
rpm -Uhv cpp33-*.rpm gcc33-*.rpm
Install the packages
SDL-devel and
dosfstools e.g. using
apt, or
On 10.1 and 10.2, apply the workaround for qemu-neu1973 USB compilation.
Compilation and use
Create a new directory and download the Moko Makefile to it:
mkdir openmoko cd openmoko wget http://www.rwhitby.net/files/openmoko/Makefile
"make qemu" will build qemu-neo1973, download the latest official OpenMoko images, flash the images into the virtual NAND flash, create an empty virtual SD card, and run the emulator (you still need to install the makefile as mentioned above, however).
make run-qemu- restarts qemu with the currently flashed OpenMoko images and current virtual SD card.
make run-qemu-snapshot- does the same but starts qemu with -snapshot which causes QEMU to write all changes to temporary files instead of flash and disk image files.
This has the benefit that the virtual neu1973 is not changed, but that also all changes
make run-qemu-snapshotin parallel without creating incoherent flash and SD card state as it would occur when one (or even more) instances would update disk or flash images while other instances do not expect this to happen underneath. You can however force the write back by pressing
C-a sin the QEMU window which may be useful to update the flash and disk images in the last qemu instance which is running to preserve the changes, after all other instances are terminated.
You may also use:
make download-images- to download the latest official images
make flash-qemu-official- to flash those images
make flash-qemu-local- to flash your latest locally built images, which can then be followed by
make qemu-copy-package-foo- copies
foo.ipkto the virtual SD card, which allows you to use
ipkg install /media/mmcblk0/fileinside the running OpenMoko to install the package.
If you want to calibrate your screen, look at [2]
For detailed information on advanced usage of qemu-neo1973 see also: OpenMoko under QEMU


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Man sentenced to 5 1/2 years in NY for conspiring to sell cocaine to supposed Taliban reps
NEW YORK – A man who admits taking part in a plan to sell drugs to people who purported to represent the Taliban has been sentenced in New York.
Prosecutors say Francis Sourou Ahissou (SOW'-row aw-HEE'-sow) was sentenced Wednesday in Manhattan federal court to five and a half years in prison. In May he pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to import narcotics into the U.S.
The 48-year-old is a citizen of Togo, in West Africa. He was arrested in February 2011 in Liberia.
U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara (buh-RAH'-ruh) says the man and others agreed in 2010 to sell multiple kilograms of cocaine to confidential informants for the Drug Enforcement Administration who purported to work for the Taliban. The cocaine was to be imported into the U.S. and resold.
The man's attorney hasn't responded to a request for comment.


text:
Explore New Zealand on your own terms with our Explore packages. Our team will design and implement your ideal Kiwi experience tailored to your specific needs inclusive of all tour services.
We specialize in providing experiences that reflect the specific requirements of Chinese tourists to New Zealand. We are the one point of contact you need from the moment you land to the moment you leave with a smile on your face. Zozo staff will provide unparalleled service to help create that unique once in a lifetime story to share with your friends and family forever.
Available tour services include Mandarin-speaking Tour Guides to accompany the group for the duration of the trip and share their local knowledge, your choice of vehicle to match any budget and preference and a concierge service to act as your one point of contact for accommodation, entertainment, shopping and restaurant requirements.
Adresse postale
Explore, 6 Colson Street, Wellington, Lower Hutt, Wellington, 5012, New Zealand.
Aide langue
|Chinese (Simplified)