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Spy Girl: Books 1-3
- $14.99
- $14.99
Publisher Description
From USA Today bestselling author Jillian Dodd comes the first three books in a sizzling series filled with action and adventure. Fans of The Selection and The Hunger Games will discover a heart-pounding thrill ride of espionage and suspense set in glittering high society.
An eighteen-year-old covert agent is pulled out of training before graduation by Black X, a espionage group so secret even the President of the United States doesn't know it exists.
For her first mission, she must go undercover as the long-lost daughter of a recently deceased billionaire, infiltrate high society, and protect the Prince of Montrovia from assassination.
But Prince Lorenzo is known as the Playboy Prince for a reason and his sensuality and charisma add a whole other level of complication to her mission.
She knows that her every move is being watched, but what she doesn't know is that the Prince is just a chess piece in a bigger game that will have world-wide ramifications. And that Blackwood Academy, the place she has called home for the past six years, has secrets of its own.
Praise for the Spy Girl series:
"With a kickass heroine and intrigue, this page turner will have you spellbound and drooling over your new book boyfriend." - H.M Ward, New York Times Bestselling Author
"The Spy Girl series is an intrigue filled, exciting ride through a world you'll wish you were part of and want to know more about!" - J. Sterling, New York Times Bestselling Author
"Spy girl was fun and fabulous! Jillian Dodd had me turning the pages as I was taken on an action-packed ride filled with mystery and secrets, not to mention a super sexy cast I fell head over heels for. I loved every second!" – A.L. Jackson, NYT & USA Today Bestselling Author
"Spy girl is 007 meets Gossip Girl level decadence, charm, and badass! 5+ stars!" - KA Linde, USA Today Bestselling Author
"X to me was a younger version of a kick ass Angelina Jolie that had all the moves to back up her reputation as being the best. With gadgets and gizmo's aplenty this book will appeal to the spy in all of us and brings together a fun, flirty, thrilling read." – The Romance Cover
"This series will keep you on the edge of your seat throughout, never knowing what new twist or secret will be revealed. It's the type of book that pulls you in, has you becoming heavily involved in the story and characters, trying to figure out the clues of what has happened or what may happen, and leaves you with wanting and needing more." - Author Groupies
"This is a fast paced, exciting series, full of suspense and riddled with clues that I am trying to figure out as I go." - Reading is my Bliss
"Every book I get in this series I end up reading in one sitting because I can't put it down." - The Smutbrarians
"I can feel myself getting more and more addicted the further in the series I go. Jillian Dodd really has a knack for creating these crazy worlds full of characters who you cannot help but love, but what makes this series unique is the mystery surrounding Agent X, better known as Huntley." - Romance Rewind
"And then just when I least expected it - BOOM I got slapped with an epic, 'holy s**t' cliffhanger!" - Jo at Reading is my Bliss
"Jillian Dodd weaves a fascinating tale while perfectly balancing it with humor, great dialogue and her fun and flirty persona that is prevalent throughout." - The Romance Cover
"If you love drama, mystery, fun, and a strong, self-sufficient bad ass female lead in a book, this one is for you! We are certainly hooked." - Romance Rewind Blog
"My favorite read of 2016 thus far. It is refreshingly different from anything I've ever read. Packed with action, intrigue, and romance, this book has everything you could ever want and more." -Krista Arnold
"This was a fast moving and lively storyline based around secret organizations, spies, assassins and espionage. Spy Girl is like a cross between Nikita and James Bond." - Jezabell Girls and Friends
"Fashion, humor, wit and fantastic banter are prevalent throughout and really cement this as a YA read. Bring on mission 3!!!" - Romance Cover
"Jillian always manages to write the most perfect book boyfriends for us to swoon over. Seriously!?! She leaves us arguing with one another about which one our main character should choose." - Venus at Bookalicious Babes Blog
"There are so many moving parts that it keeps you on your toes throughout the book and just when you think you have it figured out WHAM! You are blinded side by something else." - Joy at Novel Thoughts
"I love Huntley! She's Sydney Bristow, Veronica Mars, and Nancy Drew all rolled into one, with some saucy romance thrown in. Jillian Dodd is masterful in telling this story." - Sasha Says
"My mind is blown by the ending!I can't wait for the next book. 5 stars." - Smashly Bookalicous Reviewing Chicks.
Customer ReviewsSee All
Spy Girl
This is the first 3 books of the Spy Girl series. The story is full of suspense, auction, and some romance. It takes you along on the ride with Huntley. The story is so well written it makes you feel what the characters are going through. You will laugh, cry, and cheer for her to succeed in her missions. I can't wait to see what happens next.


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Marianne Binetti
Binetti: Enjoy the flowers — and then get to work
Early spring means dwarf daffodils, crocus, hellebores, forsythia and even some flowering plum trees are edging onto the stage as the big show of petal-performers unfolds.
Take a moment to take in this budding introduction, then get to work on early spring garden chores.
Cut back ornamental grasses that have browned and dried over the winter.
If you chop these dormant grasses to the ground now before they sprout, you won't have to worry about disturbing the fresh new growth later on.
While you are out there cleaning up, be sure to rake away any faded hosta foliage before the slug eggs hatch. Start raking the debris and loose grass from your lawn and get your mowing machine tuned up and sharpened — soon you'll be ready to mow.
A few reader questions:
Question: I love to eat fresh asparagus. How easy is this vegetable to grow here? I have done well with other vegetables in my raised bed garden beds. — M., Olympia
Answer: Be patient and you'll be harvesting your own asparagus in two or three years.
Asparagus is a perennial, which means it will return year after year unlike most vegetables that are annuals and need replanting each spring.
February is the time to buy asparagus roots from a garden center or nursery. This crop prefers full sun but will adapt to part sun as long as you make sure the soil is fertile and well drained.
Your raised beds will be ideal. First layer the top of your soil with at least six inches of compost and work this into the top 24 inches of soil.
Next, dig a ditch 18 inches deep and lay the brown roots called "asparagus crowns" into the bottom of this trench spacing them two feet apart. Cover the roots with four inches of soil and wait a month.
When you see green shoots emerging, add more soil and then continue adding soil as the shoots grow taller. Once the trench is filled, add a mulch and keep the asparagus bed weeded — asparagus is one plant that hates competition. You won't be able to harvest the new shoots of asparagus this year but your second spring will provide the first of many future harvests. Asparagus is easy to grow when you keep the area weed free and well-mulched.
Q: I bought some primroses from the grocery store. Planted them into the ground and now they have almost disappeared. First the flowers went and now the leaves are disappearing. What is eating them? T.Y., Puyallup
A. My best guess is that those primrose thieves are slimy slugs. Look for traces of slime and scalloped bite marks on the leaves and any flower petals.
Primroses with bright colors and large blooms are the common polyantha varieties that slugs love. The more expensive English type primroses have smaller but more slug-resistant blooms and foliage. You find these hardier English primroses at nurseries rather than grocery stores.
A pet-safe slug bait such as "Worry Free" will protect not just primroses but any plant with tender spring growth. Baiting now will help control future generations of slugs in your garden. A practical way to enjoy the early-blooming and inexpensive primroses is to leave them in their plastic nursery pots and display them in porch or patio pots using moss or bark chips to hide the plastic containers. Then you can transplant these spring bloomers into the garden when the summer annuals become available in May.binettigarden.com

subset: commoncrawl


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How to Clean and Repair SNES games
How to Video for Cleaning a Super Nintendo Game
The video above shows exactly how to restore, fix, and clean a Super Nintendo Game. It is great for removing stickers, writing on the game, or dirty connectors. Dirty connectors is the cause of most games not playing in your Super Nintendo Console. Following these directions will fix 99% of the problems you have with a Super Nintendo game.
Supplies You Will NeedFor Cleaning the Game only
- Rubbing Alcohol
- Q-Tip
- All-Purpose Cleaner
- Magic Eraser (found at most grocery stores)
- Razor Blade
Step-by-Step Directions to Clean and Repair SNES gamesRestoring the Game
1. Spray any stickers with glass cleaner and wait a few minutes for the stickers to soften.
2. Using the razor blade and strarting at the corner of the sticker, scrape it off. It is easiest to pull off all the corners and then work on the middle.
3. Wet the Magic Eraser so it is damp, but not dripping. Rub it all over the game (avoiding the artwork on the front). This will remove writing on the game and the remaining sticker residue.
Cleaning the Game (If it won't play in your Super Nintendo)
4. Drip some rubbing alcohol onto a q-tip so one side is wet but not dripping.
5. Place the wet end of the q-tip inside the bottom of the game and press it up against the metal connector. Rub back and forth. Repeat this for the other side of the connector. The q-tip will most likely look dirty after use. This is a good sign.
After following these steps you Super Nintendo game should be working like new and look great too.


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November 5, 1954 - November 22, 2012
Middletown, NY
Barbara E. Reineke, 58, of Middletown died unexpectedly on Thursday, November 22 at O.R.M.C.
Visitation will be held on Friday, Nov. 30 from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. at Applebee-McPhillips Funeral Home, Inc. 130 Highland Ave., Middletown. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. on Saturday, December 1 at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, 90 Euclid Ave., Middletown, NY.
To honor her lifelong love of animals, memorial contributions in Barbara's name will benefit a memorial bench at the National Zoo, to make a donation please go to www.barbarareineke.com.


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- This event has passed.
Scott Moyer All-Genre Jam @ Barley Street Tavern
July 23 @ 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm
|Recurring Event (See all)
An event every week that begins at 7:00 pm on Tuesday, repeating until November 5, 2019
Open Jam every Tuesday
hosted by Scott Moyer
All genres. Come play!
7pm start. No Cover!


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A considerable volume of cross-country analysis has found no positive impact on economic growth from more government spending. Many studies (see here and here, for example) find that government spending actually hurts growth. A recent study by The Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal of economic recovery following the 2008 financial crisis has also found countries with bigger governments growing more slowly.
Would such adverse effects of spending on growth also be the case in our 50 states? An empirical study published in the journal Public Choice reported evidence that states with larger public sectors tend to have lower economic growth rates. Furthermore, the study found that the negative impact of government spending on growth is considerably larger at the margin. A quick analysis of more recent years' economic data for the 50 states validates these findings.
As shown in the chart, on average, states that spent a higher portion of their economy on government programs over the last decade had lower rates of economic growth.
Reining in mounting government spending was a central theme in last November's election. It's quite clear that spending restraint is important both nationally and at the state level. A little healthy competition in cutting budgets among our 50 states may be some of the best medicine for restoring the overall health of our economy.


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Klayman: 'We hit the mother lode'
Larry Klayman's long journey in the legal wilderness appears to be over.
Klayman, the conservative legal activist well-known in Washington political circles a decade ago for his no-holds-barred court battles against the Clinton administration, was thrust back into the spotlight Monday after he obtained the first major ruling from a federal judge that the National Security Agency's surveillance program was constitutionally flawed.
Story Continued Below
"We hit the mother lode," an elated Klayman said Monday, indulging in some of the hyperbole he became known for during his 1990s crusades. "It was the biggest decision in the context of the government in my lifetime. This is the most outrageous invasion of constitutional rights I've seen in my life."
In recent years, the once-prominent Klayman has been associated with a series of causes at the fringe of the conservative movement, arguing that President Barack Obama is a closet Muslim and likely was born in Kenya. The legal gadfly has also struggled personally, drawing a public reprimand by the Florida Bar for his slowness in repaying a client after declaring himself flat broke just three years ago.
( Also on POLITICO: Judge: NSA phone program likely unconstitutional)
However, in winning the ruling Monday from U.S. District Court Judge Richard Leon in Washington, the eccentric Klayman and his often comically shoestring conservative organization Freedom Watch effectively beat to the punch — and the headlines — a slew of better known civil liberties groups who have spent years fighting the NSA's surveillance efforts.
"You got to keep punching. You never give up," Klayman said when asked about the string of defeats he suffered before connecting on Monday.
NSA surveillance efforts have been the target of litigation for years, well before details of the operations of the programs became public and long before Klayman jumped into the legal fray over the issue.
( Also on POLITICO: NSA ruling fallout hits White House)
A lawsuit the American Civil Liberties Union filed on behalf of Amnesty International and others in 2008 made it all the way to the Supreme Court last year, but was thrown out in February in a 5-4 decision that found the plaintiffs lacked adequate proof their communications had been tracked or monitored by the government.
Former NSA contractor Edward Snowden changed that landscape a few months later by leaking a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court document confirming that Verizon was ordered to turn over to the government a huge volume of so-called metadata on calls placed through its network.
That leak, which appeared via the Guardian newspaper of Britain on June 5, sent NSA critics back to court.
On June 11, the ACLU — a Verizon customer — filed a lawsuit in Manhattan on the group's own behalf.
( Also on POLITICO: NSA ruling wins cheers on Hill)
On July 16, the Electronic Frontier Foundation filed suit in San Francisco on behalf of an agglomeration of groups, including anti-drug and gun rights organizations, as well as Greenpeace and Unitarian church groups.
But the indefatigable Klayman had already won the race to the courthouse. On June 6, just a day after the Guardian report, Klayman filed suit in Washington on his own behalf and on behalf of two clients — Charles and Mary Ann Strange, parents of a Navy cryptologist killed with a SEAL team in a disastrous helicopter crash in Afghanistan in 2011.
The suit led to a Nov. 18 hearing in front of Leon. Some reporters showed up expecting a perfunctory court session peppered with some outlandish claims by the always-colorful Klayman. Indeed, there were plenty of those.
( PHOTOS: NSA spying: 15 great quotes)
Klayman said he and Charles Strange were being targeted by the government because of their claims relating to Strange's son Michael's death, which include a complaint that a Muslim imam cursed the dead SEAL team members during a ceremony at Dover Air Force Base.
"My colleagues have received text messages I never sent," Klayman told the judge. "I think they're messing with me," he said, referring to the government.
Klayman implored the judge to rule against the NSA program not only on legal grounds but to avert what the conservative gadfly said was a violent revolution on the verge of breaking out due to the federal government's unbridled use of power.
"We live in an Orwellian state," Klayman said, warning that citizens angry about surveillance were about to "rise up."
( Also on POLITICO: NSA probe: Snowden can still do damage)
If litigation fails, "the only alternative is for people to take matters into their own hands," he told Leon.
At another point, Klayman said he understood Snowden's reluctance to return to the United States — the former contractor, he said, was likely to be killed if he came back.
Leon didn't speak about a revolution in his ruling Monday, but he may have echoed Klayman at one juncture by calling the NSA's technological capabilities "almost-Orwellian."
While Klayman's more provocative comments at the hearing prompted eye-rolling among some in the audience — and certainly differed from the way an ACLU lawyer would have presented the case — the conservative attorney did tick through the legal precedents.
( Also on POLITICO: Krauthammer: Snowden not vindicated)
And both the judge and the Justice Department seemed to take the case seriously, though Leon gave few signs he was mulling a major public blow to the surveillance effort. In fact, the judge spent much of the hearing suggesting he had no authority to step into the case.
Klayman emerged in the 1990s as a kind of conservative legal foil to the Clinton administration, filing a series of lawsuits through his group Judicial Watch over what he deemed corruption. The group's cases focused on issues like the White House's receipt of FBI background files on the previous administration's appointees and the role politics played in selecting participants in trade missions.


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The Hennessey Venom GT is no joke. ZR1 Engine. Up to 1,200 HP. Less than 2,400 Pounds. Better power-to-weight than a Bugatti Veyron. Lotus-derived chassis. $600K pricetag. It's so batshit crazy the sales price includes an "orientation" session.
The formula's roughly the same as when Carroll Shelby shoehorned American muscle into the heart of a British roadster, but this time the American muscle is an LS9 tuned to 725-1,200 HP and the British roadster is the tiny Elise. It's power-to-weight ratio is 0.302 in it's mildest trim, besting the 0.254 of a Bugatti Veyron.
Putting that power to the ground will be a Ricardo six-speed gearbox with a little help from programmable traction control and an adjustable suspension. Bringing the beast to a stop will be Brembo brakes: 6-piston calipers up front/4-piston calipers out back with 15-inch carbon ceramic rotors.
In order to make sure the car works as a complete package, John Hennessey told Jalopnik his staff has been running hundreds of miles on the car every day to make sure the Venom GT is a reliable tool for hunting Italian exotics.
And with just ten sold per year at a price starting around $600K, it'll be as rare as it is fast.


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Spain investigators: Train conductor was on phone
A high-speed train derailed on a curve Wednesday night in northwestern Spain. VPC
MADRID (AP) — Two "black box" data recorders show that a train driver was on the phone and traveling at 95 mph, almost twice the speed limit, when the vehicle derailed last week, killing 79 people, a Spanish court investigating the crash said in preliminary findings Tuesday.
The train had been going as fast as 119 mph shortly before the derailment, and the driver activated the brakes "seconds before the crash," according to a written statement from the court in Santiago de Compostela, which is near where the disaster happened. The speed limit on the section of track was 50-mph.
It was the country's worst rail accident in decades.
The driver, Francisco Jose Garzon Amo, was talking on the phone to an official of national rail company Renfe when the crash happened and apparently was consulting a paper document at the time, the statement said. Garzon was provisionally charged Sunday with multiple counts of negligent homicide.
Investigators from the Santiago de Compostela court, forensic police experts, the Ministry of Transport and Renfe examined the contents of the two black boxes recovered from the wrecked train. The investigation is ongoing.
The train was carrying 218 passengers when it hurtled off the tracks last Wednesday evening. It slammed into a concrete wall, with some of the cars catching fire. The Spanish rail agency has said the brakes should have been applied 2.5 miles before the train hit the curve.
Dozens of passengers are still being treated for injuries.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Weekend long reads
This is an experimental new feature — every weekend, links to some long articles and essays worth reading. Some of these articles may be behind subscription walls.
1. Sinai: The Buffer Erodes
Nic Pelham writes for Chatham House on the deterioration of security in Sinai:
For over 30 years, the Sinai peninsula has served as a near-empty territory cushioning the geopolitical aspirations of Egypt, Israel and the Palestinians. With the changes brought about in Egypt by President Hosni Mubarak's fall from power in 2011, that buffer is in doubt. The state security apparatus that underpinned the Egyptian regime collapsed, creating a vacuum that the territory's sparse Bedouin population quickly filled with coping mechanisms of its own. Captivated by the prospect of acquiring power, local irregulars reacted fiercely to the regime's efforts to regain control over its periphery, culminating in the August 2012 operation that targeted an Egyptian base, killing 16 soldiers, and perforated Israel's border defences at the intersection of its border with Egypt and Gaza. Security officials, police stations, government buildings and Cairo-based institutions have all come under attack. In the eyes of its neighbours, Egypt is losing its grip over Sinai, transforming the peninsula into a theatre for the region's competing new forces.
2. The Politics of Security Sector Reform in Egypt
Dan Brumberg and Hesham Sallam, in a report for USIP:
The most pressing priorities for SSR in Egypt entail disengaging military institutions from political and economic activities that are not relevant to their mission of national defense and subjecting these institutions to meaningful oversight by elected civilian bodies, and transforming the police establishment from a coercive apparatus into an accountable, politi- cally neutral organization that upholds the rule of law and protects human rights. These challenges may seem conceptually distinct, but they are interrelated in a broader politi- cal context, in which the military establishment and other entrenched bureaucracies are attempting to limit the scope of institutional reform. Military interest in attenuating civilian control in a post-Mubarak Egypt seems to have deepened its reliance on the coercive capac- ity of the ministry of interior, which has taken the lead in suppressing popular mobilization. Civilian security forces, sometimes in coordination with the military, repeatedly used deadly force in confrontations with protesters calling for ending SCAF's rule. The intertwining of institutional interests between the military and the police impedes SSR.
On a related note, see this NYT piece by Kareem Fahim on the issue of police reform, and this report by the One World Foundation on the same topic.
3. The Revenge of the East?
David Shulman asks some tough questions on Pankaj Mishra's much-praised book From The Ruins of Empire [Amazon US, UK], on Rabindranath Tragore, Jamal al-Din al-Afghani and Ling Qichao the intellectual roots of "Eastern revival":
Are these men, then, among the major "intellectuals who remade Asia"? One thing is clear: all three are fully modern figures, their consciousness shaped primarily by the terms of the modernist crisis and debate. But can we even speak of a broad "Asian" response to the West and the newfangled technologies and concomitant power equations that the West brought to the East—"printing presses, steamships, railways and machine guns," as Mishra lists them? Living in Jerusalem and traveling often to India, I find it hard to think of Asia as a cultural unit with any integrity. There is, however, one experience that was indeed shared by the Islamic world, India, China, and Japan in the nineteenth century—that of predatory intrusion and sustained economic violation by the Western powers. The forms this intrusion took varied from place to place, but its traumatic effects were common to all the great Asian states and cultures.
4. Indecision as Strategy
Adam Shatz reviews Israeli historian Avi Raz's The Bride and the Dowry [Amazon US, UK], a book about post-1967 Israeli strategy in the Israel-Arab conflict which uses new material to argue that "Israel's postwar diplomacy was deliberately ineffective because its leaders preferred land over peace with its neighbors":
The story of Israeli policy in the late 1960s has been told before, by Tom Segev and Gershom Gorenberg among others. But no one has provided as thorough – or as damning – an account as Avi Raz, a former reporter for Ma'ariv who has read every pertinent document in every available archive, in Hebrew, Arabic and English. The Bride and the Dowry is a work of meticulous scholarship, but it is also an angry book, burning with the sort of righteous (and sometimes repetitious) indignation to which native sons are particularly susceptible. It covers only the first 21 months after the 1967 war, but it tells us everything we need to know about Israeli policy during this 'critical and formative phase' of the occupation. It also sheds considerable light on Israeli diplomacy today: its resistance to a deal that would allow for genuine Palestinian sovereignty; its belief that the Americans will always come to Israel's defence, however much they privately object to land grabs; and its use of protracted negotiations as a means of buying time. Raz's book is about the conquest of time as much as it is about the conquest of territory: the fruitless peace processing of the last two decades is only the latest chapter of his story.
5. Why India's Newspaper Industry Is Thriving
Ken Auletta writes a fascinating essay on the state of Indian publishing and its advertising-driven editorial practices, with many lessons applicable to developing countries:
While profits have been declining at newspapers in the West, India is one of the few places on earth where newspapers still thrive; in fact, circulation and advertising are rising. In part, this is because many Indian newspapers, following an approach pioneered by the Jain brothers, have been dismantling the wall between the newsroom and the sales department. At the Times of India, for example, celebrities and advertisers pay the paper to have its reporters write advertorials about their brands in its supplementary sections; the newspaper enters into private-treaty agreements with some advertisers, accepting equity in the advertisers' firms as partial payment. These innovations have boosted the paper's profits, and are slowly permeating the Indian newspaper industry.


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Only one week until BlizzCon!
Last time I mostly hung out with my guildies in the hotel pool bar, so I didn't get to meet too many other people, and this year I hope the change that. On Thursday I'll definitely go to the Wowhead/WoWInsider party at the Annabella Hotel. Last time didn't get there until really late and pretty much missed the whole party. Hopefully I get to meet a lot of people there.
There's also going to be a joint Apotheosis/TiB/Team Wafflecast meetup at the Meeting Stone in the convention centre on Friday at 4pm. If you're a druid-lover or just want to come say hi to me, Arielle, Tinder, Reesi, Sara, Kal or any of the other Apotheosis folks coming to the Con, you should stop by! Apotheosis even got guild shirts to wear!
On Friday night, since I'm staying at the Hilton, I'll probably stop by the Convert to Raid Meetup, that looks like fun.
Are you going to BlizzCon? What are you most looking forward to?


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Mark Johnston, Brussels based expert consultant and former FOE EU officer comments that the British Government 'has still not submitted its state aid notifications to EU Commission for consideration and possible veto. For big, complex or controversial, state aid cases the Commission can take 2-3 years to decide, which takes the UK up to and beyond its next general election expected in 2015'
The 'negotiations' between the Government and EDF are going nowhere. Indeed they are fated to go nowhere because of the giant differences between what the Government (led by the Treasury) is politically able to offer EDF, and what EDF needs to justify to its shareholders to allow Hinkley C to go ahead. What appears to be happening now is a long winded attempt by both sides (Government and EDF) to enagage in public relations to demonstrate that it is not to blame for the failure to get the nuclear construction programme going.
For its part EDF and nuclear supporters are trying to minimise - in effect hide - the image of just how uneconomic new nuclear power stations actually are. The impression is currently being given that nuclear power needs a strike price of £100 per MWh and that such a figure is comparable to equivalent support that will be available to renewable energy. This is wrong.
The £100 per MWh figure that is said to be demanded by EDF is buttressed by two important extra capital cost subsidies that renewable energy does not receive. One is a demand for a 40 year contract, which has been discussed on this blog earlier. Another is the demand that the Government 'underwrite' nuclear costs, again something which has been discussed in earlier blog posts. Underwriting costs means that regardless of how long or how much it costs to build the nuclear stations, or how much energy they generate, the Government (that is the taxpayer) foots the bill. Under the Electricity Market Reform (EMR) proposals both nuclear and renewable energy will get guarantees about what will be paid for each unit produced, but this is not good enough for nuclear. In addition they need their costs to be guaranteed to be paid, regardless of what they generate. Renewables do not receive such underwriting guarantees. Of course the Government will not agree to 'underwriting', or, most likely, a 40 year contract, or (if it wants consent under EU state aid rules in the next 2 years), more than £80 per MWh for nuclear power.
In other words EDF wants, in effect, a much more privileged position compared to renewables. Without the 40 year contracts (and instead with say a 25 year contract) and without underwriting, EDF would in fact need something around £165 per MWh for Hinkley C to be economically viable - and even this assumes that cost estimates do not rise even further (see discussion on earlier posts about nuclear costs, eg 'Nuclear Power is more expensive than offshore wind').
Delays in getting state aid permission
Unfortunately the price for all of this political grandstanding is delay in submitting a 'state aid' request to the EU Commission needed to approve the Government's reform of the renewable energy incentives programme. The Government can, and should, submit a state aid application directly after the Energy Bill legislation is adopted - but even if the Bill is dealt with quickly, some reports suggest that the nuclear strike price negotiations will drag on, potentially delaying a state aid application.
Added to this are the problems that the UK Government would have in submitting an application that would give nuclear power more incentives than key renewable fuels, especially onshore wind. It may be that the Treasury is insisting on offering nuclear power no more than £80 per MWh precisely because this is the sort of level that needs to be offered to onshore wind. There are exemptions in state aid rules to allow incentives for renewable energy and for environmental purposes in general, but not for nuclear power. Hence any request to give incentives to nuclear power is bound to be contentious at an EU level. This is doubly so if the Government wants to give more incentives to nuclear power than important renewable generation technologies.
However, whatever the motivations behind Treasury thinking, the Government urgently needs to take two very important steps to save the UK renewables programme from collapse in the next 12 months (when EMR is supposed to be phased in).
First, it needs to decouple the application for renewable energy state aid from that of anything applying to nuclear power. The Government needs to apply separately to the EU Commission for 'state aid' consent to pay 'contracts for differences' feed-in tariffs to renewables. Such an application must not also apply to nuclear power. If it must apply for state aid for nuclear the Government should hand in a separate application for nuclear - although, why bother even on narrow economic grounds? If the two applications are rolled together the result is likely to be years of delay.
Second, the Government needs to extend the life of the Renewables Obligation (RO), and also defer the start and phase -in dates of the EMR implementation. If the application to the EU is going to take say, 3 years, then the RO needs to be extended to be phased in from a 2017 (not 2014) start, and the RO itself needs to be extended from its current end in 2037 to 2040.
If the Government does not urgently take forward both these options, including ensuring the availability of good power purchase agreements for independent renewable developers, then its 'decarbonisation' strategy becomes a gas carbonisation strategy instead.
The day after this blog post an article appeared in The Times about delays in getting permission for nuclear subsidies from the EU. See http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/business/industries/utilities/article3695520.ece
A summary of this blog also appears in 'Utility Week', see http://www.utilityweek.co.uk/


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There will be new online tools available for use once the campus moves to Blackboard 9.1 for spring quarter, 2012. One of those new tools will be SafeAssign which helps instructors prevent plagiarism by detecting unoriginal content in student papers. How it works is that an instructor sets up a SafeAssign assignment turn in area, and as students submit papers, they are automatically checked against the following databases:
- Internet – comprehensive index of documents available for public access on the Internet
- ProQuest ABI/Inform database – over 1,100 publication titles and about 2.6 million articles from '90s to present time, updated weekly
- Institutional document archives – consists of all papers submitted to SafeAssign by users in their respective institutions
- Global Reference Database – containing papers that were volunteered by students from Blackboard client institutions to help prevent cross-institutional plagiarism.
Once papers are turned in, instructors will get a report back within a couple of days on each paper. You can view a sample report to get an idea of what you can expect if you use SafeAssign. You can also view other anti-plagiarism resources on Learning Technologies' plagiarism web page.
As a reminder, all Blackboard courses with all of their content except for 2007-08 academic courses will be moved to Blackboard 9.1 starting Tuesday, March 20 at 6 PM. The 2007-08 courses will be archived (not deleted). You'll have access to a test version of Blackboard 9.1 starting February 16. Learning Technologies has created a video that highlights the changes. There are also UW Bothell web tutorials available, and Learning Technologies will provide training sessions later in the quarter.


text:
Download our Know Static Booklet:
With 3 x 10mm studs.
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RRP £8.49 Our price £7.05 £8.46 inc vat
Bondline can offer a comprehensive training facility, effective through personal involvement. This can be tailored to your requirements at your premises.
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text:
Smart Balance Blended Butter Sticks Taste Like Real Butter With Less Saturated Fat
Boulder Brands has introduced Smart Balance Blended Butter Sticks. Tasting like regular butter but with 28 percent less saturated fat, the product is made with real butter and Smart Balance Oil Blend. For extra heart healthfulness, the product is also enhanced with omega-3 fatty acids and plant sterols.
The Blended Butter Sticks have 0g of trans fatty acids and contain no hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils. They are sold in 8-oz. packages for $2.49-2.79.


text:
Open sesame!
Adam Lambert brought not just a new song, but also a new look to the 2013 Life Ball — and yes, it was scorching.
The Life Ball, which benefits Europe's HIV and AIDS causes, was held in Vienna, Austria at the Hofburg Palace. The fete had a '1,001 Nights' theme, and Lambert took it very seriously.
The 'Trespassing' chart topper rocked an Ali-Baba style turban and intricately decorated harem pants and shirt, while flanked by lots of shirtless "thieves" — 40 to be exact.
Lambert performed an original track, written by himself as well as Martin Gellner and Werner Stranka, of the Beat4Feet production team, just for the ball. The song was titled 'Love Wins Over Glamour.' But in his case, it really looks like a tie to us.


text:
Dr. Geoffrey Halberstadt, DDS
20 Continental Avenue
Forest Hills, NY 11375
Are You Ready for Braces or Invislign?
Book a free consultation appointment by calling our office or filling out the form below.
Affordable TreatmentWe offer a range of flexible payment plans to make your treatment as affordable as possible and we also accept all insurance providers
Our Queens Office LocationOur office is located on Continental Ave close to the Forest Hills train station with easy access to parking and public transportation
You're in Safe HandsDr. Halberstadt has thirty years of experience practicing orthodontics and he specializes in a wide range of orthodontic treatment
Dr. Halberstadt has been amazing throughout my two years with him. When I first met him, he was friendly and informative. I am very comfortable having conversations with him and asking questions. Coming into his office feels very welcoming. He made having braces bearable because I know that I will have perfect teeth. I have had the best experience with him, I am very grateful for that.
I just got my braces off, and my teeth look great. The staff is really friendly, and they always have cookies for me after my appointment!
I've been with Dr, Halberstadt for almost 7 years now. My teeth were somewhat crooked and my jaw was not aligned correctly. My case took a long time, but Dr. Halberstadt was able to correct both problems. If you need braces or invisalign, Dr. Halberstadt is a great orthodontist to go to.
Dr. Halberstadt is an amazing orthodontist!! I just got my braces off and I don't think Dr. Halberstadt could have given me a more perfect smile!! He is always very kind and friendly to all his patients! I would recommend him to anyone who needs an orthodontist!
I've been with Dr Halberstadt for 12 years now and I couldn't be happier with my experience at his office. My teeth were a mess when I first started but Dr Halberstadt has done a fantastic job. Saundra & Phylllis are angels; very nice, friendly and always smiling! I never thought that having straight teeth was possible, but Dr Halberstadt and his staff made it happen! I would recommend Dr Halberstadt to anyone who is looking for an orthodontist.
I am a very long time patient at Dr. Halberstadt's, he takes care of every one with individual care. Dr. Halberstadt will take care of your needs to make your teeth perfect. In addition his loving secretary will plan your next visit and his nurses are very experienced.
At Dr. Halberstadt's office, his staff provides a kind and welcoming environment. I also enjoy that the staff is bilingual to aid Spanish-speaking family members/patients. In addition, Dr. Halberstadt is a very fun and kind individual.
I've been a patient of Dr. Halberstadt for over two years now and I've enjoyed every visit! The staff shows great hospitality and kindness. Phyllis is EXTREMELY sweet, Sandra is a great helping hand and Doctor Halberstadt, the mastermind, does an amazing job on my teeth. I would like to thank you all for completing the hard task of making my teeth beautiful and for all the tedious work you all have put in. Thank You!
I LOVE Dr. Halberstadt! He never hurts me and is always giving me good advice on keeping my braces clean. My visits are quick and easy. I'm glad Dr. Halberstadt is my orthodontist, he is very nice and does everything he can to help me have a perfect smile!
Being a person who hated dentists as a whole for years, and being so difficult with teeth and getting them bothered with , I have come a long way. Coming to Dr. Halberstadt was an amazing choice! He made me feel warm, welcome and so safe! Dr. Halberstadt is funny, nice, cares about all of his patients and helps children have fun while improving their smile! :)
Everyone at Dr. Halberstadt's are exceptionally nice. It makes all of the difference, but the late hours mean we can make very convenient appointments.
Dr. Halberstadt and his team are very professional, friendly, funny, and always ensures the highest quality of service. I'm always happy with all my visits, they make me feel comfortable and welcomed. Dr. Halberstadt does a great job on putting a great and beautiful smile on your face and always makes sure everything is perfect. This team is truly amazing.
The staff is friendly and courteous and tries to accommodate my busy schedule with convenient appointments. Dr. Halberstadt is experienced and knowledgeable and very concerned for his patients timely and positive orthodontic results. Keep up the good work!
When I first went to the orthodontist I was kinda nervous, but as time went by I grew more comfortable. They entire staff loves to put a smile on people's faces. Dr. Halberstadt is really good at what he does, my teeth look perfect after he did his magic on me. I would love to thank him for a wonderful job and also the entire staff should keep up the good work. This place is good for those who are looking to fix their teeth and also meet really good and nice people
I can honestly say he's the best dentist I've ever had. He's patient & very funny. I couldn't thank him enough for giving me the smile I have now. It was a joy going into the office everyone is so nice and welcoming.
I've been a patient of Dr. Halberstadt's for over two years now and I honestly look forward to my appointments every month. Dr. Halberstadt's office is an extremely comfortable environment and his two assistants Diana and Cathy are welcoming and funny. Dr. Halberstadt has done an incredible job with my teeth and I'm proud to say my braces will be off soon. I truly recommend Dr. Halberstadt for anyone who is in need of an orthodontist. Thank you Dr. Halberstadt, you're the best there is :)
''I love attending this practice, I am a very picky person involving my teeth, but I have no problem putting the beauty of my smile in the hands of the people who work at this practice. This practice has such a warm environment, every time you enter, the employees greet you with a kind attitude. If you are thinking about becoming a patient of this practice, I fully support your decision to do so, you will not regret it.''
Once you walk in to Dr. Geoffrey's orthodontics office you get a parking pass speedy fast.You always feel welcome. Dr. Geoffrey never hurts you and everyone is nice. He has a beautiful room and lots of handy equipment. If you have anything wrong with your teeth you can count on him. It is the best!
I love this place because my teeth were very crooked and now my teeth are straight and are in the process of being fixed! I also like this place because it is the best orthodontist in this borough and neighborhood. It also has very nice staff helping us in as many ways as possible.
I have been going to Dr.Halberstadt for a year and five months, he has been a wonderful Doctor. He always asks me how everything is and how my summer is going. He cares about his patients, the girls that work for him Kathy and Dianna are also wonderful as well. I will highly recommend him to anyone who wants a good Orthodontist, he is truly an awesome Doctor.
I have been going to Dr. Halberstadt's office for 4 years since my freshman year of highschool and every time i go to his office he asks me how things are or how is basketball going. Even though I sometimes have broken brackets or broken pieces he is always patient with me and always helps me out. For my senior year of highschool I went away to Oregon and I didn't have an orthodontist to go to so my braces were not improving but as soon as I came back to new york he continued with me like I never left. Thank You Dr. Halberstadt!
First time I ever walked into Dr.Halberstadt's office i was really nervous to get braces on. After a couple of visits i finally got comfortable because whenever i walk in Phyllis always has a smile on her face and a great greeting. Dr.Halberstadt's assistant Saundra is so nice and caring with her compliments and conversations. If something goes wrong with my braces, Dr. Halberstadt has no problem fixing that problem. I always have a great time at the office and thank you so much for helping my teeth get straiter.
We love Dr. Halberstadt and his staff. We are so happy with how our daughter is progressing with Dr. Halberstadt. Her facial profile has changed so much. She is very proud of her braces. I would not or could not recommend a parent to take their children anywhere else. I drive from the city to see him and it is worth it.
Dr. Halberstadt is one of the most attentive, thorough, and genial orthodontists you will find in the greater NYC area. At every appointment he meticulously examines my teeth and sometimes makes recommendations (e.g. it would be wise to get your wisdom teeth pulled) beyond the general scope of his work. Thanks to Dr. Halberstadt's diligent work, my teeth have aligned properly and give no indication that I ever required orthodontic care. I wholeheartedly recommend Dr. Halberstadt's practices to anyone seeking orthodontic help.
I have been attending Dr. Geoffrey Halberstadt's orthodontist office since I got my braces 3 years ago. Before he checks my braces at each appointment, he always asks me how I am doing and what I have been up to lately. His co-workers are very friendly as well. Scheduling an appointment is also very easy. Even if you cant make they have no problem with letting you come in another day. I recommend Dr. Geoffrey Halberstadt to anyone in need of orthodontist care.
Dr. Geoffrey Halberstadt is the only Orthodontist I've been to, but I'm pretty sure he's one of the best. I've had braces for about 2-3 years now and the results are pretty good. His co workers are really friendly, cool, and get their job done. From the moment I walk in I'm greeted politely and I'm taken care of by the end of the day. I would recommend them to anyone in need of an orthodontist. -Charan Kanhai


text:
Skip to Main Content
Community Resources
How Do I … ?
Health & Human Services
Commission on Aging
Senior Support
Senior Support
Heat Assistance
Under certain circumstances we can help seniors with their heating bill. Limited financial assistance is available on a 1-time basis, to senior citizens who are unable to pay a utility bill which will affect their home heating. Funding for this program is limited, and submission of an application will not guarantee approval.
Eligibility Requirements
To enroll for Heating Assistance Services you must:
Be 60 years of age or older
Be a resident of Grand Traverse County
Have a past due, shut off, or no fill notice must have been received
Have income of 200% of poverty level or lower
Have no available assets
Enrollment Steps
Contact our office at 231-922-4688, or toll free at 877-686-4688 to see if you qualify or for more information.
Please print and complete the
Senior Heating Assistance Application Form (PDF)
Forward it, along with the required attachments to:
Grand Traverse County Commission on Aging
520 W Front Street
Suite B
Traverse City, MI 49684
Required Attachments
In addition to your completed Senior Heating Assistance Application Form, you will also need to provide us with copies of:
Proof of residency (official ID, driver's license or a copy of a utility bill addressed to you)
Proof of income (income tax return) for
members of your household
If you do not file income taxes please contact us at 231-922-4688
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text:
- Olson Kundig
Modrock Concrete Design, Olympic Glass and Door, Optimum Windows, Twisted Metal, Westlake Concrete
Design PrincipalTom Kundig, FAIA
Project ManagerChris Gerrick, LEED AP
Interior DesignCharlie Hellstern
Interiors StaffCristina Acevedo and Christine Burkland
ContractorSchuchart/Dow Construction
ConsultantsMCE Structural Consultants (structural engineering); CPL (civil engineering); Associated Earth Sciences (geotechnical engineering)
CraftspeopleMcCallum Rock Drilling (rock drilling and blasting); Westlake Concrete (architectural concrete walls and floors); Modrock Concrete Design (concrete floor finishing, kitchen countertops); Turner Exhibits (large pivoting steel door fabrication); Terry Wean (masonry and stone finishing); Rob Capelle (custom stain for cabinetry); Decorative metal Arts (custom master bedroom screen door and drain at master bath sink); Argent Fabrication (steel entry door); 12th Avenue Iron (custom powder room sink and master bath screen partitions); Schuchart/Dow Construction (kitchen and bedroom cabinetry); Kelly Worrell (fabrication of custom light fixtures based on original designs by Irene McGowan); Village Interiors (custom upholstery); Twisted Metal (metal cladding and miscellaneous metal trim); JD Equipment (rock removal and site excavation); Nutech Stone Cutting (fireplace hearth); Tydi Cut (stone cutting and powder room tube); Site Welding Services (structural steel);Optimum Windows (steel window frames); Olympic Glass and Door (window and door glazing); HI-Tek Lightworks (A/V and security); Rude Electric (line voltage work); Prokash (plumbing)
Text description provided by the architects. Conceived as a secure and unexpected retreat nestled into a rock, the Pierre (the French for stone) celebrates the materiality of this site. From certain angles, the house – with its rough materials, encompassing stone, green roof and surrounding foliage – almost disappears into nature.
With the exception of a guest suite, the Pierre functions on one main level, with an open plan kitchen, dining and living space. A large pivoting steel and glass door opens for access to an outdoor terrace.
To set the house deep into the site, portions of the rock outcropping were excavated through machine work and handwork. The contractor used large drills to set the outline of the building, then used dynamite, hydraulic chippers, a selection of wire saws and other hand tools, working with finer and finer implements as construction progressed. Excavated rock was re-used as crushed aggregate in the concrete flooring. Excavation marks were left exposed on all the stonework, a reminder of the building process.
Throughout the house, the rock extrudes into the space, contrasting with the luxurious textures of the furnishings. Interior and exterior fireplace hearths are carved out of existing stone; leveled on top, they are otherwise left raw. The master bathroom's sink is composed of water cascading through three polished pools in the existing stone. Both the entry sequence and a powder room are fully carved out of the rock.


text:
Statistical Methods for Fuzzy Data
Statistical Methods for Fuzzy Data
ISBN: 978-0-470-69945-4 February 2011 268 Pages
Download Product Flyer
Statistical analysis methods have to be adapted for the analysis of fuzzy data. In this book, the foundations of the description of fuzzy data are explained, including methods on how to obtain the characterizing function of fuzzy measurement results. Furthermore, statistical methods are then generalized to the analysis of fuzzy data and fuzzy a-priori information.
Key Features:
- Provides basic methods for the mathematical description of fuzzy data, as well as statistical methods that can be used to analyze fuzzy data.
- Describes methods of increasing importance with applications in areas such as environmental statistics and social science.
- Complements the theory with exercises and solutions and is illustrated throughout with diagrams and examples.
- Explores areas such quantitative description of data uncertainty and mathematical description of fuzzy data.
This work is aimed at statisticians working with fuzzy logic, engineering statisticians, finance researchers, and environmental statisticians. It is written for readers who are familiar with elementary stochastic models and basic statistical methods.
Table of contents
Part I FUZZY INFORMATION.
1. Fuzzy Data.
1.1 One-dimensional Fuzzy Data.
1.2 Vector-valued Fuzzy Data.
1.3 Fuzziness and Variability.
1.4 Fuzziness and Errors.
1.5 Problems.
2. Fuzzy Numbers and Fuzzy Vectors.
2.1 Fuzzy Numbers and Characterizing Functions.
2.2 Vectors of Fuzzy Numbers and Fuzzy Vectors.
2.3 Triangular Norms.
2.4 Problems.
3. Mathematical Operations for Fuzzy Quantities.
3.1 Functions of Fuzzy Variables.
3.2 Addition of Fuzzy Numbers.
3.3 Multiplication of Fuzzy Numbers.
3.4 Mean Value of Fuzzy Numbers.
3.5 Differences and Quotients.
3.6 Fuzzy Valued Functions.
3.7 Problems.
Part II DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS FOR FUZZY DATA.
4. Fuzzy Samples.
4.1 Minimum of Fuzzy Data.
4.2 Maximum of Fuzzy Data.
4.3 Cumulative Sum for Fuzzy Data.
4.4 Problems.
5. Histograms for Fuzzy Data.
5.1 Fuzzy Frequency of a Fixed Class.
5.2 Fuzzy Frequency Distributions.
5.3 Axonometric Diagram of the Fuzzy Histogram.
5.4 Problems.
6. Empirical Distribution Functions.
6.1 Fuzzy Valued Empirical Distribution Function.
6.2 Fuzzy Empirical Fractiles.
6.3 Smoothed Empirical Distribution Function.
6.4 Problems.
7. Empirical Correlation for Fuzzy Data.
7.1 Fuzzy Empirical Correlation Coefficient.
7.2 Problems.
Part III FOUNDATIONS OF STATISTICAL INFERENCE WITH FUZZY DATA.
8. Fuzzy Probability Distributions.
8.1 Fuzzy Probability Densities.
8.2 Probabilities based on Fuzzy Probability Densities.
8.3 General Fuzzy Probability Distributions.
8.4 Problems.
9. A Law of Large Numbers.
9.1 Fuzzy Random Variables.
9.2 Fuzzy Probability Distributions induced by Fuzzy Random Variables.
9.3 Sequences of Fuzzy Random Variables.
9.4 Law of Large Numbers for Fuzzy Random Variables.
9.5 Problems.
10. Combined Fuzzy Samples.
10.1 Observation Space and Sample Space.
10.2 Combination of Fuzzy Samples.
10.3 Statistics of Fuzzy Data.
10.4 Problems.
Part IV CLASSICAL STATISTICAL INFERENCE FOR FUZZY DATA.
11. Generalized Point Estimations.
11.1 Estimations based on Fuzzy Samples.
11.2 Sample Moments.
11.3 Problems.
12. Generalized Confidence Regions.
12.1 Confidence Functions.
12.2 Fuzzy Confidence Regions.
12.3 Problems.
13. Statistical Tests for Fuzzy Data.
13.1 Test Statistics and Fuzzy Data.
13.2 Fuzzy p-Values.
13.3 Problems.
Part V BAYESIAN INFERENCE AND FUZZY INFORMATION.
14. Bayes' Theorem and Fuzzy Information.
14.1 Fuzzy a-priori Distributions.
14.2 Updating Fuzzy a-priori Distributions.
14.3 Problems.
15. Generalized Bayes' Theorem.
15.1 Likelihood Function for Fuzzy Data.
15.2 Bayes' Theorem for Fuzzy a-priori Distribution and Fuzzy Data.
15.3 Problems.
16. Bayesian Confidence Regions.
16.1 Confidence Regions based on Fuzzy Data.
16.2 Fuzzy HPD-Regions.
16.3 Problems.
17. Fuzzy Predictive Distributions.
17.1 Discrete Case.
17.2 Discrete Models with Continuous Parameter Space.
17.3 Continuous Case.
17.4 Problems.
18. Bayesian Decisions and Fuzzy Information.
18.1 Bayesian Decisions.
18.2 Fuzzy Utility.
18.3 Discrete State Space.
18.4 Continuous State Space.
18.5 Problems.
Part VI REGRESSION ANALYSIS AND FUZZYINFORMATION.
19 Classical regression analysis.
19.1 Regression models.
19.2 Linear regression models with Gaussian dependent variables.
19.3 General linear models.
19.4 Nonidentical variances.
19.5 Problems.
20 Regression models and fuzzy data.
20.1 Generalized estimators for linear regression models based on the extension principle.
20.2 Generalized confidence regions for parameters.
20.3 Prediction in fuzzy regression models.
20.4 Problems.
21 Bayesian regression analysis.
21.1 Calculation of a posteriori distributions.
21.2 Bayesian confidence regions.
21.3 Probabilities of hypotheses.
21.4 Predictive distributions.
21.5 A posteriori Bayes estimators for regression parameters.
21.6 Bayesian regression with Gaussian distributions.
21.7 Problems.
22 Bayesian regression analysis and fuzzy information.
22.1 Fuzzy estimators of regression parameters.
22.2 Generalized Bayesian confidence regions.
22.3 Fuzzy predictive distributions.
22.4 Problems.
Part VII FUZZY TIME SERIES.
23 Mathematical concepts.
23.1 Support functions of fuzzy quantities.
23.2 Distances of fuzzy quantities.
23.3 Generalized Hukuhara difference.
24 Descriptive methods for fuzzy time series.
24.1 Moving averages.
24.2 Filtering.
24.2.1 Linear filtering.
24.2.2 Nonlinear filters.
24.3 Exponential smoothing.
24.4 Components model.
24.4.1 Model without seasonal component.
24.4.2 Model with seasonal component.
24.5 Difference filters.
24.6 Generalized Holt–Winter method.
24.7 Presentation in the frequency domain.
25 More on fuzzy random variables and fuzzy random vectors.
25.1 Basics.
25.2 Expectation and variance of fuzzy random variables.
25.3 Covariance and correlation.
25.4 Further results.
26 Stochastic methods in fuzzy time series analysis.
26.1 Linear approximation and prediction.
26.2 Remarks concerning Kalman filtering.
Part VIII APPENDICES.
A1 List of symbols and abbreviations.
A2 Solutions to the problems.
A3 Glossary.
A4 Related literature.
"I recommend this book to anyone interested in exploring new approaches to the extraction of information from novel data sources." (International Statistical Review, 2012)


text:
Lucidcentral contains an extensive database of key information which is available for you to search.
Do you need help developing, manufacturing, publishing or hosting your Lucid Key? The Lucid team can help. More information…
Dichotomous keys – follow a tree structure. This is the type of key built using Lucid Phoenix
Multi-access keys – where the key is structured in the form of a matrix - the type of key that is built using Lucid3.


text:
Pocket-Sized Point-And-Shoot DIgital Camera Includes SanDisk Card To Capture Digital Photos And Video Clips
SUNNYVALE, CA, May 22, 2001 - SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK) announced today that Nikon has selected SanDisk's CompactFlash™ cards for its latest ultra-portable digital camera, the Coolpix® 775. An 8-megabyte (MB) SanDisk CompactFlash card will be included with each camera.
Nelson Chan, senior vice president of worldwide sales and marketing at SanDisk, said, "Nikon is a leader in bringing the advantages of digital photography to a broader range of consumers and we are proud to continue our close relationship with them. With more than 20,000 retail outlets in North America, Europe, Canada, South America, Japan and Asia, Nikon customers can be assured of finding original equipment SanDisk CompactFlash cards and accessories wherever they want to take pictures."
Deborah Sauer, general manager, marketing, Nikon Consumer photography, said, "The Nikon Coolpix 775 was designed as an easy to use, go-anywhere point-and-shoot digital camera. We partnered with SanDisk due to its deep history of developing rugged, industry-standard removable storage cards that help us to deliver the digital cameras our customers demand."
The Nikon Coolpix 775 features a 3x zoom lens, 2.14 megapixel CCD, USB cable for one-touch image transfers to the web and a Movie Mode that allows users to create video clips. The Coolpix 775 is the lightest pocket-sized point-and-shoot digital camera and is expected to be available in July at a suggested retail price of $449.95.
SanDisk CompactFlash cards are rugged, reusable, matchbook-sized storage cards that are available in capacities ranging from 8 to 512MB, with suggested retail prices starting at $34.99.
SanDisk Corporation, the world's largest supplier of flash data storage products, designs, manufactures and markets industry-standard, solid-state data, digital imaging and audio storage products using its patented, high density flash memory and controller technology. SanDisk is based in Sunnyvale,CA.
Nikon Inc., the world leader in precision optics, 35mm and digital imaging technology, is recognized for setting new standards in product design and performance in consumer and professional photographic equipment. Nikon Inc. distributes the Nikon Total Imaging System of consumer and professional 35mm film and digital SLR cameras, Nikkor optics, Speedlights and System Accessories; Advanced Photo System cameras; 35mm compact cameras; Coolpix® compact digital cameras; Coolscan® digital film scanners; Nikonos® underwater photographic systems; and Nikon sports and recreational optics. The company plays an active role in supporting aspiring and advanced photographers through a variety of organizations, educational programs, events and workshops. For product information, contact Nikon at (800) NIKON-UX or visit www.nikonusa.com, which links all levels of photographers to the web's most comprehensive photo learning and sharing communities.
The matters discussed in this news release contain forward looking statements that are subject to certain risks and uncertainties as described under the caption "Factors That May Affect Future Results" in the company's annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company assumes no obligation to update the information in this release.
All trade names are either registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective holders.


text:
Rage and Redemption
on hiatus, switched campaigns_…see DM_Shane (right) for new campaign…
Settlements and More______RA/6-3 Information______Character XP______Simon's Journal
Felix shares her Report______Ranch Area Satellite Image
Day One Synopsis_____Day Two…_____Day Three…_____ Day Four…_____Day Five…_____Day Six…
Day Seven…_____Day Eight…_____Day Nine…_____The Tenth Day…
The World, Now:
Thirty years ago, the US government, in an attempt to design a new breed of super-soldiers, created a super-virus which not only enhanced the users strength and stamina, but let them feel no pain, enabling them to focus purely on killing. Unfortunately, the virus, known only as RA/6-3 or "Rage", also significantly decreases the users intelligence, within minutes resulting in a mindless hulk, bent on killing anything living. Within hours of ingestion, the subject seems to calmly die, motor and brain function ceasing for up to 30 minutes before the subject rises again with a single-minded desire to attack the living. There has been no evidence that the subjects suffer any pain, only motor-neural shut-down.
In a very small number of subjects, a glimmer of intelligence can be seen, mainly evidenced in the planning of attacks or retreats and tool or weapon use.
After the disaster with the super-virus, the US government had shutdown the project, but not before greed had had a chance to ruin the world for the rest of us…
Elements within the agency tasked with dismantling the project instead took all of the samples and data underground, continuing to test applications for foreign Military and Corporate clients. An accidental release of the Rage Virus at first went untreated, allowing a wide-spread outbreak which quickly swept the world. As soon as the extent of the virus was understood, most of the nations of the world called for US or UN extermination of this threat. The US responded quickly and decisively, tac-nuking the most infected areas and sending in divisions of men and machines to hunt down the remainders. Unfortunately the nukes didn't work quite as planned…starting with the earthquakes that compromised water, power and telephone lines, to the melting of the polar caps and the huge tidal waves that wiped out dozens of cities and towns around the world.
Aside from the destruction caused by the blast, the Rage-Zombies were immune to the radiation, making them radioactive as well as undead! Huge numbers of soldiers were lost in the fighting, many due to radiation poisoning: all of the dead rose again as Rage-Zombies, further damaging morale. A few of the communist nations, fearing that this was an attempt by the US to gain control of the rest of the world, denied the US forces entry, some going so far as killing US forces on sight, others even resorting to nuking US cities and satellites in retaliation. Communication has become problematic at best, in many cases becoming virtually impossible.
Current affairs:
The US and Canada are desolate, radiation filled wastelands, human habitations being few and far between. There is now no organized government, law being whatever you make it.
Europe has been ravaged by the US missile strikes, leaving many scattered settlements that choose to have no contact with the rest of the world.
England declared martial law almost immediately, quickly moving to cut off the island nation from the rest of Europe. As a result, only minimal damage was caused by the US nuclear strikes, mainly in the south of England.
Asia and the pan-pacific are largely untouched, except for a few radioactive holes where Shanghai and Tokyo used to be. The Oriental Nations have become very insular, excluding any who are not like them, cutting off all contact with the western world. The last anyone had heard, more than 25 years ago, the 'ON' had begun working on a possible cure…which they were going to keep for their own people.
Australia is the least affected by the nukes, only losing the coastal cities in the tidal waves and earthquakes that followed the US strikes. Unfortunately for Australia, the global conditions have resulted in a ring of radioactive 'smog' around the whole nation, almost completely cutting it off from the rest of the world!
Although many nations have become much more isolationist, the Australian Congress has decided to begin limited relief efforts, beginning with the shattered US and Canada.
Prepping a fleet of older cargo planes, the AusiCongress has begun the first 'fact-finding' missions to the US…
Radiation Warning
Known effects and features of the static radiation clouds include:
- Limited exposure results in exhaustion and fatigue effects (1d6 Endurance lost/turn of cumulative exposure), continued exposure results in sores, weakness and sickness, eventually death. (1d6 Life Points lost/turn-cumulative)
- Clouds are immune to wind and weather effects, appearing to swirl with an inner motion. (Clouds can be, and have been, apparently controlled in some way by Kevlars, a new and highly dangerous type of Rage zombie.)
- Slightly warm to the touch, the mist moves aside easily, seeming to 'swallow you' like treacle. (..and immediately starts to drain you; see #1)
- Green color is derived from the radioactive gamma-hydroxide particles suspended in the mist.
- Radar and sonar are unaffected in the cloud, normal and thermal vision are limited, lights are diffused to a 10-12ft glow. Electronics all futz if exposed for long periods. (All electrical equipment becomes unreliable, failing on a roll of 1 or 2 on a d10)
- Cities and towns with populations larger than 10000 were hit by at least one nuke, larger cities were hit multiple times, up-to 12 times in some cases…
- Most of the active electronics on the planet were subjected to a series of massive EMPs, generated by the huge volume of nukes being unleashed in such a short time-frame, All unshielded electronics may fail…1 or 2 on a d10 each minute or turn active
- Old gasoline, diesel and aviation fuel has been found still effective, even after all this time, provided there was no contact with outside air. Some have speculated that the chemical makeup of the air has changed somehow, due to the amount of fallout; what exactly is happening is unclear.
- …
- Further info pending…


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News round-up, 24 July
24 July 2009
News round-up, 24 July
What's been making the headlines this week? ASTRONOMY! And IYA2009! Yay!
The eclipse has been big news, so we'll begin with that. Over to the strangely-named The Nut Graph who have not only covered the eclipse, but also gone one better and included a diagram of how these celestial coincidences occur. They also give mentions to 100 Hours of Astronomy and Dark Skies Awareness, so they definitely deserve top spot in this week's round-up. Bet that makes it all worth it eh, Nut Graph? The Times of India also talks about the eclipse, and says that it was particularly special because it fell within IYA2009. Thanks, Times of India! Double-thanks actually, because you talk about the eclipse and IYA2009 again, in this article. You kind-of get top billing too, as you're in the first paragraph.
More eclipse fever comes courtesy of Express Buzz and their delightful tale of children in the Indian city of Thiruvananthapuram. 375 students celebrated the eclipse and IYA2009 by using solar filters they had made in school to observe the Sun. Another novel way to safely observe the spectacle was through a "sooryadarshini", which has a lens pasted to a coconut shell, filled with mud, and fixed over a lunch box. The Sun's rays are caught in a screen and then using an ice-cream ball fixed to a straw, an eclipse is re-created. Think I'll stick with my safety filters, if it's all the same to you. The children also kept a diary of their experiences and some shared these with their colleagues during assembly.
Malta is a country that has embraced IYA2009, so we should let them know our appreciation. And what better way than highlighting an article by The Malta Independent Online. It gives a whistle-stop tour of modern astronomy, with emphasis on the Moon landings and Maltese astronomy activities taking place this year.
To Canada, where Canada.com report that a "goodwill Moon rock" is going back on display. The piece of lunar landscape was gifted to Canada in 1972, but has been sitting in the Canadian Museum of Nature's archives and storage facility for nearly 30 years. Talk about ungrateful! But it's going on display because of the Moon landing anniversary and IYA2009. Observant readers will notice that the first paragraph of the article is just the image caption copied and pasted. It wouldn't be so bad, but they're right next to each other. Shoddy.
Finally, Galileoscope news, this week from The Journal Times. Taking a local perspective of our favourite low-cost telescope (they were designed within The Journal Times' geographic catchment area), there are plenty of facts and figures are given. Great if you like that sort of thing.
Ok, that's your lot. Check local sources for news in your own language, y'hear?
Search IYA2009 Updates
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Cornerstone Projects: 12
Special Task Groups: 11
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Media Partners:22


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Why you should become a Jacuzzi® hot tubs dealer
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Read more if you'd like to take the next step and find out more about our Dealer Program.


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Wildfire bill becomes law
TRENTON — Legislation sponsored by Assemblymen Ron Dancer and Parker Space allowing controlled burns of forests and open lands to protect against wildfires was signed into law.
"Pinelands wildfires have burned thousands of acres and forced thousands of people to be evacuated, putting them and wildlife at risk," said Dancer. "Burning off dead brush and leaves helps prevent wildfires and their intensity. Allowing controlled burns is also excellent for the health of the environment. Lives, property and infrastructure will be protected."
The New Jersey State Fire Service has a seasonal controlled burning program for state-owned property, including state forests, parks and wildlife management areas. Burns are usually conducted during late winter months and continue thru the end of March when weather conditions tend to be safer for controlled burns.
"This new law protects landowners' rights while protecting the public from dangerous wildfires," said Space (R-Sussex, Warren, Morris). "Expanding the use of safe and controlled burns also promotes a healthier forest environment by allowing for wildlife habitat management, forest disease and pest control and nutrient management."
The Dancer-Space bill (A1675) establishes a process to permit landowners to conduct prescribed burns, and authorizes the Bureau of Forest Fire Management to conduct burns in any area of the state it determines is reasonably in danger of wildfire. Before doing so, it must give landowners 30 days' notice. Landowners burning on their own property do not need to be certified.


text: Parents now have more advice to consider when it comes to choosing organic foods. Here, Theo Shriver, 6, weighs organic produce at the Puget Consumers Co-op in Seattle. Elaine Thompson/AP hide caption toggle caption Elaine Thompson/AP The Salt Docs Say Choose Organic Food To Reduce Kids' Exposure To Pesticides October 22, 2012 It's important for kids to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables, America's pediatricians say, but there are fewer pesticides and a potentially lower risk of exposure to drug-resistant bacteria in organic produce, if you can afford it.


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The nature of Chinese manufacturing can sometimes be an awful thing, but at times, it can be wonderful as well. Like this...thing, which looks like it used to be a Go-Bot, before it emerged from a cocoon into something amazing.
The original toy it's based off looks like Zeemon, a badass Go-Bot. Yet he is Zeemon no more. Now, he is Robert, and Robert was born of Knight Riders and unicorns.
Knight Rider Becames Robert [Retroist]
SA Holiday Shopping Guide! [Something Awful]


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Hour 18
Jeff Henson
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Seems like there's the Packer machine, and then there's everybody else.
Green Bay actually looked vulnerable in San Diego in spurts, but the third-oldest team in the NFL continues its season-long stay atop the charts. Meanwhile, there's some shuffling in the top 10, with the usual mass hysteria in the middle ranks (11 through 20.)
Think You Can Do Better?
Disagree with Elliot Harrison's power rankings? Head to NFL.com/fanrankings to make your own, Nos. 1-32, in whatever order you choose.
» Expert rankings | Consensus rankings
Ironically, it was the bottom of the charts that received the most venom last week, with readers disgusted that we had Miami (30th) ahead of Seattle (31st). I'll let you eat some crow there. Chiefs fans were upset with being lower than the Raiders and Chargers ⦠then Anthony Fasano happened.
I'll eat some crow on the Raiders, who no longer deserve to be hovering anywhere near the top 10 despite one writer's (me) confidence in them. Also, I'll promise no more Kathy Bates references, as two in two years was too much for one of our commenters ("Competitive") last week.
As usual, let the dissension begin ...
PREVIOUS: Week 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | Preseason
Here was Mike McCarthy's game plan Sunday: Locate rookie corner Marcus Gilchrist, and throw the ball there. While Aaron Rodgers gets much credit for the Packers' undefeated start, much credit has to be given to McCarthy, a master play-caller. Give Jordy Nelson some love too, a guy who Rodgers is perfectly willing to throw the ball up to him in single coverage and let what happens happen.
This a vote for consistency. Speaking of consistency ⦠more 49er football, more "how the hell does that work in the NFL?" thought bubbles from 49er fans and league observers alike. We ran the fullback wheel route in sixth grade, but even though the Mustangs went 8-0 that year, that play NEVER worked like it did Sunday at FedEx Field. Fullback Bruce Miller got behind the Redskins' defense and scored yet another hypothetical point for simple offense winning in the big leagues. Miller had eight total touches (rushes and receptions) coming into the game for those of you keeping track at home.
Huge win for the Ravens, huge win for Joe Flacco. But the biggest boon for Baltimore might be what the team is getting from Anquan Boldin. The vet has been more than reliable the last few weeks, while Torrey Smith is hit or miss. When Lee Evans comes back, what was once a weak position group will become an area of strength for coach John Harbaugh.
Bad call on Ryan Clark for the hit over the middle Sunday night. He led with his shoulder. Bad decision by Clark for not handling his responsibility to take away the deep ball on Torrey Smith's game-winner. The loss to the Ravens was tough to stomach, but there is a lot of football to be played. Both Baltimore and Pittsburgh have the red-hot 49ers coming up, as well as two games with the suddenly stout Bengals.
Bye week, and another opportunity for Jahvid Best to get healthy. The second-year back has had two very bad concussions, and along with the twin turf toe injuries last season, is becoming a consistent health concern for a franchise that has to run the ball better (and more often.)
Some fans find a 0-0 score at halftime quite boring. Not me. One of the best games these football-nerdish eyes have ever seen was the Rams' 11-6 win over the Bucs in the 1999 NFC title game. How 'bout that Jake Ballard anyway? He was so anonymous a lot of Giants fans didn't even know who he was coming into the season. They've been made aware; mostly by how often Eli Manning looks for him. He might not look like Mark Bavaro, but he resembles that traditional Big Blue tight end: Gritty, doesn't play pretty, makes plays.
Drew Brees didn't have the weight of the world on his shoulders, and that's key. The ground game, which did nada in St. Louis, gave Brees more than moral support in the huge division win over the Bucs. No Mark Ingram, no problem. While the 28 carries for 195 yards was effective, the throwback uni was awesome.
What challenge has this team not met? They're 6-2, won an important conference road game (in terms of playoff tiebreakers), and have managed to do so with a rookie starter at quarterback the whole way. Well, actually there are two hurdles the Bengals haven't leapt: The Ravens and Steelers. Cincy swept 'em both on the way to winning the division in 2009. This incarnation doesn't quite resemble that club, but is fully capable of beating both its division rivals. The AFC North is anybody's boxing match.
I tried, Bills fans. Trying the reverse jinx to ensure Buffalo success last week, the previously explosive offense was stopped when it mattered Sunday. The Bills were terrible on third down, and Ryan Fitzpatrick often had nowhere to go with the ball. Big game for the Bills at Jerry World this weekend.
The streak is over, but the season isn't. Tom Brady's NFL record 31 straight regular-season wins at home was one of the more impressive feats in sports, no question. But the long and the short of the situation is the fact that the Patriots are in the thick of a division race that could go to the Jets or Bills. The former is hot right now, while the latter already is one up on New England in the head-to-head. It's almost weird that the Jets and Patriots hook up in Week 10. This game should be a Week 16 or 17 matchup.
Rex Ryan's defense was as impressive as it gets in Buffalo. Gang Green forced three turnovers, and held Buffalo to just four third- and fourth-down conversions (in 14 tries.) I picked the Jets to face the Packers in the Super Bowl in the NFL.com season preview. Okay, it was looking sketchy for awhile, and Mark Sanchez is still Mark Sanchez. But if the Jets play like they did in Buffalo in the playoffs, look out.
Roy Williams might not be clutch but at least he smiles out there. Earl Bennett is, with four of his five catches resulting in first downs, and another resulting in six points. If you mention the Bears' offensive line struggles incessantly in pre-game, and on a broadcast, does that mean things play out that way? No. The much-maligned unit didn't allow a sack.
Sure, it was the Colts. But other than a boneheaded read by Matt Ryan that resulted in a pick six, the win in Indy was solid all the way around. The Falcons did what they were supposed to do, handle an inferior team on the road. Back to Ryan. He has been so-so this season, but in Indy Sunday he averaged 11.5 yards per throw -- not completion -- per throw. That's doing some damage.
There was good and bad from Carson Palmer's first start. Most importantly, he's got to protect the football. He was slinging it out there Sunday in Oakland, but too many balls ended up going the other way. Palmer has thrown six picks in only 56 attempts, and frankly, he could've had a few more vs. Denver. He'll get better, and showed flashes of brilliance too ⦠like the incredible touchdown pass to Marcel Reece. Not to mention, that's a different ballgame Sunday with a healthy No. 20 in black suiting up.
It was nice to see the sense of urgency displayed by the Chargers in the fourth quarter. For a team that's sleepwalked through much of the 2011 campaign, Norv Turner's group showed they could still play with anyone, even in a shootout. What kind of game would that have been without the gift-wrapped pick sixes, courtesy of Phil Rivers?
You got to catch that ball at midfield before the half, Jeremy Maclin. Huge moment in a 17-10 game. People tend to forget those plays right before half, but that catch could've ignited a drive to either tie the game or at least get a significant field goal before halftime. Then there was his stumble on fourth down at the end of the last Philly possession. Two huge events in a game with significant playoff implications.
Felix Jones watches his job get gobbled up one ⦠yard ⦠at ⦠a ⦠time. DeMarco Murray continues to wow, mostly because of his decisiveness and willingness to finish off runs. Murray's effectiveness opens up the offense for Tony Romo, who made several fantastic plays of the street-ball variety. The touchdown pass to Laurent Robison was classic Romo (the good Romo, that is): Making a play out of nothing, with the stop-the-feet, quasi-jump pass straight out of the Sid Luckman era.
This club must just be maddening to its fan base. Nine penalties (for 80 yards) Sunday were completely debilitating, among other issues. There's no shame in losing to a highly motivated Saints team in New Orleans, but the up-and-down nature of Raheem Morris' team is both to be expected and hard to watch. Even though most of it came in one game, there's no hiding a point differential that reads minus-49 this season.
On NFL.com this week, you'll find midseason awards, as well as a readdressing of division winners and wild-card entrants. It's hard to place Tennessee right now, but it's not difficult to do the same for Chris Johnson. He's simply been the most disappointing player. Even Kevin Kolb can't touch him. Now, CJ2K did show signs of life vs. a top-five defense in the Bengals. But if he doesn't get going, as in really get going, the Titans don't make it to mid-January.
I'm glad everyone is so emotionally involved in the Peyton Hillis drama. No Browns running back is doing anything in that offense. A running back-by-committee of Mike Pruitt, Jim Brown, Leroy Kelly, Leroy Hoard, and Greg Pruitt couldn't do diddley behind that line in Cleveland. Another sterling 2.1 yards per carry performance destroyed any hopes for a victory in Houston.
The bye gave Christian Ponder more time to absorb the offense and what he's seeing out on the field. What a test he'll have against a gambling Packers defense, a unit that had two pick sixes Sunday. Defensive coordinator Dom Capers gives a young quarterback something to think about. Notice I didn't use poor word play, by inserting "ponder" instead of "think about." Another Kathy Bates reference might have been good here.
Ron Rivera must have slept peacefully knowing his team mathematically couldn't blow another close game Sunday.
When Willis McGahee runs 60 yards for a touchdown, you know it's your day. At this stage of his career, he's not exactly on top of the list of game-breakers in the league. Or even the top 50. You know it's your day when your starting quarterback goes 10 of 21 for a buck and some change, and you win. Tebowmania didn't hold the ball for 37 seconds like he did vs. Detroit, and his club was better for it. In fact, he quietly rushed for 118 yards. (How the hell does an NFL quarterback quietly rush for 118 yards?) Don't look now, but the Broncos are now in the AFC West race, with a sterling 3-5 record no less.
Bye week in Jacksonville. Hopefully offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter spent the downtime coming up with plays to capitalize on Blaine Gabbert's strengths, so the offense can actually accomplish something worthwhile vs. the Andrew Lucks next week. If nothing else, the defense sure would appreciate an occasional long drive. Just for kicks, you know.
Roy Helu: Hall of Famer. No player ever garnered more persistent, annoying, effective, wouldn't die, persuasive arguments for a spot in Canton than Art Monk. Well, Helu caught 14 balls Sunday. More than Monk ever did. So at the very least we put him in the Redskins' Ring of Fame. God knows everyone outside of Calvin Muhammad and Adam Archuleta is in the thing.
Much handwringing on "NFL Fantasy Live" on what to do with Beanie Wells. What say you Cardinals fandom? He's been more inconsistent than bad. You look at the midseason tally, and he's coming in at 526 yards rushing, a 4.3 average, and seven touchdowns. The concern is simple: The home game vs. the Rams was the exact type of situation a guy like Wells needs to master. This was the same defense that allowed DeMarco Murray a 253-spot in the rushing column a few years ago. In a close game like Sunday's overtime win, you'd like to see your lead tailback take control.
Another midseason disappointment, somewhat in the same vein as CJ200 and Kevin Kolb, is Sam Bradford. Two separate injuries and a new offense have not been agreeable with the kid's game. He hasn't been awful, merely mediocre. But the 54.7 completion percentage is not going to cut it for a team that can't win in spite of its quarterback.
Everyone who hammered me for ranking the Seahawks over the Dolphins didn't take into account Miami's blown leads this season. At the center of the 'Fins flipping over the Chiefs was the relentless pass rush. If that trend continues, it masks a certifiable weakness of this club: The secondary. Nice to see Matt Moore make some plays, after having a bad concussion ruin his 2010 campaign in Carolina.
Tarvaris Jackson might not be awful, but he sure isn't winning any games for you, Seahawks fans. The third-quarter pick by Cowboys defensive lineman Jason Hatcher might have seemed fluky, but T-Jax held the ball way too long on a play he should have thrown the ball away. It was a drive-killer in a one-score game ⦠ultimately Dallas would get a touchdown off the turnover. T-Jax made up for it by throwing another pick to Terence Newman, courtesy of awful decision, on the next drive. Just like that, a 13-6 game was a 23-6 game. I present to you, Tarvaris Jackson football.
Julio Jones wears one-one, in white. I'm still not sure anyone on the Colts knows that yet. Question: Does Dan Orlovsky get a crack?


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Where to buy
ArchiCAD is available worldwide for Professionals, Students, Teachers and Schools in the following localized versions:
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ArchiCAD for Professionals
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Colleagues for Excellence
We gratefully acknowledge the following organizations who have joined with the institutional members of the WMEC/WQEC/WSEC regional educational telecommunications consortium in their generous support of the Fund For Excellence. Thank your local sponsors by sending a 'Thank You' email. Click the link email@example.com to send a thank you email to our sponsors.


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Monthly Meeting–Saturday, April 6, 2013 The Frisco Room at The Library Station, 2535 N. Kansas Expressway, Springfield, MO
Critique group at 10:00 a. m. followed by lunch at Panera and our speaker at 1:00 p. m.
Author Lisa Wells to present "Getting Serious About Writing a Series: An Introduction"
Our very own Lisa Wells is presenting an introduction to her popular online course, Getting Serious About Writing a Series.
Learn the "musts" of writing a series.
Lisa Wells is a 22-year veteran educator. For the past 16 years, she has enjoyed a rollercoaster journey called: The School Counselor – Dramas, Dreams, and Destinies. Add the theme song to "Jaws," and you have the feel for this fun ride.
Author of "Dibs," a sexy romance nominated as Debut Book That Rocks and Best Book of The Year, Lisa believes writers should never quit studying their craft. When she decided to write a series and couldn't find affordable material that taught the nuances of writing series vs. stand alone books, she designed her own how-to class. Self-appointed number one fan of Margie Lawson, she was thrilled to be given the opportunity to unveil her class at Lawson Writer's Academy.
Twitter @lisawells1
More information about the online course is available here: http://
We are scheduled to be in the Frisco Room at The Library Station this month. This is one of the meeting rooms along the front of the building, facing the big glass windows. (NOTE: If you peek into the Frisco Room and nobody looks familiar, it means we got bumped at the last minute and you'll need to check Facebook and/or ask a library employee to see where they have moved us.)
Ozarks Romance Authors was founded in 1987. The regional writers' group holds its meetings the first Saturday of each month (usually at The Library Station, 2535 N. Kansas Expressway) in Springfield, Missouri.
Originally a group for writers of romance fiction, we are now considered a multi-genre group, with members writing all types of fiction and nonfiction.
Join us for critique group at 10:00 a.m., lunch at Panera at noon, and a speaker at 1:00 p.m.
We are a registered nonprofit in the state of Missouri, and we are a member of the Springfield Regional Arts Council.
Visitors are welcome! Your first 3 visits are free. Annual dues are $25.
If you have questions about the group, please email us at OzarksRomanceAuthors@gmail
For a complete list of guest speakers and topics, visit https://www.facebook.com/


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