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July 4 is for many people, a day of independence from their jobs. More than that, however, it is the anniversary of the day in 1776 when the Declaration of Independence was approved by the Continental Congress, setting the 13 colonies on the road to freedom as a sovreign nation.
Declaration of Independence
• 56 delegates signed the Declaration of Independence, drafted by a Committee of Five: Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Roger Sherman and Robert R. Livingston. Jefferson, regarded as the strongest and most eloquent writer, wrote most of the document.
• John Hancock, president of the Second Continental Congress, was the first signer, and his signature is the largest — hence the term John Hancock, which is still used today as a synonymn for signature.
• Benjamin Franklin, age 70, who represented Pennsylvania, was the oldest of the signers. Edward Rutledge, 26, of South Carolina, was the youngest.
• Two future presidents, John Adams (second president) and Thomas Jefferson (third president) signed. Both died on the 50th anniversary of the signing, July 4, 1826.
The Chinese invented fireworks some time between 960 and 1279 AD. The loud sounds and sparkling colors were thought to ward off evil spirits. They were used at important events such as Emperors' birthdays and other Chinese holidays.
In England, fireworks were used at birthday celebrations of kings and queens. Fireworks were first used to celebrate Independence Day on July 8, 1776, and again at the first official celebration in 1777.
July 4 was not declared an official federal holiday until 1941.
Each year, 213 pounds of fireworks are purchased in the U.S. and the annual fireworks industry revenue is $940 million, according to National Fire Protection Association.
Safety concerns
• In 2011, fireworks caused an estimated 17,800 reported fires, including 1,200 structure fires, 400 vehicle fires and 16,300 outside and other fires.
• In the same year, U.S. hospital emergency rooms saw an estimated 9,600 people for fireworks-related injuries.
• Half of the injuries were burns and a fourth were contusions and lacerations.
• One-quarter of the people injured were under the age of 15.
• Sparklers, fountains and novelties accounted for 34 percent of emergency room fireworks injuries in 2011.


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Earth : Asia : South Asia : India : Western India : Gujarat : Central Gujarat : Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad (also spelled Ahmadabad) is the sixth largest city (pop. 6.5 million) in India. It is the commercial hub of the state of Gujarat, though it is not the capital, which is Gandhinagar, 30 km to the north. Although it is not very well known as a 'tourist' place, it is certainly worth a visit. Actually, the fact that there are fewer tourists will often get you a warmer welcome here.
Kings Karandev 1, the Solanki Ruler, had waged a war against the Bhil king of Ashapall or Ashaval. After his victory, Karandev established the city called "Karnavati". This Hindu kingdom of Karnavati retained its importance till early 15th century when Gujarat fell to the Muslim Sultanate.
In 1411, Sultan Ahmed Shah conquered Karnavati, and after his name Karnavati was renamed to Ahmedabad.
The city was built in open and spacious plane to the East of Sabarmati. It comprised of smaller known Fort as Bhadra Fort. The city fort wall was enclosed containing 12 Gates. The city of Ahmedabad went on expanding in every direction by the addition of new areas on both the sides of the river. And with the well laid out beautiful buildings, lakes and mosques.
In 1753 combined armies of Raghunath Rao and Damaji Gaekwad took the fort, which resulted into end of Mughal Rule in Ahmedabad. In 64 years during the rule of Gaekwad and Peshwa, city became cleaner. In 1818 British annexed Ahmedabad via cunning. During this period municipality Committee was founded, Railway link was established.
The British restricted themselves to the cantonment area and didn't take much interest in the city. Nor did they get around to colonizing Ahmedabad culturally; they didn't set up schools, churches, clubs all over the city, the way they did in other cities they integrated to their way of life.
So, unlike most other large Indian cities, Ahmedabad is not an English speaking city by nature - but language is never a problem as it has emerged as an international trading hub of Gujarat and almost everybody speaks English. The local language is Gujarati. You can get around by using Hindi or English with most people. The locals are by and large a friendly folk so you'll get by, even if you don't speak any Indian languages.
Ahmedabad was a cradle of the non-violent movement for India's independence, being host to the Sabarmati ashram of Mahatma Gandhi. Ahmedabad poses a mixture of rich tradition and modern feel. Ahmedabad is famous for the Navaratri festival. It's considered to be the longest dance festival on earth. Navratri rocks Ahmedabadi people and their guests too.
The Gujarati community is largely known for its hospitality and for being shrewd businessmen. Ahmedabad is a big industrial city long reputed for its textile industry, and today more so for its chemical, petroleum, international trade & IT industries. It is also well-known for the Finance Wizards and as the modern hub of Jain Religion. The city has been put on world map by institutions like Indian Institute of Management - Ahmedabad, National Institute of Design, Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information & Communication Technology, IHM, MICA, Petroleum Institute, EDI, Nirma University, Swaminarayan Gurukul , CEPT (Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology) University , NIFT and a few others. The place has become a landmark for good education practices.
Ahmedabad is by and large a hot place. Summer starts by Mid-March and lasts up to Mid-June. The typical temperature here on a hot sunny day in May would be between 34-44°C (93.2-111.2 degrees Fahreneheit). It is advisable not to visit this place during summer. With arrival of Monsoon by Mid-June, the city is a fun place. You will be able to enjoy various Monsoon specialties of the city like Boiled or Roasted Corn Dishes on road - side stalls or some special local dishes like Khichu during this season. There are also some famous Hindu festivals like Rakshabandhan (or Rakhi) and Janmastami - the birth date of Lord Krishna fall during this season. You may sometimes end up in a water logging problem though. Winter is the best season to visit the city. The typical temperature in the city during winter is between 5-20°C (41-68°F). It's fun visiting various open-air restaurants and road-side stalls in winter.
Get in
By plane
The airport is just 15 km north-east from the city-centre. The airport is expanding with permissions for many international air lines being given and development of new terminals. [2]
There is international direct flight to New York / New Jersey (Newark) via Mumbai served by Air India. Non-stop connections are available for Muscat, Kuwait (Kuwait Airways), Dubai (Emirates), Doha Qatar (Qatar Airways), Sharjah(Air Arabia) and Singapore (Singapore Airlines).
Ahmedabad is well-connected domestically via daily flights from Mumbai, Delhi, Indore, Chennai, Bangalore, Goa, Kolkata, Jaipur, Pune, Coimbatore, Hyderabad and Nagpur with connections to several other Indian cities and towns. Recently, flights to Kandla and Surat have also been launched. Most domestic airlines have a flight in and out of Ahmedabad.
Travelers hoping to arrive at the airport early should be advised that the international terminal is not open 24 hours, and may not open until the late afternoon. Similarly, as at other Indian airports, you will likely be denied entry until approximately three hours before your scheduled flight even if the terminal is open. Therefore, connecting between a domestic and an international flight will often involve waiting outside the airport with the throngs of touts for several hours.
Ahmedabad proper is about 20km from the airport, and a rickshaw/taxi should cost roughly 200/300 rupees respectively. Save yourself considerable hassle by using the prepaid booth, or, better yet, arrange a pickup through your hotel.
By train
Ahmedabad is connected with Mumbai(500 km), Vadodara Jaipur, Jodhpur and Delhi with trains several times a day. Daily connections (or multiple weekly connections) are also available to several other major cities including Bikaner, Rajkot, Surat, Vadodara, Udaipur, Indore, Pune, Bhopal, Kolkata, Nagpur, Lucknow, Varanasi, Bhubaneswar, Puri, Chennai, Nagarcoil, Trivendram, Bangaluru, and Coimbatore. Direct trains are also available for Jammu, Patna, Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur, Kolhapur, Goa, Mangalore, Cochin, Trivandrum, Hyderabad and Bangalore.Ahmedabad's fifteen other stations are Maninagar,Vatva, Gandhigram, Asarva, Chandlodia,Chandkheda,Saij,Kalol jn, Kali gam, Vastrapur, Sabarmati, Sarkhej,Naroda,Gandhinagar,Khodiyar,Aamli.
If you are just connecting through Ahmedabad, there are showers available just outside and to the left of the station for Rs 10.
By car
You could drive to Ahmedabad from Mumbai on the new highway (NH-8) that's been built, but it will take you around 8 hours (without any traffic jams) to do the 550 odd Kilometers. You will pass Vapi, Valsad, Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand, and Nadiad on your way. Driving on the NH-8 is an energy sapper and no fun as there is a huge amount of truck traffic. Be aware that broken down trucks on the highway regularly cause traffic jams for hours on end. The journey from Vadodara to Ahmedabad can also be done through the dedicated express way (NE-1) which does not pass through any towns , rather than NH-8.
Get around
By rickshaw
After your first harrowing attempt to cross an Ahmedabad street on foot, you will likely conclude that the best way to get around is in the yellow and green three-wheeled noise machines known as the auto-rickshaws or simply rickshaws. Hollering 'auto' or 'rickshaw' at a passing rickshaw should be enough to catch the drivers attention, if you need to--after all, if you don't look Indian, it is likely that if you step outside you will be followed at all times by at least one rickshaw driver pestering you to take a ride. In most cases, the drivers will be able to understand Hindi and maybe even a few words of English. They are normally quite helpful and are not known to cheat tourists. As always, agree on a fare before getting in.
There are some taxis but you will need to book them in advance or at the airport or railway station. You can also rent a "Qualis", a slang generic term for a SUV-taxi named after the common Toyota Qualis(but now are available as many other bands, such as the Chevy and Mahindra). Normally, they are offered with a driver, and they will stay with you all day, week, or even month, if you'd like. This chauffeur can normally understand English, and knows the city very well. Most famous ricksaws are of Tushar Riksha Company founded by famous Ricksaw driver Tushar Dave, who owns more than 100 rikshas in Ahmedabad. Tushar rickshaws are famous for their weird look and good service.
By auto
Best way to reach all the nook and corner of Ahmedabad is to travel by Auto only. Even though most of the drivers are not able to speak English if you give a clue to them by landmark or destination place they will drop you safely. Comparing with Car's cost of this will be very cheap and availability of this is also high.
By bus
For using the local buses, you will need to know some Gujarati, as the routes and numbers are written only in that language. Besides, buses are the most common transport facility for the common people in the city and hence they are overcrowded at times. BRTS is also another mode of transport in Ahmedabad.
By Taxi
A reliable way of booking your cab is to book it online. There are a couple of popular sites where you have the luxury of choosing from a variety of options - caronrent.net, Savaari.com, GetMeCab.com, www.ClearCarRental.com.
You can either book a taxi from hotel or directly book one outside the railway station. There is government authorized taxi stand. 950Rs/day for 12 hours. It maybe more costly to book through hotel as hotels do have their in the fares. It is better to negotiate with the driver directly.
The local language is Gujarati. Hindi is understood by almost everyone and English is prevalent amongst educated people. The education ratio is improving at a much faster pace though as the city is developing as an education center with some great institutions. English is at least partially understood by most people in the tourist industry.
Ahmedabad has several floridly carved historic monuments including the Stepwell at Adalaj and the Rani Mosques (dedicated to Rani Sipri and Rani Rupmati). It is also home to many fine museums and art galleries. Modern office buildings and malls dot the more recently developed areas.
Important places to see include:
The Muslims of Ahmedeabad and surrounding villages come to Eidgah (a holy place to perform Eids' Namaz (prayer) and Shahi Jam-E-Masjid. The people decorate their homes, shops, buildings, greet each other etc.
Ahmedabad is well known for its textile industries. Be sure to look at the traditional hand embroidered and tie 'n dye clothes, and if you are buying from the roadside shops be prepared to haggle. It would not be advisable to try these without a local guide. The city's main market area is situated at Thron Darwaja, Dhalgarwad, Ratan Pole, Manek Chowk(old areas)near Lal Darwaja and newer markets like C.G.Road and Sarkhej - Gandhinagar highway near Vastrapur. It is generally a crowded area, but you get a better variety of clothes (it is very crowded during festival seasons). The street side shops near Law Garden also offers good choices. Some shops such as Bandhej and Sanskruti offer these traditional items at fixed (and maybe overpriced) rates. But now the big shopping malls are offering almost all the things at a very cheap rate. You would also love to visit some of the local sweet shops, where traditional Gujarati sweets will catch your attention. Some of the famous shops are Bhogilal Mulchand Kandoi, Jai Hind, Ras Ranjan, etc.
The 10 Acres Shopping Mall is quite dead, although it offers 120 rupee movies to get out of the heat and into air conditioning while you wait for a bus at the very close Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation bus station.
The newly opened Alpha One Mall has plenty of shopping places and tons of eating joins as well. Try a few other malls like Reliance/ISKON, Himalaya Mall etc. Visit a few multiplexes and enjoy the luxury seats which turn into a couch-almost nowhere found in the world. You can enjoy this at ebony lounge in Big Cinemas at Himalaya Mall and other multiplexes as well.
Ahmedabad is a gastronomic paradise. You will find at least one restaurant in every nook and corner, anywhere in Ahmedabad. Gujarati people are fond of eating and the food generally tends to be on the sweeter side. Gujaratis are mostly vegetarians hence most local fare consists of vegetarian fare. However, with the advent of international and domestic food chains non-vegetarian fare has become popular in recent times. Ahmedabad is famous for its ice-creams because of abundance of dairy products in the state and Gujaratis' penchant for sweets as well. Gujarati specialties include Dhokla, Khandvi, Srikhand, Haandvo, Bhajiya amongst others.
There are lots of Gujarati dining halls where you can get unlimited "thali" meals within $4. A thali consists of variety of concoctions including salads, appetizers, snacks, breads, pulses, vegetable curries and sweets. This is a very unique experience in terms of not only taste and quality but also the way the items are served.
If you have not stayed in India for long, select a food place which is famous and well organized (hotels, big restaurants). Otherwise, its fun to eat at one of the road side stalls, especially at the Khau Galli in Law Garden area and Khan Pan Bazaar in Manekchawk. Various stalls start operating in both these places in the evening and run late in the night. You will enjoy the food like Paani - Puri (Gol Gappa), Indian Chat, Indian Sandwiches, North Indian, Indian-Chinese and some continental cuisines, amazingly at road-side stalls and for a very reasonable price of less than a $1 per item. Recently, SG Road in the western part of city has transformed into an restaurant strip. It has no less than 100 restaurants in a five-mile stretch offering most varieties in all price ranges.
You can find almost all the best restaurants from [8]
Other than these that are several other restaurants that serve excellent food for example (Swati Snacks, House of MG both famous for Gujarati food in chic setting, Bawarchi for Punjabi food, etc.) For western palates, a good way to find new restaurants is to ask a local, especially someone young who would certainly know about such places. International chains like Pizza Hut, McDonalds, Subway are present throughout the city.
For some street food following places are quite famous:
Gujarat is one of the few Indian states where alcohol is prohibited. But this applies only to Indians. If you have a non-Indian passport / green card holder/ PR status, you can get an alcohol permit valid for one month by going to a liquor shop large hotel and purchasing one at their liquor shop. Hotels that have liquor shops include: Cama Hotel in Khanpur, Hotel Inder Residency, Opp. to Gujarat College, Comfort Inn President Hotel at CG Road among others open from 12 noon to 8PM Monday to Saturday ph no. +91 79 26467575. Many local people will be able to direct you because they can purchase alcohol on a 'health' license. If you are non-resident of Gujarat, then one can get liquor permits issued at liquor shop on showing proof of travel to Ahmedabad like (1) Air/Train/Bus ticket,(2)any Identity proof by Govt. with Photo, Address & birthdate preferably driving licence and (3a)your Ahmedabad Local address proof like Residence Address of Local friend/relatives electric/telephone bill/ driving licence or (3b)Proof of stay at hotel
However, if you are staying longer you will need a non-resident permit. For that, you will need: a photocopy of passport including your entry stamps, a photocopy of visa, a photocopy of a local resident's ID card (drivers license will probably be easiest). As of January 3rd 2009, 1000 INR (although the person may ask for Rs. 50 extra as a bribe but should not be given). Note: If you can get a local person to go with you, the entire experience will be a lot easier.
Directions 1 Get your copies notarized as 'true' copies. If you don't have easy access to someone who can do this, the Prohibition and Excise Department will direct you to a nearby office. This will cost about 10INR per copy. 2. Go to Prohibition and Excise Department which is just off the Ellis bridge on the Victoria garden side of old city . 3. Pick up the bank payment form, and get copies notarized if you haven't already done this. 4. Fill in the name and local address for the permit holder 5. Get a rickshaw and go to the State Bank of India which is very near by. If a rickshaw is not available, the bank is in walking distance. 6. Pay 1050 (or the asked fee) at the State Bank of India 7. Get an ink stamp on form from bank 8. Take your copies, your payment slip and your forms back to the Prohibition and Excise Department. 9. The Department office will provide you with form F.L. /A-1. Fill out form and ask for more than the maximum allowed (ask for about 6 units) to ensure you get the maximum. 10. Pay 2 rupees at the Department office. Receive two stamps which are to be stuck onto get form F.L. / A-1 form to show you have paid.
You will either be able to pick up the license immediately, or in a few days. Once you have your license, you take it to a large hotel where they have a liquor shop, and make your purchases.
Bootlegging is rampant, but it carries a risk as well. Amazingly, most Indian made brands cost less here than they do in Mumbai. Decent brands of Indian whisky starts just around Rs.200 as do rum, vodka and gin. Premium brands range from Rs.600 to 1800 (for 12 year old scotch).
Beer is difficult to come by (this is where your permit comes in handy) as is wine/vodka/gin/brandy/scotch/champagne/rum.
But booze is strictly a private affair and don't expect to order a drink at a restaurant (obviously there are no bars here) and you will have to drink in your hotel room or at someone's home. If someone invites you to a party, there is a good chance you will be offered a drink there. Under a new amendment to the law prohibiting alcohol, you cannot be arrested or detained for consuming alcohol illegally unless you misbehave under influence or indulge in bootlegging. However, it is best to consume alcohol at your hotel room or at a very close friends place. Majority of the guests staying at a hotel consume it in their rooms and there is always an implied consent from the hotel who will serve you ice, soda and glasses.
Many small shops sell lassi (a yogurt drink). Lassi choices include: sweet, salty, with almonds. Farki, Girish Cold Drinks and Krishna Dairy are some of the famous ones. Apart from this, Janta Ice Cream and Cold Drinks offers a delicious drink cold Chocolate Coco, a chocolate flavored thick - shake. Janta has its shops across Ahmedabad. There is also a very wide variety of fruit juices available. Most large places like HavMor are reputable and use good water, you should exercise care when drinking at smaller places. Besides, Ahmedabad is a place where most ice cream is consumed in the world. You would love to test many of the local brands like Havmore, Chills Thrills & Frills, Rajsthan Ice Cream, etc.
Cheaper hotels are available on the Eastern side of the Sabarmati in the old town area.
More expensive and newer hotels are available in the more affluent Navrangpura area.
In case you don't have an idea where to go when you arrive to the city, you could ask a rickshaw driver to take you to Relief Road which has plenty of budget accommodation available and is pretty close to the main train station.
Mid range
The local area code is 79.
Emergency Information
The railway reservation office, and tourist booking window, are in an air conditioned building just outside and to the right (when looking from the street) of the Kalupur Railway station. Other railways stations are able to book tourist quota, but often refuse to serve you and refer you to Kalupur Railway station after a lengthy wait in line.
Get out
Akshardham temple in Gandhinagar - a 35 km ride from Ahmedabad is not to be missed. They have various shows throughout the day showing the rich Indian heritage and the legend of Lord Swaminarayan. The water show in the evening is one of the best you will find in India.
'''Adalaj Step-Well''' Adalaj is a village 18km to the north of Ahmedabad. The Vav (step-well) at Adalaj derives its name from the lady patron, Ruda, wife of the Vaghela chief, Virsinh; who built it in the 15th or 16th century A.D. The Vav, laid out in the north-south direction, the well in the north and in the south, have a total length of 75.3 metres. It is the only major monument of its kind, which has three entrance stairs leading to the stepped corridor. These three entrances meet in the first storey, underground, in a huge square platform, which has, to the top, an octagonal opening. The platform rests on 16 pillars, on the corners, and two in front of each side. The four corners of the platform are marked by four built-in shrines, with doors, windows, balconies. The stepped corridor begins from this square platform. The corridor is entirely surrounded by a one-metre high parapet with a rounded topping. It descends with four pavilion towers for five storeys. The walls of the Vav are veritable show cases of sculptures and ornamentation. the sculptures range from a king sitting on a stool under a parasol, to erotic scenes; and buttermilk churning girls. The door frames around the entrances of the spiral staircases to the octagonal shaft are surrounded by a parikrama, which is an enlarged version of the frames around the niches. String-courses running along the side walls embellish all parts of the structure, sometimes dividing the wall into horizontal sections. They also appear on the walls of the octagonal shaft, depicting floral or leaf patterns, or rows of animals. The five-storied, step-well located in the sleepy village of Adlaj is a marvel of architecture. This unique water work is an excellent blend of Hindu and Islamic styles. The intricately carved monument served religious and utilitarian purposes of the people around though its origin is marred by tragedy.
The Indo-Islamic style of architecture, which developed in India in the early centuries of the medieval period, is neither a local variant of Islamic art, nor a modification of Hindu art, but it is an assimilation of both the styles, though not always to an equal degree. It is so because each region in India has its own form of Indo-Islamic architecture, which varies from place to place and there is no standardization. On the other hand, Islamic art itself was a composite style, which had various Muslims influences-Turkish, Persian, and Arabic. Rulers from different parts of the Muslim world, who came to India and settle here, brought with them the artistic traditions of their regions. The intermingling of such traditions with local Indian practices resulted in various examples of Indo-Islamic art.Though both the Indian and Islamic styles have their own distinctive features, there are some common characteristics, which made fusion and adaptation easy. Both the styles favor ornamentation and buildings of both styles are marked by the presence of an open court encompassed by chambers or colonnades. The Adlaj Vav (step-well) is a classic example of the Indo-Islamic style of architecture and has features of both the styles. The intricate floral patterns, which are a part of the Islamic style, can be seen in harmony with Hindu symbolism, which includes depiction of animal and human forms. The profusely carved pillars on different levels of this step-well show strong Hindu and Jain influences, while the ornamentation at a number of places in this monument are influenced by mosques and mausoleum halls of the 15th-16th century Gujarat Sultans.
Built entirely of sandstone, one can enter into this step-well from three sides, which consist of octagonal landings with huge carved colonnades and intricately carved niches. The architecture of this well also shows the influence of the earlier Solanki rulers of Gujarat. Carvings of leafy creepers-typical adornment of Islamic architecture-co-exist with Hindu symbolism. Among the other carvings on the panels are a king sitting on a stool with two bearers, a scene depicting women churning buttermilk, musicians accompanying dancing women apart from abstract representations of various Hindu Gods and Goddesses. One can also see a few Buddhist and Jain influences on some of the pillars and walls.
This stupendous structure with its elaborate and heavily ornamented temple-like finish and surrounding structures is a synthesis of various elements-earth, rock and water. On one story is a little Hindu shrine secretly hidden in an obscure corner. The step-well served both ritualistic as well as utilitarian needs. People from the nearby villages used to take water from the well and considered it holy. In the semi arid climate of Gujarat, the cool water from the vav provided a welcome break, particularly in the harsh summer months. Water from the vav was also used for irrigation. Openings in the ceilings above the landing enable light and air to enter the well. However, direct sunlight never reaches the flight of steps or landings except for a brief period at noon as the inner ceilings are arranged to receive the sunlight through these openings. According to a research, there was a total difference of six degrees between the outside and inside of the well, thus making it a veritable air-conditioner.
Innumerable strong and exquisitely carved pillars support each story of the vav and each available stone surface is profusely covered with carvings. Each landing has wide space suggesting that people, especially travelers, rested there while on journey. The main attraction of this step-well is the pool of water at the lowest level. Besides this, there is a niche here that houses an ami khumb or a pot that contains the water of life and a kalpa vriksha or a tree of life made out of a single stone slab. These sites attract the villagers on religious and auspicious occasions like marriages, sacred thread ceremonies (a ritual performed by Hindus) etc. In the vicinity of the well are graves of the six masons who were instrumental in erecting it. It is believed when Mohammed Begda asked them if another vav was possible, they replied in the affirmative. This proved to be their undoing and they were instantly put to death. Perhaps that is why the Adlaj step-well stands unrivalled till today.
The legend behind the origin of this step-well is as interesting as its architecture and is shrouded in beauty, romance and tragedy. In AD 1499, the area around Adlaj was known as Dandai Desh and was ruled by Rana Veer Singh of the Vaghela dynasty. Around this time, Mohammed Begda, a Muslim ruler of a neighboring state attacked Dandai Desh and killed Rana Veer Singh. The beauty of the slain king's widow, Rani Roopba, enamored Mohammed Begda who sent her a proposal of marriage. The heartbroken but determined queen agreed to the proposal on the condition that he complete a five-storied step-well (vav) for her. The Muslim ruler, enticed by the charm of the queen, readily agreed.
The construction of this well had begun years ago under Rana Veer Singh but had to be stopped later. Begda resumed this project with great enthusiasm and got the well completed in record time. When this five-storied edifice was completed but for the dome, Begda renewed his proposal. The next day, Roopba took a round of the well and saying a final prayer, flung herself into the water and drowned. Mohammed Begda immediately stopped further construction but did not get the monument demolished probably because Roopba had employed Muslim masons who had decorated it with Islamic motifs. The incidents, which led to the erection of this unique well, are detailed on the walls and pillars of the vav in Sanskrit and Pali (an ancient language).
The small village of Adlaj is at a distance of 19 km from Ahmedabad and 5 km from Gandhinagar. It can be reached from either of the two cities by road. Travelers can take taxi or hire cars from these cities to reach Adlaj.
Shaking Minarets Just south of the railway station, outside the Sarangpur Gate, the Sidi Bashir Mosque is famed for its shaking minarets, or jhulta minars. When one minaret is shaken, the other rocks in sympathy. This is said to be a protection against earthquake damage. It's a fairly fanciful proposition, and one which you'll be unable to verify, unless of course you happen to be on the spot during an earthquake, however it did survive the devastating 2001 earthquake when many other condominiums and apartments collapsed all over Ahmedabad.
Nal Sarovar - Bird Sanctuary About 65 km from Ahmedabad, spread over 120 sq. kms, the lake - Nal Sarovar - the extensive reed beds and marshes are an ideal habitat for aquatic plants and animals. The lake attracts a large variety of birds like plovers, sandpipers, stints, cormorants, grebes and openbill storks among others. The best season to visit the sanctuary is November to February.
Thol Bird Sanctuary This sanctuary is about 30 km west of the city center. Just as Nal Sarovar, this lake attracts a large variety of bird species. It has become more preferable for the amdavadis to take a early morning trip here. Although it does not have any facilities like boating, it has turned out more favorable as this is a lesser known place. It will be best to rent a taxi for a morning as there is no public transport available here. November to March is the best time to visit Thol Sanctuary.

subset: commoncrawl


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Already smashing through a $70,000 funding goal on Indiegogo with 40 days to go, Stick-N-Find stickers will offer consumers the ability to find any object using a smartphone and a Bluetooth connection. After a user attaches a Stick-N-Find Bluetooth sticker to any object, they can check distance from the object using a smartphone application. In addition, the user can trigger an audible buzzer to hear the sticker as well as turn on a blinking red light housed within the sticker to see the object in the dark. This type of technology can be useful for locating lost car keys, expensive electronics like a smartphone or a remote control that's buried in the couch cushions.
Approximately the same size as a quarter, the Stick-N-Find sticker has a range of approximately 100 feet and the battery lasts about a year. When the battery is running low on power, the Stick-N-Find smartphone application will alert the user. After popping off the top of the Stick-N-Find sticker, the user can easily replace the battery.
In order to find an object using distance, the Stick-N-Find smartphone application provides a radar screen to give the user an estimation of approximate distance. However, the radar screen does not show direction and requires the user to walk in various directions in order to target the location of the device. The radar screen will show up to twenty active stickers that are connected to the smartphone over Bluetooth.
If a sticker moves out of the 100 foot range from the phone, then the user can turn on the "Find IT" feature within the smartphone application. Once the sticker comes in range of the phone again, the application will alert the user immediately. For example, one of the Stick-N-Find stickers could be attached to a piece of luggage that was checked prior to a flight. The owner of the bag can rest comfortably after the flight and wait for a smartphone alert rather than standing directly beside the baggage carousel.
The smartphone application also allows users to trigger an alert if a sticker moves out of a specified range. Called the "Virtual Leash" feature, users can set a distance range for each sticker as well as assign names to the stickers.
This could be particularly useful to keep track of expensive items, pets or children. For instance, the user could setup an alert that would trigger if the family cat found a way to get outside to explore the neighborhood. Parents could attach the sticker to the clothing of small children to trigger an alert if the child gets too far away from their location.
With over $116,000 already raised through the Indiegogo campaign, the team behind the Stick-N-Find Bluetooth stickers have setup a detailed production schedule that will deliver the first round of devices by March 2013. The group plans to show off the technology at CES in January and are currently developing smartphone applications for the iOS and Android platforms. According to the pricing information on the Indiegogo page, two stickers will eventually sell for $49.95 at retail. However, there are options from two stickers up to one hundred stickers at contribution levels of $35 up to $1,400.
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YARMOUTH, Maine—Throughout the year one topic has been cropping up: the benefits of switching to a wholesale central station.
Several companies this year have opted to pick a third party monitoring center over continuing to operate their own central; RFI Communications switched to Rapid Response in March, Red Hawk Fire & Security partnered with Affiliated in October and recently, Comtronics switched its monitored accounts to NMC.
Some of these companies said that the move allowed them to refocus on the core of their business.
One thing that each of these companies highlighted is new-found flexibility and the ability to focus more heavily on offering new services and technologies to their customers. Specifically, these companies highlighted offerings such as mobile services and video verification with I-View Now.
This has been a pretty hot topic in the industry, it seems. I know if came up at CSAA's annual meeting in the panel entitled "Owning vs. Contracting – Future Trends for Monitoring Centers." I'd like to hear your opinions; Is this trend going to continue? Feel free to check out our most recent News Poll to share your views on the business benefits of either third party monitoring centers or operating your own central station.
The one common lament I hear from those in the security industry today—from dealers to integrators to end users to manufacturers—is how difficult it is to find good young professionals.
Many of our Class of 2016 "20 under 40" winners, both in the integrator and end user categories, are great examples of what this next wave of young security professionals are capable of, and many are involved in their local chapters of organizations such as ASIS International, SIA and ESA, which recently held its Rising Leaders Forum at Skamania Lodge in Stevenson, Wash., an event that was designed to gather rising leaders and industry veterans to participate in a leadership and team-building program.
Terry Peters, CEO and founder of Leader Solutions and Decision Support LLC, developed the team-building program. "Leadership is the art of influencing people in such a way as to gain their willing desire to accomplish the mission," he said in the announcement. "Leaders are followed because their actions impact the environment in which they operate and people see them as a catalyst to achieve the desired outcome."
This ESA event included multiple hands-on activities that turned strategy into action. It began with a fitness boot camp where attendees teamed up. Groups worked together to accomplish physical tasks such as carrying a makeshift gurney and 150-lb 'dummy' while exercising mental skills in communication and adaptation. Peters led a "lively" keynote presentation discussing leader development, team building, and change management from a Special Forces perspective, ESA said in its announcement.
Michele Monheim of Eastern States Sentinel Alarm Services said in the announcement, "The Rising Leadership Forum had a different spin than the usual trade show. It gave us a chance to get to know each other better in a more relaxed environment and look at leadership in a different perspective. Great job on the event and thank you for a great experience."
The Leadership Development Discussion Panel featured Kirk MacDowell, vice president of platform sales at Alarm.Com, Bruce Mungiguerra, senior vice president of operations at Moni, and Greg Simmons, co-owner and vice president at Eagle Sentry. This team was joined by Robert Few, director at Charter Communications-IntelligentHome, as moderator for a group exchange of real-world experiences, implemented best practices, and industry-specific leadership strategies.
The YSP Rising Leaders Forum was center stage for the culmination of ESA's Class of 2016 Mentorship Program. There were group presentations highlighting workforce development, customer lifecycle and experience and corporate social responsibility.
"The YSP event in Stevenson, Washington was the culmination of a wonderful nine-month experience," Mentor Don Childers said in the announcement. "Working with my mentee was an absolute joy. And now, I not only have business contact, but I have a friend for life that I would not have had if it were not for this program. A truly wonderful experience and I thank everyone involved."
There has been a lot of good news coming out lately on the state of residential security, which over the past few years has been bolstered by interactive and connected services, home automation, DIY and the emergence of mobile everything.
Technavio recently released a report on the residential security market, which shows that from 2016 to 2020 the global market for residential security will grow at a 7.34 percent CAGR—from $21.93 billion to $31.25 billion. The North American market will rise to about $15 billion in 2020, up from $12.51 billion in 2016, at a CAGR of 4.56 percent.
On the heals of that research, a report on home automation from Zion Research shows that the global home automation market was valued at around $5.0 billion in 2014 and is expected to reach $21.0 billion in 2020, growing at a CAGR of around 25 percent between 2015 and 2020.
Interestingly, the home automation market was dominated by North America, which accounted for about 40 percent of the total market in 2014. North America is followed by Europe and Asia Pacific, with Europe expected to witness robust growth in home automation systems market owing to strong demand from Germany, UK and France, according to the report.
The report also noted that the wireless system management segment dominated the home automation market in 2014, accounting for more than 40 percent of the overall market in 2014. With increasing use of products enabled with Wi-Fi technology, demand for wireless system management is expected to go up, the report said.
From my conversations with residential dealers, many are taking advantage of these new opportunities, providing scalable smart home packages that provide their customers with the kind of home automation customization and interactive services they are clamoring for, while increasing the potential RMR for an account.
Dealers are also finding that the more customers interact with their security and home automation systems, the more likely they are to stay a customer and add on services in the future. In addition to providing greater control over their security, surveillance, lighting and heating systems, homeowners are realizing energy savings, reduction in insurance costs, and overall greater peace of mind as a result of this smart home revolution.
As the studies mentioned above bear out, the potential within residential security is limitless.
Day Three
Day three kicked off with the third general session. Next, the day's keynote speaker, Dr. Robert Rohm, opened up a discussion on different personalities and how businesses can use a variety of tactics to increase connections and sales.
Rhom lead the group through an exercise to see elements of their own personalities, whether they lean toward outgoing or reserved, task-oriented or people-oriented. Defining different pairings as dominant (outgoing and task oriented), inspiring (outgoing and people oriented), supportive (reserved and people oriented) and lastly the cautious-type (reserved and task oriented).
He then gave advice on how to approach folks with these personalities; dominant people like to see results and like to be their own boss, and supportive people like acceptance and appreciation.
In "Latest Advances in Fire Technology," Steven McCurdy, Honeywell Security and Fire's director of sales, strategic accounts, distributions products group, looked at several issues related to fire installations and where newer technologies fit in. He pointed to several different new state legislations, including New York, which mandated CO detectors in all commercial facilities-not just new buildings, and Illinois, with new and existing K-12 schools.
McCurdy discussed wireless detections and some its key applications, such as with historical buildings, places of worship, and parking garages. "it's been a great solution for this industry," he said.
Another key technology, according to McCurdy, is early detection. "We detect smoke, but what's happened? There's already a fire," he said. Earlier this year the company acquired early detection and fire technologies from Xtralis.
Stan Martin, SIAC's executive director, presented "Maximizing Law Enforcement Relationships," among the final sessions of this year's CONNECT. He looked at the benefits of security companies working with their local law enforcement.
Direct pieces of advice included talking with law enforcement about problem accounts and seeing what can be done about those customers. "Everyone has problem accounts," Martin said. Among first steps, he said, "You should know the alarm coordinator in the cities you operate in."
There are benefits of forming these relationships, Martin said, including notice of pending ordinance changes, "They might even call you and ask for your input."
Martin gave several examples of how companies can interface and communicate with its law enforcement, including inviting chiefs and council members to events in the alarm industry, or congratulating new promotions in the force.
It was great being at CONNECT this year, there were a lot of interesting conversations going on, both in the breakout sessions as well as in networking events. Hope to see you all next year!
Day Two
The second day kicked off with a general session. Marek Robinson, Honeywell Security & Fire's VP of sales, intrusion, addressed this year's theme, "Your Voice. Your Network. Your Future." The dealer's voice comes into the conference in the form of feedback on past CONNECT shows. As a result, he said, "We went about our breakout sessions in a completely different fashion." This year, the educational sessions are 60 percent more dealer-lead. Dealers also said they would like to see more networking options, and the "network" comes in with a special networking reception organized for later in the day.
Robinson added that the future is looking bright. Business models are changing, he said, giving examples like Uber, a very large transportation company which owns no cars, and Airbnb, an icon in the accommodations industry, though it doesn't own any real estate.
Todd Reif, president, Honeywell Fire Safety Americas, got on stage to talk a bit about the company's approach to the IoT. Rief said that the company is looking to take a new approach, including more third party integrations, "We are moving from a closed stance ... to a more open stance."
Inder Reddy, president, Honeywell security products Americas, discussed several things, including Honeywell's focus in 2016 on creating aesthetically pleasing systems and the new Lyric Gateway panel. The Gateway is really quick to install, he said, which leaves technicians with more time to engage with the user and walk through the new system. "A more engaged user is a more sticky user," Reddy said.
Robinson included more voices from the dealer by bringing onstage Scott Hightower, president and CEO of Verified Security, to talk a bit about the benefits of the dealer network and Security Solutions' Jamie Vos to discuss the future for the industry. Vos identified video technologies as a trend, adding that "video needs to be interactive" in order to beat lowest cost options that can be bought online.
Following the general session, I attended "Essential Components Of A Great Branding Strategy in the Digital Age," presented by Tammy Beil, chief growth officer for marketing firm TABiel. Beil started the session by listing top recognized brands across thee world, including Google, McDonalds, Ford and Nike. Marketing and branding is a conscious effort, she said, "this is not something that happens haphazardly, there's a reason that you know these companies."
Branding, according to Beil, is a valuable asset to the company, and provides a return on the investment put into it. "If you do marketing right and you do your branding right, it will pay you back in spades," she said. "It will boost your immediate sales."
Beil advocated using social networks to push out marketing. One attendee in the branding question asked about how to best utilize LinkedIn. Beil advised interacting, engaging and joining groups on the site, as well as using it for a personal resource and to recruit. "Use it as a tool to leverage what you need."
"DIY- It's for Real" was among the next round of breakout sessions. Quentin Gunther, dealer development manager for Honeywell, opened the session. He began by addressing ecommerce, how prevalent it is, and how some companies may be able to operate an online store while maintaining their current model—though, it isn't necessarily for every company.
Greg Judge, director of sales for Comtronics, spoke next on the methods Comtronics used in setting up a DIY offering. Comtronics operates 12 Verizon dealerships, apart from its security business, and sells a boxed DIY kit from those store, "This fit our model and we went with it." Honeywell helped with the design of the box, he said, making it something that really shows what the product was designed for.
Part of the company's go-to-market strategy involves setting up live demos in stores, complete with elements from the home. "They can see the lock move, they can see the lamps turn on and off," Judge said.
Michael Morton, vice president of sales and marketing at EMC Security, discussed his experiences with DIY, which includes selling 200 systems since the company rolled out the offering this summer. "We do limit it, because we offer support. It's one of the big selling points for our services," Morton said. "If you can't quite get there, we have [techs] that are ready to go."
Morton said the company struggled with one point, "Do we really trust our customer to do this on their own? ... This is life safety." As a result, EMC does not offer DIY fire products or glass-break sensors.
During the second general session, David Kaiserman, president of Lennar Ventures—a company that focuses on building new homes that come equipped with smart home technologies, shared his view on connected home. "Homes today are remarkably analog," he said. "But, the rest of the world around us have changed in ways that you can't really explain."
One issue that Kaiserman identified is when a salesperson complicates things by trying to sell a consumer on a system that they were ready to get, and then cause concern in the customer. "They don't have to worry about the complexity, they just get to experience the lifestyle," he said.
Alice DeBiasio, vice president, general manager cloud services for Honeywell Security and Fire then got on stage to discuss some of Honeywell's latest offerings. She highlighted the company's integrations with Sky Bell and the August smart lock, as well as new push notifications, geofencing reminders to arm the system and a partnership with I-View Now.
The company is also doing new work with buildings, according to Brian Casey, Honeywell general manager of SMB solutions. There are more and enhanced video offerings, including with Honeywell's Performance and Equip series cameras. "In the area of video, we are back in the game," Casey said.
This CONNECT's first keynote speaker was motivational speaker and New York Times bestselling author Grant Cardone.
Cardone energetically covered many topics to selling, including the positives to disruption—that it brings change—and importance of using social media as a free form of promotion.
He approached the idea that business say they don't have time to utilize social media. To make a point, he used Snapchat to take a video, which he uploaded to Twitter in minutes, while on stage speaking.
My last educational session of the day was "25 Concrete Ways to Make Your Business Better Today," presented by Affiliated Monitoring's president Stanley Oppenheim. "We're going to do things here that you're going to take care of on Monday," Oppenheim said.
The quality of trucks was one item he brought up. "You never roll a truck that has a dent in it," said Oppenheim. "It is no longer a truck, it is a rolling billboard. ... A dirty truck is inexcusable."
Another piece of advice was to always recruit, including with wait staff at restaurants and salespeople that call the office—anyone that gives a great impression. "Your best employees will come from non traditional sources," he said.
At the networking reception, created following feedback Honeywell received on the CONNECT event, I got the chance to meet several members of the Security One team, including SSN "20 under 40" winner, Chris Neumann. Corey Robertson, Security ONE director of marketing, said that things have been well following the company's acquisition of Homematix.
It was also great hearing from dealers including Stuart Lowe, vice president – key/national accounts for Lifeline Security and Fire, and Isaac Walton, security sales and management, Advanced Electric & Alarm Systems, about the benefits they saw in the Gateway panel, such as with apartment buildings or people who would use their phone for most of their security functions.
Finally, today was Veterans Day and it was great to see speakers voice their support for those who have served in the military, as well as their families.
Day One
I made it down to Florida safely from Maine, arriving this afternoon.
The first session I attended was "What Behavioral Insight REALLY Can Do for You," presented by Carletta Clyatt, senior vice president of the Omnia Group. Clyatt took an interesting look into workplace dynamics by discussing recognizable work styles and behaviors in both leaders and employees. For example, she advised the attendees to consider how a leader who is very routine-focused could best work with an employee who prefers a varied workplace, with new challenges.
Additionally Clyatt discussed how different types of people can be motivated by different things. As an example, she said that her sales people—typically having an assertive personality—are motivated by individual goals, while her service employees—less assertive and more group focused—responded better team-rewards.
"Merging a Diverse Workforce," the second session I attended, also approached the workplace and its variety of different employees. Jamie Vos, general manager for Security Solutions, looked at five different generations (traditionalists, baby boomers, gen Xers, millennials, and Gen Z—or, 'gamers') and their unique motivating factors.
Each generation is looking for a different environment, culture, set of rewards and benefits, according to Vos. Baby boomers might want more control in their position, while millennials tend to value more time off. Traditionalists might want flexible work hours, while gen Xers would like rewards like gift cards—not a bonus to be put toward bills.
Vos highlighted the need to look at a company's culture as well as its environment. "You need to discover what your culture is," he said. "You need to put it into words." This means exploring why the company exists, how its employees behave, what it is the company does, and how it plans to succeed.
Also today, Honeywell announced the new Lyric Gateway—a simplified panel that can allow dealers to pursue new markets, such as renters, condo and second homeowners, and those who frequently move. The panel offers a simple design, sporting a keypad without a touchscreen display, doesn't need to be wall mounted and comes with a desk stand.
Here in Florida, I got the chance to talk about the new system with George Janelis, Honeywell's senior channel manager for builder and connected home markets. The simplified format allows the unit to be hooked up either with the customer's WiFi or Ethernet and plug into the wall for power, which increases dealers' profitability by decreasing the time needed for the install, he said.
Janelis told me that the system is mobile-centric, and can work with users' connected home devices- it also uses voice notifications from the panel to transmit alarm information easily to the user. "We're getting a huge amount of positive feedback from [our dealers]," he said.
Early Thursday morning I'll be headed down to Hollywood, Fla., for Honeywell's 2016 CONNECT conference.
Looking over the schedule of sessions, it looks like there will be some interesting conversations about DIY offerings—including Honeywell's DragonFly offering—as well as on hiring a business culture.
If you're headed down there, feel free to email me or introduce yourself if you see me around. My email is email@example.com.
I'll be updating this blog periodically, highlighting some of the people I meet and key conversations as well as interesting educational sessions—hope to see some of you down there! Check back for more details.
Last week's malware attack sent a sobering chill through the security industry, as it illuminated the cybersecurity vulnerabilities of IoT products, showing how easy it is to hack into unsecured IP devices.
The hackers, who were able to affect sites including Twitter, Spotify and CNN, launched a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack using tens of millions of malware-infected devices connected to the Internet to overwhelm Dyn, a provider of Domain Name System services.
Although the attack amounted to a temporary inconvenience for millions, it underscored the need for cybersecurity standards for the IoT world.
Toward that end, the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) released this month a new guidance report titled "Future-proofing the Connected World: 13 Steps to Developing Secure IoT Products," which was created to help designers and developers of IoT-related products and services understand the basic security measures that must be incorporated throughout the development process.
With the release of this report, the CSA looks to provide much needed education and direction to product developers who know their products are at risk of compromise, but may lack the understanding as to where to start the process for mitigating that risk.
"It is often heard in our industry that securing IoT products and systems is an insurmountable effort," Brian Russell, chair IoT Working Group and chief engineer, cyber security solutions with Leidos, said in the announcement. "However, with the help of our extremely knowledgeable and dedicated volunteers, we are providing a strong starting point for organizations that have begun transforming their existing products into IoT-enabled devices, as well as newly emerging IoT startups. We hope to empower developers and organizations with the ability to create a security strategy that will help mitigate the most pressing threats to both consumer and business IoT products."
Specifically, the report lays out 13 considerations and guidance for designing and developing reasonably secure IoT devices, to mitigate some of the more common issues that can be found with IoT device development. Additionally, realizing that often times there is a need to quickly identify the critical security items in a product development lifecycle, researchers also outline the top five security considerations that when applied will begin to increase an IoT product's security posture substantially.
The CSA IoT Working Group is focusing on understanding the relevant use cases for IoT deployments and defining actionable guidance for security practitioners to secure their implementations. The group is led by Russell, with initiative leads Priya Kuber and Dr. Shyam Sundaram. Nearly 30 CSA IoT working group members contributed to development of the 80-plus page guidance report.
The full report is available at https://cloudsecurityalliance.org/download/future-....
The Electronic Security Association recently announced that Dr. Joseph Kuhns, a professor of criminology and criminal justice at the University of North Carolina, will be the keynote speaker for the 2017 ESA Leadership Summit, to be held Feb. 12 through Feb. 15 in Tampa, Fla.
"Dr. Kuhns brings extensive experience and knowledge from the world of criminology that will provide attendees with helpful data that can be applied to how they approach the market and work with their customers," Merlin Guilbeau, CEO of the Electronic Security Association, told Security Systems News in an email interview.
Kuhns will present the general session, entitled "Burglary Victim Adaptations & What Security Businesses Should Know," on Monday, February 13 at 12:45 p.m.
Security businesses will be given statistics and information that they will be able to use when training employees, marketing their businesses and advising customers on the best methods to secure their premises," Guilbeau said. "Attendees will also be able to understand the change of mindset post-burglary to better serve the segment of the market that has experienced a break in."
In ESA's announcement, Dr. Kuhns said, "Residential burglary victims should know that their chances of being victimized again, following a successful burglary, are frequently high. Therefore, improving their home safety and security, in multiple ways, is highly recommended."
There will be new features at the upcoming summit, according to Guilbeau, such as a new app for the event's schedule, details, sponsor information and for communication between attendees. "We are also introducing an attendee engagement tool, so that the audience can interact live with speakers at the Summit," he said.
"Education and networking are the two key components of the Summit's program, and we fully expect that this topic and the findings shared by Dr. Kuhns will provide attendees with a lot to discuss with one another during all of the social events," Guilbeau said.
COPS Monitoring recently announced that it was able to achieve a 12.4 second average response time during Hurricane Matthew—quicker than the company's 13.9 second average for priority response in the past 12 months. COPS gave credit to its team for the achievement.
"Achieving a 13.9 second response time is difficult enough. When a situation like severe weather causes alarm traffic to increase 20 to 30 percent, it's not uncommon for many central stations to have response times that are much higher; sometimes minutes, rather than seconds," David Smith, COPS' VP of marketing & business development, told Security Systems News via email. "So, the fact that we were able to reduce an already fast response time by more than 10 percent for five straight days despite a significant increase in alarm traffic is truly a remarkable feat."
"The 12.4 second response time was for all priority alarms nationwide; including the alarms in the areas that were affected," Smith continued. "Luckily, the eye of the storm stayed off the coast and we only experienced a lot of rain and wind from the outer storm bands."
COPS had a disaster preparedness plan in place, including having its Boca Raton, Fla., monitoring center built to stand up to a hurricane. "The extensive planning is what gave us the flexibility to allow us to reduce our staff in Florida so they could focus on their own homes and families. Because all the hard work had already been done, planning for Hurricane Matthew involved over-staffing our other central stations to compensate. We have a great team at COPS and there is never a shortage of volunteers – including from our Florida central station."
In the announcement, Jim McMullen, president and COO of COPS Monitoring, said that the company was planning to reduce the staff in the Boca Raton monitoring center to "just a few essential technical support members. … However, after ensuring their families were safe, several dispatchers committed to working through the storm to help protect our dealers and their subscribers," McMullen said in a prepared statement.
FRAMINGHAM, Mass.—Several reports have come out in the past month looking to quantify growth within security, each illuminating the fact that the industry is growing both here in North America and globally as well.
In terms of the global security market, the first Worldwide Semiannual Security Spending Guide from International Data Corporation (IDC), released last week, forecasts that worldwide revenues for security-related hardware, software, and services will grow from $73.7 billion in 2016 to $101.6 billion in 2020—at a CAGR of 8.3 percent, more than twice the rate of overall IT spending growth over the five-year forecast period.
The largest category of investment will be security-related services, which will account for nearly 45 percent of all security spending worldwide in 2016, and the largest segment within that category, managed security services, is forecast to generate revenues of $13 billion this year. Security software will be the second largest category in 2016, with endpoint security, identity and access management, and security and vulnerability management software driving more than 75 percent of the category's revenues.
The industries making the largest investments in security solutions in 2016 will be banking ($8.6 billion), followed by discrete manufacturing, federal/central government, and process manufacturing. The industries that will see the fastest growth in their security investments will be healthcare, followed by telecommunications, utilities, state/local government, and securities and investment services. Each of these industries will experience CAGRs above 9.0 percent over the forecast period.
Interestingly, one of the fastest growing segments of the security products market will be user-behavior analytics software—growing at a CAGR of 12.2 percent through 2020, an area that many of our "20 under 40" Class of 2016 winners, both integrators and end users, mentioned as one of the most promising technology areas right now in the industry.
Many are working to get to a point where all of the data coming in, including video, can be mined and managed for use with predictive analytics, better time management, faster and more accurate alarm verification, operational efficiencies—the list goes on an on.
The topic also generated a lot of interest in this month's News Poll, where we asked you, our readers, about the top emerging technologies coming out of ASIS 2016 in September. According to 43 percent of respondents, video surveillance and VMS was the most talked about technology at ASIS 2016, with thirty-one percent saying that big data/analytics was the most talked about.
All told, there is a lot to get excited about in the industry right now.
CALHOUN, Ga.—Owen Security Solutions, based here, announced today that it has acquired Tight Security Systems.
Justin Owen, company president, told Security Systems News that the company will continue to grow by acquisitions in the future. "Financially speaking, it just makes too much sense to not go down that road." The company isn't looking to complete any before December, he added.
The 600 account addition brings Owen Security's total customer base over the 5000 account mark. Owen said that the company started 2016 with about 3000 accounts.
This is the third acquisition, both this year and in the company's history, for Owen. The company acquired the accounts of Davis Security Services in September, and Medley Systems in July.
Scott Bishop, the owner of Tight Security, will join Owen Security to help the transition. "He's staying on with us as a hybrid position, [responsible for] business development, service technician, technician trainer," Owen said.
"Extends our footprint a little bit, geographically speaking. But, for the most part, we're already overlapping that area with plenty of customers," Owen said.
Tight Security's business, based out of Ellijay, Ga., was about 95 percent residential, Owen estimated, with some small retail accounts. Owen Security is about 60 percent residential.
Owen Security and Tight Security are both in small communities, Owen pointed out. "We feel like it's a good culture fit, and we can work with his customers really well," he said.
Owen Security currently has about 30 employees, but is looking to add on between three and five more before the end of the year, Owen said.
SCHAUMBURG, Ill.—Convergint Technologies, a global systems integration company with headquarters here, completed its seventh acquisition of the year with the purchase of Go Security Solutions, a systems integrator based in Westborough, Mass.
Dan Moceri, executive chairman and co-founder of Convergint Technologies, told Security Systems News that he is excited to have the Go Security Solutions team join the Convergint family.
"The company fits the criteria that we are looking for, which includes a strong culture—similar to Convergint's—that is focused on service and the customer," said Moceri. "They have a great reputation in the marketplace and really bring additional capabilities to extend service to our customers."
Founded in 2009, Go Security Solutions is a full-service systems integrator specializing in electronic access control, video surveillance, alarm systems, and mechanical security solutions.
Moceri said the deal increases Convergint's footprint in the Northeast. "It is a highly populated area, and we need to add resources," he said. "We are growing in excess of 20 percent, and we are hiring more than a person a day somewhere in the world to support that growth and be able to provide the type of service that our customers have come to expect from us."
Go Security Solutions is the seventh acquisition that Convergint has completed since January of 2016.
"We continue to grow organically but we also have supplemented that with strategic acquisitions where it makes sense to do that, and in some cases it is geographic coverage," Moceri explained. "Our business in the northeast has been growing very nicely, and we are hiring people as fast as we can, but in some cases we are supplementing that with key acquisitions that can bring us additional resources."
What is the key to Convergint's success? "We invest a lot in the training and development of our team," said Moceri. "There is a tremendous amount of work that goes into the infrastructure to support the growth, and we've spent a lot of time and money identifying the future leaders, and a lot of those leaders will come out of the organization itself, but we also look to some of the acquisitions to supplement the leadership needs of the organization as well."
In terms of overall growth, Moceri said that Convergint "will get close" to the $600 million revenue mark for 2016, which "is up significantly from the $470 million that we were at last year," he said.
When asked if Convergint is done on the acquisition front this year, Moceri said, "We've got quite a few acquisitions in the pipeline, and now that we are getting toward the end of the year, timing is everything. We have the potential of closing at least one more deal by the end of the year, and we expect to be just as active in 2017 as we were in 2016."
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Earth : North America : United States of America : Midwest (United States of America) : Illinois : Chicagoland : Evanston
Evanston is a city in Illinois, north of Chicago, along the shores of Lake Michigan. Evanston has many identities: college town, dining destination, cultural center and gateway to the wealthy North Shore, although the city itself is anything but homogeneous in regards to economic status, culture and race.
Get in
By plane
The nearest airport is Chicago's O'Hare Airport. If you're heading directly to Evanston from the airport, ask your hotel if they can arrange an airport shuttle. Otherwise, you'll have to take a taxi. American Taxi offers reasonable flat rates between O'Hare and Evanston (and many other North Shore towns), but a pick-up must be arranged by phone. Another alternative is to take the CTA Blue Line to the Clark/Lake station, then transfer to the Purple Line express (during rush hour) or transfer to the Red Line at Jackson and then go north to Howard station where you can take the Purple Line the rest of the way to Evanston. A cheap way of going to Evanston is by Pace bus 250, which runs directly from O'Hare Kiss-and-Fly to Evanston Davis Street.
By car
Interstate I-90/94, known locally as the Edens Expressway, runs about 5 miles to the west of Evanston.
By train
By bus
Get around
The CTA Purple Line makes stops at South Blvd., Main, Dempster, Davis, Foster, Noyes, and Central: after Central, the CTA Purple Line continues one more stop to Wilmette. Pace & CTA buses connect at many of these stations, especially Davis. Evanston is also a very bike friendly city. [31]
Travelers may note that in the springtime, local birds, especially pigeons, are so used to the CTA line (which has been in operation for more than fifty years), that the birds will often walk on to the train at Davis Street, ride the train south to South Boulevard, and walk off the train! Apparently, these birds have learned that the train is an efficient way to get from the center of town to feeding areas in the cemetery next to South Boulevard.
CTA Bus Routes
Pace Bus Routes
The central shopping district is off Davis Street, in downtown Evanston, but Dempster Street, just a few blocks south, is also a great place to shop. It has several small, fashionable yet unpretentious boutiques. The Central Street shopping area in northern Evanston, which runs 2 blocks from Green Bay Road to Hartrey Avenue, has a number of high-end boutiques, cafes, and bakeries, including The Spice House, Table Manners, Ritzlin Antique Maps, Urban Totem (chandeliers and furniture) and Tag's Bakery. Main Street in southern Evanston is in the process of gentrifying, and is currently worth a visit for Ten Thousand Villages, Dave's Down to Earth Rock Shop, and Vogue Fabrics. Several upscale restaurants have recently opened in this area as well.
Evanston has an improbably large number of Oriental rug stores.
Thanks to the hordes of Northwestern students and non-student residents who value a good coffe shop environment, downtown Evanston has plenty of good, non-chain coffee shops.
Get out


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Interdealer brokers, the middlemen who line up buyers and sellers of securities for banks, are emerging as key enablers in the Libor scandal after three firms paid a total of $2.6 billion for rigging global interest rates.
Employees at firms including ICAP Plc, the world's biggest interdealer broker, and RP Martin Group Ltd., a smaller British competitor, passed on requests from derivatives traders asking rate-setters at others banks to make favorable submissions, e-mails released as part of the global probe of interest rate-rigging show. In some cases, the middlemen took bribes as payment for the services in the form of so-called wash trades, regulators said, without identifying the firms that did.
The brokers assumed greater influence as credit markets froze at the start of the financial crisis in 2007. Bankers charged with making submissions to the London interbank offered rate increasingly relied on information from the brokers to determine what figures to contribute. That left the benchmark vulnerable to manipulation by traders trying to profit from bets on derivatives. The outcome of those bets often depended on where the Libor rate fell on International Money Market dates, or IMMs, the quarterly dates when futures contracts settle.
"I really need a low 3m jpy libor into the imm..." one trader e-mailed a broker on March 3, 2010, according to a transcript of a conversation released by the U.S. Department of Justice when Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc paid a $612 million fine for interest-rate rigging on Feb. 6. "Any favours you can get with [Submitter-1] would be much appreciated..."
'Steak' Offered
That discussion was between Tom Hayes, the former UBS AG and Citigroup Inc. trader arrested in December over his alleged role in the scandal, and Brent Davies, an employee at ICAP in London, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. The submitter was Paul White, an employee at Edinburgh-based RBS, said the people, who asked not to be identified because they weren't authorized to speak publicly.
Later that day, Davies asked White if there was "any chance at all" he could lower his rate, adding "if u cud see ur way to a small drop there might be a steak in it for ya," the transcript shows.
In the exchange, White said his rate should be unchanged. The next day he lowered his three-month yen Libor submission by 1 basis point, according to the regulator. A basis point is the equivalent of 0.01 percentage point.
Wash Trades
White declined to comment as did lawyers for Hayes and Davies. Davies, who isn't under investigation by any regulator, joined ICAP in September 2009 and was suspended on full pay from January 2012, one of the people said. ICAP is being investigated by Britain's Financial Services Authority as well as Canada's Competition Bureau.
The firm has put three more employees on paid leave, Chief Executive Officer Michael Spencer told reporters on a conference call yesterday after the firm said trading volume increased in January. He said the London-based firm has led its own internal investigation and declined to comment on any other probes.
"We haven't found any wash trades that we have been involved with," he said. The firm hasn't made any provisions for costs arising from the Libor scandal, he added.
Two RP Martin brokers were arrested in London on Dec. 11 as part of British prosecutors' inquiry into Libor-rigging. Spokesmen for RBS, UBS, Citigroup, RP Martin and the FSA declined to comment.
Conversations such as Hayes's took place on a daily basis in the close-knit world of rates trading, where most participants knew one another from social events organized by the brokers themselves, or from working together previously, according to former employees who declined to be identified because of the probes. Davies, Hayes and White had all worked together on RBS's trading floor in London.
'Bullying' Fix
Interdealer brokers helped Hayes in his alleged three-year campaign to rig yen Libor. From 2006 to 2009, the trader made 1,200 requests to at least five brokers, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission said in its Dec. 19 settlement with UBS.
I need "to keep 6m up till tues then let it collapse," Hayes wrote in one instant message chat with an unidentified broker on Aug. 17, 2007, according to a transcript released by the Justice Department on Dec. 19.
"Doing a good job so far ... as long as the liquidity remains poor we have a better chance of bullying the fix," the unidentified broker responded. The following day, Hayes reiterated his need for a high fix, to which the broker replied "yep think I realise that" and "yes mate, will make myself useful."
Next page: 'Fixing Service'
Copyright 2014 Bloomberg. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Copyright 2014 Bloomberg. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


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This GripGrab Orca Overshoes is no longer available although you may find similar or newer versions below:
A waterproof and lightweight shoe cover ideal for use on wet and windy days. The Orca has loads of functional details making it the perfect companion for commuters on those wet autumn/spring rides.

GripGrab is a Danish company founded in 2000 by Kristian, Martin and Bjørn Krøyer. The company designs and develops gloves and accessories for cycling and running.

GripGrab is based on a passion for sports and the dream of building a brand of products that makes sports more enjoyable no matter how cold, wet or windy it is.

|EU Shoe Size
|36 - 37
|38 - 39
|40 - 41
|42 - 43
|44 - 45
|46 - 47
|48 - 49
|UK Shoe Size
|UK Shoe
|3 - 4.5
|5 - 6
|6.5 - 7.5
|8 - 9.5
|10 - 11.5
|12 - 13.5
|14 - 15.5
|US Shoe Size
|US Male Shoe
|5.5 - 6.5
|7 - 8
|8.5 - 9.5
|10 - 12
|12.5 - 14
|14.5 - 16
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Inspired by the iconic key ring first introduced in 1969, the Return to Tiffany collection is a classic reinvented. A delicate duo of heart tags on a simple link chain exudes sophistication and elegance.
Inspired by the iconic Return to Tiffany key ring, first introduced in 1969, this celebrated jewelry collection is inscribed with the elegant reminder that there's no place like Tiffany.
Engraving, $25 Hand Engraving, $45 Monogram, $60 Symbols, $25
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A year and a day (part 2)
On my birthday on the 24th of April 2006, I embarked on a project to take a photo every day and post them online. The project was challenging, but I succeeded and have a wonderful collection of memories.
On the 24th of April 2011, I decided to repeat the challenge. Welcome to 'A year and one day... part 2'.
Images have been taken with my K100D DSLR Pentax, K-R DLSR Pentax, Compact Fuji and an iPhone.
All images are copyright Stephen Chapman 2011/2012
Day 290 - 7th February 2012: Hagley Hall
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1:00 am
Curiosity Quest "Behind The Scenes" Join the Curiosity Quest crew for this special "behind the scenes" episode created just for the fans. You will experience a fun and more personal look into what it's like to create this show. Hop in as we travel the U.S. to answer your letters of curiosity.G
1:30 am
Curiosity Quest "Helicopter Making" Fly through the Robinson Helicopter warehouse with host Joel Greene. Follow him as he learns all of the important steps it takes to put together these incredible machines.and then take them apart?. D
2:00 am
Meet Mary Pleasant Meet Mary Pleasant, the 19th-century African American woman born a slave who became an international abolitionist, a prosperous entrepreneur, and a civil-rights activist who helped alter modern-day civil rights law. Now called the Mother of Civil Rights in California, Pleasant - as activist and individual - was that and much more.G
3:00 am
Placing Out: The Orphan Trains Between 1854 and 1929, an estimated 200,000 orphaned, abandoned and runaway children, primarily from industrialized cities in the East, boarded trains bound for Midwestern farming communities in search of a better life. Experts consider this period of mass relocation, often referred to as the Orphan Train Era, as the precursor to the modern foster care system.G
4:00 am
Mechanical Universe And Beyond, The "Integration" Newton and Leibniz arrive at the conclusion that differentiation and integration are inverse processes. D
4:30 am
Power of Place: Geography for the 21st Century "Northwest Contrast" What challenges continue to face this Russian port in post-Soviet society? Vologda: Russian Farming in Flux - How have previously state-owned collective farms changed with privatization?G
5:00 am
NHK Newsline NULL
5:30 am
French In Action "Bills of Fare III" In a restaurant, a young couple order Sunday dinner. Robert, seated nearby, notices the woman is a blonde, and thinks she may be Mireille, but he can't tell.G
6:00 am
Classical Stretch: The Esmonde Technique "Weight Loss: Arm Slenderizing (All Standing)" NULL
6:30 am
Clifford's Puppy Days "Valentine Schmalentine/Sweethearts Dance" Valentine Schmalentine: Clifford and Daffodil get very competitive over who can make EE the best Valentine's Day gift of all. In the end, they realize she would have loved whatever they gave her, because she loves them. Sweethearts Dance: EE's excitement over the Father/Daughter-Mother/Sondance at the Community Center turns to anxiety when she realizes she and her dad have to dance in front of a crowd. D
7:00 am
Arthur "Night of the Tibble/Read and Flumberghast" Night of the Tibble - The Tibble Twins are having their first sleepover! The lucky victim.err, guest: James. Will the Tibbles lock him in the dark basement? Strap him to the terrifying Flatter Fling? Serve him cupcakes and cookies for dinner?!? Read and Flumberghast - A cupcake's been stolen! The primary suspect: Tommy Tibble. D
7:30 am
Martha Speaks "Martha Speaks Martha's Worst Best Day/Truman's Brother" Martha's Worst Best Day - Why is Martha so grumpy? She's offended just about everybody with her insults. Truman's Brother - Truman and TD both wish they had a brother. If Skits and Martha can be sort of siblings, why can't the two of them?G
8:00 am
Curious George "George's Home Run/Monkey On Ice" George's Home Run - While Marco tries to hit his first Little League home run, George gets to play scorekeeper. Unfortunately, he can't remember the order of the numbers, so he isn't getting it quite right. Marco helps out by using a catchy song to teach George how to count from 1-10 and then George returns the favor by agreeing to be a pinch runner for an injured Marco. D
8:30 am
Cat in the Hat Knows A Lot About That! "When I Grow Up/Doing It Differently" When I Grow Up - Sally and Nick are trying to guess what they'll be when they grow up when the Cat drops in for a visit. Cat is sure Nick and Sally will never guess what his friend Puggle will be when she grows up. When they see her, they start guessing right away! A frog? A duck? No, a beaver! They discover that, while Puggle may have some similarities to other creatures, she will grow up to be a duck billed platypus! Doing It Differently - Nick and Sally can't seem to find Harvey the guinea pig. D
9:00 am
Super Why! "Hansel and Gretel: A Healthy Adventure" The team convinces a witch to trade her gingerbread house for something delicious and nutritious.G
9:30 am
Dinosaur Train "Buck-Tooth Bucky/Tiny's Tiny Friend" Buck-Tooth Bucky - When Don finds a mystery tooth in Dad's old tooth collection, Dad decides to take the kids on an investigation. They discover that the tooth belongs to a dinosaur called Masiakasaurus, a creature with a mouthful of protruding buck teeth! Tiny's Tiny Friend - Tiny gets upset when she finds a miniature mammal named Cindy Cimolestes has moved into her "Tiny Place," a hole in a tree near the family nest. Buddy ends up using his sharp eyes to help Cindy find a new home that more perfectly fits her small size. D
10:00 am
Sesame Street "The Good Bird's Club" Big Bird receives an invitation to join the Good Birds Club. On his way to join he sings about how happy he is to be himself. When Big Bird meets the president of the club, he ridicules Big Bird because of his physical appearance. D
11:00 am
Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood "Something Special for Dad/I Love You, Mom" Something Special for Dad - Daniel notices how happy Dad is to have received a letter from Grandpere. Daniel really loves Dad, so he decides to send him a letter that will make him glad too. He goes to the Post Office with Mom, where he learns how letters are sorted and mailed. D
11:30 am
Sid The Science Kid "My Ice Pops" Sid wakes up and discovers that his ice pops melted! This sticky situation leads him to ask," Why do things have to melt?" After investigating at school, Sid learns that if liquids don't stay in a really cold place, they slowly melt over time. He also discovers that liquids can freeze into solid ice and then melt right back into liquid. D
12:00 pm
WordWorld "Pl-Pl-Plane/Mail Mix Up" Pl-Pl-Plane: Frog and the Bug Band are headed to have some fun on the beach, but not everything goes as Frog had planned. Frog loses the letters "PL" from his plane and must search through the jungle to find them. After some crazy jungle adventures (including a run-in with a giant Frog-kissing plant), Frog realizes that fun doesn't always have to be planned! Mail Mix Up: Duck offers to help Kangaroo deliver letters to his WordFriends, but he forgets Kangaroo's instructions and delivers the wrong letters to everyone. D
12:30 pm
Caillou "Caillou The Musician" Caillou Plays the Drums - Clementine's big brother Billy has a new drum set and is having lots of fun playing as loud as he can. He won't let Clementine and Caillou play his drums though, because he says they're not grown up enough. The two friends set out to prove him wrong, and once they put on their 'grownup costumes' he finally relents and lets them play. D
1:00 pm
Barney & Friends "The Big Garden/Get Happy!" The Big Garden - Baby Bop wants Barney, BJ and the kids to play with her instead of working in their garden. They promise to play with her as soon as they finish. Baby Bop can't wait, and tries many ways to get them to come play with her now, none of which work. D
1:30 pm
Thomas & Friends "Exciting Friends" Gordon and Ferdinand - Sir Topham Hatt welcomes Ferdinand to his railroad by letting him share Gordon's special. They will be taking the Lion of Sodor to the Summer House and Ferdinand will be Gordon's back engine, which Gordon isn't happy about. They pass workmen who cheer for Ferdinand (not for Gordon or the Lion of Sodor!). D
2:00 pm
Curious George "George's Home Run/Monkey On Ice" George's Home Run - While Marco tries to hit his first Little League home run, George gets to play scorekeeper. Unfortunately, he can't remember the order of the numbers, so he isn't getting it quite right. Marco helps out by using a catchy song to teach George how to count from 1-10 and then George returns the favor by agreeing to be a pinch runner for an injured Marco. D
2:30 pm
Martha Speaks "Martha Speaks Martha's Worst Best Day/Truman's Brother" Martha's Worst Best Day - Why is Martha so grumpy? She's offended just about everybody with her insults. Truman's Brother - Truman and TD both wish they had a brother. If Skits and Martha can be sort of siblings, why can't the two of them?G
3:00 pm
The Electric Company "The Unmuffins" Something funny is going on. The Pranksters are being very helpful and The Electric Company is being awfully unfriendly. Will Jessica be able to fix things so everyone is back to normal?. D
3:30 pm
WordGirl "Who Wants Candy?/Chuck's Brother" Who Wants Candy? - On a field trip to the local candy factory, The Birthday Girl goes on a candy eating spree. WordGirl must find a way to save the city's candy and win back her best friend and field trip buddy, Violet. Vocabulary Words: Awestruck, Mastermind. D
4:00 pm
Wild Kratts "Termites Vs. Tongues" When Aviva and Koki accidentally miniaturize themselves and get carried away by termites, Martin and Chris must split up to search for them. D
4:30 pm
Cyberchase "Send in the Clones" The kids use multiplication to keep track of all the Delete clones that are taking over cybersite..G
5:00 pm
Fetch! With Ruff Ruffman "Go Belugas Go!" FETCH! competes with Go Get It!, the rival cat game show, in a synchronized swimming match, so he sends Marco, Shreya, and Rubye to learn about synchronized swimming, and he sends Marc to Mystic Aquarium to learn how beluga whales are adapted for the water. D
5:30 pm
Nightly Business Report The president says $9 an hour is what it will take to lift working Americans above the poverty line. NBR's Darren Gersh takes a look at whether the President's plan can work. Gridlock in Washington may be one issue weighing on the markets. D
5:56 pm
NewsHour Promo NULL
6:00 pm
PBS NewsHour NULL
7:00 pm
Nature "Cold Warriors: Wolves and Buffalo" Canada's Wood Buffalo National Park straddles the province of Alberta and the Northwest Territories and is five times the size of Yellowstone National Park. Filmmaker Jeff Turner follows the ancient hunter-prey relationship of the two animals through the seasons, capturing the time-honored hunting strategies employed by the wolves and the evasive tactics of the buffalo with the aid of an aerial camera and a single land-based one.G
8:00 pm
NOVA "Earth from Space" This special reveals a new space-based vision of Earth. Produced in consultation with NASA scientists, the film takes data from Earth-observing satellites and transforms them into dazzling visual sequences, each one exposing the intricate web of forces that sustain life on Earth. The techniques reveal how dust blown from the Sahara fertilizes the Amazon; how a submarine "waterfall" off Antarctica helps drive ocean currents; and how the sun's heating of the southern Atlantic gives birth to a powerful hurricane.G
10:00 pm
Make Me "Smart" Medically trained television producer and presenter Mike Mosley tries techniques to boost his brain, including a groundbreaking neurofeedback procedure. He also participates in an alternative intelligence test; competes in the world memory championships in Bahrain; meets America's "most intelligent man"; and attends an institute claiming to teach babies to read.G
11:00 pm
Charlie Rose NULL


text:
The aftermath of Microsoft's Build 2014 continues to leave a certain taste in the mouth. Perhaps among the better flavors lingering on the palette is the release of the Node.js Tools for Visual Studio 1.0 Beta, followed by a subsequent announcement from Microsoft publicizing the availability of Python Tools for Visual Studio 2.1 Beta.
Although there has already been support for the Python programming language in Azure for some time now, Python Tools for Visual Studio hopes to provide programmers with good karma when performing general scripting, web programming, and technical computing.
The new tools also support new web frameworks including Bottle and Flask; improve editing of Django templates; integrate with publishing on Microsoft Azure web sites; and feature support for installing on Visual Studio Express for web and Windows Desktop.
Microsoft's corporate vice president of the Developer Division, S. Somasegar, points out the integrated IPython REPL support for smart history, shell commands, and inline images. He says that these tools provide a "great exploratory coding environment" and that Python developers will enjoy features like mixed mode debugging of Python with C++ and remote debugging of Linux servers in Azure, Visual Studio.
Where PTVS provides detailed IntelliSense and advanced debugging and profiling support, IPython enables easy sharing of "executable" notebooks comprised of mixed code, markdown, and graphics.
Microsoft has released the Python tools under an open source license (Apache 2.0) and will accept contributions from the developer community — developers can download Python Tools for Visual Studio (PTVS) on CodePlex.
Python Tools for Visual Studio (PTVS) has had support for Django since 1.5, including debugging of Django Templates — in this release Microsoft has added support for two new frameworks: Bottle and Flask, plus a "generic" web framework template that you can use for frameworks such as Pyramid.


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Shirley Ann Jones, 78, Marceline, died Sunday, Feb. 3, 2013, at Pershing Memorial Hospital, Brookfield.
Shirley Ann Jones, 78, Marceline, died Sunday, Feb. 3, 2013, at Pershing Memorial Hospital, Brookfield.
Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2013, at Delaney Funeral Home, Marceline, with Rev. Brian Baker officiating. Visitation will be held from 6 until 8 p.m. today, Feb. 4, 2013, at the funeral home. Burial will be in the White Oak Cemetery, north of Browning. Pallbearers will be Terry Elliott, Jeff Jones, Troy Bruner, Ed Ewigman, Jim Cupp, and Cecil Bezoni.
Memorials to Marceline Fire Department may be left at or mailed to the funeral home, 1720 N. Missouri Ave., Marceline, Mo. 64658.
Shirley was born November 21, 1934, east of Browning, daughter of Loren Roger and Ruth Irene (Head) Elliott. She married Mervin Jones on May 15, 1952, in Brookfield.
Shirley was a homemaker, had worked at Brown Shoe, did babysitting and she and Mervin owned and operated Jones Body Shop for 48 years where she did the bookkeeping. She was a member of the Marceline First Baptist Church and a Marceline resident since 1954.
Survivors include her husband Mervin, of the home in Marcelin; one son, Kem Jones and wife, Margaret, Kansas City; two grandchildren, Jeff and Michelle Jones, Kansas City; one brother, John Keith Elliott, Milan; half-brother Bob Cleveland, Donnellson, Iowa; sister-in-law, June Elliott, Brookfield; and several nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents; one brother J.W. Elliott; and sister-in-law Dorothy Elliott.