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Official Rules and Regulations of the Full Time Fantasy Online Championships.
PLEASE NOTE: All drafts (non World Championship Leagues) concluded before or on Saturday August 31, 2019, will have 1 opportunity to add/remove players via our Free Agent Acquisition Bidding (FAAB) waivers, on the Wednesday before Week 1, September 4, 2019 at 10pm EDT. All other leagues drafted or finishing after August 31, 2019, will have their first waiver period after Week 1 on Wednesday, September 11, 2019.
1. Overview: The Full Time Fantasy Online Championships will consist of a maximum of 416 leagues (In 2018, this contest had 90 leagues), each composed of 12 teams/managers. The Full Time Fantasy Online Championships regular season will extend from NFL Week 1 through NFL Week 13.
2. Draft: league drafts will be held either online with our custom draft software or live in Las Vegas, Nevada. Each league will be composed of 12 teams, and each draft will last for 20 rounds, with each team selecting a player in each round in a serpentine fashion (team 1 through team 12, team 12 through team 1, team 1 through team 12, etc.). There are no rules governing the number of players to be drafted at each position. It is up to the skill and draft strategy of each team owner to decide.
a. Time limit per pick: Each participant will have one minute and thirty five seconds to make a player selection. (90 seconds online) For live drafts, he/she will be notified of the time at 1:15 and again at 1:30. If a participant does not make a selection in the allotted time, he is passed over until the next participant makes a player selection. The passed-over participant then has five seconds to make a player selection before he is again passed over.
SLOW DRAFTS: Will have a 4 hour timer that extends from 1am to 7am eastern without penalty (so you don't time out overnight). Missing a pick in a slow draft will result in the highest ranked "Queue List" player. Once that is exhausted, the software rankings will be used. Here are the specific rules of the auto draft:
1. There is no limit to the number of players a contestant may put in their "queue list". They can add every undrafted player to the queue in any order they see fit.
2. If the contestant "queue list" is exhausted, and the contestant timer expires, our algorithm will look for any starting lineup position still of need, and select the highest ranked remaining available player, excluding kicker or defense positions.
2a. For example, if the contestant still needs a QB, RB and 3 wide receivers to fill their starting lineup, the algorithm will choose the highest ranked player at one of those three positions and select the player for the contestant.
3. If the "queue list" is exhausted, and the contestant timer expires, and the contestant has filled their starting lineup requirement, the algorithm will choose the highest ranked player regardless of position, excluding kicker or defense.
4. Once the draft reaches Round 15, the positions of kickers and defenses are eligible to be considered as auto picks, in the event a contestant timer expires.
c. Week 1 Starting Lineups - For Live Draft Participants: Each team will be required to submit their Week One starting lineups before leaving the Draft. Any changes must be made by email (see below)
d. The September 4, 2019 game between Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears will count in the FullTimeFantasy Online Championships scoring. All Full Time Fantasy Online Championship participants can decide whether to play or sit their players from the Week One Thursday Night Game up until Sunday at Kickoff. If you can't make your submissions to the site, please email firstname.lastname@example.com with your League ID, team Name and Full Starting Lineup.
3. Roster Requirements: Maximum of 20 players.
4. Lineups Requirements:
Here at FulltimeFantasy Fantasy, we start an 11-man lineup.
- 2 Flex player (a RB or WR, or TE)
- 1 Team Defense/Special team
(If no Week One lineup is submitted, the FulltimeFantasyFantasySports Online Championships will determine your starting lineup. After Week One, if no starting lineup is submitted, your starting lineup will be that of the previous week.)
a. League Management Web Address: You can access your league via the internet, links will be sent out to all primary Managers using the information submitted at the time of sign up.
b. Lineup Submission: All lineups may be submitted on the league web site and are due by the scheduled kickoff time for the game in which the player will participate. The only exceptions are for players involved in games on Thursday, Friday or Saturday. Those players must be submitted into lineups 5 minutes prior to the scheduled start of the game, or 15 minutes prior to the scheduled start of the game if you are submitting a line up by phone.
c. Email all issues to email@example.com
d. FFWC Phone In: Participants may phone their transactions. You will need your login and password to submit transactions via phone. Call (702) 728-1293 during the following hours:
- Monday noon-7pm ET*
- Thursday noon-7pm ET*
- Sunday 10 am-12:45 pm ET *
- * All hours and phone number are subject to change
5. Scoring: An individual offensive player on any active Full Time Fantasy Online Championships starting roster will be credited points for scoring in the following manner, unless otherwise noted:
a. Passing:
- Yards passing divided by 20 (e.g. 215 passing yards = 10.75 fantasy points).
- 4 points for every passing TD.
- Minus one point (-1) for every interception thrown.
- 2 points for every 2-point conversion.
b. Rushing:
- Yards rushing divided by 10 (e.g. 75 rushing yards = 7.5 fantasy points).
- 6 points for every rushing TD.
- 2 points for every 2-point conversion.
c. Receiving:
- Yards receiving divided by 10 (e.g. 112 receiving yards = 11.2 fantasy points)
- 6 points for every receiving TD.
- 1 point for every catch.
- 2 points for every 2-point conversion.
d. ACTION SCORING: ANY touchdown that is scored by a player in your starting lineup will receive 6 points for that touchdown. This includes but is not limited to, Punt Return, Kickoff Return, Fumble Return, Interception Return, Lateral, double turnover etc... Of course QBs still only receive 4 points for passing touchdowns.
- 1 point for every Extra Point
- 3 points for every FG of 1 – 30 yards plus .1 point for every yard thereafter.
Example: a 50-yard FG would be worth 5.0 points
f. Team Scoring (Defense/Special Teams):
- 1 point for every sack
- 2 points for every team takeaway (interception or fumble recovery)**
- 6 points for every TD (via interception return, fumble return, punt or kickoff return, blocked FG return, missed FG return, blocked punt return)*
- 2 points for every safety
- 5 points for every shutout ***
- 2 points for allowing between 1- 5 points ***
- 1 point for allowing between 6 – 10 points ***
* TDs scored on "fake" FGs or "fake" punts do NOT count as Defense/Special Teams scoring. TDs scored by the offensive team after a blocked FG or blocked punt do NOT count as a Defense/Special teams score. TDs scored on a double-turnover only count for the individual player who scored the TD, not for the team.
** A double turnover is considered points for the recovering team's defense and ST. Thus, an example, team A's offense fumbles and team B's defense recovers, but then fumbles the ball back to team A's offense. In that scenario team A's defense and special teams (along with team B's defense and ST) are both awarded a fumble recovery.
*** Any and all points scored against a team are considered points scored against the special teams and defense. Thus, as an example, a turnover by the offense that is returned for a TD is considered as points scored against the special teams and defense.
6. Point Calculations: Team scoring will be carried out to the hundredth.
7. Free Agents: Any player who is not on a team roster within your league is considered a free agent for that league. Full Time Fantasy may, in rare instances, remove a free agent who has been dropped by a FulltimeFantasyFantasySports Online Championships team if in the judgment of Full Time Fantasy the dropped player would unfairly impact the outcome of the Full Time Fantasy Online Championships or if there is suspected collusion.
8. Free Agent Acquisitions/Blind Bidding: The free agent system will be a "conditional blind bidding" process every Wednesday and Friday through week 13 of the NFL season. Each team will start with 1,000 free agent "dollars" for the season, and will be permitted to bid for free agents on a weekly basis. No team will be informed of any other team's free agent bids until after the winning bids have been awarded. The team with the highest valid bid on any given player will be awarded that player. The amount of the winning bid will be deducted from the winning team's free agent dollars. For each winning bid, the winning team must drop a player to make roster room for the free agent acquisition. If a team's free agent dollars go to zero, that team will no longer be allowed to bid for the rest of the season. No bid will be accepted that is larger than a team's free agent dollars. All bids must be in increments of dollars (no cents). The free agent bidding system is the only means by which free agents may be acquired.
a. Auction Bidding vs. Blind Bidding: The Full Time Fantasy conditional blind bidding process is not an auction bidding process. Though you may bid on the same player in multiple bid groups, if you are awarded that player, you will be awarded him for the highest valid bid.
b. Available players: The only players that are available to be picked up are those that are in the league management software. All players must wait until such time that the player is available in the software before acquiring them in FAAB.
c. Friday Waivers: Players dropped on Wednesday waivers are not available for acquisition on Friday. Players who play in the Thursday night games, are available to drop/add on Friday nights, however players that are in your starting lineup that play on Thursday are NOT eligible to be dropped on Friday. The software does allow this currently, so reversals will occur through the Commissioner.
d. Conditional Bidding: You are only awarded one player per bid group. During the Waiver processing, Player bids are reviewed from the Top / Down inside of each group, not by order of bid amount, so make sure your bids are prioritized top to bottom in each group in the order you wish to receive them. Once you are awarded a player from a bid group, all other bids in the group are cancelled. If another owner outbids you on a player, that player is removed from your bid group and the next listed player in your group is your next available player.
e. Issues/Problems: If you have an issue with waivers, you can email email@example.com. FulltimeFantasyFantasySports will review each issue on a case by case basis.
9. Bidding Time Frame: The bidding process begins week 2 for all drafts and ends prior to Week 13 on Friday, November 29, 2019 at 10 pm ET. Bids will be accepted on the league web site from Sunday 1pm EST until Friday at 9:59 pm ET. If you are submitting by phone, you must submit by 9:45 ET on Wednesday for Wed waivers and submit your bids by 9:45 pm ET on Friday for Friday waivers. Rosters will be updated by 10:15 pm ET on Wednesday and Friday night with the results of all successful bids. There will be no free agent pickups after the completion of the Full Time Fantasy Online Championships regular season. Any player dropped on Wednesday cannot be picked up as a Free agent until the following week, that player is not eligible for the same week's Friday waiver process.
10. Tied Bids: If there is a tie, the team that receives the player will be determined in order by:
1. Worst points scored
2. Coin toss by the computer
11. Available Players: Teams may acquire players not on any roster within their league, with one exception. Players cut during Week 11 free agent bidding (November 13 and 15, 2019) and Week 12 free agent bidding (November 20 and 22, 2019) may not be re-acquired by any team. This is done to minimize potential collusion. On occasion, the Full Time Fantasy Online Championships commissioners may remove a dropped player from the free agent pool if the commissioners think it is in the interest of upholding the integrity of the league or the event. The software will now allow both kickers and defenses to abstain from this rule. That means kickers and defenses will be exempt from this rule.
12. Trades between managers: To minimize the possibility of collusion, there will be no trading allowed.
13. League Structure: Leagues will be comprised of 12 teams each playing a 13 week regular season with 13 eligible weekly "wins". The first two weeks will be all play, meaning each week, the top six scoring teams receive a win, the bottom six scoring teams will receive a loss. Then, the next 11 weeks you will play your 11 other league opponents exactly one time. This is done for fairness and ensures teams don't play tough opponents twice while others play weaker opponents twice
14. Full Time Fantasy Online Championship Playoff Berths: After week 13, the top 4 teams advance to both the league playoffs and the Championship Round in this order:
--Team #1: Team with the best head-to-head record (tie breaker is total points).
--Team #2: Team with most total points other than Team #1.
--Team #3: Team with best head-to-head record (tie breaker is total points) other than Teams 1 & 2.
--Team #4: Team with the most total points other than Teams 1, 2 and 3.
Wildcard Teams that Make the Playoffs:
--Any team that ties with the best record in their league during the regular season and does not qualify as one of the four automatic entries.
--Top Ten percent of all teams that have the most total points scored. Example: 1500 total teams = Any team in top 150 after week 13 would qualify as a Wildcard Team.
15. Full Time Fantasy Online Championship Playoff Format:
Total points from week 14 through week 16 of teams that make the playoffs (plus average team score from regular season weeks 1-13).
The tiebreakers for (playoff) prize finalists are:
- 1. Total points for the regular season only
- 2. Regular season won/lost record
- 3. Total points for the playoffs in Week 16 only
- 4. Total points for the playoffs in Week 15 only
- 5. Coin toss
16. Consolation Playoffs: The remaining teams that did not make the Championship Round will participate in the Consolation Playoff Round.
In case of tie:
- 1. Regular season win/loss record
- 2. Total points in weeks 12 and 13
- 3. Total quarterback points (starting QBs week 1 through week 13)
- 4. Total quarterback points (starting QBs weeks 10 & 13)
- 5. Coin toss
The Consolation Playoffs will run from week 14 through week 16 and will use the exact format and tie-breakers that the Championship Playoffs use.
17. Miscellaneous Information: All "total points" means total starting lineup points. FullTimeFantasy.com reserves the right to act in the league and contest's best interest at all times.
Conduct: All owners are expected to act accordingly. We keep this rule short and direct. Any disparaging remarks towards other players, the software, the company, the rules or the contest itself is grounds for removal/dismissal from the league. No refunds will be granted so please, play nice and enjoy the competition. The commissioner for all FullTime Fantasy contests is Fulltime Fantasy Sports LLC. Fulltime Fantasy Sports LLC reserves the right to act in the league and contest's best interest at all times.


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Troubled Amy Winehouse has all cameras on her yet again after literally having a major breakdown in the middle of Camden where she currently resides. The spectacle came after the Back to Black singer was being protected by a friend from cameras. Amy, who actually has quite a good relationship with the paparazzi that follow her in packs everywhere had until the friend came a long been enjoying the attention of the 'flashing lights.'
However after her friend tried to shelter her, Amy punched a shop wall, ripping off a finger nail (??) and then collapsed to the ground in hysterics. A statement made by her Father Mitch, who has been condemned by the media for responding to every move made by his daughter, said she was fine however this morning. He went on to agree with Winehouse's incarcerated husband, Blake Fielder-Civil that she needs to move out of Camden and live in the country to encourage her to quit her issues with drinking and substance abuse.

subset: commoncrawl


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Hi Guys,
only for the overview I startet a new thread.
And first of all thanks to stecma for your great description in "Little objects".
This was a great help and of course a motivation, to try this construction, for my problem with SLS3 with dual camera.
Because of the different angle of the cameras, for the Beamer don't has the lens in the middle of the housing.
For small parts which we usually have, it is a problem.
The Scan in the picture is a tip of a clamp for medical use.
Our scans have to be very good in dimensional stability
The object is coated because the surface is Steel and high polished.
But doing that it gives the rough surfcae, because of the pigments. Whithout coating, scanning is not possible.
The distance to the cameras is approximately 260mm.
Based on the measurements you can see the size of the object.
The maximum tolerance is 0,025mm. Mostly 0,015mm.
Fusion with Sharpness 5 and 0,0254mm Vertex Spacing.
Using Sharpnes of 2 an 0,0676 VS the Surface will be more smooth and the dots in the tip are nearly the same.
VS over 0,1mm let them be more flat and not as sharp.
You lose about 0,015mm in corners our little radii. But would be usefull for further processing.
I've used the TT1 (36degree) and the Scan was finished without measuring und 20minutes.
Some Scans from the side has been deleted bcause the Dots in the tip will become flat.
Unfortunately to say "Extended View" is not working the way we need it. For this object it is not important.


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Australia PM confident sounds are from Flight 370
By PERTH, Australia (AP) -- With the Malaysian jetliner mystery now five weeks old, officials have narrowed the search zone for the missing plane and are "very confident" the underwater signals they have heard are from its black box, Australia's prime minister said Friday.
At the same time, however, those electronic signals are fading, Tony Abbott added.
On a visit to China, Abbott briefed President Xi Jinping on the search for Flight 370, which vanished March 8 while flying from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Beijing, carrying 239 people, most of them Chinese. Based on an analysis of satellite data, officials believe the Boeing 777 flew off-course for an unknown reason and went down in the southern Indian Ocean off the west coast of Australia.
Crews involved in the hunt have in recent days focused on a more-targeted area in the ocean for the source of the electronic signals, Abbott said.
"We have very much narrowed down the search area and we are very confident that the signals that we are detecting are from the black box on MH370," he told reporters in Shanghai, referring to the plane's flight data and cockpit recorders.
Search crews are racing against time because the batteries powering the recorders' locator beacons last only about a month -- and more than a month has passed since the plane disappeared. Finding the devices after the batteries fail will be extremely difficult because the water in the area is 4,500 meters (15,000 feet) deep.
"We're getting into the stage where the signal from what we are very confident is the black box is starting to fade," he added. "We are hoping to get as much information as we can before the signal finally expires."
The Australian ship Ocean Shield is towing a U.S. Navy device that detects signals from the flight recorders. Two sounds heard Saturday were determined to be consistent with the signals emitted from the black boxes. Two more sounds were detected in the same general area Tuesday.
"We are confident that we know the position of the black box flight recorder to within some kilometers," Abbott said. "But confidence in the approximate position of the black box is not the same as recovering wreckage from almost 4 1/2 kilometers beneath the sea or finally determining all that happened on that flight."
Abbott told the Chinese leader that the next steps will be a "very long, slow and painstaking process."
An Australian air force P-3 Orion, which has been dropping sonar buoys into the water near where the Ocean Shield picked up the sounds, detected another possible signal Thursday, but Angus Houston, who is coordinating the search, said in a statement that an initial assessment had determined it was not related to an aircraft black box.
The Ocean Shield towed its ping locator to try to find additional signals Friday, and the Orions were continuing their hunt, Houston said. The underwater search zone is currently a 1,300-square-kilometer (500-square-mile) patch of the seabed, about the size of the city of Los Angeles.
"It is vital to glean as much information as possible while the batteries on the underwater locator beacons may still be active," Houston said in a statement.
The searchers want to pinpoint the exact location of the source of the signals so they can send down a robotic submersible to look for wreckage. A decision to use the sub could be "some days away," Houston said.
The Bluefin 21 submersible takes six times longer to cover the same area as the ping locator being towed by the Ocean Shield -- about six weeks to two months to canvass the current underwater zone.
Complicating matters is the depth of the seabed in that area. The signals are emanating from 4,500 meters (15,000 feet) below the surface, which is the deepest the Bluefin can dive. The search coordination center said it was considering options in case a deeper-diving sub is needed.
The surface area to be searched for floating debris had been narrowed to 46,713 square kilometers (18,036 square miles) of ocean extending from 2,300 kilometers (1,400 miles) northwest of Perth. Up to 15 planes and 13 ships were conducting the visual search Friday.
In Malaysia, police observed a minute of silence at a Buddhist temple to remember those aboard Flight 370.
Gelineau reported from Sydney. Associated Press writers Nick Perry in Perth, Rod McGuirk in Canberra, Australia, Eileen Ng in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and Gillian Wong in Beijing contributed to this report.


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DURHAM – American workers who found themselves in part-time positions in the aftermath of the economic downturn still struggle to find full-time work and are much more likely to be living in poverty than their peers with full-time work, according to new research from the Carsey Institute at the University of New Hampshire.
"Part-time employment increased dramatically during the recent recession for both men and women. Individuals work part time for many reasons. Some do so to care for children and elderly family members. Others do so because they are in school. Yet others work part time because they cannot find full-time work. This latter reason may be a cause of concern for both workers and employers, as well as those interested in the long-term productivity and efficiency of the U.S. economy," said researcher Rebecca Glauber, assistant professor of sociology and a faculty fellow at the Carsey Institute.
The new research is presented in the Carsey Institute policy brief "Wanting More but Working Less: Involuntary Part-Time Employment and Economic Vulnerability." Involuntary part-time employment is defined as working fewer than 35 hours per week because full-time work is unavailable.
Glauber found:
-- The single largest five-year increase in involuntary part-time employment since the 1970s occurred between 2007 and 2012.
-- The involuntary part-time employment rate more than doubled between 2007 and 2012. For women, it rose from 3.6 percent to 7.8 percent. For men, the rate increased from 2.4 percent in 2007 to 5.9 percent in 2012.
-- While the unemployment rate has slowly fallen since 2010, the rate of workers in involuntary part-time positions has remained relatively constant.
-- Involuntary part-time employment is a key factor in poverty. In 2012, one in four involuntary part-time workers lived in poverty, whereas just one in twenty full-time workers lived in poverty.
-- In 2012, involuntary part-time workers were nearly five times more likely than full-time workers to have spent more than three months of the previous year unemployed.
According to Glauber, the disparities between involuntary part-time workers and full-time workers are striking. Among women, median family income was $31,928 greater for full-time workers than for involuntary part-time workers. Among men, median family income was $35,000 greater. Both men and women working part time involuntarily were more than five times as likely to live in poverty as those working full time. They were nearly three times more likely to be low income. Men and women working part time involuntarily were approximately five to six times more likely to have spent a substantial portion of the year unemployed than their counterparts working full time.
"Policies that increase the quality of part-time positions, such as unemployment insurance for part-time workers, may go far in alleviating the economic penalties associated with involuntary part-time employment," Glauber said.
This research relied on data from the Current Population Survey (CPS), a monthly household survey conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the U.S. Census Bureau. The research was supported by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, and anonymous donors.
The complete Carsey Institute report about this research is available at http://www.carseyinstitute.unh.edu/publication/794.
The Carsey Institute conducts policy research on vulnerable children, youth, and families and on sustainable community development. The institute gives policy makers and practitioners the timely, independent resources they need to effect change in their communities. For more information about the Carsey Institute, go to www.carseyinstitute.unh.edu.


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New York Ranger and former LA King Sean Avery was arrested Friday morning for battery on a police officer.
Avery was having a party at his home in the Hollywood Hills a little after midnight, according to police. It was the second time officers had come to the residence after getting complaints of loud music.
When officers came to the house, Avery argued with police and attempted to go back inside his house, pushing an officer out of the way.
Avery then slammed the door and refused to come out. Officers continued to talk to Avery, asking him to come out, but he refused and additional officers were called to the location.
Avery finally did come out and was cooperative. He was then arrested for battery of a police officer, which carries a bail of $20,000, according to the Hollywood Division watch commander.
A court appearance was scheduled for Sept. 2 in downtown Los Angeles, according to the sheriff's department.
The 31-year-old Avery played for the Kings from 2003-2007. He also played in Detroit and Dallas.


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Obituary: Curtis Caldwell, beloved chef at Denver's Vesta Dipping Grill
Update (posted Feb. 5):
Celebrating the life of Curtis Caldwell
The Denver restaurant community gathered this morning at Ace to remember Curtis. Here are some snapshots from the service:
Josh Wolkon opened the service by inviting the 100-plus T-shirt-clad people gathered in the ping-ping hall to join him in three cleansing breaths. "This is not a traditional setting or traditional attire. Grab a hula hoop and go give it a spin."
Joe Davis, Caldwell's partner: "For his spirit to live on, do something Curtis did — see a burlesque show at Lannie's, go to a Ren Fair, do the hula hoop or dance with flags."
Matt Selby, former Vesta chef: "He called chilaquiles "chill-OCK-u-lees." We should all recognize people who do that much good just by being themselves."
Brianna Friedman, Vesta coworker, sang a moving version of "I hope you dance."
Mark Hickman, friend and neighbor: "We are all very lucky to have met a star before it ascended."
Wolkon spoke of how difficult it has been to carry on at the restaurants the past couple of weeks: "Let it be a solid reminder to be compassionate — to each other and to our guests. He kept our sauces fresh and our desserts creative."
Read more…


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the money jar
I love when traditions are passed down from one generation to the next. When my father was a boy, he had a wonderful grandmother who was always making life a little more exciting. She kept a money jar at her home, and when the grandkids would come over, they each got to reach one hand in and grab all the money they could. Whatever you could pull out of the jar in one handful, you got to keep.
My dad remembers how exciting it was to see all that money in your fist, and my mom remembers my oldest brother getting to put his little hand in the money jar when he was a boy. (Great Grandma Hellewell passed away before I got the chance.)
My parents are now carrying on the tradition with a money jar of their own. My mom says it's easy to keep the jar filled, she and my dad just dump their spare change in (and grandchildren have little hands). It sits on the window sill, and my kids like to stare at all that money that might soon be theirs. On the last day of our trip, I let them reach their hand in and they each take a big handful. We dump their haul into plastic bags which they carry around as if it was pure gold.
Until next time, money jar!


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Somebody stop me. Ok, not really. I'm relieved glad I'm using the Japanese Masking tape I bought myself for my birthday. There have been times when I've pined desperately for something only to buy it and not use it (hello double chaise lounge).
Here's another little use for The Tape – Magnetic Note Holders
You'll need:
-1″ x 4″ white labels
-xacto knife
-fabulous japanese masking tape
-sticky-backed magnetic tape
-Lay clothespin onto 1×4″ label (line side of label up with side of clothespin that has the metal part sticking out)
-Cut around clothespin with xacto
-Place tape on top of clothespin
-Cut small pieces of magnetic tape and stick to back of clothespin
I plan to use some of these on my magnet board in my studio, but they'd work on a frig too.
§ 15 Responses to More Japanese Masking Tape Fun"
Clothespin magnets are great. I have them on my fridge and even my microwave. And without magnets they're neat to hang pictures from using craft wire between a couple of nails. We have a sort of kiddie museum for my daughters "artwork".
That's a GREAT idea using masking tape! I've always loved those pretty tapes but never felt I'd have enough use for them. That may change now. 😉
what cheery clothespins! those will cheer up any magnet board or kitchen. good job finding more uses for your cute tape 🙂
[…] DIY magnetic note holders (with tutorial) by Whisker Graphics […]
These turned out so cute. I love it. I posted them on my blog and linked it back to you.
Thanks, Shauna
How cute are these clothespins? love. I've made some too, but now I must try STRIPES! 🙂
Oh, I love these pins! So cute! I am a big fan of the masking tapes too and feel I can never get enough of them! I got mine from a cute store called little happy things on Etsy. The owner is sweet, and I guess she brings things back from Japan when she goes to visit.
Here is her store:
I also like her blog, she shows some ideas of using the tapes too.
Thank you for sharing~
How creative and ooh so pretty!
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Outstanding weblog, Thanks a bunch for all of the information and facts. I just found itrather insightful.May in the process have a quick plug for our designer t-shirt range as Now I am in this article. Thank you once more
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Omg these are amazing! I've just gotten a few rolls of washi tapes and I can't wait to try them out when they arrive at my place! Thanks for this:D
[…] Washi tape clothespins via Whisker Graphics ~ perfect used alongside this amazing clothespin boutonniere DIY tutorial from Anna Lee […]


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College Park Weather Shield Window Replacement & Installation
Weather Shield windows and doors have distinguishing quality features and are known for being extremely energy efficient. The construction of windows and doors from Weather Shield ensures products perform at or above expectations. All of Weather Shield's products are backed with over 55 years of experience and a warranty that reinforces a commitment to quality.
Ready to learn more about how Weather Shield windows or doors can be a great option for your College Park area home or commercial project? Give us a call today to speak with one of our experts or to schedule an appointment in one of the Quality Window & Door showrooms!
"Quality Window & Door continues to define the model for effective distribution of the Weather Shield Family Brands. Their commitment to provide a first class, state of the art, showroom is backed by their passion to educate and serve our mutual customers with a steadfast commitment to back-end field service and warranty stewardship. For more than 20 years, we have seen constant improvement in their effort to distinguish our brands in the Washington DC Metro area. This is a well-run organization that will enhance your window buying experience."
Mark Schield, Vice President, Schield Family Brands
Timelapse of Sliding Patio Door Installation
Here's a look at our door installation process!
See our Maryland door installation experts in action with this timelapse video of a recent project!


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Fourth BALDOCK line develops!
After my trip to the cemetery at Blean on Sunday, I began researching the BALDOCK discovered there. This has now opened up a fourth line of research.
I am now researching BALDOCK lines from Womenswold (my direct line), Chartham, my mother's uncle Bill, who's origins I hope to trace once I have received his marriage certificate, and the fourth is Ospringe (the Blean connection).
Too much to do, and so little time!
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.


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Obamacare wins? See you in 2014
Obamacare wins!
Now, let's talk about that website.
Story Continued Below
President Barack Obama's signature health care law is now turning into a 2014 election issue, rather than the disastrous defunding fight that led the government to close for three weeks. With the shutdown out of the way, the health care law's problems will take center stage in a way that they didn't while Republicans were stepping on their own message.
( PHOTOS: 25 great quotes about Obamacare site glitches)
Obamacare was always going to be a major issue in the mid-term elections, since so many of its major pieces — the new health coverage, the online marketplaces where the coverage is available, the expansion of Medicaid, and the hated individual mandate — become real in January.
But now, Democrats will also have to talk about a federal health insurance website that barely anyone can use. Even White House spokesman Jay Carney was reduced to arguing Thursday that Obamacare isn't just a website — after Obama has been saying it would be as easy as shopping for flat-screen TVs online.
That's why, even though Republicans have been damaged in the short term by the Obamacare fight they picked, there's no reason to believe the Obama administration and Democrats will have an easy time in the months ahead, according to health care analysts and political strategists from both parties.
( WATCH: Who won the shutdown? Top 5 quotes)
Republicans, they say, can just let the spotlight return to the federal Obamacare website that breaks all the time — and any other implementation oopsies that happen along the way. That process is already underway, as House Republicans plan hearings on the website issues and Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida warned that there will be a "revolt" over Obamacare in 2014.
"Getting the shutdown-debt limit debate behind us allows the problems with Obamacare to resurface. Those problems haven't gone away," said Republican pollster Whit Ayres, who had warned GOP lawmakers that the shutdown would be a major distraction from those problems.
That doesn't mean the debate will be unchanged, though. Republicans now have to get it through their heads that the law isn't going away. As one Senate Republican aide put it Thursday, "We're past that existential question."
( Also on POLITICO: Rand Paul shows softer side)
Democrats say they'll always be able to remind Americans of the massively unpopular shutdown whenever Republicans try too hard to fight the law.
"Republicans thought that this was a winning issue for them and would trump public outcry over the budget and the debt ceiling … Republicans were dead wrong," said Matt Canter of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. "The shutdown showed that voters don't want to continue refighting the partisan battles around the health care law."
And top GOP strategists say the party has to try harder to rally around an alternative, which they haven't been able to do so far.
Oh, and maybe don't shut the government down again.
"The challenge for Republicans is to make this a policy fight, not a political fight," said David Winston, a top Republican pollster who advises the House GOP leadership. "It's incumbent upon Republicans to come up with an alternative. For most people, going back to where we were is not an option."
( PHOTOS: 25 unforgettable Obamacare quotes)
There are a few GOP alternatives, including one by the Republican Study Committee and another by Rep. Tom Price of Georgia, that use more limited measures to solve problems like covering people with pre-existing conditions. But "you can't say there are 18 different plans. That doesn't define the choice," Winston said. "They need to be able to say, 'Here's what you have, and here's what you could have.' "
Health care analysts who take the longer view play down the short-term damage of shutdown politics and the website crashes. The real bottom line, according to Drew Altman of the Kaiser Family Foundation, will be what people say when they finally get Obamacare coverage.
"Do they think they got a good deal? That's the single most important question," said Altman.
But that, by definition, means the White House and congressional Democrats have to make sure the early enrollment problems aren't followed by other, more serious breakdowns when the coverage actually starts in January. Their challenge is to make sure the federal health insurance website becomes useable, just as some of the states that are running their own health insurance exchanges have largely solved their early glitches.
( WATCH: 7 quotes on Obamacare glitches)
They also have to find enough success stories — people who have gotten their health coverage and are pleased by the experience — to counteract the comments Republicans are circulating from people who are complaining that the premiums are too high. There are people who are successfully signing up, on the federal website as well as state-run marketplaces like the one in Minnesota. But they haven't been able to overshadow the stories of people who can't even log in.
"Since at the end of the day, Obamacare is a marathon and not a sprint, the president and Democrats are well positioned," said Democratic strategist Chris Lehane. But the only way to make the marathon shorter, Lehane said, is for the administration to be effective in telling the success stories.
That will be especially important for four red-state Democratic senators — Mark Pryor of Arkansas, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, Kay Hagan of North Carolina, and Mark Begich of Alaska — who are up for re-election next year and will need ammunition to counter Republican attacks on the law. So far, they've stayed silent on the implementation problems — but none of them broke ranks with Democratic leaders in the fight against the GOP Obamacare defunding and delay efforts.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee is promising to go after those Democrats hard. "The Obamacare website is a disaster, but that's only the tip of the iceberg – the real problems are with the law itself," said the NRSC's Brad Dayspring. "Costs continue to rise, many people are not able to keep the doctors they are comfortable with, and workers are seeing their hours cut and suffering the consequences."
Obama administration officials and congressional Democrats are confident that they're in a better place, at least for the short term. They all cite a poll by NBC News and the Wall Street Journal last week that found that support for Obamacare actually ticked up a bit during the shutdown — though only 38 percent thought the law was a good idea, while 43 percent still thought it was a bad idea.
Republicans have clearly damaged themselves by provoking the shutdown — and some strategists say the damage could hurt their credibility on Obamacare in the long term.


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Initial Boot Screen
White on Dark blue shows up as normal intensity amber on normal intensity amber on my mono screen. I edited /syslinux.cfg on my copy to use a black background. I Lol'ed when I saw why every line ended with blue on blue
Greeting screen
After Freesco boots, user is greeted with this message:
The GNU GPL license is located in the freesco-042.zip file. By using this product you are agreeing to the terms listed in that license and all other specific licenses for applications used in freesco v0.4.2
That message is contradicted by section 5 of the GPL version 2:
You are not required to accept this License, since you have not signed it. However, nothing else grants you permission to modify or distribute the Program or its derivative works. These actions are prohibited by law if you do not accept this License. Therefore, by modifying or distributing the Program (or any work based on the Program), you indicate your acceptance of this License to do so, and all its terms and conditions for copying, distributing or modifying the Program or works based on it.
One of the reasons I use Linux is that I hate click-wrap licenses with a passion. You are diminishing one of the major benefits of free software by suggesting that the end-user must agree to a license to use the software. Debian just uses a boiler-plate disclaiming warranties and reminding the user that the software is subject to copyright:
The programs included with the Debian GNU/Linux system are free software;
the exact distribution terms for each program are described in the
individual files in /usr/share/doc/*/copyright.
Debian GNU/Linux comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY, to the extent
permitted by applicable law.
Configuration script
Before configuring the router, I was a little annoyed by the short screen-saver delay. As it is covered by the configuration script, I assume that is so the user has a chance to see what it looks like
The new configuration script seems to do a lot of hand-holding: too much hand-holding. I like to jump around a bit in the advanced configuration screen. After configuring the (ISA) network cards I was prompted to set up the networks. I was really expecting to edit isapnp.conf. Configuring the networks is still trial and error because the MAC addresses are still not listed. The hand-holding gets in the way at that point; but, in truth, I did not get that far.
The script stopped responding when I was trying to configure the null modem cable. I tried to change the settings in order: attempting to clear the initialization string before telling Freesco that it is not really a modem. If the string is left blank, the default ATZ is used. I tried "", '', and - , one of which may have broken the script. The other possibility is that changing some settings have immediate side-effects (like trying to intialize the (non-existant) modem), which would be a BAD thing.
I see where your are trying to go with this, and respectfully disagree. Having things happen automatically can be confusing, not "easy to use." Over the years, I have come to accept the automatic configuration of harddrives, monitors, mice, etc. One thing you should be mindful of is that there is not always a sensible default. Sometimes editing text files is just easier than using a menu.


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Tea partiers take on GOP senators
GOP senators have aggressively tried to keep their conservative base at bay to ensure there's virtually no space on their right for a primary foe to emerge.
That didn't work so well.
Story Continued Below
Republican primary challengers are lining up to take on sitting senators next year in eight of the 12 races involving sitting GOP senators, gunning for party leaders like Mitch McConnell in Kentucky, veterans like Thad Cochran in Mississippi and Pat Roberts in Kansas and deal-makers like Lindsey Graham in South Carolina. Texas Sen. John Cornyn became the latest target this week, when a fiercely conservative congressman, Steve Stockman, suddenly announced plans to challenge the Senate's second-ranking Republican in next March's primary.
"I think it's pretty thin gruel," Cornyn said of Stockman's case for his candidacy: that the senator didn't fight hard enough to defund Obamacare.
( PHOTOS: Senators up for election in 2014)
The intraparty battles are the latest iteration of the tea party-versus-establishment war that has rocked the Republican Party since the 2010 elections and thwarted their efforts to retake the majority. After watching two sitting senators — Dick Lugar of Indiana and Bob Bennett of Utah — lose to insurgent candidates in the last two cycles, tea party-backed candidates are looking to repeat their luck in 2014 and fundamentally reshape the Senate. The threat of a challenge alone has implications for policymaking in Washington: It is enough to scare off attempts by many GOP senators to cut deals with Democrats and risk a revolt from the right.
While many of the GOP senators facing primary threats hold safe Republican seats, party veterans fear the endless internecine warfare will distract from the overall goal of returning to the Senate majority for the first time since 2006.
Graham, who has seen his poll numbers sag back home, called the primary battles a "fight for the heart and soul of the Republican Party," arguing that hard-line conservatives are targeting "anyone who has ever worked with a Democrat on anything."
"The party is going through a struggle here," Graham added.
After watching a 36-year-veteran like Lugar lose handily in his primary last year, most Senate Republicans have taken the warnings seriously, methodically building massive campaign war chests and locking down support from the biggest threats to their seats.
( Also on POLITICO: Tea party unscathed in GOP civil war)
Take Sen. Lamar Alexander. Less than a month after the November 2012 elections, the veteran Tennessee Republican announced a lineup of GOP heavyweights to co-chair his 2014 campaign, including virtually every member in the House delegation and the sitting governor, Bill Haslam. When potential foes emerged, including health care executive Monty Lankford, Alexander quietly dropped by Lankford's house to build a relationship and secure his support.
But that doesn't mean Alexander is completely in the clear. While he lacks any serious primary foe so far, he's facing a trio of challengers right now, meaning he'll have to at least keep his eye on his right flank ahead of the April filing deadline for the August primary. And he's already been whacked by the anti-GOP incumbent group, the Senate Conservatives Fund, which has spent money on the airwaves attacking Republican senators, including Alexander.
"It is interesting that most of us are preparing for campaigns from Republicans instead of Democrats," Alexander said Tuesday. "I do think we have an unprecedented opportunity to capture the Senate in 2014 and lay the groundwork for capturing the presidency. And I would think all this effort and money that's going into running against incumbent Republicans would be better directed towards defeating incumbent Democrats."
( Also on POLITICO: FEC: No secret tea party donors)
Tea party foes are unapologetic about their tactics.
"There is a real hunger here in Kansas for new leadership — for true, conservative leadership," said 42-year-old Milton Wolf, a physician who is challenging Roberts in a primary and who won the endorsement of the Senate Conservatives Fund on Tuesday. "The problem is our party has not been loyal to its own principles. … Career politicians in both parties have let us down."
Roberts, who was first elected to the House in 1980 and the Senate in 1996, said: "We're going to run a very strong and aggressive race."
Despite the internal party battles, the 2014 map is tilted heavily in the GOP's favor, with Republicans fighting almost exclusively in red states to recapture the majority. They'll have to win a net of six seats and defend at least two in red states, Georgia and Kentucky, where the Democrats are competitive. Vulnerable Democrats and open Democratic seats in South Dakota, West Virginia, Montana, North Carolina, Arkansas, Alaska and Louisiana have given the GOP its best shot at retaking the majority for years to come.


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Local File-Reading Vulnerability Found in Firefox
Thanks to Thor Larholm for pointing out that a vulnerability in the current versions of Firefox and Mozilla allows malicious Web sites to read and act on the contents of local files to which they are supposed to have no access.
Thor's proof-of-concept tells you what directory your Firefox installation is in and what the status is of certain plug-ins. This could potentially be used to launch other attacks or to steal private information in those files. The attack was originally made public on ha.ckers.org, but in fact the Mozilla team has been working to fix this bug since January, according to Bugzilla report #367428.
That report says that a fix is already set for the next update releases of Mozilla and Firefox, but only for the Windows versions. The Linux and Mac versions, according to the report, have not been fixed; Larholm confirms that they are vulnerable. Of course, file systems being different on all these platforms, an attack would have to be customized for each, but not necessarily a lot. At least in some cases, the only difference is using a '\' for Windows and a '/' for the others.
No word on whether the 1.5x branch of Firefox is vulnerable or fixed; support for these versions, including fixes for issues such as this, ends next week on 5/30/2007.


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The Bloomsbury Encyclopedia of the American Enlightenment Reference library
Over 500 entries
The Bloomsbury Encyclopedia of the American Enlightenment is the first reference work on this key subject in early American history. With substantial and original essays on key American Enlightenment figures, including Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, David Rittenhouse, Benjamin Rush, Jonathan Edwards and many others, it provides a comprehensive account to complement the intense scholarly activity that has recently centered on the European Enlightenment. This wide-ranging collection also includes topical essays, and entries on dozens of often-overlooked secondary figures.
It has long been known that Americans made their own contributions to the Enlightenment, most notably by putting Enlightenment ideas to work in defining the American Revolution, the United States Constitution, and the nature of the early American Republic. These volumes show that the American Enlightenment was more far reaching than even that story assumes. Presenting a fresh definition of the Enlightenment in America, this remarkable work confirms that the American Enlightenment constitutes the central framework for understanding the development of American history between c.1720 and c.1820.
Encyclopedia of the Enlightenment Reference library
2003 Booklist Editors' Choice
2003 Library Journal Best Reference Source
2004 Library Journal Starred Review
2004 Choice Outstanding Academic Title
700 entries
Covering the "long" Enlightenment, from the rise of Descartes' disciples in 1670 to the restoration of the Bourbon monarchy in 1815, these 700 articles by leading scholars range from discussions of mercantilism and democracy to the battlefield to the dissemination of ideas in salons and coffeehouses. Breaking conventional geographical boundaries, coverage includes not only Western Europe but also North America, Brazil, and Iberian, Russian, Jewish, and Eastern European cultures.
An Oxford Companion to the Romantic Age Reference library
"An outstanding work of reference" – THES
For the first time in this innovative reference book the Romantic Age is surveyed across all aspects of British culture, rather than in literary or artistic terms alone. The Companion's two-part structure presents forty-two essays on major topics, by leading international experts, cross-referenced to an extensive alphabetical section covering all the principal figures, events, and movements in the broad culture of the period. Aimed at students and general readers as well as scholars, the essays constitute an accessible, pluralistic, and modern social history of the epoch; the alphabetical entries can either be used alongside them, for deeper information on specific subjects, or as a free-standing reference tool. The volume as a whole embraces both high and low culture, and explores its subject across the whole breadth of England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland.
The book's multi-disciplinary approach treats Romanticism both in aesthetic terms-its meaning for painting, music, design, architecture, and above all literature-and as a historical epoch of 'revolutionary' transformations which ushered in modern democratic and industrialized society. In this period Wedgwood turned taste into a commercial enterprise, Pierce Egan took Britain by storm with his sensational accounts of low-life in the capital, and Mary Shelley created, in Frankenstein, one of the enduring myths of scientific advance. The Companion revitalizes canonical Romantic figures in the context of the historical events, political and linguistic debates, commercial pressures, and plebeian subcultures of their day, as well as bringing back into historical focus individuals and events whose impact has often been muffled or forgotten.
The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Reformation Reference library
Winner of the Roland H. Bainton Prize for reference works
1996 Choice Outstanding Academic Book
The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Reformation is the definitive source for information about the entire range of religious and social changes that altered the face of Europe in the sixteenth century, encompassing not only issues of church polity and theology but also developments in politics, economics, demographics, art and literature. This broadly cast, interdisciplinary definition allows for a comprehensive social and intellectual history of early modern Europe.


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The 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was always an odd law. Its main provision, allowing states to refuse to recognize same-sex marriages formed in other states, had no effect: States have never been required to recognize sister-state marriages offensive to their public policy. Its secondary provision, refusing federal recognition to same-sex marriages valid under state law, did not prevent any same-sex couples from marrying. It departed from the long tradition of accepting for federal purposes any marriage valid under state law. And, said federal district judge Joseph Tauro in a decision last summer, it was unconstitutional under the "rational basis" test that governs sexual orientation discrimination in Massachusetts federal courts. Singling out a class of marriages in this unprecedented way was not rationally related to any legitimate state interest.
The Obama administration has defended DOMA's rationality at the district court level and on appeal from Judge Tauro's decisions. But on Wednesday, Attorney General Eric Holder announced the president's conclusion that discrimination against gays and lesbians should be subjected to "heightened scrutiny," not just the "rational basis" test. Heightened scrutiny is a more demanding approach that courts use for particularly objectionable kinds of discrimination, notably race and sex discrimination. In courts where the appropriate test had not been decided, Holder said, the administration would no longer defend DOMA.
Declining to defend a federal law is not unprecedented. Holder was careful to note that the executive branch will continue to enforce DOMA. But Obama's endorsement of heightened scrutiny matters. If courts agree, gay rights litigation will look very different. Rational basis review lets government defend its laws on the basis of any remotely plausible justification, regardless of the legislature's actual purpose. Heightened scrutiny directs courts to look to actual motive, not fanciful conjecture. In DOMA's case, that means focusing on the relevant statements made by members of Congress expressing moral disapproval of homosexuality. Courts will not engage hypotheticals about procreation and childrearing; they will directly confront the issue of whether such views are a permissible basis for discrimination, or whether they are what Holder called "stereotype-based thinking and animus."
The administration's position is a strong indication that the attitude of moral disapproval is on the defensive. It is an important milestone in what looks increasingly like irreversible progress toward full social – and legal – acceptance of gays and lesbians.
Historically, constitutional analysis of discrimination follows a consistent pattern. At one point discrimination is natural; no one thinks to challenge it. A ban on interracial marriage seems obviously justified. Women are excluded from the practice of law because of their "natural and proper timidity and delicacy," as one Justice wrote in 1873. Homosexuality is deemed a mental disease, as it was by the American Psychiatric Association until 1973.
Later, the discrimination seems less natural and more ideological. Older ideas about segregation or women's proper roles leave the mainstream for the narrower confines of particular political views. Later still, they seem obviously wrong. Only kooks want to prohibit interracial marriage now, and any justice who based an opinion on women's natural timidity would be impeached. At some point during this process – after discrimination has stopped seeming natural, but before it seems obviously illegitimate – the Supreme Court steps in to announce that this discrimination is presumptively unconstitutional and must face heightened scrutiny if it is to survive.
This is not activism on the part of the Court. It is a recognition that a national consensus has formed, that the ultimate outcome of the social struggle is no longer in doubt. By adopting heightened scrutiny and striking down the laws of states that persist in discrimination, the justices do not impose their views on the nation. They impose the views of the nation on a minority of outlier states – just what we would expect them to do in enforcing an amendment adopted to secure the national victory over minority states in the Civil War.
There is little doubt that this pattern is replaying itself with sexual orientation. Polls show steadily growing public support for gay rights, and stronger support among younger people.
But how far along are we? The Court usually prefers to wait for clear indications, in state laws or judicial decisions, that the national consensus is in place. In 1967, when it struck down state bans on interracial marriage in Loving v. Virginia, only 17 states still had them. In 2003, when it overturned same-sex sodomy bans in Lawrence v. Texas, they existed in 13 states.
Obama's endorsement of heightened scrutiny puts the moral and legal authority of the executive branch behind the proposition that discrimination against gays and lesbians is inherently suspect, that sexual orientation bears no relation to one's worth or ability to contribute to society. When the Supreme Court will take the step to heightened scrutiny is impossible to predict. But this statement by a coequal branch of the federal government surely brings the day closer.
Kermit Roosevelt III is a professor of law at the University of Pennsylvania Law School and the author of "The Myth of Judicial Activism."


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Khush amaadiid and welcome to your InterNations Community of expats in Karachi, the city that never sleeps. InterNations is a platform especially designed to support expats and remove as many obstacles as possible with detailed advice and essential information provided by knowledgeable members. Use our resources to prepare for your new life and get answer to such questions as "which neighborhoods would be best for my family?" and "what healthcare options are available?". Our busy social forum gives you the chance to interact with expats already living in Karachi who are always happy to share their experience and address your concerns. From tricky paperwork issues to finding cricket coaching, their first-hand knowledge is invaluable.
With InterNations, you never stand alone. Whether you move to another city or go on a business trip somewhere — our communities are there to make you feel at home wherever you are in the world. Feel free to also check out our other vibrant InterNations Communities like the ones in Hong Kong or Shanghai.
Attend our monthly events and activities for Karachi expatriates to get to know like-minded expatriates in real life.
Get trustworthy advice and local insights from fellow members in our Karachi expat forums.
As the main seaport, financial center and former capital, Karachi is Pakistan's most important city for trade and a major contributor to the country's GDP. Main industries are banking, IT and software development alongside manufacturing of textiles, steel, machinery, pharmaceuticals and chemicals. Several large corporations have headquarters here across a range of sectors including medical research, the automotive industry, advertising and fashion. Karachi has a lively nightlife which has earned it the nickname "City of Lights", with concerts, fashions shows and music gigs played in large and small venues alike. Sport fans will be unable to avoid cricket, a national passion, and shoppers will be pleased with the selection of glitzy shopping malls. There is also a huge selection of galleries and museums for culture lovers in Karachi to enjoy.
InterNations is the largest global network for expatriates, with communities in 420 cities across the globe. Get to know fellow internationals in your city, before you're moving, or when traveling somewhere and never feel like a stranger. InterNations makes it easy for you to stay in touch with your expat friends, both online and offline, so you can grow your network of friends and contacts from all over the world. Whether they live in Riyadh or Singapore, InterNations allows you to be close to them even if they are miles away.
Once you land in Karachi, you'll soon be embracing your new professional life but it's just as important to pursue your own interests and hobbies too. With InterNations Groups you can find like-minded expats to share your interests in culture, sports, etc. We also invite you to attend our regular InterNations Official Events to meet fellow expats, socialize and have fun together. Moving to a new city can be difficult, but with InterNations you can find new friends as you settle into your new life in Karachi.


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Seasonal campfire restrictions commence in national parks and reserves
Fly Neighbourly Advice for the Tasman National Park
Hybrid diesel-electric shuttle buses at Cradle Mountain - a first for National p
Autumn fagus and pencil pine, Cradle Mt
(Photograph by Steve Johnson).
Deciduous beech (Nothofagus gunnii), or fagus as it is best-known, a humble tree, usually growing to 2 metres or less. You find it in places most would describe as inhospitable. And one of its other names - tanglefoot - is ruefully confirmed by bushwalkers caught up in its twisted, ground-hugging branches. Yet this small Tasmanian tree can claim something few other Australian plants can. It is Australia's only cold climate winter-deciduous tree, and you will find it nowhere else in the world except Tasmania.
And its autumn display is superb. Fagus turns a spectacular range of autumn colours, from rust red through to brilliant gold, during late April and May.
Some 100 million years ago, when the forerunners of Nothofagus first appeared, Tasmania was part of the supercontinent of Gondwana. As Gondwana began to split, Nothofagus (or Southern Beech) was common in what would later become South America, New Zealand, Antarctica, Australia and their near neighbours.
In fact it was the present distribution of Nothofagus that first suggested to scientists that these landmasses might once have been joined. The species of Nothofagus most closely related to fagus are found in South America and New Zealand, strongly supporting the suggestion that Tasmania was formerly linked to those landmasses. Just why fagus is the only cold climate, winter-deciduous Australian tree derives from that ancestry.
Close up view of the "crinkle-cut" shape of the
leaves of fagus and part of the range of colours
that the leaves turn
during autumn.
Leaves are about 15mm across.
Losing leaves in autumn was a response to long dark winters. The leaves were unable to photosynthesise due to the lack of sunlight, so the trees shut down until spring. But as Gondwana split and Australia drifted northward on its own, the winters became lighter. Other groups of plants, including eucalypts, started to dominate a drier, sunnier Australia.
These more common Australian trees handle winter cold by other methods, such as developing the small, waxy leaves which are common in snow gums and other alpine plants. Only in the remote, wet highland areas of Tasmania - where losing your leaves is still a good defence against winter frosts and snow - has this rare Southern beech survived to thrill visitors each autumn.
Deciduousness - the seasonal losing of leaves - is brought on by a combination of weather and plant chemistry. During warmer months, chlorophyll in the leaves not only helps convert sunlight into sugar, it also gives the leaves their green colouring. But as the days shorten, chlorophyll starts to break down and another pigment called anthocyanin takes over. It is this pigment which gives autumn leaves their colour. Eventually, as the leaves cease to take up any further nutrient, they fall to the ground, returning precious minerals to the soil which will feed the next spring growth.
Anthocyanin also affects some more common Australian plants, though in a different way. You may have seen brilliant autumn-like colours in the bark of snow gums (Eucalyptus coccifera). The same pigment occurs in their bark as in the leaves of deciduous trees.
Fagus in summer colours
Fagus in autumn colours
(Photographs by Steve
Fagus prefers cool, damp places, so it is often best seen in remote highlands. But non-bushwalkers can find some very accessible stands of fagus. Probably the most easily seen is around Lake Fenton in Mt Field National Park, where there is an observation area. As you drive towards the ski-fields up the Lake Dobson road, you pass through a particularly rocky section, where masses of boulders seem to pour down the steep slopes. Among these boulders are patches of fagus, some easily seen from your vehicle.
For a closer look, park in the Lake Fenton carpark then head off towards the boulder field. Please note that you are in Hobart's drinking water catchment. Don't disturb any soil or leave any waste in the area around Lake Fenton. Also be aware that you are at an altitude of over 1000 m. Temperatures will be much lower than at the bottom of the park near Russell Falls, so warm and waterproof clothing should be carried. Brilliant displays of deciduous beech can also be found higher in the park at Tarn Shelf.
Please be aware that you can't view the fagus from the Mount Field Visitor Information Centre and will need to travel up the Lake Dobson Road. Access to this area can sometimes be restricted due to dangerous road conditions, so it's worth calling the visitor information centre before you go.
In the north of the State, some of the best fagus is found around Cradle Mountain. The Loop Track, which circles Dove Lake, is an easy 2 hour walk that passes through some patches of fagus. The even easier Weindorfers Forest Walk also offers easily accessible fagus, including trees that are much taller than the more usual stunted alpine form.
One of the most spectacular displays of fagus is found around Crater Lake. Although this is a couple of hours return walk from the Dove Lake carpark, the sight of the steep slopes of the cup-shaped lake covered in brilliantly coloured fagus, makes it well worth the effort. Again be sure you take suitable clothing and fill in the walker log books. Usually colouring has started by the end of April and continues for a month or so, but the actual time of fagus colouring varies from year to year and place to place. It is best to phone the particular national park before you visit.
The distribution of fagus across Tasmania is shown on this distribution map.
A recent aerial survey found that there was a total of less than 10 000 hectares of fagus growing in the whole of Tasmania - a tiny fraction of our wooded areas. Most of that was in highland areas above 800 m where rainfall was greater than 1800 mm.
A key factor in the survival of fagus is absence of fire. It appears that the deciduous beech is very slow to regenerate after fire. This contrasts with many other Australian plants. Mt Wellington, the spectacular mountain behind Tasmania's capital city, Hobart, provides a good example of how strongly a eucalypt forest can recover from a devastating fire. In 1967 the slopes of the mountain were practically bare; now they are fully covered.
In contrast, research suggests that fagus is very slow to grow back. In some circumstances it may never recover from burning, with other less-susceptible species taking over. This makes the protection of the habitats of fagus crucial.
Much of our fagus is found within the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. There is much yet to be learned about fagus, but one interesting recent find was an individual tree more than 350 years old. Obviously the slow growing tree can survive and thrive in these harsh conditions for a considerable length of time.
Fagus-spotters and other visitors to delicate highland areas can help protect their habitat by following Leave No Trace guidelines. With such a relatively small distribution, we can never be too careful about protecting this botanical marvel.
This page produced by the Parks & Wildlife Service,
a unit of the Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment This page was last modified on Friday, 20 April 2018


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Smarter School Lunches
School lunches often get low marks when it comes to flavor and nutrition. But chef, author, and activist Ann Cooper is working hard to change all that.
She's currently handing out a lot of E's—not for Excellence but for the Elimination of highly processed foods, hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup, refined sugars, and flours, chemicals, dyes, and food additives. Cooper is on a mission to give students access to regional fresh, whole, and healthy foods.
Often referred to as the "Renegade Lunch Lady" for her determination to change the way U.S. school systems think about food, Cooper has had a lengthy career as a chef and school food advocate. She's helped transform school lunch programs in New York (East Hampton, Harlem, and Bridgehampton) and California (Berkeley). Last July, she moved to a system three times Berkeley's size: the Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) in Boulder, Colorado, home to 28,000 students and 55 schools.
Cooper's goal is to create lunches that are healthy and habit-forming; at school, she hopes students will learn lifelong eating habits along with basic subjects such as reading, math, and science.
School Lunch is a Social Justice Issue
Video: Ann Cooper on what we're teaching kids about food and nutrition—and how to change it.
"The CDC has said that of the children born in the year 2000, one out of every three Caucasians and one out of every two African Americans and Hispanics will have diabetes in their lifetime—many before they graduate high school," Cooper says. Some studies indicate that children born in 2000 may die at a younger age than their parents because of the food they eat. "The bottom line," she says, "is we're killing our kids with food."
But what does it take to start a revolution in school cafeterias? In Boulder, Cooper began by studying the kind of equipment that was available in school kitchens, how much training the staff had, the foods that could be purchased and prepared. Then, she says, "We wrote menus for the whole year."
Boulder Valley schools now offer students breakfasts and buffet-style lunches with salad bars, fresh produce, and locally produced organic milk. The district places a high priority on purchasing regionally produced products, on cooking fresh food rather than reheating frozen processed food, and on making food that kids like. "Instead of chicken nuggets, there is roast chicken," Cooper says. "One day a week there is always some kind of fresh pasta and one day a week there is always some kind of Mexican food." Food items like hamburgers and hotdogs are served only about once a month.
Along with milk, breads and cereals are organic, but the district doesn't have the budget to serve only organic food. "By and large, on $2.75 [per student], there's not going to be a lot that's organic," Cooper says.
Cost is a critical factor when it comes to school lunch reform. In its online blog, the libertarian Cato Institute in Washington D.C., commented that at first, "the changes all sound sensible enough: setting calorie limits for meals, increasing the amount of whole grains, fruit, and vegetables in school meals, and reducing fat and sodium. But here's the clincher," it warned: "the recommendations would cost money!"
But for Cooper and the Boulder Valley School Board, it's a worthwhile investment in the community's long-term health. Helayne Jones, who, as a longtime member of the school board was instrumental in hiring Cooper, says she's "proud of us as a school district for the gift we're giving our children." Boulder developed the School Food Project, a public-private task force of community businesses, nonprofits, activists, and district officials, to help raise money.
"We've raised well over $400,000 so far for staff training and capital improvements to our kitchens," says Leslie Stafford, chief financial officer for BVSD. Nearly half of the $400,000 was used to purchase new equipment to support the new "real food" menus. "It is more expensive on day one to move to healthier food, but our business plan really shows we will be able to recoup whatever investments we've had to make," Jones says.
The schools' three-year rollout plan includes adding kitchen space gradually so more cooking can be done from scratch. Initial costs also included professional training development for more than 150 BVSD nutrition services personnel, including everything from culinary skills and recipe development to safe food handling.
To succeed, the school lunches need to be attractive to kids. Of Boulder's 28,000 students, 8,000 are buying lunch and 2,000 are buying breakfast. "Early on we've seen an even greater increase than we expected in the number of kids who want to eat the food in school," Jones says. But, as Cooper pointed out in a letter to parents, "The more students who eat meals at school, the more financially viable the program becomes."
8 Ways To Join the Local Food Movement
Share your table. Skip supermarkets. Start a community garden...
Although many of the students like the dietary changes, others are less than happy about the adjustment. "The reality is there are going to be kids who are going to be upset because they can't eat junk during the school day," Jones says. "But I really do believe there is a connection between what we put into our bodies and how our brains work. And I believe that healthy food for a child during the school day ends up in resulting in increased student achievement."
Don Stensrud, principal of Fairview High School in Boulder, says the new lunch program has many pluses. "Number one, you look at the food from an aesthetic viewpoint and it just looks better. You can get a piece of real, baked chicken that doesn't look like it fell off some processed chicken cart."
All Boulder schools also now have a salad bar—a popular feature with teachers who used to bring their own lunches, Jones says. "There's this whole new modeling going on in the cafeteria where teachers are filling up a plate at a salad bar."
The district is working to help students engage more directly with the food they eat. It has developed colorful yearly calendars for different school levels, which include seasonal, kid-friendly recipes, a schedule of school menus, and fun food facts.
The schools are also incorporating produce from local farmers in their menus. "We are very blessed in Colorado to have a strong vibrant farm community," Jones says. " We have had tremendous support already from the local farmers around the district, and I think that is going to be an amazing partnership going forward."
Some of the schools are bringing food production even closer, growing vegetable gardens on schoolyards. "Kids are seeing vegetables they've probably never seen before and understanding the food process, learning about nutrition, growing vegetables, and eating the salad. And, that's bringing science to life for kids," Jones says. "I think the overall message for this work is that kids are responsible for their health and their bodies, and what they put into their bodies really makes a difference for the rest of their lives."
For Jones, who first became interested in school nutrition when her son's middle school physical education teachers were selling Ding Dongs for a fundraiser, the new programs represent an enormous change in the way the Boulder community thinks about kids, food, and nutrition.
"A lot of people chuckled when I raised the issue of school food when I ran for election [to the school board]," she said. "People just seemed to accept that—'Well, of course school food is going to be terrible.' My view was that we shouldn't accept that, especially for our children who are in poverty." For many children in Boulder, the meals they get at school could be the only opportunity they have during the day to eat nutritious food.
While developing the Boulder program, Cooper has continued traveling to Washington D.C. to help advocate for improved national school lunch programs.
Like Jones, she sees school lunch programs as a social justice issue. "Hungry kids can't think and malnourished kids can't learn and that really is not OK in America today," Cooper says. "We just really have to fix it."
:: How A Community Food System Works
:: Will Allen's farm offers fresh fruits and vegetables, fish, and a taste of the delicious possibilities of farming the urban food deserts.


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The RMT has agreed today to suspend its proposed industrial action amongst Southern engineers next week following successful pay talks.
Rail engineers were set to strike for five days, after union RMT balloted its members, and industrial action was set to start on Sunday (July 12), until Friday (July 17).
It said a "breakdown in industrial relations" was the reason for the strike.
But a deal was brokered today.
A Southern Rail spokesperson said, "During the forthcoming pay talks, Southern, with the agreement of GTR, will make an offer which will include a reduction in the working week, in a phased way, to a 37 hour week by May 2017 as part of a multi-year deal to be negotiated with GTR.
"Southern recognises the hard work and commitment of our engineering staff has contributed towards the efficient operation of the company over the life of the franchise and any pay offer will be fully cognisant of this fact.
"In recognition of this the RMT has agreed to suspend the current dispute."
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I, like you, receive hundreds of emails a week, and participate in scores of meetings, phone interviews, teleclasses, and other types of forums each month. I've noticed, as the years have gone by, that if the messages I receive aren't crisp, clear, brief and to the point, they lose me in about 10 seconds. A handful of seconds is truly all I can give to reviewing a stranger's email or listening to a message or story pitch from someone I don't know (who's trying to be covered in this Forbes blog, for instance). I find I can't waste precious time on long-winded, murky emails and communications that keep me from more pressing work that has to be accomplished that day.
For me, "less is definitely more" and I find I gravitate toward – and choose to collaborate with -- people who follow that principle as well.
Turns out, I'm not alone. According to Joseph McCormack, the author of BRIEF: Make a Bigger Impact By Saying Less, "less is more" is now a critical mandate if you want to build a successful career. Joseph, an experienced marketing executive and successful entrepreneur recognized for his work in narrative messaging and corporate storytelling, founded The BRIEF Lab in 2013 after years of developing and delivering a unique curriculum on strategic narratives for U.S. Army Special Operations Command (Ft. Bragg, NC). He actively counsels military leaders and senior executives on key messaging and strategy initiatives.
Below are Joseph's insights on the critical need – and positive impact – of crafting your communications with more brevity and focus:
"It's time to embrace the 'less is more' mandate. Before you inadvertently run long at your next meeting, in an e-mail or on a call, remember that your livelihood might take a direct hit when you can't get to the point.
There's a growing demand for less. Professionals are consuming so much information that it's like they're drinking from a fire hose. Inundated with information, they get more than 304 e-mails a week, check their smartphones 150 times and consume more than 34GB of data a day.
They've reached over-saturation and the slow build up to the point not only adds to their woes, but also undermines careers. People get impatient, annoyed, waste valuable time and have to work overtime mentally – and they're holding those who are long-winded accountable and punishing them with delayed decisions, harsh feedback, unresponsiveness and votes of no confidence.
The unspoken expectation is that successful professionals can manage rapidly shrinking attention spans - which have dropped to eight seconds from 12 in less than a decade – and accommodate the constant rate of interruptions that fill an already busy work day.
The demands for brevity run deep and the risks of falling short are real. So what's the root cause of not being clear and concise? Is there something to do immediately to be better at being brief?
There are a variety of reasons why people have a hard time being succinct: overconfidence, fear, insensitivity with people's time and carelessness. There are three hidden tendencies, however, that derail every professional's ability to deliver a tighter message:
• Over explaining – sharing too much information and burying people with unnecessary details. The affliction of expertise can quickly turn initial interest into agony as people are dying for the speech to end and remind themselves to avoid the next encounter. It's a career killer.
• Under preparing – omitting the upfront thinking, ordering and trimming that's needed to make the communication as concise and contextual as possible. People mistakenly think that preparation isn't needed because they don't intend to talk very long. As Blaise Pascal said, "I would have written you a shorter letter if I had more time." Brevity means prep-work.
• Missing the point completely – continuing to drive home messages far past the moment that the point has been made. As that happens, people think to themselves, "I get it now, so why did they keep talking?" When a point's clear, it's time to stop talking.
It's not enough to recognize why these tendencies pull us down or why brevity is expected throughout the day. These are critical skills needed to craft a clearer point faster and more convincingly than a close competitor or counterpart looking for the same promotion:
1. Map it – draw an outline before communicating. Take out a piece paper and draw a bubble in the middle – your main idea – surrounding by a half dozen support points. That visual outline will guide what is absolutely essential. If it's not on the map, it doesn't need to be in the brief explanation.
2. Tell it – start telling stories and stop pushing and persuading. People love a concise narrative that explains the 5 Ws (who, what, where, when and why). Have a few standby stories that connect back to the main point you're making.
3. Talk it – become a conversationalist who listens more and talks less. Avoid the monologue and be a better listener. Brevity is about giving someone else a chance to process, participate and respond. There's nothing worse than a lop-sided conversation where people are waiting for their turn to speak.
4. Show it – use visuals that paint pictures better than words. If there's any opportunity to sketch an idea, show an image or share a short video, do it. More than 70% of people are visual learners and creating that immediate appeal builds lasting clarity.
My professional experience, spanning from working with busy corporate executives and ambitious entrepreneurs to driven military leaders, continues to confirm that they all share the same common complaint: they're praying for people around them to be brief. When that happens, they notice the difference. When it doesn't, they make those around them - and under them - pay the price.
Understand that your advancement relies on consistently delivering concise updates, succinct summaries and daily briefings that are actually brief. It's the relief that people all silently crave, yet rarely get – and it's exhausting for them to process it all mentally when the presentation is disorganized, lax and long-winded.
That's the point: being brief matters to shape and direct a successful career. Entice people with less so they want more.
In this way, brevity emerges as an essential 21st century skill that we can all learn to embrace and improve. It's not easy, yet my dealings with professionals and soldiers who are decisive and disciplined confirm the payoff.
I have seen the extra time spent preparing ways to refine the point, order a core message, cut out dead weight and straighten out a tangled storyline consistently translate into ease of consumption. When it comes time for these well-prepared speakers to explain an important idea, new strategy or complex mission, they exude confidence and conviction and are easier to understand in less time. Their overly-verbose colleagues get lost in their own words."
For more information, watch Joseph McCormack on CBS This Morning, and visit http://www.thebrieflab.com/book.
To build a happier, more rewarding career, visit KathyCaprino.com.


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I am back home from my wonderful trip to the Pacific Northwest. My flight to Chicago was a couple hours delayed, resulting in more knitting time and a finished new design. In some blog posts and tweets, I may refer to new projects and designs flying off the needles, but you all will have to wait until this fall/winter to see what I'm talking about. With all this secret knitting, I'll try to still have some projects and photos to share and perhaps some sneak peaks in the meantime so keep a look out.
Anway, back to the trip. My first stop was at Village Yarn and Tea in Lake Forest Park, WA.
Victoria's shop was cozy and inviting with all those tables for knitting and drinking some of the best tea I've ever had. I was kindly greeted by a display of my designs accompanied by some beautiful photography books. One of the books was a collection of photos by Karl Blossfeldt, whose work I love! If you're not familiar with him, I recommend looking at many of his photos. I'm sure you will be intrigued.
I always enjoy seeing other knitters' versions of my designs and sharing my own samples in person. I managed to bring along all my shawls, hats, and neckwarmers, which surprisingly fit in a large backpack.
I want to thank Victoria and Elsa again for hosting and entertaining me for my first few days in Seattle. Victoria showed me around Seattle where we visited Pike's Place Market, ran around Green Lake, enjoyed salted carmel ice cream at Molly Moon's, and encountered a giant troll under a bridge.
That's me helping him knit my new Daybreak shawl. Yes, another Daybreak. I keep giving them away, but this new one is Cashmere so fortunately it should be awfully hard to part with. I'll get some photos of it to share soon.
I love meeting new people, especially knitters, and this trip was no exception. Now, I have time to settle back into my home again, but another little trip is coming up soon. I'll be in Minneapolis April 16-18 for the Minnesota Knitter's Guild's 24th annual Yarnover Event Saturday, April 17. I'll be hanging out at Yarn Garage with my trunk show and patterns on Friday and Sunday. I'll also be at the Yarn Garage booth for Saturday's Yarnover event.
I have a lot more to share about Seattle, but I'll save it for later posts.
One last photo though. This one is Elsa, a regular at Village Yarn & Tea, with me wearing her Herbivore. She was lucky I didn't take the scarf home with me, it matching perfectly with my jacket and all.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
3 comments:
- Paula said...
Sounds like a great trip! Welcome back to the prairie.
- March 31, 2010 at 8:01 AM
- Deb said...
We loved having you in Seattle! The class was fantastic!!! Thank you for sharing your genius with us!
- March 31, 2010 at 2:51 PM
- Andy Baker said...
How funny. I have a picture of me with that troll under the bridge from years ago. Nice to see he's still there. Wish I had been into knitting. I ended up having a horrible time in Seattle (friend problems) and meeting some knitters would have helped.
- April 30, 2010 at 5:00 PM
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This is a 6 foot USB cable used to download images from your camera to your PC. On one end of the cable is a standard USB A male that will fit into your PC. On the other end is a mini USB plug which will fit into your compatible camera. Please see below for complete specifications and compatibility.
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