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Labrador Retrievers are the lovable, family-friendly dog we all know and love! Labs have been the most popular breed in the United States for 25 years running. One of the older recognized breeds, Labradors were originally bred to be strong, active retrieving dogs that excelled in hunting and swimming. The breed, named after the Labrador Sea where it originated, continued to be developed throughout the 19th and 20th centuries and was recognized by the AKC in 1917.
Today, these dogs are known for their outgoing and energetic personalities, and are extremely intelligent and devoted pets. The Labrador Retriever is consistently warm, loyal and good-natured, making it a wonderful companion for individuals and families of all ages. Muscular and athletic, these pups have a fairly high energy level and therefore require a significant amount of exercise.
Labs are an incredibly versatile breed, as they can excel at anything from K9 police work to agility to service work for the disabled. Full grown labs are medium sized, typically weighing in at about 55-75 lbs. Labs have short, low-maintenance coats and only require minimal bathing and brushing.
This breed comes in three colors—yellow, black and chocolate. While today it is America's most popular dog, Labs were almost extinct by the 1880s, until English fans of the breed saved it.
California is located on the far southwestern side of the U.S. and is bordered by the Pacific Ocean, Oregon, Nevada, Arizona and Mexico. The capital of California is Sacramento, and the largest city by far is Los Angeles with San Diego and San Jose trailing behind. California is a highly desirable place to live. It is the third largest state in the country and has been the most populous state since 1964. California is very diverse; from the thick green forests of the north, to the rocky beaches of the west and the Sierra Nevada mountains of the east, each region has its own distinctive characteristics and landscapes. Most of California has a Mediterranean-type climate with dry summers and cool, rainy winters, but the temperatures of the north can vary greatly from the hot deserts of the south. Death Valley, California stands in sharp contrast to most other regions in the state with the highest average temperature in the western hemisphere, sometimes reaching a whopping 130oF. California's beautiful beaches and eight national parks, scattered throughout the state, make it a perfect destination for the outdoor enthusiast. California also has much to offer in the way of entertainment, including a very large number of amusement parks (more than any other state!). Major attractions in the Los Angeles area, one of the major cities of California, include Disneyland, Universal Studios and the shops of Beverly Hills.
California state law requires that all puppies four months and older are vaccinated for rabies. A rabies vaccine can last from one to three years. Another shot that is highly recommended is the DHLPP vaccine, which is a combination vaccine that includes protection against parvovirus, distemper and four other diseases. This vaccine should be given at 9, 12, and again at 16 - 20 weeks of age, then followed up with a booster annually. Finally, the bordetella vaccine, which protects against kennel cough, is not required but highly recommended - especially if you plan to board your dog in a kennel. The cost of vaccinating a dog varies based on location and each veterinarian's rates, but it is safe to expect to pay at least $20 - $150 the first year of your dog's life, and $10 - $100 each year thereafter. There are many low-cost pet vaccinations services available all over the state of California. Rabies vaccines can often be obtained for $10 or less, and if you adopt your dog from a shelter or rescue, the first round of shots is often included in the adoption fee.
Leash laws in California are different from county to county, but most city ordinances require that dogs be kept on a leash whenever they're not on the dog owner's property. Keep in mind that California enforces very strict liability for any owner whose dog bites someone, regardless of prior knowledge of viciousness. Even if your dog is very friendly, it is advisable to always keep him or her on a leash when going for a walk. Better safe than sorry!
It is a law in California that you must license your dog annually. This process is not difficult. You simply fill out a form and mail it along with proof of rabies vaccination to your local animal control department. The cost for licensing depends on the area in which you live. In Los Angeles, the fee is around $20 with proof of sterilization. Los Angeles and many other counties charge a much higher fee for dogs that are not "fixed." In addition to proof of rabies protection, the license has an added benefit for you. It gives you the hope of getting your dog back if she becomes lost. A more permanent form of identification is the microchip, a small device which is implanted just under your dog's skin. When scanned, it provides contact information so your dog or puppy can be safely returned to you. The microchip does not replace a dog license but it is becoming more and more common. Many shelters in California are now implanting microchips in all dogs that are offered for adoption. It may soon become mandatory for all shelters to implant chips in puppies and dogs that are either adopted or returned to their owners.
It is illegal in California to have a dog in the back of an open vehicle unless the dog is caged or cross-tied. An exception is made for vehicles where the sides and back are at least 46 inches high. Violators can expect to pay anywhere from $50 to a $250 penalty if caught.
In 1979, the first dog park in the world opened in Berkeley, California. There are now hundreds of dog parks and dog beaches scattered throughout the state. The dog parks often considered California's best are located in Santa Barbara, Lake Tahoe, Pasadena, Laguna Beach, San Diego and San Francisco. Although many dog parks are public municipal parks, there are a growing number of private parks where dog owners pay a membership fee. These parks are often safer for many reasons. They have a more controlled environment; dogs are carefully screened and rules are more strictly enforced. If your dog is social with both people and other dogs, dog parks are a great way to encourage her to make a new pup pal without being overbearing. If she is healthy and knows how to obey basic commands, then you can probably feel comfortable taking her to a dog park.
California's mostly mild climate makes it the perfect place for all kinds of activities with your pooch. There are two especially unique events that take place in Long Beach, one of the most dog-friendly cities in the state. First, a Bulldog Beauty Contest on Valentine's Day each year, and the Haute Dog's Howl'oween Parade, which features over 400 dogs parading down the city's streets in costume. If your dog is more the athletic type, there are all kinds of walkathons held in different areas for you and your dog to participate in. Flyball, which was invented in California, is another sport dogs enjoy. Finally, you can't mention California without talking about surfing - Imperial Beach and Huntington Beach are two places that offer surfing competitions for dogs of all sizes.


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(CNN) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong Il was visiting China on Friday, a South Korean official said, according to state-run Yonhap news agency.
The report contradicts earlier ones that Kim's son and heir apparent, Kim Jong Un, was leading the visit. It was unclear whether his son was accompanying him.
According to Yonhap, the trip would be Kim Jong Il's third to China in a little over a year.
The news follows last week's revelation that South Korean President Lee Myung-bak has officially invited Kim Jong Il to attend a nuclear security summit in Seoul next year.
South Koreans pay close attention to the movements of the leadership of North Korea, perhaps the world's most secretive regime. North Korean state media is often slow in reporting the Kims' activities.
Open Radio for North Korea, a South Korean non-governmental organization, said Kim was visiting China. The organization is partly staffed by defectors from the North. It maintains a network of informants in North Korea.
"I checked through my sources, and one had heard from a military officer working at the border yesterday that there was some kind of 'emergency' along the border," said Ha Tae-kyung, the organization's president. "According to that military officer, it was Kim Jong Il who is going -- not his son."
His account and the South Korean news agency report could not be independently verified.
The term of Chinese President Hu Jintao's term is set to expire next year, prompting some to anticipate greater diplomatic interchange between Beijing and Pyongyang as Kim seeks to forge relations with the incoming leader.
It's clear that North Korea needs help, analysts said.
"Kim Jong Il wants to get something from South Korea or the U.S. or China -- economic aid or security assurances -- but at the moment he is not getting anything and China is preventing North Korea from further provocations," said Choi Jin-wook of Seoul's Korea Institute of National Unification. "Kim wants to know what China is going to do for them."
Heavily sanctioned following several nuclear and missile tests, Pyongyang has been reaching out to South Korea in recent months -- experts say the hardline state is desperate for a resumption of food aid.
However, its customary form of leverage -- provocations -- is being restrained by Beijing, And six-party talks, which would offer economic incentives in return for North Korean denuclearization, have been in limbo for more than two years.
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, who visited Pyongyang and Seoul last month, carried a message from Kim to South Korea's Lee, in which the North Korean leader said he was ready to meet with the South's president "without preconditions."
Seoul's policy is to refuse high-level contacts until North Korea apologizes for two incidents last year that killed 50 South Koreans. South Korea accuses the North of torpedoing and sinking one of its warships in March 2010, killing 46 sailors. In November, North Korea shelled Yeonpyeong Island, killing two South Korean marines and two civilians.
Last week, however, Lee invited Kim to visit South Korea.
"The South Korean government did deliver a message of our invitation to North Korea's leader to visit next year's Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul," the foreign press officer from the presidential office said.
Few, however, expect Kim -- a virtual recluse whose political decisions are made behind closed doors and who is reportedly paranoid about personal security -- to engage in such high-profile, transparent statesmanship as an international nuclear summit, or to visit Seoul.
The last two inter-Korean presidential summits took place in Pyongyang.


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It's Friday night and you have a bunch of people at the house after a concert. The musical vibes are still goin' and people are antsy to get some karaoke in. You could head over to the local dive bar, but the place isn't your favorite and the commute sucks.
Enter The Karaoke Channel on Xbox Live. It's essentially a virtual karaoke machine, right down to the database of 8,000 tracks to the hourly rates.
Microsoft Studios announced a partnership today with The Karaoke Channel the produce a Karaoke app that will require people to purchase "blocks" of usage time. Users can belt out their favorite tracks for two, six and 24-hour allotments. Xbox has not released pricing specifics yet.
"We thought by-the-hour pricing made good sense because we wanted to make the product easy to access, something to turn on when you wanted it, and enjoy with friends and family when it matters like parties and holiday gatherings," says David Dennis, Xbox product manager.
This is the first time Microsoft has monetized a game this way. It's another move from Xbox into the free-to-play market, coming after last month's release of Happy Wars, the first free-to-play game on Xbox.
"We are always looking at ways to push the boundaries of the console and our digital platform," says Dennis. "Bringing true free-to-play gaming experiences to Xbox 360 is a natural extension of that."
Xbox SmartGlass technology will be supported on the Karaoke app and users can pick songs from their tablet or smartphone using SmartGlass. The songs will be hosted on the cloud and streamed to the console, so you don't have to worry about taking up memory with the latest Justin Bieber track.
"As the owner of the world's largest licensed karaoke library and karaoke service on TV and Internet, the KARAOKE Channel will combine its expertise with the advanced capabilities of the Xbox 360 platform from Microsoft to develop the best in-home karaoke experience ever," Eric Boyko, President and CEO of Stingray Digital Group Inc., said in a statement. "Now anyone can access our vast library and sing in a fun and interactive way right from their Xbox."
Sony and Nintendo have similar games. PlayStation has SingStar, which charges per song, and Nintendo's Wii Karaoke U is pre-installed on the new Wii U consoles sold in Japan and has a similar pay-as-you-sing pricing structure as Xbox.
Editor's note: This story was updated on Nov. 20 at 3 p.m. with quotes from Microsoft


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Tigers getting early start on camp
Many pitchers, position players in Lakeland ahead of reporting date
LAKELAND, Fla. -- Officially, Tigers pitchers and catchers report to camp on Thursday. For many Detroit hurlers, however, their Spring Training workouts are well underway.
While new manager Brad Ausmus gathered his coaching staff for meetings that took up most of Wednesday morning, several Tigers pitchers were going to work. Justin Verlander threw his latest session and joked with catcher Alex Avila about hitting triple digits.
Phil Coke, who has been in Lakeland since shortly after Christmas, threw off the mound for a fourth time as he builds up his arm strength. New Tigers relievers Joba Chamberlain and Joe Nathan arrived in camp Wednesday and promptly began their throwing programs by playing catch. Anibal Sanchez and Rick Porcello have both been in camp throwing.
Formally, it all begins Friday with the first team workout. Many pitchers, however, will have thrown off a mound well before that.
Even a handful of position players have been getting in early work. Miguel Cabrera, who usually times his arrival close to full-squad workouts, has been around the complex all week, getting in his core training regimen.
A big reason, Cabrera said, was a desire to get in and get everything organized beforehand. But there's also a sense around the team that it's time to get going. From a new coaching staff to a roster makeover, there's a sense around camp that it's time to get to business.
"I think we're going to have a good team this year," Cabrera said Wednesday. "We want to win a World Series. We want to win a division championship. I think we're going to be interesting."
Cabrera is one of those interesting storylines, shifting back from third base to first. His new boss, too, will be worth following, as Ausmus makes the adjustment to managing for the first time at any level. Nick Castellanos, another early arrival to camp, takes over at third base. He has been working with new infield coach Omar Vizquel since arriving in Lakeland.
"I've had four months to think about this. I'm not nervous about being here," Ausmus said. "I'm excited about being here."
On the pitching side, Drew Smyly -- also an early arrival in camp -- is taking his newly bulked-up frame back into the rotation to fill the spot left open from the Doug Fister trade. Nathan takes over at closer to try to stabilize a bullpen that wore down over the stretch run. Bruce Rondon, another early arrival, returns from elbow inflammation to take over setup duties, while Coke and Ian Krol become the main lefty options.
The one roster battle on the pitching side, and possibly on the entire roster, will be the back end of the bullpen, where long reliever Luke Putkonen, Minor League addition Justin Miller and converted starter Casey Crosby will battle for a big league job. The main roles, however, already have their players.
"When you look at our positional players, they're pretty well set, unless somebody jumps up and grabs a spot," team president/general manager Dave Dombrowski said last week. "Really, to me, the starting rotation is pretty well set when you look at the five guys we have. Hopefully, they're healthy. And then it really comes down to the battles in the bullpen. You've got a lot of names that are in that equation, guys like Putkonen, [Jose] Ortega and Miller. But I think a lot of the biggest questions, if we're healthy, will be in the bullpen."


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Crossing Obstacles
- Always unload guns before crossing fences or other obstacles or before negotiating rough terrain.
- Cross wire fences close to a fence post to prevent damage to the fence.
- After unloading it, place the gun on the other side of the fence or obstacle to be crossed, with the muzzle pointed away from you and your crossing point. Cross the fence on the other side of the post that is behind the butt of the gun. Then retrieve your gun.
- Pull a gun toward you by the butt—never by the muzzle.
- If two people are crossing, one person gives the other person both guns, crosses first, and then receives the unloaded guns from the other hunter.
Safe Fence Crossing
Press the play button (▶) above to start the video. Trouble with this video?
Video Transcript
- Rob
At some point when you're out hunting, you may reach a fence that you have to cross. Just make sure that you do it safe—and here's how. Start by unloading your firearm. I like to remove my cap and place it on the the muzzle to protect anything from entering the barrel. Then lay the firearm, with the muzzle covered, flat on the ground on the other side of the fence so the muzzle is always pointed away from you. Cross the fence safely without damaging the fence. Once you have crossed the fence, keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction, reload, and check the safety once again.
- Rob
For two people crossing a fence. First, unload your firearms. The first person to cross the fence first hands their firearm to the second person, making sure both muzzles are pointed up. The second person then hands the firearms over the fence to the first person. The second person then crosses the fence safely. Remember not to damage the fence. Then, facing away from each other, they reload their firearms, check the safety once again, and continue their hunt.
On screen: SAFE FENCE CROSSING
Fence crossing.
On screen: ONE PERSON
First alone.


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- MagazineStorage budget recovery on a roll
- MagazineBlueprint for cloud-based disaster recovery
- MagazineCapacity and the law drive email archiving
- MagazineAutomated storage tiering: Higher performance AND lower cost?
- MagazineReinventing file storage protection and recovery
- MagazineEvery cloud has a green virtual lining
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Automated storage tiering: Higher performance AND lower cost?
Automated storage tiering is an effective way to make efficient use of installed data storage resources, and to take advantage of the high performance of solid-state storage.
- Phil Goodwin, Contributor
Remember those light beer commercials back in the 1980s with competing contingents shouting "Tastes great!" and "Less filling!" at each other? The idea was that a beer could have fewer calories without sacrificing taste. Perhaps advocates of automated storage tiering (AST) are taking a similar approach: its two goals -- lower cost and higher performance -- seem to be just as diametrically opposed. Historically, if you wanted higher I/O performance (data throughput) you bought high-end Fibre Channel (FC) arrays and disk devices. If budget was a bigger issue, you gravitated toward IP storage and SATA drives.
In practice, most companies use both types of storage in an effort to match application throughput requirements with budget constraints. That effectively represents tiered storage, and how that tiering is managed boils down to whether the staff chooses de facto manual tiering or implements an automated system. Given the increasing complexity of data storage environments, data growth and the typically poor utilization of storage, it's hard to imagine how manual tiering management is tenable for the long term.
A delicate balance: cost and performance
When storage vendors speak of their AST solutions, they all tout higher performance and lower cost. Given the dichotomy between lower cost and higher performance, one wonders whether they've somehow discovered a way to repeal the laws of physics. Fortunately for Newtonian science, the answer is no. In fact, AST can't deliver both lower cost and higher performance simultaneously. What it can do is deliver the performance needed by the application at the lowest possible cost. Thus, it's more a balancing act between the two objectives.
Storage tiering review
Most IT professionals generally understand storage tiering, but it's worth a brief review of the concept. Tiers are defined predominantly by the performance characteristics of the underlying media. Solid-state drives (SSDs) and flash memory are referred to as tier 0; high-speed FC drives such as 15K rpm disks are tier 1; 10K rpm FC and SAS disks are tier 2; and less than 10K rpm SATA disks are tier 3. These aren't absolute rules, but they're typical tier differentiators.
Tiers are implemented in two different ways. The first is intra-array, in which a single array is populated with two or more media types. The second is inter-array, in which arrays with different media types are associated to facilitate data movement. It's also possible to have both simultaneously in the same configuration.
Automating the tiering process
Neither storage tiering nor AST are new technologies. In fact, Hewlett-Packard (HP) Co. claims to have implemented automated storage tiering in 1996. Nevertheless, the adoption of AST has been relatively slow. That's because the earliest implementations required a significant effort to classify data and develop the policies that governed data movement between tiers. Most often, data was moved based on age, which is rarely the best arbiter of value.
Current AST implementations use sophisticated algorithms that calculate the usage of data chunks ranging in size from a 4 KB block up to a 1 GB block, depending on vendor and settings. This calculation is done based on access demand relative to other chunks, as there's no definition of "high demand." Data can be elevated to a higher tier during high demand periods and demoted when demand lessens. The quality of the algorithm determines the value of the product and the size of the block determines workload suitability. Smaller block sizes are generally better for random I/O, while larger sizes are better for sequential I/O.
Automated tiering: Buying considerations
Shopping for automated tiering for your data storage environment? Keep these key points in mind:
- Understand your application's data usage characteristics
- Examine management tools to keep the system tuned over time
- Determine the integration of the proposed automated storage (AST) tiering capability with existing tools and vendors
- Decide if you want a "set-and-forget" or customizable AST product
- AST is a true price-to-performance play measurable in the monetary savings of devices
Both established vendors and emerging vendors offer AST capabilities. Some of the newer vendors, such as Dell Compellent, have made automated storage tiering a cornerstone of their product architecture. With the company's Storage Center product line and its Fluid Data Architecture, there's only one array architecture and AST is an integrated part of it. Fluid Data Architecture data movement block size is a relatively granular 2 MB.
Similarly, for Avere Systems Inc., AST isn't an optional feature in its FXT appliances. However, it adds the ability to use any network-attached storage (NAS) or JBOD array as tier 3 storage. Thus, Avere offers both inter- and intra-array tiering. In addition, Avere uses its own file system, which gives it an additional measure of control over data movement in its algorithm. FXT is a "set-and-forget" model that doesn't allow user modification of movement policies, although tiers can be scaled separately to match workload changes.
For Greg Folsom, CIO at Arnold Worldwide, simplicity is the key issue. According to Folsom, Dell Compellent systems are "drop-dead easy" to install and manage. Arnold Worldwide, a Boston-based ad agency, uses a three-tier strategy with two different storage policies. "These things are so easy that even I can be talked through managing them when our storage manager is away from the office," he joked.
Chris Elam, Arnold Worldwide's senior systems engineer, began using Dell Compellent's default automated tiered storage policies but tweaked them over time. Dell Compellent's Enterprise Manager utility helped Elam identify usage patterns. "Enterprise Manager helped us to see exactly how data is accessed in the system. With this information, we created a tier 1-2 policy for some apps and a tier 2-3 policy for other applications. We've been using the system for more than four years and we haven't had to change the policies in a long time," Elam said. New volumes are simply assigned to one of the policies at creation time.
Solid-state storage complements tiering
Xiotech Corp. offers another example of a "set-and-forget" AST implementation. Xiotech's Hybrid ISE product combines SSD and hard disk drives in a sealed 14.4 TB 3U container. Of the 14.4 TB, 1 TB is SSD and the rest comprises 900 GB 10K rpm SAS drives (tier 2). Controller-level software, called Continuous Adaptive Data Placement, automatically manages data placement from the moment of deployment. Although the company provides a graphical ISE Analyzer utility to highlight I/O activity, in practice a user can't adjust any of the parameters or configuration. The company says it designed Hybrid ISE to never need tuning.
Among the vendors offering more configurable architectures, NetApp Inc. stresses the ability to scale performance and capacity separately. The firm's Flash Cache (PAM II) product is analogous to tier 0 SSD in other product lines. Though it can support multiple tiers, NetApp said in many cases the tiers can be simplified to two: Flash Cache and either tier 2 or 3. That's because they've found data tends to be either "hot" or "cold" and rarely in between. Buffer cache is used to buffer write activity to avoid performance degradation.
Data block movement size is the most granular at just 4 KB. Although this architecture may require more flash disk than other systems (10% to 20% of total capacity), the elimination of relatively expensive tier 1 hard disks and spreading cold data across more SATA drives can result in the same performance at a lower total cost. Moreover, NetApp combines AST with deduplication and compression on the spinning disk for even greater space efficiency. Because data is managed through the WAFL file system and Data Ontap, it doesn't need to be "rehydrated" when being elevated from a lower tier to tier 0 as the data becomes hot. The same automated storage tiering capabilities apply across all NetApp product lines.
CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research in Geneva, uses NetApp's Flash Cache on Oracle RAC databases. "Prior to using Flash Cache, we had to size everything based on IOPS regardless of storage utilization," said Eric Grancher of the CERN IT department. "Now, we can optimize both IOPS and capacity. We have moved from expensive Fibre Channel drives to less-expensive SATA drives. This has resulted in a substantial savings for the organization." Grancher has found the NetApp system to be very adaptive to workloads resulting in simple management. His experience has determined that overall performance is better when the flash memory is in the storage rather than in the servers. "It makes more sense to have the stable NetApp systems cache the data rather than the database servers, which are restarted more frequently for patching or updates. A data cache on the storage server is already 'warmed up' and so eliminates the inevitable periods of poor performance we would suffer with cold server-based caches after each restart," he said.
EMC Fully Automated Storage Tiering (FAST) is another example of a more configurable system. FAST has an install wizard that allows you to implement default configurations for simple deployment, which EMC says the majority of users find sufficient in most cases for "set and forget." Other users tap into FAST Tier Advisor, a utility that collects usage statistics over time. Those statistics can be used to apply optimized policies for specific applications. Users can also set the size of the data movement block from 768 KB to 1 GB, depending on whether the reads tend to be random or sequential.
EMC recommends that users start with approximately 3% of capacity in tier 0, 20% in tier 1 and 77% in tier 3. Tier Advisor will track usage and, over time, tier 1 should be minimized as little more than a buffer between the higher and lower tiers. In any event, Tier Advisor lets users optimize any of the tiers based on actual usage patterns.
Inter-array tiering
Hitachi Data Systems' (HDS) AST supports the same tool set across all product lines for inter-array tiering. It begins with virtualization to abstract and partition workloads. In fact, HDS recommends application and workload classification rather than data classification. "Organizations should avoid starting out too complex in their tiering strategy," said Sean Moser, vice president of software at HDS. "Don't use too many tiers and over-optimize individual applications." Although HDS supports three tiers, as a practical matter the middle tier becomes a "shock absorber" between higher and lower tiers.
HDS offers a Data Center Management suite that includes configuration management, tuning management and tiered storage management. It provides alerts and a dashboard that gives details by volume, storage pool, service-level agreement (SLA) and peak periods. Using these tools, users can fine-tune the system over time. HDS can also incorporate other vendors' arrays into the storage pool whereby older systems can be repurposed and used as a data archive. HDS can use spin-down drives for the archive tier to reduce power and cooling requirements.
HP is more traditional in its approach to automated storage tiering. Perhaps because some of its arrays come via a partnership and acquisitions, the AST capabilities vary between product lines. Its high-end P9500 systems, OEM units from HDS, behave very similarly to HDS's AST implementation, and you can use the P9500 to virtualize other arrays.
HP's 3PAR product line is a relative newcomer to AST, having rolled out those capabilities approximately a year ago. 3PAR supports three tiers, but it's largely up to users how to configure them. HP recommends monitoring the applications for usage patterns and then determining what tiers at what sizes to implement. Its Adaptive Optimization tool is available to help with the monitoring and sizing of tiers.
HP's x9000 scalable NAS uses its own AST as well. In this case, all policies are user generated. HP says automated storage tiering evolves from user policies to automation over time.
IBM's Easy Tier product is supported on its Storwize V7000, DS8700, DS8800 and SAN Volume Controller products. Currently, Easy Tier supports two tiers, one of which must be solid-state drives. Once every 24 hours, the product analyzes performance metrics and generates a plan to relocate data appropriately. Data relocation occurs in 1 GB extents, which are migrated no more often than every five minutes to avoid performance interruption. Easy Tier is a function of the array and is a no-cost option.
Automated tiering market still developing
The good news about automated storage tiering is that the market is robust with many options. The bad news is that the options make comparing implementations rather bewildering. Jerome Wendt, lead analyst and president at DCIG in Omaha, Neb., has some practical advice for evaluating the appropriate solution. "First, users should match the performance needs of the application to the architecture of the product," he said. "This includes understanding the size of the data block being moved, how often it's being moved and how it's moved between tiers." Wendt further advises that file systems are fairly safe candidates for AST, but that Microsoft Exchange and databases should be approached more cautiously.
BIO: Phil Goodwin is a storage consultant and freelance writer.
Related Resources
- Jargon buster guide to hybrid cloud storage –ComputerWeekly.com
- Computer Weekly – 9 October 2018: NHS app marks a new era for UK health service –ComputerWeekly.com
- Tiered Storage - Optimizing the Storage Infrastructure –Fujifilm Recording Media USA, Inc.
- Why Microsoft Azure is Choosing Tape –Fujifilm Recording Media USA, Inc.


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Petrol-pump thieves go hi-tech
System bypass
Tech-savvy thieves have worked out a means to obtain free petrol after hacking into electronically-controlled petrol pumps, according to US reports. Two gas stations in St Louis, Missouri report recently losing up to $10,000 each through the scam. Crooks reportedly reprogrammed internal keypads to dispense free gas after opening up pumps. Thereafter, other unscrupulous customers take advantage of the ruse to avoid paying for petrol either.
"They (the thieves) have a key to the pump and then after they open up the pump they go in and they reprogram the pump, so they can have free gas. And then everybody behind them sees what they're doing, and they continue," Kevin Tippit, manager of the Phillips 66 gas station told KSDK News Channel 5. Amjad Darwish, owner of Mobile Food Mart, which houses another gas station, suffered a similar attack last month.
You might think that gas station attendants would notice someone tinkering with the pumps but this in not necessarily the case. "What it actually does is bypass our system," Tippit explained. "It goes beyond the register and is drawing directly off the pumps."
Tippit's staff don't have access to the codes to the interior keypads even though they do have access to physical keys. Mobile Food Mart contacted the supplier and had keypads removed from its petrol pumps. Staff at the store are keeping close tabs on footage from CCTV cameras that monitor its gas pumps.
Last week workers nabbed a suspect in the case. "When he walks in, we locked the door and call the police. They searched his car. They found the keys (and) the program. Everything was in his car," Darwish said. Local police are investigating the thefts. ®
Sponsored: Detecting cyber attacks as a small to medium business


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I have a very simple thing I want to do in Emacs. I want to set it so that when I press the TAB key, it inserts two spaces. Just this. It's all I ask. I have tried doing this for a couple of years now, and there's just no way to do it. In every file type it blows up in a different way. HTML file? Random choice between getting four spaces or tabbing to previous line indent. Python file? Just four spaces and I'll ignore any setting you have. It also randomly seems to stop working depending on the phase of the moon when it was previously working.
In my .emacs:
(setq indent-tabs-mode nil)
(setq tab-width 2)
This should work, right? No. No it doesn't. It seems emacs has a magical fairy "file mode" for each extension that completely overrides what I tell it. So do I have to find this magical fairy configuration and override it for each file type? What can I do to get this simple thing to work. Halp.


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Don't be alarmed that these teddy bears don't have any faces! They are decorate-a-teddy-bear cookies, and are mean't to be decorated with edible food pens. Ever since I decided to throw my son a teddy bear picnic party, I have been crazy about teddy bears. I thought these cookies would make a fun project for the kids to decorate at the party, and I really like that they can be made in advance and frozen. I made all of the teddy bear cookies in advance and froze them completely decorated. At party time, it was a cinch to pull them out and let them thaw. These cookies are guaranteed to bring a smile to your party guests, and even the parents will enjoy getting in on the decorating action!
Begin with a great sugar cookie recipe. My Excellent Sugar Cookie recipe is the one I always rely on.
You want to keep the dough thickness consistent. I roll it about 1/4″ thick. This makes for sturdy cookies that don't break easily.
This is a Teddy Bear Comfort Grip Cutter from Wilton. It's about 4″x 4″, just to give an idea of the size of these cookies.
I was able to fit eight cookies per sheet. I baked them for about 12 minutes.
Once they are just slightly browned on the edges, they are done.
Now that the cookies are cooling, you can make your royal icing. I love Bridget Edwards' royal icing recipe. I colored this icing with Americolor Warm Brown and Chocolate Brown gel pastes.
I use a #2 decorating tip to pipe the outline on the cookies. I like to keep my piping bag closed securely using a clothes pin, and I like to keep it tip down in a pint glass with a wet paper towel at the bottom. This keeps the tip from drying out while you're working.
I like to outline all of my cookies before flooding any of them. It makes it easier if you can get an assembly line going.
Once you are done with all of the outlining, it is time to make the flood icing. To do this you will add water a few drops at a time to the royal icing (the icing you have already colored and used for piping). You want to thin it to the point that when you drop a ribbon of the icing from a spoon it disappears into the icing after a few seconds. Once it is the right consistency, transfer it into a squeeze bottle and use that to pipe the icing onto the cookies, working with about three cookies at a time. If you squeeze the icing onto the cookie, and it runs out to the border, you have thinned it too much. In my experience, icing that is thinned to much remains tacky and doesn't fully dry. It may also become grainy in appearance. When you have the right flood icing consistency, you should use a toothpick to guide the icing to the borders of the outlined cookie until it is completely covered.
While the icing is drying, it will be very shiny. The cookies should take four to six hours to dry.
I wanted to add some extra detail to the cookies since I wouldn't be adding any faces, so I settled on bow ties for the boys and pearls with bows for the girls. I used some of the uncolored royal icing I had leftover to make an aqua shade. I piped the bows, pearls and bow ties using a #2 decorating tip.
For the girl teddy bears, I piped the pearls and bow directly onto the cookie.
For the boy teddy bears, I piped bow ties onto parchment paper. I let them dry and then attached them to the boy teddy bear cookies using a small bit of royal icing. I used the very tip of a toothpick to get the white polka dots onto the bow ties (do this while the icing is still wet).
I stored the finished cookies in Ziploc freezer bags stacked in a plastic storage container.
The key to defrosting the cookies is to remove the plastic container from the freezer, remove the lid, but DO NOT remove the cookies from the container or their individual freezer bags. Just let them thaw at room temperature for about 4 hours. You will notice that there may be condensation forming on the outside of the bags. This is a good sign! The cookies are thawing and the moisture is collecting on the outside of the bag rather than on the cookie itself.
Now you are ready to decorate the cookies. Get all of your friends together and have a cookie decorating party. There are a ton of edible pens on the market. I used a few different brands, and found that they all seem to work very well.
You can have a lot of fun getting creative with these cookies. When the guests are ready to go, they can take home their treats, if they haven't already eaten them!


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To assist with our clients' goals in positioning and branding, BCI's seasoned event specialists are often energized to complement a media relations or public relations campaign. This service can provide a more robust campaign for a more effective outcome. The following case studies exemplify our diverse capabilities and our approach to collaboration.
Rudolph and Sletten Topping Out for the San Diego Central Courthouse Case Study
Otonomy Groundbreaking Case Study
The San Diego Central Courthouse Topping Out Ceremony. From left to right are: Martin Sisemore, President & CEO, Rudolph and Sletten, Inc.; Councilmember Todd Gloria, City of San Diego; and Howard Mills, Sr. Project Executive, Rudolph and Sletten, Inc.
"In my 10 year career, I have never been so well taken care of during a story... Your kindness and professionalism were one of a kind. From the paperwork, the riser, the lighting, the angle of the shovels so that are not back lit causing lens flare, thank you. See you at the next function!"
Mike Edison
Photo Journalist
KFMB 8 News, San Diego
One of BCI's most rewarding branding projects has been with a very sophisticated hotel development firm, The Robert Green Company (therobertgreencompany.com). It is a boutique company in size, yet it has a track record and hotel product second-to-none. The Robert Green Company develops and finances luxury resorts throughout the US. Iconic properties include Four Seasons Jackson Hole and Four Seasons Silicon Valley.
BCI's work for The Robert Green Company illustrates the broad range of services and expertise that BCI can provide in marketing, branding, and event planning. The Robert Green Company retained BCI in early 2012 to assist with marketing and media relations for the Company and its downtown San Diego development, Pendry San Diego. In a few short weeks, BCI worked with over a half a dozen vendors to prepare The Robert Green Company to present information on Pendry San Diego to international investors in Shanghai. BCI worked with printers, graphic designers, and photographers to design multiple marketing materials including a tradeshow booth, brochure, personalized flash drives, folders, and a PowerPoint presentation—all of which were also translated into Mandarin. During a particularly fierce ramp-up phase in the company's maturation, BCI also wrote, designed, and developed two (2) separate websites for The Robert Green Company, while consulting in Media Relations and Public Affairs.
In October 2014, BCI worked in collaboration with Pendry's design team to execute the Pendry brand launch and groundbreaking of Pendry San Diego Hotel on behalf of Montage Hotels & Resorts and The Robert Green Company. With Pendry's vision in mind, BCI helped execute every detail of the event—from the e-vite to the elaborate set built specifically for the event—to create a groundbreaking that not only set the stage for a new destination hotel, but also an iconic new brand. Lauded by another developer as the "best groundbreaking ever," the event earned dozens of local and national media mentions, and has launched Pendry as the brand to watch in luxury lifestyle hospitality.
Throughout 2015 and 2016, Rudolph and Sletten, Inc. was busy constructing the $555 million new San Diego Central Courthouse. Having already retained BCI to write its quarterly newsletter, Rudolph and Sletten sought BCI's assistance for the Topping Out ceremony for the 400-foot tall, 25-story project. BCI performed media relations, governmental relations, and event production services for the highly successful event which hosted 1,000 attendees including elected officials, industry VIPs, media, and more than 650 construction workers.
BNBuilders retained BCI in 2015 to represent its growing San Diego business unit. Quickly after hiring BCI, the local office landed its first ground-up construction project for Otonomy Inc.'s new San Diego facilities. In three months' time, BCI learned about BNBuilders' San Diego business unit, its projects, and its priorities; and was able to successfully plan and execute the company's first groundbreaking with over 100 industry VIPs, media, and clients. BCI executed a seamless event and solidified a great relationship between BNBuilders and its client, Otonomy.
In October 2014, BCI worked in collaboration with Pendry's design team to execute the Pendry brand launch and groundbreaking of Pendry San Diego Hotel on behalf of Montage Hotels & Resorts and The Robert Green Company. With Pendry's vision in mind, BCI helped execute every detail of the event—from the e-vite to the elaborate set built specifically for the event—to create a groundbreaking that not only set the stage for a new destination hotel, but also an iconic new brand. Lauded by another developer as the "best groundbreaking ever," the event earned dozens of local and national media mentions, and has launched Pendry as the brand to watch in luxury lifestyle hospitality.
Recently, BCI had the pleasure of announcing the groundbreaking of Phase 1A of Jordan Downs of behalf of SVA Architects. One of the most significant projects in Los Angeles, which has captured community input and participation, the new Jordan Downs promises to spur economic development across the region and become a national model for the renewal of public housing. With personalized outreach to regional and trade media, as well as a nationally-distributed press release via wire service, BCI was able to generate hundreds of clips, with a total potential audience of almost 88 million people.
BCI has had the pleasure of representing Seaport San Diego, one of the highest profile projects in San Diego, on behalf of AVRP Skyport. The $1.2 billion development is the most significant urban, waterfront project in San Diego. BCI worked closely with the AVRP's partners and the master developer to tell media the story of the world-class development's stunning design. BCI has secured numerous articles in local and national publications, citing the project's visionary urban and waterfront design.
Throughout 2015 and 2016, Rudolph and Sletten, Inc. was busy constructing the $555 million new San Diego Central Courthouse. Having already retained BCI to write its quarterly newsletter, Rudolph and Sletten sought BCI's assistance for the Topping Out ceremony for the 400-foot tall, 25-story project. BCI performed media relations, governmental relations, and event production services for the highly successful event which hosted 1,000 attendees including elected officials, industry VIPs, media, and more than 650 construction workers.
In the fall of 2016, BCI was recruited to assist with media relations for a transit-oriented, market-rate, multi-family housing development in Salt Lake City, UT. The project boasts nearly 500 units and a one-acre rooftop amenity deck packed with recreation and leisure experiences, all with outstanding city and mountain views. Because the project was market-rate, social media was critical to pre-lease the project before it was completed. BCI launched a comprehensive social media campaign, and assisted in achieving the pre-leasing goal. Additionally, BCI launched the project by producing a groundbreaking celebration attended by the local councilmember, state-wide housing officials, and the state-wide and local economic development corporations.
BCI kicked off 2017 by adding Latitude 33 to its family of clients. BCI experienced early success with Latitude 33, securing a feature article in the San Diego Business Journal about the company's history, growth, and direction. BCI has continued to experience outstanding results with local and trade media, announcing news on behalf of the company and its numerous projects. Also tasked with assisting with award submissions, BCI's carefully crafted nominations assisted one of the company's projects being named a finalist for the ULI Healthy Places awards, and a staff member earning an ASCE San Diego/Imperial Counties Outstanding Younger Engineer Award for 2017. Latitude 33 is also taking advantage of BCI's in-house writing and design expertise, with a much-improved digital newsletter.
Affirmed Housing Group (affirmedhousing.com) approached BCI in early 2010, requesting that BCI assist with the grand opening of its newest project, Ten Fifty B, the tallest all-affordable residential tower on the West Coast. After a successful event attended by over 300 guests including media, industry VIPs, and elected officials, BCI has become the agency of record for a national leader in green, affordable multi-family housing.
Since partnering with Affirmed Housing Group , BCI has performed corporate communication services, media relations, and special event services for Affirmed Housing Group and over a dozen of its projects throughout California including: Ten Fifty B, Riverwalk, Magnolia Court, Sage Pointe, Connections Housing, and Lotus Garden. BCI has been successful in garnering national media coverage for Affirmed Housing Group and its state-wide projects.
BCI partnered with Turner Construction Company (turnerconstruction.com) in August 2009 to represent the San Diego business unit. Since then, BCI has garnered over a hundred national, regional, and local news articles and dozens of television features, including a full-page spread in the San Diego Union-Tribune, with a readership of over one (1) million. BCI represented Turner Construction Company from construction through completion of its signature projects: the $185 million San Diego new Central Library and the $1 billion Green Build Terminal 2 Expansion at the San Diego International Airport. As a result of this regional success, BCI increased its geographic scope, representing the company through the Southern California region, including Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego Counties, and in Arizona.
In support of Turner's Anaheim and Los Angeles offices, BCI has provided a full range of media relations and marketing services from October 2010 through May 2012, including: competitive website analysis, brochure design, writing and project management, and production of multiple promotional videos featuring client testimonials. Assisting the company win project bids, the brochures and videos have become the cornerstone identity pieces for Turner Construction Company, Southern California, and are used regularly in presentations to potential clients. BCI has also garnered feature stories in the Los Angeles Business Journal featuring Turner Construction Company's projects and executives.
BNBuilders retained BCI in 2015 to represent its growing San Diego business unit. Quickly after hiring BCI, the San Diego business unit landed its first ground-up construction project for Otonomy Inc.'s new San Diego facilities. In three months' time, BCI learned about BNBuilder's San Diego business unit, its projects, and its priorities; and was able to successfully plan and execute the company's first groundbreaking with over 100 industry VIPs, media, and clients. BCI executed a seamless event and solidified a great relationship between BNBuilders and its client, Otonomy. BCI has continued to represent San Diego BNBuilders with its expanding operations that will double in size during 2016, and expand further into Los Angeles and Orange County. Additionally, BCI's successful PR efforts in San Diego are being used as best-in-class examples company-wide, and duplicated in the founding Seattle office, where the company is headquartered.
In March 2013, the Del Mar Country Club (delmarcountryclub.com) retained BCI to promote their Second Annual Fundraiser to benefit the SEAL – Naval Special Warfare (NSW) Family Foundation. In less than three weeks, BCI was successful in garnering tens of thousands of dollars' worth of media exposure, in an event that resulted in $1.6 million raised for the SEAL – NSW Family Foundation. Distinguished guests included New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, former NFL linebacker Donnie Edwards, and chef restaurateur and TV host Brian Malarkey, among others. The press release was picked up by more than 225 online media outlets, six (6) local print publications, and three (3) television news programs. Most notably, the event photo was displayed twice on the jumbotrons in Times Square in New York City and five times in Las Vegas. In early 2016, the SEAL NSW Family Foundation again approached BCI to promote is annual San Diego Fundraiser. BCI's press release was again picked up by hundreds of media outlets and local press with a potential audience of more than 100,000,000.
After the San Diego Film Festival (sdfilmfest.com) came under new leadership in 2012, BCI was approached about managing the media relations efforts for the multi-day event. For the first time, the festival would take place in two locations: Downtown San Diego and La Jolla. Festival organizers needed help informing the public about the new location and the new leadership. After three months of intense media relations, BCI secured approximately 130 placements in local, regional, and trade publications and garnered 22 hits on local television. These placements had a reach of over 400 million people with an estimated ad value of over $700,000.
In early 2012, The Associated Builders & Contractors, Inc. (ABC) of San Diego, sponsors of Proposition A, retained BCI for a comprehensive public affairs and media relations campaign. San Diego's Proposition A, also known as the Fair and Open Competition Ordinance, requires that the City of San Diego be "fair" because it must treat union and non-union workers and contractors equally. It is also "open" because it requires the City to post online all construction contracts valued at more than $25,000 for public review. BCI crafted press releases, opinion editorials, and media statements to influence voters. Beth Binger also consulted on the overall PR strategy with the Proposition A communications team. With BCI's assistance, the ballot easily passed the June 2012 primary vote with 58% supporting the initiative.
In 2007, BCI carefully crafted and executed a deal which enabled its client, Liberty Station (libertystation.com), to host the casting call auditions for the 2008 season of the hit TV phenomenon, Amazing Race. Liberty Station, the redeveloped former Naval Training Center, is San Diego's newest premier destination to live, work, shop, and play. BCI thematically intertwined Liberty Station into the Amazing Race auditions by designing a passport which each auditioner took to participating Liberty Station merchants for a stamp, simulating the race segment of the hit show. BCI strategically designed the audition layout on Liberty Station's grounds to maximize merchant visibility and public awareness of the amenities at Liberty Station.
BCI successfully captured the national appeal of the show and promoted the event through all channels of communication including web, print, and TV. Thanks in large part to BCI's stellar relationship with KFMB, San Diego's CBS affiliate station, over 1,600 eager fans showed up on Saturday, December 8th, 2007 to audition for the show. The successful event drew excellent media attention and received a great response from auditioners for all that the seaside community has to offer.
One of BCI's most innovative clients, Spectrum Aeronautical (spectrum.aero) develops advanced composite business jets—extremely light-weight aircraft that will significantly reduce operating costs, particularly fuel consumption, and its materials won't fatigue or corrode. This is accomplished without any major sacrifices in comfort or performance, and will cost about half as much as comparable jets. The certification of Spectrum's technology is set to revolutionize the aviation industry. Spectrum's founder, Linden Blue, a legend in the world of aviation, is also Vice-Chair of General Atomics, known for its Predator surveillance aircraft which has proven to be one of the most versatile new aircraft systems in decades.
Retained by Spectrum Aeronautical in March of 2006, BCI has remained the sole agency of record, publicizing the company's two jets, the Independence and the Freedom. BCI has been instrumental in building awareness of the company internationally, working with editors in France, China, Mexico, England and across the United States to secure feature articles. BCI has garnered coverage in Robb Report "Best of the Best" 2006 & 2007, Altitudes (a French aviation publication), Business Jet Traveler, Desert Morning News, San Diego Magazine, 944 Magazine, North County Times, and the San Diego Union Tribune, among others.
One of the largest urban redevelopments in San Diego's history, Smart Corner (smartcorner.net) is a mixed-use condominium and office space development that combines residential living, an office building, ground floor retail space and mass transit all on one city block. It is the city's first residential living environment to feature its own onsite trolley stop. Truly a mixed-use development, Smart Corner exemplifies the principles of Smart Growth, an approach to urban planning which seeks the benefits of a close connection between jobs, housing, and public transportation.
BCI was recruited to execute the Smart Corner groundbreaking event and media relations. Seeking local and national media coverage, BCI capitalized on the star attraction of basketball legend, Earvin "Magic" Johnson of the Canyon-Johnson Urban Fund, an investor in the project. BCI strategically scheduled the groundbreaking on a Monday, creating a "Magic Monday" branding phrase used in all media materials. The event was so well branded that San Diego Mayor Dick Murphy used the phrase during his speech. BCI's media expertise earned Smart Corner unprecedented news coverage, as each broadcast news affiliate aired the event four (4) times amounting to sixteen (16) separate hits.
When Sheraton Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (starwoodhotels.com) decided to launch its new bed concept in select markets across the country, BCI was chosen to debut the new "Sweet Sleeper" in San Diego. Seeking national coverage, BCI conceptualized the "Sweet Dreams Are Made of This" campaign, featuring a life-size replica of Sheraton's Sweet Sleeper made completely out of chocolate. The chocolate bed, created by Pastry Chef Bruce Wianecki, perfectly represented the Sweet Sleeper, complete with white chocolate sheets and a white and dark chocolate headboard, scored to look like wood grain.
Lauded as one of BCI's most successful launches, the campaign "Sweet Dreams Are Made of This" earned the Sheraton brand extraordinary media coverage. Sixty-seven (67) network affiliates nationwide covered the story, including major markets such as Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Miami, Dallas, Houston, and Las Vegas, and it appeared on NBC Network's Today Show, earning Sheraton $300,000 of free publicity. Spanish language media also salivated over the concept. Telemundo network ran the story nationally, and Noticias ran the "How Sweet" campaign in LA.
After his work on the Sheraton Sweet Sleeper, Pastry Chef Bruce Wianecki received accolades from senior Starwood and Sheraton executives and became a celebrity among his peers.
In August of 2004, BCI was recruited by Tarsadia Hotels (tarsadia.com), the developer of Hard Rock Hotel, San Diego (hardrockhotelsd.com) to create and execute the launch of the real estate project. Following 18 months of public relations, marketing, and special events, the Hard Rock Hotel, San Diego sold all of its 420 units within just days of its launch, setting national records and achieving the most successful sales of any real estate project to date.
Playing a critical role in the Hard Rock Hotel, San Diego's success, BCI managed the media relations, design of special events, and recruitment of potential buyers including industry leaders and style-makers. BCI capitalized on the Hard Rock's national celebrity appeal and rock star vibe by working with feature entertainment acts Hoobastank, the Ying Yang Twins, and Benji Madden to produce a succession of increasingly larger and higher-profile events to secure local and national media coverage.
When the first Papa John's Pizza (papajohns.com) in San Diego opened its doors in April 1997, BCI was its sole PR firm. BCI was the mastermind behind signature programs such as "Papa's Heroes" and "Super Bowl Boot Camp," a PR campaign which included authentic Marine drill sergeants to prep Papa John's pizza makers for game day. This extremely successful campaign aired on 120 network affiliates nationwide.
Over the course of its term with Papa John's, BCI secured television coverage on numerous occasions, including everything from a timed pizza-making contest, to appearances by Papa Johns' spokesperson, legendary Padres pitcher, Trevor Hoffman. BCI generated hundreds of newspaper articles regarding store openings and new product offerings, and secured a cover photo of owner Brian Mills on the most widely circulated industry publication, Pizza Making Quarterly.
In September 2013, SVA Architects, Inc. (sva-architects.com), formerly MVE Institutional, retained BCI for media relations and business development services. Immediately, BCI was tasked with communicating the rebranding of the company, led by a new CEO, to media, clients, and potential clients. BCI crafted a comprehensive campaign to communicate the significant news, beginning with a traditional media announcement. BCI secured national media coverage in print and digital publications. BCI also wrote a personalized letter on behalf of the CEO to clients and potential clients, wrote new LinkedIn profiles for the company's leadership, and is securing speaking engagements at national conferences. Impressed with BCI's writing and digital capabilities, SVA Architects, Inc. recently expanded BCI's scope of services, requesting an electronic newsletter to announce company news and project updates. This type of request is common for BCI's clients; once a client experiences our stellar work, it leads to requests for additional expertise.
In early 2014, Stuck in the Rough, LLC retained BCI to craft a Media Relations and Public Affairs campaign for the Escondido Open Space Community Revitalization Initiative. The initiative, destined for the City of Escondido November ballot, will revitalize the former Escondido Country Club; 110 acres of blighted property in Northwest Escondido. The initiative will create a privately-funded $1 million open space preservation fund to preserve and protect open space by authorizing development of blighted land into public parks and playgrounds, hiking trails, open space, a community center with an Olympic-sized pool, tennis courts, and residential housing to benefit the entire Escondido community. BCI manages the governmental affairs campaign strategy, provides media and crisis management, and generates publicity and awareness of the community benefits of the initiative. Tactics include: crafting press releases, opinion editorials, and managing social media to land the initiative on the November 2014 ballot.
In early 2014, Stuck in the Rough, LLC (SITR) retained BCI for a public affairs and media campaign regarding the future of the Escondido Country Club property. Escondido's Measure H, also known as the Lakes Specific Plan, would redevelop the 110 acres of blighted property into designated open space, hiking trials, new single-family homes and amenities including a 10,000 square foot community center, with Olympic-sized pool and tennis courts, and state-of-the-art community playground for all of Escondido to enjoy. Additionally, Prop H would create a $1 million privately funded Open Space Preservation Fund for all of Escondido. BCI crafted press releases and media alerts, campaign videos, managed all social media and media statements, and consulted on the overall PR strategy to get Measure H onto the November 2014 ballot.
In the summer of 2015, Rudolph and Sletten, Inc. was busy constructing the $555 million new San Diego Central Courthouse. With a large public investment and dozens of project partners, the company recruited BCI to write a quarterly newsletter about the Courthouse's construction to keep all partners and the public apprised of its progress. BCI also brought its branding expertise by developing a newsletter logo and it nearly doubled the newsletter's distribution with its proprietary list of industry VIPs and elected officials. Shortly after completing the second newsletter with BCI, Rudolph and Sletten sought BCI's assistance for the Topping Out ceremony for the 400-foot tall, 25-story project. BCI performed media relations, governmental relations, and event production services for the highly successful event which hosted 1,000 attendees including elected officials, industry VIPs, media, and more than 650 construction workers.
As the agency of record for Liberty Station from 2006 – 2011, BCI formed a relationship with the owner/development team at the former Corky McMillin Companies that continues today on a consultation/crisis basis. In recent years, BCI has assisted mcmillin with its corporate repositioning, media relations, and crisis management. In January 2016, BCI assisted when McMillin Realty was sold to Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate, a multi-million dollar deal that was a top story in regional news.
AVRP Skyport recruited BCI in the fall of 2016, eager for a new PR partner to help with its numerous newsworthy announcements. First, BCI was tasked with assisting with the firm's rebranding by announcing the merger of AVRP Studios and Skyport Studio. The new entity brings together the longevity, design excellence, and creativity of AVRP Studios with the highly regarded and innovative urban design specialist, Skyport Studio. The merger was formalized when the two regional firms joined forces for the $1.2 billion Seaport San Diego—the most significant urban, waterfront project in San Diego. BCI worked closely with the firm's partners and media to tell the story of the world-class development's stunning design. BCI also had the pleasure announcing the firm's 40 th anniversary, and improved the firm's profile by nominating and securing new awards for the firm's principals. BCI continues to tell the story of the firm's growth regionally, nationally, and internationally.
An up-and- coming affordable housing developer, Community Development Partners (CDP) joined BCI's roster of clients in August 2016 when the firm's need for public relations expertise outgrew its internal capacity. Immediately, BCI was tasked with planning a groundbreaking for an affordable development in Mesa, AZ. For the highly successful event, BCI coordinated vendors, secured the attendance of Mayor Giles and state-wide VIPs, and announced the event to local and regional media. BCI also announced the rebranding of one of CDP's signature projects, "The Orchard," one of the largest and most significant Permanent Supportive Housing projects in Orange County, CA. BCI continues as the firm's media relations partner to announce the firm's corporate and project news.


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I've been working on the blouse from vintage repro Simplicity 2154 for the past week. This little blouse has been on my must make list for quite a while. Since it is Jungle January, I decided to pull out the only piece of "animal print" in my stash. This counts right? It has animals on it 🙂
I generally stay away from quilting cotton, but I couldn't resist this cute fox print when I saw it. It's Japanese, which seems to be the homeland of all things cute!
This top is pretty basic and I was able to squeeze it out of only one yard of fabric. The only instructions I deviated from was that I didn't interface the bow. I didn't see the point after I cut it on the bias. These two photos are the only ones I was able to take without my sweater on because it was so COLD. See my inability to smile… haha I hate being cold.
The only new technique that went into making this top was I made a fabric covered button for the first time. Unfortunately, I don't have a closeup photo of it. I centered one of the little fox faces over the center of the button.
I'm looking forward to trying this pattern out with a fabric with more drape. I'd like to see this hanging a little bit closer to my body in my next version.


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Short version: I would definitely buy this book for myself.
This book is quick and to the point and brings a new voice that has the guts to mention "refactoring" and SQL in the same sentence. It is lucidly written, often from a refreshing birds-eye view of the many levels that refactoring can be done. It eschews perusing optimizer plans and instead explains some concepts with spirals, with various influences "pushing" the optimizer in various directions. This is a great working concept that helps one attempt to "think like an optimizer."
Possibly the best part of the book is the schematic representation of SQL queries: black boxes for tables from which data is returned, gray for which filtering conditions apply, white for "glue" tables, dark arrows for joins, dotted arrows for outer joins. It's like Feynman diagrams for databases! It allows one to see and show others inefficiencies pictorially. This is extremely efficient when you are dealing with monstrous queries.
He consistently builds on using basic principles to analyze and refactor SQL, often giving various different refactorings, some which build on each other, while others branch off in different directions. I especially like that there is a chapter named "Testing Framework."
- Timings are for MySQL, Oracle and SQL Server. It would have been nice to have seen at least some mention of Postgres.
- Small typo: On page 129 the GNU Statistical Library is referenced. This should be the GNU Scientific Library, which indeed does have over 60 different types of random number generators. I would know 'cause I hack on the Perl bindings!
Great book.


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Short Sale Los Angeles County Experts Will Bail You Out of Your Underwater Home
Short Sale Los Angeles County Realtors and Certified Distressed Property Experts of Buy Home Direct will assist you in getting out from under your over leveraged home. We work with your lender to get the property sold, and you pay us no out of pocket money.
No Obligation Required!
Complete the information below, and an experienced Short Sale Los Angeles County Realtor will contact you to answer your questions and discuss a success plan.
Short Sale Los Angeles
Buy Home Direct specializes in helping Los Angeles County homeowners with homes that have no equity complete short sales. With a Los Angeles County short sale a lender agrees to the sale of your property at current market value even when the sales price is less than what is owed. This allows you, the homeowner relief from the high payments and overpriced home.
Buy Home Direct is a real estate brokerage licensed by the California Department of Real Estate #0128205. Over 80% of our business is focused on helping Southern California homeowners like you complete short sales. Our Broker is a CDPE (Certified Distressed Property Expert), and she knows exactly how to deal with your lender. Once we qualify you for our VIP Short Sale Los Angeles County Program, we will
- list your property for sale,
- provide full representation by a licensed Realtor®,
- handle all of the short sale negotiations
- and take all of the phone calls from your lender.
You sit back, relax and enjoy the fact that all of our Los Angeles County Short Sale Services are provided at no cost to you- the homeowner.
What can you expect with a short sale?
Since we have years of experience with short sales, we know what the banks want and we know how to make the process go smoothly for everyone.
Your property is listed for sale "as is" so there are no repairs or clean-up costs to you.
If you have unpaid property taxes we negotiate to have your lender pay for those.
You can remain living in the house during the process or you may decide to move to a new home. The choice is yours.
We collect some initial paperwork and documents. Once an offer is received from a buyer, we send that paperwork to your lender and work with them to get an approval on the sale. The whole process may take as little as 90 days, or up to several months depending upon the time it takes to receive an offer from a buyer.
To get started on the process or to have additional questions answered, please complete the short form to the right. If it is during business hours you may also give us a call at 800-546-2289. We can answer your questions right over the phone.
Property Tax Info Los Angeles County
Bellflower Short Sale | Diamond Bar Short Sale | Downey Short Sale | La Puente Short Sale | Long Beach Short Sale | West Covina Short Sale | Whittier Short Sale
I Have Already Moved Out of My Home
It doesn't matter if you are living in your Los Angeles County home or if you have relocated to a different state. As long as you have access to email and phone we can work together to handle all of the paperwork for your successful short sale. We will ensure your property is secured, and we will regularly check on it's condition. If you have tenants, we will communicate with them and keep them informed of when they will need to vacate. We become the communication point with the bank too, so just starting the process will begin to relieve some stress.
A Notice of Default Has Been Filed... Is It Too Late?
As long as you home has not been sold at auction, it is not too late to be considered for a short sale. If an Notice of Default (NOD) has been filed, contact us right away so we can communicate with your lender and let them know of your intentions. The lender has up until the date of a sale to cancel or postpone a foreclosure. ;But they will only consider postponing a foreclosure if there is active negotiations to modify, short sale, or sign a deed in lieu. Call right away- preferably before you receive the notice of default, but we can work if you have already received one as well.


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MANSFIELD -- Dave Matthews hit the stage at the Xfinity Center on Saturday night for a stellar performance with a few added surprises. As is the norm for any DMB show, the venue was packed.
Hardcore DMB fans filled the seats and cheered as the night opened with "Two Step," followed by "Stolen Away On 55th & 3rd" and "Trippin' Billies." During "Seek Up," Matthews took a break and let his band take center stage. Between the guitar riffs, the drum solos and the violin solos by Boyd Tinsley, it was definitely one amazing jam session.
One thing that was notable about the night was that Matthews didn't have any opening acts this year, which was a bit odd. Most shows will have someone opening for them, even if only for a few minutes to get the crowd warmed up. This time around, the whole show was focused on one thing and one thing only: DMB. Obviously, the die-hard fans didn't mind one bit. At one point in the second half of the set, three microphones were placed on the right side of the stage prompting speculation as to who the guests would be. Surprisingly, it was the Lovely Ladies, a trio of back-up singers who haven't performed on stage with Matthews for more than ten years. The Ladies still have it and got the crowd to join in for a sing-along during "Veil" and "Stay." After eight songs the band took a set break of a half hour. They then came back and performed "Don't Drink The Water" and "Save Me" among other hits.
Though Matthews has been performing and touring for many years now, it must be said that he could interact with the crowd a little more than he does. He talked every now and then between songs but didn't engage the audience like some performers do. That being said, Matthews' music can pretty much speak for itself, so it's possible that he feels words aren't needed. He does, after all, have fans that travel from far and wide to see him on tour. When tour numbers are down for many acts, there is definitely something to be said for the longevity of DMB.
Dave Matthews lets his music do the talking at Mansfield show
MANSFIELD -- Dave Matthews hit the stage at the Xfinity Center on Saturday night for a stellar performance with a few added surprises. As is the norm for any DMB show, the venue was packed.


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Question for the Money Doctors
Question submitted on Sep 20, 2012.
QuestionMy questions has a few parts to it. Here is my situation.
My Goal: Find employement that will let me travel and live in various latin american locations
I''m looking for a U.S. company that will let me work remotely while traveling through Latin America. I''m currently a New Jersey resident. When I find a job that will let me do this I want to know how I should structure my move so that I lower my tax burden. Essentially I will be working remotely, from say Brazil, but I will be paying Federal and State income taxes, even though I''m living abroad. Also how can I structure my move so that I can travel throughout Latin America and not necessarily be tied down to one country?
I''m guessing the best option might be to establish residency in a low tax latin american country, or a country that doesn''t tax foreign earned income and then travel at will.
What type of deal suites me best to strike with my employeer? Contract? What''s the best way for them to pay me in order to make things easier?
Generally speaking, setting up your own business internationally may be a good approach for you. You would report your income on Schedule C, rather than W-2 wages. You would have flexibility to work for multiple companies. You will be entitled to a foreign income exclusion on your 1040 ($92,900 in 2012) provided you are out of the US for at least 330 days. Any foreign earnings above the annual limit may allow eligibilty for a foreign income tax credit on your US federal tax return, provided you pay income tax in the jurisdiction you are paying tax in depending on the country the income is earned and the tax is paid. However, NJ does not allow the foreign tax exclusion or credit, so you may want to consider relocating to a state without a state income tax and residing there prior to relocating abroad.
Once you decide where you will be living and/or traveling, consult a tax expert with specific knowledge in that country's income tax laws and also a CPA that specializes in tax rules for US expatriates. Visit www.findacpapfs.com to find a CPA/PFS in your area.
For additional information visit http://www.360financialliteracy.org/


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2013 National Arbor Day Awards
J. Sterling Morton Award
Kemba Shakur
Shakur works daily with low-income communities to plant trees, mentor young people and build neighborhood leaders, and Urban ReLeaf has distributed more than 15,000 trees in total. When Shakur saw that no one else was planting trees in her west Oakland neighborhood, she started to plant them herself. She continued planting in her front yard, on her block, in her neighborhood and eventually throughout the City of Oakland.
Shakur has also made long-term research a priority, working directly with the University of California Davis, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the California Department of Water Resources and the USDA Forest Service.
This year's winners are:
J. Sterling Morton Award
Kemba Shakur
Promise to the Earth Award
Public Awareness of Trees Award
Alliance for Community Trees
Forest Lands Leadership Award
The Florida Forest Service
Rachel Carson Award
- Donna Love
- Lakeshore Learning Materials
Arbor Day Celebration Award
The City of Punta Gorda, Florida
Award for Education Innovation
Eden Reforestation Projects
Good Steward Award
Plant With Purpose
Award for Excellence in Volunteer Management
The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board
Excellence in Partnership Award
The Lost Pines Forest Recovery Campaign
Excellence in Urban Forest Leadership Award
Friends of Grand Rapids Parks
Lawrence Enersen Award
Dr. Waddell Barnes
Frederick Law Olmsted Award
Indiana University Professor Burnell Fischer
Award winners are recognized for their leadership in the cause of tree planting, conservation,and environmental stewardship.
Leaders in tree planting, conservation, and environmental stewardship from around the country and world are honored each year at our annual Arbor Day Awards celebration held in Nebraska City, Nebraska. The awards ceremony is part of the annual Arbor Day weekend celebration held at Lied Lodge & Conference Center.
Photos provided by: ACTrees - Burnell Fischer - City of Carmel, IN - City of Valparaiso, IN - Dimensions Educational Research Foundation - Donna Love - Dr. Waddell Barnes - Eden Reforestation Projects - Florida Forest Service - Friends of Grand Rapids Parks - ©Joseph O'Brien / USDA Forest Service - Kemba Shakur - Lakeshore Learning Materials - Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board - Northern Indiana Public Service Company - Plant With Purpose - Punta Gorda - Steve Schroeder - Texas Forest Service - Texas Parks and Wildlife Department - The Salinas Californian - UPS - Urban ReLeaf


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- These bi-weekly posts explain the current state of add-on reviews and other information relevant to add-on developers. There's a lengthy overview of the Add-on Review Process posted in this blog that should be read as a general guide about the review process.
- Most nominations are being reviewed within 1 week.
- Almost every update is being reviewed within 5 days.
The Review Queues
- The stats are taken from the latest queue report from last Friday.
- 54 new nominations that week. 75 nominations in the queue awaiting review.
- 60 updates that week. 55 updates in the queue awaiting review.
- 864 reviews performed by AMO Editors this month. There were 18 editors performing reviews last week.
See the Add-on Review Process and You for information on how to check your add-on status.
Firefox 4 Compatibility
Firefox 4 is coming later this year, and beta 3 is currently available for download. This will likely be the most difficult upgrade path for add-on developers in the history of Firefox, so everybody should keep an eye on beta updates and all the documentation that will be published around them. At the moment these are the most useful documentation resources:
- Firefox 4 for developers at MDC.
- Firefox 4 Compatibility blog post (New, beta 4 edition!).
- Firefox 4 Compatibility discussion in the Add-ons Forum. This is the best place to post any feedback, bugs or insight surrounding Firefox 4 and add-on development.
I'll do my best to keep everybody up to date with breaking changes in Firefox 4, and I will post a new compat update when we're closer to RC1. In the interim I'll use these reports to post all the new (sometimes unconfirmed) feedback I've received, with as much information I have at hand. Here are the notes I have so far:
- Toolbar customization. There's a bug in toolbar customization that can revert changes performed by users. Note that the bug can be triggered by add-ons that access certain browser features before the onload event is fired. If this is the case for your add-on, please read the comments on the linked bug carefully.
- From Mook: How do I override a contract ID dynamically, and forwarding things to the old implementation (essentially wrapping it) so only behaviour I specifically care about get modified? Is this something that the new XPCOM registration method won't support?
- From Christopher Finke: app tabs can be toggled using gBrowser.pinTab(tab);
- From Raphael: the content context menu is broken.
Notes for Developers
- How to Improve Extension Startup Performance. All extension developers should read this blog post. It explains how extensions can have a significant impact in startup performance and, some very simple steps you can follow to minimize this impact. There's also a link to some tools that can be used to easily measure startup.
- New Proposal for Review Process and Delightful Add-ons. This is a new and different approach to resolve the issue of add-on safety in the sandbox and code reviews. All add-on developers should read this and give feedback. It's been a long process to try to find the right balance of the many elements involved, and we think this is it.
- The AMO Editor Guide. This new page in the wiki is a comprehensive guide to the work performed by AMO Editors. It will serve as an introductory guide for new editors, and is a step forward in being as transparent as possible with our review process.
- Useful Information for Add-on Authors. How to improve review times for your add-on, information about the review process, etc.
Jorge Villalobos
Add-ons Developer Relations Lead, Mozilla


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Mini Cooper
POSTED ON: February 26, 2014
While snow flakes the size of quarters filled the streets during one of several February storms this year, downstairs at 41 Cooper Square the gallery had a warmer feel to it. Music played. People sat at large tables covered in brown butcher paper and chatted or peered into laptops. German could be heard being spoken. One person obligingly let another cut her hair. The walls were turned into pin-up spaces with graphical works-in-progress including one covered in colorful post-it notes indicating a thought process, a work of art or both. The space felt like a cross between an international youth hostel and a downtown design studio. Welcome to NEO New York: Visual Thinking. Would you like a cup of coffee or tea?
NEO New York, a week-long event of professional-led workshops, a lecture series and a culminating exhibition, ended on February 15th. Two School of Art seniors, Troy Kreiner (the force behind the Do Good Green-Wood exhibition) and Rachel Mendelsohn, began putting it together over the summer. "The origins of NEO New York are workshops like this that I have done abroad in Germany, London and Greece," Troy Kreiner said during a chat with the organizers prior to the event. "They all had different things to offer, but there was this similar thread which was international, young, creative people willing to learn and work with those they never met before."
Rachel Mendelsohn and Troy Kreiner
At NEO New York's core were five workshops, each led by a local artist or design professional. "The workshops are interdisciplinary. So some come from a design background, performance, websites, painting and photography--very similar to how Cooper Union's School of Art is organized," Kreiner said. Participants were capped at 30 total, and each had to submit a digital portfolio and letter of intent for vetting. Demand was high because it was being offered free of charge, a hallmark of such grass-roots learning experiences.
"The inspiration for the whole workshop is what's going on at Cooper," Kreiner said. "We wanted to open the doors of the Cooper Union and let people in before it becomes more difficult considering the recent reduction in the scholarship. And there is a way of doing it by putting your best foot forward. Good energy, good work and share the wealth." Such workshops first appeared in Europe and continue to be popular there, Kreiner said. NEO New York looks to be a vanguard in introducing the concept in the United States. Many of the participants in NEO hailed from Europe, in spite of the airfare costs.
Francisco Corsini
Francesco Corsini, originally from Florence, Italy but studying graphic design in London, dropped everything to come to NEO. "I spoke to my professors before applying, and they agreed with me that I should just go and have this experience," he said shortly after a portfolio review had wrapped up. "It's working really well. It's the first time in New York for me. It has been quite intense. I am working with Paul Sahre [a graphic designer]. Yesterday he took us to his studio. The whole workshop is about lying. How do you represent lying and tell a convincing lie. It's been really interesting and a change from thinking about how to make a very nice, slick final outcome."
"Each of the workshop leaders developed a lesson plan for their specific group," Rachel Mendelsohn said. "So whatever they determine the students should be working on they can, but there is no limitation to what they do." Workshop leaders, who received a small stipend thanks to a Kickstarter campaign, also included digital artist Maja Cule, the trend forecasting group K-Hole, cultural producer Jake Yuzna, and artists Alexandra Gorcyznski and Marisa Olson. A lunchtime guest lecturer series, open to the public, drew the workshops together.
Rori Gold's NEO New York exhibition work
Workshop participants included professionals, too. Rori Gold, a graphic designer working in New York since 2006 had just quit her job three weeks prior to attending NEO New York. "This is a springboard for getting back into more personal stuff," she said. Her workshop, led by Alexandra Gorcyznski, focused on using the iPhone as a studio, creating work exclusively from apps. "It limits you but we share apps that we found, and it makes you think about art in a different way, especially if you are from a more traditional fine arts background," Gold said. "One of things I loved about art school was the critiques and people sharing ideas. So I love the communication. Coming here makes me realize that being around other artists is really important. It pushes my work."
The workshops culminated in a final exhibition of their efforts on Saturday, accompanied by selections from The Herb Lubalin Study Center of Design and Typography. "We mix artifacts with personal objects, blurring the line of personal creative art and academic archive materials," Kreiner said. The NEO New York organizers also put together a book of essays and artwork contributed by workshop leaders and others on the theme of "Visual Thinking." In keeping with the generous spirit of the event, the book was printed, saddle stitched and given away for free to all who participated. It can also be downloaded by anyone.
Sebastian Zimmerhackl
But why call it "NEO?" It turns out to be part of a long-term strategy. "It started off as a play on words," Kreiner said. "There are so many meanings to being 'new.' And then adding another terminology of being new, 'Neo New,' so it's kind of falling on itself, like 'New New.' And we used that for our identity. So we would use this prefix in another place like NEO New Mexico or NEO San Francisco. So it is strategic but it's also conceptually where we are at."
"From the get-go, we felt like if we can facilitate the first iteration of this thing, it would continue either at Cooper, because we have a connection here, or in other cities," Rachel Mendelsohn said. "The workshops we are modeling it after are commonplace in Europe. But they don't exist here. So if we could create a network of creative workshops here, that would be awesome."
"I've had some really magic moments here," said Sebastian Zimmerhackl, from Frankfurt, Germany, and a veteran of such workshops. "It's about getting together and building bridges and having connections. Friendly people. Good talk. It's small things. The acoustics of the saxophone in the subway. You cannot download that."


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Northwestern Mutual – The Kemelgor Financial Group and Cheeriodicals brought cheer in the form of 240 big green boxes to children fighting childhood cancer and other diseases at Nationwide Children's Hospital during its "Cheeriodicals Day" event held on June 7, 2013. Cheeriodicals are "big green boxes of cheer" made up, in this case, of age-appropriate magazines, toys, puzzles, crafts and more goodies for the children to enjoy.
"We are so excited to have Northwestern Mutual and Cheeriodicals visit Nationwide Children's today," said Brian Harman, Director, Annual Giving at Nationwide Children's Foundation. "We sincerely appreciate Northwestern Mutual Managing Partner, Troy Kemelgor, for sponsoring this day of smiles. All of our patients were thrilled to receive such special and fun gifts."
"We're excited to work with Northwestern Mutual – The Kemelgor Financial Group to bring smiles to 240 children at Nationwide Children's" said Gary Parisher, President of Cheeriodicals.
The boxes were tailored to boys or girls and specific age groups and are sure to bring joy to the children, and even included a few surprises for the parents.
"We're thrilled to partner with Cheeriodicals to bring joy to Columbus families battling cancer and other diseases," said Troy Kemelgor, Managing Partner, Northwestern Mutual – The Kemelgor Financial Group. "As a father of three, I can't imagine the heart ache of seeing your child in pain as they battle childhood cancer and other diseases. Our hope is that by bringing a smile to the child, we can bring a smile to the entire family."
Contributing to this day of smiles, The Boathouse at Confluence Park donated meeting space for the Northwestern Mutual Team to build the Cheeriodicals during a 2 hour team building event. Two Men and a Truck, specializing in residential and commercial moves, donated their time and services to transport the 240 Cheeriodicals to Nationwide Children's.
Cheeriodicals recently worked with children's hospitals in Memphis, Atlanta, New Orleans, St. Louis, Birmingham and Fort Lauderdale on their Cheeriodicals Days, and has scheduled more Cheeriodicals Days throughout the country.
About Cheeriodicals
Cheeriodicals, a national online gift company, presents a unique alternative in the on-line gifting industry. The Cheeriodical (a cheerful periodical) brings cheer and entertainment to men and women, combining a keepsake gift box containing the gift recipient's favorite magazines with carefully selected snacks in individual portions. Cheeriodicals also provide gifts for children, combining age-appropriate magazines with activities, crafts and toys. For more information about Cheeriodicals visit www.cheeriodicals.com, or follow us on facebook.com/cheeriodicals, https://twitter.com/cheeriodical and http://www.youtube.com/user/cheeriodical.


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Redstone Model Railroad Club
For fifty-four years the Redstone Model Railroad Club has been an active center for model railroading activity in the Huntsville Alabama area.
The club's new HO scale Alabama Tennessee & Northern Railroad covers an area 48' by 20'. Through the years the club has enjoyed accomplishment and dealt with devastation. It has hosted four Southeastern Region (NMRA) conventions and was instrumental in starting Division activity within that region. Our fourth layout is well underway.