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Many small businesses, often with limited marketing budgets talk about implementing a blog, yet often find they don't know where to start. Of course, the first thing to do is add a blog to your website to enable the capability. Secondly, you need to find a member of the team with industry knowledge to impart […]
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The niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., is pushing back against fellow African-American Christians who have accused her of hijacking the civil rights movement for her own political agenda – namely to protect the unborn.
"It is absolutely ludicrous that abortion supporters would accuse a blood relative of Dr. King of hijacking the King legacy," Dr. Alveda King said in a statement Thursday. "My dad and my uncle gave their lives to ensure that the day would come when blacks would be judged not by the color of their skin, but the content of their character. If they were here, I know they would stand with me in this fight for the lives of those most vulnerable among us."
Her comments were in response to statements made by the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice at a press conference Thursday. The coalition denounced the "religious right" for "disparaging clinics that provide abortion, birth control and reproductive health services."
"It insults the intelligence and values of African Americans and is offensive to women who make conscientious moral decisions about pregnancy," said the Rev. Dr. Carlton W. Veazey, president and CEO of the coalition.
The coalition also blasted the upcoming Restoring Honor Rally, led by Fox News' Glenn Beck, and Alveda King's "Freedom Rides for the Unborn" event as insulting and contrary to the famed civil rights leader's ideals of justice, freedom and respect for the dignity of all people. The rally is being held Saturday at the Lincoln Memorial to mark the 47th anniversary of the historic "I Have a Dream" speech.
"The 'Religious Right' and the Tea Party can hold a rally on the anniversary of a time that is sacred in our nation's march to equality but there is no question that they are not – and never have been – concerned about the African-American community or about the racism, poverty and injustice that Dr. King was dedicated to eradicating," said Veazey.
According to the Guttmacher Institute, black women are more likely to have an abortion, at rates three to five times the rate of white women. The high abortion rate, however, has been linked to poverty and women of color tend to come from lower-income households.
While pro-life groups argue that the abortion industry is targeting African-American communities, Veazey said the higher abortion rates among black women are directly related to their higher rates of unintended pregnancy and to broader health disparities.
"Persistent reproductive health and health care disparities perpetuate a cycle of poverty and are serious problems for the African-American community. Providing comprehensive sexuality education for youth and expanding family planning and reproductive health care services are proven ways to improve health and life prospects," he said.
"Closing clinics and scaring women and men can only hurt the African-American community."
Meanwhile, Day Gardner, president of the National Black Pro-Life Union, believes abortion – especially in the black community – is the greatest civil rights battle of his time.
She questioned the religious convictions of clergy fighting for reproductive rights.
"It's interesting to me to hear so called religious people call us the religious right – but that's okay because they are obviously the complete opposite… they are the religious wrong!" Gardner commented. "Which begs the question: what God, if any, do they serve?"
"As for me, I serve the God of Abraham, Jacob and Isaac – the great I AM – Father of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and all things created. Those of us who serve the one true God acknowledge we are all made in his image. We bow to God's Word when He says: 'Blessed is the fruit of the womb.' If God says children are a reward, a gift and our heritage, then we must uphold that all children are greatly valuable and desirable to God. So, I ask again, what God do they serve?"
On Saturday, Alveda King will urge Americans to stand with her at the Lincoln Memorial to boycott the abortion industry.

subset: commoncrawl


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A cross-campus exhibit designed by Ryan A. Ross of the University Library and entitled "The Morrill Act at 150: Celebrating the Land-Grant Mission of a Global University" will be installed in many campus facilities, including Altgeld Hall, the Architecture Building, Davenport Hall, the Illini Union, and Noyes Laboratory, during the month of October 2012.
The exhibition consists of five unique displays featuring facsimiles of materials from the University Archives about the beginnings of the land-grant education movement and the Morrill Act's influence on the development of the University of Illinois. Selections from the exhibition have also been turned into a virtual exhibit and are found at http://morrillact.illinois.edu/exhibit.html.
The exhibition has been created in conjunction with the campus' Morrill Act sesquicentennial celebration, which will culminate on Oct. 26 in the Office of Public Engagement's symposium at the Illini Union, entitled "The Morrill Act at 150: The Future of Public Higher Education." Visit http://morrillact.illinois.edu for more information.


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Love is free!
A recession can be decidedly unsexy: The stress of making ends meet isn't exactly an aphrodisiac. Take my friend M, a work-at-home freelancer, whose sex life took a nosedive after the Dow crashed. When her live-in boyfriend lost his job, they were forced into spending 24/7 together in their tiny apartment, and their collective anxiety about paying the bills effectively crushed her desire. "It's nearly impossible to get in the mood when I'm worried about paying the rent," she laments.
Nodding in agreement? So are the 36 percent of women who reported in a Self.com poll that they're having less sex since the recession officially began in December 2007. "Often, partners feel angry or resentful, perhaps blaming each other for making a poor investment or career choice that wouldn't cause as much friction in more robust times," explains Jane Greer, Ph.D., a marriage counselor in New York City. "It can be hard to be intimate when there are unresolved negative emotions." Many couples are putting a moratorium on expanding their family, as well: The birth rate in America dropped 3 percent between 2007 and 2008, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. And last year, contraceptives sales were up 40 percent from 2008, The Nielsen Company, a global information and media company, reports; condom sales during the same period increased 4 percent.
As with any setback, however, there are ways to turn this bust into a boom. In fact, a full 26 percent of women in the Self.com poll copped to bumping and grinding more since the recession began (39 percent are having the same amount). Our point: Someone's doing it, so it might as well be you. Tough times offer a unique opportunity to invest in your love life: "Financial hardship can inspire a renewed sense of teamwork in your relationship," Greer says. "Getting through this mess together can bring you closer, emotionally and physically." Not to mention that at a cost of zero dollars, sex is the best bargain going when it comes to relaxing and recharging. Need some incentive? Here are three very seductive reasons to get frisky when you're strapped for cash. Think of this advice as your own sexual stimulus package!
Love your honey, save some money
Mounting bills may not seem like an obvious impetus to get busy—your reluctance to shelve your expensive shoe habit coupled with his unwillingness to cancel his beer-of-the-month club can trigger some serious clashes. But if you resolve to approach cutbacks with an adventuresome spirit, overturning your spending style can lead to liberation between the sheets. "Whenever you shake up your regular routine, it introduces novelty into your relationship, which is a big turn-on," explains Sandor Gardos, Ph.D., sex therapist and founder of MyPleasure.com.
Take a cue from L, 23, a graduate student at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, and her boyfriend, who canceled a costly cable subscription to free up some cash and found themselves starring in their own real-life, red-hot romance. "Rather than sit on the couch and mindlessly watch TV, we'll start fooling around," she says. "The more you do it, the more you improve and the more willing you are to try new things." Sex serves as a welcome distraction from the reality of her potentially bleak employment prospects post-school. "I hope that by the time I graduate, the job market will be better," she says. "But when I'm doing it, I'm not obsessing about money. It's like taking a little vacation from those concerns."
Newly married C, 30, of New York City, also benefited when the stock market imploded: She works from home and braced for the worst when her husband's job was scaled back to part-time. But his spending more time at home and less at the office has been a boon for their sex life. "When we used to work late or socialize nearly every night, we'd come home too exhausted for sex," she says. Now, because the pace of their careers has been less demanding, "we're shattering our old patterns, doing it whenever and however we want—not necessarily at night or in bed," C enthuses. The bottom line: Living on less can force a much-needed change that you weren't motivated to undertake in more flush times.
Financial strain can also spur you to replace pricey romantic gestures with cheap but gratifying thrills. An actual dinner and a movie can run you upwards of $100, but for a fraction of that, you can enjoy an equally satisfying "dinner and a movie" (wink, wink) thanks to the burgeoning sex-toy industry. Plenty of people are buying: Vibrator sales at Jimmyjane, a sex-toy company in San Francisco, went up 50 percent between 2008 and 2009, according to founder and chief creative officer Ethan Imboden. It's a trend that's being seen across the industry: "Business is up by double digits," asserts Katy Zvolerin, director of publicity for adult retailer Adam & Eve in Hillsborough, North Carolina. "We think it's because people are staying home more, and they're looking for inexpensive, new ways to entertain themselves." With a wide variety of cost-effective options, such as the popular $10 pocket rocket, available in major chain stores, sex toys are truly democratic—even Walmart sells vibrators!
What's more, the increase in sales could be an indication that couples are more committed to bringing each other genuine pleasure any way possible. "Experimenting together with a new vibrator is another way to show how much you care about each other's satisfaction," says Catherine Birndorf, M.D., SELF's contributing mental health expert and associate professor of psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City. Whether you're trying out a snazzy toy or exchanging more homespun, sweet gestures (foot rubs, cooking a favorite meal), the recession is prompting couples to be more thoughtful and economical about how they express their love. Being required to invest more time and energy in these tokens of affection (and not simply swipe your credit card to buy a gift) makes them infinitely more meaningful.
Knock boots, bolster your bond
When you're stressed about losing your job and watching your retirement savings dwindle, it's easy to feel disconnected from your partner—the time you used to spend locking lips may now be spent crunching numbers. Also, "A failing economy can make people feel out of control and despondent," Greer explains. K, a stay-at-home mother of two in New Jersey, has felt particularly detached from her husband, who has had to be at the office around the clock since his company laid off other employees. "There have been many more late nights and business trips, which wears on both of us," she explains. "Sometimes it feels as if we're living separate lives." Although both parties are undoubtedly busy, squeezing a little nooky into their schedule can provide the sort of intimacy they so desperately need to sustain the relationship. "When couples can't spend a lot of time together, sex is a fairly quick way to connect and feel closer," Dr. Birndorf says. "The key is to make it a priority—put sex closer to the top of your list!"
Not in a committed relationship? Now is a prime time to look for love. Since the financial crisis struck, dating sites such as PerfectMatch.com and Match.com have seen significant upticks in membership compared with the previous year—50 percent and 10 percent, respectively. "It's proof that when people are facing challenges, they don't want to do it alone," says Pepper Schwartz, Ph.D., professor of sociology at the University of Washington at Seattle. "They want to be able to rely on that emotional and sexual connection during tough times." Offline matchmaking agencies are having a banner year, too. "People are reprioritizing and putting their personal life on the front burner," says Lisa Clampitt, president of Club VIP Life, a high-end personalized matchmaking agency in New York City. "From what my clients tell me, the attitude now is that money comes and goes, but a partner, someone to share your life with, is what matters."
Perhaps historians will refer to this period not as the Great Recession, but as the Great Reprioritizing. We will define ourselves by our values and personal connections, not by our incomes and number of flat-screen TVs. "The recession has given people a great opportunity to reevaluate what they want out of life," Gardos says.
J, a 39-year-old single woman, reassessed her priorities after she was laid off: "I was completely focused on my job for years—always stressed out, working late at night and on the weekends," she says. "I'd let my personal life slide—for a decade—for my professional life." When the company she worked at went under, J reconsidered her career-driven lifestyle and, craving more balance, began to socialize more. "Of course, that's when I started to meet people. I visited a friend who manages a restaurant I'd never had time to swing by before and met an adorable guy at the bar," she says. "In my previous life, I wouldn't hang out at a bar with my girlfriends or have the energy to flirt!"
The recession may also increase the pool of men whom single women find desirable simply because we'll be more open-minded about our checklist of must-haves. A survey conducted by Zoosk.com, an online social dating community, reveals that women have reconsidered previously nonnegotiable requirements in a partner: Fifty-two percent of respondents, the majority of whom were under the age of 40, were OK with "unemployed" prospects; 67 percent would date a guy who lives with his parents; and 89 percent were "turned on" by the idea of a free-activity date. Two years ago, would any single woman be interested in even going for a walk with a jobless dude who sleeps on a futon in his mother's garage? Well, she is now. It's more evidence that women are looking for emotional—not financial—security from partners.
"We're all in the same boat, so it seems wrong to judge someone based on his income or job," says J, who used to cruise Ivy League grads–only site RightStuffDating.com. Lately, J has been more inclusive, trying more egalitarian dating sites and even speed-dating. Unattached women who are out of work or have temporary gigs have more time to peruse dating sites. Plus, online sites are a bargain when you compare the cost of a month's membership with one night out at a bar buying overpriced cocktails. A 30-day trial at Match.com is only $35—and a mere $7 a month at Nerve.com—during which time you can check out thousands of potential dates without leaving the comfort of your couch.
Shag more, stress less
Still not sold on the benefits of romping through a downturn? Then consider the purely physiological benefits of getting it on: The orgasm is Mother Nature's happy drug. "Sex makes you feel good because of the short-term reduction of blood pressure and the release of endorphins," says Sari Locker, Ph.D., author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Amazing Sex (Alpha Books). The positive impact a tryst has on your brain chemistry can relieve tension and lift your spirits. I mentioned all this to M and urged her to get busy. She laughed and said, "You can't force yourself to get in the mood." True. So experts advise easing back in, instead. Make a more concerted effort to affectionately touch each other—even something as innocent as holding hands while watching TV. Locker recommends giving a low-pressure massage or simply lying down and hugging. (Yes, even hugging lowers blood pressure!)
Once your motors are running, try to pace yourselves, Schwartz advises: "Make eye contact, kiss, spend a lot of time on foreplay," she says. "Really pay attention to each other. Concentrate on every touch and movement." Tuning in to the intimate act itself trains the mind to focus on what you're doing, as opposed to what you're not doing (e.g., paying the bills, job hunting). A mental respite from worry can be as refreshing and restorative as the hormonal release of an orgasm.
A week later, I heard from M. She sounded less stressed, and I asked if her honey had found a job. "No, but since my conversation with you, we've started to have sex again," she told me. "I'm still totally stressed about money. But better to be freaked out and satisfied versus freaked out and frustrated." The secret to preventing financial stress from coming between you and his Calvins: "You have to compartmentalize your worries," Dr. Birndorf says. "Once you step inside the bedroom, banish thoughts of bills."
I asked about M's boyfriend's state of mind. She said, "Of course, he's happier now that we're spending more time in bed. His attitude about the job search seems better, too. I bet none of your experts said having regular sex might be an advantage at interviews." Actually, they all did. Sex elevates mood, and an interviewer is naturally inclined to hire someone who comes across as happy and relaxed. You read it here first: You can sleep your way to gainful employment!
At the end of the day—and the end of the recession—it comes down to what we've always known: Money isn't a good way to measure satisfaction in life or relationships. Even if you're struggling to make ends meet, you can still, er, make other ends meet for a big-time payoff. And a passion-filled life will have you coming out ahead on any balance sheet.
Photo Credit: Stephanie Rausser


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Metadata and tagging
Once images are in Lightroom, Library mode is used to sort through the shots and edit your picks, quickly setting rejects and picks with X and P. Comparing two images closely is done with the Compare mode, which lets you quickly swap between a Select (the best shot so far) and the Candidate for the pick.
Compare mode hates tourists that get in the better shot.
Survey mode is similar but lacks the linked zoom options since it is meant for a larger preview of a bunch of images:
Key navigation is very quick, and the single-letter key commands make short work of scrolling through images while flagging picks and rejects.
Once you have gone through your images, have done your flagging/labeling, and want to isolate your picks, reach for the Filmstrip tab and click the flag or label filter:
Only picks show up now in the Library grid.
Combined with all the other methods of finding and filtering within Lightroom, this gives more than enough control to be able to quickly find a shot you are looking for.
Only picks shown for last year that contain the keyword "mexico".
But obviously this last bit gets us into the realm of...
Tagging and filtering for metadata is a big part of maintaining an organized professional photo library, and keywording needs to be as painless as possible since no one except masochists like to spend most of their time at the filing cabinet. Lightroom has a number of ways to set keywords for selected documents to keep this time to a minimum. There is the initial tagging on import, but for quickly navigating through the Library and stamping keywords, there is the Keyword Stamping mode: you set the keyword shortcut, enable keyword stamping and click away on your images (or you can do the same by hitting K). For a blunt approach, just select a bunch of images and type the keyword into the Keyword Tags field. For tagging a bunch of images differently while not losing too much time it's probably best to use the quicklist Keyword Set, which appears as a 3x3 grid in the Keywording panel:
Set up to nine keyword fields you want to use or kill two birds with a big rock by adding multiple terms to one field, separating them by a comma. Then they appear in the Keywording field, ripe for the clicking:
This variety of keywording methods is a good solution for accounting for different workflow habits and in combination, it makes keywording pretty quick and painless.
For IPTC and EXIF metadata, these are handled in the separate Metadata panel:
Here you can also create presets, synchronize your IPTC info (copyright, captions, etc) across other untagged images with the "Sync Metadata" button or use the copy and paste metadata shortcuts to do overwrite info completely. The arrows to the right of the text fields jump to similar results in the Metadata Browser, making it easier to quickly find other shots with similar criteria. Again, the variety of ways to get this kind of work done will be really appreciated by professionals who live and breathe extensive metadata tagging.
What's interesting in Lightroom is that Adobe has provided a way to edit EXIF capture time.
The true power of Lightroom: images from the future.
There are serious instances where it's needed though: if you create a panorama image with Canon's provided app, it writes a file with no EXIF data, leaving you to use a program like EXIFutils to copy and paste the capture time to other images so it sorts properly within your library. Again, this is more likely an issue for enthusiasts and not professionals, but many photo hobbyists are potentially looking to buy these programs to take their work one step further, so these things are appreciated. And anyway, professionals can use it to always meet deadlines:
"Mike, someone told me they saw you shooting this product shot this morning at the bus station."
"Check the EXIF data, I did it two weeks ago."
"It says it was shot in 1492."
Filtering and searching
Beyond the relatively straightforward Boolean filtering provided by Lightroomsearching for flagged picks with file extension .CR2 and any text "EOS"there are some more advanced filtering options in Lightroom that professionals will appreciate. Users can use the Metadata Browser panel to navigate through images grouped by lens, camera, creator, date and file type. By command-clicking (control-clicking in Windows) the other relevant groups in the browser, you can further edit down the shown images to only those that meet all those criteria. This can be further combined with the keyword tags panel to quickly get to say, a "bird and sky" image shot in February with a wide angle.
Coupled with picks, rejects, labels, the Metadata arrows quick-searches and other filtering options, the time-saving potential of this system is pretty huge. The only drawback I can see to such a granular visual approach is that after years of working with a huge library of tagged images, it could be a little daunting scrolling through the different metadata groups, even if they are collapsible.
Quick Develop
I won't talk too much about the Quick Develop panel in Library mode since it's really just a dumbed-down version of what's in the Develop module. It's meant for less subtle incremental edits:
Most of those are self-explanatory but some are likely cryptic names to many people: Recovery is for highlights and is much like Photoshop's Highlights and Shadows adjustment but without the shadows option. It tries to get back some of the details in very bright and overexposed areas. Fill Light is the equivalent for shadow regions. Blacks control the bottom extreme and clipping. It's probably easier to see with a diagram:
The interactive histogram within Develop lets you grab these
regions and adjust each by sliding left and right.
Vibrance is best explained by my laziness (the documentation):
Adjusts the saturation so that clipping is minimized as colors approach full saturation. Vibrance also prevents skintones from becoming over saturated.
The single chevrons (< / >) in the Quick Develop panel do a small adjustment and the double chevrons are for large ones. This is very coarse adjustment and for serious edits you're going to want to use...


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No matter what diamond engagement ring you choose, you're spending a good amount of money. And more so, you're investing a lot of time and emotion into this piece of diamond jewelry. So obviously, you want to protect it.
Insuring any piece of diamond jewelry is a very wise idea, especially your engagement ring. If your diamond jewelry is ever lost, stolen or damaged you'll have (at least a little) peace of mind that you are protected.
When you purchase your ring, make sure that you provided (if you are not, you should request) a retail replacement valuation (included with every online Hearts On Fire diamond purchase). Send this immediately to the insurance company that provides your homeowner's insurance – we would recommend doing so before you even pop the question. They will add a rider to your existing policy and charge you annually an amount based on the retail replacement value.
If you do not have homeowners insurance we suggest protecting your diamond by purchasing Perfect Circle® Jewelry Insurance coverage from Jewelers Mutual Insurance Company (www.PerfectCircleInsurance.com).


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Ind. Legislator Introduces Bill Putting Lord's Prayer Into Public Schools
An Indiana legislator has filed a bill that would allow public schools to require students to say the Lord's Prayer.
State Senator Dennis Kruse submitted the prayer bill before the beginning of the current session. It was put to first reading on Wednesday.
"Allows the governing body of a school corporation or the equivalent authority of a charter school to provide for the recitation of the Lord's Prayer at the beginning of each school day," reads the official synopsis for Senate Bill 251.
SB 251 has stirred up the ire of church-state groups, with many taking issue with the requirements of the bill for public schools.
Simon Brown of Americans United for Separation of Church and State wrote a blog entry denouncing the bill, saying it would "create many problems and solve none."
"There has been a lot of talk lately about prayer being the answer to the problems in our schools. The thing is, students are already free to pray as long as they aren't disruptive or interfering with the rights of their classmates," wrote Brown.
SB 251 states that "the governing body of a school corporation or the equivalent authority of a charter school may require the recitation of the Lord's Prayer at the beginning of each school day. The prayer may be recited by a teacher, a student, or the class of students."
"If the governing body or equivalent authority requires the recitation of the Lord's Prayer under subsection (a), the governing body or equivalent authority shall determine the version of the Lord's Prayer that will be recited in the school corporation or charter school."
Regarding individual conscience, SB 251 does have an exemption clause if a student "chooses not to participate" or "the student's parent chooses to have the student not participate."
This is not the first time Kruse has garnered controversy on church and state issues. In 2011, the Indiana senator had sponsored a bill, Senate Bill 89, that would have provided more "critical inquiry" in science classes regarding the origins debate.
According to SB 89, "the governing body of a school corporation may require the teaching of various theories concerning the origin of life, including creation science, within the school corporation."
While it garnered much support in the Legislature, the measure was eventually indefinitely tabled by Indiana House Speaker Brian Bosma.
According to local media, given that the Republican majority of the Indiana Legislature is expecting to focus more on economic issues this session, SB 251 is not likely to be taken up.


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Concert Choir
Concert Choir is our most select choral ensemble and requires an audition to participate.
If you love to sing, the choral department offers several performing ensembles in which you can participate – our choral ensembles are open to every student in the university and have varying time commitments.
Students perform year-round in musical styles ranging from Renaissance to recent compositions, to jazz or gospel in a variety of choral ensembles. Not only will you experience the thrill and joy of performing for audiences both on and off campus, you'll meet others with similar interests and goals. The Choral Department and Opera at USC work closely together. Learn more about Opera at USC.
Interested in studying voice at USC? View the voice performance area information.
Interested in singing in one of our choral ensembles? Fill out the Choral interest form.
Concert Choir is our most select choral ensemble and requires an audition to participate.
USC's largest choir performs diverse repertoire from the Renaissance to the present day.
Carolina Alive is a vocal jazz ensemble of 12-16 singers chosen by audition.
Graduate Vocal Ensemble is one of the hallmarks of the master's and doctoral degree programs in choral conducting.
Men's Chorus is open to all male students regardless of major. Repertoire includes a variety of genres, from chant and classical works to folk songs and a cappella arrangements.
Women's Chorus is open to all female students regardless of major. Repertoire varies from traditional women's chorus literature to classical, spirituals, multicultural and contemporary.
Choral ensembles are also offered to the community. The Youth Choir Clinic is for elementary and middle school students. The Gamecock Gentlemen's Guide to Singing is for high school men and Girl Power: USC Women's Choral Clinic is for high school women. The Summer Chorus is open to community singers and students.
Larry Wyatt directs the Concert Choir and supervises the master's and doctoral programs in choral conducting and the Graduate Vocal Ensemble. He founded the New Orleans Symphony Chorus and has conducted in some of the world's best known venues, including Carnegie Hall.
Alicia Walker is associate director of choral studies and directs the University Chorus, USC Men's Chorus and the new USC Women's Chorus. She teaches conducting and choral methods and courses in sacred music and music education. She is a frequent guest conductor, writer and lecturer.
Aletha Jacobs is director of Carolina Alive and has performed in every kind of venue, from playing and singing in bands, accompanying musicians and musicals, to performing with orchestras. She has toured the Mediterranean and Central America performing for our troops and has shared the stage with John Pizzarelli, The Shirelles, The Drifters and Freddy Cole, among others.
Location: School of Music 206
Time: 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Cost: Free
Location: See Description for Event Location.
Time: 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Cost: Free–$30
Location: School of Music 206
Time: 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Cost: Free
Location: See Description for Event Location.
Time: 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Cost: Free
Location: See Description for Event Location.
Time: 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Cost: Free


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On Tuesday VMware and Salesforce.com announced their joint venture - vmforce.com. Both vendors offered informative blog posts about the announcement, and I recommend reading the following:
- VMforce and VMware's "Open PaaS" Strategy (Steve Herrod)
- VMForce: Why? What? How? (Anshu Sharma)
- VMforce Provides Spring Cloud Platform (Rod Johnson)
These posts are also worth reading:
- Analyzing the VMforce announcement and PaaS portability challenges and the VMforce example (William Vambenepe)
- Duncan Epping's wrap up post
The move makes sense for both vendors. VMware understands that existing as a virtual infrastructure platform for Windows applications – where Microsoft is a direct competitor – is a losing battle. Many vendors have tried and failed in their efforts to take down Microsoft. In the end, the problem for Microsoft's competitors was always the same – integration across the Microsoft stack would always win out. Paul Maritz realizes this and understands that without challenging Microsoft's dominance in the application space, VMware will eventually succumb to Microsoft as the preferred virtual infrastructure platform for Windows applications. Partnering with providers such as Salesforce.com is a logical move for VMware. The more VMware can help Salesforce.com and Force.com pick up customers, the more they may see Microsoft's dominance in the application space erode. This isn't a strategy that plays out overnight, but over the next 10+ years. Along the way, I expect VMware to partner with key Microsoft rivals such as Google. Such a move is too sensible for both companies not to happen at some point.
For Salesforce.com, the VMware partnership and integration with VMware's SpingSource Spring Framework offers the potential to bring in a large number of new customers. In addition, the combined VMforce.com solution utilizes VMware vSphere backend infrastructure. As standard cloud API and data models emerge over the coming years, close alignment with VMware should remove concerns of VMforce.com being perceived as a niche solution, and will be one that leverages known and trusted back end virtual infrastructure. This is important when you consider factors such as regulatory compliance. Large enterprises turning to the cloud are wary of lock-in, and the more providers can offer secure solutions that are compatible across numerous cloud solutions, the more likely enterprises are to invest.
While I like the move, there are still many unanswered questions. For starters, making it easy for Java developers to run complex application stacks in the cloud is a good start, but what about the .NET developer ecosystem? If VMware and its competitors want to take market share from Microsoft, they're going to have to entice .NET developers to come their way. I have said for some time that I see Azure evolving to be both a cloud and on-premise solution. So in time Microsoft will be offering even more compelling reasons to to come their way or stay with them, and Microsoft's competitors will need a very good answer to counter. If VMware succeeds with "Open PaaS"," they may have the answer – a Java-based PaaS platform with choice on par with VMware's vCloud ecosystem (1,000+ providers).
It's also important to note that VMforce.com is not a pure infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) play. You can't package any app as a VM and deploy it to VMforce.com. Instead, the solution is positioned to support Java apps, a Force.com backend database, and leverage VMware vSphere plumbing. As a joint venture, VMware couldn't get into IaaS for the simple reason that it would position VMware as a competitor with the providers in its vCloud ecosystem.
Finally, if you go back to Steve Herrod's original post on the VMforce.com announcement, I couldn't help but focus on the fact that "Open PaaS" was placed in quotes. In the past, I have asked vendors if some of their "features" should be in quotes, insinuating that a particular feature was a bit misleading. If you've been in IT long enough, you already know that "open" is a relative word, with openness subject to the number of supported vendor or provider alternatives out there. In the case of VMforce, "open" does not have to imply open source, but rather a defacto standard for PaaS with a large choice of provider solutions.
The following statement from Steve Herrod's post alluded to VMware's plans for Open PaaS.
One thing in particular mention here should strike you … we will wholeheartedly enable deployment of these cloud portable applications to clouds that are not based on our underlying vSphere virtualization technology. This support is a key aspect of openness and will enable a broader and more competitive ecosystem of compatible Spring PaaS offerings. And this in turn will be the reason why developers will bet on Spring-based applications for maximum flexibility. Stay tuned as you'll see many more announcements around this very soon.
Steve is implying that apps deployed to VMforce.com can be moved to non-VMware infrastructure without a Force.com backend, which I mentioned earlier when discussing Open PaaS. If VMware succeeds with VMforce and gets numerous other providers to support Open PaaS along the way, they will have a serious alternative to Azure, and one that is devoid of provider lock-in.
As James McBride once said, the details always tell the story. Right now, we have a story. Whether or not the story will be remembered depends on the details. Give us standard APIs, application models, metadata sets, security frameworks, and modernized service-level definitions that apply to emerging cloud-based architectures, and we have a very compelling story. So far, the book on VMforce.com has a nice cover, but the meaningful content remains a mystery.


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A soothing, mesmerising, energetic and massive club anthem – supported by a firm electronic dance beat, beautiful synth chords and a extremely memorable portamento and piano melody that will occupy your mind for the rest of the day. If you're a fan of the early works by Deadmau5, you will definitely love this one!
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The new iPad and iPhone 4S have quite a little powerhouse tucked away behind their slick glass fronts. Games like Infinity Blade II have us convinced that they can run just about anything. Dead Trigger more than adds to that belief, with incredible looks for a mobile game.
Looks aren't everything though, it also plays great as well. You get a fully fledged FPS to chomp through, albeit one that you have to control with your touchscreen. So how does it handle? And is it worth the measly 69p asking price.
Dead Trigger
- Platform
- iOS/Android
- Price
- 69p
- Where
- Google Play/iTunes
So how does Dead Trigger work? Basically you are stuck in a city full of a tonne of zombies and you need to blow each of their heads off. Simple enough really. The fun comes in how the head blowing-off process is implemented.
Dead Trigger gives you a big map of the city, with either a main quest or other side quests. Pretty much everything you do earns you loot. Things like guns and health packs which can be used to help out in your ongoing battle against the zombies.
The actual shooting is very straightforward. Basically aim for the head to get rid of a zombie in one go, or fill their bodies with plentiful rounds. Careful though because you will either run out of ammo or get overwhelmed by baddies if you do the latter.
Some missions involve survival, others involve getting to an object or protecting a certain area for a period of time. It's all very close to what Call of Duty Zombies has to offer and is put together just as well. There is also an in-app purchasing option which lets you grab shortcuts through difficult bits of the game. You don't need to use any of it in reality, though. In the end, it's a great looking game at great value and one to definitely show off your top spec Android phone, tablet or Apple device.
Like the sound of Dead Trigger? Let us know in the comments below ...


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Boston tragedy strikes close to home for Moultonborough police chiefBy Larissa Mulkern
Special to the Union Leader
April 19. 2013 3:38PM
MOULTONBOROUGH - "Please somehow let this come to an end without losing any more lives," said Police Chief Leonard Wetherbee as the search for the second suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings continued through Friday.
The question, "How many people are going to die before this last suspect is taken into custody," was on his mind through the tension filled day with the manhunt dominating the news. The search for the second of two suspects, identified as Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev, 19, of Cambridge, Mass., continued Friday afternoon. His brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26. Tamerlan was killed in a police shootout overnight.
Like others in the Lakes Region, Wetherbee has strong ties to the metropolitan Boston area. Prior to joining the Moultonborough Police Department a year ago, Wetherbee served as police chief in Concord, Mass.
As a former chief of the 50-member Northeast Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council Motor Unit, which provides assistance during large spectator events such as the Boston Marathon and celebratory parades for Boston's sports teams, Wetherbee would have been on alert this past Patriot's Day, a holiday in Massachusetts.
Watching the television coverage on CNN, Wetherbee said he recognized some officers he worked with or knew from the S.W.A.T. team or regional motor units on the screen.
"Sitting up here in Moultonborough, certainly part of me is down there. The thought of why they are there is sobering," he said, adding that usually the motor unit works during celebrations, not tracking down suspects who may have killed people.
He said usually law enforcement has been on alert on Patriots Day since the April 19, 1993 Branch Davidian standoff in Waco, Texas, that resulted in 68 deaths, and the April 19, 1995 Oklahoma City bombing attack that killed 168 people. 'We'd stay alert. I'd hold my breath all day long,' he said.
This year was different. It was Wetherbee's first Patriots Day working outside Massachusetts. It was just a normal working day, or so he thought.
'I didn't have that pressure. Then, in the afternoon, I heard about the bombings,' he said.


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Blog Excerpts
Pete Seeger Knew That English is Crazy
The great folk-music pioneer Pete Seeger died on Monday at the age of 94. He's best known for such classics as "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?," "If I Had a Hammer," and "Turn, Turn, Turn!" But we're particularly fond of a song that he performed about the irrationality of the English language, "English is Cuh-Ray-Zee."
The song was originally written by Josh White, Jr., who in turn was inspired by Richard Lederer's essay "English is a Crazy Language," the first chapter of his book Crazy English.
Here is Seeger performing the song in 2006 at the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage in Washington, D.C.:
And here are the complete lyrics, from Seeger's website:
English is the most widely spoken language in the history of the planet.
One out of every seven human beings can speak or read it.
Half the world's books, 3/4 of the international mail are in English.
It has the largest vocabulary, perhaps two million words,
And a noble body of literature. But face it:
English is cuh-ray-zee!
Just a few examples: There's no egg in eggplant, no pine or apple in pineapple.
Quicksand works slowly; boxing rings are square.
A writer writes, but do fingers fing?
Hammers don't ham, grocers don't groce. Haberdashers don't haberdash.
English is cuh-ray-zee!
If the plural of tooth is teeth, shouldn't the plural of booth be beeth?
It's one goose, two geese. Why not one moose, two meese?
If it's one index, two indices; why not one Kleenex,two Kleenices?
English is cuh-ray-zee!
You can comb through the annals of history, but not just one annal.
You can make amends, but not just one amend.
If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one, is it an odd or an end?
If the teacher taught, why isn't it true that a preacher praught?
If you wrote a letter, did you also bote your tongue?
And if a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?
English is cuh-ray-zee!
Why is it that night falls but never breaks and day breaks but never falls?
In what other language do people drive on the parkway and park on the driveway?
Ship by truck but send cargo by ship? Recite at a play but play at a recital?
Have noses that run and feet that smell?
English is cuh-ray-zee!
How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same
When a wise man and a wise guy are very different?
To overlook something and to oversee something are very different,
But quite a lot and quite a few are the same.
How can the weather be hot as hell one day and cold as hell the next?
English is cuh-ray-zee!
You have to marvel at the lunacy of a language in which your house can burn down
While it is burning up. You fill out a form by filling it in.
In which your alarm clock goes off by going on.
If pro is the opposite of con, what is the opposite of progress?
Well, English was invented by people, not computers
And reflects the creativity of the human race.
So that's why when the stars are out, they're visible,
But when the lights are out, they're invisible.
When I wind up my watch I start it, but when I wind up this rap,
I end it. English is cuh-ray-zee!
Words by Josh White, Jr. and Pete Seeger
(Based on Richard Lederer's "Crazy English")
Copyright (c) 1996
To brush up on some vocabulary from Seeger's songbook (including the song above), check out the list we've created here.


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Suspicious backpack prompts closing of Carnegie Building in Falls
NIAGARA FALLS – A suspicious package that turned out to be a harmless backpack put Niagara Falls police and the State Police bomb squad on high alert Tuesday morning.
A few hours later, the unrelated discovery of a .22-caliber bullet and a casing at two Starpoint schools in Pendleton resulted in a precautionary lockout at the schools. There were no shootings and no injuries.
Niagara Falls Police Superintendent E. Bryan DalPorto said officers were called to the city's Community Development offices in the Carnegie Building on Main Street after an employee found the backpack there at 7:30 a.m.
"We erred on the side of caution and called out the State Police bomb squad," DalPorto said. "Using their robot, they were able to determine that it was not a bomb, but a backpack."
After it was determined that there was no threat, the building was opened to the public at about 11 a.m., according to Mayor Paul A. Dyster.
In Pendleton, the Niagara County Sheriff's Office searched Starpoint schools, and the school was put in lockout mode, closing all doors to the public, after the bullet was found in front of the elementary school and the casing was later found in the middle school.
The search and lockout ended at about 1:30 p.m. Nothing else was found in the school.
— Nancy A. Fischer
Bomb scare puts police on high alert in Falls


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Labor official criticizes tally of social costs of casino gamblingStaff Report
March 05. 2013 11:18PM
A top state organized labor official on Tuesday criticized last week's study on legalized gambling by the New Hampshire Center for Public Policy Studies.
"The flaws inherent in the center's analysis of expanded gambling have never been clearer," said Joe Casey, president of the New Hampshire Building and Construction Trades Council. "Only after the report was released did the center decide to acknowledge reality: that Massachusetts plans for gambling will cost New Hampshire at least $75 million a year if we do nothing, information that absolutely should have been included in their full report.
"Knowing this, it makes more sense than ever for New Hampshire to build its own casino that will create jobs and generate needed revenue," Casey said.
"It is unfortunate that our long-standing concerns about the efforts by the New Hampshire Center for Public Policy Studies continue to be justified," Casey said.
"We believe the social costs derived from the center's own assumptions are overstated," said Casey. "The center's unproven social cost model apparently suggests little to no net benefit to the state. That's a bold assumption that needs to be backed up by real-world examples that can be found elsewhere. For when we look to states, whether it be nearby Maine or states like Pennsylvania or Delaware, the concerns dictated by these untested assumptions simply haven't materialized.


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They've invaded our daily lives for years, and you've never really considered them to be a serious threat. You just never imagined that they could even possibly be…real. Well, you were wrong!! They really do exist! This year, see them with your own eyes… Rabbids will mess around with the Kinect…and your life! So go crazy. Act out physically ridiculous and humorous challenges this Holiday 2011 with Raving Rabbids for Kinect for Xbox 360.
|Submitted by
|Cheat Title


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What's Happening in Palm Desert?
No matter the season, there's always plenty to see and do in the Palm Desert area. From special events like Fashion Week El Paseo and the Palm Desert Food & Wine Festival, sporting events such as the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament, and exciting theatrical and musical performances at the McCallum Theatre, there's something for everyone. Search our complete event listings below or browse our list of Palm Desert Signature Events and other major events in the desert.
Jazz for Jazz Lover's presents Brent Fischer Latin Jazz Ensemble
- Date: 01/13/2018 7:00 PM
- Location: Pete Carlson's Golf & Tennis
73741 Highway 111
Palm Desert, California 92260
Pete Carlson's Jazz for Jazz Lovers presents Brent Fischer Latin Jazz Ensemble playing the music of Claire Fischer and Cal Tjader. Since 2010, Pete Carlson's Jazz for Jazz Lovers Series has presented world class jazz concerts. Now in its eighth season, the 2017-2018 jazz series will continue to present some of the worlds most talented jazz musicians. Non-profit concert proceeds support music education and scholarships for young musicians in the Coachella Valley.


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Creatives sought to join influential industry panels
10 December 2012
Creative Skillset is recruiting for employers and professionals to join industry panels which will help shape the future of the UK Creative Industries.
Panel members will be asked their opinions on matters ranging from skills gaps and training to the future needs of the industries. Their input will be vital in shaping Creative Skillset's future strategy and supporting the UK Creative Industries in remaining globally competitive.
The short surveys, containing no more than ten quick questions at a time, will be accessed online and all contributors will get access to the survey results.
Employers within the UK TV, film, computer games or interactive media industries are asked to join the employer panel at www.creativeskillset.org/employerpanel. Individuals working within the UK Creative Industries as a whole, whether on a freelance or employed basis, or those trying to break into these industries, are asked to join the workforce panel at www.creativeskillset.org/workforcepanel.
Creative Skillset's Chief Executive, Dinah Caine, said: "As an industry-led organisation, the panels will be vital in shaping our future strategies. We urge employers and professionals to register to ensure their opinions and ideas are heard and to support the UK Creative Industries."
Registration takes minutes and those who sign up before 8 January 2013 will be entered into a prize draw to win £100 of Red Letter Day vouchers.
|[View All]


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It was an out of the ordinary idea. But then, these are not ordinary times. And in the end, it was a perfect melding of tradition and reality, of hope in the face of despair, of youthful optimism to bolster age-ripened dejection. In the end, it made perfect sense.
Under sun drenched skies Saturday, some 50 Hood River students — mostly from Hood River Valley High School — performed highlights of their upcoming production of "Les Misérables" for a captive audience of homeless people in Portland. The group, led by music director Mark Steighner, sang and told the famous story of Jean Valjean, whose theft of a loaf of bread in 18th century France set in motion a chain of tragic and redemptive events, to an audience for whom the epic drama more closely resembles reality than fiction.
The setting was Dignity Village, a homeless camp set up with the city's approval on the grounds of a leaf composting facility in Northeast Portland. The village and its 60 residents — whose motto is "Out of the Doorways" — are a real-life experiment in dealing with the city's homeless. Governed by rules and regulations — including no drugs or alcohol, and no violence — and led by a council made up of founding members, the village provides a place for the homeless to live while they work to return to mainstream society. An established non-profit organization, Dignity Village strives to be "green," with its semi-permanent structures made from recycled material, a windmill that generates electricity and villagers purportedly committed to recycling.
The village, which has its own Web site, has become a model that other cities and homeless organizations have looked to for help in dealing with their own homeless populations. In the process, Dignity has garnered attention from donors in Portland and across the country, from politicians, and from students who work with the villagers on sustainability issues.
But Saturday was the first time a theater production took place at the village.
"I welcome this," said Ibrahim Mubarak, one of Dignity's founders, as the students warmed up and residents began to gather around the make-shift stage, a roofless frame structure built on discarded wood pallets. "This is going to provide a chance (for villagers) to get cultivated."
As the students began to sing, villagers wandered in from elsewhere in the tent city to see what was going on. Some strolled off again after a few minutes but many settled on the odd assortment of chairs, or sat on the ground, as the students performed for more than an hour. The roar of jets taking off from nearby Portland International Airport every few minutes occasionally drowned out the singers' voices, but villagers seemed hardly to notice the distraction.
And though the students still have a month of rehearsals left before the production opens in Bowe Theater in November, the trip gave them a valuable opportunity to perform in front of an audience.
"While it wasn't an ideal performance musically and it was difficult logistically, there are times and places where those elements are not as important as the spirit and intention," Steighner said afterward.
The idea of the cast performing at Dignity Village was hatched by Steighner and Hood River resident — and longtime Dignity Village advocate — Joan Yasui Emerson.
"Joan and I have spoken in the past about my students visiting, performing at, or fund-raising for Dignity Village," Steighner said. "So I suggested that this show would be a good opportunity for us to provide some entertainment for the villagers, and for our students to gain a little insight into people in some ways similar to those of the show." While the conditions residents of the homeless camp live in are "far less desperate than 18th century France," Steighner said, "there is certainly a similar attitude in our society toward the homeless."
Another impetus for the students' visit to Dignity, according to Steighner, was the long-standing tradition amongst professional companies performing "Les Misérables" to donate to charitable causes.
"I thought it would be great to start a similar tradition amongst the many high school productions that will be following ours."
The audience — which also included some parents of students — gave the cast a standing ovation when they finished. A few villagers wiped tears from their eyes as the students stood beaming at them.
"These guys are good," said villager Tim McCarthy.
Gaye Reyes, who serves as the village treasurer, concurred. "These are wonderful kids," she said. "It tickles me to see them."
Students and parents mingled with the villagers afterward. Mubarak even led a few curious students on a tour of the village.
Most of the students seemed enthusiastic about the experience as they headed for the bus to return to Hood River.
"I'm really glad I was able to come here," said HRVHS sophomore Aileen Herlitz.
Junior Tiffany Pyatt agreed. "It made me feel so good," she said. "It was great to be able to talk to people afterwards and hear their stories."
That was precisely Steighner's goal.
"What I wanted more than anything was to let the kids know that 'Les Mis' is based on real people and real situations which in many respects are no less troubling than in Victor Hugo's day," he said. "Hopefully, kids can now put a real human face on such concepts as 'homelessness' and respond with more understanding and compassion."
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Art show appreciation
A heartfelt thanks to all who participated and volunteered in this year's Conanicut Island Art Association's 31st annual Art Exhibit.
The opening night was extremely well attended in spite of another hot and steamy night, and everyone enjoyed themselves despite the weather (or "weatha" as they say here in our New England)!
Special thanks and much hand-clapping goes to Delia Klingbeil, this year's chairwoman, who did a splendid job in organizing this event and to the many volunteers who gave their time and energy and made the exhibit a success.
Also, thanks to Matt Bolles and the recreation department for their yearly help, Sarah Agniel for judging this year's show, and in particular,to the glorious floral displays donated by the Jamestown and Quononoquott garden clubs. The flower arrangements were truly lovely this year.
For background mood, we listened to the graceful sounds of classical guitar and flute played by musicians Dennis Costa and Barbara Lenney.
Finally, a big congrats to Cynthia Blair for winning the "People's Choice" award for her beautiful pastel work. We look forward to seeing the image on the cover of next year's program. And, if this wasn't fun enough, the following weekend, the CIAA sponsored our annual Summer Craft Exhibit. There were many more participating artisans this year, and their booths spilled out over all parts of the outdoors at the rec center.
A grateful thank-you to this year's Chairwoman Christina Moorehead and Co-Chairwoman Jackie Bell for their hard work and all their volunteers who lent a hand in helping to put this year's Craft show together.
A suggestion: Next year, let's have both shows in Alaska. Keep cool everyone.
Allie Sabalis, CIAA president Another great Fools' Rules
On behalf of the Jamestown Yacht Club, I would like to thank all who made the 28th annual Fools' Rules Regatta another rousing success!
In spite of a sweltering hot August day, 51 "vessels" and their crews raced under almost perfect wind conditions and were cheered on by an enthusiastic crowd of spectators.
As usual, this event would not have been possible without the support and help of many individuals and organizations. I would first like to thank the dedicated and faithful Fools' Rules Race Committee: Linda, Lexi & John Flinton, Judy and Jack Heelan, Dureen Bryer, Vic Calabretta, Bob Kinder, and Annetta and Tom Weaver. Thanks to Jamestown Harbormaster Sam Patterson, Conanicut Marine Services, Jeff McDonough, Vic Calabretta, Mary Brennan, and Larry and Lauren Buckley for providing onthe water support.
Thanks to the Jamestown Town Council for allowing us to use of the East Ferry beach, the Jamestown Youth Litter Corps, and the recreation department for cleaning and raking the beach before the event. Thanks to the Department of Public Works, especially Paul Vieira, for helping to set up the traffic control and picking up debris after the regatta.
A special thanks to Acting Police Chief Bill Donovan, and the officers and community service officers of the Jamestown Police Department for providing traffic control during the event. A special thanks to Joyce and Fred Bartlett and Isabel Coyle for coordinating the parking, a hot and thankless job! Thanks to Larry and Betty Buckley, Jill Anderson, and Judy Calabretta for managing the T-shirt sales. A big thank-you to Brooke Longval for designing the official 28th annual Fools' Rules Regatta T-shirt. Thank-you to the Conanicut Yacht Club for the loan of the starting cannon. And thank you Julie Kallfelz and Ed Doherty for help.
This event would not be possible without the continuing support of the Burgess, Wharton, Noble, Hubbard and Gaither families for allowing us to use the field above the Shoreby Hill Green for parking. Thank you!
Abig hug and thank-you to my wife Candy for getting out the publicity, organizing the registration and awards, and putting up with the chief fool.
Most of all, thanks to Karl Smith for founding this crazy event!
Finally, I would like to thank all the participants and spectators who are able to laugh at themselves and others, and who continue to make the Fools' Rules Regatta one of Jamestown's most memorable events. See you next year!
Chris Powell, chief fool,
Fools' Rules Regatta LNG rebuttal
The following letter about the proposed LNG facility at Weaver Cove in Fall River from David A. Darlington of the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority to Gordon Shearer, CEO of Weaver's Cove Energy, was copied to the Press.
I read, with interest, your comments before the Newport City Council on the evening of Aug. 3, 2005, as reported in the Newport Daily News on Thursday Aug. 4, 2005.
You are quoted saying your company is prepared to invest $300 million to $400 million to build a large LNG terininal in Fall River, which you are reported to have said, would cut natural gas prices in New England up to 10 percent, "a $500 million benefit over 20 years."
I assume you have chosen your words in an informed manner. You say that the savings will be "up to 10 percent, a $500 million benefit over 20 years." That means that it could be something less than 10 percent and less than $500 million over 20 years. Let's assume, though, that New England saves the maximum amount that you referenced, which was $500 million over 20 years. If I understand the math, this means that you are talking about "up to" $25 million per year, on average, for 20 years. There are six New England states, so if we divide the $25 million per year by 6, this means that each state should expect to save $4,166,666 per year — on average. In Rhode Island, where the population is roughly 1. 1 million citizens, this would mean an average annual savings per person of "less than" $4 per person per year for 20 years or "less than" $80 per Rhode Islander over 20 years. If you use other more populous states, like Massachusetts, for instance, the per person figure is even more insignificant.
Of course, we all know that not everyone uses LNG in every state in New England.
Therefore, those that do will see a significantly higher savings from your proposal, but, importantly, the majority of the balance of the population will see little or no savings whatsoever.
What is most interesting to me is that at no time are you quoted as telling the public how much money your company expects to make over that same 20-year period. If there is going to be "tip to" a 10 percent savings and that savings totals "up to" $500 million then that means that your company's investment of $200$300 million is going to bring you multiple billions of dollars in new revenue.
The truth, Mr. Shearer, and I am certain you are aware of this, is that the New England marketplace can probably absorb only one large LNG facility. So your claims of great savings must be intended to give your project "public appeal," while diverting focus from the dangers of the location of your facility. You are, by your position as chief executive officer of Weaver's Cove Energy, pitching this site as the most appropriate and most beneficial because it is your company's site.
Let me explain myself this way. The savings you speak of would be true, give or take a small margin, no matter which company's proposal eventual1y prevailed. Some of the issues of locating a large LNG facility in a highly populated area could be mitigated if an alternate site were selected, such as the offshore site in Gloucester, Mass., or any similar proposal. The predicament you are in is that in order to do your job as chief executive officer of Weaver's Cove Energy you cannot allow that another less densely populated site, by definition, creates less direct human peril, measured however you like, than the site owned by the company of which you are the CEO. Very truly yours,
David A. Darlington,
chairman, Rhode Island Turnpike and
Bridge Authority Aquarium species
We would like to take this opportunity to thank the Jamestown Press and specifically Michaela Kennedy for the wonderful article about our aquarium at Beavertail State Park. We have noticed a marked increase in attendance in the short time since this article was published. Thanks are also in order to all the visitors that bring the aquarium to life everyday.
However, there are two minor corrections. The 2-foot-long crab was a horseshoe crab, not a hermit crab, and we do not have a snow crab. Snow crabs are a northern species found in Alaska and Canada. We do have locally occurring species such as green, spider, rock, jonah, and Asian shore crabs.
Again, thank you for the supportive press. We can be contacted at 423-9941 for questions, or to schedule a tide pool walk or group field trips. Emily Winser and
Sejal Harde, park naturalists, Beavertail Aquarium


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PropConnect needed a new web page design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 90 designs submitted by 5 freelance designers.
PropConnect is a B2B web platform that facilitates the sale of property between property developers and sales agents. We are a new company and require a website that reflects the high-technology of our web site and the new direction that it will take the property market.
This website will target four main groups:
1. Property Developers
2. Licensed Real Estate Agents
3. Introducers (Financial Planners, Mortgage Brokers etc...)
4. Overseas (from Australia) Agents
We require a front page, as well as a page varient for each of the four key target audiences (each of which will follow the same template, perhaps with an image and some text). The website aims to have people sign up for a subscription. On the home page we need an image that visually represents how the system operates. A sample has been attached.
There is more work to come to complete the design of the webpage and we look forward to a good working relationship with the successful designer.
We like:
http://99designs.com (obviously)


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FRISCO, Texas – LA Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena has pledged to make at least a couple of changes to his starting XI against FC Dallas after a midweek CONCACAF Champions League game and one place Arena may shuffle is at left back.
Todd Dunivant was forced to exit Wednesday's 1-0 defeat to C.F. Monterrey with what Arena described as "tightness" and the Galaxy boss said on Friday that a decision will be made regarding the left back's status prior to Saturday's road contest against FC Dallas.
One potential option to fill in for Dunivant is rookie Greg Cochrane, who has impressed his coaches during his first months as a professional. Cochrane, who has been used primarily on the left side of midfield since being drafted by LA, but played left back in college, has been a staple on the Galaxy's game day roster's this season and was on LA's 18-man squad again in Wednesday's 1-0 defeat to Monterrey.
"It was cool seeing their fans because they're so passionate," Cochrane said of the experience in Monterrey. "It was definitely a good atmosphere to be on the field and see it from there, so from that aspect it was good. It was a good learning experience to see the culture down there."
Cochrane has received considerable praise from coaches and teammates for both his ability and poise throughout his rookie year. The rookie from Louisville attributes this praise to frequently asking questions to players like Dunivant and other Galaxy veterans as he looks to learn the ropes in the pro ranks. But if called upon to play against FC Dallas on Saturday or in Monday's Reserve League opener against Seattle Sounders FC, he is ready.
"I feel good and I feel confident," said Cochrane, who played most of his career at left back." This week, I've been trying to play like me. I know my responsibilities defensively. Obviously that's the most important thing as an outside back position is locking it down defensively and obviously helping in the attack if I'm ready."
And as for any rookie jitters, Cochrane believes that they'll be immediately shaken off.
"I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't, but you push those aside once the game starts," said Cochrane. "This is the game that I've been playing my whole life and I feel like once I touch the ball, I'd be fine. I wouldn't say that I'd be too nervous, but I'm sure there would be still a few butterflies."


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Everyone has their own lifestyle and tackles day-to-day business in individual ways. How one treats a mobile phone (or any piece of technology and belonging) falls into the same notion. But an interesting question was asked on our community forum: how do you treat your mobile phone? Are you the cautious user or simply throw it into the bag and forget about it?
The thread starter, Oxymoron428 simply (and quite humorously) desires to know how many consumers "baby" their Windows Phone and how many make the poor devices go through clutter hell. It's fairly insightful reading through the responses and surprising how many people utilise cases, screen protectors and fork out for armed guards.
Be sure to join in the discussion and add your experiences, as well as explain how you treat your Windows Phone. So, do you cuddle your phone?


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The LM2672 series of regulators are monolithic integrated DC-DC converter built with a
LMDMOS process. These regulators provide all the active functions for a step-down (buck) switching
regulator, capable of driving a 1-A load current with excellent line and load regulation. These
devices are available in fixed output voltages of 3.3 V, 5 V, 12 V, and an adjustable output
Requiring a minimum number of external components, these regulators are simple to use and
include patented internal frequency compensation, fixed frequency oscillator, external shutdown,
soft-start, and frequency synchronization.
The LM2672 series operates at a switching frequency of 260 kHz, thus allowing smaller
sized filter components than what is required with lower frequency switching regulators. Because of
its very high efficiency (>90%), the copper traces on the printed-circuit board are the only
heat sinking required.


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If you're not convinced that the tongue tie isn't an issue, I'd get a second opinion. Especially if the person checking isn't all that familiar with it. If you can manage to take some pics of the underside of your daughter's tongue and upper lip, you can send them to Dr. Kotlow at kiddsteeth.com. Obviously it's not the most accurate way to get a diagnosis, but at least it might give you something to go on!
yes unfortunately sometimes moms really have to advocate for themselves and thier babies. It really should not be that way but it is. There is SOME reason your baby is not gaining, so if tt is not the problem, my question for your doctor would be, WHAT IS?
Is the LC you talked to an IBCLC? (Board Certified?) Did she actually see you for a consultation and observe a nursing session? Do a before and after nursing weight check, look in your baby's mouth, take a history, etc? Why did she send you to the ped-because she suspects tt after seeing you and baby, or for some other reason?
Yes the LC was board cert. She only talked to me on thephone. She suggested I go to the ped so that I could try to go see a specialist she recommends at children's hospital. She felt it wouldnt do any good for her to meet with me because if it was tt then she couldn't remedy it. There are LCs at children's as well and I think I will try and get an appts with them.
The good news is that my LO did meet her diaper quota for yesterday and today. So that is encouraging.
So you need your Pediatricians ok to see the specialist?
For diaper quota are we talking poops? Not just wets? Just checking.
How are things going, momof7plus? Have you seen an LC?
My first thought reading your original post was that the clamping itself could cause the other issues you listed. I don't know what causes the clamping though.
In Breastfeeding Answers Made Simple, Nancy Mohrbacher says
I hope nursing is going better and/or that you were able to find someone who could help. Please update if you get a chance!Some babies are born with a tendency to clench or clamp down whenever something touches the inside of their mouth. ... This may be due to a temporary immaturity in the baby that will be outgrown quickly (within days) or it may persist for some time.
Using the laid-back feeding positions and having the baby take an active role in going to the breast can help cut down or eliminate clenching. When the baby goes to the breast, he will naturally extend his tongue before taking it, which will eliminate the touch of the breast to the lower gum ridge that can sometimes trigger this behavior.
Forums Admin
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Feel like you need professional help? ¿Es usted necesita ayuda profesional? --> Find an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) <--
Well...after all this time. I just feel exhausted and a bit hopeless!
I finally saw the LC this past Friday. The good news is that my baby finally gained some weight--6 ounces in a week--to get back to birth weight at one month old. The week previous I supplemented with formula and pumped breastmilk with about 8/9 ounces a day. She basically said the same thing you just posted, Karen, that some babies have a pivot/clamping motion when they nurse and there isn't much you can do about it. She said some grow out of it by 4-6 weeks. Which, I have noticed has improved the last week or so but hasn't disappeared entirely.
The plan is now for me to nurse-pump-supplement. With pumping 8x times a day to try and increase my supply. My baby only took in 1.5 oz at the LC appointment so they feel that she just isn't taking in enough. She also suggested fenugreek even though it only has "mixed results." I have yet to be able to get 8x a day of pumping in. I've only succeeded in getting at the most 5 so far. The thought is that I continue this for two weeks and then try a few days of EBF and see if her weight holds. That maybe because she hasn't gained weight that her sucking is weak and the extra time/weight gain will help her to pick back up. I am to supplement 1-2 oz after every feeding with at least 16 oz a day (this is based on what she took in at the LC appt.)
My questions now are ....can I pump on the side baby isn't nursing on? Does it count as a "time" if it is only one side? What to do when baby is cluster feeding in the evening? I feel like she gets frustrated sometimes because there isn't instant milk after I pump. She has to work a bit and she doesn't like that! Is it even realistic to be able to jump back into EBF in 2 weeks?
I feel very much like I am failing and I really don't understand how I could not be making enough milk for her. I was just successfully nursing my toddler 6 months ago! It boggles my brain and makes me feel like bawling all the time. I could use any positive thoughts. The one thing I don't think that anyone understands is that I don't feel like it is just about formula or breastmilk (everyone keeps saying "it isn't the end of the world if you have to feed her formula" --and it isn't) it is a way of life. I love nursing my babies and snuggling in bed with them at night and comforting them in that way. And I feel like that is swiftly being taken away the more we continue with supplementing. Of course, a growing healthy baby is the most important thing. And if I have to go to formula as the primary food and the nursing as a secondary, I will.
Thank you all for all of your input--I have appreciated every comment!
Oh, sorry, I should have added that there is no physical impairment--no tongue tie or palate issues.
OK I definitely understand it is not just about the milk! I sooooo get that. You are not alone!
I think you have a great chance at turning this around, in large part because you do understand so completely that nursing is so much more than a feeding method.
Was an at the breast supplementer aka lactation aid suggested to you? These allow baby to get supplemental nutrition while nursing at the breast.
is the 8 times a day pumping on top of normal* nursing frequency-*10 or more times a day?
6 ounces in a week is normal weight gain. If baby was gaining normally getting an additional supplement of 8-9 ounces a day, why are you now supposed to supplement 16 ounces a day? I would be very wary of increasing supplements beyond where they need to be. 9 ounces would be about a third of a month old baby's average daily intake, which is about 25 to 30 ounces a day. 16 would be more like half, so it is a big difference.
I also wonder if supplementing prior to a feeding at least some of the time would be better. This lets baby finish at the breast and keeps baby associating the breast with satiety and comfort.
To answer your questions, I would think pumping while baby nurses should certainly 'count.' Basically whatever works for you to increase the frequency of milk removal from each breast is going to 'count' when the goal is increasing milk production.
As far as if the pumping so much for two weeks and then abrupt switch to exclusive nursing will work, I don't know. It would make more sense to me if the lessening of supplements and lessening of pumping was a gradual process. But maybe the difference is you are nursing with 'normal' frequency already-and pumping a lot (8 times when also nursing is a lot!) as well?
this may be questions for your IBCLC. The IBCLC's I know want moms to call them back with questions and want to know if a particular plan they sent mom home with is not working for that mom and thus needs tweaking.
I strongly suggest the book Making More Milk. kellymom.com has good info on galactagogues and low production as well. It is true that some moms do not see improvement in milk production from fenugreek, but it is also true that some moms see dramatic results and everything in between. Also fenugreek is not the only herbal galactagogue and some moms see better results with blends.
Last edited by @llli*lllmeg; March 4th, 2013 at 09:11 PM. Reason: forgot stuff
The 8x a day is supposed to be on top of normal nursing (I only got in 4 yesterday). So let her nurse as much as she wants but then try to completely empty (which I haven't hit "empty" yet) 8x a day to stimulate production. The 16 oz number was based solely on what she took in at the feeding at the appt. She took in 1.5 oz so they determined that there was a 1.5 oz difference to get around 30 oz.
The previous week, I just supplemented based on when I thought she still seemed hungry and I had written some of it down but didn't take my notes with me and was guessing it was about 8/9 oz per day. Which, I felt like because of the supplementing my milk supply was dropping. She gets frustrated if the breast isn't full now, tries to latch like she would on a bottle, and I have felt panicky about the lack of gain and caved and given the bottle. So, now we are in that evil cycle! I have borrowed an infant scale from a friend and she has gained another 5 oz just since Saturday. So, I think that I could afford to slack off a bit on the supplementing as long as my supply will cooperate. I will have to check out that book! I definitely feel like my supply has diminished due to all the supplements.
The LC I met with was at our local Children's Hospital (she is a pediatrician who is also IBCLC cert and I went there in case there was a physical issue)--there isn't a number to call other than the appt line. She told me to follow up with my pediatrician which I did and will again in 2 weeks. I should have thought to ask her for an email or something but I didn't! And no, she didn't mention the breast supplementer. I have heard of people using them but have never used one myself.


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Erasmus+ provides opportunities for young people to spend time abroad and widen their horizons. Here are a few tips and blogs written by Erasmus+ students.
To learn more about new teaching methods, check out the 3 specialised tools for schools and teachers at the School Education Gateway.
There are 2 main reasons you might need to have your studies recognised in another country: when you are going on an Erasmus or other exchange, or when you want to move to another country to study or work.
Planning to study abroad and want to know what sort of budget you need? Check out this overview of tuition fees per country:
Better do some research! Start by checking the information on the websites below that we have selected to guide you in your choice of country, university, programme and possible scholarships.
Would you like to enjoy student life in another country but are afraid it will cost you an arm and a leg? Read on to find out how you can track down a scholarship and start the next academic year in the country of your dreams.
Are you a teacher, youth worker or lecturer? Check out this fun cartoon and find out how the Erasmus+ programme can work for you!
Ştiai că a fost creată o nouă platformă digitală menită să îi ajute pe cei care vor să studieze în Marea Britanie?
Aside from the educational, cultural and personal benefits, doing an Erasmus+ year can give your future career a definite boost.
Este adevărat că şi în străinătate, ca şi acasă, şcoala rămâne tot şcoală – îţi vei face însă noi prieteni, îţi veţi îmbogăţi cunoştinţele lingvistice şi vei intra în contact cu o cultură nouă.
Devino membru al Parlamentului European pentru o zi şi află, la faţa locului, cum funcţionează această instituţie, prin intermediul programului Euroscola.


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- Inside Athletics
- Tickets
- Fan Zone
- Media Zone
- Social
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- E Fund
JOHNSON CITY (May 8, 2013) – Fresh off a victory in the Atlantic Sun Conference Championships last month, the ETSU women's golf team will head to the Auburn University Club in Auburn, Ala., to participate in the NCAA East Regional beginning Thursday.
The East Regional is one of three regional tournaments being conducted May 9-11 to determine the field for the NCAA Championship finals, which will be played May 21-24 at the University of Georgia Golf Course in Athens, Ga.
"We are looking forward to playing Auburn's course, and hope the momentum we have built over our last two events carries over to the regional," said ETSU head coach Stefanie Shelton. "This is a special opportunity and our team wants to take advantage of it."
ETSU has participated in NCAA Regional play twice before, finishing 15th both times in the 2010 East Regional in Greenville, N.C., and in the 2008 Central Regional in Austin, Texas.
Last season the 2012 A-Sun Freshman of the Year Gabriella Wahl (Heidenheim, Germany) also played in the Central Regional in Columbus, Ohio, finishing tied for 34th, and in 2011 Nina Muehl (Vienna, Austria) tied for 71st in the Central Region in South Bend, Ind. In 2010, Muehl advanced to National Championship action, finishing 92nd in the 2010 championship played in Wilmington, N.C.
An Atlantic Sun team has played in the East Regional 18 times, with the best finish coming in 1997 as Campbell finished fifth with a three-round total of 951. The 2010 Bucs recorded the second-lowest three-round total by an A-Sun team in a NCAA Regional, firing 903, just one stroke above the record mark of 902 set by Campbell the same year.
This season's ETSU team has enjoyed another outstanding campaign, winning two tournaments including the A-Sun Championship and finishing no worse than eighth in any event. At the A-Sun Championship, ETSU tied its program's championship high mark with a first place finish as well as establishing new marks for an individual's low 18-hole total (Sian Evans, 67 in first round) and a new team low 18-hole total (287, first round). Wahl and Sian Evans (Gillingham, England) also finished in the championship's Top-10 for the second straight year.
Shelton is the 2013 A-Sun Coach of the Year, her third such honor, and Evans earned membership to the All-Conference First Team for the third straight year. Wahl joined Evans for the second consecutive year as a First-Team All-Conference selection, and freshman Vivienne Chin (Kota Kinabalu, Sabah Malaysia) was selected as Freshman of the Year. Chloe Garner (Somerset West, South Africa) joined Chin on the All-Conference Second Team, and Wahl also earned membership to the Academic All-Conference Team.
A total of 378 participants have been selected for regional competition. Of these players, 126 will advance to the championships finals. Eight teams and two individuals will advance from each regional.
The 59th-ranked Bucs join 23 other teams in the field at Auburn that includes conference champions No. 2 Alabama (SEC), No. 16 Oklahoma State (Big 12), No. 19 Tulane (C-USA), No. 30 Notre Dame (Big East), No. 23 Northwestern (Big 10), Florida International (Sun Belt), Chattanooga (Southern), James Madison (Colonial Athletic), Eastern Kentucky (OVC) and Alabama State (SWAC).
The field also includes No. 6 Arkansas, No. 7 UCLA, No. 15 North Carolina, No. 14 Virginia, No. 17 Texas, No. 31 Tennessee, No 32 Kentucky, No. 38 Texas State, No. 39 Auburn, Central Florida, No. 43 Penn State, East Carolina and No. 49 Ole Miss. Six individuals will also participate in the East Regional: Natalie Willie and Casey Kennedy from Augusta State, Kelly Shon from Princeton, Isabel Southard from Boston College and Shu-Yin Liu and Kristina Merkle from Tulsa.
The field for the NCAA East Regional will include the following teams:
For more on the ETSU women's golf team throughout the NCAA postseason, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the women's golf link.


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I'm Not a Gynecologist But...
Our society has stuck with the "division of labor" concept because it works. Most people become skilled at one job or type of work and contract with others for different sets of expertise. Very few people can be doctors, fundraisers, lobbyists, lawyers, and politicians—at least, not with success. That is why, when I need a medical opinion, I go to my doctor. When I have a political concern, I call my representative. This isn't new, and it isn't rocket science. I don't think anyone has ever felt their water break and exclaimed, "Quick, call Warren County State Representative Kathy Rapp!"
This is one of the reasons House Bill 1077 is so infuriating. Sponsored by Rep. Rapp, this bill, currently under review in the state House Health Committee, is another effort by politicians to tell doctors what to do-- an irrational step beyond a politician's area of expertise that only anti-choice measures regularly seem to demand. The bill makes ultrasounds mandatory for all women seeking abortions. The bill demands a 24-hour wait period between ultrasound and abortion. And the bill requires, ridiculously, that the ultrasound screen be positioned so that women can see the image-- whether they want to or not.
While this bill is less extreme than similar bills that require women to look at the ultrasound as a condition for obtaining an abortion, the difference between the two is miniscule. It's like anti-choicers sit around and think, "Well, nobody seems to like it when we force women to look at the screen, so maybe we can just require that it be put in front of her and then she'll have to see it whether she wants to or not-- and it won't sound quite so bad because she could have just kept her eyes shut!" Aside from the fact that making a woman look at the unwanted bundle of dividing cells in her uterus is medically unnecessary and purely intended to guilt women into changing their (carefully considered) decisions, the fact that it pits the desires of patients against the would-be legal obligations of their doctors decreases trust for no good medical reason. And it's downright condescending.
Even more problematic is the mandatory 24-hour wait period. The vast majority of counties in Pennsylvania lack an abortion provider, so most women seeking this legal reproductive service have to travel a substantial distance to obtain it. They may have to take off work, find childcare, and arrange transportation to and from the clinic. How many low-income women can afford to do this on two separate days without serious consequences for their jobs or their incomes? I don't see Rep. Rapp sponsoring any legislation that provides paid leave for government-mandated-but-medically-unnecessary appointments. The wait period serves two purposes: One, to make women go home and essentially sit in time-out in the hopes that they'll reconsider their perfectly reasonable choice, and two, to serve as just enough of a barrier that some women won't be able to make it back to their clinic for the abortion procedure itself. Who needs to ban abortions when you can just make it really, really hard to get to the clinics that provide them?
Nobody can deny that doctors are better-informed about good medical practice than politicians. So it's only rational to let them advise their patients-- without anti-choice politics meddling in the process. There's a reason I don't head to the State House when it's time for my yearly Pap smear-- frankly, I don't think those guys would even know where to begin. They are not doctors. But my gynecologist is. Why don't we all just stick to what we're good at.
Janna Frieman is an intern with the ACLU-PA's Duvall Reproductive Freedom Project. She is pursuing a master's in Social Policy at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Social Policy and Practice.


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NMA needed a new print or packaging design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 93 designs submitted by 25 freelance designers.
La Oracion
We are a startup company that plans to export Argentinian wine under several labels.
The first label is La Oracion, which in English means "Prayer". We don't necessarily need the label to tie in the theme of the name but would be interesting.
We will have the following types of wine:
Uni Blanc
Cabernet Sauvignon
We are considering both classy designs and avant garde.
Our wine is going to be priced around $12-14 per bottle so we cannot have anything too trendy(ala Yellow Tail) nor do we have a beautiful castle so that format is probably not going to work.
The majority of the sales will be in the United States. We imagine this to be a very good table wine. This is definitely not Petrus or Opus One but also not a bargain brand.
We would like the artists to feel as free as possible in their designs. The only requirement is that they include that the wine is being produced in the Mendoza region of Argentina.


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U.S. stocks rose, sending the Standard & Poor's 500 Index to a five-year high, amid better- than-forecast initial jobless claims and housing data.
A measure of homebuilders in S&P indexes jumped 3.1% and was poised for the highest closing level since 2007. EBay Inc., operator of the world's largest online marketplace, increased 2.7% as revenue topped some analysts' estimates. BlackRock Inc., the world's biggest money manager, added 4.4% as earnings increased 24% and the firm boosted its dividend and its share buyback program.
The S&P 500 rose 0.6% to 1,481.93 at 3:51 p.m. New York time. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 91.96 points, or 0.7%, to 13,603.19, after briefly climbing above the highest closing level since December 2007. Trading in S&P 500 companies was 22% above the 30-day average at this time of day.
"The economy is entering the year maybe not with a running start, but certainly a head start," said Jack Ablin, who helps oversee about $66 billion as chief investment officer of BMO Private Bank in Chicago. He spoke in a telephone interview. "It helps build a nice story for 2013."
Equities rose as builders broke ground on more houses than forecast in December, capping the best year for the industry since 2008, another sign residential real estate is boosting the U.S. economic expansion. The number of Americans filing first- time claims for unemployment insurance payments fell more than forecast last week to the lowest level in five years, pointing to further improvement in the labor market.
Spending Cuts
A separate report showed that manufacturing in the Philadelphia region unexpectedly contracted in January, an indication companies are becoming more concerned about across- the-board U.S. government spending cuts that could slow growth.
The S&P 500 is 5.2% below its all-time high of 1,565.15 set in October 2007. The Dow is 4% away from hitting its record of 14,164.53. About 71% of the 52 S&P 500 companies which have reported quarterly results beat analysts forecasts. Fourth-quarter profits grew 2.5%, according to analysts' estimates compiled by Bloomberg. That would be the second-slowest quarterly growth since 2009, the data show.
The Chicago Board Options Exchange Volatility Index, which measures the cost of using options as insurance against declines in the S&P 500, rose 1.4% to 13.61, erasing an earlier drop of 1.9 percent.
All 11 companies in a measure of homebuilders in S&P indexes gained. PulteGroup Inc., the largest U.S. homebuilder by revenue, rose 5.4% to $20.39. Toll Brothers Inc., the biggest U.S. luxury-home builder, advanced 3.8% to $36.25.
Copyright 2014 Bloomberg. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Copyright 2014 Bloomberg. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.