text:
Three of Europe's biggest oil explorers are among companies being questioned by European antitrust regulators about potential manipulation of prices in the $3.4 trillion-a-year global crude market.
Royal Dutch Shell Plc, BP Plc, Statoil ASA and Platts, the oil-price data collector owned by McGraw Hill Financial Inc., said they're being investigated after the European Commission conducted raids in three countries to ferret out evidence of collusion. Price fixing in energy markets has the potential to inflate production costs and consumer prices for everything from gasoline to airline tickets to cosmetics.
The probe, which also extends to undisclosed crude-derived products and biofuels, marks the third time global pricing benchmarks have drawn the scrutiny of regulators in the past year. The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission is investigating allegations that brokers manipulated ISDAFix, the benchmark for the $379 trillion swaps market, to inflate bank profits, Bloomberg reported April 8.
U.S. and U.K. regulators previously found that banks manipulated the London interbank offered rate, or Libor, that may have helped them generate profits from derivatives trades. Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc, UBS AG, and Barclays Plc have been fined about $2.5 billion and other firms remain under investigation.
"It is certainly the case that Libor drew attention to financial benchmarks in general and the question of how these agencies report prices," Timothy McIver, an antitrust lawyer at the London office of Debevoise & Plimpton LLP, said in an e- mailed statement. "This is obviously the latest in a series of such investigations."
Platts Prices
Statoil said the suspected violations relate to prices published by Platts.
Platts publishes energy benchmarks that are used throughout the world to determine prices refiners pay for crude oil and distributors pay for diesel fuel and gasoline. Traders report transactions to Platts, and the company uses those deals to determine the price. Inaccurate and incomplete information can skew those assessments.
"The commission has concerns that the companies may have colluded in reporting distorted prices to a price reporting agency to manipulate the published prices for a number of oil and biofuel products," the executive arm of the EU said in its statement.
McGraw Hill
Platt's parent, McGraw Hill, and its Standard & Poor's credit rating unit were sued by the U.S. Justice Department in February. The complaint alleged the company knowingly downplayed the risks on bonds and derivatives to gain more business from the investment banks that issued them between 2004 and 2007, before the debt markets froze and helped cause the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. The companies have denied committing any fraud.
Platts said in March it would introduce a quality premium for Ekofisk and Oseberg crudes, two of the four grades that make up the Dated Brent marker used to price more than half the world's oil. The changes were designed boost trading liquidity and to take into account their superior quality over the other two grades, Forties and Brent, that make up Dated Brent, Platts said at the time. That came after Shell made adjustments to its trading contract for three blends including Brent.
Two other reporting agencies, Argus Media Ltd. and ICIS, joined Platts in publishing a self-regulatory code in April 2012 in response to concerns from the International Organization of Security Commissions that their prices were at risk of manipulation.
Sets Precedent
Price assessments could be vulnerable to manipulation because traders participate voluntarily, meaning they may selectively submit only trades that benefit their positions, according to an October report from Iosco, as the International Organization of Security Commissions is known. Total Oil Trading SA, an arm of the French oil company called Total SA, said in a submission to the forum of global regulators that the published oil price is wrong "several times a year."
"The actual mechanism of price discovery is suspicious to EU regulators even though I believe it works," Andrey Kryuchenkov, an analyst at VTB Capital in London, said in an e- mailed response to questions. The probe "sets the precedent for similar investigations."
Inspections were also carried out on the commission's behalf by the EFTA Surveillance Authority in one European Economic Area member state, the Brussels-based commission said.
"The authorities suspect participation by several companies, including Statoil, in anti-competitive agreements and/or concerted practices," Statoil said in a statement. "In addition, the inspection relates to potential abuse of possible dominant position by another party."
Undertook Review
The suspected violations are related to the Platts' Market- On-Close price assessment process, used to report prices in particular for crude oil, refined oil products and biofuels, and may have been ongoing since 2002, Statoil said. Platts said the Commission undertook a review at its premises in London yesterday and that it's cooperating.
"It's a bit like the oil industry version of Libor," said Iain Reid, an analyst at Jefferies Group LLC in London. "But I'd be very surprised if it comes to anything. I can't imagine that Shell or Statoil would deliberately be trying to rig the market."
Oil companies have been the subject of the EU's antitrust watchdog before. In September 2006, it fined 14 companies 266.7 million euros ($346 million) for fixing the price of bitumen, a petroleum byproduct used to make asphalt, over eight years on the Dutch market. Shell, whose fine was increased for being a repeat offender, received the biggest penalty.
Next page: The Hammer
Copyright 2014 Bloomberg. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


text:
Ambient rock ballad genre, where a piano and a set of hard rock guitars, playing a sweet melody.
Newest Track
You're welcome to use any of our Music track in your Project. Just link to the music in your description, and write us an e-mail so we could update Our music description with the link to your Project.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
NEW YORK, Dec. 12 (GenomeWeb News) - Genomatix announced today that it has licensed its GEMS Launcher package for promoter sequence analysis to BASF Plant Science.
...and receive Daily News bulletins.
Already have a GenomeWeb or 360Dx account?Login Now.
Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) has released the results of a genetic ancestry analysis, the Boston Globe reports.
Retraction Watch's Ivan Oransky and Adam Marcus report that Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital have recommended that more than 30 papers from a former researcher be retracted.
Thomas Steitz, who won the 2009 chemistry Nobel Prize for his ribosome work, has died, the Washington Post reports.
In PLOS this week: mechanisms for genes implicated in coronary artery disease, rumen microbes and host genetics influence cow methane production, and more.
Privacy Policy. Terms & Conditions. Copyright © 2018 GenomeWeb LLC. All Rights Reserved.


text:
Hunx + The Punkettes Play Gay Bubblegum Tonight at Launchpad
Hunx, a.k.a. Seth Bogart, is what John Waters might be if Waters were a musician and not a purveyor of trash cinema. Tonight Hunx + The Punkettes perform at the Launchpad, opening for Girls and Smith Westerns. Read all about the show, plus my interview with Hunx here. See you at the show!


text:
About ALF
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Speaking in
from No
Compromise Issue 17
Having been active in the animal rights movement for over
six years now, I am constantly evaluating the tactics I use to
promote awareness concerning the plight of animals (including
our own species) and the environment. While I wholeheartedly
advocate protesting, civil disobedience, tabling, and
legislation as ways to affect change and create awareness, I
feel that we must also dedicate more time to educating
children of all ages.
Toward this goal I have given a total of 27 animal rights
presentations over a two-month period in high schools alone. I
encourage everyone to design a presentation format that works
best for them, but I'll share with you some things that I
found effective.
Prior to calling the individual schools, I came up with a
list of dates and times when I would be available to speak. I
then called every public and private high school in Charlotte
in an attempt to find environmental or animal rights clubs.
After several phone calls, I was given the advisor's name of
an environmental club at one of the high schools. While he was
very enthusiastic about my willingness to speak to his
classes, I discussed some of my views with him so he clearly
understood that I would be talking about animal rights, not
animal welfare. (The last thing you want to do is cause a stir
in the school system simply because the teacher was unaware
that you'd be talking about animal rights). In addition to
speaking to his classes, he also referred me to other
environmental science and horticulture teachers who he felt
would be open to animal rights. If it weren't for obtaining
referrals from each teacher, the speaking engagements would
have been much more difficult to arrange.
Prior to the speaking engagements, I read up briefly on
issues such as hunting, fur, vivisection, and zoos/aquariums
so I'd be able to provide more updated information and
statistics. I also carry fact sheets with me on various topics
including hunting, circuses, Belk (the Charlotte based chain
that has a fur department), animals in captivity, etc. for
those who want more specific information on issues. I always
have plenty of Why Vegans to hand out at the end of each
class. I also bring along Andrew Linzey's Christianity and
Animal Rights, Carol Adams' The Sexual Politics of Meat, and
Eric Marcus' Vegan: The New Ethics of Eating for those who
want more specifics on biblical quotes, the correlation
between feminism and animal rights, and veganism.
I start every presentation by letting them know that I am
open to any and all questions, as I think evasiveness can
really thwart a discussion. I try to limit the time I speak to
about 10 to 15 minutes, to allow them plenty of time for
questions and answers. After telling them how I became
involved in the movement, I talk about a few animal rights
campaigns I've participated in and discuss the
interconnectedness between the human rights, animal rights,
and environmental movements. I also explain to them that since
I think both the human animal and other species are equal when
it comes to the right to live free of exploitation and abuse,
I frequently make analogies between human slavery and the
enslavement of animals. When I explain this prior to the
discussion, the students do not get defensive when I make
comparisons between animals and humans.
During the question and answer period, be prepared to
answer all sorts of questions on issues ranging from abortion
and birth control to dating and economic sabotage. While I
answer all questions posed to me, I prevent tangents on
unrelated topics and avoid arguments by offering to meet with
students individually afterwards. Also, I gently remind them
that while I understand where they are coming from, sometimes
it's best to agree to disagree. When I am asked my stance on
issues such as abortion, religion, and drinking, I always
stress that these are my own views and are not necessarily
reflective of views held by others in the animal rights
movement. Again, while I think it is imperative that we
honestly answer questions posed to us during speaking
engagements, we must not criticize other activists in the
movement or students participating in the discussion who hold
differing views. Nor should we allow the discussion to digress
into a debate on abortion or religion. When we show a
willingness to answer any and all questions in a respectful
but truthful manner, we definitely come across as more
approachable and believable.
Instead of talking solely about the atrocities being done
to animals, the earth and one another, I always discuss some
of the solutions as well. After all, if we continually
inundate people with disturbing statistics and graphic
pictures without offering them ideas on how to affect change,
they will feel as if they can't make a difference. I also
stress the importance of using a multitude of tactics such as
civil disobedience, protests, letter writing, legislation,
boycotts, support of the ALF and ELF, etc. in order to promote
various social justice issues.
While I feel that the presentations this past semester were
fairly effective, there are some things I could do to improve
them. During the question and answer portion, I plan on
showing the Pink Floyd video (which shows graphic images of
animals being tortured to death for various industries) to the
middle school and high school students. (If you are interested
in purchasing the video, please contact Compassion Over
Killing). When I schedule speaking engagements, I will request
that the teachers invite other classes to participate. This
will enable me to reach more students without having to
schedule additional presentations.
Of all the tactics I've utilized, speaking to students has
been among the most rewarding. Not only did some students go
vegetarian and vegan as a result of the presentations, but
many have also started campaigning for vegan options in their
schools and asked their teachers to replace animal dissection
with computer models. I encourage anyone who is comfortable
speaking in front of groups to contact your local school
system and get involved!


text:
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama says his second inauguration is a celebration of the country and its citizens, not the election results.
Obama used a speech to hundreds of supporters at the National Building Museum Sunday night to remind the crowd that "what we're doing is celebrating each other and celebrating this incredible nation that we call home."
He encouraged the crowd to enjoy the inauguration and said he needs them to work as hard as they can on issues important to them.
Obama said the inauguration is a reminder that "there is something bigger than ourselves." He kept his comments brief and quipped that he has to save some of his lines for his speech Monday.


text:
Human CRE infections are 'untreatable,' experts say
This spring, the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) called carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) a "nightmare bacteria." "Our strongest antibiotics don't work, and patients are left with potentially untreatable infections," said Tom Frieden, MD, MPH, in a press release.
In the first half of 2012, nearly 200 U.S. healthcare facilities treated at least one patient infected with this new super breed.1 In a National Public Radio interview, the CDC's Michael Bell, MD, said, "This particular type of resistance has seemed to spread from one type of bacteria to another. It's able to hand off its blueprint for resistance to other types of bacteria, which raises the possibility that this kind of untreatable infection could become much more commonplace."
These types of bacteria don't get into human patients simply because of compromised immune systems, said Brad Spelberg, MD, of Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, in the same broadcast. "It's because we're providing very intensive care: putting plastic catheters into their bloodsteams so we can give life-saving medicines, inserting tubes into their lungs so we can have mechanical ventilators breathe for them or placing tubes in their bladders," he said. "When you break those types of anatomical barriers, it allows bacteria that normally don't get into those parts of your body to get in there."Veterinary concerns
Fortunately, CRE have not been reported in dogs and cats to a great extent, if at all, says Jane E. Sykes, BVSc (Hons), PhD, DACVIM, of the University of California Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. Sykes is a member of the Antimicrobial Guidelines Working Group of the International Society for Companion Animal Infectious Diseases (ISCAID). "To our knowledge, we have never detected them here in our companion animal patient population at UC Davis."
However, the rate of resistance in other bacteria that infect dogs and cats has increased to scary proportions. In particular, Sykes has seen a dramatic rise in multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius infections and infections by Enterobacteriaceae (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. "Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius infections can be resistant to almost every orally administered drug available, and these can be particularly serious when they cause orthopedic infections, such as tibial plateau leveling osteotomy infections," she says.
Some of these resistant bacteria, especially the gram-negative organisms, may also have the potential to colonize humans that are in contact with these pets, Sykes continues. "More than ever before, veterinarians need to be prudent in regard to antibiotic use and hospital infection-control protocols," she says.


text:
NEW YORK (AP) — Bill Raftery is switching networks to stick with the Big East.
The popular college basketball commentator will call the reshaped conference's games for new cable network Fox Sports 1. Raftery had worked for ESPN since 1982. He will continue to also call games for CBS.
Fox said Thursday that the former Seton Hall coach will team with play-by-play announcer Gus Johnson for Big East games on FS1, which debuts Aug. 17. Raftery and Johnson previously worked together for CBS.
The old Big East's breakaway basketball schools are keeping the conference's name and signed a media rights deal with Fox in March.
Raftery says he leaves ESPN "with nothing but terrific memories and friendships."
He adds: "I've been associated with the Big East Conference since it began, and I feel the same excitement and anticipation now as I did way back then as the conference is re-born with Fox Sports."


text:
Moderator: Cartographers
MagnusGreeol wrote:Salut General & Koontz,,
Bravo for Your ideas and involvement both of You,, General- I say it's a great plan,,,,And after reading what Koontz has to say,,I'd say Conquer Club Members are lucky to have Him,,,Seriously Big Helper,,,I can't give info like that,,,But I'll back You General ,,Do what Koontz suggest and hopefully We see each-other at >>>>>--------THE-ALAMO-----------> LOL2U Both---- In Life & WAR----------->>>>--------MAG-OUT--------->
Now for lines.
When you do you lines, thicker ones use the Circle Fuzzy (03) (5+5) at 100% size. For thinner lines like borders between territories go for the same brush but set it at around 85%. You can change the size of the brush in the paint brush tab under scale. Make sure you use the paint brush at all times. Later, we can go through ink and what not but for now, use this.
generalhead wrote:What do you think about a win scenario hold all Mexican commanders for one round to win
generalhead wrote:Some of the walls are wooden post ( the north east wall. east wall and central southern wall. It does look a lot like the stone though, I might have to change that.
Wingnut 16ga wrote:Impressive generalhead....I like the thought of having two win conditions. Maybe I missed it but did you decide not to have the auto deploy?....it's not shown in the latest maps that you posted
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text:
Rawlings Player Preferred gloveItem #RAW115
MSRP:$51.99VIP, All Your Benefits Apply!
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Product Description:
Rawlings Player Preferred glove :: The dual-purpose Player Preferred gloves feature full, deep patterns for both baseball and softball players. Specially-tanned retro leather gives the appearance of a glove that has played in many games with a broken-in feel to match.
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text:
Hello and Welcome!
As Valley National Bank becomes part of Century Bank we're eager to offer you more, while delivering the same level of service and community engagement you have come to expect. This page will serve as your resource for links and updates as we bring our two banks together.
We are honored to have you as a customer. We know you have a choice in where you bank, and we truly appreciate your business.
Make sure to bookmark this page, it will serve as your resource for links to your account.
Contact Information
We know you may have more questions and concerns. We want to hear from you! Feel free to contact us anytime by calling us or stopping by any of our convenient locations.
Phone Numbers
Main: 505.995.1200
Toll Free: 877.424.2828
Customer Service: 505.424.2888
Espanola: 505.367.1200
Espanola Branch Address
322 N. Riverside Dr.
Espanola, NM
For hours and other Century Bank locations including ATMs, CLICK HERE.
To log in to your Century Bank Online Banking Account, enter your User ID in the Online Banking Box at the upper left hand corner of this page or CLICK HERE. WELCOME!
For help or questions, see our Online Banking Quickstart Guide.
If you would like to speak to someone during regular banking hours, contact us at 505.424.2888 or stop by any of our convenient locations.
Conversion Guidebook
Welcome Letter from the President
February 16, 2015 - System conversion is complete. All former Valley National Bank accounts have now been converted to the Century Bank System.
Our office at 322 N. Riverside Drive in Espanola is open for customer assistance from the hours of 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Our Century Bank Call Center in Santa Fe is also open during this time and can be reached at 505.424.2888.
At 4:00 a.m., Valley National Bank Debit and ATM cards were deactivated. New Century Bank VISA Debit Cards can now be activated by calling 505.424.2828 or stopping by any of our convenient locations. (See above for special business hours on February 16, 2015.)
Former Valley National Online Banking Account users can now log in to Century Bank Online Banking using your current User ID. The first time you log in to your account, you will be required to set up a new password for your Century Bank Online Account. Century Bank uses a secure password authentication process. Your temporary password will be the last four digits of your Social Security Number. You will be required to accept the Online Banking Agreement, choose a watermark and set up multi-factor security questions.
To log in to your Century Bank Online Banking Account, enter your User ID in the Online Banking Box at the upper left hand corner of this page or CLICK HERE . WELCOME!
For help or questions concerning Online Banking, see our Online Banking Quickstart Guide , call us or stop by any of our convenient locations. (See above for special business hours on February 16, 2015.)
February 12, 2015 - Valley National Bank Online access will be available until 4:00 p.m. on February 12, 2015. You may schedule transfers and bill payments as normal until this time.
If you have Valley National Bank eStatments, you may want to download or print them for your records before 4:00 p.m., as they will not be available online after conversion.
After 4:00 p.m., the online banking system will be in "view only" mode, you will not be able to generate payments or make account transfers using online banking.
February 9, 2015 - Special Hours in Espanola! - This weekend our Espanola branch will be closed on Saturday, February 14, 2015.
We will however, have special lobby hours on Monday, February 16 from 9 am 2 pm.
Online Banking - This week, former Valley National Bank Online Banking customers will be receiving important information about their Online Banking accounts. Please watch your mailbox for this important information. Please refer to the Conversion Guidebook or call us at 505.424.2888 for more information.
February 5, 2015 - Reminder: System Conversion is set to occur on February 13-16th. Please refer to the Conversion Guidebook or call us at 505.424.2888 for more information.
February 2, 2015 - Your new Century Bank debit card will be arriving soon. Please DO NOT activate this new card until 8:00 AM on February 16, 2015. On that same day at 4:00 AM your Valley National Bank ATM/Debit card will be deactivated. Please make sure to destroy your Valley National Bank card. Please refer to the Conversion Guidebook or call us at 505.424.2888 for more information.
Press Releases
August 15, 2014 - Century Bank to Acquire Assets and Assume Deposits of Valley National Bank
December 22, 2014 - Century Bank Receives Regulatory Approval for Valley National Transaction
January 16, 2015 - Century Bank and Valley National Bank Transaction Complete
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens to your accounts? Will your account number(s) change? Can you still use your checks? Get answers to these and other important questions below.
If you have ANY other questions, we are here for you! Contact us at the phone numbers listed above or stop by any of our convenient locations during normal business hours.
Once again, thank you for your patience and for your business!


text:
free flights
Gulf Air offers free flights within Greece
Gulf Air, the national carrier of Bahrain, has announced a limited-period offer giving passengers travelling to Greece the opportunity to fly onwards from Athens International Airport to 14 Greek destinations for free. Valid untilMore…
Etihad offers free flights for kids
Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, is offering free flights for 10-year-olds as a part of a year-long celebration of the airline's 10th anniversary. Children turning 10 in 2013 are eligibMore…
Air Arabia offers free flights on Oct 28
Air Arabia, the first and largest low-cost carrier in the Middle East and North Africa, is offering its passengers a day of free flights as part of its fifth anniversary celebrations. Passengers travelling on October 28, 2008, to any destMore…


text:
The Commerce Department reported today the economy grew only 1.5 percentin the second quarter, down from 2.0 percent the previous period.
Consumer spending slowed under the weight of growing pessimism about the effectiveness of President Obama's economic program, and a growing sense that Governor Romney will not unseat him. The President leads in polls in most swing states, and the President has made clear his intention to double down on interventionist economic policies.
The trade deficit worsened, increasing its drag on domestic demand and GDP. Administration curbs on domestic oil production and his failure to address Chinese currency manipulation—the two principal causes of the gapping $600 billion dollar trade deficit and hole in domestic demand—slow growth more and more each quarter. In the second quarter, the increase in the trade deficit subtracted seven tenths of a percentage point from growth, or more than $100 billion and one million jobs.
The President argues he inherited a big economic mess but so too did Ronald Reagan. During Mr. Reagan's first term, unemployment peaked at 10.4 percent in contrast to 10 percent during Mr. Obama's tenure.
Mr. Reagan cut taxes, followed through on deregulation initiated by President Carter, and put his bets on the private sector—when he faced the voters the economy was growing at better than 6 percent.
Mr. Obama has shutdown much offshore and Alaskan oil production, invested in failing alternative energy projects, and emphasized heavy regulation and state direction of the economy—his growth rate during the current recovery is 2.2 percent.
During Mr. Reagan's first term, optimism caused more Americans to seek jobs. The percentage of adults participating in the labor force rose and unemployment fell to 7.2 percent by Election Day.
Since Mr. Obama took office, record numbers of Americans have become discouraged and quit looking for work, and the unemployment rate has not fallen nearly as much as it did for Mr. Reagan. It hangs above 8 percent and few economists expected it to fall much further.
The difference is plain. Mr. Reagan acted to unleash the creative energies of the private sector, while Mr. Obama has moved in the opposite direction.
America is all about private enterprise, and without leadership that believes in the primacy of the private sector, it can't succeed.
Peter Morici is a professor at the Smith School of Business, University of Maryland, and former Chief Economist at the U.S. International Trade Commission.


text:
Support PDF,DOC,DOCX,TXT,XLS,WPD,HTM,HTML fils up to 5MB
Company name
Organization TypePublic Interest
Job Type
Date Last Verified
Posted on
ProfileLaw Students The students provide free legal assistance in a wide-range of civil matters to eligible, low-income Texans. Areas of Law: Civil Rights, Community Development, Consumer, Debt/Credit/Bankruptcy, Disability, Disaster and Emergency Assistance, Employment, Family and Juvenile, Homeless, Housing, Immigration and Naturalization, Public Benefits, Veterans, Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault, and Special Education. Need for non-English services: Spanish, Vietnamese Hours for Pro Bono Opportunities: Monday-Friday 9am-5pm Types of projects in need of Pro Bono help: Alternative dispute resolution (ADR), Litigation: Appellate, Litigation: Trial/Direct Representation, Transactional work
Company info
Linda Good
Lone Star Legal Aid
1415 Fannin Street
3rd Floor
Houston, TX 77002
Phone: 800-733-8394
Fax: 713-652-3814


text:
Style # 204573
With glossy paneling and soft lightweight fabric with high-comfort stretch, this pair of bebe leggings are the hottest way to go off-duty. Try them with button up tunics, embellished sandals and finish with a leather crossbody for an effortlessly-cool look.
- 90% nylon, 10% spandex.
- Rise: 8" (20 cm). Inseam: 27" (69 cm). Leg opening: 7" (18 cm).
- Dry clean.
- Imported.
- Model is 5'9" and is wearing a US size S.
Wet & Knit Legging is rated out of 5 by 1.
Rated 5 out of 5 by Honey from Sexy Leggings!! I love this legging. It matches almost every shirt I own. Its a great addition to your wardrobe. Its great for the fall/spring. I'm a XS and the leggings in XS fits me perfectly!
Date published: 2012-10-31


text:
Cupcakes have been very popular lately. And tea is gaining momentum on the ongoing coffee craze. This is my attempt at a tea infused cupcake. Earl Grey tea and limes seemed like perfect complements. Fresh out of the oven, the cupcake had a very subtle tea flavor. By day 2, the predominant flavor was lime. I decided to fill and frost the cupcakes. But they would be just as delicious baked in a decorative mini-bundt pan and topped with confectioner's sugar.
Lime Tea Cupcakes
(Makes 18 cupcakes)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp Earl Grey tea leaves
3/4 cup milk, hot
1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temp.
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
grated zest of 2 limes
Preheat to 350F.
Add tea leaves to hot milk. Let steep for 10-15 minutes. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside. Pour milk through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl. Press liquid from tea leaves; discard leaves.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter on medium speed until creamy, about 30 seconds. Add sugar and continue beating until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes; stop mixer and scrap bowl occasionally. Add vanilla and lime zest to eggs. Beat lightly to mix. Add egg mixture, a little at a time, beating well after each addition.
On very low speed, add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with milk and ending with flour; blend each addition until just incorporated. Scrape sides of bowl occasionally.
Fill 18 standard muffin cups 1/2 to 3/4 full. Bake until cupcakes spring back when touched, 18-22 minutes. Allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan and cool completely.
Citrus Curd Filling
3 large eggs
1/3 cup granulated sugar
grated zest of 1 lime
grated zest of 1 lemon
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
6 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 tsp vanilla
In a medium stainless steel pan, whisk eggs, sugar and zests until light in color. Add juices and butter. Cook over medium heat, whisking gently, until the butter is melted. Continue whisking until the mixture is thickened and simmer gently for a few seconds. Strain and scrape the filling into a bowl and stir in vanilla. Let cool. Cover the surface of the filling with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap onto the surface to keep the top from forming a crust. Poke 5 small slits in the wrap with the tip of a knife to allow steam to escape. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 1 week.
Lime Cream Cheese Frosting
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temp.
3 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temp.
grated zest of 1 lime
1 tsp fresh lime juice
2 ½ cups confectioner's sugar, divided
Beat cream cheese and butter on medium speed until well combined and mostly lump free.
Add lime zest, lime juice, and 2 cups confectioner's sugar and beat until well combined.
Add remaining ½ cup confectioner's sugar for a stiffer frosting.
How I assembled the cupcakes
Using a pastry bag fitted with a medium round tip, dispense about 1 tbsp chilled lime curd filling into the middle of the baked cupcake. Frost cupcakes with icing spatula.


text:
New Boston voters to discuss 2014-15 school district budgetBy SUSAN CLARK
Union Leader Correspondent
February 02. 2014 9:24PM
NEW BOSTON — The school district's proposed operating budget of $13,584,226 will go before voters at the deliberative session on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the New Boston Central School gym. The snow date is Thursday at 7 p.m.
The 2014-15 budget includes $70,200 for the SAU 19 building's cupola and parking lot paving, and associated costs of the SAU 19's loss of Dunbarton students. New Boston's share of the cupola is 25 percent of the total project.
Ray Labore, the SAU 19 business administrator, said a school board member suggested reducing the budget by $26,816 to level any increases from last year's budget.
"It was not aimed at any one line item. They wanted to look at a flat 6 percent increase in the general fund," he said.
The budget is presented in two phases, including costs over which the School Board has control over such as equipment, supplies and salaries and benefits at New Boston Central School. The second phase is expenses for students attending the Mountain View Middle School and Goffstown High School, Labore said.
"There's really little or no control over the budget that results from the AREA agreement," Labore said.
New Boston voters will also be asked to approve a warrant article relating to the new AREA agreement with Goffstown. The committee was made up of three school board members from each district, and was approved Jan. 16 by the state Department of Education.
"Both school boards have unanimously recommended bringing the article to their respective districts," Labore said.
New Boston's cost for 2014-15 to send students to MVMS is $12,323 per student; it is $12,904 per high school student. In 2013-14, 144 students attended the middle school. Projected enrollments for 2014-15 are 161 students. In 2013-14, 279 students attended the high school; projected enrollments for 2014-15 are 303 students.


text: "The World's Smartest Man" Gets Conned by a "Psychic To The Stars" http://gawker.com/5516865/worlds-smartest-man-conned-by-celeb-psychic Adam Robinson is an Oxford-educated chess master and co-founder of the Princeton Review. His ex-girlfriend is a "psychic to the stars." Who do you guess is suing whom, for cleverly stealing all the money? Yes, Mr. "Smarty Pants" Robinson is suing his ex, Laura Day (pictured with pal Demi Moore), alleging that she preyed on his?ha, get this, seriously, straight from his lawyer, guys?"psychological infirmity in handling his personal finances." This is a thing you can say in court now and get your money back from people, apparently. Robinson's suit says that Day, who has plugs on her website http://www.howtoruletheworldfromyourcouch.com/ from Brad Pitt, Jennifer Aniston, Nicole Kidman, and other gullible famous people who enjoy Day's brand of psychic self-help, totally manipulated him into: 1. Turning her crappy worthless notes into a book, which he helped her get the deal for, and which went on to sell spectacularly. 2. Writing her next two crappy made-up books, which she earned millions on. 3. Giving her half of his royalties from his own books. 4. And also giving her the other half of his royalties, for her kid. If these allegations are true, Laura Day really does have something to teach us all.


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Oscar weekend gives me an excuse to go back and comment on Stephen Spielberg's film Lincoln, which I thoroughly enjoyed but which is being roundly trashed by liberals throughout social media. The complaint is that it shows a distorted picture of the ending of slavery by depicting Lincoln as a "white savior" while leaving out the role played by African Americans in ending slavery.
And I say this is not a valid criticism. Let me explain why. But let me start by explaining why historical films usually annoy me.
As a history buff I often am frustrated by historical films, because the stories they tell are never as fascinating as What Really Happened. But to fit some sweeping historical narrative into a standard feature film running time, important details and significant characters are cut, and then plot twists that didn't happen must be added to make the story "work." As a writer I appreciate why the script writers have to do this, but I still don't like it.
Spielberg's Lincoln doesn't try to tell a big, sweeping story, but instead focuses tightly on events that took place in the last days of Lincoln's life, as his attention was focused on getting the 13th Amendment through Congress before the Confederacy collapsed and the Civil War ended. This focus enabled Spielberg to create a detailed and intimate portrait of Lincoln, not as a plaster icon but as a man who made under-the-table deals, told bawdy stories, and argued with his wife. Daniel-Day Lewis embodied this role nicely. Even the high-pitched voice was true to how contemporaries described Lincoln's voice. I don't believe the accent was quite right, but that's a minor quibble.
Many people, many liberals, are slamming Lincoln for telling a distorted story of how slavery ended. Pay attention:
This is not a film about how slavery ended. I repeat, this is not a film about how slavery ended. It is a film about the last days of Abraham Lincoln. Attention is focused on the 13th Amendment because that is, in fact what Lincoln was most focused on in the last days of his life. Attention is focused on the machinations to pass the amendment in the House because it was what was happening in the last days of Lincoln's life, and this also provided the most dramatic tension in the film. It also provides a lot of relevance to our current political, um, situation.
In one especially annoying criticism, a historian named Jon Weiner wrote,
The end of slavery did not come because Lincoln and the House of Representatives voted for the Thirteenth Amendment.
The best work I know about the end of slavery is Eric Foner's unforgettable book The Fiery Trial: Lincoln and American Slavery, published in 2010, which won the Pulitzer Prize, the Bancroft Prize and the Lincoln Prize. Foner and many other historians over the last couple of decades have emphasized the central role played by the slaves themselves, who are virtually invisible in this movie. During the three weeks that the movie deals with, Sherman's army was marching through South Carolina, where slaves were seizing plantations. They were dividing up land among themselves. They were seizing their freedom. Slavery was dying on the ground, not just in the House of Representatives. You get no sense of that in the movie.
If this were a film about how slavery ended, that might be a legitimate criticism. But it isn't a film about how slavery ended, so it isn't.
And I say "might," because what the former enslaved persons were doing in South Carolina didn't end slavery, either. Not by itself. After the war, after Reconstruction sputtered to a halt, the old plantation class got their land and power back, and the former enslaved persons became their sharecroppers. Were it not for the 13th Amendment, no doubt the former enslaved persons of South Carolina would have been returned to slavery eventually, at least for a while. That's the truth of it.
If you wanted to make a film about how slavery ended, you'd have to go back several decades, at least to Nat Turner's rebellion in 1831, if not earlier. And you'd have to talk about Dred Scott, Sojourner Truth, Frederick Douglass, and a host of people who did a great many significant things over a period of more than 40 years. I imagine this film as something like John Ford's How the West Was Won, except with black actors. They could get Halle Berry for the Debbie Reynolds role.
Speaking of Frederick Douglass, I've seen people gripe because Frederick Douglass wasn't in the film. That may be because he wasn't anywhere around Lincoln in the last days of Lincoln's life, and to write him in as a token seems to me to be gratuitous. And Douglass might object, anyway, since he had supported another candidate in the 1864 elections and had expressed disappointment when Lincoln won a second term. People, did you expect Douglass to be the Magic Negro and mysteriously appear to give Lincoln wise counsel, or what? Talk about cliches …
People who are slamming Spielberg for not including more African-American roles don't appreciate that wherever Spielberg did go over the limits of What Actually Happened, he did it to include more African-American roles. At the beginning, the President of the United States was chatting casually with two African-American soldiers, one of whom was complaining about not getting equal pay. Very unlikely that could have happened, ever, in 1865. Mary Lincoln's (Sally Field) African-American seamstress and confidant Elizabeth Keckley (Gloria Reuben) was written into as many scenes as Spielberg could squeeze her into, including a scene in which Mary Lincoln and Elizabeth Keckley were in the House gallery, which didn't happen. At the end of the film, Thaddeus Stevens (Tommy Lee Jones, who really does deserve an Oscar) is in bed with his mulatto housekeeper and alleged love of his life, Lydia Hamilton Smith (S. Epatha Merkerson). I've long believed that relationship was a settled historical fact, but now I'm reading there's no concrete proof of it. So there's another fudge.
People complain that it's mostly a film showing white people doing stuff, but the fact is that in 1865 pretty much only white people were allowed to do stuff. Again, that's the truth of it. This is a bit like the complaints that none of the soldiers storming Normandy Beach in Saving Private Ryan were African American. But the army was segregated then, so that's pretty much how it was.
I saw one gripe that the film didn't include anything about suffrage. That's because the President who supported the 15th Amendment and got it into the Constitution was Ulysses S. Grant, not Abraham Lincoln. We don't know for sure if Lincoln would have supported the 15th Amendment, had he lived.
Instead of making some big, sweeping, fuzzy, not-really-what-happened film to tell a story about the ending of slavery, Spielberg was giving us an intimate glimpse into the last days of Lincoln's life. And of course, this can never be perfect, because we're always going to project our own ideas onto the fading story of What Really Happened.
But except where he was fudging a bit to fill in historical blanks or get more African-American actors into the film, Spielberg was true to small details in ways that are almost unheard of in a historical film. So instead of being constantly jarred by characters and plot twists that didn't match what I know to have Actually Happened, I found myself recognizing little details that made the story very real. We even get a quick glimpse of the Native American (Seneca, to be precise) officer on General Grant's staff at Appomattox. Did you notice that? Yes, that is What Actually Happened. I wanted to cheer.


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THE DARK KNIGHT RISES IS ALMOST HERE! One of the most hotly anticipated movies of all time, it's the final part of Christopher Nolan's epic Batman trilogy which elevated the potential of comic book movies to Oscar winning heights. While Nolan's take on the caped crusader is now widely regarded as the definitive silver screen offering, the debate as to …
Dark Knight anticipation Rises with new Lazy Oaf Batman collection
Over here at Brandish, we're going a bit batsh*t crazy waiting for The Dark Knight Rises to come out. Hitting UK cinemas this Friday, it's set to be the movie of the summer, as director Christopher Nolan draws his epic superhero trilogy to its conclusion. So we couldn't have been happier then to see one of our favourite London-based boutiques, …
Reebok X Marvel Superhero Sneakers: Avengers, X-Men, Spider-Man trainers!
Seriously, what a year to be a comic-book fan. First the Avengers movie kicks up a storm in cinemas all over the world, then that's soon to be followed by The Amazing Spider-Man and Batman Dark Knight Rises, and soon after that is the Judge Dredd movie and the Watchmen prequel comics. And now these totally, totally ace superhero sneakers …
Brandish Gallery: Heath Ledger
Last night I went to see 'Batman: The Dark Knight' at a small, local film-house. The queues trailed out of the cinema and down the street- surely a first for such a small-scale cinema. Bearing in mind that this cinema sits in the middle of a village that doesn't exactly boast of a youthful population, I knew there must be some reason they were flocking to watch a super-hero film. That reason is Heath Ledger.
Brandish Special- Celeb Style at The Batman 'Dark Knight' Premiere
The new Batman film, Dark Knight, has been causing quite a stir throughout the film industry. Heath Ledger's stellar acting, the new and improved Batmobile, the expectations thrust upon Christian Bale- all these things are no doubt exciting but how did the creative edge of this film translate onto the red carpet?
Read on for full details of this thriller evening.
Christian Bale will wear Armani for new Batman film
Giorgio Armani has dressed a plethora of celebrities, and now he can add dressing a superhero to the list. The latest Batman movie, The Dark Knight, will see Christian Bale wearing an array of Giorgio Armani hand made-to-measure suits whenever he plays Batman's alter-ago, Bruce Wayne.


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Kevin Sousa is starting to hear how great he is from every direction.
Most people in attendance at this past weekend's Under Armour Combine inJacksonville had pretty much the same reaction to Sousa's performance.
Among the raves:
"Sousa was a man among boys."
"Big Sousa looked like a stud out there."
"The Sousa kid was incredible ... really stood out. He's got a cannon
arm. That kid is big-time."
Just random comments from three different Orlando school representativeswho have no vested interest in how Sousa performed.
They just know they were amazed at what they saw.
But it's neither amazing nor surprising to Sousa and his personal coach,handler and guardian Anthony Paradiso, an assistant coach at Lake NonaHigh School.
"That's what Coach Paradiso said would happen if I listened to him anddid what he told me to do," said Sousa, pronounced SOSA. "I put in morework for Coach Paradiso than anyone and he's pushed me and motivated meto want to be more successful. I'm committed to what he tells me to do."
Sounds easy, huh? Well for Sousa, the No. 15-ranked player in the Sentinel's 2011 Central Florida Super60, apparently it has been. He's a rarebreed of athlete who just has that thing about him. All he really neededwas a little direction and his natural skills would take care of therest.
"He's an unbelievable, gifted talent and he just needed someone to pullit out of him. I tell everybody he's just getting his feet wet," saysParadiso. "I found him roaming the halls (at Cypress Creek) when I first met him and he wasjust a soccer player.
"He never played football. I got him to buy into something, buy into thefact that he could be great."
He certainly looked the part last year for first-year program Lake Nona.Sousa passed for 1,290 yards and eight touchdowns and rushed for another859 yards and five scores in the first seven games, but injured his kneein the eighth game and was done for the season. Not too shabby for seven games.
He started to gain some attention. Was even invited to attend a Notre Dame game on an unofficial visit last year. Just a little taste of things to come for Sousa.
But how is it that a teenager can put so much trust into one man? Manyup-and-comers thumb their nose at adult advice, but Sousa was convinced.
"It was the way he approached me. He convinced me to do it. He motivatedme to do it," Sousa said. "It showed how much he cared about me and howmuch he wanted me to be successful."
Paradiso believed so much in the kid that he even offered to become hisofficial, temporary guardian when his parents were going to move back to theBoston area for a better financial situation, less than two years ago.
But there was this football thing Kevin had discovered. And Paradiso. Dad went off to Boston to work, mom remained in Orlando, and the couple is still together, whileParadiso acts as mentor.
"We knew nothing about this football. We wanted him to play basketballand soccer because that's what they teach him and I thought he neverliked the football," said Kevin's mother, Ana Sousa, whose nativelanguage is the Portuguese spoken in the Republic of Cape Verde, anisland country off the western coast of Africa.
"My main focus has always been academic. I want him to get good gradesso he can go on to university. But the football come and it's a blessing... God give him a gift. I still focus on the academic but this is hisown dream and I support his own dream."
Dad flies in when he can get away from his job as a manager at GarelickFarms, a dairy in Franklin, Mass.
"Both games he flew back for we won," Sousa said.
Ana Sousa gives her boy's relationship with Paradiso her blessing. Ithelps the younger Sousa deal with all of the football things and allowsher to just be mom.
"[Paradiso] is a good guy. He helped him a lot and I thank God for him,"said mom. "It was almost like God's assignment. We stayed over here tosee what was going to happen."
The answer remains to be seen.
"He's a good kid. He's special," Paradiso said. "Wherever he ends up,it's going to be exciting ... even beyond college. He's going to dospecial things."
His abilities extend far beyond his big arm. He makes things happen withhis legs, as well, and he's quite agile for a 6-foot-4, 220-pounder. Hiships change direction with ease. The moves are such that Shakira mighteven be jealous.
"The other teams, they come out there with one intention and that's tostop Kevin," Paradiso said. "That's what impresses me. Everyone knowshe's going to get the ball, but he's still able to make things happen.He's not your average 16-year-old."
That big arm, however, is what can get him in trouble right now. Hisbiggest knock is accuracy. But he says he's working on that.The other knock is his footwork and ability to drop back after takingsnaps from under center, as opposed to the shotgun, but Sousa said thatcriticism might be a bit misdirected.
"I think I'm a lot more accurate from under center," he said. "We usedto work on everything from under center first, and until we got itright, we wouldn't go to the shotgun."
Right now he's working on doing both and doing it with ease intransition.
"This is the best high school quarterback I have ever seen," Paradisosays, "and I've seen a bunch. I saw John Brantley (next year's UFstarter) when he was at Ocala Trinity and Kevin has a much stronger arm.Now John was a lot more accurate, but that'll come."
As will everything else. Even his mother's understanding of the game.
"I try to learn little bit when I see people talking on the TV to see ifI'm going to like it and my concern is I don't want him to get hurt,"Ana Sousa said.
And when he got hurt last year, there was a bit of concern.
"Oh, of course," Ana said. "But this is his dream and that decision isup to him."
He has a huge decision coming up: His choice of college.
Right now he's just getting warmed up in the recruiting process withoffers from Florida International and Florida Atlantic. He also hasverbal offers from Tulane and Miami.
Eventually he won't be able to remember them all. But he hasParadiso to help.
"I'll go wherever Coach Paradiso thinks is best for me," Sousa said."I've trusted in him from the beginning and I'm not going to stoptrusting him now."
Oh, and he has one other dream, which just thinking about ought to thrill Lake Nona head coach Anthony Hamre.
"We got everybody back. We didn't have any seniors last year," Sousa said of the 1-9 Lions. "I want to help lead this team all the way to qualify to be in the state playoffs this year ... working toward being able to compete against more teams."
Just icing on the cake for the young Lake Nona program.
Chris Hays is the Sentinel's recruiting coordinator and can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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In the latest episode (#108, July 13th, 2012), Robots Podcast talks with Andra Keay, cofounder of Robot Launchpad, a robotics startup accelerator based in Silicon Valley, about recent events, lean startup methodology, funding, and gender. (Her Masters thesis project on "the Naming of Robots" explored how roboticists express identity and gender through their technology.) Calling herself a Robot Startup Evangelist, Andra is passionate about growing robotics, one startup at a time. Supported by key actors in the field including Erin Rapacki and Ryan Calo, Robot Launchpad aims to bridge the software, web and mobile startup worlds of Silicon Valley and San Francisco with the robotics community and the flourishing local maker sphere. She brings us into her world of lean startup methodology, minimum viable products, and tells us about the importance of women in science. Before launching Robot Launchpad, Keay completed her Master of Digital Cultures at the University of Sydney, specializing in Human-Robot Interactions. Passionate about robotics for a long time, she has also been running science and robot workshops for children since 1995, including coaching competition teams in MoonBots, FIRST LEGO League, and RoboCup Junior.
Read On or Tune In


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In a tradition that seems to take a bigger slice of Thanksgiving every year, hordes of deal-sniffing shoppers descended on Southland stores Thursday, elbowing their way in search of toys, video games and that time-honored Black Friday symbol: cut-rate television sets. As nightfall came, they huddled in long lines, clutching coupons and hatching shopping strategies.
Rebecca Abbott, 42, of Torrance had it down to a science Thursday night. The accountant said she was out the door of the local Toys R Us store in 20 minutes with a shopping cart full of Christmas gifts for her two daughters.
Her fourth time shopping on Black Friday, Abbott had spent a few hours in Toys R Us the day before scoping out her plan of attack. The first item on her list: a Rockstar Mickey Mouse doll, normally priced at $59.99 but selling for just $19.99.
"You have to have a strategy for this Black Friday madness," she said as she headed for the door. "First-timers will walk around all day looking at deals," Abbott said. "I got in, grabbed my stuff and got out." Her cart was overflowing with large toys — primarily Barbie and Mickey Mouse items.


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Winchester man convicted of sexual assault gets new trialBy MEGHAN PIERCE
Union Leader Correspondent
May 08. 2014 8:45PM
KEENE — A Winchester man convicted of a pattern of felony sexual assaults on a teenage girl five years ago has been granted a new trial by the New Hampshire Supreme Court.
Gregory Collins, 46, was sentenced in September 2009 to no more than 20 years and no less than 10 in state prison.
Prosecutors allege Collins performed several sex acts on a girl he knew between April and November of 2007 in Winchester.
In 2009 he was tried on three counts of pattern aggravated felonious sexual assault, four counts of aggravated felonious sexual assault by individual acts, and one count of misdemeanor sexual assault.
The girl, who was 14 at the time of the alleged abuse, testified during the 2009 trial that Collins assaulted her "probably almost every week," according to the April 18 New Hampshire Supreme Court opinion.
In its opinion, the court found that Collins did not receive a fair trial since his former attorney, Lisa Wellman-Ally, failed to object to testimony from an expert witness, the girl's therapist.
During the 2009 trial, the therapist, Robert Fusco, testified he has 42 years of experience treating seriously traumatized abused and neglected children.
He testified that the complainant's behaviors "fit perfectly into the same kind of behavioral symptoms that we would see for a child who had been sexually abused."
Fusco testified that, as a result of the girl's January 2008 disclosure to him about the 2007 sexual assaults, he realized that "we were no longer dealing with ... a major depressive disorder," but rather a post-traumatic stress disorder on a child who had allegedly been sexually abused.
Fusco also testified, without an objection from the defense, that the girl's disclosure "was the missing piece," in his treatment of her.
The court said, "In effect, Fusco was allowed to opine that the complainant was a victim of child sexual abuse. Her behaviors, he testified, "fit perfectly" with those of a child sexual abuse victim. After the complainant disclosed the sexual assaults, Fusco diagnosed her with post-traumatic stress disorder caused by alleged sexual abuse."
The court said his testimony constitutes a "clear example of the type of unreliable evidence that we have held should be excluded from criminal trials."
The court said the defense's failure to object to the testimony undermined Collins' constitutional right to a fair trial.
On Thursday, New Hampshire assistant attorney general Nicholas Cort, who argued against the motion for a rehearing, said he has no plans to submit a motion for reconsideration to the Supreme Court, so the case will be remanded back to the Cheshire County Superior Court in Keene.


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text:
Franz von Asstan and Raul Fernando Carlos Sergio Ricardo Guillermo Pedro Francisco de Verde soared higher and higher. Minutes drifted into hours, hours blended into a timeless seam of blurred landscape seen from an unspeakably monstrous height of some 6 or 7 feet above my kitchen floor aback their mighty winged horses. Their initial dizziness settled into a dull monotonous thrum, set to the beat of the rhythmically pounding wings, and drawn ever forward by the beacon of vibrant red hair that bobbed elusively just ahead. Where were they going? What was the agenda of the garishly dressed fellow who refused to respond to Franz's insistent greetings and expressions of thanks? And where did he get such awesome hair?
Dude, who cuts your hair?
Franz snapped out of his reverie.
"Raul, we must make a plan! I think we're going to have to split up. We simply cannot hope to return to Blokadia to free our people from slavery by ourselves. We must win over the other lego native peoples, bring them to our cause! What sayesth thou?"
"OK, whatev" replied Raul. He was frantically looking for a barf bag and becoming increasingly anxious the more it became clear that his pegasus was not so equipped.
"Then I shall veer to the north, and head to the hills. I will speak to the minifigs I find there. I shall tell them of the horrors I have experienced first hand. I shall rally them to my, er, our cause, and we shall reunite, allies at our side, stronger and ready to overthrow the evil dictatorship of William Blokheart!"
Raul turned and spewed a stream of multicolored 1x1 flats over his left shoulder. Franz shrugged and turned north. Raul crashed.
52" plasmas, Playstation 7s, and no more raids where those funny looking dudes take your women and children!
In the crash, Raul's horse lost its wings. He forced his limping steed ever onward, and soon came across a strange frenchman, gibbering nonsensically at the edge of a vast desert. Allies are allies, thought Raul to himself, as he put his arm around the frenchman's shoulder, softly promising him fame, wealth, and lots of hot lego women. A strange breeze swept out of the desert and the two men looked up at the distant horizon. Something called out to Raul. Something unspeakable, ineffable, irresistible. Raul turned to his new friend, and explained to him that they needed to go into the desert. He didn't know why, but they needed to go. With a loud groan and icky farting noise, both their horses up and died.
Though Raul couldn't explain it at the time, it felt like his destiny awaited him, deep in the desert
They walked for hours. Their water quickly ran out. Raul began to hallucinate, and the endless expanse of beige studded baseplates began to look oddly like an electric blanket from the 1970s. They let their defenses down. Ominous music began to play, and they didn't even hear it.
OMG! Greenskins!
In a flash, Raul and the strange frenchman were surrounded. Heavily outnumbered and especially considering the uselessness of his delirious comrade, Raul knew he had to think fast. "I call for the time honored tradition of hero challenge!" he cried. One of the greenskin minifigs burped. Another said "Co na světě je tato osoba říkal?" Raul's delirious mind swirled. They didn't speak Legotian! In a flash, he did what any Lego hero in his place would, he pulled out a 10-sided die, the Universal Sign of LET'S FIGHT! The greenskins gnashed their terrible teeth, and clashed their weapons together. They got it now! "Ten chlap chce bojovat ! Náš hrdina se mu pěknou nakládačku!" they bellowed in unison.
There is no ambiguity when the dice hit the table!
While the greenskin tribe danced about in glee, Raul stealthily swapped out his d10 for a d20.
What's this? A natural 20?!?
With great flourish, Raul slew the greenskin hero with a single blow to, well, when you roll a 20 on a 10-sided die, it pretty much doesn't matter, does it? A silence befell the crowd (well, the french guy was still kinda talking to himself, but sorta quietly, so you can't really hear it too much). The tribe had never seen such a feat. How is a 20 even possible? They fell to their knees on the hot desert sand, prostrating themselves before their new hero and savior.
All hail the new lord and master of the nomadic desert greenskins!
They had their first allies! But still, something pulled at him. Torn by an inexplicable desire, Raul knew he had to press on. The greenskins had seen this desert madness overcome others before. In fact, they thought it was kinda cute, and almost instinctively, their master tracker led the group deeper into the desert.
Oh, boy. Here we go again. Another power-hungry Yellow loses his marbles and insists on going deeper into the desert...
Onward they pressed. Ahead, something gleamed on the horizon. Before it even took shape, Raul knew they were not yet there. They carried on.
Nope, definitely not interested in the Temple of the Half Finished Whiskey Bottle.
Up ahead it lay. An oasis of shimmering power. A strange effusion of magical airs swirled above the desert, taunting the mind of Raul. As they drew near, a pool of intoxicatingly cool waters appeared. A small temple lush with vegetation stood at the far end of the shimmering pool. Sitting squat next to the temple was a massive totem. The remains of many a brave sojourner were evident, sacrificed to this strange edifice's magical energies. "Ty šílenej žluté legos jsou vždycky hledá něco takového . Dělej , pojď se podívat." nodded the greenskin tracker sagely.
They had arrived.
The Temple of the Crystal Skull Vodka.
If only the pool were tonic water and the vegetation lime trees
Drawn inexorably into the embrace of the strange structure, Raul found a curious tome sitting unblemished among the ruins. He began to read: "You are more powerful..." he spoke, whispering the words softly to himself so no one else could hear.
Hmm. I'm sure glad this is in Legotian!
The wind whips up to a frenzy and swirls of magical color appear. Special effects appear so stunning and so expensive that no mere digital camera could ever hope to capture them. If this were the cinema, you'd be saying, like, whoa, this is like, ooo man, jeeze yeah and then you'd start giggling and probably get the munchies really bad. But it's not, so bear with me. Even before Raul finishes reading from the tome, translucent bolts of energy boil off the pedestal and envelope his arms in a blue bath of pure mana. The water shivers and ripples, the sky groans, my dog gets up, does three small circles around where he's sleeping, and sits back down again. Suddenly, the ground erupts. Sand blasts upwards as an army of angry undead burst from the rim of the pool! The corpses strewn about the pond stir. Something quite evil has awoken!
WHO DARES DISTURB MY SLUMBER?!? Roars Abubakar the Irascible!
"Je to o čase . Jsem překvapená , když tu zatracenou boj by začít " cries the greenskin hoard in unison - the battle is joined!
You were really beginning to wonder if this was a field report or a GD soap opera, weren't you?
Sensing new-found heroic powers, Raul thrusts his hands forward, cries out and wills the energies to do his bidding. Blue mana crackles forth from his hands.
He raises his arms skyward, closes his eyes, and summons....
At least it's not a 1
A monkey holding a bouquet of red flowers.
Haven't you always wanted a monkey?
Abubakar the Irascible laughs a dry rasping laugh and expertly waves his staff in the air.
Barely breaking a sweat, he summons....
At least it's not a 10. Or a 20.
A horde of horrible beasties!
horrible, horrible.
With a nauseating speed the horrible beasties swirl past the undead horde and crash into the greenskins. Sweeping over them like some unholy wave cresting on an evil shore, the greenskins panic, slashing wildly at the unending foe. The monkey climbs on Raul's face, defecates, and leaps atop Raul's ostrich. The dazed frenchman is mumbling something about finding these sorts of things a culinary delicacy when done up nicely with garlic and butter and paired with a lovely burgundy as he reaches down to pick one up and presumably eat it. It stings him. Another bites him on the face. A third slashes his hand.
Sacre blue! Are zees zings edeeble?
Blindingly fast they are upon him and soon he is enveloped by the swarm. The skeleton adjacent raises its flail to deliver a fatal blow, but it's too late. The strange frenchman has been devoured!
Merde! It would zeem ze ozer way round, non?
The monkey whispers something in the ear of Raul's steed, and they're off
Dude. This is no place for a monkey. I am so outta here.
The mummy closes on the squad of greenskins guarding the Temple of the Crystal Skull Vodka. The battle pitches back and forth.
To be a minifig is to dream of being in a photo like this one.
Raul looks around for his monkey as he wipes his face off. Seeing it's gone, he looks around for his ostrich. Seeing it's gone, he gets mad. Phantasmagorical energies of pure seething rage ripple and burst forth from his hands.
Where's my monkey?!? This is total bullshit!! And I've got a total pube stuck on my right arm!!!!
The waters of the Temple of the Crystal Skull Vodka suddenly become eerily calm. The battle dies down, as all eyes, living and dead, are drawn to the depths of the pool. Even the Crystal Skull (Vodka) itself appears to turn a bit and leer downward. But that could totally be like, an optical illusion or something.
Hi boys!
What is this? Sirens come from the depths? What strange motivations drive these fish-women to the surface? What could these mermaids possibly want with this chaos? What the heck else are we going to use these three useless minifigs for anyway?
They begin to sing. And sing and sing. The greenskins think of their mothers and weep. Raul would have been brought to his knees in sorrow if he had knees. Abubakar is brought back to a happier, more alive time, and sheds a tear. Even the mindless skeletons pause momentarily for reasons they can't quite fathom, and shudder a little bit in overwhelming sadness. I totally think the Crystal Skull (Vodka) also like totally choked back a sob too. Oh, and all the horrible beasties jumped into the lake. No idea why. Go figure.
Howsabout that, huh? Weird.
The beasties disappear into the murky depths. Without a sound the mermaids slip back into the silent waters.
Well. That was totally weird.
The battle resumes! Chaos! Mayhem! Plastic blood! Body parts!
Totally gratuitous re-use of photos!!
A shriek cuts across the din of battle. Although neither side was clearly winning, we decided it was about time for the dramatic deus ex machina ending that so typifies adventure in these parts. Cue the: Cavemen Riding Giant Pterosaurs! Franz von Asstan Has Come to Save the Day!
Hey. I totally didn't need saving, bitch.
Swoosh! Crash! Bam!
The undead at this juncture really didn't stand a chance. Like, even a series of straight 6s probably wouldn't have saved them. They were like, so screwed.
Yeah, they were that screwed. Pterosaurs FTW!
"Don't worry, Raul. I have arrived, and I shall save the day" cried Franz as he unsheathed the sword he wouldn't even get to use, because the greenskins under Raul's command had more or less already killed just about everyone and even Abubakar had already bought the farm. His second farm. That we know about. He'd been dead for awhile, so there could very well be lots of Abubakar farms out there. Who knows?
"Thank goodness - it would appear that we have arrived just in the nick of time! Really, Raul, what would you do without me" effused the overzealous Franz.
Yeah boys, let's take our victory lap.
Speechless, Raul de Verde feels drawn to turn back to the pedestal, where he sees the rest of the unread text. Slowly he reads the remaining words inscribed thereupon "...than you would ever imagine". Ominous music swells. The pedestal lowers, and in its place lies a hat. A green wizards hat. Raul's eyes narrow. He reaches for, and slowly takes the hat. He senses a great unexpected shift in dimensions. A queer jog in reality. A jarring change in the fabric of space and time. Somewhat akin to like you think you have to fart, but suddenly you totally shit your pants instead.
Just like shitting your pants
pancakeonions played Abubakar the Irascible, the undead Legos and the horde of horrible beasties. kumabot played the heroic Raul de Verde, Franz von Asstan, and the coalition of the willing. Jean Louis played the gibbering frenchman. My little sister played the greenskin champion. We totally pulled a fast one on her. She cried. It was awesome.
You can see more of the photos from this battle at Kumabot's Flickr photoset:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kumabot/se ... 645878796/


text:
Bret Clawson has a passion for scientific
research. This isn't necessarily surprising, considering that he works in the
world-renowned Center for Microbial Genetics and Genomics (MGGen) at Northern Arizona University, and that he
comes from a family of scientific researchers. What may be surprising, however,
is that Clawson is an undergraduate student who has the opportunity to work
with Paul Keim, a professor and one of the most renowned genetics researchers
in the world. Along with this opportunity, Clawson's passion has helped him to
transform his work at the university into a wealth of future possibilities.
Clawson, a senior biomedical sciences and
chemistry major, originally transferred to the university at the beginning of
his sophomore year. Upon arriving, Clawson had the good fortune to land a spot
as an undergraduate researcher at MGGen. There, he had the opportunity to work
with Keim, a world-renowned professor in biology who played a crucial role in
aiding the United States military and intelligence communities with
investigation and clean-up efforts following anthrax attacks in 2001.
For Clawson, the opportunity to work in Keim's
Lab also gave him a chance to begin carving his own niche in the science world,
which was something he had dreamed about since his high school days in Phoenix.
To date, Clawson has engaged in a variety of projects, including studying and
classifying different genetic species of fleas, and studying the effects and
movement of plague via local types of prairie dogs.
"I really do love learning about science,
researching science, and just contributing to it in any way I can," Clawson
says. "I think that's one of the most fulfilling things about the opportunities
I've had here: that I've had the opportunity to contribute to science in a very
awesome way."
According to Clawson, his classroom professors
have been just as influential as his time spent working in the lab. Clawson
cites David Pierotti, an anatomy and physiology professor, Edgar Civitello, a
professor of chemistry, and Andrew Koppisch, a biochemistry professor, as his
favorite faculty members because of their ability to make complicated subjects
relatable and fun.
The opportunity to take the lessons learned in the
lab and apply them to the classroom has greatly enhanced Clawson's collegiate
"My curiosity is so piqued from doing lab work
and seeing what's possible," Clawson says. "I've been hearing lectures and
thinking about how they can be applied. It definitely helps you to look at the
material in a different way and try to apply things you do in the lab at a
class level, and vice versa."
Clawson is currently in the process of adding
another area of research to his repertoire by joining Koppisch on a project that seeks to understand how protein expression can help
create future vaccines.
Through his work, Clawson
has been able to present
his findings at national conferences, including the National
Conference of Undergraduate Research, the AZ Bio Expo, the American Society for Microbiology's Arizona and Nevada
chapter conference, and NAU's Undergraduate Research and Design Symposium.
With this experience in tow, Clawson believes he
has established an excellent foundation toward his goal of attending medical
school in either Arizona or Washington D.C. This successful beginning, he says,
is possible because of his extracurricular activities as part of the Keim Lab.
value of research as an undergraduate should not be understated," Clawson says.
"I believe that my entire perspective of learning has changed, and as I am
introduced to a new knowledge set, I am consistently attempting to apply it to
my own work. This is a great advantage. Medical schools explicitly state
research as one of the best extracurricular activities for prospective
applicants to become involved with, and I feel that a research background paints
an applicant as a dedicated learner. A background of pursuing knowledge in
addition to coursework is definitely advantageous."


text:
|2013-04-30, 19:15
|Link #1
Let's Puppystyle!
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Best Place In The WORLD
Age: 26
Animes that made you cry...like a friggin baby
Recommendations for animes that made you cry and shed a few manly tears?
I've seen, and enjoyed:
Madoka Magica, Clannad + Clannad Season 2 (Episode 20 or 21 w/e it was made me CRYYYYY), Canon (or was it Kanon? 2006 or something), Air, Code Geass...
I'm having a hard time remembering the rest I think.
Anyway, any super touching animes out there? Please label them as Good Crying and Sad Crying without spoiling me too much, though I suppose labeling it is in itself a major spoiler.
For example, I would label Clannad as Good Crying, Kanon as 90% Good Crying. Anything where everyone starts dying and you wish that person didn't have to die would = Sad crying :\.
Oh i've also seen Ano Hana
|2013-04-30, 19:33
|Link #2
Hail the power of Fujoshi
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: hahahahahahahahaha
Age: 29
Sad crying: Saikano, Wolf's Rain, Ayashi no Ceres, KGNE, Rainbow: Nisha Rokubou no Shichinin, Casshern Sins, Grave of Fireflies, X/1999 and Shin Hakkenden.
Good crying: Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora, Angel Beats, Cardcaptor Sakura (there are a number of scenes that really warm the heart)
I am not sure whether I should include Shin Hakkenden, because I watched it on AXN almost 10 years ago and I have been searching for it ever since then, but to no avail. Well, this anime is not very popular to begin with....
|2013-04-30, 19:47
|Link #3
Let's Puppystyle!
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Best Place In The WORLD
Age: 26
Of those I've seen Ayashi no Ceres and Angel Beats. Great series.
As for cardcaptor sakura...i remember seeing that on cartoon network or something when I was a kid...is that not a kid's show? I do remember seeing somewhere as I got older that the "american" version was very different/heavily edited compared to that of the Japanese version. I always thought it was a series for little girls :O. Please let me know if I"m wrong haha
p.s. - thank you for the recommendations!
Also when I typed in KGNE to myanimelist nothing came up, would you mind letting me know what KGNE stands for? Thanks again !
|2013-04-30, 19:52
|Link #4
Hail the power of Fujoshi
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: hahahahahahahahaha
Age: 29
I can't completely deny that CCS is targeted towards young girls, but I thought that certain issues such as death, grief and reincarnation are addressed very maturely. More than that, almost all the characters undergo character development. The ending is one of the best anime endings; all the hints that appear throughout the anime are pieced together in a surprising and unexpected ending. There is more depth in this anime than what it initially appears to offer, so don't be fooled by the magical girl genre.
KGNE-Kimi ga nozomu eien
Last edited by MUAHAHAHAHAHA; 2013-04-30 at 20:11.
|2013-04-30, 20:22
|Link #5
Let's Puppystyle!
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Best Place In The WORLD
Age: 26
|2013-04-30, 20:41
|Link #7
Let's Puppystyle!
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Best Place In The WORLD
Age: 26
|2013-04-30, 20:49
|Link #8
Hail the power of Fujoshi
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: hahahahahahahahaha
Age: 29
|2013-04-30, 21:57
|Link #9
Yuri µ'serator
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: FL, USA
Age: 31
I'd highly suggest Little Busters for mostly good crying (same source material creators as Clannad/Kanon/Air).
And maybe Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo for good crying (it got me to anyways in the latter part of the series).
|2013-05-01, 03:59
|Link #11
Join Date: Feb 2013
Age: 21
Reading This made me Remember those times I cried While Watching These shows.
Specially Clannad, (My Most unforgettable line in that show is when Akio said these "It is a parents dream to see their children's Dream coming true." Something like this.)
|2013-05-09, 00:45
|Link #12
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2005
Age: 37
I don't know what else you might have seen, so I'll shotgun blast a bunch and hope a few of them stick.
Good Crying (happy, inspirational) : Angelic Layer, Kaleido Star, ARIA the Animation and its sequels, Love Hina (a few eps anyway), Azumanga Daioh, Mushi-Shi,
Mixture of Good/Sad: Fruits Basket, A Little Snow Fairy Sugar, Kurau Phantom Memory, Shinigami's Ballad, Zettai Shounen, Starship Operators (last ep), Popotan, Da Capo franchise, Aishiteru ze Baby, Scrapped Princess, Solty Rei
Laughing through the tears: Excel Saga (wish I could think of more like this)
Sad: Chrono Crusade, Figure 17, Full Moon wo Sagashite, Lucky Star (just ep 22), Mahoromatic (especially the penultimate episode), Now & Then Here & There, Pita Ten, RahXephon (only and I mean ONLY ep 19), Haibane Renmei, Kokoro Connect, Pretear, Rozen Maiden, Fullmetal Alchemist (2003 version -- 2009 didn't do as much for me), Arc the Lad (mainly ep 13), Someday's Dreamers II
MANLY TEARS: Samurai 7, Vandread, Gurren Lagann, Strike Witches, Vividred Operation, G Gundam, Pretty Cure Splash Star, Heartcatch Pretty Cure, Nanoha franchise, Scryed
|2013-05-09, 15:52
|Link #13
Disabled By Request
Join Date: Feb 2013
For this I'd recommend Tokyo Godfathers and it is of the mixed variety, depressing tale, but surprisingly happy ending.
|2013-05-10, 07:33
|Link #14
Join Date: Nov 2012
Age: 27
Here's a collection I made in this forum a few months ago, only tear-jerkers (IMO). Check through the list, i'm sure you'll find something! Most of the animes in my list probably has some sort of romance, or something that makes you grow very attached of the characters. Clannad and the other Key animes are like the mothership of all tear jerkers, so it's hard to find something that are quite as good those, but every anime on my list have at some point during the anime made me cry, some more than others of course.
|Thread Tools


text:
Data Center Solutions Case Study
WetterOnline—one of the largest weather, travel, and climate web sites in Germany— was experiencing poor performance, high cost, and an expanding footprint from their scale-out storage infrastructure. However, the implementation of a combination of Dell servers with Dell Acceleration Appliance for Databases—which contains SanDisk ION Data AcceleratorTM software-defined storage and Fusion ioMemoryTM PCIe cards—has improved response times, reduced storage latencies, and eliminated input/output bottlenecks.
The Bonn-based company WetterOnline—one of the largest weather, travel, and climate web sites in Germany—provides online weather updates for users' locations and the weather worldwide. The site is one of the top 20 most visited sites in Germany. Users can interact with cutting-edge radar tracking clouds, precipitation, lightning, and temperatures in real time to obtain accurate worldwide forecasts and climate readings.
wetteronline.de also offers a vast array of current and historical weather data from all over the world. Whether visitors are seeking average temperature charts, sunshine hours, wind, or precipitation, all weather and climate data can be accessed in the form of clear weather maps, which are retrieved from weather stations. Users can also access information relating to climate, storms and extreme weather, as well as photo galleries and weather videos. The site boasts an average of more than 500 million page impressions, nearly 150 million visits, and more than 6 million visitors per month. In addition, the site has received more than 10 million app downloads.
The company provides B2B solutions to a number of enterprise customers in industries, such as construction, energy, retail, healthcare, and farming. The companies utilize these services to obtain better climate and forecast data to manage the areas of their businesses that are affected by weather. For example, retailers use forecast data to ensure that they have the most appropriate products in stock—barbeque tongs for sunny days and umbrellas when rain is expected.
The Challenge
WetterOnline has invested significantly in its IT infrastructure in recent years. The technologies are required for processing the vast amounts of data that feed the company's meteorological services. However, managing the huge infrastructure that had been built up over the years had proven to be extremely costly. Furthermore, the lead times for adding new services was restricting the company's agility.
The previous infrastructure consisted of a home-grown application and database. The company was managing an environment that consisted of nearly 170 physical servers with an EMC Isilon scale-out storage infrastructure. The IT team was facing several challenges, primarily due to the massive size, high cost, and poor performance of the architecture. The company decided that a new solution should be sought—one that could consolidate the environment and virtualize the large number of servers to help reduce costs. Specific requirements included the ability to handle at least 100,000 IOPS
Bernd Kuhlen, Head of Systems Administration, WetterOnline
The Solution
To meet their stated requirements, WetterOnline drew up a list of potential vendors who then put the efficiency of their systems to the test in a proof of concept evaluation. Some of the solutions that were evaluated included a hybrid storage appliance, a hard disk drive (HDD) solution, a competitor solid state drive (SSD) solution, and modifications to the current EMC Isilon architecture.
As a trusted advisor, Dell assisted with some of the evaluations, comparing a flash configuration to a spinning disk architecture. For the same investment, the flash performance exceeded that of the HDDs by a considerable margin. This test convinced Dell that a flash solution would better provide the performance and consolidation that WetterOnline needed.
"The Dell solution is intuitive and easy to handle," said Bernd Kuhlen, Head of Systems Administration at WetterOnline. "The price was compelling, and the commitment of the Dell team during the proof of concept phase was immense." Dell approached SanDisk to assist with developing a flash-based solution.
WetterOnline now relies on a virtualized end-to-end solution from Dell for its wide range of meteorological services for corporate and private customers. The company has replaced the nearly 170 physical servers with just 18 virtualized Dell servers, using VMware vSphere5.5 virtualization software. The end-to-end solution is arranged in three server racks, each containing four Dell PowerEdge R820 and two Dell PowerEdge R720 machines. WetterOnline also benefits from the "Dell Acceleration Appliance for Databases" (DAAD). The combination of Dell servers with the Fusion ioMemory ioDrive2 cards speeds up applications, improves response times, boosts efficiency, reduces storage latencies, and eliminates input/output bottlenecks. In addition, the Dell Acceleration Appliance for Databases (DAAD), which contains SanDisk ION Data Accelerator, provides different hosts with access to shared flash memory.
"The accuracy of our forecasts and the quality of our real-time website and mobile services makes wetteronline.de the trusted source for weather information across Germany," Kuhlen told us. "After three months of testing, it was clear that the DAAD offered the best performance out of the three appliances we tested. The DAAD allowed us to run more complex analyses to continue to improve our forecasting services, with an affordable all-flash solution that helps us extract more value from our IT systems."
Peter Dümig, Field Product Manager Enterprise Solutions, Dell
The Result
The team at WetterOnline told us that the data for weather reports are now being crunched at a substantially faster rate. For the company's radar service, WetterOnline was pushing out updates to customers every five minutes. While the previous architecture took four minutes to process the data, the new system now processes the same data in less than three minutes—a 25 percent improvement. In addition, the processing speeds of some customized services have improved by as much as 60 percent.
Enhanced flexibility was one of the company's goals for the project. WetterOnline operates in a competitive environment where the development of new weather services for corporate, industrial, media and consumer markets is crucial to success. New services can now be introduced in just a few hours, whereas in the past, this process took up to 20 days. "The new virtualized Dell solution has been instrumental in elevating WetterOnline to a more competitive position. It provides the technological basis for future business growth. In addition, with the Dell Acceleration Appliance for Databases (DAAD) and VMware ESX, we have improved transaction processing speeds while also freeing up existing resources to support new services," said Kuhlen.
During the concept and implementation phases, Dell and SanDisk worked in concert to develop a solution to meet WetterOnline's unique requirements. The companies held joint meetings with the customer, where they presented options and solutions. "Due to the perfect cooperation with our colleagues from SanDisk, WetterOnline recognized us as one team and trusted advisor," said Nico Terrey, Senior Solutions Engineer at Dell.
Each vendor provided manpower, hardware, and software to enable evaluation and testing. "Collaboration with Dell and SanDisk has been exemplary throughout the whole project, from consulting and design through to implementation and ongoing service and support," said Kuhlen. "We have boosted productivity and are delivering services faster."
"Many service providers, as in the case of WetterOnline, are faced with the challenge of having to adopt a more agile technology infrastructure to be able to exist in highly competitive markets," Peter Dümig, Field Product Manager Enterprise Solutions at Dell, explains. "Due to our extensive experience with projects of all sizes from virtually every industry, Dell is able to offer its customers an optimum level of support in servers, storage and networking. Dell works closely with its customers and partners to develop comprehensive and future-proof solutions to ensure that they are well-prepared for the future. The DAAD is a good example, since it comprises Dell PowerEdge server and services, SanDisk ION Accelerator software, and Fusion ioMemory PCIe cards from SanDisk—with IP of both companies to optimize the entire solution."
The performance results and cost savings discussed herein are based on internal testing and use of Fusion ioMemory products. Results and performance may vary according to configurations and systems, including drive capacity, system architecture and applications.
SanDisk предлагает решения, которые помогут оптимально использовать инфраструктуру как компании из списка Fortune 500, так и стартапа с пятью сотрудниками.
Персонал отдела продаж SanDisk готов ответить на ваши вопросы и обсудить разработку специализированного решения SanDisk для вашей организации.
Мы будем рады ответить на ваши вопросы, для этого просим вас заполнить форму.
Спасибо. Мы получили ваш запрос.


text:
(NewsUSA) – The last couple years have been tough for consumers. Worries about the economy, employment, and political issues can make personal cash management frustrating.But there is a way to get back in the driver's seat with your finances. And while the tough economy may make a robust savings plan hard to achieve right now, there is one area of your wallet you can manage smartly: bill payments.Yes, those bills need to be paid. However, understanding your options in managing those payments, and ways to help avoid unplanned budget-busters, can give you a measure of control over both your credit rating and your bottom line.To keep things simple, here are two quick bill payment tips: Tip No. 1: Time your bill payments.When money's tight, it's tempting to pretend those bills don't exist. That's a bad idea, as ignoring bills means extra costs in late fees and the cost of credit. Instead, prioritize your bills around their due dates, and educate yourself on the bill payment options available to maximize your cash flow and help make payments on time. Consider using a mix of payment methods. If you are mobile-savvy, text reminders and bill-pay are a perfect choice. If you want someone else to stay on top of due dates, schedule recurring payments with your biller or bank.When you're out of time, or simply want the convenience of paying bills while out shopping or running errands, look for a walk-in payment Agent location. Walk in Agent locations are typically located in neighborhoods where you work or reside and offer extended hours and same-day bill payments to many billers. Tip No. 2: Do what works.There are plenty of ways to pay your bills. The best way is your way. Organize your bill paying around what feels most comfortable for you, and staying on top of payments will be (almost) painless. Some like to sit in front of their computer, while others want to pay that utility bill in the store when they're doing their grocery shopping. Whatever works for you is the best way to handle those bill payments.So, as much as possible, try and ignore those bad news headlines. But do pay attention to your bill due dates, and put a payment strategy in place that works for you and your good credit standing.Tips provided by Western Union. For more information, visit WesternUnionPaysMyBills.com.
This article is copyright free. You are free to use it on a blog, website, in a newspaper, or newsletter.
To re-post this, copy the content above, or HTML on the right, and paste onto your site.


text:
Excited about Shin Megami Tensei IV? Leaked scans from this week's Famitsu reveal that the role-playing game will be out in Japan on May 23. And Shin Megami Tensei IV will bring a companion in case it gets lonely. Hey, video games have feelings too!
Nintendo is releasing a Shin Megami Tensei IV 3DS XL too. You can see what it looks like in the scan below.
Don't think this is only for hardcore fans. In Shin Megami Tensei IV, it's possible to select the game's difficulty as well as save and load games wherever folks like. These features were included to make the game more approachable to new players.
For more on Shin Megami Tensei IV, check out Kotaku's previous coverage.