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Thursday, August 31, 2006
Morning News
Nice article - I hope that people around will check out Violet Dawn and Kanner Lake and find themselves entertained. Thanks for the opportunity Brandilyn!
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
I am done going to my job. I have a little more work to do remotely from home, but otherwise I am FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
I'm just a little relieved.
I also had an interview today from our local newspaper regarding my role as Pastor Hank Detcher on the Scenes and Beans blog. And, would you look at that! Seems like the good Pastor had an interesting post today: Scenes & Beans: Feast . . . or Fast! I'll give y'all more on this as I have updates on the interview for the paper.
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Power of Praise
My last day was supposed to be September 7th. A couple of weeks ago I found out that the person who I replaced didn't like their job, so then decided to take MY place. Interesting, no? But I also found out that this person would be starting back full-time on 8/28. Hmmm. I was also responsible on 8/25 to help train them on the new computer system installed since they left. Oooooo-kay. The Lord had spoken to me about "finishing strong", so I endeavored to do so, even though it was an uncomfortable situation to say the least.
Friday I did what I could to train the person, although the way things were scheduled that wasn't easy to do. Also, I thought I had 2 more weeks where I could help train her, so I didn't feel the need to cram everything in.
At around 3:30 my boss called me aside and explained that they were going to be paying me and the new (old) person to do the same thing. He suggested that I cover Saturday morning and Monday night, 7 more hours in total, and then I could be done. They had to pay me until 9/7 anyway, but they were willing to pay me to stay away.
I had expected this, but since it was only 2 days away I still was a little shocked. I would've thought they'd have done it sooner. Oh well. I accepted, figuring 2 weeks paid vacation would pay writing and blogging dividends. Then on the way out, I noticed that my name had already been pulled from the hallway sign, replaced with the new (old) person.
I had a 25 minute commute home. When I left work in June after finding my contract wouldn't be renewed, I was a mess. This time, I slapped in Third Day, Offerings II CD and praised Jesus with all I had. When I got home I was in a great mood, and hardly had any lingering feelings about the day.
All of this story just goes to show: there is power in praise. When we can get our eyes off of our own situations and focus on the goodness of the Lord, then our troubles fall away in the light of His glory. If you are having a hard time, see if you can't lift your voice to heaven, and proclaim the faithfulness of Jesus. If you can, you should find comfort in the storm, reassurance that He holds you in His hands, and He will see you through. If you have a hard time finding that focus, read the Psalms. So many of them were written when David or other authors were in hot water, and even though they are crying out for deliverance, they see that His provision and grace will see them through.
Friday, August 25, 2006
Why Do You Read?
What do you think?
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Crown of Fire
First, I have a complaint about the endorsements on the 1 volume version of Firebird. On the cover the endorsement is from Bob Briner, author of Roaring Lambs. He is a gentleman I deeply respected for his position in the entertainment industry and the way he walked out his faith. But his quote sets up the book as "anticipating the coming Messiah. A must read for people of science and people of faith." The problem is, if you don't know who Bob Briner is, then any impact of the quote is lost. True, there's not a lot of Christian Sci-fi to go to an author for an endorsement, but there may have been a "better name" to go with this.
The endorsement by Christopher Parkening, premier classical guitarist, on the back cover is even more puzzling. Why would I care what a musician says about a book? I know Kathy Tyers is classically trained as a musician, but this endorsement is just a little bizarre. Anyway, these are quibblings, but goofy endorsements don't help the book! Had I seen this in the store, wondering about the book, they would make me think, "Ooooo-kay, they couldn't get anybody with authority in fiction to endorse it." What do my fellow tour folks think of this?
Again, the warning of spoilers if you continue...
Crown of Fire is the third installment of Firebird. This book has an interesting history. Firebird and Fusion Fire were written originally in the 80's, then were re-written in their "definitive vision" state along with Crown of Fire in the late 90's(a la George Lucas and the Special Edition of Star Wars perhaps?). I mention this, because the third book carries a different tone altogether from the first two books.
Firebird has been called back to Netaia to be reinstated as an heir to the throne. Brennan, weakened in his Sentinal powers from Fusion Fire, accompanies her and the two try to set up a trap to capture a Shuhr agent in order to mount a final attack on Three Zed. Through many official balls and events, Firebird is put into danger as they try to lure out the Shuhr agent tracking them.
Meanwhile, there is infiltration into the Netaian government, and Tel Tellai must rise up from his previous meekness to confront great danger to his homeworld.
Again, Tyers takes us through an explosive finale (I'm sorry, but it can't be explained any other way!). I can't really give away too much more about the plot in my synopsis here without major spoilers.
Here in lies one of the problems with Crown of Fire: it has one major set-up that takes up half the book. All the preparation for the major confirmation ball, and Firebird's personal conflict (again), takes too much time to develop. I really bogged down for a little while, waiting for things to take off. There would be little action events here and there, without much satisfaction as a reader.
As I mentioned before, I think I can really tell the time lapse from when the first two were written to this one. It felt like I was reading a different series, just with the same characters.
Now, once the middle to 2/3's point is reached, the book takes off and doesn't let you go - you end up catching your breath at the end, white knuckles and sweat running off your palms. So, don't lose heart in the beginning of the book. Those who are patient are rewarded with an exciting ending (even though some events are tied up a little too conveniently, but this is hard NOT to do).
Overall, I though Firebird was the strongest book, though not by much over Fusion Fire. Crown of Fire is a little disappointing, but it still is worth pushing through to get the resolution to the series, and is rewarding in the end. It just takes a little more determination in the 3rd book. I enjoyed Firebird's journey, and there were some side characters like Tel who had very satisfying character arcs.
I enjoy Sci-Fi movies like Star Wars and Serenity more than reading these type of books. However, Firebird was a great summer journey, and it actually spoke encouragement to me in situations I was dealing with through the summer. I recommend Firebird heartily - just don't put me on the cover as an endorsement just yet...
Jim Black
Rachel Marks
John J. Boyer
Valerie Comer
Bryan Davis
Beth Goddard
Rebecca Grabill
Leathel Grody
Karen Hancock
Elliot Hanowski
Katie Hart
Sherrie Hibbs
Sharon Hinck
Pamela James
Tina Kulesa
Shannon McNear
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Cheryl Russel
Mirtika Schultz
Stuart Stockton
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Fusion Fire
Warning: if you haven't read any of the first book, this discussion will give spoilers!
Today I want to talk about the second book of the trilogy: Fusion Fire. Like any good middle book, it should be full of angst and drama, with darkness ready to overtake the heroes (think The Empire Strikes Back or The Two Towers). This book generally does not disappoint.
Here we find Firebird married to Brennan Caldwell, pregnant with twin boys who will carry on the Caldwell line and legacy. She wakes up to the discomfort due to the pregnancy, but ends up foiling an intruder who is trying to kill them. After calling security, it is discovered that Brennan's brother and his family were all killed. Who could be trying to destroy the Caldwells?
The Shuhr. The Sentinals and Shuhrs are descendents from the planet Ehret, which was almost destroyed due to pride, greed, and civil war. The Sentinals pursue a path of justice and righteousness, following the teachings of the Holy One and anticipating the Word to Come. The Shuhr reject any higher authority and look to only themselves and augmenting their epsilon powers to obtain immortality and destroy the Sentinals and the Federacy once and for all.
It is prophesied that a Caldwell will bring destruction to Three Zed, the Shuhr home world. Events are sparked by an unlikely source: Firebird's power hungry sister Phoena, who travels to Three Zed to enlist the Shuhr's help in throwing off Federate control of their home planet of Netaia. Her presence there forces Brennan's hand in trying to infiltrate Three Zed.
Meanwhile Firebird is coping with the eminent birth of their twins, as well as trying to develop her own epsilon powers. It was found that her lineage included an outcast Sentinal, giving her Ehretan genes that promise the mysterious abilities to her, if she can develop and control them.
Fusion Fire is darker than the initial entry. The villians are deliciously evil characters who scare you, make you cheer for their destruction, but leaving you wondering how they could possibly be defeated.
The pacing slows a little bit, dealing with Firebird's pregnancy and her attempts to access her epsilon powers, which leads to a lot of internal struggle. One of Tyers' strengths is establishing her new cultures in engaging ways, but since Netaia and the Sentinals were introduced in Firebird, only the Shuhr get that treatment here. Also, the twins drop off in importance once they come and events spiral in a different direction, making the investment in their well being somewhat misspent.
However, the tension is more intense, making up for any short-comings in pacing. The end is explosive yet again, and leaves you waiting for the conclusion of the trilogy. I definitely recommend this volume as well.
Stay tuned tomorrow for the discussion of Crown of Fire, as well as the overall impression of Firebird, and a couple of interesting observations. Also, check out the peeps below, who are my fellow participants in the CSSF Tour!
Jim Black
Rachel Marks
John J. Boyer
Valerie Comer
Bryan Davis
Beth Goddard
Rebecca Grabill
Leathel Grody
Karen Hancock
Elliot Hanowski
Katie Hart
Sherrie Hibbs
Sharon Hinck
Pamela James
Tina Kulesa
Shannon McNear
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Cheryl Russel
Mirtika Schultz
Stuart Stockton
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Monday, August 21, 2006
Today is the start of the current Christian Science Fiction and Fantasy Blog Tour, sponsored by my good friend Becky Miller. We're working out of an exciting book, Firebird by Kathy Tyers. I was able to participate with this month's tour thanks to winning a copy of the book from Mirathon. Thanks so much Mir!
There's not a lot of Christian Sci-fi to my knowledge, but this effort makes up for it! Firebird is a trilogy, so I will talk about each book over the 3 days of the tour.
Firebird is also the name of the initial book in the series. We follow Lady Firebird Angelo, born in a royal family on the planet Netaia. Normally this would be a good thing, but not on a planet that encourages ritual suicide for excess nobility. Netaia has a tradition that only two heirs can live a full life, but other children are conceived just in case something happens. Since Firebird falls after older sisters Carradee and Phoena, she is trained in the royal Navy. She leads an attack on a neighboring planet, and if she can't die in battle, she is expected to do away with herself to appease the "Powers".
On the other side of the battle is Brennan Caldwell, a Federate officer who is a member of a mysterious race called Sentinals. His people are looked to for protection, but are also feared because of their unique abilities and tragic past. Caldwell swears himself to obedience to the Holy One, and works to prevent upheaval from the Shuhr, an off-shoot of his people that are interested in conquest and immortality.
Firebird and Caldwell are brought together in an explosive time, and their adventures hurl Firebird toward her destiny, one that she did not imagine was possible. Netaia and the Federation hang in the balance.
The opening book moves quickly to hook you into Firebird's world. The details of Netaian society are dizzying in their complexity. I always admire sci-fi and fantasy writers because they have to create their own worlds, and Kathy Tyers deserves special notice for the work she puts forth here. She builds tension, characterization, and action neatly through the first half of the book, so that you are compelled to finish the book quickly. The inner tension is as exciting as the explosians and battles. The book does not disappoint in its ending.
Overall this book is an excellent read and a great introduction to this series. I read most of it over traveling in Germany, and I was always pressing for time in our journey to slip a little more reading in.
I encourage you to check out others on the tour below, as they will have different insights to share. Be sure to catch up with Fusion Fire tomorrow!
Rachel Marks
John J. Boyer
Valerie Comer
Bryan Davis
Beth Goddard
Rebecca Grabill
Leathel Grody
Karen Hancock
Elliot Hanowski
Katie Hart
Sherrie Hibbs
Sharon Hinck
Pamela James
Tina Kulesa
Shannon McNear
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Cheryl Russel
Mirtika Schultz
Stuart Stockton
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Monday, August 14, 2006
Be Ye Warned
Job Update
Three months is up on September 7th.
I suppose that should cause some sort of panic response, with me rushing around trying to find a job, maybe jumping into the first thing that comes along. Well, so far that isn't happening. The reason it isn't happening is because the Lord speaks to His people today, just as He has before. And He is speaking unbelievable calm and peace into my life.
Oh, I get uptight at times, starting to wind myself up into a tizzy. But He continues to speak to me: Don't strive. I am Your provider. I am your refuge.
Last week I even pulled a Gideon: Lord, I really need a lead or a word from You to help me keep going. He was gracious to give me a word, but only after He spoke about not striving, and I relaxed in Him again. When the encouragement came from a speaker at our church, I wasn't "grasping" for it. I did go talk to the speaker so he'd have the opportunity to speak if so lead, but I didn't go up begging for a word either.
This might come across as patting myself on the back, but it shouldn't. I would be a wreck if it weren't for the mighty grace of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. To quote a song: He is my Rock, He is my Glory, He is the Lifter of my head. If anyone out there is discouraged, then run to Him. He is faithful in our time of need. (He happens to be faithful outside our time of need too, something we sometimes ignore, but that's another post ;) ).
So I don't have a job yet. But I have peace, and right now I won't trade that for anything.
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Deliver Us
Wow! I made my order. Now get on, get over to Amazon! Hurry. And tell them Jason Joyner sent you! :D
Well, I have had a couple book reviews and discussion of Christian fiction topics. There is a reason I am interested in this. I have a little secret to share. Come closer...
I want to be a writer.
Probably not. I think aspiring to be a writer is a very common thing. Seems like everyone had a novel in them. Now everyone wants to write a memoir - not because we've had all terribly interesting lives, but it is easier to make things up to make it absorbing (a la James Frey).
I know several of the people who stop by here are buddies from a site called faith*in*fiction, so they would realize this. In fact, it was all the people from f*i*f that were blogging that made me want to check this out.
I've always enjoyed writing, and have been told I'm a good writer often. However, I know that just having some compliments doesn't make one a writer. I have been working on my craft slowly since I started this journey a couple of years ago. It has been an interesting story, I think at least. I hope now to hone my skills and use them to glorify God and further His kingdom, whether it be writing an engaging blog, having articles published, or even someday penning that novel.
I will share a little more about this journey presently. Until then, remember that God is good!
Saturday, August 05, 2006
Time for a Plan
It has been fun, and I had the privilege of being linked by the main Calling All Nations website, which really drove up my traffic and got me a lot of hits from Germany and elsewhere in Europe.
Over these first few months I have been able to tinker and experiment with what I post here. A lot of what I've done was dealing with the Berlin event, which is understandable. I'm feeling now that I need to define this blog a little better, with a more focused mission. It is nice to have a little spot in the wide blogosphere to vent and express oneself, but I'd like this blog to have a little more about it as well.
I intend to define what this blog will be about over the next week or two. Now, I am interested in people's feedback, so if you have any thoughts, I'd love to hear from you. Especially any of my German friends, if there is anything that you'd like to see to keep you coming here. My thoughts for this blog center around the Christian life as it relates to reaching the world. This comes in both the idea of classic missions, but also in using the arts to speak into culture, specifically writing.
Anyway, that's what I'm pondering today. We'll see how it plays out over the next couple of weeks.
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Always Learning
I woke up in the middle of the night with my chest feeling like it was full of pudding. I staggered out of bed, fumbling for the cough syrup. I also dug around for the Vick's Vapor Rub, figuring anything to help would be great. Through bleary eyes I saw that the Vick's had an expiration date of 2000 on it. Vapor rub has an expiration date? Couldn't be that bad, so I slathered it on my chest and went back to bed.
Unfortunately, not back to sleep. This was due to the growing sensation that my chest was smoldering. I know that Vick's evaporates, giving a nice tingling sensation to help with the chest relief. But I don't think it goes as far as wondering if my chest hair was on fire. I seriously contemplated getting up and taking a shower, but it finally subsided after about a half-hour of tossing and turning.
I checked first thing this morning, and I didn't seem to lose any chest hair. However, you can bet I will be buying a NEW container of Vick's before I go home tonight...


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Hi folks! It's been a minute since I last talked about the cars bedroom
The main reason for me not staying on task when it comes to this room is because I can't figure out the direction I really want to go in to complete it…
I remembered a project that Emily worked on a while back and I decided to try it for myself. She covered a roller shade in fabric for her bathroom and I thought it would be perfect for the boys room considering how my 2 year old pulled down the curtains in my oldest son's room.
The breakdown
My materials included a roller shade from Walmart ($5), some spray adhesive (already had), Fabric glue from Walmart, scissors, and a credit card (to help smooth out the fabric)
First let me say that this was my first time dealing with a roller shade. I mean, my grandmother had them in her home when I was growing up and I knew how to let them up and pull them down, but other than that, this was my first time using one for myself
Okay…So I opened the shade and rolled it out completely
These shades come in a larger width than my window and at the time I started this project, I didn't realize that they can be adjusted (DON'T YOU DARE LAUGH)
Once the fabric was laid out on top of the shade, I started applying the glue across the top edge to attach it to the pole(?)
Here is where I realize (NOW) that I went wrong. Once the fabric was glued to the top, I flip it shade over
and applied the spray adhesive (YES, IN THE HOUSE)
That stuff is so sticky it's ridiculous! I don't have a picture of this part, but when I tried to smooth out the shade on top of the fabric, it was a big mess
I kept going though. It was wrinkled and I didn't care. So anyway, with my wrinkled fabric covered roller shade, I began to finish the sides
The right side was easy to do. I simply lined the shade up to where the pattern ended and then all I had to do was fold over the excess part and glue it down
(ignore the fact that I need a manicure!)
For the other side, I found a point to use and it was my guide for cutting
My "cut guide"
Once I reached the top of the shade, I simply cut a piece from around the part where the mounting piece is (?) I did this because the rest of it will be folded in anyway…
What I need for you to do is go back to the top of this post and read the title…
Okay, see where it says ALMOST? Yeah, that's because I almost had window treatments for this room!!! This thing was so sticky and and wrinkled and ugly by the time I got to the bottom part, I threw it across the room
Know worries though, no one was hurt during my time of rage I am going to attempt this project again. This time I think it will turn out a whole lot better! Hopefully I'll have something to show you next week.
For a project so simple and inexpensive, it really gave me a run for my money. Plus my 2 year old probably thought I was crazy afterwards!
If you want to see more on how this project should have turned out, head over to Emily's post and Jennifer Nicole made a cute one for her daughter's room
Have you had a hard time with a project that is just too easy to mess up?!

subset: commoncrawl


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Jellyfish Sting?
I want to avoid jellyfish while swimming in Chesapeake Bay. What steps can I take?
Several different species of jellyfish inhabit Chesapeake Bay and nearby coastal waters. The most common jellyfish in the summertime Bay, and the one most responsible for stinging swimmers, is the sea nettle Chrysaora quinquecirrha (Cry'-sore-ah kwin-kah-sehr'-ah). Because these organisms occur within a narrow range of temperature (78 to 86°F) and salinity (brackish waters of 10 to 16 parts per thousand), scientists have been able to develop an experimental real-time computer model that predicts the likelihood that sea nettles might be found in an area based on the appearance of water masses that meet these criteria. The model uses no field data concerning sea nettle abundance or distribution, it simply shows where the water is of the appropriate temperature and salinity to support sea-nettle blooms.
Because jellyfish are planktonic animals that tend to move with tides and currents, another way to minimize the likelihood of encountering sea nettles and other jellyfish is to avoid swimming or boating along windward shorelines or where a flood tide encounters an obstacle.
Covering exposed areas and applying topical sprays may also help prevent stings. Beached jellyfish and dislodged stinging cells can continue to sting, so avoid touching any jelly-like masses you might encounter on the beach.
If I've been stung, what should I do?
A jellyfish sting results when one or more of the stinging cells (nematocysts) embedded in the animal's tentacles discharges its small, harpoon-like structure and venom into the tissues of its prey. Jellyfish stings are painful yet rarely life-threatening, particularly from the species present in Chesapeake Bay. The rare fatalities are either due to the effects of the venom itself (e.g., the tropical box jellyfish), or to an allergic reaction.
The following information on treating a jellyfish sting is taken with permission from "I've Been Stung: What Should I Do?," an article by Paul S. Auerbach, M.D., M.S. from the Divers Alert Network. To view the full article, which contains information about treating the stings and bites of other marine creatures as well, visit http://bit.ly/1baVeZH
BE PREPARED TO TREAT AN ALLERGIC REACTION FOLLOWING A JELLYFISH STING. If possible, carry an allergy kit, including injectable epinephrine (adrenaline) and an oral antihistamine.
The following therapy is recommended for all unidentified jellyfish and other creatures with stinging cells:
- If the sting is believed to be from the box jellyfish (Chironex fleckeri) [Steinberg note: not found in Chesapeake Bay], immediately flood the wound with vinegar (5 % acetic acid). Keep the injured person as still as possible. Continuously apply the vinegar until the individual can be brought to medical attention. If you are out at sea or on an isolated beach, allow the vinegar to soak the tentacles or stung skin for 10 minutes before attempting to remove adherent tentacles or to further treat the wound. In Australia, surf lifesavers (lifeguards) may carry antivenin, which is given as an intramuscular injection.
- For all other stings, if a topical decontaminant (e.g., vinegar, isopropyl [rubbing] alcohol, one-quarter-strength household ammonia, or baking soda) is available, apply it liberally onto the skin. If it is a liquid, continuously soak a compress. (Be advised that some authorities advise against the use of alcohol because of scientific evaluations that have revealed that some nematocysts discharge because of this chemical's application.) Since not all jellyfish are identical, it is extremely helpful to know ahead of time what works for the stingers in your specific geographic location.
Apply the decontaminant for 30 minutes or until pain is relieved. A paste made from unseasoned meat tenderizer (do not exceed 15 minutes' application time, particularly on the sensitive skin of small children) or papaya fruit may be helpful. Concentrated citrus (e.g., lime) juice may be helpful. Do not apply any organic solvent, such as kerosene, turpentine, or gasoline.
Until the decontaminant is available, you may rinse the skin with sea water. Do not simply rinse the skin gently with fresh water or apply ice directly to the skin. A brisk freshwater stream (forceful shower) may have sufficient force to physically remove the microscopic stinging cells, but non-forceful application is more likely to cause the cells to fire, increasing the envenomation. A non-moist ice or cold pack may be useful to diminish pain, but take care to wipe away any surface moisture (condensation) prior to the application.
- After decontamination, apply a lather of shaving cream or soap and shave the affected area with a razor. In a pinch, you can use a paste of sand or mud in sea water and a clamshell.
- Reapply the primary decontaminant for 15 minutes.
- Apply a thin coating of hydrocortisone lotion (0.5 to 1 percent) twice a day. Anesthetic ointment (such as lidocaine hydrochloride 2.5 percent or a benzocaine-containing spray) may provide short-term pain relief.
- If the victim has a large area involved (entire arm or leg, face, or genitals), is very young or very old, or shows signs of generalized illness (nausea, vomiting, weakness, shortness of breath or chest pain), seek help from a doctor. If a person has placed tentacle fragments in his mouth, have him swish and spit whatever potable liquid is available. If there is already swelling in the mouth (muffled voice, difficulty swallowing, enlarged tongue and lips), do not give anything by mouth, protect the airway and rapidly transport the victim to a hospital.


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Szczesny signs new Arsenal contract
Discuss all the hot topics from the world of international soccer
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Szczesny signs new Arsenal contract
Great news for all Arsenal fans like me! Read more about the Polish whizz here http://premierskills.britishcouncil.org ... er-profile
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Re: Szczesny signs new Arsenal contract
Listen man post this in the polish players section instead of trying to get links back to your site.
ps.com has seen napster, aj axurre, rasiak, msn messenger - all of them - come and go quietly into the good night, and here it stands - a profitable internet giant in the face of all obstacles making a tidy profit from google adsense - JDE
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11th Anniversary HOUSE OF PRESENTATION Sale – From 21 August Till 27 Sept 2015
Must Buy item – La gourmet Grand Gourmet 38cm 5-ply Wok
Product Description
All La gourmet 5-Ply clad stainless steel contains :
1st layer: 18/10 Stainless Steel
2nd layer: 1145 Pure Aluminium
3rd layer: 3004 Aluminium Alloy
4th layer: 1145 Pure Aluminium
5th layer: 18/10 Stainless Steel
Why is it important that the La Gourmet Wok is 5-Ply :
-Stainless Steel though hygienic, lacks good heat conducting qualities, so to be effective for cooking stainless steel must be combined with more efficient heat transmitting metals like aluminium or copper. La Gourmet 5-Ply 18/10 stainless steel wok has 3 layers of aluminium sandwiched in between the 18/10 stainless steel which enables the wok to have excellent heat conducting capabilities.
-Thus La Gourmet 5-Ply 18/10 Stainless Steel Woks has the versatility of stainless steel and aluminium's heat efficiency.
Use and Care :
-Avoid Baking Salt in Wok. Baking salt for long periods of time can cause pitting on the wok to occur.
-Avoid Hitting Wok with Sharp Objects. Avoid hitting the wok with the sharp ends of the stainless steel spatula. This may cause dents and small pin holes on the surface.
-Use Low to Medium Heat. Due to the high heat retention, once the cookware is heated, medium or low heat is sufficient to perform normal cooking. This saves energy, gas and money.
-Cleaning Burnt and Stuck Food On the Wok. Just put some water inside and heat the wok up. The food or stains will loosen up and can be cleaned with a brush. If stubborn stains persist, just use a bit of stainless steel cleaner to clean the wok. The cookware will be as good as new.
Inner Vessel Material: PP
Food safe: Japan Food Drug Administration (FDA) Approval
Only available at House Of Presentation Bangsar Village and House Of Presentation Ikano Power Center .
House of Presentation Bangsar Village
Lot G12 Bangsar Village Shopping Centre,
No.1 Jalan Telawi 1, Bangsar Baru,
59100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel : 03-22874399
Operating Hours: Daily 10am – 10pm
House of Presentation Ikano
F-5 1st Floor
Ikano Power Center,
2 Jalan PJU 7/2, Mutiara Damansara,
47800 Petaling Jaya
Tel : 03-7726 9399
Operating Hours: Daily 10am – 10pm


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With two weeks left until Inauguration Day, the question of how Donald Trump's presidential victory will impact President Barack Obama's legacy remains.
In "The Obama Legacy," author Earl Ofari Hutchinson shares how the 44th president should be remembered.
"His presidency was a great source of pride, not solely because he was America's first African-American president, but because of his superb political acumen, savvy, and ability to get things done despite the towering obstacles from the GOP," Hutchinson says. "This marked him and his administration as an administration that will serve as a model for future political accomplishment."
In the book readers can find a rich analysis of several big-ticket issues that rocked the Obama presidency and excerpts from his signature speeches during his years in office.
Some key issues assessed include: the fiscal crisis, the war in Iraq, gun-related massacres, health care reform, climate control, police violence, abortion, immigration reform, same-sex marriage and the Clinton email scandals.
Hutchinson notes that President Obama's great moments and accomplishments but for him none stood out more than the hundreds of pardons and clemencies he announced he would grant to low-level drug offenders, the majority of whom were black and poor. Hutchinson describes those decisions as a courageous act that testify to Obama's legacy as a president committed to equal justice under the law.
In addition to being an author, Hutchinson is also a political analysist, contributing writer to the Huffington Post and The Wave, associate editor of New America Media and a radio host.
Hutchinson is a Dorsey High School hall of famer and alumnus of Cal State L.A., Cornell and Cal State Dominguez Hills.
"The Obama Legacy" is the third installment in Hutchinson's trilogy on the Obama presidency. The other books are "How Obama Won" and "How Obama Governed: The Year of Crisis and Challenge.
"The Obama Legacy" is available for $9.95 on Amzaon.com.


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A qualified physician, Dr Dwivedi decided to become a filmmaker after practising as a doctor for a couple of months. His mega serial, Chanakya, which aired on Doordarshan, brought him acclaim. This was followed by the not-so-successful Ek Aur Mahabharat on Zee TV.
Now, Dr Dwivedi is debuting on the big screen with Pinjar. He jokes that he wants to compete with the legendary Indian poet Kalidasa, who wrote seven epic novels, by at least making seven films.
Based on Amrita Pritam's celebrated novel, the film deals with the aftermath of Partition and will release on October 24.
Pinjar opened to mixed responses at the International Indian Film Festival in New Delhi, reveals the filmmaker. While some felt it was too lavish, others found the actors evolving into individual characters to the detriment of the film.
Clad in a turquoise blue kurta and black churidar, Dr Dwivedi, who speaks chaste Hindi despite being brought up and educated in Mumbai, shared some of the difficulties in making a Partition drama with Sukanya Verma. Excerpts:
Why did you decide to drop your medical profession in favour of a more creative career?
Who says a person who has been trained for some other profession cannot write a book, create poetry or be a filmmaker? Rather, such people are more serious about their chosen profession than the one they have been trained for. Their integrity and dedication are higher than the other professionals in the same field.
At some point or the other, everyone is unhappy. But a poet is able to express it. That is a God-given gift. However hard I try, I cannot be Gulzar or Javed Akhtar. But I have been blessed with an unusual perspective when it comes to history. I do not, for example, see the Mauryan era the way the others do.
Actually, it is not paradoxical that a trained physician turns to creativity. As a general physician, he is constantly surrounded by people. I practised as a doctor for exactly a month and 28 days.
Were you always interested in India's rich culture and literature? Did making a hit television serial give you confidence or did you always want to direct movies?
I have always been interested in literature. I used to write essays and plays even when I was in school. In fact, I didn't agree with most of the content in the plays I watched back then. I felt I could write better. When my plays were staged, I received a lot of praise; people told me I had knack for it. So I continued writing. I had no desire to be a filmmaker. I had only written Chanakya. Someone else was to direct it. But as the differences between us continued to mount, I decided to direct it as well. It was a challenge for me. I never strategically planned anything.
Initially, Chanakya was supposed to be a film. I went to television later because it was not possible to meet telecast deadlines if I shot it on film. The medium of films is not new to me. I started with films, then worked on video and have now reverted to films.
Why did you choose Amrita Pritam's Pinjar? What fascinated you about this novel? Does the film carry any message?
A filmmaker's life is like a journey with various stopovers. During this journey, he is constantly looking for subjects that suit his thought and perspective. I wanted to make serious cinema. Serious literature fascinates me. While going through various stories written on Partition, I read Saadat Hasan Manto who has written some of the most meaningful stories that bring out the pathos of Partition. Then I read Pinjar. I was sure I would be able to make it into a meaningful film. What I found special about the novel was its depiction of the crumbling structure of society, people's beliefs, faith, values of life and principles. There is mistrust between two communities. All the props which keep our society alive or take it forward are falling apart. Among these crumbling structures, can two totally paradoxical personalities with different ideologies who belong to communities that have been enemies for ages live together? Pinjar says they can. This is the message of the film.
What does Partition mean to you?
I wasn't born before Partition. Plus, I was born in Rajasthan, so no one in my family had a tale to tell me about Partition. So I knew nothing about its pain and tribulations.
But when I read about it, I realised what a tragedy humanity has gone through. And yet, men did not lose faith; they got on with life. I believe, and the historians agree, the history of humanity has never witnessed a darker tragedy. Without waging a war, 10 lakh people died. There were crores of people who were uprooted from their homes. Even the affluent were begging for a handful for pulses. All this happened because those who were crossing over, especially from here to the other side, thought they would have everything they wanted there. But I don't think that happened. Otherwise there wouldn't have been so much of a tussle between India and Pakistan for the last 56 years.
The reasons that resulted in the birth of Pakistan still remain. The questions which lead to a war remain unanswered even after the war ends. Crores of people crossed over, lakhs of women were raped, crores of women were abducted. Later, most of them were restored to their families, but a tragedy of this magnitude has not been there in the history of humanity.
But this tragedy was confined to the written word. When someone searches through these stories and wants to make a film, he is asked, 'Why do you want to make another film on Partition?'
We are sick of telling love stories. Why don't you look at love stories which really shake a human being's existence?
We are tired of repeated versions of supernatural tales. Yet they continue to assault our sensibility. Is it a crime to try and create a meaningful dialogue or work on a meaningful subject?
A person who dares to be different is put in the dock and asked how he dares to be different. Actually, society should be put in the dock and asked what it has done to make things better in the last 56 years?
The questions remain the same even today. So does the interaction between Hindus and Muslims. The words, the sentences and the slogans remain the same.
The Hindu-Muslim issue is a very sensitive subject in our country. Will the film hurt the sentiments of either community?
In any part of the world, wherever there are two communities, two ideologies, conflict is bound to happen.
Even when I made Chanakya, there was a controversy though it had no Hindu or Muslim issues. Vicharon ka mathbhed hamesha rehta hai [A clash of views will always exist].
I don't think there can be any controversy regarding Amrita Pritam's work. As far as I am concerned, Pinjar is Amrita Pritam's creation. Even if there is a controversy, the onus to discuss what is wrong is on both the sides. If they can prove what I am doing is wrong, I am willing to speak to them. I refuse to accept a perception based on external evaluations.
What kind of research did you need to do for Pinjar, which is a period film?
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There are two types of creative filmmakers -- one is aware of the period, story, structure, architecture and society. When such a film is made, it is called a period film. The second kind do not depict a period in their films. So 'periods' are badly or faithfully recorded in films.
If I had made a film in 2002, it would have had all the nuances of that year. Everything related to the lives of the people of that era will be reflected. It cannot form the crux of the story, but it will be evident in, maybe, a particular news item in a newspaper. For example, if I make a film set in 1993, it will have mention the mandir-masjid issue.
Re-creation has become a habit with me. The three important things for successful re-creation are art, archaeology and contemporary literature. You do not require too much help from art and archaeology to recreate 1946-47, since it is possible to look at those structures and the architecture. Plus, you can look at old photographs. To obtain the knowledge of the society of that time, stories written in that period are of great help. I read a lot of literature from that era as well as post-Partition stories that carry the images and pictures of that particular time.
So my work was both easy and difficult. It was easy because we had a lot of material to fall back upon. It was difficult because it is recent history and people could easily pinpoint our mistakes. Chanakya was set in 4th century BC, a period the common man was not familiar with. But there are lots of people who can accurately describe India in 1947. Pinjar is not just a story; it has history and society as its backdrop. That's why we were really careful with the dates and details required to recreate that period.
Where did you shoot Pinjar?
After touring the whole of Punjab, we decided it was difficult to shoot there as it has really developed and progressed. The structure was still Old Punjab, but there was so much of electrification, development and modernisation. So we shot those portions in Rajasthan or recreated sets in Mumbai. The camps of Amritsar and Lahore have been shot in Mumbai. We did shoot in Amritsar's Golden Temple.
What were the problems you faced while making Pinjar?
The main difficulty is that you hardly get any support for such films. Even if it is an Amrita Pritam book, literature is usually ignored in films. Our usual opinion is literature spells failure. Whether you go to the producer, the first question asked is 'Why literature?'
Literature doesn't fulfill the expectations people have from films. I would like to mention two lines of Premchand, 'Main doodh bechna chahta hoon. Log mujhse sharaab bechne ko kehte hai [I want to see milk. People expect me to sell wine.]' That's why he left films.
Did you have to make any compromises as a filmmaker while making Pinjar?
Immensely. It would be a lie if I say I didn't compromise during the making of this film. There were certain things that I wanted to do differently. I started with a conviction that remained unchanged till the end of the film. But not everyone associated with it had the same reasons or continued to share the same wavelength.
It was a question of integrity. And the fact that certain people feel a film is meaningful only if it is successful.
I want Pinjar to do well so that if another Chandraprakash Dwivedi wants to make a film on a different subject in the future, my film is not cited as an example of what happens to such movies.
What did you think of other Partition films -- Garam Hawa, Tamas, 1947: A Love Story, Gadar: Ek Prem Katha?
Gadar and Pinjar share the same background, but don't speak the same language. The difference between the two is Pinjar is literature. So you cannot expect Pinjar to portray hatred, sloganeering or any other kind of provocation. Our approach is very realistic. Pinjar has the format of successful Hindi films but does not emulate commercial films.
Did any film inspire you while making Pinjar?
Tamas. I have seen it many times. I have grown up on Shyam Benegal and Govind Nihalani's films. I believe in their kind of cinema.
Is Pinjar art or commercial cinema?
Anyone who has spent Rs 13 crores will expect a return from his film. Even the art filmmakers, as you call them, want their films to do well. Even if a big industrialist spends Rs 50 lakh on a film, he would like to get that money back.
Pinjar boasts of a huge cast. Your wife, Mandira, and Rakesh Satu are the casting directors. How did they choose the cast?
Pinjar has a huge cast of 180 actors. But I am used to it since I was dealing with 300 artistes every day in Chanakya.
The casting was done keeping in mind the requirements of the story; my casting directors have been familiar with this subject for a while now. I wrote the screenplay and dialogues for Pinjar in 1998.
Urmila is associated with glamorous roles. She has never acted in a period film before. What made you think she was right as Puro?
I think I'll this answer this question after the film releases. I don't think we have the right to confine an actor to a certain image. If we are not able challenge talent, it shows our own limitations. Naseer [Naseerudin Shah] is an example of an actor who did not get enough challenges, as we don't have enough stories. I think Pinjar will pinpoint the fact that it is the writing, and not the actor, that is limited.
Urmila and Isha Koppikar have prominent Marathi accents. Did you work hard with them to get a Punjabi undertone?
Yes, they do have prominent accents. Actually, a director should be present when dubbing takes place. I don't know about others, but I was there for the dubbing process as well. The actresses have worked really hard, which is as it should be.
Are you satisfied?
They have done a very good job. But the credit for this success goes to our recordist, Narender Singh, who is Punjabi. He has excellent command over the language. Dubbing is not only about pronunciation, it is about 'feeling' as well. The dialogues will not strike you as mere words.
Did you ask the cast to read the book?
I did ask them. Some read it. Some did not.
When you told Amrita Pritam you want to adapt her book for your film, what was her reaction?
In the novel, the story starts in 1935 and ends in 1948. In the film, it starts only in 1943 and ends in 1948. Amrita Pritam is such a liberal person; she frankly told me her medium is writing novels, stories and poems, while making films is mine. And the two are totally different. She gave me complete freedom to do what I want.
Has she seen the film?
Why did you choose to release Pinjar 's music at the Wagah border?
There are several reasons. For one, the women who were abducted during Partition passed through the Wagah border. The women who were later restored to their respective families -- where they were either rejected or accepted -- passed through the Wagah border. Thirdly, there were a couple of women who helped unite other women with their families. They passed through the Wagah border. Lastly, Punjab was one of the states that was most affected by Partition [The Wagah border lies between Amritsar and Lahore].
Any interesting memories whilst filming Pinjar?
Filmmaking is like giving birth to a child; the memories will always be painful. Whenever a film is on a literary subject, it is like watching literature being murdered.
You have said you hope Pinjar releases in Pakistan.
Everyone, and not just me, wants Pinjar to release in Pakistan. The story is directly related to India and Pakistan, but those for whom the film has a message and those who can relate to the values it is talking about cannot see it.
If we want to release Pinjar in Pakistan, we will have to speak to both the Indian and Pakistani governments. This is not simple when neither government gains anything out of it.
Pinjar started small but has become big by the time of its release. Now 20th Century Fox is releasing it in India. How does it feel?
Initially, Pinjar started with a very humble budget of around Rs 90 lakhs -- it finished as a Rs 13 crore film.
My producers [Lucky Star] were meeting several distributors within the industry. But our so-called distributors do not have faith in such films. Some felt there is no need to make such movies. Some felt the actors weren't saleable enough. Everyone had a different opinion. None of these opinions support cinema. Why should I start a dialogue with people who don't want Pinjar? Meanwhile, my producers met Twentieth Century Fox. Fox believes in this kind of cinema. Fox is an international institution and has made several movies. Our producers were highly impressed. That is why they opted for Fox.
Do your sensibilities match with Bollywood? Can you see yourself directing a Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham?
No. I cannot. I don't regret it either. However, when I saw the film, I honestly liked it. I saw it on television and I wondered why people are criticising it. Everybody chooses his own story and his own format. What I noticed was how beautifully it was executed.
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folder shortucts / links behaviour
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Poor Brad Pitt. Poor extremely wealthy, highly beautiful, outrageously talented Brad Pitt. Because despite his charmed Hollywood existence and dashing, chiselled features, the actor is just like you and me.
In the wake of his divorce from Angelina Jolie, Brad, 53, is hurting and he's hurting bad. Tabloid reports have revealed he's dealing with his vast array of painful emotions by listening to a sad songs playlist filled to the brim with gloomy Bon Iver tunes, while vaping and working on a sculpture project. Oh Brad, we've all been there – well, maybe not the sculpture project. And definitely not the vaping. But the heartache? The soul-sapping feeling of utter emptiness? The long, sleepless nights and constant thinking? Sure. Who hasn't been dumped and then immediately reached for the glummest tunes possible so they can wallow in their misery and take minor comfort in the fact that someone, somewhere out there, feels the same way?
There are many options when it comes to artists to soundtrack a split – from Adele to Nick Cave to Kanye West – with a strong case to be made for just putting on a whole load of classic country music, a genre in which literally all songs are about being dumped or drinking too much whiskey on a bayou. Once, Dido's perfectly anodyne 'White Flag' came on Magic Radio after I'd just been ditched and my goodness, I don't think I've ever been as upset since.
Yet Bon Iver – the millennial, plaid-clad king of the break-up ballad – has been Brad's rather more tasteful tearjerker. Bon Iver's Justin Vernon made his name a decade ago with his debut album 'For Emma, Forever Ago'. It's an exceptional record, but one that's basically 37 minutes of a grown man sat in a shed crying, 'But whhyyyyy?' Brad's low-key, sensitive fanboying of Justin Vernon hasn't escaped the man himself, who tweeted a response upon discovering he's been helping an A-lister through his heartbreak. "Cool," he wrote. "Someone get Brad at me, I guess? We should talk."
We can picture it now: Justin in his snuggliest woollen jumper, stoking the fire in the cabin in the woods and pouring Grey Goose into a pair of tumblers, awaiting the arrival of a very sad Brad. Then, in the distance, a motorcycle engine can be heard. It is, of course, the leather-clad movie star, who's ridden through the night from LA to seek solace in Justin's warm heart and words of wisdom. As Brad comes through the door, Justin places a hand on his shoulder – a hand blistered from brandishing an axe and chopping down trees all day – but a hand that understands. Brad sheds a single tear. Brad will get through this. We all will.


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Herman defends hiring Beck as Texas OC
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) New Texas coach Tom Herman vigorously defended hiring former Ohio State assistant Tim Beck to be his offensive coordinator on Thursday, saying he was ''surprised'' by some of the social media criticism from Longhorns and Ohio State fans.
Herman said Beck was his primary target as offensive coordinator. The hire was announced this week after Ohio State lost 31-0 to Clemson in the College Football Playoff.
''I was really surprised because it was very well known that Tim Beck didn't call plays at Ohio State,'' Herman said. ''I think the negativity was misplaced on him.''
Beck was co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Buckeyes the past two seasons. Herman was offensive coordinator at Ohio State before becoming head coach at Houston, and he hired Beck after talking to Ohio State coach Urban Meyer and two of his former Buckeyes players, quarterbacks J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones.
''They think the world of him,'' Herman said. ''Tim Beck was extremely successful when he was a play caller at Nebraska ... so chalk that one up to a lot of misinformation on social media. I will never by any of that because we're privy to a lot more information than what `Joe Fan' is.''
Beck will call plays for the Longhorns, Herman said.
Herman takes over a program coming off three losing seasons. He was hired in a 24-hour whirlwind after Texas lost its final game of the season on Nov. 25 and fired Charlie Strong.
The offensive coordinator job is of particular interest and scrutiny for Texas fans. Strong struggled to find the right play-caller, using a combination over three seasons.
Herman has been busy, building his staff and recruiting. He noted the struggles of signing a quality class in a short time. National signing day is Feb. 1.
''We're going to swing for the fences, there's no doubt,'' Herman said. ''As much as we have to sell here ... what we don't have is relationships with a lot of these guys. That makes it very difficult to get in.''
As for evaluating his current players, Herman said he hasn't watched a single snap of the 2016 season and doesn't plan to. Each player will have to earn his way on the field.
''There are no starters. This is a meritocracy,'' Herman said.
Texas hasn't won a Big 12 title since 2009 and has lost at least four games each year since. Herman said he's determined to improve the program across the board, from building an ''army'' of support staff to upgrading facilities.
''We're behind, but not by much: Nothing a multimillion-dollar face lift can't fix,'' he said. ''If Alabama has it, Clemson has it, Ohio State, Michigan have it, we're gonna have it.''
More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25


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|"firstname.lastname@example.com is a ransomware virus that can be a serious threat for your computer. Existence of this disguising virus invites more and more trouble in to your computer as well as can be very mush risky for you as the whole intension of this ransomware is to make money from innocent computer user."
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|"email@example.com" hijacks your current page and redirect it to advertising websites.
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|Performance degradation of system, Malware Attacks, Cyber Theft.
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|All versions of Windows Operating System.
We would recommend to use below tool and run it on your computer to remove email@example.com automatically.


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SIL Senior round-up: Champs Achilles go top as Henley crush previous leaders Capel
PUBLISHED: 19:18 25 November 2018 | UPDATED: 19:19 25 November 2018
Defending champions Achilles went top of the SIL Senior Division after a 3-1 win at home against East Bergholt.
John Boorman looped a header from the far post to open the scoring for the home side before Bergholt hit the bar and then a fierce drive by Connor Field hit the post for Achilles.
Bergholt started the second half strongly and Achilles stopper Danny Crump was called upon to save again. But despite his heroics, the visitors deservedly equalised from a corner that wasn't cleared, Graeme Butcher applying the final touch as the ball was driven back across the goal.
Sam Colver in the Bergholt goal was having a fine game and saved well from Field before Achilles took the lead directly from a Gavin Van Oene corner. Achilles finished the match on top and Darren Van Oene struck a shot that bounced out after hitting an internal stanchion. Referee Mr Joyce was well placed to award the goal.
Previous league leaders Capel Plough were thrashed 5-0 at home by Henley Athletic, who moved up to second as a result.
Athletic took an early lead when the unmarked Mark Storey headed in from a corner after three minutes play.
Arran Sheppard fired home from another corner after 20 minutes, before Nile Francis shot home from the edge of the area after 35 minutes and Storey scored his second just before the break, shooting home from ten yards as a one sided first half ended.
A defensive mix up just after the restart saw Ross White set up Clark Bruce who slotted home from close range for number five.
Both sides finished the game with ten men as Plough defender Aaron Whitman was sent off for pulling back White who was also sent off minutes later after a flare up between the players.
Elsewhere, Coplestonians enjoyed a crushing 7-1 win at home over Leiston St Margarets. Ross Turner, Josh Smith (hat-trick), Lewis Owen and Yani Duka (two) got the goals for Cops, while Josh Butler netted a consolation for Leiston.
Other scores: Benhall St Mary 2 Claydon 1, Bourne Vale United 2 Crane Sports 1, Haughley United 3 Trimley Red Devils 3, Wenhaston United 3 Bramford United 1.
If you value what this story gives you, please consider supporting the East Anglian Daily Times. Click the link in the yellow box below for details.


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Pop Theory 15: Is the "Cotton Ceiling" Theory All Fluff?
- The service having id "propeller" is missing, reactivate its module or save again the list of services.
- The service having id "buzz" is missing, reactivate its module or save again the list of services.
Late Friday night [a few months ago] I got a one-line text message from a very dear friend of mine:
"What are your thoughts on the 'cotton ceiling' theory?," she asked.
Although I assumed it was a riff off "glass ceiling," I replied "I've never heard of it," while simultaneously googling "cotton ceiling" on my laptop. One of the first hits was to a piece on femonade explicitly about the "cotton ceiling" theory:
The cotton ceiling is a theory proposed by trans porn star and activist Drew DeVeaux to explain the experiences queer trans women have with simultaneous social inclusion and sexual exclusion within the broader queer women's communities. Basically, it means that cis queer women will be friends with us and talk day and night about trans rights and ending transmisogyny, but will still not consider us viable sexual partners.
The term cotton ceiling is a reference to the glass ceiling that second wave feminist identified in the workforce, wherein women could only advance so high in the workforce but could not break through into positions of power and authority. The cotton represents underwear, signifying sex.
The theory of the cotton ceiling is useful in identifying the dynamic trans women are experiencing, and is meant to open up conversation around desirability's intersections with transmisogyny and transphobia.
While the allusion to "cotton" baffles me, and, therefore, while I don't feel the metaphor to be apt, I do comprehend what the author is saying: how inclusive are queer women of transwomen if said queer women refuse to have sex with them?
The concern as it is articulated comes across as petulant and, ironically, a tad misogynistic. This individual believes that lesbians won't sleep with her because she's trans, but how can she make that judgement? Her feeling smacks of the "all homos are sex maniacs" argument. But just because I'm a homo it doesn't mean that I want to hump everything with a vagina, "born" or "made." To be honest, I don't want to sleep with 99.9% of the women out there. Why? Because my standards are such that it takes more than simply having a vajayjay — although a vajayjay is required — to get into my knickers, and, to
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Now I was disappointed when Gebr decided to skip the Olympic marathon due to concerns about pollution, and I doubt he would have beat Wanjiru on that day anyway (2:06:32 in the heat and smog of Beijing was a great run), but he has certainly shown that while he may have lost some speed on the track - he came 6th in the 10,000m - he is still the king of the road (and also close to a million dollars richer).
Now let's break down his time.
He went through the halfway mark in 62 min 04 secs; which means he ran the second 21.1km faster than the first (ok only 5 secs faster, but still most mortals would only do the second half of a marathon faster if the ambulance they were in the back of on the way to hospital decided to go along the marathon route).
Now the time itself - 2 hrs 3 minutes, 59 seconds over 42.195 km. Break that down and it's 2 minutes 56 secs per kilometre. Should you be near a gym in the next few days, hop on a treadmill and try it at that pace for a kilometre. If you're still standing, you can call yourself fit. Do it for another 2 kilometres and I hope you're getting paid for whatever sport you play.
Ok, break it down some more. That pace equates to running 400m (one measly lap of the oval) in 70secs. 800m? We all did that at school - but hands up if you did it in 2 min 21 secs? If you did, you were most likely the state champion in your age group.
How fast is that for a mile? 4min 43sec. Ok, it's not Roger Bannister pace, but the difference is Gebrselassie kept it up for 25 more miles...
How close is he now to breaking the 2 hour mark (aside from the obvious 4 minutes)? He would need to run every kilometre 5.6secs faster. Or every 400m 2.2secs faster, or only 0.56 secs faster per 100m. That's only half a second! A doddle! The first 100m should be easy... the next 421.95 lot of them might get a bit tougher though...


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Chesterfield Vintage 2-seat Sofa Black
per piece
Chesterfield Vintage 2-seat Sofa Black
Are you also crazy about the style of living of the classic Brits? Characterising obviously is the Chesterfield couch, with that unique and distinctive button pattern. A button applied to every corner, it ensures an unparalleled appearance in your interior. The high armrests complete the picture. With this black Chesterfield Vintage 2-seat couch you are sitting well, literally and figuratively.
In every interior, both classic and modern, the black colour realises its full potential. The unvarnished leather takes care of an additional tone of retro. It is with good reason that the 2-seat couch in the style of Chesterfield is immensely popular worldwide. Order now at House of Chesterfield! Need any help?
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|W: 150 cm, H: 79 cm, D: 92 cm, Seat height: 50 cm, Seat depth: 56 cm
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|2-4 weeks
Artikelnummer: 102011


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Asked by:
IE9 RTM - XDomainRequest issued requests may abort if all event handlers not specified
General discussion
I just struggled with a problem in a web application that I develop, and wanted to inform the rest of the community and the IE developers in case they run into it (or would like to fix it in an IE service pack).
I'm using XDomainRequest to issue requests. Most of my requests were succeeding as expected (and all were in IE9 Beta and IE8), but occasionally some specific requests would abort in the browser after the response was received. The server would return the full response and a 200 HTTP response code, but inspecting the requests in Fiddler shows that they're inexplicably aborted occasionally (one specific response of approximately 917 bytes of JSON which results in a bit of browser UI updating would abort approximately 70% of the time... another request which is just a no-op would succeed nearly 100% of the time).
The solution in my case was to add the following event handler to the XDomainRequest object:
invocation.onprogress = function() {};
Other handlers may also be necessary (the complete list that I now have specified are: ontimeout, onerror, onload, onprogress) to avoid this.
I hope this saves someone else some time!
All replies
With the nature of how onprogress works, I'm guessing that the requests that succeeded simply never attempted to call the onprogress handler (I hadn't tested that). Prior versions of IE must have gracefully handled the onprogress event handler being unspecified (which is proper), whereas IE9 aborts.
I mentioned the other handlers because I've heard reports of ontimeout causing some similar problems if unspecified, but didn't test removing it in my code personally. It's possible that only the onprogress handler is required.
This solution was not the full solution for me.
This is the remainder of the solution - http://www.cypressnorth.com/blog/web-programming-and-development/internet-explorer-aborting-ajax-requests-fixed/ that worked successfully for me. Only adding the handler did not change/fix the issue, but is required. Here is the full solution incorporating suggestions from other comments on the blog post:var xdr = new XDomainRequest();
// Suggested this may be required under some circumstances.
xdr.open('POST', statUrl);
// Must attach
xdr.onload = function () { };
xdr.onerror = function () { };
xdr.ontimeout = function () { };
xdr.onprogress = function () { };
xdr.timeout = 0;
// Suggested that some initialization time may be required to prep the XDomainRequest prior to send being called.
var sendSetTimeout = 200;
// Do not unwrap .send method. Required to run on a separate thread.
setTimeout(function () {
}, sendSetTimeout);
- Edited by Jeff Fischer Sunday, February 17, 2013 5:31 AM


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Do you have a used Atom or Cutting Systems UK Ltd Machine that you would like to sell?
Do you have a used ATOM or system supplied by us (Cutting Systems UK Ltd) that you are looking to sell? We are always looking to buy our machinery and systems back.
We can sell on your behalf if we know what is available and either keep the machine at your site until sold or move it into our storage facility to allow your space back.
Click HERE to Read More


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Mysa Nal trained on Sorcerer's World to learn the mystic arts. Her vast powers helped the Legion of Super Heroes defeat Darkseid, after which she was offered membership and accepted, as the White Witch.
On the Retroboot New Earth, when Superboy-Prime killed Kinetix, Mordu gained all Mysa's powers. Mordru then injured Blok, who was trying to protect her. Enraged she used her most powerful spell Aufero Magnus Infusco which caused all Mordu magical powers and his physical form to be absorbed into Mysa, causing her to transform into the Black Witch.
Since it's almost Halloween it seemed appropriate to post something like this.
The BG it's a modified wall paper I found.
I based this one on a comic book panel I came across.
I hope you all have an amazing Halloween!!!


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This page is a blog article in progress, written by Tim van Beek.
Water waves can do a lot of things that light waves, for example, cannot, like "breaking":
In mathematical models this difference shows up through the kind of partial differential equation (PDE) that models the waves:
Light waves are modelled by linear equations while
water waves are modelled by nonlinear equations.
Physicists like to point out that linear equations model things that do not interact, while nonlinear equations model things that interact with each other. In quantum field theory this is usually dubbed as "free fields" and "interacting fields".
Some of these nonlinear PDE turn up as geodesic equations of infinite dimensional Riemannian manifolds that describe fluid flows. This is a fascinating observation, that is due to the Russian mathematician Vladimir Arnold. In this blog post I would like to talk a little bit about the involved concepts and show you a little toy example.
The Euler viewpoint of fluids is that there are fluid packages or "particles". The fluid flow is described by specifying where each package or particle is at a given time t. When we start with a time on a given manifold , the flow of every fluid package is described by a path on parametrized by time, and for every time there is a diffeomorphism of defined by the requirement that it maps the initial position of every fluid package to the position at time .
This picture is taken from the book
We will take as a model of the domain of the fluid flow a compact Riemannian manifold that is also a Lie group. A fluid flow, as pictured above, is then a path in the diffeomorphism group . In order to apply geometric concepts in this situation, we will have to turn or some closed subgroup of it into a manifold, which will be infinite dimensional.
The curvature of such a manifold can provide a great deal about the stability of fluid flows: On a manifold with negative curvature geodesics will diverge from each other. If we can model fluid flows as geodesics in a Riemannian manifold and calculate the curvature, we could try to infer a bound on weather forecasts. In fact, that is what Vladimir Arnold did!
If you never thought about manifolds in infinite dimensions, you may feel a little bit insecure as to how the concepts that you know from differential geometry can be generalized from finite dimensions. At least I felt this way when I first read about it. But it turns out that the part of the theory one needs to know in order to understand Arnold's insight is not that scary, so I will talk a little bit about it next.
The basic strategy when handling finite dimensional, smooth, real manifolds is that you have a complicated manifold , but also locally for every point a neighborhood and an isomorphism (a "chart") of to an open subset of the vastly simpler space , the "model space". These isomorphisms can be used to transport concepts from to . In infinite dimensions it is however not that clear what kind of model space should be taken in place of . What structure should have?
Since we would like to differentiate, we should for example be able to define the differential of a curve in E:
If we write down the differential quotient
we see that we need to be able to add elements, have a scalar multiplication, and a topology such that the algebraic operations are continuous, in order to make sense of this. Sets with this structure are called topological vector spaces.
A curve that has infinite many differentials in the sense above at all points is called a smooth curve, just as in the finite dimensional case.
So should at least be a topological vector space. We can, of course, put more structure on to make it "more similar" to , and choose as model space in ascending order of generality:
1) A Hilbert space which has a scalar product,
2) a Banach space that does not have a scalar product, but a norm,
3) a Fréchet space that does not have a norm, but a metric,
4) a general topological vector space that need not be metrizable.
People talk accordingly of Hilbert, Banach and Fréchet manifolds. Since the space of smooth maps of , for example, is not a Banach space but a Fréchet space, we should not expect that we can model diffeomorphism groups on Banach spaces, but on Fréchet spaces. So we will use the concept of Fréchet manifolds.
But if you are interested in a more general theory using locally convex topological vector spaces as model spaces, you can look it up here:
If you learn functional analysis, you will most likely start with operators on Hilbert spaces. One could say that the theory of topological vector spaces is about abstracting away as much structure from a Hilbert space and look what structure you need for important theorems to still hold true, like the open mapping/closed graph theorem. If you would like to learn more about this, my favorite book is this one:
Since we replace the model space with a Fréchet space , there will be certain things that won't work out as easily as for the finite dimensional , or not at all. The definition of a (topological) Fréchet manifold however is straight forward, you can keep it word for word. We will call a function between manifolds smooth if it maps smooth curves to smooth curves: In this way we get the definition of a smooth Fréchet manifold.
With tangent vectors, you may remember that there are several different ways to define them in the finite dimensional case, which turn out to be equivalent. Since there are situations in infinite dimensions where these definitions turn out to not be equivalent, I will be explicit and define tangent vectors in the "kinematic way":
The (kinematic) tangent vector space of a Fréchet manifold at a point consists of all pairs where is a smooth curve
With this definition, the set of pairs forms a Fréchet manifold, the tangent bundle , just as in finite dimensions.
The first serious (more or less) problem we encounter is the definition of the cotangent bundle: is isomorphic to its dual vector space. This is still true for every Hilbert space (this is known as the Riesz representation theorem). It fails already for Banach spaces: The dual space will still be a Banach space, but a Banach space does not need to be isomorphic to its dual (those who are are called reflexive).
With Fréchet spaces things are even a little bit worse, because the dual of a Fréchet space (which is not a Banach space) is not even a Fréchet space! Since I did not know that and could not find a reference, I asked about this on mathoverflow here and promply got an answer. Mathoverflow is a really amazing platform for this kind of question!
So, if we naively define the cotangent space as in finite dimensions by taking the dual space of every tangent space, then the cotangent bundle won't be a Fréchet manifold.
We will therefore have to be careful with the definition of differential forms for Fréchet manifolds and define it explicitly:
A differential form (a one form) is a smooth map
where is the tangent bundle, such that restricts to a linear map on every tangent space .
Another pitfall is that theorems from multivariate calculus may fail in Fréchet spaces, like the existence and uniqueness theorem of Picard-Lindelöf for ordinary differential equations. Things are much easier in Banach spaces: If you take a closer look at multivariate calculus, you will notice that a lot of definitions and theorems actually make use of the Banach space structure of only, so that a lot generalizes straight forward to infinite dimensional Banach spaces. But that is less so for Fréchet spaces.
It is nevertheless possible to define both integrals and differentials that behave much in the expected way. You can find a nice exposition of how this can be done in this paper:
The story starts with the definition of the directional derivative that can be done just like in finite dimensions:
Let F and G be Fréchet spaces, open and a continuous map. The derivative of P at the point in the direction is the map
A simple, but nontrivial example is the operator
with the derivative
So for Fréchet manifolds we could define directly what it means to be smooth, instead of using the indirect way we did above, namely that a smooth map is one that maps smooth paths to smooth paths. But the latter works for more general topological vector spaces, too, so I thought I should mention it.
By now you should feel reasonably comfortable with the notion of a Fréchet manifold, so let us talk about the kind of gadget that Arnold used to describe fluid flows: Diffeomorphism groups that are both (infinite dimensional) Riemannian manifolds and Lie groups.
If is both a Riemannian manifold and a Lie group, it is possible to define the concept of left or right invariant metric. A left or right invariant metric d on is one that does not change if we multiply the arguments with a group element:
A metric d is left invariant iff for all :
Similarly, d is right invariant iff:
How does one get a one-sided invariant metric?
Here is one possibility: If you take a Lie group off the shelf, you get two automorphisms for free, namely the left and right multiplication by a group element :
Pictorially speaking, you can use the differentials of these to transport vectors from the Lie algebra of - which is the tangential space at the group identity - to any other tangent space . If you can define a scalar product on the Lie algebra, you can use this trick to transport the scalar product to all the other tangential spaces by left or right multiplication, which will get you a left or right invariant metric.
To be more precise, for every tangent vectors of a tangent space there are unique vectors that are mapped to by the differential of the right multiplication , that is
and we can define the scalar product of and to have the value of that of and :
This works for the left multiplication , too, of course.
For a one-sided invariant metric, the geodesic equation looks somewhat simpler than for general metrics. Let us take a look at that:
On a Riemannian manifold with tangential bundle there is a unique connection, the Levi-Civita connection, with the following properties for vector fields :
If we combine both formulas we get
If the scalar products are constant along every flow, i.e. the metric is (left or right) invariant, then the first three terms on the right hand side vanish, so that we get
This latter formula can be written in a more succinct way if we introduce the coadjoint operator. Remeber the adjoint operator defined to be
With the help of the scalar product we can define the adjoint of this operator:
Then the formula above for the covariant derivative can be written as
Since the inner product is nondegenerate, we can eliminate and get
A geodesic curve is one whose tangent vector is transported parallel to itself, that is we have
Using the formula for the covariant derivative for an invariant metric above we get
as a reformulation of the geodesic equation.
For time dependent dynamical systems, we have the time axis as an additional dimension and every vector field has as an additional summand. So, in this case we get as geodesic equation (again: for an invariant metric)
As a simple example we will look at the circle and its diffeomorphism group . The Lie algebra of can be identified with the space of all vector fields on . If we sloppily identify with with coordinate , then we can write for vector fields and the commutator
where is short for the derivative:
And of course we have a scalar product via
which we can use to define either a left or a right invariant metric on , by transporting it via left or right multiplication to every tangent space.
Let us evaluate the geodesic equation for this example. We have to calculate the effect of the coadjoint operator:
If we write for the vector fields , and , this results in
where the last step employs integration by parts and uses the periodic boundary condition for the involved functions.
So we get for the coadjoint operator
Finally, the geodesic equation
turns out to be
A similar equation,
is known as Hopf or inviscid Burgers' equation. It looks simple, but its solutions can produce behaviour that looks like turbulence, so it is interesting in its own right.
If we take a somewhat more sophisticated diffeomorphism group, we can get slightly more complicated and therefore more interesting partial differential equations like the Korteweg-de Vries equation. But since this post is quite long already, that topic will have to wait for another post.


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The Honorable Joe Eddie Lopez
Arizona State Senate
Questions Presented
- Are state employees covered by the merit system unless specifically exempted under A.R.S. § 41-771?
- Does an agency have any authority to "uncover" a position that is not specifically exempted?
Summary Answers
- By definition, all employees in "state service" are covered by the merit system. The definition of state service in A.R.S. § 41-762(2) excludes only employees who hold positions within the exemptions in A.R.S. § 41-771.
- Agencies do not have the authority to "uncover" positions. The Legislature has specified in subsections A and B of A.R.S. § 41-771 which positions are exempt from the merit system. The Department of Administration (DOA) is responsible for determining whether positions fall within A.R.S. § 41-771(B).
The Legislature has established a comprehensive state personnel system, sometimes referred to as the merit system or civil service system. See generally A.R.S. § 41-761 to 41-786; Arizona Administrative Code (A.A.C.) R2-5-101 to 2-5-903. An "employee" for the purposes of these laws is "a person holding a position in state service." A.R.S. § 41-762(1). "State service" includes "all offices and positions of employment in state government except offices and positions exempted by the provisions of this article."(1) A.R.S. § 41-762(2). As the Arizona Court of Appeals noted, "the Merit System initially encompasses all state personnel, and only then proceeds to exempt certain classes of employees from its purview." McLeod v. Chilton, 132 Ariz. 9, 18, 643 P.2d 712, 721 (App. 1981). Positions covered by the State personnel system or merit system are referred to as "covered positions." A.A.C. R2-5-101(17) (defining "covered position").
The exemptions from the State merit system are set forth in A.R.S. § 41-771(A) and (B). Subsection A provides that "[t]his article and article 6 of this chapter do not apply to:
- Elected state officers.
- State officers and members of boards and commissions appointed by the legislature or the governor, the employees of the governor's office, the employees of the Arizona legislative council, and the employees of the supreme court and the court of appeals.
- State officers and employees appointed or employed by the legislature or either house thereof.
- The curator, curatorial aids, and tour guides and any other person employed to work in the state capitol museum.
- Officers or employees of state universities and personnel of the Arizona state school for the deaf and the blind.
- Patients or inmates employed in state institutions.
- Officers and enlisted personnel of the national guard of Arizona.
- The single administrative or executive director and one deputy director of each state department or agency.
- Not more than two assistants who serve in the office of an elected state officer, where that elected state officer is the sole elected head of the department.
- One administrative assistant who serves a board or commission elected to head a state agency, department or division, and one assistant for each elected member of such board or commission.
- Persons reporting directly to the governor.
- Employees of the department of emergency and military affairs who occupy Arizona national guard positions identified as mobilization assets.
- Any other position exempted by law.
A.R.S. § 41-771(A). The inclusion of the category "any other position exempted by law" indicates that other statutes may also exempt particular positions from the merit system. Cf. McLeod, 132 Ariz. at 16-17, 743 P.2d at 719-720 (Chief Veterinary Meat Inspector was exempt from merit system since statute provided that he serves "at the pleasure of the [livestock] board").
Subsection B of A.R.S. § 41-771 also exempts from the merit system positions "determined by the director [of DOA] to meet any of the following criteria:
- Top level positions in a department or agency that determine and publicly advocate substantive program policy. This includes those persons engaged in the direction of line operations if they report directly to the director or deputy director of the agency and in large multi-program agencies those persons who report directly to the head of a primary component of the department or agency.
- Those persons who are required to maintain a direct confidential working relationship with an exempt official.
- Persons who provide legal counsel.
- Positions that are part time.
- Positions that are temporary, established for the purpose of conducting a special project, study or investigation.
- Positions that are essentially for rehabilitation purposes.
- Positions that are determined by the director [of DOA] to be directly or indirectly engaged in establishing policy or enforcement standards.
- Directors of all institutions which maintain supervision or care on a twenty-four hour per day basis other than halfway houses or group homes."(2)
The Arizona Constitution further limits the reach of the state merit system. The Court of Appeals has determined that employees of the Board of Regents are not subject to the State personnel system administered by DOA because of the Board's constitutional authority. Board of Regents v. Dep't of Admin., 151 Ariz. 450, 451, 728 P.2d 669, 670 (App. 1986).(3) Similarly, this Office has previously determined that employees of the State Board of Directors for Community Colleges are exempt from the state personnel system because of the constitutional role of that board.
Ariz. Att'y Gen. Op. I88-114; but see Ariz. Att'y Gen. Op. I99-014 (employees of the State Department of Education are not exempt from DOA's authority over state personnel system).
An employee is covered by the State merit system absent a constitutional limitation or unless the employee holds a position that is exempt from the State personnel system under A.R.S. § 41-771(A) or (B). DOA is responsible for determining whether A.R.S. § 41-771(B) applies to particular positions.
Janet Napolitano
Attorney General
- Article 5 of Title 41, Chapter 4.
- These positions are exempt from article 5 and article 6, except that they are subject to A.R.S. § 41-772(D), (E), and (F), which prohibit people from coercing state employees to participate, or not participate, in certain political activities. A.R.S. § 41-771(B).
- The Supreme Court determined that a previous civil service system could not extend to University employees because of the constitutional authority of the Board of Regents. Hernandez v. Frohmiller, 68 Ariz. 242, 251, 204 P.2d 854, 860 (1949). University employees are now expressly exempt by statute.


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There are a couple of ways to create links to documents in Lexis and Westlaw.
Via the Web
1) The easiest way is to go the link-building web pages for Lexis and Westlaw and have the web page generate the link for you:
• Lexis: http://www.lexisnexis.com/lawschool/tools/linking/
• Westlaw: http://integrationsolutions.westlaw.com/customize/wizards/USDefault.wl
For Dreamweaver: Simply copy and paste the results to your Dreamweaver document.
For Faculty Profiles: Please note that you will have to copy and paste only the URL embedded in the result, not the full text/link provided. The URL is the text between the <a href=" and the closing quotation mark and does not include the quotation marks. The pictures below show what to copy.
Using Software
2) The other way is to use the link-building software that integrates with Microsoft Word:
• for Westlaw, use Westcitelink: http://www.westlaw.com/citelink/
• for Lexis, use Lexlink: http://www.lexisnexis.com/citationtools/lexlink/pricing.asp
When you install the software, it enables you to automatically create links from citations in Word to the actual document on Lexis/Westlaw. However, it is little klutzy to then edit the link, copy it and paste it into a Dreamweaver document.


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Détails du produit
The Finishing Kick Crop features a compressive fabric to provide support and comfort. with anti-microbial treatment to help eliminate odor. This running apparel also provides superior moisture management and breathability through the usage of zoned mesh paneling.
- 24" inseam (size M)
- Nylon 4-way stretch fabric
- Bonded waistband and hem
- Bonded seams with reflective peakout at front and back
- Engineered mesh panel behind knees
- Envelope back pocket with reflective gasket
- Anti-microbial treatment to help eliminate odor
- Reflective logo
- Fabric Breakdown: PowerTight (70% Recycled Polyester, 19% Polyester, 11% Spandex), Pinhole Moto Mesh (85% Polyester, 15% Elastane)


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Set on 28 lush acres of vineyards, gardens and fragrant lavender in Carmel Valley, this unparalleled new entry is set to raise the bar in luxury hospitality, August 2, 2016. Rates ranging from $950.00 to $2500.00; www.bernarduslodge.com.
Following the successful 2015 restoration of the Forbes Four-Star 57-guestroom Bernardus Lodge & Spa, the Villas & Suites offer an unparalleled experience deserving of the lodge's wine country estate-style environment. Elegant and evocative - these stunning new lifestyle accommodations will transport guests to a private sanctuary paired with butler services, complimentary Mercedes-Benz convertibles, alfresco rain showers and a three-to-one staff ratio focused on exceeding guests' expectations.
Curated for epicureans and romantics alike, the sophisticated ranch -chic design reflects Carmel Valley's inherent beauty as a seasoned hideaway. A private entry leads guests to a secluded infinity Jacuzzi and fire pit with mountain and vineyard views, setting the tone for a sequestered stay. Highlights of the spacious 1050 sq., ft., to 2100 sq., ft., accommodations include alfresco fire pits, master baths featuring hammered copper free-standing soaking tubs, wet rooms with wall and rain showers, radiant heat floors, vaulted ceilings, French doors, double-sided fireplaces and private bath patios and terraces featuring vineyard or Santa Lucia Mountain views.
San Francisco Bay Area-based AXIS Architecture and Arcsine, Inc., interior design is credited with bringing this vision to reality. Accommodations are designed with a strong indoor/outdoor aesthetic with interiors set in soft sand and celadon tones fused with warm mixed metals and punches of rich plum and Terra Cotta. Soothing buttery cognac leather upholstery, rustic European oak floors, cerused ebony furniture, dramatic bronze chandeliers with hammered iron beads and antique silver leaf accents and soft honed limestone fireplaces are showcased throughout.
Ideal for families, bridal parties or executive retreats the two-bedroom 2100 sq., ft., Villa Carmelo and Villa Sol feature custom live edge walnut dining tables for 12, Carrera marble wet bars with antique mirrors, three 55-inch flat screen televisions, complimentary wine bar & butler's pantry, and two alfresco fire pits. An element of warmth underscores the great rooms with rich hand-woven wool and bamboo rugs set in shades of sand, sable and soft coral paired with hammered bronze accents. The light-infused master guestrooms are flanked with black bone inlay furnishings, bronze metallic textured wall coverings, spacious weathered oak and antique iron luxury canopy featherbeds dressed in Italian Frette linens and custom abstract paintings by local artist Patricia Qualls.
The luxury guest bathrooms are nothing short of a work of art with an airy mix of handmade geometric tile finished in cracked celadon glaze, hammered copper freestanding bathtubs for two, custom hand-carved porcelain bathroom sinks, handsome textured marble countertops and deluxe ribbed-glass showers offset with fluted antique brass fixtures. Spacious floor-to-ceiling windows open up to a private, bougainvillea-strewn patio featuring alfresco showers set on hand-made Moroccan mosaic tile. For guest who enjoy entertaining, the expansive private patios and balconies include an outdoor sofa, table and teak furnishings, alfresco gas fire pits and the availability of a 36" professional Wolf Gas Grill for DIY repasts (Villas only).
Paired with the new debut, Bernardus Lodge & Spa is unveiling a series of top-line butler services with a specific focus on luxury baths, bocce, yoga and family or romantic movie nights.
Perennially recognized by discerning readers of Travel and Leisure's "World's Best Hotels" and Conde Nast Traveler's "Top Hotels" and as well as a Wine Spectator Grand Award recipient (2001-2014), this Forbes Travel Guide Four Star property has long set the gold standard for wine country vacationing. Originally opened in 1999 and restored in 2015, Bernardus Lodge and Spa is set on 28 pristine Carmel Valley acres awash with vineyards and lavender and boasts 71 luxurious guestrooms, suites and villas, the signature Spa at Bernardus Lodge, Lucia Restaurant & Bar, two swimming pools, an alfresco croquet and bocce court and 4,300 sq. ft. of meeting space. Woodside Hotels (www.woodsidehotels.com), an operator of a portfolio of distinguished independent luxury properties throughout Northern California, is the new management company for the property, which is located on the Monterey Peninsula, 120 mi./193 km, south of San Francisco and 330 mi./531 km., north of Los Angeles. For information, contact Bernardus Lodge at 831-658-3400 or visit www.bernarduslodge.com.


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How to: Configure a Report Server for Local Administration on Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 (UAC)
Deploying Reporting Services on Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 requires additional configuration steps if you want to administer a report server instance locally. For example, if you use the URLs http://localhost/Reportserver or http://localhost/Reports, both Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 limit the overuse of elevated permissions by removing administrator permissions when accessing applications. Because the operating system removes permissions, members of the local Administrators group run most applications as if they using the Standard User account.
While this practice improves the overall security of your system, it prevents you from using the predefined, built-in role assignments that Reporting Services creates for local administrators. However, with additional configuration on your part, you can effectively manage report server content and operations using standard user permissions if you do the following:
Add Reporting Services URLs to trusted sites. By default, Internet Explorer 7.0 on Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 runs in Protected Mode, a feature that blocks browser requests from reaching high-level processes that run on the same computer. You can disable protected mode for the report server applications by adding them as Trusted Sites.
Create role assignments that grant you, the report server administrator, permission to manage content and operations without having to use the Run as administrator feature on Internet Explorer. By creating role assignments for your Windows user account, you gain access to a report server with Content Manager and System Administrator permissions through explicit role assignments that replace the predefined, built-in role assignments that Reporting Services creates for local administrators.
This topic explains how to configure the report server for local administration after setup is finished and the report server components are configured. If you have not yet installed or configured the report server, see How to: Install SQL Server 2008 R2 (Setup) in SQL Server Books Online and Reporting Services Configuration How-to Topics. For more information about User Account Control (UAC) features and how to connect to the Database Engine with administrator permissions, see How to: Connect to SQL Server from Windows Vista in SQL Server Books Online.
If you are deploying Reporting Services on Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008, be sure to open port 80 in Windows Firewall to allow access to the report server computer. For instructions, see How to: Configure a Firewall for Report Server Access.
To configure local report server administration on Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008
Open a browser window with Run as administrator permissions. From the Start menu, click All Programs, right-click Internet Explorer, and select Run as administrator.
Click Allow to continue.
In the URL address, enter the Report Manager URL. For instructions, see Report Manager in SQL Server Books Online.
Click Tools.
Click Internet Options.
Click Security.
Click Trusted Sites.
Click Sites.
Add http://<your-server-name>.
Clear the check box Require server certification (https:) for all sites in this zone if you are not using HTTPS for the default site.
Click Add.
Click OK.
In Report Manager, on the Home page, click Folder Settings.
In the Folder Settings page, click Security.
Click New Role Assignment.
Type your Windows user account in this format: <domain>\<user>.
Select Content Manager.
Click OK.
Click Site Settings in the upper corner of the Home page.
Click security.
Click New Role Assignment.
Type your Windows user account in this format: <domain>\<user>.
Select System Administrator.
Click OK.
Close Report Manager.
Re-open Report Manager in Internet Explorer, without using Run as administrator.
Using Business Intelligence Development Studio on Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008
If you installed Business Intelligence Development Studio on Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008, you will encounter compatibility issues with the Visual Studio environment when you use the design tools. If you want to open an existing project or solution, or publish items from Report Designer or Model Designer to a report server, you must open Business Intelligence Development Studio with elevated permissions:
From the Start menu, click All Programs, click SQL Server 2008, right-click Business Intelligence Development Studio, and then click Run as administrator.
Click Continue.
Click Run Program.
You should now be able to deploy reports and other items to a report server. If you do not have sufficient permissions, you will encounter issues such as the following:
Access Denied errors when you try to open an existing project.
Login failure errors when you configure a data source connection to a shared data source.
When using the Report Server Wizard to create a report, you will get a login failure error when the Wizard attempts to connect to the external data source that provides data to the report.
SQL Server Management Studio users must use Run as administrator permissions to create logins for users who administer databases on the server. For more information about elevated permission requirements for Management Studio, see How to: Connect to SQL Server from Windows Vista in SQL Server Books Online.
See Also