text:
what are these new projects u r working on seth? any info plz
what are these new projects u r working on seth? any info plz
I'm finishing up an application called Toolfish right now, basically because I really needed something like it and couldn't find anything that fit the bill. (I was wasting a lot of time checkings websites each day.. and other website checkers that check by date were not working at all :/ plus I needed a lot of extra stuff... )
The other project is still top secret at this point, but I can tell you it's a game.
Seth A. Robinson
Robinson Technologies
Dink Smallwood: The Text Adventure?
Seth, are you still involved in any third party software development? Or are you a self sustaining software enterprise now? That would be a damn nice way to make a living.
We're only doing our own stuff right now and it is working out great.
I haven't done any major third party work for the last year or so, although if I got an interesting/lucrative enough offer I would sure think about it.
But I won't relocate - I've gotten pretty spoiled from working at home for the last ten years or so and don't plan on changing that anytime soon.
Seth A. Robinson
Robinson Technologies
Working as your own boss from your own home sounds pretty sweet.
you are an inspiration to all us wanna be game programmers.
i look forward to your new rpg ..


text:
Asperity contacts at the nanoscale: comparison of Ru and Au
Fortini, A, Mendelev, MI, Buldyrev, S and Srolovitz, D (2008) Asperity contacts at the nanoscale: comparison of Ru and Au J. Appl. Phys. 104 (2008) p. 074320.Full text not available from this repository.
We develop and validate an interatomic potential for ruthenium based on the embedded atom method framework with the Finnis/Sinclair representation. We confirm that the new potential yields a stable hcp lattice with reasonable lattice and elastic constants and surface and stacking fault energies. We employ molecular dynamics simulations to bring two surfaces together; one flat and the other with a single asperity. We compare the process of asperity contact formation and breaking in Au and Ru, two materials currently in use in micro electro mechanical system switches. While Au is very ductile at 150 and 300 K, Ru shows considerably less plasticity at 300 and 600 K (approximately the same homologous temperature). In Au, the asperity necks down to a single atom thick bridge at separation. While similar necking occurs in Ru at 600 K, it is much more limited than in Au. On the other hand, at 300 K, Ru breaks by a much more brittle process of fracture/decohesion with limited plastic deformation.
|Item Type:
|Divisions :
|Surrey research (other units)
|Authors :
|Date :
|3 July 2008
|Uncontrolled Keywords :
|cond-mat.mtrl-sci, cond-mat.mtrl-sci
|Related URLs :
|Depositing User :
|Symplectic Elements
|Date Deposited :
|17 May 2017 13:16
|Last Modified :
|24 Jan 2020 23:43
Actions (login required)
|View Item
Downloads per month over past year
Information about this web site
+44 (0)1483 300800

subset: commoncrawl


text:
I turn thirty today, and it seemed worth a moment of reflection. That said, I've struggled to decide what I want to say. On the one hand: I'm actually quite happy to be thirty. My twenties were a great decade, but I've gotten tired of the reflexive condescension people throw your way when they realize … Continue reading On turning thirty.
Category: Intentional Living
Envisioning a positive response.
Thinking about ways to better channel my energy—less ranting, more productive problem solving.
Perseverance in the face of mild inconvenience.
Some days I find it hard to get going, and I dismiss all the small things that hold me back. Those problems are real, but they don't mean I'm helpless.
Estimation by day, year, and lifetime.
When I write my to-do list every morning, I put down everything I could to to achieve a truly terrific day's worth of work. As I go through the day, I cross off tasks, and often re-write my list several times. Each time I re-write it, I make a more accurate list of priorities. I re-focus. I get more done.
Working ahead.
By working ahead, I hope to create better content for readers and feel less stressed. Here's to hoping I make it happen in 2017.
Breaking the snooze addiction.
About a year ago I gave up the snooze button on my alarm clock. Seriously, everyone should do this.
Doing good.
"Superman does good." Sure, but shouldn't we all? This is how I'd like to respond the next time someone corrects me for saying I'm "doing good."


text:
[JURIST] Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court (ICC) [official website; JURIST news archive] on Monday formally charged [ICC press release; indictment, PDF] Thomas Lubanga [Trial Watch backgrounder], founder of the militant Union of Patriotic Congolese [Global Security backgrounder], accusing him of enlisting child soldiers [BBC report] in the violence-plagued Ituri district [HRW backgrounder]. Lubanga is the first war crimes suspect to be charged at the ICC since it opened in 2002. Though Human Rights Watch [advocacy website] has criticized the court for not charging Lubanga with murder, torture and rape, ICC deputy prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said the ICC began with the conscripting child soldier charges [ICC press release; ICC materials] only because the evidence was already available.
Pressure to arrest warlords in the mineral-rich Ituri district increased with the February 2005 murder of nine UN peacekeepers [PBS report]; a month authorities arrested Lubanga for human rights violations [JURIST report]. Congolese officials sent Lubanga to The Hague [JURIST report] in March, making him the first prisoner of the tribunal. Lubanga confirmed his identity but refused to hear the charges against him when he first appeared before the court in March [JURIST report]. BBC News has more.


text:
Speaking at a gala dinner hosted by the Pemberton Ladies' Circle last night, Sir Norman said: "I'm extremely encouraged that we managed to sell over 150 copies of a diary that has hitherto only been available within the tripe industry. When we decided to publish our diary more widely, there were some in the offal industry - and they know who they are - who said we were mad. But the figures speak for themselves."
The TMB 2014 Diary is still available for sale and is also available on Kindle for people who don't like books or who don't like to pay more than £1.33 for a diary.
Sir Norman expressed his thanks to Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson and the Reverend Richard Coles for contributing recipes to the diary and thanked everyone who had purchased one or helped to promote it, including cricket commentators David 'Bumble' Lloyd and Mike Atherton. "There's no doubt that the diary will play a key role in our campaign to make 2015 the Year of Tripe," he said.


text:
Welcome to luxury transportation at its finest.
Your satisfaction is our specialty - we achieve it with beautiful vehicles,loaded beverage bars, entertainment systems and prompt courteous drivers who chauffeur you to your destination on time, every time.
Your Maitre D Limousine, providing premiere limousine service since 1983 for all the Monterey/Carmel Coast.From major airport transfers to Monterey, San Jose, San Francisco, or Oakland, royal weddings, and trusted wine tours, we offer the finest limousine service for all occasions.
We would welcome the opportunity to be your ultimate source for all your transportation needs. We are a classic limousine service and offer only the finest sedans and stretch limousines loaded with the best in luxury
Call 831-643-2800 TCP017582


text:
Tim Darcy, "Saturday Night"
Tim Darcy
Saturday Night
Over the course of their first two albums, Montreal's Ought have painted raw rock and roll energy with an art-pop sheen, layering a generally rambunctious foundation with intriguing, experimental instrumentation. Frontman Tim Darcy's debut solo album takes a similar approach, but it feels more like Darcy's own personal exploration of sounds and genres, ideas and influences. Having handled the bulk of the instrumentation himself, Saturday Night finds Darcy very much unrestrained by being on his own.
As such, these eleven songs flit between more straightforward indie rockers—the Velvet Underground-y "Tall Glass of Water," the wistful baroque pop of "Still Waking Up" (which wouldn't sound out of place on a Magnetic Fields album), and the jarring, Joy Division nihilism of the title track—and more outré stylings. There's the capricious, genre-melting "Joan, Pt. 1, 2," the amorphous instrumental of "Beyond Me," and the indistinct hidden closing track closer "Joan, Pt. 3," which barely exists within its sub-two-minute time frame, save for a hush of dead air and a lo-fi refrain.
While that all could have resulted in an incoherent mess, that's not the case. Rather, Saturday Night brings all these disparate parts together to create a record that courses through your brain, awakening synapses as it goes and jolting you to actually listen and pay attention. It's a fine demonstration of Darcy's versatility as a songwriter and his thorough understanding of the balance between art and craft. This record will probably appeal to people less than the songs of his regular band, but seek to understand what he's doing here and you'll ultimately be rewarded.


text:
Đây là một trong những lens Medium-Telephoto có chất lượng cao cấp nhất từ Fujifilm, có tiêu cự 56mm tương đương 85mm trên full-frame cùng khẩu độ mở rộng lên đến f/1.2...
Đặc biệt lens Fujifilm XF56mm R-APD được xây dựng từ APD filter - đỉnh cao của công nghệ nano của Fujifilm giúp sản sinh những bức ảnh có chủ thể hoàn toàn nổi bật cùng hiệu ứng bokeh cực kỳ đẹp và mượt...Là lựa chọn số 1 của ảnh chân dung.
Một hệ thống Lens máy ảnh cao cấp từ Fujifilm
The FUJINON LENS XF56mmF1.2 R APD offers brilliant levels of sharpness even when shooting with the aperture at F1.2. In addition, the apodization filter smoothes the bokeh's outlines. This combination of image sharpness and beautiful bokeh delivers portraits with a three-dimensional feel.
An optical construction of 11 glass elements in 8 groups, including one aspherical glass molded lens element and two extra low dispersion lens elements has been used. Spherical aberrations are corrected by the aspherical glass element to deliver high resolution at the maximum aperture setting. Additionally, thanks to the combination of two extra-low dispersion lens elements and three cemented lens elements, chromatic aberrations are greatly reduced.
By applying Fujifilm's unique HT-EBC (High Transmittance Electron Beam Coating) to all lens surfaces, ghosting and flare are controlled for sharp, clear results.
The lens also makes the most of Fujifilm's unique X-Trans™* CMOS low pass filter-less sensor for extremely high image quality. Ghosting and flare are controlled even under harsh conditions such as backlighting.
By combining this lens with an X Series camera body** with Lens Modulation Optimizer*** (LMO) technology, the performance from the lens is improved even further. LMO corrects for diffraction*4 to produce images with edge-to-edge sharpness and create a realistic three-dimensional effect, even at small apertures.
In the past, an apodization filter has only been used on a manual focus lens, this is the first to use high-precision contrast AF. Combined with an X Series camera body, more natural shots of subjects are possible thanks to the near-silent shutter sound.
The apodization filter delivers its best results at wider apertures. To enable wide apertures to be used even in bright environments, an ND filter is included that adjusts brightness in three levels. To indicate the apodizing effect, the lens features an aperture ring showing the effective F No. in red. The difference between the F No. and the effective F No. indicates the effectiveness of the apodization filter.
Both the focus and aperture rings are metal, plus metal is also used on the exterior of the lens body for a high-quality finish. The texture and torque on the rings makes for comfortable shooting even for delicate manual focusing.
Camera: Fujifilm X-T1 | Lens: Fujifilm XF 56mm F1.2 R APD | Details: 56 mm, 1/180 sec, f/1.2, ISO 200, Film simulation: PRO Neg. Std
Camera: Fujifilm X-T1 | Lens: Fujifilm XF 56mm F1.2 R APD | Details: 56 mm, 1/180 sec, f/1.2, ISO 200, Film simulation: MONOCHROMER filter
Camera: Fujifilm X-T1 | Lens: Fujifilm XF 56mm F1.2 R APD | Details: 56 mm, 1/180 sec, f/1.2, ISO 320, Film simulation: PRO Neg. Std
Camera: Fujifilm X-T1 | Lens: Fujifilm XF 56mm F1.2 R APD | Details: 56 mm, 1/2000 sec, f/1.2, ISO 200, Film simulation: MONOCHROMER filter
Tại Mac Center, bạn sẽ luôn tìm thấy những món phụ kiện với chất lượng tuyệt vời cho chiếc MacBook thân yêu của bạn...


text:
NEWS RELEASE: RFI-Funded Research Project Receives International and National Attention
LINCOLN, Neb. — December 12, 2017 — Marketing Hometown America, a funded research project from the Rural Futures Institute at the University of Nebraska, is receiving national and international attention.
Led by RFI Faculty Fellow Cheryl Burkhart-Kriesel, the project is designed to help rural communities market themselves to improve new resident recruitment as well as retention. After the program's pilot across three Great Plains states, North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska, the research group used Ripple Effects Mapping to evaluate both the intended and unintended community outcomes in each location.
Burkhart-Kriesel recently co-authored an article about the project in the second volume of the Minnesota Evaluation Studies Institute Program Evaluation Series titled "A Field Guide to Ripple Effects Mapping." The article discusses the importance of evaluation when planning and implementing community development projects.
"Coming together as a community to evaluate the effort is a way to share the broader story and to see how all the pieces came together," Burkhart-Kriesel said when discussing the importance of evaluation processes.
The research team from North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska were also invited to Sioux City, Iowa, this fall to share the Marketing Hometown America program with Extension faculty from Iowa State University. After the six-hour training session, two pilot communities in western Iowa were identified with the intent to offer the program statewide.
Burkhart-Kriesel also recently presented a paper at the North Atlantic Forum in Bø, Telemark in Norway. The North Atlantic Forum was originally formed as a way to bring rural coastal communities in the north Atlantic together to share issues, opportunities and resources. Presenters and participants came from Canada, the British Isles, Scandinavia, the countries surrounding the North Sea, Central Europe, Central America and Asia.
"It might appear that the North American Great Plains would have little in common with this region, but just the opposite is true. Issues such as rural migration and depopulation, identifying processes that help communities develop a vision and development plan, finding ways to build diverse economies and strengthening youth and young adult connections are themes in rural areas all over the world," Burkhart-Kriesel said.
During her presentation titled "Rural New Resident Recruitment: A Critical First Step Toward Sustainability," she focused on the importance of attracting new residents to rural communities despite a decline in North American Great Plains population. The theme of the forum focused on the many ways rural communities can help sustain and strengthen their natural resource base as a necessary strategy to better position themselves for the future.
Highlights from the presentation:
Almost two-thirds (roughly 600,000 people) of the counties in the North American Great Plains lost population between 1950 and 2007. In 69 Great Plains counties, more than 50 percent of their population was lost (U.S. Census Bureau).
There has been long-term decline in the North American Great Plains population, but research has shown that in some rural areas there is a growing interest in in-migration, especially from more urban areas.
The rural landscape and both natural and human resources can be taken for granted and overlooked as assets that can be marketed to potential new residents. These rural assets can be showcased using the community marketing process to enhance new resident recruitment.
Burkhart-Kriesel had also previously received international attention when she was invited to present the Marketing Hometown America curriculum at the 2015 International Association of Community Development (IACD) conference held in Glasgow, Scotland. After the conference, an urban neighborhood organizer in Glasgow was interested in adapting the Marketing Hometown America material as a way to recruit new residents.
"Listening to the various presentations from diverse places across the world, I am convinced that rural issues are more similar than different," Burkhart-Kriesel said.
Burkhart-Kriesel is located at the Panhandle Research and Extension Center in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. Her position in western Nebraska gives her an important viewpoint on the opportunities and challenges that impact rural communities. Her research and extension programs focus on demographic renewal and economic opportunities in rural communities in Nebraska and beyond.


text:
Former University of Tennessee at Chattanooga coach, professor and athletic administrator Jim Morgan passed away on Friday. Morgan guided the Mocs' wrestling program for 16 seasons, from 1969 to 1983.
Morgan was a legendary figure at UTC, primarily known for establishing the Mocs wrestling team into a championship program. He guided Chattanooga from 1969 to 1984, posting a career record of 209-70-3.
"I was fortunate enough to meet Coach Morgan and even though I have not been here long, I fully understand the impact he had on Chattanooga Wrestling," stated first-year head coach Kyle Ruschell. "He was a legend in the wrestling community and set the foundation for our program that still feels his impact 34 years after he coached his last match at UTC."
The 1992 inductee into the UTC Athletics Hall of Fame, Morgan's career win total and winning percentage (.746) are still tops in the school record books. He was the 1975 NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year when he led the Mocs to a third-place finish at the NCAA Tournament. The Mocs were runners up the following season and finished ninth in 1977 before making the jump to the Southern Conference and NCAA Division I.
"Jim Morgan, in his decades of coaching, has positively affected thousands of wrestlers, wrestling coaches and the great sport of wrestling" stated UTC's Director of Athletic Performance Ethan Reeve. Reeve succeeded Morgan as coach of the Mocs from 1985-90.
"Coach Morgan is the winningest wrestling coach in UTC history and is an icon and a legend. He will forever be remembered for his selfless service to others and kind heart!"
Morgan guided UTC to the conference crown its first six years as members of the SoCon, winning Coach of the Year honors in 1978, 1981 and 1983. He coached three individuals to NCAA Division II titles, including Randy Batten (1975-77), Turner Jackson (1975-76) and David Weeks (1976). Batten was the NCAA Most Outstanding Wrestler in 1975.
There were four additional NCAA Division II All-Americans in Morgan's tenure, including Bill Burnside (1974), John Kavelage (1975-76), Tim Brennan (1976) and Ralph Zinger (1976).
Morgan's 1983 team finished 14th at the NCAA Championships, the highest for the wrestling program in Division I competition. Byron McGlathery (1980) and Charlie Heard (1982-84) earned NCAA Division I All-American honors under his tutelage.
After leaving the mat at UTC, he served as an Assistant Athletics Director before taking over the Baylor School wrestling program in 1986. His teams won nine state traditional championships, six state duals championships before he retired in 2010.
Morgan was a two-time graduate of the University of Chattanooga, earning both undergraduate and graduate degrees. As a student at UC, he was a member of the wrestling team and won the Dayle May Award his senior year.
Funeral arrangements for Coach Morgan are handled by Lane Funeral Home (601 Ashland Terrace) in Chattanooga.
The wrestling community also lost John Farr on Friday. Farr was a member of the Chattanooga wrestling program and a 1956 graduate of the University of Chattanooga.
Farr was a pioneer in local wrestling, starting programs at a number of local school and winning state titles at Red Bank High School. He directed to the state tournament and was an NCAA Division I official.
Visitation for Coach Farr is 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Monday and 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday at the North Chapel of Chattanooga Funeral Home. A Celebration of Life service will follow at 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday at the North Chapel of Chattanooga Funeral Home.


text:
"Do you have the arrangement compiled the way I asked?" She asked the male receptionist who had left the counter to meet her in the inner office.
"Yes, ma." He handed the file over.
"Akpan, are they seated as they came, their names and arrival time documented?"
"Yes, ma." Akpan affirmed. "With the aid of Abbey, the security officer, they are seated from the left hand side in the reception hall. You can have a look if you wish.'
"Yes, please." She looked through the glass which gave a clear view of the reception.
She opened the file, scanned through and then looked through the screen.
Akpan studied her. "Do you need a seat?"
"I don't mind, thank you." He had been in the waters of SIC before her but yet, here he was respecting her.
He brought a high stool close and she sat before directing her gaze back to the applicants. She began to write on the papers taking note with a pencil. That she did for about ten minutes before walking out to the reception.
"Good morning, everyone." Her smile was charming as twenty pair of eyes directed their attention to her. "I'm sorry we didn't keep to the scheduled time, it was intentional because the ten minutes out of the thirty minutes delay was used for screening.
They all became alert and those who had familiarized themselves exchanged glances.
"I know you're all eager to know what the screening is all about but when I give the results, I don't want to call names, take number from my left hand side."
In a less than a minute, they were done with taking numbers.
"This screening I consider important because in a way it proves one's level of commitment to work. The time of resumption of most companies is 8am, SIC inclusive, and you were all notified of the time of the interview. Definitely, distance barrier is cancelled for it was not impromptu, if you definitely had this job in mind, you would have prepared to be here in time." Her gaze swept through faces.
Some avoided her gaze out of guilt.
"I'm emphasizing to make you feel bad enough to prevent making this kind of mistake again and increasing your employment chances next time."
She looked into the file she was holding. "If you are arrived here from ten minutes before nine, you're late. Having said that, number 17 to 20 are screened out. I wish you favour next time." She waited till they left.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the next screening will be on general comportment which includes decency in dressing, eating habit. Some of you did not stop chewing until I walked in. Based on that…," She looked back to her file. "Numbers 13, 9, 5, 12, 11, 7 and fourteen are screened out. I believe you know which category you fall in but don't hesitate to object and I will explain why."
She waited as they left; some had dared to give her quelling look before they were ushered out by Abbey.
Katherine beamed at the rest of them. "I am left with number one, two, three, four, six and eight and we shall proceed for our interview. You can follow Mr Abiodun to the conference room.
The assistant to Akpan, handed her some questionnaires and made to follow her.
"Don't worry Agnes, I've got it." She told her with a smile.
"Good morning and we're all welcome to a meeting that is impromptu yet well honoured." Katherine beamed.
They were all seated in the largest conference room with 95% of the employees present. All departments had more than one representative.
"We all gathered to discuss a matter that poses a threat to us all, that's if we permit." She stood. "I need to say this so we know the importance of the matter, if my person is going to prevent you from paying attention, please disregard me and listen."
She had noticed the look of envy on the expression of most ladies. They had kept tabs on her in a bid to know why so she was so favoured, so when she stood, their eyes took in her dressing.
"The boss discovered a deepening valley replacing the ever increasing hill we used to have. The general input of this company is dwindling because we've decided not to give SIC our best anymore." She ambled and stood behind her seat. "Decisions like that don't just come like that, issues are taken into consideration whether consciously or unconscious. Such decisions are usually influenced." She paused purposefully for what she said to sink in.
"What are some of the influences?' She opened a palm. "We all know the power that lies in the tongue, it's well emphasized in the holy book, I can't speak for other religious books."
They all listened and their eyes followed her gestures.
"The tongue can mar or make a person; it is also a sword that can slash a person void of touch. It is the smallest member of the body yet outshines the rest. The negative ways to use one tongue includes tale bearing, back biting, gossiping and so on. I'll talk about them jointly because they are kind of similar. Give a man pen, paper and present before him a scene, a blurred one. If he observes what looks the pen of someone he has a grudge against. He might not bother to a take a closer look anymore as his imagination take charge as he begin to write things he is unsure of.
Tale bearing is time consuming and brain tasking. Soon the gossip will be packaged and presented in a colourful form and it spreads from mouth to ear."
Most of them smiled.
"Before long, a mouth wouldn't realise it is the telling the subject of the gossip about the gossip, then, a cycle is accomplished. Such cycle breeds animosity, grudge, malice and the need to retaliate. I can't imagine anyone with such mind set giving his or her best at work because most of the time, he is looking for an occasion to retaliate or a tale to spread. And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so the tongue is among our members, that it defileth our whole body and setteth on fire the course of nature and it is set on fire of hell. It is against nature that people should bare false witness for it creates fire where such exist and we should also remember that where there was an outbreak of fire, the ground is not spared. The boss will always say that a team that works together wins together but a loner never achieves much."
With eyes on his tablet, he nodded.
"Having that in mind, the next thing I want to talk about is selfishness, the I, I, I attitude. You have attained a position due to hard work and resilience in spite of being trodden by superiors and now you're one, you seat, put your legs up on the desk and crossed them. You activate hibernating mode. The- I don't care attitude." She lifted both hands to demonstrate quotation marks. "It might not matter now but it will when we are out in the ocean looking for a place cosy enough to keep afloat. If SIC goes down, we all go with it whether we like it or not. It is our source of daily bread and we give it our best. No matter your qualification looking for a new job is not easy and when one gets one, the post and respect might not be same."
Most nodded thoughtfully.
"For our sakes, let's join hands and work together. In many years to come, God sparing our lives, we should be able to proudly say we contributed to the growth and development SIC. Let's forgive and forget, we're all brothers and sisters. Let help each other." She beamed. "Shall we all rise and join hands?"
They obeyed and she joined hands with Kelvin and the executive director, Olaide Maechi.
"Can we chorus revolution?"
"Revolution!" They chorused.
"Hmmm." She was thoughtful. "That doesn't sound like it was from people who've decided to give SIC their best.
"Revolution!" They chorused and it was resounding.
She urged them to repeat it for the final time which they did and resounding round of applause followed.
"Thank you very much." She made to hand over to Kelvin who asked her go ahead and round off.
They cheered when she and Kelvin left afterwards. Obviously, she had worked her way into their respective heart or so she felt.
Katherine sat and buried her face in her palms.
He walked to the fridge, took in the packs of pineapple and coconut juice. It was obvious she love pineapple and coconut. He picked a bottle of water and closed the fridge. He unsealed it. "Kathy, you should drink water. Here"
"Thank you." She received it and gulped one quarter.
He pulled a chair and sat. "You've the gift of the garb."
"Thanks." She took another sip of water. "I'm impressed with the way you handled everything, it was magical. Do you know what I consider a proper appreciation?"
"Tell me."
"Taking you out for a late lunch." He glanced at his wristwatch.
She raised her brows alarmed, but managed to keep her voice calm. "I did my job, sir."
He knew and saw it, that look of panic and he wasn't going to let get her away with it, not this day. "I know what you did, Kathy, if you're not comfortable with me taking you out, we can make do with the company's cafeteria."
"No, Kelvin." She shook her head too quickly.
"I'm not asking for your permission but come to think of it…" He grinned. "You've not had lunch since I've know you. Is it like prohibited where you come from? I do love stories that go way back.
"Don't be ridiculous." She shot him a warning gaze but the dreamy look on his face and teasing smile that etched his lips made her roll her eyes.
"I'll do lunch."
"Thank you, Miss Sylvester, see you by 4." He stood and winked at her before he head out.
Her eyes followed him out and she observed he was practically bouncing away. She burst into bouts of laughter when the door closed.


text:
Visa Brings Token Technology to eCommerce
Last week, Visa announced that it was bringing token technology to Visa Checkout, the online service that allows customers to store shipping and payment information without having to re-enter their information. The token service replaces the sensitive information on payment cards, such as the account number, expiration date and security code, with a unique digital identifier. This will enable users to process payments without exposing account details.
Not only will the token service be used on new transactions, Visa plans to help merchants integrate the new service with "cards-on-file." These are the card account numbers that merchants store in their systems to use for monthly subscriptions or billing services.
More than seven million users have Visa Checkout accounts since it was launched in 2014.
Visa said the token technology used for mobile payments and Visa Checkout, along with their transition to EMV chip technology and biometrics, are a part of their broader efforts to ensure safe transactions for card holders.
"Our goal is always to make payments fast, easy and secure," said Sam Shrauger, Visa's senior vice president of digital solutions. "This has been a transformative year for payment security with new technologies that bring added protection to consumer accounts while shopping in-store and in-app, and now online, too."
Thus far, some online merchants seem to be enthusiastic about the change.
"We're pleased that Visa has added tokenization to Visa Checkout in an effort to keep the payment details of more Visa cardholders safe with advanced security technology," said Faisal Masud, executive vice president, global e-commerce, Staples, Inc. "Our customers value mobile solutions that let them conveniently, quickly and securely purchase the products they need to run their business."


text:
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Email | Stitcher | TuneIn | RSS
Two interviews with Melbourne's Bachelors from Prague, 1989 & 1990. Henry Maas & Andrew Philipp are both up early (twice) to talk about The Energetic Cool and Great albums.
Despite my not really being able to describe their sound or genre accurately, Henry and Andrew are very patient with me. Even going so far as to give me a job offer.
All the important issues are covered, the size of their dressing room, why they don't wear bright colours and is their manager Mario Macaroni a fictional character?
We even namecheck a few long gone venues like The Harbourside Brasserie and IDs.
Thankyou to Bachelors from Prague for all the very cool good times.
And they are back,so go see them! (and their dressing room)
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Email | Stitcher | TuneIn | RSS
Bunga Bunga 41 has Tim Ferguson giving dating advice to Maynard, but in doing so, he reveals a terrible secret.
They both reveal the until now, secret upcoming Bunga Bunga live show; The Festival of Dumb Ideas, to be recorded at Harold Park Hotel, 14th November. they want to meet their audience and simultaneously find out if they have one.
Tim & Maynard spy on a couple at the Madame Frou Frou Cafe, Tim claims he can read their minds. Maynard questions the wisdom of yoga pants.
Bunga Bunga 41 has wide ranging themes, from dancing vs spoonology as an art form, to the always thorny issue of killing something in the name of poetry.
But the discussion gravitates to comedy, sex and Sci-Fi.
But not before Tim reveals an alarming trend in his cat Kitler's musical taste.
Come and bring your Crankmail and we'll answer your questions live.
Book your tickets for Bunga Bunga live! The Festival of Dumb Ideas
Support Bunga Bunga & Planet Maynard
The hilarious podcast BUNGA BUNGA will be performed & recorded live!
Tuesday 14th November at their local, The Harold Park Hotel, Glebe.
Funny man Maynard & even funnier man Tim Ferguson, present an evening of comedy, wits and foolishness..
Smart, sharp, sexy are just 3 words! Learn even more words at the show.
Bunga Bunga promises tantalising and useless information to goose up your mind.
Razor sharp blunt tools will make quick work of the nation's problems.
You'll laugh, you'll think, you'll dance like Cory Bernardi is watching.
The stars of Australia's fastest-growing podcast will meet special guests and explain the world.
Bring your Crankmail and leave with the certainty that you know everything (like Tim does)
Special Guest for our interview chair will be Simon Day of Ratcat (and many other things)
Tuesday 14th November
$15 (el cheapo)
Harold Park Hotel, Glebe
BUNGA BUNGA – you know what it means!
Get your tickets for Bunga Bunga Live here
Get into it on the Bunga Bunga Facebook nook
Every Bunga Bunga podcast ever, listen and find out what you are in for…
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Email | Stitcher | TuneIn | RSS
The Killjoys from Melbourne were always one on my favourite bands from that city. Although musically the opposite of bands like The Bachelors From Prague and certainly TISM, they carried a similar fun loving spirit about their music and live they were always, well, a delight.
On 5th July 1991 I recorded this for the Triple J breakfast show and it has gone unheard since then.
The Killjoys formed in 1987 and at this time in 1991 their album Ruby won an ARIA award for Best Independent Release. If you are a keen scuba diver, you may be able to find that award at the bottom of Darling Harbour near the wharf, as it was dropped accidentally overboard, shortly after it was awarded to the band, while they were on their way to a post awards party. The Killjoys even hired a diver to look for the ARIA award next day.
It has yet to be found.
Get together with Caroline Schwerkolt, Craig Pilkington (who went onto The Blackjacks), Anna Burley and Will Larsen (up the back playing a hell tambourine) to hear One & Only and the sweet Calling Me On.
Start saving up for a vibraphone, because after hearing The Killjoys, you'll want your own.
AND the best news is that they are back together and you can experience them again.
The Killjoys recording session engineers at Triple J for this were Geoff Overmyer & Chris Norris.


text:
The year began slowly as Stephen found himself back at the beginning of the process of looking for a new job. He began to send out more applications to more schools both in and out of the United States. He looked at the job conference taking place in Chicago in February for a while. After much prayer and asking different people for advise, he decided the expense of the trip wasn't worth the risk of not coming back home with a sure job offer.
So, we continued to wait. As the weeks of February passed by, he received both positive and negative feedback from different schools. He was interviewed over the phone and Internet for several schools. A school in Lake Jackson, Texas, called Brazosport Christian School (BCS) was the first to ask for an on-site visit from Stephen and agreed to pay for his travel expenses and hotel stay. Soon, they had scheduled him to leave Quito on Wednesday, February 23 and return to Quito the evening of Saturday, February 26.
In the midst of talking to this school in Texas, another school in Bangkok, Thailand called International Community School (ICS), had also started interviewing Stephen. Just a few days before Stephen was planning to leave on his trip to Texas, they also asked for him to take a flight over 12 time zones to come and visit them.
With Cristina's due date approaching, he asked for the trip to be booked soon after he returned from Texas. Just this morning, he has been given a tentative itinerary which would have him leaving Quito only 24 hours after returning on February 26. His flight will leave soon after midnight on Monday, February 28. He will arrive in Thailand on Tuesday night and spend all of Wednesday and Thursday there before flying out early Friday morning to arrive in Quito late on March 4.
Fortunately for him, we have a two day holiday on Monday and Tuesday for Ecuador's "Carnival" vacation. So, he will hopefully be able to recover from his jet lag soon after returning to Ecuador.
Besides these two schools, there is a school in Peach Tree, Georgia, which has told Stephen he is among their top eight candidates for the administrative position they have there. There is also another international school in Casablanca, Morocco (northern Africa) and in Tegucigalpa, Honduras that have been interviewing Stephen, but have not requested an on-site visit yet.
However, since Cristina has requested that Stephen not travel anywhere in her last four weeks of pregnancy, these two trips are the last he will make until our third little bundle of joy arrives on the scene.
If you would like to call Stephen and encourage him in the next few days while he is Texas, he is using the following cell phone number: 352-215-4524.


text:
I have been thinking about eating more locally lately and what that means for my dinning options. Certain cuisines seem to lend themselves to a local diet more than others. Mexican food for example can fit nicely in the local temperate climate of Ann Arbor, Michigan. Tomatoes, peppers, chiles, onions, corn, black and pinto beans, garlic and fresh herbs all do well here in Michigan. In fact I have most of these items are in my home garden. The only thing that is hard to grow around here is citrus fruits like lemon and lime and avocado which are an integral part of the Mexican food flavor profile.
By no means am I local foods purest, but I do like to try and make meals with as much locally sourced ingredients as possible. This meal is one of those meals.
Taco Night Menu:
Shrimp and Black Bean Tacos with Homemade Tortillas
Black Beans: (Vegan Option)
Measure and sort out one cup of dried bean. Soak over night. Strain off the soaking liquid and rinse the beans. Place in pot and add enough cold water to measure an inch above the beans. Bring beans to a boil, skim off any white foam that forms, add a bay leaf, cover the pot and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until soft, but not falling apart, 1-2 hours. Season with salt, chili powder, cumin, lime juice and olive oil to taste. You can also use pinto bean instead of black beans.
I suggest getting the small shrimp because they are cheaper and you will have to chopped them up to fit the taco shells anyway. They now do farm raise shrimp in Michigan.
Peel, de-vain, and wash the shrimp. Dry off with a towel. Season with some chili power, chipotle sauce, lime juice, salt, pepper and olive oil. Place in a roasting pan and broil for 8-11 minutes.
1 small red onion fine dice
1 clove garlic minced
3-4 big tomatoes (mixed heirloom) small dice
small bunch of cilantro chopped
Salt, Pepper, lime juice to taste
small jalapeno pepper minced, seeds, and ribs removed (optional)
The salt makes the tomatoes release some liquid. I drain off half of the liquid and use it to flavor the beans.
2 cups of corn masa flour (I use Bob's Redmill)
1- 1 1/4 cups of water. (more if needed)
Mix flour and water to form a paste. It should be able to come together.
Heat a cast iron pan on the stove on high for 4-5 minutes
Wet hands slightly and roll paste into a golf ball sized ball.
Using a double sided plastic lined tortilla press, place the ball into the press and flatten. I find that I need to press once to flatten and a second time to make thinner. They will be about 4-5 inches round. Carefully, peel off the tortilla and place in the hot pan.
Cook for one minute on the first side. Flip and cook for another minute. Then flip again, and using a scapula, press down around the edge of the tortilla. You should see it slightly puff up, kind of like a pita, but not as much. Repeat with the rest of the masa mix.
Serve the tacos with chopped cilantro, lime wedges, and hot sauce (optional). Note: Do not over fill the shells. I always do and it is a disaster.
I made a cabbage salad and served fresh watermelon from the farmer's market with the meal.


text:
Adabas & Natural
Rehost your legacy UNIX® to Linux®
Sync your Mainframe Data to the Cloud for Insights
The cloud offers innovations for the future, but your mainframe will remain your reliable system of record. Take advantage of new cloud-based services and data analytics by synchronizing your mainfram
Freedom for Legacy
Connect Your Mainframe COBOL Applications with APIs
Learn how to connect your mainframe COBOL applications to new channels, applications and services with APIs. See how we can help you service-enable COBOL programs and generate powerful APIs to connect
Rehosting Success Stories
See how to break free from the high cost of the mainframe and legacy UNIX® without the risks of rip & replace. Read these five rehosting success stories for Adabas & Natural.
Adabas zIIP and Natural zIIP - Offloading Mainframe CPU to IBM zIIP
Learn how to take advantage of significant CPU reduction by offloading workload to IBM zIIP engines. Join Software AG's Becky Albin and Patrick Gould for an informative webinar on the concepts and ben
Save when you zIIP™ Adabas & Natural apps
Can you afford not to zIIP? See how easy it is to reduce mainframe costs by moving significant Adabas & Natural workload from your main CPU to IBM® System z® Integrated Information Processors.
Preserve existing investments while moving off the mainframe
Lower mainframe TCO by moving almost all Natural workload from IBM General Purpose Processors to less expensive zIIP processors with our application development platform and mainframe modernization.
Facts about Adabas Auditing LUW
Detect unauthorized access to your data immediately with auditing for Adabas database management system for LUW.
CalSTRS lowers costs with Natural Batch for zIIP™
CalSTRS saves significantly on Natural batch processing costs in a span of few short months with very little effort. A Natural application development platform success story.
Facts about Natural Application Development Platform
Quickly develop and deploy the enterprise applications business users demand with the Natural application development platform.
Facts about Natural for Mainframe
Designed for simplicity, reliability and speed, Natural is the environment of choice for enterprises operating large-scale OLTP applications on the mainframe.
Adabas Transaction Manager
By distributing Adabas transactions across multiple databases, you can improve the performance of your mission-critical Adabas database.
Adabas Parallel Services
If your applications need better response time, then Adabas Parallel Services is for you.
Adabas Cluster Services
Adabas Cluster Services, an add-on module to Adabas, allows you to run multiple identical Adabas servers in parallel within a Parallel Sysplex cluster.
Adabas Delta Save
Enable administrators to save & restore only the changed portions of the database, saving up to 90% of a DBA's time and resources on backup functions.
Adabas Vista
With Adabas Vista, you can divide a large volume of data across many files to simplify maintenance, increase availability and store data where it's needed the most.
Encryption for Entire Net-Work
Protect "data in flight" over public networks.
Event Replicator for Adabas on LUW
Make better decisions by sharing real-time data when you use Adabas on Linux®, UNIX® and Windows® platforms.
Shift Adabas & Natural to the cloud
Deploy Adabas & Natural applications without change to containers and the cloud. See how.
Loading More...


text:
Jimbo and Candi Fisher released a statement today announcing they will be separating.
After almost 22 years of marriage, we have decided to amicably separate.
Thank you to our family and friends, and the fans who have offered kind words and support.
Although we are in the public eye, we appreciate respect for the privacy of our children and our family, and humbly request only positive, accurate discussions surrounding our situation during this difficult time.
In 2011, when our son Ethan was diagnosed with Fanconi anemia (FA), we co-founded Kidz1stFund to increase awareness and raise money for research for this rare, life-threatening blood disorder. Parenting our children and Kidz1stFund will remain an aligned focus of our family.


text:
Kelly Gale Amen is the fearless leader, driving force, life essence, and inimitable mover and shaker behind KGA Design.
My interior designs have been called capricious and whimsical non sequiturs; a kind of decorative joie de vivre that critics have called "shocking and deliciously enchanting." I sometimes chuckle at the humorous designations intended as off-handed compliments for my work. I'm noted for extremes and for being very eclectic, those are definite trademarks of my work. So is my handling of unusual juxtaposition, a design ploy I call the art of entwinement.
If you are interested in hiring Kelly to bring your favorite space to life, send us a message with a brief description of your project, your current contact information, and the best times to reach you. Someone from KGA Design will get back to you as soon as possible to set up an appointment and discuss the best way to bring your dreams to life.


text:
From the inside out, though, many believe Smith's teams have underachieved, that he is much to blame for that and that he should be fired.
From there, we wondered this: How many coaches in Minnesota sports history did fans NOT want fired at some point or another. We're not talking about one lone fan. We're talking about at least a large minority, if not majority.
We could think of exactly three from the major men's sports: Jacques Lemaire, Rick Adelman and Bud Grant. You can correct us if those gentlemen were on a real hot seat at some point, but we think of them as generally in good standing with fans.
On the women's side, Cheryl Reeve and Brad Frost are held in about as high esteem as possible right now.
Flip Saunders was generally well received by fans, but there was some growing unrest the year he was fired (2004-05 season). Ron Gardenhire has his share of detractors. Even Tom Kelly did toward the end of his time, even though he had shown what he could do when given talent. Same with Don Lucia, though his pendulum is swinging back up.
Mike Yeo runs hot and cold. A month ago he was on the hot seat. Now he's a genius. Same goes with Leslie Frazier from 2012 vs. 2011.
We get enough e-mails to know what vocal fans think of Smith and Pam Borton. It's still early for Jerry Kill, though two camps seem to be forming. Brad Childress? An all-timer when it comes to polarizing coaches, along with Denny Green. Both had success. Both lost whatever equity they had with fans as soon as they stopped having success.
Whether it's attitude, perceived underachievement, flat-out losing or in-game decision-making, most coaches generally fall out of favor with fans at some point. We're not sure if that says more about coaches or fans, but we believe it to be true.


text:
Last month I had a conversation with Scott Hanselman about vision based computing. This conversation is now available for your listening pleasure here.
Saturday, September 21, 2013
HANSELMINUTES - discussing vision based computing
Labels: Hanselman, input device., Kinect, LEAP motion, podcast, Vision computing, Windows
No comments:
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
Frequently Asked Questions
Start by reading this entire FAQ page. If you understand everything on this page, it will help you ask the right questions. From buying the right property, hiring an Architect or a General Contractor – knowing everything on the page will help streamline that process.
Assuming you are ready to start the design/build process, you will need to get a boundary, tree and elevation survey, and then schedule a soil test (we can help with both). This information must be provided to your Architect of choice (We can recommend some to you).
The survey lets the Architect know exactly what you have. For new home builds in Ft. Lauderdale, the min finish floor elevation needs to be 1' higher than FEMA's requirements. All other cities require us to just be at FEMA's min requirements. If the land is very low, we will need to raise the building pad to comply with FEMA (5' to 6' NAVD) and Ft. Lauderdale add 1', (6' to 7' NAVD) flood plain requirements. All new construction, including additions to existing homes, must comply with this FEMA and City regulations.
The soil test will let the Architect and Engineers know what kind of foundation system and Civil Drainage system to design.
It will vary greatly from project to project. A high end single family home like we build can cost from $250 to $350 per square foot for the living area and approximately, $175 to $250 for the non living areas. These numbers, however, can be higher depending on design, land conditions, and customer choices. Then add for the site work like the pool $35,000 to $100,000, paving and decking $20,000 to $100,000, landscaping $20,000 to $100,000, perimeter fencing/walls $5,000 to $60,000, civil drainage $6,000 to $30,000, seawall and dock $20,000 to $100,000. Construction costs are higher in hurricane zones, but a newly built house or a totally renovated house will give you much comfort when the next hurricane threatens.
This also varies from project to project; but roughly 12 to 16 months of construction for a new home. This varies depending on the size and complexity of the house. The Architect can take about 3 to 4 months to get a full set of Architectural and Engineering drawings completed. Once these are signed and sealed, we would submit those to the applicable building department. Plan review takes between 3 to 4 months. This can also vary greatly depending on the complexity, or accuracy of the plans submitted. We like to submit for a Foundation Permit also. This takes about 2 months to receive. This normally allows us to start pilings, foundations, underground plumbing and slab a couple months ahead of the Master Permit being issued. There are Dock and Pool permits that would also need to be submitted at the same time, but these items do not normally affect the critical path.
Renovations will vary depending on the extent of work needing to be done. Extensive entire house renovations and/or additions should take around 10 to 12 months to complete. This will also vary depending on customer finish choices and selections.
Paterson Project Management will provide you with a very detailed online schedule that we follow. You will be able to interact with our schedule and staff online and know exactly what's going on at all times.
It is best if you have both so that they may coordinate and work together to design your perfect house for the correct price. However, an architect would be the first step. We can refer you to one, if needed, and help walk you through this process very easily.
Paterson Project Management doesn't get paid until we start actual construction. But as a free service, we will help you from the beginning. We can set you up with Architects and Engineers and be with you at all meetings to discuss the design of your house. We will help you facilitate everything needed right from the moment you think you want to build a new home. After your plans are completed we can give you an accurate, very detailed proposal to build. Only if we actually win the bid, do we start to get paid. All the effort we put in to your project before that point is free. We understand this is a daunting task, so we try make it easy and pleasurable for you. We also understand that after we present our bid and compete against other bidders, that we may not win the job. However, this time gives you many months to get to know who we are and how we work before you are made to enter into any long term construction contract.
Plans and permits are the responsibility of the Architect and Homeowner. However, PPM offers permit running and plan revision services to make it as convenient as possible for our clients. We maintain a staff of in-house permit and plan runners who are familiar with this very detailed process.
Most of the time renovation and doing additions is the quicker and cheaper route. Obviously, this can vary from project to project. It also depends on what you are looking for in the end result.
However, some points to think about are what age is your home? What is the elevation of the finish floor? Are you ready for sea level rise that is already affecting our lower lying communities? If you spend too much money on a large renovation, are you going to price your house out of the market?
We are finding that it is easier and better to demolish smaller, older homes and build new. Your real-estate value will be much higher than if you simply renovated an old home and did additions. After doing this analysis with clients, 90% of the time we are ending up demolishing the home and building new. Your insurance rates will also drop dramatically on a new home built to all today's current building, zoning and FEMA regulations.
The architect will determine how much the house must be brought up to code. Generally, if you are renovating up to 25% of the value of your house (not including land) a small amount of code updates are called for. If you are renovating between 25% to 50%, a few more will be needed. More than 50% will require the entire house to be brought up to code as best as possible. This will all be noted on the plans from the architect and if the city requires more updating, they will point it out to us during the City Plan Review process. We do always recommend upgrading your exterior windows and doors to be Hurricane Impact products as the first step.
This fact is what is forcing allot of homeowners to demolish and build new homes. Our new building, zoning and FEMA regulations have changed so much and are so strict today that it very often does not make sense to renovate older, smaller homes.
We can usually start projects pretty quickly, but we find that most of our customers are not ready for us to start upon accepting our bids. We generally wait on the architects plans or city approvals longer than anything else. The quicker we get brought on board your project, the sooner we can start facilitating the many moving pieces.
Hire a competent Architect! This is the most important person in this process. The Architect cost is a very small fraction of the overall cost of this process, but they have the ability to affect the overall cost the most. More than the builder actually. The Architect oversees and is responsible for his Draftsman, Structural Engineer, Mechanical, Plumbing, Electrical and Gas Engineer, Civil Engineer, and Landscape, Irrigation and Lighting Designer. Once the Architect has designed your dream home, he has to make sure that he hire's competent consultants as listed, to ensure a good complete design. The General Contractor has to bid and build per these designs. So the better these plans are, the better your final product will be.
A Structural Engineer once said something to me that resonates, "It's easy to design the biggest, strongest and most expensive design possible. What makes my job difficult is to come up with the right design, with the correct strength, that costs the correct amount to build. That takes careful consideration and calculations." My point is that too often clients try to save a few thousand dollars on an Architect and their Engineers, but end up costing tens of thousands, or hundreds of thousands more on the final product because of this. Get references from a builder who has worked with plans from the Architect before hiring them. The builders are the ones who have to make these plans a reality, so they will be in the best position to give references.
Once you have a good set of plans, everything else is easy.
Good Luck!


text:
"Chopper Dan" McCarthyChopper 2 Pilot
Dan McCarthy gets the bird's eye view of breaking news in central Florida from the pilot's seat on Chopper 2. He began at WESH 2 News in 2006.
Dan's signature New England accent makes his birthplace of Hyannis, Massachusetts, no surprise. However, he's happily traded in the frigid winters for Florida's mild year-round weather. His first job was as a flight instructor at Heliflight Inc. in Fort Lauderdale.
Dan loves flying aboard Chopper 2, and his proudest professional achievement was covering the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.
When he's not working, Dan enjoys reading Tom Clancy novels, snow skiing, yardwork, and surfing his favorite Web site, JustHelicopters.com. Dan is married to his wife, Britt, and they have one son, Bodhi. They also own a lab-shepherd mix named Sandy.


text:
Welcome to the Official Website of the FSM National Election Office
Welcome statement from the FSM National Election Director Mr. Tony H. Otto
FSM National Election Office.
Greetings to all in the name of Jesus our Lord and Savior. I am pleased to announce that the FSM National Election Website is born this month of January 2016. You can now learn many things on what you need to do to have your voice heard by visiting
I am honored to serve at this time as your National Election Director alongside the four National Election Commissioners in the four FSM States, and of course with all the hardworking staffs of the respective election offices. All of us together from Yap in the west to Kosrae in the east know and understand the importance of reminding ourselves of the sacred duty we vow to carry out faithfully for you, the people, while exercising your right to choose the leaders of your government. Guarding that right is our solemn duty to ensure free and fair election for all our leaders of the government of the Federated States of Micronesia.
Pursuant to Title 9 of th FSM Code as amended by Public Law 14-76, the responsibilities of both the Office of the National Election Director and the Commissioners are clearly defined for one purpose and one purpose only to have smooth and orderly elections and all other requirements stipulated by law are to ensure meeting that stated purpose of holding elections smoothly and orderly.
All of us at the national election offices are committed to do the best we can in ensuring that elections are conducted free of all types of abuses and I think we can easily achieve that. What we need from the public is an understanding of the importance of not interfering with the affairs of conducting elections. The election officials are performing their tasks in accordance with National Election Laws and Regulations. We need your trust and we encourage you to visit the website or call the office in your respective state for questions or anything relating to election that we might be able to help you with.
As your Director, I would like to express on behalf of all of us, the people of the FSM, our profound appreciation to those governments and individuals that have helped us in making this website become a reality. First, to the people and Government of the Island of Down Under and some say Australia for the generous financial grants made available for creating this website and Pacific Island Australia and New Zeland Electoral Administrators (Pianzea) for considering the FSM as a recipient of the grant and of course our own hardworking champions, Anita S. David, Computer System Manager at National Election Office and Technical Advisor Juan Mendez of Computer Networks International, of whom without their dedication we may not be here today to make this announcement.Thank you and thank you all.
Finally, on behalf of HIs Excellency President Peter M.Christian, the Honorable Vice President Yosiwo P. George, members of the Cabinet, the Honorable Speaker Wesley W. Simina, and distinguished members of the 19th Congress, I say 'tirow' and thank you all.
Tony H. Otto
National Election Director
Register to Vote Next Election
Want to know more? click on the links below.
Frequently Ask Questions
Past Elections Results
Upcoming Elections Deadlines
FSM Code
Recent News and Updates
Procedures For Recounts & Appeals
Site Map
Contact Us
Election Registration
Election History
FSM Electoral Procedures
FSM Code


text:
Being successful can look very different from one person to the next. But the way in which you get to that success is exactly the same. Discipline.
Discipline means doing something even when you don't feel like it. Things like getting out of bed without hitting snooze on Tuesday — after a glorious (and rare) four-day weekend. Or dragging yourself to the gym every morning before work because that is the only time you have in your day to do it without interruptions.
The answer to improving and meeting goals in every area of your life is discipline. But you already know that. You already know why you should be disciplined.
Disciplined people are healthier. Disciplined people are happier. Disciplined people are more active. Disciplined people have more self-control. Disciplined people have less stress. Disciplined people are better multi-taskers. Disciplined people reach their goals quicker.
With all those perks, why wouldn't you want to be disciplined?
Here are 11 ways you can start to develop discipline today. You don't have to dive into all of them at once.
Pace yourself so you can be proud of what you've accomplished instead of beating yourself up for not being able to do everything at once.
1. Be Clear About What You Want to Accomplish
What are your plans for the future? Do you have a clear idea of what you want and where you want to be? The first step in being disciplined requires you to figure that out. If you don't know where you are going, you won't know where to start to get there.
Make a list of your weekly goals, your monthly goals, your quarterly goals, your yearly goals. Even your three-year goals. Then you can look ahead and plan accordingly. Feel free to put your wildest dreams on the list, because disciplined people have a way of getting there.
2. Be Clear About Why You've Set Those Goals
Once you've made your list of goals. Make a list right next to them of why they are important to you. You are more likely to follow through on a long-term plan if you have good, valid reasons why you want to achieve the goals you've set.
If you are trying to lose 10 lbs so you will be the skinny sister, that goal may not be enough to get you to pass up the chocolate cake. But if you are trying to lose 20 lbs so your wedding dress doesn't have to be altered before the big day, it may be a little easier to walk past the sweets.
3. Know Your Weaknesses and Distractions
You probably don't have to look too deep inside yourself to know what your weaknesses are. That list is probably very similar to your distractions. They are the things you find yourself gravitating to when you are avoiding real life.
Weaknesses and distractions can range from food to television to social media to sex. What activities are you participating in when you are actively procrastinating or when you are trying to make yourself feel better?
People can also be distractions. You know that friend you always call to meet you for lunch when you have a hundred things to do? That friend is a distraction. Make a mental note of it. Once you figure out your distractions, you can move on to the next step.
4. Eliminate Your Weaknesses and Distractions
This is definitely easier said than done. But when you want something bad enough, you are willing to make the sacrifice. If pasta is your weakness and you eat it everyday, cut back slowly. Give yourself a timeline. Three times a week this week. Twice a week next week. Once a week the following week. You can even stay there if you want to. After all, you went from pasta 7 days a week to once a week. That is an accomplishment.
The same goes for television and social media. If you don't want to stop altogether, give yourself a time slot to do those things that fit into your busy schedule. Don't spend so much time watching tv and social surfing that you have to work double time to finish important projects.
5. Be Accountable
In the long run, you are the only one you are affecting by not being as productive and disciplined as possible. The world doesn't care if you watch Stranger Things instead of studying for an exam. The only person it is going to affect is you. If holding yourself accountable is hard for you, it is OK to recruit help.
Remember that friend who always says "YES" to lunch? I bet they would be more than happy to be your "accountabilibuddy." Tell them, "If I call you for lunch, please don't say yes unless I have done everything on my list for the day."
If working out is your brick wall, recruit an athletic friend to join you on your daily exercise routine. They will be working out anyway, why not let them harass you into doing what you know deep down you really want (and need to do)?
6. Prioritize Your Lists
You've done the work. You've made the lists. You've thought of a plan of action. Now it's time to prioritize your list. What's the most important thing? Which will take the most time? Which is the easiest? Which takes the most effort? Put them in numerical order. And check them off.
These lists can also be split up into daily, monthly, yearly, etc. Each day, take a look at the whole picture before starting your day. Intend to check every item off your list and work earnestly to do it. Keep in mind, it is a process. If you don't make it through the list, just add it to the next day. The world will not end because you didn't complete everything today.
7. Track Your Progress
Having a visual aid to show you exactly what you've accomplished and what you've missed is a great tool in staying the course. You can use actual pen and paper, but who does that anymore? You likely have a smartphone in your hand right now. Let's be honest, you're probably reading this on your smartphone.
There are hundreds of productivity and time tracking tools. Find one that's right for you and download it. RescueTime is an EDGY favorite. We've mentioned it time and time again on various platforms (and they don't even pay us to say that). If your goal is food related, there are apps for that too, such as MyFitnessPal and Fitbit. You are much more conscious of your choices when they are staring at you disapprovingly.
8. Compete with Yourself
Friendly competition at the office is nice, even healthy. But keep in mind who the real competitor is. You are your own worst critic and you are your biggest competition. So set out to be better today than you were yesterday. You don't have to win by a landslide. Just stay on track to do one more thing today than you did yesterday. Or to do one more thing differently.
Maybe you need to have a more positive attitude. Put that on your list of things to do and then do it. There's a reason books have been written on the power of self-talk and positive thinking. Because it works. Change your mind, change your life.
9. Focus Daily
You have to focus daily. Instead of getting out of your own head like people tell you to, get inside your own head. What is it that you want today? Tomorrow? Next year? Think about it. Dwell on it. See yourself doing it. Meditate. Focus on your breathing. Focus on the good things in your life.
Stop giving power to negative thoughts and negative people. Set out to do something. Focus on what it will be like when you get finished with it. Then do it. Didn't that feel good?
10. Take Care of You
You know, above everyone else, what it is that you really need. You know where to find it. You know how to do it. You have to be your own best friend. You have to make sure you get enough rest. You have to make sure you are eating well and not skipping meals. Most importantly, you have to make time to laugh.
Life is going to go on whether you are happy or miserable. So why not choose to be happy and take care of yourself. When you are well and happy, you infect those around you with wellness and happiness. So, go ahead and say no to the after work drinks if you know you need rest. Put firm boundaries in place that nobody can cross, including yourself.
11. Reward Yourself
You've got your lists. You've downloaded a new app or two. You have your goals posted on the refrigerator or at the front of your brain. You know what you are working toward and you are working hard. When you reach one of those goals, go ahead and reward yourself.
I wouldn't recommend rewarding your diet with a huge piece of chocolate cake. But, how about a new, nice fitting sports shirt? One that shows off your accomplishments. Or better yet, reward yourself with that beach trip you've been putting off. Great effort deserves great rewards.
It's easy to throw in the towel before you've really given yourself enough time to get in the groove of being disciplined and productive.
The experts used to say that it takes 21 days to break a habit or start a new one. The number has now changed to 66. So you have to give yourself a couple of months (and a few days) to really get your system of discipline in place.
Pick one or two or all eleven of these ideas. And get to work acccomplishing awesome.


text:
Gray wolves back in court as rival factions contest endangered species ruling
Are gray wolves endangered, or aren't they? It seems like a simple thing to determine, but the legal battle between government officials (who say the wolves have successfully rebounded) and environmentalists (who say that, although wolf populations have increased, the species is still endangered and needs federal protection) rages on.
In 2008, gray wolves were removed from the endangered species list, and the federal protections it grants, for about seven months. In October, a judge reversed the decision and reinstated the wolves' endangered status. But not for long -- just before the presidential changing-of-the-guards this January, the Bush administration announced that gray wolves in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Idaho, Montana and parts of Utah, Washington and Oregon would once again be delisted. After the delisting took effect, wolves in those areas would fall under the jurisdiction of state or tribal authorities rather than federal ones. (Wolves in Wyoming retained their endangered status because, according to the Interior Department, not enough had been done in that state to ensure their recovery.)
Environmentalists hoped the Obama administration would reverse the Bush policy and reinstate the wolves' endangered status. But in March, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced that the decision to delist the wolves would stand, calling the species' population increases "one of the great success stories of the Endangered Species Act."
Not surprisingly, environmentalists vowed to bring the issue back to the courts and did so on Tuesday. In a lawsuit filed in Missoula, Mont., they argued that Montana and Idaho, like Wyoming, had not taken sufficient action to protect the wolves. More than 1,300 wolves in those states, they said, should have their federal protection restored.
"Unfortunately, leaving wolves in state hands right now threatens their survival," said Melanie Stein of the Sierra Club. Indeed, Tuesday's lawsuit has the potential to block a wolf hunt already scheduled to begin this fall in Montana, the Associated Press reports.
"Taking away Endangered Species protection from wolves in Montana and Idaho while keeping Wyoming's wolves under federal protection completely ignores the best population and ecosystem science," Franz Camenzind of the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance said of the Obama administration's policy. "In addition, we firmly believe that the three states' management plans will lead to the unwarranted death of hundreds of wolves. As much as we wish to have the states manage their wolves, they simply haven't developed adequate management plans, and the federal government is acting irresponsibly by proposing delisting under these circumstances."
In a separate lawsuit filed Tuesday, the state of Wyoming had quite an opposite request for a federal judge: Atty. Gen. Bruce Salzburg asked for his state's 300 gray wolves to be removed from the endangered species list. Under Wyoming law, most of the state's land is classified as a "predator zone" where wolves can be shot on sight -- but the wolves' federal protection supersedes state law. Salzburg's lawsuit asks for the federal government to turn wolf management duties over to the state, clearing the way for hunting to resume.
Wolves back on endangered species list -- for now
Gray wolves no longer endangered, says the Bush administration
Gray wolf to lose federal endangered species protection in most of U.S.
Gray wolves scheduled to lose federal endangered species protection next month
-- Lindsay Barnett
Photo: John Vucetich / Associated Press


text:
Wednesday, 12 February 2014
Scraps of Elegance February kit *Love Always*.
11 comments:
Wow! This page is very beautiful, such a bold color!ReplyDelete
Gorgeous layout, I too love the spotty papers, beautiful photo too!ReplyDelete
Sooooooo beautiful :)ReplyDelete
Simply beautiful! Sooooooooo much LOVE here. Stunning!ReplyDelete
Oh my, this is so lovely and beautiful! I simply love the warm colours and your use of the flowers!ReplyDelete
Awwww Bente! This is gorgeous!!!ReplyDelete
Beautiful...LOVE the combination of colors, so very elegant!!ReplyDelete
It's gorgeous Bente! Love the colors, the flowers and that bold title! (going to see if I can find the "adore" too in the Silhouette store).ReplyDelete
Your page is stunning Bente. Love the boldness of the black against the pinks.ReplyDelete
Absolutely gorgeous!ReplyDelete
Hi Bente, where does the time go, feels like ages since I have visited you! Gosh your DD must be having a blast across the pond! My DD is now at Kent university in Canterbury and DS has just been offered a place at UCL in London for medicine so will be very strange come this September. Your layout is gorgeous love the colour combo, she is getting more beautiful every new page you create. Hope your well and tks for stopping by my little blog xReplyDelete


text:
According to a recent survey, more Americans desire forgiveness in their lives than are willing to forgive others. The details are unsurprising, but interesting. Many of the hold-outs suggested that those who commit violent or sexual crimes are unforgivable, and a whopping 60% said 'forgiving someone would first depend on the offender apologizing and making changes'.
In addition, the majority of Americans polled said they 'sought the advice of friends and family rather than religious leaders when grappling with issues of forgiveness', 25% said they 'did not know where to go for help with spiritual needs', while a third of respondents 'struggle with spirituality'.