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An afterburner (or a reheat) is a component present on some jet engines, mostly those used on military supersonic aircraft. Its purpose is to provide an increase in thrust, usually for supersonic flight, takeoff, and combat situations. Afterburning is achieved by injecting additional fuel into the jet pipe downstream of (i.e., "after") the turbine. Afterburning significantly increases thrust without the weight of an additional engine, but at the cost of very high fuel consumption and decreased fuel efficiency, limiting its practical use to short bursts.
Pilots can activate and deactivate afterburners in-flight, and jet engines are referred to as operating wet when afterburning is being used and dry when not.[1] An engine producing maximum thrust wet is at maximum power, while an engine producing maximum thrust dry is at military power.[2]
Jet-engine thrust is governed by the general principle of mass flow rate.[3] Thrust depends on two things: the velocity of the exhaust gas and the mass of that gas. A jet engine can produce more thrust by either accelerating the gas to a higher velocity or by having a greater mass of gas exit the engine.[4] Designing a basic turbojet engine around the second principle produces the turbofan engine, which creates slower gas but more of it. Turbofans are highly fuel efficient and can deliver high thrust for long periods, but the design trade-off is a large size relative to the power output. Generating increased power with a more compact engine for short periods can be achieved using an afterburner. The afterburner increases thrust primarily by accelerating the exhaust gas to a higher velocity.[5]
The temperature of the gas in the engine is highest just before the turbine,[6] and the ability for the turbine to withstand these temperatures is one of the primary restrictions on total dry engine thrust. This temperature is known as the Turbine Entry Temperature (TET), one of the critical engine operating parameters. Because a combustion rate high enough to consume all the intake oxygen would create temperatures high enough to overheat the turbine, the flow of fuel must be restricted to an extent that fuel rather than oxygen becomes the limiting factor in the reaction, leaving some oxygen to flow past the turbine. After passing the turbine, the gas expands at a near constant entropy, thus losing temperature.[7] The afterburner then injects fuel downstream of the turbine and reheats the gas. As a result of the temperature rise in the tailpipe, the gas is ejected through the nozzle at a higher velocity. The mass flow is also slightly increased by the addition of the fuel.
Afterburners produce markedly enhanced thrust as well as a visible flame at the back of the engine. This exhaust flame may show shock diamonds, which are caused by shock waves formed due to slight differences between ambient pressure and the exhaust pressure. These imbalances cause oscillations in the exhaust jet diameter over a short distance and cause visible banding where the pressure and temperature is highest.
A similar type of thrust augmentation but using additional fuel burnt in a turbofan's cold bypass air only, instead of the combined cold and hot gas flows as in a conventional afterburning engine, is Plenum chamber burning (PCB), developed for the vectored thrust Bristol Siddeley BS100 engine for the Hawker Siddeley P.1154. In this engine, where the cold bypass and hot core turbine airflows are split between two sets of nozzles, front and rear, in the same manner as the Rolls-Royce Pegasus, additional fuel and afterburning was applied to the front cold air nozzles only. This technique was developed to give greater thrust for take-off and supersonic performance in an aircraft similar to, but of higher weight, than the Hawker Siddeley Harrier.[8]
A jet engine afterburner is an extended exhaust section containing extra fuel injectors. Since the jet engine upstream (i.e., before the turbine) will use little of the oxygen it ingests, additional fuel can be burned after the gas flow has left the turbines. When the afterburner is turned on, fuel is injected and igniters are fired. The resulting combustion process increases the afterburner exit (nozzle entry) temperature significantly, resulting in a steep increase in engine net thrust. In addition to the increase in afterburner exit stagnation temperature, there is also an increase in nozzle mass flow (i.e. afterburner entry mass flow plus the effective afterburner fuel flow), but a decrease in afterburner exit stagnation pressure (owing to a fundamental loss due to heating plus friction and turbulence losses).[citation needed]
The resulting increase in afterburner exit volume flow is accommodated by increasing the throat area of the propulsion nozzle. Otherwise, the upstream turbomachinery rematches (probably causing a compressor stall or fan surge in a turbofan application). The first designs, e.g. Solar afterburners used on the F7U Cutlass, F-94 Starfire and F-89 Scorpion, had 2-position eyelid nozzles.[9] Modern designs incorporate not only VG nozzles but multiple stages of augmentation via separate spray bars.
To a first order, the gross thrust ratio (afterburning/dry) is directly proportional to the root of the stagnation temperature ratio across the afterburner (i.e. exit/entry).
Due to their high fuel consumption, afterburners are usually used as little as possible. They are generally used only when it is important to have as much thrust as possible. This includes during takeoff from short runways, assisting catapult launches from aircraft carriers, and during air combat situations. A notable exception is the Pratt & Whitney J58 engine used in the SR-71 Blackbird.
In heat engines such as jet engines, efficiency is best when combustion is done at the highest pressure and temperature possible, and expanded down to ambient pressure (see Carnot cycle).
Since the exhaust gas already has reduced oxygen due to previous combustion, and since the fuel is not burning in a highly compressed air column, the afterburner is generally inefficient compared with the main combustor. Afterburner efficiency also declines significantly if, as is usually the case, the inlet and tailpipe pressure decreases with increasing altitude.[citation needed]
This limitation only applies to turbojets. However, in a military turbofan combat engine the bypass air serves to cool the turbine blades and is added into the exhaust, hence, increasing the core and afterburner efficiency. For turbojets the gain is limited to 50%, while it depends on the bypass ratio in a turbofan and can be as much as 70%.[10]
However, as a counter-example, the SR-71 had reasonable efficiency at high altitude in afterburning mode ("wet") due to its high speed (mach 3.2) and hence high pressure due to ram intake.
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Afterburning has a significant influence upon engine cycle choice.
Lowering fan pressure ratio decreases specific thrust (both dry and wet afterburning), but results in a lower temperature entering the afterburner. Since the afterburning exit temperature is effectively fixed, the temperature rise across the unit increases, raising the afterburner fuel flow. The total fuel flow tends to increase faster than the net thrust, resulting in a higher specific fuel consumption (SFC). However, the corresponding dry power SFC improves (i.e. lower specific thrust). The high temperature ratio across the afterburner results in a good thrust boost.
If the aircraft burns a large percentage of its fuel with the afterburner alight, it pays to select an engine cycle with a high specific thrust (i.e. high fan pressure ratio/low bypass ratio). The resulting engine is relatively fuel efficient with afterburning (i.e. Combat/Take-off), but thirsty in dry power. If, however, the afterburner is to be hardly used, a low specific thrust (low fan pressure ratio/high bypass ratio) cycle will be favored. Such an engine has a good dry SFC, but a poor afterburning SFC at Combat/Take-off.
Often the engine designer is faced with a compromise between these two extremes.
Early British reheat work included flight tests on a Rolls-Royce W2/B23 in a Gloster Meteor I in late 1944 and ground tests on a Power Jets W2/700 engine in mid-1945. This engine was destined for the Miles M.52 supersonic aircraft project.[11]
Early US research on the concept was done by NACA, in Cleveland, OH, leading to the publication of the paper "Theoretical Investigation of Thrust Augmentation of Turbojet Engines by Tail-pipe Burning" in January 1947.[12]
US work on afterburners in 1948 resulted in Solar installations on early straight-wing jets such as the Pirate, Starfire and Scorpion.[13]
The new Pratt & Whitney J48 turbojet, at 8,000 lbf (36 kN) thrust with afterburner, would power the Grumman sweptwing fighter F9F-6, which was about to go into production. Other new Navy fighters with afterburners included the Chance Vought F7U-3 Cutlass, powered by two 6,000 lbf (27 kN) thrust Westinghouse J46 engines.
In the 1950s several large reheated engines were developed such as the Orenda Iroquois, and the British de Havilland Gyron and Rolls-Royce Avon RB.146 variants. The Rolls-Royce Avon RB.146 variants powered the English Electric Lightning, the first supersonic aircraft in RAF service. The Bristol-Siddeley Rolls-Royce Olympus was fitted with reheat for the TSR-2. This system was designed and developed jointly by Bristol Siddeley and Solar of San Diego.[14] The reheat system for the Concorde was developed by Snecma.
Afterburners are generally only used in military aircraft, and are considered standard equipment on fighter aircraft. The handful of civilian planes that have used them include some NASA research aircraft, the Tupolev Tu-144, Concorde and the White Knight of Scaled Composites. Concorde flew long distances at supersonic speeds. Sustained high speeds would be impossible with the high fuel consumption of reheat, and used afterburners at takeoff and to minimise time spent in the high drag transonic flight regime. Supersonic flight without afterburners is referred to as supercruise.
A turbojet engine equipped with an afterburner is called an "afterburning turbojet", whereas a turbofan engine similarly equipped is sometimes called an "augmented turbofan".[citation needed]
A "dump-and-burn" is a fuel dumping procedure where dumped fuel is intentionally ignited using the plane's afterburner. A spectacular flame combined with high speed makes this a popular display for airshows, or as a finale to fireworks. Fuel dumping is primarily used to reduce the mass of an aircraft to avoid a heavy / high speed landing; thus other than for safety or emergency reasons, the dump and burn procedure does not have a practical use.
This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Afterburner", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0. There is a list of all authors in Wikipedia
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Rafael and I have been working on our upcoming book, Windows 8 Secrets, since earlier this summer, but in earnest now that we have a near-final developer preview build to work from. Part of this work involves laborious side-by-side comparisons of the Windows 7 user interfaces that have carried over to Windows 8, because this next book will be a complete rewrite that covers only those things that are new or changed in the new OS. And as we work our way through these comparisons, some small but interesting changes have caught our attention.
This is one of them.
As you may recall, Microsoft introduced libraries in Windows 7, though the virtual folder technology behind them first appeared previously, in Windows Vista. Libraries are virtual folders that aggregate content from one or more physical folders, and in the case of the built-in libraries in Windows 7--Documents, Music, Pictures, and Videos--these folders are what used to be known as special shell folders. So the Documents library, by default, displays information from the current user's My Documents folder as well as the Public Documents folder.
You can customize libraries in various ways, and you can also create your own custom libraries, such as for a special project or for certain groups of content that you'd like to keep separate from the default libraries for some reason.
This all carries over in Windows 8, and for the most part, Windows 8 libraries work just like Windows 7 libraries. The same default set is available, you can customize them largely as before, and so on. But there are some changes to libraries in Windows 8. And one of them involves custom libraries.
In Windows 7, when you created a custom library, you could optimize the view based on the types of items the virtual folder would display; available choices included General Items, Documents, Music, Pictures, and Videos. But you always received a stock libraries icon, and changing the optimization type wouldn't change the icon.
In Windows 8, finally, you can arbitrarily change the icon for custom libraries. Note, however, that this capability extends only to custom libraries, and not the built-in libraries (still Documents, Music, Pictures, and Videos). And while that's a shame, power users will still appreciate being able to customize their custom libraries with a new icon.
Here's how.
First, open Windows Explorer, which defaults to the Libraries view. Here, if you right-click a default library and choose Properties, you'll see that there are a few changes from the same dialog in Windows 7.
First, the Include a folder button has been renamed to Add. A new button, called Set public save location, allows you to set a new libraries options, for a public save location. (In Windows 7, you could only set the current user's save location.) And finally, there's a new Change library icon option, though that's grayed out for default libraries like Documents.
Check the properties sheet for custom library, however, and that option is now available.
To change the icon, click the Change library icon button. This will display the Change Icon dialog, which will by default show a great collection of new and old Windows icons. (Some actually date back to Windows 95.) Select the icon you want and click OK.
Now, your custom library has a new icon.
Note: Power users will typically hide the humongous Explorer ribbon in Windows 8, but if you prefer to use that, this option is available from the ribbon as well. Simply select the library icon you'd like to change and then select Change icon from the ribbon.
I'm guessing there is a way to change the default library icons as well, even though this feature isn't available in the Desktop user interface. If you know of a way to accomplish this in the Windows 8 Developer Preview without using a third party application, please let me know.

subset: commoncrawl


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Over the past few months, reporting stations around the Arctic have shown a ramping rate of atmospheric methane accumulation. The curves in the graphs are steepening, hinting at a growing release of methane from a warming Arctic environment.
* * * *
(Alert, Canada methane graph shows atmospheric methane increases in the range of 20 parts per billion in just one year. This rate of increase is 2-3 times the global average for the past five years. A skyrocketing rate of increase. Image source: NOAA ESRL.)
A Massive Thawing Carbon Store in the Far North
The science is pretty settled. There's a massive store of ancient carbon now thawing in the Arctic.
In the land-based permafrost alone, this store is in the range of 1.3 billion tons — or nearly double the volume in the atmosphere right now. Arctic Ocean methane hydrates in the East Siberian Arctic Shelf add another 500 billion tons. A rather vulnerable store that does not include hundreds of billions of additional tons of carbon in the deeper methane hydrates around the Arctic in places like the Gakkel Ridge, in the Deep Waters off Svalbard, or in the Nares Strait. Massive carbon stores of high global warming potential gas locked in frozen ground or in ice structure upon or beneath the sea bed.
But now human beings — through fossil fuel emissions — are dumping heat trapping gasses into the atmosphere at an unprecedented rate. These gasses are most efficient at trapping heat in the colder, darker regions of the world. And, due to a combination of massive Northern Hemisphere burning, and release from the Arctic carbon stores themselves, the highest concentrations of greenhouse gasses can be found exactly where they are needed least — in the world's far northern zones .
(The Arctic consistently shows an overburden of methane gas — both at the ground and upper levels of the atmosphere as seen in this METOP graphic from May 29. Such an overburden is but one of many proxy indicators of a ramping rate of release.)
This accumulation and overburden of heat trapping gasses is causing the Arctic to rapidly warm. A rate of warming (now at half a degree Celsius per decade for most regions) that is providing a heat forcing pushing the ancient carbon stores to release. A heat forcing now greater than at any time in the past 150,000 years (and likely more due to the fact that the Eemian Arctic was rather cool overall). A heat forcing rapidly ramping toward at least a range not seen since major glaciation began in the Northern Hemisphere 2-3 million years ago.
The problem for science, then, is two-fold. First, as oceans warm and permafrost thaws, how rapidly will the carbon stores release? And, second, how much of that carbon store will release as CO2, and how much will release as methane? From the point of view of global warming, both CO2 and Methane emissions feedback is a bad outcome of human-forced warming. But methane, which has a global warming potential of between 25 and 120 times CO2 over human-relevant timescales, has a real potential to make an already bad human heating of the Earth System much, much worse.
(Image source via Science 2.0.)
Most Arctic Reporting Stations Show Rapid Ramping of Methane Gas Accumulation
For this reason, monitoring methane gas accumulation in the Arctic is a key feature of global climate change risk analysis. If the Arctic shows a spiking rate of methane accumulation, then the carbon stores are more susceptible to rapid release of potent heat trapping gasses and we are facing a high urgency situation in need of rapid global response.
Over the past decade, the Arctic has shown numerous isolated or regional spikes to very high methane levels with an overall continued accumulation within the atmosphere. The Arctic also displayed a major overburden of both methane and CO2 — proxy indications of local carbon store feedbacks already ongoing on a minor-to-moderate scale. This combination of overburden and spikes provided a troubling context, especially when adding in observations of methane store release through thermokarst lakes and, later, blow-holes in locations like Yamal, Russia. But up until last year, we had not seen a third, and more troubling, indicator — the ramping rates of atmospheric methane accumulation that would be an early warning that the Arctic carbon store was indeed starting to blow its stack.
But now, that signal is starting to show up at almost every Arctic reporting station. A steepening curve in the Arctic atmospheric methane graphs. A signal we really, really don't want to be bearing witness to:
(Major reporting stations from Svalbard to Barrow show a ramping atmospheric methane accumulation [Click on individual images to expand]. It's a signal that is yet one more indicator of an amplifying methane and greenhouse gas feedback to human warming now going on in the Arctic. Images provided by NOAA ESRL.)
Now, it seems, at the very least, we are witnessing a spike in Arctic atmospheric methane accumulation. Let's hope it's just a spike and not the start of another ugly exponential curve associated with human-forced atmospheric warming. But if we are witnessing the early ramp of such a curve, we should be clear that we are now in the context of a worst-case climate change scenario.
Hot-Button Topic of Critical Importance
For years, conjecture over the possible rate of Arctic Methane release in a human-warmed Arctic has been the source of extreme scientific and media-based controversy. Major oil companies have used the issue as an excuse to continue fossil fuel burning (irresponsibly spreading the meme — 'we're screwed, so we may as well just keep burning anyway'). Major climate scientists and related media outlets have sought to tamp down concern over large-scale methane release by issuing articles with titles like 'Apocalypse Not' with many generally insisting that there is practically zero likelihood of a large-scale methane release or major amplifying feedback. Meanwhile, the observational studies have continued to indicate risk of at least moderate and possibly strong methane feedback in an age of rapid human heating of the Arctic environment (studies like this recent paper which observed microbes tripling the rate of methane gas release in thermokarst lakes as a response to Arctic temperature increase.) Finally, a group of very concerned observational scientists like Natalia Shakhova, Igor Simeletov and Peter Wadhams have warned that a large-scale methane release is likely imminent and begs a major response from the global community (sadly, many of these proposed responses have come in the form of geo-engineering — methods which are far less likely to succeed and far more likely to generate unforeseen and highly disruptive consequences than simple cessation of human fossil fuel emission and a transition to carbon-negative civilizations).
(Mauna Loa methane measure through June 1, 2015 shows that lower Latitude regions are also starting to follow a ramping rate of increase. Image source: NOAA ESRL.)
All this controversy aside, what we observe now is the following:
- Arctic methane and CO2 overburden — proxy indication of environmental release.
- Increasing rates of release, indications of increasing release, or possibly increasing release from single sources such as thermokarst lakes, peat bogs, wildfires, and sea bed hydrates and submerged tundra.
- A multiplication of observed or discovered methane release sources — thermokarst lakes, methane blow holes, wildfires etc.
- A ramping rate of atmospheric methane accumulation at reporting stations throughout the Arctic (most but not all stations).
- A ramping rate of atmospheric methane accumulation from global proxy monitors like Mauna Loa and in the global atmospheric average.
Together, these observations represent a troubling trend that, should it continue, will be proceeding along or near a worst-case climate sensitivity track. As such, these new ramping rates of increase in Arctic atmospheric monitors are a very unfortunate indicator.
Microbes in Thermokarst Lakes Increase Methane Generation with Warming
Arctic Sea Ice Melt, Methane Release Shows Amplifying Feedback to Human-Caused Climate Change


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For Immediate Release
Office of the First Lady
February 22, 2005
Mrs. Bush's Remarks to Troops in Germany
Ramstein Air Base
Ramstein, Germany
11:25 A.M. (Local)
MRS. BUSH: I'm the one that should be applauding you. Thank you all very, very much. Thank you for the very warm welcome to Ramstein Air Base. And thanks to Brigadier General Bailey and to Colonel Kane for your commitment to our country. President Bush and I also thank our German hosts for welcoming us to this beautiful country. (Applause.)
The friendship of so many Germans has helped to make Ramstein a home away from home for so many Americans. As the largest American community outside the United States, K-Town is a testament to the partnership between our countries. (Applause.) Germany is a close friend and ally of the United States and our nation and our people are bound by common values and common interests. Our military alliance protects freedom throughout the world. This successful alliance would not be possible without the incredible men and women of Team Ramstein. (Applause.)
I am thrilled to be at the home of the 435th Air Base Wing, the 86th Airlift Wing -- (applause) -- and the 38th Combat Support Wing. (Applause.) I told my father-in-law that I was coming here today and he suggested that I make a grand entrance by parachute. (Laughter.) I told him I thought I'd wait for my 80th birthday. (Laughter.)
President Bush and I have had the privilege of visiting our troops all over the world, from Camp Bondsteel in Kosovo, to Aviano Air Force Base in Italy, to Camp Bonifas in Korea. There's no place I'd rather be than spending time with the men and women of the United States military and their families. (Applause.)
And thanks especially to the military families here for your devotion to your loved ones. I know there are some military spouses sitting behind me. Thank you all, also, for your devotion to our country. I appreciate the many veterans and military leaders who are here with us today. Thanks to each one of you for your service to America and for your leadership for our Armed Forces. Every unit at this base is performing with distinction. Amazingly, you direct air operations in a theater spanning three continents, covering more than 20 million square miles in 93 countries. And your valiant work upholds the great tradition of some of the bravest and most skilled Americans who served here.
For more than 50 years the men and women of Ramstein have worked to secure peace and freedom throughout the world. Established to stop the spread of communism, this base quickly evolved as a fighter central for the United States Air Force in Europe. Since the fall of the Berlin Wall, your mission has been transformed. You support peacekeeping and humanitarian efforts in the Balkans and in Northern and Southern Africa. And, of course, Team Ramstein is on the front lines of the new war of the 21st century, to confront terror and to defeat it. (Applause.)
During Operation Enduring Freedom, you supported an air bridge from Europe to Asia that delivered more than 3,000 tons of humanitarian relief to millions in Northern Afghanistan, preventing mass starvation there. And in Iraq, you're opening critical airfields and providing vital en-route support to deploying forces. Whether training police officers in Baghdad, providing logistic support in Afghanistan, or comforting the wounded here at Landstuhl, Team Ramstein lives by one code: One Team, One Fight. (Applause.)
And although you're serving far from home, millions of Americans are thinking of you and praying for you every single day. I'm happy to express the gratitude of our entire nation and to convey the personal regards of your Commander-in-Chief, President George W. Bush. (Applause.) On behalf of my husband and all Americans, we want you, and all the men and women who are serving around the world, to know we support you, we believe in you and we're proud of you. All who serve in the United States military can take pride in the great work you've accepted.
Your fellow citizens know that your mission is not easy. Many of you have faced long deployments, sometimes far longer than you expected. Many of you enlisted in a time of peace and now find yourselves serving in a time of war. You miss your families and you worry about them, and your families miss and worry about you. Some of you have lost comrades, men and women you'll never forget. And America will never forget them, either. I'm grateful, and I know all Americans are grateful to live in a country that's produced such brave men and women.
As you go about your duties here every day, you're standing watch for freedom and you're protecting the rights and the liberties we all hold dear. And you're bringing opportunity and security to nations that have known decades of cruel oppression. The success you've helped achieve in Iraq and Afghanistan is remarkable. Thanks to America's soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, and members of the National Guard and Reserves, 50 million men, women and children in these two countries are now enjoying the first taste of freedom. (Applause.)
People across the world were inspired as we watched the Afghan and Iraqi people defy threats of violence, and even death, to vote in the first free elections in their lives. We cannot overlook the historic magnitude of these events, or all that our military men and women did to make them possible. You helped 10 million Afghans gather at polling stations across their country to elect their new President. And just three weeks ago, you supported more than 8 million Iraqis as they elected new leaders for their country.
Coalition soldiers saw voters arriving on crutches and in donkey carts. Those voters had to pass by warnings scribbled on walls that read, "You vote, you die." Despite the threats, people voted in incredible numbers. (Applause.) Children waved Iraqi flags and voters displayed their ink-stained fingers like badges of honor. In scenes like this, we see the liberating power of freedom, and we understand the vital importance of our cause. Today, the people of Iraq and Afghanistan are hopeful again about their futures. Across the broader Middle East, people can look to the new freedom of these two countries and find inspiration. And the world has seen once again that the United States military is one of the greatest forces for good on this earth. (Applause.)
The most amazing thing about our men and women in uniform is that even as they fight to defeat terror, they still have an enormous capacity to extend the hand of friendship and compassion to people who desperately want a better life. For our military, heroism with a human touch is part of the mission. That human touch, that concrete hope is delivered in many forms. For some, hope is a clean water well dug by U.S. Army engineers. For others, it's a school opened and refurbished for the first time to young girls, girls who've never before gone to a class.
And this winter, parents are buttoning their children into warm winter coats, bought in a store near a U.S. military base and delivered thousands of miles away to families in need. The faces of our men and women in uniform are the faces of American compassion abroad. Each of you has a greater impact than you can ever imagine on people that you will only know for a brief time. And all of you are delivering the greatest gift they'll ever receive by sacrificing your own comfort, your own safety and your own lives so that others might know freedom. (Applause.)
All of those who serve in our military deserve our utmost respect and so do those who serve without a paycheck and well behind the front lines -- our military families. (Applause.) I know a little bit about having your life turned upside down because the person you love wants to serve the country he loves. (Laughter.) I've met with military wives at Fort Hood in Texas, and with military children at Fort Campbell in Kentucky, and I am in awe of your courage and your resiliency. You make countless sacrifices to help your loved ones fulfill their duty. Some of you have been separated from your loved ones by long deployments. You're dealing with the burdens of raising families on your own, and you're also worrying about your husband or wife, or your mom, or your dad, far from home. We'll never forget your commitment or the dedication you have to your loved ones. (Applause.)
By standing for the cause of freedom you're making our world more peaceful. By fighting terrorists abroad, you're making the American people safer at home. And by acting in the best traditions of duty and honor, you're making our country and your Commander-in-Chief incredibly proud. (Applause.)
I was recently privileged to witness a very special moment. During the President's State of the Union speech he recognized a mother and father from Texas who had lost their son in Iraq. On behalf of all Americans, he thanked our military families with grateful heart for their service and their sacrifice. And as the applause grew and filled the chamber of the House of Representatives, a woman from Iraq turned and hugged the mother from Texas. The Iraqi woman's father had been killed by Saddam Hussein, and as the American soldier's mother returned her hug, her son's dog tags caught in the other woman's sweater, binding the two in a shared moment of loss and sorrow, yes, but also of inspiration.
In that moment, we witnessed the power of what you're doing to change the world to make it more free and more hopeful for all of our children. On behalf of President Bush and every American, thank you for ensuring that a new generation of children will grow up in peace.
May God bless you and may God bless the United States of America. (Applause.)
END 11:40 A.M. (Local)
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Friday, September 24, 2010
Burnt Offerings by Robert Marasco (1973): Burning Down the House
Burnt Offerings concerns the Rolfe family after they rent a lovely big house in Long Island to escape the summer in Queens, and all the muted, allusive horrors they face after. I suppose they should have been clued in when the mansion rents for a measly $900 for the entire season. As a bonus, the renters, brother and sister Allardyce, reveal that their elderly mother will reside, unseen, in an upstairs room the whole time the Rolfes are there and all they have to do is provide her meals; another warning bell. So soon come the subtle terrors, the ambiguous chills, the inexplicable accidents, as the atmosphere darkens and the house - or is it Mrs. Allardyce? - begins to wield some unearthly power over the family. You know how that goes, dedicated follower of horror fiction. Caretakers in this type of work never seem to make out well, do they? And they don't.
King has stated its influence on The Shining, which is probably clear from that simple description. I read it in 1994 during what was my last real heavy-duty jag of horror-fiction reading until I began this blog. So I dug out an old notebook from then in which I wrote about various books and movies and lo and behold, while I'd written down that I'd actually read Burnt Offerings, it seems I didn't write anything about it. Not a good sign. But I can recall my impression pretty well, and that is, despite some glowing reviews on Amazon, where it gets called a "seminal horror novel," I was underwhelmed by its subtlety and felt it promised more than delivered, that its final reveal simply wasn't that scary or effective (I kinda dig the movie version though, with the quite astonishing cast of Karen Black, Oliver Reed, Burgess Meredith, and Bette Davis). Probably I was spoiled because around the same time I was reading Ligotti's Grimscribe, Leiber's Our Lady of Darkness, Machen's "The Great God Pan," and Jackson's Haunting of Hill House; what mostly-forgotten novel could hold up to that classic line-up?
17 comments:
- Tim Mayer said...
The best comment I heard on the movie was a friend. He couldn't understand the title because "there wasn't one match lit in the entire movie!"
- September 25, 2010 at 7:19 AM
- Jack Veasey said...
I read the novel when it first came out. Obviously, I was much younger then, and maybe that explains why I was totally caught up in it. When I saw the movie in the theater, it was a big comedown from the novel, and I was especially annoyed by the heavy-handed device of the sinister hearse driver. Now I find the movie amusingly campy (though the scene where we hear Bette Davis's arm snap does get me every time). What a cast, indeed! Eileen Heckart is in it, too. Dan Curtis, creator of "Dark Shadows," directed, abd it's a film in the same style as that show and "Trilogy of Terror" -- subtle it isn't, but it's fun if you don't take it too seriously. Don't know what I'd think of the book if I read it now.
- September 25, 2010 at 9:25 AM
- Will Errickson said...
I think that's what I found disappointing about the movie: Curtis's style made it seem less like a feature film and more like a TV movie. I did like the 'raging pool' sequence however, and the ending was unexpectedly bloody.
- September 25, 2010 at 9:31 AM
- Will Errickson said...
Tim, I thought about subtitling this post "Burning Down the House" but then I recalled nothing of the kind happened!
- September 25, 2010 at 9:35 AM
- Imola said...
Nice to have found you!
- September 25, 2010 at 4:01 PM
- email@example.com said...
That's disappointing! I began this book about 4-5 months ago but wasn't drawn in and put it down after about a chapter or so. Not an infrequent thing with me as I find that some books "find their time" to be read with proper eyes/mind state. I still have this book near the top of a pile of horror books "to read", in light of what you've said, I guess it'll be reshuffled again, this time less prominently.
It is King's selection on the "core list" of the Jones Newman Horror: 100 Best Books list (1988).
- September 25, 2010 at 5:52 PM
- email@example.com said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- September 25, 2010 at 6:02 PM
- firstname.lastname@example.com said...
Not seen the film, but usually love Dan Curtis' total '70s style. However, as far as "TV movie" style goes, I can see you're coming from, Will, it would be typical of Curtis, knowing his background in TV & films for TV.
As for Dan Curtis, the best things he did were the Kolchak: The Night Stalker series of TV movies and shows and the Jack Palance TV adaptations of "Dracula" & "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde". Although Palance can be hammy at times, I can watch those two endlessly. Very moody and atmospheric, for TV movies, the same could be said of Kolchak, too.
- September 25, 2010 at 6:04 PM
- Will Errickson said...
You know, I believe I read Burnt Offerings not because it was in Danse Macabre, but because it was in the 100 Best Books, which I was into in '94. All coming back to me. I have seen the Palance version of Dracula--Matheson wrote the screenplay, I believe--but the version I prefer is the BBC-TV one from '77 with Louis Jordan; my header pic is from it.
- September 25, 2010 at 6:20 PM
- firstname.lastname@example.com said...
I'll have to check that out. Is it on DVD?
- September 26, 2010 at 11:22 PM
- Will Errickson said...
Yeah, I got it from Netflix.
- September 27, 2010 at 6:54 AM
- Luis said...
The cover for the book states that it's better than Rosemary's Baby, The Other and The Exorcist! High praise indeed, but I believe a bit exaggerated. I do like the cover, however, with the face on the knob.
- September 27, 2010 at 10:59 AM
- KentAllard said...
I read this a million or so years ago, but I do seem to have fond memories of it. You make a good point, though: not too many books would hold up well if dumped in a lot with Lieber/Ligotti/Jackson.
- September 29, 2010 at 7:12 PM
I've seen the film recently and thought it was very effective and disturbing, with a genuinely shocking ending. There are campy moments here and there, but I think you'll find that in any 70s movie (even The Shining).
The house used in the film was also used for the exterior of the funeral home in Phantasm.
- September 30, 2010 at 11:49 AM
- Robert H. said...
With the recent housing crisis, I'm surprised that none of the cable channels or studios have fast-tracked this to remake status. It's also worth searching the play and/or film version of CHILD'S PLAY, as it can be seen as horror for teachers.
- October 4, 2010 at 12:55 PM
- John Scoleri said...
In many ways I thought William F. Nolan's screenplay adaptation actually improved upon the novel.
But let's face it, what makes the movie terrifying is the chauffeur portrayed by frightening character actor Anthony James (The Teacher, Unforgiven). He's an accomplished painter these days.
Also worth noting is the house from Burnt Offerings (also used as Morningside Mortuary in the original Phantasm) is the Dunsmier Estate in Oakland, California. It's worth taking the tour if you're in the area (http://www.dunsmuir.org/).
- October 16, 2010 at 3:21 PM
Interestingly, the handyman in Burt... was played by Dub Taylor(I think), who I pictured as Watson from the Shining(Book) who was totally ruined in Kubrick's film...
- November 21, 2012 at 10:00 PM


text:
Players of all ages are instantly drawn to the plight of Ivy, introduced to the charming bird through an unfolding storybook style, first seen as her orange head and beak break out of her shell and cries for her mother. Receiving no response, Ivy sets off through a dreamy forest, meeting many birds but none who share her resemblance. As she wanders, she stumbles upon a single glowing red feather and the first clue of her mother's whereabouts.
Presented in a beguiling storybook-like art style, Ivy the Kiwi? utilizes a unique control scheme to guide Ivy through her daunting journey. Ivy moves back and forth freely and independently of the player through timed 2-D side-view landscapes, and is guided by the use of vines created and controlled by the Wii Remote as players aim to collect more orange feathers through the stages to boost their overall score. These stretchy vines herd Ivy forward, upstairs, over walls and dangerous spikes and other menacing obstacles. Multiple vines may be created and used in conjunction, and an existing vine can be pulled in a slingshot motion to propel flightless Ivy skyward or forward as a projectile to drill through barriers and enemies. Vines bend and flex with the motion of the Wii Remote, but pulled too far and they snap!
Ivy the Kiwi? features over 100 hundred stages. In addition to the single-player storyline, up to four players can compete in split-screen mode on Wii.
Also known as: Ivy the Kiwi?
Release Region: United States
Release Date: August 24, 2010
Publisher: Xseed Games
Release Region: Japan
Release Date: April 22, 2010
Publisher: Xseed Games
Release Region: Australia
Release Date: October 14, 2010
Publisher: Xseed Games
Also available on: Wireless, Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi
Ivy the Kiwi at IGN
Ivy the Kiwi Cheats at IGN
Ivy the Kiwi at GameSpy
Ivy the Kiwi at GameStats


text:
(Sorry for the delayed launch of this post; had some last minute tweaks to do)
Tommy Kane, Jack, and I have just completed production on another in our series of drawing films — this one about NY artist, Justin Klein. It was a long and grueling shoot day, a good 14 hours, and by the end of the shoot, our set was full of bloodied paper, broken furniture, and empty beer cans and whiskey bottles. We all left the set changed for ever.
As I say to myself with each subsequent film, this is the best one yet. It is a bit of a departure from what we have done in the past but I think you'll agree that it is an interesting extension of our core idea.
I'll try to post again with some behind-the-scenes details about the production and answer any questions you post here.
Happy New Year!
Filmed with a Canon 7D, edited in Final Cut Pro X.
Music: "Lux Aeterna – Cum Sanctis Tuis" from the Requiem by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Color Correction by Lenny Mastrandrea at Nice Shoes.


text:
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Need answers? Contact EMCC Today!


text:
Groundbreaking new electron microscopy technology developed at the York JEOL Nanocentre at the University of York is allowing researchers to observe and analyse single atoms, small clusters and nanoparticles in dynamic in situ experiments for the first time.
The influential work being carried out at York is opening up striking new opportunities for observing and understanding the role of atoms in reactions in many areas of the physical sciences. It also has important implications for new medicines and new energy sources.
So far, observing reacting atoms has been difficult. When studying the reactions at the catalyst surface, scientists usually have to look into idealised systems under vacuum conditions rather than examining the reality of an industrial catalytic process in a gas environment.
However, in a world first, the Directors of the York JEOL Nanocentre, Professor Ed Boyes and Professor Pratibha Gai, have developed atomic resolution in-situ aberration corrected environmental scanning transmission electron microscopy technology (in-situ AC-ESTEM) for catalyst reaction studies in realistic reaction conditions.
With the new technology it is now possible to observe and analyse single atoms, small clusters and nanoparticles in dynamic in-situ experiments with controlled gas reaction environments at initial operating temperatures of up to 500 C under transient reaction conditions.
The seminal research carried out entirely at the York JEOL Nanocentre—a major long-term collaboration between the University's Departments of Chemistry, Physics and Electronics, the European Union, Yorkshire Forward and leading electron optics manufacturer JEOL—is reported in Annalen der Physik (Berlin).
Professor Gai, Co-Director of the York JEOL Nanocentre and Professor of Electron Microscopy with Chairs in York's Departments of Chemistry and Physics, said: "Our research opens up exciting new opportunities for observing and studying reacting atoms, the fundamental basic building blocks of matter, in many reactions and is especially important for the development of new medicines and new energy sources."
The team of York scientists, which includes Michael Ward and Dr Leonardi Lari, has successfully imaged individual platinum atoms on carbon supports in a reacting catalyst under controlled atmosphere and temperature conditions.
Professor Boyes, Co-Director of York JEOL Nanocentre, with Chairs in York's Departments of Physics and Electronics, said: "Platinum on carbon supports is important in many applications in the chemical industry including in energy sources such as fuel cells and is an informative model system more generally."
The work was funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).
ESTEM imaging of single atoms under controlled temperature and gas environment conditions in catalyst reaction studies
Source: University of York


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Cape Cross Lodge . . .
Literally metres from the Atlantic Ocean, Cape Cross Lodge presents a unique and serene stop for travellers along this vast untamed and seldom explored wilderness on the Skeleton Coast.
The Lodge is situated 60km north of Henties Bay and 120km north of Swakopmund.
The curious mix of Cape Dutch and West Coast fishing village architecture, nestles colossal windows which embrace the natural light and reveal endless vistas.
Around this idyllic oasis lies infinite ocean and desert, littered with the eerie remains of man's past endeavours. Nearby, rocky outcrops provide a perfect playground for a large colony of Cape Fur Seals. Visitors can self-drive or even walk to the colony ensuring they first visit the Ministry Office to complete entry requirements.
Whether you are an overnight or day visitor, Cape Cross Lodge welcomes you and invites you to explore the beauty of its natural surroundings.


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It's been a long time since I was in Europe. No surprise, things have changed.
No one takes American Express anymore, for example. Passing through customs is less pleasant than it used to be. And the people in France were actually very friendly this time around.
Mais plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose. Which in the O'Grady family means that our European vacation resembled European Vacation. Nothing went as planned. From the moment we arrived at Logan to our trip home, it was one misadventure after another.
And I wouldn't have changed it for the world. Well, except for the train thing. And the ATM problem. Anyway, here's what went wrong for us and what you can learn from it.
Why We Were At the Airport Five Hours Early
About a week before our trip, I received an email from Aer Lingus with advice on our upcoming trip. It read in part as follows:
Airport Information In Boston, Aer Lingus operates from Terminal E at Logan International Airport. For Boston Logan parking information click here. Check-in is on the 3rd Floor, Departures Level. Please check-in three and a half hours prior to your scheduled departure time.
Most people look at the three and a half hour recommendation and think: that's insane. But most people are not O'Grady's. As my wife has discovered, we are early as a family. Painfully so. If Aer Lingus said three and a half hours, well, maybe we didn't have to be there quite that far in advance, but three hours seemed reasonably conservative for an international flight. Seemed to me, anyway: my wife is far more normal in this regard.
Thus we arrived at Logan around 1 for our 4:15 PM flight. Except that the flight was actually at 6:15 PM, two hours later. The good news was that it's better to think your flight is leaving earlier than it actually is than later. The bad news was that we were now at Logan a full five hours before our flight left; so early, in fact, that we couldn't even check in.
The Lesson
Know the real time that your flight is leaving: it will make everything much smoother.
Why I Had No Mobile Data
When you go to Europe you get a guidebook. Fodor's, Lonely Planet, whatever: it's your world while you're there, telling you where to go and how to get there. We had these for Brussels and Paris both, but it being 2011 I thought we could do better. Anyone with an iPhone can tell you that paper maps, at least, are going the way of the dodo. I couldn't tell you the last time I printed directions to anywhere because in my phone I have a portable GPS. But of course phones from the US don't work in Europe. Or worse, they might, and you get an $837.20 bill for your seven day trip.
Enter unlocked phones. For those of you with an unlocked (can be used on any carrier) GSM (i.e. not Sprint or Verizon) phone – which is almost none of you – there's the mobile prepaid SIM. Basically you take your AT&T or T-Mobile SIM card out of the phone, pop in a SIM from one of the carrier's in the country you're visiting and you're off to the races. In theory.
In practice, the idea is sound but the execution can be a bit problematic. Here's what went wrong for me.
- The first thing I needed to do was find a carrier with prepaid SIMs for Belgium. After asking on Quora, Mobile Vikings was recommended to me. Given that their rates seemed reasonable (for mobile data) – 2 GB per €12 – I ordered one about a week before traveling. The only problem was that it didn't arrive.
- While the email from Mobile Vikings said "You can expect our package tomorrow (or the next business day)," apparently that means if you are in Belgium. Shipments to the US, it turns out, take a lot longer. Which I hadn't known. To Mobile Vikings' credit, they offered to ship out another SIM immediately to my address in Belgium so that it was waiting for me when I got to the hotel on Saturday morning.
- The SIM was not waiting for me when I got to the hotel on Saturday morning. And with no post on Sunday, it didn't arrive until we checked out Monday morning, meaning out of the four days we were in Belgium I had no SIM for two of them.
- After we arrived at our new hotel (thanks to a bookng mistake on my part) Monday afternoon, I popped in the new SIM, went through the activation process and waited for it to show data availability. Which would take, accordng to the activation website anywhere from 30 minutes to 24 hours. The card still wasn't active for data when we left on the train to Paris the next morning.
- When we returned to Brussels after our whirlwind tour of Paris, it still wasn't active. But we had a full slate left in Brussels, so I didn't have the time to look at the Mobile Vikings website until that night. As it turned out, I had only purchased the SIM card with my 12 Euros; I'd purchased no data. I was waiting, in other words, for data to come online that I had not purchased. With a 10 AM international flight the next morning, remedying this situation seemed pointless, so I went to bed the last night in Belgium not ever having gotten mobile data to work.
The Lessons
- Order your SIM card early. And by early, I mean weeks before your trip.
- Understand that it may take up to 24 hours to activate your data plan, whether it's in Belgium, France or elsewhere.
- If your data doesn't show up, make sure you're topped up by checking your account online.
- If you don't have an unlocked phone, you can look at mobile mifi devices: see either DROAM or Xcom.
Why Our Hotel Check-in Was Eventful
The hotel we'd picked for the beginning portion of our stay, the Royal Windsor, was well rated on Hotels.com, and indeed the rooms are lovely if a bit small with dark wood paneling, muted carpets and windows that didn't open. If, that is, you get one of their normal rooms. Instead on check-in the Royal Windsor directed us to one of their "Fashion Rooms." These are "hotel rooms recreated as art by trendy fashion designers." They are also the strangest hotel rooms I have ever seen, easily.
The picture doesn't do it justice: from the concrete floors to the garishly painted curved walls to the sunken circular bed to the plastic furniture, the Royal Windsor's Fashion Rooms are – if nothing else – a room you don't want to see after you've spent the night on a plane. In retrospect, I wish I'd seen the reviews here before we checked in, because Room 144 was the one we were initially given.
Fortunately, when we asked for a new room the Royal Windsor granted it without objection.
The Lesson
If you stay at the Royal Windsor in Brussels, be firm that you do not want a fashion room, especially 144. Just trust me on this.
Why You Shouldn't Trust Google Maps in Brussels
Because it's Google Maps. Everyone's had Google Maps lead them astray in the States: why should Europe be any different? Our first problem with Google Maps came from the fact that in spite of having the address correct, Google Maps places the hotel incorrectly on the map. Here is where Google Maps places the hotel if you look it up by name.Here, on the other hand, is where it says the hotel is if you just cut and paste the address Google Maps itself has for the hotel: As we'd planned our first lunch destination in Brussels using the first location, which had us about a half a mile from where we actually we were, you can see how we were a bit turned around. Adding to the confusion is Google Maps curious decision to not label the primary landmark of the tourist district – Grand Place – on the map. To demonstrate, see if you can find the words Grand Place on this map of Brussels. If you hunt a bit, you'll see it the names of the Hotel Alma and the Novotel, neither of which help tell you where it actually is. Grand Place, as you might have guessed, is that gray square in the middle of the map. Why it's not labeled at this level is the question; as Wikipedia can tell you, Grand Place is quite the destination. Between the Brussels town hall and the Broodhuis (Breadhouse), the architecture is massively impressive. As is, I would imagine, the flower carpet when it's assembled. But it gets no love from Google Maps for whatever the reason. Which makes it hard to determine where things are, because after being in Brussels for a short while, you tend to find things relative to where they are in relation to Grand Place.
What I can't blame Google Maps for was the fact that I was never able to reconcile my mental model of Brussels with Google Maps' version. Where Google Maps oriented things left to right, I thought of them as top to bottom. I can't explain why this should be, but I struggled with it the entire trip. But irrespective of my mental block, Google Maps has some substantial issues with its coverage in Brussels.
The Lesson
Do not trust Google Maps, obviously.
Why Using the Transit System May Be a Problem
ULB, the Belgian university where FOSDEM was being held, was 5.1 kilometers from the hotel (bad) but easily accessible by public transport (good). It took me twenty minutes longer to find Gare Centrale to pick up my bus to ULB than it should have because of the aforementioned problems with where Google Maps believed our hotel to be, but even after getting there I was unable to purchase a ticket for the bus using the automated machines. Helpfully, they have an English mode for their touchscreen, which walks you through the purchasing process. Less helpfully, the attached credit card reader display only speaks French and Flemish (Belgian Dutch), the former of which I have some vocabulary in and the latter of which is entirely opaque to me. Unfortunately, the card reader didn't take American Express and kept trying to speak to me in French and Dutch about my Mastercard using words that somehow never came up in my French classes. As later events proved, it might have been my card that it didn't like, but I'll never know because eventually it got tired of me, spit my card out and cancelled my transaction.
The Lesson
You might have to purchase your bus or train tickets from an actual person at Gare Central.
Why You May Have Trouble Getting Cash
Sunday night after FOSDEM ended, the lawyer and I decided to return to our late night venue of the previous night, the Poechenellekelder, for some after dinner Cantillons. Unbeknownst to us, it was a cash only establishment and we'd exhausted our supply of euros earlier that day. At the restaurants suggestion, I walked two blocks over to a cash machine in Grand Place, where I attempted to get cash. And failed. As I did at the next six cash machines I tried. With plenty of cash in the account, and having successfully withdrawn cash from the airport in Dublin, this was confusing. Fortunately a friend of ours – thanks Joe! – happened to be there that night and spotted us the necessary cash to pay the bill. A couple of the other people in our group mentioned having similar trouble getting cash, and said that while two of the machines in the ING on le Rue du Marche aux Herbes also wouldn't work, one would. The next morning the first ATM I picked was one of those that didn't work, and I began mentally considering how we'd get through the rest of our time in Europe with no cash. Fortunately, the second one I tried – as promised – yielded the necessary funds.
It is still not clear to me why some of the ATMs would accept my card and some would not, but word to the wise: your card may or may not work in Belgium (we had no such issues in Paris).
The Lessons
- Be aware ahead of time which venues are cash only: wandering around an unfamiliar city at night in desperate search of cash while your wife is sitting alone at the restaurant with no way to contact each other is suboptimal.
- If your cash cards don't work, don't panic: some will, and it's just a matter of identifying these.
How You Can Print Your Ticketless Train Confirmation
Tuesday morning we were scheduled to take the train from Brussels to Paris there to stay for one night. We had purchased a ticketless reservation from Thalys, which itself was a trial as their website has a few issues. With ticketless travel, you print your confirmation beforehand and just hop on the train. Which sounds easy, doesn't it? Tuesday morning, we got up, checked out and tried to print our respective confirmations at the Sheraton Brussels, which is where the firedrill began.
- The front desk at the Sheraton directed us to a bank of computers in the lobby for printing. They required a login, but after feeding it our last name and room number, it refused to grant us access. Back to the front desk.
- After initially telling us to just enter our last name and room number, they gave us a separate login. After successfully navigating the non-US keyboard whose keyboard didn't match the output, we were in. I headed to my Gmail account, went to print out the confirmations that had arrived at 3:30 AM that morning. On attempting to print, I discovered that there were no printers configured on the machine. Back to the front desk.
- After some discussion, it was determined that we had to print to a file, upload that file to a separate website, provide that website with a confirmation/hotel code (that they didn't have readily available), and then wait for it to print. At which point I asked where the business center was located.
- The business center featured a very slow Windows XP machine directly attached to a printer, which seemed promising. Upon trying to login, I was told that I couldn't login to two machines – this one and, presumably, the machine in the lobby, simultaneously. Back to the lobby.
- With time before our departure growing short, we decided to head to the train station and see if they could simply look up our reservation and print tickets. The Thalys information counter said that they could not, but that we were "probably" fine if we had our six digit confirmation code. Which we couldn't find.
- Even if we found that, the confirmation code didn't tell us where we were sitting, and the train has assigned seating. So we attempted to get on the internet and look that up using my laptop and both phones. We couldn't find an open network in the train station.
- Heading up to the train, we debated guessing at where we were sitting, then discovered that the train had active wireless aboard. Five minutes before departure, then, we'd gotten online and discovered at least where we our seats were located.
- Once on board, I "printed" the tickets to a .pdf file on my desktop, and hoped the conductor could scan my screen. When he came by, I pointed the screen at him, he scanned both QR codes without comment, and moved on.
The Lesson
On Thalys, at least, all the conductor needs is the QR code from the ticket. If you can print this to a laptop or (presumably) a mobile phone, you'll be fine: paper isn't necessary. Just make sure you know where you're sitting.
How to Buy a Ticket for the Paris Metro
When we arrived in Paris, we'd planned on taking the Metro to the apartment where we were staying. So we lined up for a ticket machine, only to discover that the machines at the Paris train station don't take regular Mastercard (and no AMEX), only European Mastercard. So we had to break some of our remaining Euros up into coins to purchase our tickets. Once done, the Metro is as easy to navigate as the T in Boston.
The Lesson
When you arrive at the Paris train station, have coins ready for purchasing tickets. That, or a European Mastercard or Visa.
How to Climb to the Top of the Arc de Triomphe
One of the first things we did in Paris, where I had never been, was take the Metro over to the Arc de Triomphe. You can purchase tickets there for around 9 euros to climb to the top, where the views of the city are quite spectacular. After buying two tickets, I was handed a single pink slip which I assumed indicated that two of us were allowed up. Presenting it at the foot of the arc, we were asked where our second ticket was. We explained we'd only been given the one. They explained that we'd have to go back and sort that out. Which we did, ultimately.
The Lesson
If you're climbing the Arc de Triomphe, you need a ticket per person.
How to Have Fun Even When Things Go Wrong (Because They Will Go Wrong)
Even if you're not a Griswold, or even just an O'Grady, things will go wrong. You're going to get lost, you're going to miss flights, things will get stolen, and so on. The only real solution to this is to embrace it as part of the experience. Generally, the worst case scenario just isn't that bad. Even as we weren't sure whether we were actually going to be able to get on the train to Paris, I was sure that we'd be laughing about it later. As we are. So understand that your carefully laid plans are not likely to survive actual contact with your trip, and just try and have fun.
We most certainly did. See the pictures here.


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Hydraulic Cement Plugs Leak
Q: After the last very heavy rain I noticed that water was leaking into my basement around the plastic conduit in the foundation wall. The conduit, which houses the inlet water pipe (from the street), was surrounded with a foam-type material that I removed because it was wet. I tried to caulk the area to stop the leak, but the caulk didn't stick. Do you have any thoughts on how to stop future leaks?
More From Popular Mechanics
A: The best way to seal around the conduit is to use hydraulic cement. One product that will do the job is UGL's Drylok Fast Plug (ugl.com). It comes as a powder that, when mixed with water, forms a mortarlike material. Unlike normal mortar that cures slowly, hydraulic cement sets within about 5 minutes. That's fast enough to seal a crack as water is seeping through it. Its primary use is for patching cracks and holes in foundations. Fast Plug is available at home centers and hardware stores. A 3-pound can costs about $5 and a 10-pound can, about $12.50.
Hydraulic cement works best when applied to a relatively clean surface. Use a stainless steel wire brush to remove dust and loose material from the area, and peel off old caulk left from previous repairs.
I'm not proud of this, but there are times when something just has to go together, even if it's not pretty. That was the case recently when I was stuck while assembling a portable basketball pole and hoop. What a piece of garbage. The thing required nearly every piece of metalworking equipment I own, except my wire-feed welder. I probably should have returned it to the store for its misdrilled holes, miscut parts and mashed threads, and then welded something. It wouldn't have been faster, but it sure would have been less annoying.
So here's the tip. A nut wouldn't take to a damaged bolt so I put the bolt through its hole, then I lubed the nut with Loctite Super Lube (a terrific Teflon lubricant). Next, I squeezed the nut onto the end of the bolt using a C-clamp hefty enough to fit the big bolt lengthwise between its jaws. With the clamp acting like a vise, I held the nut in place with one wrench and then moved the bolt head one-quarter turn with another wrench. Then I retightened the C-clamp. Several very forceful turns and the nut rethreaded the bolt so that I could remove the nut and put it back on again.
Will this work, turning the nut against the bolt, as if the nut were a die? All I can advise is to turn the part to which you have better access. And one more thing: When the box says "Easy Assembly," get your tools in order.--R.B.
Inadequate Toilet Flush
Q: I live in a one-year-old house with 2-1/2 bathrooms. One of the Kohler toilets doesn't flush properly. I have to keep holding the handle down for a full flush. Can this problem be fixed easily?
A: It sounds like the ball chain between the flush trip lever and the flapper valve has too much slack. This valve is nothing more than a flexible piece of rubber that mounts over a hole in the bottom of the tank. Lifting the valve provides the rush of water that flushes the toilet. When there's too much slack in the chain, you move the handle but the chain doesn't lift the flapper off the valve seat adequately. As soon as you release the handle, the water above the flapper pushes the flapper down onto the valve seat and not enough water rushes into the bowl for an adequate flush.
The flush trip lever has a little socket that a ball from the chain fits into. Snap the chain into the socket so that it reduces the slack. This will cause the chain to properly lift the flapper off the valve seat, resulting in a full flush. However, do not completely reduce the slack because it could result in the flapper not sealing the valve seat. If that happens, the water will run into the bowl constantly rather than filling the tank.
Exterior Oil Lines
Q: My house is heated with an oil-fired boiler. There is an above-ground oil tank on the south side of my house. Is it necessary to insulate the exposed oil supply lines during the winter months to keep the oil from getting sludgy? I haven't had any problems this winter, but I've heard different opinions about the matter. Some people say yes, others say not to bother. The tank is painted black.
A: You can insulate the exposed oil supply lines, but it shouldn't be necessary. With a two-pipe oil supply system (supply and return), the oil returning from the house will be warm. If you're concerned about this, you can tie the oil lines together with plastic tie straps. Since oil lines are usually made of copper (which is an effective thermal conductor), the warm oil line returning from the house should readily spread its heat to the cold, incoming oil line.
If you decide to play it safe and insulate the lines, cover them with fiberglass or foam pipe insulation, then cover the insulation with a double wrap of plastic electrical tape to protect the insulation from ultraviolet (UV) damage and from moisture. Don't use an inexpensive electrical tape to do this. It will soon degrade outdoors and allow moisture to penetrate to the insulation. Once that happens, you're worse off than you were before, and replacing soggy, semifrozen insulation is not something you want to do on a cold winter day. Your best bet is to use a product like 3M Super 88, an indoor/outdoor PVC tape that is 8.5 mil thick and rated to withstand moisture and UV exposure.
Also, keep in mind that insulating the oil supply lines will not be very helpful if the oil in the tank is unprotected from freezing temperatures. Your oil service company should be introducing an antigel additive to the fuel to keep it flowing during extremely cold weather. When the company starts using the additive depends on how cold it is where you live. Most companies begin using the additive in January and stop using it in late February or March.
When it comes to interior finishing, properly installed drywall is the first step to a room that's crisp and pleasing. Learning how to install this ubiquitous building material requires the kind of pro-level information that this book delivers. In 159 pages it explains its topic in a methodical fashion, taking the reader through the material itself, the fasteners needed to install it, the tools needed, estimating its quantity, attaching, and--of course--applying tape and compound to hide the seams. It's an indispensable reference if you'll be finishing an attic, basement or an addition. It costs about $15 at bookstores. For more information, visit creativehomeowner.com.--R.B.
Maintaining a Water Seal in Fixtures
Q: I have a home down South that I close up during the summer. To prevent the toilet's water from evaporating, I pour a layer of vegetable oil on top of it and then cover the bowl itself with plastic wrap. Is there a better way to prevent water evaporation from toilets, sink traps and floor drains than floating a layer of oil on top of them?
A: It's simply less mess and easier to do nothing when you leave. Just remember to close the main water valve. When shutting a house down in northern climates, follow the same procedure and keep the heat set at about 50 F.
Shutting the main water valve is important because it prevents major damage in the event of a plumbing leak, such as can be caused by a leaking water heater. This won't completely eliminate leakage damage, of course, but at least it will confine it to the amount of water that leaks from the heater. It's the difference between a few thousand dollars of damage and, in the worst case, tens of thousands.
Using this procedure, I have left my summer home in the northeastern United States for months at a time and returned to find everything okay. When I return, the first thing I do is refill the sink traps by letting water run for a few seconds into each sink. Next, I flush each toilet. If dried-out traps have caused the release of sewer gas into the house, then filling the traps prevents any more gas from coming in, and ventilating the home by opening windows and running exhaust fans quickly freshens the indoor air. In no time the house seems like we haven't left it at all.
Ceiling Fan Speed
Q: Can a typical dimmer switch that is used to control the light output of incandescent lighting fixtures also be used to vary the speed of a paddle-type ceiling fan?
A: No. Dimmer switches used for lighting are listed by Underwriter Laboratories specifically for that purpose and should only be used that way. If used for a ceiling fan, the switch could cause the motor to produce a humming noise or, in the worst case, make the motor burn out. And that could cause an electrical fire.
The right way to control the speed of a multispeed ceiling fan is to install a fan controller, a dial-operated device that looks like a dimmer switch. Most are simple to install and require nothing more than basic hand tools to make connections with just two wires. All four manufacturers I contacted offered controllers matched to specific fans; the manufacturer of your fan should be able to tell you which controller to buy. Contact the manufacturer's customer service or technical service department.
Reader Feedback
In a recent issue of PM we discussed The Flood Co.'s Restora, a coating for restoring the sheen to faded vinyl siding and trim. Several readers had their own suggestions.
Bill Fisher
Lexington, OH
Bill Fisher wrote to say he'd applied a cleaner, not a coating, to restore his textured white vinyl barn. He reported excellent results using Jomax, made by Zinsser. Jomax contains acetic acid, detergent and a tiny amount of mildewcide. It's mixed with bleach and water, sprayed on the siding and rinsed off. "We followed the instructions on the $7.50 quart of Jomax and the barn was restored to original condition without scrubbing," he reports. The product is formulated to clean and treat mildew on vinyl and aluminum siding, painted and stained wood, concrete and nonporous surfaces. One quart of Jomax produces 5 gal. of cleaning solution, enough to treat about 1000 sq. ft.
Daniel Buonocore
Rocky Mount, VA
Talk about simplicity. Daniel Buonocore says he just used a large sponge to apply vinyl floor cleaner straight out of the bottle. That was five years ago, he says, and the house still looks good. He says the job required about six bottles.
Know Your Stuff
With these six adhesives, you can make, or fix, just about anything.--Roy Berendsohn
WHAT IT IS A blend of elastomers* and resins with water or solvent (or a polyurethane blend with limestone). It's usually extruded out of a tube, though trowel-grade types, which have a longer open or working time, are available in buckets for covering large areas. Materials such as clay and limestone are added to strengthen it and improve its cling to vertical or overhead surfaces.
BEST FOR Specific--usually big--jobs and materials, such as fastening plywood to floor joists or paneling to drywall. Clamping pressure (also called fixturing) is supplied by the weight of the workpiece or by driving a fastener through the joint between the pieces.
WHAT IT IS A two-part adhesive (lead image above) consisting of a resin and a curing agent. Its consistency can range from a liquid, to a gel, to a putty stick that is kneaded to mix the inner and outer layers (resin and curing agent).
BEST FOR Unusual bonding and repair jobs when the joint does not fit tightly or when a portion of the repaired area needs to be rebuilt with the epoxy itself. Also good for filling holes and cracks. Specific formulas bond and rebuild wood, metal and fiberglass. Epoxies have excellent heat resistance and high strength, but can be brittle in cold temperatures. Some cure under water or on wet surfaces. No clamping pressure or only light pressure is required.
WHAT IT IS A single-component adhesive that cures extremely quickly in the absence of air and requires a small amount of moisture in the material to be fastened. Sometimes referred to as "super glue." Its consistency can be quite thin, though elastomer-modified types are available when flexibility is needed to improve the adhesive's gap-filling properties or to enable the adhesive to cling to vertical surfaces.
BEST FOR Making a rapid bond when the glued parts are brought together with just hand pressure. Good for bonding porcelain, glass and some rigid plastics. Thin formulas are handy when the bonded surface needs to be disguised with a thin joint line (repairing broken porcelain). Thicker gel types are useful where gap filling is required. Will not work on joints thicker than 20 to 30 thousandths of an inch or on polyethylene or polypropylene.
WHAT IT IS Urethane polymer and catalyst blend that requires moisture to cure. The moisture can come from the surfaces being bonded or from the air.
BEST FOR Joining wood to wood when a water-proof joint is required. However, it can be used to join almost all common building materials. Urethane wood glues expand as they cure, foaming slightly in the process. To keep the joint stable during curing, it requires evenly distributed clamping pressure. Urethane construction adhesives do not foam, but cure much more slowly than comparable products.
WHAT IT IS A syruplike emulsion consisting of polyvinyl acetate resin suspended in water.
BEST FOR General household adhesive bonding involving wood, paper and fabric. It's especially good at bonding wood to wood. For maximum strength, the glued joint requires clamping pressure. This produces an extremely thin joint line that's difficult to detect. Does not produce a moisture-resistant assembly.
WHAT IT IS A thick emulsion of polyvinyl acetate or aliphatic resin suspended in water (plus additives that increase its stickiness and reduce its dry time).
BEST FOR Often used with clamps to produce a thin, almost undetectable joint line when gluing wood. Also excellent for general household adhesive bonding. Has increased moisture resistance compared to white glue. Can be used without clamps when fastening small pieces of wood in finish carpentry.
*Elastomer: a substance capable of returning to its original size after being stretched.


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DC/OS provides an east-west layer-4 load balancer (Minuteman) that enables multi-tier microservices architectures. It acts as a TCP layer-4 load balancer and leverages load-balancing features within the Linux kernel to achieve near line-rate throughputs and latency.
The features include:
- Distributed load balancing of applications.
- Facilitates east-west communication within the cluster.
- User specification of an FQDN address to the DC/OS service.
- Respect for health checks.
- Automatic allocation of virtual IPs to service FQDN.
You can use the layer-4 load balancer by assigning a VIP in your app definition. After you create a task, or a set of tasks, with a VIP, it will automatically become available to all nodes in the cluster, including the masters.
When you launch a set of tasks, DC/OS distributes them to a set of nodes in the cluster. The Minuteman instance running on each of the cluster agents coordinates the load balancing decisions. Minuteman on each agent programs the IPVS module within the Linux kernel with entries for all the tasks associated with a given service. This allows the Linux kernel to make load-balancing decisions at near line-rate speeds. Minuteman tracks the availability and reachability of these tasks and keeps the IPVS database up-to-date with all of the healthy backends, which means the Linux kernel can select a live backend for each request that it load balances.
- Do not firewall traffic between the nodes (allow all TCP/UDP).
- Do not change
Persistent Connections
Keep long-running persistent connections, otherwise, you can quickly fill up the TCP socket table. The default local port range on Linux allows source connections from 32768 to 61000. This allows 28232 connections to be established between a given source IP and a destination address and port pair. TCP connections must go through the time wait state prior to being reclaimed. The Linux kernel's default TCP time wait period is 120 seconds. Without persistent connections, you would exhaust the connection table by only making 235 new connections per second.
Health checks
Use Mesos health checks. Mesos health checks are surfaced to the load balancing layer. Marathon only converts command health checks to Mesos health checks. You can simulate HTTP health checks via a command similar to:
test "$(curl -4 -w '%{http_code}' -s http://localhost:${PORT0}/|cut -f1 -d" ")" == 200
This ensures the HTTP status code returned is 200. It also assumes your application binds to localhost. The
${PORT0} is set as a variable by Marathon. You should not use TCP health checks because they may provide misleading information about the liveness of a service.
DC/OS Overlay Virtual Network
Problems can arise if the VIP address that you specified is used elsewhere in the network. Although the VIP is a 3-tuple, it is best to ensure that the IP dedicated to the VIP is only in use by the load balancing software and isn't in use at all in your network. Therefore, you should choose IPs from the RFC1918 range.
Port 61420 must be open for the load balancer to work correctly. Because the load balancer maintains a partial mesh, it needs to ensure that connectivity between nodes is unhindered.


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The International Development Design Summit is an intense, hands-on design experience that brings together people from all over the world and all walks of life to create technologies and enterprises that improve the lives of people living in poverty. Unlike most academic conferences, we emphasize the development of prototypes, not papers and proceedings. In moving the technologies on the path from idea to implementation to impact we aim to create real ventures, not just business plans. IDDS is part of the revolution in design that aims to encourage, promote, and build more research and development resources that focus on the needs of the world's poor. We draw inspiration from several current models of innovation, design and community empowerment: co-creation, cross-disciplinary collaborations and crowd sourcing.
IDDS is a diverse group of people. We come from more than 20 countries around the world—from Asia, Africa, Europe, North America, South America, and Central America. We are students and teachers, professors and pastors, economists and engineers, masons and mechanics, doctors, welders, farmers, and community organizers. One of the things that makes IDDS a special conference is this richness of backgrounds. It is a conference about innovation, and we believe that innovation thrives in the intersections of disciplines that come from bringing together such an eclectic group.
We believe very strongly in the idea of co-creation: the concept that it is better to provide communities with the skills and tools to become innovators and develop new technologies themselves rather than to simply providing the technologies. We believe that developing the capacity for innovation and creativity is critical for long-term sustainable improvements in the quality of life in a community. It is our goal to demonstrate a model where a user-based community of active, creative designers can invent, innovate and inspire each other to create new technologies.
But not all of our participants are from communities in the developing world. Nearly half of the our participants are students, and we hope to inspire them with the opportunity to interact with field practitioners and to see that inventiveness is not restricted to those with formal education. IDDS also provides a forum where they can meet with like-minded people who are driven by the same desire to make an impact in the world. It is our hope that by creating a diverse global network we can empower individuals and their communities to tackle the tough problems that reside in the developing world.
For this year's event, the focus has shifted from the creation of technologies to their dissemination. Co-sponsors MIT, Franklin W. Olin College, and Cooper Perkins will be joined by the 2010 host institution, Colorado State University, in developing and implementing the curriculum. IDDS 2010 aims to guide project teams through the process of becoming viable ventures. Curriculum includes key principles from the Global Social and Sustainable Enterprise program at CSU, the D-Lab program at MIT and the Design Stream at Olin College.


text: King Sunny Ade is the undisputed king of juju music, the dance-inspiring hybrid of western pop and traditional African music with roots in the guitar tradition of Nigeria. Although he's yet to equal the success that he enjoyed with his early-'80s albums and American tours, Ade and his band, His African Beats, continue to weave an infectious blend of electric guitars, synthesizers and multi-layered percussion. Born to a family of Nigerian royalty, Ade left school to pursue a career in music. In the mid-'60s, he performed with a highlife band, Moses Olaiya's Federal Rhythm Dandies. Ade formed his own band, the Green Spots, in 1967. Frustrated by the exploitation of the record industry, Ade launched his own record label in 1974. In the decades since, the label has released more than 100 of Ade's recordings in Nigeria. Ade began to attract attention in the western world when three of his albums — Juju Music, Synchro System, and Aura — were released in the early '80s on the Mango label, a subsidiary of Island Records. Ade & His African Beats made their debut American performances to enthusiastic crowds in 1983. Although Juju Music and Synchro System showed signs that Ade was going up to live up to billing as "the African Bob Marley," Aura was a commercial disappointment and the group was dropped by Island Records. While they released an album, Authority of Your Ticket, in 1990, it too failed to stir much commercial interest. E Dide (Get Up), released in 1995, offered hints that the best days of Ade and His African Beats were yet to come. The group followed it with Odu, a collection of ancient Nigerian songs, in 1998; the album was nominated for a Grammy. Its follow-up, Seven Degrees North, appeared in 2000. Ade has remained a powerful force in Nigeria. Money received from his early albums has been used to launch an oil firm, a mining company, a nightclub, a film and video production company, a PR firm, and a record label specializing in recordings by African artists. It's been estimated than more than 700 people are employed by Ade's companies. In the mid-'90s, Ade founded the King Sunny Ade Foundation, an organization that includes a performing arts center, a state of the art recording studio, and housing for young musicians and performers on a five acre tract donated by the Lagos state government. Ade currently serves as chairperson of the Musical Copyright Society of Nigeria. In 1996, Ade formed a supergroup, the Way Forward, featuring top-notch Nigerian musicians. He and His African Beats have been featured in three films — Juju Music in 1988, Live at Montreux in 1990, and Roots of Rhythm in 1997.


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The top three winners in the men's and women's divisions of Monday's Boston Marathon were all Kenyan, according to the race's website.
Wesley Korir, 29, was tops among the men with an unofficial time of 2:12:41. Levy Matebo, 22, and Bernard Kipyego, 25, finished at 2:13:06 and 2:13:13, respectively.
Sharon Cherop, 28, was the fastest among the women with an unofficial time of 2:31:50. Jemima Jelagat Sumgong, 27, and Giorgino Rono, 31, finished second and third with unofficial times of 2:31:52 and 2:33:09.
This year's Boston Marathon was held in abnormally high temperatures - so warm that race organizers took several steps to warn participants and allow those concerned about the heat to run next year instead.
The race, which began in 1897 and bills itself as the world's oldest annually contested marathon, is typically held in relatively cool weather. The average temperature for an April day in Boston is 47 degrees - with a usual high of 56 and low of 40 degrees - according to the city and National Weather Service. When this year's race finished, the temperature was in the mid-70s.
With its rolling hills, the Hopkinton-to-Boston course is often considered among the nation's most grueling marathons even in ideal racing conditions.
Congrats to the Obamas for winning the Boston Marathon!!
and how about the 3 National Gusrdman who finished with 35Lb backpacks in under 3 hours. that was an awesome feat in 80 degree weather.
They weren't Kenyans, they're just two of the 400 babies fathered by a Powerthirst fanatic.
The Kenyan beat the Mexican. It will happen again in Nov 2012.
the headline is deceiving, I thought obama won.
Dat Barry's cousin?
You can always tell when it's marathon day in Boston. It's the day where the group of white people chasing 7 black guys down the streets of downtown aren't wearing badges and guns.
Sheesh, call it the Kenyan marathon and get it over with.
Maybe the other countries should just step thier game up?
A great day for my fellow Kenyans. And we didn't even need photoshop to win this one!
Hey, number 79, keep your chin up. I know what it's like to get demolished in a race against a Kenyan. At least this time, their birth certificates checked out and you didn't have to deal with some Alaskan broad. So keep your chin up. At least you didn't lose the race eight years earlier to a mentally challenged cokehead from Yale whose military service records made Obama's Hawaii Photoshop Fail look real. I could be running the show right now. Instead I'm drunk and yelling at my dog for eating my AARP card. You ran a good race. That's what I keep telling myself.


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Going to prom can be a big event and often times, women look into getting prom dresses that they can rent, rather than purchasing one. Prom dress hire companies provide a prom dress that can be rented, so that you don't have to spend all of the money that it takes to buy one. Purchasing a prom dress can cost a lot of money and that is why so many girls are looking into prom dress hire services. Rather than spending all the money that it takes to get a prom dress, they can rent one and save hundreds of dollars. Prom dresses today are incredibly expensive. In fact, if you were to buy one for your daughter, you would have to spend hundreds of dollars on the dress. It's highly likely that you will never where the stress again, so why should you spend this kind of cash? As an alternative, you can use a prom dress hire business. This is just like how a man rent a tux. Instead, it can be used by women to rent a dress.
Finding a prom dress hire company where you live can sometimes be difficult. As an alternative to shopping for one locally, why not check online? There are lots of prom dress manufacturers that have online websites where you can rent the dress and ship it back to them after you are done with the event. While you won't be able to try on the dress beforehand, as long as you provide all of the correct measurements for your body, the dress should that you without issues. If it does not fit or you do not like the style or color of the dress, you can send it back and get a different one. Online websites that offer prom dress hire services have very flexible terms and conditions. They allow you to send back your items because they know how frustrating it can be to purchase clothing online and not have it match what you are thinking it was going to look like. This can be especially frustrating when you are just renting the dress and not actually buying it.


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Colby Rasmus hit a three-run homer off Rafael Soriano with two outs in the ninth inning and the Toronto Blue Jays took advantage of Derek Lowe's wild pickoff throw in the 11th to beat the New York Yankees 8-7 Monday night, snapping a seven-game losing streak.
Moments after Rasmus' stunning drive put Toronto ahead 7-6, Derek Jeter tied it with a home run off Casey Janssen. But the last-place Blue Jays didn't cave, scratching out a run two innings later to stop an eight-game slide at Yankee Stadium.
The loss might be a costly one in more ways than one for the AL East-leading Yankees. Slugging first baseman Mark Teixeira was pulled with a strained left calf and sent to the hospital for an MRI.
Yorvit Torrealba had a two-run shot and Adam Lind also went deep in his first plate appearance for the banged-up Blue Jays since coming off the disabled list. Missing slugger Jose Bautista and several other regulars, Toronto had dropped a season-worst eight straight on the road.
Robinson Cano homered twice and Nick Swisher hit a two-run drive for New York.
Torrealba singled leading off the 11th for his third hit and pinch-runner Mike McCoy scampered to third when Lowe's pickoff attempt got past first baseman Eric Chavez and rolled into foul territory up the right-field line. Lowe (8-11) was charged with an error.
After a strikeout, Adeiny Hechavarria hit a slow grounder toward third that forced Jayson Nix to charge the ball. McCoy waited until Nix threw to first, then dashed home and beat Chavez's throw to the plate with a slide.
Darren Oliver (3-2) pitched two hitless innings for the win, Toronto's first at Yankee Stadium since May 23, 2011.
Jeter lofted Janssen's second pitch to right field, beyond a leaping Moises Sierra and into the front row of seats behind the auxiliary scoreboard. It was Jeter's 14th home run of the season and fourth in seven games.
Rookie right-hander David Phelps gave the Yankees another solid spot start, this one in place of injured Ivan Nova, and New York opened a 6-3 lead in the fifth on a two-run drive by the streaking Swisher.
Hechavarria got Toronto's comeback started with a two-out RBI single off Cody Eppley in the seventh.
Sierra and Rajai Davis singled in the ninth to bring up the slumping Rasmus, who drove a breaking ball deep into the second deck in right for his 21st home run.
It was Soriano's third blown save in 36 chances since replacing injured closer Mariano Rivera in early May.
On a night when it was downright dangerous to be a Toronto pitcher, four times the Yankees hit sharp comebackers that caromed off the body of a Blue Jays hurler.
Henderson Alvarez took the worst one, Russell Martin's hard grounder that smacked off the right-hander's leg in the fourth inning and careened into shallow right field for an RBI single. Alvarez hobbled over to the first base line and bent over in pain. He was checked by a trainer and walked slowly off the field with a bruised left shin.
X-rays were negative and he is day to day. Aaron Laffey relieved and was given all the time he needed to warm up.
Alvarez also was checked by the trainer in the second inning after Chavez's comebacker deflected off his pitching hand for an infield single. He threw a couple of warmup pitches and appeared to be OK.
Chavez had another infield single in the eighth that hit reliever Aaron Loup. Laffey recovered from a body shot to throw out Jeter in the sixth.
NOTES: Bautista, back on the disabled list with a left wrist injury, was examined by a hand specialist in Cleveland and was on his way to New York to rejoin the team, manager John Farrell said. The Blue Jays were awaiting test results. … Farrell said he will use Hechavarria primarily at third base for now, which is where he played Monday night. … RHP Jason Frasor (right forearm) threw another bullpen and is expected to begin a minor league rehab assignment this weekend. … Yankees RHP David Robertson pitched a scoreless eighth inning hours after his wife, Erin, gave birth to their first child, a baby boy they named Luke Joseph. … The Little League World Series champions from Japan were on the field before the game. They took a tour of the New York clubhouse and met Ichiro Suzuki, Hiroki Kuroda and other Yankees. Then they watched the game from the stands. … The Yankees hosted the Women's Sports Foundation, including Olympic gold medalists Christie Rampone (2012 soccer captain) and Sarah Hughes (2002 figure skating). Rampone and Hughes each threw out a ceremonial first pitch, and former WNBA star Kym Hampton of the New York Liberty sang the national anthem. … RHP Phil Hughes (12-11, 4.15 ERA) is slated to start Tuesday night for the Yankees against struggling LHP Ricky Romero (8-11, 5.63).


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目的 PurposeThe
webflow plugin configures Grails' support for Spring Webflow
使用例 ExamplesAn example web flow:
class BookController { … def shoppingCartFlow() { showCart { on("checkout").to "enterPersonalDetails" on("continueShopping").to "displayCatalogue" } … displayCatalogue { redirect(controller:"catalogue", action:"show") } displayInvoice() } }
詳細 DescriptionRefer to the section on Web Flow in the Grails user guide which details Grails' web flow support.Configured Spring Beans:
conversationManager- An instance of the SessionBindingConversationManager interface that manages conversations in the session.
executionListenerLoader- A Web Flow StaticFlowExecutionListenerLoader that uses the
hibernateConversationListenerbean with flow execution events to manage the Hibernate session.
flowBuilderServices- An instance of the FlowBuilderServices class used to help the Flow engine locate services.
flowExecutor- An instance of the GrailsFlowExecutorImpl that knows how to execute Grails flows based on flow execution keys.
flowExecutionFactory- An instance of the FlowExecutionImplFactory that constructs flow executions.
flowExecutionSnapshotFactory- An instance of the SerializedFlowExecutionSnapshotFactory class that is used to create flow snapshots that can be stored for resumption later on.
flowExecutionRepository- An instance of the DefaultFlowExecutionRepository class that is used to store flows.
flowRegistry- An instance of the ControllerFlowRegistry class that stores persisted flows.
flowScopeRegistrar- An instance of the Spring Web Flow ScopeRegistrar class which registers the flow scopes with the
ApplicationContextso that services can be scoped using flow scopes such as
hibernateConversationListener- An instance of the Web Flow class that manages the Hibernate session for the scope of a flow, allowing atomic use of flows.
viewFactoryCreator- An instance of the MvcViewFactoryCreator class used to construct views