text:
NEW YORK — Classical music, some say, is in decline. I say, over and over, that it isn't. Classical music is just fine. It's the institutions that perform it that are having trouble.
Traditional orchestras and opera houses are struggling to keep up funding, ticket sales, and audiences — and to figure out how to present new work, which is essential to any art form. Alas, the core audience of these traditional institutions isn't always interested in venturing outside of the canon. Recently, someone informed me that this season at the Washington National Opera was the worst he had ever seen — because it included two works, Kurt Weill's "Lost in the Stars" (from 1949) and Philip Glass's "Appomattox," that he didn't know.
Of course, new work has an audience. It just may not be a traditional opera audience. This weekend in New York I went on an opera binge that started with a sold-out matinee of Bizet's "Pearl Fishers" at the Metropolitan Opera and continued with several other sold-out productions of new works at much smaller venues across the city. The audiences tended to be energetic and enthusiastic — but they were coming to see work on a different scale than a typical opera house, and with different content. (I saw an opera about human trafficking, one about a Mexican drug cartel and one that, in the best traditions of modernism, proved its edginess by remaining defiantly impenetrable, but it involved a hotel, an unhappy couple, a suicide and disco lights.)
[A glorious mess, on a grand scale: The Met Opera's 'Pearl Fishers.']
The main presenter of all of this work is the Prototype Festival, which, in only four seasons of existence (the 2016 edition ran from Jan. 6-17), has become something of a beacon as a generator of high-quality new operas. Co-founder Beth Morrison has been identifying and producing new operas since 2006, and her stable has included works by Missy Mazzoli ("Song From the Uproar"), Paola Prestini (whose "Oceanic Verses" was seen in Washington in 2012), Mohammed Fairouz (whose works in progress include "The New Prince" for the Dutch National Opera, with a libretto by David Ignatius), and David T. Little, whose acclaimed "Dog Days" has appeared at the Fort Worth Opera, the Los Angeles Opera and in a revival at this year's Prototype Festival.
[David T. Little and the future of new opera.]
All of these mainstage commissions and opera-house collaborations demonstrate one reason for Prototype's rapid ascent to prominence: The opera world is desperate to find good new operas and new audiences, and it isn't sure how to go about it. Mainstage commissions are an expensive gamble, costing upward of a million dollars and creating, all too often, work that fails to make an impact or to get the best out of an adventurous young composer. Beth Morrison's production company helps midwife mainstage projects (such as Fairouz's "Bhutto," scheduled to premiere at the Pittsburgh Opera in 2018) or develop autonomous pieces such as "Dog Days"; it has a sizable roster of touring productions that an opera company can take over lock, stock and barrel.
All of the cool companies are doing it. Opera Philadelphia's Aurora Series for Chamber Opera develops and presents work — such as "Yardbird" or its recent Andy Warhol opera — in collaboration with other small companies; and smaller-scale operas will become even more integral to the company when it launches a new opera festival next year. The Los Angeles Opera started a chamber opera series five years ago, and it began collaborating with Morrison not long thereafter; Los Angeles has seen "Dog Days" and "Song From the Uproar," and in June, it will present the Morrison-developed world premiere of "Anatomy Theater" by the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Lang, which will subsequently be seen at Prototype. The San Francisco Opera will open its new, smaller Diane B. Wilsey Center for Opera in February; its program includes some chamber operas, such as "Svadba-Wedding," which Opera Philadelphia offered in 2013.
[Opera Philadelphia announces new festival for 2017.]
Some companies, of course, remain invested in creating new work themselves — such as the Washington National Opera, which has, in recent years, been offering plenty of new chamber opera thanks to its American Opera Initiative, a commissioning program created in-house with plenty of workshops. Most of these works partake of the aesthetic of the mainstage house — which is exactly what Prototype doesn't do.
Prototype's aesthetic runs more to dark, edgy subjects — such as the devastating "Angel's Bone" by Du Yun that I saw on Saturday. What would happen if two angels fell to Earth? In this work, they are first lovingly taken up by a human couple who are delighted at their find — but then "prune" the angels (an excruciating scene) and effectively pimp them out to their community, allowing access to people who do gradually crueler and crueler things to them.
The anguish of the hurt and battered angels and their horrific treatment is conveyed in a well-paced libretto by Royce Vavrek, who has become a kind of Metastasio of the downtown opera scene, and in music that ranges across a spectrum of sound — from a fine a cappella chorus to the hum of electronica, presented here by Julian Wachner, the music director of the Washington Chorus and the head of music at Trinity Wall Street in New York. Disturbing, powerful and original, effectively using electronics and video, the opera ended with the evil wife tearfully pleading her case on daytime TV, adding the final nail of credibility to a work that gave me nightmares, yet one that I would nonetheless see again.
"Angel's Bone" was a showpiece of a range of work, not all of it developed here. "The Last Hotel," by the Irish composer Donnacha Dennehy, has been seen at the Royal Opera House and the Edinburgh International Festival, where one reviewer found it "searingly powerful." Dennehy's music, filled with restlessly active sawing strings in nonrepeating patterns, is certainly both searing and powerful in places, but Enda Walsh's opaque libretto kept me from connecting to the characters or their disjointed story, for all of its cute touches.
[CD review: Dawn Upshaw sings Donnacha Dennehy.]
Whatever your view of the individual work, the Prototype Festival demonstrates conclusively that opera is a perfectly natural vehicle for contemporary stories and contemporary art. The real issue is one of scale, and, perhaps, taste — does the opera world as it exists want to embrace this size opera and this kind of subject? David Gockley, now in his last season as general director of the San Francisco Opera, controversially described his company's brand of opera as a "bourgeois art form" in a radio interview this summer. That's not what you'll find at the Prototype Festival. What it offers is less opera of the future than opera of the present. Whether or not opera's institutions are able to embrace it remains an open question, but it's very much worth seeing.


text:
Using packages
- Using packages
- Developing new packages
- Managing package dependencies and versions
- Examples
Flutter supports using shared packages contributed by other developers to the Flutter and Dart ecosystems. This allows quickly building an app without having to develop everything from scratch.
Existing packages enable many use cases—for example,
making network requests (
custom navigation/route handling (
integration with device APIs
url_launcher and
and using third-party platform SDKs like Firebase
To write a new package, see developing packages. To add assets, images or fonts, whether stored in files or packages, see Adding assets and images.
Using packages
The following section describes how to use existing published packages.
Searching for packages
Packages are published to pub.dev.
The Flutter landing page on pub.dev displays top packages that are compatible with Flutter (those that declare dependencies generally compatible with Flutter), and supports searching among all published packages.
The Flutter Favorites page on pub.dev lists the plugins and packages that have been identified as packages you should first consider using when writing your app. For more information on what it means to be a Flutter Favorite, see the Flutter Favorites program.
You can also browse the packages on pub.dev by filtering on Android plugins, iOS plugins, web plugins, Linux plugins, Windows plugins, macOS plugins, or any combination thereof.
Adding a package dependency to an app
To add the package,
css_colors, to an app:
- Depend on it
- Open the
pubspec.yamlfile located inside the app folder, and add
- Open the
- Install it
- From the terminal: Run
flutter pub get.
- From Android Studio/IntelliJ: Click Packages get in the action
ribbon at the top of
- From VS Code: Click Get Packages located in right side of the action
ribbon at the top of
- From the terminal: Run
- Import it
- Add a corresponding
importstatement in the Dart code.
- Add a corresponding
- Stop and restart the app, if necessary
- If the package brings platform-specific code
(Kotlin/Java for Android, Swift/Objective-C for iOS),
that code must be built into your app.
Hot reload and hot restart only update the Dart code,
so a full restart of the app might be required to avoid
errors like
MissingPluginExceptionwhen using the package.
- If the package brings platform-specific code (Kotlin/Java for Android, Swift/Objective-C for iOS), that code must be built into your app. Hot reload and hot restart only update the Dart code, so a full restart of the app might be required to avoid errors like
The Installing tab, available on any package page on pub.dev, is a handy reference for these steps.
For a complete example, see the css_colors example below.
Conflict resolution
Suppose you want to use
some_package and
another_package in an app,
and both of these depend on
but in different versions.
That causes a potential conflict.
The best way to avoid this is for package authors to use
version ranges rather than specific versions when
specifying dependencies.
url_launcher: ^5.4.0 # Good, any version >= 5.4.0 but < 6.0.0
image_picker: '5.4.3' # Not so good, only version 5.4.3 works.
some_package declares the dependencies above
another_package declares a compatible
url_launcher dependency like
'5.4.6' or
^5.5.0, pub resolves the issue automatically.
Platform-specific dependencies on
Gradle modules and/or CocoaPods
are solved in a similar way.
Even if
some_package and
declare incompatible versions for
they might actually use
url_launcher in
compatible ways. In this situation,
the conflict can be resolved by adding
a dependency override declaration to the app's
pubspec.yaml file, forcing the use of a particular version.
For example, to force the use of
url_launcher version
make the following changes to the app's
pubspec.yaml file:
url_launcher: '5.4.0'
If the conflicting dependency is not itself a package,
but an Android-specific library like
the dependency override declaration must be added to
Gradle build logic instead.
To force the use of
guava version
28.0, make the following
changes to the app's
android/build.gradle file:
configurations.all {
resolutionStrategy {
force 'com.google.guava:guava:28.0-android'
CocoaPods does not currently offer dependency override functionality.
Developing new packages
If no package exists for your specific use case, you can write a custom package.
Managing package dependencies and versions
To minimize the risk of version collisions,
specify a version range in the
pubspec.yaml file.
Package versions
All packages have a version number, specified in the
pubspec.yaml file. The current version of a package
is displayed next to its name (for example,
see the
url_launcher package), as
well as a list of all prior versions
url_launcher versions).
When a package is added to
the shorthand form
plugin1: means that any
version of the plugin1 package can be used.
To ensure that the app doesn't break when a
package is updated,
specify a version range using one of the
following formats:
Range constraints: Specify a minimum and maximum version. For example:
dependencies: url_launcher: '>=5.4.0 <6.0.0'
Range constraints with caret syntax are similar to regular range constraints:
dependencies: collection: '^5.4.0'
For additional details, see the package versioning guide.
Updating package dependencies
When running
flutter pub get (Packages get in IntelliJ
or Android Studio) for the first time after adding a package,
Flutter saves the concrete package version found in the
lockfile. This ensures that you get the same version again
if you, or another developer on your team, run
flutter pub get.
To upgrade to a new version of the package,
for example to use new features in that package,
flutter pub upgrade
(Upgrade dependencies in IntelliJ or Android Studio)
to retrieve the highest available version of the package
that is allowed by the version constraint specified in
Note that this is a different command from
flutter upgrade or
flutter update-packages,
which both update Flutter itself.
Dependencies on unpublished packages
Packages can be used even when not published on pub.dev. For private plugins, or for packages not ready for publishing, additional dependency options are available:
- Path dependency
- A Flutter app can depend on a plugin via a file system
path:dependency. The path can be either relative or absolute. Relative paths are evaluated relative to the directory containing
pubspec.yaml. For example, to depend on a plugin
plugin1located in a directory next to the app, use the following syntax:
dependencies: plugin1: path: ../plugin1/
- Git dependency
- You can also depend on a package stored in a Git repository.
If the package is located at the root of the repo,
use the following syntax:
dependencies: plugin1: git: url: git://github.com/flutter/plugin1.git
- Git dependency on a package in a folder
- Pub assumes the package is located in
the root of the Git repository. If that is not
the case, specify the location with the
pathargument. For example:
dependencies: package1: git: url: git://github.com/flutter/packages.git path: packages/package1
Finally, use the
refargument to pin the dependency to a specific git commit, branch, or tag. For more details, see Package dependencies.
The following examples walk through the necessary steps for using packages.
Example: Using the css_colors package
css_colors package
defines color constants for CSS colors, so use the constants
wherever the Flutter framework expects the
Color type.
To use this package:
Create a new project called
pubspec.yaml, and add the
dependencies: flutter: sdk: flutter css_colors: ^1.0.0
flutter pub getin the terminal, or click Packages get in IntelliJ or Android Studio.
lib/main.dartand replace its full contents with:
import 'package:css_colors/css_colors.dart'; import 'package:flutter/material.dart'; void main() { runApp(const MyApp()); } class MyApp extends StatelessWidget { const MyApp({super.key}); @override Widget build(BuildContext context) { return const MaterialApp( home: DemoPage(), ); } } class DemoPage extends StatelessWidget { const DemoPage({super.key}); @override Widget build(BuildContext context) { return Scaffold(body: Container(color: CSSColors.orange)); } }
Run the app. The app's background should now be orange.
Example: Using the url_launcher package to launch the browser
url_launcher plugin package enables opening
the default browser on the mobile platform to display
a given URL, and is supported on Android, iOS, web, and macos.
This package is a special Dart package called a
plugin package (or plugin),
which includes platform-specific code.
To use this plugin:
Create a new project called
pubspec.yaml, and add the
dependencies: flutter: sdk: flutter url_launcher: ^5.4.0
flutter pub getin the terminal, or click Packages get in IntelliJ or Android Studio.
lib/main.dartand replace its full contents with the following:
import 'package:flutter/material.dart'; import 'package:path/path.dart' as p; import 'package:url_launcher/url_launcher.dart'; void main() { runApp(const MyApp()); } class MyApp extends StatelessWidget { const MyApp({super.key}); @override Widget build(BuildContext context) { return const MaterialApp( home: DemoPage(), ); } } class DemoPage extends StatelessWidget { const DemoPage({super.key}); launchURL() { launchUrl(p.toUri('https://flutter.dev')); } @override Widget build(BuildContext context) { return Scaffold( body: Center( child: ElevatedButton( onPressed: launchURL, child: const Text('Show Flutter homepage'), ), ), ); } }
Run the app (or stop and restart it, if it was already running before adding the plugin). Click Show Flutter homepage. You should see the default browser open on the device, displaying the homepage for flutter.dev.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
In this post I intend to pass on some tricks on matplotlib color matrix customization. I am guilty of beautifying some of my color matrices with Adobe Illustrator in the past, re-arranging labels, titles, colormaps, etc. However, this time I had to generate way too many of them and I could see the beautifying process becoming extremely painful. I will simply demonstrate how to do the following three plots simultaneously with relatively few lines of code in the hopes of providing useful elements for your own plot cutomization.
Plot 1- Plot 3 were generated with the following script which I will explain in detail later int this post:
import glob import matplotlib.pyplot as plt import numpy as np import seaborn as sns #Listing your files files = glob.glob('./attainment_matrices/*.out') #Organizing your files data_plot1=[np.genfromtxt(f) for f in files[8:12]] data_plot2=[np.genfromtxt(f) for f in files[0:4]] data_plot3=[np.genfromtxt(f) for f in files[16:20]] data=[data_plot1,data_plot2,data_plot3] #Organizing titles and labels plot_titles=['Plot 1','Plot 2', 'Plot 3'] subplot_titles= ['Subplot 1','Subplot 2', 'Subplot 3','Subplot 4'] labels= ['Item 1', 'Item 2', 'Item 3', 'Item 4', 'Item 5'] y_labels= ['Y Title a$\longrightarrow$','Y Title b $\longrightarrow$','Y Title c $\longrightarrow$'] cmap_labels=['Colormap label a$\longrightarrow$', 'Colormap label b$\longrightarrow$', 'Colormap label c$\longrightarrow$'] # Some variables to adjust subplots if necessary left = 0.125 # the left side of the subplots of the figure right = 0.9 # the right side of the subplots of the figure bottom = 0.3 # the bottom of the subplots of the figure top = 0.82 # the top of the subplots of the figure wspace = 0.2 # the amount of width reserved for blank space between subplots hspace = 0.5 # the amount of height reserved for white space between subplots #Font sizes plot_fontsize=40 subplot_fontsize=32 tick_label_fontsize=22 # Ticks, colormap, x and y labels use this fontsize #x-label adjustments rotation= 45 # rotation of labels adjust=0 #if you want the x labels to be displayed right at the middle then adjust=0.5 x=np.arange(0,5.5) y=np.linspace(0,100,1001) #colormaps colormap=['Set3_r', 'YlGnBu','Paired'] # the j is the iteration variable for each subplot, and the l is the iteration variable # for each plot. for l in range(len(plot_titles)): fig, ax=plt.subplots(1,len(subplot_titles),sharey=True) plt.subplots_adjust(left=left, bottom=bottom, right=right, top=top, wspace=wspace, hspace=hspace) #setting the titles wrapped by a transparent grey box at position=(x,y) fig.suptitle(plot_titles[l], fontsize=plot_fontsize, bbox={'facecolor':'grey', 'alpha':0.1, 'pad':12}, position=(0.1827, .95)) for j in range(len(subplot_titles)): a= ax[j].pcolor(x,y,data[l][j], cmap=colormap[l]) ax[j].set_title(subplot_titles[j], fontsize= subplot_fontsize, y=1.03) #Set the y-label only in the first subplot ax[0].set_ylabel(y_labels[l], fontsize=tick_label_fontsize) ax[j].set_xticks(x + adjust, minor=False) #ax[j].set_xlim(left=0, right=5) #ax[j].set_ylim(0,100) ax[j].set_xticklabels(labels[:], rotation=rotation) ax[j].tick_params(labelsize=tick_label_fontsize) #colorbar settings: leftc= 0.12504 bottomc=.13 width_c=.775 height_c=0.04 cbar_ax= fig.add_axes([leftc,bottomc,width_c,height_c]) #cbar= fig.colorbar(a, cax=cbar_ax, orientation='horizontal') cbar = fig.colorbar(a,cax=cbar_ax, ticks=[0, 0.5, 1], orientation='horizontal') cbar.ax.set_xticklabels(['Low', 'Medium', 'High']) cbar.set_label(cmap_labels[l], fontsize=tick_label_fontsize, labelpad=25) cbar.ax.tick_params(labelsize=tick_label_fontsize) plt.show() plt.show()
First, in lines 1 though 4 I specify the required libraries. I use glob.glob to list the files for the analysis with their full path in line 8. Then if you want to see the order in which the files are listed you can simply run the print command as follows:
print files[:]
And you should be able to see the order of the files like so:
['./data_directory/file1.out', './data_directory/file10.out', … './data_directory/file24.out']
I used the numpy genfromtxt function in lines 11-13 to load the data from the specified files while organizing the data that would be used in plot 1, plot 2 and plot 3. I then made an array of the previous data on line 14 so I could use it in a loop later on.
I organized the titles of the main plots, subplots, the x and y labels, as well as the colormap labels in lines 17-21. All the parameters required to adjust the aspect ratio of the subplots are listed in lines 24 to 29. If you simply want all of your subplots to be squared, you can add the aspect='equal' parameter directly in the plt.subplot() function.
The font for the plots, subplots, ticks and labels are specified in lines 32 to 34. The x-labels can be adjusted in multiple ways. In line 27 I set the rotation of the x-labels to 45 degrees. If you want the labels to be completely vertical then you would do: rotation=90. If you want horizontal labels, you don't need to specify a rotation parameter. Then, I used the adjust variable to specify the position of the x-label, adjust=0 specifies that the label will be written starting at the left corner of the bar, if you want the label to be centered, then you can do adjust=0.5.
In line 44, I list the different colormaps to be used by each plot. The outer loop in line 48, iterates through the 3 plots, while the inner loop in line 55, iterates through the 4 subplots generated in each plot. In line 49 we specify the number of rows and columns of subplots that will be generated. I want them to share the y axis, hence, sharey=True. If you want your subplots to also share the x axis, you would simply add 'sharex=True' in line 49. The plt.subplots_adjust function in line 50, allows you to specify the exact aspect ratio of your subplots, including the white space between them and their location in the figure canvas, this is detailed in lines 24 to 29. In line 52, I specified the title of the plot as a whole, since I have three different plots, I loop through each of the different titles. The title is shown in a grey transparent box at the upper left corner of the canvas which was specified by position(x,y).
Lines 56 to 64 show the subplots' code. I use the pcolor function to generate the color matrices. However, there are other methods to create them, such as pcolormesh, imshow, contour, etc. In line 57 I loop through the subplot titles, then I assign their font size. Here, the y=1.03 specifies the distance from the subplot title to the plot. The more distance I want to create the larger this y value should be. In line 59 I set the y-label, since I only want the y-label to be shown in the left most plot, I fix ax[0].set_ylabel(…), if you want each subplot to have their own y-labels then you can loop through each of them with the subplot iteration variable j, such as ax[j].set_ylabel(…). Lines 61 to 62 (commented out), show how you could set the x and y axis limits. In line 63, I set the x_ticklabels; similarly you could set the y_ticklabels if necessary. The fontsize across all the ticks in line 64.
The colorbar settings are shown in lines 67 through 76. Observe how you can specify the position of the left bottom corner of the colorbar, and from there you can assign the width and the height of the colorbar. Note that there's a couple of ways to specify the colorbar, the first one is shown in line 72, it will generate a colorbar with the default ticks. However, if you want to cutomize or add text to your colorbar, you would have to do so as shown in lines 73-74. The ticks parameter in line 73, specifies the position were the labels written in line 74 are displayed. You can set the colorbar label with .set_label. I loop through the colormap labels for each plot and assign their fontsize in line 75. The labelpad allows you to specify the distance between the colorbar and the label. Finally, the font size of the colormap ticks are specified in line 76.
I hope you can find some of the previous elements useful when designing your own color matrices ;).


text:
Chief Commercial officer, Mr Wael Ammar and Tiwa Savage
It was a night of attitude, swag and style as one of Nigeria's leading telecommunications network, Etisalat unveiled its new brand communication campaign in grand style. From decor to cocktails, every detail had style and finesse. The evening hosted guests that included Tiwa Savage, Prime Time Entertainment Boss; Dayo Adeneye, Nigeria's sweetheart and Judge on Nigerian Idol; Yinka Davies, Sasha, Lynxx, Olu Maintain, amongst others. Anchoring the event was one of Nigeria's leading designers, Ohimai Atafo. Click to read more…
The revealing of the latest brand of Etisalat was led by the Chief Commercial Officer of Etisalat, Mr Wael Ammar and was taken over shortly by the Director of Brands and Communication, Mr. Enitan Denloye, who stated that the new brand communication campaign, was a new way of expressing the new 0809ja and Etisalat. The various new commercials were shown ranging from the soundtrack, the music video, the television commercials and many more.
Even the performances were laced with the new attitude; Tiwa Savage dazzling the audience with her 10 blokes, as W4 took control, MI thrilling the audience and Wande Coal performing for the first time in a while closed the show with a big bang! It was definitely not low key. The Top 2 contestants of Nigerian Idol Season two also thrilled the audience with a Duet with Praiz and comedian Buchi was at hand to get the guests rolling off their seats.
To crown all the attitude and swag was a never before seen fashion show by Mai Atafo and Emmy Collins London. With pieces that got the crowd on their feet half the time and moves from the models that received aawwss and ooouuhhss! Etisalat showed its strength as a brand that understands the youth market by presenting celebrity models who endorsed the Masterbrand campaign by strutting their stuff on the runway; Uti, Lynxxx, Muna, Alex, Ekubo, Eva, Damilola Adegbite, Bryan Okwara, Eva Adoriah and many more. At the end of the spectacular evening, it was definitely proven that Etisalat isn't just a network, it's also an attitude.
Follow Us on Facebook – @LadunLiadi; Instagram – @LadunLiadi; Twitter – @LadunLiadi; Youtube – @LadunLiadiTV for updates


text:
(AP) — Broadway turned the stage lights back on, rail service was expected to resume in New York and Washington, D.C., and emergency travel bans were lifted Sunday following a historic snowstorm that dumped two feet or more in some areas this weekend.
A portion of the Pennsylvania Turnpike where more than 500 cars, trucks and buses had been stranded also reopened by late afternoon. Tens of millions of people, meanwhile, have watched a video of one of the Smithsonian National Zoo's four pandas enjoying the snow.
A look at the storm's impact by state:
Delaware Gov. Jack Markell has lifted a driving ban he had imposed as a winter storm brought blizzard conditions to the mid-Atlantic region. The ban was lifted at 10 a.m. Sunday, but Markell said a state of emergency remains in effect. He urged residents to stay off the road unless they have a compelling reason to drive, so that snow plows could continue working without interference. With the passage of the storm, hazardous weather warnings have been lifted, but a coastal flood advisory was in effect for New Castle County until 1 p.m. Sunday, with minor flooding possible at high tide. Meanwhile, Markell planned to take an aerial view by helicopter Sunday afternoon of southern Delaware areas that were affected by coastal flooding during the storm.
Northeast Georgia began thawing out Sunday after getting blanketed with 8 inches of snow, said National Weather Service meteorologist Mike Leary. The snow hadn't completely disappeared, however, because temperatures were still close to freezing, he said. Across the state, 945 customers were still without power Sunday, according to Georgia Power spokeswoman Ashley Stukes. The bulk of the outages were in the northeast part of the state due to constant snowfall and freezing rain. Since the storm began early Friday, crews have restored power to more than 125,000 customers statewide, Stukes said.
In Baltimore, the Emergency Operations Center was abuzz Sunday afternoon as representatives from more than a half-dozen city agencies worked together to get the city moving again after a winter storm dumped more than 29 inches of snow. There were no deaths in Baltimore as a result of the storm, however, said Bob Maloney, director of the city's office of emergency management.
A travel ban in Baltimore and along a 34.7-mile stretch of interstates has been lifted, but officials still urged residents to not venture out onto the roads if not necessary. Maryland Emergency Management Agency spokesman Ed McDonough said I-270 and I-70 from I-81 in Washington County to the Baltimore Beltway had reopened as of 7 a.m. Sunday.
In western Maryland, meanwhile, a barn roof collapsed under the weight of heavy snow Saturday morning in the unincorporated community of Ijamsville, killing some of the several dozen beef cattle that had been herded inside to ride out the storm, said cattle owner Douglas Fink. Fink said he wasn't sure how many had died. He said most of the cattle escaped before the collapse, but he hasn't been able to count them because they're huddling close together.
Most major highways in New Jersey had been cleared by early Sunday, including the Garden State Parkway and the New Jersey Turnpike. Nonetheless, reduced speed limits were in place on most of those roadways, and drivers were being urged to use extra caution and to avoid travel if possible. Officials say roads should be in good shape for the Monday morning commute. Residents in southern New Jersey's coastal towns continue to deal with flooding caused by the weekend's major snowstorm. Minor to moderate flooding occurred during Sunday morning's high tides, mostly in Atlantic and Cape May counties, Gov. Chris Christie said. Officials said the waters were starting to recede by late Sunday morning. No major damage from the flooding was reported, and only some residents were displaced.
All rail service in and out of New York's Grand Central Terminal was expected to resume Sunday afternoon after a record-setting blizzard hammered the city. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority says service on the Metro-North lines at outlying terminals in New York and Connecticut was scheduled to begin after noon. Service on the Long Island Rail Road remained suspended. The MTA says the goal is to bring back service for the Monday morning commute.
All Broadway shows — both matinees and evening performances — were given the green light to go on as normal Sunday after New York state officials lifted their travel ban. Bruce Springsteen postponed a show set for Sunday at Madison Square Garden.
More than 25 inches of snow fell in Central Park — the third-largest snowfall since record-keeping began in 1869, police and weather officials said.
About 30,000 customers in North Carolina remained without power Sunday afternoon after the sun warmed the state hit by the first wave of the massive winter storm. Duke Energy reported that nearly two-thirds of the affected customers were in the county surrounding Raleigh and a county to the southeast. Forecasters said some of the accumulation thawed Sunday afternoon as temperatures stayed above freezing for several hours. But overnight, temperatures will dip back below freezing in many areas. In North Carolina, a man was charged with killing a motorist who stopped to help after the suspect's car slid off an ice-covered road. Jail records show 27-year-old Marvin Jacob Lee of Claremont was at the Catawba County jail Sunday on a murder charge. Sheriff Coy Reid said Lee was stuck in the snow when a truck with three men stopped to help late Friday afternoon. Reid said Lee became agitated and the men called police to come help Lee, who then started shooting.
State authorities say a section of the Pennsylvania Turnpike near Pittsburgh where hundreds of vehicles were stranded during the massive winter storm has reopened in both directions. Turnpike spokesman Carl DeFebo says both eastbound and westbound lanes at the scene in Somerset County reopened Sunday afternoon.
More than 500 cars, trucks and buses got stuck in a miles-long backup Friday night after tractor-trailers jackknifed as they tried to climb through the mountains toward the Allegheny tunnels. Emergency workers distributed food, water and fuel to some of those trapped. Officials said 216 people stayed in a Bedford County shelter Saturday night and 200 more stayed in local hotels. Turnpike officials are vowing an extensive review of the situation.
In suburban Philadelphia, the roof of a church caved in during Saturday's blizzard, causing substantial damage and sending the pastor scrambling to get a video feed in place from his home in time for Sunday services. Pastor Lee Wiggins said the roof collapse caused more than $1 million in damage to the 1,100-seat auditorium at Calvary Fellowship Church in Downingtown, about 30 miles west of Philadelphia. He says it'll take about six months to repair.
Firefighters evacuated tenants from 24 apartments in two northern Virginia apartment buildings after one partially collapsed and the other showed signs of weakening early Sunday, Prince William County officials said. They said the cause of the collapse appeared to be snowfall of approximately 28 inches during the past 36 hours in Manassas. No residents were hurt. One firefighter suffered a cut to the face, and about 65 people were displaced. The county says arrangements are being made to shelter them. A man was killed on Saturday in a single-vehicle crash in Virginia Beach that police blamed on speed and icy road conditions, and Virginia Tech filmmaker Jerry Scheeler died Friday while shoveling snow outside his new house in Daleville, local news media reported Sunday. On Saturday, the state medical examiner's office confirmed three other storm deaths. Snow, ice and gusting winds made the roof collapse at a Donk's Theater, a historic venue near the Chesapeake Bay, building officials said. The theater opened in 1947 and was known as Home of Virginia's Lil' Ole Opry.
Transportation crews in the nation's capital were hoping to make major roads passable Sunday and also to tackle secondary roads, District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser said. Metro officials, meanwhile, said in a statement Sunday that they plan to resume limited rail and bus service on Monday morning and that rides will be free.
Bowser said the city's public schools, attended by nearly 49,000 students, would be closed Monday. She said officials were still assessing whether city government offices would open.
The federal government closed its offices at noon Friday, and it wasn't immediately clear what the plans were for Monday. President Barack Obama, hunkered down at the White House, was one of many who stayed home. But a video of one of the Smithsonian National Zoo's four pandas enjoying the snow there was a bright spot amid the storm clouds, drawing tens of millions of views on Facebook as of Sunday.
As a sign of how much work there was left to do to dig out the Washington area, the public school system in suburban Montgomery County, Maryland, announced Sunday afternoon that classes would be canceled for Monday and Tuesday. The county saw the highest snow totals in the national capital area, with 38.5 inches in North Potomac.
The massive blizzard that dumped several feet of snow in parts of West Virginia has been a blessing for the state's ski industry. Nearly 90 percent of the trails are open at three ski areas, with a snow base ranging from 2 feet to more than 3 feet. The resorts were reporting strong business Sunday, with downhill skiers and snowboarders flocking to the slopes. Excellent conditions were also reported for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.


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hubpages.com/hub/hhogenerator I am now getting 31 miles to the gallon instead of 22.
For those who like to read and do reserch, Panacea University has a free 250 page downloadable PDF e-book that explains everything about the Hydrogen Generator. panaceauniversity.org/Hydroxy%20Boosters.pdf There is an opinion out there that says it takes more energy to produce HHO than the energy it releases. This is absolutely true; however, what these naysayer do not consider is that the hydrogen that is produced also causes the gasoline to burn more efficiently. The hydrogen gas increases the octane rating of the fuel which makes the fuel combust at a higher rate. Of the total energy released by the combustion process, only about 20% is used by the vehicle efficiently. The remaining 80% is lost to heat, friction etc. An hho generator solves, to a great extent, this energy loss problem.
http://www.instructables.com/community/Anybody-interested-in-building-HHO-generators/ Henry Ford originally designed his engine to run on grain alcohol, with would burn clean. No one seemed to be interested, except the oil companies. The oil companies understood the designs long term impact on the world, as well as it's impact on their profits. They would buy the idea, only if Ford would make the engine run on a fuel made from oil. He struggled against the idea, but gave in for one reason or another. That choice changed our world forever. Today, there is a wonderful interest from so many people to do things right, even if the second time around. HHO is only the beginning. Soon other devices will become public. HHO has been long known by just about every first year chem student, and it's uses are obvious by anyone with even a grade school education.
energiegratis.wordpress.com/2009/02/17/primele-generatoare-complete-de-hho-in-romania/ http://energiegratis.wordpress.com/hho-cu-numai-2ma/ Keely found that water will explode at a frequency of 42,712.2 Hz. … did it with a Quartz Bowl…. Vibrations of "thirds, sixths, and ninths, were extraordinarily powerful, thousands of times more forceful in separating hydrogen from oxygen in water than heat. "If you only knew the magnificence of the 3, 6 and 9, then you would have a key to the universe." -Nikola Tesla


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This is a test used with middle school students at the end of a unit/multiple lessons on adjectives and adverbs. It asks them to recall definitions of each part of speech, and write their own sentences as well as recognize adjectives and adverbs in sentences and distinguish between them.
Upload date: 2011-07-28 01:51:20


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Instructions for keeping a house clean
It is one thing to give each room intensive cleaning, however how would you make sure your home stays hassle free every day of the week? In all honesty, indeed: a cleaning plan. Summarize to keep your ice chest, divider, or work area to help keep you and your household tidy. Your calendar should incorporate what should be done, however, when it should be finished.
By separating errands from your small household on a day-to-day, week-to-week, and even month-to-month schedule, you can keep your home in violin shape year-round.
Step by step instructions to keep a house clean daily
Many people hold on until their house is chaotic to start cleaning. Try to invest a little effort on a constant basis to keep your home as clean as you might expect under the circumstances. These day-to-day errands are small but successful signs of how to keep a house clean.
Make the bed. The most ideal approach to start the day is making bed. Basically, making your bed every day will have a ripple impact, allowing you to keep everything else perfect and clean.
Impeccable while cooking. As you discover how to keep a house clean, carefully consider clutter in the kitchen. Throw away the empty parts and packages as you use them. Wash pots and utensils while dinner is cooking on the grill. Be sure to take care of dishes before soaking after dinner. Cleaning as you go saves time and keeps your kitchen in violin shape.
Get as you go. Turn it into a strategic boundary disaster by earning your assets anytime you leave a room. Bring a pair of shoes when you go upstairs, take the espresso cup up to the counter, and bring dirty clothes upstairs.
Clean up disorders as they occur. Do whatever it takes to leave no spill or small chaotic heap unattended. Take a couple of minutes to wipe them off with a sticky material so you're not handling the prepared stains towards the end of the week.
Order the mail. We receive mail every day, and most of that mail ends up being junk. Instead of letting it pile up in your mailbox or counter, order it the next time you walk through the doorway. Detect invoices, coupons and individual correspondence in their appropriate places at the moment you receive the mail and reuse the junk mail.
Clear the kitchen floor. The kitchen regularly observes more traffic than the rest of the house, which means the floor collects a large amount of dirt, debris, and jets. You don't spend nearly every day cleaning the floor, and you won't see the dirt crawling around the house all week.


text: Atlantic Theater is located at 336 West 20th Street Atlantic Theatr in New York NY. On this page you will find upcoming Atlantic Theater concert and event dates as well as ticket information. We have tickets available for all events. We even have tickets to sold out Atlantic Theater events, shows and concerts.


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If you're contemplating an outdoor wedding, here are some things to consider.
DO plan an outdoor wedding if…
– You want to host a Dove Release. (The represent peace, love, unity, prosperity and new beginnings).
– You have a special attachment to a particular type of outdoor setting.
– You enjoy spontaneity and natural beauty.
– You want to set your celebration apart from other weddings, perhaps even your own previous weddings if one or both of you have been married previously.
– You want to blend religious traditions in a flexible, non-denominational setting. Non-religious weddings are perfect for outdoor settings.
– Your wedding ceremony will be part of a multi-day wedding event. (Plan on an outdoor brunch the day after your wedding for more time with family and friends.)
– You're organized and able to plan for a variety of scenarios. (Make sure to have a tent or covered area to retreat to in case of rain. Plan B needs to be considered in case you'd like to move your wedding indoors.)
– You want to increase the amount of time available to share with loved ones by holding both your ceremony and reception at a single location. (You will save money and time when you eliminate traveling long distances to your reception.)
– You'd like to include horses, dogs and other pets in your wedding service. (Be careful; pets can steel the show if you aren't careful. If your pet is not VERY WELL TRAINED, I would not recommend including them. I'll add another post to my blog about PETS & WEDDINGS – coming soon.)
– You want to create a wedding celebration that is unique, personal, distinctive and memorable. (Your wedding should reflect the bride and groom's personalities.)
– You can be a Zen Bride. Don't keep a constant eye on the time. Remember that many tropical islands run on "island time" — things happen when they happen — and keep an open mind. Minor mishaps can sometimes make for the best memories ~ honestly!
DON'T choose an outdoor wedding if…
– You hate surprises. (This is one of the charming things about outdoor wedding locations, you DO NOT have control over everything. Often charming and spontaneous things happen. You need to have a sense-of-humor & be open minded.)
– You will be horribly disappointed if the weather is uncooperative and everything does not go according to your plan. (Some of my most favorite sunset portraits were shot as storms threatened… and later arrived. These are also some of the most memorable weddings. The bride who takes it all in stride will accept whatever comes & ENJOY IT!)
– You're seeking to simply be different or to upstage your friends. (Sometimes the simple weddings can be the most profound and heartfelt.)
– You don't like the outdoors. (This is a no-brainer, but I've seen brides who just aren't comfortable with an occasional insect or windy breeze. This made it hard for them to relax.)
– You need controlled and staged surroundings for your wedding.
Whatever you decide…
– Have your wedding memories captured by a Professional Video Production Company. The the best wedding investment you can make is for your future.
~ by Leslie Harris-Senac, President of Visions Unlimited Video Productions, Inc. in Sarasota, FL
with excerpts by Kim Knox.


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No doubt about it, getting gorgeous actors into Bible-based musicals and Shakespearean tragedies definitely ratchets up the "let's go see it" factor. Right now Dallas/Fort Worth stages have a bumper summer crop of beauts, male and female, trodding the boards. It's hard to winnow the list to a mere 10, but here goes. And let us know if we left off any of your faves.
Sydney James Harcourt (above), starring in the title role in Dallas Theater Center's Old Testament pop musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, shows off his amazing dreamboatness in a shirtless costume for more than half the two-hour show. (Director Joel Ferrell's no dummy.) So much better than last summer's production of The Wiz, in which Harcourt starred as Tin Man, clad from head to foot in what looked like a large silver carburetor. The guy's a terrific singer, dancer and actor (he was Simba in Broadway's Lion King), but his abs and pecs are stealing focus on the stage at the Wyly Theatre. The coat of many colors his character wears is pretty but what's underneath it is a masterpiece. (Show runs through August 5.)
Alex Ross plays one of Joseph's jealous brothers in the aforementioned DTC musical, but plenty of local actors envy Ross' classically trained voice (he gets a country-western-style solo in Joseph). That he also resembles an old-fashioned matinee idol - tall, broad-shouldered, baby-faced with smoldering eyes - doesn't hurt. He's had great roles at Lyric Stage, Uptown Players and now DTC, where he also sang and danced in the hot-'n'-sessy Cabaret last season. Just waiting for Ross to dress in less in whatever his next show might be.
Alex Organ gets mad and moist wielding his sword in Shakespeare Dallas' current Coriolanus at the outdoor Samuell-Grand Amphitheater (through July 20). Organ steams it up with handsome co-star Kevin Keeling in a homoerotic scene that has their characters, two former warrior-enemies, reuniting on their old battleground and sharing more than come-hither looks. Organ, classically trained grad of Yale Drama, struts with spectacularly Spartacus-like machismo in his Roman soldier drag. With great performances under his belt at Theatre Three (The Farnsworth Invention) and Second Thought (Red Light Winter), Organ's shown that he's a serious actor with plenty of muscle in or out of heavy armor.
Ryan Manalansan recently played one of the hunky young ballplayers in Uptown Players' production of Take Me Out. He's also a dancer, voiceover artist and a personal trainer who posts scrumptious vegan recipes on his Facebook page. He might also be the only working actor in town who can boast on his resume that he's fluent in Tagalog (an ethnic language of the Philippines). Smart and cute, we like.
Van Quattro was on the TV series Millennium and Picket Fences and played a police detective in Fight Club before moving to Fort Worth about 12 years ago. He stopped acting for a decade but gradually started auditioning again at the urging of his wife, chef Catherine Ruehle. His role as Boo Radley in last season's To Kill a Mockingbird at DTC brought him to the attention of critics and discerning audiences and then he snagged the lead in Theatre Three's boffo production of Tracy Letts' Superior Donuts. In his 50s, Quattro projects that same subdued, sexy quality as Robert Duvall or Tommy Lee Jones. His acting talent is just icing on the donut.
Natalie Young, just featured in our People issue recently as "The Showstopper," came onto the Dallas theater scene with a big bang last summer. The play was Red Light Winter at Second Thought Theatre and in it she banged two guys (played by Alex Organ, see above, and the adorable Drew Wall). The sex scenes required full nudity and Young shed her inhibitions and every stitch of clothing for the role. She was phenomenal, so believable as a French girl that it was a surprise to learn she's from Plano. She got to show off comedy skills a few months later, fully costumed, in Upstart's Melancholy Play. This is a pretty girl with a pretty solid future in the acting biz.
Elizabeth Evans wowed critics and audiences as exhibitionist Frida Kahlo in Ex Voto, Ochre House's sensuous bio-play about the Mexican artist. Even with a hint of moustache, Evans was beautiful as the sensuous creature who painted herself into many of her own pictures. Evans has become something of a constant muse for Ochre House founder-director-playwright-actor Matthew Posey, who's cast her in leading roles in almost all his new plays this season and last, including Bill and Mean. The scripts are almost love letters to this young woman's beauty and talent.
Emily Scott Banks has Elizabeth Taylor eyebrows but the onstage moxie and sexy purr of a young Elizabeth Ashley. As one of the 1960s stewardesses in WaterTower's bedroom romp Boeing-Boeing (a role she also did at Fort Worth's Circle Theatre), Banks worked an Italian accent and a tight-as-wax green uniform to maximum effect. She's played period costume parts in British comedies at Stage West, done serious work in Chekhov at WaterTower and brought sharp timing to modern rom-coms at Contemporary Theatre of Dallas. Directors, take note: Investing in the charm and talent of the comely Ms. Banks pays big dividends.
Lynn Blackburn, seen most recently in Dallas Theater Center's touching drama Next Fall, has the kind of natural beauty that can be dressed up or dressed down, depending on the role. A former regular on TV's Friday Night Lights, Blackburn radiates an old-fashioned Breck Girl wholesomeness. But she's been known to turn on the heat as a vamp in a Noel Coward comedy or look like a Vargas girl trussed into a push-up corset in a period piece. Blackburn recently married DTC acting company member Chamblee Ferguson. Their backyard ceremony featured Mason jar cocktails and home-baked goodies. Don't you just love that?
Traci Lee is on the verge of breaking into bigger roles following featured chorus parts in Level Ground Arts' Legally Blonde ("you couldn't take your eyes off her," said one patron on opening night) and WaterTower's Little Shop of Horrors (where she and her sister, Janelle Gray, were the backup singers). Daughter of longtime Dallas diva M. Denise Lee (currently starring as "Gary Coleman" in Theatre Too's Avenue Q), Lee graduated from Collin College's theater division and is finishing her undergrad degree at Sam Houston State. A dynamite singer-dancer, Lee is about to bust out of the chorus line and step into the hot, hot glare of the spotlight center stage.


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AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy Test kits for 10 Puppies
(10 individual test forms, 10 trifold brochures, 1 Test Summary Form, 1 AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy Evaluator Guide).
Item No. GK9TK5
As a MY AKC Account User You Can:
- Use your My AKC login to conduct all of your business on AKC.org
- Streamline your visit on AKC.org
- View all your dogs in one convenient location
- Update your contact information on file with the AKC
- Subscribe to eNews
- View previously purchased active reports


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Looking for a way to woo your Valentine? Nothing says L-O-V-E like Red Velvet! (Well, at least in my house.)
One of Matt's favorite desserts has always been Red Velvet cake. Red Velvet just looks so beautiful, and it's the kind of cake in which I just leave a fork in the pan so I can sneak a bite every time I'm in the kitchen. (Yes, I do this.) But since discovering the benefits of eating real foods and eliminating toxins from our systems, I was less than thrilled to make it for him.
I knew there had to be alternatives to the fake red food coloring in the cake and the massive amounts of refined powdered sugar that went into the cream cheese frosting. Desserts are my passion, so I was determined to make this cake worthy of our real food lifestyle. After a few failed batches of cake and frosting, I can now make Matt his favorite dessert without feeling like I'm poisoning him.
The answer was natural red food coloring and unrefined sugars for the cake part, then a natural sweetener like maple syrup for the delicious cream cheese frosting. I opted for cupcakes instead of one big giant cake because they're easier to share, no cutting is involved, and they're just plain cute. This is a perfect red dessert for Valentine's Day, Christmas, or any other occasion.
Red Velvet Cupcakes with Naturally Sweetened Cream Cheese Frosting
(Makes 10-12 cupcakes)
- 1½ cups flour (we use this sprouted white wheat flour)
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (we like this brand)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder (find aluminum-free baking powder here)
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt (find unrefined sea salt here)
- ¾ cup coconut palm sugar or pure cane sugar (find sustainably sourced coconut palm sugar here or organic cane sugar here)
- ½ cup melted butter or coconut oil (find organic extra virgin coconut oil here)
- 2 eggs at room temperature, preferably from pasture-raised hens
- ¾ cup buttermilk at room temperature (or whole milk w/ a splash of white vinegar)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (find organic pure vanilla extract here or learn to make your own here)
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 3 teaspoons natural red food coloring (we use this brand or make your own from beets)
Naturally Sweetened Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 oz. organic cream cheese
- ½ cup organic butter, preferably from pasture raised cows
- ¾ cup pure maple syrup (find it here)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (find it here or learn to make your own)
- about ¾ cup arrowroot starch or tapioca flour, for thickening (find arrowroot starch here or tapioca flour here)
- Line a muffin tin with 10-12 cupcake liners.
- Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder in a medium bowl and whisk until well blended.
- Combine sugar, butter/coconut oil, and eggs in a large bowl and whisk until smooth. Add buttermilk, vanilla, lemon juice, and natural food coloring. Whisk lightly until combined.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir just until mixture comes together. Avoid over-mixing.
- Spoon batter into muffin cups. Bake 15 minutes at 350°. Test with a toothpick. If toothpick does not come out clean, turn pans and bake another 3-5 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool cupcakes completely. Store in an airtight container until ready to frost and serve.
- For frosting, beat cream cheese and butter (set out to soften) in a large bowl until smooth. Add vanilla and maple syrup and beat until combined. Sift 1-2 tablespoons of arrowroot or tapioca flour over the mixture at a time, beating until smooth. Continue adding thickener in this manner until desired consistency is reached. (I also refrigerate it to stiffen it up before frosting.)
- Frost cupcakes just before serving.
Enjoy these delicious, naturally colored and sweetened treats!


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She may have rocked up to the venue in her slippers and infected by the lurgy (shared by her fourteen-year-old offspring), but when Sharleen Spiteri took to the stage at Newmarket it was all about the performance.
Unusually for a Newmarket gig it rained, but the rain did not deter true Texas fans. What's a bit of water between friends? Without announcement or fanfare, the band took to the stage and went straight into the classic 'I Don't Want a Lover'. Whatever the Newmarket doctor gave Sharleen to kill the lurgy worked. She was in fine voice and the band as tight as ever. But you would expect that of band that has been together, with little change of line up in over thirty years.
The set covered the whole range of Texas numbers from the late eighties up to and including tracks from 'Jump on Board', the album released in April of this year. All the fans favourites were there, 'Let's Work it Out', 'Summer Son', and the thumping 'Tell That Girl', an absolute stonker when heard live, as is 'Black Eyed Boy'.
The band were relaxed and obviously enjoying themselves. Spiteri comes across on stage as a very open and honest person, her thank you to the crowd one of the most genuine I have heard in many years. Thankfully there were few if any fascinators on show in the crowd, possibly as a result of the weather – apparently these freak Sharleen out. And thinking about it… I can see where she is coming from.
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Click on images above to go to sections. Download a pdf of the report here (5 MB).
Solutions that scale
Your investment helps us transform 17 million Californians' relationship with energy.
60% Incubate Solutions
We invest 60% of our resources in Sonoma County to incubate climate solutions.
- Game-changing innovations
- Replicable models
40% Spread Success to California
We invest 40% of our resources to spread the success of our solutions to the rest of California.
- Statewide impact
- Policy impact
By incubating and spreading Community Choice Energy throughout California and beyond, you and The Climate Center are at the forefront of the clean energy revolution. It's time to stop lining the pockets of the fossil fuel industry and to move our money and our power into a clean energy economy that will benefit us all.
Letter to our supporters
Dear supporters,
Thank you for your commitment to our work and to addressing the climate crisis. You advance solutions that really make a difference.
Fifteen years ago Mike Sandler and I founded The Climate Center. Our vision was to align government, business, youth, and the whole community in Sonoma County, and do something so amazing that other communities would follow suit. This is happening.
Throughout these 15 years, the critical factor in the equation has been YOU – your aspirations, generosity, determination, and faith. You are the difference that makes a difference. What can we make happen in the next five years? What innovative solutions will we incubate here in Sonoma County? How will we spread the successes throughout California and beyond?
We invite you to keep dreaming big with us. Help turn our 5-year strategy into action, and transform at least 17 million Californians' relationship with energy. By dreaming big and working together, we create a positive future for our children and all life.
Ann Hancock
Executive Director
You are the solution!
Mounting evidence of the climate crisis is everywhere. For example, this August, Louisiana had 31 inches of rain in 15 hours, and the Blue Cut fire in Southern California was more explosive than anything seasoned firefighters there had ever seen. Globally, shrinking Arctic sea ice is shattering records, as are overall world temperatures. January to June 2016 was the planet's warmest half-year on record.
You are part of the fellowship of people who are committed to turning this around. From the Pope to President Obama to Governor Brown to millions of people worldwide, we join together, speaking out, investing ourselves and our resources for proven solutions that bring down greenhouse gas emissions rapidly, significantly, and cost-effectively.
Scientists tell us that we have only a few critical years to put solutions in place. Chief among them is powering our homes, workplaces, and vehicles with clean energy. The Climate Center can mobilize to get this job done. Thanks for helping us get there.
Jane Bender


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Yoga at the Force is a power vinyasa yoga based studio; we also have slow flow, open-level vinyasa, & basic classes. Our studio is set apart from the daily chaos of life with natural lighting and open space. We as teachers are committed to successfully adapt the practice and process to individuals' needs. Our aim is to assist students' to shed their physical limitations, breakthrough emotional blocks, and open up to brighter possibilities, one student at a time. Come practice with us and together we will shine!
Please visit our website for questions regarding pricing, scheduling, or anything else. We have mats available upon request. Pre-registration is encouraged however, we accept drop-ins for $10-12.


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Digital Accrylic From Antonio
Recreating photography classics through the use of digital illustration creative artist Antonio has crafted the following series by merging pixels to combine a vivid look with iconic recognition. Located in Bergamo, Italy Antonio runs what he calls his window to the world Village 9991 where he showcases his visual workings he says of his workings " I've developed my passion for creating images since I was a child when i used to draw, with pens and pencils, the things that surronded me", "Lately I'm developing and deepening the study of Photomosaics trying to create images with my personal touch which departs me from a basic technique. Photomosaics attract me to their ability to generate wonder and awe in those who observe them". They certainly provide an original outlook into what we already recognise as a given, we have all seen these recreated many times but these actually look unique and separate from there originals without losing what was already there.
Find more from Antonio here


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A Friday afternoon chuckle courtesy of Vaughan Blake's comment on AccountingWeb.
HMRC have apparently boobed again and sent out some CD's of German fairy tales in place of employers' 2009/10 CD-ROMs.
Vaughan has come up with several fairy tale twists with a tax flavour, including my favourite - a taxable benefit for Cinderella, her wicked tax inspector said it was a carriage, not a pumpkin.
Now, how about childcare vouchers for the Pied Piper of Hamelin being ineligible because he was a rat-catcher, not a registered childminder?!
Hi, I'm Emily Coltman, M for short, and this is one of my blogs. I'm Chief Accountant to FreeAgent www.freeagent.com . Views on this blog are mine personally though, and not FreeAgent's. I have strong views on good customer service, so in this blog I'll chat about anything and everything to do with customer service. I may also go off topic a bit and chat about general business matters. No stuffed shirts allowed.
Friday, 6 March 2009
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Evolution of Airline Strategic Partnerships
February 8, 2019
February 8, 2019
It is to both the airline and its customers' benefit for the carrier to maximize selection of its core product offering, namely transportation from one airport to another—the O&D (origin and destination) in airline speak. Demand for international O&Ds has continually increased, but individual carriers are often unable to fulfill this demand due to cost, fleet and regulatory limitations. To bridge this supply and demand gap, airlines have developed partnerships that enable customers to travel on multiple carriers with a single purchase.
Tracking the evolution
The structure of airline partnerships has progressed over time. Let's take a look at the evolution.
Interlines: Early partnerships, starting in the middle of the 20th century, were based on interline agreements in which travel agents and airlines would piece together flights from different airlines under one fare without the traveler needing to purchase two separate tickets.
Codeshares: Codeshare agreements also entail travel on more than one airline, but the customer can purchase his or her ticket using just one of the carriers' designators (e.g., "AA" for American Airlines). Using just one flight designator gives airlines display priority over interlining when viewed in traditional global distribution channels, such as those used by most travel agents. Customers gain additional levels of assurance, such as protections in case of flight disruption, better frequent flyer accrual and redemption opportunities, and often lower prices. Furthermore, this signals to customers that the two airlines have deliberately made this flight connection for sale.
Joint ventures: A big step in airline partnerships was the advent of joint ventures (JVs), which in many countries require regulatory immunization from anti-trust laws. Typical JV cooperation includes coordination of flight scheduling and pricing among other commercial activities. Such an agreement enables the partners to expand their networks together due to the support they receive in each other's home markets. Today's JVs are generally divided into two camps: revenue share and profit share. Most of the industry's JVs choose to share revenue as this is easier to implement and it captures a majority of the benefit. The more advanced profit share JVs, on the other hand, make structural changes and fleet optimization decisions easier to facilitate. Aiming to save costs and choose the best aircraft and brand for each route can improve profit, increasing competitiveness and ultimately, providing better service and prices for customers. It is the airlines that are more open to leveraging these structural and optimization changes that tend to choose profit share.
An interesting development in airline JVs is the addition of equity purchase, with Delta Airlines' 49 percent stake in Virgin Atlantic being a good example. Instead of the focus being on just the region within JV scope (e.g., USA – UK routes and markets), Delta is interested in Virgin's whole well-being, working to improve Virgin's performance without detracting from its valuable brand.
The next leg
Taking JVs to the next level is a priority for many partnerships. In meetings with JVs, both established and developing, we often discuss seamless customer handling between the partners, a consumer benefit that the airlines often tout when seeking regulatory approval. The end game is to ensure that every connection with the partner airline is as smooth as the connections within the same airline, and every interaction the customer expects with the airline they chose to make their booking carries over to their dealings with that airline's JV partner. For example, if the customer can choose a seat on one segment of the itinerary, they should be able to choose seats on all segments. If baggage is tracked on one leg, it should be tracked across all legs. These customer-focused efforts, typically enabled by improved technology or digital integration, can also be lucrative as airlines will be able to sell ancillary products (upgrades, inflight purchases, etc.) on each other's flights.
The final phase
The final phase of the airline partnership evolution is cross-border mergers and acquisitions. Eventually antiquated regulations will give way to natural market dynamics, and governments will allow foreign carriers to merge and acquire each other as has occurred in other industries.
The US marketplace is perhaps the best example of how consolidation has been positive to both airlines and customers. In the US domestic market in 2009, eight of the largest carriers comprised 86 percent of capacity share, which was arguably too fragmented especially when compared to other industries.1 This hyper competitiveness caused the US carriers to have constant financial struggles, leading cash outlays to be primarily for survivability rather than significant customer service enhancements. Today, these eight carriers have become four (American, Delta, United and Southwest), comprising 77 percent capacity share, a more reasonable market balance.
This consolidation (the mergers/acquisitions of US Airways, Northwest, Continental and AirTran, respectively) enabled financial stability for US carriers, far more than carriers in other regions. US consumers have seen vastly improved service as a result. Delta issued a press release on October 29, 2018, the ten-year anniversary of the close of its merger with Northwest Airlines. In this release Delta wrote, "Today, based on every relevant measure, the merger has been an unqualified success and has provided massive benefits to America's and the international traveling public." They then cite numerous customer benefits and demonstrate that competition has increased while fares have decreased. I am sure that nearly everyone reading this has anecdotes of how customer service among the top four carriers has failed them, but speaking by the numbers, service has improved.
Eventually international airlines and travelers will experience the same benefits as the US marketplace. In the meantime, airlines will continue to march their cooperation up the integration ladder.
Accenture describes how travel companies can increase their readiness factor to address new traveler expectations and the weight of the world. Read more.
The metaverse is the next defining moment for the travel industry. Accenture's Fannelie Gerard explains why.
As travelers demand more in the way of sustainability, data becomes a competitive asset to drive trust amongst consumers. Accenture explains how.


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Historical and archaeological reserve "Stone Tomb"
Our planet is incredibly rich in unsolved mysteries, some of them are so ancient that their trace is lost among hundreds...Read more
Our planet is incredibly rich in unsolved mysteries, some of them are so ancient that their trace is lost among hundreds...Read more
In recent years, Ukraine has been actively developing domestic tourism, which allows Ukrainians to better know their cou...Read more
On the territory of Ukraine there are thousands of unique historical places, which after a century cause pride for their...Read more
Zaporizhzhya region is unread through the history and pride of the Ukrainian people.
There were important historical events, great victories and defeats of the Cossacks.
This land gave birth to fearless heroes, about which legends go and sing in songs, centuries later.
Zaporozhye region is considered to be a historical pearl of Ukraine, where an incredible number of important historical buildings are concentrated.
Particular attention should be paid to Khortitsa Island and Zaporizhzhya Sich, which are worth visiting.
Magnificent nature, hospitable residents leave wonderful memories of the rest here.
Traveling in the Zaporozhye region you will discover a lot of wonderful tourist places, where you will necessarily want to return again and again.
It closely intertwines the past and today, people like in the old times respect the traditions of their ancestors, appreciate and carefully store everything that is connected with the history of Ukraine.
Sincerely we wish you a wonderful holiday and bright impressions traveling in the Zaporozhye region.


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The New Jersey Council of Teachers of English invites submissions to its 2009 High School Writing Contest, "Celebrating the Voices of New Jersey." The contest is open to New Jersey students in grades 9-12. The submission deadline is December 15, 2008.
Students are invited to submit to the following contest categories:
Poetry (one poem)
Short Story (10-page max.)
Personal essay (5-page max.)
Personal essays must respond to the prompt: Where do you live? Contest administrators offer this advice: Use descriptive language to give the reader a virtual experience of your world. As you do this, let us hear your voice. Share the thoughts, feelings, questions and concerns that arise out of your view of the world around you. Bring your space – your town, your school, your home, your room, your web – to life for your reader.
Additional information about the contest (including a flyer and entry form) available at this site.
[art by boz lynn via flickr]


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1000 Lincoln drive East Suite 3A, Marlton, NJ 08053 United States
The Dental Specialty Center is South Jersey's premier multi-specialty, practice. With locations in Marlton, Willingboro and Linwood NJ, our offices are designed to offer an expert range of specialist care including Endodontics, Periodontics, Orthodontics and Oral Surgery with a focus on quality, affordability and outstanding care. All of our offices are ultra-modern, state-of-the-art facilities offering our patients highly specialized straight forward and complex implant, root canal, teeth straightening, surgical services. Our office works with numerous insurance carriers and for your convenience, we also offer a variety of payment options. Please contact us today to schedule your appointmen
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Cheeses and wines with their own particular taste
Cheese and wine are two of the most characteristic products of the Canarian cuisine. To speak about Canarian wines is to make reference to the 10 wines with denominaciones de origen (official certificates of origin). The characteristics of the wine change radically from one area to another due to the different microclimates of the islands and the drastic changes of altitude in a matter of a few metres. Canarian cheeses are also characterised by their variety in texture and flavour although, if they do have something in common, it's the fact that they are all made using traditional methods and have a flavour and subtlety that are unique. The best way to discover all these flavours is to visit some of the wineries and cheese shops of the Canary Islands. Besides just tasting, you can go and see the different stages of production.
Cellar type
Valle de Güimar Winery
Quesería Flor de Luz
Bodegas Vega de Yuco
Quesería Montesdeoca
Bodega Monte Bandama
Gran Canaria
Bodega Viña La Vica
Gran Canaria
Bodega Cándido Hernández Pío
Bodegas Onésima Pérez Rodríguez
La Palma
Bodegas Mencey Chasna
Tierra de Frontos Winery
Quesería Granja San Roque
Bodegas San Juan
Gran Canaria


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3.excellent quality and reasonable price
4.fast delivery time
1060 aluminum roofing sheet are extremely light and have a high strength-to-weight ratio.
2,1060 aluminum roofing sheet is an increasingly popular choice for use in installations and buildings. It is corrosion-resistant in almost any kind of environment. Even in highly corrosive industrial environments, it is resistant to fumes and vapours of organic compounds and to chemicals like ammonia, carbon dioxide and acids such as hydrochloric acid, nitric acid and sulphuric acid. Such corrosion resistance gives the metal a long life and keeps it looking good throughout its life.
3,The shine and brightness of aluminium livens its surroundings, and, because it doesn't stain, discolor or rot, it keeps its brightness and shine for a long time. 4,A1060 aluminum roofing sheet can take a variety of finishes, colors and textures, which protect them and further enhance their appearance.
An alumunium structure can be easily dismantled, transported and re-assembled in a new location.
5,Though the metal is a good conductor of heat, its high reflectivity for radiant heat and light (75 to 80 per cent when new, 60 per cent after several years) keeps the interiors of aluminium building from five to eight degrees celsius cooler in summer, while its low emission rate cuts heat loss in winter.
6,It is easy to maintain and wash.
Contact: Aaron
Phone: +86 18137889531
Tel: 86-371-65621391
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Add: 1103 No.14 Shangwu Outer Ring Rd, New District, Zhengzhou, China.


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BCAL Construction
From GlueXWiki
Revision as of 07:49, 7 July 2020 by Elton (Talk | contribs) (Created page with "300px = BCAL Web Sites = * BCAL Information, Photos, Movies and History (construction project at Regina) [http://kronos.phys.uregina.ca/~zisis/bcal/The_Pro...")
BCAL Web Sites
- BCAL Information, Photos, Movies and History (construction project at Regina) web site (Public)
- BCAL Construction Documents web site (Private)
- Calorimetry Meetings
- BCAL Readout
- Calibration and Monitoring System Meetings
- Calorimetry Archives
- BCAL Reconstruction
BCAL Construction and Mechanical Issues
- BCAL Mechanical Meetings
- BCAL Construction Travelers (private)
- BCAL_Pb_Sheet_Widths
- BCAL_Pb_Sheet_Widths Revised
Light Guides
- Location of Light Guide Positions on Module Face
- Light Guide Information
- Travellers for Light Guide Gluing (Pansophy. Login using JLab id, Look in 12 GeV/Hall D/Travellers/)
Scintillation Fibers
Beam tests
BCAL Construction
- Details of the fabrication, quality assurance can be found at BCAL Construction
- Current BCAL DAQ instructions (started 17/06/14 by Shayne Gryba)
- BCAL DAQ old Instructions from Alex on how to run the BCAL DAQ as of 31 March 2014.
- Current DAC Calibration instructions
- How to run BCAL DAQ in ESB
- SiPM Bias and Board Amplification (Posted Juny 6, 2012)
- SiPM Radiation Hardness Test
- Comparison of radiation damage between FLUKA and Geant
- Roadmap toward a decision for Bcal Readout
- Test Setup for SiPMs
- SiPM Database
- Dynamic range of expected pe and photons. See also May 27, 2010 Calorimetry
- See Log Entry with plots or Log book See entry 1787299
- See e-mail with comments
Monte Carlo
- BCAL Reconstruction Software
- BCAL Stand-Alone Monte Carlo - energy resolution
- BCAL Low-Energy Photon Response
- Sampling Fraction Fluctuations GlueX-Doc 827-v3
- BCAL Threshold Calculation
- PID Studies
Start up Checks
GlueX-notes: 985, 986, 987 and 989 document the Barrel Calorimeter as per the February 2008 Calorimeter Review.


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It's not easy for companies to find the secret sauce for a killer company culture, engaged and healthy employees, and sky-high morale.
But we do our best to provide high quality resources for the over-worked business owner, HR director, or wellness coordinator.
Here are our best articles of 2016.
2016 | Best Posts on Culture, Morale, & Employee Wellness
We've saved you the trouble of looking for our best resources from the past year — they're all collected right here. Enjoy!
Employee Retention: It's Not as Difficult As You Think
The biggest problem managers have with employee retention is not knowing what steps to take to improve it.
It's like being on a sinking ship and not knowing where the leak is to fix it. Managers who are losing employees left and right are stumped. And all you're looking for is an answer to the question: Why are my employees leaving?
Workplace Massage Programs: How to Convince Your Boss
When I tell people the kind of work this company provides, I can usually predict the first thing they'll say:
"I wish my boss would do that," they'll say with a sigh.
For the most part, employees feel like office massage is a perk they would love to have, but they think their boss would never go for. So here's a handy reference to help you convince your skeptical leader of the benefits of office chair massage.
What is Company Culture (And Does it Matter?)
Working in the workplace wellness industry, business owners ask us all the time: What's the deal with culture? It's a fair question, because while lots has been said about organizational culture, it can still remain somewhat of a mystery.
In this article, we'll cover what company culture is, how it's created, and what it means for you business. Finally, we'll cover a few key ideas to get started shaping your company culture to the best it can be.
Managing Virtual Teams: 6 Keys to Success
Working with a 100% virtual team means lower overhead costs, flexible work schedules, and agility that's not accessible to traditional companies.
But it takes effort and focus to make it work. In this article, we'll cover the tips, tricks, and tools that work best for us.
Top 7 Employee Recognition Apps & Programs
We all know how important employee recognition is for keeping morale high. And companies today have tons of options when it comes to automating employee feedback.
In this article, we'll review the top 7 staff feedback and recognition programs you can buy, including features and price of each system.
6 Health and Wellness Lunch and Learn Topics
Nobody wants to attend boring lunch and learns with uninspired food and a pointless presentation. If you're looking for lunch and learn ideas on health and wellness, this list will get you started.
In this article, we'll cover 6 lunch and learn ideas including fitness, stress management, nutrition and more.
An Introductory Guide: What are Voluntary Employee Benefits?
Looking for unique ways to make employees happy — or even draw top talent to your company? Voluntary benefits go above and beyond typical benefits offerings. And they offer a way for companies to stand out. So how do you get started?
In this article, we'll cover what voluntary employee benefits are, and some key ideas to get started with.
Wellness Program Ideas: 3 Lessons I Learned the Hard Way
At this year's annual Utah Worksite Wellness Conference, I got the opportunity to speak on one of my greatest passions: How to use the influence of wellness programs to create winning cultures at work.
In this article, I pulled out the highlights of this talk to help other business leaders find ways to build wellness into their culture.
6 Ideas to Improve Employee Morale Before Winter Hits
Are you looking for ideas to improve employee morale for the upcoming winter? It may seem early to start thinking about the winter blues, but September has arrived.
The weather is about to cool down, days are going to get shorter and before you know it, winter will be here. The combination of cold weather and shorter days will make it harder for your employees to stay healthy and happy. Here are 6 ideas to prepare yourself and your employees to keep ahead of the blues.
6 Benefits of Taking Breaks at Work (Plus 6 Ways to Do It Right)
Ever wondered whether it's better to complete your work in small periods of time or to just power through it? Studies have shown that most full-time workers spend more than the typical 40 hours a week at work. And many employees don't even break for lunch anymore.
In this article, we'll tell you why breaks are beneficial and give you a few guidelines to follow.


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The Whittly & Douglas M210 Raven is an agile fighter-bomber that was designed with an eye towards ease of maintenance. In fact, it is this facet of the Raven's design that has made it popular, and in fact, made it one of the most widely-customized aircraft in service today.
Unlike most fighter-bombers, the M210 Raven is a single-seat aircraft (though some groups—most notably the Detroit Crusaders—have added a seat for a weapons operator in the rear of the plane's spacious cockpit). As a result, while the Raven is a capable aircraft, pilots routinely have their hands full, which is only exacerbated by the constantly changing nature of air combat.
Three sets of wing-mounted guns are the aircraft's principal armaments, providing firepower that can rapidly shred opposing vehicles. The largest are the pair of .50-caliber Sperry-Browning Hurricane cannons (one mounted in the inboard weapon bay on each wing). An additional quartet of .40-caliber Gatekeeper machine guns (two per wing) round out the Raven's offensive capability. Wing pylons allow the Raven to carry rockets, aerial torpedoes or bombs. Despite limited cockpit visibility, the craft has earned a reputation for precision delivery of its payload; pilots learn to use the Raven's distinctive nose to aim.
Whittly & Douglas originally set out to create a ground attack aircraft, though the Raven has also garnered a reputation as a dangerous anti-aircraft gunship. The Raven's mix of agility and firepower make it ideal for this task, allowing for selective targeting of engine nacelles or weapons, or wholesale destruction of gas cells.
However, this same mix of capabilities has proven the bane of many Raven pilots. The lack of effective opposition to the Raven's heavy guns in its early years made many flyers overconfident, prompting them to dogfight with enemy escort aircraft. Though the Raven's agility still gives it something of an edge in these engagements, its poor acceleration and deceleration, combined with a low maximum speed compared to more modern craft, leave the Raven vulnerable when facing opponents with more nimble planes.
Though surpassed in many respects by several newer designs, this aircraft's ease of maintenance, adaptability and sheer numbers (with more than 750 remaining in service) will keep the Raven a common sight in the skies over North America.


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· The Outsider by Albert Camus
· The Summer Book by Tove Jansson
· A Winter Book: Selected Stories by Tove Jansson
· Anecdotes of Destiny by Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen)
· In Other Rooms, Other Wonders by Daniyal Mueenuddin
· Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto
· The American by Henry James
· Casino Royale by Ian Fleming
· The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish Way to Live Well by Meik Wiking
At the library I spotted Yoshimoto's Kitchen, her first book, and had to borrow it to read again. Japanese authors are so wonderfully different. Many years ago I worked in a bookshop with school and took the risk of recommending it to a customer, who struck me as a reader ready for something different. Sometimes it was tricky recommending books to customers, not everyone has the same taste (luckily) and I didn't want anyone to waste money on something they didn't enjoy. Well, this one came back to tell me that she had loved it, that it was 'different', and she went home with a stack of my favourite books.
Stéphane Audran as Babette in Babette's Feast (1987)
Tove Jansson at her cabin on the Finnish island Klovharun
1: image by me | 2: still via BFI · credit: Panorama Film A/S, Det Danske Filminstitut, Nordisk Film + Rungstedlundfonden · director + screenplay Gabriel Axel | 3: via Tove Jansson


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About ten years ago, when I still lived in Portland, I wistfully imagined life at Ananda Village as one of simplicity and ease, where the stresses of ordinary life ceased to be. A year later I got to know people here a little better, and once met a teacher walking from Hansa Temple to the Expanding Light, holding a box of Cheerios. Seeing my inquisitive gaze, he took out a handful and cheerfully said "lunch!"
Our lifestyle here is one of intense service and activity, balanced of course by meditation. Many of our jobs can't compare with the stress level of trading on Wall Street, but are nonetheless challenging in countless regards. Our own family life with a three year old can often complicates things further, and offers us daily choices of how to respond.
Bad days happen to everyone, but how do bad days look to people on the spiritual path? My own experiences growing up led me to believe that the only way to respond in such times is to vent, to be miserable about everything. Perhaps you have seen a bumper sticker: "If you're not outraged, you're not paying attention!"
The fact is, we all have a small part deep within ourselves that first asks "how should I be about this?" It is that tiny voice, sometimes buried deep within and overpowered by our immediate reactions, that is the key to our choice of reality.
Many years ago at a summer camp I worked with a woman who smiled all the time. I soon realized that her smiles were not genuine – she confessed to being trained to "put on a happy face" despite a conflicting internal consciousness.
I am eternally grateful for the people here at Ananda whose outward appearance can genuinely match their internal reality. Does it mean that everyone is happy all the time? I remember my first meeting with an Ananda minister, when I asked "are you in bliss all the time?" He smiled ever so gently, and honestly replied "not yet".
In a way, our spiritual progress is measured primarily not by overcoming huge "karmic bombs", but by the daily barrage of tests that give us the opportunity to hold on dearly to God's living presence in our lives, to raise our consciousness and energy to accept the realities of life all around us.
I laughingly remember my first "test" of holding on to bliss. I was very new on the Path, and was diving deep in meditation, and was so sure that I could maintain my consciousness that I must have put out a challenge to Divine Mother. That night I went to the laundromat, and to my horror after opening the washer, could not find 3 of my favorite socks. I checked everywhere for my beloved socks, but they were irretrievably gone. I returned home, heartbroken. So much for my first test. Socks.
Sister Gyanamata, the most advanced woman disciple of Yogananda, when faced with a huge oncoming test replied: "Lord, change no circumstance in my life, CHANGE ME!" May we all be granted the wisdom to respond with such strength and grace to the mounting challenges of life on earth.
I'll leave you with a recording of Swami Kriyananda singing "The Non Blues", which is it perfect song for how we can choose to look at the world. Most poignant to me are these lyrics:
Now it ain't that I don't know what grief is:
This ol' heart has had it's full share.
But grief's one thing, and complainin' another,
Why multiply grief with despair?


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Conference on Immigration in the Southeast:: Finding Solutions Oct 28-30 2010
Conference on Immigration in the Southeast:
Defining Problems, Finding Solutions
Oct 28-30, 2010
KSU Center
Kennesaw State University
Proposals due July 21, 2010
Kennesaw State University calls for academic papers and poster presentations for a multidisciplinary conference on immigration to Georgia and the Southeast. Papers or posters should promote an understanding of the problems associated with immigration, with an emphasis on finding practical and realistic solutions that promote economic growth and social strength for the Southeast. All paper presentations should be in English; posters may be presented in English or Spanish. Conference papers will be considered for publication.
For proposals please send a single-page electronic abstract including institutional affiliation and contact information to Dr. Alan LeBaron, at email@example.com or Dr. Elaine Levine, at email@example.com. The Conference is sponsored by the Kennesaw State University Center for Latin American and Iberian Studies and the Center for Sustainable Journalism; the Consortium for Latino Immigration Studies at the University of South Carolina; and the Centro de Investigaciones Sobre America del Norte of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico. Updated information to be posted at: http://www.kennesaw.edu/burruss_inst/SE-Conference/


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Call Now for Service
Washer video troubleshooting tips
Washing machine troubleshooting tips from Samsung
The above video gives some great tips for front load washers. While not all clients will have Samsung washers many of the tips will apply to all washers. At Appliance Force we pride ourselves in helping our clients in all their appliance needs. We will always answer questions regarding your repair or any other appliance call us today at 403-770-9793.
Check out the Samsung page for more tips.