text:
How are your clematis doing
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Joined: 29 Mar 2007
Posts: 12
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Topic: How are your clematis doing
Posted: 03 Mar 2014 at 7:37pm
This morning I was in my garden and saw the first colored bud in my garden.
Years ago befor I felt ill I had more contacts in England and we always had a difference of 3 weeks so I am wondering how it is near you at the moment.
I lost many clematis during the time I was in the hospital and curing and of course also in the very cold winters and as I am getting older I do not buy new plants but still am very interested
Also in de RLF are in four plants buds
Joined: 12 Apr 2014
Location: Cumbria, UK
Posts: 2
|Quote Reply Posted: 12 Apr 2014 at 10:55am
Looking in my garden in Cumbria this morning I see my Jackmanii's buds have all been eaten off ..... they were very immature (this being a cold garden in a cold part of the country) but all the same I'm devastated. This is a well established plant and has been with me a good 20 years, it grows really well and is a guaranteed attraction every summer.
I don't see any vine weevils which were my first concern, I've not seen any rabbits (I have cats) but there may possibly be mice(?). What do you think?
Its early days for me, my tulips are only just showing buds and the daffs are still mostly in full bloom. We're very late with our seasons up here.
Joined: 29 Mar 2007
Posts: 12
|Quote Reply Posted: 12 Apr 2014 at 1:35pm
there is a difference between eaten by mice or slugs. Both like the fresh twigs It goes about flat eaten or pointy rests. I am not for poison but sometimes you cannot without it .
Blue Dancer is blooming better than ever with flowers of 12 cm. Rob Hannink is also very well and the montanas are coming.
Joined: 29 Mar 2007
Posts: 12
|Quote Reply Posted: 13 Apr 2014 at 9:29am
Joined: 29 Mar 2007
Posts: 12
|Quote Reply Posted: 13 Apr 2014 at 9:52am
since this forum started I must say I often loosed my password and then I thought I will looked another time So I did again and then I am still wondering why are there so less postings On Gardenbuddies America was the clematis forum the best visited site. Some people went to facebook but with so many clematisfans should this site of the BCS be the best visited clematis site in Europe Posting pictures is not easy I noticed this morning but answering posts is easy .Could not we all try to get a running forum. Every member one posting a month?
Joined: 29 Mar 2007
Posts: 12
|Quote Reply Posted: 16 Apr 2014 at 7:00am
the first ELF
Joined: 29 Mar 2007
Posts: 12
|Quote Reply Posted: 16 Apr 2014 at 7:03am
now it was more luck than wishdom that I gat the last time pictures posted.Sorry for I cannot get it now
Joined: 12 Apr 2014
Location: Cumbria, UK
Posts: 2
|Quote Reply Posted: 21 Apr 2014 at 10:42am
I've only just joined, and have to admit that navigating round this forum is not easy - I haven't attempted pictures yet.
My Montana is flowering, but as I said earlier this is a cold garden that doesn't get much sun due to overhanging trees (leylandii!) I tried the garlic water treatment on my Jackmanii and the buds which are coming through now seem to have avoided being eaten - fingers crossed the mice/rabbits/whatever (its not slugs) keep off. Trouble is it keeps raining and I have to repeat the garlic treatment - and now I need more garlic.
Joined: 29 Mar 2007
Posts: 12
|Quote Reply Posted: 21 Apr 2014 at 3:31pm
now then breeding garlic yourself
Joined: 05 Jul 2009
Posts: 82
|Quote Reply Posted: 04 May 2014 at 9:18am
I do think the best there could happen is, close this site down and keep the better and more international forum in Gardenbuddies.com going as it's by far better layout and more visited (currently poor) with years of good postings to to look at & ease of use, as well as free of those silly advertising postings you can find here more often than a "Real" posting
Cheers Peer
Joined: 29 Mar 2007
Posts: 12
|Quote Reply Posted: 04 May 2014 at 10:08am
that is easy to say but did you see how less is donated untill now to keep GB in the air. Even how less reactions are on birthdaycards normally there where 20 for a birthday . A lot of members as I heard went to facebook.
The British site is a site for members and it seems strange there are a lot of members of the BCS who are/where on GB see the reactions as the guide comes . The BCS is specialized in clematis . If there is a posting I get a message and have a look.But what is wrong. To difficult to use?? I could not post the second time the pictures because I have to post them from a website . First time it was normal posted . Peer you should agree that there are members enough who can at least have some information to start with. What is to spent 10 minutes on an article on the site . If we discuss and sent in one name of a clematis with a picture .Then I talk only over the "old"clematis for the starters and then I am thinking on members as Ton Hannink, you ,Hans J Kuus, Wim Snoeijer .The man of COTW then they can take f.i. only the old and later the newer onces
Who have them in the garden are they well give flowers near you . This year what I never had the ELF are eaten by louse, no louse on the roses .Doing nothing is the easiest way .If I had an answer how to post the pictures I would have given already more information. At liest we can try it half a year but it must be possible to keep the site running
Joined: 05 Jul 2009
Posts: 82
|Quote Reply Posted: 05 May 2014 at 9:30am
Seems we are all getting older, and the young one are not interested, communications have changed, this site has been used very, very little the last five years and is not worth to revive, insetting pics are not that difficult (I hope)
Kiri Te Kanawa & FRANZISKA MARIE
KTK superior in every way!!
Joined: 29 Mar 2007
Posts: 12
|Quote Reply Posted: 05 May 2014 at 10:04am
thank you .This is a very nice one . I had it once but had is a very bad word.
I read that I have to add pictures by http but the first picture I upload could from my computer and I fear that I cannot upload from here . The Kiri Te Kanawa is the onliest one which always gives double flowers also if it is frozen in or pruned , Other double blooming flowers give single flowers after pruning or been froozen
Joined: 05 Jul 2009
Posts: 82
|Quote Reply Posted: 06 May 2014 at 9:22am
Not TRUE all I post as double NEVER produce single flowers, only doubles or semi-doubles.
Those producing single flowers on second flush DO NOT produce doubles here in my climate!!!
Joined: 29 Mar 2007
Posts: 12
|Quote Reply Posted: 06 May 2014 at 10:57am
a multi blue and blue light always give singles in the second flowering near me or if they are frozen also singles in the first near me
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Potentially thousands of drunken-driving convictions in Colorado could be appealed because of problems at a state laboratory, defense lawyers said Monday, but prosecutors called that an overstatement.
Members of the Colorado Criminal Defense Bar said the appeals could come in cases as serious as vehicular homicides.
They also questioned why state officials did not release a report on the problems until Friday when it was completed in March.
The report said some employees of the lab at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment complained that a supervisor made statements suggesting a bias in favor of prosecutors. The report also said refrigerators containing blood samples were unlocked.
The report did not conclude that anyone lied on the stand or that any test samples were tainted, said Tom Raynes, executive director of the Colorado District Attorneys Council.
Raynes said the supervisor's behavior as described in the report would be unprofessional and inappropriate, but "that doesn't mean you lied on the stand or did something improper."
Chris Urbina, executive director of the health department, said Monday that the problem was primarily a personnel matter and that the department acted promptly when it received the report in March. Urbina said the supervisor was transferred and later retired.
It was not immediately clear whether or how the supervisor's allegedly biased statements might have affected any court testimony she gave about test results.
The report on the lab was compiled by the Mountain States Employers Council, a human resources consultancy.
The health department laboratory is one of at least three that law-enforcement officials can use to test blood samples for alcohol content. It wasn't immediately known what percentage of the tests are handled by the health department.
The report on the state lab is dated March 18 and was released by Colorado Attorney General John Suthers late Friday.
Sean McDermott, president of the defense attorney's group, criticized the attorney general's office for not releasing the report sooner.
"When a prosecutor finds information that directly goes to the guilt, innocence or competence of an important witness, or any witness … they're supposed to turn it over immediately," McDermott told reporters Monday. He said hundreds of additional tests might have gone through the lab since March.
Suthers released a statement Monday, saying he acted quickly to release the report once state prosecutors learned its findings could affect some cases.
He said the details of the report are a complex combination of issues involving civil, privacy and employment laws.
A news release issued by the defense lawyers group called the incident a "cover-up," but McDermott backed off from that allegation.
"Back in March, DAs' offices, if they didn't know about this report, they should have known about it," he said.
Defense attorneys said the report has shaken the confidence of Coloradans in the trustworthiness of prosecution evidence.
McDermott said the defense lawyers were calling for an investigation of the lab by an agency independent of the Colorado attorney general. McDermott suggested the federal Department of Justice investigate, saying it is a civil rights issue.
The defense lawyers also want the health department lab to be accredited by an outside group.
Urbina agreed with the accreditation suggestion and said steps were already being taken to do that.
He said employees were getting more training not only in performing tests in the laboratory but in providing court testimony.
"I think the public needs to know that we are handling this personnel issue and that we care about the proficiency of our employees," Urbina said.
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I was reading about ... hold on, what was I reading about? Nevermind, I was URL surfing. Jumping around from one link to another I somehow got to this -
He [Nero] was known for having captured Christians burned in his garden at night for a source of light. (Source)
I rubbed my eyes and squinted at the monitor. I wasn't hallucinating. I would never have believed such an outrageous statement had I not read it on wikipedia. :P
And it gets progressively worse -
In the words of Tacitus, Christians showed "hatred of the human race" (odium generis humani). Christians were thought to use black magic in pursuit of revolutionary aims, and to practice incest and cannibalism.
"The Christians are to blame for every public disaster and every misfortune that befalls the people. If the Tiber rises to the walls, if the Nile fails to rise and flood the fields, if the sky withholds its rain, if there is earthquake or famine or plague, straightway the cry arises: 'The Christians to the lions!'"
I tried to visualize and think just why would a belief system grow in such an environment. It seems counter intuitive. Let's look at the points -
- Open persecution. In modern times most of the countries have laws against religious violence. Persecutions are done by violent mobs but aren't state sponsored (exceptions apply). But with open support of government it would've been much worse.
- Small population. Hundreds of Christians are martyred nowadays. But since the population is already so large it doesn't have much effect.
- No written Bibles. Imagine hearing sermons from a traveling missionary and then hanging onto that for the rest of your life. Repeated readings of the Bible makes it easier to learn your religion and not forget basic tenets of your faith.
- Underground churches. No fellowship and support of other people to let you hang on when times are tough.
- Hard to earn your bread. Economic system was organized in a way to favor certain people. In modern times corporate culture has
removed religion and other personal factors from economy. Christians
would've found themselves at the bottom of this socioeconomic system.
And whenever you did catch a fish or log some timber, your house is
open to robbery. Law enforcement doesn't give a rat.
The Persecution in Lyon was preceded by mob violence, including assaults, robberies and stonings.
- Cultural isolation. Marriages, funerals and family life in general were difficult. You can imagine the difficulty by hearing the complaints of minorities in modern society and multiplying that many times over.
- Impracticality. There's little incentive to listen to that Babbling missionary when you've just returned from a Saturday night carnage show at the neighborhood Colosseum. You surely wouldn't want yourself to be cast in the next show, do you?
Note: Please don't say that it was God's will. And please no quoting Acts 5:39.


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Give anyone age 40 and older a time machine and they would likely go back to their early 20s — to open an IRA.
That's because by 40, many of us have learned the miracle of compound earnings over time. We kick ourselves for not socking away even tiny sums in a tax-sheltered individual retirement account when we were younger.
Consider the math: A 22-year-old who invests $100 a month in an IRA for 10 years and then stops will end up with more money at age 65 then a 32-year-old who saves $100 a month in an IRA for 33 years. Baltimore's T. Rowe Price says the first investor, assuming a 7 percent annual return, would accumulate $174,217; the other winds up with $155,307.
That's why Price's recent survey of young investors is disappointing.
The investment firm polled 860 adults age 21 to 50 who have at least one investment account, so these are folks already engaged in investing. According to Price, just 45 percent of these Gen X and Gen Y investors say they would contribute to an IRA for the 2011 tax year, down from 71 percent who invested in an IRA the year before.
And if these investors had a spare $5,000 — the maximum amount those under 50 can contribute yearly to an IRA — only 16 percent say they would put the money into the account. More than half would pay off debt or put it in a rainy day fund.
Not bad choices, but again, young investors need to take advantage of their most valuable asset — time. And that's where an IRA can help.
You can open an IRA with an investment firm, and you'll have a greater choice of investments than the typical 401(k). This money is meant for your retirement, so you'll generally have to pay a penalty if you cash out early, similar to the 401(k).
There are two kinds of IRAs.
Depending on your income, your contributions to a traditional IRA could be tax-deductible. And when you pull money out in retirement, it will be taxed as regular income.
With a Roth — available to those within certain income limits — you don't get an upfront deduction. But withdrawals, which include all the money you earned over the years, won't be taxed in retirement.
A Roth is the preferred IRA for younger investors, who are likely to be in a higher tax bracket when they retire. The Roth is considered so beneficial for young investors that many financial bloggers last week participated in the Roth IRA Movement, a day in which they wrote about the account to raise its profile.
Young investors gave Price a variety of reasons for not contributing to an IRA. Most frequently said they thought their 401(k) was good enough for now, which it could be if they are saving the recommended 15 percent of pay each year.
About one-third said they don't think they could afford it.
"There will always be more demand for your money than there is money," says Stuart Ritter, a Price senior financial planner. He adds that young investors need to make retirement a priority despite competing goals.
Many young investors have also lost faith in the stock market because of subpar returns in the past decade, Ritter says. And the timing of the poll might also have dampened investors' enthusiasm.
The poll was taken in December, a highly volatile month for the stock market. The total return — including dividends — of the S&P 500 index last year was 2 percent, but many investors came away thinking the market lost ground, Ritter says.
Price found that only one in five of those surveyed had any confidence in the markets this year. And among young IRA investors, many planned to put their money in staid investments such as money market funds that won't provide the growth they need over time.
Of course, there is no time machine that will allow today's twentysomethings a do-over in the future. If you have extra dollars after participating in a 401(k) or you don't have a retirement plan at work, contribute to an IRA. You have until the tax deadline — April 17 this year — to make a contribution for the 2011 tax year.
I'm not the only one nagging young investors to stash money in an IRA.
Jeff Rose is a 34-year-old financial planner in Illinois and the creator of last week's Roth IRA Movement. Rose says he came up with the idea after speaking to 50 or so college seniors at his alma mater last month. He asked how many had ever heard of a Roth.
"Not a single one of them raised their hand," Rose says.
He says that depressed him, figuring that by the time they learned about a Roth they could be well into their 30s and have lost valuable investing years.
Rose, who blogs on personal finance, reached out to fellow bloggers to suggest they raise awareness by writing about the benefits of the Roth on the same day, March 27. More than 140 bloggers and media outlets did so last week, Rose says, and he hopes to make this an annual event.
Young investors should try to make investing in an IRA an annual event, too.
Give anyone age 40 and older a time machine and they would likely go back to their early 20s — to open an IRA.


text:
Read anywhere, anytime
|Published by
PR Newswire
LONDON, Dec. 17, 2012
- Mobile devices serve as a key customer interaction channel and contactless payments will sharply increase
LONDON, Dec. 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Mobile devices have become a vital interaction channel in the financial services sector. Europe witnesses a high uptake of m-banking services, an emerging adoption of m-payments, as well as long-term growth opportunities in international m-remittances. Frost & Sullivan predicts that four topics will dominate the financial services market in 2013: contactless payments, commercial mobile payment offerings, cloud-based solutions and data analytics.
"The European population is moving towards prepaid, online and contactless payments for small amounts," notes Global Program Director for ICT in Financial Services, Jean-Noel Georges. "According to Frost & Sullivan, contactless cards growth in Europe will reach a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) in 2011-2017 of 28.7 per cent. By 2018, 38 per cent of mobile phones shipped in Europe will be Near Field Communication (NFC) enabled, increasing the use of NFC solutions." Using contactless payment will be simpler and effortless. Like the touch screens on smartphones, contactless payment will follow natural customer behaviour and will generate a new payment experience.
Numerous commercial mobile payment offerings will be launched in 2013, and by 2014-2015, greater uptake will follow. The value of transactions made via mobile payment using NFC technology will reach 42.3 per cent in 2015 and 49.6 per cent in 2018. Frost & Sullivan believes that the commitment of market participants to work together signifies a positive signal for the NFC development.
With the massive adoption of smartphones in Europe, SMS and USSD will become less and less relevant. Among the countries covered in the recent Frost & Sullivan study "Mobile Financial Services—A Technology and Market Analysis", smartphone penetration averaged 28.0 per cent in 2011 (from 9.0 per cent in Russia to 46.0 per cent in the U.K.).
The annual number of online sales (in France, Sweden, Poland, Germany, and the U.K.) by use of a smartphone will be around €171 in 2012 (average annual expense per user per mobile). In Russia, growing Internet penetration will be an important driver, reaching a CAGR (2011 to 2018) of 6.4 per cent. Online sales will have a CAGR (2011 to 2018) of 10.6 per cent.
Cloud computing will remain a cost-efficiency driver as these solutions are expanding faster than NFC-based solutions in the m-payments space. Amidst the economic crisis in Europe, many companies are looking to reduce or minimise their investment or functional cost. As cloud uses internet and server storage for payment purposes, associated business models will allow small and medium enterprises to better reach their expenditure objectives.
Social media and data analytics will gain stronger importance in the CIOs agenda. More and more banks and financial institutions will focus on using social media and data analytics for processes to understand their customers better (Know Your Customer, KYC) and, therefore, to target them with specific product/services and pricing offers. The reduction of the total cost for data computing provides an exceptional capability to identify new customer groups, gain greater visibility into their purchasing patterns; and, thus define customised offers and services perfectly in line with their expectations.
"In 2012 regulatory pressures forced financial institutions to rethink their strategies," summarises Jean-Noel Georges. "Market participants have to increase efforts to ensure interoperability and open environments. But 2013 will be an exciting and promising year for technology and innovation. Probably for the first time in the payment industry, all stakeholders are ready to promote new products and to start new services. So the race has already started," he adds.
If you would like to learn more about Frost & Sullivan's ICT in Financial Services – Predictions for 2013, please contact Joanna Lewandowska, Corporate Communications, at firstname.lastname@example.com. Please include your full contact details in the query.
The presentation on ICT Europe – Financial Services Predictions for 2013 is also available on Slide Share.
About Frost & Sullivan
Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, works in collaboration with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today's market participants.
Our "Growth Partnership" supports clients by addressing these opportunities and incorporating two key elements driving visionary innovation: The Integrated Value Proposition and The Partnership Infrastructure.
For more than 50 years, we have been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector and the investment community. Is your organisation prepared for the next profound wave of industry convergence, disruptive technologies, increasing competitive intensity, Mega Trends, breakthrough best practices, changing customer dynamics and emerging economies?
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text:
JT Koffenberger is an information technology executive with over 20 years of applied Information Technology business experience. He applies advanced technologies and techniques to bring strategic advantage to businesses. He is the Founder and General Manager of The Delmarva Group LLC, a managed IT services firm based in Wilmington, Delaware. Under his leadership, Delmarva Group provides all IT-related services to small- and medium-sized businesses.
As the consulting CIO in several nationally recognized organizations (Innovation America, NASVF), Mr. Koffenberger helps build and align Information Technology strategies along with client business initiatives. He unites the agendas of business leadership and IT organizations into a single, cohesive IT strategy plan. This ability to provide oversight into both the business and IT objectives of a company makes Mr. Koffenberger an invaluable asset.
Mr. Koffenberger and The Delmarva Group have been instrumental in helping businesses align IT strategy and departments to a strategic advantage. Under his leadership, DMVG provides clients with a full range of services from website development to hosting to custom software development to higher-level functions, such as strategic and tactical leadership.
Prior to founding Delmarva Group, Mr. Koffenberger served as Consulting Practice Director for United Messaging (UMI), a firm specializing in outsourced IT services such as email, calendaring and instant messaging. His UMI clients included American President's Line (APL), Morgan Lewis & Bockius, American Financial Group (AFG) and McDonalds. Projects included large-scale user migrations, often with client communities with over 5,000 people. Under his leadership, development and implementation teams successfully moved thousands of client email accounts to UMI Hosting services, raising UMI revenue. He was also instrumental in development standard migration methodologies.
Mr Koffenberger spent 10 years at Day and Zimmermann, Inc. in various roles, including CTO for Day and Zimmermann Information Solutions and Director of Information Technology Architecture. During his tenure at D&Z he performed external services for a number of clients, including Johnson and Johnson, Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce and the one of the largest mutual fund firms in the world. Mr. Koffenberger was instrumental in the creation and growth of a groupware development practice for D&Z, as well as overall corporate IT strategy.
When not focused on the job, Mr. Koffenberger enjoys playing golf, cycling (both mountain and road) and photography.


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In the first part of this post, we discussed the benefits of blogs vs. newsletters. In today's post, we'll explain the "blog cycle" and how to go about transitioning from a newsletter to a blog.
By publishing content via a blog, a virtuous cycle begins to build over time. Content is produced for the blog and distributed via social media (and other) channels, giving the planner or firm the chance to engage with prospects, connect through the content, and have the content shared with others. This in turn leads to new people who begin to follow the blog and see the next blog post, and the cycle begins anew. And of course, the interaction with prospects can also provide the inspiration for new blog content to reach the prospective client audience.
It helps to make the point that it doesn't make a lot of sense to do just one part of the cycle. Just "being" on social media isn't very helpful, if there's not a blog to point back to and a way to keep prospective clients engaged. New "followers" and "fans" (i.e., more prospective clients) won't follow you and what you have to say if you're not producing content to share with them.
Yet at the same time, for a content marketing approach to work, it needs to grow an audience and reach new people—a significant failing of the traditional newsletter approach that is constrained by how quickly the planner or firm can gather names. In today's digital world, distributing and sharing content on social media—and allowing readers to share and distribute content through social media—is simply a radically faster and more efficient means of reaching people, not to mention an effective means of ongoing drip marketing.
Transitioning from newsletter to blog
The reality is that for firms already producing a newsletter, the transition to a blog is a relatively easy process. In the case of my financial planning friend, where his firm was already producing several articles on a quarterly basis for their newsletter, the first step of the transition was simply to shift from several articles a quarter to one article a month. The total content being produced didn't even increase; it was just a shift in the timing and schedule. As each new article was produced, it went up on the blog attached to their website, instead of the newsletter. Social media accounts were created to share the content, and the growth cycle began.
Notably, the fact that a blog was started didn't mean the old newsletter had to disappear. Instead, producing the newsletter simply became a process of gathering together several months' worth of blog content, and "repackaged" it into a newsletter style and format. Again, because the content was already being produced, the marginal cost and effort to reproduce it in another format is often relatively easy.
Although as the firm discovered in this case, the list of blog "followers" grew so much more rapidly than the old newsletter list had grown, that they soon transitioned entirely to the blog and dismissed the print newsletter for good! Instead, they simply allowed the monthly e-mail notification of new blog content to become their "electronic newsletter" drip marketing going forward.
So what do you think? Does your firm currently produce a newsletter for clients? Do you see the advantages of distributing the content via a blog instead? Have you already made the transition to a blog? What was your experience?


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Equity futures are slightly lower this morning with the dollar higher, bonds higher, the Yen lower (this has been correlating to higher equities recently), oil down slightly, gold down slightly, silver down slightly after hitting another new all-time high overnight, and food commodities are mixed.
The Non-Manufacturing (service) ISM will be released at 10 Eastern this morning.
Bernanke says that the current inflation is just transitory, caused by rising commodity prices! Right, and just what is it that causes commodity prices to rise? Oh, that's right, hot money speculation – without the hot money it couldn't continue to run. At least he didn't blame it on demand, that just simply is not the case – proof is the record levels of oil sitting in storage. But I think his comments about it being a temporary rise is interesting as it makes me wonder if he's finally considering lightening up on the hot money flows? Hey, just admitting to inflation is a huge step for that narcissist.
But the Chinese aren't waiting around like us – they just raised interest rates by another quarter percent, the fourth rise since last October. Remember, rising rates pressures bond holders and it can create flows that favor equities as long as the rates are rising.
And you have to wonder what is going on over at the NASDAQ that is prompting them to actually rebalance the NDX 100? Apple has become 20% of the entire index, and now they are simply changing the weight to 12%! Why? Well, let's put on our narcissistic criminal mind thinking caps… we know that with such a heavy weighting that as it rises the index rises a huge amount… but as that one stock grows compared to the others, the weighting grows… the stock gets overvalued (like it is now), and they know that eventually overvalued stocks fall. Well, if that stock is 20% of the index and falls, then the index falls huge, but if it is only 12% and falls then the index doesn't fall as much. Remember, the only thing that actually goes up in the long haul is the indices, that is because of substitution bias and because of games like this. While some are crying 'foul' over this, I'm willing to bet that they know something you don't and that in the end the index will benefit for this move. The narcissists never make a move that doesn't benefit them – and thus I'd be worried if I owned Apple, but I wouldn't expect any news until after May 2nd, which is when this takes effect (selling of AAPL prior to then is likely).
And artificial moves like this are absolutely front run by the insiders. Regular people who consider themselves to be "investors" are simply eaten alive. I guarantee you that positions were taken well in advance of this announcement – with no fear of any regulators taking action. Complete and total market capture, complete and total government capture.
Yesterday the DOW Industrials managed to close 8 points above the previous high close to confirm the DOW Theory buy signal. The late day ramp looked contrived, once again coming on absolutely pathetic volume.
Notice how the scare you IRS audit stories hit the mainstream this time of year? How are you making it with your taxes by the way? It seems to me that as I'm now beyond the kids in the family years that I'm being forced to pay an even higher percentage in taxes and that I'm having to have more and more withheld and it's not enough. And thus the squeeze continues… more cost for everything, higher taxes, and yet steady income. By the way, tax day this year is on the 18th because of the Emancipation day holiday in D.C., lol. This applies nationwide, so keep what's yours as long as you can – not that you truly "own" anything in the U.S. anymore – it can all be taxed, and if you don't pay your taxes, it can all be taken away.
"If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around [the banks] will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered. The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people, to whom it properly belongs."
- Thomas Jefferson – attributed
The truth is that if our country created money on behalf of the people, then taxes are not even necessary! I don't mean to blow your mind, but taxes are useful only as an accounting tool - but because the private banks demand we pay interest on bonds, taxes now simply provide power and control to those few private individuals instead of for the good of humanity. And thus you see nothing but corporate/ private self-serving actions.
Speaking of corporate self-serving... Turning to Japan, a fish caught between Fukushima and Tokyo tested positive for radioactive iodine and for cesium. The Japanese admitted that BEFORE they dumped all that radioactive water into the ocean yesterday that readings were 7.5 MILLION TIMES legal limits! Yet the headlines I read have "experts" saying it will all be diluted, the ocean is a big place you know… Of course these fluff pieces fail to acknowledge how it consolidates as it goes up the food chain. Also no talk of how the still propagating radiation creates clouds of radiation that waft all the way across the ocean and pollute the water and food chain even here in America – yet America and Americans remain silent. I guess we are just going to sit back and accept our fate like the stoic Japanese?!
Well, the Koreans are pissed, and at least they're speaking out about it – not that it will prompt action. What action? Well, efforts need to focus on keeping the radiation on site in my opinion. TEPCO has been proven to be incompetent, their actions clearly are too little, too late, and serve only their own self-interests. The Japanese government is like ours, captured by the corporation's special interest money.
America should demand that TEPCO be removed and that outside experts be brought in to manage the crisis, and be given unlimited resources to protect humanity. Make no mistake; the number of people who will ultimately be killed by this incompetence will be shocking – and not just in Japan! The cost of future cancer care alone will dwarf the puny sums being bantered around today. That's not hyperbole, that's reality, and that reality is looking worse with every day that passes without containment.


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Did you grow up in a dysfunctional family? Me too.
One thing that I think is true for all of us—we never completely drop the roles that we developed in order to effectively give and get love, how to feel safe, how to make people love us. We learn what is OK to say, what our parents want from us, and how to feel good.
I for one played the role of the "hero" or "rescuer" for much of my life. When I saw someone in need—well it was my job to make sure that I met their need.
Eventually, this doesn't work. The role I created to make sure I got my needs met in the end wasn't going to be able to help others. As soon as I stopped getting what I needed, I had to either pick another codependent role or another person from whom to get my needs met. I did both of those things with lots of consequences.
How do we stop living in our codependence? How do we choose to create something different for our life? Read More »


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Difference between revisions of "Historical:Straight Line UI proposal"
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Revision as of 11:32, 10 February 2011
A New Tool For Straight Line Definition
Currently the only one way to specify lines in a panorama is to manually create pairs of control points. This approach has multiple disadvantages. From user perspective it's not very intuitive and defining multiple lines can be a pretty tedious work. Also the lines are a part of output space and thus defining them in output space seems to be more appropriate.
Move the straight line definition into the Fast Preview. The line can be drawn in a way similar to what is done in the most vector editors. Control points would be added as the user would click in the preview and the line between two points would be immediately shown (i.e. first click adds first point, second clicks adds point and draws line between the first and second and so on).
There has to be an option allowing the user to specify the type of line – whether it's horizontal, vertical or some general line. It might be handy if there was an option to run optimizer as the lines are added so the user would have an immediate feedback how the lines change the panorama. Note that optimizer shouldn't be run by default, because optimization may take a lot of time rendering proposed tool unusable.
There are several problems that has to be resolved first. If the tool is based upon the contemporary way of defining lines the decision where to place the control points has to be made. Also there is a problem as how the line should be specified when images overlap as noted by kfj in [1].
The idea is based on the idea from RawTherapee forum [2].
Before this works the fast preview needs some zooming function to set exactly the points. Also it is necessary to identify the image in which the line should be created in case the point is setting in an overlapping area or using the function for HDR panoramas. See other blueprint [3].
[1] http://groups.google.com/group/hugin-ptx/browse_thread/thread/dbb85dad10715586
[2] http://rawtherapee.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=17063#17063
[3] https://blueprints.launchpad.net/hugin/+spec/extendedpreview


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Watch CBSN Live
A demonstrator stands in front of a fire barricade near the metro station of Barbes-Rochechouart, in Paris during clashes with French riot police in the aftermath of a demonstration to denounce Israel's military campaign in Gaza and show support to the Palestinian people, July 19, 2014. Demonstrators threw rocks and bottles at anti-riot squads blocking their route, who responded with tear gas.
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Gondolas and boats are captured in a long exposure image leaving St. Mark's Basin after the fireworks display for the Redentore Celebrations in Venice, Italy, July 19, 2014. Redentore, which is in remembrance of the end of the 1577 plague, is one of Venice's most loved celebrations. Highlights of the celebration include the pontoon bridge extending across the Giudecca Canal, gatherings on boats in the St. Mark's Basin and a spectacular fireworks display.
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People watch as new American citizens are sworn in during a special naturalization ceremony at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, July 22, 2014. Over 50 people representing countries from Albania to Burundi took part in the morning ceremony at the American Wing of the museum.
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Elected Indonesian President Joko Widodo, left, and Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla, center, wave to a journalist after a victory speech at Sunda Kelapa port in Jakarta, Indonesia, July 22, 2014. Widodo was declared the winner of the presidential election with 53 percent of the vote over his rival Prabowo Subianto, who withdrew from the contest shortly before the numbers were released, citing fraud.
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A kayaker paddles near the Frankston foreshore as the sun sets over the low lying cloud of fog in Melbourne, Australia, July 22, 2014.
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College students gather around candles forming the shape of an airplane, during a candlelight vigil for victims of the downed Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, at a university in Yangzhou, Jiangsu province, July 19, 2014.
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A convoy of hearses carrying coffins containing the remains of victims of the downed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, drives from the Eindhoven Airbase to Hilversum, after a ceremony following the arrival of a Dutch Air Force C-130 Hercules plane and an Australian Royal Australian Air Force C17 transport plane with the first bodies of the 298 victims of the plane crash in eastern Ukraine, July 23, 2014.
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The convoy of funeral hearses carrying coffins containing the remains of victims of the downed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, drives from the Eindhoven Airbase to Hilversum, July 23, 2014.
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A floral tribute is placed on the seat of John Alder at St. James's Park, home of Newcastle United Football Club in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, July 22, 2014. Alder, a Newcastle United fan traveling to see the team play in New Zealand, died along with 297 others in the Malaysian flight MH17 disaster in the Ukraine.
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U.S. Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) answers questions during a press conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, July 24, 2014. Boehner answered questions on a pending bill to address the problems with the Veterans Affairs administration and also issues related to immigration.
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Emergency workers watch an engine being lifted from the TransAsia Airways flight GE222 crash site on the outlying Taiwanese island of Penghu, Friday, July 25, 2014. Stormy weather on the trailing edge of Typhoon Matmo was the likely cause of the plane crash that killed at least 48 people, the airline said.
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Texas Department of Safety Troopers patrol the Rio Grand along the U.S.-Mexico border, in Mission, Texas, July 24, 2014. Texas is spending $1.3 million a week for a larger Dept. of Safety presence along the border.
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King Kalu of Nigeria prepares to lift the weight during the Men's 62kg weightlifting competition at the Commonwealth Games 2014 in Glasgow, Scotland, Friday July 25, 2014.
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Former soccer player David Beckham gets "slimed" as he accepts the Legend Award from sons Cruz, left, and Romeo during the inaugural 2014 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Sports awards at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles, Calif., July 17, 2014.
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A man pushes his electric bicycle against strong wind and heavy rainfalls along a flooded seaside street as Typhoon Rammasun hits Haikou, Hainan province, July 18, 2014. The super typhoon slammed into China killing one person, as the government ordered an all-out effort to prevent loss of life from a storm that had already killed at least 64 people in the Philippines.
A flamingo and flamingo chicks are seen in a corral before being tagged at dawn at the Fuente de Piedra natural reserve, near Malaga, southern Spain, July 19, 2014. Around 600 flamingos were tagged and measured before being placed in the lagoon, one of the largest colonies of flamingos in Europe.
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A 22-meter tall golden fabric frog is displayed at Yuyuantan Park in Beijing, China, July 19, 2014. The frog is based on the golden frog which symbolizes luck and is thought to bring wealth and fortune in Chinese traditional culture. The exhibition will last until August 20.
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The sign of the Costa Concordia cruise liner is seen as it emerges during the refloat operation at Giglio harbour at Giglio Island, Italy, July 19, 2014. Technicians on July 14, 2014 began a complex operation to refloat and tow away the wreck of the Costa Concordia, two and a half years after the luxury liner capsized off the Italian coast, killing 32 people.
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The cruise liner Costa Concordia is seen during the refloat operation at Giglio harbour at Giglio Island, July 21, 2014.
Israeli soldiers use binoculars to watch a convoy traveling outside central Gaza Strip, July 19, 2014. Israeli forces pressed ahead with a ground offensive in the Gaza Strip, where Palestinian militants kept firing rockets deep into Israel's heartland.
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At a mosque in Gaza City, Palestinians mourn over the body of a member of the Abu Hasira family, who was killed in an Israeli air strike, July 22, 2014.
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Dana, the sister of Israeli soldier Tsafrir Bar-Or, mourns during his funeral in Holon near Tel Aviv, July 21, 2014.
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Israel's President Shimon Peres, left, kisses the presidential residence's director-general Efrat Duvdevani at the residence in Jerusalem, on his last day in office, July 24, 2014. Israel's elder statesman Peres, 90, bowed out of active political life with an ardent defense of the war in Gaza against Hamas militants and a defiant prediction that peace will "one day" come to the Middle East.
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A Palestinian rescue worker reacts as he searches for victims under the rubble of a house which witnesses said was destroyed by an Israeli air strike during an Israeli ground offensive east of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, July 24, 2014.
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U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry sits in a service hallway of a hotel in Cairo, Egypt, as he speaks with Qatar's Foreign Minister Khaled al-Attiyah on the phone about terms of a cease-fire in fighting in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, Friday, July 25, 2014, during a break in his meetings with Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
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Williams Formula One driver Felipe Massa of Brazil crashes his car in the first corner after the start of the German F1 Grand Prix at the Hockenheim racing circuit, July 20, 2014.
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Mim Morris, left, wipes her forehead as she looks through the remnants of her home, which was destroyed by the Carlton Complex Fire, as her grandson, Joel Lafer, 14, joins her near Malott, Washington, July 20, 2014. The massive wildfire raging east of Washington state's Cascade Mountains destroyed about 100 homes and displaced hundreds of people.
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Hindu devotees take a dip at the Bagmati River as they participate in the "Bol Bom" (Say Shiva) pilgrimage in Kathmandu, Nepal, July 21, 2014. The faithful, chanting the name of Lord Shiva, run about 9 miles barefooted toward Pashupatinath temple seeking good health, wealth and happiness.
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A rebel fighter fires a weapon towards forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in the town of Morek in Hama province, July 20, 2014.
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Ukrainian parliamentary deputies tussle during a session in Parliament in Kiev, July 22, 2014.
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Actor Shia LaBeouf arrives for a court appearance at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York, July 24, 2014.
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Canada's Patricia Bezzoubenko performs during women's rhythmic gymnastics team competition at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, July 24, 2014.
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In this photo provided by the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, Pope Francis, bottom right, has lunch at the Vatican workers' cafeteria, Friday, July 25, 2014. Pope Francis got a free meal on Friday when he popped in unannounced at the Vatican workers' cafeteria and lined up, tray in hand, along with stunned diners. Cashier Claudia Di Giacomo told Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano that when Francis presented his tray with a plate of cod fish, a bowl of fusilli pasta without sauce, a side of grilled tomatoes and "just a few" french fries she "didn't have the courage to hand him the bill." Francis chatted with his tablemates, five Vatican pharmacy stock clerks. His tip? A papal blessing and photos snapped with diners, said the cafeteria chef, Franco Paini. The pope usually dines at the Vatican guest house where he lives.
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Allie Shaughnessy, who is dressed as the X-Men character, Mystique, poses during the 2014 Comic-Con International Convention in San Diego, Calif., July 24, 2014.
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Contact: Sandy Connolly, Director of Communications
Office of Higher Education
(651) 259-3902
$1.8 million to Help Students Prepare for College
Twenty-three Minnesota schools were awarded a total of $1.8 million in grants this month to expand and enhance academic counseling and advising for students entering high school, the Minnesota Office of Higher Education announced today. Funding for the grants was approved in the 2007 legislative session and signed by Governor Tim Pawlenty.
The competitive grants will support schools in their work to help primarily ninth-grade students successfully plan and prepare for postsecondary education. Strategies vary from one grantee to another. Some schools are providing more one-on-one academic counseling to students; others are engaging students in new activities including advanced courses, career exploration, mentoring and campus visits; and others are adopting new Web-based planning and advising tools. Many are employing a combination of approaches.
"Students make important choices early in life about which courses to take and about whether school is a priority for them," said Susan Heegaard, director of the Minnesota Office of Higher Education. "Far too often, they make choices without a clear understanding of how those choices will affect their long-term options. These grants will help schools reach more students with important experiences and information as they transition into high school."
Forty-six proposals were received and 23 were selected for funding by review committee representing counselors, teachers, administrators and higher education representatives. Proposals were sought from schools across the state, and in particular, schools serving students from groups traditionally under-represented in higher education. All grantees will work with community partners to enhance their programs for students. Grantees are required to match at least 50 percent of the grant award through collaborative work from postsecondary institutions, business, industry and community organizations.
Grant recipients range in size and scope from a cooperative of 10 school districts in the Red Lake Falls area to a school project for students in Parkers Prairie to an inter-district collaborative for students attending alternative learning centers.
2008 Grant Recipients
Albert Lea Area Schools, $10,000. (Dreams to Reality)
A proven freshman transition and peer support program will be implemented to help new-entering freshmen transition successfully to high school. Students will develop a four- to six-year career plan to expose all ninth grade students to various career options and the academic pathways necessary for the career. Students and their families will be introduced to an online academic guidance program incorporating career exploration and planning, three-year course planning for high school and postsecondary educational planning. A course information and career planning event will be scheduled each spring in collaboration with business and industry, Riverland Community College and the area Chamber of Commerce.
Apple Valley High School, $70,000. (Project Success Program)
Using small group sessions, individual counseling sessions, guest speakers, classroom presentations, parent information sessions, field trips and job shadowing, a counselor will work to improve career and college knowledge among targeted students to increase the proportion of students who graduate and enroll directly into at a postsecondary institution. Each of the 100 to 250 targeted students will meet with the counselor four times during the 2008-2009 school year, will create an online portfolio, and will create a four-year high school course plan. Project partners are: Augsburg College, Normandale Community College, Inver Hills Community College, the AVID Program, Apple Valley Job Shadow Business Partners and Feed My Starving Children.
Bemidji High School, $73,000. (Linking Lumberjack Learners to Success)
A full-time licensed counselor will work solely with ninth grade students and will implement a freshman transition peer support program to increase student achievement by increasing student enrollment in advanced courses. The counselor will meet regularly with all ninth grade students in small groups and individually to develop five-year plans and online academic and career portfolios. School staff will be trained in new methods to welcome, mentor and support students as they transition to high school. Informational meetings with parents will be held to encourage and promote school success and postsecondary planning. Program partners are Bemidji State University, Northwest Technical College, Leech Lake Tribal College, North Country Cooperative Center, Boys and Girls Club and Healthy Community/Healthy Kids.
Carver-Scott Educational Cooperative, Chaska, $63,086. (Project Scholar Bound)
The project will serve 50 ninth-grade students entering high school and an additional 150 ninth-grade students receiving specialized educational services by alternative learning center instructors. Students will receive academic support and counseling services from their case managers and counselors and develop a continuous learning plan to help prepare them to graduate from high school with the preparation necessary for college enrollment and successful transition into college life. The counselors will meet with students individually on career and college expectations, arrange for ACT and PSAT testing, and provide information on accessing financial aid and postsecondary educational options. Program partners are Dunwoody College of Technology, Normandale Community College and the Carver-Scott Educational Cooperative member school districts.
Centennial Senior High School, Circle Pines, $100,000. (Creating Channels to Academic Achievement)
A licensed counselor will be added to the staff to facilitate a postsecondary readiness initiative providing direct services to approximately 100 ninth- and tenth-grade students who are typically underrepresented in higher education. The new counselor will facilitate connections between students, families and higher education institutions by providing a Web-based tool that empowers students to own their journeys toward success in higher education. Ninth- and tenth-graders from groups typically underrepresented in higher education will receive face-to-face and online support. The University of Minnesota will partner with Centennial High School.
Central High School, St. Paul, $94,809. (Road to Achievement Made Possible)
Program components for the target freshmen cohort include: a new mentorship program connecting freshmen with local college students for monthly discussions on all aspects of the postsecondary experience; developing and maintaining a web-based high school/postsecondary plan during after-school sessions; teaching, practicing and reinforcing necessary skills for success in rigorous high school programs and college; increasing enrollment in honors-level courses; and involving parents in their student's academic success and career planning through the district's "6-Year Plan" for students. The program's partners are the University of Minnesota and its statewide Ramp-up to Readiness network.
Chaska School District, $100,000. (STEP into Success)
Ninth grade students who are from groups traditionally under-represented in postsecondary programs will be provided with information, tools and skills necessary to meet the academic and social challenges of higher education without the need for remedial coursework. The existing ninth-grade advisory career curriculum will be strengthened and a weekly after-school program will be offered focusing on increasing awareness of postsecondary options and connecting them to academic success. Regular parent information meetings on postsecondary planning will be provided. The University of Minnesota is a project partner.
Ivan Sand Community School, Elk River, $98,823. (Success Academy)
Part-time counseling and clerical staff will work with 50 to 55 ninth grade transition program students from School District 728. The counselor will plan and provide individual and group activities to include: scheduling one period a day in a Success Academy class; creating individualized academic and higher education plans; completing a variety of assessments in math, reading and career exploration; visits with representatives from colleges, business and industry. Students will use online resources for exploration of higher education opportunities and career development. The project will be designed to increase students' abilities to identify personal barriers and establish strategies to overcome these barriers and gain success in higher education. Project partners are Anoka Hennepin Technical College, Anoka Ramsey Community College, Elk River/Zimmerman Boys and Girls Club, First National Bank of Elk River, Hennepin Technical College, Elk River Rotary and Education to Employment.
Kennedy High School, Bloomington, $100,000. (ACE Postsecondary Program)
The school will develop postsecondary educational plans for 350 ninth-grade students that enable students to see the relevance of their classes for their future, better prepare ninth-grade students academically for postsecondary opportunities and improve parent and student satisfaction with the school's postsecondary option services. The high school will establish a welcoming center to provide a positive experience for enrolling students and a site for students to have their future plans immediately addressed. Program partners are Normandale Community College, Hennepin Technical College, Rotary Club, Park-Nicollet Clinics, Faith Community Team and Educational Talent Search.
Lanesboro High School, $17,764. (College Readiness Headstart)
An academic counselor will work with 30 ninth-grade students to provide the individualized aspect of academic planning and advising on college preparation. A Web-based software program will be used to help identify failing grades and subsequent interventions to address student needs. New software will assist students in accessing resources, tracking progress and reporting to parents. Postsecondary partnership activities with Minnesota State College Southeast Technical and Hiawatha Valley Education District will raise awareness and provide opportunities for students to gain college credit and an understanding of what it takes to succeed in postsecondary education.
Minneapolis Public Schools, Washburn High School, $100,000. (Excellence is My College Counselor)
A licensed school counselor will be dedicated to ninth-grade students and will identify students not being served, provide outreach to students during the summer through a five-day high school orientation program, coordinate college access and student support agencies, partner with Achieve Minneapolis to help students fulfill ninth- grade requirements of the district's online college and career planning program and develop a training model for volunteers. The students will gain knowledge and prepare for various postsecondary options.
Northeast Metro District 916 and Intermediate District 287, Little Canada, $99,309.
Direct support through advisory groups will be provided to 80 first-year students attending area learning centers in Robbinsdale, St. Louis Park, Little Canada and Columbia Heights. A project coordinator will oversee the use of appropriate training materials and processes; enhancement of career awareness course materials and development of tools to emphasize postsecondary education options; provision for on-site training for advisors; regional training for school counselors to influence school reform; and training by college counselors on topics including college entry requirements, financial aid, and career prospects. Century College will be the project partner.
Parkers Prairie High School, $28,185. (Stepping Into My Future)
The grant will be used to implement a Web-based academic planning program to ensure high-quality academic advising for the eighth-grade class in both the 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 academic years. Students will take assessments to identify their learning styles, interests and aptitudes. Students, parents, and staff will work collaboratively to create a six-year plan for each student that will combine the student's skills and interests with the courses necessary to be successful in their postsecondary aspirations. Program partners are Runestone Area Education District and Alexandria Technical College.
Pine to Prairie Cooperative Center, Red Lake Falls, $100,000. (Ninth Grade Today, College Tomorrow! Be Prepared)
A counselor will work with students in classrooms, in small groups and individually. Online resources will be used to increase enrollment in rigorous coursework and help students monitor and improve their GPAs. Students will experience college life through activities in college labs and college visits. By the end of ninth grade, the 423 ninth-grade students from ten school districts will have individual academic plans that include career goals. The ten school districts receiving student services are Ada-Borup, Bagley, Fertile-Beltrami, Fosston Norman County East, Norman County West, Red Lake County Central-Oklee, Red Lake Falls, Waubun and Win-E-Mac. Project partners include: Northland Community and Technical College; University of Minnesota, Crookston; Ingenuity Frontier; Northwest Private Industry Council, Inc.; City of Fosston; Garden Valley Telephone Company; Hendrum Economic Development Authority; Plummer Lions; Red Lake Falls Civic & Commerce Association; Twin Valley Economic Development Committee; Twin Valley Booster Club; and the White Earth Reservation Tribal Council.
Pine River/Backus High School, Pine River, $32,790. (Crossroads to the Future)
A school counselor will conduct individual meetings with ninth-grade students and parents, ninth-grade team meeting interventions with students, aid students in developing personal education plans online, develop a peer tutoring program for struggling students and provide students with job shadowing and college visits. The new initiative will be designed to increase enrollment in rigorous high school classes, to promote career and college investigation and to provide academic support for students. Project partners include Central Lakes College and Minnesota State Community and Technical College in Wadena.
Richfield High School, Richfield, $92,400. (Richfield Ramp-Up)
Sixty students, to include several students from the Richfield Middle School AVID program, will work with a specialized English teacher who will provide explicit instruction related to successful habits, thinking skills, study skills, reading, writing to learn, speaking and career opportunities, in addition to rigorous academics. A dedicated counselor will engage students in an academic career and life planning process, increase awareness of and access to multiple postsecondary opportunities, assist students in preparing for and succeeding in college. Counselors will participate in training to increase their capacity to support college readiness for students facing multiple challenges across schools. Project partners include: the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis Community and Technical College and Normandale Community College.
Robbinsdale Area Schools, New Hope, $99,998.
The Robbinsdale Schools will target ninth-grade students with transition activities, an advisory program, a career and college center, a Web site, large group presentations and coordination with the Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate program coordinators. To increase the number of students who graduate within four years, a specific caseload of 75 students in the AVID program will be targeted for support. A new college advising counselor will support the targeted caseload through mentoring, monitoring graduation plans and comprehensive college advising. Program partners are Mosaic Youth Center and the Cargill Foundation.
Russell/Tyler/Ruthton Schools & Lynd Schools, Tyler, $97,254. (All Aboard for Learning)
Through a partnership between Russell/Tyler/Ruthton Public Schools, Lynd Public School, RTR Booster Club and Southwest Minnesota State University, students in grades eight and nine will develop individual education plans, have access to courses with rigorous academic standards and will be mentored by students from Southwest Minnesota State University who can provide students with encouragement and insight into the college experience. Employers and civic organizations will provide and internships and career exploration opportunities to students.
St. Peter High School, St. Peter, $99,708. (Linking to Learning II)
This program for ninth graders will be coordinated by a newly-hired counselor and will include providing counseling and advising to students; supporting participation in summer camp opportunities and jump-start programs in math and science; organizing and facilitating monthly parent meetings to provide one-on-one consultation; establishing/training a student support team to work with parents during monthly meetings; and coordinating career awareness opportunities through the St. Peter Chamber of Commerce Business and Education Committee. Program partners are Minnesota State University, Mankato; Gustavus Adolphus College; and the St. Peter Chamber of Commerce.
Shakopee Schools, $96,000. (College for All: Ramp-Up to Readiness)
A licensed counselor will coordinate efforts to improve the college preparedness of tenth grade students. The students will develop postsecondary plans that map out courses and experiences they need to gain admission and thrive at a postsecondary institution. Students will monitor their progress toward the goals of their postsecondary plan. Through intensive professional development and increased advisor duties, site teams of principals, guidance counselors, teachers and paraprofessional tutors will improve students' college preparedness and provide program experiences to junior high students as they plan for high school and postsecondary education. The University of Minnesota will be a project partner.
South Washington County Schools, Cottage Grove, $100,000.(Navigation 101)
The grant will allow for a comprehensive advising and college planning initiative to be implemented with 605 ninth-grade students in the district. Advisors will deliver a structured curriculum during homeroom time to help students identify aspirations, set and pursue their goals. Students will develop personalized learning plans, create portfolios and conduct student-led conferences in the spring with parents. Two cohorts (40-50 students) from first-generation college families will participate in an extended curriculum and support program. Professional development and ongoing support is included to help all advisors become effective facilitators and coaches. Partnerships with Century College and 3M combined with parent outreach activities will support student engagement and college readiness.
Tech High School, St. Cloud, $87,367. (Transitions Always Made Easy Project)
A full-time licensed counselor will coordinate and deliver project components to the ninth graders at Tech High School, with specific services for students who are at risk academically. The counselor will review assessment and diagnostic data of students and consult with counselors, teachers, administrators and advisors to structure the program. Student activities will include intensive academic advising to help students prepare an education and career portfolio that defines a multi-year plan for academic and career goals, selection of core or college preparation courses, and the establishment of an early alert system that will lead to academic intervention. The counselor will work with partners to increase the number of students in concurrent enrollment classes, examination-based courses like Advanced Placement, and a summer bridge program. Project partners are St. Cloud State University and St. Cloud Technical College.
Winona Area Public Schools, $61,113. (Healthy Futures)
A newly hired school counselor will work with eighth- and ninth-grade students from low-income households, who would be the first generation to attend postsecondary education, and students of color. The goals are to increase self-awareness, engagement in school courses and activities, increase enrollment in challenging courses and development of plans to attend college. The counselor will work with students individually during the school day, in small groups after school and in community meetings during the evenings. Project partners include Winona State University and the Winona Area Chamber of Commerce.
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- Address:
- Granville Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon
- International | English
- Australia | English
- Canada | English
- 內地 | 简体中文
- France | Français
- Deutschland | Deutsch
- India | English
- Indonesia | Bahasa Indonesia
- 日本 | 日本語
- 대한민국 | 한국어
- Malaysia | Bahasa Malaysia
- Nederland | Dutch
- New Zealand | English
- Россия | русский
- Southeast Asia | English
- España / América Latina | Español
Granville Road (Fashion)
Calling all couture crazies: dotted along Tsim Sha Tsui's Granville Road are fashion shops piled high with a variety of brands, and boutiques selling budget and mid-priced youth street labels.
The Rise Shopping Arcade on Granville Road and nearby Beverly Shopping Centre on Chatham Road South are where you're most likely to spot Hong Kong's next generation of fashion designers hunting for something quirky and innovative, not least because the Hong Kong Polytechnic University is close by, which has one of the world's best design schools.
The nearby Kimberley Road and Kimberley Street give an insight into just how seriously wedding dresses and wedding photography are taken in this town. Even if you have no intention of spending, be sure to drop by Granville Road to see what Hong Kong's less conventional fashionistas are wearing these days.
MTR Tsim Sha Tsui Station B2. Walk along Cameron Road to Chatham Road South, turn into Granville Road.
Select what you would like to see on the map:
- Attractions
- Events
- Shopping
- Dining
- Hotels


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Author's note: I wrote this on Sunday and discovered Monday night that I'd never published it. Sorry.
I woke up about 5 a.m. in a panic today, so I knew I wasn't going to knit. My limited budget was weighing heavily on me because I have several expensive projects hanging over my head (mold remediation, taking down the tree in the backyard, etc) and last night, a second inch-wide opaque white stripe appeared on my computer screen, so I was worried that I'd have to buy a new computer soon. I used to deal with panic by running away from it and knitting or buying yarn. But this year, I've discovered that a better way (better than knitting? Yes!) is to do something extremely productive, like clean up the bathroom, wash all the dishes or do some other tasks that I've been postponing.
So I started by folding all yesterday's laundry, then trimming and coloring my hair, and while the goop was still in my hair, doing its magic, I washed a sink full of dishes. And when the goop was all rinsed out, I got dressed, styled my hair and went for the longest walk I've taken in a long time. I need more exercise.
After my walk and breakfast, I did a little grocery shopping because I needed more garbage bags, and after I put the groceries away, I filled a garbage bag with old papers. Not just any old papers. I tackedl a couple of boxes of papers that have been waiting to be sorted for a long time. Some of them go back to 2009. Most of them are bank account records, because I do not feel comfortable relying on the Internet bank records. And there were other things. I am getting ready for tax time.
While I was at it, I went online and made an appointment for 3 p.m. at the Genius Bar at the Apple Store in Bridgewater. I have learned that one way to tackle panic is to find out exactly how much you have to spend on something and start budgeting for it. I decided it was best to know if this screen problem on my Mac is fixable or not worth fixing.
Well, now I'm back from the Apple store, and it turns out that the repair is expensive ($600) and probably not worth doing on my old machine. But, I can plug my son's external monitor into my Mac and use that, and all that will cost me is the money for an adaptor. I didn't get the adaptor because I didn't know which of two jacks I would need, but now I know, so I'll go back tomorrow. And Alex is going to charge me $30 for the monitor, which might seem ungracious, but he's more broke than me, and I'm not going to make a fuss about it.
This is not an elegant solution, but it works for now, and I'm grateful to be saving money. There are just too many expenses this year, and work-arounds like this are very nice.
Having achieved this much, I feel a bit less stressed. My papers still aren't completely organized, but I have the remaining filing down to one box. A few months ago, I had 5 boxes, so I feel good about the progress I've made.
I have several people to contact for e-mail interviews, people who have said I could interview them for this blog. I think you're going to like getting to know them: Kirsten Kapur, Julie Hoff-Weisenberger (both designers) and the authors of "The Knitting Way," Linda Skolnik and Janice MacDaniels. Julie is getting ready for Stitches West, though, so we may have to wait on that. But anyway, we have some good stuff coming down the pike.
And now that I'm a little less panicked and a little more reassured, I think I've earned some knitting time. Alex has informed me that he doesn't want an olive-green hat, so I think I will take a rest from that project, although it's half done. Instead, I'll work on the prayer shawl, which is now about 49 inches long. It would be lovely to finish that up, especially because I think my friend is going to love it.


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Robinson Cano hit a three-run home run and the Yankees remembered Jackie Robinson while honoring the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings.
Robinson Cano paid tribute to Jackie Robinson in fitting fashion by hitting a three-run homer, and the New York Yankees beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-2 on a Tuesday night devoted to honoring victims of the Boston Marathon bombings.
Cano, whose big league father named him for Robinson, connected on the day when all players, managers, coaches and umpires at Yankee Stadium wore No. 42 to salute the late Brooklyn Dodgers Hall of Famer.
Major League Baseball held Jackie Robinson Day on Monday, the anniversary of the date he broke the color barrier in 1947. The Yankees and Diamondbacks were off Monday.
Mariano Rivera, the last big leaguer still wearing No. 42 on a daily basis, closed for his third save.
The Yankees also remembered Boston, home of their longtime rivals, by playing the Fenway Park favorite "Sweet Caroline" after the third inning. Yankees fans sang along with the Neil Diamond hit as it came over the public-address system, and some people in the crowd wore Red Sox hats and jerseys.
"Thank you NY Yankees for playing 'Sweet Caroline' for the people of Boston," Diamond wrote on his Twitter page. "You scored a home run in my heart. With respect, Neil (hashtag)OneBoston."
A ribbon was shown on the scoreboard displaying the insignia of the Red Sox and Yankees and the words: "New York stands with Boston ... Pray for Boston."
There was a pregame moment of silence. A message that read "United We Stand" showing the Red Sox and Yankees logos was posted on an electronic board atop the ballpark.
Earlier in the day, Yankees manager Joe Girardi said it was time to "put the baseball teams aside" and recognize "we're all behind the people in Boston." Yankees infielder Kevin Youkilis, a longtime Red Sox star whose wife has run the Boston Marathon, said his family was "sick to our stomachs" watching news coverage of the bombings.
The Diamondbacks made their first trip to the Bronx since 2007, two years before the new Yankee Stadium opened. Cano's shot in the fourth helped the Yankees start the unusual portion of their interleague schedule — they'll face an NL opponent every month this season.
Ivan Nova (1-1) labored through five innings for the win. Brandon McCarthy (0-2) escaped bases-loaded jams in the first two innings before Cano hit his fourth homer for a 3-2 lead.
Eduardo Nunez added a sacrifice fly in the seventh.
Arizona took a 2-0 lead in the third on a sacrifice fly by Miguel Montero and an RBI single by Cody Ross.


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John McCain and Barack Obama know that most Americans need look no further than the gas pump for proof of America's energy crunch.
With fuel topping $4 a gallon and oil at a record price, energy now ties the economy in polls as voters' top concern, and the presidential candidates spent the past week trying to outflank each other on an issue that's thinning billfolds from Maine to California.
Their plans share key goals – less reliance on foreign oil, a push for cleaner fuels – but their methods differ sharply.
Senator McCain, the presumptive GOP nominee, wants 45 new nuclear power plants by 2030 and an end to the federal moratorium on new offshore drilling. He would use market lures – tax rebates for electric cars, a $300 million prize for a better car battery – to promote alternative sources of energy. He would offer motorists immediate relief in the form of a hiatus in the federal gas tax.
Senator Obama, the presumptive Democratic nominee, opposes new offshore drilling and is wary of nuclear power. He would double auto fuel-efficiency standards within 18 years, subsidize development of ethanol, and force power companies to generate one- quarter of their energy from wind, solar, and other renewable sources by 2025.
An opponent of the gas-tax holiday, Obama favors a "windfall profits" tax on multinational oil companies.
In many ways, their approaches square with party ideology. On the Republican side, financial carrots and a significant role for the private sector. On the Democratic side, subsidies, taxes, and regulation.
But in a departure from GOP predecessors, McCain has refused to cede the "green" label to his Democratic rival. His aides say his plan strikes the right balance among short-term relief for consumers, environmental stewardship, and long-term energy independence. They have taken to calling Obama "Dr. No," portraying him as an obstructionist with too narrow a view of the country's energy woes.
In a speech in Las Vegas Wednesday, McCain trumpeted his plan as a breakthrough after "three decades of partisan paralysis."
He vowed Wednesday to wean America of its dependence on foreign oil by 2025 and gave his proposal no less momentous a title than "The Lexington Project," after the Revolutionary War site where "Americans asserted their independence once before."
Obama last week called McCain's proposals a series of "cheap gimmicks" that "will only increase our oil addiction for another four years."
Obama wants to reduce oil use 35 percent by 2030, pass a law to phase out all incandescent light bulbs, and spend $150 billion over the next decade to develop and market clean-energy technology, from hybrid vehicles to biofuels like ethanol.
The campaigns are keen to the politics of their plans in important swing states. Ethanol is an economic engine in corn-growing Iowa and Minnesota; offshore drilling is a divisive issue in Florida; and nuclear power is a lightning rod in Nevada, home of the federal government's proposed nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain.
While Obama's plan is more in keeping with traditional interests in those states, McCain frames his proposals as a boon for consumers and another example of his "straight talk."
"With gasoline running at more than four bucks a gallon, many do not have the luxury of waiting on the far-off plans of futurists and politicians," he said this month in a speech in Houston.
With McCain trailing Obama on most domestic issues in voter opinion polls, the Arizona senator has strived to link his energy plan to national security, where his ratings are higher. "When we buy oil, we are enriching some of our worst enemies," he said last week in Las Vegas, naming the Middle East, Venezuela, and Al Qaeda as beneficiaries of America's dependence on overseas oil.
Obama has said that new oil exploration would not lead to lower prices at the pump – not anytime soon, anyway. "We can't drill our way out of the problems we're facing," he said this month in Florida.
The war of words between the senators escalated throughout the week, with dueling conference calls for reporters and new standalone websites devoted to energy.
Both McCain and Obama support tougher government oversight of energy futures traders whose speculation has been blamed for spikes in oil prices. They also agree that the federal government – with its giant fleet of cars and square miles of office space – should become a model of energy efficiency.
But where Obama sees stricter standards as key to a more energy independent and efficient America, McCain looks to domestic oil exploration and entrepreneurialism.
"I won't support subsidizing every alternative, or tariffs that restrict the healthy competition that stimulates innovation and lowers costs," McCain said in a speech last year. "But I'll encourage the development of infrastructure and market growth necessary for these products to compete, and then let consumers choose the winners."
McCain backs a tax credit of up to $5,000 for consumers who buy cars with low- to zero-carbon emissions, and proposes a $300 million prize for the first person to invent a battery for plug-in cars that "leap frogs" current technology and supplies power at 30 percent of today's costs.
In Las Vegas last week, Obama ridiculed the battery prize as a "gimmick."
"When John F. Kennedy decided that we were going to put a man on the moon," Obama said, "he didn't put a bounty out for some rocket scientist to win – he put the full resources of the United States government behind the project and called on the ingenuity and innovation of the American people."
Though McCain's environmental record draws more praise than some Republicans', most environmental advocates have been cool to his energy ideas.
"He's a bit of a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," says Navin Nayak, a policy analyst at the League of Conservation Voters in Washington. "The same day he releases an ad touting his commitment to fight global warming, he's in Houston calling for lifting a 20-year moratorium on offshore drilling."
Karen Harbert, executive vice president of the Washington-based Institute for 21st Century Energy, an arm of the US Chamber of Commerce, says enlarging the domestic oil and gas supply has to be part of any solution to energy troubles in the US. "To keep America's economy thriving, we will need all types of new energy sources," Ms. Harbert, a former energy adviser in the Bush administration, said in an e-mail. "There is no single silver bullet."


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Morgan Freeman will not play god or the president in the upcoming sci-fi flick "Transcendence". The film tells the story of a scientist who's brain is uploaded into a computer after he is killed by terrorists. Truth be told it hasn't been revealed what role Freedman will play so there is still a solid chance he could play the president, god or some sort of god/president hybrid here. I just like to think outside the box now and then.
Sunn Classic Pictures has gone ahead and dropped word that they intend to move forward with a remake of the 1983 classic killer dog flick "Cujo". Based on a Stephen King story, Sunn Classic is the same group that released the original and decided to hold on to the rights to the picture in the hopes that in 20 years we'd be remaking every horror film ever made. Well planned fellas.
If you loved last year's surprise gushable fan boy favorite "Dredd 3D" then you're in luck because a sequel is currently in the works and will drop this September. Of course the sequel will be in comic book form and instead of being able to watch cool stuff fly around the screen you'll have to read words and look at tiny stupid drawn pictures but still. Ya know what no I can't even joke about this. This is just awful and only exciting to virgins.
"Stripped", a new horror flick set in Vegas has been confirmed to be hitting DVD this coming May 14th. The flick follows a group of friends who find themselves in the company of strippers who also happen to take the vital organs of their clients. I'll be honest this movie doesn't sounds very good and I'll most likely never see it but I will read just about any article that mentions strippers.
Christopher Mintz-Plasse, better known to everybody as McLovin, has signed on to play Charilies best friend Evil Ed in the upcoming remake of "Fright Night". This is overshadowed however with the announcement that Doctor Who himself, David Tennant, will be stepping into the shoes of Roddy McDowall's "Vincent".
Porn star Belladonna will be making her main stream debut in the upcoming "Stripped", an indie feature labeled as post-feminism horror.
Dark Horse Comics and Universal Studios are teaming up to bring two popular comic titles to life. While details are scant, "Dreadful Ed" and "Mary Scary" are set to be brought to life as animated features .