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Rox nonplussed by CarGo's lingering ailment
NEW YORK -- Carlos Gonzalez's sprained right middle finger continues to hinder his ability to stay on the field. Now, the Rockies' left fielder might be closer to heading to the disabled list.
Gonzalez was not in Colorado's starting lineup in the series opener against the Mets on Tuesday at Citi Field, though manager Walt Weiss did say he's available to pinch-hit.
Weiss said Gonzalez's finger "heated up" again during his final at-bat in Pittsburgh on Sunday. Gonzalez, who's hitting .302 with 26 home runs and 70 RBIs, first hurt his finger during the follow-through of a swing back on July 7, and the pain has been ongoing since.
"We've got to figure out the right course of action there," Weiss said. "If we're going to keep him day to day, or if we need to go ahead and put him on the DL. I think we'll figure that out here shortly."
Weiss said one bad swing could make the injury even worse, and even extended rest might not help.
"They say it may not be much better," Weiss said. "It maybe gives it an opportunity to calm down a little bit, anyway."
Against the Pirates on Sunday, Gonzalez choked up on the bat to provide more support for his finger. His pinky typically hung below the knob. But during that final at-bat, the problem occurred once again.
It's a confounding situation for Gonzalez and the Rockies. Colorado is without its best hitter, and there doesn't appear to be a solution to keep him in the lineup consistently.
"It seems to calm down, but then in one swing, it could be right back to where it was," Weiss said. "It's a tough one to deal with."


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Archive for May, 2011
The Micrometer
The first micrometer was invented by William Gascoigne in the 17th century to assist in measuring angular distances between stars while using a telescope. Jean Laurent Palmer of France developed the tool further in 1848 making it possible to use to measure hand held devices and therefore was originally named after him, the palmer, as it is still known today. In Spain it is still known as the palmer screw or tomillo de palmer.
By the late 1800's the micrometer had been mass marketed into many machine shops throughout these United States. Though it's form has changed many times and the objects it can measure can differ such as outside and inside diameters, and depth, the particular micrometer we will discuss is the one that measures in inches the outside diameter or the micrometer caliper.
The micrometer or "mike" can measure the diameter of an object within 0.001 inches. Some micrometers have an vernier added to them that allow the measurements to done at 0.0001. No matter the size of the frame of a micrometer, and some can get pretty large, the actual maximum area that can be measured is only 1 inch total.
The micrometer consists of the anvil (the fixed part of the measuring area), the frame, the spindle (the part that moves while measuring), the spindle lock (that locks the caliper in place after measurement in the event you are using it to compare parts or such), the barrel which has the quarter inch (0.25) lines, the sleeve, sometimes called thimble, which contains the lines for another quarter inch divided into 40 lines representing the 0.001, and the ratchet to use for fine tuning measurements.
"The scale of a micrometer ranges from 0 to 1 inch and is usually graduated in thousandths of an inch (think of 1 in. as 1000/1000). The sleeve of the mike (as it slowly pulls back) shows the numbers 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0. Each of these numbers represents 0.100 (or 100 thousandths) of an inch…Now look at the thimble. Each line on the thimble represents 0.001, and there are number every five lines (or 0.005). One complete turn (revolution) of the thimble is equal to 0.025 in. So each revolution of the thimble is equal to one division on the barrel." (Griffith, 2003)
The Stefanelli website has a great simulator of a inch micrometer that you can move with the mouse and it will tell you the readings while you practice. I would also suggest you find some old machine tool textbooks and look for exercises that will test you in reading the measurements. As I have said before, know your tool or measuring device before using it in your actual day to day use. Refer to the previous post for more general suggestions on measuring.

subset: commoncrawl


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Attorney Action Club
The Attorney Action Club is a network of San Francisco Bay Area lawyers who host monthly topical discussions on attorney work life balance and law practice management.
The Attorney Action Club is a network of San Francisco Bay Area lawyers who host monthly topical discussions on attorney work life balance and law practice management.
Enter your email address to get added to our AAC list. You will be notified about our upcoming meetings plus other specific information about our club
Privacy Policy: We hate SPAM and promise to keep
your email address safe.
Welcome to Attorney Action Club Website (beta launch). We have tons of plans for the new site, each of which will help you further the goals of the AAC by building your Legal Networking, Work Life Balance, and Free Continuing Legal Education.
The beta site allows you to publish your professional profile, link to your website and socials, articles and post to the Attorney Action Club blog. The site also contains our upcoming schedule of speakers, allows you to RSVP for our monthly program, track your MCLE, and allow each of us to easily find the contact information for people we have met at the meetings.
The new website is another tool we can all use to get to know each other. Learning about each of our areas of expertise is the magic of the Attorney Action Club. When legal professionals in diverse practice areas get to know, like and trust each other, referrals are exchanged. Attorneyactionclub.com improves our monthly forum considerably, allowing each of us to showcase our talents and stay in contact with each other outside of the monthly meetings.
Here is a list of upcoming features of the site:
An SEO optimized platform to promote your business
Connect with Attorney Action Club members you have met at the monthly meetings
Showcase your business within our SEO optimized wordpress platform by posting and promoting your articles and blogs;
Review our schedule of upcoming speakers;
RSVP for each "Third Thursday" MCLE presentations
The AAC has been a wonderful part of my professional life - I have met people who have enriched my practice and honestly, its just great being in a room with HAPPY lawyers. So rare. I know I have been MIA lately, I read Attorney eMyth and took a deep dive into the business of my business, but I am not BACK to networking and learning, so I am excited for the upcoming speakers at AAC.
Warm regards to you all!
[October 2018 Video] The Best Way To Sell Your Law Practice | Donald William Schwartz
About the Event "The Best Way To Sell Your Law Practice" presented by Donald William Schwartz. Don Schwartz is a […]
[September 2018 Video] The Systems and Strategies Behind a Profitable Law Firm | Leo Manzione and Albert Stoll
About the Event "The Systems and Strategies Behind a Profitable Law Firm" presented by Albert Stoll and Leo Manzione. In August […]
[April 2018 Video] Social Media Best Practices | Paula Mattisonsierra
About the Event "Social Media Best Practices" presented by Paula Mattisonsierra. In this presentation, Paula Mattisonsierra will discuss: Develop an […]


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Samsung Yepp T9 Coming In Pink.
January 31, 2007 by Static | Leave a Comment
Valentines Day is coming up and it seems as if Korea is getting a tad bit more pinker! Samsung thought that it'd be cool to take advantage of this time period and have decided to release a pink version of the popular Samsung Yepp T9 series. As it is for the home market, Samsung will […]
Canon HV20 Veils Even More!
January 31, 2007 by Static | Leave a Comment
The new Canon HV20 is finally being further revealed! This morning, Canon surprised a lot of us by showcasing its latest and upcoming HD camcorder. With an impressive 1080 high-definition video in a 16:9 ration screen, the new HV20 looks more powerful than ever! With a 10x optical zoom along with other various features, the […]
What to do with those people who really annoy you
January 31, 2007 by davidallen | Leave a Comment
Well there was a time when everyone just had to put up with the people who just plainly annoy everyone, be it in the office or anywhere, sometimes people just grind you down, but now you can have the last laugh with the fantastic new little gadget called the Annoy A Tron. The aptly named […]
When training hard, how do you know how much water you have drunk
January 31, 2007 by davidallen | 1 Comment
It's a common problem amongst both athletes and people who like to stay fit through exercise, the problem being, that while training it is easy to actually drink too much or even more dangerously drink too little, so apart from carrying several bottles or carefully measuring out every last drop of fluid that you drink, […]
The top of the range mouse for gaming purposes
January 31, 2007 by davidallen | 3 Comments
We all know that gamers who play online games are not just people who play games, these guys are serious computer hardware buyers, they have very sophisticated computer systems along with an array of peripherals that make playing games and being a winner, all so much easier. For the gamer who has everything and yet […]
New batteries designed for laptops
January 31, 2007 by davidallen | Leave a Comment
It had been headline news, the case of the exploding laptop batteries, where they would over heat and if not turned off or better still taken out of the laptop all together, then these batteries were likely to over heat and in some cases explode causes serious or permanent damage to the laptop itself, so […]
PSP gets the firmware 3.10 treatment at last
January 31, 2007 by davidallen | 1 Comment
It has been seen working its way around the Asian marketplace and now it has finally it is now available for almost everyone, I say almost everyone because although it is now up and running there are a couple things that need to be looked at; 1. Is the availability? The subject of availability is […]
Apple iPhone Video Review
January 31, 2007 by tech4u | 3 Comments
John Blackstone shows the cool features of the Apple iPhone in this video review!
Phillips Brings True Battery Power
January 30, 2007 by Static | Leave a Comment
We've got something new now for once. A cell phone WITHOUT a 3.0+ mega pixel camera, an MP3 player, etc etc. Phillips have brought something rather ordinary, yet new, to the table. How do you like the idea of going 40 days and 40 nights without having to recharge your phone? I'm personally fed up […]
Doze No More In Work And Class!
January 30, 2007 by Static | Leave a Comment
This is the solution for people sleeping late, and then living in dreamland while everyone else is working and/or studying. Now you definitely will not need those ping pong eyeballs to cover your drowsy eyes. The Vision Optic MyDo Bururu glasses are here! This pair of glasses isn't for you to see well as even […]
Motorola and Ferrari tie up the sponsorship deal
January 30, 2007 by davidallen | Leave a Comment
It has been coming with the sponsorship but now at last Motorola has designed the special Ferrari MotoRAZR MAXX V6 Ferrari Challenge phone. Ferrari have been associated with the phone industry for some time now, they have had Vodafone on their cars for some years, with the drivers being involved with advertising on TV and […]
The iPod Shuffle adds some color to the scene
January 30, 2007 by davidallen | 1 Comment
The iPod Shuffle is quite a great little piece of equipment, tiny, compact and discreet, yet the one thing that bothered many people who bought this little gem, was the color! White or is it gray, I can never work that one out, anyway, is regarded as an Apple color, we have seen it in […]
Atheros to produce Bluetooth chips
January 30, 2007 by poeloq | Leave a Comment
Atheros, mainly know as one of the largest WiFi chip producers, is now also entering the Bluetooth chip market, the Washington Post reports. This makes sense as many products, such as mobile phones, now include Bluetooth and Wi-Fi and by producing both chips and it's large proportion of the Wi-Fi chip market, Atheros hopes to […]Next Page »


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- Mileage
- 21,768 miles
- Location
- Corby, NN188AA
- Service record format
- Service documentWe collect service history from
Kia Optima
1.6L 2 CRDi
Finance representative example (PCP): Borrowing £12,750 with a £1,000 deposit at a representative APR of 8.9%, fixed interest rate of 4.6%, 48 monthly payments of £243.98 followed by 1 optional payment of £4,056.00 including a £10 option to purchase fee, total cost of credit is £3,017.04, total amount payable is £16,767.04, annual mileage limit of 10,000 miles and an excess mileage charge of 4p/mile. Find out more.
Car summary
- Body type
- 5 door Estate
- Exterior colour
- Black
- Gearbox
- Manual, 6 speed
- Drive type
- Front wheel drive
- Registration number
- Previous owners
- 1
- Number of keys
- 2
- Emissions
- 142g/km (band G)
- ULEZ compliantLearn more
- Yes
This car has been thoroughly inspected, reconditioned and valeted to our standards.
Car highlights
Car features
Car specsView all specs
Performance and economy
- Top speed
- 121 mph
- Acceleration (0-62 mph)
- Not available
- Engine power
- 134 bhp
Weight and dimensions
- Length
- 4855 mm
- Fuel tank capacity
- 70 litres
- Boot space (seats-up)
- 522 litres
Running costs
- Vehicle tax
- £150 / year
- Insurance
- Group 19 (approx. £363 / year)
- Fuel consumption
- 52.3mpg (approx. £22 / week)
Not all running costs are shown above. The running costs shown here are estimated based on average fuel price and mileage for this car. Insurance cost estimates are based on qualified drivers with a clean record (no accidents, violations or points).
Service history
The service history we have for this car is shown below. If the car is less than a year old or has a low mileage, it may not have been serviced yet. If there are no service history records available, you may only see details of the service carried out by Cazoo.
- Mileage
- 20,559 miles
- Location
- Burton kia, ninth avenue,, Burton upon trent, DE143JZ
- Service record format
- Service bookWe collect service history from
Cazoo Quality Assured
We guarantee the quality of every car so you can enjoy total peace of mind. All our cars have:
Passed our comprehensive 150+ point inspection
Free 90-day warranty and RAC roadside assistance
A recent service and recent MOT (if required)
How Cazoo works
Great value cars
We own all the cars we list and have thoroughly inspected and reconditioned each one to the highest standards.
Buy entirely online
Select from our wide range of high-quality cars and complete your purchase or financing fully online.
Delivery or collection
Get your car delivered to your door or collect it from a Cazoo Customer Centre at a time that suits you.


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Dan McGrath's stunning Thermaltake Level 10 GT mod might be called the AzTtec, but the inspiration is all Mayan.
Looking every bit as if it were carved out of ancient stone from some scenic Central American temple, the material covering Thermaltake's Level 10 GT case is actually a material called Balsa Foam, which when carved and sanded looks like... well, it looks like this, which is simply beautiful.
Dan spared no effort in creating a PC mod that was as historically accurate as it is pleasant to look at. He even visited the library. I thought we had burned all of those down.
I really did my research. I went to every place online I could find, art websites, forums, Google searches, among others. I even went to my local library, yeah, they still have those! I created a sort of collage on several sheets of paper, along with my own drawings, to use as my source material. The only direct copy/transfer I did was the calendar though. I had to have that as close to exact as I could get it. I was really trying to not only do it well but to give it respect. The real calendar, heck even some smaller copies, are very detailed works in themselves. And I refused to make a sham of that effort.
All of that research certainly paid off. And if you think the case is impressive, check out the keyboard.
For more shots of the keyboard and mouse hit up the Bit-Tech forums, and check out the link below for a full accounting of Dan's fantastic creation. You have until the end of the year.
AzTtec by dmcgrath [Bit-Tech]


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"Masturbation is better than continued pro creation for white people," says newly entitled African Asian psychologist Lehand Quok Jr..
"IF SCIENTOLOGY & TOM CRUISE LEND CREDENCE TO THE MASTURBATION, SUICIDE MOVEMENT FOR WHITES, IT WILL CERTAINLY HASTEN THEM TO THE PLACE WHERE THEIR SELF GRATIFICATION ENDS IN THE JOY OF THEIR REDEEMED SALVATION" – Dr. Lehand Quok
A Chinese University of Hong Kong young legend, Quok Jr. is the son of celebrated physician Lehand Quok Sr. who is widely recognized as discovering the cure for disease.
Quok Sr., who has been condemned by the leaders of every developed nation upon the earth for his refusal to share his cure, refutes the very claim that has made him a legend.
"I have not found the cure for every disease," he is quoted as saying. "There is one disease I have not found the cure for."
Yet in studies across North America, Europe, Asia and Canada all patients introduced to Quok Sr.'s cure have been healed.
The released statement from Quok Jr. is the second in a series he is expected to announce thoughout the course of his 1st entitlement series: The One Disease My Father Could Not Cure.
More than mythology is the great challenge Quok Jr.'s father presented him with at the beginning of his journey to entitlement. Throughout the decade of the mid 1980s and early 1990s, Quok Sr.'s discoveries were heralded as the greatest known to man.
"World wide, I am recognized as the one who discovered the cure for disease. Yet I have not discovered the cure for the white man. He is the largest disease on the planet. He is a threat to the universe. The masters teach us the white man's space missions are unsuccessful because our universal neighbors who study us will not allow his chaos in the universe. While they will not alter his course on the earth, for the white man, every attempt of extended space travel by them will be unsuccessful." Dr. Lehand Quok Sr.


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Cookie decorator Elliott Stiner left his job at Westfield Sarasota Square mall on Wednesday afternoon last week and walked to the bus stop.
The 22-year-old sat on the curb and started reading a book.
He didn't notice then, but Stiner thinks he was followed out by several men. He had no clue they were there until a man spoke up behind him.
"Hey, buddy!" the voice said.
As Stiner turned, the men were on top of him and tackled him, pressing his forehead into the pavement.
Next thing he knew, he was in handcuffs.
By then he had realized they must be plainclothes cops, about six of them. They were looking at his face and holding a cellphone next to it to compare him to a picture, and were checking his ID.
Oops. Wrong guy.
They then insisted to Stiner that, from a little distance, he'd looked just like the man they were seeking.
"They were just extremely apologetic," Stiner said, "They made a lot of excuses once they realized I was the wrong person."
Stiner thinks he looks about as much like the man as most 20-something white guys of similar build would.
The men who tackled him never identified their agency before they left, Stiner says. And he wondered if the man they were looking for was such a violent, dangerous guy that six cops had to tackle him first and ask his name afterward.
Why, he asked me, was there no "Freeze, put your hands up"?
Turns out one Sarasota deputy was there, but the takedown was done by a team led by federal marshals. And when they left the mall without making an arrest, the team was soon on its way to an even bigger blunder in the same manhunt.
You may have read about that one in a previous column. Led by U.S. Marshal Matt Wiggins, the team was looking for Kyle Riley, wanted because a teenage relative had accused him of a series of sexual assaults starting when she was 8 years old.
Wiggins decided their wanted man was across town in a Sarasota apartment complex.
By about 8 p.m., he had a clueless and terrified Doctors Hospital operating room nurse, Louise Goldsberry, pinned down in a gun-to-gun standoff at her Hidden Lake Village apartment.
Wiggins had opened her front door and aimed his gun inside at the woman and her boyfriend, who -- not believing the demanding, cursing armed men outside were really cops -- had refused to open the door. Afterward, Wiggins blamed Goldsberry for the mix-up. She should have known they were cops and just come out, he said.
Wiggins told me his team came to the apartment on a tip that placed the wanted man somewhere in the complex.
But I'm now sure there was no tip.
Wiggins jumped to his bad conclusions both times after using cellphone tracking information. Somehow -- Wrong number? Imprecise triangulation? Shoddy map reading? -- it had led him astray. Or maybe the wanted man was close by, but got away as the agents were focused on the wrong people.
Riley was arrested several hours later, elsewhere in town.
The actions against Goldsberry and Stiner seem over the top and involve jumping to conclusions and rash actions.
Stiner's father said those cops need to be set straight about their responsibilities.
"They didn't care who they ran over to get who they wanted," Fred Stiner said.
Andrea Mogensen, a Sarasota lawyer known for taking on local civil rights cases, says Goldsberry is now her client.
Maybe some at the Marshals Service see a problem, too. Both incidents are under investigation by the service's Office of Inspections, said Pete Cajigal, assistant chief of the marshals' Tampa-based middle district of Florida.
"We take this extremely seriously, what has occurred and what is alleged," Cajigal told me.
He seemed to mean it, and he took notes as I gave him a third case to check out.
I had just talked to another Sarasota woman, who said she and her boyfriend were manhandled, insulted and held in their front yard after they awoke to marshals breaking down their door on a Friday morning a few weeks ago.
She said they were startled and confused but opened the door before it was knocked down, yet were grabbed, yanked outside, cuffed and put on the ground at gunpoint. She said they were called liars, and more, during a long session in front of neighbors.
She said they had no idea who the man was that marshals said they were seeking, apparently on a firearms charge.
The woman said her arm was in a sling for two weeks after the incident.
Cajigal said he would look into that incident, too.
Tom Lyons can be contacted at firstname.lastname@example.com or (941) 361-4964.
Marshals miss target again
Cookie decorator Elliott Stiner left his job at Westfield Sarasota Square mall on Wednesday afternoon last week and walked to the bus stop.


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For Gregory Duckworth, ASLA, the practice of landscape architecture is synonymous with service. Throughout his professional career, he has demonstrated a zeal for helping both his community and industry in many ways: from involving his firm, Environmental Concepts, LLC, in pro-bono projects, to serving in the Boy Scouts of America as Scoutmaster and providing guidance for Eagle Scout service projects, to working for his neighbors as an elected official at the local and state levels. In recognition of his service in the field of landscape architecture, as well as his public service, Duckworth is being elevated to the ASLA Council of Fellows.
Topics: 2016 SCASLA Annual Meeting: Come Hell or High Stor, Agriculture Natural Resources & Environmental, ASLA Council of Fellows, Boy Scouts of America, City of North Myrtle Beach, Environmental Concepts LLC, National Historic Landmark, SCASLA, Scoutmaster, South Carolina House of Representatives, St. Andrew Catholic Church and School, 2016 ASLA Annual Meeting and Expo, Anna Hyatt Huntington, ASLA, ASLA Fellow, Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), Brookgreen Gardens, FASLA, Fillies Playing, Gregory Duckworth, Landscape, National Register of Historic Places


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The XDV-μ series is designed for precise coating thickness measurement and material analysis on very delicate structures. All devices are equipped with polycapillary optics that focus the X-ray beam, making measuring spots (fwhm) with diameters between 10 and 60 μm possible. The high intensity of the focused radiation results in a short measuring duration. Besides the universally applicable XDV-μ, specialized devices are also available for the electronics and semiconductor industries. For example, the XDV-μ LD is optimized for measuring on printed circuit boards, while the XDV-μ Wafer is intended for use in clean rooms.
- Advanced polycapillary X-ray optics that focus the X-rays onto extremely small measurement surfaces
- Modern silicon drift detector (SDD), ensuring good detection sensitivity
- Programmable measuring stage with expandable sample support for automated testing
- Specialized devices for specialized applications, including:
- XDV-μ LD, featuring a large measuring distance (at least 12 mm)
- XDV-μ LEAD FRAME, specially optimized for measuring of lead frame coatings such as Au / Pd / Ni / CuFe
- XDV-μ wafer, featuring an automated wafer chuck system
Coating Thickness Measurement
- Measurement on both bare and assembled printed circuit boards
- Analysis of complex coating systems in the nanometer range, e.g. Au / Pd / Ni / CuFe on lead frames
- Automated quality inspection of wafers up to 12 inches in diameter
- Testing of base metallization layers (under-bump metallization, UBM) in the nanometer range
- Compliant with DIN EN ISO 3497 and ASTM B568
Material Analysis
- Analysis of very light elements such as sodium
- Analysis of lead-free solder caps on copper pillars
- Testing the elemental composition of C4 and smaller solder bumps, as well as small contact surfaces in the semiconductor industry
Your contact to FISCHER
Piedrujas street 11, office 214
Phone: +371 22304752
E-Mail: email@example.com
Online contact form


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Contribute to the session development in Theme 2 by emailing your ideas to the coordinators for each topic.
There is universal agreement on the goal of water, sanitation and hygiene for all. At the same time, there is little consensus on how to achieve this goal and more fundamentally, on basic definitions for what constitutes the achievement of safe water supply and the provision of environmentally sustainable sanitation. On the heels of the International Year of Sanitation in 2008, the 5th World Water Forum will provide a new opportunity to debate the true state of progress in furthering the three imperatives of water, sanitation and hygiene, and the political commitments needed to tackle the most challenging regions of the world. The question of whether local entrepreneurs can fundamentally change the delivery paradigm for water and sanitation will be debated alongside the more traditional roles of financing institutions, communities and operator partnerships.
1) View the latest information on the development of this topic2) View the list of sessions under this topic
Increasingly scarce energy resources and rising costs have an important impact on water production, use and treatment, including the prospects for desalination and reuse. At the same time, increasingly scarce water resources are needed for growing energy demands. Hydropower uses stored water behind dams; water runs through turbines to create electricity in a nonconsumptive manner. Water and energy policies are needed to harmonize both, in cooperation with community-based initiatives and appropriate technologies. But is this harmonization achievable in practice?
More food needs to be produced with less water and land. The challenges of a growing population, changing diets, and the unquenchable thirst of agro-energy puts increasing pressure on the limited land, water and environmental resources at both the global and local scales. Where does agro-energy fit into the quest for food security and reducing poverty, and how may the right balance be found to achieve sustainable development? How do we deal with food security and energy security and how do market access and tariff systems need to be adjusted to prevent the poor from being the most affected by the impacts?
Multiple uses: conflict or synergy? Domestic, urban and energy needs could be better served by being more efficient and coordinated with water for agriculture. Important investment gains may be achieved if systems and institutions are prepared and able to optimize multiple uses. Are institutionalisation and the scaling-up of multiple uses necessary to better contribute to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals? What would governance look like and what political, institutional and financial measures need to be taken to strengthen the sustainability of such services?
Photo credits: Creative Commons - Action Against Hunger
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Google is now presenting an enhanced local onebox that includes a map and more details from their Google Maps database. The effect of the change is to totally dominate the main search results with details about the top three local businesses. There are a number of additional options to access more information & directions from their Maps as well.
Certainly the higher visibility will increase general market awareness about their Maps product. The increased links into their local database will likely lead to an increased use of their Maps product for directions, reviews etc. (If you are like me and have already forgotten what the "old" onebox looked liked you can see it here.)
However, the increased attention will also point a bright spotlight on some of the failings of their local product and increase the small business cacophony of complaints. They are a vociferous lot indeed.
The image above clearly demonstrates one of the flaws…the inability to deliver up restaurants instead of hotels when the searcher is looking for restaurants. In a quick survey of 10 major cities, this problem occurred in 3 of them. Google's inability to keep reviews updated and maps correct will only be more evident.
I am a fan of Google Maps but their vapid response to complaints and their slowness in delivering a mature product will wear thin quickly with this new emphasis on local results.Google Upgrades the Local OneBox Results by Mike Blumenthal


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ANAHEIM, Calif., Jan. 31 (UPI) -- Ryan Getzlaf scored on a deflection with 36 seconds left in the first period Thursday, putting Anaheim in front for good in a 5-3 win over Philadelphia.
The Ducks became the first team in the NHL to reach 40 victories this season and expanded their lead over San Jose at the top of the Pacific Division to 11 points.
Philadelphia lost for the fifth time in six outings in what was the opener of a three-game California trip.
Patrick Maroon opened the scoring for the Ducks midway through the first period and Vincent Lecavalier tied it on the power play four minutes later.
With time running down in the opening stanza, Getzlaf got his stick on a shot from Hampus Lindholm and re-directed it past Steve Mason.
Corey Perry added an Anaheim goal in the second period, Daniel Winnick scored shorthanded with 7:24 to go in the third after the Flyers had closed within one and Saku Koivu added an empty-net goal with 24 seconds remaining.
Fredrik Anderson made 26 saves to claim the win, giving up a goal to Michael Raffl 10 seconds after Koivu had scored. Mason allowed four goals on 28 shots.


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Oak Park, United States
About Mommies Ink Designs
I'm Jen - the owner and creative mind behind Mommies Ink. You might be wondering where the name Mommies Ink came from ... well, it was inspired by my son. While I was contemplating opening an Etsy shop, my son was obsessed with the movie, Monsters, Inc. During one sleep-deprived brainstorming session after a Monsters Inc. marathon, Mommies Ink was born!
I am fortunate to be a stay-at-home mom to 2 wonderful kids, and wife to a pretty amazing husband. After graduating from the University of Michigan, I obtained a law degree from Loyola University-Chicago. Shortly thereafter I had my first child, and started dabbling with graphic design. I finally found my passion! A short time after my shop opened, I was able to leave the legal field and begin my design career ... this is now my "real" job, and I couldn't be happier.


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Tax revenues are collapsing while at the same time spending is ramping on all government levels; city, county, state, and Federal. This spells trouble for Bernanke and his effort to sell never ending billions of our debt. It will end, and it will likely end badly. This is a very major story, one that I've written about already (U.S. Budget Disaster Strikes...), but intent to keep updating.
It's not GOING to be a structural issue, it IS a structural issue, if not THE issue.
Soaring U.S. Budget Deficit Will Mean Billions in Bond Sales
By Michael McKee
April 22 (Bloomberg) -- Millions of lost jobs mean billions in lost tax revenue for the U.S. government, and billions in additional Treasury debt to fund a federal budget deficit that may soar to more than four times last year's record $454.7 billion.
Employers cut 3.7 million positions from their payrolls in the six months since the fiscal year began Oct. 1, and the unemployment rate reached a 25-year high of 8.5 percent in March. That suggests receipts for April -- the biggest month for tax collection -- are likely to come in well below April 2008, analysts said.
With spending on unemployment insurance and other safety- net programs rising, the deficit is already at a record $956.8 billion six months into the fiscal year. To help close that gap, the Treasury Department has more than quadrupled borrowing, pushing the government deeper into debt.
"Tax receipts are just collapsing," said Chris Ahrens, head of interest-rate strategy at UBS Securities LLC in Stamford, Connecticut, one of 16 primary dealers required to bid at Treasury auctions. The need to sell more debt "is a big issue in the Treasury market and it is ongoing. The surging budget deficit is the primary cause."
The government will have to sell $2.4 trillion in new bills, notes and bonds in fiscal 2009, according to UBS. From October through December, the Treasury sold a record $569 billion, up from $82 billion in the same period a year earlier, and auctioned another $493 billion in the last quarter, up from $156 billion. That helps to make up for the drop in tax receipts, pay for the rise in spending and refinance maturing debt. Along with the principal, the sales add additional interest costs to the deficit for years to come.
Unemployment Benefits
At the same time, government spending has climbed 33 percent in the fiscal year through March, as relief programs such as unemployment benefits expand. Labor Department expenditures have more than doubled to $52.7 billion and payments by the Department of Health and Human Services have risen by $40.6 billion, or 12 percent. Spending by the Agriculture Department, which runs the food-stamp program, is 18 percent higher, or $9.9 billion more than in the same period a year ago.
These increases will contribute to a record federal budget deficit this fiscal year. On March 20, the Congressional Budget Office forecast the shortfall will reach $1.85 trillion, dwarfing the previous peak. UBS estimates a budget deficit of $1.65 trillion, Ahrens said.
Plummeting Receipts
Rising unemployment and lower consumer spending helped drag income-tax receipts from individuals and small businesses down 15 percent in fiscal 2009 through March, compared with a year earlier. Data due in May will likely show that the recession curbed estimated-tax payments in the first quarter, while the drop in financial markets caused capital gains to shrink.
With the tax cuts from President Barack Obama's stimulus package also taking effect in April, "that combination is going to give you weak tax revenues," said Douglas Lee, chief economist at Economics From Washington, an independent consulting firm in Potomac, Maryland.
From the start of the fiscal year through March, personal income-tax payments fell to $429.7 billion from $503.5 billion in the year-earlier period, according to Treasury budget statistics. That's the first such drop since 2003, according to department records.
"There's been a huge hit, not just to income but to wealth," said Ethan Harris, co-head of U.S. economic research at Barclays Capital Inc. in New York. "The economy did not turn in the first quarter of the year." The numbers "are worse than most of us would have expected coming into the tax season."
Lower Earnings, Higher Refunds
The federal government is also losing revenue from corporate tax receipts, which have fallen 57 percent from the first six months of fiscal 2008. Not only are companies earning less -- and paying less in taxes -- they are getting more in refunds.
Obama's economic-stimulus package included a provision allowing small businesses with losses in 2008 to carry back those losses for five years rather than two, so companies can claim refunds against taxes paid in the past. Business refunds in January through March of this year were $40.4 billion, almost double the $22.3 billion of a year ago.
Personal income-tax refunds are also higher than last year, up 11 percent to $207.8 billion. That may be because people who pay estimated quarterly taxes based their estimates on 2007 earnings, and overpaid as the economy collapsed in 2008, Lee said.
Close the Gap
States and cities are also being hit hard by unemployment's effect on tax revenue. The 23,300 Wall Street jobs that disappeared in the year through February helped blow a $16 billion hole in New York state's budget. State officials are trying to close the gap by raising taxes, which will likely restrain spending and slow recovery.
The attack on bonuses led by members of Congress also hurts. As payments are scaled back or eliminated, tax revenue falls. It's not just a problem for New York: Individual tax receipts were 4.5 percent less than forecast in Minnesota during February and March.
"While lower-than-expected withholding-tax receipts are always a matter of concern, this shortfall appears to be due to lower-than-projected bonus payments," the Minnesota Management and Budget office said in its April Economic Update.
At the federal level, concern over the budget deficit extends beyond this year's "disaster," Harris said. Social Security and Medicare costs are also rising as baby boomers age, and the Obama administration has a number of new programs beyond stimulus -- including revamping health care -- that it wants to spend money on.
"It's going to be a structural issue," Harris said. "You have a Congress that's lost its fear of deficits, so it's still going to be hard to turn the deficit around once the economy and tax receipts have recovered."
A business with falling income and rising costs is sure to fail. It's the same with your finances. Thinking it's different for our government is nothing short of group psychosis. Fortunately a few of the patients are escaping from the asylum…
American Tea Party, Two Trillion Tons:


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Concert raises funds for Wounded Warrior Project
Torrington >> A local charity aimed at helping veterans kicked off its mission Friday night with a successful benefit concert.
Forever Heroes - a project spearheaded by Oliver Wolcott Regional Vocational Technical School counselor Mike Petroro - hosted a concert at P. Sam's Bar and Grill on Torringford West Street. The concert, attended by around 200 people, raised about $6,000 that will go to the Wounded Warrior Project.
Two sponsors chipped in funding, allowing nearly all of the money raised to go directly to help wounded military members returning from service.
The Wounded Warrior Project is a national organization aimed at raising awareness and providing services to help soldiers re-acclimate to civilian life.
Petroro said he felt it's a worthy organization because of the potential to help many of the students he currently works with in the future.
"I got involved because as a counselor, I see a lot of kids come through here and go off to the military," Petroro said.
Forever Heroes was created in order to donate to the WWP. As a rule, in order to donate, there needs to be a definite distinction between the two organizations. That way no one can mistake the WWP for raising money for itself. Forever Heroes is a third party who chose to hold a benefit and donate the proceeds to the WWP.
Three bands played during the night; Factor Five, Group Therapy and a band of technical teachers from Oliver Wolcott.
The bands played until 12:30 a.m. Tickets cost $20 apiece. Hot hors d'oeuvres were served at the event - attendees could partake in spring rolls, meatballs, cheese and vegetables between sets.
"Everyone was so generous," Petroro said. "All who were involved had a good time, and I could really see making it an annual event."
Petroro hopes to run another benefit concert next year, although he isn't sure he would donate to WWP again. He could possibly choose another worthy charity to benefit. But Petroro's thoughts for the future go even deeper than that.
"I would like to make something out of Forever Heroes," he said. Petroro would like to solidify the organization's status and perhaps hold other fundraisers and benefits.
"This is just a start," said Petroro. "Who knows where it will go."


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As stated in the accompanying article "A Picture's Worth....", obtaining permission to take and use photographs of campers and staff is an important step in risk management. While right of publicity and invasion of privacy laws vary from state to state, camps must make deliberate decisions when using photos for commercial purposes. (Camp recruitment tools such as brochures, videos, Web sites, and the like are usually considered "commercial" purposes.)
Camps should, therefore:
- Implement a plan to obtain permission to photograph individuals and use those photographs for commercial purposes
- Establish procedures to assure that pictures of campers/staff for whom no permission is obtained are not taken; or, if taken, are not retained
- Establish procedures to maintain (and be able to find!) the permission forms
- When planning videos, ads, brochures, etc., use ONLY photos for which permission has been obtained
Sample Photo Release Language
Many camps utilize language similar to the following in camper registration materials.
I give permission and consent for [camper's name] to participate in all activities, and to allow photographs, videotapes, and interview to be taken during the camping session. I further give permission and consent for any such photographs, videotapes, or interviews to be published and used to illustrate, report, promote and advertise the camp . [If the camp might share these photos with ACA to be used in our publications, web site, etc., please add to the previous sentence: ". . . advertise the camp, and/or the American Camping Association and their respective camping activities.") Use of any such photographs, videotapes, or interviews may include, but is not limited to, use of the photographs, videotapes and interviews on Internet Web sites promoting or reporting on the camp (and/or the American Camping Association).
Signed __________________ Date _________
Note: The above release is a sample only and is not intended as legal advice. Be sure to contact legal counsel familiar with the laws in your state regarding these matters.
Originally published in the 2000 Fall issue of The CampLine.


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By Elizabeth SheanMom had a big health scare the other day.I came home from grocery shopping to discover she was unable to speak a coherent sentence. She was very animated and trying to tell me something, but all that came out of her mouth was gibberish."Liver curtains get me on on over...OH!" she said.I immediately dialed 9-1-1.My initial thought, of course, was that Mom probably was having a stroke. I put her through the
FAST protocol for stroke evaluation, and she was able to perform all of the tasks except for speech. But I wasn't taking any chances.After nearly 14 hours in the emergency room, Mom was diagnosed with a mini-stroke and a urinary tract infection. She went home with prescriptions for antibiotics and baby aspirins.This health scare made me reevaluate my own health. Like many caregivers, I'm sure, I spend so much time dealing with my mom's health issues that I tend to ignore my own. But the truth is I don't exercise enough, I often eat poorly and I too frequently drink wine in the evening. It's a recipe for disaster, and I ask myself what would happen to Mom if something happened to me?I used to be a relatively fit and athletic person. I exercised every day. I love walking and hiking, and my dog, Mitzi, can't get enough leash time. But over the past year, I've hardly exercised at all because it's awfully hard to carve out an extra 20 or 30 minutes to do so. And, of course, my professional life as a writer is very sedentary.I also used to eat a very healthy diet, but that has gone down the drain from living with a woman who not only loves ice cream and other sweets but pressures me to eat them, too. Oh, and did I mention hot dogs, potato chips and processed foods of all kinds? I mean, my willpower only goes so far.Nonetheless, over the past couple of weeks I decided to stop making excuses and get myself back on track. I purchased a wrist band to track my steps and buzz me with reminders to stand up from my desk and move. I spent one Sunday afternoon doing a top-to-bottom evaluation of my eating habits and then made a menu plan for the coming week that included lots of fresh vegetables, fruits and lean meats. I listed separate options for Mom, so if she insists on that hot dog then she can have it—while I eat something healthy. Lastly, I didn't buy any more wine after I finished the last bottle.So far, I feel much better, physically and mentally. I'm sleeping great, probably due to getting fresh air, sunshine and exercise for at least a few minutes a day. (I aim for 10 minutes of daily exercise, which may not sound like much, but the point is it's doable.) My stress level actually feels lower when I treat it with nutritious foods and exercise than when I reach for chips and candy. I don't miss the evening glass of wine. My mental focus seems much better.And you know what? I don't feel guilty about any of this. Yes, I had to retool my schedule to a tiny degree to "find" about one extra hour a day for cooking and exercise. This takes time away from Mom. But I'm fine with that because I know she benefits from a healthy me. That's the most important thing.
Home Instead offers free monthly newsletters with tips and advice for caregivers of elderly loved ones. (Privacy Policy)


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Linking Real-World Science to Schools
Cultural institutions, researchers, and "makers" are using technology to expand their connections with K-12 science educators, push students and teachers to become creators of science content, and blur the boundaries between classrooms, the real world, and virtual environments. Among the initiatives that are working to make those changes happen:
Smithsonian Institution
More, Deeper Learning Connections
As part of its new approach to K-12 education, the Smithsonian Center for Learning and Digital Access hosted a three-part online conference this summer about astrophotography.
In mid-August, from a small conference room outside Baltimore, astronomer Frank Summers and education specialist Dan McCallister, both with the Space Telescope Science Institute, talked into headsets connected by computer to a few dozen educators from Eugene, Ore., to Moscow.
After a whirlwind multimedia tour of photos from the Hubble telescope, Mr. Summers and Mr. McCallister talked the participants through strategies for using the images in their classrooms to foster such skills as observation, estimation, and classification.
The pair—old friends, with a familiar banter—quickly got into an enthusiastic argument.
"This is the basics of how you start scientific research," Mr. Summers eventually said to the educators listening in. "We're supposed to disagree. The discussion about why you disagree is more important than the answers themselves."
Lynn-Steven Engelke smiled.
These days, Ms. Engelke, the director of the Smithsonian's teacher programs and services, is focused on using digital technology to expand the institution's reach and spark curiosity, foster 21st-century skills, and connect educators directly to the Smithsonian's many experts and vast resources.
Ms. Engelke said a total of almost 400 people took part live in the three sessions on astrophotography, and thousands more are expected to access the online archive in the coming months. Many will earn digital badges on such topics as teaching with telescopes, for educators, and astrophotography, for students.
"Teachers and students can be encouraged to make their own pathways through learning," Ms. Engelke said. "The Smithsonian in general has become more focused on the learner."
Learning Technologies Media Lab
Massively Open Real-World Adventures
For almost a decade, Aaron Doering has used technology to provide students and teachers with a window into his globe-spanning scientific adventures.
His GoNorth! project with the Learning Technologies Media Lab at the University of Minnesota in St. Paul, for example, connected more than 3 million participants to a series of Arctic expeditions related to climate change and its impact on local populations, according to information provided by the lab. While Mr. Doering and his team rode dog sleds across Greenland and other far-flung locales, teachers and students followed along online, supplementing classroom lessons with live chats, multimedia blogs, and digital field reports filed by Mr. Doering's team.
"This was back in 2004. Chatting in real time wasn't normal. Facebook wasn't even around," said Cassie Scharber, who co-directs the lab along with Mr. Doering. "The projects blew the doors open. It was like, 'Oh my gosh, we can do this.' "
But almost immediately, Ms. Scharber and Mr. Doering said, teachers' enthusiasm for Go North! turned into a question: How can we do it ourselves?
"Everyone wants to be part of an adventure," Mr. Doering said, "but not everyone can get the grants" to pay for an Arctic expedition.
Enter WeExplore, a new virtual environment and technology platform from the lab that will allow classrooms to conduct their own local expeditions and share the results all over the world.
It's like a massively open online course, or MOOC, with a much greater sense of adventure and ownership, Ms. Scharber said.
"This is more participatory, collaborative, and inquiry-focused," she explained. "We're trying to challenge teachers and students by giving them all the power."
Harvard University
No Child Left Inside, or Offline
Researchers at Harvard University are hoping that technology can help facilitate new partnerships in the STEM subjects that help remove the boundaries between K-12 classrooms, the online world, and students' surrounding communities.
With EcoMUVE, Harvard now offers schools access to immersive "multi-user virtual environments" that let middle school students explore the bottoms of ponds and the microscopic activity in forests, all from a computer. The university researchers are also piloting EcoMOBILE, an augmented-reality application for smartphones that aims to get students outside to observe their own local ecosystems for tech-enhanced field trips and science experiments.
The ideal, said Shari Metcalf, a project director for EcoMUVE, is for the two technologies to be used in conjunction.
"We're making the argument that blending virtual and real ecosystems can have a positive impact on student learning," Ms. Metcalf said. "Environmental scientists have a motto of 'no child left inside,' but understanding complex causal relationships in a single field trip is really hard."
Significant school-based challenges to creating truly blended environments for exploration of science, technology, engineering, and math remain, however. Rather than using technology to create engaging, hands-on lessons that meet curricular standards, said Ms. Metcalf, many educators, squeezed by accountability regimes, still approach EcoMUVE as a luxury to be deployed at the end of the school year, after state tests have been administered.
And teachers' use of EcoMOBILE, she said, is still limited by a lack of adequate technology infrastructure in many schools and surrounding communities.
"Connectivity and dead batteries are a huge deal when you have 40 kids trying to connect [to the Internet via smartphones] at a pond," Ms. Metcalf said.
Brooklyn Aerodrome
Doing It Yourself, Online
Before this July, the Brooklyn Aerodrome, a small company in New York City devoted to do-it-yourself flight, had managed to formally reach only about 100 students, mostly through occasional appearances by company officials at summer camps and local museums.
Then the company's founder, Breck Baldwin, connected with MAKE Magazine and Google+, which teamed up this summer to host an online "virtual summer camp" for tens of thousands of children all over the country. According to information provided by MAKE, a publication devoted to promoting hands-on learning through do-it-yourself projects, more than 7,000 people have taken part in the aerodrome's "hangout," with many watching a live-streamed instructional talk and making their own gliders at home, all while asking questions and sharing their results online.
For Mr. Baldwin, who has long hoped to expand the reach of his educational offerings, the new platform was a revelation.
"We're going to go heavier into digital [distribution] because it's the easiest way to disseminate a lot of content quickly to a lot of people," he said.
Mr. Baldwin said digital distribution also allows for complex concepts of aerodynamics to be learned through the best possible combination of media: some text and illustrations, a lot of videos, and frequent opportunities to do three-dimensional modeling. He recently partnered with a New York City high school science teacher to develop a curriculum that employs all three techniques while seeking to incorporate rigorous academic standards—and focusing on hands-on building projects.
The approach, he said, appeals to students' attention spans and to the challenging realities facing a small outfit with big ideas but a limited budget.
"We're not going to hit a classroom in Kansas," Mr. Baldwin said, "unless we can do it online."
Vol. 33, Issue 02, Pages 14-15Published in Print: August 28, 2013, as Linking Real-World Science to Schools
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Marco Melandri marked his much anticipated debut with the BMW team at Phillip Island with a fabulous fight back from 13th on the grid to second position, a result that in turn doubles up as the manufacturer's best ever finish at WSBK level.
The Italian, runner-up with Yamaha in 2011, has endured a troubled start to his life as a BMW rider, a struggle that seemed to be compounded when he could only manage 13th on the grid in qualifying.
Nonetheless, over a race distance Melandri was transformed into a front runner as he scythed his way up the order during the opening encounter, eventually prevailing in an intense fight for second position between himself, Sylvain Guintoli and Tom Sykes.
Marking BMW's best-ever result since joining the series in 2009, Melandri was thrilled, as well as surprised, to be celebrating a podium on his debut for the team.
"I am really happy! Giving BMW its best ever result in only my first race on the RR is awesome. I still cannot believe that. The guys at the circuit and in the factory are working really hard, and they have done a great job.
"We didn't quite know how we would perform in the race as we hadn't done any long runs in pre-season testing. During the race I just tried to keep my rhythm and tried not to override as I knew I would have to look after the tyres.
"I had to wait for the right moment to pass Tom Sykes and Sylvain Guintoli. In the final two laps Sylvain was pushing very hard again, but I kept focused on my race and defended my position."
Warmer conditions took their toll on Melandri in race two, restricting him to sixth place at the chequered flag, but as he leaves Australia with second in the standings, he is otherwise pleased with the outcome of his weekend.
"Race two was very difficult," he added. "It was warmer, so I had to push harder to catch the guys in front of me, and it was not easy. But we finished the first weekend second in the championship, and that is better than expected.
"Now we have one month to analyse the data and try to make even more improvements. We will go testing in Spain and all the guys are working hard. We all have the same goal and I very happy to see the motivation is high.
"Last, I want to send my sympathy to the family of Oscar McIntyre who we lost yesterday."


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(ICRC, Geneva) - To help members of dispersed families restore contact with each other, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is launching a new website – familylinks.icrc.org – on 13 November.
"Familylinks.icrc.org will change the way people go about getting back in touch with family members they've become separated from," said Olivier Dubois, deputy head of the Central Tracing Agency and Protection Division of the ICRC. "Staying in touch with other members of one's family has a huge effect on a person's well-being and their ability to cope with a crisis. We have developed this simple, user-friendly website together with national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies for people who want to restore contact with relatives during or after a crisis," he explained. "A few clicks will put them in touch with dedicated specialists who will provide personal follow-up on enquiries."
Regardless of whether people are fleeing armed conflict, other violence, natural disaster, poverty or other causes of hardship, displacement can cause them to be cut off from their loved ones. Whatever the reason for a person's struggles, staff and volunteers of the Red Cross and Red Crescent network strive to ensure that they are treated with dignity, respect and compassion.
"What makes the new familylinks.icrc.org website special is the way it combines suitable technology and unique resources," explained Mr Dubois. "The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement has a grassroots network of volunteers already on the ground, in virtually every corner of the world, who actively search for missing persons. No other organization in the world can provide such a service."
One example of the strength of the grassroots network is provided by the story of a Libyan man who fled his country in 1968 and settled in Switzerland. For decades, he was totally cut off from relatives and friends. This year, with help from the ICRC and the Swiss Red Cross, he was able to get back in contact with his loved ones in Libya and go visit them. "Seeing your family again after 43 years – it's like being born again," said Mr Al Naji, overwhelmed by emotion as he set foot on Libyan soil.
"Many more people will be able to find out what services are available and how to obtain them. We may well see an increase in the number of tracing requests," said Mr Dubois. The new website will provide information on tracing services available in every part of the world, contact details of national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies and ICRC delegations, and other useful resources. While the chief purpose of familylinks.icrc.org will be to serve people searching for loved ones, the website may also be of interest to humanitarian organizations and welfare service providers to whom these people have turned for help. The site will also serve as a platform for exchanges between tracing specialists.
Under international law, people have the right to be informed of the fate of missing relatives. Where appropriate, everything possible must be done to find out where they are, restore contact with them and reunite them with their families.
The ICRC launched its first website of this kind in 1996 in response to the Bosnia conflict. The organization has since set up ad hoc sites in response to 23 crises, most recently in connection with last year's tsunami in Japan. Over the years, these efforts have helped countless people restore contact with relatives.
See TV footage on Mr Al Naji's story at the ICRC's video newsroom.
Libya: reunited after 43 years of exile
On the occasion of the launch of its new restoring family links website, the ICRC presents the story of a Libyan refugee in Switzerland who is reunited with his family after 43 years of separation. Through a Red Cross message written by the family in Libya and transmitted by the ICRC Benghazi office, the Swiss Red Cross was able to locate Mr Al-Naji. The newly established website familylinks.icrc.org will now facilitate the work of the Red Cross Red Crescent to help restore contact between family members.
For further information, please contact:
Dorothea Krimitsas, ICRC Geneva, tel: +41 22 730 25 90 or +41 79 251 93 18
Source: ICRC Press Release
The Brussels based United Nations Regional Information Centre for Western Europe - UNRIC provides information on UN activities to the countries of the region. It also provides liaison with institutions of the European Union in the field of information. Its outreach activities extend to all segments of society and joint campaigns, projects and events are organized with partners including the EU, governments, the media, NGOs, schools and local authorities.
United Nations Regional Information Centre for Western Europe (UNRIC Brussels)
Residence Palace, Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat 155, Block C2,7th and 8th floor, Brussels 1040, Belgium
Tel.: +32 2 788 8484 / Fax: 32 2 788 8485


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Winooski, Vermont
|This article is a stub. Help us to expand it by contributing your knowledge. For county and town page guidelines, visit U.S. County Page Content Suggestions.
Winooski is a town in Chittenden county, Vermont. It was formed in 1921 in Vt. from Addison county. It has used the following other name(s): Colchester. The probate and court district for Winooski is Chittenden. For more information, contact the town at 27 W. Allen St., Winooski 05404. On the attached map, Winooski is shown as 18 in Chittenden county.
For information about the state of Vermont see Vermont Family History Research.


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Love triathlon but want to see more fun? Get some fat tires, put some suspension in those forks and cross to the dirty side, says XTERRA champion Conrad Stoltz.
Triathlon may be growing in popularity but road races are not the only ones out there. No one knows better than Suunto ambassador Conrad Stoltz, who crossed to XTERRA after competing at the Sydney Olympics in 2000.
"After Sydney I was a bit burnt out and thought I'd just do one or two off-road races just to clear my head for fun. But I fell in love after my first race," he says.
"Road triathlon is all about following the white line and taking as much pain as possible," he explains. "The reason I love off-road triathlon is the adrenaline rush and sense of adventure you get – as well as the lactic acid!
Nothing beats the feeling of flashing through the woods at top speed, railing turns perfectly and that rush you get when you clear that hectic drop-off or rock garden. Plus you need to memorise the course, pick fast lines, make tire and suspension selections and mentally and physically overcome a wide variety of obstacles depending on where in the world the race is.
And of course, you get to go 100% flat out! The people are also quite laid back, relaxed and no one takes themselves too seriously which makes for a nice 'family atmosphere' at races. It's really a great life style sport," he adds.
To follow Conrad's XTERRA adventures, check out his website: www.conradstoltz.com


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Why Have I Never Tried: GooGoo Clusters?
When's the last time you tried a new candy? Not a seasonal new release, but an established candy or candy bar that, for no reason in particular, you never before had the mind to pick up?
The answer for me is probably circa 1995, when candy bars were 60 cents and people actually bought M&Ms. As an adult, I tend to allocate my snack money to cookies or pastries, and when I do buy candy, I tend to stick to the kinds that I know I like. Why have I never tried a Take 5 or 5th Avenue bar or Goobers? I have no idea. It's like those restaurants in your neighborhood that you habitually, yet almost subconsciously, avoid. You haven't heard they're bad but, eh, maybe next time.
A few weeks ago I received a Gmail chat message from a friend: Um have you tried a 100 Grand Bar? Me: Yeah...with the caramel? Him: It's a Crunch Bar-Milky Way love child! So good! How did I not know about these??
I hadn't thought about 100 Grand in a while but with its mix of crispies and caramel and chocolate, it is a pretty legit snack. The idea of my friend so joyfully experiencing it for the first time made me think: what candy bar experience am I missing out on? Why we do stop trying new candies? And thus this project was born: every day for the next two weeks a different member of the SE staff will try a candy they've never had before and describe the experience.
As the first up at bat, I was overwhelmed by the sheer number of candies that I haven't tried (and equally overwhelmed by how much I have. When did I find the time to eat so much sugar?). But I eventually decided on the GooGoo Cluster because seriously, if a candy that sounds and kind of looks like baby poop has survived since 1912, it's gotta be good. Right?
According to Wikipedia, GooGoo Cluster was the first combination candy bar*, meaning it has multiple candies within one candy. Each Cluster contains layers of marshmallow nougat, caramel, and roasted peanuts enrobed in a thin veneer of milk chocolate.
*There was a world without combination candy bars? That may edge out hobble skirts as the number one reason I'm glad I don't live in the early 1900s.
Ok, first bite. I'm pretty excited. Marshmallow is one of my favorite things on the planet, followed closely by caramel (and peanuts and chocolate). Unfortunately, I don't get the combination of flavors, and frankly all I think is, "Holy s$%& this thing is sweet!" The texture is also more firm and difficult to bite through than I had hoped.
But like any super sweet thing, you adjust to it, and after a few bites my tongue has moved past sugar shock to reveal the flavors. You can taste the peanuts, which are listed as the second ingredient. (Though interestingly almonds, pecans, walnuts, cashews, and hazelnuts—in that order—are all also listed. Maybe they have a deal with nut farmers to use up spare crops?) As far as peanuts go, however, these are some of the least peanut-y flavored ones I've encountered.
The milk chocolate mostly fades into the background, as does the caramel, which at least provides some pleasant gooeyness to my GooGoo Cluster. Still, even by the last bite, the main flavor is the marshmallow nougat, which tastes like condensed Fluff. I could see this candy having potential if the nuts were salted or the caramel layer were more robust. Maybe the Peanut Butter GooGoo (peanut butter replaces marshmallow nougat and caramel) has the needed depth.
I do give the Nashville-based company bonus points for the package, which is adorably nostalgic, with matte, slightly faded print and a promise of "real milk chocolate." (Er. Sure. Why not?)
The best part is the Guarantee of Satisfaction. "Your GooGoo cluster should be fresh and in good condition. If not, we will replace it. Just return the unused portion and tell us where and when you bought it."
I love this for so many reasons. First of all, nobody ensures anything anymore. (A government that governs? Apparently not guaranteed.) Second, they want you to send back the half-eaten remains of your Cluster. Did people game the system? Were they making empty claims about bad candy in order to get free samples? Or are the people at Standard Candy Co. just that fastidious and they employ a person whose sole job it is to examine half eaten GooGoos under the microscrope for signs of defects? Then there is the element of shaming—they want to know exactly who sold you that expired old GooGoo. I hope that person is getting a stern phone call. There are rules, you know. Your GooGoo Cluster might only taste like sugary condensed marshmallow, but at least it will be fresh.
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.


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IES to Seed New Methods for Studying Schools
It can be tough to translate evidence into action in education research.
A principal or superintendent might sift through academic journals or vendors' pamphlets for an effective reading program, but even a seal of approval from the federal What Works Clearinghouse is no guarantee that what helped students in one district will be successful with another.
To better inform that knowledge base, the Institute of Education Sciences is crafting a new research program, called "continuous improvement research in education," to go beyond "what works" and add more context to education findings.
"Knowing what works plays a very important role in school improvement, but alone it's not enough," said John Q. Easton, the director of the IES, the research arm of the U.S. Department of Education. "There are questions about building the capacity to implement what works, building the capacity to measure, check, and adapt to changes."
The initiative, expected to be launched in 2014, would award four-year grants of up to $1.5 million each, though there's no word yet on how many would be awarded. The IES wants researchers to focus on supportive school climates, high school transitions, or access to postsecondary education.
The initiative would build in part on a slew of new research models. They include"design-based implementation research"—being developed at Vanderbilt University's National Center on Scaling Up Effective Schools, in Nashville, Tenn., and SRI International's Center for Technology in Learning, in Menlo Park, Calif.—and the "rapid prototyping" models tested at the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, in Stanford, Calif., and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, in Cambridge, Mass.
In both models, researchers and districts work together over years to identify and test solutions for specific problems.
'Iterative' Research
"[In] a typical research project, here's my research question; I'm going to answer my research question. This is much more iterative, developed collaboratively, and you're not sure how it's going to go or what the time frame is," said Bridget T. Long, a Harvard University education economist and the president of the National Board for Education Sciences, which advises the IES and discussed the proposed initiative at a meeting here in Washington on Oct. 5.
Mr. Easton said the initiative would focus on cycles of improvement, in which researchers develop, test, and tweak interventions in the classroom or school context. ("Researchers Seek Faster Answers to Innovation Questions," Jan. 12, 2011.)
For example, NBES member Hirokazu Yoshikawa, the academic dean at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, said he used rapid prototyping, which includes 90-day, intervention-testing cycles, to adapt a teacher professional-development program in Chile.
The method was, Mr. Yoshikawa said, "spectacularly successful in achieving buy-in and local ownership, but also, from a scientific standpoint, getting to a part of the science that I don't think we'd ever gotten to, which is how do you track the day-to-day or week-to-week improvement process?"
"It creates local tests of change," he said, "and it's the practitioners who develop those methods themselves."
The projects would also focus on systemwide interventions, "examining how components of systems work together to generate desired outcomes," according to the draft request for proposals.
Prior federal research has pointed to local context as a sticking point for scaling up successful educational interventions. Recent federal longitudinal studies of school improvement found district policies and supports can mean the difference between schools that turn around and those that struggle.
Careful Collaboration
Anthony S. Bryk, an NBES member and the president of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, likened continuous-improvement research to the Toyota auto company's famed "total quality management" system, in which any worker can stop the factory line if he spots a problem.
"What is the problem we're trying to solve, what and why is the change we're putting in place, and how will we know if that change is an improvement?" Mr. Bryk said, describing the approach continuous-improvement research takes.
"That's a very different way of thinking about the work," he said. "It's seeing improvement as a learning journey, rather than the way most districts see it as, 'Well, we have this new idea, I have to roll it out fast, implement it at scale, and most of my attention is on crisis intervention.' "
Barbara Means, the director of SRI International, cautioned that the federal research agency will have to structure the grants to force educators and researchers to be equal collaborators, in which "neither can totally steer the ship, but both must be accountable."
The IES has already been building up the supply of research partnerships that might be capable of taking up the work. The new network of federally financed regional educational laboratories has developed some 70 research alliances involving states, districts, and researchers.
"What's become really clear is this is really hard work," said Ruth C. Neild, the commissioner of the National Center on Education Evaluation, part of the IES. "Engaging over a sustained time is harder for researchers, harder for districts and states, but we think the rewards will be greater."
If successful, said NBES member Robert Granger, the president of the New York City-based William T. Grant Foundation, the initiative could produce a new gold-standard model for education research, akin to the IES' original focus on randomized controlled trials, but "where the gold standard isn't to run a trial; the gold standard is seeing consistent results across a number of conditions."
Vol. 32, Issue 08, Page 10Published in Print: October 17, 2012, as IES to Start 'Continuous Improvement' Study Program
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Naropa University welcomes and celebrates our new president.
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Naropa University welcomes participants with disabilities. Please contact Dayna Larson or Stephanie Ramsey at 303-245-4618 or firstname.lastname@example.com before February 4, 2013, to inquire about accessibility and disability accommodations needed to participate fully in this event.
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Welcome to Web 3.0
At All Things Digital World Headquarters*, our huge staff of expert analysts** is always keeping track of two things: The latest trends in tech and media, and the latest jargon used to hype those trends.
This year, as we convene the seventh edition of D: All Things Digital, we think something major is happening at the intersection of tech and media, and we think it deserves its own new hyped-up name: Web 3.0. Yes, folks, we are declaring the Web 2.0 era over, because, well, when you run conferences and Web sites, you can say stuff like that.
But, if you read on a bit, you will see that we actually have some real, rational basis for believing that yet another seminal moment has arrived in the never-ending digital revolution that inspired us to launch this gathering. And, as you will observe over the next few days, we have assembled what we think is a stellar lineup of speakers to address this major change and other topics.
First, though, a few words about the elephant in the ballroom: The Great Recession. Or, as we like to call it on the AllThingsD.com Web site: The Econalypse. We started work on launching D during the last tech bust, and we believed then that — despite the very real economic woes afflicting the industry–the digital tidal wave sweeping the world wasn't stopping. In fact, it was during that last recession that the iPod, iTunes, Windows XP, Mac OS X and early social networking services, like Friendster and LinkedIn, were born.
We are painfully aware that this crisis is far worse–we work at a media company, after all, and media companies have been economic piñatas lately. We do not in any way underestimate the economic pain and danger still under way all over the world. But we still believe the digital tidal wave rolls on. And we are immensely grateful to all of you for continuing to attend D under these tough circumstances. In fact, your support has been so strong that we actually sold out a few days earlier this year than last.
So what's the seminal development that's ushering in the era of Web 3.0? It's the real arrival, after years of false predictions, of the thin client, running clean, simple software, against cloud-based data and services. The poster children for this new era have been the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch, which have sold 37 million units in less than two years and attracted 35,000 apps and one billion app downloads in just nine months.
The excitement and energy around the iPhone and the Touch–and the software and services being written for them–remind us of the formative years of the PC and PC software, in the early 1980s, or the early days of the Web in the mid-1990s.
It's a big deal.
But this is not just about one company, one platform or even one form factor. No, this new phenomenon is about handheld computers from many companies, with software platforms and distribution mechanisms tightly tied to cloud-based services, whether they are multi-player games, e-commerce offerings or corporate databases.
Already Palm, Research in Motion, Nokia, Microsoft and others are hot on Apple's tail. You will hear from them here at D. And a profusion of new devices, software development kits, app stores and cloud-based services has been announced in the teeth of the economic downturn.
Some of these handheld computers will make phone calls, but others won't. Some will fit in a pocket, but others will be tablets or even laptop-type clamshells. But, like the iPhone, all will be fusions of clever new hardware, innovative client software and powerful server-based components.
And media companies are on the case, too. You can already read The Wall Street Journal and other news sources, complete with photos and videos, on the iPhone, the BlackBerry and the Kindle, and new handheld devices are coming that are tailored to news. Our own AllThingsD iPhone app will be out by the time you read this. And consumers can stream radio and TV, and even follow live sports events, on pocket devices.
Over the next few days, you'll hear from Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, whose company makes software for both the new platforms and the traditional PCs they threaten. And the leaders of the hottest social network, Twitter, Evan Williams and Biz Stone, will talk about its future. Speaking of the future of social networking, we have invited News Corp. digital head Jon Miller and MySpace CEO Owen Van Natta, who were recently brought in to reinvigorate the media giant's business, to talk about how they plan to do just that.
You'll hear from new Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz, who's trying to deal with rivals and suitors just as the new era is dawning. Also on stage will be the leaders of some key companies making the handheld computers' hardware and software: Mike Lazaridis of RIM; Jon Rubinstein and Roger McNamee of Palm; and Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo of the worldwide mobile phone leader, Nokia.
From the telecom side, there'll be Randall Stephenson of AT&T. Cable pioneer and media mogul John Malone will offer his perspective on the future of television.
And, from the content world, we'll have Jeff Zucker of NBC, Irving Azoff of Ticketmaster, Mark Cuban of HDNet, blogging queen Arianna Huffington and Washington Post publisher Katharine Weymouth.
The leaders of Mozilla, Mitchell Baker and John Lilly, will talk about the role of Web browsers and open source. And playwright Eve Ensler will explain how all this shiny technology is tied, unwittingly, to a crisis thousands of miles away.
So sit back, open your minds, and get ready for Web 3.0.
*Actually, just a cottage in back of Kara's house.
**Actually, just a handful of journalists, a couple of editors, a geek and an intern, plus some business people.


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Last night on Facebook, I read something that rubbed me the wrong way. A peer, a woman I worked with for two months, posted a conversation she and her mother had had after seeing a yoga mat tucked into a Toys for Tots donation box. "That's not a Toy for Tots!" she cleverly quipped, "It's a Present for the Privileged." I wasn't sure how to articulate it at the time, but it bothered me, so I passive-aggressively posted a link to a blog that had gone viral about a woman finding quinoa in the food donation box at a school where well-heeled children attended. The blog, of course, was about not judging "those people" who receive food donations or welfare, in the face of blatantly prejudiced concerns about welfare moms toting iphone 6s while gaming the system for free WIC benefits and food stamps. The author had unexpectedly found herself in a position of using a food pantry previously, she writes, and far be it for us to assume who is at the other end of our donations. I didn't expect my former colleague to see herself in that story, but it set my brain on fire.
During the two months we worked side by side at a state-funded program for full-day pre-kindergarten for needy families, and children with developmental delays, she had lamented, while justifying why a professional woman holding a master's degree was still living with her parents, that in this economy, one could have a car, or an apartment, but not both. It's insulting not only because I was doing both at the time, but more so because the families we worked with, most of whom were single-parent and/or immigrant families, were struggling without the benefit of native English proficiency, white privilege, or higher education that she and I both enjoy.
Then there's her assumption itself, that a yoga mat is a privileged item, that yoga is a bourgeois pursuit, that a $10 yoga mat is an inappropriate gift item for a child in need. What, pray tell, would one rather choose for a 10- or 12-year-old girl? A piece of mass-produced commercialized plastic drek that will last no longer than Christmas morning? Whereas a yoga mat needs no batteries, no assembly, has no directions, and no limitations. Boys, girls, young and old. And, contrary to the assertion of another Facebook commenter, it can provide more than just a "clean surface to play on" over the presumed squalor of the recipient family's overcrowded tenement. My own kids, not even three, but already in the throes of pretended play, have commandeered my dormant yoga mats, and set them up as roadways for their cars, towels for their "beach" excursions, and blankets to hide in. A pair of pointe shoes or a riding helmet might be a White Elephant for an impoverished child, but a quick trip to the library would yield a DVD or a book of yoga poses to imitate.
Many years ago, around Christmas time, my mom read a "letter to Santa" in the local paper, written by a little girl whose family was in need. My siblings and I spent our first night of Hanukkah wrapping matchbox cars, Barbies, stuffed animals, winter coats, and an artificial Christmas tree. My mom played elf and delivered it all to the little girl's school. When we were talking about our first nights of Hanukkah at confirmation class the next day, I shared the warm, fuzzy feeling I had gotten from our act of charity. Cynically, one of my classmates posited that it had been a hoax designed to garner sympathy and free stuff.
Is my classmate the same kind of person who thinks a yoga mat is a trapping of the well-to-do, that charity should be practiced with a distinct separation between the stuff we use, and the stuff they're allowed to receive as gifts?
The social justice club at my school is collecting canned/boxed foods and free turkey certificates so that local aid organizations can give traditional thanksgiving meals to the hungry. What started as an effort by a small group of kids resulted in a school-wide donation of 30 boxes of canned food and 10 free turkey certificates. Due to the need for the stuff to be shelf-stable, most of the donations are the usual food pantry staples: mushy canned yams, canned corn, limp green beans, jellied cranberry sauce (with the ripples from the can), and boxes of instant mashed potatoes. I don't know of another way to collect and distribute food donations, but the result is that those have become poor people food. Those are the go-to donations. Alongside my jar of cranberries from Trader Joe's in the donation box was the 30-cent can of corn niblets I found at Giant.
The canned-corn-and-instant-potato-flakes stereotype speaks to the larger issue of access to fresh fruits and vegetables that is often lacking in "food deserts". Fresh food costs more, has to be stored differently, expires faster, and requires more time to prepare. But does that mean hungry people don't deserve quinoa or yoga mats? If we really want our charity to be meaningful, we should choose things we ourselves would use. There's a significant difference between donating canned caviar, and buying an extra jar of the same spaghetti sauce your family uses when it's 2/$5.
When we used to collect coats, hats, and mittens for a preschool service project, we would tell the kids it was for "friends we haven't met yet" to make charity accessible to a 3-year-old brain. That's all "those people" are — they're just friends we haven't met yet. I'd buy my friend a yoga mat, wouldn't you?


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Want another way to "relate" to your friends without actually saying a word? Desperate for validation before you blow 1/3 of your trust fund on Juicy Couture sweats and Dior charm bracelets? Magic Mirror is a new device being installed in Bloomingdales locations (with more retailers soon to follow suit) that allows a person to photograph herself in the dressing room, then send the image to others via text or email. The dressing room addition will supposedly make spending money more social, but we see it as a way for tech-savvy department-store employees to deter shoplifters and get their rocks off at the same time. Everybody wins!
Faster answers to whether you're stylin' [Atlanta Journal Constitution]