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ZSTrAnGE observations (Read 11120 times)
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Posts: 12
ZSTrAnGE observations
05/29/13 at 00:04:11
Hi everyone,
I'm the third owner of the ZSTAGE that was originally delivered to meraklya (Sean) in August 2012, went back for warranty service and came back to him two weeks later, and was later sold to Orangecrush (Will) in March 2013, who sold it to me three weeks ago. Amazingly, it's still in "Mint" condition - truly, it looks brand new - but I'm not selling it - not yet, anyway!
This poor thing has had a hard time finding a home, it seems, but I'm already feeling attached to it. Still, I've made some unexpected observations that are somewhat disconcerting.
First, let me proclaim that I am completely satisfied with the transaction I had with Orangecrush (Will) - no complaints, whatsoever. He sweetened the deal with a couple of PSVANE 12AU7s in addition to the stock JJ, I paid a lot less than what the bundle would have cost new, and I didn't have to wait three months.
Prior to this purchase, I've been a solid state guy. My goal in buying the ZSTAGE was (is) to make the following chain, which is fairly neutral and slightly laid back (fourth row seating), and lacking in both dynamics and bass energy, a lot warmer in the mids, more forward (front row), punchier, and hopefully, a little stronger in the bass:
WAV > Foobar 2000 w/WASAPI event > USB > CEntrance DACmini CX (line out) > Burson Soloist > Beyerdynamics T1
The ZSTAGE has been inserted ahead of the Burson Soloist, but on first receiving it, I was unimpressed. I had no reason to believe it wasn't working as designed and I'm still not convinced that it actually has a problem. It seems to be functioning perfectly, except for one annoying observation:
With the JJ 12AU7, for example, The ZSTAGE is supposed to permit a decrease or increase in dynamics, with a simultaneous decrease or increase in weight. Steve Deckert writes (in the ZSTAGE manual) that a
in dynamics and weight can be had by adjusting the ZSTAGE gain control to something
than unity gain (less than the DAC's output - as with the ZBOX), while volume-matching with the amp's volume control to maintain a desired SPL at the headphones or speakers. An
in dynamics and weight can be had by adjusting the ZSTAGE gain control to something
than unity gain (greater than the DAC's output), while volume-matching.
Quoting the ZSTAGE Owner's Manual:
Approximately 1/2 way up is unity meaning it is neither adding or subtracting gain.
Now, it's easy to understand that the point at which unity gain would occur could vary with the tube I'm using, especially if I were to use a 60 mu 12AT7 instead of a 20 mu 12AU7 - at least I think that's the case, as I've not yet tested any 12AT7 tubes.
Using an SPL meter (an iPhone app by JL Audio) and a white noise WAV file, I've determined that, with the stock JJ 12AU7, unity gain occurs just below 3:00 o'clock on the gain control of my ZSTAGE. Thus, nearly 75% of the range of adjustment available to me will only
gain to the amp (theoretically
dynamics and weight). Only the top 25% of the ZSTAGE's available range of gain control actually
the gain to the amp, (potentially
dynamics and weight), AND when ZSTAGE gain is turned all the way up (even a few degrees shy of maximum), I can hear distortion - unacceptable distortion.
Without explaining why I was asking, Burson support has responded to a query telling me that they've tested the Burson Soloist with inputs as high as 12Vrms, without any evidence of problems. CEntrance support has assured me that the line level output of the DACmini CX is 2.0Vrms, so I'm thinking that I'm somehow overdriving the JJ tube when ZSTAGE gain is set to maximum - rather than overdriving the Burson Soloist, but I really don't know for sure where the distortion is happening.
Keep in mind, however, that the ZSTAGE manual specifies it having an adjustable output of only 0 to 5 Vrms - far short of the Burson's claimed tolerance for 12Vrms.
One thing's for sure: I'm only able to use about 20% of the total adjustment range of the ZSTAGE gain knob for
the gain above unity gain, and thus, I have a very narrow range within which I have any hope of
dynamics and weight.
The result was that I really wasn't hearing much, if any, improvement in dynamics and weight, before I start getting distortion.
Rolling in either of the PSVANE 12AU7s yields the same results.
It then occurred to me that perhaps the ZSTAGE was just not happy with the DACmini CX' DAC section putting out 2.0Vrms (why not?), so I whipped out my trusty Sanza Clip+, which I once read has been measured with an output voltage (at full volume) of only 0.55Vrms.
Replacing the 2.0Vrms DACmini CX with the Sanza Clip+ did the trick! When I feed the ZSTAGE with the low, 0.55 Vrms output of the Sanza Clip+, "riding the gain" of the ZSTAGE actually makes a dramatic difference in dynamics and weight - a big difference from what I have been experiencing with the DACmini CX feeding the ZSTAGE with 2Vrms! Previously, my SPL meter evidenced unity gain occurring at just shy of 3 o'clock - using the DACMini CX and any of my three 12AU7 tubes.
But when using the 0.55Vrms Sanza Clip+, unity gain occurs with the ZSTAGE knob at only about 8 o'clock, which gives me more than 3/4 of the ZSTAGE gain adjustment range with which to
dynamics. I have to set the amp's volume much higher than when using the 2Vrms DACmini CX, but the weaker 0.55Vrms output of the Clip+ permits a much larger adjustment range on the up side of unity gain, vs. on the down side of unity gain - and I haven't detected any noise problems that could be associated with driving the amp with less gain.
Best of all, when I spin the ZSTAGE knob fully clockwise (and turn down the Soloist's volume control to maintain a desired SPL), I'm no longer getting
of the distortion I was hearing with the knob near or right at maximum gain, where it was especially noticeable in the bass.
Given that ZSTAGE specs show a maximum output of 5Vrms, I'm (somewhat) convinced that the distortion I was hearing with the DACmini CX when ZSTAGE gain was at or near its maximum was coming from the ZSTAGE itself - as if the ZSTAGE does not like having an input as high as 2Vrms. It is MUCH happier with an input of 0.55Vrms, where I hear no distortion at any gain setting.
The lower output voltage of the Sanza Clip+ has converted the ZSTAGE from being nothing more than a tube buffer (offering no gain) into the gain stage it was designed to be - offering a great deal of sonic tailoring, just by "riding the gain." (Not to mention tube rolling.)
So... With this observation, I ordered some (inline) 6dB Harrison Attenuators to bring down the DACmini CX output, when using it to drive the ZSTAGE. They're working great with the DACmini CX line level output reduced by 6dB. Unity gain with the DACmini CX is now at about 7:30 on the ZSTAGE gain adjustment, instead of at 3:00, with no distortion heard at maximum gain - making the DACmini CX output more like that of the Clip+.
Since installing the Harrison Attenuators, I've ordered two more 12AU7s - a Siemens and Radiotechnique, and they, too, just as with the stock JJ and the two PSVANE's, are a lot happier when the DACMini CX line level is attenuated. Keep in mind that I'm getting almost exactly the same gain from the 6dB attenuated DACmini CX as I get with the Sanza Clip+, so it's not as if the DACmini CX was somehow putting out a lot more than 2.0Vrms. No... my ZSTAGE just can't handle 2.0Vrms of input voltage. It's much happier with 0.50Vrms.
So, now I'm waiting on my first 12AT7 - a Mullard. At 60 mu vs. the 12AU7s' 20 mu, I'm wondering if I will hear distortion and where exactly unity gain will be with the 12AT7 rolled in.
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Posts: 1833
Re: ZSTrAnGE observations
Reply #1 -
05/29/13 at 02:50:20
Since you asked for comments I will say that you might find the 12AT7 to upend all your calculations and tweaking. It will give a lot more gain quicker - most likely quicker than you need.
You may want to stick with the 12AU7 family. I have used 5814 in the ZSTAGE as well as a 5963. I am currently using a Phillips Holland 7062 E180CC and it performs extremely well.
I think you might have a synergy issue rather than the specs of these pieces of equipment fighting each other.
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Re: ZSTrAnGE observations
Reply #2 -
05/29/13 at 04:40:23
Thanks for the quick reply!
I hear you regarding the possibility of a synergy issue. I could try using some other DACs and amps, to rule this out, but everything I have is solid state.
Is it possible that tube amps are somehow more sensitive/responsive to varying input voltages than solid state amps?
I know that 12AT7s have three times the gain of a 12AU7, but I don't know that this will put me back into getting distortion when the ZSTAGE gain is set to maximum - with or without the 6dB of input attenuation. I'm only guessing, but I suspect that as long as my ZSTAGE is only seeing a 0.5Vrms input when using the 12AT7, I won't hear any distortion at the far end - assuming, of course, that the ZSTAGE output doesn't exceed whatever the Burson Soloist can handle (which, according to Burson support, is something greater than or equal to 12Vrms).
For sure, I'll get a more rapid change per degree of arc as I adjust the ZSTAGE gain knob, than when using a 12AU7.
I will follow-up later, but thanks very much for your recommendations. I'm stumbling along here, just trying to figure out how it is that other ZSTAGE owners are getting no distortion in the absence of 6dB attenuators.
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Posts: 2263
Re: ZSTrAnGE observations
Reply #3 -
05/29/13 at 18:02:17
Interesting observations guys. From my experience with the Zstage, I am thinking this is technical stuff and synergy.
I don't really remember at what point on the knob my Zstage got overdriven with the ZDAC which is I believe 1.8v out. I ran mostly 12AT7s with it and imagine it could get to a point of distortion, but I don't recall getting upset that I could not go past say 3pm. I seem to remember the most useful range sound-wise being between about 10AM and 2PM with it, and depending on the recording, the area that was neutral sounding roughly between 11-1. This neutral area depended on tubes too, some making it darker/warmer and some leaner/brighter, but generally this area would cover most recordings and I could then weigh toward pushing the Zstage harder or running it leaner depending on taste for that recording and that day.
I suspect the unity gain is dependent on source, and there is no doubt the Zstage circuit gets overwhelmed in my system with more gain from the source and/or more gain in the Zstage itself.
My Tranquility DAC is I believe around 2.25v and it made my useful range on the Zstage volume knob notably lower than with the ZDAC. With this issue, and my tube selection being mostly the hotter 12AT7 (though I could attenuate the signal into the Zstage by software volume reduction in my PureMusic player) I just stopped using the Zstage with the Tranquility finding the sound improvement versus degradation with the Tranquility sort of borderline... some aspects a little better and some a little worse....I do have tubes in my amp though so my use of the Zstage was not necessarily about tube sound.
This was of course within my system synergy, and with the 12AT7 choices I had. Preferring 12AT7s with the ZDAC initially, I followed that direction and only had a few 12AU7s and a good selection of AT7s. I did not like the 12AU7s I had as well with the ZDAC. With the Tranquility, I seemed to like the RCA cleartop 12AU7 best, but did not love the combo enough to use it.
Now with Jupiter caps in the Zstage (really good...very open and revealing with a natural organic quality that keeps the edges friendly) and with more 12AU7s, I have been running the Zstage with the Tranquility happily, glad to have my gain riding adjustability back.
But even with the 12AU7s and the Tranquility, to get my favorite sound range from the Zstage, on hot recordings, I need to cut back the software pre in PureMusic by 2-3 Db to allow me to get the gain on the Zstage up to 2:30 - 3 PM without distortion...and interestingly, 2:30 is still about as high as I like to take it in terms of its shift to the darker/heavier side of neutrality in my current system.
How this software pre being before the source equates with an attenuater after the source I can't say. With 12AT7s I have to run the software pre down by 6 Db to keep my favorite useful range on the Zstage (maybe 10-2:00). I have not explored 12AT7s as much as 12Au7s since I got the "new" Zstage (modded with Jupiter beeswax caps) and subsequently finding definate benefits of the Zstage after the Tranquility. I do like 12AT7s still, and the additional gain over the 12AU7 as reflected in volume and distortion is not as much as I might have expected, so I find them easy enough to use in the Zstage. This is with the ability to attenuate the signal though. Without attenuation, 12AT7s and the Tranquility are not great together...too little gain before distortion.... Sound-wise, 12AT7s do push harder though, and will therefore reflect sound quality issues more than the gentler 12AU7 family. Where I definitely preferred the AT with the ZDAC, I like them with the Tranquility also, but with the open transparency of the Tranquility, the synergy thing is perhaps more important.
With your 6db attenuator you might or might not get distortion with 12AT7s, and the knob way up, but the question is, does it matter in your system. Do you get enough of the range off neutral to utilize the benefits of Zstage well. It is all so dependent on so many things...but from my system/room, I guess I can imagine that one may want to drive the Zstage to max, but here, that is not a great sound.
Within the useful range, the effects of gain riding with the amp and Zstage it is pretty clear....riding up the Zstage does bring weight and a denser/darker tonal range, and riding it down will reduce weight and open/brighten the sound. But what happens when you introduce other attenuators? Like the Harrison, or in my case, the Pure Music pre? Sound-wise, the Pure pre seems designed to be transparent, and may be close to that...functioning more as a volume control. In this case it would appear that they have compensated somehow to eliminate electronic adjustments/influences like the Zstage uses to do its magic.
Zilch0, can you hear the Harrison attenuator you got at all. I find this an interesting approach.
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Re: ZSTrAnGE observations
Reply #4 -
05/29/13 at 22:51:39
Thanks very much for that detailed reply, Will!
I can say that your experience brings me some satisfaction in that it leads me to believe there's nothing wrong with my ZSTAGE - that it's reasonable to experience some distortion when the gain knob is at or near maximum with an input voltage near 2Vrms.
I'm especially assuaged by your use of software attenuation to accomplish pretty much the same thing as I've done with the Harrison Attenuators.
You've also satisfied my curiosity about what to expect when my Mullard 12AT7 arrives. It seems I might have to apply even more attenuation going in to the ZSTAGE, if I'm to enjoy a large adjustment range on the gain control. Otherwise, I could find myself back to having a very narrow arc within which gain exceeds unity gain while not causing distortion. I will post my findings later, once the 12AT7 has arrived and I've burned it in.
Answering your question, I'm convinced that the Harrison Attenuators are wonderfully transparent. I've used them before and have never found fault with them. They come in different "strengths," so they might not perform as well at higher attenuation levels, but the 6 dB versions sound very clean to me - with no coloration or noise of any kind. but I've never really dug deeply into A/B testing them at different frequencies, so YMMV. Just to avoid any noise vulnerability along my interconnect cables between DAC and ZSTAGE, I've got them mounted at the input jacks of the ZSTAGE - not at the output jacks of my DAC.
How this software pre being before the source equates with an attenuater after the source I can't say.
I can't say with certainty, but I'm concerned that you might be reducing your bit depth by using software to reduce the output voltage of your DAC. I know that most DAC manufacturers prefer that you maximize the "volume" in your OS and/or player software (Foobar, etc.) because dynamics can be reduced with a reduction of bit depth.
Thanks again for you input!
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Re: ZSTrAnGE observations
Reply #5 -
05/30/13 at 07:21:42
If I recall correctly the Zstage is rated to 2v input max. I don't know what in it overloads, and yours may not get into distortion with the 6 db attenuator even with the 12AT7. I look forward to your thoughts on that tube when it gets burned in. I have a Mullard /Blackburn 12AT7 that I like...warm with good detail. Also found a Zaerix labeled pair from a Ukrainian seller that is exactly the same tube and was dirt cheap.
Thanks for the thoughts on the transparency of the Harrison attenuator. I think I will order a pair to explore.
Also thanks for the caution on software attenuation. I am not very up on the software tech stuff, but PureMusic is a pretty sophisticated software which I have found I like the sound of quite a bit once I learned how to adjust all the various parameters to fit the best case tech objectives, and my tastes.
I can't say if I am lowering bit depth by software volume reduction. As far as I can tell from the instructions and sound though, I think I may be OK. At first I avoided any messing with dithering wanting the purest setup with my DAC. But as I got to know the software, I found that I generally agreed with the software makers sonic decisions and learned their tools. The program runs at 64 bits and does all dithering at 64 bit, so when the gain is set to be dithered, I think it is processed at 64 bits for whatever sampling you have it set for in relationship to the DAC. I do get nervous about reducing the gain with Pure though as I have never figured out clearly if there is not some minor sonic sacrifice. That said, the way I have it set up, I prefer it over what seems to be the favorite Mac software player these days...Audirvana Plus.
Any more thoughts are welcome.
Looking forward to your explorations.
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Re: ZSTrAnGE observations
Reply #6 -
05/30/13 at 23:49:35
Hi Will,
From the sounds of it, it's possible that your software is smart enough to avoid reducing bit depth when adjusting the "volume" sent to the DAC. I really can't contribute much more to reassure you, but I do know that you'll want to keep your OS volume control turned all the way up, in any case, as
will definitely reduce bit depth, and therefore dynamics.
I suspect the Mullard 12AT7 that I've ordered from Brent Jesse is the same one you are using. Here is his description of the tube:
12AT7 Mullard 1965 dated, selected and audio quality screened for Wollensak-3M
New Old Stock whitebox. "Wing shaped" riveted greyplates, fine old British tubes. These rare tubes all have the same 1965 Blackburn UK Mullard factory date codes, and were screened for use in Wollensak 3M audio and recording equipment, and have the Wollensak-3M label. They also have the B date codes and "Made in Great Britain" on the glass. Job-boxed for repair service use, but never used. They were carefully stored, and now, 50 years later, they still test and sound as fresh as the day they were made. Don't miss out on these absolutely NOS tubes that are fantastic in guitar amps as well as the most revealing audio and professional recording equipment!
It should be here soon, so I'll be sure to follow-up with my findings. I'm as much interested in the warmth it will bring to my somewhat cold Beyerdynamic T1 as I am interested in finding out how it behaves in the ZSTAGE, being that it is a 60 mu tube, with three times the gain of a 20 mu 12AU7. I'm really encouraged by your use of this tube (or 12AT7's in general).
More later!
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Re: ZSTrAnGE observations
Reply #7 -
05/31/13 at 16:08:20
Yes the OS volume is up, and most OS system and audio bypassed for optimal music playing. Not sure from the Mullard description if this is the same tube or not. They made a lot of tubes! But of the few Mullards I have tried, the 12AT7, some 6DJ8s and 6922s, they did make really good sounding tubes by my tastes. The higher output of the AT7 will show up for you, but maybe not quite as expected... I look forward to your thoughts and hope the tube sounds good in your system...
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MONTREAL — If Joseph Di Maulo did try to manage the mess that was the Mafia in Montreal over the past few years, he might have paid the ultimate price for doing so.
The 70-year-old Di Maulo, better known simply as Joe, was gunned down in front of his home in Blainville Sunday night.
He had kept a relatively low profile for decades, but early in 2011, a few police sources expressed surprise when his name was often mentioned as being part of a small group of men with diverse underworld backgrounds who were trying to reach a consensus on who should take the reins of the Mafia in Montreal.
Vito Rizzuto, 66, the man alleged to have held that position for years, was serving a lengthy sentence in the U.S. at the time. (Rizzuto was released and deported to Canada last month and appears to have returned to Montreal about two weeks ago.)
Rizzuto's father, Nicolo (Zio Cola) Rizzuto, 86, had been killed inside his home on Nov. 10, 2010, and it appeared that the Mafia in this city was a rudderless ship.
In the months that followed the octogenarian's death, police learned Salvatore (Sal the Ironworker) Montagna, a former interim leader in the Bonanno family in New York, tried to fill the void and sought the support of influential people within the Rizzuto organization, including Di Maulo.
According to the book Mafia Inc. — by authors André Cédilot and André Noel — Montagna approached the elder Rizzuto just before he was killed, "telling the patriarch that his reign was over." Montagna, 40, was murdered a year later, allegedly by long-time Rizzuto family associate Raynald Desjardins, 59, who is currently charged with the murder.
In December, another of the men who was reportedly part of that group seeking consensus, Antonio (Tony Suzuki) Pietrantonio, 49, survived a shooting in the Villeray district.
The only person from that group who appeared unscathed was Di Maulo — until Sunday.
"Maybe he was killed for having done nothing," one police source speculated on Monday.
The source said Di Maulo might have had to explain, to people loyal to the Rizzuto organization, why Nicolo Rizzuto was killed at a time when Di Maulo had considerable influence within the mob.
Police sources interviewed Monday noted the similarities in how Rizzuto and Di Maulo were killed, which may suggest a tit-for-tat message.
Di Maulo was killed five days from the anniversary of Rizzuto's murder and both men were killed at their homes while their wives were present, normally considered verboten in Mafia tradition.
No arrests were made in connection with Di Maulo's murder as of Monday evening. The Sûreté du Québec brought in a dog to search the area surrounding Di Maulo's home, on Du Blainvillier St., and were canvassing neighbours in an effort to find witnesses.
Di Maulo purchased the home in 2003 and appeared content to keep a low profile in the years that followed. The home, estimated to be worth more than $640,000 in the most recent municipal evaluation, was part of a residential project designed to be surrounded by the tall trees that border the Blainvillier Country Club golf course. In 2006, Sûreté du Québec officers executing a search warrant at an office belonging to Di Maulo on Jarry St. in Montreal found a revolver inside a safe. He was charged with illegal possession of a firearm, but quietly resolved the case by pleading guilty and agreeing to pay a $2,000 fine.
According to court documents released in Project Colisée, the extensive RCMP investigation that significantly weakened the Rizzuto organization in 2006, Di Maulo's name came up only within the context of a dispute. In 2005, leaders in the Rizzuto clan tried to resolve a problem involving their own people and a group of drug smugglers based in Granby. The potentially explosive conflict involved a multi-million dollar marijuana deal that had gone bad. Di Maulo was recording offering help to resolve the situation but was turned down by Francesco Arcadi, 59, then the street boss of the Rizzuto organization, because he claimed to have things under control.
Police were aware of Di Maulo's influence within the Mafia as far back as November 1973. Despite being relatively young at the time, he was seen travelling to New York as members of the Bonanno crime family in that city were preparing to vote on a new leader.
Just nine months before making the trip to New York, Di Maulo was acquitted of murder in Montreal. He had been the manager of the Casa Loma Café, a nightclub on Ste. Catherine Ste. E., when three men were killed there on March 12, 1971. Di Maulo was initially convicted of murdering one of the men, but he appealed and a new trial was ordered. During the second trial, a judge declared testimony from witnesses was tainted and instructed the jury hearing the second trial to acquit Di Maulo and two other men.
The book Mafia, Bandes de Motards et Traffic de Drogue, written by former RCMP analyst Pierre de Champlain, provides another example of Di Maulo's influence. De Champlain describes how Di Maulo was involved in a dispute, during the late-1970s, with another man considered to be a leader in the Cotroni family. The conflict involved drug trafficking turf and control over a union representing downtown hotel and restaurant employees. Frank Cotroni, one of the leaders in the organization that bore his name, had to intervene, by telephone, while he was serving time in a penitentiary in Pennsylvania for drug trafficking. When the dust settled in 1979, Di Maulo appeared to emerge as the winner. Di Maulo's daughter and one of Cotroni's sons later married in 1990.
pcherry@ montrealgazette.com

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Zeeself (ジーゼルフ Jīzerufu) was the Guild Master of Red Lizard, a Mage Guild situated on Tenrou Island.[1] He was killed in a guild war against a rival guild, Blue Skull.[2]
Zeeself was a rather tall, dark-skinned man with long legs and a triangular-shaped torso with wide-set shoulders. He had dark, receding hair that was kept cropped short to his head, a long nose and a large, jutting chin covered in a trimmed beard. His light-colored eyes appeared droopy, with the left one being circled by a tattoo that ran down the side of his face.[1]
Zeeself donned a light-colored shirt with rolled sleeves under a collared vest and cape, with dark pants and a long, cloth belt. On his feet were a simple pair of boots.[3]
Zeeself was seen to be a cruel and demanding man, behaving in a taunting way towards Mavis Vermilion, a six year old girl who he treated like a slave of sorts. He was not past playing wicked games with the child for the purpose of his own entertainment, such as giving Mavis items and then demanding them back for seemingly no reason.[4]
Despite his behavior towards Mavis, Zeeself was seen to have a kind side, particularly where his daughter Zera was involved, as he would openly behave affectionately towards her, praise her and give her gifts.[5]
Tenrou Jade arc
At some point during his time as Guild Master of Red Lizard, Zeeself realized that Mavis Vemilion's deceased parents owed him a debt, and made the girl stay in the guild cleaning, doing laundry and shopping in order for her to work back the money he was owed.[6]
Some time later, in the Red Lizard Guild, Zeeself caught Mavis Vermilion reading a book by herself in a corner, and angrily slapped it from her hands, demanding to know why she wasn't cleaning. When Mavis replied that she had finished her chores, Zeeself lifted her by the scruff of her collar and told her to not play smart, and made her clean the outside of the guild hall. After destroying her book and listening to his guild members taunt the little girl, Zeeself asked Mavis where she got her shoes. Mavis responded that he gave them to her, and a smirking Zeself demanded she return them. Mavis tried to explain that she has no other shoes, but Zeeself yelled at her for disobeying his orders, and, taking the boot, kicked the girl outside to clean.[7]
A little while after, Zeeself's daughter Zera returned to the guild after school and Zeeself rushed to meet her, hugging her close and praising her as she said that school is too easy for her. The man then offered Zera the shoes he recently took from Mavis, though Zera, realizing their previous owner, rejected them, stating that she didn't want to get nasty germs. Realizing his mistake, Zeeself hastily apologized to his daughter.[5]
Later that night, Zeeself's guild was attacked by another guild called Blue Skull. Despite fighting to fend them off, Zeeself perished in the battle along with everyone in the town.[8]
Magic and Abilities
Fire Magic (火の魔法 Hi no Mahō): Zeeself is shown to be capable of using this type of Magic, being able to produce fire from his hands and feet.[9]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Fairy Tail Zero Manga: Chapter 1, Page 3
- ↑ Fairy Tail Zero Manga: Chapter 1, Page 11
- ↑ Fairy Tail Zero Manga: Chapter 1, Page 4
- ↑ Fairy Tail Zero Manga: Chapter 1, Pages 3-4
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Fairy Tail Zero Manga: Chapter 1, Page 6
- ↑ Fairy Tail Zero Manga: Chapter 1, Page 7
- ↑ Fairy Tail Zero Manga: Chapter 1, Pages 3-5
- ↑ Fairy Tail Zero Manga: Chapter 1, Page 16
- ↑ Fairy Tail Anime: Episode 266


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Food & Drink
One of the coolest airline museums you've never heard of
By Thom Patterson, CNN • Updated 26th August 2014
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Everything about the rebooted Delta Flight Museum screams, "AIRPLANES!"
Even outside its entrance, I'm greeted by aviation decorations. Lined up in a row like Roman columns are three struts of Boeing 757 landing gear embedded into the front of the building.
Welcome to the Delta Flight Museum, home to some of the airline industry's historic jewels, including a first-of-its-kind aircraft that pioneered the sophisticated planes we fly on today.
This could be the best aviation museum you've never heard of. I'm champing at the bit to see a few highlights, including:
• The cockpit from the first Convair 880-22, once the world's fastest airliner
• A nose-to-wing section of the first L-1011 TriStar that served as a Hollywood movie set
Take an inside look at the new flight museum at Delta Headquarters, and fly the 737 simulator
• The airline's beloved "Spirit of Delta," a huge 1980s-era Boeing 767
• Arguably the world's most meticulously restored DC-3, among history's most important airliners
Yep, it's enough to make an aviation geek play hooky and get lost among all the sleek, metallic technology.
But this place also appeals to nonaviation aficionados, thanks to its collection of stylish luggage and Delta uniforms. Then there's the museum's JFK airport rescue project. I'll tell you about that in a minute.
For years access to the museum was limited to Delta employees and their friends. But last summer the airline closed it for a complete overhaul. In June, it opened to the public for the first time.
Appropriately, the museum takes up two hangars on Delta's corporate headquarters, next to Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. Once you step inside, you're met with an amazing 1940 DC-3 airliner called Ship 41. When sunlight pours through the hangar windows, it bounces off the aluminum surface of this twin-propeller tail-dragger.
Beginning in the mid-1930s, more than 14,000 commercial and military versions of the plane came off the Douglas Aircraft production lines, popularizing airline travel across much of America. Each DC-3 seated from 21 to 24 passengers. Astonishingly, hundreds are still flying worldwide today thanks to an airframe that pilots describe as one of the toughest ever.
The unbelievable airliner that just won't quit
Restoring this silver-skinned beauty was a triumph for a handful of retired Delta employees, who took it apart and rebuilt it in the 1990s, returning it to nearly as good as new. "No other DC-3 in the world has been restored with such attention to detail," says the museum website. Delta says Ship 41 is the first aircraft to earn an award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Take a video tour inside the meticulously refurbished airliner
Next, take a walk through a darkened, circular portal and emerge into another hangar. Suddenly, you're sharing a room with a quarter-million-pound, five-story-tall Delta Boeing 767-232.
It's right there in front of you, fully accessible for avgeeks who can't help caressing its underbelly and nuzzling up to its twin General Electric CF6-80A engines.
A few interesting facts about this plane:
• In a gesture of solidarity, Delta employees raised $30 million to purchase it for the airline during tough economic times in 1982.
• With a capacity of 204 passengers and six crew members, the plane flew until 2006 before retiring to the museum.
• When you get on board, you walk through a first class section that's frozen in time. The armrests include passenger phones and audio controls. The bulkheads are decorated with pinstripes. A video screen is mounted on the wall. The sound system uses speakers mounted in the overhead bins. In the rear, the plane becomes a mini-museum, with displays featuring items like airline uniforms and insignia pins.
Just steps away sits the cockpit from the first Convair 880-22, serial number 01.
The Convair 880 flew "like a sports car — like a Porsche," said Capt. Frank Bottoms Sr., a retired Delta pilot.
Alan Morton
The Convair 880 was an unsung airliner classic, flying for Delta from 1960 to 1973. It was good enough for the king of rock 'n' roll.
Elvis bought one in 1975,
naming it for his daughter, Lisa Marie, and painting on the letters "TCB." Just a little reminder that the plane was "Takin' care of business."
The museum's Convair 880 cockpit was the nerve center for the very first 880 test plane. Later the aircraft joined the fleet at TWA.
"Some of the other jets we'd compare to pickup trucks, but this was like a sports car -- like a Porsche," Capt. Frank Bottoms Sr., a retired Delta Convair 880 pilot, told me.
Like a Porsche, the jet was a speed demon, with a cruising speed of 586 mph, according to the museum. In 1959, the 880 was
known as the fastest airliner in the world
, according to Popular Mechanics. Three years later, Delta set a commercial speed record with an 880, hitting 715 mph, according to the museum. That's fast even by today's standards.
As Bottoms flew 880s in the '60s and '70s between Houston, New York, Chicago and Miami, the plane "was something you were proud to be in," he recalled, calling it "the cream-of-the-crop" airliner. "The passengers loved it, and we loved it."
The museum also contains another piece of airline history you can't find anywhere else: a nose-to-wing section of the very first Lockheed L-1011 TriStar, serial number 1001.
Oh, if this triple-engined jet could talk!
It might tell stories about the test flights it flew for Lockheed in the 1970s. Or it might reveal tales about when it served as a movie set for 1992's "Passenger 57," starring Wesley Snipes, and Bill Murray's "Quick Change" from 1990.
Pilots loved the L-1011 for its efficiency and reduced engine noise. For a while, it was sometimes called the Whisperliner.
Bottoms, who also flew L-1011s, said both planes were so reliable they could almost land themselves under the right conditions. "They were such stable airplanes -- no wild gyrations of having to move the controls," he said.
The museum has the nose-to-wing section of the first Lockheed TriStar L-1011 -- serial number 1001 -- a model that saw its heyday during the 1970s and '80s.
The museum offers several handy touchscreens with all kinds of cool data about the planes. But the best interactive exhibit is an actual flight deck simulator that was used to train Delta 737-200 pilots. If you're over age 16, a
rare opportunity to "fly" the simulator for 45 minutes will cost you about $400
As you exit through the gift shop, notice another piece of history hanging above the doorway: a sign that reads simply, "Delta Air Lines."
It doesn't mean much, until you know where it came from. It was a rescue.
Delta saved the sign from the now-demolished Worldport, aka Terminal 3, at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport. Built by Pan Am in 1960, the flying saucer-shaped building became
a symbol of the excitement and glamor surrounding the early days of the Jet Age
Delta operated the terminal after Pan Am folded in 1991 until the airport tore it down in 2013 to create an aircraft parking lot.
The sign was too important to leave behind. It's "iconic and seemed to beg to be preserved," said Delta's Ashley Black.
Delta rescued its gigantic sign from the wrecking ball at JFK's stylish Worldport terminal. It's "iconic and seemed to beg to be preserved," said Delta's Ashley Black.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Workers carefully took it apart and trucked it nearly a thousand miles to Atlanta, where Delta's Technical Ops Center refurbished it to like-new condition, rewiring it with LED lighting.
It all adds up to a surprising number of one-of-a-kind exhibits for a small museum tucked between the airline's corporate offices.
Even for folks who don't get all hot and bothered about airplanes, it's a spot worth visiting during a long airport layover.
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Top execs at big five health insurers pull in millions
Health care reform, new Wall Street regulations and outrage over large pay packages are likely to put pressure on compensation for health insurance executives.
But it doesn't seem to have happened yet.
The highest-paid executive at each of the "Big Five'' health insurers - UnitedHealth Group, Aetna Inc., WellPoint Inc., Humana Inc. and Cigna Corp. - made more than $8 million in 2012, according to filings this spring with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The CEO of EmblemHealth Inc., a nonprofit that owns ConnectiCare, also had total compensation at that level in 2011, the last year for which information is available.
Pay for top management teams - the five highest-paid executives at each company - ranged from $21 million at Humana to $47 million at United Health. Compensation includes salary, bonus, stock gifts and options granted that year, non-equity pay and benefits.
WellPoint, which owns Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Connecticut, insures more state residents - 1.2 million - than any other company, according to the Connecticut Department of Insurance. Compensation for its top five executives totaled $41 million.
"The public wants money to go to health care services," said Ken Ferrucci, senior vice president of government affairs at the Connecticut State Medical Society. "It's very frustrating. When I have conversations with physicians, they think about services they could provide with that money."
Compensation packages at corporations across all industries have come under close scrutiny in recent years. Pay generally is based on a company's performance, but some critics question whether health care should be different. The system, they say, rewards executives for raising premiums, reducing coverage and denying claims in order to strengthen their bottom line.
"The thing about health care is we're dealing with people's lives. There's an economic dimension and a moral dimension," said Janet Davenport, vice president for communications at the Universal Health Care Foundation in Meriden. When pay is tied to financial performance, doing well means saving money by denying claims, she said.
"It's a system that's designed with perverse incentives," she said. "It's a system that's designed not to pay for care."
The insurers argue that top pay gets top executives. These jobs are difficult and personally demanding, and pay has to be competitive. In 2012, according to Equilar, an executive compensation data firm, health care executives - including health insurance - were the highest paid on average across all industries.
Robert Zirkelbach, spokesman for America's Health Insurance Plans, a national trade association representing the health insurance industry, said compensation for health insurance executives should be no different than for executives at other companies. "The rules ... should be consistent across all industries," he said.
Companies are feeling the heat. Equilar says they are spending more space in their filings explaining compensation packages. They also are proactively reaching out to shareholders to answer questions and respond to criticisms - especially in the wake of "say on pay" legislation that gives shareholders an advisory vote on compensation. And they are linking compensation more closely to management performance.
The Affordable Care Act limits the amount of money an insurer can spend on overhead - non-medical -- costs. Some activists are optimistic that it will help to contain executive compensation. Lisa Lindsley, director of capital strategies for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, said that will depend on how "non-medical costs" are defined and how insurance companies choose to distribute their overhead costs.
"It's one thing to say, 'Do CEOs of health care companies need to make a fair wage to attract talented management.' It's another thing to make millions and millions of dollars," she said. She said that when companies benchmark against each other, compensation spirals out of control. "No one wants to be average," Lindsley said.
Ferrucci hopes the growth of nonprofit insurance exchanges will transform the way the for-profit companies do business. There seems to be a growing understanding of the need for compensation that provides an incentive for quality care, he said.
The insurance companies do want to provide a good care, Ferrucci said. "It's in their best interest," he said. But he added that the consolidation of the insurance market has greatly reduced competition in Connecticut. Consumers have little choice, he said.
It's hard to say today how public pressure and new laws have affected compensation. Pay levels vary widely from company to company and from year to year, depending on how compensation packages are structured and how a company has performed. In addition, executives who've been in place several years tend to make more than those who have just joined a company.
Large severance packages and other unique circumstances can also skew numbers. The highest paid health insurance executive in 2012 was WellPoint's former chair, Angela Braly, whose $20.6 million compensation includes one-time payments resulting from her resignation in August 2012.
"In an ideal world, health care executives would be compensated based on health outcomes," said Tom Swan, executive director of the Connecticut Citizens Action Group. "I would much prefer to see something that really made their compensation be pegged to how healthy the policyholders were." Pay could be based on standards of care or other health metrics, he suggested.
"I view health care as more of a social insurance and a public need and less of a commodity. We should prioritize care and quality over profits," Swan said.
He expects to see change over the next several years as competition from nonprofit exchanges rises. Lindsley predicts that it will happen slowly - and unevenly. "If companies have a good year, all bets are off," she said.
At the Universal Health Care Foundation, Davenport argues that executives should be fairly compensated but adds that people have a right to quality, affordable health care. To say that high salaries detract from quality of care is too simplistic, she said, but it's emblematic of the way the system works.
"People don't begrudge good incomes. But when is enough ever enough?" she asked. "Insurers are definitely feeling the pressure. How they will respond is still in question."
This story was reported under a partnership with the Connecticut Health I-Team (www.c-hit.org


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Peer-Reviewed Publications
Found 5 resultsTitle
Filters: Author is Mathews, Emily A [Clear All Filters]
Evaluation of pediatric ATD biofidelity as compared to child volunteers in low-speed far-side oblique and lateral impacts." Traffic Inj Prev. 2014;15 Suppl 1:S206-14."
Electromyography responses of pediatric and young adult volunteers in low-speed frontal impacts." J Electromyogr Kinesiol. 2013;23(5):1206-14."
Evaluation of the hybrid III and Q-series pediatric ATD upper neck loads as compared to pediatric volunteers in low-speed frontal crashes." Ann Biomed Eng. 2013;41(11):2381-90."
The effect of pretensioning and age on torso rollout in restrained human volunteers in far-side lateral and oblique loading." Stapp Car Crash J. 2012;56:443-67."
Kinematic Comparison of the Hybrid III and Q-Series Pediatric ATDs to Pediatric Volunteers in Low-Speed Frontal Crashes." Ann Adv Automot Med. 2012;56:285-98."


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Another Case Solved
To the Editor:
Many thanks to Sheriff Dennis Goeders for his work in solving another case involving theft from a farm place. Even though my parents' farm is located at the very edge of Palo Alto County, his staff kept an eye on it, and when the thieves returned to the scene, they were nabbed! Thank you for protecting our community by getting these robbers out of commission.
(signed)?Anne Swift, Yankton, SD


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The New Life: Words of God for Young Disciples of Christ
BY Rev. Andrew Murray
Chapter 45 The Will of God
"Thy will be done, in earth as it is in heaven" kjv@Matthew:6:10.
The glory of heaven, where the Father dwells, is that His will is done there. He who wants to taste the blessedness of heaven must know the Father who is there, and do His will, as it is done in heaven.1
Heaven is an unending holy Kingdom, of which the throne of God is the central point. Around this throne there are innumerable multitudes of pure, free beings, all ordered under powers and dominions. An indescribably rich and many-sided activity fills their life. All the highest and noblest that keeps man occupied is but a faint shadow of what takes place in this heavenly world. All these beings possess their free personal will. However, the will has, by its own choice, become one with the holy will of the Father, so that, in the midst of a diversity that flashes out in a million forms, only one will is accomplished--the will of God. All the rich, blessed movement of the inhabitants of heaven has its origin and its aim in the will of God.
And why is it then that His children on earth do not regard this will as their highest joy? Why is it that the petition, "Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven," is often coupled with thoughts of the severe, trying elements in the will of God? Why is it coupled with thoughts of the impossibility of our continually rejoicing in God's will? It is because we do not take pains to know the will of God in its glory and beauty. It is also because we do not know His will as the origin of love, as the source of power and joy, and as the expression of the perfection of God. We think of God's will only in the law that He gave and that we cannot keep, or in the trials in which His will appears in conflict with our own. Let us no longer do this, but take pains to understand that, in the will of God, all His love and blessedness can be comprehended and understood by us.2
Hear what the Word says about the will of God and the glorious things that are destined for us in this Will.
"This is the will of my Father, that every one that seeth the Son and believeth on Him may have everlasting life" ( kjv@John:6:40). The will of God is the rescue of sinners by faith in Christ. He who surrenders himself to this glorious will to seek souls will have the assurance that God will bless his work to others--for he carries out God's will, even as Jesus did it.3
"It is not the will of your Father which is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish" ( kjv@Matthew:18:14). The will of God is the maintenance, the strengthening, and the keeping of the weakest of His children. What courage will he have who unites himself cordially with this will!
"This is the will of God, even your sanctification" ( kjv@1Thessalonians:4:3). With His whole heart, with all the power of His will, God is willing to make us holy. If we but open our heart and believe that it is not the law, but the will of God-- something He certainly gives and does if we permit Him--then we will rejoice that our sanctification is stable and sure.4
"In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you" ( kjv@1Thessalonians:5:18). A joyful, thankful life is what God has destined for us and is what He will work in us. That which He desires, He certainly does for those who do not resist Him but receive and allow His will to work in them.
We must surrender our spirit to be filled with the thought what God would have He will certainly bring to pass when we do not resist Him. And if we further consider how glorious and good and perfect the will of God is, then we will yield ourselves wholeheartedly so that this will may find its accomplishment in us.5
To this end, let us believe that the will of God is His love. Let us see what blessings in the Word are connected with the doing of this will.6 Let us think of the glory of heaven as consisting of doing God's will, and make the choice that our life on earth will be in accordance with that will. And let us with prayer and meditation permit ourselves to be led by the Spirit to know this will completely.7
When we have learned to know the will of God on its glorious heavenly side in the Word-and have done it--it will not be difficult for us to also bear this will where it appears to be contrary to our nature. We will be so filled with the adoration of God and His will, that we will resolve to see and approve and love this will in everything. And it will be the most glorious thought of our life that there is to be nothing, nothing, in which the will of God must not be known and honored.8
Father, this was the glory of the Lord Jesus, that He did not do His own will, but the will of His Father. This glory I desire to have as mine. Father, open my eyes and my heart to know the perfection, he glory of Your will, and the glory of a life in this will. Teach me to understand Your will correctly, then willingly and cheerfully to execute it. When it becomes difficult for me, teach me to do Your will with loving adoration. Amen.
1) ( kjv@Daniel:4:35) 2) ( kjv@Galatians:1:4 kjv@Ephesians:1:5 kjv@Ephesians:1:9-11 kjv@Hebrews:10:10) 3) ( kjv@John:4:34 kjv@John:5:20 kjv@John:6:38-40) 4) ( kjv@1Thessalonians:5:23-24) 5) ( kjv@Romans:12:2) 6) ( kjv@Matthew:7:21 kjv@Matthew:12:50 kjv@John:7:17 kjv@John:9:31 kjv@Ephesians:5:17 kjv@Ephesians:6:6 kjv@1John:2:17) 7) ( kjv@Romans:12:2 kjv@Colossians:1:9 kjv@Colossians:4:12 kjv@Hebrews:10:36 kjv@Hebrews:13:21) 8) ( kjv@Matthew:26:39 kjv@Hebrews:10:7-9)
1. To do the will of God from the heart in prosperity is the only way to bear this will from the heart in suffering.
2. To do the will of God I must know it spiritually. The light and the power of the Spirit go together. What He teaches to see as God's will, He certainly teaches all to do. Meditate much on kjv@Romans:12:2, and pray earnestly to see God's will correctly.
3. Always learn to adore the will of God in the least and the worst thing that man does to you. It is not the will of God that man should do what is sinful. When man does sin, it is the will of God that His child should be thereby chastened. Say then always in the least as well as the greatest trials--it is the will of God that I am in this difficulty. This brings the soul to rest and silence, and teaches it to honour God in the trial.
4. When God gave a will to man, He gave him a power whereby he could accept or reject the will of God with its full power. This is heavenly glory and blessedness, to be conscious that my will is in harmony with God's will. God's will lives in me. It is the will of God to work this in you.
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Songs written, commissioned for and performed by Gabriel Kahane
A set of brand-new, hot-off-the-press songs written expressly for singer/pianist/songwriter/composer Gabriel Kahane to perform. Composers include Timo Andres, Andrew Norman, Yotam Haber, Joseph Hallman, Chris Thile, Shara Worden, Paola Prestini, Brett Banducci, and Ted Hearne. The evening will also include a set of works written by Mr. Kahane himself, including the world premiere of a new work. Kahane will also sing and perform Schumann's song cycle Dichterliebe from the piano, offering an innovative and personal interpretation of this extraordinary piece.
These world premiere works were generously commissioned by Linda and Stuart Nelson.
Side Streets
Where Are the Arms?
by Gabriel Kahane
Intimacy and Resistance – Ted Hearne
Family Play – Timo Andres
Christopher – Brett Banducci
Birds Undress – Shara Worden
The Valleys – Joseph Hallman
The Fat Man in the Mirror – Gabriel Kahane
Wake Up Poem – Paola Prestini
Once the ocean takes you – Yotam Haber
Don't Even Listen – Andrew Norman
The Only Interesting Thing Is That I Took Ambien for the First Time – Chris Thile
Dichterliebe – Robert Schumann


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Penguins Sign Forward Philippe Dupuisby Staff Writer / Pittsburgh Penguins
|Philippe Dupuis
The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed forward Philippe Dupuis to a one-year contract, it was announced today by executive vice president and general manager Ray Shero.
Dupuis' contract is a two-way deal worth $600,000 at the NHL level.
Dupuis, 27, split the 2011-12 season between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League (AHL). Dupuis helped the Marlies advance to the 2012 Calder Cup Final, leading the team and ranking third among all AHL players with 14 points (4G-10A) in 17 playoff games. His 10 assists also tied for third in the AHL.
The 6-foot, 196-pound native of Laval, Quebec has played in 116 career NHL games with the Colorado Avalanche and Toronto Maple Leafs over parts of the last four seasons, notching six goals, 12 assists, 18 points and 62 penalty minutes. Dupuis' best NHL season came with Colorado in '10-11 when he established career highs in games played (74), goals (6), assists (11) and points (17).
Dupuis, who was originally drafted by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the fourth round (104th overall) of the 2003 NHL Draft, has amassed 71 goals, 82 assists and 153 points in 274 career AHL regular-season contests with the Syracuse Crunch, Lake Erie Monsters, and Toronto Marlies. Dupuis has reached double figures in goals all five years he has played in the AHL.
Dupuis played five seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) with three teams between 2001-06 – the Hull/Gatineau Olympiques, Rouyn-Noranda Huskies and Moncton Wildcats. Dupuis helped his team capture QMJHL championships three times – back-to-back crowns with Hull/Gatineau in '02-03 and '03-04, and with Moncton in '05-06.


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All of our stores in New Zealand are open and continue to have a comprehensive range of measures in place to keep team members and customers safe.
Safety & Security
How to pack an emergency kit
It's important to keep an emergency kit stocked and ready in case it's needed. We'll show you what to pack.
How to replace flyscreen mesh
Replacing your old flyscreen mesh is a simple job that anyone can do to help keep the bugs out. This video shows you how it's done.
How to install a deadlock
Learn how easy it is to install a deadlock on your front door.
How to install masonry fixings
There are a couple of different ways to hang things on masonry walls. We'll show you how to install wall plugs to hang screws or use masonry bolts.
How to make a chalkboard table
Kids love to draw with chalk and this chalkboard table is perfect for the budding little artist. It will make a great addition to any kid's' bedroom and it's a really easy project to make.
Fences & Gates
How to install bamboo screening
A bamboo fence is a great way to add some privacy or even just hide an ugly fence. Watch our step by step guide and we'll show you how to install one.
How to install wall hooks
When hanging something on your wall, it's important to choose the right hook. We'll show you how to screw different kinds of hooks into a wall.
Safety & Security
How to install a security door
A sturdy, security door not only makes your home safer but will give you peace of mind as well. Find out how with Bunnings.


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Auto Publishers Price Starting at
*Based on model year EPA mileage ratings. Use for comparison purposes only. Your atual mileage will vary, depending on how you drive and maintain your vehicle, driving conditions, battery pack age/condition (hybrid only) and other factors.VIEW OUR INVENTORY
High end styling, technology laden interior, sporty demeanor, reasonable pricing, roomy interior
The Sentra is all new this year. The most obvious changes are to the exterior of the car, which now resembles a miniature Maxima. Nissan's distinctive styling adds an upscale feel to the Sentra which carries over to the redesigned interior, highlighted by a high-resolution digital instrument display. Overall, the new Sentra looks sophisticated, smooth and just a little bit sporty, promising to offer just about everything needed from a car at a price that won't break the bank.


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THE SQL Server Blog Spot on the Web
In October 2011 I wrote a blog post entitled ObjectStorageHelper<T> – A WinRT utility for Windows 8 where I introduced a little utility class called ObjectStorageHelper<T> that I had been working on while noodling around on the Developer Preview of Windows 8. ObjectStorageHelper<T> makes it easy for anyone building apps for Windows 8 to save data to files. How easy? As easy as this:
var myPoco = new Poco() { IntProp = 1, StringProp = "one" }; var objectStorageHelper = new ObjectStorageHelper<Poco>(StorageType.Local); await objectStorageHelper.SaveAsync(myPoco);
var myPoco = new Poco() { IntProp = 1, StringProp = "one" }; var objectStorageHelper = new ObjectStorageHelper<Poco>(StorageType.Local); await objectStorageHelper.SaveAsync(myPoco);
Compare that to the plumbing code that you would have to write otherwise:
var Obj = new Poco() { IntProp = 1, StringProp = "one" }; var filename = "SomeFileName"; StorageFile file = null; StorageFolder folder = GetFolder(storageType); file = await folder.CreateFileAsync(filename, CreationCollisionOption.ReplaceExisting); IRandomAccessStream writeStream = await file.OpenAsync(FileAccessMode.ReadWrite); using (Stream outStream = Task.Run(() => writeStream.AsStreamForWrite()).Result) { serializer.Serialize(outStream, Obj); await outStream.FlushAsync(); }
and you can see how ObjectStorageHelper<T> can help save a Windows 8 developer quite a few headaches. ObjectStorageHelper<T> simply requires you to pass it an object to be saved, tell it where to save it (Roaming, Local or Temporary), and you're done. You don't even need to give it a filename.
Retrieving an object from storage is equally as simple:
var objectStorageHelper = new ObjectStorageHelper<Poco>(StorageType.Local); var myPoco = await objectStorageHelper.LoadAsync();
var objectStorageHelper = new ObjectStorageHelper<Poco>(StorageType.Local); var myPoco = await objectStorageHelper.LoadAsync();
Please check the homepage for the project at http://winrtstoragehelper.codeplex.com/ for (much) more info.
A number of people have used and tested ObjectStorageHelper<T> since those early days and one of those folks in particular, David Burela, was good enough to submit a couple of bugs:
As a result of David's bug reports and some more extensive testing on my side I have overhauled the initial code that I wrote last October and am confident that it is now much more robust and ready for primetime (check the commit history if you're interested). The source code (which, again, you can find on Codeplex at http://winrtstoragehelper.codeplex.com/) includes a suite of unit tests to test all of the basic use cases (if you can think of any more please let me know).
If you use this in any of your Windows 8 projects then please let me know. I love getting feedback and I'd also love to know if this is actually being used anywhere.
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Looks like a great idea. I'm downloading the source code soon although time at the moment won't let me start anything with actual Win 8 development for a few weeks unfortunately :( My issue is trying to bring a legacy codebase up to look modern but still supporting a lot of customers who use terminal services with Server 2008/R2 (a few still on 2003 but we've been telling them for a while that that's not sustainable). I am thinking a simple Metro companion app to a .NET 4.5 desktop client is the way to go for us, but we'll see.
Anyway, your ObjectStorageHelper<T> looks like a very elegant solution to an obvious problem - thanks! :)
Thanks Ian. If you do find time to use it I'd love to know what you think.
I can't seem to get it to save multiple records into 1 file. What is the best way to do this?


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Microsoft FAT Patent
In April 2004, the Public Patent Foundation filed a formal request with the United States Patent and Trademark Office to revoke Microsoft Corporation's patent on the FAT File System, touted by Microsoft as being "the ubiquitous format used for interchange of media between computers, and, since the advent of inexpensive, removable flash memory, also between digital devices." In its filing, PUBPAT submitted previously unseen prior art showing the patent, which issued in November 1996 and is not otherwise due to expire until 2013, was obvious and, as such, should have never been granted. The PTO granted PUBPAT's request in June 2004 and provisionally rejected the patent in September 2004. In response to the rejection, Microsoft made amendments to the patent's claims. The PTO proceeded to allow the amended form of the patent. PUBPAT had no right to appeal that decision.
Related Documents
- PUBPAT's Request for Reexamination of Microsoft's FAT Patent (PDF; 547KB)
- Patent Office's Order Granting PUBPAT's Request for Reexamination of Microsoft FAT Patent (PDF; 1.2MB)
- Patent Office's Office Action Rejecting Microsoft FAT Patent (PDF; 592KB)
Related News
- September 30, 2004: AT PUBPAT'S REQUEST, PATENT OFFICE REJECTS MICROSOFT'S FAT PATENT: Government Relies Heavily on Evidence Submitted by PUBPAT
- June 10, 2004: MICROSOFT FAT PATENT TO BE REEXAMINED AT PUBPAT'S REQUEST: Patent Office Agrees There is a "Substantial Question" Regarding FAT Patent's Validity
- April 15, 2004: PUBPAT CHALLENGES MICROSOFT PATENT TO PROTECT COMPETITION IN SOFTWARE MARKETS: Patent Office Shown New Evidence Proving FAT Technology Was Obvious


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This white paper from Schneider Electric argues strongly that meeting greenhouse gas emissions targets set within the Kyoto Protocol will fail - unless Active Energy Efficiency becomes compulsory...
13 December, 2011
Accolades like the Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy raise the profile of community energy schemes in the developing world. We look at a few of those that impressed the judges this year.
09 December, 2011
The EU wants electricity distribution systems that can utilise more solar and wind energy – and 16 European partners from 10 countries are now playing a key role in preparing for them.
08 December, 2011
Since the UK Government went public with its decision to slash subsidies for Solar PV – setting a cut off date of 12 December for the old tariff level – the repercussions continue to reverberate around the industry with a legal challenge now underway.
07 December, 2011
September/October: Our monthly column, written by the Energy Industries Council, reports on project development in the renewable energy marketplace.
01 December, 2011


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IntroductionLocated 300 mi/485 km north of Montevideo, Artigas, Uruguay, sits in the middle of cattle country. The town, named after Jose Gervasio Artigas (a patriot in the 1811 war with Brazil), was a frontier stop on the railway route to Brazil and is just across the border from Quarai, Brazil, near the Cuareim River.
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The parents of a 14-year-old kicked off his Junior High basketball team when he wouldn't cut his hair are planning to sue the school district.
Says the Indy Star,
In a lawsuit filed last week in U.S. District Court in Indianapolis, Patrick and Melissa Hayden say team rules governing the length of players' hair violate their son's right to wear his hair the way he wants and also treat male and female athletes differently because female players don't have to adhere to the same guidelines.
The boy, known only as A.H., apparently refused to comply with a team rule that hair be above players' eyebrows, collars and ears. The school code states that hair can't "create problems of health and sanitation, obstruct vision, or call undue attention to the athlete." His parents want the school to change the policy, rule it unconstitutional, and award damages to the family. Says their lawyer, "What they're trying to do here is teach (their son) a life lesson, which simply is that you fight for what's right...This is classic David versus Goliath, and they want their son to understand that."
Although rulings of this kind have been a mixed bag in the past, the fact that the bone of contention's an extra-curricular — and therefore voluntary — may change things. Team sports are not technically a "right" like education, which makes things less clear-cut, since the student theoretically could have chosen not to join based on its policies, which were in place beforehand. That said, this family needs to move to Brooklyn.
Lawsuit Over Greensburg Short-Hair Rule May Be A Long Shot [Indy Star]
[Image via Shutterstock]


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Pumpkin and Sugar Cone-Flavored Ice Cream at A. B. Biagi
Your daily dose of something sweet.
I need to say it: most pumpkin ice cream is just plain bad. Be it too sweet (or not sweet enough), overloaded with spice, or icy thanks to its load of pumpkin pulp, your typical scoop is far from the best way to get a taste of the orange stuff.
But there are some noteworthy exceptions, like Il Laboratorio's vegetal, almost savory pumpkin, and now A. B. Biagi, where the pumpkin gelato is pleasantly sweet, incredibly creamy, and pure baked pumpkin in flavor. Gelato man Antonio Biagi makes a hybrid base that's part pumpkin sorbet and part gelato, which results in a smooth scoop with clear, intense baked pumpkin flavor. Some nutmeg adds spicy depth to the gelato, but only enough to highlight the pumpkin's brighter flavors lost during baking and freezing.
The fall menu also includes Cones and Cream, a sweet cream gelato flavored by—yes!—sugar cones, and studded with soft chunks of the same. The flavor is as magical and childlike as you may imagine: sweet, but as it should be.


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The type of bao (stuffed buns) traditional to Shanghai is xiaolongbao, steamed in bamboo baskets. Xiaolongbao have pockets of hot soup inside the dough, ready to squirt out and stain the shirts of unsuspecting and over-eager noshers.
A year into Shanghai Shenhua's dalliance with global significance, it appears that all major parties involved – Nicolas Anelka, Didier Drogba and Zhu Jun – bit off more than they could chew.
Three of China's major news sites – Sina, Sohu and 163.com – are all reporting that Anelka will forsake the $7 million left on his contract with Shenhua to escape Shanghai this January. In his year in the Chinese Super League, Anelka played 22 games, scored three goals and assisted on six others.
Less than a year after winning the UEFA Champions League will Chelsea by sheer force of will, Drogba has significant interest from Champions League-caliber teams, with Juventus linked the strongest. He scored eight goals in 11 CSL appearances. Shanghai only lost one game he played (though it drew six, more than half).
In a recent shareholder meeting, Shenhua's colorful chairman Zhu Jun threatened to jettison the club's three big earners – Anelka, Drogba and coach Sergio Batista – and move the club to another city. News trickling through from Chinese media tends to have a loose alliance with truth. The British tabloids rehashing the story hasn't helped make the situation any less murky.
Zhu has a history of dramatic gestures. The 40-something once played as a striker in a friendly against Liverpool. He sees himself as a visionary and has megalomaniac tendencies. The current dispute, which will likely place the former Chelsea striker partnership back in Europe by the spring, sprouts from an alleged agreement made in 2007, when Zhu merged his Shanghai United with Shenhua. According to the Oriental Sports Daily, Zhu's equity in Shenhua was supposed to rise from 28.5 percent to over 70 percent within two years if he invested 150 million RMB ($24 million). In the six years since, he's pumped nearly four times that amount into the club.
Ever the marketeer, Zhu has taken to increasingly public methods to express his displeasure that his slice hasn't swelled (The five other partners are unnamed state-owned entities, according to the Oriental Post). In October, the entire team refused to train as a protest over unpaid wages. They showed up in casual clothes, jogged a lap and shot some hoops. Zhu has used the futures of his stars to barter for the future of the club.
The roster is disintegrating. Australian striker Joel Griffiths already joined Alessandro Del Piero at Sydney FC. Brazilian midfielder Moises will soon follow him out of the club. Yu Ta, captain of Shenhua for 11 years, will join Shanghai Shenxin. In November, Drogba petitioned FIFA for permission to leave the club before the transfer window opens in 2013. He has a two-and-a-half year contract, but he will likely have a new club by the time the African Cup of Nations ends.
The only foreigner likely to be left on the roster come New Year will be Giovanni Moreno. Reportedly, Zhu blocked Moreno from playing one game as a form of "silent protest," so Zhu sees the Colombian playmaker as collateral as well, but the 26-year-old could still command a sizable transfer fee.
Zhu wanted attention, and he got it, but he didn't secure much else for all the millions he invested. In 2012, Shenhua finished one point better off than it had a year prior. Shanghai fell some 20 points behind champion Guangzhou Evergrande, ending up in ninth. Guangzhou also invests heavily in its playing roster, but tends to prefer mid-20s signings from South America rather than blockbuster deals of global interest.
China can probably lay claim to the most wasted soccer potential of any country in the world, and Shenhua has come to represent the blithe spending that won't help close the gap on the many smaller Asian countries outperforming it.
Anelka and Drogba will likely return to Europe. The much-traveled Anelka said that he joined Shenhua "because of Shanghai," which he listed among London, Paris and Madrid as the best cosmopolitan cities in the world. Drogba wanted to improve African-Chinese relations. Those lures were probably real. Any future destinations will be far less exotic. The quality of bao will certainly drop, too.
Shanghai offered a new frontier as well as ample remuneration, a combination no other destination can replicate.
In a sense, Anelka and Drogba shanghaied themselves. Lured by the ethereal visions of grandeur and yuan, they now cling to flotsam, drifting back across the oceans in the wake of the Shenhua shipwreck.
Follow ZAC LEE RIGG on or shoot him an email


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To most people, MoViNg DaY consists of packing up boxes and hauling furniture into a U-Haul or Budget truck. When our moving truck pulled into the yard last week, this is what it read:
That's right! We MOVED our house! Let me tell ya, God works in such amazing ways. There is no way we would have made this decision if God didn't make it so easy on us. He guided us every step of the way and the outcome was better than we could have ever planned on our own.
In the upcoming months I will be sharing pictures of the process, the work required to make it happen, our definition of "moving", and all the other crazy things I did (like giving our kitchen a major facelift only a couple weeks before the move!).
It has been an unforgettable time of our life, but like I said in a previous post, we've done well at soaking it all in and making the best of the chaos.
I look forward to sharing this with you! Be sure to check in next Friday for more!


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While the world watched the pomp and ceremony surrounding President Barack Obama's inauguration, a darker story was playing out behind the scenes in Washington.
The Washington Post reported that the United States Justice Department had stepped up an investigation started in June, after the New York Times reported that the US and Israel had launched a cyber attack, codenamed Olympic Games, against Iran's alleged nuclear bomb programme.
The FBI hunt is to find who leaked to the media details of the Stuxnet computer virus. The Washington Post says the FBI is looking at "everybody" who may have known about Olympic Games and has reached "pretty high levels".
Using data-mining software, agents use keywords and phrases to comb communications. If they find a link to a reporter, they can apply for a search warrant to take their investigation further.
"It is quite alarming," says Jesselyn Radack, national security and human rights director with the Government Accountability Project in Washington.
"Before people were told that anything they did on their government computer was fair game. You did not have 'reasonable expectation of privacy'. If you wanted to be safe [from prying eyes] you had to log on to your private account. Now the Government is saying they will look at private emails, texts and phone calls, using souped-up software. That will escalate the war on whistleblowers by an order of magnitude."
Trevor Timm, executive director of the Freedom of the Press Foundation, sees the inquiry as a "wide-ranging fishing expedition" that targets senior officials in a bid to starve reporters of information on what the Government is up to even though "talking to reporters is not a crime".
The war on whistleblowers is also a war on journalists and, more broadly, a war on the public's right to know what government does in their name.
"There's basically this massive national security state that is unaccountable to the American people," says Timm. "Without oversight by the Government, the only way to report wrongs is to go to the media."
The FBI hunt takes place as a grand jury continues its investigation into WikiLeaks, creating a climate where reporters who talk to officials about classified material risk prosecution. Despite New York Times executive editor Jill Abramson saying that "no story about details of government secrets has come near to demonstrably hurting the national security in decades and decades", the Administration has subpoenaed reporter James Risen three times in a bid to make him admit that former CIA officer Jeffrey Sterling was his source on a story about a CIA operation to delay Iran's nuclear programme that backfired.
Another Department of Justice probe is hunting who alerted the Associated Press to a CIA operation in the Yemen that allegedly foiled an al-Qaeda plot to bomb an airliner last year. An anonymous source told the Post the inquiries had a "chilling effect" with officials "less open to talking to reporters".
At the same time, all personal data uploaded by the internet and stored in the "cloud" can be accessed by US intelligence agencies without a warrant, using the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. The department's national security division chief, Lisa Monaco, says prosecuting leakers who do "tremendous damage" is a priority.
But Radack, formerly an ethics adviser for the department, believes the Stuxnet inquiry has chilling implications for media freedom. "You would not know your emails are being plundered. The journalist with whom you communicated would not know. But the Government would know. They could convene a grand jury and present that information, all of it occurring in secret without your knowledge.
"It's a very overused and abused term that our Government can attach to pretty much anything and everything," says Radack, adding it had been used to camouflage the biggest scandals of the Bush era: warrantless wiretapping of Americans, "extraordinary rendition" or kidnapping, and torture.
Leaks also exposed the Abu Ghraib prison abuses, the CIA's secret "black sites" to hide detainees and the illegal targeting by drone strikes of US citizens linked to terrorism.
"Like all the Obama leak prosecutions none of these revelations resulted in any tangible harm," says Glenn Greenwald on OpEdNews, "yet all revealed vital information about what our Government was doing in secret."
Despite promises to "usher in a new era of open government", the Administration has prosecuted a record six officials using the 1917 Espionage Act.
Last week, former CIA officer John Kiriakou received 30 months in jail for leaking to a reporter the identity of a covert agent.
The agent's name was passed to an investigator working for a lawyer of a Guantanamo detainee.
Kiriakou also helped blow the whistle on waterboarding. While he waits to begin his sentence, the torturers have been granted immunity.
Ironically, the torture debate was reignited by Zero Dark Thirty, Hollywood's take on the Osama bin Laden manhunt and, say critics, an egregious example of politically motivated leaks to burnish the administration's image.
In contrast, Laura Poitras, the Oscar-nominated director of The War on Terror trilogy, has been repeatedly stopped and questioned by US agents. Her third documentary will look at US surveillance and whistleblowers.
The attack on whistleblowers parallels stepped-up efforts to prosecute hackers.
Timm cites Aaron Swartz, the on-line activist who killed himself last month after he was threatened with 35 years' jail and a US$1 million ($1.18 million) fine for posting academic articles, funded with public money, online.
The Stuxnet investigation coincides with a report in the New York Times that the US plans to quintupled the NSA's Cyber Command, from 900 to 4000 staff.
Bush Administration national intelligence director Admiral Michael McConnell said the NSA should be able to identify any and all internet users and their computers and, if considered necessary, retaliate.


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Diablo Cody's real life story almost sounds like a movie she might write: A dynamic young woman with a unique voice wins an Oscar for her first screenplay, is at once embraced and vilified by the media, and then emerges with more opportunities and greater self-assurance than before.
Diablo Cody's real life story almost sounds like a movie she might write: A dynamic young woman with a unique voice wins an Oscar for her first screenplay, is at once embraced and vilified by the media, and then emerges with more opportunities and greater self-assurance than before.
Today, though, Cody is apologetic, and a tad frazzled. She arrives 45 minutes late for an interview, having thought it was the next day. The 35-year-old bounds into a nondescript tavern down the street from Universal Studios for happy hour, fresh faced in a Grateful Dead T-shirt and jeans, her red bob still slightly damp from the shower. She hugs the reporter she's meeting for the first time and offers a string of sorrys.
"I'm a Midwesterner," she says. "This kind of tardiness is unacceptable."
Very un-celebrity-like, Cody arrives without a publicist or assistant, since she has neither, and settles onto a barstool to discuss her directorial debut, "Paradise," which is in theaters Friday.
After a Hollywood crash course that began with her best screenplay Oscar for 2007's "Juno" and continued with a TV deal with Steven Spielberg and two more movies, it was time to try directing. Her challenge, like that of her protagonist in "Paradise": To discover her central character.
"I want to believe that you can maintain your essential core and hang onto your innocence in a way — even if your body is burned, even if you get pregnant as a teenager, even if you're a stripper, even if you win an Oscar with your first screenplay," she said, referring to personal experiences. "I feel like human beings have a pretty amazing, resilient spirit and you can get through a lot of (stuff) and become the best version of yourself."
After Cody captivated Hollywood with "Juno," people pressed her to direct, but she wasn't driven to try it. She'd never made a short film or helmed an episode of the TV show she created, "United States of Tara." She didn't feel she had to.
"I've worked with directors who were really respectful of my scripts and who involved me in the filmmaking process, so I used to say I had a good racket going," she said. "All I had to do was write the script, and then I got to sit back and take credit for these amazing films."
But, "this was my fourth feature I'm getting made — I'm very lucky — and at this point, I almost felt like I was avoiding it (directing)."
"Paradise," which she also wrote, stars Julianne Hough as Lamb Mannerheim, a small-town religious girl whose faith is challenged after a disfiguring accident leaves her covered with burn scars. Lamb sets out to experience all she's been sheltered from, so she heads to Las Vegas, where she meets a pair of nightclub workers (Octavia Spencer and Russell Brand), who accompany her as she checks off a list of "sins" such as drinking, gambling and dancing.
Making the film coincided with Cody's second pregnancy, which compounded an already challenging task. Cody also had her 18-month-old son in tow as she directed her cast and crew through 26 days of shooting in New Orleans and Las Vegas.
"I don't recommend it," she said, though it does make the filmmaking/giving-birth comparison particularly apt.
"During pre-production, I was in my first trimester. During the shoot, I was in my second and then during post, I was in my third," she said. "Then I had the baby and delivered the movie. ... The metaphor is so on the nose that it's almost lame."
She's grateful for the opportunity and experience, but found directing only reaffirmed her love of writing. "I'm not thinking about what's the next thing I'm going to direct," she said. "I really don't feel that I will."
Instead, she's hoping for a green light on her script for a musical version of "Sweet Valley High," which she says already has a director and songwriters interested. In addition, she has another script finished and a talk-show pilot that she's proud of.
Cody is also working on another book, a follow-up to her 2005 memoir "Candy Girl," this one a collection of stories about her experiences in Hollywood.
And if her plate isn't full enough, Cody says she is looking to develop a TV series for Fox with "The O.C." creator Josh Schwartz called "Prodigy," a drama about a teenage female genius who "gets sucked into this glamorous world of crime and debauchery."
Then there's Cody's work secretly rewriting scripts. "They basically always just want me to Juno-ize the girlfriend," she said.
It's fun and well paid, but frustrating: "All I can do is add dimension, where what I would like to do is make the female the protagonist."
Cody is particularly good at that, notes Hough.
"She just has a knack for writing complex, real, relatable and ballsy characters," Hough said. "I really do think she is the women's voice of our generation."
Follow AP Entertainment Writer Sandy Cohen at www.twitter.com/APSandy .


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'Gangnam' star Psy to star in Super Bowl ad
- Psy will star in his first U.S. commercial for Wonderful Pistachios
- His 'Gangnam Style' video has had a record 1.1 billion YouTube views
- Psy will create new words for the song in the commercial
Even the Super Bowl is going Gangnam Style.
Psy, the South Korean global phenomenon who set social-media popularity records with his Gangnam Style YouTube music and dancing video, will star in a Super Bowl commercial for Wonderful Pistachios.
The flashy commercial, filmed Tuesday in North Hollywood, is the brand's first Super Bowl ad and will be Psy's first ad aired in the U.S.
"The Super Bowl is way too big for me," jokes Psy (real name Jai-Sang Park). "I never dreamed of being a singer in America, so I of course never dreamed of being in a Super Bowl ad."
Psy's catchy, offbeat video poking fun at the upper-class lifestyle in South Korea has notched 1.1 billion YouTube views.
In the ad, Psy wears a pistachio- green suit and will display a special way to crack open pistachios.
Increasingly, advertisers in the Super Bowl, a pop culture event with gobs of social-media buzz, are latching onto pop culture figures guaranteed to garner even more social-media chatter.
Beyonce is the Big Game's halftime singer. Supermodels including Kate Upton and Bar Refaeli are starring in other spots. And Psy has now been snatched up by a Super Bowl ad rookie eager for attention.
Will Psy be wonderful for pistachios? Pop culture experts say his appearance will draw lots of attention -- but not necessarily the kind that Wonderful Pistachios wants.
"Pistachios will get a lot of attention for signing Psy, and when you're in the pistachio business, that's a good thing," says pop culture guru Robert Thompson. "But Psy already is becoming an old joke."
Consumers are desperately looking for fun, "and Psy is the royal court jester," says futurist Watts Wacker. But Wacker thinks that Psy is a one-trick pony. "He'll end up as a Tiny Tim," Wacker predicts.
However, executives at Wonderful Pistachios are ecstatic about signing Psy. "He's penetrated the cultural consciousness of the United States," says Marc Seguin, vice president of marketing for Wonderful Pistachios, the biggest nut brand for Paramount Farms. "We knew the Super Bowl would require something really special to stand out."
The ultra-familiar song Gangnam Style will appear with different words in the 30-second commercial, Psy says. He says he's also working on a new single that will be out soon.
This is the time of year when pistachio sales rocket, most of that sales spurt concentrated a week or two before the Super Bowl, says Seguin. To nail home its relationship with Psy, the brand will place 50,000 pistachio displays with Psy's image in supermarkets.
But Psy is clearly better known by young folks than old, says Thompson, who is a professor of pop culture at Syracuse University. Thompson says he did an informal poll. All but four of his 110 undergraduate students knew who Psy was. But when he asked 20 of his neighbors -- older than 65 -- if they knew Psy, the results were disastrous.
Only one did.


text: Marilyn Monroe Photographer Eve Arnold Dies at 99 5:17 PM PST 1/5/2012 by Associated Press FACEBOOK TWITTER EMAIL ME Richard Young/Rex USA Eve Arnold Marilyn Monroe - P 2012 The Philadelphia native also shot personalities like Joan Crawford, Jacqueline Kennedy and Malcolm X. LONDON -- Eve Arnold, a world-traveling photojournalist whose subjects ranged from the poor and dispossessed to Marilyn Monroe, has died, the Magnum photo agency said Thursday. She was 99. Magnum spokeswoman Fiona Rogers said Arnold died peacefully Wednesday in a London nursing home. Born in Philadelphia in April 1912 to Russian immigrant parents, Arnold lived on Long Island when she became interested in photography while working in a photofinishing lab. PHOTOS: The Lost Marilyn Monroe Photos After taking a six-week photography course at the New School for Social Research in New York, she began her career in the 1940s, working for publications including Picture Post, Time and Life magazine during a golden age of magazine photojournalism. Her subjects included migrant laborers, New York bartenders, Cuban fishermen and Afghan nomads; celebrities such as Joan Crawford and Elizabeth Taylor; and political figures including Jacqueline Kennedy, Malcolm X and Margaret Thatcher. Arnold was renowned for her rapport with those she photographed. PHOTOS: Hollywood's Lost Letters "If you're careful with people and if you respect their privacy, they will offer part of themselves that you can use," she told the BBC in a 2002 interview. Her most famous shots include portraits of Monroe -- both vulnerable and glamorous -- taken over a decade and collected in her book Marilyn Monroe: An Appreciation. "Themes recur again and again in my work," Arnold once said. "I have been poor and I wanted to document poverty; I had lost a child and I was obsessed with birth; I was interested in politics and I wanted to know how it affected our lives; I am a woman and I wanted to know about women." PHOTOS: Hollywood's Notable Deaths Arnold joined the Magnum agency in 1951 -- the first woman admitted to the cooperative -- after her images of fashion shows in Harlem caught the attention of photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson. Arnold settled in London in the 1960s, working for the Sunday Times Magazine and other publications. In the 1970s she photographed and filmed Dubai's ruling family for Behind the Veil, and was one of the first American photographers to work in China. The photos she took there were exhibited in her first solo show, at the Brooklyn Museum in 1980, and published as In China. Other volumes of her work included In America and The Great British. Her work was exhibited at Britain's National Portrait Gallery and was the subject of a retrospective show at the Barbican in London in 1996. Arnold was a fellow of the Royal Photographic Society and in 1995 was named Master Photographer by New York's International Center of Photography. In 2003 she was named an officer of the Order of the British Empire, or OBE, by Queen Elizabeth II for services to photography, and in 2009 received a lifetime achievement prize from the Sony World Photography Awards. Long divorced from husband Arnold Arnold, she is survived by her son, Frank, and three grandchildren. Funeral details were not immediately available. FACEBOOK TWITTER EMAIL ME Associated Press email@example.com @thr


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Bali police look into death of Aussie woman found in pool
INVESTIGATIONS into the death of Queensland woman Denni North are continuing after the 33-year-old's body was found face-down in a Bali swimming pool.
The Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed on Tuesday the body of an Australian woman was found in Bali on the weekend but would not reveal how she died.
Indonesian police are investigating and the Australian Government has offered assistance to Ms North's family.
Tributes to Ms North were posted on the Facebook page belonging to the Cocoon Beach Club where she worked in public relations.
"It is with incredible sadness that we announce that one of our Cocoon family Denni North passed away suddenly on Sunday morning," a post on the club's Facebook page said.
"Our sincerest condolences go out to the family and friends of this beautiful and vivacious young woman."


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The data relating to real estate on this web site comes in part from the Internet Data Exchange program of the South Central Kansas MLS, Inc. and includes listings held by other brokerage firms. All information deemed reliable, but not guaranteed, and should be independently verified. All properties subject to prior sale, change, or withdrawal. Neither listings broker(s) nor J. P. Weigand & Sons, Inc. shall be responsible for typographical errors, misinformation, misprints, and shall be held totally harmless. Listing information is provided for the consumer's personal, non-commercial use, and may not be used for any purpose other than to identify prospective properties the consumer may be interested in purchasing. 2020 South Central Kansas MLS, Inc. All rights reserved. Listing courtesy of J.P. Weigand & Sons.