text:
"Driving the Mark McGwire Highway" sounds like a not-particularly-clever euphemism for a PED regimen, but St. Louisans have been doing it for a decade. Perhaps not for much longer.
In 1999, The Missouri Senate designated a stretch of I-70 in St. Louis the Mark McGwire Highway. (get it? Seventy home runs?) Obviously, apotheosizing McGwire is no longer in fashion. So yesterday, the Senate voted unanimously to re-rename that stretch for Mark Twain, a Missourian whose only controversial actions were to drop the n-word every couple paragraphs.
Republican Sen. Kurt Schaefer of Columbia asked if those getting the honors were alive or dead. Schaefer says it might be wise to name roads only for the deceased, because they can't do something worth changing the name over one day.
For his part, McGwire says it was "a pretty cool honor" to drive down a highway named after him for 10 years. Just like it was pretty cool to be a baseball hero for about 7 years.
(Photo from Flickr)
Missouri Senate votes to rename McGwire Highway [AP]


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Garnetiers necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 243 diseños de 88 diseñadores freelance.
Looking to rebrand company logo with a fresh look. A logo that can be used in multiples formats (print, video, 3d) and transitions well. If contest goes well may launch larger contest for full website revision.
Garnet Productions (http://www.garnetproductions.com)
Hi Designers!
Please visit our website to learn a bit more about who we are and what we do. We have grown into a new chapter and would like our logo to reflect that.
We produce film & television AND other forms of content so we are not looking for film reels, clapboards, etc.
About us:
We are a creative company, that's main product is to create something from nothing and let that live in the entertainment market.
We are imagination and creativity.
Storytellers and writers.
People digging deep for inspiration who get excited at the thought of a great find or idea.
We are not only our every day dream but those of the clients who come to us.
When I think of animating our brand, I see a variety of possibilities.
Use Example:
A character coming into frame who kicks the first letter of our logo and the red sparkles come out to dissolve to the open...
A child playing in a sandbox that finds a semi precious little stone and it moves to our logo for our open...
A miner in a cave who hits on the wall, it falls to reveal a stone our stone we head in through the stone to our logo for the open...
Company is owned by 4 women at this point and although we'd like to remain gender neutral with our new launch, a suggestion of femininity (a la LipStick Jungle, Sex and the City, Charlies Angels) is OK.
Thank you for submitting, we really want to get started!
Please feel free to contact for questions,
The Garnet Team
**We reserve the right to end the competition without a winner should we not find the right logo.**
- Web 2.0
- REDS (deep colors, not bright)
- WOULD LIKE Garnet stone (incorporated into logo) if possible (please read LOGO USAGE EXAMPLE IN brief)
- Smooth Clean lines
- Timeless
- Edgy
- Transitions well
- Final format in original Illustrator/Photoshop file
- Print ready .pdf file
- Use of film reel or TV unless its a multi use and innovative.
- Times New Roman type fonts.
- Corporate look
- We don't like rainbows or butterflies or pink.
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Angel Rodriguez scored 22 points and Shane Southwell added 18 on six 3-pointers to lead No. 10 Kansas State to an 81-61 win over Baylor on Saturday night.
The game remained fairly close in the first half, but the Wildcats (20-5, 9-3 Big 12) took control in the second, outscoring the Bears 43-32 after the break.
A.J. Walton led Baylor (16-9, 7-5) with 14 points and Isaiah Austin added 13.
Bears coach Scott Drew called a timeout less than two minutes into the second half after the Wildcats bolted out of the break with three straight baskets. Jordan Henriquez drew a foul and converted on a free throw, Rodriguez finished a fast break layup, and Henriquez scored in the paint.
Baylor's Brady Heslip turned the ball over right after the timeout, but he quickly redeemed himself with a pair of 3s. After Rico Gathers scored and Pierre Jackson hit a 3 of his own, Baylor trailed 43-41 with 12:51 remaining.
Before the Bears could creep any closer, Rodriguez drilled a 3, his third of the game from beyond the arc. After Walton scored, Southwell hit a 3 that ignited a 13-2 run by the Wildcats.
Martavious Irving sank a 3, and after another 3 from Southwell, the big men got going. Henriquez dunked and followed it up with a block on the other end, and Thomas Gipson converted in the paint the next time down.
With 7:48 to go, the Wildcats again had a double-digit lead, 59-45, leading Drew to call another timeout.
Baylor clawed within 59-49 on a pair of Jackson free throws and a bucket by Taurean Prince.
Omari Lawrence converted a three-point play, Henriquez scored down low, and after Isaiah Austin sank a pair of free throws, Rodriguez hit McGruder for an alley-oop.
A 3 by Austin brought the Bears within 12, but a three-point play by Rodriguez and a second-chance bucket by McGruder opened the gap to 71-54 with 4:03 to play.
Baylor did not get within single the rest of the game.
Early in the first half, Baylor dominated the paint, and Kansas State lived in 3-point range.
Rodney McGruder sparked the Wildcats by scoring their first two baskets after Baylor forward Cory Jefferson and Austin both made shots in the paint.
Rodriguez sank a 3, giving the Wildcats a 7-4 lead. After Jefferson again scored down low, Southwell drained his first 3, giving Kansas State a 10-6 lead four minutes into the game.
The Bears went on an 8-2 spurt powered by their big men. Jefferson, Austin and Gathers each took trips to the free throw line, where they went a combined 4-for-5, and then Gathers threw down a dunk. After Jackson scored his first points of the game, Baylor led 16-12 with 10:20 to go in the first half.
In response, Kansas State ripped off a 15-3 run that began with three straight 3s. Rodriguez played an integral part in the scoring frenzy by swishing a 3, assisting on back-to-back 3s by Southwell and then converting a basket in the paint to give the Wildcats a 23-16 advantage with 6:33 remaining until halftime.
The deficit narrowed when Baylor's guards got involved. Heslip scored his first basket of the game, and after buckets by Spradling and Southwell, both Jackson and Walton scored, pulling the Bears to 27-24 with 3:41 left in the half.
Again, just when Baylor began to close the gap, the Kansas State offense hit its stride. A 3 by Spradling began a 10-0 run that also included free throws by McGruder, another 3 by Spradling and another layup by Rodriguez.
Walton scored the last two buckets of the first half for Baylor, which went to the locker room down 38-29.


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Enjoy countless complimentary amenities that are included with the Exclusive Prestige Package*, 2 for 1 Cruise Fares, First Class Roundtrip Airfare*, plus choose one of our limited-time inclusive OLife Choice amenities:Free - 70 Shore ExcursionsFree - Beverage PackageFree - $7,000 Shipboard CreditAmenities are per stateroomPlus:Exclusive Prestige Package*:Free Pre-Paid Gratuities - a value of up to $8,200Free Onboard Medical CareFree InternetFree Laundry ServicesFree Exclusive Shoreside EventsFree Visa PackageFree Luggage DeliveryFree 1-Night Pre-Cruise Luxury Hotel StayFree Roundtrip Transfers
Square Feet: 1,000
Square Meters: 92
Square Feet: 786
Square Meters: 73
Square Feet: 322
Square Meters: 29
Square Feet: 216
Square Meters: 20
Square Feet: 165
Square Meters: 15
Square Feet: 143
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Square Feet: 160
Square Meters: 14
Cruise fares above are valid for US and Canada residents only. Cruise fares and availability are subject to change without notice. Please contact Oceania Cruises to confirm category availability. Fares are per person, based on double occupancy and reflect all savings. Cruise-related government fees and taxes are included. Checked baggage fees may apply. View terms and conditions associated with this special offer.
*Standard terms apply. View complete terms and conditions in addition: Cruise-Only Fares do not include OLife Choice amenities or airfare. OLife Choice offer is subject to change on 3/31/20. OLife Choice amenities are per stateroom, based on double occupancy and subject to change. Free Internet is one per stateroom; Owner's, Vista & Oceania Suites receive access for two devices per suite. OLife Choice free shore excursions vary by voyage and exclude Oceania Select, Oceania Exclusive, Executive Collection, Food & Wine Trails, Wellness and Culinary Discovery Tours. Voyages up to 9 days receive 4 free shore excursions; 10-13 days receive 6 free shore excursions; 14+ days receive 8 free shore excursions. If shore excursion amenity is selected, all excursions must be chosen at least 14 days prior to sailing. OLife Choice beverage package amenity is House Select. Guests in the same stateroom must choose the same OLife Choice amenity, and amenity must be chosen by final payment. Not all promotions are combinable. All Fares include government fees & taxes.


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Richard Blanco started his literary career searching for home. Home was the Miami exile community where he grew up, or his birthplace in Madrid, or the America of 1970s sitcoms. Or maybe it was in the wistful dreams of Cuba.
It was a quest that persisted––and one that was answered last year, when he was named the inaugural poet for President Barack Obama's 2013 swearing-in ceremony.
When he was chosen, Blanco—who earned a bachelor's in civil engineering from Florida International University and, later, a master's in creative writing from FIU—was hailed in the press as the first immigrant, the first Hispanic and the first "openly gay" inaugural poet.
These were all attributes that dovetailed with the inclusiveness emphasized by Obama, but they also overshadowed the brilliance of the work—a quality not often associated with commemorative "occasional" poems.
"One Today" was called "Whitmanesque" in its "sweep of the American landscape." It also was current, alluding to the Newtown massacre in "the empty desks of 20 children marked absent today, and forever."
William Wright, editor of The Southern Poetry Anthology, described the poem as "successful, art meant to orient, to reconfirm collective identity in a time of recent tragedy."
Jahan Ramazani, an editor of The Norton Anthology of Modern and Contemporary Poetry, said, "We are often reminded at such public ceremonies of the hardship of previous generations, but Blanco found a way to make it real."
We caught up with the man who made it real on Jan. 21, 2013. Here's what this Miami boy, now 45 and living in Maine, had to say about life after his own 15 minutes of fame, a story he has chronicled in a memoir published this month entitled For All of Us Today—An Inaugural Poet's Journey.


text:
Each year thousands of patients come to Cleveland Clinic from around the world for specialized medical care. However, we recognize the challenges surrounding arrangement of travel, time off of work and time away from family. This is why we offer an easier, just as effective way of getting a consultation from our medical experts. Cleveland Clinic's MyConsult Online Services offer the expertise of world-renowned physicians and healthcare providers who develop personalized, comprehensive consultation reports that enable you to make the most informed decisions regarding your healthcare or that of a loved one.
There are few decisions in life as important as those that impact your health. Seeking a consultation from MyConsult can provide you with the education, confidence, and peace of mind that you are making the right choice for your health, without leaving the comfort of home.
About Cleveland Clinic
Cleveland Clinic, founded in 1921, is a nonprofit, multispecialty academic medical center that integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education. Today, more than 3,000 Cleveland Clinic physicians and scientists practice in 120 medical specialties and sub-specialties, annually recording more than 5.1 million visits from patients across the United States and from more than 231 countries.
Cleveland Clinic is consistently ranked amongst the top hospitals in America by U.S. News and World Report, and our heart and heart surgery program has been ranked No. 1 since 1995.


text:
Home Posts Tagged "steve jobs rebels video"
Steve Jobs Narrates "Here's To The Crazy Ones, The Misfits, The Rebels…"!" Video
The very first "Think Different" ad campaign that Apple produced was narrated by CEO Steve Jobs himself. It never aired. I located the original commerical that Steve Jobs narrated on youTube (posted by dogtownmac in Feb 2009). Here [...]
Follow: #ThankYouSteve, apple john lennon think different video, apple push human race forward ad video, apple think different, apple think different einstein video, Apple Think Different Video, people crazy enough to think they can change the world ad video, Richard Dreyfuss apple ad think different, RIP Steve Jobs, rip steve video, Steve Jobs Ads Video, steve jobs gandi gandhi video, steve jobs misfits video, Steve Jobs Narrating Crazy Ones Video, steve jobs rebels video, Steve Jobs Think Different Video, think different original ad commercial steve jobs, think different video youtube


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Embarking on a new life, Zoe and her family journey west to the Nebraska Territory in the 1800s.
When Zoe and her family arrive at their claim, nothing distinguishes it from the miles and miles of surrounding prairie. Even after they build their soddie, the home can't be seen from any distance. Zoe has never seen Papa so happy or Mama so sad. But when she takes a trip to the small prairie town with Papa, Zoe sees something that might make a difference to their new soddie, and to Mama's life, too.


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mario math – part 2
To calculate Mario's position with KEY_RIGHT pressed down continuously for n frames:
at frame 1:
at frame 2:
at frame 3:
at frame 4:
If you multiply everything through, a pattern starts to emerge:
So we can say that in general, Mario's position after n frames will be:
But we'd like a formula we can evaluate in O(1), so massaging the equation a bit we get:
Both of sums in the above equation, we have identities for:
Of which the second one is kind of convoluted, but allows us to come up with:
Which can then write in Java as:
public float positionAfter(float accel, int nFrames) { float term1 = n * (1 - Math.pow(.89, nFrames + 1)) / .11; float term2 = (Math.pow(.89, nFrames + 1) * (-.11 - 1) + .89) / .2079; return a * (term1 - term2); }
The (.89) term is friction (I think?) and on the ground the code uses that value. In the air, the dynamics and equations are the same, but use a different coefficient of friction: (.85). The initial acceleration of a jump is vastly different, though, so I'll tackle that in the next Mario Math installment.
mario math
To calculate Mario's velocity, with KEY_RIGHT pressed down continuously for n frames:
let (1.2 if KEY_SPEED is held down as well)
at frame one, then, your velocity
frame 2:
frame 3:
frame 4:
which, if you multiply through, looks like this:
Which makes it a bit easier to generalize Mario's velocity at any frame n:
we know from
paying attention in high school wikipedia that:
however, our sequence only goes to n-1 frames. It's missing the last term:
subtracting xn from both sides
which we could have maybe figured out faster if we had remembered this identity:
replacing the lower m with 0 and upper n with n-1 we get:
which multiplied by is what we found earlier.
and so mario's velocity after n frames of acceleration is:
which can be calculated in constant time by this Java function:
public float velocityAfter(float accel, int nFrames) { return accel * ((1 - Math.pow(0.89, nFrames)) / 0.11); }
Thanks to Heath Borders and my co-blogger Ben for working this out on a whiteboard with me.
tour de mario – jumping
My co-blogger Ben and I are working on an entry for the Mario AI Competition 2009. The idea is to develop a Java program that simulates button presses to guide Mario through randomly generated levels of increasing difficulty. The competition is aimed at exploring Artificial Intelligence methods in gaming, but before Ben and I can even get to that, I think a short tour of the code we will be working with is in order.
Jumping is key in Mario. Maybe more precisely, landing is key. Controlling where you land will stomp an enemy or clear a gap. Jumping is easy, landing is hard.
Since this is so integral, let's take a look at the code that makes Mario tick.
The class
ch.idsia.mario.engine.sprites.Mario controls Mario's behavior.
tick() method of Mario's superclass,
Sprite is called once for every frame of the game, 24/sec.
tick() is pretty simple, it just calls
move(), which Mario happens to implement.
move() method has a lot of code in it — 224 lines — but at it's core, it just sets the xa and ya variables — x-acceleration and y-acceleration — and then uses them to increment Mario's current x and y position variables.
move() starts on line 156, but doesn't start doing anything we're interested in until line 211:
float sideWaysSpeed = keys[KEY_SPEED] ? 1.2f : 0.6f;
Mario moves horizontally at a rate 0.6 per frame at normal speed and 1.2 when the
SPEED key is pressed.
The jumping code starts on line 234. I've left out the conditions we don't care about:
if(keys[KEY_JUMP] || ...) { ... if(onGround && mayJump) { xJumpSpeed = 0; yJumpSpeed = -1.9f; jumpTime = 7; ya = jumpTime * yJumpSpeed; onGround = false; sliding = false; } ... else if(jumpTime > 0) { xa += xJumpSpeed; ya = jumpTime * yJumpSpeed; jumpTime--; } }
This is the heart of the jump.
jumpTime is a frame counter variable, and a jump lasts 7 frames.
I'm not positive, but I think that the y-origin is in the upper right of the screen, hence the negative
yJumpSpeed. After 7 frames,
jumpTime is reset to 0.
There are extra bits of code that
limit Mario's maximum acceleration to 8, cut Mario's xa and ya to 85% of their value and every frame that Mario isn't on the ground his y-acceleration is is decreased by 3.
ya *= 0.85f; if (!onGround) { ya += 3; }
But it's enough to figure out where you're going to land.
I made a couple of mistakes, which are crossed out above, and besides the mention of
sideWaysSpeed I didn't mention anything about horizontal speeds. As you can see above, when you are in the air
xJumpSpeed starts out as 0 and you don't gain any acceleration from it for the duration of your jump. The code that sets your horizontal acceleration regardless of whether you are on the ground or not is at line 288:
if (keys[KEY_RIGHT] && !ducking) { if (facing == -1) sliding = false; xa += sideWaysSpeed; if (jumpTime >= 0) facing = 1; }
which merely sets your acceleration depending on what direction you are pressing.


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PySoy is available under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.
Our intention in using this license is to promote the development of copyleft games which ensures that players have the freedoms to play, contribute to, and share the games with others. Below is an explanation of what this means for game authors.
What is Copyleft?
The PySoy engine is a copyrighted software product. Like most copyrighted works, it may not be used, modified, or redistributed without a license.
This is where the GNU AGPLv3 comes in; it is the license which permits PySoy to be used, modified, and redistributed. It also allows you to create, distribute, and even sell PySoy-based games. By downloading a copy of PySoy or a PySoy-based game you receive these explicit rights.
There are no royalties, licensing fees, or other monetary requirements for using PySoy. When you create games based on PySoy that entire game must also be available under the GNU AGPLv3. This means everyone who plays it in the cloud is entitled to receive a copy of your full source code along with the rights to change, modify, redistribute, and host it so long as they also comply with the GNU AGPLv3.
This is what the term "copyleft" means; we're inverting the copyright paradigm to promote collaborative artistic works. Share and share alike.
What about art and music?
The GNU AGPLv3 clearly defines the scope of the license in section 5c:
c) You must license the entire work, as a whole, under this License to anyone who comes into possession of a copy. This License will therefore apply, along with any applicable section 7 additional terms, to the whole of the work, and all its parts, regardless of how they are packaged. This License gives no permission to license the work in any other way, but it does not invalidate such permission if you have separately received it.
We consider an entire game to constitute one work, and thus "the whole of the work, and all it's parts" means that every part of a PySoy-based game must be under the GNU AGPLv3. It does not matter if it's distributed in a single file or multiple files, "regardless of how they are packaged", all parts of the game must be licensed under the GNU AGPLv3.
When your PySoy-based software includes the ability to present external media to the user, such as the case of a video or music player, where the media has no special configuration or orientation specific to the PySoy, copyright law (and thus the GNU AGPLv3) does not extend to that arbitrarily loaded media.
Third party media, such as "clip art" textures and "free" sound effects, may only be used in PySoy-based games if the license on that work is compatible with the GNU AGPLv3. In cases where the content is neither public domain or an GNU AGPL compatible license the author of that work may be contacted to request it also be available under the GNU AGPLv3. Many artists who release their work under a Creative Commons license are very willing to work with game designers to tailor their work for inclusion in a game and provide the source material to comply with the license.
What about the GNU GPL?
We have chosen the GNU AGPLv3 over the GNU GPLv3 in light of our promotion of PySoy as a cloud game engine, where games can be played on a server without downloading them first. The AGPLv3 is designed to provide the added protection for such applications.
Software licensed under "GPLv2 or later" can be upgraded to GNU GPLv3, and GNU GPLv3 licensed software can be upgraded to the GNU AGPLv3 under section 13 of that license:
13. Use with the GNU Affero General Public License. Notwithstanding any other provision of this License, you have permission to link or combine any covered work with a work licensed under version 3 of the GNU Affero General Public License into a single combined work, and to convey the resulting work. The terms of this License will continue to apply to the part which is the covered work, but the special requirements of the GNU Affero General Public License, section 13, concerning interaction through a network will apply to the combination as such.
Thus while a PySoy based game must be GNU AGPLv3, as by nature it's a combined work, it may utilize other software (libraries, media, etc) licensed under any GNU GPLv3 compatible license since the GNU GPLv3 is upgradable to GNU AGPLv3.
How do I license my game?
Just as the PySoy source code embeds the GNU AGPLv3 template at the top and in the credits property, you may (and should) do the same. All your game's media files, in case they are somehow obtained separately, should also be tagged for the GNU AGPLv3 (.soy exporters do this automatically). You should also include a copy of the GNU AGPLv3 LICENSE file with your game.
Each PySoy-based game should also include, through the game's splash, title, or menu, a clear statement that it is based on PySoy and licensed under the GNU AGPLv3. PySoy includes the splash functions for doing this. Requirements for this are detailed in section 5d:
d) If the work has interactive user interfaces, each must display Appropriate Legal Notices; however, if the Program has interactive interfaces that do not display Appropriate Legal Notices, your work need not make them do so.
What if I paid for it?
Certain binary packages or bundles including PySoy may be sold by us or others. This is completely legitimate under the terms of the GNU AGPLv3 so long as the terms of the license are followed when doing so;
6. Conveying Non-Source Forms. You may convey a covered work in object code form under the terms of sections 4 and 5, provided that you also convey the machine-readable Corresponding Source under the terms of this License, in one of these ways: [...] d) Convey the object code by offering access from a designated place (gratis or for a charge), and offer equivalent access to the Corresponding Source in the same way through the same place at no further charge. You need not require recipients to copy the Corresponding Source along with the object code. If the place to copy the object code is a network server, the Corresponding Source may be on a different server (operated by you or a third party) that supports equivalent copying facilities, provided you maintain clear directions next to the object code saying where to find the Corresponding Source. Regardless of what server hosts the Corresponding Source, you remain obligated to ensure that it is available for as long as needed to satisfy these requirements. e) Convey the object code using peer-to-peer transmission, provided you inform other peers where the object code and Corresponding Source of the work are being offered to the general public at no charge under subsection 6d.
When you buy a commercial PySoy package you are paying for the convenience of not having to compile the software on your own. Whereas most GNU/Linux distributions include all of our dependencies packaged and maintained by volunteers, many of these packages are not available in binary form for Windows and OSX and can take a good deal of time to download each component separately, compile it, and arrange it in the filesystem so it can be found by the other components. All of the scripts and tools used to build PySoy, all its dependencies, and any other utilities or games its bundled with are required to be available under the GNU AGPLv3.
The license also permits redistribution in either source or binary form, so once one binary package is compiled or purchased it can be redistributed to others. We only ask that our trademark is respected when distributing modified versions to avoid confusion.
We will never sell PySoy under an alternative license or offer license exceptions.
How can I make money?
We all know the proprietary software model; produce software then charge money for others to use it. Some people buy it, others receive illegal copies from those who purchased it, and the producer hopes there is enough of the prior to make it worth his time. A good deal of "anti-piracy" measures involve adding value to purchased copies; attractive packaging, added support, priority access to updates, etc.
This can work for copyleft software as well, except we don't call it piracy since copying is legally permitted. The same value-added tricks to encourage purchase applies. However, the concept of games as a "product", something static that you buy, consume, then discard, is disfavorable to us. We can do much better with "gaming as a service".
Remember: software freedom is the best "selling point" you could ever have. The proprietary game market is flooded, copyleft game are low supply and in an ever-growing demand, it doesn't take a business guru to see where the money's to be made.


text:
- This event has passed.
TALK: Middle Beginners
October 31, 2018 @ 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm$17
Join us for a TALK session in Spanish for Middle Beginners. This TALK session offers you a unique opportunity to hone your Spanish conversation skills in a fun and relaxed way among like minded amigos.
During the TALK session, you'll practice conversation with the guidance of an experienced language coach. You'll be naturally priming essential language structures for effective communication in Spanish.
Teacher: Jorge E. Gallegos


text:
Displaying items by tag: websites
On Saturday, March 18, 2017, I will present Great Association Websites on behalf of the Washington, DC Chapter of the Community Associations Institute.
Please contact me if you are interested in attending. As soon as I have the final flyer, I will post it here.
Delta Consulting Group, an international consulting firm, needed a new website that featured its professionals.
Delta's experts provide consulting and expert witness services in delay, damage and defects analysis, forensic accounting, loss of productivity, and related services on multifaceted litigation and arbitration cases around the world.
Their professionals consult on project controls, construction audits, planning and scheduling, and budget analysis.
Ursa Major developed the website using Joomla 3, using Zoo for the directory of professionals. Their content is administered by an in-house staff, supported by Ursa Major as needed.
Talltree South, an award-winning condo community association, provides its owners and tenants handbook, including rules and regulations,in searchable form via its website. Newsletters, e-mail and e-mail-to-text notices, and a window to its Google calendar are also provided to enhance communication with owners and tenants.
Ursa Major constructed the site in Joomla! 1.5 and later upgraded it to 2.5 and then 3.x. The content-rich site is very functional. Plans are to update its look in the coming year.
JMA Solutions, an award-winning government contractor, wanted a site that highlighted their corporate capabilities and awards, advertised their job openings, and provided internal forms and documents for employees.
Ursa Major provided quick turn-around on a conversion from the old website, trained the internal site administrators, and later upgraded the site.
More recently, Ursa Major led an internal Website Refresh group at JMA Solutions to refresh the site and provide a feature on the front page for current announcements.
The Guild of Professional Tour Guides of Washington DC, a professional membership organization, required a website that provided members with up-to-date tourist site status on mobile devices, and online event registration and payment.
The site incorporated the ability for Guild staff and other site users to manage a calendar and event registration, upload photos to the rotator, and maintain a directory of tour company affiliate members. The public can request tour guides, who maintain their profiles including specialties and languages spoken.
We received many kudos for the Joomla! website.
The Northern Virginia Association of REALTORS ® (NVAR) engaged Ursa Major Consulting to provide Joomla! expertise in supporting the transition to a new website.
A usability study and brand design was done by WM Design Group.
Ursa Major supported the high-traffic, high-content site in Joomla! for several years before its recent transition to integrate with a membership management soution.
The Law Offices of Mitchell Garabedian, a law firm specializing in sexual abuse cases, required a website that was responsive to quickly post breaking news of new settlements and media coverage. It was difficult to make changes to their previous site.
We redeployed the website and added new capabilities, including embedded video and transcripts of press conferences, and improvements to search engine optimization (SEO).
We continue to support the Law Offices of Mitchell Garabedian with site updates and improvements.
We recently had the opportunity to create a new Joomla! website for JMA Solutions. Their prior website had been a Cold Fusion site (yes, I've done that in the past), but their hosting provider was pulling the plug on Cold Fusion.
Within two weeks, and over the Thanksgiving holiday, the new website was up and running. It incorporates both enhanced information on the company and the awards they've won, and an employee portal with internal policies, forms, calendar, and other features.
Everyone was very pleased with the new site, which is at www.jma-solutions.com.
The Law Offices of Mitchell Garabedian, located in Boston, Massachusetts, offers help to those who were sexually abused by teachers, coaches, priests, scout leaders, and others in authority. Attorney Mitchell Garabedian has achieved results for more than 1000 victims / survivors and has been instrumental in publishing the names of the perpetrators that so long were kept silent.
Ursa Major supported the redeployment of the website, which had been hosted by Lexis Nexis Martindale Hubbell. When the site was at Lexis, it was difficult for the firm to get website updates made in a responsive manner. We are now in a position to provide nimble support to the law firm by keeping the website current, so that it reports the latest results achieved for victims and survivors of sexcual abuse. We are also applying Search Engine Optimization (SEO) best principles to increase website traffic and enable other sexual abuse survivors and their friends and families to find Garabedian Law.
Please visit the Garabedian Law website at www.garabedianlaw.com and see the compelling videos on YouTube as well.


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Page One
New: Hidden History—1983: Before the Invasion
A Reporter Visits Grenada and Disproves Ronald Reagan's Rabid Rhetoric
Thirty years ago, the US launched a vicious military attack on the small Caribbean island nation of Grenada. President Ronald Reagan claimed a new airport under construction was intended to provide Russian aircraft with a strategic base in the Americas. Reagan claimed a "submarine pen" was under construction. In March 1983, a reporter from Berkeley visited the site to investigate and uncovered evidence that exposed the Pentagon's claims as a fabrication -- a pretext for war. The assault on Grenada was to be the first of a long string of foreign invasions based on a foundation of official lies.
POINT SALINAS, Grenada (March 30, 1983) — "I very much approve of the way your President Reagan is handling these troublemakers," the Caribbean businessman had said during a ride south from Trinidad's capitol, Port-of-Spain, "We thought your President Carter was too soft."
He was speaking of leftist agitation in the region. A widely traveled executive, he had just returned to Trinidad after several years working in the airport industry in Barbados. One would expect him to share President Reagan's concern over the new airport under construction on the island of Grenada. He didn't.
"Genada is no danger," he laughs, "Let them be. If the US is worried about such things why doesn't it worry about Barbados? When I was there, I would see Cuban and Russian planes coming and going all the time. This is no secret here."
Still, the President and Pentagon officials continue to warn that Grenada's new international airport is being built to accommodate Soviet and Cuban military moves in the Caribbean. Is the airport really a threat to regional stability? Or is it, as the People's Revolutionary Government (PRG) of Grenada adamantly insists, simply intended to gain vital access to the lucrative tourist trade?
I hopped a flight from Trinidad to the People's Revolutionary Government to assess the supposed threat first-hand. The Grenada government had recently organized press tours to the airport construction site on the southwest tip of the island. I decided to go without an invitation.
A Surprise Inspection
It is a four-mile walk under a blazing Caribbean sun from the sugar mill in the hills above the sparkling Grand Anse Beach to the wave-wreathed promontory of Point Salines. And, while President Reagan has pictured Grenada as being caught in "the tightening grip of the totalitarian left," a visitor soon finds there is almost unlimited access to anyone to move across this island.
On the crumbling asphalt road that threads through a desolate landscape of brush and cactus, one encounters nothing more intimidating than cattle dozing on the rutted pavement and goats munching moistly on patches of thistle.
Suddenly, a siren wails and a violent explosion nearly knocks me off my feet. No, I'm not under attack. I soon realize the explosion is the result of airport construction workers dynamiting a mountainside. Over the top of the next rise the airport comes into view.
It is a panorama of bustling activity. Dozens of plunging trucks raise pale banners of orange dust as they barrel past the blue waters of Black Bay. Dump trucks carrying tons of crushed rock careen down wide dirt roads. A dredge kicks up a tide of brown silt in the clear turquoise sea as it sucks up part of the four million cubic tons of sand, which will eventually fill in a stretch of water the size of four football fields.
The construction site is completely open. No gates, no guards.
I walk in from open country with a camera over my shoulder and pass among the crowd of Grenadian and Cuban workers with no more concern than if I were strolling down a street in the capitol of St. Georges.
Stopping a passing Cuban, I joke in halting Spanish that I am "one North American who is not afraid of this airport." He laughs, clasps my shoulder and grins, "Venceremos!" Then he directs me toward the office of the Airport Site Manager.
Meeting the Man behind the Airport Plan
Ron Smith, the Grenada-born project manager is a large, genial man. Physically, he resembles filmmaker Frederico Fellini, but he speaks with the gentle brouge of the islands. Trained in Canada as a civil engineer, the silver-haired Smith is also the designer of the airport at St. Lucia. He scoffs at the US hysteria over his project.
"This airport is the smallest size permitted under the rules of the International Civil Air Authority for tourism in a developing country," Smith objects. "The maximum length allowed is 3,000 meters. We are actually a bit shorter than the permissible maximum." In fact, the $71 million airfield is to extend only 2,740 meters (9,000 feet), which is about the same length as the airstrips on St. Lucia and Antigua.
When asked about possible military use of this site, Smith waves his large hands across the view from his hilltop office.
"Look around! There's no space for anything but a landing strip," he protests. A military base requires storage and hanger space, he says, but this runway is shoehorned into a narrow boot of land set gingerly between "a bloody hill and the water."
Grenada's Airfield Poses No 'Strategic Military Threat'
The setting is picturesque. From the perspective of an engineer, however, it is arduous. At one end of the proposed airfield, a handsome old stone lighthouse had to be razed. At the other end, a mountain is being blasted out of the way. In between, a salt pond and a huge bay must be replaced with landfill. (It has turned out that rubble from the dynamited hillsides is too porous to serve as fill so the lagoons are being filled with incompressible ocean sand drawn laboriously from around the island's cape.)
When the airport is completed in early 1984, it will be one of the smallest in the Caribbean. "It will be capable of handling, at any one time, one 747, one 727 and five 20-seaters," Smith says.
A fierce winds rattles the windows of his hilltop office as Smith pulls a reference book from his files and points to a list which shows that Trinidad, Antigua, St. Lucia, Curacao, Guadalupe, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, the Bahamas and the Dominican Republic all have airports larger than the one being built in Grenada. Only the airports on Jamaica and Haiti are smaller.
When completed, the new international airport will barely accommodate a 727 or a 747-100B commercial jetliner. It is doubtful that the runway could handle even a Cubana Airways Illyshin jet or a Tupolec TU-144 (Russia's version of the Concorde). On the other hand, it is possible for Soviet AN-22 "Cub" long-range heavy transports or MIG jet fighters to take off and land on such a modest runway. There is, however, no earthly reason why a Cub — with a range of 3,500 miles — would ever need such a stopover. MIG "Floggers" and "Foxbats" — whose range is limited to between 200-800 miles — would be even more isolated if placed in Grenada.
In any event, all of these Soviet aircraft are perfectly capable of taking-off and landing from the existing 1,600-meter Pearls Airport on Grenada's eastern coast.
The Airport's Purpose: Tourism, Not Terrorism
Pentagon officials claim the international airport is not required by Grenada's "small tourist plant." Grenada's Minister of Tourism, Selwyn Strachan, disputes this.
"For many years, the people here have wanted an airport," Strachan explained during a brief visit to the site. "The new airport will offer considerable convenience for visitors, traveling public and relations returning for family emergencies."
Strachan cited a study commissioned by the Hotel Association that revealed that 90 out of every 100 potential visitors to Grenada tended to cancel out in Barbados due to the inconvenience of "substantially more expensive" necessity of making a further connecting flight into the old Pearls Airport.
It is surprising to learn that Grenada's many handsome hotels have historically operated at only 30 percent capacity. This was true even during the regime of former Prime Minister Sir Eric Gairy. There is a vast, unrealized potential in Grenada's "tourist plant."
At a recent press conference, PRG Prime Minister Maurice Bishop spoke bitterly about the propaganda campaign that has damaged Grenada's tourist industry. "There have been stories in the press about military airports, submarine pens and harbors being built," he said. "One West German paper reported that we have cleared a forest for missiles aimed at neighboring islands! Another claimed Grenada had been hollowed out to make room for a hidden underground submarine base! Quite frankly," Bishop replies, "Grenada is so small that there's really no way of hiding such things."
In a reference to American US spy photos purporting to show new Army buildings in Nicaragua, Bishop jokes, "You don't need photos from a million-dollar satellite from hundreds of miles up in space. A simple glance from any LIAT flight shows these stories are untrue.
"Our best answer to this propaganda," Bishop adds, "is to ask people to come here, visit and see that Grenada is the most democratic, most stable country in the English -speaking Caribbean and also has the lowest rate of crime."
Why Does Washington Fear 'Cuban Aid'?
Bishop responded to another charge from Washington: the matter of Cuban aid in the building of the airstrip. "There have been no requests whatever to reciprocate, no demands made on foreign or domestic policy," he declared. In contrast, he noted, "It has been the United States that has been giving NO aid, that has been making ALL the requests and demands!"
Some 250 Cuban workers — women and men' are housed in wooden barracks on the hillside. Another 360 Grenadians are also working on the airport and — surprisingly — nearly a dozen Americans employed by a Florida firm are pitching in by helping dredge Hardy Bay.
Cuban music pulses from somewhere inside the dozen yellow barracks buildings while, on the road below, a series of billboards carries the message — "Gloria Eterna por los Martyrs de la Revolucion." The signs serve as a reminder of the recent death of a young Cuban worker, Roman Quintara, who was killed in the nearby quarry when his Komatsu tractor overturned, crushing him.
This death touched many Grenadians deeply. A popular calypso was composed in Quintara's honor. At a party at the Prime Minister's house on the anniversary of the March 13 revolution, a young cooperative farmworker named Patrick, when challenged about the Cuban involvement, immediately speaks of Quintara.
"The death of Ramon pains me deeply," he says, clutching at his shirt, his face twisted in anguish. "Please understand!" Patrick continues, "He didn't have to be out there. It was a Sunday but he had volunteered to work extra hours because he believed in the importance of his work for us."
A visiting Black American from New York expresses surprise. "That would never happen in America," he jokes. "We'd insist on time-and-a half."
"They are not working for money," Patrick replies impatiently. "They are working as our friends."
The 25-year-old Blueprints that Exposed Reagan's Lie
The dozen or so Americans working on the dredging rigs at Hardy Bay are loath to identify themselves. Not because they share Washington's presumed opinion that their work borders on treason — they can see first-hand the limitations of the Grenada airstrip — but because, as one airport official explained, "They are afraid of the anti-Castro terrorists who might try to sabotage their equipment. And they are worried about their families back in the States. Many of these men come from the Miami area."
Returning to his office, Ron Smith offers a final repost to Washington's hysterical reaction to the Grenada airport. The plan is nothing new, Smith points out. "It has been under discussion for the last 25 years. There have been six different studies." Smith should know. He has worked on most of them.
He pulls a grey binder down from a shelf and spreads it out on his desk. Inside is a map of Point Salines and, drawn over it, the plan of an airstrip nearly identical to the one now under construction. Smith stabs his finger at date on the document — February 1966.
"It was so frustrating all those years, doing this work and seeing nothing done," Smith recalls. He confesses there is a special pleasure for him as a Grenadian, to return to this native country and oversee the development of this particular airport. After years of inaction under the Gairy government, he notes with a broad smile, the airport is finally being built.
It is hoped that the first 5,000 feet of the new airport will be open by Spring of 1983. Until that day, Grenada will remain the only Caribbean nation without an international airport or night landing capability. This last factor has caused Grenada many cancellations and lost revenue. The importance of night-landing opportunities is not lost on Ron Smith.
"When St. Lucia's airport added night lighting, the passenger load doubled," Smith says. While in St. Vincent, the addition of night lighting doubled passenger traffic in only two years. "There were only 19,000 tourists in 1977 but, by 1980, there were 44,000. That's very spectacular growth," he grins.
As the Reagan Administration embarks on plans to spend $21 million to lease military airfields in Colombia and Honduras, it is instructive to recall that the largest military base in the Caribbean is located on the island of Cuba — and it is operated by the United States. Guantanamo Bay, "the Pearl Harbor of the Atlantic," sprawls over 28,000 acres. This single US base comprises a chunk of land that is nearly a third the size of the entire nation of Grenada.
"Investment is the basis of development for our country," Grenada's Finance Minister Bernard Coard recently declared. Because of that, Coard noted, "that shining runway leads straight into real change and prosperity for all of us here." Equally important, Coard observed, is the fact that the airport is "a symbol of how much we can move and change."
"Look how imperialism tried to take our airport from us; how they tried to sabotage its construction," Coard complained. America, he said, "spends all its money on more and more weapons of savagery and destruction — on neutron bombs and missiles. We do the opposite: We build, we construct. We are the makers of the future."
Gar Smith, an award-winning Berkeley-based journalist, visited and reported from Grenada 30 years ago, both following the New Jewel Movement revolution and after the US invasion. Smith is co-founder of Environmentalists Against War.


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Wednesday, August 31st, 2005
Turbo Ajax: turboDbAdmin Ajaxian Db Tool
"OMG! So awesome my head exploded" That is the subtitle at Turbo Ajax, and it certainly is very cool. Turbo DB Admin is Online database administration, Ajax style. If you check out the demo you will see something that feels like other db tools, but is of course right there in the web. turboDbAdmin Features Read the rest…
Posted by Dion Almaer at 12:17 pm
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It wasn't ever designed to be more than a disposable people hauler, and the 1959 Oldsmobile is rarely included in a conversation of the most attractive designs the late 50s had to offer. Even so, to us it's hard to imagine anyone would argue that this 1959 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88 Fiesta station wagon, wearing the same shade of "Russet Poly" paint it left the factory with, is anything but beautiful.
Station wagons have an unbelievably high mortality rate for fairly obvious reasons. Few people ever bought a new station wagon to take out cruising on sunny days or as a second fun car. Station wagons were (and by many still are) viewed as purely utilitarian vehicles and that is exactly how they were used. As a result of the regular use and abuse many of them experienced, most wagons were crushed or destroyed at the end of their usable lives. These days that means vintage station wagons are rare, and therefore collectible.
I'm guessing whoever bought this "Linear Look" Oldsmobile wagon new would never have dreamed it would be the object of a 26 year old's desire half a century later—but it is, in a pretty serious way. I look at more cars for sale in a given week than I can honestly admit without sounding deranged. Many of them I immediately forget, some float around in my mind for a while, but every once in a rare while a car really strikes me in a "calculate the approximate summation of my worldly possessions so I could potentially own it" kind of way. For whatever reason, that is exactly what happened when I laid eyes on this Oldsmobile wagon.
Sure it's well detailed and the pictures are well lit, but it's more than that. The recently completed paint job shines, the oversized wheels appear surprisingly appropriate, and the car was lowered just enough to look good without being obvious. The interior was redone to close to original specifications and hasn't lost any of its late 50s charm. Underneath the hood the 371 V8 remains stock, but a recent rebuild ensures the engine is likely still producing close to the factory rated 270 horsepower.
All of these elements combined give the impression of a rare and attractive vintage wagon that is ready to drive a long distance as it sits, which is an extremely appealing proposition. Any wagon from the late 50s is rare, but 1959 Oldsmobile wagons are a particularly endangered species—especially ones this nice. Unfortunately it appears I am far from the only one to recognize this fact.
With about a day and a half left on the auction, bidding has reached $17,655 with the reserve still not met. Depending on your perspective, that could be a lot of money for a weird looking old wagon with big wheels or a decent (albeit unattainable) price for a rare and beautiful long roof that is ready to hit the highway. You already know where I stand on the matter.


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Unité d'Habitation – people also call it 'Living Machine' – is the name of a residential housing design principle Le Corbusier developed in the 1940s. Five of them have been realised, four in France and one in Berlin. The first one was the Cité radieuse in Marseille. Recently the Paris based design duo Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec got the chance to refurnish and design the interior of one apartment. The open doors of the Apartment 50 featuring the exhibition will be held from July 15 to August 15 2010.
Here is what the designers explain:
"It all started early this year when Jasper Morrison introduced us to the owners of one of the apartments in the housing block unit of the Marseille-based Radiant City. The Apartment 50 is not a museum; it is a lived-in space that we remodelled – just for the time of the summer season. We decided to feature a selection of objects from our collection of designs which seemed to rightly fit in this apartment and match the way the owners are living in it. As an echo to Charlotte Perriand and Jean Prouvé's original furniture of the space, it seemed natural to us to articulate the remodelling around the SteelWood collection, Magis – including a table, some chairs and a shelving system. Additionally, while remembering that Le Corbusier had a special interest in tapestries, we felt comfortable with the idea of installing a group of Clouds, Kvadrat up on the wall. Finally, a Zip carpet, Vitra and two of our latest lighting designs, including Lampalumina, Bitossi and LightHouse, Established & Sons and Venini, complete this ephemeral remodelling project."


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About Dale
Welcome to Geckoeye- nature and travel related writing and photography
The home page of Dale Morris
Photojournalist, author, freelance travel writer and outdoor photographer.
Email Dale here
Dale Morris's deep seated passion and in depth knowledge of the natural world has lead him to write a string of well crafted, informative and often hilarious accounts of his travels, and encounters with wildlife.
His motto "Make people smile, even if they shouldn't" has been a successful foundation for his work. His written articles are both highly enjoyable and thought provoking whilst his photographic work truly conveys his personal fascination for the creatures, people and places that he reports on.
Since 1991 Dale has worked around the world, often on the front lines of wildlife conservation and adventure travel. He has raised orphaned chimps in Africa, tagged marine turtles in Costa Rica and documented monkey behaviour throughout South America.
His field knowledge, photography and presentation skills have landed him contracts with the likes of the Discovery channel, The BBC and National Geographic.
Dale is most at home trekking through tropical forests in search of Jaguars stories and images. He is equally at home in the desert, on a reef, up a mountain or in a pub.
Dale currently resides in South Africa with his wife and son where he pursues his passion for outdoor adventure photography and writing.
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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Shifting the emphasis from gaze to hand, a study by Indiana University cognitive scientists provides compelling evidence for a new and possibly dominant way for social partners — in this case, 1-year-olds and their parents — to coordinate the process of joint attention, a key component of parent-child communication and early language learning.
Previous research involving joint visual attention between parents and toddlers has focused exclusively on the ability of each partner to follow the gaze of the other. In "Joint Attention Without Gaze Following: Human Infants and Their Parents Coordinate Visual Attention to Objects Through Eye-Hand Coordination," published in the online journal PLOS ONE, the researchers demonstrate how hand-eye coordination is much more common, and the parent and toddler interact as equals, rather than one or the other taking the lead.
The findings open up new questions about language learning and the teaching of language. They could also have major implications for the treatment of children with early social-communication impairment, such as autism, where joint caregiver-child attention with respect to objects and events is a key issue.
"Currently, interventions consist of training children to look at the other's face and gaze," said Chen Yu, associate professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at IU Bloomington. "Now we know that typically developing children achieve joint attention with caregivers less through gaze following and more often through following the other's hands. The daily lives of toddlers are filled with social contexts in which objects are handled, such as mealtime, toy play and getting dressed. In those contexts, it appears we need to look more at another's hands to follow the other's lead, not just gaze."
The new explanation solves some of the problems and inadequacies of the gaze-following theory. Gaze-following can be imprecise in the natural, cluttered environment outside the laboratory. It can be hard to tell precisely what someone is looking at when there are several objects together. It is easier and more precise to follow someone's hands. In other situations, it may be more useful to follow the other's gaze.
"Each of these pathways can be useful," Yu said. "A multi-pathway solution creates more options and gives us more robust solutions."
Researchers used innovative head-mounted eye-tracking technology that records the views of those wearing it, like Google Glass, and has never been used before with young children. Recording moment-to-moment high-density data of what both parent and child visually attend to as they play together in the lab, aresearchers also applied advanced data-mining techniques to discover fine-grained eye, head and hand movement patterns from the rich dataset they derived from multimodal digital data. The results reported are based on 17 parent-infant pairs. However, over the course of a few years, Yu and Smith have looked at more than 100 kids, and their data confirm their results.
"This really offers a new way to understand and teach joint attention skills," said co-author Linda Smith, Distinguished Professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences. Smith is well known for her pioneering research and theoretical work in the development of human cognition, particularly as it relates to children ages 1 to 3 acquiring their first language. "We know that although young children can follow eye gaze, it is not precise, cueing attention only generally to the left or right. Hand actions are spatially precise, so hand-following might actually teach more precise gaze-following."
For a copy of the study, contact Liz Rosdeitcher at 812-855-4507 or [email protected]. This work was funded by grants from the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.
Yu is director of the Computational Cognition and Learning Lab. Smith, Chancellor's Professor, is director of the Cognitive Development Lab. The Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences is part of the College of Arts and Sciences. To speak with Yu or Smith, contact Rosdeitcher. For additional assistance, contact Tracy James at 812-855-0084 or [email protected].


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Authorities say a coast-to-coast flight was diverted to New Orleans to remove actress Lindsay Lohan's stepmother.
Col. John Fortunato, spokesman for the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office, confirmed in an email Saturday that Kate Major-Lohan was removed from a JetBlue plane on Wednesday. He says Major-Lohan is married to Lindsay Lohan's father and was turned over to the FBI.
JetBlue Airways Corp. spokeswoman Sharon Jones says Wednesday's Flight 101 from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Los Angeles was diverted to New Orleans to remove an "unruly customer" who was not identified. She referred further questions to law enforcement.
U.S. & World
FBI spokesman Craig Betzebe did not immediately respond to an email requesting information.
Major-Lohan's phone number was not immediately available. It was not clear whether she had an attorney.


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Inside move: Ash Lawn Opera moves to Paramount
After 30 years under the stars at Ash Lawn-Highland, the Ash Lawn Opera Festival is finally moving inside. Today, the opera company announced that its 2009 summer productions of Camelot and The Marriage of Figaro will be presented at the Paramount Theater beginning on July 3.
So will Ash Lawn Opera take root at the Paramount?
"We don't know if it will be a permanent home," says opera company director Judy Walker.
Last August, the company announced with great excitement that it was partnering with music mogul Coran Capshaw in the renovation of the Jefferson Theater, and embarking on a $4.5 million capital campaign to fund an orchestra pit, dressing rooms, and advanced acoustics (which included a silent-running HVAC system) for the building. But six months later the deal fell through.
"We were so sorry that we couldn't make it work," says Walker of the Jefferson deal. "It was a dream of mine for many years. Coran Capshaw is such a gracious man, but the renovation would have been too complicated and too expensive for what we needed."
If the Company remains homeless, officials remain excited about the prospect of moving indoors.
"It was an artistic move," says opera company board member Martha Redinger. "Rain will no longer fall on our instruments, and the sound will be better inside." As Redinger points out, singer Tony Bennett, who opened the newly renovated Paramount in 2004, did not have to use a microphone.
Still, times are tough in the opera business. Just two weeks ago, the Baltimore Opera Company, a cultural institution for 58-years, began auctioning off everything that wasn't bolted down at the famed Lyric Opera House, as mounting debt and a sharp drop in ticket sales last year forced a bankruptcy.
Redinger, however, sees no repeat in Charlottesville and thinks that the indoor venue will actually attract more serious opera-goers, as the Company will be able to put on more high-level performances.
"People have been coming to the Ash Lawn-Highland's performances consistently for years, and we expect that to continue," says Redinger, who hopes Paramount shows will attract more young people, especially with a new offering of Sunday matinees
Ticket prices, Redinger reports, which had been available for $28, will climb to $30 and $35 in the new venue, but tickets for those under 18 will be only $15.
After 30 years in the same place, however, some regular fans of Ash Lawn Opera could be disappointed, and perhaps confused, about the sudden move away from its namesake–- as well as missing picnics on the grass and seeing opera under the stars.
"We're looking for a permanent home," says Walker, "but right now we're just taking it day-by-day."
4 comments
I realize this is probably better for the artists, but I sure will miss those picnics before the performances in the beautiful Ash Lawn evening light.
Excellent move. Thanks to Martha Redinger for accurately stating the reasons for moving indoors--makes so much sense and should have been done ages ago!
This is a bad move. One of the best parts of going was having dinner before the play at Ash-lawn and enjoying the area, now it will just be inside.
This is a great move for Ashlawn Opera. I already bought tickets, indoors out of the heat, humidity, rain, and lightening. Congrats, Judy!


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Pendulum swings back on 350-year-old mathematical mystery
(Phys.org) —A 350-year-old mathematical mystery could lead toward a better understanding of medical conditions like epilepsy or even the behavior of predator-prey systems in the wild, University of Pittsburgh researchers report.
The mystery dates back to 1665, when Dutch mathematician, astronomer, and physicist Christiaan Huygens, inventor of the pendulum clock, first observed that two pendulum clocks mounted together could swing in opposite directions. The cause was tiny vibrations in the beam caused by both clocks, affecting their motions.
The effect, now referred to by scientists as "indirect coupling," was not mathematically analyzed until nearly 350 years later, and deriving a formula that explains it remains a challenge to mathematicians still. Now, Pitt professors apply this principle to measure the interaction of "units"—such as neurons, for example—that turn "off" and "on" repeatedly. Their findings are highlighted in the latest issue of Physical Review Letters.
"We have developed a mathematical approach to better understanding the 'ingredients' in a system that affect synchrony in a number of medical and ecological conditions," said Jonathan E. Rubin, coauthor of the study and professor in Pitt's Department of Mathematics within the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences. "Researchers can use our ideas to generate predictions that can be tested through experiments."
More specifically, the researchers believe the formula could lead toward a better understanding of conditions like epilepsy, in which neurons become overly active and fail to turn off, ultimately leading to seizures. Likewise, it could have applications in other areas of biology, such as understanding how bacteria use external cues to synchronize growth.
Together with G. Bard Ermentrout, University Professor of Computational Biology and professor in Pitt's Department of Mathematics, and Jonathan J. Rubin, an undergraduate mathematics major, Jonathan E. Rubin examined these forms of indirect communication that are not typically included in most mathematical studies owing to their complicated elements. In addition to studying neurons, the Pitt researchers applied their methods to a model of artificial gene networks in bacteria, which are used by experimentalists to better understand how genes function.
"In the model we studied, the genes turn off and on rhythmically. While on, they lead to production of proteins and a substance called an autoinducer, which promotes the genes turning on," said Jonathan E. Rubin. "Past research claimed that this rhythm would occur simultaneously in all the cells. But we show that, depending on the speed of communication, the cells will either go together or become completely out of synch with each another."
To apply their formula to an epilepsy model, the team assumed that neurons oscillate, or turn off and on in a regular fashion. Ermentrout compares this to Southeast Asian fireflies that flash rhythmically, encouraging synchronization.
"For neurons, we have shown that the slow nature of these interactions encouraged 'asynchrony,' or firing at different parts of the cycle," Ermentrout said. "In these seizure-like states, the slow dynamics that couple the neurons together are such that they encourage the neurons to fire all out of phase with each other."
The Pitt researchers believe this approach may extend beyond medical applications into ecology—for example, a situation in which two independent animal groups in a common environment communicate indirectly. Jonathan E. Rubin illustrates the idea by using a predator-prey system, such as rabbits and foxes.
"With an increase in rabbits will come an increase in foxes, as they'll have plenty of prey," said Jonathan E. Rubin. "More rabbits will get eaten, but eventually the foxes won't have enough to eat and will die off, allowing the rabbit numbers to surge again. Voila, it's an oscillation. So, if we have a fox-rabbit oscillation and a wolf-sheep oscillation in the same field, the two oscillations could affect each other indirectly because now rabbits and sheep are both competing for the same grass to eat."


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Flipboard — the social reading app for iOS and Android — has just announced that New York Times subscribers will be able to read all the paper's content through the app, on any platform, from this Friday onwards. That's a big deal for the New York Times, Flipboard and readers alike.
Previously, Flipboard has only offered previews of magazine and newspaper articles, having to link readers out to official websites for full-on content. The New York Times is the first big publisher it's managed to convince to give it full access to its "premium" content.
Similarly, it's the first time the Times has ever given a third-party organisation full access to all of its content. According to All Things D, the paper says it wants to emulate pay TV's "TV Everywhere" strategy so that subscribers can read the paper using any device or software they want.
It's difficult to see quite what's in it for the Times, but it's certainly no bad thing for readers: Flipboard's interface is a lot nicer than wading through a Google Reader feed or the clunky New York Times' website. Is this the future of traditional media consumption? [All Things D]


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As a child, John Elder Robison found it very difficult to make friends. He spent most of his time alone. "My social disability was dismissed as laziness, or deliberate misbehavior," he says on his website. "I dropped out of high school in the 10th grade."
His genius lay in all things mechanical; over the years, he designed special-effects sound gear for the rock band Kiss, and video games for a toy company. He now runs J.E. Robison Service, an auto business in Springfield, Mass., that specializes in customizing and restoring luxury cars. But that "social disability" of his youth remained, and it wasn't until he was 40 that he got a diagnosis: Asperger's syndrome.
Understanding that changed his life.
Coming, as he did, from a writing family (his mother is poet Margaret Robison; his brother is memoirist Augusten Burroughs), Robison began writing about living with Asperger's. His memoir, "Look Me in the Eye," published in 2007, was a New York Times bestseller.
His latest book ("Raising Cubby: A Father and Son's Adventures With Asperger's, Trains, Tractors, and High Explosives") explores his relationship with his son, who also has Asperger's. Robison will be the Talk of the Stacks speaker Thursday at the Central Library in downtown Minneapolis. Here, he talks about the grave responsibility of the writer, the trickiness of writing about one's family, and how autism might make him a better writer.
Q: Did writing your first book change your life?
A: Writing "Look Me in the Eye" put me out there in public view as a person with Asperger's who'd done OK. Temple Grandin and I were two of the first people to show that you could be successful because of something others saw as a disability.
My first book opened many doors for me. I was invited to speak all over the world, and to participate in cutting-edge research by neuroscientists, which will be the subject of my next book. That book also showed me the responsibility authors have when they write words that go beyond simple entertainment. To my amazement, "Look Me in the Eye" proved to be a big deal to readers who had family members on the autism spectrum, and their comments and questions made me understand that I need to put my very best quality of thought into anything I write.
Q: How did your son feel about having his life written about in your new book? Did he have veto power?
A: Cubby has mixed feelings, I guess. Remember that the New York Times had him splashed over the front page and a whole two-page spread in a story, "Navigating Love and Autism," about his relationship with his girlfriend, who also has Asperger's. So a few million people have already "met" my son in print.
There was nothing he wanted to veto, though he did have corrections and advice — especially when it came to the names of complex chemicals and the details of his love of science and technology.
Q: Do you hope your books will change people's perceptions of people with autism and Asperger's syndrome?
A: Many people have said that "Look Me in the Eye" and "Be Different" changed how they see autism. I hope "Raising Cubby" will do the same, especially for parents.
With the reading public, I hope to start a dialogue and increase the acceptance of people who are different in our society. Kids who act different are not generally villains. In fact, it's the different people who often drive our world forward.
Q: Describe your writing room.
A: I do most of my writing in the library of my home, and in my office here at work. I'm answering your questions from my desk at Robison Service.
My library at home is the highest point in the house, above the garage. I can see the whole length of my driveway from the window, and I watch for animals — weasels, turkeys, bears, foxes and squirrels. We live in a rural area, and the animals have been getting much more aggressive of late. Humans used to be at the top of the food chain, but now I'm not so sure. I walk around the house in the morning and see footprints in the snow where they stood at the ground-floor windows, and marks where they rested their forelegs on the sills, looking in. Are they watching TV, or planning the takeover?
Q: How do you get around the distractions of the Internet?
A: It's true that I have far more distractions now than I did before the Internet, Facebook and my increased visibility as an author. I don't have a special trick, though. … I just decide to write something and I sit down and do it. It's possible that I have less trouble in this area because I'm autistic. One trait of autism is that people like me can concentrate more deeply than ordinary people, and that can help when it comes to writing.
Q: Do you have a favorite book from childhood?
A: I liked the Encyclopedia Britannica a lot. I also liked Tom Swift and the Hardy Boys, especially the old brown hardcover editions I used to find at my grandparents'.
Q: What are you reading right now?
A: This past weekend I read a new book — "Hitmaker," by Tommy Mottola, the former president of Sony Music. I enjoyed that story because I'd worked with many of the people he wrote about during my own years designing fire-breathing guitars for Kiss and traveling with the rock bands who used my sound equipment.
Q: What's been the best place so far to do a reading?
A: I've been honored to be invited to give talks at prestigious places, like the headquarters of the Centers for Disease Control or the Harvard Graduate School of Education. And I've enjoyed giving talks in spectacular venues. The finest of those was the free-form aluminum and glass BMW Amphitheatre in Melbourne, Australia.
Q: Which authors have inspired you?
A: My brother's book, "Running With Scissors" — and the way people welcomed and accepted him despite such an awful childhood story — gave me the courage to share my own stories. I'd never have written a book if not for that.


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Summer Show list 2010 is coming together! All shows are free or cheap and if you know anything that I don't please email me at Gillian dot Grey at yahoo dot com. Thanks!
Sunday, May 23rd 10 PM = Wayne the Train Hancock @ Public Assembly
Saturday, June 5th 4 PM = Ebony Bones @ Central Park Summer Stage
Sunday, June 6th 8 PM = Ebony Bones @ Southpaw
Friday, June 18th 7 AM = Carole King and James Taylor @ The Today Show
Friday, June 25th 8 PM = Lucky Tubb and the Modern Day Troubadours @ Public Assembly
Friday, July 2nd 7 AM = Mary J. Blige @ GMA Rumsey Playfield, Central Park
Saturday, July 10th 12 PM = Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival @ Tobacco Warehouse (BK Bridge)
Saturday, July 10th 8 PM = The Goddamn Gallows @ The Bell House's Annual Psychobilly Luau
Sunday, July 11th 3 PM = The Roots with Talib Kweli @ The Prospect Park Bandshell
Monday, July 12th 7:30 PM = George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic @ Wingate Field
Friday, July 23rd 8 PM = Viva le Vox @ Southpaw
Saturday, August 7th 6 PM = Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings @ Prospect Park Bandshell
Sunday, August 22nd 4 PM = Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears @ Central Park Summer Stage


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Search arrangements;Sonic Robo Blast 2 - Greenflower Zone Act 2 MID(Arachno Soundfont)
Up and About
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Challenge I - Magic Art
[Synthesia] 666 - RoughSketch Piano cover preview
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Winona Ryder is teaming up with her Beetlejuice director Tim Burton for a video for the The Killers.
The revered moviemaker shot the video at the Tower Ballroom in the English seaside resort town of Blackpool on Thursday.
The video shoot comes just two days after the band was forced to cut short a concert in nearby Manchester after frontman Brandon Flowers lost his voice.
The group also scrapped a second Manchester show on Wednesday. Both concerts have been rescheduled for February.


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When Cathi Blickenstaff and Erin Rachford met for the first time at a youth retreat, they had a hard time communicating. That's because Blickenstaff is deaf and Rachford didn't know sign language. Rachford took American Sign Language classes and then started accompanying Blickenstaff to informal Monday night restaurant dinners known as "Silent Suppers" or "Deaf Dinners." The 5 p.m. get-togethers, held weekly at various Springfield eateries, provide opportunities to improve sign language skills and to socialize.
When Cathi Blickenstaff and Erin Rachford met for the first time at a youth retreat, they had a hard time communicating. That's because Blickenstaff is deaf and Rachford didn't know sign language.
"Cathi sparked my interest in signing," said Rachford, a nurse at St. John's Hospital who sometimes deals with patients who cannot hear.
She took American Sign Language classes and then started accompanying Blickenstaff to informal Monday night restaurant dinners known as "Silent Suppers" or "Deaf Dinners."
The 5 p.m. get-togethers, held weekly at various Springfield eateries, provide opportunities to improve sign language skills and to socialize.
"Hearing people are welcome to join, and it's good for those who are learning to know how to use sign language to communicate with the deaf at a comfortable level," said Pat Gurley, a state employee who hosts the dinners with Blickenstaff.
"Sometimes we have people coming in from Jacksonville and Decatur. Even some college students who are home on breaks join us," she said.
Attendance ranges from 10 to 30 per week. The suppers, which last about two hours, alternate between restaurants on the east and west sides of towns. Good lighting and long tables allow diners to see each other, encouraging interaction.
Silent Suppers started in November 2000, when a deaf person was going through a personal crisis and wanted to meet regularly with other deaf people.
"After a conversation at a movie theater where we watched an open-captioned movie, a few friends thought it was a good idea and decided to start the concept of having a Deaf Dinner," Gurley said. "This concept is gaining popularity in other deaf communities throughout the state
and country as well."
Don Witty, a retired state employee, used to teach sign language classes at the Springfield Center for Independent Living.
"You know, there are hearing groups that go out after work. This is the same. I like that it's really helped the communication to improve."
Witty says there are various reasons hearing people are motivated to learn sign language — they might have family members or friends with a hearing loss, or they might have a job, such as in a hospital, where sign language is useful.
He estimated it takes 5 to 8 years for a hearing person to become highly skilled in American Sign Language. Children, he said, are difficult to teach because "they're always looking around."
According to the Bethesda, Md.-based National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, age is critical when it comes to learning to sign, whether it is a first or second language. Exposure should come as early as possible, preferably before school age, to become fully competent.
The institute says native signers consistently display more accomplished sign-language ability than those who learn it later in life.
"It makes me happy to have hearing people use sign language," Witty said.
Topics at recent Silent Suppers ranged from the dearth of real-time captioning on local TV weather reports to legislation that would require insurance companies to pay for hearing aids.
The get-togethers also provide a forum to vent frustration.
"Deaf people can do anything. We're not handicapped. I can do anything," said Leon Debriendt of Moline, who attended a supper while in Springfield on business. "People have a lot of stereotypes. They think deaf people are all the same."
"We live in a hearing world and we want the same things, but we're always behind. We're always trying to catch up," said Marion Dramin, outreach manager for the Illinois Telecommunications Access Corp. The organization provides TTYs (teletypewriters) and videophones for the deaf.
Dramin has four generations of deafness in her family, from her parents to two of her grandchildren.
She grew up reading lips and learned sign language when she got married. She said it's easier for her deaf grandchildren to communicate than it was for her or her parents.
"We have more equality now. The world has opened up to us. My mother is 99, and she uses the videophone every day. She loves it. We have TTYs and pagers," Dramin said.
"Computers allow deaf people to be equal with access to communication. We can communicate and no one would ever know we're deaf," she added.
Lori Thompson can hear, but she was prompted to learn sign language so she could communicate with a friend who lives in Jacksonville. Thompson, a library cataloger at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, has been attending the Springfield Silent Suppers for three years.
"I came to improve my communication skills. Now I come to see my friends," she said.
There's also a "Deaf Coffee," a group that meets at 6 p.m. the first Thursday of each month. The location is Panera Bread, and it alternates between the Dirksen Parkway and West White Oaks Drive locations. Drop-ins are welcome.
Like Silent Suppers, Deaf Coffees provide a chance to see friends and practice signing.
"I have three cousins who are hard-of-hearing," said Rachel Cowle-Healy, a pastor and former teacher of the deaf who runs the group.
Blickenstaff and Rachford get together to chat each Monday at the Silent Suppers. Sitting across from each other, they sign and frequently laugh.
"She's gotten much better at this," Blickenstaff said. "It's so much easier now."
Kathryn Rem can be reached at (217) 788-1520 or firstname.lastname@example.com.
Getting in touch
Facts about hearing loss
Source: Center for Hearing and Communication, a New York nonprofit hearing-rehabilitation agency
By the numbers
Who offers American Sign Language classes?MacMurray College in Jacksonville. (Classes in signing and interpreter training.) Call academic affairs at (217) 479-7016. Springfield Center for Independent Living, 330 South Grand Ave. W. (No classes this summer.) Call (217) 523-2587 (voice and TTY). Lawrence Adult Education Center, 101 E. Laurel St. (No classes this summer.) Call (217) 525-3144. Lincoln Land Community College in Springfield. (No noncredit classes this summer.) Call (217) 786-2200 (voice) or (217) 786-2798 (TTY).
What is American Sign Language?
ASL is a complex visual language that encompasses hand shape and position, facial expressions and body movements. It is used by both deaf and hearing people, and is said to be the fourth most commonly use language in the U.S.
Is it a universal language?
No. It has its own rules of grammar, punctuation and sentence order and, like all languages, grows and changes with the times. But American Sign Language, which may have evolved from French Sign Language, is primarily used in the U.S. and Canada. Other countries have their own versions.
How are facial expressions used?
When asking a question, for example, signers may raise the eyebrows and wide the eyes. Sometimes, they may ask a question by tilting their bodies forward while signaling with their eyes and eyebrows.
What is fingerspelling?
There is a hand sign for each letter of the alphabet. Spelling out words, or fingerspelling, is usually reserved for proper nouns, for clarity, for instruction and for emphasis.
Where can I get more information about American Sign Language?
Contact the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (one of the National Institutes of Health) at firstname.lastname@example.com, or by calling (800) 241-1044 (voice) or (800) 241-1055 (TTY).


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Bear Claws
You don't have to head to gourmet bakeries to indulge in this sweet pastry. This recipe lets you master rich flaky pastries at home.—Taste of Home Test Kitchen, Greendale, Wisconsin
Total TimePrep: 1 hour + rising Bake: 10 min.
Makes9 rolls
- 1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
- 1/2 cup warm 2% milk (110° to 115°)
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1-1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided
- 3/4 cup cold butter, cut into tablespoon-size pieces
- 6 tablespoons prepared almond filling or filling of your choice
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
- 2 to 3 teaspoons water
- In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm milk. Stir in sugar, salt and egg; mix well. Add the flour all at once, stirring until mixed. Set aside.
- For butter mixture, sprinkle 1 tablespoon flour on a work surface; place butter on surface and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon flour. Press and roll out with a rolling pin. Scrape butter from rolling pin and continue to work the butter until it forms a smooth mass without any hard lumps. Knead in remaining flour, working quickly to keep butter cold.
- Place butter mixture on a sheet of plastic wrap and shape into a small rectangle. Cover with another sheet of plastic wrap; roll into a 9x6-in. rectangle. Set aside.
- Turn dough onto a floured work surface; roll into a 14x10-in. rectangle, with a 10-in. side toward the bottom. Unwrap butter mixture; place on dough 1 in. above bottom edge and 1/2 in. from each side edge. Fold top half of dough over butter and pinch edges to seal.
- Turn dough a quarter turn to the right; sprinkle lightly with additional flour. Lightly roll into a 16x8-in. rectangle. Fold bottom third of rectangle up and top third down, as when folding a business letter, making a 5-1/2x8-in. rectangle (this is called one turn). Rotate dough a quarter turn to the right. Lightly roll into a 16x8-in. rectangle and again fold into thirds, finishing the second turn. Repeat rotating, rolling and folding two more times for a total of four times. Wrap loosely in plastic wrap; refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Roll dough into a 12-in. square; cut square into three 12x4-in. strips. Spread 2 tablespoons filling down the center of each strip to within 1 in. of long edge. Fold lengthwise over filling and pinch seam to seal. Cut each strip into three pieces. With scissors, cut each piece four times from pinched seam to about 1/2 in. from folded side. Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Curve folded side slightly to separate strips and allow filling to show. Cover and let rise in a warm place until almost doubled, about 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 400°. Brush bear clasws with egg. Bake 10-14 minutes or until puffy and golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks. Combine glaze ingredients; brush over warm rolls. Cool.
Nutrition Facts1 each: 369 calories, 20g fat (10g saturated fat), 90mg cholesterol, 447mg sodium, 43g carbohydrate (18g sugars, 2g fiber), 6g protein.
Every product is independently selected by our editors. If you buy something through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission.


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Vinyl Siding in Shelbyville, Michigan
Shelbyville residents looking for low maintenance exterior siding should consider the advantages of vinyl siding. Beautiful and durable, vinyl siding needs to be installed by professional contractors with a keen eye for detail. Trust the pros at Hansons of Kalamazoo for your home siding projects, and expect quality service and solid warranties at affordable prices.
Serving the local MI region since 1990, our skilled siding specialists provide effective and affordable vinyl siding installation. When storms and time require replacement of your Shelbyville siding, Hansons of Kalamazoo provides on-time service for reasonable rates. And Shelbyville siding installation for new construction or home addition projects will stay on budget with the help of Hansons of Kalamazoo.
Free Vinyl Siding Estimate
Professional Vinyl Siding Installation in Shelbyville
Our quality workmanship speaks for itself with every completed siding installation in Shelbyville. Vinyl siding panels snap together fairly easily, but it takes skilled hands to properly fit corner trim and install vinyl soffit and fascia. The Hansons of Kalamazoo crew works hard to ensure every Shelbyville siding replacement project is finished properly and on time. We're proud to call Michigan our home and strive to help every customer create a stunning, maintenance-free finish on their home.
Shelbyville residents value peace of mind and the Hansons of Kalamazoo warranty delivers. Our workmanship warranty covers the installation process, and manufacturer's warranties apply to quality vinyl siding products. Hansons of Kalamazoo helps Shelbyville clients protect their home improvement investments with valuable warranty coverage.
Vinyl siding presents a beautiful finish on your home, while virtually eliminating siding maintenance requirements. Take advantage of this superior product installed by the professional contractors at Hansons of Kalamazoo. Our experienced staff work for affordable rates backed by a solid warranty, making vinyl siding in Shelbyville, MI a wise option for exterior siding. Call (269) 202-8292 today for more details.
Call for FREE Vinyl Siding Quote
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★★★★★ - "Just a note to thank Hansons for a fantastic job on the siding. From the phone calls from Cia every day to check on progress to the fantastic join Mike did installing the siding the whole company in my observation is a class act. Mike's detail in finishing every little corner of the job plus his complete professionalism impressed me as a man who loves his job. The only bad part of the whole package was Jessica not getting back to us on a gutter job on time. We ended up going with another company because of her lack of taking time to contact us. Thanks for making our house look like a show house. We have had many positive comments from neighbors."
Anonymous, Vinyl Siding in Portage, MI2014-05-15
★★★★★ - "Brian, I recently had a roof done by your company and it was great! I had a negative experience with Hansons a few years ago, leading me to think I would never use your company for any of my home improvement needs. But this year, from the time the guys came door to door in my neighborhood to suggest i meet with someone, to the person who came and explained to me my roof options, to Cia, my project manager...everyone was very professional and organized. I appreciated the regular phone calls from Angela regarding financing and scheduling, and then when Cia took over once my project was on deck, she did a great job staying in touch every step of the way letting me know what would be happening. The construction crew was very professional. The work was great. And each hansons person I told about my concerns, said let's see if we can change your experience this time. And they all, really did! I can tell you have invested time in revamping your business and improving it for the customer. I will make sure to pass it on to my family and friends when they need something done. My only regret is I don't know the names of the two guys who came to my door, or the gentleman who met with me and spent an hour and a half of his time to explain my options, and did so much to find a way it could be affordable. I hope you can track them down and thank them, and Cia, for me."
★★★★★ - "Hansons did a great with the whole process from start to finish. They kept me up to speed on the progress. The crew was quick and explained how it all worked. I had a great experience with Hansons and would use them again in the future."
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Anonymous in Parchment, MI2014-01-21
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Syfy announced with great fanfare in late February that it was buying the complete run of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles to run starting April 7. Fans were excited to rediscover this series... but it didn't exactly last.
After just a couple weeks of T:SCC, Syfy pulled the plug. The network is replacing the show with Star Trek: The Next Generation, a show that has more episodes but is also shown on other networks. Poor Sarah Connor — it was a fate not of her making.
Separately, Syfy also announced that Sanctuary is moving from Fridays to Mondays as of April 25. [TV By The Numbers]


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This Film Is Not Yet Rated
(Scene from the expose).
Who rates the movies you watch, deciding whether a film deserves a G, PG, PG-13, R or NC-17? The clandestine organization entrusted with this task is known as The Motion Picture Association of America. Though the MPAA claims that its rating board is comprised of average family folks with young children, the actual membership has long been a closely guarded secret.
This anonymous group of nine individuals wields an incredible amount of influence, because their ratings essentially determine who will be allowed to see a film, which in turn affects whether or not the movie will even attract a distributor and thus end up in theaters. And because director Kirby Dick (chain Camera) noticed that similar flicks often fared different fates after being screened by the MPAA, he decided to do some digging to get to the bottom of the discrepancies.
The results of his investigation are contained in This Film Is Not Yet Rated, a damning documentary which exposes the MPAA as a thinly-veiled arm of the handful of Hollywood studios (Warner Brothers, Universal, Disney, Paramount, Fox and Sony) which have come to dominate the industry. Relying on the assistance of a couple of ruthless private investigators who employed every trick in the trade (including stakeouts, stalking, digging through trash, hidden cameras and other undercover work), Dick determined the identities of the ratings board.
You might be surprised to learn that two members turned out to be Catholic and Episcopalian priests, which might help explain the outfit's Puritanical bent. The rest of the board, we learn, were indeed parents, but older than expected, and mostly with children who were already adults.
While neither recently-retired MPAA President Jack Valenti, nor any of the current members of the gang of nine were willing to explain the methods involved in arriving at a movie's ratings, maverick directors like John Waters, Kevin Smith, Matt Stone and Atom Egoyan do appearances, here, to show how the ratings are rigged in favor of pictures produced by the big studios, while simultaneously suppressing work created outside of the studio system.
Plus, gruesome violence garners only an R, while it is relatively easy for graphic sexuality to be labeled NC-17. And gay-themed content is likely to be censored to a greater degree than nudity and carnality found in a similar straight adventure. Overall, This Film Is Not Yet Rated represents a fascinating breakthrough which leaves the audience wondering whether a screening process with has such a profound effect on American culture ought to be open to public scrutiny.
Review: Excellent (4 stars). Rated NC-17 for graphic sexual content. Running time: 97 minutes. Studio: IFC FilmsÂ
To subscribe to New York's favorite Pan-African weekly investigative newspaper please click on "subscribe� on the homepage or call (212) 481-7745. For advertisements or to send us a news tip contact firstname.lastname@example.com "Speaking Truth To Empower,� is our motto.
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I think you have "Filtered HTML" turned on here. If you switch to "Full HTML," it will probably...


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