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I have been a regular 'tweeter' for a while now and have a growing 'army' of followers that has just hit 750 people! I tweet about all things military history including news and tips on how to uncover your family heroes.
Posted by: mcfinder | May 23, 2010
Why not follow me on Twitter?
Posted in General | Tags: ancestors, first world war, geneaology, military research, twitter, ww1, ww2


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The Wabash College Music Department invites you to a recital by the department's music students on Monday, April 25 at 8 p.m. in Salter Hall.
The following students will participate. They are:
• Adam Dybel performing Pablo de Sarasate's Ziegeunerweisen on violin;
• Daniel Gillespie performing Johannes Brahms' Scherzo on violin;
• Andrew McKone performing Mozart/Kreisler's Rondo in D from Haffner Serenade on violin;
• Alpha Newberry performing Mississippi, Make Me a Pallet, and Fingerstyle Blues in E on guitar;
• Ian Cubie performing The Rest of Your Life and Sweet Gingerbread Man on guitar;
• Dan Ristine performing Handel's Sonata No. 3 on trombone;
• Abraham Lucas performing Mozart's Fantasie, K 397 on piano;
• Bernard Meyer performing Warm Summer Wind on piano;
• Steven Zusack performing Mendelssohn's Rondo Capriccioso, opus 14 on piano;
• Austin Crowder performing Scarlatti's Sonata in G Major, K. 431 and Bartok's Nine Little Piano Pieces on piano;
• Desmond Risper performing Copeland's The Young Pioneers and Ginastera's Twelve American Preludes: Sadness on piano;
• Christopher Geggie performing Khachaturian's Toccata in E-flat Major on piano;
• tenor Howard Bailey singing Roud's Music When Soft Voices Die;
• baritone Tim Barnes singing Schumann's Widmung ;
• tenor Austin Crowder singing Donizetti's Quanto e bella from L'Elizir d'amore;
• baritone Reynaldo Pacheco singing Bononcini's Per la gloria d'adoravi;
• Erick Martin performing Poulenc's Allegretto malincolico from Sonata for Flute and Piano on flute.
The recital is free and open to the public.

subset: commoncrawl


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cjbulldogg brauchte ein neues Website Design und hat einen Wettbewerb auf 99designs gestartet.
Aus 106 Designs von 18 Designern wurde eine Gewinner gewählt.
VotefortheBest.com is a local business review website with a twist. The site allows visitors to vote on their favorite places in any city in the U.S. in over 150 categories, including best sushi, best margarita, best sports bar and more. Our unique twist is that the site aggregates votes from every city in the country to a State and National level, so you can find the Best Sushi Restaurant in your state or even the Best Sushi Restaurant in the country, for example.
The site was launched two months ago and while we like our current design we feel we can improve the user experience by changing the site layout. So, we are restructuring our site and are looking for a creative designer to provide a fresh, web 2.0 inspired design.
Our target audience is web-savvy, 25-55 males and females. We are looking to attract current users of Yelp and CitySearch.
We will need a design for the homepage and one interior page. We like our site's current look and feel, but we are open to your creative interpretation. Go to http://www.voteforthebest.com to see the current design.
The site design should be simple and clean, yet have a slight edge and/or quirkiness to it. Everything is vote-themed - "nominate a business", "most active polls", etc. - but we don't want the design to be overly patriotic. We would like designers to play with iconic voting themes, such a ballot boxes, ballot cards, etc..
We have attached wireframes to the project, so you don't need to waste time thinking about how to lay out the site.
Our current site has a blue header bar, but we are not attached to that. We would actually like to see some designs with a white header and good use of white space.
Please use these sites for design cues:


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A 41-year-old Washington woman was sentenced Thursday to three years in federal prison for her role in conspiring to steal $1.4 million from the Housing Authority of Baltimore City, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Maryland announced.
In imposing his sentence, U.S. District Judge William D. Quarles, Jr. also ordered Tyeast "Peaches" Brown to serve four years of supervised release after her prison term and to pay the public housing agency at least $1.4 million in restitution. She earlier pleaded guilty.
Two others, Keith Eugene Daughtry, 50, and William Darden, 45, both of Washington, pleaded guilty to their roles in the theft scheme, which prosecutors say took place over three months in summer 2010. Daughtry received a 41-month prison term and was ordered to pay restitution. Darden is awaiting sentencing.
According to prosecutors, at least $1.4 million in housing authority funds were electronically transferred to an entity called Keith Daughtry Contracting LLC, which never did work for the agency. The transfers occurred after Darden opened a bank account for Daughtry Contracting using a fraudulent driver's license bearing his photo but Daughtry's name.
After getting hold of housing authority money, the conspirators drained the stolen funds by putting some on debit cards in the names of others, transferring some to other banks and making ATM withdrawals in the Washington area, prosecutors said.
Brown's role was to recruit a number of people, mostly young women, who opened debit cards in their own names. Stolen housing authority money was transferred onto these debit cards.
"Brown then directed her recruits to withdraw most of these funds off the debit cards through cash withdrawals, and demanded that the recruits provide her with this cash, though she permitted them to keep amounts for themselves," according to a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office. "Brown, in turn, divided the cash with her conspirators."
She periodically checked the account balances on the debit cards in her recruits' names, the release added.
Baltimore's housing agency has said it was fully reimbursed by Bank of America after discovering the scheme. In January it said agency accountants identified the fraud during "routine reconciliation" of its books and that officials notified both the agency's inspector general and the bank.
A fourth person, DaRen Kareem Gadsden of Upper Marlboro, went to trial recently, ending in a hung jury. Gadsden is scheduled for retrial next June, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Gadsden's alleged role was detailed in an indictment unsealed in January.


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hypedsound necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 207 diseños de 41 diseñadores freelance.
Hyped Sound
The hyped sound platform is a premier music/social networking site that utilizes unique digital solutions to build audiences for bands as well as provides electronic tools for a more efficient promoting campaign.
Our market demographic is quite variable as we hope to roster artists that traverse all types of ages/genres....that being said, however, we are a web 2.0 company and believe that most of our users will be of a younger, more tech-savvy generation.
We are looking for something professional yet not bland. It is important to keep in mind the color scheme of the logo will probably spill over onto other facets of the site (page layout, player skins, banners, etc...)...so nothing that will hurt the eyes if looked at for a while. It should say "Hyped Sound" on it, that is the only requirement...you can add a tag-line if you wish (its not a requirement)...we would love to see your ideas. We'll leave the creativity up to you. We like web 2.0 logos as well and think it will fit nicely with the theme of our company.
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.


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Think about how much Madden you play. Now think about how much Madden you'd play if you were actually in Madden. That would be pretty dope, right? Unless they gave you a rating that made you look terrible. Here are a bunch of NFL draftees seeing their ratings for the first time.
Jadeveon Clowney is basically the only one who's cool with the "rookies start low and rocket up in season two" model; everyone else got their feelings hurt. Manziel thought he should have been somewhere between 88-92, which would have put him somewhere between Stafford and Cam last year. Bortles wanted to know about his punting.


text: 17th District State Representative, Nancy Dembowski (D-Knox), has received her committee assignments for the 2011 and 2012 sessions of the Indiana General Assembly. House Democratic Leader, B. Patrick Bauer (D-South Bend) recommended Dembowski for the following committees: Local Government, Commerce, Small Business and Economic Development, and Natural Resources. In addition, Dembowski will be the ranking Democrat on the Roads and Transportation Committee.


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Violence Against Women Act Would Support Local Efforts
COLUMBIA - On Tuesday, the U.S. Senate passed the Violence Against Women Act with a vote of 78-22. While the House of Representatives waits to vote on the bill, local leaders are discussing its impact on domestic violence in Mid-Missouri.
The impending House vote even prompted Senator Claire McCaskill to visit Columbia Friday to urge the public to contact its representatives to ensure the bill's passage.
"This is life-saving legislation," McCaskill said in a news conference at the Boone County Courthouse.
The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) provides funding for the investigation and prosecution of violent crimes against women and establishes the Office on Violence Against Women in the Justice Department. Additionally, the act provides grants that fund prevention and victim support programs, including those in Boone County. Columbia's Domestic Violence Enforcement Unit (DOVE) operates with a grant that helps pay for three full-time staff salaries.
Boone County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Knight said last year Boone County alone had more than 1,000 victims in 2012, and his office prosecuted about 750 domestic violence cases.
"This is a large number of cases that we are handling right here in Boone County," Knight said. "This funding is critically important if we're going to continue to provide this level of service."
Barbara Hodges is the executive director of True North of Columbia, a round-the-clock service that provides shelter and counseling for men, women and children affected by domestic violence. Hodges said True North does not have the funding it needs to operate at the level she desires.
"Without that help, we wouldn't be able to make a lot of these cases in the courtroom," Knight said. "The victims would not have the services that they need in order to hang in there any to testify."
In a letter to Congress last week, Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster explained that in 2011, Missouri women reported more than 40,000 cases of domestic violence and more than 1,400 cases of rape or attemped rape. Koster also noted that although more than 10,000 victims were able to find shelter, nearly 20,000 women were turned away.
On Friday, McCaskill recalled working with victims of domestic violence when she was the Jackson County Prosecutor from 1992 to 1998.
"There weren't and there still isn't sufficient bed space for women seeking shelter and refuge from a very violent situation," McCaskill said.
After the bill passed in 1994, Congress reauthorized VAWA nearly unanimously in 2000 and 2005. Since then, however, Republican opposition to certain provisions have drawn the margin much closer. McCaskill said she still expects a strong bipartisan vote for the bill's passage.
The House of Representatives has not scheduled a vote on VAWA. If the bill passes, Missouri stands to receive about $6 million per year for domestic violence advocacy programs.


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Savannah Gynecologist
to Dr. Barry Schlafstein for becoming one of the first physicians in the nation to achieve board certification status as an OB/Gyn sub- specialist in Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery, also known as UroGynecology!
- Bio Identical Hormone Replacement Expert
- Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgical Pioneer
- Dr. Schlafstein has performed more 3d laproscopic hysterectomies than anyone in the nation!
We at The Progressive Gyn Center are dedicated to providing quality, innovative, and specialized gynecological care, to the women of Savannah and our surrounding areas.
Savannah Gynecologist, Dr. Barry Schlafstein, is resolutely dedicated to the art of minimally invasive gynecologic surgery to serve his patients needs. His passion is to provide treatment for women suffering from urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse. He is recognized locally and nationally by his peers for his surgical expertise.
All aged women accepted!
We are located at 5353 Reynolds Street in Suite 201 of the Candler Life Care Bldg
Savannah, Georgia 31405
912-355-5755 phone
912-355-5759 fax


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Keeping your home warm, safe for winter
Winter in San Antonio doesn't have the extreme cold of northern climes, but it does get cool enough that it makes sense to prep your home for the change in season.
Experts recommend inspecting for air leaks around windows and doors, checking that there is enough insulation in the attic and walls, and having the heating system inspected to make sure it is prepared to take the chill out of your home.
Many homes in San Antonio have only single-pane windows, so drafts can be felt during cool weather.
"They do not have the efficiency" of double-pane windows, says Mike Dines, sales manager at Tiger Services Air Conditioning & Heating in San Antonio. "The heat infiltrates just as bad as the cold does, but the heat is less obvious" than the cold.
So besides caulking windows for leaks, Dines suggests an insulator kit for particularly drafty windows.
"It's almost like Saran Wrap for your windows," Dines says, referring to the plastic film. Be sure to remove it when the weather warms.
Wood shutters are a pricier option than a window-insulator kit.
"The best insulating product for windows is shutters," says Clay Mitchell, owner of Over the Top Window Fashions in San Antonio. Shutters "close off the window entirely where ... no air can escape from the window into the room."
Just remember to open the slats on sunny days.
Cellular window shades also serve as a barrier between the warm air in a room and a cold window, Mitchell says.
The shades come with an "R-value," which measures their thermal resistance. The higher the number, the better the shade is at controlling drafts and helping the room temperature remain constant.
In colder locales, homeowners often install drapes with a thermal-inner lining for the winter season, but Mitchell says they're not common in San Antonio.
If sunlight is seeping through exterior door jambs, consider weather-stripping the doors to prevent heat loss.
Having a properly insulated home can lower heating bills, as well.
Whether it's fiberglass, rock wool, spray foam or cellulose insulation, CPS Energy recommends an insulation level of R-38 — about 12 inches — for the attic.
"If it's less than that, that just means the heat is escaping quicker in the living area up to the attic," says CPS Energy spokesman John Moreno.
If you're inclined to buy thicker insulation, Moreno says don't bother; it won't produce enough the return on your investment to make it worthwhile.
To determine the approximate R-value of the existing insulation in your attic, multiply the thickness by 3.14.
CPS Energy offers attic insulation rebates of up to 25 cents per square foot of floor area.
For South Texas, the R-value for wall insulation recommended by the U.S. Department of Energy is R-13 to R-15.
Attic and wall insulation are among the energy-efficient upgrades offered to low-income homeowners under a weatherization assistance program that CPS Energy administers.
"It's no cost to the consumers as long as they qualify for the program," Moreno says.
There are financial eligibility requirements.
Other upgrades included in the program are weather-stripping, caulking and duct sealing.
More information on the Case Verde SA Weatherization Program is available at cpsenergy.com/casaverde.
CPS Energy recommends homeowners have their heating system professionally serviced every fall in preparation for cooler days and evenings.
An inspection will include checking for worn parts, loose electrical connections, air leakage in the ductwork and airflow restrictions in the blower and coil, according to Tiger Services' website.
It also will include a check for carbon monoxide leaks.
Homeowners with a gas or oil furnace or a wood-burning fireplace should have a carbon monoxide detector. Moreno recommends the detector be placed 3 to 5 feet off the floor in bedrooms.
Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas that is toxic to humans and animals in high concentrations.
Another safety tip: If you have both a wood-burning fireplace and a furnace and run the furnace while you sleep, Moreno says to make sure the fireplace fire is extinguished before going to bed.
"If the fireplace is on the same time you're running the central furnace, it's going to draw out carbon monoxide from the fireplace and (filter through) your home through the vents," Moreno says.
Space heaters also should be shut off before bedtime, Moreno advises. A small heater could easily be knocked over by a pet and start a fire.
Finally, he says, don't forget to switch the direction on your ceiling fan so that it's running in a clockwise direction. When running at low speed, the fan will draw the room air up and push the warm air down.


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Latest News
New Deep Fire Products - Coming Soon! (2006-11-01)
Deep Fire is a company with a fresh, forward thinking approach. The young creative team are as much airsoft enthusiasts as they are inventors, and have been pioneering the way with some innovative new products.
The latest product to come from Deep Fire is a real gem - the M72 launcher. At Redwolf, we have been fortunate enough to have handled it, and holding it and using it proved utterly entertaining. The M72 Launcher is a realistic replica of the M72 Light Anti-Tank Weapon - the primary choice of the U.S. Army for Anti-Tank weaponry (it replaced the bazooka after the Korean War). The Deep Fire M72 feels solid, and from touch alone you wouldn't assume that this is an "Airsoft" version. But it is, and that's certainly a good thing, as it means us Airsofters can get to use an M72! Thank you Deep Fire!!
The fact that there are not many similar products available in the Airsoft market means that Deep Fire has quite a niche product. This new product from Deep Fire will bring a new dimension to Airsoft gaming, creating new possibilities. With the M72, Deep Fire is setting the standard for others to follow.
The Deep Fire M72 uses any standard M203 gas BB shower shell. We tested it with Deep Fire's own M203 shell, Madbull shells, Mosquito Molds, and King Arms shells. All worked great in this launcher. And of course that means you can use HFC134a gas, TOP GAS, Green Gas, Red Gas, or even CO2 in this launcher depending on what your shell takes. The shells are easily reloadable into the launcher through a center breech, accessible by opening the back of the launcher. The launcher collapses and extends just like the real thing with flip up sights.
Using BB shower shells, you can shoot just BBs, or you can just load up a fully charged shell and then plug foam rockets, nerf balls, water balloons, or pouches of baking flour into the smooth barrel to eject various fun objects. In the video below, we used a soft rubber NERF stress ball and a DEEP FIRE M203 shell charged with RED GAS. Effective range is well over 50 meters (150 feet) on this prototype although the final production version may have different power levels. Coming soon before Christmas! Price has not been set yet but check our website frequently for updates!
Click on the video to see this launcher in action! Mind you, our tester told us afterwards that he felt a strong recoil when the launcher fired. Also notice the large cloud of gas emitting from the front of the barrel for extra realism!


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It was the last line that gave me the giggles.
Saturday, August 17, 2013
"I love what you've done with the conning tower!"
It was the last line that gave me the giggles.
11 comments:
- bobbie said...
I wonder if he belongs to the Bauhaus school of thinking?
- August 17, 2013 at 2:11 PM
"These torpedoes are FAAAAAABULOUS!"
- August 17, 2013 at 4:07 PM
"Aye," said the kapitanlieutenant, "from the look in the cabin boy's eye, I'd say we're in for a blow!"
- August 17, 2013 at 5:09 PM
- thethingspatientssay said...
"Hey, sailor...why don't you show me the poop deck?"
(sorry, that was bad)
- August 18, 2013 at 12:11 PM
- Silliyak said...
Wanna see my periscope go up?
- August 18, 2013 at 6:34 PM
- stacey said...
Well afterall, he was....
"In the Navy..."
You can sail the 7 seas...
"In the Navy..."
- August 19, 2013 at 9:51 AM
- Packer said...
6 years of war time submarine service, must have been one cool customer. I knew a guy who disarmed bombs in the big one and he was as unflappable as they come.
Psychiatrist should be studying these guys. We need more of the type and less of the "Reality TV Types"
- August 19, 2013 at 10:18 AM
you'll sing a different tune, if you ever crawl inside one of those WWII submarines on "display" in various docks, parks, etc... real men DO decorate!
- August 20, 2013 at 1:35 PM
I'll bet he was really good at making the most out of tight spaces.
- August 20, 2013 at 10:50 PM
- RehabRN said...
Gotta ask the bubblehead at my house what he thinks of Herr Freiherr.
My submariner knows how to decorate: he can stash stuff in the smallest of spaces around the house (from years of practice with golf clubs, bowling balls and vinyl LPs on a nuclear sub).
- August 22, 2013 at 9:16 PM
Seriously, Dr. G, have you seen how tiny the interior compartments are on a U-boat? Only a truly dedicated interior decorator can turn all that negative space into one of form and functionality. Frankly, I'm surprised interior decorating wasn't a pre-req for u-boat captains.
- August 26, 2013 at 12:12 PM


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Fly to Porto
Portugal's second city offers culture and history. Sample the local delicacy, port wine. And get there in style with British Airways.
Avançar para o conteúdo principal
Portugal's second city offers culture and history. Sample the local delicacy, port wine. And get there in style with British Airways.
Fly to Porto with British Airways and discover the charm of Portugal's second city. Fly direct from London Gatwick (LGW) to Porto Airport (OPO) in just under two hours and thirty minutes, you'll be enjoying port and cheese in no time.
As one of the oldest European centres, there is no shortage of culture and history waiting for you in Porto. Take a ramble through the winding streets of Ribeira (the old town), with its traditional homes and tiled churches. Before finding a spot by the Douro River to discover the city's most famous export in the form of the local port wine. Whatever you choose to do, with regular British Airways flights from London Gatwick, you'll start your holiday in Porto in style.
Depart from London and find yourself soaking up the culture of Porto in no time. Our flights from London Gatwick (LGW) deliver you direct to the city's Francisco de Sá Carneiro Airport (OPO) in just 2 hours and 20 minutes. Choose to fly with hand baggage only or pick a price that includes a 23kg checked baggage allowance and free seat selection 48 hours before you fly.
Procure um voo British Airways por menos e iremos reembolsar a diferença.
Viaje com a British Airways e tire proveito do serviço premiado, da excelente relação qualidade-preço e da inexistência de encargos ocultos:


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- This event has passed.
How To Wow Tour with Jerry Ghionis
In his first US and Canada tour in over 3 years, WPPI's most awarded photographer and Nikon Ambassador, Jerry Ghionis, presents the HOW to WOW Tour.
Jerry will teach attendees how to create extraordinary photographs of anyone, anywhere. This Westcott Top Pro Elite will be presenting a series of full day interactive workshops and evening seminars in 33 cities from September through November. Students will be inspired, challenged, educated, and entertained by one of the industry's brightest stars. Each stop on this tour will feature an interactive daytime workshop and an evening seminar. Daytime workshops will feature live shooting in 2 complete sets that change throughout the day. Jerry will demonstrate photography essentials in an interactive photography experience like no other!
The daytime workshops throughout the tour will cover…
• WHAT – What do I have to do to find or create the best light?
• WHERE – What location and background is best?
• WHY – Why choose a specific pose for your subject?
• HOW – How do I set the exposure to suit the scene and subject?
• WOW – How do I get an expression out of my subject?
Evening seminars will focus on the technique of Jerry's photography as he shares real on-the-job experiences.
During this seminar, attendees will learn…
• How to turn an ordinary location into an amazing opportunity.
• How to find the best existing light in so-called poor lighting conditions.
• How to create beautiful light that compliments your subjects.
• How to think and be more creative.
• How to problem solve difficult situations.
• How to evoke emotion from challenging clients.
• How to wow!
To register for the How To Wow tour in a city near you, please visit howtowow.mzed.com


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Re: Definition of Activity Typestheparallaxview Mar 25, 2010 9:20 AM (in response to Ted Hopton)
So am I right in thinking that if a user does one of these activities then they are classified as 'Active'?
Re: Definition of Activity TypesTed Hopton Mar 25, 2010 9:51 AM (in response to theparallaxview)
That's my understanding, Russell, for all the items with "Yes" next to them. I just want to understand exactly what some of those actions actually are.
Re: Definition of Activity Typesjohn.tarbutton Mar 31, 2010 1:30 PM (in response to Ted Hopton)
Based on the usage that I have seen (and I am just inferring this from the activity I have seen captured in the ananlytics database) here are some possible answers to your activities with question marks:
ACTIVITY_TYPE 140 (ONLINE) and 150 (OFFLINE) always seem to occur on DIRECT_OBJECT_TYPE = 3 (USER). I believe this has to do with a user going offline or coming online. Although Im not sure if this is a status or something else.
ACTIVITY_TYPE 200 (ASSOCIATE) and 210 (DISSOCIATE) always seem to have DIRECT_OBJECT_TYPE = 40 (TAG) and then a bunch of different INDIRECT_OBJECT_TYPES. These are created whenever a user associates a tag to a content item (document, blog, etc. - the indirect object) or dissociates the tag.
ACTIVITY_TYPE 290 (AIDED) and 300 (RESOLVED) always seem to have DIRECT_OBJECT_TYPE = 27 (QUESTION). My guess is that these are created whenever someone marks a question as having recieved a helpful answer or being answered, basically what you indicated.
Not sure if this helps at all but these are some of the scenarios I see in sample data.
For the search content, users and spotlight search .. check out Mark's response to the following thread. He spells them out pretty well (his first post in the thread):
Re: Definition of Activity TypesTed Hopton Mar 31, 2010 1:33 PM (in response to john.tarbutton)
Thanks, John. The bit about the tags is especially useful. Thanks for confirming my hunch and helpful and correct answers. Not sure what the difference is between login and online, logout and offline...
Re: Definition of Activity email@example.com Mar 31, 2010 2:03 PM (in response to Ted Hopton)
LOG_IN and LOG_OUT events are fired during user authentication - essentially whenever a user starts a new browser session.
The ON_LINE and OFFLINE events are related to the user presence functionality - used by real-time chat. I'm not sure how reliable these are or if they are even still enabled.
Re: Definition of Activity Typesmarmanan Oct 29, 2010 7:51 AM (in response to Ted Hopton)
Which is the meaning of WATCH and REMOVE WATCH events?
Re: Definition of Activity Typescorey.richey Oct 29, 2010 10:30 AM (in response to marmanan)
When you click recieve email notifications that is a WATCH
When you click stop email notifications that is a REMOVE WATCH
Re: Definition of Activity Typesrafi_haytham Jun 12, 2019 10:48 AM (in response to Ted Hopton)
I've also found the following entries.. you may add it to the original post if you like.
Event Code Value Counted as "Active" Definition 310 Seach tags Yes This is fired any time someone explicitly searches tags. 320 Download Yes Fires when attachments or binary bodies are downloaded. 330 Mention Yes Fires when content, people, or places are @mentioned. 340 Search places Yes This is fired any time someone lands on the search results page.


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|System: Wii
|Review Rating Legend
|Dev: Land Ho
|1.0 - 1.9 = Avoid
|4.0 - 4.4 = Great
|Pub: D3 Publishers
|2.0 - 2.4 = Poor
|4.5 - 4.9 = Must Buy
|Release: Sep. 25, 2007
|2.5 - 2.9 = Average
|5.0 = The Best
|Players: 1
|3.0 - 3.4 = Fair
|ESRB Rating: Teen
|3.5 - 3.9 = Good
by Tom Kelly
Dragon Blade: Wrath of Fire is an action adventure romp steeped in ridiculous dragon folklore. Unlike your average action game, Blade takes things a step further by using both parts of the Wii remote (Wii-mote and the Nunchuk) as virtual weapons. You swing and attack just as you do on screen. Now in principle that may sound like a blast, but unfortunately there are just too many hurdles that this game did not overcome.
We will start with the story, or lack thereof. You are Dal, generic looking commoner, who apparently is the last hope of humanity. Why is the world in danger? Well really it's simple, there was this dragon Valthorian who once ran the show, but he was defeated and his multiple body parts were taken by kings. With Valthorian's various appendages at the service of these kings, they rule with an iron fist, or a dragon fist in some cases. Through the enhanced power they now possess, they decide to pillage and plunder anything and everything. This is where Dal comes in; as the game begins his village is being raided. Oh NO! What should he do? I know, listen to the disembodied voice who just so happens to be a sword that used to be a dragon. Thus the adventure begins as you traverse the non distinct world collecting the rest of Valthorian and setting right everything that has gone wrong. You will battle your way through the game's five areas, each of which has its own unique king and dragon, and its roughly 20 stages. With the awful story firmly in place, it is up to the rest of the game to continue the standard of mediocrity that has already been set.
Gameplay wise Dragon Blade can be fun, not for long, but there was that small period of time where I almost enjoyed myself. The problem lies in the fact that it is all the same. Every king, every dragon can all be defeated in the same way. There is no real strategy to any of it. You block occasionally when you fight regular enemies, and you run away from the boss's major attacks. Part of the boredom can be attributed to the fact that almost all the levels and enemies are exactly the same. The only original pieces are the dragons and the kings, who all have their own unique looks. There are literally around seven different enemy types, which include such originals as spiders, bats, and different colored wolves (there is a red and grey). After seeing the enemies, the shallow attempt to give this game depth should come as no surprise. Throughout the adventure there are various armor shards (collect six to upgrade your armor) which allow you to gain all sorts of neat stuff like dragon boots. There are also rocks with either blue or red orbs that will increase your health or Dragon Blade power. It all seems like almost an afterthought, especially the armor - so far as I can tell it doesn't help your defense at all. Gripes aside there are some cool elements to the game. The sword becomes pretty sweet as you unlock more and more pieces of it. The dragon's tail serves as a whip like weapon, and when you have both dragon's arms you can come down on enemies with a Hulk like smash. If the gameplay rundown did not tip you off to the lack of effort put into this title, then surely the graphics and sound will.
I know the movie Grindhouse probably gave people the impression that making things look retro was cool, but in the case of videogames that technique is probably not as hip. Graphically this is one of the worst looking games I have played in quite awhile. To say it looks like a PS2 title would be generous. I remember Clockwork Knight for the Sega Saturn looking better than this. Everything is so drab and plain; it is hard to believe that a Wii game looks like this. There are no details in the walls or backgrounds of each level. The only differences from area to area will be the colors. Then there is the aforementioned standard enemy set that accompanies each level, and it feels like you are playing the same level over and over again. The only way you know you are actually progressing is that your sword continues to get better, which leads us to the only bright spots visually. The effects of the sword look decent, with each different dragon part taking on its own form. The kings and the dragons, compared to the rest of the game, also look great.


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Our thanks to Chad Nichols and the Nichols Family for being the heart of the Eli's Cheesecake/Wright College Farmers Market. Each week, Chad and his family bring a wide variety of flowers and vegetables to our Market.
Beets and Red Onions are always a Market favorite; also great when used by Eli's Chef Antonio in one of his Thursday Farmers Market Special Lunches.
The Eli's Cheesecake/Wright College Farmers Market is a success only because of our great partnerships. We are fortunate to have the support of Drusilla Bank of the University of Illinois Extension, and Lucille Shaw, Master Ag Teacher and FFA Advisor at the Chicago High School of Agricultural Sciences. Each Thursday through August 7th, Lucille brings 15 students from CHSAS who attend class at Wright College and then come to the Market for an industry leading speaker in sustainable food systems. The lecture is open to the public.
The inaugural speaker for the 2008 Sustainable Agriculture Entrepreneurship Program was Lloyd Nichols, the patriarch of Nichols Farms and one of the first local farmers to see the opportunities in local famers markets. Lloyd was introduced by Eli's Executive Vice President, Jolene Worthington, who is Board Member of Slow Foods and a passionate advocate for local foods.
Best of all, the Eli's Cheesecake/Wright College Farmers Market is fun for kids of all ages and families.. Check our schedule out on the web at www.elicheesecake.com for our Thursday Farmer Market schedule.


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This is a group for all you atheist guitar players and bass players. All music styles are welcome here.
Members: 65
Latest Activity: Mar 24, 2015
Hello fellow heathen guitarists/bassists! I don't get on a/n very often but I found this group and (since I meet the criteria) decided I HAD to join. I have played electric guitar for over 30 years now but have recently been spending a lot more time with the acoustic. I'm strictly an amateur but could not imagine going through life without being able to pick up a guitar a few times a week.
I don't have any of my own music. I am a rookie.
i love classic country music
I like Monster/suicide/America by Steppenwolf and With God on Our Side by Bob Dylan. Two songs about being led to war and to kill for false beliefs.
For me, it's damn near impossible to choose. But judging on the song that I've played the most on iTunes, my favourite song is Us and Them by Pink Floyd. Friggin' fantastic is what it is.
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Monday, June 01, 2020
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Marissa Babnew
Class of 2010
Major/Minor: Psychology, Pre-Med
Early in her undergraduate career, Marissa Babnew '10 discovered her passion. With her first tour of the labs in the psychology department, she says, she "fell in love with neuroscience." Her coursework and lab experiences helped her secure a job right after college with the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense.
As a freshman, Marissa assisted a senior psychology major with her thesis, which helped her learn to use all the equipment and technology available at the College.
The field of neuroscience resonated for Marissa on a personal level. Her grandmother suffered from Alzheimer's. Her senior thesis focused on the potential link between traumatic brain injury and the onset of Alzheimer's, and the effectiveness of using progesterone as a treatment.
To explore the potential links and treatment options, Marissa used a special device to simulate the effects of traumatic injury to rats' brains. She then put the rats through several tests and analyzed the effects on their brain tissue, noting differences in rats of different ages and progesterone levels.
She believes similar studies will lead to more effective treatment of Alzheimer's disease.
"There are about 91 drugs in clinical trials, so that's really promising," Marissa said. "There are a lot of advances being made and that's why it's so interesting to be in the field at this time."
Campus Involvement
- Major: Psychology (Behavioral Neuroscience Concentration)
- Program: Pre-Med
- Lifestyle Editor: The Elm
- Peer Mentor
- Vice President: Psi Chi
- President: Cater Society of Junior Fellows
- General Psychology Course Mentor
- Miller Library Circulation Desk Assistant
Hometown and high school? West Deptford, NJ; West Deptford High School
Favorite class? My favorite class was NRM: Traumatic Brain Injury because it was really interesting and brought up a lot of current controversial topics in psychology and scientific research.
Recommended professor? Dr. Kerchner.
Most memorable experience as a first-year student? Going to my first Birthday Ball.
If you could be a condiment, which one would you be and why? Salsa, because I like to spice things up.
If you had a superpower, what would it be and why? I would want to be able to be at two places at once. That would be awesome because I could do all the clubs, sports, fun stuff that I never seem to have time for, but also get all my work done for my classes and catch up on sleep.


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Dinner Tonight: Chickpeas and Chorizo Recipe
Your source for quick recipe every single week day.
I know this dish probably doesn't look like much. It's lumpy and kind of monotone (my wife charitably commented, once I'd put it into bowls, that "it looks kind of like prison food"). But like people, all dishes can't be attractive, and certainly not everything that's tasty has to be good-looking. This is one of those dishes, which I found on the blog Garlic Makes it Better, and it's true to its source: plenty of garlic and onion softened in glorious red-hued chorizo fat, aromatic spices like cumin, and a nice mix of textures from the creamy chickpeas to caramelized bits of sausage.
Once the chorizo is crumbled and cooked off, the dish proceeds much like a curry, the spices toasting and marrying in fat to create a powerful base of flavor for the dish. From there, it's just a matter of adding the rest of the ingredients and allowing them to cook and soak up flavor. The result is satisfying, flavorful, easy to prepare, and very economical. And makes great leftovers.
- Yield:4
- Rated:
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1/2 pound fresh chorizo, meat removed from casing
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 tablespoon allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder, or more to taste
- 1 15-ounce can chopped tomatoes
- 2 cups water
- 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained
- 1 cup cous cous
- Freshly chopped parsley or cilantro for garnish (optional)
In a pan large enough to hold all the ingredients, heat the oil over medium heat. Once hot, add the chorizo, breaking up in the pan as it cooks, until it has released its oil into the pan and is fully cooked and beginning to crisp. Remove, leaving the oil in the pan, and reserve.
Add the onion to the pan and cook for a few minutes until beginning to soften, then add the garlic. Cook until the onion is soft, then add the spices and cook for an additional minute to marry the flavors. Pour in the tomatoes, chickpeas, and water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes, then add the chorizo and cous cous and season to taste with salt. Simmer until the cous cous is cooked through and liquid is absorbed (depending on the size and brand of the cous cous, more water may be necessary). Allow to cool a little before serving. Sprinkle with chopped parsley or cilantro, if desired.
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.


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I'm trying to create a tabbed application with WPF and XNA. I'm using the D3DImage [http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/libr...d3dimage.aspx] class to display the rendered xna inside an Image control.
If I change the RenderTarget on the GraphicsDevice to one other than the one being used by the d3dimage, the d3dimage no longer displays the rendered xna (even the static image which was last rendered).
The following works:
// render xna to rendertarget
d3dImage.AddDirtyRect(new Int32Rect(0, 0, width, height));
but if i do the following the xna in the d3dimage is lost and replaced with a dark blue:
d3dImage.AddDirtyRect(new Int32Rect(0, 0, width, height));
graphicsDevice.SetRenderTarget(0, otherRenderTarget);
I need to change the RenderTarget because I have multiple D3DImages to render to.
Do you know why the rendered xna is "overwritten" even though I don't call d3dImage.AddDirtyRect()? Thanks


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Pasta Perfect
Quick-cooking pasta and seafood make a delicious match.
Pasta's popularity is no surprise—it's tasty, inexpensive, and easy to prepare. Like pasta, seafood is mild, tender, and low-fat, and it cooks quickly. Neither ingredient overwhelms the other, making them perfect companions.
In its basic form, dry American pasta consists of durum wheat flour (semolina) and water. Spinach, tomato, or other ingredients add flavor and texture. Include eggs, and the mixture becomes noodles. New versions combine whole grains for taste, nutrients, and fiber.
The Shape of Things
Most pasta shapes fall into one of three categories: long and thin, short and chunky, or broad and long. Skinny angel hair pasta works well with thin sauces such as lemon-butter or olive oil. Short, chunky penne or shells and broad shapes such as fettuccini or linguine hold up well with thicker sauces, say, a marinara with mushrooms and dried tomatoes.
Cooking Tips
The key is water, and plenty of it. If prepared with an inadequate amount, pasta cooks unevenly and becomes gummy. Use four to six quarts of water for every pound of pasta. If unsure, err on the side of too much water.
Stir in about 1⁄2 to 1 tablespoon of salt per pound of pasta to the boiling water before adding the noodles. Adding oil keeps them from sticking together, but also keeps flavorful sauces from sticking.
Don't overcook pasta. Boil it until al dente, about 5 to 12 minutes depending on the shape and package directions. The pasta should feel tender, but have a slight resistance or chew. Drain, but don't rinse unless preparing a cold pasta salad.
Fishy Business
When selecting seafood to pair with pasta, use what's freshest at the market. Keep in mind that thin, tender fish, such as sole, may not hold up when tossed with noodles. In such cases, serve fillets whole on top of the noodles and sauce.
Prepare seafood properly. If overcooked, fillets fall apart and shrimp become rubbery. Follow this general guide: 10 minutes per inch of thickness for fish, three to eight minutes for mussels and clams, and two to four minutes for shrimp and scallops.


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Lead Content Compliance
- Overview
- Benefits of Certification
- Why Work With NSF?
- Certification Process
- NSF/ANSI 14 and 24
- NSF/ANSI 42, 53, 55, 58 and 62
As of January 4, 2014, the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) requires drinking water products sold or installed for use in public water systems, as well as plumbing in facilities, to meet a weighted average of not more than 0.25 percent lead. Third-party certification of these products to the new lead-free requirements will be required in many jurisdictions. Additionally, the states of California, Vermont, Maryland and Louisiana have already instituted these requirements for products currently in the market.
To identify NSF certified products that comply with low-lead requirements, reference our low-lead marks guide.
Benefits of CertificationThird-party certification of lead content is required by many jurisdictions and in many specifications. NSF certification ensures your product meets these mandatory requirements as determined by the Safe Drinking Water Act for plumbing fixtures and fittings across North America. Additionally, we can use your test data to certify your product to other industry standards, such as ASME, ASSE, AWWA, CSA, IAPMO, ISO, UL and more.
Why Work With NSF?
The NSF mark, well respected by public health officials and drinking water utilities, is recognized as a symbol of product quality and integrity. Our responsive, personalized service quickly guides your products through the certification process, ensuring that they get to market on time and on budget. We offer product bracketing services wherever possible to help keep costs down, and provide pricing up front so there are no hidden surprises down the road.
NSF, a designated Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, is accredited by the International Accreditation Service (IAS), Standards Council of Canada (SCC) and American National Standard Institute (ANSI-Accredited Product Certification Body - Accreditation #0216).
Certification Process
While our product evaluations are thorough, our process is simple and efficient. Your NSF project manager guides your project through our streamlined, efficient certification process from application to approval.
- Your company submits an application.
- Your company and suppliers provide formulation, design specifications and product end use information.
- We review formulation and engineering specifications.
- We perform a plant audit and sample collection.
- We conduct laboratory testing.
- We grant certification for compliant products.
- Our follow-up program includes unannounced inspections and annual testing.
Our experts can help you reduce your overall costs and expedite your time to market by bundling services and reducing the number of contracted service providers and facility audits.
Drinking Water System Components
(Relevant standard: NSF/ANSI/CAN 61, including Annex G)
Purpose/scope: Drinking water components are tested to NSF/ANSI/CAN Standard 61, which includes a leachate test to evaluate products for all contaminants of health effects concern, not just lead. NSF/ANSI/CAN 61 also certifies lead content via Annex G and NSF/ANSI 372.
Search for NSF Certified Drinking Water System Components
Search tips: When searching for products certified as low-lead, select the box "Only display products also Certified to NSF/ANSI/CAN Standard 61, Annex G (weighted lead content of <=0.25%)."
To identify NSF certified products that comply with low-lead requirements, reference our low-lead marks guide.
Additional information: NSF Municipal Water Treatment Products Program
NSF/ANSI 14 and 24
Plumbing System Components
(Relevant standards: NSF/ANSI 14 and 24, ASTM, ASME, CSA, IAPMO, ASSE and AWWA)
Purpose/scope: NSF/ANSI Standard 14 covers potable and non-potable water products. Potable water products are evaluated to the requirements of NSF/ANSI/CAN 61. Products are also tested to verify compliance with the performance standard. All potable water products certified by NSF under this program are lead-free[1].
Search for NSF Certified Plumbing and Related Products
Search Tips: Select the box "Only display products also Certified to NSF/ANSI Standard 61, Annex G (weighted lead content of <=0.25%)."
Associated marks for lead content certified products: The –G mark is optional for certified potable water products that are made of all plastic.
Additional information: NSF Plumbing Fixtures and Fittings Program
1The term lead-free is defined as having a weighted average lead content of the wetted surfaces not exceeding 0.25 percent consistent with state and federal law.
NSF/ANSI 42, 53, 55, 58 and 62
Drinking Water Treatment Units
(Relevant standards: NSF/ANSI 42, 44, 53, 55, 58 and 62)
Purpose/scope: NSF verifies manufacturer performance claims and material safety of drinking water treatment units (DWTUs). Products covered include: water filters, water softeners, reverse osmosis systems, distillers, UV disinfection, etc.
Search for NSF Certified Drinking Water Treatment Units, Water Filters
Search tips: Products certified for lead content are denoted in the search results. For a complete listing of all DWTU products certified for lead content, go to Lead Content Certified Products and select the box "Drinking Water Treatment Units."
Associated marks for lead content certified products:
None. Refer to listings.
Additional information: NSF Residential Water Treatment Program
This standard establishes a standardized methodology for the determination and verification of product compliance with a maximum weighted average lead content requirement of 0.25 percent as required by the U.S. Safe Drinking Water Act. Currently eight states reported requirements for compliance with NSF/ANSI 372 and two additional states have regulations or legislation requiring certification or conformance to a 0.25 percent weighted average lead content for products conveying or dispensing drinking water.
Get more information and see a comprehensive map of the U.S. states provinces/territories requiring NSF/ANSI 372.
Lead Content Certification
(Relevant standards: NSF/ANSI 372, NSF/ANSI 61-G and all other NSF lead content certifications)
Search for All NSF Lead Content Certified Products
Search Tips: If looking for specific product types, select a box with the desired product type at the link above.
To identify NSF certified products that comply with low-lead requirements, reference our low-lead marks guide.
Additional Information: NSF 61, NSF 372 and Lead Content
Call for Abstracts: Speaker, Research Poster Proposals Accepted for Legionella Conference 2020
- 3 months ago
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – NSF Health Sciences and the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) are now accepting proposals for expert...
Drinking Water Treatment Units Must Now Meet Stricter Requirements for Lead Reduction Certification
- 4 months ago
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The joint committee governing the American National Standards for drinking water treatment units recently lowered the...
Stefan Buck Appointed GM of NSF International's Global Drinking Water Treatment Programs
- 11 months ago
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Stefan Buck has been promoted to General Manager of NSF International's Global Drinking Water Treatment Unit...
COVID-19 and Its Effect on Your Building Water Health
Webinar: COVID-19 Updates for NSF International's Water Certification Programs
FAQ on Desk Audits for NSF International's Water Certification Programs
Private Label (ANF) Listings
Roof Drain Testing and Certification Program Questions and Answers
Grease Interceptor Testing and Certification Program FAQs
Faucet and Accessory Testing and Certification
Valve Testing and Certification
What's the difference between NSF/ANSI Standards 372 and 61?
NSF/ANSI 372: Drinking Water System Components — Lead Content contains the procedures to verify the lead content of drinking water products. This standard is referenced in Annex G of NSF/ANSI 61 as the methodology to determine lead content compliance. Products certified to NSF/ANSI 372 demonstrate compliance with lead content requirements only, while certifications to NSF/ANSI 61 Annex G demonstrate compliance with both lead content and lead leaching requirements.
Does NSF/ANSI Standard 61 only test for lead?
No, NSF tests for other metallic contaminants as well as nonmetallic contaminants. In fact, the standard requires a full formulation disclosure of all chemical ingredients in each water contact material. The standard then requires testing for any chemical contaminant that might possibly leach from each material into drinking water.
Can a pure lead device pass NSF/ANSI Standard 61?
No. This misconception started when an article reported that a small lead device was tested to the NSF/ANSI Standard 61 test protocol and it passed for lead. A close reading of the article shows that the lead device was only tested with pH 5 test water. It was not tested with pH 10 test water, which is required by the standard. The same article claims that other devices were tested with both pH 5 and pH 10 test waters and showed that the pH 10 test water was 71 times more aggressive for lead leaching than the pH 5 test water. If the factor of 71 was applied to the pH 5 test results for the small lead device, it would have clearly failed to meet the standard. In fact, many brass products containing only small amounts of lead have difficulty meeting the testing requirements of NSF/ANSI Standard 61.
How can I be sure that a faucet or plumbing device meets the NSF standard?
Products certified to the NSF standard carry an NSF certification mark or a certification mark of the certifying organization. NSF International also maintains online listings of certified products and systems.
Which parties helped develop the NSF standard?
The standard was developed using a voluntary consensus process. All interested parties were represented, including regulatory agencies, industry, water suppliers, consultants and other users of products covered by the standard.
Is NSF the only organization that can test against the standard?
Any organization that is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) to certify products to NSF/ANSI Standard 61 can test products against the NSF standard. Most states have regulations requiring products to meet NSF/ANSI 61 and all of these states require products to be certified by an ANSI-accredited certifier.
What are the requirements for NSF/ANSI 61 and lead?
NSF/ANSI 61 contains requirements that restrict both the level of lead that can be contained in the water contact materials of drinking water products and the level of lead that can leach out. For more details about the requirements please download the NSF 61, NSF 372 and Lead Content brochure.
- NSF's worldwide recognition is a key asset when choosing a certification body. The NSF team always provides an exceptional customer service. The level of accuracy of the NSF certification gives to our clients confidence and trust in our products.Pablo Olalla López, Technical Manager, Pinturas Villada SKC S.A


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Africa's biosafety regulators urged to strengthen links
[NAIROBI] In efforts to harmonise national biosafety regulations across Africa, the links between national regulatory authorities and key stakeholders must be strengthened, say experts at the African Biosafety Network of Expertise (ABNE).
Many of the continent's science and agriculture ministers endorsed the use of biotechnology to address poverty and food insecurity at an annual dialogue held last month (18-19 April) in Accra, Ghana.
But biosafety regulations in many of those countries still need to be established.
"Countries should learn from one another to avoid reinventing the wheel," said Samuel Timpo, senior programme officer at ABNE, which is run by the African Union's New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD).
He was speaking to SciDev.Netafter a week-long study tour for Africa's regulators and researchers in Pretoria, South Africa this month, organised by ABNE and AfricaBio, a non-profit biotechnology safety organisation based in South Africa.
Timpo said the tour aimed to expose African regulators to good practice and help them learn from one another.
It included workshop sessions on applying agricultural biotechnology, and biosafety and biotechnology regulation in South Africa, as well as field and laboratory tours for biosafety regulators from Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
The initiative by ABNE has received support from across the region, with some regulatory agencies and regional trading blocs saying a stronger and functional biosafety system could be an important guide to exploiting the potential benefits of biotechnology and ensuring safe use of genetically modified crops in Africa.
Miriam Kinyua, chairperson for Kenya's National Biosafety Authority and professor of biotechnology at Moi University, told SciDev.Net it was prudent to work with all stakeholders to take into account their biosafety concerns.
"Developers should not fear that their products are being curtailed. We want to work and engage in dialogue with them to ensure that their technology is safe," she said.
"We are also working closely with policymakers," added Kinyua.
Chungu Mwila, acting chief executive officer for the Alliance for Commodity Trade in Eastern and Southern Africa, said: "It is vital that regulatory institutions inform stakeholders on the regulations and status of technology".
He told SciDev.Net that appropriate regulations and a strong institutional structure to apply them is "a must" if African countries are to create an environment in which biotechnology can thrive.


text:
At least one person wasn't happy with Google on Capitol Hill.
"At the end of the day, I don't think their answers to us were very forthcoming necessarily in what this really means for the safety of our families and our children," Rep. Mary Bono Mack (R-Calif.) told reporters after a closed-door briefing with Google on its new privacy policy Thursday.
Bono Mack had sent an invitation to chief executive Larry Page, but instead he sent deputy general counsel Mike Yang and public policy director Pablo Chavez to the closed-door meeting on Thursday. The meeting was restricted only to members of the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade.
U.S. & World
News from around the country and around the globe
The inquiry stems from a Google announcement last week that it will consolidate all its user agreements into one, all-encompassing privacy agreement. Starting March 1, Google will be able to follow a user across its services no matter how Google is accessed. Critics worry that there's no opting out of Google services, while Google says the new policy is not collecting any more data than it already does.
"The concern of Congress is how much active participation does a user have to do to protect their own privacy," Bono Mack told reporters, according to The Hill. She also said she plans to hold more privacy hearings this year, some that could focus squarely on Google. "There's a growing angst in the Congress about privacy — there's no question."
Congress' concern about Google's privacy policy is overblown, but Congress is determined to follow it through. If only our legislative branch had shown this much initiative against PIPA and SOPA -- or creating jobs, we all might be in a better place.


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The art dealer's art
David Zwirner has an infallible instinct – and it makes him one of the world's foremost gallerists. A conversation about good deals, bad beer, being raised with great art and what he learned from his father.
Neo Rauch, Jeff Koons, Isa Genzken – gallerist David Zwirner represents artists whose works are coveted by collectors of contemporary art. The 53-year-old German is one of the most important players on the global art market; He has come a long way since opening his first tiny gallery in New York's bohemian SoHo and now has impressive exhibition spaces in New York, Hong Kong and London. He could be taciturn and secretive, but that's not his style. The great man steps into the room – firm handshake, good posture, clear voice and clear pronouncements from the "megadealer" – that's what the New York Times calls him, he smiles apologetically; it is not his word.
Mr. Zwirner, Your gallery is celebrating its 25th anniversary. The art market has exploded in the past 25 years. Can an artist at the start of his career today expect to earn a living from it?
No. Of 100 young artists starting out, one might be lucky enough to make a career of it even though there's a far wider audience for art than there was 25 years ago. The market is also larger, but I cannot judge how many artists it can support.
The art trade has a reputation for being discreet. Would it be vulgar to talk figures?
I think that's a really dumb cliché. We sell very expensive art, and if you are interested in a work, you have to come to terms with the price. I cannot pretend to be ashamed of the prices. That would be profoundly dishonest.
With your artists, people like Jeff Koons, Neo Rauch and Luc Tuymans, sums in the six to seven figures can be the final word when you sell their works. Does this amaze even you?
Well, it's not what I imagined 25 years ago. It's something that has developed steadily. Such careers are accompanied by exhibitions in the main museums, so the numbers don't worry me, either, because I know it's not all just a question of facades, but of a healthy demand that has developed over time.
Your father, Cologne art dealer Rudolf Zwirner, once advised you never to haggle for a good artwork. Have you always followed that advice?
You never fret about maybe having spent a little bit too much after the fact. But it really irks you when you've let a work slip through your fingers. And that's happened to me a few times.
Fortunately, you have also acquired a few…
I am not a collector. That would bring me into conflict with my clients. But our apartment in New York is full of art. I love On Kawara, the Japanese concert artist, who became famous in the 1960s for his date paintings. I have two gray ones. If we had a fire, I would grab them and run out into the street.
Does David Zwirner get a discount at his gallery?
Of course not.
Do you like negotiating?
It's the only thing I don't enjoy, but unfortunately, it's a part of our business.
A native of Cologne, Zwirner lives in New York with his wife and three children. She is a successful designer of bags, his son, the eldest child, runs the gallery's publishing company, and a daughter has just joined the sales department. It was not really Zwirner's plan to set up a family business with 170 employees.
What do you find exciting about your work?
Bringing art to people. Before I opened my gallery in 1993, I spent several months working for a publisher in New York. The company produced beautiful John Baldessari, Lucian Freud and Bruce Nauman prints. But no one wanted this world-class art because the market had collapsed completely. I said to myself that there had to be people out there who would buy it: museums. So I had a large suitcase made, filled it with prints and set out like a tour roadie in a minivan to pay a visit to America's museums. There I would stand, 26 years old, big white portfolios under my arm, explaining art to the pros. I made a terrible fool of myself the first few times, but after a while, I sold a few works. After that, I knew I wanted to open my own place.
You started out in SoHo shop premises with nothing but a folding table and heating that didn't work …
Our landlord was a tough bird and he would turn off the heating when he was away on the weekend – then we would freeze.
You kept yourself warm with canned beer.
That's a bit of a fairy tale. We actually drank Rolling Rock out of the bottle, the cheapest beer we could enjoy. At some point I realized that the local alcoholics would come stand outside the gallery just before six o'clock and swig three beers in a row. We haven't served alcohol at our previews since then.
There's nothing to drink at your gallery. How else does your business model differ from that of your father?
One thing that really doesn't work anymore is not explicitly supporting the artists. My father did not directly represent artists; he would stage an exhibition with them. He never managed careers. When we work with artists these days, we act internationally and want to be their global representative.
Zwirner leans forward a little and speaks with just the trace of a Cologne lilt. He inspires such confidence, you feel you want to buy a picture from him straight away. Did he learn that from his father, perhaps, who not only ran his own gallery but also cofounded the Art Cologne trade fair?
How did you grow into your father's world?
Quite naturally. The gallery was downstairs, on the first floor, and the kitchen was on the second floor. That's where we had lunch and were occasionally joined by clients. We had some really great art on the wall: Cy Twombly, Andy Warhol, Gerhard Richter. Beuys regularly visited us at home and he always wore the hat and his funny fishing vest with all the pockets. When I was six years old, I saw a performance by the British artist duo Gilbert & George, who had painted themselves silver and gold. I sat on my father's shoulders watched these two robot figures over everyone's heads. They barely moved. It felt a bit creepy to me.
The gallerist Johann König, son of the museum director Kasper König, hated growing up in an art environment because even their vacations were chosen to fit in with gallery visits. Was it like that for you?
We often went to the island of Ponza, south of Rome, because Paul Thek lived there. He was a wonderful artist and a good friend of my father's. I learned to swim with him. My father did combine business with pleasure, but I never felt I missed out because of it.
What else did the father teach the son?
To take a really close look, not to just stand in front of a picture and say, "Oh, Adam and Eve, a love scene," but to try and decipher it. Artists don't make our job easy, they weave different levels into their works. This is true especially of the Old Masters. Or take Beuys, for instance. A Beuys installation isn't just material in a room, it conveys a story. The more you know, the better you get it.
The art auctioneer Simon de Pury says, "It's the person standing naively in front of a work who has the keenest eye."
I would not agree with that. It's the best-informed person looking at the work who has the keenest eye.
Jeff Koons, on the other hand, maintains that "There's no right or wrong aesthetic." So why visit museums and galleries that curate art?
That's Jeff's central theme: acceptance. He wants people to have a completely open mind when they contemplate a work. But that's difficult because we are full of neuroses and march through life with cultural cramps. We have simply piled up too much ballast. I think Jeff tries to create art from a child's perspective. Maybe that's what Simon de Pury means, that if we approach art without preconceptions, it gets interesting.
With annual sales totaling an estimated 500 million U.S. dollars, Zwirner is one of the world's top gallerists and second only to his eternal rival, the U.S. American Larry Gagosian. Jeff Koons used to exhibit with Gagosian, hence the art world's amused and shocked whispers when the pop-art legend suddenly turned up at Zwirner's in 2012.
The word was that you were challenging Gagosian, the mightiest art dealer in the world …
People love to talk about it because they like rivalries. But I don't even know Larry Gagosian.
You have never spoken with him on the phone?
No. We say a polite hello when we see each other at a fair. Of course, it will have been an unpleasant situation for Larry when Jeff switched to me. Artists of a certain level can make that kind of decision for themselves. It's just that most artists don't want to. Gerhard Richter has been working closely with the gallerist Marian Goodman for decades now.
Would you like to have him?
That's not why I said it. I see their relationship as an example of loyal and intense collaboration – the kind I would also like to have with my artists.
This is the first time things have got a bit weird. No one knows anything about a feud or a dispute; in the art world, David Zwirner has a reputation for being a gentleman. His colleague Robert Mnuchin once said that Zwirner ran his business with quality and style, but was nevertheless aggressive, had a look that would briefly flash in his eyes with an unmistakable warning: Don't pull a fast one on me!
How do you decide who buys a coveted work?
We like to know our clients. You won't get very far if you simply call us up and ask for a Neo Rauch picture. There's a long list of people waiting for a picture and when it arrives, we give a lot of thought to whose collection it would suit best.
Do you care whether a picture ultimately ends up on a wall or disappears into a warehouse in Singapore?
We would avoid the warehouse in Singapore or Switzerland if possible, but good clients often already have huge collections and have long since stopped making purchases for their walls. It gives me satisfaction to be able to look an artist in the eye after a successful exhibition and say that two of the pictures have ended up in a museum and another is hanging in a collector's living room.
The German sculptor Thomas Schütte says, "Collectors only get something of mine if they come to my studio. I want to see who buys my works. It's a kind of face check."
That sounds pretty cool, of course. It's just that most artists don't want to meet the collectors. And I can understand that because worlds collide that maybe aren't so compatible when they do. It's my job to protect artists from that.
Music was your first love. You were a drummer and worked as a product manager for the Hamburg label ACT Music and Vision in the late 1980s. Why didn't you form your own band back then?
The music industry put me off. The relationship between record company and artist can be very contentious, lawyers are often brought in, and nothing is done without a contract. If an artist is successful, he will want more from the label, if he's a flop, the label will want to throw him out. It's all different in the art world. We don't have contracts with the artists, only with estates. Most agreements are sealed with a handshake.
You don't keep a written record when you sell a work worth millions?
We conclude ninety-nine percent of all sales with a handshake or over the phone.
Where do you feel you now belong?
I have never given up my German passport. I don't feel like I'm American. If there were a passport for New Yorkers, I would definitely apply for one.
Is New York set to remain the navel of the art world?
For the foreseeable future, sure. I could imagine the Asian market getting bigger and a center coming up in Shanghai or Beijing.
Only Berlin failed live up to your expectations:
I don't want to pick on Berlin because it is a vibrant city of gallerists, a city where discoveries are made. Careers get started there. What doesn't happen there is the art trade. It's not so easy to sell a big Mondrian picture for 15 million dollars in Berlin.


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Patrick leads Dewhurst going into runoff; Cornyn holds off challenge from right; local GOP gets new chairman
The Republican lieutenant governor's race, the nastiest and most competitive of the primary season, is set to go another round.
State Sen. Dan Patrick of Houston and incumbent David Dewhurst will compete in a May 27 runoff.
In complete statewide returns, Patrick claimed 42 percent of the votes; Dewhurst, 28 percent. Patrick breezed to a large lead over Dewhurst in several of the most populous counties in the state, including Harris, Bexar and Tarrant.
Patrick also held early voting leads in Lubbock, Montgomery and Brazoria counties, state data show.
"We like our chances," Patrick told reporters at a Greenway Plaza hotel. "It's clear the voters of Texas want a new leader."
Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples placed third and Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson trailed.
Addressing the crowd at his Houston election party, Dewhurst said: "This race is going into overtime, and we're going to win it."
While conventional wisdom predicted Patrick would trail Dewhurst, the challenger credited grassroots and a higher authority.
"I'm never surprised by the power of God," he said.
He predicted his supporters would return to the polls on May 27 to cinch the nomination for him, while accusing unnamed opponents of running a dirty race.
Meanwhile, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn topped challenger Steve Stockman, a U.S. representative from Friendswood, in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate with 59 percent of the vote.
"We wish Senator Cornyn best of luck in November and urge everyone to vote for, volunteer for and support the whole Texas GOP ticket," the Stockman campaign tweeted shortly after 8 p.m.
David M. Alameel led Kesha Rogers 47 percent to 22 percent and will face her in the Democratic state Senate runoff.
In the Democrats' race to run for Texas agriculture commissioner, lightly funded Jim Hogan will be in a primary runoff with musician and marijuana-legalization proponent Kinky Friedman. Hogan claimed 39 percent of the vote; Friedman, 38 percent. Hugh Asa Fitzsimons III lost.
George P. Bush, the grandson of one president and nephew of another, was victorious in the Republican primary race to replace Patterson as Texas land commissioner with 73 percent of the vote. He will face Democrat John Cook, a former El Paso mayor, in November.
Locally, a well-funded challenger to the longtime chairman of the Harris County Republican Party avoided a runoff in what was a remarkably divisive and high-profile race to head the largest county GOP in the nation.
Engineer-turned-lawyer Paul Simpson, who out-raised Party Chairman Jared Woodfill by a nearly 5-to-1 margin and spent nearly twice as much in his third run for the unpaid position, defeated the 12-year incumbent with 53 percent of the vote. Woodfill claimed 37 percent.
Simpson accrued endorsements and donations from heavyweights like Harris County Judge Ed Emmett, who fear the local GOP is losing its decades-long stronghold and criticized Woodfill for his management style and overemphasis on contentious social issues they think will alienate young people and other key voting blocks.
In three local races for the Texas Senate:
Paul Bettencourt, the former Harris County tax assessor-collector, won the Republican primary for the seat being vacated by Patrick with 89 percent of the vote.
Incumbent Democrat John Whitmire won his primary race with 75 percent of the vote.
Incumbent Republican Joan Huffman won her primary race with 81 percent of the vote.
The race to replace Gov. Rick Perry, who is not seeking re-election after 14 years in office, may have topped the list of today's contests, but the next slot down the ballot generated the most pre-vote interest.
While Republican Attorney General Greg Abbott and Democratic state Sen. Wendy Davis of Fort Worth long ago seemed certain to represent their respective parties in November's gubernatorial match, four Republicans waged a spirited campaign for lieutenant governor.
Patterson said he was not sure how involved he would be in a Dewhurst-Patrick runoff.
"I'm not sure if I am going to endorse David Dewhurst, but I cannot campaign and vote for a liar," he said, referring to Patrick. Patterson has been furious with Patrick for misleading voters on the immigration stances of his opponents.
The GOP nominee will face Democrat Leticia Van de Putte, a state representative from San Antonio, in November's general election.
Van de Putte ran without primary opposition.
The close Republican race to succeed Abbott as attorney general is headed to a runoff between state Sen. Ken Paxton of McKinney, who claimed 44 percent of the vote, and Rep. Dan Branch of Dallas, who claimed 34 percent. The winner will face Democrat Sam Houston.
The May runoff will be another statewide race that tests tea party might: Branch is considered the establishment candidate, though he is a more conservative member of Texas House Speaker Joe Straus' inner circle. Paxton is a hard-right Republican who unsuccessfully ran for Straus' position in 2011.
In the race for the Republican nomination for the U.S. congressional seat being vacated by Stockman, former Woodville mayor Brian Babin is headed to a runoff with tea party favorite Ben Streusand, former chairman of Americans for Prosperity Texas and the candidate with largest treasury. Babin claimed 33 percent of the vote; Streusand, 23 percent. The two led 10 other candidates.
U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady of The Woodlands won his Republican primary race for re-election with 68 percent of the vote..
In several races specific to Harris County:
Kim Ogg, former head of Crime Stoppers of Houston, defeated perennial candidate Lloyd Oliver in the Democratic race for Harris County district attorney, claiming 72 percent of the vote. Ogg will face incumbent Devon Anderson, 48, a Republican who is unopposed.
Anderson was appointed in September to fill her husband's unexpired term after he died unexpectedly from cancer. Because Mike Anderson died taken just eight months before his death, the post is on the ballot and will be up again for election in 2016.
District Clerk Chris Daniel held off challenger Court Koenning in one of the few contested primary races among Harris County Republicans.
With all precincts reporting, Daniel claimed 69 percent of the vote. Daniel, who is seeking a second term, will face lawyer Judith Snively on the November ballot. She ran unopposed for the Democratic Party's nomination.
"I'm proud of the fact that we ran a clean campaign and that we can now work together to keep this a Republican office in November," Daniel said of Koenning.
In state House District 129, small business owner Dennis Paul and Sheryl Berg, president of the Space Center Rotary, will meet in a runoff after besting five other Republican candidates vying for the seat being vacated by retiring state Rep. John Davis. Berg claimed 26 percent of the vote; Paul 25.
In District 131, state Rep. Alma Allen, a Democrat and former member of the State Board of Education claimed 89 percent of the vote to defeat Azuwuike Okorafor.
In District 132, attorney Mike Schofield, who served under Perry as a policy adviser, led three Republican candidates and will meet Ann Hodge in a runoff to compete for the seat left by Bill Callegari, a Katy Republican who represented the district since 2000. Schofield claimed 45 percent of the vote; Hodge, 20.
In District 134, Rep. Sarah Davis, a Republican who defied her party on abortion, handily won her primary with 71 percent of the vote. She defeated challenger Bonnie Parker and will face Democrat Alison Ruff in November.
Parker previously campaigned for Davis, but sought to unseat her after Davis voted against a sweeping package of abortion restrictions in the last session of the Texas Legislature.
"We definitely heard some people were unhappy with it," Davis said. "It was obviously the basis of why Bonnie Parker ran against me. But overall, I think my perspective on the issue and the way I voted is what the majority of my constitutes agree with me on."
She said she had no hard feelings against Parker.
"That is democracy in action," she said.
In District 145, Rep. Carol Alvarado soundly beat Susan Delgado, claiming 86 percent of the vote.
"We are very proud of the numbers," Alvarado said from her victory party at El Tiempo restaurant on Navigation. "They emphasized the strong connection we have with our constituents in District 145. We tried to be active, visible and accessible year round and the numbers proved that."
She said she is ready for the November general election.
"If we keep doing what we are doing, I think it will lead us to another landslide."
Alvarado, a former Houston City councilwoman, last year lost to Sylvia Garcia in a bid to fill Mario Gallegos' state Senate post.
In District 149, former Houston City Councilman Al Hoang defeated Nghi T. Ho in a Republican contest in southwest Houston to take on state Rep. Hubert Vo, a Democrat. Hoang received 57 percent of the vote.
Hoang narrowly lost his bid to be re-elected as a councilman last November, and made a surprise move by seeking the state representative post.
Ho has served as an Alief school district trustee, a financial planner, and former Navy officer.
In District 150, Rep. Debbie Riddle, a Republican, defeated businessman Tony Noun, claiming 75 percent of the vote.
"It is a pretty strong showing, so I am very grateful," Riddle said of the vote.
And in Harris County judicial races:
Democratic candidate Steven Kirkland defeated Lori Gray in a tight race for the 113th civil district court judgeship nomination, claiming 52 percent of the vote. Their race was tense with attack ads that prompted Mayor Annise Parker to come to Kirkland's defense. Kirkland will face incumbent Republican Judge Michael Landrum, who is unopposed.
Embattled incumbent Family Court Judge Denise Pratt will face a runoff with Republican challenger Alicia Franklin for the nomination in the 311th state District Court race. Pratt received 30 percent of the vote; Franklin, 23 percent. Democrat Sherri Cothrun is unopposed.
Pratt, on the job four years, has drawn criticism in recent months concerning mass dismissals of cases and backdated records in her court but avoided indictment from a Harris County grand jury in December. The freshman judge has denied wrongdoing.
In another contested family court race in the Republican primary, Associate Judge Meca "M.L." Walker and businessman-turned-attorney John Schmude will compete in a runoff for the 247th District Court to replace retiring Judge Bonnie Crane Hellums. Walker made headlines after being forced to return donations that violated state contribution limits during the campaign.
Schmude received 37 percent of the vote; Walker 34 percent.
Rainy and ice-pelleted conditions apparently kept many local voters indoors Tuesday. The Harris County Clerk's Office reported that turnout was "depressed" due to the wet and cold.
County Clerk Stan Stanart had already edged away from projections that as many as 110,000 Republicans and 70,000 Democrats might cast ballots. Spokesman Hector DeLeon said those earlier estimates had not taken inclement weather into account. He said there were no reports of unusual problems.