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Posts Tagged 'rant'
I Hate You, but Please Don't Hate Me Back
Humans, they're weird and by weird, I mean they don't make sense. The ego is not a hidden beast waiting in the shadows to pounce on your subconscious while you sleep. It is the scream of the wild, the elusive desire to kill, the wish of power that rings in your ears as you taste blood. What?
Make no mistake; in this life we've all had a fair amount of relationships. Be them platonic, be them romantic or be them somewhere in between leaving each person confused and slightly damaged.
I have had people come and go quite a bit in my life. (Is it me?) I have never had a reservation letting someone know that I didn't/don't like them. I've never felt bad for not liking someone or thinking badly or lowly of them. I've never thought it was wrong to dislike another person. "You can't please all the people all the time and not everyone responds the same way to verbal violence."
Now, when the news comes to me that someone whom I liked or revered as a friend utters words of discontent or rather strong language like, "You're corrosive to life" or "The putrescence and squalor is revolting and poisoning" or "When I said I'll see you later I meant like five, ten, fifteen years later… maybe never." It hurts.
I want to feel free to hate whomever I choose, but be loved by all. Is that really too much to ask? It's not like I want to be president or something.
Egg On!
Ramblin' Rooster
—Riddle Me Rooster—
The answer to last weeks riddle was "One Cent"
CLT mentioned scent, but locked in with Cheetah, which spelled backwards is Hateehc, translated from Blovokian means, "the green smell" which is close enough. Congratulations CLT, you win a life supply of 'Handy Bags'.
Tonight's riddle:
Why did King Kong climb to the top of the Empire State Building?
Submit you're answer as a comment for the chance to win fabulous make-believe prizes and come back next Sunday for the answer. Good luck!
Tell A Lot
Fingers are amazing. Apparently they're the only thing that separates us from amoeba. I like fingers 'cause they're so expressive. People can hold entire conversations with them, (which unfortunately doesn't stop them from also talking). Fingers help us break through the language barrier. There are so many international signs and symbols that everyone understands, (except for those too uncivilized to understand and they are excused. Example: If you wear a loin cloth I don't expect you to "call me" when I do the "finger phone" to my ear).
You can really tell a lot about a person by their finger gestures. I always judge men on how manly they are by one single hand gesture, being the finger "gun".
If a guy does the "gun" symbol with his hand and only extends his first finger you can immediate assume the following, He is:
Afraid of spiders
Won't help you change the brakes on your '84 Ford F-150
Cheats on his taxes
Someone who will borrow your weed wacker and won't return it until you go over and ask for it back
Now if a guy uses his first and middle finger, you can assume the following, He is:
Afraid of little dogs that bark incessantly
Wears leather pants on the weekend
Has never tasted, yet claims to love sushi
Don't forget, if either of the finger "gun" wielders actually pulls the "thumb" trigger, this is an act of aggression and affords you the right to immediate start kicking his ass. IF they make a gun sound such as bang, boom, kapow, etc. you can kill him in self-defense.
If a woman gives you the finger "gun", make no mistake, she has a penis.
Egg On!
Ramblin' Rooster
—Riddle Me Rooster—
The answer to last weeks riddle was "Holes"
Claire is the only one who answered, except for CLT who is a week behind, (which is actually genius for always being right) so even though her answer was wrong is was witty, so chalk up another win for Claire.
Tonight's riddle:
How much is a skunk worth?
Submit you're answer as a comment for the chance to win fabulous make-believe prizes and come back next Sunday for the answer. Good luck!
Custom Coffins
The other day I heard a commercial for customizing your coffin. You can get custom printed liners or go with existing logos, like the Yankees' or the Raiders emblems. (I don't know about College teams, so please stop calling me.) It took a moment for it to all sink in. I think it was three or four commercials past before I literally asked the Holy Ghost, WTF?
I couldn't agree more with Al Czervik more when he said, "Two biggest wastes of real estate, golf courses and cemeteries." I can't think of anything more self serving and egocentric than a grave. Now add $50k for services and you've made it criminal.
I remember when my brother died; we burned him and threw the ashes in his wife's face. I think my dad might have whispered, "sorry" or something.
Why does everyone have to customize everything they own? I walked by a subordinates computer last week and the command line was bright, neon-green for fvck sakes!
Having special hubcaps on your car doesn't make you unique. Changing factory settings on your phone doesn't make you special. Rearranging the icons on your iPod doesn't make you an individual.
Don't forget, "Everyone's special in their own way". Whatever!
If I was an undertaker, and I got a die-hard, (literally) Yankees' fan asking for a Yankees' themed casket, I'd cover it in Red Sox memorabilia.
What can I say, I'm a people person.
Egg On!
Ramblin' Rooster
—Riddle Me Rooster—
The answer to last weeks riddle was "Cheetah"
Claire actually gave the answer in her response, (exactly ten words before typing "I give up". Well, I don't believe in quitting, so Claire, good news, you have your trophy back.
Tonight's riddle:
What can you put in a box that makes it lighter?
Submit you're answer as a comment for the chance to win fabulous make-believe prizes and come back next Sunday for the answer. Good luck!
Labor Day Passout
Happy Labor Day! I'm not sure what Labor Day is about or what the proper words are to express the honor, which is displayed in the form of joy that we all share in not working on Monday, (except those working on construction projects and the majority of those in retail sales).
Is Labor Day synonymous with drinking? I have several friends that would tell me yes, but then again they'd say that drinking is synonymous with the sun coming up. So what's that tell you?
This weekend I hung out with some of those old friends of mine. When I say old friends, I mean the kind that are so old that when you're together you do nothing more than remind each other of all the ridiculous and crazy stuff you have on each other, 'cause you can't possibly remember yourself. For some reason drinking stories always seem to surface and be the most in abundance.
I'm not a drinker. I'm what alcoholics call "sober" or what teenagers call "a pussy". I don't have medical evidence to back it up, but I'm fairly certain that I have an allergy to alcohol, because most of the time when I consume it, it comes back up.
There are a lot of wonderful stories starring yours truly, a lot of passing out in the neighbor's lawn, on the porch, in closets, in the trunk of my own car, etc. As such, there are also a lot of disgusting stories with me having the major role in "Vomit Gone Wild". Some examples would be vomiting in bed, in cars, on my shoes, on other people and in the punch bowl and grandma's 87th birthday party. They're all wonderful, but there was one story that seemed to sparkle just a little brighter than the rest.
I was told of the time that I was drinking at a friend's tiny apartment. When I say tiny, I'm talking 100 square feet tiny. The bathroom door opened inwards to an incredibly small bathroom. So small in fact that the door didn't even fully open as it was stopped by the sink cabinet.
Apparently, as the story goes, we were all sitting around drinking on Labor Day Eve, celebrating the fact we didn't have to get up early and once again I consumed passed my limit. I got up and went into the bathroom to spend a little quality time with the toilet. After purging the demons from my body I got up to leave and passed out. My friends, whom I sure were extremely concerned, came to the bathroom to investigate the "thump". When they tried to open the door they were unsuccessful as I had managed to lose consciousness between the door and the sink. No matter how hard they tried to open the door they couldn't because of my pesky breathing corpse being the world's largest door stop.
At first it was rather funny to them all, until the urge to urinate became prevalent. After trying to revive me by ramming and kicking the door, screaming at me and squeezing a hand through and shooting me with a water gun, they gave up and took turns peeing in the kitchen sink for the remainder of the evening. Not too shabby.
Do you have a better story than that? Let's hear it and all laugh.
Egg On!
Ramblin' Rooster
—Riddle Me Rooster—
The answer to last weeks riddle was "At lunch it goes back for seconds"
No one guessed, so I'll be taking myself to the bar for drinks.
Tonight's riddle:
What animal should you never play cards with?
Submit you're answer as a comment for the chance to win fabulous make-believe prizes and come back next Sunday for the answer. Good luck!
Awkward Moments
In today's world, awkward has really lost its power. There use to be a time when awkward made people want to kill themselves. These days awkward is used to sum up or describe the most mundane of experiences.
"So I was asked him if he liked Duran Duran and he never answered. Talk about awkward." "I say Carlita at the mall buying a 'Thigh Master'. It was really awkward." I'm sorry to inform you, it's not awkward, it's silliness.
Here's an example of awkwardness:
Say what you will about the testament of marriage, nothing can stop a wife from becoming despondent after walking in on you having an "intimate moment" with a vacuum.
You can try clever and witty defense maneuvers like:
"What time is it? I thought the thing ended at eight."
"Ha, ha, pretty funny, huh?"
"You always said you wanted me to clean around the house."
"These attachments really do make all the difference."
"How can this be dirty?"
"Look at the bright side, at least your sister's not here this time."
Come on, you can't tell me that the inventor of the vacuum didn't try it at least once. I for one believe that it was it's first intention.
Egg On!
Ramblin' Rooster
—Riddle Me Rooster—
The answer to last weeks riddle was "Age"
Congratulations to Anjali for the correct answer. You win Claire Collins championship trophy, because let's face it; she's had it long enough.
Tonight's riddle:
Why does the cafeteria clock always run slowly?
Submit you're answer as a comment for the chance to win fabulous make-believe prizes and come back next Sunday for the answer. Good luck!
Action Figure
I don't know when the last time you picked up an action figure was, but it's astounding. They have more moving parts than I do. The points of articulation range in the upper teens to the mid thirties. It's like some kind of miniature man genius is locked up in a laboratory/factory making God-like, plastic encased, history.
Quick fact sheet about Action figures:
Action figures are not sold or marketed for children.
Action figures can be valued in the hundreds to even thousands of dollars.
Action figures aren't meant to be played with.
People who collect action figures make geeks and nerds look "sporting" "suave" and "devilishly attractive".
Action figure is a pathetic attempt to make "doll" seem masculine, i.e. there is no "action" in an action figure.
Toys are amazing molds of plastic. They give children something to loose, break and leave out in the middle of a heavy trafficked, barefoot, walkway. When I was a kid, most action figures were paraplegics. I didn't care, it was my imagination that made them move, not their remarkable engineering.
I can't believe Transformers have made a comeback. This is the worst action figure, (to play with) ever. Don't get me wrong, the "transforming" part is cool, but once it was done there wasn't much you could do with it. They were about as durable as a paper plate. To quote Tom Hanks' character from 'Big', "and this is robot that turns into a building. What's fun about playing with a building?"
The other day I was walking through the toy aisle and I say a sign reading, "Creative Play". On the shelf was ninja gear, cowboy gear and more guns than the South Central evidence room. Good to know that creative is synonymous with assassination and "shoot 'em up". "Look at little Jimmy pretending to slice off Billy's head. They're so creative, aren't they?"
To be honest, this is all in preparation for the launching of my own Ramblin' Rooster action figure. I'm still trying to decide if I want the jelly bean, rear exit hatch feature to be incorporated.
Now you tell me, if you were going to be an action figure, what accessories or features would you have?
Egg On!
Ramblin' Rooster
—Riddle Me Rooster—
The answer to last weeks riddle was "Fruit Fly"
No one got the right answer, which is too bad, because this week's prize was a brand new Mercedes E Class, (2010). Oh well…
Tonight's riddle:
What goes up, but never comes down?
Submit you're answer as a comment for the chance to win fabulous make-believe prizes and come back next Sunday for the answer. Good luck!
Guest Towels
In keeping with the germaphob, (because I still refuse to call it Spermatophobia) theme from last week, tonight is about visiting someone's house, more particularly using the bathroom at someone's house.
I like to use the bathroom when the urge presents itself. I'm not the kind of person that likes it buckle over in pain because I'd rather hold things inside rather than share them with a strange toilet. Call me crazy… CRAZY! Stop it.
Before you get excited or disgusted, this post isn't about the actual happenings of using the bathroom, the sights, smells, sounds or a wild, Hollywood romantic-comedy subplot about overflowing toilets and nightmarish mishaps. This blog takes place after all is said and done.
Guest towels! Washing your hands is a must after using the bathroom, whether you work in the food industry or not, (i.e. it's not just for employees anymore). I like to wash my hands thirty-eight times a day. Call me crazy… CRAZY! I said stop that.
The problem I have is when I finish washing my hands. There are several problems that occur.
- There is no hand towel – (the most obvious problem, yet in the end the most easy to deal with. I use my armpits as a towel or style my hair. Sometimes I rub my face and the back of my neck. The guest thinks I was sweating and wonders what I was doing in there. Gives them something to talk about after I leave.)
- There is no hand towel, but there is a bath towel hanging equally spaced between the shower and the sink – (this is difficult to gauge. Depending on where you are, the owner may not believe in "hand towels" thus this giant bath towel could in fact be the hand towel. Then again, if it is a bath towel the thought of drying your newly cleaned hands where Frank dried his ass is more than just a little disturbing. Go with option #1.)
- A hand towel is present, but it's crusty, or stained, or has dried toothpaste on it, or it smells of mildew, nachos and cigar smoke – (nothing is worse than a brown hand towel, especially if the towel's natural color isn't brown. The safest bet on any hanging hand towel is to gently blot dry at the top of the towel, along the fold where it hangs from the ring or bar. Most people dry using the front or back of the hanging towel thus leaving the top virtually clean.)
Best bet is to always carry your own hand towel wherever you go. If you think this behavior is too weird or will make you standout in the crowd you can do what I do and buy an entire wardrobe of bowling clothes. This way you can seem like an avid sportsman who's always coming over after a tournament game.
Carrying a bag with an actual bowling ball is optional. It's up to you how far you want to take it.
Egg On!
Ramblin' Rooster
—Riddle Me Rooster—
The answer to last weeks riddle was "All months have 28 days"
Congratulations to Claire (riddle champion-hat-tricker) for the correct answer with honorary victories going to Capitalist Lion Tamer and Scott for answers bearing humorous motive. This week's prize is a $10 TGIF gift card, (in honor of Scott's favorite restaurant). CLT and Scott can sit with Claire and watch her eat dessert. Have fun!
Tonight's riddle:
What do you call a zipper on a banana?
Submit you're answer as a comment for the chance to win fabulous make-believe prizes and come back next Sunday for the answer. Good luck!


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MIDI-File Datatype
Taken from Haskore.
|An empty MIDI file.
|Convert all NoteOn p 0 to NoteOff p 64. The latter one is easier to process.
|Convert all NoteOff p 64 to NoteOn p 0. The latter one can be encoded more efficiently using the running status.
|Show the T with one event per line, suited for comparing MIDIFiles with diff. Can this be replaced by Sound.MIDI.Load.showFile?
|A hack that changes the velocities by a rational factor.
|Change the time base.
|Sort MIDI note events lexicographically. This is to make MIDI files unique and robust against changes in the computation. In principle Performance.merge should handle this but due to rounding errors in Float the order of note events still depends on some internal issues. The sample rate of MIDI events should be coarse enough to assert unique results.
|Old versions of Haskore.Interface.MIDI.Write wrote MIDIEvent.ProgramChange and SetTempo once at the beginning of a file in that order. The current version supports multiple MIDIEvent.ProgramChanges in a track and thus a MIDIEvent.ProgramChange is set immediately before a note. Because of this a MIDIEvent.ProgramChange is now always after a SetTempo. For checking equivalence with old MIDI files we can switch this back.
|Produced by Haddock version 2.6.0

subset: commoncrawl


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Graphic: PeTA Investigates Turkey Farm For Cruelty To Numerous Turkey's! (Including Stomping On Turkeys Head)
"The holiday season is upon us, but for turkeys on factory farms there is nothing to be thankful for. The video of PeTA's two-month long investigation exposes unimaginable cruelty seen in numerous turkey factory farms."
Please click the "Report" button below if the video on this page is not working properly.
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G6660, Reviewed June 2014
The word wildflower seems a contradiction when used to describe plants growing in the garden. How can a plant growing in cultivation be wild? The word means different things to different people, but all plants we grow were at some time wild somewhere. In modern use, however, wildflower refers to a plant that has not undergone any change or improvement by humans and usually is still found growing natively somewhere in the region where it is being cultivated.
The Missouri primrose is a native wildflower well adapted to home landscapes.
Some people grow wildflowers because they consider them hardy and durable and believe that wildflowers can be grown in the garden with little care. This is true for some plants, but others need specific conditions to grow and thrive. Without these special conditions, some wildflowers will decline and eventually die.
Many sites are too shaded or too open for popular garden flowers. Wildflowers often are well adapted to these sites and do not need extensive maintenance if a less manicured landscape appearance is acceptable.
Wildflowers are found in a wide range of habitats. Those that are rare, threatened or endangered should never be removed from their native habitat. Moreover, removing any wildflower, endangered or not, from public land is unlawful. This includes highway rights of way. Anyone interested in growing wildflowers should select those that can be propagated, or grown, from seeds or in other ways for use in the garden. Avoid digging from native locations unless they are being destroyed for some reason.
A number of reputable garden wildflower producers exist. In addition to mail-order sources, you may have wildflower nurseries near your home. Check with local nurseries and garden centers to determine whether local sources are available. Some dealers dig plants from the wild and sell directly, or perhaps hold plants that have been dug from the wild for a few months to a year before selling them. For the sake of conservation, plants grown from seeds or from native stock for many years should be favored over those dug from wild stands. Plants not dug from the wild may cost more, but they will be more successful in the garden and you will not be contributing to depletion of natural stands.
Virginia bluebell graces the spring woodlands with brilliant blue blossoms.
If you are interested in developing a wildflower area in your landscape, several characteristics of these plants should be considered:
Too much fertilizer to tall wildflowers such as Filipendula and gayfeather can cause stems to fall over.
Black-eyed susan is an excellent choice for poor soil and full sun conditions.
Mayapple graces the spring woodlands with white blossoms.
Goldenrod is attractive to butterflies and, despite popular belief, seldom causes problems with allergies.
Helenium, or sneezeweed, warms the late summer garden with its yellow, orange or bronze daisylike blooms.
The spreading nature of wild sweet william lends itself well to propagation by division.
Jewelweed, found in moist shady sites, is sometimes used to relieve itching.
Named cultivars of wildflowers, such as Echinacea purpurea 'Bravado,' must be asexually propagated to maintain the characteristics of the plant.
Many wildflowers may be used in combination with other perennials or annual flowers in a perennial border. Many people, however, prefer to have an area designed specifically for wildflowers to develop a naturalistic look with relatively low maintenance.
If you have an opportunity to visit native sites or state forests, note the plants that grow in those places. Compare the sites of plants you prefer to the area or areas in your own landscape. For instance, if your site is wooded and contains a lot of shade, then a woodland wildflower garden may be your only choice (Table 1). If the site is sunny and dry, a meadow, prairie or field collection of plants may be most suitable (Table 2 lists some sunny-site species).
Wildflowers are not tolerant of foot or animal traffic. Develop paths so that you and your guests can walk among the flowers, not on them. Don't plant wildflowers in areas where animals may frequently run over them, as most wildflowers cannot endure the crushed foliage and soil compaction that may occur.
The actual placement of plants in the design is flexible. Nature is random, and the wildflower garden should reflect this appearance. Clusters, clumps or individual placements are quite useful. Perhaps the only arrangement to be avoided is that of plants in rows or precise geometric forms.
Woodland wildflowers have these basic needs:
Meadow or field wildflowers have a different set of needs:
Meadow wildflowers are fairly drought tolerant in the late season and are weakened by overfertilization.
Most woodland wildflowers do not grow in dense shade. They are at their most attractive in light shade, which in nature tends to be near the edge of the forest or under tall trees with high branching. The more limited the moisture supply, the more important shade is during the heat of the day for good growth and survival. Some woodland wildflowers that flower in early spring become dormant by midsummer and will not be seen again until next season. These often grow before a dense canopy of leaves develops and can be used in more heavily shaded locations.
Many native wildflowers are able to sustain considerable drying. However, others such as trillium, jack-in-the-pulpit and mayapple will grow and develop best where adequate moisture is available, particularly while they are growing rapidly or flowering. These plants also will go dormant in midsummer when dry conditions develop. Tree roots can be competitive for moisture, so you may need to provide additional moisture, particularly during establishment or drought periods.
Most meadow wildflowers listed in Table 2 are for dry fields or meadows. However, a few of the flowers listed are suitable for low, wet areas. These are noted in Table 2 and are by no means the only ones that might be used.
Wildflowers are adapted to certain native soils and can normally endure in conditions similar to those in which they grow in the wild. In the case of woodland wildflowers, organic matter is quite important. They normally grow in locations where leaves and other plant debris accumulate and become a part of the soil environment and a mulch. Organic matter helps hold moisture and helps soil stay loose and well-aerated. Liberal amounts of organic matter should be added to prepare woodland wildflower gardens. Leaf compost is particularly suitable.
Most woodland wildflowers need well-drained soil, but some that grow along creeks in wooded areas tolerate or may need wetter conditions. Cardinal flower, jewelweed and forget-me-not are prime examples of this group, but check individual plant needs to fit them into the proper soil moisture requirement. Tables 1 and 2 briefly indicate whether a plant needs wet, moist or relatively dry conditions to thrive.
Wildflowers that thrive in Missouri generally can be expected to need soil that is somewhat acidic. Most plants listed will grow best in a pH range from about 5.5 to 6.2. However, most wildflowers are adaptable and are tolerant of a wider pH range. Soils that are to be used for wildflowers probably will not need to be limed unless the native soil is unusually acidic. Conduct a soil test to determine existing soil conditions when starting wildflowers in a location where wildflowers may not have been grown previously.
Woodland wildflowers should not be grown in bare soil, as is often done with popular garden flowers. They need a mulch or the protection of a nearby low-growing, noncompetitive plant. Mulches keep soil cooler, maintain more uniform moisture and aid in winter protection. Oak leaves are a durable and suitable mulch for many woodland wildflowers, though most will benefit from a mulch of any type of leaf cover.
Mulch is less necessary for meadow or field wildflowers. However, they benefit from the protection of nearby low-growing plants. In Table 2, mulches are mentioned primarily for winter protection of species more suitable to warmer portions of the state.
Purple coneflower, or Echinacea, is a durable, drought-resistant wildflower that enjoys great popularity for both its ornamental and its medicinal properties.
The field or meadow wildflower garden is different from woodland wildflower gardens. It is composed of a wide range of plants that flower in full sun or must have at least six hours of full sun each day to grow and flower well. Soils for these plants can generally be less fertile and lower in organic matter. Field wildflowers may grow better in better soils, but they are also more tolerant of poor growing conditions.
Another characteristic of these plants is that many can be easily seed propagated or planted directly. The most commonly available wildflower seed mixes are generally intended for this type of wildflower garden.
Although the meadow wildflower garden may be grown from divisions of larger plants, don't overlook the seeding method, particularly if larger areas are to be covered economically. Seeds of meadow wildflowers may be planted at any time, but August and September are ideal. Many weed seeds will not germinate in fall, so wildflowers will germinate and get a head start on spring weeds. Plus, some wildflower seeds that require chilling conditions before germination will be chilled during the winter and germinate early in the spring.
Deep cultivation tends to bring up more weed seeds and is not essential for planting wildflowers unless the soil has been extremely compacted. After a sunny area has been selected, rake the area to loosen only the surface, no more than ½ inch deep. Spread the seeds or wildflower mix over the prepared area. After seeding, lightly rake over the area to establish good contact between the seeds and the soil. Water the area lightly to settle the soil and begin the germination process.
If the area selected already has perennial grasses and broad-leaved weeds on it, pull or kill the weeds before seeding. Weeds can be killed by spot treating with a glyphosate herbicide, such as Roundup. The grass also may be killed at that time or left in place on slopes or areas where wildflowers are wanted; erosion may occur if the grass is eliminated.
Some field wildflowers can exist in combination with grasses, but they should not be planted with grasses, such as fescue and rye grass, that grow aggressively during cool fall and spring weather. These vigorous cool-season grasses will crowd out the small wildflower seedlings during this period when they will grow little. If planting with grasses, mow the vegetation as short as possible. Remove the clippings and rough up the surface with a stiff rake, hoe, dethatcher or other equipment. Spread the seeds over the area, rake them in and water lightly.
These types of wildflower seeds should begin germination two to three weeks after planting. If natural rainfall is inadequate, maintain frequent light watering during the germination period to keep the soil surface moist but not overly wet.
Meadow wildflowers are of two types: perennials that return each year from the same plants and annuals that reseed readily each year. Those that reseed must be allowed to finish flowering and develop fully matured seeds before they are cut down in summer or fall.
In the spring after wildflower seedlings have become established, a pre-emergence herbicide might be used to reduce the development of annual grasses, such as crabgrass, in the area. This is crucial during the first season but less essential as the wildflowers become well established and soil is undisturbed.
Once your own plants are established, you will be able to get additional seeds from them. In the meantime, seed collection can be an interesting hobby. Selective collection of seeds from an area with a sizable group of wildflowers will have little or no effect on their reproduction. Although wildflowers may be obvious in bloom, they often become hard to find by the time seeds are mature, so some advance scouting and marking may be necessary. Then you may need to keep a careful eye on developing seeds, to pick them after seed heads begin to brown but before seeds drop out. Seed stalks are best left on the plants for at least a month after flowering.
After collecting seed structures, open them to examine seeds contained. Seeds come in many different forms and sizes but will generally be fairly plump and firm if they are viable. Some plants may not produce seeds if conditions have not been favorable during the pollination or development stages.
Many wildflower seeds have a dormant period and will not germinate immediately. However, if planted promptly after harvest, this dormancy may not develop and rapid germination will occur. In the tables where midsummer or early-fall planting is suggested, this means prompt planting after harvest of the seeds.
If dormancy is natural or does develop, chilling is necessary before germination can be completed. Summer or fall planting is one way to fulfill these needs easily. Seeds that require chilling will not germinate in fall but will germinate early in spring.
Some seeds have a hard coat that must break down naturally in the soil before germination can occur. Hard seed coats are often found in plants of the legume family. With these types of seeds, a process called scarification can speed germination. Scarification techniques include filing a small area on individual seeds; cutting a nick into the coat with a knife; or treating with acid. Many techniques can be used, but nature will do the job if given time.
Any type of plant multiplication that does not involve seeds is known as asexual propagation. Several methods are applicable to wildflowers, depending on the plant involved.
Division is probably the most suitable and easiest method for multiplying many wildflowers. Division should be done when plants are dormant and not actively growing, rather than when they are flowering. Many of the spring-blooming woodland wildflowers should be divided either in the fall as growth ceases or at when the natural growth is yellowing and collapsing.
At the proper time, carefully lift the entire plant, along with its roots, from the garden with a spade. Remove excess soil and trim back any dead top growth. Some plants that produce multiple offsets in the crown, such as black-eyed Susan (Figure 3), can be divided by pulling them apart. Woody plants may have to be cut apart with a knife or pruning shears. After division, the smaller plants should be replanted immediately at the same depth at which they had been previously growing.
Root cuttings
Root cuttings are suitable for propagating a few wildflowers with fleshy roots. Butterfly weed is one wildflower that can be multiplied by this technique.
In most plants, root cuttings should be made in early spring before top growth begins. Remove some of the largest roots from a clump. Ideally, in most plants the roots should be thick, at least the diameter of a pencil. Cut roots into pieces about 3 inches long. Plant them in a pot, flat or cold frame; a growth medium of half sand and half peat moss works well for many plants. Plant roots either horizontally or in the same position they were growing, but do not plant them upside down. The top should be at soil level with the root preferably in a vertical position.
In several weeks, shoots should develop from the roots. Do not be in a rush to move them into the garden. Wait until they are well-developed.
Stem cuttings
Stem cuttings are used less for wildflowers than for many other plants. However, this propagation technique is still useful in some cases. Young basal shoots generally make more suitable stem cuttings than older, more mature or flowering stems. The methods for rooting these cuttings are the same as those for softwood cuttings of many ornamental plants. Information in this area is limited, so trial and error may be necessary for determining possibilities with untested species.
Tables 1 and 2 list wildflowers that may be grown in home wildflower gardens. Table 1 lists wildflowers suitable for woodland or lightly shaded locations. Table 2 lists meadow or field wildflowers best suited for full sun. Many other wildflowers could be included, but space does not permit. For the most part, those listed are easily grown and noninvasive. However, a few that are difficult to grow and some that tend to be aggressive are included for suiting all needs or locations.
Brief information on bloom time, color, height, soil conditions, propagation and special considerations is included. In each table, plants are listed alphabetically by common name, followed by their scientific name.
Common names vary, so you may know a certain plant listed by another name. Also, many plants closely related to the plants listed may be quite suitable. For instance, purple coneflower is listed, but several other plants known as coneflowers, including gray-head coneflower, pale coneflower, Mexican hat and thin-leaved coneflower (also called brown-eyed Susan), could be used in similar sites.
Wildflower seed mixes may contain seeds not found in these tables, which list mainly flowers that can be found growing natively in Missouri. However, other flowers in mixes may also be suitable for Missouri but not normally found unless introduced. Use the plants suggested in the tables as a guide to a beginning garden, but do not be limited by them.
Table 1
Woodland wildflowers suitable for a wildflower garden in a shaded or lightly shaded location.
Table 2
Meadow and field wildflowers suitable for sunny, open locations.
The bloom time is approximate and will vary from area to area. In some cases where the period is extended, major bloom will be early in the period given with scattered bloom following during the time indicated.
The major color is indicated, but other shades and colors may exist, particularly if other species of the same genus are chosen.
Height is another variable characteristic, but an indication is given as a guide to possible placement in the garden. In good growing conditions or special situations, heights can vary.
This column does not give soil type as much as the conditions necessary within existing soils that are available. Rich indicates a need for high fertility, average indicates most existing soils will suffice, and poor indicates tolerance to low fertility or a need to avoid high fertility.
Where humus is listed, plants need soil fairly high in organic matter. If this does not occur naturally, organic matter should be added at planting time and mulch should be maintained.
Moisture conditions also are indicated in this column. Wet means the plant needs standing water or at least can tolerate standing water for part of the time. Moist indicates the plant should not be allowed to become too dry. Dry and well-drained means that the plant cannot tolerate periods of standing water or excessive moisture for even a short time without some damage.
The comments provide additional information, such as unique plant characteristics, other propagation information, special sites suitable, need for winter mulch, weedy or difficult type of plant, as well as other details that might be useful.
Order publications online at http://extension.missouri.edu/explore/shop/ or call toll-free 800-292-0969.


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The new browser-based game, playable entirely for free at battlefieldheroes.com, is a sort of low calorie version of Battlefield 1942. Three classes, three vehicles, one game mode and four maps may not add up to much on paper, but they manage to create a tremendous amount of fun when combined with bright and colorful graphics, cartoony physics and a multiplayer system that's short on choices but long on convenience.
The two sides, the Royals and the Nationals, are cartoon caricatures of the British and German forces in World War 2. The sides are equivalent in their classes, abilities and, apart from the requisite visual distinctions, their vehicles. Since neither side has access to any toys that the other side doesn't also have, there's very little to worry about in terms of game imbalance, at least in terms of the overall battle. The distinctions between the classes is another matter entirely.
The Gunner is my favorite class. Not only can he dish out loads of damage but he can also soak it up just as freely. This makes him a key player and dangerous in nearly any encounter. With the addition of a bazooka and a few choice upgrades, one of which actually turns enemy explosions into free health boosts, he's the only class that can hold his own against enemy armor.
Though not my cup of tea, the Commando is an extremely popular choice. Armed with a stealth ability, a knife attack and an unbeatable sniper rifle, the Commando excels at short and long distances but tends to lose out anywhere in between. The Commando is also quite a bit faster than the other two classes, which makes the sneaky stabs and surprise snipes a bit unbalanced.
Finally, there's the Soldier. He seems less effective overall than the other two classes but his ability to spot enemies for other friendly players and dole out massive health boosts to nearby allies makes him an important player on the battlefield. In terms of role and effectiveness, he seems to sit somewhere between the two extremes of the other classes and perhaps it's this jack-of-all-trades approach that's made him seem a bit less popular in many of the matches we've played.
Naturally, the vehicles are always popular and you'll run into the standard Battlefield frustration of players racing off by themselves in vehicles designed to hold two or three people. The ="I Need a Ride" emote comes in handy in those situations, as does the Battlefield standby of simply shooting the vehicle you want to join until the driver notices you. The jeeps are obviously great for getting from A to B quickly, and the option to carry a few passengers makes them excellent for drive-bys. The tank is remarkably powerful but can definitely be taken out by a concentrated infantry effort. The plane is definitely one of the most fun vehicles. The controls are a bit dodgy, but strafing ground units and dogfighting in the sky are definite high points in the game. Best of all, you can carry two allies on the wings who can parachute down onto enemy bases.
On top of the overall class system, there's the opportunity for players to spend hero points and valor points to upgrade their abilities and purchase new weapons and boosts. Experience points are earned through regular play so they'll accumulate over time even if you're not a power player. Earn enough and you'll level up and gain the option to increase one of your class's core abilities. The nice thing about the system is that you can refund your points at any time and try out different specialties. If, for instance, you find that the Gunner's keg bomb is lame (which it is) you can happily trade in those points to try out the frenzy fire power.


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Love to see the buildings in the background, as well, on the farm! My oh my! Love new discoveries!
Families are Forever! ;-)
This Blog focuses on Ancestor Stories, both the stories themselves about my family's ancestors and discussions of where they come from and how to prepare and share them. These stories may be non-fiction or fiction – we will always tell which is which, of course. Also see my KINNICK blog and The HOMEPLACE Series Blog, left sidebar, scroll down.
You look like Alex in this photo. I really like Eileen's dress!ReplyDelete
Interesting. I have many memories of that dress. How about the shoes, as well... Out there in the dirt yard... very different times, I must say! Great reminders. ;-)ReplyDelete
Bill I love GeneaBloggers. I'm just getting around to reading some of the daily prompts. Keep getting ideas for my own blog. It is a work in progress. Can't believe I've been on GeneaBloggers nearly two months.ReplyDelete


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Starting at Walkabout Creek Discovery Centre, in D'Aguilar National Park, this walk winds along the forested shores of picturesque Enoggera Reservoir, before looping back around one of the reservoir's peninsulas.
Weave through open eucalypt forest peppered with hoop pines, keeping an eye out for forest kingfishers, Pacific bazas, bellbirds and rose robins darting through the branches. Take time to admire the intricate pardolotes' nest holes dug into the hillsides along the track. Its a good idea to pack binoculars to get a close-up view of the birds.
Bring your bathers and plunge into a delightful swimming area at the walk's end. Energetic visitors can grab a paddle and enjoy canoeing across the reservoir's glassy water, past resident turtles and waterbirds.
Combine this walk with the Corymbia Circuit to make a longer walk.
|2 Hours
|5 Kilometres
This walking track begins at the visitor centre and winds past giant hoop pines along the shores of Enoggera Reservoir, before looping back around one of the reservoir's peninsulas. There are excellent opportunities for birdwatching, especially early in the morning.
Please note: The Araucaria Track is managed by the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service. Please note that this map only shows an indicative start point for the walk. The track route and end point are not shown and this map cannot be used for navigation purposes. Please see the Queensland National Parks, Recreation, Sport and Racing web site for detailed maps and the latest park information, including opening hours and safety messages. When you are in the park, make sure you refer to signs at the start of the track for more information.
|Route Details
|Mode of Travel
|Route Type
|Level of Difficulty
Level 3: Recommended for people with some bushwalking experience
Note: Information on listed products and services are provided by the operator and were correct at the time of publishing. Rates are indicative based on the minimum and maximum available prices of products and services. Please visit the operator's website for further information. All prices quoted are in Australian dollars (AUD).


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Hi guys and gals,
I'm quite new to Java, and am presently muddling my way through an instruction course. I have got to dealing with custom Objects and using these in arrays. As a little play, I decided to generate a few little snippets of code that generate a "Planet" object with some properties and randomly seeds these amongst an x/y grid. That was the plan anyway!
What is actually happening is that the creation code is correctly generating the planet information, but when I pull it back it is not displaying a String associated with the relevant item in the array, but instead is returning the last String associated witht the last object in the array. I'm wondering if I have messed something up with the way that I have linked through, but I have been using "getters" and "setters" to modify the instance variables associated with the "planet" object, and so it should not have been possible to "overwrite" the instance variables, as they were set to private.
I have zipped the files used - the Planet.java file contains the information relating to the "Planet" object, whilst the Universe.java contains the main() class. The TextIO file is just something I'm using for displaying to the standard output screen, rather than use the inbuilt functions in Java.
Any help is greatly apreciated - I've lost a day on it as I've rewritten the code to try to get rid of this "feature", but it still exists.


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How birth order affects siblings
What kind of age gap are you thinking of leaving between your children? While two under two can be challenging for mum, it doesn't affect kids as much as you'd think.
Michael Grose, author of Why First Borns Rule the World, says a child's birth order has far more impact in the years to come. "The wider impact of a person's birth order is often underestimated," he says. "There's significant evidence to suggest that family position influences career paths and even our choice of lifetime partner."
Trailblazing first-born
For a while, a first-born is an only child who gains undivided attention from parents and grandparents. Michael says it's easy to put too much pressure on first-borns. "They are often burdened by high parental expectations particularly if they are boys." Michael says parents of first-borns often need to loosen up and not put too much pressure on them. "Many eldests place enough pressure on themselves to succeed, without parents adding another layer. First-borns also crave parental approval, so need more encouragement than praise. Encouragement releases the pressure on first-borns to please adults."
Competitive second
Second-born children are often born into a competitive atmosphere, attempting to live up to the pressure created by the eldest. For your second child to flourish, Michael advises celebrating their differences rather than making them fit the mould created by the first-born. "Second-borns often adopt behaviours and characteristics that are the exact opposite of the first-born," he explains. "Often when a first-born is cooperative and pleasant, the second may be the trouble-maker. At least everyone knows he or she is around. Or if the eldest is the academic the second-born may be the sportsperson or excel in the arts."
Relaxed youngest
The youngest child has a favoured position in the family. "Many have greater freedom than their elder siblings, as their parents tend to be less anxious about their development and provide them with more space and opportunity to go their own way," reveals Michael. "As the youngest in a family of four, I had far greater freedom than any of my siblings." He adds that youngest children often easily find their true path in life. "Unburdened by the high expectations that many parents have for their eldest children, many youngest experience greater success than their siblings."
Grown-up onlies
If there is no age gap between siblings, because you have an only child, Michael advises allowing your offspring to socialise with cousins and on playdates as much as possible. "Only children spend much of their early years in the company of adults, so it's not surprising that they often develop characteristics that please their elders," he says. "Only children often prefer their own company and have little trouble keeping themselves occupied. They can also carry the entire weight of their parents' expectations, which can be a burden to carry around."
Into adulthood
While the importance of age gap between siblings might diminish as you grow older, you might be surprised to hear that it may affect who you decide to settle down with. "When choosing a partner for life, birth order may be a more accurate indicator of compatability than a horoscope," says Michael. "I suspect there's a large number of first born women with experience caring for younger siblings who have married a youngest born. A little research among the people around you will reveal that such notions are not as far-fetched as they might sound."
How birth order affects siblings42133
How birth order affects siblings


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adjective; satisfied, contented, happy, pleased.
Due to a family emergency we will not be able to process your orders from our site for the foreseeable future. We sincerely apologise for this inconvenience.
Caffi Bodlon Mon-Sat 9-5
Cegin Bodlon Mon-Sat 9-5
Bodlon @ Yr Hen Lyfrgell Mon-Sat 9-5 Sun 10-4
Join the Bodlon mailing list to receive regular updates.


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Startup Event Calendar
- This event has passed.
Venture Cafe's Thursday Gathering
March 12 @ 3:00 pm - 8:00 pm
|Recurring Event (See all)
An event every week that begins at 3:00pm on Thursday, repeating indefinitely
The Venture Café Gathering is hosted every Thursday from 3-8pm at 4240 Duncan Ave on the 2nd floor. The event has an open connecting format so you can come and go whenever you have a chance. The goal is to get people connected while keeping these two rules in mind 1. don't drink too much and 2. don't be here to sell. We host several educational breakout sessions throughout the evening – visit our calendar to see what's on the schedule. Combining opportunities to connect with people from a various backgrounds and a variety of high-impact educational sessions, our gathering brings in over 500 people weekly. Hope to see you there!


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The products below are recommended for use in Ricoh Aficio MP5502 Printer.
Also recommended for use in the following printer models:
Looking for reliable printing supplies to be used in your Ricoh Aficio MP5502? The JLT-063 is a favourite for its vibrant color making printout to look surreal. Guaranteed page yield equivalent to the OEM at a lower cost per page!
There are no products matching the selection.


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FRED is an advanced optical engineering software program capable of simulating the propagation of light through virtually any optical/mechanical system. FRED imports both Rhino IGES and STEP CAD formats to accelerate the optical engineering process. Add sources, materials, coating and scattering specifications to fully analyze any optical or illumination system.
Carolyn Cary-Johnson, Photon Engineering


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Learn to diagnose and fix simple PC problems with this easy-to-follow guide.
When something goes wrong with your computer, it's frustrating and potentially expensive. With Fix Your Own Computer For Seniors For Dummies, you can find out what's wrong, how to fix it, whether you need to call in professional help, and how to practice preventive maintenance.
This friendly guide avoids techie jargon and shows you how to diagnose the problem, find out whether the software or hardware is at fault, make simple repairs, and add external devices such as scanners, printers, and hard drives. It also helps you maintain your computer through basic steps like defragmenting the hard drive and cleaning out files — techniques that can prevent a lot of problems from occurring in the first place.
- Written specifically for first-time computer users, this book explains how to diagnose basic PC problems, understand error messages, and fix common issues
- Specific step-by-step procedures guide you through basic repairs such as replacing the hard drive
- Explains common mistakes and how to avoid them
- Outlines the steps for preventive maintenance, such as how to defragment the hard drive, clean files, delete old files, and organize files
- Explores ways to expand and enhance a computer with external devices including hard drives, Web cameras, Web phones, scanners, printers, flash drives and other hardware
- Shows what you can fix yourself and when to seek help from a repair service or the manufacturer
Easy to read and follow, Fix Your Own Computer For Seniors For Dummies will boost your confidence when dealing with your computer and with professional technicians, too.


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Aircraft Specifications:
- Model: Gulfstream G-200
- Tail Number: N180LD
- Type: Super Midsize Jet
- Passenger Capacity: 10
2000+ Aircraft Available - Private Jet Charters
Jet Cards give you ownership perks without the financial commitment of ownership. We are so confident we have the best Jet Card Program available that your unused time is fully refundable if you're not 100% satisfied. NO deadlines, NO expiring hours. Jet Cards provide access to a specific category of aircraft and are sold in denominations of flight time (e.g., 25 hours) or dollars (e.g., $100,000); typically the more you buy the lower the rates.
Hourly cards are preferred by travelers who want a consistent rate and like to keep tabs on available flight time. Our Jet Card program is the preferred program for those using multiple aircraft categories, who value flexibility. Don't spend your funds on a redundant membership fee that provides little benefit.
Whether you're heading to the city of Reno, or you're on your way to Lake Tahoe for a vacation, Luxury Aircraft Solutions can charter you a private flight that best suits your needs and preferences. To ensure your entire travel experience is seamless and simple, we can also arrange for ground transportation once you touch…


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Illinois dominates game on the ground in Friendly Confines.
CHICAGO -- Not many hands went up in the air during a mid-week meeting when an assistant coach wanted to know how many Illinois players won state titles in high school.
"I thought maybe I shouldn't have asked that question,'' said Illini offensive coordinator Paul Petrino. "You win this, you win the state championship and you go to a bowl game.''
Illinois running back Mikel Leshoure rushed for a school-record 330 yards and scored two touchdowns in a 48-27 win over Northwestern Saturday before a sellout crowd of 41,058 in the Wrigleyville Classic. Illinois gained 519 yards on the ground, its best performance in a Big Ten Conference game and the second-best mark in school history, and the Illini thoroughly dominated the first football game at the Friendly Confines since 1970.
"We wanted to prove that Illinois is the football team of Chicago, the football team of the state,'' said Illini quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase. "We wanted to prove to ourselves, the fans throughout the state and especially this city that we're here to stay.''
By improving to 6-5 overall and 4-4 in Big Ten play, the Illini head to a bowl game for the first time since the 2007 season. In the process, they also took some heat off coach Ron Zook, who overhauled his coaching staff last winter after posting a losing record for the fourth time in his five years as head coach.
While a win against Fresno State on the regular-season finale on Dec. 3 (9:15 p.m., ESPN2) would affect the bowl travel plans, the Illini could be headed to bowls in Houston (Texas) and Dallas (Ticket City).
The Illini ended a two-game losing streak that left bowl status in doubt. Is this win a sign the program is headed upward or just a sigh of relief to avoid a disastrous finish?
"There was no question in my mind at the end of the spring that we were going in the right direction,'' Zook said.
=The Illini were also edgy because of all the purple around Wrigley. Apparently, they didn't realize this was Northwestern's home game moved to Wrigley. Illinois also didn't approve of Northwestern marketing campaign: Northwestern, Chicago's Big Ten team.
"We walked in and saw all the purple,'' Scheelhaase said, referring to the Friday walk through and Northwestern's attempt to make it a home field. "We saw that and took it to heart. We were ready to go. It was a great set up for us to put on a great show.''
Other than three big plays by Northwestern in the first half that attempted to sway momentum, the Illini dominated the game the old-fashioned way. Leshoure showed us it must be down hill from right field to home plate -- the offenses only moved toward the west end zone because of rules modifications to improve safety -- while setting a Wrigley Field rushing record. His rushing total is the highest in major-college football this season, and the Illini had 224 yards rushing in the first quarter.
Illinois dominated the clock, holding the ball for 41 minutes 16 seconds. The Illini ran it 70 times and converted 10 of 17 on third down. Running back Jason Ford gained 86 yards and scored three touchdowns while Scheelhaase rushed for 97 yards.
"The whole week, we praised how big a game this was for us and how we need to get back on the winning road,'' Leshoure said. "We played exactly how we played at Penn State. We came out to a good start, and we finished.
"The big holes were there. With fast-flowing linebackers, you want to press the line of scrimmage and make a cutback as soon as you can.''
After blowing two 14-point leads in the first half, Illinois scored 24 of the game's final 27 points.
Northwestern (7-4, 3-4) played without star quarterback Dan Persa, who ruptured his Achilles tendon last week. Redshirt freshman Evan Watkins earned the start, but the Northwestern defense couldn't keep it close.
"We have to make a decision of what kind of a team we want to be,'' Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald said. "I'm disappointed in our performance and the outcome of the game, our inability to stop the run and get off the field on third down.''
NOTES: As a team, Illinois' rushing performance trailed only the 569 yards rushing set in 1944 against Illinois State. Leshoure broke the previous record of 315 yards set by Robert Holcombe against Minnesota in 1996. . . Northwestern had won six of the previous seven games against Illinois. . . Illinois is 2-0 all-time at Wrigley Field against Northwestern. The other win came in 1923, when the Illini posted a 29-0 victory. . .


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When Chef Raymond Blanc and Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons adopt a school, the children discover a surprising new world.
Under the program "Chefs Adopt a School", Raymond Blanc and his team are involved with two schools. Here he teaches young children the basics of nutrition and how to adopt a good, wholesome diet. They are given the opportunity to discuss subjects as diverse as nutrition, sustainable development, food transport, buying local and food waste. The pupils also visit the organic gardens of Le Manoir a sanctuary of biodiversity, where heritage seeds in danger of extinction are stored and grown. In the kitchen, where possible, produce is locally sourced and seafood comes from sustainable sources.


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The Microsoft Infinity Room was super awesome! #InsightsAwait #Klout
I entered the mystery box again #InsightsAwait #infinityroom #mirrors http://t.co/RvS8k0LZbR
Suspended infinity ✨
Traveled to outer space w/ @k_mao #insightsawait
Went to SF, spent basically 20 min looking at these things. Kinda underwhelmed... Looked nice, though. #InsightsAwait #Klout
#InsightsAwait #Klout #bigdata #Microsoft provided some amazing statistics and a show to go along with it. They are on to something here.
#InsightsAwait This room is destroying my mind.
Dude's flash went off right when I took my photo. #insightsawait
The world of #bigdata. I like what #Microsoft did with their #marketing :) #insightsawait #infinityroom #experientialmarketing #SF #EmbarcaderoCenter
In the Microsoft Big Data Infinity Room. #insightsawait http://t.co/BAoDyWu1Xg
The @Microsoft #InfinityRoom on Embarcadero is amazing! #InsightsAwait http://t.co/wqX2dx8v1j
Thank you for your interest in participating in the #InsightsAwait photo contest at the Microsoft Infinity Room!
The contest entry period is officially over. Check out the SQL Server Facebook page for more details about the winner – to be announced on or around April 27, 2014.
Want to learn more about the Microsoft Infinity Room?
- Scroll up to take the 360-degree virtual tour of the Microsoft Infinity Room
- View photos from the Microsoft Infinity Room
PLEASE NOTE: It is your sole responsibility to review and understand your employer's policies regarding your eligibility to participate in trade promotions such as the Microsoft #Insightsawait Photo Sweepstakes ("Sweepstakes"). If you are participating in violation of your employer's policies, you may be disqualified from entering or receiving prizes. Microsoft disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for disputes arising between an employee and their employer related to this matter, and prizes will only be awarded in compliance with the employer's policies.
GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES: Microsoft is committed to complying with government gift and ethics rules and therefore government employees are not eligible.
This Sweepstakes starts at 11AM, local time, on April 15, 2014, and ends at 7PM, local time, on April 18, 2014 ("Entry Period").
Entries must be received within the Entry Period to be eligible.
You are eligible to enter if you meet the following requirements at time Entry:
•You are an attendee of the Microsoft Infinity Room Event ("Event") 13 years of age or older; and
•If you are a minor you must have parent or legal guardian permission to enter and your parent or legal guardian must accept all of these Official Rules
•You are NOT event exhibitor support personnel; and
•You are NOT an employee of Microsoft Corporation, or an employee of a Microsoft subsidiary; and
•You are NOT an immediate family (parent, sibling, spouse, child) or household member of a Microsoft employee, an employee of a Microsoft subsidiary, any person involved in any part of the administration and execution of this Sweepstakes.
This Sweepstakes is void where prohibited by law.
To enter you must have a free Instagram account available at www.instagram.com or a free Twitter account available at www.Twitter.com or a free Facebook account available at Facebook.com. To sumit an Entry, visit the Microsoft sponsored "Infinity Room" Event and take a photo of yourself or the room. You must have permission from any recognizable person in the photo to submit it as an Entry in this Contest and to be used as described in these Official Rules. Then login to your personal Instagram or Twitter account and post the photo using the hashtag #InsightsAwait. Photos may also be entered by uploading directly to the contest site at http://msft.it/InsightsAwaitFB. The photo you submit will be referred to as your "Entry." All requested information must be provided for an Entry to be eligible.
Limit ten unique entries per person. The same photo may not be entered multiple times. We are not responsible for Entries that we do not receive for any reason, or for Entries that we receive but are not decipherable for any reason.
We will automatically disqualify:
· Any incomplete or illegible Entry; and
· Any Entries that we receive from you that are in excess of the Entry limit described above.
On or around the close of the Event, we or our agency will randomly select one Grand Prize Winner from among all eligible Entries received.
(1) Grand Prize: An Xbox One console. Approximate Retail Value (ARV) $499.99
The ARV of electronic prizes is subject to price fluctuations in the consumer marketplace based on, among other things, any gap in time between the date the ARV is estimated for purposes of these Official Rules and the date the prize is awarded or redeemed. We will determine the value of the prize to be the fair market value at the time of prize award.
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Taxes on the prize, if any, are the sole responsibility of the winner. All federal, state, and local laws and regulations apply. No substitution, transfer, or assignment of prize permitted, except that Microsoft reserves the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater value in the event the offered prize is unavailable. Prize winners may be required to sign and return an Affidavit of Eligibility and Liability Release and W-9 tax form or W-8 BEN tax form within 10 days of notification. If a selected winner fails to return the Affidavit of Eligibility and Liability Release or W-8 BEN form, the selected winner will forfeit their prize and an alternate winner will be selected. Your odds of winning depend on the number of eligible Entries we receive. In the event of a dispute all decisions of Microsoft are final.
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Tending my tree
Some numbers and comments to help track my progress. My objective is not volume, but quality of information in the tree. I split my genealogy time between filling the gaps on the tree and fleshing out information on the people I have identified.
Where I started
When I set up the original tree structure at Easter 2010 I had fairly limited information. Knew all 4 grandparents, but beyond that things were a little hazy. All great grandparents were dead before I arrived in the world. I started this little adventure with 5 full and two half names for great grandparents, but no dates. At that stage I only had names for 3 of my great great grandparents.
6 months down the line
Amazed at the progress I have made in the past 6 months:
- All great grandparents now have names, but I am still chasing birth records for some of them.
- Have named 13 great great grandparents, plus one more who raised the child but may not have been the biological parent.
- Have several ancestors at the 3 x great and 4 x great level and have even found some 5 x greats.
- Have over 700 people in my research database. Over 500 of these are now connected into my tree. About 140 different surnames that play a role in the tree.
- Have learned the importance of primary source information, but am still a bit slow at recording my sources, so I have a big heap of certificates and other paperwork to plough through and register.
Early 2012
Progress was slow in 2011, but after a big push to sort through paperwork and update my tree at the start of 2012, the current status is:
- Reliable documentary evidence now traced for most of the first 5 generations and some beyond that.
- Have identified names for 15 of my 16 great great grandparents. Only great great granny Webb remains elusive.
- 3xgreat grandparents – found 17.5 of 32
- 4xgreat grandparents – found 14.5 of 64
- 5xgreat grandparents – found 10 of 128 which is a good step in the right direction
- Have just made my first venture into generation 9 with 2 Scottish 6xgreat grandparents and have other potentials, not yet confirmed
- Research database has 1861 people (some duplicates that need to be resolved), 475 marriages and there are now over 350 surnames as I have started to track my ancestors' other descendants.
However, I am still more concerned about quality than quantity, so I am about to embark on an integrity check and remove the more dubious items that were added in my early days of research.


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Under and by virtue of the power of sale and in accordance with the terms of a certain Deed to Secure Debt from JAMES K. GRIFFIN AND JOY GRIFFIN, Grantor, to First National Bank n/k/a FNB SOUTH, Grantee, dated December 8, 2003; recorded in Deed Book 384, Page 413-419, APPLING County, Georgia records; there will be sold by the undersigned at public outcry, during the legal hours of sale, before the Courthouse door in APPLING County, Georgia, on the first Tuesday in December, 2011, to the highest bidder for cash, the following described property:
All that tract or parcel of land lying and being in the Second land District of Appling County, Georgia, consisting of 0.975 acres, more or less, of Land Lot No. 282, being more particularly described according to the courses, metes and bounds of that certain survey and plat thereof by Denean W. Dixon, GRLS #1647, dated 1/11/97, recorded at Deed Book 14, page 202, Appling County, Georgia records, which is incorporated herein and made a part hereof for all purposes.
The debt secured by said Deed to Secure Debt and any renewal thereof has been and is hereby declared due and payable in full because of default pursuant to the terms of said debt and the Deed to Secure Debt securing same. Notice has been given of intention to enforce collection of attorney's fees and foreclosure in accordance with the terms of the debt, the Deed to Secure Debt, and as provided by law.
The person that has full authority to negotiate, amend, and modify all the terms of the Deed to Secure Debt with the Debtor is Eva Johnson, FNB South, 423 W 12th St, Alma, GA 31510, 912-632-7262. Please understand that the secured creditor is not required by law to negotiate, amend, or modify the terms of the Deed to Secure Debt or Note.
Terms: Cash. Purchaser to pay for title, State of Georgia real estate transfer tax and all taxes that may be due on said real property. Sale is subject to restrictions and easements of record.
423 W 12th St
Alma, GA 31510
as Attorney in Fact for
11-9, 11-16, 11-23 & 11-30ch
gpn11 NOTICE OF SALE STATE OF GEORGIA COUNTY OF APPLING
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Given the current health craze, one would expect Bally Total Fitness to be the category-killer of the fitness industry. Yet despite sporting 440 clubs, 3.6 million members and $1 billion in annual sales, the company has been saddled with accounting problems and massive debt since its 1996 IPO. For the past three years, Bally has been led by Chairman and CEO Paul Toback — and for the past several months, some Bally shareholders have demanded the ouster of Toback, leading to a proxy contest to do just that at the annual shareholder meeting on Jan. 26.
Bally recently announced that revenues are up, costs are down and the company is turning itself around, so why is Liberation Investments, Bally's second largest shareholder, trying to push Toback out as CEO? As the CEO of Bally, Toback has presided over a 60 percent stock decline, failed (until recently) to file financial reports since early 2004, been unable to stem membership attrition, hasn't yet steered the company to an annual profit, lost several key personnel and managed a company facing investigations by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Justice Department.
Toback had another explanation for the calls for his departure. He alleged that Emanuel Pearlman, managing director of Liberation Investments, was a close personal friend of Lee Hillman, former CEO of Bally, and that Hillman invested in Pearlman's Liberation Investments.
"This is an incestuous group of angry, disgruntled employees who are trying to take us back to the failed practices of the past," he said. "Shareholders can make the choice to move the company forward on a positive track or go back to more debt, deals that have no value to the company or no operational plan in place."
Pearlman denied that he and Hillman were working together to take over Bally. He said Hillman invested $100,000 in his $60 million fund and was a personal friend, but said his fund was not started just to buy Bally stock.
"That has been a lot of noise the company wants to make to hide behind the realization that shareholders are not satisfied with current management," he said.
Figuring It Out
Shareholders may have a reason to be upset with Bally's past performance. Since 2001, the fitness chain has had 900,000 people join annually, yet the company has lost an equal number over the same period. Complaints of poor club maintenance and allegedly deceptive sales practices stretch back a decade. Despite reprimands for these practices by the Federal Trade Commission, the New York Attorney General and Oregon's Justice Department, those complaints continue under Toback.
This inability to retain members has only deepened Bally's financial crisis, one driven by more than $743 million in debt, requiring $70 million in annual interest payments. In a July 13 press release, Bally provided results from the first five months of 2005, a time frame that does not permit a comparison with the standard six-month reporting periods that Bally had released in the past. The five-month period results showed positive free cash flow ($6.3 million), but the six-month period would have included an interest payment of $16.5 million. Based on Bally's free cash flow run-rate, the free cash flow would have been negative. When asked during a Dec. 1, 2005, conference call how much the most recent interest payments were, Toback said the company didn't disclose those details, despite having done so in every previous financial report.
In 2003, as in previous years, Bally spent $50 million on membership processing and collection centers. Despite the company's poor performance in 2003, five officers were granted raises (Toback's salary and bonus rose to $775,000), as well as 680,000 stock options redeemable at $6 and $7 per share, and 2.65 million shares of restricted stock.
Until recently, Bally struggled with accounting issues, changing accounting methods three times, which triggered an investigation by the SEC. After undergoing a comprehensive restatement audit and postponing its SEC filings several times — requiring millions of dollars in consent fees to be paid to bondholders — Bally filed financial statements on Nov. 30, 2005, for the first time since early 2004. The restatements show that the company lost more than $450 million since 2000, $135 million of that since Toback became CEO.
Toback joined Bally in 1997 as a corporate development officer, later moving into the COO position. Despite his lack of experience in the fitness industry (see "The Players" sidebar on p. 22), Toback was award the CEO position by Bally board members in December 2002 (at a $300,000 salary and an equal amount in bonuses — today, he makes $975,000). Seeing millions in wealth evaporate after the failed merger between Bally and scandal-plagued Healthsouth, the board pushed out Hillman in favor of Toback. The reason for the failure surfaced during the accounting fraud trial of former Healthsouth CEO Richard Scrushy, when former Healthsouth CFO Weston Smith testified that the Bally deal fell through because of "problems we found during due diligence."
Toback's Record as CEO
In the years he's served as CEO, Toback asserts that he has accomplished his three primary goals — an operational turnaround, restoring credibility to financial statements and addressing capital structure. According to a Dec. 1, 2005, report by Donald Trott of Jefferies and Co., Bally has improved its operating model.
"During the past 21 months, senior executive leadership has strengthened Bally's management team, revamped the company's accounting, overhauled its business model and embarked on new strategic initiatives in the wake of the imploding condition the company was in when CEO Paul Toback took the helm," Trott said in the report.
Under Toback's leadership, Bally revamped its membership structure from three-year contracts to build-your-own memberships, which has helped the chain to appeal to a wider variety of customers. The company also launched a new advertising campaign called "Meet Your Potential" and rolled out its plans for continued growth through franchising. Bally added 152 clubs between 1997 and 2002, but Toback slowed Bally's growth to focus on the existing operations when he took over as the CEO. He's now pursuing an expansion strategy, and his company has hired a franchise expert from Midas to sell clubs to franchisees. Toback said he was happy to stand on his record of accomplishment at Bally.
"Bally was a company that was significantly laden with debt, and we've made significant progress on all fronts," he said. "We posted a positive net income for the first nine months of 2005, restated financials, changed our accounting methodology and hired a new finance team. The results speak for themselves."
While CEO, however, Toback has seen the departure of several significant employees — most of whom he hired — including Martin Pazzani, a marketing guru who resigned after 18 months; marketing executives Patrick Peduto and Jeff Gooding; and the entire public relations department. An executive from Kraft Foods was promoted to run the company's diet program and was fired soon thereafter. A subsequent hire from Jenny Craig quit six months later. In August 2005, board member Marilyn Seymann resigned after three months on the job and board member Stephen Swid left. In early September 2005, Anita Augustine and Ben Amante, the vice presidents of training and franchising, quit.
Toback said that many of these employees left for personal reasons, and in Pazzani's case, Bally accepted his resignation. Bally is not experiencing any major turnover or problem in staffing, Toback said.
Stock Sale
Despite the turmoil, Bally is working with JP Morgan and the Blackstone Group to explore a possible sale of its assets. Toback stressed during the Dec. 1 conference call that he owned 2.1 percent of the company and that his interests were therefore aligned with shareholders. One day later, Toback sold 420,000 shares of company stock (which is more than 75 percent of his shares), while other directors sold almost 800,000 shares — the same shares whose restrictions had been removed days earlier.
Senior management had not had the ability to sell stock since May 2004 because the company was in a quiet period, Toback said, and he liquidated some of his stock based on personal circumstances. Company insiders still own 5 percent of Bally's outstanding shares compared to 7 percent before the recent stock sales, he said.
In a Dec. 7, 2005, SEC filing, Pearlman expressed displeasure that the board granted Toback almost $1.8 million in restricted stock, options to purchase 230,000 shares and then removed the restrictions on the stock grants and accelerated the vesting date of the options to Nov. 28, 2005. These actions eliminated Bally's incentives (set forth in the 1996 Incentive Plan) for key employees to remain with Bally because they enabled them to "immediately cash in on what was meant to be deferred equity compensation," said Pearlman. However, Toback said that when Bally's two largest shareholders crossed the 10 percent line in terms of stock ownership, it triggered the vesting of all the restricted stock that the management owned for a decade.
Toback asserted that despite the sale of a majority of his stock, he was confident Bally had a strong future or he wouldn't still be with the company. However, the sale of stock may be sending the wrong message to shareholders, said Rick Caro, president of consulting company Management Vision.
"The issue of the stock sale by senior management couldn't have been perceived as a more untimely event," Caro said.
Future of Bally
What's next for Bally? Several separate private investment groups have amassed a 51 percent stake in the company and have likely done so because they see hidden value in Bally's assets. Bally, which announced a $1.6 million loss in the third quarter, is finalizing the sale of Crunch Fitness, which Bally purchased in 2001 for $90 million and is selling for $45 million.
"Bally paid $5 million per club," Toback said, explaining the difference in the 2001 purchase price and the 2005 sale price. "There were no other competitive bidders, and we overspent on it."
However, $45 million is below what KDP Investment Advisors, a Vermont-based research firm, valued Crunch.
Bally is also placing the entire company on the auction block, but a sale may be difficult because the company has a high debt-to-equity ratio, said Consultant Michael Scott Scudder.
"I wonder how much time there will be before the death bell tolls for Bally," Scudder said. "These guys are really treading water at this point."
Caro hopes Bally can soon return to its core focus — running a proper club company.
"I hope with restated financials and with a clarification soon from the SEC, Bally can avoid having to deal with other issues that have taken up time and money and distracted everyone — shareholders as well as management — from proper focus," he said.
Toback couldn't agree more. He said Bally is in the midst of a complete turnaround, and shareholders like Pearlman are a distraction to the company's forward progress and plans for the future.
In the meantime, lenders will be able to decide the future of Toback and the Bally board at the January meeting.
The Players
Paul Toback
Bally Total Fitness
42 years old
1984 — Graduated from Stanford University with a degree in political science
1987 — Earned a JD degree from the University of Chicago
1993 — Was director of administration for Chicago Mayor Richard Daley
1993-1995 — Served as executive assistant to chief of staff for President Clinton
1995 — Served as COO of Globetrotter Engineering
1997 — Joined Bally as corporate development officer for Bally Total Fitness
2001 — Became COO at Bally
2002 — Bally board appointed him CEO after Hillman left the company
Emanuel R. Pearlman
manager of Liberation Investments
(12 percent shareholder in Bally)
45 years old
1985 — Graduated Harvard Business School with an MBA
1987 — Protégé of corporate raider Arthur Goldberg (assisted Goldberg in takeover of Di Giorgio Corp.)
1990 — Served as consultant to Goldberg after he took over Bally Manufacturing Corp.
1990s — Continued to work with Bally Total Fitness after Goldberg spun it off from Bally Manufacturing Corp.
2001 — Worked with then Bally CEO Lee Hillman on acquisitions of Crunch Fitness and Sports Clubs of Canada.
2002 — Continued as consultant to Bally after Hillman's departure from the company.
2003 — Departed Bally, partially due to a dispute with Toback over compensation.
2003 — Started Liberation Investment Group backed by investors (including $100,000 from Hillman).
2003 — As shareholder in Canadian retailer Intertan Inc., helped force its sale.
2004 — Proposed the ouster of Toback from CEO position and proposed himself for a board position at Bally.
2005 — Called again for ouster of Toback.
Source: Chicago's Crain Business
Bally Board of Directors
(as of Jan. 5, 2006)
Paul A. Toback — Chairman of the board
Barry M. Deutsch — Chief financial officer of Ovation Pharmaceuticals Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company.
Eric Langshur — Founder and CEO of TLContact Inc., a privately held company that delivers patient communication and education services to the healthcare industry.
J. Kenneth Looloian — Retired senior vice president and chief financial officer of New Jersey Bell Telephone Co. and Bellcore (now Telecordia Technologies). Consultant to Di Giorgio Corp. since 1990.
James F. McAnally, M.D. — Private practitioner who specializes in hypertension and kidney disease. Dr. McAnally is also the medical director of nephrology services at Trinitas Hospital in Elizabeth, NJ.
John W. Rogers Jr. — Chairman and CEO of Ariel Capital Management, LLC/ Ariel Mutual Funds, an institutional money management firm that he founded in 1983. Rogers also serves as a director on the boards of Aon Corp., Bank One Corp., Exelon Corp. and McDonald's Corp.
Steven Rogers — Professor of finance and management at the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University, Evanston, IL. He is also a director at AMCORE Financial Inc., Duquesne Light Holdings Inc., S.C. Johnson & Son Inc. and SUPERVALU Inc.
Note: J. Kenneth Looloian is not standing for re-election. New nominees are Eric Langshur, Charles Burdick and Barry Elson.
Inside Liberation Investments' Proxy Fight
Bally is now enaged in a proxy fight with its two largest shareholders — Pardus Capital Management and Liberation Investments. In a proxy fight, one party tries to persuade other parties that an executive or director should be replaced, and if they agree, then sign proxy statements to allow the company to vote on their behalf.
Emanuel Pearlman, managing director of Liberation, said he was pleased that shareholders would vote on his proposal to oust Bally CEO Paul Toback at the Jan. 26 shareholders meeting, which begins at 8:30 a.m. at the Renaissance Chicago O'Hare Hotel in Chicago. Stephen Jenkins, a lawyer for Liberation, said Liberation must win more than 75 percent of the vote to oust Toback.
In response to Liberation's proposal, Bally sued the shareholder, which owns 12.1 percent of Bally's stock, in an effort to get Liberation's proposal declared illegal and invalid. Bally claimed that Liberation hid its ties with former Bally CEO Lee Hillman in its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The state judge said he would rule on the case after the shareholder meeting.
Shareholders have four choices when it comes to voting on the proposals. They can cast their vote themselves by sending in their proxy card in the mail, vote via the Web or a telephone or deliver their proxy card in person to the annual meeting.
If they choose to do so, they can instead give their proxy vote to Bally, Pardus or Liberation. Lenders can only vote on one of the three proxies and can't split their vote, said Brad Wilkes, managing director of the Chicago office of Citigate Sard Verbinnen, an investor and media relations firm working with Bally.
Michael Scott Scudder, president of consulting company Fit Focus, said both sides in a proxy battle often try to discredit one another in order to influence the opinion of the stockholders. He doesn't see the proxy fight going away anytime soon.
"Pearlman and his cohorts seem bound and determined to take this all the way to the shareholder meeting in late January," he said. "Bally management will do everything it can to block any actions by Pearlman's group. The last thing you want with a troubled company that hasn't been able to earn money for years is a fiasco at the shareholder meeting, but it looks as though that's what's coming."
Inside Pardus Capital's Battle for the Board
Pardus Capital Management, Bally's largest shareholder with 14.4 percent of the shares, also launched a proxy fight against Bally, this one to change the composition of Bally's nine-member board.
The Corporate Library, an independent research group based in Portland, ME, recently downgraded the effectiveness of Bally's Board of Directors from "B" to "D." In several filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Pardus stated the "ongoing pursuit of…strategic transactions that are designed to entrench current management…are not in the best interests of the company's stockholders…"
The Bally board includes several people from Bally CEO Paul Toback's past (view the flow chart, "The Bally Web," that appeared in the January 2006 issue). Barry Deutsch has known Toback since childhood; Eric Langshur runs a company whose board of advisors include Chicago Mayor Richard Daley's former chief of staff (Toback formerly worked for Daley); and John W. Rogers is a longtime Mayor Daley fundraiser. Bally's compensation committee includes the same three men, who voted to increase Toback's salary to its current level.
The New York Stock Exchange requires board members to be independent. Toback said the Bally board is made up of smart people with a broad range of expertise and advice. While he said he had known Deutsch for a long time, he said Deutsch was selected to the board because of his 20 years of experience as an investment banker.
Pardus nominated 54-year-old Charles Burdick, former CEO of London-based HIT Entertainment PLC; 64-year-old Barry Elson, acting CEO of Telewest Global Inc.; and 53-year-old Don Kornstein, founder and managing partner of Alpine Advisors LLC. Bally tried to avoid a proxy fight by nominating two out of the three — Burdick and Elson. Bally alleged that Kornstein was working with Manny Pearlman, managing director of Liberation Investments, and former Bally CEO Lee Hillman to take control of Bally and refused to nominate him. Pearlman denied working with Pardus.
"We're willing and responsive to our shareholders, but at the same time, we understand what the game is — they want selfish control of the company," Toback said. "It's a game of trying to steal Bally for their own opportunistic reasons that don't include increasing shareholder value."