text:
package com.xiao.storm.utils;

import com.xiao.storm.common.utils.EncryptMD5;
import com.xiao.storm.common.utils.RandomUtil;
import org.apache.commons.lang.StringUtils;
import org.apache.hadoop.conf.Configuration;
import org.apache.hadoop.fs.Path;
import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.HBaseConfiguration;
import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.HColumnDescriptor;
import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.HTableDescriptor;
import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.TableName;
import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.client.*;
import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.security.User;
import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.util.Bytes;
import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.io.compress.Compression.Algorithm;

import java.io.IOException;
import java.util.Date;
import java.util.HashMap;
import java.util.Map;

/**
 * HBase增删改查
 */
@SuppressWarnings("deprecation")
public class HBaseUtils {
    private final static String HBASE_PATH = "hadoop.hbase.conf.path";

    private static Connection instance = null;

    public static synchronized void setUp(Map conf) throws IOException {
        if (instance == null) {
            String hbasepath = (String) conf.get("hadoop.hbase.conf.path");
            Configuration config = HBaseConfiguration.create();
            if(StringUtils.isNotBlank(hbasepath)){
                config.addResource(new Path(hbasepath, "hbase-site.xml"));
                config.addResource(new Path(hbasepath, "core-site.xml"));
            }
            instance = ConnectionFactory.createConnection(config);
        }
    }

    public static synchronized void setZk(String zkServer) throws IOException {
        if (instance == null) {
            Configuration config = HBaseConfiguration.create();
            //配置Zookeeper节点
            config.set("hbase.zookeeper.quorum", zkServer);
            config.set("zookeeper.znode.parent", "/hbase");
            instance = ConnectionFactory.createConnection(config);
        }
    }

    public static Connection getInstance() {
        return instance;
    }

    public synchronized static void close() throws IOException {
        instance.close();
    }

    public static void insertAndUpdate(String tableName, String row, String family,
                                       String qualifier, String value) throws IOException {
        Table table = HBaseUtils.getInstance().getTable(TableName.valueOf(tableName));
        Put p = new Put(Bytes.toBytes(row));
        p.addColumn(Bytes.toBytes(family), Bytes.toBytes(qualifier), Bytes
                .toBytes(value));

        table.put(p);
    }

    public static void insertAndUpdate(String tableName, String row,
                                       String family, Map<String, String> mapKeyValue) throws IOException {
        Table table = HBaseUtils.getInstance().getTable(TableName.valueOf(tableName));
        Put p = new Put(Bytes.toBytes(row));
        for (Map.Entry<String, String> entry : mapKeyValue.entrySet()) {
            p.addColumn(Bytes.toBytes(family), Bytes.toBytes(entry.getKey()),
                    Bytes.toBytes(entry.getValue()));
        }
        table.put(p);
    }

    public static void insertAndUpdate(String tableName, String row, String family,
                                       String qualifier, String value, long ttl) throws IOException {
        Table table = HBaseUtils.getInstance().getTable(TableName.valueOf(tableName));
        Put p = new Put(Bytes.toBytes(row));
        p.setTTL(ttl);
        p.addColumn(Bytes.toBytes(family), Bytes.toBytes(qualifier), Bytes
                .toBytes(value));

        table.put(p);
    }

    public static Boolean isExist(String tableName, String row) throws IOException {
        Table table = HBaseUtils.getInstance().getTable(TableName.valueOf(tableName));
        Get g = new Get(Bytes.toBytes(row));
        return table.exists(g);
    }

    public static void createSchemaTables(String tablename, String row) throws IOException {
        try (Connection connection = HBaseUtils.getInstance();
             Admin admin = connection.getAdmin()) {
            HTableDescriptor table = new HTableDescriptor(TableName.valueOf(tablename));
            if (admin.tableExists(table.getTableName())) {
                System.out.println("table exist ...");
                return;
            }

            table.addFamily(new HColumnDescriptor(row).setCompressionType(Algorithm.SNAPPY));
            admin.createTable(table);
        }
    }

    public static void main(String args[]) {
        Map<String,String> conf = new HashMap();
        conf.put("hadoop.hbase.conf.path","/Users/xiao/workspaces/github-works/storm-demos/hbase-demo/src/main/resources");

        String table = "test";

        try {
//            HBaseUtils.setUp(conf);
            HBaseUtils.setZk("host190:2181,host191:2181,host192:2181");

            long start = System.currentTimeMillis();
            for(int i =0;i<10;i++){
                String userid = RandomUtil.randomString(10);
                String key = EncryptMD5.md5(userid);

                boolean is = HBaseUtils.isExist(table,key);
                Map<String,String> map = new HashMap<String,String>();
                map.put("logtime", "201622222");
                if(!is){
                    HBaseUtils.insertAndUpdate(table,key,"F1",map);
                }
            }
            long end = System.currentTimeMillis();
            System.out.println("cost = "+(end-start)+"ms");

        } catch (Exception e) {
            e.printStackTrace();
        }
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Meet New England Design Hall of Fame 2015 Inductee Charlotte Barnes
Text by Erin Marvin
For Charlotte Barnes, having her house photographed for British House & Garden magazine was meant to be a special remembrance of her beloved London home before she moved back to the United States. Instead, those photos sparked an unexpected public interest in her personal interior-design aesthetic that led to an exciting new career.
In 1995, after eleven years in the fashion industry with Ralph Lauren Womenswear, Barnes opened Charlotte Barnes Interior Design & Decoration, bringing with hera keen eye for style, a meticulous attention to detail, and a love of fabrics.
She finds inspiration in many of her favorite things—European furniture, books, movies, and museum exhibits—as well as in the work of past design icons such as Elsie de Wolfe. "I love what she did," says Barnes. "She took very fancy houses and gave them a little personality. She was the innovator of the 'mix.'"
An eclectic blend of contemporary and antique is also a hallmark of Barnes's own interiors. This mix might manifest as upholstering a traditional chair in a modern fabric, pairing antique Chinese lamps with contemporary Quadrille wallpaper, or playing with scale and proportion by putting large pieces of furniture into small rooms to make them feel bigger.
Whatever the formula, the result is always beautiful, elegant, and comfortable interiors that feel more like curated personal collections than overly decorated spaces. Magazines are once again taking notice, and her work has been featured in publications such as Elle Decor, New England Home, and New American Luxury.
Barnes has recently launched Collection Charlotte Barnes, her new line of custom furniture. The collection is designed to work in concert with both antique and contemporary pieces. Barnes describes the style as more handsome than pretty, and imbued with a certain strength and the attention to detail for which she's known. The designer's hope is that these new pieces will be cherished today and passed on to sit comfortably in future homes. "Maybe they'll be tomorrow's antiques," she says. •
Charlotte Barnes, New England Design Hall of Fame
Leslie Fine Interiors, Inc.
Austin Ganim Landscape Design, LLC
Juniper Design + Build

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Eyes on the prize and ice in their veins, the Bulldogs give crowds something to cheer for. This men's basketball hoodie shows off a team logo in front alongside reflective details that are built to shine in the flashing lights of a packed stadium. It's made of smooth knit with zip pockets and a droptail hem.


As I decided for this 2015, I will start sharing my own crochet patterns starting today (alternating with my pattern translations).
I will start with something simple: a Deku Shield-inspired appliqué. The Deku Shield is an item that appears in The Legend of Zelda "Ocarina of Time", the first shield you get in the game and that many of us remember with nostalgia (the best 40 rupees ever spent).
For this pattern I used Cotton 100% from Katia in brown and red and a 3.5 mm hook. For this appliqué I used the jacquard technique, but don't panic because it's really easy and if you know how to do single crochet, increases and decreases you can do it, the only thing you need to be careful of it's when it's time to change color because there are a lot of changes in the same row (this is why the pattern is intermediate level). Anyway, I'm posting photos and a link to a video so you can understand how to do it.
Once you practice with this appliqué, you can start looking for beautiful projects with jacquard technique using so many colors!
It's my first pattern so if you have any problem or any suggestion, please let me know, to improve it.
If you have no idea what to do with this appliqué when you're done… we have some ideas for you on our next post (next week)! And if you want to do a Hylian Shield, take a look at the pattern of All About Ami that I translated to Spanish.
EDIT: You can take a look here for an idea for using this pattern: the Kokiri Case.
1. sc with color change: Insert hook into chain or stitch, yarn over and pull loop through st, CHANGE COLOR and yarn over with new yarn and pull loop through both loops (I found this video that shows clearly how to do it).
2. Carrying yarn: When you make the color change, don't drop the previous color yarn leaving it outside, instead crochet around it. The yarn must be inside the stitches of next color. I will point when to hold or drop a yarn color that is not going to be used again in that row.
1. Make sure that when you are carrying the yarn, it really stays inside so it doesn't show through other places.
2. It's really easy for skeins to tangle up so be careful.


The Sunday Indian Express has featured our blog Quick Online Tips on their 'News for Use" section titled "Blog Buster" which gives a "low down on the top-ranking Indian Blogs". It was a great joy to see our blog featured and recommended in this major Indian newspaper Indian Express. Check the screenshots.
You can actually read this newspaper entry online and see it exactly as it appears in print by logging into the Indian Express E-paper (a great way to read newspapers) and check us out on Page 9. Anyway, below is a screenshot of the Page 9 of today's Sunday Indian Express from the e-paper.
On the right side column is the section Blog Buster – "Game for advice", below is the enlarged the text as it appears in print. Check it out.
Its obvious our long domain name failed to fit inside the column size and they had to fit in a hyphen (Tip: its always better to buy a shorter domain name). Hyphens / dashes are a valid component of website urls and I hope people do not type quickon-linetips.com and get a non existent domain name. An alternative way would be to use quickonlinetips.com (without the www) instead of www.quickonlinetips.com (both work!).
As regards our 'messy 3 column look', we shifted from 2 column to 3 column look recently to accomodate the growing content of this blog (Now its time to declutter the sidebars!). You can read more in the About Us section and track news about us.
I take this opportunity to thank the QOT readers, without whose dedicated support this blog would not be where it is today. Thank you readers! Thank you Indian Express!


ROCKVILLE, MD – In January 2017, Accelovance, Inc. ("Accelovance"), a global contract research organization (CRO) focused on oncology, vaccines and general medicine, engaged Bourne Partners ("Bourne") to find an appropriate buyer for the company.
Upon initial review, Bourne Partners sought to run a typical CRO sell-side process and began the general course of action. After investigating the increased M&A activity around Site Management Organizations (SMOs), Bourne Partners and Accelovance changed the approach and chose to run a highly targeted process focusing solely on a handful of the largest CRO's, all known by Bourne to be actively seeking SMO acquisition opportunities. It was clear that Accelovance would maximize its value by carving out its SMO, Optimal Research.
Optimal Research was sold to Synexus, part of PPD's Accelerated Enrollment Solutions business unit, for an undisclosed amount in Q4 2017.
Accelovance is an award winning, clinical development CRO focused on oncology, vaccine, dermatology, pain, nutrition and women's health (Phase I-IV programs). Providing global full CRO services to pharmaceutical companies, biotechs, CROs, and academic institutions, Accelovance supports client needs by leveraging operational knowledge and patient recruitment strategies that result in successful clinical trials. Established in 2005 with a corporate mission to improve the quality and predictability in clinical research, Accelovance has made significant strides in the industry by combining strong business and operational perspective with clinical and medical expertise. For more information, visit www.accelovance.com.
Optimal Research provides clinical site solutions to pharmaceutical and biotech companies, medical device companies, and contract research organizations (CROs) seeking research sites to conduct clinical research studies in a high quality manner. In addition to the six core sites that it owns, Optimal utilizes its oncology and pediatric site network to provide integrated site solutions that meet our client's needs. Optimal is the intersection where pharmaceutical/biotech companies and patients find excellence in clinical research. Specifically, Optimal provides clinical site infrastructure and staffing to meet the requirements of the clinical trial protocols for men's and women's health, geriatrics, vaccine, oncology, and pediatric health conditions. For more information, visit www.optimalsites.net.


text:
Voters approve Chester water project by wide margin
Shawn Cunningham | Sep 29, 2015 | Comments 0
By Shawn Cunningham and
©2015-Telegraph Publishing LLC
With a turnout more than double either of the two previous ballots, Chester voters Tuesday passed a $4 million bond for a project to add a 330,000 gallon water tank and replace aging mains. The measure passed by a vote of 280 to 121 with turnout of 401 registered voters or 18 percent of the checklist.
John and Debbie Zink vote for first time in Chester.
Town Clerk Deb Aldrich said that voting was steady from the polls' opening at 9 a.m. With the new tank and water mains, the project will improve pressure during firefighting and remedy water loss that is estimated to be 38 percent of the water flow.
Town Manager David Pisha, who has be integral in promoting the project to town residents, said Tuesday night that he was pleased with the turnout, adding "This is a very positive end to a very long process." But, he said, that if the vote had been against the project, "I was going to work with whatever the citizens wanted."
As for next steps, Julie Hance, assistant to the town manager, said, "I think they will start the loan paperwork and then we can go out to bid."
Town Manager David Pisha
Pisha said he has heard there is a lot of interest in the project from contractors. When asked about a timeline, he said, Engineer "Naomi (Johnson) said she'd like to see construction started and completed in 2016."
Asked what he would have done differently to speed the process, Pisha said, "We were dealing with so many moving parts. Had we realized the importance of the Median Household Income (to the loan formula) we would have taken the survey sooner."
He added that it would have been better if the town had provided more facts to the citizens sooner. Still, at this point, Pisha said, "I'm happy with the outcome, happy for Chester and happy for the Water Department."
Johnson, of Dufresne Group, said, "This is a major project for a small town. I personally look forward to the construction phase. During that period, we will welcome public interest …"
From Point A to approval
The project has faced a long and winding road.
On May 19 — the first vote — only 198 residents voted, approving the water project 112 to 86. However, that vote had to be affirmed by voters because it had not been properly warned. That next vote, taken June 30, had an even poorer turnout, and the project went down to defeat 69 to 74.
The water project has caused controversy since it first became public in part because it involved the purchase of 139 acres from a company owned by Amy and Mike O'Neil. Amy O'Neil is the sister of engineer Naomi Johnson, who recommended the purchase, saying that it was the best and least expensive site for a new water tank to back up the 1-million gallon tank on Reservoir Road. The O'Neil property – which had been used as a gravel pit – sits high above Route 103 behind Green Mountain Union High.
Ballots are counted Tuesday night.
In 2014, the Chester Select Board held an executive session (behind closed doors) to discuss the recommendation and also the gravel that could be extracted from the site. ( The improper use of an executive session was a situation that The Chester Telegraph formally complained about.)
Pisha linked the purchase of the land for the water project to much-needed gravel for roads as a way to pay for the water project. This caused confusion among many residents.
And it seemed as though some members of the Select Board did not understand either the project or its somewhat complex financing package that would make the project possible, causing some in the community to question their commitment to it.
Over the course of the past few months, Pisha has sought to unlink gravel from the water project, and Water Superintendent Jeff Holden has helped by speaking at several meetings on the difficulty he faces in repairing aging, leaking and broken water lines.
The water project has recently been boosted by the fact that the town will save $800,000 in borrowing from the state Drinking Water Loan Fund because the water district's Median Household Income is $16,000 per household less than what had been expected. The fund rates are based on the MHI, and this reduced the terms of the loan from 3 percent for 24 years to -1.5 percent for 30 years.
This means that the water users would borrow $3.7 million and only have to pay back $2.9 million.
Filed Under: Chester • Featured • Latest News


text:
Tag Archives: trayvon martin
George Zimmerman Seeking Up To $300,000 in Costs
George Zimmerman in Court
George Zimmerman's Attorney has indicated that he and his client may seek reimbursement for between $200,000 and $300,000 in costs expended during his defense. It must be noted, because multiple media outlets have been reporting it unclearly, or incorrectly, that this money is not for legal fees. Zimmerman cannot be reimbursed for the money that would go to his attorneys. The money is limited to money for taxable costs expended by any defendant who is found innocent, potentially including a great deal for witness fees. That's a substantial amount to tack on to the nearly one million that has already been laid out by the State to prosecute the case.
As I said, the legal fees are not included in this request. Mr. O'Mara indicated that neither he, Don West, or the rest of the Defense team have received any money for their work on this case. That's the best legal value in history, for superb representation from experienced attorneys.
If Zimmerman is sued in civil court, for instance, if the Martin family files a wrongful death claim, he could potentially be reimbursed attorney's fees for defending that suit, if he can demonstrate that he should have been immune from prosecution. He did not file an immunity motion in the criminal case, but that wouldn't rule out exercising that rule if he were to be sued. It serves as a deterrent to the filing of such lawsuits.
Posted in 6th Amendment - Fair Trial, Criminal Law, Florida, Florida Cases, George Zimmerman
Tagged cost, george zimmerman, mark o'mara, sanford, trayvon martin, trial
Why Did the Jury Acquit George Zimmerman of Killing Trayvon Martin? #Zimmermantrial
Many people have expressed surprise, disappointment, and even shock for the jury's acquittal of George Zimmerman this past weekend. The jury found him not guilty for the murder of Trayvon Martin, and not guilty of the lesser included charge of manslaughter. This article is directed to address some of the issues that have been raised by people who cannot reconcile the verdict and answer some of the most frequently asked questions about the case and the verdict. Please read through, and if there is a question that I don't address, please respectfully share in the comments and I will try to address them as I am available.
How could this happen? Was this jury out of their mind? The state did not have a great case. Keep in mind that the previous prosecutor's office reviewed the case, and decided not to file charges on it because they did not think there was enough proof to go forward. The early media version of the story was very one-sided, but as more information came out about the case, it was far from clear whether there was criminal liability. Most attorneys who paid attention to the case were not surprised by the verdict, nor were regular readers of this blog.
How can Zimmerman not be guilty when Martin was unarmed and Zimmerman had a gun? The legal equation does turn on whether one party was armed or not. The legal question is whether the Defendant had a reasonable fear of death or great bodily harm. Early media reports about the case pointed out that Martin was shopping for Skittles before the incident; they failed to give important details about the incident. A fight took place, and Zimmerman has several injuries that suggest he was on the losing end of the fight. He had a broken nose and lacerations on the back of his head. That's the basis for the legal defense of justifiable use of force.
What kind of crazy laws do they have in Florida? What wacky ramifications from the Stand Your Ground caused this? All the talk about Stand Your Ground really clouded the case. While it was discussed early on as a possible defense strategy, the defense did not proceed on a Stand Your Ground immunity theory. The Stand Your Ground law played a role, particularly in the jury instructions that were given. It removed the duty to retreat from the instructions, but did not change the standard for justifiable use of force. On an side note, sometimes the Stand Your Ground law is a good thing. But, it's important to note that this was not a case of Zimmerman "standing his ground?"
But Zimmerman got out of his car and followed Martin? Didn't that action lead to Martin's death? While it was poor judgment for Zimmerman to get out of his car to follow Martin, that action was not criminal. Zimmerman lived in that neighborhood, and has as much right to walk around in that neighborhood as Martin did. There was an intervening act that lead to the death, and the state did not have any evidence that Zimmerman started the fight. In fact, one of the jurors spoke to CNN yesterday, and said that she believed Martin attacked Zimmerman and threw the first punch. But the equation doesn't stop there. The legal question was whether Zimmerman had a reasonable fear of death or serious bodily harm. It is not legally relevant whether Zimmerman followed the neighborhood watch regulations, especially if he was attacked.
Martin was unarmed, how could it be justifiable to kill him? The fight that precipitated the shooting got significantly more severe. Evidence suggested that Martin threw multiple punches, breaking Zimmerman's nose. The State tried to argue that Zimmerman was getting the best of Martin at one point, but the evidence did not support that. The evidence indicates that Martin got on top of Zimmerman and continued to beat him. Zimmerman's story to that effect was supported by an independent eye-witness in the neighborhood, John Good, who came outside prior to calling 911. Zimmerman's head was split open in multiple places, which supported his claim that Martin bashed his head against the paved sidewalk multiple times. The forensic evidence proved that Martin was on top of Zimmerman when the shot was fired. The juror indicated they were convinced it was Zimmerman screaming for help on the 911 recordings. There was ample evidence to demonstrate that Zimmerman was afraid for his life when he fired the shot.
People are saying that Zimmerman was a racist/vigilante/criminal, shouldn't that count? There was no evidence to support the allegations of Zimmerman being racist, in spite of what Nancy Grace thinks. Zimmerman had made other calls to 911, which the state produced into evidence, but those calls did not make him sound overzealous. In fact, it proved that he may have had reason to be concerned, as his neighbors had been the victims of multiple break-ins in recent months. He had been arrested once before, but those charges were dropped after Zimmerman entered a diversion program. Zimmerman does not have a criminal conviction, or he would not have had a legal permit to carry the firearm. Prior records are generally not permitted to be introduced in criminal trials as Defendants are presumed innocent; we don't want prosecutors to make their cases on character assassination. The tables were actually turned in this case, as Martin's character issues were largely shielded from the jury. Great efforts were made to have the cased proved, or not proved, on the facts.
You're not trying to say race wasn't a factor? No, race is obviously a factor, but it is one of many. For instance, there was an allegation that race was a factor in the initial confrontation. However, there was not evidence to support racial profiling. Ironically, Martin made what could be considered a racist comment, calling Zimmerman a "creepy-ass cracker" before the confrontation, according to Martin's friend. Is it possible the jury was influenced by race? Of course that's a concern, but there isn't evidence to show that race was the reason for the verdict. The jury was made up of 6 women, 5 white, and one a minority. Zimmerman is part hispanic, and identifies as such. They did not acquit Zimmerman because Martin was a young black man. There was ample evidence presented that Zimmerman was being beaten, and that he has a reasonable fear of death or great bodily harm.
Zimmerman's injuries were not severe, how does that justify shooting someone? This is one of the contentions the prosecutors cited for filing the case after they lost. However, the legal standard is not whether someone had been seriously injured. Rather, the test for justifiable use of force is whether there is a reasonable fear of death or serious bodily injury. The fear must not only be reasonable, it must be imminent, you can't use force against someone for future harm. The reason the law is written this way, as it was passed down from the common law, is that the use of force is justified to prevent death or serious bodily harm. You don't have to wait to be mortally wounded to defend yourself, that would be too late. Evidence presented at trial indicated that after knocking Zimmerman down and breaking his nose, Martin slammed his head down so hard that it split open. In order for his injuries to have occurred, Zimmerman's head must have been slammed against a very hard surface, such as the sidewalk. In the words of Zimmerman's attorney, Martin armed himself with what he had available, the pavement. If such circumstances were true, a reasonable person would probably feel they were in danger of death or serious bodily injury*. The State did not prove otherwise, and the jury certainly had ample evidence to support a not guilty finding on the law. The juror who spoke yesterday indicated that rereading of the law is what ultimately convinced them to acquit.
Does this mean that a young black man can be shot anywhere? No, very much not. It was only the substantial evidence, both testimonial and forensic, that demonstrated that Martin was beating Zimmerman when Zimmerman fired the shot. While not an element of this case, there was ample evidence to suggest that Martin was the aggressor; that he committed a crime in attacking Zimmerman. Many people are trying to make this case a referendum on race in this country, but the facts suggest otherwise, and Martin was not the wholly innocent party that some have suggested. I doubt many of those pundits followed the case very closely, rather they made up their minds when the movement for Zimmerman's arrest began. The facts shown in court are favorable to the verdict. This case is certainly a tragedy, and it is a shame that a young man was killed. The conversation on race in this country should continue, and we should keep the families of both Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman in our prayers.
Is this one of those cases where there was important evidence that the jury didn't hear. No, it is not. In fact, the jury got a pretty full picture of the evidence in this case. There was no statement by the Defendant that got suppressed, rather the contrary. Zimmerman gave about a half dozen statements and they were played for the jury. The physical evidence did not contradict his statements. The lead investigator found him to be credible. That testimony came in, but was later stricken. There was evidence that the jury didn't hear that would have been beneficial to his defense. Zimmerman passed a lie detector test the day after the shooting. The jury didn't see the pictures or text messages that showed Martin had used drugs or was proficient at fighting, and they did not hear that he had been suspended from school or had other legal troubles. This was not a hide the ball case, this was a very informed jury who found him not guilty.
Not guilty isn't the same thing as innocent. We shouldn't put too much faith in this jury verdict. This case is different from a lot of cases in that Zimmerman relied on an affirmative defense. That means the burden was actually on the Defense to prove to the jury that he was justified. There was no doubt as to the ID of the shooter, and Zimmerman never denied doing it. He always maintained that he did it in self-defense. The evidence corroborated Zimmerman's version of the events. The evidence at trial convinced a jury that he was justified. I have seen people compare this verdict to the O.J. Simpson verdict. Frankly, the cases couldn't have been more different.
Is he going to face federal charges from DOJ? The department of justice has an open investigation into the matter. The Federal Government can only file charges if the crime involved a violation of someone's civil rights; it's basically targeted toward hate crimes. It will be difficult for the Feds to prove there was a hate crime when the state could not prove there was a crime by Zimmerman. That doesn't mean that he cannot be tried, it is an exception to double jeopardy for the Feds to charge him again even after the State tried him. It would be unlikely for them to press charges, because he was acquitted, but politics could drive the decision. The decision of state prosecutors to file was politically motivated, not motivated by facts. Angela Corey said nearly as much in her post-trial comments. As the case progressed, and more facts came out that supported Zimmerman's defense, I was more and more surprised that the State had chosen to file charges in the first place. The Feds could still file charges if they feel it is appropriate.
So did the prosecutors drop the ball on this case? Some pundits have criticized the State for trial miscues that may have hurt their case. This case was not lost by the trial skills on either side. Rather, the facts did not support a conviction, and even a perfectly presented case would have trouble meeting the burden of proof when so many facts were not in their favor. Mr. Zimmerman did have excellent representation, and Mark O'Mara in particular did a great job of presenting a complicated defense case. I may do a later post detailing some of the errors the State committed in trying the case. And we will definitely follow the case to see if sanctions end up being levied against the State for their discovery violations.
Can Martin's family sue? They can sue, but it is still difficult case. As I said above, this wasn't a reasonable doubt- type acquittal. In this case, the Defense actually proved an affirmative defense, which will also be a defense to a civil suit. If the family sues, and they lose, they will be liable for the attorney fees for defending the case, thanks to the Stand Your Ground law. I hope they are well advised of their risks before they file suit.
This summary is my opinion, gleaned from my legal training and following the case as much as possible. I encourage you to review our previous coverage of the #Zimmermantrial as we have done quite a bit about the case. Crimcourts will continue to follow the aftermath of the Zimmerman trial as it progresses in the weeks ahead.
*Zimmerman also claimed that Martin told him he was going to die, covered his mouth at one point, and reached for his gun. If true, Martin was in the process of an attempted murder. This evidence was unrebutted, as Martin was killed. However, there was ample evidence to support the use of reasonable force even you discount the statements of Zimmerman that cannot be verified.
Posted in Criminal Law, Florida, Florida Cases, George Zimmerman, Stand Your Ground
Tagged angela corey, bernie de la rionda, george zimmerman, Jury, lie detector, mark o'mara, murder, trayvon martin, trial, verdict
George Zimmerman's Prosecutor, Angela Corey, Fired the Whistleblower Tech
State Attorney Angela Corey
The progress of the case against George Zimmerman was particularly contentious. Defense attorneys frequently complained of questionable tactics by the State in their preparation of the case. Their complaints were realized to be justified when it was revealed that the prosecutors's office, headed by Angela Corey, had additional digital information that had been recovered from Trayvon Martin's phone which they had not turned over. That information is known as Brady information, basically any information that might help the defense, and it is mandatory that the prosecutors disclose such information. The Defense team had explicitly requested the information from Mr. Martin's phone, and had been informed that there wasn't any more.
The reason that the information came to light was thanks to a whistleblower: Corey's IT Director Ben Kruidbos. It came to the attention of Mr. Kruibdos that the information he had found, including numerous pictures and text messages, were not part of the packet that had been disclosed to the Defense. According to Mr. Kruibdos, he attempted to go through the proper channels within his office, including informing ASA Bernie de la Rionda, who handled prosecution case. Kruibdos was called to testify, and it became clear that Ms. Corey's office deliberately withheld discovery information, was in violation of Brady, and did so to the detriment of the Defendant. The court indicated that sanctions could be possible after the trial. Mr. Kruibdos received notice that Ms. Corey had terminated him last week.
Mr. Kruibdos, who is not an attorney, felt ethically obligated to do something after he found out about the subterfuge. He was also afraid of his own liability for his role and his knowledge of the Brady material. He hired an attorney and his attorney turned the information over to Zimmerman's defense team. Fortunately, the harm was revealed in time, and it did not prevent the Defense from successfully defending Mr. Zimmerman, who was exonerated this past weekend by the jury. Even if you disagree with the verdict, the Defense should not be prevented from putting on their case do to subversion by the prosecutor's office. If the State has to violate someone's rights to convict them, you have to question their motives.
This has looked like a political prosecution decision from the time the Governor brought in Ms. Corey to handle the case. Her statements since the trial have done nothing to dispel that concern. To summarize: 1. Angela Corey's office withheld Brady material in a murder case, 2. One of her employees noticed the issue, and tried to go through channels to resolve it, 3. His complaints were ignored, and he felt legally obligated to disclose the information, 4. Angela Corey fired him, 5. The State lost the case, in spite of the subterfuge, 6. Now Corey's office is going to get sued for wrongful termination by a whistleblower, and cost her taxpayers thousands of dollars. Of course, it's not her money. It's one more questionable, expensive decision by this elected official.
I will have more thoughts on Zimmerman being exonerated, but wanted to get this out since it was breaking today.
Posted in Criminal Law, Florida, George Zimmerman
Tagged angela corey, ben kruibdos, bernie de la rionda, discovery, george zimmerman, murder, trayvon martin, trial, whistleblower
Thoughts Coming on Zimmerman Verdict
I'm on vacation this weekend, so I haven't had a chance to put my thoughts down on the verdict. I will say I am not surprised, nor should be anyone who has followed the coverage on this blog. I am surprised how many people have expressed their shock: the verdict was not surprising based on the facts and law. The Miami Herald has a good break down of why the defense was successful. This is a good starting point for the case analysis: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/07/13/v-fullstory/3499114/state-never-proved-its-case-legal.html
My review will follow soon, including why this is not a stand your ground issue.
Posted in 6th Amendment - Fair Trial, Criminal Law, Florida, Florida Cases, George Zimmerman, Stand Your Ground
Tagged george zimmerman, Jury, murder, sanford, self defense, trayvon martin, trial
The jury is out to begin deliberations on George Zimmerman.
Closing Arguments Likely This Afternoon in George Zimmerman Case
The Defense rested without Mr. Zimmerman taking the stand, which wasn't surprising in light of how strongly the evidence has favored Mr. Zimmerman. The Defense concluded their case by calling Zimmerman's father to the stand to add to the litany of witnesses that identified the screams for help as belonging to George Zimmerman. The State called a rebuttal witness yesterday, and may have another today. There are quite a bit of arguments that the court decided to hear in the morning, as opposed to having another marathon session like the one that lasted until nearly midnight Tuesday night. The court expects to have the jury back at 1 pm, hopefully to begin closing arguments close to that. Both sides have asked for 3 hours.
I suspect the judge may keep the jury late to try to conclude arguments in one day. She may even offer them the possibility of beginning their deliberations with dinner. Why not, they are sequestered and don't have anywhere else to go. The complicated issues that have been dealt with over the weeks of testimony may cause the deliberations to run into next week: but it could be a very quick verdict. I saw a manslaughter case argued several years ago here in For t Myers where a young man was killed. The jury came back very quickly with a not guilty verdict, surprising many watchers who thought the young man's death would warrant more substantial deliberation. However, the jury came to an agreement pretty quickly, and didn't hesitate to walk that defendant. The facts were completely dissimilar to the fact of George Zimmerman's case, but if the jury agrees, there could be a short deliberation.
Posted in Criminal Law, Florida, George Zimmerman, Stand Your Ground
Tagged closing arguments, george zimmerman, murder, sanford, trayvon martin, trial
Will George Zimmerman Testify? : UPDATE
All along I have anticipated that Zimmerman would take the stand. Defendants almost always need to take the stand in self-defense cases. As an affirmative defense, self-defense requires a defendant to prove that he had a reasonable fear that made his use of force appropriate. It's very hard to do if the Defendant doesn't take the stand. However, Zimmerman's defense has already been laid out for the jury.
Zimmerman's injuries
The jury has heard first hand, during the State's case-in-chief, no less, testimony from Zimmerman. They have heard him describe in detail how he was beaten, and seen ample physical evidence to support his story. They have heard his claim that Martin told him that Martin was going to kill him during the beating, and how he was afraid for his life. If the jury finds that reasonable: if they believe him, or believe enough of what he said to give them a reasonable doubt of his guilt, he should not be convicted. The jury heard his claim multiple times during the multiple interviews he gave to detectives, first at the station, then on video, walking them through the neighborhood where everything occurred. It is not necessary for him to testify to make the case to the jury.
There are risks in putting him on the stand. It will give prosecutors a chance to attack his credibility, to question his motives, and to challenge him for following Martin after he was basically told not to by the 911 operator. A skillful cross-examination could reduce his sympathy with the jury, and give the state another chance to develop their theory that he wanted a confrontation or to suggest malice in following Martin. While the jury may like to see the Defendant take the stand to protest his innocence, they will be instructed by the court not to take that into consideration. And as the Defense can point out, they have already heard Zimmerman's story during the multiple interviews he gave to police.
I have long anticipated that Zimmerman would take the stand. But with the risk being high, and the case going so well, I'm not so sure we'll see him on the stand. Frankly, if the Defense feels confident that they are in the driver's seat, they may not want to risk handing the keys over to the State in cross-examination. It's a tricky strategic decision the Defense will not take lightly. As the case draws near a conclusion, we will know their decision soon.
UPDATE: Zimmerman has decided not to take the stand. I think that's a reflection of how well the trial appears to be going for the defense. If he is found guilty, the decision will be horribly second guessed, but right now, that seems to be a smart decision based not only on how strong the defense case appears, but on limiting the risk of the case turning the other way during a long cross-examination. The Defense has now rested their case, and the State is beginning their rebuttal.
Tagged george zimmerman, murder, sanford, self defense, stand your ground, trayvon martin, trial
George Zimmerman's Defense Continues to Do Well
Posted on July 9, 2013 | 1 comment
The Defense had another strong day today, highlighted by the testimony of forensic pathologist Dr. Vincent DiMaio, an expert in the field, who literally wrote the book on gunshot wounds. His testimony said that his forensic review of the evidence was consistent with Zimmerman's story that Martin was on top of him, leaning forward, when he was shot. He also testified that Zimmerman's injuries are consistent with having his head driven into the pavement multiple times, and with getting punched in the nose. It is highly unlikely the state will convict Mr. Zimmerman, and I'm not the only one who thinks so. It is going well enough that Mr. Zimmerman may even choose not to testify, which would prevent difficult cross-examination questions similar to the interrogation of Investigator Serino, which was the most difficult part of the factual evidence so far for Zimmerman.
Also, the judge has ruled that she will allow the evidence of Martin's drug use into evidence. Apparently it was just marijuana, which does not typically increase aggressiveness, but the Defense can argue that it could have impaired Martin's judgement that night. More importantly for the case, it is damaging character evidence that Martin was not an entirely innocent kid. Sometimes such evidence will be excluded, due to the highly prejudicial impact relative to its low probative value, but there is some probative value, and the judge does not want to be reversed for denying a Defendant evidence that supports their case. It's significant that it was the Defendant's evidence, as there is more leeway generally given for evidence about someone other than the person on trial.
It occurs to me that there may have been a method to the State's madness in filing Murder Charges instead of homicide charges. I have been critical of that filing decision from the beginning, as I thought it would be tough to prove that the killing was not justified in response to the use of force. Now it seems more and more clear that the State cannot prove that Zimmerman did not fire in retaliation to Martin's force against him. Perhaps it makes more sense for them to try to to prove that Mr. Zimmerman hate ill will, hatred, or spite before the confrontation occurred: to back date the murder to Zimmerman's actions before Martin used for against him. That would explain why prosecutor Guy stated that Zimmerman "wanted" to kill Martin in opening statements. They cannot prove that Zimmerman wasn't defending himself, so they push for the theory that Zimmerman initiated the confrontation with ill will, and therefore shouldn't be entitled to claim that his force was justified.
It still seems like a reach, and I don't think the State will get there. They haven't even gone all-in on that theory, as they have fought the Defense claim that Zimmerman was getting beaten when he shot. In light of the witnesses who testified that Zimmerman was getting beat, coupled with the forensic evidence that makes it nearly certain, the State is wasting time and losing credibility pushing that theory. I still don't see them convincing a jury that Zimmerman stalked Martin with malice, much less that he wanted to kill him. It doesn't make sense: if Zimmerman wanted Martin dead, why would he wait until he got beat up? The Defense theory of the case is much more believable, and the state has its work cut out.
Tagged george zimmerman, murder, opening, sanford, self defense, stand your ground, trayvon martin, trial
Zimmerman Prosecution Rests, Defense Case Begins
The State rested, with the testimony of Trayvon Martin's mother highlighting the last day. The Defense has begun presenting their case, and the highlight of their day was the testimony of George Zimmerman's mother. Both mothers testified with absolute certainty that they recognized their own sons' voices. Only one of them can be correct, of course, but the certainty of each will probably prevent the jury from relying on either of them: unless some of the jurors really had a sympathetic connection with one of them. The state got to leave the first week of unfavorable witnesses far back in the jury's memory, and finished strongly with the emotional testimony. The Defense smartly led with their own emotional testimony, to blunt the impact of the State's and to try to leave the jury with a sympathetic final thought going into `the weekend.
The Defense moved for a judgment of acquittal after the State rested, which is a standard motion. The judge correctly ruled that there was sufficient evidence for the case to be submitted to a jury. No surprise: the burden for the case to be submitted to the jury is very low. The burden for them to convict is very high. It appears that the Defense didn't argue Stand Your Ground immunity, and is relying on traditional self-defense.
The medical examiner apparently hemmed and hawed some on the details of his testimony. It doesn't sound like his testimony will control the case. The pressure will be on the Defense moving forward to demonstrate that Zimmerman was justified in using deadly force.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/trayvon-martin/os-george-zimmerman-trial-state-rests-20130705,0,1610504.story
Tagged george zimmerman, joa, murder, self defense, stand your ground, trayvon martin, trial
Zimmerman Trial Update
The prosecution finally scored some points the last couple of days* with the testimony of police Investigator Chris Serino. He asked Zimmerman some more pointed questions in his lengthy interviews, and challenged Zimmerman on following Mr. Martin that night. However, the testimony was not all favorable for the State, and the Defense continued to score points. The detective admitted the physical evidence was consistent with Zimmerman's claim that Martin was on top of him when he shot. And the State continues to stress that Martin was not committing a crime that night, which is ultimately irrelevant to whether Zimmerman was justified in the force he used. At times it seemed like the prosecutor was challenging his own witnesses, which has frequently been the tenor of the State's case.
Zimmerman with Attorney Mark O'Mara
I want to mention how impressed I have been at how defense attorney Mark O'Mara has conducted the defense of this case. His demeanor with the witnesses must be endearing to the jury. His questions consistently ask for positive responses, so time and time again the State's witnesses agree with what he says, or at least he conveys that impression. It's a stark contrast to Mr. De La Rionda, who is very blustery, and has frequently seemed agitated with his own witnesses. Mr. O'Mara is putting on a trial clinic so far this case.
*Ironically, while the State as scored some points, and definitely had a couple of improved days of testimony this week, even this article was titled, "Prosecutor, Police Officer at Odds in Zimmerman Trial"
Tagged bernie de la rionda, george zimmerman, mark o'mara, murder, self defense, stand your ground, trayvon martin, trial


The Green Lantern is a popular and fun superhero. Your child can be part of the Justice League in this licensed Green Lantern costume for kids. It features a black and green jumpsuit that has the Green Lantern logo on the front. The costume also comes with green boot tops. Ring and lantern are not included.


Adam Soltani is executive director of CAIR-Oklahoma.
In February 2013, Oklahoma State Rep. John Bennett (R) announced the formation of the Oklahoma Legislative Caucus on Counterterrorism. The stated goal of this caucus is to help protect Oklahomans from the potential threat of terrorism. Now who could argue with that? Oklahoma experienced one of the worst acts of domestic terrorism on U.S. soil, and as a long-time Oklahoma resident, I want nothing more than to support all efforts to keep our state safe.
There exists a major problem, however, that all Oklahomans should be concerned about. The Counterterrorism Caucus has proven to be little more than an entity that spreads misinformation, fear, and hatred of Islam and Muslims throughout the state, in their supposed attempts to make Oklahoma safer.
CAIR-OK addresses new report on the extent of Islamophobia in Oklahoma and the U.S.
CAIR-OK's 1st Annual Solidarity and Peace Rally "moves beyond coexistence"


text:
<?php

namespace BaleenTest\Migrations\Storage;

use Baleen\Migrations\Exception\StorageException;
use Baleen\Migrations\Storage\AbstractStorage;
use Baleen\Migrations\Version;
use Baleen\Migrations\Version\Collection\Migrated;
use Baleen\Storage\FlyStorage;
use League\Flysystem\File;
use League\Flysystem\FilesystemInterface;
use Mockery as m;

/**
 * @author Gabriel Somoza <gabriel@strategery.io>
 */
class FlyStorageTest extends \PHPUnit_Framework_TestCase
{

    /**
     * @var array This must correspond to versions inside __DIR__ . '/../data/storage.txt'
     */
    private $versionIds = ['v1', 'v2', 'v3', 'v4', 'v5'];

    /** @var \League\Flysystem\File|m\Mock */
    private $handler;

    /** @var FilesystemInterface|m\Mock */
    private $filesystem;

    /**
     * tearDown
     */
    public function tearDown()
    {
        m::close();
        $this->handler = null;
        $this->filesystem = null;
        $this->instance = null;
    }

    /**
     * getInstance
     *
     * @param bool $hasPath
     * @param bool $isFile
     *
     * @return FlyStorage
     */
    public function getInstance($hasPath = true, $isFile = true) {
        $fileName = 'test.txt';
        $this->handler = m::mock(File::class);
        $this->handler->shouldReceive('isFile')->zeroOrMoreTimes()->andReturn($isFile);
        $this->handler->shouldReceive('getPath')->zeroOrMoreTimes()->andReturn($fileName);
        $this->handler->shouldReceive('getType')->zeroOrMoreTimes()->andReturn($isFile ? 'file' : 'dir');
        /** @var FileSystemInterface|m\Mock $filesystem */
        $filesystem = m::mock(FilesystemInterface::class);
        $filesystem->shouldReceive('has')->with($fileName)->once()->andReturn($hasPath);
        if (!$hasPath) {
            $filesystem->shouldReceive('write')->once()->with($fileName, '')->andReturn(true);
        }
        $filesystem->shouldReceive('get')->with($fileName)->zeroOrMoreTimes()->andReturn($this->handler);
        $this->filesystem = $filesystem;
        return new FlyStorage($filesystem, $fileName);
    }

    /**
     * testConstructor
     * @param $hasPath
     * @param $isFile
     * @dataProvider constructorProvider
     */
    public function testConstructor($hasPath, $isFile) {
        if (!$isFile) {
            $this->setExpectedException(StorageException::class);
        }
        $instance = $this->getInstance($hasPath, $isFile);
        $this->assertInstanceOf(AbstractStorage::class, $instance);
        $this->filesystem->shouldHaveReceived('has')->with(m::type('string'))->once();
    }

    public function constructorProvider() {
        $trueFalse = [true, false];
        return $this->combinations([$trueFalse, $trueFalse]);
    }

    /**
     * @param string $contents
     * @param $expectedIds
     *
     * @dataProvider fetchAllProvider
     */
    public function testDoFetchAll($contents, $expectedIds)
    {
        $instance = $this->getInstance();
        $this->handler->shouldReceive('read')->once()->andReturn((string) $contents);

        $method = new \ReflectionMethod($instance, 'doFetchAll');
        $method->setAccessible(true);
        $result = $method->invoke($instance);
        $this->assertInstanceOf(Migrated::class, $result);

        /** @var Migrated $result */
        $resultIds = array_map(function(Version $v) {
            return $v->getId();
        }, $result->toArray());
        foreach ($expectedIds as $id) {
            $this->assertContains($id, $resultIds);
        }
    }

    /**
     * fetchAllProvider
     * @return array
     */
    public function fetchAllProvider()
    {
        return [
            ['', []],
            ['single-line', ['single-line']],
            [implode("\n", $this->versionIds), $this->versionIds],
        ];
    }

    /**
     * @param Migrated $versions
     *
     * @param $expected
     * @param $result
     *
     * @throws StorageException
     * @dataProvider writeMigratedVersionsProvider
     */
    public function testWriteMigratedVersions($versions, $expected, $result)
    {
        $versions = new Migrated($versions);
        $instance = $this->getInstance();
        $this->handler->shouldReceive('put')->once()->with($expected)->andReturn($result);
        if ($result === false) {
            $this->setExpectedException(StorageException::class);
        }
        $instance->saveCollection($versions);
    }

    /**
     * writeMigratedVersionsProvider
     * @return array
     */
    public function writeMigratedVersionsProvider()
    {
        $versions = [];
        foreach ($this->versionIds as $id) {
            $version = new Version($id);
            $version->setMigrated(true);
            $versions[$id] = $version;
        }
        /** @var Version $firstVersion */
        $firstVersion = reset($versions);

        $expected = implode( "\n", $this->versionIds );

        return [
            [[$firstVersion], $firstVersion->getId(), true],
            [$versions, $expected, true],
            [$versions, $expected, false],
        ];
    }

    /**
     * Test 'save' and 'remove'
     *
     * @param $method
     * @param Version $version
     *
     * @dataProvider saveRemoveProvider
     */
    public function testSaveRemove($method, Version $version)
    {
        $instance = $this->getInstance();
        $this->handler->shouldReceive('read')->once()->andReturn(implode("\n", $this->versionIds));
        $expected = $this->versionIds;
        $pos = array_search($version->getId(), $expected);

        $willWrite = false;
        if ($method == 'save' && $pos === false) {
            array_push($expected, $version->getId());
            $willWrite = true;
        } elseif ($method == 'delete' && $pos !== false) {
            unset($expected[$pos]);
            $willWrite = true;
        }
        if ($willWrite) {
            $this->handler->shouldReceive('put')->once()->with(implode("\n", $expected))->andReturn(true);
        }

        $result = $instance->$method($version);
        $this->assertSame(
            $willWrite,
            $result,
            'Expected result to be the same as the result of the internal "saveCollection" call.'
        );
    }

    /**
     * saveRemoveProvider
     * @return array
     */
    public function saveRemoveProvider()
    {
        $methods = ['save', 'delete'];
        $versions = Version::fromArray([
            'v1', // first
            'v3', // middle
            'v5', // last
            'v6', // doesn't exist
        ]);
        foreach ($versions as $v) {
            $v->setMigrated(true);
        }
        return $this->combinations([$methods, $versions]);
    }

    /**
     * @param $arrays
     * @param int $i
     * @return array
     */
    public function combinations($arrays, $i = 0) {
        if (!isset($arrays[$i])) {
            return array();
        }
        if ($i == count($arrays) - 1) {
            return $arrays[$i];
        }

        // get combinations from subsequent arrays
        $tmp = $this->combinations($arrays, $i + 1);

        $result = array();

        // concat each array from tmp with each element from $arrays[$i]
        foreach ($arrays[$i] as $v) {
            foreach ($tmp as $t) {
                $result[] = is_array($t) ?
                    array_merge(array($v), $t) :
                    array($v, $t);
            }
        }

        return $result;
    }
}


What is the astrometric accuracy of ALMA?
SNR=The signal to noise at the source peak.
For example, at Band 7 (350 GHz), for the 1-km BSL configuration (C40-5), and for SNR = 40, the theoretical astrometric accuracy is 4.2 mas.
However, for a reasonably bright and compact source, the astrometric accuracy is often limited by the size and nature of the phase variations with time and over the array, rather than that from the SNR limit and array resolution. An estimate to the best positional accuracy of an ALMA observation with normal calibrations are: 1) from the SNR estimate given above; 2) 5% of the resolution; 3) or a limit of 3 mas, whichever is the largest. This limit is frequency independent.


text:
Book Review: "The Game of Diplomacy" by Richard Sharp – Chapter 10: France
France's obvious advantages are better exploited in face-to-face play, where I suspect France probably wins more games than anyone else.
In Chapter 10, Richard discusses his thoughts on playing the Great Power of France. Richard describes France as a powerful and forgiving Great Power and that it is the best of the Great Powers for new players. Few players in any club that I have been involved with (both online or in person) would disagree. Among experienced players, France may not actually be more powerful, but it certainly is one of the easiest to succeed with. For more discussion about playing France check out the Wise Old Weasel.
I can best summarize France's opening strategy by use of a local expression: embarras de richesse.
On the topic of openings, Richard says "I reckon France has the biggest field of choice of any country; certainly no French opening is overwhelmingly popular, and there are few virtual duplicates…". This flexibility is part of what makes France such a great starting country for new players.
The most common French opening among both the Weasels and Richard's 1970's postal club is the Maginot Opening where France supports Paris to Burgundy. Richard doesn't appear to love this opening as he prefers the German alliance to the English and feels the move to Burgundy makes that more difficult. He likes another common Weasel opening, the Picardy Opening where France moves Paris to Picardy, even less. Of the Mid-Atlantic openings, his preference is the Burgundy Opening where Paris moves to Burgundy but does not support himself in. I believe his club's local meta influences his preferences and weirdly, it seems to be Russia that causes the biggest change compared with the current Weasel meta. It goes something like this:
France should arrange a bounce with Germany in Burgundy. If Germany bounces, It's good for Germany because he stays in Munich and can help protect his best friend Austria from the stabby Italian. See the German and Austrian chapters for more about this theory. If Germany doesn't bounce, France is in Burgundy and you didn't upset the German because you gave them a heads up.
Russia might open North and can bounce England out of Norway. If this happens *and* neither France or Germany can stop England from taking Belgium, England will be more likely to take the easy build and from that position, it's easier for England to work against Germany than against France.
That is a *lot* of ifs, and in the current Weasel meta, it is extremely unlikely that all of that happens.
Richard also likes the Gascony Opening as an anti-English opening. I've played this opening a few times and don't hate it, but in our club's meta I feel like it's showing your hand a bit. In my experience the only thing that Gascony opening does better than other choices is an English attack and I think our players are experienced enough to recognize this. Speaking of English attacks, Richard does not prefer the English Channel openings for France unless there is a Sealion (I'm not sure this vocabulary existed in Richard's era).
France's position on the Diplomacy board gives him unusual freedom of choice in the matter of alliances.
Richard shows a strong preference for allying with Germany over England (it's sort of a similar argument to "kill Turkey first") but rightly points out that the alliance with England often works in France's favor, particularly if England gets entangled in the north with Russia and Germany.
With the other Great Powers, it really feels like Richard prefers players to commit to bold choices. It's interesting that with France he praises the Power's flexibility and encourages a "wait and see" attitude. The reality is that France really is unique in that it can work with either of its neighbors and doesn't need to make the first move.
I agree with Richard that France prefers Russian success. In the Weasel meta, Russian and French success is strongly correlated.
In my experience France doesn't want to attack Italy early, but it's almost inevitable they will fight. Richard offers sage advice when he says "…relations with Italy are delicate: you want him to do badly but survive, always a difficult thing to arrange." You can work together with either Austria or Turkey against Italy but if you aren't careful they can bottle you up.
The ability to play non-noncommittally in the opening without incurring any disadvantage in doing so is a great asset...
While I may differ when it comes down to specific preferred openings, on the whole I tend to agree with Richard's assessment about France. It's greatest power is its flexibility, followed closely by it's fantastic defensive position. Club veteran Jake Trotta once said "If France does not die, they have a good chance to win. If France does not die and plays a mediocre game, they have a great chance to win." I do not believe France is any more powerful than any other of the Great Powers, but it's definitely easier to win with.
Chris Kelly 28 Jun 2020 Log in to Reply
There seems to be a rare logic gap in Sharp's analysis here. In this chapter, he writes: " It is of little benefit to Germany to sneak into Burgundy in this way, as he merely creates tension on the border without giving himself a very good chance of a successful attack on a French centre."
But here's what he says in the chapter for Germany: "In Burgundy, the southern German army can do everything it could do in Ruhr, and more; it threatens Paris and Marseilles while not relinquishing its influence on Belgium. In combination with an English move to the Channel it constitutes a devastating attack on France…"
I'm more inclined to agree with the latter analysis. And particularly since Sharp is downright nonchalant about letting England take the Channel, you'd think he would be less half-hearted about the need to cover Burgundy. (If that combination of moves is "devastating," you'd better make sure to block at least one of them!).
Average Scores
Okay, one more set of metrics to throw at you, and then I'm done. Maybe. This table shows the average final score for each power
2012 Dues-Paying Weasels
Special thanks to these paid-up members for supporting the Weasels in 2012! Aash Anand# Alex Amann Andy Bartalone Ben DiPaola Carlos Otero Chris Martin
There was an Undercard game yesterday. We bill the Undercard as an opportunity to steal a march on the sharks occupied in the Royale. This


Mopar factory Satin Black Jeep tailgate badge from the SRT8 Night Edition.
Order for a 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited, it's a perfect fit and easy to installed plus the price is not bad it arrived in a few days. Everyone loves the blacked out decals.


text:
Q: Combine two hard disks in lubuntu 13.10 I have two HDDs and want to combine them to one, one had Debian installed that is 51gb, and other one is ntfs with 30gb space. I want to combine the 20gb from debian HDD and want to to add to my 30 GB.

A: It technically is not combining the two hard drives but you could mount the two drives at various points in your directory tree, giving you easy access to the space on the two drives.
You can learn a bit about the general philosophy of the hierarchal file system used in all Unix and Linux systems, including Ubuntu here.
Without knowing more about your current setup and usage pattern, it is hard to give very specific advise. A common usage is to have a separate drive for your home directory (make sure you copy your current home directory contents to the new location before finalizing the result.
By editing the /etc/fstab file you can make the new setup mount automatically on startup.

A: Search for creating logical volume by lvm in Terminal (Google it ) , which allow you to create
physical volumes (you can extend these volumes ) ,after create volume group , then you create
a logical volume so the Storage will be the sum of the 2 volumes like raid 0 .

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


NATO was "born� on 4 April 1949, ostensibly formed to stem a feared invasion of Western Europe. The Treaty that binds the countries belonging to NATO cautiously avoids reference both to the identification of an enemy and to any concrete measures of common defense, according to Wikipedia. Thus, when I was asked to pen an opinion piece regarding NATO, I facetiously asked myself: "Is there still a NATO?� For the past few years, NATO has generally been able to remain out of mainstream headlines.
Thus, as a prerequisite for writing anything about NATO, I thought I would investigate as to what NATO has been up to these days. First, the organization boasts 26 members: Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France (whom I thought dropped out years ago; it has remained solely a member of NATO's political structure), Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, United Kingdom, and the United States. It is interesting to note how many ex-Warsaw Pact nations have joined NATO since the recession of the Soviet Union from Europe and its eventual transformation into the Russian Federation.
A review of NATO's military involvements include enforcing the UN no-fly zone over central Bosnia and Herzegovina (1994), its first broad-scale military engagement in the Kosovo War (1999) and helped established the KFOR, a NATO-led force under a United Nations mandate in Kosovo. After 9/11, NATO agreed to take command of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, the first time in NATO's history that it took charge of a mission outside the north Atlantic area.
Regarding the picture above, blue-colored countries are NATO member states, green-colored countries participate in Partnership for Peace, and red-colored countries participate in Mediterranean Dialogue.
The Partnership for Peace (PfP) program was established in 1994 and is based on individual bilateral relations between each partner country and NATO: each country may choose the extent of its participation. The PfP programme is considered the operational wing of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership.
The Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council on the other hand was first established on 29 May 1997, and is a forum for regular co-ordination, consultation and dialogue between all 46 participants.
The 20 partners in the PfP include twelve former Soviet republics (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan), five militarily neutral countries (Austria, Finland, Ireland, Sweden, and Switzerland), and three nations that were formerly Communist (Croatia, Republic of Macedonia, and Albania).
The Mediterranean Dialogue is a forum of cooperation between NATO and seven countries of the Mediterranean: Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Marutitania, Morocco, and Tunisia.
In 1997, NATO and the Russian Federation made a reciprocal commitment "to work together to build a stable, secure, and undivided continent on the basis of partnership and common interest.� This commitment was strengthened with the establishmen of the NATO-Russia Council, whose purpose is to identify and pursue opportunities for joint action.
In April 2005, Australia signed a security agreement with NATO on enhancing intelligence cooperation in the fight against terrorism. Japan, South Korea, and New Zealand also have some various cooperative agreements with NATO.
Potential members being considered as members of or partners with NATO are Israel, Japan, Australia, India, and Colombia.
This first post is written as a background piece for future discussion. While Ryan Ruck has kind of stolen a bit of my thunder in his 17 June post, I hope to continue to expand the news on NATO's activities with a bit of some analysis (open to vigorous but not inflammatory discussion) Also, it is hoped that some cross-ties can be made, especially in those other areas under discussion that are clearly slanted towards the belief that the Russian Federation is transforming into an active military adversary and not-so-future threat.
I hadn't known previously about the organizations such as the Partnership for Peace, Mediterranean Dialogue, and Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council.
Perhaps it is because they, as far as I can recall, have not played a role in any major world events under those specific auspices. Or, perhaps it is because they are newer organizations?
NATO was "born" on 4 April 1949, ostensibly formed to stem a feared invasion of Western Europe.
Wikipedia is incorrect, NATO came into existence on 24 August 1949.
The Treaty that binds the countries belonging to NATO cautiously avoids reference both to the identification of an enemy and to any concrete measures of common defense, according to Wikipedia.
Thirdly, the Wiki article is incorrect here as well.
The above directly relates to current events and is the specific rationale of why NATO forces are engaged in combat in Afghanistan against a non-state global Islamic insurgency, and why NATO will - at some point in the near future - engage in armed combat with the state-sponsors of global Islamic insurgency.
In my opinion, any discussion about NATO needs to begin with its basic raison d'etre text charter ... that would be prerequisite step one, with history and current affairs as follow-on necessities.
The Northeast Intelligence Network is now listed on the Official NATO STARnet DTIN (NATO Defense Against Terrorism Information Node) webpage. The NATO node is designed to be a single point of access for information pertaining to defense against terrorism interests of NATO elements, NATO member countries, and partner countries. All agencies and organizations are listed in alphabetical order.
The Northeast Intelligence Network is honored to be listed with such intelligence organizations such as the CIA, NSA and a host of government and industry giants. It is a tremendous acknowledgment of which we are very proud.
Last edited by Sean Osborne; July 11th, 2006 at 11:24.


text:
AI engineer builds and marries his robot wife
YI SHU NG Apr 4, 2017
A 31-year-old AI engineer has married one of his robot creations.
Zheng Jiajia, who used to work for Chinese telecoms giant Huawei, held an informal wedding ceremony for himself and his robot wife in Hangzhou, local papers report.
The robot, named Yingying, is able to speak in simple sentences in response to audio prompts, and visually recognise Chinese characters and images.
At Huawei, where Zheng worked for three years, he founded a unit specialising in AI and robotics.
Zheng now runs a startup called Brain of Things (物本脑科技) in Hangzhou's incubator village, Dream Town, where he's given Yingying a job as the company spokesperson.
Zheng told the local TV station that he has plans to upgrade Yingying to give her the ability to walk and do some household chores.
Their wedding ceremony was attended by his mother and friends. The bride's head was covered in with a red veil, in traditional custom.
It's highly possible that this has been an elaborate publicity stunt to promote his company's AI and neural network technologies.
Still, Zheng seemed fairly sincere in his interview with Pear Video, saying: "My dream of making my own spouse finally came true. I want to see robots in every home, and ultimately I want to build a realistic robot girlfriend."
Some experts have predicted that marriage between humans and robots will become legal by 2050, driven by public demand.
Looking to cut cable? How much streaming services with live TV cost in 2020.
A facial recognition company dug up billions of photos from Facebook and beyond
I tried a $7,600 desk that lets you get horizontal at work
©2005-2020 Mashable, Inc.


Inside design is without doubt one of the most essential methods utilized by many owners to adorn their houses. It's a complicated course of and involves many steps. The primary is planning of all the interior space angles by an expert. It's all the time higher that one takes help from the most effective designers in the business. Owners have an incredible penchant to do some beautify design for the house.
Interior redesign can be a course of, which is sort of just like inside ornament. However, it increases the worth of the home in order that owners can benefit from it. Not like interior ornament it isn't focused on making the home extra engaging for prospective patrons. House staging alternatively contains rising the worth of the home by adding showcases in order that buyers genuinely turn out to be all for it. This course of also includes use of additional furniture and alter of the wall colors together with lights.
Such course of also consists of taking the wants of the shopper into consideration so that he is fully happy with the look of the house. It involves exploring his varied concepts, which are combined with the creativity of the designer to produce a visually appealing decor of the home. Inside design involves changing every side of the home together with its bedroom colour scheme, curtains and the furniture of the home. Even the placement of power retailers can be changed in such a plan.
Interior embellish design process includes making heavy adjustments to the home. It's performed so that householders are able to refresh their very own environment. They wish to make their house a better to live, so go for this process. Such adjustments are necessary as per the approach to life needs of the homeowners. They're executed so that the house is able to undertake higher to the lifestyle of a person. Modifications in flooring, home windows and lighting are additionally made as part of such inside ornament plans.
The inside ornament is a vast matter and owners have to decide on all the mandatory substances with caution. Anything goes mistaken and your complete home seems like a multitude. Subsequently, it has to handle features the liberty of motion in the house after the ornament plan has been carried out. In addition, the room's view must be stunning after the introduction of plan. The complete decoration of the room needs to be balanced so that too many ornament items should not positioned in one nook. A home-owner additionally has to focus on all the facets if he wants to hire the house.
) published at 2018-09-04 08:39:48.


The standardardized testing program for schools within the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland is designed to serve and assist teachers and administrators in the systematic evaluation of the curriculum and planning of designed instruction. Use of data from these and all assessments helps teachers see students' strengths and weaknesses, and discrepancies between students' abilities and their performance and achievement.
NWEA's Measures of Academic Progress or MAP Tests have replaced the IOWA Test of Basic Skills. MAP is a computer adaptive test that is given given three times a year in the areas of Math, Reading and Language Usage. Students in grades 2-8 take MAP, and students in kindergarten and first grade take MAP for Primary Grades, which provides audio support to help students demonstrate their knowledge. These tests measure student growth and assess student's mastery of skills. This guides teachers' planning and helps them differentiate instruction.


text:
What The Tom's Team Played This Weekend: PC Building Simulator
By Chris Angelini published 2 April 18
Twenty years ago, gaming is what got me excited about PC hardware. Hacking up the Celeron 300A was a means to an end; I wanted Quake II to run better, of course! But these days, it's rare that I can carve out two or three hours to progress through new content. Don't get me wrong—I still love gaming. But I typically only play far enough through them to decide if they belong in our GPU benchmark suite. For those that make the cut, I end up watching the same test sequence 30 or 40 times per graphics-card review.
It seems odd, then, that I'd spend a weekend playing something called PC Building Simulator. After all, building PCs is already part of my job. And if I really want to build something, the lab is full of loose components.
But in a world where even Tom's Hardware editors have a hard time sourcing graphics cards to test, it only made sense to ride out the ongoing shortage with a game that doesn't ask much of my aging Core i7-3770K-based workstation and still thinks that GeForce GTX 1050 Ti cards cost $150. Besides, my wife is busy managing a farm on her phone and my son is running some kind of baby dragon mill. A PC-building simulator isn't the most far-fetched work-like game being played around here. So, let's give it a shot…
Well, this isn't good. I paid $20 on Steam to build PCs without wearing an anti-static wrist strap or having to battle pre-production firmware, not to turn around a failing business. However, Career mode (one of three ways to play PC Building Simulator) starts you off with an empty bank account, impending bills, and a fairly dissatisfied clientele. The electric company even nags you to turn the lights out when you leave for the day. Ugh, thanks Uncle Tim! Fortunately, your first customer lobs over a softball: remove viruses for $100.
From there, the game does a good job of introducing you to its controls. A PC is picked up from your lobby, brought back to the workbench, plugged in, and booted up. Sometimes your only job is to install software from a USB thumb drive and run 3DMark. Other requests involve swapping motherboards, upgrading storage, or replacing damaged CPUs.
The first round of customers all seem to know what they need. Later tasks, however, require troubleshooting. That means you can't order parts until you've had a chance to open the PC up and determine its issue. To start, obvious clues like "No CPU Found" during POST narrow the focus considerably. Then, as you progress through work orders, the hints become increasingly vague, forcing you to pick and choose the parts to swap based on educated guesses. Leveling up gives you access to new hardware in the store, second and third workbenches, and time-saving tools.
PC Building Simulator even tests your morality. At first, every customer received new hardware from the online store. I quickly tired of paying $30 for next-day shipping, though, and discovered I could use a previous customer's old hardware for finishing a new task, rather than waiting three to five days for standard freight. As shady as that sounds, some folks go further, claiming they're able to under-deliver on upgrades and still collect payment for completed jobs. It'd be great to see a future build of the simulator incorporate checks for this behavior. Customers could check the S.M.A.R.T. data on their hard drives, for example, to determine if you dropped in a used one.
At a certain point, you will want to step away from PC Building Simulator. This isn't a game you're going to binge on. Music in the Early Access build is limited to a handful of tracks, and there's no way pipe in your own jams. Beyond that, certain repairs are simply more arduous than others, just like in real life. Dead motherboard requiring the replacement of all nine stand-offs? Sure, I'll hold the mouse down over each one, and then do it again to screw them back in…but I'm not going to like it.
Still, I inevitably found myself coming back to PC Building Simulator several times over the weekend, if only to knock out a few more orders before getting sick of abbreviated 3DMark runs or the same couple of songs.
The Free Build mode doesn't have much replay value, and I'm not sure I'd trust the How To Build A PC mode as a training tool (clicking parts on a computer screen just isn't the same). But Career mode is legitimately fun in brief sessions. Each component is modeled in excellent detail, and a simple user interface makes it easy to zip around the shop.
We'd love to see Claudiu Kiss incorporate an option for importing music. Currently, the developer's public roadmap suggests an expanded soundtrack will be added before exiting Early Access, but I'd like to create my own playlist. It also looks like more career content is planned, along with support for water cooling, modding, overclocking, and cable management. All of those would go a long way in making the simulated build process more realistic.
A lot of enthusiasts are chomping at the bit for a chance to upgrade real gaming PCs. But graphics cards and high-end power supplies are still marked way up. A game like this may keep those folks distracted just long enough for prices to slide down a bit.
Fun fact: Seth Colaner and I both contributed to the issue of Computer Power User magazine hanging in the virtual workshop.
Chris Angelini
Chris Angelini is an Editor Emeritus at Tom's Hardware US. He edits hardware reviews and covers high-profile CPU and GPU launches.
See all comments (10)
10 Comments Comment from the forums
Loadedaxe
lol. This is a thing?
MCMunroe
I co-teach a Student Tech Team at a High School and we are looking at getting a copy to let kids mock build PCs and get a taste of using tech skills and trouble shooting.
10tacle
"Twenty years ago, gaming is what got me excited about PC hardware. Hacking up the Celeron 300A was a means to an end; I wanted Quake II to run better"
LOL Chris I could have written that line myself. EXACTLY. My first build in 1998 was the Celery 300 overclocked to ~400MHz running a Riva TNT GPU pushing a Dell 17" Trinitron 1280x1024 CRT. I don't remember the memory but the HDD was a whopping 4.3GB, which I still have, and yes it still works (Western Digital made in Malaysia). All for Quake II and Half Life 1. I never looked back since.
20849844 said:
Uhm, yeah. It may sound silly but as stated above, there is a use for this to introduce people/students into the world of building a PC. Just like flight simulators for aspiring pilots. I might get this myself and I've been building PCs for 20 years.
XboxCarsForza
I was able to swap a gigabyte 1050ti 4GB for an r9 380 2GB. Was counted as an upgrade.
James Mason
If farm simulators and truck simulators can get yearly releases, this isn't really too far fetched
I don't have Farm Simulator but I do have ETS2 and ATS. It's a sleeper in addiction. Especially with all the cool freeware add-ons available to trick your truck out, add cool AI vehicles to traffic, weather, gas station mods, etc. When I'm not in the mood to sim race and just want to chill, I just kick back in a truck and enjoy the countryside on my way to a delivery.
John Pombrio
This sounds like my old job at HP with Test and measurement gear. The game developers would need to pay me to play the game.
jimthenagual
If they incorporate custom liquid loops, I'm in. I would love to do a virtual build and seeing how it all fits and looks ahead of time!
justin.m.beauvais
My first thought was that I need this in VR.
I think I might have a problem...
bananatiger
This is great for people that wants to build and test some PC parts but doesn't have the money to buy them in real life. Just wish that there is benchmark option and that the results are all similar to their real world counter-part. Planning to play this game.
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I don't know if there are words to describe how insanely happy I am that it's Friday night. How happy I am that the week has finally ended, that I got to take a yoga class tonight and that I have zero plans this weekend other than doing whatever it is that I feel like doing. It's pretty amazing. Candles lit, John Coltrane radio on Pandora (yes, I'm a nerd…at least it's not Frank Sinatra radio…love that too!), red wine open and homemade pizza in my belly. Yes, yes, yes…relaxation at last!
I wandered into the grocery after yoga with no dinner plans. That of course led to Friday pizza night. I was just chatting with my mom and told her that I think I've had pizza four out of the last six Friday nights. Zero complaints about that. Pizza will eternally be the best Friday night dinner. I picked up whole wheat pizza dough and a variety of toppings at the store – sundried tomatoes and asparagus from the antipasto bar, mushrooms and artichokes along with some leftover tofu.
I rolled out the dough, brushed it with olive oil and pre-baked it for about 7 minutes at 450 on a preheated pizza stone before adding the toppings. I sprinkled feta and a mozz/provolone mix on top of everything listed above along with some oregano and a Tuscany spice blend. Finished it off in the oven for another 10-12 minutes on 425.
Served with a salad. Plenty of leftover to enjoy later.
I took 15 minutes at lunch to pop in for a polish change (a needed mental break) and I'm pretty obsessed with the color I chose. It's from the OPI Bond collection and named, "The World Is Not Enough." It's a great metallic shimmery bronze. Pretty, sparkly nails are a definite pick me up…especially when it costs all of $5 to get a polish change and it looks one million times better than had I done it on my own.
I had the last of the leftover chili for lunch with avocado, cheddar, plain Greek yogurt, hot sauce and crushed tortilla chips.
Now I am going to completely switch gears. I didn't get much of a chance to update the blog this week but I must share an amazing dinner that I had on Wednesday night. I finally got to try 5 Church which is a trendy new restaurant in Uptown Charlotte. Apparently it was one of the hot spots during the DNC and I saw on Twitter that two stars of Homeland were there the night that we were.
The occasion was my friend Maddie's going away celebration dinner. You'll recognize that this is the group of girls (and yoga friends) that I went to Asheville with. Well, Maddie is leaving us for a great new job and opportunity in Chicago. I am so sad that she is leaving but so excited to visit her.
The design of 5 Church was so incredible. The lighting, art, furniture…everything was beautiful! This is what you saw walking into the restrooms.
I ordered the "Smoked Then Roasted Salmon." It was served over polenta with fennel and beets. The best thing about the dish was the sear on the salmon that still gave way to a perfectly cooked interior. All of the flavors were warm and and complemented each other well. It just seemed like the right thing to be eating on a fall evening with friends.
Now it's time to enjoy the rest of my Friday night. I'm thinking tracking down dessert along with some TV is in order.
What was the best thing about your Friday night…or the best sweet treat you had all week?
I did the Hero WOD, "Glen", this evening….the best thing about my Friday was finishing it! or was it starting it? 😉 That pizza looks so GOOD!!!
i haven't done glen yet. i just looked it up online and it looks SO intense! congrats!
How can you go wrong with the words 'trifle'and 's'mores' in the same title!? That sounds amazing, as does your pizza. Totally agree with you, it is THE Friday night food!
you can't! still drooling over the picture now. it was so good!
Hi Jen our evenings sound similar. I opened a bottle of red lit some candles and now I'm relaxing on the couch. I love Fridays. Have a wonderful weekend. I don't have anything on the agenda either and it feels so nice.
our evenings were very similar! i hope that you enjoyed your weekend.
I had homemade almond fig ice-cream at a place here in Tuscaloosa (Chucks)… so delicious 🙂 Happy weekend!
oh my, that sounds delicious. i love fig!
I LOVE 5 Church and I'm kinda sad that they opened after we moved from literally just across the street. I had their s'more trifle last Thursday and it was amazing. Plus they have one of the best Pinot Noirs on their menu that I've ever had. Glad you liked it too!
which pinot is it? i am usually not a fan of pinots so love recommendations on them.
i am loving all of the fall produce at the market. hope you picked up some good stuff!
i had never done it before but it was great because i just put a little of this and that into one of the cups so i didn't have to buy big quantities. worked perfectly.
I think my best sweet treat of the week will come tomorrow. I am making Slutty Brownies!
um, details? that sounds fascinating!
I love wandering around the supermarket with no particular plan in mind and just letting my creative juices flow! Your pizza turned out beautifully.
The highlight of my Friday night was finally emerging from the homework cave and meeting a friend for dinner. It was the first time I'd ever tried Cajun/Creole food…Yum!
that dessert sounds soooo good! and i love cajun food!
happy hour – which, these days, is a few drinks at home and an early bed time. and pizza, of course!
haha – happy hour kills me too. i am done early!
Thanks for showing your nails! I love the polish and just ordered some…it's the little things!
yum! i love seafood pasta…and focaccia!
i totally agree. hope you had a great weekend!
Where do you get your $5 polish changes? I live in Charlotte and paid $10 at Polished the other day! Let me know…thanks!


Olympia's Miss Moffett's Mystical Cupcakes and Elle's Floral Design have partnered to open Thurston County's first cupcake/floral shop. The store is located at Market Square (Fred Meyer Complex), 730 Sleater Kinney Rd SE Suite E, Lacey.
The new shop, directly across from the Lacey Fred Meyer gas station, offers not only a full menu of delectable cupcakes and custom order cakes and pies, but also fresh floral arrangements and cut flowers, plants, plush animals, balloons, plus provides local delivery in Thurston county.
With plenty of in-house seating in a warm and inviting atmosphere, Mystical Cupcakes and Elle's Floral Design will also focus on bridal events and wedding planning to create an easy and convenient place for the bride and groom to finalize all the details for their big day.
Lacey native Michelle LaPraim, owner of Elle's Floral Design, is excited that her dream of owning her own floral shop has come to fruition.
Elle's Floral Design specializes in weddings, memorials, special events and everyday design and offers national delivery service through FTD and Teleflora.
Rachel Young, owner of Miss Moffett's Mystical Cupcakes, is no stranger to opening new cupcake shops. This is her third location for her gourmet artisan cupcakes.
Miss Moffett's Mystical Cupcakes was established three years ago by Young in her kitchen as she experimented with and developed her own unique recipes. Joined by her mother, Victoria Cunningham, the two appeared on Food Network's Cupcake Wars in October 2013, which re-aired in April 2014. The episode, "L.A. Bridal Bash," can be viewed from the link on the shop's Web site: www.mysticalcupcakes.com or on Netflix.
A grand opening and ribbon cutting will be held at the Lacey location September 3 at 4:00 p.m. More details will be announced via their Web sites: www.mysticalcupcakes.com or www.ellesfloraldesign.com and also on their Facebook pages: www.facebook.com/mysticalcupcakes or www.facebook.com/pages/Elles-Floral-Design.
For more information, contact Young at info@mysticalcupcakes.com, LaPraim at ellesfloraldesign@gmail.com, both in person at the shop, 730 Sleater Kinney Rd SE Suite E, Lacey, or by phone at 360.489.0407.