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Offseason Outlook: Boston Red Sox
By Mark Polishuk | November 12, 2013 at 2:52am CDT
After a last place finish in 2012, a heralded offseason helped bring the Red Sox a World Series title in 2013. What can the Sox and GM Ben Cherington do for an encore this winter?
Guaranteed Contracts
Dustin Pedroia, 2B: $109MM through 2021
Shane Victorino, OF: $26MM through 2015
Clay Buchholz, SP: $19.945MM through 2015
John Lackey, SP: $15.25MM through 2014
David Ortiz, DH: $15MM through 2014
Jake Peavy, SP: $14.5MM through 2014
Ryan Dempster, SP: $13.25MM through 2014
Jon Lester, SP: $13MM through 2014
Jonny Gomes, OF: $5MM through 2014
Koji Uehara, RP: $4.25MM through 2014
Craig Breslow, RP: $3.925MM through 2014
David Ross, C: $3.1MM through 2014
Arbitration Eligible Players (service time in parentheses)
Andrew Bailey, RP (5.000): $4.3MM projected salary (non-tender candidate)
Andrew Miller, RP (5.062): $1.9MM
Franklin Morales, RP (5.007): $1.8MM
Mike Carp, LF (3.010): $1.3MM
Junichi Tazawa, RP (3.086): $1.1MM
Stephen Drew, Jacoby Ellsbury, Joel Hanrahan, John McDonald, Mike Napoli, Jarrod Saltalamacchia
Other Payroll Obligations
$3.9MM to Los Angeles Dodgers, as part of nine-player trade in August 2012
A winning strategy always draws imitators, and there's no doubt many clubs took note of how the Red Sox returned to prominence after eschewing big-ticket moves in favor of less-expensive and more measured free agent signings in the 2012-13 offseason. Adding the right mid-tier free agents can definitely help turn a 69-game winner into a World Series champion in one offseason — just as long as you have the likes of David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia, Jon Lester, Jacoby Ellsbury, John Lackey and Clay Buchholz already on your roster and they all make big rebounds from down seasons. While the free agents, improved team chemistry, and addition of John Farrell as manager unquestionably helped, Boston's worst-to-first title run isn't as much a case of a bad team suddenly becoming great as it was a good team getting back on track after a Murphy's Law season in 2012.
The strength of the Sox core is illustrated in their list of guaranteed contracts and the four arbitration-eligible players likely to be tendered contracts. Those 16 players account for just under $128MM in payroll and only three are guaranteed money beyond next season. This gives the Red Sox tons of flexibility in filling their few holes, whether it's re-signing some key players, taking on a big salary in a trade or making more forays into free agency. While their core is strong, the Sox aren't afraid to shake things up in order to make the roster even stronger over the long run.
Let's start with Ellsbury, Boston's biggest internal free agent case. The Red Sox made at least two attempts to lock up their center fielder before he hit the open market, and now Ellsbury heads into free agency wearing another World Series ring and coming off a .298/.355/.426 season that included nine homers, 92 runs scored and a league-best 52 stolen bases. MLBTR's Tim Dierkes ranks Ellsbury second on his free agent power rankings and recently guessed that Ellsbury and agent Scott Boras could find a contract in the $150MM range.
If the bidding goes that high, Boston could be out, as the club is reportedly unwilling to greatly exceed the $100MM threshold for Ellsbury. I'd still consider the Red Sox as the favorites to sign Ellsbury but it wouldn't be the first time that Boras has scored an inflated contract for one of this clients. If a team (or teams) push the bidding past $125MM, expect Ellsbury to be playing in another team's uniform in 2014. It's not that Boston couldn't afford such a contract, but in the wake of the Carl Crawford deal, the Sox are wary about paying a speed-based player big dollars into his 30's.
If Ellsbury leaves, the Sox could give Jackie Bradley a chance at the center field job. Bradley (a consensus top-40 prospect in preseason rankings from MLB.com, Baseball America and ESPN's Keith Law) has put up big minor league numbers and could join Will Middlebrooks and Xander Bogaerts as the latest homegrown prospects to step into the Boston lineup. Bradley could be used in a platoon to begin with, and the Sox could look for a right-handed hitting CF in the mold of a Rajai Davis or a Reed Johnson to add to the outfield depth chart.
Napoli has said he wants to return to Boston, and a reunion could happen if a three-year/$42MM contract is indeed Napoli's price. There have been rumors, however, that the club isn't keen on giving Napoli three guaranteed years and Boston's pursuit of Jose Dariel Abreu could be a sign that the Sox are ready to move on from Napoli. Mike Carp dominated right-handed pitching in 2013, though his less-impressive career splits indicate that the Sox would probably prefer to keep Carp as a part-timer rather than a semi-everyday first baseman.
First base is a relatively easy enough position to fill that the Sox might prefer the compensatory first round draft pick that they would receive if Napoli signs elsewhere. Stephen Drew, similarly, might not be as valuable to the Sox as a first-round pick, since the presence of Bogaerts and Middlebrooks on the left side of the infield makes Drew's return problematic (barring some position juggling). Since Drew will draw attention from several shortstop-needy teams, my guess is the Red Sox will move on.
While Ellsbury, Napoli and Drew received qualifying offers, Jarrod Saltalamacchia did not. He could be re-signed but a slugging catcher who isn't tied to any draft pick compensation will surely draw a lot of attention from other teams, and another club could very well give him a four-year contract (Boston is reportedly willing to give "Salty" as many as three guaranteed years). The Red Sox are, however, a team that could be well-positioned to sign Brian McCann. Boston would have to surrender their first round draft pick (30th overall) to sign McCann but that's no big loss since the club could gain as many as three compensatory picks if Ellsbury, Napoli and/or Drew left. A five-year, $80MM contract would allow the Sox to install McCann behind the plate for a few seasons until Ryan Lavarnway, Blake Swihart or Christian Vazquez emerges as a catcher of the future, and then McCann could become a DH…provided that the ageless Ortiz isn't still mashing, that is.
Elsewhere around the diamond, if Drew leaves, the Sox are a good bet to sign a veteran infielder who can play either third or shortstop if Bogaerts or Middlebrooks struggles. The Daniel Nava/Jonny Gomes platoon worked out well in left field and should continue, while it will be business as usual for the trio of Pedroia, Ortiz and Shane Victorino. It could be argued that Boston's offseason really began when they managed to lock up Pedroia to a below-market extension in July, a move that should aid the Sox payroll for the better part of the next decade.
The team boasts strong rotation depth with Lester, Lackey, Buchholz, Jake Peavy, Felix Doubront, Ryan Dempster and younger arms like Brandon Workman, Allen Webster and Rubby De La Rosa in reserve. If that wasn't enough, the Sox have checked in on free agent starter Tim Hudson, which would seem to hint that one or more of the current starters could be moved in a trade. The Red Sox could sell high on Lackey, or perhaps deal Peavy following his postseason struggles. Dempster would probably be the preferred candidate to deal given rough 2013 season, age (36) and $13.25MM salary. Boston could try to mine trade value from his durability and home/away splits to prove that Dempster could pitch better in a friendly environment than Fenway Park.
Lester would be an even bigger trade chip if the Sox wanted to really make a splash, and we know that Lester was shopped to the Royals last offseason following his disappointing 2012 campaign. While Lester could bring back a huge return, it's more likely that the Red Sox will look to extend the southpaw given his return to form in 2013 with a strong regular season and outstanding playoff run. No talks have yet taken place about another multiyear extension, though the Sox already made the easy call of picking up Lester's 2014 option.
Koji Uehara easily passed the 55-game plateau that caused his 2014 option to vest, and his emergence as a lockdown closer makes his $4.5MM salary for next season seem like a bargain. Uehara's dominance solved a lot of problems in the Sox bullpen though there will be holes to fill as Andrew Bailey will likely be non-tendered and Matt Thornton's option has already been declined. Joel Hanrahan could be re-signed to a low-cost deal since the former closer missed almost all of 2013 after undergoing Tommy John surgery.
Between a surprise World Series win, their talented veteran core and the minor league system with the best short-term potential of any in baseball, these are heady times for the Red Sox. It's probably too much to expect everything to again work out for the franchise in 2014, just as it was pessimistic to presume that things would continue to spiral downward following the disastrous 2012 season. If the team does even as half as good a job filling their holes as they did last winter, however, expect more postseason action at Fenway Park.
Boston Red Sox Offseason Outlook
Quick Hits: Santana, Red Sox, Kuroda, Cano, Bay
Arbitration Breakdown: Cishek, Jansen, Holland, Frieri


I am in Dallas, Texas. I was a frogman on a nuclear submarine for 6 years. I lost part of my left kidney December 2014. While at the VA I suffered 3 injuries during surgery, somehow the VA tore the tendons in my left shoulder and a suffered a cervical neck surgery. March 2015 I underwent neck surgery .


Delcam has released the 2015 version of its PowerINSPECT inspection system, the world's leading hardware-independent metrology software. The new version includes automatic collision avoidance, faster import of large CAD files, quicker preparation of longer inspection reports, and improved display of results from point-cloud data, plus many other customer-requested enhancements.
PowerINSPECT has included collision detection for many years to warn the user when there was a possibility of any collision between the probe and the item being inspected. Until now, the user then had to make the required changes to the probe path to avoid the collision.
With PowerINSPECT 2015, the software adjusts the probe path automatically if a direct move between inspection features could produce a collision. The software will calculate a new motion path that avoids the obstacle, typically by moving up and over the obstruction or around it.
Collision avoidance is carried out when the initial probe path is generated, when the sequence of measurements is re-ordered, and when features are added or removed. As well as preventing collisions, automatic collision checking will save significant programming time, especially when inspecting more complex items.
The user still has the option to override the path produced by the software. This might be required if any accessories not modelled in the CAD data are present, for example, any clamps or fixtures being used to hold the part.
A number of improvements to PowerINSPECT 2015 have made both data import and report generation much faster. The differences will be particularly apparent when reading large CAD models, such as a complete car body, and when producing longer reports with more graphical images.
Another improvement in reporting gives users much greater control over the contents of any report. For example, it is easier to produce a summary of the complete set of results as a management report. Similarly, a more concise report can be produced when greater detail is not needed, for example, when all the results are well within the expected tolerances.
The 2015 release also offers improved display of results from point-cloud data, including a better shaded display of the 'colour map', complete with the coloured scale of the tolerances. As well as making the results simpler to understand, the new format is more consistent with the reports produced by PowerINSPECT from data from other types of measurements. This makes it easier to compare the results from different devices or measurement methods.
A number of other usability enhancements have been included. The representation of changes to the probe or to the probing parameters is now clearer and easier to understand. These improvements will be especially useful when creating longer inspection sequences for CNC coordinate-measuring machines and for on-machine verification. They will also make it easier for CMM operators to follow measurement sequences developed by another user, for example, when the inspection routine is created by the company's metrology expert but then carried out by less experienced users.
Another usability enhancement is the addition of scale-model inspection. In this mode, the measurements from a scale model, such as a half-scale car, are displayed as though they were the results from the full-size item. This makes the reports easier to understand at first view and makes it quicker to exchange digital measurements with the CAD system as there is no need to compensate for the scaling in the model.
It has also been made easier to handle more complex CAD data structures, with data split over a series of levels. In particular, it is easier to match the CAD view to an item contained within a history tree.
Finally, a new intersection item has been added to the range of geometry that can be measured with PowerINSPECT; the intersection between a sphere and either a cone or a cylinder. This option will be useful when measuring ducting and pipework.


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Q: how to add a column with nested elements to a dataframe from other columns (withColumn) I have a PySpark dataframe which looks like
C C1 C2 C3
1 2  3  4

I want to add another nested column, which is going to make that column of the data frame a json, or an object, I'm not even sure of the correct wording for what this is.  It will take the information from other columns of the same row
C C1 C2 C3  V
1 2  3  4   {"C:1", "C1:2", "C2:3", "C3:4"}

I have tried How to add a nested column to a DataFrame but I don't know what the correct syntax in PySpark is, opposed to that question, which is Scala, and that solution looks that will only work for 1 row, I need to do this for hundreds of millions of rows.
I have tried df2 = df.withColumn("V", struct("V.*", col("C1").as('C1'))) but this gives a mysterious syntax error.
Edit: I would not say that this question is a duplicate of pyspark convert row to json with nulls because the solution which was posted by a user here, which solved my problem, is not posted there.
How can I make that nested column V from the rest of the columns in the same row?

A: In PySpark you can achieve using struct. You don't need an alias.
df.withColumn("V", struct(col("C"), col("C1"), col("C2"), col("C3"))

If you don't want to hard code the column names you can also do
df.withColumn("V", struct(col("*"))

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Completing all outstanding repairs is one of the most basic things you can do when preparing your home for the market. There is no point in focusing on aesthetics when you haven't done the essentials. If there is a leaking roof or issues with the plumbing then your resources should go towards these before anything else is done.
You can replace the kitchen sink and replace the doors. If the stove needs to be replaced, you can do that as well. You can also introduce energy efficient lighting and replace some of the appliances like the dishwasher.
Assuming you've already done the essential repairs, you can do small additional things like replacing the toilet seat and sink. If the floor is old, coat it with vinyl tiles or sheet. As for the shower, you can install a fabricated tub or shower surround.
If there is a den (extra room) in your home then you can install a closet and turn it into a bedroom. An additional bedroom will dramatically raise the value of your home.
Professional carpet cleaning can greatly enhance the look of your home. Unless it is in a truly precarious state, replacing it usually isn't necessary.
You can replace your windows with more energy efficient ones. The prospect of saving money will always appeal to buyers and it will also be beneficial in the selling process. New windows will also help to give a first impression to potential buyers. You can also try to enhance the looks of your door or just replace it. Attractive, solid doors send strong, positive signals to your buyers that your home is ready for sale! Overall your home should be attractive, in good condition, and energy efficient. The owner will have a good first impression and not have any regrets later on. Refurbishing your home does not have to be an expensive endeavour and it will be beneficial to both you and the eventual buyer of your home. Even if you decide to keep it, you will save money and be able to enjoy the new look of your home.


How often had you sent out The Hardship Post before it was chosen as the winner of the 2008 Three Candles Book Award?
I would like to be coy and say that I have no idea how many times I sent out The Hardship Post before it was accepted but, unfortunately, I keep really excellent submission records. So, I have a very clear chronicle of that demoralizing time: nearly 40 submissions to contests and open reading periods over the space of approximately two years. What misery that was.
Tell me about the title. Had it always been The Hardship Post? Did it go through any other changes?
The Hardship Post came pretty late. First, I spent several years cycling through a series of extremely abstract titles that made the book's project sound too gauzy, too gentle. No, worse than that, precious. Finally, I hit upon The Hardship Post, which is a term used by the U.S. Foreign Service to describe overseas postings that involve physical or economic hardship. Since the manuscript examines my experiences as an American Jew through the lens of my upbringing as a "diplobrat," focusing on the post-Holocaust landscape of Poland where I spent nearly seven years of my childhood and adolescence, the concept of a "hardship post" felt apropos.
At some point, I decided there was no way that The Hardship Post was going to win a contest (it was too quiet a book, too ethnic, too formal, and definitely too uncool). I then let go of the idea that my first book needed to receive some kind of award in order to satisfy me. Imagine my surprise when I found out that the book had won a contest.
The best advice I ever received about first books came from my mentor and former teacher, Hilda Raz, who said, "Don't worry too much about where your first book is accepted, just get the manuscript published so that you can move on to the next project." She was right. I know too many people who feel frozen as long as the first book is unable to find a home. As a result, they stop writing new poems. Then, once the first book finally finds a publisher, many of these poets have so lost the habit of writing that they have no idea what's next. I know one poet who has been revising a first collection for 15+ years. This poet can't move on to something new, because the first book remains a looming and oppressive presence.
I love reading first books of poetry and thinking about the meta-narrative that each collection constructs. The first poet I ever read deeply was Charles Baudelaire, and there's no question that the poems in Les Fleurs du mal tell a story. People who complain that too many contemporary poetry collections focus on being "book projects" rather than compilations of really good poems, need to remember that the meta-narrative is not a new thing. Just ask Baudelaire. Or Whitman.
In putting together The Hardship Post, I always concentrated on shaping the story that I wanted the book to tell, even as I revised individual poems, moved them around, or cut them altogether. I really struggled with how to tell the story, working through at least 100 drafts, because I didn't want the book to open with the dark hole of Auschwitz. Eventually, I ordered the manuscript so that it begins with the personal mythos of "the diplomat's daughter" and slowly moves toward issues of cultural translation, religious identity, and at last the Shoah. Above all, the book's order needed to make clear that I wasn't a tourist, that my attempt to represent trauma was the result of having spent many years in Poland, and that I myself was a scholar of Holocaust studies.
Steve Mueske, the founder and editor of Three Candles, let me have a ton of input about the book's appearance. As a poet himself, Steve is very sensitive to the significance of a poem's shape on the page. I never had to explain to him why a certain line break should be preserved or a particular word italicized, because we already spoke the same language.
I found the close-up image of a Polish train station board and sent it to Steve. I loved the way the schedule board evoked my nomadic childhood but also gestured at the important Holocaust trope of train stations. But, as much as I liked the image, I knew it was going to be difficult to design around. How would we incorporate an image filled with names—of Polish towns like Warszawa and Kraków—in a way that wouldn't interfere with the necessary bits of text on the cover, such as the book's title? I think Steve's solution was both elegant and appropriate to the quiet tone of the collection.
I wasn't too worried. Having administered a major book prize for two years, I understood that poetry manuscripts need to demonstrate the ways in which they're part of the discourse of contemporary literary publication. Having a solid acknowledgements page is one way to prove a collection's viability and engagement with the current literature.
The finalized manuscript barely resembled the manuscript I initially submitted to Three Candles. By the time the book won the contest, I had already reordered the middle sections of the book and cut an entire grouping of poems. Fortunately, Steve agreed with the re-envisioned manuscript, and we only made a few more changes to the text in the months leading up to the final proofs.
I was tired. Very tired. I had just come home from a long day of teaching. Hours of ungraded English 101 papers stretched out in front of me. I had no idea what to make for dinner. And, besides, my refrigerator contained little more than a bottle of stuffed olives, a near empty container of soy milk, and some rotten zucchinis that just weren't going to be edible, no matter how much I trimmed their edges. The box of books was waiting at my front door. I carried it in, dumped it beside the couch, and didn't open the carton until a few hours later. Then, I laid one copy of The Hardship Post on the coffee table and spent the rest of the evening picking it up and putting it down again.
Initially, having a book made me feel more vulnerable. I felt like an easier target for the snarky reader, the MFA student who still believes in his own entitlement and grand literary destiny. Having a first book changed me; I became more empathetic, more inclined to suspend or temper my judgment when reading a poetry collection that didn't please me. Now, when I read a book of poems that I don't love, I'm much likelier to say, "writing a collection is an important achievement in itself." I guess what all this means is that I began to hope others would treat my work with this same kindness and understanding.
I'm sure that having a book (and then, later on, books) was a huge factor in my landing a position as assistant professor. The market is such a shark tank—it's not enough to have an MFA and a PhD. One has to have significant publications as well. That means fancy-schmancy journals and books with pretty covers.
Here's what I used to say in my cover letters for academic jobs: "The Hardship Post uses personal experience to meditate on the slipperiness of Jewish identity." Thrilling, no? On an airplane, I would answer, "The Hardship Post describes my childhood as a diplobrat growing up in countries like Poland, Belgium, Yugoslavia, and Zaire." Then, the insurance agent sitting next to me would probably leap from his seat, run screaming down the aisle, and fling himself out of the airlock. No one wants to make small talk with poets.
What influence has the book's publication had on your subsequent writing? I know two more books of poetry have been published since The Hardship Post. Tell us about these books. How are they different from The Hardship Post? And how have you remained so prolific over the last few years?
On the surface, my second book—From the Fever-World—appears to have a lot in common with The Hardship Post. It's very Jewish, it's set in Poland, and it's shadowed by the Shoah. But, the book is written entirely in the persona of an imaginary poet, Ida Lewin. The collection is a series of linked fragments "translated" from the Yiddish. For this project, I really tried to leave behind received forms, which sets it apart from the "high formalism" and iambic lines of The Hardship Post.
Stateside, my third book, examines my experiences as a "milspouse," looking at the Before, During, and After of a deployment. The poems in Stateside often play with traditional, fixed forms, but there's a good amount of free verse in the collection too. A few of the poems are quite rigid in their handling of form, but that rigidity is mimetic of the strictness of military life.
I guess I'm prolific because I keep myself on a very strict writing schedule. I also love book projects, which allow me to stay focused from poem to poem, maintaining momentum and immersing myself in a series of interesting, provocative obsessions.
What have you been doing to promote The Hardship Post (along with your other books), and what have those experiences been like for you?
I had no idea how to promote The Hardship Post. But, by the time Northwestern University Press published Stateside, I had come to appreciate the power of the niche market. With this current book, I've made a point of reaching out to the "milspouse" blogging community, contacting literary journals that focus on the relationship between war and literature, and seeking out the advice of other military wife authors. I'm also very lucky that my mother decided to adopt Stateside as her first project in the world of poetry promotion. For instance, it was my mother who landed me a gig on NPR's "Fresh Air" with Terry Gross. Not too shabby for a first-time press agent.
This is a tough one: be prepared for changes—sometimes difficult and painful ones—in your friendships with other writers. The publication of a first book may not alter the landscape. But, not everyone will be thrilled when Book #2 and Book #3 arrive. Work hard to preserve these friendships, even when some of your friends' reactions disappoint you.
I spent a large portion of my childhood in the Eastern Bloc. If there's anything that the Polish poets teach, it's that an artist must believe in the power of art to change the world. Even if such belief is quixotically misguided, it remains necessary. Otherwise, we end up writing bloodless poetry: cold exercises in music and image.
Jehanne Dubrow is the author of three poetry collections, most recently Stateside (Northwestern UP 2010). Her work has appeared in The New Republic Poetry, Ploughshares, New England Review, and Prairie Schooner. She is an assistant professor of creative writing and literature at Washington College, on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.
To read more, visit Jehanne's website.


Family film "The Smurfs" snuck up on "Cowboys & Aliens" for an opening weekend earnings tie.
In this weekend's biggest box office surprise, a family movie about little blue creatures kept pace with an all-star thriller about giant evil creatures.
Both movies opened to $36.2 million in estimate weekend earnings—which was great news for "The Smurfs" but not such great news for "Cowboys & Aliens."
That's because "Cowboys" cost more than $50 million than "Smurfs" to produce, and it involved the efforts of a slew of major Hollywood talent, including Stephen Spielberg and Ron Howard as executive producers, "Iron Man" director Jon Favreau and stars Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford.
The fact that "Smurfs" got a 3-D release where "Cowboys" did not could account for some of its relative success, too. 3-D takings counted for almost half the movie's gross.
And according to E! Online, more than half the "Smurfs" audience consisted of parents with children.
"Cowboys," by contrast—a mash-up of classic Western tropes with alien attack themes—had trouble wooing young viewers, with 63 percent of its audience over the age of 30.
Neither movie fared particularly well among critics, though, although "Cowboys" had "Smurfs" narrowly beat among them.


text:
Gian Carlos Dueñas (Cereté, Córdoba, Colombia, 12 de diciembre de 1982) es un futbolista colombiano. Juega como mediocampista en el Mixco.

Clubes

Palmarés

Torneos nacionales

Enlaces externos

Nacidos en Cereté
Futbolistas de Colombia
Futbolistas del América de Cali

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Rayleigh light scattering has not yet been used for quantitative investigations of heterogeneous systems. Preconditions such an experiment are a well defined scattering geometry and independent information about the local state of the sample. We have designed a new instrument that meets these criteria: a light-scattering microscope with simultaneous imaging. We demonstrate the ability to characterize local differences within one tissue type as well as global differences between tissue types. Real space images of the sample are taken by normal video microscopy techniques. The light scattering pattern in analyzed by the evaluation of wave-vector dependence and scattering direction of the scattered intensity. Statistical analysis of scattering patterns show what is important for the characterization and classification of tissues and heterogeneous structures. Real space images provide context for scattering analysis. The light scattering microscope is a powerful tool for characterization of local structural order in inhomogeneous structures like tissues.


The item The shape of me and other stuff, by Dr. Seuss represents a specific, individual, material embodiment of a distinct intellectual or artistic creation found in Charlotte Mecklenburg Library.
IB bookpalte: In Honor of Simone Arqu'e with thanks for her loving care.
Older copy also found under "E" having separate shelf list for: Main.


As the world's most important scooter manufacturer, Piaggio markets the completely updated versions of the legendary Vespa: since 1996 the ET and LX series, and more recently also the LXV and S. With its steel chassis and front fork designed like an aircraft's landing gear, Piaggio has stuck to tradition. However, the engine and automatic CVT are modern. Besides some beginner models with 50 cm³ two-stroke engines, the Italians mainly supply economical, environmentally friendly four-stroke scooters to Germany, usually with 125 cm³, but also or 50 and 150 cm³, engine size.
In 152 pages and with around 530 photos and drawings, the updated and extended new edition of the book, which first came out in 2006, describes all the maintenance, adjustment and assembly work for these models, beginning with taking apart the body and chassis and removing and dismantling the engine, OHC valve train and automatic transmission, through to servicing the brake system, carburettor, fuel injection system (ET 50 Iniezione) and electrics. Colour circuit diagrams, troubleshooting tables, complete technical specifications, tables for tightening torques and cylinder measurements and an index complete the contents of this book, which is clearly structured in sections dealing with individual components and jobs.
Engine electrics, spark plugs, ignition system etc.


By almost any accounting, Bahrain's tourist trade weathered a difficult year in 2011; however, not all of the Kingdom's tourism segments were affected, nor have the fundamental strengths that have made it a leading destination for business travel been damaged. Indeed, Bahrain's performance and outlook as a site for meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) remains a bright spot for the country.
Business tourism has traditionally proven less sensitive to negative publicity than other forms of tourism, and MICE tourism in Bahrain has remained strong over the past year. Its durability gives reason to expect that business and MICE tourism may sustain, and even grow, Bahrain's tourist trade in the short-to-medium term.
STRENGTH TO STRENGTH: Bahrain has enjoyed many competitive advantages as a MICE destination. As it is a small island nation with centrally located facilities and well-developed road infrastructure, getting to and from the Kingdom is relatively easy for time-conscious business travellers. Bahrain's airport boasts a plethora of international connections to Europe and Asia, and its physical proximity to Saudi Arabia makes Bahrain an attractive choice for companies looking to conduct business with the neighbouring kingdom. The Bahrain Exhibition and Convention Authority's (BECA) was named "the best MICE destination in the Middle East" by Business Destinations magazine in 2011, and this testifies to the positive impression the Kingdom's facilities and services have made on its visitors.
The Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre (BIECC), a 16,000-sq-metre facility located in Manama's city centre – no more than 10 minutes' drive from all of the major hotels – plays host to the lion's share of exhibition and convention traffic. Opened in 1991 and managed by BECA, it was open for business and functions throughout the recent unrest and remained heavily booked through 2011. The consistently high demand for the space at BIECC, bolstered by its high customer retention rate, has enabled the convention authority to keep its rental rates competitive.
EXPO: The hosting of the Bahrain Air Show, the Kingdom's largest exposition, in January 2012 was a success, with substantial sales recorded. The air show saw sales of $930m, down only slightly on the $1bn achieved in 2010. Bahrain's proximity to Saudi Arabia has made it a particularly attractive destination for oil and gas exhibitions: its Middle East Oil & Gas Show & Conference in September 2011 had a record attendance, up by 14% from 2009, and it was the largest yet in terms of exhibition space. This show is only one of the eight major international oil and gas exhibitions set to run in 2012. Other events scheduled for the BIECC in 2012 include: Jewellery Arabia, a gold, jewellery, watch and clock exhibition, which attracted 550 exhibitors and 41,100 jewellery trade buyers and collectors in 2010; and the Autumn Fair, a consumer product exposition which attracted over 200,000 visitors in 2011.
Due to the popularity of the exposition traffic in Bahrain, in recent years BECA has been forced to turn away potential exhibitors for lack of space in the past. To remedy this excess of demand, BECA is looking to expand its exhibition and conference space with the construction of the Bahrain Expo City, slated to be completed in 2015. The first phase of the $385m expo@bahrain project, set to be located in Sahkir City near the Bahrain International Circuit, would increase net available exposition space to nearly 50,000 sq metres. Expanding existing exhibition and conference space is a prominent part of Economic Vision 2030.
COMPETITION: Such investments will be necessary if Bahrain wishes to remain competitive. While wise investment and natural advantages have helped it carve out an enviable niche in the MICE market, neighbours are just as avid to attract conventioneers, and Bahrain does not yet have the capacity to attract the kind of huge expos recently seen in Dubai, such as the Dubai Air Show.
With continued investment in business tourism facilities and marketing, abetted by the overall recovery of the sector, MICE tourism looks to be one of the major growth drivers in the market over the medium term.
This article is from the Tourism chapter of The Report: Bahrain 2012. Explore other chapters from this report.


Dr. Rudisill received his medical degree from Bowman-Gray School of Medicine in Winston Salem, North Carolina, in 1980 and completed his Orthopedic training with the Greenville Hospital System in 1985. His Hand and Microsurgery Fellowship was completed at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 1989.
He holds a Certificate of Added Qualifications in Surgery of the Hand, is a member of the American Society of Surgery of the Hand and the American Society of Reconstructive Microsurgery and is Board Certified by the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery.


text:
Mike "Moe" Hoffman was a U.S. soccer player who earned one cap with the U.S. national team in a 4-0 loss to Poland on August 10, 1973.  He started the game, but came off for Dan Counce in the 55th minute.

References

External links

United States men's international soccer players
American soccer players
Association footballers not categorized by position
Year of birth missing


Pentra-Shield™ is a clear, penetrating, breathable, surface applied liquid that strengthens, protects and hardens concrete and masonry surfaces. Pentra- Shield™ Anti-scale treatment helps protect concrete sidewalks, driveways and other concrete and masonry surfaces from freeze-thaw damage caused by moisture saturation within the pore structure of substrates. Scaling begins with the first freeze-thaw cycle and will continue through successive winter seasons resulting in repeated loss of the concrete surface, eventually leading to spalling, pop-outs and ultimately failure if left untreated.


text:
Submit new Library Item
Beating the Heat: keepings UK buildings cool in a warming climate.
The main focus of this report is how to avoid summertime thermal discomfort in buildings while still minimising energy use. In Section 2, we define what comfortable means and how acceptable levels of carbon dioxide emissions are currently defined. In Section 3, we begin to look at the climate change scenarios and how they have been used. In Section 4, the features of buildings enabling them to stay cool in summer are discussed. Section 5 makes a qualitative assessment by taking a first look at the likely impacts of the projected climate changes. Section 6 presents the quantitative results of the computer modelling for the case study buildings in London. In Section 7, the results of the modelling for Manchester and Edinburgh are discussed. Section 8 discusses what we can learn from buildings in warmer climates and draws some final conclusions.
Author names:
Hacker, J.
Belcher, S. E.
Connell, R. K.
UKCIP
http://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/PDFs/Beating_heat.pdf
Hacker, JN, Belcher, SE & Connell, RK (2005). Beating the Heat: keeping UK buildings cool in a warming climate. UKCIP Briefing Report. UKCIP, Oxford.
Geographical area:
Policy areas considered:
Buildings & Construction
Climate risks considered:
Higher average temperature
Decision-Support Tools:
Cost-benefit assessment
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


APPIANO GENTILE - Training has started for the nerazzurri. The group arriving from Bormio started with a light jog before going into the gym for a specific workout with trainer Alfano.
The World Cup players, together with the new Almeyda and Coco , have started a different training program: running around the Pinetina before doing some exercises.


U.S. President Donald Trump is reportedly considering cutting in half the number of American troops in Afghanistan in coming weeks. The move, not yet confirmed by the U.S. administration, has shocked officials in the war-ravaged country and around region. Ayaz Gul reports from Islamabad.
About 4,000 Jews live in Mumbai today compared to nearly 30,000 in the 1940s. One Muslim tombstone engraver specializes in carving writings in Hebrew to help members of the Jewish community continue to honor their dead. VOA's Ritul Joshi caught up with Mohammad Yasin.


I was the Operator in "BF" that night and was on the teletype and phone with Greg Hatfield, operator at "WY", until he had to evacuate the second floor office in a rowboat! We kept sending crews on work trains into the flood area and they would disappear. Finally, we sent a train with specific instructions to return to Iaeger with any news or information. It's difficult to imagine now, but with no sat com, cell phones, or internet, when the phone lines were down, there was no was to communicate.
I was the operator in Williamson the night of the flood. I may have releived Greg Hatfield, not sure. I was on vacation and Mr. Snavely called and asked if I could work because most ot the people in the area were flooded and could not get to work. I lived in East Williamson, a mile or so from the yard office, came to work and worked until we had to walk up the steps to the second floor, to stay dry as the flood waters were almost to the second floor This was in the early am hours. I had radio conversation with a crew, Engineer Ralph Bailey and Cond. Ralph "bruggy" Adkins and they tied down loads of coal and stone on the Matewan and Pond Creek bridges, so as to keep them under load and stable. As there were no signals and very little communication, this crew saved the railroad a lot on money by most probably, saving the bridges. Mr. Adkins's home was flooded during this time period. I gave the crew permission to pass all signals, according to the rules, to complete this job. They made several trips into the yard and back out to do what was necessary. I believe this is the crew that was sent from Bluefield to Williamson. I had some phone contact with Supt. Mikovch's office that night. I really don't remember who as it has been a long time ago, but they were made aware of the situation. We, there were several people that were stranded, got out of the yard office the next morning We walked across the "swinging bridge" and were picked up by a boat. A lot of things happened that night and in the folowing months. I was witness to it all.
Daddy had told me about Buddy and that adventure!
Maybe one day the story will get straight but who really cares. This was just a period of time where someone Can claim to be a hero and no one will know the difference. If Mr Buckland needs to be remembered like that then so be it.I'm sure no one will really care.I was there thru the flood and I know the whole story.
Mr. Brown, please feel free to share your account of that event. I'd love to hear your perspective.
I remember this an was working on a new Applachian power building on top of a mountain before entering Williamson after the water went down magic mart contacted me to look at damages to there store which was almost completely under the flood level surely a mess .And of course Williamson it self. also Grundy Va, got flooded as well down in town really destroyed a lot I was there too a few a days after for phone co. magic mart an a few other places .


When Pauline and John Brady decided to emigrate to Canada in the summer of 2008, it was not a decision they had made overnight.
In fact, the couple had been talking about making the move across the Atlantic since the mid 1990s, after friends of theirs upped sticks and moved to Ontario.
Just four months after they finally committed to having a crack at living in Canada, John and Pauline arrived in Alberta where John, an engineer, had secured temporary employment. Pauline says that getting a temporary work permit was not a problem and that they could have actually ended up in Canada a lot sooner, but asked the company sponsoring John if they could wait until after Christmas to make the move. Happily, the company accepted. Whilst looking for somewhere to stay while they got themselves settled, John and Pauline chanced upon a bed and breakfast in Devon; a small town located around 15 miles south of Alberta's provincial capital, Edmonton, where John's job was based.
They fell in love with the town immediately. "We're only 20 minutes outside Edmonton, three or four hours drive from Banff and Jasper in the Rockies, and it only takes us six hours to drive to the US border," says Pauline. "It really is a lovely town – much more relaxing than Oxfordshire, where we lived in the UK.
Today, the Brady's are permanent residents of Canada, having secured nomination for a permanent visa through Alberta's Provincial Nominee Programme.
Despite facing some extremely hard times in their adopted country – Pauline's father died in the first year after they moved out there, and they also left their grown-up children back in the UK – the couple have no doubts that their much delayed decision to emigrate was right for them.


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UCLA offensive line finds consistency, chemistry
Left tackle Kolton Miller is part of a starting UCLA offensive line that has been together all season, and their chemistry paid off in last week's win against Arizona State. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
By Thuc Nhi Nguyen | thnguyen@scng.com | Daily News
PUBLISHED: November 14, 2017 at 5:42 pm | UPDATED: November 14, 2017 at 5:45 pm
LOS ANGELES — The UCLA football team reserves its Force 5 award for the player who made the biggest impact that week. The award honors Kenny Easley, a recent Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee and a UCLA legend renowned for his tenacity and toughness.
It's only given out after wins, and the winner receives a helmet sticker and a strip of leather to put on his facemask. The little trophies aren't flashy and usually go unnoticed on the field, which makes last week's honorees the perfect recipients.
The team recognized its often-overlooked offensive line this week for its contribution to UCLA's win over Arizona State last Saturday. The group blocked for a season-high 192 rushing yards and allowed no sacks.
"It's nice once in a while to get recognition," right guard Michael Alves said. "(Coach Jim Mora) said that we worked really hard, and not a lot of people see that."
During an injury-riddled season, the UCLA offensive line has been the only unit without a change in the starting lineup. The Bruins have trotted out the same starting five for nine consecutive games: Kolton Miller at left tackle, Najee Toran at left guard, Scott Quessenberry at center, Alves at right guard and Andre James at right tackle. The only major hiccup came when Toran hurt his knee in the second quarter against Colorado, but he was back for the next game. The rare consistency is starting to reveal positive results for the Bruins (5-5, 3-4 Pac-12).
"I think the cohesiveness of the unit," offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch said when asked about the offensive line's biggest improvements. "The communication, the ability to make calls quicker, which allows you to play faster and which in turn kind of eliminates some of the mental errors that have occurred."
Fisch said the offensive line's performance against Arizona State was its best of the year. The Bruins neutralized an ASU defense that was averaging 3.33 sacks per game.
Quarterback Josh Rosen wiggled out of a few sacks, but Fisch also credited the quarterback for getting the ball out of his hand quickly to avoid lost yardage. The running backs, led by Bolu Olorunfunmi's 79 yards on 15 carries, rushed for a season-high.
"We knew they were going to come in with a lot of stunts and games on their D-line and our offensive line did a great job in blocking and just being outstanding," Olorunfunmi said Saturday night. "A lot of my success is their success. What they do is why I have success or Josh has success."
One week after keeping what was then the Pac-12's No. 2 sack defense without one, the UCLA offense faces an even tougher task in USC. The Trojans lead the conference in sacks and are eighth in the nation at 3.27 per game.
"I'm proud of the way those guys worked," Fisch said. "And hopefully, we play even better this Saturday."
Andre James
Scott Quessenberry
Thuc Nhi Nguyen
Thuc Nhi Nguyen has covered UCLA for the Southern California News Group since 2016. A proud Seattle native, she majored in journalism and mathematics at the University of Washington. She likes graphs, animated GIFs and superheroes.
Follow Thuc Nhi Nguyen	@thucnhi21
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Santa Fe de la Laguna has been one of the Purépecha indigenous communities of the State of Michoacán that has distinguished itself for its activism in defense of its communal lands, particularly in the decade of the 70's of the last century, becoming a referent of the Purépecha people .
Most of the original communities of the indigenous people of Mexico in the construction of the nation-state were practically subordinated to the municipal heads. They acquire the character of sub-municipalities by means of which they were marginalized and therefore they have been discriminated in all the areas, particularly in the political and economic issue. Also they they have not been considered in the participación of important decision-making of the municipalities or in the management and distribution of public resources of the municipal finance. Given this background, a series of Purépecha communities of the State of Michoacán initiated in 2015 a process of resistence for the "direct administration of municipal public resources that proportionally corresponds to them".
Under the solidarity and support of the "Colectivo Emancipaciones" with the social movements, especially the flagged by the original communities and communities of Mexico, in September of the year 2015 we began the political-juridical accompaniment with the community of Pichátaro, the first sub-commune of Michoacán that decided to judicialize their collective rights to autonomy, self-government and self-determination so that, in the exercise of their right to effective political participation in the form of internal organization, they could administrate directly the proportional share of their municipal public resources. This lawsuit was resolved by the Superior Court of the Electoral Tribunal of the Judicial Branch of the Federation in May 2016, becoming the first national judicial precedent for any indigenous community under the "sub-commune" case to appeal to that alternative in the face of the refusal of the town councils to their collective human rights. Thus, Pichátaro has been managing the proportional share of municipal public resources since November 2016.
After this precedent that settled the case of Pichátaro, we continued the political-legal accompaniment almost in parallel with two communities of the Purépecha plateau, San Felipe de los Herreros and Santa Fe de la Laguna.
Both cases were presented and resolved by the Electoral Tribunal of the State of Michoacán, by virtue of the judicial precedent on the Pichátaro case, in which the local electoral courts were obligated to follow the judicial judgment of the Superior Room of the TEPJF. The San Felipe de los Herreros lawsuit, which was the second after Pichátaro to be resolved, has been relatively one of the fastest to conclud. This process began in March of this year, TEEM resolved in April, in May the sentence was executed and in June 1st. San Felipe de los Herreros, as Pichátaro managed the proportional part of its municipal public resources.
Santa Fe de la Laguna is the third sub-municipality, dependent on the municipality of Quiroga, who has also gone to state courts under the supervision of the Colectivo Emancipaciones to judicialize their collective rights and to manage their own municipal public resources that proportionally corresponds. However, unlike what happened with San Felipe de los Herreros, the process of Santa Fe de la Laguna has been hampered, not only by political institutions such as Quiroga's own city council, but also by the state's own courts of justice (TEEM and SCJN). This process began at the end of April 2017, after the municipality of Quiroga refused to authorize the direct delivery of public resources that corresponds proportionally to Santa Fe, so that, by agreement of the General Assembly of the community, they decided to go to court through a JDC (Juicio para la protección de los Derechos Político-Electorales del Ciudadano) against the City of Quiroga, which has been met and resolved the Electoral Court of the State of Michoacán.Two months later, at the end of June of this year, the TEEM resolved under the trialTEEM-JDC-011/2017 in favor of Santa Fe de la Laguna, recognizing their collective rights to autonomy, self-government and self-determination in order to directly administrate the municipal public resources that proportionally corresponds to them. However, this resolution contains a series of inconsistencies in its execution, which evidently violated the community's right to self-determination. Since a prior, free and informed consultation process was ordered to the traditional authorities, and that this was organized by the city council of Quiroga, when in practice such consultation was unnecessary since the initial request was submitted by agreement of the General Assembly (highest authority in the original communities) and ratified by both the traditional authorities and by more than 50% of comuneros and comuneras of Santa Fe; likewise, the Institution authorized to organize the consultation, at the discretion of the Superior Chamber of the TEPJF in the Pichátaro case, as well as of the Law on Mechanisms for Citizen Participation in Michoacán, is the Electoral Institute of Michoacán (IEM), not the municipality responsible as ordered by TEEM.
Faced with this partial recognition by TEEM of the collective rights of Santa Fe de la Laguna, the community decided to challenge, through a new JDC, the said resolution before the Regional Room Toluca -V Circumscription- of the TEPJF, in order to avoid consultation, or in its absence, was organized in coordination with the community by the Electoral Institute of Michoacán. In mid-July, the Toluca Regional Court ruled on this challenge, in which it affirmed what TEEM said would be a consultation process, but not only the traditional authorities, as originally ordered by TEMM, but which would now be to the whole community gathered in General Assembly, so that the only thing that amended on the TEEM resolution was that the institution authorized to do so would be the Electoral Institute of Michoacán.Again, non-conforming with the decision of the Regional Chamber, the community also decided to challenge that resolution by means of a Reconsideration Resource before the last instance in electoral matters of the Superior Room of the TEPJF. In early September of this year, in favor of the community of Santa Fe de la Laguna, ratified the right of the community, to self-determinationand following the same criteria on the resolution of the case Pichátaro, ordered that the consultation to Santa Fe de la Laguna would only be through its traditional authorities to define the minimum qualitative and quantitative elements related to the transfer of resources and responsibilities.
After all this series of litigation before the courts, and what seemed to be the last stage of the political and legal process of Santa de la Laguna, the TEE, Regional Room Toluca and Superior Room of the TEPJF proceeded to execute the sentence. Immediately, the working groups between the Electoral Institute of Michoacán, a liaison committee of Santa Fe de la Laguna under the supervision of the Colectivo Emancipaciones, and the city council of Quiroga, began to organize the process of free and informed prior consultation of which concluded that on September 27, both stages, informative and consultative, would be held. However, only the information stage was carried out; the consultative phase was suspended only a few minutes before the IEM announced that they had been notified of a TEEM agreement ordering the suspension of the consultation by order of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation after the admition of constitutional controversy brought by the municipality of Quiroga.
Later, the community of Santa Fe de la Laguna was notified, where in fact, we noticed that the city council had filed a constitucional against the decision of the Electoral Tribunal of Michoacán TEEM-JDC-011/2017, alleging that said court is not competent to hear this type of litigation in which it involves rights of autonomy and self-determination of native communities, despite Pichátaro's precedents by SS-TEPJF and San Felipe de los Herreros by TEEM, where the city council requested a precautionary measure suspending any act tending to enforce the judgment of that court, but not properly the consultative stage, which is an act that alone does not imply the transfer of municipal public resources.
However, the community of Santa de la Laguna continues to struggle and reaffirms its commitment to continue this process through all political and legal channels that are available. Likewise, the Emancipations Collective has undertaken to continue hand in hand with this Purépecha community until the rights to autonomy, self-government and self-determination are achieved so that Santa Fe de la Laguna directly manages the proportional part of the municipal public resources that corresponds.
Support Santa Fe de la Laguna! Sign the change.org petition.


twitchquotes: So last weekend I was walking in WalMart and saw Trump... which was pretty cool. I was wondering why he was in the "woman's hygeine" section of the store.... He caught on to what I was thinking and held up some tampons. "For my girlfriend", he said, giggling nervously. But he doesn't have a GF. I think they were for HIM!
So last weekend I was walking in WalMart and saw Trump... which was pretty cool. I was wondering why he was in the "woman's hygeine" section of the store.... He caught on to what I was thinking and held up some tampons. "For my girlfriend", he said, giggling nervously. But he doesn't have a GF. I think they were for HIM!


2 weeks, 2 days agore: #275 Eclectic Cyborg That thought went through my mind also. Felt trapped in job and no where at the moment to go, and FuckHead-in-Chief threatening another.
12/31/18 11:46:08 amre: #482 Shiplord Kirel, Friend of Moose and Squirrel Thank you!
3/26/16 12:59:41 pmre: #286 Barefoot Grin No, I'm in the west central part of the state, out in the boonies, which I like a lot. I can visit cities up to around 100,000, and that's plenty enough of that!


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This architectural rendering shows the new student housing and dining building at the University of Victoria. The first building will be home to 398 students when complete in September 2022, with a second building expected to open in 2023. (Photo courtesy of UVic)
VIDEO: Mass timber installation begins at UVic student housing project
Green technology plays key role in building that will be home to 398 University of Victoria students
Oak Bay News Staff
May. 7, 2021 11:30 a.m.
The 2022 crop of students at the University of Victoria will get a first-hand lesson in sustainable construction techniques.
In September 2022, 398 UVic students will be living in the largest passive house building in Victoria. The sustainable student housing and dining construction project is taking shape on the outside of Ring Road, just south of the Student Union Building where Cadboro Commons used to stand.
ALSO READ: Students struggling with Greater Victoria's tight housing market
The state-of-the-art building constructed of concrete and mass timber will be designed with the industry's most rigorous sustainability and energy efficiency requirements. In the fall of 2023, the second building will be ready to welcome 385 more students into the dorms.
"When complete, these buildings will be gathering places on campus for students to live, learn, share meals and connections," said Joel Lynn, executive director of UVic Student Services. "The facilities will enrich the student experience by creating a community gathering space on campus, and we're very excited for our students to have access to this kind of facility during their studies at UVic."
When complete, Building One will have six storeys on its south wing and eight storeys on its north wing. It will house the dining facility and student residences. Building Two is 11 storeys and will be home to student residences on its upper floors and classroom space, study and meeting space, conference facilities and an Indigenous student lounge on the lower two levels.
ALSO READ: Saanich calls on UVic, Camosun College to talk student housing shortage
Recent work has been focused on the concrete structure, interior framing and exterior stud framing. The recent arrival of mass timber from a new state-of-the-art facility in the Kootenays allows for the installation of mass timber columns and slabs, including work on the mass timber podium — a feature that wraps around the exterior of the south wing of Building One.
Mass timber is made by adhering smaller pieces of wood together to form pre-fabricated larger building components such as beams. Using B.C.-sourced wood for the mass timber features allows the university to lower the carbon footprint for the entire build.
While construction is progressing on schedule, the COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on the project. Work safe plans and procedures are in place and strictly followed, being updated to follow current provincial health orders. Because the campus is quieter than usual, with students, faculty and staff learning and working remotely, construction has progressed efficiently with fewer constraints as vehicle and foot traffic on campus is currently very low.
Abbotsford trustee temporarily steps down after sharing post relating COVID masks to slavery
Central Saanich plants seeds in the fight against climate change


A source said: "The terms of the divorce are now agreed. They are being finalised by both legal teams, but will be filed within weeks. It's a huge turnaround from where the marriage ended, especially given the claims Angelina made against Brad, but they are now on pretty good terms. Both decided it was crucial for the children that they had a respectful relationship. The key thing is that they agree to custody sharing, with Brad having access and working with Angelina on logistic issues about work and travel. There were rumours the divorce was being called off, but that's not the case."


Affordable, very efficient and excellent job, Thank you. I haven't cleaned my oven in 6 and a half years and it is now sparkling like new.
Mister Sparkles is a professional, friendly, competitively priced oven cleaning company.
All our oven cleaning products are pet & child friendly, odour free and totally safe, you can use your oven straight away after the clean.
Prices are for 20 mile radius of BH22, payment for mileage outside this area will be charged.
We also cover Southampton on certain days of the week.


Individuals are more and more moving in for vehicle rentals. This may be for various reasons for example vacations, moving furniture or some kind of special occasion. In these cases, there's something you should know of before approaching vehicle rental companies.
Well the very first factor to complete would be to start scouting for vehicle rental companies. One option is that you should approach the local vendor locally. Another option which you'll being active is with the online medium. Searching for rental vehicle companies on the internet implies that it will save you time, energy as well as money as possible avail discount rates restricted to online customers. You may also feel the descriptions of the several cars together with pictures and associated rental rates. When comparing rates of various vehicle rental companies, you have to consider factors like the type of vehicle you want to book, its size, its availability, location and hrs of operation. For instance, moving in for any smaller sized vehicle like a vehicle is definitely cheaper when compared with moving in for bigger ones for example minivans, SUVs along with other special vehicles.
It is usually smart to come with an advance arrangement using the rental vehicle companies. Make and try a reservation a minimum of per week or 10 days ahead of time if you want to secure the very best rentals. Should you book in the last second or throughout the heavy holiday hurry, you'll wind up having to pay more income and also have less choice within the kind and size vehicle you would like. You may either rent a vehicle online or over the telephone. In all these cases, you should attempt and avail the car rental discounts and coupons. These are typically provided by professional associations for example auto clubs and travel clubs for their people and may actually work in your favor. Timing is really a key factor even with regards to the days you want to achieve the vehicle for. Some vehicle rental companies offer cheaper deals should you book the automobile for any weekend. This is correct with the exception of installments of very busy holidays. If you possess a flexible schedule and you're essentially choosing the vehicle for leisure travel, then it seems sensible to get in for weekend rentals. However if you simply require the vehicle for the whole week or even more, then you should have the weekly rate.
Now when you're coping with vehicle rental companies, there's a couple of issues which you have to be conscious of. The first is the problem of fuel utilization and payment. There's two methods for carrying out it. You may either go ahead and take vehicle because it is and refuel it before you decide to give it back towards the vehicle rental company. The 2nd option is you can spend the money for full tank of fuel ahead of time itself. As the second item works, it can be cost-effective for you personally only just try to make use of the whole tank of fuel. However, should you consume less, you might really finish up having to pay in excess of that which you needed. Another factor to think about is the insurance policy from the rental vehicle. It may be beneficial to talk about your overall personal auto insurance plan along with your charge card and find out when they extend sufficient coverage for vehicle rental prior to signing up for just about any additional coverage provided by vehicle rental companies. Each one of these things will help you while renting an automobile with vehicle rentals companies.
In event of you searching for the best car suitable to your specific needs, you should search for car rental singapore company online. They should provide to your car rental needs at affordable price. They should make your travelling experience a wonderful and memorable one.


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WCC Remembered
For those who were dedicated Short Wave Listeners, you would certainly have come across what seemed like strange Morse code transmissions on random frequencies. Many of these transmissions, which were repetitive and usually began with a string of "VVV…VVV", were actually "ship-to shore" stations that conveyed messages from the mainland out to vessels on the Atlantic (or Pacific) Ocean. In the North Atlantic, perhaps the largest of these stations was WCC, located in Chatham, and later Marion, Massachusetts.
In 1914, radio pioneer Guglielmo Marconi sought a more permanent solution to his weather-battered radio station which was located on Cape Cod. In 1903, Marconi set-up this station and it became known as his "South Wellfleet" station. It was here that Marconi made the the first transatlantic wireless communications between the United States and Europe. Of course, the first wireless transmission received in the U.S. by Marconi was made at Signal Hill, St. John's, Newfoundland in 1901. But at South Wellfleet, Marconi erected a large antenna array of four 210 foot wooden towers, and his operators were able to maintain a constant vigil on the ships at sea travelling between the United States and Europe until a new site was needed due to damage caused by the constant pounding the station received by severe weather.
Marconi realized that his new station would require a more inland and somewhat sheltered location. So in 1914, the Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company of America built its new trans-oceanic receiving station in Chatham, Massachusetts and its companion high power trans-oceanic transmitter station forty miles to the west in Marion, Massachusetts. One of the Chatham station's biggest claims to fame was picking up the distress call of the RMS Titanic and alerting the RMS Carpthia to help in the rescue efforts. Imagine being a wireless operator and sitting in the receiving station overlooking the North Atlantic and hearing the Morse code "CQD…CQD" coming from the sounder.
In 1920, the Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company of America sold the Chatham and Marion stations to the Radio Corporation of America. RCA removed all remaining Marconi equipment from the Chatham receiver station and converted it to a public coast station for the continued communications with ships at sea. In 1921 Chatham was licensed under the callsign WCC for communications on 500 kHz, 750 kHz and 1 MHz. In 1922 RCA moved the WCC radio transmitters to the Marion transmitter station to eliminate co-site interference to the sensitive receivers at Chatham. In 1929 WCC Marion began operations on maritime HF frequencies (6, 8, 12, 16 and 22 MHz). These are the frequencies that most shortwave listeners remember hearing WCC on up until 1988, when RCA Global Communications sold WCC to Western Union International – a subsidiary of MCI Communications. (WikiPedia)
In 1993, WCC became remotely controlled using fiber optics to receive signals, transmit signals, and control all of its antenna. Even the Morse code and RTTY transmissions were generated automatically. At this point in its history, WCC was operated remotely from KPH Radio in Point Reyes, California.
In 1999, WCC was sold by MCI Communications to the town of Chatham and is now part of the Chatham Marconi Maritime Center and home to amateur station WA1WCC. You can visit their website by going to http://chathammarconi.org/.
Before that happened, on June 3rd, 1997, WCC transmitted its final message: "Pls. note: Effective 30 Jun 97, the call letters and frequencies of stations KPH and WCC will be assigned to the facilities of Globe Wireless. After many years of continuous service from our QTH at Bolinas, Marshall/Point Reyes, and Chatham, the employees of KPH and WCC wish you fair winds and bon voyage."
The actual call WCC is now used by Globe Wireless, a Maryland station that transmits automated email by radio.
If you visit QRZ.com and do a search for "WA1WCC", a lot of great information about the station will present itself including an upcoming special event commemorating the 95th anniversary of WCC going on the air.
Likewise, these two home videos show the WCC facilities after the station had ceased operation:
The following video shows the set-up and operation of station KSM, sister station to KPH in Point Reyes, California. The operation shown in this video is not unlike what would have taken place during the operation of WCC later in its existence.
Finally, here is a brief recording of a message received from WCC back in the early 1980s. The text is "VVV VVV DE WCC WCC BT OBS? QSX 8121 622 MHZ K." I was using my Panasonic shortwave receiver and it did not do well with powerful signals. The front end overloaded to some extent and that's why the CW notes sound strange. Back then, I knew nothing about 'RF Gain."
http://w2pe.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/WCC.mp3
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1 comment for "WCC Remembered"
Great article! I really didn't get into short wave radio back then but I do have a portable receiver I should throw an antenna on! Thanks again for this bit of history.


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Homepage Cold War EraThe story of how TOPGUN selected the F-16N Viper, the adversary aircraft that had the ability to simulate the MiG-17, MiG-21, MiG-23, MiG-29 and Su-27
The story of how TOPGUN selected the F-16N Viper, the adversary aircraft that had the ability to simulate the MiG-17, MiG-21, MiG-23, MiG-29 and Su-27
Not only did the F-16N Viper allow TOPGUN to simulate current fourth-generation threats, it gave them the ability, in one aircraft, to simulate all the threats the school had envisioned.
The history of air combat has seen one recurring theme—new tactics are learned in battle, forgotten or discarded when battle concludes, and relearned at great cost during the next war. This cycle continued into the 1960s, when America was drawn into the Vietnam War. Despite having a skill and equipment advantage, US Navy aircrews were faring poorly against North Vietnamese fighters. Air combat lessons learned during prior wars, and since forgotten or deemed inapplicable due to advances in technology, were once again relevant.
TOPGUN, the Navy's Fighter Weapons School, was established in 1968 to teach Navy aircrews the core air combat tactics, to train others in those tactics, and to ensure that naval aviation "never again" forgot its lessons learned.
As explained by Brad Elward in his book TOPGUN: The Legacy: The Complete History of TOPGUN and Its Impact on Tactical Aviation, as early as the late 1970s, TOPGUN began to question whether its adversary aircraft realistically represented the actual threats Navy pilots would see around the world. The MiG-17 Fresco and MiG-21 Fishbed were second-generation fighters and saw their heyday during the 1960s and early 1970s. Since then, the Soviets had deployed their MiG-23s in large numbers, and the MiG-25 was now operational in limited numbers. Moreover, the Soviets were developing two new fourth-generation fighters, the MiG-29 and Su-27. TOPGUN needed a new adversary aircraft that would reflect the threats of the 1980s and beyond. "We definitely needed something better than the F-5 and A-4 to simulate the advances in the Soviet Bloc aircraft:' said Roy Cash, TOPGUN's skipper in 1981.
Efforts to obtain new adversary aircraft date back to the early 1980s under skipper Lonny McClung. McClung made trips to Northrop and General Dynamics to evaluate the F-5G (which became the F-20) and F-16, respectively, and was the first TOPGUN pilot to fly the F-16. Roy Cash, who followed McClung as TOPGUN CO, recalled one of his trips to NAS Ft. Worth to fly the F-16. "I went down to Carswell Field in Fort Worth to fly the F-16/79." Cash said he was accompanied by Adm. Paul Gilchrist, who at the time was commander at Naval Base San Diego. "I went down there and flew it against Adm. Gilchrist and one of my other instructors, Al Mullen, who went down there with us. Al took an F-5 down, and the admiral and I flew down in a Learjet or something, and so I got to fly the F-16, got my 9G pin, and got to beat up on the F-5. Obviously, we gave the F-16 a very good evaluation report. TOPGUN's evaluation of the F-16 continued under both of Cash's successors, Ernie Christensen and Chris "Boomer" Wilson. TOPGUN also considered Northrop's F-20 Tigershark, which the company had been promoting for foreign sales against the F-16/79. The F-20 represented a further advancement of the successful F-5E Tiger II and featured modern avionics, a more powerful engine (the GE-F404 used in the Hornet), and a more powerful and flexible radar. According to one TOPGUN instructor familiar with the issue, Northrop did not allow the TOPGUN staff to fly the F-20 prototype, instead limiting their access to the F-20 simulator.
However, it was Christensen who filed the actual mission-needs statement in early 1982, formally requesting that TOPGUN be permitted to purchase new adversary aircraft with fourth-generation capabilities. Although he had been to Fort Worth to fly the F-16 himself and was a supporter of the need to acquire more-advanced adversary aircraft, Christensen said a major point for him came during a visit to Tonopah to fly against the secret MiGs. Christensen recalled, "We were flying against the MiG-17, -19, and -21, and some of the MiG-23s, but there were MiG-23s and -25s out there that the Navy would be flying against in combat. These were third-generation Soviet aircraft. I thought, 'We can't just keep flying A-4s and F-5s as MiG-17, -19, and -21 simulators when we have MiG-23s and MiG-25s out there.' We had to find something else.'" And Christensen was right. "Supersonic aircraft represent 90 percent of the real-world threat. What we get must represent an accurate simulation of what we expect from the Soviets' RAM series (of aircraft) over the next decade, as well as the MiG-23."
In November 1984, Congress ordered the Navy and Air Force to study the use of a single aircraft to fill the adversary role for both services, which led TOPGUN to consider a modified version of the F-16 as well as Northrop's F-20 offering. In the end, the Navy selected the F-16N. Based on the Block 30 F-16C/D, the F-16N utilized the APG-66 radar from the F-16A/B and was powered by the General Electric F110-GE-100 engine. The aircraft's gun was removed to save on weight, and its wings were strengthened to allow carriage of an ACMI pod for use on the TACTS range. Christensen said of the F-16N, "We flew the F-16/79, which was a little bit underpowered. What TOPGUN got, the Viper, was a better version."
A small number of TOPGUN instructors began F-16N training in February 1987, undergoing a ten-week course at Luke AFB. Additional pilots went in March and April. Also in April, TOPGUN completed its internal F-16N FAM/TAC syllabus, which was designed to prepare its IUTs to fly and fight the F-16N. The F-16N FAM/TAC syllabus, which was similar to that used to train the IUTs on the A-4 and F-5, was given to the entire TOPGUN staff in September, as well as select pilots from VF-126. The first five F-16N aircraft arrived at Miramar in June 1987 (the first two on Jun. 17) and were painted in a light-gray and blue camo scheme factory paint job. The Vipers, as they were called by the staff, were immediately put to use, accumulating 65.9 hours in forty-four sorties that month and 1,531.8 hours and 1,348 sorties for the year. TOPGUN stood down for two months, effectively skipping Class 04-87, to accommodate F-16N training. Class 05-87, which ran from Sept. 14 through Oct. 16, was the first class fully supported by the F-16N. The first two dual-seat TF-16Ns arrived in April 1988. TOPGUN subsequently took over F-16N IUT training for all new instructors.
TOPGUN typically flew its Vipers with an AIM-9 Sidewinder captive-training round on the left wingtip and an ACMI pod on the right wingtip. The F-16N did not have wing pylons, which reduced both weight and drag. Although the aircraft could carry a single fuel tank on its centerline, most did not. However, this configuration was more commonplace for the two-place TF-16Ns, which carried roughly 1,200 pounds less fuel than the single-seat models. Not only did the F-16N allow TOPGUN to simulate current fourth-generation threats, it gave them the ability, in one aircraft, to simulate all the threats the school had envisioned, ranging from the Vietnam-era MiG-17 and MiG-21 to the MiG-23 to the current MiG-29 and Su-27. "The beauty of the F-16N was that it could simulate all of these threats well, if flown properly by the adversary pilot; wrote Paul Nickell in an article appeared on The War Zone. "To simulate the MiG-17 or a similar threat, we simply flew the F-16 full up, except we never used the afterburner. To simulate the MiG-21, we flew it full up, except we would select no more than zone 2 (zone 5 being the max) afterburner. To simulate the MiG-23, we flew the F-16N at the speed of heat and made no turns greater than about four g's. On top of that, we could simulate the fourth-generation Soviet fighters, the Su-27 and MiG-29, if we flew it full up, full burner and at any speed."
Instructor Mark "Pfunny" Pfundstein spoke of what the F-16N brought to TOPGUN in a 1987 Naval Aviation News article. "We never had the capability to chase down the F/A-18 and F-14 at low altitude. If we were two miles behind, dead six in the F-5, forget catching them." Pfundstein, who also flew the Israeli Kfir with VF-43 for two weeks a quarter as part of TOPGUN's adversary standardization mission, added, "The [Viper's] performance will make training more realistic, but the primary justification for having the F-16 is to be able to train against radar weapon control-equipped fighters capable of employing radar-guided missiles." Pfundstein, who was speaking in late summer of 1987 just as the F-16s were being put to work in the TOPGUN Power Projection course syllabus, concluded, "Fighter readiness should improve because we are training against the worst-case threat."
TOPGUN: The Legacy: The Complete History of TOPGUN and Its Impact on Tactical Aviation is published by Schiffer Publishing and is available to order here.
Photo credit: U.S. Navy
This print is available in multiple sizes from AircraftProfilePrints.com – CLICK HERE TO GET YOURS. F-16C Fighting Falcon 57th WG, 64th AGRS, WA/83-1159 / 2016
USAF F-15C pilot who became TOPGUN instructor explains how he helped the Navy's Fighter Weapons School to develop tactics to counter the MiG-23 Flogger
Remembering the F-16N Viper, the best adversary fighter jet ever flown by the US Navy
In 1970s Israeli pilots who would have led Operation Opera went to TOPGUN and taught instructors tactics for F-4 versus MiG-21 and One versus Many


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Saint-Germain-du-Plain  es una población y comuna francesa, en la región de Borgoña, departamento de Saona y Loira, en el distrito de Chalon-sur-Saône y cantón de Saint-Germain-du-Plain.

Demografía

Enlaces externos
 INSEE

Saint Germain Plain


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Anton Friedrich Spring (auch Antoine Frédéric Spring; * 8. April 1814 in Gerolsbach bei Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm; † 17. Januar 1872 in Lüttich) war ein im Königreich Bayern geborener und aufgewachsener Botaniker, Mediziner und Naturwissenschaftler, der 1864 die belgische Nationalität annahm. Sein botanisches Autorenkürzel lautet "".

Leben
Anton Friedrich Spring war der Sohn des Gerolsbacher Schullehrers Xaver Spring. Er besuchte zur gleichen Zeit wie Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte das Gymnasium bei St. Anna in Augsburg, war vielseitig begabt und komponierte bereits im Alter von 14 Jahren eine Messe, die 1828 im Augsburger Dom uraufgeführt wurde.

Er studierte zunächst Naturwissenschaften und Philosophie sowie danach Humanmedizin an der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in München und wurde 1835 mit einer im Nachgang als Dissertation anerkannten und unter dem Motto "Natura infinita est; sed qui symbola animadverterit,
omnia intelliget" stehenden Preisschrift Ueber die naturhistorischen Begriffe von Gattung, Art und Abart und über die Ursachen der Abartungen in den organischen Reichen zum Dr. phil. und mit seiner medizinischen Dissertation De diversis Pneumophtiseos Speciebus 1836 zum Dr. med. promoviert. Anschließend wirkte er jeweils als Assistent am Botanischen Institut bei Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius und am Allgemeinen Krankenhaus bei Friedrich Carl von Loe. Anton Friedrich Spring verfolgte neben seinen wissenschaftlichen auch vielfältige musische und künstlerische Interessen. Er hatte den Ruf eines begnadeten Geigenvirtuosen und wurde oft zu häuslichen Konzerten eingeladen. In der Werkstatt des Bildhauers Ludwig Schwanthaler versuchte er sich im plastischen Gestalten und über seine Freundschaft mit dem Maler Wilhelm von Kaulbach erhielt er die Möglichkeit, sich im Atelier von Peter von Cornelius in der Freskomalerei zu üben.

Nach dem Tod von Friedrich Carl von Loe erhielt er ein Stipendium der bayerischen Regierung zur wissenschaftlichen Fortbildung in Paris und hospitierte in mehreren Krankenhäusern, am Collège de France sowie im Muséum d'histoire naturelle.

Im Jahr 1839 wurde Anton Friedrich Spring als Nachfolger des verstorbenen Mediziners Leroy auf den Lehrstuhl für Physiologie und Allgemeine Pathologie an der Universität Lüttich berufen, erhielt 1846 den Vorsitz des Conseil de salubrité publique de la province de Liège und leitete von 1861 bis 1864 die Universität Lüttich als Rector magnificus. Antoine Frédéric Spring verstarb überraschend am 17. Januar 1872 in Lüttich an den Folgen einer Lungenentzündung.

Als Botaniker lag sein Schwerpunkt auf der Bearbeitung der Bärlappgewächse und der Moosfarne. Er ist unter anderem Erstbeschreiber bzw. auch einer der wesentlichen Bearbeiter des Moosfarngewächses Selaginella denticulata ()  1838, des Schweizer Moosfarns Selaginella helvetica ()  sowie der Unechten Rose von Jericho Selaginella lepidophylla ( & ) .

Sein Herbarium ist heute Bestandteil des Herbariums der Universität Lüttich.

Im Jahr 1855 wurde er als Josef Anton Spring auswärtiges Mitglied der Bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften und am 2. November 1864 wurde Anton Friedrich Spring unter der Präsidentschaft des Mediziners Carl Gustav Carus mit dem akademischen Beinamen Heraclides unter der Matrikel-Nr. 2040 als Mitglied in die Kaiserliche Leopoldino-Carolinische Deutsche Akademie der Naturforscher aufgenommen. Er war weiterhin Mitglied der Académie royale des Sciences, des Lettres et des Beaux-Arts de Belgique und der Regensburgischen Botanischen Gesellschaft.

Er war seit 1840 mit Suzanne Élisabeth, geborene Wagner, einer Nichte von Johann Nepomuk von Ringseis verheiratet. Das Ehepaar hatte einen Sohn, den Chemiker Walther Victor Spring (1848–1911), und zwei Töchter.

Schriften
 Ueber die naturhistorischen Begriffe von Gattung, Art und Abart und über die Ursachen der Abartungen in den organischen Reichen. Eine Preisschrift. Fleischer, Leipzig 1838 (Digitalisat)
 Ueber Ursprung, Wesen und Verbreitung der wandernden Cholera. Mit Beziehungen auf die Epidemie in München 1836/37. Fleischmann, München 1837 (Digitalisat)
 De diversis Pneumophtiseos Speciebus. Poessenbacheri, Monachii 1838 (Digitalisat)
 Monographie de la famille des Lycopodiacées. M. Hayez en commission chez C. Muquardt, Bruxelles 1842–1849 (Digitalisat)

Literatur
 Armin Geus: Natura infinita est – Artbegriff und Artenwandel bei A. F. Spring. In: Ilse Jahn und Andreas Wessel (Hrsg.): Für eine Philosophie der Biologie — For a Philosophy of Biology. Festschrift to the 75th Birthday of Rolf Löther. Berliner Studien zur Wissenschaftsphilosophie & Humanontogenetik, 26, Kleine, München 2010, S. 17–34

 Franz von Kobell: Joseph Anton Spring. In: Sitzungsberichte der Bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, München 1872, S. 100–101 (Digitalisat)
 Theodor Schwann: Notice sur Frédéric-Antoine Spring. In: Annuaire de l'Académie royale des sciences, des lettres et des beaux-arts de Belgique, Bruxelles 1874, S. 251–290 (Digitalisat)

Weblinks
 Mitgliedseintrag von Anton Spring bei der Deutschen Akademie der Naturforscher Leopoldina

 CERL Thesaurus: Spring, Anton
 CERL Thesaurus: Spring, Antoine

 Spring, Anton (1814–1872)  im Kalliope-Verbund

Anmerkungen und Einzelnachweise

Botaniker (19. Jahrhundert)
Mediziner (19. Jahrhundert)
Hochschullehrer (Universität Lüttich)
Mitglied der Bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften
Mitglied der Königlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften und Schönen Künste von Belgien
Mitglied der Leopoldina (19. Jahrhundert)
Mitglied der Regensburgischen Botanischen Gesellschaft
Belgier
Geboren 1814
Gestorben 1872
Mann


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Women in Food: Leanne Brown Pens Free Cookbook for 44 Million Food Stamp Recipients
June 14, 2016 | Kate Edwards
Leanne Brown, author of 'Good and Cheap: Eat Well on $4/Day,' a cookbook for the roughly 44 million Americans who receive SNAP benefits. Photo credit : Jordan Matter.
While it may have the eye-catching photography typical of most fancy cookbooks, Good and Cheap: Eat Well on $4/Day, is a cookbook for the roughly 44 million Americans, (according to current USDA data) who receive SNAP benefits.
The cookbook is the brainchild of Leanne Brown, who was working toward her master's degree in Food Studies at New York University and decided that she didn't want to write "[J]ust another paper that would just be of interest to academics, but something that could be more widely applied and that would be of use to a lot of the people that I was working with."
Having studied the issues faced by food stamp, or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), recipients, Brown elected to write a cookbook for her master's thesis intended for those whose food budget is dictated by their monthly $126 per person SNAP benefits. It features recipes that are healthy, flavorful and easier to prepare than the complicated and ingredient-heavy dishes usually found in books of this genre.
They are also very adaptable. Brown is well aware of seasonal and regional fluctuations in food costs, so she writes her recipes to allow for a broad range of ingredient substitutions. As she notes, "The reality is that food costs are so vastly different in different parts of the country–it is more expensive to buy food in New York than in rural Kansas." Because of this, the Good and Cheap recipes are tailor-made for ingredient swapping, especially fruits and vegetables, to take advantage of local availability, price, and even regional taste.
Appropriately, Good and Cheap is free via download from Brown's website. As she notes, "It's a cookbook for people living on food stamps and so that obviously means there's no room in the budget to purchase a cookbook." Also popular with students, seniors on limited incomes and anyone trying to stretch their food dollars, the book was an instant hit. It generated so much interest that Brown started a crowd-funding campaign to pay for a print run to get it out to a wider audience.
The campaign was set up on a buy one, get one donated system, and the original goal was $10,000. However, there was so much participation from people wanting to help out that the final tally came to just under $145,000. It also yielded a publisher, Workman Publishing, for the book. This came as a real surprise to Brown. As she relates, "When I first started hearing from publishers, I said, 'Umm, what are you guys doing? You know I'm giving away books for free, right? That's not your business model!" However, they liked what they saw, and the book is now available as a 'buy one, one will be donated' purchase through outlets such as Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
While Brown is proud of the book's popularity and success, she is also happy that it has created conversations around the food security and access issues faced by low income Americans. She notes that the prevalence of people needing financial assistance to buy their food is something that is rarely discussed openly—even by recipients themselves. She says, "It is just not a thing that people talk about because there is this overwhelming sense, which is utterly unfair and unfounded, that it's your fault that this has happened."
The success of the crowd-funding campaign taught Brown that people do care about the issue. As she says, "This is something that anyone wants to stand for, but it is such a hidden problem even though it is so prevalent." To get America's hunger and food insecurity issues front and center, she would like the media to "tell the stories of normal people, of the millions of millions of people who are living with these issues, rather than just sort of, 'Oh, you know, a celebrity is taking a SNAP challenge' or whatever." While saying that such stories are newsworthy in their own right, she says, "It would be actually be more interesting to hear about the family of four where someone has been laid off and someone else got sick and here's what we are dealing with. Those are sort of the stories that are incredibly interesting. There are stories to tell that are so important."
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1st Corinthians 13:4-8, "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres. Love never fails."
Brides and grooms often overlook the importance of the person actually conducting their wedding ceremony. They place great care in a place, date, and time, but do not consider that the ceremony will not go forward without an officiant.
The person you choose to conduct your ceremony is the person you are counting on to share your vision, personalize your vows, and finalize your special day. This industry often goes unchecked because a lot of officiants are ministers and Justices of the Peace, which people simply assume are always professionals. The truth is, while the vast majority are, some can have questionable reputations in the industry just like any other business. The stories of showing up late or not at all, answering cell phones during the ceremony, refusing to customize your ceremony and vows, getting your names wrong, or countless other mistakes are endless and an absolute nightmare for any bride and groom.
Before you book your officiant, know what to ask and what to expect for your money. Officiant fees can vary between $150.00 to $450.00 so make certain you know what you are getting. A higher price does not always mean a better officiant so be prepared when you interview them. Once you have established a date, time and place for your wedding, it's time to look for a wedding officiant. Start looking early as the best officiants, like the best vendors, tend to get booked quickly. See how much "control" your officiant allows you over your ceremony. Does your officiant insist on a religious ceremony? Are you getting a "fixed text" wedding -- that is, a "word for word" style ceremony that is read for every couple? How much choice are you given in putting together your ceremony? Will your officiant help with advice in writing your own vows? In giving you suggestions for readings and ceremony ideas?
An officiant should have no problem giving you references. If they do, don't walk...run away! An officiant should always return your calls, answer your e-mails, and be available to you for all your needs. They should also be at your ceremony early to go over things and make sure there are no problems. Ask what will happen if your officiant has an emergency on your special day. Do they have a replacement? Who is this person and will they be able to step in at the last minute if need be?
Your payment is probably non-refundable so make certain you get your questions answered and feel comfortable that your officiant shares your dream of the perfect ceremony.
Finally, did you know you can get married at the airport, in a park, your favorite restaurant, in a skating rink, the top floor of a building that overlooks the city, or anywhere else you desire? Well you can. So consider what your day means to you and follow your dream!
Stress. It seems to be something that can eat away at all of us. It's how you handle the stress that matters and that's one thing I hear from all the couples I shoot.
"Tim, you kept us on the up and up at times when we were really heading down."
Or, another time when I got, "Tim, you took all of the worries and concerns away and let us enjoy what was ours, the day."
I guess it was then that I began to realize just how much stress couples go through. Did I go through that same stress on my wedding day? I don't recall, but I do know it was a great day. So as your day gets closer, don't let the worries or concerns bring an extra weight to your shoulder. Try not to put to much time emphasis on certain aspects of your day. It will all happen and chances are pretty good it will not begin to happen until you're there anyway.
Take a couple minutes to take it all in. From waking up through the reception. Just take it in. Don't worry if the limo arrives somewhere around 10 minutes late, or if the sun is out or not. It just happens that so much of your day is out of your control, so stop and ask yourself, "why do I have to control this?" The answer, you don't.
Let your day unfold and realize that it will be beautiful no matter what the weather, no matter what happened to the dress or maybe just a necklace. Don't worry if you're 10 minutes late to the ceremony, it's your day! Why should you worry or stress at all? YOU SHOULDN'T!
So you've done what you can do, let everyone else worry for you now. It will all be beautiful. But don't forget to stop and take that beauty in. I recently had a bride that decided a videographer was something she didn't need only to later say, "oh my god, I didn't see this or that".
I'm not saying to hire a videographer. What I am saying is to just stop. Go into a corner and look around. Look at all the smiling faces, the tears, the laughter and all the little things you put time into. Look at it all and take it in, hold it near and know that this day, YOUR DAY, is a beautiful thing!
David Smothers and Toni Smothers are both ordained Ministers - Dedicated to serving out GOD in any way they can .
Chose male or female Officiant.
Pool side weddings at my home for small wedding parties.
David was very professional, on time, and helped in every way he could. He was very patient with us as we kept changing our vows. I would highly recommend him to be your officiate for your special day.
My experience was amazing. I would recommend him for anyone Who is getting married. He definitely went above and beyond with helping me and dealing with my constant changes. I doubt you'll find a better price than his as well.
David did an excellent job for my marriage. Very easy to get along with and very helpful.
I highly recommend David Smothers to preform your wedding. Great communication throughout the process. He arrived early and was extremely patient while our friends and family arrived and gathered for our special day. David is professional and a pleasure to be around.