Twitter revs up speed with improvements

19 hrs.

Suzanne Choney

Can't get your Twitter fix fast enough? Maybe now you can; the short messaging site says it has sped up page load times so that the microblogging service is even more nimble.

You can see for yourself if you notice a difference (I did), and?get a detailed explanation of what steps were taken,?on?Twitter's blog.?

In short ? and to be quick (like Twitter)?? engineering manager Dan Webb (what a lucky name!) writes:

To improve the twitter.com experience for everyone, we've been working to take back control of our front-end performance by moving the rendering to the server. This has allowed us to drop our initial page load times to 1/5th of what they were previously and reduce differences in performance across browsers.

There are other improvements, as well, from inside the Twitter machine:

Now that we?re delivering page content faster, the next step is to ensure that our JavaScript is loaded and the application is interactive as soon as possible. To do that, we need to minimize the amount of JavaScript we use: smaller payload over the wire, fewer lines of code to parse, faster to execute. To make sure we only download the JavaScript necessary for the page to work, we needed to get a firm grip on our dependencies.

The changes are welcome; as Webb noted, the last major speed improvements were made in September 2010 ? many billions of tweets ago.

Check out Technolog, Gadgetbox, Digital Life and In-Game on?Facebook,?and on Twitter, follow Suzanne Choney.

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Tolkien's Advice About Relationships: Writing Real Romance ...

J.R.R. Tolkien and his wife Edith.

J.R.R. Tolkien had three sons and one daughter, and in a letter to his son Michael he discusses his views on women?s issues, marriage and the truth about men in relationships. ?In this letter written in March 1941, Tolkien is very explicit, and very wise on the subject.

As a writer, we can glean from his ideas the truth about relationships and challenge ourselves to write romantic stories that are more realistic and much more complex in nature.

1. ?Chivalry is Fantasy ? Tolkien writes: ?There is in our Western culture the romantic chivalric tradition still strong, though as a product of Christendom (yet by no means the same as Christian ethics) the times are inimical to it. ?It idealizes ?love? ? and as far as it goes can be very good, since it takes in far more than physical pleasure, and enjoins if not purity, at least fidelity, and so self-denial, ?service?, courtesy, honor, and courage? This is, of course, false and at best make-believe? (p. 48-49). ?Tolkien believes that this type of love is best kept to the fantasy of fiction and is not possible in the real world. ?It works great to make lovers swoon, and it is nice to dream about it, but he says that chivalric love makes a man forget a woman?s desires by placing her on a pedestal, idealizing her until she is not real. ??It takes, or at any rate has in the past taken, the young man?s eye off women as they are, as companions in shipwreck not guiding stars? (p. 49). ?It is the idealized woman on the cover of Cosmo who is airbrushed until she is a Barbie doll. ?Lately, as in the case of the?Twilight novels, this ideal is reversed so that the female places the male on the pedestal. ?Edward is the perfect guy who does not exist. ?Tolkien says that what this does is ?make young folk look for a ?love? that will keep them always nice and warm in a cold world, without any effort of theirs; and the incurably romantic go on looking even in the squalor of the divorce courts? (p. 49). ?It can only lead to disaster. ?Should our fiction teach our young the truth or lead them down a path of fantasy that destroys any hope of a true relationship in the future? ?I say tell the truth.

2. ?Observations About Women ? Tolkien writes: ?The sexual impulse makes women (naturally when unspoiled more unselfish) very sympathetic and understanding, or especially desirous of being so (or seeming so), and very ready to enter into all the interests, as far as they can, from ties to religion, of the young man they are attracted to? Under this impulse they can in fact often achieve very remarkable insight and understanding, even of things otherwise outside their natural range; for it is their gift to be receptive, stimulated, fertilized (in many other matters than the physical) by the male?It is their natural avenue to love? (p. 49). ?According to Tolkien, women are unique from men in that they have the innate ability to love regardless of the situation or how many times they have been hurt by the one they love. ?They are more forgiving than men in this regard, and it is in their nature to not strike back and that women only do so because the men in their lives have warped this natural nature. ?He says that ?women who are flighty, or even plain wanton ? I don?t refer to mere flirtatiousness, the sparring practice for the real combat, but to women who are too silly to take even love seriously, or are actually so depraved as to enjoy ?conquests?, or even enjoy the giving of pain ? but these are abnormalities, even though false teaching, bad upbringing, and corrupt fashions may encourage them? (p. 50). ?He does not blame the woman for her ?unnatural? behavior, but her surroundings. ?Women naturally love.

3. ?Tolkien as Feminist ? The most interesting thing he has to say about women is this: ?A young woman, even one ?economically independent? as they say now (it usually really means economic subservience to male commercial employers instead of to a father or a family), begins to think of the ?bottom drawer? and dream of a home, almost at once. ?If she really falls in love, the shipwreck may end on the rocks. ?Anyway, women are much less romantic and much more practical?They do not want a guiding star. ?They may idealize a plain young man into a hero; but they do not really need any such glamour either to fall in love or remain in it. ?It they have any delusion it is that they can ?reform? men? (p. 50). ?The first idea is feminist in that it shows that he sees women who are successful in the business world as still working in a patriarchal society according to the roles that men have defined for them. ?He seems to use a disdainful tone toward women?s roles being defined by the men in a male dominated society.

4. ?Observations About Men ? Tolkien writes: ?No man, however truly he loved his betrothed as bride as a young man, has lived faithful to her as a wife in mind and body without deliberate conscious exercise of the?will, without self-denial? When the glamour wears off, or merely works a bit thin, they think they have made a mistake, and that the real soul-mate is still to find. ?The real soul-mate too often proves to be the next sexually attractive person that comes along? (p. 51). ?Men are driven by one thing (and we all know what that is) and it is a struggle for a man to stay with one woman his entire life. ?I can say that from experience it is the love for my wife as a person that has kept me with her these 14 years. ?I suppose there is a little of the chivalric within me, but the reason I stay faithful to my wife and fight the natural desire of looking at other women is because she and I have formed not just a relationship of lovers but a relationship along the nature of what a best friend would be. ?It is no wonder that so many marriages end in divorce. ?Men are naturally prone to wander. ?Tolkien continues: ?Only a?very wise man at the?end of his life could make a sound judgement concerning whom, amongst the total possible chances, he ought most profitably have married! ?Nearly all marriages, even happy ones, are mistakes; in the sense that almost certainly (in a more perfect world, or even with a little more care in this very imperfect one) both partners might have found more suitable mates. ?But the ?real soul-mate? is the one you are actually married to? (p. 51). ?Men need to realize that the person they married is indeed someone who is perfect for them if the reasons they married them are pure and not merely sexual. ?The problem with marriage today is that people do not marry their best friend, but their best sex partner. ?If we all married our best friend, our marriages would work out much better.

5. ?Real Relationships Hurt ? There is an element of risk in any relationship, but our society has put padding on all things that could hurt us, and so we automatically think that our relationships should be the same. ?Tolkien writes: ??the truly great and splendid in this fallen world is more nearly achieved by ?failure? and suffering? (p. 52). ?We have as our guides only ?prudence, wisdom (rare in youth, too late in age), a clean heart, and fidelity of?will? (p. 52). ?I cannot count the times that my wife and I have had difficult moments in our relationship of 15 years. ?We always manage to work it out. ?If our relationship was purely sexual, it would have died out a long time ago. ?I love my wife because she loves me and cares deeply about me. ?I love my wife because she is at the core my best friend on this earth. ?The things that have been struggles for us have indeed made us stronger. ?We do not hold grudges, do not let the sun go down until we have made up, and try our best to forgive one another when we fall down.

What this means for writers:? Good relationships in fiction, relationships that will make readers want to read on, are relationships that understand the true nature of men and women, sprinkled with an element of romance (enough to make it interesting yet not unrealistic) and will have an aspect of pain and discomfort that will be that much more wonderful when those in the relationship figure out how to make it work, how to forgive one another, and how to work together. ?If we steer ourselves away from the desire as writers to please our audiences with nonsense fantasy relationships in favor of what is really necessary in the real world for these connections to work, we will not only be telling the truth, but we will be doing our world a service as well.

All quotations taken from:

Carpenter, Humphrey, ed.?The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien. 1st ed. Massachusetts: George Allen & Unwin, 1981. Print.

More of ?Tolkien?s Tips?:

Tolkien?s 5 Tips for Writing to an Audience

Tolkien?s Tips for Creating Complex Heroes

Tolkien?s Tips for Creating Epic Heroes

Tolkien?s 10 Tips for Writers

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Russian security firm spots cyber supervirus that tops Stuxnet

Russian Internet security firm Kaspersky Labs says the complexity and targets of the virus ? which is infecting computers in Iran and elsewhere in the Middle East ? imply its creator is a government.

By Fred Weir,?Correspondent / May 29, 2012

In this January 2011 file photo, Iranian journalism students use computers in an internet cafe in central Tehran, Iran. A new supervirus, which the Russian Internet security firm Kaspersky Labs discovered and named 'Flame,' designed to scoop up secret information like an 'industrial vacuum cleaner' is infecting computers in Iran and elsewhere in the Middle East.

Vahid Salemi/AP

Enlarge

A computer virus designed to scoop up secret information like an "industrial vacuum cleaner" is infecting computers in Iran and elsewhere in the Middle East, according to the Russian Internet security firm Kaspersky Labs.

Skip to next paragraph Fred Weir

Correspondent

Fred Weir has been the Monitor's Moscow correspondent, covering Russia and the former Soviet Union, since 1998.?

Recent posts

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The new supervirus, which Kaspersky discovered and named "Flame," is one of the most complex items of malicious software ever conceived ? many times more sophisticated than the notorious Stuxnet worm ? and could well be a purposeful "cyberweapon" directed against Iran, the firm said?in a statement?late yesterday.

Flame is "actively being used as a cyberweapon attacking entities in several countries," Kaspersky said in a statement. It is "one of the most advanced and complete attack-toolkits ever discovered.? The complexity and functionality of the newly discovered malicious program exceed those of all other cyber menaces known to date."

According to Kaspersky, the majority of infected computers are in Iran, followed by the Palestinian territories, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. It said the virus has probably been active for at least two years, but has not been detected until now due to its "extreme complexity."

"Over recent years the danger of military operations in Cyberspace has been one of the most serious issues of information safety," Yevgeny Kaspersky, the firm's director, is quoted as saying in the statement. "Stuxnet and Duqu were parts of one circuit of cyber attacks; their application raised concerns of a potential unleashing of global cyber war. Harmful Flame, most likely, is next stage of that war. It is important to understand, that this cyberweapon can be easily turned against any state."

The firm said it found the virus accidentally, after it was hired by the United Nations?International Telecommunications Agency to trace the source of unexplained glitches and deletions of sensitive information in the agency's Middle East operations. A spokesman for Kaspersky told journalists yesterday that the virus's creator "remains unknown"; but it is probably a government, not only because of its huge size and complexity, but also because it does not appear to be designed to steal bank account information or perform the sorts of tasks usually set by private criminal hackers.

Stuxnet, which reportedly?wreaked havoc on Iran's nuclear program, was designed to disrupt and destroy sensitive industrial systems. The new virus, which Kaspersky admits it does not yet fully understand, appears to evade detection, bury itself deeply, and continue siphoning off vital data for years.

Iran's official Maher Labs, a division of Iran's telecommunications ministry,?said on its website today?that "tools to recognize and clean this malware have been developed and, as of today, they will be available for those [Iranian] organizations and companies who want it."

Among the key characteristics of the virus, Maher said, are "distribution via removable medias and local networks, network sniffing, detecting network resources and collecting lists of vulnerable passwords, scanning the disk of infected system looking for specific extensions and contents, creating series of user?s screen captures when some specific processes or windows are active, transferring saved data to control servers, and bypassing tens of known antiviruses, anti malware and other security software."

The virus can infect computers running any Windows-based operating system, it said.

"We can clean this virus now, but we are still analyzing and discovering what it's capable of," says Vitaly Kamluk, chief malware expert at Kaspersky. "It took years to detect and understand Duqu and Stuxnet. These were highly profesional tools that evaded us for a long time. Flame is the newest, but there's no doubt that worse things may be out there. You can count on it."

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Top Pools Builder in Dallas | Lilola Design

There are many homeowners demand for owning a swimming pool at their home. However, the availability of space may make them think twice about this home improvement project. Besides that, the improper building will create unpleasant experiences. If space is not a big deal, the design of the poll may be another priority.

Whatever it is, having professional constructors is an important thing to consider.?Poolsdallas.net is the place where you will find service of?pools dallas?building. They have more reliable materials. They choose ACP rather than gunnite. It is stronger. Besides that the maintenance is also easy. With the high quality materials chosen, dealing with the top pool builder in Dallas is worth for your most expected investment. The installed pump will be chosen based on the type and size of the pool. There are also other features that will be set perfectly, including the LED lighting and plumbing appliances.

Just feel free for requesting the quote in order to get the estimate price for the demanded pool design and features.?The swimming pool is not only a special place where you can swim. The unique of overall design will make it as accessible recreational spot at home. Take a view their catalog to see the examples.

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Single-Family Home with Attached Studio Available in Kailua ...

May 29, 2012 by admin Leave a reply ?

Kailua is full of charming single-family homes, and all of them offer up a unique style and flavor for a potential buyer. This particular listing is a quaint single-family home available in Kailua. With a nice piece of living space, and an attached studio with its own entrance, this quaint little single-family home is definitely a must see for any potential homebuyers.

MLS# 1204600

Located at 364 Manono Street in Kailua, this 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom single0family home has almost 1,00 square feet of living space and also has an attached studio that has its own private entrance.

This single-family home is perfect for a small family, or someone who is looking to rent out the studio or use it as a home office. The home itself sits on almost 6,000 square feet of land, so you are getting a nice sized parcel of land with the purchase as well.

The lawn is completely landscaped and the home is in a very private setting. You can rest secure knowing that your family will be safe in this excellent setting. One of the best things about this single-family home in Kailua is the very large decks that are attached to the home. Perfect for lounging with the family or entertaining friends, these decks are absolutely beautiful.

If you are on the market for a quant and cozy single=family home, then this listing is definitely a great place to start. With all the comforts and amenities of Kailua around you, this home is the perfect place to set up shop and enjoy life on the windward side of Oahu.

Take this opportunity to view this listing and many other great listings that are available in the Kailua area of windward Oahu. With single-family homes and condos available, you never know what type of deal you may find.

View more Kailua homes today!

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Frank Mir vs Junior dos Santos Fight Video

Frank Mir and Junior Dos Santos squared off last night in Las Vegas for the UFC heavyweight title. One man would leave the MGM Grand as the champ while the other would have to start over in his quest for the belt. Did the former champ climb back to the top of the mountain or was the popular Brazilian able to defeat Mir with his heavy hands? Check out the fight below.

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A Guide to Basic Etiquette When Using a Chauffeur ... - Toronto Limo

Last updated 1 day 8 hours ago

Whether you are using a wedding limo, prom limousine services, or just getting a ride to the airport, proper etiquette will make the journey more enjoyable for everyone. Make the effort to be polite and personable to get the most out of your limo ride. Before you slide into the vehicle, brush up on your limousine etiquette to enhance your overall experience:

• Include a Tip
  A limo service combines a luxury vehicle with the highest quality customer service. Show your chauffeur your appreciation by including a tip with your ride. A fair tip is generally anywhere between 10% 15%. If you really enjoyed your experience, though, show your gratitude with a larger tip.
• Use Restraint When Drinking
  It is okay to enjoy some of the beverages provided in the limo, just try not to consume too much. Even though the chauffeur handles the driving for you, it is impolite to drink too much during the course of your limo ride. Take it easy when drinking so you and the driver can have an enjoyable evening.
• Do Not Overfill the Vehicle
  Whether you are traveling in a private or a corporate limo, it is important to avoid inviting too many passengers into your car. Overfilling the vehicle makes it more dangerous to drive. Do not put yourself, your fellow passengers, and your driver at risk of a traffic accident. Adhering to passenger suggestions will give you more space inside the limo and decrease your chances of getting into an accident.

Whether you need leisure or corporate limo services, 5 Star Limousine has Toronto?s transportation covered. It is our pleasure to bring you luxury vehicles and the best chauffeurs in the industry. We offer services for weddings, proms, business events, and all of your other transportation needs. For more information, visit us online or call (647) 955-7169.

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Picture Dictionary Replaces Definitions With the First Image Returned From a Google Search [Video]

It won't help you improve your vocabulary, but Ben West and Felix Heyes' Google dictionary will keep you up to speed on internet fads and memes. That's because instead of definitions, the book's pages are populated with Google Image search results. More »

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All Maryland NCAA lacrosse final as Maryland tops Duke, 16-10

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. ??

? Monday's NCAA tournament final will be an all-Maryland affair.

The Maryland men's lacrosse team punched its ticket to the national title game with a 16-10 thumping of No. 3 seed Duke on Saturday evening before an announced 31,774 at Gillette Stadium.

The Terps, who advanced to the tournament final as an unseeded team for the second consecutive season, will meet No. 1 seed Loyola at 1 p.m. Monday. The Greyhounds (17-1) outlasted No. 4 seed Notre Dame, 7-5, earlier in the day.
Monday's title game will feature two teams from Maryland for the first time since 1979 when Johns Hopkins defeated the Terps, 15-9. Loyola will play for its first championship since 1990 when it lost to Syracuse, 21-9. Maryland, which won NCAA crowns in 1973 and 1975, fell to Virginia, 9-7, last year.

For the second straight year, Maryland ? which improved to 12-5 ? beat the Blue Devils in the national semifinal round. Almost a year ago, the Terps defeated Duke, 9-4, at M&T Bank Stadium.

Junior midfielder Kevin Cooper paced Maryland with one goal and four assists. Senior midfielder Drew Snider scored four times ? his third hat trick in three NCAA tournament games this spring, and senior attackman Joe Cummings added one goal and three assists.

Shooting efficiency was a huge factor in the Terps' victory. They scored four goals on five shots in the second quarter and 16 goals on just 29 shots for the contest.

?I just think we were finding each other in good spots on the field,? said Snider, who has scored 10 goals in the tournament. ?We all felt really comfortable with our offensive game plan. I thought we were very organized.?

Coach John Tillman said the players have the green light to shoot with the caveat that they have to make smart decisions and also consider whether they might be putting the defense at risk if that unit had to defend a long possession.

?If you feel like you have an opportunity, go,? Tillman said. ?We can't win if guys are worried about me yanking them or yelling at them. So I think players need to play, and we give them good guidance all week.?

The Terps, who also earned a berth in the tournament final in 1997, never trailed against the Blue Devils, who never got closer than one goal with 27.5 seconds left in the first quarter.

After Maryland scored the first two goals of the third quarter to take a 9-4 advantage, Duke went on a 4-1 run to trim the deficit to 10-8 with 13:34 left in the fourth period. But the Terps scored six straight goals to cement the outcome.

Duke (15-5) was led by senior midfielder Justin Turri, who posted two goals and one assist. But Wolf, who entered the game leading the team in both assists (31) and points (63), was limited to two assists by freshman defenseman Goran Murray. Wolf had not scored a goal against Maryland in the teams' previous two meetings this season.

Blue Devils coach John Danowski said he sensed a wave of confidence from the Terps bench that his team couldn't match.

?I thought they were much more confident than we were,? he said. ?I thought that it was very different, and we know that. Maryland kids are tough and rugged young men and very confident. And I thought our guys backed down a little bit at times and were not as confident as they've been. But again, [that's] perhaps due to how well Maryland was playing.?

edward.lee@baltsun.com

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Business_link.html | Croatia Traveller

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Military-style charter school moving to Goshen

SPRINGFIELD ? Goshen School, closed last year by a district facing severe financial constraints, will open to students again next fall.

The Springfield School Board voted this week to accept the Willamette Leadership Academy as a district charter school, citing its 10-year history, sound finances and success with educating otherwise struggling students.

The middle and high school academy is located southeast of Veneta and is under contract with the Fern Ridge School District. It serves almost 180 students.

Oregon?s charter school laws require such schools to affiliate with sponsoring districts, which receive a small percentage of state school funding for overseeing some aspects of charter school operations.

The Springfield board, which had earlier this year denied a charter school request from parents dismayed by the closure of Mohawk Valley Elementary School, was more enthusiastic about the long-established academy, which has a track record of educating students who are struggling in more traditional school settings.

The school?s financial house was also in order, with cash assets of $390,000, according to a Springfield review of the academy?s books.

Willamette uses a military model in educating its students, who wear uniforms, do military formation drills and who have a teacher and an aide in the classroom whose job is to maintain order.

During public hearings earlier this year, the Springfield board heard from several academy students who described in glowing terms how the more disciplined atmosphere at the school helped them build their self-esteem as well as their grade point averages.

The academy is housed in a former elementary school that it has outgrown, academy board Chairwoman Sandra Blain said. Moving to Goshen will allow the school to accept more students. It has a waiting list of 114, she said.

Going to Goshen will let the academy add 74 students and increase its employee count to about 36, from 30, Blain said.

The move will also allow the charter school to expand hands-on learning opportunities such as construction, small-engine repair and early childhood development classes. Goshen?s proximity to Lane Community College will make it easier for some students also to take LCC courses, she said.

The new location makes the school more accessible to its students living in Cottage Grove and Creswell, Blain said.

The school is in Goshen, at the community?s Interstate 5 interchange.

Almost 60 academy students live in Springfield.

In coming weeks, the academy and the district will hammer out the details of the new charter contract, which will then go to the state Department of Education for approval.

Blain said the academy has 180 days left in its charter contract with the Fern Ridge district, which will require the academy to pay rent on the building the school occupies.

No date has been set for moving to Goshen, she said.

Neither the district nor the academy would go into detail about their financial arrangements, which have yet to be hammered out, but at Thursday?s board meeting Springfield?s director of secondary instruction, Matt Coleman, noted that the academy may be in a position to buy the building.

At that same meeting, the Springfield board declared the Goshen School surplus property to be sold. It also named a real estate agent to do the deal.

The board hired Cushman & Wakefield of Oregon. Cushman & Wakefield is a global real estate firm with offices in Portland. Board members said the firm was chosen for its expertise in public buildings.

The county has pegged the property?s market value at $3 million.

The Goshen School, constructed in 1949, sits on an 8.32-acre site on B Street in Goshen. In 2003, fire destroyed the school gym and cafeteria, but they have since been rebuilt and are in beautiful condition, Blain said.

?The school is in quite good shape,? she said.

Among the first things the academy plans to do is reach out to people living in the Goshen area to introduce people to the school, Blain said.

The students have a record of volunteerism, from offering color guards at events to cleanup work after windstorms and floods, Blain said.

?We want to make ourselves acquainted and let people know we do community service,? she said.

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Windies recover as England stall in second Test

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Aid Oneself With Some Home Improvement Suggestions | Burberry ...

You think you already know all this about home remodeling? Do you know what you will be carrying out in relation to appropriately producing improvements? The following advice will help also a home improvement junkie turn out to be much better at their create.
A whole new door could improve significantly value of your own home, often up to 10 %. It is possible to individualize your door with new knobs or tresses, which can be reasonably low-cost. There are many possibilities so far as coatings and designs.
Make sure you possess the products you require before getting started on a whole new task. This consists of wearing a tough cap when doing work about probable sliding physical objects and using a back utilize for weightlifting.
Consulting a realtor can be an outstanding strategy to ascertain which home improvements might be best when it comes to incorporating benefit to your property. Because they wheel and provide homes they tend to learn their stuff.
Consulting an agent is surely an superb approach to establish which home improvements might be best when it comes to introducing worth to your property. Brokers determine what functions men and women want and ways to increase value for your money when redecorating or updating.
Equilibrium your ceiling fan rotor blades. Get rid of bothersome or annoying sounds. Often a wobbly or loud ceiling fan basically needs an oiling along with a tightening up of anchoring screws. Change the anchoring screws on the lover cutting blades, as well as the kinds on the electric motor to further improve your fan?s performance. When you are up there tightening up the anchoring screws, be sure to clean the cutting blades, as dust can make an discrepancy within your enthusiast.
Should you be in the house with small space, and don?t hold the area for a washer and dryer, consider getting an unit that mixes the 2 with each other. Combination units are great for tight-fitting places. By using these combo models, you are able to rinse outfits and dry them in one model.
Obtain any incandescent light bulbs you might have and replace these with energy-efficient lamps. They save money the fee for electric power, are good for the surroundings, keep going longer than classic lamps and emit much more light. So move from the outdated light bulbs for energy efficient ones.
Any pipes and wiring issues ought to be dealt with initial when doing any redecorating assignments. These fixes typically transpire inside your wall space, so make certain they are cared for well before possessing other activities carried out. It?s usually simpler to have upkeep carried out on any electrical wiring or pipes if the insides of the wall surfaces happen to be revealed.
Thus, well-defined and attractive entrance doors can considerably enhance a home?s worth. Setting up new computer hardware on the door can be a simple and quick way to update your front entranceway.
You should think about your alternatives in relation to home security systems as you are trying to sell your home. Of course, it may be needed if the home is within a bad neighborhood and no one is living there consistently to watch above it.
Redesigning is not about overworking oneself. No matter if you opt to undertake the next task on your own or through the help of a professional, these tips will help you to decrease the amount of tension that often accompanies refurbishments and remodels.

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This entry was posted in Home Health Care and tagged Home Improvement. Bookmark the permalink.

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Mujjo Introduces The Originals Collection for Apple Devices

Mujjo, a Dutch design brand, introduces The Originals, a new line of handcrafted sleeves made from natural wool felt and organic tanned leather for Apple devices.? Each case has a leather flap, except for the leather iPhone sleeve, and a felt body.? Each bag also has a smart storage compartment for earbuds, papers, and the [...]

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Eric X. Li: Authoritarian Art

HONG KONG - The vibrancy of contemporary China's art world is on full display at this week's Hong Kong International Art Fair. Barely a generation ago, amateur collectors braving the shabby studios of starving artists in Beijing and Shanghai were buying art for a few hundred dollars apiece.

Today, the world converges in a Hong Kong well on its way to becoming a leading hub of the global art market, driven in large part by the art being created in China and the buying power of the country's rising wealth.

Prices of contemporary Chinese art continue to reach commanding heights. It is a phenomenon many liberal political commentators rather ignore. It does not fit their narrative. The story they prefer to tell goes as follows: Artistic freedom is the prerequisite of creating great art; China's authoritarian politics places severe limits on artistic freedom; such lack of freedom makes it impossible for China to attain real cultural achievements -- the much craved "soft power."

Well, the market says otherwise. As things slow down in Basel and Miami, leading galleries, dealers, collectors and artists who congregate here are setting the art world of the People's Republic abuzz. It seems to be only an interim culmination of a 20-year trend that shows no sign of slowing.

It turns out that the liberal narrative is based not on facts but on ideology. In the long history of man's endeavor to create art, the so-called artistic freedom is a very recent anomaly. Michelangelo worked for the Pope. The Chinese literati painters were Mandarins serving the imperial court. Mozart composed at the pleasure of a rather overbearing Holy Roman Emperor, as brilliantly depicted in the 1984 film Amadeus -- "Too many notes, Mozart!"

In fact, if one takes a stroll in the corridors of the world's premier cultural institutions such as the New York Metropolitan Museum and the Louvre, the vast majority of art works being admired were created with no artistic freedom at all. In every culture and every civilization, most great art was produced under, or at the service of, political and/or religious authorities. Enduring artistic achievements were realized even under the harshest forms of dictatorial rule. The pyramids were built for the Pharaohs and Shostakovich composed, with real discomfort, beautiful music under Stalin.

The contemporary art scene in China is a mixed one. The state is both a patron and a censor of art. Large investments have been made by the government to promote artistic activities. The recent partnership between the government-run Shanghai Art Museum and New York's Asia Society for the exhibit of the late Wu Guanzhong's work is a case in point. Many of the artists whose million-dollar works are on exhibit at the art fair are graduates from art institutes that have been receiving dramatically increased government funding in recent years.

In the private sector, Chinese artists, successful and aspiring ones alike, are conducting wide-ranging and far-reaching artistic experiments. Galleries and dealers, both local and leading international names, are building a vast commercial empire on their works. Curators around the world work in China and find it to be a most fertile soil for ground breaking artistic interpretations. Yet, they all work within the restrictions set by a strong political authority. Exceptions exist, like Ai Weiwei, but they prove the rule.

Only history will tell whether truly great art of enduring value is being created here and now. But no one can deny that creativity of a most vibrant kind is driving a robust art ecosystem within the world's most significant authoritarian state.

Amid the hustle and bustle of the Hong Kong International Art Fair, those who have been preaching "artistic freedom" seem rather out of place. For them, it is not supposed to be like this. For any objective observer, it is not unique at all. Human civilization has been blessed with marvelous artistic creation under all different kinds of political systems. Those who claim that only one form of political governance is conducive to the development of culture are under the spell of ideological self-delusion. It is an irony that they are the ones who seem to be politicizing art just as much as, if not more than, the authoritarian state they detest.

Are they really prepared to pronounce Damien Hirst inherently superior to Michelangelo, Lady Gaga more enduring than Mozart and subway graffiti greater cultural monuments than the pyramids? The thundering footsteps of Chinese art are leaving them far behind.

This piece was published in the South China Morning Post on May 22, 2012.

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Oscar Mesa's Family House Rising From Between Huge Stones ...

Launched in 2007, Freshome is a weblog devoted to uncovering (and sharing) the latest and greatest products in Architecture and Design. Freshome was launched in March 2007 and has grown rapidly to become one of the most popular and influential architecture and design blogs on the internet. We now get over two million visits a month, and traffic is growing every month.

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Cambodia mourns K.Rouge victims on 'Day of Anger'

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Full Service Auto Repair Overland Park

Whether you need to change your car?s windshield with a large crack, need an air condition repair, a tune up, or change oil, a Full Service Auto Repair Overland Park should be able to help and provide you with the required service and maintenance of your car. Full service repair shops provide all the services you need to get your car fixed whether it is rewiring problems, brake or engine failure. Full service auto shops can also do an overhaul of your car so it?s conditioned like new. Body repair and body works including repair of dents, reconstruction of auto body, and repainting, won?t be a concern.Car maintenance is important not only for the car to be efficient but more importantly for the safety of the driver and the passenger. Properly maintained car prevents brake troubles, engine problems and other defects that can be a potential cause of accident. Proper maintenance and handling can also extend the lifespan of your car.

19 May 2012 | Hobby Online

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Jean-Louis Trintignant back on screen in 'Amour'

CANNES, France (AP) ? It's 43 years since Jean-Louis Trintignant was named the Cannes Film Festival's best actor for "Z," and 14 years since the French performer all but gave up filmmaking to focus on the stage.

He was tempted back by Michael Haneke's Cannes entry "Amour" ("Love"), which looks unflinchingly at death through the story of an elderly Parisian couple.

It may win the 81-year-old actor another prize. Trintignant and 85-year-old Emmanuelle Riva bowled over the Cannes audience Sunday as a devoted couple coping with the wife's worsening health. The Hollywood Reporter called it "magnificent in its simplicity and its relentless honesty."

Trintignant ? who first gained fame in 1956 opposite Brigitte Bardot in "... And God Created Woman" ? said he's been in more than 100 films, "but this was the first time I was pleased to see myself on screen."

"It was a wonderful opportunity, but I won't do it again," he told reporters in Cannes. "It was painful, but it was beautiful at the same time."

Haneke is a Cannes favorite who won the Palme d'Or in 2009 with "The White Ribbon," a stark portrait of moral erosion in pre-World War I Germany.

The Austrian is a famously demanding director who creates controlled but often devastating portraits of individuals, families and communities riven by repression and violence.

"Amour" breaks new ground in its obvious compassion for its characters, alongside an unflinching portrait of the realities of old age.

"I've never met such a demanding director," Trintignant said. "He knows exactly what he wants his film to look like. He knows the cinema through and through.

"It's a very difficult task," he said of acting in a Haneke film. "I don't advise that you do it," he added ? at least partly joking.

Co-stars Riva and Isabelle Huppert ? who plays the couple's daughter ? insisted that working with Haneke was a joy.

It's the spectators who suffer, not the actors," Huppert said.

Many of the film's scenes are emotionally raw, but Trintignant said the trickiest sequence to film was one in which his character tries to trap a pigeon that has flown into the house.

"That was very painful, because Michael wanted to direct the pigeon ? and he didn't think the pigeon was very good," Trintignant said.

"He made the pigeon do things again and again and I think there were two pigeons because one gave up."

"Amour" is one of 22 films competing at the festival, which runs to May 27.

___

Jill Lawless can be reached at: http://Twitter.com/JillLawless

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UN nuclear chief in Iran on key mission

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Tom Cruise bares soul in Playboy interview

By Eric Anderson, Access Hollywood

Frazer Harrison / Getty Images

Tom Cruise discusses Scientology, Katie Holmes and rumors of plastic surgery in a candid interview in the June issue of Playboy.

Despite ?being one of the biggest stars on the planet, Tom Cruise has always done everything he can to keep his private life? private.

But now, in a candid new interview with Playboy magazine, nothing is off limits, as Cruise?opens up about his belief in Scientology, his love for wife Katie Holmes and taking on the rumors that target him in the media.

VIEW THE PHOTOS: Tom Cruise & Katie Holmes

?If I don?t talk about my religion, if I say I?m not discussing it or different humanitarian things I?m working on, they?re like, ?He?s avoiding it.? If I do talk about it, it becomes, ?Oh, he?s proselytizing,?? Cruise?told Playboy of his faith in Scientology. ?I have respect for what other people believe. What I believe in my own life is that it?s a search for how I can do things better, whether it?s being a better man or a better father or finding ways for myself to improve. Individuals have to decide what is true and real for them. I?m fortunate in the life I have.?

So how does the ?Rock of Ages? star deal with rumors that have targeted him and his family over the years?

VIEW THE PHOTOS: Tom Cruise - Hollywood?s Original ?Maverick?

?Does refuting things help? Not really. There comes a point when you just have to go, ?You know what? Here?s how I?ve lived my life: I?ve never been late to a set. I make films I believe in. I feel privileged to be able to do what I love.? You just have to keep going and remember that. The other stuff? I hear it, I read it, I get it. But life is not a matter of trying to prove anything to anybody,? Cruise?explained.

But don?t think that Cruise? will just sit idly by if things cross the line.

?If I have to, I will sue. You start with a letter saying, ?Okay, you know it?s not true. Apologize.??But with certain ones you have to go, ?Okay, you crossed a line, and now you have the attention of my lawyers.? [laughs] When it involves your kids, you have to go, ?Here?s the line, and anytime you cross it?,? ? he added.

VIEW THE PHOTOS: Top 10 Tom Cruise Movie Moments

One rumor Cruise? ? who will turn 50 later this summer (July 3) ? has no problem confronting is the question of plastic surgery.

?I haven?t, and I never would,? he told the mag.

VIEW THE PHOTOS: Filmography: The Movies That Made Tom Cruise A Star!

Even with all of his box office successes, in the end, Cruise? understands what?s important in his life ? his family. And, as he explained, when the lines of personal and professional cross, it?s even better.

?I?ve always had the same values. Family for me has always been important. When I shoot, everybody comes. When Kate?s shooting, I?m there with her and the kids. We?re always together,? Cruise?said. ?I?m always around my mother and sisters. I always wanted to be a father, a husband. And I?ve always had a work ethic.?

And when it comes to Katie, Cruise? is happy to boast about his better half.

?She is an extraordinary person, and if you spent five minutes with her, you?d see it. Everything she does, she does with this beautiful creativity. She?s funny and charming, and when she walks into the room, I just feel better. I?m a romantic. I like doing things like creating romantic dinners, and she enjoys that,? Cruise? said.

?I don?t know what to say ? I?m just happy, and I have been since the moment I met her. What we have is very special,? he added.

For more with Cruise?, check out the June issue of Playboy, on newsstands May 18 or visit playboy.com/cruise.

Will you be reading Tom Cruise's Playboy interview? Tell us about it on Facebook.?

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Simple Home Improvement Suggestions That Can Improve ...

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Doing a home improvement project can be fun, but practicality needs to be your focus over innovation. We all love doing things that are practical in the sense that they bring us more enjoyment of some kind. Part of being practical is setting a budget and not going over it. People that live in older homes need to realize that they need to take care of their investment at some point. Even though you may spend a lot and it does not bring you greater enjoyment, just think about how much more you will save later on. Though the following recommendations may require help from other people, here are three practical home-improvement ideas to think about.

If you have a lot of leaves that fall near your house, you need to make sure that your gutters are clear so the water can flow properly. Locations that experience fall and the falling of leaves should know all too well about leaves in the gutters. If you can, block the ability of leaves to fall into the gutters to prevent this problem from happening. Proper water drainage for your home is absolutely essential when you have gutters. It is possible that your gutters, once clogged, will actually allow the water to overflow onto your house. It is possible to flood your basement if your gutter is not clear due to the leaf blockage.

Homes that are 20 or 30 years old might have Buss fuses installed in the electrical panels. Today, fuses are obsolete and circuit breakers are used for electrical purposes. You can still get away with using fuses if that is what your house has. It is your option, but you might want to consider modern circuit breaker panels instead. The best way to do this is hire a trained electrician to take care of this for you as this can become very technical. After the electrician has installed your circuit breaker, it should be the right current rating for your residential area.

If you have extra cash and want to really see how well insulated your home is, then think about getting an infrared scan for your house. People that own the cameras that are used for the scan charge a high price for using their equipment. This camera is so good that it is capable of giving you the information you need regardless of the season or how warm or cold it is in your home. Even though this camera works fine in the bright sunlight, nighttime pictures are the most accurate. The IR pictures will capture the thermal image of your house, and the air escaping from your home will be visible.

The above electrical home improvement tips may be beyond what you can do or are comfortable doing. However, the electrical outlet checker can be done by anyone and is very simple and easy.

In regard to the other two tips, you should definitely hire an expert to help you with these electrical issues. So to make your home a much safer place to be, you should complete these three projects as soon as possible.

Survivor Season 24 Episode 14

HTML Ready Article You Can Place On Your Site. (do not remove any attribution to source or author) <title>Articlez Plus | Simple Home Improvement Suggestions That Can Improve Electrical Safety</title><h3>Simple Home Improvement Suggestions That Can Improve Electrical Safety</h3><p>By: </p><p>Doing a home improvement project can be fun, but practicality needs to be your focus over innovation. We all love doing things that are practical in the sense that they bring us more enjoyment of some kind. Part of being practical is setting a budget and not going over it. People that live in older homes need to realize that they need to take care of their investment at some point. Even though you may spend a lot and it does not bring you greater enjoyment, just think about how much more you will save later on. Though the following recommendations may require help from other people, here are three practical home-improvement ideas to think about.</p><p>If you have a lot of leaves that fall near your house, you need to make sure that your gutters are clear so the water can flow properly. Locations that experience fall and the falling of leaves should know all too well about leaves in the gutters. If you can, block the ability of leaves to fall into the gutters to prevent this problem from happening. Proper water drainage for your home is absolutely essential when you have gutters. It is possible that your gutters, once clogged, will actually allow the water to overflow onto your house. It is possible to flood your basement if your gutter is not clear due to the leaf blockage. </p><p>Homes that are 20 or 30 years old might have Buss fuses installed in the electrical panels. Today, fuses are obsolete and circuit breakers are used for electrical purposes. You can still get away with using fuses if that is what your house has. It is your option, but you might want to consider modern circuit breaker panels instead. The best way to do this is hire a trained electrician to take care of this for you as this can become very technical. After the electrician has installed your circuit breaker, it should be the right current rating for your residential area.</p><p>If you have extra cash and want to really see how well insulated your home is, then think about getting an infrared scan for your house. People that own the cameras that are used for the scan charge a high price for using their equipment. This camera is so good that it is capable of giving you the information you need regardless of the season or how warm or cold it is in your home. Even though this camera works fine in the bright sunlight, nighttime pictures are the most accurate. The IR pictures will capture the thermal image of your house, and the air escaping from your home will be visible. </p><p>The above electrical home improvement tips may be beyond what you can do or are comfortable doing. However, the electrical outlet checker can be done by anyone and is very simple and easy.</p><p>In regard to the other two tips, you should definitely hire an expert to help you with these electrical issues. So to make your home a much safer place to be, you should complete these three projects as soon as possible.</p><p>Survivor Season 24 Episode 14</p><p><b>Article Courtesy of</b> Articlez Plus<br /></p>

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Christopher Van Buren: Product Launch Liftoff | Marketing and ...

Guest Post By Steve Olsher

The Entrepreneur?s Comeback

You?ve likely heard stories of entrepreneurs who make millions and, after a handful of bad decisions, lose everything. Then after a few years they reappear on the radar, making even more money with a new company. How does this happen?

The Power of Leveraging

The answer is simple: The steps for creating a profitable endeavor don?t change. It?s all about leveraging a proven formula, or system, for success. Christopher Van Buren understands the power of leveraging effective systems and, as the owner of LaunchMoxie, his company is dedicated to helping Internet marketers construct seamless, problem-free product launches that attract attention and maximize revenue.

A product launch is defined as a ?focused campaign that revolves around an online event or series of events that are designed to draw in customers.? When executed correctly, a product launch can generate a massive number of leads, increase name-brand recognition, and create substantial income. There are six phases for a successful product launch. Let?s take a brief look at each.

1) Product Design

Regardless of whether your product is physical or a service, it must be designed to meet the following criteria:

• Appeal to the target audience.
• Answer, and solve, burning questions and problems.
• Include free and low-cost entry points to attract potential customers.
• Look professional and function as described.
• Define why it improves upon, and truly outshines, existing products.
• Over-deliver on its promises.

2) Scripting

Scripting is far from easy and creating superlative copy is an acquired skill. It is imperative to build a compelling story that attracts attention, engages, and moves people to action. Scripting is needed for:

• Creating the overall theme
• The pre-launch narrative
• Site and email headlines
• Email subject lines
• Affiliate recruitment
• Text affiliates can use for their audiences
• Sales copy
• Video copy
• Email copy
• Site copy

While each phase of the launch process is crucial, nothing can extinguish the fire quicker than scripting that fails to properly capture the essence of the product.

3) Technology

Nothing is ever as hard as it looks or as easy as it seems. In the case of product launches, it?s much more difficult to flawlessly execute one than meets the eye. There are myriad components that hold the launch?s potential success or failure in a continuously swaying, highly delicate balance. While almost no launch takes place without a few technology hitches, these can be kept to a minimum by enlisting others who have meaningful launch experience and can add value to your team.

4) Soft Launch

Before the official launch, many recommend a soft launch during which associates are contacted and provided with early access to the materials. By engaging in a soft launch, you?ll be able to extrapolate performance and apply real data against the expected number of recipients for the official launch. This allows you to establish a strong sense of staffing requirements, materials needed, bandwidth to allocate, and approximate amount of funds to hold back for returns.

5) Securing Partners

Successful launches require collaboration, as most companies do not have enough subscribers to reach a meaningful number of potential customers. Therefore, partners are sought to help spread the word. In an ideal world, everyone and their mother would support the launch. Unfortunately, reality says this is unlikely. Realistically, one A player, several B and C players, and a solid number of D players will suffice. Many will argue that millions of touch points must be established in order to turn decent numbers, but this isn?t the case. Success is certainly related to the number of people who receive your message. However, they must be the?right people.

6) Official Launch

The heavy lifting is complete, the product is solid, the script is compelling, the system functions correctly, metrics are in place, testimonials are in hand, and your partners await the signal?wait for it?bam! Open the cart. The worst-case scenario is that no one buys your product. The best case is that millions of dollars flow in, your merchant processor can?t keep up, and the next thing you know you?re on the beach in Hawaii sipping pi?a coladas.

While both scenarios are possible, your first launch will probably fall somewhere in the middle of these extremes. With experience under your belt and affiliates on board, subsequent launches will be easier to execute.?The important thing to remember is you now possess the knowledge required to improve upon acquired skills.

Product launches can be very effective and therein lies the beauty of a system. Once created, it can easily be replicated to create extraordinary results.

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Steve Olsher?is the author of?Internet Prophets: The World?s Leading Experts Reveal How to Profit Online and creator of?Internet Prophets LIVE!, which takes place June 8-10, 2012 in Chicago. Featuring 29 of the world?s leading Internet, Mobile and Marketing experts such as Jay Conrad Levinson, Mike Filsaime, Mike Koenigs, Larry Winget, Marc Ostrofsky, Dan Hollings, Janet Bray Attwood, Armand Morin, and many others,?Internet Prophets LIVE! provides small business owners, solopreneurs, and consultants with proven no- and low-cost guerrilla marketing strategies, tools, and tactics for cultivating leads, dramatically increasing conversion rates, and generating massive, passive income. Tickets are only?$147 until May 15.?For more information and to reserve one of the VERY limited number of remaining seats, please visit?www.InternetProphets.com.?

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