p>Anyone would love to travel in a car. Many of us have a passion about driving a car. Car is still considered being an aristocratic amenity by most of the people. A car cannot be easily afforded by all due to its expensive price. However, there are options for people belonging to middle ? class economy to buy a car. A number of online portals help people in making decisions on buying a car. The websites give a complete solution for people who are willing to buy a car.
The online portals issue car finance quotes instantaneously upon the request of the user. They serve as the best place to either sell, buy or research about a car. The user in order to get a finance quote has to visit one of the many car finance quote portals available online. The user has to then enter the requirements like model of the car, make, features and the price range. The website will immediately display a number of cars as per the affordability of the user, easy monthly installment options for the car as well as the dealers and distributors who sell the car in the market.
The website not only offer car finance quotes, but also provide a comparison chart that helps us to compare two or more cars with respect to their features and price. These websites help dealers, distributors as well as private individuals to sell their cars. These websites let the user advertise about their cars if they are to be sold. These websites have a complete collection of new cars as well as used cars available for sale. Anyone from any place can find out a car available for sale at any other place with the help of these portals. The people who intend to buy a car can know about the availability of the car region wise.
The financing suggestions offered by these portals is extremely helpful to all. These portals have a list of financial institutions, their payment procedures and policies. Any user can get the complete list of financing options available through these websites, before buying a car. One need not stand in a long queue at the doors of a bank to get a car loan. These websites have a form that is available online. All a person has to do is fill the details in the form and apply for a loan. A financier will come in search of the person to offer a car loan. One can thus select a car as well as get the money required to buy a car with the help of these websites.
Besides these basic services, these websites also offer details related to insurance options, mortgage options and resale options available for a car. Many of the websites also offer services to buy trucks, boats, bikes and vehicles other than a car. In addition to that, these websites have the latest news related to cars, previews and reviews about the car and a lot of information about car care.
Buying a car is no more a dream. One could do that just by sitting at home. These websites that offer car finance quotes online help us turn our dreams into reality. Do you wish to own a car of your choice? Visit one of these websites and bring your dream car home, today!
Autumn, the fall season, when many vegetables
ripen, wild mushrooms appear, and game meats
come back to the menu. Master Chef Tan and
his team create such flavorsome yet wholesome
offerings as stewed mutton with Chinese
wolfberry and herb, stewed wild duck with
mushrooms and tangerine peel and many more.
Tel: (86 10) 6590 3388 ext 5038
?
All
about Curry
Are you ready for something hot and spicy?
Check out the dishes like stir-fried crab
with red curry, braised sea whelk with yellow
curry, seafood with green curry and many
others, you will be running off for lots
of water by the end of this dining session.
If you think you can handle it, don?t hesitate
to drop by at Ma Cherrie Thai & Vietnamese
Restaurant!
Tel: (86 10) 6590 3388 ext 5697
?
Alaska
King Crab Set Meals
Live crabs from Alaska have the most succulent,
juicy and tasty meat, and are also rich
in Taurine and Chitin. In the coming 3 months,
Keikoku Japanese Restaurant presents a change
in flavor, to accompany the change in season.
If you are an Alaska crab lover, what are
you waiting for?
Tel:
(86 10) 6590 3388 ext 5695
?
Delicious
Hairy Crab
September 1 - December 31
Attention to all crab aficionados - time
for hairy crab again! This year, our celebrity
chef Zhao Ren Liang and his team picked
the fattest and freshest crabs to create
you a plentiful selection of hairy crab
dishes which will surely tantalize your
taste buds.
Tel: (86 10) 6590 3388 ext 5031
?
Comfort
Food without the Guilt
Come and find out how we can help to take
care of your health at Simple House Lu Cuisine
Restaurant. You are what you eat! If you
take charge of your health by eating knowledgeably,
you can have a healthy life. Health is Wealth!
Investing in your food is the smartest investment
of all.
Tel: (86 10) 6590 3388 ext 5673
?
Discover
Australia - Tantalizing food from Down Under
Dinner Only
Australia is known as a multi-cultural country
with a wide variety of tantalizing food
made from fresh ingredients and cooked in
different methods. Choose your favorite
appetizer, main course and dessert selections
for your memorable dining experience.
Tel:
(86 10) 6590 3388 ext 5406
?
Celebrate
Mid-Autumn Festival in Style
September 12
Dinner Only
RMB1280 + 15% service charge per person
Dedicate your family time at this Mid-Autumn
Festival, where everyone can enjoy a gastronomic
spread of International cuisine and 360
degree panorama view. There's no better
way to spend quality family time at the
Summit Club Restaurant!
Tel: (86 10) 6590 3388 ext 5406
?
Haunted
Halloween Dinner
October 31
Dinner Only
RMB888 + 15% service charge per person
Pull out your fancy costumes and join
a 5-course dinner party this Halloween
at the Summit Club Restaurant, with 360
degree panoramic view.
Tel: (86 10) 6590 3388 ext 5406
?
Elegant
Afternoon Tea
3:00pm - 6:00pm
RMB138 + 15% service charge per person inclusive
a cup of coffee or tea
Featuring a delightful array of cakes, cookies,
pastries and popular Asian snacks and dishes,
be inspired to recreate tea-time as a special
meal that is to be savored and enjoyed.
Impress your loved ones with Indonesian
banana fritters, curry dumplings, coconut
pie and many more.
Tel: (86 10) 6590 3388 ext 5324
?
Enjoy
the Weekend Lobster Brunch
Saturdays and Sundays
11:30am - 3:00pm
RMB298 + 15% service charge per person inclusive
of unlimited sparkling wine, red/white wine,
draught beer and soft drinks
Relax and reconnect with friends and family.
Enjoy a lazy weekend with fine company and
food inclusive of lobster.
Tel: (86 10) 6590 3229
?
Cuisine
Around the Globe
6:00pm -10:00pm
RMB298 + 15% service charge per person inclusive
of unlimited red/white wine, draught beer
and soft drinks
Not to be missed all time favorite food
from the world @ Skyline Ca.
Monday - Da Pai Dang Night
Tuesday - India Night
Wednesday - Italy Night
Thursday - Mediterranean Night
Friday - Fruit Night
Saturday - South East Asia Food Night
Sunday - BBQ Night
Tel: (86 10) 6590 3229
?
Have
a French Chocolate Fondue Break
2:00pm - 5:30pm
RMB158 + 15% service charge per person
Spoil yourself with an indulgent French
chocolate fondue, accompanied by a selection
of fresh fruit and marshmallows and many
more, dip in with delight.
Many baby boomers in the U.S. are coming into retirement. Moved with her ??children grown and out of a large amount of these active retirees sell their family assets and go into the senior living communities, where they can enjoy the company of other people near her age. Want to Arizona has long been a haven for retired Americans, who spend their golden years basking in the sun of the Arizona desert perennial.
For some, theHealth benefits to the dry climate of the South West are a draw from the cooling of the climate in the Midwest with the icy cold in winter. For others, the attraction offers an active community life she planned all the old properties in the comfort of their homes with tennis courts, swimming pools and golf courses conveniently around home sites, condominiums and apartments.
Caregivers in the local community senior assisted living for those who require it to provide, where theythe dignity of life at home. In areas such as luxury hotels in Prescott, Arizona senior living community offering retirement villages all services with their lives in a private resort style and comfort that is in a city where restaurants, shopping centers and recreational facilities for the elderly associated active.
Owning a condo in a private living elders of these communities are the baby boomers retire knowing that the freedom to traveltheir home is safe and the assurance that assisted living is help available to them if their health take a turn for the worse.
People like to organize a small tea party at their own residence where they can invite few of their close friends and relatives so that they can have a chit chat with them. To make your high tea gathering memorable, the host of the party always tries to make sure that they can arrange for distinctive tableware with variety of dishes.
Tea has now become an energy drink for everyone as a result tea party is an excellent deal for having a break from your hectic schedule. With the passage of time, it has become contemporary for today?s generation. In order to match up the expectation of your guests, at times you can hire an appropriate caterer for the same.
The caterers are so proficient that they can bring the royal styles of the party back in trend and at the same time makes sure that their food preparation satisfies the satisfaction level of your guests. At present, these parties are rear in to the carousing. The catering service providers produce the outcome in a manner wished by their clients.
The catering services are offered by the professionals who arrange your party in such a manner that it will suit the ambience and the flavor of the era style high tea party. To know about the living principles of the men and women from the past and how enlightened they were, this type of tea party matches the purpose.
When you hire a caterer then it becomes his duty to turn all your special moments into beautiful celebration. They help you to sit back and relax and see things happening the way you want it and they also supply you with beautiful crockery, cutlery, napery, table decorations, and of course deliver a delectable High Tea selection.
Bridal shower, kitchen tea, birthday, baby shower, corporate function, or any other special occasions are some of the reasons when you would require a caterer to help you. They will decorate your venue exactly the way you want and the entire arrangements will be their headache. For high tea, they always include English -style gourmet sandwiches, scrumptious hot finger food, plunger coffee, fresh milk and a full selection of Twining tea and no less than twelve sweet treats to choose from. Therefore, you can enjoy your lovely and memorable ambience of the party with your near and dear ones.
Check out for the most amazing high tea sydney service. You will not get to see such ambience in sydney high tea catering service other than that of momentouscatering.
Road to 9 / 11 was a docudrama stretches through eight and half years, four continents, and a series of terrorist attacks. The film generated much controversy when it was originally released in 2006. Reached the extraordinary number of rating, drawing 28 million viewers.
Set September 7 at the Heritage Foundation for a special presentation of the path to 9 / 11 and examine again the courage and cowardice, knowledge and supervision, policy and players, and heroes and terrorists, because all paths collided in the 9 / 11
Remembering the Path to 9/11
If you missed the movie and try to request a copy from Amazon, all you find is a sign that says will be ?informed when this item becomes available.? Unfortunately, you can wait a long time. The film was never released on DVD. Citizens United is the case that there is a concerted effort to distribute the film to avoid been.
Civil rights are privileges given by a country to their people. These are enforceable rights and lawful acts can be done if anybody?s civil rights tend to be hampered with by someone else.
A personal injury happens when a person has suffered any kind of physical, social or even psychological harm as a consequence of accident or deliberate action. Injuries are classified into particular torts. A tort is defined as negligent or intentional problem that harmed or injured someone in various ways. Negligence, product liability and intentional courts are some examples of the categories of torts.
Since every citizen of the us is entitled legally in order to equal treatment in public places, civil rights abuses such as discrimination in education, employment, housing and health care could be brought to court with assistance of a personal injury lawyer. Violations of civil rights may include hate crimes, sexual harassment, expert misdemeanors in the enforcement of regulation or other government employees.
Personal injury lawyers tend to be certified to aid victims to find out exactly what civil rights were violated and also the sum of financial compensation the sufferers are entitled to. Monetary payments can be paid for the expenses for medical and psychological treatments, misplaced income or funeral expenses and damages to property.
Civil rights violations may be challenging to identify. However, it is very clear when you sense that any of your loved ones or yourself offers experienced discrimination in any indicates then you can contact a personal injury attorney who?s expert in violations of civil rights. He will evaluate and make clear your case.
The rulings concerning civil rights violations are very subtle tend to be reasonably specific. For this motive an experienced and expert lawyer with good reputation and fine track record will be your greatest move to help you legally. Bear in mind that winning a case on civil rights breach may set a historical model and pave the path for greater liberty through discrimination and disparity for you personally and the public in general and also the coming generations. Visit this website http://www.Personal-Injury-Accident-Claims.Com for you to learn more details.
Testing the water for bioenergy cropsPublic release date: 29-Aug-2011 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Liz Ahlberg eahlberg@illinois.edu 217-244-1073 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. Many energy researchers and environmental advocates are excited about the prospect of gaining more efficient large-scale biofuel production by using large grasses like miscanthus or switchgrass rather than corn. They have investigated yields, land use, economics and more, but one key factor of agriculture has been overlooked: water.
"While we are looking for solutions for energy through bioenergy crops, dependence on water gets ignored, and water can be a significant limiting factor," said Praveen Kumar, the Lovell Professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Illinois. "There are many countries around the world that are looking into biofuel energy, but if they are adopting these (large grasses) into their regular policy, then they need to take into account the considerations for the associated demand for water."
Kumar led a study, published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Early Edition, detailing effects to the hydrologic cycle of large-scale land conversion, both now and as growing conditions change in the future.
Miscanthus and switchgrass have a very different above-ground foliage structure from corn more surface area and much denser growth. This is good for maximizing the amount of biomass that an acre of land can produce, but it also increases water use. Miscanthus and switchgrass intercept light and rain differently from corn, and lose more water through transpiration, causing them to pull more water from the soil. The result of large-scale adoption would be a reduction in soil moisture and runoff, but an increase in atmospheric humidity.
"All these together account for the changes in hydrology, just from land-use change," said Kumar, who also is affiliated with the department of atmospheric sciences. "Then, if you impose further higher carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, higher temperatures and changes in rainfall patterns they add further modulation to the water use pattern."
Kumar's group used a sophisticated model it developed to study crops' fine sensitivities to temperature and carbon dioxide changes in the atmosphere. The model incorporates the acclimation response of plants to changing climate.
Using their predictive model, the researchers found that the net water use will increase further as a result of rising temperatures and carbon dioxide. Higher levels of carbon dioxide alone make the plants more water-efficient, since their pores are open less time to absorb carbon dioxide. However, rising temperatures counteract this effect, as the plants will transpire more while their pores are open, losing more water than they save.
This additional water loss compounds the increase in water usage from land conversion. In the U.S. Midwest, rainfall should remain sufficient to meet water demand, according to Kumar. However, areas that rely on irrigation could find they have less water to meet higher demands, which could increase the net cost of large-scale land conversion and put pressure on already stressed water resources.
"If we're going to solve energy problems through bioenergy crops, there are collateral issues that need to be considered," Kumar said. "Water is a significant issue. It's already a scarce resource across the globe, and the need for it is only going to increase. The cost of that should be factored in to the decision making."
Graduate student Phong V.V. Le and former postdoctoral researcher Darren Drewry (now at the Max Planck Institute in Germany) were co-authors of the paper.
###
The National Science Foundation and the Vietnam Education Foundation supported this work.
Editor's note: To contact Praveen Kumar, call 217-333-4688; email kumar1@illinois.edu.
The paper, "Implications for the Hydrologic Cycle Under Climate Change Due to the Expansion of Bioenergy Crops in the Midwestern United States," is available from the U. of I. News Bureau.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Testing the water for bioenergy cropsPublic release date: 29-Aug-2011 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Liz Ahlberg eahlberg@illinois.edu 217-244-1073 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. Many energy researchers and environmental advocates are excited about the prospect of gaining more efficient large-scale biofuel production by using large grasses like miscanthus or switchgrass rather than corn. They have investigated yields, land use, economics and more, but one key factor of agriculture has been overlooked: water.
"While we are looking for solutions for energy through bioenergy crops, dependence on water gets ignored, and water can be a significant limiting factor," said Praveen Kumar, the Lovell Professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Illinois. "There are many countries around the world that are looking into biofuel energy, but if they are adopting these (large grasses) into their regular policy, then they need to take into account the considerations for the associated demand for water."
Kumar led a study, published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Early Edition, detailing effects to the hydrologic cycle of large-scale land conversion, both now and as growing conditions change in the future.
Miscanthus and switchgrass have a very different above-ground foliage structure from corn more surface area and much denser growth. This is good for maximizing the amount of biomass that an acre of land can produce, but it also increases water use. Miscanthus and switchgrass intercept light and rain differently from corn, and lose more water through transpiration, causing them to pull more water from the soil. The result of large-scale adoption would be a reduction in soil moisture and runoff, but an increase in atmospheric humidity.
"All these together account for the changes in hydrology, just from land-use change," said Kumar, who also is affiliated with the department of atmospheric sciences. "Then, if you impose further higher carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, higher temperatures and changes in rainfall patterns they add further modulation to the water use pattern."
Kumar's group used a sophisticated model it developed to study crops' fine sensitivities to temperature and carbon dioxide changes in the atmosphere. The model incorporates the acclimation response of plants to changing climate.
Using their predictive model, the researchers found that the net water use will increase further as a result of rising temperatures and carbon dioxide. Higher levels of carbon dioxide alone make the plants more water-efficient, since their pores are open less time to absorb carbon dioxide. However, rising temperatures counteract this effect, as the plants will transpire more while their pores are open, losing more water than they save.
This additional water loss compounds the increase in water usage from land conversion. In the U.S. Midwest, rainfall should remain sufficient to meet water demand, according to Kumar. However, areas that rely on irrigation could find they have less water to meet higher demands, which could increase the net cost of large-scale land conversion and put pressure on already stressed water resources.
"If we're going to solve energy problems through bioenergy crops, there are collateral issues that need to be considered," Kumar said. "Water is a significant issue. It's already a scarce resource across the globe, and the need for it is only going to increase. The cost of that should be factored in to the decision making."
Graduate student Phong V.V. Le and former postdoctoral researcher Darren Drewry (now at the Max Planck Institute in Germany) were co-authors of the paper.
###
The National Science Foundation and the Vietnam Education Foundation supported this work.
Editor's note: To contact Praveen Kumar, call 217-333-4688; email kumar1@illinois.edu.
The paper, "Implications for the Hydrologic Cycle Under Climate Change Due to the Expansion of Bioenergy Crops in the Midwestern United States," is available from the U. of I. News Bureau.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
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Learning a new language can be difficult, especially when you try to learn a language which is not connected in any way to your mother tongue. You find yourself troubled by the new grammar rules, pronunciation and spelling. But how can you overcome these troubles? The answer is that you should stop thinking in your own language and start thinking in a language that you are trying to learn. Some people tend to learn languages by simply translating it directly from their mother tongue, using the same rules which apply for their mother tongue. Therefore they make many mistakes, especially with the grammar and the word order. They can find themselves in a funny situation as they find it difficult to express their thoughts and feelings in a foreign language. You should be aware that no language is the same and you need to spend a lot of time to understand the important sentence patterns. If you want to master a language you should never compare languages to your mother tongue. You just adopt the new rules and go with the flow.
You start by learning simple sentence patterns and go further to more complicated ones. You should be aware of the right usage of some verbs, nouns and adjectives, learn from examples, listen to native speakers. It takes a lot of time and practice. The first problem you encounter when you learn a foreign language is pronunciation. You can spend hours in practicing pronunciation, but still have no results in improving it. With pronunciation the most important thing is to listen and repeat. As you exercise more and more your pronunciation will be better. But you can ask why some people although they don?t practice a lot their pronunciation is very good. Everybody is different and some people find it easier to learn a new language, it is a matter of talent but it does not mean that if you a hard-worker you can?t achieve good results.
Practical Advices
The most important thing is not to give up. Try to repeat words and sentences over and over again, record your voice and listen to it. This is the key to success, hard working and good planing. You should also read a lot, try to learn the sentence patterns, check the dictionary and remember new words. I know you can do it.
AUSTIN, Texas ? Texas Gov. Rick Perry has asked the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for nearly $350 million to cover the costs he says Texas has incurred incarcerating illegal immigrants in state prisons and county jails.
In a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, Perry reiterated a claim he's often leveled against the federal government: that it's not doing enough to secure the border with Mexico and as a result, has allowed illegal immigrants to enter the U.S. and use taxpayer-funded resources, including the prison system.
The letter was dated Aug. 10, three days before the Republican governor formally announced he is running for president.
Reached after-hours Friday by phone, DHS spokesman Matthew Chandler said he wasn't in position to comment and said he could not confirm that the DHS had even received the letter.
Perry has been criticized by some fellow conservatives as being too lenient on illegal immigration issues. Unlike fellow GOP presidential hopeful Rep. Michele Bachmann, Perry does not think the U.S. should build a wall spanning the entire Mexican border. Perry also has supported discounted tuition rates for the children of illegal immigrants at Texas universities, and he has said Arizona's tough-on-immigration law wouldn't be right for Texas.
As governor, Perry was one of the first to talk about immigration by breaking out the issue of border security, a move that has won him support from conservative Hispanics. But he angered Hispanic leaders in June by endorsing legislation that would have prohibited cities from adopting "sanctuary" rules for handling suspected immigrants.
In his two-page letter to Napolitano, Perry described the formula used to come up with his $349.2 million bill, including $94.4 million to cover costs incurred by county jails.
"During tough economic times, when communities are making difficult decisions about their own budgets, Texas counties are being asked to cover more than $94.4 million in direct costs related to housing illegal immigrants while the state has been left to cover more than $254.8 million in such costs."
He included a memo from Comptroller Susan Combs in which she supports his calculations but warns that the estimates are conservative.
"The longstanding failure of the federal government to secure our border with Mexico continues to burden local communities and resources in Texas," Perry wrote. "Because there are not enough troops on the ground, illegal immigrants are able to penetrate the Texas border every day and use taxpayer-funded resources."
Perry is not the first governor to try to bill the federal government for the costs of incarcerating illegal immigrants. Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, a Republican, sued the DHS in February seeking compensation for incarceration costs, among other things. And Napolitano herself, who preceded Brewer as Arizona governor, regularly sent the Justice Department invoices seeking such reimbursement before she became Homeland Security secretary.
The onslaught of news stories in the wake of Steve Jobs?s resignation as Apple?s CEO shouldn?t come as a surprise. After all, Jobs leaves his CEO post having completed a tremendously successful reign as head of one of the U.S.?s most valuable companies. But there?s been an emotional tenor to a lot of the coverage you wouldn?t expect to see if, say, the head of Exxon Mobil decided to call it a career.
Then again, that emotional response isn?t all that surprising, either. It speaks to the lasting effects that a Steve Jobs-led Apple has had on the lives of many of its customers. Speaking personally, no corporate CEO can match the impact that Steve?s leadership at Apple has had on my life.
The Steve Jobs vision
It?s hard to nail down any single moment from Steve Jobs?s Apple career as being the one most important decision he made. But my vote is for his choice?his insistence?that computers ought to be easy to use, accessible to everyone. Steve didn?t invent the term ?user-friendly,? but he believed that Apple?s products should exemplify it.
When IBM fans poo-poohed the Mac early on, they said it looked like a toy. Perhaps their real frustration was with Steve Jobs?s notion that you didn?t need to be a genius to use a computer. The genius should go into creating the machine?anyone should be able to use it.
That decision is why my occasionally technophobic father can still find his way around a Mac today. Contrast Apple?s path with Microsoft?s: Microsoft copied the ?look and feel? of the Mac?s interface, sure; it still struggled for years to approach the Mac?s ease of use?which explains why my father-in-law calls me weekly for technical support from his Windows-based office.
I wrestled with pre-Mac computers. I fought with them to get them to listen to me and do what I wanted. The Mac, on the other hand, seemed eager to please and ready to help. It changed computing, and thus changed me: My focus on computers quickly evolved from hobby to endless obsession. My family had owned a Kaypro, a Commodore 64, and an Apple IIc. But none of those computers could capture my heart the way our first Mac did. I loved how it felt to use and explore that Mac, and I spent as much time as I could on the machine.
The Mac community
In 2001, Apple opened the first of what would turn out to be 327 (and counting) retail stores?a move Jobs championed. I?m sure I wasn?t the only Apple devotee who felt drawn to those stores, and the first time I walked into one, I quickly saw why. Jobs didn?t just oversee an Apple that created products I wanted; his company created a single place I could go to be near all of those wondrous devices in person.
I felt like I belonged at the Apple Store: I was with my people. In fact, I felt like?because of my years of devotion to Apple and its products, and my sense of personal expertise with those products?that I quite frankly belonged there more than the regular riffraff who just walked in off the street.
In a very real way, Steve Jobs?s Apple gave me a community to become a part of.
The risk taker
I think Steve Jobs?s greatness as Apple?s CEO wasn?t just because he was willing to take risks; rather, he pulled off risky manuevers with such aplomb that they looked like no-brainers in retrospect. Ditching the floppy drive, dropping the PowerPC in favor of Intel-built processors, the transition to Mac OS X?these are moves that look great now, but at the time, they were accompanied by varying degrees of sturm und drang.
Take OS X. When my Power Mac G3 booted into the new operating system for the first time, I got nervous. The folders I double-clicked weren?t opening in their own windows. Stuff wasn?t where I expected it to be. The OS looked cool enough, but there were some serious changes. Where was I going to toss my favorite aging desk accessories now that the Apple menu was no longer customizable? Simply put: What the heck was going on?
In the end, though, it all worked out: I became accustomed to OS X?s new way of doing things, Apple continued to improve things, and we wound up with an operating system that was better for the Mac platform?and Mac users like me?in the long run.
Apple?s risk-taking under Jobs?and its skill at pulling off those risks?inspires confidence among Mac users, so much so that I trust the company?s products with much of my life and my memories. Thanks to the iLife suite, many thousands of photos and hours of videos that I?ve shot are stored and organized. Thanks to Time Machine (and, admittedly, other backup efforts), they?re safe. I recorded songs for my kids when they were born using Apple?s products; I record songs with my kids using the iPad. And I take gorgeous photos of them with the iPhone 4 that?s always in my pocket. I could store my digital photos and videos on a PC, too. I could sync my devices with some Windows box, back them up on my own, and manage my life without Steve Jobs?s direct influence. But I don?t trust those platforms the same way, and I don?t get the same feelings about their products or the experience of using them.
Lessons from Steve
I?ve never met Steve Jobs and certainly can?t claim to know him personally. And setting aside stories about his notoriously short temper and brusqueness, it?s easy to admire the man for reasons beyond his accomplishments as Apple?s CEO. Take his 2005 commencement address to Stanford, a speech he delivered just a year after his initial diagnosis with pancreatic cancer. Jobs described his 1985 ouster from Apple as ?the best thing that could have ever happened to me,? since it forced him to figure out precisely what he loved doing, found Next, buy Pixar, and fall in love with the woman who became his wife.
Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don?t lose faith. I?m convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You?ve got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven?t found it yet, keep looking. Don?t settle.
In April 2006, John Gruber wrote that Jobs?s speech inspired him to make Daring Fireball his full-time job. I credit that same speech for convincing me (years later) to switch careers, taking a job covering technology I adore. Pursuing this tech writing career meant taking a chance and leaving another career behind, but the joy I feel in using the technology created by the Apple that Steve Jobs built (and, of coure, writing about it) convinced me to make the move. Steve Jobs took risks at Apple even after it was a $70 billion company. I didn?t hesitate?much?taking my own personal risk to come along for the ride. Steve?s confidence in Apple gave me confidence in taking on a job devoted to reporting on his company.
During his tenure at Apple, Steve Jobs inspired Apple to do great things. And he directly inspired my life, too, in numerous ways. I don?t fear for Apple?s future without Steve Jobs at the helm. But I sure will miss him there.
[Staff writer Lex Friedman has never owned a Mac he didn't love.]
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MADEIRA BEACH ? The Florida Winery of Madeira Beach won Best in Class in the honey wine category to earn the Honey Wine of the Year award at a recent Purdue University wine competition.
Each summer Purdue hosts one of the largest wine competitions in the country bringing in wines and judges from around the world. This year?s competition saw over 2,400 wines from 15 countries and 40 states.
The winery entered five of its Vino Florida brand wines and brought home seven awards. The winery received gold medals for both its Pure Paradise Mango wine, produced 100 percent from mango, and for Orwi, its 100 percent Florida orange wine.
Two bronze medals were received for its Paradise Cream Sherry and Grawi 100 percent Florida grapefruit wine.
The big winner of the week was the winery?s Pirate Mead honey wine. Made entirely out of Florida orange blossom honey, Pirate Mead was the recipient of a double gold medal as well as winner of Best in Class honey wine.
This is the winery?s fourth year of crafting wines.
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New York ? The House GOP's budget guru won't seek the White House in 2012, despite the Republican establishment all but begging him to join the fray
First Mitch Daniels and now this. On Monday, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.)?dashed "the conservative intelligentsia's last best hope to get one of their own in the race" for president. The chairman of the House budget committee?announced (again) that he would not seek the GOP presidential nomination. Why is the budget wonk ignoring the pleas of The Weekly Standard, Jeb Bush, and other members of the Republican elite who desperately want him to run? Here, five theories:
1. It's too late If Ryan had decided to run, he "would have had to start from scratch," and "he did not want to play catch up," says Robert Costa in the National Review. While the Wisconsin conservative does have a political action committee of his own, it's not nearly big enough to compete nationally, and he would have been stuck fielding a campaign team while also juggling a packed schedule of debates and fundraising events ? with the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses quickly approaching early next year. "It really was late to begin a run from scratch," says Jonathan Bernstein at A plain blog about politics.
2. He didn't really want it "For Ryan, being president has never been a lifelong ambition," says Stephen F. Hayes at The Weekly Standard. "His consideration of a presidential bid came not because of any desire to be president and, in many respects, came in spite of his inclinations against one." He always wanted to be a wonky Jack Kemp, not a presidential Ronald Reagan.
3. Ryan might be viewed as a one-trick pony Candidate Ryan "would clearly be an expert on fiscal issues,"?says Matt Lewis at?The Daily Caller. But "what if foreign policy experience suddenly became important? What if Russia invades Georgia?" Ryan "lacks executive experience," and fair or not, he would likely have been perceived as a youthful lightweight on non-fiscal issues.
4. Democrats would have pilloried his Medicare plan The 41-year-old Wisconsin conservative has "some radical ideas, such as turning Medicare into a voucher system," says Jonathan Capehart at The Washington Post. That plan may play well with conservatives, but turning Ryan's proposal into a campaign issue in the general election had "Democrats swooning over the electoral possibilities." Indeed, says Lewis. The bold plan "would be easily demagogued" by "Mediscare"-trumpeting Democrats.
5. Losing would have damaged his budgetary cause "One of Ryan?s chief concerns all along was whether an unsuccessful presidential campaign would undermine the GOP's fiscal hawks," says Costa. While he could have recovered from a unsuccessful run, "he worried that his fiscal agenda might end up politically discredited" by "an inglorious end in the snows of New Hampshire or the hills of South Carolina."?Perhaps the best role for the fiscally-minded Ryan "is to continue to lead in the House, shaking up the chamber's spending ways and nudging the presidential field in the right direction."
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There has been a new trend in pet treats this summer: food trucks and bikes have been offering New Yorkers the chance to buy a snack for their dog while they?re out walking them.
Bocce?s Bakery?s Biscuit Bike is a mobile street vendor cart, which has been bringing organic treats to the dogs in NYC parks. They sell an ice-cream, ?pup-cake? cupcakes, chicken cordon bleu biscuits, fish & chips biscuits and more.
Freshpet?s food truck travels all over the city introducing their brand of dog food to new pets. It has a counter that big dogs can reach and a ?doggie door? for smaller dogs, as well as life-like dogs sitting on top of the truck.
Best Friends Pet Care, which offers training, grooming and boarding for cats and dogs, went on a Treat Truck Tour in June. It travelled across the East Coast of the country, giving out biscuits and ice cream for dogs. The truck will be back on tour in the fall.
Bocce?s Bakery
Freshpet
Best Friends Pet Care
About the author of this article, Emma Hutchings:
Emma Hutchings is a daily contributor to PSFK. Emma is a Film Studies graduate, freelance writer, movie reviewer and blogger from the UK. Her favorite topics are gadgets, tech, design, tv & film. more....
? Ireland Posner and Pals Lafon, two tech officers with Phillis Ryan INC, recently released two new online gaming law model prototypes, considered to be groundbreaking in the respective industry
The first of its kind online gaming law class action suit will be debated by students Ramona Beachum and Miura Wyllie at Vee Hoe University next Monday, and then put to a panel of law professors to render a mock verdict. This new, dramatized aspect of the online gaming law law curriculum allows students to get a taste of what civil court feels like, while at the same time challenging them to create compelling arguments for their respective law professors. A similar program was instituted at nearby Claudie Plate College, where select pre-law students faced a jury of both peers and professors in order to practice opening remarks and summations in a real online gaming law class action law case. ?With students working hard on their online gaming law law mid-term exams, I?ve been able to assist the Murton Gabel and Kenner Alcott Law team in the recent online gaming law class action case. This is proving to be a very good experience for me, and it will dynamically boost the breadth of my curicular offerings as my pre-law department advances,? remarked Szafraniec Tichacek, a tenured professor of law at Gunnells Eitniear University. ?We did a great job on summations,? said paralegal Bartoletti Shorrock, when commenting on the online gaming law v. Vina Husak class action suit, ?which probably means that we?ll win this case handily. The case put forth by my boss, Dorthy Jernstad, was so convincing that we believe the jury will only be out for a couple days before they render their decision.? Any final verdict in this online gaming law litigation will of course be subject for appeal to a higher court, in this case being Krystin Demory County Superior Court located in Albury Viener City. Judge Dolby Drowne, who originally was a prosecutor for the county, began practicing online gaming law law after studying under esteemed Prof. Pulera Czarkowski, at Schlipp Fode University. ?The Judge has a great law pedigree, and this will allow us greater scope when the online gaming law case is argued. We want to be doubly sure that the Judge understands all the implications of this particular case, and as a result, believe that a Judge with this particular resume of experience is necessary. ?I?m really happy with the verdict in the recent online gaming law case, which was argued by my mentors Glisson Reitzel and Gladis Rogue, who work at the prestigious Hazelbaker Hustus INC law firm downtown,? said Dumais Babbit, an enthusiastic paralegal studying for the local bar exam. ?Once I have a better grip on how to construct convincing online gaming law arguments, I?ll be able to apply for my legal license with the state in no time.? Typically, the state takes about 6 months to process applications, and any special certifications, as in the case of those planning to practice in the online gaming law sector, take an additional month. ?I?m excited to be litigating this online gaming law case with my colleague Ericson Artiaga, a distinguished attorney with more than 25 years experience,? said lead parter Slusser Randol, ?and we firmly believe that the online gaming law case we have prepared for the 3 judge tribunal is rock solid.? Other partners in the Carolann Falcione Ltd Law firm were tasked with creating mock counter-plaintiff case scenarios, which allowed the lead case team sufficient practice and preparation to face anything that might be thrown at them. Following the winning verdict for the online gaming law plaintiffs, the opposition legal team held a brief press conference in which they thanked local Prof. of law Macri Zehner for contributions to the case. No appeal will be filed with Superior Court, since the team from Millea Scarduzio Partners believes that the jury rendered verdict is about equal to the settlement number set from the get-go. ?The only reason we took this online gaming law case to court was so we might avoid having to pay settlement fees. Now, however, we will be paying out to the plaintiffs, though no more than our risk team originally budgeted,? said Maryanna Prins, Asst Legal Counsel in the landmark case. ?We?ll be doing mock online gaming law class action lawsuit summations on Friday,? said attorney Gehle Alvelo, who is currently acting as a guest lecturer at Tomi Bowdle University, ?and grades will be based on presentation, efficacy of argument, use of facts, and argument coherence.? In total, there will be five different online gaming law law student teams presenting, which will probably take just over two hours for the panel to review. This session regarding online gaming law law will also double as the students? mid-term exam.
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